Any Human Heart (2010 Michael Samuels)

Full of great lines like "He's always happier when lunch is on the horizon" (one Pressburger could have written) this is a huge joyous thing, extremely well put together and acted by everybody.

Produced tears of joy and emotion. Fantastic screenwriting. The jumps back to the Logans on the shore just transcend it into something extraordinary.

Fab cast comprises Matthew Macfadyen, Jim Broadbent, Hayley Atwell, Holliday Grainger, Tom Hollander, Gillian Anderson, Ed Stoppard, Samuel West, Emerald Fennell, Flaminia Cinque, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Kim Catrall, Freddie Fox.

Samuels did The Fear in 2012 (Peter Mullan crime boss losing mind) and Black Work, 2015 Sheridan Smith policewoman. Editor Tim Murrell, cameraman Wojchiech Szepel and composer Dan Jones don't really seem to have excelled in anything else.

Old School (2003 Todd Phillips)

Rebarbatively yours, Vaughan, Ferrell and Wilson. Plus Jeremy Piven, Ellen Pompeo, Juliette Lewis, Elisha Cuthbert (24).

Breaking and Entering (2006 Anthony Minghella & scr)

Anthony Minghella was a great story teller who left us far too early - whilst he will be best remembered for The English Patient this is every bit as good. Story is told well and visually. The ineffable Jude Law is in tricky relationship with Robin Wright Penn and autistic daughter Poppy Rogers (who it seems gave up acting after this rather good performance), becomes involved with single mum Juliette Binoche and her athletic burglar son Rafi Gavron. With Martin Freeman, Anna Chancellor, Juliet Stevenson. Fabulous acting, wonderful story structure (both girl and burglar are very athletic), metaphors, parallels.

If I had a single carp it would be that Benoit Delhomme's terrific photography doesn't allow for two characters in the same shot to both be in focus. Did though love the way the music transcends from the modern score to (the minute we see Binoche's dummy keyboard) more simple arrangements of piano and strings - Underworld and Gabriel Yared).  Though all the acting is great you have to bow down low at the feet of Juliette Binoche who is just so natural. Also loved the hooker Vera Farmiga, and Ray Winstone's sympathetic detective. There are also a great couple of moments where Jude isn't looking at what he should be looking at.

The paperback we see briefly 'Tears of the Giraffe' is a No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency story which Minghella then televised!

Ricki and the Flash (2015 Jonathan Demme)

We find ourselves watching another musical! Meryl Streep rock chick has neglected daughter Mamie Gummer, and sons Sebastian Stan and Ben Platt, comes home to Indiana to help, heals through rock. OK. Diablo Cody wrote it. With Rick Springfield as her Gibson wielding boyfriend, Kevin Kline as ex, Audra McDonald his no nonsense new wife. Film (screenplay) is ultimately rather too easy, but has several moments where things don't quite pan out as you'd expect, which is welcome.

Declan Quinn's your man behind the camera. Real band support Meryl's not bad singing.

Notting Hill (1999 Roger Michell)

Richard Curtis' best screenplay is enacted by first rate cast. As well as market scene through seasons, film also has great moment between Emma Chambers and Rhys Ifans when she announces her engagement - "It's you by the way".

Apparently that's Hugh Bonneville in there somewhere.

Casotto / Beach House (1977 Vencenzo Cerami)

Odd event looks at several characters making use of beach house - tone is generally broadly comic with accent on sex - too weird then to include scene with man with two penises - I would have cut it altogether (or at least one of the penises).

Jodie Foster, Paolo Stoppa and Flora Mastoianni (grandparents), Michele Placido, Mariangela Melato and Anna Melato, Ugo Tognazzi (repressed businessman), Luigi Proietti and Franco Citti. And Catherine Deneuve in the dream sequence, one of the more successful moments.

Shot and edited by Leone regulars Tonino Delli Colli and Nino Baraglia. The occasional titter but tasteless and bewildering.

The Girl Can't help It (1956 Frank Tashlin)

We find ourselves watching another musical; it's 1956 and rock n roll is happening, It's more of an animated jukebox in fact, not as funny as Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? perhaps because of its peppering of well mimed songs (film written by Tashlin and Herbert Baker). Tom Ewell is marvellously deadpan as agent promoting Jayne Mansfield from under the amorous nose of Edmond O'Brien; Henry Jones is also. Colorfully shot in De Luxe Color and CinemaScope by Leon Shamroy, though you can see shadows from his lighting everywhere.

