Films / November 27

Gremlins (1984) / The Greatest Showman (2017) / Capricorn One (1978) / Green For Danger (1946) / Cottage To Let (1941) / Hangover Square (1945) / The Lodger (1944)

Gremlins (1984) The collision of comedy and horror, of fairytale lore and Hollywood narratives, delivers a viciously fun ride, propelled by snappy visuals, smart effects and a terrific score by Jerry Goldsmith. The meandering story is shot through with satiric touches that still have claws.

The Greatest Showman (2017) Barnum legend rather than historical fact provides a flimsy plot, yet sumptuous production values, rousing songs and rooted performances deliver strong emotions. With its sense of wonder, family and social acceptance, a genuine modern day audience pleaser.

Capricorn One (1978) Inventive conspiracy thriller that lacks a visual and narrative deftness yet compensates with action, intrigue and a classic Jerry Goldsmith score. Several set pieces stand out and it's always enjoyable. The bloated cast is hit and miss. The finale surprisingly moving.

Green For Danger (1946) Curious murder mystery thriller comedy that despite implausabilities ratchets up the tension. It also benefits tremendously from the introduction of Alastair Sim's idiosyncratic, conceited detective and features an atmospheric rural hospital setting during the Blitz.

Cottage To Let (1941) Nazi spies in the Scotland wilds provide a shifting narrative where nobody is who they seem. Alternately eccentric and threatening Alastair Sim and scatter-brained Jeanne De Casalis stand out in a dynamic cast. Surprising character reveals maintain interest.

Hangover Square (1945) Uneven mix of melodrama and noir, often strikingly shot, as an unstable composer turns killer in gas and candlelit London. Bernard Herrmann's music is evocative, insightful, sweeping and culminates with the mad finale where it gloriously reveals its pure mastery.

The Lodger (1944) Waves of fog swirl across richly textured sound stages, as Victorian London is terrorized by the Ripper. Laird Cregar is a powerful presence as the atmospherically lit and framed story largely jettisons psychology and character for propulsive sequences and features two energetic dance numbers.

Films / November 20

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019) / Old Guard (2020) / Speed (1994) / One Of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942) / 49th Parallel (1941) / Contraband (1940) / A Canterbury Tale (1944)

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019) Loose, meandering and affectionate view of LA and film making that seeds the Manson family background for a typically vicious and fiery climax. The pleasures of visual design, playful dialogue and the easy lead performances are a delight.

Old Guard (2020) Muscular, violent action sequences and glossy visuals can't disguise a laborious narrative arc, reliant on character angst and melodrama. Without a distinctive view or leavening humour, Charlize Theron and her other immortals struggle to bring humanity to the emotions.

Speed (1994) Jettisoning logic and story demands, the concept of a bomb on a speeding bus allows for action sequences that deliver thrills and comedy with a purity that never tires. The magnetic Sandra Bullock provides humanity and individuality amid the stunts and explosions.

One Of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942) Combining the naturalistic with the poetic, the escape of British airman across occupied Holland features tense sequences alternating with determined propaganda. Thoughtfully conceived characters, especially Pamela Brown and Googie Withers' strong, commanding women.

49th Parallel (1941) German U-boat survivors attempt to survive the rugged expanse of Canada and its diverse people, a tense epic with well cast stars providing depth to a series of speeches that interrupt the fast-moving narrative. Ralph Vaughan Williams delivers a rousing score.

Contraband (1940) Strikingly visualized comedy thriller with a smart use of London's wartime blackouts highlighting the drama. Stylish protagonists Conrad Veidt and Valerie Hobson deliver humour and romance as they outwit enemy spies in a fleet-footed though slight story.

A Canterbury Tale (1944) Visualized with a mesmerizing blend of expressionism and naturalism, three strangers investigate the 'glueman' in a traditional Kent village and receive blessings on an inadvertent pilgrimage. Languid, singular, unusual and unexpectedly moving.

Films / November 13

The Way Ahead (1944) / Femme Fatale (2002) / Backdraft (1991) / Passion (2012) / I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore (2017) / The Snows Of Kilimanjaro (1952) / In Which We Serve (1942)

The Way Ahead (1944) The casual detail of bringing its conscripted protagonists together provides the emotional foundation that is as strong as propaganda as it is dramatically. The terrific cast, generous comedy and exciting central action sequence, combine for a powerful and potent final shot.

Femme Fatale (2002) A feverish dream crammed with Brian DePalma's typical visual flourishes that soon jettisons story to luxuriate in unrepentant, glorious images and elongated thriller set pieces. Continually on the verge of self-parody, a narrative twist ratchets the delirium with a cinematic swoon.

