Films Discussed in 2022

In the Bleak Midwinter – 08/12/22

A sparkling curiosity, a joyful discovery for fans of director Kenneth Branagh’s stunning Shakespeare adaptations, In the Bleak Midwinter (1995) presents the bard’s work from another angle – behind the scenes at rehearsals in a draughty church for a Christmas production of Hamlet. For this quirky, low-budget labour of love Branagh gathered together a magnificent roster of British comedy and character actors to portray the highly strung producer/director Joe Harper and his motley troupe of clashing personalities as they try to swallow their differences and pull something together under ridiculous temporal and budgetary constraints. As the characters begin to warm to each other so do we in this entertaining take on luvviedom that glides seamlessly between comic and poignant moments.

Here is the YouTube link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

In My Father’s Den – 08/12/22

In My Father’s Den (2004), is a well executed, satisfying mix of psychological drama and mystery thriller, directed by Brad McGann. The key to its hold is the sympathy evoked in the viewer by Matthew Macfadyen as the central character Paul Prior, a New Zealand émigré to the UK who has returned to his home town to attend his father’s funeral and then finds difficulty getting away, amid local hostility connected with the “den” and a growing attachment to a teenage girl, Celia, an amazing performance by Emily Barclay. It all leads up to a shocking revelation that I have thankfully forgotten the details of, so I am looking forward to tagging along with Prior once again as he delves into family secrets in a small community amid the natural beauty of Otago.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

Now, Voyager – 24/11/22

Bette Davis fought hard for the part of Charlotte Vale, the repressed ugly duckling transformed into elegant swan in the swirling, sumptuous melodrama Now, Voyager (1942), and her persistence paid off with glorious results. Emotions run high in a string of memorable scenes between the leading lady and her excellent co-stars – Gladys Cooper as the authoritarian mother, Claude Rains, the suave, sympathetic psychiatrist and Paul Henreid, the traveller with whom she develops a passionate rapport. The chemistry between Davis and Henreid during Charlotte’s first flush of freedom on board a luxury liner represents for me the high watermark of Hollywood glamour. Based on a partly autobiographical novel by Olive Higgins Prouty published the previous year and directed by Irving Rapper, this is surely one of the most romantic movies of all time.

Here is the download link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

Life is Sweet – 24/11/22

Coming at around the mid-point of writer/director Mike Leigh’s inimitable series of cruelly intimate but affectionate studies of ordinary people with alarming eccentricities, Life is Sweet (1990) is perhaps the pinnacle of this decades-long endeavour. The down to earth realism that flirts with tragedy and farce is an open invitation for a fabulous cast of well-known faces to display both their comic and serious acting credentials. Alison Steadman and Jim Broadbent as the good-humoured working-class mum and dad, Timothy Spall and Stephen Rea the unreliable family friends, Claire Skinner and Jane Horrocks the twin but very disparate daughters, and David Thewlis the enigmatic boyfriend are all a joy to watch in this idiosyncratic take on cherished aspirations that threaten to end in catastrophe.

Here is the All 4 link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

Animal Kingdom 03/11/22

Animal Kingdom (2010) is an amazingly assured first feature by writer/director David Michôd set in the mean streets of a Melbourne very different from the sedate image I previously had of the Victoria state capital. On the death of his mother teenager “J” Cody, played by James Frecheville begins a new phase of life in the bosom of his extended family, a hard-core criminal gang presided over by matriarch “Smurf” Cody, played with seductive malevolence by Jacki Weaver. Will he survive and if so only by emulating the thuggery of his uncles? The sense of danger is palpable from the off in this study of power, suspicion and fear, with an upward curve of violence as police detective Nathan Leckie, played with reassuring solidity by Guy Pearce, struggles to get the evidence that will put the psychopathic “Pope”, played with bristling menace by Ben Mendelsohn, behind bars.

