I earnestly believe A Bridge Too Far is the finest WW2 film of all time, and possibly the greatest war film of all time.

I have never seen that one, we do have it though. I should see if my brother would watch with us girls sometime.

And SnowAngel, it is downright offensive to me that you have Herbie Rides Again and not the original classic The Love Bug. C'mon, it's got Buddy Hackett in it! Well I guess it could be worse...Herbie Goes Bananas made me wish for the destruction of the Volkswagen factory in the hopes it would deter another film from coming out (it wouldn't have).

LOL! My brother loved the last part of that! I think I like Herbie Rides Again better than The Love Bug, probably because I have watched the TV show
F-Troop so many times and Ken Berry is perfect as Captain Parmenter in it. The Love Bug is very good, maybe I should get it for the kids to watch the next time we go to the library.

Somehow I forgot Rough Riders on my list! *quickly edits list* That is another movie we need to re-watch this summer.

There is a silent film on TCM in about 15 minutes called Safety Last!, my older siblings have seen it before and said it is quite funny. We of course are planning to watch it. I love watching silent films with my siblings, especially the littler ones. It is almost more fun to watch the little ones watch it as it is to watch the film itself.

SnowAngel

Bella(not from Twilight) , I watched a small, independent flick recently called Outsourced. It's about a US company that outsources its telephone support staff to India, so they send their best salesman over to train the new folks on how to do the job. It's funny watching the culture shock (on both sides) take effect and seeing how ones perceptions can be turned upside down given time. It's a comedy/drama with a touch of the romance in it, if that's your thing, and I rather enjoyed it. I'm a lefty, so I probably wouldn't do well in India.

Ah, yes, I've heard about that one. I think my dad has seen it. Haha, you know, reading the description, it reminds me of another film (released by Warner Bros) called Americanizing Shelley (which is about an Indian girl, Shelley, from the Himalayas who has been arranged to marry an Indian guy in the States and who writes to him faithfully. She finally is going to make the trip for the marriage, but then she finds out that he wants nothing to do with her. She bumps into a guy who works in the movie industry and is in need of finding a new celebrity; he takes the challenge of training her and showing her the ropes, and, of course, they end up together in the end. Similarly, the interactions of two different cultures was really unique and pretty hilarious.) The one thing I just saw, though, about Outsourced, though, is that it references to uh... hedonistic sects of Hinduism, to put it briefly.
The only criticism I have for films like Outsourced and Americanizing Shelley is the stereotypical/one-dimensional view of arranged marriage vs. divorce in the U.S, which could be true for some, but not really for all. I haven't seen Outsourced so I can't comment on that, but for Americanizing Shelley - thankfully, though it used the stereotype in an ironic way and had a pleasant ending. But yeah...I hadn't known Outsourced was a film - I had thought it was an documentary pertaining to international economics.
About being a lefty -- Lol, yeah, I think there's that unfortunate universal opinion that being right handed is more disciplined/better than right. I think one of the films I mentioned above (Like Stars on Earth) also had a scene about being left-handed. Was there something about that in in Outsourced?

I wanted to mention! My sister has been thinking about watching Roman Holiday. I saw it had Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck; I enjoyed the former in My Fair Lady and the latter in To Kill a Mockingbird. Hopefully we can get around to watching that. Do any of y'all particularly like it?

YES! *raises hand* Seriously though, Roman Holiday is a really lovely film. Very funny at times, but very sweet, particularly the ending. It does have some odd bits that I could live without, but it's very very good.

Shadowlander, in your action-movie-travels, have you ever seen Red Dawn, with Patrick Swayze? It looks really good, something I'd watch, however it's rated PG-13, and based off of the trailer, it didn't look particularly violent, so I was wondering if it was rated such for weird content.

(Everyone's lists look good, by the way. )

Well, it looks like between Shadows, W4J and Snowies lists, all the other films that I neglected to put of my favorites have been covered to varying degrees.

I should also put a shout-out to the following:

Pride & Prejudice (1995 mini series)
Sense & Sensibility (2008 mini series)
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Mighty Joe Young (original)
Valley of Gwangi
7th Voyage of Sinbad
Wolfen

Mainly wanted to throw some Ray Harryhausen (RIP) films out there plus my two favorite Jane Austen adaptations.

