Les Yeux Sans Visage/ Eyes Without A Face (1959 86mins.) [Film4 1.40am thursday & +1]
A surgeon is guilt-ridden when his daughter is left disfigured after an accident he caused and works tirelessly to give the girl a new face, but he turns to crime in the process.
Georges Franju's surreal horror, starring Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli and Edith Scob. In French.
From the opening scene, in which a woman is seen driving through the countryside at night with a look of intense concentration on her face and a mysterious passenger in a hat and coat in the back seat, Eyes Without A Face works by disorientating the viewer and by building and maintaining an atmosphere of curious dislocation.
The shocking conclusion to this opening scene sets the tone for what is to come - often wrongly classed as a horror film, Eyes Without A Face is more accurately a psychological thriller with a couple of moments of genuinely disturbing horrific shock.
Pierre Brasseur leads the small ensemble cast as Dr. Gennessier a brilliant cosmetic surgeon who is attempting to rectify a personal tragedy involving his daughter (Edith Scob).
He's helped in his personal work by Alida Valli as Louise, a former patient and the woman we met in the opening scene, and in his professional life by Francois Guerin, the former fiancee of his daughter.
The only other substantial characters are a trio of police officers investigating the disappearance of young female students of oddly similar physical appearance from the university in Paris.
Away from the story - which, despite its echoes of Frankenstein, was remarkably innovate at the time of it's release and has been recycled and rehashed dozens of times since - a great deal of the successful creation of mood and the ultimate effectiveness of the film is down to the luminous black and white photography of Eugen Shuftan. Almost all of the action takes place at night and the glowing whites and blacker than black darkness are used to remarkable effect.
Words too for production designer Auguste Capelier and costume designer Marie Martine who provides Edith Scob with some remarkable floor length outfits. Scob is clearly not much of an actress but this plays to the films advantage : her expressionless face is perfect to convey the internal turmoil that her character is suffering. The gowns that hide the lower part of her body give the impression of a disembodied head floating in a ghostly way through the scenes. A very simple but effective trick.
And above all of these elements is Franju's absolutely perfect direction - he doesn't put a foot wrong throughout. The camera spins in and out of the action, the location filming is superbly done and the set-piece central grand guignol scene is shot with the unblinking eye of the neutral observer despite the obvious technical difficulties he would have encountered at the time.
A proper old-fashioned thriller, out of step with the majority of French cinema of the time which is brilliantly constructed by it's director and his technical team and delivered to the screen as near perfect as it's possible to be.
If I was ever forced to provide a list of my favourite films this would easily be in the top thirty, if that helps convince you to watch it.
Wednesday, 21 March 2018
Tuesday, 20 March 2018
Freeview film of the day : tuesday 20th of March
Starship Troopers (1997 129min.) [Sony Movie Channel 9.00pm]
In the distant future, Earth is involved in an intergalactic war with the Bugs, a vicious race of giant arachnids. As the conflict escalates, four high-school friends enlist with the military and embark on a journey that will take them into the heart of enemy territory on the far side of the galaxy.
Satirical sci-fi adventure starring Casper Van Dien and Denise Richards.
Paul Verhoeven's satirical sci-fi action adventure features the same sort of action set-pieces with which he made his name ("Total Recall", "RoboCop") but Edward Neumeier's script adds on a few layers of social comment.
There's some absolutely terrific special effects sequences and plenty of ultra-violent fight scenes. Casper van Dien and Denise Richards, in the lead roles, are hopeless at the emotional and reflective moments - which make them a bit dull - but perfect in the gung ho! scenes.
An interesting film that whips along at a lively pace.
In the distant future, Earth is involved in an intergalactic war with the Bugs, a vicious race of giant arachnids. As the conflict escalates, four high-school friends enlist with the military and embark on a journey that will take them into the heart of enemy territory on the far side of the galaxy.
Satirical sci-fi adventure starring Casper Van Dien and Denise Richards.
Paul Verhoeven's satirical sci-fi action adventure features the same sort of action set-pieces with which he made his name ("Total Recall", "RoboCop") but Edward Neumeier's script adds on a few layers of social comment.
There's some absolutely terrific special effects sequences and plenty of ultra-violent fight scenes. Casper van Dien and Denise Richards, in the lead roles, are hopeless at the emotional and reflective moments - which make them a bit dull - but perfect in the gung ho! scenes.
An interesting film that whips along at a lively pace.
Monday, 19 March 2018
Freeview film of the day : monday 19th of March
Blanche Fury (1948 94mins.) [Talking Pictures TV 7.45pm]
A penniless governess is invited to stay with a wealthy relative, where she hopes to secure her future and take over the estate by marrying her infatuated cousin. However, her secret romance with a stablehand has tragic consequences for all concerned.
Drama, starring Valerie Hobson, Michael Gough, Stewart Granger and Walter Fitzgerald.
A great example of a sub-genre of film that fell out of favour in the 1960s and is now largely overlooked by viewers and most film makers and historians (the work of Todd Haynes being an important exception.)
Dismissed as 'melodramas' or (worse still) 'women's pictures' these small-scale domestic dramas actually had a lot to say about contemporary society and morals : in the hands of a genre master (especially George Cukor and Douglas Sirk) they could be as gripping and engaging as any crime thriller or action adventure.
