Shadow of a Doubt (1942 Alfred Hitchcock)

I wanted to see Teresa Wright in something. Sam Goldwyn discovered her on stage and she debuted in The Little Foxes, then won Oscar for Mrs Miniver. The Pride of the Yankees was next (Gary Cooper), then this, then Casanova Brown - again with Cooper, and Frank Morgan and Patricia Collinge (a comedy by Sam Wood), before the epic Best Years of Our Lives in 1946. The film parts went off the boil then, unfortunately, though 1947's noir western Pursued (Robert Mitchum, Raoul Walsh, James Wong Howe) looks interesting.

Though early in his Hollywood career you can already see evidence of the Master's artful camera set-ups, shot by Joseph Valentine, scored by Dimitri Tiomkin.

Shampoo (1975 Hal Ashby)

Brain being on the sluggish side it took me two thirds of the film to realise it's a period piece (a fact actually announced on screen at the start) succinctly summarised by use of Sgt. Pepper in party scenes, and in Goldie's wisp of a dress. (It's actually 1968.) The script is by Ashby and Robert Towne and was Oscar nominated.

Warren Beatty's hair is really funny. The film shares the same quizzical humour as Ashby's other films. Scenes where Beatty emerges from daughter's bathroom, assaults a waste bin and with Julie Christie at dinner are hilarious, as Beatty's house of cards comes crashing down around him. Lee Grant won the Oscar; Jack Warden is great too. Plus Ann Weldon (the maid), Luana Anders, Randy Scheer (film producer).

Shot in the loving, careful and unshowy manner of Laszlo Kovacs. Robert Jones is ostensibly the editor though probably it was Ashby mainly in the reins, though Beatty as producer controlled the film.

First watched on Saturday 5 March 1977, aged 13 - it was my first cinema 'X' film!

The Big Sleep (1946 Howard Hawks)

Previously written about here, we finally get the chance to see a decent print on Blu-Ray - it looks great. I realise now that all we really care about is what happened to Sean Regan - Col. Sternwood had made us care about him. Plus, he and Bogie used to trade shots between drinks - in what combat? And Eddie Mars keeps calling Bogie 'soldier' so there's some kind of intriguing back story here. Finally got the Q to watch it without falling asleep. Crackling chemistry between Bogie and Betty.

Quite a few unfamiliar faces: John Ridgely is Eddie Mars, Peggy Knudsen his wife, Regis Toomey the detective, Charles Waldron is Col. Sternwood, Charles D Brown the butler, Louis Jean Heydt is Joe Brodie, Sonia Darrin is Agnes (strangely not credited).

The ear (when thinking)

The lovely legs of Martha Vickers

Second Best (1993, released 1994 Chris Menges)

It had slipped under our radar like a Government foreign policy. David Cook adapted his novel. Chris shoots very close, but it's because he's trying to get us into the internal worlds of both William Hurt and Nathan Yapp (both excellent, despite Hurt's indeterminate accent which is somewhere in the West Country - Ireland - Scotland area; Yapp was so traumatised by the accent that he never acted again).

Ashley Rowe (lots of TV) shot it in a very naturalistic style like that of Mr Menges.

Hurt's look was modelled on Bamber Gascoigne.

It's not sentimental. Rest of good cast: Keith Allen, Jane Horrocks, Alan Cumming, John Hurt.

Comfort and Joy (1984 Bill Forsyth & scr)

Gentle, warm-hearted and amusing film seems to exhibit the flavour of the French New Wave from the opening shots of kids' faces at a department store window, and particularly in the moment that Bill Paterson spots Clare Grogan in an ice cream van and follows her. And the fate of his car and especially the moment the roof collapses seems a direct reference to Bande à Part.

Anyway Forsyth clearly likes people - all the sparring ice creamers are in the same family. And Paterson is so excited about his successful brokering of a peace he forgets all about the girl... Forsyth also likes little details (e.g. all the fictitious news reports that run throughout; the horrible rabbits) and off-the-cuff comments, and the Italiano-Scottish thing is funny. More about the film here.

