Misery (1990)

Brilliant adaptation of the Stephen King novel. 

A writer (James Caan) crashes his car in a snowstorm and is rescued by his “number-one fan” (Kathy Bates), who unfortunately turns out to be a psychopath. She keeps him in her home against his will and forces him to write another book, while regularly having violent episodes and taking out her anger on him. 

The real genius of this tightly plotted film is the bleakly humorous thread running through it. Director Rob Reiner somehow makes this terrifying saga into a black comedy. Kathy Bates is cartoonishly scary, and judges it just right. 

The suspense is almost unbearable – especially when Caan is exploring the empty house as Bates is driving back to it – and there are a couple of absolutely unforgettable scenes.

Funny Lady (1975)

Barbra Streisand is charming and endearing as Fanny Brice in this colourful sequel to Funny Girl (1968). I preferred it to that earlier film, as it seems looser and more playful. Brice is struggling to get over her marriage to Nick (Omar Sharif), but falls in love with impresario Billy Rose (James Caan).

There’s plenty of comedy and the script is sharp. The interplay between Streisand and Caan is especially watchable, even if you can never quite believe in their romance. Then again, that may be the point: these characters are rivals rather than soulmates.

The film slightly loses its way in the second half, becoming more of a conventional musical. The point at which Barbra sings from a small biplane is just ludicrous. Likewise, her attempt to sabotage a theatrical rehearsal in a swimming pool by clowning around in the water doesn’t really work as a scene or ring true with the story we’ve started to believe. Another oddity is Roddy McDowall cast as her gay friend Bobby. He hangs around and doesn’t say much in a way that suggests the film doesn’t need him at all.

But at her best, Streisand is hugely charismatic and when she gets a chance to really act – as she does in a few scenes – the results are impressive.

The Godfather (1972)

This came with all the baggage of being a celebrated “masterpiece”. Maybe that’s why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I was supposed to. The mafia plot threads are engrossing, if complicated, and Al Pacino is terrific as Michael. Also, James Caan, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton are all persuasive in their roles. However, I found Marlon Brando slightly ridiculous as Vito Corleone. His almost indecipherable speech didn’t help (it’s obvious he has something stuffed inside his cheeks), and clarity is unnecessarily sacrificed for “character”. 

Surprisingly, Francis Ford Coppola’s direction doesn’t seem especially notable. I far, far prefer the vision he brings to Apocalypse Now and Peggy Sue Got Married. 

The drab, washed-out visuals are presumably deliberate, but these are another turn-off.

My loss, I know.