Deceived - 1991 **

A very poor offering from Goldie Hawn. This was a mediocre thriller with a mixture of paranoid tension and then boring sub-text. Hawn meets the man of her dreams (or so she thinks) and they get married. She then learns that he has perished in a car accident and is devastated. However, before long she is learning dreadful things about her seemingly perfect husband. Rather boring, the characters are all disfunctional and I really found the film dragged.

It's Complicated - 2009 ****

I was seriously surprised by how funny this film was. I was expecting it to be a typical rom-com like all the others that have been churned out in the last few years but actually it was very amusing. Meryl Streep is wonderful, I don't think I've ever seen her in a film that I didn't like but Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin - what is going on with their faces??? They both seem like they have been drowned in botox from their forehead to their chin leaving this creepy slightly manic look that doesn't change regardless of what emotion they are trying to show. It is particularly obvious in Steve Martin which leads to some very disturbing scenes where he is stoned out of his head but still looks exactly the same as he did beforehand.
Streep and Baldwin are a divorced couple, Streep is now single and Baldwin is married to a woman that he cheated on Streep with along with inheriting a couple of her children. However, several awkward moments ensue and before long they are beginning an affair behind Baldwin's wife. Ironic, as now the first wife has become the mistress. Some very funny parts, some sentimental parts, and some downright bizarre parts, but all in all I think this film is one of the better comedies that has come out in America.

(NOIR) Undercurrent - 1946 ****

'Undercurrent' is one of those films that grips you immediatly, lets you go and then grabs you again.
Some parts really had me on the edge of my seat and others had me snorting in laughter. Katherine Hepburn has a tendency to totally overract in some of her films and it was quite apparent in this as she manically ran around with wide eyes and clenched fists flinching everytime Robert Taylor said anything.
The story could rival 'Rebecca' in many ways, except this time, the focus of obsession is a missing/presumed dead brother, instead of a first wife. Geeky, plain Hepburn ,meets charming and handsome Taylor and they have a whirlwind romance ending in marriage. Before long however, Hepburn finds out that Taylor has a brother that she has never heard of. This sets the tone for a weird series of events that unravel as she tries to figure out the mystery surrounding a man that no one will talk about, that no one knows the whereabouts of, and that certain people believe has been murdered.. by her new husband.
Taylor is brilliant, and Mitchum puts in a very good appearance in the limited screen time he is given. Hepburn is good but tends to be a bit much after a while.

(NOIR) Witness to Murder - 1954 *** 1/2

My first film noir after a serious black and white film drought had to be a good one. 'Witness to Murder' seems to me to be a mix of a couple of films, most notably 'Sorry, Wrong Number' where Barbara Stanwyck also becomes embroiled in a murder plot, and of course 'Rear Window'. She's still a wonderful actress but something here seems to be lacking. 1954 and really most of the better noirs had been and gone, so trying to keep up the same level of tension was proving to be difficult. George Sanders is one of my favourites but even he seemed a tad past his peak. Unfortunate because I actually liked the storyline. A woman witnesses a murder across the way through her bedroom window but cannot get the police to believe her apart from one who takes a shine to her and is convinced that she is not insane. Interesting film, but not one of the best.

Mabel's Blunder - 1914 ***

I thought it would be interesting to see this advert for the film from 1914 in the theatre!
By the time Mabel had starred in this she had been in over 80 movies but only acting for 4 years. That's a heck of a lot of acting to fit into a short time.
She also directed this movie and you can tell because it has a mischievous glint to it. Towards the end I was laughing out loud. Am very grateful that the archives saved this from a certain demise.

(HORROR) Little Deaths - 2011 *

Hideous excuse for a horror movie broken into 3 stories, all revolving around the subject of sex and death (how original). All 3 segments were ridiculous and made no sense whatsoever. And I wish people would stop saying it's Megan Fox on the cover of the DVD, because it's obviously not!

Read My Lips - 2001 ** 1/2

Vincent Cassel is a good actor but I found his performance here in this French thriller. Devos is a deaf woman working as an underappreciated secretary for an Architecture firm. Her boss suggests she hires an assistant to help with her heavy workload and she is surprised to find the agency sends her an ex-con. However she quickly realises that she is falling for him and wants to help him better himself, he on the other hand believes no one can help him.

