The Lion King (2019)

 

The Lion King (2019) has been remade as a computer animated live action movie.

I've been in two minds about this since first hearing about it earlier this year. Sometimes newer isn't improved. Is it best to leave the classics alone? Or could a new imagining do the original justice and even add something? (Let's ignore the fact that I've never heard of a real life lion talking and singing.) I'm just glad it wasn't in 3D.

Nostalgia is a curious thing. I remember when a friend and I first saw The Lion King (1994) at the theatre. The singer in the band I was in at the time appeared to be a tough beer drinking rugby player - with a marshmallow heart. He urged us to go. He'd seen the movie three times and said he cried every time. Conversations at work recently made us realise just what a tragic tearjerker this classic movie is, yet we think every child should watch and love it like we did.

Could a remade version be as good as the beloved original?

Verdict: it was good but not excellent. Cleverly animated with extraordinary attention to detail, especially the animals' movements. But it didn't quite capture the magic and emotions of the original cartoon animation. I'm glad the legendary James Earl Jones returned to voice Mufasa, but Scar was no match without Jeremy Irons, Zazu was a little flat without Rowan Atkinson's cheekiness and nobody can replace Whoopi Goldberg as Shenzi.

So, I'd recommend you see this remade version of The Lion King before the cartoon animated original (if that's possible) and enjoy discovering its magic all over again.

February snapshot

At the risk of sounding like a giant cliche ... time is going so fast and I can't believe February is all but over. We haven't had much of a summer this year but have still been really busy with summery events - and that's Wellington for you. We can't plan on good weather so just get on with it anyway. Here's a snapshot of a few things I've been up to this month.

February snapshot

I've started Zumba again! I was worried about starting from scratch after 5 (may 6) year break, but it turns out that my muscle memory has stored lots of the moves for me and it's just a case of linking them together in different combinations. There are a few moves I'm struggling to unlearn and relearn but most others also have arms and legs flying in random directions with huge grins plastered on their faces, so I'm in good company.

Guns N' Roses came to town for their Not In This Lifetime tour. The rain cleared just enough for us to make our way to a stadium filled with 31,500 other wet bogans. I know I predicted that the tour would be a tragic, train wreck of an event, but still bought tickets ... and I'm so glad I did. The concert was better than I could have imagined and a full-on Slash show, who I now respect far more as a musician than I thought possible. Appetite for Destruction survives another decade.

Despite the best of intentions for Round the Bays last weekend, I ended up too sick to get out of bed on Sunday, let alone walk 10km. So that event will go back on my list for next year.

We enjoyed our annual camping trip at Himatangi Beach with around 20 friends. It was fine enough to pitch our tent overnight for what is likely to be our only camping trip this summer.

I read the novel Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. And then I watched the movie of the same name. Wow. As always, the book is far more detailed and nuanced than the movie, which rushed through the suspense and made it far too easy for viewers to guess what was going on. But, I repeat: wow! No clues or spoilers from me, just a recommendation to read the book (essential) and then watch the movie (if you feel the need).

It's actually been quite a musical month. I took my dad to see The Hollies Highway of Hits concert on Friday night. Core members of the group have been touring almost continuously since forming in 1962, which is an impressive feat. I'd seen The Hollies when they toured in 2011 and this show was pretty much the same as that one, but this time I had Dad in tow to enjoy a stroll down musical memory lane.

I ordered a present for myself: The Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days recipe book. The original Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook is one of my favourites and now has a sister publication. I christened the book by making chocolate chip whoopie pies for Good Bitches Baking this weekend. I'm pleased to report that my first ever batch of whoopie pies passed the Weka household's quality controls with flying colours.

Chocolate chip whoopie pies

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

Every so often a movie comes along that is a pure delight from start to finish. Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) is quickly becoming part of New Zealand folklore and providing plenty of laughs along the way. Based on the 1986 novel Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump, Hunt for the Wilderpeople has been brought into the 21st century and given the Taika Waititi directorial treatment. In just eight short weeks, Hunt for the Wilderpeople has become the highest grossing local film in New Zealand.