Someone should invent a Jayne Mansfield alarm clock.

The sequence though where Ewell is haunted around his apartment by Julie London singing 'Cry Me a River' is beautiful indeed.

Rachel Getting Married (2008 Jonathan Demme)

Like a wedding home video, very naturalistic portrayal is extremely well acted and hits quite hard. Anne Hathaway is terrific as the troubled daughter, so is Rosemarie DeWitt as her sister. It was also great to see Debra Winger again. With Bill Irwin, Tunde Adebimpe, Mather Zickel and Anna Deavere Smith.

Shot and operated entirely hand held by Declan Quinn, film also has an unusually interesting soundtrack. Demme has always had a subtext about black America - here it comes to the fore in extremely integrated multicultural context.

It's moving. The one and only screenplay from Sidney's daughter Jenny Lumet.

Raging Bull (1980 Martin Scorsese)

1980. Scorsese. Schoonmaker. Chapman. He's at it again, what with his tracking camera and French moves. Actually the contrast in the black and white photography made me think of Italian films.

But where's the big punch up between De Niro and Pesci (his best film) which causes their alienation? Oh yeay there it is at 1:31. And he knocks out his wife Cathy Moriarty, who must have severely regretted marrying the guy.

It wasn't as upsetting as I first found it, and the variously handled ring scenes are splendidly shot and edited. Quite why it featured so high in critics' top tens though I'm still not sure - it's one of those films which isn't very enjoyable and you don't want to watch too often... maybe that's why.

Written by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin. Its recreations of 40s and 50s New York are marvellous.

Another one of yer feller's musicals

OK, the 2016 film is called Sing Street and yer man is John Carney. In that there are no bad songs, rehearsals or gigs, ego trips, faulty equipment, girlfriend problems or hostile audiences it's quite unrealistic. Quite how we've fallen for his musicals is partly due to the songs themselves and the fact the band looks like they're playing for real.

The unknown actors are Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Ben Carolan, Mark McKenna, Percy Chamburuka, Conor Hamilton, Karl Rice, and Ian Kenny. With Aidan Gillen, Maria Doyle Kennedy, and Jack Reynor as father, wife and son (the latter rather good).

Gary Clark provides the music.

Dakota Fanning punches better than me

Actually called Uptown Girls (Boaz Yakim 2003) the above is Q's commentary on the comparable physical skills of 8 year old Dakota and her husband. Not sure about the gangly, asthmatic and slut-eyed Brittany Murphy; not sure quite about Dakota's smart arsed performance either, nor Jesse Spencer's singer. With Marley Shelton, Donald Faison, Heather Locklear and the Austin Pendleton. Thoroughly predictable - after an onslaught of Frasier I'm sorry to say there isn't a smart line in it.

No problem at all with Michael Ballhaus' roving photography.

The Green Hornet (2011 Michel Gondry)

In its quirky gadgets, flippant handling of action scenes and trademark moments (Rogan trying to piece together what's been going on) it's very much a Michel Gondry film, though its straightforward crime-fighting plot is only gently subversive and conventional.

Written by Seth Rogan and frequent partner Evan Goldberg. This Michael Grillo fellow pops up again as exec producer and production manager - he was a first assistant director on many films.

With Rogan is a terribly unconvincing Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz and Tom Wilkinson. It's shot by John Schwartzman and edited by Michael Tronick.

Married to the Mob (1988 Jonathan Demme)

Written by Barry Strugatz and Mark Burns, energetic film charts progress of hideously jumpered Mafia wife into a simpler, poorer and happier person at the end of three guns.

Michelle Pfeiffer is she, widowed from an impossibly young looking Alec Baldwin and being pursued by Dean Stockwell and his jealous wife Mercedes Ruehl.

It's a very well made film. Demme can do thrillers, though some of the action scenes look somewhat artificial, like he's deliberately sending up the conventions. What he does do singularly well is bring you into the story with those shots which are almost straight into camera (which he played with even more in Philadelphia) as well as knowing when to track in, when to give a really big close up (such as when Stockwell is threatening) or when to hold the camera a little longer just to get some detail (woman walking out of hair salon after Michelle has walked in).

Usual team of Tak Fujimoto and Craig McKay, David Byrne scoring, production design by Kristi Zea.

Apart from making (music) documentaries Demme seems intent on alienating audiences by remaking such classics as Charade and The Manchurian Candidate, though certain others look interesting...

