Great films you (probably) haven't seen...

Mike Boom · Post by **Mike Boom** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 3:41 pm

Talking about Bill Forsyth - what about "Gregorys Girl" and the fantastic "Housekeeping" one of my favourite all time films.

Whats Bill up to these days eh?

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 4:16 pm

I think Forsyth's career took a steady downturn, esp. the disastrous and, by most accounts (I haven't seen it) near-unwatcheable "Being Human" with Robin Williams. Last I heard, he was working on a "Gregory's Girl" sequel.

Have only seen "GG" and "Local Hero", but the latter is a favorite, a near perfect movie.

My list will include several movies I've mentioned elsewhere:

The Wicker Man
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Some I haven't talked as much about:

Sweet Charity -- Bob Fosse's first movie bombed, zeitgeisted to death and no doubt deemed irretrieveably square by the youngster of 1969. Now, it seems hipper than ever, right down to an extended nightclub sequences with touches of Andy Warhol and an lengthy spoof of sixties dances (if you look closely, you can spot pre-Roots Ben Vereen and, just for a second, possibly a pre-insanity Liza Minelli and Bob himself amongst the dancers). And then there's Sammy Davis Jr. amazing "guest appearance" as a the world's heppest cult leader. And then there's the bittersweet story, drawn from Fellini's best movie, IMO, "Nights of Cabiria" and Shirley McClaine in an earlier life. I love this movie beyond all reason.

And, while we're at it,

Nights of Cabiria -- Fellini's best movie. I dare you not to cry! Giuletta Masina is Lucilled mixed with Garbo and better than both.

To be continued....

Goody2Shoes · Post by **Goody2Shoes** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 4:49 pm

bobster wrote:

Have only seen "GG" and "Local Hero", but the latter is a favorite, a near perfect movie.

I love you, bobster!

invisible Pole · Post by **invisible Pole** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 8:15 pm

"Ghost World"
Directed by Terry Zwigoff, starring Thora Birch, Scarlet Johansson and Steve Buscemi (all three giving superb performances).

A wonderful little film about being an outsider, finding a fellow soul and growing up.
A must.

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 10:14 pm

Goody2Shoes wrote:
bobster wrote:

Have only seen "GG" and "Local Hero", but the latter is a favorite, a near perfect movie.
I love you, bobster!

Thanks.

And now, finally, the secret of winning the affections of the fairer sex...agree with them!

Goody2Shoes · Post by **Goody2Shoes** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 10:46 am

You're welcome. And you couldn't be more correct!

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:35 pm

Gregory's Girl sequel came out about 5 years ago...was called Gregory's 2 Girls. It's...erm...not that good.
I think the first one is pretty overrated as well though.

crash8_durham · Post by **crash8_durham** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:36 pm

Did anyone watch Danny Deckchair?

so lacklustre · Post by **so lacklustre** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 5:05 pm

Scum directed by Alan Clarke. Starring Ray Winstone, Julian Firth, Mick Ford & Phil Daniels.

Late seventies british classic about life inside a borstal (prison for young offenders). Alan Clarke was well known for making cutting edge dramas for tv and Scum was originally made for the BBC but the bbc director at the time said that it would be screened 'over my dead body'. Made into a feature film, I first saw it in a double bill with Quadraphenia in 79/80.

Here is what Amazon says:
"Controversial story of the cruelty and violence inside a Government Borstal. The film powerfully and sensationally portrays one man's struggle against all odds to be top dog in a system that is intent on breaking his spirit. "

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 5:27 pm

laughingcrow wrote:Gregory's Girl sequel came out about 5 years ago...was called Gregory's 2 Girls. It's...erm...not that good.
I think the first one is pretty overrated as well though.

Five years ago, huh...Boy, the mind does play tricks (felt like I read that article only yesterday....)

Agree with you that GG was a little overrated.

Still, Forsyth made at least one really good film, and that's more than most can say.

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 6:04 pm

bobster wrote: Still, Forsyth made at least one really good film, and that's more than most can say.

Yeah, my promise as an auteur dissipated shortly after Hack 'Em Up 2. To creatively peak at 13 years old is an absolute tragedy, I must say.