Backdraft (1991) Family and political melodramatics swirl through an uneven narrative, accentuated by visual histrionics. However, its all about the seductive powers of the fire, combining thrilling FX and stunts with a defining Hans Zimmer score that's exciting and finally moving.

Passion (2012) Curiously inert, both stylistically and narratively, with bland characters whose motives and desires the cast can't breathe life into. The political and personal never really jell and not even individual sequences provide dramatic involvement, let alone passion.

I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore (2017) Purposefully uneven mix of offbeat comedy, crime drama and social commentary, propelled by Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood's accidental protagonists. Surprisingly violent, the tone doesn't quite jell, though the details persuade.

The Snows Of Kilimanjaro (1952) Expansively produced, sumptuously photographed, Gregory Peck's Hemingway stand-in remembers his loves and adventures on his sickbed. Bernard Herrmann's typically intuitive score, so full of yearning and loss, provides the emotion that the fragmentary narrative never captures.

In Which We Serve (1942) The German sinking of a British ship provides the survivors to reflect on their lives and the war, a patchwork of scenes held together by the strong ensemble and incisive, literate script. Powerful propaganda, full of grit and emotion, and still potent.

Films / November 6

Assault On Precint 13 (1976) / Singin' In The Rain (1952) / The American President (1995) / The Eagle Has Landed (1976) / This Happy Breed (1944) / 3:10 To Yuma (1957) / Back To The Future (1985)

Assault On Precint 13 (1976) From the opening electronic beats, John Carpenter demonstrates a total mastery of the craft, a thriller cinematically joyous as well as tough and violent. An all night attack on a Los Angeles police station sets up action set-pieces that ratchet up the tension. Laurie Zimmer is terrific as the resourceful, Hawksenian heroine.

Singin' In The Rain (1952) The years never diminish the energy, skill and pure joy that bursts from every image. A perfect combination of song, dance and comedy as Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor cope with the advent of the talkies. MGM production values shine.

The American President (1995) Smart script, engaging performers, an idealism that lays the groundwork for "The West Wing", the balance between standard romantic narrative and political activism is finely tuned. Solidly old fashioned in a good way, a breeze of drama and comedy.

The Eagle Has Landed (1976) Tense, enthralling WW2 tale as Michael Caine leads his crack German squad to kidnap Churchill while an Irish Donald Sutherland romances Jenny Agutter. Polished and professionally made, character development is highlighted before brutal bursts of violence. Aided by Lalo Schifrin's fine score.

This Happy Breed (1944) A captivating domestic epic that spans 20 years in the lives of a London family between the world wars. The deft mix of comedy and tragedy is moving, the performers uniformly persuasive and the glorious Technicolor luminescent. Both detail and spectacle perfectly pitched, as well as proof that the country runs on tea.

3:10 To Yuma (1957) Charles Lawton's gleaming, atmospheric photography and sense of framing is just as vital to elevating the tension as Glenn Ford and Van Heflin's verbal sparring. With its noirish, psychological foundation, the carefully calibrated narrative leads to an explosive and ambiguous finale.

Back To The Future (1985) The breezy fun of the story and characters shouldn't disguise the meticulous narrative design, a canny combination of laughter and thrills that never grows tiresome. Propelled by a sublime score, dramatic and technical skills keep the adventure buoyant.

Films / October 30

Blazing Saddles (1974) / The BFG (1974) / Bank Holiday (1938) / The Odd Couple (1968) / The Trial Of The Chicago 7 (2020) / The History Of Mr Polly (1949) / Dracula (1958)

Blazing Saddles (1974) Parody of Westerns, satire on racism, crude and smart at the same time, a structural mess that endures. Uninhibited by taste or correctness, Mel Brooks throws a non-stop succession of verbal and visual comedy at the screen, ably supported by a terrific cast.

The BFG (1974) All the elements are present, yet somehow none of them coalesce. Where there should be emotion and magic, instead it feels tired and flat. Beautiful visuals, and the sequence with the Queen delivers humour and wonder, yet there's no tension. An opportunity lost.

Bank Holiday (1938) The slight narrative focuses on a variety of people heading down to the coast for a long weekend. Its success derives from the detail and the portrayal of British society, a fascinating blend of docu style observation and human empathy. Solidly made and performed.

The Odd Couple (1968) The strength of Neil Simon's writing and the vitality of Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau's personification of neurotic Felix and slobbish Oscar maintain the comedy and even empathy. Effectively a series of carefully honed set pieces, including the always delightful arrival of the Pigeon sisters.

The Trial Of The Chicago 7 (2020) As finely crafted as expected from Aaron Sorkin, with a rounded narrative that though slow to open pays off in the courtroom. An impressive ensemble delivers on the script and the contemporary allusions hit home, though there is a strangely impersonal visual approach. The rousing finale is a divisive matter of taste.