As to Matthew Modine I wasn't quite sure what he was doing, though he's certainly bouncy, and reminded me of Jean-Pierre Léaud at one point! Loved though the way he and assistant Oliver Platt keep popping up all over the place in disguise.

Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde (2003 Charles Herman-Wurmfeld)

Eve Ahlert, Dennis Drake and Kate Kondell wrote Pink's assault on Washington to save dog's mother (Bruiser is well played by Moondoggie). New cast includes Sally Field, Regina King, Bruce McGill, Dana Ivey, Mary Lynn Rajskub and Bob Newhart, with fleeting appearance from Octavia Spencer.

Becomes progressively more silly and childish but that's the shape of the animal. Considering its heart is in the right place it suffers from terrible online reviews such as 'I'd rather staple my eyelids shut', written, no doubt, by someone in the first grade.

Even better shot than the original: Elliot Davis going very old school with his back lighting making the girls' hair look 1940s. He also shot I Am Sam, Out of Sight, The Birth of a Nation, White Oleander and Lawn Dogs.

Tequila Sunrise (1988 Robert Towne & scr)

Rather well written in  the author's familiar twisty style as old buddies Mel Gibson and Kurt Russell, on opposite sides of the law, compete for Michelle Pfeiffer (a basic scenario that's as old as the hills). More a drama than thriller, without much tension, but rich on character and style. With fabulous photography from Conrad Hall (love the scene on the beach where everyone might be surveillance, and the sunset shots).

Benefits too from the late, charismatic appearance of Raoul Julia. With JT Walsh.

Dave Grusin's music dates it. David Sanborn did the sax solos - he did indeed for Lethal Weapon also. Quite noiry, though opts for the happy ending.

Giovanna is a much nicer name than Joanna. Contains memorable line "She would have fucked a snake!"

Hearts of the West (1975 Howard Zieff)

Written by Rob Thompson, affectionate story of wannabe writer who becomes 30s cowboy star. Jeff Bridges, Andy Griffith, Blythe Danner (Another Woman, Brighton Beach Memoirs), Alan Arkin, Donald Pleasance, Richard Shull and Anthony James, Herb Edelman and the familiar-looking Burton Gilliam (Blazing Saddles).

Shot in a very diffused style by Mario Tosi (Carrie, The Stunt Man, Whose Life Is It Anyway?) Quite evocative production design (Robert Luthardt) though I'd guess not a huge budget.

The Canary Murder Case (1929 Malcolm St. Clair)

Lulu speaks! Apart from a lovely aerial shot which accompanies Louise Brooks swinging over an audience, a very static and creaky early talkie in which all performances are stilted and the talking unnatural (almost unwatchable print of rare film doesn't help). William Powell is Philo Vance, Eugene Pallette the extremely slow detective (who says they've met on the 'Greene Murder Case' released the same year).

Unfortunately the beautiful Miss Brooks is bumped off after a quarter of an a hour. From her voice, though, I'm not sure she would have made it in the talkies regardless of her studio spats. (I later learned from BBC's Arena documentary that Paramount dubbed her into sound without her consent - it was originally a silent - and even used a double in some scenes.) Also recognisable: Ned Sparks, Jean Arthur. Has some ingenuity at the end plus Vance works out the killer by playing poker.

With this lumpy old mattress following on after the winds of the greatest silent achievements it's no wonder that for a while sound looked like the death of cinema.

Legally Blonde (2001 Robert Luketic)

It's reliable, like a favourite T-shirt. Reece is impossible to dislike and Luke provides the soothing tone of a Wilson.

Amanda Brown write the original novel based on her own experiences at Stamford Law (from which she never graduated) published - when? Same year? (Difficult to establish.) Almost all the reviewers on goodreads.com say the film is much better. It was screenwritten by Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith who had written 10 Things I Hate About You.

The Bourne Identity (2002 Doug Liman)

From a Robert Ludlum novel. It's difficult to see what the fuss was about now - it's just as nonsensical as a Bond movie. Has some cool bits (e.g. scaling down building) but it's not a great plot and is really rather dull.

Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox.

Nothing But The Best (1964 Clive Donner)

We weren't expecting to see Daphne's mum from 'Frasier' - Millicent Martin also sings the theme song. Frederic Raphael's simmering attack on the Establishment is a beaut - the 'education' received at Cambridge for example ("You don't know any history do you?" "No." "Good.") And the way Alan Bates smartly seizes every opportunity is a lovely thing. Pauline Delaney great as lusty landlady.

