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.

Black Swan (2010)

Brilliant, engaging drama about a young ballet dancer (Natalie Portman), who gets the lead role in a new production of Swan Lake. Her manipulative and abusive teacher drives her to increasingly extreme actions in the name of training her for the role. She also has a controlling mother to contend with.

Portman is excellent as the ambitious but conflicted dancer who undergoes a remarkable transformation into the swan in the interests of achieving technical perfection. 

Directed by Darren Aronofsky, it’s filmed in a striking way, with tropes from horror films cleverly deployed to add suspense and scary drama.

The Lady in the Van (2015)

Nicholas Hytner’s adaptation of Alan Bennett’s memoir about an eccentric old lady who takes up residence on his Camden Town driveway. 

Alex Jennings plays Bennett. Maggie Smith is superb in the lead role, giving a suitably cantankerous and unlikable yet intelligent performance. I found the gimmick of two Alan Bennetts (as writer Alan talks to regular-guy Alan) an unwieldy distraction. Introducing the real Alan Bennett in a tricksy cameo at the end was further self-indulgent silliness. 

To the film's credit it doesn't sentimentalise the original material (there's plenty about toilet matters), and it reveals psychological depths that a lesser director might have ignored in favour of lazy farce. It also looks at middle-class guilt and how people behave when confronted by difficult situations that puncture the veneer of social normality.

I was pleased to see Rising Damp's Frances de la Tour as one of the neighbours.

Open Range (2003)

Awkward and stilted western directed by and starring Kevin Costner. 

Costner and Robert Duvall play a pair of nomadic cowboys known as “freegrazers”. 

It’s slow and the thin plot doesn’t warrant the extended 139-minute running time. Costner proves the general rule that actors cannot direct (the only exceptions being Clint Eastwood and Woody Allen). He has little sense of moving things along or building character. Instead, it’s like a fifth-rate homage to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. 

The one saving grace is Annette Bening as the doctor’s sister.

Love Is All You Need (2012)

Light romantic drama from Denmark, directed by Susanne Bier. 

Philip (Pierce Brosnan) is a hard-hearted businessman. Ida (Trine Dyrholm) is a hairdresser recovering from cancer treatment. They pair meet when their children are due to marry in Italy, and they fall in love despite various obstacles. 

Contrary to what the generic title and packaging might suggest, it’s surprisingly enjoyable and subtle, with some nice observations about the way families behave.

Blood Work (2002)

Enjoyable thriller starring and directed by Clint Eastwood. 

The plot features a retired FBI agent attempting to catch a killer. The twist is that he is suffering heart problems, which make it even more difficult.

Eastwood is great, as always. In fact, this could have worked as the next Dirty Harry film, although the main character is perhaps too compassionate to be Callahan. 

There are strong female characters – notably Anjelica Huston as Dr. Bonnie Fox. Jeff Daniels also co-stars.

The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)

Light drama adapted from the novel by Karen Joy Fowler. A group of women (and one man) congregate monthly to discuss the novels of Jane Austen. They find the minutiae of relationships detailed in those books mirror their own love lives. 

The writing seems clever on one level – the intertextuality of plots – but the characters are mainly annoying. Especially unbearable is Kathy Baker as Bernadette, who knits a lot and looks smug, but isn’t given a plot thread of her own. 

Emily Blunt is probably the best of those in the ensemble cast, but even she is only given trite dialogue.

A Room with a View (1985)

Produced by the Merchant Ivory team, this adaptation of E.M. Forster's 1908 novel is arguably the ultimate costumer.

A young woman named Lucy Honeychurch navigates relationship troubles and the social restrictions of Edwardian England.

Helena Bonham Carter is immensely lovable in the main role.

There's so much subtle, gentle wit on display, and the Italian locations look lavish.

Surprisingly, Forster seems to work much better on film than on the page (see also Howard's End, which also starred H.B.C.). Rich and vibrant characters come alive through a sparkling script. Simon Callow is excellent as the Reverend Mr Beebe. Judi Dench is also on top form as the novelist Eleanor Lavish. 

The rest of the all-star cast includes Julian Sands, Maggie Smith, Denholm Elliott and Daniel Day-Lewis.

