The Adventurers (1970 Lewis Gilbert & co-scr)

Massive Joseph E Levine international blockbuster, based on Harold Robbins novel, is quite bad, despite good people in front of and behind the camera. An example: Anne Coates edits a love scene by a swimming pool in quite an interesting way, cross cutting to the statues.. but then it's ruined by an in-out in-out emulating screwing zoom trick which is totally laughable. As is greenhouse scene and sex/torture dungeon!

When he introduces himself, it always sounds like 'I'm Deck's Anus' (it's Dax Xenos).

And in mood - it starts out as a violent revenge / revolutionary epic, but mid-way through turns into a slushy melodrama / romance, with music to match. Film is on safer ground when it sticks with Blowing Things Up, but it's massively inflated and dodgy.

Bekim Fehmiu is the lead (not as bad as rated). Alan Badel somewhat improbably plays the head of a South American country, Fernando Rey the father. With Candice Bergen, Ernest Borgnine, Rossano Brazzi, Charles Aznavour, Olivia de Havilland, Leigh Taylor-Young, Sydney Tafler.

Filmed in Colombia, New York and Rome. Photographed by Claude Renoir in Panavision.

Your Honor (2020 Creator Peter Moffat)

I was thinking of The Night Of, forgetting that was Moffat too, adapted from his UK series Criminal Justice. It begins in a strong, Hitchcockian way, when a young man (Hunter Doohan) leaves a memento for his mom in a dodgy ghetto, is chased away, has an asthma attack, then accidentally kills another young man on a motorbike... Panics, runs away. Lovely great 'show don't tell' writing. His father is a well-meaning judge, played by Bryan Cranston, who initially tells his son to confess.. but when he realises the victim is the son of the head of the worst crime gang in New Orleans, changes the plan. More black irony arises when a friend, a political campaigner, offers to get rid of the hit and run Volvo, but the young black gang member (Lamar Johnson) stealing it is himself stopped by the cops and the car returned.

Is this a ten hour story? That's always the question. I am reminded of the Emperor in Amadeus - 'Too many notes.'  To put it another way - can you tell this story in three hours? Yes - strip out some unnecessary characters and storylines. What does the extra time give you? Dog stuff. Gang stuff. Romantic sub-plots. Political sub-plots. Police corruption. (The one bit of unnecessary stuff I liked was Stuhlbarg winding up his wife by insisting he wants his gazpacho heated up.)

The other thing was I was hoping the smart guy judge would find a clever way out of his predicament, which would have made a much more pleasing storyline. Instead, it's something of a reworking of Breaking Bad, in that the initially sound and upright guy becomes more and more corrupted. The circularity of the ending is quite successful, though, for after all, Cranston has, no matter how innocently, caused the death of the young man's entire family.

They seem to live in a way too big house, too.

With A Serious Man's Michael Stuhlberg convincing as the crime boss, Hope Davis as his awful wife, Carmen Ejogo, Lilli Kay (gangster's daughter), Sofia Black D'Ella (the teacher), Margo Martindale, Amy Landecker (cop), Isiah Whitlock Jr (politician, The Wire), Benjamin Flores Jr (young gang member). Andrene Ward-Hammond makes an impression as the gang leader.

It's based - somewhat improbably - on an Israeli series called Kvodo. Photographed by John Lindley (Pleasantville) and James Friend (three episodes). Liked Volker Bertelmann's theme.

Promising Young Woman (2020 Emerald Fennell & scr)

A timely and well-deserved BAFTA and Oscar winning screenplay, and a confident feature debut from former Call the Midwife / The Crown actor and Killing Eve writer (who gives a Hitchcock cameo). (She was nominated as Best Director by both also.) Carey Mulligan gives an outstanding performance as a woman out to get revenge on men in general and in particular those who raped her friend when drunk. Full of surprising twists, including the unexpected key scene in which the rapist's lawyer (Alfred Molina) breaks down with remorse, and she forgives him. And the great scene where she 'kidnaps' the Dean's daughter. The murder seems like an echo of George Floyd, intentional or not.

With Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Laverne Cox (coffee shop friend), Jennifer Coolidge, Chris Lowell (rapist), Max Greenfield (his accomplice, New Girl), Clancy Brown (father), Connie Britton (Dean), Adam Brody, Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

With its strong, almost psychopathic heroine and crazy music (Anthony Willis) has a flavour of Killing Eve to it, but its production design (Michael Perry) and costumes / make up (Nancy Steiner, Angie Wells) put it into an altogether individual place, as does its serious theme. Shot by Benjamin Cracun, edited by Fréderic Toraval (Taken).

Great, black, left field sense of humour:
"Will you go out with me?"
"Really? I just spat in your coffee."

Probably the Film of the Year so far.

To answer my own question, Killing Eve has been a huge critical and public success in the US.

Night and Day (1946 Michael Curtiz)

It was quite a shock to see that Warner Bros logo in colour, and Cary Grant. Autobiog of Cole Porter is unfortunately top heavy with musical numbers (most of the songs are great of course) and dramatically lacking, so the film itself is a bit of a bore, and overlong. Would have been more interesting if it had been allowed to deal with Porter's homosexuality. (Maybe it slightly does hint at it, come to think of it.) Does though have the distinction of Monty Wooley playing himself - we had no idea about his background at Yale nor his involvement in the story (nor that he too was gay, a close friend of Clifton Webb).

We'd watch Grant - who does his own singing - in anything, though most contemporary critics thought his performance uneasy. With Alexis Smith, Ginny Simms, Jane Wyman (filmed at the same time as The Yearling - I didn't even recognise her), Eve Arden, Victor Francen, Alan Hale, Dorothy Malone, Henry Stephenson, Sig Rumann.

Photographed in the brightest blues by Peverell Marley and William Skall. Directed with consummate skill by Curtiz. Max Steiner provides the odd bit of non-Porter music.

Note early appearance from Woody Allen on the right

Dix Pour Cent - Season 4 (2020 Fanny Herrero)

The concluding season, featuring the diabolical Anne Marivin as the rival agent who joins, then betrays, them. Sigourney Weaver and Jean Reno are the biggest guest stars. Hervé becomes an actor.

Left to right, one last time: Camille Cottin, Laure Calamy, Thibault de Montalembert, Stéfi Celma, Liliane Rovère, Grégory Montel, Fanny Sidney and Nicolas Maury. I'd have bought Rovère's book, 'La Folle Vie de Lili', but it's only in French - more here.

You Kill Me (2007 John Dahl)

Alcoholic hit man Ben Kingsley meets sponsor Luke Wilson and sassy - what does she do? anyway it's not important - lady Tea Leoni. Good fun black comedy, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. With Bill Pullman, Dennis Farina, Philip Baker Hall.

Dahl made thrillers like Kill Me Again and The Last Seduction, then directed much on TV.

Inventing the Abbotts (1997 Pat O'Connor)

Low key drama, lacking in humour, written by Ken Hixon, adapting Sue Miller's novel. It's 1957, Illinois. Two brothers from the wrong side of the tracks are obsessed by the three wealthy sisters of the town. These are played by Billy Crudup, who's pretty much permanently angry, and Joaquin Phoenix, and Liv Tyler, Jennifer Connolly and Joanna Going. The boys' patient widowed mother is Kathy Baker, you know, from The Jane Austen Book Club.

In common with Circle of Friends (another period novel adaptation) it's well acted, photographed by Kenneth MacMillan and scored by Michael Kamen. Curiously, it's a film without any highlights.

Dancing at Lughnasa (1998), The January Man (Kevin Kline, 1989), The Ballroom of Romance (1986) and Fools of Fortune (Julie Christie, Michael Kitchen, 1990) probably worth looking out for. Cal was his feature debut in 1984, with Helen Mirren, which was nominated for the Palme D'Or.

