My Darling Clementine (1946 John Ford)

First, there was the shootout, on October 26 1881 in Tombstone, Arizona, then it was publicised by Stuart Lake's 1931 autobiography 'Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshall'. This was the basis of Sam Hellman's story, which was then screenwritten by Samuel G Engel & Winston Miller. Ford's simple direction is often silent.

Henry Fonda (good), Ward Bond (older brother), Tim Holt and Don Garner (uncredited) are the Earps - you wonder why the camera holds so long on the latter, until later. Victor Mature, Linda Darnell, Cathy Downs, Walter Brennan, Alan Mowbray (pissed actor), John Ireland.

Great photography by Joe MacDonald especially in night scenes, great Monument Valley landscapes. Gunfight is well coordinated, good rapport between Fonda and Mature, film amuses, fondly observes, drifts, leaps into action. What happened to the rustled cattle? "I sure do like that name Clementine."

First saw it on 27 January 1981 and liked it. 20th Century Fox. Edited by Dorothy Spencer. It's a classic.

The 14 (1972 David Hemmings)

True story about Birmingham kids who did relocate to a farm, written by Roland Starke, must have been hard to direct with so many (seemingly) non-professionals ad-libbing all over the place. The kids - led by Jack Wild (good) - do make an impression, though, as do gritty locations. Nice to see a caring and concerned social worker, too (John Bailey), but tough and never sentimental. With June Brown, Alun Armstrong. Luckily they also have Cheryl Hall, who 'likes kids'.

Whiplash (2014 Damian Chazelle & scr)

J.K. Simmons (won Oscar and BAFTA) is fearsome, manipulative music teacher who strives to get the best out of drummer Miles Teller - The Spectacular Now (both good). Chazelle's film is nicely cinematic (edited by Tom Cross, also winning BAFTA and Oscar, and shot by Sharone Meir in Panavision).

Duke Ellington's 'Caravan' pops up again, having featured both in Chocolat and Alice.

Midnight Special (2016 Jeff Nichols & scr)

We can only guess that Nichols' story is a sort of religious parable in which Michael Shannon and Kirsten Dunst are Joseph and Mary to son Jaeden Lieberher, who is some sort of super-being who belongs in the 'world above our world' - which when it appears looks super-dull. In the meantime some sort of militant cult folk are after him, as well as the police and investigator Adam Driver, who brings a certain lightness of touch the film needs. Has a whiff of Close Encounters.

Adam Stone gives us some more lovely low-light celluloid photography but overall we were distinctly underwhelmed. Nichols' Take Shelter had the same effect on me, leaving Mud  as his outstanding work. Loving - about an inter-racial couple - is his latest.

Edited by Julie Monrow. Also featuring Joel Edgerton as an insanely loyal friend and Sam Shepard again.

For some odd reason it made me want to listen to Pink Floyd's 'Echoes'.

Mud (2012 Jeff Nichols & scr)

Young Tye Sheridan learns something about women - but it doesn't put him off.

Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Jacob Lofland, Sam Shepherd, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Joe Don Baker.

Most satisfying tale. 'Revenge' bites father Baker in the ass.

Wonderful celluloid photography by Adam Stone (with who Nichols has now worked on five films) particularly in firelight scenes. Good editing by Julie Monroe.

Woman on the Run (1950 Norman Foster & co-scr)

Well, this is a most welcome debut for us. Foster's Hitchcock-like thriller starts with man-on-the-run story but immediately shifts the focus on to his wife Ann Sheridan and her gradual learning about her husband, who she's been neglecting, whilst revealing that her accomplice Dennis O'Keefe is none other than the murderer (equipped with the biggest lighter in film until La Femme Infidèle!) Story by Sylvia Tate.

Hal Mohr's largely on location (in this respect ahead of its day) deep focus San Francisco photography also a major asset. Score by Lionel Newman's brother Emil (with Arthur Lange). Lots of interesting moments with window dresser John Qualen, Chinese dance act led by Victor Sen Yung, sympathetic police officer Robert Keith, who enlists the help of their dog Rembrandt ('It was the only way he could afford to own one'). That quote also evidences good dialogue, co-written by Alan Campbell. Great use of fairground setting, and in particular those helter skelter shots, which give a fabulous energy and tense finale, making me think of Orson Welles - Foster directed Journey Into Fear, so that's hardly surprising. Really good.

