Films: October 16 - 22

Cutthroat Island (1995) 
Twelve Hours To Kill (1960) 
The Howling (1981) 
Diamonds Are Forever (1971) 
One Way Street (1950) 
The Burial (2023) 
Wicked As They Come (1956) ///

Cutthroat Island (1995) Exuberant set pieces, especially early chase and swashbuckling finale, combine with expansive visuals in pacy, unpretentious Caribbean adventure. Geena Davis provides athletically unapologetic pirate confronting snarling Frank Langella and unruly crews, though tale lacks romantic sweep.

Twelve Hours To Kill (1960) Minor thriller sees newly arrived immigrant Nico Minardos witness mob killing and sent to hide out in small town. Cue pursuing hoods, police corruption and romantic interest with Barbara Eden. Little style and piecemeal story strands devoid of drama.

The Howling (1981) Snappy mix of thrills and comedy, with satiric media jabs and gooey transformations, as nightmare-plagued reporter Dee Wallace finds therapist Patrick Macnee's 'Colony' refuge for ravenous werewolves. Horror pastiche and self-aware cameos never detract from gleeful, savage chills and action.

Diamonds Are Forever (1971) Irrelevance of Blofeld plot to destroy cities with diamond-powered satellite lasers doesn't hinder effectiveness of action set pieces and individual moments of design invention, despite cynical approach and strained sense of better days. Unruffled Sean Connery provides charismatic anchor amid flashy explosions, bullets and women.

One Way Street (1950) Jaded doctor James Mason is doomed the moment he escapes with sneering gangster Dan Duryea's stolen money and icy girl Märta Torén, even as he reaches for love and redemption in remote Mexican village. Appealing cast stymied by uneven plotting and diffused tension.

The Burial (2023) Enjoyable, solidly fashioned true-life courtroom drama as principled funeral home operator Tommy Lee Jones finds legal support from extrovert lawyer Jamie Foxx in battle against corporate lenders consuming business. Central relationship remains rousing, though political and social issues feel fumbled.

Wicked As They Come (1956) Sober, cleanly framed noir morality tale as troubled, cold Arlene Dahl manipulates men to climb from New York poverty to comfortable married life in Paris, until her scheming past catches up. Lead performance affords drily ironic pleasures, dampened by lack of distinctive style and missing sense of devilish energy.