Films: December 7 - 13

The Batman (2022)

Joker (2019)

Once Upon A Dream (1949)

Beyond The Curtain (1960)

The Mummy (2017)

Black Jack (1950)

The Tomorrow War (2021) ///

The Batman (2022) Constructed with brutal skill and care, as well as an atmosphere that drips with menace and intrigue, noir-doomed narrative ensnares agonized cloaked hero Robin Pattinson's battle with Riddler and edgy relationship with Zoë Kravitz's Catwoman. Bleak visuals accentuate exhausting corruption.

Joker (2019) Bleak visuals aligned with irresistibly off-kilter Joaquin Phoenix conjure flamboyant character study as instability leads to savage violence. Meticulous design mirrors personal and urban decay, effectively unsubtle, claustrophobia accentuated by suffocating soundtrack.

Once Upon A Dream (1949) Inoffensive trifle never builds needed head of comedic steam as lightheaded Googie Withers fantasizes about practical Griffith Jones, her demobbed husband's army batman. Commentary on stresses with post-war economy and rebuilt relationships lost amid surface farce.

Beyond The Curtain (1960) Broken ruins of cold war Berlin sustains ominous backdrop while family dynamics for Eva Bartok's forced return to Eastern control are are edgily uncertain, yet low budget imagination and Richard Greene heroics feel forced. Marius Goring and Lucie Mannheim provide solid support.

The Mummy (2017) Polished action and mystery rapidly dissipates in confusing VFX and genre jumble with swaggering Tom Cruise returning from the dead to encounter Russell Crowe's Dr. Jekyll as head of secret society chasing supernatural threats. Despite technical skill, drama flounders.

Black Jack (1950) Though George Sanders makes a fittingly ambiguous hero, his unconvincing action dynamics and affection for morally defined Patricia Roc tend to flatten involvement. Evocative Mediterranean locations and equivocal, shady characters provide some interest, amidst floundering narrative. 

The Tomorrow War (2021) Buoyed by likable cast and time travel concept that sees floundering Chris Pratt thrown into the future to fight vicious aliens, but more importantly save the past with resolute daughter Yvonne Strahovski. Big action, soft family dynamics, bloated conclusion.

Best Of British (71-75)

Bachelor Of Hearts (1958)

Miracle In Soho (1957)

The Private Life Of Henry VIII (1933)

Knight Without Armour (1937)

The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943) ///

Bachelor Of Hearts (1958) Minor, unassuming romantic comedy throws German scholarship student Hardy Krüger into eccentric traditions of Cambridge University with mildly diverting results. Sylvia Syms is endearing and locations provide attractive visuals though dramatic stakes remain low.

Miracle In Soho (1957) Whimsical slice of London community life, a central melting pot of nations with untroubled John Gregson finding a girl on every street, until demure Belinda Lee pierces his indifference. Despite old fashioned appeal, defiantly theatrical poetic realism lacks lightness of touch.

The Private Life Of Henry VIII (1933) Powered by an alternately childlike and avaricious Charles Laughton, a bawdy, witty view of the infamous king's romantic entanglements. Occasional design and visual ingenuity breaks through generally staid production. Performances revel in comedy and ultimate pathos.

Knight Without Armour (1937) Reluctant hero Robert Donat is a persuasive presence, weaving and suffering through Revolutionary Russia as he saves and falls for icy Marlene Dietrich. Sweeping action drama shines with scale even if story resolves into set pieces rather than fluid narrative.

The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943) Masterfully realized, thrillingly cinematic, comedy drama spans the world wars and crystallizes the satiric stereotype and yearning individual within Roger Livesey's title character. Rousing support from Deborah Kerr and Anton Walbrook, creatively and technically sublime.