Tag Archives: Film

100 Films That Have Stood The Test of Time.

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Films stand the test of time for a reason. Most of the films that do have a brilliant script and superb acting. So get some popcorn, here is my top 100 films. Disagree? Let us know what films you would choose.

girl-interrupted

1. Citizen Kane (1941) (Obvious but brilliant)
2. All About Eve (1950)
3. The Godfather (1972)
4. The Godfather II (1974)
5. Shawshank Redemption (1994)
6. 12 Angry Men (1957)
7. Ben Hur (1959)
8. The Lion King (1994)
9. Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs. (1937)
10. The Breakfast Club (1985)
11. Jaws (1975)
12. Die Hard (1988)
13. Casablanca (1952)
14. The Jungle Book. (1967)
15. Dr Strangelove, Or How I learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb. (1964)
16. Caddyshack (1980)
17. Lawrence Of Arabia. (1962) This is Steven Spielberg’s favourite film, and for good reason.
18. The Life of Brian (1979)
19. Flight of The Phoenix (1965)
20. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
21. The Searchers. (1958)
22. Wizard of Oz (1939)
23. West Side Story (1961)
24. Girl Interrupted (1999)
25. On The Waterfront (1954)
26. Toy Story. (1995)
27. Dirty Dancing (1987)
28. Cleo From 5 to 7. (1962)
29. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
30. The Elephant Man (1980)
31. Cinema Paradiso (1988)
32. Annie Hall (1977)
33. Top Gun (1986)
34. The Big Sleep (1946)
35. Grease (1978)
36. Stand By Me (1986)
37. Rocky (1976)
38. Psycho (1960)
39. Goodfellas (1990)
40. The Omen (1976)
41. Raider’s of the Lost Ark. (1981)
42. Don’t Look Now (1973)
43. E.T. (1982)
44. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
45. To Kill a Mocking Bird. (1962)
46. Star Wars (1977)
47. American Beauty. (1999)
48. A Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)
49. Rear Window (1954)
50. High Society (1956)
51. North By Northwest (1959)
52. Oliver (1968)
53. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
54. Mary Poppins (1964)
55. True Grit (1969)
56. The Sound of Music (1965)
57. A Bridge Over the River Kwai. (1957)
58. Alien (1979)
59. The Longest Day. (1962)
60. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. (1958)
61. Brief Encounter (1945)
62. Pretty Women (1990)
63. Some Like It Hot. (1959)
64. The Great Escape (1963)
65. Rebecca (1940)
66. Gone With The Wind (1939)
67. Sullivan’s Travels. (1941)
68. The Apartment. (1960)
69. The Philadelphia Story. (1940)
70. Home Alone (1990)
71. The African Queen. (1951)
72. To Catch a Thief (1955)
73. Double Indemnity (1944)
74. Badlands (1973)
75. A Room with a View (1985)
76. Back to the Future (1985)
77. Karate Kid. (1984)
78. Reservoir Dogs(1992)
79. East of Eden (1955)
80. Mystic River (2003)
81. Pulp Fiction (1994)
82. Saving Private Ryan (1994)
83. Ghostbusters (1984)
84. When Harry Met Sally (1989)
85. Sleepless In Seattle (1993)
86. The Goonies (1985)
87. One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest (1975)
88. Halloween (1978)
89. Blade Runner (1982)
90. Thelma and Louise (1991)
91. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
92. Schindler’s List (1993)
93. La Dolce Vita (1961)
94. Leon (1994)
95. His Girl Friday (1940)
96. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
97. My Fair Lady (1964)
98. The Unforgiven (1992) “It’s a hell of a thing to kill a man, you take everything he’s got, and everything he’ll ever have.”
99. Shenandoah (1965)
100. Apocalypse Now (1979) “I wanted a mission, and for my sins, they gave me one.”