Blanche Fury is a taut and atmospheric thriller with a superb cast headed by the neglected Valerie Hobson and the masterful Stewart Granger - it's writer and director is the Swiss born Marc Allégret, making a rare excursion into English language film making, and he brings a certain Continental flair and style to the work.
A brooding and claustrophobic film that certainly deserves a wider audience.
A penniless governess is invited to stay with a wealthy relative, where she hopes to secure her future and take over the estate by marrying her infatuated cousin. However, her secret romance with a stablehand has tragic consequences for all concerned.
Drama, starring Valerie Hobson, Michael Gough, Stewart Granger and Walter Fitzgerald.
A great example of a sub-genre of film that fell out of favour in the 1960s and is now largely overlooked by viewers and most film makers and historians (the work of Todd Haynes being an important exception.)
Dismissed as 'melodramas' or (worse still) 'women's pictures' these small-scale domestic dramas actually had a lot to say about contemporary society and morals : in the hands of a genre master (especially George Cukor and Douglas Sirk) they could be as gripping and engaging as any crime thriller or action adventure.
Blanche Fury is a taut and atmospheric thriller with a superb cast headed by the neglected Valerie Hobson and the masterful Stewart Granger - it's writer and director is the Swiss born Marc Allégret, making a rare excursion into English language film making, and he brings a certain Continental flair and style to the work.
A brooding and claustrophobic film that certainly deserves a wider audience.
Friday, 16 March 2018
Freeview film of the day: friday 16th of March
Small Soldiers (1998 105min.) [Film4 6.50pm &+1]
When an overeager toy designer installs state-of-the-art military microchips into a line of action figures, the result is a battle royal between the Commando Elite and the peaceful Gorgonites. The problem is that the battleground is the suburban household of young Alan Abernathy.
Fantasy action adventure starring Kirsten Dunst, Gregory Smith and featuring the voice of Tommy Lee Jones.
Directed by Joe Dante, who made the Gremlins films, and it shares with them the same sense of anarchic wry humour and freewheeling mayhem.
Watched it again recently and was impressed by how well the special effects had stood up in this age of CGI tech wizardry. There some great voice acting and (the very young) Kirsten Dunst and wonderfully malevolent Dennis Leary turn in terrific performances.
When an overeager toy designer installs state-of-the-art military microchips into a line of action figures, the result is a battle royal between the Commando Elite and the peaceful Gorgonites. The problem is that the battleground is the suburban household of young Alan Abernathy.
Fantasy action adventure starring Kirsten Dunst, Gregory Smith and featuring the voice of Tommy Lee Jones.
Directed by Joe Dante, who made the Gremlins films, and it shares with them the same sense of anarchic wry humour and freewheeling mayhem.
Watched it again recently and was impressed by how well the special effects had stood up in this age of CGI tech wizardry. There some great voice acting and (the very young) Kirsten Dunst and wonderfully malevolent Dennis Leary turn in terrific performances.
Wednesday, 14 March 2018
Freeview film of the day : wednesday 14th of March
The Artist (2011 96min.) [BBC1 11.45pm]
Silent romantic drama starring Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo.
In 1927, matinée idol George Valentin is the toast of Tinseltown. A female fan charms him at the premiere of his latest film, and so begins the inexorable rise to fame of the talented Peppy Miller. But with the silent era giving way to the talkies, the future looks to be less bright for Valentin.
Michel Hazanavicius' film is part loving homage to the silent era of Hollywood film making and part artful reconstruction of the look, feel and techniques of that classic era in the early development of film making.
His two leads are superb : Dujardin is suave sophistication personified while Bérénice Bejo is at times a ball of frenetic energy and at others heartbreaking in her sorrow.
Among the supporting cast and cameos look out for James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Malcolm McDowell, Ed Lauter
and John Goodman.
It's a brilliantly executed tribute to a lost era : packed with warmth and a genuine delight to watch.
Highly recommended.
Silent romantic drama starring Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo.
In 1927, matinée idol George Valentin is the toast of Tinseltown. A female fan charms him at the premiere of his latest film, and so begins the inexorable rise to fame of the talented Peppy Miller. But with the silent era giving way to the talkies, the future looks to be less bright for Valentin.
Michel Hazanavicius' film is part loving homage to the silent era of Hollywood film making and part artful reconstruction of the look, feel and techniques of that classic era in the early development of film making.
His two leads are superb : Dujardin is suave sophistication personified while Bérénice Bejo is at times a ball of frenetic energy and at others heartbreaking in her sorrow.
Among the supporting cast and cameos look out for James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Malcolm McDowell, Ed Lauter
and John Goodman.
It's a brilliantly executed tribute to a lost era : packed with warmth and a genuine delight to watch.
Highly recommended.
Monday, 12 March 2018
Freeview film of the day : monday 12th of March
You're Next (2011 90mins.) [Film4 1.25am tuesday &+1]
A family gathers for an awkward reunion that brings old tensions back to the surface. The evening takes a nightmarish turn when their remote country house is besieged by a gang of masked, crossbow-wielding strangers intent on murdering everyone inside.
Horror, starring Sharni Vinson and Nicholas Tucci.
Smart little home invaison horror/thriller that owes a huge debt to John Carpenter's Assault On Precinct 13 but has enough invention and style to stand on it's own feet and as a worthwhile contribution to this crowded sub-genre.
