Memory, Assassins and...Felony?

It's the end of the year, and here I am with a stack of DVDs and another challenge complete! I've really been racing the clock to get some extra ones squeezed in at the end of this year, though this particular challenge wasn't too difficult to get finished. Christmas is definitely the time of year for kicking back with a movie or two, and there have been a lot on TV lately as well!

So here are films 91-100, completing my goal!

91. The Bourne Identity (2002)

Genre: Action/Thriller/Mystery

In a Word: Amnesia

In a Sentence: Rescued from the sea and suffering from amnesia, a man finds himself pursued by assassins as he seeks to uncover his past, and his identity.

Recommended: If you like your thrillers on the mysterious side.

Aliens, Explosions, and a Little Bit of Romance

As the months get colder, staying in with a stack of DVDs and a cup tea becomes more and more appealing.

So here are the most recent ten films I've watched for Goal #61!

81. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)

Genre: Comedy/Romance

In a Word: Whirlwind

In a Sentence: When Guinevere Pettigrew loses her job, her pursuit of a new one gets her caught up in the mad, fast-paced world of London socialites.

Recommended: If you like rom-coms set in past eras

(Note: This is adapted from a book of the same title, which I read for another goal. I preferred the book!)

82. Transporter 3 (2008)

Genre: Action/Adventure

In a Word: Vroom.

In a Sentence: Frank Martin is dragged out of retirement to transport the tearaway daughter of a government official from Marseilles to Odessa, meeting the usual assortment of bad guys on the way.

Recommended: For those that enjoyed the previous two movies and like predictable plots with lots of action scenes.

83. Iron Man (2008)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi

In a Word: Ego

In a Sentence: After being injured and held hostage in the Middle East, the genius billionaire playboy Tony Stark creates a weaponised suit that can save lives and fight evil.

Recommended: If you like your superheroes with an extra helping of snark and ego.

84. Iron Man 2 (2010)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi

In a Word: Egoier

In a Sentence: As his health deteriorates with no apparent cure, Tony Stark must battle against a madman with a vendetta against the Stark name.

Recommended: If you liked the first film and want a deeper look into the repercussions of a superhero's true identity being known

85. Iron Man 3 (2013)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi

In a Word: ...humbled!

In a Sentence: After his work and home are destroyed by a terrorist, Tony Stark goes underground to start over, and stop the person responsible for the attacks.

Recommended: If you want an Iron Man film with a deeper plot.

86. Clueless (1995)

Genre: Comedy/Romance

In a Word: Whateverrr

In a Sentence: When a dorky new girl Tai joins her class, rich high schooler Cher makes it her mission to give her a makeover and boost her popularity, but doesn't bank on how tricky romance can be.

Recommended: If you love cheesy 90s teen movies

87. Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992)

Genre: Action/Comedy

In a Word: Mothering

In a Sentence: Serious police sergeant Joe Bomowski's life is turned upside down when his bossy and interfering mother comes to visit.

Recommended: If you enjoy cheesy, funny cop films

88. Pitch Black (2000)

Genre: Horror/Action/Sci-Fi

In a Word: Darkness

In a Sentence: When a commercial transport ship crash-lands on a planet inhabited by deadly nocturnal creatures, the survivors turn to criminal Richard B Riddick to help them as the planet is plunged into the darkness of a month-long eclipse.

Recommended: If you and like playing Who Will Be Picked Off Next?

89. Chronicles of Riddick (2004)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi

In a Word: Conversion

In a Sentence: Fugitive Riddick ends up on Helion Prime, where an old friend pleads with him to help fight against the Necromongers, a race of crusaders who seek to kill all humans--or convert them to one of their own.

Recommended: If you want to know exactly what you can do with a tea cup.

90. Star Trek Beyond (2016)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi

In a Word: Frontierier (I'm doing good with these single word summaries, right?)

