feather_ghyll

The Thursday Murder Club (2025) Rated: 12A
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Screenplay by: Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote, based on the nove by: Richard Osman
Starring: Helen Mirren, Piers Brosnan, Celia Imrie, Ben Kingsley

This is well made and entertaining, it features lots of big names in the British acting firmament, some things have been dropped or tweaked for the running time, and maybe some of the characters flattened, but that’s what you expect with adaptations. I saw it in the cinema – as I don’t have Netflix, I was glad to catch it in my local arthouse cinema. I believe it’s on a short, limited run in British cinemas, at least. It is worth it for the communal chuckles, because it’s a film that sets out to entertain, and then it remembers that it is about real murders, ( Read more... )

I am aware that Bublik and Boisson made it to finals in the tournaments that were on the week after Wimbledon (I don’t know on what surfaces they were played.)

The north American swing started in Washington, ( Read more... )

The other story rumbling in the background was that quite a few top players were pulling out of the Canada Open and Cincinnati, both Masters events, which have been stretched to a week and a half, proof that the schedule is putting too much strain on top tennis players’ bodies.

( In Canada... )

( In Cincinnatti )

On to the US Open and the mixed doubles experiment. I was all set to have Sinner down as the clear favourite, but it depends how quickly he recovers. Alcaraz doesn’t quite know what his level is as his last two toughest opponents were hampered. Who knows with Djokovic – he hasn’t played since Wimbledon, but that doesn’t mean much, he’s had a great year in the Grand Slams if you’re not hunting for your twenty-fifth. It probably means more that Draper hasn’t played either. Zverev and Fritz have wobbled, though I’ve been impressed by Shelton.

The women’s side was a bit more open: Sabalenka is still no. 1, but the defending champion has had issues at grand slams this year, which only adds to the pressure. Swiatek is on her way back up, so maybe they're the top two favourites. Gauff hasn’t done much since the French relatively speaking, but it’s women’s tennis, I could totally buy there being four different champions this year – Rybakina has been improving, Paolini played herself into form at Cincinnati, don’t discount Anisimova or Keys or Whoever.

I bought Towers in the Mist by Elizabeth Goudge at the same time as I bought ‘The Heart of the Family’, discussed here, so I felt obliged to read it. But I won't be buying any more of Goudge's books from this point on. This is a historical novel, with an imaginary family, the Leighs, replacing a real-life family in Elizabethan Oxford and interacting with some historical figures. It starts with ( Read more... )

I hope to post more about books in the near future.

Finals Saturday

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Finals Sunday

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I'm still running behind on posting!

Day nine

Worth noting that none of the women's quarter finals had won Wimbledon before.

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Day ten

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Day five

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Day six

Rain meant that there wasn’t really any play on the outside courts until play started on Court No. 1 under the roof, where I paid the most attention. ( Read more... )

Day 1. That lovely, verdant striped grass, the hush of the big courts adding to the sense of occasion.

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Day 2. ( Read more... )

Women’s semi-finals:

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Men’s semi-finals:

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Round 1 of the ATP and WTA 250 event at windy, windy Eastbourne, the week before Wimbledon, on the iPlayer.

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I don't know why the men's matches deserve two commentators and the women's only get one. I'm assuming sexism.