January 2015 I did a facebook quiz that showed I had seen 168 of the top IMDB 250 films. I'm going to try and watch the last 82 of them.
From the 1st of January 2012 I was going to watch the TimeOut top 100 British films. That didn't get very far.
On the 1st January 2011 I started watching the IMDB top 100 films.
1962 David Lean
Thomas Edward Lawrence is a young man serving in North Africa in 1916, he is asked to gather intelligence on the Arab tribes, initially for 6 weeks, he stays with them for two years and leads them on desert raids against the Turks, eventually leading them on a journey across the desert to capture a key Turkish stronghold.
Full of big scenes and big acting. Oh and it is a long one, I had the directors cut at 228 minutes on 2 discs with a 5 minute black screen at the begining of each half while an Overture plays. My telly doesn't like this, because nothing is on the screen it thinks it can turn itself off, my fault for installing an intelligent power bar.
Never seen it before, I might revisit it one day, but for now I'll keep onward and tick it off.
7/10
Somebody's shoved a red-hot poker up our ass, and I want to know whose name is on the handle!
1992 Quentin Tarantino
A group of strangers are assembled for a diamond heist, they are given false names by the boss Joe. Mr Pink, Mr White, Mr Brown, Mr Orange, Mr Blue and Mr Blonde.
The robbery goes wrong and they suspect they have an undercover cop amongst them.
This film really put Tarantino on the map.
Sharp dialogue, witty and gruesome. Great soundtrack.
9/10
Lina. She can't act, she can't sing, she can't dance. A triple threat
1952 Stanley Donan, Gene Kelly
It's the late 20's a silent movie production company need to move with the times and make a 'talkie' but one of their main stars can't sing or dance.
There is too much singing and far too much tap dancing going on here. Literally every time Gene Kelly is on screen he has the urge to jump around and start tap dancing with a massive grin and big white teeth showing, I reckon Gene is to blame for the American obsession with big white perfect teeth.
I struggled to get through this, it's pretty much everything I hate in a film.
I will never watch it again.
2/10
Set in 1930's Italy Guido, a very jolly optimistic character heads to a city to find a job, on the way he bumps, literally, into Dora and falls in love and when he does it again in the town he knows they are meant to be together. They marry and have a son, all seems to be pefect until the Nazi occupation, they are sent to a concentration camp. Guido pretends to his son that their stay at the camp is a big elaborate game, and they have to score points for hiding and doing as the shouty men say, the first to a thousnad points wins a tank.
As with a lot of these films I haven't seen I don't read about them before I watch them so I can be surprised by what unfolds. At first I didn't think I was going to like this, Guido is just a bit annoying for me, but as the film went on, the story drew me in, by the end I was holding my breath. Nazis have always troubled me.
8/10
Gold itself ain't good for nothing except making jewelry with and gold teeth.
1948 John Huston
Set in Tampico Mexico in 1925, Humphry Bogart plays Fred C Dobbs who is down on his luck and begging for change to get a meal, he hooks up with Bob Curtin and they get a job building on the promise of good wages. They find out after working for weeks with no money the foreman is known for not paying up. They come accross him in a bar and beat the money out of him. After meeting an old time prospector they decide they are going to invest the money they have and dig for gold.
I loved this film, brilliant acting and story. I had to watch it streamed online because the DVD is not available to rent, I want to own this, a classic if there ever was one.
Just found it on Play for £4 :)
9/10
Say 'what' again. Say 'what' again, I dare you, I double dare you motherfucker, say what one more Goddamn time!
1994 Quentin Tarantino
A film about 3 seemingly unrelated stories unfolds with a conversation in a coffee shop about the pros and cons of holding up liquor stores and banks.
The main characters thoughout are Vincent and Jules, two hitmen working
for Marsellus Wallace. They are tasked with retrieving a briefcase
containing something precious to Marsellus. The stories unfold and
intertwine as the film unfolds.
