smudge

Courtesy of Britmovie, Mrs. Smudge and meself have just spent Valentine's Night curled up on the sofa with THE GHOST TRAIN.

Who said romance was dead...? [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img]

Cheers DB7 ! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif[/img]

SMUDGE

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/vampire.gif[/img]

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

DB7

Cash on Demand

Xmastime morality tale from Hammer set within the confines of a provincial bank.

Rob Compton

Full of good stuff, though.....

"If it be a natural thing...where do it come from? Where do it go?...."

That line has permeated our household, and is regularly quoted!

"Ted Holmes...."

rgds
Rob

dorisjosser

CIRCUS OF HORRORS

I absolutely love this film. So refreshing to see Anton Diffring playing a shifty German for a change


Highlights - Donald Pleasance being hugged to death by a man in a gorilla suit
Erica Remberg flying through the air to the strains of Garry Mills' Look for a Star

and Conrad Phillips doing his solid policeman act. Was this before he starting shooting apples off peoples's heads?

arty-dave

The Avengers - Castle D'eath

Wonderful yarn with "Jock" McSteed and the Misses Peel investigating ghostly goings on in Scotland

theuofc

Hi, Smudge,

Can anyone tell me about "Births, Marriages...:? I haven't seen it yet, but I'm disappointed to hear Ray Winstone isn't good in it. He usually has impact and a solid presence in a film. I very much liked his performances in Sexy Beast and Henry VIII.

Thanks,

Barbara

smudge

It's a good story Barbara - we dipped in to test it and ended up watching into the wee small hours ; the whole thing in a single sitting.

Ray Winstone's not a fave of mine, but I just meant (I suppose) he was just being 'Ray Winstone' - his 'typed' role, the OTT heavy.

The series itself is well worth a look ; the other cast members are excellent - even Maggie O'Neill, whom I had only really seen in INVASION EARTH and didn't think much of. She gives a very good performance in BIRTHS....

SMUDGE

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/vampire.gif[/img]

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

theuofc

Hi, Smudge,

Thanks so much for the comments. You're right about Ray W being a good heavy. Hard to imagine him playing a wimp, especially with his look and build. That must be a series only in the UK [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/crybaby.gif[/img]
You get to see the best things there that almost never make it to this side of the Pond.

Best,

Barbara

mysteriesofedgarwallace

Winstone will always be Carlin to me.
SCUM still grabs you by the throat after nearly 30 years.

People moan about him, but I'd rather watch Winstone that the latest ex-soap star.
I gave up on that Private Eye series he did; too full of ex-soap stars. That Karen McDonald woman (don't know her real name) is truly appalling and cannot act her way out of a wet paper bag with a Stanley knife.
It looked like the office was just south of Clerkenwell Road; adjacent to Aldersgate Street.

Mind you, I did used to laugh; imagine Frank Marker with electronic gizmos!!!! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rotfl.gif[/img]

theuofc

Hello Mysteries....,

Very glad you like Ray Winstone. I'm a relatively new fan of his and am not familiar with Carlin, but he was wonderful in 'Sexy Beast.' I especially like seeing a talented actor who is not 'pretty' make it , also thinking of Ken Stott whom I liked in The Boxer and The Debt Collector.

Best,

Barbara

Steve Crook

Oh you must try & find a copy of Scum Barbara. It was Ray Winstone's first big role and many of his co-stars went on with him to become the "next wave" of great British actors. People like David Threlfall & Phil Daniels.

It's raw & gritty, but the performances are brilliant. Ray plays Carlin, a young thug who's been incarcerated in Borstal (young offenders institution). He hit an officer in one esablishment so he's moved to a new place where they have an even tougher regime.

It was first made for the BBC in 1977 but banned by them and never screened until 15 years later. The BBC said that they banned it because "There was too much incident packed into too short a time and that they doubted the veracity." So they thought it was pure fiction. But they also said that it "looked too much like a documentary."

Director Alan Clarke and writer Roy Minton got most of the cast together again a couple of years later and re-made it as a feature film. They're both very well made but I think the 1979 film version is fractionally better in various ways. Not just in the production values but in the performances as well. Although there are some that I prefer in the TV version.

It's not pleasant viewing though so be prepared to be shocked. But the performances are stunning.

Steve

theuofc

Hi, Steve,

Thanks for this. Now I really have to find Scum. I like gritty. I'm encouraged to know there's a movie version out which gives me a better chance to find it. It feels good to hear positive comments about Winstone. His Sexy Beast performance was won-der-ful. I know I've said it, but I feel as though I've found a gem.

Best,

Barbara

theuofc

I'll look for this one too. I didn't realize that Winstone was in Nil by MOuth. You are so right about the impact fine acting can have on one. You know you are witnessing and experiencing something rare.

Best,

Barbara

Steve Crook

In that case you should love Kathy Burke, Ray Winstone's co-star in Nil by Mouth. She may not be the prettiest lady in this world (understatement of the year), but she's a great actor.

Steve

Steve Crook

And Scum takes gritty to a new level. It's still quite shocking today, but remember that it was made in 1977/9.

You can get it on DVD in the States. Places like Amazon do the 1977 film version on a DVD by itself or you can get both versions plus some of Alan Clark's other gems like Made in Britain & The Firm in a boxed set. That's a mere $89.99.

Steve