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 Post subject: What are your favourite films you've watched in 2021?
PostPosted: 21 Dec 2021, 13:41 
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Following on from the 2020 thread, what were your favourite films you watched for the first time in 2021?

Personally I didn't watch as many films this year as last year due to a number of factors but I still got through a fair few. A mix of new, first time views along with some old, comforting favourites that were rewatched during the year. Guidelines are the same as last year if you would like to share your list:

  • Choose 10 films only and rank them in order of preference.
  • Films can be any format, not just Laserdisc. So feel free to include VHD, Betamax, Hi8, cinema screenings, courtroom trial pastel sketches and so on.
  • Films can be from any year, not just 2021.
  • It must be a film you watched for the first time in 2021, not a re-watch.
  • If you're including Sky Riders in your top 10 you may only include it if you watched it on a Sunday afternoon. Watching it at any other time or day of the week is unacceptable and thus your selection will be deemed null and void. Bonus points if you watched it while doing the ironing and/or worrying about going to work/school on Monday morning.

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My top 10 films (in order) that I watched for the first time ever in 2021 (rewatches are not eligible) are as follows:


  1. Rear Window
    :arrow: The star film for 2021 for me. I watched this via the lovely 4K Ultra HD disc for the first time ever and was gripped from start to finish. A wonderful piece of genius film-making. :clap:

  2. The New Centurions
    :arrow: The Indicator Blu Ray is what you need for this. The extras are superb but the film itself? Oh boy oh boy! That ending just punched me in the gut so hard and left an impression on me. The scene with the mother and baby living in pure squalor too was so well done. This almost beat Rear Window to the top spot for me. Virtually nothing in it between Rear Window and this, I just had to choose a winner. If you watch this film, please, go in blind and with zero expectations to get the best out of it.

  3. Cinema Paradiso
    :arrow: Another film I wish that I hadn't left for so long to see. I watched the 4K Ultra HD disc and was left utterly besotted with this film. It's every bit as good as everyone who has seen it says it is. One of the genuine cinema masterpieces. Don't die without having watched this film.

  4. Death Line
    :arrow: A film I caught by pure chance, even by waving away the horrendous USA title 'Raw Meat' and equally p**s poor trailer. Ignore absolutely all of it and just go in to it cold and prepare yourself for an utter masterpiece. Get the UK Network Blu Ray or the Blue Underground release in the USA to see this film at it's absolute best. So good I bought the soundtrack. Wait a minute, what soundtrack? Oh there is one. Even if it's a disc with only two songs on it. The main theme and then the incidental music hooks. The theme music alone makes it worth tracking down. An almost faultless film and a genuine, enjoyable surprise viewing.

  5. The Internecine Project
    :arrow: This film I stumbled upon by pure chance. It was so good I went out and bought the soundtrack on vinyl. Forget the dreadful title (which I still choose to call The Inverse Telecine Project). This is an absolute MONSTER of a film. Exceeded all expectations and another one of those pure stumbles that turned out to be one of the best films I've ever seen.

  6. The Thing
    :arrow: Kind of wish I'd waited just a little longer to catch this film for the first time in 4K. It didn't matter though, the Blu Ray was more than enough. Another in the long line of 'why did I wait this long to finally watch this?' films in the pile. That soundtrack too, oh my days!

  7. Light The Fuse... Sartana Is Coming
    :arrow: Not as good as Sartana's Here Trade Your Pistol For A Coffin! which I watched at the end of last year, but still way up there. It's chock full of gunslinging goodness except this time the madness isn't dialled up to 11, it's dialled up to about 327! That shootout at the end!? Oh my word it's whopper!! :clap: Just buy the Arrow Blu box set if you haven't already.

  8. Phantasm
    :arrow: Another film that I didn't have much hope for but genuinely took me by surprise in how good it actually is. This is a film that despite it's lowish budget, is so well put together and has that absolutely epic soundtrack too. A real gem in the Phantasm Blu box set for sure. The films do get sillier as the series goes on though. That reminds me, I've still to watch Phantasm IV and V.

  9. Be Somebody...Or Be Somebody's Fool!
    :arrow: Not really a feature length title but it's my list so nerr! Mr. T goes for broke with a gripping, cinematic, psychedelic hypertrip of self-help lessons that will last you a lifetime! Mr. T is the man and I pity the fool who disagrees!

  10. Execution Squad
    :arrow: A blind buy that turned out to be a real gem. I bought this on Blu from Germany under the title Das Syndikat. It's very much a police procedure film, though one that doesn't quite show you it's full hand until the river card is drawn and you are treated to that magnificent end sequence. A real quality piece of film. Also I couldn't have a favourite films of the year list without at least ONE 1970's Italian crime film in it.


Honourable Mentions

This trio narrowly missed out on a place in the top 10, but are still worth mentioning I think. :thumbup:

  1. Death Promise
    What happens when you mix rent control, landlords and kung fu in to one film? You get Death Promise! A tenants delight, a landlords worst nightmare! This is film is so utterly ruthless in it's magnificence that you would be doing yourself a HUGE disservice if you never watch it. Get it watched today!

  2. The Case Of The Scorpion's Tail
    A giallo that does seem to be built in kit form so you can just about anticipate the ending, which does let it down a bit. Regardless, this is a really well made and genuinely interesting film that just about keeps you guessing until the end.

  3. Wilt
    Like Death Line, you'll want the Network Blu Ray disc for this great little UK film. Another that's always hung around me over the years but I never bother to watch....until now. So glad I did as it's excellent!

  4. Luca
    Absolutely gorgeous animation on display here and a lovely little story too. Sort of but actually nothing at all like Splash/Pinocchio? Other comparitors fail me presently, sorry.

