What's the last movie you've seen?

[JohnFKennedy]

Munich

[JohnFKennedy]

I can't remember the name but it's the one where the guy loses his job at the giant company because it was run badly. Bah, I know the star who plays in it but I can't even remember his damn name.

Fun with Dick and Jane?

[JohnFKennedy]

Brokeback Mountain -and I wish I hadn't seen it.  Must they make those gay sex scenes in that canvas tent so graphic?   

I wouldn't really call that scene that graphic to be honest. I saw it a few weeks ago with a friend and we both loved it. To be honest, the fact that it was about two gay guys didn't really bother me.

The heterosexual love scenes were more graphic than the homosexual ones by a long shot.

[JohnFKennedy]

Citizen Kane

What can I say? An absolute classic.

Agreed, watched it the other day.

Last film at moment was The Godfather, good but I wouldn't put it in my top ten I reckon.

[JohnFKennedy]

"again" doesn't count.

Hwal, Korean original with German subtitles.

That's by the same guy as Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring isn't it? Any good?

[JohnFKennedy]

Citizen Kane

What can I say? An absolute classic.

Agreed, watched it the other day.

Last film at moment was The Godfather, good but I wouldn't put it in my top ten I reckon.

Been a while since I saw it, but Citizen Kane still stands out as a classic.

I trust you both know that it is based on Hearst quite a lot

Of course, he tried to pay the studio not to broadcast it. I've been to Hearst Castle, crazy place but I wouldn't mind living there.

[JohnFKennedy]

And James, live there? That's a scary thing to consider...

Hearst Castle is a crazy crazy place. I think I could do nutcase media baron who runs the world from his palatial house on a hill in California rather well thank you very much .

[JohnFKennedy]

And James, live there? That's a scary thing to consider...

Hearst Castle is a crazy crazy place. I think I could do nutcase media baron who runs the world from his palatial house on a hill in California rather well thank you very much .

If you're aiming for Hearst/Kane, be my guest...

Weeeell, it conflicts with my ambition to be a failed novelist....

[JohnFKennedy]

V for Vendetta. Had a lot of negative press but I really enjoyed it.

[JohnFKennedy]

Little Miss Sunshine. Great.

[JohnFKennedy]

L'Année dernière à Marienbad

[JohnFKennedy]

The Business (a good timewaster)

2005 Nick Love/Danny Dyer collaboration? I know someone who is in that -he's been in quite a few of Love's films.

[JohnFKennedy]

L'Année dernière à Marienbad

That's where they play that game with matches, isn't it? I've been wanting to watch that for a long time...

It is indeed. A very odd and open-ended film. I was pleased to discover according to imdb that some of my ideas about the meaning of the film had been suggested at the behest of Resnais by a French critic in the 1960s.

I would definittely recommend it.

[JohnFKennedy]

L'Année dernière à Marienbad

That's where they play that game with matches, isn't it? I've been wanting to watch that for a long time...

It is indeed. A very odd and open-ended film. I was pleased to discover according to imdb that some of my ideas about the meaning of the film had been suggested at the behest of Resnais by a French critic in the 1960s.

I would definittely recommend it.

Have you seen Hiroshima Mon Amour? That's also Resnais (the only of his films that I've seen). Definitely very strange, but I sort of liked it. He seems like an interesting director.

I have not, Marienbad is the only one I have seen. Will look into it/add it to my long list.

[JohnFKennedy]

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am the very model of a modern major procrastinator; in the last 24 hours I have watched: LA Confidential, Accepted, Get Ready to Be Boyzvoiced, The Football Factory and half of Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Illegal intra-college file sharing doesn't help.

Some pretty good films there. You seem to be a bit of a Nick Love fan or is it just Danny Dyer? I'd recommend Goodbye Charlie Bright if you can get hold of it. I think Danny Dyer might have a small part in it as well.

Just saw Night on Earth. Pretty good series of vignettes; the Winona Ryder one is pretty weak though.

[JohnFKennedy]

Ever seen The 39 Steps?

[JohnFKennedy]

Ever seen The 39 Steps?

Yes, have you? I thought it was good, but perhaps a little hyped. Though it definitely had the 'innocent man caught up in criminal conspiracy' and the macguffin plot formula fully developed.

I really enjoyed it but I thought it lacked dénouement; the climax is hit and then suddenly the film ends which jarred a bit for me. I think he got it right with North by Northwest.

I haven't seen the three you mentioned, if I were to get hold of one which would you recommend? My personal favourite Hitchcock is Rear Window though I must admit to not having actually seen Psycho yet (it's on the 'to watch' list).

[JohnFKennedy]

Ah yes! I have heard of Blackmail as I am sure someone has told me or I've read about the bit at the British Museum!

