1942
***
The life of singer, dancer and author George M Cohan.
Hagiographic biopic, rightly celebrated due to its electric star performance and exuberant song and dance numbers.
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Stars: James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston
YEAR OF THE JELLYFISH
1984
*
A sexy teenager causes trouble on the French Riviera.
The sort of honest, fleshy European film that would sadly (tragically?) all but disappear in the next few decades, this enticing if overlong drama has much in the way of titillating nudity - most in a pleasingly natural fashion - but doesn't quite hang together as a character study: a few narrated sequences are indicative of a lack of adept handling. It's diverting enough, though.
Dir: Christopher Frank
Stars: Valerie Kaprisky, Caroline Cellier, Bernard Giraudeau
THE YEARLING
1946
*
A young boy grows very fond of a deer.
Picturesque tearjerker which takes a while to come to its main story.
Dir: Clarence Brown
Stars: Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman, Claude Jarman Jr
THE YELLOW BALLOON
1953
*
A boy is blackmailed by a petty thief who witnesses the accidental death of the boy's friend.
A British cousin of The Window (qv) that benefits from real London locations - the city seems so communal back then - including the well-shot climax in a tube station, probably the highlight. A better director would have, obviously, made it better still.
Dir: J Lee Thompson
Stars: Andrew Ray, Kathleen Ryan, Kenneth More, Bernard Lee, William Sylvester
YELLOW SUBMARINE
1968
****
The Beatles are called upon to help defeat the Blue Meanies, who have laid Pepperland waste.
Time has done little to dim this marvellous movie, one of the many great artistic achievements connected to The Beatles: the animation is sublime, daring and astonishingly varied; the script is witty and knowing; and the songs are of course wonderful, with most perfectly integrated into a childlike but at the same time incredibly weird narrative. Perhaps because a lot of us see it when we are very young, and then see it with fresh eyes when we are adults, it feels like a very special, magical film - and each viewing reveals small things not spotted before.
Dir: George Duning
Voices: John Clive, Geoffrey Hughes, Peter Batten, Paul Angelis, Dick Emery, Lance Perceval
THE YELLOW TEDDYBEARS
1963
0
Adults get upset when they discover that sixth form girls are wearing special brooches to signify the loss of their virginity.
‘Social issue’ melodrama that dated very quickly; its only objective is to sermonize on sexual mores and it does so in wearingly verbose fashion.
Dir: Robert Hartford-Davis
Stars: Jacqueline Ellis, Iain Gregory, Georgina Patterson
YENTL
1983
*
In Eastern Europe in the 1940s a woman disguises herself as a man so she can undergo Jewish religious training.
Tonally odd musical drama whose length surely owes much to the ego of the star/director; it's well enough done in itself, but constantly teeters on the edge of farce, which may not have been intended.
Dir: Barbra Streisand
Stars: Barbra Streisand, Mandy Patinkin, Amy Irving, Steven Hill
THE YES GIRLS
1971
0
Three young women are coerced into the world of seedy films.
Cheap little obscurity with the odd half-decent moment, unlikely to be rediscovered at any point.
Dir: Lindsay Shonteff
Stars: Sue Bond, Sally Muggeridge, Ray Chiarella
YES MAN
2008
**
An unhappy man challenges himself to say ‘yes’ to everything, and finds his life changing for the better.
Carrey has once again chosen a movie with a fun, appealing concept, and once again the results are pretty successful – it’s a professional, polished Hollywood comedy with lots of nice scenes and a positive message. If there are people standing outside the multiplex unsure what to go and see, they should probably buy a ticket for this one.
Dir: Peyton Reed
Stars: Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, Terence Stamp
YESTERDAY'S ENEMY
1959
*
In the Burmese jungle, British do battle with the Japanese.
Grim, low budget war film with plenty of opinions about how awful war is; it's acted for all it's worth and shot as well as its limitations allow.
Dir: Val Guest
Stars: Stanley Baker, Guy Rolfe, Leo McKern, Gordon Jackson
YESTERDAY'S HERO
1979
0
An alcoholic footballer is given another chance.
Weird and not at all wonderful mix of sporting drama and cheesy pop, a typical confection of the writer, Jackie Collins, but painfully lacking in her trademark sauce that might have saved it from obscurity. There's a modicum of period charm (which is obviously not intentional) but apart from that: vacuousness.
Dir: Neil Leifer
Stars: Ian McShane, Suzanne Somers, Adam Faith, Paul Nicholas
YIELD TO THE NIGHT
1956
*
A young woman who has shot a love rival awaits her fate in prison.
