I think I can get it via Virgin but I can't binge-watch anything. Two episodes a day is my limit, no matter how good it is. I don't know why.
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I think I can get it via Virgin but I can't binge-watch anything. Two episodes a day is my limit, no matter how good it is. I don't know why.
Well I finished Masters of the Air last night, and it was a brilliant series overall. We all know the story of WW2 so no surprises as to how it ended, but as a series to bring to life some of the "greatest generation" it was superb. Of course, it's American, so they were the heroes, and the RAF were stereotypical "stiff upper lip" in the tiny amount they were featured, but overall it was well worth watching and I would recommend. Also the companion documentary "The Bloody Hundredth" which featured archive interviews with the guys that the book/series were based on was well worth a watch too to close everything off.
I then went on to watch Blitz - directed by Steve McQueen (no, not that Steve McQueen) and featuring Paul Weller (yes, that Paul Weller) as the father/grandfather of the two main characters - a mother and son in London in WW2, and the ensuing trouble the boy gets into after "escaping" from being evacuated to the country.
https://i.redd.it/fyol11a4jkpd1.jpeg
Pretty much panned by the critics I really enjoyed it, although it was bit surreal in places, but overall I thought it was a really good film, and the acting was superb especially Elliott Effernan as the 9 year-old George.
On Legend today, The Six Million Dollar Man from the beginning. I used to watch this back in the 70s, but had never seen the pilot episode. Episode 2 just starting, we get to see what the bionic bits can do.
I watched those first few episodes a few months back. They're terrible, truly terrible.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony
Simpsons - Lee Majors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2OrNPIohK4
I watched 'Looper' last night. A highly convoluted sci-fi time-travel thriller starring Bruce Willis.
I had seen it before but somehow missed a lot of the detail. I reckon I'll need to see it a couple of more times till I fully understand what is going on.
Yeah I must admit I was a bit disappointed. All he did was rescue some kid from a crashed car, and while mum was initially grateful her head fell off a bit when she spotted the birds nest of wires coming out of his arm. Then Steve went into a prolonged sulk and that was pretty much it.
I'd rather watch the bionic woman, she was quite fit.
Not as fit as Wonder Woman.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony
I was in my forties before I realised that my entire taste in women was pretty much determined by the TV shows I watched in the 1970s.
Yeah I'll give you that. Though she looks like a two man job, and I have neither the energy nor inclination.
https://www.lyndacarter.com/wp-conte...20/11/5484.png
Really? Was it the hat?Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca
https://www.heraldscotland.com/resou...ds-article-962
Yeah I think I'm probably past it too now but when I was younger.
Plus she could deflect bullets with those wrist guards so would have been handy having her on my arm in some of the neighbourhoods I've been to.
She was not without her charms.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony
But matching ex-girlfriends to 70s pin-ups I seem to have been influneced quite heavily by
Catherine Bach - Dukes of Hazzard
Stephanie Powers - Hart To Hart
Catherine Schell - Space 1999
Joanna Lumley - The New Avengers
Lynda Carter - Wonder Woman
Victoria Principal - Dallas
Jodie Foster - 'Candleshoe'
Not just looks but personality too. Not really sure if weird or normal.
I admit I did have a bit of a crush on Penelope Keith in "To the Manor Born" when I was about 12...
Well, finished watching The Pacific last night - it was excellent - harrowing, as all good programs about WW2 should be, I guess.
Just watched this - it was half way through on BBC1 when I was flicking through the channels last night, so caught up on it this evening on iPlayer.
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/...pg_UX1000_.jpg
Really good, set in the Iraq war following a team of US bomb disposal techs. But I think I am done with war films for a while.
I should have watched that after watching Looper, instead of watching the film following on Legend called Momentum.
Momentum is a convoluted film about a sadistic CIA (?) operative tracking down a female Mossad agent who is part of a gang stealing diamonds from a bank vault. The unconvincing ending suggests a possible sequel.
Yeah that is a good film, I used to have it on blu ray, ended up giving it to Grant.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex_UK
Another one worth watching imo if you haven't already, before you take a break from this genre is this:
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/..._AC_SX342_.jpg
Based on a true story, and directed by Clint Eastwood so you know it'll be pretty good.
Cheers Steve, I can’t remember if I have seen that one but definitely my sort of film. Looks like it is on Sky on Thursday so will give it a go.
both of those are pretty good.
Sad to learn of the passing of David Lynch (20.01.1946 - 16.01.2025)
Lynch was one of the most imaginative of American directors of recent times. From his debut 'Eraserhead' to 'Mulholland Drive', all his films were of interest, if at times enigmatic.