Joe Swanberg stands out among the ensemble cast and Adam Wingard's direction is fluid and skillful suggesting that he will become a name to watch in the very near future.
Slick and suspenseful with a nice streak of dark humour running through it. Worthwhile.
A family gathers for an awkward reunion that brings old tensions back to the surface. The evening takes a nightmarish turn when their remote country house is besieged by a gang of masked, crossbow-wielding strangers intent on murdering everyone inside.
Horror, starring Sharni Vinson and Nicholas Tucci.
Smart little home invaison horror/thriller that owes a huge debt to John Carpenter's Assault On Precinct 13 but has enough invention and style to stand on it's own feet and as a worthwhile contribution to this crowded sub-genre.
Joe Swanberg stands out among the ensemble cast and Adam Wingard's direction is fluid and skillful suggesting that he will become a name to watch in the very near future.
Slick and suspenseful with a nice streak of dark humour running through it. Worthwhile.
Friday, 12 January 2018
Freeview film of the day : friday 12th of january
Amy (2015 122min.) [Ch4 12.10am saturday &+1]
Using archive footage, previously unseen material and contemporary interviews, director Asif Kapadia paints an intimate portrait of singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse, who died at the age of just 27.
Asif Kapadia's previous film was the superb documentary Senna (2010) and he used the same approach when putting together this biography of the doomed singer.
Once again there's no narration or on-screen talking head to guide you through the story ; it's told entirely through archive footage and specially filmed interviews with those who were close to the subject or important to their career during their time in the public eye.
As before you need to have no prior knowledge (or even liking of) the subject to be pulled into and enthralled by the story as it unfolds on screen : the meticulous construction and painstaking care taken with the film means that this is neither a hagiography nor a hatchet job - it's an informed, balanced and respectful look back on a life ended far too soon.
One of the most interesting aspects is how quickly Winehouse's very public failures became a staple of chat show, stand-up and TV panel games 'jokes' - some of the archive footage is very revealing of the nature of 21st. centruy celebrity culture : watching some of these routines back is very uncomfortable with the benefit of hindsight.
Amy is a remarkable film and the wealth of material that Asif Kapadia and his team assembled gives a real sense of depth to the story which they tell with real compassion and style.
Using archive footage, previously unseen material and contemporary interviews, director Asif Kapadia paints an intimate portrait of singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse, who died at the age of just 27.
Asif Kapadia's previous film was the superb documentary Senna (2010) and he used the same approach when putting together this biography of the doomed singer.
Once again there's no narration or on-screen talking head to guide you through the story ; it's told entirely through archive footage and specially filmed interviews with those who were close to the subject or important to their career during their time in the public eye.
As before you need to have no prior knowledge (or even liking of) the subject to be pulled into and enthralled by the story as it unfolds on screen : the meticulous construction and painstaking care taken with the film means that this is neither a hagiography nor a hatchet job - it's an informed, balanced and respectful look back on a life ended far too soon.
One of the most interesting aspects is how quickly Winehouse's very public failures became a staple of chat show, stand-up and TV panel games 'jokes' - some of the archive footage is very revealing of the nature of 21st. centruy celebrity culture : watching some of these routines back is very uncomfortable with the benefit of hindsight.
Amy is a remarkable film and the wealth of material that Asif Kapadia and his team assembled gives a real sense of depth to the story which they tell with real compassion and style.
Wednesday, 3 January 2018
Freeview film of the day : wednesday 3rd of January
Made In Dagenham (2010 108min.) [BBC4 9.00pm]
Comedy drama based on a true story, starring Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins and Miranda Richardson. In 1968, workers at the Ford auto plant in Dagenham - one of the biggest employers in the UK - go on strike, demanding equal rights for female staff. The unassuming Rita O'Grady finds herself at the centre of a movement that is destined to change the lives of women for years to come.
A timely reminder of what the British film industry can do apart from frocks'n'bonnets literary adaptations, alleged comedy films with floppy haired posh people and soft-hearted dramas about the elderly.
The always excellent Sally Hawkins leads a solid gold cast : Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson (note perfect as Labour legend Barbara Castle), Daniel Mays, Rosamund Pike, John Sessions (as Harold Wilson), Rupert Graves, Geraldine James and even Toby off of The West Wing and Trigger off of OFAH all pop-up at various points.
A warm, witty, affectionate slice of social history focussing on one of the pivitol moments in the development of British society with a well-realised sense of time and place and a script that makes its points well without feeling the need to bash you about the head with them constantly.
Thoroughly recommended.
Comedy drama based on a true story, starring Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins and Miranda Richardson. In 1968, workers at the Ford auto plant in Dagenham - one of the biggest employers in the UK - go on strike, demanding equal rights for female staff. The unassuming Rita O'Grady finds herself at the centre of a movement that is destined to change the lives of women for years to come.
A timely reminder of what the British film industry can do apart from frocks'n'bonnets literary adaptations, alleged comedy films with floppy haired posh people and soft-hearted dramas about the elderly.
The always excellent Sally Hawkins leads a solid gold cast : Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson (note perfect as Labour legend Barbara Castle), Daniel Mays, Rosamund Pike, John Sessions (as Harold Wilson), Rupert Graves, Geraldine James and even Toby off of The West Wing and Trigger off of OFAH all pop-up at various points.
A warm, witty, affectionate slice of social history focussing on one of the pivitol moments in the development of British society with a well-realised sense of time and place and a script that makes its points well without feeling the need to bash you about the head with them constantly.
