It’s October!!

I see that I have skipped an entire month! I’ve watched so many films that I don’t quite know how to pick and choose, so this month I am going to list a few of them and give really short takes on them.

Midwinter Break (2026 Netflix) With the caveat that it is a slow, borderline sentimental, character study of a long time marriage gone stale, I recommend it as an interesting, beautifully acted film set mostly in Amsterdam where the couple goes for rekindling.

Amsterdam Empire (2025 Netflix) Also set in Amsterdam but the polar opposite. Thriller, domestic drama (but nothing like that of the Midwinter couple), kinda weird, campy violent about the burgeoning coffeeshop industry/entrepreneurs. I got pretty hooked–on the film , not the weed.

Outrageous (2025 Kanopy) I knew a bit about the Mitfords before watching this compelling series, but post viewing I became obsessed with them. Although reared similarly, they become fractured in political ways quite horrific. Season 1 ends midway in their lives, but if you are desperate to find out more, read The Six–an excellent biography.

Mr. Burton (2025 Kanopy) This is a terrific bio-pic about Richard Burton, loved, loved it!

Ladies in Black (2024 Kanopy) Not a jump out of your chair, applauding series but very watchable about the lives of the women who work at a fancy department store in Sydney New South Wales, Australia at the cusp of the revolutionary feminist 1960’s.

Call My Agent Movie (2026 Netflix) I loved the series and was not disappointed by the film. It’s not deep–just silly fun with lots of likable characters and a great scene with George Clooney.

Twiggie (2026 Fandango, Apple) Delightful. The documentary captures her unpretentious charisma and spirit. At 77 she’s a little heavier than her 1960’s 90 pounds, but she remains charming and accessible.

Our Time Machine (2019 Amazon or try this link https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8hrtan) I’m taking a wonderful documentary film class and this was the first one. It’s a beautiful film about a puppeteer/photographer whose father, a former prestigious Shanghai Opera Theater director has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The film centers around the puppeteer’s efforts to recreate memory scenes for his father and thus hold time still. Although some of you may find it slow with some unanswered questions, overall I found it a profoundly moving.

“Mistress Dispeller” (2024 Kanopy) Another in the documentary film series, this one is also from Mainland China. Companies whose goal is to get rid of mistresses and restore marriages are a big industry in China . But compelling topic aside, the editing and cinematography, story (I can’t say “acting” because the central figures are themselves), and Chinese culture reveals are fascinating. Like my experience with the Mitfords, I had to read more. A few years ago the New Yorker had a long piece about the industry. Also I found a wonderful interview with the filmmaker who includes the impact of her project on her own love life. If you ask me for it, I will send you the link. One web site site states that Mistress Dispellers claim a 99% success rate, while marriage counseling for infidelity in the U.S. has around a 70% rate. Keep in mind that the Dispellers are the source of that claim, that they are highly selective in their clientele, that the cost for a three month intervention could be as high as $45,000, and that the cultural context for divorce is quite different. Therapist pals out there chime in, but not until you have watched the film.