Clive Donner directs Peter O’Toole, Alastair Sim and Harold Pinter in this British thriller where a maverick toff decides to assassinate Hitler on the eve of WWII and finds himself with no safe place to hide, from fascists of all stripes, after his bullet misses.

An unfussy meat-and-potatoes adaptation of one of my favourite novels. This was made for TV and often in location and in costumes looks like something the ‘Allo ‘Allo team might have filmed with the ‘short ends’ of celluloid on their tea breaks. Yet the casting aims for a higher standard, more worthy of Geoffrey Household’s perfect anti-appeasement chase story. Every interaction is a classy cliffhanger in the first hour, even now there still is a charged thrill in experiencing Adolf tantalisingly in the crosshairs of a hunter’s rifle. How modern audience will take to the third act – where a ragged O’Toole digs himself a hobbit hole in Devon and literally goes to ground – is anyone’s guess? Even this static, drawn out siege sequence reaches an impactful solution, slyly bringing us full circle to that near-perfect opener. Dated, for sure, but the hook of the source material is so strong you can’t help but enjoy it.

7

Perfect Double Bill: The 39 Steps (1935)

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/

Jack Sholder directs Mark Patton, Kim Myers and Robert Englund in this horror sequel where Freddy tries to re-enter reality via a confused teen boy.

“You are all my children now!”

Dismissed as a half assed cash-in back in the day, this has a pretty blatant gay subtext running throughout it. Making it fascinating to watch and to pick apart. Fred Krueger still retains some of his threatening mystique here and the closer where our final girl (a winning and sympathetic Myers) decides to hug the demon out of the monster is quite dramatic and operatic. There aren’t enough scare sequences though and the wobbly set-piece where Freddy runs amok around a pool party feels like a missed opportunity; given he only really knocks a few hotdog bun packets over. The practical FX are pretty exciting when they happen – tongues emerge from phone receivers, Freddy hatches like a chick from inside a screaming man. While not as full steam as its groundbreaking progenitor 2 certainly is less clownish than what followed.

7

Perfect Double Bill: Jennifer’s Body (2009)

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/

Paul W. S. Anderson directs Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa and Ron Perlman in this sci-fi action movie based on a man versus mythical beasts computer game.

Pretty rote. Jovovich and Jaa, after their respective breakout roles, have starred in far more rubbish than decent stuff and this certainly isn’t going to reverse that flow. Yet Monster Hunter delivers on its slight, simple promise and the last half hour certainly aims for the epic. The look of it embraces a grainier, scalier real world heft than most mid-budget video game adaptations. Lower your expectations and its kinda okay.

5

Perfect Double Bill: Resident Evil (2002)

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/

The Wachowskis direct Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Laurence Fishburne in this sci-fi sequel where a god-like Neo tests his powers in a new mission.

Both the best action and the ropiest FX of the series. The freeway chase has to be seen to believed – they built a fake freeway just to achieve this sequence. Monica Belluci appears in a tight dress. The bonkers monologue at the end though is the nadir of the series.

