Today’s movies are just crap, help me delve into some golden oldies.

Good pick.

Focusing here on the big budget epic miniseries with location shooting - as opposed to the 'staged' British ones packed with acting talent like I Claudius.

Shogun is one of the top ones. Along with slavery epic Roots, western epic Lonesome Dove, American civil war epic North and South, Winds of War for WWII, Shaka Zulu, Jesus of Nazareth.

Gabriel Byrne popped up in a Marco Polo miniseries adaptation as the man himself.

Masada I mentioned above as one of the historical epics.

Then there were the potboilers like Kane and Abel, Rich Man Poor Man, the Thornbirds.

Peter Strauss, Richard Chamberlain, Peter Ustinov & Jane Seymour pop up in a lot of them.

There were British empire epics such as The Far Pavilions and The Jewel in the Crown.

I remember the Michael Caine Jack the Ripper miniseries scaring the bejaysus out of me back in the day.

The Aussies got in on the act as well I remember - The Harp in the South, All the Rivers Run, A Town Like Alice.

Once were warriors is great. You might want to get something lighter For after, I recommend another NZ film, Whale Rider (or Hunt for the Wilder people). The

@buried The BBC 'Screen' series put out some real gems.

If you liked The Firm, check out the below film also about football hooligans.

I.D.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113375/

I was more thinking films where he was the lead like 52 Pickup but they are great shouts.

The main character in Blue Thunder was...

Bonus Seaquest DSV mention :)

That's very hard to find.

Oh yeah. I have the dvd of Come and See. Possibly the most harrowing film I’ve ever seen. Not sure I could watch it again. The young lead actor in it is astonishing.

Silent Running... practically a solo performance from Bruce Dern. Made in 1972, it was set 'in the next century' which is now, and it was way ahead in terms of raising environmental awareness. I can see its approach for saving the earth, being proposed any day now and I wouldn't be surprised if we then make the decision to give up the effort after a few years, too.

Also, The Blue Max.. made in Ireland in 1966, it is a World War 1 story, told from a German angle. Made with substantial technical and pilot support from the Irish Army Air Corps, it features real flying of custom built WW1 replica aircraft. In the days before green screen or CGI, it was all done for real around sites in Wicklow and Cork (Sugar Loaf at Kilpedder and Fermoy in Cork). LOTR Director Peter Jackson has it listed as one of his fave films, with an expressed wish to do a remake - he even has some of the surviving replicas planes used in the film, in his very extensive personal collection of WW1 items. Hollywood star George Peppard, learnt to fly and obtained his pilot licence to allow him undertake some low risk aerial activity in the film.

Death on the Nile - the Peter Ustinov adaptation. Filmed on location, top cast... not the most faithful to the 'book' Poirot on screen (that is the marvellous David Suchet) but Ustinov is so witty and charming you can't object.

Perfect sunday afternoon viewing.

Re: The Hound of The Baskervilles

Which one?

:)

You're probably thinking of the classic Peter Cushing or Basil Rathbone versions?

While a brilliant Holmes, I didn't think the Jeremy Brett adaptation quite hit the mark.

Ian Richardson (UK House of Cards) did a solid enough version.

There was a BBC miniseries version a few years back which was almost perfect but in a bizarre spot of casting had Richard E Grant in a minor role instead of as Holmes!

My favourite version is actually from Russia (with love). There are subtitled versions knocking around.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hound_of_the_Baskervilles_(1981_film)

Good but one of Tarantino's weaker films, nowhere near as good as Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Diango unchained or Inglorious basterds.

A Bronx Tale is another great movie I can think of. I love the conflict in this scene between Lorenzo and Sonny arguing over C while also showing a heartwarming scene between father and son later. Also, you can't help but respect Lorenzo here. Such a respectable man that he's willing to confront Sonny even though he knows who he is and how dangerous that could be.

1990's Falling Down - Michael Douglas has a very bad day.

1980's Local Hero - The meaning of life as seen through the lens of American capitalist who comes to Shetland to exploit but reforms instead, Dire Straits theme tune.

1990'a Shallow Grave - Young Ewan McGregor and his flatmates make regrettable decisions.

Watched them semi recently for the first time. A+