Steve Crook

That portrait is actually the same one, of Deborah Kerr, used in Colonel Blimp. It's the one that Clive Candy has hanging in his study after Babara dies.

But in The League of Gentlemen, Roger Livesey shows no sign of recognising it :)

Steve

bottle07

Two rode Together (1961) - John Ford

This one seems to be a comedy-version of The Searchers with a wonderful Jimmy Stewart as a corrupt Marshall and Richard Widmark as a principled soldier. The portrayal of the Native Americans is questionable but fortunately the "civilised" world gets bashed too.

Key Largo (1948) - John Huston

Probably not as famous as The Maltese Falcon or The Treasure of the Sierra Madre but an underrated collaboration between Huston and Bogart.
A film noir with Edward G. Robinson as the Capone-like villain Johnny Rocco who after WWII and coming home from exile dreams of bringing back those glorious Roaring Twenties-days.
Rocco forces the few inhabitants of a deserted hotel to stay with him for one stormy night, Bogart being one of them.
A very tense dialogue driven thriller with an absorbing atmosphere.

Don't mention the war!

DB7

Encore (1951), with two of my favourite vignettes, The Aunt and The Grasshopper with Nigel Patrick's encouragable loafer and The Cruise with Kay Walsh's chattering spinster. The final story with Glynis Jones is something of a letdown.

Also, The Last Drop (2005).
A real turkey that takes the plot of Kelly's Heroes and plays it out during Operation Market Garden. The production is cheap and the acting swings from plain bad (footballer David Ginola and comedian Jack Dee make cameo's) to ridiculously OTT (Michael Madsen's US officer). The only person to come out of the exercise with some credit is the always excellent Sean Pertwee who seems to have carved out a career in low-budget British calamaties.

Harbottle

Never Back Losers (1962) Enjoyable "Edgar" with Jack Hedley as an insurance investigator delving into the murky world of horse race gambling, after jockey Wally Sanders throws a race and is then found seriously injured in his crashed Hillman Minx. Cast includes the always watchable Patrick Magee, and a nice cameo by an example of the the short-lived Ford Classic.


Steptoe & Son: Any Old Iron. Particularly fine episode from the recently released DVD of series five. Albert is worried that Harold might be "on the turn"

wagner1966

Boosted my P&P collection over the past couple of weeks and finally got round to watching Edge of the world last night. What a remarkable film. Like most of the P&P films it has a unique atmosphere and I can see this one getting a second viewing soon. Great extras on the disk aswell.

ps Steptoe series 5 had me in stitches all last weekend, roll on series 6

Ben

smudge

After the demise of TOTP they showed (again) The True Story of Top Of The Pops. Watched that then, inspired by Mr. Brent's 'Hancock' thread, watched Hancock's Half Hour - 'Spanish Interlude' just before Zzzzzz time. Hilarious ! :)

SMUDGE

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

A Pemberton

V for Vendetta ,An american film from the makers of the Matrix trilogy series , well....that should put most of you off to begin with:)

A long secret admiration for the more darker dc marvel comics and a bit subversive in my youth, V for vendetta is required watching .
Based on a kind of dark superhero (more a ordinary terrorist) V is a masked man fighting to bring down an authoritarian even fasicst dictator of a future Britain using november 5th as his vision for his quest.
Superhero or terrorist(how do you sell a film with a terrorist as the hero today?) it is dark and spellbinding and great fun and how this for a cast ,John Hurt (extraordinarily nasty) Tim piggot smith, Stephen Fry, Rupert Graves and John Standing to name a few.
I know your not going to like it but its delightfully subversive, bold in its statements it use an excellent British cast to full effect,though there is the obligatory pyrotecnics for a superhero for the american audience the film has something to say ...........

Steve Crook

Night Train to Munich (1940)
A fun romp with some great dialogue, but a serious message behind it.

The great Charters and Caldicott making some great comments on the state of Germany on the day war broke out.
Charters: I bought a copy of Mein Kampf. Occurred to me it might shed a spot of light on all this... how d'ye do. Ever read it?
Caldicott: Never had the time.
Charters: I understand they give a copy to all the bridal couples over here.
Caldicott: Oh, I don't think it's that sort of book, old man.

Wonderful stuff

Steve

bottle07

Breakfast on Pluto (2005) - Neil Jordan

Finally I could see this movie in the smallest cinema in town. An ode to the power of the imagination that despite of some wonderful effects never forgets its storyline. Wonderful cast, especially Cilian Murphy and Stephen Rea are outstanding.


quote: "If I wasn't a transvestite terrorist, would you marry me?"

Don't mention the war!

Harbottle

Agreed a wonderful film, just finished watching my copy the other evening. I had to watch it in two sittings as somehow I dozed off on my first attempt Nothing to do with the quality of the picture though, I put it down to the hot weather... and advancing years

harryfielder

Starting this Saturday night BBC 4 at 9pm.''I Claudius''
Well that's me sorted out for a few weeks

Aitch,

http://www.turnipnet.com/aitch/aitch/gallery.htm

DB7

No Blade of Grass (1970)

Apocalyptic ecological 'road' movie following Nigel Davenport as he leads a collection of stragglers from South to North as they seek sanctuary at his brother's farm. Of mild interest but the 'this is not a documentary - but could be' ending is a bit pious and the film's direction and editing leave a lot to be desired.

bloodworm

Spent 7 hours over the past two days engrossed in the 1984 Australian production BODYLINE, the true story of the 1932/33 ashes series in Aus. It potrays the single minded attitude of the Engish skipper Douglas Jardine in his attempt to destroy the great Don Bradman. Starting from early childhood of both we learn about their upbringing and how over the years leading to the final conflict thier lives were formed. Jardine developed an inner hatred for Bradman and his only goal in life was to find the chink in Bradmans armour and hence the bodyline theory was hatched. The sleeve has the sub heading "the day England declared war on Australia" and if this production is accurate then that is surely true. Jardine, played brilliantly by Hugo Weaving, a son of the raj became, and still is the most hated man ever to visit Australia. He had what modern poms do not pocess and that is the attitude of winning is the only thing to do, not "its the taking part that matters" this being bred into him in early life. The hatred his form of cricket generated spilled over into political fields showing that sport and politics have always gone hand in hand. Jardine went on to use bodyline in India where futher uproar was encounted and following this tour the method was outlawed and he was never to captain England again. A great portrayal of Harold Larwood, the English fast bowler would see his career ended when he refused to apologise for his bowling tactics. All in all a brilliant fest of sporting drama that i would recomend to any one, sporting fan or not....For me 10 out of 10

C/U The Worm

The one that gets away is always the biggest but not always the best !!

smudge

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN - Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator meets Lawrence of Arabia' epic about the Crusades. Visually stunning - beautifully photographed - but not strong on story.

SMUDGE

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

bottle07

The Cruel Sea - with Jack Hawkins

The German title didn't ring a bell, so I didn't expect much, but I was positively surprised. A quite realistic movie that doesn't lose itself in patriotism.

Don't mention the war!