Beautiful Girls (1996)

Drama directed by Ted Demme and written by Scott Rosenberg. 

It’s a sort of grown-up “Brat Pack” drama following a group of friends based in Knight’s Ridge, Massachusetts, who come back together for a school reunion. There’s an intelligence lurking in the script but it’s also slightly muddled. Some of the performances are strong, but sometimes it’s unclear what point the film is trying to make. For example, Uma Thurman’s character – a random cousin called Andera – floats in and out of the story without much logic. And the thread about Willie (Timothy Hutton) developing an odd connection with 13-year-old Marty (Natalie Portman) raises some quite awkward questions that the film doesn’t really address. 

The ensemble cast also includes Matt Dillon, Noah Emmerich, Lauren Holly, Rosie O’Donnell, Martha Plimpton, Michael Rapaport and Mira Sorvino.

It’s nearly there, but only nearly.

Back to Burgundy (2017)

Refreshingly different French drama directed by Cédric Klapisch. 

Three siblings (Pio Marmaï, Ana Girardot and François Civil) inherit a French vineyard after their father dies. They have to decide whether to sell the land or continue to work on it, making a go of the business despite their other commitments. 

It’s a fairly straightforward story, focusing on the characters and their feelings. I found it highly engrossing as the characters had real depth. And unlike other “idyllic vineyard” films such as A Good Year, it doesn’t sentimentalise a region or a way of life.

The Lovely Bones (2009)

A surprisingly moving story directed by Peter Jackson. 

In 1973, a girl named Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) is murdered by a serial killer (Stanley Tucci). But rather than vanish from the story, Susie narrates what happens next from an “in-between” realm between Heaven and Earth. She explores the impact of her death on her family, who she seems able to reach and influence in subtle ways. That family is played, affectingly, by Rachel Weisz (Susie’s mother), Mark Wahlberg (her father), Susan Sarandon (her grandmother) and Rose McIver (her sister). 

It’s often an uneasy mix – and this is presumably deliberate – between the gruesome details of a serial killer at work and the almost whimsical dreamscapes that Susie now inhabits. She walks through psychedelic, oversaturated worlds that sometimes threaten to turn the film into a fantasy romp. But these sequences just about work because they can be seen to mirror the perceptions of a 14-year-old struggling to comprehend the enormity of what has happened to her. 

If you can get past the slightly jarring combination of gritty and fantastical, you can engage with some profound questions about life and death.

A History of Violence (2005)

Thriller directed by David Cronenberg. 

An “ordinary” American, Tom Stall, works in a cafe in a small town. One day, a pair of crooks come in and threaten him and his staff. With what might be pure luck or uncanny combat skills, he quickly dispenses with them and is celebrated as a hero by the town. But then some gangsters show up in the same diner and appear to know Tom. Is this just a case of mistaken identity or does he have a troubling and mysterious past?

Viggo Mortensen stars, bringing depth to a complicated part. His wife is played brilliantly by Maria Bello in a fully rounded role. Ed Harris plays the sinister criminal whose appearance changes everything. 

There’s strong suspense and – as the title implies – a fair bit of blood. Cronenberg explores the nature of identity and violence, and the impact they have on family life. 

It's a scary and compassionate drama.

Sense and Sensibility (1995)

Superb historical drama adapted by Ang Lee from Jane Austen’s classic 1811 novel.

Sisters Elinor and Marianne are played wonderfully by Emma Thompson and a young Kate Winslet. Hugh Grant, Greg Wise and Alan Rickman portray the men they fall in love with. As these relationships play out, in London and Devonshire, the story examines whether we should marry for love or for status.

It's hugely involving, with moments of wit and tenderness. Hugh Grant is incredibly charming as the shy and well-meaning Edward Ferrars. Alan Rickman, for once, doesn't seem typecast or obvious. He brings real subtlety to the role of Colonel Brandon. 

As well as the main leads, there are excellent performances by Imogen Stubbs, Gemma Jones, Hugh Laurie and Robert Hardy.

One of the greatest costumers.

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Tightly plotted and relentlessly entertaining, this was the second Star Wars film to be released (although it's placed fifth in the overall narrative sequence).

There's an excellent script full of highly quotable lines, and a lot of it is very funny, too. Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill are all at their best.

There’s romance (Han and Leia), adventure, mystery, excitement and peril. Plus an odd recurring theme of disfigurement.

