An American Werewolf in London (1981 John Landis & scr)

David Naughton and Griffin Dunne are the unfortunate tourists, John Woodvine the doctor. Jenny Agutter is absolutely note perfect in every scene.

Some effective dream sequences and black humour (confrontation in sleazy cinema which is playing 'See You Next Wednesday'). What was once deemed so clever in Rick Baker's transformation scene now seems really dated - horror moments are better when you can't see the thing e.g. in Val Lewton-ish Underground scene.

The music's by Elmer Bernstein and it's photographed by Robert Paynter.

Interestingly, Landis came up with the idea in Yugoslavia in 1969 whilst working on Kelly's Heroes (he's an uncredited production assistant).

La La Land (2016 Damian Chazelle)

What??

It was our second film today which won six Oscars. Justin Hurwitz's score unforgettable.

Anamorpic 2.55:1 CinemaScope celluloid

As well as the obvious Hollywood classic musicals, Sandgren was also influenced by Hopper and photographer Todd Hido. Ryan learned to play piano for the film.

The Fast Lady (1962 Ken Annakin)

Somewhat better than British comedies of this time - being somehow more modern? Written by Jack Davies and Henry Blyth from a novel by Keble Howard, who was active at the beginning of the century - this is from 'The Fast Lady: A Tale of a Motoring Honeymoon' from 1929 - a peculiar coincidence as the car featured is a 1927 Bentley. It's also quite cheeky and features Leslie Phillips in one of his most significant roles, with James Robertson Justice trading slightly on his 'Doctor' role - there are a couple of creative dream sequences.. the swinging sixties was just around the corner, as was Julie Christie's stardom. With Stanley Baxter, Kathleen Harrison and guest stars like Dick Emery, Frankie Howerd, Bernard Cribbins and Clive Dunn.

Filmed around Beaconsfield, Amersham, Farnham and Watlington. With Eric Barker as a very nervous driving instructor and Allan Cuthbertson (Performance) as a tester.

Mrs Miniver (1942 William Wyler)

I think my favourite war films made during the war are The Way Ahead, The Way to the Stars and In Which We Serve - this is a bit Americanised (ham and eggs for breakfast, indeed). However there's no denying that it's tremendously well written and acted, and produced with the usual MGM 'A' picture gloss. I love those shots of the backs of the heads - so unusual.

Greer Garson and Theresa Wright are great (both won Oscars) - Walter Pidgeon and Dame May Whitty not far behind. It was Richard Ney's debut - he later married the twelve years older Garson though they divorced in 1947 - his career suffered and he went back into economics.

Three Days of the Condor (1975 Sydney Pollack)

A paranoid conspiracy thriller? In the seventies? James Grady wrote a book 'Six Days of the Condor' the year before, but they thought six days was too long. Lorenzo Semple Jr (Pretty Poison, Papillon, The Parallax View) and David Rayfiel (The Firm, Havana, Round Midnight) wrote for the screen, and it's a terrific, tense thriller in which no one can be trusted. Tremendously boosted by a great supporting cast of Max von Sydow as an urbane assassin, Cliff Robertson and John Houseman, ably led by the cool Robert Redford (you can see him thinking) and the empathetic Faye Dunaway. One good tense scene follows another, rounded off by a suitably opaque ending.

With a distinctively seventies soundtrack by Dave Grusin, shot by Owen Roizman in Panavision. Very skilfully put together by Pollack and editor Don Guidice (A New Leaf, The Yakuza).

Crazy fonts you got back then:

Can't help but loving seventies NYC films. The cars!

Mean Girls (2004 Mark Waters)

Mean Girls is not the best film on earth, and falls far short of comparable flicks like Clueless, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Easy A. Lindsay Lohan is decent enough as the girl trying to fit in with 'the plastics' Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfried:

In support are scriptwriter Tina Fey (the source was a book by Rosalind Wiseman), Tim Meadows, Amy Poehler and Daniel Franzese.

