The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

Revellers on board the luxury liner Poseidon enjoy their New Year's Eve party oblivious to the giant wave that's thundering toward them... until it hits!
Produced by master of disaster flicks Irwin Allen, Poseidon is a thoroughly enjoyable but admittedly pretty awful journey from the bowels of hell to the light of day for a small and varied collection of individuals who realise that they must band together if they're to have any hope of escape.
With plenty of rationalising and moralising along the way the ensemble cast do their best with the material, and by the end we know exactly why each character was included and what basic emotion they were required to appeal to, a task that most of them do rather well, I'm happy to say. I know that it's basically trash given the big screen treatment, but damn me, I love it.

3½ tables turned (literally) out of 5

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)

Maggie Smith is a National Treasure. As Jean Brodie she takes the bar of excellence and raises it until it’s no longer even visible.
It’s adapted from a stage play that was itself adapted from a book, meaning it’s been trimmed and honed to absolute perfection. Events unfold in an Edinburgh girls’ school during the 1930s, an institution that follows the status quo like an obedient dog with tail firmly between legs. The well-spoken, progressive Miss Brodie is the antithesis of that. Her teaching methods aren't found on the curriculum, but her girls go on to be exceptional, although perhaps not in the eyes of a conservative society.
My weak synopsis doesn't do it justice; it's an extraordinary film.

5 vigorous vocations out of 5