Paul Schrader directs Woody Harrelson, Kristin Scott Thomas and Lauren Bacall in this Washington D.C. drama where a gay gent who escorts and gossips with the wives of Capitol Hill is embroiled in a murder.

Robin Williams. John Goodman. Woody Harrelson. A rare breed of sitcom stars who transcended their famous breakout roles, became cinema A-Listers, who are as comfortable in drama as in comedy. When Fred Gwynne turns up in a flick you can only think of Herman Munster… there’s no need for green face paint or bolts in the neck. Could Courtney Cox BE any more like Monica? Yet Woody has had a prolific and admirable career traversing genre and prestige nimbly. Natural Born Killers and The Walker are the two times he really pushes himself. Neither film is wholly successful but Woody is consumate throughout.

Is Schrader particularly comfortable with a homosexual protagonist? His understanding of the gay scene seems to spring fustily from Friedkin’s Cruising and Tom of Finland. This aside though, it is a boon to see a movie where the lead happens to be gay (camp but complex) but the legs of the plot would work just as well however the sexual orientation of the character is defined. Schrader is far more happier muck raking through Guantamano and Industrial Military complex in general rather than deep diving into his character’s love life. So there’s that.

As a murder mystery it never really gels. As a delivery system for Harrelson’s velvety charmer sharing the stage with three ladies of Hollywood royalty, it is a hoot. These scenes of catty bonhomie fade away in the second half. What replaces them is pretty bog standard. There’s definitely a better movie in here. But as a showcase for Harrelson, it is well worth a look.

6

Perfect Double Bill: The Card Counter (2021)

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Tom Brady directs Rob Schneider, Rachel McAdams and Anna Faris in this body swap comedy where a bitchy but beautiful teen swaps bodies with a schlubby scumbag dude.

Not as awful as I suspected but it is pretty telling that the funniest gags barely involve Schneider at all.

4

Perfect Double Bill: Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigilo (1999)

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Maggie Gyllenhaal directs Olivia Coleman, Jessie Buckley and Dakota Johnson in this drama where a grumpy academic goes on holiday and makes an enemy of a family of tourists who act like they own the place.

A low key film with some really compelling plot developments and moments of character study. I agree with some of its overall sentiments on how not everyone is cut out to be a good parent and very few children are good company to be around for prolonged periods. Having said that… it is pretty miserable throughout and Dakota Johnson (who may not be the best actress in the world) plays the only cog in the ensemble who is complicated enough to be appealing. Fine performances but not enough joy to make you watch twice.

6

Perfect Double Bill: The Glass Castle (2017)

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Leo McCarey directs Irene Dunne, Charles Boyer and Maria Ouspenskaya in this romance where two already betrothed people meet-cute on a cruise and arrange to reunite in 6 months once they’ve put their relationships in order.

The original An Affair To Remember. Watching it can feel a little like spot-the-difference exercise with the more famous retread always there on your mind… but this has enough of its own magic to temper the shared magic. It is all magic, after all. Irene Dunne is pretty special.

8

Perfect Double Bill: An Affair To Remember (1957)

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Paolo Sorrentino directs Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone and Sabrina Ferilli in this Italian arthouse drama where an ageing member of Rome’s jet set begins to question his values.

Is there a better actor who has never once bothered with Hollywood than Toni Servillo? This could be a spiritual sequel to La Dolce Vita catching up with a figure similar to Marcello Mastroianni’s vain journalist 40 years later. His lifestyle is corrupt, grotesque and flamboyant. A preserved mockery of pleasure and decadence. And he begins to explore alternatives, taking small steps away from his bitchy yet powerful clique, steps that might damage his public image. The movie overstays its welcome ever so slightly but nobody does a jarring party sequence like Sorrentino – and this has bundles. Skewers Italian high society with flair.

7

Perfect Double Bill: La Dolce Vita (1960)

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Dwight H. Little directs Donald Pleasence, Ellie Cornell and Danielle Harris in this slasher sequel where Michael Myers returns to Haddonfield.

Better than its reputation. If you rented a Halloween sequel at random then this is probably the closest to what you might imagine an entry that doesn’t try and reinvent the wheel might look like. So it delivers solid thrills. Child star Danielle Harris is a good addition, the third act siege sequence is well handled… very reminiscent of series progenitor John Carpenter. There’s enough to like if very little to marvel at. The ending is a genuine doozy.

6

Perfect Double Bill: Halloween V: The Revenge Of Michael Myers (1989)

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Alan Rudolph directs Nick Nolte, Julie Christie and Lara Flynn Boyle in this farce drama about two couples who have affairs with each other.

Tedious and flat. Rich people with rich people problems. Christie looks regal.

3

Perfect Double Bill: Playing By Heart (1998)

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

George Miller directs Idris Elba, Tilda Swinton and Aamito Lagum in this romantic fantasy where a lonely academic finds a genie in a bottle and listens to his tales of love and adventure.

Rich and juicy fairytale cinema. Exactly my kinda jam. Both stars probably do their career best work, the FX are quirky and memorable. Has a strong sense of the mythic and the tragic and the absurd. Glad to have seen this on the big screen.

9

Perfect Double Bill: Tale of Tales (2016)

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Ridley Scott directs Tom Berenger, Mimi Rogers and Lorraine Bracco in this thriller where a rookie NYC detective is assigned guard duty for a beautiful socialite who has witnessed a murder.

As a thriller, pretty basic. Ridley makes sure this looks fantastic, turning the upper east side into a fantasia of mirrors and beams of diffused light. Yet this never can overcome the fact that no man would ever cheat on Lorraine Bracco. Stretches credulity to suggest so.

5

Perfect Double Bill: Sliver (1993)

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Alfred Hitchcock directs Frederick Stafford, Dany Robin and Karin Dor in this spy thriller where a French diplomat tries to avert the Cuban Missile Crisis and uncover a Soviet Spy Ring embedded in his government.

Dry and unfocused. This feels like pretty weak tea, stewed yet watery, especially in the age of James Bond and Harry Palmer. Hitch struggles to make us care about characters without A-List stars at his disposal, though Dany Robin as the capable wife makes a good impression… then she is sidelined for the middle hour… whoops! It trots the globe but rarely feels exotic. A near silent, stretched out defection prologue sets things up nicely. There’s a good set piece in a New York hotel occupied by the Cuban delegation (one of many where the hero has minimal involvement?!) and a glorious shot where a glamorous lady is executed. Considering this is over two hours plus long though that is really picking the bones of the carcass to find any meat worth tasting. A rare misfire.

4

Perfect Double Bill: Torn Curtain (1966)

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/