Aug 20th   
The Spirit*                                                           

(US 2008)              

Adventures in Central City of a phantom-like ex-cop against his nemesis, a mad surgeon named The Octopus.
Stylized live action comic book from one noted graphic novelist adapting the work of another, in an identical style to Sin City, but slightly more digestible as entertainment - although fans of the genre were generally disappointed.

Written and Directed by: Frank Miller, based on the comic book by Will Eisner.
Producers: Deborah Del Prete, Gigi Pritzer, Michael E. Uslan.
Starring: Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson (over the top as the villain), Eva Mendes, Scarlette Johansson, Sarah Paulson, Dan Lauria, Paz Vega.
Photography: Bill Pope.
Music: David Newman.
Visual Effects Supervisor: Stu Maschwitz.

Aug 19th   
The Blue Max***         

(US 1966)                    

A German infantryman transfers to the aristocratic air corps where he becomes a national hero in his obsessive quest to earn The Blue Max medal, with tragic consequences.
Continuing the WWI commemoration with this full blown airborne melodrama, uneven in plot and characterisation, trying to pack everything in including battlefield scenes reminiscent of Paths of Glory and Lawrence of Arabia (with very much a German hero equivalent), but also points up the drama with some good performances.

Written by: David Pursall, Jack Seddon, Gerald Hanley, from the novel by Jack Hunter.
Producer: Christian Ferry.
Director: John Guillermin.
Starring: George Peppard, Jeremy Kemp, Karl Michael Vogler, James Mason, Ursula Andress, Derren Nesbitt, Anton Diffring, Harry Towb, Carl Schiller (as The Red Baron).
Photography: Douglas Slocombe.
Music: Jerry Goldsmith.

Aug 5th     
Guardians of the Galaxy* (12A)            
(Odeon Colchester)                

Peter Quill, aka. "Starlord" leads a band of intergalactic heroes against the mighty Ronan in the quest for a powerful orb.
Junky but jocular comic strip science fantasy modelled somewhat on The (Marvel) Avengers, and all too much to take in, but with an occasional nice line in deprecating 80s humour.

Written by: James Gunn, Nicole Perlman, based on the Marvel comic books.
Producer: Kevin Feige.
Director: James Gunn.
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Lee Pace, Bradley Cooper (voice only), Vin Diesel (voice only), Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Benicio del Toro, Glenn Close.
Photography: Ben Davis.
Music: Tyler Bates.
Production Design: Charles Wood.

Aug 4th
Pick a Star   

(US 1937)

A local girl gets the chance of a lifetime to screen test in Hollywood.
Slack studio vehicle for pretty Rosina Lawrence (the heroine of Way Out West), who deserved better than this, but redeemed briefly by the interjections of Laurel & Hardy (uncredited) in a couple of odd but amusing "on-set" sketches.

Written by: Richard Flournoy, Arthur Vernon Jones, Thomes J. Dugan.
Producer/Director: Edward Sedgwick.
Starring: Rosina Lawrence, Patsy Kelly, Jack Haley, Mischa Auer, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Walter Long, Lyda Roberti.
Photography: Norbert Brodine.

Preceded by:
Shoulder Arms*

(US 1918. First National. 44m. bw. silent; A commemoration of sorts of Britain's entry into WWI - an original comedy of the time about a lowly private who dreams of fighting the enemy and capturing the Kaiser. Fairly routine and self-indulgent, with Chaplin still experimenting with innovations and longer length. Of historical interest at the very least.; w, d: Charles Chaplin; s: Charlie Chaplin, Enna Purviance, Sydney Chaplin, Henry Bergman.)

Aug 2nd 
Begin Again** (15)    
(Odeon Holloway)              

(US 2013)

A fledgling songwriter dumped by her singer boyfriend in New York finds solace from an equally down-on-his-luck music producer, who encourages her to take up singing herself.
Pleasing romantic drama with music as the sentimental centrepoint, not all of it particularly outstanding and as a film slow moving for its length, but put across in a very naturalistic manner, and Keira Knightley is just as pleasing on the ears as on the eyes.

Written and Directed by: John Carney.
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Tobin Armbrust.
Starring: Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Adam Levine, James Corden, Hailee Steinfeld, Mos Def, Catherine Keener.
Photography: Yaron Orbach.
Music: Gregg Alexander.