Now Screening - What Are You Watching Right Now?

Zulu, 1964. British epic war film depicting the Battle of Rorke's Drift between the British Army and the Zulus in January 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War. Directed by Cy Endfield and produced by Stanley Baker.



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On its initial release in 1964, it was one of the biggest box-office hits of all time in the British market. For the next 12 years it remained in constant cinema circulation before making its first appearance on television. It then went on to become a television perennial, and remains beloved by the British public.

A great cast and Michael Caine's first major role.

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Originally Posted by struth

modern docu's and tv shows; even films are becoming too woke now. and far too much critism of say the 19th c attitudes.. they were 19thc attitudes ffs, not todays, but they are still relevent as to the time the depict. its history folks, warts and all.

im a great lover of flashman novels; yes they are racist, yes they are sexist, but them were the times, and tbh still are, just folk like to think they are better.

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The ironic thing with the Tom Sharpe South Africa books ('Riotous Assembly' etc.), is they ridicule and lampoon the system of apartheid operating in South Africa at the time. Sharpe was expelled from Africa after a play based on Riotous Assembly was performed there.

However the treatment of the blacks in SA could not be shown now, despite it being history, as it would upset the 'woke' generation.

No doubt they get upset by recent films such as 'Selma' and '12 Years a Slave', which need to be seen to show to people that conditions haven't changed that much for some.

Ride Lonesome, 1959, directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott, Karen Steele, Pernell Roberts, Lee Van Cleef, and James Coburn in his film debut.


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One of the many Boetticher/Scott collaborations in 50's.

Psycho, 1960. It was produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The screenplay, written by Joseph Stefano, was based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch. The film stars Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin and Martin Balsam.

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Hitchcock insisted that Bernard Herrmann write the score for Psycho despite the composer's refusal to accept a reduced fee for the film's lower budget. The resulting score, according to Christopher Palmer in The Composer in Hollywood (1990) is "perhaps Herrmann's most spectacular Hitchcock achievement." Hitchcock was pleased with the tension and drama the score added to the film, later remarking "33% of the effect of Psycho was due to the music." and that "Psycho depended heavily on Herrmann's music for its tension and sense of pervading doom."

Herrmann used the lowered music budget to his advantage by writing for a string orchestra rather than a full symphonic ensemble, contrary to Hitchcock's request for a jazz score. He thought of the single tone color of the all-string soundtrack as a way of reflecting the black-and-white cinematography of the film. The strings play con sordini (muted) for all the music other than the shower scene, creating a darker and more intense effect. Film composer Fred Steiner, in an analysis of the score to Psycho, points out that string instruments gave Herrmann access to a wider range in tone, dynamics, and instrumental special effects than any other single instrumental group would have.

Star Trek: Insurrection, 1998. ninth film in the Star Trek film series, directed by Jonathan Frakes.


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Insurrection was the first Star Trek film with space-based effects produced entirely using computer-generated imagery (CGI). While CGI had been used for specific effects since Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan; Insurrection was the first Star Trek film to be made without using physical models of spacecraft. Santa Barbara Studios produced the effects, which included CGI starship models. The texture on the model of the Enterprise-E was created from a series of close-up photographs of the model Enterprise which had been used in First Contact. The planet-based effects, such as phaser fire, transporter effects and the Son'a drones were created by Blue Sky Studios. Peter Lauritson was the co-producer for post-production.

The Lone Ranger , 2013. directed by Gore Verbinski and stars Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp.



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was universally slated and bombed tbh.. pity as i like it... its old school entertainment for me, thats been modernised.

I can never make up my mind about The Lone Ranger - parts of it are pure genius, others are OTT. Always watchable though. :)

Throw Momma from the Train, 1987. starring Danny DeVito(who also directed), also starring Billy Crystal and Anne Ramsey, with Rob Reiner, Branford Marsalis, Kim Greist and Kate Mulgrew appearing in supporting roles.



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Anne Ramsey was singled out for praise for her portrayal of the overbearing Mrs. Lift; she won a Saturn Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Great fun.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, 1989. directed this time by William Shatner.




