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Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 3d

The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006). East Germany, 1984. A Stasi operative (Ulrich Mühe) is assigned to spy on a playwright (Sebastian Koch) and his lover (Martina Gedeck) but becomes drawn into their affairs. Masterful drama: tense, gripping and emotional. #TheLivesOfOthers

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Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 3d

Must Love Dogs (Gary David Goldberg, 2005). Oddly written rom-com starring Diane Lane and John Cusack, as well as Christopher Plummer. A teacher and a boat builder experience various dating mishaps. It’s uneven and the actors’ charisma cannot redeem it. Surprisingly little dog content. #MustLoveDogs

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 3d

Hereafter (Clint Eastwood, 2010). Matt Damon plays a gifted psychic brought into contact with a French journalist (Cécile de France) and a London schoolboy, both of whom have experienced close brushes with death. Believable drama that wisely doesn’t try to explain the supernatural aspect. #Hereafter

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 3d

Just Like Heaven (Mark Waters, 2005). Silly but mildly enjoyable rom-com. The always watchable Mark Ruffalo falls in love with what seems to be a ghost (Reese Witherspoon) but is actually the “spirit” of a woman in a coma. Can he revive her before her life support is turned off? Yes. #JustLikeHeaven

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 3d

Reign of Fire (Rob Bowman, 2002). The world has been taken over by fiery dragons. It’s down to Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale to save humanity. Bits of Alien, Mad Max and Apocalypse Now collide in a silly, one-dimensional manner. The two leads do their best with flimsy material. #ReignOfFire

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 3d

Finding the Way Back (Gavin O’Connor, 2020). Moving drama about a man who lost his son to cancer and then had his marriage break down. He begins coaching a school basketball team and tries to deal with the alcoholism now dominating his life. Ben Affleck is superb in the lead role. #FindingTheWayBack

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 5d

Play It Again, Sam (Herbert Ross, 1972). Comedy. Woody Allen and Diane Keaton play friends who may or may not become a couple. Woody is guided by an imaginary Humphrey Bogart. I usually hate that sort of gimmick, but it just about works. Great visual humour and some very funny lines. #PlayItAgainSam

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 9d

Carol (Todd Haynes, 2015). Compelling, beautifully shot adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel. Carol (Cate Blanchett) is getting divorced and becomes besotted with a young shop assistant (Rooney Mara). Part gay romance, part road movie and part thriller, it’s both romantic and uneasy. #Carol

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Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 10d

Roofman (Derek Cianfrance, 2025). Brilliant drama. Channing Tatum plays an escaped convict who hides out in a Toys R Us while simultaneously having a relationship with one of the shop staff (Kirsten Dunst). It’s all the more funny, engrossing and touching because it’s based on a true story. #Roofman

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 11d

Wilde (Brian Gilbert, 1997). Based on Richard Ellmann’s 1987 biography, this is an intelligent and engrossing biopic starring Stephen Fry as Oscar Wilde. Jude Law and Michael Sheen play his lovers, while Jennifer Ehle is great as his loyal wife. Vanessa Redgrave offers the only hammy element. #Wilde

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 16d

The Woman in Red (Gene Wilder, 1984). Awkward, confused, dated and deeply sexist male-fantasy “comedy” adapted from a French film. Happily married Wilder seeks an affair with Kelly LeBrock, who doesn’t even mind his deceit. Stevie Wonder provides the soundtrack. It’s a troubling mess. #TheWomanInRed

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Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 16d

Runaway Bride (Garry Marshall, 1999). A woman keeps fleeing from her own weddings. Pretty Woman stars Richard Gere and Julia Roberts are reunited with dire results. Weak slapstick and clunky romance scenes are jarring as the inconsistent characters and scenarios lack the ring of truth. #RunawayBride

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 17d

Bandits (Barry Levinson, 2001). Two escaped convicts (Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton) go on the run and become celebrity bank robbers. But complications follow when they fall in love with the woman they kidnap (Cate Blanchett). Excellent, neatly plotted comedy-drama with strong acting. #Bandits