Art School Confidential (2006 Terry Zwigoff)

 Written by Daniel Clowes, based on his own graphic novel.

He also wrote Ghost World, which Zwigoff also directed, and thus giving a roundabout link to Thora Birch, who was in it.

Ironic view of art establishment as gifted artist Max Minghella (yes, son of) attends art school, finds both teachers and students are more impressed by talentless crap - as is the commercial art world. He attempts to romance Sophia Myles, another Brit known to us from Our Zoo and the Marple Sleeping Murder. Meanwhile roommate Ethan Suplee is trying to make a movie, and there's a strangler on the loose.

With John Malkovich, Jim Broadbent, Matt Keeslar, Anjelica Huston, Steve Buscemi.

The classical music - Strauss' 'An Artist's Life' and Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5 - add something.

Now and Then (1995 Lesli Linka Glatter)

Good coming of age drama. Childhood friends Christina Ricci (excellent), Thora Birch (Ghost World, American Beauty), Gaby Hoffman and Ashleigh Ashton Moore grow up to become Rosie O'Donnell, Melanie Griffith, Demi Moore and Rita Wilson, respectively, but most of the film is set in 1970. With Walter Sparrow (Crazy Pete), Cloris Leachman, Lolita Davidovitch, Janeane Garofolo and Hank Azaria. Good acting all round. Uncredited Brendan Fraser as Vietnam vet.

Q points out the Kickers are still in fashion

We expected more 'now' but it didn't matter. Title is unimaginative.

Always remember Glatter as a Twin Peaks director - other credits include The Newsroom, Homeland, True Blood, ER and Mad Men. This was her feature debut.

Moscow on the Hudson (1984 Paul Mazursky & co-scr)

The other writer being Leon Capetanos, who worked with Mazursky on Down and Out in Beverley Hills and Richard Dreyfuss comedy Moon Over Parador (1988).

This is terrific. After a depressing opening in Moscow (actually Munich!) saxophonist on tour defects in Bloomingdales, security guard Cleavant Derricks takes him in, shop assistant Maria Conchita Alonso (playing an Italian?) becomes his girlfriend. But its not sugary, quite tough. And everyone he meets is from somewhere else (even Derricks quips he's also a refugee - from Alabama).

It was well overdue, first watched it 29 December 1989. Most fitting music, from David McHugh. Good acting down to smaller roles, including Saveliy Kramarov as KGB agent, himself only recently emigrated from Russia, and Elya Baskin as his friend. Wild Bill Hawthorn is a fictional character (played by George Kelly). The film they go to see - which Williams criticises - is An Unmarried Woman with Jill Clayburgh, directed by Mazursky.

DP Donald McAlpine.

Line of Duty: Season 87 (2021 Jed Mercurio)

Martin Compston's grown a beard - and that's the major shock in the opening episode. What? I know - no one's thrown out of a window or killed the wrong person. But Kelly Macdonald looks like she's up to something.

The fact that the announcer had to explain what CHIS means is I think both funny and a weakness in the writing (Covert Human Intelligence Source) - it's kinda obvious they meant 'informant' and it might have been easier to leave it at that. But that would be too simple for Mr Mercurio... Ooh - that's got a nice ring to it. Sounds like a cult seventies TV show for kids, like Ace of Wands.

Anyway it does build slowly but putting Kate in danger at the end of Episode 5, very good... Then to strangely fluff the next episode. Kate and Kelly do a runner? 'No comment'. Think Kelly very good, but don't buy her as senior police officer. Anna Maxwell Martin terrific. Don't care who 'H' is. Have to say I found the ending unremarkable, especially if you think of the show's highlights since 2012.

With Anneika Rose, Nigel Boyle, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Perry Fitzpatrick, George Costigan

DP on 5-7 is Ray Carlin. Tim Palmer shot the others.

