2000
*
In the deep south in the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure.
Like so many Coen brothers enterprises, a film that's an acquired taste, neither serious drama that matters nor laugh-out-loud comedy; handsome and full of quality technically but not very involving, and a little smug.
Dir: Joel and Ethan Coen
Stars: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter
O LUCKY MAN!
1973
**
A travelling coffee salesman has unusual adventures.
A highly cynical view of Britain presented as a three-hour odyssey; patchy, of course, but full of novel characters and situations.
Dir: Lindsay Anderson
Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Ralph Richardson, Arthur Lowe, Rachel Roberts, Helen Mirren, Dandy Nichols
OASIS OF FEAR
1971
*
A young couple who sell sexy photos to live off are falsely accused of robbery and take refuge in a mysterious woman’s house.
There are a few interesting things going on here, particularly regards some of the camerawork and plot machinations, but it’s pretty weak whisky overall, with a dippy script that’s typical of Italian exploitation thrillers of the 1970s.
Dir: Umberto Lenzi
Stars: Ray Lovelock, Ornella Muti, Irene Papas
OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES
1982
0
Nazi zombies guard their World War Two treasure in the desert.
Beyond terrible horror that isn't so much plotless as scriptless; the odd moment of effective cinematography must be an accident.
Dir: Jess Franco
Stars: Manuel Gelin, France Lomay, Jeff Montgomery
THE OBLONG BOX
1969
0
A deformed man is buried alive but escapes and seeks revenge.
Pedestrian shocker with thick period feel.
Dir: Gordon Hessler
Stars: Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Rupert Davies
OBSESSION
1976
*
In 1959, a businessman’s wife is killed; in 1975 he meets her double.
The director’s Vertigo homage, but curiously made without much feeling - he can do much better than this.
Dir: Brian de Palma
Stars: Cliff Robertson, Genevieve Bujold, John Lithgow
OBSESSION: RADICAL ISLAM’S WAR AGAINST THE WEST
2005
**
Documentary claiming that the threat of Islam is equal to the Nazi one from the previous century.
A convincing and discomfiting film that makes its points well while featuring footage of hate speech and infant indoctrination that will have the average viewer shaking their head in disbelief. An important minor project which deserves a wider audience.
Dir: Wayne Kopping
OCTOBER
1927
*
An account of the Russian revolution of 1917.
There may be some splendid editing in this famous propaganda piece but it’s not a film to draw the average viewer in because it’s so emotionally detached.
Dir: Sergei Eisenstein
Stars: Vladimir Popov, Vasili Nikandrov, Layaschenko
THE OCTOBER MAN
1947
**
After being released from a long stint in hospital, a man finds he is a murder suspect.
For its time, a fairly 'adult' thriller, effectively shot so as bring out both chilliness and cosiness, it is peopled by essentially decent English types, including the murderer.
Dir: Roy Baker
Stars: John Mills, Joan Greenwood, Edward Chapman
OCTOBER MOTH
1960
0
A disturbed young man causes a near-fatal car crash.
Strange little second feature with an unattractive plot that isn't a goer, but well photographed and not bereft of atmosphere; it only excites briefly though, near the end. The film appears on Network's Edgar Wallace DVD set because it was included in the package for the Wallace American TV series.
Dir: John Kruse
Stars: Lee Patterson, Lana Morris, Peter Dyneley
OCTOPUSSY
1983
**
James Band gets involved with an Afghan prince, a renegade Soviet officer and a glamorous female smuggler, Octopussy.
Many may disagree but this is in some ways the ultimate Roger Moore Bond film: as a production it's smoother and more confident than its predecessors, Moore is completely in control and not quite too old yet, the title song's a winner and there are some genuinely suspenseful and exciting sequences. Yes, there are moments of inanity - the Tarzan cry, the "Sit!" to the tiger - but this entry nicely utilises its exotic locations for everything they're worth, especially the Indian market, the jungle and the circus, as well as providing the usual sky-high standard of gorgeous girls, fun gadgets and well-shot chases.
Dir: John Glen
Stars: Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Louis Jourdan, Kristina Wayborn, Kabi Bedi, Steven Berkoff, Desmond Llewelyn, Robert Brown, Lois Maxwell
THE ODD COUPLE
1968
**
A slobbish sportswriter takes in a friend who is obsessed with tidiness.
Hilarious character comedy which says an enormous amount about human nature and relationships; it's a little slow to get going, and predictably betrays its stage origins, but the strength of the two lead performances still shines through.
Dir: Gene Saks
Stars: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, John Fiedler, Carole Shelley
ODD MAN OUT
1946
**
A wounded IRA gunman goes on the run.
Mature thriller of its time; the first half is especially dynamic.
Dir: Carol Reed
Stars: James Mason, Robert Newton, Kathleen Ryan, Robert Beatty
OF HUMAN BONDAGE
1934
**
A medical student becomes obsessed with a sluttish waitress.
Bette Davis' breakthrough film is a reedy, massively simplified distillation of the magnificent novel but well done in itself, and still fairly engaging today, even if it and Davis' performance feel dated.
Dir: John Cromwell
Stars: Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Frances Dee, Reginald Owen
OF HUMAN BONDAGE
1946
*
This adaptation may be the weakest of the lot, with Henreid not right in the lead role - he's too old and too foreign for starters - and Parker giving a forced performance as an especially unpleasant Mildred. Never feeling for a moment like it was made in England, it also takes liberties with its brilliant source material and is harmed by adherence to the Hays Code, but is still a half-decent watch.
Dir: Edmund Goulding
Stars: Paul Henreid, Eleanor Parker, Alexis Smith, Edmund Gwenn
OF HUMAN BONDAGE
1964
*
Assertions that both the leads are miscast are probably justified, but this is an acceptable version of Maugham’s novel, albeit one that can only hint at the complexities of the characters and the situations – another half an hour of material would have been welcome. But the book’s dissection of the human condition still shines through.
Dir: Ken Hughes
Stars: Laurence Harvey, Kim Novak, Robert Morley, Roger Livesey, Nanette Newman
OF MICE AND MEN
1939
*
During the Depression, a man and his retarded cousin seek work on a ranch.
Stagey version of the famous novel in which the real drama doesn't come until late on; it's well performed, with some power in the closing stages, but it hasn't worn as well as Ford's Grapes Of Wrath.
Dir: Lewis Milestone
Stars: Burgess Meredith, Lon Chaney Jr, Betty Field, Charles Bickford
OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN
1983
*
A man is perturbed to find a giant rat in his apartment.
Moby Dick in rat form; competent little shocker with nice moments.
Dir: George P Cosmatos
Stars: Peter Weller, Jennifer Dale, Shannon Tweed
OF THE DEAD
1979
0
Documentary looking at death and dying, including multiple sclerosis victims, a Filipino execution and a man who has been stabbed multiple times.
Many won't be able to watch it at all, but those who do may well become restless - a narrator and an editor were needed to make this morbid artifact worth seeing.
Dir: Jean-Pol Ferbus, Dominique Garny, Thierry Zeno
OFFBEAT
1961
*
An MI5 officer goes undercover to infiltrate criminals planning a heist.
Fairly tight little thriller, definitely one of the better ones of its type; decent dialogue, performances and set-pieces.
Dir: Cliff Owen
Stars: William Sylvester, Mai Zetterling, John Meillon, Anthony Dawson
THE OFFENCE
1973
*
A jaded and angry policeman takes it out on a suspected child abuser.
An extremely tough watch: no wonder it only found a tiny audience, and most of them were probably only there because this was Connery's first movie after Diamonds Are Forever. It's certainly not without quality - the location shooting manages to be mundane but unsettling, and the stark modernist interiors match the grim action therein - but it is essentially a filmed play, albeit one with the timeline mixed up, and a rather pretentious and bleak one at that.
Dir: Sidney Lumet
Stars: Sean Connery, Ian Bannen, Trevor Howard, Vivien Merchant
OFFERINGS
1989
0
Years after being pushed down a well, a young man returns to kill his tormentors.
Cheapskate Halloween rip-off devoid of sense and style. With gory killings and nudity absent, you have to wonder what the point of doing it was - probably it was just a bit of a giggle to make.
Dir: Christopher Reynolds
Stars: Loretta Leigh Bowman, Elizabeth Greene, G Michael Smith
THE OFFICE PARTY
1976
0
An office party in London gets frisky.
Even if you go in with very low expectations, this is complete crud; it doesn't even work on its own terms as a sex farce because, at least until near the end, there's virtually no sex: mostly it's just office workers chatting to each other (the dialogue ain't good either) in David Grant's own office that he used to shoot this 'film' in over a weekend. Lake looks puffy and does next to nothing, future Coronation Street star Briggs is noticeable, there's a camp chap who raises the odd smile and the ladies look nice but it's hardly a compensation. Half an hour of hardcore footage was added for foreign markets, the lucky lot. Here in Blighty, it's impossible to imagine that the Soho cinema patrons were glad they'd paid for this.
Dir: David Grant
Stars: Alan Lake, David Rayner, Johnny Briggs, Julia Bond, Theresa Wood
OFFICE SPACE
1999
*
An unsatisfied office worker plots to steal from his company but it goes wrong.
Semi-satisfying comedy that works best in its first half, which details the boredom and frustration of everyday office life, before the half-assed caper and romantic plots kick in later. The use of rap music gives it a slightly ugly sheen.
Dir: Mike Judge
Stars: Ron Livingston, David Herman, Stephen Root, Gary Cole, Jennifer Aniston
AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN
1982
**
A potential officer endures a tough 13 weeks at a naval training school, and also falls in love.
An old story with modern trimmings, it is pretty well done throughout and held many an audience in their seats. Gere is just right, as is Winger, as is Gossett Jr, and it takes viewers on a journey, a journey that touches many of life's most emotional moments, so is therefore empathetic.
Dir: Taylor Hackford
Stars: Richard Gere, Debra Winger, David Keith, Louis Gossett Jr
AN OFFICER AND A SPY
2019
**
A newly appointed colonel begins to believe that Alfred Dreyfus was an innocent man.
Polanski's best film in many years (since Oliver Twist or The Pianist?) is a careful, professional, skillful historical picture which is technically superlative: the costumes, the settings, the ephemera are meticulously created, and the drama speaks for itself. It makes an interesting point: that the prejudiced can still be just and fair in their dealings; shame so few English-speaking audiences got to see it.
Dir: Roman Polanski
Stars: Jean Dujardin, Louis Garrel, Emmanuelle Seigner, Gregory Gadebois
OH, GOD!
1977
*
God comes down to Earth and tells a supermarket manager to spread the word about him.
Pleasant trifle, an unexpected box office hit.
Dir: Carl Reiner
Stars: George Burns, John Denver, Ralph Bellamy, Donald Pleasence, Teri Garr
OH GOD! BOOK TWO
1980
0
God enlists the help of children to spread the word.
Stupid and sentimental sequel that’s as much fun as a year in Hell.
Dir: Gilbert Gates
Stars: George Burns, Suzanne Pleshette, Wilfrid Hyde-White
OH MARBELLA!
2003
0
Holidaymakers have various adventures in sunny Spain.
Moderately amusing, fair to middling comedy with straight-to-DVD written all over it.
Dir: Piers Ashworth
Stars: Rik Mayall, Mike Reid, Tom Bell, Sara Stockbridge, David Gant
OH, MR PORTER!
1937
***
A stationmaster captures gunrunners posing as ghosts.
The quintessential Will Hay film, a charming comic adventure which encapsulates the magic of a unique comic trio. Although some of the dialogue can be difficult to keep up with, and a few of the jokes are well worn by time, it’s a jolly escapade that moves at a fair pace.
Dir: Marcel Varnel
Stars: Will Hay, Moore Marriott, Graham Moffat, Dave O’Toole
O’HARA’S WIFE
1980
0
A man’s dead wife returns to visit him.