In a Sentence: The USS Enterprise passes beyond known space on a rescue mission, where they end up stranded on an uncharted planet, desperately fighting against an enemy set upon destroying the Federation.

Recommended: If you've enjoyed the previous Star Trek films!

Well, my film choices are still bordering towards action and science fiction, but what can I say, I know what I like!

Only ten more films to go before I can call this goal done!

Guilty Pleasures

It's been a couple of months since I last wrote about any films I've watched, and I got distracted by Other Things about halfway through this list, and left it a month before watching any more!

...And then I watched about seven films in a week, bumping my watched films list to over 80.

But since my aim was to write about them ten at a time, here's films 71-80.

71. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

Genre: Adventure/Comedy/Drama

In a Word: Adventurous!

In a Sentence: In attempt to save his job, the cautious and imaginative Walter Mitty goes on a journey across the globe and gets a lot more than he bargained for.

Recommended: If you like feel-good movies about people coming into their own.

72. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Scifi

In a Word: Transformational

In a Sentence: Desperate to join the war effort, weak and unhealthy Steve Rogers participates in an experiment that turns him into Captain America: agile, super-strong, and the only one who can take down a terrorist organisation.

Recommended: If you like comic book adaptations

73. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Scifi

In a Word: Smash.

In a Sentence: Bruce Banner is a fugitive from the US government, trying to find a cure for the monster he becomes when he gets angry--only to run into problems when an enemy appears who is an even bigger, stronger threat. 

Recommended: For those wanting something to watch over a TV dinner!

74. The Ghost Train (1941)

Genre: Comedy/Horror

In a Word: Mysterious

In a Sentence: When a group of passengers are stranded overnight at a remote train station, the station master tells them of the ghost train that passes through on the unused platform--but things are not entirely as they seem.

Recommended: If you like unpredictable old movies

75. Avengers Assemble (2012)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Scifi

In a Word: Heroic

In a Sentence: With Loki threatening the future of the human race, the Avengers, earth's mightiest heroes, set out to stop him.

Recommended: If you like cheesy action movies.

76. Blade Runner (1982)

Genre: Scifi/Thriller

In a Word: Mind-blowing

In a Sentence: After a group of four dangerous 'replicants' (humanoid androids) commandeer a ship to take them to Earth, it's up to a blade runner, Deckard, to seek and destroy them.

Recommended: For those wanting great storyline and thought-provoking scripts.

77. Superbad (2007)

Genre: Comedy

In a Word: Alcoholic

In a Sentence: Coming to the end of their high school days, best friends Seth and Evan look to make their schooldays end with a bang by taking alcohol to a party, but their plans don't turn out as straightforward as they thought...

Recommended: If you like silly coming-of-age type teen movies

78. The Transporter (2002)

Genre: Action/Thriller

In a Word: Explosive

In a Sentence: A 'transporter' who delivers mysterious packages to unknown clients, Frank Martin runs into complications when one of his packages starts moving.

Recommended: For anyone that enjoys films with lots of fight scenes and explosions and a relatively straightforward plot.

79. Transporter 2 (2005)

Genre: Action/Thriller

In a Word: Explosiver

In a Sentence: Frank Martin is back, and this time has to prove his innocence after he's implicated in the kidnapping of a child--and prevent a plot to release a deadly virus into the world.

Recommended: Again, if you like fight scenes and explosions and plots that are easy to follow.

80. Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy

In a Word: Mad

In a Sentence: Alice returns to Underland, and has to travel back through time in order to help her friend the Mad Hatter, all whilst escaping the clutches of the Red Queen and Time himself.

Recommended: If you liked the first film!

As I noted at the beginning of this post, I'm already past 80 films for my '100 films' goal. The next post will contain some more cheesy action/scifi, and comic book adaptations, because cheesy action films are my guilty pleasure!

Streaming Movies

It's 2016 and I'm finally, finally starting to appreciate the awesomeness that is online streaming.

