Mixtape Movies Blogathon: Dude, It's A Volleyball!

Andy Hart AKA Fandango Groover has done it again, created another great Lamb Blogathon. This time he challenges us to bring back the mixtape: compile a collection of six movies that fit together, they are not expected to be definitive personal lists, they are just small expressions of creativity in linking the movies. Pick five movies within a chosen theme that compliment each other and one wild card that stands out as different but still maintains the theme.

"I would rather take my chance out there on the ocean than to stay here and die on this shithole island, spending the rest of my life talking TO A GODDAMN VOLLEYBALL!" - Tom Hanks CAST AWAY

I expect this third instalment of Mixtape Movies will be the last for a while but who knows what inspiration I might get between now and tomorrow? If you missed the last two tapes check out Home Sweet Home and A Tiny Flame now!

In honour of Wilson the volleyball from Cast Away this mixtape is intended to highlight loneliness and the various ways we as a species deal with it, at least in cinema anyway. With the idea that these mixtapes are intended to make friends and influence people I started making a list of movies that I love and that aren't widely seen or been used in one of the other mixtapes and I noticed this theme amongst them and it's a theme that has spread to my own writing projects of late. Lost connections, isolation and loneliness are what this mixtape is all about. That and sharing the way I see cinema.

Moon (2009) Dir. Duncan Jones

As with previous mixes I'm going to start the tape off nice and easy, Sam Rockwell in the modern science fiction classic Moon is probably as accessible as it gets when I start to think about this subject. The way he clings to his sanity via GERTY whilst an enjoyable watch is as obvious as it gets without painting a face on a volleyball with your own blood.

The Brown Bunny (2004) Dir. Vincent Gallo

A controversial choice for many but I find Gallo's sophomore effort to be a beautiful, atmospheric study of a man set adrift from society of his own doing. Sure the famous fellatio scene was perhaps a little indulgent but I can't blame the guy. Both of Gallo's films touch on the same subject matter but Brown Bunny is certainly more likely to ignite conversation versus the almost universally loved Buffalo 66.

Atmen (2012) Dir. Karl Markovics

Karl Markovics' debut is a very recent experience for me but it has stayed with me, barely a day passing without thinking about the life of its protagonist, Roman Kogler, a young man who has spent his entire life in an institution of one kind or another struggling to find his place in the world. Truly affecting cinema.

Man Push Cart (2005) Ramin Bahrani

The first film I ever got invited to watch at a film festival, it always struck me as deserving of a much wider audience than it got. Its subject is a lonely Pakistani immigrant in New York working towards his American dream and features a series of indiginities culminating in a heartbreaking ending. Bahrani has gone on to be considered a pioneer of the "neo-neo-realist" American cinema with his films Chop Shop and Goodbye Solo treading similar territory. A director well worth searching out.

Fish Tank (2009) Dir. Andrea Arnold

Fish Tank is my wildcard selection because it doesn't take the idea f loneliness as it's central theme but it underscores the entire piece by being the driving force for the behaviour one of the characters. Andrea Arnold is another director whose work consistently deals with similar events and emotions, whilst Red Road featured a woman who chooses isolation in an attempt to deal with her grief over a tragic event Fish Tank looks at a teenage girl in a working class single parent family and how she reacts to being essentially abandoned by her mother.

Wendy & Lucy (2008) Dir. Kelly Reichardt

Wendy starts the movie with three things, her car, her dog and hope. By the time the end credits roll she has had to give up all but the slightest slither of hope. A wonderful film featuring a wonderful performance from Michelle Williams.

I'm starting to think that I might not be making the best impression on people with all these less than cheerful movie mixtapes, maybe I'll make a bubblegum pop mixtape next. Join in the discussion in the comments or tweet @bbbgtoby #mixtapemovies. Did you make a mixtape I haven't seen yet? Leave a link. If you want to join in head over to Fandango Groovers for the full instructions and for more movie mixtapes check out the complete database here (after 22nd June.)

Mixtape Movies Blogathon: Home Sweet Home

Andy Hart AKA Fandango Groover has done it again, created another great Lamb Blogathon. This time he challenges us to bring back the mixtape: compile a collection of six movies that fit together, they are not expected to be definitive personal lists, they are just small expressions of creativity in linking the movies. Pick five movies within a chosen theme that compliment each other and one wild card that stands out as different but still maintains the theme.

"These children, they're not really bad most of them, just products of rotten neighbourhoods and bad family situations." - Sixteen by No Doubt

I enjoyed making A Tiny Flame to Cup One’s Hand Around and Protect From the Wind so much that I couldn't stop thinking about new ways to share groups of films with people who are in need of my education and so several more mixtapes were recorded to my long play VHS tapes. First up is Home Sweet Home, a movie mixtape title that recalls one of my favourite music mixtapes that I ever made and an early blogging attempt. 

The phrase Home Sweet Home conjures up images of family dinners, cross-stitched sofa covers and a cat to sit on your feet whilst you watch TV but I can't say I've ever cared much for movies about warm, loving parents, hot dinners, family holidays and other such movie cliche. Perhaps because I had never experienced it in real life, when I think of families in cinema I think of the damage that they inflict upon each other without even trying and sometimes when they do.