I remember finding Housekeeping rather dark but I wonder if Breaking In with Burt Reynolds is worth watching ... although it's written by someone else (John Sayles)..

Easy Living (1937 Mitchell Leisen)

Joyful early Sturges with quite a few slapstick moments is almost like an early version of Palm Beach Story. Familiar actors from later films include William Demarest, Robert Greig and Franklin Pangborn. Edward Arnold does the shouty head of household well, Mary Nash his wife, Arthur and Milland fine as leads, Luis Alberni has the best lines and mangles the language beautifully.

It's very nicely shot by Ted Tetzlaff with some fine deep focus in the hotel scenes.

Great lines such as "It's not mink, it's Stolinzky" and the beautiful symmetry of lines like "Your first mortgage is three years overdue, your second mortgage is two years overdue and your third mortgage is one year overdue".

Dear John (2010 Lasse Hallström)

Based on a Nicholas Sparks novel, adapted by Jamie Linden (only his second), film hopes to be another Notebook but isn't. It's a bit dull and occasionally just doesn't make sense and Amanda Seyfried doesn't have enough presence to carry it - needs an Elle Fanning or Emily Blunt or someone. Channing Tatum isn't bad, Richard Jenkins good.

Hallström teams with Terry Stacey again. There are one or two too many songs. And it may just be that I'm getting older, but that unerotic, uninteresting sex scene doesn't need to be there at all.

Rear Window (1954 AH)

Well, only about half of it in fact (we were done in). Cornell Woolrich's short story 'It Had to be Murder' was first published in 1942 under the pseudonym William Irish. When John Michael Hayes started the screenplay he knew the leads would be Stewart and Grace Kelly and Hitch asked him to write Kelly's character to 'bring something out of her'. In fact with Hayes specialising in 'dialogue', all the scenes, characters and plot points (and 'every camera move') were worked out by Hitch himself.

It's a beautifully produced film, so subtle e.g. in the way the soundtrack is put together. The wonderful set was designed by Joseph MacMillan Johnson who had worked on GWTW and shared an Oscar for special photography for Portrait of Jennie.

Stewart is absolutely wonderful. Strongly though I've grown towards Vertigo, this I think remains my favourite Hitchcock (and that of Q).

An Officer and a Gentleman (1981, released 1982 Taylor Hackford)

Tougher than you might think, and Gere says 'cunt' as well as having a Sean Penn moment. Debra Winger and Lou Gossett Jr good too. Written by Douglas Day Stewart, photographed by Donald Thorin. With David Keith, Robert Loggia, Lisa Blount. Only the ending seems somewhat contrived, yet enormously crowd-pleasing (it's the behaviour of the other girl, who has actually just caused the death of a man, which seems contrived).

The score doesn't do much more than reinterpret the theme song.

Winger is in TV things these days.

Petit Nicolas (2009 Laurent Tirard & co-scr)

Based on the first 'Nicolas' book by Goscinny & Sempé (1959), the film has beautifully accurate production design and filmed in that nostalgic French hue familiar from Amélie by Denis Rouden.

Maxime Godart is the boy. Valérie Lemercier and Kad Merad the parents, Sandrine Kiberlain the school mistress. (All good.)

Consistently amusing.

Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933 Mervyn LeRoy)

Amusingly called 'Vampiresas de 1933' in Spanish, seminal pre-Code musical (released in May) was the second Busby Berkeley vehicle of the year, following hot in the wake of hit 42nd Street (released March, a remarkable achievement). Joan Blondell and Ginger Rogers shine as showgirls, supported by the 'comedian' Aline MacMahon and wimpy Ruby Keeler, who's romanced by songwriter Dick Powell. Warren William and Guy Kibbee also get gold dug and Ned Sparks is the beleaguered producer.

Has mild pre-code teasers and two spectacular BB numbers, one brilliantly lit by Sol Polito featuring violinists, and the amazing and socially powerful 'Forgotten Man' piece.

Blondell Bombshell

Naturally occurring songs aren't annoying but forced Spanish subtitles during the dance routines definitely are. Sets by Anton Grot.