I've used services like BBC iPlayer and Channel 4's On Demand simply to catch up on TV shows I watch, but until recently never for things like movies.

You might think,  "Why not just watch it on TV?"

Fair question. The answer being that Dad usually watches TV in the evenings.

Which makes online streaming a useful way of seeing the movies and shows that I'd otherwise miss.

I'm not someone that watches a lot of TV, but lately it's been handy for watching films!

So - as part of my '100 films' goal - here are films 61-70, several of which I've watched via streaming service!

61. Legally Blonde (2001)

Genre: Comedy/Romance

In a Word: Empowering

In a Sentence: When girly, fashion-savvy blonde Elle Woods is dumped by her boyfriend for not being serious enough, she follows him to Harvard law school to try and win him back, only to find law school is a bigger challenge than she thought

Recommended: If you like light-hearted films that carry a message of encouragement. 

62. Legally Blonde 2: Red White & Blonde (2003)

Genre: Comedy

In a Word: Encouraging

In a Sentence: Elle Woods is back, this time joining the staff of a Washington congresswoman in the hope of passing a bill to ban animal testing.

Recommended: If you like your light-hearted and fun films to have a hidden deeper meaning to them! (Or if you loved the first film and want more Elle being awesome)

63. Spy (2015)

Genre: Action/Comedy

In a Word: Hilarious

In a Sentence: After the CIA loses a top agent, a underappreciated, deskbound analyst goes undercover to prevent a worldwide disaster.

Recommended: If you like spy movies but also like to laugh at them.

64. The Cobbler (2014)

Genre: Comedy/Fantasy

In a Word: Shoes

In a Sentence: An apathetic cobbler discovers a magical heirloom that allows him to become other people, and ends up being thrown headlong into a life-changing adventure.

Recommended: If you like surprises. This was not the movie I expected it to be--but it was very good.

65. Thor (2011)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy

In a Word: Hammertime (sorry, I had to)

In a Sentence: Thor, the powerful yet arrogant son of Odin, is thrown out of Asgard and onto Midgard (Earth), where he must defend it from dangerous enemies and earn his right to return.

Recommended: For anyone who is a sucker for comic adaptations and superhero movies.

66. Dredd (2012)

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi

In a Word: Judgement

In a Sentence: Set in a dystopic future where police officers are judge, jury, and executioner, the efficient Judge Dredd takes a trainee out for evaluation, leading to the pair battling against a deadly gang responsible for a mind-altering drug.

Recommended: Another film for comic adaptation fans, this time those who like their adaptations a lot darker, gorier, and more violent.

67. Robocop (2014)

Genre: Action/Crime/Sci-Fi

In a Word: Cybernetic

In a Sentence: When dedicated cop and loving father Alex Murphy is critically injured through his work, his life is saved by the multinational Omnicorp, who turn him into the first half-human half-robot cop--but things are not as pleasant as they seem.

Recommended: If you want to see an update to the original film. Or have never seen the original film and like action-scifi movies with cyborgs in them.

68. Kung Fury (2015)

Genre: Action/Comedy/Short

In a Word: Parody

In a Sentence: In this 80s-style short movie, Kung Fury travels back in time to defeat Hitler in order to save today.

Recommended: If you like 80s movies. All of them. (Seriously, watch this movie).

69. Pumzi (2009)

Genre: Sci-Fi/Short

In a Word: Beautiful

In a Sentence: Set in a future after World War III leaves the world parched and dry and people shut away in man-made communities, a museum curator receives a mysterious box of soil and after discovering that it can germinate seeds, fights to go Outside in search of life.

Recommended: For those that appreciate beautifully shot world cinema... Honestly, everything about this film is awesome. Watch it.

70. The A-Team (2010)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy

In a Word: MacGuyvered

In a Sentence: Framed for a crime they didn't commit, a group of Iraq war veterans work to clear their name, using all their intellect, knowledge, and a sneaky trick or two.

