Chop’s Fives: Films of the 00s

My favourite films of whatever you call the decade from 2000 to 2009. 

1. City of God (Meirelles/Lund) - A compelling exploration of drug crime in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. Many of the cast were residents of flavelas and that, along with the wonderful cinematography, created a very real feeling of tension throughout the story. 

2. Hidden / Caché (Haneke) - The first Michael Haneke film I saw and a film that really struck a chord with me and invigorated my desire to see more art house movies. I love the subtlety of it, you’re never quite sure what’s going on and Haneke doesn’t spell much out. 

3. No Country For Old Men (Coens) - A slightly darker feel for a Coens film but a fabulous retelling of the Cormac McCarthy novel. Tommy Lee Jones & Javier Bardem are both outstanding despite rarely being on screen together. Classy cinematography & some scenes that still stick in my memory many years later. 

4. Shaun of the Dead (E Wright) - Bought this cheap on DVD from a pal who worked for the film company with no idea what to expect. It’s become one of the films I’ve watched most often and honestly gets better every time I see it (which is about once a month on itv2). 

5. This Is England (Meadows) - Such a great cast & probably Shane Meadows best film. He has a naturalistic way of directing that allows the actors to really own & develop their characters. 

Top 5 Film Sequels - Chop's Picks

After last weeks' Collaborative Top 5 result here are my picks for the best film sequels of all time.

5. Mad Max II (1981) [d: George Miller] - I remember getting this from the video shop in Thames Ditton village. I think I might have even bought their copy a few years later when they were closing down. It's been a long time since I saw it but my memory suggests it might have been better than the original. It certainly benefited from a bigger budget and director George Miller took full advantage of that. If you're after a post apocalyptic landscape you'll not find many places more suitable than the Australian outback and the desert backdrops play as big a part in the success of this film as Mel Gibson and a bunch of leather clad mohawked bikers.

4. Kill Bill volume 2 (2004) [d: Quentin Tarantino] - Genuine sequel of the second half of a film released in two parts? I've gone with the former as I'm a huge Tarantino fan, though I've always wanted to see a proper full length version of Kill Bill.

3. French Connection II (1975) [d: John Frankenheimer] - The fictional sequel to the original 1971 film that was an adaption of a true story. Gene Hackman is superb as narcotics officer Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle. Sent to Marseilles to continue the chase for the drug gang leader he finds himself a fish out of water, though things go really awry when he is held captive by the gang and injected with Heroin.

2. The Godfather: Part II (1974) [d: Francis Ford Coppola] - My memory often lets me down regarding films and I realised discussing the overall vote last week that I can't entirely remember which bits happen in Part I and which in Part II. That aside I remember the whole epic story being a remarkable piece of cinema. Al Pacino is outstanding as Michael Corleone but it's the ensemble cast and intertwining stories that make the whole saga so believable.

1. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) [d: Irvin Kershner] - I've written about Star Wars before I'm sure. It was the biggest film of my childhood. I had Star Wars posters, Star Wars comics, Star Wars figures, Star Wars bubblegum cards and, my crowing glory, a Star Wars duvet & pillow set. I made my own light sabre out of cardboard, though it proved horribly ineffective in a fight with a plastic sword and had to be retired from active service. Anyway, by 1980 I had developed something of an obsession with the original film so you can imagine my excitement about a second film. Empire did not disappoint. A bit like Mad Max 2 it built on the original story but added a bigger budget that meant it looked more polished.

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Collaborative Top 5 Film Sequels - RESULTS

A great response to this vote so huge thanks to everyone who gave me their five favourite sequels. The top 3 were no surprise and claimed a significant lead from the rest fairly early on. The Dark Knight just edged out Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers with Toy Story 2 next in line. Perhaps both those films suffered from having similarly popular third instalments. The full list is at the bottom of the page so you can find out how your personal favourites did.

5. The Dark Knight (2008) [d: Christopher Nolan] - The second of Christopher Nolan's grittier Batman movies. A film that takes its cue from the best comic originals, particularly Alan Moore's excellent graphic novel The Killing Joke.

4. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) [d: James Cameron] - The film I was most surprised to see make the top five though I do remember being blown away by it when it first came out. Seven years after the first film Arnie is back as a goodie, a reprogrammed Terminator sent to protect John Connor from the liquid metal T-1000.

3. The Godfather: Part II (1974) [d: Francis Ford Coppola] - Francis Ford Coppola is not one for brevity, this sequel is a little over 3 hours and 15 minutes longer than Part I. Al Pacino takes centre stage in Coppola's ongoing tale of New York Mafia. It's worth your time and remains one of Pacino's very best performances. The first sequel to win the Oscar for Best Film.

2. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) [d: Irvin Kershner] - I reckon most of us are around the same age so Star Wars caught us all at an impressionable age. Though I love the original Star Wars movie, Empire benefits from higher production budgets, gets straight into the action and set's things up perfectly for part three. A strong claim to be the very best Star Wars movie.

1. Aliens (1986) [d: James Cameron] - I've not watched this for ages. I loved Ridley Scott's original and felt this lost some of the dramatic tension by making everything bigger and louder. Sigourney Weaver is excellent as Ellen Ripley though and earned a nomination for Best Actress at the time when science-fiction films rarely featured.