Over-familiar and over-sentimental fantasy, a distant cousin of Blithe Spirit.
Dir: William Bartman
Stars: Ed Asner, Mariette Hartley, Jodie Foster
OKLAHOMA!
1955
*
Cowboys and other men compete for the hands of the ladies of old Oklahoma.
Well-known if not especially enrapturing musical - its plot is a nothing burger for starters, most of the characters fail to make an impression, it's stagey, and are there honestly more than a couple of good songs in it? Steiger's glowering Jud Fry and the unusual nightmare sequence - which goes on for an age - are curiously downbeat marks on a movie that otherwise tries to be relentlessly sunny. The Sound Of Music is the vastly superior Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.
Dir: Fred Zinnemann
Stars: Gordon MacRae, Gloria Grahame, Gene Nelson, Charlotte Greenwood, Rod Steiger
1938
*
An incompetent school teacher causes chaos in darkest Africa.
Hay, Marriott and Moffat's comic banter is delightfully evident in this comic adventure which provides the odd thrill too.
Dir: Marcel Varnel
Stars: Will Hay, Moore Marriott, Graham Moffat
THE OLD DARK HOUSE
1932
***
Travellers get stranded in a house of eccentrics.
Sophisticated horror comedy, very strong on atmosphere and cast.
Dir: James Whale
Stars: Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Raymond Massey, Boris Karloff, Ernest Thesiger
THE OLD DARK HOUSE
1963
0
A man spends time in a ghoulish house of crazed freaks.
Feeble horror comedy which looks like an episode from a cheap 1960s American sitcom.
Dir: William Castle
Stars: Tom Poston, Robert Morley, Joyce Grenfell, Mervyn Johns, Fenella Fielding
OLD MOTHER RILEY'S GHOSTS
1941
0
Mrs Riley gets involved in a plot to steal an invention.
The Mrs Brown of her day involved in her usual madness that will be incomprehensible to 99.99999% of the population now. Not supernatural, although the few seconds with spooky visions is the best - which isn't saying much.
Dir: John Baxter
Stars: Arthur Lucan, Kitty McShane, John Stuart, John Laurie
OLD SCHOOL
2002
*
Three thirtysomething men start a fraternity house.
Absolutely average comedy, neither very wise or very wacky.
Dir: Todd Phillips
Stars: Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Juliette Lewis, Seann William Scott, Elisha Cuthbert
THE OLD SORCERESS AND THE VALET
1987
*
An elderly black couple reminisce bitterly about their lives.
Uneventful but haunting little oddity with a certain waspish wit.
Dir: Julius Amédé Laou
Stars: Jenny Alpha, Robert Liensol
OLD YELLER
1957
**
In 1860s Texas, a stray dog forms a bond with a family.
Disney's first boy-and-dog movie is one of the best, a pleasant family drama which revels in nature and the animals of the outdoors, not ignoring the difficulties; the way they trained the dog is particularly impressive and only the most stolid of heart could watch it without being a little affected.
Dir: Robert Stevenson
Stars: Dorothy McGuire, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, Chuck Connors
OLDBOY
2004
*
A man is inexplicably locked up for 15 years; when he is released he seeks vengeance.
Deeply nasty Korean thriller which starts well but tapers off in the second half; its stylish presentation of inhuman unpleasantness found many admirers.
Dir: Park Chan-wook
Stars: Choi Min-sik, Yu Ji-tae, Gang Hye-jeong
OLIVER!
1968
****
A musical version of Oliver Twist.
OLIVER & COMPANY
1988
0
A lost kitten gets in with some rough dogs in this take on the Oliver Twist story.
Weak Disney cartoon somewhere near their nadir, with what looks like cut-price animation and songs you'd rather not remember; despite being based on Dickens the characters are watery and the situations uninteresting.
Dir: George Scribner
Voices: Joseph Lawrence, Billy Joel, Cheech Marin, Dom DeLuise
OLIVER TWIST
1948
****
An orphan boy falls into the company of thieves.
A striking, and quite dark, cinematic treatment of Dickens' work, scene to scene it offers a lesson in how to tell a tale. While it may have lost a little of its power in the years since release, the photography and set design remain hugely impressive - and many of the characters are appropriately larger than life (even the dog!). Some modern viewers might be surprised by a few elements, such as how Oliver himself is absent for periods of it, and may prefer the colourful, vibrant 1968 musical version, which curates the story in a more direct fashion.
Dir: David Lean
Stars: Robert Newton, Alec Guinness, John Howard Davies, Kay Walsh, Anthony Newley
OLIVER TWIST
2005
**
Polanski keeps an even hand on his Dickens, creating a surprisingly conventional interpretation which is always interesting if a little draggy in places. One deviation from previous versions is Oliver visiting Fagin in jail at the close of the film.
Dir: Roman Polanski
Stars: Ben Kingsley, Barney Clark, Jamie Foreman, Leanne Row
LOS OLVIDADOS
1950
**
Life and death amongst the youngsters of a Mexican slum.
Bunuel’s slice of urban realism promises that it ‘isn’t optimistic’ and nor is it, but its technique ensures the viewer isn’t depressed, as the photography, score and acting are all still impressive. There are several sequences that stay with you, including the surreal interlude half way through.
Dir: Luis Bunuel
Stars: Estela Inda, Miguel Inclan, Alfonso Mejia
THE OMEGA MAN
1971
*
After disease has wiped out most of the Earth, one man struggles on alone.
End of the world movies have a tendency to be reasonably entertaining, and this is a fair time-passer with a few frissons.
Dir: Boris Sagal
Stars: Charlton Heston, Rosalind Cash
THE OMEN
1976
***
The American ambassador to Great Britain adopts a baby who turns out to be the son of the devil.
Ingeniously crafted, eminently watchable horror blockbuster with gruesome and memorable set pieces; fine acting also elevates it.
Dir: Richard Donner
Stars: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Billie Whitelaw, Patrick Troughton, Leo McKern
Sequels: Damien: Omen Two and The Final Conflict (both qv)
THE OMEN
2006
*
A 30-years-later remake which adds gloss and a new angle initially (which then disappears); the script is almost exactly the same as the original. Enjoyable enough in itself, it suffers in comparison because the cast doesn't have the same gravitas and the raw, vital feel is not evident.
Dir: John Moore
Stars: Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles, David Thewlis, Mia Farrow, Pete Postlethwaite, Michael Gambon
ON BORROWED TIME
1939
*
An old man refuses to die and keeps Death up an apple tree.
Unusual, sentimental fantasy, perhaps a little lacking in sympathetic characters.
Dir: Harold S Bucquet
Stars: Lionel Barrymore, Bobs Watson, Cedric Hardwicke
ON GOLDEN POND
1981
**
An elderly couple and their daughter spend a meaningful weekend together.
Simple but sage family drama that sold a lot of tickets.
Dir: Mark Rydell
Stars: Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, Jane Fonda
ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE
1969
**
James Bond tracks master criminal Blofeld down to Switzerland.
Bond number six is a different kettle of fish to its predecessors, not least because there's a stranger in the lead role - he acquits himself well enough but he's certainly no Connery. The film's structure is curious: it starts in intriguing and actionful fashion but then slows to a crawl mid-way before picking up again with what's essentially a long chase, and its reasonably gritty feel is at odds with its far-fetched central plot (that the beautiful girls sent around the world will cause destabilisation). Indeed, it's a film in which elements fight each other: the snowbound scenes are refreshingly different and bracing, but there's much obvious back-projection; there's nods to all the previous films but Lazenby says at the start, 'This never happened to the other fellow'; and it ends in uncharacteristically tragic fashion before seconds later ripping into the boisterous Bond theme. All in all, a bit odd - although that's never necessarily a bad thing.
Dir: Peter Hunt
Stars: George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas, Gabriele Ferzetti, Ilse Steppat, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn
ON THE BEACH
1959
*
There has been a global nuclear incident; the residents of Australia await the time it will engulf them.
Presented to the world as a mightily important motion picture, this ominous drama offers a curiously serene view of the planet on the edge of destruction - no one panics, no one screams, no one weeps - and it is this that means it has no contours and is largely devoid of emotional or dramatic power. Its lack of passion is matched only by its glumness; it seems to have narrow concerns, and the actors are a little flat. As ever, Bill Warren's Keep Watching The Skies! has the wisest take on it.
Dir: Stanley Kramer
Stars: Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Anthony Perkins, Fred Astaire
ON THE BUSES
1971
0
A bus company causes outrage by deciding to recruit women drivers.
Truly dreadful big screen version of the TV show, this is plotless, irritating and unfunny - to say the very least. Two sequels somehow followed.
Dir: Harry Booth
Stars: Reg Varney, Bob Grant, Stephen Lewis, Doris Hare, Michael Robbins, Anna Karen, David Lodge
ON THE GAME
1975
0
A history of prostitution through the ages.
Rather ham-fisted companion piece to the same director's Naughty! (qv), with a little humour and sauciness by way of compensation; certain episodes are not without curiosity value - the 2001 take-off at the start, the dunking of the witch, the throwing of cream cakes at the girl etc - but this is more due to their strangeness than their actual quality.
Dir: Stanley Long
Narrator: Charles Gray. Stars: Lloyd Lamble, Gloria Maley, David Brierly
ON THE LOOSE
1931
0
Two sassy girls have a day at Coney Island fair.
Anorexic comedy short whose script can’t have been much more than a single page; perhaps it has historical interest because it shows what people used to do with their leisure time. Laurel and Hardy turn up right at the end – pity it wasn’t earlier.
Dir: Hal Roach
Stars: Zasu Pitts, Thelma Todd, Billy Gilbert, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy
ON THE NIGHT OF THE FIRE
1939
*
A thief kills a man who is blackmailing his wife.
Chunky, choppy potboiler with amusingly inaccurate Newcastle accents.
Dir: Brian Desmond Hurst
Stars: Ralph Richardson, Diana Wynwyard, Mary Clare
ON THE RUN
1962
0
A man breaks out of prison to thwart a villain.
Pretty average entry into the Edgar Wallace Mysteries series of B-films; the way the story's crafted does not generate maximum suspense.
Dir: Robert Tronson
Stars: Emrys Jones, Sarah Lawson, Patrick Barr, Delphi Lawrence
ON THE TOWN
1948
**
Three sailors have a day’s leave in New York City.
Supreme Hollywood musical, a slickly packaged entertainment.
Dir: Gene Kelly
Stars: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin
ON THE WATERFRONT
1954
***
A young fighter rebels against the brutal union that controls the docks.
Emotionally gripping melodrama, starkly shot and quite different from any previous motion picture.
Dir: Elia Kazan
Stars: Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, Lee J Cobb, Rod Steiger, Karl Malden
ON THE WRONG TREK
1936
0
A man’s holiday is spoilt by his mother-in-law.
Rickety comic short only given longevity by Laurel and Hardy’s very brief cameo appearance (as hitchhikers, with no dialogue), it demonstrates why Stan and Ollie’s hapless competitors are now largely forgotten.
Dir: Harold Law, Charley Chase
Stars: Charley Chase, Rosina Lawrence, Bonita Weber, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy
ONCE
2006
*
An Irish busker tries to get a record contract with the help of a young Czech woman.
Raw, micro-budget drama that at times is more like a music video than a film – indeed, it is more about a love of music than anything else. Nice enough, but very slight.
Dir: John Carney
Stars: Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova
ONCE BITTEN
1985
*
A female vampire in search of virgins picks on a teenager whose girlfriend won’t sleep with him.
Fairly flat horror comedy with some nice moments but a writer and director who are unable to elevate it above the ordinary. Jim Carrey, in his lead debut, is the best thing here but he’s still some years away from seeing his act mature into something very special.
Dir: Howard Storm
Stars: Jim Carrey, Lauren Hutton, Karen Kopins, Cleavon Little
ONCE IN A LIFETIME
2006
*
The rise and fall of American soccer club the New York Cosmos.
Watchable minor documentary.