Story #1: VINCENT VEGA AND MARSELLUS WALLACE'S WIFE
Vincent is asked to take Mia out to dinner while Marsellus is out of town. Mia has a $5 shake at Jack Rabbit Slims, after dinner Mia unwittingly OD's on Vincents heroin, what follows is probably one of the best bits of film ever.
Story #2: THE GOLD WATCH
Butch is a prize fighter asked to take a dive for cash by Marsellus, Butch agrees but plans to double cross Marcellus, more brutal and harrowing scenes after the fight.
Story #3: THE BONNIE SITUATION
After a 'miracle' while retieving the briefcase Vincent and Jules require the help of 'The Wolf' for a cleanup.
The acting and dialogue throughout are brilliant, I don't think there is a wasted line or scene in it. This was a groundbreaking movie when it was released, many have tried to match it, all have failed.
John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Uma Thurman all had a string of movies after starring in this.
I haven't watched the top 4 yet, I thought I would save them till last, but at number 5 I'm gonna give this a 10/10
1950 Billy Wilder
Norma Desmond is a former Hollywood silent screen idol, now a recluse living on Sunset Blvd with only her butler, former husband and director, Max for company. A small time writer, Joe Gillis, finds himself at her house and somehow she persuades him to stay and read a screenplay she has been working on. With Joe's help Norma dreams of a comeback, but times and attitudes towards her have changed.
Gloria Swanson plays the part of Norma brilliantly showing the frailties and paranoia of Hollywood fame that are probably still there to this day.
7/10
1936 Charles Chaplin
Chaplin plays a bumbling idiot who can't it seems even walk properly, I blame the stupidly big trousers and oversized shoes. He can't hold a job down and ends up on the streets where a series of events leads him to be living with a young lady.
This was Chaplins last 'silent' movie. I don't understand how he managed to make so many films doing basically the same thing in all of them.
The only good bit is the dancing in the cafe.
4/10 for the dancing.
I checked the place first. There were no dicks in there.
1973 George Roy Hill
Paul Newman and Robert Redford play a couple of Grifters with a plan to get revenge on a mob boss, who killed a good friend of theirs, by setting up a 'fake' bookie joint and taking him to the cleaners.
A fast paced story with twists and turns aplenty along the way. Great characters acted well, you can almost tell they had fun making it.
8/10
Look Dave, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think
you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over.
1968 Stanley Kubrick
Back when men were monkeys a black monolith is found on earth, later in their evolution another is found on the moon. A story though time as man tries to reach the moon with the aid of a super computer HAL.
What a pile of shit this is, the result of what happens when the richest Hollywood directors have access to the best special effects and cocaine available. They would have been better off spending more on the monkey costumes.
Highlight was seeing Rigsby (Leonard Rossiter) on a space station with the worst Russian accent I have ever heard, a more interesting film would be how on earth he got the part
3/10
2003 Peter Jackson
Final part of the trilogy, as Frodo and Sam get closer to Doom Mountain, where Frodo must destroy the ring, the rest of the Fellowship try to distract Sauron.
Big budget battle scenes and a heart warming finale.
It's over 3 hours long but I didn't notice, the time just disappears into an afternoon of fantasy adventure.
Not sure which of the these is my favourite, I may have to watch them again.
8.5/10
2002 Peter Jackson
The adventure continues for the hobbits as Frodo tries to return the ring to the mountain from where it was created while the rest of Middle Earth battles against the evil forces of Sauron.
Brilliant battle scenes in this one, I made sure I had enough time to watch this and the next one right after each other, on previous occasions I have watched all three in a row. The family are out and the surround sound is up and the sub-woofer set to rumble.
Nearly 3 hours of fantasy greatness.
Not the first and not the last time I have/will watch this
8/10
Mr. Keyes, I'm a Medford man - Medford, Oregon. Up in Medford, we take our time making up our minds.
1944 Billy Wilder
Set in the 1930's an insurance salesman, Walter Neff falls for a woman and thinks they can get away with murdering her husband for the money. They would if it wasn't for his insurance analyst friend Barton Keyes who has a knack for sniffing out a fraudulent claim.
Fred MacMurray as Walter Neff is super cool
Classic 7/10