 

 

7-49 UP DVD

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Arguably the best documentary series ever made for British television and certainly the longest running factual programme in the history of UK TV, The release of 7-49 Up is now out on DVD. The flagship ITV series about children from different social backgrounds made between 1964 and 2005 as they evolve through life will be available to buy on DVD for the first time in the UK in a 6-disc set,

The first instalment of 7-UP was broadcast in 1964 as a one-off World in Action special, featuring children talking about their hopes and dreams for the future. As members of the generation who would be running the country by the year 2000, what did they think they would become? Inspired by World In Action founder editor Tim Hewat’s passionate interest in both the Jesuit saying: “Give me the child until he is seven and I will show you the man,” and the rigid class system of 1960s Britain, Seven Up set out to discover whether or not the children’s lives were pre-determined by their background.

This forward thinking television show – the very first example of a programme recording real people living real lives – and the follow-up documentaries – have won an array of accolades and awards. Director Michael Apted, who has since moved to Hollywood to direct films, has returned every seven years to chart the children’s progress through life. Over the past five decades, the series has documented the group as they have become adults and entered middle-age, dealing with everything life has thrown at them in between.

 

CANNES 2012 PREVIEW

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The most prestigious and coveted film festival on the planet is upon us as filmmakers, stars and journalists descend on the southern French seaside resort to view and critique some of the most anticipated films of the year. Of course I cannot be going myself; the rigour of the festival is said to drive even the most dedicated of film journalists to the edge let alone a beginner. But I can definitely cast my eye over the selection and pick ten of them that have caught my and other cinefiles eyes. Some of these have confirmed UK release dates, others do not. Either way the calibre of these titles should see them generating plenty of buzz before their arrival on these shores.

MOONRISE KINGDOM

The seventh feature from the king of idiosyncratic American indie cinema Wes Anderson is a period piece set in the mid sixties following two runaway teenagers in love and the haphazard search party that sets out after them. Anderson stalwarts Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman are joined by newcomers Bruce Willis, Edward Norton and Frances McDormand to name a few. Anderson’s exceptionally detailed, designed and witty directorial style may not be to all tastes but for fans of his work this is set to tick all the boxes.

LOVE

Austrian master of discomfort Michael Haneke returns to France for a tale of a couple who must care for the wife’s elderly parents. French acting legend Isabelle Huppert appears alongside William Shimmel of the magnificent Certified Copy in what would appear to be a more gentle approach for Haneke. Those familiar with his work however, will be prepared for terrible things to happen.

KILLING THEM SOFTLY

The Assassination of Jesse James was one of the most criminally underrated films of recent years so hopes are high for director Andrew Dominik and star Brad Pitt’s reunion in this gritty crime thriller about an underworld investigation into a card game heist co starring Sam Shepard, Richard Jenkins, James Gandolfini and Ray Liotta. Pitt appeared in last year’s big Cannes winner The Tree Of Life. Can he make it two in a row?

COSMOPOLIS

Robert Pattinson has the hearts of millions of Twilight fans and now we find out if he can win critical acclaim in Canadian maestro David Cronenberg’s twisted thriller about a young elitist yuppie travelling across New York City for a designer haircut and getting caught up in a dystopian, cultural revolution. Imagine a science-fiction take on American Psycho.

GRANDMASTERS

Wong Kar- wai has had glory at Cannes before with his visually lush and unconventional takes on traditional genre features with In The Mood For Love and Chungking Express. Now he turns his fine eye to a classic martial arts tale (based on the Ip Man series) with Asian superstar Tony Leung pulling all the moves.

RUST AND BONE

Jacques Audiard is known for his poetic yet brutal dramas such as A Prophet and The Beat My Heart Skipped. Hopes are high for this dramatic tale of a marine park worker crippled in an accident who finds solace with an immigrant bouncer. The magnificent Marion Cotillard plays the lead and after being sadly relegated in recent American roles she may have to clear space next to her first Oscar for La Vie En Rose…

LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE

Abbas Kiarostami is a master of blurring the line between fiction and cinematic construct and recently had glory at Cannes with Certified Copy. Here he heads to Japan, focusing on the relationship between an aging academic and a student side-lining as a prostitute. Whatever the context of their relationship the director’s previous work dictates that appearances can be deceiving.

