Films / October 30

Blazing Saddles (1974) / The BFG (1974) / Bank Holiday (1938) / The Odd Couple (1968) / The Trial Of The Chicago 7 (2020) / The History Of Mr Polly (1949) / Dracula (1958)

Blazing Saddles (1974) Parody of Westerns, satire on racism, crude and smart at the same time, a structural mess that endures. Uninhibited by taste or correctness, Mel Brooks throws a non-stop succession of verbal and visual comedy at the screen, ably supported by a terrific cast.

The BFG (1974) All the elements are present, yet somehow none of them coalesce. Where there should be emotion and magic, instead it feels tired and flat. Beautiful visuals, and the sequence with the Queen delivers humour and wonder, yet there's no tension. An opportunity lost.

Bank Holiday (1938) The slight narrative focuses on a variety of people heading down to the coast for a long weekend. Its success derives from the detail and the portrayal of British society, a fascinating blend of docu style observation and human empathy. Solidly made and performed.

The Odd Couple (1968) The strength of Neil Simon's writing and the vitality of Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau's personification of neurotic Felix and slobbish Oscar maintain the comedy and even empathy. Effectively a series of carefully honed set pieces, including the always delightful arrival of the Pigeon sisters.

The Trial Of The Chicago 7 (2020) As finely crafted as expected from Aaron Sorkin, with a rounded narrative that though slow to open pays off in the courtroom. An impressive ensemble delivers on the script and the contemporary allusions hit home, though there is a strangely impersonal visual approach. The rousing finale is a divisive matter of taste.

The History Of Mr Polly (1949) Handsomely produced, with evocative and lively sets and locations, HG Wells' Alfred Polly is brought to life with intelligent simplicity and empathy by John Mills. Supporting cast, especially Megs Jenkins, are equally good, though tonal shifts between comedy and drama aren't always successful.

Dracula (1958) Shot in glorious, lurid colours, crafted to highlight shocking horror as well as sexual desire, a still jolting and mesmerizing vampire tale. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing embody the battling forces and James Bernard provides the thunderous score. Essential Hammer.

Films / October 23

Odd Man Out (1947) / The Spy In Black (1939) / Brief Encounter (1945) / Newsies (1992/2017) / Young And Innocent (1937) / Star Wars The Rise Of Skywalker (2019) / Caddyshack (1980)

Odd Man Out (1947) At once a socio-political reflection of its time, more vitally a reflection of the human condition, of dreams and ambition and love. Classic cinematic artistry, William Alwyn's glorious score and sublime performances make this essential viewing in any age.

The Spy In Black (1939) Powell & Pressburger's first collaboration is a typically offbeat thriller that embraces the view of the German spy aiming to destroy the British fleet in remote Scotland. Conrad Veidt and Valerie Hobson provide depth and emotion in a brisk, minor effort.

Brief Encounter (1945) Noel Coward and David Lean's aching love story combines literate writing, strong performances and mesmerizing style. Despite the sense of inherent parody, the 'flames of passion' embodied by Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard maintain a perennial truth.

Newsies (1992/2017) Despite its critical and commercial failure, an amiable musical with solid songs and big production numbers. Reimagined as a stage musical, the film of the show is superior, an exciting, affecting, fast-moving tale of anti-establishment and family.

Young And Innocent (1937) Hitchcock's technical mastery and storytelling exuberance provides a giddy mix of comedy and thrills along with the virtuosity of individual set pieces. The flimsy narrative features the luminous Nova Pilbeam helping wrongly accused Derrick De Marney.The pleasure is in the detail and textures.

Star Wars The Rise Of Skywalker (2019) The production values, technical expertise and expansive visual effects are without fault. Yet there remains an anemic atmosphere and a narrative going through the motions, an opportunity lost. At least it provides John Williams with a glorious finale.