8 Mile (2002 Curtis Hanson)

Written by Scott Silver. Eminem: "We would get together and share stories. And, you know, he would just be taking notes and writing it down. And made a story out of it." It's like a boxing movie.

From that opening bathroom we're in a grimy, dirty, run down Detroit, caught largely hand-held by Rodrigo Prieto in widescreen - Mathers himself one of a very small white cast - Kim Basinger of course his mother, Sluttany Murphy, Taryn Manning (ex), Michael Shannon, Chloe Greenfield (sister).

You have to hand it to these guys - their speed and wonderful, beautiful vocabularies. Eminem's pre-emptive strike in the final rap off is as classic I'm sure as some Roman orator in the forum.

Marshall is fine. With Mekhi Phifer, Evan Jones, Omar Benson Miller, De'Angelo Wilson, Eugene Byrd, Proof  (Marshall's real life rapper mate), Anthony Mackie (Papa Doc).

"Silver: Obviously, there was no way that I was gonna be able to write rap lyrics for anybody, let alone for Em.

Eminem: I remember that the script always ended in a battle since the beginning. That’s what the whole movie was building toward. But how the battle actually went and what rhymes were used was pretty much open....In a real battle tournament back then, I wouldn’t know who my opponents were. I’d just stack a few punch lines up and mostly freestyle about the guy in front of me."

It's shot in widescreen to get the best view of Marshall's Oldsmobile Delta 88. The production designer is Philip Messina.

Oscar for Best Song 'Lose Yourself' - Eminem, Jeff Bass, Luis Resto.

It was great also to see the extras in which Eminem extemporises against four lucky rappers picked to do a montage scene.

Their Finest (2016 Lone Scherfig)

Based on the novel 'Their Finest Hour and a Half' by Lissa Evans (2009), adapted by Gaby Chiappe (Shetland and other TV things), has something of the back story to Blimp about it (Hungarian producer, intervention of Ministry of Information).

Gemma Arterton is great as screenwriter, Bill Nighy wonderful as over-the-hill actor. With Sam Claflin, Raul Ritter, Rachel Stirling (Diana Rigg's daughter: Capital, The Bletchley Circle, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen), Jack Huston, Richard E Grant, Jake Lacy (American), Helen McCrory, Eddie Marsan, Henry Goodman (producer), Jeremy Irons.

Can't think why it was shot in widescreen (by Sebastain Blenkov), leading to incongruity of seeing 4x3 cropped into that shape. The recreations of studio model work are funny.

Affectionate and very enjoyable.

The Young In Heart (1938 Richard Wallace)

Source is IAR Wylie novella 'The Gay Banditti', adapted by Paul Osborn and Hitch's Charles Bennett. Con family soften and grow up through association with nice old lady.

Not particularly a fan of Janet Gaynor or Douglas Fairbanks Jr., though no problem at all with Roland Young and Billie Burke. Minnie Dupree is Miss Fortune, Paulette Godard is the engineering lady and Richard Carlson the 'Scot', with Henry Stephenson the family lawyer.

Nice sets (train crash, Wombat showroom, nightclub, old lady's house) - production design William Cameron Menzies, art direction Lyle Wheeler.

Shot by Leon Shamroy and music by Frederick Hollander. Although Selznick produced it he seems not to have been that hands-on - there isn't one of his famous missives published in the book 'Memo from..' - too busy on GWTW.

Private's Progress (1956 John Boulting)

Last seen 2013. Not as funny perhaps as some of the others in this series (though you have to revel in Terry-Thomas calling even individuals a 'Shaar', and Ian Carmichael's drunken reply when asked to identify himself - '999 Prickle-puss') but the satisfying story begins where Carmichel joins group of other rejects in 'holding' and meets wide boy Dickie Attenborough, who becomes central to the story. I didn't buy the two Germans (one, Christopher Lee on the brink of breakthrough) committing suicide - writers should have found two bodies somewhere else!

Alan Hackney's 1954 novel is the source - not sure if this had the same ending (Carmichael somewhat unfairly being nicked!)