The movie features a long line of cameo appearances, including Waititi himself as a church minister. Sam Neill is his usual fine form as the gruff 'Uncle' Hec and newcomer Julian Dennison takes on this master at his craft with a cheeky performance of his own. There are so many laughs in this film as the duo go on the run from police and 'child services', sparking a national man hunt over escalating misunderstandings. There's drama, action, comedy and plenty of clever kiwi pop culture references.

Watch the official trailer here, then see the movie for yourself while it's still playing in cinemas.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

I was a child of the 80s and that was the era of the original Star Wars trilogy. My brother and I spent many weekends watching A New Hope (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back (1981), so much so that we knew most of the lines and scenes by heart. When my standard 2 class went to see Return of the Jedi (1983) as an end of year school trip, I remember my teacher spelling it 'Return of the Gedhi' on the permission form. She was clearly taking us all as a selfless Christmas act as she had no clue what it was all about.

Fast forward to around 2000 and a new Star Wars trilogy of prequels began to emerge. Promising to tell the back story of Anakin Skywalker, who became Darth Vader, The Phantom Menace (1999) proved little more than a gorging feast of visual effects and I completely lost interest in the next two.

So it was with much trepidation that I approached the latest iteration of Star Wars movies, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). This is the first movie in a trilogy to follow Return of the Jedi - in 3D, no less! (As a glasses-wearer, I'm 3D-averse but felt obliged to give it a go.) After the disappointment of the prequels, could it be any good? Original cast members were to return in various cameos, although it's been a long time since we've seen some of them on screen. I didn't watch the trailer online, even though I've embedded it below. I managed to avoid spoilers via social media and kept away from those who saw it on or around opening night. La la la la la! *blocks ears with fingers*

Until this week. Christmas gift movie tickets were put to use and we saw The Force Awakens in 3D - and I loved it! The movie played out as a kind of recap of the original trilogy, very much setting it up for the next two installments while paying homage to what came before it in scenery, script and cinematography. I don't know how to describe it without giving away any spoilers so won't go into the plot or details except to say:

• The 3D enhanced the visuals instead of detracting from them, adding depth rather than pushing images out into your face. If you're unsure about whether you should watch in 2D or 3D, I'd say give 3D a go.
• Harrison Ford is as on form as ever, providing humour and sass in his role as Han Solo - but we wouldn't expect anything less, really.
• Despite all the talk about an aging cast, Chewbacca is the one character that hasn't aged a bit! Sure, his arms are a little scragglier now, but whose aren't after 30 years?
• The stormtroopers are as expendable and ineffective as ever - except for one, who carries it off very well.

Bugsy Malone (1976)

Bugsy Malone (1976) was on tv tonight. Bugsy Malone! I couldn't say how many times my brother and I must have watched this musical movie as kids but I do know that the last time I saw it must have been at least 25 years ago. Could it possibly be as good as I remembered?

This all-child cast featured the very cute Scott Baio (who can believe he's now 54!), Jodie Foster as nightclub showgirl Tallulah, the tough talking Italian Fat Sam and the cleaner forever waiting for the tap dancing audition that never comes. These tap dancing gangster kids were the height of sophistication and cool, slinking around the back streets of 1920s Chicago at night with their pedal cars and splurge guns shooting gallons of whipped cream.

Even after all these years, I can vividly remember random lines of dialogue and musical numbers word for word. For example, here's what happened the first time Bugsy and Blousey met.

"What's your name, anyway?"
"Brown."
"Sounds like a loaf of bread!"
"Blousey Brown."
"Blousey Brown! Sounds like a stale loaf of bread!"

And then there's Tallulah's big nightclub act:

"My name is Tallulah, I live 'til I die.
I'll take what you give me and I don't ask why.
I've made a lot of friends in some exotic places.
I don't remember names but I remember faces."

It all came flooding back tonight as I rewatched Bugsy Malone, hoping my nostalgia for a childhood favourite wouldn't be tainted by a dated, badly acted movie. Thankfully, I sat through scene after scene with a cheesy grin on my face right until the gloriously messy, cream-pie filled finale.

