Films: December 28 - January 3

Tread Softly Stranger (1958)

No Way Out (1987)

Flyboys (2005)

King Kong (2005)

The Mummy Returns (2001)

State Fair (1945)

Stalag 17 (1953) ///

Tread Softly Stranger (1958) Atmospheric city and industry background provide gritty substance to noir-infused drama as impatient Diana Dors leads brothers George Baker and Terence Morgan to their murderous doom. Sense of impoverished desperation hangs heavy, though thriller aspects remain unpersuasive.

No Way Out (1987) Finely tooled, highly diverting thriller sees Secretary Of Defense Gene Hackman cover up mistress Sean Young's death with arrogant Navy Lieutenant Kevin Costner investigating and incriminating himself. Contrivances and final twist can't diminish mounting tension and sharp pacing. 

Flyboys (2005) Handsomely mounted World War I heroics undermined by unconvincing characters and strained narrative framework unraveling in strangely sterile atmosphere. Swaggering James Franco is among American volunteers joining emerging French airforce. Misses romantic sweep and emotional investment despite soaring flights.

King Kong (2005) Meticulous, burnished detail of Depression-era New York sends fast-talking film maker Jack Black to gorgeously realized landscapes and monsters of Skull Island. A cracking Naomi Watts is the tap-dancing beauty who brings down the beast. Numbing overlength and bludgeoning style dissipates involvement.

The Mummy Returns (2001) Overblown sequel lacks charm, anchoring adventurous Rachel Weisz and reluctant Brendan Fraser with family dynamics and unending VFX bombardment. Frantic story developments replay resurrected ancient threat with little actual humor and much visual excess.

State Fair (1945) Slight narrative strands link lightly attractive characters whose time at the annual Iowa gathering of the title spans the trivial and romantic. Colorful design and effortless staging combine with enduring Rodgers and Hammerstein songs for energetic entertainment.

Stalag 17 (1953) Enclosed tale of American POWs revolves on obsession with escape and hunt for barracks mole, with immediate suspect the hustling William Holden. Straddling broad laughs, German caricatures, cynical humor and tense drama, skillful cast and filmmakers maintain precarious balance.

Films: December 21 - 27

Cat People (1982)

Body Heat (1981)

Against All Odds (1984)

The Black Rose (1950)

Spectre (2015)

Argentina, 1985 (2022)

King Kong (1933) ///

Cat People (1982) Seductively conceived, thematically provocative, an obsessive love story wrapped in sexual horror fantasy as enigmatic Nastassja Kinski deals with incestuous origins and rigid zoologist John Heard. Bold design and evocative score conjure coldly intoxicating atmosphere for deadly feline transformation.

Body Heat (1981) Seductive John Barry score weaves through stylish noir with susceptible John Hurt caught in grasp of shameless Kathleen Turner. Steamy atmosphere feeds twisting narrative of lust and murder, as grasping characters provide pulpy and hugely enjoyable moral descent.

Against All Odds (1984) Setting noir fatalism against bleached visuals, bitter Jeff Bridges falls for confounding Rachel Ward and confronts snarling James Woods. Character interplay and individual sequences never quite connect deepening webs of corruption, though performers and staging maintain corrosive intrigue.

The Black Rose (1950) Handsomely mounted, overly solemn and bloated adventure as indignant Saxon Tyrone Power abandons Norman England to find fortune with playful Orson Welles' dream of Asian invasion. Polished supporting cast and colorful visuals can't overcome dreary narrative involvement.

Spectre (2015) Controlled imagery and intense staging elevates atmospherics of opening stages until typical plot machinations creak as vengeful Daniel Craig uncovers government spyware infiltrated by devilish Christoph Waltz. Technical polish can't prevent lack of tangible emotion and tension.

Argentina, 1985 (2022) Told with disarming sense of humour to offset cruel reality of background events, as well as acute sense of time, true life court case against Argentinian Junta Generals is finely performed and structured. Ricardo Darín is the empathetic prosecutor, while legal team support capture vitality of righteous youth overcoming demons of the past.

King Kong (1933) Forever potent visuals conjure mystical jungle beasts and action thrills as manipulative filmmaker Robert Armstrong heads for Skull Island and depression hit New York suffers a monstrous rampage. Struggling Fay Wray leads the regal ape to his demise. Max Steiner delivers thunderous score.