1952
***
A group of men have to transport a truck full of unstable chemicals across the desert.
Carefully assembled suspenser with excellent atmosphere and characterisation, it paints a grim picture of human nature.
Dir: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Stars: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Folco Lulli
THE WAITERS
1969
0
Two useless waiters spoil a middle-class dinner party.
Hugely disappointing short: it’s not funny, it’s tedious, irritating and stupid, and even the camerawork is second-rate. Certainly not an obscure gem or anything like as pleasing as the star’s television show.
Dir: Jan Darnley-Smith
Stars: Benny Hill, David Battley, Arthur Hewlett, Pamela Cundell
WAITING…
2005
**
One day at a restaurant with severely dysfunctional staff.
For anyone who’s worked at one, this is a movie to see. Others may either enjoy the occasionally perceptive observations or find much of its humour too crude.
Dir: Rob McKittrick
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Anna Faris, Justin Long, Luis Guzman
WAKE IN FRIGHT
1971
**
A schoolteacher in the Australian outback seems unable to escape a remote town populated by heavy drinkers.
There are very few other films quite like this one, a strange, hard-to-categorise drama about an outsider who gets caught up in a male-dominated community whose main form of antagonism appears to be forcefully offering you a drink. It's an example of a people who, while they are white and speak English, appear completely alien; it's a disconcerting experience and - at times, notably the kangaroo killing - a pretty horrible one. It is, however, immaculately shot and edited, and in many ways one of Australia's most remarkable films, if a somewhat overlong one. Almost lost forever, in the early 20th century this fascinating but unlikeable movie was re-released in a beautifully restored version that showed its vibrant colours to full effect.
Dir: Ted Kotcheff
Stars: Gary Bond, Donald Pleasence, Chips Rafferty, Jack Thompson
WAKE ISLAND
1942
*
In the wake of Pearl Harbor, US soldiers defend a strategically important island from the Japanese.
Remarkable that it was made just months after the events it portrays, this is a competent war drama of a now familiar kind that sees some rattling battle scenes towards the end (though they hardly compare to certain later movies); it then ends quickly and slightly tragically.
Dir: John Farrow
Stars: Brian Donlevy, Robert Preston, Macdonald Carey, William Bendix
WAKE WOOD
2011
*
A couple whose daughter has died are given the chance of spending a final three days with her.
Not exactly what you’d call a film for couples to snuggle up with, thanks to its dead child storyline and close-ups of animals being cut open – in fact, a glum and unsettling experience generally: those who can handle its twisted nature may appreciate its originality and strangeness, plus its morbidly fitting denouement. Not a loveable film, but there are a thousand worse modern-day low-budget horrors.
Dir: David Keating
Stars: Eva Birthistle, Aidan Gillen, Timothy Spall
WALESA: MAN OF HOPE
2013
0
The story of Lech Walesa, the Polish dock worker who came to represent Eastern Europe's fight against communism.
Rather turgid biopic that fails to both present a compelling narrative and to show why Walesa was such a great man. Students of the era might find a few nuggets, and Wieckiewicz is impressive.
Dir: Andrzej Wajda
Stars: Robert Wieckiewicz, Agnieszka Grochowska, Iwona Bielska
A WALK IN THE WOODS
2015
**
Writer Bill Bryson decides to walk the testing Appalachian Trail.
Very easy-going, episodic, loose adaptation of Bryson's endearing book, not a film with any jeopardy or drama, but surprisingly likeable and funny, with gentle observations about ageing, nature and hiking; not one for the overly critical, one for those in a relaxed frame of mind and prepared for something different from the source material.
Dir: Ken Kwapis
Stars: Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, Emma Thompson, Mary Steenburgen
WALK THE LINE
2005
**
The life of country singer Johnny Cash, concentrating on the time he spent chasing his future wife, June Carter.
A biopic that stays firmly in PG13 territory when it could have told its tale in more full-blooded fashion with an R; the chief assets of the film are the two leads and their ability to sing Cash's songs with verisimilitude and gusto - other than that it's not remarkable, and viewers in the future may wonder why it garnered quite so much praise.
Dir: James Mangold
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Patrick, Ginnifer Goodwin
WALKABOUT
1971
**
A girl and her younger brother get stranded in the Australian outback.
Beautifully shot but rather dislikeable and alienating mystical drama that makes its obscure points over too long a running time.
Dir: Nicholas Roeg
Stars: Jenny Agutter, Luc Roeg, David Gumpilil
THE WALKING DEAD
1936
*
A doctor brings an executed criminal back to life.
Shadowy horror, not unpredictable, with Karloff largely soporific.
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Stars: Boris Karloff, Ricardo Cortez, Edmund Gwenn
WALL STREET
1989
**
A ruthless corporate trader takes a young stockbroker under his wing.
Powerful satire on ’80s materialism, with a barnstorming performance from Douglas. As good as it is, it’s possible that those who understand its intricacies may not go along with its damning attitude.
Dir: Oliver Stone
Stars: Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglas, Martin Sheen, Daryl Hannah, Terence Stamp, Sean Young, Hal Holbrook
WALLACE & GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT
2005
**
An enormous carrot-devouring rabbit threatens Wallace and Gromit's neighbourhood.
Wittily scripted animation that manages to be technically excellent without losing its rustic, old-English charm.
Dir: Steve Box, Nick Park
Voices: Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Peter Kay, Liz Smith
WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL
2024
**
Wallace invents a robotic garden gnome that develops a mind of its own.
A welcome long-awaited return for the loveable pair, this is pretty much on par with previous efforts, almost as inventive and witty, making ideal Christmas Day viewing when shown on BBC1 in 2024. The animation is remarkable, and it's also remarkable how much character they manage to get into Gromit and Feathers McGraw considering they don't speak and are lumps of Plasticine. Whitehead comfortably steps into the shoes of the late Peter Sallis and one wants more of him and less of the police.
Dir: Merlin Crossingham, Nick Park
Stars: Ben Whitehead, Peter Kay, Lauren Patel, Reece Shearsmith
WALL-E
2008
**
In the far future, a waste-collecting robot inadvertently becomes the saviour of mankind.
This immensely popular Pixar cartoon is, in its look and feel, quite different to any other film: the desolate planet Earth and the hi-tech spaceship environment are fantastically realised and the narrative takes risks, especially to begin with. The action ranges from the thoughtful and philosophical to the cute and bustling, and all it lacks is a sympathetic human element – it doesn’t quite feel like a wholly satisfying entertainment despite lots of neat ideas and its obvious technical proficiency.
Dir: Andrew Stanton
Voices: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Sigourney Weaver
WAL-MART: THE HIGH COST OF A LOW PRICE
2005
*
Documentary about the alleged misdemeanours of huge US shopping chain Wal-Mart.
Effectively 90 minutes of people complaining, this diatribe doth protesteth too much, and really goes off the sensible scale in the sections on parking lot crime, female workers and foreign labour usage. Sloppy and slanted.
Dir: Robert Greenwald
WALTER AND JUNE
1983 (TV)
*
A mentally retarded man falls in love.
A sequel to Walter, an emotional TV movie about the mistreatment of handicapped people. This is equally tough but important viewing that is carried by its remarkable lead performance.
Dir: Stephen Frears
Stars: Ian McKellen, Sarah Miles, Jim Broadbent
WALTZ OF THE TOREADORS
1962
*
An old general can't keep away from the ladies.
Quite an interesting drama with some dark shades; the bucolic, heavenly setting doesn't seem quite appropriate.
Dir: John Guillermin
Stars: Peter Sellers, Dany Robin, Margaret Leighton, Cyril Cusack, John Le Mesurier
WALTZ WITH BASHIR
2008
*
An ex soldier tries to recall details of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict he fought in back in 1982.
A worthy and original piece of filmmaking that combines fine animation with oral remembrances of wartime horrors; the plot is necessarily not a ‘proper’ plot and the film, predictably, offers little in the way of comfort – and is also a trifle difficult to empathise with - but technically it is a skilled achievement and was lauded as such.
Dir: Ali Folman
Voices: Ron Ben-Yishai, Ronny Dayag, Ali Folman
WALTZES FROM VIENNA
1933
0
Johann Strauss the Younger attempts to keep composing while working in a bakery.
The director’s self-confessed ‘lowest ebb’ is just that, a flimsy, cheap and stiff picture with barely a Hitchcockian touch in it, clearly made to pass the time. For the viewer it fails to pass the time in any enjoyable sense and seems a lot longer than it is.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Esmond Knight, Jessie Matthews, Edmund Gwenn, Fay Compton
WANDA
1970
**
A disconnected housewife takes up with a thief.
Low-fi, 'real' drama which takes an unexpected turn and runs with it, which interests; it also, probably unintentionally, amuses because the Higgins character is such an unbelievable heel and treats lovely, if blank, Loden terribly. With grainy photography, long takes and sometimes not much activity, it's one for the patient and fans of American independent cinema - often the same sort of people.
Dir: Barbara Loden
Stars: Barbara Loden, Michael Higgins, Dorothy Shupenes
WAR HORSE
2011
**
A horse goes into battle for the English in World War One.
Spielberg's professionalism shines through in many key sequences in what's a very solid, if slightly overlong, film for the intelligent family; beautifully shot, it may require you to buy into the sentiment (there will be many who do not) and accept a somewhat broken narrative, but it's a worthy and sometimes rewarding watch.
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, David Thewliss, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch
THE WAR OF THE ROSES
1988
*
A couple have a tumultuous relationship resulting in divorce.
Black-as-ink comedy painting an extremely bleak picture of marriage; the violence of the protagonists is weirdly entrancing.
Dir: Danny DeVito
Stars: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito
WAR OF THE SATELLITES
1958
*
Aliens attempt to stop humans from putting satellites in space.
Likeable little sci-fi that references one of the new technologies of the day and comes across a bit like a Star Trek episode with its extra-terrestrial intruder causing trouble on board an Earth spacecraft. Cheap and limited, but the likes of Devon, in the role of the villain, give good value.
Dir: Roger Corman
Stars: Dick Miller, Susan Cabot, Richard Devon
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
1952
**
Earth is attacked by alien invaders.
Vibrant and colourful sci-fi that is considerably more entertaining than Spielberg's version.
Dir: Byron Haskin
Stars: Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne
WAR OF THE WORLDS
2005
0
Big budget remake that tediously goes nowhere, providing only endless bad vibes, a bickering family and anonymous monsters.
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, Justin Chatwin
WARGAMES
1983
*
A teenager hacks into government computers and almost starts World War 3.
A movie which amusingly combined two different strands of '80s living, that of the nuclear threat and the growth in home computers; for that it's affectionately remembered and as a slice of drama it just about still stands up.
Dir: John Badham
Stars: Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, Dabney Coleman
WARLOCK
1988
*
A warlock is chased from the 16th century to the present day.
Imaginative, enthusiastic fantasy.
Dir: Steve Miner
Stars: Julian Sands, Lori Singer, Richard E Grant
WARP SPEED
1981 (TV)
0
A space crew mysteriously disappears.
Cheap sci-fi, stolid on the whole, with flashes of weirdness.
Dir: Allan Sandler
Stars: David Chandler, Camille Mitchell, Adam West
WARRIOR
2011
**
Two brothers with issues compete in a Mixed Martial Arts championship.
The structure of this sentimental drama could barely be more formulaic, and you’d run out of hands and toes if you tried to count the clichés, but it’s very well done – if you like this kind of thing. Probably of most interest to American audiences – thanks to its hokeyness and near-glorification of the rather vile MMA – it’s not exactly a pleasant couple of hours, the first being a lot of mumbled dialogue in darkness and the second violent scraps, but the performances are necessarily solid. Once again the BBFC prove they reside on another planet by awarding it just a 12 certificate.
Dir: Gavin O’Connor
Stars: Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison
THE WARRIOR AND THE SORCERESS
1984
0
A sword-wielding warrior battles evil on an alien planet.
Trashy sword and sorcery remake of Yojimbo which doesn't skimp on the topless women (including one with four breasts).
Dir: John C Broderick
Stars: David Carradine, Luke Askew, Maria Socas
WARRIOR QUEEN
1986
0
The last, sordid days of Pompeii.
Contemptible rubbish with virtually no plot, dialogue, acting or direction, only stock footage and primitive action. Amazingly bad.
Dir: Chuck Vincent
Stars: Sybil Danning, Donald Pleasence, Rick Hill
THE WARRIORS
1979
*
A gang is framed for the killing of a man who is trying to unite different gangs.
Action picture which has already dated badly; the warriors look about as scary as wet kippers.
Dir: Walter Hill
Stars: Michael Beck, James Remar, Dorsey Wright
THE WASHING MACHINE
1993
0
A detective investigates when a dead body is found in a washing machine.
Unbearable and pretentious thriller that makes precisely no sense.
Dir: Ruggero Deodato
Stars: Philippe Cairot, Ilaria Borrelli, Katarzyna Figura, Barbara Ricci
THE WASP WOMAN
1959
0
The head of a cosmetics company takes a serum from wasps to counter ageing, but it turns her into a bloodthirsty monster.
Most of this clinker’s action is people talking in offices, and most of it is padding: when the wasp woman finally emerges later on it’s something of a relief, but she looks laughable, despite being mainly shot in the dark. As ever with Corman, not quite as thrilling as the poster suggests.
Dir: Roger Corman
Stars: Susan Cabot, Fred Eisley, Barboura Morris
WATCH IT, SAILOR!
1961
0
A sailor about to marry his bride has problems with his mother-in-law.
Grim and angry farce that can’t escape its stage origins and merely consists of lots of stupid people shouting at each other; a dated and barely watchable film from the director of the chilling Village Of The Damned (qv).
Dir: Wolf Rilla
Stars: Marjorie Rhodes, Dennis Price, John Meillon, Graham Stark, Irene Handl, Liz Fraser, Vera Day, Frankie Howerd
WATCH ON THE RHINE
1943
*
A family escape the Nazis to America - or do they?
It will come as no surprise that this excessively verbose drama is based on a play, and a preachy one at that, as exemplified here by the sanctimonious Lukas character; it has quality but is rather heavy-going.
Dir: Herman Shumlin
Stars: Paul Lukas, Bette Davis, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Lucile Watson, George Coulouris
WATCH YOUR STERN
1960
*
A naval captain goes to extreme lengths to hoodwink his superior.
Considering the splendid cast, this is a slightly disappointing farce that for the most part is confined to a small cabin on a ship, although it does build up a reasonable head of comic steam after a sluggish start.
Dir: Gerald Thomas
Stars: Kenneth Connor, Eric Barker, Leslie Phillips, Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques, Sidney James, Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes, David Lodge
THE WATCHER
2000
*
A detective is plagued by a serial killer whom he is unable to catch.
Thriller that's a bit soggy at both ends but has an exciting hunt for an intended victim half way through.
Dir: Joe Charbanic
Stars: James Spader, Keanu Reeves, Marisa Tomei, Ernie Hudson
THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS
1980
0
A family move into a country house and experience occult goings on.
Disney's attempt at a horror film simply doesn't work; the makers couldn't stop fiddling with it even after it was released.
Dir: John Hough
Stars: Bette Davis, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Kyle Richards, Ian Bannen
WATCHMEN
2009
*
In an alternate 1985, a group of superheroes reform after one of their number is murdered.
An indulgent mess, the product of a director who either doesn’t have the courage or the skill to do his own adaptation of the graphic novel; there are many good things in it, but they are buried deep in its immense length.
Dir: Zack Snyder
Stars: Jackie Earle Haley, Billy Crudup, Malin Akerman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Matthew Goode, Patrick Wilson
WATER
1985
*
A quiet Caribbean island is thrown into chaos when a source of natural mineral water is discovered there.
Hard working satirical comedy with a reliable cast.
Dir: Dick Clement
Stars: Michael Caine, Valerie Perrine, Brenda Vaccaro, Leonard Rossiter, Billy Connolly
WATERSHIP DOWN
1978
*
A pack of rabbits face many hazards after fleeing their warren.
As an animated movie judged by itself: not bad at all – a compelling story that tweaks the emotions. As an adaptation of one of the great works of children’s fiction, not so good: much of the material is excised (leaving a much more lightweight yarn), the rabbits are difficult to tell apart and the animation is rudimentary. Still, children clearly enjoy it, as evidenced by its numerous television appearances, although it is highly unsuitable for very young ones.
Dir: Martin Rosen
Voices: John Hurt, Richard Briers, Ralph Richardson, Zero Mostel, Simon Cadell, Roy Kinnear, Denholm Elliott, Hannah Gordon, Michael Hordern, Joss Ackland
WANTED
2008
*
An accountant discovers that he is in fact an accomplished assassin.
If this movie was a body, it would have no heart, it would have a partial brain, it would move at great speed and quite powerfully. Its owner would be confident while not caring too much if some undeniable eccentricities put others off.
Dir: Timur Bekmambetov
Stars: James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Terence Stamp
WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
2017
0
Caesar the ape seeks revenge.
For a review of this see the review of Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, because the exact same adjectives can be used. It's just such a dismal, humourless, angry dirge with no characters to like (presumably not content that the last one was grim enough, the director makes this one wintry).
Dir: Matt Reeves
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Andy Serkis, Steve Zahn
THE WAR GAME
1966
**
Docudrama about a nuclear attack on Britain.
Made by the BBC but then initially banned by them and then released theatrically and later watched enthusiastically by CND-type groups, this is an intriguing historical artifact which viewed today looks a lot like scaremongering - it certainly never makes the point that what you see is highly unlikely to happen because of the nuclear deterrent, because of mutually assured destruction (yet what would happen would be vastly worse than this). It mostly presents its fictional scenario as if it was fact, and it mildly mocks the woman who says this will never happen - well, it turns out she was right. Still, definitely worth a watch for people who think/have interest in post-war Britain.
Dir: Peter Watkins
1966
**
Docudrama about a nuclear attack on Britain.
Made by the BBC but then initially banned by them and then released theatrically and later watched enthusiastically by CND-type groups, this is an intriguing historical artifact which viewed today looks a lot like scaremongering - it certainly never makes the point that what you see is highly unlikely to happen because of the nuclear deterrent, because of mutually assured destruction (yet what would happen would be vastly worse than this). It mostly presents its fictional scenario as if it was fact, and it mildly mocks the woman who says this will never happen - well, it turns out she was right. Still, definitely worth a watch for people who think/have interest in post-war Britain.
Dir: Peter Watkins
WAR HORSE
2011
**
A horse goes into battle for the English in World War One.
Spielberg's professionalism shines through in many key sequences in what's a very solid, if slightly overlong, film for the intelligent family; beautifully shot, it may require you to buy into the sentiment (there will be many who do not) and accept a somewhat broken narrative, but it's a worthy and sometimes rewarding watch.
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, David Thewliss, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch
THE WAR OF THE ROSES
1988
*
A couple have a tumultuous relationship resulting in divorce.
Black-as-ink comedy painting an extremely bleak picture of marriage; the violence of the protagonists is weirdly entrancing.
Dir: Danny DeVito
Stars: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito
WAR OF THE SATELLITES
1958
*
Aliens attempt to stop humans from putting satellites in space.
Likeable little sci-fi that references one of the new technologies of the day and comes across a bit like a Star Trek episode with its extra-terrestrial intruder causing trouble on board an Earth spacecraft. Cheap and limited, but the likes of Devon, in the role of the villain, give good value.
Dir: Roger Corman
Stars: Dick Miller, Susan Cabot, Richard Devon
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
1952
**
Earth is attacked by alien invaders.
Vibrant and colourful sci-fi that is considerably more entertaining than Spielberg's version.
Dir: Byron Haskin
Stars: Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne
WAR OF THE WORLDS
2005
0
Big budget remake that tediously goes nowhere, providing only endless bad vibes, a bickering family and anonymous monsters.
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, Justin Chatwin
WARGAMES
1983
*
A teenager hacks into government computers and almost starts World War 3.
A movie which amusingly combined two different strands of '80s living, that of the nuclear threat and the growth in home computers; for that it's affectionately remembered and as a slice of drama it just about still stands up.
Dir: John Badham
Stars: Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, Dabney Coleman
WARLOCK
1988
*
A warlock is chased from the 16th century to the present day.
Imaginative, enthusiastic fantasy.
Dir: Steve Miner
Stars: Julian Sands, Lori Singer, Richard E Grant
WARLORDS OF ATLANTIS
1978
0
A professor and a ship's crew search come across the lost world of Atlantis.
Seemingly the nine hundredth lost world movie director Connor and star McClure made (actually the fourth), this is ramshackle baloney that throws as much at you as it can, especially monsters, and rattles along totally not worried that there's barely a plot or logic. It's cosy fun: the diving bell the merry men frequent is like a mother's womb that protects them from the nasty world.
Dir: Kevin Connor
Stars: Doug McClure, Peter Gilmore, Shane Rimmer, Lea Brodie, Daniel Massey, Cyd Charisse
WARP SPEED
1981 (TV)
0
A space crew mysteriously disappears.
Cheap sci-fi, stolid on the whole, with flashes of weirdness.
Dir: Allan Sandler
Stars: David Chandler, Camille Mitchell, Adam West
WARRIOR
2011
**
Two brothers with issues compete in a Mixed Martial Arts championship.
The structure of this sentimental drama could barely be more formulaic, and you’d run out of hands and toes if you tried to count the clichés, but it’s very well done – if you like this kind of thing. Probably of most interest to American audiences – thanks to its hokeyness and near-glorification of the rather vile MMA – it’s not exactly a pleasant couple of hours, the first being a lot of mumbled dialogue in darkness and the second violent scraps, but the performances are necessarily solid. Once again the BBFC prove they reside on another planet by awarding it just a 12 certificate.
Dir: Gavin O’Connor
Stars: Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison
THE WARRIOR AND THE SORCERESS
1984
0
A sword-wielding warrior battles evil on an alien planet.
Trashy sword and sorcery remake of Yojimbo which doesn't skimp on the topless women (including one with four breasts).
Dir: John C Broderick
Stars: David Carradine, Luke Askew, Maria Socas
WARRIOR QUEEN
1986
0
The last, sordid days of Pompeii.
Contemptible rubbish with virtually no plot, dialogue, acting or direction, only stock footage and primitive action. Amazingly bad.
Dir: Chuck Vincent
Stars: Sybil Danning, Donald Pleasence, Rick Hill
THE WARRIORS
1979
*
A gang is framed for the killing of a man who is trying to unite different gangs.
Action picture which has already dated badly; the warriors look about as scary as wet kippers.
Dir: Walter Hill
Stars: Michael Beck, James Remar, Dorsey Wright
THE WASHING MACHINE
1993
0
A detective investigates when a dead body is found in a washing machine.
Unbearable and pretentious thriller that makes precisely no sense.
Dir: Ruggero Deodato
Stars: Philippe Cairot, Ilaria Borrelli, Katarzyna Figura, Barbara Ricci
THE WASP WOMAN
1959
0
The head of a cosmetics company takes a serum from wasps to counter ageing, but it turns her into a bloodthirsty monster.
Most of this clinker’s action is people talking in offices, and most of it is padding: when the wasp woman finally emerges later on it’s something of a relief, but she looks laughable, despite being mainly shot in the dark. As ever with Corman, not quite as thrilling as the poster suggests.
Dir: Roger Corman
Stars: Susan Cabot, Fred Eisley, Barboura Morris
WATCH IT, SAILOR!
1961
0
A sailor about to marry his bride has problems with his mother-in-law.
Grim and angry farce that can’t escape its stage origins and merely consists of lots of stupid people shouting at each other; a dated and barely watchable film from the director of the chilling Village Of The Damned (qv).
Dir: Wolf Rilla
Stars: Marjorie Rhodes, Dennis Price, John Meillon, Graham Stark, Irene Handl, Liz Fraser, Vera Day, Frankie Howerd
WATCH ON THE RHINE
1943
*
A family escape the Nazis to America - or do they?
It will come as no surprise that this excessively verbose drama is based on a play, and a preachy one at that, as exemplified here by the sanctimonious Lukas character; it has quality but is rather heavy-going.
Dir: Herman Shumlin
Stars: Paul Lukas, Bette Davis, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Lucile Watson, George Coulouris
WATCH YOUR STERN
1960
*
A naval captain goes to extreme lengths to hoodwink his superior.
Considering the splendid cast, this is a slightly disappointing farce that for the most part is confined to a small cabin on a ship, although it does build up a reasonable head of comic steam after a sluggish start.
Dir: Gerald Thomas
Stars: Kenneth Connor, Eric Barker, Leslie Phillips, Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques, Sidney James, Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes, David Lodge
THE WATCHER
2000
*
A detective is plagued by a serial killer whom he is unable to catch.
Thriller that's a bit soggy at both ends but has an exciting hunt for an intended victim half way through.
Dir: Joe Charbanic
Stars: James Spader, Keanu Reeves, Marisa Tomei, Ernie Hudson
THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS
1980
0
A family move into a country house and experience occult goings on.
