Corridor of Mirrors (1948 Terence Young)

Does this reflect a post-war interest in the supernatural? We pretty solidly neither got nor liked this pale and fishy film. Eric Portman's character is totally unsympathetic and we care less about Edana Romney, who took the trouble to co-adapt the screenplay - she shouldn't have bothered. Auric's music is used badly. The whole thing is rather silly.

How to make smoking look not cool

Of historical interest - Christopher Lee's first film.

Hollywood Ending (2002 Woody Allen & scr)

Another great idea from Woody's bedside drawer - film director goes psychosomatically blind but can't tell anyone or his career is over. Amongst others he's helped by Chinese translator Barney Cheng, pictured below, with investigative journalist Jodie Markell on his right:

Leading to some undeniably funny scenes where Woody blindly confronts sexy actress Tiffani Thiessen, studio head Treat Williams, the problem is that Woody spends a lot of the film looking into mid-air (where you'd look towards the sound source), so there's rather too much of this stuff going on:

No problem with any of the other performances, Woody's agent in particular played with warm stoicism by film director Mark Rydell.

Pictured above Woody, Rydell, Téa Leoni (good in long takes), George Hamilton, Treat Williams.

Debra Messing is Woody's girlfriend, Yu Lu is the cameraman, Erica Leerhsen an actress.

It's shot by Wedigo Von Schutlzendorff and designed by Santo Loquasto. (Scene showing the creatives discussing redesigning Central Park is funny - 'I cannot work with green'.)

At 112 minutes it's one of Woody's longest.

"Every husband should go blind for a while."

Café Society (2016 Woody Allen & scr)

What an utterly divine looking film, thank you Woody (81), Vittorio Storaro (76) and Santo Loquasto (72).

I think the first new film we saw in the now terribly trendy 2:1 ratio.

Plot owes a certain something to The Apartment and is satisfyingly ironic, exploits thirties milieu well.

Jesse Eisenberg, Blake Lively (his wife), Steve Carrell, Jeannie Berlin (mother), Parker Posey (New Yorker), Corey Stoll, and Ken Stott ... but Kristen Stewart walks off with the film.

Since You Went Away (1944 John Cromwell)

Margaret Buell Wilder adapted her own novel (a series of letters to her husband) and it was written by David Selznick - probably a mistake, for though the film covers similar territory to Best Years of Our Lives it isn't its equal despite great performances and treatment. Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones and Shirley Temple (and maid Hattie McDaniel) let out their home to Monty Woolley, involving grandson Robert Walker and friend Joseph Cotten. A lugubrious dog completes the menagerie. Agnes Moorehead is a bitchy friend and Lionel Barrymore and Albert Bassermann appear briefly. (All acting good.)  The problem I feel is that the film forces sentimentality on you, cranked up by Max Steiner's score. However it is sincere and moving and well acted, with plenty of laughs and interesting detail.

Jones and Walker were nearing the end of their marriage here.

Typically complicated Selznick production also has Tay Garnett and Edward Cline directing sections. Cameraman George Barnes began it, then Stanley Cortez filmed the first third (he was either called up or sacked, depending on the source) and Lee Garmes finished it - so all those moments of beautiful dark which I confidently asserted were Cortez weren't... though this one could have been:

Also love the modernity of this tracking shot (Cortez again):

The DVD, complete with overture and intermission, runs 177 minutes. It's a bit of an emotional monster.

Endless Night (1972 Sidney Gilliat & scr)

Agatha Christie's crafty later (1967) novel, adapted by Gilliat, given early seventies accoutrements (Moog, sex, zoom lens, flash editing). Gruff Hywel Bennett romances American heiress Hayley Mills to death. With Britt Ekland, George Sanders (a year away from suicide brought on by failing health), Per Oscarsson, Peter Bowles, Aubrey Richards (doctor), Lois Maxwell. That is clearly not Hayls singing the theme song.

The Isle of Wight, apparently

The house - with its one way glass and hidden swimming pool - is far out (Wilfred Shingleton). Shot by Harry Waxman and scored in the familiar doomed love theme style of Bernard Herrmann. The giant eye at the end is risible.