He will be greatly missed.
That is sad. Always liked David Lynch films, even though they rarely made any sense to me. There was a certain beauty to their otherworldly weirdness.
Straw dogs, been looking for ages on the internet for this one, to stream I mean, which is why I bought the DVD player, gonna watch it tonight, such a classic. Also watched Hoffman last night in Marathon Man, another classic, 70s thrillers really are the creme a la creme of film making for me.
For me:Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca
Catherine Shell - yes,
Joanna Lumley - yes,
the others; sadly not really.
I find the films of Sam Peckinpah too 'over the top' for my tastes - but would agree that "Straw dogs' is one of the more watchable.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikeandvan
And Dustin Hoffman is very good in 'Marathon Man', as is Lawrence Olivier who makes an excellent villain - one who could make you never want to see a dentist again!
You don't like 'The Wild Bunch', 'Ride The High Country', 'The Ballad Of Cable Hogue' and 'Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid' ?Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry
The Wild bunch is awesome, those other 3 films I don't know, but look forward to watching them! And of course 'Find me the head of Alfredo Garcia', I was exhausted after watching that one in the cinema! non stop shoot em ups. Didn't he do 'The Iron cross' too?Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca
That is exactly my complaint with Peckinpah - it's all "shoot ups" and little else.
Is 'Pat Garrat and Billy the Kid' the one with Bob Dylan in it? In general Westerns and war films leave me cold, whereas I'm much more interested in Japanese samurai films.
Yes that's the one with Dylan. 'Wild Bunch' really only has two shoot-outs, one at the start and one at the end. Most of the film is devoted to the explaining the character's motivations and how they cope psychologically (or not) in a brutal world. In a lot of ways it's quite like a classic samurai film.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry
The Ballard of Cable Hogue
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...20171206222515
Described as a Technicolor Western Comedy by Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballad_of_Cable_Hogue (!) I have seen it but I don't remember too much about it.
Now for something a bit different:
Revengers Tragedy
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...20171020004737
A adaptation of Thomas Middleton's celebrated play of 1607. Revengers Tagedy tells the story of a man whose wife is murdered on their wedding day, and his desire to exact revenge on the murderer. In the post apocalyptic Liverpool of the future, Vindici (played by Christopher Ecclestone) returns from a self-imposed exile to bring down those responsible for his wife's murder. While Vindici's family have fallen on hard times, the murderer, know as the Duke (played by Derek Jacobi, as a creepy bi-sexual) has become rich, powerful and virtually untouchable. Employing all his wit and cunning, Vindici sets out to gain the Duke's confidence and get close enough to kill him.
I think Peckinpah would have liked this adaptation, as in the end everybody ends up being killed. Visually it is very stylish and imaginative, but the actual plot is hard to follow at times. Definitely merits a repeated viewing.
However wikipedia report the critics thought differently. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revengers_Tragedy
IMO, it is one of director Alex Cox's better movies.
Manina - The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/..._QL70_ML2_.jpg
1952 Black and White.
A very young (18) Brigitte Bardot in her first film.
A 25-year-old Parisian student, Gérard Morere (Calvé), hears a lecture about a treasure Troilus lost at sea after the Peloponnesian War. Gérard thinks he knows where it is, thanks to a discovery he made five years earlier when diving near the island of Levezzi, in Corsica. He gets friends and an innkeeper to invest in his dream, enough to get him to Tangiers where he convinces a cigarette smuggler, Eric (Vernon), to take him to the island on Eric's boat.
There they find 18-year-old Manina (Bardot), the light-keeper's daughter, who is beautiful and pure. Manina and Gérard fall in love. Eric thinks Gérard may have conned him, but Gérard's belief in the treasure compels patience. Gérard dives by day and romances Manina at night. Gérard finds the treasure, though Eric betrays him and absconds with it. However, Eric's boat is shipwrecked in a storm and sinks. The film ends with Manina and Gérard embracing.
The film is slow moving with a least half of it taken up with Gérard's plans and arrangements for the proposed recovery of the treasure. There is a risable scene where a fight breaks out in a nightclub in Tangiers, and the local police are called in and proceed to hit everybody with their truncheons, knocking them all out. Even so, it is worth watching to see the young Bardot before she developed her trademark pout and wiggle.
Norma Jean & Marilyn
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/...1000_QL80_.jpg
Norma Jean & Marilyn is a 1996 American biographical drama television film directed by Tim Fywell, based on the 1985 book Goddess, the Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Anthony Summers. The film stars Ashley Judd as Norma Jean Dougherty and Mira Sorvino as Marilyn Monroe. It premiered on HBO on May 18, 1996.