"We could have been anything we wanted to be ..."

Here's the trailer - for nostalgia's sake.

American Sniper - Chris Kyle

I have recently finished reading bestselling autobiography American Sniper about US Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, purportedly the most lethal sniper in US history. (It says so on the cover.) I was interested in what was described as the most accurate picture of what actually happens on the ground in a war zone. My brother handed over the book, saying to me, "Tell me when you get to the bit with the beach balls whether you think any of it's true."

I started reading with an open mind. I love biographies. A good biography enables the reader to explore the world from within the subject's point of view. After about a hundred pages, I began to question Kyle's motives. His thirst for killing and general disregard for the value of human life didn't sit well with my values, but I pursued. About halfway in, the beach ball scene arrived and any credibility for the rest of the book went entirely out the window for me.

Despite its promises, the scrappy narrative heavily peppered with jargon never really painted a coherent picture for the lay man of what wartime action actually involves. Kyle's descriptions of clearing whole cities reminded me of a shoot-em-up video game, where insurgents would pop out behind random innocent children left behind in deserted homes. Shooting (and killing) them from distances of up to 200 metres away would earn the sniper more (and better) weapons to use in the next level. I'm sure that wasn't intended but it's certainly how it came across to this reader.

There are few autobiographies I have read and ended up disliking the subject even more than when I started. (The only other one I vividly remember is Scar Tissue by Red Hot Chili Peppers front brat Anthony Kiedis. Ergh.) I think that is what surprised me most about this autobiography. I could only feel empathy for Kyle's poor wife and family, who are presumably living with the fallout from his tall tales. There may be elements of truth to some of the scenarios that could even resemble how he remembered them, but the events as they are described are a stretch of the imagination at best. One has already led to a retraction after a lawsuit. I imagine there will be others.

There were moments of humanity provided in the form of interludes written by Kyle's wife, Taya. They were sprinkled throughout and some urged me to give him the benefit of the doubt. But I think what disturbed me most were the repeated comments about "an infestation of insurgents" and others along the lines of "I couldn't wait to get out there are start killing again." I don't doubt that Kyle sincerely believed in the cause he was engaged in. His patriotism, passion and commitment to his beliefs can't be doubted. But his view of humanity really disturbed me.

Much fuss has been made about the movie of the same name, probably due to its star studded cast and director as much as its patriotic themes that will strike a chord with certain viewers. I'm interested to to see whether Kyle is portrayed with the redeeming qualities his wife insists he had.

Unfortunately, this book has stayed in my mind for all the wrong reasons.

Spy

I think everyone dreamed at some stage in their childhood of being an undercover spy who performs death-defying stunts in pursuit of a bad guy (or girl) and saves the world. Roles models like James Bond make it all look so glamorous and easy. Who wouldn't want some of that action?

Spy (2015) is a new action comedy about a desk-bound CIA agent who spends most of her days providing intelligence and strategy for spies in the field. She has her eye on one particular spy she supports, played by heartthrob  Jude Law, but is an invisible to him as she is to her superiors. When a mission arises requiring an unknown spy, she tries to get herself considered for the role. After all, even they don't know who she is. What ensues is an undercover jaunt around Europe and a real comedy of errors.

Melissa McCarthy is hilarious. She throws herself into each of her new identities, despite them not living up to the images she had in mind. Unfortunately, Miranda Hart is as glib as ever; not much acting required for her role (or maybe it was designed with her acting skills in mind?). The supporting cast are as beautiful as the scenery and the world is heroically saved. Of course.

Switch your brain off and laugh out loud.

The Silver Linings Playbook - Matthew Quick

Silver Linings Playbook has been on both my TBR and movie lists for a while now. I was determined to read the book before seeing the movie (as I usually prefer to do). Billed as a comedy/drama, I had heard from a colleague about how accurately the movie portrayed bipolar disorder and that her partner, a practising counsellor, highly recommended it.

