And another thing…

I’ve never finished a Bond film, does that count?

Incidentally, I’ve never seen any of the films on that list, nor finished a Star Wars movie.

I could probably list on my shirt sleeve the films I’ve actually seen & finished. It’s a terrible medium, waste of time, too long, too boring.

So, the country is bankrupt thanks to Nude Liberace, our Prime Minsister is an international horror and a shame to us all, and all you can write about is films. Well that says a lot about the total bankruptcy of your policies. If only it weere you policies that were bankrupt…

OK, wrong button – again!

Third Man is affy good. The rest are rubbish. I’ve never seen Love Story or Kramer vs Kramer. Never going to either, Goldfinger is my favourite Bond film.

Mine also. All the subsequent ones were just remakes of it.

You have interfered with my plans for the last time, Mr Harris…

Aye.

Still, sad that Gert Froebe had to be dubbed though. ‘All my life I have admired it’s colour, it’s divine heaviness’.

A classic to recommend to others… hmmm. ‘Delicatessen’.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101700/

Also ‘Dark Star’. It’s the original ‘Alien’.

Damn. Put an apostrophe in the wrong ‘it’s’ there. I hate that. I ‘never usually’ do that. I must be ‘loosing’ the plot.

Speaking of plots, ‘Red Monarch’ is good. I think I might have said that before.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086178/

Biographical note: it was I who added the complete cast list for the IMDB entry on Red Monarch. There were only about six names there before I got to work on it. True. See? I have done something useful with my life. I don’t care what you all think.

Tom. have you seen ” A Man For All Seasons”? My favourite film ever. I’ve also seen Casablanca, the Thomas Crown affair, (Chess was never the same after) and slept through “gone with the wind”.

Jim – I’m glad it’s a non-political post. There is no more debate to be had about New Labour other than which ones should receive fair reward for their treason when they are removed from office.

Anyway – films! Can I announce my new project which Bob Jones may like?

Discmania – a source of classic films and CDs for people like me who are sick of dumbed down rubbish and bad language.

There are still hundreds to add, but Casablanca’s there already. I give it five stars.

I wouldn’t rush out to buy Gone With the Wind. It’s a Civil War soap opera, if you ask me, so I’m not in a rush to get it in. What was amazing with my personal copy is the quality of the DVD. It looks like it was made yesterday. Some of the cinematography is great. Definitely worth seeing for that. Actually, do buy it.

I don’t have The Third Man. Will The Thin Man do?

Cuckoo’s Nest has too much swearing to be included in our inventory.

I would recommend:

Charade – Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau. A real twisty and turny plot.

North by Northwest – Cary Grant again and Eva Marie Saint, with James Mason. Sheer Hitchcock brilliance.

Until I was 21 I’d never seen Top Gun. I still feel as though I hadn’t missed out. Casablanca is a great film Tom. You really should watch it.

How about Citizen Kane? Everyone agrees it’s the greatest film ever made and a huge influence on cinema.. but actually watched it? I don’t think so.
And the orginal Thomas Crown affair is indulgent 60s blather.. the remake is much better.

Casablanca is fabulous

Gone With The Wind – the book is better, but film or book, orderin some DVT stockings lol

But you’ve missed out “Kind Hearts & Coronets” – Alec Guinness plays 9 roles. It’s a brilliant, hilarious film – totally recommend it!!

I didn’t see Star Wars (the first three) until about two years ago, and I’ve still not seen the last three. I do know someone who has never seen a Bond film. When she told me, I was utterly utterly flabbergasted…

I’ve never seen Basic Instinct! I’m told that’s a classic.

Licence To Kill is a great Bond film – Dalton does Bond in Daniel Craig-style 17 years before Casino Royale.

What about films that are reputed to be bad but you love. For me these include Beverly Hills Cop 3, Porky’s, Gone In 60 Seconds (Cage version), Mission Impossible 2, Police Academy, Alien vs Predator and Who Dares Wins.

As for films that are classics that I have no interest in seeing, these include all the Godfathers (look boring to me), Star Wars episodes 6,1,2,3 (4 and 5 were bad enough and I hear they get worse), Citizen Kane, Chinatown, Kes, Apocalypse Now, Raging Bull.

I do however recommend No Way Out with Kevin Costner – a great Cold War thriller (after a slow first half hour) with a cracking twist at the end.

Please learn how to spell the name of one of the most famous persons of the last century…sorry but it’s a huge bugbear of mine as I have to live with the misspelling on a daily basis by nearly everyone I encounter!! It’s Gandhi not Ghandi.

Off topic but I am surprised that Tom has not (yet) commented on:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8127851.stm

The government is to take the East Coast rail service, run by National Express, into public ownership.

