Films: October 28 - November 3

Ice Cold In Alex (1958)

Corridor Of Mirrors (1948) 

When The Bough Breaks (1993)

Defenseless (1991)

Viskningar och rop (Cries And Whispers) (1972)

Love Is A Gun (1994)

Hush (2016) ///

Ice Cold In Alex (1958) Tense and sweaty survival tale as edgy John Mills and stoic Harry Andrews, along with suspicious Anthony Quayle and tenacious nurse Sylvia Syms, struggle with the dangers of Germans and the desert to get to British safety. Cleverly subverts conventions and delivers an iconic ending.

Corridor Of Mirrors (1948) Evocative use of visuals and sound, allied to off-kilter editing, lend a sinister air to the melodrama of entranced Edana Romney falling for the dark charms of obsessive Eric Portman. Inconsistent yet the Gothic noir and romanticism is effective.

When The Bough Breaks (1993) Despite nonsensical plot holes, chain smoking forensics expert Ally Walker provides a diverting presence as she tries to understand twins with psychic abilities and chase down a killer who severs hands. Sturdily made and intriguing rather than energizing.

Defenseless (1991) Told with sleazy style, committed lawyer with ill-advised life choices Barbara Hershey represents controlling friend Mary Beth Hurt accused of murdering the husband Hershey was having an affair with. Laconic Sam Shepard investigates enjoyably seedy improbabilities.

Viskningar och rop (Cries And Whispers) (1972) Formidable, bracing design and lighting are as intrinsic to the drama as the raw performances of distanced sisters Liv Ullmann and Ingrid Thulin, caring maid Kari Sylwan, and the dying Harriet Andersson. Painfully intimate and intense, yet a moving sense of release by the end.

Love Is A Gun (1994) Sold as a steamy thriller, Eric Roberts' twitchy crime scene photographer is in a fractious relationship with Eliza Roberts even as he obsesses over unbalanced Kelly Preston. Murder and madness ensues. Tone and marital breakdowns veer more to black and absurdist comedy.

Hush (2016) Precise visuals and immersive use of sound places the viewer with deaf writer Kate Siegel as she is terrorized by anonymous killer John Gallagher Jr in her remote cabin. Echoes of Stephen King and streamlined slasher structure are effective, even if it tends to run out of steam.

Films: October 21 - 27

Parallel (2018) 

Past Tense (1994)

All Is Bright (2013) 

Devotion (1946)

Silverado (1985)

Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)

Dreamscape (1984) ///

Parallel (2018) Hidden walkways lead to a secretive attic with a mirror that enables four friends to enter alternate timelines. Despite initial euphoria of gaining wealth, no surprise that convoluted narratives and murder ensues. Sold with style and energy, even if confusion tends to dilute drama.

Past Tense (1994) Familiar tale of corruption and murder tricked out with multiple narrative tricks as reliable as confused hero Scott Glenn's memory. As a result the tension never rises above the tepid and ending is confused. Lara Flynn Boyle is wasted. Color scheme very 90s.

All Is Bright (2013) Languid, deliberately off-beat drama-comedy with distinctively 70s vibe as downbeat Paul Giamatti joins with hopeful Paul Rudd to sell Christmas trees from Quebec in New York. Sally Hawkins is eccentric, the storytelling messy, the ending surprisingly poignant.

Devotion (1946) Lavish production values partly compensate for a disjointed narrative that prevents emotional sweep in a fanciful telling of the Brontë sisters and their creative muses. Erich Wolfgang Korngold's provides some class, Ida Lupino, Olivia de Havilland and Nancy Coleman lack spark.

Silverado (1985) Tonally and narratively disjointed, a frustrating, amiable western adventure with a fine cast that mixes all the genre ingredients without focusing on the basics or allowing for the mythic. Bruce Broughton delivers a rousing score, individual set pieces and visuals are winning.

Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) With an immaculate sense of visual composition, design and music, adventure filmmaking that remains fresh and exciting. Spirited Karen Allen is a perfect foil for intrepid Harrison Ford, story less important than breathless pacing and set pieces.

Dreamscape (1984) Enjoyable genre mixup sees reluctant psychic Dennis Quaid join Max von Sydow's secretive sleep studies to enter people's dreams. Though it resolves with standard shady government thriller plot (and ropey creature fx), fluid pacing highlights inventive, twisty fun.