Up first this week are a quartet of films new to Netflix.

The pick of the bunch are two very different films. Firstly, documentary ‘Circus of Books’ was a very pleasant surprise. Director Rachel Mason delivers a very personal story about her parents. Her Mother, Karen, is devoutly Jewish journalist and her Father, Barry, an ex special effects engineer, notably on Kubrick’s 2001. Needing a career change in the 80s they decide to buy a shop that sells gay porn and related sex toys. I was concerned that the film would not offer much beyond that central surprise but Karen and Barry are such a warm and likeable couple. Their tenure at the store encompassed the scourge of Aids and the Reagan government’s anti gay agenda, so there is much more to the story than originally appears. Also, Karen’s reaction to her son coming out is fascinating.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10

‘Love, Wedding, Repeat’ is a breezy British romcom. A wedding in Italy is about to be disrupted when a man who had a recent one night stand with the bride shows up. The bride persuades her brother to spike the man’s drink with a sedative, but what if he gave the dose to the wrong person? In a sliding doors style we see the possible outcomes as different people take the drug. If you like farces, you should enjoy this movie. Sam Claflin does his best Hugh Grant impersonation as the flustered brother desperate to make a good impression with his sister’s friend (Olivia Munn). But it is the wonderful Joel Fry who steals the show as the ‘man of honour’.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10

In contrast to that, ‘Tigertail’ is a very melancholy affair. Pin-Jui, a poor young man in Taiwan decides to leave his girlfriend when his boss offers to pay his passage to New York if he marries his daughter. Many years later, he reflects on his life and choices. Tze Ma is excellent as the older Pin-Jui and there is a beautifully staged sequence towards the end of the film bookend by 2 elongated panning out shots by director Alan Yang. But much of the story is predictably by the numbers.
Rating: 6 out of 10

‘Rising High’is an energetic German drama about two friends running a property scam. With a relatively short running time, a cracking pace and a terrific performance by Emily Goss as a corrupt banker, this is a pretty easy watch. However, the ease with how the crooks make their money and their lack of charisma or likeability meant I was not invested in the outcome.
Rating: 6 out of 10

Over on Amazon Prime, subscribers can watch ‘Salah and the Spades’, a teen comedy that has had a lot of positive reviews. That reaction is a bit baffling to me. The story of a prestigious high school with 5 competing cliques felt way too familiar and I found all the proceedings pretty dull.
Rating: 3.5 out of 10

A much better bet is the chilly murder mystery ‘Blow the Man Down’. Set in a fishing village in Maine, two sisters (Sophie Lowe and Morgan Saylor) try to cover up the accidental death of a man, whilst a local girl has gone missing and her employer, a brothel owner played by Margo Martindale has been robbed of $50000. Slowly the various plot strands come together in a pleasing way. Not exactly fast paced for a thriller, this is the sort of film that gradually pulls you in.
Rating: 7 out of 10

Finally Sky Movies is now showing ‘The Operative’. A young woman, Rachel (Diane Kruger) is recruited by Mossad to work in Tehran as part of an operation to hinder Iran’s nuclear programme. When she disappears after her Father’s funeral, her ex handler (Martin Freeman) tries to track her down. It is pleasingly downbeat, with an air of realism, reminiscent of John Le Carre, though not quite up to his standards. For example, having the female spy fall for the man she is meant to have under surveillance is very hackneyed. Also the structure of the film lessens the tension when Rachel is in danger. Both Kruger and Freeman are excellent, however, the methods used seem believable, there are a few good set pieces and a nicely open ended finish to the movie.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10