Liar Liar (1997 Tom Shaydac)

We had some time to kill before the last Line of Duty, and this was on. It saved having to think. Jim Carrey is way, way over the top, channelling 'Jerry Lee Lewis' (Q, we know who she means) and Basil Fawlty in an almost unwatchable performance. He's excruciating.

Best moment by far was one of the outtakes, when Swoosie Kurtz breaks the scene by calling him an 'overactor' - he hugs her and then quips 'They're on to me'.

Also with Maura Tierney from E.R., Cary Elwes, Anne Haney (loyal secretary), Jennifer Tilly, Amanda Donohoe, Jason Bernard, Mitchell Ryan (Lethal Weapon).

Circle of Friends (1995 Pat O'Connor)

Andrew Davies adapted Maeve Binchy's book about young love affecting three friends in and around Dublin in the 1950s. Minnie Driver, wonderful in her first feature, falls for rugby playing medical student Chris O'Donnell, Geraldine O'Rawe for student Aiden Gillan, but Saffron Burrows has more ambitious aims towards English bounder Colin Firth. Meanwhile the lizard-like Alan Cummings is after Minnie. Good secondary cast too includes people like Ciaran Hinds, Mick Lally, Britta Smith, John Kavanagh, Ruth McCabe.

When it ends on Minnie saying she knows what to do with her life - become a writer - you sense the whole thing may be autobiographical.

Great performances, nicely realised by O'Connor, good detail. Production designer Jim Clay worked on The Singing Detective, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, The Trench, Children of Men and Match Point; art director Chris Seagers also Aunt Julia, and Saving Private Ryan. Q was clearly feeling tired - she didn't say 'Nice bus' once (and there were a few on offer). John Jympson edited, the music's by Michael Kamen, Kenneth MacMillan is the DP.

Made for ITV.

An American Pickle (2020 Brandon Trost)

Trost made The Disaster Artist, Simon Rich wrote for SNL. Seth Rogan is great, especially as pickled European from 100 years ago, Herschel Greenbaum, but also as his great grandson Ben. Plot is mad, obviously, but has some things to say about progress, identity, religion and family along the way, and is pretty funny, e.g. overnight success of artisan pickles, response of gay couple on the street.

With Sarah Snook. Music by Nami Melumad, based on Michael Giacchino themes, photographed by John Guleserian (About Time, Breathe In, Like Crazy), edited by Lisa Zeno Churgin (The Cider House Rules, In Her Shoes).

French Postcards (1979 Willard Huyck)

Written by he and Gloria Katz. Concerning US students in Paris. Miles Chapin falls for French shop girl Valérie Quennessen, David Marshall Grant sets his sights on teacher Marie-France Pisier, Blanche Baker is lonely. Debra Winger's in it a little bit.

Some of this works better than others. The weirdest bit is where Pisier takes the young man back to hers, then shows him a book about sex, then keeps him at arms length, e.g. in a jacuzzi, before they have sex (which they don't).

It feels a bit messy, overall, but is quite enjoyable.

Carol Littleton edited.

Jean-Jacques Beineix was 1st AD - he made his first feature, Diva, in 1981.

Roman Holiday (1954 William Wyler)

One of Q's writer's group just watched it for the first time, and described it as the 'template' for Notting Hill, which initially seemed an interesting idea, but really they're quite different. Peck's newspaperman is quite ruthless really, and exploits the innocence of the princess; Curtis's inspiration came from the idea of turning up to his friends for dinner with someone really famous in tow. (Ironically that's probably happened in real life by now.) The scenes at the end with all the journalists grouped together is the closest they get.

It was Hepburn's first starring role - she stole the hearts of the world, and the Oscar.

According to IMDB, Franz Planer fell ill, which is why Henri Alékan came on. That's not the story given here. Georges Auric's score is lovely.