The pacing is perfect. Director Irvin Kershner keeps things moving, but never at the expense of character development.

The Lake House (2006)

Romantic drama directed by Alejandro Agresti. It's a new version of the South Korean film Il Mare (2000).

Sandra Bullock is a doctor called Kate. Keanu Reeves is an architect called Alex. The pair fall in love. The problem is that Alex lives in 2004, while Kate lives in 2006.

They communicate through letters left in the mailbox of a lake house in Chicago, somehow bridging the two-year gap but without being able to meet.

Trying to work out the various time/space concepts made my head hurt. It’s great that the film makes you think, but this tends to be at the expense of the storytelling. I wanted to focus on the relationship between the couple, and not get bogged down by the dodgy science. Other films, such as Back to the Future, deal with the conceptual stuff much more neatly so that it can be moved out of the way and not distract from the plot.

Another flaw is that – by definition – too much of the film has to show the two characters alone, talking to themselves. The best moments are those rare occasions when we actually see the pair together – or nearly together.

I really enjoyed The Lake House despite the fact that it fundamentally doesn’t work. Thankfully, Bullock is great, whatever she’s in, and she raises an average drama to something well worth watching – as long as you don't ask any questions.

Dune: Part One (2021)

Denis Villeneuve’s remake of the Frank Herbert novel previously filmed by David Lynch. It’s certainly more coherent than the Lynch version, but some of the wild imaginative magic of that film has been lost. Instead, everything looks great, and is incredibly epic, but it comes across as rather ponderous. Every word or sentence uttered seems intended to carry great gravitas, and sometimes you wish there was a little more life in the drama. That said, the spectacle is remarkable and the vast planetscapes are undeniably impressive.

Timothée Chalamet seems oddly weedy as Paul Atreides, but that’s presumably the point. He’s young and naive but carrying the potential of greatness, and he grows in stature as the film progresses. Better is Rebecca Ferguson as his mother and Oscar Isaacson as his father. Josh Brolin and Charlotte Rampling have small, but important parts, but seem somewhat underused. 

The second part will be released in 2024.

Imitation of Life (1959)

Extremely unusual drama directed by Douglas Sirk and adapted from the novel by Fannie Hurst.

Lana Turner stars, as Lana Meredith, an actor who puts her work before everything. Juanita Moore plays Annie Johnson, a woman who she takes in as her maid. John Gavin plays Steve Archer, a man Lara is drawn to. 

Laura and Juanita both have young girls and we see them brought up in very different ways. The film examines these two mother/daughter relationships. There’s also a strong theme about race, which isn’t common for this period.

It’s an engaging melodrama in which a lot happens and a lot of material is covered. Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue both feature. It’s quite interesting to see them acting having only previously known them from the song in Grease.  

It’s not clear why it’s called Imitation of Life.

Barry Lyndon (1975)

Written and directed by Stanley Kubrick, this historical drama is a masterclass in how to make a great film. Everything about it is superb. 

Consisting of the varied and rambling adventures of the title character (portrayed by Ryan O’Neal), the story details the exploits of an 18th-century Anglo-Irish loner. He has to leave home following a duel with British Army captain John Quin (Leonard Rossiter), is robbed by highwaymen and then ends up in the British army – until he deserts and sets off on a whole sequence of other adventures.

There’s a quirky tone, enhanced by the narration of Michael Hordern. The film has an unusually sophisticated deadpan wit and intelligence. It's visually stunning, too. Kubrick treats you to a sequence of brilliantly composed shots. It’s like a rare liqueur – a luxurious treat. 

A masterpiece.

Colette (2018)

Keira Knightley stars in this biopic about the novelist Colette, directed by Wash Westmoreland. 

After growing up in rural 19th-century, France, Colette meets and marries Willie (Dominic West), a Paris-based literary entrepreneur who uses ghostwriters to come up with articles in his name. When Colette reveals a talent for writing, she embarks on a series of novels that Willy takes the credit for. 

It’s an intriguing drama that evokes the time and place well. Knightley gives one of the strongest and most multifaceted performances of her career. West is also good as her thoroughly unlikeable husband. The focus on the balance of power in their relationship is expertly handled.

I wanted to find out more about what happened to Collette’s life and writing, but it’s left to the brief snippets of on-screen text at the end to fill you in.

Café Society (2016)

Engaging comedy-drama written and directed by Woody Allen. 

