Groundhog Day (1993): When a movie breaks a concept to the mainstream, it’s quite a trip. The time loop was not a new thing and somehow it needed another two decades to become a full-on genre in itself. But most people will have only discovered it in Groundhog Day, as Phil (Bill Murray) relives the same day over and over, until his bitter, thankless old self becomes a much better version of itself. Along the way, the movie ticks a lot of the expected experiences one might consider, in a manner that’s both emotionally satisfying and narratively functional. Sure, you’ll get the bits that don’t quite match up or make sense, but this used to be a given before the age of constant perusal and review. I mean, it’s still a given, but it’s harder to let slide. For me, the one thing that stuck most was the story of the homeless man and I was surprised to realize how little of the film it took up. It’s basically a couple of minutes and could have arguably been a heavier anchor to release, of all the anchors Phil needs to get rid of, but director-writer Harold Ramis prefers to keep the whole affair at a lighter level. Which is the one thing that I ultimately felt let down by, the ending is just too laced with perfection and morality to really be memorable. That said, Groundhog Day remains not only an influential movie, but a very entertaining one too. 8
Rush (2013): I very much enjoyed this when it came out, with Daniel Brühl’s representation of Niki Lauda a particular standout. As someone who disliked a lot of what F1 (2025) brought to the table, I wanted to revisit what I recalled was a much better venture. Turns out, while there are good reasons why the true story is better than the fictional schlock, Ron Howard/Peter Morgan do tick a lot of the racing cliches and build their movie on a shoddy structure. However, the 1970s are substantially more existentially dramatic for someone who follows F1 and the movie does well to highlight the characters behind the spectacle, their intensity and differences in a wholly entertaining manner. You just can’t compare Hunt v Lauda with Sonny Hayes v Joshua Pearce. Reality brings with it an emotional heft that fiction cannot, such that even the “cheap melodramatics” of Rush carry a nostalgic essence in themselves. 7
Voicemails for Isabelle (2026): The rare mushy Netflix movie that isn’t a throwaway, writer-director (actor) Leah McKendrick (Scrambled!) proposes a somewhat uncomfortable, but ultimately redeeming love story centred around loss. Zoey Deutch (Jill), impeccable as always, and Nick Robinson (Wes) star, in a set-up that’s at the very least questionable: Wes receives a work phone with the number that used to belong to Jill’s sister Isabelle, who passed, and Jill keeps sending voicemails to Isabelle’s (now Wes’s) number about her day to day. So, naturally, Wes becomes enamoured and uses his insider knowledge to woo Jill. The movie works for the same reason most rom (coms?) do, because their leads have good chemistry together. It makes you want to forgive its indulgencies and rewards you with a neat bow tie around its happy ending. But we do need a bit of this every once in a while, don’t we? 7
Paying for It (2024): I do really like finding these obscure movies that fit the template of still being fairly mainstream in their manifestation, but for various reasons never got the word of mouth they deserved. Sook-Yin Lee‘s movie stars Dan Beirne, as Chester Brown and is biographical, based on Brown’s own cartoons. Our protagonist is locked into a co-habiting relationship with his girlfriend, who yearns for something else, sexually, so, in his mild manner, he generously obliges. Chester’s solution to the predicament is to seek out paid sex, which provides a very controlled environment, with clear expectations and usually good service. The movie is warm and inclusive, but it remains rooted in Chester’s PoV, so there isn’t that much exploration beyond its own safe limits. What it does really succeed at, is in convincing the viewer that they don’t need to question it all very much, framing it as a personal experience to be accepted, not a template to be reapplied. 7
Modern Whore (2025): This one popped up on my radar alongside Paying for It, which is probably not a coincidence. Starring Andrea Werhun and based on her own experiences as an escort, it re-enacts some of the good and some of the bad that has come her way over the years. Werhun appears in Paying for It as one of Chester’s lovers and she comes off as a personable, cultured character – in both movie and, let’s say, documentary. While her case is interesting, if not necessarily fascinating, it’s clear that Modern Whore tries to position the highly exposed and unregulated job of an escort in an inclusive way, featuring other workers who all have some valid points to make. However, there’s something off about it, this is no Kokomo City, it lacks the rawness and it does more posturing, sometimes tongue in cheek, sometimes without the humour. Werhun’s interview and relationship with her mother is probably the most real and fascinating moment the movie has to offer, but it doesn’t dig deep enough into it. All in all, it’s more of a curiosity and cool accompanying watch to Paying for It, than a very strong recommendation. 6
tributary stu 
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