Gulliver's Travels (2010 Rob Letterman)

Previously viewed in 2013, there are worse ways to spend an hour and a half, and considerably better ways too. It's in the median.

It's a very silly treatment, written by children (with an eye on product placement) and doesn't even bother to reference Swift (he would have been annoyed if they had, I'm told).

Jack Black is (Q remarked) rather unique in the way he prances about and bursts into song - sometimes his laid back performances are better (The Holiday, Margot at the Wedding).

Emily Blunt and Chris O'Dowd though are delightful (despite the fact she allegedly didn't want to participate but was obliged to for contractual reasons). She has a good humorous / defiant look.

Charlie Wilson's War (2007 Mike Nichols)

Interesting true story, based on journalist George Crile's 2003 book, written by Aaron Sorkin and thus quite talky and non-cinematic, features a lot of characters. Not as much fun as Primary Colors (Elaine May). Opening seems lumpy and expository, gets better as it goes along, particularly where Philip Seymour Hoffman gets involved. Does at least send a clear message about how the US fucked up.

Great cast with PSH: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, John Slattery, Om Puri, Ned Beatty, Dennis O'Hare, Ken Stott.

Loved that 'Charlie's Angels' Wynn Everett, Mary Bonner-Baker, Rachel Nichols, Shiri Appleby are super-efficient and intelligent and not just the eye candy you think at the outset.

Rich photography from Stephen Goldblatt. Edited by John Bloom (Travels with My Aunt, Gandhi, Black Widow, A Foreign Field. Angels in America) and Antonia Van Drimmelen (who did Notes on a Scandal and Angels with him). Mike's regular editor Sam O'Steen died in 2000.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011 Lasse Hallström)

Written by Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) from a novel by Paul Torday* as a kind of Ealing film where a madcap idea overcomes bureaucracy and finds life. Kristen Scott Thomas is great fun as a cut-throat ministerial character who even swears at her children. Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt are the couple who grow together (here use of 'Miss Chetwode-Talbot' is very funny) and Amr Waked is the enlightened Sheik who likes fishing.

Shot by Terry Stacey in Panavision and scored by Dario Marianelli.

It's most enjoyable.

I didn't notice their clothes became gradually more syncopated (according to my co-watcher).
Must look out for that next time.

Torday was 60 when he published this, his first novel, which was a huge success. He wrote several more before prematurely dying aged 67. His 'Girl on the Landing' was acquired by Julian Fellowes and IMDB shows it as 'in development'.

The Door in the Floor (2004 Tod Williams & scr)

It's a John Irving novel 'A Widow For One Year' adapted by the director, whose only previous credit was The Adventures of Sebastian Cole (1998) with Entourage's Adrian Grenier.

I can't comment on how it relates to the source novel (which itself has very mixed reviews) but what we have here is a brilliantly written film which reveals its plot in pieces, some of which are very subtle (e.g. the age at which the boys died and the fact you are misled into thinking the girl has known them). Also the way the wife knows everything about what her husband is doing and can predict his next move. And that the husband is an alcoholic and has presumably been banned for drink driving (but is he actually fucking his art subjects?)

Good stuff involves photography and art, story-telling and how to write. Flashes of humour are welcome, such as boy's encounter with picture framer.

Young Elle Fanning is great in great cast featuring Jeff Bridges, Kim Basinger, Jon Foster (who didn't make it) and Mimi Rogers.

It sort of made me think We Need to Talk About Kevin. It's melancholy and moving and really rather splendid. Terry Stacey (50/50, Dear John, Adventureland, The Nanny Diaries, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen) photographed it on Long Island harmoniously and the music's by Marcelo Darvos. It was another film from our collection we'd neglected far too long (eight years).

One Crazy Summer (1986 Savage Steve Holland & scr)

File under 'cheerful nonsense, alcohol recommended'. Film isn't as good as Better Off Dead, not very well written or acted, but you do get funny moments and visual jokes (the cat has stuffed trophies of its kills, the kids's school name is 'Generic Elementary School', swimmer has over-trunks, Jaws references).