I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007 Amy Heckerling & scr)

After making the Clueless series, which provided some inspiration for story of TV writer / producer Michelle Pfeiffer, this went straight to video: "It just represents a lot of unhappiness to me. I loved working with Paul Rudd and Michelle Pfeiffer and Saoirse Ronan and all the other people, and I got to make some friends in England, where it was shot. But I'm not happy about what happened."

It's refreshingly different in attitude, Rudd gives all stops out performance, Saiorse in debut is great (particularly liked her Britney pastiche), likeable and funny, punctuated by aptly chosen pop songs. A welcome rewatch after too many years.

So with Clueless (film) alumni Rudd and Stacey Dash we have Jon Lovitz, Wallace Shawn and Fred Willard (boss), then many Brits in supporting cast: Tracey Ullman, Sarah Alexander, Yasmin (Submarine) Paige, Graham Norton (his Show began that year on BBC2), David Mitchell, Steve Pemberton, Mackenzie Crook and we missed Olivia Colman and Archie Punjabi. But why was it shot in the UK?

It was filmed by Brian Tufano, 32 years after photographing Michael Palin in Three Men and a Boat for Stephen Frears at BBCTV. Edited by Kate Coggins.

Not a pairing you'd immediately think of

Death at Broadcasting House (1934 Reginald Denham)

Quite lively, witty whodunit with novelty of BBC setting, not too much theatrical acting and some zippy moments of editing (Reginald Beck: The Go-Between, Accident; his second film). In life-imitating art mode Val Gielgud (John's brother) actually was Head of Sound Drama at the BBC when he wrote the source novel, and appears as the programme's producer.

Ian Hunter is the detective, Austin Trevor and Lilian Oldland the married thesps, Henry Kendall (Rich and Strange), Peter Haddon (drunk), young Jack Hawkins, Donald Wolfit as the murderee (who I said 'he did it' as soon as the credits came on), Betty Davies ('a nice bit of alibi') and uncredited, Beat the Devil's Ivor Barnard as usher.

Serendipity (2001 Peter Chelsom)

Extremely fanciful romantic meditation on Fate, written by Marc Klein (not much else than Mirror Mirror and A Good Year) - it could only end one way. With John Cusack (looking slightly dog-eared) with his then buddy Jeremy Piven; Kate Beckinsale, Eugene Levy as annoying Bloomingdales clerk. (Actually there is another end where snow covered Beckinsale develops pneumonia and dies.)

High key photography in New York and SF by John de Borman. Quite nippy editing by Christopher Greenbury (mainly comedies, through assisted Tariq Anwar on American Beauty).

A meet cute in Bloomingdales

Chelsom best known in this house probably for Funny Bones with Jerry Lewis and Lee Evans.

Carnival of Souls (1962 Herk Harvey)

Ultra low-budget film amusingly has most of the cast also behind the camera! (Also hilariously bad pretend organ playing hands.) I like a low budget film though because you get some innovation, and as no Hollywood producer is telling you what you can and can't do, fresh stuff emerges.

Admittedly you could tell this story (by John Clifford) in half an hour, but it has engaging and effective scenes - for example where heroine Candace Hilligoss 'ceases to exist' and the sound goes (apart from very badly done Foley footsteps), and the ghostly high-speed dead souls dancing. This contrasted against a quite realistic portrayal of small town America, featuring homely landlady, overly zealous priest and randy neighbour. It gives it a welcome off kilter, like a fried egg on a plate without the plate (to borrow Dali).

I would say it clearly appeared in the wake of Psycho, and the constant strange organ music had me thinking more than once of Marienbad.

Why do people say 'a not unengaging film'? In theory it's the same as 'engaging' but it isn't - it has an air of  'could do better' - a negative connotation.