Written in 2008, The Silver Linings Playbook is the debut novel of American author Matthew Quick. It begins when the main character, Pat Peoples, is being released from a mental institution, referred to as 'the bad place', into his mother's care. Pat has little concept of how he came to be in the bad place and is unsure about how long he's been there, but his determination toward self-improvement so his ex-wife, Nikki, will return to him once their 'apart time' is over is the driving force for the novel. He develops some extreme behaviours as part of his self-improvement, some of which are endearing while others border on being disturbing.

But it's not funny at all. The humour, if you could call it that, is deeply poignant and almost tragically sad. That's not a criticism in any way; the writing style is clever and conveys through Pat's internal dialogue far more than overt words could reveal. Pat's condition is never named in the novel and doesn't actually need to be; its complexity is subtly introduced rather than boldly announced. The reader figures out that apart time is never intended to end. Ever. And there are very good reasons for apart time, even if Pat doesn't realise what they are. The twist is finally revealed in the final two chapters, when suddenly everything makes sense.

And that's what I found so hard about watching the Silver Linings Playbook (2012) movie. A complex set of circumstances gradually revealed throughout the novel's plot is bluntly hammered out within the first few minutes of the movie, establishing a whole new story. There is a new gambling subplot and various changes in characters, their relationships and prominence. The dance competition is merely another part of Pat's journey in the book and not the climactic ending it became in the movie. Pat's relationship with his father is the polar opposite of the one portrayed in the book, where Pat's dad is cold, closed and incredibly disconnected. It loses the subtlety of Pat's disorder, which is only ever hinted at in the book; naming the disorder itself is not important but becomes the main focal point - and that's a shame.

The movie was basically a collection of a few carefully constructed characters, sub plots and events rearranged and exaggerated for the purpose of entertaining an audience, rather than invoking thinking or reflection. Also, it tried to ruin one of my favourite songs ever. Perhaps the movie should have been renamed instead of keeping the original title, which suggested it was an adaptation of the original novel?

My recommendation: read the book and watch the movie but treat them as standalone, separate pieces of work.

What We Do In The Shadows (2014)

Wellington has been bitten by vampire fever recently. Suddenly, vampires are everywhere you look, including the places you'd never suspect. @DeliciousNecks are infiltrating Twitter and Vellington has effectively been rebranded. Just look at what's happened to the Wellington Airport sign:

There is a good reason, of course. Last week, a locally made mockumentary-style comedy premiered in Wellington and opened our eyes to the undead world living around us. Written, directed and starring the very talented Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, What We Do In The Shadows (2014) follows three vampires trying to get by in a modern world.

The movie begins at the crack of dusk with an unsuccessful flat meeting and looks at some of the practical challenges vampires face each night, from dressing themselves without being able to see their reflection, to not being able to enter their favourite bars without an invitation. Wellington's nightlife plays a starring role and Courtenay Place takes centre stage.

I'll admit to not really understanding the fascination others hold for vampires, zombies and other creatures of the night, but What We Do In The Shadows is really funny. The audience laughed throughout and I'd happily recommend it to anyone looking for a good giggle.

Check out the official trailer here, then go see the movie for yourself.

Cool Runnings

How time flies. Mashable informed me today that one of my favourite feelgood movies, Cool Runnings (1993), was released 20 years ago on Tuesday. Nostalgia aside, this time frame seems extremely unlikely given that it feels like only a few years ago. Surely can't have been so long? Apparently so.

I loved Cool Runnings. It is loosely based on the true story the impoverished Jamaican bobsled team's debut in the 1988 Winter Olympics after a supposed foiled attempt by three runners to qualify as sprinters for the summer games. The characters are colourful, lively and resourceful. How else would a random group of guys from a tropical country be able to enter a winter event when they've neither seen snow nor a bobsleigh before?

The upbeat pseudo-reggae soundtrack helped the movie achieve slightly longer lasting fame. My first band formed in 1993 so naturally Jimmy Cliff's version of I Can See Clearly Now was part of our set list. It was lots of fun to play and really popular with audiences of all ages. Good times, great memories.



