Film Reviews by KB

I wanted to see this film at the cinema, but there wasn't a small cinema anywhere near where I lived when it was released (I don't enjoy the huge multiplexes). This film is pretty frightening in places, even for grown ups. It's also many things: it's an action-horror movie, and a sci-fi mystery, with themes of friendship and enmity, misunderstandings, letting go and freedom, and of course love. There's comedy, too, which helps offset the scarier moments. Rather a noisy film, but then we expect that from Hollywood. The CGI is good, the real action stunts brilliant, and the pace rarely slows. The ensemble child cast is excellent overall, with one or two stand out performances. The movie within a movie is also great, and very charming. Music and fashion (house decor as well as clothing)is fantastic. Set in an era not many years in the past, it has all the great things that a contemporary setting would spoil: significantly, there are no mobile phones, which means the characters can enjoy collecting models and magazines, hanging out with their mates, cycling or running about seemingly for miles, and just enjoying being kids. And what draws them together is their creation of a film on the titular camera, itself now a piece of history. I grew up in the 60s and early 70s, so was a step back from these kids and what the got up to, but the differences aren't that big. There are many obvious Spielberg influences (he's co-producer, after all) and the ending is satisfying even if a little cliched. But hey, it's a film for kids after all; any adults watching are just along for the ride, the groovy music, and the chance to recall their own childhoods. A great evening's entertainment; get yourself some popcorn and enjoy.

A fascinating and absorbing history of Hypgnosis, the two men behind it, and the projects they undertook. For me the standout piece of this visually beautiful documentary, which is largely shot in black and white, is close to the end when musician Noel Gallagher describes his daughter's ignorance of what album cover art was like 'back in the day' (which really was only the blink of an eye ago). It brought it home to me that in a generation we have largely lost the beauty of art on album covers, and with it the loss of those wonderfully skilled and imaginative artists who have largely been replaced by people using computer programs. Like Noel, I would buy a new 12 inch vinyl album - the only way back in the day - and scrutinise the sleeve (gatefold if we were lucky) reading the lyrics, looking at who the music and production personnel were, who created the album art, etc. Now, as Noel says, it's a case of download it and you get a one inch photo of a picture. That's just so soul-less; there's nothing tangible or tactile about new albums now unless like me you buy the CD, itself a watered down experience where the artwork is so small and usually badly reproduced. The days of beautiful album art seem to be over. I wonder if we'll ever again see the beauty of true art, such as that created by Nick Price for Kate Bush's 1980 album Never For Ever, or the clever 'novelty' sleeves such as Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti. As with most things, art seems now to be a consumable rather than a mystical experience.

I first saw this film in my 20s, and loved it. There are many good lines, and some sharp wit, there's also anger, confusion and spite, and some tender moments and kindness. It's all about relationships, and expectations. At times, it's deeply moving. Lianna is a likeable character, let down by a philandering husband, looking to find herself and perhaps not expecting what that self may be. Lessons are learned by many of the characters, several of whom have to do some deep self examination. The dance routine near the end is deeply moving, it certainly made me cry (it has to be watched in context of the rest of the film) and the choice of music for the scene and routine was perfect . Clearly made on a low budget, it nevertheless has many good merits including a touching honesty, and stands as one of the great lesbian movies.

I hired this film because it's been decades since I first saw it, and I remember it made a huge impact on me back in the day. The ending stayed with me for a long time, so I decided to see if it has stood the test of time. I would say, yes, definitely. In recent years we in the UK have grown to enjoy TV series and films from Europe, Scandinavia and elsewhere, and have got used to watching with subtitles (always better than dubbing as it's good to hear the actors' real voices). When this movie was made it was rare for a non English language film to have much success with UK and American audiences. The subtlety of Spoorloos/The Vanishing is still as impactful as when I watched it around 30 years ago on video. No irritating Hollywood jump scares for starters. My rule of thumb: the more jump scares, the lousier the film. Audiences are not stupid, we know when we feel scared, we don't need to be made to jump artificially by introducing stupidly loud and pointless musical commands. This film relied on the audience piecing little things together, observing, and yet it never really hints at the eventual outcome, so that it comes as a horrible shock. As the film progresses we are gradually introduced to the modus operandi of the villain. I noticed little things that I had missed watching the film the first time around, such as the placement of vehicles and characters, which you may or may not register but which are all there for a reason. There are one or two lovely red herrings. The psychology of this film is fascinating; we recognise that a character is doomed by their psychological reactions to certain stimuli, upon which they cannot help but act. There's also the sadness of inevitability, and the awful reality of chance changing peoples lives forever. The villain is perhaps unique in the world of film, or was at that time; they are so bland as to pass unnoticed in a crowd, and are made all the more chilling for that. The acting was natural rather than OTT, so that when a scene required a bit of hand wringing it had some impact. The ending is now no surprise to me, so the horror wasn't there in quite the same way this time. Rather like 'The Usual Suspects', you need to watch carefully first time around to benefit from the surprise ending. After that, repeat watching is just a case of spotting the clues along the way. Just one more thing to add: how refreshing to take a trip back to a time when adults and a children alike were not glued to mobile phones. The incidental scenes that show families talking, laughing and playing games together were lovely and made me long for the past.

This pacey little movie begins in a fantastic and memorable way: we hear the frustrated cry of a name, "Christine!" and at once we're hooked. A murder is committed, and the wrong man is put in the frame. The film is a cat and mouse chase, with our two young heroes trying to stay one step ahead of the police in a bid to find the real murderer and bring him to justice. There are classic Hitchcock touches throughout this early film by the Master. When two young women discover the body on the beach, instead of letting the audience see what they are seeing the scene cuts to a few seconds of seagulls in flight, screaming. It's very effective. Later on the camera zooms in and stays on actress Nova Pilbeam's horrified face as she dangles above an old mineshaft, about to fall to her death. Does she scream? No - she's totally silent, though her mouth is open and she may be trying to speak. It's an agonising few moments as we will her to cling on, and another understated touch of genius by Hitchcock. Close to the end is the best scene of all: the camera slowly moving in on the face of the real murderer in a crowded, noisy nightclub, getting closer and closer until at last all we see are his eyes. Then he blinks - which gives him away as the wanted man. Superb. The film is somewhat dated, especially in its awkward depiction of a band of white musicians in 'blackface' make up; nevertheless it is a memorable early entry into the canon of brilliance that Hitch was rightly famous for. And 18 year old actress Nova Pilbeam is luminous throughout. She was Hitch's choice for the part of 'The Girl' in the 1940 Hollywood movie Rebecca, which he directed, and what a choice she would have been. Except that her contract did not permit her to go to America at that time. The part went instead to American actress Joan Fonteyn. Pilbeam was rarely seen again on screen, and eventually left the film industry, depriving future audiences of her potential to go on to achieve great things.