Six Days Seven Nights (1998 Ivan Reitman & co-prod)

A story (by Michael Browning) which could have been written over a decent lunch is carried along by Harrison Ford and Anne Heche, who are pleasing enough. Michael Chapman's lighting (of Kauai locations) is high key, as no doubt he was ordered. David Schwimmer is the typically spineless American who sleeps with Jacqueline Obradors the moment anyone's back is turned. It's quite pleasingly old-fashioned, but low on innovation.

Restless (2011 Gus Van Sant)

It's been a while and this review is a nice tribute to Harris Savides.

Did have a look at the silent version - typical Van Sant experimentation, but I think he fluffs it by leaving the soundtrack in, thus making it seem more artificially like it's a sound film in which no one's speaking. Also, if done properly, one strives to make the story visual and thus minimise the need for titles.

Good acting by Mia Wasikowska and Henry Hopper.

After five years Jason Lew did write another screenplay (well, get it made - he may have written tons) which he directed as well - The Free World.

Schuyler Fisk was in Orange County.

Good music throughout.

Chocolat (2000 Lasse Hallström)

Robert Nelson Jacobs (who had a minor career as a scriptwriter) adapted Joanna Harris's 1999 bestseller. Juliette Binoche is effortless in undemanding role for her. Carie-Anne Moss as daughter estranged from wayward mother Judi Dench should be familiar (Humans). Lena Olin is also fabulous as the battered wife of Peter Stomare. Alfred Molina is as good as always, but why put on a French accent? - this niggles me. Johnny Depp good in straight role as river rat. Also Victoire Thivisol as the daughter (she debuted in Ponette aged five!), Leslie Caron (yes) and John Wood as the elderly romantics and doe-eyed Hugh O'Conor as Elvis-loving priest.

Johnny plays lovely cover of Duke Ellington song 'Caravan', Django Rheinhardt's 'Minor Swing' and I loved that little passage he plays on slide to which Juliette says 'My mother used to sing that to me when I couldn't sleep' (which Q knows, but then she knows every song ever written. Annoyingly I couldn't track it down.) Rachel Portman's music riffs off the Satie Gnossienne which is used in a key scene (seem to be hearing Satie a lot at the moment), and there's even a Sidney Bechet in there somewhere.

The chocolate sculptures which Molina ruins look wonderful - this is not a film for those on stupid diets. This is a pleasing film, a chocolate variation on Babette's Feast, with its roots in Harris's French mother, her cooking and folk stories. Where does all the chocolate come from? -- shh!

Roger Pratt shot it.

Don't Look Now auditions this way

One of those films from the shelves we stupidly just haven't thought to rewatch for years. Still, fun though, like finding long-lost treasure.

Easy A (2010 Will Gluck)

Written by Bert V. Royal (his debut) film takes the unlikely premise of 'The Scarlet Letter' mixed with the notion that losing one's virginity in high school is somehow a big deal. Also, storyline involving hiding sexuality of gay guy is surely a retrograde step (though the Mark Twain joke that accompanies his outing is welcome). Perhaps most refreshing in its portrayal of sympathetic teacher Thomas Haden Church and super-cool parents Patrica Clarkson and Stanley Tucci (who delivers way the best line).

Emma Stone, though (here 22) is super-good fizzy. Gluck hasn't done much since Friends with Benefits. With Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes (the god-botherer), Lisa Kudrow, Malcom McDowell, Aly Michalka.

Titty City - Season 2

And other variations we are coming up with titles for Magic City*, which could have been a lot better. The nudity - in so much as it horribly objectifies women (even Olga has to get her kit off periodically)  -  and the man on woman violence are both things I would have steered away from for one thing. And we now hate characters so much (The Butcher, crooked vile senator and horrible FBI agent) that all we can think about is the hope they get their just desserts.

Also, one of the best moments of Season 1 was when Ike is arrested and as he is led out of the hotel in handcuffs his security guy drops a coat over the cuffs, his hotel photographer gets in the way of the press, and the new doorman 'accidentally' trips the arresting officer. I would have liked to have seen more hotely things going on, back stories, warmth, humour, how actually it was better done in the sixties in Hotel (and even that is not without its shortcomings), As it is it's all a bit seedy, really pervy and predictable, with so-so acting.

Ends openly - we won't be watching any more. (In fact no more series were commissioned.)

* Q came up with 'Midget City' and 'Magic Titty'.