6

Perfect Double Bill: The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

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/

1. True Romance (1993)
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
3. Miller’s Crossing (1990)
4. Alien (1979)
5. When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
6. The Terminator (1984)
7. Se7en (1995)
8. The Shining (1980)
9. Dazed and Confused (1993)
10. Pulp Fiction (1994)
11. Die Hard (1988)
12. An American Werewolf In London (1981)
13. The Warriors (1979)
14. Léon: The Professional (1994)
15. John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982)
16. Say Anything… (1989)
17. Aliens (1986)
18. Goodfellas (1990)
19. Dances With Wolves (1990)
20. Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
21. Trainspotting (1996)
22. Back To The Future (1985)
23. Toy Story (1995)
24. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
25. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
26. Manhunter (1986)
27. Before Sunrise (1995)
28. Good Will Hunting (1997)
29. Sleepless In Seattle (1993)
30. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
31. Trading Places (1983)
32. Ghostbusters (1984)
33. Mad Max (1979)
34. 48 Hrs. (1982)
35. Blade Runner (1982)
36. Quick Change (1990)
37. Election (1999)
38. Speed (1994)
39. Do The Right Thing (1989)
40. Lethal Weapon (1987)
41. Out of Sight (1998)
42. The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
43. Rushmore (1998)
44. The Hudsucker Proxy (1993)
45. Shallow Grave (1994)
46. Clerks (1994)
47. Groundhog Day (1993)
48. Ringu (1998)
49. White Men Can’t Jump (1992)
50. Falling Down (1993)
51. Batman Returns (1992)
52. The Usual Suspects (1995)
53. The Abyss: Special Edition (1989)
54. Batman (1989)
55. The Big Lebowski (1998)
56. The Killer (1989)
57. The Paper (1994)
58. Predator (1987)
59. Ed Wood (1994)
60. Robocop (1987)
61. The Untouchables (1987)
62. Raging Bull (1980)
63. Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom (1984)
64. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
65. Field Of Dreams (1989)
66. Jerry Maguire (1996)
67. Fearless (1993)
68. Twin Peaks: Northwest Passage (1989)
69. Funny Games (1997)
70. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
71. Fletch (1985)
72. The Truman Show (1998)
73. Scream (1996)
74. Beautiful Girls (1996)
75. JFK (1991)
76. The Last Boy Scout (1992)
77. South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut (1999)
78. Fight Club (1999)
79. Point Break (1991)
80. Alien³ Assembly Cut (1992)
81. Kingpin (1996)
82. The Fugitive (1993)
83. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)
84. Stand By Me (1986)
85. William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (1996)
86. Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi (1983)
87. Blue Velvet (1986)
88. The Color Of Money (1986)
89. Hana-Bi (1997)
90. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
91. Gallipoli (1981)
92. Three Kings (1999)
93. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
94. Dead Calm (1989)
95. Schindler’s List (1993)
96. Ridicule (1996)
97. Withnail & I (1987)
98. Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990)
99. Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas (1998)
100. Jacob’s Ladder (1990)

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/

Cameron Crowe directs Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Renée Zellweger in this romantic comedy / sports movie where a slick agent has a change of heart and finds himself with only one client; an egomaniacal football player.

If I pitched you Jerry Maguire you’d think I was crazy. You need to care about a sports executive who writes a career-damaging memo for almost three hours. Yet thanks to its whipsmart dialogue, a litany of career best performances (some of them genuine outliers never to be repeated) and Crowe’s acerbic yet sweet sensibilities it emerges as a one of a kind entertainment masterpiece. You can tell Rolling Stone journalist Crowe fully immersed himself into this world before sitting at his word processor. Yet his strength lies in his wit and playfulness. Like Billy Wilder at his finest, every scene sidesteps your expectations, a disruption means you are never actually given what you expect but each moment somehow still flows with a warm, natural energy. There’s so much plot covered here that I doubt three premium telly seasons could do quite so much quite so well, yet each journey reaches a definitive end by the wrap up. Not many other movies have attempted to combine the business of sports with heart on its sleeve romance before (and for good reason) but this unique beast really manages to pull off an intimacy in both fields with neither sub-genre ever feeling like it tips the balance. Epic soundtrack. Tom pushing himself to be his very best. We know he can do a cocky bastard but the desperation he plumbs here is astounding given his stock roles before. And multiple killer quotes that have survived three decades almost. My mum and I went to see this together on release and she still shouts “Show me the money” down the phone at me to this day. But really what this has is “The Quan”! I flat out love Jerry Maguire and it harks back to an age where a great script and the perfect star could make the entire world rush out and watch a movie that wasn’t a sequel / franchise / reboot.

10

Perfect Double Bill: Moneyball (2011)

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/

Craig Roberts directs Mark Rylance, Sally Hawkins and Rhys Ifans in this true story of a crane driver from Barrow-In-Furness who notoriously sneaked himself into playing the British Open before he had ever played a round of golf on a proper course.

A real sweetie this. Funny but never mocking of its working class dreamer, recreating his internalised flights of fantasy with a naïve Impressionist tactility. More than a mere quirky sports comedy, this pulls at the heartstrings somewhat viciously and presents the limitations that growing up in relative poverty bring to a life with an unvarnished directness. I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t find themselves caught up in Maurice Flitcroft’s mad quest to win the Open with little proven skill at the game he makes his obsession. In real life I suspect he was a bit more of an intentionally disruptive prankster than is presented here but it is hard not to be seduced by the ever excellent Rylance getting the full big screen spotlight to play such a softly spoken eccentric.