Almost unbearably solemn drama largely set behind bars, with flashbacks to show how the lady in question came to be there; Dors’ performance is among her best and the film is not over-preachy in its anti-capital punishment message, but the relationship between her and Craig never really convinces, which handicaps it slightly. It’s the sort of unsettling, feel-bad movie that the British film industry would become so adept at in the ’80s, but must have been a big surprise in the ’50s.
Dir: J Lee Thompson
Stars: Diane Dors, Yvonne Mitchell, Michael Craig, Geoffrey Keen
YOJIMBO
1961
*
A samurai comes to town and plays two criminal gangs off each other.
The director no film critic dare criticise with a yarn that became more meaningful for Western audiences when Sergio Leone revamped it as A Fistful Of Dollars.
Dir: Akira Kurosawa
Stars: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yoko Tsukasa
YOR, THE HUNTER FROM THE FUTURE
1985
0
A prehistoric warrior discovers he is actually from the future.
Excruciatingly bad sci-fi.
Dir: Antonio Margheriti
Stars: Reb Brown, Corinne Clery, John Steiner
YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU
1938
*
The son of a rich industrialist plans to marry a girl whose family are tax evading eccentrics.
Capra's gently worn Oscar winner starts as a silly comedy (the characters are more irritating than anything) and ends as a diatribe against big business, and never convinces in the same way as many of his other movies do.
Dir: Frank Capra
Stars: Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, James Stewart, Edward Arnold
YOU NEVER CAN TELL
1951
*
A murdered Alsatian comes back as a detective to track down his killer.
Outrageous fantasy comedy, not badly done.
Dir: Lou Breslow
Stars: Dick Powell, Peggy Dow, Charles Drake
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
1967
***
James Bond attempts to thwart Blofeld's plan to start World War Three.
The series had still barely put a foot wrong at this point: this one beguilingly transports the viewer to Japan and offers various pleasures including the incredible volcano set, Pleasence at his very best playing the master villain, hulking henchmen, real Boy's Own battles between the ninjas and SPECTRE, and of course all the things we were already taking for granted - Connery being unimpeachable, amusing gadgets and delightful women. Austin Powers also had a field day with it.
Dir: Lewis Gilbert
Stars: Sean Connery, Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama, Donald Pleasence, Karin Dor, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn, Charles Gray, Bert Kwouk
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE
2017
0
A traumatised veteran who tracks down missing children is drawn into a conspiracy.
Jagged, obtuse slice of madness, technically adept but neither involving nor sympathetic, punctuated by random acts of violence that almost become laughable.
Dir: Lynne Ramsay
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix
YOU’LL FIND OUT
1940
0
Murder is afoot in an isolated castle where radio programmes are broadcast from.
The ingredients (three big horror stars, spooky setting) are there, but the dialogue is now very dated and the awful songs unwanted interruptions.
Dir: David Butler
Stars: Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Bela Lugosi, Kay Kyser
YOUNG AND INNOCENT
1937
***
A young man goes on the run after mistakenly being accused of murder.
Trademark Hitchcock thriller which sows the seeds of others, this is an agreeable, pleasantly set effort adorned by super comic and suspense touches, not least the tremendous tracking camera shot in the ballroom that ends on the killer's twitching eyes. With a clever recurring motif about vision, its luminosity also shows through in its contrasts between classes, its comic digs at the police and its subtly touching musings on family life and love - successfully conveyed in the most part by the adorable leading lady.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Nova Pilbeam, Derrick de Marney, Edward Rigby, Basil Radford
YOUNG DOCTORS IN LOVE
1982
0
Amorous incidents at a hospital.
Banal farce which tries and fails to be like Airplane.
Dir: Garry Marshall
Stars: Michael McKean, Sean Young, Harry Dean Stanton, Patrick Macnee
YELLOW SUBMARINE
1968
****
The Beatles are called upon to help defeat the Blue Meanies, who have laid Pepperland waste.
Time has done little to dim this marvellous movie, one of the many great artistic achievements connected to The Beatles: the animation is sublime, daring and astonishingly varied; the script is witty and knowing; and the songs are of course wonderful, with most perfectly integrated into a childlike but at the same time incredibly weird narrative. Perhaps because a lot of us see it when we are very young, and then see it with fresh eyes when we are adults, it feels like a very special, magical film - and each viewing reveals small things not spotted before.
