Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

[Reza]

Mortelle Randonnée (Claude Miller, 1981) 8/10

Miller dips into Claude Chabrol territory with this neo-noir murder thriller. An eccentric private detective (Michel Serrault) is obsessively in search of his daughter taken away from him by his wife years before. He also has a strange habit of talking aloud to himself. His boss (Geneviève Page) assigns him a case of looking for a young girl (Isabelle Adjani) who has seduced the young heir to a shoe fortune. He finds her but is fascinated when he sees her dispose the young man's body in a lake. Instead of turning her in to the police he follows her all over Europe as she, under a different disguise, seduces and murders assorted rich men and women and steals their money and jewellery. With each murder the detective becomes more and more obsessed and a stage comes when he even starts covering her tracks so she doesn't get caught. Serrault is superb as he plays a game of cat and mouse with the deadly serial killer who kills without remourse. The character of Adjani has a dreamy far-off quality, almost a cipher, as this femme fatale goes about her life in clinical fashion although she provides each of her personas a distinct and vivid personality. Is she the detective's long-lost daughter? And why is he protecting her? The film is a riveting and intriguing study in obsession that leads up to a haunting finalé. There is also a sharp cameo by an unrecognizable Stéphane Audran as an old matron also following Adjani. Both Serrault and Audran were nominated for Césars.

Parey Hut Love (Asim Raza, 2019) 7/10

Charming desi adaptation of "Four Weddings and a Funeral" takes on the opulence found in the films of Karan Johar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali although the funny screenplay manages to keep things grounded with a strong sense of Pakistani sensibility. And what great timing with Kashmir in the news. Why in the world do we want "their" Kashmir when we have a spectacular part of it in our neck of the woods just waiting to be discovered and made so vividly clear in the film? Yes, yes Indian atrocities, muslims suffering and politicians and the establishment from both sides using innocent suffering people for their own selfish means.....but that's for another discussion. Sheheryar (Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui), a commitment-phobic aspiring actor, and Saniya (the exquisite Maya Ali), an ex-pat from Turkey and the daughter of a once famous scriptwriter (Nadeem), meet cute at one of those unbelievably over-the-top desi shaadis (found only in our part of the world....although Singapore is guilty of it too as witnessed in "Crazy Rich Asians") and fall in love. But circumstances (a lost phone) keep them apart although they keep bumping into each other during four weddings and a funeral. The set-up allows us to enter the world of exhuberant song and dance as colourful characters - friends and hilariously eccentric family members - gyrate to the music dressed in splendor (the costumes, both ethnic and western, by Umar Sayeed are truly outstanding). Many stars appear in cameos or in small but vivid parts - Frieha Altaf, Marina Khan, Lollywood superstar Meera (who makes a grand entrance and leads the "Ik Pal" dance sequence), Fawad Khan (as a snarky film producer), Sonya Jahan dancing during the Parsee wedding number "Haye Dil Bechara" and Mahira Khan who plays a bitchy diva-actress and gets to do a "Devdas" type mujrah â la Madhuri Dixit in the elaborate "Morey Saiyan". The film also scores points for its outstanding production design, cinematography, a marvelous song score by Azaan Sami Khan, a delightful sequence set during a Nawruz celebration ("Haft-Sheen" - "this glass used to hold sharaab but now we have sharbat") in the Parsee milieu (a minority sect lamentably neglected in our films but here shown with great love and humour), the stunning scenery of "our" Kashmir in and around Muzaffarabad during a song montage sequence and last but certainly not least for making me cry at least five times during the emotional moments. Both leads not only look stunning on screen as lovers but the actors have wonderful chemistry together. They are surrounded by a strong group of character actors with superb comic timing - special kudos to the delightful Hina Dilpazeer who plays the hero's hilariously garrulous mother who steals every scene. An entertaining addition to the revival of cinema in Pakistan.

Next of Kin (Justin Chadwick & Jamie Childs, 2018) 5/10

When a British-Pakistani doctor is shot in the head by a Muslim Jihadi group in Lahore it transpires that his son, who under the influence of shady clerics, may have triggered the murder. Coming to his rescue with the help of MI5 is his family back in London - his aunt (Archie Panjab), her husband (Jack Davenport) and the boy's grandmother (Shabana Azmi) - who have to race against time not only to save his life but also foil two terrorist attacks in London. Well acted 6-part mini-series has suspense but there are far too many unlikely plot twists and coincidences although it is interesting to see the number of dangerous blunders the anti-terrorist security forces make under the leadership of their head (Claire Skinner). The fake Pakistani locations are quite an eyesore.

Operation Crossbow (Michael Anderson, 1965) 5/10

Anderson's action packed WWII film is part documentary and part spy thriller with a strong whiff of James Bond. The Allies send covert agents (George Peppard, Tom Courtenay, Jeremy Kemp, Anthony Quayle) into Germany to destroy a factory where Hitler's death bombs are being created to be launched on London and New York. The film is over stuffed with stars in small but telling parts - the officious pipe smoking British superior officers (Trevor Howard, John Mills, Richard Johnson, Richard Todd, Maurice Denham) who plan the operation at the behest of Churchill (Patrick Wymark), the Nazi High Command (Paul Henreid, Helmut Dantine, Anton Diffring), real-life test pilot Hannah Reitsch (Barbara Rütting) who actually flew on the rocket and a couple of women who aid the agents (Lilli Palmer who gives the film's best performance and Sophia Loren who gets top billing courtesy of her husband Carlo Ponti the film's producer). Many familiar character actors (Sylvia Syms, John Fraser, Richard Wattis, Alan Cuthbertson, Gordon Jackson, John LeMesurier, Robert Brown, John Alderton) appear in bit parts as assorted British officers. The ending, set in an underground factory, appears to be the same fake volcano set used later in the Bond film "You Only Live Twice". The film ends with shoddy fiery explosions. The screenplay's only saving grace is the unexpected and shocking deaths of two characters (both played by big stars) very early on in the film.

Kitty Foyle (Sam Wood, 1940) 6/10

Soap opera set within the confines of class differences as Kitty Foyle (Ginger Rogers) flits between two men but gives her heart to the wrong one. Warned by her dad that she will not find contentment with a rich man she falls hard for a Boston blue-blood (Dennis Morgan) who comes in and out of her life leading to marriage and a divorce after his family - an imperious Gladys Cooper plays his mother which should give an idea about the union - makes it clear she is not suitable material. Finding herself pregnant and single she chooses to have the child which dies although censors of the time did not allow her to have an abortion which she did in the bestseller (by Christopher Morley) on which the film is based. Waiting in the wings is the sensitive and patient doctor (James Craig) from her own background who has loved her all along. This rather dated film won Ginger Rogers an Oscar. It was a popular if rather surprising win considering the strong competition that year from Bette Davis (The Letter), Joan Fontaine (Rebecca) and Katharine Hepburn (The Philadelphia Story), performances which are much more highly regarded today. Rogers was lauded for her immense popularity graduating from playing acerbic second leads to being the romantic dance partner of Fred Astaire in a string of hit musicals followed by leads in hit comedies. This dramatic departure surprised Hollywood and clinched her the award.

