51 W 67th Street, New York: seeing in the New Year at the best address in the movies

As is traditional on this day: Samuel Beckett’s thoughts via telegram on the coming New Year of 1984

Further on up the road, New Year’s Eve #biking

Can’t believe it’s taken me until now to see this magical hallucination of a movie. Will be returning to Tativille…

“Scalded the eyes out of me reading Effie again, a page a day with tears again. Effie… Could have been happy with her, up there on the Baltic, and the pines, and the dunes.”—Samuel Beckett, Krapp’s Last Tape (Theodor Fontane, born OTD in 1819)

“I happen to love a dark street, with wet cobbles, and a small furtive figure under a lamp at the corner.”—Carol Reed, born OTD in 1906

Reading Donal Fallon’s excellent and beautifully illustrated book The Dublin Pub (a Christmas present), I was not surprised to run into this habitué of the high stool

Enjoyed The Mastermind: a seventies-set movie with a real seventies movie sensibility. (And the added bonus of Josh O’Connor stealing every scene.)

High folly #Rievaulx

A literary universal solvent, or a novel that’s “so old-white-man, I can’t”? For @theobserveruk.bsky.social I wrote about the resurgence of interest in William Maxwell’s So Long, See You Tomorrow, with thanks to David Nicholls, Richard Ford, @ericawgnr.bsky.social and more:

“I think it’s the best job in the world. You’re constantly shaping and creating a work of art.” John Wilson is one of my favourite interviewers and this is a gem

Out on the feast of Stephen

Entre nous… one of the great Christmas movies

Dreaming of a noir Christmas

“’Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring... nothin’... no action... dullsville!” The Apartment: the gift that keeps on giving, movie-wise…

“It being Christmas Eve, there was, as I had foreseen, a good deal of revelry and whatnot.” Getting in the spirit with a spot of Wodehouse (from “Jeeves and the Yule-Tide Spirit”)

m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl_f... Zadie Smith turns out to be an excellent singer, too.

What a beautiful, inventive and endlessy interesting album this is – one of my favourites this year #NowPlaying

“I wish to God you could pay more money.” I wrote about F Scott Fitzgerald’s Christmas wish, and how his difficult final year led him to produce some of his best work: the irresistible, cynical, revealing and very funny Pat Hobby stories.

Four weeks since ‘Nadine’ came out, thanks to all for the very positive reception. Some CDs still available, and just to be clear, to minimise shipping costs, UK/Europe orders will ship from the UK, Americas orders from New York, and Asia orders from Tokyo. harrietrecords.bandcamp.com/album/nadine

My favourite Christmas decoration #Holly

One of the best films released this year. #FilmSky

This is not exactly a Christmas movie, but its depiction of a woman struggling to survive in a dehumanised worplace in the service of rampant consumerism, set against the kindness and decency of the people she encounters in the outside world, holds out some hope of redemption. Highly recommended.

Here’s looking at you…

Diana Athill, born OTD in 1917, on the sometimes thankless task of being an editor (in her excellent memoir about her life in publishing, Stet)

Ceci n’est pas un Magritte

Song for today #solstice

Don’t recall seeing Sam Riley in anything since Control but he’s a revelation in this slow-burning sun-baked noir

Park light

“Stand by Me means more to me than any of my other films.”

“This can’t last. Nothing lasts, really.” Celia Johnson, born OTD in 1908

Bruxelles je t’aime…

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.” – Northanger Abbey #JaneAusten (born 16 December 1775)

What a mensch. #RobReiner

RIP Rob & Michele Reiner His movies gave me so much happiness. He directed the funniest movie I’ve ever watched and provided wonderful straight man support to Christopher Guest in its funniest scene: youtu.be/uMSV4OteqBE?...

To hell with modesty.

Pleased to report that this is a hoot (if a little too long). Josh O’Connor carries it.

Spotted in a Parisian bookshop window. #BillyWilder #FilmSky

An eloquent riposte to QT by Ryan Gilbey, in which he rightly praises Dano's superb performance as the young Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy www.theguardian.com/film/2025/de...

A humdinger of a review for 'Nadine' at @popintherealworld.bsky.social. Absolutely spot on, eloquent and passionate. A big thanks to Chris for setting it all out, arguably better than we could do ourselves.

There are LOTS of reviews of singles, EPs and albums in Issue 3 of my zine. Here's one of them: You Still Believe In Me by @slowcountry.bsky.social You can buy the zine here: assistant.bandcamp.com/merch/in-the...

This book, by E.J. Hardy, gets a sardonic mention in Samuel Beckett’s play All That Fall

This is an album I’ve kept returning to this year. Sounding unlike anything else that came out in 2025, for me its folk-tinged psychedelic pop most strongly harks back to classic Beach Boys.

Some great short story recommendations here…

Enjoyed Celine Song’s Jane Austen-inflected comedy about the brutal reality of dating, featuring a terrific performance from Dakota Johnson and a great New York backdrop

“I make it a point never to see pictures I write.” Rewatched Bogart in this pitch-dark Hollywood noir alongside the great Gloria Grahame.

Night lark. London is so beautiful #mudlark

Sky light #BritishMuseum

Thank God for Bluesky: A little love letter to the people who would not compromise with Nazis iandunt.substack.com/p/thank-god-...