The History Of Mr Polly (1949) Handsomely produced, with evocative and lively sets and locations, HG Wells' Alfred Polly is brought to life with intelligent simplicity and empathy by John Mills. Supporting cast, especially Megs Jenkins, are equally good, though tonal shifts between comedy and drama aren't always successful.

Dracula (1958) Shot in glorious, lurid colours, crafted to highlight shocking horror as well as sexual desire, a still jolting and mesmerizing vampire tale. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing embody the battling forces and James Bernard provides the thunderous score. Essential Hammer.

Films / October 23

Odd Man Out (1947) / The Spy In Black (1939) / Brief Encounter (1945) / Newsies (1992/2017) / Young And Innocent (1937) / Star Wars The Rise Of Skywalker (2019) / Caddyshack (1980)

Odd Man Out (1947) At once a socio-political reflection of its time, more vitally a reflection of the human condition, of dreams and ambition and love. Classic cinematic artistry, William Alwyn's glorious score and sublime performances make this essential viewing in any age.

The Spy In Black (1939) Powell & Pressburger's first collaboration is a typically offbeat thriller that embraces the view of the German spy aiming to destroy the British fleet in remote Scotland. Conrad Veidt and Valerie Hobson provide depth and emotion in a brisk, minor effort.

Brief Encounter (1945) Noel Coward and David Lean's aching love story combines literate writing, strong performances and mesmerizing style. Despite the sense of inherent parody, the 'flames of passion' embodied by Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard maintain a perennial truth.

Newsies (1992/2017) Despite its critical and commercial failure, an amiable musical with solid songs and big production numbers. Reimagined as a stage musical, the film of the show is superior, an exciting, affecting, fast-moving tale of anti-establishment and family.

Young And Innocent (1937) Hitchcock's technical mastery and storytelling exuberance provides a giddy mix of comedy and thrills along with the virtuosity of individual set pieces. The flimsy narrative features the luminous Nova Pilbeam helping wrongly accused Derrick De Marney.The pleasure is in the detail and textures.

Star Wars The Rise Of Skywalker (2019) The production values, technical expertise and expansive visual effects are without fault. Yet there remains an anemic atmosphere and a narrative going through the motions, an opportunity lost. At least it provides John Williams with a glorious finale.

Caddyshack (1980) With its meandering plot and defiantly juvenile humour, a film that constantly threatens to self-destruct. Rodney Dangerfield's energy, Bill Murray's mania and an animatronic gopher keep it together and there are some genuinely funny sequences, including an explosive ending.

Films / October 16

The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943) / A Matter Of Life And Death (1946) / Jassy (1947) / Blanche Fury (1948) / Twelve O'Clock High (1949) / The Trap (1966) / Cast A Dark Shadow (1955)

The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943) A veteran accountant at Rank Org bitterly told me that no Archers movie made a profit and wasted so much money. We should be thankful the creatives allowed Powell & Pressburger to make such a string of classics, including this thrilling, comic and moving epic.

A Matter Of Life And Death (1946) An elegy to love and loss, a political reflection of the bonds between allies, a sumptuous creation of pure cinema. Beautifully designed and shot, Powell & Pressburger's sublime fantasy remains vital and affecting, both technically and emotionally.

Jassy (1947) Technicolor glories are surprisingly muted in Gainsborough's final costume drama, which lacks the frenzied, dark flights of fantasy and passion that liberated wartime British cinema. Overstuffed with plot, some individual performances and overall design are scant compensation.

Blanche Fury (1948) Driven by Valerie Hobson's eponymous heroine, who evolves from steely and calculating to passionate and caring, a superbly, evocatively photographed and designed melodrama. It builds a heady, noirish atmosphere as murder is planned before resolving with brute tragedy.

Twelve O'Clock High (1949) Strong production values and performances provide the bedrock of a surprisingly interior drama that peels away stoicism to reveal the severe stress of bomber pilots in WW2. Particularly impressive is the portrayal of Gregory Peck's psychological snap.

The Trap (1966) Spectacular landscapes, and Robert Krasker's powerful visuals, combine with Ron Goodwin's head-on score to muscular effect. Oliver Reed's French-Canadian trapper and Rita Tushingham's mute wilderness survivor combine well and the wolf attack is savagely thrilling.

Cast A Dark Shadow (1955) Curiously cold and bleak study of Dirk Bogarde's amoral killer, moodily realised by Lewis Gilbert without truly building an effective, propulsive narrative. Some smart dialogue, noir visuals and solid performances maintain interest amid the class conscious cynicism.