Ace in the Hole - MatthewHunt

It's supposed that Howard Hawks directed some of this and Ben Hecht provided some
uncredited rewrites; it certainly has some of their fingerprints on it. Snappy, overlapping
dialogue fills the air as an isolated team of scientists battle a humanoid alien plant creature -
"An intellectual carrot, whatever next?" One of the earliest and best alien invasion movies.
Things to Come
(William Cameron Menzies, 1936)
It has to be said that some of the actors here aren't taking this as seriously as they should,
which partly diminishes the impact HG Wells' predictive science fiction. It's often left to the
stunning sets and special effects to carry the movie, a task they handle with great style.
The Third Man
(Carol Reed, 1949)
Still a contender for the finest British movie ever made, and a home-made film noir to
measure up to the best of Hollywood (or France, for that matter) - even if it has American
stars and was shot in Vienna. It's filled with unforgettable movie moments - Anton Karas'
zither theme tune, Orson Welles' emergence out of the shadows, his famous "cuckoo clock"
speech on the Ferris wheel, the sewer chase, the closing funeral scene. Our hero, Joseph
Cotten, a pulp western novelist, is repeatedly warned about mixing fact and fiction as he sifts
through the rubble of postwar Vienna investigating the death of his old friend Harry Lime
(Welles). As Cotten gradually pieces the story together, a very different picture of Lime starts
to emerge, along with unpalatable political and economic truths. It's a captivating mystery,
soaked in atmosphere, filled with memorable characters and beautifully filmed in black and
white. But beneath the surface, Graham Greene's script engineers a multitude of
confrontations: American optimism versus European fatalism; childhood versus adulthood;
money versus humanity; friendship versus patriotism; fact versus fiction. Very few films bear
so much weight so gracefully.
Steve Rose
The Thirty Nine Steps
(Alfred Hitchcock, 1935)
The classic Boy's Own adventure from John Buchan's novel rattles along at a furious pace.
Robert Donat is the innocent murder suspect Richard Hannay, chased by the police from
London to the Scottish Borders and back, while he pursues dastardly spies and dallies with
Madeleine Carroll: a thriller brimming with wit and verve.
Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould
(François Girard, 1993)
Endlessly fertile bio-pic of the legendarily eccentric pianist, that takes its cue from Gould's
famous Goldberg Variations treatment. Canadian director Girard incorporates animation,
radio, and straight recreation to tell Gould's story; Colm Feore puts in a career-best
performance in the title role.
This Is Spinal Tap
(Rob Reiner, 1984)
A gem which went almost unnoticed on its initial cinema release, but accumulated word-ofmouth
cult status through video rental. Tap created the "mockumentary" genre with its
wonderful homage to ageing Brit rockers in the US, a mix of the Rolling Stones, Black
Sabbath and unknown exports like Foghat. Every frame, every line, is a joy.
This Sporting Life
(Lindsay Anderson, 1963)
Who needs Marlon Brando when you've got Richard Harris? Lindsay Anderson's blistering
adaptation of David Storey's novel about a miner-turned-rugby league professional is
galvanised by Harris' extraordinary performance as Frank Machin. Harris combines brutality
and machismo with an unexpected sensitivity, with excellent support from Rachel Roberts as
the widow with whom he has such a destructive relationship.