What makes you happy ?

Intending on an early night I was just the wrong side of sleep for ages so got up to watch a film. Decided on The Departed which I bought last week. Get the box, remove wrapper and find the red tag is still there. Damn. I tried many things before hitting Google and finding a guide to removing dvd red tags. I’ve got two pairs of ceramic magnets but even they couldn’t help remove it and I tried for ages to get it free. I even debated destroying the box but I’ve no cases that hold 2 discs and I couldn’t damage the sleeve (my copy of Men in Black I got cheap because they’d lost the sleeve. It feels so much less of a film because of that. So much in fact that I’ll replace it with a new buy.) So in the end I gave up. I rang HMV and they said to just bring it in to change which I’ll do Monday.
It looked so easy in the stores though, the way they slide it out. I knew magnets were involved but it’s a neat bit of kit.

Watched The Manchurian Candidate. Now why were people raving about that? I bought it (£5 so it’s no loss) on the basis of chat I’d seen/heard from others and the box ratings. It wasn’t dire but it’s certainly filed in the “Will never watch again” section.

The Departed – great great film. It was great watching it on a tiny screen on a plane so I am really looking forward to watching the proper version at some point. Very good indeed. One to buy.

Last week I watched The Godfather again.
I just watched The Godfather Part 2 again
and I’m wondering if Part 3 will still be the garbage that it was last time. It’s like going to look in the fridge even when you know what you want to be in there isn’t there because you only looked a while ago and no-one else has been near the thing and you’ve not been near a shop. But you still walk over and you still open because you have to. It’s the way it is. It’ll be crap again won’t it….

A person is smart, people are dumb panicky dangerous animals.

Love this quote.

I got the Terminator boxset ages ago and with me now having films on as I work I thought I’d take them for a ride.
Two nights ago it was the original. Great film – better than I remembered. It’s dated by Linda Hamilton’s hair but otherwise it’s a great film.
Last night it was Judgement Day – the director’s cut. Hmm.. I really liked the cinema release, and I normally like the DC versions (Leon was improved hugely I felt, Aliens really rounded the story out too) but T2? No. There’s a dream sequence, a part where the cyberdyne guy smashes some work and a weird bit where they look inside Arnie’s head. Not sure much extra this added to the film but it certainly wasn’t worth it. The film felt looser. I thought that the studio’s cut films because of the audiences attention span, or maybe now because they know a DC later will shift more DVD’s but in this case whoever made those cuts did just the right thing. James Cameron made a great T2 cinema release but it would only have been a really good film with the added scenes.
Tonight, Rise of the Machines. For the sake of completion. It’s just not that hot.

I bought An American Werewolf in London earlier. 21st Special 2 disc edition. I actually bought it because it was £5, as I saw it I immediately began to hum ‘Bad moon rising’ and because Jenny Agutter is… well.. in it. The DVD is next to me now because I’ll play it on here later as I do some other work. Last night I watched Lord of War again. Damn good film. Very very good film. Some sexual suggestion in it, a fair amount of violence both shown and implied. It’s a bloody film in parts. And yet it’s only a 15 cert. AAWiL has less sex, less violence, a damn sight more humour, Rik Mayall and it’s an 18 cert. Oh how times have changed….

Radio 5. Commenting on a new film 9/11 by Oliver Stone a woman says it’s wrong to make money from people who have died. She said that if he wanted to make money from heroes he should have gone and found some others. That’s “Our dead are better than their dead” isn’t it?

Seems that Tom wants the domain tomcruise.com – but someone else has it. Oh dear :) Maybe I should register tomcruiseisanutter, or themadnessoftomcruise or toothytomcruise ….

I own one film in the Lowest 200
8MM

I own 13 films in the Top 200
Godfather, Pulp Fiction, LOTR Trilogy, Star Wars, LA Confidential, Goodfellas, American Beauty, Terminator, Kill Bill v2, Leaving Las Vegas, Silence of the Lambs.

My own top 5 ever: Leon (Director’s Cut), Shawshank Redemption, Aliens (Director’s Cut), Pulp Fiction, Monsters Inc. (I posted that top 5 to usenet in Jan 2004, and it’s still not changed)

As soon as I post this I’ll remember at least two of them that I know I know !

http://www.funwithmovies.com

Edit: See!!

(And I know I know No. 16 too….)