I love this list of 14 ways Cool Runnings is still relevant to your life made up of snippets from the film. The message is clear: anything is possible if you're prepared to work for it - even if you only have a bathtub to practise in.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Last night, we went to a preview screening of The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012), a film based on the novel of the same name by Moshin Hamid. Billed as a hostage thriller with political undertones, we weren't entirely sure what to expect.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a real 'thinking' movie and one that is bound to start conversations that progress beyond the proverbial water cooler. Set in various international locations, we meet Changez, a young Pakistani man who moves to New York to take up a scholarship at Princeton, then pursue a stellar career on Wall Street. We follow his story for about 15 years, leading up to the present day. The clash of cultures that emerges is not necessarily as you'd expect.

A long time ago, someone told me that "the opposite of love is fear" - not hate, like most assume. I have thought about this a lot over the years and it was my recurring thought during the movie last night. Fear has a lot to answer for. We see how it drives discrimination, misinformation and irrational actions, bringing out primal instincts and prejudices that we may never have known we possess. We are shown how a terrorist can be made and the dreadful consequences than can result.

There are some twists that threaten to turn the tables. They show that success means different things to different people. More than anything, success is fleeting and only ever reflects circumstances in a current point in time. It can be snatched away in an instant. Also, not everyone gets to choose their sides in moral issues; sometimes their side is chosen for them. There are hints about the dangers of focusing exclusively on the fundamentals and losing sight of the bigger picture.

I was surprised to see that The Reluctant Fundamentalist didn't rate particularly well on either Rotten Tomatoes or IMDB. Media reviews are also lukewarm. Sure, it covers some very ambitious content that I'd imagine is more fully explored in the novel (which I haven't read but have now added to my TBR list). It seems like the biggest criticism is that it has become a 'thinking' movie, rather than necessarily plot driven, which is precisely what I loved about it.

View the trailer or, better still, watch the movie and decide for yourself. Highly recommended.

The Help - Kathryn Stockett

It's been a while since I've read a 5 star book that has completely enthralled me from first word to last. Yesterday, I finished reading The Help (2009) by Kathryn Stockett. What an absolute delight! This quote came to mind:

"You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend."
~ Paul Sweeney

That's exactly how I felt about The Help. I simply couldn't put it down and wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen next. Some mornings, I was so engrossed in the story while reading it on the bus that I nearly missed my stop. At the same time, I didn’t want it to end, meaning I'd have to say goodbye to Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter. And what about Celia Foote - would she sort herself out? How about Mae Mobley? Would she be alright? Does Hilly Holbrook get what she deserves?

Set in the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi, The Help is the story of African-American maids working in white households. Told from three perspectives, it begins in a character-driven narrative style that gives way to a gripping plot. Relationships are established and, in some cases, forbidden. The drama inevitably unfolds in a manner resembling a train wreck; you know and fear what's going to happen but pray that something (someone?) will intervene and stop it. As a reader, you are truly drawn into the character's lives and situations, something that Stockett creates beautifully.

We have the movie of the same name on DVD ready for us to watch at home. I'm hoping it will capture the charm of these Southern women and do the story justice.

If you are looking for an excellent book to read during the holidays, make it The Help.

How to Meet Girls from a Distance

Some people are shy. Others are quiet and reserved. That can make it really hard to meet dating prospects, something most people could probably sympathise with. So how does someone overcome this? Well, the simple solution would be to find out a little bit about your object of affection before making an approach, but where does background research end and stalking begin? This fine thick line is the subject of a locally made film, How to Meet Girls from a Distance, which we got to see at a special preview screening last week thanks to Flicks.co.nz.

Made on a tiny budget, How to Meet Girls from a Distance was the winner of this year's Make My Movie competition. It was great to be able to spot well known locations and scenery from in and around Wellington, as well as some extras in the cast, and this made the anachronisms easier to overlook. Genuinely funny and cringe worthy all at once, there were many moments when I wanted to yell "noooooo!" at the main character or just take him aside for a 'quiet talk'.

How to Meet Girls from a Distance is on now in selected cinemas. It makes for a hilarious night out as well as providing practical tips on what not to do when stalking getting to know a romantic interest.

Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher

I am quite a newcomer to the world of Jack Reacher. Having recently acquiring a dozen or so ebook versions of Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels, I am currently reading Killing Floor and my Kindle tells me I am 30% of the way through it, the first installment in this series of suspense thrillers.