Dir: Paul Crowder, John Dower
Narrator: Matt Dillon
ONCE IN A NEW MOON
1934
*
A small town, Shrimpton-on-Sea, is pulled off the Earth and begins to orbit it instead; the locals attempt to form a government.
Quirky little sci-fi that emphasises social issues, but not too heavy-handedly; it zips along painlessly and economically. It seems to have been rescued from utter obscurity by the marvellous Talking Pictures TV.
Dir: Anthony Kimmins
Stars: Eliot Makeham, Rene Ray, Morton Selten, Wally Patch
ONCE UPON A SPY
1980 (TV)
0
A computer programmer finds himself battling against a madman with a shrinking ray.
A 1980 TV movie that looks exactly like a 1980 TV movie, this is a lightweight, fairly good-humoured spy fantasy with the odd nice line ("You've got a licence to kill but have you got a licence to drive?!") and above-average stars (Danson is game and Lee is Lee). But someone should have advised the makers not to shoot so much in front of metallic reflective surfaces.
Dir: Ivan Nagy
Stars: Ted Danson, Mary Louise Weller, Christopher Lee, Eleanor Parker
ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA
1986
**
A gangster's life from street urchin days through to old age, taking in the prohibition period.
Immense saga which, despite many fine (and sometimes humorous) scenes isn't quite as stirring as it might have been if, say, Scorsese had made it.
Dir: Sergio Leone
Stars: Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams, Tuesday Weld, Burt Young
ONCE UPON A TIME ... IN HOLLYWOOD
2019
****
In 1969 Hollywood, a declining actor and his stunt double have various trials, while in the background lurk the Manson Family.
A genius production in many ways, a film like no other (which is remarkable when you think about it) and one that makes any other released in this year seem much inferior. The director is at the top of his game, as are his two stars, in a movie that is Hollywood by name and Hollywood by nature: it presents a skewed version of real-life events, sometimes outrageously so; frequently nods - both obviously and subtly - to movies and TV; and is, essentially, pure cinema, basking in the unadulterated joy of movie making. It's best to go into it as ignorant as possible and then allow it to wash over you, never being sure what will come next, always being alert to what erudite trick the director might choose to play. A beautifully shot, sublimely directed and scripted experience, and also a refreshing reaffirment of the alpha male and old-school values - which is, of course, entirely fitting. And if you don't like the story you can always admire the cars or the music or the posters.
Dir: Quentin Tarantino
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch
ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST
1969
**
A band of gunmen threaten the peace of the old west.
Epic western in the director’s familiar style - long, slow, convoluted, and actors talking with their eyes rather than their mouth. One feels it could finish several times before it actually does, sometimes wishing it so.
Dir: Sergio Leone
Stars: Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, Charles Bronson
ONCE WERE WARRIORS
1994
**
A woman tries to bring her family up well despite her unpredictable, violent husband.
Grim drama whose raw power eventually wins you over.
Dir: Lee Tamahori
Stars: Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, Julian Arahanga
ONE DEADLY SUMMER
1983
**
A beautiful girl arrives in a small town with a deadly motive.
Diverting thriller with an erotic charge.
Dir: Jean Becker
Stars: Isabelle Adjani, Alain Souchon, Suzanne Flon
ONE FOOT IN HEAVEN
1941
*
After a revelation, a man chooses to become a pastor rather than a doctor.
Essentially an advert for the Christian way of life, this is a mild-mannered, easy-going drama that appears at least to believe in its own message: but a scene where March's character tells an unbeliever that toothache is no different from a soul is hilariously unconvincing. Still, a pleasant plod for some viewers.
Dir: Irving Rapper
Stars: Frederic March, Martha Scott, Beulah Bondi, Gene Lockhart
ONE FROM THE HEART
1982
**
On Independence Day, two lovers quarrel and are then reconciled.
So the story’s wafer thin and as old as the hills but it matters little, as Coppola’s film is all about the sublime, effervescent visuals.
Dir: Francis Coppola
Stars: Frederic Forrest, Teri Garr, Raul Julia, Nastassja Kinsky, Harry Dean Stanton
ONE GOOD TURN
1931
*
Stan and Ollie mistakenly believe a woman is to be evicted from her house.
Mirthful short which packs a fair amount in, including Stan burning their tent down, Finlayson’s trousers coming off, the boys’ car collapsing and Ollie being hit on the head by many, many logs. The tone’s a little sour but it’s still funny.
Dir: James W Horne
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Billy Gilbert
ONE HOUR PHOTO
2002
**
A lonely man becomes obsessed with the family for whom he develops photos for.
Good text-book thriller filmmaking. Williams has one of his very best roles, playing against type as a lonely man who has missed out on but desires a happy family life - his motivations seem very real, including the violent turn he takes. With impressive cinematography that evokes the lead character's sterile, friendless world, and a clever and compelling screenplay, this is worth your time.
Dir: Mark Romanek
Stars: Robin Williams, Connie Nielsen, Michael Vartan, Gary Cole
ONE HOUR TO DOOMSDAY
1970 (TV)
0
A planetoid threatens an underwater city.
A typical Irwin Allen production (cheap and badly acted) that swiftly throws logic out of the window.
Dir: Irwin Allen
Stars: Stuart Whitman, Robert Wagner, Richard Baseheart
ONE HOUR WITH YOU
1932
*
A Frenchman philanders his way around town.
Fans of Lubitsch's musical comedies will no doubt enjoy this... and so let's leave them to it. Light, frothy, forgettable stuff.
Dir: Ernst Lubitsch
Stars: Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Genevieve Tobin, Charles Ruggles
ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS
1961
**
A cruel madame steals several dogs in order to make coats.
Disney in decline; still a favourite, but it rarely has the tendency to do the unexpected.
Dir: Wolfgang Reitherman, Hamilton S Luske, Clyde Geronimi
Voices: Rod Taylor, Cate Bauet
127 HOURS
2010
***
A mountain climber gets an arm stuck under an immovable boulder.
The based-on-truth scenario might not immediately strike you as one that could sustain a full-length feature film, but the director, high on confidence, throws every cinematic trick he can conjure up at the screen: the result is a dynamic, gripping picture which manages to be both outward- and inward-looking.
Dir: Danny Boyle
Stars: James Franco
ONE HUNDRED MEN AND A GIRL
1937
*
A girl founds an orchestra with the aid of a rich benefactor.
A film of its time, once widely enjoyed to be sure, especially by those with a classical music bent; now probably one for the museum, although some canny performances still shine (especially from those who don't yell too much).
Dir: Henry Koster
Stars: Deanna Durbin, Adolphe Menjou, Alice Brady, Leopold Stokowski, Eugene Pallette
ONE MAGIC CHRISTMAS
1985
0
Facing a bleak Christmas, a family’s fortunes are changed when they come across a cheery angel.
Oddly dour and downbeat fantasy - surely some mistake?
Dir: Phillip Borsos
Stars: Mary Steenburgen, Harry Dean Stanton, Gary Basaraba
ONE MILLION BC
1940
*
Stone Age quarrels between the Rock People and the Shell People.
Slow moving and predictable, but an epic of its day; the special effects remain fairly impressive.
Dir: Hal Roach, Hal Roach Jr, D W Griffith
Stars: Victor Mature, Carole Landis, Lon Chaney Jr
ONE TRUE THING
1998
*
An ambitious female journalist is forced to go home to look after her ill mother.
Well done family drama which never becomes mawkish despite fears that it might.
Dir: Carl Franklin
Stars: Meryl Streep, William Hurt, Renee Zellweger, Tom Everett Scott
ONLY TWO CAN PLAY
1962
**
A Welsh librarian has an affair with the wife of the leader of the council.
Cultured comic drama true to the spirit of the book it's based on. The humour is quite subtle so it can give the appearance of neither being a farce nor a satire, perhaps limiting its appeal; the way it captures the time it was made in is also subtle, but not negligible.
Dir: Sidney Gilliat
Stars: Peter Sellers, Mai Zetterling, Virginia Maskell, Kenneth Griffith, Richard Attenborough, John Le Mesurier
THE OPTIMISTS OF NINE ELMS
1972
*
An elderly showman helps two children find happiness.
Low key, pensive drama which successfully evokes a miserable, wintry south London, but failed to find an audience. Perhaps it's too meandering, it's certainly too long, and charming sequences tend to get submerged in its shapelessness; Sellers gives it honesty and truth, though, apart from his false nose.
Dir: Anthony Simmons
Stars: Peter Sellers, Donna Mullane, John Chaffey, David Daker
ORANGES AND LEMONS
1923
0
Disruption in a citrus grove.
Unsympathetic short which struggles to hold the interest.
Dir: George Jeske
Stars: Stan Laurel
ORCA - KILLER WHALE
1977
0
A whale seeks revenge for the death of its mate.
Forgettable mix of Jaws and ecological themes.
Dir: Michael Anderson
Stars: Richard Harris, Charlotte Rampling, Will Sampson, Bo Derek
THE ORCHARD END MURDER
1981
*
Bored of her boyfriend's cricket match, a woman wanders into the countryside where she meets some strange folk.
Residing in obscurity until the BFI rejuvenated it, thankfully, this one-time supporting feature is perhaps a little simplistic, lacking a twist, but conjures up an atmosphere and is attractively shot in bucolic surroundings. Sequences with a rabbit and a mountain of apples have definite power.
Dir: Christian Marnham
Stars: Bill Wallis, Tracy Hyde, Clive Mantle
ORDERS ARE ORDERS
1954
0
A film company attempts to make a movie at any army barracks.
Deeply unsatisfying farce which never rises to satire and wastes a splendid cast, none of whom are particularly convincing in their roles.
Dir: David Paltenghi
Stars: Brian Reece, Raymond Huntley, Sid James, Margot Grahame, Peter Sellers, Tony Hancock, Bill Fraser
ORDINARY PEOPLE
1980
**
A brother struggles to cope with the accidental death of his brother.
Heavy going, angsty drama which is well acted but often gives the viewer the feeling of being an intruder at a series of family arguments. After two hours plus you wonder whether it's been worthwhile to witness the numerous torturous recriminations.
Dir: Robert Redford
Stars: Timothy Hutton, Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch
ORLANDO
1992
0
A person lives for hundreds of years, changing sex.
Dull, arty filming of a feminist novel.
Dir: Sally Potter
Stars: Tilda Swinton, Billy Zane, John Wood
ORPHÉE
1949
*
Death helps Orpheus, a poet, to find his lost love.
Overrated ‘film poetry’ with a deliberately obscure narrative.
Dir: Jean Cocteau
Stars: Jean Marais, Francois Perier
OSSESSIONE
1943
**
A drifter hooks up with a female bar owner who hates her husband.
Visconti's much applauded neorealist drama, which was shot in Hollywood as The Postman Always Rings Twice, has many qualities, including roving camerawork and extensive location shooting, but its doom-laden, stretched out story is a bit heavy going, and short on sympathy and suspense. Still, one for film students.
Dir: Luchino Visconti
Stars: Massimo Girotti, Clara Calamai, Dhia Cristiani
OTELLO
1986
*
Version of the opera based on Shakespeare's play.
An attempt by schlock producers to do an 'art' picture (which somehow seems to debase it), this studio-set film does at least look and sound good.
Dir: Franco Zeffirelli
Stars: Placido Domingo, Katia Ricciarelli, Justino Diaz
OTHELLO
1952
*
Orson Welles' version, with a troubled production history, has immense style and rich performances. A restored version was released in 1992.
Dir: Orson Welles
Stars: Orson Welles, Fay Compton, Robert Cook
OTHELLO
1954
*
A Russian version of the play.
A visually sumptuous interpretation; and one of the shortest Shakespeare adaptations.
Dir: Sergei Yutkevich
Stars: Sergei Bondarchuk, Irina Skobtseva, Andrei Popov
OTHELLO
1964
**
Evil Iago seeks to destroy Othello the Moor because of his love for Desdemona.
