General Chat

Hi Jennifer,

There are a lot of fantastic British films from the beginnings of cinema to the present day - is there any particular era's films you are intersted in?

A couple of British films from recent years I've seen and enjoyed :

Bend it Like Beckham
Gangster No 1 (This is quite a graphic film and not for the faint-hearted)

I just had a flick on the web and found a website dedicated to the British Film industry:

http://www.britmovie.co.uk/

Give it a browse - you may find something you like!

I don't know whether you actually mean films made by the British film industry, or films set in Britain; the James Bond films are considered British, as is Lawrence of Arabia (a fantastic film), or something quintessentially British, like "Brief Enounter".

I also like the BBC period and costume dramas - one I rmember from the 80s was "By The Sword Divided", which was set in the English Civil War.

Ed

EDIT: Oh Jennifer's disappeared!!

Hi Ed,
Thanks for that website - I'll take a look. I guess I just love anything set in the UK. I love the British sense of humour and the beauty of the countryside. We too loved "Hustle" and are currently enjoying "Holby Blue" series. Unfortunately, here in Oz, we don't get enough and series are often cut short. Are currently watching re-runs of "Hamish Macbeth", are also fans of "The Bill". Please keep recommendations coming. Bye for now.

Hi Jen,,,, and welcome to Pams film thread........... I had to chuckle when you talked about The english countryside being so beautiful...... Yes it is, but its usually raining or blowing a gale ,or both!!! Its funny i sit and wish I lived in a warmer climate....... visited Australia 25 years ago and loved it, have always wanted to go back, hopefully one day I will get there. I guess its a case of always wanting what you hav`nt got....... I live on the south coast which has one of the best sunshine records in the country, buts its still grey and dismal far too often for my liking.

Ed and Pam....... sorry have to disagree with you on the Tom Cruise interveiw last night, and I take back what i said a few days ago about him not being "my cup of tea" I thought last night he looked incredibly handsome, {sighs}and gave a really good interveiw, his first time with Johnathan Ross , and as we all know ,he can be difficult........ Agree with Scientology thing being weird, but John Travolta is also a follower, and i think hes a brilliant actor as well.

Can`t say I ve ever heard of The Martins Pam.

Denzel Washington.... havn`t seen Glory, but love the film where hes a paprapalegic ex cop, confined to bed and Angelina Jolie {rookie cop} is guided through some horrific murders by him..... name escapes me, I`m sure you`ll know it Ed.

Morgan Freeman.... loved those 2 films.....Kiss the Girls and the other one where hes the same charecter, And along came a Spider........ the one where he holds all the girls underground is really scary....................

don`t think Demi Moores had a mention yet...... Gi Jane, Ghost, Striptease, A Few good men, and the one where she has to spend the night with Robert Redford for a million dollars, and nearly wrecks her marriage to Woody Harrelson in the process ...Indecent Proposal, sure shes made a lot more ,but these are the good ones that spring to mind......I`m sure being a red bloodied male you`ll remember a few more Ed....lol


Nicky

Hi Nicky,

Funnily enough I've never been a big Demi Moore fan; I don't know why.

The Denzel Washington Film with Angelina Jolie is "The Bone Collector".

Did you ever see "The Siege", where he is an FBI agent trying to hunt down a terrorist who keeps planting bombs in New York. Bruce Willis was in it too, he played a rather gung-ho colonel.

I couldn't get into the film last night - I think my brain wasn't functioning properly after a really hectic week at work.

Evening Nicky, Ed and anyone elso on our thread,

I started to watch the film last night with my hubby and the next thing it was about 2.30 am! How attractive we must have both looked...gobs open catching flys! The only thing I can remember is Denzil Washington driving this sweet little girl to school in a big black Merc, then out like a light.

No still not keen on Tom Cruise Nicky...far too weird and so short!

Hubby thought of a film that we saw years ago (you'll like this one Nicky...got Paul Newman in it) "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean". Stacey Keach was so funny as 'Bad Bob the Albino'. It also had Victoria Principle in it too.

The weather has been dry here in north norfolk today...very dull though. We're very close to the norfolk Broads, about 8 miles from the 'Broads Capital' Wroxham. Roll on the spring.

The Bone Collector.... Thanks for that Ed..... though it was really creepy in places, especially the young guy he tied up and was eaten away by the Rats!!

Yes think iv`e seen The siege... very good....

I was trying to watch Hand that Rocked the cradle on the other side at the same time last night and I couldn`t get in to it, sleep got the better of me.