L'Age D'or - 1930 *

Sorry to say but I don't understand surrealist films. I can't pretend to try and like them either and it's unfair for me to label a film 'bad' because I don't understand it. It could be amazing but to me it wasn't. Bunuel went on to make some fantastic films which I DID understand and so for me this was a no-no.

Artists and Models - 1955 ***

Not a bad film and rather funny in places. Lewis and Martin work well together, however I have not found a film to overtake my love for 'The Nutty Professor' yet, and I doubt I ever will. Lewis can get a bit much with his constant 'over-the-top' acting, but Martin calms him down normally and you usually get a laugh out of it. Still, not one I would watch again.

L'Amour en Fuie - 1979 ****

Truffaut made five films about his 'alter ego' Antoine Doinel. This was the last one. And so I'm not sure whether it would have made more sense to watch in order or not. In fact it probably would have been better, because this film incoorporates all the drama and infidelity that happened in the last 4 films, as well as shows how established the characters already are. Doinel is a strangely weak character in my opinion, and flits from one woman to the next, spinning out the same lines and acting in the same selfish way. He appears to be a man never satisfied with what he has and is always searching for something better on the other side. The lead actresses perform extremely well in comparison and I liked the little touches from '400 Blows' that Truffaut managed to slot in subtly. I will not attempt to find the other 4 movies and watch them backwards.

L'Eclisse - 1962 ***

I think ironically, I am the least impressed with "L'Eclisse" and the most impressed with "L'Aventurra" out of the trilogy of Antonioni's films. Usually each film in a trilogy (especially from someone as renowned and respected as Antonioni) has something amazing about it that helps you differentiate between it and the others, but this movie and 'La Notte' sort of merged into one and I would probably have a hard time remembering the story for each if I hadn't read the synopsis.
This last story of the trilogy was based around the deteriorating relationship between a man and a woman and includes more wandering around and more close ups and sighing from both parties. A lot of symbolism in the film I'm sure, but I just found it rather tedious.

La Carriere de Suzanne - 1963 ***

Another of Eric Rohmer's 'Moral Tales' this time revolving around a woman named Suzanne who meets two university students and, flattered by their attention towards her, begins to be used as they enjoy themselves with her money. The men are deeply unpleasant characters who think that they have some god given right to abuse Suzanne's trust and morals simply because she has something that they want. Suzanne however, has a few tricks up her sleeve.
I really enjoyed this. Not too long, not too drawn out, just right for the story matter.

Le Boulangere de Moncreau - 1963 ****1/4

A fascinating character study of a man in 1960s Paris who, after declaring his undyling love for one girl, Sylvie, he begins a meaningless flirtation with a local woman working in a Bakery. He begins to visit her everyday under the pretence of buying various pastries, and soon believes her to be interested in him. In his eyes he is angry that she thinks she might stand a chance with him, despite the fact that he has been leading her on with kind words and actions and he soon decides to show her once and for all that he doesn't like her. Very interesting little film (and really makes you crave cookies!)

Chloe in the Afternoon - 1972 ***

I'm really into Rohmer's films at the moment and am taking much delight in watching one after the other, much as I did with Claude Chabrol some years earlier. I am keen to see all his 6 'Moral Tales' - a selection of films with specific morals running through them, and so far I have seen this, and 'My Night at Maud's.' MNAT was superior by far, as although I found his next offering a delight to watch, I couldn't help being put off by the ugliness of the lead female and the disturbingly male behaviour of the lead man. The whole film seems to revolve around the typical arrogance most males seem to exude when they get married, that they are somehow 'missing out' on all the other women who they could be with. This one particular man raves on about how much he loves his wife and how he would never be unfaithful to her, but when an old flame 'Chloe' turns up they begin a weird cat and mouse game of chasing each other and then pulling back when the other becomes interested. As soon as she shows interest in him he gets a sudden attack of conscience over his lovely wife who has at this time just given birth and rushes back to her. Pathetic. A good film, but the two leads repulsed me too much with their behaviour.

