I have seen that! Great indeed. Oddly enough, I can’t remember the ending…
I liked this one more, the film that led me to it (and as far as I know, Sandra Oh’s breakout flick) –
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The other film based (somewhat loosely) on Henry Hill’s life; predictably a lot more funnier than Goodfellas.
A film about the clash of cultures, love, crime and family, with a good cast and good music.
Very nice photography by John Bailey.
Nothing exceptional, but good, solid craft all around. Fun to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Features one of my favourite screen couples, is a masterclass in bullshitting, educational on matters sartorial and has some scenes that are pure beauty. Like when Barney kicks Hannah’s ex-husband out of her house.
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The plot is inspired by two real-life events in the 1960ies:
- The Great Train Robbery of 1963 in Britain.
- Charles de Gaulle deciding that France should sort of drop out of NATO, resulting in the relocation of NATO’s HQ from Paris to Brussels in 1966.
NATO isn’t just hauling their desks and typewriters via train from Paris to Brussels, but also, discreetly, some of their funds. In cash.
The mastermind behind the British train robbery thinks that this is too good a chance to let pass - especially as he is the NATO officer in charge of the relocation. He is British and robbing trains is just his hobby, peacetime duty being too boring after commando operations in WW II. To help with the logistics, especially laundering the loot, he obtains the services of the Mafia. (Their own plan, naturally, is to keep all of the loot.)
Meanwhile, a petty thief gets wind of the cash transport, breaks out of prison and mounts his own operation.
So now we have two parties robbing the train simultaneously - one high-tech military-style operation, one improvised but inspired. Plus a third party waiting to take over.
Hilarity ensues.
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I have a disappoint:
Oh, I watched this as a kid, and loved it! I have occasionally wondered about it and whether it has lost its magic. There are scenes I remember quite vividly - maybe I made them up? I think it’s time to revisit Cinderella.
Still pretty magical, I think. It’s on the TV each year around Christmas a couple of times, so watch it every now and then.
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Saw this last night on Netflix. Awesome, especially the all too real depiction of the father’s controlling personality.
“Wizard of Oz” and “Railway Children”? Man, some people are incredibly easily ‘traumatized’.
But I can’t really argue with Watership Down. I’m certain there’s many kids that’ve been seriously freaked out by a movie their parents grabbed from the video store, thinking “oh, animated bunnies, my little ones will love this.” Pair that with Plague Dogs for an afternoon matinee your kids will be talking about in therapy twenty years later.
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“Oh look, Fritz the Cat, that sounds like some harmless fun!”
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That’s how my children happened to watch Grave of the Fireflies, WAYYYYY too young.
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The film about films and who make them.
Can’t put it any better than Leslie Halliwell:
An amusing, affectionate and unobtrusively skillful look behind the scenes while a movie is being made with a lot of very temperamental actors. Certainly the best of its kind, and purely for entertainment.
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A staple of HBO, TNT and TBS. It has a Shawshank Redemption like quality of being eminently watchable if there is nothing else on and its already 30-40 minutes in.
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Oh dear sweet baby Cthulhu (See my comments at 11-13)
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One of my favorites. Well done and plausible within the framework of the story.
The books are worth reading though the last book of the trilogy goes a bit off the rails but in fun way.
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I didn’t even know there was a book series until now (and with the help of wikipedia). Thank’s for the heads up.
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Last night I discovered the late art critic Robert Hughes wrote an excoriating review of “Phantom Menace” in 1999, which if you’re after a belly laugh is pure scalding genius.
“The scooter-race sequence and overblown parody of the chariot-race in “Ben-Hur,” with dear old Jabba the Hutt looking like Harvey Weinstein at the Oscars,”
“The pompous mock-classical architecture of Naboo is from De Mille and Griffith, who got it from the early 19th century American artist Thomas Cole. But it all looks like the Vatican Sheraton anyway. “
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This is amazing in high def on a big screen.
Speaking of French comedy-thrillers – there are so many! – almost anything written and/or directed by Francis Veber is worth a look. My personal favorites are La Chevre and Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire.
Another more recent French comedy-thriller, one scene from which I occasionally post a link to here on BB, is:
And, speaking of Reno and food, I saw this for the first time a few months ago and thought it was pretty funny:
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You can sell me on any movie on Jean Reno alone. Why, he even made Godzilla bearable.
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He was in some stinkers. (L’opération Corned Beef, I’m looking at you!)
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