I’ve been a member of Picturehouse Cinemas for something approaching twenty years. It costs about £60 a year and for that, you get five free tickets and discounts on your tickets and snacks. I’ve often wondered whether it’s worth paying for, but in the last couple of years, they’ve added an extra feature that makes it well worth the cost. It’s called Film Club and every week they have two curated screenings that members can see for just £1. On Sunday lunchtime, there’s a screening of an older film, and on a weekday evening (usually Wednesday at the Clapham Picturehouse), they show something new. I’ve got into the habit of seeing most of these screenings.
For most of the year, I’ve been considering a monthly post about the films I’ve seen at Film Club, but I’ve never got around to it. So, instead, you get an end-of-year dump of the almost eighty films I’ve seen.
- Under the Skin [4 stars] 2024-01-14
Starting with an old(ish) favourite. The last time I saw this was a free preview for Picturehouse members, ten years ago. It’s very much a film that people love or hate. I love it. The book is great too (but very different) - Go West [3.5] 2024-01-21
They often show old films as mini-festivals of connected films. This was the first of a short series of Buster Keaton films. I hadn’t seen any of them. Go West was a film where I could appreciate the technical aspects, but I wasn’t particularly entertained - Godzilla Minus One [3] 2024-01-23
Around this time, I’d been watching a few of the modern Godzilla films from the “Monsterverse”. I hadn’t really been enjoying them. But this, unrelated, film was far more enjoyable - Steamboat Bill, Jr. [4] 2024-01-28
Back with Buster Keaton. I enjoyed this one far more. - American Fiction [4] 2024-01-30
Sometimes they’ll show an Oscar contender. I ended up having seen seven of the ten Best Picture nominees before the ceremony – which is far higher than my usual rate. I really enjoyed this one - The Zone of Interest [3] 2024-02-03
Another Oscar contender. I think I wasn’t really in the mood for this. I was tired and found it hard to follow. I should rewatch it at some point. - The General [4] 2024-02-11
More Buster Keaton. I really enjoyed this one – my favourite of the three I watched. I could very easily see myself going down a rabbit hole of obsessing over all of his films - Perfect Days [3.5] 2024-02-15
A film about the life of a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. But written and directed by Wim Wenders – so far better than that description makes it sound - Wicked Little Letters [4] 2024-02-20
I thought this would be more popular than it was. But it vanished pretty much without a trace. It’s a really nice little film about swearing - Nosferatu the Vampyre [3.5] 2024-02-25
The Sunday screenings often give me a chance to catch up with old classics that I haven’t seen before. This was one example. This was the 1979 Werner Herzog version. I should track down the 1922 original before watching the new version early next year - Four Daughters [3.5] 2024-02-29
Because the screenings cost £1, I see everything – no matter what the subject matter is. This is an example of a film I probably wouldn’t have seen without Film Club. But it was a really interesting film about a Tunisian woman who lost two of her daughters when they joined Islamic State - The Persian Version [3.5] 2024-03-07
Another film that I would have missed out on without Film Club. It’s an interesting look into the lives of Iranians in America - Girlhood [3] 2024-03-10
This was the start of another short season of related films. This time it was films made by women about the lives of women and girls. This one was about girl gangs in Paris - Still Walking [3] 2024-03-16
A Japanese family get together to commemorate the death of the eldest son. Things happen, but nothing changes - Zola [3.5] 2024-03-17
I had never heard of this film before, but really enjoyed it. It’s the true story of a stripper who goes on a road trip to Florida and gets involved in… stuff - Late Night with the Devil [3.5] 2024-03-19
I thought this was clever. A horror film that takes place on the set of a late-night chat show. Things go horribly wrong - Set It Off [3.5] 2024-03-24
A pretty standard heist film. But the protagonists are a group of black women. I enjoyed it - Disco Boy [2] 2024-03-27
I really didn’t get this film at all - Girls Trip [3.5] 2024-03-31
Another women’s road trip film. It was fun, but I can’t remember much of it now - The Salt of the Earth [3] 2024-04-07
A documentary about the work of photographer Sebastião Salgado. He was in some bad wars and saw some bad shit - The Teachers’ Lounge [3.5] 2024-04-10
Another film that got an Oscar nod. A well-made drama about tensions in the staff room of a German school. - Do the Right Thing [4] 2024-04-14
I had never seen a Spike Lee film. How embarrassing is that? This was really good (but you all knew that) - Sometimes I Think About Dying [3] 2024-04-17