Prisoners (2013)

A gripping and terrifying thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve. 

In Conyers, Pennsylvania, two girls go missing – believed to be abducted. Their families begin to disintegrate under the strain, with one of the fathers (Hugh Jackman) resorting to increasingly extreme behaviour. 

Jake Gyllenhaal plays the local detective, desperately trying to find the girls despite the community and his own boss working against him. 

It’s brilliantly written, acted and photographed. There’s a genuinely creepy look to the rainswept houses and streets. 

Themes of religion, family and community run through the narrative, adding depth and texture.

Jackie (2016)

Directed by Pablo Larraín, this is a sort of biopic about the wife of John F. Kennedy in the days before and after his assassination. 

Like all the best biopics, it doesn’t attempt to cram a complete life story into two hours. Instead, it zooms in on one moment in that life and uses it to explore the character in depth. 

It’s impressionistic, without losing sight of dialogue and storytelling. Natalie Portman gives the performance of a lifetime as Jacqueline Kennedy. 

It’s sad and disturbing, perfectly capturing her mixture of shock, anger and loss.

The Mission (1986)

A remarkable drama directed by Roland Joffé and written by Robert Bolt.

Plot (borrowed from online): "18th century Spanish Jesuits try to protect a remote South American Indian tribe in danger of falling under the rule of pro-slavery Portugal."

Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons star. 

The jungle setting is visually stunning.

It's powerful and moving, especially given that it's based on true events.

The stirring music is by Ennio Morricone. 

Viceroy's House (2017)

A not especially compelling historical drama, set at the time of India’s handover from Britain, and the partitioning of India and Pakistan. 

It tells that political story as well as the tale of a young couple separated along social and religious lines. 

Hugh Bonneville stars as the final Viceroy of India, Lord Dickie Mountbatten, and Gillian Anderson is excellent as his wife. 

Overall, the film disappoints. Somehow it fails to bring all of this to life. The script never sparkles and the overuse of archive footage (or at least mocked-up archive footage) has the effect of distancing you from the action. Also, it’s never clear whether the British actors are being formal and stuffy on purpose or whether they simply don’t have particularly well-written parts.

The Mercy (2017)

Directed by James Marsh and based on the true story, this is an account of the amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst, who entered the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race. 

Crowhurst lies about his progress, giving false coordinates of his location. He needs to win the race to resolve his financial affairs, despite the fact that his state-of-the-art ship (Teignmouth Electron) isn't ready in time for the trip. He can't give up and he can't go on, and this ultimately destroys him. 

Colin Firth is entirely convincing as the troubled Crowhurst, who quickly unravels when alone at sea. Rachel Weisz is excellent as his loving but possibly naive wife.

A desperately sad drama, brilliantly done.

The Mountain Between Us (2017)

Disaster/survival story that’s also a romance. 

A surgeon (Idris Elba) and Guardian journalist (Kate Winslet) survive a plane crash in the High Uintas Wilderness and attempt to walk to safety. The pair are very different to each other but the intensity of the experience brings them together. 

It’s engaging and heartwarming, if a bit idealised. 

I liked the simplicity: just two people and a dog trying to stay alive in a vast, desolate space.

Case 39 (2009)

Genuinely chilling supernatural thriller. 

A social worker (the always likeable Renée Zellweger) applies for custody of a girl she believes is in danger from her parents. But after a spate of disturbing events it turns out that the real danger is the girl herself. 

It’s suspenseful and dramatic, with excellently handled tension throughout. Co-stars Bradley Cooper and Ian McShane add depth, although Cooper seems underused for an actor of his talents. 

Thankfully, Case 39 doesn’t turn silly at the end like so many horror-flavoured stories tend to. That said, the ending did disappoint as I imagined a much bleaker (and even darkly comic) outcome. In fact, something similar to what I’d expected can be seen as the DVD bonus alternative ending.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

Utterly ridiculous and extremely weak retelling of the standard myth. This film made $390.5 million, but it’s difficult to see why. 

Kevin Costner is fair enough in the lead role (even if he looks like Jon Bon Jovi), but Alan Rickman is utterly woeful as the Sheriff of Nottingham. There’s a silly “pantomime” style about the way his character is written and directed. You are reminded of the second Blackadder series, although that was much funnier. The constant changing of lenses is distracting: baddies are shown in grotesque fish-eye close-ups. 