Una breve vacanza / A Brief Vacation (Vittorio De Sica, 1973) 9/10

De Sica returns to his roots at the end of his long career exploring the plight of the working class. The screenplay by De Sica's longtime collaborator, Cesare Zavattini (a proponent of the Neorealist movement in Italian cinema), was inspired by the French poet Guillaume Apollinaire's adage - "Sickness is the vacation of the poor". A factory worker (Florinda Bolkan) is sick and tired of her hard life working long hours to support her three children, a crass injured husband (Renato Salvatori) and thankless in-laws. When she develops tuberculosis she is sent via the government's National Health scheme to a sanatorium in the Italian Alps to heal and recuperate. This "vacation" opens up her eyes to a world outside her drab existence as she interacts with fellow patients from a different class than her own. She also finds brief happiness in a romance with a younger man. Elegiac, bittersweet film examines Italian class and sex attitudes but is never depressing despite the subject and benefits from an outstanding performance by Florinda Bolkan and a strong supporting turn by Adriana Asti as a flamboyant, foul mouthed singer who is nearing the end of her terminal illness. A must-see.

Shadow of the Law (Louis J. Gasnier, 1930) 6/10

One of many early talkies that were a transition for William Powell from bit parts as hoods to full fledged leading man. An amorous young man (William Powell) comes to the rescue of a woman (Natalie Moorhead) who is being attacked by her jealous lover and in the skirmish the man falls to his death. When the woman disappears he has no alibi and gets life imprisonment. Years later he escapes from jail and makes a fresh start but is confronted by his alibi who appears and blackmails him about his past. Powell is his usual dapper self and Moorhead is superbly slimy as the femme fatale. The screenplay has many twists and for an early talkie is surprisingly not static but moves along at a swift pace

Once a Lady (Guthrie McClintic, 1931) 4/10

A flamboyant Russian emigrée (Ruth Chatterton), the toast of Paris, impulsively marries a stuffy Englishman and lives to regret it. When his political career is threatened by her offbeat ways his family turns him against her so she finds solace with another man (Ivor Novello). She is forced to leave the house and her daughter taken away. Years later in Paris, while running a high class brothel, she is approached by her daughter (Jill Esmond) for help. Static melodrama was British matinée idol Novello's attempt at stardom in Hollywood which failed miserably. Chatterton is hilariously hammy speaking with a ridiculous Russian accent but looks lovely suffering throughout this turgid plot dressed in outlandish gowns.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Michael Dougherty, 2019) 5/10

A potpourri of ancient monster Titans - Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan and the three-headed dragon-like Ghidorah - awaken to wreak havoc on earth in this direct sequel to "Godzilla" which came out in 2014. A scientist (Vera Farmiga), who lost her son in the havoc created by Godzilla in the previous film, has invented a device that emitts frequencies that can attract or alter Titan behaviour. And since most of the "white world" (ok let's face it, only the United States) has been caught up in a frenzy of "political correctness" for the last many years the scientist here believes that these monsters should be allowed to live as they will allow the eco-system to work in balance and recreate life that has died. For over 80 years the world (via Hollywood) made sure every rampaging monster was killed and now in 2019 we are told that we gotta keep some of them alive. This noisy film is replete with shoddy effects as various combinations of monsters do battle with the three-headed one emerging as the nasty villain. Trying their best to avoid getting stomped on are the scientist's ex-husband (Kyle Chandler), her daughter (Millie Bobby Brown), assorted scientists of diverse nationalities (Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Ziyi Zhang, Bradley Whitford) and the eco-terrorist human villain of this saga (Charles Dance). All the survivors converge in Boston and the final battle is between Godzilla and Ghidorah as the city is decimated and one big human sacrifice takes place. The end credits reveal that the surviving Titans are making a beeline for Skull Island thus paving the way for yet another sequel which will add King Kong into the mix as well. Too many monsters does indeed spoil the broth as after the 90 minute mark all the battles between the monsters and the shootouts from planes and helicopters just blur into a frenzy of light and noisy explosions. Hope the sequel keeps it simple with not too many cooks jumping into the frey.

Asher (Michael Caton-Jones, 2018) 7/10

Asher (Ron Perlman), a former Mossad agent turned hitman, is getting old and worn out but goes through the motions every day. He likes to cook gourmet meals, enjoys fine wine, and kills people for his paycheck received from the steely but twinkly-eyed jewish mob boss (Richard Dreyfuss). When he meets a woman (Famke Janssen) during a hit gone wrong he tries to re-evaluate his life. Leisurely paced film is a quiet delight with a wonderful central performance by Perlman. The film is filled with sad people - Jacqueline Bisset plays Janssen's feisty cockney mother who is suffering from dementia. The main plot runs through familiar territory but has a few twists to keep the audience occupied.

Angel Has Fallen (Ric Roman Waugh, 2019) 4/10

The President of the United States has a nasty habit of getting into scrapes in this trilogy of films but if he didn't than Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) wouldn't have much to do. This sequel tries to give Butler a different arc - he is battle weary, suffering from blinding headaches after a concussion and popping pain killers. Just as he is trying to decide to take a desk job - the wife wants him to - there is an assassination attempt on the President (Morgan Freeman) and Banning finds himself on the run with the Agency, the FBI and an Organization, which has framed him, all in pursuit. The formulaic plot goes through the usual tropes with the pursuer trying to prove his innocence as he is chased and shot at. The film comes alive during the sequences between Banning and his estranged grizzled old father (Nick Nolte), a Vietnam vet, who has a few surprises in store as he comes to his son's help in the nick of time. In fact the old man turns up out of the blue another time as well which makes no sense in terms of continuity - the screenplay has huge potholes. Many of the earlier scenes are shot at night which makes it hard to see what is happening on the screen. The annoying shaky camera also does not help. The film's best set piece is the assassination attempt on a secluded lake as deadly drones are directed at the President's boat which kill off all the security forces. The film is just as dumb as the other two in the franchise but those films scored extra points for being campy and over-the-top. The film's second half, which leads upto the action packed finale, is totally run of the mill and has nothing new to offer except the usual shoot out and a final confrontation with the main villain. The film is just as listless as the deadpan Butler who grimaces his way through the entire film with a scowl on his face. Freeman has a thankless part mostly spent in a coma on a hospital bed. Hopefully this series will now come to a close.

[Precious Doll]

The Wedding Guest (2019) Michael Winterbottom 2/10
Weathering with You (2019) Maketo Shinkai 4/10
Hotel by the River (2019) Sang-soo Hong 4/10
The Little Stranger (2018) Lenny Abrahamson 3/10
Mindhunter Season 2 (2019) Various 9/10
Downton Abbey Seasons 1 to 4 (2010 - 2013) Various 10/10

Repeat viewings

The War of the Roses (1989) Danny DeVito 7/10
The Tree of Life (2011) Terrence Malick 2/10
Bride of Frankenstein (1935) James Whale 6/10
Vice Squad (1982) Gary Sherman 4/10
Heavenly Creatures (1994) Peter Jackson 10/10
La Ronde (1950) Max Ophuls 7/10
Cruising (1980) William Friedkin 7/10
Gone to Earth (1950) Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger 7/10
The Wild Heart (1952) Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger & Rouben Mamoulian 5/10

[Precious Doll]

