1 hour ago, Valerie said:

OK, enough....

Yes mother.  

On 09/06/2021 at 21:52, Boyne said:

Have you visited the Airborne Assault Museum at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford? Definitely worth visiting if you haven't. Some great stuff on display including information about Bruneval. the D-Day Landings, Operation Market Garden and Operation Varsity. Some VCs on display as well.

 

Yeah, I've been, I went when it first opened. I agree with your discription. I've also been to the Hartenstein in Oosterbeek, the 82d Airborne Museum at Ft. Bragg. They are all really worth visiting.

Watched Doctor Sleep the other day. Sequal to the shining which i've only seen the once and didn't fully understand what was going on. Thought it was really good and you didn't really need to see the original for it to make sense. Would recommend!

 

SLIGHT SPOILER: The short montage bit near the end where you're taken back to the hotel was great atmosphere and nostalgia with the original music and recreating the panning shots over the lake!

Jaws

I know, I know, a classic. I had only seen bits of it as a kid but was always shoeed out of the room by my parents during the gruesome bits where the shark started chomping on people.

As an adult now I can safely say it’s a great film, and the shark actually looks pretty decent considering this was filmed in the 1970s. 
Robert Shaw is a fantastic actor, watched him in From Russia with Love recently (one of my favourite Bond films), shame he was slave to the demon drink and died so young.  

17 hours ago, Blueblur said:

Jaws

I know, I know, a classic. I had only seen bits of it as a kid but was always shoeed out of the room by my parents during the gruesome bits where the shark started chomping on people.

As an adult now I can safely say it’s a great film, and the shark actually looks pretty decent considering this was filmed in the 1970s. 
Robert Shaw is a fantastic actor, watched him in From Russia with Love recently (one of my favourite Bond films), shame he was slave to the demon drink and died so young.  

That’s Sir John Jaws to you!

19 hours ago, Blueblur said:

Jaws

I know, I know, a classic. I had only seen bits of it as a kid but was always shoeed out of the room by my parents during the gruesome bits where the shark started chomping on people.

As an adult now I can safely say it’s a great film, and the shark actually looks pretty decent considering this was filmed in the 1970s. 
Robert Shaw is a fantastic actor, watched him in From Russia with Love recently (one of my favourite Bond films), shame he was slave to the demon drink and died so young.  

Indeed, a classic. I think it's the only film I've watched that I've preferred to the book it was based on. I remember going to the cinema with a couple of friends when it was first shown in the U.K. Everyone in the cinema jumped when the head rolled out of the wrecked boat. Some of the footage was shot by the Australian naturalists, film makers and divers, Ron and Valerie Taylor. They also did a lot of the filming for the film Blue Water, White Death. A brilliant film about Great White Sharks and other marine life.

Agree about Robert Shaw. A great actor and a sad ending to his life. His second wife, Mary Ure was also an alcoholic and she died of an overdose.

29 minutes ago, Boyne said:

Indeed, a classic. I think it's the only film I've watched that I've preferred to the book it was based on. I remember going to the cinema with a couple of friends when it was first shown in the U.K. Everyone in the cinema jumped when the head rolled out of the wrecked boat. Some of the footage was shot by the Australian naturalists, film makers and divers, Ron and Valerie Taylor. They also did a lot of the filming for the film Blue Water, White Death. A brilliant film about Great White Sharks and other marine life.

Agree about Robert Shaw. A great actor and a sad ending to his life. His second wife, Mary Ure was also an alcoholic and she died of an overdose.

Holy f**k I jumped out of my f**king skin when I got to that moment. I was watching on my iPad in bed and sent it flying into the air. Didn’t expect it at all and no horror film in decades has elicited such a frightened reaction from me! 

Sad to hear about Mary Ure. Apparently Shaw was a nightmare on the set of Jaws, kept arguing with Richard Dreyfuss. And of course he would duck away to drink between takes.  

Watching King Kong, the 1933 version with Fay Wray. A brilliant film.