Essentially a film recording of a stage show, this inevitably pales in comparison with the star’s previous big screen forays into Shakespeare, but manages to exert a grip without the aid of cinematic tricks.
Dir: Stuart Burge
Stars: Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Frank Finlay, Derek Jacobi
OTHELLO
1995
**
A highly enjoyable version which reduces the dialogue but not the drama and benefits from one of Branagh's best performances - his Iago and his direct-to-camera addresses increase the tension and the conspiratorial air. Definitely one of the better modern Shakespeares, directed with much intelligence.
Dir: Oliver Parker
Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Laurence Fishburne, Irene Jacob, Nathaniel Parker
THE OTHERS
2001
*
A woman keeps her children hidden away in a house that may be haunted.
Slightly staid chiller given life by a few ghoulish moments and the beautiful lead actress. But the twist isn't a lot different from The Sixth Sense's.
Dir: Alejandro Amenabar
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston, Eric Sykes
OTLEY
1968
*
A born loser gets mixed up with spies and murderers.
A sort of mix of Hitchcock and kitchen sink drama, not overwhelming.
Dir: Dick Clement
Stars: Tom Courtenay, Romy Schneider, Leonard Rossiter, James Bolam, Fiona Lewis
OUR DAILY BREAD
2006
**
Documentary, with neither music nor narration, looking at industrial food production.
A cool, clinically shot film which doesn’t seek to comment on the sometimes unsettling scenes that it presents. Oddly hypnotic, its images of both the hapless animals and the workers doing their endlessly repetitive tasks can’t help but induce a reaction, and the film will no doubt acquire historical value.
Dir: Nikolaus Geyrhalter
OUR HOSPITALITY
1923
*
A young man has to run for his life when he gets caught up in an ancient family feud.
Slow then fast star vehicle that one admires the finer points of, rather than laughing out loud at.
Dir: Buster Keaton, John G Blystone
Stars: Buster Keaton, Natalie Talmadge, Joe Keaton
OUR MAN FLINT
1966
*
Secret agent David Flint saves the world from mad scientists.
One of the better Bond spoofs, but still a long way from the real thing.
Dir: Daniel Mann
Stars: James Coburn, Lee J Cobb, Gila Golan
Sequel: In Like Flint (qv)
OUR MAN IN MARRAKESH
1966
0
A businessman on holiday is drawn into a spy ring.
Uninspired lightweight thriller with a wasted cast.
Dir: Don Sharp
Stars: Tony Randall, Senta Berger, Terry-Thomas, Herbert Lom, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Klaus Kinski
OUR MISS FRED
OLD SCHOOL
2002
*
Three thirtysomething men start a fraternity house.
Absolutely average comedy, neither very wise or very wacky.
Dir: Todd Phillips
Stars: Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Juliette Lewis, Seann William Scott, Elisha Cuthbert
THE OLD SORCERESS AND THE VALET
1987
*
An elderly black couple reminisce bitterly about their lives.
Uneventful but haunting little oddity with a certain waspish wit.
Dir: Julius Amédé Laou
Stars: Jenny Alpha, Robert Liensol
OLD YELLER
1957
**
In 1860s Texas, a stray dog forms a bond with a family.
Disney's first boy-and-dog movie is one of the best, a pleasant family drama which revels in nature and the animals of the outdoors, not ignoring the difficulties; the way they trained the dog is particularly impressive and only the most stolid of heart could watch it without being a little affected.
Dir: Robert Stevenson
Stars: Dorothy McGuire, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, Chuck Connors
OLDBOY
2004
*
A man is inexplicably locked up for 15 years; when he is released he seeks vengeance.
Deeply nasty Korean thriller which starts well but tapers off in the second half; its stylish presentation of inhuman unpleasantness found many admirers.
Dir: Park Chan-wook
Stars: Choi Min-sik, Yu Ji-tae, Gang Hye-jeong
OLIVER!
1968
****
A musical version of Oliver Twist.
More of an experience than a movie, one of those occasions when a studio ensured all about the production was tip-top, and the result was an all-singing, all-dancing joy to behold - the large-scale ensembles are indeed an outstanding example of directing people on a grand scale. The film is a rollercoaster ride, taking in comedy (the pickpocketing lessons), thrills (the final climb across the rooftops), toe-tapping musical numbers (which are all wonderful) and gut-wrenching emotion (the character of Nancy), peopled by a peerless cast led by Moody as a Fagin with depth, and Reed as a marvellously malevolent Sikes. What a triumph to make such dark material very bright; it will endure over the decades.
Dir: Carol Reed
Stars: Mark Lester, Ron Moody, Oliver Reed, Shani Wallis, Jack Wild, Harry Secombe, Hugh Griffith, Leonard Rossiter
OLIVER & COMPANY
1988
0
A lost kitten gets in with some rough dogs in this take on the Oliver Twist story.
Weak Disney cartoon somewhere near their nadir, with what looks like cut-price animation and songs you'd rather not remember; despite being based on Dickens the characters are watery and the situations uninteresting.
Dir: George Scribner
Voices: Joseph Lawrence, Billy Joel, Cheech Marin, Dom DeLuise
OLIVER THE EIGHTH
1934
**
Ollie goes on a blind date, and the lady turns out to be homicidal.
Short enlivened by the antics of the mad butler and the melodramatic widow; it would have been better at five or so minutes shorter, with perhaps the imaginary meal cut down a little. It feels a little empty, and the cop-out ending is a disappointment.
Dir: Lloyd French
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Mae Busch, Jack Barty
OLIVER TWIST
1948
****
An orphan boy falls into the company of thieves.
A striking, and quite dark, cinematic treatment of Dickens' work, scene to scene it offers a lesson in how to tell a tale. While it may have lost a little of its power in the years since release, the photography and set design remain hugely impressive - and many of the characters are appropriately larger than life (even the dog!). Some modern viewers might be surprised by a few elements, such as how Oliver himself is absent for periods of it, and may prefer the colourful, vibrant 1968 musical version, which curates the story in a more direct fashion.
Dir: David Lean
Stars: Robert Newton, Alec Guinness, John Howard Davies, Kay Walsh, Anthony Newley
OLIVER TWIST
2005
**
Polanski keeps an even hand on his Dickens, creating a surprisingly conventional interpretation which is always interesting if a little draggy in places. One deviation from previous versions is Oliver visiting Fagin in jail at the close of the film.
Dir: Roman Polanski
Stars: Ben Kingsley, Barney Clark, Jamie Foreman, Leanne Row
LOS OLVIDADOS
1950
**
Life and death amongst the youngsters of a Mexican slum.
Bunuel’s slice of urban realism promises that it ‘isn’t optimistic’ and nor is it, but its technique ensures the viewer isn’t depressed, as the photography, score and acting are all still impressive. There are several sequences that stay with you, including the surreal interlude half way through.
Dir: Luis Bunuel
Stars: Estela Inda, Miguel Inclan, Alfonso Mejia
THE OMEGA MAN
1971
*
After disease has wiped out most of the Earth, one man struggles on alone.
End of the world movies have a tendency to be reasonably entertaining, and this is a fair time-passer with a few frissons.
Dir: Boris Sagal
Stars: Charlton Heston, Rosalind Cash
THE OMEN
1976
***
The American ambassador to Great Britain adopts a baby who turns out to be the son of the devil.
Ingeniously crafted, eminently watchable horror blockbuster with gruesome and memorable set pieces; fine acting also elevates it.
Dir: Richard Donner
Stars: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Billie Whitelaw, Patrick Troughton, Leo McKern
Sequels: Damien: Omen Two and The Final Conflict (both qv)
THE OMEN
2006
*
A 30-years-later remake which adds gloss and a new angle initially (which then disappears); the script is almost exactly the same as the original. Enjoyable enough in itself, it suffers in comparison because the cast doesn't have the same gravitas and the raw, vital feel is not evident.
Dir: John Moore
Stars: Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles, David Thewlis, Mia Farrow, Pete Postlethwaite, Michael Gambon
ON BORROWED TIME
1939
*
An old man refuses to die and keeps Death up an apple tree.
Unusual, sentimental fantasy, perhaps a little lacking in sympathetic characters.
Dir: Harold S Bucquet
Stars: Lionel Barrymore, Bobs Watson, Cedric Hardwicke
ON GOLDEN POND
1981
**
An elderly couple and their daughter spend a meaningful weekend together.
Simple but sage family drama that sold a lot of tickets.
Dir: Mark Rydell
Stars: Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, Jane Fonda
ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE
1969
**
James Bond tracks master criminal Blofeld down to Switzerland.
Bond number six is a different kettle of fish to its predecessors, not least because there's a stranger in the lead role - he acquits himself well enough but he's certainly no Connery. The film's structure is curious: it starts in intriguing and actionful fashion but then slows to a crawl mid-way before picking up again with what's essentially a long chase, and its reasonably gritty feel is at odds with its far-fetched central plot (that the beautiful girls sent around the world will cause destabilisation). Indeed, it's a film in which elements fight each other: the snowbound scenes are refreshingly different and bracing, but there's much obvious back-projection; there's nods to all the previous films but Lazenby says at the start, 'This never happened to the other fellow'; and it ends in uncharacteristically tragic fashion before seconds later ripping into the boisterous Bond theme. All in all, a bit odd - although that's never necessarily a bad thing.
Dir: Peter Hunt
Stars: George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas, Gabriele Ferzetti, Ilse Steppat, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn
ON SE CALME ET EN BOITE FRAIS A SAINT-TROPEZ
1987
0
A teenage girl deceives her parents by spending her summer in the South of France.
Weirdly incoherent sex comedy perhaps made by people with sunstroke, its only real worth is its capture of a time and place where an insouciant attitude to topless sunbathing by young women made Western Europe look beautiful and sophisticated. Which this movie isn't.
Dir: Max Pecas
Stars: Luq Hamet, Eric Reynaud-Fourton, Leila Frechet, Brigitte Lahaie
ON THE BEACH
1959
*
There has been a global nuclear incident; the residents of Australia await the time it will engulf them.
Presented to the world as a mightily important motion picture, this ominous drama offers a curiously serene view of the planet on the edge of destruction - no one panics, no one screams, no one weeps - and it is this that means it has no contours and is largely devoid of emotional or dramatic power. Its lack of passion is matched only by its glumness; it seems to have narrow concerns, and the actors are a little flat. As ever, Bill Warren's Keep Watching The Skies! has the wisest take on it.
Dir: Stanley Kramer
Stars: Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Anthony Perkins, Fred Astaire
ON THE BUSES
1971
0
A bus company causes outrage by deciding to recruit women drivers.
Truly dreadful big screen version of the TV show, this is plotless, irritating and unfunny - to say the very least. Two sequels somehow followed.
Dir: Harry Booth
Stars: Reg Varney, Bob Grant, Stephen Lewis, Doris Hare, Michael Robbins, Anna Karen, David Lodge
ON THE GAME
1975
0
A history of prostitution through the ages.
Rather ham-fisted companion piece to the same director's Naughty! (qv), with a little humour and sauciness by way of compensation; certain episodes are not without curiosity value - the 2001 take-off at the start, the dunking of the witch, the throwing of cream cakes at the girl etc - but this is more due to their strangeness than their actual quality.
Dir: Stanley Long
Narrator: Charles Gray. Stars: Lloyd Lamble, Gloria Maley, David Brierly
ON THE LOOSE
1931
0
Two sassy girls have a day at Coney Island fair.
Anorexic comedy short whose script can’t have been much more than a single page; perhaps it has historical interest because it shows what people used to do with their leisure time. Laurel and Hardy turn up right at the end – pity it wasn’t earlier.
Dir: Hal Roach
Stars: Zasu Pitts, Thelma Todd, Billy Gilbert, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy
ON THE NIGHT OF THE FIRE
1939
*
A thief kills a man who is blackmailing his wife.
