Last Movie You Watched.

The Frighteners - this sort-of Ghostbusters/Beetlejuice hybrid (but a bit darker and ickier) Peter Jackson horror-comedy is good fun.

With Michael J. Fox, Jake Busey, Dee Wallace Stone and Jeffrey Combs.

MP wrote:

Funnily, they rewrote BAD SANTA but didn't get credit, only their names appearing as producers. That's probably my favorite non-directed Coen film.

No question, that is the funniest scene in the movie.

The Master of Ballantrae

I've been revisiting as many of Errol Flynn's films as possible as I frequently do because the man was and will forever be so damn fascinating. The film plays like a revisit of his famous at-sea and historical swashbucklers and is based around a Stevenson tale. Coming at the end of his Warner days it's a lower budgeted film made in the UK to use up frozen funds postwar..but what should be a dismal final contract film that started his dwindling career in his final years turns out to be despite a clunky script a damn good picture. This is likely due to Errol having good behavior and it being directed by the underrated William Keighley who directed some of Errol's best ever performances prior to this-particularly in the supremely unheralded Rocky Mountain which is not only arguably Flynn's best Western but one of the best in the iconic 50's for the genre. It's really the fitting swansong of his career and his days at the studio that made him.

Once again I find myself remarking at the staggering amount of the Bond psyche is represented in Flynn's life. The self malaise, desire for adventure, deep love of Jamaica, unending womanizing, and part time residency there, deep running fatalism, suave cynicism, hard hard hard hard hard hard to the hardest degree drinking...all this around a deeply sensitive and intelligent yet troubled soul. If there was an early Bond film it would have to have Errol. Even in his weakened state in the mid 50's had it all somehow pulled together it would've been magic. I still can't figure the percentages of the male influential figures on Bond but the heaviest contenders are Errol and Cary Grant. On screen it's an even split between Errol and Grant in Notorious with added bits of David Niven, Ronald Colman, Robert Donat and a handful of others.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World - this joyful, 'fizzing' and inventive graphic novel adaptation may not be terribly substantial but by God it's tremendous 'geek cool' fun.

The Ipcress File - there's probably not much to say on this classic spy thriller that our own Hilly hasn't already done brilliantly. It does amuse that Saltzman embarked on what was intended as an 'anti-Bond' franchise and used Bond alumni (John Barry, Ken Adam, Peter Hunt) in the process.

Extraordinary to think that this was released in the same year as Thunderball ... Harry Palmer's 60s London isn't exactly 'swinging', in fact it's not even swaying slightly.

Well, kindly thank you Blunty.

It is as you say striking that this and TB come out with IPCRESS not exactly typical London of the time. Palmer's London is grey and grim. Though if only we had M and 007 meeting in a supermarket. Funeral in Berlin is on Film4 this week, I forget which day.

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Lawrence of Arabia, in blu-ray.

There are times, more-so in blu that I find myself just agog at the film. How it looks. I've been fond of Lean's work for a few years but perhaps now as I drag myself to the midpoint of this third decade, I've decided that Lean is all about imagery if anything. That silhouetted tree branch at the start of Oliver Twist or the dog going mad as Sikes beats Nancy to death, the Irish coast in Ryan's Daughter, the sweeping desert in this...and everything in between. That panning shot as they sweep into Akabar is incredible, how the ship seems to sail amidst the desert when Lawrence first reaches the Suez.

Acting wise it's also incredible. O'Toole inhabits T.E Lawrence more-so than the real life Lawrence ever likely did. Much as I remember someone saying Daniel Bruhl was more Lauda than Lauda ever was, in Rush. The thing about the film, is it sometimes feels a tale of two halves. After the intermission it feels a different film almost, lagging a little and yet there are stunning moments in it. Sixties audiences should've been made to tie a knot in it and do without an intermission.

Good, as always, to see Anthony Quayle in it. An underrated, if forgotten actor nowadays. His face is a picture of emotion at times, a quiet master in a way (contrast this to Battle of the River Plate, Guns of Navarone etc). Jack Hawkins of course, though this is after his voice started to go and Charles Gray (amongst others) dubbed him. Anthony Quinn is superb, Alec Guiness and Omar Sharif also.

This film wouldn't get far today I suspect. For there isn't a female character in it, not with lines anyway. It has white actors playing Arab roles.

I'm reaching of course but this takes nothing away from Lean. This is his magnum opus. His climbing of Everest.