The troubled rail franchise, which is expected to have lost £20m in the first half of the year, is suffering from slumping passenger numbers.

Ministers have refused the company’s requests for its contract with the government to be renegotiated.

Casablanca is obviously excellent, and should be viewed without delay. I’ll lend you my copy. Srsly.

Citizen Kane – possibly my favourite film, a great work of art. Have you seen this? Much though I like you, Tom, if you have not seen Citizen Kane I must accuse you of being a philistine and a dullard. Sorry.

How about the following (in no particular order):
* Apocalypse Now
* Mr Smith Goes to Washington
* The Godfather Part II (marginally the better of the first two Godfathers, imho)
* The 39 Steps
* The Wicker Man
* Love and Death

I don’t think you’re missing much with Gone With The Wind, or Ghandi for that matter. The Third Man however is a great film – funny, well acted, with some good shots of Vienna (albeit a rather badly-knocked-about Vienna) and with the most amazing score. By far the best film Orson Welles ever made. And that does include Citizen Kane, which as Jonty points out, is not very watchable. In fact I’d go so far as to call CK boring, ill-written, badly acted and overlong. You can’t say any of that about the Third Man. Highly recommended!

My wife’s not seen a Star Wars film, only bits and pieces when it’s been on the TV.

From your list the ones I wouldn’t bother with are Gone with the Wind and the original Thomas Crown Affair – as Jonty earlier said, the remake is far better, I would stick with that.

Gone with the Wind is soooo long and, apart from a couple of decent scenes and the ending, is soporific to say the least.

Casablanca is very good, a little too complex in places than it needed to be in my view, but hardly surprising since they basically made the story up as they went along.

The Third Man is …well….just excellent, if you ignore the fact that cuckoo clocks are not Swiss.

A classic to recommend? It might not be to everyone’s taste but Goodfellas is magnificent.

Stewart,

Ah yes. North by Nothwest. Cary Grant plays ‘Roger Thornhill’.

Doesn’t he post on here sometimes? RT I mean, not CG.

Fancy using a famous name as a nom de blog. Shocking.

two classic quotes from two classic films

‘i only want you to blow the bloody doors off !’

and

”do you expect me to talk ‘?
‘no mr. bond i expect you to die ”

and for the anoraks, the odessa steps sequence in ‘ the battleship potemkin’

Frank Owen and his paintbrush – Fear not, I have indeed seen Citizen Kane and all the others you recommend.

Five seconds of “Terminator 2″ is worth every Bond film put together and multiplied by ten.

Casablanca is wonderful for the lusciousness of Bergman, the loucheness of Bogart and the rattusinity of Raines.
And let’s not forget,the war was the main factor of everyone’s life at the time. It needs to be seen in that light, I believe.

Cuckoo’s Nest is a truly great film for the acting of Nicholson, a stupendous supporting cast and the vivid, painful humanity of the Keasey’s story.

But in my opinion, if one can get past the hideous accents and the hilarious social attitudes, the greatest ever British film, perhaps the greatest ever European film, is Brief Encounter.

On the world stage(screen?)however, all the finest films ever made are undoubtedly American.

Jim Baxter -

Indeed, Roger Thornhill does post here and elsewhere. It’s an unlikely name for the hero who gets the dame, although it’s better than Cary Grant’s real name, Archibald Leach.

You’ve never seen Casablanca?

All is explained. No wonder you’re a socialist. Rick (Humphrey Bogart) is a chain-smoking, disenchanted realist who has said goodbye to his dreams (Ingrid Bergman) in this poignant movie.

You wouldn’t be able to understand Woody Allen’s Play It Again, Sam if you haven’t seen Casablanca.

Casablanca is probably No. 1 on the list of movies that antismoking thugs would like to have banned.

It’s up the top there with High Noon in my personal list of favourite movies.

Casablanca – Way out in front

A Few others to consider: (in no particular order):
Local Hero, Fitzcarraldo, Mary Poppins, Withnail & I, Where Eagles Dare, Breakfast atv Tiffany’s, True Romance, Kelly’s Heroes, Now Voyager, Scarlet Pimpernel(Anthony Andrews), Dambusters, Some Like it Hot, Men in Black, Wild at Heart, Midnight Express, Sleepy Hollow, The Producers(Zero Mostel), First of the Few.

