LeMarchand

Dimmed may need some tweaking.

I thought tourism was the only industry in Cornwall.

How much is it/device? Their site is a bit coy.

Honeymoonish aka شهر زي العسل (Netflix) Noor is a wild party girl who finds out the guy she was expecting to propose to her has got married to a girl from school and is determined to make him regret that betrayal by getting married within a week. Hamad is a career businessman with no interest in marriage until his father threatens to disown him and remove him from their business unless he gets married and provides a sonogram within a month. Luckily they have mutual friends... Quite a fun Kuwaiti romcom. One of the obstacles to the romance doesn't translate well (Hamad finds out Noor may be his sister - but this means that she may have been breastfed by the same woman more than five times rather than a full on "Game of Thrones" type thing) but a pleasant enough watch.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (Cinema) David (Colin Farrell) seems destined to be single for life, as does Sarah (Margot Robbie). The two meet at a wedding, having both hired cars from the same odd agency. They end up travelling together with their satnav wanting to take them on a strange journey that involves them walking through mysterious doors that take them to key events in their lives. Colin Farrell + romance + inexplicable magic? I was hoping for something more akin to (A New York) Winter's Tale which I'm one of the very few who love. Unfortunately after the first couple of doors things get more "real" life; I would have liked a much lighter tone. There's a good idea there, but it never really gelled for me.

I was recommended backmarket by a member of staff but didn't find the prices that keen and would rather buy (hopefully) new where you shouldn't have to worry about how the battery has been treated. On the sub-£200 front how about a Motorola G75? They are supposed to offer security updates to 2030 though I couldn't find a definite answer as to whether that includes OS updates. Due to get 16 at least. Downsides for me would be colours and LCD screen.

You can get an "as new" 7a on eBay for well <£200. Should still get up to Android 18 (I think).

It would, but no wireless charging. Could get a grey - sorry, Grisaille, Moto Edge 50 Neo for £229 but annoyed that I keep missing it when it and the now OOS blue drop to £149. Also, the 60 has a bigger screen (but likely to be much more expensive).

Thanks. In the market for a new phone atm. Quite like the idea of a Pixel, but £200 is my limit.

Slowly working my way through Black Mirror S7, which is a marked improvement on S6 so far. Watched "Hotel Reverie" last night. It's about an actress stuck in a remake of an old movie that she can only escape by getting to the end of the film, though she may not want to, and loved it. Reminded me of "San Junipero".

Civil War (Prime Video) A small group of war photographers/journalists make their way across an America in the grips of a civil war. This and it was a great improvement on "Annihilation" and "Men", but still not the greatest. It's not really about the politics of the situation but about the way some people will fight because they can. I thought it also had something to say about war reporters and photographers seeming to enjoy the adrenaline hit of being in a combat zone. Kirsten Dunst's Lee does get a line to give her a noble reason, but Joel announces that the gunfire is getting him "excited" at one stage. The first line of the film, with the Prez practising a speech about a "great victory, some say the greatest victory", and the fact that he is in his third term seem a bit pointed, though.

Love, Divided aka Pared con pared (Netflix) Valentina and her grand piano move into an impossibly chic apartment in Madrid to prepare for her upcoming audition to become a concert pianist. The reason the rent is so cheap is because a very thin wall separates her apartment from that of a (physical) game designer who needs absolute silence and who has managed to drive away other renters. Somehow, sparks begin to fly between them and they begin a curious friendship where they never actually meet in person that soon develops into something more. Cute Spanish romcom where the two leads don't knowingly see each other until close to the end of the movie. Luckily they both happen to be good looking. Ashes aka Kül (Netflix) Gökçe is the unfulfilled wife of a book publisher who reads all the manuscripts for him. One day she starts reading "Ashes", a strange, magical, novel about a woman who falls for a man known only as "M" (not that one). Gökçe begins to trace the locations mentioned in the book and somehow seems to find herself living out the story. Sounds, and looks in the trailer, a bit like it could have the same sort of tone as Chocolat. Unfortunately, after a reasonable start, it all gets a bit overwrought. Those who have watched other Netflix Turkish content may recognise Mehmet Günsür from The Gift (he looks a bit like a young Anthony Head in this) and Funda Eryiğit from the first couple of seasons of The Protector.

Only ever play single player as I don't have the time to sink into multiplayer. If I had the time, I'd love to play through the Witcher Trilogy (I wanna end up with Tris), the Mass Effect Trilogy (bought the remasters) and Detroit:Become Human. Currently playing Submerged on SteamDeck and Forgotton Anne on PS4. Neither are must-plays but they're both fun.

Finally finished The Expanse on Prime Video. Just managed to see the first 3 seasons before they yanked it, but they may be back on again now. If you're into SF and haven't watched this, get doing so. Admittedly it took us three tries to get into it, so give it 3 or 4 eps. Probably the greatest SF show since Babylon 5. Pity it got cancelled, though at least the main characters end up with good enough "wrap ups" - shame a new plot introduced in the final season doesn't get very far. Guess I'm going to have to read the books to find out what happens next! Also, Mme LeMarchand's cosy crime kick saw us watch the first season of Darby and Joan on U. Greta Scaatchi plays a British woman who goes to Australia to find out why her husband died there when he was supposed to be in Spain. She teams up with a disgraced (but probably innocent) cop played by Bryan Brown and the just happen to be around when crimes happen. OK for a cosy watch. The second season (also available) seems likely to centre more on Bryan Brown's mystery.

I had the guest network working properly for years, but a change of filter destroyed that. Never got to the bottom of it as the filter logs didn't show anything being blocked.

It's not small (or still manufactured) but my Dell c1765nfw is still seeing use after over 10 years!