Along Came Polly (2004 John Hamburg & scr)

A really lame film, unbelievable, gross, unfunny (wife screws scuba instructor on honeymoon, man uses beautiful towel as loo paper etc.) Jen is fine, benefits from Philip Seymour Hoffman and Bryan Brown, and especially Hank Azaria as a Frenchman, so not a complete write-off for those reasons. With Ben Stiller, Debra Messing, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Hart, and Masi Oka way down the cast list. Shot by Seamus McGarvey.

The Hireling (1973 Alan Bridges)

Written by Wolf Mankowitz from L.P. Hartley novel.

Private hire chauffeur Robert Shaw helps to bring depressed Sarah Miles out of herself and forms attachment, which proves unwelcome, and their roles become reversed (echoes of The Servant).

Shots both in and from car (moving POVs of the estate workers) had me thinking of Taxi Driver more than once. Michael Reed (OHMSS, Press Gang) is on camera. Petra Markham (Ace of Wands) has a small part as a maid, and I wonder how much Alison Leggatt was paid for her 60 second appearance?

Ending creates a powerful symbol of Shaw stuck in post-war angst, societal division and loneliness.

Nice subtle stuff going on with reflections

No Minor Vices (1948 Lewis Milestone)

Odd, almost surrealist tomfoolery, featuring characters' thoughts as voiceover, a pixified score (Franz Waxman), a misbehaving painting and wayward lobsters (did Woody Allen see this?). Made with customary elegance for MGM (George Barnes on camera) though using a limited number of sets. Dana Andrews perhaps not right for the material, Lili Palmer fine, Louis Jourdan quirky, Norman Lloyd most watchable, and Jane Wyatt. Written by Arnold Manoff, directed with some flair by Milestone. Good (uncredited) sketches.

Magic Town - Season One (2012 Mitch Glazer)

Mitch - who wrote Cuaron's Great Expectations and co-wrote Scrooged) - was himself a cabana boy at a Miami Beach hotel (the Deauville), and the beautifully design Miramar (production designer Carlos Barbosa and set decoraor Scott Jacobson) is based on such real hotels as the Fontainebleu (seen in Goldfinger):

We think it might have been pitched as 'Mad Men + Hotel + GF 1&2 / Sopranos'. 

Not sure Jeffrey Dean Morgan with his three expressions is quite the man for the job. Olga Kurylenko (fine as usual) could play a young Audrey Hepburn. Danny Huston is meatily enjoyable, and Elena Satine is rather good as platinum hooker. With Steven Strait and Jessica Marais as the sex-addicted and suicidal lovers, Christian Cooke the other brother (one dodgy, one straight, you see?).

Certainly some dumb moments (you would catch a balcony-swinging thief by watching the outside of the building, wouldn't you? And leave town if told your life was in danger) and a certain predictability to some (not all) events, a visual fascination with (bodies in) water and 150% nudity guaranteed. Some rather ugly violence against women and pervy moments unpleasant. Still, as guiltily pleasurable as eating an entire box of chocolates, even the ones you don't like.

Lushly shot by Gabriel Beristain (whose most interesting credit is Derek Jarman's Caravaggio, though looking at the screen shots as a reminder, it looks like he didn't catch the artist's darkness well - how to go from 1959 Miami to Caravaggio's use of light in one review).

Pete 'n' Tillie (1972 Martin Ritt)

Great teaming of Walter Matthau and Carole Burnett, who star in Julius Epstein screenplay of Peter de Vries novella 'Witch's Milk'(1968) - he himself suffered the death of a child from leukaemia. This is not dwelt upon but (like in A Single Man) shows the quite ordinary reaction to bad news as not being histrionic but minimal (though Matthau's teary eyes speak volumes).

Good, often very funny writing, good acting all round includes Geraldine Page (classic scrap between her and Burnett), Barry Nelson, Rene Auberjonois and Henry Jones. Loved also the way Burnett dismissed Matthau's mistress.

Photographed by John A Alonzo in Panavision (though Spanish DVD is cropped). Everyone in 1972 SF seemed to like nude art.

Liked the visual reference to Lonely Are the Brave (earlier Matthau part).