In keeping with the previous theme of making a mixtape to educate or impress another human being I picked six films that demonstrate my cinematic taste, my "wide" knowledge of world cinema and my cynical outlook on life and family. If you were to watch one of these a day for a week and still want to hang out with me come Sunday then I think we're gonna be good friends.

Festen (1998) Dir. Thomas Vinterberg

A nice easy Dogme '95 movie about buggering your young son to start things off. Without making light of the scenario Vinterberg demonstrates the conflict within a group of adult siblings desperate for parental approval. Material that Arrested Development would mine frequently to great effect.

L'Enfant d'en Haut (2009) Dir. Ursula Meier

Either of Ursula Meier's acclaimed films could have found a home on this mixtape, but it is the more recent Sister that I eventually landed on due to the honest reality presented as opposed to the slightly surreal nature of Home. The familial relationship here whilst bleak also offers real hope that "modern family structures" can provide warmth and support for their young children.

The War Zone (1999) Dir. Tim Roth

I wouldn't be a true cinephile or mixtape impresario if I didn't include something obscure and in desperate need of being seen by more people. Tim Roth's The War Zone is exactly that movie in this instance. It's a film with a scene that made Ray Winstone cry during production and holds a mirror up to a Broken Britain that isn't getting fixed any time soon.

Dogtooth (2010) Dir. Giorgos Lanthimos

Considering some of the dark material included in this mixtape the unusual family situation presented in Dogtooth becomes a remarkably light watch for the most part. This choice allows you to ponder the bliss of not knowing that you are suffering abuse at the hands of your parents whilst thinking that you live in paradise.

Tillsammans (2000) Dir. Lukas Moodysson

I debated on the positioning of this one on the tape, whether to end with something slightly lighter or not. Tillsammans presents a Swedish comic alternative to the traditional family unit, a young boy is moved in to a hippy commune with his mother and all that that entails. Quirky yet serious, a social reevalutation with interesting characters.

There Will Be Blood (2007) Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson

My wild card is my choice to end the mixtape with. It doesn't fit with the whole in that it isn't solely about families but it does feature a relationship that is worth highlighting and any excuse to get somebody experiencing this masterpiece is good enough for me. There Will Be Blood is many things, including a not very pleasant portrait of Daniel Plainview, father. It had to be the last track, how do you follow this film other than a cup of coffee with your new friend who made you this mixtape?

What do you think? I'm bound to have left out some great films on similar subjects, what would you have included? Leave some comments here or on twitter @bbbgtoby with #moviemixtape. Did you make a mixtape I haven't seen yet? Leave a link. If you want to join in head over to Fandango Groovers for the full instructions and for more movie mixtapes check out the complete database here (after 22nd June.)

Mixtape Movies Blogathon: A Tiny Flame to Cup One's Hand Around and Protect From the Wind

“To me, making a tape is like writing a letter – there’s a lot of erasing and rethinking and starting again. A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do. You’ve got to kick off with a corker, to hold the attention, and then you’ve got to up it a notch, or cool it a notch, and…oh, there are loads of rules.” - John Cusack in High Fidelity.

Andy Hart AKA Fandango Groover has done it again, created another great Lamb Blogathon. This time he challenges us to bring back the mixtape: compile a collection of six movies that fit together, they are not expected to be definitive personal lists, they are just small expressions of creativity in linking the movies. Pick five movies within a chosen theme that compliment each other and one wild card that stands out as different but still maintains the theme.

To me the two most prominent icons in pop culture regarding mixtapes are High Fidelity in which John Cusack discusses the reasons and method for making a mixtape and Love is a Mixtape by Rob Sheffield, the true story of a relationship told through mixtapes and it is the title of Rob Sheffield's book that inspired my movie mixtape.

In general isn't that why we all make or most likely made mixtapes? We all want to be loved. Whether we want to tell the object of our affection how we feel through a handful of well chosen songs or impress them with just how intelligent and thoughtful we are or even just show off how obscure your tastes are, making the perfect mixtape can get you laid, can make you friends, can even be a cathartic experience. It's that attempt to find the perfect match between pretentious and pop, the attention to detail in your artwork, thinking up a really clever title and waiting anxiously for the response from the recipient, that's where the real pleasure in making the mixtape comes from. And that is the joy experienced once more in this digital world as I made this mixtape of movies.

As I said, making a mixtape is all about love and I've taken that idea literally with this one. Love is what these films have in common, films about that moment, however fleeting, when one soul connects with another and all the joy and pain, laughter and tears that it can bring.

So I give you the blahblahblahgay entry to the Fandango Groovers Mixtape Movies Blogathon:

Lost in Translation (2003) Dir. Sofia Coppola

Bill Murray forms an unlikely bond with Scarlett Johansson whilst they are both in Tokyo. A wonderful way to start the mixtape, it's a cornerstone of modern American cinema that most girls I'd give this to would have at least heard of if not seen already. The mesmerising nature of the cinematography and direction perfectly compliment the melancholy nature of the love story and the punch to the gut as the film closes sums up the entire nature of the mixtape.

