

FILM RETROSPECTIVES
The Warriors (1979) dir: Walter Hill, starring Michael Beck
This controversial classic, based on a 1965 novel by Sol Yurick, is a wonderfully tight and economical action movie. It also stars Deborah Van Valkenburgh, James Remar, plus David Patrick Kelly as Luther - the whiny, seething, coiled, psychotic little alley cat of a villain.
The Bloodstained Butterfly (1971) directed by Duccio Tessari
This Italian giallo murder mystery deviates from the usual tropes to provide a classy and surprisingly cinematic legal procedural.
Aguirre, Wrath Of God (1972) directed by Werner Herzog
Herzog's historical account of the hopeless delusion of the 16th-century Spanish conquistador expedition to the fabled land of El Dorado is a chaotic but masterful stream of cinematic bolts out of the blue. A genuinely deranged Klaus Kinski stands at the film's centre.
Black Christmas (1974) starring Olivia Hussey and Keir Dullea
Director Bob Clark's tense and atmospheric prototype slasher wasn't a major hit in its day but has gone on to be regarded as a horror classic over time.
Duel (1971) - Steven Spielberg’s first major hit
This made-for-TV killer trucker movie was such an eye-opener that it got extended and put in cinemas. It's a film loaded with cat-and-mouse tension and terror ably bolstered by Dennis Weaver's fine performance.
1941 (1979) directed by Steven Spielberg and starring John Belushi
Spielberg’s chaotic misfire of a big-budget WWII comedy was a critical and (to a lesser extent) commercial blip from which he thankfully recovered.
Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979) directed by Lucio Fulci
This video nasty was conceived as a cash-in on George Romero's Day of the Dead but has become something of a cult classic in its own right thanks to its excellent practical gore effects.
The Parallax View (1974) directed by Alan J. Pakula
This imaginative and disturbing conspiracy thriller starring Warren Beatty was given some extra charge at the time because of the Watergate Scandal and still holds up well today.
The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976) starring David Bowie
The late art rocker is perfectly cast in this tale of an idealistic alien overcome by alcoholism, directed by Nicolas Roeg and also starring Candy Clark.
The Conversation (1974) directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Gene Hackman plays a surveillance expert in this neglected masterpiece. A superbly-constructed thriller cum character study focussing on perception.