We don't hear if Jill Adams is nicked

In Bruges (2008 Martin McDonagh & scr)

Let's clear this up - he wrote Seven Psycopaths and is the brother of John Michael McDonagh (Calvary, The Guard). So they both like Brendan Gleeson - and what's not to like?

Colin Farrell was sober by this time. His performance is also wonderful. As is Ralph Fiennes (despite the fact he doesn't appear for an hour).

This is a very funny thriller with Catholic guilt at the centre.

Also good are Clémence Poésy and Thekla Reuten. Jordan Prentice is the sarcastic dwarf.

Coens' regular Carter Burwell wrote the music, Eigil Bryld shot the movie, somewhat uncomfortably I thought in Panavision (Crisis in Six Scenes, Becoming Jane).

It was well overdue. McDonagh's screenplay won the BAFTA and Gleason and editor Jon Gregory (A United Kingdom, Mr Turner, Another Year, Secrets and Lies, Four Weddings) were nominated; screenplay Oscar nominated.

The Way Way Back (2013 Nat Faxon, Jim Rash & scr)

Perfectly good review here. We were on a Sam Rockwell double bill. He's very good with kids. He makes the film - the inspired line in bullshit.

Maya Rudolph and Nat Faxon

Jim Rash. We just saw him as an air steward on Will & Grace

A splendid film.

Lawn Dogs (2007 John Duigan)

Sam Rockwell and Mischa Barton have great chemistry (she seems way better than her later performance in Orange County - much more natural). Duigan made Sirens. In Naomi Wallace's screenplay, we don't really know what will happen. I think the description of the ending would be 'magical realism'. Her parents are Christoper McDonald (although there's nothing overtly bad about him he seems quite sinister) and unfaithful mother Kathleen Quinlan, Miles Meehan is the kid, Bruce McGill the cop, David Barry Gray and Eric Mabius (Ugly Betty) the preppy bastards.

Is there something of Little Red Riding Hood to it too?

Baba Yaga is a witch of Slavic origin.

The film's shot by Elliot Davis and the music's by Trevor Jones. Humphrey DIxon edited (also Sirens. A Room With a View).

High Hopes (1988 Mike Leigh & scr)

Phil Davies, Edna Doré, Heather Tobias, Philip Jackson, Lesley Manville, David Bamber, Jason Watkins, Judith Scott are all fantastic, but Ruth Sheen runs away with the film (Best Actress at European Film Awards). The scenes shot in close up are absolutely riveting.

Even Leigh recognises the caricature of the yuppies. In hearing the name Araminta de Winter ('Minty') you can't help but think of films like Carlton Browne of the F.O. (one of Mike's favourites).

This was the last film he shot with Roger Pratt, who then was faced with the choice of Life Is Sweet and Gilliam's The Fisher King (and chose the latter).

I loved the scene where the family breaks down into argument but the camera stays close on Doré's face - a face of resigned misery. It's no wonder that Phil's character is so reluctant to entertain having children, and that's kind of what the whole film is about.

Andrew Dickson's simple, soulful music classily underscores the story.

I love this shot because it's so unusual to see something so naturally intimate

Politically bang-on, acutely observed, very funny and deeply emotional.

Philomena (2013 Stephen Frears)

Not a lot to add to the last review from three years ago. It's good to see how Sixsmith (Steve Coogan, excellent) warms up to Philomena and how the story starts getting under his skin, to the point where he tells the old nasty nun "I don't forgive you". I love the moment in the hotel in the US when he loses his temper with her. Judi Dench of course is no slouch either.

"It's the Catholic Church that should go to confession, not you."

The old Super 8 stuff is well done.

Irish born Robbie Ryan's a wonder. Does he use any lights?

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011 John Madden)

Ol Parker has not written a great film after Deborah Moggach's 2004 novel 'These Foolish Things' (she wrote the screenplay for Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice). For example, the Maggie Smith character suddenly is a whizz accountant and group leader? Plus the whole caste system thing is thrown away? Another thing thrown away is the scene between Tom Wilkinson and Ronald Pickup...