Thoroughly recommended.
Monday, 20 November 2017
Freeview film of the day : monday 20th of November
I Wish (2011 123min.) [Ch4 2.00am tuesday &+1]
A 12-year-old boy lives with his divorced mother, while his brother lives with his father in a different part of the country. When a bullet train line is built connecting the two towns, he starts to believe that when the first trains pass each other, a miracle will occur - which he hopes will reunite his family. Drama, starring real-life brothers Koki and Ohshiro Maeda. In Japanese.
Hirokazu Koreeda is the emerging star of Japanese mainstream cinema : his Like Father, Like Son (2013) and Our Little Sister (2015) both found a very large audience outside of his homeland and created interest in his back catalogue.
I Wish (along with the superb After Life (1998) ) demonstrates the development of his style and his abiding interests : childhood's hope, joy and sheer joie de vivre captured without sentimentally or a crushing layer of saccharine schmaltz.
It's a terrific story, based on a Japanese urban legend and it's brilliantly played by the young cast and the older ensemble portaying the adults in their life.
Beautifully shot and constructed it makes terrific use of the natural beauty of the Japanese landscape and the finished work is an absolute delight to watch.
A 12-year-old boy lives with his divorced mother, while his brother lives with his father in a different part of the country. When a bullet train line is built connecting the two towns, he starts to believe that when the first trains pass each other, a miracle will occur - which he hopes will reunite his family. Drama, starring real-life brothers Koki and Ohshiro Maeda. In Japanese.
Hirokazu Koreeda is the emerging star of Japanese mainstream cinema : his Like Father, Like Son (2013) and Our Little Sister (2015) both found a very large audience outside of his homeland and created interest in his back catalogue.
I Wish (along with the superb After Life (1998) ) demonstrates the development of his style and his abiding interests : childhood's hope, joy and sheer joie de vivre captured without sentimentally or a crushing layer of saccharine schmaltz.
It's a terrific story, based on a Japanese urban legend and it's brilliantly played by the young cast and the older ensemble portaying the adults in their life.
Beautifully shot and constructed it makes terrific use of the natural beauty of the Japanese landscape and the finished work is an absolute delight to watch.
Saturday, 28 October 2017
Freeview film of the day : saturday 28th of August
Animal Kingdom (2009 108min.) [Ch4 1.10am BST sunday &+1]
Australian crime drama starring Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Mike from Neighbours and James Frecheville. After his mother dies of an overdose, young Joshua Cody takes up his grandmother's offer of a home. But he must also gain the acceptance of his three career-criminal uncles, who are under investigation by the local police.
Australian writer/director David Michôd's feature debut is a terrific piece of film making with a gritty but realistic central story that spins off in any number of directions and includes at least three "oh no!" moments of genuine shock.
Packed with great performances, but special mention for Jacki Weaver who received an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of the mater familias to this trio of hard-bitten, brutal but fading would-be gangsters.
It's a remarkable film that is highly recommened to everyone, but especially to those who found Chopper (to which this film has a stylistic resemblance) to be a gripping and taut piece of cinema back in 2000.
A really, really well made crime drama.
Australian crime drama starring Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Mike from Neighbours and James Frecheville. After his mother dies of an overdose, young Joshua Cody takes up his grandmother's offer of a home. But he must also gain the acceptance of his three career-criminal uncles, who are under investigation by the local police.
Australian writer/director David Michôd's feature debut is a terrific piece of film making with a gritty but realistic central story that spins off in any number of directions and includes at least three "oh no!" moments of genuine shock.
Packed with great performances, but special mention for Jacki Weaver who received an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of the mater familias to this trio of hard-bitten, brutal but fading would-be gangsters.
It's a remarkable film that is highly recommened to everyone, but especially to those who found Chopper (to which this film has a stylistic resemblance) to be a gripping and taut piece of cinema back in 2000.
A really, really well made crime drama.
Friday, 27 October 2017
Freeview film of the day : friday 27th of October
Pitch Perfect (2012 107min.) [E4 9.00pm &+1]
A new student finds herself a social outcast during her first year of college, but soon acquires a new circle of friends in a band of misfits with a shared talent for singing. She joins their a cappella group and leads them to compete in the campus music competitions.
Comedy, starring Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and Elizabeth Banks.
Light hearted (but not lightweight) campus set big sister to the Glee TV series. High paced and bursting with energy; the story may not amount to much and the plot takes a fairly straight line from A to C but it's all done with such wit and performed with charm and verve that it's difficult not to get swept along.
A new student finds herself a social outcast during her first year of college, but soon acquires a new circle of friends in a band of misfits with a shared talent for singing. She joins their a cappella group and leads them to compete in the campus music competitions.
Comedy, starring Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and Elizabeth Banks.
Light hearted (but not lightweight) campus set big sister to the Glee TV series. High paced and bursting with energy; the story may not amount to much and the plot takes a fairly straight line from A to C but it's all done with such wit and performed with charm and verve that it's difficult not to get swept along.
Friday, 20 October 2017
Freeview film of the day : friday 20th of October
One-Armed Swordsman (1967 109mins.) [Film4 1.40am saturday &+1]
A man has his life saved by a farmer's daughter, who shows him a secret manual that enables him to seek revenge on the jealous classmates who chopped off his arm, as well as the people who killed his father. Martial arts action drama, starring Jimmy Wang and Lisa Chiao Chiao. In Mandarin.