Chunky, choppy potboiler with amusingly inaccurate Newcastle accents.
Dir: Brian Desmond Hurst
Stars: Ralph Richardson, Diana Wynwyard, Mary Clare
ON THE RUN
1962
0
A man breaks out of prison to thwart a villain.
Pretty average entry into the Edgar Wallace Mysteries series of B-films; the way the story's crafted does not generate maximum suspense.
Dir: Robert Tronson
Stars: Emrys Jones, Sarah Lawson, Patrick Barr, Delphi Lawrence
ON THE TOWN
1948
**
Three sailors have a day’s leave in New York City.
Supreme Hollywood musical, a slickly packaged entertainment.
Dir: Gene Kelly
Stars: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin
ON THE WATERFRONT
1954
***
A young fighter rebels against the brutal union that controls the docks.
Emotionally gripping melodrama, starkly shot and quite different from any previous motion picture.
Dir: Elia Kazan
Stars: Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, Lee J Cobb, Rod Steiger, Karl Malden
ON THE WRONG TREK
1936
0
A man’s holiday is spoilt by his mother-in-law.
Rickety comic short only given longevity by Laurel and Hardy’s very brief cameo appearance (as hitchhikers, with no dialogue), it demonstrates why Stan and Ollie’s hapless competitors are now largely forgotten.
Dir: Harold Law, Charley Chase
Stars: Charley Chase, Rosina Lawrence, Bonita Weber, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy
ONCE
2006
*
An Irish busker tries to get a record contract with the help of a young Czech woman.
Raw, micro-budget drama that at times is more like a music video than a film – indeed, it is more about a love of music than anything else. Nice enough, but very slight.
Dir: John Carney
Stars: Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova
ONCE BITTEN
1985
*
A female vampire in search of virgins picks on a teenager whose girlfriend won’t sleep with him.
Fairly flat horror comedy with some nice moments but a writer and director who are unable to elevate it above the ordinary. Jim Carrey, in his lead debut, is the best thing here but he’s still some years away from seeing his act mature into something very special.
Dir: Howard Storm
Stars: Jim Carrey, Lauren Hutton, Karen Kopins, Cleavon Little
ONCE IN A LIFETIME
2006
*
The rise and fall of American soccer club the New York Cosmos.
Watchable minor documentary.
Dir: Paul Crowder, John Dower
Narrator: Matt Dillon
ONCE IN A NEW MOON
1934
*
A small town, Shrimpton-on-Sea, is pulled off the Earth and begins to orbit it instead; the locals attempt to form a government.
Quirky little sci-fi that emphasises social issues, but not too heavy-handedly; it zips along painlessly and economically. It seems to have been rescued from utter obscurity by the marvellous Talking Pictures TV.
Dir: Anthony Kimmins
Stars: Eliot Makeham, Rene Ray, Morton Selten, Wally Patch
ONCE UPON A SPY
1980 (TV)
0
A computer programmer finds himself battling against a madman with a shrinking ray.
A 1980 TV movie that looks exactly like a 1980 TV movie, this is a lightweight, fairly good-humoured spy fantasy with the odd nice line ("You've got a licence to kill but have you got a licence to drive?!") and above-average stars (Danson is game and Lee is Lee). But someone should have advised the makers not to shoot so much in front of metallic reflective surfaces.
Dir: Ivan Nagy
Stars: Ted Danson, Mary Louise Weller, Christopher Lee, Eleanor Parker
ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA
1986
**
A gangster's life from street urchin days through to old age, taking in the prohibition period.
Immense saga which, despite many fine (and sometimes humorous) scenes isn't quite as stirring as it might have been if, say, Scorsese had made it.
Dir: Sergio Leone
Stars: Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams, Tuesday Weld, Burt Young
ONCE UPON A TIME ... IN HOLLYWOOD
2019
****
In 1969 Hollywood, a declining actor and his stunt double have various trials, while in the background lurk the Manson Family.
A genius production in many ways, a film like no other (which is remarkable when you think about it) and one that makes any other released in this year seem much inferior. The director is at the top of his game, as are his two stars, in a movie that is Hollywood by name and Hollywood by nature: it presents a skewed version of real-life events, sometimes outrageously so; frequently nods - both obviously and subtly - to movies and TV; and is, essentially, pure cinema, basking in the unadulterated joy of movie making. It's best to go into it as ignorant as possible and then allow it to wash over you, never being sure what will come next, always being alert to what erudite trick the director might choose to play. A beautifully shot, sublimely directed and scripted experience, and also a refreshing reaffirment of the alpha male and old-school values - which is, of course, entirely fitting. And if you don't like the story you can always admire the cars or the music or the posters.
Dir: Quentin Tarantino
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch
ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST
1969
**
A band of gunmen threaten the peace of the old west.
Epic western in the director’s familiar style - long, slow, convoluted, and actors talking with their eyes rather than their mouth. One feels it could finish several times before it actually does, sometimes wishing it so.
Dir: Sergio Leone
Stars: Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, Charles Bronson
ONCE WERE WARRIORS
1994
**
A woman tries to bring her family up well despite her unpredictable, violent husband.
Grim drama whose raw power eventually wins you over.
Dir: Lee Tamahori
Stars: Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, Julian Arahanga
ONE A.M.
1916
*
A drunk makes heavy weather of getting to bed.
Rather stretched out one-situation Chaplin short, as ever with him not especially funny but displaying acrobatic talent and some invention.
Dir: Charlie Chaplin
Stars: Charlie Chaplin, Albert Austin
ONE BODY TOO MANY
1944
0
The reading of a will leads to much trouble in a populated old dark house.
Not one to bother with watching these days: an unsophisticated comic horror in which lots of ill-defined people run around in darkness, to little effect. A couple of notable cast members don’t mean it’s worth the time (even though it’s only 75 minutes long).
Dir: Frank McDonald
Stars: Jack Haley, Jean Parker, Bela Lugosi, Lyle Talbot
ONE BODY TOO MANY
1944
0
The reading of a will leads to much trouble in a populated old dark house.
Not one to bother with watching these days: an unsophisticated comic horror in which lots of ill-defined people run around in darkness, to little effect. A couple of notable cast members don’t mean it’s worth the time (even though it’s only 75 minutes long).
Dir: Frank McDonald
Stars: Jack Haley, Jean Parker, Bela Lugosi, Lyle Talbot
ONE DARK NIGHT
1982
0
A girl is forced to spend a night in a mausoleum.
Adequate horror for juniors, not especially engaging for those a bit older or more experienced in the ways of such scary flicks. Pity there's not more of Adam West.
Dir: Tom McLoughlin, Michael Schroeder
Stars: Meg Tilly, Melissa Newman, Robin Evans, Adam West
ONE DEADLY SUMMER
1983
**
A beautiful girl arrives in a small town with a deadly motive.
Diverting thriller with an erotic charge.
Dir: Jean Becker
Stars: Isabelle Adjani, Alain Souchon, Suzanne Flon
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
1975
****
A new patient at a mental asylum brings hope to the other inmates.
Superlative, Oscar-gobbling drama which runs through nearly every emotion there is. Nicholson has rarely been better and there's solid support from Fletcher, representing stern, unbending authority, and the cast of 'oddballs', who never come across as exploitative characters but are different enough to give the film much of its colour. The vast majority of its set-pieces feel grounded and rich in meaning and drama (perhaps the boat escape is a tad cartoonish), while the movie's overarching message - that the state crushes individualism and the desire for freedom - feels more relevant than ever when viewed in the early 2020s.
Dir: Milos Forman
Stars: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, William Redfield, Peter Brocco
ONE FOOT IN HEAVEN
1941
*
After a revelation, a man chooses to become a pastor rather than a doctor.
Essentially an advert for the Christian way of life, this is a mild-mannered, easy-going drama that appears at least to believe in its own message: but a scene where March's character tells an unbeliever that toothache is no different from a soul is hilariously unconvincing. Still, a pleasant plod for some viewers.
Dir: Irving Rapper
Stars: Frederic March, Martha Scott, Beulah Bondi, Gene Lockhart
ONE FROM THE HEART
1982
**
On Independence Day, two lovers quarrel and are then reconciled.
So the story’s wafer thin and as old as the hills but it matters little, as Coppola’s film is all about the sublime, effervescent visuals.
Dir: Francis Coppola
Stars: Frederic Forrest, Teri Garr, Raul Julia, Nastassja Kinsky, Harry Dean Stanton
ONE GOOD TURN
1931
*
Stan and Ollie mistakenly believe a woman is to be evicted from her house.
Mirthful short which packs a fair amount in, including Stan burning their tent down, Finlayson’s trousers coming off, the boys’ car collapsing and Ollie being hit on the head by many, many logs. The tone’s a little sour but it’s still funny.
Dir: James W Horne
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Billy Gilbert
ONE HAND CLAPPING
1974
**
Documentary about Paul McCartney and Wings rehearsing at Abbey Road in 1974.
In 2024, this forgotten, unreleased film (55 minutes long) landed in cinemas, with 82-year-old McCartney introducing it, followed by 'The Backyard', around 10 minutes of him on his acoustic guitar in the studio's garden; the sound had been beefed up but not the picture. And very enjoyable it is too; songs include Live And Let Die, Jet, Band On The Run, Bluebird, Maybe I'm Amazed, Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five, My Love, C Moon and other less well known numbers - it deepens your appreciation of them, not to mention of Paul, who like in Peter Jackson's Get Back, comes across as a natural musician and remarkably gifted. The way it's shot isn't exactly cinematic, and it's not a broad film, but it has its own charm, with its close-ups of Macca and random shots and interjections from the rest of the band; we're glad that it saw light of day.
Dir: David Litchfield
ONE HOUR PHOTO
2002
**
A lonely man becomes obsessed with the family for whom he develops photos for.
Good text-book thriller filmmaking. Williams has one of his very best roles, playing against type as a lonely man who has missed out on but desires a happy family life - his motivations seem very real, including the violent turn he takes. With impressive cinematography that evokes the lead character's sterile, friendless world, and a clever and compelling screenplay, this is worth your time.
Dir: Mark Romanek
Stars: Robin Williams, Connie Nielsen, Michael Vartan, Gary Cole
ONE HOUR TO DOOMSDAY
1970 (TV)
0
A planetoid threatens an underwater city.
A typical Irwin Allen production (cheap and badly acted) that swiftly throws logic out of the window.
Dir: Irwin Allen
Stars: Stuart Whitman, Robert Wagner, Richard Baseheart
ONE HOUR WITH YOU
1932
*
A Frenchman philanders his way around town.
Fans of Lubitsch's musical comedies will no doubt enjoy this... and so let's leave them to it. Light, frothy, forgettable stuff.
Dir: Ernst Lubitsch
Stars: Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Genevieve Tobin, Charles Ruggles
ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS
1961
**
A cruel madame steals several dogs in order to make coats.
Disney in decline; still a favourite, but it rarely has the tendency to do the unexpected.
Dir: Wolfgang Reitherman, Hamilton S Luske, Clyde Geronimi
Voices: Rod Taylor, Cate Bauet
127 HOURS
2010
***
A mountain climber gets an arm stuck under an immovable boulder.
The based-on-truth scenario might not immediately strike you as one that could sustain a full-length feature film, but the director, high on confidence, throws every cinematic trick he can conjure up at the screen: the result is a dynamic, gripping picture which manages to be both outward- and inward-looking.
Dir: Danny Boyle
Stars: James Franco
ONE HUNDRED MEN AND A GIRL
1937
*
A girl founds an orchestra with the aid of a rich benefactor.
A film of its time, once widely enjoyed to be sure, especially by those with a classical music bent; now probably one for the museum, although some canny performances still shine (especially from those who don't yell too much).
Dir: Henry Koster
Stars: Deanna Durbin, Adolphe Menjou, Alice Brady, Leopold Stokowski, Eugene Pallette
ONE MAGIC CHRISTMAS
1985
0
Facing a bleak Christmas, a family’s fortunes are changed when they come across a cheery angel.