Still enjoyable and good to see ensemble cast, which also includes Penelope Wilton, Bill Nighy, Judi Dench, Celia Imrie, Dev Patel, Tina Desai (girlfriend) and Lillete Dubey (The Lunchbox).

Good scenes include Nighy fixing tap (though this could have led to all sorts of developments), training session in call centre, 'booty call'.

Music by Thomas Newman and shot by Ben Davis (Kick-Ass, Dr Strange, Seven Psychopaths, Stardust, Imagine Me and You).

"Everything will be all right in the end, and if it isn't all right, it isn't yet the end."

Cat People (1942 Jacques Tourneur)

Simone Simon prowls round in her bedroom, the door shut, unwilling to have sex with the world's most reasonable guy (Kent Smith). The leopard prowls round and round in its cage, trapped...

Subtle horror marks beginning of Val Lewton's legendary RKO horror series, which his former boss David Selznick thought admirable ('..in every way a much better picture than ninety percent of the "A" product that I have seen in recent months...'). (Lewton was Selznick's story editor). The scenes without the leopard actually work best - the much quoted swimming pool scene, for example. But to distil the point, where Smith and Jane Randolph are trapped in the office by the leopard and he scares it off with a religious symbol, it's the following series of shots (artfully put together by Mark Robson) that are more unnerving: the pool of darkness underneath the table, a half open door, an open elevator door, a deserted lobby, a revolving door that's still revolving...

Also loved what I suppose became a staple of the genre, the fake shock - Randolph being followed, then the screech which is not an attack but merely the bus pulling up beside her (a comforting, friendly bus).

Loved also the attention to detail - the statue of King John, the leopard on the prow of the model ship. Written by DeWitt Bodeen and most ably crafted by Tourneur, Nick Musuraca and Roy Webb, with Al D'Agostino and Walter Kelly (art direction) and A. Roland Fields and Walter Keller (set decoration). With Tom Conway (dubious psychiatrist), Jack Holt, Alec Craig (zookeeper) and Elizabeth Russell (sinister woman in Serbian café).

It seems no accident to me that the shadow of King John's sword is at Kent Smith's neck

Never a Dull Moment (1950 George Marshall)

Katharine Faulkner "Kay" Swift (April 19, 1897 – January 28, 1993) was an American composer of popular and classical music, the first woman to score a hit musical completely. Written in 1930, 'Fine and Dandy' includes some of her best known songs; the title song has become a jazz standard. "Can't We Be Friends?" (1929) was her biggest hit song. She was a close friend and collaborator of George Gershwin. In 1939 she met a rodeo cowboy and eloped with him two weeks later. In 1943 she wrote her only novel 'Who Could Ask For Anything More?' and it was this that provided the source for Lou Breslow and Doris Anderson's screenplay for this. (The marriage did not last.)

I'm interested in all this because the film has not a very satisfactory ending and I wondered how the book was different. Not only is it out of print, it's not even on Abebooks, so it's hard to know, but this review on https://www.kirkusreviews.com suggests it was quite another thing:

Breezy, smartly personal history of a cafe society celebrity (musician, lyricist, and mother of grown children as well), falls in love with and marries a rodeo star from the World's Fair. Here -- with a dramatic gesture -- is back to the primitive life with a hang. An Oregon ranch, authentic, ungilded, provides the new setting, and this is anecdotal adventure of their life there, of carnivals and parades, of peripatetics among the hired help, of Pegleg Pete who turned out to be a fighting drunk, of the blackmail of a friend, of cattle and butchering, of visitors --and spongers, of Porgy, the ranch poodle, and Bess, imported as his mate, and of an acquired family. Casual, candid, really superficial, but it just might go -- on a minor scale.