Hiroshima Mon Amour - 1959 *

I know this is supposed to be a masterpiece but I found the entire concept of the movie very upsetting. The footage of Hiroshima was too much and made me feel quite distressed. I remember studying Hiroshima at school and the impact it had on me then was tremendous. The actors did their best with what they had and I appreciate it was a tricky idea to execute but I found the film matter a bit much and it left me feeling very unsettled for hours afterwards.

My Night At Maud's - 1969 ****1/2

Strange to see two such different films from the same year (this and 'La Notte') but this was far superior to the other. My first experience of Rohmer was a happy one, and I was riveted throughout the entire movie as I experienced a potential candidate (in my eyes) for best movie of 1969. Another example of New Wave cinema from France.
A catholic man in his thirties with strict morals about fidelity and marriage bumps into an old friend on Christmas Eve who takes him back to a female friend's flat. The woman, Maud, spends the evening talking to the two men about everything from relationships to religion to politics. It then starts to snow, and the man is offered shelter at her flat until morning. With this, his morals fly out the window.
This results in a fascinating movie with some completely natural acting. I was so moved by the woman who played Maud's acting that I took in every single movement and word that she did and said with much gusto.
Another hidden gem in my eyes, a bit like 'The Soft Skin' by Francois Truffaut.

La Notte - 1969 ***

Having been so bowled over by Antonioni's first offering (L'Aventura') I figured the second in the triology would be equally fascinating. Although I think Mastroianni and Moreau are fantastic actors I couldn't quite appreciate their relationship. I was aware that they were a married couple who had both been unfaithful but they didn't appear to have any chemistry between them, even in the few tender moments where they seem like they might be getting closer together. They spent most of the film at a party wandering around individually looking unhappy. Comparing this to the first film of the trilogy left me bitterly disappointed. Such a shame after the intensity of the first one.

Foolish Wives - 1922 ***

If this film had been about half the length I really would have given it higher marks, because I found it a thrilling glimpse into 1920s silent film. However I'll be honest, my mind was drifting by the time I was 3/4 through. Von Stroheim is a master of his art, and the way he directed and starred in this made me desperate to see more of his work. It was incredibly refreshing to see how his characters interacted with each other and to see the passion in their faces as they performed. Interesting film of it's time.

New Best Friend - 2002 ****

This was a peculiar film, because on the surface it comes across as a shallow attempt of Cruel Intentions, when in reality it is just as potent and drips with all the ingredients that make a thriller enjoyable. There is back-stabbing, double-crossing, deceit, drug taking and disturbing revelations afoot after a high-achieving girl stumbles into the 'IT' crowd at college by accident. She becomes friends with blonde, rebellious Hadley and is soon sucked into a scary new world of alcohol and drugs.
Good film with a 'shocking' ending (but you will probably figure it out well before then!)

Ruthless People - 1986 ****

I must say the cover of the film was what put me off watching it for such a long time. It looked so dated and a bit tacky to be honest. But sooner or later I realised that I have seen the majority of 80s comedies and really needed to watch it to 'tick it off the list.' Well all I can say is I'm so glad I finally watched it. It was hilarious. Bette Midler is on top form and Danny DeVito made me chuckle almos constantly throughout the film.
DeVito plays a filthy rich businessman who has decided he wanted to get rid of his wife so that he can move his mistress in instead. However, luck seems to be changing for him when his wife is kidnapped by his ex-employee and girlfriend who then hold her for ransom. However, the kidnappers are meek, mild people who wouldn't hurt a fly and instead of killing her because DeVito refuses to pay the ransom they instead let her stay with them. Then the tables turn...
Hilarious. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this was one of the best comedies from that decade I have seen!

The Smiling Madame Beudet - 1922 ***

A little known silent film from 1922, Madame Beudet's agonising look of despair and rejection speaks through decades of film. Trapped in a marriage with a selfish and stifling man who cares nothing for his wife's pursuits or interests and instead tries to smother her with his own problems she has hallucinations and recurring nightmares that she cannot escape.

An interesting 'feminist' film, and short enough to fit into an hour's break.