Oddly dour and downbeat fantasy - surely some mistake?
Dir: Phillip Borsos
Stars: Mary Steenburgen, Harry Dean Stanton, Gary Basaraba
ONE MILLION BC
1940
*
Stone Age quarrels between the Rock People and the Shell People.
Slow moving and predictable, but an epic of its day; the special effects remain fairly impressive.
Dir: Hal Roach, Hal Roach Jr, D W Griffith
Stars: Victor Mature, Carole Landis, Lon Chaney Jr
ONE MILLION YEARS BC
1966
*
Prehistoric men battle for survival against roaming dinosaurs.
Hammer billed this as its 100th film and it made a load of money for them - there were the dinosaurs for the kids and Raquel looking stunning in a fur bikini for the dads; the latter has stood the test of time better, as the effects wouldn't nowadays pass the strict standards of children brought up on CGI. Perhaps the main trouble with this well-known movie is that it can be hard-going, because a film without any proper dialogue will always struggle to hold the attention.
Dir: Don Chaffey
Stars: Raquel Welch, John Richardson, Robert Brown, Martine Beswick
ONE MORE TIME
1970
0
Two nightclub entertainers get mixed up in murder.
Surely one of the least funny comedies of all time: watch stupefied as Sammy walks down some stairs, an old waiter takes ages serving a table, Sammy sniffs some snuff, and other stupid and meaningless things happen - was this ever amusing? Probably not. The leads offer nothing, and if you come just to see Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing's brief cameos, you'll be very disappointed.
Dir: Jerry Lewis
Stars: Sammy Davis Jr, Peter Lawford, John Wood
ONE NIGHT IN TURIN
2010
*
Documentary about England’s World Cup campaign of 1990.
This momentous sporting adventure has featured in several television programmes, including the arguably superior Gazza’s Tears; this one attempts to also focus on hooliganism and place the tournament in a socio-political context, with mixed results. The title itself is a misleading one, Oldman’s ‘geezer-like’ narration is irritating and, most annoyingly, the football footage – which doesn’t need any editing to make it exciting – is cut and spliced with recreations, still images and anything else the director can think of to ruin the moment. It gives the impression they couldn’t get the rights, and you wonder whether the absence of new interviews with the participants was a deliberate editorial decision, but this is a missed opportunity in any case, a rather sour and narrow take on events that will be remembered by some for a lifetime. It offers little new except revealing what Bobby Robson said to Paul Gascoigne after the semi-final penalty shoot-out.
Dir: James Erskine
Narrator: Gary Oldman
ONE NIGHT OF LOVE
1934
*
An aspiring opera singer is taken under the wing of a strict teacher.
Dated, once popular musical with bursts of opera in among its romantic shenanigans; not unpleasant but with an evident 'use by' date. Some nice photographic tricks.
Dir: Victor Schertzinger
Stars: Grace Moore, Tullio Carminati, Lyle Talbot, Mona Barrie
ONE OF OUR SPIES IS MISSING
1966
0
Agents of THRUSH and UNCLE are all on the trail of a rejuvenation serum.
Middling TV spin-off.
Dir: E Darrell Hallenbeck
Stars: Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Leo G Carroll, Vera Miles, James Doohan
ONE SPY TOO MANY
1966
0
A megalomaniac attempts to conquer the world with a deadly gas.
The last UNCLE movie, and not before time.
Dir: Joseph Sargent
Stars: Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Leo G Carroll, Rip Torn
ONE NIGHT IN TURIN
2010
*
Documentary about England’s World Cup campaign of 1990.
This momentous sporting adventure has featured in several television programmes, including the arguably superior Gazza’s Tears; this one attempts to also focus on hooliganism and place the tournament in a socio-political context, with mixed results. The title itself is a misleading one, Oldman’s ‘geezer-like’ narration is irritating and, most annoyingly, the football footage – which doesn’t need any editing to make it exciting – is cut and spliced with recreations, still images and anything else the director can think of to ruin the moment. It gives the impression they couldn’t get the rights, and you wonder whether the absence of new interviews with the participants was a deliberate editorial decision, but this is a missed opportunity in any case, a rather sour and narrow take on events that will be remembered by some for a lifetime. It offers little new except revealing what Bobby Robson said to Paul Gascoigne after the semi-final penalty shoot-out.
Dir: James Erskine
Narrator: Gary Oldman
ONE NIGHT OF LOVE
1934
*
An aspiring opera singer is taken under the wing of a strict teacher.
Dated, once popular musical with bursts of opera in among its romantic shenanigans; not unpleasant but with an evident 'use by' date. Some nice photographic tricks.
Dir: Victor Schertzinger
Stars: Grace Moore, Tullio Carminati, Lyle Talbot, Mona Barrie
ONE OF OUR SPIES IS MISSING
1966
0
Agents of THRUSH and UNCLE are all on the trail of a rejuvenation serum.
Middling TV spin-off.
Dir: E Darrell Hallenbeck
Stars: Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Leo G Carroll, Vera Miles, James Doohan
ONE SPY TOO MANY
1966
0
A megalomaniac attempts to conquer the world with a deadly gas.
The last UNCLE movie, and not before time.
Dir: Joseph Sargent
Stars: Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Leo G Carroll, Rip Torn
ONE TO ONE: JOHN & YOKO
2024
**
Documentary about John Lennon and Yoko Ono's concert for disabled children which took place amid turbulent times socially and politically.
Definitely one of the better docs of its ilk, this manages to be bracingly original and with no contemporary talking heads, thank god - instead we get interspersed concert footage, which sounds and looks terrific, plus snatches of interviews with John and Yoko, previously unheard telephone recordings, and footage of what was going on in the US and New York at the time, plus adverts of the period. Even the title captions are in 1972 style. It adds up to an engaging, thought-provoking and vibrant film for those with an interest in the period and Lennon; what a compassionate, fascinating, complex, creative, remarkable man he was.
Dir: Kevin Macdonald, Sam Rice-Edwards
ONE TRUE THING
1998
*
An ambitious female journalist is forced to go home to look after her ill mother.
Well done family drama which never becomes mawkish despite fears that it might.
Dir: Carl Franklin
Stars: Meryl Streep, William Hurt, Renee Zellweger, Tom Everett Scott
ONE WEEK
1920
**
A newlywed couple inherit a house but have to build it themselves.
One of Keaton's better shorts, with plenty of inventive gags that allow it to retain some freshness even 100 years later. And it exits on a high.
Dir: Edward F Cline, Buster Keaton
Stars: Buster Keaton, Sybil Seely
ONIBABA
1964
*
Peasant women live by killing passing soldiers, but one falls in love with a potential victim.
Mighty strange stuff with the emphasis on the look. Contains nudity forbidden in British and American films at the time.
Dir: Kaneto Shindo
Stars: Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Sato
ONIBABA
1964
*
Peasant women live by killing passing soldiers, but one falls in love with a potential victim.
Mighty strange stuff with the emphasis on the look. Contains nudity forbidden in British and American films at the time.
Dir: Kaneto Shindo
Stars: Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Sato
ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS
1939
*
The boss of a remote airport in South America is forced to risk his pilots' lives to keep a contract.
There's nothing much wrong with this romantic drama/soap opera - although it is a bit talky and confined, with only occasional, impressive flying sequences - it's just that it doesn't much appeal to those of us who find a lot of Hawks' output difficult to relate to, a bit heavy, and a little dated. Perhaps it's just set in a place you wouldn't much like to spend time in.
Dir: Howard Hawks
Stars: Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Rita Hayworth, Richard Barthelmess
ONLY GOD FORGIVES
2013
0
A drug smuggler in Bangkok is persuaded to track down his brother's killer.
Stupefying drivel that almost makes you think that Drive (qv) was a lucky accident. What a load of pretentious, nasty, boring twaddle.
Dir: Nicolas Winding Refn
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vithaya Pansringarm
ONLY TWO CAN PLAY
1962
**
A Welsh librarian has an affair with the wife of the leader of the council.
Cultured comic drama true to the spirit of the book it's based on. The humour is quite subtle so it can give the appearance of neither being a farce nor a satire, perhaps limiting its appeal; the way it captures the time it was made in is also subtle, but not negligible.
Dir: Sidney Gilliat
Stars: Peter Sellers, Mai Zetterling, Virginia Maskell, Kenneth Griffith, Richard Attenborough, John Le Mesurier
THE ONLY WAY
1970
*
Danish Jews plot to escape the country when information arrives that the Nazis plan to come in and exterminate them.
Decent, no-frills account of historical events, not in the game of tension or suspense but competent in a sober manner; the viewer is left to reflect on the Nazi horror without too much pushing.
Dir: Bent Christensen
Stars: Jane Seymour, Ebbe Rode, Martin Potter
THE ONLY WAY TO SPY
1978
0
Different secret agents go after a stolen rocket top.
Dire, incoherent sexy spy rubbish which looks like one of those awful, cheap continental films.
Dir: Michael Ullman
Stars: Mike Paris, Pamela Palma, Rusty Blitz
THE ONLY WAY TO SPY
1978
0
Different secret agents go after a stolen rocket top.
Dire, incoherent sexy spy rubbish which looks like one of those awful, cheap continental films.
Dir: Michael Ullman
Stars: Mike Paris, Pamela Palma, Rusty Blitz
ONLY WHEN I LARF
1968
*
Three confidence tricksters ply their trade on the international scene.
Episodic comic adventure in which the con tricks are the most fun bits, especially the first one, which makes up the long (20-minute) pre-credits sequence. There's not much real drive but it's a pleasant enough Sixties trifle with nice location shooting, including some eye-opening shots of a very civilised looking Beirut. Why not spell it 'laugh'?
Dir: Basil Dearden
Stars: David Hemmings, Richard Attenborough, Alexandra StewartOOH… YOU ARE AWFUL
1972
*
A con artist has to find a secret code tattooed on four women’s bottoms.
A satisfactory vehicle for one of the top TV comedy talents of the time, this at no point induces loud guffaws but keeps you gently satiated with its plot about rival mobs and ladies’ posteriors – it certainly makes you once again curse the political correctness of future years. It also manages to get away with having a title that could have given unfriendly critics a predictable line.
Dir: Cliff Owen
Stars: Dick Emery, Derren Nesbitt, Ronald Fraser, Pat Coombs
OPEN CITY
1945
*
The Resistance Movement in Rome defies the Nazis.
It may be one of the key Italian neo-realism pictures, but this roughly made film only wins dramatic plaudits in its closing stages – much of the previous action is hard to care about or follow, partially thanks to the deficient English subtitles. The director fails to include any Italian characters enthusiastic about fascism.
Dir: Roberto Rossellini
Stars: Aldo Fabrizi, Anna Magnani, Marcello Pagliero
OPERATION DIPLOMAT
1953
*
A surgeon is drawn into a dangerous situation.
Zippy second feature from the pen of a master of the mystery genre (Francis Durbridge); it packs a lot in.
Dir: John Guillermin
Stars: Guy Rolfe, Lisa Daniely, Patricia Dainton, Sydney Tafler
OPERATION THIRD FORM
1966
*
Schoolchildren attempt to find a bell that's been stolen from their school.
In later years the Children's Film Foundation found it tough to give their young audiences what they craved, but you imagine that this Blyton-esque caper gave pleasure to those who watched it on those distant Saturday mornings, especially boys. As was often the case, there's lots of London location shooting and some might view it now solely because of this.
Dir: David Eady
Stars: Derren Nesbitt, John Moulder-Brown, Kevin Bennett, Roberta Tovey
1972
*
A con artist has to find a secret code tattooed on four women’s bottoms.
A satisfactory vehicle for one of the top TV comedy talents of the time, this at no point induces loud guffaws but keeps you gently satiated with its plot about rival mobs and ladies’ posteriors – it certainly makes you once again curse the political correctness of future years. It also manages to get away with having a title that could have given unfriendly critics a predictable line.