Here is the full list, a very impressive 77 sequels that all found a bit of love from someone.

P Film - Score
1 Aliens - 87
2 Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back - 82
3 Godfather II - 74
4 Terminator 2 - 51
5 Batman: The Dark Knight - 38
6 Lord of the Rings: Two Towers - 34
7 Toy Story 2 - 27
8 Die Harder - 15
9 Back To The Future part 2 - 14
9 For A Few Dollars More - 14
11 Evil Dead II - 13
11 Star Trek 2: Wrath of Khan - 13
13 Bourne Supremacy - 12
13 Toy Story 3 - 12
13 French Connection II - 12
16 Kill Bill volume 2 - 11
17 Hunger Games: Catching Fire - 10
17 The Colour of Money - 10
19 Evil Dead: Army of Darkness - 9
20 Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom - 8
20 Lethal Weapon 2 - 8
20 Spider-Man 2 - 8
23 Star Trek: Into Darkness - 7
23 The Raid 2 - 7
25 After The Thin Man - 6
25 Alien 3 - 6
25 Aparajito - 6
25 Beverly Hills Cop 2 - 6
25 Conquest of the Planet of the Apes - 6
25 Escape from Planet of the Apes - 6
25 Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade - 6
25 Police Academy 2 - 6
25 Mad Max II - 6
34 Hannibal - 5
34 Jaws 2 - 5
34 Manon des Sources - 5
34 Rocky 2 - 5
34 Superman II - 5
34 The Two Jakes - 5
40 28 Weeks Later - 4
40 Bad Boys 2 - 4
40 Before Sunset - 4
40 Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey - 4
40 Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs - 4
40 Despicable Me 2 - 4
40 Die Hard with a Vengence - 4
40 Exorcist II: The Heretic - 4
40 Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets - 4
40 Meet The Fockers - 4
40 Night at the Museum 2 - 4
40 Omen 2 - 4
40 Rec 2 - 4
40 Star Trek: First Contact - 4
40 The Best Marigold Hotel 2 - 4
40 Twilight: New Moon - 4
56 Batman Returns - 3
56 Dawn of the Dead - 3
56 Evangelion 2.22 - 3
56 Exorcist III - 3
56 Futureworld - 3
56 Home Alone 2 - 3
56 Lord of the Rings: Return of the King - 3
56 Matrix Reloaded - 3
56 Predator 2 - 3
56 Psycho II - 3
56 Rambo 2 - 3
67 Austin Powers 2 - 2
67 Bride of Frankenstein - 2
67 Captain America: Winter Soldier - 2
67 Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season - 2
67 Mad Max: Fury Road - 2
67 More American Graffiti - 2
67 Penguins of Madagascar - 2
67 Resident Evil 2 - 2
67 Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - 2
67 The Hangover 2 - 2
67 Tron: Legacy - 2


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Collaborative Top 5 Film Sequels - VOTE

I've kicked this off on Facebook & Twitter already.

Give me your favourite five Film Sequels from 1 to 5, or unordered if that's too difficult.

Vote closes Friday 29th January - Results out early February

Here's some contenders based on the voting so far (3rd, 4th and later sequels all count by the way);

28 Weeks Later - After The Thin Man - Aliens - Alien 3 - Aparajito - Austin Powers 2 - Back To The Future 2 - Bad Boys 2 - Batman Returns - Batman: The Dark Knight - Before Sunset - Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey - Bourne Supremacy - Bride of Frankenstein - Captain America: Winter Soldier - Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs 2 - Conquest of the Planet of the Apes - Dawn of the Dead - Despicable Me 2 - Die Hard 2: Die Harder - Empire Strikes Back - Escape from Planet of the Apes - Evangelion 2.22 - Evil Dead II - Evil Dead: Army of Darkness - Exorcist II: The Heretic - For A Few Dollars More - French Connection II - Futureworld - The Godfather II - Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season - Hannibal - Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets - Hunger Games: Catching Fire - Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade - Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom - Jaws 2 - Kill Bill volume 2 - Lethal Weapon 2 - Lord of the Rings: Two Towers - Mad Max II - Mad Max: Fury Road - Manon des Sources - Matrix Reloaded - Meet The Fockers - More American Graffiti - Night at the Museum 2 - Omen 2 - Police Academy 2 - Predator 2 - Psycho II - Rambo 2 - Rec 2 - Resident Evil 2 - Rocky 2 - Spider-Man 2 - Star Trek 2: Wrath of Khan - Star Trek: First Contact - Star Trek: Into Darkness - Superman II - Terminator 2 - The Best Marigold Hotel 2 - The Colour of Money - The Hangover 2 - The Raid 2 - The Two Jakes - Three Colours Red - Three Colours White - Toy Story 2 - Toy Story 3 - Tron: Legacy - Twilight: New Moon

Collaborative Top 5 - Carry On Films RESULT

I've not quite made it through all the films (I'm up to 17 at last count). It turns out watching one movie a day doesn't leave much time for getting anything else done but I will make it through the rest as soon as I can. Partly this failure was due to finding I couldn't watch a film EVERY night but it was also a result of my youngest deciding he wanted to watch them too.

