Movie review - "Year of the Gun" (1992) ** (warning: spoilers)

 Andrew McCarthy is an amiable leading man who could've had a longer stint as a semi-star. He's not a real star - Sharon Stone is. It's bizarre this film was made - an account of an American in 1970s Italy dealing with the Red Brigade. John Frankenheimer wanted it shot in black and white which would have made it more interesting. He also wanted a different leading man

Valerie Golino is very good and often nude as McCarthy's girlfriend.  They should have cast an Italian rather than John Pankow as an Italian lecturer.

It never answers the question why do we care. McCarthy sleeps with Golino, writes a novel, the Red Brigade think he's got inside information, kidnap him, but let him go. He's very passive. At least Stone has a proper job, taking photos etc

Sex scenes between McCarthy and Golino quite hot though him and Stone feels awkward. 

Maybe this would've worked if from Stone's point of view. 

Book ereview - "Montgomery Clift: A Biography” by Patricia Bosworth

 Excellent deep dive on Clift's life and careers. So many people on the record  - lovers, friends. Often harrowing reading. Everyone says Clift was smart, brilliant, funny. But also weak, addictive, whiny, annoying. Given great advantages that he threw away, kept blaming other people (his mother, Hollywood).

Play review - "Incident at Vichy" by Arthur Muller (1964)

 Excellent play about a group of men held by the Germans in Vichy France. Miller at his best - a lot of angst and argument. Builds to a memorable end.

Theatre review - "Merry Wives of Windsor" by William Shakespeare

 Saw this in Exeter. The best actor played Falstaff. The play really should be about the women Flastaff is a supporting character. Feels very quickly written

Theatre review - "Letter to Brezhnev" (2026)

 The film on stage basically. Needed more of a reason to make it. Like songs, or tell the story of the making of the film (its gay writer picking up Russians and passing a script to an heiress passed out on his couch whose brother financed it). Still entertaining to watch. The lead girls were great.

Movie review - "Letter to Brezhnev" (1985) ***

 Sweet, simple, fantastic idea, lots of nightclub scenes, from the heart. You want to see what happens when she goes to Russian. Acting is fine - the girls have authenticity, if the guys are putting on accents that's understandable and the film's not really about them.

Movie review - "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962) **** (warning: spoilers)

 Wacky, imaginative, scary, funny. Frank Sinatra looks conspitated, Janet Leigh slightly camp, Laurence Harvey effective, Angela Lansbury sublime. Kicks up when Harvey kills his very nice bride and her father.

Sinatra's character is a bit of a dill, letting Harvey go, failing to stop assassinations. Sinatra's torment strong at the tend. Woman very sexually aggressive here - Leigh and Harvey's girl and Lansbury. Lansbury so good.