Here is the All 4 link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

Little Miss Sunshine 03/11/22

A hilarious, quirky road movie directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, Little Miss Sunshine (2006) portrays the anguish and antics of a dysfunctional family held together only by the dream of success for the youngest member in a prestigious faraway talent contest. Despite the realism of some strong language and drug use the keynote is humour in an entertaining ride for all ages. The generations are represented by a standout cast – a talented child star in Abigail Breslin, a young Paul Dano playing the mute teenager, Greg Kinnear as the depressed father, Toni Collette as the mother trying desperately to keep the show on the road, not to mention Alan Arkin as the sweary grandfather and Steve Carell as the suicidal uncle. The film deservedly won a string of awards, including the Oscars for Best Supporting Actor and Original Screenplay, two BAFTAs, the BFCA Critics’ Choice Award for Best Young Actor and France’s Cesar for Best Foreign Film.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

The Class 20/10/22

You could be forgiven for thinking that The Class (Entre les Murs) (2008) is a documentary, so naturalistically does it portray the everyday events in the year of a Parisian secondary school, focusing on one particular new teacher and his class. This thoroughgoing exercise in cinema verité, by the specialist director of gripping workplace-based scenarios Laurent Cantet, is an adaptation of a novel by François Bégaudeau, who collaborated with Cantet on the screenplay and stepped up from his writing desk to play the lead role with a charismatic conviction that no professional teacher or acting luminary could have bettered. I found the development of the characters and their stories as compelling as in any more conventional drama, with the added bonus of fascinating insights into educational customs and practice across the Channel.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

Gods and Monsters 20/10/22

I remember very little about Gods and Monsters (1998) except that it was much better than the average review and rating had led me to expect. Ian McKellen revels in the role of the dapper, gay former horror movie director James Whale, sparring with his housekeeper, played by Lynn Redgrave, and taking under his wing the musclebound gardener with more to him than meets the eye, played by Brendan Fraser. All the actors make the most of an Oscar-winning script by the director Bill Condon based on the novel Father of Frankenstein by Christopher Bram. This is an elegant chamber piece with a sparkling surface and a dark underbelly.

Here is the YouTube link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

The Red Shoes 29/09/22

Of all the films I have ever seen perhaps the most ravishing to the eye is The Red Shoes (1948). I wallowed in the sheer richness of colour saturating the talk scenes, let alone the sumptuous ballet sequences, when I belatedly caught a screening of this beloved classic around 20 years ago. But there is nothing slow or sedate about this story of a prodigiously talented ballerina, played by Moira Shearer, who becomes torn between the opposed forces of romantic love and artistic ambition when she falls for the company’s equally gifted young composer, played by Marius Goring. This threatens the plans of the fanatically driven ballet director, played with a repressed intensity by Anton Walbrook in another outstanding performance for directors Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, operating here at their peak.

Here is the iPlayer link and the YouTube link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

The 400 Blows 29/09/22

The 400 Blows is a literal mis-translation of the original French title Les Quatre Cents Coups, an idiom that means ‘Raising Merry Hell’ and refers to the provocative, anti-authoritarian behaviour of the young protagonist. Released in 1959, this French ‘new wave’ masterpiece won several awards and was director François Truffaut’s most successful film at the box office in France. It is his heartfelt account of a troubled boyhood, based on his own early life growing up in a dysfunctional family in Paris. Jean-Pierre Léaud is unforgettable as the young Antoine Doinel, in the first of five films in which he becomes the director’s alter-ego, the real-life actor growing up alongside the fictional character over the next two decades. Jean-Pierre/Antoine wins the hearts of the viewers more often than not, as the story is told principally from his point of view. The film includes a voiceover by the late Jean-Luc Godard who died this month, Truffaut’s friend and occasional collaborator at the time.

Here is the download link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 15/09/22

In the final instalment of his legendary “dollars” trilogy director Sergio Leone makes his most stunning use yet of two priceless assets – Ennio Morricone’s inventively instrumented, ravishing score and Clint Eastwood’s statuesque allure as the “good” gunslinger enmeshed in a long-running battle of wits and machismo with the “bad” and the “ugly”, as incarnated by Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) is the crème de la crème of the Spaghetti Western sub-genre, with a look and feel way beyond its budget yet retaining an edgy rawness with its post-synched dialogue, including 16 minutes added to the American version in 2002 to bring it up to the full three hours of the Italian release. I was awed by the spectacle, the menace, the bursts of violence, the cross and double-cross of this timeless epic, but I think there is a magic extra ingredient, a kind of wry humour that raises it above its rivals as the all-time favourite amongst its legions of fans.