Two Distant Strangers (2020 Travon Free, & scr, Martin Desmond Roe)

How do you deal with the spate of killings of innocent black people by American cops? By turning it into Groundhog Day? It doesn't sound like it should work, but it does, horribly well, as Joey Bada$$ attempts to get home every day and he's always killed by the same cop, Andrew Howard, no matter what he does or the conversations he has with the man. At least it ends on a note of hope - somehow or another, he's going to change things and get home.

I quite liked the exchange with his girlfriend Zaria - "What would you do if you were shot dead every day?" "Shoot back." Intriguingly it's the one course of action he doesn't attempt.

It won the Oscar for the best short film. However it seems the plot was lifted in its entirety from Cynthia Kao's hilarious 2015 film Groundhog Day for a Black Man (with Burl Moseley), which is truly bizarre, considering the same thing had happened with the original.

Not sure...

Viewpoint (2021 Ashley Way)

We're slightly in Pushover territory again (and, by extension) Stakeout. Hmm. Must watch Stakeout again. Noel Clarke is the surveillance expert - expert? I question that because in the very first episode he lets his camera battery run out when a proper expert would have been on mains power. Anyway, the surveillance semi-professional is staked out in Alexandra Roach's Manchester flat, and you see where that might be going.

We know her from Killing Exe, Sanditon, No Offence, Utopia, Cuban Fury, Anna Karenina and other TV shows. 

Written by Harry Bradbeer (a Killing Eve and Fleabag director), Ed Whitmore, Tom Farrelly. Not sure it's the greatest title. With Kila Lord Cassidy (daughter), Sarah Niles (good as DCI), Phil Davies.

In the end it's not the obvious suspects at all. The ending is downbeat.

While it was screening on ITV over five nights, a story broke in The Guardian that many people had come forward accusing Clarke of sexual assault and bullying. The final part was thusly relegated to streaming only, whilst BAFTA stripped him of his recent award for Contribution to Cinema.

Lassie (1994 Daniel Petrie)

Matthew Jacobs and Gary Ross (Seabiscuit  and Pleasantville) wrote it, actually giving the dog a job for once - as a sheepdog in Virginia. She (it's a male again - Howard) also helps unhappy teen Tom Guiry reconnect with his dead mom and remaining family, Jon Tenney, stepmom Helen Slater and little sister Brittany Boyd. (I can't believe he didn't share the discovery of the diary with the others. I suspect it was in the script but was cut for some reason of expedience.) With Richard Farnsworth, Frederic Forrest and a young Michelle Williams.

The dog seemed Pal-worthy; thus we were delighted (amongst a small handful, I'm sure) to see the name of Robert Weatherwax as trainer, son of Rudd. Thus we're sure he was a direct descendant of Pal.

Including some elements from the original story, this was a successful version.

It reminded me of Q's story about how her rough collie Bonnie appeared with her long-buried favourite toy, a teddy bear, and of Brian in Family Guy (no idea why).

Where Angels Fear to Tread (1991 Charles Sturridge)

Certainly the darkest E.M. Forster adaptation I've seen (by the director, Tim Sullivan and Derek Granger - all involved with A Handful of Dust also), involving an impetuous woman (Helen Mirren) who impulsively marries an Italian dentist (Giovanni Guidelli) and into a life she didn't anticipate. When she dies giving birth, two of her relatives - Rupert Graves and an extremely hysterical Judy Davis - come to bring the baby home, with tragic results. Graves, a self-confessed 'non-doer', falls for determined Helena Bonham Carter, who (we think) is after the child also. Lovely setting in the fictional Monteriano (actually Montepulciano, San Gimignano and Cuna, all in Siena).

It was Forster's first novel, published in 1905 when he was only 26. Did note the irony, probably from the book, that Davis fails to admire the Tuscan scenery because of the train dirt in her eye.

With Barbara Jefford. Terrific music by Rachel Portman and maybe Michael Coulter's finest work as a cinematographer.

It was Victoria Boydell's first job in cinema, as Cutting Room Trainee.