Weekend (2011) Dir. Andrew Haigh

The second track is as important as the first, you've hooked them with that opener and now they want to see more but it's important not to peak too soon, so you change it up a little. This is the one I put the most thought in to selecting. Initially I considered the wonderful poetry of Kim Ki-Duk's love story Bin Jip but dismissed it as too difficult for a novice, the second option was Zach Clark's mumblecore romance Quiet City. What hipster wouldn't want to share how awesomely hip they are with a piece of mumblecore? But Weekend is the perfect mix of pretension and pop, it also says the compiler is open to people who choose lifestyles different to their own, see how considerate of others I am? Don't you want to come over whilst my mum is out of town? It's also one of the greatest movies about love ever made.


In The Mood For Love (2000) Dir. Wong Kar-Wai

I'm making this for a female right? This one is a beautiful devastating picture that oozes style and I haven't met a woman yet who hasn't found Maggie Cheung and her costumes to be jaw droppingly beautiful. The third track is the point where you really need to make a statement with this kind of mixtape, and with In The Mood For Love I am saying, hey doesn't loneliness suck, I am guy with heart, I could be good for you, putting the possibility of a relationship out there for consideration as a counterpoint to that loneliness.

Harold and Maude (1971) Dir. Hal Ashby

It's time for the wild card, Hal Ashby's beautiful love story of a really old lady with a lust for life and the teenage boy who has a fascination with death. It shouldn't work but it does and whilst it might creep someone out it also demonstrates the power of love and how little differences between two people can be overcome. See, she might have doubts about our compatibility but if Harold can love Maude surely she can love this hipster even if he doesn't wear skin tight cords or enjoy the music of Morrissey.


Last Life in the Universe (2003) Dir. Pen-Ek Ratanaruang

Two lost and lonely souls are brought together by tragedy in Bangkok. Neither of them speak the same language but their relationship helps them to find meaning in their lives. It's also another weapon in overcoming obstacles, it tells the viewer that love could be fleeting, that life is fleeting and you shouldn't hesitate to make the most of the time you have with this person you are connected with. After Harold & Maude and Last Life if they aren't sending you suggestive snapchat images then you're pretty much out of luck. Either that or you picked a cold, heartless woman who could never love you.

Brief Encounter (1946) Dir. David Lean

Heart wrenching performances from the two leads in this perfect example of how repressing your passions can cause great pain. This is the piece de resistance but also the deal breaker, if she doesn't love this film then I don't want to know her.

What do you think? Would you be putty in my hands after this manipulative mixtape? Leave some comments here or on twitter @bbbgtoby with #moviemixtape. Did you make a mixtape I haven't seen yet? Leave a link. If you want to join in head over to Fandango Groovers for the full instructions and for more movie mixtapes check out the complete database here (after 22nd June.)

Announcing: BBBG Dystopian Fortnight

Welcome to a whole new level of foresight on my part, three weeks worth of planning has gone in to this post rather than the usual three minutes.

The Blahblahblahgay Dystopian Fortnight is two weeks of posts on dystopias in movies and dystopias in fiction. Thanks in part to Suzanne Collins writing The Hunger Games, dystopias are en vogue right now, children and middle aged women are reading those books and want more dystopias to read, this is a fact that cannot be denied. Cormac McCarthy's The Road and the subsequent adaptation with Viggo Mortensen marked a recent high point in the genre for the darker more literary side of things and even the Booker Prize got involved when Kazuo Ishiguro was shortlisted for one of literatures most prestigious prizes for his dystopian novel Never Let Me Go.

I don't think there has been such public affection for the genre since the height of the Cold War when we were treated to such classic movies as Logan's Run, Planet of The Apes and Soylent Green (all based on novels.) In the coming months we shall be seeing Logan's Run remade by the Drive pairing of Refn and Gosling and with three books in the series this is one that can sustain itself for as long as the demand for dystopian movies is there (not forgetting the re-issues of the long out of print novels to cross promote with.) Plus the sequel to the rebooted Apes movie, naturally, and countless other movies we haven't thought about yet I'm sure.

The classics of the 60s were written as obvious warnings about nuclear weapons and reflecting the fears of the people at the time but what are our current fears? Global Warming must be in there, dwindling natural resources too, post 9/11 fears perhaps, reality TV most defintiely. Largely I get the feeling that there isn't really a message in these new fictions and remakes with the focus on pure entertainment and making money as quickly and in as large a quantity as possible. But then again I can't back that up with examples as yet.

But what is a dystopia? The basic definitions is something like this: Dystopian societies feature different kinds of repressive social control systems, various forms of active and passive coercion. Works about dystopian societies often explore the concept of humans abusing technology and humans individually and collectively coping, or not being able to properly cope with technology that has progressed far more rapidly than humanity's spiritual evolution. Not to be confused with a heterotopia which is neither a utopia or a distopia merely a world different from ours.

The last part of the definition is very important. For example some might say that Ridley Scott's Blade Runner is a dystopian world but as Scott never really discusses the feelings of the masses (and infact the masses seem happy enough to me) it is merely a futuristic story, the people are not just surviving they appear to be thriving, wheras the Philip K. Dick novel that it is based upon is definitely a dystopian society filled with people looking to flee the planet.