It’s the 1930s. Bobby Dorfman (Jesse Eisenberg) goes to Hollywood and gets a job working for his Uncle Phil (Steve Carell). He falls in love with Phil’s secretary Veronica/Vonnie (Kristen Stewart), not realising that she’s already dating someone else – a married man Bobby knows all too well…

The various plot threads play out in a satisfying manner. The film is a slow-burning romance that sensitively explores the “what ifs” of love. 

It’s a fairly low-key film. There are some funny moments, often relating to Bobby’s gangster brother Ben (Corey Stoll). It’s good at showing the contrast between the cultures of California and New York. As always, Woody Allen does an expert job with the nuts and bolts of storytelling, pacing, characterisation and dialogue. 

Kristen Stewart is absolutely spot on as the much-in-demand and conflicted Vonnie.

Lady Bird (2017)

Greta Gerwig’s sweet and compassionate drama about a teenage girl’s coming of age in Sacramento, California. 

Saoirse Ronan plays Christine, a.k.a. Lady Bird, who has a complicated relationship with her mother (Laurie Metcalf) and indeed with herself. It’s beautifully observed, with moments of comedy and pathos. I was reminded of Woody Allen at his best. 

Beanie Feldstein is especially likeable as Lady Bird’s best friend Julie. 

The mother/daughter topic somehow recalls the Susan Sarandon/Natalie Portman pair-up in Anywhere but Here (1999), although this is a more nuanced and subtle treatment of that subject matter.

15 Minutes (2001)

A fundamentally misconceived thriller that somehow stars Robert De Niro. It’s an extremely heavy-handed satire about fame and the media that fails on multiple levels. 

Two eastern European criminals arrive in New York City. (They are portrayed in a crassly simplistic, racist manner.) The pair want to be famous, and will commit murder to achieve that. Meanwhile, a detective (De Niro) and a fire investigator (Edward Burns) team up to catch them. 

There are lots of unexpected twists – not because the film is well-plotted, but because it’s a sprawling mess. Certain threads are never resolved, such as the fate of Vera Farmiga’s character. She’s meant to be the love interest, but she’s quietly sent away rather than being allowed to develop her relationship with Burns’ character. 

The biggest flaw of all is the two criminals, who are woefully one-dimensional and presumably intended to be semi-comedic (the tone of the film is especially uneven). One of them video-tapes everything they do, thereby incriminating them. Maddeningly, the film presents some of the action through their camera footage – a gimmick that very quickly wears thin. This camcorder view of the violence also seems like exactly the sort of sensationalist rubbish the film claims to be satirising. It’s way dumber than it thinks it is. 

There’s also a silly plot about a true-crime TV show presented by Kelsey Grammer (of Frasier) that feels like a different film entirely. 

It’s frustrating because De Niro, Burns and Farmiga are all on good form, and some of their scenes are highly watchable. It’s as if director John Herzfeld sub-contracted some of the work, so jarring and uneven are the various different kinds of film clumsily cobbled together for the final edit.

There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)

Brassy, and colourful musical, directed by Walter Lang and completely lacking in depth. 

The main point of interest is Marilyn Monroe, who is always engaging, and it’s telling how much the film has retrospectively been sold on her involvement. The back of the DVD box, for instance, describes it as a Monroe film, when she’s not the star of it at all. 

The main focus is on the singing family, the Donahues, played by Ethel Merman, Donald O’Connor, Dan Dailey, Johnnie Ray and Mitzi Gaynor. They’re loud and bold, in an unsubtle and unappealing way, and they lack charisma. Indeed, they struggle to hold your attention at all.

Likewise, the songs by Irving Berlin aren’t especially memorable, with the exception of the famous title song (which you have to wait right until the end to hear). 

It’s not a terrible film by any means, and it probably achieves what it sets out to, but from the vantage point of 2023 there’s very little in it that stands up.

Sabrina (1954)

Light romantic comedy directed by Billy Wilder. 

Audrey Hepburn stars in the title role. She thinks she’s in love with the wealthy Long Island next-door neighbour David (William Holden) but really she’s falling in love with his brother Linus (Humphrey Bogart). 

There are some nice moments but it’s not really funny enough to justify the slightly contorted plot. Hepburn and Bogart are both charismatic and charming, but you wish they had been given sharper, wittier lines to deliver. 

The film was remade in 1995 with Harrison Ford, Julia Ormond and Greg Kinnear.