Palm Beach (2019) Rachel Ward 4/10
Booksmart (2019) Olivia Wild 5/10
Midsommar (2019) Ari Aster 3/10
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019) Chiwetel Ejiofor 4/10
Once Upon a Time in London (2019) Simon Rumley 4/10
Domino (2019) Brian De Palma 3/10
Once Upon a Time...in America (2019) Quentin Tarantino 7/10

Repeat viewings

Away We Go (2009) Sam Mendes 7/10
Tomboy (2011) Celine Sciamma 8/10
The Birth of a Nation (1915) D.W.Griffith 5/10
The Silent Partner (1978) Daryl Duke 7/10
Missing (1982) Costa-Gavras 10/10
Every Man For Himself (1980) Jean-Luc Godard 9/10
Don't Look Now (1973) Nicolas Roeg 9/10
12 Monkeys (1995) Terry Gilliam 8/10

[Big Magilla]

Steel Country / A Dark Place (Simon Fellows, 2019) 6/10

Irish Andrew Scott, who plays Moriarty in "Sherlock", does quite an about-turn here playing an obsessive compulsive small-town American garbage collector. When a child goes missing and is found drowned in a creek he starts an investigation on his own opening up a can of worms with devastating results. The derivative mystery-thriller aspects are merely a means for Scott to show his acting chops. The director creates a foreboding atmosphere of decay and despair in this forgotten corner of America where his "weird" main character functions as the sole voice of reason.

This film takes place deep in Trump country as the 2016 campaign signs clearly indicate. Although it's set in southwest Pennsylvania, it was actually filmed in Georgia. The area of the country where it takes place was not so much "forgotten' as taken for granted by the democrats. The characters in the film, aide from Scott's autistic garbageman, are the types most likely to show up at Trump rallies and intone "lock her up" or whatever mindless, loathsome phrase his cheerleaders are espousing for the day.

It's a surprisingly good film both on and under the surface. The U.S. release title of A Dark Place suits it better than the original title of Streel Country under which it was released in the U.K. and elsewhere before it showed up briefly in U.S. theatres. It's called A Dark Palce in its DVD / Bluray release.

[Reza]

Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino, 2019) 7/10

Time and place - 1969 Los Angeles - is brought vividly to life in Quentin Tarantino's often bloated but delightfully
kitschy paean to Hollywood. The film is bursting at the seams with movie memorabilia and pop culture artifacts which are sure to bring every fanboy to the brink of a massive orgasm. And if it doesn't we all know for sure that Tarantino certainly experienced it while writing and shooting this film. Actual Hollywood personalities interact with the lead fictional characters - a has-been Western tv actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime buddy and stunt double (Brad Pitt). An agent (Al Pacino) tries to keep the actor's career going by getting him a role as a villain in a studio western followed by lead roles in four Italian spaghetti westerns. Just on the fringe of this main plot we catch glimpses of actress Sharon Tate (a charming Margot Robbie) cruising around in a car with her husband Roman Polanski, watching one of her own films at the cinema and spending time with her former lover Jay Sebring and close friend Abigail Folger. A brief appearance by Charles Manson and an extended tense sequence set at the ranch where Manson and his gang live sets the dreaded tone for the entire film. With Tarantino at the helm expectations run sky high and the director delivers a spectacularly violent finalè but with a gleefully ironic twist. The film is far too long and drags mercilessly during all of DiCaprio's scenes. Fortunately the laconic Pitt is around to bring the movie to life in every scene he appears - providing loving support to his cranky and spoilt buddy, trading insults and fists with Bruce Lee, interacting with his dog and showing his mettle during the showdown at the end. This should at last put the actor into serious consideration for an Oscar. The film also scores major points for the outstanding production design, costumes and Robert Richardson's cinematography which makes L.A. glow. Too bad about the excessive running time which, if nothing else, at least allowed Tarantino to indulge in all his movie fantasies.

Four Weddings and a Funeral (Mike Newell, 1994) 10/10

Hugh Grant's finest moment on screen - where he first bumbled about in witty style - as the commitment-phobic bachelor who has a hard time getting to the altar although he keeps attending weddings (and one funeral). He is given superb support by a group of delightful actors playing assorted eccentric friends - Simon Callow, Kristin Scott Thomas (superb as the friend who secretly loves him), Charlotte Coleman, John Hannah, Anna Chancellor and James Fleet. His object of desire is the lovely Andie MacDowell who is truly a vision in white. The hilarious screenplay ensures that even the smallest part on screen - played by the likes of Corin Redgrave, Jeremy Kemp, Kenneth Griffith, Elspet Gray, Rowan Atkinson, Rosalie Cruthchly, Sophie Thompson - makes a strong mark. A memorable song score on the soundtrack adds to the fun on screen.

Storm Warning (Stuart Heisler, 1951) 8/10

Hard-hitting Warner Brothers melodrama is one of the rare films from that studio that carries it's bleak mood from start to finish. The screenplay by Richard Brooks is a bitter indictment of the notorious Ku Klux Klan ("hoodlums dressed up in sheets") and even though it does not touch on issues of race - the murdered victim is a white reporter who was about to expose the Klan - the message is rammed home with full force. The small town atmosphere - not the South - is superbly captured. The town remains nameless but reeks of the Mid-West - the film was shot in 1949 and having lived in Indiana (where I once saw a KKK procession) and Ohio during the 1980s I saw no change at all in the look and feel of such little towns with their sensibilities which probably exist even today. A New York model (Ginger Rogers), en-route to a convention, stops to visit her younger married sister (Doris Day) in a small town. She immediately encounters an air of menace with hostile townfolk. Walking down a deserted street she comes upon hooded figures who are beating up a man who is then shot dead. She hides and later discovers that one of the hooded men (Steve Cochran), who shot the man, is married to her pregnant sister. When the D.A. (Ronald Reagan) indicts her to testify in court she pretends she saw nothing. The film goes on to rip-off "A Streetcar Named Desire" with a scene of an attempted rape (Cochran has a strong whiff of Brando) and an over-the-top ending with Ginger Rogers undergoing a frenzied whipping during a massive Klan gathering complete with a burning cross and a tragic shooting. The "message" gets over hammered but this is a potent (and deliciously overheated) little drama with superb dramatic performances by both Ginger Rogers and Doris Day. This film was my first introduction to both actresses when I first saw it 43 years ago and it was only later I caught both in the genre for which they are both remembered so fondly today.

Steel Country / A Dark Place (Simon Fellows, 2019) 6/10

Irish Andrew Scott, who plays Moriarty in "Sherlock", does quite an about-turn here playing an obsessive compulsive small-town American garbage collector. When a child goes missing and is found drowned in a creek he starts an investigation on his own opening up a can of worms with devastating results. The derivative mystery-thriller aspects are merely a means for Scott to show his acting chops. The director creates a foreboding atmosphere of decay and despair in this forgotten corner of America where his "weird" main character functions as the sole voice of reason.