I am gradually building up a mental picture of Reacher, what he looks like, how he behaves, how he reacts to different situations and so on. For me, forming impressions of characters is one of the great pleasures of reading. According to Wikipedia (so it must be true - ha ha), Jack Reacher's physical appearance is described as follows:

Reacher is 6' 5" tall (1.96 m) with a 50-inch chest, and weighing between 210 and 250 pounds (100-115 kg). He has ice-blue eyes and dirty blond hair. He has very little body fat, and his muscular physique is completely natural (he reveals in Persuader, he has never been an exercise enthusiast.) He is exceptionally strong but is not a good runner. Reacher's strength is combined with his savant intellect and military training, analyzing his environment and opponents at extremely high processing speeds.

I learned via Mashable this morning that Tom Cruise is to play Jack Reacher in a cinematic adaptation of the ninth novel in the series, One Shot. The movie will simply be called Jack Reacher and is due for release later this year.

I'm sorry to say that no part of Reacher's physical description or psychological picture reminds in any way of Tom Cruise - absolutely none at all. For one thing, Cruise is almost a foot shorter than Reacher. But it goes further than his size (which is an integral part of this character). Reacher is  imposing in almost every way and hardened by life; there is nothing suave about him. According to the official Twitter feed for the movie, Lee Child himself is thrilled with the choice and goes to great lengths to assure readers that he was never worried about it. At all. Never ever. Not one bit.

I'm not convinced and it seems I'm not the only one. The trailer hasn't done much to change my mind, either.



What do you think about Tom Cruise playing Jack Reacher? Does your imagination stretch far enough to make it believable, or will you be struggling, like me, to make the character work on the big screen?

Sarah's Key

A colleague and I were talking about movies recently and she told me the story of Sarah's Key (2010). This adaptation of a French novel follows an American journalist, Julia, as she investigates the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup of 1942 in which a massive Nazi decreed raid of more than 13,000 Jews were arrested and rounded up in the veledrome before being sent off to Auschwitz by train.

A young girl, Sarah, attempts to defy the authorities carrying out the raid by hiding her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment. Promising to return in a few days to retrieve him, Sarah's family are irrevocably torn apart and the next part of the movie shows Sarah's plight to escape her concentration camp and return home to retrieve her brother.

(It's actually quite hard to write about this movie without revealing spoilers.)

Throughout the course of her investigation, Julia uncovers a direct link to her inlaws' family apartment in Paris, something that makes her distinctly uncomfortable.

I found this movie truly moving and woke up this morning still thinking about it. Sarah's Key tells of a lesser known but extraordinarily horrifying part of the Holocaust and shows how human nature will always attempt to triumph over evil. Very highly recommended.

Here is the theatrical trailer for Sarah's Key.

Grease - the singalong version

I think I might have discovered the ultimate girls' night out: Grease - the singalong version. I'd seen this event advertised and lamented the fact that my best friend, another huge Grease (1978) fan, lives in Auckland. I couldn't think of anyone else I'd ask to go with me (you can imagine what my sweetie's response would have been) so let it pass. Yesterday, I was chatting with a friend at work when she said, "I've got something really random to ask you, and don't take this the wrong way, but would you be interested in going to the singalong version of Grease at the Embassy tonight?" She saw my face light up and was relieved to realise she'd asked exactly the right person.

My friend had no clue what a die hard Grease fan I actually am. Others think they are, too, but they didn't measure up last night; out of a theatre full of wannabe Sandys and pink wigs, very few seemed to know the script, the songs playing on the jukebox, the dance moves ... am I being too fanatical? Perhaps, but that's what happens when you've watched your favourite movie several hundred times since you were 8. I didn't understand most of what was they were saying or doing for several years, even though I could recite almost every line, but loved every minute of it. Ahh, the age of innocence.