With John Cusack, Demi Moore, Joel Murray, Bobcat Goldthwait ( a grotesque performance that is wincingly off-putting), Curtis Armstrong, Kimberly Foster, Jeremy Piven and William Hickey.

Godzilla joke though is brilliant

I Walked With a Zombie (1943 Jacques Tourneur)

...or IWWAZ, as it should henceforth be known. It was hot.

Inez Wallace wrote the original story, which has a hint of 'Jane Eyre'; it was screenwritten by Curt Siodmak and Ardel Wray, who worked on a couple of the other Val Lewton RKO films. It's a beautifully curious film, from Tom Conway's opening dialogue with Frances Dee about the glowing sea of 'putrescence'. It's very moody, considering it's studio set - the sugar cane fields beautifully done. Music - Sir Trinidad is apologetic about his risqué song, but then uses it as a weapon.

There's a terrific melancholy also under the surface about slavery - that statue that was the ship figurehead is I think the last shot of the film. Plus the rites of the household staff.

Alcoholism, voodoo, drums, a horse which will take its drunk passenger home, the beautiful irony of the 'witch doctor', a zombie, that haunting finale in the sea, stripes and shadows.....
A heady and unbeatable concoction.

It's J Roy Hunt's finest hour. A cameraman on B pictures, he's also known for the noir Crossfire (Roberts Young, Mitchum and Ryan), In Name Only (Cary Grant and Carole Lombard), the original She, and the first Astaire-Rogers pic Flying Down to Rio; many others since 1916.

Passport to Pimlico (1949 Henry Cornelius)

Q thinks that TEB Clarke's film is the perfect mirror of the whole Brexit thing, as Pimlico exerts its right to be Burgundian.

"Some people get jam on it." Jane Hylton and Sidney Tafler

"Goblets and coins." Stanley Holloway, Betty Warren and Barbara Murray

" 'Ere, what do you mean 'Time'?" Frederick Piper, Hermione Baddeley, Raymond Huntley, Charles Hawtrey

"Delegatory powers." Naunton Wayne, Basil Radford

"Forgive me. Are you a bleeder?" Margaret Rutherford, Paul Dupuis

"Right. I'll have another pint." Michael Hordern, Philip Stainton

Benvenuti al Nord (2012 Luca Miniero)

Written by the director and Fabio Bonifacci, this isn't as good or as funny as the original, which had a different writer and a whole extant film behind it (the French version).

Alessandro Siani and Claudio Bisio are both having wife problems.

Avanti (1972 Billy Wilder & co-scr)

New York Times: "Italy is not a country," Miss Mills says ecstatically, "it's an emotion." But emotion wears thin fairly quickly in "Avanti!" despite its share of shtick, zany local color and flip cracks.

Benvenuti al Sud (2010 Luca Miniero)

Claudio Bisio, Alessandro Siani, Angela Finocchiaro, Valentina Lodovini, Naike Rivelli.

Massimo Gaudioso adapted the original by Danny Boon, Alexandre Charlot and Franck Magnier. It's very funny.

Filmed in Santa Maria de Castellebate, Salerno, Campania.

The 'Jamm Já' of the title is Neapolitan for 'Let's go'.

Into The Night (1985 John Landis)

A well-made film (shot by Robert Paynter) with an absurd story from Ron Koslow, produced by he and George Folsey Jr (who also directs second unit), featuring Jeff Goldblum's most restrained performance, rather good as sleep-deprived innocent caught up in emerald smuggling plot with Michelle Pfeiffer. Film is enjoyable though lapses into too violent territory which upsets its balance, murder of model is unnecessary. Good, though. The scene where they think they are parting company is very sweet.

Features a ton of directors in its cast, a funny cameo from David Bowie, and excerpts from Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (with Bela Lugosi) and some funny commercials. Also a book I own ('The MGM Story').

Funnily enough the night scenes showing a TV show being filmed is a mirror to what's going on all the way through this shoot.

