UK & Ireland Challenge (Official, September 2023)

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

24 - 24 Hour Party People (2002) - 6/10

Nicely done!

Thanks!

I also managed to watch Zulu on the day that Prince Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi passed away. He portrayed his great grandfather in the film.

Impressive! I read that he had died, but wasn't aware that he had appeared in 'Zulu'.

[Tngy]

1. Animal Farm (1954) 5.5 #England

[magnusbernhardsen]

I made an ICM list from the Wikipedia list of films set in the Channel Islands
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/film ... /magnusbe/

[sol]

I made an ICM list from the Wikipedia list of films set in the Channel Islands
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/film ... /magnusbe/

Thanks for the list, though I don't know if all of those are eligible. Devil's Rock appears to be a Kiwi film for instance. I know Roger said that all of the films on the iCM lists in the OP are eligible. Not sure his take on the Wikipedia lists, but there are definitely more that I would dig into if all of the Wikipedia films are eligible too.

[sol]

Managed to do one as good as "24. 24 Hour Party People":

Spoiler

1. The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970, Basil Dearden) UK #England REVISON
2. The Breadwinner (2017, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
3. My Old School (2022, Jono McLeod) UK #Scotland
4. The Souvenir: Part II (2021, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
5. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore; Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
6. The Survivalist (2015, Stephen Fingleton) UK #NothernIreland
7. Ask a Policeman (1939, Marcel Varnel) UK #England REVISON
8. Only Two Can Play (1962, Sidney Gilliat) UK #Wales REVISON
9. My Father’s Dragon (2022, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
10. Archipelago (2010, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
11. Unrelated (2007, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
12. Sleuth (1972, Joe Mankiewicz) UK #England REVISON
13. Exam (2009, Stuart Hazeldine) UK #England REVISON
14. Who? (1974, Jack Gold) UK #England REVISON
15. The Eternal Daughter (2022, Joanna Hogg) UK #Wales

16. Sweet Sixteen (2002, Ken Loach) UK #Scotland



Surviving on his wits with his mother serving a prison stint, a teenager engages in shifty activities to save up enough money for a decent home in this kitchen sink drama. Foul-mouthed and ill-tempered, Martin Compston is never especially likeable in the lead role, but his dedication to his mother is enough to carry the film, constantly defending her whenever she is criticised and fixated on the idea that his mother will be a better parent upon her release if they have a nicer home. While his gradual disenchantment is arguably too telegraphed, this is still a compelling human drama from start to finish.

[gunnar]

Managed to do one as good as "24. 24 Hour Party People":

16. Sweet Sixteen (2002, Ken Loach) UK #Scotland

Nice!

[jdidaco]

(Screenshots from 'The Strange World of Gurney Slade' & 'LOLA'),



13-14. (8 min), The Strange World of Gurney Slade (Anthony Newley & Alan Tarrant, 1960) 10/10 (156 min) (Total: 164 min) (#England)
15. Three on a Spree (Sidney J. Furie, 1961) 7/10 (#England)
16. The Boys (Sidney J. Furie, 1962) 8/10 (#England)
17. England Made Me (Peter Duffell, 1973) 8/10 (#England)
18. A Private Enterprise (Peter Smith, 1974) 8.5/10 (#England)
19. Long Shot (Maurice Hatton, 1978) 8/10 (#Scotland)
20. Hooray for Holyrood (Ross Wilson, 1986) 7/10 (#Scotland)
21. Barry Purves program : Next (Barry Purves, 1990) 9/10 (RV) (5 min), Screen Play (Barry Purves, 1993) 9.5/10 (RV) (11 min), Achilles (Barry Purves, 1995) 10/10 (RV) (11 min), Gilbert & Sullivan: The Very Models (Barry Purves, 1998) 8.5/10 (16 min), Hamilton Mattress (Barry Purves, 2001) 8/10 (30 min), Tchaikovsky - An Elegy (Barry Purves, 2011) 8.5/10 (RV) (13 min) (Total: 86 min) (6x#England)
22. The Canterbury Tales (Jonathan Myerson, Aida Zyablikova, Ashley Potter & Dave Antrobus & Mic Graves, Joanna Quinn, Iain Gardner, Deiniol Morris, Valeriy Ugarov, Sergey Olifirenko and Damian Gascoigne, 1998/2000) 8/10 (Total: 83 min) (#Wales)
23. Umbilical World (David Firth, 2018) 8/10 (#England)
24. LOLA (Andrew Legge, 2022) 7.5/10 (#Ireland)



(33 min carried over)

Spoiler

1. Mad Jack (Jack Gold, 1970) 9/10 (#England)
2. The National Health (Jack Gold, 1973) 8/10 (#England)
3. Moments (Peter Crane, 1974) 8/10 (#England)
4. Un nos ola' leuad/One Full Moon (Endaf Emlyn, 1991) 9/10 (#Wales)
5. Gadael Lenin/Leaving Lenin (Endaf Emlyn, 1993) 8/10 (#Wales)
6-7. Operavox (1995) : Carmen (Mario Cavalli) 7.5/10, The Magic Flute (Valeriy Ugarov) 9/10, Rhinegold (Graham Ralph) 7.5/10, Rigoletto (Barry Purves) 10/10 (RV), The Barber of Seville (Nataliya Dabizha) 9.5/10, Turandot (Gary Hurst) 8/0 (Total: 183 min) (23 minutes carried below) (#Wales)
8. Akram Khan's Giselle (Akram Khan & Ross MacGibbon, 2018) 10/10 (#England)
9. Benediction (Terence Davies, 2021) 8/10 (#England)
10-12. (23 min), The Visit (Jack Gold, 1959) 7.5/10 (35 min), Stranger in the City (Robert Hartford-Davis, 1961) 7.5/10 (22 min), The Six-Sided Triangle (Christopher Miles, 1963) 7.5/10 (30 min), Stop Laughing, This Is England (Douglas Hickox, 1963) 7.5/10 (20 min), Simon Simon (Graham Stark, 1970) 8/10 (30 min), Hofesh Shechter's Clowns (Hofesh Shechter, 2018) 10/10 (28 min) (Total: 188 min) (8 min carried over) (6x#England)

[Mario Gaborović]

I made an ICM list from the Wikipedia list of films set in the Channel Islands
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/film ... /magnusbe/

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6334620/
You're missing this, which is so far the only film actually produced there. Guernsey I believe.

I also found and watched Forever Remembered fro, Jersey but it's not yet added to IMDb. There's only a Letterboxd page I myself created.
https://letterboxd.com/film/forever-remembered/

[pitchorneirda]

Spoiler

1. A Taste of Honey (1961, Tony Richardson) - 6/10
2. A Hard Day's Night (1964, Richard Lester) - 3.5/10
3. Meantime (1983, Mike Leigh) - 4.5/10
4. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore & Nora Twomey) - 5/10
5. Withnail & I (1987, Bruce Robinson) - 4/10
6-7. TV Episodes, total runtime 183min
Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead (2009, James Strong) TV Episode, 59 min
Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour (2010, Adam Smith) TV Episode, 65 min
Doctor Who: The Vampires of Venice (2010, Jonny Campbell) TV Episode, 49 min
8. Victim (1961, Basil Dearden) - 5/10
9. The Crying Game (1992, Neil Jordan) - 3/10
10. The 39 Steps (1935, Alfred Hitchcock) - 3/10
11. Chicken Run (2000, Nick Park & Peter Lord) - 5.5/10
12. TV Episodes, total runtime 90 min
Doctor Who: The Hungry Earth (2010, Ashley Way) TV Episode, 44 min
Doctor Who: Cold Blood (2010, Ashley Way) TV Episode, 46 min
13. Whistle Down the Wind (1961, Bryan Forbes) - 7/10
14. TV Episodes, total runtime 105 min
Doctor Who: The Lodger (2010, Catherine Morshead) TV Episode, 43 min
Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol (2010, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 62 min
15. Dead Man's Shoes (2004, Shane Meadows) - 2/10
16. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008, Mike Leigh) - 7/10
17. Family Life (1971, Ken Loach) - 7/10
18. TV Episodes, total runtime 91 min
Doctor Who: The Impossible Astronaut (2011, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 44 min
Doctor Who: Day of the Moon (2011, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 47 min
19. TV Episodes, total runtime 80min
Doctor Who: The Curse of the Black Spot (2011, Jeremy Webb) TV Episode 46 min
+ 34 min
20. A Matter of Life and Death (1946, Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger) - 5/10