A few others to see before shuffling off one’s mortal coil:

The Last Picture Show;

The Maltese Falcon;

Sunset Boulevard;

Great Expectations (David Lean version);

Electra Glide in Blue;

Deliverance;

Vertigo;

The Sorrow and the Pity;

Bad Company;

The Searchers;

Red River;

The Best Man;

The Sweet Smell of Success;

Spartacus;

Julius Caesar;

A Streetcar named desire;

Klute;

The Spy who came in from the cold;

Un Chien Andalou;

High Society;

The Ploughman’s Lunch;

Kes;

The Ladykillers;

Billy Liar;

Chimes at Midnight;

Touch of Evil;

Rome Open City;

The battle of Algiers;

All Quiet on the Western front;

Grande Illusion

Stalag 17;

The Shining;

Don’t look Now;

Network;

The cruel sea;

The Sting;

The Hustler;

I’ve never seen any of the Lord of the Rings movies. I hated the bloody silly hairy hobbit at school, so I don’t see why I should want to go and see them at the pictures. And pay.

Gandhi was a great man, so the film’s worth seeing for his sake, but it’s no great film. Workmanlike stuff.

Out this summer at various places over the country has been This Sporting Life, a great British European film with Richard Harris’s best performance, a compelling social vision, great visual sensibility, top score and most of all a terrific screenplay with ace dialogue well performed by all. Surely one of the best British films. Tom, you could catch it next week in London or the following weekend in Edinburgh, and your money would be supporting the Glasgow-based distributor, Park Circus.

http://carlgardner.co.uk/reviews/comments/dont_you_want_to_be_happy/

Here’s the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RNWy5VpL8Q

This Casablancist tendency must be resisted. it is formulaic mush. Got that?

I’m with Mike Elrick. – The Ladykillers -judging by his taste there can be no doubt that he means the original, Ealing, Mackendrick version (who also directed the Sweet Smell of Success) and Network.

I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take Brown any more!

@Stewart Cowan,

I don’t believe he is who he says he is.

one of the characters in ‘what makes sammy run’ by bud schulberg says that film is the best medium ever invented for story telling – well it certainly runs books a very close second !

@ George Kaplan

I want you to find out who this Tom Harris really is and why he’s working for the dark side.

@The Professor

As Mr Kaplan’s controller I shall endeavour to do as you request.

I suspect that there are some sources close to this blog who don’t get the connection between George Kaplan and Roger Thornhill. I expect they have more important things to be concerned about.

Come, now. Mr. Kaplan. There’s no need to keep up this absurd pretence.

@Carl Gardner

I may go back to hating you. It was more fun.

I’ve never seen a Star Wars film (do I get a prize?).

I’d recommend the psychological thrillers Sleuth and House of Cards, any Bette Davis film and, for nostalgia, Random Harvest with Greer Garson. Also a film called Blanche.

See you’re publicising the amend the smoking ban campaign, Tom – thank you.

@Jay

“See you’re publicising the amend the smoking ban campaign, Tom – thank you.”

Yes, he votes to force smokers onto the street and then makes money out of someone advertising for this ill-conceived ban to be amended.

“…he votes to force smokers onto the street and then makes money out of someone advertising for this ill-conceived ban to be amended”

Bearing false witness, are we, Stewart? I thought you were aware I voted against the full smoking ban and in favour of Labour’s manifesto commitment – a partial ban which would have allowed pub customers to smoke in separate areas and in private clubs.

@Tom

I hate having to apologise to a Labour MP after what you’ve done to my country.

Sorry; okay?

“Bearing false witness, are we, Stewart?”

Not deliberately. I presumed you were a typical New Labour clone on this matter. Surely a very easy mistake to make?

Can I take it that you will give the Amend The Smoking Ban team your support?

Yes, you can take it. And that wasn’t much of an apology, incidentally.

I am very sorry, Tom, for accusing you of something you didn’t do.

Please use the space below to list some things you think the Government should apologise for:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

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please continue on a separate piece of screen…

High Noon. I saw it years ago for the first time when Grandstand put it on instead because sport was snowbound. Bought the remastered DVD a few weeks ago. The film stands the test of time.

Passport to Pimlico
Arsenic and Old Lace
The Right Stuff
The 39 Steps (The 70’s version with Robert Powell is the best version)
The Hill
On The Waterfront
The Cincinatti Kid
Bachelor Party

All Classics

Stewart Cowan,

Should you need to find out whether an MP voted for the smoking ban, you can always refer to this page at the publicwhip.org. As you can see, Tom voted with the minority against the ban.

You are an inspiration to me Tom.

http://scottishtoryboy.blogspot.com/2009/07/movies-ive-never-seen.html

It is my turn to apologise Tom. I wrote this on Forest’s Taking Liberties blog “Kerry McCarthy, Tom Harris (Labour MPs) and Mary Honeyball (Labour MEP) have all incurred the wrath of writing pro ban articles.” I should of referred to Paul Flynn.

Can I thank you for supporting an amendment to the smoking ban too.

My unreserved apologies again.

http://takingliberties.squarespace.com/taking-liberties/2009/7/14/adrian-sanders-sets-the-record-straight.html