ON THE ROAD

Jack Kerouac’s seminal road journey novel has been rolling around studios for years and now Walter Salles of the excellent road movie The Motorcycle Diaries turns his attention to the tale of two young men making their way across fifties America. Sam Riley of the the brilliant Control appears alongside Kirsten Stewart, Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortensen, Elisabeth Moss and Steve Buscemi. For the cast alone this is a must see.

LAWLESS

Reminiscent of his gritty western The Proposition, Australian director John Hillcot’s latest is another tale of outlaw brothers (here in prohibition era America) whose familial bonds are pushed to the limit by the pursuing lawmen and each other. Again this is a stellar cast; Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain and Gary Oldman to name just a few.

THE ANGEL’S SHARE

Britain’s poet of the people Ken Loach is another Cannes stalwart and this appears to balance the mix between gentle humour and gritty realism of his previous work and concerns a young tearaway who finds a chance at redemption and success in the surprisingly sophisticated world of whisky brewing and selling.

The Cannes Film Festival runs from 16 May to 27 May.

Sundance London Film Festival 2012 Highlights

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Sundance London Film Festival 2012 Highlights

 

This year Sundance came to London with resounding success. Frost went along and has picked out some highlights.

Extranjero by Daniel Lumb & Crinan Campbell. This won the first ever Sundance London short film award, and rightly so. Well worth a watch.

The Return (Kthimi)

An amazing short film set in Kosovo. Everyone thought he died during the war but a man returns from being a prisoner of war and his wife, who he hasn’t seen in four years along with their son, has to tell him that she kept her rapists baby. Powerful and haunting.

Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.

Weird but kind of wonderful.

Tooty’s Wedding

This short film is hilarious. Especially when the lead actress tells her husband “Yesterday a man said my breasts were a 7, which is actually quite high”.

Under African Skies by Joel Berlinger

Highly acclaimed at the festival. Paul Simon’s historic Graceland album sold millions of copies and united cultures, yet divided world opinion on the boundaries of art, politics, and commerce. On the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Graceland’s release, Simon returns to South Africa for a reunion concert that unearths the turbulent birth of the album. Despite its huge success as a popular fusion of American and African musical styles, Graceland spawned intense political crossfire. Simon was accused of breaking the United Nations’ cultural boycott of South Africa, which was designed to end apartheid.

 

I really liked this film. Very well-made and interesting story.


The Queen of Versailles
The Queen of Versailles premiered in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and received the U.S. Directing Award for Documentary. Sundance Institute  provided creative support for the film at the 2011 Creative Producing Summit.

 

A very good documentary. Worth watching.


 

Did you go to Sundance London? What did you think?

 

Win NEO Legend wristband worn by Tony Stark thanks to Avengers Assemble.

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Frost readers can win a NEO legend wristband.

Marvel Studios presents “Marvel Avengers Assemble” – the Super Hero line-up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins. The film releases May 4, 2012, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Now you can win a Neo Legend.

Colantotte’s MagTitan Neo Legend bracelet combines a polished pure titanium core with an embellished, sleek, carbon fibre design, to deliver a stylised element of comfort and functionality. This striking bracelet epitomises the essence of fashion and craftsmanship which makes it the ideal accessory for casual, business, and superhero attire alike.

Entry is simple, go to www.facebook.com/ILoveTrionZ, click on the competition app, then submit your details as prompted. What’s more, you’ll be rewarded with an exclusive 15% off ALL Colantotte & Trion:Z products.

SUNDANCE LONDON TO HOST ROYAL PREMIERE OF HARMONY.

