2016
**
Documentary about Emilio D'Alessandro, who was a driver and personal assistant to Stanley Kubrick for nearly 30 years.
A sort of companion piece to Filmworker (qv), this is a canny little film concerning one of the satellites orbiting a planet-like genius, and it also says something about the meaningfulness of close working and personal relationships. There are no excerpts from Kubrick films, but there is plenty of Kubrick memorabilia on show, as the occasionally difficult to understand Emilio (who ended up having a cafe named after him in Eyes Wide Shut) remembers the man whose fastidiousness and attention to detail was really quite remarkable. Emilio may be a footnote in the Kubrick legend but he was a much-valued, good man with poignant tales to tell.
Dir: Alex Infascelli
SABOTAGE
1936
**
A foreign saboteur works from a base of a small cinema in London.
Detailed, small-scale Hitchcock thriller with a unique atmosphere, its (highly suspenseful) scenes of bombs on London buses are eerily prescient. Much weight is lent by Sidney and Homolka's features, the capital portrayed as a proper community, and several keen Hitch touches, including the imagining of London's destruction, the Cock Robin cartoon and the ambiguous knifing.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Sylvia Sidney, Oskar Homolka, John Loder, Desmond Tester
SABOTEUR
1942
**
An aircraft worker goes on the run when he is wrongly accused of killing his friend.
Hitchcock's refashioning of his The 39 Steps for wartime America has good sequences but doesn't hang together all that well, with a few misjudged bum notes and plot contrivances, such as the final trip to the Statue of Liberty - which is nevertheless among the highlights. Also, the cast are decidedly second wrung, with the exception of Kruger's suave villain.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Robert Cummings, Priscilla Lane, Otto Kruger, Alan Baxter
SACRED HEARTS
1983 (TV)
0
Life in a strict convent during World War 2.
Gloomy drama all too well illustrating the austerity of convent life.
Dir: Barbara Rennie
Stars: Anna Massey, Katrin Cartlidge, Oona Kirsch
SADIE THOMPSON
1928
*
Stranded on a South Seas island together, an evangelical Christian makes the life of a ‘scarlet woman’ a misery.
The first version of Somerset Maugham’s superb short story Rain is one of the better silent films of its era, with a vivacious performance by Swanson in the lead and some frank, pre-Hays Code sequences that almost retain their power to this day. The final reel is sadly lost, but a recent restoration makes a good fist of it.
Dir: Raoul Walsh
Stars: Gloria Swanson, Lionel Barrymore, Raoul Walsh
THE SADIST
1963
*
Three decent people fall prey to an immoral, psychotic hoodlum.
Did the makers just get lucky with this film? Their CVs suggest so. For this is a well shot, well edited and well acted thriller that still gets good reviews many years later. Its existence points to darkness at the heart of America, which would be expressed cinematically many times more in the decades to come: it's certainly a nihilistic, tough picture and it's also long for its limited scenario - it might have made a great half-hour of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (if it was a little less dark). Nasty nasty, well done.
Dir: James Landis
Stars: Arch Hall Jr, Helen Hovey, Richard Alden, Marilyn ManningSADISTEROTICA
1969
0
Two female detectives look for missing models.
Senseless garbage not worth following.
Dir: Jess Franco
Stars: Janine Reynaud, Rosanna Yanni, Adrian Hoven
SADOMANIA
1981
0
A young tourist is thrown into a hellish all-women prison.
A few of the notable Franco 'delights' this time around: a transsexual lead, a fake alligator, the director as an outrageous gay, topless warders and naked prisoners, a very randy dog... in other words, just Jess doing his usual. There are even some nice sunsets but the film does on for at least 20 minutes too long.
Dir: Jess Franco
Stars: Ajita Wilson, Andrea Guzon, Ursula Buchfellner, Jess Franco
1969
0
Two female detectives look for missing models.
Senseless garbage not worth following.
Dir: Jess Franco
Stars: Janine Reynaud, Rosanna Yanni, Adrian Hoven
SADOMANIA
1981
0
A young tourist is thrown into a hellish all-women prison.
A few of the notable Franco 'delights' this time around: a transsexual lead, a fake alligator, the director as an outrageous gay, topless warders and naked prisoners, a very randy dog... in other words, just Jess doing his usual. There are even some nice sunsets but the film does on for at least 20 minutes too long.
Dir: Jess Franco
Stars: Ajita Wilson, Andrea Guzon, Ursula Buchfellner, Jess Franco
SAFE
1995
*
A Californian housewife develops an allergic reaction to modern life.
A curious film that poses more questions than it answers: perhaps that's up to us? One interpretation could be that hiding away from life ultimately does you no good, you need to face adversity head on (which is good advice). Perhaps it shows the natural conclusion of victim culture? Moore's performance kind of turns her into a blank slate on which meanings can be scribbled, while some of its other neurotic characters foreshadow the types we saw during and after covid. A second watch may be required to pick up on its subtleties and deeper meanings.
Dir: Todd Haynes
Stars: Julianne Moore, Xander Berkeley, Dean NorrisSAFETY LAST
1923
****
A store clerk climbs the side of a tall building to impress his girlfriend.
Marvellous, nail-biting comedy with the star at his zenith.
Dir: Fred C Newmeyer, Sam Taylor
Stars: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Noah Young
SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED
2012
**
Journalists investigate the claims of a man who says he can travel back in time.
Charming little comic drama which frequently surprises and is attractively shot and acted; it says a lot about relationships and how we must learn to accept partners' foibles.
Dir: Colin Trevorrow
Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Jake Johnson, Mark Duplass, Karan Soni
SAILOR BEWARE
1956
0
A dragon-like mother-in-law disturbs her daughter's wedding.
Mount as the archetypal mother-in-law from hell presumably amused audiences of the time but now her bellowing antics seem wearisomely puritanical and unfunny, and this lightly plotted comedy, very obviously originally a stage play, has little else to offer.
Dir: Gordon Parry
Stars: Peggy Mount, Shirley Eaton, Ronald Lewis, Gordon Jackson, Thora Hird
A SAILOR MADE MAN
1921
*
A boy must prove to a girl's father that he is worthy of marrying his daughter.
Slightly shaky star comedy, his first full length feature.
Dir: Fred C Newmeyer
Stars: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Noah Young
THE SAILOR WHO FELL FROM GRACE WITH THE SEA
1976
0
A boy despises the new man, a sailor, whom his widowed mother takes as a lover.
Disturbing and depressing drama featuring particularly obnoxious children.
Dir: Lewis John Carlino
Stars: Sarah Miles, Kris Kristofferson, Jonathan Kahn
SAILORS, BEWARE!
1927
0
A taxi driver accidentally comes aboard a cruise ship but catches a jewel thief.
The famous pair do not perform as a team in this pratfall-heavy comedy which features the bizarre presence of a midget (Earles) as a man pretending to be a baby; not in any other way remarkable though.
Dir: Fred Guiol
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Anita Garvin, Harry Earles
ST ELMO’S FIRE
1984
*
A group of friends struggle with life after college.
'Brat Pack' exploits that might have been written by a computer, although there are moments of warmth and much of the cast clearly has talent.
Dir: Joel Schumacher
Stars: Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Martin Balsam, Andie MacDowell
ST TRINIAN’S
2007
*
The pupils of a notorious girls’ school about to be closed down hatch a plot to save it.
Despite rose-tinted memories, the original series was largely pretty dreadful, and this update is in many ways a lot more watchable – indeed, it could have been much worse. It’s no classic, but the cast try hard (and many look mighty fine), it has plenty of modern jokes and it’s brisk and breezy, at least when the plot finally kicks in after about an hour.
Dir: Oliver Parker, Barnaby Thompson
Stars: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Russell Brand, Gemma Arterton, Talulah Riley, Stephen Fry, Toby Jones
ST TRINIAN'S 2: THE LEGEND OF FRITTON'S GOLD
2009
0
The girls go on a search for buried treasure.
Inferior and uninteresting sequel - except to young girls perhaps. Which possibly partly explains the PG certificate - the sexiness is dialled down and the quiet desperation up.
Dir: Oliver Parker, Barnaby Thompson
Stars: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, David Tennant, Talulah Riley, Sarah Harding
SAINT-TROPEZ VICE
1987
0
Police investigate a ring that is abducting beautiful women and using them as prostitutes.
Never in the field of human cinema have so many stunning ladies been so nude so much as in this wonderfully cheesy film which provides an almost explosive dose of titillation amid wanna-be-there locations. They wouldn't make 'em like this for much longer.
Dir: Jean Rougeron
Stars: Yves Jouffroy, Wanda Mendres, Laure Sabardin
ST VINCENT
2014
*
A cantankerous old man finds his life changed when a new family moves in next door to him.
Very much reliant on its louche star, this comic drama descends into predictable sentimentality but provides a few smiles along the way.
Dir: Theodore Melfi
Stars: Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, Chris O'Dowd
SALEM’S LOT
1979 (TV)
*
A small town is overtaken by vampires.
Overlong even in its cut down movie version (112m), this Stephen King adaptation is sporadically scary.
Dir: Tobe Hooper
Stars: David Soul, James Mason, Lance Kerwin, Lew Ayres
SALESMAN
1968
**
Documentary about a group of door-to-door salesmen trying to peddle the Bible to Catholic families with little money.
Quietly important documentary that helped usher in a new style of filmmaking; its content is mainly interesting and the amoral book-sellers’ activities provoke a reaction – generally a cry of ‘don’t buy it!’ towards the screen.
Dir: Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin
SALOME’S LAST DANCE
1988
0
Oscar Wilde watches his play Salome in a high-class brothel.
Excruciating drama, cheap, tatty and unsympathetic.
Dir: Ken Russell
Stars: Glenda Jackson, Stratford Johns, Nickolas Grace
SALON KITTY
1976
*
A brothel in Nazi Germany provides for soldiers' unusual needs.
Outrageous sexploitation for a ‘broadminded’ audience that’s actually a lot more genuine than many mainstream movies on a similar subject.
Dir: Tinto Brass
Stars: Helmut Berger, Ingrid Thulin, Teresa Ann Savoy
SALVAGE
2009
0
A Wirral neighbourhood is menaced by a mutant monster.
Competent but dreary low-budget horror that revels in unpleasantness and ends on a dismally downbeat note. Shot on the former Brookside Close, it’s much too cramped and not without its share of soap alongside the nastiness.
Dir: Lawrence Gough
Stars: Neve McIntosh, Shaun Dooley, Linzey Cocker, Dean Andrews
THE SALVAGE GANG
1958
*
A group of children try to make money to pay for a grown-up's saw they have broken.
The main attraction of this Children's Film Foundation effort is the extensive footage of Fifties London (virtually every scene is shot outside), but it also has charm, and is clearly made by people who knew what young Brits liked to watch.
Dir: John Krish
Stars: Frazer Hines, Ali Allen, Christopher Warbey, Wilfrid Brambell
SAMMY'S SUPER T-SHIRT
1978
0
A boy's T-shirt accidentally becomes part of a scientific experiment that imbues its wearer with special powers.
Low budget knockabout from the Children's Film Foundation which will give the young or undiscerning or uncynical a giggle or two - they won't mind the very basic special effects, for instance. The adult supporting cast, who will largely be familiar to many parents, give it their best.
Dir: Jeremy Summers
Stars: Reggie Winch, Lawrie Mark, Richard Vernon, Julian Holloway, Patsy Rowlands, Michael Ripper
LE SAMOURAI
1967
**
A perfectionist hitman is double-crossed by employers.
Cool, calm and collected film noir shot in blues and greys in a rainy Paris, it is largely engaging despite long passages with no dialogue.
Dir: Jean-Pierre Melville
Stars: Alain Delon, Francois Perier, Nathalie Delon
SAN FRANCISCO
1936
**
Personal stories entwine around the time of the huge 1906 earthquake in San Francisco.
They threw everything into the pot here - romance, songs, disaster, special effects - and it works.
Dir: W S Van Dyke
Stars: Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, Spencer Tracy, Jack Holt
THE SAND PEBBLES
1966
*
In 1926 China, US Navy operations run anything but smoothly.
Worthy but somewhat interminable war drama with a good sea battle near the end.
Dir: Robert Wise
Stars: Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna, Candice Bergen
THE SANDWICH MAN
1966
*
A day in the life of a sandwich board advertising man wandering around London.
A very strange film: there is absolutely zero to laugh at but there is copious footage of the capital pretty much at its peak at the height of western civilisation, and there are plenty of times you exclaim 'It's wotsisname!' on sighting one of the many comic characters. Those not familiar with British culture must find this an even more bewildering experience; but it now has social value. Strange how [the slightly irritating] Bentine's sandwich board appears to have no address for the tailor's on it.
Dir: Robert Hartford-Davis
Stars: Michael Bentine, Dora Bryan, Bernard Cribbins, Norman Wisdom, Terry-Thomas
SANITARIUM
2013
0
Three stories told by inmates at an institution.
Dismal horror anthology which could barely be more portentous or tedious if it tried; slow motion and a mournful score finish off three already awful scripts.
Dir: Bryan Ortiz, Bryan Ramirez, Kerry Valderrama
Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Lou Diamond Phillips, John Glover, Robert Englund
SANJURO
1962
*
A samurai helps a man save his imprisoned uncle.
The follow-up to Yojimbo is more of the same, and has its qualities, but non-Kurosawa acolytes might be a little confused and bored (although the fighting scenes have vigour).
Dir: Akira Kurosawa
Stars: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiju Kobayashi
SANTA CLAUS
1985
0
An evil toy manufacturer plans to put Santa out of business.
Rather sickly fantasy with scrappy special effects.
Dir: Jeannot Szwarc
Stars: Dudley Moore, John Lithgow, David Huddleston, Burgess Meredith
SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS
1964
0
Martian kidnap Santa so he can give presents to their children.
Cheap rubbish with a title to treasure.
Dir: Nicholas Webster
Stars: John Call, Leonard Hicks, Pia Zadora
SANTE SANGRE
1990
*
An ex-mental hospital patient takes revenge on the cult that chopped his mother's arms off.
Bizarre cocktail of sex and horror with little dialogue, only surreal and mind-boggling images that provoke a variety of reactions.
Dir: Alejandro Jodorowsky
Stars: Alex Jodorowsky, Blanca Guerra, Guy Stockwell
SAPPHIRE
1959
**
A woman is found murdered on Hampstead Heath; it turns out she was black, passing as white, and that may be a clue to her killer.
Rather fascinating slice of social history, capturing Britain at a particular moment in a century of enormous racial and community upheaval, it's a must-watch for scholars of such things. It's also a pretty solid police procedural, with interesting location shooting and a mostly fine cast.
Dir: Basil Dearden
Stars: Nigel Patrick, Michael Craig, Yvonne Mitchell, Paul Massie
SAPS AT SEA
1940
0
Stan and Ollie escape from their noisy factory to the peace of open water, or so they hope.
The boys' last film for Hal Roach was a poor one, with signs of encroaching age evident in the cast; there's a sense that everyone is trying too hard - including the sound effects department - but the magic simply refuses to come and nothing more than small smiles emerge. The climactic, off-putting false-food-eating sequence is symptomatic of its failings.
Dir: Gordon Douglas
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Richard Cramer, Ben Turpin
THE SATAN BUG
1965
*
Scientists struggle to contain a deadly germ virus from escaping.
Long and complicated gimmick thriller, stimulating if you stick with it.
Dir: John Sturges
Stars: George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis, Dana Andrews
SATAN’S BABY DOLL
1982
0
A dead mother possesses her teenage daughter to get revenge on those who did her ill.
A juicy slice of sleaze, a sort of remake of Malabimba (qv), that throws in several naked women lying on their backs, a man who writhes on the floor and then eats a chicken, and a mute paraplegic who spies on a masturbating nun. 'Now you’ll stay here and rot like a bitch,' is a dialogue sample and it’s barely comprehensible, dawdling and daft, but you can’t hate a movie like this.
Dir: Mario Bianchi
Stars: Jacqueline Dupre, Mariangela Giordano, Aldo Sambrell
SATAN'S BLADE
1982
0
An evil spirit turns a man into a killer of mountain tourists.
One of the more low rent slasher pics - which is saying something - in which very, very little of interest happens and when it does it's not too interesting either. Its shapelessness is dictated by its cheapness.
Dir: L Scott Castillo Jr
Stars: Tom Bongiorno, Stephanie Leigh Steel, Thomas Cue
SATAN’S BLOOD
1978
*
A couple are enticed to a remote house by a pair of Satanists.
This economical horror starts with some promise but soon has nowhere to go and stops making sense – there are minor compensations in the shape of shapely unclothed ladies and creepily effective moments (the doll, for instance). It just needed a tad more talent to make it properly work.
Dir: Carlos Puerto
Stars: Angel Aranda, Sandra Alberti, Mariana Karr, Jose Maria Guillen
SATAN’S SLAVE
1976
*
A young woman gets caught up in a Satanic cult run by her family.
A fair example of mid-'70s Brit exploitation horror that looks good, has some nicely judged shock moments and another great performance from Gough. It's to be regretted that there are slow patches and a few absurdities.
Dir: Norman J Warren
Stars: Michael Gough, Martin Potter, Candace Glendenning, Michael Craze
SATAN’S TRIANGLE
1975 (TV)
0
A shipwreck survivor gets lost in a mysterious area of the sea.
Chilly thriller a little short on incident.
Dir: Sutton Roley
Stars: Kim Novak, Doug McClure, Alejandro Rey
SATELLITE IN THE SKY
1956
0
The crew of a space shuttle gets into trouble when the bomb they are meant to explode in space gets attached to their ship.
Amusingly quaint sci-fi which after a surfeit of talk finally gets round to quite an intriguing little quandary, then dissipates any tension by having the crew chatter even more while getting the ham and cheese sandwiches out. Have some fun spotting the wires holding up the ship.
Dir: Paul Dickson
Stars: Kieron Moore, Lois Maxwell, Donald Wolfit, Bryan Forbes
SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING
1960
****
A disgruntled factory worker refuses to be ground down by his job and enjoys a life of boozing, brawling and womanising.
Superb drama that was among the first to show British working class life as it really was, delighting its audience. Still incredibly raw and fresh-seeming today, its scenes of a harsh, basic existence punctuated by fleeting pleasures are more affecting than ever.
Dir: Karel Reisz
Stars: Albert Finney, Shirley Anne Field, Rachel Roberts, Norman Rossington, Bryan Pringle, Colin Blakely, Hylda Baker
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
1978
*
A Brooklyn youth has music as his only escape from a miserable life.
Seedy looking musical which helped sell a lot of records; its infatuation with disco can't help but give it a dated air.
Dir: John Badham
Stars: John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney, Barry Miller
SATURDAY NIGHT OUT
1963
0
A group of seamen have a lively night out in London.
Disappointing, rather irritating drama, not the important or spicy entertainment it thinks it is.
Dir: Robert Hartford-Davis
Stars: Heather Sears, John Bonney, Bernard Lee, Francesca Annis, David Lodge
SATURN 3
1980
*
Two lovers on a space station are intruded upon by a visitor from Earth and his large robot.
Considering its credits (besides the below, the script was by Martin Amis), this is an underwhelming sci-fi horror that has some distinct set and costume design and occasional excitement when the robot goes on the rampage, but is dimmed by flat performances and a pretty silly story. At least it captures Fawcett at her sexiest.
Dir: Stanley Donen
Stars: Kirk Douglas, Farrah Fawcett, Harvey Keitel
THE SAVAGE BEES
1976 (TV)
*
African killer bees interrupt the Mardi Gras celebrations.
The usual bee larks; actually better than the big screen's The Swarm.
Dir: Bruce Geller
Stars: Ben Johnson, Michael Parks, Paul Hecht
SAVAGE HEARTS
1996
0
Lovers go on the run with stolen loot.
One of the worst films ever made, this hysterically appalling attempt at a British Pulp Fiction manages to be uncool, laughable, ridiculous and unbelievable - and that's just in the first five minutes.
Dir: Mark Ezra
Stars: Jamie Harris, Maryam d'Abo, Richard Harris, Angus Deayton
SAVAGE ISLANDS
1984
*
A man pursues a group of cutthroats who have kidnapped his wife.
Lightweight, conventional adventure with bright and airy settings.
Dir: Ferdinand Fairfax
Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Michael O'Keefe, Jenny Seagrove
SAVAGE MAN... SAVAGE BEAST
1975
*
Documentary concerning the bad treatment of animals by both other animals and humans.
A big international success in its day, and a film that would never get through the BBFC uncut today (as then). It's a rather baggy amalgam of gruesome real-life animal havoc, some of which is obviously faked, mixed in with more appealing footage of naked women at music festivals. Not without some influence, it's an intriguing example of the movies they used to make.
Dir: Antonio Climati, Mario Morra
SAVAGE MESSIAH
1972
0
French sculptor Henri Gaudier-Brzeska has a platonic relationship with Polish writer Sophie Brzeska.
This film explains why a lot of people hate Ken Russell; a loud, constantly obnoxious and stupid attempt at a breezy biography about two repugnant people (or so they come across here), immersed in its own deeply irritating reality. It’s like being stuck at a party with a load of guests you have nothing in common with and detest.
Dir: Ken Russell
Stars: Dorothy Tutin, Scott Antony, Helen Mirren, Lindsay Kemp, Michael Gough
SAVAGE TERROR
1980
0
Students travel deep into the jungle to find primitive tribes.
Cannibal horror that's tough to watch because 1) It's mostly very dark, 2) The animal violence is unpleasant and 3) It's just a very, very poor film - the director shoots in an authentic location but he knows nothing about narrative drama.
Dir: Sisworo Gautama
Stars: Enny Haryono, Barry Prima, Johann Mardjono
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
1998
***
American soldiers attempt to rescue their colleague from behind enemy lines.
Although perhaps slightly too aware of its own importance, this is a sterling war drama with terrifying realistic combat scenes that convey the horror of war all too well.
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper
SAW
2004
*
Two men awake in a bathroom chained to the piping – it is part of a murderous game by a man called Jigsaw.
Efficient horror thriller that takes a few twists and turns, often implausible ones. Well enough done for those who can take it, it spawned a long line of sequels.
Dir: James Wan
Stars: Cary Elwes, Leigh Wannell, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Tobin Bell
SAW II
2005
*
Eight people, including the son of a cop, are trapped in a building full of deadly traps.
Less effective but reasonably robust sequel which more than achieves the grungy and gritty look presumably desired by the filmmakers.
Dir: Darren Lynn Bousman
Stars: Donnie Wahlberg, Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith
SAW III
2006
*
Jigsaw forces a doctor to keep him alive while he puts a bereaved father through one of his tests.
A watchable continuation - at least for those who don't mind skulls being drilled open and minced-up rancid pigs being sprayed onto a chained victim - which may well confuse those who haven't seen the first two. It's horrible, but it's horrible very well done.
Dir: Darren Lynn Bousman
Stars: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Bahar Soomekh
SAW IV
2007
*
Jigsaw has died but his murderous games and traps carry on.
Another solid entry in the franchise, one that depends more than most in seeing previous entries: the plot is, of course, fairly absurd, but the gruesome tortures are nastily arresting and there is smartness at work, much more than those who haven't seen these films realise.
Dir: Darren Lynn Bousman
Stars: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson
SAW V
2008
0
More people are put in horrible traps, while we learn more about how Jigsaw carried out his retribution.
The first real dud of the series, one which is quite confusing even for those who haven't seen the earlier ones; the spark has gone and even the traps don't seem as clever as before.
Dir: David Hackl
Stars: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Betsy Russell
SAW VI
2009
0
John's widow carries out his final request.
And on it goes, now with a satirical edge. Part six is ever more murky and complicated, flashing back to the first one, or is it the second? (Or third?) The funny thing is that those who've never seen the series will dismiss it as valueless 'torture porn', while failing to realise its unbelievable complexity. This isn't a terrible film but the experience of watching it is closer to pain than pleasure.
Dir: Kevin Greutert
Stars: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Mark Rolston, Betsy Russell
SAW 3D
2010
*
A survivor of one of Jigsaw's traps goes public - which may be a mistake...
A chapter among the better ones, full of clever and nasty traps (more than any other entry) and twisting and turning right the way to the end, with a moderately original overall structure. Congratulations to the makers for managing to stretch this franchise to so many films, and creating a new horror icon.
Dir: Kevin Greutert
Stars: Sean Patrick Flannery, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Tobin Bell, Carey Elwes
THE SCARECROW
1981
*
Two teenagers cross paths with a killer.
A curious mix of genres that may not be fully successful but is generally interesting.
Dir: Sam Pillsbury
Stars: Jonathan Smith, Tracey Mann, John Carradine
SCARED STIFF
1953
0
A singer and a busboy wind up on a spooky Caribbean island.
Unremarkable remake of The Ghost Breakers (qv), constantly slowed down by the antics of the star 'comedy' team.
Dir: George Marshall
Stars: Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Lizabeth Scott, Carmen Miranda
SCARFACE
1932
***
A violent gangster has ambitions to be the best in the city.
Almost any sequence could be plucked out of this genuinely mephitic mob classic to show its greatness, and the violence still shocks today.
Dir: Howard Hawks, Richard Rosson
Stars: Paul Muni, George Raft, Boris Karloff, Ann Dvorak
SCARFACE
1983
0
A Cuban immigrant comes to America to cause misery.
Obnoxious and tedious remake which the world would be a better place without; dated '80s-isms make it even worse.
Dir: Brian De Palma
Stars: Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert Loggia
THE SCARLET BLADE
1963
*
Cavaliers attempt to save King Charles I from Cromwell-supporting Roundheads.
Fairly ordinary Hammer swashbuckler whose best moments involve Jeffries and Reed, playing the villains; it looks good but isn’t thrilling, although boys at matinees in 1963 may have disagreed. The scene with the moving bush is hilarious!
Dir: John Gilling
Stars: Lionel Jeffries, Oliver Reed, Jack Hedley, June Thorburn, Duncan Lamont, Michael Ripper
THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL
1934
**
During the French Revolution, a daring Englishmen saves aristocrats from the guillotine.
Dashing swashbuckler that makes up for its talkative patches by delivering splendid action sequences.
Dir: Harold Young
Stars: Leslie Howard, Merle Oberon, Raymond Massey, Nigel Bruce
SCARS OF DRACULA
1970
*
A man searches for his brother who was last seen at Dracula's castle.
The bats! The bats! The sixth in Hammer's Dracula series has an unfortunate overdose of rubber bats, which really does dilute the horror; it's also not helped by a pedestrian, repetitive storyline (which bears a slight resemblance to Psycho's) and not a lot that's especially original. At least Lee and Troughton are good value, and there are the usual Hammer touches that now seem endearingly cosy.
Dir: Roy Ward Baker
Stars: Christopher Lee, Dennis Waterman, Jenny Hanley, Patrick Troughton, Christopher Matthews, Michael Ripper
SCARY MOVIE
2000
0
Teenagers are stalked by a dumb serial killer.
Mostly appalling horror spoof with a few bright moments, its success demonstrates how many willingly lap up undemanding fare.
Dir: Keenen Ivory Wayans
Stars: Anna Faris, Marlon Wayans, Carmen Electra, Dave Sheridan, Shannon Elizabeth
SCARY MOVIE 2
2001
0
A group of high schoolers are roped into an experiment at a haunted house.
Similar stuff. It's just so broad and tasteless that you can't help but appreciate its freewheeling enthusiasm and libertarianism - but it's a shame more of the jokes aren't funnier.
Dir: Keenen Ivory Wayans
Stars: Anna Faris, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Tim Curry
SCARY MOVIE 3
2003
0
Cindy faces crop circles and aliens.
A succession of lame gags in the now creaky Airplane style; the end credits take far too long to arrive.
Dir: David Zucker
Stars: Anna Faris, Charlie Sheen, Pamela Anderson, Jenny McCarthy
SCARY MOVIE 4
2006
0
Alien tripods attack America, among other scares.
There are a few titters here, and it's not an unbearable watch, but many of the gags don't raise as much as a smile because they're over-familiar, too stupid or just offer slight variants on source material - targets here include War Of The Worlds, Saw, Breakback Mountain and The Grudge.
Dir: David Zucker
Stars: Anna Faris, Craig Bierko, Regina Hall, Leslie Nielsen
SCARY MOVIE 5
2013
0
A couple move to a haunted house.
The worst of the lot, which is saying something; quite the most depressing experience imaginable.
Dir: Malcolm D Lee
Stars: Ashley Tisdale, Simon Rex, Charlie Sheen
SCARY OR DIE
2012
0
Five horror stories: The Crossing, Taejung's Lament, Re-Membered, Clowned and Lover Come Back.
Thin anthology, sometimes very weak indeed (stories two, three and five), sometimes a little lustier (the other two), but never anything more than an undernourished low budget effort. Bad title too.
Dir: Bob Badway, Michael Emanuel, Igor Meglic
Stars: Bill Oberst Jr, Hali Lula Hudson, Shawn-Caulin Young
SCENES FROM A MALL
1990
0
A husband and wife row at a shopping mall.
Excruciatingly boring talk piece with Allen embarrassingly cast against type.
Dir: Paul Mazursky
Stars: Woody Allen, Bette Midler
SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE
1973
**
A couple’s marriage begins to fall apart.
Intense two-hander cut down from something even longer, it offers brilliant acting and an under-the-skin examination of relationships – anyone who has been in one should take something from it.
Dir: Ingmar Bergman
Stars: Liv Ullmann, Erland Josephson
SCENES FROM THE CLASS STRUGGLE IN BEVERLY HILLS
1989
0
Lifestyles of the rich, famous and sex-mad.
Like a less amiable ‘don’t lose your trousers’ farce; unlikely to brighten up its audience’s day.
Dir: Paul Bartel
Stars: Jacqueline Bisset, Ray Sharkey, Mary Woronov
SCENT OF A WOMAN
1992
**
A prep student gets more than he bargained for when he agrees to look after a blind army veteran.
This overlong but well made drama is sort of like a straw man argument made into a movie: how could the behaviour of a headmaster who did anything so ridiculous and clearly wrong-headed as put pupils on trial in front of the school ever be expected to get away with it? And how could any character be so relentlessly obnoxious as Pacino's is to his young charge? Because it's all about final redemption, innit? It has much that's good in it but its sentimentality and over-the-top lead performance were clearly crafted with the Academy in mind - and it worked.
Dir: Martin Brest
Stars: Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell, James Rebhorn, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Gabrielle Anwar
SCENT OF PASSION
1990
0
A composer takes in a homeless woman and falls for her.
Glossy drama with some genuinely erotic episodes.
Dir: Pasquale Fanetti, Roberto Francesconi, Fedor Skubonia
Stars: Malu, Angeles Lopez Barea
SCHIZOID
1980
0
An advice columnist receives notes threatening to kill her.
Lousy low budget shocker, thinly characterised and crudely directed.
Dir: David Paulsen
Stars: Klaus Kinski, Marianna Hill, Richard Herd, Christopher Lloyd
SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS
1960
**
A young man attends a school which teaches pupils how to be successful rogues.
Episodic, pleasing old-time comedy that benefits from at least three strong comic turns – Carmichael is hapless then conniving, Sim is a knowing wrong ’un and T-T is an absolute cad. The film also provides the opportunity of seeing a sunny north London at the end of the 1950s, one that has remarkably light traffic.
Dir: Robert Hamer
Stars: Ian Carmichael, Terry-Thomas, Alastair Sim, Janette Scott, Dennis Price, Peter Jones, John Le Mesurier, Irene Handl, Hattie Jacques, Hugh Paddick
SCHOOL FOR SEX
1969
0
A Lord starts an academy to teach pretty young ladies how to get cash out of men.
Bungling, inexpert attempt at a sex comedy, a shoddy early effort from a director who'd go on to be a purveyor of cultish exploitation; even though the film’s largely dire you can just about see that Walker had some sort of talent. And it was an enormous commercial success, including abroad, perhaps no wonder given the title and the marketing (and foreigners got a stronger version than us). Maybe its greatest cultural contribution is what it says about men's desires, and about the Establishment?
Dir: Pete Walker
Stars: Derek Aylward, Rose Alba, Bob Andrews, Francoise Pascal
THE SCHOOL OF ROCK
2003
*
A guitar-wielding teacher shows his pupils the way to rock stardom.
Digestible comedy with a familiar blueprint, enlivened by a fervent star performance.
Dir: Richard Linklater
Stars: Jack Black, Adam Pascal, Lucas Papaelias
SCHOOL SPIRIT
1986
0
A 'dead' boy who is invisible takes advantage of his gift in the girls' changing rooms.
Idiotic piece of trash with absolutely no style or decorum.
Dir: Alan Holleb
Stars: Tom Nolan, Elizabeth Foxx
SCHOOLGIRL HITCHHIKERS
1973
*
Two bisexual girls happen upon what they think is a deserted mansion, but a petty criminal lurks there.
You could take two different views on this strange slice of erotica: it’s a hilariously bad grot film, makes absolutely no sense and is gauche in the extreme; or it’s an arty director making a feature which is highly unconventional and basks in dream logic and delivers images that are pleasing on the eye. One imagines that the Soho Macintosh brigade who saw it in the Seventies would have left the cinema in something of a daze; viewed now it’s a reasonably easy watch (despite the director’s insistence on showing the most insignificant of actions), and provides many a chortle (which may or may not be intentional), including the detective who tracks the abducted girl down by having a sleep and then breakfast, the torturers who cut a small amount of the girl’s hair off, and the detective’s assistant who’s dressed like a pornographic schoolgirl.
Dir: Jean Rollin
Stars: Joelle Coeur, Gilda Arancio, Willy Braque, Francois Brincourt
SCISSORS
1991
0
A young woman suspects her neighbours are out to get her.
Unconvincing and uninvolving low budget thriller which looks like a dry run for the star’s Sliver (qv).
Dir: Frank De Delitta
Stars: Sharon Stone, Steve Railsback, Ronny Cox
SCORE
1974
0
Two couples have a night of sexual experimentation.
Heterosexual viewers shouldn't be fooled into thinking this is one for them: it's one of the gayest films you could ever see, leading to the question of who exactly it is meant to appeal to. The director's insistence of near constant head and shoulders shots and rapid cutting adds to the feeling of discombobulation and obnoxiousness.
Dir: Radley Metzger
Stars: Claire Wilbur, Calvin Culver, Lynn Lowry, Gerald Grant
SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD
2010
*
A young guitarist has to defeat a girl’s seven evil exes if he is to go out with her.
Those who know the comic book on which this is based will probably love this offbeat fantasy; those who don’t might say something like: this is a strange experience, one that’s difficult to ascertain exactly what it is about or who Scott Pilgrim is and what he can do – little surprise it was a box office flop. The story is weirdly simple, the star plays the same role as he always does and it’s not especially funny but it might – just might – go on to become a cult classic thanks to its visual invention and snapshot of a time and culture. It certainly has a lot of followers already.
Dir: Edgar Wright
Stars: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong, Kieran Culkin
SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE
2015
0
Boy scouts are faced with something trickier than a waterlogged tent.
Passable teenage comic horror with a few inventive ideas but no big laughs and the odd spectacular lapse in taste; a better soundtrack might have improved it.
Dir: Christopher Landon
Stars: Tye Sheridan, Logan Miller, Joey Morgan, Sarah Dumont
SCRAM!
1932
**
Stan and Ollie are ordered out of town by an angry judge but inadvertently wind up at his house and get his wife drunk.
Fun short: nice moments include Housman's turn as the drunk, the marathon laughing session and Cramer's face as he discovers the three together.
Dir: Ray McCarey
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Arthur Housman, Richard Cramer
SCREAM
1996
*
Teens are stalked by a killer who's seen a few horror films too.
Acclaimed because of its 'postmodern' attitude, this is a standard shocker which would have been more or less ignored were it not for its occasional in-jokes and movie references. A smartly marketed film.
Dir: Wes Craven
Stars: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore
SCREAM 2
1998
0
Sidney moves town but is still hunted by the ghost-faced killer.
Boring, pointless, hopelessly curdled horror, said to be part of a 'new wave' but just as hackneyed and unoriginal as others of its kind which at least weren't as smart alec and sickeningly glossy. A con trick.
Dir: Wes Craven
Stars: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Sarah Michelle Gellar
SCREAM AND DIE
1974
0
A model is unable to relocate the house where she witnessed a murder.
Spooky but padded shocker, a mix of exploitation and artiness, let down by stilted acting and plaintive scripting.
Dir: Joseph Larraz
Stars: Andrea Allan, Karl Lanchbury, Maggie Walker
SCREAM FOR HELP
1984
0
A teenager discovers her stepfather wants her dead.
Cornball shocker, unbelievably hammy in scripting and acting, all accompanied by a hilariously inappropriate music score.
Dir: Michael Winner
Stars: Rachael Kelly, Marie Masters, David Allen Brooks
SCREAM FOR VENGEANCE!
1980
0
A gang of thugs turn kidnappers, but it goes wrong.
Grubby thriller which starts punchily enough but drifts later on, not going anywhere especially interesting - but a late image of a man with a pitchfork in him was strong enough to make a memorable video cover.
Dir: Bob Bliss
Stars: Sally Lockett, Nicholas Jacquez, Walter Addison
SCREAM OF THE WOLF
1974 (TV)
*
A big-game hunter tracks down what he suspects is a werewolf...
...but it isn't, which makes the movie a little flat and phoney. It keeps you watching till the end though.
Dir: Dan Curtis
Stars: Peter Graves, Clint Walker, Jo Ann Pflug
SCREAM PRETTY PEGGY
1973 (TV)
*
A college girl goes to look after a strange family in a house with a secret.
Obvious but enjoyable Psycho-inspired shocker. Peggy screams a lot but isn't very pretty.
Dir: Gordon Hessler
Stars: Ted Bessell, Sian Barbara Allen, Bette Davis
SCREAM SHOW
1987 (V)
0
Three horror stories: Video Date, Split Decision and Shattered Vows.
Weak, predictable stuff with a reliance on sex, a compilation of episodes from television show The Hitchhiker, packaged together for video release in Britain (see also Deadtime Stories).
Dir: Richard Rothstein, Ivan Nagy
Stars: Gregg Henry, Shannon Tweed, Jackson Davis, Bruce Greenwood
THE SCREAMING WOMAN
1972 (TV)
0
A woman considered crazy by her greedy relatives professes to hear screaming from under the ground.
Irritating, boring, silly suspenser.
Dir: Jack Smight
Stars: Olivia de Havilland, Ed Nelson, Joseph Cotten, Walter Pidgeon
SCREAMS OF A WINTER NIGHT
1979
0
Teens staying at a cabin in the woods tell each other three scary stories: Moss Point Man, The Green Light and Crazy Annie.
16mm horror that strangely gained a bit of a following (possibly in part due to being yet another film promoted by Quentin Tarantino) but really isn't anything more than a badly written, cheaply shot shocker which pads out the bits between the stories - all very weak - with lots of chatter from the clearly over-age teens: it's actually 20 minutes before the first tale even starts.
Dir: James L Wilson
Stars: Matt Borel, Gil Glasgow, Patrick Byers
SCREWBALLS
1983
*
Five students make a special effort to see the breasts of the beautiful school virgin, Purity Busch.
Yes it's an inane load of nonsense, but this popular sex comedy is a genuinely unhinged, surreal, freewheeling and happy exercise in showing human beings display their most basic instincts, that of celebrating and pursuing the opposite sex. There's no earnest sentimentality, no tiresome nostalgia, no wearisome ideology, just beyond-bizarre gags thrown at the audience at hectic speed, many of them actually very funny - some in perhaps a slightly different way than originally intended; it's a million miles away from the mean-spiritness of much modern-day comedy and exists to make people with no hang ups feel a little better.
Dir: Rafal Zielinski
Stars: Linda Speciale, Peter Keleghan, Kent Deuters
SCREWBALLS 2: LOOSE SCREWS
1984
*
Four teenagers attempt to seduce their sexy new French teacher.
Sexy teen comedy that is generally sunny and good-natured.
Dir: Rafal Zielinski
Stars: Bryan Genesse, Lance Van Der Kolk, Alan Deveau
SCROOGE
1935
*
An old miser is visited by four ghosts on Christmas Eve and told to change his ways.
First sound version of A Christmas Carol, with some innocent charm.
Dir: Henry Edwards
Stars: Seymour Hicks, Donald Calthrop, Robert Cochran
SCROOGE
1951
***
Felicitously cast version that may still be the best version of Dickens' novel - Sim and others aside, it also has a perfect look to it and most of the fleshing out of the short book is successful; a Christmastime must-watch. Sim reprised the character 20 years later for a cute TV animation short.
Dir: Brian Desmond Hurst
Stars: Alastair Sim, Mervyn Johns, Michael Hordern, George Cole, Francis De Wolff, Ernest Thesiger
SCROOGE
1970
*
Musical version which is the most extravagant but also the dullest and most unwieldy.
Dir: Ronald Neame
Stars: Albert Finney, Alec Guinness, Edith Evans, Kenneth More
SCROOGED
1988
*
A cynical TV executive is visited by spooks on Christmas Eve.
The star gives a lively oddball performance and there are some laughs and great special effects, but this comedy lasts too long and veers into sentimentality.
Dir: Richard Donner
Stars: Bill Murray, Karen Allen, John Forsythe, Robert Mitchum
SCUM
1979
*
Life in a boys' borstal.
Brutal, foul-mouthed sensationalism which might have been more honourable were it not been so unbelievable in its extremes.
Dir: Alan Clarke
Stars: Ray Winstone, Phil Daniels, Mick Ford
THE SEA INSIDE
2004
**
A quadriplegic fights for his right to die for almost 30 years.
Recent films about tragic accidents and severe disabilities have a habit of being mostly excellent, and this is no exception; the way it's directed ensures it's anything but confined or navel-gazing.
Dir: Alejandro Amenabar
Stars: Javier Bardem, Belen Rueda, Lola Duenas
SEA OF LOVE
1989
**
A cop falls in love with the main suspect in a serial killer case.
Easy to enjoy thriller which also has a nice line in comedy.
Dir: Harold Becker
Stars: Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, John Goodman, Michael Rooker
SEABISCUIT
2003
*
During the Depression, an angry young man and a feisty horse prove to be a perfect partnership.
Solidly professional horsey tale which takes a while to fully crank into place but then provides familiar feel-good exploits; a perfectly decent film.
Dir: Gary Ross
Stars: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Elizabeth Banks, William H Macy
SÉANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON
1964
**
A so-called psychic plans to kidnap a wealthy couple's daughter and tell the parents that she is receiving messages from her.
Unlikely but cultured melodrama atmospherically shot in a large Victorian house and around London.
Dir: Bryan Forbes
Stars: Richard Attenborough, Nanette Newman, Kim Stanley
THE SEARCH FOR BRIDEY MURPHY
1956
0
A hypnotised woman appears to travel back in time a hundred years.
Boring reincarnation drama, flatly made, rather like a school education programme.
Dir: Noel Langley
Stars: Teresa Wright, Louis Hayward, Eilene Janssen
THE SEARCHERS
1956
**
A grizzled cowboy searches for his niece who has been kidnapped by Red Indians.
Much praised and often beautiful but rather boring western.
Dir: John Ford
Stars: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Natalie Wood
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN
2012
**
Documentary about singer-songwriter Rodriguez, who was popular in South Africa in the 1970s but then disappeared from view.
Interesting but overpraised film that may be more attractive to South Africans or the moderate number of fans of the two-album man who really shouldn't be compared to the likes of Bob Dylan. It doesn't get under his skin and it doesn't present a story that's too remarkable, but it's a fair effort that won an Academy Award and several others.
Dir: Malik Bendjelloul
THE 2ND BEST SECRET AGENT IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD
1965
*
Secret agent Charles Vine is assigned to protect a Swedish scientist from harm.
One of Shonteff's better films, despite his usual dull, talky patches - the main thing in favour of this low budget, gun-obsessed James Bond copy is the location shooting, which begins near Hampstead Heath (in an Avengers type sequence) and ends in the then newly derelict London Docklands. Adams is adequate as Vine, although he looks deathly pale, made worse by his jet-black hair. Not exactly good but a swallowable time capsule, and the first of three Vine films (Where The Bullets Fly and Somebody's Stolen Our Russian Spy followed, both qv).
Dir: Lindsay Shonteff
Stars: Tom Adams, Karel Stepanek, Peter Bull
SECONDS
1966
**
Wealthy people are given the chance of re-starting their lives as a completely different person.
Chilly sci-fi which ends on a disturbing note after a few stolid patches.
Dir: John Frankenheimer
Stars: Rock Hudson, Salome Jens, John Randolph
SECRET AGENT
1936
**
A novelist is employed as an agent and asked to kill a German.
Fairly typical Hitchcock thriller based on stories by Somerset Maugham; faded now but a few set pieces still stand out.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll, Robert Young
THE SECRET GARDEN
1993
**
An orphaned girl discovers a place of magic in her uncle's garden.
Perfectly pleasant version of the famous book that is likely to delight for many years to come.
Dir: Agnieszka Holland
Stars: Maggie Smith, Kate Maberly, Heydon Prowse
THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES
2009
**
A retired legal counsellor is haunted by a case that was never solved.
Ambitious, rewarding thriller that showcases many themes including politics, justice and relationships – sometimes it takes on so much that it gets weighed down. But there are many bravura sequences (including one in a football ground), and the final half hour is gripping and surprising; generally, required viewing for the intelligent film watcher.
Dir: Juan Jose Campanella
Stars: Ricardo DarÃn, Soledad Villamil, Pablo Rago, Javier Godino
THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS
2016
*
Two dogs have an adventure when their owner goes out for her day at work.
Moderately enjoyable animation without the depth or imagination of, say, Pixar's Toy Story films, but some decent knockabout fun for a younger audience; it's a little disappointing that it doesn't use its animal cast to say more about the human condition or about the relationship between humans and their pets, and is happy to be a fairly standard quest picture which wouldn't have to necessarily concern animals. The main feature is preceded by similarly semi-amusing short Mower Minions.
Dir: Yarrow Cheney, Chris Renaud
Voices: Louis CK, Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY
1947
**
A proof-reader of lurid books has vivid daydreams.
Star vehicle which manages to incorporate Kaye at his most versatile and a vaguely Hitchcock-style thriller plot; the daydream sequences allow the lead to perform to the max (although some are too long), and he can be funny in some of his 'real-life' bumbling, but the film should have been shorter - it rather ambles from episode to episode. Still, it has a positive and energetic vibe, and many superb hats.
Dir: Norman Z McLeod
Stars: Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Boris Karloff, Fay Bainter
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY
2013
*
A picture researcher at Life magazine has to track down the missing negative for the shot that will go on the last ever cover of the magazine.
A strange film that likely bamboozled Ben Stiller fans, this version of Thurber's story is a curious enterprise that never achieves its lofty ambitions; it looks terrific and sounds good, but the plot is weird, the execution is weird and the star is unusually sealed up - it's a film that might have been a masterpiece in another dimension but here is not funny enough, is too obtuse and not as meaningful as it thinks. And why throw the wallet in the bin?
Dir: Ben Stiller
Stars: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Jon Daly, Adam Scott
THE SECRET OF BLOOD ISLAND
1964
*
A female agent crash-lands in the Malay jungle and is forced to hide in a Japanese prisoner of war camp.
Likeable but silly POW drama that doesn’t have much to it and comes to a sudden end.
Dir: Quentin Lawrence
Stars: Jack Hedley, Barbara Shelley, Patrick Wymark, Bill Owen, Michael Ripper
THE SECRET OF SANTA VITTORIA
1969
**
During World War 2 an Italian village hides its million plus bottles of wine from the Nazis.
It's a shame that this movie isn't half an hour shorter for it would be considerably sharper and more manageable: yes, all the character stuff eventually pays dividends in the terrific finale but it still would have worked with fewer subplots. Quinn is almost as unlikeable as he is often is but Kruger is fantastic as German Captain von Prum; it also boasts striking location photography and the most authentic looking extras you'll ever see.
Dir: Stanley Kramer
Stars: Anthony Quinn, Anna Magnani, Virna Lisi, Hardy Kruger
THE SECRET OF SEAGULL ISLAND
1979
0
A woman searches for her blind sister who has gone missing.
Unsatisfying oddity chopped down from much greater length, it badly lacks sex and violence, and the Psycho-ish twist ending can be seen a long way off.
Dir: Nestore Ungaro
Stars: Prunella Ransome, Jeremy Brett, Nicky Henson
SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM
1933
*
Three men spend a night in a haunted room to prove they are worthy of a woman's hand in marriage.
Predictable mystery without the promised horrors but some fun in the proceedings.
Dir: Kurt Neumann
Stars: Paul Lukas, Gloria Stuart, Lionel Atwill
SECRET RITES
1971
0
A look at modern practitioners of witchcraft.
A sort of mondo movie, a sort of pseudo documentary, essentially an excuse to show lots of naked people (particularly females) in the new age of permissiveness - which is fine, but the witchy content really is a load of stuff 'n' nonsense, and it gets boring despite its brief 47-minute running time. A curio that can be viewed on the BFI's excellent website.
Dir: Derek Ford
Narrator: Lee Peters
THE SECRET SEX LIVES OF ROMEO AND JULIET
1969
0
A saucy take on Shakespeare.
There's almost none of the Bard here, nor much plot of any kind, it's just a goofy flesh flick with of-its-time humour and some beautiful natural girls - but raincoats may get a little frustrated as many of the naughty scenes are hellishly elongated and obliquely shot. It's a cheap curio for connoisseurs of the strange and kinky; so cheap that there are no titles, they're all spoken.
Dir: Peter Perry Jr
Stars: Forman Shane, Dee Lockwood, James Brand
SECRETARY
2002
*
A troubled girl becomes secretary to a lawyer fond of sado-masochism.
Weird drama that risks antipathy from its audience because they may not be understanding or sympathetic to the characters and their predilections; its near celebration of sexual perversity is a little unsettling.
Dir: Steven Shainberg
Stars: James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeremy Davies
SECRETS OF A SUPERSTUD
1975
0
A man will inherit a fortune if her marries and produces a child.
Cheap as chips sex comedy, so unbelievably ludicrous as to be almost worthy.
Dir: Morton Lewis
Stars: Jonathan Addison, Janet Adler, Gabrielle Blunt
SECRETS OF A WINDMILL GIRL
1966
0
A dancer at Soho's Windmill Theatre spirals into decline.
Dull isn't the word for this dismal artefact, a very false-seeming, finger-wagging drama with the exception of the middle section, which is just a straight shooting of acts at the theatre. One could argue that it’s now of some historical value and a valuable time capsule, but it might not be argument enough.
Dir: Arnold L Miller
Stars: Pauline Collins, April Wilding, Derek Bond, Howard Marion-Crawford, Martin Jarvis
SECRETS OF THE PHANTOM CAVERNS
1985
0
Soldiers find albino cave dwellers underground who have been isolated from the world for thousands of years.
Low budget thriller that plays like a TV movie.
Dir: Don Sharp
Stars: Robert Powell, Timothy Bottoms, Lisa Blount, Richard Johnson
SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL
1988
0
A blind man and a deaf man are witness to a murder.
Foolish comedy; jokes range from nearly funny to questionable.
Dir: Arthur Hiller
Stars: Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder, Joan Severance, Kevin Spacey
SEED OF CHUCKY
2004
0
Chucky and Tiffany's offspring Glen tracks the murderous pair down.
This could barely be more different to how the series started out in 1988, which might be considered a good thing but really isn't in this instance: now played as a broad comedy, there's so much puppetry at work you feel like you're watching a Gerry Anderson show (only with tiresomely foul-mouthed puppets), and eventually its inanity has you pleading for it all to stop, yet still it goes on. Comfortably the worst of the franchise.
Dir: Don Mancini
Stars: Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, Billy Boyd, Redman, Hannah Spearritt, John Waters
SEEDING OF A GHOST
1983
*
A taxi driver uses black magic to get revenge on those who killed his wife.
One of the most hard to ignore creations of the Eighties Hong Kong splatter movie industry, this is a very juicy slice of exploitation that gets more insane as it goes along - we get exploding toilets, brain-eating, naked exorcism and a man being sodomised with a giant matchstick (then at the end it goes really crazy). Graphic and erotic, it's a strange but likeable picture that won't be for most.
Dir: Kuen Yeung
Stars: Norman Chu, Phillip Ko, Maria Jo, Yung Wang
SEEDS OF SIN
1968
0
Is a mother killing off the family she hates?
A few things it’d be preferable to do rather than watch this piece of utter trash from a director who made Jess Franco look like Hitchcock: cut your tongue out; dice your liver; pull your toenails out.
Dir: Andy Milligan
Stars: Maggie Rogers, Candy Hammond, Neil Flanagan
SELMA
2014
**
In 1965, Martin Luther King focuses on the Southern town of Selma to push for full voting rights for blacks.
Worthy civil rights drama that has many qualities but is a little lumpy in script development and has the tendency to have characters make speeches to each other as opposed to talking normally. It's remarkable that this most American of films, another that chooses to paint different races in broad brush strokes, largely features actors who hail from Britain in its lead roles (and very good they are too).
Dir: Ava DuVernay
Stars: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth
THE SENDER
1982
*
A telepathic man transmits his visions into the minds of other people.
Clean cut, imaginative shocker which almost, but not quite, sustains the tension throughout.
Dir: Roger Christian
Stars: Kathryn Harrold, Zeljko Ivanek, Shirley Knight
SENIORS
1978
0
Four students open a bogus sex clinic.
Faltering satirical comedy, muddily shot. Aids put a stop to this sort of plot.
Dir: Rodney Amateau
Stars: Jeffrey Byron, Gary Imhoff, Dennis Quaid
SENNA
2011
***
Documentary about the short and fast life of Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna.
An achievement in editing and in making what might be to many an off-putting sport a fascinating one; it'd be nice if there was a little more aural guidance for the uninitiated, but this is a film that grips due to its bold exhibition of human endeavour, charisma and perseverance.
Dir: Asif Kapadia
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
1995
**
Two sisters try to find suitors despite being forced to live more modestly after their father dies.
A richly produced version of one of Austen’s weaker novels that was showered with awards, and does most of the things an adaptation of this author’s work should do. The cast and settings are attractive and if there’s a fault it’s that the plot isn’t terribly strong and it can sometimes irritate that the characters don’t say what they mean and are extremely pensive – but that’s Austen.
Dir: Ang Lee
Stars: Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Gemma Jones, Hugh Laurie
THE SENSE OF AN ENDING
2017
**
A man is confronted by his actions of the past regarding a love affair.
A decent adaptation of a fine, Booker-winning novel that loses a little of the darkness and bitterness but still presents the characters in shades of grey and emphasises the book's themes of unreliable memory and the fragility of life. The narrative flits back and forth between the two time zones, mostly successfully, and Broadbent's performance as the believably flawed lead is exemplary.
Dir: Ritesh Batra
Stars: Jim Broadbent, Harriet Walter, Charlotte Rampling, Emily Mortimer, Billy Howle
THE SENSUOUS NURSE
1975
0
A family who want their unwell rich patriarch dead hire a sexy nurse to look after him, in the hope that it will hasten his demise.
Fairly typical Italian sex comedy that could have been worse; Andress undressed looks fine but her performance is lifeless, and that rather kills it. A cut 78m version loses some key scenes and some sexy scenes.
Dir: Nello Rossati
Stars: Ursula Andress, Mario Pisu, Duilio Del Prete, Jack Palance
SEPARATE TABLES
1958
**
Passion and deceit lurk in a Bournemouth hotel.
Civilised adaptation of Ratigan's play, very well acted, it doesn't seem especially revelatory nowadays but is nicely done and a demonstration that Hollywood could tell a sophisticated tale of English manners (the Niven bits are more interesting than the Hayworth/Lancaster bits). Not a bad place to spend some time in, especially if the weather's grey.
Dir: Delbert Mann
Stars: David Niven, Deborah Kerr, Burt Lancaster, Rita Hayworth, Wendy Hiller, Gladys Cooper, Rod Taylor
A SEPARATION
2011
***
In modern-day Iran, a woman’s decision to leave her husband has many repercussions.
Absorbing, layered Iranian drama that subtly presents moral dilemmas in the framework of a patriarchal society in thrall to ancient religious ideals; the acting is flawless and the characters all presented with authentic human shading. It’s shot almost like a documentary and has to be concentrated on, but that concentration is rewarded.
Dir: Asghar Farhadi
Stars: Peyman Moaadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh Bayat
SEPPUKU
1962
**
A samurai seeks revenge for his son-in-law’s death.
Slow but striking drama taking place in a culture and time about as far removed from ours as is possible. Brooding and intense, it’s not exactly a barrel of laughs but impresses because of its conviction and unusualness.
Dir: Masaki Kobayashi
Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Rentaro Mikuni, Akira Ishihama
SERENDIPITY
2001
*
A couple split up and wait to see whether destiny will bring them back together.
A chick flick if ever there was one, this silly but amiable comedy is at least fairly brief.
Dir: Peter Chelsom
Stars: John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, Molly Shannon
SERENITY
2005
*
In the 26th century, a band of renegades do battle with the ruling Alliance.
Readers of a science fiction magazine voted this the best sci-fi film of all time, but it certainly isn’t, and to most who haven’t seen the TV series Firefly, on which it is based, it may seem nothing very special, a glowering, choppy space adventure without a strong enough mythology or band of lead characters to make it engaging. The huge appeal to many fans of the lead character, a sub-Han Solo if ever there was one, is also a mystery, and nor is the dialogue anything special either.
Dir: Joss Whedon
Stars: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau
THE SERVANT
1963
**
A master and his servant gradually swap places.
Pinter being Pinter: frequently interesting and daring, although it eventually descends into melodramatics as the relationship irrevocably alters.
Dir: Joseph Losey
Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Sarah Miles, Wendy Craig, James Fox, Patrick Magee
THE SET UP
1962
*
After meeting an ex con on the train, an unhappy husband fixes him up to be framed for a murder.
Acceptable Edgar Wallace Mystery with a few nice, if unlikely, plot turns, but a long, long way behind Strangers On A Train.
Dir: Gerard Glaister
Stars: Maurice Denham, John Carson, Maria Corvin, Brian Peck
SEVEN
1996
**
Cops track a serial killer who is obsessed with the seven deadly sins.
Glossy thriller, cleverly and compellingly made.
Dir: David Fincher
Stars: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, R Lee Ermey
SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS
1954
**
The six brothers of a burly mountain man try to get wives, as he has done.
The favourite of many a gran, this is a lively musical with some fine dancing, pleasant songs, plentiful studio sets and more shaded sexual politics than the feminists like to recognise - witness the way Powell has such power over the brothers, for instance. When seen on television, this Cinemascope production unfortunately sometimes looks like Five Brides For Five Brothers.
Dir: Stanley Donen
Stars: Howard Keel, Jane Powell, Jeff Richards, Russ Tamblyn
SEVEN CHANCES
1925
***
A man will inherit $7 million if he can be married before a certain time on a certain day.
One of Keaton's very best, a sprightly comedy masterfully paced and shot (witness the frequent, then revolutionary, panning), its sometimes slightly risque humour still delights, and the final third exhibits the comedian's athletic prowess to the full. An easy pleasure.
Dir: Buster Keaton
Stars: Buster Keaton, Ruth Dwyer, T Roy Barnes, Snitz Edwards
SEVEN DAYS IN MAY
1964
**
Military leaders plot to overthrow the President because he doesn't believe in the nuclear deterrent.
Solid and intelligent if slightly overrated political sci-fi of some prescience.
Dir: John Frankenheimer
Stars: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Fredric March, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien, Martin Balsam
SEVEN DAYS TO NOON
1950
***
A scientist with an atomic bomb threatens to blow up London unless research into nuclear energy is ceased.
Excellent suspenser, never less than totally persuasive. Also extremely valuable as a historical documentation of the magnificence and unity of the people of London, which has now been dissipated forever.
Dir: John Boulting, Roy Boulting
Stars: Barry Jones, Andre Morell, Hugh Cross, Joan Hickson
SEVEN FACES OF DR LAO
1964
**
A mysterious circus comes to town to teach the inhabitants some lessons.
Unusual, perspicacious and charming fantasy with excellent special effects and a fine lead performance.
Dir: George Pal
Stars: Tony Randall, Barbara Eden, Arthur O'Connell
SEVEN KEYS
1961
0
A convict is left seven keys which may lead to a fortune.
A potentially interesting idea which turns into a plodding mystery devoid of suspense or thrills.
Dir: Pat Jackson
Stars: Alan Dobie, Jeannie Carson, Delphi Lawrence
THE SEVEN-PER-CENT SOLUTION
1976
**
Sherlock Holmes sees Sigmund Freud to help cure him of his cocaine addiction.
Offbeat, rather fascinating take on Conan Doyle's creation, with a variety of quirky pleasures.
Dir: Herbert Ross
Stars: Nicol Williamson, Robert Duvall, Alan Arkin, Laurence Olivier, Vanessa Redgrave, Joel Grey, Samantha Eggar, Charles Gray
SEVEN SAMURAI
1954
***
A village under attack by bandits hires a group of samurai to protect them.
Electrifying medieval adventure that provided the basis for the western The Magnificent Seven; easily the director's best picture.
Dir: Akira Kurosawa
Stars: Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune, Yoshio Inaba
THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH
1955
**
When his family go away for the summer, a husband is tempted by his sexy next door neighbour.
Despite its cinematic fame thanks to Monroe's skirt-billowing antics, this film is actually highly theatrical, and the witty scriptwriters can't quite succeed in opening it out.
Dir: Billy Wilder
Stars: Marilyn Monroe, Tom Ewell, Evelyn Kees
17 AGAIN
2009
**
A man who feels like he’s messed up his life is given another chance when he somehow becomes his 17-year-old self once again.
Bright, good-natured romantic comedy that’s a cut above usual teen fare: the script has wisdom and drollness and the actors are very attractive, especially Efron, who demonstrates why he may be a big star for years to come (but it’s never convincing that he and Perry are one and the same). It’s like a mix of those body swap films and Back To The Future, and only wants for a bit more expansive action.
Dir: Burr Steers
Stars: Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Matthew Perry
SEVENTH HEAVEN
1927
**
A street cleaner saves a young woman from the street, and the pair fall in love.
Archaic but well mounted romantic drama, impressively shot (the stairs sequence still stands out), that even manages to get away with a silly religious subtext. Few would watch it now, but you can see why plenty did at the time.
Dir: Frank Borzage
Stars: Janet Gaynor, Charles Farrell, Ben Bard
THE SEVENTH SEAL
1956
***
A man seeks the answer to the meaning of life while playing chess with the Grim Reaper.
The film that brought Bergman to international attention, this meandering but beautiful fantasy tackles some of life’s most puzzling questions.
Dir: Ingmar Bergman
Stars: Gunnar Bjornstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson
THE SEVENTH SIGN
1987
0
A woman fears her unborn child may spell the end of the world.
Bible-inspired shocker not unlike The Omen, but less entertaining.
Dir: Carl Schultz
Stars: Demi Moore, Michael Biehn, Jurgen Prochnow
78/52
2017
**
Documentary about the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.
There is no problem filling the 90-minute running time here, although it does of course touch on more than the shower murder, and even major Hitchcock fans might pick up new information - its commentary on the likes of the foreshadowing of the main scene and the use of the word 'mother' deepen further the appreciation of this classic, if that was possible. The number of contributors impresses and much of what they have to say is worth hearing. An indistinct, hard-to-remember title (referring to the camera set ups and edits) was later adorned with the subtitle 'Hitchcock's Shower Scene'.
Dir: Alexandre O Philippe
SEVERANCE
2006
0
An office bonding trip to eastern Europe is torn apart by vicious killers.
One of the new horror breed, ie an utterly amoral and deeply unpleasant film which thinks it's all such a laugh. No wonder society's screwed, especially when the BBFC gives muck like this a 15.
Dir: Christopher Smith
Stars: Danny Dyer, Laura Davis, Tim McInnerny, Toby Stephens
SEX, LOVE AND MARRIAGE
1972
0
Documentary purporting to offer sex advice to the young and newlyweds.
The word 'Sex' was added to the title after it was thought the original title wasn't exciting enough, but the dirty mac brigade must have been pretty disappointed by this curio that features male-female couplings intermittently amidst much verbosity from 'doctors'. It was eventually released on DVD in 2019 but the packaging managed to spell 'notorious' wrong and wrote the title as 'Love, Sex And Marriage' - but did it deserve any better treatment?
Dir: David Grant (as Terry Gould)
THE SEX O’CLOCK NEWS
1983
0
A series of skits in the form of news broadcasts.
One problem here: it's not funny. The BBC would do this sort of thing infinitely better in 1994's The Day Today.
Dir: Romano Vanderbes
Stars: Doug Ballard, Lydia Mahan
SEX PLAY
1974
0
The daughter of a diplomat beds her father's ambassador friends.
Shabby comedy from the director of Tarantula that starts okay but soon wanes.
Dir: Jack Arnold
Stars: Christina Hart, Jane Anthony, Ed Bishop
THE SEX THIEF
1973
0
A handsome jewel thief seduces the ladies while stealing their goods.
Fairly well made sex comedy (shot in a fortnight) from a director who'd go on to do James Bond.
Dir: Martin Campbell
Stars: Jenny Westbrook, David Warbeck, Diane Keen, Michael Armstrong, Christopher Neil, Christopher Biggins
THE SEX VICTIMS
1973
0
A lorry driver is entranced by a naked girl on a horse.
Vaguely intriguing but stretched out - even at 37 minutes - sexy mystery short that at least gives it a go, what with its clamorous soundtrack and all. Not as good as you hope because it's largely people chasing one another (through the Surrey countryside).
Dir: Derek Robbins
Stars: Ben Howard, Jane Cardew, Felicity Devonshire, Alun Armstrong
SEXMISSION
1984
**
Two scientists who have been put into hibernation wake in the far future to find the world is now ruled by women.
Interesting that this should come out of Poland at this time, this distinctive sci-fi comedy has some fun ideas and memorable scenes, but is a bit too long and talky to be as digestible as it might be. Visually it's very effective on a moderate budget, and looking at the many and varied posters for the film is a treat.
Dir: Juliusz Machulski
Stars: Olgierd Lukaszewicz, Jerzy Stuhr, Bozena Stryjkowna
SEXORCIST
1974
0
A girl is raped by a statue and then possessed by the devil.
Her head doesn't quite rotate in this piece of absolute tripe.
Dir: Mario Gariazzo
Stars: Stella Carnacina, Chris Avram, Lucretia Love
SEXPIONAGE
1985 (TV)
0
A girl is recruited to be a spy whose speciality is seducing men.
The title tells all about this hilariously inept Cold War nonsense, as obsessed with sex as it is with spying; a laugh riot from start to finish.
Dir: Don Taylor
Stars: Sally Kellerman, Linda Hamilton, Geena Davis, James Franciscus
SEXPLORER
1975
0
A frisky alien in shapely female form arrives in Soho.
A marginal cut above the rest (of similar stuff), but the fleshy start is a false dawn and the aliens’ unbelievable stupidity soon grates.
Dir: Derek Ford
Stars: Monika Ringwald, Mark Jones, Andrew Grant
SEXTETTE
1978
*
An ageing film star has problems with her sixth husband in a London hotel.
They don't make many like this: a campy vehicle for an 85-year-old star who hadn't been big in movies since the 1930s, acting like she's almost as sexually desirable as she was then. The trick to getting on with this in-no-way-quality film is too adopt the same, not-too-serious attitude as the fantastic West, whose repeats of her catchphrases and innuendo do raise a smile. It's also quite fun seeing the likes of Starr and Moon pop up and mug hopelessly.
Dir: Ken Hughes
Stars: Mae West, Timothy Dalton, Dom DeLuise, Tony Curtis, Ringo Starr, George Hamilton, Keith Moon
THE SEXUAL STORY OF O
1984
0
A young American woman becomes the victim of a perverted sect.
Was there even a script for this one? Franco in the mid ‘80s, doing roughly the same thing as before, only with actors of less personality and an even vaguer set-up; it initially titillates but soon becomes pretty yawnsome, with the director reluctant to even let fully rip on the sex scenes.
Dir: Jess Franco
Stars: Alicia PrÃncipe, Mari Carmen Nieto, Mauro Ribera
SEXY BEAST
2000
****
An ex-crim living in Spain is visited by a vicious hoodlum who wants him to do one last job.
The first great British film of the 21st century is a stunning piece of work from start to finish, all the more remarkable because it was the director’s debut. Brilliantly written, shot and edited, it features Kingsley’s best ever performance as the wonderfully unhinged Don Logan, spouting inventively profane dialogue that can be enjoyed time and time again – as can the movie, which is as near to perfection as could be.
Dir: Jonathan Glazer
Stars: Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, Ian McShane, Amanda Redman, James Fox
SEXY SISTERS
1976
0
A nymphomaniac is kept locked up as part of a dastardly plot.
Franco loopiness that could barely have more nudity if it was a naturist film. Fun in a way.
Dir: Jess Franco
Stars: Karine Gambier, Pamela Stanford, Jack Taylor, Eric Falk
SHADEY
1985
0
A young man discovers he has the ability to read minds.
Distasteful, dislikeable and stupid fantasy that throws incest, sex changes and senile mothers into its ghoulish brew.
Dir: Philip Saville
Stars: Antony Sher, Billie Whitelaw, Patrick Macnee, Leslie Ash
SHADOW OF A DOUBT
1943
****
A young girl begins to realise that her visiting uncle is a killer.
A model of first-rate moviemaking, this gripping Hitchcock thriller is among his finest achievements despite the occasional silly plot point: the family and their small town are brilliantly painted in, all ready to be invaded by the violent outside world in the shape of Cotten's Uncle Charlie, and the master uses every trick in his cinematic playbook to craft an unusual and remarkable story which, as ever, concerns the fragility of existence.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Joseph Cotten, Teresa Wright, Henry Travers, Patricia Collinge, Hume Cronyn
SHADOW OF A DOUBT
1991 (TV)
*
Remake which should be watched just to appreciate how brilliant the original is. It loses so much, including the children’s dialogue, the depiction of small town life and the ‘double’ motifs. Plus the acting and camerawork are not in the same stratosphere.
Dir: Karen Arthur
Stars: Mark Harmon, Margaret Welsh, Norm Skaggs, Diane Ladd, Tippi Hedren
SHADOW OF CHINATOWN
1936 (serial)
0
A mad genius attempts to close down Chinatown.
Slipshod serial, full of stilted dialogue and awkward pauses, 15 episodes' worth; some of the cliffhangers are hilariously bad too. Lugosi improves things a tad, but this loopy chapter play is so much cheaper and more studio-bound than, say, his SOS Coast Guard (qv) from the following year. Students of 'old-fashioned' attitudes to women will find much to comment upon.
Dir: Robert F Hill
Stars: Bruce Bennett, Bela Lugosi, Joan Barclay, Luana Walters
THE SHADOW OF THE CAT
1961
*
A cat takes revenge on those who killed its mistress.
Familiar chiller, adequately done, with one or two nice touches.
Dir: John Gilling
Stars: Conrad Phillips, Barbara Shelley, Andre Morell
THE SHE BEAST
1965
0
A woman is possessed by the spirit of a vengeful witch.
The first feature from the director of Witchfinder General is a long slog for anyone but a true devotee, thanks to its miniscule budget and thin plot.
Dir: Michael Reeves
Stars: Barbara Steele, John Karlsen, Ian Ogilvy
THE SHE-CREATURE
1957
0
A hypnotist raises a creature from the sea.
The creature itself provides the most laughs in this el cheapo production.
Dir: Edward L Cahn
Stars: Chester Morris, Marla English, Tom Conway
SHE CREATURE
2001 (TV)
0
A mermaid is caught in Iceland and transported to America.
Boring period horror which gets bogged down in confined spaces.
Dir: Sebastian Gutierrez
Stars: Rufus Sewell, Carla Gugino, Jim Piddock
SHE-DEVIL
1990
0
An overweight housewife takes revenge on her unfaithful husband.
Schmaltzy adaptation of a Fay Weldon novel that had previously been turned into a wonderful BBC TV series; everything here, including the performances and the general point, suffer in comparison.
Dir: Susan Seidelman
Stars: Meryl Streep, Roseanne Barr, Ed Begley Jr, Linda Hunt
SIDEWAYS
2004
**
Two middle-aged men, one of whom feels a failure and the other who wants a final fling before getting married, go on a wine-tasting tour.
Warm, witty and well-acted drama which should give those who've lived similar lives something to chew on. Those who like wine might enjoy it too.
Dir: Alexander Payne
Stars: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh
SIESTA
1988
0
A woman wakes up half-naked on a runway in Spain with no idea how she got there.
A vapid and wandering tale with frequent flashbacks is sandwiched between a fascinating start and finish.
Dir: Mary Lambert
Stars: Ellen Barkin, Gabriel Byrne, Julian Sands, Isabella Rossellini, Martin Sheen, Grace Jones, Jodie Foster
SIGHTSEERS
2012
***
A strange couple turn a holiday in rural Britain into a murder trail.
Something of a potential modern British classic, this is a delightful jet-black comedy fuelled by pitch-perfect lead performances, abundant in slyly hilarious dialogue and gorgeously shot views of the bucolic landscape. More than one viewing reveals numerous pleasing details, and its ephemera - raucous hen nights, terrible weather, offence at litter-dropping, love of dogs and so on - confirm it as a film that's one of the most English of its time.