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disappointed at box office but still doubled its money.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, 1986. directed by Leonard Nimoy.



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film did very well and made a tidy profit.

You can never have too much of Blazing Saddles, 1974..... directed by Mel Brooks and starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder.



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Blackadder the 2nd. 1986. Some more comedy to cheer me...


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F: Your mother is alive and well and living in Droitwich. It is not her
I brood over. I’m sad because, my darling, our poverty has now
reached such extremes that I can no longer afford to keep us. I must
look to my own dear tiny darling to sustain me in my frail dotage.

K: But father, surely…

F: Yes Kate, I want you to become a prostitute.

K: Father!

F: Do you defy me?

K: But indeed, I do. For it is better to die poor than to live in shame
and ignominy.

F: No, it isn’t.

K: I’m young and strong and clever. My nose is pretty. I shall find
another way to earn us a living.

F: Oh, please… go on the game. It is a steady job and you’d be
working from home.

:lol:

Well, Bob... :D

Ghosts of Berkley Square, 1949 I think. In fact 47.

Great stuff for its timehttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...5d16c7bdf2.jpg

My Favorite Brunette, 1947. romantic comedy film and film noir parody, directed by Elliott Nugent and starring Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour.


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Antz, 1998. the voices of Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Jennifer Lopez, Sylvester Stallone, Christopher Walken, Dan Aykroyd, Anne Bancroft, Danny Glover and Gene Hackman.


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Antz premiered on September 19, 1998, at the Toronto International Film Festival,[11] and was released theatrically in the United States on October 2, 1998, by DreamWorks Pictures. It grossed $171.8 million worldwide on a budget of $42–105 million. The film received positive reviews, with critics praising the voice cast, animation, humor, and its appeal towards adults.

Blow Out, 1981. neo-noir psychological political mystery crime thriller film written and directed by Brian De Palma.[3] The film stars John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow and Dennis Franz.




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Roger Ebert's four-star review in the Chicago Sun-Times noted that Blow Out "is inhabited by a real cinematic intelligence. The audience isn't condescended to...we share the excitement of figuring out how things develop and unfold, when so often the movies only need us as passive witnesses." Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 85% based on 52 reviews, with an average grade of 7.7/10, with the critical consensus reading "With a story inspired by Antonioni's Blowup and a style informed by the high-gloss suspense of Hitchcock, De Palma's Blow Out is raw, politically informed, and littered with film references".

49th Parallel, 1941. This was the third film made by the British filmmaking team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It was released in the United States as The Invaders.



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Screenwriter Emeric Pressburger remarked, "Goebbels considered himself an expert on propaganda, but I thought I'd show him a thing or two". Powell persuaded the British and Canadian governments and started location filming in 1940, but by the time the film appeared, in March 1942, the United States, which had been trying to stay out of the war in Europe, had been drawn into taking sides against Germany.

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Originally Posted by struth

49th Parallel, 1941. This was the third film made by the British filmmaking team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It was released in the United States as The Invaders.



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Screenwriter Emeric Pressburger remarked, "Goebbels considered himself an expert on propaganda, but I thought I'd show him a thing or two". Powell persuaded the British and Canadian governments and started location filming in 1940, but by the time the film appeared, in March 1942, the United States, which had been trying to stay out of the war in Europe, had been drawn into taking sides against Germany.

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Great film, it's a bit like Did the Day go Well in subject matter.

Also (your film) music by Vaughan Williams I believe?

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Originally Posted by Lawrence001

Great film, it's a bit like Did the Day go Well in subject matter. Music by Vaughan Williams I believe?

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yes, went the day well is a classic too...

now its another Powell and Pressburger film, this time post war and 1948,s The Red Shoes. stars Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook and Marius Goring.

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In 2017, a poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics for Time Out magazine saw it ranked the 5th best British film ever.

Bit of alien comedy now with the uncut version of Paul, 2013..


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Went the Day Well?, 1942. British war film adapted from a story by Graham Greene and directed by Alberto Cavalcanti. It was produced by Michael Balcon of Ealing Studios and served as unofficial propaganda for the war effort.




