Pass the asparagus
1999 Sam Mendes
Story about living the middle class American dream. Kevin Spacey plays Lester Burnham as he works through a mid-life crisis.
Can't say I was particularly looking forward to seeing this, it's the kind of film I avoid. This is perfectly watchable and the ending is pretty good, but I just didn't care about any of it, it didn't get me.
I haven't watched half as much as I should this month because the weather has been smashing, on the plus side, the allotment is looking great.
I need to move on and start watching a few that I know I am going to enjoy.
Anyway, not for me. 7/10
Monday, 25 April 2011
Saturday, 9 April 2011
Film 30 "Toy Story 3" IMDB No. 26
Estoy rodeado por criaturas extrañas y desconozco sus intenciónes. ¿¡Quién anda ahí? ¿Amigo? O enemigo?
2010 Lee Unkrich
When my kids were smaller they watched Toy Story on a loop for about a year, then 2 came out and they watched that too maybe a hundred times or was it a thousand? Anyway. I am familiar with the characters and the story so far.
Now Andy, the toys owner, is all grown up and off to college so he puts most of the toys in a bag to go in the loft, somehow this bag ends up at a daycare centre run by a strawberry bear called Lotso. Woody hatches a plan to rescue them.
It's a good story and there's lots of new characters, Ken is great, and the animation is brilliant.
Buzz gets reset to spanish. Lots of very clever touches throughout.
You can tell a few of the scenes were designed for 3D but most of the time its just good fun to watch.
8/10
2010 Lee Unkrich
When my kids were smaller they watched Toy Story on a loop for about a year, then 2 came out and they watched that too maybe a hundred times or was it a thousand? Anyway. I am familiar with the characters and the story so far.
Now Andy, the toys owner, is all grown up and off to college so he puts most of the toys in a bag to go in the loft, somehow this bag ends up at a daycare centre run by a strawberry bear called Lotso. Woody hatches a plan to rescue them.
It's a good story and there's lots of new characters, Ken is great, and the animation is brilliant.
Buzz gets reset to spanish. Lots of very clever touches throughout.
You can tell a few of the scenes were designed for 3D but most of the time its just good fun to watch.
8/10
Thursday, 31 March 2011
Film 29 "Das Boot" IMDB No. 64
Mildew is good for you. It's the next best thing to fresh lettuce. Be thankful for what grows down here.
1981 Wolfgang Petersen
This is a war film, a long war film and pretty much all of this film is set in a submarine under or on the Atlantic during the Second World War. The version I watched was the Directors Cut and dubbed into english.
The acting and direction is great, you really feel the tension and sense of iminent death, I think I was holding my breath for a lot of this film. I don't want to give anything away about the story, if you haven't seen it, try and spare 3 1/2 hours to watch it sometime, it's a proper film.
It's a long way to Tipperary
8/10
1981 Wolfgang Petersen
This is a war film, a long war film and pretty much all of this film is set in a submarine under or on the Atlantic during the Second World War. The version I watched was the Directors Cut and dubbed into english.
The acting and direction is great, you really feel the tension and sense of iminent death, I think I was holding my breath for a lot of this film. I don't want to give anything away about the story, if you haven't seen it, try and spare 3 1/2 hours to watch it sometime, it's a proper film.
It's a long way to Tipperary
8/10
Friday, 25 March 2011
Film 28 "The Prestige" IMDB No. 74
Don't forget your hat, Mr. Angier.
2006 Christopher Nolan
Why is this in the top 100? and above Raging Bull.
Maybe it's because of the cast, names like Andy Serkis and David Bowie and Christian Bale and Hugh Jackson and Scarlett Johansson and Michael Caine. Anyway. It's a story of turn of the century magicians trying to outdo each other on the stage and being the best magician. One of them pays Mr Tesla to make a massive electrical machine that makes things transport, not sure if that was the initial intention but that's what it did. Tesla is played by David Bowie trying very hard to be Tom Waits.
Obviously there is the usual love interest and a bit of a twist at the end. Everybody wears a hat.
Kill a few more budgies.
Complete load of tosh.
5/10
2006 Christopher Nolan
Why is this in the top 100? and above Raging Bull.
