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SMB Film Thread 2026


Drexl said:
The Vanishing (1988)

Dutch film. A woman goes missing without trace when a couple stop off while travelling on their holidays. The husband becomes obsessed with finding out what happened.

A film I’ve been meaning to get round to for quite some time, the horror is in the details rather than any gruesome murders etc. it’s a real slow burn. It was remade a few years later with a starry cast including Jeff Bridges.

7/10
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Very good movie,well worth watching for the psychological build up. You suspect it ain't going to end well , but..... 8/10

The 1993 Jeff Bridges / Kiefer Sutherland US version, by comparison, was average at best with little tension, when compared to the original version 5.5/10
herra soul mob said:
Peaky blinders The immortal man (Netflix)

Very disappointing, poor story and not very credible in parts either, style over substance at times, and got to ask is there any point to the film ?
4/10
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The only point I could see was a last chance to cash in on the Peaky Blinders ' franchise '

As you say, very disappointing and a weak exercise of style over very little substance.

4/10
 
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Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) - YouTube

I know this has its critics concerning pacing and narrative, but I think it’s absolutely superb. Kim Stanley is excellent as a disturbed medium, and Richard Attenborough is haunted as her vulnerable husband. The ensemble are all very good, with Patrick Magee delivering a calm and sensitive performance.
The photography and camera angles are moody and expressive, and the cuts are often long and mesmerising. The atmosphere is oppressive and engrossing, and 60s outdoor scenes are used nicely to counterpoint the Edwardian stuffiness of the house.
It’s a long film, and unlikely in its theme, but I like the way that the reasons behind their actions are gradually revealed.
Not a film to watch while flicking through shite on your phone, it demands attention.

Excellent.

9/10
 
Doogie Hauser said:
Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) - YouTube

I know this has its critics concerning pacing and narrative, but I think it’s absolutely superb. Kim Stanley is excellent as a disturbed medium, and Richard Attenborough is haunted as her vulnerable husband. The ensemble are all very good, with Patrick Magee delivering a calm and sensitive performance.
The photography and camera angles are moody and expressive, and the cuts are often long and mesmerising. The atmosphere is oppressive and engrossing, and 60s outdoor scenes are used nicely to counterpoint the Edwardian stuffiness of the house.
It’s a long film, and unlikely in its theme, but I like the way that the reasons behind their actions are gradually revealed.
Not a film to watch while flicking through shite on your phone, it demands attention.

Excellent.

9/10
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I really like this film. So atmospheric
 
Cockney Mackem said:
I really like this film. So atmospheric
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It’s great. Attenborough bears the brunt of the actions of his wife and just looks helpless and crushed throughout, yet does it anyway, and sets himself up as the fall guy. One of his finest turns.

There’s a great mix up of camerawork and the film just wouldn’t work half as well for me if it were filmed in colour.

I’d only vaguely heard of it years ago as the inspiration behind the title of a Steptoe and Son episode :D
 
Twilight. 1998. 8/10.
Dir: Robert Benton (The Late Show, Kramer Vs Kramer, Billy Bathgate, Superman)
Scr: Robert Benton ( Bonnie & Clyde, What’s Up Doc,The Late Show, Superman, Kramer Vs Kramer, The Ice Harvest) & Richard Russo (The Ice Harvest).

LA set late 90s neo noir in which Paul Newman is a down on his luck alcoholic ex cop ex PI who gophers for and lives ower the garage of big name Hollywood fillum director Gene Hackman who is married movie star actress Susan Sarandon whose daughter is played by Reese Witherspoon. I’m sure all Witherspoon enthusiasts on the SMB are already aware of her talents but I’d point any who aren’t towards this role if you know what I mean. Nudge nudge wink wink say no more.
Newmans ex cop marra James Garner got him the job and Stockyard Channing is a current cop marra of Newmans. Giancarlo Esposito hangs around anarl.
It’s not a fillum for bairns and just looking at its star names and guessing at their ages at the time of filming should tell you that. It’s good and if you like anew noir or b&w version it’s well worth the watch. Fans of Chinatown, The Long Goodbye, Night Moves etc willloveit. Give it ago.
 
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Sinners.. brilliant flick …dusk till dawn on steroids.. 11 outta 10 and how the fuck One battle after another beat it to the best movie Oscar il never know.. Michael B Jordan along with the rest of the the cast are superb .. Screenplay Soundtrack and script are off the charts .. If ya like the blues ??? YKWIM
 
BIG BAZ said:
Sinners.. brilliant flick …dusk till dawn on steroids.. 11 outta 10 and how the fuck One battle after another beat it to the best movie Oscar il never know.. Michael B Jordan along with the rest of the the cast are superb .. Screenplay Soundtrack and script are off the charts .. If ya like the blues ??? YKWIM
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I didn't really enjoy Dusk till dawn, should have as i love vampire movies and love grindhouse stuff, should have been a perfect fit for me. Only saw it once when it came out, might give it another go.
 
The Public Enemy (1931) - dvd

James Cagney in his defining role. A pre-code gangster film that feels cliched and meek today, but it has to be remembered what this and Little Caesar brought to the table.
Cliches exist because these films changed the face of cinema.

The general acting is better than LC (Edward G apart) and the sophistication of tracking shots shows it to be a superior film, though I found the dialogue to be slightly less sharp. There’s some nice camerawork and the rain-drenched ending is great. I find the brevity of the scenes in these early 30s films equally refreshing and frustrating.

Regardless of the dated nature of the film, it’s an iconic entry and still holds up well.

8.5/10
 
Doogie Hauser said:
It’s great. Attenborough bears the brunt of the actions of his wife and just looks helpless and crushed throughout, yet does it anyway, and sets himself up as the fall guy. One of his finest turns.

There’s a great mix up of camerawork and the film just wouldn’t work half as well for me if it were filmed in colour.

I’d only vaguely heard of it years ago as the inspiration behind the title of a Steptoe and Son episode :D
Click to expand...
It's a great film.
Hell in the Pacific 1968. Very good.
 
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BIG BAZ said:
Sinners.. brilliant flick …dusk till dawn on steroids.. 11 outta 10 and how the fuck One battle after another beat it to the best movie Oscar il never know.. Michael B Jordan along with the rest of the the cast are superb .. Screenplay Soundtrack and script are off the charts .. If ya like the blues ??? YKWIM
Click to expand...
Watched this the other night and completely agree about the soundtrack
 
Four Men an a Prayer (1938)

Directed by John Ford. Four sons seek to clear the name of their father, who has been dishonourably discharged from the army in India. He had assembled a dossier of proof to exonerate himself, but he was killed and the contents were stolen.

The film tries to say something interesting about corporate meddling in military affairs, and corruption in colonial territories, but it’s so knockabout and twee that it doesn’t really work. The cast are good - Loretta Young, Richard Greene, David Niven and George Sanders are very game - but the film had four writers, and you can tell. The tone is very uneven. It’s globetrotting and should be absorbing, but it struggles to its finale.

I was chuffed, though, to clock Alan Hale in the cast. He played the waiter in Stan and Ollie’s Our Relations (“what do you mean, garçon? Grogan’s the name.”)

The cast deserved better.

4/10
 
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