Caddyshack (1980) With its meandering plot and defiantly juvenile humour, a film that constantly threatens to self-destruct. Rodney Dangerfield's energy, Bill Murray's mania and an animatronic gopher keep it together and there are some genuinely funny sequences, including an explosive ending.

Films / October 16

The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943) / A Matter Of Life And Death (1946) / Jassy (1947) / Blanche Fury (1948) / Twelve O'Clock High (1949) / The Trap (1966) / Cast A Dark Shadow (1955)

The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943) A veteran accountant at Rank Org bitterly told me that no Archers movie made a profit and wasted so much money. We should be thankful the creatives allowed Powell & Pressburger to make such a string of classics, including this thrilling, comic and moving epic.

A Matter Of Life And Death (1946) An elegy to love and loss, a political reflection of the bonds between allies, a sumptuous creation of pure cinema. Beautifully designed and shot, Powell & Pressburger's sublime fantasy remains vital and affecting, both technically and emotionally.

Jassy (1947) Technicolor glories are surprisingly muted in Gainsborough's final costume drama, which lacks the frenzied, dark flights of fantasy and passion that liberated wartime British cinema. Overstuffed with plot, some individual performances and overall design are scant compensation.

Blanche Fury (1948) Driven by Valerie Hobson's eponymous heroine, who evolves from steely and calculating to passionate and caring, a superbly, evocatively photographed and designed melodrama. It builds a heady, noirish atmosphere as murder is planned before resolving with brute tragedy.

Twelve O'Clock High (1949) Strong production values and performances provide the bedrock of a surprisingly interior drama that peels away stoicism to reveal the severe stress of bomber pilots in WW2. Particularly impressive is the portrayal of Gregory Peck's psychological snap.

The Trap (1966) Spectacular landscapes, and Robert Krasker's powerful visuals, combine with Ron Goodwin's head-on score to muscular effect. Oliver Reed's French-Canadian trapper and Rita Tushingham's mute wilderness survivor combine well and the wolf attack is savagely thrilling.

Cast A Dark Shadow (1955) Curiously cold and bleak study of Dirk Bogarde's amoral killer, moodily realised by Lewis Gilbert without truly building an effective, propulsive narrative. Some smart dialogue, noir visuals and solid performances maintain interest amid the class conscious cynicism.

Films / October 9

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) / The Highwaymen (2019) / Magic (1978) / The Big Short (2017) / Escape To Athena (1979) / Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga (2020) / Hell Drivers (1957)

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) A finely crafted story of revenge, family and redemption, simply but evocatively shot and balanced with a sense of humour. Savage bursts of violence are likewise contrasted with moments of sensitivity as characters reveal depth and humanity. An enduring classic.

The Highwaymen (2019) Absorbing, robust study of old fashioned policing leading the hunt for Bonnie and Clyde, even if the opening sections drag and the whole is too long. Nevertheless, Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson are engaging companions and the story gradually gains depth.

Magic (1978) Smart William Goldman script, strong performances and eerie, mournful Jerry Goldsmith score are powerful elements for this Dead Of Night riff, which also includes a macabre, scary dummy. Yet the visual style is flat and lacks the atmosphere to deliver on the horror possibilities.

The Big Short (2017) Bitterly comic indictment of the financial crash, a scattershot view that cleverly ties together different stories and frequently (and effectively) breaks the fourth wall. The intelligent design, visuals and editing have a rough reality and the script creates equal laughs, outrage and poignancy.

Escape To Athena (1979)  A sometimes awkward blend of comedy, action and wartime resistance drama as a bizarre confluence of international actors attempt to steal treasure from under German noses. It certainly looks good and features a terrific motorbike chase through winding Rhodes streets.

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga (2020) Affection for the annual music festival that long ago became a self-parody, some funny sequences, and Rachel McAdams spirited performance, can't overcome the elongated running time. The riotous songs are both smart and fun.

Hell Drivers (1957) A pristine print of this classic, gritty action drama, provides a real appreciation for the technical skill of the sound mix and the mastery of Geoffrey Unsworth's gleaming photography. Muscular cast and direction provide a real punch to the fast-moving story.