Just bought Lawrence on blu, myself. Will aim to give it a watch in the coming weeks.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

The Ipcress File - there's probably not much to say on this classic spy thriller that our own Hilly hasn't already done brilliantly. It does amuse that Saltzman embarked on what was intended as an 'anti-Bond' franchise and used Bond alumni (John Barry, Ken Adam, Peter Hunt) in the process.

Extraordinary to think that this was released in the same year as Thunderball ... Harry Palmer's 60s London isn't exactly 'swinging', in fact it's not even swaying slightly.    

Nice little closing line there, BI.

Amusing indeed that Saltzman used Barry and Adam who helped define what James Bond is as much as Connery for something so anti-Bond. Regardless, excellent film.

Yup, great film indeed, did i see count lippee? Oh and one of John barrys finest moments me thinks.[/quote]

Thanks Hilly and KKBB ... Funeral In Berlin is on Film 4 on Thursday and Billion Dollar Brain is on Sony Movies Classic tonight. Am recording them because I've never seen the Palmers before, for shame. Not sure if Caine's 2 returns to the character in the 90s are worth a go or not.

I've not see the 90s Palmer and from what I've seen of them, bits and pieces, I'm not rushing to. The 'originals' are better by far.

silvertoe wrote:

Yup, great film indeed, did i see count lippee? Oh and one of John barrys finest moments me thinks.

Yes, that would be Guy Doleman.

Count Lippe is also a character's name in The Man From UNCLE.

What About Bob? - in which the titular lovable-but-uber-neurotic character (Bill Murray) follows his stuffy new therapist (Richard Dreyfuss) when he goes to his holiday home with his family (in order to plug his new book via a Good Morning America interview) and proceeds to unwittingly ruin his life.

This consistently funny delight is a nice reminder of what PG-rated live-action comedies used to be like, as opposed to the kiddie fodder they tend to be nowadays.

IPCRESS is a personal obsession. THE thinking man's spy thriller.
Funeral is an astonishingly good spy film made by Hamilton almost to prove he could do straight espionage unlike GF. What it lacks though is the magic spark of IPCRESS but it's a damn great film on it's own.
Brain is an acid trip and fights between being a Palmer spy film and a Ken Russell acid trip extravaganza. neither side wins but you have to love its audacity and zaniness mixed with the ultra serious and dour. It's confusing about 50 times before you start to get all the elements straight.

The 90's films are....well they're made for TV from Harry Alan Towers in 1995-1996 made in Russia somewhat with some involvement from the Russian mafia and Caine's personal experience was quite terrible. But as a completest give them a go as they're quite short. You get Michael Gambon and Jason Connery as well for good measure but outside a fleeting mention of Sue Lloyd's character in the first film and one good line they're only for diehard Caine/Palmer fans. Their availability was very scarce for years and usually only in cutdown versions. Here they came out DVD only in Canada but were released to PAL DVD a few times.
I still dream of making a new Palmer film with Caine if only to give Harry a proper sendoff.

He's 87 now ... I could buy him as Palmer in some sort of consultancy role to the modern-day security services, I guess.

I've toyed around with how to make that work. I think it could be made into a very interesting film about older age with echoes of Greene, LeCarre etc. with the notion that even as an old pensioner one never quite leaves the cold etc. where the long arm of British intelligence once again finds and grabs Harry by the scruff of the neck. And like IPCRESS stack the cast with every great British thespian you can get your hands on.

Imagine it-a spy thriller with absolutely no major action scenes...yeah we'll take the box office like gangbusters.

hegottheboot wrote:

Imagine it-a spy thriller with absolutely no major action scenes...yeah we'll take the box office like gangbusters.

It certainly worked for the 2011 Tinker Tailor adap.

Funeral In Berlin - for its first half, the second Harry Palmer flick is breezy-ish fun even for a 'serious' spy thriller. Unfortunately, for me the plot became a tricky-to-follow welter of double-crosses in the second half and I found I lost interest somewhat. Still, fascinating to see the divided Berlin smack-bang in the middle of the period between the end of WW2 and the Wall coming down, the 'Colonel Stok' character is a hoot and Caine is on fine sardonic form throughout.

Must look into if Funeral in Berlin is available in Oz. Wasn't when I checked a few years back. Thanks for the reminder!

hegottheboot wrote:

I've toyed around with how to make that work. I think it could be made into a very interesting film about older age with echoes of Greene, LeCarre etc. with the notion that even as an old pensioner one never quite leaves the cold etc. where the long arm of British intelligence once again finds and grabs Harry by the scruff of the neck. And like IPCRESS stack the cast with every great British thespian you can get your hands on.