He caught on around Carry On Cabby and since then I've tried to make sure we get to watch them together. Hearing George literally laughing out loud has made the films even more enjoyable and it's lovely to see him experience the series for the first time. He's not voted as he sensibly pointed out to me he's not seen them all yet, but I might come back and do a mini update when he has.

Thanks to everyone who voted, the top five were pretty clear from quite early on though the final order changed as more people voted. Up The Khyber & Screaming were neck and neck all the way and it came down to a very few votes. Cleo was clear in 3rd, while Camping & Doctor comfortably ahead of the film in 6th place. I've included the full list so you can see where your favourite came.

1. Carry On ... Up The Khyber (1968) - This is a big favourite of mine too. I placed it second in my top 5 but it could easily have been my number one. Sid James is in fine form as Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond, Joan Sims is back playing Sid's screeching wife, Kenneth Williams is wonderful as the Khasi of Khalabar and Bernard Bresslaw gets to play another tribal warlord, Bungdit Din, reprising a similar role in Follow That Camel. There's some brilliant one liners all the way through but the best is saved for last with the British completing a black tie dinner amidst the destruction of their garrison.

2. Carry On Screaming (1966) - I didn't see this one properly until a few years ago so it still seems quite fresh to me. Harry H Corbett makes his only Carry On appearance as Detective Sydney Bung. Of the regular cast only Kenneth Williams (Dr. Orlando Watt), Jim Dale (Albert Potter), Joan Sims (Emily Bung - screeching again, this time at Harry H. Corbett) and Charles Hawtry (in a great cameo as Dan Dan the Lavatory Man) appear. Star of the show though is Fenella Fielding as Valeria, in her second and final Carry On, who makes me feel all unnecessary.

3. Carry On Cleo (1964) - Surprisingly this is the only top 5 entry to include Kenneth Connor. He was a mainstay of the early films appearing in all but Spying up to this point but Cleo was his last until Carry On Up The Jungle in 1970. Sid James & Kenneth Williams are in fantastic form, the Infamy! Infamy! line one of the most memorable of the series. As is Amanda Barrie's performance as Cleopatra *loosens collar*.

4. Carry On Camping (1969) - Sid & Bernie attempt to take their girlfriends to a nudist campsite but fail miserably. Peter Butterworth is brilliant in the role of money-grabbing farmer Josh Fiddler. Kenneth Williams plays Dr Soaper, the head of an all girls school, with Hattie Jacques reprising her role as Matron from Carry On Doctor. Probably the most famous Carry On scene sees Barbara Windsor's bikini top fly off into the face of Dr Soaper during an outdoor aerobics session.

5. Carry On Doctor (1968) - Frankie Howerd makes his Carry On debut as Francis Bigger a charlatan faith healer. Jim Dale is at his physical best in the starring role of the clumsy but well meaning Dr Kilmore. Barbara Windsor (who had previously appeared in Carry On Spying) has a small but memorable role as Nurse Sandra May, which led to her becoming a regular fixture. This was the first of three hospital based Carry Ons, which do tend to merge into one, but I think it's the best. Hattie Jacques is great as Matron, a role she has first played back in 1959 during Carry On Nurse.

I've updated my personal top five which I originally published back in 2007, Screaming and Doctor replacing Camping and Sergeant in my affections. I've really enjoyed watching them all again and reckon they've stood the test of time better than you might expect.

1. Carry On Cabby (1963)
2. Carry On ... Up The Khyber (1968)
3. Carry On Screaming (1966)
4. Carry On Cleo (1964)
5. Carry On Doctor (1968)

Full list of scoring films (the rest didn't get any votes though I'd recommend both Carry On Nurse & Carry On Regardless as good early Carry Ons).

1. Carry On ... Up The Khyber (1969)
2. Carry On Screaming! (1966)
3. Carry On Cleo (1964)
4. Carry On Camping (1969)
5. Carry On Doctor (1968)
6. Carry On Jack (1963)
7. Carry On Cabby (1963)
8. Carry On Cowboy(1965)
9. Carry On At Your Convenience (1971)
10. Carry On Abroad (1972)
11. Carry On Matron (1972)
12. Carry On Teacher (1959)
13. Carry On Cruising (1962)
14. Carry On Don't Lose Your Head (1966)
15. Carry On: Follow That Camel (1967)
16. Carry On Girls (1973)
17. Carry On Constable (1960)
18. Carry On Sergeant (1958)
19. Carry On Spying (1964)

Collaborative Top 5 - Carry On Films VOTE

A slight change of tack for the next collaborative top five. I thought it would be nice to work on a subject with a definitive number of options and save all the faffing about with nominations. Everyone loves Carry On films, don't they? I certainly grew up watching these. I loved them then and I still love them now (apart from the last few where things went a little bit awry).

So, simple task - give me your 5 favourite Carry On films in order if you can but out of order if that's too tricky. The vote is open for 31 days during which time I'm going to attempt to watch them all in order.