Films / October 2

How Green Was My Valley (1941) / The Magic Bow (1946) / Marriage Story (2019) / Trio (1950) / Jumanji The Next Level (2019) / I Know Where I'm Going! (1945) / Tombstone (1993)

How Green Was My Valley (1941) Artistry suffuses every frame of Ford's expertly realized story of hope and loss (personal and community) in a Welsh mining community. Sentimental in the best sense, the collective talent in front and behind camera makes for supreme entertainment.

The Magic Bow (1946) Despite lengthy and captivating musical interludes, this Gainsborough biography of Paganini fails to realize its potential and feels curiously flat and fragmented. Without the flights of melodramatic fantasy, script and cast flounder amid the period artifice.

Marriage Story (2019) Intense, heartfelt, uncompromising detail of the breakdown of a marriage, alternating the cruelty and love still bounded in the relationship between two fragile, desperate people. Bravely vulnerable Scarlett  Johansson and Adam Driver provide emotion and dark humor.

Trio (1950) Somerset Maugham stories provide unassuming portraits of characters facing turning points in their lives. Detail and subtlety provide the most compelling strengths and gleaming visuals are evocative - and yet individual moments remain more persuasive than the whole. 

Jumanji The Next Level (2019) In essence, a remake of the 2017 reimagining with the paucity of original ideas tempered by the likeable cast. Interest and comedy further enhanced by Awkwafina, Danny DeVito and Danny Glover, yet the narrative mechanics creak too easily into view.

I Know Where I'm Going! (1945) There's a genuine rush embodied by Wendy Hiller's independent heroine who collides with the poetry of Scottish legend in bursts of humour, emotion and music. Beautifully shot, packed with memorable characters, an enduring fable that never dates.

Tombstone (1993) Aggressively cinematic and overtly emotional, a gloriously melodramatic tale that ties appealing performances to polished technical work and a rich, dramatically acute score by Bruce Broughton. A powerful, sensory experience in the cinema, it remains as exciting and moving in any realm.

Films / September 25

The Upturned Glass (1947) / El guardián invisible (2017) / The Satan Bug (1965) / Bedelia (1946) / Bird Box (2017) / The Passionate Friends (1949) / The Lady Vanishes (1938)

The Upturned Glass (1947) Bleak and cold-hearted tale of revenge and descent into madness, confidently if unimaginably made, which doesn't build tension until the end. James Mason's grim conviction peels away brutal layers with effective cruelty.

El guardián invisible (2017) Sleek visuals, evocative locations and a pregnant atmosphere seek to elevate the story beyond its procedural backbone. The infusion of mythical beliefs doesn't really provide additional depth, but Fernando Velázquez's score is as potent as ever.

The Satan Bug (1965) Gleaming widescreen production values partly compensate for glacial and convoluted storytelling, with occasional visuals mirroring the dread of a manmade, killer virus. Jerry Goldsmith provides a snarling, propulsive score.

Bedelia (1946) Margaret Lockwood discovers rich material at the centre of this melodramatic thriller, an emotionally wrecked human falling apart with murderous results. Yet the film never finds the visual style to mirror the emotions and the tale is unfortunately flat.

Bird Box (2017) Sandra Bullock is the dynamic, compulsive heart at the centre of a post-apocalyptical horror which hides its alien predator yet doesn't deliver on the character emotions the space provides. Individual set pieces provide suspense, though the ending never delivers.

The Passionate Friends (1949) Beautifully crafted tale of love, longing and conformity, narrative design mirrors the fragmentary concern with memories and dreams. Cast and characters are aligned with a technical precision that draws the viewer in and subverts original thoughts.

The Lady Vanishes (1938) Beautifully realized comedy/thriller, brimming with detail that rewards repeat viewings and shot through with Hitchcock's devilish wit. Script and cast bring humanity to the narrative and enclosed train setting ramps up tension and fun. Genuine classic.