  5. Sneakers
    Recall seeing trailer for this in the cinema way back when it was first released. Always wanted to see it and finally did thanks to Film Stories putting this out on Blu Ray. It wasn't quite as good as I hoped it would be but it's definitely not a mediocre film by any stretch.

  6. Double Target
    People get killed faster and more frequently in this film than Jerome Powell can keep printing Dollars. The body count in this film is so far off the scale I tried to make a graph for it but my handheld clicker counter couldn't keep up with it! (See below the body count per minute in Double Target compared to a not at all unequal Rambo: First Blood)

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Oh and winner of best poster art this year is also Double Target. :clap:

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 Post subject: Re: What are your favourite films you've watched in 2021?
PostPosted: 21 Dec 2021, 15:50 
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I haven't kept a list but watched only a handful of films I haven't seen before.
If I were to count films I've seen many times it would be a top list of 20 of the best classics in those catagories.

New ones that make a list that I can remember are:
Beach Red, just saw this one last night, I'm not a war film guy with this type of war film, not a fantastic film but some scenes are sticking in my head
and I really need to watch it again.
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 Post subject: Re: What are your favourite films you've watched in 2021?
PostPosted: 21 Dec 2021, 17:22 
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rein-o wrote:
Beach Red


Thanks for this. Added it to my 2022 to watch pile. Between now and December 31st it'll mostly be festive films in this house. Some animated stuff, family films etc. Not forgetting Trading Places ("It's a miracle! I CAN SEE! I CAN SEE!"), Scrooged etc in the evenings! :D


"Last night you were in here talkin' about your.... limousine...."

"YEAH!"

:lol: :lol: :lol:

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 Post subject: Re: What are your favourite films you've watched in 2021?
PostPosted: 22 Dec 2021, 05:21 
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Dene's DUNE ! ! !
100%
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 Post subject: Re: What are your favourite films you've watched in 2021?
PostPosted: 22 Dec 2021, 11:13 
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firehorse_44 wrote:
Dene's DUNE ! ! !
100%


Not seen it yet but it's been on my pile for a good while. I'd like to get his sequel to Blade Runner watched first though. As an aside the same applies to Matrix 4.
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 Post subject: Re: What are your favourite films you've watched in 2021?
PostPosted: 22 Dec 2021, 15:12 
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I bought the Bladerunner sequel…quit watching about 40 minutes in, still haven’t gone back to it, probably never will.
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 Post subject: Re: What are your favourite films you've watched in 2021?
PostPosted: 22 Dec 2021, 20:51 
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signofzeta wrote:
I bought the Bladerunner sequel…quit watching about 40 minutes in, still haven’t gone back to it, probably never will.


I slogged through that one before the end times when I got it at the library.
It was interesting but its just too much fan service, I just hate all the fan service.

Really want to watch Dune but again I'm scared of the fan service that I'll get.
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 Post subject: Re: What are your favourite films you've watched in 2021?
PostPosted: 23 Dec 2021, 19:38 
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teddanson, As usual and like many others here I’ve placed my implicit trust in your judgment :D and purchased movie #3 (Cinema Paradiso) on your above list. The only difference is I managed to bag the 1995 Tartan Video PAL LD previously unseen remastered full lenth widescreen version as opposed to the 4k UHD you possess so would be interesting to see how it stands up; for just under a tenner including shipping I couldn’t resist, running time is nearly 3 hours so don’t know how that compares length wise with the version on the 4k disc? Will feedback on this as soon as I receive and view it :thumbup:
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 Post subject: Re: What are your favourite films you've watched in 2021?
PostPosted: 23 Dec 2021, 20:41 
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Oh blimey I would hope folks here don't use my thoughts on films as a barometer to watch something! :crazy: I hope you enjoy Cinema Paradiso, just go in with a clear mind and expect absolutely nothing at all, see how it goes.

I just like to scrawl some verbal diarrhea in the hope someone just thinks a film sounds interesting enough to watch but not have any expectations for it. Also I hope it can get someone, anyone, to just try a film that they may never have dreamed in a million years of watching. It's fun to keep trying new things than watching the same old stuff.

Arnold said it best in Hercules In New York (I still want the dubbed version by the way). :thumbup:

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 Post subject: Re: What are your favourite films you've watched in 2021?
PostPosted: 06 Feb 2022, 17:31 
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In no order of purchase or preference but watched for the first time in 2021:

1 Sincerely Yours (1955):

I read that Lee Liberace had a starring role in a feature length film. This I had to see. I bought the DVD that was 16X9 and then the LD that was open Matte.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sincerely_Yours_(film)

2 The Pink Angels (1971):

I read here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outlaw_biker_film

That the film is either about gay bikers or transvestite bikers (depends on the review) that are traveling from San Francisco to Los Angeles for a dance concert. (Ball?) Movie is so rare that I had to buy a DVD-ROM from a collector.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0156894/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1

3 Yours, Mine and Ours (1968)

Bought the 16X9 DVD and then the open matte LD because I like comedy movies and I like "Lucy" plus it has actress Marla Gibbs in her debut film role. (2 viewings, never spotted her)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yours,_Mi ... (1968_film)

4 D.O.A. (1980)

Bought the DVD because I was into Punk Rock back then.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D.O.A.:_A_Rite_of_Passage

5 Fiend Without a Face (1958)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiend_Without_a_Face

6 The Groove Tube (1974)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Groove_Tube

7 Hello Down There (1969)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello_Down_There

8 Sergeant Deadhead

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergeant_Deadhead

9 Summer School (1987)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_School_(1987_film)

10 What Do You Say to a Naked Lady? (1970)

I was 14 when this was released and always wanted to see it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Do_Y ... ed_Lady%3F

Also throughout 2021 I bought Cinerama films that were mostly in 3-camera format...
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