Cracking example of the martial arts films that Hong Kong's Shaw Brothers studio (and many others) were producing at the rate of dozens per year throughout the sixties and seventies.
Shanghai-born Wang Yu was the genre superstar up until the arrival of Bruce Lee - and this is one of his very best films.
Highly recommended to those who like this sort of thing.
A man has his life saved by a farmer's daughter, who shows him a secret manual that enables him to seek revenge on the jealous classmates who chopped off his arm, as well as the people who killed his father. Martial arts action drama, starring Jimmy Wang and Lisa Chiao Chiao. In Mandarin.
Cracking example of the martial arts films that Hong Kong's Shaw Brothers studio (and many others) were producing at the rate of dozens per year throughout the sixties and seventies.
Shanghai-born Wang Yu was the genre superstar up until the arrival of Bruce Lee - and this is one of his very best films.
Highly recommended to those who like this sort of thing.
Saturday, 14 October 2017
Freeview film of the day : saturday 14th October
The Hunger Games (2012 136mins.) [Film4 6.15pm &+1]
A totalitarian future-America holds an annual nationally televised event in which two children from each of its regions fight to the death until only one remains. A teenage girl takes her younger sister's place in the games and must pit her wits against the deadly combat skills of her rivals. Sci-fi adventure based on Suzanne Collins' novel, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks.
The quite alarming drop-off in quality as the Hunger Games film series developed seems to have resulted in people forgetting quite how good this first film is.
It's a fairly straightforward book-to-screen adaptation and therefore has some of the same faults as the source material (overly familiar sci-fi themes, the rather unsubtle social satire etc.) but director Gary Ross does a terrific job of keeping the action moving forward in an interesting and stylish way.
The design of the film is also terrific - the rendering of the world where the action takes place is really well done and the set and costume design are both excellent.
And then there's the star making turn by Jennifer Lawrence as the film's resourceful and strong hero Katniss Everdeen : it's a very fine piece of acting indeed and sits comfortably in a cast filled with some great character actors - Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks and woody Harrelson are especially good.
Thrilling, exciting, sad, sweet and tender it's a film that, while aimed at a specific audience, works just as well for those without any knowledge of the books.
A totalitarian future-America holds an annual nationally televised event in which two children from each of its regions fight to the death until only one remains. A teenage girl takes her younger sister's place in the games and must pit her wits against the deadly combat skills of her rivals. Sci-fi adventure based on Suzanne Collins' novel, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks.
The quite alarming drop-off in quality as the Hunger Games film series developed seems to have resulted in people forgetting quite how good this first film is.
It's a fairly straightforward book-to-screen adaptation and therefore has some of the same faults as the source material (overly familiar sci-fi themes, the rather unsubtle social satire etc.) but director Gary Ross does a terrific job of keeping the action moving forward in an interesting and stylish way.
The design of the film is also terrific - the rendering of the world where the action takes place is really well done and the set and costume design are both excellent.
And then there's the star making turn by Jennifer Lawrence as the film's resourceful and strong hero Katniss Everdeen : it's a very fine piece of acting indeed and sits comfortably in a cast filled with some great character actors - Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks and woody Harrelson are especially good.
Thrilling, exciting, sad, sweet and tender it's a film that, while aimed at a specific audience, works just as well for those without any knowledge of the books.
Wednesday, 27 September 2017
Freeview film of the day : wednesday 27th of september
The Red House (1947 100 mins.) [Talking Pictures TV 12.00am thursday)
A brother and sister conceal a terrible secret from the teenager they have adopted, concerning a farmhouse deep in a forest. Mystery, starring Edward G Robinson and Lon McCallister.
An absolutely terrific film that was unfairly neglected and near forgotten for decades but which has undergone significant re-evaluation and rehabilitation in the past five years or so.
Although it's nominally a domestic drama/mystery thriller it's shot in the style of a film noir by the outstanding genre director Delmer Daves, who made his name in noir thrillers before moving on to make some of the best Hollywood westerns of the fifties.
Edward G Robinson is perfect in the lead role and pulls all the attention away from the "limited" abilities of the two juvenile actors with whom he shares the first part of the story.
A very young Rory Calhoun gives spirited support as a local roughneck and Judith Anderson is perfectly cast as Robinson's long suffering wife - a study in grim faced determination to carry on with her life despite sharing in The Terrible Secret.
There's some top notch scenery (the film was shot largely on location in the Sierra Nevada mountains), the black and white photography is gorgeous and there's a Miklos Rozsa score underpinning the whole thing.
A quietly creepy and brilliantly constructed little gem.
A brother and sister conceal a terrible secret from the teenager they have adopted, concerning a farmhouse deep in a forest. Mystery, starring Edward G Robinson and Lon McCallister.
An absolutely terrific film that was unfairly neglected and near forgotten for decades but which has undergone significant re-evaluation and rehabilitation in the past five years or so.
Although it's nominally a domestic drama/mystery thriller it's shot in the style of a film noir by the outstanding genre director Delmer Daves, who made his name in noir thrillers before moving on to make some of the best Hollywood westerns of the fifties.
Edward G Robinson is perfect in the lead role and pulls all the attention away from the "limited" abilities of the two juvenile actors with whom he shares the first part of the story.