The film ending is that Fred MacMurray persuades Irene Dunne to come back to the ranch despite the fact that mean neighbour William Demarest won't let them have any water (thus it will fail), Fred's become crap at being a rodeo rider and Irene has lost her musical touch (her lyrics are now full of references to sagebrush and spurs), which I would have thought would not please audiences particularly. We were fully expecting Irene to win over Demarest somehow and all end happily.

Dunne's character endures having a house party foisted on her, having her bedroom invaded at four in the morning, falling out of a stable, being windswept and dirty, falling off a horse and accidentally killing a prize bull. It's a miracle she put up with harsh farm life, which is what it really was...

Dunne is very energetic doing all this. Her inherited daughters are played by Natalie Wood and Gigi Perreau. Andy Devine is Fred's rodeo partner and Ann Doran is the woman Fred didn't marry. Joe Walker shot it for RKO and there are three of Kay's songs in it.

Thanks to Wikipedia and The Independent for source info.

Sudden Fear (1952 David Miller)

Still at RKO. Miller is not an immediately recognisable name: however he did make Lonely Are the Brave and Midnight Lace. Lenore Coffee and Robert Smith adapted Edna Sherry's 1948 novel, apparently with some help from star Joan Crawford, who's in her slightly manic phase.

We know that jilted actor Jack Palance is up to no good after marrying Joan when his sexy girlfriend on the side Gloria Grahame turns up, and there's a great scene at a beach house with impossibly dangerous stairs that we know is going to feature in the finale - it doesn't. Then a dictaphone called a Super Scriber (and some sound effects) reveal the plot to Crawford who understandably has a bit of a meltdown (inadvertently destroying the evidence). It's where she knows he plans to kill her, and has to pretend she knows nothing, that gives the film its wonderful dramatic irony - and what will she do? Leads to suspenseful last half.

Shot by Charles Lang on deserted San Francisco streets, with an urgent, jazzy score from Elmer Bernstein (one of his very first).

Both Crawford and Grahame had unhappy ends - see Eddie Muller for more info.

Escapade in Japan (1957 Arthur Lubin)

There is an argument that to the untrained ear, Japanese music sounds like cats being strangled. Make up your own mind. Pretty Technirama (i.e. another CinemaScope) footage of Japan could not save RKO, which shut down that year. Film is little more than travelogue with one note plot element of boy and Japanese friend fleeing from the police, who only want to reunite the little bastard with his parents. Seeing 1950s Kyoto, Japanese theatre, touristy sites etc is quite interesting, but not enough. Has its cute moments. Set-up is awkward and perfunctory - Japanese actors are altogether better than the Americans, with Theresa Wright given little to do but look fretful. Glossy tourist board type production (don't mention the war.... 'They don't teach Japanese in American schools...')

Of film buffs note that Clint Eastwood appears fleetingly. Max Steiner music, William Snyder photography.

Not my fault - BBC2 broadcast at Unearthly A.M. was in 16x9

The Glass Key (1942 Stuart Heisler)

Jonathan Latimer adapted Dashiel Hammett's 1931 novel for Paramount. Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake are reteamed after the same year's This Gun For Hire, with Brian Donlevy in the lead role. With Bonita Granville, Richard Denning, Joseph Calleia, William Bendix, Frances Gifford (nurse), Donald MacBride (shady DA), Margaret Hayes (disloyal wife), Lillian Randolph (uncredited singer) and that guy from It's a Wonderful Life who swallows his chewing tobacco (Tom Fadden).

Photography Theodor Sparkhul, music Victor Young.

Has great moments, especially Ladd's escape, but is perhaps most memorable for the scenes between Ladd and Bendix (real life buddies). Bendix's character has an intimation of homosexuality? He keeps calling his crime partner (and later Ladd) 'sweetie' and has a creepy sadism about him, and when he's talking about 'bouncing him off the walls' there's a sort of tender protective quality at the same time. Ladd takes a particularly nasty beating (even today) and the fact that he walks back in to the clutches of Bendix twice, unarmed, shows what a cool customer he is.