Dir: Ben Wheatley
Stars: Alice Lowe, Steve Oram
THE SIGN OF FOUR
1923
0
A convict seeks revenge on those who wronged him.
Eille Norwood played Sherlock Holmes 47 times, mostly in shorts now lost, and this is the only surviving feature-length film with him in his defining role; these days it's something of an endurance to get through, but for the time it's well enough done, and the climactic scenes showcase much location shooting of London, chiefly from the river.
Dir: Maurice Elvey
Stars: Eille Norwood, Arthur M Cullin, Isobel Elsom
THE SIGN OF FOUR
1932
0
A young woman seeks Sherlock Holmes's protection from a killer.
Reasonable mystery which looks creaky now.
Dir: Graham Cutts
Stars: Arthur Wontner, Ian Hunter, Isla Bevan
THE SIGN OF FOUR
1983 (TV)
*
Sherlock Holmes tracks down an enormous missing diamond.
One of Conan Doyle's best Holmes novels is treated well in this lively, good looking television production.
Dir: Desmond Davis
Stars: Ian Richardson, David Healy, Thorley Walters, Cherie Lunghi
SILENCE
2016
*
In the 17th century, young Portuguese priests travel to Japan to try and find an older priest who has disappeared.
High-end boredom for many, but possibly rewarding for those on the director's wavelength. It's unclear what the modern viewer is meant to take from it, though, what we're meant to think of this strange, faraway time and land. Very long, very slow, very well made (of course), it's one of the most art-house films of the director's career and among his most personal.
Dir: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson, Adam Driver, Issei Ogata
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
1991
***
A young FBI agent goes after a killer who skins his victims alive.
Cracking thriller which doesn’t rely on old style shock techniques but utilises gritty and unflinching operandi to tell its gruesome story. Hopkins here joined the gallery of immortal screen villains.
Dir: Jonathan Demme
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Scott Glenn
THE SILENCERS
1966
0
Secret agent Matt Helm is lured out of retirement.
The first of Martin's four silly Matt Helm movies; their appeal is very much dependent on liking the slovenly star and being in the mood for a yarn that resembles a very cheap James Bond film.
Dir: Phil Karlson
Stars: Dean Martin, Stella Stevens, Victor Buono, Cyd Charisse
Sequels, all qv: Murderers' Row, The Ambushers, The Wrecking Crew
THE SILENT FLUTE
1978
0
A martial artist goes on a dangerous quest.
Pretentious fantasy that would have been less mystically fixated and more thrilling if Bruce Lee had starred, as originally intended.
Dir: Richard Moore
Stars: David Carradine, Christopher Lee, Roddy McDowall, Eli Wallach
THE SILENT INVASION
1962
*
In a village in occupied France, a local woman has an affair with a Nazi general to coerce operational secrets from him.
Reasonably brisk supporting feature that ends on a poignant note.
Dir: Max Varnel
Stars: Eric Flynn, Petra Davies, Francis De Wolff, Martin Benson
SILENT MOVIE
1976
**
A film director attempts to produce a silent feature film.
The jokes may be spread a little thinly, but when they hit the spot it's Brooks near his best.
Dir: Mel Brooks
Stars: Mel Brooks, Marty Feldman, Dom DeLuise, Sid Caesar
SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER
1977
0
Sinbad delivers a cursed prince to a hazardous island.
The weakest of the Sinbad trilogy, a weary retread of past glories.
Dir: Sam Wanamaker
Stars: Patrick Wayne, Jane Seymour, Patrick Troughton, Taryn Power
SINBAD OF THE SEVEN SEAS
1989
0
Evil Jaffar threatens Basra, 'the happiest city in the world' - Sinbad comes to its aid.
Putting the bad in Sinbad, this cheapjack Italian production is pure panto, with the musclebound, muscle-headed star caught in a maelstrom of terrible dialogue, bad special effects and awful acting, largely narrated by a woman telling her child a bedroom story. Poor kid.
Dir: Enzo G Castellari
Stars: Lou Ferrigno, John Steiner, Roland Wybenga
SINBAD THE SAILOR
1947
0
Sinbad heads to a mysterious island to look for treasure.
Overlong, starchy swashbuckler which needed more magic and more humour.
Dir: Richard Wallace
Stars: Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Maureen O’Hara, Anthony Quinn
SINCE YOU WENT AWAY
1944
*
Women on the Home Front suffer the agonies of their men going off to war and sometimes not coming back.
Lush 'women's picture' that may be too sentimental and too long for many, and just isn't as interesting as 1946's similar The Best Years Of Our Lives. As is sometimes the case with these films, it bizarrely ends with a note on the illusory comfort blanket of religion.
Dir: John Cromwell
Stars: Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Shirley Temple, Monty Woolley, Lionel Barrymore, Robert Walker
SIR HENRY AT RAWLINSON END
1980
0
A peer attempts to exorcise a ghost.
Weird and incoherent comedy that's tough to sit through.
Dir: Steve Roberts
Stars: Trevor Howard, Patrick Magee, Vivian Stanshall, Suzanne Danielle
THE SISTER OF URSULA
1978
0
Two sisters, one of whom has terrible dreams about murder, get caught up in the killings at a holiday resort.
Incompetent sleaze (the killer uses a wooden phalus!) which drags despite its regular naked women slayings.
Dir: Enzo Milioni
Stars: Barbara Magnolfi, Stefania D'Amari, Anna Zinnermann
SITTING TARGET
1972
*
An escaped con goes after his cheating wife.
Competent, hard-hearted thriller, stylishly shot in gritty and realistic London settings.
Dir: Douglas Hickox
Stars: Oliver Reed, Jill St John, Ian McShane, Edward Woodward, Frank Finlay, Freddie Jones
SIX SWEDES AT A PUMP
1980
0
Half a dozen Swedish girls 'run' a petrol station.
Artless follow-up to Boarding School that makes that film look like a classic; dialogue is beyond abysmal, dubbing is pitiful and somehow it's not even that erotic thanks to cack-handed sex scenes. Known under scores of different titles, it's terrible under every one of them.
Dir: Erwin C Dietrich
Stars: Brigitte Lahaie, Nadine Pascal, Jane Baker
SIX SWEDISH GIRLS IN A BOARDING SCHOOL
1979
0
Schoolgirls keep themselves entertained in a variety of ways.
The title alone would have some men reaching for the Valium, and this fleshy sex comedy is unlikely to disappoint: despite being made with very little technical competence, it is a welcome product of a moment in history when Western sexual freedom and liberal attitudes to sex were at their fore, making for a carefree and titillating slice of erotica that does no harm and plenty of good. It’s just a shame the pacing is so off and that it ends, you could say, on an unstressed syllable.
Dir: Erwin C Dietrich
Stars: Brigitte Lahaie, Nadine Pascal, Anne Libert, France Lomay
Sequels, of which there were three loose ones, include the above and below, plus Six Swedes In Ibiza (1981), which is just tedious hardcore shenanigans
SOLAR WARRIORS
1986
0
In a future Earth short of water, a group of children discover a powerful orb.
Weightless sci-fi with borrowed ideas and lots of shouting and screaming.
Dir: Alan Johnson
Stars: Richard Jordan, Jami Gertz, Jason Patric
SOLARIS
1972
*
A lonely man on a space station has visions of his dead wife.
Cosmically heavy going sci-fi that might pass the time for patient intellectuals.
Dir: Andrei Tarkovsky
Stars: Natalya Bondarchuk, Donatas Banionis, Juri Jarvet
SOLDIER OF ORANGE
1977
**
Dutch university friends react in different ways to the outbreak of World War 2.
Sprawling account of the resistance movement in Holland, it has many points of interest but takes on a bit too much and ends up getting tangled in its own epic intentions.
Dir: Paul Verhoeven
Stars: Rutger Hauer, Jeroen Krabbe, Peter Faber, Susan Penhaligon, Edward Fox
A SOLDIER'S STORY
1984
*
The murder of a black sergeant is investigated in American barracks in World War 2.
Solid murder mystery with a racial angle, mainly told through flashbacks; a little stagey but worthy enough.
Dir: Norman Jewison
Stars: Howard E Rollins Jr, Adolph Caesar, Art Evans, Denzel Washington
SOLE SURVIVOR
1970 (TV)
*
The ghostly crew of a downed WW2 bomber watch on as their surviving crew member's negligence may be about to be found out.
A neat idea, a sort of Twilight Zone meets 12 Angry Men, a little stretched out to fit its movie of the week slot but pretty well done, with quality performers (Shatner is, as ever, hugely enjoyable) and some eerie sequences; it benefits from its desert shoot and having an all-male cast.
Dir: Paul Stanley
Stars: Richard Basehart, William Shatner, Vince Edwards, Lou Antonio
SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY
2018
*
How Han Solo got his name, the Millennium Falcon and his reputation.
Right from the very start, all through the production process and upon release, this was a film that never generated a huge amount of excitement, and such feelings were justified. A frankly rather boring series of stuck-together escapades, shot with the now customary grey wash, it rarely thrills or feels crucial to the Star Wars legacy. At least Ehrenreich isn't as dull as feared, but other cast members misfire, especially the female ones, and much of its incident feels similar to other entries in the series; this is what happens when you try and make Christmas happen too often.
Dir: Ron Howard
Stars: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover
SOLO FOR SPARROW
1962
0
A kidnapping turns into murder.
Pedestrian Edgar Wallace Mystery with the usual good cast (besides the below, William Gaunt and Murray Melvin also appear). In an early role, Caine adopts a dodgy Irish accent but has the look and presence that would ensure he soon became a star.
Dir: Gordon Flemyng
Stars: Anthony Newlands, Glyn Houston, Michael Coles, Michael Caine, Nadja Regin, Allan Cuthbertson
SOME CALL IT LOVING
1973
0
A woman who has been asleep for eight years is bought by a man at a carnival.
Very strange and very dull fantasy which inadvertently presents tooth extraction as an attractive alternative to sitting through it.
Dir: James B Harris
Stars: Carol White, Zalman King, Tisa Farrow, Richard Pryor
SOME GIRLS DO
1969
0
Bulldog Drummond takes on a criminal mastermind sabotaging supersonic airliners.
Half-cocked James Bond imitation on a fraction of the budget, devoid of suspense and tension because its style is superficial and jokey.
Dir: Ralph Thomas
Stars: Richard Johnson, James Villiers, Sydne Rome, Robert Morley, Maurice Denham
SOME LIKE IT SEXY
1969
0
A cheeky cockney goes around bedding various women.
Incredibly bad, plotless drivel that's so cheap it has to resort to long flashbacks to previous scenes in the film. Watch for the actor's bum which alternates between hairy and hairless.
Dir: Donovan Winter
Stars: Christopher Matthews, Mary Collinson, Madeleine Collinson, Madeline Smith
SOME WILL, SOME WON’T
1969
0
Four people go to great lengths to obtain the fortune left in a will by a wealthy practical joker.
Tedious comedy which wastes an able cast - Hordern and Hird prankishly overact while Corbett doesn't yet seem ready for film.
Dir: Duncan Wood
Stars: Ronnie Corbett, Thora Hird, Michael Hordern, Leslie Phillips, Wilfrid Brambell, Dennis Price, James Robertson Justice, Arthur Lowe
SOMEBODY’S STOLEN OUR RUSSIAN SPY
1967
0
Secret agent Charles Vine investigates skullduggery in Spain.
Third, last and worst film featuring cheapo spy Charles Vine (the first two were The 2nd Best Secret Agent In The Whole Wide World and Where The Bullets Fly), with little other than tiresome double crossings.
Dir: Jose Luis Madrid
Stars: Tom Adams, Tim Barrett, Diana Lorys
SOMEONE BEHIND THE DOOR
1971
*
A surgeon attempts to get a patient to kill his cheating wife.
Quite a likeable and suspenseful thriller.
Dir: Nicolas Gessner
Stars: Charles Bronson, Anthony Perkins, Jill Ireland
SOMEONE’S WATCHING ME
1978 (TV)
*
A woman is terrorised by a peeping Tom.
Scary suspenser with a cunning build-up followed by a let-down climax.
Dir: John Carpenter
Stars: Lauren Hutton, David Birney, Adrienne Barbeau
SOMETHING EVIL
1972 (TV)
*
A young couple discover there is a malevolent force in their new farmhouse
The director's precursor to Poltergeist is worth a look and he injects some life into a familiar tale via some flashy techniques.
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Sandy Dennis, Darren McGavin, Ralph Bellamy, Jeff Corey
SOMETHING TO HIDE
1972
0
A married man makes the mistake of picking up a pregnant hitchhiker.
Weirdly unappealing drama that starts off like Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? and then goes on to bore for Britain; it doesn’t help that we don’t give a damn about Finch’s character and he makes the most infuriatingly absurd decisions. Changing weather conditions are shot nicely, but this is a dour, deservedly obscure film which almost defies classification.
Dir: Alastair Reid
Stars: Peter Finch, Linda Hayden, Shelley Winters, Colin Blakely
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES
1983
0
A terrifying circus comes to town.
Hard working but unsatisfactory filming of a Ray Bradbury novel; not as effective as Hammer's similarly plotted Vampire Circus (qv).
Dir: Jack Clayton
Stars: Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Diane Ladd
SOMETHING WILD
1986
**
A straight-laced yuppie is shown a crazy time by a high-spirited woman.
Attractive, freewheeling road movie with a sense of fun.
Dir: Jonathan Demme
Stars: Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith, Leib Lensky
SOMEWHERE IN TIME
1980
**
A playwright uses hypnosis to go back in time to find the woman whose portrait hangs in his hotel.
Pleasant, elegant time travel drama from the pen of Richard Matheson; the viewer just has to see how it works out.
Dir: Jeannot Szwarc
Stars: Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, Christopher Plummer, Teresa Wright
SOMEWHERE, TOMORROW
1983
0
A girl finds she can converse with the dead.
Ghastly drama made on the cheap.
Dir: Robert Wiemer
Stars: Sarah Jessica Parker, Nancy Addison, Tom Shea
SOMMERSBY
1993
*
A man returns home after several years fighting in the Civil War, but the wife is not convinced that it is her husband.
Mystery romance in a rather colourless setting, well enough done for weepy fans.
Dir: Jon Amiel
Stars: Richard Gere, Jodie Foster, Bill Pullman, James Earl Jones
SON OF DRACULA
1943
*
A certain Count Alucard comes to visit southern America.
Acceptable horror which just about survives a miscast lead; there are a few reasonably original ideas but a modern audience watching it now will be about 100 miles ahead of the characters in guessing what’s going on.
Dir: Robert Siodmak
Stars: Lon Chaney Jr, Robert Paige, Louise Allbritton, George Irving, Evelyn Ankers
SON OF DRACULA
1973
0
The son of the Count finds himself falling in love with a normal girl.
One of the most obscure British horror films of the 1970s and it's clear why: it's truly and utterly terrible, even worse than you fear it will be.
Dir: Freddie Francis
Stars: Harry Nilsson, Ringo Starr, Dennis Price, Suzanna Leigh, Keith Moon
SON OF FRANKENSTEIN
1939
***
The son of the original Dr Frankenstein revives his father's creation.
Enjoyable follow-up to Bride Of Frankenstein with one of the best casts Universal ever assembled for its horror pictures; also great to look at and with a racing musical score.
Dir: Rowland V Lee
Stars: Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill
SON OF GODZILLA
1968
0
Godzilla saves his son from attacks by enormous insects.
Crazy juvenile antics; a movie in a congenial little world of its own.
Dir: Jun Fukuda
Stars: Tadao Takashima, Akira Kubo
SON OF KONG
1933
0
Carl Denham returns to Skull Island to find Kong's offspring.
Padded sequel with dated humour replacing the spectacle of the original.
Dir: Ernest B Schoedsack
Stars: Robert Armstrong, Helen Mack, Frank Reicher
SON OF SINBAD
1953
*
Sinbad seeks a beautiful woman and magical 'Greek Fire'.
Harmless fun; colourful hokum with plenty of girls and dancing to contribute to the heady atmosphere of the Arabian Nights.
Dir: Ted Tetzlaff
Stars: Dale Robertson, Sally Forrest, Vincent Price
SONS AND LOVERS
1960
***
The struggles of a Yorkshire family with a domineering father.
Finely shot D H Lawrence adaptation that successfully captures the feelings and motivations of the characters.
Dir: Jack Cardiff
Stars: Trevor Howard, Dean Stockwell, Wendy Hiller, Heather Sears, Ernest Thesiger, Donald Pleasence
SONS OF THE DESERT
1933
****
Stan and Ollie head to an old boys' convention while telling their wives they are going on a restful cruise.
One of Laurel and Hardy's very best films and an enduring comic classic to boot; the laughs are easily prised out of a cleverly constructed story featuring the pair at their most loveable, with Stan offering particularly delightful absurd behaviour and dialogue. Highlights include the wax fruit, the hot water bath, the attic and much smaller moments like the cab driver's misfortunes, but it's the stars' personae that make this such a very special motion picture.
Dir: William A Seiter
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Mae Busch, Dorothy Christy, Charley Chase
SORCERER
1977
*
Four men have to transport an unstable load across treacherous country.
It's easy to see why this was a flop: saddled with an unsuitable title, it's a grim and unfriendly thriller that fails to make the viewer care about the protagonists and takes a while to get to the meat of its story. Sure, this violent remake of The Wages Of Fear is strikingly shot, scored and acted - all in proto-Seventies style - but it feels like a long haul, appropriately enough really.
Dir: William Friedkin
Stars: Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal
SORCERESS
1982
0
Two sexy twins battle wizards and other assorted villains.
Name your favourite moment: the men in monkey suits using laughing gas? The gorgeous twins being mistaken for boys? The scene where it is discovered they aren't boys? The randy zombies? Or one of the many gems in the dialogue? There's certainly a fine choice.
Dir: Jack Hill
Stars: Lynette Harris, Leigh Harris, Bob Nelson
SORRY, WRONG NUMBER
1948
*
A woman picks up the phone and overhears two men plotting a murder.
Effective suspenser which gives the star an excuse to let loose.
Dir: Anatole Litvak
Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, Ann Richards
SOS COAST GUARD
1937 (serial)
0
A coast guard goes after a villain who is manufacturing disintegrating gas.
One of five serials Lugosi made, and as usual he slightly elevates the production; apart from his Eastern European scowling we get all sorts of lively action hung on the clothesline that is the McGuffin of the disintegrating gas. The production values actually aren't too bad, with lots of location shooting and a small army of extras. Kids today would not give it the time of the day, but it's one of Republic's better efforts.
Dir: Alan James, William Witney
Stars: Ralph Byrd, Bela Lugosi, Maxine Doyle, Richard Alexander
THE SOUND BARRIER
1952
**
British scientists attempt to break the speed of sound.
One of Lean's less celebrated pictures nevertheless won a best film Bafta and is a measured, quietly steely portrait of humans seeking excellence. Some of the science may be questionable, and parts of it are a little dry, but one applauds its sheer all-round professionalism and the fine performance by Richardson as a man who will not give up on his dream.
Dir: David Lean
Stars: Ralph Richardson, Ann Todd, Nigel Patrick, John Justin, Dinah Sheridan
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
1965
****
In 1939 Austria, an unconventional nun becomes governess to the seven children of Captain Von Trapp, a strict disciplinarian and enemy of the Nazis.
There are many elements that make this a movie to treasure for all time - its innate goodliness, its refusal to be anything but a lavish family entertainment, its brilliant roster of tip-top tunes, its immaculate production, its definitive star performances. We are unlikely to ever see such a perfect film of its type again.
Dir: Robert Wise
Stars: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood, Anna Lee
SOUNDER
1972
*
In 1930s Louisiana, a black family's bonds are tested when the father is imprisoned.
Naturalistic, well acted and non-condescending drama, a critical hit at the time, but a bit dull. Curious title (Sounder is the family's dog).
Dir: Martin Ritt
Stars: Paul Winfield, Cicely Tyson, Kevin Hooks
SOUR GRAPES
2016
***
Documentary about the high-end wine trade and how a dealer named Rudy Kurniawan made a big splash.
The enthralling story of an industry that is alien to all but a tiny elite and how it was turned upside down in a decade; the film unfolds like a top-drawer mystery thriller, fascinating minute-to-minute thanks to the dazzling facts and figures, the big personalities involved and the extraordinary developments it chronicles. Vintage stuff that goes down great.
Dir: Reuben Atlas, Jerry Rothwell
SOURCE CODE
2011
**
A soldier enters the mind of a commuter on a train set to blow up in eight minutes time, in an effort to diffuse the bomb.
Enticing sci-fi thriller which can be forgiven for its preposterousness because it’s mostly a fun, zippy journey.
Dir: Duncan Jones
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright
LA SOURIANTE MADAME BEUDET
SPARTACUS
1960
**
A slave leads a revolt against the Roman empire.
A more interesting and thoughtful film than Ben-Hur, although not the director anywhere near his best (he was a late replacement), but its finest moments are either moving, breath-taking or highly memorable. It has all the beats and the feel of an old-school costume epic, rather than a typical Kubrick picture, and is something of a long haul in its most extended form, but the performances of the likes of Olivier, Ustinov and Laughton give it much gravitas.
Dir: Stanley Kubrick
Stars: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, Tony Curtis, John Gavin, Nina Foch, Herbert Lom
SPECIES II
1998
0
An astronaut is infected after a mission to Mars and begins to mutate.
Slight sequel which moves at a decent pace but doesn't engage.
Dir: Peter Medak
Stars: Natasha Henstridge, Michael Madsen, Marg Helgenberger
THE SPECKLED BAND
1931
0
Sherlock Holmes goes to the aid of an heiress.
Creaky, stagey mystery with theatrical performances; some of the photography is more assured, making for a little Germanic atmosphere. Originally an hour and a half long, the most common print to be found now is just 50 minutes long.
Dir: Jack Raymond
Stars: Raymond Massey, Athole Stewart, Lyn Harding, Angela Baddeley
SPECTERS
1987
0
A monster stalks teens in the catacombs.
Depressing horror, terribly dubbed, yet another dismal blot on Pleasence's CV.
Dir: Marcello Avallone
Stars: Donald Pleasence, John Pepper, Trine Michelsen
SPECTRE
1977 (TV)
0
A woman suspects her brother is dabbling in the black arts.
Unintentionally mirthful horror which hints at the sex it can't show (although nudity was added for an unreleased cinema version).
Dir: Clive Donner
Stars: Robert Culp, Gig Young, John Hurt, Gordon Jackson
SPEED
1994
***
A cop must save the passengers of a bus that will explode if it drops below 50mph.
Non-stop actioner with a freewheeling escalation of absurdities, possibly symbolising the hectic pace of modern life, possibly not. Not only very exciting but technically impeccable.
Dir: Jan de Bont
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Daniels
SPEEDY
1928
**
A boy saves an old man's horse-drawn trolley business.
Still-fresh star comedy with lively stunts and fine location work. There’s padding but it’s enjoyable padding.
Dir: Ted Wilde
Stars: Harold Lloyd, Ann Christy, Bert Woodruff
SPETTERS
1980
*
The racy lives of three young motorcycle enthusiasts.
Very Dutch, very Verhoeven drama, diverting because it's different and a bit tacky.
Dir: Paul Verhoeven
Stars: Hans van Tongeren, Renee Soutendijk, Marianne Boyer
SPICEWORLD
1997
*
The Spice Girls have various adventures.
A Hard Day's Night for the 1990s, this is a feelgood, bright fantasy which doesn't take itself seriously and has some genuine charm.
Dir: Bob Spiers
Stars: The Spice Girls, Meat Loaf, Richard Briers, Stephen Fry, Bob Hoskins, Hugh Laurie, Roger Moore, Richard O’Brien
SPIDER-MAN
1978 (TV)
0
Spider-Man battles a criminal who hypnotises people into doing his dirty work.
Trashy pilot for a pretty trashy series. The problem was that at the time special effects were nowhere near advanced enough to convey the magic and splendour of the comic book, while TV-standard scripting and direction delivered the final blow.
Dir: E W Swackhamer
Stars: Nicholas Hammond, David White, Michael Pataki
SPIDER-MAN STRIKES BACK
1978 (TV)
0
Peter Parker investigates the theft of some plutonium.
The second Spider-Man ‘film’ (TV episodes stuck together) is pretty much a lesson in how not to make a superhero live action production.
Dir: Ron Satlof
Stars: Nicholas Hammond, JoAnna Cameron, Robert Alda
SPIDER-MAN: THE DRAGON’S CHALLENGE
1979 (TV)
0
Spider-Man attempts to help a man escape corruption charges.
Third and worst movie of the show, deeply tedious.
Dir: Don McDougall
Stars: Nicholas Hammond, Robert F Simon, Ted Danson
SPIDER-MAN
2002
***
A young student is bitten by a radioactive spider which gives him remarkable arachnid powers. He soon has to use them against the evil Green Goblin.
Finally this great comic book superhero is done justice on celluloid, not least in the special effects department which convey Spider-Man's movement convincingly. For fans of the strip it's a fondly assembled treat with a perfect choice of lead actor and a well-chosen supporting cast, and for anyone else, an exciting blockbuster with a good heart. Perhaps the narrative stutters at times - and those special effects would soon be surpassed by others - but it deserves high marks for properly kicking off the new century's run of superhero movies.
Dir: Sam Raimi
Stars: Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco
SPIDER-MAN 2
2004
***
Spider-Man battles Doctor Octopus while his alter ego Peter Parker has problems with his love life.
Extremely well-received sequel with some of the most spectacular battles between super-powered folks ever put on film but perhaps a little too much romance. Mostly, though, it's one of the very best Marvel movies, full of wit, individual style, great performances (Maguire is just wonderful in his role) and an aura of being that bit special.
Dir: Sam Raimi
Stars: Tobey Maguire, Alfred Molina, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco
SPIDER-MAN 3
2007
***
Peter Parker plans to propose to Mary Jane but is distracted by a strange black entity, a vengeful Harry Osborn and an escaped convict known as the Sandman.
A highly enjoyable exercise in popular modern moviemaking and possibly the best of the three; it’s rare to see a comic book adaptation breathe such life into its characters. It also gains points because the battle royales are dazzling, the plot is dense yet cleverly structured and it successfully provokes a variety of emotions, including laughter, sorrow and excitement.
Dir: Sam Raimi
Stars: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard
SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING
2017
*
With a little help from Tony Stark, Peter Parker dons the Spider suit and battles crime.
A movie that's very much a product of the culture of its time; thus, those who dislike that culture may well dislike it (whether someone loves or loathes the final line probably dictates their feeling for the film, and this reviewer detested the line). It's difficult to find things to say it does right - for fans of the original comic book character, it loses the contrast between Parker and Spider-Man and destroys the whole point of him (it's a film without a heart); it hasn't the political courage to show our man actually winning a fight and because it's so facetious and nothing matters there is no tension or suspense, never mind any emotional pay-offs. Far more obsessed with promoting 'diversity' and altering characters and situations from its source material than with telling a good story about valour and heroism, it's in the end just another slick but bloated money-maker to put in Marvel's franchise jigsaw. Stick with Raimi.
Dir: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr, Jacob Batalon
SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME
2019
*
Peter Parker's class goes on a European tour where he encounters Mysterio battling the Elementals.
The follow-up to Avengers: Endgame could hardly fail at the box office, and this picture is indeed easy-to-take, diverting bombast that goes to better places following its mid-way twist, although too much teen-centric comedy remains, and the CGI battles are of variable interest. The European settings at least offer some variety, Holland is growing into the role, and perhaps what most makes it is, say, going on to IMDb's trivia section for the film, which adds some appreciation for the thought that went into it. But is it really a Spider-Man film, does it really delve into Lee and Ditko's genius creation?
Dir: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Samuel L Jackson, Zendaya
THE SPIDER WOMAN
1944
**
Sherlock Holmes investigates several suicides that he believes are murders.
Fast, bizarre, nail-biting entry into the modernised Rathbone series. Such a terrific amount of loopy fun is packed into its short running time - Holmes faking his death, his many disguises, the one that isn't a disguise, the child decoy, the gassing, the spider, the pygmy, the fairground finale and more - you're left happy and impressed. Also, Sondergaard is a top foil for the great detective, while Bruce, the most likeable ever Watson, provides some laughs.
Dir: Roy William Neill
Stars: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Gale Sondergaard, Dennis Hoey
SPIES IN DISGUISE
2019
*
A super-spy is turned into a pigeon by a young tech genius.
Endearingly nutty animation with some anarchic humour, lively set-pieces and a few deeper thoughts. There often doesn't seem to be much at stake and its pacifist message is wiffy, but it's acceptable Christmas holiday entertainment for younger ones and their parents.
Dir: Nick Bruno, Troy Quane
Voices: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Ben Mendelsohn, Rashida Jones
SPIES LIKE US
1986
0
Two incompetent spies are sent to Russia.
Appalling, vacant comedy with about half a dozen laughs.
Dir: John Landis
Stars: Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Forrest, Vanessa Angel
THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE
1946
**
A mute girl is terrified that she will be the next victim of a serial killer who preys on the disabled.
Horror whodunit with familiar but effective trimmings; now all a bit obvious but the final reel still grips.
Dir: Robert Siodmak
Stars: Dorothy McGuire, George Brent, Ethel Barrymore, Rhonda Fleming, Elsa Lanchester
THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE
1975
0
Cheap and tedious remake which makes very little impression.
Dir: Peter Collinson
Stars: Jacqueline Bisset, Christopher Plummer, John Phillip Law, Sam Wanamaker, Gayle Hunnicutt
THE SPIRIT IS WILLING
1966
0
A family move into a haunted house.
Numbskull, dispiriting comedy; Castle should have stuck to gimmicky shockers.
Dir: William Castle
Stars: Sid Caesar, Vera Miles, Barry Gordon
SPIRIT TRAP
2005
0
Four students see apparitions in their new London digs.
By-numbers Brit horror with very limited ambitions; obvious, unpleasant and dull.
Dir: David Smith
Stars: Billie Piper, Luke Mably, Sam Troughton
SPIRITED AWAY
2001
*
A girl is taken off to a land of mysterious and frightening creatures.
Sumptuous and technically supreme it may be, but this epic animation project just doesn't engage - perhaps because everything about it feels alien and unreal.
Dir: Hayao Miyazaki
SPLASH, TOO
1987 (TV)
0
The man and his mermaid move back to New York.
Bland and feeble sequel aimed at a younger audience (who probably went away and spelt 'two' wrong).
Dir: Greg Antonacci
Stars: Todd Waring, Amy Yasbeck, Donovan Scott
SPLIT
2016
*
A man with multiple personalities kidnaps three girls.
In view of this being lauded as a return to form by Shyamalan, this is a somewhat disappointing thriller that elongates its promising premise and has stop-start pacing. McAvoy has a good time but the story around his character isn't remarkable.
Dir: M Night Shyamalan
Stars: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson, Betty Buckley
SPLIT SECOND
1992
0
In a drowned London of 2008, a man is hunted by a strange creature.
Dismal looking action picture with awful American style dialogue risibly mouthed by English actors.
Dir: Tony Maylam, Ian Sharp
Stars: Rutger Hauer, Kim Cattrall, Michael J Pollard, Alun Armstrong, Pete Postlethwaite
SPLITTING HEIRS
1994
0
A goofy American inherits a palatial English estate.
Ineffective comedy, a hotch-potch of all sorts of comic ideas and styles.
Dir: Robert Young
Stars: Eric Idle, Rick Moranis, Barbara Hershey, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Cleese, Sadie Frost, Stratford Johns, Eric Sykes
SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION
1990
0
A man pays the price for his parents getting involved in nuclear experiments before he was born.
About time a horror film was made about this subject, but this is a risible and unsympathetic mess that borrows from The Fury and Scanners.
Dir: Tobe Hooper
Stars: Brad Dourif, Cynthia Bain, Jon Cypher
SPOOKIES
1986
0
Travellers are trapped in a strange house with a sorcerer.
Grubby, rubbishy horror featuring an overload of monsters.
Dir: Eugenie Joseph
Stars: Felix Ward, Maria Pechukas, Dan Scott
SPOOKS RUN WILD
1941
0
The East Side Kids get stranded in a rural town with a dastardly villain.
Dire, worthless comedy thriller with poor old Bela suffering the unlovable East Side Kids.
Dir: Phil Rosen
Stars: Bela Lugosi, Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan, Huntz Hall
SPOTLIGHT
2015
***
In 2001, Boston Globe journalists uncover the Catholic Church's massive child abuse cover-up.
Solid, matter-of-fact retelling of one of modern journalism's great triumphs, exposing the malignancy deep in the heart of Catholicism; uniformly well acted and unfussily shot, it offers the intelligent viewer two absorbing hours and much to chew on.
Dir: Tom McCarthy
Stars: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery
SPRING BREAK
1983
0
Two geeky teenagers seek to have fun on their vacation.
Unamusing teen comedy which is as noisy and unappealing as a rundown nightclub in Newcastle. 'Please finish' are the words that most readily go through the viewer's mind.
Dir: Sean S Cunningham
Stars: David Knell, Perry Lang, Corinne Alphen
SPRING BREAKERS
2012
***
Four high school girls on spring break get involved with a gangster.
Many people went into this film believing it to be another American Pie and hence came out aggressively disappointed, because it's close to an art film, a super-powered sensory experience that creates stunning visual landscapes and evokes deep-set feelings about important life events. But it still has a definable story, lots of mesmerising key scenes and an irresistible performance from Franco, magnetic amongst the lithe bikini-d beauties that the film also celebrates.
Dir: Harmony Korine
Stars: James Franco, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Selina Gomez, Rachel Korine
SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN, WINTER... AND SPRING
2003
**
Over the years in the wilderness, Buddhists live their austere existence.
Lyrical treatise on the cycle of life and the different stages we go through. Beautiful to look at and highly unusual in many ways, it manages to frequently surprise, when its apparent gentle nature is disrupted.
Dir: Kim Ki Duk
Stars: Kim Ki Duk, Oh Yeong-su, Kim Young-min
SPRINGSTEEN & I
2013
*
Documentary about the love Bruce Springsteen fans have for their idol.
A film by the fans, for the fans, comprising of home-made video segments and some live performances, it will be unlikely to convert non-acolytes to the Boss; several of the segments feel uncomfortably like watching someone else's home movies, but the respondents' enthusiasm for their hero is generally heart-warming. The DVD adds half an hour's worth of London concert footage and fan films of greatly differing interest.
Dir: Baillie Walsh
SPY HARD
1996
*
A hopeless spy tracks down a missing computer chip.
Another illegitimate offspring of Airplane, and one that's undemanding, bright and sometimes quite funny; just looking at Nielsen raises a smile.
Dir: Rick Friedberg
Stars: Leslie Nielsen, Nicollette Sheridan, Charles Durning
THE SPY IN THE GREEN HAT
1966
0
THRUSH enrol a Nazi to help them with a diabolical scheme.
Tiresome spy romp.
Dir: Joseph Sargent
Stars: Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Jack Palance, Janet Leigh, Leo G Carroll
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
1977
**
James Bond is forced to work with his Russian counterpart to find a nuclear missile.
More assured than its two predecessors, the tenth Bond film still doesn't quite click in quite the same way as most of the Connery ones did, despite a memorable pre-credits sequence, a great henchman in the shape of Jaws and a worthy Bond girl who has a much larger role than any previous one. The main villain is dull and his plan is absurd, and it seems to take a long time before 007 finally gets round to beating him, thanks to a windy plot that advertises the film's considerable expense, including all its boys' toys hardware. But, with all its iconography and quips in place, it has become the most emblematic Bond film of the Seventies.
Dir: Lewis Gilbert
Stars: Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curd Jurgens, Richard Kiel, Caroline Munro, Geoffrey Keen, Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn, Valerie Leon, Lois Maxwell
THE SPY WITH MY FACE
1966
0
THRUSH captures Napoleon Solo and replace him with an exact double.
Silly, mildly entertaining UNCLE movie, more suited to television, from whence it came.
Dir: John Newland
Stars: Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Senta Berger, Leo G Carroll
SPYMAKER: THE SECRET LIFE OF IAN FLEMING
1990
0 (TV)
Ian Fleming puts his talents into assisting the Allies' war efforts.
Weird and unsuccessful attempt to turn Fleming's life into some sort of Bond-lite adventure heavy on espionage, culminating in a setpiece that thinks it's Where Eagles Dare; its mix of fact and fantasy - mostly fantasy, because Fleming was a man who largely pushed a pen - is queasy, and its TV movie budget very much limits its ambitions. It also doesn't help that Connery has zero gravitas as Bond's creator.
Dir: Ferdinand Fairfax
Stars: Jason Connery, Kristin Scott Thomas, Joss Ackland, Patricia Hodge, David Warner
THE SPY’S WIFE
1972
0
A man leaves his wife in their flat, which she thinks is bugged.
Blooming weird short which makes the fatal mistake of not explaining itself until the very last few seconds – this and a series of unexplained random characters make it a frustrating experience.
Dir: Gerry O’Hara
Stars: Tom Bell, Dorothy Tutin, Ann Lynn
THE SQUARE
2017
**
An art gallery curator in Stockholm finds his life running out of control.
A deliciously different, blackly comic drama that says a thing or two about modern Europe, including how the lives of the elite are being affected by immigration; it's just a shame that for its successes - including some mesmerising set-pieces and laugh-out loud moments - many scenes go on for much too long, and consequently the feature does too. Tighter control, particularly in the second half, could have produced a masterpiece.
Dir: Ruben Ostlund
Stars: Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West, Terry Notary
THE SQUEEZE
1977
*
An alcoholic ex-cop goes into action to save his kidnapped ex-wife.
Sour crime drama about half an hour too long that's a bit of a strange fish, it puts Keach through many humiliations while getting a decent performance out of comedian Starr. Well made scene for scene, it has a good deal of local colour, a slightly ahead of its time soundtrack and a lot of grit.
Dir: Michael Apted
Stars: Stacy Keach, David Hemmings, Edward Fox, Stephen Boyd, Carol White, Freddie Starr
STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN
1982
**
Admiral Kirk meets an old enemy bent on revenge.
Superior sequel which irons out the problems of the previous film and makes sensible decisions like featuring a meaty villain and ending on an emotional sucker punch (the 'death' of Spock). Very much the fans' favourite of the Trek films, it's a sagacious mix of elements that gave the show its long-lasting appeal.
Dir: Nicholas Meyer
Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Kirstie Alley
STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME
1986
**
Kirk and crew go back in time to find a humpback whale which can save the Earth.
The most enjoyable Star Trek movie of them all - the fish-out-of-water plot conjures up plenty of amusing diversions and the crew are shown at their most human and likeable. It sort of feels a shame when we have to go back to the future.
Dir: Leonard Nimoy
Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols
STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT
1996
*
The Borg go back in time to prevent the Federation from ever existing.
Possibly the best of the Next Generation films, reasonably solid in all departments, but still of most interest to fans.
Dir: Jonathan Frakes
Stars: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Levar Burton, Michael Dorn
STAR WARS
1977
****
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, young Luke Skywalker teams up with a group of rebels and robots to take on the might of the Empire, with Darth Vader at its head.
It's undeniable that this film was incredibly popular and massively influential, but how does it hold up after all this time? Much still impresses: the vast array of creatures and creations exhibit a florid imagination, the myth-making is bold and confident, and the iconography of it - including the sounds and visual flourishes like the lightsabers - is wonderfully distinct. But like a house which seemed huge when you were a child but doesn't when you're an adult, it's looking a little less special in some regards, including sets and FX that often don't dazzle and a slight story which is a tad slow to fully bloom. Interestingly, what stands out most is much of the (sometimes mocked) dialogue, if only because it's been repeated by fans so frequently in so many places. It'll always be a blockbuster full of goodness but it was never going to remain immune to the passing of the years.
Dir: George Lucas
Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, Kenny Baker
Sequels: The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi (both qv) and see below
STAR WARS: EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE
1999
*
Anakin Skywalker has an active boyhood while Jedi knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi battle Darth Maul, and Senator Palpatine rises to power.
The criticisms of this eagerly-awaited but hugely disappointing movie are well known but nevertheless worth repeating: the opening scroll's mention of 'taxation of trade routes' is a deadly omen, and then we get the appalling Jar Jar Binks character plus an extremely annoying young child, followed by slabs of bad dialogue and masses of CG that has dated badly - even the set-pieces, such as the pod race, fail because they are full of silly, childish comedy. Darth Maul provides a small amount of relief, but overall this remains the worst Star Wars movie.
Dir: George Lucas
Stars: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Frank Oz, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Ray Park, Samuel L Jackson, Terence Stamp
STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES
2002
*
Anakin romances Padme Amidala while Obi-Wan discovers a secret Republican clone army.
A bit better than its predecessor, with a few decent set-pieces (but mainly ones with a superfluity of CGI), this episode is nevertheless stolid in many places, and certainly too long, bogged down by its anaemic romantic subplot and with battle scenes more reliant on quantity than quality. It's difficult to completely connect with because so many of its environments feel so false and it lacks heart and soul - but at least there's less of Jar Jar in it.
Dir: George Lucas
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Christopher Lee, Samuel L Jackson, Ian McDiarmid, Frank Oz, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker
STAR WARS: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH
2005
**
Anakin moves to the Dark Side of the Force despite Obi-Wan's pleas.
The best of the three prequels, this feels more 'important' from the off, and consequently has much more drive than its predecessors. Seeing Wookiees, Stormtroopers and Darth Vader certainly helps it seem more familiar, but it also avoids many of Phantom and Attack's faults, what with less mediocre CGI and a more serious tone - it also says a thing or two about the difficulties of separating democracy from dictatorship.
Dir: George Lucas
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Christopher Lee, Samuel L Jackson, Frank Oz, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
2015
***
The villainous First Order pursue a droid over the galaxy who holds the secret of Luke Skywalker's location.
Enjoyable belated continuation of the saga, skillfully made with much fealty to the original movies, especially the first: in fact it's almost something of a remake, and the bits thrown in for fans verge on the excessive. Those fans may well be the ones to have niggles, which could include: not sustaining the menace of lead villain Kylo Ren, the vulnerability of the 'new Death Star', or the somewhat underwhelming disposal of a main character, while at the same time being entertained by the aerial battles and the strong, simple plot. So although it may be a little stuffed up on its own mythology it's a carefully crafted, radium powered extravaganza that will please a good chunk of the population - and should have been rated PG rather than 12A so more could have seen it.
Dir: JJ Abrams
Stars: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Harrison Ford, Adam Driver, Peter Mayhew, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI
2017
**
Rey learns why Luke has hidden himself away, while Leia and the Rebels flee the First Order.
While not as consistent as its predecessor, Episode VIII is still a richly enjoyable movie that's a lot better than many spoilt millennials made out. There are mis-steps - it's too long and cluttered (the original trilogy's simplicity was one of its assets), Luke is a very different character than previously, some casting choices are, as happens nowadays, made by colour or gender - but it has a grand feel, humour, many surprises and several glorious set-pieces, such as the battle in Snoke's lair and the face-off between Kylo Ren and Skywalker. It's a shame that Fisher looks in such poor health but Driver and Gleeson's villains provide lip-smacking fun and overall it leaves you looking forward to the next instalment.
Dir: Rian Johnson
Stars: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
2019
*
Rey meets Palpatine while Kylo Ren has second thoughts.
The fag end of the Star Wars franchise: a woke and weary final chapter that nearly makes one wonder what the attraction of this series ever was. There's little in it that is original, it's just another retread of lightsaber battles, space fights and pathetic Stormtroopers, with a coating of 2019 PCness (it's painfully 50/50 male/female and the race split is brain-hammeringly obvious) and the usual amazing special effects, plus very obvious attempts at nostalgia. It just never catches fire partly due to several bad scripting choices, partly thanks to a plot that's neutered by identity politics - it's a salient example of how this decade's politics can destroy a story: its feminism alone is inane. Please let there be no episode ten.
Dir: JJ Abrams
Stars: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Carrie Fisher, Ian McDiarmid
STARCHASER - THE LEGEND OF ORIN
1987
0
A boy breaks out of his underworld prison to confront the evil robot ruling over his people.
Star Wars all over again, marginally better than all the similar sci-fi cartoons on television.
Dir: Steven Hahn
Voices: Dennis Alwood, Carmen Argenziano, Daryl Bartley
STARCRASH
1978
0
Space-smuggler Stella Star helps save the galaxy from the evil Count Zartharn.
Gloriously abysmal space opera with a thousand guilty pleasures, that include: an initial Star Wars-like scroll that goes too fast to be read; the big stop-motion silver monster with breasts; strange pauses during line delivery; dialogue like “The temperature drops thousands of degrees at night” and, from a robot with a Southern accent, “I sure am glad I’m a robot sometimes”; soldiers fired in capsules through the windows of a spaceship. Absolutely hilarious: definitely worth a look, and the John Barry score is quite nice.
Dir: Luigi Cozzi
Stars: Marjoe Gortner, Caroline Munro, David Hasselhoff, Christopher Plummer, Joe Spinell
STARCROSSED
1985 (TV)
0
A female alien comes to Earth to escape pursuers.
Spurious sci-fi that fails to thrill.
Dir: Jeffrey Bloom
Stars: James Spader, Belinda Bauer, Peter Kowanko
STARDUST
1974
0
The rise and fall of a rock star.
Ineffective musical drama, too joyless and familiar to inspire much admiration.
Dir: Michael Apted
Stars: David Essex, Adam Faith, Larry Hagman, Keith Moon
STARFLIGHT ONE
1982 (TV)
0
The first 'hypersonic' plane runs into trouble.
Wooden and unimaginative sci-fi disaster movie.
Dir: Jerry Jameson
Stars: Lee Majors, Hal Linden, Lauren Hutton, Ray Milland
STARMAN
1984
*
An alien comes to Earth and takes the form of a young widow's husband.
Winsome fantasy with a nice balance of happy and sad.
Dir: John Carpenter
Stars: Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen, Charles Martin Smith
STARSHIP INVASIONS
1977
0
Aliens come to Earth with a nefarious plan to make its inhabitants kill themselves.
Crackpot Canadian sci-fi made in the wake of Star Wars that's an amusingly odd mix of scenes reminiscent of old Republic serials and many that feature quite grim suicides. Vaughn appears to be half asleep through it, while Lee somehow manages to retain a small amount of dignity despite being clad in an absurd costume, his mouth unmoving and his voice dubbed on.
Dir: Ed Hunt
Stars: Robert Vaughn, Christopher Lee, Daniel Pilon, Helen Shaver
STARTER FOR 10
2006
0
In 1985, a brainy young man embarks on University life.
Insipid, predictable, bland, irritating and silly rom com. Any film that has as its main dramatic act an appearance on University Challenge is in trouble.
Dir: Tom Vaughan
Stars: James McAvoy, Dominic Cooper, Catherine Tate, Charles Dance
STATE FAIR
1933
*
An Iowa family have a memorable time when the fair comes to town for a week.
A big hit in its day, this all-American comic drama also got attention from the Academy, but is now, inevitably, a little moth-eaten. Its good-natured charm is still evident though, while some pre-Hays Code lines may amuse (and the end credits are clever).
Dir: Henry King
Stars: Janet Gaynor, Will Rogers, Lew Ayres, Sally Eilers
STATE FAIR
1945
*
The course of true love doesn't run smooth in a small town when a fair comes to visit.
Pleasant and colourful but not riveting slice of Americana; at least it's not too cloying, and is valuable as a record of a vanished world.
Dir: Walter Lang
Stars: Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews, Dick Haymes, Vivian Blaine
STATIC
1986
0
A man invents a television that he claims shows pictures of Heaven.
Odd religion-based fantasy that fails to make its point.
Dir: Mark Romanek
Stars: Keith Gordon, Amanda Plummer, Bob Gunton
THE STATUE
1970
0
The wife of a renowned linguist makes a nude statue of him and gives it a larger appendage than his own.
Dismal sex farce which doesn’t get very far from its central idea, which is terrible anyway. The presence of Niven, Cleese and others has you expecting a British-type comedy, but this has an Italian sensibility running all the way through it.
Dir: Rod Amateau
Stars: David Niven, Virna Lisi, Robert Vaughn, John Cleese
STAY TUNED
1992
0
A husband and wife are sucked into their TV and have to participate in the shows.
Scatterbrain comedy with promising ideas that don't quite hang together.
Dir: Peter Hyams
Stars: John Ritter, Pam Dawber, Jeffrey Jones
STRANGE DAYS
1995
0
In 1999 LA, a former cop uncovers a police conspiracy.
Depressing, muddled and tedious sci-fi that's about as much fun as spending a week down a sewer.
Dir: Kathryn Bigelow
Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore
THE STRANGE DOOR
1951
*
An evil aristocrat imprisons his niece’s father and tries to marry her off to a rogue.
Not a horror film, but a rather knotty gothic melodrama saved by an exciting climax and performances from two of the greats, Laughton and Karloff. Maybe Hammer would have opened up this confined Robert Louis Stevenson adaptation a bit more.
Dir: Joseph Pevney
Stars: Charles Laughton, Boris Karloff, Sally Forrest, Richard Wyler
STRANGE HOMECOMING
1974 (TV)
0
A small-town sheriff's brother returns after a long time away - but has turned to murder.
There are many echoes of Shadow Of A Doubt in this slight but watchable TV movie; comparison with the immeasurably deeper original would be unfair but it's arguably also weaker than the 1958 and 1991 versions.
Dir: Lee H Katzin
Stars: Robert Culp, Glen Campbell, Barbara Anderson, Whitney Blake
THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS WARDH
1971
*
A beautiful ambassador's wife fears she knows a killer.
Much praised and apparently influential giallo that may include all the ingredients of the genre but doesn't hang together that well; not as intelligent or thrilling as the likes of The Killer Must Kill Again.
Dir: Sergio Martino
Stars: Edwige Fenech, George Hilton, Conchita Airoldi
THE STRANGE WORLD OF PLANET X
1957
0
Scientific experiments create a hole in the Earth's ionosphere which plays havoc with the ecosystem.
Enervated, wordy sci-fi in which the 'special' effects largely consist of magnified shots of insects.
Dir: Gilbert Gunn
Stars: Forrest Tucker, Gaby Andre, Martin Benson, Alec Mango
THE STRANGER WITHIN
1974 (TV)
*
A pregnant woman is increasingly controlled by her unborn child.
Among the first evil baby shockers, done with a little style and some surprisingly scatological detail.
Dir: Lee Philips
Stars: Barbara Eden, George Grizzard, Joyce Van Patten
THE STRANGLERS OF BOMBAY
1959
*
A murderous cult is on the rampage in nineteenth century India.
An attempt by Hammer to make more of a serious historical picture - hence the black and white - rather than a horror, but they couldn't resist inserting horrific moments (tongues ripped out, branding etc) and hence it's a pity they didn't go full blast with colour. It's not among their most indulgently enjoyable films but it's not bad, telling one of the positive stories about colonialism that is now widely ignored.
Dir: Terence Fisher
Stars: Guy Rolfe, Allan Cuthbertson, Andrew Cruickshank, Marne Maitland, Roger Delgado
STRANGLER'S WEB
1965
0
A woman is discovered murdered on Hampstead Heath.
In terms of performances and photography this Edgar Wallace Mysteries is above average, and has a few touches of horror, but the script soon gets bogged down in endless exposition and reciting of backstory.
Dir: John Llewellyn Moxey
Stars: John Stratton, Griffith Jones, Pauline Munro, Gerald Harper
STRAPLESS
1989
0
Two sisters meet a man who may not be as wonderful as he seems.
Curious and undistinguished drama determined to make political points about the NHS, which dates it badly.
Dir: David Hare
Stars: Blair Brown, Bridget Fonda, Bruno Ganz, Michael Gough, Hugh Laurie
STRAW DOGS
1971
****
A woman and her American husband are terrorised by the inhabitants of a small Cornish village.
Peckinpah's most controversial film is also his best - superbly edited and acted, it's completely unique and conveys a real sense of menace thanks to the primitive, alien-seeming locals, and dramatic conflict is evoked in many forms before the strikingly shot siege climax. Gripping and splendidly violent, it's essentially a layered film about the couple's relationship, and once you know that it's all the more fascinating.
Dir: Sam Peckinpah
Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Susan George, Peter Vaughan, T P McKenna, David Warner, Colin Welland
A STREET CAT NAMED BOB
2016
**
A homeless recovering heroin addict is given a reason to live by a ginger cat who won't leave him alone.
Agreeable adaptation of a book based on the true story of a feline that became an internet celebrity, it very much focuses on being a 12 certificate film, softening the edges of mean life on the streets, and plays up the gorgeousness of the moggy, while not going too overboard on the sentiment. Possibly of greatest appeal to cat owners - or those who have affection for the London locations it pleasingly showcases - it's a drama whose faults can easily be forgiven such is its good heart, committed lead performance and pro-pet message.
Dir: Roger Spottiswoode
Stars: Luke Treadaway, Bob the Cat, Ruth Gedmintas, Joanne Froggatt, Anthony Head
STREET KILLERS
1977
0
A hoodlum goes on a rampage after breaking out of prison.
Unremarkable thriller in which even the brutality is boring.
Dir: Sergio Grieco
Stars: Helmut Berger, Marisa Mell, Richard Harrison
STREET TRASH
1986
0
A toxic brew causes its drinkers to messily melt.
Storyless and sickening garbage that represents horror cinema at its lowest ebb – if indeed it can be called a horror, as the gore effects are very occasional: it largely consists of random lowlifes wandering around an urban hell being extremely unpleasant to one another. An acquired taste, to put it mildly.
Dir: J Michael Muro
Stars: Mike Lackey, Bill Chepil, Vic Noto
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
1954
**
The disturbed sister of a pregnant woman comes to live with her and her husband, and tensions arise.
Exhausting and intense melodrama that retains its reputation as a great film but may well be one of the most stage-like productions ever committed to the screen – the acting and the dialogue, while both very powerful, are right out of the theatre.
Dir: Elia Kazan
Stars: Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden
STREETS OF FIRE
1984
0
A mercenary goes after a singer who has been kidnapped by a gang.
Dullish melodrama bogged down by romance and song.
Dir: Walter Hill
Stars: Michael Pare, Diane Lane, Rick Moranis, Willem Dafoe
STRICTLY BALLROOM
1992
*
An unorthodox dancer makes a splash.
A big sleeper hit surprisingly, this simple tale has charm but the subject matter is difficult to get excited about.
Dir: Baz Luhrmann
Stars: Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice, Bill Hunter
STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER
1975
0
A psycho dressed as a motorbike rider goes after fashion models.
Sex and violence it may have, but plenty of dullness and daftness too.
Dir: Andrea Bianchi
Stars: Edwige Fenech, Nino Castelnuovo, Femi Benussi
STRIPES
1981
*
Two bored friends join the army.
Sporadically jocular polishing up of old army gags.
Dir: Ivan Reitman
Stars: Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P J Soles, Sean Young, John Candy
STRIPPED
2014
*
Documentary about newspaper strip cartoonists and how they are dealing with the decline in print.
Part a celebration of the skillful art of the creatives, part a chronicle of times changing because of new technology, this is a useful insight into both sides of the industry's process, with scores of interviews with those whose quotidian existence is humour and observation. It'd be nice to see a British version along the same lines.
Dir: Dave Kellett, Frederick Schroeder
STRIPPER
1985
0
Documentary about a strippers' convention.
Joyless documentary, morally dubious and devoid of any feeling or human warmth. And they don't even remove their knickers.
Dir: Jerome Gary
Stars: Janette Boyd, Sara Costa, Loree Menton
STRIPTEASE
1996
0
A stripper finds herself in danger after getting involved with a congressman.
A really quite bizarre film that's barely a thriller, more a weird mix of comedy and violence, and both confusing and uneven. Burt Reynolds and some of the strip routines alleviate the pain.
Dir: Andrew Bergman
Stars: Demi Moore, Burt Reynolds, Armand Assante
STRONGROOM
1962
**
Crooks lock bank workers in a strongroom, and then things get complicated.
First class B-picture which may well have outclassed the feature it supported: the performances are excellent, the story is logically and tensely developed – with unflappable behaviour that you’d only get from the British – and the finale is a minor triumph, as the very last line hits you like a punch in the stomach.
Dir: Vernon Sewell
Stars: Derren Nesbitt, Colin Gordon, Ann Lynn, Keith Faulkner
THE STUD
1978
0
The bored wife of a businessman indulges in hedonistic pleasures.
Empty but commercially successfully sex drama that dated quickly, largely thanks to its revelling in the 'delights' of the '70s disco scene. It led to a big revival of the career of the 40-plus star who wasn't afraid to take her clothes off.
Dir: Quentin Masters
Stars: Joan Collins, Oliver Tobias, Sue Lloyd, Mark Burns
A STUDY IN SCARLET
1933
0
Sherlock Holmes investigates the deaths of several members of a secret circle.
Musty old yarn whose plot has more in common with Agatha Christie than Conan Doyle.
Dir: Edwin L Marin
Stars: Reginald Owen, Warburton Gamble, Anna May Wong, Alan Dinehart
THE STUFF
1985
0
A new foodstuff gives more than indigestion.
Cheap tat intended as a satire but more like a silly and tasteless horror film.
Dir: Larry Cohen
Stars: Michael Moriarty, Paul Sorvino, Danny Aiello
SUBURBAN WIVES
1972
0
An 'investigation' into what bored housewives get up to when their husbands are at work.
Erratic pseudo documentary that now comes across as an amusing period curiosity full of eccentricities presented in a delightfully wooden way.
Dir: Derek Ford
Stars: Eva Whishaw, Peter May, Gabrielle Drake
SUCCUBUS
1968
0
A stripper has several strange experiences, including fetishism.
Incoherent, pretentious, laboured, laughable, dumb... but this director near his best.
Dir: Jess Franco
Stars: Janine Reynaud, Jack Taylor, Howard Vernon
THE SUCKLING
1990
0
After a woman has an abortion in a brothel the foetus is exposed to toxic waste and turns into a monster that attacks everyone in the house.
Low budget clunk, both hilarious (some of the dialogue; its claims to be based on a true story) and tasteless, but in the end not hilarious or tasteless enough - it turns into a dull monster siege movie with vague similarities to Alien. More sleaze please, and fun.
Dir: Francis Teri
Stars: Frank Rivera, Marie Michaels, Gerald Preger
SUGAR DADDIES
1927
0
A man wakes in the morning to discover he got married the night before.
An early pairing of Laurel and Hardy in which neither are in familiar character; the film now appears primitive.
Dir: Fred Guiol, Leo McCarey
Stars: James Finlayson, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Noah Young
THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS
1974
**
A couple kidnap their child from foster care and go on the run.
Bittersweet road movie of an appealing nature, based on truth, extremely well handled by the young director.
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Goldie Hawn, Ben Johnson, Michael Sacks, William Atherton
SUICIDE CULT
1975
0
A scientist investigates signs of the second coming of Christ.
Unfathomable guff that might only be enjoyed by the very clever or the very stupid - probably the latter. Portentous, waffley and perplexing, there aren't many others like it.
Dir: James Glickenhaus
Stars: Bob Byrd, Mart Buntzman, Monica Tidwell
SUITE 16
1995
**
A crippled man in a wheelchair confined to a hotel room draws a young man into his perverse plans.
Preposterous but deliciously compulsive black comedy that's like something the warped mind of Polanski would come up with.
Dir: Dominique Deruddere
Stars: Pete Postlethwaite, Antonie Kamerling, Geraldine Pailhas
SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS
1941
**
A film director lives life as a tramp as an experiment.
A sophisticated entertainment that’s a finely balanced mix of comedy and drama inside a traditional structure.
Dir: Preston Sturges
Stars: Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Robert Warwick
SULLY: MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON
2016
**
The true story of the pilot who landed his stricken plane on the River Hudson and saved the lives of everyone on board.
If this real-life drama feels a little slight and slim, perhaps that's not such a bad thing - a bloated biopic with all sorts of unnecessary add-ons would have tried the patience. As it is, it's a film of quiet professionalism, not overly showy or shouty, that keeps its audience's attention.
Dir: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Mike O'Malley
SUMMER DREAMS: THE STORY OF THE BEACH BOYS
1990 (TV)
0
The rise to fame and thereafter of the 1960s American pop group.
God-awful biopic on a shoestring budget; but it's a fatal lack of detail which really kills it.
Dir: Michael Switzer
Stars: Bruce Greenwood, Greg Kean, Casey Sander
SUMMER HOLIDAY
1962
*
Teenagers commandeer a red London bus to go on a jaunt.
In its day an enormously popular comic musical - which goes to show how markedly tastes have changed since then.
Dir: Peter Yates
Stars: Cliff Richard, Lauri Peters, Melvyn Hayes, Una Stubbs
SUPER SIZE ME
2004
**
Documentary about what eating McDonald's food for an entire month can do to you.
Accessible, highly successful treatise on obesity which manages to be likeable rather than hectoring and presents frightening facts that made the fast food companies take action. You'd imagine that eating any single foodstuff for one month wouldn't do you much good - but you can't turn off until you see what the diet will eventually do to Spurlock.
Dir/Stars: Morgan Spurlock
SUPERCHICK
1973
0
An airline stewardess who is a kung fu expert has different men in different US cities.
Scatterbrain hogwash with priceless moments of technical inanity and no proper plot. You'd almost think it was a modern-day spoof of Seventies cheese.
Dir: Ed Forsyth
Stars: Joyce Jillson, Louis Quinn, Thomas Reardon, John Carradine
SUPERGIRL
1984
0
Supergirl must retrieve the power source vital to save her world.
Weedy, misfiring fantasy which demonstrates the maxim that female superheroes are never as successful as male ones, whether on screen or the printed page.
Dir: Jeannot Szwarc
Stars: Helen Slater, Faye Dunaway, Peter O'Toole, Mia Farrow, Brenda Vaccaro, Peter Cook
THE SUPERGRASS
1986
**
A man only wants to holiday with a girl but gets involved with organised crime instead.
Broad comedy from The Comic Strip Presents stable, who offered up material of wildly varying quality on Channel 4. This is one of their better efforts, a convoluted farce which makes good use of the talents available as well as the English countryside.
Dir: Peter Richardson
Stars: Adrian Edmondson, Jennifer Saunders, Peter Richardson, Robbie Coltrane, Nigel Planer, Keith Allen, Dawn French, Alexei Sayle
SUPERMAN AND THE MOLE-MEN
1951
0
Superman intervenes when drilling into the Earth's core leads to strange 'mole-men' coming to the surface.
It's probably best not to think of this as a Superman film, more of a typical 1950s sci-fi movie concerning the fear of 'others' in a small American town, and it's not actually too bad: Reeves equips himself quite well, the plot is compact and everyone tries hard. But it's very much a small fry film and don't expect to see too much of Supes - he doesn't show up for 24 minutes and isn't in it that much after that.
Dir: Lee Sholem
Stars: George Reeves, Phyllis Coates, Jeff Corey
SUPERMAN RETURNS
2006
*
After five years away, the Man of Steel comes back to trouble, mainly with Lois Lane and Lex Luthor.
Flawed, overwrought blockbuster with some nice lines and ideas but too much solemnity, romance, CGI, trauma and running time. The plot just isn't a natural goer.
Dir: Bryan Singer
Stars: Brendan Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Parker Posey, Frank Langella, Eva Marie Saint
THE SUPERNATURALS
1987
0
A squad of soldiers encounter living corpses who were once in the military.
Just another zombie movie.
Dir: Armand Mastroianni
Stars: Nichelle Nichols, Maxwell Caulfield, Talia Balsam
SUPERSONIC
2016
**
Documentary about rock group Oasis, from their origins to their sell-out gigs at Knebworth in 1996.
Brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher are extensive voice-only contributors to this enjoyable film about one of the best bands of the era - they would say the best, and their sweary arrogance is one of the off-putting features of it. But there's no denying that they're often very funny and this, plus the music and the capturing of the times through extensive original footage, makes it a vital watch for fans. It stops before they began their decline, happy to concentrate on the glories only. Following screenings in cinemas there was a live Q&A featuring the director and a predictably in-character, indiscreet Liam - it rounded off a good evening out.
Dir: Mat Whitecross
SUPERSONIC SAUCER
1956
0
A strange little alien arrives in England where it is cared for by some schoolchildren.
This CFF forerunner of ET has a few charms for those in forgiving mood, but it's not a massively interesting film or one that much can be written about; there's some basic animation and the action can be repetitive.
Dir: Guy Fergusson
Stars: Marcia Monolescue, Gillian Harrison, Fella Edmonds
SUPERSTITION
1982
0
A witch apparently haunts a house new folk move into.
Plot-light horror with killings that range from the hilarious to the horrid; all in all, not remarkable.
Dir: James W Roberson
Stars: James Houghton, Albert Salmi, Lynn Carlin
SWEET LIBERTY
1986
0
A writer despairs when filmmakers mangle the adaptation of a book he has written.
Adequate comedy with some perceptive ideas.
Dir: Alan Alda
Stars: Alan Alda, Michael Caine, Michelle Pfeiffer, Bob Hoskins
SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS
1957
***
A press agent and a newspaper columnist plot to break a young couple up.
Top quality drama which didn’t get the recognition it deserved for many years - the dialogue crackles, the cinematography gleams and the lead performances are supreme. A great film.
Dir: Alexander Mackendrick
Stars: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison
SWIMMING POOL
2003
**
An ageing female author goes to a French villa for some peace but is bothered by a promiscuous girl with secrets.
Slow-burning, well acted thriller with a conclusion that could either be seen as a cop-out or overloaded with confusion.
Dir: Francois Ozon
Stars: Charlotte Rampling, Ludivine Sagnier, Charles Dance
SWINGERS
1996
*
A wannabe actor leaves his girlfriend and heads to LA to be a star.
Smart comic drama most enjoyed by those in the situation it portrays.
Dir: Doug Liman
Stars: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Ron Livingston, Heather Graham
SWISS MISS
1938
*
Stan and Ollie attempt to sell mousetraps to the Swiss, as the Swiss are keen on cheese.
Very much a big step down in quality from the boys' previous film, Way Out West, this has various problems including too much singing, stretches without Stan and Ollie (more than any of their films to this point) and no other familiar faces. It also barely has a plot, though that doesn't matter so much. Occasional bright spots include Stan's attempts to get the booze from the St Bernard - that dog is a fine actor - and the surreal sequence with the musical bubbles.
Dir: John G Blystone
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Grete Natzler, Walter Woolf King
THE SWORD AND THE SORCERER
1982
0
A mercenary rescues an imprisoned princess with the help of his three-bladed sword.
One of the early offerings of the '80s sword and sorcery craze (and the most pointedly named), with stocky doses of magic, humour and violence; but it hasn't lasted well and, despite some effective prosthetic effects, it's both cheesy and confusing.
Dir: Albert Pyun
Stars: Lee Horsley, Kathleen Beller, Simon MacCorkindale
THE SWORD IN THE STONE
1963
*
Merlin the Magician takes the future King Arthur under his wing.
Mildly disappointing cartoon feature with too many sequences that don't propel the narrative, some repetitiveness and no memorable characters to speak of.
Dir: Wolfgang Reitherman
Voices: Sebastian Cabot, Rickie Sorensen, Karl Swenson
SWORD OF THE VALIANT
1984
0
A knight has to solve a riddle set by a supernatural figure.
An awful mess that must have spent most of its budget on Connery, this is limp in every way imaginable, with particularly feeble sword fights.
Dir: Stephen Weeks
Stars: Miles O'Keeffe, Sean Connery, Cyrielle Clair, Peter Cushing, Trevor Howard, Leigh Lawson
SWORDKILL
1984
0
A 400-year-old Samurai is thawed out in modern-day LA.
Fantasy parable similar to Iceman (qv), but a bit livelier; it might have been more interesting if more had been made of the Samurai's reactions to his new surroundings.
Dir: J Larry Carroll
Stars: Hiroshi Fujioka, Janet Julian, John Calvin
SYMPHONY OF LOVE
1978
0
A frustrated musician fantasises about sex all day.
There are no words (only music) in this film, and very few to describe it; 'strange and tedious erotic curio' will do. (Some of the stuff that goes on is astonishing, including Nazi fetishism, copulating horses and a cartoon Santa doing a dance with a naked girl.)
Dir: Derek Ford, Luigi Batzella
Stars: Enzo Monteduro, Karin Well
SYMPTOMS
1974
*
A strange young woman who lives in a remote country house invites a friend over, but her motives may not be pure.
Sensitive and well shot chiller which improves after an uneventful first half.
Dir: Joseph Larraz
Stars: Angela Pleasence, Mike Grady, Peter Vaughan, Lorna Heilbron
1923
****
A store clerk climbs the side of a tall building to impress his girlfriend.
Marvellous, nail-biting comedy with the star at his zenith.
Dir: Fred C Newmeyer, Sam Taylor
Stars: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Noah Young
SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED
2012
**
Journalists investigate the claims of a man who says he can travel back in time.
Charming little comic drama which frequently surprises and is attractively shot and acted; it says a lot about relationships and how we must learn to accept partners' foibles.
Dir: Colin Trevorrow
Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Jake Johnson, Mark Duplass, Karan Soni
SAILOR BEWARE
1956
0
A dragon-like mother-in-law disturbs her daughter's wedding.
Mount as the archetypal mother-in-law from hell presumably amused audiences of the time but now her bellowing antics seem wearisomely puritanical and unfunny, and this lightly plotted comedy, very obviously originally a stage play, has little else to offer.
Dir: Gordon Parry
Stars: Peggy Mount, Shirley Eaton, Ronald Lewis, Gordon Jackson, Thora Hird
A SAILOR MADE MAN
1921
*
A boy must prove to a girl's father that he is worthy of marrying his daughter.
Slightly shaky star comedy, his first full length feature.
Dir: Fred C Newmeyer
Stars: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Noah Young
THE SAILOR WHO FELL FROM GRACE WITH THE SEA
1976
0
A boy despises the new man, a sailor, whom his widowed mother takes as a lover.
Disturbing and depressing drama featuring particularly obnoxious children.
Dir: Lewis John Carlino
Stars: Sarah Miles, Kris Kristofferson, Jonathan Kahn
SAILORS, BEWARE!
1927
0
A taxi driver accidentally comes aboard a cruise ship but catches a jewel thief.
The famous pair do not perform as a team in this pratfall-heavy comedy which features the bizarre presence of a midget (Earles) as a man pretending to be a baby; not in any other way remarkable though.
Dir: Fred Guiol
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Anita Garvin, Harry Earles
ST ELMO’S FIRE
1984
*
A group of friends struggle with life after college.
'Brat Pack' exploits that might have been written by a computer, although there are moments of warmth and much of the cast clearly has talent.
Dir: Joel Schumacher
Stars: Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Martin Balsam, Andie MacDowell
THE ST LOUIS BANK ROBBERY
1959
*
A gang plan a bank robbery, but a woman may foil their plans.
It's no surprise to learn that Guggenheim went on to direct mainly documentaries, as this has that feel: it's quite methodical and slightly plodding but is pretty well shot and has a performance from McQueen that points towards the style of angsty acting that gradually became more common in future in certain corners of Hollywood. Not up there with Kubrick's The Killing, but not bad.
Dir: Charles Guggenheim, John Stix
Stars: Steve McQueen, Crahan Denton, David Clarke, James Dukas
SAINT MAUD
2019
**
A religious nurse becomes determined to save the soul of the cancer patient she is caring for.
A semi-horror film about terminal illness, Roman Catholicism and sexual promiscuity set in an English coastal town in bleak season might not be everybody's idea of a good time, but this is an intriguing and well-sustained picture that doesn't take easy or predictable paths, while saying something about the desperate loneliness of some people's existence, and their search for meaning. It's the sort of film you consider watching again in the future in the expectation that your appreciation might deepen further.
Dir: Rose Glass
Stars: Morfydd Clark, Jennifer Ehle, Lily Frazer
ST TRINIAN’S
2007
*
The pupils of a notorious girls’ school about to be closed down hatch a plot to save it.
Despite rose-tinted memories, the original series was largely pretty dreadful, and this update is in many ways a lot more watchable – indeed, it could have been much worse. It’s no classic, but the cast try hard (and many look mighty fine), it has plenty of modern jokes and it’s brisk and breezy, at least when the plot finally kicks in after about an hour.
Dir: Oliver Parker, Barnaby Thompson
Stars: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Russell Brand, Gemma Arterton, Talulah Riley, Stephen Fry, Toby Jones
ST TRINIAN'S 2: THE LEGEND OF FRITTON'S GOLD
2009
0
The girls go on a search for buried treasure.
Inferior and uninteresting sequel - except to young girls perhaps. Which possibly partly explains the PG certificate - the sexiness is dialled down and the quiet desperation up.
Dir: Oliver Parker, Barnaby Thompson
Stars: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, David Tennant, Talulah Riley, Sarah Harding
SAINT-TROPEZ VICE
1987
0
Police investigate a ring that is abducting beautiful women and using them as prostitutes.
Never in the field of human cinema have so many stunning ladies been so nude so much as in this wonderfully cheesy film which provides an almost explosive dose of titillation amid wanna-be-there locations. They wouldn't make 'em like this for much longer.