(NOIR) Murder My Sweet - 1944 ***

I'm concerned that I didn't find this nearly as good as the critics rave about. In fact except for the occasionally funny one liners that Dick Powell comes out with I think that the rest of the film was quite poor. I'm not sure if I like Powell as Philip Marlowe, because to be honest I feel like Bogart IS Marlowe, so it's strange for another actor to take his place, especially one who is well known for singing and playing rom-com parts. He does make quite a good detective however, and is suitably smarmy into the account, but something about his performance just didn't click for me. Claire Trevor was typically beautiful and sultry as the femme fatale, but there was hardly any chemistry between the characters, except for the friendly 'bro-mance' between Marlowe and Malloy.
One to see, but would recommend 'The Big Sleep' with Bogart instead if you want to see Philip Marlowe at his best.

(HORROR) I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer - 2006 ***

I was surprised actually how good this was considering the last offering was about 8 years ago. It deals with pretty much the same story as the other 2 did. A group of adults being pursued by a man in a cape with a hook and being killed off one at a time in an array of interesting deaths. The ending is pretty silly, and when you discover the identity of the being it's quite amusing and actually lowers the tone of the film even more. But it wasn't a bad movie when you consider how hideous the 3rd film in a trilogy usually is.

(HORROR) Noriko's Dinner Table - 2005 **

I'm not quite sure why this is called a sequel to 'Suicide Club' because if anything it is a prequel to the events leading up to the mass suicide under the train at the beginning of the latter. It's extremely confusing, but what I got from it was that a young girl named Noriko who doesn't feel like she belongs in her family and her current life, runs away to Tokyo to meet the founder of a teenage chat room whom she has been speaking to. It turns out that every person who committed suicide under the train was also a member. Sort of a place for lost souls to go who 'don't fit in'. However, the girl she meets turns out to be a very peculiar being who, along with her family delights in playing strange mind games with Noriko and telling her lies about how she was brought up. She succeeds in 'brainwashing' Noriko into believing that she has no family and that she lives there with her.
It's all very odd, a bit more in the vein of 'Strange Circus' than 'Suicide Club' but also seems to deal more with Tokyo culture and how teenage girls get sucked into an artificial world of celebrity.

(HORROR) The Suicide Club - 2001 ***

I have wanted to watch this for years and finally got the chance to see this and the sequel this weekend. Absolutely bizarre is all I can say. Japan really has surreal and disturbing horror down to a T. Some parts of the film really stick in your head for hours afterwards, such as the very first scene where 54 female students jump in front of a train set to strange Scottish music. Very weird. From then on the whole film tries to work out why suicides are happening all around Tokyo and what could lead such a large group of girls to commit suicide in happy unison. There isn't really an answer to this film, and it's more about what goes on beneath the surface than the exterior.
I actually quite enjoyed it. (Sick or what?)

The Magnificent Ambersons - 1942 ***

I seem to be going through a spate of disappointing films recently. This was an offering that I was sure would impress me, but actually it didn't, and the only positive thing I got from the film was watching Joseph Cotten prance around for an hour and a half. Nice to see Orson Welles giving the main part to Cotten (they bonded in 'The Third Man') but even the fact that he directed this film didn't mean it was worthwhile. Based on a book of the same name, but don't think I will be reaching for it quite yet.

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie - 1976 *

I have yet to find a John Cassavetes movie that I actually like. I didn't like this. I thought it was a mis-matched jumble of rubbishness and I was thoroughly unimpressed. The film ambles on at a really ridiculous pace with no aim or resolution. Very disappointed.

(NOIR) The Reckless Moment - 1949 ***

I actually thought this was a very mediocre film. It was slow and nothing much seemed to happen until the last few minutes which resulted in a bizarre and slightly over-the-top climax. Joan Bennett was very frumpy and I found her performance to be less than average. James Mason as the blackmailer turned good guy was about the only saving grace of the whole thing. A jumbled mistake that I wish I hadn't watched.

