Tuner (2026) **** – Seen at the Cinema
The only problem with going to the movies as much as I do is that you see all the trailers. And if you see all the trailers you know by now that trailers often spill the beans. So I knew before I came to this that the titular piano tuner had two particular sets of…
The Horror of Frankenstein (1970) ***
Fanboys these days wouldn’t accept the sudden shift in the series without some far-fetched backstory. But in those days audiences never seemed to question why the new iteration of Frankenstein was less than half the age of the previous one (Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, 1969). Call this a remake or a reimagining or just trying…
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) ****
Hugely enjoyable, mainly because it throws away the standard template for this kind of horror picture. Long before Hollywood got into the habit or remaking or reimagining hit films, Hammer was constantly finding a reason to revive a character who in his previous iteration had met a sticky end. Even though Baron Frankenstein was not…
Behind the Scenes: Sidney Lumet (“The Offence”, 1973) Talks Movies
There are plenty books about directors but remarkably few that explain with any coherence exactly what it is they do. Until now, the best book I’ve read upon the subject was by Edward Dmytryk, Oscar-nominated for Crossfire (1947) and shepherding home such triumphs as The Caine Mutiny (1954), Raintree County (1957), The Young Lions (1958)…
Behind the Scenes: “The Offence” (1973)
“Vanity project” – two words to strike terror into the heart of a Hollywood studio boss. It meant some star or director had you over a barrel. In return for them condescending to make a movie for you, they expected you to fork out for a movie you knew would never make a dime. But,…
The Offence (1973) ****
Surprised no one figured to put Sean Connery on the stage. I know he did some hoofing in his early days and no doubt lacking the classical training of a Richard Burton, Laurence Olivier or Peter O’Toole, the theater snobs might have objected. We know Connery had a commanding screen presence but generally there was…
A Man Could Get Killed (1966) ****
An unexpected delight. More farce than spoof and more Hitchcockian thriller than espionage adventure, but bursting with laughs. Spinning on the premise of mistaken identity, a New York banker becomes mixed up with diamond smugglers while being pursued by a posse of Europe’s shadiest characters and a very determined femme fatale. All the more enjoyable…
The Beekeeper (2024) **** – Seen at the Cinema Three Times
We’ve all felt that frisson, returning to a much-loved movie. Was your initial enthusiasm misplaced? Does what originally felt fresh and vibrant now revealed as tired and cliche? I’ve not seen this for over two years, not added it to my DVD collection, I noticed, so wondered if that in itself was a sign of…
The Woman Who Wouldn’t Die/Catacombs (1965) ***
Gordon Hessler (The Oblong Box, 1969) makes his directorial debut with this neat horror thriller. It starts with a twist exceptional for the times. Ellen (Georgina Cookson) is the shrewd and shrewish millionaire businesswoman, her husband Raymond (Gary Merrill), from whom she demands frequent sex, the eye candy, a kept man. “I married a lover,…
Flesh for Frankenstein (1973) ***
What with Jessie Buckley putting on her best Joker-style smile in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Looney Tunes version of The Bride (2026) and Oscar Isaac going as high-tech as the 19th century would allow in Guillermo del Toro’s excellent Frankenstein (2025), Paul Morrissey’s Flesh for Frankenstein now appears tame in comparison though at the time its sexuality…
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