[Reza]

La fortuna di essere donna / What a Woman! (Alessandro Blasetti, 1956) 8/10

Charming fluff coasts along on the incredible chemistry between Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni as they spar relentlessly. A photographer (Marcello Matroianni) snaps a photo of a Rome beauty who happened to be fixing her skirt exposing her legs. To her surprise she finds the photo on the cover of a magazine and threatens to sue. The enormous publicity attracts the attention of a lecherous old married lothario (Charles Boyer), an agent, who wants to sign her as a client so he can sleep with her under the pretext of launching her movie career. But he and other old men clamouring for her attention don't realise that under her simple facade she is a shrewd and tough cookie. Loren, never more beautiful and dressed in stunning outfits, is at her statuesque best - very slim and curvy - as she manoeuvres with sly stealth and ends up getting her man. Elisa Cegani, a favourite of Blasetti, is hilarious as Boyer's sophisticated wife who puts a spanner up her husband just as he is proposing to Loren in a crowded restaurant. The film is Italy's answer to Hollywood's screwball comedies as the rapidfire dialogue between the two stars works itself into a fever pitch. Great fun.

The Americanization of Emily (Arthur Hiller, 1964) 8/10

Sandwiched in between "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music" was this small black romantic comedy in which Julie Andrews briefly laid bare her Goody Two-shoes image - which later got revived again as the years moved along. Paddy Chayefsky's witty and acerbic screenplay (based on the book by Wilfred Bradford Huie) is a scathing critique of the military establishment, war, and its pervasive glorification. A cynical Naval officer (James Garner) works as a "dog robber" which involves pimping for his hypocritical superior officers and providing them booze and other delicacies while stationed in London just before D-Day during WWII. A self proclaimed coward he hopes to keep away from battle enjoying life to the fullest. Life takes a turn when he falls in love with a prim British war widow (Julie Andrews) with whom he clashes over his radical views. On top of that he suddenly finds himself in the thick of battle when a cracked Admiral (Melvyn Douglas) comes up with the crazy idea of one of his men being the first to die on Omaha beach during the Allied landing at Normandy. This hilarious and often poignant anti-war film moves at a fast pace with both Garner and Andrews (whose performance is tinged with adult maturity in contrast to her family-friendly image) creating sexual sparks in this the first of their three popular screen teamings. Joyce Grenfell has a delightful bit as Andrews' dotty mother who is charmed to tears by Garner's unfliching comments about her dead soldier husband and the fake glory of heroism which people have believed through the centuries. Phillip Lathrop's gorgeous Oscar nominated widescreen cinematography is seen to great advantage in particular during a scene at an airport tarmac where the lovers bitterly part as rain pours down on them. Smart intelligent film with humour.

The Lion King (Jon Favreau, 2019) 4/10

The 1994 classic animated film (which I must have seen [and really enjoyed] a 100 times courtesy of my two kids) gets a retread courtesy of CGI which makes all the animals look real. Did this story need a remake? Not really and certainly not with the additional 30 minutes of screen time which really makes the film drag. Otherwise the familiarity of the story and the songs made it a pleasant enough experience. Simba (voiced by Donald Glover), a young lion cub, flees his kingdom after the murder of his father, Mufasa (James Earl Jones returns with his memorable boom-box voice), at the hands of his devious and jealous uncle Scar (voiced blandly by Chiwetel Ejiofor - sadly Jeremy Irons and his deliciously evil voice from the original are sorely missed). After assorted life lessons Simba returns to reclaim his land and confronts his evil uncle who has taken over the kingdom with the help of an army of hyenas. Elton John's memorable song score is still intact but lacks the magic sound of the original performers. The songs just sit here instead of soaring like in the original. Even the Oscar winning "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" sung so memorably by Elton John sounds bland in comparison even though both Donald Glover and Beyoncé give it a go here. Just stick to the original film which still retains its magic.

Torn Curtain (Alfred Hitchcock, 1966) 5/10

This is not one of Hitchcock's good films although he takes a memorably fetishistic delight in presenting in extreme closeup a scene in bed as his two stars, Paul Newman and Julie Andrews, kiss furiously. The last time the director shot an almost similar sequence was between Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman in the classic "Notorious" to much greater success. The rather odd casting of the two stars in this thriller (they have absolutely no chemistry together), the derivative plot and a loud music score all add to the film's failure. An American physicist (Paul Newman) on a lecture tour in Copenhagen ditches his fiancé (Julie Andrews), jumps on a plane to East Berlin and defects. She manages to board the plane and is shocked by her lover's actions. It turns out he is a spy and is on a mission to extract a formula related to a new rocket system from an unsuspecting german scientist. Hitchcock dismissed this film and blamed the studio for saddling him with two expensive stars and a screenplay that had to be constantly worked on during filming. On top of that Newman consistently annoyed the director with his relentless questions about his character's motivations to which Hitchcock famously retorted that the actor's motivation should be the huge salary he was getting and nothing else. Despite all the chaos the director still manages to put his stamp on the film especially in a fight sequence where Newman and a woman struggle to kill a man who is beaten, throttled, stabbed and finally gassed to death in the oven of a kitchen stove as he kicks and twitches in an endless death throe. The irony of the german man's death is horrifying but also a typically wicked Hitchcock touch bordering on the macabre. With this scene he wanted to show just how difficult it was to kill a man unlike how most films made it look easy. The two stars are put through their paces by the "Master of Suspence" as he continuously locks them into dangerous situations, gets them out only to put them back right in to the thick of things. Lila Kedrova, fresh off an Oscar win, has a bizzare cameo - her role seems to have been written in on the spur of the moment as a Polish countess who appears from nowhere just to help the leads in their escape as she gibberishly mutters her lines. Newman goes through the entire film with a glum expression on his face while Andrews, who has a thankless and underwritten part, plays it with a persistent smile. One almost expects her to suddenly start singing. She knew it was a thankless part but took it on just to work with the great director. Overall this is a dull film with a couple of exciting set pieces.

Star of Midnight (Stephen Roberts, 1935) 7/10

Boozing and sleuthing proved very profitable for MGM with "The Thin Man" and before the studio could start churning out sequels the other studios jumped onto the bandwagon too. Thus William Powell got to play variations of his Nick Charles character involved with a murder mystery and cast opposite each studio's leading lady. Here it was RKO studio and Ginger Rogers plays his daffy fiancé trying her best to get him to the altar but the disappearance of a stage actress and a murder interrupt her plans. Both Powell and Rogers sparkle while bickering and Gene Lockhart is droll as their butler. The mystery is finally resolved and the killer found after a convoluted explanation which is really not of importance because the screenplay takes more delight in celebrating the two main eccentric characters.

The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (Stephen Roberts, 1936) 5/10

Stephen Roberts' last film at RKO studio - he died at age 40 - is a rehash of "Star of Midnight" which he made the previous year. Cashing on to the success of MGM's "The Thin Man" the star of that film, William Powell, was regurgitated over and over again by the studios playing a variation of "Nick Charles". Only the character's profession changed - here he is a doctor - and a different leading lady was provided. Myrna Loy's "Nora Charles" got a facelift courtesy of Ginger Rogers followed by Jean Arthur here who here plays the title role. The murder mystery revolves around a dead jockey, a deadly spider, assorted corpses and a denouement that is an almost exact replay of the one in "Star of Midnight". Powell rises above this stock material and is his usual droll self and bickers delightfully with daffy Jean Arthur as his annoying and interfering ex-wife. Providing added comic support are Eric Blore as their butler and James Gleason as a cop. Stale material livened up by the two leads.