Stuart: A Life Backwards - 2006 ****

The combination of Cumberbatch and Hardy in one gritty and real film is enough to guarantee it's popularity as far as I am concerned. Added to which, parts of it were filmed very close to where I work which made it even more likeable.
Based on a true account, Cumberbatch plays Alexander, a bookish, intelligent man who meets Stuart, an aggressive drunk and thoroughly mixed up human being at a protest for homeless people.
Despite his initial reactions, Alexander soon forms a close bond with Stuart, enough for him to suggest that he writes a book about Stuart's troubled life so that people can understand why he ended up on 'the wrong side of the tracks'. Stuart is in agreement, but says the best way for his story to be told is backwards like a murder mystery, so that people can see who 'murdered the innocent child that he was'.
The acting from both these people, especially Tom Hardy is superb. It is fluid, frightening, calm, uncomfortable and completely natural and just seems like these two are meant for their parts. The story is actually very moving and quite painful in places. It will certainly leave you with a lump in your throat.

(NOIR) He Ran All the Way Home - 1951 ***

An interesting film, but not one of the best noirs in my personal opinion (owing to the weak story and ridiculous co-star of Garfield).
John Garfield is electrifying and completely steals every scene he is in, which makes Shelley Winters pretty pale in comparison.
Garfield plays a thief and down-on-his-luck kind of guy, who plans to steal some money off an acquaintance with the help of his only friend. This however goes horribly wrong when his friend is killed, and Garfield is then on the run. He befriends a gullible spinster at a local swimming pool and then ends up taking her whole family hostage.
I don't think I have ever seen a film with Winters where she didn't annoy me to the point of switiching off and this was no different. Her manner and utterly pathetic demeanor does her no favours when her family become hostages and I found myself having no sympathy for her.
Garfield is the highlight of this film, and could probably have carried the whole thing off himself without any help from any other characters. It's a shame he didn't, but his last film before his death is one that will stick in my mind.

The White Countess - 2005 ***

I always find it very sad to watch Natasha Richardson in anything nowadays since her tragic death in 2009. Mainly because she was such a beautiful and talented actress with a tremendously wide acting range.
Set in 1930's Shanghai, the Merchant Ivory film follows the exploits of a woman named Sofia (aka Countess Belinskya) who has found work as a dancer in a sleazy club after escaping from the Russian revolution. There she meets Fiennes, a former official who has lost both his wife and children in 2 separate terrorist bombings. The result of this has left him blind, (I actually didn't even notice until about half way into the film!) After opening a luxurious nightclub he convinces Sofia to start working for him and in her honour, names the club 'The White Countess.'
This film did drag a bit, but was beautifully done with sumptuous acting from both stars.

Heartburn - 1986 ****

I actually found Streep and Nicholson really good together. Nicholson plays Mark (Carl Bernstein's character) and Streep plays Rachel (Nora Ephron's character) who finds out about that her husband is having an affair only after they have married, bought a house and had two children. Nicholson is suitably sleazy and sexist and Streep clings to the initial 'pathetic woman' stance, moving swiftly on to the 'independant and single woman' vibe soon after the affair is aired. I thought the chemistry was good, and it was mildly funny, but at the same time incredibly painful to watch. You totally empathise with Rachel and how she feels and are willing her to make the right choice.

Boudu Saved From Drowning - 1932 ***

I'm strugglnig to come up with something good to say about this film, except that it was done by Jean Renoir. Other than that, this film was desperately disappointing, and even more so because I had waited years and years to see it. It was unfunny, uninteresting and generally uninspiring.
The film revolves around a tramp named Boudu who decides to end it all by drowning himself. Fortunately he is rescued by a nice family who try to look after him and lift his spirits but not before he has completely taken over their home and driven them up the wall.
Very sad to feel this way about the film especially seeing as 'Un Partie de Campagne' was so beautifully done.

(NOIR) Night and the City - 1950 ** 1/2

Although this is always thought of as one of the best noirs out there I was completely uninterested and underwhelmed by it. I've seen a fair few noirs so do have some sort of idea as to how they work. This was a noir certainly, but the acting (completely over the top by Richard Widmark) was appalling, and the story crumbled as it went on. Based around a crooked named Harry Fabien (Widmark) and his decline into the underworld of criminal activity and illegal wrestling this film pulled barely any punches, and I was left gobsmacked by the ridiculous if not slightly laughable ending. Gene Tierney is beautiful but even she couldn't save this film, or Herbert Lom, and Googie Withers fell very short of the grade as well. Added to which, for a film set in the 1930s it had a surprisingly 1950s feel to it (which is hardly surprising).