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@ AC. Red Dawn is moderately violent by todays standards, though despite it's odd reputation of being "cheesy", the war violence is handled in a rather stark, realistic manner. There is also a great deal of typical 80's cursing throughout.

It's a good movie and one that does not deserve the low reputation it has gotten over the last few years.

@ Bella. I'd highly recommend Roman Holiday, just be forewarned it has a bittersweet ending...

Spoiler

Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn don't get together.

About being a lefty -- Lol, yeah, I think there's that unfortunate universal opinion that being right handed is more disciplined/better than right. I think one of the films I mentioned above (Like Stars on Earth) also had a scene about being left-handed. Was there something about that in in Outsourced?

Sorta . The main character eats with his left hand and his Indian hosts look at him in horror. It's later explained to him that the left hand is used for uh...certain bodily tasks and is considered "unclean" for that reason. I would do very poorly there

Shadowlander, in your action-movie-travels, have you ever seen Red Dawn, with Patrick Swayze? It looks really good, something I'd watch, however it's rated PG-13, and based off of the trailer, it didn't look particularly violent, so I was wondering if it was rated such for weird content.

I love the original Red Dawn, and watch it at least once a year. Unfortunately one's political outlook will generally flavor how one feels about the film, with one side using the film as a sort of cinematic warning of sorts and the other viewing it as bombastic jingoism. That is as close as I will get to the politics of the thing, suffice it to say that as PC rightly said, it is a very good film with some great action and drama. It's a bit spartan in its presentation and the events surrounding the film aren't even really explained to the viewer until about halfway through the film. It was extremely controversial for its time and I've read it had the highest body count in a film for several years. People have forgotten the Soviet Union and that they had aspirations for world domination, or at least conversion of the rest of the world into Soviet satellite states. It was one of the things that made the film so popular and why it has endured this many years. The new Red Dawn is decent, but not great. It lacks the heart the original had. There's an Australian film on Netflix which looks similar that I'd like to watch when I get the chance called Tomorrow, When the War Began, so I'll have to ask W4J if he's seen it and what he thought of it.

One of my favorite scenes in Red Dawn as recently shot down fighter pilot Col. Tanner explains the national situation to the Wolverines.

@ PC - I love Clash of the Titans, and its fantastical Harryhausen work. The new CotT is just....awful. The soundtrack from the original is also MUCH better. Have you done a review on that one yet, I wonder?

@ Shadow. Indeed! It may not be as groundbreaking as Jason and the Argonauts, but I enjoy much more than the earlier flick (maybe because Clash actually has an ending. ).

Yeah... the new was O.K upon first viewing but quickly went downhill when I tried watching it again.

I have reviewed Rosenthal's CotT on my blog, actually. I'll link to it in this post when I get a chance later.

EDIT:

Here is the link to the Clash of the Titans review.
http://bennettsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/01/clash-of-titans-1981-review.html

Thanks, AC and PC! I think it was one of Audrey Hepburn's first films, so I was guessing it would be rather funny and cute. I was spoiled for the plot, but thanks for the heads up on that, Cor. I like bittersweet endings, so I think I'll be okay with it. I'll tell y'all when I watch it!

Ohhhh, I see, SL. .. >.> My dad is a lefty, too. I have heard about that - that eating with your left hand is not considered sanitary (the custom does not apply to cutlery). I think it's largely a general custom, kind of like putting your elbows on the table in the States... so I think you'd be fine.

My sister got Kiki's Delivery Service today, so that's what we'll be watching. ^_^ I'm not sure about the plot, but I'm certainly looking forward to the treat of watching the art. I do not have a particular affinity for dubs, so I'll be watching to it in the original Japanese audio with subtitles. I like that better, because I think the feelings and voice inflections of the dialogue translate better than simple words.

It seems like so much of the Indian food I see is eaten by hand though. And not to branch off-topic here too much, but generally speaking does your family do it traditionally? Or do you eat the same foods but with utensils? When I watched The Far Pavilions a few months ago I noticed a dish I saw again in Outsourced, which looks like a giant communal plate of what looks like yellow rice with unknown food items in it. Each person sits around the dish and consumes from the platter at their leisure with their hands. It looked good, but there's no way I'm dipping my fingers into anyone's communal bowl, unless they've soaked their hands in Purell for at least 2 hours first. You might like The Far Pavilions too, if you don't mind a slightly older film in it. It's got Ben Cross in it.