Disney's attempt at a horror film simply doesn't work; the makers couldn't stop fiddling with it even after it was released.
Dir: John Hough
Stars: Bette Davis, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Kyle Richards, Ian Bannen
WATCHMEN
2009
*
In an alternate 1985, a group of superheroes reform after one of their number is murdered.
An indulgent mess, the product of a director who either doesn’t have the courage or the skill to do his own adaptation of the graphic novel; there are many good things in it, but they are buried deep in its immense length.
Dir: Zack Snyder
Stars: Jackie Earle Haley, Billy Crudup, Malin Akerman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Matthew Goode, Patrick Wilson
WATER
1985
*
A quiet Caribbean island is thrown into chaos when a source of natural mineral water is discovered there.
Hard working satirical comedy with a reliable cast.
Dir: Dick Clement
Stars: Michael Caine, Valerie Perrine, Brenda Vaccaro, Leonard Rossiter, Billy Connolly
WATERSHIP DOWN
1978
*
A pack of rabbits face many hazards after fleeing their warren.
As an animated movie judged by itself: not bad at all – a compelling story that tweaks the emotions. As an adaptation of one of the great works of children’s fiction, not so good: much of the material is excised (leaving a much more lightweight yarn), the rabbits are difficult to tell apart and the animation is rudimentary. Still, children clearly enjoy it, as evidenced by its numerous television appearances, although it is highly unsuitable for very young ones.
Dir: Martin Rosen
Voices: John Hurt, Richard Briers, Ralph Richardson, Zero Mostel, Simon Cadell, Roy Kinnear, Denholm Elliott, Hannah Gordon, Michael Hordern, Joss Ackland
WAVELENGTH
1967
0
The camera slowly zooms in on a picture of waves on a wall.
This famous (or infamous) avant-garde short prompts the following questions: were the editors of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die having a laugh when they included it? Did The Beatles get any money for the use of 'Strawberry Fields Forever' in it? (Almost certainly not.) Is it possible to avoid the temptation, when viewing it on YouTube, to watch it on a slightly faster speed? It is what it is: something between a film and a painting, and it'll likely provoke pro- and anti- opinions always, with the former picking various interpretations and the latter dismissing it as boring garbage.
Dir: Michael SnowWAVES OF LUST
1975
*
Could the guests on a yacht be planning to kill the cruel owner?
Alluring trash thriller whose script sadly can't match its talent for titillation; building suspense is neglected, motivation is barely there and the behaviour of the characters is not believable even by the standards of Italian exploitation. It is, however, a keen example of refreshing mid-Seventies sexual liberation, and is attractively shot mostly on a boat on a sunny sea.
Dir: Ruggero Deodato
Stars: Al Cliver, John Steiner, Silvia Dionisio, Elizabeth Turner
WAXWORK
1989
0
A wax museum owner uses his horror exhibits to unleash terror.
Cornball shocker which ends in an appropriately crazy, free-for-all fight.
Dir: Anthony Hickox
Stars: Zach Galligan, Patrick Macnee, David Warner, Miles O'Keeffe
THE WAY OF THE DRAGON
1973
**
A martial arts expert protects his relatives in Italy from a gang who are wrecking their restaurant trade.
Inspired vehicle for the awesome star here near his peak, this is a simple, powerful and brutally exciting thriller; the final showdown with Chuck Norris is perhaps the best martial arts fight ever put on screen.
Dir: Bruce Lee
Stars: Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Nora Miao
WAY OUT WEST
1937
****
Stan and Ollie head West to deliver a deed to young lady, but get the wrong one.
Laurel and Hardy's finest hour has little bits of everything that made them the world's most loved clowns: there's charming song and dance numbers, Ollie flirting with the ladies, Finlayson's stupendous double-takes, Stan's uncontrollable hysterics, surreal gags, running gags, brilliant dialogue and more. Not a second is wasted.
Dir: James W Horne
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Sharon Lynn
THE WAY TO THE STARS
1945
***
Life at a bomber base during the Battle of Britain.
A remarkable if tragic period of history valuably transcribed, the film’s candid wit and understated tragedy and romance make it a very special experience, one to be treasured.
Dir: Anthony Asquith
Stars: Michael Redgrave, John Mills, Rosamund John, Stanley Holloway, Felix Aylmer, Basil Radford, Trevor Howard, Jean Simmons
WAYNE’S WORLD
1992
*
Two friends promote their public-access TV show.
At the time it seemed like a cinematic breath of fresh air, a Hellzapoppin for the '90s, but this zany comedy has not worn especially well thanks to a slew of similar productions.
Dir: Penelope Spheeris
Stars: Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere
WE ARE THE FLESH
2016
*
A homeless brother and sister are forced to do terrible things by a strange man who takes them in.
'This is not your average party' says a character in this bizarre odyssey, and he's right - there aren't many films as depraved, weird and obtuse as this Mexican madhouse movie, which includes full-on masturbation, ejaculation, menstruation, incest and cannibalism. Visually it's quite accomplished, if generally dingy, and it's not the ordeal it might have been, but it's not exactly something to take to the heart. It's not meant to be, but what exactly does it all mean?
Dir: Emiliano Rocha Minter
Stars: Noe Hernandez, Maria Evoli, Diego Gamaliel
WE FAW DOWN
1928
0
Stan and Ollie escape their wives to go to a poker game.
Not one of their most likeable shorts (the absence of dialogue doesn’t help), with routines that were more successfully incorporated into later features (like Sons Of The Desert and Blockheads). The best bit by far is the very final sequence, when the men leap out of the building's windows.
Dir: Leo McCarey
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Vivien Oakland, Bess Flowers
WE SHALL SEE
1964
0
The wife of a pilot appears to be in a state of paranoia and mental deterioration.
Very poor Edgar Wallace Mystery, tedious and irritating, which sets off at a shrill pitch and stays there throughout the messy story. Extra disappointing considering the director made the neat Cash On Demand (qv) around the same time.
Dir: Quentin Lawrence
Stars: Maurice Kaufmann, Faith Brook, Alec Mango, Hugh Paddick
THE WEATHER MAN
2005
**
A weather forecaster has problems with his ex-wife, his dying father and members of the public throwing food at him in the street.
Pleasingly different, downbeat drama that's generally compelling and has quirky asides.
Dir: Gore Verbinski
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine, Hope Davis
1975
*
Could the guests on a yacht be planning to kill the cruel owner?
Alluring trash thriller whose script sadly can't match its talent for titillation; building suspense is neglected, motivation is barely there and the behaviour of the characters is not believable even by the standards of Italian exploitation. It is, however, a keen example of refreshing mid-Seventies sexual liberation, and is attractively shot mostly on a boat on a sunny sea.
Dir: Ruggero Deodato
Stars: Al Cliver, John Steiner, Silvia Dionisio, Elizabeth Turner
WAXWORK
1989
0
A wax museum owner uses his horror exhibits to unleash terror.
Cornball shocker which ends in an appropriately crazy, free-for-all fight.
Dir: Anthony Hickox
Stars: Zach Galligan, Patrick Macnee, David Warner, Miles O'Keeffe
THE WAY OF THE DRAGON
1973
**
A martial arts expert protects his relatives in Italy from a gang who are wrecking their restaurant trade.
Inspired vehicle for the awesome star here near his peak, this is a simple, powerful and brutally exciting thriller; the final showdown with Chuck Norris is perhaps the best martial arts fight ever put on screen.
Dir: Bruce Lee
Stars: Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Nora Miao
WAY OUT WEST
1937
****
Stan and Ollie head West to deliver a deed to young lady, but get the wrong one.
Laurel and Hardy's finest hour has little bits of everything that made them the world's most loved clowns: there's charming song and dance numbers, Ollie flirting with the ladies, Finlayson's stupendous double-takes, Stan's uncontrollable hysterics, surreal gags, running gags, brilliant dialogue and more. Not a second is wasted.
Dir: James W Horne
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Sharon Lynn
THE WAY TO THE STARS
1945
***
Life at a bomber base during the Battle of Britain.
A remarkable if tragic period of history valuably transcribed, the film’s candid wit and understated tragedy and romance make it a very special experience, one to be treasured.
Dir: Anthony Asquith
Stars: Michael Redgrave, John Mills, Rosamund John, Stanley Holloway, Felix Aylmer, Basil Radford, Trevor Howard, Jean Simmons
WAYNE’S WORLD
1992
*
Two friends promote their public-access TV show.
At the time it seemed like a cinematic breath of fresh air, a Hellzapoppin for the '90s, but this zany comedy has not worn especially well thanks to a slew of similar productions.
Dir: Penelope Spheeris
Stars: Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere
WE ARE THE FLESH
2016
*
A homeless brother and sister are forced to do terrible things by a strange man who takes them in.
'This is not your average party' says a character in this bizarre odyssey, and he's right - there aren't many films as depraved, weird and obtuse as this Mexican madhouse movie, which includes full-on masturbation, ejaculation, menstruation, incest and cannibalism. Visually it's quite accomplished, if generally dingy, and it's not the ordeal it might have been, but it's not exactly something to take to the heart. It's not meant to be, but what exactly does it all mean?
Dir: Emiliano Rocha Minter
Stars: Noe Hernandez, Maria Evoli, Diego Gamaliel
WE FAW DOWN
1928
0
Stan and Ollie escape their wives to go to a poker game.
Not one of their most likeable shorts (the absence of dialogue doesn’t help), with routines that were more successfully incorporated into later features (like Sons Of The Desert and Blockheads). The best bit by far is the very final sequence, when the men leap out of the building's windows.
Dir: Leo McCarey
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Vivien Oakland, Bess Flowers
WE SHALL SEE
1964
0
The wife of a pilot appears to be in a state of paranoia and mental deterioration.
Very poor Edgar Wallace Mystery, tedious and irritating, which sets off at a shrill pitch and stays there throughout the messy story. Extra disappointing considering the director made the neat Cash On Demand (qv) around the same time.
Dir: Quentin Lawrence
Stars: Maurice Kaufmann, Faith Brook, Alec Mango, Hugh Paddick
THE WEATHER MAN
2005
**
A weather forecaster has problems with his ex-wife, his dying father and members of the public throwing food at him in the street.
Pleasingly different, downbeat drama that's generally compelling and has quirky asides.
Dir: Gore Verbinski
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine, Hope Davis
THE WEDDING BANQUET
1993
**
A gay Taiwanese man living in New York marries a woman as part of a subterfuge to convince his visiting parents he is straight.
A successful attempt to examine cross-cultural and cross-generational (and cross-sexuality) mores, this bold drama does not go down the broad farce route, instead preferring to probe its characters for their feelings and the feelings that reside just beneath the surface. It satisfactorily ties things up at the end with the nuance that it has shown for much of its duration; this was clearly a director to watch. About 70% of the dialogue is Mandarin, yet still it was a commercial success in the West.
Dir: Ang Lee
Stars: Winston Chao, May Chin, Ah-Lei Gua, Sihung Lung, Mitchell LichtensteinWEEKEND
1967
0
A couple endure an unusual weekend on the road.
Unbearable arty garbage from one of the world's worst directors, a succession of pretentious and mind-numbingly boring surreal episodes. One wonders how anyone could make this stuff, or watch it, or be a film critic giving it full marks.
Dir: Jean-Luc Godard
Stars: Mireille Darc, Jean Yanne, Jean-Pierre Kalfon
WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S
1989
*
Two friends have to pretend that their dead employer is still alive.
Frenzied comedy in bright settings that is good for a laugh.
Dir: Ted Kotcheff
Stars: Andrew McCarthy, Jonathan Silverman, Catherine Mary Stewart, Terry Kiser
A WEEKEND WITH LULU
1961
0
A couple, his friend and her mum accidentally go to France in a caravan called Lulu.
Inconsequential comedy that breezes in and out of one's life without having too much of a ruffling effect; it's just about worth it because of a dog called Gaylord. Eaton is sexy, Monkhouse is smarmy.
Dir: John Paddy Carstairs
Stars: Bob Monkhouse, Leslie Phillips, Shirley Eaton, Irene Handl
WEIRD SCIENCE
1985
0
Two sex-hungry teenagers create what they think is the perfect woman.
Smutty, unsubtle and laboured comedy for teenagers only.
Dir: John Hughes
Stars: Anthony Michael Hall, Kelly LeBrock, Bill Paxton, Robert Downey Jr
WELCOME ABOARD TOXIC AIRLINES
2007
0
Documentary which alleges that passengers’ health is being put at risk by airlines, due to unfiltered air in the cabins.
A worthy low budget documentary that makes its sole point in its first minute and expands upon it for a further 90; occasionally you want to shout ‘Okay, we believe you - move on!’ Some unnatural interviewees and a less than sonorous narrator also diminish the impact, and a good 20 minutes could have been excised.
Dir: Tristan Loraine
WELCOME DANGER
1929
*
A student investigates crimes in San Franciscan Chinatown.
This uneven first sound feature for Lloyd had plenty of production difficulties, and it shows - while in many ways it's a confident and go-getting production it's ragged, with some sequences that go on way too long and violence that just isn't funny; Lloyd's character isn't that likeable and there's too much of Young, but Middleton is as enjoyable as ever. Listen out at one point for the music that would come to be used on Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
Dir: Clyde Bruckman
Stars: Harold Lloyd, Barbara Kent, Noah Young, Charles Middleton
WELCOME TO BLOOD CITY
1977
*
A group of people find themselves as slaves in a Wild West town with no knowledge of how they got there.
Confusing but painless sci-fi that's similar to both Westworld and The Prisoner episode Living In Harmony.
Dir: Peter Sasdy
Stars: Jack Palance, Keir Dullea, Samantha Eggar, Barry Morse
THE WEREWOLF AND THE YETI
1975
0
While searching for the Yeti in the Himalayas, an explorer turns into a werewolf.
Dull and directionless horror with a few unintentional laughs, including the brief climactic clash between the titular characters (who look almost identical); one of the infamous Naschy’s many cheesy film outings and an official nasty in Britain – perhaps the censors should be thanked for helping people avoid so much dross.
Dir: Miguel Igleslias
Stars: Paul Naschy, Grace Mills, Silvia Solar
WEREWOLF OF LONDON
1935
*
A botanical doctor gets rather hairy after being bitten in the jungle.
The first and not so famous werewolf movie; some decent suspenseful sequences but too much jokey dialogue.
Dir: Stuart Walker
Stars: Henry Hull, Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson
THE WEREWOLF OF WASHINGTON
1973
*
A reporter close to the President is bitten by a werewolf.
Politicalised horror that hits a few targets.
Dir: Milton Moses Ginsberg
Stars: Dean Stockwell, Katalin Kallay, Henry Ferrentino
WEREWOLF WOMAN
1976
0
A woman becomes a nymphomaniac werewolf.
Confused Italian horror of no worth.
Dir: Rino Di Silvestro
Stars: Annik Borel, Howard Ross
WEREWOLVES ON WHEELS
1971
0
A group of bikers are cursed by satanists.
Vacant trash made by the talentless.
Dir: Michael Levesque
Stars: Steve Oliver, Donna Anders, Barry McGuire
WES CRAVEN'S NEW NIGHTMARE
1994
0
Freddy Krueger, upset at being killed off in the Nightmare movies, goes after the cast and crew.
What could have been a wildly imaginative shocker is just another bland, stupid and over-excited teenage flick.
Dir: Wes Craven
Stars: Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Wes Craven, John Saxon
WEST END JUNGLE
1961
*
Fictionalised incidents designed to illustrate how widespread prostitution was in London.
Endearing curio which has gained enormous nostalgia value and now seems like a comforting place to escape to; it is actually pretty well shot, generally brisk and although the narration is stern and moralising it’s very perceptive in its descriptions of both the vice trade and human nature.
Dir: Arnold L Miller
Narrator: David Gell
WESTWORLD
1973
***
The realistic robots at an adult amusement park go berserk and start attacking customers.
First-rate mix of sci-fi and western-style thrills that's adeptly handled and highly enjoyable; Brynner as the killer who won't give up gives the film true class and several enduring images.
Dir: Michael Crichton
Stars: Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, James Brolin, Dick Van Patten
Sequel: Futureworld (qv)
WHAT?
1972
0
A sexy young girl causes mayhem at the house she goes to stay at.
Polanski's little seen black comedy is a dull, overlong, misfiring picture that isn't saved by its attractive setting and lead actress.
Dir: Roman Polanski
Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Sydne Rome, Hugh Griffith, Roman Polanski
WHAT A CARVE UP!
1961
0
To claim an inheritance, a man must spend a night in a haunted house.
Creaky comedy which trots out every old dark house trick in the book.
Dir: Pat Jackson
Stars: Kenneth Connor, Sid James, Shirley Eaton, Donald Pleasence, Dennis Price, Michael Gough
WHAT A WHOPPER
1961
0
A writer fakes photos of the Loch Ness Monster in order to sell his book.
Mild comedy with interesting credits, including Terry Nation as writer and a cast full of familiar British comedic faces; it's a pleasant romp and little else, with a final frame that you can't help but grin at.
Dir: Gilbert Gunn
Stars: Adam Faith, Carole Lesley, Sidney James, Clive Dunn, Wilfrid Brambell, Terry Scott, Spike Milligan
WHAT BECAME OF JACK AND JILL?
1971
*
A man and woman covet an elderly lady for her money.
Moderate, confined suspenser with a silly conclusion.
Dir: Bill Bain
Stars: Vanessa Howard, Mona Washbourne, Paul Nicholas
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO A NAKED LADY?
1970
0
Candid Camera-style documentary assessing how people react to public nudity, and also interviewing them about sexual matters.
Not a funny film, or an especially compulsive one, but one with a wee bit of social value. Trouble is you can see this sort of thing done much better on television nowadays, and those looking for wall-to-wall sexiness and nudity will be disappointed.
Dir: Allen Funt
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO AUNT ALICE?
1969
*
An elderly woman goes to work for a widow who may know what happened to her missing friend.
Baby Jane-type melodramatics, competently done all round.
Dir: Lee H Katzin
Stars: Geraldine Page, Ruth Gordon, Rosemary Forsyth
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?
1962
***
Two ageing actresses live in loathing and seclusion in a decaying Hollywood mansion.
Seminal horror drama that even had its title much imitated; effectively an extension of Sunset Boulevard, it remains startling viewing thanks to the way the ageing stars go at each other in a way not seen before.
Dir: Robert Aldrich
Stars: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono, Anna Lee
WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOUR DAUGHTERS?
1974
*
A teenage girl is found hanged in an attic, but it may be murder rather than suicide.
Another giallo with most of the genre’s traits: a slightly laborious police investigation; a killer who wears leathers and rides a motorbike; a nice score; a few gory deaths and a bit of sex; and a somewhat muffled and confusing storyline. It has some style and some merit, but generally speaking this is an overrated genre.
Dir: Massimo Dallamano
Stars: Giovanna Ralli, Claudio Cassinelli, Mario Adorf, Farley Granger
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE?
1972
0
London schoolgirls are being offed by a killer who may be a priest.
The London setting entices, and there are bracing injections of violence and nudity, but this overlong giallo displays a whole load of sloppy narrative traits, like so many others do. As Karin Baal says on an interview in the Blu-ray's extras, it's a thriller that doesn't thrill.
Dir: Massimo Dallamano
Stars: Fabio Testi, Cristina Galbo, Karin Baal, Camille Keaton
WHAT LIES BENEATH
2000
*
The wife of a professor investigates the death of one of his students.
Thriller with a big enough red herring to serve for Sunday lunch, it moves slowly while being all too frequently punctuated by sudden jolts, then offers a familiar climax.
Dir: Robert Zemeckis
Stars: Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer, Diana Scarwid, Joe Morton
WHAT THE SWEDISH BUTLER SAW
1975
0
A Victorian gentleman keeps a lithe young maid his prisoner.
Low budget Scandinavian sauce-fest with marginally more intelligence than some.
Dir: Vernon P Becker
Stars: Ole Soltoft, Sue Longhurst, Diana Dors
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
2014
0
Four ancient vampires live in a flatshare in modern-day New Zealand.
Those who can get into this and be on its wavelength will have a ball; those who can't, won't. Benign intentions and likeable leads, but there seems so little fresh to laugh at.
Dir: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi
Stars: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer
WHATEVER
1999
**
The monotonous and disconsolate life of a middle-aged man.
Michel Houellebecq's novel, upon which this is based, did not appear to lend itself to filmic treatment, but this works, as long as you're familiar with it or in a similar situation to its protagonist: it skewers better than most the ennui of middle-aged existence. Mordantly funny and occasionally shocking, it has an attitude and a vibe that isn't shared by many other movies.
Dir: Philippe Harel
Stars: Philippe Harel, Jose Garcia, Catherine Mouchet
WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT?
1965
0
A womaniser seeks the help of a doctor who also has a big thing for the opposite sex.
Unfocused and unattractive comedy which gave little indication of Allen's talents (he also scripted this mess).
Dir: Clive Donner
Stars: Peter Sellers, Peter O'Toole, Woody Allen, Ursula Andress, Capucine
WHAT’S UP, DOC?
1972
****
A music researcher's life is thrown into chaos when he meets a wild young woman at a convention.
Superlative screwball comedy (Remember them?, as the tagline went) whose dizzying succession of incident and cast of richly comic characters ensures that this is an enormously pleasurable and uproarious ride. Small details are perfectly judged and the setting feels open and inviting.
Dir: Peter Bogdanovich
Stars: Ryan O'Neal, Barbra Streisand, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Austin Pendleton, Liam Dunn
WHAT’S UP NURSE!
1977
0
An accident-prone doctor has amorous adventures.
Woeful British sex comedy with the usual ingredients (familiar faces, bad jokes, bare girls), its essentially old fashioned nature is confirmed by the closing wedding scenes.
Dir: Derek Ford
Stars: Nicholas Field, Felicity Devonshire, John Le Mesurier, Graham Stark, Peter Butterworth, Jack Douglas, Andrew Sachs
WHAT’S UP SUPERDOC!
1978
0
A doctor is in demand for his super-sperm.
Appalling rubbish, even worse than its predecessor - in fact, probably worse than the vast majority of films ever made.
Dir: Derek Ford
Stars: Christopher Mitchell, Harry H Corbett, Bill Pertwee, Julia Goodman
WHEELS ON MEALS
1984
0
Two brothers who own a mobile restaurant help a detective friend find a female pickpocket.
Mugging comedy set in Barcelona, excessively stupid and infantile.
Dir: Sammo Hung Kam-Bo
Stars: Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Lola Forner
WHEN COMEDY WAS KING
1960
***
Compilation of high-quality silent comedy, including Laurel and Hardy in Big Business.
A valuable and joyous work in which the commentary hammers home the debt we owe to the performers.
Dir: Robert Youngson
Narrator: Dwight Weist. Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harry Langdon, Charley Chase, Fatty Arbuckle, Snub Pollard, Ben Turpin, Edgar Kennedy
WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH
1969
0
A blonde tribeswoman encounters difficulties with dinosaurs and rival tribes.
Silly prehistoric antics in which the dialogue only consists of grunts and unfamiliar words; it’s film 'muzak' for the majority of its running time – and what’s funny is that they decided not to do the film in English in a vague effort to be ‘authentic’, when dinosaurs and people, who were separated by 65 million years, share the screen. It is always going to be difficult to engage a modern audience without proper dialogue, even if you have decent dino-effects and pneumatic cavewomen who forever look like they’re going to pop out of their stone-age bras.
Dir: Val Guest
Stars: Victoria Vetri, Robin Hawdon, Patrick Allen
WHEN MICHAEL CALLS
1972 (TV)
0
A woman starts receiving telephone calls from her nephew who died 15 years previously.
The boy’s voice down the phone delivers a shiver or two, but plot development thereafter is fairly routine. Interesting to see Douglas equipping himself in one of his earliest roles.
Dir: Philip Leacock
Stars: Ben Gazzara, Elizabeth Ashley, Michael Douglas
WHEN SATURDAY COMES
1995
*
A brewery worker eventually realises his dream of playing for Sheffield United.
Entirely predictable and clichéd old-fashioned drama; but since the makers know this and don’t care, why should we?
Dir: Maria Giese
Stars: Sean Bean, Emily Lloyd, Pete Postlethwaite, Craig Kelly
WHEN STRANGERS MARRY
1944
**
A woman begins to suspect her husband is a murderer.
Fast moving mystery which still holds the attention.
Dir: William Castle
Stars: Dean Jagger, Kim Hunter, Robert Mitchum
WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT
2012
0
In 1974 Yorkshire, a family moves into a haunted house.
Based on a 'true' story apparently, this minor British horror has some good things about it - fairly well done scares, a reasonable evocation of the period, a touching classroom relationship - but plays its bat so straight, and offers so little that's exciting or original, that it eventually seizes up. Amusingly, the family accepts the fact that it's ghosts at work as readily as they would that they have a mice infestation, and it's the familiar movie scenario that those who reject the supernatural are the irrational ones.