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 17d

On the Rocks (Sofia Coppola, 2020). Comedy-drama. A woman (Rashida Jones) investigates her husband’s possible infidelity, egged on by her art dealer father (Bill Murray). It’s good on the troubled father/daughter relationship, but the two “slapstick” sequences aren’t nearly funny enough. #OnTheRocks

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 17d

The Illusionist (Neil Burger, 2006). Vienna, 1889. Edward Norton is a magician (with a silly fake beard) accused of fraud. He’s also in love with the Crown Prince’s wife (Jessica Biel). Paul Giamatti offers much guttural grunting as a police inspector. Exciting, if a little childish. #TheIllusionist

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 23d

Enduring Love (Roger Mitchell, 2004). Tense adaptation of Ian McEwan’s dramatic novel. Daniel Craig is perfect as a regular guy who is hounded by a deranged Christian (Rhys Ifans) after the pair witness a horrible accident. Samantha Morton is great as the lover caught up in their mess. #EnduringLove

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 23d

Definitely, Maybe (Adam Brooks, 2008). Sweet, well-written drama. A child (Abigail Brealin) quizzes her dad (Ryan Reynolds) about his love life from before she was born. Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz and Isla Fisher play his girlfriends. Woody Allen-like, it’s romantic and touching. #DefinitelyMaybe

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 23d

Ned Kelly (Gregor Jordan, 2003). Exciting, if shallow, fast-paced romp. Heath Ledger stars as the Australian outlaw. Naomi Watts is fine as the love interest and you wish she was in it more. Likewise with Geoffrey Rush’s superintendent. On the other hand, there’s too much of Orlando Bloom. #NedKelly

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 28d

The Sound of Music (Robert Wise, 1965). The songs, by Rodgers and Hammerstein, are vividly memorable. The performance by Julie Andrews is perfectly judged. And there’s enough World War II drama – among the froth and romance – to keep up the tension across 174 minutes. A masterpiece. #TheSoundOfMusic

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 29d

The Judge (David Dobkin, 2014). Not-quite-there drama. Lawyer Robert Downey Jr. has to defend his own father, despite bad history between the pair. Vera Farmiga is credible as the ex-girlfriend, but RDJ seems inexpressive, the lighting is self-conscious and the music by Bon Iver irritates. #TheJudge

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Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 29d

U.S. Marshals (Stuart Baird, 1998). Spin-off of The Fugitive. Tommy Lee Jones is back as Samuel Gerard. Once again he has to catch an escaped prisoner on the run (Wesley Snipes) – who may be innocent. Often clichéd, but TLJ is charismatic and the unrelenting action is genuinely exciting. #USMarshals

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · 29d

In the Heights (Jon M. Chu, 2021). Musical. The Dominican community of Washington Heights, New York, dream of a better life. Patchy with incandescent moments. The best songs integrate rap elements. Anthony Ramos is great in the lead, but the old lady song and animated gimmicks lost me. #InTheHeights

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Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · Sep 30

The Station Agent (Tom McCarthy, 2003). Funny and touching drama full of brilliant characters. A loner inherits an abandoned New Jersey train station and slowly befriends his neighbours. Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Williams are all perfectly cast. #TheStationAgent

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · Sep 30

The Great Gatsby (by Jack Clayton, 1974). Awfully stilted, unsatisfying and oddly sweaty adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece novel. Mia Farrow is so charmless that you can’t believe Robert Redford is infatuated with her. Visually, it’s like a horror film minus the horror. #TheGreatGatsby

Totteridge Film Institute @totteridgefilm.bsky.social · Sep 24

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (George Roy Hill, 1969). Western masterpiece. Outlaws Paul Newman and Robert Redford are almost supernaturally charming. The brilliant script has no sentimentality, but lots of emotion and wit. The poignant ending is perfectly judged. #ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKid

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