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Exterior scenes were shot on location in the village of Turville in Buckinghamshire.

bit more up to date now and the 2008 The Bank Job... heist thriller film directed by Roger Donaldson, written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and starring Jason Statham, based on the 1971 Baker Street robbery in central London, from which the money and valuables stolen were never recovered. The producers allege that the story was prevented from being told in 1971 because of a D-Notice, to protect a prominent member of the British royal family. According to the producers, this film is intended to reveal the truth for the first time, although it includes significant elements of fiction.



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The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 80% of 148 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Well cast and crisply directed, The Bank Job is a thoroughly entertaining British heist thriller."

Who is the female (lead?), as shown on the cover?

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Originally Posted by Barry

Who is the female (lead?), as shown on the cover?

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saffron burrows if memory serves barry.. quite pretty

Ah yes, now you mention it, it is Saffron Burrows. I first became aware of her in the BBC screening of 'Cold Lazarus', and the films 'Circle of Friends' and 'Enigma'.

Cabaret, 1972. directed by Bob Fosse, and starring Liza Minnelli, Michael York and Joel Grey.



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A Variety staff critic appraised the film in December 1971: "The film version of the 1966 John Kander-Fred Ebb Broadway musical Cabaret is most unusual: it is literate, bawdy, sophisticated, sensual, cynical, heart-warming, and disturbingly thought-provoking. Liza Minnelli heads a strong cast. Bob Fosse's generally excellent direction recreates the milieu of Germany some 40 years ago."

Joel Grey was superb.. the film got 10 Oscar nominations and won 8... simply superb film.

McCabe & Mrs. Miller, 1971. directed by Robert Altman, and starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie.


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This is the region A Criterion bluray version.

it includes 3 Cohen songs. they fit in very well.

Casablanca, 1942. From my apple library this time. Bogey and Bergman star. Always thought she was one of the most beautiful women of her day, if a bit grim at times.



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The Grapes of Wrath, 1940. based on John Steinbeck's 1939 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. The screenplay was written by Nunnally Johnson and was directed by John Ford.



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The film is widely considered to be one of the greatest films of all time. In 1989, it was one of the first 25 films selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"

A good film, despite the 'sanitised' ending (obviously the film makers found the ending in the book would be unacceptable to a prudish US audience).

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Originally Posted by struth

McCabe & Mrs. Miller, 1971. directed by Robert Altman, and starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie.


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This is the region A Criterion bluray version.

it includes 3 Cohen songs. they fit in very well.

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Another good film there Grant.

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Originally Posted by Barry

A good film, despite the 'sanitised' ending (obviously the film makers found the ending in the book would be unacceptable to a prudish US audience).

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tbf, im not sure uk would have accepted it either. a step too far in film ; in fact it might not go down well today. but yes its a really good film.


now watching some blackadder 2..


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and episode, "Potato"

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Originally Posted by struth

Zulu, 1964. British epic war film depicting the Battle of Rorke's Drift between the British Army and the Zulus in January 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War. Directed by Cy Endfield and produced by Stanley Baker.



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On its initial release in 1964, it was one of the biggest box-office hits of all time in the British market. For the next 12 years it remained in constant cinema circulation before making its first appearance on television. It then went on to become a television perennial, and remains beloved by the British public.

A great cast and Michael Caine's first major role.

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I think this was the first film I ever saw at a cinema, my dad took me. The bouncy Zulu ladies would have been a bit of an eye opener for a seven year old.

My brother has this on Blu Ray, and the quality is fantastic. better than most new films imo.

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Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony

I think this was the first film I ever saw at a cinema, my dad took me. The bouncy Zulu ladies would have been a bit of an eye opener for a seven year old.

My brother has this on Blu Ray, and the quality is fantastic. better than most new films imo.

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yup its a very good print. and a very good film; boobies and all:D

I knew James Booth quite well. He I also saw him in 'Minder' yesterday.

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Originally Posted by walpurgis

I knew James Booth quite well. He I also saw him in 'Minder' yesterday.

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yeah, a pity his role was one of the bad bits of film; not due to him of course but the writers misclassing hook as a bad lazy chancer.