Carry On Sergeant (1958)
Carry On Nurse (1959)
Carry On Teacher (1959)
Carry On Constable (1960)
Carry On Regardless (1961)
Carry On Cruising (1962)
Carry On Cabby (1963)
Carry On Jack (1963)
Carry On Spying (1964)
Carry On Cleo (1964)
Carry On Cowboy(1965)
Carry On Screaming! (1966)
Carry On Don't Lose Your Head (1966)
Carry On: Follow That Camel (1967)
Carry On Doctor (1968)
Carry On Camping (1969)
Carry On ... Up The Khyber (1969)
Carry On Again, Doctor (1969)
Carry On Up The Jungle (1970)
Carry On Loving(1970)
Carry On Henry (1971)
Carry On At Your Convenience (1971)
Carry On Matron (1972)
Carry On Abroad (1972)
Carry On Girls (1973)
Carry On Dick (1974)
Carry On Behind (1975)
Carry On England (1976)
Carry On Emmanuel (1978)
Carry On Columbus (1992)

Here's a short introduction to the film series, cribbed from Wikipedia, for my overseas readers who might not me as familiar with them as us Brits;

The Carry On series is a long-running British sequence of comedy films, stage shows and television programs produced between 1958 and 1992. There were thirty-one films. Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas were the series' sole producer and director respectively. They mostly employed the same crew and a regular group of actors. The main cast predominantly featured Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor, Peter Butterworth, Hattie Jacques, Terry Scott, Bernard Bresslaw, Barbara Windsor, Jack Douglas and Jim Dale. The Carry Ons comprise the largest number of films of any British series and, next to the James Bond films, are the second-longest continually-running UK film series.

70 Favourite Films

Inspired by some list makers on Twitter I decided to do a list of my favourite films of all time. I didn't quite have enough for 100 and didn't want to drop any out to make it 50 so compromised on the slightly unusual number of 70. I love films but know I have some pretty glaring omissions (I've still not watched The Vikings before you ask!) so figured I'd list them in chronological order so you can let me know what I need to see.

1931 - City Lights (Chaplin)
1939 - The Lady Vanishes (Hitchcock)
1944 - Arsenic and Old Lace (Capra)
1949 - Kind Hearts and Coronets (Hamer)
1949 - Passport to Pimlico (Cornelius)
1951 - The Lavender Hill Mob (Crichton)
1954 - Seven Samurai (Kurusawa)
1954 - Rear Window (Hitchcock)
1958 - Touch of Evil (Welles)
1958 - Vertigo (Hitchcock)
1959 - Some Like It Hot (Wilder)
1959 - Twelve Angry Men (Lumet)
1959 - North by North West (Hitchcock)
1959 - School for Scoundrels (Hamer)
1960 - The Apartment (Wilder)
1962 - To Kill A Mockingbird (Mulligan)
1963 - Carry On Cabby (Thomas)
1964 - Goldfinger (Hamilton)
1966 - Farenheit 451 (Truffaut)
1968 - Carry On Up The Khyber (Thomas)
1969 - The Italian Job (Collinson)
1971 - French Connection (Friedkin)
1972 - The Godfather (Copolla)
1973 - Mean Streets (Scorcese)
1974 - The Godfather II (Copolla)
1974 - Dog Day Afternoon (Lumet)
1974 - The Taking of Pelham 123 (Sargent)
1975 - French Connection II (Frankenheimer)
1977 - Star Wars (Lucas)
1977 - Annie Hall (Allen)
1979 - Alien (R.Scott)
1980 - The Shining (Kubrick)
1980 - The Blues Brothers (Landis)
1980 - The Empire Strikes Back (Kershner)
1980 - Raging Bull (Scorcese)
1980 - Restless Natives (Forsyth)
1980 - The Long Good Friday (Mackenzie)
1981 - Blade Runner (R.Scott)
1984 - Paris, Texas (Wenders)
1984 - This Is Spinal Tap (Reiner)
1985 - Ran (Kurusawa)
1987 - Raising Arizona (Coens)
1990 - Goodfellas (Scorcese)
1991 - Thelma & Louise (R.Scott)
1992 - Reservoir Dogs (Tarantino)
1993 - True Romance (T.Scott)
1993 - Three Colours: Blue (Kieslowski)
1994 - Three Colours: White (Kieslowski)
1994 - Three Colours: Red (Kieslowski)
1994 - Pulp Fiction (Tarantino)
1994 - Leon (Besson)
1994 - The Shawshank Redemption (Darabont)
1994 - Ed Wood (Burton)
1995 - The Usual Suspects (Singer)
1996 - Fargo (Coens)
1996 - Trainspotting (Boyle)
1996 - Trees Lounge (Buscemi)
1997 - LA Confidential (Hanson)
1997 - Boogie Nights (Anderson)
1999 - Fight Club (Fincher)
1999 - Magnolia (Anderson)
1999 - Jackie Brown (Tarantino)
2001 - The Man Who Wasn't There (Coens)
2001 - Black Hawk Down (R.Scott)
2002 - City of God (Meirelles/Lund)
2005 - Sin City (Rodriguez/Miller)
2005 - Hidden [Cache] (Haneke)
2007 - The Departed (Scorsese)
2007 - No Country For Old Men (Coens)
2010 - Monsters (Edwards)
2012 - Amour (Haneke)

Chop's Film Fiesta - group 1

One of my New Year's resolutions was to watch more films. Partly to catch up with a lot of amazing cinema I've not had time to see over the last few years but also to try and get the used capacity on my TiVo down to a manageable level. I thought I could encourage this by getting people to vote for which film I watch.