Dir: Pat Holden
Stars: Kate Ashfield, Steven Waddington, Tasha Connor
WHEN THE WIND BLOWS
1987
**
An elderly couple get on with life after a nuclear attack.
Misleadingly cosy cartoon that becomes incredibly bleak; very well done but the message is overstated and the couple do appear rather too ignorant.
Dir: Jimmy T Murakami
Voices: Peggy Ashcroft, John Mills
WHEN TIME RAN OUT
1980
0
An active volcano threatens a holiday resort.
The fag end of the disaster movie cycle, one that borrows much, including incidents and dialogue, from those that had gone before.
Dir: James Goldstone
Stars: Paul Newman, Jacqueline Bisset, William Holden, Edward Albert, Red Buttons, Barbara Carrera, Burgess Meredith, Ernest Borgnine
WHEN WE WERE KINGS
1997
***
Documentary about Ali's 'Rumble In The Jungle' against Foreman.
A film which catches the flavour and drama of the event marvellously.
Dir: Leon Gast
Stars: Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Don King, James Brown
WHEN WILL I BE LOVED
2004
0
A young woman uses men for her own ends.
Obtuse talk piece, thought-provoking at best, cold and irrelevant at worst. The loud classical score is irritating.
Dir: James Toback
Stars: Neve Campbell, Fred Weller, Ashley Shelton, James Toback
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE
1951
0
A planet flies towards Earth on collision course.
Insipid acting and scripting almost kill this sci-fi drama but the climactic special effects are suitably convincing, and turned up in other apocalyptic movies.
Dir: Rudolph Mate
Stars: Richard Derr, Barbara Rush, Peter Hansen
WHERE DOES IT HURT?
1971
0
A corrupt hospital chief tries to get insurance money out of his patients.
Sluggish, unlikeable comedy that represented a low for the star.
Dir: Rodney Amateau
Stars: Peter Sellers, Jo Ann Pflug, Harold Gould
WHERE EAGLES DARE
1969
***
Allies stage a raid on a castle where the Nazis are holding an American general prisoner.
One of the best war movies of its decade, this tall tale is performed with complete conviction by its excellent cast and is evocatively shot in the Austrian mountains, cable cars and all (the snow helps make it an especially apt film for British television to re-show around Christmas ever year). The last hour or so in particular is full of vigorous action, supremely edited and very gripping - certainly the director never came anywhere near making something as good again.
Dir: Brian G Hutton
Stars: Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Mary Ure, Patrick Wymark, Michael Hordern, Donald Houston, Anton Diffring, Derren Nesbitt, Ingrid Pitt
WHERE HAS POOR MICKEY GONE..?
1964
*
Boisterous youths terrorise the owner of a magic shop.
Curious, fantasy-tinged short, part of a line of films showing nasty young Brits raising hell that continued with the likes of The Penthouse (1967) and A Clockwork Orange. Not exactly entertaining but well shot in part on the streets of night-time London, and with the great Mitchell in typical form.
Dir: Gerry Levy
Stars: Warren Mitchell, John Malcolm, Ray Armstrong
WHERE THE BULLETS FLY
1966
0
Secret agent Charles Vine hunts down a special nuclear formula.
Dullish James Bond spoof with too much chat.
Dir: John Gilling
Stars: Tom Adams, Dawn Addams, Tim Barrett, Michael Ripper, Sid James
WHERE’S THAT FIRE?
1940
*
A hopeless fire brigade struggle to put out fires...
Not one of the greatest comedies from these three stars, with an overly hectic plot, but still very funny in places.
Dir: Marcel Varnel
Stars: Will Hay, Moore Marriott, Graham Moffatt, Charles Hawtrey
THE WHIP AND THE BODY
1963
*
In the 19th century, a sadistic nobleman has an extreme relationship with his brother's wife.
Thin and slow horror that has worth because of its strong imagery and darkly twisted plot, which concerns sado-masochism - these scenes spikily puncture the action which is sometimes agonisingly stretched out.
Dir: Mario Bava
Stars: Daliah Lavi, Christopher Lee, Tony Kendall
THE WHIP HAND
1951
*
A reporter stumbles on a town with a secret.
A small town with a guilty secret, here adapted to the then current phenomenon of McCarthyism; cheaply done but a minor pleasure.
Dir: William Cameron Menzies
Stars: Elliott Reid, Carla Balenda, Raymond Burr
WHIPLASH
2014
****
A young drummer is trained by an incredibly tough music teacher who makes him up his game.
Superbly powerful drama about the obsessive quest for perfection and how it can damage, this is as taut as the tautest drum skin and is blessed by an enrapturing performance from Simmons, although Teller is excellent too. Razor-sharp editing, brilliant sound mixing and distinct cinematography are just some of the things that help to create a bewitching movie experience, one which asks questions about how we should live our lives.
Dir: Damien Chazelle
Stars: Miles Teller, JK Simmons, Melissa Benoist
WHIPPED
2000
*
Three egotistical men start dating the same hot woman.
Opinion could go two ways on this comedy: it's either sharp, witty, fast moving and funny, or obnoxious, misogynistic, crude and unoriginal. Twentysomething men may be more likely to think the former.
Dir: Peter M Cohen
Stars: Amanda Peet, Brian Van Holt, Judah Domke, Zorie Barber
WHIRLPOOL
1970
0
A model visits the isolated country house of an odd, possibly murderous, couple.
The director’s first film sets the tone for his future ones: sleaze in rural settings. Overall this is thin gruel but quite enticing in its slow, strange way.
Dir: Joseph Larraz
Stars: Karl Lanchbury, Vivian Neves, Pia Andersson
WHISKY GALORE
1948
***
A tiny Scottish island is in luck when a ship's cargo of fifty thousand whisky bottles washes up ashore.
Quintessential Ealing comedy that displays all that was good about that studio.
Dir: Alexander Mackendrick
Stars: Basil Radford, Catherine Lacey, Bruce Seton, Joan Greenwood, Jean Cadell, Gordon Jackson, James Robertson Justice
WHISPERING GHOSTS
1942
0
An actor who plays a detective tries to solve a real mystery.
Inexpensive comedy mostly set on a ship; the majority of the characters are now extremely dated.
Dir: Alfred L Werker
Stars: Milton Berle, Brenda Joyce, John Carradine, Willie Best
THE WHISPERING SHADOW
1933 (serial)
0
A mysterious criminal kills people through television and radio waves.
Primitive serial from a lower rank company, with perfectly terrible acting and dated dramatics – what still has a shiver of power are the sound effects when the Shadow is about to make his next move. What’s not so good is the desperately confusing plot, the flashbacks that become more frequent as the serial progresses and the flat endings to most of the instalments (music would have helped). Like so many other old flicks, it can now be viewed on YouTube with slightly out of sync audio.
Dir: Colbert Clark, Albert Herman
Stars: Bela Lugosi, Viva Tattersall, Malcolm McGregor, George J Lewis
WHISPERS
1989
0
A woman is plagued by a psychopath.
This cut-price thriller had ‘straight to video’ written all over it, which is exactly what happened. The female star’s brief vogue as a leading lady was mysterious indeed.
Dir: Douglas Jackson
Stars: Victoria Tennant, Jean LeClerc, Chris Sarandon
WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND
1961
*
Lancashire schoolchildren discover a criminal hiding in their father's barn and assume him to be Jesus.
Curious little allegory affectionately remembered by many: viewed now it can be interpreted in different ways, although the most realistic interpretation is surely that children are easily deluded and there is nothing quite so delusional as religious faith. Perhaps because of this it fails to be as affecting as one might hope, with even Bates' performance appearing distinctly understated, but its naturalistic feel and raw location shooting give it a rare, salty atmosphere.
Dir: Bryan Forbes
Stars: Hayley Mills, Alan Bates, Bernard Lee, Norman Bird
THE WHITE BUFFALO
1977
0
Wild Bill Hickok obsessively hunts a large white buffalo.
Empty mystic western with clumsy attempts at symbolism and an absurd looking monster.
Dir: J Lee Thompson
Stars: Charles Bronson, Jack Warden, Clint Walker, Kim Novak, John Carradine
WHITE CARGO
1973
0
A daydreamer happens upon women being kidnapped and shipped to the Far East.
Feeble mini-budgeter with a script dragged in by the cat; a victim of all kinds of production difficulties (it was originally written for The Goodies), it mysteriously turns up on television more than any other ’70s British sex comedy.
Dir: Ray Selfe
Stars: David Jason, Hugh Lloyd, Dave Prowse, Sue Bond
WHITE CHRISTMAS
1954
*
Two performers who are ex-soldiers put on a show to boost their former general's inn.
This famous film has to be one of the very least Christmassy of Christmas films: it hardly feels festive at all and there's only about a minute of snow! It's also not the most compelling of stories either, and the title song is easily the most memorable one in it - the best that can be said for this movie is that it's in gorgeous colour.
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Stars: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Dean Jagger
WHITE DOG
1982
*
A dog is trained to attack black people.
Unusual, low key drama that sometimes resembles an animal behaviour film but also serves up some nicely crafted suspense.
Dir: Samuel Fuller
Stars: Kirsty McNichol, Christa Lang, Vernon Weddle
WHITE HEAT
1949
**
A mother-fixated gangster runs from the law after a violent heist.
Vigorous crime drama with more brutality than most of its predecessors and a genuinely psychotic lead character - but Cagney is only one element of a vibrant, involved picture that will have fans of the genre purring. Memorable finale, of course.
Dir: Raoul Walsh
Stars: James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien, Margaret Wycherly
WHITE OF THE EYE
1987
0
Murders of housewives occur in an isolated Arizona community.
A failure, no matter what some critics might tell you; stricken with a ghastly Eighties sheen and adorned with many irksome stylistic touches, it's a ragged and unsympathetic film that's tortuous to watch. Clearly the unpleasant product of a disturbed mind, it shouldn't be a surprise that the director later killed himself.
Dir: Donald Cammell
Stars: David Keith, Cathy Moriarty, Alan Rosenberg
THE WHITE TRAP
1959
**
A convict is determined to break out of prison and visit his pregnant wife in hospital.
Well above average B-thriller that's lean and taut, and even finds time for some interesting characterisation further down the cast list; the protagonist may not be wholly sympathetic and the police rather incompetent but it still works.
Dir: Sidney Hayers
Stars: Lee Patterson, Conrad Phillips, Yvette Wyatt
WHITE ZOMBIE
1932
**
A young man uses witchcraft to try and get his girlfriend back, but it goes horribly wrong.
The first zombie film is an atmospheric artefact that still impresses visually if not script-wise. Playing like the highly theatrical early cinema production it is, it’s slow, simple and creaky, and likely only suitable for old movie fans, but retains a warped air of strangeness that makes it tolerable.
Dir: Victor Halperin
Stars: Bela Lugosi, Madge Bellamy, Joseph Cawthron, Robert Frazer
WHO?
1974
*
A scientist disappears but reappears later with a different face.
Mildly intriguing sci-fi spy drama that suffered limited distribution.
Dir: Jack Gold
Stars: Elliott Gould, Trevor Howard, Joseph Bova
WHO CAN KILL A CHILD?
1976
**
An English couple visit a Spanish island which has been completely taken over by children.
When it begins with seven minutes of credits featuring archival footage of atrocities against mankind, especially children, you know this is something a bit different and daring: as it is, the deserted setting and nature gone crazy idea (a la Hitchcock’s The Birds) are fairly familiar but it does deliver several jolts and unusual thrills. The sunny setting is a plus too, and it's well shot and edited, although the story is a little stretched out.
Dir: Narciso Ibáñez Serrador
Stars: Lewis Fiander, Prunella Ransome
WHO DONE IT?
1956
0
A buffoon becomes a private detective and happens upon a dastardly plan by East European scientists.
Ealing’s last film, and Benny Hill’s first, is a tiresome, incredulous comedy that tries too hard to be hysterical and ends up very flat.
Dir: Basil Dearden
Stars: Benny Hill, Belinda Lee, David Kossoff, Ernest Thesiger
WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT
1988
***
A detective helps out a cartoon rabbit who has been accused of murder.
When this first came out it was a marvel - audiences had never seen its like before, an ingenious and freewheeling mixing of animation and live action, with attitude. Viewed now, after special effects have moved forward considerably, it seems far less effective but still retains a cheeky charm.
Dir: Robert Zemeckis
Stars: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer
WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?
2006
*
Documentary focusing on General Motors’ decision to stop production of their electric car.
A sort of low calorie Michael Moore, this makes its thin and rather arid subject matter reasonably intriguing, although it’s roughly as convincing as the titular automobile is.
Dir: Chris Paine
Narrator: Martin Sheen
WHO SAW HER DIE?
1972
0
After his daughter is murdered, a father attempts to find the killer.
Sloppy giallo which looks – and sounds – good but is saddled with a vacant script and cardboard characters.
Dir: Aldo Lado
Stars: George Lazenby, Anita Strindberg, Adolfo Celi, Peter Chatel
WHO WAS MADDOX?
1964
*
A blackmail plot leads to murder.
Satisfying, nicely plotted Edgar Wallace Mystery with Lee as dependable as ever in the lead.
Dir: Geoffrey Nethercott
Stars: Bernard Lee, Jack Watling, Suzanne Lloyd, Finlay Currie
WHOOPS APOCALYPSE
1987
*
When a small British colony is invaded by its communist neighbour, a chain of events is set in motion that may lead to World War 3.
Patchy film version of a zany TV comedy, a bit of a mish-mash of comic styles.
Dir: Tom Bussmann
Stars: Loretta Swit, Peter Cook, Rik Mayall, Ian Richardson, Herbert Lom, Shane Rimmer
WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?
1966
*
An alcoholic couple quarrel when guests come over.
Deeply dislikeable drama that presents two obnoxious, maladroit characters and two simpering, irritating ones, all of whom should be confined to a madhouse; the incessant, weird, tedious rows drill into the brain like a thousand episodes of EastEnders watched at once and surely only an audience of actors could get something out of it. But it ushered in a new era of cinematic permissiveness, so that’s alright then.
Dir: Mike Nichols
Stars: Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, George Segal, Sandy Dennis
WHOSE CHILD AM I?
1975
*
A couple struggle to conceive.
Curious, moderately straight-laced drama with many sketchily developed sub-plots, it at times resembles a daytime soap opera with some nudity thrown in. Not exactly sophisticated, but not too painful either.
Dir: Gerry O'Hara
Stars: Kate O'Mara, Paul Freeman, Edward Judd
WHY GIRLS LOVE SAILORS
1927
0
An unfaithful sea captain gets his comeuppance.
An early joint screen venture for Stan and Ollie, with Ollie particularly far-removed from his usual genial character and Stan spending most of the time in drag. To be brutally honest, there’s now not a single thing to laugh at in it.
Dir: Fred Guiol
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Anita Garvin, Viola Richard
WHY MAN CREATES
1968
*
Animation detailing man's evolution.
Fondly remembered by a certain age group of American high schoolers, this short now appears rather frazzled and downright strange.
Dir: Elaine Bass, Saul Bass
WHY WORRY?
1923
**
A rich businessman attempts to find peace in the Tropics but instead finds himself caught up in a revolution.
Frequently delightful vehicle for the enormously talented star.
Dir: Fred C Newmeyer, Sam Taylor
Stars: Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, John Aasen
THE WICKED LADY
1983
0
An aristocratic woman turns to robbery for thrills.
Sexed up remake of the 1945 corset-buster that's heavily reliant on the star cast.
Dir: Michael Winner
Stars: Faye Dunaway, Alan Bates, John Gielgud, Denholm Elliott, Prunella Scales, Oliver Tobias, Glynis Barber, Joan Hickson
WICKED STEPMOTHER
1989
0
A woman discovers that her father has married a strange old woman.
Whimsical fantasy which reminds one of those jaded Disney kids' films from the '70s. The exit of Bette Davis half way through is jarring and cringe-worthy (Davis quit the movie and died months afterwards).
Dir: Larry Cohen
Stars: Bette Davis, Barbara Carrera, Colleen Camp, Lionel Stander
THE WICKER MAN
1973
****
A God-fearing detective visits a remote Scottish island to investigate the disappearance of a schoolgirl.
Wholly effective horror that's like no other; bracingly original and constantly surprising, it benefits from raw location shooting and Woodward's magnificent performance as the policeman who maintains his unbending beliefs to the end. It exists in several slightly different versions.
Dir: Robin Hardy
Stars: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Ingrid Pitt
WICKER PARK
2004
*
An advertising executive becomes obsessed with a woman he spots in a café.
Curious, choppy romantic thriller in which the flashbacks in the latter half of the film demonstrate that the first hour wasn't as deeply uninteresting as we thought at the time.
Dir: Paul McGuigan
Stars: Josh Hartnett, Rose Byrne, Matthew Lillard, Diane Kruger
THE WICKER TREE
2010
*
Two young American evangelists get more than they bargained for in rural Scotland.
The fear was that this tardy follow-up to The Wicker Man would be dreadful in so many ways, but thankfully it isn’t, although of course it’s not up there with its predecessor. Nicely shot and mercifully free of modern crudities, it has some things in common with the 1973 film – including use of music and some coquettish eroticism – but surprises and dramatic tension are in lean supply, and the pace is fairly leisurely. It’s all a little bland, but is probably still worth seeing for fans of the original.
Dir: Robin Hardy
Stars: Brittania Nicol, Henry Garrett, Graham McTavish, Honeysuckle Weeks, Christopher Lee
WIDE SARGASSO SEA
1991
*
In 1840s Jamaica, a female landowner marries an Englishman to avoid losing her property.
Reasonably faithful, somewhat plodding adaptation of an innovative novel that was a prequel to Jane Eyre; the emphasis here is on the eroticism.
Dir: John Duigan
Stars: Karina Lombard, Nathaniel Parker, Rachel Ward, Michael York
THE WIFE
2018
***
When an author is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, a series of events are set in motion.
While its late-on revelation isn't too surprising, this is a fine, human drama, excellent scene-for-scene thanks to sharp scripting, editing and acting; it says a lot about the pretences we need to keep up to live satisfactory lives.
Dir: Bjorn Runge
Stars: Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, Christian Slater, Max Irons
THE WIFE SWAPPERS
1969
0
Suburban couples spice their love lives up.
Now an obscure artefact, once a wildly popular and infamous blue movie, this hysterical gem is most likely to crack modern viewers up with its moralising narration.
Dir: Derek Ford
Stars: James Donnelly, Larry Taylor, Valerie St John
WILD
2014
**
A young woman undergoes a 1,000-mile trek to try and rid herself of her demons.
Based on a book by a woman who underwent a similar journey, this is a well-made, feminist-slanted drama with a committed performance from the lead, playing an angry, bruised figure; the super-abundance of flashbacks threatens to weaken it dramatically but it manages to say its piece. Dern is just nine years older than her on-screen daughter Witherspoon, and it does show.
Dir: Jean-Marc Vallee
Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Gaby Hoffmann
WILD AT HEART
1990
**
Two young lovers go on the run from the girl's murderous mother.
Strange mixture of sex, violence and talking which manages to be something original.
Dir: David Lynch
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, Crispin Glover, Diane Ladd
THE WILD BUNCH
1969
**
An aging group of outlaws look for one last big score.
Laconic, nihilistic western that intermittently bursts into violent life.
Dir: Sam Peckinpah
Stars: William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, Warren Oates, Ben Johnson
WILD COUNTRY
2005
0
Youths on a camping trip are menaced by a vicious monster.
Ultra low budget horror, just over an hour long, that fails to be of any interest despite hard work all around; the plot is overly familiar and the youths ghastly.
Dir: Craig Strachan
Stars: Samantha Shields, Martin Compston, Peter Capaldi
WILD GEESE II
1985
0
A plot is hatched to rescue Rudolf Hess from Spandau Prison.
Largely unrelated sequel with a quite promising central idea, but somewhat long and muddled and lacking in star power; Olivier, when he turns up, is like someone from a different film. The actual springing Hess from jail is probably the best bit.
Dir: Peter Hunt
Stars: Scott Glenn, Barbara Carrera, Edward Fox, Laurence Olivier
WILD MAN BLUES
1998
*
Documentary about Woody Allen on tour with his jazz band.
Easy-going documentary with a few hilarious and fascinating moments, but not quite enough of them. And dare we say that there’s too much jazz in it...
Dir: Barbara Kopple
Stars: Woody Allen, Soon-Yi Previn
THE WILD ONE
1954
**
Motorcycle gangs terrorise a small town.
Puzzlingly banned in Britain for 12 years - because the establishment do win in it - this is an important and occasionally exciting film which gave Brando one of his earliest iconic performances.
Dir: Laszlo Benedek
Stars: Marlon Brando, Mary Murphy, Robert Keith, Lee Marvin
WILD ORCHID
1990
0
A female lawyer and a millionaire have a passionate affair.
Vacuous drama that offers little other than glossy sex.
Dir: Zalman King
Stars: Mickey Rourke, Carre Otis, Jacqueline Bisset, Bruce Greenwood
WILD POSES
1933
0
An ‘Our Gang’ short, in which Spanky’s parents take him to get his portrait taken.
One idea stretched thinly, but there are amusing moments and a very brief cameo from Laurel and Hardy, looking like they did in 1930’s Brats (qv). For someone coming fresh to Our Gang, it’s a slightly odd experience.
Dir: Robert F McGowan
Stars: George McGarland, Franklin Pangborn, Gay Seabrook, Emerson Treacy, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy
WILD STRAWBERRIES
1957
***
An old man taking a road trip to collect an award thinks back over his life.
Bergman's oft returned to theme, the weariness of existence, is here given one of his most accessible frameworks, with proper pacing and everything.
Dir: Ingmar Bergman
Stars: Victor Sjostrom, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Bib Andersson
WILD TALES
2014
***
Six stories of everyday violence and revenge: Pasternak, The Rats, Road To Hell, Bombita, The Deal, Till Death Do Us Part.
Half a dozen electrifying slices of Latin fury laced with the blackest humour imaginable; all the vignettes are irresistible and gleefully subversive, while also being gleamingly shot and scored. Clearly the work of a very talented young fella; the best story is possibly the third one, which happens to be the one with the least dialogue.
Dir: Damian Szifron
Stars: Leonardo Sbaraglia, Ricardo Darin, Erica Rivas, Dario Grandinetti
THE WILD WILD WEST REVISITED
1979 (TV)
0
Secret agents investigate when it looks like heads of state have been replaced by replicas.
Reprisal of the popular TV series, surprisingly tolerable considering its demented storyline.
Dir: Burt Kennedy
Stars: Robert Conrad, Ross Martin, Paul Williams
THE WILD WOMEN OF WONGO
1958
0
A tribe of women come to realise there is a male tribe on the other side of their island.
Hilarious but rather boring farrago, utterly incompetent on every level.
Dir: James L Wolcott
Stars: Jean Hawkshaw, Mary Ann Webb, Cande Gerrard
THE WILDCATS OF ST TRINIAN’S
1980
0
The naughty schoolgirls go on strike.
Odd tail end of the [pretty poor] series, not remarkable except for the fact that it's surprisingly sexy, often resembling a soft core sex comedy.
Dir: Frank Launder
Stars: Sheila Hancock, Michael Hordern, Thorley Walters, Rodney Bewes, Luan Peters
WILL ANY GENTLEMAN...?
1953
0
A mild bank clerk’s life spirals into chaos after he is hypnotised on stage.
Frantic rushing about in a colourful suburbia: it rarely clicks as well as it no doubt did on stage and the high-spirited cast struggle to keep it from being underwhelming.
Dir: Michael Anderson
Stars: George Cole, Jon Pertwee, Sidney James, Joan Sims, William Hartnell, Veronica Hurst
WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER?
1957
*
An ad man has to pretend to be in love with a dizzy blonde actress to save his career.
Frantic satire on TV advertising which doesn't come off despite some nice ideas.
Dir: Frank Tashlin
Stars: Tony Randall, Jayne Mansfield, Joan Blondell
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S ROMEO + JULIET
1996
**
Two young lovers fall for each other despite their warring families.
One of the boldest and brassiest Shakespeare adaptations, made with a lot of energy and visual panache.
Dir: Baz Luhrmann
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, John Leguizamo, Pete Postlethwaite, Brian Dennehy
THE WILLIES
1990
0
Three boys out camping tell scary stories to one another, three short ones and two longer ones, Bad Apples and Flyboy.
Rank anthology presumably aimed at young teens; most will be likely to be gnawing the armchair in boredom as the main tales, particularly Flyboy, drag on and on, with no discernible talent in sight.
Dir: Brian Peck
Stars: Sean Astin, Clu Gulager, Michael Bower
WILLOW
1988
*
A dwarf must protect a special baby from an evil queen.
Every fantastical character you could think of, including a talking goat, is thrown into this action-packed brew which, while no classic, is a fun ride.
Dir: Ron Howard
Stars: Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Jean Marsh, Pat Roach, Patricia Hayes
WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
1971
***
A young lad wins a trip to a magical confectionary factory.
