Feb 29th  
Sammy's Super T-Shirt   
(GB 1978)           
CFF/Monument. 58m.

A would-be athletic boy's favourite T-shirt slips into the hands of experimental scientists giving it (and  him) super powers.
Elementary Saturday morning kids spoof of the superhero TV craze, released on the same year as Superman made up the road at Pinewood, on a much more humble basis, together with some of the supporting cast of the former Carry Ons.

w/p: Frank Godwin.
d: Jeremy Summers
s: Reggie Winch, Lawrie Mark, Julian Holloway, Richard Vernon, Patsy Rowlands, Michael Ripper
ph: Norman Jones
m: Harry Robertson

Feb 28th
Number 27*
(GB TVM 1987)
BBC. 74m.         

Property developers struggle to evict a 90-year old resident of an old East London house up for demolition.
Endearingly played TV drama with Palin's usual quirks, uncertain in tone whether as 80s satire or sentimental comedy.

Written by: Michael Palin.
Producer: Innes Lloyd.
Director: Tristram Powell.
Starring: Joyce Carey, Nigel Planer, Alun Armstrong, Robin Bailey, Philip McCough, Pete Postlethwaite, Paul Brooke.
Photography: Philip Bonham Carter.
Music: John Du Prez.

Preceded by:
Protocol Two*
(GB 2019. 5m.; A man is mugged by his doppelganger.; w: George Skinner; p: Brandon Hill; d: Tommy Bond; s: Rob Sadler.)

Feb 14th  
A Fish Called Wanda**    
(US/GB 1988)                   
MGM. 109m.

Anglo-American jewel thieves double-cross each other, including the femme fatale who falls in love with their defending barrister.
Critically lauded but rather sadistic and excessive heist caper farce with some funny moments, mainly aimed at the American market which it achieved to a high degree of success.

Written by: John Cleese, Charles Crichton.
Producer: Michael Shamberg.
Director: Charles Crichton.
Starring: John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, Tom Georgeson, Maria Aitken, Patricia Hayes, Geoffrey Palmer, Stephen Fry.
Photography: Alan Hume.
Music: John Du Prez.

Preceded by:
Tom and Jerry in
Part Time Pal*
(US 1947. 6m.; d:William Hanna, Joseph Barbera; p: Fred Quimby.)

Feb 6th  
The Irishman** (15)
aka. I Heard You Paint Houses
(Curzon Colchester)

(US 2019)
Netflix/Tribeca. 219m.

Driver-cum-hitman Frank Sheeran feels guilt after his ventures with Pennsylvania gangsters and his close friendship with Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa.
Sedate return to familiar mean and moody material for Scorsese (with minor nods to other gangster epics such as The Godfather), exhaustive as a lengthy multi-flashback narrative, spanning 60 years with clever degrees of make-up and VFX to span the decades, and well played and photographed as always - but not really worth the length to endure.

Written by: Steven Zaillian, from the book by Charles Brandt.
Producers: Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Jne Rosenthal, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Irwin Winkler, Gerald Chamales, Gaston Pavlovich, Randall Emmett, Gabrielle Israilovici.
Director: Martin Scorsese.
Starring: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino (as Hoffa), Harvey Keitel, Bobby Cannavale, Anna Paquin, Stephen Graham.
Photography: Rodrigo Prieto.
Music: Robbie Robertson.
Make-up:: Nicki Ledermann, and others.