Blog # 1500

Hello boys and girls, and welcome to my 1,500th blog post. And you are indeed welcome.

For the first part of this blog, I thought I would post my ten favourite films. A difficult task, and even harder as we have barely gone to the cinema in the past two years. But hey. So, what criteria have I used? well, films that stand up to repeated viewing, are as fresh on the 10th viewing as they were on the first. Maybe some surprises in here, but these are in no order to be honest, as how can you compare a comedy with a science fiction with an action/adventure? Annyway, so in no particular order.

1. Bull Durham.

A baseball film that is not really about baseball, its about relationships. And subject of an article in the very first edition of Empire Magazine, explaining the terms used, which made the first viewing easier to follow. But after a few times, you know it. And you get to know the dialogue, the music used. But most of all its the performances of all three leads: Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, who has neevr been better, and Tim Robbins. The scipt sparkles, as does the direction and cinematography. An utterly believeable storyline, and what would you do to preserve a winning streak?

Hey, I'm going to the Show!

2. Grosse Pointe Blank

I first saw this on a dodgy VHS player in a common room at RAF Mount Pleasant in the Flaklands. I was the room head of entertainment, so I was charged with collecting evey night's entertainment for the room to watch. GPB was given either four or five stars in Empire, and so I was waiting for this to become available. The plot: an assasin goes to his hometown on another kill, where he could also attend his high school reunion. What could go wrong? Everything. Another wonderful script, plot and performances from all; John Cussack, Minnie Driver and Dan Ackroyd. And all to the best soundtrack of any film. Ever.

Another cold cup of coffee from The Clash!

3. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Three epic films, great script, direction and performances all round, not least from the New Zealand backdrops. But what the second had over its predecessor and following siblings was pace, and none of the pomposity of the first, or the multiple poor endings of the last. So, if I had to choose one, it would be this. Nothing quite matches seeing your favourite book of all time made into a film, heck, three films, made large, and not quite perfect, when dealing with nearly 1500 pages of literature, doing a damned fine job.

No one tosses a dwarf!

4. Groundhog Day

Really, a one joke film, played over and over again. Shouldn't work, but does, brilliantly. Phil Connors doomed to repeat the same day, February 2nd, over and over again until he sees the errors of his ways and gets the girl. Each day he gets it wrong, he wakes up at the beginning of the same day with a Sonny and Cher soundtrack. Bill Murray, Andie McDowell and a fine support cast. First time I watched it, I rewound the tape and watched it again. So perfect, so funny.

Don't drive angry!

5. Blade Runner

Very few films can claim to start a genre, but for the Sci-Fi noir, this certainly does. Or in ,y mond. And one that sets out a Dystopian future with the rich living at the top of massive tower blocks in penthouses, getting all the daylight, moving around in hover cars so not having to mix with the poor and rest of society that live close to the ground in semi-darkness. all scenes shot outside show a city drenched in continuous rain, whilst illuminated by neon oriental advertising. And characters on the street speak in a hybrid English/Japanese patois. Deckard is enticed back into the police force to hunt down bio-engineered lifeforms (replicants) to retire (kill) them.

I was lucky enough to see this at the cinema when it came out, and then on VHS once we had a player and I could rent it every week. A DVD re-issue of a director's cut, cleaned the print, removed the voiceover and just let the film breathe.

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe!

6. Midnight Run

Jack Walsh (played by Robert d Niro) is a bountyr hunter, and is given the simple task of bringing in an informant on The Mob in after he skipped bail. Should be an easy job, a midnight run. But then nothing ever is. The film follows Jack, once he had captured his prey, The Duke, back from New York to Los Angeles. Crossing ,aths with the FBI, the Mafia and others as well as a rival bounty hunter. A pin sharp script and comedic best performance from De Niro.

Now here come two words for you: Shut the fuck up!

7. The Rocky Horror Picture Show I first saw Rocky Horror whilst on an exchange trip in Hannover. There were some strange people on the train heading into the city centre, wonder where all those exotic people were going. Turns out they were going to see Rocky Horror too. Two hours later, transsexuals, transvestites, basques, dance routines, horror and I was confused. Did I like it? Not sure, but it fixed in my mind. 6 years later, and a midnight showing at the Sparrows Nest theatre in Lowestoft, and it all made sense, kinda. I must have been to the cinema 30 times over the years, to the West End to see the stage revival in 1990, bought the soundtracks, knew the words by heart.

It's just a jump to the left!

8. Alien

The original. And best. A grimy working spaceship is diverted to investigate a message. They land on the surface of a planet, find a ship and find something. Then take it back to their ship, and the game is then to survive. The first sci-fi folm that failed to portray the future as new and shiny where everything worked. A blue collar sci-fi horror film.

In space no one can hear you scream!

9. Airplane

Joke per minute, the funniest film of all time. A rip-off of Airport, turning a disaster movie into a laugh-a-thon. Nothing more to say really.

Ever seen a grown man naked?

10. Almost Famous

The final position could have been one of may films, I mean to choose a top ten is hard enough, but when the first nine kinda pick themselves, what remaining film should I add: Spinal Tap? When Harry Met Sally? The Usual Suspects? LA Confidential? Silence of the Lambs? They Live? Pulp Fiction? Austin Powers? I changed this last choice sine beginning writing this last entry, it was going to be Pulp, but then checking my list I saw Almost Famous. Cameron Crowe directed this film based loosely on his life as a young journalist on Rolling Stone. Perfectly cast, great music and wonderful scenes. Even better is the directors cut, which is titles Untitled, with over an hour of extra, wonderful material.

Rock stars have kidnapped my son!