8

Perfect Double Bill: Eddie The Eagle (2015)

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/

Jacques Audiard directs Lucie Zhang, Makita Samba and Noémie Merlant in this erotic romantic comedy following a trio of millennials making love, fools of themselves and financial compromises in the heart of Paris.

Sexy, funny, messy, visually crisp with sequences of eye-popping overtures and flourishes… and with strong but cutely flawed female characters. This is the quality and type of movie I was expecting when I read all those rave reviews of The Worst Person In the World over the last few months. This is the superior film and noticeably less white, less upper middle class… nobody here sees working in a bookshop as a dead end job rather than a cushy number. Work is dealt with subtly… Audaird frames it as an unavoidable compromise for those who want to continue their studies or live in a city untethered by family (duh!… but few movies acknowledge this as they are made by people from such rarefied background where this isn’t a tangible reality) but he also presents the workplace as one of the few places where people are in regular proximity – in the kind of constant contact that cannot be farmed out to technology like hooking up, masturbating or bullying classmates. There’s also an understanding that fucking can be casual and have emotional fallout. It is quite the astute, non-judgmental essay on modern life considering it is made by an old honky nearing his 70s… albeit an old honky who has made a fair few indisputably brilliant macho movies and is now trying his hand at something softer, more joyous. All his leads are hyper attractive, look stunning in the nude and sell the dialogue with charm and humanity. Lucie Zhang is a real find as the self destructive but sweet Émilie Wong (my kinda petulant fuck-up) and hopefully this will be a star-making turn for her. Pretty much any scene where she is present is electric.

9

Perfect Double Bill: Singles (1992)

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/

Reid Carolin and Channing Tantum direct Channing Tatum, some cute Belgian Malinois and Ethan Suplee in this road movie where a pair of military rejects, an Army Ranger suffering from PTSD and a killer dog who can’t be retrained, travel across America.

Solid. Better than it has any right to be and noticeably straining to make some quite brave choices in its depiction of a post-Trump America.

6

Perfect Double Bill: Every Which Way but Loose (1978)

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/

Mick Jackson directs Tommy Lee Jones, Anne Heche and Don Cheadle in this disaster movie where lava erupts along the streets and subway tunnels of L.A..

“The coast is toast!” That was the cheeky apocalyptic promise on the poster back in the day. Positioned as one of the big summer releases of ‘97, this now is a footnote. A dusty curiosity known only as the forgotten other half of a set of competing volcano flicks released within the same season. The equally duff Dante’s Peak seems to have at least retained a nostalgic fanbase. Neither movie delivered. I remember going to see this with my friend Cath and us only really latching on to the naff dialogue. Quoting the most unimaginative chunks at each other on the bus ride home, trying to mask our disappointment. It has not aged any better. I’m a fan of TLJ but his heroic Dad role is a bit too much of a softy for his trademark craggy overconfidence. A Harrison Ford or Sam Neill would have slotted into the lead as written more smoothly and maybe focussed the peril at little more dynamically to boot. Anne Heche’s straw-like arms struggle to convince us she’s ever held a pebble so casting her as a geologist is a bit of a hoot. The dangerous flow of the lava is too slow to create tension, the killer heat of its presence seems to shift depending on how famous the cast member in proximity to it is. None of the fodder ensemble really lands. The FX work is shonky more often than not. The Hollywood execs who greenlighted this must have howled and hollared at all the local in-jokes… 25 years on and this probably should come with an advance reading list so you can ken some of the niche references. The heavy handed race subplot feels particularly naive and creaky. The riots were still a raw wound when this was filmed. In many ways this feels like a family friendly Falling Down, with molten rock replacing Michael Douglas, burning a chaotic path through one city’s unique socio-economic problems… at an ambling gait. That makes Volcano sound better than it is. My only real long term take home is I’ve had the end credits song (I Love L.A. – Randy Newman) stuck in my head for almost a week now.

4

Perfect Double Bill: Deep Impact (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/