Recommended: If you were a fan of the original TV series. This film is set as a prequel, so it's not a remake as such, but is still enjoyable!


Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed these films! They all have their own merits, be they old guilty-pleasure favourites (Legally Blonde), stuff I never got around to seeing at the cinema (Thor, Dredd) or utterly beautiful pieces of cinematography (Pumzi).

Already started on my next lot of films. I'll get to 100 one day!

For all the films I've watched so far for my 100 films goal, check my Goal 61 tag.

Bumper Film Post!

It's been ages since I wrote anything about the films I've been watching for goal 61. So long in fact, that I've watched 20 since I last posted (which sounds a lot, but my last post was in August!)

Rather than split them up across two posts, this time around I'm making a bumper film post.

So here are films 41-60!

41. Carry On At Your Convenience (1971)

Genre: Comedy

In a Word: Flushing!

In a Sentence: Set at a toilet factory where the union representative calls for strikes over the tiniest issue, this entertaining film is full of jokes and silly storylines.

Recommended: If you early 70s silliness.

42. Carry on Loving (1970)

Genre: Comedy

In a Word: Farcical

In a Sentence: The Wedded Bliss dating agency uses computers to match up the local lonely hearts, but of course things go wrong, leading to some of the most ridiculous and hilarious matchups ever.

Recommended: If you like your rom coms more on the comedy than the romance side.

43. Ouran High School Host Club (2011)

Genre: Comedy

In a Word: Crossdressing

In a Sentence: Scholarship student Haruhi breaks a priceless vase belonging to the host club of her prestigious high school, and is made to work as a host in order to pay off the debt--but nobody realises that she is a girl.

Recommended: For any that enjoy some Japanese live-action ridiculousness, also if you enjoyed the manga/anime this was adapted from!

44. Hairspray (2007)

Genre: Musical/Comedy

In a Word: Sing

In a Sentence: Set in Baltimore in 1962, high-schooler Tracy tries to bring an end to racial segregation (with a fair few songs along the way).

Recommended: If you like your films with music, moralistic storylines, and John Travolta in a dress.

45. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi

In a Word: Time-travel (it's totally one word)

In a Sentence: With mutants and humans facing certain doom, the X-men send Wolverine into the past to change events that have led to the dystopia the world has become

Recommended: If you've enjoyed the other X-men films

46. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Genre: Animation/Adventure/Family

In a Word: Magical

In a Sentence: Cursed to look like an old woman, quiet girl Sofie seeks out the self-indulgent wizard Howl in his moving castle, certain that he will be able to break her curse.

Recommended: If you enjoyed the Diana Wynne-Jones book of the same title, from which this is adapted (though there are some changes). Also worth looking at if you've enjoyed other Studio Ghibli films, and if you like animated films in general.

47. Kate and Leopold (2001)

Genre: Comedy/Fantasy/Romance

In a Word: Time-travel (see, it's totally one word)

In a Sentence: Finding a gap in time, Stuart travels back to 19th Century New York, only to be followed back by Leopold, who meets Stuart's ex-girlfriend Kate in the fascinating world that is modern-day New York.

Recommended: If you like fantasy with your rom-coms.

48. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)

Genre: Comedy/Drama

In a Word: Exotic

In a Sentence: Sequel to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, this time the hotel only has one vacancy, and Sonny is dreaming of opening a second hotel--but the hotel is taking a lot of his time, and he has a wedding to think about.

Recommended: If you enjoyed the first film!

49. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

Genre: Comedy/Crime

In a Word: Cops

In a Sentence: Frank Drebin is an incompetent cop who has to prevent crooks from assassinating the queen.

Recommended: For all that enjoy ridiculous cop films with some slapstick comedy.

50. The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991)

Genre: Comedy/Crime

In a Word: Sequel!

In a Sentence: When it emerges that his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend is part of a plot to kidnap a scientist, Frank Drebin is on the case.