Memorable version of Roald Dahl's book that captures the macabre humour of the original and conjures up some magical moments and enduring images, certainly ones that will stay in the mind of a person who viewed it when young. It may seem clunky in some respects now, particularly special effects wise, but it retains its strange appeal: a mixture of an American and British cast and a storybook Munich setting makes it seem not quite normal.
Dir: Mel Stuart
Stars: Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum, Roy Kinnear
WILSON
1944
**
The life of the 28th President of the USA, covering the period 1909 to 1921.
Steady biopic which shows its subject in the most favourable light imaginable; rarely spectacular, it endures because of the opulence of the production and the purr of history in the background.
Dir: Henry King
Stars: Alexander Knox, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Charles Coburn, Cedric Hardwicke
WILT
1989
**
A teacher is suspected of killing his wife, whom he hates.
A successful transfer of Tom Sharpe to the big screen, and a fresh and funny vehicle for two excellent television comedians.
Dir: Michael Tuchner
Stars: Griff Rhys Jones, Mel Smith, Alison Steadman, Diana Quick
THE WIND OF CHANGE
1961
0
A layabout beats up a black man who is going out with his sister.
Unsubtle and simplistic racial drama largely featuring people arguing on small studio sets, of some historical interest because it was one of the first British films to comment on the race problem that had been imported into the country about a decade previously; it follows the tried and tested movie formula of white man bad, black man good.
Dir: Vernon Sewell
Stars: Donald Pleasence, Johnny Briggs, Ann Lynn, Glyn Houston
WINDBAG THE SAILOR
1936
*
An incompetent sea captain is put in charge of an unseaworthy vessel.
True-to-type Hay vehicle - the occasional corniness and stiltedness just help to enhance enjoyment. There are a few splendid scenes with the lead trio, the best being when they try and work out how far away they are from England - it's pure, madcap comedy gold.
Dir: William Beaudine
Stars: Will Hay, Moore Marriott, Graham Moffatt, Gina Malo
THE WINDOW
1949
**
A boy with a reputation for telling tall tales witnesses a murder.
Small-scale, punchy thriller, probably the best of many similar films it inspired.
Dir: Ted Tetzlaff
Stars: Bobby Driscoll, Barbara Hale, Arthur Kennedy, Ruth Roman, Paul Stewart
A WINDOW IN LONDON
1939
0
A man witnesses a murder through the windows of a passing train.
Don't let the attractive synopsis entice you into seeing this limp, very minor thriller in which the incident is forgotten about five minutes after it has occurred.
Dir: Herbert Mason
Stars: Michael Redgrave, Sally Gray, Paul Lukas
WINGS
1927
*
Two friends join the Air Force to fight in the Great War.
The first winner of the Best Picture Oscar probably wasn’t the best film of its year (Sunrise and The Jazz Singer each have a good claim to that title), and it proves a little arduous to view for its entire running time now, but there is cinematic ambition on show and the aerial sequences are genuinely impressive – even if screen cards frequently interject to explain what’s going on.
Dir: William Wellman
Stars: Charles Buddy Rogers, Clara Bow, Richard Arlen, Gary Cooper
WINGS OF DESIRE
1987
*
An angel looking down on Berlin falls in love with a trapeze artist.
Virtually plotless oddity that quickly descends into unwatchableness.
Dir: Wim Wenders
Stars: Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Peter Falk
WINTER'S BONE
2010
*
A Mountain girl tries to track down her drug-dealing father who has gone missing.
Extremely well made but unfailingly bleak venture into a community that is as alien as they come; you can't fault the technical credits but the story is thin and that grey gloom does become wearing.
Dir: Debra Granik
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Garret Dillahunt
WIRED
1989
0
The ghost of John Belushi looks back on his turbulent life.
Unusually done fantasia on the life of the not terribly sympathetic comedian; it doesn't really work but some of the scenes of drug abuse are horribly fascinating.
Dir: Larry Peerce
Stars: Michael Chiklis, Ray Sharkey, J T Walsh
WISHBABY
2007
0
A schoolgirl makes a doll that appears to grant wishes, especially malevolent ones.
Very low budget horror moderately well done on its own terms, although it’s difficult to guess who might take pleasure in it aside from people who know the cast or crew. It plays like a gritty urban drama with supernatural asides.
Dir: Stephen W Parsons
Stars: Tiana Benjamin, Doc Brown, Fenella Fielding
THE WITCH
2015
*
A family in 1630s New England are plagued by witchcraft.
As austere and doom-laden as they come, a Puritan family drama that leans into horror territory and delivers largely muffled chills until its fantastical climax. Efficiently done in itself - atmospheric and well-acted - it's something of a chore at times, with authentic dialogue making it an experience that may be too difficult for some.
Dir: Robert Eggers
Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw
THE WITCH WHO CAME FROM THE SEA
1976
0
A woman with a disturbed childhood carries out violent acts on unsuspecting men.
Weird but not wonderful psychological drama with a super-strange lead character who spouts a lot of dull dialogue; the enterprise has a small amount of worth but the one-toneness of the content and the director’s doziness are deleterious.
Dir: Matt Cimber
Stars: Millie Perkins, Lonny Chapman, Vanessa Brown
WITCHCRAFT
1988
0
A young mother suspects that her husband is a Satanist who wants her baby.
Incompetent Rosemary's Baby rip-off with lots of attempted suspense build-ups which go nowhere.
Dir: Rob Spera
Stars: Anat Topol, Gary Sloan, Mary Shelley
WITCHCRAFT II: THE TEMPTRESS
1989
0
A witch tries to turn a teenager to Satan.
Truly terrible horror, utterly abysmal in every respect.
Dir: Mark Woods
Stars: Charles Solomon, Delia Sheppard, David Homb
WITCHCRAFT '70
1970
0
Mondo documentary about satanic rites around the world.
There's a bit of curiosity value but this is mainly pretty boring stuff, sleepily done; the fakery doesn't matter so much, more the lack of variety (although there is a section on cryogenics at the end). Its many other titles include The Satanists, The Occult Experience and White Angel... Black Angel.
Dir: Luigi Scattini
Narrator: Edmund Purdom
THE WITCHES
1990
*
A young boy stumbles into a witches convention.
An interesting combination, Roeg and Roald Dahl, create a quirky and imaginative junior horror film: perhaps one for the children before they graduate on to the real, gory thing.
Dir: Nicolas Roeg
Stars: Anjelica Huston, Mai Zetterling, Jane Horrocks, Rowan Atkinson
THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK
1987
**
Three single women wish for a horny devil and have their wish granted.
Fresh and literate comedy exhibiting an air of freedom.
Dir: George Miller
Stars: Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer
WITCHFINDER GENERAL
1968
***
During the English Civil War, witchfinder Matthew Hopkins travels the country persecuting people he believes are impure.
One of Britain's most unique horror films, a brooding tale of sadism strikingly shot in East Anglian locations. Working as a jaw-dropping history lesson, a revenge thriller and a romance, it is raw and atmospheric, capturing the feel of the period, offering a superb performance from Price that is among his best and most restrained.
Dir: Michael Reeves
Stars: Vincent Price, Ian Ogilvy, Rupert Davies, Hilary Dwyer, Nicky Henson, Patrick Wymark, Wilfrid Brambell
THE WITCHMAKER
1969
0
An elderly witch hunts beautiful young women to rejuvenate herself.
Low budget horror from the swamps of Louisiana that would have benefited from more flesh and blood - perhaps they should have waited a year or two for more freedom.
Dir: William O Brown
Stars: Anthony Eisley, Thordis Brandt, Alvy Moore
WITH A SONG IN MY HEART
1952
*
Singer Jane Forman battles through adversity to maintain her huge popularity.
Cheery musical biopic that features an awful lot of singing, which made it a big hit at the time but now dates it, as that style of music has passed. The dubbed singing is about as artificial as the rest of the picture.
Dir: Walter Lang
Stars: Susan Hayward, Rory Calhoun, David Wayne, Thelma Ritter
WITH LOVE AND HISSES
1927
0
Soldiers in training get involved in various scrapes, including losing their clothes.
Notable only for being an early example of the three stars interacting, this is a loose, plotless short with a few mildly risqué gags; you wouldn’t care to watch it twice.
Dir: Fred Guiol
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson
THE WOLVERINE
2013
0
Wolverine gets embroiled in a conflict in Japan.
Tedious superhero rubbish in which the laughably miserable X-Man gets his chance to mope unlimited while at the same time showing his oh so wonderful pecs, or failing that, how good he looks in a vest. It stinks of a pretentious 'we're so far removed from comics' vibe and, visual splendour aside, is one of the very worst movies based on a Marvel character.
Dir: James Mangold
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Will Yun Lee, Tao Okamoto
THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE
1988
*
In an old Victorian house, two girls are persecuted by an evil governess.
Old fashioned junior adventure which may keep youngsters quiet.
Dir: Stuart Orme
Stars: Stephanie Beacham, Mel Smith, Emily Hudson, Richard O'Brien, Jane Horrocks
WOMAN IN A DRESSING GOWN
1957
**
A housewife almost falls apart when her husband tells her he has found someone else.
Mitchell's performance is just one of the very strong aspects of this kitchen sink drama, which in many ways was ahead of its time, focusing on a woman's role and taking a grown-up view of the difficulty of relationships. The best scenes are the ones where Mitchell's character tries and fails to smarten herself up and prepare the house for her husband and his lover.
Dir: J Lee Thompson
Stars: Yvonne Mitchell, Anthony Quayle, Sylvia Sims, Andrew Ray
THE WOMAN IN BLACK
1989 (TV)
*
A young solicitor in a seaside town keeps seeing a mysterious woman in black.
Cold, restrained chiller with effective moments.
Dir: Herbert Wise
Stars: Adrian Rawlins, Bernard Hepton, David Daker
THE WOMAN IN BLACK
2012
*
A widowed lawyer travels to a village where the locals’ children appear to be dying.
The rebirthed Hammer Films' biggest success by far found audiences in the mood for the ex-Harry Potter starring in a good looking adaptation of a popular novella, heavy on haunted house scares. Many of these frights are fairly mechanical, noisily emitting from long scenes of very little dialogue, and while Radcliffe is likeable enough he doesn't have the gravitas for the part, not convincing as a father or bitter widower. But it was his canny casting that undoubtedly lured the crowds in, and perhaps there's nothing wrong with people crowding into an old-fashioned period chiller that has been made with obvious professionalism.
Dir: James Watkins
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds, Janet McTeer, Shaun Dooley
THE WOMAN IN GREEN
1945
*
Sherlock Holmes has a case involving hypnotists, a mysterious woman and Professor Moriarty.
The plot may be a little daft, as was not uncommon in this endearing series, but this knotty mystery moves at a fair pace and allows Watson his comic hypnotism bumbling and Holmes a suspenseful near-demise atop a precarious ledge (after the baddies have foolishly underestimated him!). Nice autumn viewing that definitely stands up after all these years, with a mean Moriarty. Note to the filmmakers: learn how to spell 'Edgware Road'.
Dir: Roy William Neill
Stars: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Hillary Brooke, Henry Daniell
THE WOMAN IN RED
1984
*
A middle-aged man becomes infatuated with a younger woman in a silk red dress.
Simple comedy, palatable apart from the hideous song I Just Called To Say I Love You.
Dir: Gene Wilder
Stars: Gene Wilder, Kelly LeBrock, Charles Grodin, Joseph Bologna
THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW
1944
***
A man becomes obsessed with the picture of a woman he sees.
Excellent thriller with absorbing plot development.
Dir: Fritz Lang
Stars: Edward G Robinson, Joan Bennett, Raymond Massey
WOMAN ON TOP
2000
0
A beautiful cook moves from Brazil to San Francisco and gets her own TV show.
Feather-light whimsy, not easy to connect with or care about; it lacks original ideas and a basic point.
Dir: Fina Torres
Stars: Penelope Cruz, Murilo Benicio, Harold Perrneau
WOMAN TIMES SEVEN
1967
0
Seven tales of adultery: Funeral Procession, Amateur Night, Super Simone, At The Opera, The Suicides, Snow and Two Against One.
Unwatchable portmanteau which allows the female star to act her very weirdest.
Dir: Vittorio De Sica
Stars: Shirley MacLaine, Peter Sellers, Lex Barker, Robert Morley, Patrick Wymark, Adrienne Corri, Alan Arkin, Michael Caine, Anita Ekberg
A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE
WOMANEATER
1958
0
A mad doctor feeds women to a monster plant he acquired in the Amazon.
Anaemic horror of limited value. There are, however, some nice location shots of night-time central London.
Dir: Charles Saunders
Stars: George Coulouris, Vera Day, Robert MacKenzie
WOMEN BEHIND BARS
1975
0
A woman is thrown into prison for killing her robber boyfriend.
The director may count this among one of his best films, but apart from Romay’s nakedness it has little to recommend it – dramatically it’s completely lackadaisical and the camerawork is as shonky as Franco’s always is.
Dir: Jess Franco
Stars: Lina Romay, Martine Stedil, Nathalie Chape
WOMEN IN CELL BLOCK 7
1973
0
A woman goes to a tough woman's prison to save her father's life.
Predictably grubby entry into the female incarceration genre, often unintentionally funny, especially dialogue wise - which provides some relief. Yes, there are several showers.
Dir: Rino di Silvestro
Stars: Anita Strindberg, Eva Czemerys, Jenny Tamburi
WOMEN IN LOVE
1969
***
The love lives of two couples in the early 1900s.
Ken Russell’s best film is a D H Lawrence adaptation that skilfully captures both the outlandish spirit of the book and the time period it is set in.
Dir: Ken Russell
Stars: Alan Bates, Oliver Reed, Glenda Jackson, Jennie Linden, Eleanor Bron, Michael Gough
WOMEN OF THE WORLD
1963
0
Mondo documentary about females of the globe, and their various roles. Includes Swedish hitchhiking, a Hamburg street of prostitutes, drag queens, thalidomide children, the sexy Israeli army and more.
Apparently constructed from outtakes from Mondo Cane (qv), this is a frequently dull, overlong film which would have more sociological value if one didn't suspect that some of it is ersatz.
Dir: Paolo Cavara, Gualtiero Jacopetti
WONDER MAN
1945
*
A man comes back as a ghost to solve a murder.
Bright comedy with impressive special effects.
Dir: H Bruce Humberstone
Stars: Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Otto Kruger, Huntz Hall
WONDER WOMAN
2017
*
An Amazonian princess comes to help the Allies in World War I.
Most modern superhero films are basically the same - this one offers a small touch of variety due to its setting and the fact that it has a female lead. Honestly made and with not-too-fast, not-too-slow action sequence highlights, it's a serviceable blockbuster in another summer of disappointments, and may well be the best DC Universe movie. Pity that, inevitably nowadays, some politicise it.
Dir: Patty Jenkins
Stars: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, David Thewlis
WONDERLAND
2000
***
Love lives of Londoners at the end of the 20th century.
Naturalistic drama that's partly uplifting and partly depressing but has much to commend it including excellent performances, unusual photography and sharp scripting.
Dir: Michael Winterbottom
Stars: Gina McKee, Ian Hart, Shirley Henderson, John Simm
WONDERWALL
1968
0
A dotty professor finds a hole in his wall which gives views of the beautiful girl next door.
An 'art film': which in this instance means dialogue-lite, weirdness-heavy ramblings that are invariably tedious. This exercise in psychedelia doesn't even offer a feeling of Sixties London because most of the action takes place inside the professor's flat, and even Beatles fans keen to hear George Harrison's score may end up disappointed.
Dir: Joe Massot
Stars: Jack MacGowran, Jane Birkin, Irene Handl, Richard Wattis
THE WOODEN HORSE
1950
**
British POWs attempt to escape from Nazi Germany.
Brisk, efficient war drama with suspenseful sequences.
Dir: Jack Lee
Stars: Leo Genn, David Tomlinson, Anthony Steel, Peter Finch
WOODSTOCK
1970
**
Chronicle of the 1969 music festival.
A mammoth documentary that was a technical triumph; the musical performances are variable but the film candidly captures funny and quirky asides.
Dir: Michael Wadleigh
Stars: The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Ten Years After, Joe Cocker, Canned Heat
WOODY ALLEN: A DOCUMENTARY
2012
***
Interviewing Allen and looking back on his long career.
Excellent documentary profiling one of the very greatest filmmakers, with engrossing footage of Woody creating scripts, shooting and editing, along with material from his pre-film days. One cannot but help to warm to the man and his associates. A television programme released in a shortened version theatrically; the DVD release is the long version, with plenty of extras also.
Dir: Robert B Weide
Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Larry David, Mariel Hemingway
WORK IS A FOUR LETTER WORD
1967
0
A bored worker brightens his existence up by growing hallucinogenic plants.
Dreamy, camp comedy that isn’t as funny as it thinks.
Dir: Peter Hall
Stars: David Warner, Cilla Black, David Waller
WORKING GIRL
1988
*
A secretary pretends she is her boss.
Old fashioned comedy made with a light touch.
Dir: Mike Nichols
Stars: Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Melanie Griffith, Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusack
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP
1982
**
A writer struggles while his friend has a sex change.
Unusual and intelligent drama mixing dark humour and tragedy; its quirks include John Lithgow as a woman.
Dir: George Roy Hill
Stars: Robin Williams, Mary Beth Hurt, Glenn Close, John Lithgow, Hume Cronyn
THE WORLD IS FULL OF MARRIED MEN
1979
0
A businessman who has affairs gets his comeuppance when his wife is also unfaithful.
Utter garbage which makes The Bitch look like a classic; the 'pop star' scenes are particularly laughable.
Dir: Robert Young
Stars: Anthony Franciosa, Carroll Baker, Paul Nicholas, Gareth Hunt
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
1999
*
James Bond battles a terrorist who cannot feel pain.
One of the weakest Bond films, one which feels flat and colourless compared to many of the others: everything is dialled down, from the locations to the main villain to the henchmen - even the action scenes don't feel as vibrant as they should. The pre-credits sequence goes on for far too long and the movie struggles to find impetus after that.
Dir: Michael Apted
Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards, Robbie Coltrane, Judi Dench, Desmond Llewelyn, John Cleese
THE WORLD OF ABBOTT AND COSTELLO
1965
*
Compilation of clips from 19 Abbott and Costello movies.
Considering these comedians were less than terrific, this is surprisingly untaxing viewing, certainly preferable to sitting through most of the features on show here.
Dir: Sidney Miller
Narrator: Jack E Leonard. Stars: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello
THE WORLD OF APU
1959
**
A jobless ex-student gets a big surprise when he attends a wedding.
The final part of Ray’s Apu trilogy is a gently affecting tale of muted love and loss, made with enormous care – he is certainly among India’s best ever directors (not that there’s a lot of competition). Note how critics rarely draw attention to the film’s illustration of this culture’s disdain for women’s choices.
Dir: Satyajit Ray
Stars: Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore, Alok Chakravarty
THE WORLD OF HENRY ORIENT
1964
*
Two teenagers become obsessed with a concert pianist.
Odd little drama, difficult to categorise but certainly sweet enough to look at and listen to.
Dir: George Roy Hill
Stars: Peter Sellers, Paula Prentiss, Angela Lansbury, Tom Bosley
THE WORLD TEN TIMES OVER
1963
*
A busy day in the life of two nightclub hostesses in London.
Downbeat drama with flashes of style, given life by extensive location shooting, including the seamy Soho streets (always nice to see in a Sixties drama). The two female leads are mildly irritating, although Sim’s portrayal has some meat on it and Hartnell could still turn in a strong performance at this point.
Dir: Wolf Rilla
Stars: Sylvia Syms, June Ritchie, William Hartnell, Edward Judd
THE WORLD, THE FLESH AND THE DEVIL
1959
*
A miner trapped underground during a nuclear attack emerges to find a deserted world.
Sci-fi that initially promises good things, with its scenes of a despairing Belafonte in an impressively deserted New York, but turns into a bit of a gloomy soap opera when more characters turn up, making them speak portentously; it then rallies in the final act before a drippy climax. One wonders whether the race stuff is an unnecessary distraction.
Dir: Ranald MacDougall
Stars: Harry Belafonte, Inger Stevens, Mel Ferrer
WORLD WITHOUT END
1956
0
Astronauts are propelled forwards 500 years into the future.
This starts well, but soon settles into soapy sci-fi drama that doesn't explore the possibilities presented. It's very much of its time, and could be enjoyed as such, being spoofed 30 years later in the likes of Amazon Women On The Moon (qv). Cute costumes, certainly.
Dir: Edward Bernds
Stars: Hugh Marlowe, Nelson Leigh, Rod Taylor, Nancy Gates
THE WORLD'S END
2013
*
Five old friends get together again for a pub crawl in their home town, only to find it has been infiltrated by aliens.
An experience somewhat akin to that of a pub crawl: it begins with great anticipation and hope, and ends in messy and overwrought fashion. The first half hour is fresh and funny, promising human themes about men trying to rekindle their youth, but after the fight in the toilets it goes steadily downhill - indeed, it becomes worse the more science fictional it becomes. Like the previous 'Cornetto Trilogy' films, Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz (both qv), its combination of strong violence, strong language and a dollop of sentimentality eventually becomes tiresome, and is here further wounded by a plot that finds it has nowhere to go, but breathlessly tries to sustain itself with unbelievable character motivation. And the action in it seems to have crept in from a different film (Scott Pilgrim, perhaps).
Dir: Edgar Wright
Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan, Martin Freeman, Rosamund Pike, Pierce Brosnan
THE WORLD’S GREATEST ATHLETE
1973
0
A coach discovers an incredible white runner in Africa.
Simple-minded kids’ comedy which doesn't stray far from the Seventies Disney formula.
Dir: Robert Scheerer
Stars: Tim Conway, Jan-Michael Vincent, John Amos
WORST FEARS
2016 (V)
0
Seven horror stories: Tincture Of Vervain, Wednesday, In The Place Of The Dead, Mrs Davenport's Throat, Child Number Four, After Image, We're Ready For You Now.
A series of short films shot in 2005-2006, freshly linked together by former exploitation scripter McGillvray as a showman, this is crippled from the start by its cheap video-shot appearance. Even though acting and scripting are vaguely competent there's no saving it, especially since the tales are, in the main, tame and ordinary, and are hardly reminiscent in tone or feel of the great British horror anthologies of the Seventies.
Dir: Keith Claxton, Jake West
Stars: David McGillvray, Fenella Fielding, Victor Spinetti, Celia Williams
THE WRAITH
1987
0
A boy returns from the dead as a vengeful biker.
A mix of horror, car races and pop music, and full of plot holes and idiotic characters.
Dir: Mike Marvin
Stars: Charlie Sheen, Nick Cassavetes, Sherilyn Fenn, Randy Quaid
WRECK-IT RALPH
2012
*
The villain in an arcade game seeks to expand his horizons.
The initial idea is a highly promising one, and the animation is peerless, but this is something of a disappointment: the central plotline simply isn't very strong and we feel little attachment to the characters - there's lots of clever stuff in the background but the foreground isn't as interesting. By the time the film's around an hour old you're hoping for Game Over.
Dir: Rich Moore
Stars: John C Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch
THE WRESTLER
2008
***
A wrestler struggles to cope with life after a heart attack.
Shot in documentary style, this raw drama asks what we do to fill the hours of life when our dreams have failed, and Rourke’s deeply sympathetic performance could not be more suitable for its vibe. A compelling film that plays even better in the memory.
Dir: Darren Aronofsky
Stars: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis
1967
0
A couple endure an unusual weekend on the road.
Unbearable arty garbage from one of the world's worst directors, a succession of pretentious and mind-numbingly boring surreal episodes. One wonders how anyone could make this stuff, or watch it, or be a film critic giving it full marks.
Dir: Jean-Luc Godard
Stars: Mireille Darc, Jean Yanne, Jean-Pierre Kalfon
WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S
1989
*
Two friends have to pretend that their dead employer is still alive.
Frenzied comedy in bright settings that is good for a laugh.
Dir: Ted Kotcheff
Stars: Andrew McCarthy, Jonathan Silverman, Catherine Mary Stewart, Terry Kiser
THE WEEKEND MURDERS
1970
0
After the reading of a will, a family is murdered one by one.
This film is a good example of how one which is ostensibly English in many ways - the setting, the genre, some of the cast - can be transformed into something deeply foreign by being made by Italians; the camera techniques, the editing, the music and script eccentricities all totally alter it - and for some of us, not for the better. It's just hard to care about or fully understand what goes on in this busy thriller with way too many characters, most of whom are underdeveloped and some who irritate (especially the one who keeps faking things). The Tchaikovsky score sounds nice but feels cheap and plastered on.
Dir: Michele Lupo
Stars: Lance Percival, Anna Moffo, Ida Galli, Gastone Moschin
A WEEKEND WITH LULU
1961
0
A couple, his friend and her mum accidentally go to France in a caravan called Lulu.