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is merely adequate as Maid Marian, while Christian Slater is slightly odd as Will Scarlett. 

Production values are poor, with constantly changing light and an often washed-out quality to the footage. 

The famous theme song by Bryan Adams ("Everything I Do) I Do It for You") doesn’t even appear in the film, although it is used over the end credits.

Beyond the Sea (2004)

Intriguing but flawed biopic of Bobby Darin, written and directed by Kevin Spacey, who also stars as the singer. 

It’s a baffling film. The set pieces featuring the songs are expertly created and Spacey inhabits the role brilliantly. But things come slightly unstuck with the “magical realist” element of him talking to his younger self. There’s no attempt to describe his rise to fame, but there’s lots about his health problems and his ambiguous parentage. 

John Goodman and Bob Hoskins are on screen too much. Brenda Blenthyn is excellent as his mother. Kate Bosworth is underdeveloped as Darin’s wife. It’s suggested that she drinks too much but the question of alcoholism is never explored further. 

In terms of storytelling it’s disappointingly shallow and inconclusive, despite moments of brilliance.

The Weatherman (2005)

Extremely downbeat drama with flashes of comedy. 

Nicolas Cage plays a TV weatherman having problems with his dying father (Michael Caine), estranged wife (Hope Davis) and unhappy children. He’s also having a sort of midlife crisis, and members of the public who recognise him keep throwing junk food at him. 

It’s whimsical and engaging but you wish it was funnier. Michael Caine’s dodgy American accent is a distraction. Cage and Davis are both excellent, however, and the film gains gravitas as it progresses. 

It’s a deeply sad story. Cage’s character seems such a nice guy that you’re completely on his side even as everything seems to go wrong around him.

The Cutting Edge (1992)

A sort of romantic comedy, although there could have been a lot more comedy, directed by Paul Michael Glaser. 

Prima-donna figure-skater Kate (Moira Kelly) rejects a series of male partners until she gets paired-up with a former ice hockey player named Doug (D. B. Sweeney). Kate ’n’ Doug aim to compete at the Olympics, but tensions run high between them. She’s wealthy. He’s not. Inevitably, they begin to fall in love…

The low budget is evident but that cannot explain the strangeness of the locations and the script. Their coach is a “comedic” Russian (Roy Dotrice, with a dodgy accent). Kate’s father Jack (Terry O’Quinn) doesn’t have much to do and is a complete void in terms of character. 

There’s a lot of music crammed into the film and used at every opportunity. And there’s a strange “misty” quality to the ice-skating scenes – either in the name of “atmosphere” or to disguise the fact that the actors aren’t the ones doing the skating. Even the main couple seem strange. Kate, low on charm, isn’t good at the expressive scenes. And yet despite all this, there’s lots to enjoy about The Cutting Edge. It’s a simple story that gets you rooting for the young couple, however preposterous they might seem.

The Birds (1963)

Following Rebecca (1940), this was another Daphne du Maurier adaptation by Alfred Hitchcock. It’s a sort of horror story, set in Bodega Bay, California, where birds begin to attack humans for no apparent reason. 

It’s to Hitchcock’s credit that he never explains away the cause of these bizarre events. You can interpret them any number of ways. Is it a Cold War allegory? Is it about repressed sexuality? Or is it simply a horror story? 

It’s strange in other ways, too. The relationship between Melanie (Tippi Hedren) and Mitch (Rod Taylor) doesn’t follow the usual love-story progression. And the age difference between Mitch and his younger sister is also striking. The widowed mother Lydia (Jessica Tandy) is also deeply odd. Initially, I thought the natural disturbance was a reflection of her grief manifested in nature – and it's possible that this is another of the many intended interpretations. 

The ending satisfies because it’s ambiguous and doesn’t offer any easy solutions.

My Cousin Rachel (2017)

Superb historical drama adapted from the novel by Daphne du Maurier. 

A young man in Cornwall (Sam Claflin) meets his older cousin’s widow (Rachel Weisz). Initially, he suspects her of causing his cousin’s death. But he is quickly bewitched by her and – driven mad by lust – donates his estate to her. But is she to be trusted? 