The Comeback Trail on Sky. Down in his luck movie producer owes money to the guy who financed one of his movies decides to try and ‘accidentally’ kill off the star of his new film to claim the insurance. Good little film, some quite funny bits. Worth a watch.

I watched it because famous actor Zach Braff was talking about it in his podcast but it’s got a great cast too (De Niro, Morgan Freeman & Tommy Lee Jones). 

The Italian Job. The 1969 version with Michael Caine. One of my favourite films with one of my favourite lines. "You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off."

I wonder why the film is being shown today!

That was on ITV yesterday just before the match and similarly a cliffhanger 

Whisky Galore. The version made in 1949. A film I've probably watched about thirty times. One of the funniest films I've watched and in my top ten films.

The other day I watched The Longest Day a film I've watched many times before. Made in 1962 and adapted from the book of the same name written by Cornelius Ryan, It tells of the D-Day landings. A good film with an excellent cast including one actor who served with the Paras and took part in the D Day landings.

With a subject like D Day it must be difficult to know what to include and what to exclude. The film rightly covers the landing at Omaha Beach by American Troops and the capture of Pegasus Bridge by members of the Ox and Bucks. Strange that the attack on the Merville Battery wasn't included and that the Canadians who landed at Juno Beach are only briefly mentioned. Some stuff - and to be fair to Ryan and the producers of the film they probably weren't aware - e.g. the importance of FUSAG, Operation Fortitude and Bletchley Park were omitted. 

One of the many things I like about the film is that the cast speak in English, French and German with sub-titles where necessary rather than voices being dubbed.

A future James Bond and two future Bond villains appear in the film. 

Have just started watching Theirs is the Glory which was made in 1945 and released in 1946.  It tells of the attack by the 1st British Airborne Division on Arnhem and the surrounding areas. Some of the cast actually took part in Operation Garden in September 1944. A Great Uncle was a serjeant in the Highland Infantry - part of XXX Corps - and was mortally wounded and is buried in Valkenswaard Cemetery which is not far from Eindhoven. I visited the Cemetery in 2014 i.e. the 70th anniversary of the campaign.

Much has been written about Operation Market Garden and its failures. Montgomery too ambitious? One thing: the bravery of the American, British and Polish service personnel and the Dutch civilians cannot be doubted.

@erskblue and @Munkworth You may be interested.

I saw No Escape the other day with Owen Wilson and in a supporting role an aging Pierce Brosnan.

I think I missed the first ten minutes and found it through flicking through the remote.

It's a cliff hanger and thriller.

Owen is an American Exec working in SE Asia and is family is there perhaps joining him for a holiday. A protest starts and it all kicks off with the police and then the police disappear and the crowd turn on foreigners.

Owen is better known for comedies yet here tries to hold it altogether and for me it works well with suspension right up until the end. 

 

 

On 11/08/2021 at 17:16, Boyne said:

Much has been written about Operation Market Garden and its failures. Montgomery too ambitious? One thing: the bravery of the American, British and Polish service personnel and the Dutch civilians cannot be doubted.

 

I did process risk analysis in a previous role and when you look at Operation Market Garden is it just incredibly ambitious with so many points that could go wrong.

So many brave men died for what was a very badly planned operation.

Too many factors to mention of what went wrong though many decades later gives us some entertainment and also recognition of the bravery of previous generations. 

On 14/06/2021 at 21:48, Blueblur said:

Jaws

I know, I know, a classic. I had only seen bits of it as a kid but was always shoeed out of the room by my parents during the gruesome bits where the shark started chomping on people.

As an adult now I can safely say it’s a great film, and the shark actually looks pretty decent considering this was filmed in the 1970s. 
Robert Shaw is a fantastic actor, watched him in From Russia with Love recently (one of my favourite Bond films), shame he was slave to the demon drink and died so young.  

Haha, if they shooed you out for Jaws they must have locked you up for The Omen. Released closed together I think.