I really wanted to like this. It was well-made. Daisy Ridley is a really good actress. But it didn’t really go anywhere and completely failed to grip me - The Trouble with Jessica [4] 2024-04-22
Another film that deserved to be more successful than it was. Some great comedy performances by a strong cast. - Rope [4.5] 2024-04-28
A chance to see a favourite film on the big screen for the first time. It’s regarded as a classic for good reason - Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry [3] 2024-04-30
Another film that I just wouldn’t have considered if it wasn’t part of the Film Club programme. I had visited Tbilisi a year earlier, so it was interesting to see a film that was made in Georgia. But, ultimately, it didn’t really grip me - The Cars That Ate Paris [3] 2024-05-12
Another old classic that I had never seen. It’s a bit like a precursor to Mad Max. I’m glad I’ve seen it, but I won’t be rushing to rewatch it - Victoria [3.5] 2024-05-19
This was a lot of fun. The story of one night in the life of a Spanish woman living in Berlin. Lots of stuff happens. It’s over two hours long and was shot in a single, continuous take - The Beast [3.5] 2024-05-22
This was interesting. So interesting that I rewatched it when it appeared on Mubi a few months ago. I’m not sure I can explain it all, but I’ll be rewatching again at some point (and probably revising my score upwards) - Eyes Wide Shut [4] 2024-05-26
I hadn’t seen this for maybe twenty-five years. And I don’t think I ever saw it in a cinema. It’s better than I remember - Rosalie [3.5] 2024-05-28
A film about a bearded lady in 19th-century France. I kid you not. It’s good - All About My Mother [3.5] 2024-06-02
Years ago, I went through a phase of watching loads of Almodóvar films. I was sure I’d seen this one, but I didn’t remember it at all. It’s good though - Àma Gloria [3] 2024-06-04
I misunderstood the trailer for this and was on the edge of my seat throughout waiting for a disaster to happen. But, ultimately, it was a nice film about a young girl visiting her old nanny in Cape Verde - Full Metal Jacket [3.5] 2024-06-09
This really wasn’t as good as I remembered it. Everyone remembers the training camp stuff, but half of the film happens in-country – and that’s all rather dull - Sasquatch Sunset [2] 2024-06-11
I wanted to like this. It would have made a funny two-minute SNL sketch. But it really didn’t work when stretched to ninety minutes - Being John Malkovich [4] 2024-06-16
Still great - Green Border [4] 2024-06-19
A lot of the films I’ve seen at Film Club in previous years seem to be about people crossing borders illegally. This one was about the border between Belarus and Poland. It was very depressing – but very good - Attack the Block [4] 2024-06-23
Another old favourite that it was great to see on the big screen - The 400 Blows [3] 2024-06-30
The French New Wave is a huge hole in my knowledge of cinema, so I was glad to have an opportunity to start putting that right. This, however, really didn’t grip me - Bye Bye Tiberias [2.5] 2024-07-02
Hiam Abbass (who you might know as Marcia in Succession) left her native Palestine in the 80s to live in Paris. This is a documentary following a visit she made back to her family. It didn’t really go anywhere - Breathless [3] 2024-07-07
More French New Wave. I like this more than The 400 Blows – but not much more - After Hours [4] 2024-07-13
Another old favourite from the 80s that I had never seen on the big screen. It’s still great - What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? [2.5] 2024-07-14
This was an object lesson in the importance of judging a film in its context. I know this is a great film, but watching it in the 21st century just didn’t have the impact that watching it in the early 60s would have had - Crossing [3.5] 2024-07-16
A Georgian woman travels to Istanbul to try to find her niece. We learn a lot about the gay and trans communities in the city. I enjoyed this a lot - American Gigolo [3] 2024-07-28
Something else that I had never seen. And, to be honest, I don’t think I had really missed much - Dìdi (弟弟) [3.5] 2024-07-31
Nice little story about a Taiwanese teen growing up in California - I Saw the TV Glow [4] 2024-08-05
I imagine this will be on many “best films of the year” lists. It’s a very strange film about two teens and their obsession with a TV show that closely resembles Buffy the Vampire Slayer. - Hollywoodgate [2.5] 2024-08-13
I really wanted to like this. An Egyptian filmmaker manages to get permission to film a Taliban group that takes over an American base in Afghanistan. But, ultimately, don’t let him film anything interesting and the film is a bit of a disappointment - Beverly Hills Cop [1] 2024-08-18
I had never seen this before. And I wish I still hadn’t. One of the worst films I’ve seen in a very long time - Excalibur [4] 2024-08-25
