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SMB Film Thread 2025

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Cheese n Ipa said:
If you love Jaws. Try getting hold of The Jaws Log. Great read.
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Yeah, excellent book. I'd also recommend Memories From Martha's Vineyard, and Designing Jaws by Joe Alves.
The play The Shark Is Broken is coming to Newcastle this month. It's written by and stars Robert Shaw's son Ian Shaw who plays his dad, and is about the making of the film.
I had tickets for it's original London run but the family came down with Covid so I couldn't go. Can't wait to finally see it.
There's also an upgraded version of The Jaws Game coming out for it's 50th Anniversary. I had the original as a kid so gonna have to get this!
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Fred Army said:
Yeah, excellent book. I'd also recommend Memories From Martha's Vineyard, and Designing Jaws by Joe Alves.
The play The Shark Is Broken is coming to Newcastle this month. It's written by and stars Robert Shaw's son Ian Shaw who plays his dad, and is about the making of the film.
I had tickets for it's original London run but the family came down with Covid so I couldn't go. Can't wait to finally see it.
There's also an upgraded version of The Jaws Game coming out for it's 50th Anniversary. I had the original as a kid so gonna have to get this!
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I had that game as well. Been contemplating the Marthas vineyard book
 
Stars Wars - original cut (1977) 9/10
Briefly available to stream via Roku, but now taken down. So much better than the current official version, which has added CGI. The special effects here are more believable. Oh, and Han Solo shoots first in this one; cold-blooded murder.
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The Sun Shines Bright (1953) 6/10
One of John Ford's favourites of his own films, cobbled together (not very smoothly) from three short stories. Its liberal message is fatally undermined by racist stereotyping.
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Fort Apache (1948) 10/10
A John Ford masterpiece, this time with its liberal message uncompromised (except, perhaps, for the Irish being portrayed as inveterate drunks). Henry Fonda plays a colonel demoted to a remote outpost, John Wayne is his subordinate. They have very different attitudes towards the local Apaches. Is Fonda driven by racism or a sense of duty? (Many scenes were shot on infrared film to accentuate the dramatic skies - a technique later used in Soy Cuba.)
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Get Away (2024) - 4/10 - I'd read an interview with Nick Frost earlier and he mentioned this move he'd written and starred in. Sounded like a modern Wicker Man but it was pretty dire. Tries desparately to have that humour from the Pegg/Frost stuff but just failed miserably I thought.
 
The Family Secret (1951)

John Derek returns home early after a night out. He hoses down his car tyres and appears unsettled. News arrives that his best mate has been murdered. He confesses it to his lawyer father (Lee J Cobb) who presumes his son will do the honourable thing. His mother will have none of it. Things are complicated further when the wife of Whit Bissell, who has been arrested for the murder, begs Cobb to defend him at trail.

Interesting watch. Cobb is subtle and conflicted, and Derek is reasonably good at showing someone who hides his guilt behind a wall of entitlement and arrogance. He’d quite unlikeable by one point, but the way Derek reins it in later on shows what a decent job he’s done. Derek’s love interest (Jody Lawrance) is really good as someone who refuses to give any quarter to his nonsense, but genuinely sees a nice person underneath the bellend.

The story never quite grows the wings it could. It never explores the depth of conflict and ambiguity that it should. At one point, Cobb is defending a man whom he knows is innocent, and should he be found innocent, shines the spotlight on his own son, whom he knows is guilty. Should he be found guilty, the man will be sent down in place of his own son. That chaotic moral and ethical nightmare isn’t looked at enough. If the truth comes out, then his career would be ruined, because he’s used his own power and influence to protect his son from justice. It’s just barely mentioned. It’s not Cobb’s fault. He’s great. It lies with the scriptwriter/s.

Having said that, it’s a decent noir melodrama. There’s some good performances from the supporting cast, and it does get you thinking. Unfortunately, I spent more time thinking about how powerful this could have been as a study of nepotism, morality and justice, than I did appreciating its general decent quality.

6/10
 
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Criss Cross (1949) 9/10
Burt Lancaster and Dan Duryea plot a heist together, even though they hate each other. Duryea is married to Lancaster's ex; Lancaster is having an affair with her. Can anyone trust anyone else? Brilliant film noir. Tony Curtis makes his debut as a dancer in a nightclub.
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Pilot (2024) 8/10
Korean remake of a Swedish film, Cockpit, which itself was a riff on Tootsie. An airline pilot who has become a social media star is abruptly cancelled for a supposedly sexist remark about stewardesses. Unable to get another job, he hears that an airline is recruiting female pilots - so he pretends to be one. Didn't expect much from this, but it's a genuinely funny satire of modern sexual politics and online culture.
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Hijack 1971 (2024) 7/10
True story of a Korean Air Lines hijack. The sentiment is laid on a bit thick, and the CGI sequences aren't entirely convincing. But the story itself is gripping, with b&w photos at the end showing that the actual plane really did end up on a beach with no wings.
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The Dirty Dozen - superb, really enjoyed it 8/10
The Guns of Mavarone - very good also but a bit more brooding. 8/10

Great performances in both, and what I noted from both was the that the main mission in both was a fairly small part of the overall film. The build up and character definition was so well done in both though that it didn't really matter. On a bit of a 60's WW2 movie roll now, recommendations always helpful tia
 
Kborom said:
The Dirty Dozen - superb, really enjoyed it 8/10
The Guns of Mavarone - very good also but a bit more brooding. 8/10

Great performances in both, and what I noted from both was the that the main mission in both was a fairly small part of the overall film. The build up and character definition was so well done in both though that it didn't really matter. On a bit of a 60's WW2 movie roll now, recommendations always helpful tia
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Have you seen Force 10 From Navarone?