Dir: Jean Rougeron
Stars: Yves Jouffroy, Wanda Mendres, Laure Sabardin
ST VINCENT
2014
*
A cantankerous old man finds his life changed when a new family moves in next door to him.
Very much reliant on its louche star, this comic drama descends into predictable sentimentality but provides a few smiles along the way.
Dir: Theodore Melfi
Stars: Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, Chris O'Dowd
SALEM’S LOT
1979 (TV)
*
A small town is overtaken by vampires.
Overlong even in its cut down movie version (112m), this Stephen King adaptation is sporadically scary.
Dir: Tobe Hooper
Stars: David Soul, James Mason, Lance Kerwin, Lew Ayres
SALESMAN
1968
**
Documentary about a group of door-to-door salesmen trying to peddle the Bible to Catholic families with little money.
Quietly important documentary that helped usher in a new style of filmmaking; its content is mainly interesting and the amoral book-sellers’ activities provoke a reaction – generally a cry of ‘don’t buy it!’ towards the screen.
Dir: Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin
SALOME’S LAST DANCE
1988
0
Oscar Wilde watches his play Salome in a high-class brothel.
Excruciating drama, cheap, tatty and unsympathetic.
Dir: Ken Russell
Stars: Glenda Jackson, Stratford Johns, Nickolas Grace
SALON KITTY
1976
*
A brothel in Nazi Germany provides for soldiers' unusual needs.
Outrageous sexploitation for a ‘broadminded’ audience that’s actually a lot more genuine than many mainstream movies on a similar subject.
Dir: Tinto Brass
Stars: Helmut Berger, Ingrid Thulin, Teresa Ann Savoy
SALT OF THE EARTH
1954
*
Mexican miners in the US call a strike.
Earthy drama made by communists that was certainly very different to anything else made in America at the time; even though it's an independent film with many semi-professional actors it's well done in most ways and pretty competent. Yes it's highly political but its points aren't hysterically made and there is a proper honesty about it.
Dir: Herbert J Biberman
Stars: Juan Chacon, Rosaura Revueltas, Will GeerSALTBURN
2023
0
A Liverpudlian Oxford University student goes to stay at his aristocratic friend's mansion for the summer.
The act of watching this, or anticipating to watch more of it, after stopping, is excruciating: this is a deeply repellent film, a heartless and unpleasant twist on The Go-Between whose accomplished cinematography only makes it worse. It features nothing but loathsome characters saying loathsome things, while the audience suffers the sight of close-ups of Keoghan's horrible face and a number of sequences that are beyond Stephen Fry's gayest fantasies. And it seems to go on for about three days.
Dir: Emerald Fennell
Stars: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E Grant
SALUTE OF THE JUGGER
1989
0
In the post-apocalyptic future, a deadly sport is played between warriors.
Dark, slow, quiet, violent, unoriginal sci-fi that failed to get a UK cinema release.
Dir: David Webb Peoples
Stars: Rutger Hauer, Delroy Lindo, Anna Katarina
1989
0
In the post-apocalyptic future, a deadly sport is played between warriors.
Dark, slow, quiet, violent, unoriginal sci-fi that failed to get a UK cinema release.
Dir: David Webb Peoples
Stars: Rutger Hauer, Delroy Lindo, Anna Katarina
SALVADOR
1986
*
A jaded photo-journalist gets involved in a Central American revolution.
Another hectic and histrionic, sweaty, fevered conflict drama from Stone, here equipped with two actors who have no problem getting as hot and bothered as possible. The story isn't as strong and clear as you'd like, and its politics seem a little foggy too; perhaps it'd help to be an American (or Salvadorian?) viewer. It's ambitious though, probably too ambitious.
Dir: Oliver Stone
Stars: James Woods, Jim Belushi, Michael Murphy, John Savage
2009
0
A Wirral neighbourhood is menaced by a mutant monster.
Competent but dreary low-budget horror that revels in unpleasantness and ends on a dismally downbeat note. Shot on the former Brookside Close, it’s much too cramped and not without its share of soap alongside the nastiness.
Dir: Lawrence Gough
Stars: Neve McIntosh, Shaun Dooley, Linzey Cocker, Dean Andrews
THE SALVAGE GANG
1958
*
A group of children try to make money to pay for a grown-up's saw they have broken.
The main attraction of this Children's Film Foundation effort is the extensive footage of Fifties London (virtually every scene is shot outside), but it also has charm, and is clearly made by people who knew what young Brits liked to watch.
Dir: John Krish
Stars: Frazer Hines, Ali Allen, Christopher Warbey, Wilfrid Brambell
SAMMY'S SUPER T-SHIRT
1978
0
A boy's T-shirt accidentally becomes part of a scientific experiment that imbues its wearer with special powers.
Low budget knockabout from the Children's Film Foundation which will give the young or undiscerning or uncynical a giggle or two - they won't mind the very basic special effects, for instance. The adult supporting cast, who will largely be familiar to many parents, give it their best.
Dir: Jeremy Summers
Stars: Reggie Winch, Lawrie Mark, Richard Vernon, Julian Holloway, Patsy Rowlands, Michael Ripper
LE SAMOURAI
1967
**
A perfectionist hitman is double-crossed by employers.
Cool, calm and collected film noir shot in blues and greys in a rainy Paris, it is largely engaging despite long passages with no dialogue.
Dir: Jean-Pierre Melville
Stars: Alain Delon, Francois Perier, Nathalie Delon
SAN FRANCISCO
1936
**
Personal stories entwine around the time of the huge 1906 earthquake in San Francisco.
They threw everything into the pot here - romance, songs, disaster, special effects - and it works.
Dir: W S Van Dyke
Stars: Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, Spencer Tracy, Jack Holt
SAN PIETRO
1945
**
Documentary about the US army's attempts to defeat the Nazis on Italian territory in December 1943.
Much-cited war short notable for showing more Allied casualties than was usually the case, it also subtly makes the point that the blood of young men is being spilt for little good reason, with territorial advances often being small. And yet more subtly, why does the human race go on butchering itself for such things? Huston's narration is well pitched, even if there are spots when rather a lot of information is dispensed.
Dir/Narrator: John Huston
THE SAND PEBBLES
1966
*
In 1926 China, US Navy operations run anything but smoothly.
Worthy but somewhat interminable war drama with a good sea battle near the end.
Dir: Robert Wise
Stars: Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna, Candice Bergen
THE SANDWICH MAN
1966
*
A day in the life of a sandwich board advertising man wandering around London.
A very strange film: there is absolutely zero to laugh at but there is copious footage of the capital pretty much at its peak at the height of western civilisation, and there are plenty of times you exclaim 'It's wotsisname!' on sighting one of the many comic characters. Those not familiar with British culture must find this an even more bewildering experience; but it now has social value. Strange how [the slightly irritating] Bentine's sandwich board appears to have no address for the tailor's on it.
Dir: Robert Hartford-Davis
Stars: Michael Bentine, Dora Bryan, Bernard Cribbins, Norman Wisdom, Terry-Thomas
SANITARIUM
2013
0
Three stories told by inmates at an institution.
Dismal horror anthology which could barely be more portentous or tedious if it tried; slow motion and a mournful score finish off three already awful scripts.
Dir: Bryan Ortiz, Bryan Ramirez, Kerry Valderrama
Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Lou Diamond Phillips, John Glover, Robert Englund
SANJURO
1962
*
A samurai helps a man save his imprisoned uncle.
The follow-up to Yojimbo is more of the same, and has its qualities, but non-Kurosawa acolytes might be a little confused and bored (although the fighting scenes have vigour).
Dir: Akira Kurosawa
Stars: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiju Kobayashi
SANTA CLAUS
1985
0
An evil toy manufacturer plans to put Santa out of business.
Rather sickly fantasy with scrappy special effects.
Dir: Jeannot Szwarc
Stars: Dudley Moore, John Lithgow, David Huddleston, Burgess Meredith
SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS
1964
0
Martian kidnap Santa so he can give presents to their children.
Cheap rubbish with a title to treasure.
Dir: Nicholas Webster
Stars: John Call, Leonard Hicks, Pia Zadora
SANTE SANGRE
1990
*
An ex-mental hospital patient takes revenge on the cult that chopped his mother's arms off.
Bizarre cocktail of sex and horror with little dialogue, only surreal and mind-boggling images that provoke a variety of reactions.
Dir: Alejandro Jodorowsky
Stars: Alex Jodorowsky, Blanca Guerra, Guy Stockwell
SAPPHIRE
1959
**
A woman is found murdered on Hampstead Heath; it turns out she was black, passing as white, and that may be a clue to her killer.
Rather fascinating slice of social history, capturing Britain at a particular moment in a century of enormous racial and community upheaval, it's a must-watch for scholars of such things. It's also a pretty solid police procedural, with interesting location shooting and a mostly fine cast.
Dir: Basil Dearden
Stars: Nigel Patrick, Michael Craig, Yvonne Mitchell, Paul Massie
SAPS AT SEA
1940
0
Stan and Ollie escape from their noisy factory to the peace of open water, or so they hope.
The boys' last film for Hal Roach was a poor one, with signs of encroaching age evident in the cast; there's a sense that everyone is trying too hard - including the sound effects department - but the magic simply refuses to come and nothing more than small smiles emerge. The climactic, off-putting false-food-eating sequence is symptomatic of its failings.
Dir: Gordon Douglas
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Richard Cramer, Ben Turpin
THE SATAN BUG
1965
*
Scientists struggle to contain a deadly germ virus from escaping.
Long and complicated gimmick thriller, stimulating if you stick with it.
Dir: John Sturges
Stars: George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis, Dana Andrews
THE SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA
1973
*
Dracula plots to unleash bubonic plague on the world.
When is a Dracula film not a Dracula film? When it's this offbeat concoction that is part Avengers, part James Bond, part horror, and not wholly successful as any of them: with the Count not in it for the most part it hops around London and the countryside chronicling various dastardly goings on, and while there are individual highlights it doesn't feel terribly successful as a whole. It's better than Dracula AD 1972 but some way behind the first in the series; it was the last Hammer film both Lee and Cushing appeared in together.
Dir: Alan Gibson
Stars: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Michael Coles, William Franklyn, Joanna Lumley, Freddie Jones
SATAN’S BABY DOLL
1982
0
A dead mother possesses her teenage daughter to get revenge on those who did her ill.
A juicy slice of sleaze, a sort of remake of Malabimba (qv), that throws in several naked women lying on their backs, a man who writhes on the floor and then eats a chicken, and a mute paraplegic who spies on a masturbating nun. 'Now you’ll stay here and rot like a bitch,' is a dialogue sample and it’s barely comprehensible, dawdling and daft, but you can’t hate a movie like this.
Dir: Mario Bianchi
Stars: Jacqueline Dupre, Mariangela Giordano, Aldo Sambrell
SATAN'S BLADE
1982
0
An evil spirit turns a man into a killer of mountain tourists.
One of the more low rent slasher pics - which is saying something - in which very, very little of interest happens and when it does it's not too interesting either. Its shapelessness is dictated by its cheapness.
Dir: L Scott Castillo Jr
Stars: Tom Bongiorno, Stephanie Leigh Steel, Thomas Cue
SATAN’S BLOOD
1978
*
A couple are enticed to a remote house by a pair of Satanists.
This economical horror starts with some promise but soon has nowhere to go and stops making sense – there are minor compensations in the shape of shapely unclothed ladies and creepily effective moments (the doll, for instance). It just needed a tad more talent to make it properly work.
Dir: Carlos Puerto
Stars: Angel Aranda, Sandra Alberti, Mariana Karr, Jose Maria Guillen
SATAN'S SATELLITES
1958
0
A feature version of 1952 serial Zombies Of The Stratosphere, about Martians who plan to use an atomic bomb to blow the Earth from its orbit.
The film this is most closely related to is Lost Planet Airmen (qv), because that too is a re-edit of a serial (King Of The Rocket Men), and because it features the 'Rocket Man' himself, albeit a character with a different name played by a different actor (ditto 1952's Radar Men From The Moon, qv). All very confusing! Made more so because, like 1958's Missile Monsters (a re-edit of serial Flying Disc Man From Mars) it has a somewhat irrelevant title - though in the original, 'Zombies' wasn't really appropriate either. Anyway, it's fast moving, clunky, kooky fun which also recycles a load of old stock footage from different serials and a robot too; it's amusing to see the cheat cliff-hangers without the cheats.
Dir: Fred C Brannon
Stars: Judd Holdren, Aline Towne, Wilson Wood, Leonard Nimoy
SATAN’S SLAVE
1976
*
A young woman gets caught up in a Satanic cult run by her family.
A fair example of mid-'70s Brit exploitation horror that looks good, has some nicely judged shock moments and another great performance from Gough. It's to be regretted that there are slow patches and a few absurdities.
Dir: Norman J Warren
Stars: Michael Gough, Martin Potter, Candace Glendenning, Michael Craze
SATAN’S TRIANGLE
1975 (TV)
0
A shipwreck survivor gets lost in a mysterious area of the sea.
Chilly thriller a little short on incident.
Dir: Sutton Roley
Stars: Kim Novak, Doug McClure, Alejandro Rey
SATELLITE IN THE SKY
1956
0
The crew of a space shuttle gets into trouble when the bomb they are meant to explode in space gets attached to their ship.
Amusingly quaint sci-fi which after a surfeit of talk finally gets round to quite an intriguing little quandary, then dissipates any tension by having the crew chatter even more while getting the ham and cheese sandwiches out. Have some fun spotting the wires holding up the ship.
Dir: Paul Dickson
Stars: Kieron Moore, Lois Maxwell, Donald Wolfit, Bryan Forbes
SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING
1960
****
A disgruntled factory worker refuses to be ground down by his job and enjoys a life of boozing, brawling and womanising.
Superb drama that was among the first to show British working class life as it really was, delighting its audience. Still incredibly raw and fresh-seeming today, its scenes of a harsh, basic existence punctuated by fleeting pleasures are more affecting than ever.
Dir: Karel Reisz
Stars: Albert Finney, Shirley Anne Field, Rachel Roberts, Norman Rossington, Bryan Pringle, Colin Blakely, Hylda Baker
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
1978
*
A Brooklyn youth has music as his only escape from a miserable life.
Seedy looking musical which helped sell a lot of records; its infatuation with disco can't help but give it a dated air.
Dir: John Badham
Stars: John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney, Barry Miller
SATURDAY NIGHT OUT
1963
0
A group of seamen have a lively night out in London.
Disappointing, rather irritating drama, not the important or spicy entertainment it thinks it is.
Dir: Robert Hartford-Davis
Stars: Heather Sears, John Bonney, Bernard Lee, Francesca Annis, David Lodge
SATURN 3
1980
*
Two lovers on a space station are intruded upon by a visitor from Earth and his large robot.
Considering its credits (besides the below, the script was by Martin Amis), this is an underwhelming sci-fi horror that has some distinct set and costume design and occasional excitement when the robot goes on the rampage, but is dimmed by flat performances and a pretty silly story. At least it captures Fawcett at her sexiest.
Dir: Stanley Donen
Stars: Kirk Douglas, Farrah Fawcett, Harvey Keitel
SAVAGE
1973 (TV)
*
A TV reporter is given a photograph showing a nominee to the Supreme Court in a compromising position.
Spielberg's third TV film, and last before he went to the cinema, sees him demonstrating much style even if the basic story doesn't quite catch fire the way it might - his handling of the camera is extremely confident, and the highlight is the scene that features silhouettes in a studio; that scene is a break from the norm, as most are long dialogue sequences. Its machinations are quite intriguing but it doesn't build to fireworks; a pilot, it wasn't picked up for a series. The latter-day Spielberg movie it most resembles is The Post.
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Will Geer, Michele Carey
THE SAVAGE BEES
1976 (TV)
*
African killer bees interrupt the Mardi Gras celebrations.
The usual bee larks; actually better than the big screen's The Swarm.
Dir: Bruce Geller
Stars: Ben Johnson, Michael Parks, Paul Hecht
SAVAGE HEARTS
1996
0
Lovers go on the run with stolen loot.
One of the worst films ever made, this hysterically appalling attempt at a British Pulp Fiction manages to be uncool, laughable, ridiculous and unbelievable - and that's just in the first five minutes.
Dir: Mark Ezra
Stars: Jamie Harris, Maryam d'Abo, Richard Harris, Angus Deayton
SAVAGE ISLANDS
1984
*
A man pursues a group of cutthroats who have kidnapped his wife.
Lightweight, conventional adventure with bright and airy settings.
Dir: Ferdinand Fairfax
Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Michael O'Keefe, Jenny Seagrove
SAVAGE MAN... SAVAGE BEAST
1975
*
Documentary concerning the bad treatment of animals by both other animals and humans.
A big international success in its day, and a film that would never get through the BBFC uncut today (as then). It's a rather baggy amalgam of gruesome real-life animal havoc, some of which is obviously faked, mixed in with more appealing footage of naked women at music festivals. Not without some influence, it's an intriguing example of the movies they used to make.
Dir: Antonio Climati, Mario Morra
SAVAGE MESSIAH
1972
0
French sculptor Henri Gaudier-Brzeska has a platonic relationship with Polish writer Sophie Brzeska.
This film explains why a lot of people hate Ken Russell; a loud, constantly obnoxious and stupid attempt at a breezy biography about two repugnant people (or so they come across here), immersed in its own deeply irritating reality. It’s like being stuck at a party with a load of guests you have nothing in common with and detest.
Dir: Ken Russell
Stars: Dorothy Tutin, Scott Antony, Helen Mirren, Lindsay Kemp, Michael Gough
SAVAGE TERROR
1980
0
Students travel deep into the jungle to find primitive tribes.
Cannibal horror that's tough to watch because 1) It's mostly very dark, 2) The animal violence is unpleasant and 3) It's just a very, very poor film - the director shoots in an authentic location but he knows nothing about narrative drama.
Dir: Sisworo Gautama
Stars: Enny Haryono, Barry Prima, Johann Mardjono
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
1998
***
American soldiers attempt to rescue their colleague from behind enemy lines.
Although perhaps slightly too aware of its own importance, this is a sterling war drama with terrifying realistic combat scenes that convey the horror of war all too well.
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper
SAW
2004
*
Two men awake in a bathroom chained to the piping – it is part of a murderous game by a man called Jigsaw.
Efficient horror thriller that takes a few twists and turns, often implausible ones. Well enough done for those who can take it, it spawned a long line of sequels.
Dir: James Wan
Stars: Cary Elwes, Leigh Wannell, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Tobin Bell
SAW II
2005
*
Eight people, including the son of a cop, are trapped in a building full of deadly traps.
Less effective but reasonably robust sequel which more than achieves the grungy and gritty look presumably desired by the filmmakers.
Dir: Darren Lynn Bousman
Stars: Donnie Wahlberg, Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith
SAW III
2006
*
Jigsaw forces a doctor to keep him alive while he puts a bereaved father through one of his tests.
A watchable continuation - at least for those who don't mind skulls being drilled open and minced-up rancid pigs being sprayed onto a chained victim - which may well confuse those who haven't seen the first two. It's horrible, but it's horrible very well done.
Dir: Darren Lynn Bousman
Stars: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Bahar Soomekh
SAW IV
2007
*
Jigsaw has died but his murderous games and traps carry on.
Another solid entry in the franchise, one that depends more than most in seeing previous entries: the plot is, of course, fairly absurd, but the gruesome tortures are nastily arresting and there is smartness at work, much more than those who haven't seen these films realise.
Dir: Darren Lynn Bousman
Stars: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson
SAW V
2008
0
More people are put in horrible traps, while we learn more about how Jigsaw carried out his retribution.
The first real dud of the series, one which is quite confusing even for those who haven't seen the earlier ones; the spark has gone and even the traps don't seem as clever as before.
Dir: David Hackl
Stars: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Betsy Russell
SAW VI
2009
0
John's widow carries out his final request.
And on it goes, now with a satirical edge. Part six is ever more murky and complicated, flashing back to the first one, or is it the second? (Or third?) The funny thing is that those who've never seen the series will dismiss it as valueless 'torture porn', while failing to realise its unbelievable complexity. This isn't a terrible film but the experience of watching it is closer to pain than pleasure.
Dir: Kevin Greutert
Stars: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Mark Rolston, Betsy Russell
SAW 3D
2010
*
A survivor of one of Jigsaw's traps goes public - which may be a mistake...
A chapter among the better ones, full of clever and nasty traps (more than any other entry) and twisting and turning right the way to the end, with a moderately original overall structure. Congratulations to the makers for managing to stretch this franchise to so many films, and creating a new horror icon.
Dir: Kevin Greutert
Stars: Sean Patrick Flannery, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Tobin Bell, Carey Elwes
Sequels: Jigsaw and Spiral (both qv), and below
SAW X
2023
**
In between the events of Saw and Saw II, John Kramer attempts to find a cure for the cancer that is killing him.
Probably the best entry into the franchise because it is, mostly, a slow-burning, twisting thriller, well told, which does things a bit differently and even manages to humanise John and Amanda somewhat, while giving them plenty of screen time; the gruesome 'games' are still there, though, reliably forcing you to cover your eyes as they reach their revolting apexes. Its 'revenge' plotline has obvious appeal (they certainly did mess with the wrong guy), while scenes like the one with the innards used as rope display outrageous cheek. Those who criticise the absurdities of the films miss the point.
Dir: Pete Goldfinger, Josh Stolberg
Stars: Tobin Bell, Synnove Macody Lund, Shawnee Smith, Steven BrandSAYONARA
1957
**
American soldiers fall in love with Japanese women, which causes great problems in their military.
Overlong but consistently well done romantic drama that peddles what now seems like a familiar anti-prejudice message but at the time must have seemed new. If Brando's performance gets too irritating you can always admire the scenery.
Dir: Joshua Logan
Stars: Marlon Brando, Miiko Taka, Red Buttons, Miyoshi Umeki
SCANDAL
1989
*
A senior Conservative politician has an affair with a call girl.
Faithful recreation of the sex scandal that helped bring down a government, competently done, but perhaps of most interest to those who lived through it.
Dir: Michael Caton-Jones
Stars: John Hurt, Joanne Whalley, Bridget Fonda, Ian McKellen, Leslie Phillips, Britt Ekland, Daniel Massey
SCANNERS
1980
*
Certain people have the power to cause explosions.
Sci-fi thriller which thinks while also providing gory action.
Dir: David Cronenberg
Stars: Michael Ironside, Patrick McGoohan, Jennifer O'Neill
1957
**
American soldiers fall in love with Japanese women, which causes great problems in their military.
Overlong but consistently well done romantic drama that peddles what now seems like a familiar anti-prejudice message but at the time must have seemed new. If Brando's performance gets too irritating you can always admire the scenery.
Dir: Joshua Logan
Stars: Marlon Brando, Miiko Taka, Red Buttons, Miyoshi Umeki
SCANDAL
1989
*
A senior Conservative politician has an affair with a call girl.
Faithful recreation of the sex scandal that helped bring down a government, competently done, but perhaps of most interest to those who lived through it.
Dir: Michael Caton-Jones
Stars: John Hurt, Joanne Whalley, Bridget Fonda, Ian McKellen, Leslie Phillips, Britt Ekland, Daniel Massey
SCANNERS
1980
*
Certain people have the power to cause explosions.
Sci-fi thriller which thinks while also providing gory action.
Dir: David Cronenberg
Stars: Michael Ironside, Patrick McGoohan, Jennifer O'Neill
THE SCARECROW
1920
**
Two farmhands compete for a girl.
This Keaton short is basically separate sketches stuck together, but those sketches - particularly the breakfast one and the dog chase - are so inventive, well-timed and energetic it matters not. Nice, mad final scene too.
Dir: Edward F Cline, Buster Keaton
Stars: Buster Keaton, Sybil Seely, Joe Roberts
THE SCARECROW
1981
*
Two teenagers cross paths with a killer.
A curious mix of genres that may not be fully successful but is generally interesting.
Dir: Sam Pillsbury
Stars: Jonathan Smith, Tracey Mann, John Carradine
SCARED STIFF
1953
0
A singer and a busboy wind up on a spooky Caribbean island.
Unremarkable remake of The Ghost Breakers (qv), constantly slowed down by the antics of the star 'comedy' team.
Dir: George Marshall
Stars: Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Lizabeth Scott, Carmen Miranda
SCARED TO DEATH
1947
0
A dead woman remembers how she was killed.
Senseless, claustrophobic rubbish that’s probably only surreal because it’s so incompetent – it’s 65 minutes long but feels like days (you give up trying to fathom it after 20). A succession of random characters act out a bizarre, theatre-like script that veers between comedy, horror and mystery.
Dir: Christy Cabanne
Stars: Bela Lugosi, George Zucco, Molly Lamont, Nat Pendleton
SCARFACE
1932
***
A violent gangster has ambitions to be the best in the city.
Almost any sequence could be plucked out of this genuinely mephitic mob classic to show its greatness, and the violence still shocks today.
Dir: Howard Hawks, Richard Rosson
Stars: Paul Muni, George Raft, Boris Karloff, Ann Dvorak
SCARFACE
1983
0
A Cuban immigrant comes to America to cause misery.
Obnoxious and tedious remake which the world would be a better place without; dated '80s-isms make it even worse.
Dir: Brian De Palma
Stars: Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert Loggia
THE SCARLET BLADE
1963
*
Cavaliers attempt to save King Charles I from Cromwell-supporting Roundheads.
Fairly ordinary Hammer swashbuckler whose best moments involve Jeffries and Reed, playing the villains; it looks good but isn’t thrilling, although boys at matinees in 1963 may have disagreed. The scene with the moving bush is hilarious!
Dir: John Gilling
Stars: Lionel Jeffries, Oliver Reed, Jack Hedley, June Thorburn, Duncan Lamont, Michael Ripper
THE SCARLET CLAW
1944
**
Sherlock Holmes investigates murders in a Canadian village.
Enjoyable murder mystery with touches of horror, sometimes acclaimed as the best of the Rathbone Holmes films. It may not quite be that but it has oodles of atmosphere, a tricky plot, ace photography and acting, and of course the best Holmes of them all, here signing off, as was often the case, with some stirring rhetoric. But it's just the culture and the attitude of these movies that makes them such a pleasure to escape to.
Dir: Roy William Neill
Stars: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Gerald Hamer, Paul Cavanagh
THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL
1934
**
During the French Revolution, a daring Englishmen saves aristocrats from the guillotine.
Dashing swashbuckler that makes up for its talkative patches by delivering splendid action sequences.
Dir: Harold Young
Stars: Leslie Howard, Merle Oberon, Raymond Massey, Nigel Bruce
SCARS OF DRACULA
1970
*
A man searches for his brother who was last seen at Dracula's castle.
The bats! The bats! The sixth in Hammer's Dracula series has an unfortunate overdose of rubber bats, which really does dilute the horror; it's also not helped by a pedestrian, repetitive storyline (which bears a slight resemblance to Psycho's) and not a lot that's especially original. At least Lee and Troughton are good value, and there are the usual Hammer touches that now seem endearingly cosy.
Dir: Roy Ward Baker
Stars: Christopher Lee, Dennis Waterman, Jenny Hanley, Patrick Troughton, Christopher Matthews, Michael Ripper
SCARY MOVIE
2000
0
Teenagers are stalked by a dumb serial killer.
Mostly appalling horror spoof with a few bright moments, its success demonstrates how many willingly lap up undemanding fare.
Dir: Keenen Ivory Wayans
Stars: Anna Faris, Marlon Wayans, Carmen Electra, Dave Sheridan, Shannon Elizabeth
SCARY MOVIE 2
2001
0
A group of high schoolers are roped into an experiment at a haunted house.
Similar stuff. It's just so broad and tasteless that you can't help but appreciate its freewheeling enthusiasm and libertarianism - but it's a shame more of the jokes aren't funnier.
Dir: Keenen Ivory Wayans
Stars: Anna Faris, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Tim Curry
SCARY MOVIE 3
2003
0
Cindy faces crop circles and aliens.
A succession of lame gags in the now creaky Airplane style; the end credits take far too long to arrive.
Dir: David Zucker
Stars: Anna Faris, Charlie Sheen, Pamela Anderson, Jenny McCarthy
SCARY MOVIE 4
2006
0
Alien tripods attack America, among other scares.
There are a few titters here, and it's not an unbearable watch, but many of the gags don't raise as much as a smile because they're over-familiar, too stupid or just offer slight variants on source material - targets here include War Of The Worlds, Saw, Breakback Mountain and The Grudge.
Dir: David Zucker
Stars: Anna Faris, Craig Bierko, Regina Hall, Leslie Nielsen
SCARY MOVIE 5
2013
0
A couple move to a haunted house.
The worst of the lot, which is saying something; quite the most depressing experience imaginable.
Dir: Malcolm D Lee
Stars: Ashley Tisdale, Simon Rex, Charlie Sheen
SCARY OR DIE
2012
0
Five horror stories: The Crossing, Taejung's Lament, Re-Membered, Clowned and Lover Come Back.
Thin anthology, sometimes very weak indeed (stories two, three and five), sometimes a little lustier (the other two), but never anything more than an undernourished low budget effort. Bad title too.
Dir: Bob Badway, Michael Emanuel, Igor Meglic
Stars: Bill Oberst Jr, Hali Lula Hudson, Shawn-Caulin Young
SCENES FROM A MALL
1990
0
A husband and wife row at a shopping mall.
Excruciatingly boring talk piece with Allen embarrassingly cast against type.
Dir: Paul Mazursky
Stars: Woody Allen, Bette Midler
SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE
1973
**
A couple’s marriage begins to fall apart.
Intense two-hander cut down from something even longer, it offers brilliant acting and an under-the-skin examination of relationships – anyone who has been in one should take something from it.
Dir: Ingmar Bergman
Stars: Liv Ullmann, Erland Josephson
SCENES FROM THE CLASS STRUGGLE IN BEVERLY HILLS
1989
0
Lifestyles of the rich, famous and sex-mad.
Like a less amiable ‘don’t lose your trousers’ farce; unlikely to brighten up its audience’s day.
Dir: Paul Bartel
Stars: Jacqueline Bisset, Ray Sharkey, Mary Woronov
SCENT OF A WOMAN
1992
**
A prep student gets more than he bargained for when he agrees to look after a blind army veteran.
This overlong but well made drama is sort of like a straw man argument made into a movie: how could the behaviour of a headmaster who did anything so ridiculous and clearly wrong-headed as put pupils on trial in front of the school ever be expected to get away with it? And how could any character be so relentlessly obnoxious as Pacino's is to his young charge? Because it's all about final redemption, innit? It has much that's good in it but its sentimentality and over-the-top lead performance were clearly crafted with the Academy in mind - and it worked.
Dir: Martin Brest
Stars: Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell, James Rebhorn, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Gabrielle Anwar
SCENT OF PASSION
1990
0
A composer takes in a homeless woman and falls for her.
Glossy drama with some genuinely erotic episodes.
Dir: Pasquale Fanetti, Roberto Francesconi, Fedor Skubonia
Stars: Malu, Angeles Lopez Barea
SCHINDLER’S LIST
1993
****
Industrialist Oskar Schindler saves Jews from being exterminated in Nazi concentration camps.
Spellbindingly powerful and deeply moving, Spielberg's faultless film about the Holocaust is one that will last through the generations. At times harrowing beyond belief, it brings home more than any other picture the shocking inhumanity that characterised the Third Reich, with Fiennes especially magnetic and terrifying as camp boss Amon Goeth. The black and white cinematography is of course stunning, but another remarkable aspect of it is the crowd control, how thousands of extras were made to seem so real, and directed so well that their actions and demeanour unerringly echo the race crushed under the Nazi jackboot. An obvious must-see movie for all sorts of reasons.
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall
SCHIZO
1976
*
A housewife claims she is being stalked by a potential killer.
Walker's schlocky horror is something of a disappointment considering what he was capable of: too long and drawn out, with a plot that doesn't quite work - there has to be a twist the way it's written, and there is, and some might guess what it is - it also lacks the agitated moral agenda of pictures like House Of Whipcord and House Of Mortal Sin. Still, the grisly set-pieces have some power, the cast is decent and it's always a pleasure to see 1976 London.
Dir: Pete Walker
Stars: Lynne Frederick, John Leyton, Stephanie Beacham, John Fraser, Jack Watson, Queenie Watts
SCHIZOID
1980
0
An advice columnist receives notes threatening to kill her.
Lousy low budget shocker, thinly characterised and crudely directed.
Dir: David Paulsen
Stars: Klaus Kinski, Marianna Hill, Richard Herd, Christopher Lloyd
SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS
1960
**
A young man attends a school which teaches pupils how to be successful rogues.
Episodic, pleasing old-time comedy that benefits from at least three strong comic turns – Carmichael is hapless then conniving, Sim is a knowing wrong ’un and T-T is an absolute cad. The film also provides the opportunity of seeing a sunny north London at the end of the 1950s, one that has remarkably light traffic.
Dir: Robert Hamer
Stars: Ian Carmichael, Terry-Thomas, Alastair Sim, Janette Scott, Dennis Price, Peter Jones, John Le Mesurier, Irene Handl, Hattie Jacques, Hugh Paddick
SCHOOL FOR SEX
1969
0
A Lord starts an academy to teach pretty young ladies how to get cash out of men.
Bungling, inexpert attempt at a sex comedy, a shoddy early effort from a director who'd go on to be a purveyor of cultish exploitation; even though the film’s largely dire you can just about see that Walker had some sort of talent. And it was an enormous commercial success, including abroad, perhaps no wonder given the title and the marketing (and foreigners got a stronger version than us). Maybe its greatest cultural contribution is what it says about men's desires, and about the Establishment?
Dir: Pete Walker
Stars: Derek Aylward, Rose Alba, Bob Andrews, Francoise Pascal
THE SCHOOL OF ROCK
2003
*
A guitar-wielding teacher shows his pupils the way to rock stardom.
Digestible comedy with a familiar blueprint, enlivened by a fervent star performance.
Dir: Richard Linklater
Stars: Jack Black, Adam Pascal, Lucas Papaelias
SCHOOL SPIRIT
1986
0
A 'dead' boy who is invisible takes advantage of his gift in the girls' changing rooms.
Idiotic piece of trash with absolutely no style or decorum.
Dir: Alan Holleb
Stars: Tom Nolan, Elizabeth Foxx
SCHOOLGIRL HITCHHIKERS
1973
*
Two bisexual girls happen upon what they think is a deserted mansion, but a petty criminal lurks there.
You could take two different views on this strange slice of erotica: it’s a hilariously bad grot film, makes absolutely no sense and is gauche in the extreme; or it’s an arty director making a feature which is highly unconventional and basks in dream logic and delivers images that are pleasing on the eye. One imagines that the Soho Macintosh brigade who saw it in the Seventies would have left the cinema in something of a daze; viewed now it’s a reasonably easy watch (despite the director’s insistence on showing the most insignificant of actions), and provides many a chortle (which may or may not be intentional), including the detective who tracks the abducted girl down by having a sleep and then breakfast, the torturers who cut a small amount of the girl’s hair off, and the detective’s assistant who’s dressed like a pornographic schoolgirl.
Dir: Jean Rollin
Stars: Joelle Coeur, Gilda Arancio, Willy Braque, Francois Brincourt
SCISSORS
1991
0
A young woman suspects her neighbours are out to get her.
Unconvincing and uninvolving low budget thriller which looks like a dry run for the star’s Sliver (qv).
Dir: Frank De Delitta
Stars: Sharon Stone, Steve Railsback, Ronny Cox
SCOOP
2006
*
A female junior reporter enlists the help of an ageing magician to follow a tip-off about a murderer from a dead journalist.
Allen's second London film is not as ambitious or accomplished as his first (Match Point, qv), although it's not unpleasant. Elements of the yarn are recycled from various sources, including from Allen's own work, while the script is distinctly patchy - there are crackers ('This guy is not a serial killer, believe me. I'd be surprised if he killed just one person') and the eventually wearisome repetition of 'with all due respect, with all sincerity' etc. Both the laughs and the thrills are rather muffled. It's unlikely to convert non-Allen fans, or impress younger film audiences, but it's a decent, light flick with nice scenery and performances.
Dir: Woody Allen
Stars: Woody Allen, Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman, Ian McShane, Charles Dance
SCORE
1974
0
Two couples have a night of sexual experimentation.
Heterosexual viewers shouldn't be fooled into thinking this is one for them: it's one of the gayest films you could ever see, leading to the question of who exactly it is meant to appeal to. The director's insistence of near constant head and shoulders shots and rapid cutting adds to the feeling of discombobulation and obnoxiousness.
Dir: Radley Metzger
Stars: Claire Wilbur, Calvin Culver, Lynn Lowry, Gerald Grant
SCORPIO RISING
1963
*
Images of bikers intercut with Jesus and Hitler, with homosexual overtones.
Avant-garde short given a little more accessibility than most by its soundtrack of popular 1950s and 1960s pop songs, which it's reckoned influenced the likes of Scorsese and Tarantino. Whether many others than them, or beard-rubbing cineastes, will get much out of its eccentric eclecticism is open to question.
Dir: Kenneth Anger
SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD
2010
*
A young guitarist has to defeat a girl’s seven evil exes if he is to go out with her.
Those who know the comic book on which this is based will probably love this offbeat fantasy; those who don’t might say something like: this is a strange experience, one that’s difficult to ascertain exactly what it is about or who Scott Pilgrim is and what he can do – little surprise it was a box office flop. The story is weirdly simple, the star plays the same role as he always does and it’s not especially funny but it might – just might – go on to become a cult classic thanks to its visual invention and snapshot of a time and culture. It certainly has a lot of followers already.
Dir: Edgar Wright
Stars: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong, Kieran Culkin
SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE
2015
0
Boy scouts are faced with something trickier than a waterlogged tent.
Passable teenage comic horror with a few inventive ideas but no big laughs and the odd spectacular lapse in taste; a better soundtrack might have improved it.
Dir: Christopher Landon
Stars: Tye Sheridan, Logan Miller, Joey Morgan, Sarah Dumont
SCRAM!
1932
**
Stan and Ollie are ordered out of town by an angry judge but inadvertently wind up at his house and get his wife drunk.
Fun short: nice moments include Housman's turn as the drunk, the marathon laughing session and Cramer's face as he discovers the three together.
Dir: Ray McCarey
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Arthur Housman, Richard Cramer
SCREAM
1996
*
Teens are stalked by a killer who's seen a few horror films too.
Acclaimed because of its 'postmodern' attitude, this is a standard shocker which would have been more or less ignored were it not for its occasional in-jokes and movie references. A smartly marketed film.
Dir: Wes Craven
Stars: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore
SCREAM 2
1998
0
Sidney moves town but is still hunted by the ghost-faced killer.
Boring, pointless, hopelessly curdled horror, said to be part of a 'new wave' but just as hackneyed and unoriginal as others of its kind which at least weren't as smart alec and sickeningly glossy. A con trick.
Dir: Wes Craven
Stars: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Sarah Michelle Gellar
SCREAM AND DIE
1974
0
A model is unable to relocate the house where she witnessed a murder.
Spooky but padded shocker, a mix of exploitation and artiness, let down by stilted acting and plaintive scripting.
Dir: Joseph Larraz
Stars: Andrea Allan, Karl Lanchbury, Maggie Walker
SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN
1970
*
A serial killer who drains his victims of blood is loose in London. Meanwhile, a sinister political organisation is active.
Confusing, disjointed horror which might have worked better if it was more spoofy - but it has some macabre, wacky highlights among its Englishness, such as the chap whose limbs keep disappearing, or the one who decides he doesn't need his hand (after a very long chase). It has a certain sort of barmy charm, as a film with this title should. Price isn't in it as much as you'd like, Lee isn't in it much, and Cushing even less.
Dir: Gordon Hessler
Stars: Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Judy Huxtable, Alfred Marks
SCREAM BLOODY MURDER
1973
0
A farm kid murders his parents then travels cross-country.
Rough and ready independent horror with a nihilistic streak. It's probably better - if that word can be used - in the first half, which involves more outside activity. One for the DVD bargain buckets and multi-title discs, it's gory and crazy.
Dir: Marc B Ray
Stars: Fred Holbert, Leigh Mitchell, Robert Knox
SCREAM FOR HELP
1984
0
A teenager discovers her stepfather wants her dead.
Cornball shocker, unbelievably hammy in scripting and acting, all accompanied by a hilariously inappropriate music score.
Dir: Michael Winner
Stars: Rachael Kelly, Marie Masters, David Allen Brooks
SCREAM FOR VENGEANCE!
1980
0
A gang of thugs turn kidnappers, but it goes wrong.
Grubby thriller which starts punchily enough but drifts later on, not going anywhere especially interesting - but a late image of a man with a pitchfork in him was strong enough to make a memorable video cover.
Dir: Bob Bliss
Stars: Sally Lockett, Nicholas Jacquez, Walter Addison
SCREAM OF THE WOLF
1974 (TV)
*
A big-game hunter tracks down what he suspects is a werewolf...
...but it isn't, which makes the movie a little flat and phoney. It keeps you watching till the end though.
Dir: Dan Curtis
Stars: Peter Graves, Clint Walker, Jo Ann Pflug
SCREAM PRETTY PEGGY
1973 (TV)
*
A college girl goes to look after a strange family in a house with a secret.
Obvious but enjoyable Psycho-inspired shocker. Peggy screams a lot but isn't very pretty.
Dir: Gordon Hessler
Stars: Ted Bessell, Sian Barbara Allen, Bette Davis
SCREAM SHOW
1987 (V)
0
Three horror stories: Video Date, Split Decision and Shattered Vows.
Weak, predictable stuff with a reliance on sex, a compilation of episodes from television show The Hitchhiker, packaged together for video release in Britain (see also Deadtime Stories).
Dir: Richard Rothstein, Ivan Nagy
Stars: Gregg Henry, Shannon Tweed, Jackson Davis, Bruce Greenwood
THE SCREAMING SKULL
1958
0
A man's second wife, living in the same house as the first, fears she is going mad.
A not unpredictable cheap horror spin on Rebecca, Gaslight etc, with a lot of that flipping skull turning up, and the shapely actress wandering round in diaphanous nightwear getting increasingly frightened, or people chatting. But it could be much worse. The producers offered to pay for the funerals of those scared to death by it; it's unlikely they had to pay out.
Dir: Alex Nicol
Stars: John Hudson, Peggy Webber, Russ Conway
THE SCREAMING WOMAN
1972 (TV)
0
A woman considered crazy by her greedy relatives professes to hear screaming from under the ground.
Irritating, boring, silly suspenser.
Dir: Jack Smight
Stars: Olivia de Havilland, Ed Nelson, Joseph Cotten, Walter Pidgeon
SCREAMS OF A WINTER NIGHT
1979
0
Teens staying at a cabin in the woods tell each other three scary stories: Moss Point Man, The Green Light and Crazy Annie.
16mm horror that strangely gained a bit of a following (possibly in part due to being yet another film promoted by Quentin Tarantino) but really isn't anything more than a badly written, cheaply shot shocker which pads out the bits between the stories - all very weak - with lots of chatter from the clearly over-age teens: it's actually 20 minutes before the first tale even starts.
Dir: James L Wilson
Stars: Matt Borel, Gil Glasgow, Patrick Byers
SCREAMTIME
1983
*
New York crooks steal and watch three British horror films.
This was compiled from three short films previously released in the UK as supporting features - That's The Way To Do It (aka Killer Punch), Dreamhouse (aka Screamhouse) and Garden Of Blood (aka Do You Believe In Fairies? and Virgin Mutant Fairies), given a new American wraparound featuring thieves and a little nudity. Mostly thinly scripted, the first tale doesn't fulfil the potential of Mr Punch's menace, and is pretty silly; the second might be the best, and scariest, with an inspired final twist, although the previous repetitive action tries the patience rather; the third is sometimes unintentionally hilarious (the violent gnome! The Dollar singer's clothes ripped off!) and pretty ropey. Not a dislikeable flick, but a long way from the glory days of Amicus anthologies, which were presumably in mind when it was put together.
Dir: Michael Armstrong, Stanley A Long
Stars: Vincent Russo, Robin Bailey, Ann Lynn, Ian Saynor, David Van Day, Dora Bryan
SCREWBALLS
1983
*
Five students make a special effort to see the breasts of the beautiful school virgin, Purity Busch.
Yes it's an inane load of nonsense, but this popular sex comedy is a genuinely unhinged, surreal, freewheeling and happy exercise in showing human beings display their most basic instincts, that of celebrating and pursuing the opposite sex. There's no earnest sentimentality, no tiresome nostalgia, no wearisome ideology, just beyond-bizarre gags thrown at the audience at hectic speed, many of them actually very funny - some in perhaps a slightly different way than originally intended; it's a million miles away from the mean-spiritness of much modern-day comedy and exists to make people with no hang ups feel a little better.
Dir: Rafal Zielinski
Stars: Linda Speciale, Peter Keleghan, Kent Deuters
SCREWBALLS 2: LOOSE SCREWS
1984
*
Four teenagers attempt to seduce their sexy new French teacher.
Sexy teen comedy that is generally sunny and good-natured.
Dir: Rafal Zielinski
Stars: Bryan Genesse, Lance Van Der Kolk, Alan Deveau
SCROOGE
1935
*
An old miser is visited by four ghosts on Christmas Eve and told to change his ways.
First sound version of A Christmas Carol, with some innocent charm.
Dir: Henry Edwards
Stars: Seymour Hicks, Donald Calthrop, Robert Cochran
SCROOGE
1951
***
Felicitously cast version that may still be the best version of Dickens' novel - Sim and others aside, it also has a perfect look to it and most of the fleshing out of the short book is successful; a Christmastime must-watch. Sim reprised the character 20 years later for a cute TV animation short.
Dir: Brian Desmond Hurst
Stars: Alastair Sim, Mervyn Johns, Michael Hordern, George Cole, Francis De Wolff, Ernest Thesiger
SCROOGE
1970
*
Musical version which is the most extravagant but also the dullest and most unwieldy.
Dir: Ronald Neame
Stars: Albert Finney, Alec Guinness, Edith Evans, Kenneth More
SCROOGED
1988
*
A cynical TV executive is visited by spooks on Christmas Eve.
The star gives a lively oddball performance and there are some laughs and great special effects, but this comedy lasts too long and veers into sentimentality.
Dir: Richard Donner
Stars: Bill Murray, Karen Allen, John Forsythe, Robert Mitchum
SCUM
1979
*
Life in a boys' borstal.
Brutal, foul-mouthed sensationalism which might have been more honourable were it not been so unbelievable in its extremes.
Dir: Alan Clarke
Stars: Ray Winstone, Phil Daniels, Mick Ford
THE SEA INSIDE
2004
**
A quadriplegic fights for his right to die for almost 30 years.
Recent films about tragic accidents and severe disabilities have a habit of being mostly excellent, and this is no exception; the way it's directed ensures it's anything but confined or navel-gazing.
Dir: Alejandro Amenabar
Stars: Javier Bardem, Belen Rueda, Lola Duenas
SEA OF LOVE
1989
**
A cop falls in love with the main suspect in a serial killer case.
Easy to enjoy thriller which also has a nice line in comedy.
Dir: Harold Becker
Stars: Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, John Goodman, Michael Rooker
SEABISCUIT
2003
*
During the Depression, an angry young man and a feisty horse prove to be a perfect partnership.
Solidly professional horsey tale which takes a while to fully crank into place but then provides familiar feel-good exploits; a perfectly decent film.
Dir: Gary Ross
Stars: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Elizabeth Banks, William H Macy
SÉANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON
1964
**
A so-called psychic plans to kidnap a wealthy couple's daughter and tell the parents that she is receiving messages from her.
Unlikely but cultured melodrama atmospherically shot in a large Victorian house and around London.
Dir: Bryan Forbes
Stars: Richard Attenborough, Nanette Newman, Kim Stanley
THE SEARCH FOR BRIDEY MURPHY
1956
0
A hypnotised woman appears to travel back in time a hundred years.
Boring reincarnation drama, flatly made, rather like a school education programme.
Dir: Noel Langley
Stars: Teresa Wright, Louis Hayward, Eilene Janssen
THE SEARCHERS
1956
**
A grizzled cowboy searches for his niece who has been kidnapped by Red Indians.
Much praised and often beautiful but rather boring western.
Dir: John Ford
Stars: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Natalie Wood
SEARCHING
2018
**
When his daughter goes missing, an anxious father goes online to see if he can find clues to her disappearance.
The gimmick of this thriller is that the entire movie is told through a computer screen, mostly as the father searches the internet, and it pretty much works; the use of real websites adds verisimilitude and one imagines this will become something of a time capsule. A bit different, and worth watching.
Dir: Aneesh Chaganty
Stars: John Cho, Debra Messing, Michelle La
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN
2012
**
Documentary about singer-songwriter Rodriguez, who was popular in South Africa in the 1970s but then disappeared from view.
Interesting but overpraised film that may be more attractive to South Africans or the moderate number of fans of the two-album man who really shouldn't be compared to the likes of Bob Dylan. It doesn't get under his skin and it doesn't present a story that's too remarkable, but it's a fair effort that won an Academy Award and several others.
Dir: Malik Bendjelloul
THE 2ND BEST SECRET AGENT IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD
1965
*
Secret agent Charles Vine is assigned to protect a Swedish scientist from harm.
One of Shonteff's better films, despite his usual dull, talky patches - the main thing in favour of this low budget, gun-obsessed James Bond copy is the location shooting, which begins near Hampstead Heath (in an Avengers type sequence) and ends in the then newly derelict London Docklands. Adams is adequate as Vine, although he looks deathly pale, made worse by his jet-black hair. Not exactly good but a swallowable time capsule, and the first of three Vine films (Where The Bullets Fly and Somebody's Stolen Our Russian Spy followed, both qv).
Dir: Lindsay Shonteff
Stars: Tom Adams, Karel Stepanek, Peter Bull
THE SECOND HUNDRED YEARS
1927
*
Stan and Ollie break out of jail disguised as painters.
The appeal of Laurel and Hardy's first 'official' comedy together depends on whether you find drawn-out sketches like the painting of the town white and Stan's attempts to eat a cherry funny or irritating. Certainly, things would get a lot more polished; the pair's convict-based Liberty (1929) is more satisfying.
Dir: Fred Guiol
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Tiny Sandford
SECONDS
1966
**
Wealthy people are given the chance of re-starting their lives as a completely different person.
Chilly sci-fi which ends on a disturbing note after a few stolid patches.
Dir: John Frankenheimer
Stars: Rock Hudson, Salome Jens, John Randolph
SECRET AGENT
1936
**
A novelist is employed as an agent and asked to kill a German.
Fairly typical Hitchcock thriller based on stories by Somerset Maugham; faded now but a few set pieces still stand out.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll, Robert Young
SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR
1947
*
A newlywed woman suspects her husband may be a wrong 'un.
While this might be the best lit and one of the best photographed films of the 1940s, its Rebecca/Bluebeard type tale doesn't stir as much as it might have - there's probably too much voiceover for one thing; there's certainly too much psychobabble. Another entry into the 1001 Movies book that shouldn't be there - the director and cast didn't even much care for it.
Dir: Fritz Lang
Stars: Joan Bennett, Michael Redgrave, Anne Revere
THE SECRET GARDEN
1993
**
An orphaned girl discovers a place of magic in her uncle's garden.
Perfectly pleasant version of the famous book that is likely to delight for many years to come.
Dir: Agnieszka Holland
Stars: Maggie Smith, Kate Maberly, Heydon Prowse
THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES
2009
**
A retired legal counsellor is haunted by a case that was never solved.
Ambitious, rewarding thriller that showcases many themes including politics, justice and relationships – sometimes it takes on so much that it gets weighed down. But there are many bravura sequences (including one in a football ground), and the final half hour is gripping and surprising; generally, required viewing for the intelligent film watcher.
Dir: Juan Jose Campanella
Stars: Ricardo DarÃn, Soledad Villamil, Pablo Rago, Javier Godino
THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS
2016
*
Two dogs have an adventure when their owner goes out for her day at work.
Moderately enjoyable animation without the depth or imagination of, say, Pixar's Toy Story films, but some decent knockabout fun for a younger audience; it's a little disappointing that it doesn't use its animal cast to say more about the human condition or about the relationship between humans and their pets, and is happy to be a fairly standard quest picture which wouldn't have to necessarily concern animals. The main feature is preceded by similarly semi-amusing short Mower Minions.
Dir: Yarrow Cheney, Chris Renaud
Voices: Louis CK, Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY
1947
**
A proof-reader of lurid books has vivid daydreams.
Star vehicle which manages to incorporate Kaye at his most versatile and a vaguely Hitchcock-style thriller plot; the daydream sequences allow the lead to perform to the max (although some are too long), and he can be funny in some of his 'real-life' bumbling, but the film should have been shorter - it rather ambles from episode to episode. Still, it has a positive and energetic vibe, and many superb hats.
Dir: Norman Z McLeod
Stars: Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Boris Karloff, Fay Bainter
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY
2013
*
A picture researcher at Life magazine has to track down the missing negative for the shot that will go on the last ever cover of the magazine.
A strange film that likely bamboozled Ben Stiller fans, this version of Thurber's story is a curious enterprise that never achieves its lofty ambitions; it looks terrific and sounds good, but the plot is weird, the execution is weird and the star is unusually sealed up - it's a film that might have been a masterpiece in another dimension but here is not funny enough, is too obtuse and not as meaningful as it thinks. And why throw the wallet in the bin?
Dir: Ben Stiller
Stars: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Jon Daly, Adam Scott
THE SECRET OF BLOOD ISLAND
1964
*
A female agent crash-lands in the Malay jungle and is forced to hide in a Japanese prisoner of war camp.
Likeable but silly POW drama that doesn’t have much to it and comes to a sudden end.
Dir: Quentin Lawrence
Stars: Jack Hedley, Barbara Shelley, Patrick Wymark, Bill Owen, Michael Ripper
THE SECRET OF SANTA VITTORIA
1969
**
During World War 2 an Italian village hides its million plus bottles of wine from the Nazis.
It's a shame that this movie isn't half an hour shorter for it would be considerably sharper and more manageable: yes, all the character stuff eventually pays dividends in the terrific finale but it still would have worked with fewer subplots. Quinn is almost as unlikeable as he is often is but Kruger is fantastic as German Captain von Prum; it also boasts striking location photography and the most authentic looking extras you'll ever see.
Dir: Stanley Kramer
Stars: Anthony Quinn, Anna Magnani, Virna Lisi, Hardy Kruger
THE SECRET OF SEAGULL ISLAND
1979
0
A woman searches for her blind sister who has gone missing.
Unsatisfying oddity chopped down from much greater length, it badly lacks sex and violence, and the Psycho-ish twist ending can be seen a long way off.
Dir: Nestore Ungaro
Stars: Prunella Ransome, Jeremy Brett, Nicky Henson
SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM
1933
*
Three men spend a night in a haunted room to prove they are worthy of a woman's hand in marriage.
Predictable mystery without the promised horrors but some fun in the proceedings.
Dir: Kurt Neumann
Stars: Paul Lukas, Gloria Stuart, Lionel Atwill
SECRET RITES
1971
0
A look at modern practitioners of witchcraft.
A sort of mondo movie, a sort of pseudo documentary, essentially an excuse to show lots of naked people (particularly females) in the new age of permissiveness - which is fine, but the witchy content really is a load of stuff 'n' nonsense, and it gets boring despite its brief 47-minute running time. A curio that can be viewed on the BFI's excellent website.
Dir: Derek Ford
Narrator: Lee Peters
THE SECRET SEX LIVES OF ROMEO AND JULIET
1969
0
A saucy take on Shakespeare.
There's almost none of the Bard here, nor much plot of any kind, it's just a goofy flesh flick with of-its-time humour and some beautiful natural girls - but raincoats may get a little frustrated as many of the naughty scenes are hellishly elongated and obliquely shot. It's a cheap curio for connoisseurs of the strange and kinky; so cheap that there are no titles, they're all spoken.
Dir: Peter Perry Jr
Stars: Forman Shane, Dee Lockwood, James Brand
SECRETARY
2002
*
A troubled girl becomes secretary to a lawyer fond of sado-masochism.
Weird drama that risks antipathy from its audience because they may not be understanding or sympathetic to the characters and their predilections; its near celebration of sexual perversity is a little unsettling.
Dir: Steven Shainberg
Stars: James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeremy Davies
SECRETS
1983 (TV)
*
In 1963, girls at a strict boarding school experiment with Freemasonry, after one of the girls has found her late father's Masonry box.
Part of the then new Channel 4's 'First Love' film series, this doesn't really fit into that category, being more about the schoolgirls' experiences amongst each other - in fact, it's quite a minor, low-key tale; it has its pleasures but if it had more explored nascent sexuality, for instance, then it might have been more piquant.
Dir: Gavin Millar
Stars: Anna Campbell-Jones, Helen Lindsay, Daisy Cockburn, Rebecca Johnson
SECRETS
1992
0
Five teenagers get stuck in an Australian hotel basement in which The Beatles are staying.
Weirdly uninviting drama, a melding of I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978) and The Breakfast Club, not much of a goer, with at least one irritating character; Beatles obsessives might be its main viewers nowadays - there are four Beatles originals from Please Please Me and several instrumental versions of later songs, though some are hard to discern. It's largely quite tiresome, but the performances aren't bad and there are snippets of valuable Fabs archive footage. Why don't the kids try harder to escape the basement?!
Dir: Michael Pattinson
Stars: Beth Champion, Malcolm Kennard, Dannii Minogue, Willa O'Neill, Noah Taylor
SECRETS & LIES
1996
*
A successful black woman looks for her real mother but when she finds her, the woman denies it.
Overrated drama lacking in humour; a heavy going, sentimental wallow with a deeply irritating performance from Blethyn.
Dir: Mike Leigh
Stars: Brenda Blethyn, Phyllis Logan, Timothy Spall, Claire Rushbrook
SECRETS OF A DOOR-TO-DOOR SALESMAN
1973
0
An ex fisherman attempts to sell vacuum cleaners to nymphomaniac housewives.
Tiresome sex comedy with a script that's ever so slightly above average for this sort of film.
Dir: Jonathan Demme, Wolf Rilla
Stars: Brendan Price, Sue Longhurst, Felicity Devonshire, Graham Stark
SECRETS & LIES
1996
*
A successful black woman looks for her real mother but when she finds her, the woman denies it.
Overrated drama lacking in humour; a heavy going, sentimental wallow with a deeply irritating performance from Blethyn.
Dir: Mike Leigh
Stars: Brenda Blethyn, Phyllis Logan, Timothy Spall, Claire Rushbrook
SECRETS OF A DOOR-TO-DOOR SALESMAN
1973
0
An ex fisherman attempts to sell vacuum cleaners to nymphomaniac housewives.
Tiresome sex comedy with a script that's ever so slightly above average for this sort of film.
Dir: Jonathan Demme, Wolf Rilla
Stars: Brendan Price, Sue Longhurst, Felicity Devonshire, Graham Stark
SECRETS OF A FRENCH MAID
1980
0
An aristocratic lady has her two nieces staying with her; sexuality is explored.
The tragedy of this sort of movie is that we have beautiful locations, gorgeous models/actresses and the fact that it was made in the most open-minded time and place in history, and yet awful scripting and direction manage to make it a fraction as enrapturing as it could have been - it goes nowhere, there's no shape, no point to it. It's a shame, though some might get something out of it - such as laughing at the hysterical dubbing.
Dir: Erwin C Dietrich
Stars: Karine Gambier, Brigitte Lahaie, Pascale Vital, Nadine Pascal
SECRETS OF A SUPERSTUD
1975
0
A man will inherit a fortune if her marries and produces a child.
Cheap as chips sex comedy, so unbelievably ludicrous as to be almost worthy.
Dir: Morton Lewis
Stars: Jonathan Addison, Janet Adler, Gabrielle Blunt
SECRETS OF A WINDMILL GIRL
1966
0
A dancer at Soho's Windmill Theatre spirals into decline.
Dull isn't the word for this dismal artefact, a very false-seeming, finger-wagging drama with the exception of the middle section, which is just a straight shooting of acts at the theatre. One could argue that it’s now of some historical value and a valuable time capsule, but it might not be argument enough.
Dir: Arnold L Miller
Stars: Pauline Collins, April Wilding, Derek Bond, Howard Marion-Crawford, Martin Jarvis
SECRETS OF THE PHANTOM CAVERNS
1985
0
Soldiers find albino cave dwellers underground who have been isolated from the world for thousands of years.
Low budget thriller that plays like a TV movie.
Dir: Don Sharp
Stars: Robert Powell, Timothy Bottoms, Lisa Blount, Richard Johnson
SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL
1988
0
A blind man and a deaf man are witness to a murder.
Foolish comedy; jokes range from nearly funny to questionable.
Dir: Arthur Hiller
Stars: Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder, Joan Severance, Kevin Spacey
SEED OF CHUCKY
2004
0
Chucky and Tiffany's offspring Glen tracks the murderous pair down.
This could barely be more different to how the series started out in 1988, which might be considered a good thing but really isn't in this instance: now played as a broad comedy, there's so much puppetry at work you feel like you're watching a Gerry Anderson show (only with tiresomely foul-mouthed puppets), and eventually its inanity has you pleading for it all to stop, yet still it goes on. Comfortably the worst of the franchise.
Dir: Don Mancini
Stars: Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, Billy Boyd, Redman, Hannah Spearritt, John Waters
SEEDING OF A GHOST
1983
*
A taxi driver uses black magic to get revenge on those who killed his wife.
One of the most hard to ignore creations of the Eighties Hong Kong splatter movie industry, this is a very juicy slice of exploitation that gets more insane as it goes along - we get exploding toilets, brain-eating, naked exorcism and a man being sodomised with a giant matchstick (then at the end it goes really crazy). Graphic and erotic, it's a strange but likeable picture that won't be for most.
Dir: Kuen Yeung
Stars: Norman Chu, Phillip Ko, Maria Jo, Yung Wang
SEEDS OF SIN
1968
0
Is a mother killing off the family she hates?
A few things it’d be preferable to do rather than watch this piece of utter trash from a director who made Jess Franco look like Hitchcock: cut your tongue out; dice your liver; pull your toenails out.
Dir: Andy Milligan
Stars: Maggie Rogers, Candy Hammond, Neil Flanagan
SELMA
2014
**
In 1965, Martin Luther King focuses on the Southern town of Selma to push for full voting rights for blacks.
Worthy civil rights drama that has many qualities but is a little lumpy in script development and has the tendency to have characters make speeches to each other as opposed to talking normally. It's remarkable that this most American of films, another that chooses to paint different races in broad brush strokes, largely features actors who hail from Britain in its lead roles (and very good they are too).
Dir: Ava DuVernay
Stars: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth
THE SENDER
1982
*
A telepathic man transmits his visions into the minds of other people.
Clean cut, imaginative shocker which almost, but not quite, sustains the tension throughout.
Dir: Roger Christian
Stars: Kathryn Harrold, Zeljko Ivanek, Shirley Knight
SENIORS
1978
0
Four students open a bogus sex clinic.
Faltering satirical comedy, muddily shot. Aids put a stop to this sort of plot.
Dir: Rodney Amateau
Stars: Jeffrey Byron, Gary Imhoff, Dennis Quaid
SENNA
2011
***
Documentary about the short and fast life of Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna.
An achievement in editing and in making what might be to many an off-putting sport a fascinating one; it'd be nice if there was a little more aural guidance for the uninitiated, but this is a film that grips due to its bold exhibition of human endeavour, charisma and perseverance.
Dir: Asif Kapadia
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
1995
**
Two sisters try to find suitors despite being forced to live more modestly after their father dies.
A richly produced version of one of Austen’s weaker novels that was showered with awards, and does most of the things an adaptation of this author’s work should do. The cast and settings are attractive and if there’s a fault it’s that the plot isn’t terribly strong and it can sometimes irritate that the characters don’t say what they mean and are extremely pensive – but that’s Austen.
Dir: Ang Lee
Stars: Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Gemma Jones, Hugh Laurie
THE SENSE OF AN ENDING
2017
**
A man is confronted by his actions of the past regarding a love affair.
A decent adaptation of a fine, Booker-winning novel that loses a little of the darkness and bitterness but still presents the characters in shades of grey and emphasises the book's themes of unreliable memory and the fragility of life. The narrative flits back and forth between the two time zones, mostly successfully, and Broadbent's performance as the believably flawed lead is exemplary.
Dir: Ritesh Batra
Stars: Jim Broadbent, Harriet Walter, Charlotte Rampling, Emily Mortimer, Billy Howle
THE SENSUOUS NURSE
1975
0
A family who want their unwell rich patriarch dead hire a sexy nurse to look after him, in the hope that it will hasten his demise.
Fairly typical Italian sex comedy that could have been worse; Andress undressed looks fine but her performance is lifeless, and that rather kills it. A cut 78m version loses some key scenes and some sexy scenes.
Dir: Nello Rossati
Stars: Ursula Andress, Mario Pisu, Duilio Del Prete, Jack Palance
SEPARATE TABLES
1958
**
Passion and deceit lurk in a Bournemouth hotel.
Civilised adaptation of Ratigan's play, very well acted, it doesn't seem especially revelatory nowadays but is nicely done and a demonstration that Hollywood could tell a sophisticated tale of English manners (the Niven bits are more interesting than the Hayworth/Lancaster bits). Not a bad place to spend some time in, especially if the weather's grey.
Dir: Delbert Mann
Stars: David Niven, Deborah Kerr, Burt Lancaster, Rita Hayworth, Wendy Hiller, Gladys Cooper, Rod Taylor
A SEPARATION
2011
***
In modern-day Iran, a woman’s decision to leave her husband has many repercussions.
Absorbing, layered Iranian drama that subtly presents moral dilemmas in the framework of a patriarchal society in thrall to ancient religious ideals; the acting is flawless and the characters all presented with authentic human shading. It’s shot almost like a documentary and has to be concentrated on, but that concentration is rewarded.
Dir: Asghar Farhadi
Stars: Peyman Moaadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh Bayat
SEPPUKU
1962
**
A samurai seeks revenge for his son-in-law’s death.
Slow but striking drama taking place in a culture and time about as far removed from ours as is possible. Brooding and intense, it’s not exactly a barrel of laughs but impresses because of its conviction and unusualness.
Dir: Masaki Kobayashi
Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Rentaro Mikuni, Akira Ishihama
SEPTEMBER
1987
*
A gathering at a country house brings out hidden feelings.
Unpopular with the public and most critics alike, this Allen drama is almost 'Interiors 2', about as humour-free and angsty as that film, with a story that is even paler; unfortunately, the characters don't much engage and since that's all we have - we don't even have any outside scenery, it's all set in one house, thus seeming like a stage play - it's not one of the better experiences the director has given us. The performers are better than the material (and this was a movie Woody shot twice).
Dir: Woody Allen
Stars: Mia Farrow, Dianne Wiest, Elaine Stritch, Jack Warden, Denholm Elliott, Sam Waterston
SERENDIPITY
2001
*
A couple split up and wait to see whether destiny will bring them back together.
A chick flick if ever there was one, this silly but amiable comedy is at least fairly brief.
Dir: Peter Chelsom
Stars: John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, Molly Shannon
SERENITY
2005
*
In the 26th century, a band of renegades do battle with the ruling Alliance.
Readers of a science fiction magazine voted this the best sci-fi film of all time, but it certainly isn’t, and to most who haven’t seen the TV series Firefly, on which it is based, it may seem nothing very special, a glowering, choppy space adventure without a strong enough mythology or band of lead characters to make it engaging. The huge appeal to many fans of the lead character, a sub-Han Solo if ever there was one, is also a mystery, and nor is the dialogue anything special either.
Dir: Joss Whedon
Stars: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau
SGT BILKO
1995
0
Bilko's fiancée is at risk of being stolen from him.
Politically correct updating of a show that could never be bettered (Henshaw and Barbella are now black and female respectively); pleasant enough, but only for those ignorant of the original.
Dir: Jonathan Lynn
Stars: Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, Phil Hartman
SGT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND
1978
*
A small-time group make it big despite the attentions of a villain.
Strange kaleidoscope fantasy which is a bit of a guilty pleasure because of its car-crash nature and renditions of classic Beatles songs (which range from the appalling (Because, Mean Mr Mustard, When I'm 64) to the acceptable (Come Together, Polythene Pam, the title track)).
Dir: Michael Schultz
Stars: Peter Frampton, The Bee Gees, George Burns, Frankie Howerd, Paul Nicholas, Steve Martin, Donald Pleasence
SERGEANT YORK
1941
**
A Tennessee hillbilly becomes a hero in the Great War.
Likeable flagwaver that's essentially a film of two halves - the first concentrates on York's rural life, the second on his war efforts, which look to be far-fetched until you discover that they're apparently true. The character's piousness can be a tad irritating, but this is a good-hearted, cannily told tale that encouraged Americans to get involved in World War II.
Dir: Howard Hawks
Stars: Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Joan Leslie, George Tobias
SERIES 7
2000
***
A television show selects people to kill one another to gain freedom.
Bracing, daring thriller that works as an exciting and tightly controlled satire on reality television and American gun culture.
Dir: Daniel Minahan
Stars: Brooke Smith, Mark Woodbury, Michael Kaycheck
A SERIOUS MAN
2009
**
In mid-west America in 1967, a Jewish teacher and husband suffers a string of indignities.
One of the most Jewish films ever made, this strange tale is technically excellent and gently enticing, full of hearty gallows humour.
Dir: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Stars: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed
THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW
1987
*
An anthropologist investigates black magic and zombies in Haiti.
Slow starting, exotically set horror which develops into a series of scary nightmare sequences.
Dir: Wes Craven
Stars: Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes Mokae
1995
0
Bilko's fiancée is at risk of being stolen from him.
Politically correct updating of a show that could never be bettered (Henshaw and Barbella are now black and female respectively); pleasant enough, but only for those ignorant of the original.
Dir: Jonathan Lynn
Stars: Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, Phil Hartman
SGT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND
1978
*
A small-time group make it big despite the attentions of a villain.
Strange kaleidoscope fantasy which is a bit of a guilty pleasure because of its car-crash nature and renditions of classic Beatles songs (which range from the appalling (Because, Mean Mr Mustard, When I'm 64) to the acceptable (Come Together, Polythene Pam, the title track)).
Dir: Michael Schultz
Stars: Peter Frampton, The Bee Gees, George Burns, Frankie Howerd, Paul Nicholas, Steve Martin, Donald Pleasence
SERGEANT YORK
1941
**
A Tennessee hillbilly becomes a hero in the Great War.
Likeable flagwaver that's essentially a film of two halves - the first concentrates on York's rural life, the second on his war efforts, which look to be far-fetched until you discover that they're apparently true. The character's piousness can be a tad irritating, but this is a good-hearted, cannily told tale that encouraged Americans to get involved in World War II.
Dir: Howard Hawks
Stars: Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Joan Leslie, George Tobias
SERIES 7
2000
***
A television show selects people to kill one another to gain freedom.
Bracing, daring thriller that works as an exciting and tightly controlled satire on reality television and American gun culture.
Dir: Daniel Minahan
Stars: Brooke Smith, Mark Woodbury, Michael Kaycheck
A SERIOUS MAN
2009
**
In mid-west America in 1967, a Jewish teacher and husband suffers a string of indignities.
One of the most Jewish films ever made, this strange tale is technically excellent and gently enticing, full of hearty gallows humour.
Dir: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Stars: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed
THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW
1987
*
An anthropologist investigates black magic and zombies in Haiti.
Slow starting, exotically set horror which develops into a series of scary nightmare sequences.
Dir: Wes Craven
Stars: Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes Mokae
SERPENT'S LAIR
1995
0
A married man is seduced by a beautiful succubus.
Low budget horror (shot in Romania) with nothing like the depth, layers or ideas to be anything other than a video you'd put on and only give the faintest of praise, if any at all. It's overly serious, it's quite prudishly shot, and it's a long, long way from Rosemary's Baby, which it has a vague similarity to. And Fahey's face is off-putting.
Dir: Jeffrey Reiner
Stars: Jeff Fahey, Lisa B, Heather Medway
SERPICO
1973
*
An honest New York cop roots out corruption is his department, and gets into trouble for it.
Hot-under-the-collar drama with a hot-under-the-collar star, here doing his familiar furious shouting and yelling in a true-life tale about large-scale dishonesty; the trouble is that he's so unsympathetic he almost makes his opponents sympathetic. Still, it's a significant entry into the gritty, sweary, violent city streets genre that Hollywood was now exploring in a much rougher style than it was allowed to before. It's powerful, skillfully made stuff, if not likeable.
Dir: Sidney Lumet
Stars: Al Pacino, John Randolph, Cornelia Sharpe, Tony Roberts
THE SERVANT
1963
**
A master and his servant gradually swap places.
Pinter being Pinter: frequently interesting and daring, although it eventually descends into melodramatics as the relationship irrevocably alters.
Dir: Joseph Losey
Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Sarah Miles, Wendy Craig, James Fox, Patrick Magee
THE SET UP
1962
*
After meeting an ex con on the train, an unhappy husband fixes him up to be framed for a murder.