If you analyse the genre you notice that there are several different types of dystopias; most notably post apocalyptic in which people learn to survive in an environment destroyed by war or famine or pollution (The Road, Wall-E, Mad Max,) societal in which a powerful few attempt to control or enslave the masses (1984, Demolition Man, Total Recall,) and corporate in which society is dominated and run by big business (the basis for a lot of cyberpunk novels and movies such as Gamer or Rollerball.) Some novels and movies will fit in to more than one category but at least one of these three aspects will be present in every dystopian movie.

Andy at Fandango Groovers put together a really nice article back in June taking a look at Contemporary Dystopias and so my first link of this series is to him. The point is raised in the opening paragraph that right now in 2012 we are living in a dystopia, the kind of horror scenario envisioned by white America of the 1950s. Perhaps that revelation accounts for the sudden uptake in interest in dystopian worlds?

Coming up in the next two weeks: book and movie reviews by yours truly, lists, some guest posts, a little help from my friends and something a little different.

World In Film Blog-a-Thon

Alan the crazy guy behind The Great Movie Project (a movie review a day for 365 days?! That means no time off for good behaviour) came up with the World in Film Blog-A-Thon without realising that we're all surely going to have to choose the same movie for Antarctica.

The Challenge: Pretend you’re taking a geography class and your instructor wants you to pick a movie that is set (or filmed) in one of each of the seven continents: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America. The movies do not have to be “authentic” but they should be reasonable facsimiles of the continents. They can be in any language, any country, any genre, and feel free to sub-theme these movies in any way that grabs your fancy.

Choosing a theme that works with Whiteout was difficult. I'm not sure I've succeeded but I'm definitely intrigued by what everyone else comes up with. My theme? People living on the outskirts of society.

Antarctica - Whiteout (2009)


It was an interesting idea for a movie but the end product really wasn't very interesting at all. I'm told the graphic novel it was based on was quite good though. A jewel heist in the most remote place on the planet?

Australia - Animal Kingdom (2010)


Australia. My home. Not really a continent. More of a bloody big rock with some desert wrapped around it. I didn't love this film as much as most other viewers but it certainly is one of the best Australian films I've seen. A slow moving look at an underworld family, worth watching if it's only for Jacki Weaver.

Europe - Down Terrace (2009)


Initially my pick was going to be non-English, specifically A Prophet, but I couldn't resist another opportunity to share how much I love Down Terrace. It took me completely by surprise and introduced me to a very talented director. Another slow moving look at the inner workings of an underworld family. Full review here.

North America - Sin Nombre (2009)


The violent documentary like film from the director of the new Jane Eyre. Take a journey through the North American underworld with a young girl as she dreams of moving from Honduras to USA. Powerful and compelling viewing.

South America - City of God (2002)


Often called the Brazilian Goodfellas this is one of the greats of modern world cinema. A look at the everyday reality of Brazilian poverty, crime, drugs and violence through the connected stories of two young friends who take different paths in life. If you haven't seen this yet then stop reading and go watch it.

Africa - Tsotsi (2005)


A week in the life of a young thug in the Johannesburg slums. It's not quite City of God but it's another eye opener and well worth seeing. Turns out that it won the Oscar in 2006, probably because this film is more about hope than despair.

Asia - Bad Guy (2001)


Kim Ki-Duk takes another look at the underside of love and obsession in this wonderfully dark film set in the underworld of Seoul. This isn't machine guns or organised crime, it's not chocolate boxes and roses, it's dirtier than that, it's grimy and bleak and mesmerising.

Comparatively they make Whiteout look tame. A fun exploration of great world cinema though. I can't recommend the other six films highly enough.

Cool Off With The Classics Blog-a-Thon

The second of Go-See-Talk's Winter Blog-a-Thon's is essentially a Top 10 Classics which became the hardest decision making process I've experienced since I started blogging.

The rules: Must be black & white, must be pre-1960's. That's it.

It's just cruel to set such a wide selection criteria. Bad Marc! Being a fan of noir my instincts were to include more from that canon that I have but in the interests of, well, interest I've abandoned that track and tried to select a mere ten of my all time favourite movies that I would happily watch again and again.

In chronological order I submit my selection for the Cool Off With The Classics Blog-a-Thon:

The Maltese Falcon (1941)


I know it can be considered a bit camp and a bit soft compared to the source material but I just love watching Bogie and Lorre and Greenstreet, I could watch this movie once a week with no hesitation.

Brief Encounter (1945)


Quite often I think that this is my favourite movie ever made. I love the absolute Britishness of it all. The stylised speech patterns and the repressed passions. Andre Bazin himself lavished praise on it for it's apparent realist approach towards painting a portrait of British society and manners. Although he did later recant his praise when he realised he's been had by David Lean's fabulous melodrama.

Sunset Boulevard (1950)


What isn't incredible about this movie? I don't know. Nothing. It's a special piece of film making from one of the masters of the art, Billy Wilder.

Rashomon (1950)


There's something so simple and appealing about this movie. Possibly the Kurosawa I enjoy the most and one of the earliest films to offer this kind of narrative structure. I haven't come across any before 1950 anyway.

Tokyo Story (1953)


Beautifully shot, haunting portrayal of the loss of traditional family values in Japanese society of the 1950's. It's easy to say but this is my favourite film from Ozu.