Here is the YouTube link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

Three Cornered Moon 15/09/22

The background to this delightfully irreverent comedy is the Great Depression, a systemic shock to the fatherless Rimplegar family that has surprising and entertaining consequences. The star of the show is of course Claudette Colbert, at her most dazzling as the high-spirited daughter attempting to marshal her inept brothers, and keeping us guessing as to the relative merits of her chalk and cheese suitors until the end. Three Cornered Moon (1933), directed by Elliott Nugent, is a charming, witty time-capsule that confronts serious issues and moral dilemmas obliquely without any interruption to the fun and games. Since I unearthed this long forgotten gem nine years ago we have entered a new crisis period. I think a second viewing will now be a refreshing antidote to the more modern style of bleating and blaming in response to misfortune.

Here is the download link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

Empire of the Sun 01/09/22

Taking an inspired break from science fiction J.G. Ballard gained a whole new readership in 1984 with his autobiographical novel about a middle class English boy caught up in the 1941 Japanese occupation of Shanghai. It quickly caught Steven Spielberg’s eye, resulting in the epic but faithful adaptation, Empire of the Sun (1987). The intense identification with a child’s point of view – so moving in Close Encounters and ET – is remarkable again – with 12 year old Christian Bale launching his stellar career in the role of Jim. We follow the boy’s adventures with awe; his innocence seems like a strength as he takes every new threat in his stride. The mature Spielberg delivers an education as much as an entertainment about this previously neglected corner of the Second World War, as concerned to portray the culture clashes in 1940s Shanghai as the aerial battles and the terror that lies in store for Jim and his newly found friend from the sky.

Here is the iPlayer link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

She’s the One 01/09/22

Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz and John Mahoney add star appeal to New York independent film-maker Ed Burns’ second feature She’s the One (1996). The core of this fizzing romantic comedy is the vituperative rivalry between chalk and cheese brothers Mickey and Francis Fitzpatrick, played by Burns and Michael McGlone. Every traded insult in their relentless spats made me and my viewing partner titter or laugh out loud at the Odeon when it came out, to the annoyance of the people in front of us, who just didn’t seem to “get” it. Nor apparently do many reviewers. I came away smiling and uplifted by the acid humour of the protagonists, leavened by an underlying affection for (most of) the characters portrayed. Will the alchemy still hold sway on a second viewing?

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

Summertime 18/08/22

I was pleasantly surprised to discover a completely different Katharine Hepburn, all trace of feistiness removed, in the sad but sympathetic character of secretary Jane Hudson, who finally makes the trip from Akron, Ohio to Venice to fulfil her life-long dream. Awkward encounters with fellow American tourists are eclipsed by an unexpected chance of romance, and further awkwardness, when she meets antiques dealer Renato de Rossi. Summertime (1955) is a beautifully nuanced, quietly engrossing chamber piece, with the added attractions of the city itself showcased by director David Lean in his last film before launching into the series of epics that made him a household name.

Here is the YouTube link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

The Talented Mr. Ripley 18/08/22

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) brought together a host of talented actors enjoying their first flush of stardom to re-create the tense, ambiguous relationships and shifting alliances between rich American college kids on the Italian riviera in this second great adaptation of a ground-breaking crime novel. Matt Damon plays the seemingly straight-laced nerd who becomes obsessed with errant playboy Dickie Greenleaf and his girlfriend Marge, played by Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow. Cate Blanchett provides light relief as the unsuspecting friend who turns up at key moments in the ever darkening plot. I enjoyed this richly-layered thriller far more than director Anthony Minghella’s previous and heavily Oscar-laden feature The English Patient.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

Two for the Road 04/08/22

Two for the Road (1967), directed by Stanley Donen, is a bittersweet romantic comedy, charting the ups and downs of Joanna and Mark, who meet in northern France while trying to get to the Mediterranean on a budget. In subsequent years the budget increases, while the naïve fun and games become overlaid by more mature realities. Seeing it on TV was a highlight of a stay-at-home summer during my unadventurous youth. I can’t wait to be transported again to the ambience of the 1960s and relive the chemistry of Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney on their scenic, seductive road trips.