The Razor's Edge (1946)

Strange drama directed by Edmund Goulding. It was adapted from the novel by Somerset Maugham, who is actually portrayed as a character in the story. 

Tyrone Power stars as a World War I veteran who puts his marriage on hold to deal with the trauma of military conflict. He goes travelling and “discovers himself” through spiritual enlightenment in India, with big implications for his personal life. 

Gene Tierney plays the woman who loves him and who has no time to acknowledge his PTSD. Instead, she repeatedly tells him he has to help American prosperity by earning as much money as possible. Anne Baxter gives the most interesting performance, as a bereaved woman who becomes an alcoholic. The slightly postmodern trick of having Somerset Maugham himself wandering in and out of the story adds little.

Maiden (2018)

Remarkable documentary about Tracy Edwards, a 24-year-old who skippered the first ever all-female crew in the Whitbread Round the World Race when she took part in the 1989 event. 

Directed by Alex Holmes, it’s a fascinating and surprisingly emotional film. It’s impressive how much footage has been assembled and how beautifully edited together it is. The interviews with the crew in the present day make for fascinating viewing, especially intercut with their younger selves at the time of the race. 

Edwards emerges as a uniquely determined and focused individual who took on a challenge and succeeded, despite her own deep insecurities and the prejudice she faced from others.

The Edge (1997)

Extremely flawed disaster/survival thriller written by David Mamet. 

Anthony Hopkins is the only good thing about the film, and thankfully he’s in virtually every frame. He plays a know-it-all billionaire, Charles, who survives a plane crash in Alaska and attempts to walk back to civilisation. His efforts are hindered by the vain photographer, Bob, who he accompanied (Alec Baldwin), who happens to be having an affair with his wife (a miscast Elle MacPherson). 

For some reason, Charles and Bob are continually saying each other's names.

The situation is exciting enough – there are plenty of showdowns with bears – but the execution is third-rate and even comical. In one laugh-out-loud scene, Hopkins and Baldwin don bear-hide costumes that they have apparently rustled up in mere minutes. They look like Ewoks.

Dark Waters (2019)

Based on actual events, this is a brilliant environmental/legal thriller directed by Todd Haynes. It falls into the same loose sub-genre as Erin Brockovich. 

Mark Ruffalo plays Robert Bilott, who tried to sue the chemical manufacturing corporation DuPont for their contamination of a small town in West Virginia. 

Anne Hathaway portrays his wife, Sarah, and Tim Robbins plays his boss Tom. Ruffalo is extremely convincing and hugely sympathetic in the main role. You really feel every emotion he expresses.

Addicted to Love (1997)

Deeply flawed rom-com. 

Photographer Maggie (Meg Ryan) and astronomer Sam (Matthew Broderick) team up to spy on and torment their former lovers, who have become a couple. This unlikely and mean-spirited premise sees the pair squatting in a New York City apartment opposite their exes and watching them by using Sam’s astronomy equipment for surveillance. 

The story doesn’t work for a number of reasons, but mainly because it’s built around cruelty. Are we really meant to relate to them destroying the lives of the people who wronged them? 

There are so many silly aspects:

1. Maggie is a revenge-crazed grungy biker/artist with perfect make-up. The film can’t decide how we’re supposed to feel about her. 

2. Neither Maggie nor Sam have anything else they need to do, such as earning a living. They can spend all of their time dismantling other people’s lives. 

3. The Frenchman Anton (Tchéky Karyo) who steals Sam’s sweetheart Linda (Kelly Preston) doesn’t sound French at all. I kept thinking that the plot would reveal him to be an American, but no, he was just acting badly. 

4. There’s an absurd scene in which a bunch of kids are persuaded to spray perfume on Anton via water pistols. This sort of thing just doesn’t ring true.  

It’s fascinating in a way, but the tone is all wrong and it’s simply not funny. You wonder why Ryan and Broderick ever got mixed up in something so misjudged.

Napoleon (2023)

Visually stunning biopic of the French emperor, chronicling his rise to power across a sequence of epic battles, phenomenally shot by Ridley Scott. 

Joaquin Phoenix is perfect in the lead role, underplaying rather than overplaying the part. It’s a simmering performance full of nuance and strength. 

Central to the story is his relationship with Joséphine, brilliantly portrayed by Vanessa Kirby.

