Dec 30th
Gigi**
US 1958. MGM. 119m. Cinemascope

In 19th century Paris, a bored playboy unexpectedly falls for his young friend Gigi, whom to their mutual delight flowers from girl into woman.
Very charming late vintage MGM musical about the yearning of courtship as much as its triumphs, with a lot Parisian charm including use of authentic locations. The slender story is padded along by some memorable musical moments.

Written by: Alan Jay Lerner.
Producer: Arthur Freed.
Director: Vincente Minnelli.
Starring: Leslie Caron, Louis Jourdan, Maurice Chevalier, Hermione Gingold, Isabel Jeans, Jacques Bergerac, Eva Gabor.
Photography: Joseph Ruttenberg.
Music/Lyrics: Frederick Lowe, Alan Jay Lerner.
Musical Direction: Andre Previn.
Production Design/Costume: Cecil Beaton.

GIGI. In these darker days, a song like "Thank Heavens for Little Girls" would have rather sinister overtones, but dear old Maurice Chevalier still had his charm, and "I Remember It Well" with Hermione Gingold is a delight for any generation.

Dec 28th
A Cock and Bull Story**
GB 2005. BBC Films/EM Media/Revolution Films. 94m.

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon star in a film about the life of Tristram Shandy.
A witty, self-regarding adaptation of an epic unfocused work, containing only fleeting period trappings and concentrating mostly on the trials of film making, in the style of Eight and a Half and Adaptation.

Written by: Martin Hardy (Frank Cottrell Boyce), based on "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy - Gentleman" by Lawrence Stearne.
Producer: Andrew Eaton.
Director: Michael Winterbottom.
Starring: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Keeley Hawes, Shirley Henderson, Dylan Moran, Jeremy Northam, Naomie Harris, Kelly McDonald, James Fleet, Ian Hart, Stephen Fry, Gillian Anderson.
Photography: Marcel Zyskind.
Music: Handel, Nino Rota, Edward Nogria.
Production Design: John Paul Kelly.

Preceded by:
Laid Off*
(GB 2006. 11m.; A dead man wanders the streets like an unemployed worker hoping to be successfully sent upstairs.; w,d: Zam Salim; s: John Paul Hurley.)

Dec 28th
Fathom**
GB 1967. Twentieth Century Fox. 99m. Franscope

A beautiful skydiver becomes involved in a plot to retrieve a valuable Oriental ornament.
Slick Sixties semi-spoof spy thriller of double-cross and triple-cross, with the decorous Raquel Welch instead of the more chauvinist James Bond. Quite innocent fun.

Written by: Lorenzo Semple Jnr, from the novel by Larry Forrester.
Producer: John Kohn.
Director: Leslie Mattinson.
Starring: Raquel Welch, Tony Franciosa, Clive Revill, Ronald Fraser, Richard Briers, Greta Chi, Tom Adams, Ann Lancaster.
Photography: Douglas Slocombe, Ken Vos.
Music: Johnny Dankworth.

Dec 27th
The Man Who Could Cheat Death*
GB 1959. Paramount/Hammer. 83m.

A doctor who has experimented with immortality for 104 years becomes increasingly desperate and murderous.
Melodramatic Hammer horror with some talky phases and spirited performances.

Written by: Jimmy Sangster, from the play "The Man in Half Moon Street" by Barre Lyndon.
Producer: Anthony Nelson-Keys.
Director: Terence Fisher.
Starring: Anton Diffring, Hazel Court, Christopher Lee, Arnold Marle, Delphi Lawrence, Francis de Wolff.
Photography: Jack Asher.
Music: Richard Rodney Bennett.

Dec 22nd
Bedknobs and Broomsticks*
US 1971. Walt Disney. 131m(extended version).

An apprentice witch takes on three evacuees and teams up with a would-be magician to foil a German invasion.
Flimsy attempt by the Disney studio to replicate the success of Mary Poppins with poor period detail and a story lost in the face of animation sidelines and song and dance numbers, but the occasional memorable tune.

Written by: Bill Walsh, Don Da Gradi, based on the novel by Mary Norton.
Producer: Bill Walsh.
Director: Robert Stevenson.
Starring: Angela Lansbury, David Tomlinson, Ray Snart, Cindy O'Callaghan, Ian Weighill, Tessie O'Shea, Roddy McDowall, Sam Jaffe, Bruce Forsyth.
Photography: Frank Phillips.
Music/Lyrics: Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman.
Special Effects: Eustace Lycett, Danny Lee, Alan Maley.

Dec 18th
Tron Legacy** (PG)
Cineworld Haymarket

Sam Flynn searches for his father, who has re-entered "The Grid" but is trapped fighting his own cyber alter ego.
Self-celebratory sequel, every bit as preposterous as the original but just as engaging as an adventure, and a little easier on the eye than first time round (with or without 3-D.)

d: Joseph Kosinski
s: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, James Frain, Bruce Boxleitner, Beau Garrett, Michael Sheen

Dec 12th
Family Plot*
US 1976. Universal. 120m.

A psychic and a con trickster search for a lost inheritance who turns out to be a ruthless diamond smuggler.
Easy going comedy thriller with the air of a TV mystery, and some characteristic touches which are all done in rather leisurely fashion. A gentle last outing for the Master of Suspense.

Written by: Ernest Lehman, based on the novel "The Rainbird Pattern" by Victor Canning.
Producer/Director: Alfred Hitchcock.
Starring: Barbara Harris, Bruce Dern, William Devane, Karen Black, Ed Lauter, Cathleen Nesbitt, Katherine Kelmond.
Photography: Leonard J. South.
Music: John Williams.