Harrison Ford and Jaws from James Bond! It’s alright.
 
Kborom said:
The Dirty Dozen - superb, really enjoyed it 8/10
The Guns of Mavarone - very good also but a bit more brooding. 8/10

Great performances in both, and what I noted from both was the that the main mission in both was a fairly small part of the overall film. The build up and character definition was so well done in both though that it didn't really matter. On a bit of a 60's WW2 movie roll now, recommendations always helpful tia
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Don't make them like that any more.
 
Mississippi burning
8.5/10
Class from Alan Parker and of course the brilliant Gene Hackman. Canny performance from Brad dourif.

Free on Amazon prime at the minute.

Disgusting how the American south was only 50/60 years ago.
 
Motor City Cobra said:
Mississippi burning
8.5/10
Class from Alan Parker and of course the brilliant Gene Hackman. Canny performance from Brad dourif.

Free on Amazon prime at the minute.

Disgusting how the American south was only 50/60 years ago.
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Just watched that after Gene Hackmans passing great performance by him, yeah it was an absolute disgrace and shockingly wasn't that long ago. That case in particular as well they escaped justice really as no jury in the state would have found them guilty of murder.
 
Monty Pigeon said:
Criss Cross (1949) 9/10
Burt Lancaster and Dan Duryea plot a heist together, even though they hate each other. Duryea is married to Lancaster's ex; Lancaster is having an affair with her. Can anyone trust anyone else? Brilliant film noir. Tony Curtis makes his debut as a dancer in a nightclub.
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Pilot (2024) 8/10
Korean remake of a Swedish film, Cockpit, which itself was a riff on Tootsie. An airline pilot who has become a social media star is abruptly cancelled for a supposedly sexist remark about stewardesses. Unable to get another job, he hears that an airline is recruiting female pilots - so he pretends to be one. Didn't expect much from this, but it's a genuinely funny satire of modern sexual politics and online culture.
You must be logged on to see media items

Hijack 1971 (2024) 7/10
True story of a Korean Air Lines hijack. The sentiment is laid on a bit thick, and the CGI sequences aren't entirely convincing. But the story itself is gripping, with b&w photos at the end showing that the actual plane really did end up on a beach with no wings.
You must be logged on to see media items

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Haven’t seen Criss Cross. Good recommendation. Absolute love watching Dan Duryea. A noir icon.
 
Daz965 said:
Silent Running (1972)
A perfect reflection on the modern world. Made even better and more poignant for the time period, score and effects of the time. Heartbreakingly good. Space, robots , Bruce Dern. What's not to love?
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One of my favourite films. Underrated.
 
Fred Army said:
Yeah, excellent book. I'd also recommend Memories From Martha's Vineyard, and Designing Jaws by Joe Alves.
The play The Shark Is Broken is coming to Newcastle this month. It's written by and stars Robert Shaw's son Ian Shaw who plays his dad, and is about the making of the film.
I had tickets for it's original London run but the family came down with Covid so I couldn't go. Can't wait to finally see it.
There's also an upgraded version of The Jaws Game coming out for it's 50th Anniversary. I had the original as a kid so gonna have to get this!
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Old version 6+ but I see new version is 14+ :lol:

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Appointment with a Shadow (1957)

Supposedly intended to be a big release at one point, when this eventually saw the light of day, it was a modest B flick.

George Nader is a drunken reporter. His lass, Joanna Moore, is at her wits’ end with him. She gives him an ultimatum: the drink, or her. She also throws him a career lifeline. Her brother - Brian Keith - is a police bigwig and tips her off that they intend to arrest a mob villain who has been hiding in plain sight due to plastic surgery. All Nader has to do is stay sober and observe the arrest from a rooftop. Then things take a twist.

Despite its formulaic plot, I really enjoyed this. The real enemy here is alcoholism, and for a 50s film, it’s handled quite sensitively. Nader managed to keep me interested during the cold turkey bits, where he’s typed hour-by-hour action memos in order to keep him focused.

There’s some neat character work. The barman at his local is a great - he’s loyal to a fault. The villain has a quiet, calm menace. The book nerd manning the phone at the cabaret place is also decent. It just felt like 77 minutes well spent, in an unassuming, pacy noir with engaging (though contrived and predictable) story beats.

7/10, but almost 7.5, on a generous day.
 
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