Films: November 25 - December 1

Red Notice (2021)

Obsession (1949)

Split Second (1992)

Le fidèle (Racer And The Jailbird) (2017)

Candlelight In Algeria (1944)

The Chase (1946)

Checkpoint (1956) ///

Red Notice (2021) A curiously anonymous and awkward mix of action and comedy, with the life sucked out of narrative elements done better many times before. No doubting technical professionalism, but the stars flounder without chemistry as globetrotting thieves. Instantly forgettable.

Obsession (1949) Methodical psychiatrist Robert Newton  determines to take revenge on adulterous Sally Gray by commiting the perfect crime. Conjuring a suitably twisted atmosphere from the spare sets and stark locations, tension is gradually built and character relationships well etched.

Split Second (1992) Though story makes little sense, the sci-fi horror mashup is energetic B movie nonsense, with a dominant Rutger Hauer and various Brits going off the rails. Budget limits dystopian pretensions as a creature stomps through flooded London tearing out hearts.

Le fidèle (Racer And The Jailbird) (2017) For an hour, a stylish drama of title characters Adèle Exarchopoulos and Matthias Schoenaerts' combustible relationship. In the second half, as lives unravel, so the film loses focus and potency despite the considerable charms of the two stars. 

Candlelight In Algeria (1944) Stilted pacing and motivation dampens Casablanca-lite spy story thrills as mustachioed James Mason and sculptress Carla Lehmann help change course of North African campaign. Dramatic lighting compensates budget limitations. Attractive cast overcomes propaganda. 

The Chase (1946) Troubled war vet Robert Cummings falls for desperate Michèle Morgan and plots an escape from her mobster husband to Cuba. The unreliable narrative exists in a dream-like status that relies on fatalistic coincidence, punctuated with satisfyingly noir dread and style.

Checkpoint (1956) Ernest Stewart's rich photography, allied with sumptuous design and colourful locations, provide a potent brew let down by a blandly staged and paced action thriller. Industrial thief Stanley Baker and Anthony Steele face up during a motor race, Odile Versois worries.

Films: November 18 - 24

News Of The World (2020)

Barbara (2012)

Hereditary (2018)

Værelse 304 (Room 304) (2011)

Forever My Girl (2018)

La Notte di San Lorenzo (The Night Of The Shooting Stars) (1982)

The Real McCoy (1993) ///

News Of The World (2020) A straightforward narrative is given dramatic heft by the relationship between broken Tom Hanks and hurting Helena Zengel. Their episodic journey, physical and emotional, is elevated by the craftsmanship of visuals and sound to deliver a satisfying, rounded western.

Barbara (2012) Precise, low-key storytelling enhances the veracity of situation and characterization, as a degraded, hardened doctor is banished to the country by East German authorities in the 1980s. Nina Hoss anchors the isolation, hope and raw emotion, shards of humanity amid the cold.

Hereditary (2018) Family divisions and loss permeate the deliberate, oppressive mood which builds to a climax equal parts horrifically unnerving and grisly hysterical. A wide eyed Toni Collete fast goes off the edge after daughter dies, guilt crushing fragile bonds as sinister past reveals future evils.

Værelse 304 (Room 304) (2011) Weaving various interconnected characters and storylines in fragmented moments, an artfully told drama of desire, guilt, revenge and despair that finally ties strands together with some effect. The stifling environment of a Copenhagen hotel provides a dense atmosphere.

Forever My Girl (2018) Nothing surprising in setup or structure of narrative and mostly disposable scenes, yet humanity and comedy sparks persuade. After jilting Jessica Rothe at the altar, Alex Roe returns 8 years later, a disillusioned millionaire C&W singer. Bland style, comforting emotion.

La Notte di San Lorenzo (The Night Of The Shooting Stars) (1982) Gradually enveloping tale of survival, of imagination and hope against the blunt reality of violence and brutality, as villagers are caught between opposing forces during last fumes of WW2. Sometimes forced staging, finally poignant.

The Real McCoy (1993) Kim Basinger makes an engaging thief, attempting to go straight, snagged back into impossible bank job by unreliable Terence Stamp. Coasting on sleek visuals, a passable caper that trades on better stories, underusing eager Val Kilmer and gradually running out of steam.