There's a lot to cram in, in terms of historical events and the surrounding context, and Scott does this without cluttering the story or making it unwieldy. At 157 minutes, it's long but it doesn't outstay its welcome.

Two Weeks Notice (2002)

An idealistic liberal New York lawyer (Sandra Bullock) wants to protect a community centre. But her new boss – a womanising billionaire real estate developer (Hugh Grant) – wants to use the land for new property. The pair see the world differently, but soon hit it off. 

Troublingly, there’s no apostrophe in the title (which should be Two Weeks’ Notice). That aside, this is a charming rom-com. Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock have great chemistry together, and a sharp script lets both of them deliver some funny lines. I like the fact that the pair have so much screen time together. Often in rom-coms the story is all about getting the couple together, leaving you feeling that you've missed out on enjoying their relationship. 

Donald Trump has a slightly bizarre cameo, and indeed Grant’s empire seems loosely based on Trump’s own. Singer Norah Jones also briefly pops up as herself.

Sarah's Key (2010)

Drama directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner and adapted from a novel by Tatiana de Rosnay. 

In 1942, Paris is occupied by the Germans and the Jews are deported in the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup. Sarah, aged 10, hides her brother in a cupboard before fleeing with her parents, vowing to return. The implications of this promise affect many lives, rippling outward in time.

It’s highly engaging. Kristin Scott Thomas gives one of her best performances as Julia Jarmond, a journalist who begins researching Sarah’s life and finds it’s unexpectedly connected with her own. 

Somehow, all the jumping around in time and geography doesn’t quite work. I wished it was a true story rather than a slightly convoluted work of fiction. And in the final third, there are some slightly silly decisions. For example, there’s an incongruous father/son scene that feels completely out of place. And the scenes of Julia with her journalist colleagues feel hammy and lack the ring of truth. All that said, there’s a touching story at the heart of this drama and the two female leads are both superb.

The Eiger Sanction (1975)

Appalling thriller directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, who ought to have known better. He stars as a hitman, who's also a lecturer, who’s also a climber, who's also a ladies’ man, who’s also an art collector…

There’s no tension or drama. But there’s plenty of sexism, homophobia and racism. There's also a clumsy sub-James Bond plot that doesn’t make sense, and a total lack of characterisation. Even the celebrated climbing sequences end up being dull. 

Clint is usually reliable, so you can only wonder how this ended up being such a turkey.

I'm Not Scared (2003)

During the 1970s, in Italy‘s “Years of Lead”, a nine-year-old boy, Michele Amitrano, discovers a child, apparently abandoned or imprisoned in a pit. He tries to help, not realising the implications for his own family and their involvement in the situation.

Directed by Gabriele Salvatores, it’s a powerful drama and the performances are remarkable. Giuseppe Cristiano is incredibly believable, with none of the self consciousness that often affects child actors. The little girl who plays his sweet younger sister, is also fantastic. 

Ultimately it’s an extremely sad film about poverty and its effects on a community.

Chalet Girl (2011)

Enjoyable romantic comedy directed by Phil Traill. 

Kim (Felicity Jones) is a former skateboarding champion whose mother died in a car accident. Since then, she has been living in semi-poverty with her depressed father (Bill Bailey). She takes a job as a chalet girl in an Austrian ski resort, where her working-class origins place her in stark contrast with her posh co-worker (Tasmin Egerton) and the wealthy family they both work for. Meanwhile, Kim rediscovers her sporting mojo and enters a snowboarding competition…

It’s frothy and very silly, but Felicity Jones is extremely charming. Brooke Shields and Bill Nighy play the parents of the fairly lame male lead (Ed Westwick). 

The issues of class aspiration are never really resolved, but despite that there’s a reasonably satisfying progression to the plot. The script features some witty lines and it’s engaging enough to keep you watching.

Closer (2004)

Drama directed and produced by Mike Nichols, based on a 1997 stage play by Patrick Marber. 

The story deals with the intersecting relationships of two men and two women. Clive Owen and Natalie Portman are both excellent at presenting complex, rounded characters. Jude Law just does his usual Jude Law thing. And Julia Roberts is oddly drippy and underwhelming with a character that’s barely there – to the extent that you have no idea why two men would be obsessed with her. 

It ends up a little overwrought, with lots of rather pompous statements about truth and honesty uttered by characters who are all over the place. You feel the writing tries too hard to be shocking and morally confrontational. As an account of intense human emotions it’s compelling but difficult to like.

Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)

Comedy-drama directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. It’s a sort of American Love Actually, with interwoven strands and an ensemble cast telling several connected stories. 

Steve Carell and Julianne Moore play Cal and Emily Weaver, a middle-aged couple in the process of separating. Ryan Gosling is Jacob, a super-confident ladies’ man, who (implausibly) decides to teach Cal everything he knows about sweet-talking women. Meanwhile, Emma Stone is a law school graduate who turned down Jacob's advances. Kevin Bacon is the co-worker Julianne Moore's character pairs up with. 

It’s quite funny in places if you can suspend disbelief about various scenarios that fail to ring true. Morally, it’s all over the place and I’m not entirely sure what point it was trying to make about predatory men.

Derailed (2005)

Engaging but in places extremely far-fetched thriller.

Clive Owen meets Jennifer Aniston on a train and they begin a passionate fling. In a hotel room, the pair are attacked by Vincent Cassel (who only seems to play baddies), who then blackmails Clive Owen for money in exchange for not telling his wife about the infidelity. So Clive has to spend his life's savings, put aside to care for his sick daughter...  

It’s an enjoyable twist-filled tale, even if it begins to stretch credibility in the final sections. Owen is always charming, and he is excellent with the limited material. Aniston is better than expected – or rather, at least she’s not merely reprising Rachel from Friends. 

On the downside there is a silly character played by rapper RZA, and Clive Owen’s wife played by Melissa George is sketchy and unconvincing.

Maria Full of Grace (2004)

A superb Spanish-language drama written and directed by Joshua Marston. 

Maria (Catalina Sandino Moreno) is a 17-year-old Colombian girl who quits her deeply unpleasant job removing thorns from roses and becomes a drug mule tasked with transporting swallowed drug pellets to New York City. Of course, the job isn't as simple as she has been promised.

It's extremely gripping, and it works as a thriller as well as a human-interest story. Catalina Sandino Moreno is absolutely superb in the lead role, as is Yenny Paola Vega, who plays her friend.

While it's a very sad film, there's a hugely satisfying conclusion.

Gangs of New York (2002)

One of Martin Scorsese's lesser works. As a fan, I found this a big disappointment.

Fragmented and unfocused, it tells the story of the feuding Catholic and Protestant groups in the New York of the 1860s. At the same time, Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) seeks revenge from William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis), who killed his priest father (Liam Neeson).

Scorsese tries to tell too many stories and loses track of the multiple threads.

There's slightly naff Irish music running through the film, which drags on for 167 minutes.

DiCaprio doesn't get to act much, which is a missed opportunity, and Cameron Diaz (who plays his pickpocket girlfriend) doesn't bring a great deal to the role.

There was possibly a great film in here somewhere, but possibly it got lost in the edit.

Days of Wine and Roses (1962)

Directed by Blake Edwards and adapted from a teleplay, this is an excellent portrayal of alcoholism and its destructive role on a couple’s relationship.

Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick are entirely convincing as a young, seemingly happy couple who slowly learn that they simply cannot be together, such is the destructive effect their addictions have on themselves and one another. 

Their downward spiral makes for slightly gruelling, if hypnotic watching.

Custody (2017)

Award-winning French drama about the fallout of marital separation on an 11-year-old child (Thomas Gioria).

It's brilliant but thoroughly depressing, without even a hint of optimism as a domestic conflict escalates into physical danger. 

The small cast's remarkable performances highlight the horrors of a broken family and the damage it can inflict on the kids.

Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

Superb courtroom drama directed by Otto Preminger. 

James Stewart plays a brilliant but unconventional former district attorney, who acts as a defence lawyer for a suspected murder. 

There are plenty of quirky and strange characters, and dialogue is also attractively offbeat – particularly given the repeated reference to "panties". 

Every actor is remarkable, and there are memorable performances by Lee Remick (as the ambiguous Laura Manion), Ben Gazzara (as Lt. Frederick Manion) and George C. Scott (as the prosecutor Claude Dancer). Especially memorable is the judge played by Joseph N. Welch (a real-life lawyer). 

There's also an excellent soundtrack by Duke Ellington.

Christine (1983)

John Carpenter's superb adaptation of the classic Stephen King novel about a haunted car. It also functions as a teen drama.

It's scary, thanks to expert pacing and also Carpenter's ominous, exciting music. The film looks terrific, too, and is visually striking.