Another old favourite that I hadn’t seen on the big screen for a very long time. This is the film that gave me an obsession with watching any film that’s based on Arthurian legend, no matter how bad (and a lot of them are very, very bad) - The Quiet Girl [3.5] 2024-09-01
A young Irish girl is sent away to spend the summer with distant relations. She comes to realise that life doesn’t have to be as grim as it usually is for her - Lee [3.5] 2024-09-04
A really good biopic about the American photographer Lee Miller. Kate Winslet is really good as Miller - The Queen of My Dreams [3.5] 2024-09-11
Another film that I wouldn’t have seen without Film Club. A Canadian Pakistani lesbian woman visits Pakistan and learns about some of the cultural pressures that shaped her mother. It’s a lovely film - My Own Private Idaho [2] 2024-09-15
Another film that I had never seen before. Some nice acting by Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix, but this really didn’t interest me - Girls Will Be Girls [3.5] 2024-09-17
A coming-of-age film about a teenage girl in India. I enjoyed this - The Shape of Water [3.5] 2024-09-22
I don’t think I’ve seen this since the year it was released (and won the Best Picture Oscar). I still enjoyed it, but I didn’t think it held up as well as I expected it to - The Banshees of Inisherin [3.5] 2024-09-29
I’d seen this on TV, but you need to see it on a big screen to get the full effect. I’m sure you all know how good it is - The Full Monty [3] 2024-10-06
I never understood why this was so much more popular than Brassed Off which is, to me at least, a far better example of the “British worker fish out of water” genre (that’s not a genre, is it?) I guess it’s the soundtrack and the slightly Beryl Cook overtones – the British love a bit of smut - Timestalker [2.5] 2024-10-08
I really wanted to like this. But if just didn’t grab me. I’ll try it again at some point - Nomadland [3] 2024-10-13
Another Best Picture Oscar winner. And it’s another one where I can really see how important and well-made it is – but it just doesn’t do anything for me - The Apprentice [4] 2024-10-17
I don’t know why Trump was so against this film. I thought he came out of this far more positively than I expected. But it seemed to barely get a release. It has still picked up a few (well-deserved) nominations though - Little Miss Sunshine [4] 2024-10-20
Another old favourite. I loved seeing this again - Stoker [3] 2024-10-27
I had never seen this before. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I didn’t really enjoy it - Anora [4] 2024-10-29
This was probably the best film I saw this year. Well, certainly the best new film. It’s getting a lot of awards buzz. I hope it does well - (500) Days of Summer [4] 2024-11-03
I don’t think I had seen this since soon after it was released. It was great to see it again - Bird [3] 2024-11-05
This was slightly strange. I’ve seen a few films about the grimness of life on council estates. But this one threw in a bit of magical realism that didn’t really work for me - Sideways [3.5] 2024-11-10
Another film I hadn’t watched for far too long - Sunshine [4] 2024-11-17
This is one of my favourite recent(ish) scifi films. I saw it on the Science Museum’s IMAX screen in 2023, but I wasn’t going to skip the chance to see it again - Conclave [3.5] 2024-11-19
Occasionally, this series gives you a chance to see something that’s going to be up for plenty of awards. This was a good example. I enjoyed it - The Grand Budapest Hotel [4] 2024-11-24
I’ve been slightly disappointed with a few recent Wes Anderson films, so it was great to have the opportunity to see one of his best back on the big screen - The Universal Theory [4] 2024-11-26
I knew nothing about this going into it. And it was a fabulous film. Mysteries and quantum physics in the Swiss Alps. And all filmed in black and white. This didn’t get the coverage it deserved. - Home Alone [2] 2024-12-08
I thought I had never seen this before. But apparently I logged watching it many years ago. I know everyone loves it, but I couldn’t see the point - The Apartment [4] 2024-12-15
This was interesting. I have a background quest to watch all of the Best Picture Oscar winners and I hadn’t seen this one. I knew absolutely nothing about it. I thought it was really good - The Taste of Things [3.5] 2024-12-21
A film that I didn’t get to see earlier in the year. It’s largely about cooking in a late-nineteenth century French country kitchen. It would make an interesting watch alongside The Remains of the Day - Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point [2] 2024-12-24
I didn’t understand this at all. It went nowhere and said nothing interesting. A large family meets up for their traditional Christmas Eve. No-one enjoys themself - La Chimera [2] 2024-12-29
And finishing on a bit of a low. I don’t understand why this got so many good reviews. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood for it. Something about criminals looking for ancient relics in Italy