That's what I love about Rear Window; he's playing with the audience's voyeurism just as much as his own. For me James Stewart's character is an on screen representation of the viewer. Are you familiar with the series of interviews conducted by Truffaut? I bought a copy of it a few weeks ago. I haven't read the whole thing but I've read a fair few segments including the one relating to Rear Window and it is truly insightful. I strongly recommend it.

[JohnFKennedy]

Ah yes! I have heard of Blackmail as I am sure someone has told me or I've read about the bit at the British Museum!

That's what I love about Rear Window; he's playing with the audience's voyeurism just as much as his own. For me James Stewart's character is an on screen representation of the viewer. Are you familiar with the series of interviews conducted by Truffaut? I bought a copy of it a few weeks ago. I haven't read the whole thing but I've read a fair few segments including the one relating to Rear Window and it is truly insightful. I strongly recommend it.

Yes, I got the book, it's an absolute must-read for any self-confessed cinephile.

One thing I love about Rear Window is that the whole movie takes place in one setting. Just the guy's room, the back yard, and that's it. It's a sign of Hitchcock's ability as a film-maker and a storyteller that he can tell a narrative which is rather limited in scope and still grasp the audience. Of course, he did it before with Rope, which took place in the same apartment, but that had its flaws and seemed more like an extended theatre piece than a genuine cinematic experience.

Well Rope IS pretty much word-for-word of the Patrick Hamilton play I think. I have to say I really enjoyed Rope; it had great tension. I've seen few directors  - if any at all - since Hitchcock who can create so much tension. Are you sure Rope is the same apartment?

I wish I was allowed to write my dissertation on Hitchcock but unfortunately it doesn't really come within the remit of 'History'. Instead I'm probably going to be looking at Birth of a Nation and Gone With the Wind in relation to racial archetypes and consequently African-American opposition to the two films. Originally I was hoping to do Micheaux's Within Our Gates and Birth of a Nation but I can't get hold of a copy of the former and so my potential supervisor recommended Gone with the Wind.

[JohnFKennedy]

The History Boys

Lovely and Depressing. I will watch it again, i'm sure; I just don't feel like doing it to myself yet

The next movies on the list are: Dig, Partition, White Chicks, The Phantom Tollbooth, Idiocracy, Saturday Night Fever, The Benchwarmers, Candy, The Band's Visit, The Prestige, Kokoda, Blades of Glory, Shrek 3, The Illustionist and The Producers.  Any ideas about which order?

Just...don't...watch...any...of...them...

Those magician movies (The Illusionist and The Prestige) aren't bad.

So I've heard. But in the overall context, still not good enough to get the entire list up to watchworthyness.

Of the ones he mentioned I've seen The Illusionist, Shrek 3 and Blades of Glory. Thankfully I didn't have to pay to see the last. The Illusionist was certainly watchable and understandably so; it DOES have Ed Norton in it. Shrek 3 was poor and Blades of Glory was just plain painful.

EDIT: Just remembered a quick question: Gus have you seen You, the Living? I've heard good things and I was just wondering if you'd like to voice an opinion.

[JohnFKennedy]

This has slipped down so I thought I'd resurrect it with my most recently watched films:

Three Colours: Blue
Badlands
Three Colours: White
Casablanca
The Seventh Seal
The Thin Red Line

Greatly enjoyed all of them and some absolutely stunning cinematography on offer, particularly from Malick and Kiéslowski's films. I don't know how Saving Private Ryan beat out The Thin Red line for that Academy Award.

[JohnFKennedy]

Beet,

Have you been getting these silent films (the Melies particularly) off the internet or do you just have them on dvds? I've been looking for a copy of Voyage dans la lune for a while now.

Also, a silent film I enjoyed - mainly for the interesting hand-tinting - is Re Lear, an Italian version of King Lear from 1910. It's only 16 minutes long so doesn't take up much time at all!

[JohnFKennedy]

Well hopefully the arts theatre opposite my college at university will be showing it on my return.

Interested to hear you though Thin Red Line was overrated; I think it is absolutely stunning visually and for me really goes a long way towards emphasising the transience of our existence. I definitely prefer it to Saving Private Ryan which came out the same year. I have to say, I think Spielberg is a bit overrated (although shock horror I haven't seen Schindler's List).

Anyway, I'd hope to be at least a bit of a cineast, I'd very much like to work in the industry and am planning to apply to film schools after university: Director/Writer works for me!

[JohnFKennedy]

Just saw the new Mike Leigh film Happy-Go-Lucky. It was good but some of the characterizations were a bit too stereotypical for my liking. There's no real plot to speak of, it's more of a slice of life which is good, but you don't really see how anything turns out. Very strongly acted though and some nice camerawork although I can't say the same for the use of music, I thought it could have been used better.

[JohnFKennedy]

Woyzeck & Aguirre: Wrath of God. The former good, the latter excellent. Klaus Kinski really is a psychopath and I am guessing that Herzog isn't far behind him in that category.