It's in love with America: a celebration of cars, cheerleaders, drive-ins, and rock 'n' roll.

As well as the horror element, it's a story about friendship and growing up. There's very strong characterisation. Keith Gordon plays Arnie Cunningham, the nerdy boy who buys the 1958 Plymouth Fury and is quickly possessed by her. John Stockwell plays his friend Dennis, and Alexandra Paul plays Leigh Cabot, a new girl at school that both Arnie and Dennis are drawn to. Harry Dean Stanton plays the investigating detective.

Finding Neverland (2004)

Intriguing (partial) biopic of the writer J.M. Barrie. 

Barrie is played unexpectedly well by Johnny Depp. Kate Winslet plays Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, the widow he falls in love with and maintains a platonic relationship with, while becoming a sort of father to her children. In the meantime, he’s working on the Peter Pan play that will make his name, and which is inspired by the family he has become so attached to. 

It’s quite a touching story. “Neverland” works as a metaphor for make-believe/imagination and also for Heaven. There’s a strong performance by Julie Christie, as Sylvia’s strict and frosty mother. Dustin Hoffman is refreshingly unselfconscious as Charles Frohman, the play’s producer. 

It would be easy to criticise the film’s extremely sanitised portrayal of terminal disease, but it’s a story all about the imagination so it therefore seems to make sense that gritty realism is held at bay.

Evolution (2001)

Comedy sci-fi directed by Ivan Reitman. 

Arizona college professor (David Duchovny) and his geologist pal (Orlando Jones) investigate the site of a meteor landing. Exploring the site they encounter life-forms with the ability to evolve at high speed. Before long, all civilisation is at risk. 

Julianne Moore plays an epidemiologist who keeps tripping over and bumping into things, while Dan Ackroyd is the state governor, keen to avert an embarrassing disaster.

It’s extremely silly, but it’s quick-witted and there are enough laughs to keep you hooked in until the end.

The Wings of the Dove (1997)

Historical drama adapted from the 1902 Henry James novel and directed by Iain Softley. 

The wealthy American heiress Milly (Alison Elliott) is dying. Her friend Kate (Helena Bonham-Carter) schemes to inherit her money via a love triangle with her boyfriend Merton (Linus Roache). But inevitably things don’t go to plan. 

It's enjoyable but there are a couple of flaws. The first is that Milly never seems especially unwell. The second is that Merton doesn’t seem charming enough to have two women in love with him. What’s the appeal?

In places, more depth was needed to explore characters and their motivations. For example, Kate’s strict, stuffy aunt (Charlotte Rampling) is something of a caricature without being fully explained. This may be because the novel had to be condensed for the screen. 

That said, it's lavishly shot and generally well acted.

Nowhere Boy (2009)

Biopic of the teenage John Lennon, directed by artist Sam Taylor-Wood.

Growing up in Liverpool in the 1950s, Lennon (Aaron Johnson) is torn between his solid, strict, practical Aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas) and his flighty mother, Julia (Anne-Marie Duff), who gave him up to live with her sister. 

Wisely, it keeps to the emotional drama: the story of Lennon’s musical development mostly takes place in the background. I feared that it would be a sentimental and/or simplistic account of the heartache that led to his rise to fame, but the film explores his complicated relationships with nuance and subtlety.

House at the End of the Street (2012)

Directed by Mark Tonderai, this is a psychological thriller with suggestions of the supernatural.

A teenage girl (Jennifer Lawrence) and her mother (Elisabeth Shue) move to a new neighbourhood. They learn that a nearby property was the scene of a double killing by a 17-year-old girl, whose older brother still occupies the house. But of course nothing is as it seems.

The film suffers from being directed at teenagers. There’s little depth, with the usually brilliant Lawrence giving a merely adequate performance. The slightly tortured twists of the plot don’t satisfy, either, and there’s not a great deal to enjoy.

Hide and Seek (2005)

Psychological thriller directed by John Polson.

New York psychologist Dr. David Callaway (Robert De Niro) finds his wife dead in the bathtub, after what seems like a suicide. David takes his nine-year-old daughter Emily (Dakota Fanning) to upstate New York, where they can live in a big spooky house miles from anywhere. But when Emily makes friends with “Charlie”, who may or may not be imaginary, events quickly take a sinister turn... 

While De Niro is somewhat wasted in the role, it’s a tense drama with horror tropes and it keeps you guessing until the big reveal towards the end.

