Category Archives: MF Recommends

The MostlyFilm Best of 2012

Awards, Best of 2012, MF Recommends, , , , , ,

I AM ACTUALLY HAVING A HEART ATTACK CALL 911

Hello. We sometimes mention that MostlyFilm is built on a forum, and every so often that forum’s bones poke above the smooth, silky skin of the blog. Since the year 2000, we’ve voted for our favourite films released January-December in the UK, and this year we thought we would share the results with you. Why are we doing this in February? Because we give people a sensible amount of time to catch up on possible contenders and vote with consideration. So up yours, everyone who published their best of results in January.

After the jump are the results, some comments from the forum and, eh why not, the results from previous years. All of this data is compiled and collated by one dedicated forum user, nac1. We applaud his effort.

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Screwball Scramble!

Classic Films, MF Recommends, , ,

The BFI’s Screwball! season has been running throughout January, and continues to the end of the month. Our writers have picked some gems from the genre for your enjoyment.

The Awful Truth (1937)
by Phil Concannon

The Awful Truth
Cary Grant: The world’s least-engaged dog owner.

When Leo McCarey won the Best Director Oscar in 1938 he argued that he had been awarded it for the wrong film, having also made Make Way for Tomorrow in the previous 12 months. While it’s true that his heartbreaking family drama deserved more acclaim (it remained largely overlooked up until a few years ago), that statement shouldn’t be taken as a slight against film McCarey did win for, The Awful Truth, which still stands as one of the great American comedies. Not many of those involved thought that would be the case as it was being made – Cary Grant frequently took issue with McCarey’s reliance on improvisation and even tried to leave the production – but the finished product works like a charm.

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Chicken Soup for the Cineaste

Classic Films, Cult Movies, MF Recommends, , , ,

Awww.

Some days all you want is a little comfort. Some days are worse than others, and a familiar film can be the perfect tonic. Some days you don’t want to be challenged by a film, you want it to lean over, give you a hug and call you ‘Champ’. We asked our contributors to tell us about films that do just that for them.

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Surviving Švankmajer

Animation, Art, Cult Movies, Directors, Home Video, MF Recommends

by Spank The Monkey

Type the name of Jan Švankmajer into YouTube during a dull afternoon at work, and you’ll be rewarded with hours of visually inventive, intellectually playful entertainment. But you’ll probably be rewarded with a P45 as well: the world of Švankmajer is – let’s emphasise this up front – quite definitively Not Safe For Work. Unless you work in a mental institution. Or an abattoir.

Czech surrealist/animator Švankmajer has been making films for close on five decades now, but for the most part they’ve been shorts: in those fifty years, he’s directed only six full-length features. Three of them have just been released on DVD by New Wave Films, and between them they provide a convenient snapshot of his strengths and weaknesses.

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Mostly Goals

MF Recommends, Sport

As Euro 2012 fever GRIPS THE NATION, various MostlyFilm writers take an entirely random look at football on film.

Fever Pitch (1997)

by Philip Concannon

“No, you can’t call me Ray!”

Even though it comes complete with a climactic twist that trumps anything a screenwriter could invent, the story of Arsenal’s 1988/89 title-winning season isn’t natural material for a film with broad audience appeal. With this in mind, it’s not surprising that Nick Hornby’s adaptation of his own book Fever Pitch attempts to yoke his own memories of that season to a standard-issue romantic comedy structure, with mixed results. Colin Firth plays likeable teacher and Arsenal fanatic Colin Paul, who gets romantically involved with his colleague Sarah (Ruth Gemmell), portrayed as an uptight shrew who views Paul’s obsession as nothing more than an adolescent interest he has failed to grow out of.

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Minor Characters, Slight Return

Actors, MF Recommends, , , , ,

About a year ago – give or take – we ran a piece on beloved minor characters – those bit parts that somehow build a film into something more; that give colour, or background, or just plain WTF moments. Well, we’re back for more…

The Cowboy, Mulholland Dr.
by MrMoth

Many, many words have been placed on the internet concerning Mulholland Dr. The meaning, the point, even the story, have been puzzled over to little effect at great length. What’s with the guy who doesn’t like the coffee? What’s in the box? Who’s the guy behind the burger bar? Do they do snacks in Club Silencio, or do you think you have to bring your own? Would sweet wrappers be too noisy, do you think? Well, I’m not here to answer, or even ask, any of those questions. I’m interested, primarily, in The Cowboy.

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Stoked

Cult Movies, Genre, MF Recommends, , , , , , , , , ,

It’s a hundred years since Bram Stoker had his head removed, and a stake driven through his heart died, and, sure, it’s Friday so I could’ve just found a picture of him eating some KFC and we’d all be happy.

Bam!

But sometimes, oh, things just get out of hand and here are some of our writers on lesser-seen vampire flicks. Looking at them all together, the words ‘sexy’ and ‘erotic’ crop up a lot of times. What does that say about us? About vampires? What do you think? What would Mr Stoker think?

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Personal Jesuses

Cult Movies, MF Recommends, , , , , , , ,

Well, we managed to get through the whole of Easter without anyone shouting ‘No one fucks with the Jesus!’, but it’s Tuesday now. It’s all over. Wipe the chocolate off your face and point your eyes at this selection of idiosyncratic messiahs.

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Obscure Gems Two: Revenge of the Obscure.

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Back in what we shall call The Day, MostlyFilm recommended twelve obscure gems, promising that this was the start of an occasional series. In the meantime, MostlyFilm Recommends has blossomed to give you overlooked sequels, Christmas films (nice and not so nice) and cult Australian cinema, but we’ve never got round to giving you more of those obscure little gems, films lost down the seat cushions at your local multiplex, half-remembered and covered in boiled sweets. Until now, as they say. Until now..

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