Inconsequential comedy that breezes in and out of one's life without having too much of a ruffling effect; it's just about worth it because of a dog called Gaylord. Eaton is sexy, Monkhouse is smarmy.
Dir: John Paddy Carstairs
Stars: Bob Monkhouse, Leslie Phillips, Shirley Eaton, Irene Handl
WEIRD SCIENCE
1985
0
Two sex-hungry teenagers create what they think is the perfect woman.
Smutty, unsubtle and laboured comedy for teenagers only.
Dir: John Hughes
Stars: Anthony Michael Hall, Kelly LeBrock, Bill Paxton, Robert Downey Jr
WEIRD WOMAN
1944
0
A professor brings his young bride, from a superstitious island in the South Pacific, home, and that's where the trouble starts.
Second in the Inner Sanctum series, which were usually advertised as horrors rather than the mysteries they were, although this one is supernaturally tinged. Chaney, as ever, is not believable as a brainbox, but he is able to generate vulnerability. Also as ever in these films there are a dizzying amount of characters and lots of dialogue, here accompanying a plot which very much concerns women and their wicked ways. It passes an hour or so.
Dir: Reginald Le Borg
Stars: Lon Chaney Jr, Anne Gwynne, Evelyn Ankers, Ralph Morgan
WELCOME ABOARD TOXIC AIRLINES
2007
0
Documentary which alleges that passengers’ health is being put at risk by airlines, due to unfiltered air in the cabins.
A worthy low budget documentary that makes its sole point in its first minute and expands upon it for a further 90; occasionally you want to shout ‘Okay, we believe you - move on!’ Some unnatural interviewees and a less than sonorous narrator also diminish the impact, and a good 20 minutes could have been excised.
Dir: Tristan Loraine
WELCOME DANGER
1929
*
A student investigates crimes in San Franciscan Chinatown.
This uneven first sound feature for Lloyd had plenty of production difficulties, and it shows - while in many ways it's a confident and go-getting production it's ragged, with some sequences that go on way too long and violence that just isn't funny; Lloyd's character isn't that likeable and there's too much of Young, but Middleton is as enjoyable as ever. Listen out at one point for the music that would come to be used on Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
Dir: Clyde Bruckman
Stars: Harold Lloyd, Barbara Kent, Noah Young, Charles Middleton
WELCOME TO BLOOD CITY
1977
*
A group of people find themselves as slaves in a Wild West town with no knowledge of how they got there.
Confusing but painless sci-fi that's similar to both Westworld and The Prisoner episode Living In Harmony.
Dir: Peter Sasdy
Stars: Jack Palance, Keir Dullea, Samantha Eggar, Barry Morse
WENT THE DAY WELL?
1942
***
An English village is occupied by Nazi soldiers.
Engaging slice of propaganda; the first half is delightfully suspenseful, the second a great boy's own game of soldiers. Today it is still incredibly fresh, thanks to superbly expert handling in every area, and the fact that it was one of the most mature, bold films produced in Britain during the war; what is also wonderful is the way it confidently asserts that this is a non-negotiable case of good vs evil, and how imperative it is that good wins out.
Dir: Alberto Cavalcanti
Stars: Leslie Banks, C V France, Valerie Taylor, Frank Lawton, Marie Lohr
THE WEREWOLF
1956
0
Scientists turn a man into a snarling beast.
The sci-fi element is somewhat novel for a film about a werewolf, but despite some good early scenes it develops routinely thereafter. There's not a great deal of our werewolf friend, whose look changes throughout.
Dir: Fred F Spears
Stars: Don Megowan, Steven Ritch, Joyce Holden
THE WEREWOLF AND THE YETI
1975
0
While searching for the Yeti in the Himalayas, an explorer turns into a werewolf.
Dull and directionless horror with a few unintentional laughs, including the brief climactic clash between the titular characters (who look almost identical); one of the infamous Naschy’s many cheesy film outings and an official nasty in Britain – perhaps the censors should be thanked for helping people avoid so much dross.
Dir: Miguel Igleslias
Stars: Paul Naschy, Grace Mills, Silvia Solar
WEREWOLF OF LONDON
1935
*
A botanical doctor gets rather hairy after being bitten in the jungle.
The first and not so famous werewolf movie; some decent suspenseful sequences but too much jokey dialogue.
Dir: Stuart Walker
Stars: Henry Hull, Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson
THE WEREWOLF OF WASHINGTON
1973
*
A reporter close to the President is bitten by a werewolf.
Politicalised horror that hits a few targets.
Dir: Milton Moses Ginsberg
Stars: Dean Stockwell, Katalin Kallay, Henry Ferrentino
WEREWOLF WOMAN
1976
0
A woman becomes a nymphomaniac werewolf.
Confused Italian horror of no worth.
Dir: Rino Di Silvestro
Stars: Annik Borel, Howard Ross
WEREWOLVES ON WHEELS
1971
0
A group of bikers are cursed by satanists.
Vacant trash made by the talentless.
Dir: Michael Levesque
Stars: Steve Oliver, Donna Anders, Barry McGuire
WES CRAVEN'S NEW NIGHTMARE
1994
0
Freddy Krueger, upset at being killed off in the Nightmare movies, goes after the cast and crew.
What could have been a wildly imaginative shocker is just another bland, stupid and over-excited teenage flick.
Dir: Wes Craven
Stars: Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Wes Craven, John Saxon
WEST END JUNGLE
1961
*
Fictionalised incidents designed to illustrate how widespread prostitution was in London.
Endearing curio which has gained enormous nostalgia value and now seems like a comforting place to escape to; it is actually pretty well shot, generally brisk and although the narration is stern and moralising it’s very perceptive in its descriptions of both the vice trade and human nature.
Dir: Arnold L Miller
Narrator: David Gell
WEST SIDE STORY
1961
**
Two youngsters from rival street gangs fall in love with each other.
The main superlatives of this famous, flawed film are the dancing, which is initially kicked off in thrilling fashion with the finger-clicking at the beginning, after the camera has glided over the New York streets. Some performances are shakier, the Romeo and Juliet-inspired storyline isn't as sharp as it could be, and there are probably only two or three great songs on the soundtrack; but it has vibrancy, swagger and self-confidence in its mix of campery and much darker themes such as violence, race, rape and lawlessness.
Dir: Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise
Stars: Natalie Wood, George Chakiris, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno
WEST SIDE STORY
2021
**
Spielberg's version might be a slight improvement on the original - it's certainly no worse and it is very similar (leading some to ask: what was the point?), even if it edges up the race issue, the violence, the language and the Spanish. Sumptuously shot and expertly choreographed - with 'America' again the highlight - it still doesn't quite fully engage those of us who are largely immune to the charms of the original musical, but it's an accomplished motion picture that feels like it was made in the era it is set in. The director dedicates it to his father, who died in 2020 aged 103.
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Rita Moreno
WESTWORLD
1973
***
The realistic robots at an adult amusement park go berserk and start attacking customers.
First-rate mix of sci-fi and western-style thrills that's adeptly handled and highly enjoyable; Brynner as the killer who won't give up gives the film true class and several enduring images.
Dir: Michael Crichton
Stars: Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, James Brolin, Dick Van Patten
Sequel: Futureworld (qv)
WHAT?
1972
0
A sexy young girl causes mayhem at the house she goes to stay at.
Polanski's little seen black comedy is a dull, overlong, misfiring picture that isn't saved by its attractive setting and lead actress.
Dir: Roman Polanski
Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Sydne Rome, Hugh Griffith, Roman Polanski
WHAT A CARVE UP!
1961
0
To claim an inheritance, a man must spend a night in a haunted house.
Creaky comedy which trots out every old dark house trick in the book.
Dir: Pat Jackson
Stars: Kenneth Connor, Sid James, Shirley Eaton, Donald Pleasence, Dennis Price, Michael Gough
WHAT A WHOPPER
1961
0
A writer fakes photos of the Loch Ness Monster in order to sell his book.
Mild comedy with interesting credits, including Terry Nation as writer and a cast full of familiar British comedic faces; it's a pleasant romp and little else, with a final frame that you can't help but grin at.
Dir: Gilbert Gunn
Stars: Adam Faith, Carole Lesley, Sidney James, Clive Dunn, Wilfrid Brambell, Terry Scott, Spike Milligan
WHAT BECAME OF JACK AND JILL?
1971
*
A man and woman covet an elderly lady for her money.
Moderate, confined suspenser with a silly conclusion.
Dir: Bill Bain
Stars: Vanessa Howard, Mona Washbourne, Paul Nicholas
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO A NAKED LADY?
1970
0
Candid Camera-style documentary assessing how people react to public nudity, and also interviewing them about sexual matters.
Not a funny film, or an especially compulsive one, but one with a wee bit of social value. Trouble is you can see this sort of thing done much better on television nowadays, and those looking for wall-to-wall sexiness and nudity will be disappointed.
Dir: Allen Funt
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO AUNT ALICE?
1969
*
An elderly woman goes to work for a widow who may know what happened to her missing friend.
Baby Jane-type melodramatics, competently done all round.
Dir: Lee H Katzin
Stars: Geraldine Page, Ruth Gordon, Rosemary Forsyth
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?
1962
***
Two ageing actresses live in loathing and seclusion in a decaying Hollywood mansion.
Seminal horror drama that even had its title much imitated; effectively an extension of Sunset Boulevard, it remains startling viewing thanks to the way the ageing stars go at each other in a way not seen before.
Dir: Robert Aldrich
Stars: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono, Anna Lee
WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOUR DAUGHTERS?
1974
*
A teenage girl is found hanged in an attic, but it may be murder rather than suicide.
Another giallo with most of the genre’s traits: a slightly laborious police investigation; a killer who wears leathers and rides a motorbike; a nice score; a few gory deaths and a bit of sex; and a somewhat muffled and confusing storyline. It has some style and some merit, but generally speaking this is an overrated genre.
Dir: Massimo Dallamano
Stars: Giovanna Ralli, Claudio Cassinelli, Mario Adorf, Farley Granger
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE?
1972
0
London schoolgirls are being offed by a killer who may be a priest.
The London setting entices, and there are bracing injections of violence and nudity, but this overlong giallo displays a whole load of sloppy narrative traits, like so many others do. As Karin Baal says on an interview in the Blu-ray's extras, it's a thriller that doesn't thrill.
Dir: Massimo Dallamano
Stars: Fabio Testi, Cristina Galbo, Karin Baal, Camille Keaton
WHAT IS A WOMAN?
2022
***
Documentary in which political commentator Matt Walsh asks searching questions about the transgender movement.
Easily the best (only?!) film about this strange and destructive phenomenon, it's done in a professional and fair manner, and is never less than compelling, and often horrifying. Walsh is a likeable, level-headed, civil protagonist who talks to a so-called 'gender-affirming' surgeon, others in the medical profession, people in academia and activists on the streets; it takes only the lightest of questioning before their arguments and/or demeanour falls apart (they're not used to meeting anyone with a different point of view). Highlights also include the trip to Africa, Walsh telling a council board exactly what he thinks of their policies, and then there's Jordan Peterson, electrifying as ever. This doc is extremely important because it chronicles a rich society that has become adrift from rationality, in the name of being 'inclusive', and it should be shown far and wide - but of course isn't because activists opposed to it infest the media and entertainment industry.
Dir: Justin Folk
WHAT LIES BENEATH
2000
*
The wife of a professor investigates the death of one of his students.
Thriller with a big enough red herring to serve for Sunday lunch, it moves slowly while being all too frequently punctuated by sudden jolts, then offers a familiar climax.
Dir: Robert Zemeckis
Stars: Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer, Diana Scarwid, Joe Morton
WHAT THE SWEDISH BUTLER SAW
1975
0
A Victorian gentleman keeps a lithe young maid his prisoner.
Low budget Scandinavian sauce-fest with marginally more intelligence than some.
Dir: Vernon P Becker
Stars: Ole Soltoft, Sue Longhurst, Diana Dors
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
2014
0
Four ancient vampires live in a flatshare in modern-day New Zealand.
Those who can get into this and be on its wavelength will have a ball; those who can't, won't. Benign intentions and likeable leads, but there seems so little fresh to laugh at.
Dir: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi
Stars: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer
WHATEVER
1999
**
The monotonous and disconsolate life of a middle-aged man.
Michel Houellebecq's novel, upon which this is based, did not appear to lend itself to filmic treatment, but this works, as long as you're familiar with it or in a similar situation to its protagonist: it skewers better than most the ennui of middle-aged existence. Mordantly funny and occasionally shocking, it has an attitude and a vibe that isn't shared by many other movies.
Dir: Philippe Harel
Stars: Philippe Harel, Jose Garcia, Catherine Mouchet
WHATEVER WORKS
2009
*
A misanthropic retired scientist has his life changed when he meets a 21-year-old Southern girl.
A slightly stale Allen movie (the script had been around for 30 years) featuring David less likeable than in his brilliant Curb Your Enthusiasm series, which had been going nine years at this point - the insults he hands out, and his superior attitude, are not conducive to sympathy, despite the fact that he's often right; the talky script's attitude to Southerners and ordinary folk, not to mention its slightly unbelievable plot in which gorgeous young Wood hooks up with misanthropic, 60-something David, may also stick in the craw of many. It eventually satisfactorily coalesces in the fashion of a Shakespearean comedy, and there is wit and there is warmth, but it's not top drawer Allen, maybe not even middle drawer.
Dir: Woody Allen
Stars: Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson, Henry Cavill, Ed Begley Jr, Michael McKean
WHAT’S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE
1969
0
A middle-aged banker meets an exciting young woman on a business excursion.
The awful title song isn't a good omen, and this curio does turn out to be a not funny and not all that interesting story, although as a semi-melancholy tale of what happens when middle age makes you realise that life is staider than it once was, it has its moments. No surprise that it didn't find much of an audience though, who must have been bamboozled at its tone, and few wanted to see a naked Wisdom either. The Southport location filming and the fact that it was 1969 help a little.
Dir: Menahem Golan
Stars: Norman Wisdom, Sally Geeson, Sarah Atkinson, David Lodge
1965
0
A womaniser seeks the help of a doctor who also has a big thing for the opposite sex.
Unfocused and unattractive comedy which gave little indication of Allen's talents (he also scripted this mess).
Dir: Clive Donner
Stars: Peter Sellers, Peter O'Toole, Woody Allen, Ursula Andress, Capucine
WHAT’S UP, DOC?
1972
****
A music researcher's life is thrown into chaos when he meets a wild young woman at a convention.
Superlative screwball comedy (Remember them?, as the tagline went) whose dizzying succession of incident and cast of richly comic characters ensures that this is an enormously pleasurable and uproarious ride. Small details are perfectly judged and the setting feels open and inviting.
Dir: Peter Bogdanovich
Stars: Ryan O'Neal, Barbra Streisand, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Austin Pendleton, Liam Dunn
WHAT’S UP NURSE!
1977
0
An accident-prone doctor has amorous adventures.
Woeful British sex comedy with the usual ingredients (familiar faces, bad jokes, bare girls), its essentially old fashioned nature is confirmed by the closing wedding scenes.
Dir: Derek Ford
Stars: Nicholas Field, Felicity Devonshire, John Le Mesurier, Graham Stark, Peter Butterworth, Jack Douglas, Andrew Sachs
WHAT’S UP SUPERDOC!
1978
0
A doctor is in demand for his super-sperm.
Appalling rubbish, even worse than its predecessor - in fact, probably worse than the vast majority of films ever made.
Dir: Derek Ford
Stars: Christopher Mitchell, Harry H Corbett, Bill Pertwee, Julia Goodman
WHAT’S UP, TIGER LILY?
1966
0
A Japanese spy film with new dubbed-on commentary by Woody Allen. The story now has agents searching for an egg salad recipe.
A clever and original idea that provides a few laughs but goes on for far too long and becomes boring. Allen only wanted it to be an hour in length but the producers insisted on padding it out with The Lovin' Spoonful and extra scenes - Allen was correct, although the movie was a hit. Overall though, it's an inauspicious directorial debut for one of the great helmsmen of his era, even if it does seed a few themes he would return to in the years ahead.
Dir: Woody Allen/Senkichi Taniguchi
Stars: Woody Allen/Tatsuya Mihashi, Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama
WHEELS ON MEALS
1984
0
Two brothers who own a mobile restaurant help a detective friend find a female pickpocket.
Mugging comedy set in Barcelona, excessively stupid and infantile.
Dir: Sammo Hung Kam-Bo
Stars: Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Lola Forner
WHEN COMEDY WAS KING
1960
***
Compilation of high-quality silent comedy, including Laurel and Hardy in Big Business.
A valuable and joyous work in which the commentary hammers home the debt we owe to the performers.
Dir: Robert Youngson
Narrator: Dwight Weist. Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harry Langdon, Charley Chase, Fatty Arbuckle, Snub Pollard, Ben Turpin, Edgar Kennedy
WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH
1969
0
A blonde tribeswoman encounters difficulties with dinosaurs and rival tribes.
Silly prehistoric antics in which the dialogue only consists of grunts and unfamiliar words; it’s film 'muzak' for the majority of its running time – and what’s funny is that they decided not to do the film in English in a vague effort to be ‘authentic’, when dinosaurs and people, who were separated by 65 million years, share the screen. It is always going to be difficult to engage a modern audience without proper dialogue, even if you have decent dino-effects and pneumatic cavewomen who forever look like they’re going to pop out of their stone-age bras.
Dir: Val Guest
Stars: Victoria Vetri, Robin Hawdon, Patrick Allen
WHEN EIGHT BELLS TOLL
1971
*
A British agent investigates the disappearance of a ship off the coast of Scotland.
Gruff Alistair MacLean thriller with airy Scottish locations, not bad but James Bond had nothing to worry about: Diamonds Are Forever was better and set in Vegas. Fine to watch in 'lockdown'.
Dir: Etienne Perier
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Robert Marley, Nathalie Delon, Jack Hawkins
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY...
1989
***
A man and a woman attempt to maintain a relationship where they are just good friends.
An exceedingly well written and well performed comic drama with many sentiments that ring true - there's scene after scene of wise and witty dialogue delivered by people we want to see happy who are being tossed around by the currents of life. It strikes a nice balance, of being just slightly different to many other films of its ilk, and having characters that are neither too deep nor too shallow. While not quite touching the heights of the finest Woody Allen movies, which it resembles, it's one of the director's best pictures during his purple patch.
Dir: Rob Reiner
Stars: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby
WHEN MICHAEL CALLS
1972 (TV)
0
A woman starts receiving telephone calls from her nephew who died 15 years previously.
The boy’s voice down the phone delivers a shiver or two, but plot development thereafter is fairly routine. Interesting to see Douglas equipping himself in one of his earliest roles.
Dir: Philip Leacock
Stars: Ben Gazzara, Elizabeth Ashley, Michael Douglas
WHEN SATURDAY COMES
1995
*
A brewery worker eventually realises his dream of playing for Sheffield United.
Entirely predictable and clichéd old-fashioned drama; but since the makers know this and don’t care, why should we?
Dir: Maria Giese
Stars: Sean Bean, Emily Lloyd, Pete Postlethwaite, Craig Kelly
WHEN STRANGERS MARRY
1944
**
A woman begins to suspect her husband is a murderer.
Fast moving mystery which still holds the attention.
Dir: William Castle
Stars: Dean Jagger, Kim Hunter, Robert Mitchum
WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT
2012
0
In 1974 Yorkshire, a family moves into a haunted house.
Based on a 'true' story apparently, this minor British horror has some good things about it - fairly well done scares, a reasonable evocation of the period, a touching classroom relationship - but plays its bat so straight, and offers so little that's exciting or original, that it eventually seizes up. Amusingly, the family accepts the fact that it's ghosts at work as readily as they would that they have a mice infestation, and it's the familiar movie scenario that those who reject the supernatural are the irrational ones.
Dir: Pat Holden
Stars: Kate Ashfield, Steven Waddington, Tasha Connor
WHEN THE WIND BLOWS
1987
**
An elderly couple get on with life after a nuclear attack.
Misleadingly cosy cartoon that becomes incredibly bleak; very well done but the message is overstated and the couple do appear rather too ignorant.
Dir: Jimmy T Murakami
Voices: Peggy Ashcroft, John Mills
WHEN TIME RAN OUT
1980
0
An active volcano threatens a holiday resort.
The fag end of the disaster movie cycle, one that borrows much, including incidents and dialogue, from those that had gone before.
Dir: James Goldstone
Stars: Paul Newman, Jacqueline Bisset, William Holden, Edward Albert, Red Buttons, Barbara Carrera, Burgess Meredith, Ernest Borgnine
WHEN WE WERE KINGS
1997
***
Documentary about Ali's 'Rumble In The Jungle' against Foreman.
A film which catches the flavour and drama of the event marvellously.
Dir: Leon Gast
Stars: Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Don King, James Brown
WHEN WILL I BE LOVED
2004
0
A young woman uses men for her own ends.
Obtuse talk piece, thought-provoking at best, cold and irrelevant at worst. The loud classical score is irritating.
Dir: James Toback
Stars: Neve Campbell, Fred Weller, Ashley Shelton, James Toback
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE
1951
0
A planet flies towards Earth on collision course.
Insipid acting and scripting almost kill this sci-fi drama but the climactic special effects are suitably convincing, and turned up in other apocalyptic movies.
Dir: Rudolph Mate
Stars: Richard Derr, Barbara Rush, Peter Hansen
WHERE DOES IT HURT?
1971
0
A corrupt hospital chief tries to get insurance money out of his patients.
Sluggish, unlikeable comedy that represented a low for the star.
Dir: Rodney Amateau
Stars: Peter Sellers, Jo Ann Pflug, Harold Gould
WHERE EAGLES DARE
1969
***
Allies stage a raid on a castle where the Nazis are holding an American general prisoner.
One of the best war movies of its decade, this tall tale is performed with complete conviction by its excellent cast and is evocatively shot in the Austrian mountains, cable cars and all (the snow helps make it an especially apt film for British television to re-show around Christmas ever year). The last hour or so in particular is full of vigorous action, supremely edited and very gripping - certainly the director never came anywhere near making something as good again.
Dir: Brian G Hutton
Stars: Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Mary Ure, Patrick Wymark, Michael Hordern, Donald Houston, Anton Diffring, Derren Nesbitt, Ingrid Pitt
WHERE HAS POOR MICKEY GONE..?
1964
*
Boisterous youths terrorise the owner of a magic shop.
Curious, fantasy-tinged short, part of a line of films showing nasty young Brits raising hell that continued with the likes of The Penthouse (1967) and A Clockwork Orange. Not exactly entertaining but well shot in part on the streets of night-time London, and with the great Mitchell in typical form.
Dir: Gerry Levy
Stars: Warren Mitchell, John Malcolm, Ray Armstrong
WHERE THE BULLETS FLY
1966
0
Secret agent Charles Vine hunts down a special nuclear formula.
Dullish James Bond spoof with too much chat.
Dir: John Gilling
Stars: Tom Adams, Dawn Addams, Tim Barrett, Michael Ripper, Sid James
WHERE THERE’S A WILL
1936
*
An incompetent solicitor unwittingly becomes party to a bank robbery.
Hay's star vehicles would get much more assured than this one, most notably when he was partnered with Moore Marriott and Graham Moffat - Moffat is in this one, but not nearly enough, and the script is only patchily funny. Still, because of Hay alone it's worth watching - his persona of the seedy incompetent is one of the greats of British comic cinema.
Dir: William Beaudine
Stars: Will Hay, Graham Moffatt, H F Maltby, Peggy Simpson
WHERE’S THAT FIRE?
1940
*
A hopeless fire brigade struggle to put out fires...
Not one of the greatest comedies from these three stars, with an overly hectic plot, but still very funny in places.
Dir: Marcel Varnel
Stars: Will Hay, Moore Marriott, Graham Moffatt, Charles Hawtrey
THE WHIP AND THE BODY
1963
*
In the 19th century, a sadistic nobleman has an extreme relationship with his brother's wife.
Thin and slow horror that has worth because of its strong imagery and darkly twisted plot, which concerns sado-masochism - these scenes spikily puncture the action which is sometimes agonisingly stretched out.
Dir: Mario Bava
Stars: Daliah Lavi, Christopher Lee, Tony Kendall
THE WHIP HAND
1951
*
A reporter stumbles on a town with a secret.
A small town with a guilty secret, here adapted to the then current phenomenon of McCarthyism; cheaply done but a minor pleasure.
Dir: William Cameron Menzies
Stars: Elliott Reid, Carla Balenda, Raymond Burr
WHIPLASH
2014
****
A young drummer is trained by an incredibly tough music teacher who makes him up his game.
Superbly powerful drama about the obsessive quest for perfection and how it can damage, this is as taut as the tautest drum skin and is blessed by an enrapturing performance from Simmons, although Teller is excellent too. Razor-sharp editing, brilliant sound mixing and distinct cinematography are just some of the things that help to create a bewitching movie experience, one which asks questions about how we should live our lives.
