3 Netflix Reviews, Pastry Anyone? Plus Substack Recommendations

2 Netflix Films and a series; a science study, & Art, Food and Ageing on Substack.

Welcome to a fortnightly newsletter for those who want to stay younger for longer, remaining upbeat. I’ve spent the last 30 years following the science of putting that into practice. It’s paid off because I’m now fit and healthy in my seventies, continuing to learn how to live my best life. I’m an artist and writer, still active and creating. I plan to do so for many years to come. Subscribe to read all my posts and hear my podcasts.

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Photo by Mollie Sivaram on Unsplash

3 Netflix Reviews

These reviews are of a light-hearted drama, and two thrillers, not the usual pre-Christmas fare you might expect in December. I don’t enjoy the froth of these types of viewing so the reviews are of films and series I’ve enjoyed over the past months.

Film ~ Hampstead ***

This drew me in because Diane Keaton is the star. The plot is loosely based on a real-life story about a man who claimed ownership of a tiny area of land on Hampstead Heath in London. This man had lived on the land for so long that he could claim squatters' rights. His claim was successful, and it may be worth as much as £3.5 million. He’s now dead, with no family, so the money from the land will probably go to charity.

In the film, Diane Keaton plays an American widow who lives in an apartment block nearby. She falls for the hermit, played by Brendan Gleeson, who occupies a self-built home on this tiny plot of land. It’s a feel-good film and I enjoyed Diane Keaton’s wardrobe. She dresses in the movie pretty much as she does in life - with an androgynous style, as do I.

Film ~ Fair Play ****

The film Fair Play stars Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich. We see a couple secretly become engaged in a Wall Street Hedge Fund company that doesn’t allow intimate relationships between its employees. The woman gets promoted above her fiance, changing the power dynamics between the couple. Watching the Phoebe Dynevor character trying to fit into the boys’ club culture, her promotion led to was cringe-making.

“I really wanted to show what women have to do to keep their seat at the table,” explains writer and director, Chloe Domont in an interview in The Independent. She also says elsewhere that the film was not about female empowerment but male fragility. It certainly succeeded in depicting that, with shocking consequences.

A Series ~ Ripley *****

Ripley is a new serial adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith book, The Talented Mr Ripley, published in 1955. It’s an eight-parter, starring Andrew Scott as Ripley, Johnny Flynn as Richard Greenleaf, and Dakota Fanning as Marge Sherwood. The entire series is shot in black and white, giving it an authentic 1950s feel. Most of the action takes place in Italy, which certainly gave it an added attraction for me as I’d been learning Italian to prepare for my trip to Florence this spring.

I loved everything about it! The acting was superb, and the visuals were stunning. One character was a writer, another a painter - just up my street, and they lived in a beautiful villa near the sea. Andrew Scott’s interpretation of Ripley, clearly a psychopath, had me sometimes rooting for him, which made for a very uncomfortable incongruence. Some scenes were slow-moving yet totally gripping. I was so enthralled that I watched it in two sittings - highly recommended viewing.

Photo by Anjeli Lundblad on Unsplash

Pastry Anyone?

For those of us who prefer to eat healthily most of the time, but periodically indulge our need for something sweet, there was an uplifting story from Sky News this week. Scientists in Sweden studied nearly 70,000 people over 22 years and found that those who had the occasional sweet treat had better outcomes than people who had none. The study was published in the Frontiers Science journal on Monday 8th December 2024.

The researchers looked at three types of sugar consumption: sweet toppings like honey, treats like a pastry, and sugary, fizzy drinks. The study shows that the different sweet treats had very different outcomes on cardiovascular health. Researchers determined sweet beverages were worse for health than other sweet treats.

But people who had no sweet treats had the worst outcome of all, which would show that extremely low levels of sugar are beneficial for your heart health. So the occasional pastry or honey topping is better for you than not indulging your sweet tooth ever. Good to know.

Substack Recommendations

Kati Reijonen, a new subscriber to this newsletter, wrote an article about ageing that I am totally in accord with. It encapsulates my own thinking about age. Do you also agree with Kati?

What’s Age Got to Do With It?

I love to read about food, I can get engrossed in a good cookbook almost as much as a good novel. Adam Roberts includes a couple of easy recipes in his latest post.

Plating Peanut Butter and Jelly

I was blown away when I read this piece by Brett Holverstott. It’s the first chapter of a planned book by the writer who has already written a book on physics and has a second newsletter on science, here on Substack. I loved this piece for its writing and the content. Brett Holverstott is a gallery owner and very knowledgeable about art history. Chapter two is also to be read and just as fascinating.

Chapter 1: The Soul of the Artist

Leave a Comment

Have you seen either of the reviewed films or Ripley? What did you think?

Were you comforted by the science study about eating sweet foods, as I was?

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