Dir: George Duning
Voices: John Clive, Geoffrey Hughes, Peter Batten, Paul Angelis, Dick Emery, Lance Perceval
THE YELLOW TEDDYBEARS
1963
0
Adults get upset when they discover that sixth form girls are wearing special brooches to signify the loss of their virginity.
‘Social issue’ melodrama that dated very quickly; its only objective is to sermonize on sexual mores and it does so in wearingly verbose fashion.
Dir: Robert Hartford-Davis
Stars: Jacqueline Ellis, Iain Gregory, Georgina Patterson
YENTL
1983
*
In Eastern Europe in the 1940s a woman disguises herself as a man so she can undergo Jewish religious training.
Tonally odd musical drama whose length surely owes much to the ego of the star/director; it's well enough done in itself, but constantly teeters on the edge of farce, which may not have been intended.
Dir: Barbra Streisand
Stars: Barbra Streisand, Mandy Patinkin, Amy Irving, Steven Hill
THE YES GIRLS
1971
0
Three young women are coerced into the world of seedy films.
Cheap little obscurity with the odd half-decent moment, unlikely to be rediscovered at any point.
Dir: Lindsay Shonteff
Stars: Sue Bond, Sally Muggeridge, Ray Chiarella
YES MAN
2008
**
An unhappy man challenges himself to say ‘yes’ to everything, and finds his life changing for the better.
Carrey has once again chosen a movie with a fun, appealing concept, and once again the results are pretty successful – it’s a professional, polished Hollywood comedy with lots of nice scenes and a positive message. If there are people standing outside the multiplex unsure what to go and see, they should probably buy a ticket for this one.
Dir: Peyton Reed
Stars: Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, Terence Stamp
YESTERDAY
2019
*
An aspiring musician is hit by a bus in a power outage and wakes up as the only person in the world who remembers the Beatles; he parlays this into a career.
The concept is irresistible, but this is a disappointment, much too much like any other Richard Curtis rom com (but not as horrendous as many of his efforts) rather than a Danny Boyle film, although there are Boyle's typical visual flourishes, with many beautifully lit and composed scenes. We do get Curtis's usual kooky friends and older people saying inappropriate things though. The idea of a world without the Beatles is only marginally explored, the group's musical genius is skimmed, and lead Patel is as wooden as most guitars (was he a diversity hire?); it's not painful - although the mid-section is horribly flat - but it is an opportunity missed.
Dir: Danny Boyle
Stars: Himesh Patel, Lily James, Sophia Di Martino, Ed Sheeran
YESTERDAY'S ENEMY
1959
*
In the Burmese jungle, British do battle with the Japanese.
Grim, low budget war film with plenty of opinions about how awful war is; it's acted for all it's worth and shot as well as its limitations allow.
Dir: Val Guest
Stars: Stanley Baker, Guy Rolfe, Leo McKern, Gordon Jackson
YESTERDAY'S HERO
1979
0
An alcoholic footballer is given another chance.
Weird and not at all wonderful mix of sporting drama and cheesy pop, a typical confection of the writer, Jackie Collins, but painfully lacking in her trademark sauce that might have saved it from obscurity. There's a modicum of period charm (which is obviously not intentional) but apart from that: vacuousness.
Dir: Neil Leifer
Stars: Ian McShane, Suzanne Somers, Adam Faith, Paul Nicholas
YIELD TO THE NIGHT
1956
*
A young woman who has shot a love rival awaits her fate in prison.
Almost unbearably solemn drama largely set behind bars, with flashbacks to show how the lady in question came to be there; Dors’ performance is among her best and the film is not over-preachy in its anti-capital punishment message, but the relationship between her and Craig never really convinces, which handicaps it slightly. It’s the sort of unsettling, feel-bad movie that the British film industry would become so adept at in the ’80s, but must have been a big surprise in the ’50s.
Dir: J Lee Thompson
Stars: Diane Dors, Yvonne Mitchell, Michael Craig, Geoffrey Keen
YOJIMBO
1961
*
A samurai comes to town and plays two criminal gangs off each other.
The director no film critic dare criticise with a yarn that became more meaningful for Western audiences when Sergio Leone revamped it as A Fistful Of Dollars.
Dir: Akira Kurosawa
Stars: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yoko Tsukasa
YOR, THE HUNTER FROM THE FUTURE
1985
0
A prehistoric warrior discovers he is actually from the future.
Excruciatingly bad sci-fi.