Group one consisted of Argo, Django Unchained, Killing Them Softly & Senna and I asked for votes via Twitter & Facebook with the following results;

1st - Senna (6 votes)
2nd - Django Unchained (4 votes)
3rd - Argo (3 votes)
4th - Killing Them Softly (1 vote)

So, last Friday I sat down to watch Senna. A documentary depicting the life and death of legendary Brazilian motor-racing Champion, Ayrton Senna. Focused on Senna's Formula One career, from his debut in the 1984 Brazilian Grand Prix to his death at San Marino in 1994. The film uses archive footage and home video clips to show events as they happened. There is no formal narration as the story is told through original commentary & interviews interspersed with a few contemporary interviews. It's a spellbinding film if ultimately tragic. I was probably at the peak of my interest in F1 back then and remembered seeing a lot of these events first time around. It was thrilling to re-watch Ayrton's dramatic rise up the rankings; his remarkable 2nd place finish at Monaco in 1984, his first GP wins in the John Player Special sponsored Lotus team, and first World Championship having moved to McLaren in 1988.

Much of the film examines the rivalry between Ayrton Senna & Alain Prost. Two very different drivers, Senna seemingly prepared to push the car to its absolute limits, Prost a more calculated but conservative driver. I was a bit of a Prost fan, having first got into F1 when he was driving for Renault. Renault had become my team partly because I liked their bright yellow livery and partly because my Dad had driven a series of Renault 16's. Hardly the most graceful of cars, the Renault 16 sliced through the air exactly the same way that bricks don't, but I had a soft spot for them having grown up travelling round the country in Dad's succession of purchases. I think the way Senna was deprived of the 1989 WDC was the point I finally switched allegiances. He was a truly remarkable driver and made the sport more exciting than it had ever been before.

The conclusion is a chilling piece of cinema. Knowing what's about to happen makes it all the more powerful. A shocking and tragic loss that changed the sport dramatically. Despite the sad ending Senna is a wonderful film, celebrating the life of a man who transcended his sport and who left behind a lasting legacy that includes The Ayrton Senna Institute, a charity helping to create opportunities for children in Brazil.

I'm not entirely sure when my next film session will be but blog readers are welcome to vote on my next block of movies (either comment below or see me in the pub).

A: Tyrannosaur
B: Brassed Off
C: The Inbetweeners Movie
D: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

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Guest Top 5 Bond Villains by Daniel Smith

This post has been in collaboration with Daniel Smith. I know very little about Daniel other than that he is a big James Bond fan with a passing interest in poker. A man of mystery then which seems rather appropriate considering his subject choice.

Every James Bond film has a primary villain that Bond must face off against and in many cases risk his life in order to defeat. While all have been formidable in their own way, there are some that have stood above the rest of 50 years of Bond films. Today we give the top 5 villains in James Bond film history.

5. Francisco Scaramanga

Christopher Lee has made a career at playing the bad guy and his portrayal of Fransisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun was no exception. Critics and fans of Ian Fleming's books both agree that Lee's character was the spitting image of the character in the original book.

4. Le Chiffre

The character of Le Chiffre was one of the major highlights of the 2008 remake of Casino Royale. His torture of Bond during the film really put him over the top. A little known fact about Mads Mikkelsen is that he is actually really good at poker in real life.

3. Jaws

Jaws is bigger than life, and we mean that literally. He is one of the most beloved and most well known of all Bond villains and wound up appearing in both The Spy who Loved Me and Moonraker. In addition, he has been used in many James Bond video games as a playable character.

2. Oddjob

Harold Sakata played the strong but silent assassin for Goldfinger and has a steel rim bowler that can be used to cut the heads off statues and people. This alone makes him one of the cooler villains of the series, and he never spoke a word.

1. Ernst Stavro Bloefeld

Appearing in four movies, the most of any Bond villain, the leader of SPECTRE is easily the greatest amongst Bond villains. He also is prominently featured in many of Ian Fleming's books. He is the equivalent of Moriarty, but much cooler.

Guest Top 5 - Films of 2012 by Scroobius Pip

Well, whaddya know, back to back celebrity top fives! Sort of. This one came from yet more Twitter snooping, which might well be the way forward for this blog. Mr Pip kindly consented to let me reproduce his list of favourite films from 2012. This proved particularly helpful as I'm on the verge of putting together my own myriad set of 2012 top fives but don't get to see enough new movies to do my own top five films.

I've been following Scroobius since getting involved in the Celebrity Biscuit database thing earlier in the year. He gave me a great reply but as yet I've not had time to write it up. Also the combined pressure of needing to be funny for the CBDB team and knowing that Pip is such a fine wordsmith proved a little daunting.