He was a big sod! :)

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Originally Posted by walpurgis

He was a big sod! :)

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Who? Booth. Never met him but he came across a bit of a lad.
Hook was near a model soldier

Carry on Cleohttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...69b0af386b.jpg

At Worlds End, 2007.



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Mysterious Island, 1961. science fiction adventure film about prisoners in the American Civil War who escape in a balloon and then find themselves stranded on a remote island populated by giant and tiny animals.


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Loosely based upon the 1874 novel The Mysterious Island (L'Île mystérieuse) by Jules Verne (which was the sequel to two other novels by Verne, 1867's In Search of the Castaways and 1870's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea), the film was produced by Charles H. Schneer and directed by Cy Endfield.

Shot in Catalonia, Spain, and at Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, England, the film serves as a showcase for Ray Harryhausen's stop motion animation effects. Like several of Harryhausen's classic productions, the musical score was composed by Bernard Herrmann.
this is the bluray version, with an excellent 2k scan

Total Recall, 1990. UHD.. Big Arnie stars with Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Ronny Cox, and Michael Ironside.



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Expectations were high for Total Recall: it was anticipated to be one of the year's most successful films. On its release, the film earned approximately $261.4 million worldwide, making it the seventh-highest-grossing film of the year. Its critical reception was mixed, with reviewers praising its themes of identity and questioning reality, but criticizing content perceived as vulgar and violent. The practical special effects were also well received, earning the film an Academy Award, and the score by Jerry Goldsmith has been praised as one of his best works.

Since its release, the film has been praised for its ambiguity regarding its ending and whether Quaid's adventures are real or a fantasy. It has also been analyzed for themes of colonialism, authoritarianism, sexism, and racism. Retrospective reviews have called it one of Schwarzenegger's best films and placed it among the best science-fiction films ever made.

Not a patch on the short story by Philip K. Dick: "We Can Remember It for You, Wholesale". As Hollywood goes (and especially that of the director Paul Verhoeven), it's not a bad film; but I wouldn't place it among the best science fiction films ever made.

Colditz, the series, 1970's



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The Running Man, 1987 American dystopian action film directed by Paul Michael Glaser and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, María Conchita Alonso, Richard Dawson, Yaphet Kotto, and Jesse Ventura. It is very loosely based on the 1982 novel of the same name written by Stephen King and published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.



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not one of his best, but a remake closer to the book is in progress i think.

The Jungle Book, 2016. directed and produced by Jon Favreau, Based on Rudyard Kipling's eponymous collective works, the film is a live-action/CGI.




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The film includes voice and motion capture performances from Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, and Christopher Walken.

It grossed $364M in the United States and Canada and $602.5M in other countries for a worldwide total of $966.6M, against a budget of $175M.

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Originally Posted by struth

The Running Man, 1987 American dystopian action film directed by Paul Michael Glaser and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, María Conchita Alonso, Richard Dawson, Yaphet Kotto, and Jesse Ventura. It is very loosely based on the 1982 novel of the same name written by Stephen King and published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.



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not one of his best, but a remake closer to the book is in progress i think.

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It's a fun film that. I think that the BBC should commission 'Climbing For Dollars'. Ratings winner there.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, 1967.. directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as "the Good", Lee Van Cleef as "the Bad", and Eli Wallach as "the Ugly". Score by the great Ennio Morricone.



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Critical opinion of the film on initial release was mixed, as many reviewers at that time looked down on "Spaghetti Westerns". In a negative review in The New York Times, critic Renata Adler said that the film "must be the most expensive, pious and repellent movie in the history of its peculiar genre." Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the "temptation is hereby proved irresistible to call The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, now playing citywide, The Bad, The Dull, and the Interminable, only because it is." Roger Ebert, who later included the film in his list of Great Movies, retrospectively noted that in his original review he had "described a four-star movie, but only gave it three stars, perhaps because it was a 'Spaghetti Western' and so could not be art."

Quentin Tarantino has called it "the best directed film of all time" and "the greatest achievement in the history of cinema"

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Originally Posted by Macca

It's a fun film that. I think that the BBC should commission 'Climbing For Dollars'. Ratings winner there.

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don't give them ideas macca:D