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 6:28 pm

By The Sword ('91). Eric Roberts, F Murray Abraham. Abraham's character takes up a job as a janitor at a fencing school run by Roberts'. He starts giving informal lessons as it turns out that he was a master fencer, causing inevitable rivalry with him.

ice nine · Post by **ice nine** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 8:38 pm

A Face in the Crowd

If you thought Matlock couldn't act in his younger years this movie will change your mind.

scielle · Post by **scielle** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 11:11 pm

"Ghost World"
Directed by Terry Zwigoff, starring Thora Birch, Scarlet Johansson and Steve Buscemi (all three giving superb performances).

Ooo, I second that. Whatever happened to Thora Birch - haven't heard of her in a while?

As for Polish directors - I like Krzysztof Zanussi's Life as a Terminal Sexually Transmitted Desease - he's generally too Catholic for my tastes, but I really liked that one. Plus he's quite a fascinating man - met him twice when he was around to hang out at the Montreal Polish Film Fest, and give lectures at McGill (which by the way he did in both English and French - I think in total he speaks about 6 languages - fluently!)

Also - The House of Mirth - directred by Terence Davies, and starring Gillian Anderson (aka Agent Scully) in a very brilliant non-X-Files turn of character - took me a while to get used to her in period costume and sans FBI badge. Dan Aykroyd, Anthony Lapaglia, Laura Linney, Eric Stoltz make for a wonderfully well-rounded cast. Achingly sad and well done.

scielle

Jackson Monk · Post by **Jackson Monk** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 3:14 am

Evil Roy Slade

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 7:20 am

Hell Drivers (1957)

Featuring Stanley Baker & a young Sean Connery. Baker's character takes on a job as a truck driver on dangerous, fast paced runs. The trucks used were like this 1957 Dodge Kew, except they had big tipper loads on the back.

I second A Face In The Crowd, with a great performance also from Walter Matthau.

Uncomplicated · Post by **Uncomplicated** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:21 pm

"The Hot Rock", A 1972 film.......Robert Redford, George Segal, Zero Mostel. I great flic!...can you say "afghanistan bananistan?

Tim(e) · Post by **Tim(e)** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 8:49 pm

John Huston's "Wise Blood" is a stunning piece of film making. It also contains one of my favourite lines when the Hazel Motes (Brad Dourif) is describing the church he wants to establish: "... the Church of Jesus Christ Without Jesus Christ, where the lame can't walk, the blind can't see, and the dead stay that way!"... brilliance.

All this discussion of Bill Forsythe and Bill Putnam had reminded me of a couple of other great films, one by Michael Apted called "P'tang Yang Kipperbang", which is a coming of age film about a cricket obsessed kid who longs to experience his first "kiss" and the other by Giles Foster called "Dutch Girls" which is about a British schoolboy hockey team who go to play in a competition in Holland... they are obsessed with the local girls (and the red light district of Amsterdam) while their coach/guardian is obsessed with the work of Vincent van Gough - it starred Timothy Spall who plays Peter Petigrew in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 8:13 pm

Why a "kiss" and not a kiss? An insincere kiss? Or is this a cricket term?

Anyhow, sound like cool movies. I'm a big Timothy Spall fan, mainly based on his wonderful performance in "Secrets and Lies", where he got a bit overshadowed by Brenda Blethyn and C.C.H. Pounder.

And, in the credit is due department, wouldn't that line from "Wise Blood", which really is a great movie, most likely come from the book, written by Flannery O'Connor. (I read it, but I honestly don't remember whether it was in there.)

Tim(e) · Post by **Tim(e)** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 9:17 pm

bobster wrote:Why a "kiss" and not a kiss? An insincere kiss? Or is this a cricket term?

Anyhow, sound like cool movies. I'm a big Timothy Spall fan, mainly based on his wonderful performance in "Secrets and Lies", where he got a bit overshadowed by Brenda Blethyn and C.C.H. Pounder.

And, in the credit is due department, wouldn't that line from "Wise Blood", which really is a great movie, most likely come from the book, written by Flannery O'Connor. (I read it, but I honestly don't remember whether it was in there.)

It was a "kiss", just because I like to use "quotation" marks

And yes, I don't doubt the line I quoted from Wise Blood came from the book, but as I stated only that it is one of my favourite lines, I don't think it really matters whether it came from the film or the book.

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 6:24 pm

so lacklustre wrote:Scum directed by Alan Clarke. Starring Ray Winstone, Julian Firth, Mick Ford & Phil Daniels.

Where's yer tool? Wot tool?

Will you be my missus?

4737 Carling sir!

Classic film.