Posted in Films, TV at Thu 3 Dec 2009 by Stavros
I know how you like lists. Like I do. That’s why we’re friends isn’t it? Isn’t it? Whatever. Just humour me then.
10. errmmm…
9. I must have seen some films this year…
8. still thinking… Oh yeah,
7. Superbad (2007). Average US teen comedy from bloke behind Freaks & Geeks. Nowhere near as good.
6. Carry On Doctor (1967). I think I’d seen it before. It’s the one with Frankie Howerd in it. It was on C4 when I was ill.
5. Y Tu Mamá También (2001). Watched again after being lent DVD by Austin after drunken conversation the night before.
4. In Which We Serve (1942). Watched again one Saturday afternoon in the summer waiting for the rain to stop at Edgbaston.
3. The Best of Youth (2003). Four part Italian family epic on BBC4 while waiting for second series of Spiral to air.
2. La Reine Margot (1994). Watched again, see #4.
1. The Ladykillers (1955). Watched again with Merk as he hadn’t seen it. Watched through the xbox 360, you know for that authentic 50s vibe.
There you have it, conclusive proof that I am now a movie luddite, a filmic has-been, a cinematic cynic. I’d still recommend any of the top five if you’ve never seen them. Or maybe you prefer this shamelessly populist list of the decade’s films here.
In theory there’s still time for the perennial Christmas favourites to find there way in my annual affections, I’ve been hearing good things about The Great Escape (1963), Zulu (1964) and It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)! Remember the finger’s always on the pulse here at blogofstavros baby.
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Posted in Films, TV at Wed 11 Nov 2009 by Stavros
Good day. Welcome. You are currently reading the 1,514th most regularly updated blog in Shropshire. Make yourself comfortable. I hope you are a patient reader.
I often blog about music, obviously that’s in relative terms, but not so much the other arts. Let me change that. I used to watch lots of films when I was a student, and even arranged my course around some excellent Film Studies modules. However I can’t seem to get excited over movies these days. I rarely watch them at all truth be told. When people talk of a must-see film I silently scoff, snobbishly imagining an explosion-heavy high octane prequel of a sequel of a comic. It sometimes is of course. Either that or Barry Magic. But it’s not exactly as if I spend my time consuming the celluloid canons of La Nouvelle Vague or Italian neorealism in my spare time instead. I’m sure I’m missing out on shitloads of flicks, not least I suppose Up and The Bicycle Thief.
The Buggles were wrong. TV killed the Videostar. At least for me. See the everyday domesticity of the violent New Jersey underworld of The Sopranos, the all-immersive crime and corruption of The Wire’s Baltimore, the contradictory almost bipolar 1960s New York in Mad Men. The sheer hours of character and story (and location) development means to me these are worlds that no two-hour film has ever so completely submerged me. The mournfully cancelled Deadwood and brilliant gritty French series Spiral did similar things too.
Never having been a big watcher of television (again hear the snobbish snorts of derision at Eastenders or X-Factor or Gok fucking Wan), I am trying to catch up on drama that may have slipped below my radar - or EPG. In the last couple of weeks I’ve watched the Red Riding trilogy and State of Play, both excellent large scale British dramas. Both sadly and unlike their US equivalents, only a few episodes long.
Strap your good selves in, here comes a point to this rambling
So, I hoped you, yes you, the crowd-sourced mind of a million thoughts, could let me know if there’s any great drama I may have missed over the last ten years or so. Anything British and ambitious, or any imported series the calibre of The Sopranos or as all-emcompassing as The Wire or as fragrant with poetic cussing as Deadwood? Or shameless comment whore that I am, tell me why I’m so wrong about film.
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Posted in Crown, Beer, Christmas, Films at Sat 12 Jan 2008 by Stavros
I hope you all had a nice Christmas and New Year. I hope you didn’t come down with a cold, or man flu or bird flu or angry crayfish flu or owt like that. I did a bit. It dampened the spirits a little, you may have noticed the stocks of most beer companies suffered too. Of the festive period, the best things were taking my grandad to the snooker at the International Centre, that was better than I expected, Rocket Ronnie was on form. Also getting a bit drunk and feeling a bit ill while watching the Mighty Boosh live show on BBC3 one night was cool. Being a co-host of a party where I was the most sober was perhaps not. Although that was made up for by having a happy New Year’s eve with the good the bad and the ugly of the Crown. Yeehaa. We made our flat all christmassy too, although I’m in no doubt the pine needles will be sticking in feet for seasons to come.
