tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post22290282921282004..comments2024-02-06T16:17:25.826+00:00Comments on THE GRĂNMARK BLOG: My 50 favourite 21st Century films - including no less than 14 animated moviesScott Gronmarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15118026157459333174noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-82642000960773572622015-08-03T15:12:39.012+01:002015-08-03T15:12:39.012+01:00I'm relieved to be able to say that I've s...I'm relieved to be able to say that I've seen none of them - mainly because the reviews suggested they'd all been produced by Bernard Matthews. (When a studio feels it has to piss away $3m on a launch party, you know it's got a vast, gobbling turkey on its hands.) For Hollywood's current crop of studio execs and creatives, the past is evidently a foreign country - and they don't speak the language. <br /><br />I'm pretty sure that American Sniper will be appearing on my list - just as soon as I've seen it.Scott Gronmarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15118026157459333174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-52242665352372057682015-08-03T15:06:24.293+01:002015-08-03T15:06:24.293+01:00I know Adele from the theme song to "Skyfall&...I know Adele from the theme song to "Skyfall" - and i am happy to admit she has a great voice. (The same cannot be said for a female singer who my son assures me is called Rita Ora who keeps cropping up on a Samsung Galaxy advert warbling away like Aretha Franklin at her melismatic worst - she's driving me totally tonto.)Scott Gronmarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15118026157459333174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-71928496429236019432015-08-02T23:59:46.359+01:002015-08-02T23:59:46.359+01:00Very interesting post in spite of my almost total ...Very interesting post in spite of my almost total ignorance of animated films. It would be fascinating to see a post about the worst films of the century so far. My own three immediate nominations would be the American-made war films that appeared in 2000 and 2001 - Pearl Harbour, U-571 and Enemies at the Gate. They are all badly made, written and acted and veer between historical inaccuracy and plain mendacity and above all, they cost an arm and several legs at a time when production investment was tight. For example, the launch party for "Pearl Harbour" cost the studio $3 m which was ludicrous.<br /><br />Since then the American studios have proceeded to make a series of excellent and award-winning films about the Iraq and Afghan wars - including the 2014 Clint Eastwood directed "American Sniper" [which I think you can safely put in your "Best So Far" list].SDGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-5103489410284279182015-08-01T10:38:42.037+01:002015-08-01T10:38:42.037+01:00Good luck Mr Riley. If you want a bit of backgroun...Good luck Mr Riley. If you want a bit of background reading, you could try Frederick Taylor's Berlin Wall or Revolution 1989 by Victor Sebestyen, although the Ibooks version of the latter is full of irritating mistakes. The Blogmeister once opined that there hadn't been any great new voices in popular music for ages so maybe Martin Datta can persuade him to give Adele a listen.ex-KCSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-68567920275978845742015-08-01T03:06:43.451+01:002015-08-01T03:06:43.451+01:00just bought it....10 pence plus p&p - bargain....just bought it....10 pence plus p&p - bargain.Rileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07191599030795096843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-32752470493534735322015-08-01T03:00:27.107+01:002015-08-01T03:00:27.107+01:00I shall respond to your entreaties and prepare mys...I shall respond to your entreaties and prepare myself accordingly. I know nothing much about that bit of European history, perhaps I should do a little homework. I assume The Lives of Others is available from Messrs Amazon. I shall report.<br />Talking of Amazon: I bumped into the voice of Adele recently and with the keen encouragement of Martin Datta bought two of her CDs (namely 19 and 21 - the titles refer to her age). Crikey, what a voice. But of course, you urban cosmopolitans would know all about her...it takes a while for hot news to get to me, even more so since my flock of carrier pigeons has had a nasty bout of avian flu.Rileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07191599030795096843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-19511753438248422252015-07-31T16:45:10.859+01:002015-07-31T16:45:10.859+01:00My eldest daughter recommended it to me while she ...My eldest daughter recommended it to me while she was studying German with a view to her degree choice. Maybe because I had spent some time in Berlin before and after the wall came down, she was always interested in that period of European history, as I was and still am. The film captures the absurd horror of life in the 'GDR', is tragic, understated, compassionate and balanced, with brilliant performances. But, as the Blogmeister hints, it is not the sort of thing I'd want to see with my mates after a few pints at the Dog and Duck and a takeaway Vindaloo.<br /><br />I'd be interested to know what you make of it.ex-KCSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-7708067560543580662015-07-30T13:01:05.681+01:002015-07-30T13:01:05.681+01:00It doesn't sound promising, Riley, as it's...It doesn't sound promising, Riley, as it's a German film set in East Germany in 1984, and the central characters are a Stasi agent and a state-approved playwright. But it is absolutely rivetting. As ex-KCS suggests, probably the best film of the century so far on pretty much every level. Recommended, to put it mildly.Scott Gronmarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15118026157459333174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-67839125012926111662015-07-30T12:54:47.269+01:002015-07-30T12:54:47.269+01:00You have evidently raised your daughter well!
