I watched two movies last night. With family away I could indulge myself a little. The two could not have been more different.

Anomalisa is an extraordinary film which made me think and reflect. To quote Rolling Stone: “There’s explicit sex, profound sadness, jokes about the Cincinnati Zoo and hotel-door keycards, heartbreak, hilarity, and a half-naked Japanese automaton that both sings and spits out bodily fluids”. All of this is in stop motion animation. Throughout the film a sense of the protagonist unravelling, and a deft handling of his psychological state keeps you completely absorbed. I could not recommend this film enough. I know it will stick with me for a long time.

At the other end of the spectrum, the second film I watched last night was Star Trek Into Darkness. Intergalactic adventure, beautiful girls, a bromance and a bad guy for the ages make this an easy watch. It requires far less concentration than Anomalisa, but it is topical, and still has heart and substance in spades. Loved it.

Contrast in all things is good. It makes life interesting. Dark pans, light shirt. Artistic stop motion animation and a blockbuster. My life is driven by routine and the two girls in my life. For a night the two girls were away and I could change up the routine and binge watch to my heart’s content.