Dir: Damien Chazelle
Stars: Miles Teller, JK Simmons, Melissa Benoist
WHIPPED
2000
*
Three egotistical men start dating the same hot woman.
Opinion could go two ways on this comedy: it's either sharp, witty, fast moving and funny, or obnoxious, misogynistic, crude and unoriginal. Twentysomething men may be more likely to think the former.
Dir: Peter M Cohen
Stars: Amanda Peet, Brian Van Holt, Judah Domke, Zorie Barber
WHIRLPOOL
1970
0
A model visits the isolated country house of an odd, possibly murderous, couple.
The director’s first film sets the tone for his future ones: sleaze in rural settings. Overall this is thin gruel but quite enticing in its slow, strange way.
Dir: Joseph Larraz
Stars: Karl Lanchbury, Vivian Neves, Pia Andersson
WHISKY GALORE
1948
***
A tiny Scottish island is in luck when a ship's cargo of fifty thousand whisky bottles washes up ashore.
Quintessential Ealing comedy that displays all that was good about that studio.
Dir: Alexander Mackendrick
Stars: Basil Radford, Catherine Lacey, Bruce Seton, Joan Greenwood, Jean Cadell, Gordon Jackson, James Robertson Justice
WHISPERING GHOSTS
1942
0
An actor who plays a detective tries to solve a real mystery.
Inexpensive comedy mostly set on a ship; the majority of the characters are now extremely dated.
Dir: Alfred L Werker
Stars: Milton Berle, Brenda Joyce, John Carradine, Willie Best
THE WHISPERING SHADOW
1933 (serial)
0
A mysterious criminal kills people through television and radio waves.
Primitive serial from a lower rank company, with perfectly terrible acting and dated dramatics – what still has a shiver of power are the sound effects when the Shadow is about to make his next move. What’s not so good is the desperately confusing plot, the flashbacks that become more frequent as the serial progresses and the flat endings to most of the instalments (music would have helped). Like so many other old flicks, it can now be viewed on YouTube with slightly out of sync audio.
Dir: Colbert Clark, Albert Herman
Stars: Bela Lugosi, Viva Tattersall, Malcolm McGregor, George J Lewis
WHISPERS
1989
0
A woman is plagued by a psychopath.
This cut-price thriller had ‘straight to video’ written all over it, which is exactly what happened. The female star’s brief vogue as a leading lady was mysterious indeed.
Dir: Douglas Jackson
Stars: Victoria Tennant, Jean LeClerc, Chris Sarandon
WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND
1961
*
Lancashire schoolchildren discover a criminal hiding in their father's barn and assume him to be Jesus.
Curious little allegory affectionately remembered by many: viewed now it can be interpreted in different ways, although the most realistic interpretation is surely that children are easily deluded and there is nothing quite so delusional as religious faith. Perhaps because of this it fails to be as affecting as one might hope, with even Bates' performance appearing distinctly understated, but its naturalistic feel and raw location shooting give it a rare, salty atmosphere.
Dir: Bryan Forbes
Stars: Hayley Mills, Alan Bates, Bernard Lee, Norman Bird
THE WHITE BUFFALO
1977
0
Wild Bill Hickok obsessively hunts a large white buffalo.
Empty mystic western with clumsy attempts at symbolism and an absurd looking monster.
Dir: J Lee Thompson
Stars: Charles Bronson, Jack Warden, Clint Walker, Kim Novak, John Carradine
WHITE CARGO
1973
0
A daydreamer happens upon women being kidnapped and shipped to the Far East.
Feeble mini-budgeter with a script dragged in by the cat; a victim of all kinds of production difficulties (it was originally written for The Goodies), it mysteriously turns up on television more than any other ’70s British sex comedy.
Dir: Ray Selfe
Stars: David Jason, Hugh Lloyd, Dave Prowse, Sue Bond
WHITE CHRISTMAS
1954
*
Two performers who are ex-soldiers put on a show to boost their former general's inn.
This famous film has to be one of the very least Christmassy of Christmas films: it hardly feels festive at all and there's only about a minute of snow! It's also not the most compelling of stories either, and the title song is easily the most memorable one in it - the best that can be said for this movie is that it's in gorgeous colour.
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Stars: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Dean Jagger
WHITE DOG
1982
*
A dog is trained to attack black people.
Unusual, low key drama that sometimes resembles an animal behaviour film but also serves up some nicely crafted suspense.
Dir: Samuel Fuller
Stars: Kirsty McNichol, Christa Lang, Vernon Weddle
WHITE HEAT
1949
**
A mother-fixated gangster runs from the law after a violent heist.
Vigorous crime drama with more brutality than most of its predecessors and a genuinely psychotic lead character - but Cagney is only one element of a vibrant, involved picture that will have fans of the genre purring. Memorable finale, of course.
Dir: Raoul Walsh
Stars: James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien, Margaret Wycherly
WHITE MISCHIEF
1987
*
In colonial Kenya, a woman is unfaithful to her rich, older husband.
Based on a real-life case of murder in the 1940s, this atmosphere-heavy drama adroitly recreates a time and place, and also the louche behaviour of some of the last colonialists; dramatically speaking, its first half is the more successful, building tension through skilled performances and subtle directorial touches. Scacchi is especially delightful and sexy as the much-desired Diana.
Dir: Michael Radford
Stars: Joss Ackland, Greta Scacchi, Charles Dance, Sarah Miles, Geraldine Chaplin, John Hurt, Trevor Howard
1987
0
Murders of housewives occur in an isolated Arizona community.
A failure, no matter what some critics might tell you; stricken with a ghastly Eighties sheen and adorned with many irksome stylistic touches, it's a ragged and unsympathetic film that's tortuous to watch. Clearly the unpleasant product of a disturbed mind, it shouldn't be a surprise that the director later killed himself.
Dir: Donald Cammell
Stars: David Keith, Cathy Moriarty, Alan Rosenberg
THE WHITE TRAP
1959
**
A convict is determined to break out of prison and visit his pregnant wife in hospital.
Well above average B-thriller that's lean and taut, and even finds time for some interesting characterisation further down the cast list; the protagonist may not be wholly sympathetic and the police rather incompetent but it still works.
Dir: Sidney Hayers
Stars: Lee Patterson, Conrad Phillips, Yvette Wyatt
WHITE ZOMBIE
1932
**
A young man uses witchcraft to try and get his girlfriend back, but it goes horribly wrong.
The first zombie film is an atmospheric artefact that still impresses visually if not script-wise. Playing like the highly theatrical early cinema production it is, it’s slow, simple and creaky, and likely only suitable for old movie fans, but retains a warped air of strangeness that makes it tolerable.
Dir: Victor Halperin
Stars: Bela Lugosi, Madge Bellamy, Joseph Cawthron, Robert Frazer
WHO?
1974
*
A scientist disappears but reappears later with a different face.
Mildly intriguing sci-fi spy drama that suffered limited distribution.
Dir: Jack Gold
Stars: Elliott Gould, Trevor Howard, Joseph Bova
WHO CAN KILL A CHILD?
1976
**
An English couple visit a Spanish island which has been completely taken over by children.
When it begins with seven minutes of credits featuring archival footage of atrocities against mankind, especially children, you know this is something a bit different and daring: as it is, the deserted setting and nature gone crazy idea (a la Hitchcock’s The Birds) are fairly familiar but it does deliver several jolts and unusual thrills. The sunny setting is a plus too, and it's well shot and edited, although the story is a little stretched out.
Dir: Narciso Ibáñez Serrador
Stars: Lewis Fiander, Prunella Ransome
WHO DARES WINS
1982
*
An SAS commando infiltrates a radical terrorist group.
Blood and thunder that's difficult to take too seriously, as there are several nutty plot contrivances (why on earth would Collins' character be let into the group?!). But that's not really the point here: it's a guilty pleasure for many, and a certain type of viewer, one not averse to admiration of the SAS and/or antipathy towards CND types, will mostly have a good time. Certainly the final act is fairly fun, culminating in the super-soldiers properly turning it on.
Dir: Ian Sharp
Stars: Lewis Collins, Judy Davis, Richard Widmark, Edward Woodward, Ingrid Pitt, Kenneth Griffith
WHO DONE IT?
1956
0
A buffoon becomes a private detective and happens upon a dastardly plan by East European scientists.
Ealing’s last film, and Benny Hill’s first, is a tiresome, incredulous comedy that tries too hard to be hysterical and ends up very flat.
Dir: Basil Dearden
Stars: Benny Hill, Belinda Lee, David Kossoff, Ernest Thesiger
WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT
1988
***
A detective helps out a cartoon rabbit who has been accused of murder.
When this first came out it was a marvel - audiences had never seen its like before, an ingenious and freewheeling mixing of animation and live action, with attitude. Viewed now, after special effects have moved forward considerably, it seems far less effective but still retains a cheeky charm.
Dir: Robert Zemeckis
Stars: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer
WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?
2006
*
Documentary focusing on General Motors’ decision to stop production of their electric car.
A sort of low calorie Michael Moore, this makes its thin and rather arid subject matter reasonably intriguing, although it’s roughly as convincing as the titular automobile is.
Dir: Chris Paine
Narrator: Martin Sheen
WHO KILLED THE KLF?
2021
***
Documentary about Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, the duo behind 1990s pop group The KLF, also well-known for burning one million pounds' worth of bank notes.
Why they committed their pampered act of unfathomable stupidity is never really explained, possibly because it can't be (and they don't seem to know why they did it), but that doesn't detract from an often fascinating document of the extent some artists will go to to immerse themselves in their art. They probably had an inflated sense of their own importance as a band and their own place in history (as artists do - as they usually have to do) but folk like this make the world go around: they add colour and strangeness. It'd be interesting to know how much they had left in their bank accounts after the burning of the money - this is not revealed. Even if we were told, would we believe it? This film creates a mood of subterfuge and uncertainty.
Dir: Chris Atkins
WHO SAW HER DIE?
1972
0
After his daughter is murdered, a father attempts to find the killer.
Sloppy giallo which looks – and sounds – good but is saddled with a vacant script and cardboard characters.
Dir: Aldo Lado
Stars: George Lazenby, Anita Strindberg, Adolfo Celi, Peter Chatel
WHO WAS MADDOX?
1964
*
A blackmail plot leads to murder.
Satisfying, nicely plotted Edgar Wallace Mystery with Lee as dependable as ever in the lead.
Dir: Geoffrey Nethercott
Stars: Bernard Lee, Jack Watling, Suzanne Lloyd, Finlay Currie
WHOEVER SLEW AUNTIE ROO?
1972
0
A mad old woman lures unsuspecting children to her mansion.
Slim, genteel horror that’s as mild as a sea breeze. While Winters predictably gives it her all, and the technical credits are all up to snuff, its fairy tale-like antics are just impossible to get excited about.
Dir: Curtis Harrington
Stars: Shelley Winters, Mark Lester, Chloe Franks, Ralph Richardson, Lionel Jeffries, Hugh Griffith
WHOOPS APOCALYPSE
1987
*
When a small British colony is invaded by its communist neighbour, a chain of events is set in motion that may lead to World War 3.
Patchy film version of a zany TV comedy, a bit of a mish-mash of comic styles.
Dir: Tom Bussmann
Stars: Loretta Swit, Peter Cook, Rik Mayall, Ian Richardson, Herbert Lom, Shane Rimmer
WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?
1966
*
An alcoholic couple quarrel when guests come over.
Deeply dislikeable drama that presents two obnoxious, maladroit characters and two simpering, irritating ones, all of whom should be confined to a madhouse; the incessant, weird, tedious rows drill into the brain like a thousand episodes of EastEnders watched at once and surely only an audience of actors could get something out of it. But it ushered in a new era of cinematic permissiveness, so that’s alright then.
Dir: Mike Nichols
Stars: Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, George Segal, Sandy Dennis
WHOSE CHILD AM I?
1975
*
A couple struggle to conceive.
Curious, moderately straight-laced drama with many sketchily developed sub-plots, it at times resembles a daytime soap opera with some nudity thrown in. Not exactly sophisticated, but not too painful either.
Dir: Gerry O'Hara
Stars: Kate O'Mara, Paul Freeman, Edward Judd
WHY GIRLS LOVE SAILORS
1927
0
An unfaithful sea captain gets his comeuppance.
An early joint screen venture for Stan and Ollie, with Ollie particularly far-removed from his usual genial character and Stan spending most of the time in drag. To be brutally honest, there’s now not a single thing to laugh at in it.
Dir: Fred Guiol
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Anita Garvin, Viola Richard
WHY MAN CREATES
1968
*
Animation detailing man's evolution.
Fondly remembered by a certain age group of American high schoolers, this short now appears rather frazzled and downright strange.
Dir: Elaine Bass, Saul Bass
WHY WORRY?
1923
**
A rich businessman attempts to find peace in the Tropics but instead finds himself caught up in a revolution.
Frequently delightful vehicle for the enormously talented star.
Dir: Fred C Newmeyer, Sam Taylor
Stars: Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, John Aasen
WICKED
2024
*
In the land of Oz, a blonde girl and a green woman become friends.
The definition of 'bloat' - the heart sinks when the words 'To be continued' come up at the end of this unbelievably lengthy film, because before the non-climax we've suffered modern Hollywood at about its worst, with a garishly colourful, let's jump about and be diverse jamboree in which nothing really matters, partly because it's fantasy, partly because it's all told in flashback. It's artificial from head to toe. The two leads are not attractive (Grande is terrifyingly thin) and, while Wicked fans will vigorously disagree with all of the above, for non-acolytes this is a pain to sit through. There's maybe two decent songs, most of the others could have been written by AI.
Dir: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh
THE WICKED LADY
1983
0
An aristocratic woman turns to robbery for thrills.
Sexed up remake of the 1945 corset-buster that's heavily reliant on the star cast.
Dir: Michael Winner
Stars: Faye Dunaway, Alan Bates, John Gielgud, Denholm Elliott, Prunella Scales, Oliver Tobias, Glynis Barber, Joan Hickson
WICKED STEPMOTHER
1989
0
A woman discovers that her father has married a strange old woman.
Whimsical fantasy which reminds one of those jaded Disney kids' films from the '70s. The exit of Bette Davis half way through is jarring and cringe-worthy (Davis quit the movie and died months afterwards).
Dir: Larry Cohen
Stars: Bette Davis, Barbara Carrera, Colleen Camp, Lionel Stander
THE WICKER MAN
1973
****
A God-fearing detective visits a remote Scottish island to investigate the disappearance of a schoolgirl.
Wholly effective horror that's like no other; bracingly original and constantly surprising, it benefits from raw location shooting and Woodward's magnificent performance as the policeman who maintains his unbending beliefs to the end. It exists in several slightly different versions.
Dir: Robin Hardy
Stars: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Ingrid Pitt
WICKER PARK
2004
*
An advertising executive becomes obsessed with a woman he spots in a café.
Curious, choppy romantic thriller in which the flashbacks in the latter half of the film demonstrate that the first hour wasn't as deeply uninteresting as we thought at the time.
Dir: Paul McGuigan
Stars: Josh Hartnett, Rose Byrne, Matthew Lillard, Diane Kruger
THE WICKER TREE
2010
*
Two young American evangelists get more than they bargained for in rural Scotland.
The fear was that this tardy follow-up to The Wicker Man would be dreadful in so many ways, but thankfully it isn’t, although of course it’s not up there with its predecessor. Nicely shot and mercifully free of modern crudities, it has some things in common with the 1973 film – including use of music and some coquettish eroticism – but surprises and dramatic tension are in lean supply, and the pace is fairly leisurely. It’s all a little bland, but is probably still worth seeing for fans of the original.
Dir: Robin Hardy
Stars: Brittania Nicol, Henry Garrett, Graham McTavish, Honeysuckle Weeks, Christopher Lee
WIDE SARGASSO SEA
1991
*
In 1840s Jamaica, a female landowner marries an Englishman to avoid losing her property.
Reasonably faithful, somewhat plodding adaptation of an innovative novel that was a prequel to Jane Eyre; the emphasis here is on the eroticism.
Dir: John Duigan
Stars: Karina Lombard, Nathaniel Parker, Rachel Ward, Michael York
THE WIFE
2018
***
When an author is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, a series of events are set in motion.
While its late-on revelation isn't too surprising, this is a fine, human drama, excellent scene-for-scene thanks to sharp scripting, editing and acting; it says a lot about the pretences we need to keep up to live satisfactory lives.
Dir: Bjorn Runge
Stars: Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, Christian Slater, Max Irons
THE WIFE SWAPPERS
1969
0
Suburban couples spice their love lives up.
Now an obscure artefact, once a wildly popular and infamous blue movie, this hysterical gem is most likely to crack modern viewers up with its moralising narration.
Dir: Derek Ford
Stars: James Donnelly, Larry Taylor, Valerie St John
WILD
2014
**
A young woman undergoes a 1,000-mile trek to try and rid herself of her demons.
Based on a book by a woman who underwent a similar journey, this is a well-made, feminist-slanted drama with a committed performance from the lead, playing an angry, bruised figure; the super-abundance of flashbacks threatens to weaken it dramatically but it manages to say its piece. Dern is just nine years older than her on-screen daughter Witherspoon, and it does show.
Dir: Jean-Marc Vallee
Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Gaby Hoffmann
WILD AT HEART
1990
**
Two young lovers go on the run from the girl's murderous mother.
Strange mixture of sex, violence and talking which manages to be something original.
Dir: David Lynch
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, Crispin Glover, Diane Ladd
THE WILD BUNCH
1969
**
An aging group of outlaws look for one last big score.
Laconic, nihilistic western that intermittently bursts into violent life.
Dir: Sam Peckinpah
Stars: William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, Warren Oates, Ben Johnson
WILD COUNTRY
2005
0
Youths on a camping trip are menaced by a vicious monster.
Ultra low budget horror, just over an hour long, that fails to be of any interest despite hard work all around; the plot is overly familiar and the youths ghastly.
Dir: Craig Strachan
Stars: Samantha Shields, Martin Compston, Peter Capaldi
WILD GEESE II
1985
0
A plot is hatched to rescue Rudolf Hess from Spandau Prison.
Largely unrelated sequel with a quite promising central idea, but somewhat long and muddled and lacking in star power; Olivier, when he turns up, is like someone from a different film. The actual springing Hess from jail is probably the best bit.
Dir: Peter Hunt
Stars: Scott Glenn, Barbara Carrera, Edward Fox, Laurence Olivier
WILD MAN BLUES
1998
*
Documentary about Woody Allen on tour with his jazz band.
Easy-going documentary with a few hilarious and fascinating moments, but not quite enough of them. And dare we say that there’s too much jazz in it...
Dir: Barbara Kopple
Stars: Woody Allen, Soon-Yi Previn
THE WILD ONE
1954
**
Motorcycle gangs terrorise a small town.
Puzzlingly banned in Britain for 12 years - because the establishment do win in it - this is an important and occasionally exciting film which gave Brando one of his earliest iconic performances.
Dir: Laszlo Benedek
Stars: Marlon Brando, Mary Murphy, Robert Keith, Lee Marvin
WILD ORCHID
1990
0
A female lawyer and a millionaire have a passionate affair.
Vacuous drama that offers little other than glossy sex.
Dir: Zalman King
Stars: Mickey Rourke, Carre Otis, Jacqueline Bisset, Bruce Greenwood
WILD POSES
1933
0
An ‘Our Gang’ short, in which Spanky’s parents take him to get his portrait taken.
One idea stretched thinly, but there are amusing moments and a very brief cameo from Laurel and Hardy, looking like they did in 1930’s Brats (qv). For someone coming fresh to Our Gang, it’s a slightly odd experience.
Dir: Robert F McGowan
Stars: George McGarland, Franklin Pangborn, Gay Seabrook, Emerson Treacy, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy
THE WILD ROBOT
2024
**
After crashing on an uninhibited island, an intelligent robot chooses to care for the local animals.
High quality animated feature with visuals that dazzle and a script with a big heart - it's a movie with very few humans but lots of human emotions and should be appreciated by all of the family. While it hits some predictable beats, it's an easy, warm watch.
Dir: Chris Sanders
Voices: Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, It Connor, Bill Nighy
WILD STRAWBERRIES
1957
***
An old man taking a road trip to collect an award thinks back over his life.
Bergman's oft returned to theme, the weariness of existence, is here given one of his most accessible frameworks, with proper pacing and everything.
Dir: Ingmar Bergman
Stars: Victor Sjostrom, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Bib Andersson
WILD TALES
2014
***
Six stories of everyday violence and revenge: Pasternak, The Rats, Road To Hell, Bombita, The Deal, Till Death Do Us Part.
Half a dozen electrifying slices of Latin fury laced with the blackest humour imaginable; all the vignettes are irresistible and gleefully subversive, while also being gleamingly shot and scored. Clearly the work of a very talented young fella; the best story is possibly the third one, which happens to be the one with the least dialogue.
Dir: Damian Szifron
Stars: Leonardo Sbaraglia, Ricardo Darin, Erica Rivas, Dario Grandinetti
THE WILD WILD WEST REVISITED
1979 (TV)
0
Secret agents investigate when it looks like heads of state have been replaced by replicas.
Reprisal of the popular TV series, surprisingly tolerable considering its demented storyline.
Dir: Burt Kennedy
Stars: Robert Conrad, Ross Martin, Paul Williams
THE WILD WILD WORLD OF JAYNE MANSFIELD
1968
0
Jayne Mansfield wanders round the world taking in sights such as Italian musclemen, a topless band, transvestites, a nudist colony and more - and then dies in a car crash.
A documentary, or more precisely a mondo movie that pretends that Mansfield is in a lot of places she isn't, with footage dredged up from somewhere and a voiceover from her that isn't actually her; the final ten minutes then focus on her death in a car crash and feature her widow and children. It's a bizarre concoction alright, but mostly not a terribly riveting one - the incidents just aren't there.
Dir: Charles W Broun Jr, Joel Holt, Arthur Knight
Narrator: Robert Jason
THE WILD WOMEN OF WONGO
1958
0
A tribe of women come to realise there is a male tribe on the other side of their island.
Hilarious but rather boring farrago, utterly incompetent on every level.
Dir: James L Wolcott
Stars: Jean Hawkshaw, Mary Ann Webb, Cande Gerrard
THE WILDCATS OF ST TRINIAN’S
1980
0
The naughty schoolgirls go on strike.
Odd tail end of the [pretty poor] series, not remarkable except for the fact that it's surprisingly sexy, often resembling a soft core sex comedy.
Dir: Frank Launder
Stars: Sheila Hancock, Michael Hordern, Thorley Walters, Rodney Bewes, Luan Peters
WILL ANY GENTLEMAN...?
1953
0
A mild bank clerk’s life spirals into chaos after he is hypnotised on stage.
Frantic rushing about in a colourful suburbia: it rarely clicks as well as it no doubt did on stage and the high-spirited cast struggle to keep it from being underwhelming.
Dir: Michael Anderson
Stars: George Cole, Jon Pertwee, Sidney James, Joan Sims, William Hartnell, Veronica Hurst
WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER?
1957
*
An ad man has to pretend to be in love with a dizzy blonde actress to save his career.
Frantic satire on TV advertising which doesn't come off despite some nice ideas.
Dir: Frank Tashlin
Stars: Tony Randall, Jayne Mansfield, Joan Blondell
WILLARD
1971
*
A young man trains some rats to help him torment the boss he dislikes.
The lead rats don't actually look as yucky as you fear they will, although the scenes of masses of them are suitably unpleasant: the thing about this somewhat light-hearted horror is that we know exactly what will happen long before the characters do; the characters, though, make the film as they're a characterful, not dislikeable bunch. So the tone's about right, the pace not hurried, and it was a box office hit (Ben was the sequel).
Dir: Daniel Mann
Stars: Bruce Davison, Erenest Borgnine, Sondra Locke, Elsa Lanchester
1996
**
Two young lovers fall for each other despite their warring families.
One of the boldest and brassiest Shakespeare adaptations, made with a lot of energy and visual panache.
Dir: Baz Luhrmann
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, John Leguizamo, Pete Postlethwaite, Brian Dennehy
THE WILLIES
1990
0
Three boys out camping tell scary stories to one another, three short ones and two longer ones, Bad Apples and Flyboy.
Rank anthology presumably aimed at young teens; most will be likely to be gnawing the armchair in boredom as the main tales, particularly Flyboy, drag on and on, with no discernible talent in sight.
Dir: Brian Peck
Stars: Sean Astin, Clu Gulager, Michael Bower
WILLOW
1988
*
A dwarf must protect a special baby from an evil queen.
Every fantastical character you could think of, including a talking goat, is thrown into this action-packed brew which, while no classic, is a fun ride.
Dir: Ron Howard
Stars: Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Jean Marsh, Pat Roach, Patricia Hayes
WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
1971
***
A young lad wins a trip to a magical confectionary factory.
