Films: November 11 - 17

Midsommar (2019)

Army Of Thieves (2021)

House By The River (1950)

The Bravados (1958)

El artista y la modelo (2012) 

The Girl Next Door (2004)

Trial By Jury (1994) ///

Midsommar (2019) Rigorously designed, in framing, lighting and sets, to conjure a gnawing, sinister feel at a sun blasted Swedish cult as a grieving Florence Pugh gets sucked into pagan rituals. Without quite delivering on the menace and horror, a potent drama of broken relationships and family ties.

Army Of Thieves (2021) Standalone prequel that switches genre from impending zombie apocalypse to breezy tale of safe crackers with eccentric Matthias Schweighöfer intuitively breaking into mythical vaults. Nathalie Emmanuel and Ruby O Fee provide fine support. Spirited and good natured.

House By The River (1950) With an enveloping sense of doom and madness, as the churning river drags up secrets that can't be hidden, deranged writer Louis Hayward uses murder to hype up sales. Effective design and visuals, yet the narrative flounders and ragged pacing lessens impact.

The Bravados (1958) Avenging Gregory Peck hunts down criminals who have escaped from being hanged, but finds he is blinded by hatred and prejudice. Sedate, elegantly composed western drama, with a smart, conflicted view of its intense central character and a bleak sense of justice.

El artista y la modelo (2012) Accepting Claudia Cardinale finds wary Aida Foche to model for and arouse exhausted sculptor Jean Rochefort's creativity. Self aware, immersive visuals celebrate art and nature, while narrative adds nothing original, yet remains affecting in minor observations.

The Girl Next Door (2004) Redeemed by supporting cast, especially playfully menacing Timothy Olyphant, and a smart compliment of songs and score, previous films weigh heavily as frustrated Emile Hirsch finds spirited new neighbor Elisha Cuthbert is a porn star. Innocently sleazy.

Trial By Jury (1994) A strong cast strains to make increasingly implausible characters and events into watchable thrills, as demure juror Joanne Whalley is threatened by weary henchman William Hurt on behalf of mob boss Armand Assante. Gabriel Byne is the tortured prosecutor. Nothing rings true.

Soundtracks: November

Hellbound Hellraiser II (Christopher Young,1988)

The Last Starfighter (Craig Safan,1984)

The Boy Who Could Fly (Bruce Broughton, 1986)

Dracula (James Bernard, 1958)

City Slickers (Marc Shaiman, 1994) ///

Hellbound Hellraiser II (1988) Christopher Young / Massive musical barrage, an alternately glorious and devilish assault on the senses created and played with epic style. Immersive density of orchestration is well suited to some unnerving sounds and often quite beautiful tracks.

The Last Starfighter (1984) Craig Safan / Packed with sweeping themes, lilting fanfares and explosive action. Well served highlights on initial release, later Intrada edition fleshed out complete score, including sublime final track (though misses two very 80s songs!).

The Boy Who Could Fly (1986) Bruce Broughton / Joyous, lyrical score that is poignantly delicate and grandly soaring, moving and exhilarating. Original album was a London re-recording, 20 years later  soundtrack release revealed expanse of ideas. Gorgeous and essential.

Dracula (1958) James Bernard / Moody and darkly majestic, dense, frenzied musical clusters that gnaw away and develop an increasing sense of unease, before a cathartic resolution in The Final Battle. 2019 Prague re-recording includes  gorgeous Rhapsody For Lucy coda.

City Slickers (1994) Marc Shaiman / Equal parts romantic Americana, full bodied pastiche and rousing Western action, all marvelously entertaining. Album includes diverse highlights from thematic heart, if not full narrative development. Malleable love theme also becomes decent song.

Films: November 4 - 10

Vanilla (2020)

In The Heights (2021)

Black And White (1999)

Where The Sidewalk Ends (1950)

The Guilty (2021)

Peacock (2010)

La Belle Noiseuse (1991) ///

Vanilla (2020) Equal parts comfortingly predictable and enjoyably unexpected, prospective app entrepreneur Will Dennis and hopeful stand-up Kelsea Bauman travel by van from New York to New Orleans. Told with a breezy, natural style, genuine laughs and emotion, and a knock out Bauman.

In The Heights (2021) Good natured spirit of storytelling in music and visuals carries slim narrative of community dreamers with impressive scale and fluid rhythm. Personable performers and individual numbers provide an emotional impact, even if the overall lacks a cathartic finale.

Black And White (1999) Routine thriller with rookie cop partnered with caustic veteran as a series of killings throw suspicion on a police avenger. Plenty of red herrings and moderate tension which tempers the potential of Gina Gershon's twisted detective, a character with rich darkness.

Where The Sidewalk Ends (1950) Gritty noir that blends stark locations with atmospheric sets to concentrate on morality and past guilt as tough cop Dana Andrews finds his relationship with resolute Gene Tierney pierces his humanity. Potent sequences and performances, though pacing uneven.

The Guilty (2021) Told with suitable intensity, a virtual monologue from conflicted cop Jake Gyllenhaal on 911 duty who attempts to save an abducted woman via phone. Solid production values and persuasive, agonized star performance, yet story ends on exhausted emotional fumes.

Peacock (2010) Dual personality melodrama threatens to evolve into thriller yet resolves with eccentric ambivalence. Styled with attractive visuals and anchored by a convincing Cillian Murphy, uneven tone and fragile supporting characters never quite mesh and leave narrative floundering.

La Belle Noiseuse (1991) Bewitching meditation on art and inspiration as spiky Emmanuelle Beart poses for jaundiced Michel Piccoli and spurs conflict that examines their lives. Precise, intense use of sound and visuals delineate the intimacy of creation over four hours, even if ending feels rushed.