Top 100 films part1 ... comedy

So 10 comedy films

The best place to start is those films I just adore and can watch endlessly without tiring of them.

The first of these if with the great Bill Murray I think that you either love him or the him and don’t understand why he is so rated. But I’m in the former camp. My favourite film by along way is Groundhog Day, this is a wonderful film where he goes from one extreme to the other and is hilarious, especially as he starts thinking of ways to kill himself.

The second film is another from one of my comedy heroes who first few films were hilarious and low budget and then he went into a bit of spiral and hopefully will come back on form. So this one is for Steve Martin and despite how much I like a man with two brains I will have to go for the hilarious The Jerk the idea that a white boy is adopted by black family and doesn’t know till he’s 18 and then is given a radio so he can listen to white music which he find he can tap to is great and the letter home saying that next week he’ll have a second job is great stuff.

My 3rd film is another I can watch endlessly, all I can say What have the Pythons ever done for us? So my third film is Life of Brian. By far the best of the Python films, probably because the script is so much better and its not trying to be so surreal.

The next one I need to think Mel brooks and despit e how good the producers is it has to be the one I saw first and will always see when its on TV Blazing saddles. Puerile jokes including the farting, but very funny.

And that leads me onto another film which was pioneering Airplane, the original and best spoof film. Everytime you watch it you still see something new.

Well I have to have a Woody Allen film, but which one? Sleepers? Bananas? Love and Death? Manhatten? Not quite Annie Hall. Breathtaking and very funny.

So time for another film you just love or hate Forest Gump, its just one of those films I can watch time and time again and keep finding it funny and wanting to watch it more

So next going back in time I’ll pick The Philadelphia story, I think it best represents all those old black and white films you used to see in the afternoon as a kid. Great fun and a great cast.

So nearly getting there and getting more difficult. Next has to be an Ealing comedy. Unlike a lot of other Ladykillers isn’t my favourite, and although I like Heavens above will have to go for another Peter Sellers film I’m alright Jack. Which then leads me into Terry Thomas, the original cad, and Monte Carlo or bust which spawned the wacky races, basically he plays the dastardly person. Maybe not the greatest film ever but very watchable.

But that’s my 10 and I haven’t gone for any animation (Shrek, Ice Age) and missed things like chaplin, keaton and the marx brothers, and all Billy Wilder films let alone great recent films like Theres something bout Mary, A fish called Wanda, and When Harry met Sally …

So may need to re-edit after a few days extra thought.

Top 100 films

Well this morning wathcing the news and having a nice cup of tea "thud" from the other room, and my monthly edition of Empire had arrived. Apart from what look like some good films coming up (can't wait for Wallace and Gromit) they had started a list of 100 top films and a guy had started with his top 10 comedies.

So in a similar vain ... my top 100 films.

Well the first thing is how am i going to split these films up, category seems most sensible and at least I can try and sneak a few more comedies in where I want in other categories. cheating I hear you say. So to start with need to choose my categories or genre

I'm currently planning on choosing 10 for each of
Comedy
Thriller
Romance
Sci Fi
Drama
War
Horror
Westerns
Action/Adventure
Historical

These may include
Animation, Crime, Fantasy, Musicals, sport and foreign films

So tomorrow I'll start with Comedies. Then spend a week thinking of the next list. Enjoy and feel free to criticise, even though I know you'll be wrong!

head weight

At work today there was a very weird conversation about what proportion of your body does your head weigh. So found this article about how to try and weigh your head!

Sayings

This weekend there have been a number of great things I've heard. Either proposterous or very cutting. You know the sort of thing which is grewat then you forget till someone reminds you. Will try and remember to post them all up here.

The first was said by Matthew after I explained I had managed another beer on my 365 beers in a year challenge. "Wow thats more than one a day! no thats almost one a day, its ......" whilst all started to take the piss.

Durhams double promotion!

So yesterday Durham fought back against a good Yorkshire score to win their one day game and are now sitting in second but guaranteed promotion. Just need to beat Sussex in a match and take the title home.

In the county championship Lancashire beat Essex and we've dropped off the top after leading all season. Possible could catch up but might not. Howeever as Essex didnt win they are now 22 points behind and you can only get 22 points in a game, so effectively promoted, even if in theory need one batting or bowling point in the last game. I had felt that we might have held on to win the title as we were platying some of the teams at the bottom, but we narrowly avoided defeat against Derbyshire.

Need to strengthen again for next year, but great to get to the top league after coming in the bottom 3 for several years.

Last day of the ashes

Radio 5 were goling on about if you were writing a film how would this series end. One caller suggested the americans would win! very funny.