Dir: Antonio Margheriti
Stars: Reb Brown, Corinne Clery, John Steiner
YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU
1938
*
The son of a rich industrialist plans to marry a girl whose family are tax evading eccentrics.
Capra's gently worn Oscar winner starts as a silly comedy (the characters are more irritating than anything) and ends as a diatribe against big business, and never convinces in the same way as many of his other movies do.
Dir: Frank Capra
Stars: Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, James Stewart, Edward Arnold
YOU NEVER CAN TELL
1951
*
A murdered Alsatian comes back as a detective to track down his killer.
Outrageous fantasy comedy, not badly done.
Dir: Lou Breslow
Stars: Dick Powell, Peggy Dow, Charles Drake
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
1967
***
James Bond attempts to thwart Blofeld's plan to start World War Three.
The series had still barely put a foot wrong at this point: this one beguilingly transports the viewer to Japan and offers various pleasures including the incredible volcano set, Pleasence at his very best playing the master villain, hulking henchmen, real Boy's Own battles between the ninjas and SPECTRE, and of course all the things we were already taking for granted - Connery being unimpeachable, amusing gadgets and delightful women. Austin Powers also had a field day with it.
Dir: Lewis Gilbert
Stars: Sean Connery, Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama, Donald Pleasence, Karin Dor, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn, Charles Gray, Bert Kwouk
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE
2017
0
A traumatised veteran who tracks down missing children is drawn into a conspiracy.
Jagged, obtuse slice of madness, technically adept but neither involving nor sympathetic, punctuated by random acts of violence that almost become laughable.
Dir: Lynne Ramsay
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix
YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER
2010
**
A woman turns to astrology to find happiness, while her daughter and ex-husband struggle with life.
Many of Allen's films of the Seventies and Eighties felt part of the zeitgeist - by this point they felt a little anachronistic and of minor importance, even if this character-packed drama may be his second best London film (the competition wasn't huge). It concerns fate, and suggests that illusions can be comforting even if they are only illusions, although its prognosis is quite bleak: in a doomed search for happiness, foolish people make wrong decisions which ultimately cause them misery, and there is no escape from this. Perhaps it bites off more than it can chew, and its verbal wrangling can be tiring, although there are pleasures, from the nicely shot, idealised London to the smashing cast and the plot turns, as unlikely as some of them are.
Dir: Woody Allen
Stars: Naomi Watts, Anthony Hopkins, Josh Brolin, Gemma Jones, Freida Pinto, Antonio Banderas, Lucy Punch, Anna Friel, Philip Glenister, Pauline Collins
YOU’LL FIND OUT
1940
0
Murder is afoot in an isolated castle where radio programmes are broadcast from.
The ingredients (three big horror stars, spooky setting) are there, but the dialogue is now very dated and the awful songs unwanted interruptions.
Dir: David Butler
Stars: Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Bela Lugosi, Kay Kyser
YOUNG AND INNOCENT
1937
***
A young man goes on the run after mistakenly being accused of murder.
Trademark Hitchcock thriller which sows the seeds of others, this is an agreeable, pleasantly set effort adorned by super comic and suspense touches, not least the tremendous tracking camera shot in the ballroom that ends on the killer's twitching eyes. With a clever recurring motif about vision, its luminosity also shows through in its contrasts between classes, its comic digs at the police and its subtly touching musings on family life and love - successfully conveyed in the most part by the adorable leading lady.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Nova Pilbeam, Derrick de Marney, Edward Rigby, Basil Radford
YOUNG DOCTORS IN LOVE
1982
0
Amorous incidents at a hospital.
Banal farce which tries and fails to be like Airplane.
Dir: Garry Marshall
Stars: Michael McKean, Sean Young, Harry Dean Stanton, Patrick Macnee
YOUNG EAGLES
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
1974
***
In modern times, Frederick Frankenstein returns to his grandfather's castle.
A high point in Mel Brooks's filmography, this beautifully photographed comedy also has the benefit of a superb cast all at the top of their game, including a magnificent Wilder, a wonderful Hackman and a never foxier Garr. The pace may not be quick enough for some modern viewers but it's a splendid, gleaming postscript to the Frankenstein movies of the 1930s, which it so obviously has affectionate knowledge of.
Dir: Mel Brooks
Stars: Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Teri Garr, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn, Gene Hackman, Kenneth Mars
1934 (serial)
0
Two schoolboys have adventures in a South American jungle.
