NotesonFilm1

Drunken Angel/ Yoidore Tenshi (Akira Kurosawa, 1948) A noir that well showcases Kurosawa’s capacity for film poetry and a young Toshiro Mifune at his most beautiful.... https://notesonfilm1.com/2026/08/14/drunken-angel-yoidore-tenshi-akira-kurosawa-1948/

THE LADYKILLERS (Alexander Mackendrick, 1955) A friend recently reminded me that THE LADYKILLERS is set around King’s Cross, with St. Pancras visible in so many of the external shots.... https://notesonfilm1.com/2026/08/14/the-ladykillers-alexander-mackendrick-1955/

Caught Stealing (Darren Aronofsky, 2025) Why hasn’t this been a hit? It’s got an extraordinary cast (Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Regina King, Carol Kane, Vincent D’Onofrio, Bad Bunny) a big new star at his most desirable (Austin Butler) and a heterosexual couple (Butler and Kravitz, whose every move is a thrill) that has great chemistry and smoulder and sizzle in each scene.... https://notesonfilm1.com/2026/08/12/caught-stealing-darren-aronofsky-2025/

LE CERCLE ROUGE (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1970) ‘All men are bad’ says a Judge in LE CERCLE ROUGE (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1970), ‘they’re born innocent but are quickly corrupted.... https://notesonfilm1.com/2026/08/12/le-cercle-rouge-jean-pierre-melville-1970/

THE PHATOM OF THE MONASTERY/ EL FANTASMA DEL CONVENTO (Fernando de Fuentes, 1934) Two men are in love with the same women but only one is married to her. The trio lose track of time when walking in the countryside and find shelter in a monastery, where Brothers of the Order of Silence assure them they’re safe so long as they don’t harbour ill intent.... https://notesonfilm1.com/2026/08/11/the-phatom-of-the-monastery-el-fantasma-del-convento-fernando-de-fuentes-1934/

FRIDA KAHLO: THE MAKING OF AN ICON I loved the Frida Kahlo exhibition at the Tate. I have had friends gripe that the exhibition is lacking some of her most famous paintings, which is true, but then it also has some smaller, lesser seen works.... https://notesonfilm1.com/2026/08/10/frida-kahlo-the-making-of-an-icon/

LA LLORONA (Ramón Peón, 1933) Friends who teach in the areas of Latin American cinema will be interested in LA LLORONA (Ramón Peón, 1933), ostensibly the first horror film made in Mexico in the sound era.... https://notesonfilm1.com/2026/08/10/la-llorona-ramon-peon-1933/

POPPERS (José María Castellví, 1984) I had never heard of POPPERS (José María Castellví, 1984), until I came across it on the marvellous box set of Spanish ‘S’ classified films of the transition, EXORCISMO: DEFYING A DICTATOR AND RAISING HELL IN POST-FRANCO SPAIN. ... https://notesonfilm1.com/2026/08/09/poppers-jose-maria-castellvi-1984/

Eavesdropping at the Movies: 478 – Spider-Man: Brand New Day We’ve tuned out of Marvel on the podcast for a little while, but one of the eternally entertaining superheroes, Spider-Man, reignites our interest with ... https://notesonfilm1.com/2026/08/03/eavesdropping-at-the-movies-478-spider-man-brand-new-day/

Cinema Rediscovered 2026 Wrap-Up. As ever Richard and I loved attending this year’s edition of Cinema Rediscovered at the Watershed in Bristol.... https://notesonfilm1.com/2026/07/31/cinema-rediscovered-2026-wrap-up/

Eavesdropping at the Movies: 477 – The Odyssey Realising his dream of shooting an entire film on 70mm IMAX stock, Christopher Nolan adapts Homer’s ancient Greek poem ... https://notesonfilm1.com/2026/07/28/eavesdropping-at-the-movies-477-the-odyssey/

THE ODYSSEY at Cineworld. Mike and Jen, who I saw it with, responded differently, and to different degrees. They certainly didn’t like it as much as I.... https://notesonfilm1.com/2026/07/23/the-odyssey-at-cineworld/

Minions and Monsters (Pierre Coffin, 2026) Saw MINIONS AND MONSTERS yesterday and it is a film buff’s delight; Muybridge, Meliês, the Lumières, Harold Lloyd, Chaplin, Keaton, all get referenced; and jokes are made of those references visually and aurally.... https://notesonfilm1.com/2026/07/21/minions-and-monsters-pierre-coffin-2026/

Thinking Aloud About Film: Death of A Cyclist/ Muerte de un ciclista (Juan Antonio Bardem, 1955) Part of the Juan Antonio Bardem cycle of films screened at Bologna and available to see through a marvellous Criterion Edition.... https://notesonfilm1.com/2026/07/19/thinking-aloud-about-film-death-of-a-cyclist-muerte-de-un-ciclista-juan-antonio-bardem-1955/

PARTY GIRL (Nicholas Ray, 1958) In his magisterial work on Nicholas Ray, NICHOLAS RAY, AN AMERICAN JOURNEY, surely one of the greatest works on film studies, Bernard Eisenschitz writes that PARTY GIRL (Nicholas Ray, 1958) was met with a ‘unanimously condescending critical reception in the United States’ and that French critics, ‘adopting an extremist stance within AUTEURIST theory, were of the opinion that Ray had here perfected his method.... https://notesonfilm1.com/2026/07/18/party-girl-nicholas-ray-1958/

Pamela Hutchinson on THE CURSE OF QUEEN KELLY (New York, Sticking Place Books, 2025) When I read THE CURSE OF QUEEN KELLY, I wrote to Pam Hutchinson, its author: 'I found it it so much fun to read -- a rarity!... https://notesonfilm1.com/2026/07/16/pamela-hutchinson-on-the-curse-of-queen-kelly-new-york-sticking-place-books-2025/

THE INVITE (Olivia Wilde, 2026). THE INVITE (Olivia Wilde, 2026). Joe (Seth Rogan) is a music teacher who’s long given up on his dream of a music career and is embarrassed to be living in his late parents’ apartment.... https://notesonfilm1.com/2026/07/14/the-invite-olivia-wilde-2026/