21. Great Expectations (1946, David Lean) - 4/10

22. Paddington (2014, Paul King) - 4/10

23. TV Episodes, total runtime 80 min
Doctor Who: The Doctor's Wife (2011, Richard Clark) TV Episode, 47 min
+ 33 min

[total minutes carried over: 23 + 10 + 25 + 11 - 34 - 33 = 2 min]

[gunnar]

28 - The Blue Lamp (1950) - 7.5/10 - Basil Dearden - This police procedural involves a police officer who is murdered and the search for his killer. It was pretty well done.

29 - The Warrior (2001) - 6.5/10 - Asif Kapadia - A warrior in feudal India does a lot of the dirty work for his lord. This includes leading parties to raze villages or killing individuals who shirk the taxes the lord demands. The warrior lives with his son and an incident leads him to reevaluate and give up his life as a warrior, but his lord and his rival won't leave it at that. The film kind of meanders through the story and while it isn't bad, I never felt any real attachment to the characters.

30 - My Summer of Love (2004) - 5.5/10 - Pawel Pawlikowski - Two young women out in the English countryside start hanging out together and form a relationship. The brother of one of the girls is a born again Christian. The movie is pretty boring for the most part.

31 - Shallow Grave (1994) - 7/10 - Danny Boyle - Three flatmates interview potential candidates for a fourth person to join them. They finally rent out the extra room only to have the person die on their first night, leaving behind a suitcase full of money that leads to a number of problems.

Spoiler

1 - Monsters (2010) - 7.5/10 - Gareth Edwards
2 - The Descent (2005) - 7/10 - Neil Marshall
3 - Twins of Evil (1971) - 6.5/10 - John Hough
4 - Tales from the Crypt (1972) - 7/10 - Freddie Francis
5 - Theatre of Blood (1973) - 6/10 - Douglas Hickox
6 - Vampire Circus (1972) - 7/10 - Robert Young
7 - Asylum (1972) - 7.5/10 - Roy Ward Baker
8 - Deathdream / Dead of Night (1974) - 7/10 - Bob Clark
9 - Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) - 6.5/10 - Terence Fisher
10 - The Plague of the Zombies (1966) - 7.5/10 - John Gilling
11 - The Skull (1965) - 6/10 - Freddie Francis
12 - The Devil Rides Out (1968) - 8/10 - Terence Fisher
13 - The Open Road (1926) - 8/10 - Claude Friese-Greene
14 - Blue (1993) - 5/10 - Derek Jarman
15 - Culloden (1964) - 7/10 - Peter Watkins
16 - London (1994) - 7/10 - Patrick Keiller
17 - Robinson in Space (1997) - 7.5/10 - Patrick Keiller
18 - Oliver Twist (1948) - 8/10 - David Lean
19 - The Great White Silence (1924) - 7.5/10 - Herbert G. Ponting
20 - Underground (1928) - 8.5/10 - Anthony Asquith
21 - Zulu (1964) - 7.5/10 - Cy Endfield
22 - The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) - 7/10 - Tony Richardson
23 - Whisky Galore! (1949) - 6.5/10 - Alexander Mackendrick
24 - 24 Hour Party People (2002) - 6/10 - Michael Winterbottom
25 - Billy Liar (1963) - 7/10 - John Schlesinger
26 - This Is England (2006) - 7.5/10 - Shane Meadows
27 - Hobson's Choice (1954) - 8/10 - David Lean

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

I made an ICM list from the Wikipedia list of films set in the Channel Islands
https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/film ... /magnusbe/

Thanks for the list, though I don't know if all of those are eligible. Devil's Rock appears to be a Kiwi film for instance. I know Roger said that all of the films on the iCM lists in the OP are eligible. Not sure his take on the Wikipedia lists, but there are definitely more that I would dig into if all of the Wikipedia films are eligible too.

Within reason; I'd be OK with counting a film set or filmed in the Channel Islands. I don't want to limit people; I want it to be left up to the viewer as much as possible.

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

13-14. (8 min), The Strange World of Gurney Slade (Anthony Newley & Alan Tarrant, 1960) 10/10 (156 min) (Total: 164 min) (#England)
21. Barry Purves program : Next (Barry Purves, 1990) 9/10 (RV) (5 min), Screen Play (Barry Purves, 1993) 9.5/10 (RV) (11 min), Achilles (Barry Purves, 1995) 10/10 (RV) (11 min), Gilbert & Sullivan: The Very Models (Barry Purves, 1998) 8.5/10 (16 min), Hamilton Mattress (Barry Purves, 2001) 8/10 (30 min), Tchaikovsky - An Elegy (Barry Purves, 2011) 8.5/10 (RV) (13 min) (Total: 86 min) (6x#England)
22. The Canterbury Tales (Jonathan Myerson, Aida Zyablikova, Ashley Potter & Dave Antrobus & Mic Graves, Joanna Quinn, Iain Gardner, Deiniol Morris, Valeriy Ugarov, Sergey Olifirenko and Damian Gascoigne, 1998/2000) 8/10 (Total: 83 min) (#Wales)
(33 min carried over)

jd, something here caught my eye. Should this leave 93 minutes carried over (164 leaves 44, 86 leaves 26, 83 leaves 23), rather than 33 minutes? Or, are my maths way off?

[jdidaco]

13-14. (8 min), The Strange World of Gurney Slade (Anthony Newley & Alan Tarrant, 1960) 10/10 (156 min) (Total: 164 min) (#England)
21. Barry Purves program : Next (Barry Purves, 1990) 9/10 (RV) (5 min), Screen Play (Barry Purves, 1993) 9.5/10 (RV) (11 min), Achilles (Barry Purves, 1995) 10/10 (RV) (11 min), Gilbert & Sullivan: The Very Models (Barry Purves, 1998) 8.5/10 (16 min), Hamilton Mattress (Barry Purves, 2001) 8/10 (30 min), Tchaikovsky - An Elegy (Barry Purves, 2011) 8.5/10 (RV) (13 min) (Total: 86 min) (6x#England)
22. The Canterbury Tales (Jonathan Myerson, Aida Zyablikova, Ashley Potter & Dave Antrobus & Mic Graves, Joanna Quinn, Iain Gardner, Deiniol Morris, Valeriy Ugarov, Sergey Olifirenko and Damian Gascoigne, 1998/2000) 8/10 (Total: 83 min) (#Wales)
(33 min carried over)

jd, something here caught my eye. Should this leave 93 minutes carried over (164 leaves 44, 86 leaves 26, 83 leaves 23), rather than 33 minutes? Or, are my maths way off?