Inception (2010 Christopher Nolan & scr)

Funnily enough it begins right where our last film left off - on the beach. Nolan's inventive film inhabits the same territory as Gondry's Eternal Sunshine - but lacks that film's heart and invention despite some amazing moments, of which the fight in the corridor is the standout - though it's territory Cocteau presented years earlier (very slow fall of van into river also great). The battle in the snow feels like it's wandered in from OHMSS and could have easily been dumped, contributing to a shorter run time than its 148 minutes.

Won Oscars for Wally Pfister's photography (sorry, still not as good as August's for Portrait of Jennie), sound mixing and editing and special effects. Cast includes Leonardo di Caprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine (fleetingly), Ken Watanabe, Dileep Rao and Cillian Murphy.

Not nearly as complicated as made out, film has really quite a weak premise and kept making me think of Fantastic Voyage (only the gang are voyaging through dreams, not the human body) and Mission Impossible. Also lacks a sense of humour.

Portrait of Jennie (1948 William Dieterle)

A strange and exceptional film, so well shot (Joseph August) it's like a Conrad Hall - take virtually any frame and it's a work of art. Interesting Irish sub-text too. Interesting cast. There's something about this film that is quite different to others. What? The music, the pacing, the atmosphere...the light. Complicated camera set ups like Hitch. In the final moments of the lighthouse there's a little freeze frame - so far ahead of its time. And the moment it turns green is still incredible.

In the portrait scene she almost seems to be slipping away from us...

Bernard Herrmann composed some music that wasn't used but can be heard here. Amazing special effects team headed by Clarence Slifer won Oscar, August nominated (lost to William H Daniels The Naked City). Selznick apparently loved it.

Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore, Cecil Kellaway, David Wayne (becoming a big fan), Lillian Gish, Felix Bressart, Florence Bates.

From a novel by Robert Nathan (1940 - a signed first is $1750), adapted by Leonardo Bercovici, written by Paul Osborn and Peter Berneis.

Clueless (1995 Amy Heckerling & scr)

Thoroughly enjoyed (a little pissed) again, showing it's all about the mood you're in. Many funny one-liners in Heckerling's script ('Surfing the crimson wave' etc.) Alicia Silverstone likeable as lead; with Stacey Dash, Paul Rudd, Dan Hedaya ('I couldn't be more pleased if they were real grades'), Wallace Shawn, Brittany Murphy, Jeremy Sisto, Justin Walker (who belongs in a fifties film).

Cheerily shot by Bill Pope.

The Spadena House (aka The Witch's House) designed in 1921 by Hollywood art director Harry Oliver - Q's 'Hansel and Gretel house'

Last Embrace (1979 Jonathan Demme)

Easily Demme's most Hitchcocky picture, emphasized by Miklos Rozsa's fabulous score which lends the film an entirely different weight. We seem to be in Spellbound / Vertigo territory in the main, with little references to Psycho, The Birds et al. in most enjoyable thriller based on Murray Teigh Bloom's novel 'The 13th Man', written by David Shaber (who taught screenwriting, though I have to say hasn't been associated with anything else of note - unless you count The Warriors - and who would?)

Roy Scheider is a fantastic actor who in the simplest of dialogue scenes actually looks like he's thinking and listening before answering, rather than just delivering a line. Janet Margolin is good in frankly nuts role. With John Glover and Sam Levene (you know, The Killers and Thin Man films), as a kind of Jewish detective, and Christopher Walken. Roger Corman isn't in this one.

As well as emulating the Master's view / POV travelling camera, Demme and photographer Tak Fujimoto use all sorts of lateral tracking shots, 360-degree rotations and intricate dolly shots, such as the one down the station platform as the train is coming in (giving a wonderful dynamic between the two forces in opposite motion). And he's doing that almost-into-camera thing which is so prevalent in Philadelphia. Even the titles (Pablo Ferro) are classy. Yes it's bonkers, but so cinematically done you don't care (a film lover's film, no question).

Whether or not we have films like Sylvia Scarlett any more is a moot point (Albert Nobbs was terrible) - but to not have scores by the likes of Rozsa any more is tragedy.

Review of 10 January 1995: 'Ludicrous thriller in Vertigo mould is well directed and benefits from lovely music. Scheider is edgily good'.