Imagine it-a spy thriller with absolutely no major action scenes...yeah we'll take the box office like gangbusters.

I like this. Talk to Caine's people.

Crimson Tide - when Tony Scott dialled back his music video sensibilities, he turned in some very good films. So it proves with this submarine suspenser, with Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington butting heads over whether an incomplete communication is an order to launch their nukes against Russian ultranationalist rebels whose actions indicate they are going to launch theirs against the US ... or an order not to.

The leads are in fine form and very solid support comes from George Dzunda, James Gandolfini and Viggo Mortensen.

Invitation to a Gunfighter

Film4 need to refund me, if that was possible. Touted as a George Segal film, not only does Segal spend most of the movie off camera but it's a Brynner film. Not that I have anything against him but Segal's there, he buggers off. However, it has Pat Hingle which was a blast in terms of his performance. And somewhere, Clifton 'Sheriff Pepper' James. Naff film in a way but it passed the time.

Beforehand I watched Our Man in Havana.

Speaking of Pat Hingle ...

Batman ('89) - Phoenix's depressed wannabe stand-up is all very well ... but give me Nicholson's scenery-chewing, wisecracking homicidal maniac Joker instead any day of the week. The man's clearly having a ball, and it shows.

Keaton is playful, slightly ironic and a little crazy as Bruce Wayne and stoically heroic as Bats, Basinger brings welcome glamour as Vicki Vale, Jack Palance brings old-school class as crime boss Grissom, the supporting cast is rounded out by the likes of the aforementioned Hingle and Billy Dee Williams, Danny Elfman's score is stirring and Prince's songs bring the funk, and Anton Furst's Gotham is a stunning Blade Runner-esque achievement (not forgetting Derek Meddings' modelwork).

An absolute triumph of a superhero blockbuster.

thank God for All4...

Sweet Country

as always there's a draw for some films and this was Sam Neill. But Neill is one small chink of a larger and greater piece.

It's a beautiful film. Curious perhaps to say considering the sheer savagery the film has wrapped up in it -the racism, the language, the violence and some of this comes from the scenery itself. Driven by powerful performances in the shape of Hamilton Morris and Bryan Brown. Sam Neill disappears at times but turn is classic Neill in that when given the chance, he can do a lot.

Incredible film I think.

Once Upon A Time In Mexico - more 'south of the border' action funtimes in this Desperado sequel, this time with the addition of the likes of Johnny Depp and Willem Dafoe to the cast. As entertaining as the first.

Coogan's Bluff - crime drama with Clint Eastwood as an Arizona deputy sheriff sent to New York to bring back a wanted man. Much humour is mined from the clash of Coogan (he walks around in cowboy hat and boots and 'bootlace' tie and in a running gag is continually mistaken for a Texan) with NY's late 60s hippy culture (although it must be said the 'free love' side of it seems to suit him just fine, lol). It's not as action-orientated as the Dirty Harry flicks, but there is a pretty decent bar brawl and an excellent closing motorbike chase.

Love on the dole... recorded it off the telly couple of days ago, a film about the hardships of living in Salford during the 30s. I loved this film as ive lived in Salford all my life (well not all of it as i'm not dead yet) All studio shot which is a shame, a few location shots would have been cool but even so a great old black n white from 1941 and a good representation of Northern folk just trying to survive

Batman Returns - can't be too many superhero summer blockbusters that begin with a 'freak' baby in a crib being flung into a river by its parents ... at Christmas.

But so it is with this, in which Tim Burton does enough on the expected action and spectacle front to keep the WB 'suits' happy to allow him to indulge his 'gallery of grotesques' approach more than in the first film, with Michelle Pfeiffer and Danny DeVito (possibly having even more fun than Jack Nicholson) as Catwoman and The Penguin, and not forgetting Christopher Walken as crooked Gotham businessman Max Schreck (named after the actor who played Nosferatu in the classic silent vampire movie).

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Batman Returns - can't be too many superhero summer blockbusters that begin with a 'freak' baby in a crib being flung into a river by its parents ... at Christmas.

But so it is with this, in which Tim Burton does enough on the expected action and spectacle front to keep the WB 'suits' happy to allow him to indulge his 'gallery of grotesques' approach more than in the first film, with Michelle Pfeiffer and Danny DeVito (possibly having even more fun than Jack Nicholson) as Catwoman and The Penguin, and not forgetting Christopher Walken as crooked Gotham businessman Max Schreck (named after the actor who played Nosferatu in the classic silent vampire movie).  

Definetly my fave batman film, i love anything with Chris walken in it but this is devito's film, getting into that make up must of been awful