Primitive serial, very basic on all levels, and an absence of music exposes its deficiencies all the more. Website The Files of Jerry Blake gives a very thorough rundown of its inadequacies; he calls it probably the worst talking chapter play ever made. Kudos to the two young lads in it, though, who are on screen an awful lot - much school must have been missed.
Dir: Edward Laurier, Vin Moore
Stars: Bobby Cox, Jim Vance, Carter Dixon
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
1974
***
In modern times, Frederick Frankenstein returns to his grandfather's castle.
A high point in Mel Brooks's filmography, this beautifully photographed comedy also has the benefit of a superb cast all at the top of their game, including a magnificent Wilder, a wonderful Hackman and a never foxier Garr. The pace may not be quick enough for some modern viewers but it's a splendid, gleaming postscript to the Frankenstein movies of the 1930s, which it so obviously has affectionate knowledge of.
Dir: Mel Brooks
Stars: Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Teri Garr, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn, Gene Hackman, Kenneth Mars
THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT
1967
*
Two beautiful sisters seek romance.
Not nearly as captivating as the director's The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg, this musical nevertheless has a few lovely song and dance sequences that overflow with energy and colour; otherwise, the story is not especially involving and goes on too long.
Dir: Jacques Demy
Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Francoise Dorleac, George Chakiris, Jacques Perrin, Gene Kelly
YOUNG LADY CHATTERLEY
1977
0
A beautiful woman inherits a large estate.
Feeble erotica which has almost nothing to do with DH Lawrence aside from a couple of flashbacks, and hilariously tries to pass California off as rural England. The sex scenes are incredibly tame and the whole thing falls apart like a crumby scone well before the end.
Dir: Alan Roberts
Stars: Harlee McBride, Peter Ratray, William Beckley
YOUNG LADY CHATTERLEY II
1985
0
Neglected Lady Chatterley gets to grips with various men, including those trying to take her land.
Light-hearted sexy romp which does boast a full house of stunning, chesty ladies, so it could be considered a success in that sense (even though what they get up to is not explicit) even while all else is lame and ephemeral; it's fun to see Adam West, though a scene with him in a car and the Lady in the back sums up how the director is not adept enough to make good comedy. It also features the worst attempt at an Irish accent ever. As sequels go, not quite The Empire Strikes Back - and Lady Chatterley isn't that young any more. What would DH have thought?
Dir: Alan Roberts
Stars: Harlee McBride, Ed Quinlan, Adam West, Brett Clark, Sybil Danning
THE YOUNG MR PITT
1942
**
Pitt the Younger's life as prime minister, largely focusing on his war with Napoleon.
Solid biopic in the likeable old style - meaning competence, diligence and some patriotism - with a perfectly cast Donat as one of Britain's wiser leaders. It's a history lesson that had propaganda value at the time, with appeasers of aggression in Europe cast in a dim light, quite rightly.
Dir: Carol Reed
Stars: Robert Donat, Robert Morley, John Mills, Herbert Lom
YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES
1985
**
The young detective investigates murders seemingly caused by hallucinogens.
Fun attempt to imagine what Holmes would have been like at school, sort of turning him into 'Indiana Holmes' at times and adorning the tale with expensive special effects. The wintry setting complements the story, giving the film a cosy feel, it moves at a fair pace and it's preferable to most Harry Potter movies, which it vaguely resembles.
Dir: Barry Levinson
Stars: Nicholas Rowe, Alan Cox, Sophie Ward, Anthony Higgins, Freddie Jones
THE YOUNG TYCOON
1979
0
An intrigued young woman inveigles herself into the life of a rich young businessman who likes prostitutes.
Sleazy Greek drama (also known as Sweet Sexual Awakening) that would be better if it were more competently directed, with less sluggish scenes. Still, it's a bit different, the locations are quite pleasing and it's a shame it was the only film the lovely Ms Lueff made.
Dir: Omiros Efstratiadis
Stars: Yiorgos Gintis, Sylvia Lueff, Samantha Romanou
YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES
1985
**
The young detective investigates murders seemingly caused by hallucinogens.
Fun attempt to imagine what Holmes would have been like at school, sort of turning him into 'Indiana Holmes' at times and adorning the tale with expensive special effects. The wintry setting complements the story, giving the film a cosy feel, it moves at a fair pace and it's preferable to most Harry Potter movies, which it vaguely resembles.
Dir: Barry Levinson
Stars: Nicholas Rowe, Alan Cox, Sophie Ward, Anthony Higgins, Freddie Jones
THE YOUNG TYCOON
1979
0
An intrigued young woman inveigles herself into the life of a rich young businessman who likes prostitutes.