Last Night - 2011 ***

'Last Night' is one of those annoying films where if you have particular morals or views on infidelity it will irritate you no end.

Keira Knightley was probably the best thing about the film, as Sam Worthington's acting was utterly wooden and dull, and Eva Mendes' face is the wrong shape.

Knightley and Worthington play a married couple who so far seem to be enjoying married life. But he has to go off with work overnight with a colleague whom he has admitted to being attracted to, leaving Knightley alone. She then happens to bump into her old flame Alex (who she never really got over) who offers to take her out for dinner, and both Knightley and Worthington have that night to decide whether to resist or surrender to the temptation in front of them. (No prizes for guessing what they both do).

This film is realistic to a degree, but it also poses the typical adage that no one can resist temptation if they are handed it on a plate which I don't happen to agree with. Worth a watch.

The Vanishing - 1988 **

If you read the synopsis on Wikipedia about this film it makes it sound utterly riveting, but in reality, it drags on far too long, it's not particularly interesting, and I found the acting to be too over the top. And yes, I have also seen the remake and thought that was equally as apalling if not worse.

The idea of the disappearance is good, the idea of the obsessive boyfriend is good, and the eventual fate of one of the characters is also good, so why wasn't it better executed??

Why do we spend what seems like hours watching the boyfriend wander around aimlessly, when what he is doing could be expressed in half the time? I really didn't take to this version and I usually steadfastly stand by originals of horror and thriller movies.

Easy-A - 2010*

A hideous attempt by American film-makers to produce a comedy based around a girl who chooses to ruin her 'good girl' image by letting people think she is a sl** then starts to worry when it backfires. I'm not sure what the point of the movie is, unless it's to give us an idea of what people in America do at school? Or how fickle people can be when judging someone they don't even know?It doesn't paint American students in the best light really, or American teenage girls if you want to be pedantic. It really was garbage and I'm ashamed to have taken the time to watch it.

Jack and Sarah - 1995 ***

I was convinced that I wouldn't care about this film enought to cry before I started watching it. But I did. And it was all because of Richard E.Grant and his emotional acting. I didn't care much for Samantha Mathis, and I wasn't a huge fan of the baby either, but I was absorbed by Grant's painful transition from husband and father-to-be to widow and father of one. He acted the way I believe a lot of men would after the loss of their wife, but wouldn't like to admit. I think Richard E. Grant is wonderful, so he really made this film for me. A lot of people say that it's not a very funny comedy, but I don't personally believe it's supposed to be. I think it's a drama with some comic moments thrown in. Bit of a difference.

Bull Durham - 1988 *

This in my opinion was a very poor excuse for a comedy. I kept seeing it floating around Amazon and decided just to watch it and see what all the fuss was about.

To put it bluntly, the fuss was about nothing. It was rubbish. It's about a baseball player who becomes attracted to a baseball groupie who has an affair with a baseball player each season. That's about it. What a waste of time. Susan Sarandon isn't at her best here, and neither is Kevin Costner. A boring film. Not funny at all. Am amazed that Billy Wilder said he liked it.

Bridesmaids - 2011 **

I thoroughly disliked this film. I hear that people are raving about it and calling it original, well I guess it is, but that doesn't mean it's any good. Wills and Kate reportedly went to see it and found it very funny, so I'm not sure what I'm missing.

All the characters were deeply unlikeable especially the lead blonde woman who comes across as a very selfish human being. The bride is weird, the other bridesmaids just sort of fade into the background, and the men have the most ridiculous accents you have heard. Am not sure either why Matt Lucas (who is British down to his socks) is being paired with a 'sister' who has a heavy Australian/South African accent. Something isn't right there. I do despair for modern comedy I really do, it just seems to be disappointment after disappointment.

Nights in Rodanthe - 2008 ***

If I hear that one more of Nicholas Spark's books has been made into a film I may check into an asylum. Sparks has a knack of producing almost identically themed stories, usually to do with relationships and loss and drawing them out until the reader just gives up.

He's done the same here, and this time Gere and Lane have teamed up once again to portray two characters that can either make you sob into your cushion or glare at angrily throughout the whole movie.

