Pitch Perfect 3 (2017), directed by Trish Sie

Not as good as the first one but better than the second just about sums up this third outing of the a capella Bellas. Now graduated from college, the Bellas are finding the real world not so fun. A reunion sees them off on a tour to entertain US troops, along with a DJ, a country rock outfit and a badass girl group called Evermoist! The lame plot is punctuated by too few funny moments, but the saving grace is the music. The riff-offs particularly are always fun. It is somewhat bizarre that a tour to entertain US troops is in Spain, Italy and the south of France, rather than where troops are actually serving, but the rather important plot device of the super yacht wouldn’t really have worked in Afghanistan. The message of family first, whatever shape it comes in, is sweet but heavy-handed. A lowlight is John Lithgow’s awful Australian accent – like they couldn’t have found a real Aussie in Hollywood. Highlights include Rebel Wilson in full ninja mode and Ruby Rose performing Zombie. The Pitch Perfect franchise has contributed to the evidence that women-led movies can make lots of money. It has been a fun ride but it’s time to grow up and move on. Hopefully the talented troupe of singing actors will find more success and the studios will invest in more women-centred films.

Ink and Bone, by Rachael Caine

Imagine if the great library of Alexandria had not been destroyed; how would the world be different? Caine brings to life the evolution of an autocratic nation state that controls the world’s information and its info tech. Private ownership of books is outlawed and the library has an army to enforce its laws, which override those of nation states. It is opposed by the fanatical burners, who want to destroy the perversion the library has become, and by a network of book smugglers, for whom profit is all. The library recruits trainees from across the world to become future archivists, librarians and armed guards. Jess Brightwell is from an English crime family that has a secret agenda in getting him into the library’s training program. Several of his fellow students have their own secrets, which could prove deadly. Can the young trainees learn enough to oppose the great institution from the inside and how much will they risk to do so? This gripping and complicated alt-history is dark and dystopian, with the possibility of friendship and love the only shining lights of hope.

Twentieth Century Women (2016), directed by Mike Mills

The women in question are Dorothea, a 55-year-old single mother; Abbie, a 24-year-old photographer who boards with her; and Julie, a 17-year-old neighbour. Dorothea is worried she is not doing well enough raising her 15-year-old son Jamie and, somewhat strangely, enlists the two other women to help shape him into a good man. Their influence turns out to be not quite what she envisioned and Jamie also has a few ideas of his own. This uneven film is a semi-autobiographical and somewhat self-indulgent nostalgia piece, set in 1979, from writer/director Mike Mills. The performances are good, with Greta Gerwig outstanding as vulnerable punk Abbie. Annette Bening looks older than 55, which is kind of refreshing in a Hollywood film. Conversely, Lucas Jade Zuman looks a young 15, which is problematic given some of the sexualised subject matter. Awkward use of real life stills and premature playing forward of the story are irritating directorial device. But there is something charming that particularly resonates to a #metoo audience in a young lad learning about life from women a little older than him and declaring himself a feminist.

Gameboard of the Gods, by Richelle Mead

Billed as her first adult novel, the main difference from Mead’s other books is that the main characters are a bit older. There is the same attention to detail, complex social and political structures and difficult family relationships. One other difference is a plunge straight into a sexual encounter, rather than an extended build-up to an earth-shattering climax, which is possibly more realistic if not necessarily more adult. Devastating genetic illnesses have caused a massive world decline and a major restructure and realignment of countries, alliances and power. The two major powers are the Eastern Alliance and the Republic of United North America - known as RUNA. The RUNA is resolutely secular, with religions licenced, strictly regulated and policed. Former Servitor Justin March has been in exile for four years after questioning the status quo. He is brought back into the fold to help solve a series of gruesome murders with religious elements and the possibility of regaining his citizenship. The very intricate political and social structures are not initially explained but rather left to unfold with the story, which is at times confusing but ultimately more entertaining and respectful of the reader than heaps of upfront exposition. The story owes a debt to Neil Gaiman in its concept of a multiplicity of Gods, whose existence is fluid and dependent on human belief, as well as interfering with human action. Billed as an Age of X book, this would seem to be the start of yet another intriguing series from this prolific author.