Acceptable Edgar Wallace Mystery with a few nice, if unlikely, plot turns, but a long, long way behind Strangers On A Train.
Dir: Gerard Glaister
Stars: Maurice Denham, John Carson, Maria Corvin, Brian Peck
SEVEN
1996
**
Cops track a serial killer who is obsessed with the seven deadly sins.
Glossy thriller, cleverly and compellingly made.
Dir: David Fincher
Stars: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, R Lee Ermey
SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS
1954
**
The six brothers of a burly mountain man try to get wives, as he has done.
The favourite of many a gran, this is a lively musical with some fine dancing, pleasant songs, plentiful studio sets and more shaded sexual politics than the feminists like to recognise - witness the way Powell has such power over the brothers, for instance. When seen on television, this Cinemascope production unfortunately sometimes looks like Five Brides For Five Brothers.
Dir: Stanley Donen
Stars: Howard Keel, Jane Powell, Jeff Richards, Russ Tamblyn
SEVEN CHANCES
1925
***
A man will inherit $7 million if he can be married before a certain time on a certain day.
One of Keaton's very best, a sprightly comedy masterfully paced and shot (witness the frequent, then revolutionary, panning), its sometimes slightly risque humour still delights, and the final third exhibits the comedian's athletic prowess to the full. An easy pleasure.
Dir: Buster Keaton
Stars: Buster Keaton, Ruth Dwyer, T Roy Barnes, Snitz Edwards
SEVEN DAYS IN MAY
1964
**
Military leaders plot to overthrow the President because he doesn't believe in the nuclear deterrent.
Solid and intelligent if slightly overrated political sci-fi of some prescience.
Dir: John Frankenheimer
Stars: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Fredric March, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien, Martin Balsam
SEVEN DAYS TO NOON
1950
***
A scientist with an atomic bomb threatens to blow up London unless research into nuclear energy is ceased.
Excellent suspenser, never less than totally persuasive. Also extremely valuable as a historical documentation of the magnificence and unity of the people of London, which has now been dissipated forever.
Dir: John Boulting, Roy Boulting
Stars: Barry Jones, Andre Morell, Hugh Cross, Joan Hickson
SEVEN DEATHS IN THE CAT'S EYE
1973
0
Residents of an old castle in Scotland are being killed.
Many Italian horror films have terrific titles (and posters), titles which are more exciting than the actual films themselves, and this is no exception to that rule: it's a rather leaden, disjointed, confusing murder mystery with occasional wild elements (like a lurking gorilla) and no flavour of Scotland at all.
Dir: Antonio Margheriti
Stars: Jane Birkin, Hiram Keller, Francoise Christophe, Anton Diffring
SEVEN FACES OF DR LAO
1964
**
A mysterious circus comes to town to teach the inhabitants some lessons.
Unusual, perspicacious and charming fantasy with excellent special effects and a fine lead performance.
Dir: George Pal
Stars: Tony Randall, Barbara Eden, Arthur O'Connell
SEVEN KEYS
1961
0
A convict is left seven keys which may lead to a fortune.
A potentially interesting idea which turns into a plodding mystery devoid of suspense or thrills.
Dir: Pat Jackson
Stars: Alan Dobie, Jeannie Carson, Delphi Lawrence
7 MURDERS FOR SCOTLAND YARD
1972
0
A Jack the Ripper type character is on the loose in modern-day London.
The London footage (largely Soho and Piccadilly Circus) lifts this basic horror more than its fake gore and nudity which is mostly censored in versions available to view. There's little imagination on show, and Naschy is just his usual Naschy self.
Dir: Jose Luis Madrid
Stars: Paul Naschy, Patricia Luran, Renzo Marigano
THE SEVEN-PER-CENT SOLUTION
1976
**
Sherlock Holmes sees Sigmund Freud to help cure him of his cocaine addiction.
Offbeat, rather fascinating take on Conan Doyle's creation, with a variety of quirky pleasures.
Dir: Herbert Ross
Stars: Nicol Williamson, Robert Duvall, Alan Arkin, Laurence Olivier, Vanessa Redgrave, Joel Grey, Samantha Eggar, Charles Gray
SEVEN SAMURAI
1954
***
A village under attack by bandits hires a group of samurai to protect them.
Electrifying medieval adventure that provided the basis for the western The Magnificent Seven; easily the director's best picture.
Dir: Akira Kurosawa
Stars: Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune, Yoshio Inaba
THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH
1955
**
When his family go away for the summer, a husband is tempted by his sexy next door neighbour.
Despite its cinematic fame thanks to Monroe's skirt-billowing antics, this film is actually highly theatrical, and the witty scriptwriters can't quite succeed in opening it out.
Dir: Billy Wilder
Stars: Marilyn Monroe, Tom Ewell, Evelyn Kees
17 AGAIN
2009
**
A man who feels like he’s messed up his life is given another chance when he somehow becomes his 17-year-old self once again.
Bright, good-natured romantic comedy that’s a cut above usual teen fare: the script has wisdom and drollness and the actors are very attractive, especially Efron, who demonstrates why he may be a big star for years to come (but it’s never convincing that he and Perry are one and the same). It’s like a mix of those body swap films and Back To The Future, and only wants for a bit more expansive action.
Dir: Burr Steers
Stars: Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Matthew Perry
SEVENTH HEAVEN
1927
**
A street cleaner saves a young woman from the street, and the pair fall in love.
Archaic but well mounted romantic drama, impressively shot (the stairs sequence still stands out), that even manages to get away with a silly religious subtext. Few would watch it now, but you can see why plenty did at the time.
Dir: Frank Borzage
Stars: Janet Gaynor, Charles Farrell, Ben Bard
THE SEVENTH SEAL
1956
***
A man seeks the answer to the meaning of life while playing chess with the Grim Reaper.
The film that brought Bergman to international attention, this meandering but beautiful fantasy tackles some of life’s most puzzling questions.
Dir: Ingmar Bergman
Stars: Gunnar Bjornstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson
THE SEVENTH SIGN
1987
0
A woman fears her unborn child may spell the end of the world.
Bible-inspired shocker not unlike The Omen, but less entertaining.
Dir: Carl Schultz
Stars: Demi Moore, Michael Biehn, Jurgen Prochnow
THE SEVENTH VEIL
1945
*
A psychiatrist unpicks the life of a female pianist who has attempted suicide.
Strange, chilly melodrama which must have seemed shockingly modern at the time but now appears a little worn, although it is redeemed by strong performances. Be prepared for a lot of piano playing.
Dir: Compton Bennett
Stars: Ann Todd, James Mason, Herbert Lom, Hugh McDermott
THE SEVENTH VICTIM
1943
*
A woman searches for her missing sister and unwittingly becomes involved in Satanism.
Subdued, slow semi-horror, one of producer Val Lewton's more stately efforts. The Satanism appears to represent descent into drug addiction.
Dir: Mark Robson
Stars: Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Kim Hunter
THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD
1959
*
Sinbad battles an evil wizard who has shrunk a princess.
One of the best and most imaginative fantasies involving Ray Harryhausen creations, it can be enjoyed by all ages.
Dir: Nathan Juran
Stars: Kerwin Matthews, Kathryn Grant, Torin Thatcher
THE SEVENTH VICTIM
1943
*
A woman searches for her missing sister and unwittingly becomes involved in Satanism.
Subdued, slow semi-horror, one of producer Val Lewton's more stately efforts. The Satanism appears to represent descent into drug addiction.
Dir: Mark Robson
Stars: Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Kim Hunter
THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD
1959
*
Sinbad battles an evil wizard who has shrunk a princess.
One of the best and most imaginative fantasies involving Ray Harryhausen creations, it can be enjoyed by all ages.
Dir: Nathan Juran
Stars: Kerwin Matthews, Kathryn Grant, Torin Thatcher
SEVENTY DEADLY PILLS
1964
0
A gang of children find a tin of sweets, some of which are poisonous.
This CFF drama has a slightly intriguing suspense set-up that makes you think it will be good viewing for adults too, but it's soon swamped by the usual scenes of lots of kids in their clubhouse yakking away. Towards the end there's some great footage of the doomed Battersea Park Fun Fair.
Dir: Pat Jackson
Stars: Gareth Robinson, Sally Thomsett, Warren Mitchell
78/52
2017
**
Documentary about the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.
There is no problem filling the 90-minute running time here, although it does of course touch on more than the shower murder, and even major Hitchcock fans might pick up new information - its commentary on the likes of the foreshadowing of the main scene and the use of the word 'mother' deepen further the appreciation of this classic, if that was possible. The number of contributors impresses and much of what they have to say is worth hearing. An indistinct, hard-to-remember title (referring to the camera set ups and edits) was later adorned with the subtitle 'Hitchcock's Shower Scene'.
Dir: Alexandre O Philippe
SEVERANCE
2006
0
An office bonding trip to eastern Europe is torn apart by vicious killers.
One of the new horror breed, ie an utterly amoral and deeply unpleasant film which thinks it's all such a laugh. No wonder society's screwed, especially when the BBFC gives muck like this a 15.
Dir: Christopher Smith
Stars: Danny Dyer, Laura Davis, Tim McInnerny, Toby Stephens
THE SEVERED ARM
1973
0
Men trapped in a cave cut off the arm of one of them in order to survive; this has serious repercussions.
Independent horror thriller not fully realised thanks to languid and not unpredictable plot development, not to mention someone forgetting to switch the lights on half the time. One of the flicks in Cellar Club, a 2021 invention of the admirable Talking Pictures TV channel.
Dir: Tom Alderman
Stars: Paul Carr, Deborah Walley, David G Cannon
SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL
2009
*
Excerpts from the life of Ian Dury, the punk poet who contracted polio at an early age.
Serkis’s performance is a career high – he’s given lots of spicy dialogue too - but this biog doesn’t quite hang together: it’s not sure whether it wants to be conventional or unconventional and thus falls awkwardly between. The choice of incidents it portrays are somewhat random and there’s far too much of Dury’s son (perhaps it was a contractual obligation?). Of the year’s two British rock star biopics, Nowhere Boy (qv) is the better of the two, although this has some great tunes, not the originals unfortunately.
Dir: Mat Whitecross
Stars: Andy Serkis, Naomie Harris, Olivia Williams, Toby Jones, Ray Winstone
SEX AND LUCIA
2001
**
Seeking refuge on a quiet Mediterranean island, a woman is faced with the ghosts of her past relationships.
An intriguing and intelligent puzzle which keeps the viewer alert thanks to kinky sex and an unconventional narrative.
Dir: Julio Medem
Stars: Paz Vega, Tristan Ulloa, Najwa Nimri
SEX AND THE OTHER WOMAN
1972
*
A selection of tales showing how women always get their way.
A really rather charming and titillating portmanteau which acts like a time machine in transporting you to another era. Certainly not the director's worst effort.
Dir: Stanley A Long
Stars: Bartlett Mullins, Peggy Ann Clifford, Maggie Wright, Felicity Devonshire
SEX AND ZEN: EXTREME ECSTASY
2011
0
A young man pursues sexual fulfilment.
Apparently a big hit in the Far East, this is basically trash – albeit glossily produced, good looking trash – that is bizarre and kooky, and not in a good way.
Dir: Christopher Sun Lap Key
Stars: Hiro Hayama, Saori Hara, Vonnie Lui
SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL
2009
*
Excerpts from the life of Ian Dury, the punk poet who contracted polio at an early age.
Serkis’s performance is a career high – he’s given lots of spicy dialogue too - but this biog doesn’t quite hang together: it’s not sure whether it wants to be conventional or unconventional and thus falls awkwardly between. The choice of incidents it portrays are somewhat random and there’s far too much of Dury’s son (perhaps it was a contractual obligation?). Of the year’s two British rock star biopics, Nowhere Boy (qv) is the better of the two, although this has some great tunes, not the originals unfortunately.
Dir: Mat Whitecross
Stars: Andy Serkis, Naomie Harris, Olivia Williams, Toby Jones, Ray Winstone
SEX AND LUCIA
2001
**
Seeking refuge on a quiet Mediterranean island, a woman is faced with the ghosts of her past relationships.
An intriguing and intelligent puzzle which keeps the viewer alert thanks to kinky sex and an unconventional narrative.
Dir: Julio Medem
Stars: Paz Vega, Tristan Ulloa, Najwa Nimri
SEX AND THE OTHER WOMAN
1972
*
A selection of tales showing how women always get their way.
A really rather charming and titillating portmanteau which acts like a time machine in transporting you to another era. Certainly not the director's worst effort.
Dir: Stanley A Long
Stars: Bartlett Mullins, Peggy Ann Clifford, Maggie Wright, Felicity Devonshire
SEX AND ZEN: EXTREME ECSTASY
2011
0
A young man pursues sexual fulfilment.
Apparently a big hit in the Far East, this is basically trash – albeit glossily produced, good looking trash – that is bizarre and kooky, and not in a good way.
Dir: Christopher Sun Lap Key
Stars: Hiro Hayama, Saori Hara, Vonnie Lui
SEX APPEAL
1986
0
A young man reads a book on how to get sex appeal; it recommends an apartment, so he rents one.
Asinine comedy with irritating characters, especially the females, and a story that makes no sense (why do the women come to his apartment? How does the guy next door make so much money from writing about it? How can he install a video camera in there? And more). After a promising start, this soon betrays its low-talent, hack director origins - the fantasy sequences don't even work because much of the 'real' action is so silly, while the saucy bits are dismally shot.
Dir: Chuck Vincent
Stars: Louie Bonanno, Veronica Hart, Tally Chanel
SEX FARM
1973
0
Two frustrated wives head to a health farm for a break from their husbands.
Mighty odd artefact which was rejected by the BBFC (outside London) for excessive sexual content but, in a case of changing public morals, would now have millennials up in arms due to its sexual politics - many of them would watch it open-jawed, and it'd sum up the sordidness of the Seventies for them. The sexual content consists of inter-racial lesbian and even a bit of OAP jiggery-pokery but little livens up this desperate, vacant clinker, a film that deserves its place in obscurity.
Dir: Arnold L Miller
Stars: Hilary Farr, Amber Kammer, Barry Rhode, Steve Patterson
SEX IS CRAZY
1981
0
No synopsis is possible for this film.
One of Franco's most bonkers movies, a collection of sexy sketches featuring Romay's fulsome nudity, gibberish dialogue and whatever the director can think of throwing in, including himself. Just nuts, and not very digestible ones.
Dir: Jess Franco
Stars: Lina Romay, Lynn Endersson, Antonio Mayans
SEX FARM
1973
0
Two frustrated wives head to a health farm for a break from their husbands.
Mighty odd artefact which was rejected by the BBFC (outside London) for excessive sexual content but, in a case of changing public morals, would now have millennials up in arms due to its sexual politics - many of them would watch it open-jawed, and it'd sum up the sordidness of the Seventies for them. The sexual content consists of inter-racial lesbian and even a bit of OAP jiggery-pokery but little livens up this desperate, vacant clinker, a film that deserves its place in obscurity.
Dir: Arnold L Miller
Stars: Hilary Farr, Amber Kammer, Barry Rhode, Steve Patterson
SEX IS CRAZY
1981
0
No synopsis is possible for this film.
One of Franco's most bonkers movies, a collection of sexy sketches featuring Romay's fulsome nudity, gibberish dialogue and whatever the director can think of throwing in, including himself. Just nuts, and not very digestible ones.
Dir: Jess Franco
Stars: Lina Romay, Lynn Endersson, Antonio Mayans
SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE
1989
**
An unsatisfied woman's husband (who is cheating on her with her sister) has an old friend to visit, which spells trouble for all.
Intense, skillful drama that was a shot in the arm for independent American cinema, with dialogue (and there's a lot of dialogue) that feels natural and flows nicely, and subject matter that is dark and a bit twisted without ever seeming outlandish. With some humour and a lack of pretentiousness, it's a clever and interesting film for grown-ups.
Dir: Steven Soderbergh
Stars: Andie MacDowell, James Spader, Peter Gallagher, Laura San Giacomo
SEX, LOVE AND MARRIAGE
1972
0
Documentary purporting to offer sex advice to the young and newlyweds.
The word 'Sex' was added to the title after it was thought the original title wasn't exciting enough, but the dirty mac brigade must have been pretty disappointed by this curio that features male-female couplings intermittently amidst much verbosity from 'doctors'. It was eventually released on DVD in 2019 but the packaging managed to spell 'notorious' wrong and wrote the title as 'Love, Sex And Marriage' - but did it deserve any better treatment?
Dir: David Grant (as Terry Gould)
THE SEX O’CLOCK NEWS
1983
0
A series of skits in the form of news broadcasts.
One problem here: it's not funny. The BBC would do this sort of thing infinitely better in 1994's The Day Today.
Dir: Romano Vanderbes
Stars: Doug Ballard, Lydia Mahan
SEX PLAY
1974
0
The daughter of a diplomat beds her father's ambassador friends.
Shabby comedy from the director of Tarantula that starts okay but soon wanes.
Dir: Jack Arnold
Stars: Christina Hart, Jane Anthony, Ed Bishop
THE SEX THIEF
1973
0
A handsome jewel thief seduces the ladies while stealing their goods.
Fairly well made sex comedy (shot in a fortnight) from a director who'd go on to do James Bond.
Dir: Martin Campbell
Stars: Jenny Westbrook, David Warbeck, Diane Keen, Michael Armstrong, Christopher Neil, Christopher Biggins
THE SEX VICTIMS
1973
0
A lorry driver is entranced by a naked girl on a horse.
Vaguely intriguing but stretched out - even at 37 minutes - sexy mystery short that at least gives it a go, what with its clamorous soundtrack and all. Not as good as you hope because it's largely people chasing one another (through the Surrey countryside).
Dir: Derek Robbins
Stars: Ben Howard, Jane Cardew, Felicity Devonshire, Alun Armstrong
SEX WITH THE STARS
1980
0
An astrology columnist is ordered by his boss to have sex with women of 12 different star signs.
Coming towards the end of the British sex comedy cycle that boomed in the Seventies, with a plot that surely lent itself to all kinds of unclothed merriment, this is a murky, undistinguished effort - the lead is no Askwith and the script seems happiest when it's trotting out nonsense about star signs, rather than jokes. Still, we get lots of 1980 London and a galvanic female cast. It's a curious debut for a director from Syria.
Dir: Anwar Kawadri
Stars: Martin Burrows, Thick Wilson, Nicola Austin, Rosemary England
SEXMISSION
1984
**
Two scientists who have been put into hibernation wake in the far future to find the world is now ruled by women.
Interesting that this should come out of Poland at this time, this distinctive sci-fi comedy has some fun ideas and memorable scenes, but is a bit too long and talky to be as digestible as it might be. Visually it's very effective on a moderate budget, and looking at the many and varied posters for the film is a treat.
Dir: Juliusz Machulski
Stars: Olgierd Lukaszewicz, Jerzy Stuhr, Bozena Stryjkowna
SEXORCIST
1974
0
A girl is raped by a statue and then possessed by the devil.
Her head doesn't quite rotate in this piece of absolute tripe.
Dir: Mario Gariazzo
Stars: Stella Carnacina, Chris Avram, Lucretia Love
SEXPIONAGE
1985 (TV)
0
A girl is recruited to be a spy whose speciality is seducing men.
The title tells all about this hilariously inept Cold War nonsense, as obsessed with sex as it is with spying; a laugh riot from start to finish.
Dir: Don Taylor
Stars: Sally Kellerman, Linda Hamilton, Geena Davis, James Franciscus
SEXPLORER
1975
0
A frisky alien in shapely female form arrives in Soho.
A marginal cut above the rest (of similar stuff), but the fleshy start is a false dawn and the aliens’ unbelievable stupidity soon grates.
Dir: Derek Ford
Stars: Monika Ringwald, Mark Jones, Andrew Grant
SEXTETTE
1978
*
An ageing film star has problems with her sixth husband in a London hotel.
They don't make many like this: a campy vehicle for an 85-year-old star who hadn't been big in movies since the 1930s, acting like she's almost as sexually desirable as she was then. The trick to getting on with this in-no-way-quality film is too adopt the same, not-too-serious attitude as the fantastic West, whose repeats of her catchphrases and innuendo do raise a smile. It's also quite fun seeing the likes of Starr and Moon pop up and mug hopelessly.
Dir: Ken Hughes
Stars: Mae West, Timothy Dalton, Dom DeLuise, Tony Curtis, Ringo Starr, George Hamilton, Keith Moon
THE SEXUAL STORY OF O
1984
0
A young American woman becomes the victim of a perverted sect.
Was there even a script for this one? Franco in the mid ‘80s, doing roughly the same thing as before, only with actors of less personality and an even vaguer set-up; it initially titillates but soon becomes pretty yawnsome, with the director reluctant to even let fully rip on the sex scenes.
Dir: Jess Franco
Stars: Alicia PrÃncipe, Mari Carmen Nieto, Mauro Ribera
SEXY BEAST
2000
****
An ex-crim living in Spain is visited by a vicious hoodlum who wants him to do one last job.
The first great British film of the 21st century is a stunning piece of work from start to finish, all the more remarkable because it was the director’s debut. Brilliantly written, shot and edited, it features Kingsley’s best ever performance as the wonderfully unhinged Don Logan, spouting inventively profane dialogue that can be enjoyed time and time again – as can the movie, which is as near to perfection as could be.
Dir: Jonathan Glazer
Stars: Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, Ian McShane, Amanda Redman, James Fox
SEXY SISTERS
1976
0
A nymphomaniac is kept locked up as part of a dastardly plot.
Franco loopiness that could barely have more nudity if it was a naturist film. Fun in a way.
Dir: Jess Franco
Stars: Karine Gambier, Pamela Stanford, Jack Taylor, Eric Falk
SHADEY
1985
0
A young man discovers he has the ability to read minds.
Distasteful, dislikeable and stupid fantasy that throws incest, sex changes and senile mothers into its ghoulish brew.
Dir: Philip Saville
Stars: Antony Sher, Billie Whitelaw, Patrick Macnee, Leslie Ash
SHADOW OF A DOUBT
1943
****
A young girl begins to realise that her visiting uncle is a killer.
A model of first-rate moviemaking, this gripping Hitchcock thriller is among his finest achievements despite the occasional silly plot point: the family and their small town are brilliantly painted in, all ready to be invaded by the violent outside world in the shape of Cotten's Uncle Charlie, and the master uses every trick in his cinematic playbook to craft an unusual and remarkable story which, as ever, concerns the fragility of existence.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Joseph Cotten, Teresa Wright, Henry Travers, Patricia Collinge, Hume Cronyn
SHADOW OF A DOUBT
1991 (TV)
*
Remake which should be watched just to appreciate how brilliant the original is. It loses so much, including the children’s dialogue, the depiction of small town life and the ‘double’ motifs. Plus the acting and camerawork are not in the same stratosphere.
Dir: Karen Arthur
Stars: Mark Harmon, Margaret Welsh, Norm Skaggs, Diane Ladd, Tippi Hedren
SHADOW OF CHINATOWN
1936 (serial)
0
A mad genius attempts to close down Chinatown.
Slipshod serial, full of stilted dialogue and awkward pauses, 15 episodes' worth; some of the cliffhangers are hilariously bad too. Lugosi improves things a tad, but this loopy chapter play is so much cheaper and more studio-bound than, say, his SOS Coast Guard (qv) from the following year. Students of 'old-fashioned' attitudes to women will find much to comment upon.
Dir: Robert F Hill
Stars: Bruce Bennett, Bela Lugosi, Joan Barclay, Luana Walters
THE SHADOW OF THE CAT
1961
*
A cat takes revenge on those who killed its mistress.
Familiar chiller, adequately done, with one or two nice touches.
Dir: John Gilling
Stars: Conrad Phillips, Barbara Shelley, Andre Morell
SHADOW OF THE HAWK
1976
0
The grandson of a Native American chief is plagued by strange occurrences.
Tolerable fantasy adventure that throws what it feels like at the screen, ranging from bear attacks to trips across a fragile rope bridge. Inoffensive enough, it passes the time for Seventies movie fans.
Dir: George McCowan
Stars: Jan-Michael Vincent, Marilyn Hassett, Chief Dan GeorgeSHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE
2000
*
The makers of the 1921 film Nosferatu realise that their star is a little unusual.
Some may be irritated by its mix of fact and fiction, but this is at least an original, different picture offering a novel look at early filmmaking.
Dir: E Elias Merhige
Stars: John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Udo Kier, Eddie Izzard
SHADOWLANDS
1993
**
C S Lewis leads a lonely life until he meets American poet Joy Gresham.
Quality drama, crisply and cleanly acted and directed.
Dir: Richard Attenborough
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Debra Winger, Julian Fellowes
2000
*
The makers of the 1921 film Nosferatu realise that their star is a little unusual.
Some may be irritated by its mix of fact and fiction, but this is at least an original, different picture offering a novel look at early filmmaking.
Dir: E Elias Merhige
Stars: John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Udo Kier, Eddie Izzard
SHADOWLANDS
1993
**
C S Lewis leads a lonely life until he meets American poet Joy Gresham.
Quality drama, crisply and cleanly acted and directed.
Dir: Richard Attenborough
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Debra Winger, Julian Fellowes
SHADOWS
1958
0
Beatniks form relationships, including inter-racially.
The first Cassavetes film that he inflicted upon us (the warnings were there) is an improvised, very loose drama which may well capture a niche New York scene but doesn't grab the viewer; it's way too loose and fragmented for that. Amateurish, even. There's almost the tang of real life even if there isn't the vibe of good, conventional cinema.
Dir: John Cassavetes
Stars: Ben Carruthers, Lelia Goldoni, Hugh Hurd
THE SHAKEDOWN
1960
*
Straight out of prison, a villain sets up a glamour photography business to blackmail customers.
Busy, tightly controlled crime drama with plenty of gumption and a touch of danger, not to mention a well above average cast: viewed 50 years later its industrious plot still holds the attention.
Dir: John Lemont
Stars: Terence Morgan, Hazel Court, Donald Pleasence, Bill Owen, Robert Beatty, Harry H Corbett
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
1998
**
Thanks to a woman, William Shakespeare finds the inspiration to write Romeo And Juliet.
Pleasant love story whose cleverness will be particularly appreciated by those in the theatre business.
Dir: John Madden
Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Judi Dench, Martin Clunes, Ben Affleck, Mark Williams, Anthony Sher, Simon Callow, Imelda Staunton
SHALLOW GRAVE
1994
**
Three friends find their new flatmate dead but with a lot of cash.
Incisive thriller which gets its mix of thrills and humour more or less spot on.
Dir: Danny Boyle
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston, Kerry Fox
SHALLOW GROUND
2004
0
Brutal murders plague a sheriff's town.
Low budget horror with a few imaginative ideas but too choked up with flashy tricks and subplots.
Dir: Sheldon Wilson
Stars: Timothy V Murphy, Stan Kirsch, Lindsey Stoddart
SHAME
2011
***
A man obsessed with sex has his routine disturbed by the unexpected visit of his sister.
Although not quite as profound as it thinks it is, this is a stylish and compelling portrait of sex addiction, with committed performances and gleaming cinematography that showcases a wintry New York often in the night-time. The director favours long takes which add greater depth to his script, and patient and broadminded viewers will be rewarded as the intriguingly structured film builds to a sordid climax.
Dir: Steve McQueen
Stars: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, Nicole Beharie, James Badge Dale
SHAMPOO
1975
*
A libidinous hairdresser seduces his many clients.
Messy and unattractive sex comedy.
Dir: Hal Ashby
Stars: Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Goldie Hawn, Jack Warden
SHANE
1953
*
A mysterious travelling gunslinger stays with a family under threat.
Acclaimed but fairly typical Western, quite slow and dull, with a particularly good bar fight and a final third in the darkness, which does at least invoke impressive cinematography. One problem is that Shane himself is about as imposing as a gay hairdresser.
Dir: George Stevens
Stars: Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Jack Palance
SHANGHAI EXPRESS
1932
*
A train travelling across China during the civil war gets caught up in a warlord's plotting.
Musty old melodrama with good points: opulently photographed (for the time), it's atmospheric and bustling, and benefits from the beauty of Dietrich at her peak; less impressive is the wooden Brooks and a story that just isn't as involving as it might be.
Dir: Josef von Sternberg
Stars: Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook, Anna May Wong, Warner Oland
SHANGHAI NOON
2000
0
A Chinaman travels to the Wild West to rescue a princess.
Formulaic actioner reliant on the dubious charms of an ageing Jackie Chan.
Dir: Tom Dey
Stars: Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Lucy Liu
SHANKS
1974
0
A mute puppeteer learns to control dead bodies like puppets.
Sluggardly, joyless and pompous fantasy.
Dir: William Castle
Stars: Marcel Marceau, Tsilla Chelton, Philippe Clay
THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
1979
0
In the far future, a megalomaniac threatens remaining members of the human race.
This debacle is more like a bad episode of a Seventies sci-fi TV series rather than anything to do with HG Wells; the budget didn't even stretch to a proofreader for the opening scroll, never mind a proper script, good costumes or sets bigger than tiny rooms.
Dir: George McCowan
Stars: Jack Palance, Carol Lynley, Barry Morse, John Ireland
THE SHAPE OF WATER
2017
***
At a secret research facility in the early 1960s, a cleaner forms a relationship with an amphibious man who is in captivity.
Del Toro's best film is a weird and wonderful concoction of familiar elements (a captured monster, an old fashioned romance, Cold War paranoia) melded into something completely original. It's an adult fairy tale about people who are outsiders, people who are keeping secrets, their story adorned with gleaming cinematography and an effusive score; it includes several sublime set-pieces, including a remarkable scene in a bathroom and the movie world's craziest black and white song and dance sequence since Young Frankenstein's. Its politics may be unsubtle, but with its many cleverly thought out themes and leitmotifs - keep an eye out for the colour green and how water is used - it's a striking example of how this art form manages to keep pushing forward to new heights.
Dir: Guillermo del Toro
Stars: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer
THE SHARE OUT
1962
0
Several people get together to form a blackmail group.
Largely studio-bound whodunit with the dullest plot imaginable, and another Edgar Wallace Mystery demonstrating that criminals in Britain at this time were all absolute gentlemen.
Dir: Gerard Glaister
Stars: Bernard Lee, Alexander Knox, Moira Redmond, William Russell
SHARK KILL
1976 (TV)
0
Two adventurers hunt a great white.
Dull and talkative Jaws copy.
Dir: William A Graham
Stars: Richard Yniguez, Phillip Clark, Jennifer Warren
SHATTERED
1991
*
A man awakens with amnesia after a car crash but isn't sure that he is who people are telling him he is.
As difficult to swallow as a spiky brick, but as a time-wasting suspense thriller it’s adequate enough.
Dir: Wolfgang Petersen
Stars: Tom Berenger, Bob Hoskins, Greta Sacchi, Joanne Whalley
SHAUN OF THE DEAD
2004
*
A man has to win back his ex and fight off a horde of zombies.
Uneasy mix of comedy and horror which descends into mirthless, sentimental twaddle.
Dir: Edgar Wright
Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran
A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON
2019
*
An alien crash-lands near Shaun's farm.
As with the first film, the challenge remains - with these characters who don't properly speak - to hold the attention over a feature-length production, and this just about achieves that thanks to inventive ideas and bright animation that plays on the personalities of the loved characters as well as referencing other pop culture, much of it sci-fi related.
Dir: Will Becher, Richard Phelan
Voices: Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Andy Nyman, Kate Harbour
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
1994
****
A banker goes to prison for murder where he eventually learns life lessons.
Simply a great film: a strong story, full of human values and foibles, compels the viewer, and its twists and turns genuinely surprise; yes, its first hour-and-a-half somewhat ambles and doesn't go to many places where prison melodramas haven't been before, but the final act, with its message of hope, is very satisfying. The all-time slow-burning sleeper hit.
Dir: Frank Darabont
Stars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler, Clancy Brown
SHE
1935
*
Explorers search a mystical land for the secret of eternal life.
Adaptation of Rider Haggard's novel curiously set in the Arctic; lavish for the time but now antiquated, especially in terms of acting and dialogue.
Dir: Lansing C Holden, Irving Pichel
Stars: Helen Gahagan, Randolph Scott, Nigel Bruce
SHADOWS AND FOG
1991
*
A timid bookkeeper is enlisted to help track down a strangler in the city.
For his 21st film, Allen once more made something different, a comedy incongruously taking place in a German Expressionist/FW Murnau sort of setting, the result being something that few would take to their hearts but which nonetheless has value. There are some great lines - some funny lines - famous faces, intelligent observations, skilled cinematography and what was apparently the biggest set ever built in New York. It's still not easy to love, but it doesn't seem quite as ephemeral or alien as it did at the time.
Dir: Woody Allen
Stars: Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, John Malkovich, John Cusack, Donald Pleasence, Lily Tomlin, Jodie Foster, Kathy Bates, Madonna
SHAFT
1971
*
A crime lord hires a black private eye to find his kidnapped daughter.
What would have been a bog-standard, sometimes quite boring crime drama, is given special status by being one of the first and most successful blaxploitation films. No characters are especially sympathetic and the direction is poor but it does offer extensive footage of the vibrant New York streets of the day.
Dir: Gordon Parks
Stars: Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi
THE SHAKEDOWN
1960
*
Straight out of prison, a villain sets up a glamour photography business to blackmail customers.
Busy, tightly controlled crime drama with plenty of gumption and a touch of danger, not to mention a well above average cast: viewed 50 years later its industrious plot still holds the attention.
Dir: John Lemont
Stars: Terence Morgan, Hazel Court, Donald Pleasence, Bill Owen, Robert Beatty, Harry H Corbett
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
1998
**
Thanks to a woman, William Shakespeare finds the inspiration to write Romeo And Juliet.
Pleasant love story whose cleverness will be particularly appreciated by those in the theatre business.
Dir: John Madden
Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Judi Dench, Martin Clunes, Ben Affleck, Mark Williams, Anthony Sher, Simon Callow, Imelda Staunton
SHALLOW GRAVE
1994
**
Three friends find their new flatmate dead but with a lot of cash.
Incisive thriller which gets its mix of thrills and humour more or less spot on.
Dir: Danny Boyle
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston, Kerry Fox
SHALLOW GROUND
2004
0
Brutal murders plague a sheriff's town.
Low budget horror with a few imaginative ideas but too choked up with flashy tricks and subplots.
Dir: Sheldon Wilson
Stars: Timothy V Murphy, Stan Kirsch, Lindsey Stoddart
SHAME
2011
***
A man obsessed with sex has his routine disturbed by the unexpected visit of his sister.
Although not quite as profound as it thinks it is, this is a stylish and compelling portrait of sex addiction, with committed performances and gleaming cinematography that showcases a wintry New York often in the night-time. The director favours long takes which add greater depth to his script, and patient and broadminded viewers will be rewarded as the intriguingly structured film builds to a sordid climax.
Dir: Steve McQueen
Stars: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, Nicole Beharie, James Badge Dale
SHAMPOO
1975
*
A libidinous hairdresser seduces his many clients.
Messy and unattractive sex comedy.
Dir: Hal Ashby
Stars: Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Goldie Hawn, Jack Warden
SHANE
1953
*
A mysterious travelling gunslinger stays with a family under threat.
Acclaimed but fairly typical Western, quite slow and dull, with a particularly good bar fight and a final third in the darkness, which does at least invoke impressive cinematography. One problem is that Shane himself is about as imposing as a gay hairdresser.
Dir: George Stevens
Stars: Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Jack Palance
SHANGHAI EXPRESS
1932
*
A train travelling across China during the civil war gets caught up in a warlord's plotting.
Musty old melodrama with good points: opulently photographed (for the time), it's atmospheric and bustling, and benefits from the beauty of Dietrich at her peak; less impressive is the wooden Brooks and a story that just isn't as involving as it might be.
Dir: Josef von Sternberg
Stars: Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook, Anna May Wong, Warner Oland
SHANGHAI NOON
2000
0
A Chinaman travels to the Wild West to rescue a princess.
Formulaic actioner reliant on the dubious charms of an ageing Jackie Chan.
Dir: Tom Dey
Stars: Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Lucy Liu
SHANKS
1974
0
A mute puppeteer learns to control dead bodies like puppets.
Sluggardly, joyless and pompous fantasy.
Dir: William Castle
Stars: Marcel Marceau, Tsilla Chelton, Philippe Clay
THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
1979
0
In the far future, a megalomaniac threatens remaining members of the human race.
This debacle is more like a bad episode of a Seventies sci-fi TV series rather than anything to do with HG Wells; the budget didn't even stretch to a proofreader for the opening scroll, never mind a proper script, good costumes or sets bigger than tiny rooms.
Dir: George McCowan
Stars: Jack Palance, Carol Lynley, Barry Morse, John Ireland
THE SHAPE OF WATER
2017
***
At a secret research facility in the early 1960s, a cleaner forms a relationship with an amphibious man who is in captivity.
Del Toro's best film is a weird and wonderful concoction of familiar elements (a captured monster, an old fashioned romance, Cold War paranoia) melded into something completely original. It's an adult fairy tale about people who are outsiders, people who are keeping secrets, their story adorned with gleaming cinematography and an effusive score; it includes several sublime set-pieces, including a remarkable scene in a bathroom and the movie world's craziest black and white song and dance sequence since Young Frankenstein's. Its politics may be unsubtle, but with its many cleverly thought out themes and leitmotifs - keep an eye out for the colour green and how water is used - it's a striking example of how this art form manages to keep pushing forward to new heights.
Dir: Guillermo del Toro
Stars: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer
THE SHARE OUT
1962
0
Several people get together to form a blackmail group.
Largely studio-bound whodunit with the dullest plot imaginable, and another Edgar Wallace Mystery demonstrating that criminals in Britain at this time were all absolute gentlemen.
Dir: Gerard Glaister
Stars: Bernard Lee, Alexander Knox, Moira Redmond, William Russell
SHARK KILL
1976 (TV)
0
Two adventurers hunt a great white.
Dull and talkative Jaws copy.
Dir: William A Graham
Stars: Richard Yniguez, Phillip Clark, Jennifer Warren
SHATTER
1974
0
A hitman in Hong Kong finds he is the one being targeted.
Hammer’s attempt to jump on the kung fu thriller band wagon is a tatty affair saddled with a journeyman lead and action that makes you appreciate Bruce Lee even more. The story starts with some promise, as Whitman kills two men with his 'camera', but then gets bogged down in dull exposition. One scene with a gunman targeting a building is confusing and poorly directed; it flopped and has been little seen since.
Dir: Michael Carreras
Stars: Stuart Whitman, Peter Cushing, Anton Diffring, Lung Ti, Lily Li
SHATTERED
1991
*
A man awakens with amnesia after a car crash but isn't sure that he is who people are telling him he is.
As difficult to swallow as a spiky brick, but as a time-wasting suspense thriller it’s adequate enough.
Dir: Wolfgang Petersen
Stars: Tom Berenger, Bob Hoskins, Greta Sacchi, Joanne Whalley
SHAUN OF THE DEAD
2004
*
A man has to win back his ex and fight off a horde of zombies.
Uneasy mix of comedy and horror which descends into mirthless, sentimental twaddle.
Dir: Edgar Wright
Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran
A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON
2019
*
An alien crash-lands near Shaun's farm.
As with the first film, the challenge remains - with these characters who don't properly speak - to hold the attention over a feature-length production, and this just about achieves that thanks to inventive ideas and bright animation that plays on the personalities of the loved characters as well as referencing other pop culture, much of it sci-fi related.
Dir: Will Becher, Richard Phelan
Voices: Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Andy Nyman, Kate Harbour
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
1994
****
A banker goes to prison for murder where he eventually learns life lessons.
Simply a great film: a strong story, full of human values and foibles, compels the viewer, and its twists and turns genuinely surprise; yes, its first hour-and-a-half somewhat ambles and doesn't go to many places where prison melodramas haven't been before, but the final act, with its message of hope, is very satisfying. The all-time slow-burning sleeper hit.
Dir: Frank Darabont
Stars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler, Clancy Brown
SHE
1935
*
Explorers search a mystical land for the secret of eternal life.
Adaptation of Rider Haggard's novel curiously set in the Arctic; lavish for the time but now antiquated, especially in terms of acting and dialogue.
Dir: Lansing C Holden, Irving Pichel
Stars: Helen Gahagan, Randolph Scott, Nigel Bruce
SHE
1965
0
Botched Hammer remake partially salvaged by some of the cast. It just all feels a bit beige, a bit inert and lacking in wonder - but it somehow did good enough business to warrant a sequel.
Dir: Robert Day
Stars: Ursula Andress, Peter Cushing, Bernard Cribbins, John Richardson, Christopher Lee, Andre Morell
THE SHE BEAST
1965
0
A woman is possessed by the spirit of a vengeful witch.
The first feature from the director of Witchfinder General is a long slog for anyone but a true devotee, thanks to its miniscule budget and thin plot.
Dir: Michael Reeves
Stars: Barbara Steele, John Karlsen, Ian Ogilvy
THE SHE-CREATURE
1957
0
A hypnotist raises a creature from the sea.
The creature itself provides the most laughs in this el cheapo production.
Dir: Edward L Cahn
Stars: Chester Morris, Marla English, Tom Conway
SHE CREATURE
2001 (TV)
0
A mermaid is caught in Iceland and transported to America.
Boring period horror which gets bogged down in confined spaces.
Dir: Sebastian Gutierrez
Stars: Rufus Sewell, Carla Gugino, Jim Piddock
SHE DEVIL
1957
*
Using a new drug, doctors save a woman's life - but it turns her into a mean person with some strange powers.
Endearing flapdoodle: really quite fluffy horse feathers, a hot take of hogwash that is based on a story with a great central idea ('The Adaptive Ultimate') which becomes a tall tale where the lady's main power is to change the colour of her hair (in a rather neat trick effect). A malarkey of moonshine, a folly of foolishness - and a painless 75 minutes spent.
Dir: Kurt Neumann
Stars: Mari Blanchard, Jack Kelly, Albert Dekker
SHE-DEVIL
1990
0
An overweight housewife takes revenge on her unfaithful husband.
Schmaltzy adaptation of a Fay Weldon novel that had previously been turned into a wonderful BBC TV series; everything here, including the performances and the general point, suffer in comparison.
Dir: Susan Seidelman
Stars: Meryl Streep, Roseanne Barr, Ed Begley Jr, Linda Hunt
SHE DEVILS OF THE SS
1973
0
Young women are employed by the Nazis to be specific kinds of soldiers in World War II.
Disappointing Nazisploitation (one of the first) that is tonally wayward: is it a saucy romp? Is it trying to make a serious point? Is it a comedy? And what is the actual plot? It feels odd to sort of 'be on the side' of the Nazis, and the dubbing adds to the annoyance, all people talking over one another in unnatural ways. There are some compensations in the shape of shapely females, but at 100 minutes this is way too much.
Dir: Erwin C Dietrich
Stars: Elisabeth Felchner, Karin Heske, Renate Kasche
SHE DONE HIM WRONG
1933
*
A nightclub owner falls in with a violent criminal.
Dated comedy that probably offers the best example of Mae West in full flow.
Dir: Lowell Sherman
Stars: Mae West, Cary Grant, Owen Moore
SHE FREAK
1967
0
A girl joins a carnival of the grotesque.
Unbelievably inept, incredibly boring, ridiculously padded shocker with only one horror sequence, right at the end.
Dir: Donn Davison
Stars: Claire Brennen, Lee Raymond
SHE KILLED IN ECSTASY
1971
0
A woman hunts down the people who struck off her doctor husband.
One of Franco's very best films, this is a smidgeon away from earning a star. The interiors, fashions and architecture are all comely, as is the beautiful star, and the soundtrack's pretty funky too. It could actually lend itself to a decent remake, what with the revenge plot/twisted ending and the potential for well shot sex and violence, although it'd lack that distinctive 'Franco-ness'. It's interesting that he could make something like this before he totally lost control of his camera and narratives in the ensuing decade.
Dir: Jess Franco
Stars: Soledad Miranda, Fred Williams, Paul Muller, Howard Vernon
SHE-WOLF OF LONDON
1946
0
A girl thinks she must be a werewolf because of a family curse.
The fag end of Universal’s monster cycle – here with no monster! – this trivial yarn has stiff performances, a rotten script and virtually no flavour of London or the horrific. It’s funny how incidents in the dead of night are reported in the following morning’s papers.
Dir: Jean Yarbrough
Stars: June Lockhart, Don Porter, Sara Haden, Lloyd Corrigan
SHEENA
1984
0
A beautiful white woman grows up in the African jungle.
Basic, rather po-faced fantasy alleviated by out of the ordinary scenery and a sexy star.
Dir: John Guillermin
Stars: Tanya Roberts, Ted Wass, Donovan Scott
SHE’LL BE WEARING PINK PYJAMAS
1985
0
A group of women go on a survival course in the Lake District.
Parochial drama without much point but a few incidental pleasures, mainly for female audiences.
Dir: John Goldschmidt
Stars: Julie Walters, Alyson Spiro, Penelope Nice
SHE’LL FOLLOW YOU ANYWHERE
1973
0
Perfume makers create a scent that sends women wild with desire.
Over-talkative sex farce (with virtually no sex) which goes absolutely nowhere.
Dir: David C Rea
Stars: Keith Barron, Kenneth Cope, Hilary Pritchard
SHE DONE HIM WRONG
1933
*
A nightclub owner falls in with a violent criminal.
Dated comedy that probably offers the best example of Mae West in full flow.
Dir: Lowell Sherman
Stars: Mae West, Cary Grant, Owen Moore
SHE FREAK
1967
0
A girl joins a carnival of the grotesque.
Unbelievably inept, incredibly boring, ridiculously padded shocker with only one horror sequence, right at the end.
Dir: Donn Davison
Stars: Claire Brennen, Lee Raymond
SHE KILLED IN ECSTASY
1971
0
A woman hunts down the people who struck off her doctor husband.
One of Franco's very best films, this is a smidgeon away from earning a star. The interiors, fashions and architecture are all comely, as is the beautiful star, and the soundtrack's pretty funky too. It could actually lend itself to a decent remake, what with the revenge plot/twisted ending and the potential for well shot sex and violence, although it'd lack that distinctive 'Franco-ness'. It's interesting that he could make something like this before he totally lost control of his camera and narratives in the ensuing decade.
Dir: Jess Franco
Stars: Soledad Miranda, Fred Williams, Paul Muller, Howard Vernon
SHE-WOLF OF LONDON
1946
0
A girl thinks she must be a werewolf because of a family curse.
The fag end of Universal’s monster cycle – here with no monster! – this trivial yarn has stiff performances, a rotten script and virtually no flavour of London or the horrific. It’s funny how incidents in the dead of night are reported in the following morning’s papers.
Dir: Jean Yarbrough
Stars: June Lockhart, Don Porter, Sara Haden, Lloyd Corrigan
SHEENA
1984
0
A beautiful white woman grows up in the African jungle.
Basic, rather po-faced fantasy alleviated by out of the ordinary scenery and a sexy star.
Dir: John Guillermin
Stars: Tanya Roberts, Ted Wass, Donovan Scott
SHE’LL BE WEARING PINK PYJAMAS
1985
0
A group of women go on a survival course in the Lake District.
Parochial drama without much point but a few incidental pleasures, mainly for female audiences.
Dir: John Goldschmidt
Stars: Julie Walters, Alyson Spiro, Penelope Nice
SHE’LL FOLLOW YOU ANYWHERE
1973
0
Perfume makers create a scent that sends women wild with desire.
Over-talkative sex farce (with virtually no sex) which goes absolutely nowhere.
Dir: David C Rea
Stars: Keith Barron, Kenneth Cope, Hilary Pritchard
SHE'LL HAVE TO GO
1962
0
Two brothers aren't sure whether to marry or murder a glamorous French lady for her money.
Silly farce which raises a few smiles, partly due to some visual quirks (such as the snooker game, the explosions and the ending, which takes it into fantasy). Not awful, but not as funny as the cast try to tell you it is.
Dir: Robert Asher
Stars: Bob Monkhouse, Alfred Marks, Anna Karina, Hattie Jacques
SHERLOCK GNOMES
2018
0
Gnome pairing Gnomeo and Juliet join forces with Sherlock Gnomes to find missing gnomes.
A punning title in search of a decent movie: while it's probably okay for young children, adults may find its formulaic japes rather pointless. It just doesn't work and lacks sincerity.
Dir: John Stevenson
Stars: Johnny Depp, Chiwetel Ejiofor, James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine
SHERLOCK HOLMES
1916
*
Holmes steps in when a pair of swindlers try to steal a young woman's property.
Once thought lost for good, this early, silent filming of Conan Doyle's creation is an adaptation of a play, and looks like it - plus, there are some bizarre plot machinations. Of mainly historical interest, the surviving print is a four-episode serial, rather long and staid, but with some interesting camerawork and effects; also valuable as a record of Gillette's Holmes, a role he played many, many times on stage.
Dir: Arthur Berthelet
Stars: William Gillette, Marjorie Kay, Ernest Maupain
SHERLOCK HOLMES
1922
*
Holmes attempts to stop Moriarty getting hold of some valued letters.
Once lost, then found and painstakingly pieced together, this is another adaptation of the above film's story, and it's flawed but not uninteresting. Barrymore looks the part, Moriarty looks dastardly (and in England the film was named after him) and there is even a bit of location shooting, but the prologue is unnecessary and the plot doesn't flow too smoothly, interrupted by several long title cards. Watching it with no sound at all (the version on YouTube) is an experience one's not accustomed too, and one ideally not to repeat too often.
Dir: Albert Parker
Stars: John Barrymore, Roland Young, Gustav von Seyffertitz, Carol Dempster
SHERLOCK HOLMES
1932
*
About to get married and retire, Holmes realises he must face down the menace of Professor Moriarty once again.
One of the better early Holmes films, with plenty of quirks - the detective with a girlfriend; foreign gangsters; Holmes in drag! - and humour too: the chats between a heavy and a publican and his friend breathe life into minor characters. Not too bad at all, and it doesn't outstay its welcome.
Dir: William K Howard
Stars: Clive Brook, Ernest Torrence, Reginald Owen, Miriam Jordan
SHERLOCK HOLMES
2009
**
Holmes and Watson take on an adversary who appears to die and come back to life.
The 19th century becomes the 21st century, as our heroes become a pair of dynamic superheroes enveloped in CGI and shot by the best cameras there are; the result is a busy, chock-full action adventure which, in the main, gives cinemagoers a decent night out – Downey Jr is as easy to like as when he’s Tony Stark, Victorian London is sumptuously recreated and there are amusing quirks. The plot could be clearer, stronger and more succinct, but as it became Ritchie’s biggest ever film, to complain too much might appear churlish.
Dir: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan
SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS
2011
*
The multi-talented detective takes on his old nemesis, Professor Moriarty.
Even busier sequel that isn't really a Sherlock Holmes film, more a crash bang wallop action picture done in the director's usual flashy style, which means slightly irritating slow-motion, high-definition setpieces and a high dose of homo-eroticism. Performances vary - Rapace and Harris may as well not be in it - and the script's up and down but there's fun to be had for those in the mood for it. (The BBC's modern-day Sherlock series is preferable, though.)
Dir: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Stephen Fry, Rachel McAdams, Jared Harris
SHERLOCK HOLMES
2010 (V)
0
A villain plots revenge after being shot by Inspector Lestrade.
Bonkers low budget cash-in on the Guy Ritchie movie, shot by an American crew in Wales over a couple of weeks. You can’t help but count up the misfires: Holmes himself is deeply unimpressive (the actor sounds like he’s inhaled helium), the sound is poor, with much dialogue inaudible, and the script is a long way from winning any prizes. Its steampunk vibe may attract a few fans but others roped in under false pretences will feel cheated by its amateurism.
Dir: Rachel Goldenberg
Stars: Ben Syder, Gareth David-Lloyd, Dominic Keating
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE DEADLY NECKLACE
1962
*
Sherlock Holmes tries to stop Professor Moriarty getting hold of Cleopatra's jewellery.
German entry which doesn't hang together quite right despite some nice elements; it never feels personable (the dire dubbing of the leads may be partly to blame).
Dir: Terence Fisher
Stars: Christopher Lee, Thorley Walters, Senta Berger
SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH
1943
**
Murders occur at a home for convalescing World War 2 soldiers.
Sometimes confusing (the chess board stuff?) but likeable mystery, the first which the capable Neill both directed and produced. Based on Conan Doyle's The Musgrave Ritual, it well utilises its old dark house setting - and the crypt from Universal's Dracula - while making the most of its perfectly cast star: like Bruce Lee in his future movies, these films actually benefitted from having a super talented, unbeatable lead almost never in danger of being undermined.
Dir: Roy William Neill
Stars: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Dennis Hoey, Halliwell Hobbes
SHERLOCK HOLMES IN NEW YORK
1976 (TV)
*
Holmes pursues the villainous Moriarty across the Atlantic.
Eccentrically cast adventure which manages to entertain.
Dir: Boris Sagal
Stars: Roger Moore, Patrick Macnee, John Huston, Charlotte Rampling
SHERLOCK HOLMES RETURNS
1993 (TV)
0
After many years in suspended animation, Sherlock Holmes is awoken and goes about solving murders involving wild animals.
Pretty dreadful light-hearted adventure with many absurdities including a faulty time structure (Moriarty’s grandson should be much older) and Holmes’ powers of observation ridiculously overdone. The plot tends to be talked about rather than performed and one can only be thankful the intended television series never materialised.
Dir: Kenneth Johnson
Stars: Anthony Higgins, Debrah Farentino, Ken Pogue
SHERLOCK JR
1924
**
A projectionist daydreams that he is a great detective solving a pearl theft.
One of Keaton’s very best, this short piles on the ingeniously crafted comic incidents at great speed, particularly in the second half, the daydream.
Dir: Buster Keaton
Stars: Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Joe Keaton
SHE’S DRESSED TO KILL
1979 (TV)
0
A killer targets fashion models.
Prosaic thriller with inadequate performances.
Dir: Gus Trikonis
Stars: John Rubinstein, Jessica Walter, Connie Sellecca
SHE’S OUT OF CONTROL
1989
0
A father struggles to control his teenage daughter.
A one-tone lead performance is appropriate for this one-tone film.
Dir: Stan Dragoti
Stars: Tony Danza, Catherine Hicks, Wallace Shawn
SHINE
1996
**
Pianist David Helfglott is a child prodigy but struggles later in life.
Even by the movies' standards this is factually dubious, but the onscreen result is a well played, familiar, easy to digest picture which doesn't get too intense and should send many viewers away feeling a bit better about life.
Dir: Scott Hicks
Stars: Geoffrey Rush, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Justin Braine, John Gielgud, Googie Withers
THE SHINING
1980
****
A writer and his family stay at a deserted hotel but are affected by malevolent forces from the past.
Magnificent shocker featuring scenes that burn themselves into the brain, including the star's impersonation of a man gone wild and the Steadicam's majestic sweeping around the incredible, epic sets. While the pace, particularly in the first half, may be a little slow for some, there's always much to admire in the director's meticulousness, and stories about the making of the film are as interesting as the film itself.
Dir: Stanley Kubrick
Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
SHIP OF FOOLS
1965
*
In 1933, a German liner voyages from Mexico back to Germany, via Cuba.
Somewhat disappointing multi-character drama - the personal stories aren't especially involving and it leans towards the soapy, with a dusting of foreboding gloom and pretension. Technical credits present and correct, real human feeling less so.
Dir: Stanley Kramer
Stars: Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, Jose Ferrer, Lee Marvin, Oskar Werner, George Segal
SHIRLEY VALENTINE
1989
*
A bored housewife finds her sparkle on a holiday in Greece.
Despite some witty lines this is very much a picture for women, especially middle-aged ones.
Dir: Lewis Gilbert
Stars: Pauline Collins, Tom Conti, Julia McKenzie, Alison Steadman, Joanna Lumley, Sylvia Sims, Bernard Hill
SHIVERS
1975
*
The residents of an apartment building turn into sex-crazed monsters.
Cronenberg’s first movie proper, a personal, scatological piece which many will find disgusting and or laughable.
Dir: David Cronenberg
Stars: Paul Hampton, Joe Silver, Lynn Lowry, Barbara Steele
SHOAH
1985
***
Documentary about the Holocaust, featuring no archive footage, just interviews with those who were witness to the terrible acts of the Nazis.
A legendary film, one which seeks like no other to set down as historical record what occurred and isn't concerned with how long it takes (it's nine-and-a-half hours long); Roger Ebert's piece on it is probably the best written about it.
Dir: Claude Lanzmann
SHOCK
1977
*
A couple are terrorised by a vengeful ghost.
An Omen-inspired horror, and its director’s last; a succession of terrible incidents put over with some style.
Dir: Mario Bava
Stars: Daria Nicolodi, John Steiner, David Colin Jr
SHOCK CORRIDOR
1964
*
A journalist deliberately enters a mental asylum to try and solve a murder.
Noisy sensationalist melodrama, not very likeable.
Dir: Samuel Fuller
Stars: Peter Breck, Constance Towers, Gene Evans
A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM
1990
*
A frustrated businessmen takes revenge on those who have humiliated him.
Watchable black comedy with a few neat ideas.
Dir: Jan Egleson
Stars: Michael Caine, Elizabeth McGovern, Peter Riegert
SHOCK TREATMENT
1972
0
Doctors discover a formula which prevents ageing, but there's a catch.
Inconclusive thriller whose nice idea is amateurishly interpreted.
Dir: Alain Jessua
Stars: Alain Delon, Annie Girardot, Robert Hirsch
SHOCK WAVES
1977
0
Seafarers come across Nazi zombies.
Independent horror from Dullsville: it dissolves into under-scripted, repetitive scenes of zombies coming out of the water. They got two genre stars for it but couldn't pay them enough to be in it much.
Dir: Ken Wiederhorn
Stars: Peter Cushing, Brooke Adams, John Carradine, Fred Buch
SHOCKER
1989
0
The electric chair fails to kill a criminal - in fact, he comes back even stronger.
Inept and overlong shocker, the director at his worst.
Dir: Wes Craven
Stars: Michael Murphy, Peter Berg, Heather Langenkamp
SHOCKING AFRICA
1982
*
Mondo documentary about brutal tribal rites in modern-day Africa.
Shocking alright, this is possibly the most horrific of all the third world mondo films, containing absolutely impossible to watch sequences involving male and female circumcision as well as animal killing, generally in close up. It's certainly thought-provoking: we hope and pray that these things don't still go on (but they probably do) and fear that modern politically correct media daren't go anywhere near such things (but they probably should). There's terrible stuff on show here, and most of it is shattering.
Dir: Alfredo Castigiloni, Angelo Castigiloni
SHOCKING ASIA
1976
*
Mondo documentary featuring lurid sights from Asia, including self-mutilation, a sex change operation, wrestling midgets, snake-eating, a sex museum and much more.
The sort of mondo movie that some people tend to particularly associate with the genre, with gruesome close-ups of surgery and animal cruelty, and narration that they find condescending, but is in fact mildly sensationalist and somewhat deceiving - the impression given is of sleaze and obscure mysticism; nowadays it's difficult to separate it from the time it was made in. Some of it is undeniably fascinating for those with the sensibilities to tolerate it, and probably a better way to spend an hour and a half than watching most Hollywood rom-coms.
Dir: Rolf Olsen
SHOCKING ASIA II: THE LAST TABOOS
1985
0
More strangeness from Asia, including 'the Hobbit house', Filipino prostitutes, fake surgery using fingers, cockfighting, leprosy and public cremation.
Similar stuff, but tighter editing and better narration would have vastly improved it; not among the 'great' mondo movies.
Dir: Rolf Olsen
SHOGUN ASSASSIN
1980
*
A warrior swears revenge on the Shogun who slays his wife.
Moody, splenetic fantasy whose merit is based on its bloody butchering, which is outlandish and fanciful.
Dir: Robert Houston
Stars: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Ohki
THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER
1940
*
Life at a busy shop in Budapest.
It's really no surprise to find out that this is based on a play, such is the super-abundance of dialogue and the fact that it barely moves outside the shop; it's made a little more cinematic by the sheer competence and professionalism of those behind and in front of the camera. But it's never quite the uproariously funny or emotionally affecting picture that some claim.
Dir: Ernst Lubitsch
Stars: James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan, Frank Morgan, Joseph Schildkraut
SHORT CIRCUIT
1986
*
An intelligent robot is befriended by an animal-loving woman.
ET-like sci-fi that works quite well thanks to nicely judged helpings of laughs, pathos and action, although youngish children will be its main cheerleaders.
Dir: John Badham
Stars: Ally Sheedy, Steve Guttenberg, Fisher Stevens, Austin Pendleton
SHORT CIRCUIT 2
1988
0
Johnny Five is used and abused by criminals.
Sequel which expands the worst elements of the first film but provides tolerable fun.
Dir: Kenneth Johnson
Stars: Fisher Stevens, Tim Blaney, Michael McKean
SHORT CUTS
1993
**
The lives of various LA residents.
Ambitious multi story drama carried off with some aplomb; excellent if you like this kind of thing.
Dir: Robert Altman
Stars: Andie MacDowell, Jack Lemmon, Julianne Moore, Matthew Modine, Anne Archer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Chris Penn, Robert Downey Jr, Madeleine Stowe
A SHORT FILM ABOUT KILLING
1989
*
A youth murders a taxi driver for no particular reason.
Relentlessly dour and gloomy, with extremely limited appeal.
Dir: Krzysztof Kieslowski
Stars: Miroslaw Baka, Krzysztof Globisz, Jan Tesarz
SHORT KILTS
1923
0
Scottish clans fight over supper.
Primitive comic short which plays like a 1920s version of home video tomfoolery.
Dir: George Jeske
Stars: Stan Laurel, James Finlayson
SHORT TERM 12
2013
*
A couple who work in a facility for troubled youngsters have problems of their own.
The director has expanded his 2008 short with some success, notching up a well-acted, believable drama shot in appropriately twitchy fashion. You wouldn't necessarily want to be in a place like this, or perhaps even watch the movie twice, but it's a solid indie effort which put Larson in the shop window.
Dir: Destin Daniel Cretton
Stars: Brie Larson, Frantz Turner, John Gallagher Jr
SHORT WALK TO DAYLIGHT
1972 (TV)
0
A group of people get trapped in a New York subway after an earthquake.
Dark, small fry relative of The Poseidon Adventure.
Dir: Barry Shear
Stars: James Brolin, Don Mitchell, Abbey Lincoln
A SHOT IN THE DARK
1964
**
Inspector Clouseau refuses to believe that a woman he desires is a murderer, despite all the evidence that points toward it.
Perhaps the best of all the Clouseau movies - the character was still fresh and funny, and Sellers' sense of comic timing was at its most masterful.
Dir: Blake Edwards
Stars: Peter Sellers, Elke Sommer, George Sanders, Herbert Lom, Graham Stark, David Lodge, Burt Kwouk
SHOULD MARRIED MEN GO HOME?
1928
0
Stan and Ollie disturb the peace of a golf course.
Raw star comedy in three rather loose parts, the second of which was more effectively reworked in Men O'War.
Dir: James Parrott
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Charlie Hall, Edgar Kennedy
SHOULD SAILORS MARRY?
1925
0
A wrestler tries to con a sailor out of his wages.
Shambling short which goes all Harold Lloyd-esque in the last few minutes.
Dir: Jess Robbins
Stars: Clyde Cook, Noah Young, Oliver Hardy
THE SHOUT
1978
*
A traveller who has learnt Aboriginal magic uses it to seduce a married woman.
Intelligent creepy with much to appreciate, but somehow a little pointless and unsympathetic.
Dir: Jerzy Skolimowski
Stars: Alan Bates, Susannah York, John Hurt, Robert Stephens, Tim Curry
SHOWGIRLS
1995
*
A young woman claws her way to the top of the Vegas showgirl pole.
Much-slated but in actuality enormously fun tale of back-stabbing and bitchiness; the trick is not to take it especially seriously and just enjoy the succession of silly, sordid and sexy scenes, which happen to be presented with maximum gloss.
Dir: Paul Verhoeven
Stars: Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon, Robert Davi
SHREK
2001
***
An ogre rescues a princess as part of a deal to get his land back.
Vastly enjoyable cartoon for 'kidults' with bang up-to-date animation technology and many witty nods to popular culture.
Dir: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson
Voices: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow
SHREK 2
2004
**
Shrek attempts to win his princess back from the slimy prince.
Almost-as-good sequel which provides solid entertainment for young and old alike.
Dir: Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, Conrad Vernon
Voices: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Julie Andrews, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett, John Cleese, Jennifer Saunders
SHREK THE THIRD
2007
0
Shrek goes to fetch a new king for his land while Prince Charming hatches a plot.
The sparkle has gone in the third instalment and we're left with a flat-footed cartoon feature with no decent jokes, a boring plot and an excess of sentiment.
Dir: Chris Miller
Voices: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Julie Andrews, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Justin Timberlake, Ian McShane
SHUTTER ISLAND
2010
**
In 1954, a Marshall investigates the disappearance of a woman from a mental asylum on an island.
Scorsese does everything but rattle an old skeleton in this busy gothic psychodrama whose twist is reasonably unexpected and makes you sit up; before that we could have lost 20 minutes from the first hour and maybe have had slightly more of the ‘one man against the rest’ scenario. But that’s a critic’s words versus the filmmaking of one of America’s most esteemed directors.
Dir: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Max von Sydow, Emily Mortimer, Jackie Earle Haley, Patricia Clarkson
THE SHUTTERED ROOM
1967
0
A series of murders is traced to a strange house.
Good looking but overlong and unexciting horror.
Dir: David Greene
Stars: Oliver Reed, Carol Lynley, Gig Young, Flora Robson
SICKO
2007
**
Documentary looking at the failings of American health care.
One of Moore’s better controlled movies, this is an undeniably effective plea for a different system in the USA; it may eulogise Britain, France and Cuba too much, and occasionally lapse into sentimentality, but it succeeds in making a potentially dry subject an arresting one.
Dir/Narrator: Michael Moore
SID AND NANCY
1986
***
The Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious is sent further down the road to destruction by American Nancy Spungen.
Compulsive biopic which pulls no punches, ensuring a repulsive yet hypnotic experience.
Dir: Alex Cox
Stars: Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, David Hayman
SHERLOCK GNOMES
2018
0
Gnome pairing Gnomeo and Juliet join forces with Sherlock Gnomes to find missing gnomes.
A punning title in search of a decent movie: while it's probably okay for young children, adults may find its formulaic japes rather pointless. It just doesn't work and lacks sincerity.
Dir: John Stevenson
Stars: Johnny Depp, Chiwetel Ejiofor, James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine
SHERLOCK HOLMES
1916
*
Holmes steps in when a pair of swindlers try to steal a young woman's property.
Once thought lost for good, this early, silent filming of Conan Doyle's creation is an adaptation of a play, and looks like it - plus, there are some bizarre plot machinations. Of mainly historical interest, the surviving print is a four-episode serial, rather long and staid, but with some interesting camerawork and effects; also valuable as a record of Gillette's Holmes, a role he played many, many times on stage.
Dir: Arthur Berthelet
Stars: William Gillette, Marjorie Kay, Ernest Maupain
SHERLOCK HOLMES
1922
*
Holmes attempts to stop Moriarty getting hold of some valued letters.
Once lost, then found and painstakingly pieced together, this is another adaptation of the above film's story, and it's flawed but not uninteresting. Barrymore looks the part, Moriarty looks dastardly (and in England the film was named after him) and there is even a bit of location shooting, but the prologue is unnecessary and the plot doesn't flow too smoothly, interrupted by several long title cards. Watching it with no sound at all (the version on YouTube) is an experience one's not accustomed too, and one ideally not to repeat too often.
Dir: Albert Parker
Stars: John Barrymore, Roland Young, Gustav von Seyffertitz, Carol Dempster
SHERLOCK HOLMES
1932
*
About to get married and retire, Holmes realises he must face down the menace of Professor Moriarty once again.
One of the better early Holmes films, with plenty of quirks - the detective with a girlfriend; foreign gangsters; Holmes in drag! - and humour too: the chats between a heavy and a publican and his friend breathe life into minor characters. Not too bad at all, and it doesn't outstay its welcome.
Dir: William K Howard
Stars: Clive Brook, Ernest Torrence, Reginald Owen, Miriam Jordan
SHERLOCK HOLMES
2009
**
Holmes and Watson take on an adversary who appears to die and come back to life.
The 19th century becomes the 21st century, as our heroes become a pair of dynamic superheroes enveloped in CGI and shot by the best cameras there are; the result is a busy, chock-full action adventure which, in the main, gives cinemagoers a decent night out – Downey Jr is as easy to like as when he’s Tony Stark, Victorian London is sumptuously recreated and there are amusing quirks. The plot could be clearer, stronger and more succinct, but as it became Ritchie’s biggest ever film, to complain too much might appear churlish.
Dir: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan
SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS
2011
*
The multi-talented detective takes on his old nemesis, Professor Moriarty.
Even busier sequel that isn't really a Sherlock Holmes film, more a crash bang wallop action picture done in the director's usual flashy style, which means slightly irritating slow-motion, high-definition setpieces and a high dose of homo-eroticism. Performances vary - Rapace and Harris may as well not be in it - and the script's up and down but there's fun to be had for those in the mood for it. (The BBC's modern-day Sherlock series is preferable, though.)
Dir: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Stephen Fry, Rachel McAdams, Jared Harris
SHERLOCK HOLMES
2010 (V)
0
A villain plots revenge after being shot by Inspector Lestrade.
Bonkers low budget cash-in on the Guy Ritchie movie, shot by an American crew in Wales over a couple of weeks. You can’t help but count up the misfires: Holmes himself is deeply unimpressive (the actor sounds like he’s inhaled helium), the sound is poor, with much dialogue inaudible, and the script is a long way from winning any prizes. Its steampunk vibe may attract a few fans but others roped in under false pretences will feel cheated by its amateurism.
Dir: Rachel Goldenberg
Stars: Ben Syder, Gareth David-Lloyd, Dominic Keating
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE DEADLY NECKLACE
1962
*
Sherlock Holmes tries to stop Professor Moriarty getting hold of Cleopatra's jewellery.
German entry which doesn't hang together quite right despite some nice elements; it never feels personable (the dire dubbing of the leads may be partly to blame).
Dir: Terence Fisher
Stars: Christopher Lee, Thorley Walters, Senta Berger
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SECRET WEAPON
1942
*
Sherlock Holmes attempts to stop Professor Moriarty from finding the plans for a special bomb before he does.
After all these years, the vast majority of Rathbone-Holmes films retain their paciness and their power to intrigue, and the updating of the setting to World War 2 worked especially well in this entry. Rathbone's Sherlock was a great character for many reasons, not least his leaning to the dark side, here illustrated by his speech about draining Moriarty of his blood, little by little - and then at the end we get the inspiring Shakespeare quotation. Good stuff.
Dir: Roy William Neill
Stars: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Lionel Atwill, Dennis Hoey
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE VOICE OF TERROR
1942
0
Radio broadcasts warn of Nazi terror attacks before they happen; Sherlock Holmes is called in.
For this and the next few adventures, new production company Universal transported Holmes to contemporary times to help out with the war effort, adorned with a peculiar haircut. This is probably the weakest of them, showing its propaganda intentions a little too ostentatiously, while neglecting to capitalise on the detective's special talents. Still, a painless enough hour and a bit.
Dir: John Rawlins
Stars: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Evelyn Ankers, Henry Daniell
SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH
1943
**
Murders occur at a home for convalescing World War 2 soldiers.
Sometimes confusing (the chess board stuff?) but likeable mystery, the first which the capable Neill both directed and produced. Based on Conan Doyle's The Musgrave Ritual, it well utilises its old dark house setting - and the crypt from Universal's Dracula - while making the most of its perfectly cast star: like Bruce Lee in his future movies, these films actually benefitted from having a super talented, unbeatable lead almost never in danger of being undermined.
Dir: Roy William Neill
Stars: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Dennis Hoey, Halliwell Hobbes
SHERLOCK HOLMES IN NEW YORK
1976 (TV)
*
Holmes pursues the villainous Moriarty across the Atlantic.
Eccentrically cast adventure which manages to entertain.
Dir: Boris Sagal
Stars: Roger Moore, Patrick Macnee, John Huston, Charlotte Rampling
SHERLOCK HOLMES IN WASHINGTON
1943
**
Sherlock Holmes attempts to track down some microfilm that is vitally important to the war effort.
The plot may be a little preposterous, but the mechanics within it are hugely enjoyable, even Hitchcockian at times, as the series is properly brought into the contemporary world and the US. One of the great things about the Rathbone Holmes films, besides the fine casts and all-round diligence, is that they're intriguing without being difficult to follow.
Dir: Roy William Neill
Stars: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Marjorie Lord, George Zucco, Henry Daniell
SHERLOCK HOLMES RETURNS
1993 (TV)
0
After many years in suspended animation, Sherlock Holmes is awoken and goes about solving murders involving wild animals.
Pretty dreadful light-hearted adventure with many absurdities including a faulty time structure (Moriarty’s grandson should be much older) and Holmes’ powers of observation ridiculously overdone. The plot tends to be talked about rather than performed and one can only be thankful the intended television series never materialised.