Maybe it's because of the cast, names like Andy Serkis and David Bowie and Christian Bale and Hugh Jackson and Scarlett Johansson and Michael Caine. Anyway. It's a story of turn of the century magicians trying to outdo each other on the stage and being the best magician. One of them pays Mr Tesla to make a massive electrical machine that makes things transport, not sure if that was the initial intention but that's what it did. Tesla is played by David Bowie trying very hard to be Tom Waits.
Obviously there is the usual love interest and a bit of a twist at the end. Everybody wears a hat.
Kill a few more budgies.
Complete load of tosh.
5/10
Film 27 "The Apartment" IMDB No. 92
That's the way it crumbles... cookie-wise.
1960 Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder was married to Elizabeth Taylor, the night after I watched this she dies. My friend Andy in Vashon looks very much like a young Jack Lemon.
Starring Jack Lemon and Shirley MacLaine.
Bud Baxter works in a large insurance company in New York, he rents a cosy appartment downtown close to Central Park, he lends out his appartment to the executives in the company for their extramarital liasons on the promise they will get him promoted by putting a good word in with the big boss. The big boss wants to use his appartment too.
Bud fancies the lift operator, Fran Kubelik, played by Shirley MacLaine. Fran is the boss's bit on the side.
Bud has choose between his heart and his job, a good story line even if it is a love story.
Perfectly enjoyable lazy afternoon film, and should be a lot higher on the list than a lot of the others.
7.5/10
1960 Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder was married to Elizabeth Taylor, the night after I watched this she dies. My friend Andy in Vashon looks very much like a young Jack Lemon.
Starring Jack Lemon and Shirley MacLaine.
Bud Baxter works in a large insurance company in New York, he rents a cosy appartment downtown close to Central Park, he lends out his appartment to the executives in the company for their extramarital liasons on the promise they will get him promoted by putting a good word in with the big boss. The big boss wants to use his appartment too.
Bud fancies the lift operator, Fran Kubelik, played by Shirley MacLaine. Fran is the boss's bit on the side.
Bud has choose between his heart and his job, a good story line even if it is a love story.
Perfectly enjoyable lazy afternoon film, and should be a lot higher on the list than a lot of the others.
7.5/10
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Film 26 "Fight Club" IMDB No. 15
First person comes out of this door gets a lead salad.
1999 David Fincher
The film focuses on a middle class white collar worker insomniac who dreams of owning the entire Ikea catalogue. He meets soap salesman Tyler Durden and after a nights drinking they start a fight outside the bar and the seed of 'fight club' is born. It develops into an underground club in every major city. Tyler (Brad Pitt) recruits members into his own cult. The love interest is played by Helena Bonham Carter. Great story, great twist at the end.
You need to see this more than once, there is so much to it. Brilliantly shot and acted.
Deserves its place in the top 20
8/10
1999 David Fincher
The film focuses on a middle class white collar worker insomniac who dreams of owning the entire Ikea catalogue. He meets soap salesman Tyler Durden and after a nights drinking they start a fight outside the bar and the seed of 'fight club' is born. It develops into an underground club in every major city. Tyler (Brad Pitt) recruits members into his own cult. The love interest is played by Helena Bonham Carter. Great story, great twist at the end.
You need to see this more than once, there is so much to it. Brilliantly shot and acted.
Deserves its place in the top 20
8/10
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Film 25 "Seven Samurai" IMDB No. 13
If I was a bandit, you would be looking for your head.
1954 Akira Kurosawa
A story of a villiage of farmers who are regularly attacked by bandits for their crops. They decide enough is enough and seek the help of samurai to help them defend the villiage.A group of seven take the task and teach the villiagers to defend themselves before harvesting the crop and the return of the bandits.
It's 3 hours long but the story is paced well and the charcters develop throughout.
It's said that The Magnificent Seven was based on this film and you can certainly see why, I can see lots of other films have taken elements of this film and story.
My favourite is Kikuchiyo the samurai with no name.
Definately one I am glad to have watched. 7.5/10
1954 Akira Kurosawa
A story of a villiage of farmers who are regularly attacked by bandits for their crops. They decide enough is enough and seek the help of samurai to help them defend the villiage.A group of seven take the task and teach the villiagers to defend themselves before harvesting the crop and the return of the bandits.
It's 3 hours long but the story is paced well and the charcters develop throughout.
It's said that The Magnificent Seven was based on this film and you can certainly see why, I can see lots of other films have taken elements of this film and story.
My favourite is Kikuchiyo the samurai with no name.
Definately one I am glad to have watched. 7.5/10
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