Movie review - "Role Play" (2024) **

 I really liked Kaley Cuoco's Meet Cute but this is a disappointment. Nothing wrong with a bit of high concept but she and David Oyelowo don't have much chemistry and the film is flaccid. It gets off to a strong start with a terrific Bill Nighy sequence but once Nighy is killed, when the film should ramp up - police on their tail, kids in danger - it stretches. out. She takes off to Germany, he follows, Nighy is missed as a complication as are the cops and it becomes about Connie Nielsen tamely chasing her. The action sequences are fine nothing more - it's not the film's fault but it also suffers in contrast with Barry which set a new bar for the assassin/something else genre.

Movie review - "Meet Cute" (2022) ****

 Smart, enjoyable... rom com I guess is a description although that's not quite there. A riff on Groundhog Day but darker, it goes there, with the mental illness of Kaley Cuoco's character, and also Pete Davidson (SNL grads make very good leading men in female star vehicles because they have their comedy thing going on). Lovely depiction of New York. I maybe didn't like the middle section when it expanded the powers of the time machine, I felt that unpacked too many questions but it all works.

Book review - " The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series" by Jessica Radloff

 The best segment is the inception of the show - the near misses, the three goes at a pilot (Jodi lyn O'Keefe's Penny was too mean, then they got a nicer actress but the character was still too mean then got a new character and actress and they were off to the races), the opportunities missed (Kevin Sussman was cast in a lead but Ugly Betty wouldn't let him go), finding the voice of the series. Then as the show becomes successful the book is less interesting - it's about high fiving, dealing with fame, and complaining about the lack of Emmies, and guest stars from people linked to (zzz) Star Wars.. It does perk up at the end with tension among the cast over contract negotiations.

The show's less pleasant racial humour isn't really explored.