Apr 25th
Detroit*   
(US 2017)
Annapurna/First Light. 143m. 

During the Detroit riots of 1967, a motel becomes a police bloodbath.
Vividly observed racial drama of no discernible viewpoint of its own, compelling but becoming rather gruelling and harrowing as the film (and the unfortunate course of history) unfolds.

Written by: Mark Boal.
Producers: Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Mattherw Budman, Megan Ellison, Colin Wilson.
Director: Kathyn Bigelow.
Starring: John Boyega, Will Poulter, Algee Smith, Jacob Latimore, Jason Mitchell, Hannah Murray, Kaitlyn Dever, Ben O'Toole.
Photography: Barry Ackroyd.
Music: James Newton Howard.
Editing: William Goldenberg, Harry Yoon.

Preceded by:
A Symphony in Black**
sub-title: A Rhapsody of Negro Life
(US 1935. Paramount. 9m. bw; Economical musical short from less enlightened days, quite stylishly done however, with invaluable footage of Ellington and Holliday in action.; d: Fred Waller; s: Duke Wellington, Billie Holiday; ph: William Steiner.)

Apr 15th  
Happy Go Lovely*   
(GB 1951)                          
ABPC. 97m.

A chorus dancer is mistaken to be a millionaire's girlfriend, and later falls in love with him.
Contrived confection bookended by musical numbers, a romantic comedy in an almost recognisable glitzy version of Edinburgh, with a charming cast.

Written by: Val Guest, from a story by Friedrich Dammann, Herbert Rosenfeld.
Producer: Marcel Hellman.
Director: Bruce Humberstone.
Starring: Vera-Ellen, David Niven, Cesar Romero, Diane Hart, Bobby Howes, Gordon Jackson, John Laurie, Wylie Watson, Joyce Carey, Kay Kendall.
Photography: Erwin Hillier.
Music: Mischa Spoliansky.

Apr 11th  
Johnny English Strikes Again   
(US/GB/Fra 2018)                                
Universal/Working Title/Studio Canal. 89m.

A cyber criminal uncovers the identities of all British agents, so MI7 calls in one of its oldest agents to 'slip under the radar'.
Third in the series of silly but funny spoofs, rehashing plot elements of the first two escapades, and a one-joke character increasingly starting to resemble Mr. Bean. Thompson as take-off of Theresa May adds not much originality.

w: William Davies
p: Chris Clark, Tim Bevan Eric Fellner
d: David Kerr
s: Rowan Atkinson, Emma Thompson, Ben Miller, Olga Kurylenko, Jake Lacy, Pauline McLynn
ph: Florian Hoffmeister
m: Howard Goodall

+ walk-ons by Michael Gambon, Edward Fox, Charles Dance

 Apr 10th  
Dangerous Davies* 
sub-title: The Last Detective   
(GB TVM 1980)
ITC/Maidenhead. 120m.

An injury-prone North London detective is given a routine case to seek out a local crime boss to help Special Branch, but becomes more interested in a missing girl among one of the victims.
Downbeat comedy detective story with the funny moments very watered down (as is some of the violence), generally competently handled with a good world-weary ensemble.

w: Val Guest, Leslie Thomas, from his novel
p: Greg Smith
d: Val Guest
s: Bernard Cribbins, Bill Maynard, Joss Ackland, Bernard Lee, John Leyton, Maureen Lipman, Frank Windsor, Colin Baker, Cindy O'Callaghan, Pam St. Clement
ph: Frank Watts
m: Ed Welch

 DANGEROUS DAVIES. Bernard Cribbins was always a pleasant comedic presence but never quite leading man material, but entered into the spirit of this sombre comedy detective story, with other veterans such as Bernard Lee in his last screen role - appropriately, as a police desk sergeant

Apr 4th   
The Passing of the Third Floor Back**    
(GB 1935)                   
Gaumont British. 90m. bw

For Easter Sunday a semi-religious item, about a mysterious upstairs tenant who changes the cynical lives of those inside an ordinary London boarding house between the wars.
A welcome dose of mystical reassurance to audiences of the time and still heartwarming today, the second version of this allegorical play (a silent film version was made in 1918), with God and the Devil's places clearly symbolically marked, and a good supporting cast and atmosphere to heighten the believability of the story.

Written by: Michael Hogan, Alma Reville, from the book and play by Jerome K. Jerome.
Producer: Ivor Montagu.
Director: Berthold Viertel.
Starring: Conrad Veidt, Rene Ray, Anna Lee, Frank Cellier, Mary Clare, John Turnbull, Cathleen Nesbitt, Sara Allgood, Ronald Ward.
Photography: Curt Courant.
Music: Hubert Bath.

Apr 1st  
Soapdish**   
(US 1991)                 
Paramount. 97m.

Backstage jealousies and melodramas on a popular American soap opera begin to spill out in front of camera.
Often overplayed but still consistently funny spoof of TV soaps, which looks to satirize them but ultimately settles quite comfortably into their niche.

Written by: Robert Harling, Andrew Bergman.
Producers: Aaron Spelling, Alan Greisman.
Director: Michael Hoffman.
Starring: Sally Field, Kevin Kline, Whoopi Goldberg, Robert Downey Jnr, Elisabeth Shue, Cathy Moriarty, Teri Hatcher, Garry Marshall, Carrie Fisher, Kathy Najimy.
Photography: Ueli Steiger.
Music: Alan Silvestri.
Production Design: Eugenio Zanetti.