I love the scenic shots which become biscuit tin lids!

Seems to be the first British film in which the crime isn't punished.

L'Oro di Napoli / Gold of Naples (1954 Vittoria De Sica)

Well acted, bittersweet collection of stories paint interesting picture of battered Neapolitan city, people and culture. There's often something unexpected about each story.

'Il Guappo'. Toto, Lianella  Carrell, Pasquale Gennano, Agostino Salvietti.

'Pizze a Credito'. Sophia Loren, Paolo Stoppa, Giacomo Furia, Alberto Farnese, Tecla Scarano, Tartaro Pasquale. The story veers off into efforts of newly widowed man to kill himself. The pizzeria is apparently Pizzeria Starita in the Materdei district.

'Funeralino'. Teresa De Vita.

'I Giocatori'. Vittoria De Sica, Pierino Bilancioni, L Borgostrom, Mario Passante. Great card playing between the two. Curious moment of boy with cat.

'Teresa'. Silvana Mangano, Erno Crisa, Ubaldo Maestri. The perils of marriage. Bleak.

'Il Professore'. Eduardo De Filippo, Tina Pica, Nino Imparato, Gianni Crosio. Lovely twist at end.

My Man Godfrey (1936 Gregory La Cava)

Marvellous teaming of Lombard and Powell (one of his best roles) resulted from wanting a comedy with energy, which by default almost always leads you back to the Golden Age of Sturges, Hawks, Wilder et al (with the exceptions of the odd Bogdanovich or Edgar Wright).

Let's sort out who's who:

Gail Patrick

Alice Brady, with Mischa Auer and Eugene Pallette

Jean Dixon

Legend release, 'beautifully restored' is just as fuzzy as all the other releases - Criterion surely the only way to go, which I told myself in February 2015 review! Only watched it last April. A great favourite.

Nebraska (2013 Alexander Payne)

A film that gets under the skin, in its gradual story-telling (I love that the son, beautifully played by Will Forte, doesn't reveal to father Bruce Dern what he's learned about him).

It's very good. Written by Bob Nelson whose latest film is The Confirmation with Clive Owen.

June Squibb as the mother is fabulous: strong but also blunt and a little coarse, but a lover of life. She's mainly had a TV career. Also have to mention Angela McEwan as her old love rival, who you'd think was a non-actor.

It would be nice to think that Dern was in the best of health, nimbly hopping around between takes.

Almost any moment of Phedon Papamichael's photography, with its interesting geometries and a widescreen vast America (Billings, Montana to Lincoln, Nebraska) could be frozen as art. And noticed again the Paper Moon connection, though this is a deeper concern.

Will Forte also had a role in Bogdanovich's She's Funny That Way but has mainly been on TV since early SNTV days.

Payne's Downsizing is due for release in 2017, with Damon, Wiig and Waltz.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012 Stephen Chbosky & scr)

Featuring an interestingly all British pop soundtrack it is funny that the 'tunnel song' that they can't identify is none other than 'Heroes', signalling again the pervasive influence of his Bowieship. Beautiful scenes shot by Andrew Dunn and enacted by Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller, well reviewed here.

How I Live Now (2013 Kevin MacDonald)

Filmed in Wales, this adaptation of Meg Rosoff's apocalyptic novel seems to be about the effects of war on family, as Saoirse (a difficult name to spell) Ronan grudgingly learns to care about her cousins, particularly George MacKay (Pride, Private Peaceful, The Boys Are Back), with whom she falls in love. Her messed up mind well caught in audio.

All is deliberately vague and unspecified (it doesn't matter where they are or who the 'terrorists' are). There's something earthy and organic in it. The screenplay is by Jeremy Brock, Tony Grisoni and Penelope Skinner with additional material from Jack Thorne (This Is England  series) - quite a lot of contributors, you might think. It moves zippily along and is well edited by Jinx Godfrey (The Theory of Everything, Page Eight, Man on Wire); Franz Lustig on camera, Jacqueline Abrahams the production designer.

It's certainly not a project I can see Kevin's granddad undertaking.... Had me thinking of John Wyndham's 'Wrinkle in the Skin', Q of Survivors.

With Tom Holland, Harley Bird (both rather good), Danny McEvoy and Anna Chancellor.

