1) Red Dust (1932) - sexy, sweaty melodrama which holds up very well
2) Red Haired Woman (1932) - racy pre code stuff with Harlow throwing herself at everyone and not being punished
3) Libeled Lady (1936) - very funny rom com with four excellent stars
4) Dinner at Eight (1933) - great MGM all star stuff
5) Bombshell (1933) - glorious screwball comedy, delightfully cynical
6) Beast of the City (1932) - little known gangster film which is remarkable for its toughness
7) Hell's Angels (1930) - amateurish in many ways, this is still a very interesting film
8) China Seas (1935) - not as much fun as Red Dust this is still pretty entertaining
9) Platinum Blonde (1931) - Harlow should have played Loretta Young's role but this isn't bad
10) Public Enemy (1931) - Harlow doesn't have much of a role but the film is good - better than many Harlow behicles
Sunday, September 04, 2016
Saturday, September 03, 2016
My Errol Flynn Top Ten - Late Period (after World War Two)
1) The Adventures of Don Juan (1948) - brilliant swashbuckler
2) Against All Flags (1952) - sheer fun
3) Too Much Too Soon (1958) - Errol is excellent in an under-rated movie
4) Rocky Mountain (1952) - surprisingly good Western, one of his best
5) That Forsyte Woman (1948) - flawed film with much miscasting, but Errol effective
6) Kim (1950) - decent adventure tale
7) Silver River (1948) - not bad Western drama
8) The Master of Ballantrae (1953) - dramatically flawed but fun
9) Cry Wolf (1947) - entirely decent knock off of Jane Eyre
10) Roots of Heaven (1958) - not a good film but Errol is great
2) Against All Flags (1952) - sheer fun
3) Too Much Too Soon (1958) - Errol is excellent in an under-rated movie
4) Rocky Mountain (1952) - surprisingly good Western, one of his best
5) That Forsyte Woman (1948) - flawed film with much miscasting, but Errol effective
6) Kim (1950) - decent adventure tale
7) Silver River (1948) - not bad Western drama
8) The Master of Ballantrae (1953) - dramatically flawed but fun
9) Cry Wolf (1947) - entirely decent knock off of Jane Eyre
10) Roots of Heaven (1958) - not a good film but Errol is great
My Bob Ellis Top Ten
1) Goodbye Paradise (1983)
2) Newsfront (1978)
3) Letters to the Future (1987) - collection of writings
4) Legend of King O'Malley (1971) - play
5) Goodbye Jerusalem (1997) - collection of essays
6) Fatty Finn (1980) - film
7) Suddenly, last winter : an election diary (2010)
8) First abolish the customer: 202 arguments against economic rationalism (1998)
9) Man of Flowers (1984) - film
10) Top Kid (1985) - TV script
2) Newsfront (1978)
3) Letters to the Future (1987) - collection of writings
4) Legend of King O'Malley (1971) - play
5) Goodbye Jerusalem (1997) - collection of essays
6) Fatty Finn (1980) - film
7) Suddenly, last winter : an election diary (2010)
8) First abolish the customer: 202 arguments against economic rationalism (1998)
9) Man of Flowers (1984) - film
10) Top Kid (1985) - TV script
My Rod Taylor Top Tens
Performances:
1) Dark of the Sun
2) The Time Machine
3) The Birds
4) 36 Hours
5) Sunday in New York
6) Welcome to Woop Woop
7) Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy
8) Hong Kong TV series
9) Ask Any Girl
10) Young Cassidy
For actual films I'd probably drop Woop Woop and JBK and replace with The Glass Bottom Boat and maybe The VIPs.
1) Dark of the Sun
2) The Time Machine
3) The Birds
4) 36 Hours
5) Sunday in New York
6) Welcome to Woop Woop
7) Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy
8) Hong Kong TV series
9) Ask Any Girl
10) Young Cassidy
For actual films I'd probably drop Woop Woop and JBK and replace with The Glass Bottom Boat and maybe The VIPs.
My Walter Hill Top Ten
1) Streets of Fire (1984) - a mess, but fascinating and the reason I got into Walter Hill
2) The Warriors (1979) - stunning action film which even Hill never really matched again
3) Southern Comfort (1981) - tough nihilistic actioner full of great scenes
4) Alien (1979) - he didn't direct but rewrote the script and his stamp is all over it
5) The Getaway (1972) - more Peckinpah than Hill but still a Hill work
6) Undisputed (2002) - later Hill works aren't very good but this was a little gem
7) Hard Times (1975) - good tough debut feature
8) The Driver (1978) - if Bronson, Eastwood, McQueen or someone else tough had played the lead this would have been huge... Ryan O'Neal held it back - but it is one of his best movies
9) The Long Riders (1980) - loving Western with superb moments
10) Johnny Handsome (1989) - in all honesty 48 Hours is probably better made... but Handsome feels more Hill and it's lingered longer in my memory.