The tagline for the highly fictionalized film summarizes the plot: "Marilyn Monroe was our fantasy. Norma Jean was her reality." In dream-like scenes, Monroe and her former self appear together, with Norma Jean sometimes taunting Monroe.
Norma Jean & Marilyn received mixed reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 60% based on 5 reviews, with a rating average of 4.8/10.
Worth watching to see how despite being told she would never make it in the movies, Norma Jean is doggedly determined to succeed, and basically fucks her way into meeting producers and directors who reluctantly give her a chance.
And for a little light relief:
Asterix & Obelix - Take on Caesar, Mission Cleopatra, Asterix at the Olympic Games and Asterix & Obelix in the Service of Her Majesty.
https://www.esc-distribution.com/131...on-limitee.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...re_affiche.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ixolympics.jpg
1999, 2002, 2006
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/..._QL70_ML2_.jpg
2012.
Based on the comic book series originally written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo.
All of these films feature Gérard Depardieu as Obelix, but the character of Asterix is played by different actors in each film.
Book of Eli - Amazon Prime.
Dont know how I missed this one…
Great cast.
Enjoyable.
https://resizing.flixster.com/Ztsqfw...2_p_v12_bb.jpg
A film I too have missed, but... Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman are two good reasons for seeking it out. Which I will :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam
Spoiler alert! But it looks interesting, so it's another I'll watch out for :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry
Watched the Peckinpah films, realised I'd seen Pat Garrett before, still brilliant though. Didn't much like the Ballad of Cable hogue, bit naff. Need to find 'Head of Alfedo garcia' on DVD as its not on Amazon for streaming.
Iron Cross was good anyway.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=...AAAAAdAAAAABAE
https://resizing.flixster.com/GjTOt2...16_b_v8_aa.jpg
Late to the party with this one,
leaving Amazon Prime soon so buckled in for a watch.
first couple of episodes were a bit slow but so glad I persevered.
Up there with Babylon 5 and rebooted Battlestar Galactica as world building Sci-Fi done right.
scratch that, it’s possibly better than both.
Astounding TV
https://resizing.flixster.com/Mb34dG...1_p_v13_aa.jpg
Even if you aren't into his type of music, well worth a watch in my opinion (assuming you have Netflix) - inspiring and depressing in equal measure.
The Wild Party
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wi...ty_(1975_film)
An interesting Merchant - Ivory film, showing Raquel Welch in one of her sexiest rôles. Told in backflash, it leads up to a shocking finale.
Diva
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diva_(1981_film)
A young postal messenger's secret recording of his operatic idol gets him into unimaginable depths of trouble when bootleg is accidentaly switched with a surveillence tape. As a pair of psychopathic hoods trail the messenger, he finds himself caught in a complicated plot of murder and corruption, his romantic dreams of love with the opera singer melamorphosing into a living nightmare. Set in a stunning world where the fantastic and thereal clash in contemporary Paris.
Diva is a thriller, fairy-tale, action and romantic drama all in one movie. Beautiful to look at, 'Diva' is an absolutely stunning debut from director Jean Jaques Beineix.
(Of interest to Members here, is the chance to spot and identify all the audio gear depicted in the film: Nagra, Revox, Nakamichi, Beyer (?) etc.! There are also several 'technical' errors in the film, as well as some uncertainties over the 'timing' and location finding of events.)
Dolls 2002
A film by Takeshi Kitano
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolls_(2002_film)
Cult director Takeshi Kitano weaves together three visually stunning and deeply touching stories of undying love inspired by traditional Japanese Buraku puppet theatre.
The first story concerns a tising young executive who turned his back on his girlfriend in pursuit of his career. Following a failed suicide attempt which leaves her in a mindless daze, he runs to his former lover's side and now they roam the country together.
The second story is about an aging yakuza who also abandoned his girlfriend for the sake of success. Thirty years later, he is compelled to return to the park where they used to meet.
The final tale is of a former pop star who becomes a recluse following a disfiguring accident. One day, one of her greatest fans come to prove the extent of his devotion to her in the most unusual and ultimately shocking way.
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring 2004
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring......_and_Spring
On lake set in a valley in the depths of the mountains sits an isolated dwelling. Here a Buddhist monk and his young apprentice live in harmony with nature.