L'année sainte / Holy Year (Jean Girault, 1976) 6/10

Jean Gabin's last film is a light hearted, delightful comedy with the star fittingly cast as a convict. Most of his memorable films had him playing theives and gangsters but with a strong code of honour. An old convict (Jean Gabin) and his cell-mate (Jean-Claude Brialy) plan an escape from prison with the old geezer planning to collect a hidden stache of gold buried under a lemon tree next to a church in Rome. Successfully escaping from prison they don the guise of priests and board a flight for Rome. As luck would have it the flight is hijacked by a group of terrorists demanding a ransom of a million dollars and take the flight to Tangiers instead. What they don't realize is the resourceful gruff priest on board who has quite a few tricks up his sleeve. Adding a sense of deja vu to the proceedings is another passenger, an elderly duchess (Danielle Darrieux), who happens to recognise the old priest as her former lover 40 years before. The two stars shine during their brief scenes together. Gabin, who died soon after the film was shot is fabulous as usual and the only reason to watch this very minor film.

[Precious Doll]

Young Ahmed (2019) Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne 2/10

Is your problem with this on a dramatic/filmmaking level? Or is it more in line with some of the reservations that some expressed when the concept was announced--that two older white men are telling a story that they don't and can't quite understand?

I like the Dardenne brothers a lot in general, and I'll definitely see this, but this definitely felt like an unusual choice for them. Unless I'm mistaken, this somewhat surprisingly doesn't have distribution in the US yet. IFC has distributed their last several films, but I haven't seen anything about them picking it up.

Dramatic/filmmaking level was my problem. I'm a great believer than anyone can make a film about anything and full credit to the Dardenne brothers for tackling a difficult subject but it simply didn't work. Their neo-realist style wasn't so much the problem as they didn't appear to have an outline or screenplay that tackled the issues the film raises. I don't know how they work screenplay wise but the subject manner needed deeper probing than their usual arm's length approach. The end pay off that is part of their trade mark was simply 'so what'.

I can't recall any film that has dealt with 're-educating' Islamic extremists and I sense the Dardennes were careful not to ruffle any feathers and in the end delivered a very dull, though thankfully very short (84 minutes) film.

Back in the early 1980s there was a Canadian film Ticket to Heaven (1981) and a Canadian/US co-production Split Image (1982) that both dealt with deprogramming members of religious cults. Both films were highly regarded but couldn't get bums on seats if you paid people and have over the decades slipped into obscurity. Both these films were far superior to Young Ahmed but religious cults don't inflame the masses the way that jihad's or right wing extremists are doing around the world now. Which brings me to The Believer (2001) that despite winning the top prize at Sundance had a hard time being seen anywhere for its controversial take on extremists (another film that has slipped into obscurity).

Anyway, prior to Young Ahmed I could count the Dardenne brothers in the small list of filmmakers that had never made a bad film. Flawed ones sure but nothing that I thought was outride bad until now.

I'm not surprised the film is having trouble picking up distribution in some markets - its pretty unmarketable and the mixed/negative response won't help it find an audience. It should receive a DVD release in Oz within about 12 months - the Australian distributor Madman release most of their films on physical media, even the ones that they don't give a general cinema release to, which I doubt this will recieve beyond the French Film Festival next March.

[dws1982]

Young Ahmed (2019) Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne 2/10

Is your problem with this on a dramatic/filmmaking level? Or is it more in line with some of the reservations that some expressed when the concept was announced--that two older white men are telling a story that they don't and can't quite understand?

I like the Dardenne brothers a lot in general, and I'll definitely see this, but this definitely felt like an unusual choice for them. Unless I'm mistaken, this somewhat surprisingly doesn't have distribution in the US yet. IFC has distributed their last several films, but I haven't seen anything about them picking it up.

[Precious Doll]

Each and Every Moment (2018) Nicholas Philbert 6/10
A Brother's Love (2019) Monia Chokri 6/10
The Wild Goose Lake (2019) Yi'nan Diao 4/10
The Trial (2018) Sergey Loznitsa 6/10
We Are Little Zombies (2019) Makoto Nagashisa 4/10
The Unknown Saint (2019) Alaa Eddine Aljem 5/10
Young Ahmed (2019) Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne 2/10
Queen of Hearts (2019) May el-Toukhy 9/10
Mr. Jones (2019) Agnieska Holland 2/10
The Cordillera of Dreams (2019) Patricio Guzman 4/10
It Must Be Heaven (2019) Elia Suleiman 6/10
Fire Will Come (2019) Oliver Laxe 4/10
Ghost Town Anthology (2019) Denis Cote 4/10
Abou Leila (2019) Amin Sidi Boumedine 1/10

[Reza]

Journey Into Fear (Norman Foster & Orson Welles, 1943) 5/10

Orson Welles' third film as director (although he insisted on giving Foster sole credit) is an uninspired spy thriller based on a crackling Eric Ambler novel. Joseph Cotten (in his third consecutive Welles film) stars and also wrote the convoluted screenplay (with Cotten's distracting narration tacked onto the film as an after thought by Welles). The film relies on atmosphere (set in Turkey during the war but shot on claustrophobic sets) created by the great Karl Struss on camera as he bathes the actors with lights and shadows using unusual camera placements. It does not compensate for a lack in suspense involving an American engineer (Joseph Cotten) visiting Turkey with his wife (Ruth Warrick) for a conference and attracting Nazi agents who put a hit on him. Cotten flounders around dodging the assassin and meets an assortment of colourful characters - an exotic nightclub dancer (Delores Del Rio) wearing a cat suit, the monstrous Turkish secret police chief (Orson Welles surprisingly underplaying) who forces him onto a tramp steamer to get away from the killer, a sinister businessman (Everett Sloane), the silent assassin (Jack Moss) and assorted grotesque characters on the ship including a nagging woman (an annoying and disheveled Agnes Moorehead speaking with a french accent). The dialogue throughout is a running commentary on god, war, marriage, death and politics. The film ends with a spectacular set piece in the rain but overall the film comes up short - the studio hacked up the film's running time without Welles' permission while he was away shooting a film in Brazil. The project clearly has Welles' stamp all over it and is worth watching for his familiar flourishes but it sadly disappoints in the end.

Adventure in Diamonds (George Fitzmaurice, 1940) 6/10

Silly fluff is one of Isa Miranda's extremely rare forays into Hollywood. Familiar plot was churned out numerous times with Hollywood changing the leading actors and the location in an attempt to make it seem fresh. It never was of course but the stars usually carried it along. A jewel thief (Isa Miranda) arrives in South Africa and on the plane attracts the attention of an army pilot (George Brent) who tries to make a play for her. She leads him on in an attempt to get a special pass into a diamond mine. She and her lover (John Loder) plan to steal a cache of diamonds. When she is caught and sentenced to prison the Police Commissioner (Nigel Bruce) agrees to release her under the condition that the pilot and she pretend to be a couple to try and entrap another gang of theives. Sparks fly and love rears its head. Miranda is dressed (by Edith Head) and packaged (superbly photographed by Charles Lang getting numerous dramatic closeups) to look like Marlene Dietrich's clone and even sounds like her. The studio publicized her as "the Italian Dietrich". She gives a witty, knowing performance while an aging Brent added one more great leading lady to his exceptional resume of female co-stars. Shot on the Paramount studio lot there is an interesting and detailed sequence explaining how diamonds are mined, sorted and cleaned in a South African factory. Well worth seeing for a glimpse of the exotic Miranda who had become a star during the early 1930s in a film by Max Ophüls but after two movies at Paramount moved to Europe and a more distinguished career in films with such diverse directors as Alfredo Guarini (her husband), Renato Castellani, Réne Clément, Eduardo De Filippo, Luigi Zampa, Max Ophüls, David Lean ("Summertime"), Henri Verneuil, Damiano Damiani, Mauro Bolognini, Anthony Asquith, Vittorio De Sica and Liliana Cavani.