After about 15 minutes, I realised that I'd never actually seen Grease on the big screen, and here I was watching a karaoke version with hundreds of people swigging Pink Lady slushies (strawberry syrup, rum and lime) and T-Bird cocktails from plastic Martini glasses. The audience cheered loudly as each character appeared on screen for the first time and ohhed when they saw Kenickie, as Jeff Conaway died in May. They whooped and whistled every time Danny and Sandy kissed and booed disapprovingly when Cha Cha DiGregorio ransacked Danny to take out the dance off trophy at the prom.

One of my favourite songs from the movie is today's tune spinning on Café Chick's Jukebox - check out (and sing) the awesome Summer Nights.

Musical sacrilege

Being female and of a certain generation, there are a few musical movies that, as soon as their titles are mentioned, will garner a uniform reaction from my peers. (Females, that is; the guys just roll their eyes.) I wouldn’t go as far as saying they form the soundtrack to my childhood, but they were significant at the time and therefore eternally timeless.

Footloose (1984) was incredibly memorable for me, but not because it was a particularly great movie (it wasn't) nor because it spawned a few pop hits that you’ll hear on high rotate at certain Courtenay Place establishments on a Saturday night. Footloose was the first movie I was allowed to see at the cinema without parental supervision. A friend and I went with her elder sister and her friend; this was pretty radical back in those days. I remembered very little about the movie itself except for one girl trying to get out of one car window (while it was still moving) and into another moving car. Racy!

Then there was Grease (1977). This is my ultimate favourite movie and one of just four I own on DVD. There’s nothing that this movie doesn’t have: sassy characters, great music, fast cars, and fabulous 50s style cool. I know every line and lyric by heart but didn’t particular enjoy the stage show. I shudder at the thought of this movie ever being remade; Grease 2 (1982) was bad enough. Here's the cool opening theme:


I grew up watching the TV series Fame on Saturday afternoons. Admittedly, there wasn’t much on TV back in those days, but Leroy and the gang with their leotards and legwarmers were the ultimate in cool. I still get a bit choky when I hear Starmaker by Kids from Fame. Go on - indulge yourself:


However, while nostalgia is a fine thing, tampering with something that should have simply been left alone is disastrous. Even the trailer for the 'new' Fame (2009) movie leaves me cold. What do you think?

And then I read yesterday that Dirty Dancing (1987) is to be remade. I am outraged! Doesn’t anyone remember Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004)? No, of course they don’t, and those that do simply grimace at the memory. Poor Patrick Swayze will be turning in his grave; no other actor could say, "nobody puts Baby in a corner" as cheesily as he did. Sure, they might cast a female lead who can actually act (or dance) this time, but it won't be the same. Here's the original trailer. Just hearing the soundtrack brings it all back.


Personally, I blame the truly puzzlesome Glee phenomenon for all this. So what do you think about remaking classic movies – special or sacrilege?

Top 100 movies

We watched The Godfather (1972) on DVD for the first time the other night. Yes, I know it's a classic. Yes, I know it's supposed to be one of the best movies of all time. Yes, I know it was released before we were born and we've only just watched it nearly 40 years later.

I got to thinking about all the other 'classic' movies I have not yet seen. We subscribe to Fatso and have a list of DVDs we've ordered to have sent to us. I keep a list of movies (and books) I'd like to see on my phone so, when faced with the task of topping up our list, I can remember the brilliant idea I'd had earlier but forgotten at that crucial moment. ;-)

Now that winter's here and it would seem that hibernation is not an option, it might be a good time for us to catch up on some movies from the IMDB top 250. Maybe we start ordering up some more from the list? 250 might be a bit ambitious for one winter and I've already seen a few of the top 100. Do we start from 100 and work our way up to #1, saving the best for last, or just pick random movies as they become available?