Here is the YouTube link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

High Sierra 04/08/22

High Sierra (1941) is a tough, tense, action-packed Bogie classic directed by gangster film supremo Raoul Walsh. I’ve seen it only once on telly a long time ago so I can only really remember the climactic ending in which I was rooting with all my heart for desperado Roy Earle to escape the long arm of the law. I note that Humphrey Bogart’s opposite number is the fascinating Ida Lupino, often cast as the tainted girl with hidden depths, who went on to direct her own off-beat brand of film noir.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

Jean de Florette 23/06/22

Jean de Florette (1986) was perhaps the most revered film of the decade in my London milieu at the time. It had the barnstorming presence of Gérard Depardieu as the heroically persistent hunchback from the city, battling against all the odds to make a go of his inherited Provence farm. It was my introduction to the talents of both Yves Montand and Daniel Auteuil, playing members of the landed gentry gone to seed and looking for a fast track back to prosperity. And it made me sigh with longing for the beautiful rolling landscape in which this gripping story is set, consummately brought to the screen by director Claude Berri. A second viewing is long overdue.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

Desperately Seeking Susan 23/06/22

The big selling point of Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) was the casting of the recently emerged pop phenomenon Madonna as the eponymous free-wheeling spirit who can only be got hold of through the placement of a personal ad in the paper. I was suitably wowed by the character’s ultra-cool persona, indifferent to the opinion of others, yet infallibly trend-setting nonetheless. I shared the tremulous excitement of bored suburbanite Roberta Glass, played by Rosanna Arquette, who strays far from her comfort zone into the dangerous orbit of her idealised role model. Thirty-seven years on, will I again enjoy the twists and turns of this deceptively charming urban romp directed by Susan Seidelman, almost a classic period farce transposed to the arty New York loft scene of the 1980s?

Here is the iPlayer link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

The Queen 09/06/22

Director Stephen Frears, a gifted specialist in classy, knowing representations of both contemporary British society and period courtly intrigue, has the ideal pedigree to take on the tragic culmination of the Charles-Diana rift and its traumatic aftermath that drives the narrative of The Queen (2006). Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen are equally born to play the firmly embedded monarch and the newly minted Prime Minister Tony Blair, representing traditional dignified restraint versus the new mood of overt emotional display in the national crisis over the demise of the People’s Princess. Any imaginative embellishments and departures from strict historical accuracy in Peter Morgan’s screenplay I would maintain are entirely justified by the dramatic and entertaining impact of the end result.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

Kundun 09/06/22

The world’s foremost director of visceral gangster thrillers proves once again that he can turn his hand to any subject and genre with this quietly engrossing biopic of the world’s foremost living advertisement for peace. The title itself of Kundun (1997) heralds the ambition to sincerely evoke the Dalai Lama’s world and its contemplative sensibility, yet also made me apprehensive that the two plus hours of screen time might be less than riveting. I soon forgot any misgivings, intrigued by the insight into Tibetan life and customs, awed by the mountainous grandeur, ravished by the sumptuous pageantry and thoroughly caught up in the trauma of the Chinese invasion and its political aftermath. All credit to Martin Scorsese for taking a risk and delivering this serious account of a complex personality and enigmatic public figure that is also highly watchable.

Here is the YouTube link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

The Best Years of Our Lives 26/05/22

Since making nearly a clean sweep of the most prestigious Oscars for 1946 The Best Years of Our Lives has lapsed into relative obscurity, at least in the UK, compared to some other 1940s Hollywood classics. Perhaps the rocky return to civvy street of three demobbed servicemen who become buddies despite their differing ranks, ages and social circumstances is considered too modest a story for the epic running time of 2 hours 50 minutes. Or perhaps it’s that William Wyler, who time and again has turned out to be the director of one of my favourite films, is not a household name, nor are any of the leading players. All the more pleasure then is to be had in this utterly absorbing journey, from raucous revelry through domestic unease, troubled romance and alienation in the workplace, as the returning trio follow their individual and shared paths of adjustment and reintegration. The parts of the wives, daughter and fiancée are endowed with as much personality and agency as those of the men.

