IMDb Top 250 - The Quest!

[Buttonman]

Ha-ha - not getting involved in that - their list goes to 1000! Have seen No.999 though, 'The Friends of Eddie Coyle' which was great.

Boyhood DVD - IMDb No. 193/250 I wasn't looking forward to this near 3 hour tale about a boy's formative years filmed over 12 years but it was really good. The acting was great and the situations realistic and relatable. Great achievement and a rewarding watch.

[Buttonman]

Beauty and the Beast DVD - IMDb No. 246/250 I know I'm not the target audience but I didn't enjoy this romp of singing teapots and dubious domestic arrangements. Animation not in the league of the likes of 'Toy Story' and the songs were poor apart from that one Mr Burns ripped off for his greyhound vest.

[Buttonman]

Hachi : A Dog's Tale DVD - IMDb No. 192/250 You might think this tale of a loyal dog is a bit cynical and manipulative but I was holding back the tears as the lovely dog did its thing. Another 250 oddity but one I really enjoyed.

Whiplash - IMDb No. 38/250 - Didn't fancy this Oscar bothering tale of a driven jazz drumming student but it was electrifying stuff with J Jonah Jamieson on cracking form. Maybe a few too many drum solos but that's what was written on the tin!

[Buttonman]

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Film 4 - IMDb No. 198/250 Quality animation from the Studio Ghibli people -not as good as 'Spirited Away' and a bit preachy on matters environmental but the heroine doesn't wear pants, so that's got to be a plus.

[Buttonman]

Prisoners DVD - IMDb No. 244/250 Near 3 hour drama about kids being kidnapped starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. Pretty intense and disturbing stuff but a good twisty plot that played out well. Good stuff!

The Kid Googlevideo - IMDb No. 94/250 At less than an hour this wouldn't qualify as a feature these days but there was a lot to like in this 1921 silent Chaplin classic. Unlike Blackadder I quite liked the comedy kicks and there were a few genuine laughs in there.

In the Name of the Father DVD - IMDb No. 187/250 I quite enjoyed this true life tale of the Guildford 4 and more specifically Gerry Conlon, but it was a bit one sided, something a film like 'Hunger' managed to avoid. It also seemed a bit rushed at the end with Emma Thompson showing up, finding a bit of paper, and getting everyone out inside 5 minutes.

[TordelBack]

In the Name of the Father DVD - IMDb No. 187/250 I quite enjoyed this true life tale of the Guildford 4 and more specifically Gerry Conlon, but it was a bit one sided, something a film like 'Hunger' managed to avoid.

Probably easier to avoid being one-sided when your protagonists are actually guilty of something.
Sands, Hughes, McCreesh, O'Hara and the six other poor bastards whose names I can't even remember were at least members of the IRA and had been involved in violent/firearms offenses, giving their tale some genuine complexity. It's hard to see how the story of the Conlons et al could be presented as anything other than one-sided, as no one involved had ever been near to the IRA, never mind a bomb. 

But yeah, the quick wrap-up in Name of the Father is a bit pants. Both very hard movies to watch, despite their merits.

[Buttonman]

I felt it was too much good guys / bad guys with the establishment all moustache twirling bastards whilst the Irish were all cheeky chappies even when they were robbing people and setting them on fire.

[TordelBack]

Based on a true story!

[Fungus]

Eek, top 250?
I rarely watch films, they're ... well, y'know. You've seen them.

[Buttonman]

A Separation DVD - IMDb N0. 105/250 - Well this was a bit grim! A man hires a woman to look after his father who has Altzeimer's - there is a 20 minute section where she moralises about whether cleaning pee off him will be a sin. After she ties him to the bed the man knocks her over causing her to miscarriage. The rest of the film is a long argument about who did what to whom and whether they should be paid off. Difficult and demanding stuff.

The Intouchables DVD - IMDb No. 39/250. This is more like it - a quadriplegic man hires an unlikely carer and life affirming niceness ensures. Rich and rewarding!

