Woman at War (2018)

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Icelandic comedy-drama starring Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir as Halla, a choir conductor who leads a double life, sabotaging electricity power l...

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008)

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Written and directed by Mark Herman, this is an adaptation of a novel by John Boyne set in Poland during World War II.  The eight-year-old s...

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

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Fascinating comedy-drama written and directed by Quentin Tarantino.  It’s 1969 in Los Angeles. Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an actor f...

Vantage Point (2008)

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A so-so political thriller that’s built around an interesting idea. We see the events leading up to (and away from) an assassination attempt...

Primary Colors (1998)

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An engaging political drama directed by Mike Nichols, with plenty of comic moments. John Travolta plays a governor with presidential ambitio...

Practical Magic (1998)

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Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman star as two witches in a highly flawed comedy-drama directed by Griffin Dunne. They are sisters trying to o...

Three Kings (2000)

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David O. Russell directs this war film set in 1991 at the end of the first Gulf War, but it’s not up to his usual high standards . George Cl...

Lovely & Amazing (2001)

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Comedy-drama written and directed by Nicole Holofcener. Jane Marks (Brenda Blethyn) is the mother of two grown-up daughters, Michelle (Cathe...

28 Days (2000)

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Comedy-drama directed by Betty Thomas. Sandra Bullock plays an alcoholic who is forced to enter rehab after her drinking sprawls out of cont...

Unknown (2011)

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Effective but unoriginal Liam Neeson vehicle, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra.  A professor (Neeson) has an accident on a work trip to Berlin...

After the Wedding (2006)

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Remarkable drama directed by Susanne Bier.  Mads Mickelson stars as the manager of an orphanage in India. He is approached by a potential do...

Run Lola Run (1988)

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Written and directed by Tom Tykwer, this is a German film that takes a somewhat experimental approach. Like a student art film, it’s quirky ...

The Grey (2011)

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Liam Neeson stars as the survivor of a plane crash in Alaska. He and his remaining oil industry colleagues attempt to walk to safety, battli...

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

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Matthew McConaughey is brilliant in this thriller, directed by Brad Furman and adapted from a novel by Michael Connelly. Lawyer Mickey Halle...

Whiplash (2014)

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Excellent drama about a boy (Miles Teller) at a New York musical school wanting to become an all-time great drummer. His tutor, Terence Flet...

Gone Girl (2014)

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Extremely disappointing thriller directed by David Fincher and adapted from the popular novel by Gillian Flynn.  I’d heard great things abou...

The Big Sleep (1946)

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This smart adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s 1939 novel offers tremendous writing and acting. The convoluted plot is difficult to follow but ...

American Beauty (1999)

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A brilliantly made and acted – but in many ways quite depressing – drama directed by Sam Mendes. Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening star as a c...

The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)

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Romantic comedy-drama written and directed by Steve Kloves. Two pianist brothers (real-life brothers Jeff Bridges and Beau Bridges) hire a f...

Bridget Jones's Baby (2016)

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Directed by Sharon Maguire, this is the third instalment in the popular series adapted from Helen Fielding’s mega-selling novels. Renée Zell...

All Is Lost (2013)

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Intensely powerful and watchable drama, brilliantly written and directed by J. C. Chandor.  Damaged by a large container that fell from a ca...

The War of the Roses (1989)

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Black comedy directed by Danny DeVito, who also plays a lawyer narrating the plot. The story deals with a couple, Oliver and Barbara Rose, w...

The Awakening (2011)

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Rebecca Hall stars as Florence Cathcart, a professional debunker of supernatural phenomena, who is sent to a school where spooky goings on h...

Miss Potter (2006)

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Directed by Chris Noonan, this is a biopic of Beatrix Potter focusing on the early part of the writer/illustrator’s career.  I enjoyed it be...

The Net (1995)

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Directed by Irwin Winkler, this is a trashy but enjoyable thriller starring Sandra Bullock as a geeky computer expert whose identity is stol...

