Judy and Punch, La belle epoque and 21 Bridges

Maybe a missed opportunity. The idea was excellent, the puppeteers back in their own village in what might be Jacobean times. It is colourful and exciting. But Punch is an alcoholic and the act spills over into real life. So far so good. Unfortunately that is the end of the plot. The writers could have done so much more with this story, but all we get is a wishy washy tale of revenge. A better actor than Damon Herriman might have turned it around.

My favourite film of the year. It reminded me of a classic Hollywood movie from the fifties or sixties, a completely original comedy drama. It was so emotional throughout, so wonderfully manipulative that it sometimes seemed it had just been made for me. Nicolas Bedos has written and directed something really special.

Victor (an awards winning role by Daniel Auteuil) is sixty something and is struggling with a life without a job, his career as a cartoonist has come to a full stop. His wife Marianne has the money and throws him out. His son gives him a present, a company run by a friend Antione will place you anywhere in history with actors and sets to match. Victor chooses 1974 and the day he met his wife at the cafe called, you've guessed it.

So we have a kind of farce as Victor meets a younger version of Marianne. The plot is extremely clever with interludes following Marianne's new freedom and Antoine's own relationship. All the cast were great and the production design and costumes first rate. I was going to give it nine out of ten, but then those songs. Dionne Warwick's "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me", The Monkees' "I'm a Believer", "The Man I Love " by Billie Holiday, "Me and Bobby McGee", "Baby Come Back", "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" and "Rescue Me" and some other French songs. So ten out of ten.

It would have been nice if the plot had taken us to a couple of those 21 bridges. But no. It was just so that someone decided that it would be neat to give it that title. So we never see any of the 21 that are closed to prevent the two criminals from leaving Manhattan. Apart from that, this is a decent enough night time action thriller where the chasing is fortunately on foot and not in cars. Perfectly fine.