Roger!!!, I'm the worst living mathematician, numbers only interest me as a compiler, in Greenaway fashion, but if I understood the rules correctly, 80 min for miniseriers (Gurney Slade, Canterbury Tales), and 60 for shorts (Barry Purves). If that's so, then I'm carrying 33 min, although I wouldn't mind 93

Oh, thank you for the Irish rebelliousness of reverting the shorts to 60 min, I never understood why we changed that

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

13-14. (8 min), The Strange World of Gurney Slade (Anthony Newley & Alan Tarrant, 1960) 10/10 (156 min) (Total: 164 min) (#England)
21. Barry Purves program : Next (Barry Purves, 1990) 9/10 (RV) (5 min), Screen Play (Barry Purves, 1993) 9.5/10 (RV) (11 min), Achilles (Barry Purves, 1995) 10/10 (RV) (11 min), Gilbert & Sullivan: The Very Models (Barry Purves, 1998) 8.5/10 (16 min), Hamilton Mattress (Barry Purves, 2001) 8/10 (30 min), Tchaikovsky - An Elegy (Barry Purves, 2011) 8.5/10 (RV) (13 min) (Total: 86 min) (6x#England)
22. The Canterbury Tales (Jonathan Myerson, Aida Zyablikova, Ashley Potter & Dave Antrobus & Mic Graves, Joanna Quinn, Iain Gardner, Deiniol Morris, Valeriy Ugarov, Sergey Olifirenko and Damian Gascoigne, 1998/2000) 8/10 (Total: 83 min) (#Wales)
(33 min carried over)

jd, something here caught my eye. Should this leave 93 minutes carried over (164 leaves 44, 86 leaves 26, 83 leaves 23), rather than 33 minutes? Or, are my maths way off?

Roger!!!, I'm the worst living mathematician, numbers only interest me as a compiler, in Greenaway fashion, but if I understood the rules correctly, 80 min for miniseriers (Gurney Slade, Canterbury Tales), and 60 for shorts (Barry Purves). If that's so, then I'm carrying 33 min, although I wouldn't mind 93

Oh, thank you for the Irish rebelliousness of reverting the shorts to 60 min, I never understood why we changed that

Aha, not at all surprised that it is me. I hadn't twigged that two of the three batches were mini-series. Thank you for clarifying, jd!

[blocho]

12. T2 Trainspotting (2017) #Scotland
I don’t like the way this is filmed at all. A lot of awkward close-ups, unusual juxtapositions, Dutch angles, and plenty of other off-key touches that add up to little. It feels very random, like the work of a film school student who kept saying, “What if we tried this?” There’s also far too much of what’s often called fan service: flashbacks to the original movie or scenes that copy famous moments from it.

What saves this movie is the acting and the story. The four principal actors remain utterly convincing. Though I’ve seen each of them in other movies, sometimes in many movies, on screen here they seem to belong entirely to the world of Trainspotting. As for the story, it is unsurprisingly about regret. The characters of Trainspotting have aged 20 years but changed little. Like nearly all middle-aged people, they wonder what they did with their time and how they squandered their opportunities. Their missteps gnaw at them. Even those who have left their addictions far behind feel this way, suggesting an unstated truism: it’s very difficult to solve your addiction and nearly impossible to solve yourself.

Edinburgh has trams now, apparently. That’s cool.

13. The Thirty-Nine Steps (1978) #Scotland
It’s been more than 25 years since I read John Buchan’s classic spy novel. This movie, the third cinematic adaptation of the novel, is more faithful to the source material than Hitchcock’s effort but, of course, not as good. Still, it’s a reliably entertaining caper.

[sol]

Spoiler

1. The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970, Basil Dearden) UK #England REVISON
2. The Breadwinner (2017, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
3. My Old School (2022, Jono McLeod) UK #Scotland
4. The Souvenir: Part II (2021, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
5. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore; Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
6. The Survivalist (2015, Stephen Fingleton) UK #NothernIreland
7. Ask a Policeman (1939, Marcel Varnel) UK #England REVISON
8. Only Two Can Play (1962, Sidney Gilliat) UK #Wales REVISON
9. My Father’s Dragon (2022, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
10. Archipelago (2010, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
11. Unrelated (2007, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
12. Sleuth (1972, Joe Mankiewicz) UK #England REVISON
13. Exam (2009, Stuart Hazeldine) UK #England REVISON
14. Who? (1974, Jack Gold) UK #England REVISON
15. The Eternal Daughter (2022, Joanna Hogg) UK #Wales
16. Sweet Sixteen (2002, Ken Loach) UK #Scotland

17. Keeping Mum (2005, Niall Johnson) UK #IsleOfMan REVISON



Revisited after more than fifteen years, the potential here still feels like it is never maximised. The opening few minutes are awesome with a young lady (in the past) nonchalantly talking about two corpses who she has shoved into her luggage. The final 25 minutes are also great as the truth about Maggie Smith comes out and others try to stop her being so reckless. The middle hour of the film though is very bland with extramarital affairs, bullying problems at school, relationship woes and other run-of-mill issues. Smith being devious without anyone realising is also a lot less funny than others trying to stop her.

[peeptoad]

3. The Dark (2005, John Fawcett) #Isle of Man

filmichean air am faicinn

1. The Haunted Strangler (1958, Robert Day) #England
2. First Man Into Space (1959, Robert Day) #England

[sol]

Spoiler

1. The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970, Basil Dearden) UK #England REVISON
2. The Breadwinner (2017, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
3. My Old School (2022, Jono McLeod) UK #Scotland
4. The Souvenir: Part II (2021, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
5. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore; Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
6. The Survivalist (2015, Stephen Fingleton) UK #NothernIreland
7. Ask a Policeman (1939, Marcel Varnel) UK #England REVISON
8. Only Two Can Play (1962, Sidney Gilliat) UK #Wales REVISON
9. My Father’s Dragon (2022, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
10. Archipelago (2010, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
11. Unrelated (2007, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
12. Sleuth (1972, Joe Mankiewicz) UK #England REVISON
13. Exam (2009, Stuart Hazeldine) UK #England REVISON
14. Who? (1974, Jack Gold) UK #England REVISON
15. The Eternal Daughter (2022, Joanna Hogg) UK #Wales
16. Sweet Sixteen (2002, Ken Loach) UK #Scotland
17. Keeping Mum (2005, Niall Johnson) UK #IsleOfMan REVISON

18. Peeping Tom (1960, Michael Powell) UK #England REVISON



Often cited as the very first slasher due to its placing of the audience in the "POV of the killer". While this is true and the pre-credits scene is terrific, seen through a camera visor, the POV aspect is not there to drum up mystery and suspense regarding the murderer's identity. We know who he is from very early on with the mystery instead being if the police will catch him and whether he'll kill his new girlfriend. The film also does an incredible job of making Mark seem less than totally odious, perverted and/or evil. Lots of neat small touches abound too, like Mark claiming that he is from "The Observer" newspaper.

[pitchorneirda]

Spoiler

1. A Taste of Honey (1961, Tony Richardson) - 6/10
2. A Hard Day's Night (1964, Richard Lester) - 3.5/10
3. Meantime (1983, Mike Leigh) - 4.5/10
4. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore & Nora Twomey) - 5/10
5. Withnail & I (1987, Bruce Robinson) - 4/10
6-7. TV Episodes, total runtime 183min
Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead (2009, James Strong) TV Episode, 59 min
Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour (2010, Adam Smith) TV Episode, 65 min
Doctor Who: The Vampires of Venice (2010, Jonny Campbell) TV Episode, 49 min
8. Victim (1961, Basil Dearden) - 5/10
9. The Crying Game (1992, Neil Jordan) - 3/10
10. The 39 Steps (1935, Alfred Hitchcock) - 3/10
11. Chicken Run (2000, Nick Park & Peter Lord) - 5.5/10
12. TV Episodes, total runtime 90 min
Doctor Who: The Hungry Earth (2010, Ashley Way) TV Episode, 44 min
Doctor Who: Cold Blood (2010, Ashley Way) TV Episode, 46 min
13. Whistle Down the Wind (1961, Bryan Forbes) - 7/10
14. TV Episodes, total runtime 105 min
Doctor Who: The Lodger (2010, Catherine Morshead) TV Episode, 43 min
Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol (2010, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 62 min
15. Dead Man's Shoes (2004, Shane Meadows) - 2/10
16. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008, Mike Leigh) - 7/10
17. Family Life (1971, Ken Loach) - 7/10
18. TV Episodes, total runtime 91 min
Doctor Who: The Impossible Astronaut (2011, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 44 min
Doctor Who: Day of the Moon (2011, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 47 min
19. TV Episodes, total runtime 80min
Doctor Who: The Curse of the Black Spot (2011, Jeremy Webb) TV Episode 46 min
+ 34 min
20. A Matter of Life and Death (1946, Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger) - 5/10
21. Great Expectations (1946, David Lean) - 4/10
22. Paddington (2014, Paul King) - 4/10
23. TV Episodes, total runtime 80 min
Doctor Who: The Doctor's Wife (2011, Richard Clark) TV Episode, 47 min
+ 33 min
[total minutes carried over: 23 + 10 + 25 + 11 - 34 - 33 = 2 min]

