SPARKS

Alex Robertson · Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 1:34 pm Post subject:

Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps starring Robert Donat was on BBC2 today…another pleasant little film…it was followed by North By Northwest (but I didn’t get a chance to watch that one)

Crabby · Sub-Deity Joined: 26 Feb 2024 Posts: 908 Location: Belfast

Talking of Hitchcock....l watched Shadow of a Doubt a few days ago...apparently Hitchcocks favourite film.....it really is a joy and wonderfully dark in places,and Joseph Cotton is superb.

Crabby · Sub-Deity Joined: 26 Feb 2024 Posts: 908 Location: Belfast

The Wicker Man and Don't Look Now on BBC4 now.... no sleep for me tonight (it's too warm anyway)
The Wicker Man is one of my all time favourites!

Spyke · Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2025 3:28 pm Post subject:

I still remember the first time I watched The Wicker Man, and the ending came as quite a shock to me at the time, which isn't really recaptured on subsequent viewings. It's one of the best examples of 70s 'folk horror', among a lot of other works on TV as well as film.
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"but we can hear what others can't hear..."

Crabby · Sub-Deity Joined: 26 Feb 2024 Posts: 908 Location: Belfast

Totally agree Spyke...the ending of Wicker Man still makes my stomach churn a bit...l put it down to Edward Woodwards superb acting ..his fear,disbelief and sheer nausea about what's inevitable is wonderful (in a really unpleasant way!)
For me it never pales.....
Folk horror at its absolute best!

Crabby · Sub-Deity Joined: 26 Feb 2024 Posts: 908 Location: Belfast

My goodness, l wonder how Leos Carax feels about being the inspiration for a team name on Only Connect?? 😂

Alex Robertson · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2025 3:12 pm Post subject:

Not a film but Bookish by and starring (Sparks fan) Mark Gatiss, is a delightfully dark murder mystery series.
I’m applying great restraint and not binge watching. Apparently a second series has been commissioned.

With no connection at all…the new series of Mandy starts tonight, I WIIL binge watch it and possibly more than once!

Crabby · Sub-Deity Joined: 26 Feb 2024 Posts: 908 Location: Belfast

That Mark Gatiss series has received some good reviews....

I'm filling in the time until the local film club starts again in September by amusing myself with some Sparks related movies (some of the links are very tenuous).....
Watched The Forbidden Room (Guy Maddin) at the weekend....of course it has that wonderful Final Derriere song......
The film itself is a bit of a white knuckle ride....l loved it .
Just when l thought Leos Carax was a bit surreal....along comes Guy Maddin!! 🤣

Crabby · Sub-Deity Joined: 26 Feb 2024 Posts: 908 Location: Belfast

Just watched The Haunting (the original version).....lve seen a few clips but never the whole film.
What a great little creepy film.....absolutely wonderful!
I believe it's been remade but l can't see how they would improve on it.

Buckeye Randy · Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2025 6:07 pm Post subject:

For the first time since it was released…Sgt. Peppers with Frampton and Bee Gees.

There is something fun about rock movies from this era. Rock n Roll High School, Roadie, Heavy Metal, American Pop and I’m sure there are others. We would see these as part of a double feature at the drive-ins with Cheech and Chong movies.
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Billy, Don't Be A Porter

J. Prufrock · Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2025 7:35 pm Post subject:

I didn't see them in theaters, but I have fond memories of Rock 'n' Roll High School and Heavy Metal, and also Rock and Rule. In a just USA, the Debbie Harry/Robin Zander duet from the latter film would have been at least as big a hit as certain songs from Grease - and Lou Reed sang the villain's songs!

Alex Robertson · Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2025 2:30 am Post subject:

Deep Cover…found this by accident whilst surfing Netflix, didn’t really have high expectations but was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
Bryce Dallas-Howard, Orlando Bloom, Nick Mohammed, Paddy Considine, Sean Bean and Ian McShane…so a fairly stellar cast but that doesn’t always bode well…but it worked well because they used that tried and tested rule of comedy…”play it straight”.
A genuine delight!

Buckeye Randy · Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2025 4:28 am Post subject:

Crabby · Sub-Deity Joined: 26 Feb 2024 Posts: 908 Location: Belfast

I finally got off my sofa and went to my local film club tonight.
There were only about 15 people there,the room was quite cold,the seats were rather hard and the film started about 20 minutes late because a pigeon had got into the room and had to be removed....😂

However the film was magnificent
"Raise the Red Lantern," l'm ashamed to say l hadnt seen it before, and l think it was made in the 1990s....a wonderfully beautiful disturbing film....
I'll definitely be supporting this little group of film fans in the future...
Next month they will be screening something ghoulish in honour of Halloween , maybe there'll be a bat flying round the room then.

PETER RAWCLIFFE · Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2025 8:07 am Post subject:

Crabby · Sub-Deity Joined: 26 Feb 2024 Posts: 908 Location: Belfast

Sadly l'm old enough to remember Catch the Pigeon as well....
.(we never did enquire what happened to the pigeon, some things are best left unrevealed).

PETER RAWCLIFFE · Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2025 8:49 am Post subject:

Alex Robertson · Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2025 8:54 am Post subject:

PETER RAWCLIFFE · Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2025 9:40 am Post subject:

Crabby · Sub-Deity Joined: 26 Feb 2024 Posts: 908 Location: Belfast

I may not forgive either of you for reminding me of Mouldy Old Dough.....