10 more!

I admit that I was going to blog about interesting(!) times with Freeview TV but can't find the passion for it at the moment, so ... here's another 10 (30 down, 20 to go).

Midnight Express: I regard this as one of those 'mega' movies; something that's a proper, full-on, experience. There is so much to this film - it's very gritty, grim, yet at the same time optimistic and (eventually) hopeful. A number of tremendous performances (I didn't recognise Hurt until the end credits) and something ironic in the eventual tale of Brad Davis. Iconic scenes too. Don't smuggle drugs in Turkey. No. Really don't.  My favourite Alan Parker film.

North by Northwest: Are we keeping a count of Hitchcock films? I didn't think I was a particular fan, but this in many ways is the definitive Hitchcock (of that time). A much-seen classic with all the Hitchcock signatures and Cary Grant holding it all together. Wonderful sinister villains, and paced so beautifully from start to finish. You're bound to have seen it, but watch it again. You'll have a great time.

Notting Hill: No, please, stop looking at me like that. Thanks. Okay - I think most of Richard Curtis's output (at least film-wise) is no great shakes. I'm certainly no fan of "four weddings" (it's nice enough) but I am a sucker for a good rom-com. And this is a good rom-com. A very good rom-com. The 'rom' is ably delivered by Julia Roberts (and the excellent ensemble supporting cast), showing a delightful, wistful London, replete in cosy suburbs and secret nooks. This is London not seen again until 'Last Chance Harvey' ... the London we export, rather than the London we encounter. And 'com' is matched by Rhys Ifans and Grant's quirky friends. It's pitch-perfect and lovely, and all the nice things. Nice isn't always bad. 

One Deadly Summer: Isabelle Adjani. Naked. Lots. And yet there's much more to this. It's a chaotic whodunnit (and what was done) that zips along with a frothy zeal that draws you in. At times obvious, and possibly a mish-mash of too many themes, but very engaging, and emotional. Sad, yet also full of life. Lots to commend this. A French film that isn't too French to leave you out of the sensibilities of what's going on. I think there are possibly 3 'foreign' films in my list, and they are all French. What does that say?

Outlaw Josey Wales: This Western sits at the cusp of the transition of Westerns, from the austere, traditional white-hat/black-hat westerns of the 40s-60s to the gritty realism of the 80s and beyond (we've since moved elsewhere with some atrocious tosh of late). Eastwood at his most laconic, with a superbly pithy script. There are numerous 'cusp' films of this era, but this is the most enjoyable, watchable, and well-rounded. In many ways the definitive western (almost ... more later). "Dying's not much of a living."

Platoon: Oliver Stone's epic war reflection. There are of course parallels to be made with Apocalypse Now, and the physical and vocal similarities between the Sheen pair is obvious. But this film belongs to Berenger and Defoe, both slugging out mesmerising performances, instilling dirty unflinching realism into the dark tale of the horrors of war; or simply the horror of mankind when pushed to extremes. A film you'll watch once and never forget. Iconic and cataclysmic. Powerful stuff. 

Quatermass and the Pit: Somewhere I have the BBC TV original. On some tape. Somewhere. Never watched it but I have it. This Hammer remake for the big screen is every bit the bum-clencher. I've watched it recently, and some of the impact has been lost, but it's still an eerie, spooky, unsettling feature, full of dark foreboding and chills. Has the feel of a 70s play (The Stone Recorder sort of thing) but another proper chiller.

Rear Window: Well, here's Mr Hitchcock again. And another definitive film (of there can be more than one). It has all the classic elements once more, but with the delightful pairing of Stewart and Kelly at the centre. It's simply wonderful in all of its elements, and no-one can fail to be supremely entertained by this film. This is Stewart at this peak, and Hitchcock too. An all-time classic, and deservedly so. Outstanding.

Room with a View: Okay, there was a whole raft of Merchant/Ivory, and not all were to my taste but this is delightful. Simon Callow and HBC can hardly do wrong, and this is both passionate and funny, yet also beautiful and uplifting. A reminder of happy times in more than the obvious way. 

Say Anything… : In my head this sits alongside The Sure Thing, possibly for obvious reasons. However, written and directed by Cameron Crowe there's more here than John Cusack in the rain wooing Ione Skye with Peter Gabriel. There's at least John Mahoney too in pre-Frasier days, and lots of sharp dialogue with more than a little truth. Okay ... we know where we're going from act one, but it's a decent trip and not so formulaic as to be patronising. It's iconic of the 80s. Which don't seem so bad from this angle, and probably quite reminiscent of today's times in large part.

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Almost done!