Bella, I remember Kiki's Delivery Service being pretty cute, and the witch aspect was mainly focused on her helping people, if memory serves. It may not be one of your favourites, but I hope you like it alright.

It seems like so much of the Indian food I see is eaten by hand though. And not to branch off-topic here too much, but generally speaking does your family do it traditionally? Or do you eat the same foods but with utensils?

Yes, a lot of it is; it's rather characteristic of Middle Eastern culture, overall, I would say. There's some art to it, much like using chopsticks. In the present day, though, I think most people use their hands for flatbread and vegetables/meat, and utensils for rice and soup. Being born in Kenya and having international cultural influences generally, we do eat both ways - with utensils and with our hands. Both methods are second nature, I would say. [/off topic ]

Hahaha... wow. XD To be honest, I've never personally heard of a communal plate... at least not outside of the film setting. I have eaten from one, though, at an Ethiopian restaurant with friends. I think it largely depends upon the setting, as sharing food tends to be a very personal thing in many cultures. If done often, I think it's quite like a group of friends sharing nachos or salsa. It could be present in some parts of India, but I'm am more accustomed to traditional food-related-events having a large central buffet table and individual plates (Thalis) with separate compartments for all the foods. [/sorry for digressing again!]

The Far Pavilian looks interesting! I tend to like older films/films that explore that era of history, so I might look into that.

Thanks for that, Valia! Yes, I wondered about that aspect. I know it was not necessarily meant in the commonly understood way, but like you said, I'm not sure if it will be my favourite... but I am looking forward to seeing it!

Kiki's Delivery Service is great but it doesn't have much of a plot. It's more a coming of age story with a focus on character development. I love most of Studio Ghibli's movies.

Tomorrow When The War Began is a decent movie based on the first of seven novels by John Marsden. The general concept is kind of similar to Red Dawn but the particulars are very different. Some Aussie teenagers from a rural town have to survive a rapidly-changing world (and later fight back against the enemy) when Australia is taken over. There's a lot of action and adventure and it's very exciting but the books are much better. The books also feature a lot of character development and are well-written.

@ Shadowlander & PC, thanks so much for your reviews on Red Dawn, (and for the clip, Shadow ) It looks really good, I might get to see it sometime, depends on the amount of swearing.

I think it was one of Audrey Hepburn's first films, so I was guessing it would be rather funny and cute.

It was, actually, her first Hollywood film, she did bit parts in foreign films before that. And it is, real cute and funny, very sweet.

PrinceCor004, I saw you added Sense & Sensibility the mini-series to your list. Have you seen Emma Thompson's adaption? And do happen to know if I can watch the '08 online anywhere? That's one thing I can't seem to find on YouTube, and all the DVD's I see are really expensive. Not sure what's so rare about it.

I liked Kiki, for the most part, if not for one thing. I was uncomfortable with the witch thing - I know that it wasn't witchcraft and it doesn't play all that big of a role really, but I personally was not comfortable with the references. I enjoyed the animation and the music, of course, and I loved the vague-European-town feel to setting.

Oh, wow, that's really neat, AC! I need to find it at the library....

@ AC. Quite welcome and always happy to give my review of a movie.

Yes, I've seen the Emma Thompson version of S&S. I liked it, but just prefer the '08 mini series overall. As for where you can watch it online, I'm afraid I can't help you there. I usually either watch movies on DVD or YT and usually try and stay away from other online sources.

Here it is on Amazon. A bit on the pricey side when compared to most DVD's, but still: http://www.amazon.com/Sense-Sensibility-Miss-Austen-Regrets/dp/B0012OVCE6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1369763229&sr=8-4&keywords=sense+and+sensibility

Saw Jack the Giant Slayer the other day. And it was better than I was expecting. The acting, directing and special effects were all very good. And while the story was a tad predictable, it was refreshing to see a relatively clean, old fashioned straight-up adventure film. While I have nothing against dark-edgy heroes, they can get tiresome after a while.