Films: September 30 - October 6

Blue Steel (1990) 

Eyes In The Night (1942) 

Innocents In Paris (1953) 

Koma (2019)

Beastmaster 2 Through The Portal Of Time (1991)

Sensation (1994)

Beyond Desire (1995)

The Mating Season (1951)

Hudson's Bay (1940) ///

Blue Steel (1990) Told with dynamic visual flair and layered atmosphere, impulsive cop Jamie Lee Curtis is tormented by psychotic Ron Silver amid blasting guns and bloody squibs. Narrative and character make increasingly little sense, though individual sequences provide thrills.

Eyes In The Night (1942) Stilted yet intriguing Nazi spies stealing secrets yarn enlivened by our hero being blind and finding ways to wrest control with the aid of his intrepid Alsatian. A diverting Donna Reed features in the domestic drama sections, though the theatre asides add only to the running time. 

Innocents In Paris (1953) A curiosity featuring a diverse and eccentric array of British talent, including Alastair Sim and Margaret Rutherford, who fly across the Channel for the weekend. Narratively slim, a generous, amiable view of parochial prejudice broken by French freedoms.

Koma (2019) Filled with mesmerizing, immersive visuals to create a disorientating world of collided, disorientating architecture and geography, the belated attempt at narrative structure deadens originality. The basics of a designer being used in his dream world features striking action scenes.

Beastmaster 2 Through The Portal Of Time (1991) Fitfully amusing with a thunderous Robert Folk score as Marc Singer and animals transport to modern Los Angeles, dealing with culture clash as well as evil brother Wings Hauser, witch Sarah Douglas and spoilt rich girl Kari Wuhrer.

Sensation (1994) Lurid, slickly told thriller with typical 90s nudity and wholly preposterous plot as susceptible Kari Wuhrer experiences visions of a murdered student and is infatuated with suspicious professor Eric Roberts. Plenty of lazy red herrings and messy sequences involving paint.

Beyond Desire (1995) Hard-boiled 90s desert noir with unhinged William Forsythe out of jail and on a mission for revenge, while lust and love with edgy Kari Wuhrer complicates as well as provides salvation. Mildly diverting genre exercise with standard twists and spirited performances.

The Mating Season (1951) Amiable domestic comedy that veers on farce but constrains wilder possibilities and potential for social critique. After her food stand goes bust, bustling Thelma Ritter is mistaken by her son's socialite wife Gene Tierney as the new cook. Romantic and family complications ensue.

Hudson's Bay (1940) Extravagantly produced, romanticized history of the Canadian trading company's origins, with heavily French accented Paul Muni and Laird Kroeger, a double act of self-proclaimed rogues, pioneering for Vincent Price's King Charles. Luminous Gene Tierney remains in London.