24. 45 Years (2015, Andrew Haigh) - 7/10

25. Paddington 2 (2017, Paul King) - 4/10

26. Gosford Park (2001, Robert Altman) - 2/10

[gunnar]

32 - East is East (1999) - 7.5/10 - Damien O'Donnell - George is a Pakistani immigrant who is married to an English woman named Ella and together they run a chip shop and have six sons and one daughter. George also has a second wife back in Pakistan. George wants to raise his kids in Pakistani traditions, but the kids see themselves as British and don't want arranged marriages or being forced to go to the mosque for Islamic education. The movie has quite a bit of humor and that is when it is at its best. There is also family drama with George trying to impose his will on the family. The film also introduced me to the music of Blue Mink which is good.

33 - I, Daniel Blake (2016) - 8/10 - Ken Loach - A middle age carpenter who is recovering from a heart attack is stuck with a bureaucracy that doesn't care about people who need help. He is denied one type of assistance because he is deemed fit for work, even though his doctor has told him not to work. Another agency insists that he fill out forms online, apply for work, and much more. He befriends a young mother with two children who is having similar problems and is having a hard time putting food on the table and supplying other basic needs. The film is an indictment on the whole system and is very well done.

34 - Touching the Void (2003) - 7.5/10 - Kevin Macdonald - In 1985, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates climbed a mountain in the Andes from a side that had never been climbed before. On the way down, Joe broke his leg and later fell into a crevasse and was thought dead by Simon, but each survived. The two of them and another man who had remained at their base camp tell their tale of survival while it is reenacted on screen. The views are pretty good and the story is interesting,

35 - The Ipcress File (1965) - 7/10 - Sidney J. Furie - Michael Caine stars as an MI5 agent in this spy thriller. It's a decent film with a nice performance from Caine, but don't go in expecting anything like James Bond.

Spoiler

1 - Monsters (2010) - 7.5/10 - Gareth Edwards
2 - The Descent (2005) - 7/10 - Neil Marshall
3 - Twins of Evil (1971) - 6.5/10 - John Hough
4 - Tales from the Crypt (1972) - 7/10 - Freddie Francis
5 - Theatre of Blood (1973) - 6/10 - Douglas Hickox
6 - Vampire Circus (1972) - 7/10 - Robert Young
7 - Asylum (1972) - 7.5/10 - Roy Ward Baker
8 - Deathdream / Dead of Night (1974) - 7/10 - Bob Clark
9 - Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) - 6.5/10 - Terence Fisher
10 - The Plague of the Zombies (1966) - 7.5/10 - John Gilling
11 - The Skull (1965) - 6/10 - Freddie Francis
12 - The Devil Rides Out (1968) - 8/10 - Terence Fisher
13 - The Open Road (1926) - 8/10 - Claude Friese-Greene
14 - Blue (1993) - 5/10 - Derek Jarman
15 - Culloden (1964) - 7/10 - Peter Watkins
16 - London (1994) - 7/10 - Patrick Keiller
17 - Robinson in Space (1997) - 7.5/10 - Patrick Keiller
18 - Oliver Twist (1948) - 8/10 - David Lean
19 - The Great White Silence (1924) - 7.5/10 - Herbert G. Ponting
20 - Underground (1928) - 8.5/10 - Anthony Asquith
21 - Zulu (1964) - 7.5/10 - Cy Endfield
22 - The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) - 7/10 - Tony Richardson
23 - Whisky Galore! (1949) - 6.5/10 - Alexander Mackendrick
24 - 24 Hour Party People (2002) - 6/10 - Michael Winterbottom
25 - Billy Liar (1963) - 7/10 - John Schlesinger
26 - This Is England (2006) - 7.5/10 - Shane Meadows
27 - Hobson's Choice (1954) - 8/10 - David Lean
28 - The Blue Lamp (1950) - 7.5/10 - Basil Dearden
29 - The Warrior (2001) - 6.5/10 - Asif Kapadia
30 - My Summer of Love (2004) - 5.5/10 - Pawel Pawlikowski
31 - Shallow Grave (1994) - 7/10 - Danny Boyle

[sol]

Spoiler

1. The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970, Basil Dearden) UK #England REVISON
2. The Breadwinner (2017, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
3. My Old School (2022, Jono McLeod) UK #Scotland
4. The Souvenir: Part II (2021, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
5. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore; Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
6. The Survivalist (2015, Stephen Fingleton) UK #NothernIreland
7. Ask a Policeman (1939, Marcel Varnel) UK #England REVISON
8. Only Two Can Play (1962, Sidney Gilliat) UK #Wales REVISON
9. My Father’s Dragon (2022, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
10. Archipelago (2010, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
11. Unrelated (2007, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
12. Sleuth (1972, Joe Mankiewicz) UK #England REVISON
13. Exam (2009, Stuart Hazeldine) UK #England REVISON
14. Who? (1974, Jack Gold) UK #England REVISON
15. The Eternal Daughter (2022, Joanna Hogg) UK #Wales
16. Sweet Sixteen (2002, Ken Loach) UK #Scotland
17. Keeping Mum (2005, Niall Johnson) UK #IsleOfMan REVISON
18. Peeping Tom (1960, Michael Powell) UK #England REVISON

19. Cherrybomb (2009, Lisa Barros D'Sa; Glenn Leyburn) UK #NothernIreland



Three teenagers are grilled over a violent act here. The plot summaries that talk about the teens going in "on a wild weekend" are largely exaggerated. It is over halfway in before they get up to mischief, and even when they do, most of it feels mild. Some of the human drama at hand certainly resonates as one teen has to cope with his father being beaten up and as the female teenager learns that her father has been sleeping around. The dynamics between the three teens are a lot less interesting though with childish arguing over who is going to bed the girl first - and who she will choose to be her boyfriend.

[sol]

Spoiler

1. The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970, Basil Dearden) UK #England REVISON
2. The Breadwinner (2017, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
3. My Old School (2022, Jono McLeod) UK #Scotland
4. The Souvenir: Part II (2021, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
5. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore; Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
6. The Survivalist (2015, Stephen Fingleton) UK #NothernIreland
7. Ask a Policeman (1939, Marcel Varnel) UK #England REVISON
8. Only Two Can Play (1962, Sidney Gilliat) UK #Wales REVISON
9. My Father’s Dragon (2022, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
10. Archipelago (2010, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
11. Unrelated (2007, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
12. Sleuth (1972, Joe Mankiewicz) UK #England REVISON
13. Exam (2009, Stuart Hazeldine) UK #England REVISON
14. Who? (1974, Jack Gold) UK #England REVISON
15. The Eternal Daughter (2022, Joanna Hogg) UK #Wales
16. Sweet Sixteen (2002, Ken Loach) UK #Scotland
17. Keeping Mum (2005, Niall Johnson) UK #IsleOfMan REVISON
18. Peeping Tom (1960, Michael Powell) UK #England REVISON
19. Cherrybomb (2009, Lisa Barros D'Sa; Glenn Leyburn) UK #NothernIreland

20. Chico & Rita (2010, Fernando Trueba and others) UK #IsleOfMan



This showcases some breathtaking animation, most notably during a car chase that ends in an insane slow motion shot of an automobile totally falling to bits as it crashes through a glass window. There is also a neat dream sequence with hand-drawn figures and bright flashing lights. Good-looking as the film often is though, the story being told unfortunately didn't impress me. The hot-headed, cheating Chico is hardly the most likeable protagonist, while most of the melodrama feels very overdone - in particular, a nude catfight that would seem exploitative were the same scene filmed as a live action sequence.