Sylvia Scarlett (1935 George Cukor)

Well acted, somewhat bizarre film, based on a novel by Compton MacKenzie (author of 'Whisky Galore' and the 'Highland' novels which inspired Monarch of the Glen), written by Gladys Unger, John Collier and Mortimer Offner is particularly suited to Katharine Hepburn, who would drive herself to set in trousers. She's very athletic and good playing a young man, and kept reminding me of David Bowie (Q says 'Station to Station' and 'Heroes' era). Cary Grant though is also good as rather unlikeable character, Edmund Gwenn good as fretful father, Brian Aherne very natural (almost modern) as painter, Dennie Moore the unfaithful singer.

Natalie Paley aka Princess Natalia Pavlovna Paley - a most interesting lady

Yes. Princess Paley narrowly escaped the fate of the rest of Tsar Nicholas's family, was later involved with Jean Cocteau, Antoine de Saint-Exupery and Erich Maria Remarque (who based a character on her in 'Shadows in Paradise')!

Good music from Radio Pictures regular Roy Webb, photographed by Joseph August.

Funnily enough it was on TV the very next day.

I'm All Right Jack (1959 John Boulting)

Based on Alan Hackney's novel and adapted by Frank Harvey and John Boulting (same then as 1956's Private's Progress), featuring a classy cast of Ian Carmichael, Terry-Thomas, Peter Sellars (totally credible), Irene Handl, Liz Fraser, Dennis Price, Richard Attenborough, Margaret Rutherford, Miles Malleson, Marne Maitland (Mr. Mohammed), John le Mesurier, Raymond Huntley, Kenneth Griffith, Donal Donnelly (The Knack).

Liz Fraser - lots of TV since 1955

Love these food producing machines

Good satire of business shenanigans vs. trade unions.

Photography by Max Greene and good editing from Anthony Harvey; music by Ken Hare.

Top of the Lake Season One (2013 Jane Campion and Garth Davis)

Written by Jane Campion and Gerard Lee (they collaborated on Campion's 1989 Sweetie). Elisabeth Moss (completely shaking off Mad Men's Peggy), David Wenham, Peter Mullan (great as ever), Thomas M. Wright (Johnno), Holly Hunter (white-haired oracle who delivers the best line - "There is no match for the tremendous intelligence of the body"), Jacqueline Joe (Tui). And in the commune - Genevieve Lemon (also from Sweetie), Robyn Malcolm (the sweet blonde who goes off with Mullan - to her regret), Alison Bruce (doctor).

Slowly unfurling plot and characters in slightly familiar scenario (self-reliant and educated city cop surrounded by unfriendly locals) in less familiar surroundings (New Zealand's South Island).

But - was Moss really Mullan's child? And despite the 'DNA' tests, we're more inclined to think that Wenham may have been Tui's father, not Mullan....

It has a strong female core to it, which is welcome, and a nice leisurely pace - though the ending is exciting enough. Shot by Adam Arkapaw and scored by Mark Bradshaw.

On Approval (1944 Clive Brook and scr, prod)

We might start with Who is Clive Brook? (The actor in Frankenstein I was trying to remember is Colin Clive.) Well despite that slightly odd accent he was British. This was one of his last films, having started out on stage and in films since 1920 - von Sternberg's Underworld and Shanghai Express, The Four Feathers, Cavalcade and a 1929 incarnation  of Sherlock Holmes (The Return Of..) This was his only time as screen writer and director, adapting a play by Frederick Lonsdale. And he's done a good job of opening it out and making it breezy and cinematic. e.g. in playful opening which contrasts current fashion with Victorian culture, and in a bizarre dream sequence which is like something by Cocteau.

Brook's similarly impoverished friend Roland Culver fancies Beatrice Lillie (though it's hard to see why), whilst her 'American' friend Googie Withers (no accent at all) fancies Brook. In quite racy material for its time (it was 'Adult' rated!) the quartet end up on a Scottish castle on a remote island...

It's like a slightly below-par Lubitsch, good fun.

Photographed by Claude Friese-Greene, music by William Alwyn, editing by Fergus McDonell.

