Some recent films

Unusually, I've been out to the cinema three times in as many weeks. I enjoyed all three films.

1. A beautiful day in the neighbourhood with Tom Hanks is a lovely quiet film (it even includes a period of silence at one point - rare in films). It is based on the true story of Fred Rogers and the journalist Tom Junod (called Eric Vogel.in the film).  It was particularly good to have someone who prayed and read his Bible as a central character in a film and not to see him mocked. Rogers was  a PCUSA minister I don't know how sound he was or was not. Anyway I was glad I caught the film. Worth checking out on any size screen.

2. Emma was the only one I manged to see with someone - it was Valentine's Day and this was just the film for the day. The film went for every laugh it could muster (having Bill Nighy and Miranda Hart in the cast really helps) but still stuck pretty much to Austen as far as I could see. All the comedy meant that the cringing point when Emma is mean to Miss Bates is very powerful. Great stuff. 

3. Little women is also of literary stamp and this new version I found delectable. I loved every bit of it (themes, actors, costumes, scenery, etc, etc). Of course, it's been presented as a feminist piece but most of the points made in that direction I thought were pretty fair. Louisa May Alcott was of Transcendentalist Unitarian stock so there is a lot missing but on its own terms the book is wonderful and this version just beautiful.

I notice that two of the three films were directed by women (Marielle Heller and Greta Gerwig; I thought Autumn de Wild might be a woman but it is a man).
PS As I initially thought, all three are women. Apologies for the confusion.