cool hand luke (1967) - stuart rosenberg

Yet another classic featuring convicts. Cool Hand Luke is quite simply, one of the best (and most quoted) movies of all time. It stars Paul Newman as Luke, an ex war hero who is sentenced to two years incarceration in a Southern correctional facility (and the chain gang), for cutting the tops off parking meters while drunk. He refuses to lose his spirit, and becomes a hero and talisman to the other prisoners, once he has been accepted after a fight with their leader, 'Dragline' (George Kennedy). During the fight, Luke shows his determination for the first time and refuses to concede defeat. Luke also keeps escaping and being captured, and is punished throughout. There is a lot of spiritual symbolism and references, and Luke questions the Lord (or lack of one) on more that one occasion. At the finale, he finishes up in a church (where he prays), and is betrayed by Dragline. The film ends with Dragline rhapsodising about him to the new intake of prisoners. Altogether now......"I'm shakin it boss", "What we've got here is a failure to communicate", "I can eat 50 eggs in one hour" and "Don't put me in the hole again boss, I've got my mind right". Superb!

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alternate 'the defiant ones' posters

While looking for pictures for the last post, l came across these alternate posters, which l thought were pretty good. If l had a massive house and loads of money, l would add collecting posters to my many other hobbies, and fill the place up with even more junk (my lucky FPO!).

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the defiant ones (1958) - stanley kramer

Another film about convicts (I've seen three today - it's great being off work!). The Defiant Ones stars Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier, who play (brilliantly) two convicts, (John 'Joker' Jackson and Noah Cullen) manacled to each other, that manage to go on the run when their transportation crashes. They both dislike each other, and Curtis is an out and out racist (calling Poitier a'nigger' and 'boy'). Of course, they grow to like and respect each other when they are on the run, and Curtis still manages to get himself a woman, even when he is ill, manacled and stinking after being chased for so long. What a man! (Once again, that's the movies for you). I won't say if they get away or not, but Poitiers singing would get on my nerves after a while and make me want to grass him up just to have some piece and quiet. The film also has an appearance by Lon Chaney Jr (playing Big Sam, an ex con who assists them and saves then from a lynching). A classic of the cinema.

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I love you phillip morris (2009) - glen ficarra

I love you Phillip Morris is a movie based on the true story of Stephen Jay Russell (interview here). Jim Carrey plays Stephen with just the right amount of humour and pathos to make the film a success. Stephen is an upstanding citizen, married, church going etc, but decides he has to come out as a gay man and get divorced. He eventually gets sent to prison (not, l hasten to add, for being gay). While incarcerated, he meets and falls in love with another inmate (guess his name) played by Ewan McGregor. He then proceeds to escape from prison (on more that one occasion) to live and be near him as Phillip was only serving a short sentence and Stephen kept being caught for other crimes. It is a tragi-comedy with a love story at the heart of it, and it is done remarkably well, although McGregor was not exactly stretched in his role (there is a gay joke in there somewhere). Carey keeps his over the top humour in check, and is totally believable as a man dying from AIDS. Was not too keen on all the man kissing, but it made me cry at the end, especially the scene when McGregor was on the telephone (big softie that l am).

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u turn (1997) - oliver stone

Oliver Stone sure doesn't let you down when it comes to blood-letting in his films, and U Turn is no exception. Sean Penn plays Bobby, a man who car breaks down just outside of Superior, Arizona (which might as well be buttfuck nowheresville as far as Bobby is concerned). He is in the process of transporting money he owes to California, and ends up losing it (to add to the two fingers he had previously lost). This certainly turns out to be very unfortunate for him, and he gets involved with Jake (Nick Nolte), a local man who asks him to kill his wife (Jennifer Lopez) for a reward. As Bobby owes the hick car mechanic (Billy Bob Thornton) money for his car repair, and he has no other means of leaving town, he acquiesces. Of course, as usually happens in films, he falls in love with her, but there is a lot of double crossing and deceit along the way, so you are never sure if she can be trusted. There are plenty of bright colours, flashbacks, sex scenes, symbolism and fast editing, much like Stone used in Natural Born Killers (but not as well). Of course things do not end up going to plan, but there is plenty of action, as well as the comic turns by Thornton, Jon Voight (who plays a blind man) and Joaquin Phoenix (who plays a jealous boyfriend). I would never have recognised Voight or Thornton in their roles, and didn't realise it was them until the credits. Not a brilliant movie by any stretch of the imagination, but still well worth watching (just don't buy it).

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outrageously cool recent band posters

By Chuck Sperry

By Emeck

Who said art is now dead when it comes to modern day posters? These are great.

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winchester 73 (1950) - anthony mann

One of the classic black and white westerns, Winchester 73 concerns sibling rivalry and revenge, the Indian threat (and their treatment), and the ownership of the eponymous rifle (the 'one in a thousand'). Lin McAdam (James Stewart) travels to Dodge City (where Wyatt Earp is the sheriff), and wins a shooting competition hosted to celebrate the USA centenary of independence(1876). It is then stolen from him by the runner up in the competition, Dutch Henry Brown (Stephen McNally), and passes through various hands, until it is once again in the hands of Dutch, resulting in a shoot out at the end (you could have anticipated that) between Lin and Dutch (and guess who wins). There is an early film role for Tony Curtis, and Rock Hudson gets to play an Indian chief, Young Bull. Did I mention Dutch Henry and Lin are brothers, and Dutch Henry had shot and killed their father? Of course he did (he's a bad 'un). Shelly Winters is Lola, the feisty love interest, who also plays a mean piano. Marvellous stuff, and it takes me back to the old fleapit on a Saturday morning in Bootle when l was a kid (many, way too many years ago).

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oscar the dog peeing while doing a handstand

Reminds me of my mums old dog (Cromwell), who used to poo up trees. Sadly, l don't have a video of that.

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another northern lights picture

Another great picture of the Northern Lights, taken by Ole Christian Salomonsen in Norway. I don't think l will ever get bored of seeing photographs of them.

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max schreck lounging during the filming of nosferatu

Max Schreck still looks pretty creepy even when he is 'relaxing' during the filming of Nosferatu (1922). He is brilliant in it, and his performance has been much copied ever since.

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le serpent (2006) - eric barbier

Another one of those French films with subtitles l just can't get enough of. Le Serpent is a psychological thriller, concerning an old schoolboy prank that went wrong, and the victim, Joseph Plender, (Clovis Cornillac), trying to have his revenge on Vincent Mandell (Yvan Attal), his former classmate, who is in the process of going through a divorce. There are plenty of plot twists and lots of violence, but the only gripe l had with the film is that it could have been a bit shorter. Don't get me wrong though, it's well worth watching. Those crazy French!

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a superhero you don't want to meet in a dark alley

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

This is sooooooooooooo wrong.

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