Turns out Tom Stoppard was a pretty good playwright and Arcadia is still quite fun (and funny!). Excellent night out

If a man can't hold a woman above his head while twirling around at a dizzying speed on ice, is it even skating? ... is I assume the main rule in the ice skating rule book given how often they seem to do it

RIP Frederick Wiseman the greatest to ever do it, what a great bunch of documentaries he made, many of which I still get to watch and enjoy for the first thing

Gotta, uh, support the figure skaters (I assume they have some coming up?)

If I keep watching curling, then the hope is that eventually I'll understand how they score it and what the strategy is. It never happened for me with other niche sports like AFL or NFL, but I believe I can understand this one

It just seems so weird to me that in between the Olympics you might be able to go somewhere in the world to slide down an icy death tube head first on the regular... for fun?

Every time the Prince Charles shows IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, they send 200 people out into Chinatown hungry for noodles and dumplings. I hope they get some kinda kickback from the local businesses.

I'm at a craft beer bar in Brixton and I swear there are more tiny children here than at a crèche

Blimey bit colder than I expected when I looked out the window. I am however now committed to my plan to do a parkrun then get home for s 10.30 quiz. I think it's possible if I just run fast enough

Weirdly thrilling to be going to see Art Brut and Maximo Park tomorrow, the latter a band I literally haven't seen in over 20 years. This might be my first properly nostalgia-based gig but I'm getting old so I'm fine with that.

We're watching Red Eye, a film I've never seen before. It's all very thrilling but if they're hoping for me to care about the person the bad guy is trying to murder, well, times have moved on eh.

Okay I have to concede the American ice dancer who looks like Zuck is good.

Just trying to wrap my head around what the difference is between rhythm dance and free dance in figure skating and I don't get it.

I'm here in the IMAX with the real hardc0re film nerds to see a screening of a 2.5hr Soviet Kazakhstani historical epic. Hoping it will be a rollicking fun ride.

Kerry is watching IJ & the Holy Grail and though I haven't watched it for well over 30 years I do still remember a disturbing amount of the dialogue fairly accurately.

Trying to sing this at karaoke was a choice. (Not my choice.)

Decided to take a punt on CURE, a classic horror movie (look it's 30 years old so I think it has classic status now) because I vaguely said I wanted to make this year the year I tried to get into that genre more, and I've got to start at some point.

Wasn't expecting to see Don McKellar's name in the credits for the latest Park Chan-wook film. Anyway, it was good, punchy.

Time to go to another film that's super low down the list of films I'm 'excited' to see. I really can't wait for this new film tomorrow from director Park, that looks fun.

They're opening a Gail's in the ugliest building in the world next to Archway station?? I'd say 'there goes the neighbourhood' but I feel the malign energy of that building will be too much for even Big Bakery to overcome

I was going to go to the gym this morning but I've become wrapped up in the Australian Open 1-point slam that's live on YouTube right now. What a silly format.

Okay I'm going in to my officially least anticipated film of the year

It appears to be Time, time to start watching an episode of Heated Rivalry like seemingly everyone else has done already.

In further woe is me news, I'm now listening to this programme and I wish there were more pubs like this near where I am right now, because I'm getting hungry and most central London pubs are... disappointing. It's all very interesting though, like David's book! Recommended!

Everything is terrible wherever you turn it sometimes seems (except Zohran and Rama/aloof wife, giving me hope) but spare a thought for me, having run out of tea in the office and Postcard Teas isn't open until 12. I'm dying here guys, what, am I going to use the teabags the office provides??

2026! Another year another perfect opportunity to be the person I haven't managed to be in about a decade by reading some books! Let's ease in with some slim ones see how I do

I just got an annual travelcard through a work scheme but the company who runs it are National Rail affiliated so we don't get an Oyster and if I want to go beyond my zones I have to buy an extension ticket from a rail ticket office that is STAFFED. What the actual fvcking fuck is this insanity??!?

