After two months in a row of lots and lots of films, this month slowed back down. This was mostly due to me going on a week long Joseph Cotten research trip. I’m also posting this early because I’m traveling again on Friday (shhh it’s a secret!) As always a list of what I watch and a few favorites can be found after the cut.

1. The Great McGinty
2. Hail the Conquering Hero
3. The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
4. Women He’s Undressed
5. When the Bough Breaks (2016)
6. Ithaca
7. Sons of the Desert
8. A Beautiful Now
9. The Private Life of a Cat
10. Bridget Jones’s Baby
11. The Magnificent Seven
12. Queen of Katwe

1880s: 0
1890s: 0
1900s: 0
1910s: 0
1920s: 0
1930s: 1
1940s: 4
1950s: 0
1960s: 0
1970s: 0
1980s: 0
1990s: 0
2000s: 0
2010s: 7

In this limited month, there was really only one film that I watched that I truly loved:

Bridget Jones’s Baby, 2016 (dir. Sharon Maguire)

I wrote at length about Bridget Jones’s Diary a few years ago, and since then my love for the film has only grown deeper. So when I heard that there was going to be a third film I was super excited (even though the second film was really not that great). I got even more excited when I heard original director Sharon Maguire was back. There are lots of things that I loved about this new film, but the main thing was how well they allowed all of the characters – major and minor – to really age and evolve as people. It truly felt like we were visiting them a decade or so later than when we first met them, in that they feel like the characters we know and love, but not quite. I think a lot of sequels keep their characters in a limbo and that can be dangerous. This film allowed all its characters to age, and in doing so their relationships deepen. Seeing Bridget and Darcy back together, but also not really back together could have felt forced, but the issues between them felt real and honest. I also have to give a shout out to Patrick Dempsey, who is downright radiant in this film. He clearly had a blast with his character and it was wonderful to watch. I can’t wait to own this film on DVD and rewatch it over and over like I do with the first film. This is possibly my favorite film of the year so far.

So that was September. October is going to be filled with all kinds of amazing films, but more on that later! Don’t forget to check out the first two episode of the Female Filmmaker Friday podcast on Jane Campion and Ida Lupino. Episode 3 will be posted when I’m back from my mystery trip!