The Help (2011)

Historical drama set in Mississippi in 1963. 

Skeeter (Emma Stone), an aspiring author, decides to write a book on African-American maids and the struggles they face on a daily basis.

Directed by Tate Taylor, this film is adapted from the popular 2009 novel by Kathryn Stockett. Despite good storytelling and some remarkable performances by Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Viola Davis, it’s sentimental and simplistic. There’s also an unfortunate “white saviour” aspect. Given the importance of the Civil Rights movement, you wish there had been a more nuanced and subtle treatment of the topic.

Suspect (1987)

American legal mystery thriller.

Cher stars as lawyer Kathleen Riley. Liam Neeson plays Carl Wayne Anderson, a homeless Vietnam vet who she defends. Dennis Quaid, meanwhile, is an agribusiness lobbyist. 

Cher is great, with an undeniable presence, and to the credit of director Peter Yates the film is never formulaic. But there are too many red herrings for the story to truly satisfy. And it's never entirely clear why the plot required Neeson's character to be deaf and dumb.

Best in Show (2000)

Absolutely hilarious and finely drawn mockumentary about the Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show and the fairly extreme dog-owners who are drawn to enter their pets. It’s directed by Christopher Guest of Spinal Tap fame and it follows a similar format – interviews and clips of the characters as we get to know them and their predicaments.

The ensemble cast is absolutely pitch perfect, mining the seriousness of the dog show for all the possible comedic value. The vanity of these dog owners is exposed with continually funny consequences.

Doubt (2008)

Compelling drama adapted from the stage play by John Patrick Shanley. 

It’s 1964. At a catholic school, the priest, Father Brendan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is slandered by Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep), who accuses him of an inappropriate relationship with a black student. Meanwhile, a young and impressionable history teacher, Sister James (Amy Adams), is inadvertently drawn into this tangled mess.

Viola Davis plays the child’s mother with depth and empathy. 

It’s fascinating stuff, and you are quickly drawn in by Streep’s intensity as a terrifying, vindictive, almost witch-like fanatic.

I felt slightly disappointed by the ending, although I’m not sure how else it could played out.

Last Orders (2001)

Written and directed by Fred Schepisi, this is a disappointing adaptation of Graeme Swift‘s Booker Prize-winning novel. 

When Alex (Michael Caine) dies, his friends and son honour his final wishes by travelling to Margate to scatter his ashes from the end of the pier. In undertaking this journey, they consider their memories of him and their feelings for each other, past and present.

Somehow, what works beautifully on the page fails to translate to the screen.

Graeme Swift's elegant weaving together of different times and places makes perfect sense in a written context. But filmed, the multiple time frames and young/old juxtapositions seem clunky. Plus, the cheesy music by Paul Grabowsky is jarring and inappropriate. 

Helen Mirren is solid as Jack’s wife Amy. Ray Winstone, Bob Hoskins and Tom Courtenay just do what they always do.

Space Cowboys (2000)

Four elderly test pilots are brought out of retirement to save the world from an armed Russian satellite. This unlikely premise unites Clint Eastwood (who also directs), Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland and James Garner. 

During the training process there are age-related jokes aplenty (Eastwood seems obsessed by the topic) before the four guys actually go into space and things get (relatively) serious. 

A few flaws. The Russian plot is never really explained. Also, the despatching of the bombs is oddly never shown. Were those graphics outside of the budget? Or did something get mangled in the edit? 

James Garner seems underused. 

Marcia Gay Harden is good as the scientist Sara Holland, who becomes Tommy Lee’s unlikely love interest. 

Hardly a classic, but it’s a good-natured romp with some enjoyable comic moments.

The Deer Hunter (1978)

A gripping and disturbing war drama directed by Michael Cimino.

Three Slavic-American friends (Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken and John Savage) find their simple, low-key lives are shattered after they are shipped off to fight in Vietnam. 

Brilliantly, the film establishes a long set-up in their hometown. You get to know the characters and their context. The war segment is merely the second part of the film. The third part then deals with what happens after they come home – the emotional fall-out of everything they've experienced.

Meryl Streep is excellent as a companion from their pre-war existence. De Niro and Walken are at their very best: highly convincing as young men under unbearable pressures. There's a strong anti-war message, handled with subtlety, but it seems to be primarily a story about friendship and the strength of the human soul.

The Russian roulette sequences won't be quickly forgotten.