Recommended: If you enjoyed the first film (though you don't need to watch it before this one, they're still funny whichever order you see them in!)

51. The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)

Genre: Comedy/Crime

In a Word: Another sequel! (Okay, now I'm cheating)

In a Sentence: The Police Squad discover a plot to blow up the Academy Awards, and bring Frank Drebin out of retirement to help infiltrate the gang and foil their scheme.

Recommended: If you liked the first two (though admittedly, this was the first of the three I ever watched, and this goal is the first time I ever watched them in order!)

52. To Wong Foo Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar (1995)

Genre: Comedy/Drama

In a Word: Dragprincess

In a Sentence: Three drag queens are driving across the USA to reach a pageant, but when their car breaks down they end up stranded in a sleepy rural town where they end up shaking up a few attitudes and bringing the place back to life.

Recommended: For anyone that likes strong storylines about transformation, personal growth, and the importance of friendship. (That sounds so cheesy, but 'fabulous drag queens' isn't enough to describe this film. Which is, by the way, one of my favourites.)

53. The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert (1994)

Genre: Comedy/Musical/Drama

In a Word: Australian

In a Sentence: Two drag queens and a transgender woman travel across the Australian desert to perform their cabaret in Alice, but meet a few people and discover a few things about each other on the way.

Recommended: If you like disco music, drag queens, and all the stuff I mentioned in the recommended section of the previous film ;) The core of these two films is pretty similar, but the two are pretty different.

54. Death Note (2006)

Genre: Crime/Fantasy/Drama

In a Word: Reaper

In a Sentence: When Light Yagami discovers a notebook that allows him to kill people simply by writing down their names, he decides to use it to kill criminals, but then finds himself being investigated as a criminal himself, and with the death god Ryuk watching over him, has to pit his wits against those of the genius detective known as "L".

Recommended: For those that enjoy dark storylines, and any that enjoyed the manga/anime of the same title.

55. Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

Genre: Animation/Adventure/Comedy

In a Word: Christmas

In a Sentence: When the homeless trio Gin, Miyuki and Hana find a baby on the streets of Tokyo one Christmas Eve, they set out to find its parents, only to run into a lot more trouble than they bargained for.

Recommended: If you like feel-good animation with action and adventure.

56. What We Do In The Shadows (2014)

Genre: Comedy/Horror/Fantasy

In a Word: Vampires

In a Sentence: A documentary team follows a mismatched group of vampires who live in New Zealand, and it emerges that even vampires have problems--not to mention a rivalry with werewolves.

Recommended: If you enjoy vampire films, but also enjoy laughing.

57. Hellboy (2004)

Genre: Action/Fantasy/Horror

In a Word: Heroism

In a Sentence: Conjured by - and rescued from - Nazis during World War II, the demon known as Hellboy is raised in secret in the USA, where he fights against supernatural evils and (as happens in these movies) pretty much has to save the world.

Recommended: If you like your heroes red and sassy.

58. The Martian (2015)

Genre: Drama/Sci-Fi/Adventure

In a Word: Stranded

In a Sentence: Assumed dead, astronaut Mark Watney is stranded on Mars, and has to find a way to let the team on Earth know he is still alive--and to remain alive until he can be rescued.

Recommended: For anyone that likes holding their breath for an entire film.

59. The Quest for the Eternal Harp of Golden Dreams Film (2012)

Genre: Music/Fantasy/Documentary (kind of)

In a Word: Fun

In a Sentence: A sorcerer and a band of heroes find a videotape and a TV-VCR on their travels to seek the Eternal Harp of Golden Dreams, and discover the story of Steam Powered Giraffe (seeing a few performances in the process).

Recommended: If you like the music and world of the band Steam Powered Giraffe, who I first heard, and wrote about, for my music goal.