My So Called Life

This ground breaking television series never made it to Australia, possibly because it was cancelled after only one season. Engaging, warm and ahead of its time in many ways, the show developed a passionate following but was too outside the square for network television. The main teen characters at first glance may seem like stereotypes – the dumb cool guy, the slut, the overachiever and the nerd. But all of them have hidden depths and quirks and there is also a sexually ambiguous teen and several fully realised parents. All revolve around Angela, the smart, sensitive, weird, difficult, beautiful 15-year-old as she navigates the trials and tribulations of adolescence. High school crushes, zits, pressure to have sex, homelessness, changing friendships, hair dye – large problems and small are covered without becoming ‘issue of the week’. A perfect showcase of early 90s life, including the terrible grunge fashion, the show kick-started the careers of Claire Danes and Jared Leto. Most episodes are painfully real, but also contain humour. You don’t always know where a story is going or how it will be resolved. Quite a lot of the school scenes take place in the girls’ toilets, which is often funny and always real – who knew girls actually pee! In some ways it’s a pity that no more series were made, but it’s also great that the show didn’t outstay its welcome, like so many that jump the shark. It remains a perfect limited edition that has become a classic. After all, how many TV series made in the 90s are still available on DVD?

Sweet and Deadly & A Secret Rage, by Charlaine Harris

These two novellas read like the early attempts of an aspiring writer that have been rejected and shelved until later success has made them publishable. The Harris trademark strong female protagonists are present, with good character development, but plot and dialogue needed a lot of work, especially in the first story. Lack of technology places both stories firmly in the past, with typewriters and fax machines dominating, while computers and mobile phones are notable by their absence. This is only an issue because the tales are written as though contemporary, which they undoubtedly originally were. They would have benefited from an update, not necessarily to the present but so they were more firmly placed in the past, with some necessary explanation or bridging of time for a modern audience. Cashing in is all very well, but it is a cheat on readers not to invest some time and energy in rewrites and editing of inferior material.

How to Stop Time, by Matt Haig

Tom Hazzard is 439 years old, but looks middle aged. He is not a vampire, nor immortal, but an ‘Alba’, one of many humans with a condition that dramatically slows ageing after puberty. He has to constantly move and start over to avoid detection and the inevitable ensuing outcry and opprobrium. A measure of protection is supplied by Hendricks, the alpha Alba, who has contempt for the mayfly lives of ordinary humans and has founded a society of Albas. But the price of membership could be too high. Tom has avoided love since the loss of his wife in the 16th century, but 400 years later he finds himself falling for Camille. How will he protect her from Hendricks and the society? Slow and not very engaging, the ennui of an overly long life is convincing but not especially interesting, despite the obligatory encounters with famous people through the ages – Shakespeare, Captain Cook, F Scott Fitzgerald, just to name-drop a few. In the end it is clear that how to stop time is to live in the moment, but the message is rather heavy handed and it is a long slog to get there.

Spotlight (2015), directed by Tom McCarthy

Difficult subject matter is treated with restraint and sensitivity, without evading its horror, in this acclaimed film. This is achieved by making the story the story, that is the investigative journalism that outed the massive cover-up of child sexual abuse in Boston by the Catholic Church over decades. Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, and Liev Schreiber lead a very good ensemble cast. After a rather slow start a deeply involving tale develops, with no-one exempt from complicity with the church’s crimes – the police, lawyers, schools and even the newspaper itself. This is a very good film that deserved its Oscars for best film and original screenplay and so much more. Extras include a round table interview of the actual Boston Globe reporters and editors, which is fascinating. The film highlights the importance of investigative journalism in uncovering scandals and holding public institutions to account, especially in current times where resources for such journalism are fast disappearing.