Marnie (1964)

Marnie is a woman who isn't in love with the man she somehow becomes married to. She has deep emotional scars and a severe fractured personality. Her husband sees good in her and tries to uncover the source of her mental illness. He does so, in the end, then kind of wipes his hands of the whole affair, claims everything to be fixed and leaves with his newly healthy wife.

Most of the movie is spent with two thoroughly unlikable leads (and occasionally, her mother) discussing an issue that isn't very interesting to begin with, until it resolves unsatisfactorily. Highly missable

The Barbarian Invasions (2003)

Pseudo-intellectual clap-trap concerning the nature of love, life and death. Where everyone spouts opinions and brief monologues, but nobody ever draws close to a conclusion. Relationships are paper-thin and side-stories (the police man, the lost computer) are tacked-on and also go nowhere.

The film tries its darnedest to be relevant, even going so far as to include footage (and another brief rambling) of the World Trade Center attacks. However as with everything else in this wandering, meandering film, it also suddenly appears, then disappears without comment. As a whole, this is deeply unrewarding and not worth the time.

Gimmie Shelter (1970)

One of the most arresting and intriguing rock documentaries that I have ever been glad to see. At times very close (though never deliberately 'personal') and at times very fly-on-the-wall, Gimmie Shelter does only one thing well: Show very thoroughly what its like to be one of the biggest bands of all time. It does that in spades. What you also get is how frustrating it is for them to try and give something back, to benefit others. Everything is out of their control and things spiral outwards from there.

This couldn't have been done any other way.

The Great Train Robbery (1903)

While most often touted as a historical milestone, this analysis does the film a great injustice. It is entertaining and exciting by today's standards and should be seen as a still excellent short film, rather than treating it as a museum piece for connoisseurs only.

Though nothing exceptional sticks out by today's standards (though, a scene showing a person being bodily thrown off a moving train is still surprisingly effective) it almost crackles with the energy and excitement that the cast/crew must've felt when making the film. It has an unbridled energy that is infective and leaves an indelible impression.

Notorious (1946)

A spy movie at its essence - with a focus entirely on the spying. The deceit, lying and skulking around with little assurance of your own safety. There are no flashy action sequences here, in fact, most of the action takes place off screen. The information uncovered while sleuthing is sent to those who need it, while never being quite enough.

Starting slow, with a lot of bulky relationship building, the payoff comes in the second half when all of the performers revel in the depth of their subtlety, weaving their performanced nuances to create a gripping tapestry of fear and intrigue.

Sunset Blvd. (1950)

For some reason people seem to have a bad relationship with black and white films. There are many explanations as for the root cause of this, but the result is - it's a damn shame. A movie as solidly good as this should not be missed by anyone, for any reason.

At times crushingly sad, at times intriguingly honest, Sunset, for me, spoke less about the Hollywood system than just about companionship itself. Throughout the film that's all anyone yearns for - their individual goals for attaining this are different, but their lofty end goal is the same wholly relatable experience. Highly recommended.

The Apartment (1960)

What could have been another missable farce completely redeems itself by injecting, at just the right moment, a huge dose of reality into itself. There's no other way to describe it - it feels like the filmmakers asked themselves this: "What would happen in a screwball comedy if the character's actions actually had consequences?" And for that, I thank them.

This is a supremely warm, funny film and, the characters - even while the gravitas of their situation sinks in - they carry on with a forced smile, daring themselves to keep things light - and they, in a totally endering way, succeed. Highly recommended.