Jul 8th   
City of God**        
(Brazil/Fra/Ger/US 2002)         
O2 Films/Hank Levine Film/Globofilmes/Studio Canal/Wild Bunch. 130m. ws

In the slums of Rio de Janeiero, a young boy grows up among drug-fuelled young hoodlums, and photographs the oncoming gang war.
Stylishly brutal but compelling crime drama, in some ways a Mean Streets for Brazilian ghetto survivors, also based on true events. When released in cinemas, the English subtitles had the good sense to be displayed at the top of the screen, to keep focus on the action.

Written by: Braulia Montavani, from the novel by Paulo Lins.
Producers: Andrea Barato Ribeiro.
Director: Fernando Meirelles.
Starring: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Seu Jorge, Renato de Souza, Alice Braga, Phellipe Haagensen, Mattheu Nachtergaele.
Photography: Cesar Cgarlone. 
Music: Antonio Pinto, Ed Cortes.
Editing: Daniel Rezende.

Jun 13th   
Disclosure Day**  (12A)      
(Century Clacton)

(US 2026)    
Universal/Amblin. 145m. Panavision    

Researchers at a government department storing alien activity go AWOL, and a weather forecaster is the channel for the lifeforms from another world...
Close encounters for the third time for Spielberg (or four if one includes The War of the Worlds with less friendly aliens), a more mature and grander X-Files episode with some good suspense, performances and set pieces, but a slightly unintentionally amusing climax.

Written by: David Koepp, Steven Spielberg.
Producers: Kristie Macosko Krieger, Steven Spielberg, Michael Kahn.
Director: Steven Spielberg.
Starring: Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, Josh O'Connor, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, Wyatt Russell, Elizabeth Marvel.
Photography: Janusz Kaminski.
Music: John Williams.
Production Design: Adam Stockhausen.
Editing: Cindy Tolan.

Jun 10th     
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof*      
(US 1958)
MGM/Avon. 108m.    

Smouldering family tensions in a Deep South plantation where the dying owner is wanting to pass the inheritance over to his alcoholic and sexually repressed son.  
A daring but nonetheless slightly toned down adaptation of a play typical of its author's distinctive Southern drawl, with the principals all acting as if they were in different films. 

Written by: Richard Brooks, James Poe, from the play by Tennessee Williams.
Producer: Laurence Weingarten.
Director: Richard Brooks.
Starring: Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor, Burl Ives, Jack Carson, Judith Anderson, Madeleine Sherwood, Larry Gates, Vaughn Taylor.
Photography: William Daniels.
Music: Charles Wolcott.

Preceded by:
Look at Life: Putting on an Act*      
(Gb 1965. 10m. Amateur theatre at various local societies around Britain.; narr: Tim Turner.)

CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF. Not exactly subtle, and with acting very theatrical, but it became a commercial hit. The poster of Elizabeth Taylor probably helped.

May 30th    
The Mandalorian and Grogu*  (12A)         
(Vue Colchester)    

(US 2026)                                          
Walt Disney/Lucasfilm/Fairview. 132. IMAX

In the post Star Wars-era New Republic, a hired bounty hunter and his diminutive friend help hunt down remaining Imperial factions and also assist a reforming son of Jabba the Hutt.
Passable film spin-off of the first live action TV series to live outside the parameters of the original saga. A little tedious for its repetitive preference for action over mysticism or romance, but agreeable enough on its own terms, as a sci-fi James Bond-style Clint Eastwood lone avenger thriller, set in a galaxy not particularly far, far away.

Written by: Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Noah Kloor.
Producers: Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy, Ian Bryce.
Director: Jon Favreau.
Starring: Pedro Pascal (and some busy stuntmen), Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White, Jonny Coyne; voices of Steve Blum, Martin Scorsese, Shirley Henderson, Anthony Daniels.
Photography: David Klein.
Music: Ludwig Goranson.

May 16th   
Fever Pitch**     
(GB 1996)       
Film Four/Channel 4 Films. 102m.

A London schoolteacher finds his love life and his beloved football team are following a similar course that season.
The author's own confessions of an Arsenal fan, dressed up as sporting romantic comedy where the romantic interest and most of the other supporting characters are essentially ciphers for the central character's male psyche. Very little of an outside voice is heard, but the film has some funny moments of recognition for those familiar with the milieu and the time.

Written by: Nick Hornby, from his novel.
Producer: Amanda Posey.
Director: David Evans.
Starring: Colin Firth, Ruth Gemmell, Mark Strong, Neil Pearson, Lorraine Ashbourne, Holly Aird, Ken Stott, Stephen Rea, Annette Ekblom.
Photography: Chris Seager.
Music: Bob Hewerdine, Neil McColl.

+ American remake in 2005, with a baseball instead of soccer obsessive

Preceded by:   
Tom and Jerry in  
Saturday Evening Puss**      
(US 1950. 6m.l w, d: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera; p: Fred Quimby.)

May 12th  
The Kid Brother***   
(US 1927)      
Paramount. 84m. bw. silent    

The weakling of three lumberjack brothers makes good when combating the strongman in a local touring theatre that has stolen his father's funds. 
Standard but innovative Lloyd vehicle, not quite as convincing as a story as previous efforts, but with touching moments, a full-blooded chase climax, and some strong production at the twilight of the silent era.

Written by: Howard J. Green.
Producer: Harold Lloyd.
Director: Ted Wilde.
Starring: Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, Walter James, Olin Francis, Leo Willis, Eddie Boland, Constantine Romanoff.
Photography: Walter Lundin.

Music Composer/Conductor: Carl Davis.

+ parts of the film were also directed by Lewis Milestone

May 2nd   
North by Northwest***    
(Prince Charles Cinema, London)

(US 1959)    
MGM. 136m. Vistavision

An advertising executive mistaken for a spy is implicated in a manhunt across America, and then sets out to find the real "George Kaplan".
Wonderful comedy thriller with just about the right mixture of everything. Any implausibilities in the plor are smoothed over by Hitchcock's skillful set pieces, and some delightfully farcical ones at that, sustained by a marvelously droll central performance. 

Written by: Ernest Lehman.
Producer/Director: Alfred Hitchcock.
Starring: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Martin Landau, Leo G. Carroll, Jessie Royce Landis, Adam Williams, Josephine Hutchinson, Nora Marlowe, Phillip Ober.
Music: Bernard Herrmann.
Photography:Robert Burks.
Titles: Saul Bass.



100 Favourite Films: North by Northwest