Memorable version of Roald Dahl's book that captures the macabre humour of the original and conjures up some magical moments and enduring images, certainly ones that will stay in the mind of a person who viewed it when young. It may seem clunky in some respects now, particularly special effects wise, but it retains its strange appeal: a mixture of an American and British cast and a storybook Munich setting makes it seem not quite normal.
Dir: Mel Stuart
Stars: Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum, Roy Kinnear
WILSON
1944
**
The life of the 28th President of the USA, covering the period 1909 to 1921.
Steady biopic which shows its subject in the most favourable light imaginable; rarely spectacular, it endures because of the opulence of the production and the purr of history in the background.
Dir: Henry King
Stars: Alexander Knox, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Charles Coburn, Cedric Hardwicke
WILT
1989
**
A teacher is suspected of killing his wife, whom he hates.
A successful transfer of Tom Sharpe to the big screen, and a fresh and funny vehicle for two excellent television comedians.
Dir: Michael Tuchner
Stars: Griff Rhys Jones, Mel Smith, Alison Steadman, Diana Quick
WINCHESTER '73
1950
*
In the Old West, a powerful rifle changes hands many times.
Western credited as important, being one of the first to be more for adults than children, it's very well made - photography and performances are of a high standard - but a bit underwhelming on the script front, at least for those of us who don't enjoy Westerns as much as some.
Dir: Anthony Mann
Stars: James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, Stephen McNally
1961
0
A layabout beats up a black man who is going out with his sister.
Unsubtle and simplistic racial drama largely featuring people arguing on small studio sets, of some historical interest because it was one of the first British films to comment on the race problem that had been imported into the country about a decade previously; it follows the tried and tested movie formula of white man bad, black man good.
Dir: Vernon Sewell
Stars: Donald Pleasence, Johnny Briggs, Ann Lynn, Glyn Houston
WINDBAG THE SAILOR
1936
*
An incompetent sea captain is put in charge of an unseaworthy vessel.
True-to-type Hay vehicle - the occasional corniness and stiltedness just help to enhance enjoyment. There are a few splendid scenes with the lead trio, the best being when they try and work out how far away they are from England - it's pure, madcap comedy gold.
Dir: William Beaudine
Stars: Will Hay, Moore Marriott, Graham Moffatt, Gina Malo
THE WINDOW
1949
**
A boy with a reputation for telling tall tales witnesses a murder.
Small-scale, punchy thriller, probably the best of many similar films it inspired.
Dir: Ted Tetzlaff
Stars: Bobby Driscoll, Barbara Hale, Arthur Kennedy, Ruth Roman, Paul Stewart
A WINDOW IN LONDON
1939
0
A man witnesses a murder through the windows of a passing train.
Don't let the attractive synopsis entice you into seeing this limp, very minor thriller in which the incident is forgotten about five minutes after it has occurred.
Dir: Herbert Mason
Stars: Michael Redgrave, Sally Gray, Paul Lukas
WINGS
1927
*
Two friends join the Air Force to fight in the Great War.
The first winner of the Best Picture Oscar probably wasn’t the best film of its year (Sunrise and The Jazz Singer each have a good claim to that title), and it proves a little arduous to view for its entire running time now, but there is cinematic ambition on show and the aerial sequences are genuinely impressive – even if screen cards frequently interject to explain what’s going on.
Dir: William Wellman
Stars: Charles Buddy Rogers, Clara Bow, Richard Arlen, Gary Cooper
WINGS OF DESIRE
1987
*
An angel looking down on Berlin falls in love with a trapeze artist.
Virtually plotless oddity that quickly descends into unwatchableness.
Dir: Wim Wenders
Stars: Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Peter Falk
WINGS OF MYSTERY
1963
*
Children who are keen pigeon fanciers go after a traitor at a steelworks.
One of innumerable Children Film's Foundation items (how much business did they do?) and another with a star of the future, here a young Geeson. The plot almost feels like two in one, with the pigeon stuff and the espionage stuff, and there's a decent amount of running around action, mostly shot in front of a long-ago lost Sheffield landscape that will invoke nostalgia in some.
Dir: Gilbert Gunn
Stars: Judy Geeson, Hennie Scott, Francesca Bertorelli
WINNIE THE POOH AND THE HONEY TREE
1966
*
Pooh climbs a tree for honey and later gets stuck in a rabbit hole.
Sweet stuff (no pun intended) that raises a few smiles after he gets jammed in the hole; nowadays they'd turn this short into a public information film about the dangers of obesity. This was the first time Winnie appeared on the big screen, and it was later incorporated into 1977's The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh.
Dir: Wolfgang Reitherman
Voices: Sterling Holloway, Sebastian Cabot, Junius Matthews
WINTER'S BONE
2010
*
A Mountain girl tries to track down her drug-dealing father who has gone missing.
Extremely well made but unfailingly bleak venture into a community that is as alien as they come; you can't fault the technical credits but the story is thin and that grey gloom does become wearing.
Dir: Debra Granik
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Garret Dillahunt
WIRED
1989
0
The ghost of John Belushi looks back on his turbulent life.
Unusually done fantasia on the life of the not terribly sympathetic comedian; it doesn't really work but some of the scenes of drug abuse are horribly fascinating.
Dir: Larry Peerce
Stars: Michael Chiklis, Ray Sharkey, J T Walsh
WISH YOU WERE HERE
1987
**
In a seaside town in Fifties England, a teenage girl learns the price of feeling free and being naughty.
Curious little drama about a potentially divisive character, hard to categorise and hard to nail down meaning-wise - perhaps it's a tale of growing up and of how if females don't protect themselves with worry and fret they end up in difficult situations, although possibly it also makes the point that they're strong enough to ride those difficulties, and survive. It appears to not be judgemental about older, predatory men. Anyway, the period is captured unerringly (also, it's notable that Lynda's swearing is mild by today's standards), individual scenes are often very good, and newcomer Lloyd offers an open, fresh performance.
Dir: David Leland
Stars: Emily Lloyd, Tom Bell, Geoffrey Hutchings
2007
0
A schoolgirl makes a doll that appears to grant wishes, especially malevolent ones.
Very low budget horror moderately well done on its own terms, although it’s difficult to guess who might take pleasure in it aside from people who know the cast or crew. It plays like a gritty urban drama with supernatural asides.
Dir: Stephen W Parsons
Stars: Tiana Benjamin, Doc Brown, Fenella Fielding
THE WITCH
2015
*
A family in 1630s New England are plagued by witchcraft.
As austere and doom-laden as they come, a Puritan family drama that leans into horror territory and delivers largely muffled chills until its fantastical climax. Efficiently done in itself - atmospheric and well-acted - it's something of a chore at times, with authentic dialogue making it an experience that may be too difficult for some.
Dir: Robert Eggers
Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw
THE WITCH WHO CAME FROM THE SEA
1976
0
A woman with a disturbed childhood carries out violent acts on unsuspecting men.
Weird but not wonderful psychological drama with a super-strange lead character who spouts a lot of dull dialogue; the enterprise has a small amount of worth but the one-toneness of the content and the director’s doziness are deleterious.
Dir: Matt Cimber
Stars: Millie Perkins, Lonny Chapman, Vanessa Brown
WITCHCRAFT
1964
0
A witch is revived by workmen digging up a graveyard.
Simplistic and largely atmosphere-free horror with several scenes that go on considerably longer than they need to – they could maybe have boiled the movie down to 15 minutes, which is more than the length of time Chaney has on screen. It's not that it's a badly made film, it's just one that never draws you in.
Dir: Don Sharp
Stars: Jack Hedley, Lon Chaney Jr, Marie Ney, Jill Dixon
WITCHCRAFT
1988
0
A young mother suspects that her husband is a Satanist who wants her baby.
Incompetent Rosemary's Baby rip-off with lots of attempted suspense build-ups which go nowhere.
Dir: Rob Spera
Stars: Anat Topol, Gary Sloan, Mary Shelley
WITCHCRAFT II: THE TEMPTRESS
1989
0
A witch tries to turn a teenager to Satan.
Truly terrible horror, utterly abysmal in every respect.
Dir: Mark Woods
Stars: Charles Solomon, Delia Sheppard, David Homb
WITCHCRAFT '70
1970
0
Mondo documentary about satanic rites around the world.
There's a bit of curiosity value but this is mainly pretty boring stuff, sleepily done; the fakery doesn't matter so much, more the lack of variety (although there is a section on cryogenics at the end). Its many other titles include The Satanists, The Occult Experience and White Angel... Black Angel.
Dir: Luigi Scattini
Narrator: Edmund Purdom
THE WITCHES
1966
0
A woman takes a job as a teacher in an English village which appears to be home to a coven of witches.
Hammer Films allowed lead Fontaine to pick her director for an adaptation of a book, The Devil's Own, she liked, but the results are less than stellar. The first hour is pleasant, predictable, ploddish, as Joan gradually uncovers nefarious behaviour and is then persecuted in Rosemary's Baby-style; finally we get a climax in which the English throw off formal behaviour and start acting like Lady Gaga's backing dancers in the coven. It's a brew that failed to attract the punters; its X certificate was later reduced to a 12, not too surprisingly.
Dir: Cyril Frankel
Stars: Joan Fontaine, Kay Walsh, Alec McCowen, Ann Bell, Leonard Rossiter
1990
*
A young boy stumbles into a witches convention.
An interesting combination, Roeg and Roald Dahl, create a quirky and imaginative junior horror film: perhaps one for the children before they graduate on to the real, gory thing.
Dir: Nicolas Roeg
Stars: Anjelica Huston, Mai Zetterling, Jane Horrocks, Rowan Atkinson
THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK
1987
**
Three single women wish for a horny devil and have their wish granted.
Fresh and literate comedy exhibiting an air of freedom.
Dir: George Miller
Stars: Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer
WITCHFINDER GENERAL
1968
***
During the English Civil War, witchfinder Matthew Hopkins travels the country persecuting people he believes are impure.
One of Britain's most unique horror films, a brooding tale of sadism strikingly shot in East Anglian locations. Working as a jaw-dropping history lesson, a revenge thriller and a romance, it is raw and atmospheric, capturing the feel of the period, offering a superb performance from Price that is among his best and most restrained.
Dir: Michael Reeves
Stars: Vincent Price, Ian Ogilvy, Rupert Davies, Hilary Dwyer, Nicky Henson, Patrick Wymark, Wilfrid Brambell
THE WITCHMAKER
1969
0
An elderly witch hunts beautiful young women to rejuvenate herself.
Low budget horror from the swamps of Louisiana that would have benefited from more flesh and blood - perhaps they should have waited a year or two for more freedom.
Dir: William O Brown
Stars: Anthony Eisley, Thordis Brandt, Alvy Moore
WITH A SONG IN MY HEART
1952
*
Singer Jane Forman battles through adversity to maintain her huge popularity.
Cheery musical biopic that features an awful lot of singing, which made it a big hit at the time but now dates it, as that style of music has passed. The dubbed singing is about as artificial as the rest of the picture.
Dir: Walter Lang
Stars: Susan Hayward, Rory Calhoun, David Wayne, Thelma Ritter
WITH LOVE AND HISSES
1927
0
Soldiers in training get involved in various scrapes, including losing their clothes.
Notable only for being an early example of the three stars interacting, this is a loose, plotless short with a few mildly risqué gags; you wouldn’t care to watch it twice.
Dir: Fred Guiol
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson
WITHIN OUR GATES
1920
*
A black woman dedicates herself to helping a school for the impoverished.
Apparently only the second film directed by an African-American, and the oldest to survive, this is of historical significance; it shows the deep and visible racial divisions in American society at the time, and certainly has fire in its belly. As a piece of filmmaking it lacks narrative coherence - the story is all over the place, characters drift in and out, and individual scenes can be extremely unclear as to what's going on (compare it to, say, the clarity of Griffith's Broken Blossoms of the previous year). But some folk often don't mind about all that.
Dir: Oscar Micheaux
Stars: Evelyn Preer, Flo Clements, James D RuffinWITHNAIL AND I
1987
****
At the end of the 1960s, two boozers head to the Lake District for some relaxation.
For many of us, this is more of a remembered experience than just a film and means a greater deal to some than others could ever understand; viewed dispassionately, one might point out its ripe performances and quotable dialogue (never have there been so many immaculately crafted obscenities), while noting that is slender in plot and a little slow. But it is nevertheless a minor milestone in British cinema, a vigorous portrayal of a distinct milieu and a way of living that could only be temporary, like they are all are, but feels particularly vivid and somehow deeply meaningful.
Dir: Bruce Robinson
Stars: Richard E Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths, Ralph Brown, Michael Elphick
WITHOUT A CLUE
1988
**
Sherlock Holmes is a drunken fool and it is Dr Watson who is the real detective genius.
A pleasant evening's entertainment: like a Holmes mystery with the added bonus of several belly laughs. The joke goes on a little long but most of the performances have the requisite lightness of touch, particularly Caine’s.
Dir: Thom Eberhardt
Stars: Michael Caine, Ben Kingsley, Jeffrey Jones, Lysette Anthony, Nigel Davenport
WITNESS
1985
***
A policeman goes to Amish country to protect a boy who has seen a murder.
Nicely mounted thriller on a familiar theme but with a few new twists, including the depiction of the Amish way of life which, if anything, is overly sympathetic.
Dir: Peter Weir
Stars: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas, Danny Glover
WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION
1957
***
A man goes on trial for the murder of a rich widow, and there are a few shocks in store.
Rarely bettered courtroom drama that combines sophisticated wit, a surprise-filled script and Laughton's juicy performance as the eccentric barrister. Staidness is a million miles away thanks to these qualities and camerawork that ensures shots of the court don't become repetitive; straight after this it was the even better Some Like It Hot for Wilder.
Dir: Billy Wilder
Stars: Charles Laughton, Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Elsa Lanchester, John Williams, Henry Daniell
WITNESS IN THE DARK
1959
*
A blind woman is the only witness in a murder case.
Small-scale thriller not overburdened by different locations or sets, but reasonably watchable.
Dir: Wolf Rilla
Stars: Patricia Dainton, Conrad Phillips, Madge Ryan, Nigel Green
THE WIZ
1978
0
An all-black version of The Wizard Of Oz.
A strange choice of director delivers a strange film, one which has imaginative visuals - the garbage cans with teeth, the graffiti and pillars that come alive, the Wiz himself - but is hauled to earth by mediocre songs that stretch the story to tedium. Stick with the previous adaptation, which is also thankfully shorter.
Dir: Sidney Lumet
Stars: Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Richard Pryor
THE WIZARD OF OZ
1939
***
Farm girl Dorothy is swept away to a magical land where she embarks on a journey to find a wizard at the end of a yellow brick road.
Outstanding fantasy that has retained its freshness thanks to the cast's enthusiasm, the glorious art direction and the mellifluous tunes. A few things that might strike the modern viewer: the stagey, pantomime-like feel; the often immobile camera; the scary bits that are still sure to imprint themselves on young minds.
Dir: Victor Fleming
Stars: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton
WMD: WEAPONS OF MASS DECEPTION
2004
*
Documentary examining the perceived right-wing bias of the American media in their coverage of the second war against Iraq.
Breathless polemic that makes some salient points but is as relentless and noisy as a dentist's drill.
Dir: Danny Schechter
WOLF CREEK
2005
***
Three backpackers meet with trouble in the Australian Outback.
Classy thriller which avoids the obvious and convincingly creates the feeling that the characters are all alone in their terrifying situation; it also features one of the most despicably evil villains seen on the screen in recent years.
Dir: Greg McLean
Stars: John Jarratt, Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi, Nathan Phillips
THE WOLF MAN
1940
**
A man is bitten by a werewolf and unfortunately becomes one himself.
Although lacking the raw qualities of Universal's Dracula and Frankenstein interpretations, this entertaining horror offers much that's good, including a really top drawer cast (although Chaney was surely a lucky fella to become a leading man). Watching these Universal horrors again you're struck by how mild they now seem, how slow they can be to get going, and the lack of logic in the storyline.
Dir: George Waggner
Stars: Lon Chaney Jr, Claude Rains, Bela Lugosi, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Evelyn Ankers, Warren Williams, Maria Ouspenskaya
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
2013
***
An avaricious Wall Street trader makes his fortune while attracting the attention of the FBI.
Scorsese's best film in many a year is an electrically charged biopic of a man who exemplified the spirit of his times, as portrayed by an actor at the peak of his game; it's light on plot and too long - individual scenes are so good it must have been agonising to excise them - but so incredibly ebullient, without being overly flashy, that only a wallflower or a prude could fail to see its shining qualities.
Dir: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Kyle Chandler
WOLFEN
1981
*
A New York cop investigates a series of violent slayings.
Boringly 'realistic' shocker which over-uses its best idea, that of subjective views through the creature's eyes.
Dir: Michael Wadleigh
Stars: Albert Finney, Diane Venora, Edward James Olmos
THE WOLFPACK
2015
**
Documentary about six brothers who were largely kept locked away in a New York apartment, watching and re-enacting films.
Interesting stuff, but you're left wanting a little more, chiefly: where did the family get all their money from?! Other questions arise too, like: why are the boys not even more dysfunctional? What about their sexual desires? What will happen to them now? Its grotty visuals seem apt, and in all, it's an incomplete but compelling look at a few animals from the crazy, big human zoo.
Dir: Crystal Moselle
1987
****
At the end of the 1960s, two boozers head to the Lake District for some relaxation.
For many of us, this is more of a remembered experience than just a film and means a greater deal to some than others could ever understand; viewed dispassionately, one might point out its ripe performances and quotable dialogue (never have there been so many immaculately crafted obscenities), while noting that is slender in plot and a little slow. But it is nevertheless a minor milestone in British cinema, a vigorous portrayal of a distinct milieu and a way of living that could only be temporary, like they are all are, but feels particularly vivid and somehow deeply meaningful.
Dir: Bruce Robinson
Stars: Richard E Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths, Ralph Brown, Michael Elphick
WITHOUT A CLUE
1988
**
Sherlock Holmes is a drunken fool and it is Dr Watson who is the real detective genius.
A pleasant evening's entertainment: like a Holmes mystery with the added bonus of several belly laughs. The joke goes on a little long but most of the performances have the requisite lightness of touch, particularly Caine’s.
Dir: Thom Eberhardt
Stars: Michael Caine, Ben Kingsley, Jeffrey Jones, Lysette Anthony, Nigel Davenport
WITHOUT WARNING
1980
0
An alien lands in America and hunts victims down.
Tiresome sci-fi horror whose main gift to the world is its ickiness - the things that the alien flings at people are really very yucky. Aside from that it's just two older actors down on their luck and younger ones thinking they might have a break, but being wrong about that. Here's a warning: do not even consider watching this dull and shapeless film.
Dir: Greydon Clark
Stars: Martin Landau, Jack Palance, Tarah Nutter, Christopher S Nelson
WITNESS
1985
***
A policeman goes to Amish country to protect a boy who has seen a murder.
Nicely mounted thriller on a familiar theme but with a few new twists, including the depiction of the Amish way of life which, if anything, is overly sympathetic.
Dir: Peter Weir
Stars: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas, Danny Glover
WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION
1957
***
A man goes on trial for the murder of a rich widow, and there are a few shocks in store.
Rarely bettered courtroom drama that combines sophisticated wit, a surprise-filled script and Laughton's juicy performance as the eccentric barrister. Staidness is a million miles away thanks to these qualities and camerawork that ensures shots of the court don't become repetitive; straight after this it was the even better Some Like It Hot for Wilder.
Dir: Billy Wilder
Stars: Charles Laughton, Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Elsa Lanchester, John Williams, Henry Daniell
WITNESS IN THE DARK
1959
*
A blind woman is the only witness in a murder case.
Small-scale thriller not overburdened by different locations or sets, but reasonably watchable.
Dir: Wolf Rilla
Stars: Patricia Dainton, Conrad Phillips, Madge Ryan, Nigel Green
THE WIZ
1978
0
An all-black version of The Wizard Of Oz.
A strange choice of director delivers a strange film, one which has imaginative visuals - the garbage cans with teeth, the graffiti and pillars that come alive, the Wiz himself - but is hauled to earth by mediocre songs that stretch the story to tedium. Stick with the previous adaptation, which is also thankfully shorter.
Dir: Sidney Lumet
Stars: Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Richard Pryor
THE WIZARD OF OZ
1939
***
Farm girl Dorothy is swept away to a magical land where she embarks on a journey to find a wizard at the end of a yellow brick road.
Outstanding fantasy that has retained its freshness thanks to the cast's enthusiasm, the glorious art direction and the mellifluous tunes. A few things that might strike the modern viewer: the stagey, pantomime-like feel; the often immobile camera; the scary bits that are still sure to imprint themselves on young minds.
Dir: Victor Fleming
Stars: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton
WMD: WEAPONS OF MASS DECEPTION
2004
*
Documentary examining the perceived right-wing bias of the American media in their coverage of the second war against Iraq.
Breathless polemic that makes some salient points but is as relentless and noisy as a dentist's drill.
Dir: Danny Schechter
WOLF CREEK
2005
***
Three backpackers meet with trouble in the Australian Outback.
Classy thriller which avoids the obvious and convincingly creates the feeling that the characters are all alone in their terrifying situation; it also features one of the most despicably evil villains seen on the screen in recent years.
Dir: Greg McLean
Stars: John Jarratt, Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi, Nathan Phillips
THE WOLF MAN
1940
**
A man is bitten by a werewolf and unfortunately becomes one himself.
Although lacking the raw qualities of Universal's Dracula and Frankenstein interpretations, this entertaining horror offers much that's good, including a really top drawer cast (although Chaney was surely a lucky fella to become a leading man). Watching these Universal horrors again you're struck by how mild they now seem, how slow they can be to get going, and the lack of logic in the storyline.
Dir: George Waggner
Stars: Lon Chaney Jr, Claude Rains, Bela Lugosi, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Evelyn Ankers, Warren Williams, Maria Ouspenskaya
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
2013
***
An avaricious Wall Street trader makes his fortune while attracting the attention of the FBI.
Scorsese's best film in many a year is an electrically charged biopic of a man who exemplified the spirit of his times, as portrayed by an actor at the peak of his game; it's light on plot and too long - individual scenes are so good it must have been agonising to excise them - but so incredibly ebullient, without being overly flashy, that only a wallflower or a prude could fail to see its shining qualities.
Dir: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Kyle Chandler
WOLFEN
1981
*
A New York cop investigates a series of violent slayings.
Boringly 'realistic' shocker which over-uses its best idea, that of subjective views through the creature's eyes.
Dir: Michael Wadleigh
Stars: Albert Finney, Diane Venora, Edward James Olmos
THE WOLFPACK
2015
**
Documentary about six brothers who were largely kept locked away in a New York apartment, watching and re-enacting films.
Interesting stuff, but you're left wanting a little more, chiefly: where did the family get all their money from?! Other questions arise too, like: why are the boys not even more dysfunctional? What about their sexual desires? What will happen to them now? Its grotty visuals seem apt, and in all, it's an incomplete but compelling look at a few animals from the crazy, big human zoo.
Dir: Crystal Moselle
WOLFWALKERS
2020
*
A young female hunter forms a bond with a wolf girl.
Attractively animated in rustic fashion, this is a pleasant enough feature with things for both young and older viewers, while never being outstanding; and possibly 15 minutes too long.
Dir: Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart
Voices: Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Sean Bean
THE WOLVERINE
2013
0
Wolverine gets embroiled in a conflict in Japan.
Tedious superhero rubbish in which the laughably miserable X-Man gets his chance to mope unlimited while at the same time showing his oh so wonderful pecs, or failing that, how good he looks in a vest. It stinks of a pretentious 'we're so far removed from comics' vibe and, visual splendour aside, is one of the very worst movies based on a Marvel character.
Dir: James Mangold
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Will Yun Lee, Tao Okamoto
THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE
1988
*
In an old Victorian house, two girls are persecuted by an evil governess.
Old fashioned junior adventure which may keep youngsters quiet.
Dir: Stuart Orme
Stars: Stephanie Beacham, Mel Smith, Emily Hudson, Richard O'Brien, Jane Horrocks
WOMAN IN A DRESSING GOWN
1957
**
A housewife almost falls apart when her husband tells her he has found someone else.
Mitchell's performance is just one of the very strong aspects of this kitchen sink drama, which in many ways was ahead of its time, focusing on a woman's role and taking a grown-up view of the difficulty of relationships. The best scenes are the ones where Mitchell's character tries and fails to smarten herself up and prepare the house for her husband and his lover.
Dir: J Lee Thompson
Stars: Yvonne Mitchell, Anthony Quayle, Sylvia Sims, Andrew Ray
THE WOMAN IN BLACK
1989 (TV)
*
A young solicitor in a seaside town keeps seeing a mysterious woman in black.
Cold, restrained chiller with effective moments.
Dir: Herbert Wise
Stars: Adrian Rawlins, Bernard Hepton, David Daker
THE WOMAN IN BLACK
2012
*
A widowed lawyer travels to a village where the locals’ children appear to be dying.