In all seriousness, this day has the potential to be so dramatic.

So here's my dramatic tension.

Bright sunny day, crowd sing Jerusalem, Vaughan and Trescothick stride to the crease. First ball lifts off a seam and is edged to the slips. England lose another couple of quick wickets and are 80-4. Flintoff and Pieterson at crease survive till an over before lunch when Pieterson makes a stupid shot and is caught in the deep. 120-5 at lunch.
Flintoff remains with Collingwood until 180, when Collingwood is given LBW from a ball that looks like it pitched outside leg. Jones lasts a few balls until caught bat pad at silly mid off. Then Australia clear the tail just before tea with England leading by 203 and Flintoff not out 85.

Tea is taken early and Australia have 210 to score off 40 overs. They start well and then lose a couple of quick wickets to be 100-4 off 24 overs. They get offered bad light but decline it. They continue to accumulate runs including a quick 40 from Gilchrist and they are left with 25 needed off the last 3 overs with 3 wickets left, Warne and Lee at the wicket, but light is fading. Warne is facing flintoff .....

Then it ends one of so many different ways. Warne gets last runs to retain ashes. Australia are left short in the run chase, Flintoff clears the tail and England win 3-1. You decide.

The thing is it could so easily end up with Australia facing a run chase and may be an unbelievable day. Will book meetings in my diary from 430, so can go to the pub, and hope that they dont make it as difficult asjust described.

Wedding

Well this is the second tiome writing this. Aaaahhh.

Anyway last week was A&W's wedding. So got down to York on friday night and a few drinks later and a visit to Kennedys, was perhaps a little tipsy. Enough said.

Next day headed over to Harrogate and after a quick bit got to the chapel. The church was a little odd in that it was upstairs but looked like an old church insider. The vicar was very funny mainly at wayne's expense, and Aneta looked beautiful in an elegant white dress with a good size train and sparkly bits.

After that we headed to ripley castle, which is gorgous for a champagne reception with classical quartet and a chance to wonder round the house and the grounds with sweeping lawns and a river, and deer running wild. What with great sunshine it was about perfect.

Then there was the meal, food was good, and was intermingled with polish cheers, learnt 2 new words kiss and cheers! Then onto speechs, first dance and the cutting of the cake. All followed by the best wedding disco ever been to.

After that just crashed back in hotel with more champagne!!

Sunday we wandered round Harrogate for a while and then met up with the happy couple for lunch, before heading back to York and up north

House warming weekend

So on Friday Jon and Elena came up from Norwich and in the evening we went off to Mother India’s, normally I don’t like Indians because I don’t like really hot spicy food, but this stuff was great especially the fish starter. Started to get a little hot, but good stuff. Later crashed back at mine with a bottle of wine, as we were all knackered and chatted and fell asleep.

Then the big day and after breakfast we headed down town. The big new purchase of the day was Gaint Jenga ( well it wasn’t Jenga itself just the similar brick toppling game). Damn the thing was heavy to carry back. In the meanwhile visited the Lighthouse and had lunch at the social, wouldn’t recommend eating there, poor and expensive. With that sort of review should be a food critic!

Then in the afternoon others from York turned up and we headed over to the park for Frisbee, which Daf seemed to like throwing it down the hill for others to chase. Unsure if he was just crap or it was deliberate. After the Frisbee went to a dodgy pub to watch the end of the cricket and then on to the Ben Nevis a nice pub with great whisky selection.

In the evening the theme was crap music, and my was there some. Amazingly lots from Richard, typical stuff 80s ballads, one off hits. Thankfully no Rene and Renata! I started the Jenga and the first game went well, even if I lost as the tower went really high. Managed to meet some of my neighbours, and missed out on most of the food which thankfully someone else took control of. The whole time seemed to whish by until 430 when it was time to crash. Great to see everyone though!

Next day was up and cleared the place up a bit, ie binned bottles and filled up dishwasher! Made bacon sarnies, forgot about the sausages in the oven. Oops. Then said goodbye to Jon and Elena and saw Nicola off to the station as James and I went to walkabout to see the cricket.

In the evening those of us left headed off to Kublai Khan a Mongolian bbq via the blackfriars pub, real ale place in Merchant City would really recommend, one of my faves. I left early as started to fall asleep , great company, and a little embarrassed. Had been living on Adrenline for the rest of the weekend.

On Monday decided to go to work, not an Scottish bank hols, bit odd really. Caught up with Kim and Sheree for lunch at Sobr near the lighthouse. Nice noodle bar and good value lunch menu. Definitely recommend this place. Really should have gone here on Saturday instead of the social. Then in evening finished most of clearing up.

Wedding this weekend looking forward to that!