Arthur (1981 Steve Gordon & scr)

Have we really not seen this since 2012? I don't believe it. Dudley is fun clowning around - viz. scene where he balances glass on car bumper - and many of his scenes are improvised, such as the meeting with the scary Burt Johnson (Stephen Elliott - 'Where's the rest of this moose? This is a tough room') but actually he's rather good in sober moments - and indeed he seems too pissed for too long in places. But that is a cavil and let's face it, he's out-acted first by Liza Minnelli - who's great - and especially by John Gielgud - who's fantastic, and won an Oscar ('They smile at lunch time' is I think my favourite line).

Steve Gordon at least lived long enough to see his film become a huge success - he would not have liked the sequel (or the remake). Something reassuringly old-fashioned about it too, e.g. the florist's line 'She gave me a smile and by Baltimore I was a dead duck'. Also scene where Arthur goes to the wrong flat is almost like a W.C. Fields moment. (And, moment with horse - The Lady Eve?) Lovely, funny, insane writing - in a way it's the forerunner of Pretty Woman.

With Geraldine Fitzgerald as Aunt Martha, Ted Ross as Bitterman, Jill Eikenberry the unfortunate Susan Johnson, Barney Martin the useless father.

Shot in a diffused style by Fred Schuler. Burt Bacharach wrote the music including for the Oscar-winning theme song 'Best That You Can Do'.

Saint Jack (1979 Peter Bogdanovich & co-scr)

Funny that I first watched the film with my father (8th March 1983), who I spent much of the day retrieving from hospital. This is the glorious Blu-Ray version, of which Scorpion released only 1500 copies - why? It won the Critics' Prize at the Venice Film Festival but is another in the 'who the hell's seen it?' category with three reviews on Amazon (just 21 on IMDB). Now that we have a great copy no doubt we'll watch it over and over.

Ben Gazzara is the Saint of the title - what will become of him? And ex-pat Denholm Elliott (always great at lending seedy charm to things - only here he isn't at all seedy) takes to him at once - a cut above his horrendous countrymen James Villiers, Rodney Bewes and Joss Ackland. Apart from these (OK and Lazenby, and Peter himself) there isn't a professional in the cast, and many of the crew are clearly local.

In many ways a companion piece of They All Laughed - in that Robby Muller shot both in a sort of guerilla style, and that they are very much of a time and place (much of this Singapore is now gone, making the final shot all the more telling) and that the music is all naturally occurring. Only despite Jack seemingly knowing and liking everyone, unlike the later film there's no romance.

Based on Paul Theroux novel, originally screenwritten by Cybill Shepherd, then Howard Sackler (playwright) with Peter adding in local colour and on-the-spot ideas. It's consistently amusing and interesting and funny - origins of Singapore and Hooker, for example. And political (whorehouses for servicemen; blackmail plot).

We love the way that Peter does two things at once in a scene (or shot) - near the end with himself, Ben and Monica Subramanian it's actually three things at once.

A Roger Corman New World picture.

One Day Since Yesterday (2014 Bill Teck)

This was in a card Dorothy wrote to Peter just before she was killed.

So, Peter was a bit of a hot head and came over as arrogant. Dorothy would come up to him in meetings if he was being shouty and whisper in his ear 'Remember your heart' and that would make him laugh. Indeed it seemed she positively infected him with good humour and that's perhaps why the film is so fizzy. That he was able to complete it at all (sobbing during dailies) is a remarkable achievement and - as someone comments - you wouldn't know from the finished film.

In an emotional whirl he decided to buy the film back and release it. Here I didn't know, there were good reviews and strong runs, but he ran out of money. You have to have a marketing budget. And people just had it in for the boy wonder, even after Dorothy's murder. See the vile New York Times review for evidence.

Lots of interesting things are revealed. Peter and Patti had a little fling. Benny had clinical depression throughout filming. And he and Peter were estranged after filming. The secretary Linda McEwan was Peter's secretary. She and Sean had a fling (see - the title should have been Everybody's Bopping). The Bruce Springsteen song removed from Mask was emotionally significant to Peter (this is the only point in the film where he breaks up) and this is why he sued the studio - another not good move. What a fan Quentin is - he even knows trailers for God's sake ('Watch all of Peter's trailers' he says, 'They're like little 'Making of' films'). The great (long take) scene with Ben and Peter's daughters - they're basically talking about Peter and his relationships.