Dir: Kenneth Johnson
Stars: Anthony Higgins, Debrah Farentino, Ken Pogue
SHERLOCK JR
1924
**
A projectionist daydreams that he is a great detective solving a pearl theft.
One of Keaton’s very best, this short piles on the ingeniously crafted comic incidents at great speed, particularly in the second half, the daydream.
Dir: Buster Keaton
Stars: Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Joe Keaton
SHE’S DRESSED TO KILL
1979 (TV)
0
A killer targets fashion models.
Prosaic thriller with inadequate performances.
Dir: Gus Trikonis
Stars: John Rubinstein, Jessica Walter, Connie Sellecca
SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT
1986
*
A black woman has three men on the go at once.
Not very attractive low-budgeter with some dodgy acting, especially from the female lead. It is, however, different and quirky (it's shot in black and white except for one superfluous dance sequence), the first film of a black director better than most; its lumpy pacing and boring bits are overlooked by critics keen to champion it as progressive cinema.
Dir: Spike Lee
Stars: Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell, Spike Lee
SHE’S OUT OF CONTROL
1989
0
A father struggles to control his teenage daughter.
A one-tone lead performance is appropriate for this one-tone film.
Dir: Stan Dragoti
Stars: Tony Danza, Catherine Hicks, Wallace Shawn
SHINE
1996
**
Pianist David Helfglott is a child prodigy but struggles later in life.
Even by the movies' standards this is factually dubious, but the onscreen result is a well played, familiar, easy to digest picture which doesn't get too intense and should send many viewers away feeling a bit better about life.
Dir: Scott Hicks
Stars: Geoffrey Rush, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Justin Braine, John Gielgud, Googie Withers
THE SHINING
1980
****
A writer and his family stay at a deserted hotel but are affected by malevolent forces from the past.
Magnificent shocker featuring scenes that burn themselves into the brain, including the star's impersonation of a man gone wild and the Steadicam's majestic sweeping around the incredible, epic sets. While the pace, particularly in the first half, may be a little slow for some, there's always much to admire in the director's meticulousness, and stories about the making of the film are as interesting as the film itself.
Dir: Stanley Kubrick
Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
SHINING SEX
1976
0
An exotic dancer is taken captive by a strange, otherworldly couple.
Franco took his newish muse Romay and had the camera run over every inch of her body, which looks about the same as in the previous year's Downtown - except for her extensive pubic hair having been completely shorn! It's him trying to be a kooky surrealist but you get the usual vacant script and crummy camerawork we've come to know and love. Or not love perhaps, especially if you're after sci-fi rather than explicit sexual shenanigans.
Dir: Jess Franco
Stars: Lina Romay, Evelynne Scott, Monica Swinn, Jess Franco
SHIP OF FOOLS
1965
*
In 1933, a German liner voyages from Mexico back to Germany, via Cuba.
Somewhat disappointing multi-character drama - the personal stories aren't especially involving and it leans towards the soapy, with a dusting of foreboding gloom and pretension. Technical credits present and correct, real human feeling less so.
Dir: Stanley Kramer
Stars: Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, Jose Ferrer, Lee Marvin, Oskar Werner, George Segal
SHIRLEY VALENTINE
1989
*
A bored housewife finds her sparkle on a holiday in Greece.
Despite some witty lines this is very much a picture for women, especially middle-aged ones.
Dir: Lewis Gilbert
Stars: Pauline Collins, Tom Conti, Julia McKenzie, Alison Steadman, Joanna Lumley, Sylvia Sims, Bernard Hill
SHIVERS
1975
*
The residents of an apartment building turn into sex-crazed monsters.
Cronenberg’s first movie proper, a personal, scatological piece which many will find disgusting and or laughable.
Dir: David Cronenberg
Stars: Paul Hampton, Joe Silver, Lynn Lowry, Barbara Steele
SHOAH
1985
***
Documentary about the Holocaust, featuring no archive footage, just interviews with those who were witness to the terrible acts of the Nazis.
A legendary film, one which seeks like no other to set down as historical record what occurred and isn't concerned with how long it takes (it's nine-and-a-half hours long); Roger Ebert's piece on it is probably the best written about it.
Dir: Claude Lanzmann
SHOCK
1977
*
A couple are terrorised by a vengeful ghost.
An Omen-inspired horror, and its director’s last; a succession of terrible incidents put over with some style.
Dir: Mario Bava
Stars: Daria Nicolodi, John Steiner, David Colin Jr
SHOCK CORRIDOR
1964
*
A journalist deliberately enters a mental asylum to try and solve a murder.
Noisy sensationalist melodrama, not very likeable.
Dir: Samuel Fuller
Stars: Peter Breck, Constance Towers, Gene Evans
A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM
1990
*
A frustrated businessmen takes revenge on those who have humiliated him.
Watchable black comedy with a few neat ideas.
Dir: Jan Egleson
Stars: Michael Caine, Elizabeth McGovern, Peter Riegert
SHOCK TREATMENT
1972
0
Doctors discover a formula which prevents ageing, but there's a catch.
Inconclusive thriller whose nice idea is amateurishly interpreted.
Dir: Alain Jessua
Stars: Alain Delon, Annie Girardot, Robert Hirsch
SHOCK WAVES
1977
0
Seafarers come across Nazi zombies.
Independent horror from Dullsville: it dissolves into under-scripted, repetitive scenes of zombies coming out of the water. They got two genre stars for it but couldn't pay them enough to be in it much.
Dir: Ken Wiederhorn
Stars: Peter Cushing, Brooke Adams, John Carradine, Fred Buch
SHOCKER
1989
0
The electric chair fails to kill a criminal - in fact, he comes back even stronger.
Inept and overlong shocker, the director at his worst.
Dir: Wes Craven
Stars: Michael Murphy, Peter Berg, Heather Langenkamp
SHOCKING AFRICA
1982
*
Mondo documentary about brutal tribal rites in modern-day Africa.
Shocking alright, this is possibly the most horrific of all the third world mondo films, containing absolutely impossible to watch sequences involving male and female circumcision as well as animal killing, generally in close up. It's certainly thought-provoking: we hope and pray that these things don't still go on (but they probably do) and fear that modern politically correct media daren't go anywhere near such things (but they probably should). There's terrible stuff on show here, and most of it is shattering.
Dir: Alfredo Castigiloni, Angelo Castigiloni
SHOCKING ASIA
1976
*
Mondo documentary featuring lurid sights from Asia, including self-mutilation, a sex change operation, wrestling midgets, snake-eating, a sex museum and much more.
The sort of mondo movie that some people tend to particularly associate with the genre, with gruesome close-ups of surgery and animal cruelty, and narration that they find condescending, but is in fact mildly sensationalist and somewhat deceiving - the impression given is of sleaze and obscure mysticism; nowadays it's difficult to separate it from the time it was made in. Some of it is undeniably fascinating for those with the sensibilities to tolerate it, and probably a better way to spend an hour and a half than watching most Hollywood rom-coms.
Dir: Rolf Olsen
SHOCKING ASIA II: THE LAST TABOOS
1985
0
More strangeness from Asia, including 'the Hobbit house', Filipino prostitutes, fake surgery using fingers, cockfighting, leprosy and public cremation.
Similar stuff, but tighter editing and better narration would have vastly improved it; not among the 'great' mondo movies.
Dir: Rolf Olsen
SHOGUN ASSASSIN
1980
*
A warrior swears revenge on the Shogun who slays his wife.
Moody, splenetic fantasy whose merit is based on its bloody butchering, which is outlandish and fanciful.
Dir: Robert Houston
Stars: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Ohki
THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER
1940
*
Life at a busy shop in Budapest.
It's really no surprise to find out that this is based on a play, such is the super-abundance of dialogue and the fact that it barely moves outside the shop; it's made a little more cinematic by the sheer competence and professionalism of those behind and in front of the camera. But it's never quite the uproariously funny or emotionally affecting picture that some claim.
Dir: Ernst Lubitsch
Stars: James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan, Frank Morgan, Joseph Schildkraut
SHORT CIRCUIT
1986
*
An intelligent robot is befriended by an animal-loving woman.
ET-like sci-fi that works quite well thanks to nicely judged helpings of laughs, pathos and action, although youngish children will be its main cheerleaders.
Dir: John Badham
Stars: Ally Sheedy, Steve Guttenberg, Fisher Stevens, Austin Pendleton
SHORT CIRCUIT 2
1988
0
Johnny Five is used and abused by criminals.
Sequel which expands the worst elements of the first film but provides tolerable fun.
Dir: Kenneth Johnson
Stars: Fisher Stevens, Tim Blaney, Michael McKean
SHORT CUTS
1993
**
The lives of various LA residents.
Ambitious multi story drama carried off with some aplomb; excellent if you like this kind of thing.
Dir: Robert Altman
Stars: Andie MacDowell, Jack Lemmon, Julianne Moore, Matthew Modine, Anne Archer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Chris Penn, Robert Downey Jr, Madeleine Stowe
A SHORT FILM ABOUT KILLING
1989
*
A youth murders a taxi driver for no particular reason.
Relentlessly dour and gloomy, with extremely limited appeal.
Dir: Krzysztof Kieslowski
Stars: Miroslaw Baka, Krzysztof Globisz, Jan Tesarz
SHORT KILTS
1923
0
Scottish clans fight over supper.
Primitive comic short which plays like a 1920s version of home video tomfoolery.
Dir: George Jeske
Stars: Stan Laurel, James Finlayson
SHORT TERM 12
2013
*
A couple who work in a facility for troubled youngsters have problems of their own.
The director has expanded his 2008 short with some success, notching up a well-acted, believable drama shot in appropriately twitchy fashion. You wouldn't necessarily want to be in a place like this, or perhaps even watch the movie twice, but it's a solid indie effort which put Larson in the shop window.
Dir: Destin Daniel Cretton
Stars: Brie Larson, Frantz Turner, John Gallagher Jr
SHORT WALK TO DAYLIGHT
1972 (TV)
0
A group of people get trapped in a New York subway after an earthquake.
Dark, small fry relative of The Poseidon Adventure.
Dir: Barry Shear
Stars: James Brolin, Don Mitchell, Abbey Lincoln
A SHOT IN THE DARK
1964
**
Inspector Clouseau refuses to believe that a woman he desires is a murderer, despite all the evidence that points toward it.
Perhaps the best of all the Clouseau movies - the character was still fresh and funny, and Sellers' sense of comic timing was at its most masterful.
Dir: Blake Edwards
Stars: Peter Sellers, Elke Sommer, George Sanders, Herbert Lom, Graham Stark, David Lodge, Burt Kwouk
SHOULD MARRIED MEN GO HOME?
1928
0
Stan and Ollie disturb the peace of a golf course.
Raw star comedy in three rather loose parts, the second of which was more effectively reworked in Men O'War.
Dir: James Parrott
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Charlie Hall, Edgar Kennedy
SHOULD SAILORS MARRY?
1925
0
A wrestler tries to con a sailor out of his wages.
Shambling short which goes all Harold Lloyd-esque in the last few minutes.
Dir: Jess Robbins
Stars: Clyde Cook, Noah Young, Oliver Hardy
THE SHOUT
1978
*
A traveller who has learnt Aboriginal magic uses it to seduce a married woman.
Intelligent creepy with much to appreciate, but somehow a little pointless and unsympathetic.
Dir: Jerzy Skolimowski
Stars: Alan Bates, Susannah York, John Hurt, Robert Stephens, Tim Curry
SHOWGIRLS
1995
*
A young woman claws her way to the top of the Vegas showgirl pole.
Much-slated but in actuality enormously fun tale of back-stabbing and bitchiness; the trick is not to take it especially seriously and just enjoy the succession of silly, sordid and sexy scenes, which happen to be presented with maximum gloss.
Dir: Paul Verhoeven
Stars: Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon, Robert Davi
SHREK
2001
***
An ogre rescues a princess as part of a deal to get his land back.
Vastly enjoyable cartoon for 'kidults' with bang up-to-date animation technology and many witty nods to popular culture.
Dir: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson
Voices: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow
SHREK 2
2004
**
Shrek attempts to win his princess back from the slimy prince.
Almost-as-good sequel which provides solid entertainment for young and old alike.
Dir: Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, Conrad Vernon
Voices: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Julie Andrews, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett, John Cleese, Jennifer Saunders
SHREK THE THIRD
2007
0
Shrek goes to fetch a new king for his land while Prince Charming hatches a plot.
The sparkle has gone in the third instalment and we're left with a flat-footed cartoon feature with no decent jokes, a boring plot and an excess of sentiment.
Dir: Chris Miller
Voices: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Julie Andrews, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Justin Timberlake, Ian McShane
SHUTTER ISLAND
2010
**
In 1954, a Marshall investigates the disappearance of a woman from a mental asylum on an island.
Scorsese does everything but rattle an old skeleton in this busy gothic psychodrama whose twist is reasonably unexpected and makes you sit up; before that we could have lost 20 minutes from the first hour and maybe have had slightly more of the ‘one man against the rest’ scenario. But that’s a critic’s words versus the filmmaking of one of America’s most esteemed directors.
Dir: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Max von Sydow, Emily Mortimer, Jackie Earle Haley, Patricia Clarkson
THE SHUTTERED ROOM
1967
0
A series of murders is traced to a strange house.
Good looking but overlong and unexciting horror.
Dir: David Greene
Stars: Oliver Reed, Carol Lynley, Gig Young, Flora Robson
SICKO
2007
**
Documentary looking at the failings of American health care.
One of Moore’s better controlled movies, this is an undeniably effective plea for a different system in the USA; it may eulogise Britain, France and Cuba too much, and occasionally lapse into sentimentality, but it succeeds in making a potentially dry subject an arresting one.
Dir/Narrator: Michael Moore
SID AND NANCY
1986
***
The Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious is sent further down the road to destruction by American Nancy Spungen.
Compulsive biopic which pulls no punches, ensuring a repulsive yet hypnotic experience.
Dir: Alex Cox
Stars: Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, David Hayman
SIDE BY SIDE
1975
0
Two nightclubs next door to one another try to outdo the other.
British big-screen comedy was not in a great place in the Seventies, as films like this show: this barely raises a titter despite the presence of two comic greats - but TT just doesn't look well or happy, and Humphries had yet to peak. Scholars of the decade and fans of glam rock groups might get something out of it (Mud, The Rubettes and Fox appear, among others)... perhaps.
Dir: Bruce Beresford
Stars: Terry-Thomas, Barry Humphries, Stephanie De Sykes, Billy Boyle
SIDEWAYS
2004
**
Two middle-aged men, one of whom feels a failure and the other who wants a final fling before getting married, go on a wine-tasting tour.
Warm, witty and well-acted drama which should give those who've lived similar lives something to chew on. Those who like wine might enjoy it too.
Dir: Alexander Payne
Stars: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh
SIESTA
1988
0
A woman wakes up half-naked on a runway in Spain with no idea how she got there.
A vapid and wandering tale with frequent flashbacks is sandwiched between a fascinating start and finish.
Dir: Mary Lambert
Stars: Ellen Barkin, Gabriel Byrne, Julian Sands, Isabella Rossellini, Martin Sheen, Grace Jones, Jodie Foster
SIGHTSEERS
2012
***
A strange couple turn a holiday in rural Britain into a murder trail.
Something of a potential modern British classic, this is a delightful jet-black comedy fuelled by pitch-perfect lead performances, abundant in slyly hilarious dialogue and gorgeously shot views of the bucolic landscape. More than one viewing reveals numerous pleasing details, and its ephemera - raucous hen nights, terrible weather, offence at litter-dropping, love of dogs and so on - confirm it as a film that's one of the most English of its time.
Dir: Ben Wheatley
Stars: Alice Lowe, Steve Oram
THE SIGN OF FOUR
1923
0
A convict seeks revenge on those who wronged him.
Eille Norwood played Sherlock Holmes 47 times, mostly in shorts now lost, and this is the only surviving feature-length film with him in his defining role; these days it's something of an endurance to get through, but for the time it's well enough done, and the climactic scenes showcase much location shooting of London, chiefly from the river.
Dir: Maurice Elvey
Stars: Eille Norwood, Arthur M Cullin, Isobel Elsom
THE SIGN OF FOUR
1932
0
A young woman seeks Sherlock Holmes's protection from a killer.
Reasonable mystery which looks creaky now.
Dir: Graham Cutts
Stars: Arthur Wontner, Ian Hunter, Isla Bevan
THE SIGN OF FOUR
1983 (TV)
*
Sherlock Holmes tracks down an enormous missing diamond.
One of Conan Doyle's best Holmes novels is treated well in this lively, good looking television production.
Dir: Desmond Davis
Stars: Ian Richardson, David Healy, Thorley Walters, Cherie Lunghi
SILENCE
2016
*
In the 17th century, young Portuguese priests travel to Japan to try and find an older priest who has disappeared.
High-end boredom for many, but possibly rewarding for those on the director's wavelength. It's unclear what the modern viewer is meant to take from it, though, what we're meant to think of this strange, faraway time and land. Very long, very slow, very well made (of course), it's one of the most art-house films of the director's career and among his most personal.
Dir: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson, Adam Driver, Issei Ogata
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
1991
***
A young FBI agent goes after a killer who skins his victims alive.
Cracking thriller which doesn’t rely on old style shock techniques but utilises gritty and unflinching operandi to tell its gruesome story. Hopkins here joined the gallery of immortal screen villains.
Dir: Jonathan Demme
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Scott Glenn
THE SILENCERS
1966
0
Secret agent Matt Helm is lured out of retirement.
The first of Martin's four silly Matt Helm movies; their appeal is very much dependent on liking the slovenly star and being in the mood for a yarn that resembles a very cheap James Bond film.
Dir: Phil Karlson
Stars: Dean Martin, Stella Stevens, Victor Buono, Cyd Charisse
Sequels, all qv: Murderers' Row, The Ambushers, The Wrecking Crew
THE SILENT FLUTE
1978
0
A martial artist goes on a dangerous quest.
Pretentious fantasy that would have been less mystically fixated and more thrilling if Bruce Lee had starred, as originally intended.
Dir: Richard Moore
Stars: David Carradine, Christopher Lee, Roddy McDowall, Eli Wallach
THE SILENT INVASION
1962
*
In a village in occupied France, a local woman has an affair with a Nazi general to coerce operational secrets from him.
Reasonably brisk supporting feature that ends on a poignant note.
Dir: Max Varnel
Stars: Eric Flynn, Petra Davies, Francis De Wolff, Martin Benson
SILENT MOVIE
1976
**
A film director attempts to produce a silent feature film.
The jokes may be spread a little thinly, but when they hit the spot it's Brooks near his best.
Dir: Mel Brooks
Stars: Mel Brooks, Marty Feldman, Dom DeLuise, Sid Caesar
THE SILENT PARTNER
1978
****
A bank teller fools a would-be robber, but that isn't the end of it.
Surely one of the best films ever to come out of Canada, this commanding thriller is splendidly twisty and clever, fleshed out with a host of believable human characters and grounded in what feels like a very authentic place and time; the sex and violence electrify it further. It's so, so good.
Dir: Daryl Duke
Stars: Elliot Gould, Christopher Plummer, Susannah York, Celine LomezSILENT RAGE
1982
0
A sheriff takes on a genetically modified, unstoppable killer.
The first and last ten minutes of this tonally inconsistent, poorly paced action/horror/comedy are the business - most of the stuff in the middle much less exciting, with romantic encounters and things happening with bikers. Norris was always more of a fighter than an actor, and so it proves here. The 'unstoppable killer' theme tends to be one that walks a fine line between being irritating and gripping...
Dir: Michael Miller
Stars: Chuck Norris, Ron Silver, Steven Keats, Toni Kalem
SILENT RUNNING
1972
*
In the far future, a man is entrusted with looking after the last fragments of nature on Earth.
Overdrawn, sombre sci-fi with a muddled storyline.
Dir: Douglas Trumbull
Stars: Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, Ron Rifkin
SILIP
1985
*
A woman returns from Manila to her sexually messed up village, and causes even greater trouble.
There isn't another film quite like this bizarre Filipino effort, a crazy mix of sexploitation and contemplative drama about religious belief - with animal slaughter, oodles of nudity (from most sections of the community) and beheading by children. Strikingly shot in a rural coastal location, it would be better still if it was shorter and had not such a dominant single tone, one of anger, but its rawness can't help but make an impression. It won't turn up on TV anytime soon.
Dir: Elwood Perez
Stars: Sarsi Emmanuelle, Maria Isabel Lopez, Mark Joseph
SILKWOOD
1983
*
An employee of a nuclear facility plans to uncover its poor safety record.
Interesting but overlong true life drama that's determined to appear important.
Dir: Mike Nichols
Stars: Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, Cher, Craig T Nelson
SILVER BLAZE
1937
*
Sherlock Holmes investigates a double-murder which Moriarty may be behind.
Nice little puzzler; Holmes is on top form, Moriarty is underused and Watson is a little bland.
Dir: Thomas Bentley
Stars: Arthur Wontner, Ian Fleming, Lyn Harding, John Turnbull
SILVER BULLET
1986
0
A werewolf terrorises a small town.
Overly nice horror comic with nothing very new to offer.
Dir: Daniel Attias
Stars: Gary Busey, Everett McGill, Corey Haim
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
2012
*
A man suffering from a bipolar disorder after discovering his wife being unfaithful meets a young woman who also has mental health issues after the death of her husband.
Unusual, darkly comic drama peopled by unlikeable, sweary characters, it got awards attention but is offputtingly inconsistent in tone: it starts off like a piece on mental health and then almost veers into dancing and sports flick territory. It's a little difficult to digest.
Dir: David O Russell
Stars: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker
1972
*
In the far future, a man is entrusted with looking after the last fragments of nature on Earth.
Overdrawn, sombre sci-fi with a muddled storyline.
Dir: Douglas Trumbull
Stars: Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, Ron Rifkin
SILIP
1985
*
A woman returns from Manila to her sexually messed up village, and causes even greater trouble.
There isn't another film quite like this bizarre Filipino effort, a crazy mix of sexploitation and contemplative drama about religious belief - with animal slaughter, oodles of nudity (from most sections of the community) and beheading by children. Strikingly shot in a rural coastal location, it would be better still if it was shorter and had not such a dominant single tone, one of anger, but its rawness can't help but make an impression. It won't turn up on TV anytime soon.
Dir: Elwood Perez
Stars: Sarsi Emmanuelle, Maria Isabel Lopez, Mark Joseph
SILKWOOD
1983
*
An employee of a nuclear facility plans to uncover its poor safety record.
Interesting but overlong true life drama that's determined to appear important.
Dir: Mike Nichols
Stars: Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, Cher, Craig T Nelson
SILVER BLAZE
1937
*
Sherlock Holmes investigates a double-murder which Moriarty may be behind.
Nice little puzzler; Holmes is on top form, Moriarty is underused and Watson is a little bland.
Dir: Thomas Bentley
Stars: Arthur Wontner, Ian Fleming, Lyn Harding, John Turnbull
SILVER BULLET
1986
0
A werewolf terrorises a small town.
Overly nice horror comic with nothing very new to offer.
Dir: Daniel Attias
Stars: Gary Busey, Everett McGill, Corey Haim
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
2012
*
A man suffering from a bipolar disorder after discovering his wife being unfaithful meets a young woman who also has mental health issues after the death of her husband.
Unusual, darkly comic drama peopled by unlikeable, sweary characters, it got awards attention but is offputtingly inconsistent in tone: it starts off like a piece on mental health and then almost veers into dancing and sports flick territory. It's a little difficult to digest.
Dir: David O Russell
Stars: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker
SILVER LODE
1954
*
In the Old West, a man is turned on by residents after a marshall arrives claiming he is wanted for murder.
Pretty fair anti-McCarthyism/High Noon-type Western with above average photography and a message about how people can easily be turned into mobs when they're scared or angry, it ends hinting that divine intervention may be necessary. So it's more thoughtful than actionful. Some of us are amused by the fact that there was a Western star called John Payne (not Wayne).
Dir: Allan Dwan
Stars: John Payne, Lizabeth Scott, Dan Duryea, Dolores MoranSIMON BIRCH
1998
0
In 1964 in a small American town, a dwarfish boy has a never-forgotten effect on his best friend’s life.
Highly manipulative drama with a strange little central character who may not be to everyone’s taste. Early on it mentions its two major plot points, both of which go on to look rather daft when viewed in the context of their treacly surroundings; it’s like A Christmas Story (qv) with more disability, more God and less Christmas.
Dir: Mark Steven Johnson
Stars: Ian Michael Smith, Joseph Mazzello, Ashley Judd, Oliver Platt, Jim Carrey
SIMON SIMON
1971
0
Two workmen battle it out on their respective cranes.
Dullish short with an interesting cast.
Dir: Graham Stark
Stars: Graham Stark, Norman Rossington, Michael Caine, David Hemmings, Peter Sellers
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE
2007
*
Homer Simpson attempts to save Springfield after he has doomed it to destruction.
Expectations were high for this film version of the popular TV show, but its familarity proves to be its downfall; while it is consistently pretty funny the audience waits for the huge surprise or huge laugh that never arrives, and the opportunity is barely taken to be ruder and more biting on the big screen. Still, it was among the more digestible of summer 2007's blockbusting movies.
Dir: David Silverman
Voices: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Harry Shearer, Hank Azaria
SIN CITY
2005
***
Three stories of lust and revenge from desperate Basin City.
Splendidly original and powerful comic strip adaptation which may glamorise violence [and smoking] but arrives like a cinematic breath of fresh air.
Dir: Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino
Stars: Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba, Benico Del Toro, Brittany Murphy, Elliah Wood
1998
0
In 1964 in a small American town, a dwarfish boy has a never-forgotten effect on his best friend’s life.
Highly manipulative drama with a strange little central character who may not be to everyone’s taste. Early on it mentions its two major plot points, both of which go on to look rather daft when viewed in the context of their treacly surroundings; it’s like A Christmas Story (qv) with more disability, more God and less Christmas.
Dir: Mark Steven Johnson
Stars: Ian Michael Smith, Joseph Mazzello, Ashley Judd, Oliver Platt, Jim Carrey
SIMON SIMON
1971
0
Two workmen battle it out on their respective cranes.
Dullish short with an interesting cast.
Dir: Graham Stark
Stars: Graham Stark, Norman Rossington, Michael Caine, David Hemmings, Peter Sellers
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE
2007
*
Homer Simpson attempts to save Springfield after he has doomed it to destruction.
Expectations were high for this film version of the popular TV show, but its familarity proves to be its downfall; while it is consistently pretty funny the audience waits for the huge surprise or huge laugh that never arrives, and the opportunity is barely taken to be ruder and more biting on the big screen. Still, it was among the more digestible of summer 2007's blockbusting movies.
Dir: David Silverman
Voices: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Harry Shearer, Hank Azaria
SIN CITY
2005
***
Three stories of lust and revenge from desperate Basin City.
Splendidly original and powerful comic strip adaptation which may glamorise violence [and smoking] but arrives like a cinematic breath of fresh air.
Dir: Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino
Stars: Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba, Benico Del Toro, Brittany Murphy, Elliah Wood
SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR
2014
*
More murder and mayhem from the streets of Sin City.
The sequel has less interesting stories to tell but the visuals are still arresting, especially Eva Green's breasts. Despite not feeling as novel as before, with some of the violence a little wearying, it's not a disaster.
Dir: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez
Stars: Mickey Rourke, Eva Green, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Brolin, Jessica Alba, Bruce Willis
SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER
1977
0
Sinbad delivers a cursed prince to a hazardous island.
The weakest of the Sinbad trilogy, a weary retread of past glories.
Dir: Sam Wanamaker
Stars: Patrick Wayne, Jane Seymour, Patrick Troughton, Taryn Power
SINBAD OF THE SEVEN SEAS
1989
0
Evil Jaffar threatens Basra, 'the happiest city in the world' - Sinbad comes to its aid.
Putting the bad in Sinbad, this cheapjack Italian production is pure panto, with the musclebound, muscle-headed star caught in a maelstrom of terrible dialogue, bad special effects and awful acting, largely narrated by a woman telling her child a bedroom story. Poor kid.
Dir: Enzo G Castellari
Stars: Lou Ferrigno, John Steiner, Roland Wybenga
SINBAD THE SAILOR
1947
0
Sinbad heads to a mysterious island to look for treasure.
Overlong, starchy swashbuckler which needed more magic and more humour.
Dir: Richard Wallace
Stars: Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Maureen O’Hara, Anthony Quinn
SINCE YOU WENT AWAY
1944
*
Women on the Home Front suffer the agonies of their men going off to war and sometimes not coming back.
Lush 'women's picture' that may be too sentimental and too long for many, and just isn't as interesting as 1946's similar The Best Years Of Our Lives. As is sometimes the case with these films, it bizarrely ends with a note on the illusory comfort blanket of religion.
Dir: John Cromwell
Stars: Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Shirley Temple, Monty Woolley, Lionel Barrymore, Robert Walker
SINDERELLA
1972
*
The story of Cinderella, although this time the Prince only has the maiden's bra to try and track her down.
This five-minute long adult animation is notable for being refused a certificate by the BBFC and then being declared obscene by the High Court of Appeal; producer/writer David Grant cut 25 seconds from it and it was eventually released in November 1973. Its basic art, redolent of children's cartoons of the period, is curiously appealing, and it has a deliciously transgressive air. Thanks be to the cineaste who somehow rescued it from oblivion in 2025 by putting it on the Internet Archive.
Dir: Marcus Parker-RhodesTHE SINFUL DWARF
1973
0
A young couple are terrorised in a boarding house they stop at.
A massively sleazy movie, an unbelievably grotesque horror complete with execrable acting and a script that's totally twisted but also very simple.
Dir: Vidal Raski
Stars: Torben Bille, Anne Sparrow, Tony Eades
SING AS WE GO!
1934
*
When Lancashire cotton mills close down, a resourceful woman has to seek alternative employment.
A rousing hit of its day, this Fields vehicle now appears most queer, a cheerful, slapdash semi-musical in which our half-demented heroine wanders hither and thither, mouthing cheek to all and sundry. Pretty much everything – including a funfair and a circus – is thrown into the heady brew, and future viewers are likely to be utterly bewildered.
Dir: Basil Dean
Stars: Gracie Fields, John Loder, Frank Pettingell, Dorothy Hyson, Stanley Holloway
THE SINGER NOT THE SONG
1961
*
In a small Mexican town, the new priest and a local bandit clash.
A curious film which casts a gay, posh Englishman as a brutal Mexican bandit (yet Bogarde apparently chose the role over the priest's), resulting in an unusual relic that not many have seen. The gay undertones (or is it overtones?) don't stop there, and this long, measured, character-driven drama is a choppy, patchy - if thoughtful - enterprise you probably won't watch twice.
Dir: Roy Ward Baker
Stars: Dirk Bogarde, John Mills, Mylene Demongeot, Laurence Naismith
SINGLES
1992
***
The lives and loves of twenty somethings in Seattle.
Warm, fresh and funny multi drama with many surprising touches.
Dir: Cameron Crowe
Stars: Bridget Fonda, Campbell Scott, Matt Dillon, Bill Pullman
THE SINISTER MAN
1961
0
An Oxford don is discovered dead in the river.
Routine Edgar Wallace Mystery that's largely flat until its somewhat laughable martial arts climax. At least all these films had great posters, as can be seen on the DVD release artwork.
Dir: Clive Donner
Stars: John Bentley, Patrick Allen, Jacqueline Ellis
1973
0
A young couple are terrorised in a boarding house they stop at.
A massively sleazy movie, an unbelievably grotesque horror complete with execrable acting and a script that's totally twisted but also very simple.
Dir: Vidal Raski
Stars: Torben Bille, Anne Sparrow, Tony Eades
SING AS WE GO!
1934
*
When Lancashire cotton mills close down, a resourceful woman has to seek alternative employment.
A rousing hit of its day, this Fields vehicle now appears most queer, a cheerful, slapdash semi-musical in which our half-demented heroine wanders hither and thither, mouthing cheek to all and sundry. Pretty much everything – including a funfair and a circus – is thrown into the heady brew, and future viewers are likely to be utterly bewildered.
Dir: Basil Dean
Stars: Gracie Fields, John Loder, Frank Pettingell, Dorothy Hyson, Stanley Holloway
THE SINGER NOT THE SONG
1961
*
In a small Mexican town, the new priest and a local bandit clash.
A curious film which casts a gay, posh Englishman as a brutal Mexican bandit (yet Bogarde apparently chose the role over the priest's), resulting in an unusual relic that not many have seen. The gay undertones (or is it overtones?) don't stop there, and this long, measured, character-driven drama is a choppy, patchy - if thoughtful - enterprise you probably won't watch twice.
Dir: Roy Ward Baker
Stars: Dirk Bogarde, John Mills, Mylene Demongeot, Laurence Naismith
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
1952
****
A film production company struggles to make the transition from silents to sound.
This brilliant film will never not be screened: it's not only pure cinema but it's pure theatre too with its terrific music, stunning dancing and beautiful staging, all in the most glorious colour imaginable and contained in a plot about something important, the early days of the motion picture industry. It has a little bit of everything, from the genuinely hilarious scenes in which they try to make talkies work to the famous title song set-piece to the latter stages which snub a conventional narrative and become a delightfully artistic, dreamlike kaleidoscope of wonderful dance moves and inspired art direction (even if the final number goes on a tad long). It stands as a testament to the physical and artistic peaks humans can push themselves too.
Dir: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Stars: Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Cyd Charisse
SINGLE WHITE FEMALE
1992
*
A woman's new lodger turns out to be severely unbalanced.
One of a glut of several similarly themed films of the time (see also Unlawful Entry and The Hand That Rocks The Cradle), this sexy thriller is fairly predictable and moderately satisfying, if a little too long and lumpily paced. Scenes featuring an early 'internet' provide some amusement.
Dir: Barbet Schroeder
Stars: Bridget Fonda, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Steven Weber
SINGLES
1992
***
The lives and loves of twenty somethings in Seattle.
Warm, fresh and funny multi drama with many surprising touches.
Dir: Cameron Crowe
Stars: Bridget Fonda, Campbell Scott, Matt Dillon, Bill Pullman
THE SINISTER MAN
1961
0
An Oxford don is discovered dead in the river.
Routine Edgar Wallace Mystery that's largely flat until its somewhat laughable martial arts climax. At least all these films had great posters, as can be seen on the DVD release artwork.
Dir: Clive Donner
Stars: John Bentley, Patrick Allen, Jacqueline Ellis
THE SINISTER URGE
1960
0
Actresses in mucky films are being popped off.
Ed Wood's condemnation of the porn industry, soon before he started directing porn films, is as delirious as you've heard, with one scene after another of fragile high campery and strange words spoken awkwardly against bare walls - except for the walls with posters for Wood's former movies on. A must for bad film fans.
Dir: Edward D Wood Jr
Stars: Kenne Duncan, Duke Moore, Jean Fontaine
SIR ALEX FERGUSON: NEVER GIVE IN
2021
**
Documentary about one of the greatest ever British football managers, Sir Alex Ferguson.
A son's portrait of his father, and one that Manchester United fans will love, as will others: it's a heavily curated tale (mostly by Ferguson himself) about success emerging from adversity and how an indefatigable attitude can bring great rewards. Pivoting around the Scot's near-fatal brain haemorrhage in 2018, it flits back and forth between human mortality and human brilliance in the shape of great goals and great sporting achievements - one suspects most viewers will revel more in the latter. Where were you that night in '99...?
Dir: Jason Ferguson
SIR HENRY AT RAWLINSON END
1980
0
A peer attempts to exorcise a ghost.
Weird and incoherent comedy that's tough to sit through.
Dir: Steve Roberts
Stars: Trevor Howard, Patrick Magee, Vivian Stanshall, Suzanne Danielle
SIRENS
1994
***
A priest travels to Australia to try and persuade a painter from creating such lustrous works of art.
Deliciously unusual and pleasurable to watch soufflé of eroticism, symbolism and light comedy. It might be Grant's ultimate floppy Englishman role - while surrounded by stunning naked women - and most scenes have something in them that is pleasing in some way. What a nice Garden of Eden to visit.
Dir: John Duigan
Stars: Hugh Grant, Tara Fitzgerald, Sam Neill, Elle Macpherson, Portia de Rossi
SISTER KENNY
1946
*
Australian nurse Elizabeth Kenny discovers an effective treatment for polio.
Decent biopic in the old style. A new version would probably do things very differently, with less precise chronicling of the medical stuff and more feminism.
Dir: Dudley Nichols
Stars: Rosalind Russell, Alexander Knox, Dean Jagger
THE SISTER OF URSULA
1978
0
Two sisters, one of whom has terrible dreams about murder, get caught up in the killings at a holiday resort.
Incompetent sleaze (the killer uses a wooden phalus!) which drags despite its regular naked women slayings.
Dir: Enzo Milioni
Stars: Barbara Magnolfi, Stefania D'Amari, Anna Zinnermann
SISTER STREET FIGHTER
1974
0
A female martial arts fighter looks for her brother who has been kidnapped by a drug baron.
Routine in terms of plot, this chop socky flick has plenty of mad moments (the fly spearings, the head the wrong way round, the entrails etc) and some outrageous gore. It's confusing at times but okay for the drunk, who'll forget a lot of it afterwards. The fights are nowhere near Bruce Lee standard, but it was the first of four Sister Street Fighter movies.
Dir: Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
Stars: Etsuko Shihomi, Shin'ichi Chiba, Asao Uchida
SISTERS
1972
*
A reporter tries to convince the police that she witnessed a murder.
The first half of this thriller is tremendous, a loving homage to Hitchcock - there are nods to Rope, Psycho and Rear Window among others - and it works, because it's an involving plot adorned by the director's flashy tricks like split screen. Then it goes down a strange route which is less like Hitchcock and less satisfying, leading to an ending that underwhelms. Still, it was an early sign of De Palma's talent in the suspense arena.
Dir: Brian De Palma
Stars: Margot Kidder, Jennifer Salt, Charles Durning, William Finley
SITTING TARGET
1972
*
An escaped con goes after his cheating wife.
Competent, hard-hearted thriller, stylishly shot in gritty and realistic London settings.
Dir: Douglas Hickox
Stars: Oliver Reed, Jill St John, Ian McShane, Edward Woodward, Frank Finlay, Freddie Jones
SIX SWEDES AT A PUMP
1980
0
Half a dozen Swedish girls 'run' a petrol station.
Artless follow-up to Boarding School that makes that film look like a classic; dialogue is beyond abysmal, dubbing is pitiful and somehow it's not even that erotic thanks to cack-handed sex scenes. Known under scores of different titles, it's terrible under every one of them.
Dir: Erwin C Dietrich
Stars: Brigitte Lahaie, Nadine Pascal, Jane Baker
SIX SWEDISH GIRLS IN A BOARDING SCHOOL
1979
0
Schoolgirls keep themselves entertained in a variety of ways.
The title alone would have some men reaching for the Valium, and this fleshy sex comedy is unlikely to disappoint: despite being made with very little technical competence, it is a welcome product of a moment in history when Western sexual freedom and liberal attitudes to sex were at their fore, making for a carefree and titillating slice of erotica that does no harm and plenty of good. It’s just a shame the pacing is so off and that it ends, you could say, on an unstressed syllable.
Dir: Erwin C Dietrich
Stars: Brigitte Lahaie, Nadine Pascal, Anne Libert, France Lomay
Sequels, of which there were three loose ones, include the above and below, plus Six Swedes In Ibiza (1981), which is just tedious hardcore shenanigans
SIX SWEDISH GIRLS IN THE ALPS
1983
0
The Nordic half-dozen head to the Alps to escape their troubles.
You could take the view that this delirious, demented sex trash is not even competent on its own terms and is a waste of human capital; or you could contend that its existence represents the triumph of Western Europe, of monocultural comfort, of quirky creativity and sexual liberation. It's certainly a bit of a hottie, with some scenes resembling naughtier Benny Hill-style chases; other than that, it's mostly either soft hardcore, or hard softcore.
Dir: Paul Grau
Stars: Petra van Hoven, Marianne Aubert, Evelyne LangTHE SIXTH SENSE
1999
**
A boy can tune into the world of the dead.
Atmospheric chiller, not exactly a barrel of laughs, but nicely done and with a big enough twist to get the punters in.
Dir: M Night Shyamalan
Stars: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette
SKID KIDS
1953
0
Children in Bermondsey encounter bike thieves.
Like many CFF pictures, the only reason for most to watch this now is the East London locations, and to witness its all-white populace before they were, astonishingly, almost entirely displaced in the following half century. It doesn't have much of a decent story.
Dir: Don Chaffey
Stars: Barry MacGregor, Anthony Lang, Peter Neil
SKIN DEEP
1979
0
Teenagers have an eventful summer on some Italian islands.
It's refreshing to see a film about nudism rather than simple sexual couplings, but this romantic drama's script isn't as good as might be, and the characterisations not that believable. Fairly pleasant viewing, but a tad too long.
Dir: Marcello Aliprandi
Stars: Olga Karlatos, Juan Carlos Naya, Maurizio Interlandi, Ilona Staller
THE SKIN GAME
1931
0
Two families war over a piece of land.
Boring early Hitchcock with flashes of style; the auction sequence for instance. Sound quality not great.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Edmund Gwenn, Helen Haye, C V France
THE SKIN I LIVE IN
2011
***
A doctor keeps a young woman imprisoned in his house.
The director’s usual preoccupations with gender, identity and sexually twisted drama are enmeshed in what’s effectively a mad doctor yarn, one shot with his usual style and elegance. Its unconventional narrative structure makes a strange and surprising yarn ever more unpredictable and deliciously different – were there more Almodovars around.
Dir: Pedro Almodovar
Stars: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes, Jan Cornet
SKIPPY
1931
0
Two little boys try to save a dog from the pound.
One of the weakest, and most obscure, films to be nominated for Best Picture Oscar, this is a curious little yarn about children that must have struck a chord at the time - presumably millions read the comic strip on which it was based. Coogan isn't even a particularly good actor, but everything looks worse viewed on a poor quality print. Nowadays it'd be a bit like the Garfield movie being Oscar nominated.
Dir: Norman Taurog
Stars: Jackie Cooper, Robert Coogan, Mitzi Green
THE SKULL
1965
*
The skull of the Marquis de Sade causes its owner to go mad.
Daft fun, with some tasty skull-related visuals if a slightly threadbare script - couldn't they think of any dialogue for the last half hour? But, to be fair, it sort of works, becoming a near arty, super-strange horror, and the movie's mid-way, hallucinogenic Russian roulette sequence is quite something. Peerless cast, of course.
Dir: Freddie Francis
Stars: Peter Cushing, Patrick Wymark, Christopher Lee, Jill Bennett, Nigel Green, Patrick Magee, Michael Gough
SKULLDUGGERY
1969
0
A safari apparently finds the missing link.
Cheesy fantasy which doesn’t work as an adventure or a factual piece.
Dir: Gordon Douglas
Stars: Burt Reynolds, Susan Clark, Wilfrid Hyde-White
THE SKY-BIKE
1967
0
A young lad becomes friends with an eccentric inventor in his quest to fly.
Routine example of the Children's Film Foundation product; it starts well, with a multi-coloured dream sequence, but the plot after that isn't any great shakes.
Dir: Charles Frend
Stars: Spencer Shires, Liam Redmond, William Lucas
SKYFALL
2012
**
James Bond comes up against an ex-agent with a personal vendetta against M.
Craig's best Bond film is a cunning mixture of the old and the new: they've remembered what made the early ones so successful - some humour, a solid plot, a decent villain - while having a fresh-feeling structure, more fleshed-out characters and several tangy surprises (although Judi Dench swearing is a most unwelcome one). The series' finest cinematography creates a rich atmosphere, whether in London, Shanghai or Scotland, the super-fast cutting of the previous Bond film is thankfully gone, some of the setpieces are strikingly audacious, and even the theme song isn't bad. In the year of the Olympics and the Jubilee it became the third event to make a lot of people feel proud to be British.
Dir: Sam Mendes
Stars: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Berenice Marlohe, Albert Finney
SKYWAY TO DEATH
1975 (TV)
0
Passengers on an aerial tramway are trapped in the sky.
Lame suspenser with more soap than tension.
Dir: Gordon Hessler
Stars: Ross Martin, Stefanie Powers, Bobby Sherman
SLACKER
1991
**
Curious characters wander around Austin, Texas.
Highly experimental in format, this compendium of overheard speech and unusual anecdotes deserves plaudits.
Dir: Richard Linklater
Stars: Richard Linklater, Rudy Basquez, Jean Caffeine
SLADE IN FLAME
1975
*
A rock and roll group called Flame try to make it big.
A curious choice for a film vehicle for the group that was then the biggest in Britain - although they were about to wane - this is a downbeat and sometimes dark musical drama that must have mystified fans. The group actually act quite well and a couple of their songs are great (it's a pity there aren't more), but this isn't an especially remarkable or surprising tale.
Dir: Richard Loncraine
Stars: Noddy Holder, Don Powell, Dave Hill, Jim Lea, Tom Conti, Alan Lake
SLAP SHOT
1977
*
An ice hockey team finds success by using more violence.
Somehow unsatisfying, oddly detached comedy drama, very 1970s and very American.
Dir: George Roy Hill
Stars: Paul Newman, Strother Martin, Jennifer Warren
THE SLAPPIEST DAYS OF OUR LIVES
1953
0
A series of clips from mostly silent comedies supposedly linked by Stan Laurel, voiced by Peter Sellers.
An incredibly strange film that’s a long way from Robert Youngson’s compilations; the insertion of Stan into films that he wasn’t in is bizarre, no clips are identified and it’s largely very poor in both content and presentation. There are brief scenes from the Laurel and Hardy shorts Going Bye Bye, Them Thar Hills and The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case.
Dir: n/a
Narrators: Peter Sellers, Graham Stark. Stars: Stan Laurel, James Finlayson, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, Ben Turpin, Oliver Hardy
SLAUGHTER HIGH
1985
0
A badly treated school kid murders his erstwhile enemies.
Predictable, sickish slasher pic that's a mite more effective than many others in its unoriginal genre.
Dir: George Dugdale, Mark Ezra
Stars: Caroline Munro, Simon Scuddamore, Gary Martin
SLAUGHTER HOTEL
1971
0
A killer terrorises an institution for mentally disturbed rich women.
A lot of people simply wouldn't believe a movie could be this bad; only one as crazed as the murderer in it would reckon it a decent film.
Dir: Fernando Di Leo
Stars: Klaus Kinski, Margaret Lee, Rosalba Neri
SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE
1972
*
A man tells how he became unstuck in time and abducted by aliens.
Difficult-to-evaluate puzzle movie which contains much to interest, bewilder and infuriate.
Dir: George Roy Hill
Stars: Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman, Valerie Perrine
SLAVE GIRLS FROM BEYOND INFINITY
1987
0
Astronaut women land on a planet where they meet a mad hunter.
Featherlight version of The Most Dangerous Game, a sexy soap opera with incredibly stilted dialogue. Despite its risible inadequacies it's a pretty boring watch.
Dir: Ken Dixon
Stars: Cindy Beal, Elizabeth Kaitan, Don Scribner
SLAVE TRADE IN THE WORLD TODAY
1964
0
Documentary about modern-day slavery in the Middle East and Africa.
There's no disguising the fact that this is an exploitative mondo movie, and one with fakery rife, which somewhat detracts from the valid points it's just about trying to make.
Dir: Maleno Malenotti, Roberto Malenotti, Folco Quilici
THE SLAYER
1981
0
A group of people on a small island face a terrifying beast.
No better than Tower Of Evil (qv) from ten years before (especially in the cut version), this horror ends up going nowhere.
Dir: J S Cardone
Stars: Sarah Kendall, Frederick Flynn
SLAYGROUND
1983
0
A hit man relentlessly tracks down a thief who accidentally killed a small girl.
Anglo-American thriller that starts well but becomes wearing.
Dir: Terry Bedford
Stars: Peter Coyote, Mel Smith, Billie Whitelaw
SLEEP WITH ME
1994
0
A woman marries then has a fling with her husband's best friend.
Smug and loathsome talkfest consisting of unbearable people with awful clothes and hairstyles smoking and arguing and generally being obnoxious. Six writers were responsible for this self-indulgent tripe.
Dir: Rory Kelly
Stars: Eric Stoltz, Meg Tilly, Craig Sheffer
SLEEPER
1973
***
A health food store worker is cryogenically frozen and wakes up in very different times 200 years later.
Bountiful sci-fi comedy with bright ideas, one of the most likeable early Allen's. Despite its futuristic setting, the film says so much about the 1970s – there are references to Watergate, Muhammad Ali, Miss World and more, but it hasn’t dated; perhaps that’s because there’s so much of everything in here: slapstick almost as sublime as Laurel and Hardy’s, spot-on analysis of the human condition, immortal one-liners, striking architecture and visuals, a witty jazz score, crazy comedy, cerebral comedy, satire, surrealism... It’s a work of a great artist who was maturing rapidly around this time.
Dir: Woody Allen
Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, John Beck, Mary Gregory
SLEEPING BEAUTY
1959
*
Only a handsome prince can break the spell a nasty fairy has put on a princess.
Cartoon feature that's some way from being among Disney's best: only the climactic battle is relatively exciting.
Dir: Clyde Geronimi
Voices: Mary Costa, Bill Shirley, Eleanor Audley
SLEEPING BEAUTY
2011
*
A beautiful young student earns money by undertaking a curious form of prostitution.
Something a bit different, which is usually to be welcomed: a discussion-worthy, slightly daring, somewhat perverse exploration of a young woman selling her soul and her body. We don’t actually learn much about her, though, and the narrative is often frustratingly halting and obscure; the feeling you're left with is that it should have been better.
Dir: Julia Leigh
Stars: Emily Browning, Rachael Blake, Ewen Leslie
THE SLEEPING CARDINAL
1931
0
Sherlock Holmes thwarts Moriarty's attempts to smuggle stolen money abroad.
The makers of this detective yarn must have been delighted when talkies came in as there sure is a lot of talking here! Long thought lost, it's a decent enough tale that posits a vaguely intriguing mystery without ever once leaving the studio.
Dir: Leslie S Hiscott
Stars: Arthur Wontner, Ian Fleming, Norman McKinnel, Philip Hewland
SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY
1990
*
A woman hates her abusive husband so much she fakes her own death and runs away.
Preposterous thriller designed to promote Julia Roberts; a lack of a proper introduction, a risible villain and mechanical plotting sink it.
Dir: Joseph Ruben
Stars: Julia Roberts, Patrick Bergin, Kevin Anderson
SLEEPLESS
2001
0
A killer who has been dormant for 17 years appears to be active again.
Argento's return to the giallo genre is a complete mess; it's as if he tried to get as many stock elements - and characters - in as possible but gave no thought as to the overall shape of the film. The convincing and gory effects are about the only saving grace in a movie that's almost unfathomable and goes on for far too long.
Dir: Dario Argento
Stars: Max von Sydow, Stefano Dionisi, Chiara Caselli
SLEEPWALKER
1984
*
A meeting of dinner guests gets frosty and then bloody.
Unreleased at the time, this mid-length (50m) film is an interesting mix of social commentary and giallo-type horror that evokes a strong atmosphere on a minuscule budget and rarely takes the obvious path. While not the masterpiece the director seems to think it is - much of the dialogue is, hilariously, what a left-winger thinks a right-winger is like - it's another welcome resurrection by the BFI Flipside label. The 2013 disc also includes short The Insomniac (qv), the director's own well done shorts Stepping Out and Working Surface: A Short Study and a very detailed new interview with him.
Dir: Saxon Logan
Stars: Bill Douglas, Nickolas Grace, Heather Page, Joanna David
SLEEPY HOLLOW
2000
*
In 1799, a policeman investigates beheadings committed by a headless horseman.
Fairly standard horror given something extra by the lush cinematography and the horribly realistic killings.
Dir: Tim Burton
Stars: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Michael Gough, Christopher Lee, Christopher Walken
SLEUTH
1972
***
Two men indulge in a battle of wits in a large country house.
Criticism that this movie fails to escape its stage origins and has a fairly obvious trick to it are possibly justified, but it's still a vastly enjoyable thriller in which one can take pleasure from the performances and the cleverness of the concept.
Dir: Joseph L Mankiewicz
Stars: Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine
SLEUTH
2007
*
Arch but cold remake that has the characters verbally jousting in a house of hi-tech tricks; Caine is better than Law and, despite familiarity, the plot engages – at least until the third act, when it goes all gay for some reason.
Dir: Kenneth Branagh
Stars: Michael Caine, Jude Law
SLIDING DOORS
1998
**
A woman's life 'splits in two' after she both misses and catches a train.
This light British comic drama has an enticing gimmick but doesn't quite know how to make the best of it, although it is better than most ghastly Richard Curtis films, which it slightly resembles. Paltrow is very good, Lynch isn't, and the production now looks curiously dated.
Dir: Peter Howitt
Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, John Hannah, John Lynch, Jeanne Tripplehorn
SLING BLADE
1996
**
A mentally retarded man who murdered his mother is let out into the community where he becomes friendly with a young boy.
Effective if very slow moving drama that winds its way to its necessarily predictable conclusion, adorned by a convincing lead performance. Perhaps the main problem is with the behaviour of some of the characters, particularly the boy’s mother, who for no good reason stays with her repugnant boyfriend.
Dir: Billy Bob Thornton
Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, J T Walsh, John Ritter, Lucas Black
THE SLIPPER AND THE ROSE
1976
0
The story of Cinderella.
Overlong and unmagical fantasy encumbered with lacklustre songs.
Dir: Bryan Forbes
Stars: Richard Chamberlain, Gemma Craven, Annette Crosbie, Michael Hordern, Margaret Lockwood, Kenneth More
SLIPPING WIVES
1927
0
A woman tries to make her neglectful husband jealous by pretending to go with another man.
Slapdash comedy with a few still funny moments; Stan and Ollie are not a team in it but play their scenes together with consummate skill, and the short includes the first ever scene of them sharing a bed, albeit briefly.
Dir: Fred Guiol
Stars: Priscilla Dean, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Herbert Rawlinson
SLIPSTREAM
1988
0
In the ruined future, a bounty hunter kidnaps a murderer out of the hands of police officers.
Pale, unsteady sci-fi that’s on the daft side.
Dir: Steven Lisberger
Stars: Bob Peck, Mark Hamill, Bill Paxton
SLIVER
1993
0
A woman suspects foul play when her fellow apartment residents start dying.
Lame thriller with promising ideas but perfunctory thrills.
Dir: Phillip Noyce
Stars: Sharon Stone, William Baldwin, Tom Berenger, Colleen Camp, Martin Landau
SLUGS
1988
0
Killer slugs bring terror to a small town.
We’ve had birds, bees, sharks, bats, rats and dogs - now this incompetent shocker. The acting is even worse than you expect, much of the dialogue is priceless and clichéd, and the editing is such that you know slugs and people are not on the same set. Add in pleasingly gratuitous gore, some strangely dubbed characters and an inappropriate score and you’ve got a corker for trash movie fans, all of whom will be able to predict the final shot.
Dir: Juan Piquer Simon
Stars: Michael Garfield, Kim Terry, Philip MacHale, Alicia Moro
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
2008
**
A call centre worker from Mumbai finds that his previous life as a street urchin helps him perform brilliantly on TV quiz Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
A vibrant and vigorous movie that irradiates its unlikely, slightly mundane story with an irregular narrative structure, a pulsating soundtrack and dazzling cinematography that makes every scene outside the TV studio look like it’s bursting with colour and feeling. As an entertainment it is somewhat episodic but triumphantly builds towards a rousing and emotional climax; it also feels like a culturally significant pronouncement from India at the start of what could be an enormously progressive century for that country.
Dir: Danny Boyle
Stars: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor
SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE
1982
0
A madman with a penchant for power tools is an unwelcome guest at a slumber party.
Naff little shocker, just the same as many others but surprisingly directed by a woman.
Dir: Amy Holden Jones
Stars: Michelle Michaels, Robin Stille, Debra Deliso
1999
**
A boy can tune into the world of the dead.
Atmospheric chiller, not exactly a barrel of laughs, but nicely done and with a big enough twist to get the punters in.
Dir: M Night Shyamalan
Stars: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette
SKI SCHOOL
1990
0
Rival ski gangs battle each other on and off the slopes.
Should you go on a skiing holiday, or should you watch this lame, dumb, unimaginative comedy? You should go on a skiing holiday.
Dir: Damian Lee
Stars: Dean Cameron, Tom Bresnahan, Patrick Labyorteaux
SKID KIDS
1953
0
Children in Bermondsey encounter bike thieves.
Like many CFF pictures, the only reason for most to watch this now is the East London locations, and to witness its all-white populace before they were, astonishingly, almost entirely displaced in the following half century. It doesn't have much of a decent story.
Dir: Don Chaffey
Stars: Barry MacGregor, Anthony Lang, Peter Neil
SKIN DEEP
1979
0
Teenagers have an eventful summer on some Italian islands.
It's refreshing to see a film about nudism rather than simple sexual couplings, but this romantic drama's script isn't as good as might be, and the characterisations not that believable. Fairly pleasant viewing, but a tad too long.
Dir: Marcello Aliprandi
Stars: Olga Karlatos, Juan Carlos Naya, Maurizio Interlandi, Ilona Staller
THE SKIN GAME
1931
0
Two families war over a piece of land.
Boring early Hitchcock with flashes of style; the auction sequence for instance. Sound quality not great.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Edmund Gwenn, Helen Haye, C V France
THE SKIN I LIVE IN
2011
***
A doctor keeps a young woman imprisoned in his house.
The director’s usual preoccupations with gender, identity and sexually twisted drama are enmeshed in what’s effectively a mad doctor yarn, one shot with his usual style and elegance. Its unconventional narrative structure makes a strange and surprising yarn ever more unpredictable and deliciously different – were there more Almodovars around.
Dir: Pedro Almodovar
Stars: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes, Jan Cornet
SKIPPY
1931
0
Two little boys try to save a dog from the pound.
One of the weakest, and most obscure, films to be nominated for Best Picture Oscar, this is a curious little yarn about children that must have struck a chord at the time - presumably millions read the comic strip on which it was based. Coogan isn't even a particularly good actor, but everything looks worse viewed on a poor quality print. Nowadays it'd be a bit like the Garfield movie being Oscar nominated.
Dir: Norman Taurog
Stars: Jackie Cooper, Robert Coogan, Mitzi Green
THE SKULL
1965
*
The skull of the Marquis de Sade causes its owner to go mad.
Daft fun, with some tasty skull-related visuals if a slightly threadbare script - couldn't they think of any dialogue for the last half hour? But, to be fair, it sort of works, becoming a near arty, super-strange horror, and the movie's mid-way, hallucinogenic Russian roulette sequence is quite something. Peerless cast, of course.
Dir: Freddie Francis
Stars: Peter Cushing, Patrick Wymark, Christopher Lee, Jill Bennett, Nigel Green, Patrick Magee, Michael Gough
SKULLDUGGERY
1969
0
A safari apparently finds the missing link.
Cheesy fantasy which doesn’t work as an adventure or a factual piece.
Dir: Gordon Douglas
Stars: Burt Reynolds, Susan Clark, Wilfrid Hyde-White
THE SKY-BIKE
1967
0
A young lad becomes friends with an eccentric inventor in his quest to fly.
Routine example of the Children's Film Foundation product; it starts well, with a multi-coloured dream sequence, but the plot after that isn't any great shakes.
Dir: Charles Frend
Stars: Spencer Shires, Liam Redmond, William Lucas
SKYFALL
2012
**
James Bond comes up against an ex-agent with a personal vendetta against M.
Craig's best Bond film is a cunning mixture of the old and the new: they've remembered what made the early ones so successful - some humour, a solid plot, a decent villain - while having a fresh-feeling structure, more fleshed-out characters and several tangy surprises (although Judi Dench swearing is a most unwelcome one). The series' finest cinematography creates a rich atmosphere, whether in London, Shanghai or Scotland, the super-fast cutting of the previous Bond film is thankfully gone, some of the setpieces are strikingly audacious, and even the theme song isn't bad. In the year of the Olympics and the Jubilee it became the third event to make a lot of people feel proud to be British.
Dir: Sam Mendes
Stars: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Berenice Marlohe, Albert Finney
SKYWAY TO DEATH
1975 (TV)
0
Passengers on an aerial tramway are trapped in the sky.
Lame suspenser with more soap than tension.
Dir: Gordon Hessler
Stars: Ross Martin, Stefanie Powers, Bobby Sherman
SLACKER
1991
**
Curious characters wander around Austin, Texas.
Highly experimental in format, this compendium of overheard speech and unusual anecdotes deserves plaudits.
Dir: Richard Linklater
Stars: Richard Linklater, Rudy Basquez, Jean Caffeine
SLADE IN FLAME
1975
*
A rock and roll group called Flame try to make it big.
A curious choice for a film vehicle for the group that was then the biggest in Britain - although they were about to wane - this is a downbeat and sometimes dark musical drama that must have mystified fans. The group actually act quite well and a couple of their songs are great (it's a pity there aren't more), but this isn't an especially remarkable or surprising tale.
Dir: Richard Loncraine
Stars: Noddy Holder, Don Powell, Dave Hill, Jim Lea, Tom Conti, Alan Lake
SLAP SHOT
1977
*
An ice hockey team finds success by using more violence.
Somehow unsatisfying, oddly detached comedy drama, very 1970s and very American.
Dir: George Roy Hill
Stars: Paul Newman, Strother Martin, Jennifer Warren
THE SLAPPIEST DAYS OF OUR LIVES
1953
0
A series of clips from mostly silent comedies supposedly linked by Stan Laurel, voiced by Peter Sellers.
An incredibly strange film that’s a long way from Robert Youngson’s compilations; the insertion of Stan into films that he wasn’t in is bizarre, no clips are identified and it’s largely very poor in both content and presentation. There are brief scenes from the Laurel and Hardy shorts Going Bye Bye, Them Thar Hills and The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case.
Dir: n/a
Narrators: Peter Sellers, Graham Stark. Stars: Stan Laurel, James Finlayson, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, Ben Turpin, Oliver Hardy
SLAUGHTER HIGH
1985
0
A badly treated school kid murders his erstwhile enemies.
Predictable, sickish slasher pic that's a mite more effective than many others in its unoriginal genre.
Dir: George Dugdale, Mark Ezra
Stars: Caroline Munro, Simon Scuddamore, Gary Martin
SLAUGHTER HOTEL
1971
0
A killer terrorises an institution for mentally disturbed rich women.
A lot of people simply wouldn't believe a movie could be this bad; only one as crazed as the murderer in it would reckon it a decent film.
Dir: Fernando Di Leo
Stars: Klaus Kinski, Margaret Lee, Rosalba Neri
SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE
1972
*
A man tells how he became unstuck in time and abducted by aliens.
Difficult-to-evaluate puzzle movie which contains much to interest, bewilder and infuriate.
Dir: George Roy Hill
Stars: Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman, Valerie Perrine
SLAVE GIRLS FROM BEYOND INFINITY
1987
0
Astronaut women land on a planet where they meet a mad hunter.
Featherlight version of The Most Dangerous Game, a sexy soap opera with incredibly stilted dialogue. Despite its risible inadequacies it's a pretty boring watch.
Dir: Ken Dixon
Stars: Cindy Beal, Elizabeth Kaitan, Don Scribner
SLAVE TRADE IN THE WORLD TODAY
1964
0
Documentary about modern-day slavery in the Middle East and Africa.
There's no disguising the fact that this is an exploitative mondo movie, and one with fakery rife, which somewhat detracts from the valid points it's just about trying to make.
Dir: Maleno Malenotti, Roberto Malenotti, Folco Quilici
THE SLAYER
1981
0
A group of people on a small island face a terrifying beast.
No better than Tower Of Evil (qv) from ten years before (especially in the cut version), this horror ends up going nowhere.
Dir: J S Cardone
Stars: Sarah Kendall, Frederick Flynn
SLAYGROUND
1983
0
A hit man relentlessly tracks down a thief who accidentally killed a small girl.
Anglo-American thriller that starts well but becomes wearing.
Dir: Terry Bedford
Stars: Peter Coyote, Mel Smith, Billie Whitelaw
SLEEP WITH ME
1994
0
A woman marries then has a fling with her husband's best friend.
Smug and loathsome talkfest consisting of unbearable people with awful clothes and hairstyles smoking and arguing and generally being obnoxious. Six writers were responsible for this self-indulgent tripe.
Dir: Rory Kelly
Stars: Eric Stoltz, Meg Tilly, Craig Sheffer
SLEEPER
1973
***
A health food store worker is cryogenically frozen and wakes up in very different times 200 years later.
Bountiful sci-fi comedy with bright ideas, one of the most likeable early Allen's. Despite its futuristic setting, the film says so much about the 1970s – there are references to Watergate, Muhammad Ali, Miss World and more, but it hasn’t dated; perhaps that’s because there’s so much of everything in here: slapstick almost as sublime as Laurel and Hardy’s, spot-on analysis of the human condition, immortal one-liners, striking architecture and visuals, a witty jazz score, crazy comedy, cerebral comedy, satire, surrealism... It’s a work of a great artist who was maturing rapidly around this time.
Dir: Woody Allen
Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, John Beck, Mary Gregory
SLEEPING BEAUTY
1959
*
Only a handsome prince can break the spell a nasty fairy has put on a princess.
Cartoon feature that's some way from being among Disney's best: only the climactic battle is relatively exciting.
Dir: Clyde Geronimi
Voices: Mary Costa, Bill Shirley, Eleanor Audley
SLEEPING BEAUTY
2011
*
A beautiful young student earns money by undertaking a curious form of prostitution.
Something a bit different, which is usually to be welcomed: a discussion-worthy, slightly daring, somewhat perverse exploration of a young woman selling her soul and her body. We don’t actually learn much about her, though, and the narrative is often frustratingly halting and obscure; the feeling you're left with is that it should have been better.
Dir: Julia Leigh
Stars: Emily Browning, Rachael Blake, Ewen Leslie
THE SLEEPING CARDINAL
1931
0
Sherlock Holmes thwarts Moriarty's attempts to smuggle stolen money abroad.
The makers of this detective yarn must have been delighted when talkies came in as there sure is a lot of talking here! Long thought lost, it's a decent enough tale that posits a vaguely intriguing mystery without ever once leaving the studio.
Dir: Leslie S Hiscott
Stars: Arthur Wontner, Ian Fleming, Norman McKinnel, Philip Hewland
SLEEPING DOGS
1977
*
In a near-future fascist New Zealand, an innocent man is hunted down by the authorities.
Lumpy thriller which gained attention as the first Kiwi film to be released in the US (which is why it's in the 1001 Movies book); it has some raw qualities but the story isn't as compelling or clear as it should be. In 2020 the movie almost came true, as New Zealand did indeed go down a semi-fascist route to 'fight' an airborne virus.
Dir: Roger Donaldson
Stars: Sam Neil, Nevan Rowe, Ian Mune
SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY
1990
*
A woman hates her abusive husband so much she fakes her own death and runs away.
Preposterous thriller designed to promote Julia Roberts; a lack of a proper introduction, a risible villain and mechanical plotting sink it.
Dir: Joseph Ruben
Stars: Julia Roberts, Patrick Bergin, Kevin Anderson
SLEEPLESS
2001
0
A killer who has been dormant for 17 years appears to be active again.
Argento's return to the giallo genre is a complete mess; it's as if he tried to get as many stock elements - and characters - in as possible but gave no thought as to the overall shape of the film. The convincing and gory effects are about the only saving grace in a movie that's almost unfathomable and goes on for far too long.
Dir: Dario Argento
Stars: Max von Sydow, Stefano Dionisi, Chiara Caselli
SLEEPWALKER
1984
*
A meeting of dinner guests gets frosty and then bloody.
Unreleased at the time, this mid-length (50m) film is an interesting mix of social commentary and giallo-type horror that evokes a strong atmosphere on a minuscule budget and rarely takes the obvious path. While not the masterpiece the director seems to think it is - much of the dialogue is, hilariously, what a left-winger thinks a right-winger is like - it's another welcome resurrection by the BFI Flipside label. The 2013 disc also includes short The Insomniac (qv), the director's own well done shorts Stepping Out and Working Surface: A Short Study and a very detailed new interview with him.
Dir: Saxon Logan
Stars: Bill Douglas, Nickolas Grace, Heather Page, Joanna David
SLEEPY HOLLOW
2000
*
In 1799, a policeman investigates beheadings committed by a headless horseman.
Fairly standard horror given something extra by the lush cinematography and the horribly realistic killings.
Dir: Tim Burton
Stars: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Michael Gough, Christopher Lee, Christopher Walken
SLEUTH
1972
***
Two men indulge in a battle of wits in a large country house.
Criticism that this movie fails to escape its stage origins and has a fairly obvious trick to it are possibly justified, but it's still a vastly enjoyable thriller in which one can take pleasure from the performances and the cleverness of the concept.
Dir: Joseph L Mankiewicz
Stars: Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine
SLEUTH
2007
*
Arch but cold remake that has the characters verbally jousting in a house of hi-tech tricks; Caine is better than Law and, despite familiarity, the plot engages – at least until the third act, when it goes all gay for some reason.
Dir: Kenneth Branagh
Stars: Michael Caine, Jude Law
SLIDING DOORS
1998
**
A woman's life 'splits in two' after she both misses and catches a train.
This light British comic drama has an enticing gimmick but doesn't quite know how to make the best of it, although it is better than most ghastly Richard Curtis films, which it slightly resembles. Paltrow is very good, Lynch isn't, and the production now looks curiously dated.
Dir: Peter Howitt
Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, John Hannah, John Lynch, Jeanne Tripplehorn
SLING BLADE
1996
**
A mentally retarded man who murdered his mother is let out into the community where he becomes friendly with a young boy.
Effective if very slow moving drama that winds its way to its necessarily predictable conclusion, adorned by a convincing lead performance. Perhaps the main problem is with the behaviour of some of the characters, particularly the boy’s mother, who for no good reason stays with her repugnant boyfriend.
Dir: Billy Bob Thornton
Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, J T Walsh, John Ritter, Lucas Black
THE SLIPPER AND THE ROSE
1976
0
The story of Cinderella.
Overlong and unmagical fantasy encumbered with lacklustre songs.
Dir: Bryan Forbes
Stars: Richard Chamberlain, Gemma Craven, Annette Crosbie, Michael Hordern, Margaret Lockwood, Kenneth More
SLIPPING WIVES
1927
0
A woman tries to make her neglectful husband jealous by pretending to go with another man.
Slapdash comedy with a few still funny moments; Stan and Ollie are not a team in it but play their scenes together with consummate skill, and the short includes the first ever scene of them sharing a bed, albeit briefly.
Dir: Fred Guiol
Stars: Priscilla Dean, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Herbert Rawlinson
SLIPSTREAM
1988
0
In the ruined future, a bounty hunter kidnaps a murderer out of the hands of police officers.
Pale, unsteady sci-fi that’s on the daft side.
Dir: Steven Lisberger
Stars: Bob Peck, Mark Hamill, Bill Paxton
SLITHER
2006
0
A small town is taken over by an alien plague.
The first part of this allegedly comic horror is the most interesting, when it's still small-scale, involving mostly a married couple, him soon infiltrated by the alien slug. After that it gradually gets more and more expansive, and grotesque, climaxing in a wild and revolting fashion that brings Yuzna's Society to mind (just a 15, BBFC?!). Icky and sweary and never especially sympathetic, it can be safely avoided.
Dir: James Gunn
Stars: Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Rooker, Don Thompson
SLIVER
1993
0
A woman suspects foul play when her fellow apartment residents start dying.
Lame thriller with promising ideas but perfunctory thrills.
Dir: Phillip Noyce
Stars: Sharon Stone, William Baldwin, Tom Berenger, Colleen Camp, Martin Landau
SLUGS
1988
0
Killer slugs bring terror to a small town.
We’ve had birds, bees, sharks, bats, rats and dogs - now this incompetent shocker. The acting is even worse than you expect, much of the dialogue is priceless and clichéd, and the editing is such that you know slugs and people are not on the same set. Add in pleasingly gratuitous gore, some strangely dubbed characters and an inappropriate score and you’ve got a corker for trash movie fans, all of whom will be able to predict the final shot.
Dir: Juan Piquer Simon
Stars: Michael Garfield, Kim Terry, Philip MacHale, Alicia Moro
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
2008
**
A call centre worker from Mumbai finds that his previous life as a street urchin helps him perform brilliantly on TV quiz Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
A vibrant and vigorous movie that irradiates its unlikely, slightly mundane story with an irregular narrative structure, a pulsating soundtrack and dazzling cinematography that makes every scene outside the TV studio look like it’s bursting with colour and feeling. As an entertainment it is somewhat episodic but triumphantly builds towards a rousing and emotional climax; it also feels like a culturally significant pronouncement from India at the start of what could be an enormously progressive century for that country.
Dir: Danny Boyle
Stars: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor
SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE
1982
0
A madman with a penchant for power tools is an unwelcome guest at a slumber party.
Naff little shocker, just the same as many others but surprisingly directed by a woman.
Dir: Amy Holden Jones
Stars: Michelle Michaels, Robin Stille, Debra Deliso
SMALL HOTEL
1957
0
A crafty old waiter tries to hold on to his job.
