What DVD have you just watched?

Oh yes it was cheap and did I miss out that a smooth Syrah helped the film go down (I seem to remember most of the film - or those bits I remember being awake for!).

....For me, expectations were so low that my demeanour (not just wine fuelled) was better than after Skyfall  .

EJS,

Well your comment got me to actually LOL.

HL,

A decent Syrah can improve nearly anything; although me & mine all thoroughly enjoyed Skyfall ..but as I said in my comments I suspect it had slight marmite overtones.

M

Just watched on BBC, how enjoyable are these animations?  

The best and funniest TV show I have seen in a long time. More like a string of TV movies, with each episode lasting around 90 minutes.

Cheers,

EJ

A bit uneven but definitely worth seeing.

Not had a very good run with the last 3 films we watched really -

Catwomen, with Halle Berry, 5/10
Paris Lockdown - French gangster film 6/10
The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008) 6/10

Hopefully things will pick up soon 

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Great ensemble piece, great location shots, great atmosphere silly predictable story but enjoyable which is what matters.

A fantastic Russian film about the early life of Temujin (later to become Genghis Khan). Great cinematography, horsemanship, stunts, acting and some absolutely breathtaking scenery (the film was shot in Mongolia, Kazakhstan and China).

I can't attest as to its historical accuracy, but it seems a darn sight more accurate than "The Conquerer", a dreadful 1950s epic which starred John Wayne as Genghis

Dances With Wolves.

On BBC iPlayer, as it goes.

Last time I watched this it was on DVD in about 2002, house sitting at my Phylosophy Lecturer's house. I still look after his house occasionally ...

I remember it as an immensely involving story played at length.

Tonight it bowled me out middle stump, and I never saw the ball coming.

This I must get on DVD, even if I only watch it one every ten years.

Maybe not a high-brow piece of art, but one that does appeal to me.

ATB from George ... eyes streaming.

A great movie. Pretty reasonable accuracy (slightly implausible individual heroics notwithstanding) when compared to a Mongolian history book I have. Mongolians themselves don't rate the movie as it is stars a Japanese actor and a lot of non-Mongolian locations and other actors.

See also "Cave of the Yellow Dog" and "Story of the Weeping Camel" for great (low budget) Mongolian cinema using local sets and local people as actors. These movies are well regarded by Mongolians as accurately depicting life in the spectacular Mongolian countryside.

Cheers Wink - Cave of the Yellow Dog is actually in my "to be watched pile" so will try to get round to it later this week.

Some of the best telly ever - up there with Mad Men:

After watching the Artist a couple of weeks ago it has got us in the mood for some classic movies, watched Top Hat for the first time last night and I have to say it was far better than a lot of films I have watched lately, extremely enjoyable.

Have you worked out how Sherlock faked his death? According to wikipedia no one has got it right so far but I had it worked out before the credits stopped rolling. I wrote to the production company but did not get a reply. Maybe wiki is out of date. I agree it is one of the very best TV shows I have ever seen , 

The Iron Lady

How do you sum up someone's life in a feature film?

Whatever approach you take it will be selective & a microcosm.

There was a lot in this film that I liked. I thought the approach was imaginative, but I felt the thesis that it was selling was somewhat flawed. The message seemed to be that MT was pugnacious, and that she forged her path regardless of colleagues, and ultimately paid for this.

The one person that they missed from this biopic that I feel is fundamentally crucial was Willie Whitelaw, and in missing him they removed an essential park of the jigsaw.

I think this is a film that is very entertaining, but I am not convinced it gives an true insight into the history or the politics.

Worth watching though.

M

One for the Money

Interesting mashup of genres: Rom com; thriller; and, mystery.

I enjoyed this far more than I expected.

M

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