As the seasons change and the years pass, the carefree child apprentice becomes a young man filled with desire. Despite the continuing wisdom that his master imparts, the young man finds he is emotionally unprepared for the arrival of a youg woman. Dealing with feelings of guilt and jealously, he is forced to confront a darker side of his nature and, resolving to cleanse himself, he serves a penance in the form of a religious mantra. Later, as winter comes and death makes way for new life, the man prepares to take on the role of teacher...
Breathtaking and visually arresting, Kim Ki-duk's unique and exquisite exploration of the human condition and its infinite complexities is one of the most captivating and thought-provoking films ever made.
What? - a film by Roman Polanski, 2007
(My copy is the Scandinavian version with subtitles, and has a different cover)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What%3F_(film)
During her Italian vacation, a young and beautiful American tourist finds herself as a guest in a coastal villa inhabited by some odd people.
A Man Escaped a film by Robert Bresson, France 1956
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/...L75_UX380_.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Man_Escaped
https://www.criterion.com/current/po...8YcMUZM32XZr-B
Based on the true story of a Gestapo prisoner who escaped from prison just hours before his scheduled execution, Bresson’s film is a suspenseful realist drama and a moving metaphorical fable about chance and redemption. Perhaps most remarkably, Bresson (himself a former prisoner of war) conveys how the significance of everything is transformed by incarceration; sounds offer information, and objects become potential tools for escape.
Black Cat White Cat 1998
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Cat,_White_Cat
A hilarious comedy from the director of 'Life is a Miracle', Emir Kusturica's 'Black Cat White Cat' is a riotous mix of farce, romance and crime. Set within a community of gypsies, it tells a story of dodgy deals, family ties, young love and magical occurences. Zare is young man in love with the beautiful Ida, but his crooked father, having botched up a black market deal, intends to marry him off to the sister of a powerful gangster - a woman so tiny that her nickname is Ladybird.
Set on the banks of the Danube, this colourful comedy is crammed with spectacle, incident snd the music of Emir Kusturica's famous travelling gypsy band.
Mr Turner
A film by Mike Leigh, 2004
A stunning and beatiful film, Mr Turner tells of the extraordinary story of Britain's greatest ever artist. As Turner, (Timothy Spall) produces masterpieces ahead of his time that challenge the art world, so he has to confront his own ever changing circumstances and deal with love and loss.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Turner
Savages 1972
A film from the Merchant Ivory collection
A croquet ball lands amid a tribe of forest-welling 'Mud People', providing a catalyst that brings together the two distinct worlds of SAVAGES. Merchant Tvory Productions' intriguing, enigmatic 1972 comedy tha texplores, compares and contrasts the primative and cultured sides of man's nature.
Retracing the croquet ball's path the Mud People are led to an abandoned mansion , where they assume the trappings of 'civilisation, as they transform into the eccentric guests at lavish and decadent 1930s weekend house party. Each 'civilised' character cannot shed his or her true nature - savage conduct, atavistic social rituals and sexual abandonment are all common to both 'primative' and 'advanced# states.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savages_(1972_film)
Only Human 2004
An inspired comedy from talented writer-director team of Teresa de Pelegri and Dominic Harari. Only Human grew out of the three obsessions shared by the couple: sex, family and the Middle East.
Leni arrives home to introduce her fiancé Rafi to her Jewish family for the first time. Everything goes wonderfully well until they reveal that Rafi is Palestinian. With his future mother-in-law unhinged by the news, Rafi offers to take over in the kitchen. But he accidentially drops a frozen soup out of the seventh floor window, hitting a pedestrian below. As if the evening's not going badly enough, it turns out the pedestrian may be Leni's father.
Putting an ingenious spin on the meet-the-parents genre, husband and wife team - a neat adjunct to the film's theme of family and cohabitation - de Pelegri and Haradi have delivered a hilarious and beautifully performed comedy of errors that also acts as a pin-sharp observation on the absurdities of the Palestinian-Isral conflict and of intolerance in general
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_Human_(2004_film)
Betty Blue 1986
The second film directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix. Betty Blue is a 1986 French erotic psychological drama film written and directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix. it could be described as an amour fou, but that would make light of what is ultimately a shocking film.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Blue
I should add that the two protagonists seem to spend a lot of their time naked, and Béatrice Dalle has the most perfect body. Otherwise it's a serious and disturbing film, sprinkled with a few funny one-liners.
Its next on my list,Quote:
Originally Posted by Roy S
will probably wait till all episodes are available then binge over a weekend as a treat.
Loved the first series, 2nd not so much as it focused less on Reacher and more on his Team.
3rd one apparantly back to what made first one good, so look forward to it.