The rebirthed Hammer Films' biggest success by far found audiences in the mood for the ex-Harry Potter starring in a good looking adaptation of a popular novella, heavy on haunted house scares. Many of these frights are fairly mechanical, noisily emitting from long scenes of very little dialogue, and while Radcliffe is likeable enough he doesn't have the gravitas for the part, not convincing as a father or bitter widower. But it was his canny casting that undoubtedly lured the crowds in, and perhaps there's nothing wrong with people crowding into an old-fashioned period chiller that has been made with obvious professionalism.
Dir: James Watkins
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds, Janet McTeer, Shaun Dooley
THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2: ANGEL OF DEATH
2014
0
Young wartime evacuees are sent to a haunted house.
Dismal follow-up of virtually no interest - one of those films that's well shot and well acted and well mounted but just completely devoid of life. Like most 21st century Hammer films it's totally humourless.
Dir: Tom Harper
Stars: Helen McCrory, Jeremy Irvine, Phoebe Fox
THE WOMAN IN GREEN
1945
*
Sherlock Holmes has a case involving hypnotists, a mysterious woman and Professor Moriarty.
The plot may be a little daft, as was not uncommon in this endearing series, but this knotty mystery moves at a fair pace and allows Watson his comic hypnotism bumbling and Holmes a suspenseful near-demise atop a precarious ledge (after the baddies have foolishly underestimated him!). Nice autumn viewing that definitely stands up after all these years, with a mean Moriarty. Note to the filmmakers: learn how to spell 'Edgware Road'.
Dir: Roy William Neill
Stars: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Hillary Brooke, Henry Daniell
THE WOMAN IN RED
1984
*
A middle-aged man becomes infatuated with a younger woman in a silk red dress.
Simple comedy, palatable apart from the hideous song I Just Called To Say I Love You.
Dir: Gene Wilder
Stars: Gene Wilder, Kelly LeBrock, Charles Grodin, Joseph Bologna
THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW
1944
***
A man becomes obsessed with the picture of a woman he sees.
Excellent thriller with absorbing plot development.
Dir: Fritz Lang
Stars: Edward G Robinson, Joan Bennett, Raymond Massey
WOMAN ON THE RUN
1950
*
A man who is an eyewitness to a murder goes into hiding, which gets the police on his wife's case.
Unusually set up and structured thriller (it's not actually the woman 'on the run', but it sort of is), that shows a sureness of touch and has some valuable San Francisco location shooting (it looked so much nicer back then), especially at the funfair-set climax. How long did this guy really think he could hide?
Dir: Norman Foster
Stars: Ann Sheridan, Dennis O'Keefe, Robert Keith
WOMAN ON TOP
2000
0
A beautiful cook moves from Brazil to San Francisco and gets her own TV show.
Feather-light whimsy, not easy to connect with or care about; it lacks original ideas and a basic point.
Dir: Fina Torres
Stars: Penelope Cruz, Murilo Benicio, Harold Perrneau
WOMAN TIMES SEVEN
1967
0
Seven tales of adultery: Funeral Procession, Amateur Night, Super Simone, At The Opera, The Suicides, Snow and Two Against One.
Unwatchable portmanteau which allows the female star to act her very weirdest.
Dir: Vittorio De Sica
Stars: Shirley MacLaine, Peter Sellers, Lex Barker, Robert Morley, Patrick Wymark, Adrienne Corri, Alan Arkin, Michael Caine, Anita Ekberg
A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE
1974
**
A housewife and mother begins to lose her mind.
Tough-going dive into one woman's fragile mental state, very well done in its own naturalistic fashion, and picked up by critics latterly for its honesty and rawness. Unflinching in its stark portrayal, it's an ordeal that one sometimes hopes finishes sooner than it does.
Dir: John Cassavetes
Stars: Gene Rowlands, Peter Falk, Fred Draper
WOMAN WHO CAME BACK
1945
0
A woman who survives a bus crash becomes convinced she has been possessed by the spirit of an ancient witch.
Second feature that attempts to be Lewtonian but hasn't quite got the chops; it's eerie and well photographed but the script can't do much more than present a binary: she either is, or is she isn't possessed. If it wasn't for the scary music and the dark photography there'd be little reason for this perennially hysterical woman to believe that she was possessed. It comes to a quick conclusion that might dissatisfy.
Dir: Walter Colmes
Stars: John Loder, Nancy Kelly, Otto Kruger, Ruth Ford
WOMANEATER
1958
0
A mad doctor feeds women to a monster plant he acquired in the Amazon.
Anaemic horror of limited value. There are, however, some nice location shots of night-time central London.
Dir: Charles Saunders
Stars: George Coulouris, Vera Day, Robert MacKenzie
WOMEN BEHIND BARS
1975
0
A woman is thrown into prison for killing her robber boyfriend.
The director may count this among one of his best films, but apart from Romay’s nakedness it has little to recommend it – dramatically it’s completely lackadaisical and the camerawork is as shonky as Franco’s always is.
Dir: Jess Franco
Stars: Lina Romay, Martine Stedil, Nathalie Chape
WOMEN IN CELL BLOCK 7
1973
0
A woman goes to a tough woman's prison to save her father's life.
Predictably grubby entry into the female incarceration genre, often unintentionally funny, especially dialogue wise - which provides some relief. Yes, there are several showers.
Dir: Rino di Silvestro
Stars: Anita Strindberg, Eva Czemerys, Jenny Tamburi
WOMEN IN LOVE
1969
***
The love lives of two couples in the early 1900s.
Ken Russell’s best film is a D H Lawrence adaptation that skilfully captures both the outlandish spirit of the book and the time period it is set in.
Dir: Ken Russell
Stars: Alan Bates, Oliver Reed, Glenda Jackson, Jennie Linden, Eleanor Bron, Michael Gough
WOMEN OF THE WORLD
1963
0
Mondo documentary about females of the globe, and their various roles. Includes Swedish hitchhiking, a Hamburg street of prostitutes, drag queens, thalidomide children, the sexy Israeli army and more.
Apparently constructed from outtakes from Mondo Cane (qv), this is a frequently dull, overlong film which would have more sociological value if one didn't suspect that some of it is ersatz.
Dir: Paolo Cavara, Gualtiero Jacopetti
WOMEN TALKING
2022
0
Women in a strict religious community decide whether to leave it or not.
About as appealing as its title, or filing into a community centre to watch a play written by a feminist with several women sitting on the stage who do little but talk in actor-y, melodramatic fashion that will soon have you looking at your phone. As a film we get an added grey-green palette of gloom and incongruous uses of The Monkees' 'Daydream Believer', and sadly it ticked enough boxes to get a Best Film Oscars nomination over superior pictures. 12 Angry Men it is not.
Dir: Sarah Polley
Stars: Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Ben Whishaw
WOMEN'S CAMP 119
1977
0
Terrible goings on in a Nazi concentration camp.
Grim Nazisploitation that appears to barely have a proper plot but is certainly super-sleazy; it's a shame that it's so incompetent on every level, and that the only available print looks like it's been bathed in a puddle of mud. Maybe a pristine Blu-ray release would get four stars! (Or maybe not...)
Dir: Bruno Mattei
Stars: Ivano Staccioli, Ria De Simone, Nello Rivie
WONDER MAN
1945
*
A man comes back as a ghost to solve a murder.
Bright comedy with impressive special effects.
Dir: H Bruce Humberstone
Stars: Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Otto Kruger, Huntz Hall
WONDER WHEEL
2017
*
In 1950s Coney Island, a lifeguard falls for an older woman living with a man she doesn't love.
One of Allen's weakest films, a tiring, not-that-convincing, stagey melodrama full of chewy dialogue and overwrought performances - including Winslet's, which becomes a deeply grating experience as she whinges or yells for almost the entire movie. It just all seems a bit pointless; yes, the cinematography is highly accomplished, but, in a way, that only makes it worse. Critics were very harsh towards it, though some of that ire was due to unfair, resurgent displeasure at Allen's past private life.
Dir: Woody Allen
Stars: Kate Winslet, Justin Timberlake, Jim Belushi, Juno Temple
WONDER WOMAN
2017
*
An Amazonian princess comes to help the Allies in World War I.
Most modern superhero films are basically the same - this one offers a small touch of variety due to its setting and the fact that it has a female lead. Honestly made and with not-too-fast, not-too-slow action sequence highlights, it's a serviceable blockbuster in another summer of disappointments, and may well be the best DC Universe movie. Pity that, inevitably nowadays, some politicise it.
Dir: Patty Jenkins
Stars: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, David Thewlis
WONDERLAND
2000
***
Love lives of Londoners at the end of the 20th century.
Naturalistic drama that's partly uplifting and partly depressing but has much to commend it including excellent performances, unusual photography and sharp scripting.
Dir: Michael Winterbottom
Stars: Gina McKee, Ian Hart, Shirley Henderson, John Simm
WONDERWALL
1968
0
A dotty professor finds a hole in his wall which gives views of the beautiful girl next door.
An 'art film': which in this instance means dialogue-lite, weirdness-heavy ramblings that are invariably tedious. This exercise in psychedelia doesn't even offer a feeling of Sixties London because most of the action takes place inside the professor's flat, and even Beatles fans keen to hear George Harrison's score may end up disappointed.
Dir: Joe Massot
Stars: Jack MacGowran, Jane Birkin, Irene Handl, Richard Wattis
THE WOODEN HORSE
1950
**
British POWs attempt to escape from Nazi Germany.
Brisk, efficient war drama with suspenseful sequences.
Dir: Jack Lee
Stars: Leo Genn, David Tomlinson, Anthony Steel, Peter Finch
WOODSTOCK
1970
**
Chronicle of the 1969 music festival.
A mammoth documentary that was a technical triumph; the musical performances are variable but the film candidly captures funny and quirky asides.
Dir: Michael Wadleigh
Stars: The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Ten Years After, Joe Cocker, Canned Heat
WOODY ALLEN: A DOCUMENTARY
2012
***
Interviewing Allen and looking back on his long career.
Excellent documentary profiling one of the very greatest filmmakers, with engrossing footage of Woody creating scripts, shooting and editing, along with material from his pre-film days. One cannot but help to warm to the man and his associates. A television programme released in a shortened version theatrically; the DVD release is the long version, with plenty of extras also.
Dir: Robert B Weide
Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Larry David, Mariel Hemingway
WORK IS A FOUR LETTER WORD
1967
0
A bored worker brightens his existence up by growing hallucinogenic plants.
Dreamy, camp comedy that isn’t as funny as it thinks.
Dir: Peter Hall
Stars: David Warner, Cilla Black, David Waller
WORKING GIRL
1988
*
A secretary pretends she is her boss.
Old fashioned comedy made with a light touch.
Dir: Mike Nichols
Stars: Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Melanie Griffith, Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusack
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP
1982
**
A writer struggles while his friend has a sex change.
Unusual and intelligent drama mixing dark humour and tragedy; its quirks include John Lithgow as a woman.
Dir: George Roy Hill
Stars: Robin Williams, Mary Beth Hurt, Glenn Close, John Lithgow, Hume Cronyn
THE WORLD IS FULL OF MARRIED MEN
1979
0
A businessman who has affairs gets his comeuppance when his wife is also unfaithful.
Utter garbage which makes The Bitch look like a classic; the 'pop star' scenes are particularly laughable.
Dir: Robert Young
Stars: Anthony Franciosa, Carroll Baker, Paul Nicholas, Gareth Hunt
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
1999
*
James Bond battles a terrorist who cannot feel pain.
One of the weakest Bond films, one which feels flat and colourless compared to many of the others: everything is dialled down, from the locations to the main villain to the henchmen - even the action scenes don't feel as vibrant as they should. The pre-credits sequence goes on for far too long and the movie struggles to find impetus after that.
Dir: Michael Apted
Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards, Robbie Coltrane, Judi Dench, Desmond Llewelyn, John Cleese
THE WORLD OF ABBOTT AND COSTELLO
1965
*
Compilation of clips from 19 Abbott and Costello movies.
Considering these comedians were less than terrific, this is surprisingly untaxing viewing, certainly preferable to sitting through most of the features on show here.
Dir: Sidney Miller
Narrator: Jack E Leonard. Stars: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello
THE WORLD OF APU
1959
**
A jobless ex-student gets a big surprise when he attends a wedding.
The final part of Ray’s Apu trilogy is a gently affecting tale of muted love and loss, made with enormous care – he is certainly among India’s best ever directors (not that there’s a lot of competition). Note how critics rarely draw attention to the film’s illustration of this culture’s disdain for women’s choices.
Dir: Satyajit Ray
Stars: Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore, Alok Chakravarty
THE WORLD OF HENRY ORIENT
1964
*
Two teenagers become obsessed with a concert pianist.
Odd little drama, difficult to categorise but certainly sweet enough to look at and listen to.
Dir: George Roy Hill
Stars: Peter Sellers, Paula Prentiss, Angela Lansbury, Tom Bosley
THE WORLD TEN TIMES OVER
1963
*
A busy day in the life of two nightclub hostesses in London.
Downbeat drama with flashes of style, given life by extensive location shooting, including the seamy Soho streets (always nice to see in a Sixties drama). The two female leads are mildly irritating, although Sim’s portrayal has some meat on it and Hartnell could still turn in a strong performance at this point.
Dir: Wolf Rilla
Stars: Sylvia Syms, June Ritchie, William Hartnell, Edward Judd
THE WORLD, THE FLESH AND THE DEVIL
1959
*
A miner trapped underground during a nuclear attack emerges to find a deserted world.
Sci-fi that initially promises good things, with its scenes of a despairing Belafonte in an impressively deserted New York, but turns into a bit of a gloomy soap opera when more characters turn up, making them speak portentously; it then rallies in the final act before a drippy climax. One wonders whether the race stuff is an unnecessary distraction.
Dir: Ranald MacDougall
Stars: Harry Belafonte, Inger Stevens, Mel Ferrer
WORLD WAR Z
2013
*
A virus sweeps the globe, turning people into marauding zombies.
A compilation of mad scenes of the undead doing terrible things around the world - certainly zombies have never had so much money spent on them before (the Jerusalem wall scene is particularly spectacular). It pretty much does what it has to do as an action thriller, and viewers watching in 2020/21 will have viewed it in a slightly different light, more intrigued perhaps. Pitt makes a solid leading man, natch. It loses a mark for having a clip of the ghastly Piers Morgan in it.
Dir: Marc Forster
Stars: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, Peter Capaldi
WORLD WITHOUT END
1956
0
Astronauts are propelled forwards 500 years into the future.
This starts well, but soon settles into soapy sci-fi drama that doesn't explore the possibilities presented. It's very much of its time, and could be enjoyed as such, being spoofed 30 years later in the likes of Amazon Women On The Moon (qv). Cute costumes, certainly.
Dir: Edward Bernds
Stars: Hugh Marlowe, Nelson Leigh, Rod Taylor, Nancy Gates
THE WORLD'S END
2013
*
Five old friends get together again for a pub crawl in their home town, only to find it has been infiltrated by aliens.
An experience somewhat akin to that of a pub crawl: it begins with great anticipation and hope, and ends in messy and overwrought fashion. The first half hour is fresh and funny, promising human themes about men trying to rekindle their youth, but after the fight in the toilets it goes steadily downhill - indeed, it becomes worse the more science fictional it becomes. Like the previous 'Cornetto Trilogy' films, Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz (both qv), its combination of strong violence, strong language and a dollop of sentimentality eventually becomes tiresome, and is here further wounded by a plot that finds it has nowhere to go, but breathlessly tries to sustain itself with unbelievable character motivation. And the action in it seems to have crept in from a different film (Scott Pilgrim, perhaps).
Dir: Edgar Wright
Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan, Martin Freeman, Rosamund Pike, Pierce Brosnan
THE WORLD’S GREATEST ATHLETE
1973
0
A coach discovers an incredible white runner in Africa.
Simple-minded kids’ comedy which doesn't stray far from the Seventies Disney formula.
Dir: Robert Scheerer
Stars: Tim Conway, Jan-Michael Vincent, John Amos
WORST FEARS
2016 (V)
0
Seven horror stories: Tincture Of Vervain, Wednesday, In The Place Of The Dead, Mrs Davenport's Throat, Child Number Four, After Image, We're Ready For You Now.
A series of short films shot in 2005-2006, freshly linked together by former exploitation scripter McGillvray as a showman, this is crippled from the start by its cheap video-shot appearance. Even though acting and scripting are vaguely competent there's no saving it, especially since the tales are, in the main, tame and ordinary, and are hardly reminiscent in tone or feel of the great British horror anthologies of the Seventies.
Dir: Keith Claxton, Jake West
Stars: David McGillvray, Fenella Fielding, Victor Spinetti, Celia Williams
WR: MYSTERIES OF THE ORGANISM
1971
*
Documentary about controversial analyst Wilhelm Reich, intercut with a Russian communist romantic drama on sexual repression and docu-like interludes.
An unfathomable film which takes great pride in being peculiar. It's not like any other film ever made but that doesn't necessarily make it good, although many scenes stick in the mind because they are so unusual and outlandish. Does the last word of the title have a 'ni' it doesn't need?
Dir: Dusan Makavejev
Stars: Milena Dravic, Ivica Vidovic, Jagoda Kaloper
THE WRAITH
1987
0
A boy returns from the dead as a vengeful biker.
A mix of horror, car races and pop music, and full of plot holes and idiotic characters.
Dir: Mike Marvin
Stars: Charlie Sheen, Nick Cassavetes, Sherilyn Fenn, Randy Quaid
THE WRECKING CREW
1968
0
Secret agent Matt Helm goes after stolen gold.
Last of these slightly crummy James Bond imitations. Or should that be these Austin Powers inspirations, as lounge lizard Martin woozily schmoozes with a collection of beautiful women, much more at home with that than in the fight scenes which are not good, despite being arranged by Bruce Lee. It's mostly cheesy, cheap-looking and fake (Denmark? Right!). It's been given morbid interest by Tate in her last proper role, and she is both stunning and a solid actress - such a tragic, awful waste; but fans of Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood coming to this will likely be disappointed.
Dir: Phil Karlson
Stars: Dean Martin, Sharon Tate, Elke Sommer, Nigel Green
WRECK-IT RALPH
2012
*
The villain in an arcade game seeks to expand his horizons.
The initial idea is a highly promising one, and the animation is peerless, but this is something of a disappointment: the central plotline simply isn't very strong and we feel little attachment to the characters - there's lots of clever stuff in the background but the foreground isn't as interesting. By the time the film's around an hour old you're hoping for Game Over.
Dir: Rich Moore
Stars: John C Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch
THE WRESTLER
2008
***
A wrestler struggles to cope with life after a heart attack.
Shot in documentary style, this raw drama asks what we do to fill the hours of life when our dreams have failed, and Rourke’s deeply sympathetic performance could not be more suitable for its vibe. A compelling film that plays even better in the memory.
Dir: Darren Aronofsky
Stars: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis
WRITTEN ON THE WIND
1957
***
An alcoholic marries a woman his friend loves, while his nymphomaniac sister loves his friend.
Crackers melodrama, a sort of trashy soap opera which may have intellectual weight behind it and certainly has just-below-the-surface themes that are way darker than could be shown on the screen at the time - 20 years later it would have been very different, if not necessarily better. The stars give it oomph, while the costumes, colour and photography give it quality of an unusual kind; somehow it works.
Dir: Douglas Sirk
Stars: Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack, Dorothy MaloneWRONG AGAIN
1929
*
Stan and Ollie deliver a horse named Blue Boy rather than a painting named Blue Boy to a mansion.
Rather obvious short which has its moments but may have worked a little better in a version with some sound effects, which no longer survives. The highlights undoubtedly involve the near-surreal escapades with the horse and the piano.
Dir: Leo McCarey
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, William Gillespie, Charlie Hall
THE WRONG ARM OF THE LAW
1962
**
Police and crooks join forces to stop a new gang who don't play by the rules.
Winning comedy of the old school (from Galton and Simpson), full of lovely performances, it culminates in a splendid outdoors mix-up and chase. Never hilarious, but always pleasant.
Dir: Cliff Owen
Stars: Peter Sellers, Lionel Jeffries, Bernard Cribbins, Nanette Newman, Bill Kerr, John Le Mesurier
THE WRONG MAN
1957
***
The true story of a man whose life is ruined after being mistaken for a criminal.
Not one of Hitch's most commercially successful pictures (it was far too downbeat to be so), but a great one nonetheless, an absorbing and immaculately detailed true-life tale concerning the delicacy of normal existence. If the intelligent viewer has patience, and doesn't expect it to be what it isn't, they will be rewarded by a fine piece of cinema, one with beautiful cinematography and quite exquisite acting (great acting is sometimes overlooked in Hitchcock films, but was common).
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Henry Fonda, Vera Miles, Anthony Quayle, Harold J Stone
WRONG WAY
1972
0
Two girls get stranded in the desert and attacked by hippies.
About as sleazy - and amateurish - as they get, this remarkable and in its own way hypnotic trash would struggle to get past the BBFC nowadays; there's virtually nothing to it except rape.
Dir: Ray Williams
Stars: Laurel Canyon, Candy Sweet, Forrest Lorne
WUTHERING HEIGHTS
1939
***
In 19th century Yorkshire, a farmer's daughter has a passionate relationship with a 'wild' man of the moors.
Hollywoodised adaptation of Bronte which ignores the second half of the novel (sensibly, some might say). The result is a tale that seems a wee bit thin, but on the whole it’s a well cast treat for romantics, one of the most successful movies of its day.
Dir: William Wyler
Stars: Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, David Niven, Flora Robson, Donald Crisp, Leo G Carroll
WUTHERING HEIGHTS
1970
*
Decent adaptation which also cuts out post-Heathcliff events, which makes it tighter if incomplete.
Dir: Robert Fuest
Stars: Timothy Dalton, Anna Calder-Marshall, Harry Andrews, Pamela Brown
1929
*
Stan and Ollie deliver a horse named Blue Boy rather than a painting named Blue Boy to a mansion.
Rather obvious short which has its moments but may have worked a little better in a version with some sound effects, which no longer survives. The highlights undoubtedly involve the near-surreal escapades with the horse and the piano.
Dir: Leo McCarey
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, William Gillespie, Charlie Hall
THE WRONG ARM OF THE LAW
1962
**
Police and crooks join forces to stop a new gang who don't play by the rules.
Winning comedy of the old school (from Galton and Simpson), full of lovely performances, it culminates in a splendid outdoors mix-up and chase. Never hilarious, but always pleasant.
Dir: Cliff Owen
Stars: Peter Sellers, Lionel Jeffries, Bernard Cribbins, Nanette Newman, Bill Kerr, John Le Mesurier
THE WRONG BOX
1966
*
In Victorian London, a fortune will go to the brother who lives longest.
Handsome period comedy with a welcome cavalcade of stars and some genuinely funny tomfoolery, it nevertheless lacks a bit of zip and is slightly too long. Bath's Royal Crescent has a surprising amount of screen time in a movie that possibly informed modern perceptions of the Victorian era (the amusing scene where Caine and Newman spot each other's tiny amount of exposed flesh is an example of this).
Dir: Bryan Forbes
Stars: Michael Caine, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, John Mills, Ralph Richardson, Nanette Newman, Wilfrid Lawson, Peter Sellers, Tony Hancock
THE WRONG MAN
1957
***
The true story of a man whose life is ruined after being mistaken for a criminal.
Not one of Hitch's most commercially successful pictures (it was far too downbeat to be so), but a great one nonetheless, an absorbing and immaculately detailed true-life tale concerning the delicacy of normal existence. If the intelligent viewer has patience, and doesn't expect it to be what it isn't, they will be rewarded by a fine piece of cinema, one with beautiful cinematography and quite exquisite acting (great acting is sometimes overlooked in Hitchcock films, but was common).
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Henry Fonda, Vera Miles, Anthony Quayle, Harold J Stone
WRONG WAY
1972
0
Two girls get stranded in the desert and attacked by hippies.
About as sleazy - and amateurish - as they get, this remarkable and in its own way hypnotic trash would struggle to get past the BBFC nowadays; there's virtually nothing to it except rape.
Dir: Ray Williams
Stars: Laurel Canyon, Candy Sweet, Forrest Lorne
WUTHERING HEIGHTS
1939
***
In 19th century Yorkshire, a farmer's daughter has a passionate relationship with a 'wild' man of the moors.
Hollywoodised adaptation of Bronte which ignores the second half of the novel (sensibly, some might say). The result is a tale that seems a wee bit thin, but on the whole it’s a well cast treat for romantics, one of the most successful movies of its day.
Dir: William Wyler
Stars: Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, David Niven, Flora Robson, Donald Crisp, Leo G Carroll
WUTHERING HEIGHTS
1970
*
Decent adaptation which also cuts out post-Heathcliff events, which makes it tighter if incomplete.
Dir: Robert Fuest
Stars: Timothy Dalton, Anna Calder-Marshall, Harry Andrews, Pamela Brown
