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‘The Man from Toronto,’ directed by Patrick Hughes
Movie, 2022 Comedy thriller based on the mistaken identity of a hapless, hopeless dreamer, who’s then coerced into the life of a cold-blooded assassin. A bit of a splodge film, with extended action sequences and set-pieces, with the comic tone not quite fitting the action throughout. Still, it’s all fairly enjoyable with some decent highlights, not least the leads, who play things nice and crisply. … Continue reading ‘The Man from Toronto,’ directed by Patrick Hughes
‘Hell is a City,’ directed by Val Guest
Movie, 1960 By no means a bad film, although one which maybe tries a little too hard in places, starting off like an inappropriately lit film noir, in which the Mancunian setting doesn’t really translate, and working in subplots when the main story itself feels a little underdeveloped. A little clunky, although there’s still much to admire. If Manchester isn’t Chicago or New York, the … Continue reading ‘Hell is a City,’ directed by Val Guest
‘Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont,’ by Elizabeth Taylor
Novel, 1971 That rare, and really wonderful thing; a novel with biting satire, an almost dismissive, disdainful humour, a great sense of place and sadness, and a big, big heart. the rather unpromising premise of the book is the arrival of the titular Mrs Palfrey at an old persons’ hotel – one step from a care home – on the Cromwell Road in London. Characters … Continue reading ‘Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont,’ by Elizabeth Taylor
‘The Postman Always Rings Twice,’ by James M. Cain
Novel, 1934 A gritty, earthy and all-in-all brutal novel telling the story of a drifting jailbird and his mistress, and their attempts to plot out and away into a new life. This is a hard boiled fiction told from the perspective of the villain, and while there’s the occasional revelation of stark humanity, the gnarly dialogue and the values, opportunism and fallibility in the characters … Continue reading ‘The Postman Always Rings Twice,’ by James M. Cain
‘Twice-Told Tales,’ directed by Sidney Salkow
Movie, 1963 Anthology of Nathaniel Hawthorne stories, all starring Vincent Price. As a collection, they hang together, or least sit together quite well – the best is the last, The House of the Seven Gables, while the silliest is Rappaccini’s Daughter. Lurid colour fits in well with the acting and a sense of daftness, intended or not, which is ramped up by a bizarre-looking killer … Continue reading ‘Twice-Told Tales,’ directed by Sidney Salkow
‘Diary of a Madman,’ directed by Reginald LeBorg
Movie, 1963 Vincent Price horror, in which possession by murderous spirits, the focus of the law and a scheming social climber all come together to reasonably good effect. This is a film where things are all fairly understated and the plotting are fairly simple, and while there’s nothing essential to see here, the plot zips along quite nicely and the various characters all play out … Continue reading ‘Diary of a Madman,’ directed by Reginald LeBorg
‘The Last,’ by Hanna Jameson
Novel, 2019 Post-apocalyptic story of twenty survivors of nuclear war, holed up in a Swiss hotel, and central character’s pursuit of the killer of a child discovered in the water tanks up on the roof. While this is a lively read for much of the time, the pace and actions going on can leave the inattentive reader working out the different characters as they go … Continue reading ‘The Last,’ by Hanna Jameson
‘Shirley,’ directed by Josephine Decker
Movie, 2020 Film depicting the relationship between Shirley Jackson, her husband and a young couple staying with them, and integrating themselves into academia. The transgressions, awkward and unsettling actions develop an intense setting between these four main characters, which is quite wonderfully evoked with a washed out atmosphere, particularly enhanced with the constant sounds of insects chuntering along in the background. This is also a … Continue reading ‘Shirley,’ directed by Josephine Decker
‘The Halfway House,’ directed by Basil Dearden
Movie, 1944 A good looking, well-paced hodgepodge of a film. Ostensibly, this is a mystery with a supernatural twist, although there’s plenty of romance, dashes of family saga, comedy and a few odd scenes, which don’t seem to add much to the plot. The film ploughs in a huge chunk of propaganda in at the end, just for good measure. For all this, the positive … Continue reading ‘The Halfway House,’ directed by Basil Dearden
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