Love the scene in the cemetary as they are digging up the graves they suddenly find they are not alone and have to make a run for it.

Just now, Strider6003 said:

Haha, if they shooed you out for Jaws they must have locked you up in your bedroom for The Omen. Released closed together I think.

Love the scene in the cemetary as they are digging up the graves they suddenly find they are not alone and have to make a run for it.

 

Watching The Great Escape for about the millionth time. Yes, a slight exaggeration!

A great film with a wonderful cast. Brilliant music. Made nearly sixty years ago and one of a number of films I can watch over and over with out getting bored.

 

 

No Time to Die (No spoilers)

Daniel Craig throws his heart and soul into his final performance as James Bond. Our hero is retired, living in Jamaica and enjoying the quiet life, before his old friend Felix Leiter gets in contact and asks for help rescuing a scientist in Cuba. Soon 007 is dragged back into a world he thought he had left behind.

This is a James Bond film like no other. It's a long film but doesn't feel that way, as it is paced to perfection. The action scenes are brilliant (the opening in Italy and the Cuba shoot-out with Ana de Armas's Paloma is a highlight), the script witty and Craig displays real pathos and grit as the world's most famous spy. 

It's certainly a film which will divide Bond fans, but I won't go into anything here. Just go see it for yourself. 

9/10

 

this is hilarious, worth a watch 

On 04/10/2021 at 11:52, Blueblur said:

No Time to Die (No spoilers)

Daniel Craig throws his heart and soul into his final performance as James Bond. Our hero is retired, living in Jamaica and enjoying the quiet life, before his old friend Felix Leiter gets in contact and asks for help rescuing a scientist in Cuba. Soon 007 is dragged back into a world he thought he had left behind.

This is a James Bond film like no other. It's a long film but doesn't feel that way, as it is paced to perfection. The action scenes are brilliant (the opening in Italy and the Cuba shoot-out with Ana de Armas's Paloma is a highlight), the script witty and Craig displays real pathos and grit as the world's most famous spy. 

It's certainly a film which will divide Bond fans, but I won't go into anything here. Just go see it for yourself. 

9/10

Finally got to see it at the cinema yesterday and it didn't disappoint, First time we had been to the cinema since pre-Covid and as you say, full of action and really enjoyed it.

 

On 15/06/2021 at 18:27, Blueblur said:

Holy f**k I jumped out of my f**king skin when I got to that moment. I was watching on my iPad in bed and sent it flying into the air. Didn’t expect it at all and no horror film in decades has elicited such a frightened reaction from me! 

Sad to hear about Mary Ure. Apparently Shaw was a nightmare on the set of Jaws, kept arguing with Richard Dreyfuss. And of course he would duck away to drink between takes.  

Jaws is a great film Went and saw it when it came out with a couple of mates at Putney cinema and we would have been about 12. Think everyone in the cinema jumped a foot in the air when that head rolled out! Brilliant.

It;s funny, there are very few modern day films that I can watch over and over and yet there are certain films from when I was younger that I have watched countless times and will still watch again - most mentioned in this thread!

Jaws

The Great Escape

The Italian Job

Midnight Cowboy

For a Few Dollars More

Stand By Me

Dirty Harry

Sexy Beast

Quadrophenia

 

There are probably a few more (including older James Bond films), but those are the ones I have watched loads and will happily watch again.

22 minutes ago, Nibs said:

Finally got to see it at the cinema yesterday and it didn't disappoint, First time we had been to the cinema since pre-Covid and as you say, full of action and really enjoyed it.

 

Jaws is a great film Went and saw it when it came out with a couple of mates at Putney cinema and we would have been about 12. Think everyone in the cinema jumped a foot in the air when that head rolled out! Brilliant.

It;s funny, there are very few modern day films that I can watch over and over and yet there are certain films from when I was younger that I have watched countless times and will still watch again - most mentioned in this thread!