A very young Rory Calhoun gives spirited support as a local roughneck and Judith Anderson is perfectly cast as Robinson's long suffering wife - a study in grim faced determination to carry on with her life despite sharing in The Terrible Secret.
There's some top notch scenery (the film was shot largely on location in the Sierra Nevada mountains), the black and white photography is gorgeous and there's a Miklos Rozsa score underpinning the whole thing.
A quietly creepy and brilliantly constructed little gem.
Saturday, 23 September 2017
Freeview film of the day : saturday 23rd of September
Speed (1994 111min.) [Film4 9.00pm &+1]
An LAPD cop discovers a psychopathic criminal has planted a bomb on a crowded bus, primed to go off if the vehicle drops below 50mph. He boards the vehicle and helps the hapless passenger who has been forced to take the wheel to keep a constant speed to avoid a disaster. Action thriller, starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper and Jeff Daniels.
A film that was a huge deal at the time and spawned an enormous number of cash-ins (and a less than wonderful sequel of its own) but which seems to have fallen from favour slightly over the past twenty years.
Watching it now you're struck by the amount of moments which have become cinematic cliches since they first featured here.
The central performances (Keanu, Sandy and Dennis) are all very good and Jan De Bont certainly knows how to direct this kind of film (he also directed the excellent Twister).
I watched it again last year and was struck by how well it's stood up over the passing years, unlike many big budget, effects heavy Hollywood blockbusters of the nineties.
Well worth another look.
An LAPD cop discovers a psychopathic criminal has planted a bomb on a crowded bus, primed to go off if the vehicle drops below 50mph. He boards the vehicle and helps the hapless passenger who has been forced to take the wheel to keep a constant speed to avoid a disaster. Action thriller, starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper and Jeff Daniels.
A film that was a huge deal at the time and spawned an enormous number of cash-ins (and a less than wonderful sequel of its own) but which seems to have fallen from favour slightly over the past twenty years.
Watching it now you're struck by the amount of moments which have become cinematic cliches since they first featured here.
The central performances (Keanu, Sandy and Dennis) are all very good and Jan De Bont certainly knows how to direct this kind of film (he also directed the excellent Twister).
I watched it again last year and was struck by how well it's stood up over the passing years, unlike many big budget, effects heavy Hollywood blockbusters of the nineties.
Well worth another look.
Monday, 18 September 2017
Freeview film of the day : monday 18th of September
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011 100min.) [Film4 9.00pm &+1]
Sci-fi action adventure starring James Franco and Freida Pinto. When scientist Will Rodman's programme of drug experiments to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease is shut down he secretly takes an offspring from one of the chimpanzees he was using into his home and names him Caesar. Caesar has inherited the effects of the trial drug and begins to show remarkable intelligence, a development that will put him on a violent collision course withthe humans who have abused him.
There's justification for the revisiting of the classic Planet Of The Apes film series on the basis that new technology allows the film makers to use motion capture and CGI rather than people in suits to portray the apes.
Caesar, the ape at the centre of the story, is mostly a motion captured Andy Serkis while the team behind Avatar's special effects help to fill the screen with any number of virtual but believable primates.
In the original series Rise came after the Charlton Heston starring first film and it does make sense, if revisiting the series, to begin with the origins of...story.
And it's done rather well...some of the dialogue is a bit clunky and some of the human acting is a bit too knowing for the tone of the piece and the moral questions raised by the story are largely sidestepped.
But those quibbles aside director Rupert Wyatt delivers some great set-pieces and a touching story and the special effects are very, very good.
A well crafted big-budget Hollywood blockbuster that is extremely watchable.
Sci-fi action adventure starring James Franco and Freida Pinto. When scientist Will Rodman's programme of drug experiments to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease is shut down he secretly takes an offspring from one of the chimpanzees he was using into his home and names him Caesar. Caesar has inherited the effects of the trial drug and begins to show remarkable intelligence, a development that will put him on a violent collision course withthe humans who have abused him.
There's justification for the revisiting of the classic Planet Of The Apes film series on the basis that new technology allows the film makers to use motion capture and CGI rather than people in suits to portray the apes.
Caesar, the ape at the centre of the story, is mostly a motion captured Andy Serkis while the team behind Avatar's special effects help to fill the screen with any number of virtual but believable primates.
In the original series Rise came after the Charlton Heston starring first film and it does make sense, if revisiting the series, to begin with the origins of...story.
And it's done rather well...some of the dialogue is a bit clunky and some of the human acting is a bit too knowing for the tone of the piece and the moral questions raised by the story are largely sidestepped.
But those quibbles aside director Rupert Wyatt delivers some great set-pieces and a touching story and the special effects are very, very good.
A well crafted big-budget Hollywood blockbuster that is extremely watchable.
Friday, 1 September 2017
Freeview film of the day : friday 1st of September
Blockheads (1938 54mins.) [Talking Pictures TV 8.15pm]
(Sky 343, Freeview 81, Freesat 306 & Youview 81)
Left to guard a trench in 1917, Stan Laurel is discovered two decades later with a pile of empty bean cans, still on guard. Oliver Hardy takes the war hero home and they become involved in a farcical situation with jealous big-game hunter Billy Gilbert.