If you're not familiar with Scroobius Pip's work here's a sample.



You can follow Pip on twitter here and check out his website here.

1. Killer Joe (Dir: William Friedkin) - IMDb entry

2. Ted (Dir: Seth MacFarlane) - IMDb entry

3. The Muppets (Dir: James Bobin) - IMDb entry

4. Dark Knight Rises (Dir: Christopher Nolan) - IMDb entry

5. Lawless (Dir: John Hillcoat) - IMDb entry

Guest Top 5 Science Fiction Films by Mark Gibson

I've been bugging my friend Mark to do a top five for ages and he finally caved in to the pressure and provided me this gem. It's a topic I've considered doing myself and may still come back to at some point, though I suspect my own version would not be massively different from Mark's own choices. Mark is lead singer with Feltham's premiere covers band The Phantoms and has been a long suffering Fulham season ticket holder with me for the best part of 15 years.

I have been meaning to write David some Top 5s for months now and have finally gotten round to it! My first Top 5 is Science Fiction Films. These are not necessarily the most stylish or ground breaking Sci-Fi movies of all time but they have a certain affection with me and have been included in this Top 5 because of that.

1. Star Wars – A New Hope (1977) Dir: George Lucas
It had to be, this film had a massive impact on me when I was 7 years old , I still remember how amazed I was. Unfortunately I have fallen out of love with the film over the years as it has been re-mastered and CGI versions have been released which have ruined the initial feel of the film , but I’m sure George Lucas knows what he is doing! Note: I have not included any of the other two classic movies in my list, and certainly not I-III!

2. Flash Gordon (1980) Dir: Mike Hodges
This is in at number 2 mainly for the sound track, which I love, I owned the 7inch theme tune (The B-side was Football Fight which is an amazing song especially in context with the film) . This film is also great because it’s a bit of a who’s who of British Actors. And I remember my Mum taking me to this one and she actually enjoyed it for the music too.

3. Battlestar Galatica (1978) Dir: Richard A. Colla
Now been remade into another popular TV series, but this was the Original movie made by Glen A Larson. I think this film was botched together from the TV series and released. Not much more to say about this except I think it was the fist time I went to the cinema on my own, with friends. We ended up hiding behind the seats and watching the film again, of all the films here I doubt I would take the trouble to watch it again.

4. E.T. (1982) Dir: Steven Spielberg
Went to see this with my mates from school, must have been about 15 or 16 and I had to hold back from crying at the end when E.T. got home, it was the plant pot bit that did it, still have a little tear in my eye even now, and I know it's only a lump of rubber!

5. Logan's Run (1976) Dir: Michael Anderson
This just beat Mad Max 2 (I saw Mad Max for the first time on Pirate video back in the 80’s) into 5th place. The reason Jenny Agutter.

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Top 5 Ernest Borgnine Films

Ah crap. Just as I thought I'd sorted out the next few weeks top fives someone I really liked goes and dies and I feel I need to mark this appropriately. Ernest Borgnine was 95 and had a long and productive live but I still feel sad at his passing. He was a staple component of all the best films I saw growing up and seemed indestructible. Born in Connecticut to Italian parents he joined the Navy at 18 and served for ten years. Leaving the service and the end of World War II and keen to avoid factory employment, he landed his first stage role in 1947 and got his break in films, playing the sadistic Sergeant "Fatso" Judson, in the 1953 version of From Here To Eternity.

In 1955 he won the Best Actor Oscar for Marty. He seemed to pretty much always play himself, he was a likeable regular bloke, even when it turned out he was the bad guy. His film and TV career spanned six decades and researching this topic made me realise how many of his films I've not seen, so apologies for any glaring omissions. Andrew Collins has written a far better tribute than I could ever manage which you can read here.

1. The Poseidon Adventure (1972) Dir: Ronald Neame - Hell upside down! The ultimate 70s disaster movie in which Borgnine plays Detective Lieutenant Mike Rogo who ultimately leads the few survivors to safety.

2. The Dirty Dozen (1967) Dir: Robert Aldrich - Playing commanding officer Major General Worden who eventually gives permission for the "Dirty Dozen" to go into combat. A role he reprised for two less successful sequels.

3. Ice Station Zebra (1968) Dir: John Sturges - A film that led me into an obsession with Alistair MacClean novels and Scottish nuclear submarine bases (on a family holiday to Inverness we made a detour to see Loch Long which is mentioned in the book and attempted to get a tour round the Naval Base at Faslane entirely due to my infatuation with the film). Borgnine plays the seemingly amiable Russian defector Boris Vaslov.

4. Escape from New York (1981) Dir: John Carpenter - A cult classic in which the island of Manhattan has been converted into a maximum security prison. Kurt Russell as "Snake" Plissken is given 24 hours to rescue the President who has been taken hostage after his plane crashes onto the island. Borgnine plays Cabbie one of the inmates who becomes Snake's ally and dies in the final dramatic escape over 69th Street Bridge.

5. The Wild Bunch (1969) Dir: Sam Peckinpah - "If they move, kill 'em!" Borgnine is Dutch Engstrom one of an aging gang of outlaws in the dying embers of the American wild west.