Dir: Cliff Owen
Stars: Dick Emery, Derren Nesbitt, Ronald Fraser, Pat Coombs
OPEN CITY
1945
*
The Resistance Movement in Rome defies the Nazis.
It may be one of the key Italian neo-realism pictures, but this roughly made film only wins dramatic plaudits in its closing stages – much of the previous action is hard to care about or follow, partially thanks to the deficient English subtitles. The director fails to include any Italian characters enthusiastic about fascism.
Dir: Roberto Rossellini
Stars: Aldo Fabrizi, Anna Magnani, Marcello Pagliero
OPEN YOUR EYES
1997
*
A man has his life changed following a car crash.
Like its close American remake Vanilla Sky (qv), this is an over-clever, cocky thriller with such a dislikeable protagonist you can't help but feel no sympathy for him, and other characters who are either little more likeable or just sketched in. Busy, angry and long, it's like a Spanish soap opera version of The Matrix.
Dir: Alejandro Amenabar
Stars: Eduardo Noriega, Penelope Cruz, Chete Lara, Fele Martinez
OPERATION DIPLOMAT
1953
*
A surgeon is drawn into a dangerous situation.
Zippy second feature from the pen of a master of the mystery genre (Francis Durbridge); it packs a lot in.
Dir: John Guillermin
Stars: Guy Rolfe, Lisa Daniely, Patricia Dainton, Sydney Tafler
OPERATION THIRD FORM
1966
*
Schoolchildren attempt to find a bell that's been stolen from their school.
In later years the Children's Film Foundation found it tough to give their young audiences what they craved, but you imagine that this Blyton-esque caper gave pleasure to those who watched it on those distant Saturday mornings, especially boys. As was often the case, there's lots of London location shooting and some might view it now solely because of this.
Dir: David Eady
Stars: Derren Nesbitt, John Moulder-Brown, Kevin Bennett, Roberta Tovey
OPPENHEIMER
2023
**
American scientist Robert J Oppenheimer leads the development of the atomic bomb.
Three hours of men talking, usually accompanied by an incessant, concerned-sounding music, with Murphy's lean, unappealing features heavily focused on; okay, there's a lot more to Nolan's film than that, but that's its core. Challenging and vibrant, and not a little pretentious, its creation must have been incredibly complicated (not far off the creation of the bomb itself!). Those viewers who can stay the long course - one suspects it's more likely to be men than women - and are into their science with a dash of politics will feel rewarded. But how much of it is true, because how can you ever trust Hollywood? Richard Brody's piece on the movie in The New Yorker is worth reading.
Dir: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh
THE OPTIMISTS OF NINE ELMS
1972
*
An elderly showman helps two children find happiness.
Low key, pensive drama which successfully evokes a miserable, wintry south London, but failed to find an audience. Perhaps it's too meandering, it's certainly too long, and charming sequences tend to get submerged in its shapelessness; Sellers gives it honesty and truth, though, apart from his false nose.
Dir: Anthony Simmons
Stars: Peter Sellers, Donna Mullane, John Chaffey, David Daker
ORANGES AND LEMONS
1923
0
Disruption in a citrus grove.
Unsympathetic short which struggles to hold the interest.
Dir: George Jeske
Stars: Stan Laurel
ORCA - KILLER WHALE
1977
0
A whale seeks revenge for the death of its mate.
Forgettable mix of Jaws and ecological themes.
Dir: Michael Anderson
Stars: Richard Harris, Charlotte Rampling, Will Sampson, Bo Derek
THE ORCHARD END MURDER
1981
*
Bored of her boyfriend's cricket match, a woman wanders into the countryside where she meets some strange folk.
Residing in obscurity until the BFI rejuvenated it, thankfully, this one-time supporting feature is perhaps a little simplistic, lacking a twist, but conjures up an atmosphere and is attractively shot in bucolic surroundings. Sequences with a rabbit and a mountain of apples have definite power.
Dir: Christian Marnham
Stars: Bill Wallis, Tracy Hyde, Clive Mantle
THE ORDER
2003
0
A priest is sent to Rome to investigate a mysterious death.
One of those dark and dreary religious horror films, all very serious and incomprehensible - it's tough to get to the end of reading a plot summary, never mind watching the actual movie.
Dir: Brian Helgeland
Stars: Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Shannyn Sossamon, Peter Weller
1954
0
A film company attempts to make a movie at any army barracks.
Deeply unsatisfying farce which never rises to satire and wastes a splendid cast, none of whom are particularly convincing in their roles.
Dir: David Paltenghi
Stars: Brian Reece, Raymond Huntley, Sid James, Margot Grahame, Peter Sellers, Tony Hancock, Bill Fraser
ORDINARY PEOPLE
1980
**
A brother struggles to cope with the accidental death of his brother.
Heavy going, angsty drama which is well acted but often gives the viewer the feeling of being an intruder at a series of family arguments. After two hours plus you wonder whether it's been worthwhile to witness the numerous torturous recriminations.
Dir: Robert Redford
Stars: Timothy Hutton, Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch
ORGY OF THE DEAD
1965
0
A young couple come upon a graveyard where monsters lurk and striptease artists dance.
'Written' by the infamous Ed Wood (hilariously, from a book he penned - that must be quite a read), this is a unique nudie flick featuring the infamous Criswell, fake fog, the mummy, the wolfman and ten topless models. Even though some of them are especially ravishing, there's perhaps only so much you can take of their fleshy cavorting: 'Are you not enjoying the evening's entertainment?' asks Criswell. No! But it's impossible to be nasty to such a cute and cheeseparing production, one which has actually been given impressive restoration treatment.
Dir: Stephen C Apostolof
Stars: Criswell, Fawn Silver, Pat Barrington, William Bates
ORLANDO
1992
0
A person lives for hundreds of years, changing sex.
Dull, arty filming of a feminist novel.
Dir: Sally Potter
Stars: Tilda Swinton, Billy Zane, John Wood
ORPHANS OF THE STORM
1921
**
Two young woman have adventures in France at the time of the Revolution.
The reason why many Griffith films have lasted better than other silent pictures may well be because a) he tells strong stories not in shades of grey but in black and white, taking sides, b) the acting is very expressive and melodramatic, guiding the viewer through the spectacle, and c) characters tend to be larger than life. This is all the case here, a Dickens type story that culminates in an amusingly contrived and suspenseful event. It remains visually impressive despite a faded print.
Dir: DW Griffith
Stars: Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, Joseph Schildkraut, Frank Losee
ORPHÉE
1949
*
Death helps Orpheus, a poet, to find his lost love.
Overrated ‘film poetry’ with a deliberately obscure narrative.
Dir: Jean Cocteau
Stars: Jean Marais, Francois Perier
OSSESSIONE
1943
**
A drifter hooks up with a female bar owner who hates her husband.
Visconti's much applauded neorealist drama, which was shot in Hollywood as The Postman Always Rings Twice, has many qualities, including roving camerawork and extensive location shooting, but its doom-laden, stretched out story is a bit heavy going, and short on sympathy and suspense. Still, one for film students.
Dir: Luchino Visconti
Stars: Massimo Girotti, Clara Calamai, Dhia Cristiani
OTELLO
1986
*
Version of the opera based on Shakespeare's play.
An attempt by schlock producers to do an 'art' picture (which somehow seems to debase it), this studio-set film does at least look and sound good.
Dir: Franco Zeffirelli
Stars: Placido Domingo, Katia Ricciarelli, Justino Diaz
OTHELLO
1952
*
Orson Welles' version, with a troubled production history, has immense style and rich performances. A restored version was released in 1992.
Dir: Orson Welles
Stars: Orson Welles, Fay Compton, Robert Cook
OTHELLO
1954
*
A Russian version of the play.
A visually sumptuous interpretation; and one of the shortest Shakespeare adaptations.
Dir: Sergei Yutkevich
Stars: Sergei Bondarchuk, Irina Skobtseva, Andrei Popov
OTHELLO
1964
**
Evil Iago seeks to destroy Othello the Moor because of his love for Desdemona.
Essentially a film recording of a stage show, this inevitably pales in comparison with the star’s previous big screen forays into Shakespeare, but manages to exert a grip without the aid of cinematic tricks.
Dir: Stuart Burge
Stars: Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Frank Finlay, Derek Jacobi
OTHELLO
1995
**
A highly enjoyable version which reduces the dialogue but not the drama and benefits from one of Branagh's best performances - his Iago and his direct-to-camera addresses increase the tension and the conspiratorial air. Definitely one of the better modern Shakespeares, directed with much intelligence.
Dir: Oliver Parker
Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Laurence Fishburne, Irene Jacob, Nathaniel Parker
THE OTHER
1972
0
A farming community in Thirties America is troubled by terrible incidents revolving around young boys.
Chiller that's perfectly well made, photographed and acted but is almost never engaging; a lot of it is just lads getting into scrapes, though there's a twist halfway through that makes you realise The Sixth Sense wasn't that original. It looks like an episode of The Waltons (punctured with violent imagery) and the kid looks like Anakin Skywalker.
Dir: Robert Mulligan
Stars: Chris Udvarnoky, Uta Hagen, Diana Muldaur
THE OTHERS
2001
*
A woman keeps her children hidden away in a house that may be haunted.
Slightly staid chiller given life by a few ghoulish moments and the beautiful lead actress. But the twist isn't a lot different from The Sixth Sense's.
Dir: Alejandro Amenabar
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston, Eric Sykes
OTLEY
1968
*
A born loser gets mixed up with spies and murderers.
A sort of mix of Hitchcock and kitchen sink drama, not overwhelming.
Dir: Dick Clement
Stars: Tom Courtenay, Romy Schneider, Leonard Rossiter, James Bolam, Fiona Lewis
OUR DAILY BREAD
2006
**
Documentary, with neither music nor narration, looking at industrial food production.
A cool, clinically shot film which doesn’t seek to comment on the sometimes unsettling scenes that it presents. Oddly hypnotic, its images of both the hapless animals and the workers doing their endlessly repetitive tasks can’t help but induce a reaction, and the film will no doubt acquire historical value.
Dir: Nikolaus Geyrhalter
OUR HOSPITALITY
1923
*
A young man has to run for his life when he gets caught up in an ancient family feud.
Slow then fast star vehicle that one admires the finer points of, rather than laughing out loud at.
Dir: Buster Keaton, John G Blystone
Stars: Buster Keaton, Natalie Talmadge, Joe Keaton
OUR MAN FLINT
1966
*
Secret agent David Flint saves the world from mad scientists.
One of the better Bond spoofs, but still a long way from the real thing.
Dir: Daniel Mann
Stars: James Coburn, Lee J Cobb, Gila Golan
Sequel: In Like Flint (qv)
OUR MAN IN MARRAKESH
1966
0
A businessman on holiday is drawn into a spy ring.
Uninspired lightweight thriller with a wasted cast.
Dir: Don Sharp
Stars: Tony Randall, Senta Berger, Terry-Thomas, Herbert Lom, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Klaus Kinski
OUR MISS FRED
1972
0
In occupied France in World War Two, a female impersonator has to stay in character to avoid trouble.
Dismal farce which after a promising start makes almost nothing out of its scenario; the star may have been a famous female imitator in Britain at the time but it's no wonder his film career didn't take off with efforts like these. It's just a sadly limp comedy with 'underwhelming' written through it.
Dir: Bob Kellett
Stars: Danny La Rue, Alfred Marks, Lance Percival, Frances de la Tour
OUR MOTHER’S HOUSE
1967
0
When their mother dies, her children decide not to report the death and continue living in the house by themselves. Soon though, their ‘father’ turns up.
Thoroughly unlikeable melodrama largely consisting of unsympathetic characters yelling at each other; not comparable to the director’s The Innocents.
Dir: Jack Clayton
Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Pamela Franklin, Mark Lester, Yootha Joyce, Margaret Brooks
OUR RELATIONS
1936
**
Chaos ensues when Stan and Ollie get mixed up with their twin brothers.
