Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story (2000)
	Rating: 6.8/10 (2695 votes) Director: Stefan Scaini Writer: Jeff Boulton (interactive adaptation), Lucy Maud Montgomery (characters), Laurie Pearson, Kevin Sullivan Stars: Megan Follows, Jonathan Crombie, Schuyler Grant, Greg Spottiswood Runtime: 185 min Rated: N/A Genre: Drama, Family, Romance Released: 23 Jul 2000
Plot: The continuing adventures of Anne Shirley in New York and in France during World War I.

When I was a child, I loved the first three Anne of Green Gables novels by L.M. Montgomery (for some reason I only found out that there were many more Anne books when I was much older – when I did, it felt like a Christmas present!). I also totally adore the first two tv movies by Kevin Sullivan starring Megan Follows as the imaginative orphan Anne Shirley. While they take some liberties with the books (especially the second one, which picks and chooses from several novels), they remain true to the irrepressible spirit of the books and the beloved characters. Plus, the scenery of Prince Edward Island, the location of Anne’s beloved Avonlea, is stunningly brought to life.

However, having read some reviews, I hesitated for a long time to watch the third – and unfortunately, I was right, since the movie is a complete mess and almost painful to watch at times.

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Major Crimes (2012–)
	Rating: 7.6/10 (6,185 votes) Director: N/A Writer: James Duff Stars: Mary McDonnell, G.W. Bailey, Tony Denison, Michael Paul Chan Runtime: 60 min Rated: N/A Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery Released: 13 Aug 2012
Plot: 'The Closer' spin-off series which follows Capt. Raydor of the Los Angeles Police Department.

I never watched The Closer, but a couple of weeks ago I read a glowing recommendation for its follow-up show, Major Crimes. It lauded the show’s diversity and the laudable way it handles the serious topics covered. I’m a big fan of crime procedurals, but I’m not blind to the many, many faults of the genre (from sexism to “ripped-from-the-headlines” sensationalism) – and Major Crimes is definitely ahead of the curve.

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Mr. Holmes (2015)
	Rating: 7.7/10 (2528 votes) Director: Bill Condon Writer: Mitch Cullin (based on the novel by), Arthur Conan Doyle (characters), Jeffrey Hatcher, Mitch Cullin (novel) Stars: Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Milo Parker, Hiroyuki Sanada Runtime: 104 min Rated: PG Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery Released: 17 Jul 2015
Plot: An aged, retired Sherlock Holmes looks back on his life, and grapples with an unsolved case involving a beautiful woman.

I’m a big fan of Sherlock Holmes, so there was no way I was not going to see the talented and generally wonderful Sir Ian McKellen take his turn at portraying the great detective. The movie is not based on Conan Doyle’s stories and therefore basically fan fiction – but very good fan fiction.

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