Robert Stevenson directs Joan Fontaine, Orson Welles and Margaret O’Brien in this classic adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s novel.

Visually, the black and white crispness is amazing. Gothic, often referencing the Universal horrors from a decade previous. I love Joan Fontaine but she is blatantly too naturally soft for this part. She isn’t helped by the fact that Orson is off away in his own little one man play. But Orson giving it large is a joy to watch and he makes the movie. The Mia Wasikowska version is probably the superior in terms of quality and faithfulness, but this is its own kind of pleasure. And young Elizabeth Taylor has an early fly by. What more do you want in 90 quick minutes?

8

Perfect Double Bill: I Walked With A Zombie (1943)

I write regular features about live comedy for British Comedy Guide here https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/bobby_carroll/features/ and my own Substack https://substack.com/@edinburghlaughterbulletin

Gary Fleder directs Michael Douglas, Brittany Murphy and Sean Bean in this thriller where a child psychologist must get a secret from a catatonic girl or his daughter dies.

Glossy and preposterous. There must be a more direct route for Sean Bean’s gang to get to their buried treasure than all… THIS. Forgettable sub-Hitchcock reheats with a techno twist. The one saving grace is a memorably frazzled and awkwardly sexy support turn from Murphy. Why was she at her hottest in asylums? “I’ll never tell. I’ll never tell.”

5

Perfect Double Bill: A Perfect Murder (1998)

Darren Aronofsky directs Austin Butler, Zoe Kravitz and Regina King in this Nineties set crime caper.

Aronofsky is oh so much better when he just goes pure genre. This is essentially a love letter to True Romance only set in New York and with Patricia Arquette recast as a cat. Full of quirky crims, constant threats and broad, bold character work. I am no longer on any kind of fence about Butler. Exactly my jam. Going to have to read some of Charlie Huston’s Hank Thompson books now.

8

Perfect Double Bill: Killing Zöe (1994)

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Michael Shanks directs Alison Brie, Dave Franco and Damon Herriman in this body horror relationship comedy.

As much War Of The Roses as Society. The disgusting FX are excellent apart from one shot at the end. Brie and Franco are electric together. Nice lore, not over explained but let you know just enough to fill in the blanks. A gleefully uncomfortable satire on marriage and a nasty blast of fun. I laughed a lot.

8

Perfect Double Bill: Society (1989)

I write regular features about live comedy for British Comedy Guide here https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/bobby_carroll/features/ and my own Substack https://substack.com/@edinburghlaughterbulletin

Celine Song directs Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal in this romance where a high end Manhatthan matchmaker must chose between her ideal man and her flawed (poor) ex.

Beautiful looking movie with a stunning three header of honeys. The satire on entitlement and expectation would work better if it wasn’t so deadpan and full of pregnant pauses. The funny lines have zero zip. There is a strong story here but it is too in love with its own themes to really chime. Celine Song thinks subtext is for cowards. Shout out to Chris Evans’ tall, handsome, emotionally intelligent underdog with a full head of hair and only… ONLY… two thousand dollars in savings. What a pauper! Hope he makes it.

6

Perfect Double Bill: Hitch (2005)

Mike Flanagan directs Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Jacob Tremblay in this magical realist drama set around the slow end of a world.

Flanagan’s house style is patient. Melodrama, monologue and cosmic tumblers clicking into place. So… much like Weapons, the drip feed nature of the storytelling does grate on the occasions when you are ahead of the reveal. It is all just a beat too drawn out. The positive I went home with was there was a lot less Tom Hiddleston than the marketing suggested. Damp praise? The ensemble is cosy and comforting, there are some visually exciting sequences. But we don’t need any propaganda that white kids invented the moonwalk, thank you very much Quantum Leap!

6

Perfect Double Bill: Weapons (2025)

Zach Cregger directs Julia Garner, Josh Brolin and Alden Ehrenreich in this horror mystery where an almost entire classroom of school children disappear one night at the exact same time.

Very Twilight Zone, very Stephen King. I’m not entirely sure the time hopping / different perspective structure will add much on a rewatch but the third act villain is a powerhouse play. Brolin also is wonderful casting. The wacky gore moments kept this Pied Piper Of Lost alive for me.

7

Perfect Double Bill: Life Of Chuck (2025)

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Jag Mundhra directs Chad Everett, Michelle Johnson and Michael Sabatino in this erotic thriller where a middle-aged cop must find the serial killer that preys on glamour models before his estranged daughter catches the maniac’s eye.

Super trash. All seemingly filmed in and around the same warehouse. A proper sweaty scumbag villain. A second act twist where an unlikely stag-do game cracks the case. An alcoholic Dirty Harry who pretty much ruins everyone’s life with his insecurities. His and the psycho’s behaviour is mostly farcical. While some of this is intentional tongue-in-cheek nuttiness it does feel like a veil to cover up the ineptitude and unoriginality of the project. I’m not the biggest advocate of “so bad it is good” snark but this fits that bill snugly.

3

Perfect Double Bill: Night Eyes (1990)

Mark Waters directs Lindsay Lohan, Jamie Lee Curtis and Mark Harmon in this remake of the Disney live action body swap family classic.

Glossier but wittier. It is pretty much neck and neck with the original.

6

Perfect Double Bill: Get A Clue (2002)

I write regular features about live comedy for British Comedy Guide here https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/bobby_carroll/features/ and my own Substack https://substack.com/@edinburghlaughterbulletin

Otto Preminger directs Carol Lynley, Keir Dullea and Laurence Olivier in this thriller where a young mother drops her daughter off at a new school in London only for the child to disappear without a trace.

A creepy, unsettling thriller. You cannot tell what is going on but share Carol Lynley’s desperation and frustration throughout. London is turned into a murky Wonderland filled with dirty eccentrics and increasingly eerie locations. A all-consuming rainy Sunday afternoon mood.

8

Perfect Double Bill: Angel Face (1953)