As modest as its title, this mild comedy has some nice performances but is in the end just too much of a talkathon, and too small scale, to fire up the enthusiasm.
Dir: David MacDonald
Stars: Gordon Harker, Marie Lohr, John Loder, Irene Handl, Billie Whitelaw
SMALL SOLDIERS
1998
*
Computerised toys develop a mind of their own.
Moderate fantasy fare typical of its director.
Dir: Joe Dante
Stars: David Cross, Jay Mohr, Denis Leary, Kirsten Dunst
SMALL SOLDIERS
1998
*
Computerised toys develop a mind of their own.
Moderate fantasy fare typical of its director.
Dir: Joe Dante
Stars: David Cross, Jay Mohr, Denis Leary, Kirsten Dunst
SMALL TIME CROOKS
2000
*
A petty criminal opens a cookie store near a bank as part of a plan to rob it.
As the new century began, Allen returned to lighter comedy fare and largely kept that up for most of the decade: this first film is a lot of fun with many pleasures and many good scenes. Structurally it's in three distinct parts, the latter two working a little less well than the one before, as focus and pace falters a little, and its message gets slightly muddied (who's it making more fun of, the poor or the rich?); still, it's unpretentious and bright fare crammed with on-message performers.
Dir: Woody Allen
Stars: Woody Allen, Tracey Ullman, Hugh Grant, Elaine May, Michael Rapaport
THE SMALL VOICE
1948
*
Three escaped criminals keep a couple hostage at a house in Wales.
Crime drama with a little more depth than many of its contemporaries, and more adult than most; thirty years later this sort of story would take the shape of the likes of Give Us Tomorrow (qv) and reflect how Britain, or at least British popular culture, had changed in that time. Not bad, but inevitably confined for much of its running time.
Dir: Fergus McDonell
Stars: Valerie Hobson, James Donald, Howard Keel, Michael Balfour
THE SMALL WORLD OF SAMMY LEE
1963
*
The compère of a Soho strip club desperately tries to find the money he needs to pay off a gambling debt.
A slice of life from sixties London, with some nice photography showing the capital with a good deal of vividness – that’s probably its main attraction now as the central story goes on a bit, although it’s not without interest. The ending is a sort of Billy Liar in reverse, only even more irksome.
Dir: Ken Hughes
Stars: Anthony Newley, Julia Foster, Robert Stephens, Wilfrid Brambell, Warren Mitchell
THE SMALLEST SHOW ON EARTH
1957
***
A young couple inherit a down-at-heel cinema peopled by an ancient staff.
Show this to anyone who doesn't believe Britain was different, and better, in the old days: the cast is delightful - McKenna is simply adorable, Travers manly, Sellers extraordinary as an old man - the humour varied and never harsh, and the setting of a fleapit is lovingly evoked and recognisable to anyone who ever visited one. It doesn't outstay its welcome or over-detail the plot, which is straightforward and pleasing.
Dir: Basil Dearden
Stars: Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers, Margaret Rutherford, Peter Sellers, Bernard Miles, Francis De Wolff, Leslie Phillips
THE SMASHING BIRD I USED TO KNOW
1969
0
A girl thought to be unbalanced is sent to a reform school.
Misleadingly titled (other release titles, Hell House Girls and House Of Unclaimed Women were just as bad), hysterical drama that's all mixed up with nowhere to go. Poor, to say the least.
Dir: Robert Hartford-Davis
Stars: Madeleine Hinde, Dennis Waterman, Patrick Mower, David Lodge
THE SMALL WORLD OF SAMMY LEE
1963
*
The compère of a Soho strip club desperately tries to find the money he needs to pay off a gambling debt.
A slice of life from sixties London, with some nice photography showing the capital with a good deal of vividness – that’s probably its main attraction now as the central story goes on a bit, although it’s not without interest. The ending is a sort of Billy Liar in reverse, only even more irksome.
Dir: Ken Hughes
Stars: Anthony Newley, Julia Foster, Robert Stephens, Wilfrid Brambell, Warren Mitchell
THE SMALLEST SHOW ON EARTH
1957
***
A young couple inherit a down-at-heel cinema peopled by an ancient staff.
Show this to anyone who doesn't believe Britain was different, and better, in the old days: the cast is delightful - McKenna is simply adorable, Travers manly, Sellers extraordinary as an old man - the humour varied and never harsh, and the setting of a fleapit is lovingly evoked and recognisable to anyone who ever visited one. It doesn't outstay its welcome or over-detail the plot, which is straightforward and pleasing.
Dir: Basil Dearden
Stars: Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers, Margaret Rutherford, Peter Sellers, Bernard Miles, Francis De Wolff, Leslie Phillips
THE SMASHING BIRD I USED TO KNOW
1969
0
A girl thought to be unbalanced is sent to a reform school.
Misleadingly titled (other release titles, Hell House Girls and House Of Unclaimed Women were just as bad), hysterical drama that's all mixed up with nowhere to go. Poor, to say the least.
Dir: Robert Hartford-Davis
Stars: Madeleine Hinde, Dennis Waterman, Patrick Mower, David Lodge
SMASHING TIME
1967
0
Two northern girls head to London looking for fame and fortune.
A very 1967 film, which may or may not be a compliment; whatever, the finished product is an annoying mess with no gravitas. Redgrave's voice is deeply irritating, Tushingham is generally irritating, and the effect is, after a little while, to bore (but it's always nice to see lots of contemporary footage of Swinging London).
Dir: Desmond Davis
Stars: Rita Tushingham, Lynn Redgrave, Michael York, Ian Carmichael
SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT
1955
*
A man takes a younger bride whom his son falls in love with.
Elegant, witty sex comedy that could leave some viewers unmoved but must be a treat for those who can fully appreciate it.
Dir: Ingmar Bergman
Stars: Gunnar Bjornstrand, Eva Dahlbeck, Ulla Jacobsson, Harriet Andersson
SMILIN' THROUGH
1932
*
A man cares for his friend's niece but can't let the past go.
Well done weepie with a slightly unusual structure, its artificiality can easily be forgiven; usually claimed to be the best of the three versions of this story.
Dir: Sidney Franklin
Stars: Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, Frederic March, Ralph Forbes
THE SMILING LIEUTENANT
1931
*
A cheerful soldier finds he has to marry a princess.
Pre-Code sauciness with a few surprises and some cute songs, but only an Oscar-nominated film because it was very early days for the Oscars. The stars are very much all game.
Dir: Ernst Lubitsch
Stars: Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert, Miriam Hopkins, Charles Ruggles
SNACK BAR BUDAPEST
1988
0
A disgraced former lawyer falls in league with a teenage crime kingpin.
Unfathomable navel-gazing thriller that gets more tedious by the minute. The nudity helps just a little.
Dir: Tinto Brass
Stars: Giancarlo Giannini, Philippe Leotard, Francois Negret
SNAKE EYES
1998
*
A detective is drawn into a shady boxing conspiracy.
Valiantly experimental thriller set over one night in one place, it lets the director run free (with long takes, split screen etc) even though it doesn't quite hang together as a whole.
Dir: Brian De Palma
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise, John Heard
SNAKE PEOPLE
1971
0
Inhabitants of a Caribbean island are being turned into zombies.
The worst of Karloff's four Mexican quickies - and possibly one of the worst horror films ever. Ugly, glacial, meaningless.
Dir: Jack Hill, Juan Ibanez
Stars: Boris Karloff, Julissa, Carlos East
THE SNAKE PIT
1948
**
A woman is committed to a mental asylum.
For the time, an extremely brave and well made exposé of the treatment of the mentally ill; it's still effective today, with surprising and surreal elements.
Dir: Anatole Litvak
Stars: Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn
THE SNAKE WOMAN
1961
0
In northern England 100 years ago, a reptilian killer stalks the moors.
Utterly feeble horror.
Dir: Sidney J Furie
Stars: John McCarthy, Susan Travers, Geoffrey Denton
SNATCH
2000
***
Crooks of various nationalities seek a valuable diamond.
Irresistible and often very funny crime caper showcasing every trick in the director's book, from backwards and forwards narrative flips to quick cutaways. Possibly his finest hour: it was downhill from here.
Dir: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, Alan Ford, Vinnie Jones, Jason Flemyng, Benicio Del Toro, Stephen Graham, Dennis Farina, Mike Reid
THE SNIPER
1952
*
A loner carries out a series of random shootings.
Shockingly original at the time, this police drama now appears trite because of the number of similar films (and real-life incidents).
Dir: Edward Dmytryk
Stars: Adolphe Menjou, Arthur Franz, Gerald Mohr
SNOOP DOGG'S HOOD OF HORROR
2006
0
The rapper relates three sinister stories: Crossed Out, The Scumlord and Rhapsody Askew.
Unfortunately the stories don't have an ounce of originality between them, the setting aside, and the wraparounds featuring the mumbling, titular gentleman will mean nothing to non-fans. It is, however, preferable to the similar Tales From The Hood (qv).
Dir: Stacy Title
Stars: Snoop Dogg, Ernie Hudson, Danny Trejo, Pooch Hall
THE SNORKEL
1958
*
A girl tells everyone that her stepfather is a murderer but no one will believe her.
Likeable minor thriller that would lend itself to a decent remake with a few plot modifications; it has some neat ideas, particularly at the beginning and end of the film, but is hampered by the unrealistic behaviour of the characters, particularly Miller’s, who is also a pretty wooden actress. It's a shame that they had to soften the ending - the ending initially hinted at would have packed a punch. Why does St John's character keep saying the word 'pet'?
Dir: Guy Green
Stars: Peter van Eyck, Betta St John, Mandy Miller
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS
1937
***
Snow White hides from the nasty queen with the help of the dwarves.
A significant moment in motion picture history: a full length cartoon feature that was vastly superior to most live action films around at the time. After 70 years it remains as fresh as ever, its goodliness and warmth shining through.
Dir: David Hand
Voices: Adriana Caselotti, Stuart Buchanan, Roy Atwell
SNOWBEAST
1977 (TV)
0
Skiers are menaced by a sub-human beast.
Feeble monster movie offering no thrill whatsoever.
Dir: Herb Wallerstein
Stars: Bo Svenson, Yvette Mimieux, Robert Logan
THE SNOWMAN
1982 (TV)
***
A young boy takes a wonderful flight with the snowman he has built.
Trotted out every Christmas by Channel 4, this is a charming little cartoon that offers pleasantly quaint animation and a memorable musical sequence as the pair soar through the skies. A pleasant but inferior follow-up, The Snowman And The Snowdog, arrived in 2012.
Dir: Dianne Jackson
SNUFF
1976
*
A band of female hoodlums terrorise the countryside.
The best marketed film ever is a must if you’re a nasties aficionado – the five minutes of a ‘real’ murder on a film set tagged on at the end instantly give it cult status, and what’s come before (1971 Argentinian film The Slaughter) is a laugh riot, with non-sequitur dialogue dubbed into English by hilariously stiff actors, and a crazy, barely coherent plotline based on the Manson murders that must have had Quentin Tarantino salivating. A strange experience, and likely one that many more will seek out for years to come.
Dir: Michael Findlay, Roberta Findlay
Stars: Mirtha Massa, Clao Villanueva, Enrique Larratelli
SO I MARRIED AN AXE MURDERER
1993
0
A poet fears that his new bride is a killer.
Formulaic farce, a comedy reverse of Suspicion, with a few laughs arising out of the hodge-podge of humour.
Dir: Thomas Schlamme
Stars: Mike Myers, Nancy Tavis, Anthony LaPaglia
SO LONG AT THE FAIR
1950
**
During the 1889 Paris Exhibition, a woman's brother mysteriously disappears.
Elegant, poised, slightly genteel suspenser that offers an original sort of denouement; it has a definite whiff of Hitchcock, albeit without the depth. Nicely cast and costumed, with a historical background, and easily watched.
Dir: Antony Darnborough, Terence Fisher
Stars: Jean Simmons, Dirk Bogarde, David Tomlinson, Honor Blackman
SOAPBOX DERBY
1957
*
Two rival gangs of boys try to win a go-kart race.
Bustling junior adventure from the CFF, one of several saved from oblivion by a DVD release in the 21st century; chiefly of interest now to see a young Crawford and London before its neighbourhoods and culture were radically altered by mass immigration.
Dir: Darcy Conyers
Stars: Michael Crawford, Keith Davis, Roy Townshend, Denis Shaw
SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT
1955
*
A man takes a younger bride whom his son falls in love with.
Elegant, witty sex comedy that could leave some viewers unmoved but must be a treat for those who can fully appreciate it.
Dir: Ingmar Bergman
Stars: Gunnar Bjornstrand, Eva Dahlbeck, Ulla Jacobsson, Harriet Andersson
SMILIN' THROUGH
1932
*
A man cares for his friend's niece but can't let the past go.
Well done weepie with a slightly unusual structure, its artificiality can easily be forgiven; usually claimed to be the best of the three versions of this story.
Dir: Sidney Franklin
Stars: Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, Frederic March, Ralph Forbes
THE SMILING LIEUTENANT
1931
*
A cheerful soldier finds he has to marry a princess.
Pre-Code sauciness with a few surprises and some cute songs, but only an Oscar-nominated film because it was very early days for the Oscars. The stars are very much all game.
Dir: Ernst Lubitsch
Stars: Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert, Miriam Hopkins, Charles Ruggles
SMOKE
1995
*
Various folk interact in a smoke shop in Brooklyn.
Competent indie drama, character- and dialogue-driven, very well acted, a little lengthy perhaps, and unwisely ending on a long passage of dialogue (followed by an awful song). At least it's a film interested in humans, even if it has a slightly forced air and a whiff of pretentiousness. Btw, what does smoke weigh according to Walter Raleigh?
Dir: Wayne Wang
Stars: William Hurt, Harvey Keitel, Harold Perrineau, Forest Whitaker
SMOKESCREEN
1964
*
An insurance assessor investigates a fraud that may be a murder.
One of scores of Butcher's Film Services low budget crime dramas, this one is enhanced by Vaughan as a characterful lead, so characterful in fact, that you might think it a try for a television series based around him. Airy Sussex locations, guest stars and a few other quirks bolster it further, even if much of it is talking about action, rather than showing action.
Dir: Jim O'Connolly
Stars: Peter Vaughan, John Carson, Yvonne Romain, Gerald Flood
SNACK BAR BUDAPEST
1988
0
A disgraced former lawyer falls in league with a teenage crime kingpin.
Unfathomable navel-gazing thriller that gets more tedious by the minute. The nudity helps just a little.
Dir: Tinto Brass
Stars: Giancarlo Giannini, Philippe Leotard, Francois Negret
SNAKE EYES
1998
*
A detective is drawn into a shady boxing conspiracy.
Valiantly experimental thriller set over one night in one place, it lets the director run free (with long takes, split screen etc) even though it doesn't quite hang together as a whole.
Dir: Brian De Palma
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise, John Heard
SNAKE PEOPLE
1971
0
Inhabitants of a Caribbean island are being turned into zombies.
The worst of Karloff's four Mexican quickies - and possibly one of the worst horror films ever. Ugly, glacial, meaningless.
Dir: Jack Hill, Juan Ibanez
Stars: Boris Karloff, Julissa, Carlos East
THE SNAKE PIT
1948
**
A woman is committed to a mental asylum.
For the time, an extremely brave and well made exposé of the treatment of the mentally ill; it's still effective today, with surprising and surreal elements.
Dir: Anatole Litvak
Stars: Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn
THE SNAKE WOMAN
1961
0
In northern England 100 years ago, a reptilian killer stalks the moors.
Utterly feeble horror.
Dir: Sidney J Furie
Stars: John McCarthy, Susan Travers, Geoffrey Denton
SNATCH
2000
***
Crooks of various nationalities seek a valuable diamond.
Irresistible and often very funny crime caper showcasing every trick in the director's book, from backwards and forwards narrative flips to quick cutaways. Possibly his finest hour: it was downhill from here.
Dir: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, Alan Ford, Vinnie Jones, Jason Flemyng, Benicio Del Toro, Stephen Graham, Dennis Farina, Mike Reid
THE SNIPER
1952
*
A loner carries out a series of random shootings.
Shockingly original at the time, this police drama now appears trite because of the number of similar films (and real-life incidents).
Dir: Edward Dmytryk
Stars: Adolphe Menjou, Arthur Franz, Gerald Mohr
SNOOP DOGG'S HOOD OF HORROR
2006
0
The rapper relates three sinister stories: Crossed Out, The Scumlord and Rhapsody Askew.
Unfortunately the stories don't have an ounce of originality between them, the setting aside, and the wraparounds featuring the mumbling, titular gentleman will mean nothing to non-fans. It is, however, preferable to the similar Tales From The Hood (qv).
Dir: Stacy Title
Stars: Snoop Dogg, Ernie Hudson, Danny Trejo, Pooch Hall
THE SNORKEL
1958
*
A girl tells everyone that her stepfather is a murderer but no one will believe her.
Likeable minor thriller that would lend itself to a decent remake with a few plot modifications; it has some neat ideas, particularly at the beginning and end of the film, but is hampered by the unrealistic behaviour of the characters, particularly Miller’s, who is also a pretty wooden actress. It's a shame that they had to soften the ending - the ending initially hinted at would have packed a punch. Why does St John's character keep saying the word 'pet'?
Dir: Guy Green
Stars: Peter van Eyck, Betta St John, Mandy Miller
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS
1937
***
Snow White hides from the nasty queen with the help of the dwarves.
A significant moment in motion picture history: a full length cartoon feature that was vastly superior to most live action films around at the time. After 70 years it remains as fresh as ever, its goodliness and warmth shining through.
Dir: David Hand
Voices: Adriana Caselotti, Stuart Buchanan, Roy Atwell
SNOWBEAST
1977 (TV)
0
Skiers are menaced by a sub-human beast.
Feeble monster movie offering no thrill whatsoever.
Dir: Herb Wallerstein
Stars: Bo Svenson, Yvette Mimieux, Robert Logan
THE SNOWMAN
1982 (TV)
***
A young boy takes a wonderful flight with the snowman he has built.
Trotted out every Christmas by Channel 4, this is a charming little cartoon that offers pleasantly quaint animation and a memorable musical sequence as the pair soar through the skies. A pleasant but inferior follow-up, The Snowman And The Snowdog, arrived in 2012.
Dir: Dianne Jackson
SNUFF
1976
*
A band of female hoodlums terrorise the countryside.
The best marketed film ever is a must if you’re a nasties aficionado – the five minutes of a ‘real’ murder on a film set tagged on at the end instantly give it cult status, and what’s come before (1971 Argentinian film The Slaughter) is a laugh riot, with non-sequitur dialogue dubbed into English by hilariously stiff actors, and a crazy, barely coherent plotline based on the Manson murders that must have had Quentin Tarantino salivating. A strange experience, and likely one that many more will seek out for years to come.
Dir: Michael Findlay, Roberta Findlay
Stars: Mirtha Massa, Clao Villanueva, Enrique Larratelli
SO I MARRIED AN AXE MURDERER
1993
0
A poet fears that his new bride is a killer.
Formulaic farce, a comedy reverse of Suspicion, with a few laughs arising out of the hodge-podge of humour.
Dir: Thomas Schlamme
Stars: Mike Myers, Nancy Tavis, Anthony LaPaglia
SO LONG AT THE FAIR
1950
**
During the 1889 Paris Exhibition, a woman's brother mysteriously disappears.
Elegant, poised, slightly genteel suspenser that offers an original sort of denouement; it has a definite whiff of Hitchcock, albeit without the depth. Nicely cast and costumed, with a historical background, and easily watched.
Dir: Antony Darnborough, Terence Fisher
Stars: Jean Simmons, Dirk Bogarde, David Tomlinson, Honor Blackman
SOAPBOX DERBY
1957
*
Two rival gangs of boys try to win a go-kart race.
Bustling junior adventure from the CFF, one of several saved from oblivion by a DVD release in the 21st century; chiefly of interest now to see a young Crawford and London before its neighbourhoods and culture were radically altered by mass immigration.
Dir: Darcy Conyers
Stars: Michael Crawford, Keith Davis, Roy Townshend, Denis Shaw
THE SOCIAL DILEMMA
2020
**
Documentary about the malign effects of the internet, in particular social media.
Former Google design ethicist Tristan Harris is chief amongst the 'informers' here, the brains behind the internet's most popular sites, and they present a frightening picture of how social media manipulates, divides and demoralises us. We may even be heading towards civil war. The dramatised portions are a little odd, but for residents of 20th century Earth this is a film well worth watching.
Dir: Jeff Orlowski
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
2010
****
The story of the founding of social networking site Facebook.
Moviemaking at its most confident, accomplished and sophisticated, this deserves full marks for its marriage of compelling performances, technical brilliance (for example, you would never know that the Winklevoss twins are played by the same person), fast, crackling, slick dialogue and the fact that it manages to make a story about computer programming as gripping and driven as any thriller. Unusual and daring, it presents a knotty tale of loyalty and possible betrayal while also feeling inspiring and aspirational, and is one of the key films of its time, not to mention the director’s best work. The only negative is that it was awarded just a 12 certificate rather than the 15 it surely deserved, with its swearing, drug use and sex.
Dir: David Fincher
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer, Justin Timberlake
SOCIETY
1989
**
A teenager uncovers the terrifying truth about his neighbourhood.
Bizarre and beguiling horror with a first hour of intrigue punctuated by the odd mad moment, capped by a truly shocking climax that's like nothing seen before. Yuzna's directorial debut is easily his best film and successfully contrasts the brightness of a certain way of American life with a grim darkness - it may not be subtle satire, but it really doesn't give a damn.
Dir: Brian Yuzna
Stars: Billy Warlock, Devin DeVasquez, Evan Richards, Ben Meyerson
SOFT BEDS, HARD BATTLES
1974
0
A French brothel helps the resistance movement in World War 2.
Flat, floundering comedy which barely raises a smile: Sellers is the saving grace in six roles, some more successful and bigger than others - but the tone's just all wrong and the few jokes there are tend to fail.
Dir: Roy Boulting
Stars: Peter Sellers, Lila Kedrova, Curd Jurgens, Jenny Hanley, Rula Lenska
SOFT TOP HARD SHOULDER
1992
0
A man suffers an eventful car journey from London to Glasgow.
Disappointingly miserable looking road movie which fails to get into top gear: there aren't enough jokes or a sense of urgency.
Dir: Stefan Schwartz
Stars: Richard Wilson, Peter Capaldi, Frances Barber, Jeremy Northam
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
2010
****
The story of the founding of social networking site Facebook.
Moviemaking at its most confident, accomplished and sophisticated, this deserves full marks for its marriage of compelling performances, technical brilliance (for example, you would never know that the Winklevoss twins are played by the same person), fast, crackling, slick dialogue and the fact that it manages to make a story about computer programming as gripping and driven as any thriller. Unusual and daring, it presents a knotty tale of loyalty and possible betrayal while also feeling inspiring and aspirational, and is one of the key films of its time, not to mention the director’s best work. The only negative is that it was awarded just a 12 certificate rather than the 15 it surely deserved, with its swearing, drug use and sex.
Dir: David Fincher
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer, Justin Timberlake
SOCIETY
1989
**
A teenager uncovers the terrifying truth about his neighbourhood.
Bizarre and beguiling horror with a first hour of intrigue punctuated by the odd mad moment, capped by a truly shocking climax that's like nothing seen before. Yuzna's directorial debut is easily his best film and successfully contrasts the brightness of a certain way of American life with a grim darkness - it may not be subtle satire, but it really doesn't give a damn.
Dir: Brian Yuzna
Stars: Billy Warlock, Devin DeVasquez, Evan Richards, Ben Meyerson
SOFT BEDS, HARD BATTLES
1974
0
A French brothel helps the resistance movement in World War 2.
Flat, floundering comedy which barely raises a smile: Sellers is the saving grace in six roles, some more successful and bigger than others - but the tone's just all wrong and the few jokes there are tend to fail.
Dir: Roy Boulting
Stars: Peter Sellers, Lila Kedrova, Curd Jurgens, Jenny Hanley, Rula Lenska
SOFT TOP HARD SHOULDER
1992
0
A man suffers an eventful car journey from London to Glasgow.
Disappointingly miserable looking road movie which fails to get into top gear: there aren't enough jokes or a sense of urgency.
Dir: Stefan Schwartz
Stars: Richard Wilson, Peter Capaldi, Frances Barber, Jeremy Northam
SOGNO
1999
0
A beautiful woman has a strange dream on an isolated beach ('sogno' means 'dream').
Rather disappointing short which goes very weird and has a boring mid-section; the one plus is stunning Mayarchuk, who soon after went on to impress in Tinto Brass's Cheeky (Brass appears at the start of this).
Dir: Nicolaj Pennestri
Stars: Yuliya Mayarchuk, Mauro Lorenz
1986
0
In a future Earth short of water, a group of children discover a powerful orb.
Weightless sci-fi with borrowed ideas and lots of shouting and screaming.
Dir: Alan Johnson
Stars: Richard Jordan, Jami Gertz, Jason Patric
SOLARIS
1972
*
A lonely man on a space station has visions of his dead wife.
Cosmically heavy going sci-fi that might pass the time for patient intellectuals.
Dir: Andrei Tarkovsky
Stars: Natalya Bondarchuk, Donatas Banionis, Juri Jarvet
SOLDIER OF ORANGE
1977
**
Dutch university friends react in different ways to the outbreak of World War 2.
Sprawling account of the resistance movement in Holland, it has many points of interest but takes on a bit too much and ends up getting tangled in its own epic intentions.
Dir: Paul Verhoeven
Stars: Rutger Hauer, Jeroen Krabbe, Peter Faber, Susan Penhaligon, Edward Fox
A SOLDIER'S STORY
1984
*
The murder of a black sergeant is investigated in American barracks in World War 2.
Solid murder mystery with a racial angle, mainly told through flashbacks; a little stagey but worthy enough.
Dir: Norman Jewison
Stars: Howard E Rollins Jr, Adolph Caesar, Art Evans, Denzel Washington
SOLE SURVIVOR
1970 (TV)
*
The ghostly crew of a downed WW2 bomber watch on as their surviving crew member's negligence may be about to be found out.
A neat idea, a sort of Twilight Zone meets 12 Angry Men, a little stretched out to fit its movie of the week slot but pretty well done, with quality performers (Shatner is, as ever, hugely enjoyable) and some eerie sequences; it benefits from its desert shoot and having an all-male cast.
Dir: Paul Stanley
Stars: Richard Basehart, William Shatner, Vince Edwards, Lou Antonio
SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY
2018
*
How Han Solo got his name, the Millennium Falcon and his reputation.
Right from the very start, all through the production process and upon release, this was a film that never generated a huge amount of excitement, and such feelings were justified. A frankly rather boring series of stuck-together escapades, shot with the now customary grey wash, it rarely thrills or feels crucial to the Star Wars legacy. At least Ehrenreich isn't as dull as feared, but other cast members misfire, especially the female ones, and much of its incident feels similar to other entries in the series; this is what happens when you try and make Christmas happen too often.
Dir: Ron Howard
Stars: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover
SOLO FOR SPARROW
1962
0
A kidnapping turns into murder.
Pedestrian Edgar Wallace Mystery with the usual good cast (besides the below, William Gaunt and Murray Melvin also appear). In an early role, Caine adopts a dodgy Irish accent but has the look and presence that would ensure he soon became a star.
Dir: Gordon Flemyng
Stars: Anthony Newlands, Glyn Houston, Michael Coles, Michael Caine, Nadja Regin, Allan Cuthbertson
SOME CALL IT LOVING
1973
0
A woman who has been asleep for eight years is bought by a man at a carnival.
Very strange and very dull fantasy which inadvertently presents tooth extraction as an attractive alternative to sitting through it.
Dir: James B Harris
Stars: Carol White, Zalman King, Tisa Farrow, Richard Pryor
SOME CAME RUNNING
1958
0
A weary war veteran returns to his small hometown and runs into trouble.
Sinatra's character may be interesting, but the story is much less so: in fact, it's not that much of a narrative, more a succession of character study scenes, characters who aren't too sympathetic, at odds with another in various rooms (it's not till the very end, in the fairground, that it goes cinematic); one of those characters, MacLaine's, is pretty darned irritating, starting out on her long line of annoying performances. It's a rather dated soap opera, done in wide shots, that can't fully spell out its issues because of the time it was made in.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli
Stars: Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Dean Martin, Martha Hyer, Arthur Kennedy
SOME GIRLS DO
1969
0
Bulldog Drummond takes on a criminal mastermind sabotaging supersonic airliners.
Half-cocked James Bond imitation on a fraction of the budget, devoid of suspense and tension because its style is superficial and jokey.
Dir: Ralph Thomas
Stars: Richard Johnson, James Villiers, Sydne Rome, Robert Morley, Maurice Denham
SOME LIKE IT HOT
1959
****
Two musicians flee the mob by disguising themselves as women.
Brilliant comedy with an underpinning of menace, one of the best of its kind ever made. What still stands out after all these years is both the strength of the personalities - to say the actors make the most of their parts is an understatement - and the sexual subversiveness, which has got even more eyebrow-raising with the passing years, particularly during the early 21st century's descent into gender madness. The script and the direction are pretty much exquisite.
Dir: Billy Wilder
Stars: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, George Raft, Pat O’Brien, Joe E Brown
1969
0
A cheeky cockney goes around bedding various women.
Incredibly bad, plotless drivel that's so cheap it has to resort to long flashbacks to previous scenes in the film. Watch for the actor's bum which alternates between hairy and hairless.
Dir: Donovan Winter
Stars: Christopher Matthews, Mary Collinson, Madeleine Collinson, Madeline Smith
SOME PEOPLE
1962
0
Tearaways find some contentment by starting a band.
The epitome of a pre-Beatles film, musically dire and largely quite bland except for a few motorbiking scenes, although the extensive location footage of Bristol will give pleasure to many. There are some nice moments in amongst the leisurely plot.
Dir: Clive Donner
Stars: Kenneth More, Ray Brooks, Anneke Wills, David Hemmings
SOME WILL, SOME WON’T
1969
0
Four people go to great lengths to obtain the fortune left in a will by a wealthy practical joker.
Tedious comedy which wastes an able cast - Hordern and Hird prankishly overact while Corbett doesn't yet seem ready for film.
Dir: Duncan Wood
Stars: Ronnie Corbett, Thora Hird, Michael Hordern, Leslie Phillips, Wilfrid Brambell, Dennis Price, James Robertson Justice, Arthur Lowe
SOMEBODY’S STOLEN OUR RUSSIAN SPY
1967
0
Secret agent Charles Vine investigates skullduggery in Spain.
Third, last and worst film featuring cheapo spy Charles Vine (the first two were The 2nd Best Secret Agent In The Whole Wide World and Where The Bullets Fly), with little other than tiresome double crossings.
Dir: Jose Luis Madrid
Stars: Tom Adams, Tim Barrett, Diana Lorys
SOMEONE BEHIND THE DOOR
1971
*
A surgeon attempts to get a patient to kill his cheating wife.
Quite a likeable and suspenseful thriller.
Dir: Nicolas Gessner
Stars: Charles Bronson, Anthony Perkins, Jill Ireland
SOMEONE’S WATCHING ME
1978 (TV)
*
A woman is terrorised by a peeping Tom.
Scary suspenser with a cunning build-up followed by a let-down climax.
Dir: John Carpenter
Stars: Lauren Hutton, David Birney, Adrienne Barbeau
SOMETHING EVIL
1972 (TV)
*
A young couple discover there is a malevolent force in their new farmhouse
The director's precursor to Poltergeist is worth a look and he injects some life into a familiar tale via some flashy techniques.
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Sandy Dennis, Darren McGavin, Ralph Bellamy, Jeff Corey
SOMETHING TO HIDE
1972
0
A married man makes the mistake of picking up a pregnant hitchhiker.
Weirdly unappealing drama that starts off like Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? and then goes on to bore for Britain; it doesn’t help that we don’t give a damn about Finch’s character and he makes the most infuriatingly absurd decisions. Changing weather conditions are shot nicely, but this is a dour, deservedly obscure film which almost defies classification.
Dir: Alastair Reid
Stars: Peter Finch, Linda Hayden, Shelley Winters, Colin Blakely
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES
1983
0
A terrifying circus comes to town.
Hard working but unsatisfactory filming of a Ray Bradbury novel; not as effective as Hammer's similarly plotted Vampire Circus (qv).
Dir: Jack Clayton
Stars: Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Diane Ladd
SOMETHING WILD
1986
**
A straight-laced yuppie is shown a crazy time by a high-spirited woman.
Attractive, freewheeling road movie with a sense of fun.
Dir: Jonathan Demme
Stars: Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith, Leib Lensky
SOMEWHERE IN TIME
1980
**
A playwright uses hypnosis to go back in time to find the woman whose portrait hangs in his hotel.
Pleasant, elegant time travel drama from the pen of Richard Matheson; the viewer just has to see how it works out.
Dir: Jeannot Szwarc
Stars: Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, Christopher Plummer, Teresa Wright
SOMEWHERE, TOMORROW
1983
0
A girl finds she can converse with the dead.
Ghastly drama made on the cheap.
Dir: Robert Wiemer
Stars: Sarah Jessica Parker, Nancy Addison, Tom Shea
SOMMERSBY
1993
*
A man returns home after several years fighting in the Civil War, but the wife is not convinced that it is her husband.
Mystery romance in a rather colourless setting, well enough done for weepy fans.
Dir: Jon Amiel
Stars: Richard Gere, Jodie Foster, Bill Pullman, James Earl Jones
THE SON OF DR JEKYLL
1951
0
Is the offspring of the trouble-causing doctor following in Dad's footsteps?
The Son Of Mr Hyde would have been a lot more fun: what we get here is not really a horror but a talky sort-of mystery that you eventually tune out of.
Dir: Seymour Friedman
Stars: Louis Hayward, Jody Lawrance, Alexander Knox
SON OF DRACULA
1943
*
A certain Count Alucard comes to visit southern America.
Acceptable horror which just about survives a miscast lead; there are a few reasonably original ideas but a modern audience watching it now will be about 100 miles ahead of the characters in guessing what’s going on.
Dir: Robert Siodmak
Stars: Lon Chaney Jr, Robert Paige, Louise Allbritton, George Irving, Evelyn Ankers
SON OF DRACULA
1973
0
The son of the Count finds himself falling in love with a normal girl.
One of the most obscure British horror films of the 1970s and it's clear why: it's truly and utterly terrible, even worse than you fear it will be.
Dir: Freddie Francis
Stars: Harry Nilsson, Ringo Starr, Dennis Price, Suzanna Leigh, Keith Moon
SON OF FRANKENSTEIN
1939
***
The son of the original Dr Frankenstein revives his father's creation.
Enjoyable follow-up to Bride Of Frankenstein with one of the best casts Universal ever assembled for its horror pictures; also great to look at and with a racing musical score.
Dir: Rowland V Lee
Stars: Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill
SON OF GODZILLA
1968
0
Godzilla saves his son from attacks by enormous insects.
Crazy juvenile antics; a movie in a congenial little world of its own.
Dir: Jun Fukuda
Stars: Tadao Takashima, Akira Kubo
SON OF KONG
1933
0
Carl Denham returns to Skull Island to find Kong's offspring.
Padded sequel with dated humour replacing the spectacle of the original.
Dir: Ernest B Schoedsack
Stars: Robert Armstrong, Helen Mack, Frank Reicher
SON OF SINBAD
1953
*
Sinbad seeks a beautiful woman and magical 'Greek Fire'.
Harmless fun; colourful hokum with plenty of girls and dancing to contribute to the heady atmosphere of the Arabian Nights.
Dir: Ted Tetzlaff
Stars: Dale Robertson, Sally Forrest, Vincent Price
THE SON OF TARZAN
1920 (serial)
0
Tarzan marries and moves to London, but his son very much has the appetite for the jungle in him.
Apparently very faithful to Burroughs' novel, with not a lot of the man himself (thankfully, given the actor who plays him), this serial was lost then found and watched by Tarzan acolytes; modern viewers would obviously see it as extremely primitive, and at more than four hours it can be a trial. It can also sometimes be tricky to ascertain exactly what the cliffhangers are; it's interesting to note that serials would soon become far more obviously aimed at juniors than adults. The family are referred to as 'Greystone' rather than Greystoke.
Dir: Arthur J Flaven, Harry Revier
Stars: P Dempsey Tabler, Kamuela C Searle, Nita Martan
THE SONG OF BERNADETTE
1943
**
In 19th century France, a country girl becomes a celebrity because she has visions of the Virgin Mary.
Made with great Hollywood craft, this is a compelling film if a mischievous one: it pretends it's presenting the story from a 'neutral' point of view but it really isn't, as Bernadette is the one shown in a warmly sympathetic light and the authorities mostly coming across as bullying and intolerant; if made now perhaps it would be braver and more sceptical, focusing on the ignorance of a superstitious general population, and examine more closely some of the 'miracles'. But it's a hard film to dislike, extremely handsome and well performed, with a story that moves at a reasonable pace.
Dir: Henry King
Stars: Jennifer Jones, Vincent Price, Charles Bickford, Lee J Cobb, Gladys Cooper
SONG OF THE SEA
2014
*
A young Irish brother and sister have an adventure in the spirit kingdom.
Highly praised animated fantasy that starts in the real world and journeys deep into a mythical one, where it inevitably becomes less engaging; but its traditional visuals are lovely.
Dir: Tomm More
Voices: David Rawle, Brendan Gleeson, Lisa Hannigan
SONG WITHOUT END
1960
*
Hungarian composer Franz Liszt deserts the mother of his child for an already married Russian princess.
Opulent, stately biopic that all too frequently showcases Dirk Bogarde pretending (quite well) to play the piano - this provides elegant musical breaks from his romantic entanglements and lightly touched upon religious fervour. One doesn't wish to brand it 'Film Without End' but it does drag in places.
Dir: Charles Vidor, George Cukor
Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Capucine, Genevieve Page, Lyndon Brook
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
2020
*
A super-fast blue alien comes to Earth and is hunted by the authorities.
By the standards of videogame movie adaptations, a not terrible one, but still not very satisfying: the cast, apart from Carrey, is decidedly second rate, and its ET-ish tale lacks real heart and has very little for adults to get their teeth into.
Dir: Jeff Fowler
Stars: Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter
THE SONG OF BERNADETTE
1943
**
In 19th century France, a country girl becomes a celebrity because she has visions of the Virgin Mary.
Made with great Hollywood craft, this is a compelling film if a mischievous one: it pretends it's presenting the story from a 'neutral' point of view but it really isn't, as Bernadette is the one shown in a warmly sympathetic light and the authorities mostly coming across as bullying and intolerant; if made now perhaps it would be braver and more sceptical, focusing on the ignorance of a superstitious general population, and examine more closely some of the 'miracles'. But it's a hard film to dislike, extremely handsome and well performed, with a story that moves at a reasonable pace.
Dir: Henry King
Stars: Jennifer Jones, Vincent Price, Charles Bickford, Lee J Cobb, Gladys Cooper
SONG OF THE SEA
2014
*
A young Irish brother and sister have an adventure in the spirit kingdom.
Highly praised animated fantasy that starts in the real world and journeys deep into a mythical one, where it inevitably becomes less engaging; but its traditional visuals are lovely.
Dir: Tomm More
Voices: David Rawle, Brendan Gleeson, Lisa Hannigan
SONG WITHOUT END
1960
*
Hungarian composer Franz Liszt deserts the mother of his child for an already married Russian princess.
Opulent, stately biopic that all too frequently showcases Dirk Bogarde pretending (quite well) to play the piano - this provides elegant musical breaks from his romantic entanglements and lightly touched upon religious fervour. One doesn't wish to brand it 'Film Without End' but it does drag in places.
Dir: Charles Vidor, George Cukor
Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Capucine, Genevieve Page, Lyndon Brook
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
2020
*
A super-fast blue alien comes to Earth and is hunted by the authorities.
By the standards of videogame movie adaptations, a not terrible one, but still not very satisfying: the cast, apart from Carrey, is decidedly second rate, and its ET-ish tale lacks real heart and has very little for adults to get their teeth into.
Dir: Jeff Fowler
Stars: Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2
2022
*
Dr Robotnik manages to escape the mushroom planet and returns to Earth to target Sonic, with new guy Knuckles leading the charge.
A sequel was inevitable after the box office success of the first one, and this does a job, that job mainly being entertaining young children. Carrey once again provides the beef in the casting sandwich, in a tale that hits familiar beats, often vaguely reminding one of better movies, perhaps ones with more peril because they weren't so aimed at kids or based on a videogame; a slightly bizarre semi-romantic subplot engorges the running time somewhat (perhaps they wanted a bit more human activity in it, plus diversity) but the youthful audience - and gaming nerds - might not mind too much because most of the rest of the film will give them reasonable pleasure. At least it's bright looking and quite good-natured.
Dir: Jeff Fowler
Stars: Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Idris Elba, Tika Sumpter
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3
2024
0
Sonic and pals take on a new adversary - Shadow.
Must this series keep going? Seems so. Some of us have just grown a bit tired of the concept despite this film being proficient and skilful in many ways, not least in its special effects. It's entertainment for children really, not adults seeking more character-led, human-centric drama. To write any more about it doesn't seem like something one can be bothered to do.
Dir: Jeff Fowler
Stars: Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba
SONS AND LOVERS
1960
***
The struggles of a Yorkshire family with a domineering father.
Finely shot D H Lawrence adaptation that successfully captures the feelings and motivations of the characters.
Dir: Jack Cardiff
Stars: Trevor Howard, Dean Stockwell, Wendy Hiller, Heather Sears, Ernest Thesiger, Donald Pleasence
SONS OF THE DESERT
1933
****
Stan and Ollie head to an old boys' convention while telling their wives they are going on a restful cruise.
One of Laurel and Hardy's very best films and an enduring comic classic to boot; the laughs are easily prised out of a cleverly constructed story featuring the pair at their most loveable, with Stan offering particularly delightful absurd behaviour and dialogue. Highlights include the wax fruit, the hot water bath, the attic and much smaller moments like the cab driver's misfortunes, but it's the stars' personae that make this such a very special motion picture.
Dir: William A Seiter
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Mae Busch, Dorothy Christy, Charley Chase
SORCERER
1977
*
Four men have to transport an unstable load across treacherous country.
It's easy to see why this was a flop: saddled with an unsuitable title, it's a grim and unfriendly thriller that fails to make the viewer care about the protagonists and takes a while to get to the meat of its story. Sure, this violent remake of The Wages Of Fear is strikingly shot, scored and acted - all in proto-Seventies style - but it feels like a long haul, appropriately enough really.
Dir: William Friedkin
Stars: Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal
THE SORCERERS
1967
*
An elderly professor and his wife undertake a 'mind-sharing' exercise that allows them to experience young people's lives.
An attractive and intriguing idea for a sci-fi horror which fitfully works - a weary Karloff still offers value, while Lacey crackles in her Lady Macbeth type role; the younger ones convince less. Nascent director Reeves displays talent that could have bloomed had it been allowed to, even if its occasional schlockiness (and unconvincing fights) downgrade it a little; the London settings, the fashions and the odd quirk - like the man buying a clock, or the garrulous cafe owner - upgrade it, though. Let's hope someone [of talent] remakes this agreeable British film one day.
Dir: Michael Reeves
Stars: Boris Karloff, Catherine Lacey, Ian Ogilvy, Elizabeth Ercy, Susan George
SORCERESS
1982
0
Two sexy twins battle wizards and other assorted villains.
Name your favourite moment: the men in monkey suits using laughing gas? The gorgeous twins being mistaken for boys? The scene where it is discovered they aren't boys? The randy zombies? Or one of the many gems in the dialogue? There's certainly a fine choice.
Dir: Jack Hill
Stars: Lynette Harris, Leigh Harris, Bob Nelson
SORRY, WRONG NUMBER
1948
*
A woman picks up the phone and overhears two men plotting a murder.
Effective suspenser which gives the star an excuse to let loose.
Dir: Anatole Litvak
Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, Ann Richards
SOS COAST GUARD
1937 (serial)
0
A coast guard goes after a villain who is manufacturing disintegrating gas.
One of five serials Lugosi made, and as usual he slightly elevates the production; apart from his Eastern European scowling we get all sorts of lively action hung on the clothesline that is the McGuffin of the disintegrating gas. The production values actually aren't too bad, with lots of location shooting and a small army of extras. Kids today would not give it the time of the day, but it's one of Republic's better efforts.
Dir: Alan James, William Witney
Stars: Ralph Byrd, Bela Lugosi, Maxine Doyle, Richard Alexander
SOUL
2020
*
A jaded musician is transported out of his body and must find his way back.
Either a movie for adults disguised as a children's one, or a children's movie disguised as an adult's one: a peculiar musing on existentialism that will may not find sympathy with all but the very young or a certain type of grown-up. Overly keen to show how deep it is, infused with the not inspiring music genre of jazz, and drinking from the fashionable cup of 'diversity', it's technically excellent of course - the textures are beautifully done - but hard to feel affection for. Despite some embellishments, its story feels quite familiar.
Dir: Pete Docter, Kemp Powers
Voices: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House
THE SOUND BARRIER
1952
**
British scientists attempt to break the speed of sound.
One of Lean's less celebrated pictures nevertheless won a best film Bafta and is a measured, quietly steely portrait of humans seeking excellence. Some of the science may be questionable, and parts of it are a little dry, but one applauds its sheer all-round professionalism and the fine performance by Richardson as a man who will not give up on his dream.
Dir: David Lean
Stars: Ralph Richardson, Ann Todd, Nigel Patrick, John Justin, Dinah Sheridan
SOUND OF METAL
2019
*
A drummer's life is shot to pieces when he loses his hearing.
Those of us expecting a searing musical drama about a drummer gradually losing his hearing were to be disappointed: we join our protagonist when he has already gone deaf, and this is very much a 'medical' film concentrating on the plight of the deaf; it is also an exercise in sophisticated sound engineering. Perhaps the fact that it was nominated for several Oscars should have given the game away. It's a quality film, but extremely downbeat and nowhere near as enjoyable as, say, Whiplash.
Dir: Darius Marder
Stars: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Mathieu Amalric
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
1965
****
In 1939 Austria, an unconventional nun becomes governess to the seven children of Captain Von Trapp, a strict disciplinarian and enemy of the Nazis.
There are many elements that make this a movie to treasure for all time - its innate goodliness, its refusal to be anything but a lavish family entertainment, its brilliant roster of tip-top tunes, its immaculate production, its definitive star performances. We are unlikely to ever see such a perfect film of its type again.
Dir: Robert Wise
Stars: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood, Anna Lee
SOUNDER
1972
*
In 1930s Louisiana, a black family's bonds are tested when the father is imprisoned.
Naturalistic, well acted and non-condescending drama, a critical hit at the time, but a bit dull. Curious title (Sounder is the family's dog).
Dir: Martin Ritt
Stars: Paul Winfield, Cicely Tyson, Kevin Hooks
SOUR GRAPES
2016
***
Documentary about the high-end wine trade and how a dealer named Rudy Kurniawan made a big splash.
The enthralling story of an industry that is alien to all but a tiny elite and how it was turned upside down in a decade; the film unfolds like a top-drawer mystery thriller, fascinating minute-to-minute thanks to the dazzling facts and figures, the big personalities involved and the extraordinary developments it chronicles. Vintage stuff that goes down great.
Dir: Reuben Atlas, Jerry Rothwell
SOURCE CODE
2011
**
A soldier enters the mind of a commuter on a train set to blow up in eight minutes time, in an effort to diffuse the bomb.
Enticing sci-fi thriller which can be forgiven for its preposterousness because it’s mostly a fun, zippy journey.
Dir: Duncan Jones
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright
LA SOURIANTE MADAME BEUDET
1922
*
A woman is unhappy in her marriage.
Feminism ahoy! Slight avant-garde-ness ahoy! If these two things excite you, then this offbeat French silent short might pass your time.
Dir: Germaine Dulac
Stars: Germaine Dermoz, Alexandre Arquilliere
SOUTHBOUND
2015
*
Five interconnected horrific tales centring around a stretch of deserted highway: The Way Out, Siren, The Accident, Jailbreak, The Way In.
The stories might have a common theme but they're a mixed bag - the first is an intriguing, Twilight Zone-ish sort of thing with scary monsters; the second is quite enjoyable if predictable; the third is probably the highlight, an unusual, tense tale that almost overstays its welcome; the fourth amounts to little; the fifth is just an unpleasant route back to the first story. But the thought of watching it a second time, despite its effective moments, would be too much - it's very dark and some of it leaves you befuddled.
Dir: Radio Silence, Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner, Patrick Horvath
Stars: Kate Beahan, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Susan Burke, Zoe Cooper
SOUTHERN COMFORT
1981
**
National Guards on an exercise in Louisiana swampland have a fight for their lives on when they anger the locals.
Like Deliverance before it and Blair Witch after it, a tense battle between invaders and inhabitants, shot in drained grey tones.
Dir: Walter Hill
Stars: Keith Carradine, Powers Boothe, Fred Ward, Peter Coyote
SOYLENT GREEN
1972
*
In a crowded future Earth, a detective uncovers the secret behind the government's new revolutionary foodstuff.
Patchy sci-fi with a denouement that's a big shock if you're unaware of what to expect.
Dir: Richard Fleischer
Stars: Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, Chuck Connors, Joseph Cotton, Edward G Robinson
SPACE FIREBIRD
1980
0
In the far future, a boy searches for a strange energy force.
Pretentious, complicated and unappealing foreign cartoon.
Dir: Taku Sugiyama
Voices: Kaneto Shiozawa
SPACE RAIDERS
1983
0
A ten-year-old boy is accidentally taken aboard an interplanetary spacecraft.
Juvenile sci-fi of little interest to adults, cheaply put together.
Dir: Howard R Cohen
Stars: Vince Edwards, David Mendenhall, Drew Snyder
SPACEBALLS
1987
0
A planet running out of air plans to steal its neighbour's.
Late-in-the-day Star Wars spoof whose strained jokes betray the maker's slipping standards.
Dir: Mel Brooks
Stars: Mel Brooks, Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, John Candy, John Hurt
SPACECAMP
1987
0
Trainee astronauts find themselves in space for real.
Not unpredictable junior version of Marooned which also acts as a showcase for NASA; this and a cute robot could have been jettisoned for more suspense.
Dir: Harry Winer
Stars: Kate Capshaw, Lea Thompson, Kelly Preston, Joaquin Phoenix, Tom Skerritt
SPACED INVADERS
1990
0
Little green men really do arrive on Earth as Orson Welles is doing his 1938 War Of The Worlds broadcast.
Asinine junior sci-fi featuring aliens with homogeneous personalities.
Dir: Patrick Read Johnson
Stars: Douglas Barr, Royal Dano, Ariana Richards
SPACEFLIGHT IC-1: AN ADVENTURE IN SPACE
1965
0
In 2015, a spaceship from Earth heads to the stars to colonise other planets.
A bit of a curio, an obscure low budget British sci-fi film which in a way needn't be a sci-fi film: it's essentially a soap opera, with characters sitting around in small, monochrome sets discussing their problems. On the plus side it's short and has a couple of quirky touches (chiefly the guy with the head in the bowl and the 'zombie' chap who breaks out near the end). Remarkable to think that that Alien came just 14 years after this demure effort, and that the director's next film was the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour (qv).
Dir: Bernard Knowles
Stars: Bill Williams, Kathleen Breck, John Cairney, Donald Churchill
SPACEHUNTER: ADVENTURES IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE
1983
0
A space cowboy goes to rescue three women kidnapped by a dictator.
Wet mishmash of Mad Max and Star Wars.
Dir: Lamont Johnson
Stars: Peter Strauss, Molly Ringwald, Ernie Hudson, Michael Ironside
THE SPACEMAN AND KING ARTHUR
1979
0
An astronaut and his android double travel back to the time of King Arthur.
So-so updating of Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee.
Dir: Russ Mayberry
Stars: Jim Dale, Ron Moody, Kenneth More, John Le Mesurier, Rodney Bewes
SPACESHIP
1981
0
A space crew inadvertently bring a monster aboard.
Low budget spoof of Alien that’s occasionally funny but often tacky.
Dir: Bruce Kimmel
Stars: Patrick Macnee, Cindy Williams, Leslie Nielsen
SPACEWAYS
1953
0
British scientists test their prototype rocket.
Mild, unambitious sci-fi which provides not unpleasant viewing.
Dir: Terence Fisher
Stars: Howard Duff, Eva Bartok, Alan Wheatley
SPANISH FLY
1975
*
A businessman in Spain accidentally invents a potent aphrodisiac.
Smut-based comedy whose agreeable stars and bright locations make it tolerable (and the titillating ladies help). It is nice to see these two great cads together, but the film is kind of drunk and not as sharp as it might have been.
Dir: Bob Kellett
Stars: Leslie Phillips, Terry-Thomas, Graham Armitage, Frank Thornton, Sue Lloyd
A SPANKING IN PARADISE
2010
0
A young would-be lawyer takes a holiday job in his uncle’s brothel.
Not much fun: a grim and depressing slice of the darker side of life, set in rainy Edinburgh; reasonably well acted and shot (for a feature not shot on film), it nevertheless features many very long takes of tedious and unappealing monologues which do little to propel the plot.
Dir: Wayne Thallon
Stars: Andrew Hawley, Simon Weir, Leo Horsfield
SPARE A COPPER
1940
*
A policeman becomes a hero when he thwarts a plan to blow up a battleship.
Familiar Formby antics that kept wartime audiences happy.
Dir: John Paddy Carstairs
Stars: George Formby, Dorothy Hyson, Bernard Lee
SOUTHBOUND
2015
*
Five interconnected horrific tales centring around a stretch of deserted highway: The Way Out, Siren, The Accident, Jailbreak, The Way In.
The stories might have a common theme but they're a mixed bag - the first is an intriguing, Twilight Zone-ish sort of thing with scary monsters; the second is quite enjoyable if predictable; the third is probably the highlight, an unusual, tense tale that almost overstays its welcome; the fourth amounts to little; the fifth is just an unpleasant route back to the first story. But the thought of watching it a second time, despite its effective moments, would be too much - it's very dark and some of it leaves you befuddled.
Dir: Radio Silence, Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner, Patrick Horvath
Stars: Kate Beahan, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Susan Burke, Zoe Cooper
SOUTHERN COMFORT
1981
**
National Guards on an exercise in Louisiana swampland have a fight for their lives on when they anger the locals.
Like Deliverance before it and Blair Witch after it, a tense battle between invaders and inhabitants, shot in drained grey tones.
Dir: Walter Hill
Stars: Keith Carradine, Powers Boothe, Fred Ward, Peter Coyote
SOYLENT GREEN
1972
*
In a crowded future Earth, a detective uncovers the secret behind the government's new revolutionary foodstuff.
Patchy sci-fi with a denouement that's a big shock if you're unaware of what to expect.
Dir: Richard Fleischer
Stars: Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, Chuck Connors, Joseph Cotton, Edward G Robinson
SPACE FIREBIRD
1980
0
In the far future, a boy searches for a strange energy force.
Pretentious, complicated and unappealing foreign cartoon.
Dir: Taku Sugiyama
Voices: Kaneto Shiozawa
SPACE RAIDERS
1983
0
A ten-year-old boy is accidentally taken aboard an interplanetary spacecraft.
Juvenile sci-fi of little interest to adults, cheaply put together.
Dir: Howard R Cohen
Stars: Vince Edwards, David Mendenhall, Drew Snyder
SPACEBALLS
1987
0
A planet running out of air plans to steal its neighbour's.
Late-in-the-day Star Wars spoof whose strained jokes betray the maker's slipping standards.
Dir: Mel Brooks
Stars: Mel Brooks, Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, John Candy, John Hurt
SPACECAMP
1987
0
Trainee astronauts find themselves in space for real.
Not unpredictable junior version of Marooned which also acts as a showcase for NASA; this and a cute robot could have been jettisoned for more suspense.
Dir: Harry Winer
Stars: Kate Capshaw, Lea Thompson, Kelly Preston, Joaquin Phoenix, Tom Skerritt
SPACED INVADERS
1990
0
Little green men really do arrive on Earth as Orson Welles is doing his 1938 War Of The Worlds broadcast.
Asinine junior sci-fi featuring aliens with homogeneous personalities.
Dir: Patrick Read Johnson
Stars: Douglas Barr, Royal Dano, Ariana Richards
SPACEFLIGHT IC-1: AN ADVENTURE IN SPACE
1965
0
In 2015, a spaceship from Earth heads to the stars to colonise other planets.
A bit of a curio, an obscure low budget British sci-fi film which in a way needn't be a sci-fi film: it's essentially a soap opera, with characters sitting around in small, monochrome sets discussing their problems. On the plus side it's short and has a couple of quirky touches (chiefly the guy with the head in the bowl and the 'zombie' chap who breaks out near the end). Remarkable to think that that Alien came just 14 years after this demure effort, and that the director's next film was the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour (qv).
Dir: Bernard Knowles
Stars: Bill Williams, Kathleen Breck, John Cairney, Donald Churchill
SPACEHUNTER: ADVENTURES IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE
1983
0
A space cowboy goes to rescue three women kidnapped by a dictator.
Wet mishmash of Mad Max and Star Wars.
Dir: Lamont Johnson
Stars: Peter Strauss, Molly Ringwald, Ernie Hudson, Michael Ironside
THE SPACEMAN AND KING ARTHUR
1979
0
An astronaut and his android double travel back to the time of King Arthur.
So-so updating of Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee.
Dir: Russ Mayberry
Stars: Jim Dale, Ron Moody, Kenneth More, John Le Mesurier, Rodney Bewes
SPACESHIP
1981
0
A space crew inadvertently bring a monster aboard.
Low budget spoof of Alien that’s occasionally funny but often tacky.
Dir: Bruce Kimmel
Stars: Patrick Macnee, Cindy Williams, Leslie Nielsen
SPACEWAYS
1953
0
British scientists test their prototype rocket.
Mild, unambitious sci-fi which provides not unpleasant viewing.
Dir: Terence Fisher
Stars: Howard Duff, Eva Bartok, Alan Wheatley
SPANISH FLY
1975
*
A businessman in Spain accidentally invents a potent aphrodisiac.
Smut-based comedy whose agreeable stars and bright locations make it tolerable (and the titillating ladies help). It is nice to see these two great cads together, but the film is kind of drunk and not as sharp as it might have been.
Dir: Bob Kellett
Stars: Leslie Phillips, Terry-Thomas, Graham Armitage, Frank Thornton, Sue Lloyd
A SPANKING IN PARADISE
2010
0
A young would-be lawyer takes a holiday job in his uncle’s brothel.
Not much fun: a grim and depressing slice of the darker side of life, set in rainy Edinburgh; reasonably well acted and shot (for a feature not shot on film), it nevertheless features many very long takes of tedious and unappealing monologues which do little to propel the plot.
Dir: Wayne Thallon
Stars: Andrew Hawley, Simon Weir, Leo Horsfield
SPARE A COPPER
1940
*
A policeman becomes a hero when he thwarts a plan to blow up a battleship.
Familiar Formby antics that kept wartime audiences happy.
Dir: John Paddy Carstairs
Stars: George Formby, Dorothy Hyson, Bernard Lee
THE SPARE TYRES
1967
*
A couple moves into a new house but there are a pair of old tyres in the garden - the husband attempts to get rid of them.
Mildly amusing comedy short with a few good physical gags and plenty of pleasant location footage of West London.
Dir: Michael J Lane
Stars: Terence Alexander, Judy Franklin, Marika Morley, Frank Finlay
SPARTACUS
1960
**
A slave leads a revolt against the Roman empire.
A more interesting and thoughtful film than Ben-Hur, although not the director anywhere near his best (he was a late replacement), but its finest moments are either moving, breath-taking or highly memorable. It has all the beats and the feel of an old-school costume epic, rather than a typical Kubrick picture, and is something of a long haul in its most extended form, but the performances of the likes of Olivier, Ustinov and Laughton give it much gravitas.
Dir: Stanley Kubrick
Stars: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, Tony Curtis, John Gavin, Nina Foch, Herbert Lom
SPEAK NO EVIL
2022
**
A Danish family gets some nasty surprises when they visit a Dutch family they met on holiday.
The idea behind this film is enticing and unsettling, ripe for exploration, so much so that within two years it was remade in Britain; while neither movie is perfect, they intrigue, with this one perhaps being the marginally more preferable, despite a bleak and brutal ending that the remake avoids. Tense, atmospheric, well acted and about the right length (the remake's too long), some criticised the Danish family's inaction when confronted with abuse but what they may not realise is that the film could be a metaphor for Western Europe's pathetic self-suicide around this time by allowing mass importation of people, cultures and ideas antithetical to the West.
Dir: Christian Tafdrup
Stars: Morten Burian, Sidsel Siem Koch, Fedja van Huet, Karina Smulders
SPEAK NO EVIL
2024
*
An American couple goes to stay at the remote house of a British couple they meet on holiday. Mistake.
Before it goes Straw Dogs-ish in its too lengthy final section, unleashing predictable mayhem, this is a quite engrossing and entertaining chronicle of a subtle clash of morals and behaviour. A more commercial remake of the above film, it has an inviting premise and provides another juicy role for McAvoy, though it's a shame that it eventually embraces horror elements more than psychological ones.
Dir: James Watkins
Stars: James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Aisling Franciosi
SPECIES
1995
**
A beautiful half-alien hunts humans to mate with, and kills those who are not suitable.
Outrageously entertaining mixture of Alien and Terminator with slightly above average characterisation for this sort of thing - they're quite a sweet group of people. Yes, it makes very little sense but it's quick-moving, sexy, violent fun with some honest observations of human behaviour, along with some more wild HR Giger creations.
Dir: Roger Donaldson
Stars: Natasha Henstridge, Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Alfred Molina, Forest Whitaker
SPECIES II
1998
0
An astronaut is infected after a mission to Mars and begins to mutate.
Slight sequel which moves at a decent pace but doesn't engage.
Dir: Peter Medak
Stars: Natasha Henstridge, Michael Madsen, Marg Helgenberger
THE SPECKLED BAND
1931
0
Sherlock Holmes goes to the aid of an heiress.
Creaky, stagey mystery with theatrical performances; some of the photography is more assured, making for a little Germanic atmosphere. Originally an hour and a half long, the most common print to be found now is just 50 minutes long.
Dir: Jack Raymond
Stars: Raymond Massey, Athole Stewart, Lyn Harding, Angela Baddeley
SPECTERS
1987
0
A monster stalks teens in the catacombs.
Depressing horror, terribly dubbed, yet another dismal blot on Pleasence's CV.
Dir: Marcello Avallone
Stars: Donald Pleasence, John Pepper, Trine Michelsen
SPECTRE
1977 (TV)
0
A woman suspects her brother is dabbling in the black arts.
Unintentionally mirthful horror which hints at the sex it can't show (although nudity was added for an unreleased cinema version).
Dir: Clive Donner
Stars: Robert Culp, Gig Young, John Hurt, Gordon Jackson
SPECTRE
2015
*
James Bond tracks down the head of a sinister international organisation.
Number 24 in the possibly never-ending series is decent enough while never making the heart soar like many of its predecessors did: the setpieces, for instance, while all predictably proficient, just aren't quite up there with the best. It does a few things right but long-term fans will always pick the faults more enthusiastically, like Waltz's and Bautista's underwhelming villains, its sullenness, slight overlength and a continued reluctance to let colourful locations be as colourful as they might be. It is grey in its palette and somewhat in its soul also.
Dir: Sam Mendes
Stars: Daniel Craig, Lea Seydoux, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Wishaw, Monica Bellucci, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Andrew Scott
SPEED
1994
***
A cop must save the passengers of a bus that will explode if it drops below 50mph.
Non-stop actioner with a freewheeling escalation of absurdities, possibly symbolising the hectic pace of modern life, possibly not. Not only very exciting but technically impeccable.
Dir: Jan de Bont
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Daniels
SPEEDY
1928
**
A boy saves an old man's horse-drawn trolley business.
Still-fresh star comedy with lively stunts and fine location work. There’s padding but it’s enjoyable padding.
Dir: Ted Wilde
Stars: Harold Lloyd, Ann Christy, Bert Woodruff
SPELLBOUND
1941
*
A young man is tempted by spiritualism to make contact with his recently deceased girlfriend.
Curiously known under several different titles, this is an unusual, strange British film (which is, yes, supernatural) that is strangely likeable. Not exactly good, but it has a certain odd appeal.
Dir: John Harlow
Stars: Derek Farr, Vera Lindsay, Hay Petrie, Felix Aylmer
SPELLBOUND
1945
**
The new doctor at a mental asylum appears to be an impostor.
Improbable mystery thriller with a large helping of romance, given class by some top Hitchcock flourishes, including the finale with the gun and the dream sequence designed by Salvador Dali. The final third of the film is best, as the reveals follow one another in quick succession, and although the psychoanalysis it relies on is a tad dated, it nevertheless makes this a novel and distinctive picture.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Leo G Carroll, Michael Chekhov, Rhonda Fleming
SPELLBOUND
2003
***
Documentary about an American spelling bee.
Compelling, attractive film about a slightly strange phenomenon that celebrates both the English language and the American way of life.
Dir: Jeffrey Blitz
SPELLBOUND
1945
**
The new doctor at a mental asylum appears to be an impostor.
Improbable mystery thriller with a large helping of romance, given class by some top Hitchcock flourishes, including the finale with the gun and the dream sequence designed by Salvador Dali. The final third of the film is best, as the reveals follow one another in quick succession, and although the psychoanalysis it relies on is a tad dated, it nevertheless makes this a novel and distinctive picture.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Leo G Carroll, Michael Chekhov, Rhonda Fleming
SPELLBOUND
2003
***
Documentary about an American spelling bee.
Compelling, attractive film about a slightly strange phenomenon that celebrates both the English language and the American way of life.
Dir: Jeffrey Blitz
SPENCER
2021
0
Princess Diana endures a difficult Christmas with the Royals at Sandringham.
A couple of hours of victimology: as presented here, Diana is a neurotic and unstable person who swears a lot (shame on the BBFC, as so often, for awarding this film just a 12), is saturated in self-pity and mopes around a grand house like Susan in Citizen Kane - with the portrayal of the Royal Family imagined by people with zero understanding or knowledge of what goes on in milieus such as this. As is often the case in this age of navel-gazing and obsession with self-image, it's a valueless and wearisome exercise, one of the most dislikeable British films since Richard Curtis's.
Dir: Pablo Larrain
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall, Sally Hawkins
SPETTERS
1980
*
The racy lives of three young motorcycle enthusiasts.
Very Dutch, very Verhoeven drama, diverting because it's different and a bit tacky.
Dir: Paul Verhoeven
Stars: Hans van Tongeren, Renee Soutendijk, Marianne Boyer
SPICEWORLD
1997
*
The Spice Girls have various adventures.
A Hard Day's Night for the 1990s, this is a feelgood, bright fantasy which doesn't take itself seriously and has some genuine charm.
Dir: Bob Spiers
Stars: The Spice Girls, Meat Loaf, Richard Briers, Stephen Fry, Bob Hoskins, Hugh Laurie, Roger Moore, Richard O’Brien
SPIDER-MAN
1978 (TV)
0
Spider-Man battles a criminal who hypnotises people into doing his dirty work.
Trashy pilot for a pretty trashy series. The problem was that at the time special effects were nowhere near advanced enough to convey the magic and splendour of the comic book, while TV-standard scripting and direction delivered the final blow.
Dir: E W Swackhamer
Stars: Nicholas Hammond, David White, Michael Pataki
SPIDER-MAN STRIKES BACK
1978 (TV)
0
Peter Parker investigates the theft of some plutonium.
The second Spider-Man ‘film’ (TV episodes stuck together) is pretty much a lesson in how not to make a superhero live action production.
Dir: Ron Satlof
Stars: Nicholas Hammond, JoAnna Cameron, Robert Alda
SPIDER-MAN: THE DRAGON’S CHALLENGE
1979 (TV)
0
Spider-Man attempts to help a man escape corruption charges.
Third and worst movie of the show, deeply tedious.
Dir: Don McDougall
Stars: Nicholas Hammond, Robert F Simon, Ted Danson
SPIDER-MAN
2002
***
A young student is bitten by a radioactive spider which gives him remarkable arachnid powers. He soon has to use them against the evil Green Goblin.
Finally this great comic book superhero is done justice on celluloid, not least in the special effects department which convey Spider-Man's movement convincingly. For fans of the strip it's a fondly assembled treat with a perfect choice of lead actor and a well-chosen supporting cast, and for anyone else, an exciting blockbuster with a good heart. Perhaps the narrative stutters at times - and those special effects would soon be surpassed by others - but it deserves high marks for properly kicking off the new century's run of superhero movies.
Dir: Sam Raimi
Stars: Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco
SPIDER-MAN 2
2004
***
Spider-Man battles Doctor Octopus while his alter ego Peter Parker has problems with his love life.
Extremely well-received sequel with some of the most spectacular battles between super-powered folks ever put on film but perhaps a little too much romance. Mostly, though, it's one of the very best Marvel movies, full of wit, individual style, great performances (Maguire is just wonderful in his role) and an aura of being that bit special.
Dir: Sam Raimi
Stars: Tobey Maguire, Alfred Molina, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco
SPIDER-MAN 3
2007
***
Peter Parker plans to propose to Mary Jane but is distracted by a strange black entity, a vengeful Harry Osborn and an escaped convict known as the Sandman.
A highly enjoyable exercise in popular modern moviemaking and possibly the best of the three; it’s rare to see a comic book adaptation breathe such life into its characters. It also gains points because the battle royales are dazzling, the plot is dense yet cleverly structured and it successfully provokes a variety of emotions, including laughter, sorrow and excitement.
Dir: Sam Raimi
Stars: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard
SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING
2017
*
With a little help from Tony Stark, Peter Parker dons the Spider suit and battles crime.
A movie that's very much a product of the culture of its time; thus, those who dislike that culture may well dislike it (whether someone loves or loathes the final line probably dictates their feeling for the film, and this reviewer detested the line). It's difficult to find things to say it does right - for fans of the original comic book character, it loses the contrast between Parker and Spider-Man and destroys the whole point of him (it's a film without a heart); it hasn't the political courage to show our man actually winning a fight and because it's so facetious and nothing matters there is no tension or suspense, never mind any emotional pay-offs. Far more obsessed with promoting 'diversity' and altering characters and situations from its source material than with telling a good story about valour and heroism, it's in the end just another slick but bloated money-maker to put in Marvel's franchise jigsaw. Stick with Raimi.
Dir: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr, Jacob Batalon
SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME
2019
*
Peter Parker's class goes on a European tour where he encounters Mysterio battling the Elementals.
The follow-up to Avengers: Endgame could hardly fail at the box office, and this picture is indeed easy-to-take, diverting bombast that goes to better places following its mid-way twist, although too much teen-centric comedy remains, and the CGI battles are of variable interest. The European settings at least offer some variety, Holland is growing into the role, and perhaps what most makes it is, say, going on to IMDb's trivia section for the film, which adds some appreciation for the thought that went into it. But is it really a Spider-Man film, does it really delve into Lee and Ditko's genius creation?
Dir: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Samuel L Jackson, Zendaya
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
2021
***
With his secret identity revealed, Peter Parker seeks Dr Strange's help, but this leads to huge problems for the web-slinger.
Talk about fan-service. Here's a movie that has its cake and eats it, with all manner of titbits for acolytes - but it does more than that, as there are tears, laughs and thrills for all, no matter what their knowledge of the various franchises is. It's among the best superhero films no question, with a relentless drive and confidence, not to mention unbeatable action, amazing special effects and strong performances from the main players. Maybe it's the natural conclusion of these times of get-what-we-want and studios-need-to-keep-us-ever-more-entranced.
Dir: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alfred Molina, Willem Dafoe, Jamie Foxx, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, JK Simmons
SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
2018
**
A young boy called Miles Morales is bitten by a radioactive spider and discovers there are plenty of other Spider-Men in his universe.
Clever, knowing twist on the Spider-Man legend, with all manner of super-powered folks strutting their stuff accompanied by stunning, up to the minute animation. With historic Spidey comic book covers, Steve Ditko in a list of mobile phone contacts, a burst of the theme tune from the 1960s TV show and lots more, it is as post-modern as they come, but balances this with humour and heart; at the end of the day, though, it is just a cartoon chiefly for juniors, and not Sam Raimi's live-action trilogy for all.
Dir: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Voices: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali
2018
**
A young boy called Miles Morales is bitten by a radioactive spider and discovers there are plenty of other Spider-Men in his universe.
Clever, knowing twist on the Spider-Man legend, with all manner of super-powered folks strutting their stuff accompanied by stunning, up to the minute animation. With historic Spidey comic book covers, Steve Ditko in a list of mobile phone contacts, a burst of the theme tune from the 1960s TV show and lots more, it is as post-modern as they come, but balances this with humour and heart; at the end of the day, though, it is just a cartoon chiefly for juniors, and not Sam Raimi's live-action trilogy for all.
Dir: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Voices: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
2023
*
Miles Morales is catapulted into the multiverse.