I was determined to try and shoehorn in a mention of Disney's post Star Wars turkey "The Black Hole" (Dir: Gary Nelson - 1979) a film I loved mainly due to the little flying robots who prove to be the heroes. Ernest played journalist Harry Booth who, if memory serves, eventually realises what's going on but dies an unfortunate death. It's a film I'll always love cannot honestly claim it's better than any of the five that made the list.

Guest Top 5 - 5olly's favourite War Films

The first guest post of the year is from my Twitter friend 5olly who had spent most of last year watching and (occasionally) blogging The Channel 4 Top 100 War Movies here. He finally finished this marathon effort, well the watching part anyway, and kindly agreed to let me reproduce his final post on the subject here. I'm looking forward to whatever project he decides to take on next.

I managed to watch all the war films in the list, I just failed miserably at blogging them. It’s the blogging bit that I find so difficult, mainly cos I’m such a lazy twat. But in the spirit of Chop’s Top Fives I’ll give you my 5 highlights.

1. Ice Cold In Alex (No. 26)

Genius film and one that transported me back to a rainy afternoon in Hangleton as a young boy. Surprisingly for a Black & White film I loved it. Great story and it had me on the edge of my sofa. Best product placement ever as well.

Read my brilliant review here.

2. The Pianist (No. 32)

Amazingly I found this film one of the most tedious films I’d ever seen when I first saw it when I was doing the IMDB Top 100 Films. Bizarrely I rather enjoyed it the second time round. This was probably due to the fact that i was expecting to watch the right film this time, and not The Piano with Harvey Keitel.

Read my first review here, and my later review here.

3. Memphis Belle (No. 88)

Who knew there was an alternate ending? Who believed it involved Kevin Costner and Kiefer Sutherland? Who didn’t realise it was a completely different show that I’d got confused with? (Yep that’s right, it was me) It’s was still a good film though, even with the singing..

My extensive review (including a video of the confused ending) can be found here.

4. Oh! What a Lovely War (No. 70)

A brilliant film set in my home town. A true joy to watch. So good I went out and bought it. If I said that I was dreading watching a film about a musical, about the First World War then I wouldn’t have been lying. It’s funny, sad and poignant. Well worth a watch. I would link to my review, but I didn’t do one.

5. Play Dirty (Not even on the list)

Brilliant! An English version of The Dirty Dozen! Michael Caine rocks out over the African desert and kicks some Nazi arse! A genuine highlight of my year of film watching, and proof in point that doing pointless New Year Resolutions might leave you somewhat wiser, if not a tiny bit bored of war films….

So yeah, what next. I have no idea. I have a couple of projects in the pipeline for 2012, but I think I might have a break from blogging films this year.

I might just podcast reviews instead…. Here’s the first one… Grease (1978) Vs. Sexboat (1980) I can only apologise… But say hi to Dotmund while you’re there.

Grease (1978) Vs. Sexboat (1980) by 5olly

Film 2012 at dotmund - In praise of "The Big Bus"

Something to tide you over until Friday. I wrote a short dissertation in praise of the 1976 film "The Big Bus" over at dotmund's excellent blog.

You can read it here. There's a top five at the end.

If you like film then it's worth reading the other posts in dotmund's Film 2012 series.

Is that enough links for you?

Back Friday with a Xmas top five.

Laters.
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Top 5 Herbie Movies

The Herbie movies were simple but fun and were amongst the earliest films I can remember seeing in a cinema. I totally believed in the sentience of inanimate objects (I should perhaps point out here that I was only 6 when I saw the first film) and Herbie was proof positive that cars could do incredible things. Original director, Robert Stevenson, had made some of Disney's best kids movies (The Absent Minded Professor, Mary Poppins & One Of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing) but with Herbie found the perfect formula for boys under 10.  

1. Herbie Rides Again (1974) - Directed by Robert Stevenson
This first sequel to The Love Bug is, in my view, the best of the series. Herbie's original mechanic Tennessee Steinmetz leaves Herbie with his great aunt Mrs. Steinmetz (played perfectly by the wonderful Helen Hayes) and the plot revolves around the attempts of, evil real-estate mogul, Alonzo Hawk's attempts to evict them from their Firehouse home. This is the first Herbie film I saw in the cinema and the mixture of the surreal and the madcap made it a winner. My highlight is the finale which sees lots of other V.W. Beetles come to life to help ward of the demolition crew and defeat the villains once and for all.  

2. The Love Bug (1968) - Directed by Robert Stevenson
The original movie sees down-on-his-luck race car driver Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) acquire Herbie after defending the car from humilaitation by car salesman Peter Thorndyke (David Tomlinson). Thorndyke is also a race driver and becomes their bitter foe after Herbie beats him in a race having been tuned by Jim's mechanic friend Tennesse Steinmetz (Buddy Hackett). The Love Bug sets up the Boy-Car-Girl template that persists throughout the series, at heart these are quite simple love storys but in every one it's Herbie who remains the biggest star.

3. Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977) - Directed by Vincent McEveety
Dean Jones returns as Jim Douglas and Herbie is back in the racing business though this time a cross continent chase from Paris to Monte Carlo. Don Knotts is entertaining as Herbie's new mechanic and the European backdrop provides some new scenary for the usual Herbie related mayhem. The much missed Roy Kinnear also makes an appearance as one of two thieves who hide a large diamond in Herbies fuel tank and then have to chase him around Europe in an attempt to reclaim it. There's a noticeable drop in quality with the loss of Stevenson as director but this film retains enough of the original movies charm to pull it off.

4. Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005) - Directed by Angela Robinson
A slight return some 25 years after the disaster that was Herbie Goes Bananas. This time Herbie finds a female owner in Maggie Peyton (played by a pre-rehab Lindsay Lohan), the youngest member of a racing family.The film recreates many of the scenarios we've seen before; Herbie helps owner beat race driver in posh big car, Driver accepts that Herbie is sentient, Driver bet's something important on winning a race, Herbie then delibately loses. Girl meets Boy, Boy falls for girl, car brings them together & they all live happily ever after. It's simple and a little cheesy but there are times when I think that's all we need. Fully Loaded restores a bit of pride to the series and gave me a little thrill in taking my eldest to see it when he was abount the same age I'd have been for Herbie Rides Again.

5. Herbie Goes Bananas (1980) - Directed by Vincent McEveety
Oh dear. This one is a shocker, poorly written and struggling to raise the gentlest of titters. Herbie is shipped to Brazil to take part in a Grand Prix but after causing havoc on the ship is dumped in the sea. He eventually surfaces, covered in rust and somehow finds his way to Mexico. The only scene that is even vaguely memorable sees Herbie as a matador in a Mexican bullring. Otherwise this was just a desperate attempt to prolong the series.

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Top 5 Film Trilogies

This was quite a struggle. As soon as I started to list out possible contender's I realised there are very few examples where all three films are genuinely good. There were so many trilogies with two great films and a hokey third that I had to ease up on my quality control. I was also surprised to find how few trilogies were made before 1960. I was hoping to pick a decent collection of Ealing comedies (St. Trinian's came close) or a classic spy thriller (Bond was always intended as a series I think and the Harry Palmer films didn't quite cut it). In the end I settled for the trios below. Maybe not perfect but all films I've enjoyed and would, for the most part, happily watch again.

1. Star Wars Original Trilogy - I'm undoubtedly biased in my opinion about how good the first three Star Wars movies are. I was 8 or 9 when the first film came out and it invaded my imagination. Empire was and is the best middle film ever made. A great movie in it's own right but it builds from first film's plot and sets up the final film in the same way those 1950s Flash Gordon TV shows used to. Return of the Jedi is the weak link in the pile. I've never quite accepted the Ewoks (they SHOULD have been Wookies!) but perhaps I being harsher than I need to be.

1. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
Dir: George Lucas
2. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Dir: Irvin Kershner
3. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
Dir: Richard Marquand

2. Three Colours Trilogy - This might be the closest you'll get to the perfect trilogy, though I appreciate they won't be everyone's cup of tea. I actually watched them specifically for this top five. That says more about my obsessive need to have a well balanced list than I really want to admit to but I'm glad that I did. All three have their own individual stories that only subtly intertwine, but there's a beauty about the cinematography and a consistency in the story telling that pulls them all together.

1. Three Colours: Blue (1993) Dir: Krzysztof Kieślowski
2. Three Colours: White (1994) Dir: Krzysztof Kieślowski
3. Three Colours: Red (1995) Dir: Krzysztof Kieślowski

3. The Dollars Trilogy (aka The Man with No Name Trilogy) - Sergio Leone made his name with this trio of Clint Eastwood films, and changed the shape of Westerns in the process. They still have a quality I find enticing. Very little happens in the form of plot or characterisation but you find yourself drawn into the story.

1. A Fistful of Dollars (1964) Dir: Sergio Leone
2. For a Few Dollars More (1965) Dir: Sergio Leone
3. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) Dir: Sergio Leone

4. The Godfather - Francis Ford Copella's "Godfather" trilogy is a prime example of the two classic films, one turkey anomaly I mentioned in the intro. I'd place both the first two films pretty high in my all time favourite movie list but the third fails to live up to the same standard. This was actually the first trilogy in my top five and then the first trilogy cut. But having recently re-watched the third part I decided that, whilst on it's own it is not a great watch, it isn't as bad as I first thought and successfully brings the story cycle to an appropriate close.

1. The Godfather (1972) Dir: Francis Ford Coppola
2. The Godfather part II (1974) Dir: Francis Ford Coppola
3. The Godfather part III (1990) Dir: Francis Ford Coppola

5. Mad Max Trilogy - Probably at fault for inflicting Mel Gibson on the world but, for me, the most consistent of the sci-fi trilogies I grew up with (Alien, Predator, Terminator). The first film is a glorious low budget cult classic and definitely my favourite of the series. The second movie benefits from a bigger budget but still retains the look and feel of the first. The third maybe gets a little carried away with the additional funding generated by the second but just about maintains the quality.

1. Mad Max (1979) Dir: George Miller
2. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) Dir: George Miller
3. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) Dir: George Miller & George Ogilvie

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