Director John G Blystone's remake of the short Unaccustomed as We Are is one of Laurel and Hardy's most appealing comedies, and is one to relish for its innuendos and hilarious sight gags - this is the one where Stan makes a pipe out of his hand, much to Ollie's slow-burning astonishment.
First in a season of Laurel & Hardy films showing on this channel - a season that will resonate with most people who grew up in the UK during the seventies and early eighties : no school summer holiday was complete without spending rainy days indoors watching these fabulous, timeless comedy legends run through their paces.
Chaplin is (rightly) regarded as the artist of early film comedy and Buster Keaton's invention and physical skill was impeccable but Stan and Ollie had charm and warmth to go with their wit.
Masterful timing married to some superb sight gags and peerless verbal jousting means that their films remain hugely watchable eighty + years on.
(Sky 343, Freeview 81, Freesat 306 & Youview 81)
Left to guard a trench in 1917, Stan Laurel is discovered two decades later with a pile of empty bean cans, still on guard. Oliver Hardy takes the war hero home and they become involved in a farcical situation with jealous big-game hunter Billy Gilbert.
Director John G Blystone's remake of the short Unaccustomed as We Are is one of Laurel and Hardy's most appealing comedies, and is one to relish for its innuendos and hilarious sight gags - this is the one where Stan makes a pipe out of his hand, much to Ollie's slow-burning astonishment.
First in a season of Laurel & Hardy films showing on this channel - a season that will resonate with most people who grew up in the UK during the seventies and early eighties : no school summer holiday was complete without spending rainy days indoors watching these fabulous, timeless comedy legends run through their paces.
Chaplin is (rightly) regarded as the artist of early film comedy and Buster Keaton's invention and physical skill was impeccable but Stan and Ollie had charm and warmth to go with their wit.
Masterful timing married to some superb sight gags and peerless verbal jousting means that their films remain hugely watchable eighty + years on.
Wednesday, 23 August 2017
Freeview film of the day : wednesday 23rd of August
Seance On A Wet Afternoon (1964) [Talking Pictures TV 12.00am thursday]
(Sky 343, Freeview 81, Freesat 306 & Youview 81)
Written by Bryan Forbes from the book by Mark McShane, directed by Forbes.
Somewhat overlooked and partially forgotten British film that takes the realistic style that was popular at the moment and overlays it with an air of the supernatural and other worldly to extraordinary good effect.
Myra, a fake medium, tired of eking a living "contacting" the dead on behalf of her tiny group of adherents once a week, devises a plan to find fame, fortune and celebrity for herself and, with the aid of her down trodden husband Bill, sets about putting it into practice.
There's all sorts of themes and ideas being explored here : the nature of self-deception, the lure and pull of fame (long before it became fashionable to comment on), insanity, loss, delusion and desperation.
Kim Stanley as Myra is utterly astonishing. She holds the centre of the film and turns in a magnificent performance; by turns dominating, beguiling, wheedling, cunning and (ultimately) broken. Nominated for an Oscar (she lost to Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins) it's a fine piece of work, even down to an almost note perfect English accent.
She was to be nominated again in 1983 for her supporting role as Jessica Lange's chillingly dominant mother in Frances (1982) (losing again) - in between times working only fitfully and then mainly in TV; another example of a woman of enormous talent that Hollywood found difficult to slot into it's rigidly stereotyped casting moulds.
The other lead role - the defeated and compliant Bill, Myra's husband - is taken by Richard Attenborough, again giving one of his quiet unshowy performances that he was capable at one time. Meekly sublimating himself to his mentally scarred wife's every whim and command until, in the final reel, she pushes him just a little too further bringing about the hugely satisfying climax to the film.
Good support work from Nanette Newman as a clutching-at-straws young mum, Mark Eden as her husband and Patrick Magee as the investigating superintendent, all charm and urbanity.
A quick word for John Barry's score which is not only excellent (as you would expect) but adds superbly to the general air of strangeness that pervades the film.
And special words for director Bryan Forbes whose best film this is by some comfortable distance. He builds tension into every scene by the use of unusual camera angles (there's a lot of low angle shots), some well used extreme close-ups and constructive use of lighting. He subsumes the entire film in an aura of other wordiness and drops in the shocks and surprises with a deft touch.
Finally praise for the location shots of London just on the edge of becoming "swinging". A document of lost times including some great scenes shot in and around the Underground system.
A truly excellent and thoughtful film.
(Sky 343, Freeview 81, Freesat 306 & Youview 81)
Written by Bryan Forbes from the book by Mark McShane, directed by Forbes.
Somewhat overlooked and partially forgotten British film that takes the realistic style that was popular at the moment and overlays it with an air of the supernatural and other worldly to extraordinary good effect.
Myra, a fake medium, tired of eking a living "contacting" the dead on behalf of her tiny group of adherents once a week, devises a plan to find fame, fortune and celebrity for herself and, with the aid of her down trodden husband Bill, sets about putting it into practice.
There's all sorts of themes and ideas being explored here : the nature of self-deception, the lure and pull of fame (long before it became fashionable to comment on), insanity, loss, delusion and desperation.
Kim Stanley as Myra is utterly astonishing. She holds the centre of the film and turns in a magnificent performance; by turns dominating, beguiling, wheedling, cunning and (ultimately) broken. Nominated for an Oscar (she lost to Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins) it's a fine piece of work, even down to an almost note perfect English accent.