The Fault in Our Stars (2014 Josh Boone)

Really well written film by Scott Neustadter and Michael H Weber, who did (500) Days of Summer, The Spectacular Now (also with Shailene) and Paper Towns. This is from a novel by John Green, who also wrote 'Paper Towns'. The director also made Stuck in Love which also featured Nat Wolff - connections, connections everywhere...

Superbly acted by Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, with Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, Sam Tramell, Willem Dafoe and Lotte Verbeek.

Eddie the Eagle (2016 Dexter Fletcher)

Really quite obvious and formula, though fun enough with Taron Egerton a quirky lead. With Jo Hartley, Keith Allen, Mark Benton, Tim McInnerney, Iris Berben.

Shot again by George Richmond.

Funniest line: "One day you'll walk through that door in a wheelchair."

Powder Room (2013 MJ Delaney)

Slightly theatrical, based on play 'When Women Wee' (possibly a better title) by Rachel Hirons, who adapted it. Essentially Sheridan Smith is trying to keep her old friends Jamie Winston,  Sarah Hoare, Riann Steele away from new snobby ones Oona Chaplin (daughter of Geraldine) and Kate Nash (I think I got that right), with Johnnie Fiori as a sort of cynical Chorus.

Liked the design going on in there.

Saddam Goes to Hollywood (2016 Stephen Finnigan & prod)

Amazing, often hysterically funny story of Saddam's commissioning of a blockbuster on the Independence of Iraq called 'Clash of Loyalties' (released, fleetingly, in 1983), involving a bibulous, destructive but professional Oliver Reed. The fact the country was at war presented certain difficulties - the stunt man fled - no wonder Ollie was pissed the whole time.

Documentary suggests Saddam and Reed clashed, but there's no evidence they met, doesn't refer to legendary cameraman Jack Hildyard or interview the best known member of the surviving cast, James Bolam. Nor does it say if the film has / will be re-released. Even the clip they said Ollie was good in looked as bad as all the other material.

Match Point (2005 Woody Allen & scr)

Particularly well acted by Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

This time I thought the murder to opera did work! (The music here is Verdi's 'Othello' and had to be cut to fit the action.) A cunning, beautiful chiller - it's no coincidence that Meyers is at one point reading 'Crime and Punishment'.

Paddy Chayefsky: "When a movie is failing, cut out the wisdom."
Marshall Brickman: "The message of the film can't be in the dialogue."

Witness for the Prosecution (1957 Billy Wilder)

Adapted by Agatha Christie's play by Wilder, Larry Marcus and Harry Kurnitz, film is more talky and less cinematic than his best, but contains terrific performances from Charles Laughton and Marlene Dietrich. With Tyrone Power, John Williams (who I'd watch in anything), Elsa Lanchester, Henry Daniell, Ian Wolfe, Una O'Connor, Ruta Lee. Read more here.

Williams: "Success will fit you like a shroud."

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957 Frank Tashlin & scr)

Cheeky film (is title a dig at rival Universal's Rock Hudson?) glorifies in taking pot shots at TV, radio and ads and is very funny. Tony Randall and Jayne Mansfield are terrific, with the always great John Williams; plus Betsy Drake, Joan Blondell, Henry Jones. Film also gleefully promotes its own studio's product, thus reference to the Mansfield-Grant Kiss Them For Me, the previous Mansfield-Tashlin The Girl Can't Help It and Peyton Place (also 1957). And I thought only Scorsese did a fade to yellow....

Shot by Joe MacDonald in Cinemascope (which along with colour is also brightly advertised).

Frank Tashlin's favourite of his own films (as revealed to Peter Bogdanovich)

"I wanted to make a picture where I got a laugh faster than anyone else... Also, I hate credits..."

The Adventures of Sebastian Cole (1998 Tod Williams & scr)

Apart from Stephen King adaptation Cell (2016) and Paranormal Activity 2 (2010), Williams has done nothing since The Door in the Floor which is very odd because his first two films are great. In this, young Adrian Grenier (six years before Entourage) wants to experience life to become a writer whilst step-father Clark Gregg goes through a sex change.

Bullitt (1968 Peter Yates)

Cool, almost documentary-like treatment of detective thriller owes something to the French, but falls short of a Melville. McQueen is cool, Vaughan villainous, Bisset's a non role.

San Francisco car chase (without music) is still great; Q says the whole thing is really well edited (by Frank Keller, won Oscar). Shot by William A Fraker and scored by Lalo Schifrin (as in la-di-da), cool credits by Pablo Ferro.