It’s tightly plotted and excellently acted. Weisz judges her role perfectly, seeming to be simultaneously sinister and completely proper in everything she says and does.

The Two Faces of January (2014)

Directed by Hossein Amini, this is an absolutely stunning thriller adapted from the 1964 novel by Patricia Highsmith. 

It’s 1962. American con artist Chester MacFarland (Viggo Mortensen) and his wife Colette (Kirsten Dunst) are holidaying in Greece, when MacFarland’s criminal past catches up with him. Desperate and needing to flee, the couple team up with Rydal Keener (Oscar Isaac), an American tour guide who himself is a conman, albeit on a far smaller scale. But Rydal’s motivations are ambiguous – he has designs on Colette, while seeing Chester as a reminder of the father he recently lost. 

The exciting plot consistently ramps up the tension as the fortunes of the three become more and more entangled. 

It’s brilliantly directed: every shot is expertly framed for maximise the drama. 

The soundtrack by Alberto Iglesias is uncannily well suited to the action. 

It’s an admirably short film at 97 minutes: taut and perfectly paced.

All That Jazz (1979)

An autobiographical musical drama directed by Bob Fosse. It’s a noble failure – high on ambition, low on satisfaction. 

The “story”, what there is of one, deals with a character supposedly based on Fosse himself. Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider) is a theatre director and choreographer. He’s a womaniser, chain-smoker and drug user whose health is getting worse by the day. When he’s eventually hospitalised, the remainder of the film plays out as a sort of fantasy/dream sequence that blends scenes from his life with high-concept showbiz production numbers. These take place in an imaginary nightclub with the angel of death played by Jessica Lange. 

The problem is that Joe's character is established in the first five-to-10 minutes and is left with nowhere to go. It’s never explained how he got to be who he is, why he behaves like this, why his family put up with him, and why we should care. A brief bit of back story (Joe as a teen) is quickly abandoned, and way too much of the film is taken up with him hallucinating while in hospital. That time could have been used for character development. 

The impressionistic scenes are a spectacle, but there’s an ugly quality to the visuals that’s off-putting. Ultimately it becomes wearying.

Music and Lyrics (2007)

Enjoyable romantic comedy directed by Marc Lawrence. 

A 1980s pop idol named Alex (Hugh Grant) is tasked with writing a song for a Shakira-like pop star of the present day (Haley Bennett). To achieve this he ends up collaborating with Sophie (Drew Barrymore), the slightly eccentric woman who comes round to water his plants. 

Plot-wise it might sound silly (and indeed it is), but Hugh ’n’ Drew have real chemistry. Also, they get to reel off some genuinely funny lines. 

The film seems to lose its way a little about two thirds of the way through, with a couple of rather misjudged scenes. For example, why does Sophie take a box of biscuits to the party? It seems to be setting up a joke, but there’s no pay off. Was a vital bit of the script cut at the last minute?

Thankfully, the film recovers before the end. 

Kristen Johnston is easy to like as Rhonda, Sophie’s sister. Grant is surprisingly effective as a pop star, and his song and dance routines are all quirky and enjoyable.

The Bridge at Remagen (1969)

A merely OK war film based on the true story of the Germans and the Allies fighting for control of a strategically vital bridge over the Rhine. 

It’s interestingly shot, and the firepower all looks real enough. The problem is an average script. Also, the characters aren’t especially well-drawn. Without a focal point, it’s harder to identify with anyone. Poor storytelling means that you’re unsure how you’re meant to feel about the characters and their situation. 

Robert Vaughn plays a German general who seems troubled by his role with the Nazis. Unfortunately the actor doesn’t really bother with an accent. George Segal plays his American counterpart while Ben Gazzara is Sergeant Angelo (a.k.a. “Angel”), his likeable friend. 

There’s a stronger, grittier film buried deep inside this one, but director John Guillermin is unable to draw it out.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

The curiously featureless face of Leonardo Di Caprio works perfectly to represent the banality of ultra-greed in Martin Scorsese’s audacious biopic of non-legal trader Jordan Belfort. 

