Sunday 29 September 2013

SEPTEMBER - FILMS

As a bit of a change from banging on about books all the time, I'll offer up the films I watched in the month also.

In September 7 in total as it happens.

I Robot - TV

Starter For 10 - TV

Footloose - TV

Ocean Eleven - TV

The Place Beyond The Pines - DVD

Vertigo - DVD

The Taking Of Pelham 123 - TV

I Robot.........probably the 3rd time I have seen this. Enjoyable, watchable but if I had to choose a favourite Will Smith film it would be The Pursuit of Happiness.

Starter For 10.......based on the David Nicholls book of the same name. (Him of the more recent One Day book/film fame). A 2006 rom-com starring a baby-faced James McAvoy (Atonement, Trance,Narniasomethingorother)........enjoyable and laugh out loud cringey and funny. I do like a bit of University Challenge which should be familiar to you if you're reading this and in the UK. For those unaware of this quiz, it's been on our screens over here for 30-odd years and is a brainy quiz between two teams from rival universities, each seeking to progress further in the knock-out competition by defeating the opposition.
A very young James Corden also features.

Footloose....everyone knows the song, but I have never seen the film starring a young Kevin Bacon, early 80's, until now. Great fun - though I did get all nostalgic seeing an equally baby-faced Chris Penn - brother of Sean.





Chris Penn sadly died back in the mid-2000's after a history of substance abuse. A much under-rated actor, I loved him in Reservoir Dogs and Mulholland Falls.



Ocean Eleven - a heist film with a bit of Clooney and a bit of Pitt, a bit of Roberts, a bit of Damon and a bit of Garcia. I also spotted the dude from the recent series of Hawaii 5-0.......Danny. Great film, I might have to look for the sequels.




The Place Beyond The Pines......well it was really good until I got soooo tired and fell asleep about half an hour from the end - it is a long film! Have I got back to it..........err, no not yet. So much to my son's disgust, I will probably need to restart it again next month.





Vertigo - another Hitchcock classic with James Stewart. Enjoyable even if I did have a 20 minute nap in the middle of it!






The Taking Of Pelham 123......great film and my second viewing. I think Travolta gets better and more watchable the older he gets. Denzel's pretty much superb in everything he stars in.

I would still like to see the original of this, from 1974 with Walter Matthau, just to see which version I enjoy the most.

I did also record Hitman with Timothy Olyphant - Justified's Ralyan Givens but haven't yet watched it.

10 comments:

  1. Col - Oh, you watched some good 'uns. I had a great time watching Footloose, and I enjoyed Ocean's 11 very much too. You've got some other excellent choices as well. Reminds me of some films I ought to look up.

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    1. Margot thanks. It would be hard to select a favourite from these but Ocean's 11 would be near the top.

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  2. Ocean's 11 is a favorite film in our household, and Vertigo is a favorite of my husband. I like Vertigo, but like other Hitchcock films much better.

    We recently watched the Walter Matthau version of Pelham 1-2-3 (and liked it), and now I want to see the Denzel and Travolta version. I can watch Denzel in just about anything. Recently we saw Deja Vu which was good.

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    1. My wife bought me a box set of Hitchcock films a few years ago, and I have only watched maybe half so far, I think there are 15 total. I enjoyed Vertigo, but like you it wouldn't be my favourite.

      I haven't seen or heard of Deja Vu, so I'll look it up.

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  3. Col, I enjoyed THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123 and loved FOOTLOOSE because I saw it when I was in college. I still listen to Kenny Loggins' hit number. Where is he now?

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    1. Prashant was your Pelham 123 the re-make or the original?

      Footloose was great, my girls love those films. I think it's a toss-up whether Dirty Dancing as snake-hips Swayze shades it over Bacon and Footloose!

      Loggins.........I didn't even know it was him, let alone what happened to him and where he is now.

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    2. Col, I did not know there was a remake. I watched the one with Washington and Travolta, I don't know which one that is. I loved Dirty Dancing too.

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    3. Prashant - you saw the recent remake. There was the original one from the 70's with Walter Matthau as well.

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  4. Footloose - now there's a film! Loved it. Could watch the dance audition scene forever. Also reminds me of Full Monty, where the unemployed steelmen are watching it for dance tips, and conclude that she may be good at dancing, but her welding technique isn't up to much. Makes me laugh every time.

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    1. Moira, I do find dance scenes quite hypnotic.

      Full Monty is one I haven't watched with my girls, so I'll have to find a copy as I'm sure they will enjoy it. It's definitely a laugh out loud film, but there's an underlying sadness to it regarding the plight of the men and the effect on family.

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