The Killing (1956)


Possibly the only Kubrick film that I have fully enjoyed. I know, blasphemy. Another movie I could just watch and watch and watch. Among other things there's the clown masks being used by Nolan for The Dark Knight and the ending, wow, the ending will stay with me forever I think.

Touch of Evil (1958)


It seemed only right that I would feature the first and last films from the classic film noir period. This one is definitely may favourite from Welles if only for the excellent opening sequence.

Some Like It Hot (1959)


I know. It's another obvious choice. But I actually got so carried away writing a list of noir movies that I forgot that this film qualified. A late addition but oh so good indeed. Another Wilder movie but with an entirely different mood, this is a jolly good time all round.

Our Man in Havana (1959)


A film that seems to have been forgotten about and my attempt to have at least one unexpected pick. Based on the superb spy farce from Graham Greene, the film comes close to matching the novel for it's pace, intrigue and absurdity but doesn't quite reach the same stellar heights. Starring a young Old Ben Kenobi.

A Bout de Souffle (1960)


The ultimate in cinematic cool non? Barely scraping in as a classic with a release year of 1960 but Godard's New Wave figurehead features the infinitely cool Belmondo and the irresistible Jean Seberg in an enjoyable take on the film noir style.

I'm looking forward to seeing what others have done with this, I feel like I've been way too obvious. Any arguments over my selections? Any replacements you care to suggest? You know where the blahs are kept.

Double Feature Blogathon: Port Cineaste Grand Re-Opening

As part of Go, See, Talk's new exciting blogathon I decided to dig out the old dream of re-opening the Fremantle Port Cineaste as a cinema instead of the amateur dramatics that goes on there at the moment.

The dream is to have a place that will serve great coffee in the foyer and screen old DVD's too, a boutique bar for those who like a beer or wine with their movie, perhaps an outside screen for summer season and truly delicious baked goods all year round.


Alas I heard about this blogathon a little too late to give it my full attention so I've come up with a schedule that should suit Fremantle (and possibly cheated a little too) in less time than I would have liked.

Back To Work Mondays for something a little more upbeat, something fun and perhaps farcical to make Mondays a day to look forward to instead of dreaded.

Noting like the combination of Billy Wilder and Jack Lemmon to lighten the mood, sit back, sip some champagne perhaps and enjoy Lemmon and MacLaine in The Apartment and follow it up with the wonderful any day of the week Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot.

Tight Arse Tuesdays is a Perth tradition if not the rest of Australia and is a great night for all those couples looking for a cheap date. Something for him, something for her and maybe some free pizza thrown in (whilst stocks last.)

I may be thinking with my financial brain here but is there a bigger girlie movie than Pretty Woman? Perhaps putting baby in the corner but I'm not sure. Julia and Richard, yuk to both of them, Jason Alexander is great in it though! And after sitting through Pretty Woman the guy deserves some good old fashioned man time, Scorsese's finest and bloodiest (?) Goodfellas.

Monster Movie Wednesday may well turn in to Disaster Movie Wednesday as there is a finite demand for nothing but Godzilla movies but the suggestion was made and Leah said she'd definitely want to go to there (as Liz Lemon might say,) free dinosaur origami with every ticket purchased.

Mega Shark is a truly laughable movie, totally undeserving of cinematic play but can you imagine seeing the plane getting eaten by a shark on a giant screen. Cool. And Leah loves Godzilla, I don't know why.

Punky Brewsterdactyl

Cult Thursday is the place to come for your fix of all the hippest flicks, the skinniest black ties, the most spoons to throw and all those movies that I generally like to blog about (spoons only available during screenings of The Room.) I read Cult Thursday and think Tofurkey, perhaps a name change might be needed?

Alex Cox and Gregg Araki, like two peas in a pod. Repo Man is beyond awesome and heavily influenced Araki who then influenced Cox with his own pieces of wonder such as The Doom Generation. I wanted to have a Ben Wheatley double feature but I've reviewed both of his films recently (here and here) so that can wait for a later week in my cinemas existence.

Sci-Friday I couldn't resist, you can use it, I know it's probably the best pun ever (thank you Archer.) Aside from Alex at Film Forager I'm not sure who else would turn up to watch classic sci-fi but I intend to mix and match, one vintage, one modern every week. Sci-Friday is sponsored by Elizabeth's Bookshop Fremantle, providing awesome vintage science fiction for as little as $1.

Anytime you pass up the opportunity to use the incredible artwork from Metropolis you're passing up looking at something wonderful. How amazing would it be to see this at the cinema? And to follow up with the finest piece of science fiction cinema in recent memory, Moon, which I'm certain Hels at a whole load of blah will agree with me on.

Matinee Saturday a last minute cheat because I realised I'd neglected an entire revenue stream, the kids. Specialising in great movies for all the family but probably not Disney as it will cost a lot! Free activity bags and 'Let's Make Movies' workshops for the kids whilst the adults get drunk in the bar.


Family films aren't all animated, I really loved Shorts, it was so silly and so much fun and featured the line "your canyon needs more doom." I know I said no Disney but I almost picked Brave Little Toaster in the last blogathon because it holds such fond memories for me, it finally gets it's turn. And shout out to the blogger who created this fun re-imagining of the poster - El Guapon and La Flaca.

