robert-bucknor's - FAVOURITES List
-
Cheyenne (Sean Penn) is a former rock star who is still rocking the Goth look. Now 50, he relives the days of superstardom with avid young fan and best friend Mary (Eve Hewson). Living off his royalties with his wife (Frances McDormand), he rattles around his grand Dublin mansion until the death of his estranged father calls him to New York. Reunited with his family, Cheyenne discovers a secret that will send him across America. On a journey through the Midwest, full of surprises and surreal encounters, from New York socialites to ethical gun-shop owners, to a reunion with old friend David Byrne of Talking Heads, Cheyenne is on the road trip of his life. - Director:
- Paolo Sorrentino
- Cast:
- Sean Penn, Fritz Weaver, Frances McDormand
- Formats:
-
-
A novice teacher faces a class of rowdy, undisciplined working-class teenagers in this classic film that reflected some of the problems and fears that existed among young people in the 1960s. Sidney Poitier gives one of his finest performances as Mark Thackeray, an out-of-work engineer who turns to teaching in London's tough East End. The graduating class, led by Denham (Christian Roberts), Pamela (Judy Geeson) and Barbara (Lulu, who also sings the hit title song), sets out to destroy Thackeray as they did his predecessor, by breaking his spirit. But Thackeray, no stranger to hostility, meets the challenge by treating the students as young adults who will soon enter a work force where they must stand or fall on their own. When offered an engineering job, Thackeray must decide if he wants to stay. - Director:
- James Clavell
- Cast:
- Sidney Poitier, Judy Geeson, Christian Roberts
- Formats:
-
-
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)¡Tora! ¡Tora! ¡Tora!
Tora! Tora! Tora! is the Japanese signal to attack - and this movie meticulously recreates the attack on Pearl Harbor and the events leading up to it. Opening scenes contrast the American and Japanese positions. Japanese imperialists decide to stage the attack. Top U.S. brass ignore its possibility. Intercepted Japanese messages warn of it - but never reach F.D.R.'s desk. Radar warnings are disregarded. Even the entrapment of a Japanese submarine in Pearl Harbor before the attack goes unreported. Ultimately the Day of Infamy arrives - in the most spectacular, gut-wrenching cavalcade of action-packed footage ever. It's the most dazzling recreation of America's darkest day - and some of her finest hours. - Director:
- Richard Fleischer
- Cast:
- Martin Balsam, Jamie Farr, Sô Yamamura
- Formats:
-
-
"Taxi Driver" provoked fierce controversy when it was released, running into censorship problems in America as some of the scenes of violence were described to be "as gory as Clockwork Orange and Straw Dogs". In addition there was an outcry at a 13-year-old schoolgirl actress (Jodie Foster) co-starring as a prostitute. It won Best Picture at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival and received Academy Award Nominations for Best Film, Best Actor (Robert de Niro) and Best Supporting Actress (Foster). - Director:
- Martin Scorsese
- Cast:
- Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd
- Formats:
-
-
Topaz (1969)Alfred Hitchcock's Topaz
The Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. brought a best-selling spy novel to the screen with riveting results in this spellbinding espionage thriller. John Forsythe stars as an American CIA agent who hires a French operative named Devereaux (Frederick Stafford) to go to Cuba and check out rumors of Russian missiles and a NATO spy called Topaz. In Havana, Devereaux's investigation becomes dangerous, leaving behind a wake of shaken governments, murder, betrayal and suicide. His mission complete, Devereaux returns to France but as he moved in to expose the double agent, the danger and the suspense builds to a heart-pounding conclusion in this lavish, globe-trotting thriller. - Director:
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Cast:
- Frederick Stafford, José Luis Sansalvador, Dany Robin
- Formats:
-
-
Jack Nicholson returns as private eye Jake Gittes in this atmospheric 'Chinatown' follow-up that's hit upon "the elusive sequel formula for somehow enhancing a great original". Much has changed since we last saw Jake. The war has come and gone, 1948 Los Angeles teems with optimism and fast bucks. But there's one thing Jake knows hasn't changed: "Nine times out of ten, if you follow the money you will get to the truth". And that's the trail he follows when a routine case of marital hanky panky explodes into a murder that's tied to a grab for oil - and to Jake's own past. - Director:
- Jack Nicholson
- Cast:
- Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, Harvey Keitel
- Formats:
-
-
Tarzan (1999)Tarzán
Deep within the African jungle, a mother gorilla names an orphaned baby boy "Tarzan" and adopts him as her own, even though the silverback leader Kerchak shuns the "hairless wonder". Growing up alongside his wisecracking ape buddy Terk and neurotic elephant pal Tantor, Tarzan develops all the instincts and prowess of a jungle animal, "surfing" and swinging through the trees at lightning speed. But with the sudden appearance of Tarzan's own kind - humans - including the beautiful Jane, the only world Tarzan has ever known and the one in which he belongs collide with extraordinary force! - Director:
- Chris Buck
- Cast:
- Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, Brian Blessed
- Formats:
-
-
Too Late the Hero (1970)Suicide Run
It is WW II, November 1942 and the U.S launches a major naval offensive in the South Pacific. To ensure battle plans remain secret, a Japanese radio installation must be destroyed and so American naval officer (Cliff Robertson) is ordered by his commander (Henry Fonda) to join a squad of British misfits on a suicide mission to take out the facility. Michael Caine is one of the misfits - a cynical soldier who'd just as likely shoot his commanding officer as obey him. However, when the ragtag band learn of secret Japanese plans, what began as a simple suicide mission becomes a war. - Director:
- Robert Aldrich
- Cast:
- Michael Caine, Cliff Robertson, Ian Bannen
- Formats:
-
-
Pulsing with the rhythm of his greatest stand-up, Chris Rock's "Top Five" takes things to the next level, reveling in the high and the low, and blending a star-studded comedic romp with an irresistible romance. "Top Five" digs under the surface of show business, politics, rap, and the exigencies of being black and famous today - holding it all up to the light in the way only Chris Rock can. Mingling echoes of Woody Allen and Dick Gregory with the energy of Kanye West and Jay Z, "Top Five" is an original and radically new kind of American movie. Written by, directed by and starring Chris Rock, "Top Five" tells the story of New York City comedian-turned-film star Andre Allen, whose unexpected encounter with a journalist (Rosario Dawson) forces him to confront the comedy career - and the past - that he's left behind. - Director:
- Chris Rock
- Cast:
- Chris Rock, Rosario Dawson, Gabrielle Union
- Formats:
-
-
Trancers (1984)Future Cops
Welcome to Angel City, 2247. Trooper Jack Deth (Tim Thomerson) is wiping out the last disciples of Whistler, who used his psychic power to 'trance' those with inferior minds, forcing them to follow his every desire. Though he'd been thought dead, he's very much alive...in the year 1985. Whistler's master plan - kill the ancestors of the city council. With the council disbanded, nothing can stop him from controlling the city. And that's where Deth comes in. Jack is sent back in time, inhabiting the body of his ancestor. Just one problem: Whistler's ancestor is a police detective, and he's been trancing people in 1985. With the help of a strong-willed punk, Lena (Helen Hunt) Deth must confront Whistler one final time, while the fate of time itself hangs in the balance! - Director:
- Charles Band
- Cast:
- Tim Thomerson, Helen Hunt, Michael Stefani
- Formats:
-
-
Train (2008)Terror Train
Thora Birch stars as Alex, a college athlete, on vacation in Europe, who unknowingly boards a train that will become on deadly ride for her and her teammates. After a night of wild partying and missing their train, the group of students is invited to board another which happens to be heading their way. Once on board, members of the team begin to go missing, and their would-be saviours claim to have no idea what could have happened to them. When they discover the truth, it is too late to escape and they must fight for their lives against their captors to put an end to their ride to hell. - Director:
- Gideon Raff
- Cast:
- Thora Birch, Gideon Emery, Kavan Reece
- Formats:
-
-
Gregory Peck won an Oscar for his brilliant performance as the Southern lawyer who defends a black man accused of rape in this film version of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel. The setting is a dusty Southern town during the Depression. A white woman accuses a black man of rape. Though he is obviously innocent, the outcome of his trial is such a foregone conclusion that no lawyer will step forward to defend him - except Peck, the town's most distinguished citizen. His compassionate defense costs him many friendships but earns him the respect and admiration of his two motherless children. - Director:
- Robert Mulligan
- Cast:
- Gregory Peck, John Megna, Frank Overton
- Formats:
-
-
To Catch a Thief (1955)Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief
Cary Grant plays John Robie, reformed jewel thief who was once known as 'The Cat' in this suspenseful Alfred Hitchcock classic thriller. Robie is suspected of a new rash of gem thefts in the luxury hotels of the French Riviera, and he must set out to clear himself. Meeting pampered heiress Frances (Grace Kelly), he sees the chance to bait the mysterious thief with her mother's (Jessie Royce Landis) fabulous jewels. His plan backfires, however, but Frances, who believes him guilty, proves her love by helping him escape. In a spine-tingling climax, the real criminal is exposed. - Director:
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Cast:
- Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis
- Formats:
-
-
John Thunderbolt Doherty (Clint Eastwood) is a former thief whose razor-sharp wits and steely nerves made him a monster of his profession, but he's about to to enter the criminal world with a new partner. Lightfoot (Jeff Bridges), a brash young drifter whose energy and exuberance give the veteran a new outlook on life. Their target: the seemingly impenetrable Montana Armored Depository. After forming an uneasy alliance with Thunderbolt's former partners in crime (George Kennedy and Geoffrey Lewis), they launch an amazing scheme that will test the limits of their endurance...and the power of their friendship. - Director:
- Michael Cimino
- Cast:
- Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges, George Kennedy
- Formats:
-
-
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)Vivir y morir en Los Ángeles
Full of flash, style and grit, this raw tale of corruption and revenge features one of the most harrowing car chases ever caught on film and a shockingly explosive ending. Federal Agent Richard Chance (William Petersen) has a score to settle, and he's through playing by the rules. Whether that means blackmailing a beautiful parolee, disobeying direct orders or hurtling the wrong way down a crowded freeway, he vows to take down a murderous counterfeiter (Willem Dafoe) by any means necessary. But as the stakes grow higher, will chance's obsession with vengeance ultimately destroy him? - Director:
- William Friedkin
- Cast:
- William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow
- Formats:
-