Useful contributions from most of the cast. The most significant omission is that co-writer Blaine is not in the film and not even referred to much, particularly in that role (the shots of the original screenplay show only Peter's name as author). And nice to conclude with She's Funny That Way on location scenes, which Wes and Noah like to think of as the film made straight after They All Laughed.

Blaine in 2011

But, at the time of writing, the Region 1 only DVD of the film has just six reviews on Amazon. Six. Including 'They All Laughed: You Won't' and 'Pretty Poor film'. Some people are fucking idiots - the comments on IMDB support this theory...

Also loved the thought of one of the critics that this was the last of the films of that incredible decade of personal expression in American cinema - the seventies.

Fargo - Season Three (2017 Noah Fawley)

Fargo has a style all its own. Episode 4's use of 'Peter and the Wolf', and the animation of the robot, are to relish. Writer: Monica Beletsky.

Super stylish, deadpan funny (e.g. all the music choices!) Great cast: Ewan McGregor, Carrie Coon (cop), Mary Elizabeth Winstead, David Thewlis (terrific), Michael Stulbarg (Ewan #1's partner of the unfinished sentences!)

Can't look up info mid-season for fear of learning something. But different writers and directors.

The Rest of They All Laughed

Even after a break, film concludes delightfully. It is so well shot and composed and edited that it should be taught in film school. And this is an even greater achievement when you consider the on-the-run way it was filmed. For instance, in the shot where we see Dorothy and Sean run up the City Hall steps and past the camera and at the minute they disappear, John's taxi appears in the background - all in the same shot. Also some of it is extremely thrillery - think Rear Window, for example where John's spying on the house and Dorothy's dog comes over.

An intimate moment for the real life ex-lovers

'They All Laughed' is a George and Ira Gershwin song. Colleen Camp's original songs are really catchy - 'Kentucky Nights' is by Eric Kaz, 'One Day Since Yesterday' by Earl Poole Ball & Peter. And they are also representative of the way all the music occurs naturally.

The Palm Beach Story (1942 Preston Sturges & scr)

It's those great little touches - where Colbert shows McCrea the diamond bracelet the chirping bird in the background changes to a whistle of appreciation.

After a dreadful and ugly TV show ('Paula', for the record) we needed something light and funny. This was our chosen soufflé.

The Rest of Roadies

What have we got? 'Carpet Season' (David Rosen). Retrieving stuff from Finger. 'The All Night Bus Ride' (Cameron) - Phil's story about Lynryd Skynyrd, opening for The Rolling Stones. 'The Corporate Gig' ('Unless you like failure, embrace selective truth' - and 'It's not the pencil, it's the eraser') and 'The Load Out' (both Cameron and Winnie) - Kelly Ann gets her nickname (Pistachio) and we see her movie that's been forming over all the episodes.

Talking of Winnie Holzman, this little Vogue snippet is interesting:

Cameron introduced me to a bunch of people early on. That made all the difference for me. He introduced me to a woman whose name is Kellianne Murphy. He took the name from her for our [character] Kelly Ann, but she’s a completely different person.

She ended up being somebody who I really listened to. She’s a second-generation roadie: Her dad was on a road crew for his whole career. She toured with Fleetwood Mac for, I think, 10 years. I needed to speak to people. All you can hope is that it’ll lend some specificity. It’s not like it’s a documentary about roadies.

Winnie created and wrote the successful teen drama My So-Called Life (Clare Danes) in 1994.

We were very impressed by the cast, especially rapper Machine Gun Kelly and stand up comedian Ron White... but Rafe Spall steals the show ('They Like It Hot was filmed over there').

Finesse Mitchell, Imogen Poots, Machine Gun Kelly, Keisha Castle-Hughes

You feel Cameron's been in this world, loves the music, has followed the bands. And it's also a neat parallel for the making of a film, the feeling of family, but then the wrap. In fact at the end you feel you've been on the road with them, and it makes it harder to leave them.

Thomas Yatsko shot (nine episodes of) it.

'Copy that'.