Lane goes to her friend's beach house to get away from a difficult marriage, and Gere goes with the initial idea of reconnecting with his estranged son. They are the only two people there, and therefore start talking and realising that they have things in common. One thing leads to another etc etc. Then a tragic accident changes everything. There is one very emotional moment towards the end, but I really think if you want a weepie it would be best to go for 'Bridges of Madison County' (which this film reminds me a lot of).

I like Gere as an actor, and Diane Lane isn't bad, but I think I preferred them both in 'Unfaithful.'

Bitter Moon - 1992 **

Hugh Grant was his usual irritating self in this, and I was completely put off by seeing Emmanuelle Seigner's eyebrows which seemed bigger than her whole head. Polanski is a bit of a hit or miss with me (a bit like Steve Martin) and although it was a fairly interesting look into a couple's relationship, it didn't do anything for me. Grant's morals seem continually absent in most of his films and they were no different here. He comes on a luxury cruise with his other half Fiona (Scott Thomas) and is almost immediatly obsessing over Seigner despite the fact that she is there with her crippled husband and doesn't actually seem very interested in him anyway. Her husband pulls Grant to one side and begins to tell him the story of how they met and fell in love. Grant isn't interested to start with but then becomes infatuated with everything he says. Meanwhile Fiona is feeling sea-sick and being irritating to little children.

Polanski's films always have a dark nature to them, but I found this just a bit much, and can't say I enjoyed it.

The Lonely Guy - 1984 *** 1/2

I can take or leave Steve Martin. Sometimes I think he's hilarious, and at other times his face annoys me. This time however I was quite amused (what a surprise, a funny film not from modern day Hollywood) at Martin's bumbling excuse of a man who always has bad luck, from catching his girlfriend in bed with someone else, to meeting a man who keeps threatening to commit suicide, to resorting to fake sweat to attract women after pretending he has been on a 10 mile run and so on. Martin's very dry, and some people won't get his sense of humour. And sometimes I don't. But here I did. And I had a couple of laugh out loud moments which rarely happens.

Friends with Benefits - 2011 **

I watched 14 films this weeked, and the first was this 'comedy' from last year.

Now I love Mila Kunis, I think she's gorgeous, but Justin Timberlake really needs to stick to singing instead of trying to make people laugh because he DOESN'T.

People are branding this film as though it's a new and exciting idea for romantic comedy - the whole 'friends can sleep together without having any feelings for each other' is certainly not new.

Before you've even pressed play you know how the film is going to be, and that's the sad state of American comedy these days, that you can almost predict everything that is going to happen.

Kunis meets Timberlake at work. They are both damaged from previous relationships and believe that they can have meaningless sex without getting attached to each other. Of course that's not going to happen. More likely is that someone is going to get seriously hurt, considering the constant referral to how 'damaged' they are every half an hour. That's not even a spoiler, but just a general feeling I got about 15 minutes getting into the film.

The actors don't really seem to connect with each other, and there isn't much chemistry, and the film isn't even particularly funny. It's old hat. It's been done (I'm not sure where but surely it has??) and you are taken on an almost pointless trip that you really don't want to go on.

I haven't seen 'No Strings Attached' yet but have heard it's a bit like this? Not sure if I dare.

Never let me Go - 2010 **

I know I'm going to upset everyone here but I seriously disliked this film. I'm not sure if it is partly to do with the fact I couldn't understand what the hell was going on or whether the characters were so dreadfully unlikeable that I gave up the will to live. Keira Knightley wasn't on top form here, and Carey Mulligan was infuriating. The idea that these three characters had an intense love for each other throughout the movie was not examined in enough detail. I think maybe if I read the book it would give a more detailed look at their relationships, but here everything seemed very wishy-washy and dull. *SPOILERS* I understand that the characters are in effect born to donate their organs and that is their purpose in life, I also understand that maybe they don't react properly to certain situations because they are programmed not to, but I don't get why they act like robots for most of the movie. Even the 'emotional scenes' are devoid of any actual emotion. They seem to act the same whether they are happy are sad, and at the end of the day they are still humans and must have most of the same thoughts and feelings that others do.