A movie for people younger than this reviewer, a relentlessly frenetic, exhausting, postmodern entertainment that is furiously ethnic and frequently verges on the glib because it's so knowing. The animation is again spectacular but two and a quarter hours of this stuff is too much - and this is only part one! By 2023, the appeal of the superhero flick has waned for many of us and this over-excited opus doesn't do much to rekindle our enthusiasm.
Dir: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K Thompson
Voices: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez
THE SPIDER WOMAN
1944
**
Sherlock Holmes investigates several suicides that he believes are murders.
Fast, bizarre, nail-biting entry into the modernised Rathbone series. Such a terrific amount of loopy fun is packed into its short running time - Holmes faking his death, his many disguises, the one that isn't a disguise, the child decoy, the gassing, the spider, the pygmy, the fairground finale and more - you're left happy and impressed. Also, Sondergaard is a top foil for the great detective, while Bruce, the most likeable ever Watson, provides some laughs.
Dir: Roy William Neill
Stars: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Gale Sondergaard, Dennis Hoey
SPIES IN DISGUISE
2019
*
A super-spy is turned into a pigeon by a young tech genius.
Endearingly nutty animation with some anarchic humour, lively set-pieces and a few deeper thoughts. There often doesn't seem to be much at stake and its pacifist message is wiffy, but it's acceptable Christmas holiday entertainment for younger ones and their parents.
Dir: Nick Bruno, Troy Quane
Voices: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Ben Mendelsohn, Rashida Jones
SPIES LIKE US
1986
0
Two incompetent spies are sent to Russia.
Appalling, vacant comedy with about half a dozen laughs.
Dir: John Landis
Stars: Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Forrest, Vanessa Angel
SPIKE ISLAND
2012
0
Five Mancs try to see the Stone Roses in concert.
Misfiring coming-of-age drama peopled by characters you'd cross the street to avoid - thieving, dishonest, potty-mouthed chavs - who go on a sort of quest, but not a very honourable or clear one (in part, they want to give a tape of them playing to the Roses), to see a great band who actually weren't that great live; the script throws in dying relatives, other dodgy family members and a vague 'first love' theme, but none of it works. The concert should climax the film but doesn't. The music is as great as the youths are off-putting; stick to Shane Meadows's Made Of Stone documentary (qv) instead.
Dir: Mat Whitecross
Stars: Elliott Tittensor, Nico Mirallegro, Adam Long, Emilia Clarke
SPIRAL: FROM THE BOOK OF SAW
2021
0
A new killer is in town, seemingly copying the methods of the ingenious madman known as Jigsaw.
More Saw, this time with even more focus on the police procedural than before - the cops are an unlovely lot, and the father/son stuff doesn't really work, but in the end it's not totally unsatisfying because of the reveal (that some may guess). Probably none of the traps are in the top 10 of Saw traps, but a couple are suitably horrible.
Dir: Darren Lynn Bousman
Stars: Chris Rock, Samuel L Jackson, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols
THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE
1946
**
A mute girl is terrified that she will be the next victim of a serial killer who preys on the disabled.
Horror whodunit with familiar but effective trimmings; now all a bit obvious but the final reel still grips.
Dir: Robert Siodmak
Stars: Dorothy McGuire, George Brent, Ethel Barrymore, Rhonda Fleming, Elsa Lanchester
THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE
1975
0
Cheap and tedious remake which makes very little impression.
Dir: Peter Collinson
Stars: Jacqueline Bisset, Christopher Plummer, John Phillip Law, Sam Wanamaker, Gayle Hunnicutt
THE SPIRIT IS WILLING
1966
0
A family move into a haunted house.
Numbskull, dispiriting comedy; Castle should have stuck to gimmicky shockers.
Dir: William Castle
Stars: Sid Caesar, Vera Miles, Barry Gordon
SPIRIT TRAP
2005
0
Four students see apparitions in their new London digs.
By-numbers Brit horror with very limited ambitions; obvious, unpleasant and dull.
Dir: David Smith
Stars: Billie Piper, Luke Mably, Sam Troughton
SPIRITED AWAY
2001
*
A girl is taken off to a land of mysterious and frightening creatures.
Sumptuous and technically supreme it may be, but this epic animation project just doesn't engage - perhaps because everything about it feels alien and unreal.
Dir: Hayao Miyazaki
SPLASH
1983
**
A man is reunited with the mermaid who saved him from drowning when he was small.
Comedy may be one of the genres that dates more sorely than most and this Disney hit, literally about a fish out of water, has lost a bit of bang, but only a bit - it's still funny, a bit sexy and quite touching, with decent set-pieces, many of which nicely show the New York of the time. It's slightly overlong but always energetically performed; there are gallant efforts to hinder you seeing Hannah's breasts.
Dir: Ron Howard
Stars: Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, Eugene Levy, John Candy
SPLASH, TOO
1987 (TV)
0
The man and his mermaid move back to New York.
Bland and feeble sequel aimed at a younger audience (who probably went away and spelt 'two' wrong).
Dir: Greg Antonacci
Stars: Todd Waring, Amy Yasbeck, Donovan Scott
SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS
1961
**
In smalltown Kansas in 1928, the course of young love does not run smooth.
One of the most adult films Hollywood had made at the time, this intense drama throbs with sex and sexual repression, while Wood's fine performance seems like one from the future - she is convincing as a fragile girl getting overwhelmed (Jessica Lange's performance in 1982's Francis is almost a 'sequel' to it). A handsome, careful movie, and one which has something to say on relations between the sexes.
Dir: Elia Kazan
Stars: Natalie Wood, Warren Beatty, Pat Hingle, Barbara Loden
SPLIT
2016
*
A man with multiple personalities kidnaps three girls.
In view of this being lauded as a return to form by Shyamalan, this is a somewhat disappointing thriller that elongates its promising premise and has stop-start pacing. McAvoy has a good time but the story around his character isn't remarkable.
Dir: M Night Shyamalan
Stars: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson, Betty Buckley
SPLIT SECOND
1992
0
In a drowned London of 2008, a man is hunted by a strange creature.
Dismal looking action picture with awful American style dialogue risibly mouthed by English actors.
Dir: Tony Maylam, Ian Sharp
Stars: Rutger Hauer, Kim Cattrall, Michael J Pollard, Alun Armstrong, Pete Postlethwaite
SPLITTING HEIRS
1994
0
A goofy American inherits a palatial English estate.
Ineffective comedy, a hotch-potch of all sorts of comic ideas and styles.
Dir: Robert Young
Stars: Eric Idle, Rick Moranis, Barbara Hershey, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Cleese, Sadie Frost, Stratford Johns, Eric Sykes
SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION
1990
0
A man pays the price for his parents getting involved in nuclear experiments before he was born.
About time a horror film was made about this subject, but this is a risible and unsympathetic mess that borrows from The Fury and Scanners.
Dir: Tobe Hooper
Stars: Brad Dourif, Cynthia Bain, Jon Cypher
SPOOKIES
1986
0
Travellers are trapped in a strange house with a sorcerer.
Grubby, rubbishy horror featuring an overload of monsters.
Dir: Eugenie Joseph
Stars: Felix Ward, Maria Pechukas, Dan Scott
SPOOKS RUN WILD
1941
0
The East Side Kids get stranded in a rural town with a dastardly villain.
Dire, worthless comedy thriller with poor old Bela suffering the unlovable East Side Kids.
Dir: Phil Rosen
Stars: Bela Lugosi, Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan, Huntz Hall
SPOTLIGHT
2015
***
In 2001, Boston Globe journalists uncover the Catholic Church's massive child abuse cover-up.
Solid, matter-of-fact retelling of one of modern journalism's great triumphs, exposing the malignancy deep in the heart of Catholicism; uniformly well acted and unfussily shot, it offers the intelligent viewer two absorbing hours and much to chew on.
Dir: Tom McCarthy
Stars: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery
SPRING BREAK
1983
0
Two geeky teenagers seek to have fun on their vacation.
Unamusing teen comedy which is as noisy and unappealing as a rundown nightclub in Newcastle. 'Please finish' are the words that most readily go through the viewer's mind.
Dir: Sean S Cunningham
Stars: David Knell, Perry Lang, Corinne Alphen
SPRING BREAKERS
2012
***
Four high school girls on spring break get involved with a gangster.
Many people went into this film believing it to be another American Pie and hence came out aggressively disappointed, because it's close to an art film, a super-powered sensory experience that creates stunning visual landscapes and evokes deep-set feelings about important life events. But it still has a definable story, lots of mesmerising key scenes and an irresistible performance from Franco, magnetic amongst the lithe bikini-d beauties that the film also celebrates.
Dir: Harmony Korine
Stars: James Franco, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Selina Gomez, Rachel Korine
SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN, WINTER... AND SPRING
2003
**
Over the years in the wilderness, Buddhists live their austere existence.
Lyrical treatise on the cycle of life and the different stages we go through. Beautiful to look at and highly unusual in many ways, it manages to frequently surprise, when its apparent gentle nature is disrupted.
Dir: Kim Ki Duk
Stars: Kim Ki Duk, Oh Yeong-su, Kim Young-min
SPRINGSTEEN & I
2013
*
Documentary about the love Bruce Springsteen fans have for their idol.
A film by the fans, for the fans, comprising of home-made video segments and some live performances, it will be unlikely to convert non-acolytes to the Boss; several of the segments feel uncomfortably like watching someone else's home movies, but the respondents' enthusiasm for their hero is generally heart-warming. The DVD adds half an hour's worth of London concert footage and fan films of greatly differing interest.
Dir: Baillie Walsh
SPY HARD
1996
*
A hopeless spy tracks down a missing computer chip.
Another illegitimate offspring of Airplane, and one that's undemanding, bright and sometimes quite funny; just looking at Nielsen raises a smile.
Dir: Rick Friedberg
Stars: Leslie Nielsen, Nicollette Sheridan, Charles Durning
THE SPY IN THE GREEN HAT
1966
0
THRUSH enrol a Nazi to help them with a diabolical scheme.
Tiresome spy romp.
Dir: Joseph Sargent
Stars: Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Jack Palance, Janet Leigh, Leo G Carroll
SPY SMASHER RETURNS
1942 (edited into a feature in 1966)
*
During World War II, an American spy takes on the villainy of The Mask.
As whenever long serials were severely edited down into features, this is hectic stuff and amusingly shorn of the 'cheats' that the cliffhangers usually employed (the editors did a decent job overall). It's hokum to be sure, with the cloaked hero and his nemesis who occasionally puts a cloth over his face doing their stuff, and lots and lots of action, it's perfectly tolerable for fans of this sort of thing.
Dir: William Witney
Stars: Kane Richmond, Marguerite Chapman, Sam Flint, Hans Schumm
THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD
1965
*
A British agent is used as a pawn in Cold War games between the East and West.
Reliably complicated and chilly adaptation of a John Le Carre novel with a thunderous leading performance. Technically very good but hard to warm to, not unpredictably.
Dir: Martin Ritt
Stars: Richard Burton, Claire Bloom, Oskar Werner, Sam Wanamaker
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
1977
**
James Bond is forced to work with his Russian counterpart to find a nuclear missile.
More assured than its two predecessors, the tenth Bond film still doesn't quite click in quite the same way as most of the Connery ones did, despite a memorable pre-credits sequence, a great henchman in the shape of Jaws and a worthy Bond girl who has a much larger role than any previous one. The main villain is dull and his plan is absurd, and it seems to take a long time before 007 finally gets round to beating him, thanks to a windy plot that advertises the film's considerable expense, including all its boys' toys hardware. But, with all its iconography and quips in place, it has become the most emblematic Bond film of the Seventies.
Dir: Lewis Gilbert
Stars: Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curd Jurgens, Richard Kiel, Caroline Munro, Geoffrey Keen, Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn, Valerie Leon, Lois Maxwell
THE SPY WITH MY FACE
1966
0
THRUSH captures Napoleon Solo and replace him with an exact double.
Silly, mildly entertaining UNCLE movie, more suited to television, from whence it came.
Dir: John Newland
Stars: Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Senta Berger, Leo G Carroll
SPYMAKER: THE SECRET LIFE OF IAN FLEMING
1990
0 (TV)
Ian Fleming puts his talents into assisting the Allies' war efforts.
Weird and unsuccessful attempt to turn Fleming's life into some sort of Bond-lite adventure heavy on espionage, culminating in a setpiece that thinks it's Where Eagles Dare; its mix of fact and fantasy - mostly fantasy, because Fleming was a man who largely pushed a pen - is queasy, and its TV movie budget very much limits its ambitions. It also doesn't help that Connery has zero gravitas as Bond's creator.
Dir: Ferdinand Fairfax
Stars: Jason Connery, Kristin Scott Thomas, Joss Ackland, Patricia Hodge, David Warner
THE SPY’S WIFE
1972
0
A man leaves his wife in their flat, which she thinks is bugged.
Blooming weird short which makes the fatal mistake of not explaining itself until the very last few seconds – this and a series of unexplained random characters make it a frustrating experience.
Dir: Gerry O’Hara
Stars: Tom Bell, Dorothy Tutin, Ann Lynn
THE SQUARE
2017
**
An art gallery curator in Stockholm finds his life running out of control.
A deliciously different, blackly comic drama that says a thing or two about modern Europe, including how the lives of the elite are being affected by immigration; it's just a shame that for its successes - including some mesmerising set-pieces and laugh-out loud moments - many scenes go on for much too long, and consequently the feature does too. Tighter control, particularly in the second half, could have produced a masterpiece.
Dir: Ruben Ostlund
Stars: Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West, Terry Notary
THE SQUEEZE
1977
*
An alcoholic ex-cop goes into action to save his kidnapped ex-wife.
Sour crime drama about half an hour too long that's a bit of a strange fish, it puts Keach through many humiliations while getting a decent performance out of comedian Starr. Well made scene for scene, it has a good deal of local colour, a slightly ahead of its time soundtrack and a lot of grit.
Dir: Michael Apted
Stars: Stacy Keach, David Hemmings, Edward Fox, Stephen Boyd, Carol White, Freddie Starr
SQUIRM
1976
0
Carnivorous worms attack after they are energised by a fallen electrical wire.
A slimy cousin of The Birds, this Georgia-set horror has its moments, notably ones where an impressively enormous number of worms are used (no wonder the state ran out of bait for a year). It's more effective at eliciting a 'yuck' reaction rather than thrilling, but for a low budget flick it's not without atmosphere and ambition; it certainly made for some great posters.
Dir: Jeff Lieberman
Stars: Don Scardino, Patricia Pearcy, RA Dow, Jean Sullivan
SREDNI VASHTAR
1981
0
A boy prays to a deity to deliver him from his aunt.
Strange, refined short which is almost too understated to make any sort of point. That title isn't a goer.
Dir: Andrew Birkin
Stars: Sacha Puttnam, Judy Campbell, Lila KayeSS CAMP 5: WOMEN'S HELL
1977
0
In the last days of World War II, women in camps are used for sex and horrific experiments.
Nazisploitation that ticks the usual boxes (in fact, most of these films are very, very similar!): cruel lesbian guards, shower scenes with a mass of pubic hair, horrible torture (the worst bit is the tongue being torn out), barking mad Nazis and a vague moral message at the end. This one is a little different by having a Jamaican woman in it, and even some scenes of real-life Holocaust appallingness; if you dig this genre you'll be there, if not, like most people, you'll be a thousand miles distant.
Dir: Sergio Garrone
Stars: Paola Corazzi, Rita Manna, Giorgio Cerioni
SS EXPERIMENT LOVE CAMP
1976
0
A Nazi concentration camp is home to horrific experiments on female prisoners.
Notorious sleaze largely consisting of Latin-looking Aryans flopping around on bunk beds, climbing on top of naked women or having their testicles removed. One of the grubbiest and dullest movies on the DPP's famous list.
Dir: Sergio Gerrone
Stars: Mircha Carven, Paola Corazzi, Giorgio Cerioni
SS GIRLS
1977
0
Women are hired to seduce Nazi generals and make them reveal disloyal thoughts.
Worthless sordidness that makes you feel grubby watching it.
Dir: Bruno Mattei
Stars: Gabriele Carrara, Marina Daunia, Macha Magall
SST: DISASTER IN THE SKY
1977 (TV)
0
A new plane is sabotaged on its maiden flight.
Abysmal disaster movie: you root for all the passengers to die.
Dir: David Lowell Rich
Stars: Barbara Anderson, Bert Convy, Peter Graves, Lorne Greene
STAGE DOOR
1937
*
The lives of aspiring young actresses in a boarding house.
Proof that films about strong, confident women have been around for much longer than many would imagine, this smart comic drama boasts an incredible amount of dialogue delivered with speed and timing, and enticed a good many patrons through picturehouse doors. A tad exhausting and unfocused at times, it's now, predictably, a period piece.
Dir: Gregory LaCava
Stars: Ginger Rogers, Katherine Hepburn, Adolphe Menjou, Gail Patrick
STAGE FRIGHT
1950
*
An actress tries to help a friend prove his innocence when he is accused of murder.
Initially intriguing thriller that struggles under the weight of its plot’s choppiness, not to mention its unusual cast with their variety of acting styles. Definitely one of Hitchcock’s weaker films - despite predictable attempts to reclaim it as an undervalued classic, it lacks any memorable set-pieces and doesn’t exert the master’s usual vice-like grip.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Wilding, Richard Todd, Alastair Sim, Sybil Thorndike, Kay Walsh
STAGECOACH
1939
**
A stagecoach journey becomes a trouble-laden trek.
Famous western, a little faded now, but still exhibiting the virtues of strong characterisation, expansive scenery and an exciting climax.
Dir: John Ford
Stars: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine, John Carradine
STAGEFRIGHT
1987
*
Murders take place while a play is being rehearsed.
From Argento protegé Soavi comes a stylistic horror that manages to breathe some life into the slasher genre.
Dir: Michele Soavi
Stars: David Brandon, Barbar Cupisti, Dom Fiore
STAGGERED
1994
*
On his stag night, a man is left abandoned and naked on a Scottish island.
Comedy that provides steady, agreeable viewing but misses the opportunity to be a real gem because of deliberate pacing, pointless pauses and too few jokes.
Dir: Martin Clunes
Stars: Martin Clunes, Michael Praed, Sylvia Sims, Griff Rhys Jones
STAKE LAND
2010
0
The United States is in an apocalyptic state, with vampires roaming the land.
The end of the world again, and don’t we know it – the director’s gone into mourning, laying on the weary voiceover, plaintive piano score and slow-motion sequences. The vampires – who act like zombies – bring a bit of fun into proceedings but not that much; this is a well made but unloveable movie that may disappoint those expecting an explosive, fast-moving horror comic.
Dir: Jim Mickle
Stars: Connor Paolo, Nick Damici, Michael Cerveris, Kelly McGillis
STALAG 17
1953
**
Allied prisoners at a German POW camp try to get through the days.
A curious mix of comedy and tragedy that’s somewhat irritating to start with but improves as the plot unfolds - who is the traitor, and when revealed, what will they do with him?
Dir: Billy Wilder
Stars: William Holden, Don Taylor, Otto Preminger, Robert Strauss
STALKER
1979
*
A man has the mental power to lead others to fulfilment.
Enormous, arty, tedious sci-fi for those who survived the director's Solaris.
Dir: Andrei Tarkovsky
Stars: Aleksandr Kajdanovsky, Alisa Frejndlikh
STALLED
2013
0
A janitor gets stuck in women's toilets during a zombie apocalypse.
Imagine Dawn Of The Dead told from the perspective of someone trapped in the loo for the entire duration and you're pretty much there. It's not quite as execrable as you fear it's going to be - it's competently shot and scripted, in itself - but it's still a film about a man stuck in a lavatory, and absurdly stretched out, only occasionally amusing and mistakenly sentimental. It's also unfailingly crude in word and deed.
Dir: Christian James
Stars: Dan Palmer
STAN & OLLIE
2018
***
Their popularity waning, Laurel and Hardy embark on a tough tour of Great Britain in 1953.
All one hoped it would be, an immaculately made biographical drama that is both moving and funny and is lucky to feature two stars who completely inhabit their roles, which was no easy task. It mostly avoids the hazards that so many biopics fall into - the recent Bohemian Rhapsody comes to mind - of cliche, over-sensationalism, invented conflict and cynical fact-altering, and is instead a genuine, honest and warm picture that says much about the value of friendship, the worth of hard work and the melancholy of passing time and how all pleasure is ephemeral. It's also lovely to be transported back to nicer, gentler times where there was less angst and division; finally, Arianda is fabulous as Mrs Laurel, incredibly natural and funny.
Dir: Jon S Baird
Stars: Steve Coogan, John C Reilly, Nina Arianda, Shirley Henderson
STAND AND DELIVER
1988
0
A dedicated teacher inspires his feckless pupils.
We've seen it all before in The Blackboard Jungle and many others, and this adds little new of interest.
Dir: Ramon Menendez
Stars: Edward James Olmos, Estelle Harris, Lou Diamond Phillips
STAND BY ME
1986
**
A group of friends go on a trek to find a missing boy.
Nostalgic adventure story, nicely done, although the kids are all screwed up and cuss a lot.
Dir: Rob Reiner
Stars: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland, Richard Dreyfuss
STAND UP VIRGIN SOLDIERS
1977
0
A band of soldiers pine for the end of World War 2.
Sequel to The Virgin Soldiers which sits awkwardly thanks to the casting of a star more commonly associated with bawdier movies. It's considerably better made than any of the Confessions films but not as likeable.
Dir: Norman Cohen
Stars: Robin Askwith, Nigel Davenport, George Layton, John Le Mesurier, Warren Mitchell, Irene Handl, Pamela Stephenson
STANLEY KUBRICK: A LIFE IN PICTURES
2001
**
Documentary about one of the 20th century's greatest film directors.
Pleasingly linear take on Kubrick and his movies, with each from Fear And Desire to Eyes Wide Shut being examined in turn, with plenty of contributions from names who worked with him. Fans will lap it up while perhaps sometimes wishing slightly different clips had been used - but it matters little, as the great man's brilliance shines through. Quite apt that it was released the year it was.
Dir: Jan Harlan
STAR 80
1983
*
The brief life of Dorothy Stratten, the murdered Playboy Playmate.
A TV version of Stratten's life made in 1981, Death Of A Centrefold, was fairly pointless because it didn't show the real, grimy side of her existence; this certainly does, and is quirkily presented, but just doesn't come together as a rounded, satisfactory movie.
Dir: Bob Fosse
Stars: Mariel Hemingway, Eric Roberts, Cliff Robertson
A STAR IS BORN
1937
**
A young woman goes to Hollywood to try and become famous.
The oldest version of the story may still be the best, a typically grand Selznick production with verve and a sense of humour, and a couple of stars who are about right for it. The actor's fall is better portrayed than the actress's rise.
Dir: William A Wellman
Stars: Janet Gaynor, Frederic March, Adolphe Menjou, Lionel Stander
A STAR IS BORN
1954
*
A showgirl's career gets better and better while her boyfriend's declines.
Handsome but too darned long remake of the 1937 movie which pads the action out with undistinguished musical numbers.
Dir: George Cukor
Stars: Judy Garland, James Mason, Jack Carson, Tom Noonan
A STAR IS BORN
1976
*
This time he's a rock star.
The story that won't die arises again, here a vehicle for the loud egotist that is Streisand, whose character perhaps lacks the innocence and diffidence of her predecessors, while her opposite number's role could do with more depth. Fans of the pair may get the most out of it, as they do sing a lot (especially Streisand).
Dir: Frank Pierson
Stars: Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson, Gary Busey
A STAR IS BORN
2018
*
A talented young female singer takes up with a rock star past his best.
Another version, and one that says as much about its times as previous ones have, with a true musical superstar at its centre - and Gaga is as good as could be in the role, her singing exemplary. While not a massively likeable picture it is exceedingly well done in itself and may mesmerise those who believe in the relationship, and believe in the power of song.
Dir: Bradley Cooper
Stars: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott, Andrew Dice Clay
SS EXPERIMENT LOVE CAMP
1976
0
A Nazi concentration camp is home to horrific experiments on female prisoners.
Notorious sleaze largely consisting of Latin-looking Aryans flopping around on bunk beds, climbing on top of naked women or having their testicles removed. One of the grubbiest and dullest movies on the DPP's famous list.
Dir: Sergio Gerrone
Stars: Mircha Carven, Paola Corazzi, Giorgio Cerioni
SS GIRLS
1977
0
Women are hired to seduce Nazi generals and make them reveal disloyal thoughts.
Worthless sordidness that makes you feel grubby watching it.
Dir: Bruno Mattei
Stars: Gabriele Carrara, Marina Daunia, Macha Magall
SST: DISASTER IN THE SKY
1977 (TV)
0
A new plane is sabotaged on its maiden flight.
Abysmal disaster movie: you root for all the passengers to die.
Dir: David Lowell Rich
Stars: Barbara Anderson, Bert Convy, Peter Graves, Lorne Greene
STAGE DOOR
1937
*
The lives of aspiring young actresses in a boarding house.
Proof that films about strong, confident women have been around for much longer than many would imagine, this smart comic drama boasts an incredible amount of dialogue delivered with speed and timing, and enticed a good many patrons through picturehouse doors. A tad exhausting and unfocused at times, it's now, predictably, a period piece.
Dir: Gregory LaCava
Stars: Ginger Rogers, Katherine Hepburn, Adolphe Menjou, Gail Patrick
STAGE FRIGHT
1950
*
An actress tries to help a friend prove his innocence when he is accused of murder.
Initially intriguing thriller that struggles under the weight of its plot’s choppiness, not to mention its unusual cast with their variety of acting styles. Definitely one of Hitchcock’s weaker films - despite predictable attempts to reclaim it as an undervalued classic, it lacks any memorable set-pieces and doesn’t exert the master’s usual vice-like grip.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Wilding, Richard Todd, Alastair Sim, Sybil Thorndike, Kay Walsh
STAGECOACH
1939
**
A stagecoach journey becomes a trouble-laden trek.
Famous western, a little faded now, but still exhibiting the virtues of strong characterisation, expansive scenery and an exciting climax.
Dir: John Ford
Stars: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine, John Carradine
STAGEFRIGHT
1987
*
Murders take place while a play is being rehearsed.
From Argento protegé Soavi comes a stylistic horror that manages to breathe some life into the slasher genre.
Dir: Michele Soavi
Stars: David Brandon, Barbar Cupisti, Dom Fiore
STAGGERED
1994
*
On his stag night, a man is left abandoned and naked on a Scottish island.
Comedy that provides steady, agreeable viewing but misses the opportunity to be a real gem because of deliberate pacing, pointless pauses and too few jokes.
Dir: Martin Clunes
Stars: Martin Clunes, Michael Praed, Sylvia Sims, Griff Rhys Jones
STAKE LAND
2010
0
The United States is in an apocalyptic state, with vampires roaming the land.
The end of the world again, and don’t we know it – the director’s gone into mourning, laying on the weary voiceover, plaintive piano score and slow-motion sequences. The vampires – who act like zombies – bring a bit of fun into proceedings but not that much; this is a well made but unloveable movie that may disappoint those expecting an explosive, fast-moving horror comic.
Dir: Jim Mickle
Stars: Connor Paolo, Nick Damici, Michael Cerveris, Kelly McGillis
STALAG 17
1953
**
Allied prisoners at a German POW camp try to get through the days.
A curious mix of comedy and tragedy that’s somewhat irritating to start with but improves as the plot unfolds - who is the traitor, and when revealed, what will they do with him?
Dir: Billy Wilder
Stars: William Holden, Don Taylor, Otto Preminger, Robert Strauss
STALKER
1979
*
A man has the mental power to lead others to fulfilment.
Enormous, arty, tedious sci-fi for those who survived the director's Solaris.
Dir: Andrei Tarkovsky
Stars: Aleksandr Kajdanovsky, Alisa Frejndlikh
STALLED
2013
0
A janitor gets stuck in women's toilets during a zombie apocalypse.
Imagine Dawn Of The Dead told from the perspective of someone trapped in the loo for the entire duration and you're pretty much there. It's not quite as execrable as you fear it's going to be - it's competently shot and scripted, in itself - but it's still a film about a man stuck in a lavatory, and absurdly stretched out, only occasionally amusing and mistakenly sentimental. It's also unfailingly crude in word and deed.
Dir: Christian James
Stars: Dan Palmer
STAN & OLLIE
2018
***
Their popularity waning, Laurel and Hardy embark on a tough tour of Great Britain in 1953.
All one hoped it would be, an immaculately made biographical drama that is both moving and funny and is lucky to feature two stars who completely inhabit their roles, which was no easy task. It mostly avoids the hazards that so many biopics fall into - the recent Bohemian Rhapsody comes to mind - of cliche, over-sensationalism, invented conflict and cynical fact-altering, and is instead a genuine, honest and warm picture that says much about the value of friendship, the worth of hard work and the melancholy of passing time and how all pleasure is ephemeral. It's also lovely to be transported back to nicer, gentler times where there was less angst and division; finally, Arianda is fabulous as Mrs Laurel, incredibly natural and funny.
Dir: Jon S Baird
Stars: Steve Coogan, John C Reilly, Nina Arianda, Shirley Henderson
STAND AND DELIVER
1988
0
A dedicated teacher inspires his feckless pupils.
We've seen it all before in The Blackboard Jungle and many others, and this adds little new of interest.
Dir: Ramon Menendez
Stars: Edward James Olmos, Estelle Harris, Lou Diamond Phillips
STAND BY ME
1986
**
A group of friends go on a trek to find a missing boy.
Nostalgic adventure story, nicely done, although the kids are all screwed up and cuss a lot.
Dir: Rob Reiner
Stars: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland, Richard Dreyfuss
STAND UP VIRGIN SOLDIERS
1977
0
A band of soldiers pine for the end of World War 2.
Sequel to The Virgin Soldiers which sits awkwardly thanks to the casting of a star more commonly associated with bawdier movies. It's considerably better made than any of the Confessions films but not as likeable.
Dir: Norman Cohen
Stars: Robin Askwith, Nigel Davenport, George Layton, John Le Mesurier, Warren Mitchell, Irene Handl, Pamela Stephenson
STANLEY KUBRICK: A LIFE IN PICTURES
2001
**
Documentary about one of the 20th century's greatest film directors.
Pleasingly linear take on Kubrick and his movies, with each from Fear And Desire to Eyes Wide Shut being examined in turn, with plenty of contributions from names who worked with him. Fans will lap it up while perhaps sometimes wishing slightly different clips had been used - but it matters little, as the great man's brilliance shines through. Quite apt that it was released the year it was.
Dir: Jan Harlan
STAR 80
1983
*
The brief life of Dorothy Stratten, the murdered Playboy Playmate.
A TV version of Stratten's life made in 1981, Death Of A Centrefold, was fairly pointless because it didn't show the real, grimy side of her existence; this certainly does, and is quirkily presented, but just doesn't come together as a rounded, satisfactory movie.
Dir: Bob Fosse
Stars: Mariel Hemingway, Eric Roberts, Cliff Robertson
A STAR IS BORN
1937
**
A young woman goes to Hollywood to try and become famous.
The oldest version of the story may still be the best, a typically grand Selznick production with verve and a sense of humour, and a couple of stars who are about right for it. The actor's fall is better portrayed than the actress's rise.
Dir: William A Wellman
Stars: Janet Gaynor, Frederic March, Adolphe Menjou, Lionel Stander
A STAR IS BORN
1954
*
A showgirl's career gets better and better while her boyfriend's declines.
Handsome but too darned long remake of the 1937 movie which pads the action out with undistinguished musical numbers.
Dir: George Cukor
Stars: Judy Garland, James Mason, Jack Carson, Tom Noonan
A STAR IS BORN
1976
*
This time he's a rock star.
The story that won't die arises again, here a vehicle for the loud egotist that is Streisand, whose character perhaps lacks the innocence and diffidence of her predecessors, while her opposite number's role could do with more depth. Fans of the pair may get the most out of it, as they do sing a lot (especially Streisand).
Dir: Frank Pierson
Stars: Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson, Gary Busey
A STAR IS BORN
2018
*
A talented young female singer takes up with a rock star past his best.
Another version, and one that says as much about its times as previous ones have, with a true musical superstar at its centre - and Gaga is as good as could be in the role, her singing exemplary. While not a massively likeable picture it is exceedingly well done in itself and may mesmerise those who believe in the relationship, and believe in the power of song.
Dir: Bradley Cooper
Stars: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott, Andrew Dice Clay
STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE
1979
0
The Starship Enterprise stops a destructive space entity from hitting Earth.
A decade after the original series finished, the crew were back in what was felt by many to be a disappointment: a Star Wars was expected, whereas this is closer in tone to 2001: A Space Odyssey (while borrowing ideas from Trek TV ep 'The Changeling'). But not in quality - while it's not the total bore-athon that some of us remembered, the story is too passive, mostly observed by the Enterprise crew on board their ship, talking about things in an often impenetrable manner, or giving anxious glances. Focal presence Khambatta is eye-catching but isn't a good actor. Many of the regular crew are, but this script doesn't test them fully - there's almost no humour, for instance - although they would be back for bolder adventures in the years to come.
Dir: Robert Wise
Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Persis Khambatta
STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN
1982
**
Admiral Kirk meets an old enemy bent on revenge.
Superior sequel which irons out the problems of the previous film and makes sensible decisions like featuring a meaty villain and ending on an emotional sucker punch (the 'death' of Spock). Very much the fans' favourite of the Trek films, it's a sagacious mix of elements that gave the show its long-lasting appeal.
Dir: Nicholas Meyer
Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Kirstie Alley
STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK
1984
*
Kirk and crew steal the decommissioned Enterprise to look for Spock.
An often-undervalued entry that, while not doing anything that would cause fireworks to be let off, is solid enough, offering a fairly straightforward plot, a plethora of Klingons and the original crew - the best crew - doing its bit. Its narrative builds towards a conclusion that is not unexpected but gives it an impetus that some other Trek films had less of - and the special effects are pretty good for the time.
Dir: Leonard Nimoy
Stars: William Shatner, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Leonard Nimoy
STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME
1986
**
Kirk and crew go back in time to find a humpback whale which can save the Earth.
The most enjoyable Star Trek movie of them all - the fish-out-of-water plot conjures up plenty of amusing diversions and the crew are shown at their most human and likeable. It sort of feels a shame when we have to go back to the future.
Dir: Leonard Nimoy
Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols
STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER
1989
*
Mr Spock's half-brother hijacks the Enterprise to look for God.
Uncertainly paced entry that at least focuses most on Kirk, Spock and McCoy and presents an interesting, if hippyish concept. Yes, there are many missteps in the script and the otherwise legendary Shatner is not much of a director but... it's still not something you can't watch if you're a fan of the original show.
Dir: William Shatner
Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols
STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY
1992
**
Kirk attempts to stop a plot to prevent a peace treaty between the Klingons and the Federation.
A well crafted episode that achieves a successful balance between philosophy and action. Not quite up there with IV, it nevertheless does its job in an unassuming and efficient fashion.
Dir: Nicholas Meyer
Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Christopher Plummer, Kim Cattrall
STAR TREK: GENERATIONS
1994
*
Captains Picard and Kirk team up to stop a madman.
The death of Kirk is to be deeply regretted, although they had to do something with what is a fairly average entry in the series, short on thrills and spills. It starts and ends alright - not coincidentally the bits with Kirk - but a lot of the middle is the usual Trek technobabble, crew looking worried on the bridge, and some attempts at humour with Data that are more unnerving than funny. But it's by no means the worst Trek film.
Dir: David Carson
Stars: Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, Malcolm McDowell, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, James Doohan, Walter Koenig
STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT
1996
*
The Borg go back in time to prevent the Federation from ever existing.
Possibly the best of the Next Generation films, reasonably solid in all departments, but still of most interest to fans.
Dir: Jonathan Frakes
Stars: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Levar Burton, Michael Dorn
STAR TREK: INSURRECTION
1998
*
Picard rebels against the Federation when he discovers its plans for a strange 'paradise' planet.
Very much like an extended episode of the television series, and one that doesn't make too much sense when you analyse it. It squeezes a star because it does its job in a warm and modest fashion and the cast by now please with their familiarity.
Dir: Jonathan Frakes
STAR TREK: NEMESIS
2002
0
Picard learns that the Romulans are planning to attack Earth.
In itself an okay sci-fi thriller, but not vastly different from any other Star Trek show or movie. Must we boldly go yet further?
Dir: Stuart Baird
Stars: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Ron Perlman
Stars: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Levar Burton, Michael Dorn
STAR TREK: NEMESIS
2002
0
Picard learns that the Romulans are planning to attack Earth.
In itself an okay sci-fi thriller, but not vastly different from any other Star Trek show or movie. Must we boldly go yet further?
Dir: Stuart Baird
Stars: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Ron Perlman
STAR TREK
2009
**
James T Kirk becomes captain of the Starship Enterprise after a battle with the Romulans, who have kidnapped the original captain, Pike.
After many years of rubbish, the Star Trek franchise is here reinvigorated by a brisk, driven picture that packs a lot in and doesn’t look back, with a cast that takes surprisingly well to their established parts, some hugely impressive visuals and a script that mostly strikes the right balance between catering for Trekkies and normal people. It’s not the classic some claimed but it’s better than a good deal of other summer blockbusters around.
Dir: JJ Abrams
Stars: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS
2013
**
Kirk and crew encounter a man capable of destruction on an epic scale.
Just a very entertaining sci-fi action adventure which had wide appeal to non-devotees, whereas some vocal fans were predictably sniffy about a few cheeky things that are done. Even they should admit that, despite the slightly silly Spock-Uhura romance, this lot are a likeable team with a solid leader, and that gives it heart amidst the explosions, fights and special effects.
Dir: JJ Abrams
Stars: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Benedict Cumberbatch, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Alice Eve
STAR TREK BEYOND
2016
*
The Starship Enterprise is destroyed in a Krall attack; the crew regroup to fight back.
Enjoyable space opera which ticks pretty much all the boxes you want of this sort of thing. The formula is roughly: you have to find a way to do this certain thing because the rules we have decided upon mean that you have to do it this way. And cue 'action'...
Dir: Justin Lin
Stars: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Zoe Saldana
STAR WARS
1977
****
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, young Luke Skywalker teams up with a group of rebels and robots to take on the might of the Empire, with Darth Vader at its head.
It's undeniable that this film was incredibly popular and massively influential, but how does it hold up after all this time? Much still impresses: the vast array of creatures and creations exhibit a florid imagination, the myth-making is bold and confident, and the iconography of it - including the sounds and visual flourishes like the lightsabers - is wonderfully distinct. But like a house which seemed huge when you were a child but doesn't when you're an adult, it's looking a little less special in some regards, including sets and FX that often don't dazzle and a slight story which is a tad slow to fully bloom. Interestingly, what stands out most is much of the (sometimes mocked) dialogue, if only because it's been repeated by fans so frequently in so many places. It'll always be a blockbuster full of goodness but it was never going to remain immune to the passing of the years.
Dir: George Lucas
Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, Kenny Baker
Sequels: The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi (both qv) and see below
STAR WARS: EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE
1999
*
Anakin Skywalker has an active boyhood while Jedi knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi battle Darth Maul, and Senator Palpatine rises to power.
The criticisms of this eagerly-awaited but hugely disappointing movie are well known but nevertheless worth repeating: the opening scroll's mention of 'taxation of trade routes' is a deadly omen, and then we get the appalling Jar Jar Binks character plus an extremely annoying young child, followed by slabs of bad dialogue and masses of CG that has dated badly - even the set-pieces, such as the pod race, fail because they are full of silly, childish comedy. Darth Maul provides a small amount of relief, but overall this remains the worst Star Wars movie.
Dir: George Lucas
Stars: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Frank Oz, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Ray Park, Samuel L Jackson, Terence Stamp
STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES
2002
*
Anakin romances Padme Amidala while Obi-Wan discovers a secret Republican clone army.
A bit better than its predecessor, with a few decent set-pieces (but mainly ones with a superfluity of CGI), this episode is nevertheless stolid in many places, and certainly too long, bogged down by its anaemic romantic subplot and with battle scenes more reliant on quantity than quality. It's difficult to completely connect with because so many of its environments feel so false and it lacks heart and soul - but at least there's less of Jar Jar in it.
Dir: George Lucas
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Christopher Lee, Samuel L Jackson, Ian McDiarmid, Frank Oz, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker
2005
**
Anakin moves to the Dark Side of the Force despite Obi-Wan's pleas.
The best of the three prequels, this feels more 'important' from the off, and consequently has much more drive than its predecessors. Seeing Wookiees, Stormtroopers and Darth Vader certainly helps it seem more familiar, but it also avoids many of Phantom and Attack's faults, what with less mediocre CGI and a more serious tone - it also says a thing or two about the difficulties of separating democracy from dictatorship.
Dir: George Lucas
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Christopher Lee, Samuel L Jackson, Frank Oz, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
2015
***
The villainous First Order pursue a droid over the galaxy who holds the secret of Luke Skywalker's location.
Enjoyable belated continuation of the saga, skillfully made with much fealty to the original movies, especially the first: in fact it's almost something of a remake, and the bits thrown in for fans verge on the excessive. Those fans may well be the ones to have niggles, which could include: not sustaining the menace of lead villain Kylo Ren, the vulnerability of the 'new Death Star', or the somewhat underwhelming disposal of a main character, while at the same time being entertained by the aerial battles and the strong, simple plot. So although it may be a little stuffed up on its own mythology it's a carefully crafted, radium powered extravaganza that will please a good chunk of the population - and should have been rated PG rather than 12A so more could have seen it.
Dir: JJ Abrams
Stars: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Harrison Ford, Adam Driver, Peter Mayhew, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI
2017
**
Rey learns why Luke has hidden himself away, while Leia and the Rebels flee the First Order.
While not as consistent as its predecessor, Episode VIII is still a richly enjoyable movie that's a lot better than many spoilt millennials made out. There are mis-steps - it's too long and cluttered (the original trilogy's simplicity was one of its assets), Luke is a very different character than previously, some casting choices are, as happens nowadays, made by colour or gender - but it has a grand feel, humour, many surprises and several glorious set-pieces, such as the battle in Snoke's lair and the face-off between Kylo Ren and Skywalker. It's a shame that Fisher looks in such poor health but Driver and Gleeson's villains provide lip-smacking fun and overall it leaves you looking forward to the next instalment.
Dir: Rian Johnson
Stars: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
2019
*
Rey meets Palpatine while Kylo Ren has second thoughts.
The fag end of the Star Wars franchise: a woke and weary final chapter that nearly makes one wonder what the attraction of this series ever was. There's little in it that is original, it's just another retread of lightsaber battles, space fights and pathetic Stormtroopers, with a coating of 2019 PCness (it's painfully 50/50 male/female and the race split is brain-hammeringly obvious) and the usual amazing special effects, plus very obvious attempts at nostalgia. It just never catches fire partly due to several bad scripting choices, partly thanks to a plot that's neutered by identity politics - it's a salient example of how this decade's politics can destroy a story: its feminism alone is inane. Please let there be no episode ten.
Dir: JJ Abrams
Stars: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Carrie Fisher, Ian McDiarmid
STARCHASER - THE LEGEND OF ORIN
1987
0
A boy breaks out of his underworld prison to confront the evil robot ruling over his people.
Star Wars all over again, marginally better than all the similar sci-fi cartoons on television.
Dir: Steven Hahn
Voices: Dennis Alwood, Carmen Argenziano, Daryl Bartley
STARCRASH
1978
0
Space-smuggler Stella Star helps save the galaxy from the evil Count Zartharn.
Gloriously abysmal space opera with a thousand guilty pleasures, that include: an initial Star Wars-like scroll that goes too fast to be read; the big stop-motion silver monster with breasts; strange pauses during line delivery; dialogue like “The temperature drops thousands of degrees at night” and, from a robot with a Southern accent, “I sure am glad I’m a robot sometimes”; soldiers fired in capsules through the windows of a spaceship. Absolutely hilarious: definitely worth a look, and the John Barry score is quite nice.
Dir: Luigi Cozzi
Stars: Marjoe Gortner, Caroline Munro, David Hasselhoff, Christopher Plummer, Joe Spinell
STARCROSSED
1985 (TV)
0
A female alien comes to Earth to escape pursuers.
Spurious sci-fi that fails to thrill.
Dir: Jeffrey Bloom
Stars: James Spader, Belinda Bauer, Peter Kowanko
STARDUST
1974
0
The rise and fall of a rock star.
Ineffective musical drama, too joyless and familiar to inspire much admiration.
Dir: Michael Apted
Stars: David Essex, Adam Faith, Larry Hagman, Keith Moon
STARDUST MEMORIES
1980
*
A successful filmmaker attends a festival in his honour, and is frustrated by fans' reactions to his new, more serious work.
Something of a wallow in his obsessions, Allen's self-indulgent Fellini-like odyssey was his strangest picture to date, and viewers did not take to the less subtle and less funny variation on his much of his previous work. It's a curious, shapeless picture that constantly weaves fantasy and reality and there is no real flow, just a succession of fragmentary, beautifully shot verbal incidents involving a large cast in often unusual places, so it doesn't especially satisfy or fully engage even if one can appreciate its oddness and ambition. It's perhaps a little sour. Douglas Brode's essay on it in his solid Woody Allen book sums up the movie pretty well.
Dir: Woody Allen
Stars: Woody Allen, Charlotte Rampling, Jessica Harper, Marie-Christine Barrault, Tony Roberts
STARFLIGHT ONE
1982 (TV)
0
The first 'hypersonic' plane runs into trouble.
Wooden and unimaginative sci-fi disaster movie.
Dir: Jerry Jameson
Stars: Lee Majors, Hal Linden, Lauren Hutton, Ray Milland
STARMAN
1984
*
An alien comes to Earth and takes the form of a young widow's husband.
Winsome fantasy with a nice balance of happy and sad.
Dir: John Carpenter
Stars: Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen, Charles Martin Smith
STARSHIP INVASIONS
1977
0
Aliens come to Earth with a nefarious plan to make its inhabitants kill themselves.
Crackpot Canadian sci-fi made in the wake of Star Wars that's an amusingly odd mix of scenes reminiscent of old Republic serials and many that feature quite grim suicides. Vaughn appears to be half asleep through it, while Lee somehow manages to retain a small amount of dignity despite being clad in an absurd costume, his mouth unmoving and his voice dubbed on.
Dir: Ed Hunt
Stars: Robert Vaughn, Christopher Lee, Daniel Pilon, Helen Shaver
STARSHIP TROOPERS
1997
***
Young soldiers of the future do battle with hideous giant bugs.
Verhoeven's filming of Robert A Heinlein's novel is big and brash, not stinting on spectacular and violent set-pieces which demonstrate how sophisticated special effects had become by the end of the 20th century; while some of the gunplay resembles that in a videogame (and why would the soldiers not be given more effective arms?), these scenes are undeniably thrilling - and satisfying when the bugs bite the dust. Aside from this, the people interactions are not unfamiliar, but the movie is given an extra edge, and a potent dose of satire, by the government propaganda video inserts.
Dir: Paul Verhoeven
Stars: Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Jake Busey
2006
0
In 1985, a brainy young man embarks on University life.
Insipid, predictable, bland, irritating and silly rom com. Any film that has as its main dramatic act an appearance on University Challenge is in trouble.
Dir: Tom Vaughan
Stars: James McAvoy, Dominic Cooper, Catherine Tate, Charles Dance
STATE FAIR
1933
*
An Iowa family have a memorable time when the fair comes to town for a week.
A big hit in its day, this all-American comic drama also got attention from the Academy, but is now, inevitably, a little moth-eaten. Its good-natured charm is still evident though, while some pre-Hays Code lines may amuse (and the end credits are clever).
Dir: Henry King
Stars: Janet Gaynor, Will Rogers, Lew Ayres, Sally Eilers
STATE FAIR
1945
*
The course of true love doesn't run smooth in a small town when a fair comes to visit.
Pleasant and colourful but not riveting slice of Americana; at least it's not too cloying, and is valuable as a record of a vanished world.
Dir: Walter Lang
Stars: Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews, Dick Haymes, Vivian Blaine
STATIC
1986
0
A man invents a television that he claims shows pictures of Heaven.
Odd religion-based fantasy that fails to make its point.
Dir: Mark Romanek
Stars: Keith Gordon, Amanda Plummer, Bob Gunton
THE STATUE
1970
0
The wife of a renowned linguist makes a nude statue of him and gives it a larger appendage than his own.
Dismal sex farce which doesn’t get very far from its central idea, which is terrible anyway. The presence of Niven, Cleese and others has you expecting a British-type comedy, but this has an Italian sensibility running all the way through it.
Dir: Rod Amateau
Stars: David Niven, Virna Lisi, Robert Vaughn, John Cleese
STAY AS YOU ARE
1978
0
A middle-aged architect starts an affair with a beautiful young woman, but is she related to him?
Promising sounding drama that never really engages - its main attraction is the stunning Kinski in an early role, paving the way for her career; the camera absolutely adores her. Pacing is off and the conclusion doesn't feel satisfactory; the film could have gone deeper, too.
Dir: Alberto Lattuada
Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Nastassja Kinski, Francisco Rabal
STAY TUNED
1992
0
A husband and wife are sucked into their TV and have to participate in the shows.
Scatterbrain comedy with promising ideas that don't quite hang together.
Dir: Peter Hyams
Stars: John Ritter, Pam Dawber, Jeffrey Jones
STEAMBOAT BILL JR
1928
*
The son of the captain of a boat arrives to help his dad out.
Until the final third, when the cyclone arrives, this is a pretty humdrum comedy (the hat sequence is especially dull), but those final scenes are frequently spectacular and justifiably famous, including the one where the house falls on Buster. Health and Safety officers may not find it funny.
Dir: Charles Reisner
Stars: Buster Keaton, Tom McGuire, Ernest TorrenceSTEAMING
1985
0
Middle-aged women discuss their lots in steam baths.
The film version of a confined play, more likely to irritate and bore than anything else.
Dir: Joseph Losey
Stars: Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles, Diana Dors
STEEP
2007
**
Documentary about the hair-raising world of extreme skiing.
The start of this film offers philosophical musings on why these people put themselves in such danger (eg, ‘If there’s no risk there’s no adventure’; ‘I tried to be a normal person and get a normal job but I couldn’t’), while the remainder features amazing, terrifying footage that will particularly resonate with anyone who has slid down a mountain on two pieces of wood. The 2007 DVD came with the enjoyable semi-professional 1988 film The Blizzard Of Aahhh’s, something of a favourite among extreme skiers.
Dir: Mark Obenhaus
Narrator: Peter Krause
STEP DOWN TO TERROR
1958
*
B-movie remake of Hitchcock's Shadow Of A Doubt which alters the family dynamics, greatly reduces the character count and changes much else besides.
Naturally, this is a long, long way behind its inspiration in terms of quality - you can go through it, bit by bit, grumbling at the inferior differences - but taken by itself it's not a bad little thriller, quite enjoyable in its own way. In fact, Hitchcock fans can get something out of it because of its alterations. Rod Taylor would, of course, go on to star in a real Hitch film in The Birds.
Dir: Harry Keller
Stars: Charles Drake, Colleen Miller, Rod Taylor, Josephine Hutchinson
THE STEPFORD CHILDREN
1987 (TV)
*
Wild teenagers are turned into obedient and docile creatures.
Plastic second sequel full of hilarious stereotypes and no new ideas, but suitably light viewing.
Dir: Alan J Levi
Stars: Barbara Eden, Don Murray, Tammy Lauren
THE STEPFORD HUSBANDS
1996 (TV)
*
This time it's the men who have been made servile...
Fairly bad but still not dislikeable entry into the series, with ideas about gender that may not have been fully thought through. Certainly a TV movie that very much looks like a TV movie.
Dir: Fred Walton
Stars: Donna Mills, Michael Ontkean, Cindy Williams, Sarah Douglas
THE STEPFORD WIVES
1974
**
A new couple arrive in the quiet town of Stepford and are surprised to find the female residents are unusually dedicated to their menfolk.
Notable fantasy from the feminist-heavy Seventies that builds to a splendid climax after a moderate, subtle build up that’s not without its mini highlights (“I’ll just die if I don’t get this recipe” etc). The performances help.
Dir: Bryan Forbes
Stars: Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter Masterson, Nanette Newman
THE STEPFORD WIVES
2004
*
A remake that goes for laughs rather than attempting to be satirical, which makes it much less effective. It’s also very confused about what the Wives actually are – are they brainwashed or are they robots? The way the Broderick character can do what he does at the end is slightly absurd too.
Dir: Frank Oz
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler, Glenn Close, Christopher Walken
1985
0
Middle-aged women discuss their lots in steam baths.
The film version of a confined play, more likely to irritate and bore than anything else.
Dir: Joseph Losey
Stars: Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles, Diana Dors
STEEP
2007
**
Documentary about the hair-raising world of extreme skiing.
The start of this film offers philosophical musings on why these people put themselves in such danger (eg, ‘If there’s no risk there’s no adventure’; ‘I tried to be a normal person and get a normal job but I couldn’t’), while the remainder features amazing, terrifying footage that will particularly resonate with anyone who has slid down a mountain on two pieces of wood. The 2007 DVD came with the enjoyable semi-professional 1988 film The Blizzard Of Aahhh’s, something of a favourite among extreme skiers.
Dir: Mark Obenhaus
Narrator: Peter Krause
STELLA DALLAS
1937
**
A woman marries 'above her station' and has a child, and is then plunged into difficulties.
What puts this soap opera well above average is the way it drills into the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship and makes it clear that no path is an easy path; also, Stanwyck leads the performers by example in putting on a gutsy show to showcase the social and emotional minefield being navigated. You find yourself asking, though: was the self-sacrifice really necessary? Will the daughter not be even more damaged by this? Why does Stella get cruder as time progresses? It has solid studio production values.
Dir: King Vidor
Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, John Boles, Anne Shirley, Alan Hale
STEP DOWN TO TERROR
1958
*
B-movie remake of Hitchcock's Shadow Of A Doubt which alters the family dynamics, greatly reduces the character count and changes much else besides.
Naturally, this is a long, long way behind its inspiration in terms of quality - you can go through it, bit by bit, grumbling at the inferior differences - but taken by itself it's not a bad little thriller, quite enjoyable in its own way. In fact, Hitchcock fans can get something out of it because of its alterations. Rod Taylor would, of course, go on to star in a real Hitch film in The Birds.
Dir: Harry Keller
Stars: Charles Drake, Colleen Miller, Rod Taylor, Josephine Hutchinson
THE STEPFATHER
1987
**
A woman's new husband takes his idea of the perfect family to extremes.
The ads claimed this was better than Fatal Attraction, which it isn't, but it's pretty enjoyable, a slightly kitsch thriller with a committed lead performance and memorable moments; its portrayal of a man seeking contented family life is quite believable, spiced up with sudden violence and killings. There were two sequels and a remake.
Dir: Joseph Ruben
Stars: Terry O'Quinn, Jill Schoelen, Shelley Hack
STEPFATHER II
1989
*
Jerry Blake escapes the asylum and takes the guise of a marriage counsellor.
More family fun and games, very similar to the first film, but if anything more amusing: you can't help but smile, if not laugh, at the outlandish goings on (that's when you're not distracted by Foster's unusual eyes). Lager and pizza probably go well with this hard-trying horror sequel.
Dir: Jeff Burr
Stars: Terry O'Quinn, Meg Foster, Caroline Williams
STEPFATHER III
1992 (TV)
*
The psycho 'stepfather' has his face surgically altered so he can begin another reign of family terror.
More hilarity, a wonderfully ridiculous threequel that, after its introductory gruesome, miraculous facial surgery, actually does something quite clever, in that the Stepfather isn't initially who we think (unless that's unintentional?), and then we're into familiar territory where this obviously weird and disturbed man (with irritating voice) manages to seduce not one but two glamorous single mothers! Add in gory deaths that the police don't investigate and a (of course temporarily) wheelchair-bound boy who's a detective in the early online world (and extremely friendly with a Catholic priest) and you have all the ingredients in place for an absurd but hugely enjoyable slice of schlock.
Dir: Guy Magar
Stars: Robert Wightman, Priscilla Barnes, Season Hubley, David Tom
THE STEPFORD CHILDREN
1987 (TV)
*
Wild teenagers are turned into obedient and docile creatures.
Plastic second sequel full of hilarious stereotypes and no new ideas, but suitably light viewing.
Dir: Alan J Levi
Stars: Barbara Eden, Don Murray, Tammy Lauren
THE STEPFORD HUSBANDS
1996 (TV)
*
This time it's the men who have been made servile...
Fairly bad but still not dislikeable entry into the series, with ideas about gender that may not have been fully thought through. Certainly a TV movie that very much looks like a TV movie.
Dir: Fred Walton
Stars: Donna Mills, Michael Ontkean, Cindy Williams, Sarah Douglas
THE STEPFORD WIVES
1974
**
A new couple arrive in the quiet town of Stepford and are surprised to find the female residents are unusually dedicated to their menfolk.
Notable fantasy from the feminist-heavy Seventies that builds to a splendid climax after a moderate, subtle build up that’s not without its mini highlights (“I’ll just die if I don’t get this recipe” etc). The performances help.
Dir: Bryan Forbes
Stars: Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Peter Masterson, Nanette Newman
THE STEPFORD WIVES
2004
*
A remake that goes for laughs rather than attempting to be satirical, which makes it much less effective. It’s also very confused about what the Wives actually are – are they brainwashed or are they robots? The way the Broderick character can do what he does at the end is slightly absurd too.
Dir: Frank Oz
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler, Glenn Close, Christopher Walken
STEPPENWOLF
1974
0
A suicidal man approaching fifty changes his mind when he meets a mysterious woman.
Tedious, pretentious and unfathomable twaddle that gets weirder the longer it lasts; you'd be forgiven for falling asleep during it.
Dir: Fred Haines
Stars: Max von Sydow, Dominique Sanda, Pierre Clementi
STEPTOE & SON
1972
*
Harold falls in love with a stripper.
Although it is broadened and stretched out, this canny comedy is a valuable big screen record of the amiable TV sitcom - and with no fluffing of lines from Brambell. What the quality of writing and acting does is amplify the feelings you had when watching the show, that Steptoe really is a deeply evil person: what he does to his son - not allowing him to escape his clutches - is about the worst thing you can do your offspring; Harold's mad clinging to his father, by inexplicably taking him on his honeymoon for instance, elicits similar rage. There's plenty of stuff here that marks it out as a product of its time, and that's a good thing.
Dir: Cliff Owen
Stars: Wilfrid Brambell, Harry H Corbett, Carolyn Seymour
STEVE JOBS
2015
*
Episodes from the life of the technology genius.
A rather strange film about one of the world's highest achievers, essentially three long scenes that take place before major product launches in 1984, 1988 and 1998, involving intense, melodramatic conversations with mostly the same people walking down corridors and sitting in offices. This narrow approach brings out the best in the actors but such a mass of dialogue is exhausting and extremely demanding, and the decision to dwell so much on the paternity issue is perhaps not the correct one. There's intelligence all around this biopic but it's tempting to decry the final result as over-thought.
Dir: Danny Boyle
Stars: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels
STICK
1985
0
An ex-con soon gets involved in drug dealing again.
Soporific thriller which went unreleased in Britain.
Dir: Burt Reynolds
Stars: Burt Reynolds, Candice Bergen, George Segal, Charles Durning
STILL ALICE
2014
***
A 50-year-old female professor is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's.
The lead actress rightly won numerous awards for her superb performance in this quietly moving, extremely well-controlled drama that could hardly be a better film about the disease - the character's stage-by-stage decline may be heartbreaking, but it somehow makes for compelling cinema.
Dir: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland
Stars: Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth
STILL OF THE NIGHT
1982
*
A psychiatrist probes the death of a patient and becomes intrigued by his mistress.
Chic Hitchcock style thriller with a well hidden villain.
Dir: Robert Benton
Stars: Roy Scheider, Meryl Streep, Jessica Tandy
THE STING
1973
**
In 1930s Chicago, two con men plan to win a fortune from a criminal broker.
A huge critical and commercial success in its day, this elegant if overstuffed film gave its two stars another chance to show off their bright blue eyes and charm. With lovely period detail, a cute score and a twisting - if rather complicated - plot, it has much style and panache, though is at times just a tad dull.
Dir: George Roy Hill
Stars: Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning
STITCHES
2012
0
A sleazy clown accidentally killed by some children returns from the grave six years later to slaughter them.
Noble gives a juicy performance as the vengeful funnyman (with similarities to TV's Psychoville's Mr Jelly), but this is another fairly typical modern teen horror, very simplistic, full of dislikeable swearing youths who meet gory ends - which is not unpleasing to see, not just because they're horrible but because some of the special effects are fairly imaginative. Some audiences might have an okay night in with the DVD.
Dir: Conor McMahon
Stars: Ross Noble, Tommy Knight, Gemma Leah-Devereux
STOLEN FACE
1952
0
STEPTOE & SON
1972
*
Harold falls in love with a stripper.
Although it is broadened and stretched out, this canny comedy is a valuable big screen record of the amiable TV sitcom - and with no fluffing of lines from Brambell. What the quality of writing and acting does is amplify the feelings you had when watching the show, that Steptoe really is a deeply evil person: what he does to his son - not allowing him to escape his clutches - is about the worst thing you can do your offspring; Harold's mad clinging to his father, by inexplicably taking him on his honeymoon for instance, elicits similar rage. There's plenty of stuff here that marks it out as a product of its time, and that's a good thing.
Dir: Cliff Owen
Stars: Wilfrid Brambell, Harry H Corbett, Carolyn Seymour
STEPTOE AND SON RIDE AGAIN
1973
*
Harold buys a greyhound, which sends him and his father into debt.
Agreeable second big-screen version of the classic sitcom which, while rarely being hilarious, provides plenty of amusing, and sometimes macabre, situations for these two brilliant characters, brilliantly played, to get into. It lacks the pathos of the first film, but it does offer a study of white working class Londoners, who would mostly disappear from the capital in a few decades' time.
Dir: Peter Sykes
Stars: Wilfrid Brambell, Harry H Corbett, Diana Dors, Milo O'Shea, Neil McCarthy, Yootha Joyce
STEVE JOBS
2015
*
Episodes from the life of the technology genius.
A rather strange film about one of the world's highest achievers, essentially three long scenes that take place before major product launches in 1984, 1988 and 1998, involving intense, melodramatic conversations with mostly the same people walking down corridors and sitting in offices. This narrow approach brings out the best in the actors but such a mass of dialogue is exhausting and extremely demanding, and the decision to dwell so much on the paternity issue is perhaps not the correct one. There's intelligence all around this biopic but it's tempting to decry the final result as over-thought.
Dir: Danny Boyle
Stars: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels
STICK
1985
0
An ex-con soon gets involved in drug dealing again.
Soporific thriller which went unreleased in Britain.
Dir: Burt Reynolds
Stars: Burt Reynolds, Candice Bergen, George Segal, Charles Durning
STILL ALICE
2014
***
A 50-year-old female professor is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's.
The lead actress rightly won numerous awards for her superb performance in this quietly moving, extremely well-controlled drama that could hardly be a better film about the disease - the character's stage-by-stage decline may be heartbreaking, but it somehow makes for compelling cinema.
Dir: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland
Stars: Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth
STILL OF THE NIGHT
1982
*
A psychiatrist probes the death of a patient and becomes intrigued by his mistress.
Chic Hitchcock style thriller with a well hidden villain.
Dir: Robert Benton
Stars: Roy Scheider, Meryl Streep, Jessica Tandy
THE STING
1973
**
In 1930s Chicago, two con men plan to win a fortune from a criminal broker.
A huge critical and commercial success in its day, this elegant if overstuffed film gave its two stars another chance to show off their bright blue eyes and charm. With lovely period detail, a cute score and a twisting - if rather complicated - plot, it has much style and panache, though is at times just a tad dull.
Dir: George Roy Hill
Stars: Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning
2012
0
A sleazy clown accidentally killed by some children returns from the grave six years later to slaughter them.
Noble gives a juicy performance as the vengeful funnyman (with similarities to TV's Psychoville's Mr Jelly), but this is another fairly typical modern teen horror, very simplistic, full of dislikeable swearing youths who meet gory ends - which is not unpleasing to see, not just because they're horrible but because some of the special effects are fairly imaginative. Some audiences might have an okay night in with the DVD.
Dir: Conor McMahon
Stars: Ross Noble, Tommy Knight, Gemma Leah-Devereux
STOLEN FACE
1952
0
A plastic surgeon takes a habitual female criminal and attempts to turn her into his lost love.
Highly unlikely tale which finds it way to a limp conclusion. Not exactly Vertigo.
Dir: Terence Fisher
Stars: Paul Henreid, Lizabeth Scott, Andre Morell
THE STOLEN JOOLS
1931
0
A detective tracks down a woman's stolen jewellery.
A short made for charity that seems much longer than its 20-minute running time.
Dir: William C McGann
Stars: Buster Keaton, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Edward G Robinson
STOLEN KISSES
1968
**
Antoine from The 400 Blows (qv) struggles to find a settled job or girlfriend.
Truffaut's gentle but at times earthy film is fairly easy to get on with but unless you're fully in tune with the director or his countrymen's ways it's difficult to become fully attached to, or laugh at. The Blu-ray shows off Paris when it was still glorious to good effect.
Dir: Francois Truffaut
Stars: Jean-Pierre Leaud, Claude Jade, Delphine Seyrig, Michael Lonsdale
THE STONE ROSES: MADE OF STONE
2013
**
Documentary about Manchester band the Stone Roses, concentrating on their live comeback gigs nearly 20 years after splitting up.
A hymn to the power of great music and how it brings happiness, this film by Roses fan Meadows only offers a scant overview of the band, preferring new footage and fan reaction, which may disappoint some. It could be said to peak half an hour before the end with the free Warrington gig - after that, following drummer Reni storming off in Amsterdam, behind-the-scenes access is limited and we end on a 15-minute Fool's Gold jam which must have bored some people at Heaton Park, never mind us. Perhaps the director just loves the band too much.
Dir: Shane Meadows
STONED
2005
*
The hedonistic life and mysterious death of Rolling Stone Brian Jones.
Attractively presented, sexy biopic which lacks some dramatic thrust, not to mention Stones songs and fleshed out characterisations.
Dir: Stephen Woolley
Stars: Leo Gregory, Paddy Considine, David Morrissey, Monet Mazur
STOP ME BEFORE I KILL!
1960
0
After a road accident, a man fears he is losing his mind and might kill his wife.
Known in the UK by its more aptly plain title The Full Treatment, this turgid thriller has the most overwritten dialogue imaginable - no wonder actors occasionally speak over each other. A new decade brought a little bit of nudity but that's about the only frisson in a movie whose plot development is never less than obvious and whose lead is charmless.
Dir: Val Guest
Stars: Ronald Lewis, Claude Dauphin, Diane Cilento
Highly unlikely tale which finds it way to a limp conclusion. Not exactly Vertigo.
Dir: Terence Fisher
Stars: Paul Henreid, Lizabeth Scott, Andre Morell
THE STOLEN JOOLS
1931
0
A detective tracks down a woman's stolen jewellery.
A short made for charity that seems much longer than its 20-minute running time.
Dir: William C McGann
Stars: Buster Keaton, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Edward G Robinson
STOLEN KISSES
1968
**
Antoine from The 400 Blows (qv) struggles to find a settled job or girlfriend.
Truffaut's gentle but at times earthy film is fairly easy to get on with but unless you're fully in tune with the director or his countrymen's ways it's difficult to become fully attached to, or laugh at. The Blu-ray shows off Paris when it was still glorious to good effect.
Dir: Francois Truffaut
Stars: Jean-Pierre Leaud, Claude Jade, Delphine Seyrig, Michael Lonsdale
THE STONE ROSES: MADE OF STONE
2013
**
Documentary about Manchester band the Stone Roses, concentrating on their live comeback gigs nearly 20 years after splitting up.
A hymn to the power of great music and how it brings happiness, this film by Roses fan Meadows only offers a scant overview of the band, preferring new footage and fan reaction, which may disappoint some. It could be said to peak half an hour before the end with the free Warrington gig - after that, following drummer Reni storming off in Amsterdam, behind-the-scenes access is limited and we end on a 15-minute Fool's Gold jam which must have bored some people at Heaton Park, never mind us. Perhaps the director just loves the band too much.
Dir: Shane Meadows
STONED
2005
*
The hedonistic life and mysterious death of Rolling Stone Brian Jones.
Attractively presented, sexy biopic which lacks some dramatic thrust, not to mention Stones songs and fleshed out characterisations.
Dir: Stephen Woolley
Stars: Leo Gregory, Paddy Considine, David Morrissey, Monet Mazur
STOP ME BEFORE I KILL!
1960
0
After a road accident, a man fears he is losing his mind and might kill his wife.
Known in the UK by its more aptly plain title The Full Treatment, this turgid thriller has the most overwritten dialogue imaginable - no wonder actors occasionally speak over each other. A new decade brought a little bit of nudity but that's about the only frisson in a movie whose plot development is never less than obvious and whose lead is charmless.
Dir: Val Guest
Stars: Ronald Lewis, Claude Dauphin, Diane Cilento
STOP PRESS GIRL
1949
0
A young woman mysteriously has the power to stop machinery wherever she goes, but doesn't realise.
Truly bizarre comic fantasy - the story is the maddest of the mad; it's quite brightly handled but there's not a lot of substance or sense here. Radford and Wayne have vaguely amusing multiple roles (not as Charters and Caldicott).
Dir: Michael Barry
Stars: Sally Ann Howes, Gordon Jackson, Basil Radford, Naunton Wayne, James Robertson Justice
STORMY MONDAY
1988
0
A club owner comes under pressure to sell his property.
Dim thriller with enough pregnant pauses and pondering to send most audiences to groansville.
Dir: Mike Figgis
Stars: Melanie Griffith, Tommy Lee Jones, Sting, Sean Bean
STORMY MONDAY
1988
0
A club owner comes under pressure to sell his property.
Dim thriller with enough pregnant pauses and pondering to send most audiences to groansville.
Dir: Mike Figgis
Stars: Melanie Griffith, Tommy Lee Jones, Sting, Sean Bean
THE STORY OF A CHEAT
1936
**
A scoundrel reflects on a lifetime of escapades.
Characterful comic drama largely consisting of flashbacks narrated by the lead character, it gets a little exhausting but there are pleasures along the way; it certainly has an unusual, quirky feel to it.
Dir: Sacha Guitry
Stars: Sacha Guitry, Adolphe Borchard, Marcel Lucien
STORY OF A CLOISTERED NUN
1973
0
A disgraced woman is sent to a nunnery against her wishes.
Not as sensational as may be expected, this nunaround is mostly low key and gently paced.
Dir: Domenico Paolella
Stars: Catherine Spaak, Suzy Kendall, Eleonora Giorgi
THE STORY OF LOUIS PASTEUR
1936
**
A French chemist discovers what germs are and how they can be stopped.
One of the first biopics of its kind, this is a solid picture which demonstrates how conventional wisdom can be wrong, and why it's worth persevering if you have the sense to know this to be so. Still worth a watch for today's students.
Dir: William Dieterle
Stars: Paul Muni, Fritz Leiber, Josephine Hutchinson, Donald Woods
THE STORY OF O
1975
0
A woman is taken to a retreat and trained in the art of bondage.
Much-banned erotica that can be uncomfortable to watch; also, its silliness irritates after a while.
Dir: Just Jaeckin
Stars: Corinne Clery, Udo Kier, Anthony Steel, Jean Gaven
THE STORY OF THE DOLLS
1984
0
A young Filipino woman is courted by a fashion photographer who wants to take nude snaps of her.
Curious little obscurity, a sort of mix of sexploitation and family drama with a strong sense of Philippines life, which means that the leading actress's behaviour is a bit jarring, a bit irritating - 'just get into it!' the dirty macs must have been yelling. It's not a godawful movie, but it's a bit floppy.
Dir: Hubert Frank
Stars: Tetchie Agbayani, Brigitta Cimarolli, Leo Hermosa
LA STRADA
1954
**
A peasant girl takes up with a travelling strong man who mistreats her.
Memorably etched, gently affecting tale in which the faces of the leads say as much about the picture as anything else does.
Dir: Federico Fellini
Stars: Anthony Quinn, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart
STRAIGHT ON TILL MORNING
1972
0
A shy woman falls in love with a man not realising he is a psychopath.
A weird film for Hammer, most unlike anything they'd done before, but not a success: initially flashy and after that pretty boring, its characters are unsympathetic, its motives unclear and its story not gripping. Bizarre that some people praise this mildly pretentious and unembracing movie.
Dir: Peter Collinson
Stars: Rita Tushingham, Shane Briant, James Bolam, Tom Bell
THE STRAIGHT STORY
1999
**
An old man travels across America on a lawnmower to see his sick brother.
Gentle road movie that says a thing or two about life and death, and is imbued with a sweetness that partly masks its leisurely pace. Farnsworth, who died a year later, could not have been more perfect in the part.
Dir: David Lynch
Stars: Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Harry Dean Stanton
STRAIT-JACKET
1963
0
A woman returns home after 20 years in an asylum, but may not be cured.