[pitchorneirda]

Spoiler

1. A Taste of Honey (1961, Tony Richardson) - 6/10
2. A Hard Day's Night (1964, Richard Lester) - 3.5/10
3. Meantime (1983, Mike Leigh) - 4.5/10
4. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore & Nora Twomey) - 5/10
5. Withnail & I (1987, Bruce Robinson) - 4/10
6-7. TV Episodes, total runtime 183min
Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead (2009, James Strong) TV Episode, 59 min
Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour (2010, Adam Smith) TV Episode, 65 min
Doctor Who: The Vampires of Venice (2010, Jonny Campbell) TV Episode, 49 min
8. Victim (1961, Basil Dearden) - 5/10
9. The Crying Game (1992, Neil Jordan) - 3/10
10. The 39 Steps (1935, Alfred Hitchcock) - 3/10
11. Chicken Run (2000, Nick Park & Peter Lord) - 5.5/10
12. TV Episodes, total runtime 90 min
Doctor Who: The Hungry Earth (2010, Ashley Way) TV Episode, 44 min
Doctor Who: Cold Blood (2010, Ashley Way) TV Episode, 46 min
13. Whistle Down the Wind (1961, Bryan Forbes) - 7/10
14. TV Episodes, total runtime 105 min
Doctor Who: The Lodger (2010, Catherine Morshead) TV Episode, 43 min
Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol (2010, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 62 min
15. Dead Man's Shoes (2004, Shane Meadows) - 2/10
16. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008, Mike Leigh) - 7/10
17. Family Life (1971, Ken Loach) - 7/10
18. TV Episodes, total runtime 91 min
Doctor Who: The Impossible Astronaut (2011, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 44 min
Doctor Who: Day of the Moon (2011, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 47 min
19. TV Episodes, total runtime 80min
Doctor Who: The Curse of the Black Spot (2011, Jeremy Webb) TV Episode 46 min
+ 34 min
20. A Matter of Life and Death (1946, Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger) - 5/10
21. Great Expectations (1946, David Lean) - 4/10
22. Paddington (2014, Paul King) - 4/10
23. TV Episodes, total runtime 80 min
Doctor Who: The Doctor's Wife (2011, Richard Clark) TV Episode, 47 min
+ 33 min
[total minutes carried over: 23 + 10 + 25 + 11 - 34 - 33 = 2 min]
24. 45 Years (2015, Andrew Haigh) - 7/10
25. Paddington 2 (2017, Paul King) - 4/10
26. Gosford Park (2001, Robert Altman) - 2/10

27. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001, Sharon Maguire) - 3/10

28. American Honey (2016, Andrea Arnold) - 3/10

[AB537]

20. Bend It Like Beckham (Gurinder Chadha, 2002) 7/10 ... #England
21. Benediction (Terence Davies, 2021) 6/10 ... #England

[DudeLanez]

13. Henry V (1944, Laurence Olivier) 6/10 #England
14. Whistle Down the Wind (1961, Bryan Forbes) 6,5/10 #England
15. Moonraker (1979, Lewis Gilbert) 2/10 #England

England: 11 / Scotland: 3 / Ireland: 1

01. I Know Where I'm Going! (1945, Powell/Pressburger) 5,5/10 #England
02. Bleak Moments (1971, Mike Leigh) 6,5/10 #England
03. Ray & Liz (2018, Richard Billingham) 6/10 #England
04. Whisky Galore! (1949, Alexander Mackendrick) 5,5/10 #Scotland
05. The Lavender Hill Mob (1951, Charles Crichton) 6/10 #England
06. The Pumpkin Eater (1964, Jack Clayton) 7,5/10 #England
07. Darling (1965, John Schlesinger) 5/10 #England
08. Gregory's Girl (1980, Bill Forsyth) 4/10 #Scotland
09. The Crying Game (1992, Neil Jordan) 6/10 #Ireland
10. This Is England (2006, Shane Meadows) 7/10 #England
11. Comfort and Joy (1984, Bill Forsyth) 4/10 #Scotland
12. Sorry We Missed You (2019, Ken Loach) 7/10 #England
13. Henry V (1944, Laurence Olivier) 6/10 #England
14. Whistle Down the Wind (1961, Bryan Forbes) 6,5/10 #England
15. Moonraker (1979, Lewis Gilbert) 2/10 #England

[sol]

Spoiler

1. The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970, Basil Dearden) UK #England REVISON
2. The Breadwinner (2017, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
3. My Old School (2022, Jono McLeod) UK #Scotland
4. The Souvenir: Part II (2021, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
5. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore; Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
6. The Survivalist (2015, Stephen Fingleton) UK #NothernIreland
7. Ask a Policeman (1939, Marcel Varnel) UK #England REVISON
8. Only Two Can Play (1962, Sidney Gilliat) UK #Wales REVISON
9. My Father’s Dragon (2022, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
10. Archipelago (2010, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
11. Unrelated (2007, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
12. Sleuth (1972, Joe Mankiewicz) UK #England REVISON
13. Exam (2009, Stuart Hazeldine) UK #England REVISON
14. Who? (1974, Jack Gold) UK #England REVISON
15. The Eternal Daughter (2022, Joanna Hogg) UK #Wales
16. Sweet Sixteen (2002, Ken Loach) UK #Scotland
17. Keeping Mum (2005, Niall Johnson) UK #IsleOfMan REVISON
18. Peeping Tom (1960, Michael Powell) UK #England REVISON
19. Cherrybomb (2009, Lisa Barros D'Sa; Glenn Leyburn) UK #NothernIreland
20. Chico & Rita (2010, Fernando Trueba and others) UK #IsleOfMan

21. Chicken Run (2000, Nick Park, Pete Lord) UK #England REVISON



As a claymation movie, this looks absolutely sensational, with detailed miniature sets and a zany pie-making machine, the insides of which the chickens get to see. The stop motion work is generally quite smooth, and only a handful of close-ups remind one that all the chickens are actually made of plasticine. Revisited after more than eight years though, the story and characters still feel less impressive than the visuals. Mel Gibson's vocal performance is great, but his rooster character way too obviously making up things, while a love interest subplot is telegraphed too far in advance. Fun end credits gag though.

