This is a remake of l'Appartement one of my favourite films of all time. I have been waiting a year to see it - occasionally checking into IMDB to watch its progress. It really is quite astonishing how long it takes a completed movie to make it to the screen.

And once I knew it was out I have been trying desperately to avoid finding out anything about it. My theory is that movies are much more enjoyable if you have no idea what to expect. Anyway, tonight (in an almost completely empty theatre in Kingston) was the night.

There was a vogue for them in the mid to late-1990s. Remember Michael Collins, Titanic, Saving Private Ryan, U-571 (OK, not Brit-bashing as such just Brit-irritating) and of course the Patriot: the story of American independence - so good they had to make it up.

But in recent years? Next to nothing. Another casualty of 11/9?

Seeing as everybody else is doing it:

Mishima
L'Appartement
Barcelona (yes, I know I'm in a minority of one - but what a minority!)
Day of the Jackal
Smiley's People (yes, I know it was a TV series but it's near enough)

OK, so that's only five but I am applying a fairly exacting criterion here: did it make me wish I had written/directed/appeared in/done the egg rolls for it? If the answer's yes, it's in.

Catallarchy.net praises cerebral film maker, Whit Stillman - something I heartily endorse. My own favourite was Barcelona which included the following exchange:

Ted: You're confirming all their worst assumptions

Fred: I am their worst assumption

The view that Hollywood produces nothing but statist claptrap took a beating from Libertarian Alliance strongman, Antoine Clarke today. In an analysis for Samizdata he examined four movies: Spiderman, Minority Report, Bad Company and French flick, Sur mes Levres. He said: "I enjoyed all of these movies and found them a lot better than most of the television I've watched recently."

Minority Report was singled out for particular praise. Mr Clarke said: "I don't know what kind of movies Friedrich Hayek enjoyed, but I'm sure he would have nodded approval at the script of Minority Report."