The Sense of an Ending (2016 Ritesh Batra)

An ironic title, as there is little sense in the ending, which I found frustrating. Jim Broadbent is of course good as the curmudgeonly pensioner, Harriet Walter good also as slightly acerbic ex wife, Michelle Dockery slightly prickly daughter and Charlotte Rampling the defensive former girlfriend (those two re-teamed from Reckless).

Then in the past we focus on Billy Howle, Joe Alwyn, Freya Mavor, Emily Mortimer, James Wilby and Matthew Goode. Nick Mohammed gets a special mention as the postman (Uncle, Bridget Jones' Baby. Fresh Meat, The Martian).

Julian Barnes' novel was adapted by Nick Payne. I thought it was engaging and subtle and nuanced and had odd little scenes (solicitor's, camera shop customer, dinner with girlfriend's family) but was also maybe over-praised (viz. 'Woman & Home' review - 'a story that will stay with you for ever'?) Not sure the widescreen was used particularly well though that probably applies to 90% of contemporary films - now who's the curmudgeon?

I noticed it was in 2.39:1. Pre 1970 CinemaScope and early Panavision were 2.35:1 but since then the anamorphic widescreen ratio has actually been 2.39:1.

Some Came Running (1958 Vincente Minnelli)

Dear aspiring TV and film directors,

If thinking about using the 2.35:1 aspect ratio, please take a moment to study the work of classic film makers like Minnelli and cameraman Bill Daniels to see how intelligently they use the frame.

Sinatra, Martha Hyer, Arthur Kennedy, Leora Dana and Larry Gates

Sinatra, MacLaine, Steve Peck

There's often something else going on in the background. One of the kids on the corner comes into the following scene.

And not only the frame - Minnelli holds the camera to create long takes in which we feel the scene. Here, isn't it great how MacLaine actually follows Sinatra into the wardrobe, so keen on him is she:

Great moment of red (anger). Camera then follows Peck out into the carnival:

Based on a novel by 'From Here to Eternity' author James Jones, adapted by John Patrick and Arthur Sheekman, really well acted and put together. Plot emerges slowly, has surprises. Lighting also very creative, as when it dips into darkness. Kennedy was in Peyton Place, A Summer Place, Hyer in Sabrina. MacLaine, Kennedy and Hyer all Oscar nominated, Betty Lou Keim is the daughter. Sinatra and Dean Martin were reportedly fairly new friends at the time. Boy, those two characters sure do drink a lot.

'Martini doesn't disappear your problems, but it does reduce their size.'

I'll Be Seeing You (1944 William Dieterle)

A Selznick picture, though he didn't get involved much in this one (Dore Schary produced it). Originally called Double Furlough, based on Charles Martin's radio play, adapted by Marion Parsonnet, has PTSD soldier Joseph Cotten running into convict (who could have convicted her??) Ginger Rogers. He's welcomed into the family home, meeting Shirley Temple (this was straight after Since You Went Away), Spring Byington and Tom Tully.

Great scene with Cotten freaking out in hotel room.

Evenly lit by Tony Gaudio.

Jabberwocky (1977 Terry Gilliam)

Written by Gilliam and Charles Alverson, an editor on the 1960s satirical magazine 'Help!', where Gilliam met John Cleese (it was his only screenwriting credit).

Gilliam manages to produce gritty, Boschian, medieval feel out of what looks like not a huge budget, Roy Smith production designer, all rather well caught in low light by Terry Bedford.

It's occasionally somewhat patchy and some of the acting is a bit dodgy. Probably at its funniest in scenes involving Max Wall, John le Mesurier and John Bird. With an eclectic cast: Michael Palin, Maggie Smith, Trevor Howard, Phoebe Nicholls, Warren Mitchell, Harry H Corbett, Rodney Bewes, Bernard Bresslaw, Peter Cellier, Deborah Fallender, Terry Gilliam, Neil Innes, Terry Jones, Annette Badland, Graham Crowden, Kenneth Colley.

Ultimately a little frantic - has not worn too well.