What’s in store for 2008? I’ve not made any resolutions, because, well, what’s the bloody point really. I like me as I am! I might reincarnate a resolution from a couple of years ago, when I promised I would eat as many different animals as I could. I was disappointed with my tally in 2006, so maybe in the year of the rat… no no no, there are limits. If you’re a pheasant or a buffalo in Shropshire, just watch out. And I haven’t ruled out puppies yet neither.
Apropos to absolutely nothing at all, have a list. Here’s my favourite five Coen Brothers film:
5. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
4. Miller’s Crossing
3. The Hudsucker Proxy
2. Fargo
1. The Big Lebowski
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Posted in Christmas, Films at Thu 13 Dec 2007 by Stavros
Hold on to your hats pop-pickers, the world famous Stav’s top ten albums is being currently being compiled. In other news, I’m a bit pissed, and I started flicking round the channels on freeview (as long as there’s no taxis within half a mile we get good signal). At first I started watching an old Sopranos episode, then after flicking through the shopping channels, I settled with the arse end of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels on Filmfour. Now, it was always something of a guilty pleasure with it’s cockernee cliché gangsterism, but I did like the film. I can say now, nine years on (honestly), that it’s not aged particularly well. The whole bleached, almost sepia tone to the film looks ropey now, like flares on your dad. And that’s before we get to the acting. Sting, ffs?! Jason Flemyng’s not much better. It wasn’t all bad, though. The story is extremely tight, and it was Lenny “The Guv’nor” McLean’s last role (and did you notice Rob Bydon as the traffic warden? I didn’t till tonight). The ending is quite good too, with “Welsh” ex-”footballer” Vinny Jones in a shiny new “motor”, and the valuable guns/bridge/mobile phone oh-deary-me thing.
I’ve just realised, I’ve just reviewed a nine year old film (hmmm I’ll give it a ***). Shit, what next?! Tune in next week, for my take on new release, Battleship Potemkin, the movie event of the holiday season. Still, ah! Russian battleships, Russian beer. If you are bored though, try using webtelly to catch the new US series (season) of Pushing Daisies. It’s very “Amelie”, so it may not be to all tastes, but it’s got that lovely Anna Friel, who used to be a rusty bike with a dad under the patio in Brookside.
Laters,
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Posted in Crown, Fella, Films, Holiday at Sun 3 Sep 2006 by Stavros
I’ve had a bit of a game getting my passport, but I’ve got it now. And the first place I’m wielding it’s mighty power is Rome (well Nottingham first - then Rome, you’ve gotta get there first). I’m flying on Tuesday (first flight + with Fulla the bad flyer = nerves). I’m looking forward to seeing the sights, the Colosseum, the Forum, the Sistine Chapel, the sultry brunettes on Vespas in tight jeans, the leather-skinned old men sipping treacle-like coffee through browning teeth, the moody looking handsome Lazio Ultras landing kicks into a passing rival fan. I’ll let you know how many points I get as I fill in my Eye-Spy Book of Lazy Roman Stereotypes!
On Friday I went to The Crown. Sunk a few. Went back to Fella’s with some wine to watch Family Guy with Fulla and Walt. Ate some Swedish food. The other two rather wisely left. We watched Godfather Part Two. It got late… it got early. The taxi driver kept calling it “the morning” and “Saturday”. I couldn’t argue with him. Well I tried. We were in different timezones. I got home but I hadn’t got a key. I wanted to get in, but I didn’t want to wake anyone up. It was by this stage fairly light. It was about half-six. I rang the doorbell, but nothing was doing. The cat stopped miaowing at me, I was no use to her I couldn’t let her in. She deserted me. I lay on the front door step. I closed my eyes. The milk float woke me up. We don’t get our milk delivered, so I was spared that embarrassment. I decided to sit in the back garden instead though. I was getting cold so I zipped my jacket up and closed my eyes again. Some time later the rain woke me up. It wasn’t my morning. I had to try the door again. This time I knocked the door aswell as rang the bell and finally awoke my slumbering family. One cup of tea later I went to bed. Nine o’clock and the source of much amusement. I think I might put a tent up in the back garden for next time.
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