Went to see a production of INTO THE WOODS last night at the Bridge Theatre. They always do a good production and this was no exception. Excellent work all round, peak Sondheim.

I love to take a photo of a pub but I don't usually see many in films. I probably just don't watch enough English films of a certain era.

People (nobody) have been asking about my favourite films of last year and finally I can reveal... No surprises eh. boxd.it/Rjxjw

We're coming into the third day of the year and I haven't even put together a list of my favourite films of 2025, what have I become? Okay I'll work on that this weekend, promise.

Just watched Peter Hujar's Day and now I just have to walk around listening to Mozart's Requiem at literally maximum volume. The original 'turn it up to 11' record?

It's getting down to crunch time. I'm going to have to start making some LISTS. I think I may have run out of time to catch up with any more films though.

Well we did it, we finally tackled the big boss of Christmas films (at home, not in a cinema, where I will never watch it) and readers, as you know, Love Actually was bad. I would rather rewatch The Holiday every day. Just weird. So many bosses cheating with their employees in that film.

It's that happy time of year (translation: possibly every time of year) when there's chaos on the East Coast Mainline and our train was cancelled, we're standing on another, and we've been delayed by at least three hours but the silver lining is maybe we'll get to Edinburgh today? (Also: refund)

I've come into the office in London today. It's so far looking like I might be spending more time out Xmas shopping then actually working but look what's the use of thia week otherwise?

Well, we've now hit the Christmas moviegoing nuclear option and we're off to see beloved timeless holiday classic The Holiday, screening in 35mm for the real movie lovers.

I'm in a fancy London shop, as one is during this time of the year, overhearing someone ask a staff member where the advent calendars are. Why would you be buying an advent calendar on the 22nd December??!

Anyway I'm off to do some Carolling tonight which is -- and if you know me at all you already know how this skeet ends -- where I go and see Carol (2015, dir. Todd Haynes) for Christmas. I should probably get a new tradition eh

I went to see a film yesterday in which going for a run, come rain or shine, was an expression of freedom and determination for a young woman and mighty inspiring it was too. However I've been looking out the window at the rain all morning while wearing my running kit and I'm not so determined.

I just love when you stand at a bus stop long enough to see the bus that's listed as being due for the last five minutes just silently gives way to the next one coming in 10 minutes and then one just cruises past you without even stopping though you're standing at the fvcking stop. Fuck you buses.

My 122 day streak on Squaredle finally comes to an end so I can stop playing Squaredle all the fvcking time.

I saw someone doing a run in full gear down Charing Cross Road the other day at around 5pm, truly deranged behaviour, can't help but respect it. Feel like even in central London there might be better places to run but hey.

I don't know if people are aware of this television thing called The Traitors but we are getting into it approximately eleventy billion years after everyone else ("Celebrity" version). It's quite addictive it turns out.

I went on a little wander around the BFI because I thought I heard @pamhutch.bsky.social 's voice but now I realise that my brain probably just inserted that into the background hubbub because I'm here to see a silent movie.

We went to the @kermodeandmayo.bsky.social Live Take and my wife Kerry was the loudest, most shameless and frankly dishonest, and hence won a Peace Prize. Well deserved!

Terrible photo but it was lovely to see Stereolab on stage at the RFH. Laetitia was very keen that people tear up the seats but I think her fans are too polite to do that.

I'm in my local community hall, the one literally two steps from my home, watching a big band play, and I thought briefly I had never been in here. But actually I think someone had a birthday here years ago, before I lived here. Ant, I think. A 40th perhaps. It's that kind of hall.

In the last two days I've learned that both the musical lyricist Lorenz Hart (thanks to the film Blue Moon) and political a-hole Joseph McCarthy died at the age I am now (48), from alcoholism. Not sure what my point is. I might be getting old.

There's a guy here (with a weird moustache, what is it with the younger generation and weird moustaches?) who's been talking about the filmography of Will Ferrell, and now saying to his friend that he's doing an Inland Empire/Dune double bill. I wish him the best with that.