Jaws (1975; USA; Technicolor; 124m) ∗∗∗∗∗ d. Steven Spielberg; w. Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb; ph. Bill Butler; m. John Williams. Cast: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Carl Gottlieb, Jeffrey Kramer, Susan Backlinie, Jonathan Filley, Chris Rebello, Ted Grossman, Jay Mello. When a gigantic great white shark begins to menace the…
Month: June 2016
Book Review – EVEN DOGS IN THE WILD by Ian Rankin (2015)
EVEN DOGS IN THE WILD by IAN RANKIN (2015, Orion, 408pp) ∗∗∗∗ Blurb: Retirement doesn’t suit John Rebus. He wasn’t made for hobbies, holidays or home improvements. Being a cop is in his blood. So when DI Siobhan Clarke asks for his help on a case, Rebus doesn’t need long to consider his options. Clarke’s been investigating the death…
Film Review – THE SEVEN-UPS (1973)
Seven-Ups, The (1973; USA; DeLuxe; 103m) ∗∗∗½ d. Philip D’Antoni; w. Albert Ruben, Alexander Jacobs, Sonny Grosso; ph. Urs Furrer; m. Don Ellis. Cast: Roy Scheider, Victor Arnold, Jerry Leon, Ken Kercheval, Tony Lo Bianco, Larry Haines, Richard Lynch, Bill Hickman, Lou Polan, Matt Russo, Joe Spinell, Robert Burr, Rex Everhart. A tough detective who…
Film Review – GUMSHOE (1971)
Gumshoe (1971; UK; Eastmancolor; 86m) ∗∗∗½ d. Stephen Frears; w. Neville Smith; ph. Chris Menges; m. Andrew Lloyd Webber. Cast: Albert Finney, Billie Whitelaw, Frank Finlay, Janice Rule, Carolyn Seymour, Fulton Mackay, George Innes, George Silver, Bill Dean, Wendy Richard, Maureen Lipman. A nightclub bingo caller eager for a career change advertises himself as a…
Book Review – TRUNK MUSIC by Michael Connolly (1997)
TRUNK MUSIC by MICHAEL CONNOLLY (1997, Orion, 440pp) ∗∗∗½ Blurb: Harry Bosch is back in Homicide after disciplinary leave. But his first case proves to be one of the most difficult. In the wooded hills overlooking the Hollywood Bowl, he opens the trunk of a white Rolls-Royce and finds a corpse. It looks like a simple case…
Film Review – QUARTET (2012)
Quartet (2012; UK; Colour; 98m) ∗∗∗ d. Dustin Hoffman; w. Ronald Harwood; ph. John de Borman; m. Dario Marianelli. Cast: Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly, Pauline Collins, Michael Gambon, Sheridan Smith, Andrew Sachs, Gwyneth Jones, Trevor Peacock, David Ryall, Michael Byrne, Ronnie Fox, Patricia Loveland, Elaine Powell, Luke Newberry. A group of ageing former…
Film Review – SPOTLIGHT (2015)
Spotlight (2015; USA; Colour; 129m) ∗∗∗∗½ d. Thomas McCarthy; w. Thomas McCarthy, Josh Singer; ph. Masanobu Takayanagi; m. Howard Shore. Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Brian d’Arcy James, Gene Amoroso, Billy Crudup, Elena Wohl, Doug Murray, Sharon McFarlane, Jamey Sheridan, Neal Huff, Robert B. Kennedy, Duane Murray,…
Title and jacket covers released for Phil Collins’ upcoming biography
The jacket covers for both the UK (below left) and US (below right) versions of Phil Collins’ upcoming biography, due to be published on 20 October, have been posted on Phil’s official site. The title has been revealed to be “Not Yet Dead” another example of Collins’ love of all thing Monty Python (presumably a…
Film Review – FALLEN ANGEL (1945)
Fallen Angel (1945; USA; B&W; 94m) ∗∗∗½ d. Otto Preminger; w. Harry Kleiner; ph. Joseph LaShelle; m. David Riskin. Cast: Dana Andrews, Alice Faye, Linda Darnell, Charles Bickford, Anne Revere, Bruce Cabot, John Carradine A slick con man arrives in a small town looking to make some money, but soon gets more than he bargained…
Film Review – NIGHT AND THE CITY (1950)
Night and the City (1950; USA/UK; B&W; 96m) ∗∗∗∗ d. Jules Dassin; w. Jo Eisinger; ph. Max Greene; m. Benjamin Frankel (British version), Franz Waxman (American version). Cast: Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney, Googie Withers, Hugh Marlowe, Francis L. Sullivan, Herbert Lom, Stanislaus Zbyszko, Mike Mazurki, Charles Farrell, Ada Reeve, Ken Richmond. A small-time grifter and…