The Young Mr Pitt (1942)
CRUMBLIES… And on to Robert Donat‘s eleventh film. It’s 1942. His last movie, Goodbye, Mr Chips (1939), came with an Oscar for Best Actor and then a pause. The world is … Continue Reading The Young Mr Pitt (1942)
Keeping Mum (2005)
CRUMBLIES… One of the joys of old age is fixing the lives of the middle-aged. My boy’s wife, let’s go with ‘Mrs Steve’ (I’m of the past, plus you haven’t … Continue Reading Keeping Mum (2005)
The Liability / The Hitman’s Apprentice (2012)
CRUMBLIES… Black comedy time! Murder! Mayhem! A road-movie! Oh yes! Look, no offence, but the young can be fucking irritating. First they get born and shit; a lot. Then they … Continue Reading The Liability / The Hitman’s Apprentice (2012)
84 Charing Cross Road (1987)
CRUMBLIES… Mrs Jack loved this film back in the 1980s. She dragged me along to the cinema. I was resistant to being so close to suckers of death sticks (really: … Continue Reading 84 Charing Cross Road (1987)
Perfect Strangers / Vacation from Marriage (1945)
CRUMBLIES… Old Mrs Jack, bless her, was a live wire. She charmed old Jack here out of his tense shell in the 1950s. We were too young to have … Continue Reading Perfect Strangers / Vacation from Marriage (1945)
Ladies in Lavender (2004)
CRUMBLIES… Imagine. A cottage on the coast line of Cornwall. The 1930s. A couple of sisters. A boy. A story of unrequited love and some fiddling. That, ladies and ladies, … Continue Reading Ladies in Lavender (2004)
Goodbye, Mr Chips (1939)
CRUMBLIES, thousands of them. And all boys… Let the years pass but our hearts will remember, Schooldays at Brookfield ended too soon. Fight to the death in the mire of … Continue Reading Goodbye, Mr Chips (1939)
The Ghost Goes West (1935)
CRUMBLIES… A bit more Robert Donat, I fancy – as my Grandpa Gus would say. Here is his 7th film. He’s three years into his film career, a proper movie … Continue Reading The Ghost Goes West (1935)
Esio Trot / Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot (2015)
CRUMBLIES… Oh! What fun! Old Jack comes to you a stunned man who has had his soul refreshed… For two hours in the unexpectedly sparkly company of Judi Dench (sparkly … Continue Reading Esio Trot / Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot (2015)
Mrs Caldicot’s Cabbage War (2002)
CRUMBLIES… Okay, this one is set in an old people’s home. Oh yes. It’s the ‘too close for comfort territory’ of staring into the miseries of this place, only in … Continue Reading Mrs Caldicot’s Cabbage War (2002)
Is Anybody There? (2008)
CRUMBLIES… Old Jack here has to be careful with the films sometimes. Anything too close to home can trigger panic attacks and shrieking in my ageing colleagues in Doom’s Antechamber. … Continue Reading Is Anybody There? (2008)
The Lady in the Van (2015)
CRUMBLIES… I really wanted to like The Lady in the Van. It starts with the sounds of a car crash underneath a black screen…sound effects to give impetus to the … Continue Reading The Lady in the Van (2015)
Calendar Girls (2003)
CRUMBLIES… Huzzah for women properly on their way to my age! They support each other, they love each other, they do the right thing by themselves, their friends and their loved … Continue Reading Calendar Girls (2003)
Mrs Miniver (1942)
CRUMBLIES… When I texted Jack to say how much I had enjoyed Mrs Miniver, my phone auto-corrected the name of its star, Greer Garson. It said: Greet Hard On. … Continue Reading Mrs Miniver (1942)
The Citadel (1938)
CRUMBLIES… The Donat-watch goes on! So to his 9th film, and just one away from the great old school-master… The Citadel is a fantastic tale from A.J. Cronin – he … Continue Reading The Citadel (1938)
Quartet (2013)
CRUMBLIES… Okay, this one’s a bit close to home. And, if I’m honest, pissed me off. Not for its qualities, more for what it showed ours not to be. Cos … Continue Reading Quartet (2013)