Here are the titles I've seen from the IMDB top 100 movies list:

Rank	Rating	Title	✔
1.	9.2	The Shawshank Redemption (1994)	✔
2.	9.2	The Godfather (1972)	✔
3.	9.0	The Godfather: Part II (1974)
4.	8.9	The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
5.	8.9	Pulp Fiction (1994)	✔
6.	8.9	Schindler's List (1993)	✔
7.	8.9	12 Angry Men (1957)
8.	8.8	Inception (2010)	✔
9.	8.8	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)	✔
10.	8.8	The Dark Knight (2008)	✔
11.	8.8	Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)	✔
12.	8.8	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
13.	8.8	Seven Samurai (1954)
14.	8.7	Fight Club (1999)
15.	8.7	Goodfellas (1990)
16.	8.7	Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)	✔
17.	8.7	Casablanca (1942)	✔
18.	8.7	City of God (2002)
19.	8.7	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)	✔
20.	8.7	Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
21.	8.7	Rear Window (1954)
22.	8.7	Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)	✔
23.	8.7	The Matrix (1999)	✔
24.	8.7	Psycho (1960)
25.	8.7	The Usual Suspects (1995)
26.	8.7	The Silence of the Lambs (1991)	✔
27.	8.6	Se7en (1995)	✔
28.	8.6	It's a Wonderful Life (1946)	✔
29.	8.6	Memento (2000)
30.	8.6	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
31.	8.6	Sunset Blvd. (1950)
32.	8.6	Forrest Gump (1994)	✔
33.	8.6	Toy Story 3 (2010)	✔
34.	8.6	Leon: The Professional (1994)
35.	8.6	Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
36.	8.6	Apocalypse Now (1979)
37.	8.6	Citizen Kane (1941)
38.	8.5	American History X (1998)
39.	8.5	North by Northwest (1959)
40.	8.5	American Beauty (1999)	✔
41.	8.5	Taxi Driver (1976)
42.	8.5	Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)	✔
43.	8.5	Saving Private Ryan (1998)	✔
44.	8.5	Alien (1979)
45.	8.5	Vertigo (1958)
46.	8.5	Amélie (2001)
47.	8.5	Spirited Away (2001)
48.	8.5	The Shining (1980)	✔
49.	8.5	WALL·E (2008)	✔
50.	8.5	Paths of Glory (1957)
51.	8.5	City Lights (1931)
52.	8.5	The Pianist (2002)
53.	8.5	Double Indemnity (1944)
54.	8.5	Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
55.	8.5	M (1931)
56.	8.5	A Clockwork Orange (1971)	✔
57.	8.5	The Lives of Others (2006)
58.	8.4	The Departed (2006)
59.	8.4	To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)	✔
60.	8.4	Aliens (1986)
61.	8.4	Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)	✔
62.	8.4	Requiem for a Dream (2000)
63.	8.4	Das Boot (1981)
64.	8.4	Reservoir Dogs (1992)	✔
65.	8.4	The Third Man (1949)
66.	8.4	Modern Times (1936)
67.	8.4	L.A. Confidential (1997)
68.	8.4	Chinatown (1974)
69.	8.4	Life Is Beautiful (1997)	✔
70.	8.4	Back to the Future (1985)	✔
71.	8.4	The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
72.	8.4	The Prestige (2006)
73.	8.4	Black Swan (2010)
74.	8.4	Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
75.	8.4	Cinema Paradiso (1988)
76.	8.4	Raging Bull (1980)
77.	8.3	Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
78.	8.3	Singin' in the Rain (1952)
79.	8.3	The Green Mile (1999)
80.	8.3	Rashômon (1950)
81.	8.3	Some Like It Hot (1959)	✔
82.	8.3	Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
83.	8.3	The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
84.	8.3	Amadeus (1984)	✔
85.	8.3	All About Eve (1950)
86.	8.3	The Great Dictator (1940)
87.	8.3	Bicycle Thieves (1948)
88.	8.3	Full Metal Jacket (1987)
89.	8.3	2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
90.	8.3	Braveheart (1995)	✔
91.	8.3	Inglourious Basterds (2009)	✔
92.	8.3	The Apartment (1960)
93.	8.3	Downfall (2004)
94.	8.3	Gladiator (2000)
95.	8.3	Metropolis (1927)
96.	8.3	Up (2009)
97.	8.3	Gran Torino (2008)
98.	8.3	The Sting (1973)
99.	8.3	Oldboy (2003)
100.	8.3	Unforgiven (1992)

How about you? How many movies have you seen from this list? Have you got any good recommendations for us to try?