Hopelessly unsubtle and boringly mechanical Psycho imitation (did cinema patrons pay the same price for each movie?!); those of us who know such movies can predict exactly the way this one will go. The decapitated lady at the end on the Columbia logo is a nice touch.
Dir: William Castle
Stars: Joan Crawford, Diane Baker, Leif Erickson, Howard St John
THE STRANGE AFFAIR
1968
*
A rookie policemen gets caught up in fishy matters.
A strange film indeed, apparently the first concerning British police corruption, it has different plot strands that eventually come together and little bits of Swinging London along with bits of 'real' London: it's unusual and holds the interest despite or perhaps because of its quirks.
Dir: David Greene
Stars: Michael York, Jeremy Kemp, Susan George, George A Cooper
STRANGE BEHAVIOR
1980
0
A scientist's experiments with teenagers turns them into killers.
Shoddy, amateurish shocker.
Dir: Michael Laughlin
Stars: Michael Murphy, Louise Fletcher, Dan Shor
STORY OF A CLOISTERED NUN
1973
0
A disgraced woman is sent to a nunnery against her wishes.
Not as sensational as may be expected, this nunaround is mostly low key and gently paced.
Dir: Domenico Paolella
Stars: Catherine Spaak, Suzy Kendall, Eleonora Giorgi
THE STORY OF LOUIS PASTEUR
1936
**
A French chemist discovers what germs are and how they can be stopped.
One of the first biopics of its kind, this is a solid picture which demonstrates how conventional wisdom can be wrong, and why it's worth persevering if you have the sense to know this to be so. Still worth a watch for today's students.
Dir: William Dieterle
Stars: Paul Muni, Fritz Leiber, Josephine Hutchinson, Donald Woods
THE STORY OF O
1975
0
A woman is taken to a retreat and trained in the art of bondage.
Much-banned erotica that can be uncomfortable to watch; also, its silliness irritates after a while.
Dir: Just Jaeckin
Stars: Corinne Clery, Udo Kier, Anthony Steel, Jean Gaven
THE STORY OF THE DOLLS
1984
0
A young Filipino woman is courted by a fashion photographer who wants to take nude snaps of her.
Curious little obscurity, a sort of mix of sexploitation and family drama with a strong sense of Philippines life, which means that the leading actress's behaviour is a bit jarring, a bit irritating - 'just get into it!' the dirty macs must have been yelling. It's not a godawful movie, but it's a bit floppy.
Dir: Hubert Frank
Stars: Tetchie Agbayani, Brigitta Cimarolli, Leo Hermosa
LA STRADA
1954
**
A peasant girl takes up with a travelling strong man who mistreats her.
Memorably etched, gently affecting tale in which the faces of the leads say as much about the picture as anything else does.
Dir: Federico Fellini
Stars: Anthony Quinn, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart
STRAIGHT ON TILL MORNING
1972
0
A shy woman falls in love with a man not realising he is a psychopath.
A weird film for Hammer, most unlike anything they'd done before, but not a success: initially flashy and after that pretty boring, its characters are unsympathetic, its motives unclear and its story not gripping. Bizarre that some people praise this mildly pretentious and unembracing movie.
Dir: Peter Collinson
Stars: Rita Tushingham, Shane Briant, James Bolam, Tom Bell
THE STRAIGHT STORY
1999
**
An old man travels across America on a lawnmower to see his sick brother.
Gentle road movie that says a thing or two about life and death, and is imbued with a sweetness that partly masks its leisurely pace. Farnsworth, who died a year later, could not have been more perfect in the part.
Dir: David Lynch
Stars: Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Harry Dean Stanton
STRAIT-JACKET
1963
0
A woman returns home after 20 years in an asylum, but may not be cured.
Hopelessly unsubtle and boringly mechanical Psycho imitation (did cinema patrons pay the same price for each movie?!); those of us who know such movies can predict exactly the way this one will go. The decapitated lady at the end on the Columbia logo is a nice touch.
Dir: William Castle
Stars: Joan Crawford, Diane Baker, Leif Erickson, Howard St John
THE STRANGE AFFAIR
1968
*
A rookie policemen gets caught up in fishy matters.
A strange film indeed, apparently the first concerning British police corruption, it has different plot strands that eventually come together and little bits of Swinging London along with bits of 'real' London: it's unusual and holds the interest despite or perhaps because of its quirks.
Dir: David Greene
Stars: Michael York, Jeremy Kemp, Susan George, George A Cooper
STRANGE BEHAVIOR
1980
0
A scientist's experiments with teenagers turns them into killers.
Shoddy, amateurish shocker.
Dir: Michael Laughlin
Stars: Michael Murphy, Louise Fletcher, Dan Shor
STRANGE CONFESSION
1945
*
A scientist is betrayed by his boss, with tragic results.
Fifth in the Inner Sanctum series is a curious beast, mostly a pretty straight melodrama with horror asides; it's difficult to know what to make of it but as before there is industriousness if not quite the panache to make it really sing. Chaney certainly gets many chances to furrow his brow in a story about the greed and lack of ethics evident in big pharma - who'd ever guess that that could be true...?
Dir: John Hoffman
Stars: Lon Chaney Jr, Brenda Joyce, J Carrol Naish, Milburn Stone
STRANGE DAYS
1995
0
In 1999 LA, a former cop uncovers a police conspiracy.
Depressing, muddled and tedious sci-fi that's about as much fun as spending a week down a sewer.
Dir: Kathryn Bigelow
Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore
THE STRANGE DOOR
1951
*
An evil aristocrat imprisons his niece’s father and tries to marry her off to a rogue.
Not a horror film, but a rather knotty gothic melodrama saved by an exciting climax and performances from two of the greats, Laughton and Karloff. Maybe Hammer would have opened up this confined Robert Louis Stevenson adaptation a bit more.
Dir: Joseph Pevney
Stars: Charles Laughton, Boris Karloff, Sally Forrest, Richard Wyler
STRANGE HOMECOMING
1974 (TV)
0
A small-town sheriff's brother returns after a long time away - but has turned to murder.
There are many echoes of Shadow Of A Doubt in this slight but watchable TV movie; comparison with the immeasurably deeper original would be unfair but it's arguably also weaker than the 1958 and 1991 versions.
Dir: Lee H Katzin
Stars: Robert Culp, Glen Campbell, Barbara Anderson, Whitney Blake
STRANGE INVADERS
1983
*
A man is chased by aliens after trying to expose their presence.
Fairly intelligent, sometimes amusing homage to 1950s sci-fi, with the added bonus of decent special effects and icky physical effects, like when the aliens get slain or remove their human masks (lots of photos in Starburst magazine at the time). It could probably have done with a more focused script that kept the tension tighter for longer, and a clearer idea of exactly what it wanted to be.
Dir: Michael Laughlin
Stars: Paul Le Mat, Nancy Allen, Diana Scarwid, Michael Lerner
THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS WARDH
1971
*
A beautiful ambassador's wife fears she knows a killer.
Much praised and apparently influential giallo that may include all the ingredients of the genre but doesn't hang together that well; not as intelligent or thrilling as the likes of The Killer Must Kill Again.
Dir: Sergio Martino
Stars: Edwige Fenech, George Hilton, Conchita Airoldi
THE STRANGE WOMAN
1946
0
A cruel young child grows up to be a demanding and troublesome woman.
Unconvincing and uninvolving melodrama with a sometimes hilariously dramatic musical score. Some get something out of it because of the perceived complexity and unconventionalness of Lamarr's character.
Dir: Edward G Ulmer
Stars: Hedy Lamarr, George Sanders, Louis Hayward, Gene Lockhart
THE STRANGE WORLD OF PLANET X
1957
0
Scientific experiments create a hole in the Earth's ionosphere which plays havoc with the ecosystem.
Enervated, wordy sci-fi in which the 'special' effects largely consist of magnified shots of insects.
Dir: Gilbert Gunn
Stars: Forrest Tucker, Gaby Andre, Martin Benson, Alec Mango
THE STRANGER
1947
**
An investigator tracks down a Nazi now living in Connecticut.
Welles apparently didn't like this movie, and while it perhaps lacks the depth of much of his earlier work, it's still a highly proficient thriller, compellingly developed, and enhanced by the director's little touches and some fine camerawork. Flawed but well worth watching, especially as it's free (it's in the public domain).
Dir: Orson Welles
Stars: Edward G Robinson, Orson Welles, Loretta YoungTHE STRANGER CAME HOME
1954
0
A man loses his memory for three years.
Artificial and boring murder mystery.
Dir: Terence Fisher
Stars: William Sylvester, Paulette Goddard, Patrick Holt
STRANGER FROM VENUS
1954
0
A country inn is visited by an alien with a message.
Ultra cheap British version of The Day The Earth Stood Still which has its heart in the right place.
Dir: Burt Balaban
Stars: Patricia Neal, Helmut Dantine, Derek Bond
1954
0
A man loses his memory for three years.
Artificial and boring murder mystery.
Dir: Terence Fisher
Stars: William Sylvester, Paulette Goddard, Patrick Holt
STRANGER FROM VENUS
1954
0
A country inn is visited by an alien with a message.
Ultra cheap British version of The Day The Earth Stood Still which has its heart in the right place.
Dir: Burt Balaban
Stars: Patricia Neal, Helmut Dantine, Derek Bond
STRANGER IN TOWN
1957
0
In a small village, a man kills himself - or did he?
Minor, unremarkable whodunit in which you'll never guess the murderer (which is, in some ways, a black mark against it). It would have passed an hour and a bit perfectly okay for a housewife on an afternoon matinee in the peaceful days of 1957 England.
Dir: George Pollock
Stars: Alex Nicol, Anne Paige, Mary Laura Wood, Charles Lloyd Pack
A STRANGER IS WATCHING
1979
0
A madman keeps a girl and her mother captive underneath Grand Central Station.
Dim thriller; by the finish nobody will care anymore.
Dir: Sean S Cunningham
Stars: Kate Mulgrew, Rip Torn, James Naughton
STRANGER THAN FICTION
2006
**
A man begins to realise that he is a character in a book, and the author is planning to kill him off.
It doesn't come off completely - you don't feel much for the characters and the plot doesn't stand up to dissection - but this gimmicky drama is at least original and intelligent, made with a light and quirky touch.
Dir: Marc Forster
Stars: Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah
A STRANGER IS WATCHING
1979
0
A madman keeps a girl and her mother captive underneath Grand Central Station.
Dim thriller; by the finish nobody will care anymore.
Dir: Sean S Cunningham
Stars: Kate Mulgrew, Rip Torn, James Naughton
STRANGER THAN FICTION
2006
**
A man begins to realise that he is a character in a book, and the author is planning to kill him off.
It doesn't come off completely - you don't feel much for the characters and the plot doesn't stand up to dissection - but this gimmicky drama is at least original and intelligent, made with a light and quirky touch.
Dir: Marc Forster
Stars: Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah
STRANGER THAN PARADISE
1984
**
A man living a wasteful life in New York sees things change when his young Hungarian female cousin comes to stay.
Stranger than most films, that's for sure. Probably Jarmusch's best picture, it's a curious monochrome oddity that eventually wins you over thanks to its subtle humour and canny portrayals of three figures lost in a wider landscape, figuratively and pretty much literally; what becomes of such people...? It's made in a very distinct fashion, in long takes and mostly static shots, and is said to be one of the major influences in independent cinema of the 1980s; a lot of thought clearly went into it, even if it likes to give the impression that the opposite was true.
Dir: Jim Jarmusch
Stars: John Lurie, Eszter Balint, Richard Edson
THE STRANGER WITHIN
1974 (TV)
*
A pregnant woman is increasingly controlled by her unborn child.
Among the first evil baby shockers, done with a little style and some surprisingly scatological detail.
Dir: Lee Philips
Stars: Barbara Eden, George Grizzard, Joyce Van Patten
STRANGERS ON A TRAIN
1951
****
A tennis star meets a psychotic who suggests they 'swap murders' by killing the person each of them most despises.
Fascinating, detailed suspenser which must be seen, electrified by a brilliant performance from Walker and full of clever 'double' motifs. Hitchcock made radical changes from the book, much to the movie's benefit; the first 40 minutes of it are especially strong. Legitimate criticisms might include credibility sometimes being stretched and 'too much tennis', but there are memorable set-pieces and accomplished technical flourishes.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman, Leo G Carroll, Patricia Hitchcock, Marion Lorne
THE STRANGLERS OF BOMBAY
1959
*
A murderous cult is on the rampage in nineteenth century India.
An attempt by Hammer to make more of a serious historical picture - hence the black and white - rather than a horror, but they couldn't resist inserting horrific moments (tongues ripped out, branding etc) and hence it's a pity they didn't go full blast with colour. It's not among their most indulgently enjoyable films but it's not bad, telling one of the positive stories about colonialism that is now widely ignored.
Dir: Terence Fisher
Stars: Guy Rolfe, Allan Cuthbertson, Andrew Cruickshank, Marne Maitland, Roger Delgado
STRANGLER'S WEB
1965
0
A woman is discovered murdered on Hampstead Heath.
In terms of performances and photography this Edgar Wallace Mysteries is above average, and has a few touches of horror, but the script soon gets bogged down in endless exposition and reciting of backstory.
Dir: John Llewellyn Moxey
Stars: John Stratton, Griffith Jones, Pauline Munro, Gerald Harper
STRAPLESS
1989
0
Two sisters meet a man who may not be as wonderful as he seems.
Curious and undistinguished drama determined to make political points about the NHS, which dates it badly.
Dir: David Hare
Stars: Blair Brown, Bridget Fonda, Bruno Ganz, Michael Gough, Hugh Laurie
STRAW DOGS
1971
****
A woman and her American husband are terrorised by the inhabitants of a small Cornish village.
Peckinpah's most controversial film is also his best - superbly edited and acted, it's completely unique and conveys a real sense of menace thanks to the primitive, alien-seeming locals, and dramatic conflict is evoked in many forms before the strikingly shot siege climax. Gripping and splendidly violent, it's essentially a layered film about the couple's relationship, and once you know that it's all the more fascinating.
Dir: Sam Peckinpah
Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Susan George, Peter Vaughan, T P McKenna, David Warner, Colin Welland
A STREET CAT NAMED BOB
2016
**
A homeless recovering heroin addict is given a reason to live by a ginger cat who won't leave him alone.
Agreeable adaptation of a book based on the true story of a feline that became an internet celebrity, it very much focuses on being a 12 certificate film, softening the edges of mean life on the streets, and plays up the gorgeousness of the moggy, while not going too overboard on the sentiment. Possibly of greatest appeal to cat owners - or those who have affection for the London locations it pleasingly showcases - it's a drama whose faults can easily be forgiven such is its good heart, committed lead performance and pro-pet message.
Dir: Roger Spottiswoode
Stars: Luke Treadaway, Bob the Cat, Ruth Gedmintas, Joanne Froggatt, Anthony Head
STREET KILLERS
1977
0
A hoodlum goes on a rampage after breaking out of prison.
Unremarkable thriller in which even the brutality is boring.
Dir: Sergio Grieco
Stars: Helmut Berger, Marisa Mell, Richard Harrison
STREET TRASH
1986
0
A toxic brew causes its drinkers to messily melt.
Storyless and sickening garbage that represents horror cinema at its lowest ebb – if indeed it can be called a horror, as the gore effects are very occasional: it largely consists of random lowlifes wandering around an urban hell being extremely unpleasant to one another. An acquired taste, to put it mildly.
Dir: J Michael Muro
Stars: Mike Lackey, Bill Chepil, Vic Noto
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
1954
**
The disturbed sister of a pregnant woman comes to live with her and her husband, and tensions arise.
Exhausting and intense melodrama that retains its reputation as a great film but may well be one of the most stage-like productions ever committed to the screen – the acting and the dialogue, while both very powerful, are right out of the theatre.
Dir: Elia Kazan
Stars: Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden
STREETS OF FIRE
1984
0
A mercenary goes after a singer who has been kidnapped by a gang.
Dullish melodrama bogged down by romance and song.
Dir: Walter Hill
Stars: Michael Pare, Diane Lane, Rick Moranis, Willem Dafoe
STRICTLY BALLROOM
1992
*
An unorthodox dancer makes a splash.
A big sleeper hit surprisingly, this simple tale has charm but the subject matter is difficult to get excited about.
Dir: Baz Luhrmann
Stars: Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice, Bill Hunter
STRIKE
1925
**
Bosses put a workers' strike down in brutal fashion.
Eisenstein's first feature remains remarkable for its stunning (striking, even...) imagery - it's quite astonishing that a film of such visual sophistication could be made so soon after the dawn of cinema; the editing, also, is fast and febrile. (Unusually for Russia, there is even a bit of humour in some of the editing.) What many of these propaganda films of the era lack, including this one, is individuals to believe in and care about - but since communism and collectivism are all about the subjugation of the individual that is quite apt.
Dir: Sergei Eisenstein
Stars: Grigoriy Aleksandrov, Maksim Shtraukh, Mikhail Gomorov
1975
0
A psycho dressed as a motorbike rider goes after fashion models.
Sex and violence it may have, but plenty of dullness and daftness too.
Dir: Andrea Bianchi
Stars: Edwige Fenech, Nino Castelnuovo, Femi Benussi
STRIP TEASE MURDER
1961
0
At a London strip club, an unusual murder is committed.
Interesting little curio, thankfully saved from eternal nothingness, that features a minor science fiction element (the killing machine) and some (non-naughty-bits) nudity that must have been close to the bone for the time. The story isn't too bad either, if somewhat perfunctory and interrupted by dance numbers; the acting varies; the general experience taking you back to a particular time in Britain's lifespan.
Dir: Ernest Morris
Stars: John Hewer, Ann Lynn, Jean Muir, Kenneth J Warren
STRIPES
1981
*
Two bored friends join the army.
Sporadically jocular polishing up of old army gags.
Dir: Ivan Reitman
Stars: Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P J Soles, Sean Young, John Candy
STRIPPED
2014
*
Documentary about newspaper strip cartoonists and how they are dealing with the decline in print.
Part a celebration of the skillful art of the creatives, part a chronicle of times changing because of new technology, this is a useful insight into both sides of the industry's process, with scores of interviews with those whose quotidian existence is humour and observation. It'd be nice to see a British version along the same lines.
Dir: Dave Kellett, Frederick Schroeder
STRIPPER
1985
0
Documentary about a strippers' convention.
Joyless documentary, morally dubious and devoid of any feeling or human warmth. And they don't even remove their knickers.
Dir: Jerome Gary
Stars: Janette Boyd, Sara Costa, Loree Menton
STRIPTEASE
1996
0
A stripper finds herself in danger after getting involved with a congressman.
A really quite bizarre film that's barely a thriller, more a weird mix of comedy and violence, and both confusing and uneven. Burt Reynolds and some of the strip routines alleviate the pain.
Dir: Andrew Bergman
Stars: Demi Moore, Burt Reynolds, Armand Assante
STRONGROOM
1962
**
Crooks lock bank workers in a strongroom, and then things get complicated.
First class B-picture which may well have outclassed the feature it supported: the performances are excellent, the story is logically and tensely developed – with unflappable behaviour that you’d only get from the British – and the finale is a minor triumph, as the very last line hits you like a punch in the stomach.
Dir: Vernon Sewell
Stars: Derren Nesbitt, Colin Gordon, Ann Lynn, Keith Faulkner
THE STUD
1978
0
The bored wife of a businessman indulges in hedonistic pleasures.
Empty but commercially successfully sex drama that dated quickly, largely thanks to its revelling in the 'delights' of the '70s disco scene. It led to a big revival of the career of the 40-plus star who wasn't afraid to take her clothes off.
Dir: Quentin Masters
Stars: Joan Collins, Oliver Tobias, Sue Lloyd, Mark Burns
A STUDY IN SCARLET
1933
0
Sherlock Holmes investigates the deaths of several members of a secret circle.
Musty old yarn whose plot has more in common with Agatha Christie than Conan Doyle.
Dir: Edwin L Marin
Stars: Reginald Owen, Warburton Gamble, Anna May Wong, Alan Dinehart
A STUDY IN TERROR
1965
*
Sherlock Holmes investigates the killings of Jack the Ripper.
Bravo for sticking the fictional detective into the mysterious real-life case, and a solid cast all play their part in a moderately enjoyable if sometimes over-wordy yarn with nice set design, in vibrant colour - it pleasingly portrays the murderous, fog-shrouded streets of Whitechapel (making them almost cosy).
Dir: James Hill
Stars: John Neville, Donald Houston, John Fraser, Anthony Quayle, Frank Finlay, Robert Morley, Adrienne Corri, Judi Dench, Barbara Windsor
THE STUFF
1985
0
A new foodstuff gives more than indigestion.
Cheap tat intended as a satire but more like a silly and tasteless horror film.
Dir: Larry Cohen
Stars: Michael Moriarty, Paul Sorvino, Danny Aiello
THE SUBSTANCE
2024
**
An ageing star takes a drug that promises a young and beautiful version of herself to exist for alternate weeks.
Admirable in many ways, this sometimes extraordinary film eventually becomes a bit much, both in terms of duration and grotesque excess - it keeps going further and further over the top until it can go no further. Before that, though, we get compellingly dark and sinister Faustian machinations put over with style and panache, even if its message that being younger and more beautiful, and thus more appealing than older people, isn't exactly revelatory. Moore's performance is surely the best of her career.
Dir: Coralie Fargeat
Stars: Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid
SUBURBAN WIVES
1972
0
An 'investigation' into what bored housewives get up to when their husbands are at work.
Erratic pseudo documentary that now comes across as an amusing period curiosity full of eccentricities presented in a delightfully wooden way.
Dir: Derek Ford
Stars: Eva Whishaw, Peter May, Gabrielle Drake
SUCCUBUS
1968
0
A stripper has several strange experiences, including fetishism.
Incoherent, pretentious, laboured, laughable, dumb... but this director near his best.
Dir: Jess Franco
Stars: Janine Reynaud, Jack Taylor, Howard Vernon
THE SUCKLING
1990
0
After a woman has an abortion in a brothel the foetus is exposed to toxic waste and turns into a monster that attacks everyone in the house.
Low budget clunk, both hilarious (some of the dialogue; its claims to be based on a true story) and tasteless, but in the end not hilarious or tasteless enough - it turns into a dull monster siege movie with vague similarities to Alien. More sleaze please, and fun.
Dir: Francis Teri
Stars: Frank Rivera, Marie Michaels, Gerald Preger
SUDDEN FEAR
1952
***
A female playwright's new husband may only have married her for her money.
Greatly enjoyable thriller that doesn't have the depth or quirks of Hitchcock but provides a darn good night out at the pictures, with a lip-smacking final act. All the foreshadowing and references to time are proof of a well thought out movie, one that's glossy and well-mounted. Crawford's great.
Dir: David Miller
Stars: Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, Gloria Grahame, Bruce Bennett
SUDDEN IMPACT
1983
*
A woman is going around killing the people who raped her sister.
The Dirty Harry films, of which this is the fourth of five, decline a little in quality with every episode - hence this is a serviceable entry, if one without the depth and frissons of the first movie or two. Eastwood's character is now a mix of Inspector Clouseau - in that attempts are constantly made on his life - and Superman, so invulnerable is he to them; while the narrative is a tad flabby and repetitive - how much time must we spend in the company of unpleasant low-lifes? - it still, just about, delivers some juicy violent action and a tale of relentless vengeance. Possibly there's too little Eastwood, too much Locke.
Dir: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, Bradford Dilman
SUGAR DADDIES
1927
0
A man wakes in the morning to discover he got married the night before.
An early pairing of Laurel and Hardy in which neither are in familiar character; the film now appears primitive.
Dir: Fred Guiol, Leo McCarey
Stars: James Finlayson, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Noah Young
THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS
1974
**
A couple kidnap their child from foster care and go on the run.
Bittersweet road movie of an appealing nature, based on truth, extremely well handled by the young director.
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Goldie Hawn, Ben Johnson, Michael Sacks, William Atherton
SUICIDE CULT
1975
0
A scientist investigates signs of the second coming of Christ.
Unfathomable guff that might only be enjoyed by the very clever or the very stupid - probably the latter. Portentous, waffley and perplexing, there aren't many others like it.
Dir: James Glickenhaus
Stars: Bob Byrd, Mart Buntzman, Monica Tidwell
SUICIDE SQUAD
2016
*
The government decides to free a band of villains from prison to deal with alien invaders.
A whole load of baddies to boo and hiss, although they vary wildly in their screen impact: Robbie as Harley Quinn comes off best, while the Joker's not around much. The set-up is entertaining enough but it eventually descends into a muddy, CGI-infested farrago; a lack of humanity runs through its core, not unexpectedly. Not as bad as some excitable types on the internet said, but not a complete success despite some witty lines and some larger-than-life characters.
Dir: David Ayer
Stars: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, Ben Affleck
SUITE 16
1995
**
A crippled man in a wheelchair confined to a hotel room draws a young man into his perverse plans.
Preposterous but deliciously compulsive black comedy that's like something the warped mind of Polanski would come up with.
Dir: Dominique Deruddere
Stars: Pete Postlethwaite, Antonie Kamerling, Geraldine Pailhas
SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS
1941
**
A film director lives life as a tramp as an experiment.
A sophisticated entertainment that’s a finely balanced mix of comedy and drama inside a traditional structure.
Dir: Preston Sturges
Stars: Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Robert Warwick
SULLY: MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON
2016
**
The true story of the pilot who landed his stricken plane on the River Hudson and saved the lives of everyone on board.
If this real-life drama feels a little slight and slim, perhaps that's not such a bad thing - a bloated biopic with all sorts of unnecessary add-ons would have tried the patience. As it is, it's a film of quiet professionalism, not overly showy or shouty, that keeps its audience's attention.
Dir: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Mike O'Malley
SUMMER DREAMS: THE STORY OF THE BEACH BOYS
1990 (TV)
0
The rise to fame and thereafter of the 1960s American pop group.
God-awful biopic on a shoestring budget; but it's a fatal lack of detail which really kills it.
Dir: Michael Switzer
Stars: Bruce Greenwood, Greg Kean, Casey Sander
SUMMER HOLIDAY
1962
*
Teenagers commandeer a red London bus to go on a jaunt.
In its day an enormously popular comic musical - which goes to show how markedly tastes have changed since then.
Dir: Peter Yates
Stars: Cliff Richard, Lauri Peters, Melvyn Hayes, Una Stubbs
A SUMMER IN ST TROPEZ
1983
0
Young women enjoy the sun in the South of France.
For his final picture, Hamilton gave up completely on any sort of story - and this doesn't even have any dialogue - to simply shoot the models frolicking in their pleasant surroundings. This makes for very dull viewing - who'd have thought watching unclothed attractive women could be so boring? If we'd got to know them a bit first, and they did things for a reason, perhaps it would have been more tolerable.
Dir: David Hamilton
Stars: Joan, Catherine, EstherSUMMER LOVERS
1982
*
A young American couple spend the summer on a Greek island and form a close bond with a beautiful French archaeologist.
You could almost say they don’t make films like this any more: a breezy, feather-light, sweet little drama in which almost nothing bad happens and nudity and ‘open relationships’ are not frowned upon or made out to be outlandish. It’s not exactly a good film – script and acting mean it could never be taken particularly seriously, and the cheesy ‘80s soundtrack cheapens it – but it certainly offers beautiful women and locations to gaze at, and makes you wish your life was a little more exciting.
Dir: Randal Kleiser
Stars: Peter Gallagher, Daryl Hannah, Valerie Quennessen
SUMMER NIGHT FEVER
1978
0
Two German boys head to Spain looking for ladies.
It could be said that no art is worthless because it reflects the time and place it was created in, and that could just about be said of this shapeless sexy farce that isn't in the slightest bit good but has an attractive vibe of hedonism and virility. Shame none of the English voice cast can pronounce 'Ibiza'.
Dir: Sigi Rothemund
Stars: Stephane Hillel, Olivia Pascal, Claus Obalski, Betty Verges
SUMMER OF ’42
1971
*
During the summer of '42, a young man falls in love with a woman whose husband is at war.
Warm, perceptive drama that slows down towards the end as the boy matures.
Dir: Robert Mulligan
Stars: Jennifer O'Neill, Gary Grimes, Jerry Houser
SUMMER RENTAL
1985
0
A chubby man and his family hit the beach for a holiday.
Lightweight comedy for a heavyweight star.
Dir: Carl Reiner
Stars: John Candy, Karen Austin, Rip Torn, Kerri Green
1982
*
A young American couple spend the summer on a Greek island and form a close bond with a beautiful French archaeologist.
You could almost say they don’t make films like this any more: a breezy, feather-light, sweet little drama in which almost nothing bad happens and nudity and ‘open relationships’ are not frowned upon or made out to be outlandish. It’s not exactly a good film – script and acting mean it could never be taken particularly seriously, and the cheesy ‘80s soundtrack cheapens it – but it certainly offers beautiful women and locations to gaze at, and makes you wish your life was a little more exciting.
Dir: Randal Kleiser
Stars: Peter Gallagher, Daryl Hannah, Valerie Quennessen
SUMMER NIGHT FEVER
1978
0
Two German boys head to Spain looking for ladies.
It could be said that no art is worthless because it reflects the time and place it was created in, and that could just about be said of this shapeless sexy farce that isn't in the slightest bit good but has an attractive vibe of hedonism and virility. Shame none of the English voice cast can pronounce 'Ibiza'.
Dir: Sigi Rothemund
Stars: Stephane Hillel, Olivia Pascal, Claus Obalski, Betty Verges
SUMMER OF ’42
1971
*
During the summer of '42, a young man falls in love with a woman whose husband is at war.
Warm, perceptive drama that slows down towards the end as the boy matures.
Dir: Robert Mulligan
Stars: Jennifer O'Neill, Gary Grimes, Jerry Houser
SUMMER RENTAL
1985
0
A chubby man and his family hit the beach for a holiday.
Lightweight comedy for a heavyweight star.
Dir: Carl Reiner
Stars: John Candy, Karen Austin, Rip Torn, Kerri Green
SUMMER WITH MONIKA
1953
**
A young couple's idyllic summer has a glummer postscript.
Bergman's breakthrough film celebrates youthful love - the best thing about existence - while retreating to more melancholy territory when it is not blooming; it makes its mark. The photography gleams at times, too.
Dir: Ingmar Bergman
Stars: Harriet Andersson, Lars Ekborg, Dagmar Ebbesen
SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY
1971
**
A young designer has an affair with both a woman and a male doctor.
Vividly realised drama that touches on subjects little discussed before in the cinema.
Dir: John Schlesinger
Stars: Peter Finch, Glenda Jackson, Murray Head, Peggy Ashcroft, Maurice Denham
SUNDOWN - THE VAMPIRE IN RETREAT
1990
0
Reclusive vampires in a quiet American town are disturbed by the arrival of a descendant of Van Helsing.
A wild mix of comedy, horror and western genres that has some cheery ideas if no overall consistency.
Dir: Anthony Hickox
Stars: David Carradine, Morgan Brittany, Bruce Campbell
THE SUNDOWNERS
1960
*
In the early 20th century, a family travel across Australia looking for work.
A film that may have resonated with many at the time but now seems a bit dawdly and too easy-going; its frames are filled with splendour, the action within them is sometimes not as arresting. The sort of thing that pops up on Sunday afternoon telly and might make a pleasant thing to have on to dip into occasionally.
Dir: Fred Zinnemann
Stars: Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, Peter Ustinov, Glynis Johns
SUNRISE
1927
***
An unfaithful husband plans to drown his wife.
Considered one of the greats of its era, this simple, measured melodrama has lasted fairly well but is dramatically most effective in its brooding first half hour; the main attractions thereafter are the director’s extraordinary innovations, including cross-fades, smooth tracking shots and clever montages, plus the film’s remarkable visual sense, particularly its contrast of city and countryside, which is linked by a dreamlike tram journey.
Dir: F W Murnau
Stars: Janet Gaynor, George O’Brien, Margaret Livingston
SUNSET BOULEVARD
1950
***
A screenwriter pens a screenplay for a former silent film star who has faded into obscurity.
Wickedly observed melodrama full of spiky asides and rich performances, one of Hollywood's most mesmerising gazes at itself.
Dir: Billy Wilder
Stars: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson
THE SUNSHINE BOYS
1975
*
Two vaudeville comedians are reunited for a TV special, but they hate one another.
Most Neil Simon comedies don't age too well, and this is no exception, if only because it totally fails to escape its stage origins. But the stars are good value and the sequence where they perform their sketch is still a valuable exercise in timing and wit.
Dir: Herbert Ross
Stars: Walter Matthau, George Burns, Richard Benjamin, Lee Meredith
THE SUNSHINE BOYS
1996 (TV)
0
A film agent attempts to reunite a comedy duo.
Dire remake of Paul Simon's 1975 movie, mainly handicapped by Falk's incredibly irritating and unfunny performance.
Dir: John Erman
Stars: Woody Allen, Peter Falk, Michael McKean, Liev Schreiber, Sarah Jessica Parker
SUNTAN
2016
****
An unhappy middle-aged doctor is posted to a Greek island where he meets a hedonistic group of young people, one of which he falls for.
The kind of film that puritanical, emotionally stunted Hollywood - and probably even the rest of Western Europe - is not capable of making nowadays, a searingly human drama about unrequited love, the consequences of ageing, and the depths to which a human can sink when failure and rejection become commonplace. Casually erotic, superbly acted by the lead (his character has to plummet to excruciating depths) and unnervingly accurate in whatever scene it turns its eye to, it dares to tell a story that is as dark as we all are beneath our exteriors, and it triumphs.
Dir: Argyris Papadimitropoulos
Stars: Makis Papadimitriou, Elli Tringou, Dimi Hart, Hara Kotsali
SUPER
2010
**
An ordinary man turns superhero when his wife is taken by a drug dealer.
Appealingly twisted comedy drama not too far removed from Kick-Ass but even more brutal; the tone is a little uneven but it's full of bright ideas and tangy elements, including Ellen Page as a hilariously psychotic costumed crimefighter.
Dir: James Gunn
Stars: Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon
SUPER BITCH
1973
0
A London escort agency becomes a hotbed of international espionage.
Loopy Anglo-Italian spy stuff set in a travelogue London, it features a couple of sex scenes with Beacham that were later heavily promoted on the video packaging. Fans of mid-Seventies exploitation may get something out of it, but the plot verges on indecipherable.
Dir: Massimo Dallamano
Stars: Stephanie Beacham, Ivan Rassimov, Patricia Hayes
SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY
1971
**
A young designer has an affair with both a woman and a male doctor.
Vividly realised drama that touches on subjects little discussed before in the cinema.
Dir: John Schlesinger
Stars: Peter Finch, Glenda Jackson, Murray Head, Peggy Ashcroft, Maurice Denham
SUNDOWN - THE VAMPIRE IN RETREAT
1990
0
Reclusive vampires in a quiet American town are disturbed by the arrival of a descendant of Van Helsing.
A wild mix of comedy, horror and western genres that has some cheery ideas if no overall consistency.
Dir: Anthony Hickox
Stars: David Carradine, Morgan Brittany, Bruce Campbell
THE SUNDOWNERS
1960
*
In the early 20th century, a family travel across Australia looking for work.
A film that may have resonated with many at the time but now seems a bit dawdly and too easy-going; its frames are filled with splendour, the action within them is sometimes not as arresting. The sort of thing that pops up on Sunday afternoon telly and might make a pleasant thing to have on to dip into occasionally.
Dir: Fred Zinnemann
Stars: Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, Peter Ustinov, Glynis Johns
SUNRISE
1927
***
An unfaithful husband plans to drown his wife.
Considered one of the greats of its era, this simple, measured melodrama has lasted fairly well but is dramatically most effective in its brooding first half hour; the main attractions thereafter are the director’s extraordinary innovations, including cross-fades, smooth tracking shots and clever montages, plus the film’s remarkable visual sense, particularly its contrast of city and countryside, which is linked by a dreamlike tram journey.
Dir: F W Murnau
Stars: Janet Gaynor, George O’Brien, Margaret Livingston
SUNSET BOULEVARD
1950
***
A screenwriter pens a screenplay for a former silent film star who has faded into obscurity.
Wickedly observed melodrama full of spiky asides and rich performances, one of Hollywood's most mesmerising gazes at itself.
Dir: Billy Wilder
Stars: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson
THE SUNSHINE BOYS
1975
*
Two vaudeville comedians are reunited for a TV special, but they hate one another.
Most Neil Simon comedies don't age too well, and this is no exception, if only because it totally fails to escape its stage origins. But the stars are good value and the sequence where they perform their sketch is still a valuable exercise in timing and wit.
Dir: Herbert Ross
Stars: Walter Matthau, George Burns, Richard Benjamin, Lee Meredith
THE SUNSHINE BOYS
1996 (TV)
0
A film agent attempts to reunite a comedy duo.
Dire remake of Paul Simon's 1975 movie, mainly handicapped by Falk's incredibly irritating and unfunny performance.
Dir: John Erman
Stars: Woody Allen, Peter Falk, Michael McKean, Liev Schreiber, Sarah Jessica Parker
SUNTAN
2016
****
An unhappy middle-aged doctor is posted to a Greek island where he meets a hedonistic group of young people, one of which he falls for.
The kind of film that puritanical, emotionally stunted Hollywood - and probably even the rest of Western Europe - is not capable of making nowadays, a searingly human drama about unrequited love, the consequences of ageing, and the depths to which a human can sink when failure and rejection become commonplace. Casually erotic, superbly acted by the lead (his character has to plummet to excruciating depths) and unnervingly accurate in whatever scene it turns its eye to, it dares to tell a story that is as dark as we all are beneath our exteriors, and it triumphs.
Dir: Argyris Papadimitropoulos
Stars: Makis Papadimitriou, Elli Tringou, Dimi Hart, Hara Kotsali
SUPER
2010
**
An ordinary man turns superhero when his wife is taken by a drug dealer.
Appealingly twisted comedy drama not too far removed from Kick-Ass but even more brutal; the tone is a little uneven but it's full of bright ideas and tangy elements, including Ellen Page as a hilariously psychotic costumed crimefighter.
Dir: James Gunn
Stars: Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon
SUPER BITCH
1973
0
A London escort agency becomes a hotbed of international espionage.
Loopy Anglo-Italian spy stuff set in a travelogue London, it features a couple of sex scenes with Beacham that were later heavily promoted on the video packaging. Fans of mid-Seventies exploitation may get something out of it, but the plot verges on indecipherable.
Dir: Massimo Dallamano
Stars: Stephanie Beacham, Ivan Rassimov, Patricia Hayes
SUPER FLY
1972
*
The life of a New York cocaine dealer.
This movie often gets a free pass on the issue of morality and possibly that's okay because it's only a movie, as John Brosnan used to say: lauded in some circles for its portrayal of the 'black experience', that is its main selling point as from most critical perspectives it's just not much of an achiever in terms of story, acting or direction. At least one great song on the soundtrack elevates it, and the street photography does give it a real tang of authenticity and sense of place.
Dir: Gordon Parks Jr
Stars: Ron O'Neal, Carl Lee, Sheila Frazier
SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY
2024
**
Documentary about the Superman actor who found fame and then had a terrible horse-riding accident which changed his life.
A man worth making a film about, and a film worth watching for those with any interest in him, movie superheroes, or paraplegia; with its back-and-forth narrative, it covers both the triumphs and tragedy of Reeve's life, with a small hint of his misdemeanours, a good deal on the importance of family and a bit about his political activism. It's likely to move most viewers to tears, and the sadness doesn't end after Reeves dies. It's a shame the makers didn't decide to make it a PG - that might have felt more in keeping with its general tone.
Dir: Ian Bonhote, Peter Ettedgui
THE SUPER SECRET SERVICE
1953
*
Detectives investigate crime - in a manner of speaking.
Very rough, Goons-like shenanigans with plenty of dressing up and many lines typical of its co-writer Spike Milligan. This short was rediscovered by Talking Pictures TV in 2025, so we are grateful for that, even if it no longer amuses that much - it's more interesting as an early demonstration of Sellers' versatility, and a demonstration of where British absurdist comedy was at the time.
Dir: Charles W Green
Stars: Peter Sellers, Graham Stark, Dick Emery, Raymond Francis
SUPER SIZE ME
2004
**
Documentary about what eating McDonald's food for an entire month can do to you.
Accessible, highly successful treatise on obesity which manages to be likeable rather than hectoring and presents frightening facts that made the fast food companies take action. You'd imagine that eating any single foodstuff for one month wouldn't do you much good - but you can't turn off until you see what the diet will eventually do to Spurlock.
Dir/Stars: Morgan Spurlock
SUPER SIZE ME 2: HOLY CHICKEN!
2017
*
Campaigner and filmmaker Spurlock opens his own fast food restaurant.
A less zeitgeist-y sequel concentrating on chicken sandwiches, which are now apparently more popular than beef burgers - this means much smaller animals are killed but, boy, it means a lot of them are. There's some good stuff about how the language and imagery used by outlets to sell their products is cynical and manipulative, and when his restaurant finally opens it's a curious exhibition of somewhat conflicted customers. The fried, sorry crispy, chicken still looks tasty after all the negative publicity he gives it - a bit like Spurlock himself, who has surface charm but perhaps has some unattractive traits underneath.
Dir/Stars: Morgan Spurlock
SUPERCHICK
1973
0
An airline stewardess who is a kung fu expert has different men in different US cities.
Scatterbrain hogwash with priceless moments of technical inanity and no proper plot. You'd almost think it was a modern-day spoof of Seventies cheese.
Dir: Ed Forsyth
Stars: Joyce Jillson, Louis Quinn, Thomas Reardon, John Carradine
SUPERGIRL
1984
0
Supergirl must retrieve the power source vital to save her world.
Weedy, misfiring fantasy which demonstrates the maxim that female superheroes are never as successful as male ones, whether on screen or the printed page.
Dir: Jeannot Szwarc
Stars: Helen Slater, Faye Dunaway, Peter O'Toole, Mia Farrow, Brenda Vaccaro, Peter Cook
THE SUPERGRASS
1986
**
A man only wants to holiday with a girl but gets involved with organised crime instead.
Broad comedy from The Comic Strip Presents stable, who offered up material of wildly varying quality on Channel 4. This is one of their better efforts, a convoluted farce which makes good use of the talents available as well as the English countryside.
Dir: Peter Richardson
Stars: Adrian Edmondson, Jennifer Saunders, Peter Richardson, Robbie Coltrane, Nigel Planer, Keith Allen, Dawn French, Alexei Sayle
SUPERMAN
1948 (serial)
*
Shortly after he moves to Metropolis, Clark Kent and his alter ego face the menace of the Spider Lady.
Siegel and Shuster's superhero arrived on the big screen in the shape of this 15-episode serial, not crediting Alyn, instead just listing 'Superman', and having him battle a not-very-good, non-superpowered crim with a spider's web that electrocutes. Perhaps the first few episodes are best, as they tell a version of the origin story: after that it's standard goodies vs baddies knockabout stuff, so you'll get, for instance, suited and hatted gangsters trapping Lois Lane in a car that is about to go off a mountain. Supes' flying sequences are represented by an animated character - you wonder whether even the young viewers of the time could suspend their disbelief. Worth seeing for Superman movie completists, it's basic, repetitive, digestible fun with various cliches present and correct.
Dir: Spencer Gordon Bennet, Thomas Carr
Stars: Kirk Alyn, Noel Neill, Tommy Bond, Carol Forman
SUPERMAN
1978
**
An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he becomes the most powerful man on the planet.
In some ways time has improved this film of one of the world's biggest comic strip characters (even though special effects have moved on considerably) as one can appreciate the definitive portrayal of the man himself along with great turns by Hackman and Kidder. It's hard not to be swept up by its feeling of awe and wonder, and in a sense it feels like a classic without actually being one: it has an extremely unusual structure, which means that it's absolutely ages before the main plot is cranked into action and when it does arrive, it doesn't last long.
Dir: Richard Donner
Stars: Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Valerie Perrine, Susannah York, Trevor Howard
SUPERMAN II
1980
***
Superman faces the might of three super villains from his home planet, Krypton.
Spiffing sequel which remains the best Superman movie of all because it presents the Man of Steel with a series of extreme challenges, including super villains that can match his own power. Almost every sequence has some lovely touch or other but it’s a shame that both the visual effects and physical effects now look distinctly under par. In 2006 a version of the film was released purporting to be the Richard Donner cut: it's an interesting watch (and the stories behind the Superman movies are utterly fascinating), but can't be judged as a 'proper' film as it's a bit of a ragbag of various scenes, some not intended for use, some directed by Lester, some clearly not complete. The original remains the preferable version.
Dir: Richard Lester
Stars: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas, Jack O'Halloran, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Valerie Perrine
SUPERMAN III
1983
**
Superman is split into a good self and an evil self by a ruthless businessman.
A step down from its predecessor but still a highly coloured and good-humoured yarn that serves up plenty of gags, funny lines and action highlights, including Clark Kent's battle with his evil self in the scrap yard and Superman's climactic battle with the super computer. Yes, it's ludicrous, yes, the special effects are awful, but this is from an era when superhero films were fun and didn't have inappropriate and tiresome hang-ups.
Dir: Richard Lester
Stars: Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Robert Vaughn, Pamela Stephenson, Annette O'Toole, Annie Ross, Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper
SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE
1987
0
Superman battles Nuclear Man, a creation of Lex Luthor.
Vaguely political, thinly characterised entry dissipated by flimsy special effects.
Dir: Sidney J Furie
Stars: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Mark Pillow, Mariel Hemingway, Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper, Sam Wanamaker
SUPERMAN
1978
**
An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he becomes the most powerful man on the planet.
In some ways time has improved this film of one of the world's biggest comic strip characters (even though special effects have moved on considerably) as one can appreciate the definitive portrayal of the man himself along with great turns by Hackman and Kidder. It's hard not to be swept up by its feeling of awe and wonder, and in a sense it feels like a classic without actually being one: it has an extremely unusual structure, which means that it's absolutely ages before the main plot is cranked into action and when it does arrive, it doesn't last long.
Dir: Richard Donner
Stars: Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Valerie Perrine, Susannah York, Trevor Howard
SUPERMAN II
1980
***
Superman faces the might of three super villains from his home planet, Krypton.
Spiffing sequel which remains the best Superman movie of all because it presents the Man of Steel with a series of extreme challenges, including super villains that can match his own power. Almost every sequence has some lovely touch or other but it’s a shame that both the visual effects and physical effects now look distinctly under par. In 2006 a version of the film was released purporting to be the Richard Donner cut: it's an interesting watch (and the stories behind the Superman movies are utterly fascinating), but can't be judged as a 'proper' film as it's a bit of a ragbag of various scenes, some not intended for use, some directed by Lester, some clearly not complete. The original remains the preferable version.
Dir: Richard Lester
Stars: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas, Jack O'Halloran, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Valerie Perrine
SUPERMAN III
1983
**
Superman is split into a good self and an evil self by a ruthless businessman.
A step down from its predecessor but still a highly coloured and good-humoured yarn that serves up plenty of gags, funny lines and action highlights, including Clark Kent's battle with his evil self in the scrap yard and Superman's climactic battle with the super computer. Yes, it's ludicrous, yes, the special effects are awful, but this is from an era when superhero films were fun and didn't have inappropriate and tiresome hang-ups.
Dir: Richard Lester
Stars: Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Robert Vaughn, Pamela Stephenson, Annette O'Toole, Annie Ross, Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper
SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE
1987
0
Superman battles Nuclear Man, a creation of Lex Luthor.
Vaguely political, thinly characterised entry dissipated by flimsy special effects.
Dir: Sidney J Furie
Stars: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Mark Pillow, Mariel Hemingway, Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper, Sam Wanamaker
SUPERMAN
2025
*
Superman gets involved in a foreign war that Lex Luthor is helping stoke.
One of the better takes on the character, this mixes heavy-duty CGI action with reasonably intelligent takes on the state of the world, from social media to overseas conflicts. It has the director's imprint all over it, hence the tone changes a lot, while the varied cast of absurdly powered, physics-defying characters probably offers something for everyone - Fillion's Green Lantern may be the pick (there might be too much Superdog for some). Brisk, expensive, expansive Hollywood entertainment, thankfully shorn of the origin story.
Dir: James Gunn
Stars: David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan, Nathan Fillion
SUPERMAN AND THE MOLE-MEN
1951
0
Superman intervenes when drilling into the Earth's core leads to strange 'mole-men' coming to the surface.
It's probably best not to think of this as a Superman film, more of a typical 1950s sci-fi movie concerning the fear of 'others' in a small American town, and it's not actually too bad: Reeves equips himself quite well, the plot is compact and everyone tries hard. But it's very much a small fry film and don't expect to see too much of Supes - he doesn't show up for 24 minutes and isn't in it that much after that.
Dir: Lee Sholem
Stars: George Reeves, Phyllis Coates, Jeff Corey
SUPERMAN RETURNS
2006
*
After five years away, the Man of Steel comes back to trouble, mainly with Lois Lane and Lex Luthor.
Flawed, overwrought blockbuster with some nice lines and ideas but too much solemnity, romance, CGI, trauma and running time. The plot just isn't a natural goer.
Dir: Bryan Singer
Stars: Brendan Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Parker Posey, Frank Langella, Eva Marie Saint
THE SUPERNATURALS
1987
0
A squad of soldiers encounter living corpses who were once in the military.
Just another zombie movie.
Dir: Armand Mastroianni
Stars: Nichelle Nichols, Maxwell Caulfield, Talia Balsam
SUPERSONIC
2016
**
Documentary about rock group Oasis, from their origins to their sell-out gigs at Knebworth in 1996.
Brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher are extensive voice-only contributors to this enjoyable film about one of the best bands of the era - they would say the best, and their sweary arrogance is one of the off-putting features of it. But there's no denying that they're often very funny and this, plus the music and the capturing of the times through extensive original footage, makes it a vital watch for fans. It stops before they began their decline, happy to concentrate on the glories only. Following screenings in cinemas there was a live Q&A featuring the director and a predictably in-character, indiscreet Liam - it rounded off a good evening out.
Dir: Mat Whitecross
SUPERSONIC SAUCER
1956
0
A strange little alien arrives in England where it is cared for by some schoolchildren.
This CFF forerunner of ET has a few charms for those in forgiving mood, but it's not a massively interesting film or one that much can be written about; there's some basic animation and the action can be repetitive.
Dir: Guy Fergusson
Stars: Marcia Monolescue, Gillian Harrison, Fella Edmonds
SUPERSTITION
1982
0
A witch apparently haunts a house new folk move into.
Plot-light horror with killings that range from the hilarious to the horrid; all in all, not remarkable.
Dir: James W Roberson
Stars: James Houghton, Albert Salmi, Lynn Carlin
SURVEILLANCE
2008
0
Two FBI agents investigate a killing in a strange remote place.
A pretty hateful slice of cinema that perhaps suggests that David Lynch's daughter is even more messed up than he is - this is a deeply unpleasant, nihilistic drama replete with loathsome characters who say and do awful things, and the director seems to revel in it. After a short while you grow beyond tired of the language, the attitudes, the violence, which are all foul - like DePalma's Scarface, it makes the world a slightly worse place.
Dir: Jennifer Lynch
Stars: Julia Ormond, Bill Pullman, Pell JamesSURVIVAL RUN
1980
0
Teenagers lost in the desert are pursued by violent drug smugglers.
Boring thriller in which the chase is a while in starting.
Dir: Larry Spiegel
Stars: Peter Graves, Ray Milland, Vincent Van Patten
THE SURVIVOR
1980
0
After a plane crash, a survivor appears to have gained psychic powers.
Showy, incoherent fantasy that could have been a half hour episode of The Twilight Zone.
Dir: David Hemmings
Stars: Robert Powell, Jenny Agutter, Joseph Cotten
THE SUSPECT
1944
*
In 1900s London, an unhappily married man is driven to murder.
Studio-set thriller which holds the attention but fails to sketch the characters in strongly enough.
Dir: Robert Siodmak
Stars: Charles Laughton, Ella Raines, Molly Lamont, Henry Daniell
SUSPECT
1960
0
A government scientist almost goes over to the other side.
A curious little picture, a low budget, small scale enterprise with an impressive cast made by the Boulting brothers just after I’m All Right Jack; it’s not a bad film but its dramatic thrust is weakened by its proliferation of characters and rapid switching between romance, espionage, comedy and suspense genres.
Dir: John Boulting, Roy Boulting
Stars: Tony Britton, Virginia Maskell, Peter Cushing, Ian Bannen, Kenneth Griffith, Thorley Walters, Donald Pleasence, Spike Milligan, Raymond Huntley
SUSPICION
1941
***
A woman suspects that her husband is trying to murder her.
Hitchcock's fourth American film was another huge success and found critical acclaim, although it is flawed, but interestingly so; the viewer watching it more than once would be forgiven for feeling it a little artificial, but an argument can also be made that it offers a careful psychological study of one young woman's neuroses. It's fairly enjoyable, and there are some lovely Hitchcock touches, but it's not part of the upper elite of the master's movies.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Cedric Hardwicke, Nigel Bruce, Dame May Whitty, Leo G Carroll
SUSPICION
1987 (TV)
*
An almost scene-for-scene remake that suffers from modernisation but is watchable enough despite the cast being shadows of their predecessors.
Dir: Andrew Grieve
Stars: Anthony Andrews, Jane Curtin, Michael Hordern, Jeremy Northam
SVENGALI
1931
*
A sinister hypnotist furthers the career of the singer he loves.
A bizarre lead performance keeps this rather boring tale afloat.
Dir: Archie Mayo
Stars: John Barrymore, Marian Marsh, Donald Crisp
SVENGALI
1954
0
A grotesque hypnotist builds a girl up to be a great singer but nearly wrecks her life.
Pictorially attractive remake that is dramatically dull and sentimental.
Dir: Noel Langley
Stars: Donald Wolfit, Hildegard Knef, Terence Morgan
SVENGALI
1983 (TV)
0
A coach turns a teenager singer into a national sensation...
...though it’s hard to see why by the standard of the songs. All together, an absurd modernisation.
Dir: Anthony Harvey
Stars: Peter O'Toole, Jodie Foster, Elizabeth Ashley
SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS
1974
*
Youngsters spend idyllic days in the Lake District.
Mild children's adventure, almost as inoffensive and uneventful as the book, it offers a pleasant display of beautiful scenery and childhood innocence. It may be too placid for youthful audiences today, and some of the performances are pretty amateurish, but there aren’t many other modern British films that are as sweet-natured as this one (twee, some might say).
Dir: Claude Whatham
Stars: Virginia McKenna, Ronald Fraser, Simon West, Suzanna Hamilton
SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS
2016
**
A superior version of Ransome's book that soups things up with an espionage subplot, which actually works quite well - without it the young audience of today may have not found enough to keep them occupied. But what this likeable film does well is demonstrate the joys of a summer spent outside, and the natural pursuits that children can get up to, without seeming anodyne. Lovely to look at and nicely played by all, it's a smartly balanced picture that should find an audience for many years to come.
Dir: Philippa Lowthorpe
Stars: Rafe Spall, Kelly Macdonald, Andrew Scott, Dane Hughes
SWAMP THING
1982
0
An accident causes a research scientist to become a big green monster.
Cheapie runaround with repetitive action.
Dir: Wes Craven
Stars: Adrienne Barbeau, Louis Jourdan, Dick Durock
THE SWARM
1978
0
African killer bees sting their way through America.
Thanks to TV movies, the plot was already familiar by the time this hit the silver screen, and risible dialogue didn't help; hence it was a huge flop. It’s not quite the disaster sometimes painted, but it does go on too long and the characters act in some strange ways.
Dir: Irwin Allen
Stars: Michael Caine, Katharine Ross, Richard Widmark, Richard Chamberlain, Olivia de Havilland, Henry Fonda
SWEDEN HEAVEN AND HELL
1968
**
Mondo documentary about the bright and dark sides of contemporary Swedish life. It includes: incest, alcoholism, drug abuse, nude sunbathing, contraception classes, suicide, attempted car theft, sauna usage, lesbians, biker gangs and much more.
Absurd but irresistible curio which is a mix of what might be true and what is clearly made up, given that unique mondo flavour by its eccentric mix of items and not having anything on the soundtrack except the strange and sententious narrator (and some funky music). Intended for titillation at the time, these films have gained huge period value and deserve to be more widely available.
Dir: Luigi Scattini
Narrator: Edmund Purdom
SWEENEY!
1977
*
Tough cop Jack Regan is framed on a drink-drive charge and suspended from the force.
Movie version of the notable TV series mostly hits the targets; it now looks like a ’70s period piece.
Dir: David Wickes
Stars: John Thaw, Dennis Waterman, Barry Foster, Ian Bannen, Colin Welland, Diane Keen, Brian Glover
SWEENEY 2
1978
0
The Flying Squad come up against a band of villains who fly in from the Continent to do commit robberies.
This further look into the world of Regan and Carter is not only unattractive (the characters start swearing properly for the first time) but tedious, unlikely and overstretched.
Dir: Tom Clegg
Stars: John Thaw, Dennis Waterman, Denholm Elliott, Ken Hutchison
SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
1936
*
A demonic barber kills his customers and their bodies go to form the meat of a nearby pie shop.
Slaughter was the ideal choice to play the nasty hair-cutter, and this barnstormer is pretty well done. Pity he doesn't slit their throats first.
Dir: George King
Stars: Tod Slaughter, Bruce Seton, Stella Rho, John Singer
SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
2007
*
An adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's musical version of the tale.
The set designers, costume makers and visual technicians deserve most of the plaudits here, although the cast give it a damned good go - the script though, perhaps lacks zing and most of the songs seem like generic West End/Broadway show tunes, at least on first hearing. Handsome, bloody, busy, a little remote.
Dir: Tim Burton
Stars: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen
1980
0
Teenagers lost in the desert are pursued by violent drug smugglers.
Boring thriller in which the chase is a while in starting.
Dir: Larry Spiegel
Stars: Peter Graves, Ray Milland, Vincent Van Patten
THE SURVIVOR
1980
0
After a plane crash, a survivor appears to have gained psychic powers.
Showy, incoherent fantasy that could have been a half hour episode of The Twilight Zone.
Dir: David Hemmings
Stars: Robert Powell, Jenny Agutter, Joseph Cotten
THE SUSPECT
1944
*
In 1900s London, an unhappily married man is driven to murder.
Studio-set thriller which holds the attention but fails to sketch the characters in strongly enough.
Dir: Robert Siodmak
Stars: Charles Laughton, Ella Raines, Molly Lamont, Henry Daniell
SUSPECT
1960
0
A government scientist almost goes over to the other side.
A curious little picture, a low budget, small scale enterprise with an impressive cast made by the Boulting brothers just after I’m All Right Jack; it’s not a bad film but its dramatic thrust is weakened by its proliferation of characters and rapid switching between romance, espionage, comedy and suspense genres.
Dir: John Boulting, Roy Boulting
Stars: Tony Britton, Virginia Maskell, Peter Cushing, Ian Bannen, Kenneth Griffith, Thorley Walters, Donald Pleasence, Spike Milligan, Raymond Huntley
SUSPICION
1941
***
A woman suspects that her husband is trying to murder her.
Hitchcock's fourth American film was another huge success and found critical acclaim, although it is flawed, but interestingly so; the viewer watching it more than once would be forgiven for feeling it a little artificial, but an argument can also be made that it offers a careful psychological study of one young woman's neuroses. It's fairly enjoyable, and there are some lovely Hitchcock touches, but it's not part of the upper elite of the master's movies.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Cedric Hardwicke, Nigel Bruce, Dame May Whitty, Leo G Carroll
SUSPICION
1987 (TV)
*
An almost scene-for-scene remake that suffers from modernisation but is watchable enough despite the cast being shadows of their predecessors.
Dir: Andrew Grieve
Stars: Anthony Andrews, Jane Curtin, Michael Hordern, Jeremy Northam
SUSPIRIA
1976
*
A ballet student discovers that her new school is rather sinister.
One of the director’s best known films is a visceral shocker that forgoes a plot and instead serves up a series of screeching set pieces shot in an ostentatiously colourful style - it actually all appears extremely contrived and unsubtle. It's also irritating to watch in terms of sound: Goblin's score blares out at ear-splitting volume (ramming home to the audience that bad things are afoot) and then the dialogue is much quieter, requiring a lot of volume adjustment for those watching at home. Weird, wild stuff, difficult to connect to.
Dir: Dario Argento
Stars: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Udo Kier
SVENGALI
1931
*
A sinister hypnotist furthers the career of the singer he loves.
A bizarre lead performance keeps this rather boring tale afloat.
Dir: Archie Mayo
Stars: John Barrymore, Marian Marsh, Donald Crisp
SVENGALI
1954
0
A grotesque hypnotist builds a girl up to be a great singer but nearly wrecks her life.
Pictorially attractive remake that is dramatically dull and sentimental.
Dir: Noel Langley
Stars: Donald Wolfit, Hildegard Knef, Terence Morgan
SVENGALI
1983 (TV)
0
A coach turns a teenager singer into a national sensation...
...though it’s hard to see why by the standard of the songs. All together, an absurd modernisation.
Dir: Anthony Harvey
Stars: Peter O'Toole, Jodie Foster, Elizabeth Ashley
SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS
1974
*
Youngsters spend idyllic days in the Lake District.
Mild children's adventure, almost as inoffensive and uneventful as the book, it offers a pleasant display of beautiful scenery and childhood innocence. It may be too placid for youthful audiences today, and some of the performances are pretty amateurish, but there aren’t many other modern British films that are as sweet-natured as this one (twee, some might say).
Dir: Claude Whatham
Stars: Virginia McKenna, Ronald Fraser, Simon West, Suzanna Hamilton
SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS
2016
**
A superior version of Ransome's book that soups things up with an espionage subplot, which actually works quite well - without it the young audience of today may have not found enough to keep them occupied. But what this likeable film does well is demonstrate the joys of a summer spent outside, and the natural pursuits that children can get up to, without seeming anodyne. Lovely to look at and nicely played by all, it's a smartly balanced picture that should find an audience for many years to come.
Dir: Philippa Lowthorpe
Stars: Rafe Spall, Kelly Macdonald, Andrew Scott, Dane Hughes
SWAMP THING
1982
0
An accident causes a research scientist to become a big green monster.
Cheapie runaround with repetitive action.
Dir: Wes Craven
Stars: Adrienne Barbeau, Louis Jourdan, Dick Durock
THE SWARM
1978
0
African killer bees sting their way through America.
Thanks to TV movies, the plot was already familiar by the time this hit the silver screen, and risible dialogue didn't help; hence it was a huge flop. It’s not quite the disaster sometimes painted, but it does go on too long and the characters act in some strange ways.
Dir: Irwin Allen
Stars: Michael Caine, Katharine Ross, Richard Widmark, Richard Chamberlain, Olivia de Havilland, Henry Fonda
SWEDEN HEAVEN AND HELL
1968
**
Mondo documentary about the bright and dark sides of contemporary Swedish life. It includes: incest, alcoholism, drug abuse, nude sunbathing, contraception classes, suicide, attempted car theft, sauna usage, lesbians, biker gangs and much more.
Absurd but irresistible curio which is a mix of what might be true and what is clearly made up, given that unique mondo flavour by its eccentric mix of items and not having anything on the soundtrack except the strange and sententious narrator (and some funky music). Intended for titillation at the time, these films have gained huge period value and deserve to be more widely available.
Dir: Luigi Scattini
Narrator: Edmund Purdom
SWEENEY!
1977
*
Tough cop Jack Regan is framed on a drink-drive charge and suspended from the force.
Movie version of the notable TV series mostly hits the targets; it now looks like a ’70s period piece.
Dir: David Wickes
Stars: John Thaw, Dennis Waterman, Barry Foster, Ian Bannen, Colin Welland, Diane Keen, Brian Glover
SWEENEY 2
1978
0
The Flying Squad come up against a band of villains who fly in from the Continent to do commit robberies.
This further look into the world of Regan and Carter is not only unattractive (the characters start swearing properly for the first time) but tedious, unlikely and overstretched.
Dir: Tom Clegg
Stars: John Thaw, Dennis Waterman, Denholm Elliott, Ken Hutchison
SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
1936
*
A demonic barber kills his customers and their bodies go to form the meat of a nearby pie shop.
Slaughter was the ideal choice to play the nasty hair-cutter, and this barnstormer is pretty well done. Pity he doesn't slit their throats first.
Dir: George King
Stars: Tod Slaughter, Bruce Seton, Stella Rho, John Singer
SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
2007
*
An adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's musical version of the tale.
The set designers, costume makers and visual technicians deserve most of the plaudits here, although the cast give it a damned good go - the script though, perhaps lacks zing and most of the songs seem like generic West End/Broadway show tunes, at least on first hearing. Handsome, bloody, busy, a little remote.
Dir: Tim Burton
Stars: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen
SWEET AND LOWDOWN
1999
**
The life of a brilliant, eccentric, egotistical 1930s jazz guitarist who liked a drink.
Small-scale, quirky Allen pen portrait that often engages, it takes elements from former films like Take The Money And Run and Zelig and amalgamates them into something pleasingly original, while impeccably and warmly recreating the period and the jazz scene (it moves away from the harshness of Allen's previous two pictures). Nicely mounted, skilfully acted by the two leads in particular and often funny, with its subtle nods to the likes of La Strada and Rashomon it once again exhibits the intelligence of this consummate filmmaker.
Dir: Woody Allen
Stars: Sean Penn, Samantha Morton, Uma Thurman, Anthony LaPaglia, Gretchen Mol, Woody Allen
SWEET AND SAVAGE
1983
*
Mondo documentary featuring retribution in the Middle East, a stuntman plunging to his death, a paralysed woman catered to by a monkey, the killing of dolphins, nude photography, the massacre of ostriches, a man bathing with hippos, and much more.
The 'golden age' of mondos was over but we still had 'delights' like this, the usual crazy, often horrible hotch-potch that won't turn up on ITV any time soon. Most seems real, little bits are faked (why bother?), and by the end you've definitely had enough. The dubbing's quite funny, rather of its time.
Dir: Antonio Climati, Mario Morra
Narrator: Robert Sommer
SWEET AND SEXY
1970
0
A northerner comes to London in search of his sister who has become a high class prostitute.
Dismal no-budgeter full of unattractive people and long sequences of nothing happening. It could have told its feeble tale in ten minutes flat.
Dir: Anthony Sloman
Stars: Max Burns, Rose Alba, Robert Case
SWEET AND SEXY
1970
0
A northerner comes to London in search of his sister who has become a high class prostitute.
Dismal no-budgeter full of unattractive people and long sequences of nothing happening. It could have told its feeble tale in ten minutes flat.
Dir: Anthony Sloman
Stars: Max Burns, Rose Alba, Robert Case
THE SWEET HEREAFTER
1997
*
A lawyer visits a small town to represent families whose members have been killed in a bus crash.
Possibly the most serious film ever made, this ice-cold, overrated drama tackles a subject that could barely be more difficult, and many feel it does an excellent job. But the approach involves constantly flashing backwards and forwards, utilising scores of characters, and having an inconsistently-accented Holm distracted by his troubled daughter; it's ponderous, meandering, doesn't have especially sympathetic characters and leaves many questions at its conclusion. But it does have a distinct, chilly quality and intelligent minds behind it.
Dir: Atom Egoyan
Stars: Ian Holm, Sarah Polley, Caerthan Banks
SWEET LIBERTY
1986
0
A writer despairs when filmmakers mangle the adaptation of a book he has written.
Adequate comedy with some perceptive ideas.
Dir: Alan Alda
Stars: Alan Alda, Michael Caine, Michelle Pfeiffer, Bob Hoskins
SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS
1957
***
A press agent and a newspaper columnist plot to break a young couple up.
Top quality drama which didn’t get the recognition it deserved for many years - the dialogue crackles, the cinematography gleams and the lead performances are supreme. A great film.
Dir: Alexander Mackendrick
Stars: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison
SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAAD ASSSSS SONG
1971
0
A black gigolo goes on the run from cops after saving a Black Panther from them.
This bizarre, nasty, guerrilla-style film is considered one of the very first 'blaxploitation' movies and thus apparently worthy of plaudits - its style was certainly highly original for the time, and it does have a sort of crazy, angry energy. Everything-else wise though, it's lamentably done, poorly shot, scripted and acted - but when its (virtue-signalling?) fans have turned all its minuses into pluses, what can one say?
Dir: Melvin Van Peebles
Stars: Melvin Van Peebles, Hubert Scales, John Dullaghan
SWIMMING POOL
2003
**
An ageing female author goes to a French villa for some peace but is bothered by a promiscuous girl with secrets.
Slow-burning, well acted thriller with a conclusion that could either be seen as a cop-out or overloaded with confusion.
Dir: Francois Ozon
Stars: Charlotte Rampling, Ludivine Sagnier, Charles Dance
SWING TIME
1936
*
A gambler engaged to be married falls for a dance teacher.
Pleasant,
dated musical, probably one of the key Astaire-Rogers vehicles, if
without the plot complications of the best ones. The dancing's the thing.
Dir: George Stevens,
Stars: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore, Helen Broderick1996
*
A wannabe actor leaves his girlfriend and heads to LA to be a star.
Smart comic drama most enjoyed by those in the situation it portrays.
Dir: Doug Liman
Stars: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Ron Livingston, Heather Graham
SWISS MISS
1938
*
Stan and Ollie attempt to sell mousetraps to the Swiss, as the Swiss are keen on cheese.
Very much a big step down in quality from the boys' previous film, Way Out West, this has various problems including too much singing, stretches without Stan and Ollie (more than any of their films to this point) and no other familiar faces. It also barely has a plot, though that doesn't matter so much. Occasional bright spots include Stan's attempts to get the booze from the St Bernard - that dog is a fine actor - and the surreal sequence with the musical bubbles.
Dir: John G Blystone
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Grete Natzler, Walter Woolf King
THE SWORD AND THE SORCERER
1982
0
A mercenary rescues an imprisoned princess with the help of his three-bladed sword.
One of the early offerings of the '80s sword and sorcery craze (and the most pointedly named), with stocky doses of magic, humour and violence; but it hasn't lasted well and, despite some effective prosthetic effects, it's both cheesy and confusing.
Dir: Albert Pyun
Stars: Lee Horsley, Kathleen Beller, Simon MacCorkindale
THE SWORD IN THE STONE
1963
*
Merlin the Magician takes the future King Arthur under his wing.
Mildly disappointing cartoon feature with too many sequences that don't propel the narrative, some repetitiveness and no memorable characters to speak of.
Dir: Wolfgang Reitherman
Voices: Sebastian Cabot, Rickie Sorensen, Karl Swenson
SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST
1960
0
Robin Hood thwarts the sheriff of Nottingham's plans to confiscate some land.
Indifferent transfer to the big screen of a hit TV series, it has a somewhat muddled plot with too many characters, ensuring that there isn't that much for Robin's Merry Men to do - and when they do have sword fights it's never with dynamic choreography. Most of the cast is fine and it's bucolically enough shot in Ireland, but this isn't among Hammer's more notable pictures.
Dir: Terence Fisher
Stars: Richard Greene, Peter Cushing, Sarah Branch, Nigel Green, Oliver Reed, Derren Nesbitt
SWORD OF THE VALIANT
1984
0
A knight has to solve a riddle set by a supernatural figure.
An awful mess that must have spent most of its budget on Connery, this is limp in every way imaginable, with particularly feeble sword fights.
Dir: Stephen Weeks
Stars: Miles O'Keeffe, Sean Connery, Cyrielle Clair, Peter Cushing, Trevor Howard, Leigh Lawson
SWORDKILL
1984
0
A 400-year-old Samurai is thawed out in modern-day LA.
Fantasy parable similar to Iceman (qv), but a bit livelier; it might have been more interesting if more had been made of the Samurai's reactions to his new surroundings.
Dir: J Larry Carroll
Stars: Hiroshi Fujioka, Janet Julian, John Calvin
SYMPHONY OF LOVE
1978
0
A frustrated musician fantasises about sex all day.
There are no words (only music) in this film, and very few to describe it; 'strange and tedious erotic curio' will do. (Some of the stuff that goes on is astonishing, including Nazi fetishism, copulating horses and a cartoon Santa doing a dance with a naked girl.)
Dir: Derek Ford, Luigi Batzella
Stars: Enzo Monteduro, Karin Well
SYMPTOMS
1974
*
A strange young woman who lives in a remote country house invites a friend over, but her motives may not be pure.
Sensitive and well shot chiller which improves after an uneventful first half.
Dir: Joseph Larraz
Stars: Angela Pleasence, Mike Grady, Peter Vaughan, Lorna Heilbron
THE SYSTEM
1964
*
A group of young men have a 'system' in place in a seaside town that they use to seduce girls.
Not one for the likes of Suzanne Moore or Julie Bindel, this of-its-time drama benefits from quality cinematography (Nicolas Roeg was director of photography) and its valuable footage of Brits at home on holiday in the early Sixties; the plot is not unpredictable although it does illustrate the more promiscuous attitudes among the young that were coming in at the time, and some of the performers make a mark, particularly Reed. One of Winner's more worthwhile efforts.
Dir: Michael Winner
Stars: Oliver Reed, Jane Merrow, Barbara Ferris, Harry Andrews, John Alderton, David Hemmings