Films / September 18

Madonna Of The Seven Moons (1945) / Love Story (1944) / Caravan (1946) / Durante la Tormenta (2018) / Lady Hamilton (1941) / Dangerous Crossing (1953) / The Stars Look Down (1940) ///

Madonna Of The Seven Moons (1945) Suffused with religious imagery, a swirling, heady brew of costume melodrama, aided by a marvelous Hans May score. Phyllis Calvert, Stewart Granger and Patricia Roc float amid the lush silver and black visuals.

Love Story (1944) Though set in contemporary wartime, the intensity and emotion mirrors other Gainsborough melodramas as characters battle tragedy and loss to live the day. Involving performances from Lockwood, Granger and Roc as well perennial Cornish Rhapsody still engage today.

Caravan (1946) Existing in a fevered, dream state, any sense of reality quickly discarded as Stewart Granger is torn between wild Jean Kent and demure Anne Crawford. Occasionally slipping into self-parody, more a series of increasingly frenzied sequences than cohesive narrative.

Durante la Tormenta (2018) Intricately plotted, slickly made, the narrative gradually grips tight with genuine surprises. Taking place across three timelines, with the usual frustrations of time travel thrillers, but anchored by Adriana Ugarte's heroine who provides real emotion.

Lady Hamilton (1941) Sumptuous production values and Miklós Rózsa's score sweep away the inadequacies of storytelling, especially since it needs to balance contemporary wartime propaganda. However, Vivien Leigh's luminous, passionate performance compels the eye and the heart.

Dangerous Crossing (1953) Sound and visuals conjure up a suitably eerie atmosphere on the foggy ocean liner as desperate Jeanne Crain searches for her husband and maintain her sanity. However, the central narrative lacks urgency and only minor pleasures maintain interest.

The Stars Look Down (1940) Skillful, persuasive blend of poetic drama and social politics. As the conflict of coal mine workers and owners inevitably results in disaster, the story is personal rather than didactic, with powerful sequences and Michael Redgrave's driven performance.

Films / September 11

A Place Of One's Own (1945) / Happy Death Day (2017) / The Man In Grey (1943) / Turn The Key Softly (1953) / The Last Man On Earth (1964) / The Omega Man (1971) / I Am Legend (2007)

A Place Of One's Own (1945) Delicate, moody ghost story that overcomes James Mason's makeup with a dreamy visual style that gradually draws the audience in and demonstrates its potency with a spooky final twist. It's discussion of class and home provides a compelling background.

Happy Death Day (2017) Anchored by a committed, energetic central performance by Jessica Rothe, an involving comedy that doesn't have much on its mind, but just about covers plot machinations with self-aware wit and energy.

The Man In Grey (1943) The film that started the glorious cycle of Gainsborough melodramas and secured stardom for Lockwood, Mason, Calvert and Granger. Though sometimes muddily plotted, the seductive atmosphere more than compensates and the approach is uncompromising.

Turn The Key Softly (1953) Intriguingly low-key and grittily told drama following three women released from prison, though cramming the events into a single day inevitably creates cracks in the narrative. Well shot on London locations and Kathleen Harrison is especially moving.

The Last Man On Earth (1964) Compromised by budgetary restrictions and bland storytelling, the widescreen visuals do occasionally offer eerie moments and the undead return of Vincent Price's wife is suitably unsettling. Vampire zombies should be more fun.

The Omega Man (1971) Very much a product of its time, with a curiously flat visual style, brittle sound and clunky dialogue. The empty hopelessness again provides some effective moments and the ending expands on The Last Man On Earth's church finale, with crucifixion imagery.

I Am Legend (2007) Most impressively realized of the adaptations, especially empty NY landscapes, and Will Smith is empathetic, peeling away the fragility of isolation. Yet the Darkseekers are pure CGI constructs and thematic concerns (science and faith) muddy the final stretch.