Film Noir Saturday Night was going to be classic cinema night but again my own particular interests take more importance here. A style and mood of film making more impressive than any other providing hundreds of incredible films largely forgotten and influencing countless modern films. Spotlights on full, providing ample shadows to hide in with your dames.

Something old, something new perhaps. One of my favourites of the genre combining everything that is great of the classic period, The Maltese Falcon. Bogie, Lorre, Greenstreet, to see the three of them on the big screen where they belong, what a rush. Directed by John Huston and written by pulp writer extraordinaire Dashiell Hammett, the only thing that comes close is the pairing of Wilder and Chandler on Double Indemnity. Paired with a riotous blast of a movie, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, in which even Val Kilmer is great. So much fun paying homage and taking off all the classic noir cliche's but still remaining very much it's own wonderful movie.

Sunday Session is another Perth tradition, this chilled out cinema version will be bringing all you laid back cinema goers the very best in World Cinema with the bar open from midday, cheesy chips optional.

An incredibly tough choice for opening weekend of the Sunday Session, but in the end I plumped for combining two of my absolute favourite films of all time. Godard's incredible debut A Bout De Souffle is super cool thanks to Seberg and Belmondo. Then Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's Last Life In The Universe is just so melancholy and beautiful and touching, a perfect Sunday night movie.

That was fun, can I count on wonderful readers to keep my business alive or is my schedule not up your alley? Don't forget to blah below.

My Life In Movies

Fandango Groover posted his life in movies recently and thus laid down a challenge seemingly to all movie bloggers everywhere. So here's my offering to this viral sensation. May 22nd 2011.

My favourite movies, 1 per year, 1982 to 2010

1982 - Blade Runner

An obvious choice, as it's one of my favourite movies of all time. Ridley Scott created something incredible and then revisited time and again to make it perfect. Others may always think of Harrison Ford as Han Solo but for me first and foremost he will always be Deckard, chasing and being chased through a derelict building in the rain by Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner. Sean Young is mesmerising in her beauty and even now, nearly 30 years later the effects have barely dated.

1983 - Star Wars Episode VI Return of the Jedi

Turns out that I haven't watched too many films from 1983. But even if I had, I don't think there would be much to compare to this film. One of the finest opening sequences in cinematic history, well at least for those involved with the characters. A prison break to beat all others; you can find more in those 45 minutes or so to love than most movies give you in at least twice that long. And then there's the Ewoks dancing. The recent update that forced Haydn Christensen on us has to be added to Guido shooting first in the list of latter Lucas atrocities in my mind at least.

1984 - Ghost Busters

1984 gave me a lot to choose from, Alex Cox made Repo Man, The Terminator was released, John Hughes had Sixteen Candles, the original Karate Kid was fighting for honour, Gizmo made his debut in Gremlins, Axel Foley did the same in Beverly Hills Cop not to mention Indy in Temple of Doom, Spinal Tap, the first Cohen Bros movie Blood Simple and the Wim Wenders classic Paris, Texas but how can anybody not choose Ghost Busters?

Bill Murray may have achieved great things after this but for pretty much everyone else this was a career high point and for me a movie that I have loved as a kid, a teen, a film student and a blogger.

1985 - The Breakfast Club

Nothing compares to this movie, the ultimate teen flick. When I saw this for the first time I was hooked. I started to feel better about myself, I started to watch films for different reasons, started to ask more questions and demand more from what I saw. Even now I love watching this movie. It's impact on the genre is immeasurable, everything since has copied an stolen from it in one way or another.

1986 - Aliens

It doesn't exactly have to beat off stiff competition but Ferris Bueller pulled out every last piece of ingenuity he had to win this vote and still the second Alien movie won. Platoon was a fine movie but it doesn't get better the more you watch it like Aliens does. And well Blue Velvet is just too damned weird to be classed as a favourite.

Aliens is the best of the franchise, for me it adds something to the mix that the original just couldn't find.

1987 - Angel Heart

Whilst I was very tempted to choose The Brave Little Toaster based on how much I enjoyed it as a kid it can't be my favourite because I simply have no desire to watch it again (at least not until I have my own kids.) And I desperately want to see Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire which I think will surpass the quality of Angel Heart but until then Alan Parker's ultra dark noir wins, not least for starring Mickey Rourke before he got a little bit crazy.

1988 - Die Hard

Not a tough call this one, Die Hard is amazing and much like 1983 there was a distinct paucity in quality this year. Akira, A Fish Called Wanda, High Hopes, Roger Rabbit and Beetlejuice were all released in 1988 but a comparison to Bruce Willis makes for an obvious winner. Yippee Ki-yay!

1989 - Do The Right Thing

Initially this was a tough year to call, once more due to a lack of obvious choices but then I remembered just how incredible this little film by Spike Lee was the first time I saw it and every time since.

You may ask how I can overlook Batman or Sean Connery in Indiana Jones but I was closer to choosing Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train or When Harry Met Sally (yeah I still love this movie, it's very funny and incredibly sweet) over those two.

1990 - Goodfellas

Again, there's no real competition, this movie is solid gold, even on repeat viewings there's so much to enjoy, but remember the first time you saw it, wow!

