What I've been watching...

Keep thinking I've been and posted on here when I haven't. STUPID STUPID ME.

Here's some stuff I've watched lately.

The Stepford Wives (1975) left me somewhat underwhelmed, it's good for the first part of the film, but I couldn't help but drift off after a while, there's good moments in there but it's nothing special.

The Last Tycoon (1976) was the last film from legendery Communist Witchhunt sell-out Elia Kazan and the only film to feature Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson, the play ping-pong together no-less, recommend as the film is very interesting, cast also includes Robert Mitchum. Not the best work for anyone involded though.

Watched a fair bit of TV shows lately rather then films, here's some of the shows.

NewsRadio. Decided to re-watch the first two seasons (29 episodes) and got through them very quickly. This show is very, very funny mainly thanks to Phil Hartman (R.I.P.) and Stephen Root, this is the sort of sit-com that proves the laugh track sit-com doesn't deserve to die. Might have to starting rewatching the third series.

Punky Brewster. On the second series at the moment. I think Soleil Moon Frye gives one of the best child performances on a television comedy, she as very realistic movements and emotions that real kids have, good cast, the show is very watchable.

I've watched odd episodes of the original Twilight Zone and All in the Family, and gonna start a rotation thing with Three's Company, Happy Days, In Living Color and Columbo (also Punky and Family and any other show I feel like adding to the rotation)

I'm gonna do a life post later...

A bit about me and film

I have exactly 1650 DVDs. That's a lot right? Yeah I know the answer, it was a rhetorical question. I started collecting them in September 2001 after having a long love affair with VHS, whilst VHS was in my childhood and teenage life, I had to rely on pocket money to feed my habbit and never reached the heights of 1650 that my adult life could afford me.

My favourite actors are Robert De Niro (I own 45 of his films, I'm getting there) and Jack Lemmon. My favourite actress is probably Audrey Hepburn, but have love in the modern world for Natalie Portman and Maggie Gyllenhaal. My favourite director is Billy Wilder with Scorsese a very close second. My favourite film, I often usually cite as Once Upon a Time in the West but it's very hard to choose and my favourite television show of all time is M*A*S*H.

I am a filmmaker with a couple of shorts under my belt, people consider me talented and I could go with that, I have also taught film theory and film history on occasion.

I am not here to personally argue if I am or you are a bigger film geek (or fan or whatever) and Harry Knowles or Q.T might be world famous film geeks and I'm not comparing myself to them. I am writing here cause I love film.

The Untouchables

I was pretty young when I saw The Untouchables for the first time, it was probably one of the first grown up films I ever saw, my parents where quite liberated in what films I could watch. And when I watched earlier today for the first time in a couple of years, the film stood up tremendously well with awesome performances, awesome set-pieces, David Mamet's excellent script and Ennio Morricone's awesome musical score.

The Untouchables is the story of Elliot Ness (arguably I'd say he's only been as good in JFK) battles mob boss Al Capone (an awesome Robert De Niro) during prohobition era Chicago with the help of his group of Untouchables (Sean Connery's excellent Irish cop, a career making turn from Andy Garcia and a wonderful role for Charles Martin Smith).

Director Brian De Palma's movie is beautiful in every frame, it makes you wish you could experience 1930s Chicago, the set pieces stand out, the opening expolsion ("Mister, mister you forgot your bag!"), Capone going wild with a baseball bat, two major deaths, and the Battleship Potemkin influenced pram and staircase shoot out, and a memorable ending. Untouchables is a brilliant movie in every single department.

Ennio Morricone's great score probably helps, (the entire film could be paint drying but it still would be remember as beautiful) as does Mamet's sparkling script ("If they send one of yours to the hospital, send one of there's to the morgue..."), but the film could have easily been made in the 1940s, the 1960s or the 2000s it's so timeless.

The Untouchables is probably in my top 25/30 movies of all time- whilst De Palma's Scarface seems to get all the plaudits, this along with Carrie is the true De Palma masterpiece.

*****