Sidmouth's very popular film society has just announced its line-up of films for the rest of this year. There's something for everyone: old, new, musical, dramatic and even a scare or two. All screenings are at Sidmouth's gorgeous Radway Cinema, on the last Sunday of the month at 7.00pm. Tickets are only £5/£6 and are available to all. 

Martin Jennings-Wright of the society's organising committee said: "We're very excited about our new selection, which includes a great variety from the cinematic spectrum. Sidmouth filmgoers have assisted our venture no end, with nearly 150 people turning up to see Breakfast at Tiffany's last month, and we're hugely grateful for the support they've shown us. We're also delighted to be able to screen these films where they belong, on the Radway's splendid screen. It really is a rare chance to see some incredible films in the best possible way."

The screenings include an introduction from a member of the committee and are followed by a short discussion, with free tea and coffee served. 

Here are Martin's previews of the upcoming films: 

Sunday, July 28: Maestro (15)

Director Bradley Cooper. Starring Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan. USA 2023. 129 mins. 

Bradley Cooper's account of key stages in the life and career of one of the giants of twentieth-century music features a barnstorming performance from the director himself. Even more impressive is Carey Mulligan, in the role of wife, collaborator and occasional adversary, Felicia Montealegre. If you're a fan of musical spectacle, polished direction and emotive performances, you'll love Maestro.

Sunday, August 25: Plein Soleil (AKA Purple Noon) (PG)

Director Rene Clement. Starring Alain Delon, Maurice Ronet, Marie Laforet. Fr 1960. 118 mins. French with English subs.

No fewer than six fine actors have tried their hand on-screen at playing con artist extraordinaire Tom Ripley. Meet Martin's favourite: Alain Delon. 

Before Anthony Minghella made his hugely famous and well-loved version of The Talented Mr Ripley, there was an incroyable adaptation by the peerlessly talented Monsieur Clement. The highly original and innovative French director put together a glorious production of Patricia Highsmith's murderous tale, redolent with sumptuous colour and shimmering menace. If you're enjoying Andrew Scott in Netflix's Ripley, you simply have to see the sickeningly handsome and ridiculously skilled Alain Delon's take. 

Sunday, September 29: All About Eve (U)

Director Joseph L Mankiewicz. Starring Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders. USA 1950. 138 mins. 

Watch out Bette! That ingenue fan of yours may not be as innocent as she seems...

The inimitable Bette Davis plays Margo Channing, a gifted Broadway star on the wane (after all, she's turning 40!), who finds welcome adulation in the flattering attentions of enthusiastic fan Eve Harrington. Taking her young admirer under her wing and introducing her around her glam set, Margo soon begins to suspect something may be amiss. Spoiler alert: she may be right. 

There's a huge amount to enjoy in this superb melodrama from one of the finest American directors and screenwriters. Highly regarded for its pacing and plot development, the film is on a great many 'films you must see' lists, and was preserved in 1990 by the Library of Congress for being 'culturally, historically and aesthetically significant'. Plus there's a cast to die for: Bette Davis on crackling form, Anne Baxter deceitfully superb, and George Sanders - the voice of Shere Khan - as perspicacious theatre critic Addison DeWitt. Oh, and a certain Miss Monroe in a very early screen appearance. 

Sunday, October 27:  The Shining (15)

Director Stanley Kubrick. Starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers. USA 1980. 119 mins. 

OK, it's a horror. But it's so much more than that. Stanley Kubrick's haunted house story is cinematic poetry and the best film about writer's block ever. 

Stephen King famously disliked it. But this is why he should stick to the novel writing. Kubrick took a great book and turned it on its head, by emphasising questions around the protagonist's mental health, as well as doing what nobody else has ever done with a steadicam. The story revolves around a writer who bags a job as caretaker of a hotel that's closed for the long winter season. Great - he needs quiet to get on with his book. Two problems though. First one is that he can't think what to write. Secondly, the hotel's about as scary as a hotel can possibly be. The silent corridors and oppressive chill are bad enough, but they're even worse if you have the telepathic talent known as shining. The writer's son Danny has just such a gift, and begins to see truly terrifying visions sent to him from the hotel's gruesome past... 

It's quite simply unlike anything else ever put on screen, and we're so glad that Halloween gives us the excuse to show it. Join us, Jack Nicholson and the most distinctive carpets in cinema history, if you dare.

Sunday, November 24: The Taste of Things (AKA Le Festin de Dodin Bouffant) (12A - moderate nudity)

Director Anh Hung Tran. Starring Juliette Binoche, Benoit Magimel, Emmanuel Salinger. Fr 2023. 135 mins. French with English subs. 

A cook and a gourmet indulge in a prolonged gastronomy-centred romance, bubbling away in the slow cooker for 20 years. 

If you're the kind of person who can't decide which they love more - people or food - you'll find much to absorb in this look at a long-term relationship, played out in breathtakingly balletic scenes of extravagantly luscious-looking dishes being prepared with passion by these two intimates. The audacious opening consists of 30 minutes concentrating purely on the preparation and enjoyment of a spectacular feast. The film goes on to show how this couple aren't just partners in the kitchen but have been in a romantic pairing for over two decades, and looks at the ways their mature appreciation of each other makes itself felt.

This was hugely well-received when released last year, and is a departure for us as it's the first time we've opted for such a recently produced feature. Let us know if you'd like to see more of these recent films that perhaps just snuck under a lot of people's radars.

Sunday, December 15: Meet Me in St Louis (U)

Director Vincente Minelli. Starring Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor. USA 1944. 112 mins. 

A year in the life of a turn-of-the-century American well-to-do family, experiencing the breathless excitement of a city preparing to host the World's Fair.

There's a fabulous joie de vivre in Minelli's direction that bowls the viewer over with its frenetic choreography and cinematographic flourish. The Trolley Song and Skip to My Lou are standout moments, but there are in truth too many highlights to mention, and that's without even getting to the elegant artistry on display in the gorgeous set designs. A legendary musical that totally deserves its hallowed reputation. 

For some, this is Judy Garland's best work. For many more, her tearful rendition of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is an essential Yuletide ingredient. Make it one of yours.