My dog Skip (Frankie Muniz)

(Amazon UK link)

Just over three years ago, I came across the DVD of ‘My dog Skip’ - and probably some others - in a thrift store, and bought it inexpensively. It looked like a pleasant family film, rated U, but for some reason we didn’t get around to watching it until last night. 

I was slightly concerned that it might be a ‘weepy’, but was relieved that it really wasn’t. The film was made in 2000 but set in the 1940s in Mississippi. It's based on a true story which was written in a book of the same name by Willie Morris. 

There’s an introductory voiceover from an adult, talking about looking back to his childhood. And then we meet young Willie, who is brilliantly played by Frankie Muniz. Willis is only supposed to be eight at the start of the film, and the actor must have been thirteen or fourteen, but he’s totally believable both then, and as he starts to grow up. 

Under the Tuscan sun (Diane Lane)

(Amazon UK link)

It’s over ten years since we first saw the film ‘Under the Tuscan sun’, so it seemed like a good idea to watch it again. I had entirely forgotten what it was about. I realised, after seeing the credits and one of the extras, that it was based on a semi-autobiographical book with the same title. 

The main character is a woman called Frances, played entirely believably by Diane Lane. Frances is a writer, who learns that her husband has been unfaithful. The early scenes are short and rapid, and we see her trying to negotiate a divorce settlement, then moving into a small and rather seedy flat. 

Frances’ best friend is called Patti (Sandra Oh). She and her partner meet Frances for a celebratory dinner after the divorce is finalised… and Frances learns that her friend is pregnant. She is then given a very generous offer of an Italian tour, which she’s reluctant, at first, to take. 

Dad's Army series four

(Amazon UK link)

We finished watching the third series of the classic TV series ‘Dad’s Army’ shortly before Christmas last year. On Boxing Day we started watching Series Four. Once again, we found that we didn’t recall much of this at all, although we had both seen the series as children, and some of the repeats over the years. This series was first broadcast in 1970. Each episode is around half an hour, so we usually watch two at a time. 

Episode One sees the platoon preparing for a big parade through the town. They come into conflict with the ARP warden - as ever - about who should be leading (after the town band, that is). Captain Mainwaring (Arthur Lowe) thinks it would be a good idea to have a mascot. But Private Walker (James Beck) doesn’t quite come up with what he was expecting. This is a fast-moving episode with a very amusing ending. 

Honeymoon in Vegas (Sarah Jessica Parker)

(Amazon UK link)

We’ve had the DVD of the film ‘Honeymoon in Vegas’ on our shelves for a long time. It was a freebie that one of our relatives acquired, some years ago, with a Sunday newspaper. I don’t know why we never got around to seeing it, but we finally rectified the omission last night.

It feels like quite an old film, given the style of the titles, which are cartoonish, reminiscent of the 1960s. So I’m a bit surprised to find that it was made as recently as 1992. The star of the film is a very young-looking Sarah Jessica Parker, who plays a glamorous, feisty woman called Betsy. She’s the girlfriend of Jack (Nicolas Cage), and they’ve been together for quite some time. She really wants to get married and have children, but he is afraid of commitment.

The reason for his fear is that, on her deathbed, his mother made him promise that he would never love anyone as much as he loved her, and that he would not get married. He didn’t quite make the promise, but it haunts him. And in his work as a private detective, he has seen so much evidence of marriages falling apart and infidelity that he begins to think his mother is right. Except that he really loves Betsy, and doesn’t want to lose her.