[Reza]

Long Shot (Jonathan Levine, 2019) 8/10

Oil and water never mix but strangely enough sexy Charlize Theron mixes really well with slobby Seth Rogen in this charming and often hilarious comedy. Usually films with such premises - two complete opposites clashing on a "road trip" - have two men, but here we have a gelling of the opposite sexes who are completely poles apart from each other. A journalist (Seth Rogen) runs into the Secretary of State (Charlize Theron), who happened to be his babysitter years before, and agrees to take on a job as her speech writer on her way to the Presidency. Outrageously unrealistic and predictable premise works like a charm thanks to the great chemistry between the two stars. A screwball rom-com with heart - the underdog (Rogen) competes for her love with the Prime Minister of Canada (Alexander Skarsgård) making the whole plot even more absurd when the screenplay leads towards the expected happy clinch. Theron has never been more alluring and brings back fond memories of the sassy Katharine Hepburn, Jean Arthur and Barbara Stanwyck from all the screwball comedies of the 1930s. Rogen is......well, Rogen. And very funny. Also any film that has Roxette singing "It Must Have Been Love" on the soundtrack as the two leads do a slow dance gets a strong pass from me.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (David Leitch, 2019) 4/10

Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Shaw (Jason Statham) are like Laurel and Hardy but on steroids. This action thriller is like a video game - all noise, explosions and CGI augmented digital fight stunts and car chases. It's an energetic but terribly derivative spin-off with our two testosterone-enhanced heroes after a killer virus that has been stolen and which they discover has been implanted in the palm of Shaw's kick-ass sister (Vanessa Kirby) who is a MI6 agent. Hating having to work as a team the two bicker and insult each other non-stop as they race against time to save the girl while in relentless pursuit by a "Black Superman" (Idris Elba) - half man-half indestructable machine - working for an underground military-tech group who want control of the virus. The film is just an excuse to show-off the outlandish action set pieces and they have the perfect man to helm it - David Leitch who was the man behind Keanu Reeve's "John Wick", Charlize Theron's "Atomic Blonde" and the wisecracking Ryan Reynolds' "Deadpool 2". Both Reynolds and Dame Helen Mirren (as Shaw's mother) make cameo appearances. Just sit back, put your mind in neutral mode and either enjoy this wacky nonsense or get bored like I did.

Thérèse Desqueyroux (Georges Franju, 1962) 5/10

Dreary adaptation of François Mauriac's novel is an exercise in patience about a woman (Emmanuelle Riva) trapped in a stifling marriage to a self obsessed bourgeois boor (Philippe Noiret). After failing to poison her unpleasant husband a woman reflects on her life. To avoid a public scandal the husband speaks in her defence in court, gets her released and virtually imprisons her in an isolated lodge, depriving her from meeting their daughter and only allows her the company of unpleasant servants, bottles of wine and ashtrays full of cigarettes which she smokes incessantly. Riva goes through this long film in a trance and somehow managed to win an award at the Venice film festival. The film has outstanding photography by the great Christian Matras.

Big Little Lies (Andrea Arnold, 2019) - Season 2 6/10

The secrets and lies continue for the five friends during this second season along with a whole lot of guilt and healing over the tragic episode when the abusive husband of one of the ladies is pushed to his death by one of them. In addition to the trauma of that episode (which concluded the previous season) the girls have to face a whole lot of other grief - infidelity and the threat of a good marriage unravelling (Reese Witherspoon), bankruptcy and a philandering husband (Laura Dern), memories of an abusive childhood and suppressed hatred for a mother who now lies in a coma in hospital (Zoë Kravitz), the scary and tentative return steps towards a sexual relationship after a vicious rape years before (Shailene Woodley) and the bitter struggle to recover from an abusive marriage and face personal demons (Nicole Kidman) while having to face a court battle with a bitter and vengeful mother-in-law (Meryl Streep) who hopes to take custody of her two sons. This emotional drama, full of hurt and anguish, is played out in picturesque Monterey California with spectacular shots of the ocean and its waves crashing on the beach. The stars do well again as an ensemble with standout performances by a perky (and the always annoying) Witherspoon, the hilariously over-the-top Dern, a weepy Kidman and a sweetly deceptive turn by Streep who uses a wig to completely disappear into her role. The screenplay, along the way, manages to touch on a variety of subjects - a physically abusive marriage, the psychological after effects of trauma suffered during childhood at the hands of an alcoholic parent, the workings of the American judicial system, mental health issues and drugs, sex addiction and most of all the importance of friendship.

Slightly Scarlet (Louis J. Gasnier & Edwin H. Knopf, 1930) 5/10

Gentleman crook (Clive Brook) rushes to Nice after hearing that a nouveau riche American couple (Eugene Pallette & Helen Ware) staying there have a priceless pearl necklace. Also in pursuit of the loot is a lady crook (Evelyn Brent) after she is forced by her sleazy boss (Paul Lukas) to go and switch the real necklace with a fake replica. The two crooks fall in love but complications ensue when the rich couple's daughter (Virginia Bruce) also sets her eyes on the gentleman. Typical 1930s fluff is carried off by a game cast with a plot that was recycled over and over again by every studio.

Sword in the Desert (George Sherman, 1949) 7/10

Topical and rare Hollywood film set just before the State of Israel was created and shot soon afterwards is also strongly anti-British (a plot that lacks nuance and plays upon a one-sided jewish bent while showing the British as strident and unjust) which caused the film to be banned in the United Kingdom. Often heavy handed, it is nevertheless an exciting war film with strong performances. A self-seeking Irish-American freighter Captain (Dana Andrews), for a price, agrees to smuggle European jews (and Holocaust survivors) into British-administered Palestine at the behest of a Jewish partisan (Stephen McNally). The drop is successful but the British patrol gives chase and he along with the refugees manage to make it to a small village where he gets to meet the humane Jewish underground leader (Jeff Chandler who is superb in one of his first big roles) and the pretty woman (Märta Torén) who broadcasts anti-British speeches on the wireless. When the Captain tries to contact his boat via wireless the British catch on, raid the village and later capture the partisans and refugees. The film ends with an action packed, over-the-top (and historically inaccurate) Jewish commando raid on a British military base. Overly sympathetic to the cause of Israeli independence the screenplay also relies on heavy Christian symbolism throughout with an obvious eye towards the Christian-American movie-going public. Chandler's strong performance helped him get an exclusive seven-year contract at the studio.