She was to be nominated again in 1983 for her supporting role as Jessica Lange's chillingly dominant mother in Frances (1982) (losing again) - in between times working only fitfully and then mainly in TV; another example of a woman of enormous talent that Hollywood found difficult to slot into it's rigidly stereotyped casting moulds.
The other lead role - the defeated and compliant Bill, Myra's husband - is taken by Richard Attenborough, again giving one of his quiet unshowy performances that he was capable at one time. Meekly sublimating himself to his mentally scarred wife's every whim and command until, in the final reel, she pushes him just a little too further bringing about the hugely satisfying climax to the film.
Good support work from Nanette Newman as a clutching-at-straws young mum, Mark Eden as her husband and Patrick Magee as the investigating superintendent, all charm and urbanity.
A quick word for John Barry's score which is not only excellent (as you would expect) but adds superbly to the general air of strangeness that pervades the film.
And special words for director Bryan Forbes whose best film this is by some comfortable distance. He builds tension into every scene by the use of unusual camera angles (there's a lot of low angle shots), some well used extreme close-ups and constructive use of lighting. He subsumes the entire film in an aura of other wordiness and drops in the shocks and surprises with a deft touch.
Finally praise for the location shots of London just on the edge of becoming "swinging". A document of lost times including some great scenes shot in and around the Underground system.
A truly excellent and thoughtful film.
Tuesday, 22 August 2017
Freeview film of the day : tuesday 22nd of August
Silent Running (1971 85min.) [Film4 2.15am wednesday &+1]
A scientist, with the help of his three robot assistants, tends a huge garden aboard a space station, created to replenish an Earth ravaged by nuclear warfare. But his superiors' decision to abandon the project prompts him to embark on a desperate course of action. Ecological sci-fi drama, starring Bruce Dern, with Cliff Potts and Ron Rifkin.
Recommended without reservation (apart from the slightly dull song by Joan Baez on the soundtrack). A perfectly constructed film with a terrific central performance from Bruce Dern and sensational direction by former special effects genius Douglas Trumbull.
Essential viewing.
A scientist, with the help of his three robot assistants, tends a huge garden aboard a space station, created to replenish an Earth ravaged by nuclear warfare. But his superiors' decision to abandon the project prompts him to embark on a desperate course of action. Ecological sci-fi drama, starring Bruce Dern, with Cliff Potts and Ron Rifkin.
Recommended without reservation (apart from the slightly dull song by Joan Baez on the soundtrack). A perfectly constructed film with a terrific central performance from Bruce Dern and sensational direction by former special effects genius Douglas Trumbull.
Essential viewing.
Monday, 21 August 2017
Freeview film of the day : monday 21st of August
Zero Dark Thirty (2012 150min.) [Film4 12.10am tuesday &+1]
Action thriller based on a true story, starring Jessica Chastain. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the hunt for al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden intensifies and pressure grows on CIA agent Maya and her colleagues to bring him to justice. But as the operation stretches over years and spans the world, factions within the security services resort to methods that are not strictly by the book, methods that present a moral challenge for Maya.
If you're familiar with the TV series Homeland you'll be prepared for Jessica Chastain's performance as Maya the hugely driven CIA operative with an obsessive goal.
She burns up the screen with an intensity and passion that occasionally borders on overplaying but is always true to her character.
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow with her usual confident style and grace, this is almost a companion piece to her previous film The Hurt Locker. What's refreshing here is that, in among the slew of recent films inspired by the US military actions in Iraq and Afganistan, here we have a female character right at the heart of the action, constantly running rings around her male superiors and demonstrating that there's more than one way to fight an intelligence war.
Kyle Chandler off of Friday Night Lights is good value as the CIA station boss totally out of his depth and Jason Clarke, Mark Strong and Jennifer Ehle add weight to a fine ensemble cast.
It's a gripping and absorbing film and it's to Bigelow's enormous credit that she not only sidelined the machismo element so often present in films like this but presents a coherent and lucid timeline/story from a series of events that many book length examinations have failed to explain with such clarity.
Interesting, informative and very well made and played.
Action thriller based on a true story, starring Jessica Chastain. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the hunt for al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden intensifies and pressure grows on CIA agent Maya and her colleagues to bring him to justice. But as the operation stretches over years and spans the world, factions within the security services resort to methods that are not strictly by the book, methods that present a moral challenge for Maya.
If you're familiar with the TV series Homeland you'll be prepared for Jessica Chastain's performance as Maya the hugely driven CIA operative with an obsessive goal.
She burns up the screen with an intensity and passion that occasionally borders on overplaying but is always true to her character.
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow with her usual confident style and grace, this is almost a companion piece to her previous film The Hurt Locker. What's refreshing here is that, in among the slew of recent films inspired by the US military actions in Iraq and Afganistan, here we have a female character right at the heart of the action, constantly running rings around her male superiors and demonstrating that there's more than one way to fight an intelligence war.
Kyle Chandler off of Friday Night Lights is good value as the CIA station boss totally out of his depth and Jason Clarke, Mark Strong and Jennifer Ehle add weight to a fine ensemble cast.
It's a gripping and absorbing film and it's to Bigelow's enormous credit that she not only sidelined the machismo element so often present in films like this but presents a coherent and lucid timeline/story from a series of events that many book length examinations have failed to explain with such clarity.
Interesting, informative and very well made and played.
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