Around the World in 80 DVD's

[Rich]

fighting the system in Ireland...



Times are tough in Dublin, Ireland. But no one has it tougher than Desmond Doyle when his wife runs off and his beloved daughter Evelyn and two young sons are sent to an orphanage by the government. Enlisting the help of loyal friends (Julianna Margulies, Stephen Rea) and a feisty American lawyer (Aidan Quinn), he takes his case to Ireland's Supreme Court in a history-making quest to topple an ironclad law...and win back custody of his children.

An uplifting film. Acting quality and direction is superb - Sophie Vavasseur who plays Evelyn is outstanding. The story pulls at your emotions in a clever way yet the script always remains believable. 50's Dublin setting is very atmospheric and all characters maintain their credibility throughout, you find yourself wanting to boo and hiss the judge and nun. The only reason this didn't get an 8 was Brosnans awful accent    7/10

[Rich]

I thought it was more clever than it had any right to be! On paper it was an obvious gimmick cash-in, but I thought it worked really well. Have you seen this review, btw? Hostel 2 Anything for a bit of gratuitous self-promotion!

I hadn't, but have now and we seem to have felt the same about the film 
Can you remember the last ultra-squirm part of the film

Spoiler (hover to show)

damn that was just too realistic when his knob was cut off 

[Rich]

Over the valleys with my penulltimate film, on course to complete the marathon  



Title: How Green Was My Valley

Runtime:114
Certificate:PG
Year:1941
Genres:Drama, Romance

Plot:Winner of five Academy Awards, this inspiring, yet heart-breaking "Hollywood milestone" (Halliwell's Film Guide) from producer Darryl F. Zanuck and director John Ford is "a perfection of screen art" and "one of the finest" pictures ever made (Variety).
Sixty-year-old Huw Morgan looks back on his life as a boy (RODDY McDOWALL) in a small Welsh mining town. His reminiscences reveal the disintegration of the closely know Morgans, and his devoted parents (DONALD CRISP, SARA ALLGOOD), while capturing the sentiments and issues of their time.
MAUREEN O'HARA and WALTER PIDGEON co-star in this acclaimed screen classic, the story of one family's dreams, struggles and triumphs.
My Review:
The disappearance of childhood innocence, life in a small town, humour, sadness, despair, joy, Ford manages to give you everything in this film. The black and white filming was a masterstroke, cleverly portraying the typically drab Welsh mining villages of the time. Accents are appalling, and the film has dated somewhat now, but certainly worth a watch purely for cinematic historical reasons. Remember - this beat Citizen Kane for the Oscar!

My Rating
 

[Jon]

I thought it was more clever than it had any right to be! On paper it was an obvious gimmick cash-in, but I thought it worked really well. Have you seen this review, btw? Hostel 2 Anything for a bit of gratuitous self-promotion!

I hadn't, but have now and we seem to have felt the same about the film 
Can you remember the last ultra-squirm part of the film

Spoiler (hover to show)

damn that was just too realistic when his knob was cut off 

You should check out the outtakes! 

[Rich]

Final rush through England...



Title: Around the World in 80 Days

Runtime:175
Certificate:U
Year:1956
Genres:Adventure, Family

Plot:An imperturbable English gentleman, played by the urbane David Niven, attempts to completely circumnavigate the world in eighty days in order to win a large wager. But is he also conveniently missing from London as an investigation into a robbery at the Bank Of England begins?
A lavish production featuring many notable actors of the period including Noel Coward, John Gielgud and Trevor Howard and filmed in over 100 different locations around the world.
My Review:
Spot the stars in one of my favourite 50's films. Never dates, and knocks spots of all remakes. David Niven is superb, and Vernes tale is subtly converted for the big screen. Discs have good extras, and the reproduction compared to the previous vhs version is excellent. I would whole-heartedly recommend this

My Rating
 

[Rich]

Around the World in 78 days

Marathon is now complete 

 

Thoughts;
At times it did feel like an actual marathon, the timing of moving house and business made it doubly hard to keep on track. Glad to have achieved it and within the time period, would I undertake such a major marathon again - no chance!! I have a large backlog now of tv series dvds to catch up on, and some major films that I had to put on back burner. That was the hardest part of the whole 3 months, having to stay disciplined and watch an unknown Serbian film for example instead of the new Hollywood blockbuster that was winking at me from its shiny new case.
But it's done now, and thanks for all encouragement, criticism, discussions that have surrounded this thread.

RichieRich Marathon Awards

Best Film - Godfather   
Best foreign (non-english) film -  Black Book (Zwartboek)
Best surprise film - Anna & the King
Worst Film - Weekend at bernies 2
Most disappointing - Evita
Most memorable scene - Malcolm X

[Jon]

Well done! 

A couple of dodgy reviews aside, of course... 

[Achim]

Around the World in 78 days

Marathon is now complete 

 

Congratulations. I am impressed. Very disciplined indeed, I thinnk that could have been in my way...

Enjoyed reading most of your reviews (you know, except when you put down masterpieces like Seven Samurai) and wish you lots of fun in the next week or two when watching the DVDs of your choice.

[Rick]

Congrats Richie and THANKS! It was an enjoyable ride.

I really liked the way you used the map to track your progress. 

[Kathy]

Congratulations!

And of course...

[Rich]

cheers all!! and I've had a lovely time since finishing watching Hollywood gloop like Invasion and Into the Wild, finishing my new setup in the lounge (pix to come), and finally playing on the PS3 after having it sit there unused for a month!!

I'm ready in April for a group marathon if someone has any good suggestions 

[Jon]

Into the WIld? Gloop? I thought that was supposed to be quite worthy; Sean Penn directing Malick style, or have I got the wrong film (or wrong definition of "Gloop")? 

[Tom]

Sorry to bring this old thread up again. But I just saw an article and I had to think of this marathon. Seems like someone stole your idea, Rich 

Around the World in 80 Films