A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Reviews of films from the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales).
Michael Reeves, “Witchfinder General” (1968) Loosely based on the exploits of the English 17th-century witch-hunters Matthew Hopkins and John Stearne, this movie is a dark low-budget exploration…
Alfred Hitchcock, “Number 17” (1932) It has many of the ingredients of a typical Hitchcock suspense thriller film but “Number 17” is merely a daft and confusing…
Alfred Hitchcock, “Rich and Strange” aka “East of Shanghai” (1931) One of a group of films Hitchcock made in his lean early-1930’s period – the others include…
Alfred Hitchcock, “Waltzes from Vienna” (1934) What’s this? – a musical comedy about Johann Strauss II and his waltz “The Blue Danube” by Alfred Hitchcock? The…
Alfred Hitchcock, “Secret Agent” (1936) The surprising thing about this film is that lead actor John Gielgud plays such a wooden and unappealing “hero” here after a…
Alfred Hitchcock, “Downhill” (1927) Before he found his niche as Master of Suspense, the young Alfred Hitchcock made a few films in several genres that include…
Alfred Hitchcock, “The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog” (1927) Only the third film made by a young Alfred Hitchcock, “The Lodger …” already has…
Alfred Hitchcock, “The 39 Steps” (1935) Very loosely based on John Buchan’s novel “The Thirty-Nine Steps” – it’s best if you don’t read the novel first…
Alan Lowery and John Pilger, “The War You Don’t See” (2010) Last night (Sunday, 10 April 2011), I caught this documentary presented by veteran Australian journalist…
Alfred Hitchcock, “Frenzy” (1972) Coming at the tail-end of the UK film director’s illustrious career, “Frenzy” is a straightforward murder thriller set in London in the…