183... The Ladykillers (1955)

183...  The Ladykillers (1955)


Not my cup of tea really, OK, but dated...

AFO (A Film Odyssey) rating 6.5

Links .... IMDB (7.8), Wikipedia

184 ... Thelma & Louise

184 ... Thelma & Louise

Seen this before many many years ago when UK Multiplex's were opening.  Good film.

AFO (A Film Odyssey) rating 7.5

Links .... IMDB (7.4), Wikipedia

185 ... Dirty Harry

185 ... Dirty Harry

Great cop film that's stood the test of time, Clint Eastwood is brilliant as Dirty Harry.

"I know what you're thinking, punk. You're thinking "did he fire six shots or only five?" Now to tell you the truth I forgot myself in all this excitement. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and will blow you head clean off, you've gotta ask yourself a question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk?"

AFO (A Film Odyssey) rating 8

So good I've watched them all..

Magnum Force ... This first sequel to Dirty Harry is different but just as good as the original in my opinion - "A man's got to know his limitations".  8

Links .... IMDB (7.8), Wikipedia

186 ... The Birds

186 ... The Birds


Had I seen it?  No!

This film has aged a lot, and it struggled to hold my attention all the way through.

There are some parts of the film that seem familiar, probably because they were original and have been reused in more modern horrors, which is a compliment to this film.

I've probably been spoiled by too many modern horrors?

AFO (A Film Odyssey) rating 6

Links ... IMDBb (7.8),   Wikipedia

187 ... Boogie Nights

187 ... Boogie Nights

Total change of scene for this one !
A good film, if a tad too long (the film and the shining star...) and dark in places.  But there's some great scenes / stories here, and not all related directly to the main characters (Buck Swope and Little Bill are great). 

Everyone yaks on about Burt Reynolds with regards to this film, but John C Reilly's character Reed Rothchild is a classic, and there's a great scene at Rahad Jackson's with an 80's mix tape ramping up in the background.

The film won critical acclaim, awards and 3 Academy Award nominations.  It was written and directed by P T Anderson, who also produced Magnolia which is a film much further up this list, looking forward to it. 

The film has some great quotes in it...

Buck Swope "This is hi-fi, okay? High fidelity. You know what that means? That means this is the highest quality fidelity. Hi-fi. Two very important things in a stereo system... I have this very unit in my home, but I got it modified with the TK-421, which kicks it up another three or four quads per channel. But that's just technical talk, that doesn't concern you."


Reed Rothchild: Have you seen that Star Wars movie?
Eddie Adams: Yeah, I've seen it four times.
Reed Rothchild: You know, people tell me I kind of look like Han Solo.


Reed Rothchild: Want to hear a poem I wrote? "I love you, you love me. Going down the sugar tree. We'll go down the sugar tree, and see lots of bees: playing, playing. But the bees won't sting, because you love me." That's it.


Record Producer: That's not an MP, that's a YP, your problem. Come up with the money, or forget it. 
Reed Rothchild: Okay, now you're talking above my head. I don't know all of this industry jargon, YP, MP

AFO (A Film Odyssey) rating 7.5

Links ... IMDB (7.9),   Wikipedia

188 ... Breakfast At Tiffany's

 188 ... Breakfast At Tiffany's


Not a big fan of this one.

It's aged (Chinese neighbour , Mr Yunioshi..!) and most of the characters seem pretty scatty.

For me, the best bit about this film is the odd bit of great cinematography (opening shots in New York), and an interesting factoid is that the song 'Moon River' was wrote for this movie.

I tried to think of it as George Peppard in an early edition of the A-Team, but that plan didn't come together... (ba doom !)

AFO (A Film Odyssey) rating 6

Links ... IMDB (7.8),   Wikipedia

189 ... The Night Of The Hunter

189 ... The Night Of The Hunter





Guess what... another film I'd never seen !

And another 'old' black and white movie, with some great cinematography.

Robert Mitchum's character Harry Powell is a fake preacher, a charlatan, who marries women and then kills them for their money. But takes on one con too many with the Harpers.

I did enjoy this movie, and at the time (1955) it must have been a pretty scary trip to the flix.

AFO (A Film Odyssey) rating 7

Links ... IMDB (8.2),   Wikipedia

190 ... Pretty Woman

190 ... Pretty Woman

That's right, Pretty Woman ... And no, I hadn't seen it, thought I was too cool for school to watch this chick flick.

"A man in a legal but hurtful business needs an escort for some social events, and hires a beautiful prostitute he meets... only to fall in love."

It's a bit contrived and corny, but I found it easy to like.

Liked the scenes at the opera (la traviata) and when she returns to shop on Rodeo Drive.

I thought I'd hate this film ... I didn't, I really liked it (doh). And it's got The Big O's tunes.

AFO (A Film Odyssey) rating 7.5

Links ... IMDB (7.7), The Big O (Black & White Night) video, Blonde Episodes Blog

191 ... The Producers (1968)

191 ... The Producers (1968)

Never seen this film before (oh, what a sheltered life you've led MrC) about a failing theatre producer and accountant trying to make a fortune by producing a sure fire flop and running away with their investors money. Although it's deemed a classic and I'd heard good things, it didn't really float my boat. I think mainly due to this film ageing quite a lot.

It just took too long to really get going, and ages to get to the best bit - 'Springtime for Hitler'. That is a great set piece and together with the character L.S.D. make the film worth watching.

AFO (A Film Odyssey) rating 6

Links ... IMDB (7.7), Wikipedia

192 ... Romeo + Juliet

192 ... Romeo + Juliet

Hhhmmm ... Olde English Shakespeare original dialogue set in a modern day Verona, after 10 minutes my thoughts were 'how long before I turn this off?'.

But I stuck with it and it turned out to be a pretty good film, once you get your head round it. Pete Postlethwaite is great.

Not everyone's cup of tea, but I thought surprisingly good.

Benvolio: Why, Romeo, art thou mad?Romeo: Not mad, but bound more than a mad man is. Shut up in prison, kept without my food, whipped and tormented.

AFO (A Film Odyssey) rating 7

Links ... IMDB (6.9), Wikipedia