The Cinema Show.

I don’t as a rule watch a lot of TV, as I think that the bulk of reality TV is crap, but I have come to realise that I do watch an awful lot of films, and that quite a few of them are old or are of the “classic” genre, and to be honest I don’t mind what people think of me, am I old, no I don’t think that I am.

Even as a child I didn’t watch that much TV, I didn’t seek it out, it was usually on in the background if I was downstairs but if I was upstairs I would be playing music and reading, but Saturdays were reserved if the weather was bad for films, my original go to was cowboy movies, I didn’t mind what or who starred but I did love the John Wayne films, I didn’t care then and I don’t care now for his politics, I was a kid what did I know and the films I enjoyed, even now they bring a glow, that’s not to say that I’m insensitive to the themes, there is one or two that I wouldn’t sit down and watch now, as I’m now an adult and I understand what was being said, and I don’t agree with the sentiment because I now understand the “adult” themes but most of them still bring me the joy that they gave me in the past!

I like old films the gangster movies the original horror, even some of the comedy, and just occasionally the odd Rom Com, I would howl with laughter to the likes of Abbott and Costello and some of the farces, the romance films and the war movies and yes even some of the things that they call “Classic” if its black and white I will plonk my self down with a cup of tea, the wife will roll her eyes but soon sits down and takes an interest, she loves the TV. I loved going to the pictures, my first experience of most of the early Bond movies, at time when you could see most when accompanied by an adult, when my parents split up the few times that our father picked us up we would end up in Newcastle at the Odeon watching triple bills of films that when I look back they probably weren’t appropriate for us kids, one that sticks in my mind was a film called Zig Zag with George Kennedy starring, I should say thank you because this really started my love of cinema.

When I finished junior school as a treat the whole school went off to The Tyneside Cinema and sat watching Errol Flynn starring in The Adventures of Robin Hood, simply stunning in colour on that big screen, the first of many trips to that particular cinema, as I grew up I discovered “Classic British Cinema” the likes of “Kes” and “The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner” and sank back into earlier classics like “a matter of life and death” and “The Third Man” growing into newer films like “Get Carter” and on into films like “Excalibur” “The Long Good Friday” the list goes on and on I think its safe to say that I enjoy films!

As always there is an exception to the rule, I do like a well thought out horror film. I love the classics, but I don’t care much for this modern gore porn, if you do good luck to you, but to me you know when its going to happen and that doesn’t float my boat, I like to have to think about what I’m watching, so lets just say modern classics such as “Dog Soldiers” and films like “let Me In”

“A Werewolf in London” and “The Thing” are great its not that I don’t like horror, I just prefer having to think and work it out, not like modern horror!

I certainly love discovering films that have passed me by, oddities that I didn’t think at the time that they would appeal, the likes of “Dead Man Shoes” or “Twin Town” far too many to mention, I like the Marvel and DC films although I will critique them, I like action films, I like certain actors and actresses (when did that not become a word these days everyone are simply actors) people have asked me to blog more about films but I don’t think I can, because every one has there own tastes, and to be honest I don’t think that I’m articulate enough to say anything about films, I like what I like, I’m not a snob, if you like something good luck to you.

I am going to put my current top ten up, its for me I probably could have done a top twenty but I’m not going to be greedy.

1. The Searchers.

2. The Quiet Man.

3. A Matter of Life and Death.

4. White Heat.

5. The Maltese Falcon.

6. Casablanca.

7. Excalibur.

8. The Adventures of Robin Hood.

9. The Dawn Patrol.

10. The Fifth Element.

Yes I know a bulk of them are “classics” but that’s where my head is at the moment, give them a go you never know you might like one or two of them, depending on the comments to this blog I might simply start doing the odd classic film top fives films of various actors and lets not get started with directors, anyway I feel as if I have droned on enough about films. So stay safe and stay alive until the next one…………..Toodles!