Note: Okay, so I nearly didn't include this one but it is technically a film. It's mostly made of musical performances and in-character interviews, wrapped up in a storyline, therefore I consider it a film. You can watch it on the band's YouTube, where there is also a link for where to buy a copy.

60. The Expendables (2010)

Genre: Action/Adventure

In a Word: Boom

In a Sentence: A group of tough mercenaries are hired by a CIA agent to take out a dictator and a rogue agent, and lots of gunfire, explosions and hand-to-hand combat ensues.

Recommended: For when you want a film that's easy to follow and has lots of explosions, action cliches, and some of the most well-known action stars around.

That's it for the time being! It's seriously been months since I really got into watching films; I've always got other things to do (which is why I made this a goal in the first place!) 

Check my film tag to see all the films I've watched so far!

60 down, 40 to go... 

Lord of the Life of Brian

It's been a while since I posted about films I've watched. Then again, I still don't watch them all that frequently!

Does anyone else go through days of watching tonnes of films, then weeks of nothing? I know I can't be the only one!

So I'm still working towards the following goal:

061. Watch 100 films

Here are films 31-40. I'm actually just over halfway now, with 52 films watched, but have been procrastinating over blogging about them ;)

31. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

In a Word: Arkenstone

In a Sentence: The Lonely Mountain is in the hands of the dwarves and Bilbo, but the threats keep on coming and a big battle ensues to fight back the forces of darkness, in this final part of the Hobbit trilogy.

Recommended: For Tolkien fans not too bothered about it being an accurate adaptation of the book. (It's good, but there are some differences!)

32. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

In a Word: Beginning

In a Sentence: Bilbo is old and entrusts the ring of power to his nephew Frodo, who ends up embarking upon a journey to destroy the ring, along with a fellowship of dwarf, elf, hobbit and man.

Recommended: For fantasy fans who don't want the story to be over in just one film.

Action and Laughter

 

I should have posted this ages ago--I watched film #30 on Boxing Day! Talk about slow, right?

So, the goal still stands:

061. Watch 100 films

Here are films 21-30!

21. X-men 2 (2003)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi

In a word: Mutants!!!

In a sentence: The X-men band together with former foe Magneto's team to fight against a greater evil and save the world (again)

Recommended: If you like superhero films where the heroes are not perfect. And mutants.

Heroes, Villains and Salsa!

Several months have passed since I last blogged about films. I didn't watch many during the summer, and then became lax with writing about them. I was even lax with posting this; I wrote it up in November and somehow didn't post it (yet I could have sworn that I did!) 

As usual, this is for a goal:

061. Watch 100 Films

Here come films 11-20!

Dragons, Destruction and Dystopia (with some laughs in between)

Despite this blog and The List being about Doing Things, there are a couple of goals that require me to sit on my bum, one of which is:

061. Watch 100 films

As noted on The List, I don’t even own 100 films, so this one could be something of a challenge!

I’ve decided to post an update every 10 films I see, with a brief comment on each one.

So here goes: films 1-10!

Celebration of Spring

On Saturday we went to Burgess Hill to check out their 'Celebration of Spring'.
As it was Easter weekend, the town was pretty busy with people out to see the town's event and buy those last few bits and pieces before the shops closed for Easter Sunday.

The event was fairly small but included a petting zoo with cute lambs, maypole dancing, a band in the bandstand and Morris dancers, seen here. If you look closely on the left-hand side of the pictures, you can see some of the three-piece band that were accompanying the dancers.
It's a shame these ladies were placed in a little corner behind the local market stalls, as it limited the space for spectators and many people were walking past without realising what was going on! However, it was a very cheerful and uplifting performance to watch.

We were only there for a short while, but it was good to see an event that included traditional entertainment.

You can watch a couple of short videos of the dancers on my instagram, here and here


As for Sunday, it was a lazy day. I continued with entering competitions (as per my list goal) and watched a couple of films (also a goal on The List): The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery, and The Addams Family Values. I love me some Addams Family :)