Midnight Run (Martin Brest, 1988) 9/10

Slick direction and wonderful chemistry between two unlikely stars makes this one of the best and funniest cross-country road movies which makes a rather tired concept seem very fresh. An ex-cop turned bounty hunter (Robert De Niro) is given the task of bringing in a crooked accountant (Charles Grodin) who embezzled millions of dollars from the mob in Vegas and then jumped bail. The hilarious screenplay has the duo journey from New York to Los Angeles via plane, trains and assorted stolen automobiles. Giving chase are the FBI (Yaphet Kotto - very funny as exasperated agent "Alonzo Mosely"), a couple of goofy mob hitmen and another bounty hunter (John Ashton) who is relentlessly fooled by his competitive counterpart who manages to hold on to his bounty. Briskly paced film relies on the interplay between De Niro and Grodin as they bicker, trade insults and save each others' lives as they try and evade their pursuers. De Niro is a revelation with his slow burn reactions and foul mouth (the "F" word is used 119 times) giving what is possibly one of his best screen performances and a rare comedic one. Grodin is equally good as the uptight, calm but sly white-collar criminal who easily manages to get under the skin of his captor with his prying questions probing into his private life. Formulaic film, with dollops of pathos, manages to come up trumps as the two quirky characters go through their paces, including a couple of spectacular action sequences, ending with a scene of genuinely moving intimacy. Great fun and a must-see.

Born to Love (Paul L. Stein, 1931) 3/10

Early talkie is stiffly acted and the lack of a music score makes it very difficult to sit through. An American nurse (Constance Bennett) in London runs into a fellow countryman, an aviator (Joel McCrea), during WWI. They fall in love but have to part when he is called away to the front. Missing in action the bereft woman gets married to the rich disabled British officer (John Kavanagh) who has loved her all along. When her lover suddenly returns events move from bad to worse leading to a divorce followed by a melodramatic ending. The wonderful cast surprisingly emote as if they are wax figures mouthing their lines in a dull monotone. The creaky plot is awash with clichés and even the attractive pairing of star Bennett with the handsome McCrea cannot save this dismal film. The only saving grace is the funny and sarcastic turn by Louise Closser Hale as an old aunt.

Two Against the World (Archie Mayo, 1932) 5/10

Frivolous society girl (Constance Bennett) - she loves caviar - and an idealistic lawyer (Neil Hamilton) - he prefers beans with ketchup - change their view points about life after falling in love. The film starts off in screwball mode but quickly shifts into a murder melodrama with hysterics in court. Bennett is superb and manages to be sophisticated and hardboiled at the same time as she effortlessly moves this rather tired plot to chug along.

Bought (Archie Mayo, 1931) 7/10

Constance Bennett in this film co-stars for the only time opposite her father, distinguished stage-star Richard Bennett. A superficial girl (Constance Bennett) tries to escape her poverty ridden life by ingratiating herself into society and ends up learning important lessons. Like most rich Hollywood female stars (Bennett was then the highest paid) she enjoyed playing characters from the wrong side of the tracks who either clawed or slept their way to the top by hook or by crook. This Pre-code drama has three men in pursuit of her - a kind elderly man (Richard Bennett) who gifts her books that challenge her mind, a young impoverished writer (Ben Lyon) who loves her and a rich playboy (Ray Milland) who gives her a huge wedding ring but is horrified when he learns she is illegitimate after she discloses that she had made up her exotic family background. A sharply written screenplay and an excellent performance by the star make this rare film a treat to watch although the print quality is sadly atrocious.

Rockabye (George Cukor & George Fitzmaurice, 1932) 5/10

A David O'Selznick production that was proving to be a disaster so Fitzmaurice was fired and George Cukor brought in to fix things. It is still pretty stale material although the two stars (who always had great chemistry) give it a strong try. A famous stage actress (Constance Bennett), from the wrong side of the tracks but now polished and spruced up, decides to take on a new play much to the consternation of her manager (Paul Lukas) who carries a torch for her. He feels the plot hits too close to home resembling her own life which had her testifying at the trial of a former crooked lover (Walter Pidgeon) which caused a scandal resulting in the authorities taking away her adopted child. However, she insists on playing the part and promptly falls in love with the married playwright (Joel McCrea). Bennett gives a lively performance as the sassy but vulnerable actress and is matched on screen by her handsome co-star. Jobyna Howland is a scream as Bennett's vulgar and often drunk mother. Thanks to O'Selznick the production is top notch with superb lighting, costumes and production design. Too bad the screenplay lets it down.

Escape to Glory (John Brahm, 1940) 6/10

Low budget B-movie set on a British freighter bound from Liverpool to New York. A disparate group of passengers - an American flyer (Pat O'Brien), a crooked lawyer (John Halliday), his secretary (Constance Bennett), a criminal (Alan Baxter) intent on killing the lawyer, an old couple and a German scholar - fight to stay alive when Britain declares war and a German U-boat surfaces and attacks the freighter. The Captain retaliates and shoots back as the boat is carrying a shipment of gold. The submarine submerges after damaging the boat which manages to hide in dense fog. Meanwhile someone on board signals the boat's whereabouts to the enemy as the passengers and crew plan a final retaliation. Exciting film is let down by shoddy effects. This began Constance Bennett's decline in Hollywood as she was relegated to B-films and minor supporting roles for the remainder of her career.

I Was an American Spy (Lesley Selander, 1951) 6/10

True story of Claire Phillips (Ann Dvorak), an American, who worked as an entertainer in Manila. She used her club to entertain Japanese troops during the invasion of the Philippines in 1941-42 and secretly provided important information to the American forces. She was one of the leading members of the resistance, smuggling medicines and food supplies to the prisoners at a nearby POW camp. She got her code name - "High Pockets" - because she smuggled messages in her brassiere. Finally caught she was imprisoned and tortured but refused to talk. She was liberated from prison by American troops and was awarded the Medal of Freedom at the recomnendation of General Douglas MacArthur. Low budget B-film is an excellent vehicle for Ann Dvorak and it was her last film before retiring from the screen.

The Lost Squadron (George Archainbaud, 1932) 8/10

Superbly shot aerial sequences and a script that takes savage digs at Hollywood make this one of the good early pre-code films from tinseltown. Three fighter pilots are at a loose end after the end of WWI. When one of them (Robert Armstrong) finds a job as a stunt pilot in Hollywood his two comrades join him to make a living doing what they all know best - flying. Working on a film directed by the tyrannical Von Furst (Erich von Stroheim) they find themselves at the hands of a jealous egomaniac as his wife (Mary Astor), the film's leading lady, was once engaged to one of the pilots (Richard Dix). This was the first film supervised by David O'Selznick at RKO studios after taking over as head of production and is evident in the film's overall look. Herman J. Mankiewicz's acidic dialogue skewers Hollywood with a vengeance. Dix and especially Joel McCrea as the third pilot are very good but it's von Stroheim, playing basically himself, who walks away with the film. He is hilarious dressed in jodphurs and carrying a whip as he struts about barking orders. Entertaining film from Hollywood's golden past.