Star vehicle with high production values to add gloss to the maestros’ tomfoolery. A well liked comedy, there are some good routines but the story is perhaps over-written, and occasionally too silly, and by the end it's becoming difficult to work out who is who.
Dir: Harry Lachman
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Alan Hale, Arthur Housman
OUR TOWN
1940
*
Life, love and death in a small American town.
Those not familiar with the play will find this an unusual film, in which the narrator steps in and out of the story and one of the main characters reassesses her life in ghostly form. Sadly it's a little faded, but occasionally it poses some existential issues in an arresting fashion, particularly towards the end.
Dir: Sam Wood
Stars: William Holden, Martha Scott, Fay Bainter, Beulah Bondi
OUR WIFE
1931
***
Ollie attempts to get married but runs into problems.
Consistently funny short; some of the many highlights include the attempt to cram into the tiny car, Turpin’s turn as the cross-eyed registrar and, of course, Finlayson - so briefly in it, but so hilarious every single moment. Laurel and Hardy shorts really were such beautiful, happy moments for the world.
Dir: James W Horne
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Ben Turpin
OUT OF AFRICA
1985
*
In early 20th century colonial Kenya, a Danish woman has an affair with a free-spirited hunter.
Nice scenery, shame about the movie: the pace is overly leisurely and we don't care that much about the main characters and their funny accents.
Dir: Sydney Pollack
Stars: Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Michael Gough
OUT OF CONTROL
1985
0
Teenagers stranded on an island are menaced by drug smugglers.
Poorly paced and frequently laughable exploitation piece in which the writer forgets to give some of the kids lines.
Dir: Allan Holzman
Stars: Martin Hewitt, Betsy Russell, Sherilyn Fenn
OUT OF ORDER
1984
*
Four people are trapped in a faulty lift.
Hitch's Lifeboat without the sea; not bad, but could do better.
Dir: Carl Schenkel
Stars: Gotz George, Wolfgang Kieling, Renee Soutendijk
OUT OF THE CLOUDS
1955
*
Various lives interconnect on a foggy day at London Airport.
Hardly one of the great Ealing films, this fragmented drama gains points for lush colour photography of Heathrow’s early days and ’50s London but loses some for perfunctory plotlines and a less than dynamic pair of romantic leads.
Dir: Basil Dearden
Stars: Anthony Steel, Robert Beatty, David Knight, James Robertson Justice, Margo Lorenz, Bernard Lee, Sidney James
OUT OF THE DARKNESS
1985
0
Children holidaying in Derbyshire see ghosts.
One of the last Children's Film Foundation releases, which may have been something of a relief to some kids dragged to them by civic parents: like most of its predecessors it has an earnest pluckiness but is pretty weak stuff that can't cross a certain line; plus these kids are awfully squabbly and the girl bizarrely looks like a boy. Unleashed on DVD in 2013 with The Man From Nowhere and Haunters Of The Deep (both qv), the picture quality hadn't improved and nor had the amateur dramatics.
Dir: John Krish
Stars: Gary Halliday, Michael Flowers, Michael Carter
OUT OF THE PAST
1947
**
A gas attendant in a small town finds his criminal past catching up with him.
Satisfying film noir that exhibits some of the better features of the genre: snappy dialogue, a knotty plot, moody photography and forcible performances – it’s early proof of Mitchum’s and Douglas’s star quality.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur
Stars: Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming
THE OUTCASTS
1981
0
A strange love story set in ancient times.
Depressingly detached fantasy that soon becomes a chore.
Dir: Robert Wynne-Simmons
Stars: Paul Bennett, Cyril Cusack, Brendan Ellis
OUTER TOUCH
1979
0
Three sexy female aliens abduct four sexually unsatisfied humans.
Truly ghastly sex comedy with no redeeming features.
Dir: Norman J Warren
Stars: Barry Stokes, Tony Maiden, Glory Annen, Ava Cadell
OUTLAND
1981
*
Villains plan to silence a policeman who has discovered their drug running.
High Noon meets Alien; but not much fun.
Dir: Peter Hyams
Stars: Sean Connery, Peter Boyle, Frances Sternhagen
THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES
1976
*
A westerner avenges the death of his wife by bandits.
A standard tale presented with some fresh nuances.
Dir: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, John Vernon
OVER EXPOSED
1977
0
A glamour photographer has extra-curricular fun with the models.
Cute little sexy short that was originally shot in 1974 and had more footage added three years later - although the sudden cuts as seen on the version on the BFI's website would suggest even more fun and games was shot. The girls are lovely and the west London scenery very pleasant - it's funny how a trifling softcore film made in the mid-Seventies can somehow say so much about the past social history of Britain (and how favourably its milieu compares with today's).
Dir: David Grant, Dennis London
Stars: James McLean, Ava Cadell, Heather Deeley, Suzy Mandel
OVERNIGHT
2003
**
Documentary about a first-time filmmaker who blows his big chance.
It's fascinating to watch this charmless, obnoxious individual flounder miserably - the effect is true schaedenfreud.
Dir: Tony Montana, Mark Brian Smith
Stars: Troy Duffy
THE OX-BOW INCIDENT
1943
**
A cowboy attempts to stop three travellers from being unjustly lynched for murder.
Tight, moralistic, claustrophobic, downbeat drama of some quality, a sort of Western forerunner to the star’s 12 Angry Men.
Dir: William Wellman
Stars: Henry Fonda, Henry Morgan, Anthony Quinn, Dana Andrews
OUR MOTHER’S HOUSE
1967
0
When their mother dies, her children decide not to report the death and continue living in the house by themselves. Soon though, their ‘father’ turns up.
Thoroughly unlikeable melodrama largely consisting of unsympathetic characters yelling at each other; not comparable to the director’s The Innocents.
Dir: Jack Clayton
Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Pamela Franklin, Mark Lester, Yootha Joyce, Margaret Brooks
OUR RELATIONS
1936
**
Chaos ensues when Stan and Ollie get mixed up with their twin brothers.
Star vehicle with high production values to add gloss to the maestros’ tomfoolery. A well liked comedy, there are some good routines but the story is perhaps over-written, and occasionally too silly, and by the end it's becoming difficult to work out who is who.
Dir: Harry Lachman
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Alan Hale, Arthur Housman
OUR TOWN
1940
*
Life, love and death in a small American town.
Those not familiar with the play will find this an unusual film, in which the narrator steps in and out of the story and one of the main characters reassesses her life in ghostly form. Sadly it's a little faded, but occasionally it poses some existential issues in an arresting fashion, particularly towards the end.
Dir: Sam Wood
Stars: William Holden, Martha Scott, Fay Bainter, Beulah Bondi
OUR WIFE
1931
***
Ollie attempts to get married but runs into problems.
Consistently funny short; some of the many highlights include the attempt to cram into the tiny car, Turpin’s turn as the cross-eyed registrar and, of course, Finlayson - so briefly in it, but so hilarious every single moment. Laurel and Hardy shorts really were such beautiful, happy moments for the world.
Dir: James W Horne
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Ben Turpin
OUT OF AFRICA
1985
*
In early 20th century colonial Kenya, a Danish woman has an affair with a free-spirited hunter.
Nice scenery, shame about the movie: the pace is overly leisurely and we don't care that much about the main characters and their funny accents.
Dir: Sydney Pollack
Stars: Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Michael Gough
OUT OF CONTROL
1985
0
Teenagers stranded on an island are menaced by drug smugglers.
Poorly paced and frequently laughable exploitation piece in which the writer forgets to give some of the kids lines.
Dir: Allan Holzman
Stars: Martin Hewitt, Betsy Russell, Sherilyn Fenn
OUT OF ORDER
1984
*
Four people are trapped in a faulty lift.
Hitch's Lifeboat without the sea; not bad, but could do better.
Dir: Carl Schenkel
Stars: Gotz George, Wolfgang Kieling, Renee Soutendijk
OUT OF THE CLOUDS
1955
*
Various lives interconnect on a foggy day at London Airport.
Hardly one of the great Ealing films, this fragmented drama gains points for lush colour photography of Heathrow’s early days and ’50s London but loses some for perfunctory plotlines and a less than dynamic pair of romantic leads.
Dir: Basil Dearden
Stars: Anthony Steel, Robert Beatty, David Knight, James Robertson Justice, Margo Lorenz, Bernard Lee, Sidney James
OUT OF THE DARK
1988
0
Girls working on a sex telephone line service are menaced by a killer.
This shocker has promise but fails to follow through, being shy of getting too kinky or violent (Italians would have done it better), while general incompetence (where does Karen Black go?) means the story dissolves into something not very interesting. Advice to young women: don't go into a park late at night and happily play baseball with a man dressed in a clown mask.
Dir: Michael Schroeder
Stars: Cameron Dye, Karen Witter, Karen Black, Lynn Danielson-Rosenthal
OUT OF THE DARKNESS
1985
0
Children holidaying in Derbyshire see ghosts.
One of the last Children's Film Foundation releases, which may have been something of a relief to some kids dragged to them by civic parents: like most of its predecessors it has an earnest pluckiness but is pretty weak stuff that can't cross a certain line; plus these kids are awfully squabbly and the girl bizarrely looks like a boy. Unleashed on DVD in 2013 with The Man From Nowhere and Haunters Of The Deep (both qv), the picture quality hadn't improved and nor had the amateur dramatics.
Dir: John Krish
Stars: Gary Halliday, Michael Flowers, Michael Carter
OUT OF THE PAST
1947
**
A gas attendant in a small town finds his criminal past catching up with him.
Satisfying film noir that exhibits some of the better features of the genre: snappy dialogue, a knotty plot, moody photography and forcible performances – it’s early proof of Mitchum’s and Douglas’s star quality.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur
Stars: Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming
THE OUTCASTS
1981
0
A strange love story set in ancient times.
Depressingly detached fantasy that soon becomes a chore.
Dir: Robert Wynne-Simmons
Stars: Paul Bennett, Cyril Cusack, Brendan Ellis
OUTER TOUCH
1979
0
Three sexy female aliens abduct four sexually unsatisfied humans.
Truly ghastly sex comedy with no redeeming features.
Dir: Norman J Warren
Stars: Barry Stokes, Tony Maiden, Glory Annen, Ava Cadell
OUTLAND
1981
*
Villains plan to silence a policeman who has discovered their drug running.
High Noon meets Alien; but not much fun.
Dir: Peter Hyams
Stars: Sean Connery, Peter Boyle, Frances Sternhagen
THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES
1976
*
A westerner avenges the death of his wife by bandits.
A standard tale presented with some fresh nuances.
Dir: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, John Vernon
OVER EXPOSED
1977
0
A glamour photographer has extra-curricular fun with the models.
Cute little sexy short that was originally shot in 1974 and had more footage added three years later - although the sudden cuts as seen on the version on the BFI's website would suggest even more fun and games was shot. The girls are lovely and the west London scenery very pleasant - it's funny how a trifling softcore film made in the mid-Seventies can somehow say so much about the past social history of Britain (and how favourably its milieu compares with today's).
Dir: David Grant, Dennis London
Stars: James McLean, Ava Cadell, Heather Deeley, Suzy Mandel
OVERNIGHT
2003
**
Documentary about a first-time filmmaker who blows his big chance.
It's fascinating to watch this charmless, obnoxious individual flounder miserably - the effect is true schaedenfreud.
Dir: Tony Montana, Mark Brian Smith
Stars: Troy Duffy
THE OX-BOW INCIDENT
1943
**
A cowboy attempts to stop three travellers from being unjustly lynched for murder.
Tight, moralistic, claustrophobic, downbeat drama of some quality, a sort of Western forerunner to the star’s 12 Angry Men.
Dir: William Wellman
Stars: Henry Fonda, Henry Morgan, Anthony Quinn, Dana Andrews