Nicky

Hi Pam - ha ha, saw a couple of friends lunchtime today (husband and wife) who done exactly the same thing - they were watching the film and the next thing they knew it was 3 AM! One of them had managed to turn the TV off in their sleep.

Obviously not one of Denzel Washington's better films then ...

We're at a funny age I reckon Ed! It's called OLD! ☺

So we all dozed off last night trying to watch films then........


Life and Times of judge roy bean...... have seen it many years ago Pam, but cant remeber much about it.

Norfolk broads.....a part of the country I`ve never been too, have heard its very picturesque, but sure I will when retirement comes, and we start towing caravans off on holiday, I`m sure norfolk broads will be on my list along with Lake district and various others,,,, its been really sunny here today, but theres a frost outside now, at least the evening are drawing out now, I`m sure summer is on its way .......


Nicky

Al Pacino's on in a few minutes on ITV in Carlito'''s Way, I'll probably watch that. It's one of our son's favourites. He's got all Al Pacino's stuff. There's one in particular that is very nasty, think it's Scareface where some chap gets his leg severed off by a chain saw! I know it's only a film, but it still makes me feel bad for him. Think the actor is Stephen Bauer...not sure about the spelling. He was married to Melanie Griffiths I believe at one time and they have a son.

Oh I can hear them in that film saying "And now the other leg!" Awful.

Me OLD? I think I prefer "mature" (but the OH would day I still behave like a schoolboy!)

Perhaps a better description would be "worn out" :-D

Yes it's nice and quiet up here where we are. I moved here in 1968 with my family due to my dad's work. I think I said that we lived in Kenley in Surrey for many years as we were talking about the old crocks race and the film Genvieve. They used to drive past us as we were on the A23. Remember having many day trips to the lovely south coast in my dad's moggy 1000. We mostly headed for Brighton. The roads were a lot quieter then.

Think I might have to take a look at Carilto's Way too - I've not seen it before and I do like Al Pacino.

Yes I think you're right about Scarface - quite a nasty scene.

I'm not squeamish or a prude, but I can be put off of a film that has violence for violence's sake in it - remember starting to watch Goodfellas and the opening scene is where there are two hoods who pull up in a car and open the boot. There's someone inside and they repeatedly shoot and stab the victim. The scene really put me off of the film and I just turned it off.

Talking of Al Pacino, have either of you seen "Scent of a Woman", where he plays a blind ex-US Army Colonel who hires a young college student to look after him over a holiday period?

Yes and yes Ed. I felt exactly the same way about Goodfellas and it was truly awful and totally over the top. I'm not keen on that little chap in it either (can't think of his name) swearing ALL the time.

Scent of a Women, lovely film and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

We will give our verdict on Carlito's Way tomorrow then Ed and Nicky too if you watch it.

Hi ladies,

Yes we've had a dry day too - bright but cold. Although looking at Nicky's board name I suspect we are in a similar part of the country! (I'm in West Hertfordshire but originally from London)

I like Norfolk - many a childhood holiday spent in and around Great Yarmouth, although it's a bit "flat" for me! (I love the ruggedness of Snowdonia and the Lake District).

Yes Brightons lovely... I`m about 20 miles away.

Its a pity you didn`t stick with Goodfellas Ed, if you can just ignore all the swearing it really is a good film, and Ray Liota who narrates all the way through was brilliant in it.

Never seen Scent of a woman, but think it was another oscar winner.


Nicky

Yes I was born in St. Pancras...not on the platform though I might add!

Yes it's good for bike riding here Ed, bit like Holland in many ways. Yarmouth is about thirty miles from us, Norwich about twenty. Don't support the football club though!

The little bloke is Joe Pesci - he was in a couple of the "Lethal Weapon" films. (I can't criticise his height too much - I'm only 5'6"!)

I first saw him in "Raging Bull" in which Robert Do Niro played the boxer Jake La Motta and Joe Pesci was his brother. That was a really classy film - done in black and white - with some really long, sweeping scenes of the fights. Although that has some gratuitous violenece in it too, there's one scene where Pesci has a fight with someone who is making a play for Jake La Motta's wife and Pesci's character ends up slamming his head in a car door several times!

Its funny how people who live in london often head up to the East coast for their holidays, and us down in the south travel West down to Devon and Cornwall.......... that really is a beautiful part of the world, and always said if i didn`t live here in sunny {!!} sussex thats where I`d go, or if not the Isle of wight, thats also lovely. Would want to stay near the sea though, been on the coast all my life and can`t imagine living inland......

May give Carlitos Way a try, but am pretty tired so signing off now.


nicky

Pam that's spooky - both my parents, grandparents, and most of their siblings were born in St Pancras! I was born in Hampstead.