Very weird, disjointed film. I didn't like it.

Lady Godiva Rides Again AKA Bikini Baby - 1951 **

I thought apart from the exceptional Kay Kendall who is fabulous in everything, that this movie was pretty bad. Diana Dors isn't what I would call a good actress, I mean she is very beautiful but that's where her talents end in my opinion. A small town girl enters a beauty contest and wins. She is swept up in the high life and as a result, begins to neglect her close friend and boyfriend. I must say it toally missed the split second where we see Ruth Ellis, and that may well have been the only good, interesting thing about the movie. (Oh, and Alastair Sim had a small part as well)

(HORROR) The Innkeepers - 2011 **

Sorry, but this was a very poor excuse for a horror film. Sara Paxton is pretty rubbish and nothing much was going on here that would hold anyone's attention for long.

The Yankee Pedlar inn is closing, and the two employees who have been chosen to work until the end are determined to reveal and document the hotel's haunted past. This includes making a website and filming 'ghostly' activity.

Some of it was a bit eerie, but on the whole what annoyed me the most was Sara Paxton's stupid face looked concerned and worried in equal amounts. There is only so much of it one can take.

(HORROR) Megan is Missing - 2011 ****

'Megan is Missing' is a very powerful film. Although it's based on true events (actually its based on a number of cases not just one) it still manages to come across as terrifying. It's a warning to all people out there never to trust what people say over a computer screen, and to always go with someone else when you are going to meet them. Sadly younger girls are awfully naive when it comes to this sort of thing, and can become embroiled in situations beyond their control.

Megan is a popular, confident and pretty 15 year old girl, who enjoys promiscuous enocunters with guys, partying and doing drugs. Her 13 year old best friend Amy is the complete polar opposite, shy, insecure and quiet, but somehow, the two girls are very close and perfectly compatible. When Megan starts talking to a boy on the internet, all she can think of is when and where they can meet, and without telling Amy where she is going, she disappears. A few days later Amy is also gone.

An important film to watch, and very upsetting in some scenes, but actually one of the better 'lost footage' movies of it's time.

(HORROR) The Clinic - 2011 *

First of all, 'WHAT??!' My BFF was over for film day yesterday and I stupidly thought this would be a great film for us to laugh at. I was under the impression (because I hadn't bothered to read up about the plot) that it was about a plastic surgery clinic and that therefore we would be taking the mickey out of girls with boob jobs gone wrong, but actually it turned out to be another kind of clinic.And it was bloody awful.

A heavily pregnant woman and her fiance (what a surprise!!) break down on the way to their in-laws (what a surprise!!) on Christmas Eve (what a surprise!!) and decide to take shelter in a weird looking motel, the only one open for miles around (again, what a bloody surprise). The girl goes to sleep, the man goes out to look for Chinese food in the middle of the night (as you do) and when he returns, the girl has disappeared. For god's sake, when are we going to have a horror film without millions of stupid cliches that totally ruin the atmosphere???Just watch the trailer, read about it on imdb and you won't have to bother actually seeing the whole film. I implore you.

(NOIR) The Blue Dahlia - 1946 ****

'Tamed by a brunette, framed by a blonde, blamed by the cops' (just had to include the wonderful tagline)

I wish reviewers would stop saying that this film is based on the Black Dahlia murder when it isn't. Actually Elizabeth Smart was nick-named the 'Black Dahlia' after a suitor got the name of the film wrong, and it stuck. The Blue Dahlia is a place, not a person. Rant over.

I think this is probably the best of the 3 films I have seen with Lake and Ladd. Lake is astoundingly beautiful, Ladd is tantalisingly handsome, add in some dark scenes, some romance, some murder and you pretty much have this (and any other film noir that you would care to mention).

Ladd returns home from war early only to find that his alcoholic wife has been having an affair with a male friend. *SPOILERS* The wife is murdered the same night, and of course Ladd is the prime suspect (when we all know he didn't do it because he was chatting up Lake at the time).

I love these tense plots where the audience know the truth and the police don't, and there is no proof to save the hero. It keeps you glued to the seat.

Great movie, worth a watch for one of the greatest noir pairings ever.