This year marks the 200th birthday of British novelist Charles Dickens and even though he’s been dead since 1870 that isn’t stopping the BBC from heartily marking the occasion. And, honestly, that’s OK with me.

The celebrations kicked off after Christmas, just before the dawn of the new year, with a three-part adaptation of one of Dickens’ most celebrated titles Great Expectations.

Now, for those new to the blog, my wife and I love a good mini-series based on a British novel. Dickens’ Little Dorrit, which I reviewed in a roundabout way last year, is simply one of the best mini-series you’ll find. Considering we both love Great Expectations, the novel, we had high hopes. The cast looked promising too with Gillian Anderson, a great actress in her own right, and David Suchet who all fans of British detective dramas will recognize instantly.

Unfortunately, this particular adaptation, has been aptly coined by my wife as “Great Expectations for Dummies.”

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Maria read The Time Traveler’s Wife and wanted to see the movie, so we did. I liked it.

If you haven’t heard of it before, the premise is that Henry, played by Eric Bana, has a rare genetic dysfunction which causes him to travel through time. Without giving away loads of detail, he meets a girl, while traveling through time, and they fall in love. As a not-too-often lover of romantic-type movies, I would compare The Time Traveler’s Wife to P.S. I Love You, which I liked more because it was partly set in Ireland.

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