Here is the YouTube link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown 26/05/22

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (a ground-breaking title when it came out) is the film that first thrust director Pedro Almodóvar into the international spotlight, becoming the highest-ever grossing Spanish film at the time in both Spain and the USA. He subsequently went on to direct a string of films in his own inimitable style which became international box office successes. Made in 1988, it is quintessential Almodóvar – vibrant, pacey, colourful, flamboyant, farcical, excessive, and as always, some highly emotional women take centre stage. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film that year and won five Goya Awards, including Best Film and Best Actress in a Leading Role for Carmen Maura, who reappeared in many of his later movies. I don’t remember much about the plot but I can’t wait to watch it again, if only to see whether it survives the test of time.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

The Remains of the Day 12/05/22

The Remains of the Day (1993), directed by James Ivory, is a faithful and wholly successful translation of the Booker prize-winning novel by Kazuo Ishiguro to the screen. Oscar nominees Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson exquisitely render the growing familiarity between butler Stevens and housekeeper Kenton in all its agonising fragility, while their master plays host to Nazi sympathisers in the drawing room. The lavish packaging of a top-drawer Merchant Ivory production is perfectly suited to this heady mix of stilted manners, romantic yearning and political intrigue laced with a dash of Wodehouseian comedy featuring a sparkling Hugh Grant as a foppish house guest.

Here is the iPlayer link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

The Glenn Miller Story 12/05/22

James Stewart delivers a convincing portrayal of the impassioned young trombonist dreaming of a radically different sound who became the iconic composer and bandleader of the Swing era, pumping out one stylish hit after another against the backdrop of the Second World War. June Allyson is equally well cast as the stalwart sweetheart and wife. The Glenn Miller Story (1954), is both a satisfying biopic and a lavish musical tribute. Director Anthony Mann allows plenty of time for crowd-pleasing performances of all the famous numbers, including dazzling guest appearances by Louis Armstrong and Gene Krupa.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

The Birds 14/04/22

Translating this chilling Daphne du Maurier story to the screen was a bold move that taxed the directorial technique and creativity of even the great Alfred Hitchcock. The setting, the characters, everything is changed apart from the essential mystery in The Birds (1963). Why do they gather so ominously at the foreshore? Can the increasingly hostile avian attacks be explained away, or is there a supernatural malevolence at work? Glamorous stars Tippi Hedren and Rod Taylor have their cool composure stripped away, seemingly targeted by the dark mass of winged avengers in this legendary slow-burning horror thriller.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

La Belle Époque 14/04/22

The line between reality and fantasy is crossed and re-crossed to both comic and dramatic effect in La Belle Époque (2019), the fiendishly clever brainchild of writer/director Nicolas Bedos. The familiar now well-worn faces of Daniel Auteuil and Fanny Ardant bring depth to their roles as the estranged husband and wife Victor and Marianne Drumond, whose romantic days back in the seventies are but a hollow memory, that is until cutting-edge media company director Antoine, played by the equally impressive Guillaume Canet, invites Victor to re-live the experience. This is a rare contemporary example of stylish, perceptive, intellectually stimulating French cinema that fulfils its promise – with some surprising punches along the way.

Here is the iPlayer link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

American Beauty 24/03/22

American Beauty (1999) is that cinematic rarity – a purely domestic drama of warts and all ordinary life that found favour with the crowds as much as the critics. Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening star as Lester and Carolyn Burnham, the long-married couple drifting apart behind a successful suburban façade, nursing resentments and falling prey to the attractions, respectively, of their daughter’s provocative schoolfriend and the rapacious local estate agent. Both comic and painfully real, this anatomy of a family in disarray was a spectacular feature film debut by Sam Mendes, who collected the award for best director amongst five of the big six Oscars.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

The Third Man 24/03/22

An American pulp novelist Holly Martins comes to Vienna soon after the Second World War at the invitation of his old friend Harry Lime. Instead of the promised job he finds himself following a murder trail through the dark, divided, dilapidated city. Directed by Carol Reed from a screenplay by Graham Greene, The Third Man (1949) is famed for the spellbinding mood and atmosphere conjured up by the expressionist cinematography and the eerily jaunty theme tune composed by Anton Karas. Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles give bravura performances in a film noir which has truly stood the test of time.