The aesthetic is bland and corporate, as it should be. Scorsese avoids the subtle layering of American Hustle and instead opts for relentlessness, brilliantly pushing the excess factor. Some of the speeches by the “wolf” are incredibly well done – a much more extreme twist on the “greed is good” theme of Michael Douglas as Gordon Gecko in Wall Street. 

Some critics complained that there’s no moral core, but surely that’s the point of this film. The book is even better. Jordan’s written account condenses certain episodes in his life. The film further combines and condenses, so inevitably drifts towards fiction.

A diverse cast also includes Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Rob Reiner, Joanna Lumley and Matthew McConaughey.

The Vanishing (1988)

Hypnotic Dutch thriller. 

A man and his wife are holidaying in France when the wife, Saskia (Johanna ter Steege), suddenly goes missing. The husband, Rex (Gene Bervoets), needing answers and closure, dedicates the next three years of his life to searching for her. 

When I first saw this film I was wrapped up in the Hitchcockian psychological mystery. Like Rex, I just wanted to find out what happened to Saskia. Watching it again, decades later, I see it as a story about love, loss and bereavement – a sort of relationship drama. 

The film is simultaneously chilling and heartbreaking. The couple seem so real that you really care about them. 

Director George Sluizer adapted The Vanishing from Tim Krabbé’s 1984 novella The Golden Egg. He also remade the film in 1993 as an English-language Hollywood production with a silly new ending.

Seven (1995)

Atmospheric thriller directed by David Fincher. 

A serial killer embarks on a sequence of murders, each of which marks one of the seven deadly sins. Detectives Somerset and Mills (Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt) try to catch him before he can complete the full cycle. 

It’s brilliantly shot, in a noirish manner. The constant rainfall, the grim urban settings and the claustrophobic streets all add atmosphere. Unexpectedly, and presumably for contrast, the film’s tense climax happens in wide-open spaces in bright sunlight. 

Gwyneth Paltrow plays Mills’ wife and is clearly going to have a more important function in the story. Kevin Spacey plays the “intelligent” killer – possibly partly influenced by Anthony Hopkins as the intellectual Hannibal Lector. 

The closing section is slightly far-fetched in the way that the killer is allowed to dictate the terms to the detectives. But it’s still a tense and compelling story that escalates to a satisfying conclusion.

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

 

Clint Eastwood directed, co-produced and scored the music for what may be the greatest film he’s ever been associated with. This is an incredibly powerful and moving drama.

Clint plays boxing coach Frankie, who reluctantly begins training a woman – Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) for the first time. Maggie comes from a poor background and her family is heartless and manipulative. Frankie represents the father she lacks, while Maggie fills a space in Frankie’s life caused by his estranged daughter. It seems like it’s going to be a boxing drama, but it takes on a far more personal and upsetting direction in the final third.

The writing and characterisation is brilliant, full of tenderness, compassion and nuance. 

Morgan Freeman delivers a career-best performance as Eddie Dupris, the gym assistant and a former boxer.

Tamara Drewe (2010)

Skilfully directed by Stephen Frears, this is a comedy-drama adapted from the comic strip by Posy Simmonds, which itself was loosely based on Thomas Hardy’s novel The Mayor of Casterbridge. 

Once an “ugly duckling” and now a much-desired beauty, Tamara returns to the small Dorset village of Ewedown and causes havoc of various kinds, with three different men all in love (or lust) with her. 

It’s funny, but it’s also brilliantly plotted as a drama. All of the characters are three-dimensional and believable. Best of all is Tamsin Greig as Beth Hardiment, the long-suffering wife of the lying, cheating author Nicholas (Roger Allam). 

In visual terms it uncannily evokes the comic strip. 

There’s also a refreshing moral ambiguity. I don’t think we’re even supposed to like the main character.

Joe Kidd (1972)

Western written by Elmore Leonard. 

Clint Eastwood stars as a former bounty hunter who helps a landowner (Robert Duvall) track down the Mexican revolutionary leader Luis Chama (John Saxon). 

The landscape cinematography by Bruce Surtees is extraordinary. You could turn almost any frame into a poster. The soundtrack by Lalo Schifrin is perfectly judged, mixing western motifs with funkier elements. 

Clint Eastwood is great, as ever. He’s essentially playing the same part he always plays, and you wouldn’t want it any other way.