General Chat

So many excellent films, so little space:

From the last 25 Years:
The Fifth Element (Milla Jovovich - about time a guy dribbled over a lady in this thread!)
The Sixth Sense
Leon
Blade Runner (not the Director's Cut)
I, Robot
Master and Commander (even if they did change the nationality of the Privateer from American to French so as not to offend Hollywood)

I agree with Vods about the Shawshank Redemption and the Green Mile (based on a Stephen King short story I believe).

On the musical front:
Grease
West Side Story

Most John Ford westerns - Stagecoach, High Noon, 3 Godfathers, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Rio Grande and the Searchers to name a few.

watched Gregory Peck in The Big Country over the holiday period - brill

you mentioned Bobby Darin - love him to bits - Kevin Spacey did a great rendition of him in the biop of his life in "Beyond the Sea - so sad he died so young, and lovely Sandra Dee died in the past year

oh - forgot James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy - what a brilliant dancer that man was - so unexpected - so light on his feet - just love watching it every time it comes on

Jill that's amazing about your son, I can imagine this little chap watching Deanna Durbin.
Ann your right about the lovely Sandra Dee, she was like a doll wasn't she. I think it was drink related, she never remarried after her and Bobby Darin split, don't think she got over it. They have a son, Dod Darin, who wrote a book about them both, they actually met on the film set of Come September.
Ed, Milla Jovovich was in a film with the lovely James Purefoy, called Resident Evil...think we'd both enjoy that one!! lol.
Yes The Green Mile, which I saw for the first time this year, very disturbing in parts, but none the less a great film.

My son has just suggested 'The Usual Suspests', that Kevin Spacey again Ann!

and donlt let's forget dishy Paul Newman's films - Butch Cassidy and The Sting

Yes another couple of good ones.

Back later, working a late shift today, take care folks.

just this second tuned in to "That's Dancing" on TCM and lo and behold - there was James Cagney doing that fantastic tap dancing scene from Yankee Doodle Dandy - absolutely wonderful - I shall have to get the DVD - shall look on Amazon right now!!

I'm not a big film fan, more to do with time to watch them. But usually watch anything with Clint Eastwood in/directing and also Meryl Streep. We were watching Bird on a Wire last night, must the film that Goldie Hawn screams the most in!!

Rosalind

some of my fav films are

grease
white christmas
psycho
inn of the sixth happiness
nun story

Liz

Hello Rosalind, I like the 'Spaghetti' westerns with Clint Eastwood in them, my hubby looks like Clint Eastwood, not quite as old as him though!! He looks like him as he was about twenty years ago. The strange thing is though I don't fancy Clint, never have. But he really does resemble him in looks, build height etc. So many people say that too. Weird.

I've been told that the Bridges of Maddisson County is a good film by my friends, they say hubby looks like him too!

just felt i must add "Australia" to the list, it only opened on boxing day and Iv`e been to see it tonight........absolutely brilliant!!!! a real epic, with romance,drama, comedy fact and fiction........would advise all film buffs to get to the cinema to see it, the breathtaking scenery won`t have the same impact on a smaller screen on DVD....... definetly one not to miss.


nicky

Thanks Nicky, yes it sounds a goody...plus it's got Hugh Jackman!! This is terrible all I do is go on about the male stars in the films...this behavour has got to stop!! ha ha!

Hello all - Ive just wrested the laptop from the kids - we bought them both an iPod for Christmas - with them downloading tunes and the OH on Facebook I have to wait until this time before I get a look in! (I may have to get another laptop in the new year to cope with demand!)

Back on the Milla Jovovich front, if you ever get a chance to see The Messenger: the Story of Joan of Arc then do so - another one of Luc Besson's films - there's also a great part played by Dustin Hoffman.

Thought Kingdom of Heaven was a great film too.

I managed to pick up a copy of "Ran" by Akira Kurosawa on the cheap yesterday - I thought Kurosawa was one of the greatest directors of the 20th Century. The Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, Yojimbo, Kagemusha ooh I could go on ...

Ed please go on and on matey...we want this to be a good thread for us film critics and fans.
I've heard of Luc Besson, but haven't seen any of his films. Did he direct 'Nil By Mouth' or am I completely wrong with that. The film and his name comes to mind, but then so does the name Gary Oldman...oh I'm rambling again!

Another good film, I managed to get it on tape from the States off e Bay as it's very rare, another one with John mills, 'Ending Up'. Also stars Michael Horden, Googie Withers, Lional Jeffries and Wendy Hillier to name but a few...the story is about a bunch of elderly relatives/inlaws who all live in this isolated cottage, doesn't sound very rivetting, but it's a good film with a dark humour. Highly recomended!

Yep he did Nil by Mouth, he also directed Leon - great film about an assassin who takes in a 12 year old girl after her parents are killed by a dodgy Drugs Enforcement Agency officer played by Gary Oldman (Leila Morse, who plays Mo in Eastenders is Gary Oldman's sister).

Luc Besson also directed the Fifth Element (one of my favourite sci-fi films) and Nikita among others.

Going back to the oldies, how about "A Matter of Life and Death" with David Niven and Kim Hunter. Loved the way it flipped betwen colour on Earth and black and white in Heaven!!

Edit: Oh and Pam - the spaghetti western "A Fistful of Dollars" was based on "Yojimbo" by Akira Kurosawa, just like "The Magnificent Seven" was based on his film "The Seven Samurai". All four films were great though ...

There was a real glut of oldies on TV yesterday and over the last couple of days: Brief Encounter, Notorious, and of course Oliver Twist amongst others, only watched the Oliver one though as some were on too early in the day....surprised at the scheduling, I doubt children would have particularly enjoyed them?

Clint Eastwood - not my idea of a dreamboat, especially not now! But I always though ''Play misty For Me'' was one of his best, and certainly agree ''Bridges of Madison County'' is wonderful, so real and true to life. Was he in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot ? Sure he was, with Jeff Bridges, great film. Didn't like any of the Spaghetti westerns - I like the master, John Wayne in them - corny as they are! LOL

Another favourite is ''Witness'' about the little Amish boy who witnesses a murder. And one of my favourites is ''Capricorn One'' - so plausible I think.

Confess to being a Spaghetti Western fan,so have the Dollar Trilogy at top of the list,together with A Fistful of Dynamite
Kagemusha fav Akira Kurosara film
Alien fav sci-fi film
The original Haunting as all time fav horror film,so much better in black and white,and you never saw a thing
Almost forgot to add The Wicker man,original of course