ON a brief sojourn to France, travelling on Sunday, the roads seemed very clear and then as I pulled off the motorway for my overnight stay, they seemed extremely pleased to see me with flags out and car horns sounding.

Oh, maybe it was actually as they had won the World Cup. I stopped watching after England were knocked out. Anyway the football is over and so now is the time to catch up on film viewing.

We watched The Happy Prince last week. It is not a very cheerful film and it is probably better that we have let it go. It is superb in all ways.

However, the story is just not really enjoyable, though I was engaged throughout, and the whole cast was superb. I just didn’t like the characters - though that was partly down to the prejudice they suffered from society.

We were also told, quite forcefully, that we were showing trailers which for one of our patrons crossed a line.

We reserve the right to show trailers appropriate for a film’s certificate. We explained that the film usually starts 10 minutes after the advertised time. I wonder if she would have done the same at a larger complex?

Films we are showing from Friday, July 20, the start of the local school’s holidays, are:

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (PG and on its release date) – I have been looking forward to this film for so long. Mamma Mia was just good fun and I think it looks like another story well woven around the Abba music. I am sure that there will be those who never thought it was a musical (yes, they were the words of more than one person leaving) and the critics no doubt hate it because they can’t suspend belief and enjoy it in a simple fashion.

The Incredibles 2 (PG and number one in the top 10) – going down extremely well with all with much fun and frolics.

Skyscraper (12A and number two in the top 10) – the ‘Rock’ at his best, action movie and fun for all the family.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (12A and number three in the top 10) – keeping this popular film for just one more week, one show per day, for the holidays.

Mission Impossible: Fallout (12A and on its release date of Thursday, July 26) – action movie with Tom Cruise at his best. I think we have something for everyone for the start of the holidays. Maybe not the really challenging films that some like but action, sing along and family films.

Coming soon

Hotel Transylvania 3 (U) – starts on July 27 the first was really good fun and a good underlying message.

Stage shows

Two new National Theatre events announced and are now on sale – Antony & Cleopatra. Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo play Shakespeare’s famous fated couple in his great tragedy of politics, passion and power.

There is also I’m Not Running said to be an explosive new play from David Hare from the National Theatre and broadcast live to cinemas. Pauline Gibson has spent her life as a doctor, the inspiring leader of a local health campaign.