[peeptoad]

4. The Blockhouse (1973, Clive Rees) #Channel Islands
5. Cherrybomb (2009, Lisa Barros D'Sa, Glenn Leyburn) #NorthernIreland

filmichean air am faicinn

1. The Haunted Strangler (1958, Robert Day) #England
2. First Man Into Space (1959, Robert Day) #England
3. The Dark (2005, John Fawcett) #Isle of Man

[AssonFire]

3. Birthgap (2023 / Stephen J Shaw) 5/10
4. Thirty-Minute Theatre: The News-Benders (1968 / Rudolph Cartier) 7/10
A prescient short TV play on the topic of state-media collaboration in influencing public opinion. The low-budget shows, but very worth watching.
Britain BC: Episode #1.1 (2003 / Timothy Copestake) 6/10
Britain BC: Episode #1.2 (2003 / Timothy Copestake) 6/10
5. Alan Clark's History of the Tory Party: S1.E1: Gentleman Players (1997 / Clara Glynn) 6/10
6. Alan Clark's History of the Tory Party: S1.E2: The Rank Outsider (1997 / Clara Glynn) 6/10
Alan Clark's History of the Tory Party: S1.E3: From Estate Owners to Estate Agents (1997 / Clara Glynn) 6/10
7. Goodnight Sweetheart: A Room with a View (1998 / Terry Kinane) 6/10
Goodnight Sweetheart: London Pride (1998 / Terry Kinane) 5/10
8. Goodnight Sweetheart: When Two Worlds Collide (1998 / Terry Kinane) 6/10
Goodnight Sweetheart: Mairzy Doats (1998 / Terry Kinane) 5/10
Goodnight Sweetheart: Pennies from Heaven (1998 / Terry Kinane) 5/10
9. Goodnight Sweetheart: We Don't Want to Lose You... (1998 / Robin Nash) 6/10
Goodnight Sweetheart: But We Think You Have to Go (1998 / Robin Nash) 5/10
Goodnight Sweetheart: Have You Ever Seen a Dream Walking (1998 / Robin Nash) 6/10
10. Goodnight Sweetheart: Love the One You're With (1998 / Robin Nash) 6/10
Goodnight Sweetheart: My Heart Belongs to Daddy (1998 / Robin Nash) 5/10
A series of the 90s sitcom about ordinary bloke Gary Sparrow, who finds a time portal to 1940s London and proceeds to lead a double life between the two time zones. I enjoyed watching it when it first aired and it's still pretty much as I remembered: not that funny, often shmaltzy, the lead character is pretty dislikeable, but I've continued through to series 5. The time travel gimmick and the fact that it traces the progress of WW2 are keep things interesting.
11. Inspector Morse: Masonic Mysteries (1990 / Danny Boyle) 4/10
12. Alan Clark's History of the Tory Party: S1.E4: Shock Therapy (1997 / Clara Glynn) 6/10
Britain AD: King Arthur's Britain: The Real World of Arthur (2004 / Timothy Copestake) 6/10
13. Britain AD: King Arthur's Britain: The Not So Dark Ages (2004 / Timothy Copestake) 6/10
Britain AD: King Arthur's Britain: The Invasion that Never Was (2004 / Timothy Copestake) 6/10
14. Dennis the Menace - Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow (1996 / Tony Collingwood) 3/10
The Brittas Empire: Laying the Foundations (1991 / Mike Stephens) 3/10
15. Play for Today: Beloved Enemy (1984 / Alan Clarke) 5/10
16. The Brittas Empire: Bye Bye Baby (1991 / Mike Stephens) 3/10
Another 90s sitcom rewatch. This one is basically a variation on Fawlty Towers, only set in a leisure centre and with the lead character more David Brent than Basil Fawlty. Won't be continuing with it though; numerous characters (including the lead Chris Barrie - much better in Red Dwarf) are way overplayed and the writing is ham-fisted.
The Fast Show: Episode #1.3 (1994 / Arch Dyson) 6/10
The Mark Steel Lectures: Thomas Paine (2004 / Michael Cumming) 6/10

Spoiler

1. The Assassination of Trotsky (1972 / Joseph Losey) 4/10
What could be more British than a film about a Russian, set in Mexico, filmed in Italy, directed by an American and featuring a multinational cast? As the title suggests, it concerns the events leading up to Bolshevik revolutionary Leon Trotsky's assassination while in exile in Mexico. It's very stilted, but the grand, weather-worn sets help to create some atmosphere.
2. Hitler: The Unknown Soldier 1914-1918 (2004 / Stuart Russell) 6/10
Solid documentary on Hitler's formative years during WWI. Benefits from taking a serious approach and not opting for cheap sensationalism.

[gunnar]

36 - Carry On Up the Khyber (1968) - 5.5/10 - Gerald Thomas - In the 1890s British Raj, the Indian fighters are scared to fight the British soldiers because of the stories that they don't wear anything under their 'skirts' when they fight. When evidence arises that this may not be true, a rebellion may be in the works. This is the 16th in a long series of Carry On films and if this is the best of them as some say, then I'm not very eager to watch any of the others,

37 - The Belles of St. Trinian’s (1954) - 6/10 - Frank Launder - The girls at St. Trinian's can pretty much do whatever they like. A scheme is hatched among some of the girls to abduct a talented racehorse while another group of girls plot to rescue the horse. There are all sorts of antics and the movie is occasionally amusing.

38 - Brighton Rock (1948) - 8/10 - John Boulting - Pinkie is a violent sociopath who leads a small gang in Brighton. He sets his sights on a reporter who had gotten on his bad side in the past and later starts courting a young woman whose witness testimony could contradict his alibi. It's a nice crime film with a young Richard Attenborough in the lead.

39 - The Italian Job (1969) - 6.5/10 - Peter Collinson - Charlie (Michael Caine) gets out of prison and sets out to meet an old partner about a job. He discovers that the partner was killed by the mafia, but left behind plans for a gold heist. He gathers a team and sets the plan in motion. The first hour of the film meanders about and didn't really hold my interest. However, the last 30-40 minutes was fun with the escape and the chase, etc.

40 - Life is Sweet (1990) - 6/10 - Mike Leigh - Wendy and Andy live in a home near London with their twins Natalie and Nicola who appear to be in their early 20s. Each has their issues, though Wendy, Andy, and Natalie generally appear to be happy. Nicola is more of a disgruntled recluse with a few fetishes. I didn't really care for the story or the characters, though there were a few bits here and there that stood out.

41 - I'm All Right Jack (1959) - 7.5/10 - John Boulting - Stanley Windrush is back from the war and wants to embark on a career in business. He gets a number of interviews from various companies for management positions, but they don't go well. His uncle talks him into taking a position as a laborer in his missile factory, but he soon runs afoul of the union. Stanley is naive and doesn't see the corruption on all sides. It took me a little while to warm to the film, but it eventually won me over and I enjoyed it.

Spoiler

1 - Monsters (2010) - 7.5/10 - Gareth Edwards
2 - The Descent (2005) - 7/10 - Neil Marshall
3 - Twins of Evil (1971) - 6.5/10 - John Hough
4 - Tales from the Crypt (1972) - 7/10 - Freddie Francis
5 - Theatre of Blood (1973) - 6/10 - Douglas Hickox
6 - Vampire Circus (1972) - 7/10 - Robert Young
7 - Asylum (1972) - 7.5/10 - Roy Ward Baker
8 - Deathdream / Dead of Night (1974) - 7/10 - Bob Clark
9 - Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) - 6.5/10 - Terence Fisher
10 - The Plague of the Zombies (1966) - 7.5/10 - John Gilling
11 - The Skull (1965) - 6/10 - Freddie Francis
12 - The Devil Rides Out (1968) - 8/10 - Terence Fisher
13 - The Open Road (1926) - 8/10 - Claude Friese-Greene
14 - Blue (1993) - 5/10 - Derek Jarman
15 - Culloden (1964) - 7/10 - Peter Watkins
16 - London (1994) - 7/10 - Patrick Keiller
17 - Robinson in Space (1997) - 7.5/10 - Patrick Keiller
18 - Oliver Twist (1948) - 8/10 - David Lean
19 - The Great White Silence (1924) - 7.5/10 - Herbert G. Ponting
20 - Underground (1928) - 8.5/10 - Anthony Asquith
21 - Zulu (1964) - 7.5/10 - Cy Endfield
22 - The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) - 7/10 - Tony Richardson
23 - Whisky Galore! (1949) - 6.5/10 - Alexander Mackendrick
24 - 24 Hour Party People (2002) - 6/10 - Michael Winterbottom
25 - Billy Liar (1963) - 7/10 - John Schlesinger
26 - This Is England (2006) - 7.5/10 - Shane Meadows
27 - Hobson's Choice (1954) - 8/10 - David Lean
28 - The Blue Lamp (1950) - 7.5/10 - Basil Dearden
29 - The Warrior (2001) - 6.5/10 - Asif Kapadia
30 - My Summer of Love (2004) - 5.5/10 - Pawel Pawlikowski
31 - Shallow Grave (1994) - 7/10 - Danny Boyle
32 - East is East (1999) - 7.5/10 - Damien O'Donnell
33 - I, Daniel Blake (2016) - 8/10 - Ken Loach
34 - Touching the Void (2003) - 7.5/10 - Kevin Macdonald
35 - The Ipcress File (1965) - 7/10 - Sidney J. Furie