[Buttonman]

Slowing down now (hoo-ray) as most of what I have left are 3 hour subtitled affairs. Plenty to like in the foreign film field but I need my guilty pleasures too such as the Amicus classics like From Beyond the Grave.

Anyway two of the last English language offerings today in the shape of  :

A Beautiful Mind DVD - IMDb No. 157/250. Didn't really like this at all. Russell Crowe plays economist John Nash as needy and annoying and huge swathes of the bloated run time are taken up with his elaborate paranoid delusions. There's not much about his work and it's a real surprise when he gets the Nobel Prize at the end, as the film makes out he's just a nutter for 2 hours.

How to Train Your Dragon DVD - IMDb No. 149/250 I like my animation but I hadn't sought this one out as I'm not a great fantasy fan unless there are G of T type nakedness possibilities. It was good though - some cracking animation, especially in the flying sequences, and some great voice acting. I liked and will have a look at the sequel as a result.

[Colin YNWA]

The Intouchables DVD - IMDb No. 39/250. This is more like it - a quadriplegic man hires an unlikely carer and life affirming niceness ensures. Rich and rewarding!

I'm not aware of this film (or wasn't anyway) and for whatever reason over the past few weeks have seen the title mentioned a lot. I always imagine it as one of those ott parodies type films with Leslie Nelson as Elliot Ness.

[Buttonman]

It's weird it must have had a marketing push because, from never having heard of it, the day after I watched it a friend sent me the DVD for my birthday!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 DVD - IMDb No. 219/250. I think this is one destined to fall off the chart as time passes. They are almost beyond criticism due to their undoubted success and popularity but it just doesn't do it for me. The kids all seem nice enough but there isn't much acting going on and the plot is driven by so much gibberish it's hard to care. I'd previously seen 1-5 and have now watched this due to the commitment to the list - no way am I watching 6 & 7 - unless they get promoted!

Like Stars on Earth DVD - IMDb No. 109/250. Uplifting tale of a dyslexic Indian boy who is helped by an inspirational teacher. Good and life affirming stuff but too long at 165 minutes. The teacher doesn't show up until halfway through by which time we've had 90 minutes of bad behaviour. The last half hour is devoted to a painting contest - judicious editing required!

[Magnetica]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2[/url] DVD - IMDb No. 219/250. I think this is one destined to fall off the chart as time passes. They are almost beyond criticism due to their undoubted success and popularity but it just doesn't do it for me. The kids all seem nice enough but there isn't much acting going on and the plot is driven by so much gibberish it's hard to care. I'd previously seen 1-5 and have now watched this due to the commitment to the list - no way am I watching 6 & 7 - unless they get promoted!

I thought the placing of this on the list was odd, not because it isn't a good film - it is - but because, in my opinion other films in the series are better. The earlier ones (as with the books) are more fun and lighter in tone. The whole tone of it changes with the Death Hallows and becomes really dark and serious. Personally I just preferred the earlier ones.

[Buttonman]

Laputa : Castle in the Sky DVD - IMDb No. 236/250 - Another Studio Ghibli offering and not one of the best, for me. I thought the animation was weaker - more akin to a Pokemon episode than a feature film.Still an enjoyable tale of a flying city and a foxy heroine with a magic pendant.

The Help DVD - IMDb No. 239/250 - I didn't enjoy this tale of oppressed black maids in the south at first but it wore me down with its strong spirit and the bad guys getting their comeuppance - shit cake all round. It was maybe a bit worthy and all those bitchy white women were a lot to bear.

Incendries - DVD - IMDb No 169/250 Here's another tough watch with a middle eastern tale of people being generally horrible to each other. Credibility was stretched somewhat with some of the revelations but it is a small world! Non-linear narrative kept it interesting and Tarantino type chapter heading made for easy tea and toilet breaks.

Just 12 to go but only one is in English and the majority are 3 hour Bollywood efforts. Fun starts now!