Film 3 "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" BBF No. 14

Well sir, I have a friend ... Good. Not everybody can say that. Continue!

1943 Micheal Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Following events around General Clive Wynne-Candy told in chapters of  his life from the Boer War at the turn of the 20th century to the Second World War in the 40's. An officer and a gentleman who believes there are rules to war and things must be done a certain way, the Germans are not playing by the rules this time.
Not a traditional war film at all, there are hardly any tanks and the biggest fight scene is probably in the restaurant where Candy bribes the orchestra the play Strauss because he knows it will annoy a German officer he knows.
A sombre sobering film with a very english under current of humour. Top Hole Old Boy.
Can't find an official trailer.
7/10

Film 2 "Culloden" BBF No. 50

They've created a desert and have called it "peace"

1964 Peter Watkins
A made for TV film about the Battle of Culloden, the last battle to take place on British soil in 1746.
It was shot and narated as if TV cameras were present at the event. A strange viewing experience, starting this list I knew it would be different from the IMDB list, but this wouldn't have been on the radar. It's a British classic masterpiece that I wasn't expecting. the John Snow character behind the stone wall is great. I can see lots of inspiration for early Python and Pete and Dud material.
And I learnt a bit of history.
Find it, watch it.
8/10

Film 1 "Billy Liar" BBF No. 78

"You and flamin' oranges"

1963 John Schlesinger
Adapted from the play by Keith Waterhouse, following the life of William Fisher.
Billy works in an undertakers office as a clerk but has aspirations of becoming a scriptwriter in London, he spends more time than is normal or healthy in a fantasy land called Ambrosia, where he can be whoever he wants to be. Can he grow up and have the nerve to actually make the trip to London?
Behind the story of Billy there is a glipse into what life was like in the early 60's in England, the work culture, the social and sex lives.
Good to see Leonard Rositer as Billy's boss, an early sight of what Rigsby was to become.

Slow start 2012

I have started slowly this year, nothing like the start I had in 2011.
Last year I had a load of avi files already from the list ready to go so I could jump right in, this year it's proving a bit more difficult already but I have watched a few and I'm already playing catchup with blogging them.
This years list is a bit more eclectic and not to everyones taste.
The fantastic new Versus Sexboat blog is making me think about the format of my blog posts.
The addition of another allotment plot, complete lack of winter weather and my TV supplier showing a premium HD Sport channel for free during January is holding me back. Let's hope February brings snow and frost so I can stay indoors and watch films without feeling I should be doing more digging.

IMDB Top 100 Complete

Watching the films wasn't hard, apart from the Charlie Chaplin ones, it's easy enough to watch an average of 2 a week for a year. get off to a flyer in the winter and bank a few extra ones in case it slips during the summer.
The hardest part of this challenge was keeping the blog going, at one point I was 17 films behind, but I didn't lose heart or an internet connection and kept going, there was a time I was doing one post a day for a couple of weeks to catch up, next time I wont let it slip.
So what did I learn? Some films I had seen and knew were going to be good.
City of God
The Good The Bad &The Ugly
Pulp Fiction

Many I have never seen before so it was always good to see what all the fuss is about, I made a point of not reading any reviews before watching.

Highlights
Treasure Of The Sierra Madre
Paths of Glory
The Godfather

Lowlights
Chaplin films
Singin' in the Rain
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Inception

The Challenge for 2012 is to watch the top 100 British films, but I'm still working out which list to use.
Other lists suggested have been top 100 70's porn films, top 100 sci-fi, top 100 apocolyptic, top 100 westerns. Others have already done the top 100 war films and it sounded hard because so many of them were shit and the list was out of date. So British films it is and I may learn something.

Film 100 "The Godfather Part II" IMDB No. 3

I don't feel I have to wipe everybody out, Tom. Just my enemies.

1974 Francis Ford Coppola
The epic saga continues as we see the Corleone family move into Cuba and Nevada during the 50's under the leadership of Micheal Corleone. We also get to see the early years of Vito Corleone in Sicily in the early 1900's to New York in the 1920's.
More bloodshed and betrayal as the business expands and the family implodes.
It's long, over 3 hours, but it doesn't seem it when watching the plot unfold.
It's just as good as the first one, with the noted absence of any sauce recipes but there is a disappearing cake that looks like it came from a Tom & Jerry cartoon. Al Pacino grows into the aging Micheal and Robert De Niro as the young Vito is worthy of his Acedemy Award for best supporting actor.
9/10

That's it. I have watched and blogged the IMDB Top 100 films.
The list was taken from 1st January 2011.
I have a new challenge for 2012, to watch the top 100 British movies, I will post the list soon.

Happy New Year.

Film 99 "The Godfather" IMDB No. 2

A man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.

1972 Francis Ford Coppola
The story starts in the mid 40's following the fortunes and misfortunes of a New York mafia family as the power struggle for control of the emerging narcotics market takes place as the family head Don Vito Corleone finds his position as Godfather less respected by the other mafia bosses.
I'm amazed there is anyone left alive in America, after watching 99 of these 'top 100' it seems the common theme in the American films is murder and war, they should lighten up a bit, it doesn't have to be Disney or Death.
I couldn't help noticing in the garden death scene that the tomatoes needed watering and onions were missing from Calmenza's sauce recipe.
I can't believe I have never seen this before, it's a classic. Stand out performances by Marlon Brando and Al Pacino. Last film is Godfather part 2 tonight, looking forward to how this story continues.
9/10