2) The Warriors (1979) - stunning action film which even Hill never really matched again
3) Southern Comfort (1981) - tough nihilistic actioner full of great scenes
4) Alien (1979) - he didn't direct but rewrote the script and his stamp is all over it
5) The Getaway (1972) - more Peckinpah than Hill but still a Hill work
6) Undisputed (2002) - later Hill works aren't very good but this was a little gem
7) Hard Times (1975) - good tough debut feature
8) The Driver (1978) - if Bronson, Eastwood, McQueen or someone else tough had played the lead this would have been huge... Ryan O'Neal held it back - but it is one of his best movies
9) The Long Riders (1980) - loving Western with superb moments
10) Johnny Handsome (1989) - in all honesty 48 Hours is probably better made... but Handsome feels more Hill and it's lingered longer in my memory.
My Tommy Kirk Top Five
Not enough decent movies for a top ten to be frank...
1) Old Yeller - yeah, yeah, I know, may as well get it over with
2) Swiss Family Robinson - probably his best made film
3) Pajama Party - genuinely one of the best beach party movies
4) Village of the Giants - insane sci fi film with unexpectedly great music
5) Escapade in Florence -cheerful fun American-teens-abroad film with Kirk teaming well with Annette Funicello
I guess you could do a can't-believe-he-made-that top five
1) Mars Needs Women - delirious Larry Buchanan fun
2) It's Alive - ditto
3) Blood of Ghastly Horror
4) Unkissed Bride
5) Ride the Wild Wind
Maybe a second top five
1) The Absent Minded Professor
2) The Misadventures of Merlin Jones
3) Ghost in the Invisible Bikini
4) Itz's a Bikini World
5) The Hardy Bothers
Top Ten K G Hall Films
My top ten films from Ken G Hall, in no particular order
1) Dad and Dave Come to Town (1938) - Hall's most charming, likeable film
2) It Isn't Done (1937) - the film that marked the big leap in professionalism for Cinesound's product, a great Cecil Kellaway star vehicle
3) Orphans of the Wilderness (1936) - was Hall Australia's most versatile director? This is a charming animal film with a great tough undertone.
4) 100,000 Cobbers (1943) - the best of Hall's featurettes during World War Two, this is a great Aussie version of The Way Ahead which so should have been a full length feature.
5) Kokoda Frontline (1942) - maybe I'm pushing it to call this a Hall film; the real genius is of course Damien Parer but Hall produced it, and it's great.
6) Smithy (1946) - slick biopic of the famed aviator - perhaps Hall's most polished film.
7) Dad Rudd MP (1940) - surprisingly more of drama than the other Rudd films but quite well put together.
8) Mr Chedworth Steps Out (1939) - gentle comedy-drama which gave another fine role for Kellaway; full of silly bits (gangsters, singing daughters) but a lot of sensitivity and insight.
9) Lovers and Luggers (1937) - enjoyable junky south seas melodrama notable for some fun character performances especially.
10) Let George Do It or Gone to the Dogs (1938) - I tend to see Hall's George Wallace films as the one movie - well crafted entertainments that showcase Wallace's abilities far better than Frank Thring's did.
1) Dad and Dave Come to Town (1938) - Hall's most charming, likeable film
2) It Isn't Done (1937) - the film that marked the big leap in professionalism for Cinesound's product, a great Cecil Kellaway star vehicle
3) Orphans of the Wilderness (1936) - was Hall Australia's most versatile director? This is a charming animal film with a great tough undertone.
4) 100,000 Cobbers (1943) - the best of Hall's featurettes during World War Two, this is a great Aussie version of The Way Ahead which so should have been a full length feature.
5) Kokoda Frontline (1942) - maybe I'm pushing it to call this a Hall film; the real genius is of course Damien Parer but Hall produced it, and it's great.
6) Smithy (1946) - slick biopic of the famed aviator - perhaps Hall's most polished film.
7) Dad Rudd MP (1940) - surprisingly more of drama than the other Rudd films but quite well put together.
8) Mr Chedworth Steps Out (1939) - gentle comedy-drama which gave another fine role for Kellaway; full of silly bits (gangsters, singing daughters) but a lot of sensitivity and insight.
9) Lovers and Luggers (1937) - enjoyable junky south seas melodrama notable for some fun character performances especially.
10) Let George Do It or Gone to the Dogs (1938) - I tend to see Hall's George Wallace films as the one movie - well crafted entertainments that showcase Wallace's abilities far better than Frank Thring's did.
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