Here is the iPlayer link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

The Soft Skin 03/03/22

Less well-known than his more playful flirtations with film noir, The Soft Skin (La Peau Douce) (1964) is a neglected gem in the portfolio of French New Wave auteur François Truffaut. Middle-aged author and publisher Pierre Lachenay entangles himself in a web of deception from the moment he seeks to combine business with pleasure on an extra-marital escapade. The build-up of tension and moody atmosphere is combined with sophisticated psychological interplay in this exquisite riff on a familiar salutary tale.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

In the Heat of the Night 03/03/22

It is for In the Heat of the Night (1967) and his role as the Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs, who comes up against the full force of racism in the deep south while attempting to solve a murder case, that Sidney Poitier is best remembered. The leading actor award, amongst four other Oscars including best picture, ironically went to Rod Steiger for his portrait of the racist police chief forced to collaborate with Tibbs. Their fascinating duel is the core of this accomplished crime thriller in which director Norman Jewison’s risky depiction of race relations paid dividends.

Here is the iPlayer link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

Pillow Talk 17/02/22

Slick, superficial and hugely enjoyable, Pillow Talk (1959) was the romantic comedy sensation of the year. Director Michael Gordon’s early experience at the helm of fast-paced crime B-movies stood him in good stead for shooting the snappy exchanges and plot twists that decorate and dog the relationship between Rock Hudson and Doris Day, from bitter squabbling over the use of a telephone party line through to the final soft landing. Tony Randall’s slightly camp panache as the wryly observant friend / rival / spare wheel was integral to the winning formula that powered a further two successful vehicles for the same trio in similar roles.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

The Souvenir 17/02/22

Acclaimed independent film-maker Joanna Hogg’s commitment to authenticity has Tilda Swinton and her real-life daughter re-creating that relationship in The Souvenir (2019), a typically unsettling drama based on the director’s years as a film student in 1980s London. Honor Swinton Byrne portrays the determined yet haplessly vulnerable young Julie, struggling to develop an identity of her own while getting into very deep water with Anthony, a charming but feckless civil servant, played with gusto by Tom Burke. The volatile entanglement contrasts with beautifully observed and often very funny debates at film school and at the posh family home. Richard Ayoade in a delicious cameo threatens to steal the show.

Here is the iPlayer link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

Miracle in Milan 03/02/22

The desperate plight of a shanty town community on the outskirts of Milan in bleak midwinter develops into an increasingly lively series of skirmishes with city officials and land-grabbers in Miracle in Milan (Miracolo a Milano) (1951). There is more going on than meets the eye in this artful adaptation by director Vittorio De Sica of a whimsical novel by his frequent collaborator Cesare Zavattini. The result is a unique and exhilarating comedy with its feet still firmly planted in the stark hinterland of Italian neo-realism.

Here is the YouTube link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

The Imitation Game 03/02/22

The story of computing pioneer Alan Turing’s involvement in the code-breaking programme at Bletchley Park and its shocking coda is so full of intrigue, excitement and personal tragedy that it has spawned several dramatic representations over the years. The Imitation Game (2014), directed by Morten Tyldum, aims to do full justice to the complex character whose genius tipped the odds in the Allies’ favour at the height of the war. Benedict Cumberbatch digs deep to deliver a sublime portrayal of both the socially challenged maths prodigy leading the decryption effort and the isolated cynic of later years, while among the excellent supporting cast Alex Lawther as Turing’s hyper-sensitive schoolboy self is equally riveting.

Here is the download link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

Buffalo ’66 20/01/22

The title of Buffalo ’66 (1998) refers to the coincidence of protagonist Billy Brown’s birth on the day that the city’s football team last won the national championship, the root cause indeed of his errant youth, culminating in a prison term from which he has just emerged. Writer/director Vincent Gallo weaves a magic spell in his first feature, also playing the anti-hero of this immensely original drama with heartfelt bravura. Christina Ricci provides a perfect counterbalance as the girl he forcibly picks up during his first frenzied hours of freedom, while older hands Anjelica Huston, Ben Gazzara and Mickey Rourke vie for the prize of worst role model as mother, father and mobster.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

Judy 20/01/22

Cementing her own status as a supranational treasure Renée Zellwegger performs the miracle asked of her in Judy (2019), re-incarnating for a 21st century audience the legendary actress and entertainer in all her brittle brilliance. This unflinching biopic directed by Rupert Goold is an intensely watchable drama, from the harsh exploitation of a teenage talent, through the vagaries of fame without fortune to the London comeback of 1968 and the last tumultuous act of an all too human and vulnerable showbiz superstar.

Here is the iPlayer link.

Here is the IMDb link for further information.

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