No.103, Thursday, 19th. March 2026

There comes a point in your life when you realise that you will never read every book ever written or even all the books you think you might want to read. The same applies to music and film. The sooner this realisation occurs the better, but in my case I think I learned this alone and later in life than I would have liked. I should have been a little more selective a lot earlier.

I confess I have watched some pretty awful films in my time and after the long awaited ending I generally say to myself something along the lines of – that is 90 minutes of my life I will never get back again. The same applies to books and music, but to a lesser degree in terms of units of time wasted.

I enjoy exploring music, but one or two songs into an album it becomes pretty obvious that this is not really my taste; I am not enjoying it. The same applies to books – fiction at least – but the story here is a similar one: I only need to read a chapter or two to realise this is not for me.

Why is it different with film? I am not entirely sure, but I think it may have something to do with what I call bus-stop syndrome. You are waiting for a bus. It is 10 minutes late. Then 15 minutes late. If I walk away will the bus then come along, and I miss it? I’m like that with films: what if it really gets interesting 20 minutes in? I have invested this much time – I might as well see it through.

Anyway, my thinking on this matter continues to flood my mind but I have run out of space for this ‘morning thought’. Suffice to say that good reviews are important, whether from a thoughtful friend or stranger – or professional critic. They give you some of your life back.