This would make a great quiz question

Brewster's Millions (1945 Allan Dwan)

Dennis O'Keefe, Helen Walker, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Gail Patrick, and Mischa Auer appear, from the novel by George Barr McCutcheon, written for the stage by Winchell Smith and Byron Ongley and screenwritten by Siegfried Herzig, Charles Rogers and Wilkie Mahoney, shot by Charles Lawton.

A one joke film, but executed by Dwan with gusto.

Filmed first in 1914, with Fatty Arbuckle in 1921, as Miss Brewster's Millions with Bebe Daniels in 1926, with Jack Buchanan in the UK in 1935 and most recently, Richard Pryor and John Candy in 1985. I think it's been done enough, already (though I see a Brewster's Billions in the making).

Paradox of Praxis 5: Sometimes we dream as we live and sometimes we live as we dream, Ciudad Juárez, México (2013 Francis Alÿs)

Even more stunning short film follows flaming football around night town, stunningly shot. Despite the objections of our guide Prof. Wendy this to me shares exactly the same space as Terence Malick, To The Wonder specifically. The only difference is that the latter catches a relationship, place and mood, this catches a place and mood. Just as well photographed and edited as the American's work, by Julien Devaux.

Diagetic sound adds to mood; impressionist, fantastic ending (kids on swings; fast passing car).

Children's Game #15: Espejos, Ciudad Juárez, México (2013 Francis Alÿs)

Stunning short film of boys playing in derelict houses in drug violence ruined town. Briskly photographed (with the director) and edited by Julien Devaux. Dramatic ending. Worth watching a million times.

Broken Fall (Organic) and others (1971 Bas Jan Ader)

In an exhibit of 'conceptual' art, guided by Professor Wendy, we are introduced to what I can best describe as a performance artist, who in this film hangs from the branch of a tree until he falls into the water below. In Q's favourite he falls off the roof of a building. It's very easy to take the piss out of this kind of stuff - Prof W says it's about the fragility of man. Most of his work dates from one weekend... The most famous piece is I'm Too Sad to Tell You (1971) which, OK, you could watch again and again.

We saw them at the Simon Lee Gallery in their original 16mm projections.

The Guilt Trip (2012 Anne Fletcher)

I don't know, we thought there was something weird about Barbra Streisand, some plastic surgery that's made her face unresponsive, except in a few joyous moments. Everything Seth Rogan says sounds improvved (from the outtakes you can see a lot of it was) so it's always nice to see him in a film where he is forced to say actual written lines (like Steve Jobs).

Written by Dan Fogelman, but it's not as good as Crazy Stupid Love.

Glossily shot by Oliver Stapleton who has partnered with Stephen Frears seven times (beginning with My Beautiful Launderette) and Lasse Hallstrom five, and started out on The Comic Strip, The Secret Policeman's Other Ball and the A-Ha video 'Take On Me'.

Dana Glauberman is one of the editors (with Priscilla Nedd-Friendly). Fletcher directed 27 Dresses, The Proposal and Hot Pursuit with Reese Witherspoon (mixed reviews).

Doesn't make much of its cross country trip, and the spectacular views of the Grand Canyon don't entrance the couple for more than a second.

It's OK.

Parental Guidance (2012 Andy Fickman)

Ironically, film is a U certificate. Grandparents Bette Midler and Billy Crystal bond with grandchildren. That's the whole show - disasters ensue but it all turns out great in the end.

Boldly shot by Dean Semler. Many nutty practices get a dig (baseball games with no winners, speech therapy with no talking) in Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse's script.

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001 Woody Allen & scr)

A fantastic idea (insurance investigator doesn't know he's the thief, triggered by hypnotism) which he'd had 35 years earlier, Woody's 'flop' ("it may be the worst film I've made") needs reevaluating. It didn't even rate a UK theatrical release.

It has a great 40s feel (evoking The Front Page and Double Indemnity) with splendid Santo Loquasto designs and locations, beautifully shot by Zhao Fei. The eclectic soundtrack is as good as usual, using one particular song to act as the robbery theme.