[sol]

Spoiler

1. The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970, Basil Dearden) UK #England REVISON
2. The Breadwinner (2017, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
3. My Old School (2022, Jono McLeod) UK #Scotland
4. The Souvenir: Part II (2021, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
5. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore; Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
6. The Survivalist (2015, Stephen Fingleton) UK #NothernIreland
7. Ask a Policeman (1939, Marcel Varnel) UK #England REVISON
8. Only Two Can Play (1962, Sidney Gilliat) UK #Wales REVISON
9. My Father’s Dragon (2022, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
10. Archipelago (2010, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
11. Unrelated (2007, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
12. Sleuth (1972, Joe Mankiewicz) UK #England REVISON
13. Exam (2009, Stuart Hazeldine) UK #England REVISON
14. Who? (1974, Jack Gold) UK #England REVISON
15. The Eternal Daughter (2022, Joanna Hogg) UK #Wales
16. Sweet Sixteen (2002, Ken Loach) UK #Scotland
17. Keeping Mum (2005, Niall Johnson) UK #IsleOfMan REVISON
18. Peeping Tom (1960, Michael Powell) UK #England REVISON
19. Cherrybomb (2009, Lisa Barros D'Sa; Glenn Leyburn) UK #NothernIreland
20. Chico & Rita (2010, Fernando Trueba and others) UK #IsleOfMan
21. Chicken Run (2000, Nick Park, Pete Lord) UK #England REVISON

22. Entertaining Mr Sloane (1970, Doug Hichox) UK #England REVISON



One of the greatest films ever made about sibling rivalry, this British comedy is still as entertaining as ever when rewatched after fifteen years. The plot involves a middle aged nymphomaniac and her gay brother who vie for the attentions of a blonde young man with very smooth skin. The film gets off to a deliciously absurd start as the title character is found lying on a gravesite, and from early on there is a suggestion that something is amiss with him, but what exactly? Great performances throughout and the ending really works as he experiences poetic justice for having abused the trust of the siblings.

[sol]

Spoiler

1. The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970, Basil Dearden) UK #England REVISON
2. The Breadwinner (2017, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
3. My Old School (2022, Jono McLeod) UK #Scotland
4. The Souvenir: Part II (2021, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
5. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore; Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
6. The Survivalist (2015, Stephen Fingleton) UK #NothernIreland
7. Ask a Policeman (1939, Marcel Varnel) UK #England REVISON
8. Only Two Can Play (1962, Sidney Gilliat) UK #Wales REVISON
9. My Father’s Dragon (2022, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
10. Archipelago (2010, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
11. Unrelated (2007, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
12. Sleuth (1972, Joe Mankiewicz) UK #England REVISON
13. Exam (2009, Stuart Hazeldine) UK #England REVISON
14. Who? (1974, Jack Gold) UK #England REVISON
15. The Eternal Daughter (2022, Joanna Hogg) UK #Wales
16. Sweet Sixteen (2002, Ken Loach) UK #Scotland
17. Keeping Mum (2005, Niall Johnson) UK #IsleOfMan REVISON
18. Peeping Tom (1960, Michael Powell) UK #England REVISON
19. Cherrybomb (2009, Lisa Barros D'Sa; Glenn Leyburn) UK #NothernIreland
20. Chico & Rita (2010, Fernando Trueba and others) UK #IsleOfMan
21. Chicken Run (2000, Nick Park, Pete Lord) UK #England REVISON
22. Entertaining Mr Sloane (1970, Doug Hichox) UK #England REVISON

23. Soft Top Hard Shoulder (1992, Stefan Schwartz) UK #Scotland



Broke and miserable, a failed children's author drives from London to Glasgow in a desperate bid to get in on a family inheritance in this British road movie. As one might expect, it is not a straightforward journey with a pretty young hitchhiker and dangerous drivers throwing spanners in the works. Also, as one might expect, the two protagonists eventually bond and the film becomes more about the journey than the destination. And yet, despite ticking many road movie genre clichés, this is a fairly appealing concoction. The leads share great chemistry and some of the dangerous driving scenes are genuinely scary.

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

7. Goodnight Sweetheart: A Room with a View (1998 / Terry Kinane) 6/10
Goodnight Sweetheart: London Pride (1998 / Terry Kinane) 5/10
8. Goodnight Sweetheart: When Two Worlds Collide (1998 / Terry Kinane) 6/10
Goodnight Sweetheart: Mairzy Doats (1998 / Terry Kinane) 5/10
Goodnight Sweetheart: Pennies from Heaven (1998 / Terry Kinane) 5/10
9. Goodnight Sweetheart: We Don't Want to Lose You... (1998 / Robin Nash) 6/10
Goodnight Sweetheart: But We Think You Have to Go (1998 / Robin Nash) 5/10
Goodnight Sweetheart: Have You Ever Seen a Dream Walking (1998 / Robin Nash) 6/10
10. Goodnight Sweetheart: Love the One You're With (1998 / Robin Nash) 6/10
Goodnight Sweetheart: My Heart Belongs to Daddy (1998 / Robin Nash) 5/10
A series of the 90s sitcom about ordinary bloke Gary Sparrow, who finds a time portal to 1940s London and proceeds to lead a double life between the two time zones. I enjoyed watching it when it first aired and it's still pretty much as I remembered: not that funny, often shmaltzy, the lead character is pretty dislikeable, but I've continued through to series 5. The time travel gimmick and the fact that it traces the progress of WW2 are keep things interesting.

Hi AoF. Are these divided into at least 80-minute chunks for a point? I realise that IMDb can be off on episode length.

I used to really like Goodnight Sweetheart for the comedy in the present and the whimsical fantasy amidst the Blitz.

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

And, apologies for a few update-lacking days. I have been rather busy. I'll post a weekly update at some stage on Saturday.

[blocho]

14-15. House of Cards (1990) #England
I enjoyed Ian Richardson tremendously for his performance as Bill Haydon in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, where his icy suavity brought the proper chill to a dark tale. It does much the same in this series, though the iciness is joined with an impish glee. There’s nothing subtle about this portrait of political chicanery. Richardson plays a scheming parliamentary whip who occasionally hums Ride of the Valkyries as the camera repeatedly cuts between him and a rat. He addresses the audience directly every few minutes with a witty remark, an explanation of his latest skulduggery, or a simple smirk. This is highly glib and a bit silly, but to complain about that is to miss the mark. The glibness and silliness are the point, and there’s plenty of enjoyment in all the machinations.

Incidentally, for my personal records, I'm unsure whether to categorize this as a series or a miniseries. It's only four episodes, but there are two later seasons. Or should they be considered sequel miniseries because they have different titles? What do you all think?

