Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948) **

Nifty noir soley due to a terrific Eddie G.

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) ***

Admirable adaptation of the novel is perhaps too literal at times but on a shoestring budget it's a beautifully shot and well acted experiment.

Breakfast of Champions (1999) **

Good effort in adapting an unfilmable novel. Great, game cast unfortunately saddled with a protagonist you can't root for.

Official Competition (2021) *

It's well made and looks pretty but aside from one laugh out loud moment it's not funny. Satires about movie making are much more difficult to pull off than other satires which are already extremely difficult. This is no exception.

The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981) ****

Gorgeously shot by the great Freddie Francis with an intelligent, poetic script by Harold Pinter, the typical excellent Brit supporting cast and two award worthy turns by Ms. Streep and Mr. Irons. Top notch entertainment.

The Running Man (1963) **

Could have been a nifty caper/thriller along the Spanish Riviera with three top actors but it's ineptly paced and scripted so it's a slog.

The Hill (1965) ****

Terrific existential drama about the complicity of the powerful and the powerless. Top notch direction, lighting, acting and a sharp script. Tough to watch but rewarding.

Damn the Defiant! (1962) ***

Better than that other mutiny flick from 1962. Beautifully filmed, produced, acted and efficiently directed.

Black Bag (2025) **

Loved everything about this sleek, stylish spy-vs-spy flick except the unfathomable way Soderbergh chose to film the interiors.

The Last Waltz (1978) **

Unfortunately not as much of a lasting influence on how to film a live rock concert as one would have hoped. Scorsese deftly directs but it helps to be a fan of "classic rock".

Dead Ringer (1963) ***

A large amount of disbelief must be suspended in watching this convoluted flick but the rewards are the iconic Ms Davis and some fine b/w cinematography. Pete Lawford is a hoot.

Crossing Delancey (1988) ***

Peak Amy Irving in a mostly sensible rom-com. Well cast and smartly shot.

Murder by Contract (1958) ***

Vince Edwards is terrific as the enigmatic assassin in this stylish low budget noir. Unusual, interesting script.

Port of Shadows (1938) ***

Boffo last third saves the picture from becoming a parody of itself. Michelle Morgan and Jean Gabin make an iconic screen pairing.

Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) ****

Bob Wise directs yet another top notch flick, this time a tough, gritty, hard-hitting heist-noir. Stellar cast and superb script.

Rumble Fish (1983) ****

Francis directs the heck out of a terrific cast. Beautifully shot and composed with inventive in camera effects. Stylish, clever production design.

Late Spring (1949) ***

Setsuko Hara is radiant in a touching story of a daughter's devotion to her widowed father in post war Japan.

The Bitter Stems (1956) **

Nicely shot noir with maybe too many twists suffers from the poor acting. Nifty dream sequence.

River's Edge (1986) ****

Perfectly cast and well scripted youth noir that often gets to unexpected depths. Keanu actually helps here.

Forbidden Planet (1956) ***

Unfortunately quite dated script mars the overall production which is very well done. Probably the first sci-fi flick that a studio took seriously and produced it seriously. Beautifully made.