I honestly thought there would be no competition but other bloggers haven't picked it so my searching around to see if any other movie could compare was a bit pointless. The Grifters was hugely enjoyable, Life Is Sweet was lovely, Arnie was badass in Total Recall and Miller's Crossing is a fine film but none of them had the same effect on me as Goodfellas.

1991 - The Silence of The Lambs

Tough. Very tough. Slacker was hugely influential to me as a wannabe film maker, T2 was explosive and all round awesome when i saw it on VHS and Delicatessen is perhaps Jeunet's finest film but the very first time I saw Silence of the Lambs I was hooked. Three amazing characters that you just can't turn away, Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter is obviously much discusses and Jodie Foster was the perfect mix of strength and vulnerability up against Ted Levine as the excellently creepy and fucked up Jame Gumb. Superb thriller, almost unmatched in it's genre.

1992 - Reservoir Dogs

1992! A watershed year, the year a new generation of film maker came to prominence, the Sundance kids? Plus RDJ as Chaplin, Stephen Rea wanting to sleep with a transvestite in The Crying Game, the most absurd Oscar winner of all time starring in My Cousin Vinny and Robert Altman's The Player. But I don't think you can beat Reservoir Dogs for influence on me as a viewer or as a film maker. The dialogue and the non linear narrative were a revelation to my teenage mind.

1993 - Jurassic Park

OMGosh 1993 featured Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, Tony Scott directing the best Tarantino script True Romance and David Thewlis in Naked. But the feeling I got watching Jurassic Park as a 10 year old can't be matched. Even now 18 years later the first time you see the dinosaurs at the lake is still completely magical.

1994 - Pulp Fiction

I seriously found this one difficult. I knew Pulp Fiction was gonna be 1994 before I even got to checking what other movies might've come close. Then I discovered quite a few of my all time favourite movies were also released that year. Chungking Express is wonderfully sweet and melancholy and a really exciting piece of cinema for a film student, i'm pretty certain you won't be able to find a person alive who saw Shawshank Redemption and didn't find it utterly compelling viewing, Jean Reno as Leon is fabulous, I still quote The Lion King on a regular basis, Nigel Hawthorne was outstanding in The Madness of King George and Danny Boyle made his debut with Shallow Grave. I don't think it's very fair that they had to come up against Pulp Fiction really.

1995 - Toy Story

What the hell happened in the mid 90's? Another seriously strong year for films. Twelve Monkeys was so close to getting the nod before Leah reminded me that Toy Story was released. I don't think i've seen any movie as much as i've seen Toy Story. A movie that has everything and is infinitely quotable. But it wasn't just Twelve Monkeys, you can't look at 1995 without considering just how good movies like Seven, Casino, Heat, Usual Suspects, Braveheart, Before Sunrise, City of Lost Children, Leaving Las Vegas, Welcome to the Dollhouse and Die Hard 3 were.

1996 - Scream

Scream wins by simple fact that it's both awesome and amazing at the same time. A real defining moment in my film viewing life. Sure I saw Independence Day 4 times at the cinema and Fargo might be the Coen Brothers best film of the 90's, Billy Bob Thornton was superb in Sling Blade, Secrets & Lies just might well be up there with Brief Encounter as one of my favourite movies ever, the phrase money baby was invented in Swingers along with Vince Vaughn and Jerry Maguire was showing me the money. All of these movies might have been my choice in most other years but the sheer pleasure I got from watching Scream throughout 1997 and how fondly I remember it means nothing else really had a chance.

1997 - L.A. Confidential

The year my two passions clashed harder than an iceberg and a ship. 4 very good science fiction movies - Gattaca, Fifth Element, Contact and Cube came up against the finest noir film in many many years and lost to the better film. Also in the running, taking shots from a sniper rifle was Grosse Point Blank, the cool Fincher thriller The Game and Tkeshi Kitano's wonderfully beautiful Hana-Bi. There are not many noir films better than L.A. Confidential however, an extremely well made movie of the excellent James Ellroy novel.

1998 - The Big Lebowski

It was a straight run between Dark City and The Dude but there is a line and across that line you do not as Walter might say, sorry scream. Dark City is a superb piece of science fiction however. So in a distant 3rd place race you'll find such fabulous work as Happiness and Elizabeth.

1999 - Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai

Tres tres difficult. Fight Club was amazing, The Limey is amazing, American Beauty was amazing, The Boondock Saints is so totally badass, Being John Malkovich boggles the mind, The Matrix was truly groundbreaking to me then but has since been shown up to be a bunch of cool stuff stolen from other people so it is Jim Jarmusch that steals the crown with the superb Forrest Whittaker starring Ghost Dog. Cool, violent, meditative and recalling the superb Melville noir Le Samourai.

2000 - Amores Perros

New millenium, drop in quantity of quality of films. Or at least from American film makers maybe. Lukas Moodysson released Together, Fukasaku made Battle Royale and Wong Kar-Wai had In The Mood For Love but the debut from Innaritu was incredible.

It's use of multiple storylines colliding with a devastating car crash was later echoed by the Hollywood film Crash. Gael Garcia Bernal jumped out of the screen burning himself in to the minds of viewers around the world as the lovestruck Octavio. An often bleak and disturbing look at love and loss that stays with you for a long long time after the credits roll.