OK, I think I might agree with 'I think I went wrong in playing the lead', but that doesn't sink the film by any means, and we have good one-liners and juicy insults between him and Helen Hunt, of whom he thought more highly than I do. With Dan Aykroyd, Elizabeth Berkeley, Charlize Theron (a sort of Veronica Lake character, displaying what Woody calls 'screen humidity'), David Ogden Stiers, Wallace Shawn and John Schuck ('Painless' from the film of MASH). It's great fun.

Another film we'd unjustly neglected for years and years.

Quotes from Eric Lax 'Conversations with Woody Allen' (2009).

Isn't She Great (2000 Andrew Bergman)

I fear the script severely trounces the story of Jacqueline Susann's rise to fame and doesn't know what sort of film to be. Nathan Lane is also miscast as her husband. Even the title is bad.

Bette Midler is as usual reliable though the song routine is clearly in there just for her. Cheap eightes-sounding score doesn't help at all.

With Stockard Channing as her sister, David Hyde Pierce, John Cleese, Amanda Peet.

O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000 Joel & Ethan Coen & scr)

A schizophrenic film that is one half Homer's Odyssey, one half the film Joel McCrea would have made in Sullivan's Travels (the driving kid and the chain gang in the cinema are two direct references) and one half (I know) a Coen Brothers film.

George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson are terrific as the hapless trio. With John Goodman, Holly Hunter, Chris Thomas King, Charles Durning and Michael Badalucco as 'George' Nelson.

Roger Deakins is having fun with a crane, which he uses a lot. The look of the film is unique - it was shot very clean (in fact the Coens viewed this footage as 'disgusting'), then digitised (only at 2K though) and digitally colour corrected (at Cinesite), so you get some very washed out stuff, plus richer tones e.g. in bonfire light scenes. Not the first film to be managed in this way (Pleasantville). Shot in Panavision Super 35 (not anamorphic) 'The spherical lenses have the effect of pulling the audience closer to the characters; it's more intimate'.* He and the screenplay were both Oscar and BAFTA nominated.

Roger at the end of one of his impressive crane shots

Difficult to catch how great Clooney's goosing is!

The moment next to the graves with the diggers singing an old Black spiritual, and the flood while the singing continues; then all the pandemonium of stuff we see underwater (including the dog) is inspired insanity.

Dennis Gassner oversaw production design, Mary Zophres supplied the costumes (as always), Ethan's wife Tricia Cooke helped the brothers edit it.

Is the scene when they wake up after the sirens a nod to The Trouble with Harry?

Font is Dolmen

Recalling that George did learn to sing the song, but was dubbed (by Dan Tyminski), I wonder if there's an outtake somewhere of him actually singing it? He went into a studio with the Coens and T Bone Burnett, and it wasn't very good, so maybe??

*Deakins quoted in ASC interview.

Hail, Caesar! (2016 Joel & Ethan Coen & scr)

Perhaps their funniest film, particularly in the terrible acting / dialogue that appears in the 'films'. Clooney only acts like this for the Coen brothers, like he's been allowed to go zany. Scarlett Johansson also is utterly unlike her normal self with great accent.

Josh Brolin hangs it all together. (Eddie Mannix was a real, unscrupulous producer and fixer.) With Aldon Ehrenreich as the cowboy (he was also in Blue Jasmine), Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum, Frances McDormand, Jonah Hill, Veronica Osorio, Heather Goldenhersh (secretary), Alison Pill (Josh's wife), Max Baker (head commie), Christopher Lambert (German film director) many other great actors in small parts such as David Krumholtz and Coens regular Fred Melamed. Narrated by Michael Gambon.

Stunts and choreography (sailors, swim team, cowboy stunts) that look real and not CGIed. Hilarious moments such as the interview with the church leaders, Fiennes rehearsing Ehrenreich (quite ad libbed apparently). Absolutely beautiful production design (Jess Gonchot), sets and costumes, featuring several great watches, super attention to detail (e.g. reassembling the stage as the camera tracks back), sensational photography and music (Deakins and Burwell).

A 1925 Waltham

Deakins didn't like the experience of shooting on film because of the poor choice of stock and problems with the lab. He says the submarine scene is deliberately artificial (studio set) and that the house that Clooney's kidnapped to is indeed a reference to North By Northwest.