Sleazy Greek drama (also known as Sweet Sexual Awakening) that would be better if it were more competently directed, with less sluggish scenes. Still, it's a bit different, the locations are quite pleasing and it's a shame it was the only film the lovely Ms Lueff made.
Dir: Omiros Efstratiadis
Stars: Yiorgos Gintis, Sylvia Lueff, Samantha Romanou
YOUNG WINSTON
1972
**
The life of Winston Churchill from being a young boy to taking his seat in Parliament, with his activity in the army in between.
Quality biopic of one of the greatest men who ever lived, this is a nice mix of war action, politics and family life, made with total professionalism behind and in front of the camera. A Sunday afternoon well spent.
Dir: Richard Attenborough
Stars: Simon Ward, Anne Bancroft, Robert Shaw, Jack Hawkins, John Mills
YOUR NAME
2016
*
A boy and girl in different parts of Japan somehow intermittently swap bodies.
One of the better and most popular animes of recent years is a handsome looking production with an attractive storyline that eventually verges on the convoluted. To fans of the genre, this is pretty much what Back To The Future is to the rest of us.
Dir: Makoto Shinkai
Voices: Michael Sinterniklaas, Stephanie Sheh, Kyle Hebert
YOUR NAME
2016
*
A boy and girl in different parts of Japan somehow intermittently swap bodies.
One of the better and most popular animes of recent years is a handsome looking production with an attractive storyline that eventually verges on the convoluted. To fans of the genre, this is pretty much what Back To The Future is to the rest of us.
Dir: Makoto Shinkai
Voices: Michael Sinterniklaas, Stephanie Sheh, Kyle Hebert
YOU’RE DARN TOOTIN’
1928
*
Stan and Ollie lose their jobs in a band and are then kicked out of their lodgings.
Random feeling star comedy which does at least end in a well-orchestrated, if rather aggressive, shin-kicking and pants-ripping free for all; the bespoke musical score added in 2006 is the best yet, although watched again, the film is rarely truly hilarious and lacks the warmth of their later teamings. One of many old films that IMDb curiously decides to give another title, in this instance The Music Blasters.
Dir: Edgar Kennedy
Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Charlie Hall
YOU'RE DRIVING ME CRAZY!
1978
0
A photographer who has lost his licence due to drink driving seeks an au pair to drive him around.
Loopy trash (shot at Magna Carta Island!) that's deeply vacuous in its softcore version (and no doubt in its hardcore version too). The technical standards are among the lowest of the low: the acting is criminally bad, with line clashes and the two worst American accents in the history of cinema; a bizarre, jumbled story that makes zero sense; and murky, static photography that takes in the likes of a sex scene that is drowned out by a plane flying overhead.
Dir: David Grant
Stars: Michael Watkins, Steve Amber, Lisa Taylor, Pat Astley, Suzy MandelYOU'RE NEXT
2011
0
A rich family are attacked in their home by marauders.
Ridiculous horror thriller which stacks up the unintentional laughs and doesn't deliver enough surprises to pull it out of the mire; the carnage is well choreographed but there isn't a single insight into real human behaviour in its whole running time.
Dir: Adam Wingard
Stars: Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, Wendy Glenn, AJ Bowen
YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH
2007
0
An ageing Romanian professor is struck by lightning which helps him attempt to complete his life’s work.
The sort of film that must get booed off screens (if there’s actually anyone in the cinema to see it): a pretentious, obscure and boring oddity that is the director trying and failing to get a personal vision across. Is this really the same man who made The Godfather?
Dir: Francis Ford Coppola
Stars: Tim Roth, Alexandra Maria Lara, Bruno Ganz
2011
0
A rich family are attacked in their home by marauders.
Ridiculous horror thriller which stacks up the unintentional laughs and doesn't deliver enough surprises to pull it out of the mire; the carnage is well choreographed but there isn't a single insight into real human behaviour in its whole running time.
Dir: Adam Wingard
Stars: Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, Wendy Glenn, AJ Bowen
YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH
2007
0
An ageing Romanian professor is struck by lightning which helps him attempt to complete his life’s work.
The sort of film that must get booed off screens (if there’s actually anyone in the cinema to see it): a pretentious, obscure and boring oddity that is the director trying and failing to get a personal vision across. Is this really the same man who made The Godfather?
Dir: Francis Ford Coppola
Stars: Tim Roth, Alexandra Maria Lara, Bruno Ganz