[pitchorneirda]

Spoiler

1. A Taste of Honey (1961, Tony Richardson) - 6/10
2. A Hard Day's Night (1964, Richard Lester) - 3.5/10
3. Meantime (1983, Mike Leigh) - 4.5/10
4. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore & Nora Twomey) - 5/10
5. Withnail & I (1987, Bruce Robinson) - 4/10
6-7. TV Episodes, total runtime 183min
Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead (2009, James Strong) TV Episode, 59 min
Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour (2010, Adam Smith) TV Episode, 65 min
Doctor Who: The Vampires of Venice (2010, Jonny Campbell) TV Episode, 49 min
8. Victim (1961, Basil Dearden) - 5/10
9. The Crying Game (1992, Neil Jordan) - 3/10
10. The 39 Steps (1935, Alfred Hitchcock) - 3/10
11. Chicken Run (2000, Nick Park & Peter Lord) - 5.5/10
12. TV Episodes, total runtime 90 min
Doctor Who: The Hungry Earth (2010, Ashley Way) TV Episode, 44 min
Doctor Who: Cold Blood (2010, Ashley Way) TV Episode, 46 min
13. Whistle Down the Wind (1961, Bryan Forbes) - 7/10
14. TV Episodes, total runtime 105 min
Doctor Who: The Lodger (2010, Catherine Morshead) TV Episode, 43 min
Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol (2010, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 62 min
15. Dead Man's Shoes (2004, Shane Meadows) - 2/10
16. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008, Mike Leigh) - 7/10
17. Family Life (1971, Ken Loach) - 7/10
18. TV Episodes, total runtime 91 min
Doctor Who: The Impossible Astronaut (2011, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 44 min
Doctor Who: Day of the Moon (2011, Toby Haynes) TV Episode, 47 min
19. TV Episodes, total runtime 80min
Doctor Who: The Curse of the Black Spot (2011, Jeremy Webb) TV Episode 46 min
+ 34 min
20. A Matter of Life and Death (1946, Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger) - 5/10
21. Great Expectations (1946, David Lean) - 4/10
22. Paddington (2014, Paul King) - 4/10
23. TV Episodes, total runtime 80 min
Doctor Who: The Doctor's Wife (2011, Richard Clark) TV Episode, 47 min
+ 33 min
24. 45 Years (2015, Andrew Haigh) - 7/10
25. Paddington 2 (2017, Paul King) - 4/10
26. Gosford Park (2001, Robert Altman) - 2/10
27. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001, Sharon Maguire) - 3/10
28. American Honey (2016, Andrea Arnold) - 3/10

29. Sexy Beast (2000, Jonathan Glazer) - 2/10

30. TV Episodes, total runtime 89 min
Doctor Who: The Doctor's Daughter (2008, Alice Troughton) TV Episode, 45 min
Doctor Who: The Unicorn and the Wasp (2008, Graeme Harper) TV Episode 44 min

[total minutes carried over: 23 + 10 + 25 + 11 - 34 - 33 + 9 = 11 min]

[AdamH]

14-15. House of Cards (1990) #England
I enjoyed Ian Richardson tremendously for his performance as Bill Haydon in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, where his icy suavity brought the proper chill to a dark tale. It does much the same in this series, though the iciness is joined with an impish glee. There’s nothing subtle about this portrait of political chicanery. Richardson plays a scheming parliamentary whip who occasionally hums Ride of the Valkyries as the camera repeatedly cuts between him and a rat. He addresses the audience directly every few minutes with a witty remark, an explanation of his latest skulduggery, or a simple smirk. This is highly glib and a bit silly, but to complain about that is to miss the mark. The glibness and silliness are the point, and there’s plenty of enjoyment in all the machinations.

Incidentally, for my personal records, I'm unsure whether to categorize this as a series or a miniseries. It's only four episodes, but there are two later seasons. Or should they be considered sequel miniseries because they have different titles? What do you all think?

I think this is an ongoing debate particularly with British programmes e.g. Prime Suspect, Blackadder etc. For me, it's basically series 1, 2 and 3 but labelled differently. I know it might officially count as a mini-series but I don't think there's any real difference between that and a series (sorry, season=series in British English...probably changing now with the Americanisation of the language).

[AdamH]

Edinburgh has trams now, apparently. That’s cool.

Yeah, there were trams originally until the 50s and then they built a new tram network in 2014. It was very controversial. Hugely over budge and took a long time to complete and they also had to totally shorten the route because of the budget. They've built an extension now. Honestly, though, it has been a bit of a waste of time so far as it covers a very small route and the exact same route as buses so I've almost never used them. I suppose they look nicer and are more comfortable and are probably better for tourists so may have long-term benefits.

Not too interesting but I remember walking past them filming part of T2 in the centre of Edinburgh years ago.

[blocho]

Hugely over budge and took a long time to complete and they also had to totally shorten the route because of the budget.

I remember when I was in Edinburgh, the parliament had just been built and people complained because it was very over budget.

According to Wikipedia, the tram went 250 million pounds over budget, which is pretty bad, though I should mention the last major transit project in New York went $8 billion over budget (and is even more useless than the Edinburgh tram). I used to be broadly in favor of infrastructure development, but lately it seems foolish to trust government to build anything.

[Lonewolf2003]

2. They Came to a City (1944, Basil Dearden): 7.0 - This was better than it should been since it's basically a filmed play with characters that are archetypes to convey a message about how Britain could be an utopian socialistic society after the war, but somehow it works.

3. The Captive Heart (1946, Basil Dearden): 7.0

4. We Live in Two Worlds (1937, Alberto Cavalcanti): NR
Britain at Bay (1940, Harry Watt): NR
A City Reborn (1945, John Eldridge): NR
New Town (1948, Joy Batchelor, John Halas): NR
Your Very Good Health (1948, Joy Batchelor, John Halas): NR

Spoiler

1. The Ipcress File (1965, Sidney J. Furie): 8.0

[sol]

Spoiler

1. The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970, Basil Dearden) UK #England REVISON
2. The Breadwinner (2017, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
3. My Old School (2022, Jono McLeod) UK #Scotland
4. The Souvenir: Part II (2021, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
5. The Secret of Kells (2009, Tomm Moore; Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
6. The Survivalist (2015, Stephen Fingleton) UK #NothernIreland
7. Ask a Policeman (1939, Marcel Varnel) UK #England REVISON
8. Only Two Can Play (1962, Sidney Gilliat) UK #Wales REVISON
9. My Father’s Dragon (2022, Nora Twomey) IE #Ireland
10. Archipelago (2010, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
11. Unrelated (2007, Joanna Hogg) UK #England
12. Sleuth (1972, Joe Mankiewicz) UK #England REVISON
13. Exam (2009, Stuart Hazeldine) UK #England REVISON
14. Who? (1974, Jack Gold) UK #England REVISON
15. The Eternal Daughter (2022, Joanna Hogg) UK #Wales
16. Sweet Sixteen (2002, Ken Loach) UK #Scotland
17. Keeping Mum (2005, Niall Johnson) UK #IsleOfMan REVISON
18. Peeping Tom (1960, Michael Powell) UK #England REVISON
19. Cherrybomb (2009, Lisa Barros D'Sa; Glenn Leyburn) UK #NothernIreland
20. Chico & Rita (2010, Fernando Trueba and others) UK #IsleOfMan
21. Chicken Run (2000, Nick Park, Pete Lord) UK #England REVISON
22. Entertaining Mr Sloane (1970, Doug Hichox) UK #England REVISON
23. Soft Top Hard Shoulder (1992, Stefan Schwartz) UK #Scotland

24. Scrapper (2023, Charlotte Regan) UK #England



While the pair's eventual bonding after initial friction is easy to predict here, this seldom wallows in sentiment, and both Lola Campbell and Harris Dickinson are effective in the lead roles. Campbell exudes incredible confidence when tricking others, while Dickinson makes his character more human than just another deadbeat dad. The film is also littered with delightful comedic touches. From 'pet' spiders that communicate in comic strip style text boxes, to home video style footage of incompetent social service workers being interviewed about Campbell, there are a lot of unexpected laughs.