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SUNDANCE LONDON TO HOST ROYAL PREMIERE OF

HARMONY: A New Way of Looking at Our World

HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES TO INTRODUCE FILM INSPIRED BY HIS VISION TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE

Sundance Institute and The O2 announced today announced that HRH The Prince of Wales will introduce the Worldwide Theatrical Premiere screening of the film HARMONY: A New Way of Looking at Our World at the first-ever Sundance London film and music festival on 28 April at The O2. HRH will be joined by Sundance Institute President & Founder Robert Redford.

HARMONY, by filmmakers Stuart Sender and Julie Bergman Sender, tells the story of how for more than three decades HRH The Prince of Wales has worked side by side with a surprising and dynamic array of environmental activists, government and business leaders, artists, architects and visionaries to address the global environmental and economic crisis and find solutions towards a more sustainable, spiritual and harmonious relationship with the planet. HARMONY is narrated by HRH and produced and directed by a team of filmmakers with Academy Award and Directors Guild nominations to their credit. The screening will be followed by an extended Q&A with the filmmakers as well as Tony Juniper and Ian Skelly, authors of the book that inspired the film.

Robert Redford, President & Founder of Sundance Institute, said: “HRH The Prince of Wales and I share a dedication to preserving the environment and to identifying innovative and yet realistic ways to do so. This important film showcases his diligence, passion and achievement which includes his efforts to amplify the work of social innovators on the front lines of change the world over. In this wonderful journey he shows us what can be an inspired future.”

The royal premiere of HARMONY will be one of a number of Special Events taking place at Sundance London, including: an intimate performance by Rufus and Martha Wainwright following the world premiere of Lian Lunson’s film about the music of their mother; The debut theatrical screening of Coming Up For Air, a documentary about Placebo; and the 25th anniversary screening of River’s Edge, which premiered at the 1987 Sundance Film Festival. Additional events and performances include the Opening Night event An Evening With Robert Redford And T Bone Burnett; Tricky and Martina Topley-Bird performing Maxinquaye; and screenings of 14 feature-length and eight short films from the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, U.S.A.

Sundance London takes place at The O2 from 26-29 April. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.sundance-london.com.

Get Lisbeth Salander Style

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The catwalk may be a sea of pastel colours and grown up, Mad-Men-style clothes, but, really, who wants to conform? Certainly not Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

The piercings, the tattoos, the incredibly cool hair do; she certainly strikes out on her own. She wears a lot of black, vests, hoodies, black trousers. She has a touch of goth but she is very striking. If you are feeling daring in time for summer, get her look.

 

 

 

 

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is out on Blu-ray and DVD on 23rd April courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – the gripping, hard-edged thriller based on the first of Stieg Larsson’s suspenseful and spell-binding “Millennium” trilogy – arrives on Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital Download on April 23. This highly anticipated motion picture from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment brings together an all-star ensemble cast led by Daniel Craig (James Bond franchise), Rooney Mara (The Social Network), Golden Globe® nominee Robin Wright (1994, Best Actress, Forrest Gump), Stellan Skarsgård (Thor), Golden Globe® winner Christopher Plummer (2012, Best Performance by an Actor In A SupportingRole, Beginners) and Joely Richardson (TV’s “Nip/Tuck”).

Earning $200 million in box office worldwide, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has received five Academy Award® nominations including Actress in a Leading Role (Rooney Mara), Cinematography, Film Editing, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. The film adaptation was directed by David Fincher with screenplay by Academy Award® winner Steven Zaillian (2002, Writing (Original), Gangs of New York) who executive produced along with Mikael Wallen and Anni Faurbye Fernandez (both Headhunters). Original music is by Academy Award® winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (2011, Best Original Score, The Social Network).The two-disc Blu-ray™ includes nearly four hours of special features.

Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Craig) accepts an invitation to surreptitiously investigate a forty year old unsolved murder on behalf of the victim’s uncle, Swedish industrialist Henrik Vanger (Plummer). Meanwhile, tattooed hacker Lisbeth Salander (Mara), hired to investigate Blomkvist, discovers the truth behind the conspiracy that led to his fall from grace. Thrown together by fate, the unlikely duo uncovers a secret history of murder and sexual abuse festering beneath the veneer of Sweden’s industrial past, all the while drawing close to a quiet evil waiting to engulf them both.

Game Change Film Review by Daniel McCarthy.

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‘It’s God’s plan’ a calm Sarah Palin (Julianne Moore) announces as she is chosen to become the Republican vice presidential nominee in the historic American election of 2008. The events themselves seem so fresh and vivid in the memory that to describe them as history feels somewhat redundant. We all remember the raised eyebrows and gasps of incredulity as the Governor of Alaska was plucked from relative obscurity to become one of the most recognised faces on the planet. Few could predict the ultimate outcome. Based largely on the political journal of the same name, Game Change tracks the decision by the McCain campaign team to hoist a ‘game changing element’ into the ring of the election. Head organiser Steve Schmidt (Woody Harrelson) believes that a fiery right wing candidate will boost bedrock support whilst her being a woman will cross the gender divide and provide a celebrity counter balance to Barack Obama’s unprecedented popularity. John McCain (Ed Harris) is delighted with the decision especially after her barnstorming opening speeches. However joy soon turns to dread as they discover that Palin is woefully ignorant on America’s key foreign policies. Public adulation turns to mockery and she soon begins to buckle under the strain of the campaign. The rest as they say is history…

The release date of Game Change has not gone unnoticed in political circles with Plain and McCain having accused the film of lies before having even watched it. With a new election looming the timing could not be more noticeable. Of course it is the portrayal and performances that will define such a project. As Palin, Julianne Moore is quite frankly a tour de force. Often critics get caught up in their own adjectives and hyperbole but in all sincerity; there are moments I forgot I was watching Julianne Moore. The physical and vocal ticks are uncanny yet there is a strong parallel between the images of Palin that we recall and the portrayed image that we were not privy to. Moore perfectly conveys the sense of someone desperately out of their depth yet refusing to fold. The media harassment that hounded her and her family is plain to see for all including those opposed to her politics. As much as race and age played a crucial factor in Obama and McCain’s public image, so to do the fact that Palin was a woman and may have forgotten (or overlooked) the frankly misogynistic attitude of many mainstream media outlets towards her at the time of her campaign. These elements are expertly woven by director Jay Roach into the narrative along with archive and interview footage edited to seem that the actors are interacting with their real life counterparts. This includes an incredibly self referential moment when a humiliated Palin watches the now infamous Saturday Night Live sketch with Tina Fey.

But it is in the ultimate treatment of Palin that the film falls short. Whilst casting her in sympathetic light for the opening act the descent into an ‘uncontrollable renegade’ seems to come too fast and comes off as a tad unconvincing, a shame considering the initial scenes. There is a genuine punch the air moment in the third act when Schmidt (a brilliant Harrelson) puts her firmly in place whilst retaining a professional tone but it’s the one subtle moment toward the finale that you can increasingly feel the melodrama creeping in. The film can’t decide to ultimately exonerate her or to condemn her. It doesn’t help that McCain himself is pretty much side lined by the drama. Ed Harris is a magnificent screen presence and though certainly not up to Moore’s pedigree he definitely has McCain’s physicality nailed. Yet he is reduced to watching from the side lines occasionally stepping forward to deliver a bit of sage advice for the ‘young firebrands.’ It’s a waste of a great performer and whilst I normally wouldn’t mind in any other work I severely doubt the actual John McCain swears so much. It passes over from shocking into quite frankly silly.

HBO have maintained a high standard of quality across a range of platforms and to a degree it’s really encouraging to see a television movie draw such talent to it and get such a wide release. I don’t think it’s flawless by any means though I concede that projects like this will always divide opinion in their portrayal of such recent events. The powerhouse performances see it through however and with the election just around the corner who knows; maybe we’ll be back here in four years?