Jaws

The Great Escape

The Italian Job

Midnight Cowboy

For a Few Dollars More

Stand By Me

Dirty Harry

Sexy Beast

Quadrophenia

 

There are probably a few more (including older James Bond films), but those are the ones I have watched loads and will happily watch again.

I have only seen three of the films in your list above (Jaws, Dirty Harry and Sexy Beast). The Great Escape has been on my list for a long time, I just need to watch the damn thing! I have seen the Italian Job remake but I doubt that’s the version you mean. I didn’t exist when Jaws came out so don’t hold the fact that I didn’t see it in the cinema against me…

I’m a massive James Bond fan so have seen all of them probably more than 15 times each. There is something very timeless about them and there is always one to suit every mood. 

Goodfellas is my favourite film and I’ll re-watch that every year. And I’ll always watch Tarantino films repeatedly, there is nothing else like them. Definitely the most stylish films ever made. 

I recently watched all the Rocky movies since I hadn’t seen them before. I thought 1-3 were really good and 4+5 pretty garbage. Rocky Balboa and Creed excellent, just need to see Creed II now! That’s set me off on a Stallone flex so am currently watching the Expendables films before starting the Rambos.

Saw the new Dune part one the other evening. Been trying to read the book for about a year but not a fan of the authors style despite liking the story so haven't touched it for a few months, pretty sure I'm further into the book than where the film ends though.

Was sat in the second row unfortunately so not the greatest start. I went in expecting it to be slow and thought it was for the most part but still felt they could've done a bit more to set the scene, show the world and the different factions and characters as I'd imagine its gonna confuse a lot of people not already familiar with it. Visually it's brilliant! Captured the look and feel of the story well in that respect, no sh*t looking cgi bar one bit where the camera lingers on the main character for a few seconds in a dream sequence.

I enjoyed it, certainly won't be to everyone's taste but definitely a film that should be seen in the cinema. Hope they keep up the standards for the next part and hopefully I'll have finished the book by then!

On 11/08/2021 at 17:16, Boyne said:

Have just started watching Theirs is the Glory which was made in 1945 and released in 1946.  It tells of the attack by the 1st British Airborne Division on Arnhem and the surrounding areas. Some of the cast actually took part in Operation Garden in September 1944. A Great Uncle was a serjeant in the Highland Infantry - part of XXX Corps - and was mortally wounded and is buried in Valkenswaard Cemetery which is not far from Eindhoven. I visited the Cemetery in 2014 i.e. the 70th anniversary of the campaign.

Much has been written about Operation Market Garden and its failures. Montgomery too ambitious? One thing: the bravery of the American, British and Polish service personnel and the Dutch civilians cannot be doubted.

@erskblue and @Munkworth You may be interested.

Watched the film again on Saturday night. It was on the Talking Pictures channel. Some great old films on there.

Whilst A Bridge Too Far covers the actions taken by the American, British, Polish airborne and ground forces alongside those of the German forces and Dutch civilians Theirs Is The Glory centres around the actions taken by members of the British 1st Airborne Division, the German defenders and Dutch civilians in and around Arnhem and Oosterbeek so it can be difficult to make comparisons. A Bridge Too Far has a bigger budget and a good cast and portrays a very accurate account of Operation Market Garden there is a rawness about Theirs Is the Glory which for me makes it a better film. It was made in late 1945 so a year after the event and about 120 of the British Airborne Division appear in the film as do the local Dutch Roman Catholic priest and Kate ter Horst who looked after injured service personnel. In the film there is a clip of her reading from the Psalms. The film does have clips from filming taking during the actual battle and those add to the authenticity. The film does not make any comments or judgements of the strategy of the Allied Forces (Montgomery's plan was criticised by some at the time and still does receive criticism) but does praise the bravery of the Allied service personnel and the Dutch citizens.

Kate ter Horst and John Frost who was in command of British troops at Arnhem acted as advisers in the filming of A Bridge Too Far. Ter Horst is portrayed by Liv Ullmann and Frost by Anthony Hopkins.