Vera Drake (2004)

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Written and directed by Mike Leigh, this is an excellent drama about a 1950s working-class Londoner (Imelda Staunton) who illegally performs...

Career Girls (1997)

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Brilliant comedy-drama written and directed by Mike Leigh. It tells the story of two student friends, played by Katrin Cartlidge and Lynda S...

Comfort & Joy (1984)

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Gentle comedy directed by Bill Forsyth with that director's usual offbeat wit and strong sense of place.  A local radio DJ (Bill Paters...

Secrets & Lies (1996)

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Absolutely masterful drama directed by Mike Leigh. The members of a family find out things about each other that transform their lives as se...

Firefox (1982)

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A truly terrible film directed by Clint Eastwood, who stars as a military pilot tasked with stealing a thought-controlled Soviet fighter air...

Magic (1978)

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Anthony Hopkins is at his absolute best in this riveting drama about a ventriloquist, Charles “Corky” Withers, whose dummy (“Fats”) appears ...

Pollock (2000)

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Absolutely excellent biopic of Jackson Pollock, starring Ed Harris in the title role. The film examines the man’s life and work, exploring h...

A Most Violent Year (2014)

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Excellent thriller directed by J. C. Chandor and set in the early 1980s.  Oscar Isaac stars as a New Yorker whose business – selling oil – i...

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

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Judy Garland vehicle directed by Vincente Minnelli.  The story begins in St. Louis in the summer of 1903, and moves through the seasons befo...

The Love Punch (2013)

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Written and directed by Joel Hopkins, this is a lame comedy starring Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson as a divorced couple who set off on a ...

Darkest Hour (2017)

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Gary Oldman plays Winston Churchill during his early days as UK Prime Minister during World War II. It’s brilliantly acted but poorly filmed...

Crash (2004)

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An attempt by director Paul Haggis to make a multi-layered, interconnected narrative with a general theme about racism. It partially succeed...

Heathers (1989)

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The blackest of black comedies, directed by Michael Lehmann, this is an unusual film. Winona Ryder stars as one of four girls named Heather ...

Dune: Part Two (2024)

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Almost ridiculously epic and far too long, this second part of the Frank Herbert sci-fi adaptation is again directed by Denis Villeneuve. Pa...

The Thing (1982)

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Directed by John Carpenter, this is an intriguing mixture of horror, sci-fi and psychological drama. Kurt Russell stars as one of a group of...

The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996)

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Barbra Streisand directs and stars as a middle-aged academic, Rose, who begins a relationship with a fellow professor (Jeff Bridges). Both a...

The Glenn Miller Story (1954)

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Biopic of the American band-leader, directed by Anthony Mann.  In the title role, James Stewart seemingly makes very little effort to become...

White Oleander (2002)

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Absolutely superb drama directed by Peter Kosminsky. Michelle Pfeiffer is Ingrid Magnussen, who is sent to prison for murdering an unfaithfu...

The Story of Us (1999)

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Extremely well written and ultimately touching comedy drama about a couple and their marriage.  Ben and Katie (Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfe...

The Blind Side (2009)

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An intriguing drama, directed by John Lee Hancock and adapted from the 2006 book by Michael Lewis. It tells the true story of American footb...

Miss Congeniality (2000)

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So-so comedy directed by Donald Petrie.  Sandra Bullock stars as an FBI agent who goes undercover as a contestant in a beauty pageant after ...

While You Were Sleeping (1995)

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Described as a romantic comedy, this OK film directed by Jon Turteltaub isn’t really funny at all.  Sandra Bullock stars as Lucy, a Chicago ...

The Truman Show (1998)

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Jim Carrey stars as Truman Burbank, a man who doesn’t realise that his whole life has been filmed for a reality TV show broadcast to million...

Dead of Night (1945)

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Extremely unusual Ealing Studios curio. It features a series of short stories framed within one wider narrative. Each of these tales deals w...

The Shining (1980)

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Stanley Kubrick's terrifying, mesmerising classic both adapts and adds to the Stephen King horror novel. Jack Torrence (Jack Nicholson) ...