[Precious Doll]

Diego Maradona (2019) Asif Kapadia 4/10
Breakthrough (2019) Roxann Dawson 2/10
The Public (2019) Emilio Esteverz 4/10
Dear Ex (2018) Chih-Yen Hsu & Hsu Mah Hus 5/10
Frankie (2019) Ira Sachs 2/10
Beanpole (2019) Kantemir Balagov 6/10

Repeat viewings

A Patch of Blue (1965) Guy Green 7/10
Brewster McCloud (1970) Robert Altman 7/10
The Deep End of the Ocean (1999) Ulu Grosbard 7/10
The White Ribbon (2009) Michael Haneke 9/10
Lust in the Dust (1985) Paul Bartel 9/10

[Precious Doll]

Looking for Grace (2016) Sue Brooks 4/10
Crawl (2019) Alexandre Aja 3/10
The Lion King (2019) Jon Favreau 4/10
Your Face (2018) Tai Ling-liang 6/10
Nina Wu (2019) Midi Z 6/10

Repeat viewings

Some Came Running (1958) Vincente Minnelli 8/10
Blue Denim (1959) Philip Dunne 7/10
Peterloo (2018) Mike Leigh 9/10
Europa Europa (1990) Agnieszka Holland 8/10
Autumn Sonata (1978) Ingmar Bergman 8/10
A Woman is a Woman (1961) Jean-Luc Godard 7/10

[Reza]

Meet Danny Wilson (Joseph Pevney, 1952) 6/10

The screenplay has startling similarities to Frank Sinatra's life and came just a year before his movie career was resurrected with an Oscar. On the skids in Hollywood the actor appeared in this B-film with a plot that had more than a few familiar tid bits. Danny Wilson, a cocky runt (Frank Sinatra), and his childhood friend (Alex Nicol) make ends meet by performing in assorted dive joints - he sings and his buddy plays the piano. A chance meeting with a dizzy blonde (Shelley Winters) gets them an introduction to the posh club where she sings. They are both hired by the propreitor (a wonderfully scowling Raymond Burr) who has mob connections. The twosome are a success and Danny becomes a singing sensation. Matters come to a head over love - the shady club owner loves the girl and so does Danny but she loves the piano player which causes the friends to break up. The film is actually quite enjoyable bordering on noir - the sequences with a terrific Raymond Burr, playing the villain, memorably standout - and Sinatra, in great voice, gets to sing 9 songs. Tony Curtis and Jeff Chandler have bit parts.

Un Taxi Mauve (Yves Boisset, 1977) 6/10

Rare film with an eclectic cast is shot on stunning Irish countryside locations by Tonino Delli Colli. The screenplay is tediously talky bringing together a group of disparate individuals with severe personal issues. A french novelist (Philippe Noiret), escaping a tragic past, relocates to Ireland. He befriends a young American expatriate (Edward Albert) also escaping a tragedy in his past. When the young man falls in love with the mute daughter / niece (Agostina Belli) of the loud village eccentric (Peter Ustinov) it draws his sexy and arrogant sister (Charlotte Rampling) to Ireland. She is in a loveless marriage to a rich german prince and flirts with the novelist hoping to get pregnant. Secrets are revealed involving death and incest as the characters all circle one another. Observing them all is an old man (Fred Astaire) who drives a purple taxi. Noiret and Edward are both very good, Ustinov shamelessly hams it up, Astaire seems lost in this mix and Belli is beautiful but stiff. A chic Rampling, a perpetual smirk on her lovely face, is a mesmerizing presence and gets all the best lines in the film. She has a memorable nude scene which she carries off with great wit and elegance. The film was shot in both english and french versions of which I saw the latter.

Broadchurch (James Strong & Euros Lyn, 2013) - Season 1 9/10

The small Dorset town of Broadchurch reels under pressure when the body of an 11-year old boy is discovered on the beach. Under a growing media frenzy two detectives - DC Alec Turner (David Tennant) and PC Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) - investigate the case revealing sinister secrets harboured by many of the town's inhabitants. Riveting police procedural concludes with a shocking denouement.

Broadchurch (James Strong, Mike Barker, Jessica Hobbs & Jonathan Teplitzky, 2015) - Season 2 8/10

When the confessed murderer of an 11-year old boy suddenly pleads not guilty a court trial ensues. A prosecuting attorney (Charlotte Rampling) comes out of retirement to fight the case in court against her former pupil (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) who is the lawyer for the defence. Meanwhile DC Alec Hardy (David Tennant) discovers new evidence in an old unsolved case which involved the murder of a young girl and the mysterious disappearance of her older cousin for which he had been much reviled when the killer was not found. Helping him on the case is PC Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) who simultaneously has to contend with the battle in court in which she has a personal stake. The television series makes great use of the seaside Dorset location with its imposing cliff and the crashing waves on the beach below. Charlotte Rampling brings a touch of class to the drama with her strong presence and there is a wonderful brief scene inside a cottage room where most of the main characters confront her - the awe on the faces of the actors is clearly visible as they stand in front of a great star.

Broadchurch (Paul Andrew Williams, Daniel Nettheim & Lewis Arnold, 2017) - Season 3 7/10

DI Alec Hardy (David Tennant) and DS Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) investigate the rape of a middle-aged divorcee (Julie Hesmondhalgh who won a Bafta award) in their Dorset community. During the investigation two older rape cases come to light and it appears there could be a serial rapist on the loose. Chilling, thought provoking drama also links the continuing lives of the characters from the previous two seasons.

When They See Us (Ava DuVernay, 2019) 9/10

Horrific account of the Central Park Five case wherein five teenagers, four African-American and one Hispanic, were wrongfully convicted for the 1989 rape and assault in Central Park of a white female jogger. Led by New York City prosecutor Linda Fairstein (Felicity Huffman) the NYPD, under great pressure to solve the case, forcibly coerce confessions out of the five suspects who were then convicted by a jury. Despite a lack of substantial evidence and conflicting accounts by the boys they all served time in prison until years later the actual criminal finally confessed. DuVernay's powerful and upsetting film uses bright paint strokes to vividly bring to light that the American justice system and the press continue to fail people of colour - black and brown people are presumed guilty at all times, even by White liberals who pretend otherwise. Highly acclaimed film has been nominated for 16 Emmys with 8 cast members singled out for their performances.

Interference (Lothar Mendes & Roy Pomerpy, 1928) 6/10

"Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned". A dying playboy (William Powell), thought missing in action during WWI, returns to London and discreetly attends his own memorial. His vengeful, discarded former mistress (Evelyn Brent) recognises him and makes a play for him. When he again rejects her she blackmails his wife (Doris Kenyon) on charges of bigamy as she is now married to an imminent heart specialist (Clive Brook). When the blackmailer is poisoned suspicion falls on the wife. Paramount studio's first all-talking picture was also the first to feature a plot set in a drawing room setting - the story was based on a play. Despite the static nature of the new sound medium the cast perform their dialogue naturally - with both Brent and Powell standouts as they banter with each other. Doris Kenyon seems stuck in silent cinema mode with exaggerated expressions while Clive Brook is as stiff as a board. Interesting early melodrama is historically important and an excellent showcase for silent movie star Brent who made an easy transition to sound films but was sadly not able to maintain the momentum and was soon relegated to supporting roles in B-features. Powell went on to become a huge star.

[Precious Doll]

Hail Satan? (2019) Penny Lane 7/10
A White, White Day (2019) Hlynur Palmason 4/10
Sunset (2018) Laszalo Nemes 4/10
The White Crow (2019) Ralph Fiennes 4/10

Repeat viewings

L'humanite (1999) Bruno Dumont 9/10
Beat the Devil (1953) John Huston 9/10
The Collector (1965) William Wyler 8/10
Melvin and Howard (1980) Jonathan Demme 9/10
The Other Side of Midnight (1977) Charles Jarrott 7/10