2001 - Monsters Inc.

Donnie Darko, Spirited Away, Amelie, Mulholland Drive and The Royal Tenenbaums, what do these movies have in common? They are all superb pieces of film making, rightly hailed by film critics and fans around the world. AND none of them can compete with Monsters Inc. for my affection.

The vocal pairing of Billy Crystal and John Goodman is excellent, packed with charisma and displaying an obvious chemistry, combining to make their double act extremely funny in what was yet another superb Pixar film. Dreamworks really look so trashy in comparison don't they.

2002 - Infernal Affairs

Dirty Pretty Things, Adaptation, City of God. Fabulously dark, willfully bizarre and truly moving & exhausting film making in that order. BUT the first part of the Infernal Affairs trilogy was without doubt a movie event for me and my buddies at uni. Taking it's cue from Hard Boiled this was an exceptional piece of crime genre film making with an all star Chinese cast and a sense of class missing from the Scorsese remake.

2003 - Finding Nemo

Kill Bill, Oldboy, Spring Summer Autumn Winter and Spring, Lost In Translation, 21 Grams, Last Life In The Universe, I am not exaggerating by saying that these films are some of my absolute favourite and most enjoyable pieces of cinema by some supremely talented film makers and I would be hard pressed to choose my favourite from any of them.

However Ellen De Generes as Dory and Albert Brooks as Marlin is the best comedy/movie double act since Crystal and Goodman. Another infinitely quotable movie and another beautiful film from the talent at Pixar.

2004 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Narrowly beating out the finest piece of film making on WWII that i've ever seen, Downfall, and the hauntingly beautiful Kim Ki-Duk film 3-Iron, not to ignore Garden State or Shaun of the Dead, is the fabulous Jim Carrey starring, Michel Gondry directed, Charlie Kaufman written love story with a difference, Eternal Sunshine. Blown away the very first time I saw it, I was completely outraged that Jim Carrey didn't win an Oscar for his performance.

2005 - Sin City

Not a huge amount that really jumped out and screamed pick me this year. having said that Sin City is a fabulous piece of noir film making. So much fun and so so stylish.

If I was gonna pick something else it would be the comic noir Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, as my friend Kat said to me today, the last remaining reason not to hate Val Kilmer. And wasn't this the film that gave us back RDJ?

2006 - Clerks II

The original film was robbed as my choice for 1994 because it had the misfortune of going up against Pulp Fiction, no such fate can befall the sequel in 2006. A particularly weak year of films fer sure but Clerks II for me was a truly enjoyable film. It feels like a movie made by a group of friends just having fun with things, like Kevin Smith just relaxed and let his much loved characters run wild. And the gratuitous choreographed dance scene a la Austin Powers is wonderful.

Two films that came close were the exceptional Pan's Labyrinth and the much fun Stranger Than Fiction and recently I saw the beautifully shot fable The Fall.

2007 - There Will Be Blood

2007 was a big year for great films, at the time I felt that No Country For Old Men was unsurpassable for example but I must've watched and watched and watched Superbad. Juno was utterly charming, Eastern Promises the best film about London I remember seeing and The Darjeeling Limited is Wes Andersons finest work.

But still the more time that passes, the better There Will be Blood becomes in my mind. The opening 40 or so minutes are totally mesmerising, the absence of dialogue only serves to heighten the enjoyment, to the point where you only realise that nobody has spoken until somebody actually speaks. From what i've read of the source material this is largely Paul Thomas Andersons work too. Triple thumbs up for the work of Daniel Day Lewis also.

2008 - The Dark Knight

The year of Dark Knight really. I was completely amazed by the movie, Heath Ledger as the joker was like nothing i'd seen before. Especially after the Jack Nicholson joker! A dark multi layered comic book film from Chris Nolan, regardless of whether Batman can turn his head or not.

Mentions to Wall-E and In Bruges both of which in another year might've been selected for being yet another fabulous Pixar film and a delightfully dark and fun hitman movie respectively. I am also counting Hurt Locker and Gran Torino as 2009 because they were not released in the UK until 2009.

2009 - Gamer

OMGosh, I LOVE THIS MOVIE. Neveldine and Taylor created the best near future science fiction film imaginable. Every single aspect of the science fiction was spot on accurate in a myspace/facebook version of Running Man with Gerard Butler perfect in his role of grunting muscle bound killing machine Cable. In a world where people are making films like Surrogates and Source Code movies that actually get it right should be celebrated.

Hurt Locker, Hangover, Gran Torino, District 9, Star Trek, Fantastic Mr Fox, Moon, Jennifer's Body, An Education. Holy cow 2009 made up for the lack of films in 2008 didn't it.

2010 - Inception

Literally I have no idea how Inception isn't everybody's choice for 2010, it was a phenomenal experience and an exceptionally unique piece of film making.

Toy Story 3 was great for all the reasons the first one was and then some, the Coens remake of True Grit had me enthralled for the entirety and Scott Pilgrim whilst not being everybodys cup of tea was top quality film making that entertains throughout, in the cinema I was struggling for breath I was laughing so much with no sign of a letup.