Trouble with that is that the ceiling isn't very easily accessible.

I've never bought a new car, but the last few cars have all been done online. How else do you drive it away?

Ice Road: Vengeance (Prime Video) Mike's brother (who died in the first film) apparently wanted his ashes scattered on Everest so Mike heads to Katmandu. Unfortunately for him, the bus his guide chooses also carries a young man who an evil developer wants dead. It's soon time for Mike to fire up his particular set of skills* take to the wheel and save the day. The first film was one of those that I went into with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised by. This one is a bit of a dud. Despite coming from the same writer/director it feels like a script that was found down the back of the sofa and slightly retooled to crowbar Liam Neeson in. Also, I know love knows no boundaries, but the ending felt forced. *Sorry, wrong franchise. KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix) Once every generation in Korea a trio of girls are chosen to fight demons and - through the power of music - to unite the country and replenish the Honmoon, a magical shield that keeps the demons in place. The current incumbents, HUNTR/X, may be so popular that they can create a permanent Honmoon but lead singer Rumi hides a dark secret and a cunning demon has a plan to defeat HUNTR/X... by creating a boy band to steal their fans to the dark side. The trailer doesn't do the film justice. Netflix were keen for me to watch it as we've watched a few Korean shows, but I really wasn't sold by the trailer (which doesn't even feature the best song). However, the film's subsequent successful cinema release (I feel sorry for any of the staff who had to go into a screen full of kids trying to sing along) and constant high placing in both the Netflix and musical charts piqued my curiosity so I watched it AND LOVED IT! If you've been curious about it, it's time to get off that fence and join #Team HUNTR/X. I may even have listened to "Golden" a few times.

The Thursday Murder Club (Netflix) A group of OAPs in the world's nicest retirement home love to solve unsolved cases. Then the owner of the home is found dead and it's up to them to solve the mystery, and those they uncover along the way. Not read the books, but thoroughly enjoyed this. Pierce Brosnan's accent wavers a bit and I'm not sure about the casting of Tom Ellis and Richard E. Grant plus the ending isn't as pat as the tone of the film would lead you to expect but otherwise a fun romp. Well worth a look if you enjoy a bit of cosy crime. I'd certainly watch more in the series though, given the age of the cast, they need to hurry up and film them. India Sweets and Spices (Prime Video) Back for her summer break after her first year at Uni, Alia (Sophia Ali - Uncharted) finds herself rebelling against her parent's seemingly traditional lifestyle. The trailer makes this seem like it's going to be a romcom but it turns into a mother/daughter drama. OK but nothing special. Dead Like Me: Life After Death (Prime Video*) George Lass is a reaper. Her and her team reap the souls of people who are soon to be killed unexpectedly. When they get a new boss their fairly successful way of working gets disrupted. Delayed sequel to the TV show, this sees most of the original cast return for more reaping. OK, but it needed to have a bit more of an "ending". As it stands it seems as if TPTB were hoping the movie might be a springboard to a revival of the show. *Now removed. Managed to watch with 3 minutes to spare!

In the Lost Lands (Netflix) They say that Gray Alys can get you anything you want, but it is best not to deal with her as the price may be too high and while you will get what you want, it may not be what you think you want. Paul WS Anderson's adaptation of George R R Martin's first stab at fantasy (he was mainly known for SF) transposes the story to a post apocalyptic land and adds an army of baddies who can seemingly swarm a cable car mid-journey. It does keep the basic story, though adds a lot of stuff in the middle to pad it out. There are some nice shots, but there is way too much murky CGI and it totally misses the melancholy of the original. Not awful, but I'm kinda glad it bypassed our cinema.

unfortunately not. All the kids I see are wearing the same sort of clothes as each other. Very boring.

Weapons (Cinema) One night at 0217 all but one of the children in an elementary school class leave their houses and disappear into the night. Suspicion falls on the class teacher, but she maintains her innocence. Highly-praised horror that didn't really do it for me. I felt it had an interesting idea at its core, but the "Rashomon" style structure didn't really work. I'd say wait for streaming if this is on your watchlist.

...and S3 already greenlit.

Picked 2 duff ones and one quite good one over the weekend. Everything About My Wife (Netflix) Billed as a romcom, this does start out that way but then becomes more of a relationship drama and a depressing, choose your own ending, one at that. Shame as the official premise sounded fun: When the spark goes out in his marriage a man hires a local Lothario to seduce his wife in order to make her ask for a divorce. However, as he gives his "rival" information he comes to realise he does still love his wife and must fight to get her back. Even the synopsis isn't particularly accurate. It's hard to see why they even got together as it opens with her as one of the crowd screaming at a K-Pop idol. She's lovely to look at, but I wouldn't have thought someone like that would be someone to spend your life with until she'd grown out of it. One of many regional (this one's Filipino) remakes of an Argentinian original. Hopefully one of the others is better. The Pick-Up (Prime Video) Eddie Murphy stars as an armoured car driver forced to take part in a casino heist. One of those films that is an easy enough watch, but that you feel you could have found a better way to spend your time. Also the "leader of the gang" very much seems to be a career criminal but is later given a backstory to make her actions more palatable to the audience. Metal Lords (Netflix) NSFW trailer - very loud swearing including the "C" word Kevin is in a high school metal band with his best friend Hunter (who's a bit of a d***) mainly because Hunter is his only friend - initially we doesn't even like metal that much. Will they win the school's Battle of the Bands? Will Kevin's relationship with Emily split up the band before they even get that far? Plays like a small, low budget indie but is produced/written by/scored by some "Game of Thrones" alumni. Not an absolute must see, but a fun comedy that's particularly worth a look if you are partial to a bit of metal. Not sure why it took 3 years for Netflix to show this one to me.