I n...You have evidently raised your daughter well!<br /><br />I need to see Crash again - I was very impressed on first viewing when it was released, and it probably should have been in the Top 50.<br /><br />Looking at the list again, I probably agree with you about The Lives of Others, which is just as fresh in memory as the day I saw it. I tear up just thinking of the final scene. Genuine masterpiece. Scott Gronmarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15118026157459333174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-56851544392293300192015-07-30T10:04:02.913+01:002015-07-30T10:04:02.913+01:00Thank you ex-KCS. I shall look out for The Lives o...Thank you ex-KCS. I shall look out for The Lives of Others. Starring? Story-line?Rileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07191599030795096843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-24187872939575625282015-07-29T23:15:55.482+01:002015-07-29T23:15:55.482+01:00Great post. My daughter scored an impressive 24, w...Great post. My daughter scored an impressive 24, which I topped with 27 off your list and a couple of your honourable mentions too. We both thought Crash should have been promoted and that The Lives of Others was the overall winner. If Riley has never seen that classic, it would be a good place to start.<br /><br />ex-KCSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-66498364687758978172015-07-29T18:47:19.600+01:002015-07-29T18:47:19.600+01:00Oh, I see. I wonder if the reason so many people o...Oh, I see. I wonder if the reason so many people of our age who used to watch lots of films in their teens and twenties don't watch many these days is Hollywood's overwhelming emphasis on the teen/young adult market: the number of films on Sky Movies which include the word "teen" in the synopsis is maddening, especially if it also contains the word "comedy". I suspect the fact that so many British films are dreary, unwatchable, subsidised, heavily political whingefests also doesn't help.Scott Gronmarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15118026157459333174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-7346455575861095082015-07-29T00:25:09.778+01:002015-07-29T00:25:09.778+01:00...as I was saying... to point out my woeful aware......as I was saying... to point out my woeful awareness and almost zero experience of modern films.<br />I appreciate your delight in my choice and I am sure I could muster a few more strange bedfellows....Rileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07191599030795096843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-38835903307336793952015-07-29T00:20:58.919+01:002015-07-29T00:20:58.919+01:00our purposes are slightly crossed. Outlining my li...our purposes are slightly crossed. Outlining my list of tip-top films - most of which are cob-webbed, dusty relics in the archive of cheerful memory was there to point out myRileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07191599030795096843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-6580781503037855672015-07-28T19:34:46.292+01:002015-07-28T19:34:46.292+01:00By the way, Riley, that's a truly eclectic lis...By the way, Riley, that's a truly eclectic list - Love Actually AND A Clockwork Orange, Mary Poppins AND Reservoir Dogs? Fascinating! Scott Gronmarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15118026157459333174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-77362309784448310182015-07-28T12:28:56.697+01:002015-07-28T12:28:56.697+01:00I went through my list again with you in mind, sou...I went through my list again with you in mind, southern man - and I'd be susprised if you didn't find something to enjoy in most of them. You have many treats in store, should you ever decide to retire. Scott Gronmarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15118026157459333174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-42410052555710751512015-07-28T12:24:28.203+01:002015-07-28T12:24:28.203+01:00I've definitely lost you, Riley. Several of th...I've definitely lost you, Riley. Several of the films you mention would appear on a list of my favourite 20th Century films - but the films in my post were all released after 1st January 2000, not 1900 - they're my favourite 21st Century films! Only a handful of 21st Century films would make it onto my all-time list. You've ignored the evidence of the glazzies. Scott Gronmarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15118026157459333174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-20414496491666483552015-07-28T03:16:37.416+01:002015-07-28T03:16:37.416+01:00I have'nt seen many of Mr.Gronmark's top 5...I have'nt seen many of Mr.Gronmark's top 50 (of the 21st Century) except for all of the wonderful 'Toy Story' films.southern mannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-49148366903193683792015-07-28T02:04:50.348+01:002015-07-28T02:04:50.348+01:00Sorry, Old Chum, you've lost me here.
I can q...Sorry, Old Chum, you've lost me here. <br />I can quite honestly say I have seen only FIVE of the above. But I have seen: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; Withnail and I; The Graduate; If; A Clockwork Orange; Love Actually; Four Weddings and a Funeral; Airplane; Grease; Reservoir Dogs; Inglorious Basterds; Delicatessen; Mary Poppins and West Side Story each about a dozen times, if not two dozen in the case of the first six.<br />I don't know much about cinema - but I know what I like.Rileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07191599030795096843noreply@blogger.com