Chess of the Wind (1976) **

Nice to look at but the story is not compelling and the characters one dimensional.

The Killer Is Loose (1956) **

Boffo finale and a terrific Wendell Corey performance saves this police procedural that sorely lags in the middle.

“Megadoc” Shows Francis Ford Coppola Going for Broke on “Megalopolis”

A revelatory sequence in “Megadoc” shows Coppola arguing with the cinematographer, Mihai Mălaimare, Jr., about the lighting of a shot, which Mălaimare wants to keep consistent with other shots in the scene, for the sake of a conventionally smooth edit. Coppola says that Mălaimare has no business anticipating how the film will be edited, and the director lays down the law: “To me, your job is not to match all the light. Your job is to get beautiful images of the scenes that we have.”

Modern cinematographers need to learn this.

Possession (1981) ****

A film that never condescends, featuring a trio of superb performances. It's often harsh but always true to the story and the point.

The Thursday Murder Club (2025) *

The gracefully ageing stars make it watchable...to a point.

To the Devil a Daughter (1976) **

Handsomely produced and lushly filmed with a top notch cast, ultimately silly but always watchable. Nice to see Dick Widmark as the hero for a change.

The Green Cockatoo (1937) ***

Nifty early Brit noir with a Cagney-esuqe turn by a young John Mills. Looks great, breakneck pace, witty script.