Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

An excellent film that is as loved for its quirkiness as it is for its excitement, Dog Day Afternoon tells the story of a bank robbery that goes badly wrong. Pacino plays Sonny Wortzik, a first-time thief who leads the heist along with John Cazale. The hostage situation that evolves after the police turn up is intense and draining, thanks to Sidney Lumet’s excellent direction.

Frankie and Johnny (1991)

A wonderfully under-rated love story between Pacino’s ex-convict short order cook and Michelle Pfeiffer’s emotionally scarred waitress. Tender and authentic, the movie is based on an off-Broadway play by Terrance McNally. Set in a New York diner, the chemistry between Pacino and Pfeiffer, reunited for the first time since Scarface, is there for all to see. A tour de force for both of them, it also features excellent supporting roles from Nathan Lane, Kate Nelligan and Hector Elizondo.

The Godfather (1972)

The Godfather, rightly viewed as one of the finest movies ever to be made, tells the story of Michael Corleone’s journey from innocent young family member and former war hero to cold, clinical leader of the criminal empire. Al Pacino was simply magnificent as Michael in all three Godfather films, and there were plenty of memorable moments to be savoured. My favourite was his execution of the corrupt Captain McCluskey in a quiet Italian restaurant.

Scarface (1983)

Written by Oliver Stone and directed by Brian De Palma, Scarface is about the rise of Tony Montana to the top of Miami’s illegal cocaine trade. Violent and uncompromising, the film was controversial in its day, and is regarded as something of a cult classic now. Perhaps the most memorable moment is when the heavily armed Montana shouts the famous line “say hello to my little friend!”

Carlito’s Way (1993)

An excellent movie with a number of twists and turns, the plot tells the story of Carlito Brigante’s unsuccessful attempts to go straight after his release from prison. Pacino is superb as the highly believable Carlito, who gradually finds that his past won’t allow him to stay out of trouble. The film also features a superb performance from Sean Penn, who plays Brigante’s corrupt lawyer David Kleinfeld.

David Showell is a movie buff who works for http://www.carrentals.co.uk/, a company that provides car hire deals to motorists. David’s three favourite films are The Godfather, Gregory’s Girl and Goodfellas.

Round Ireland with a Fridge is directed by Ed Bye (My Family, The Detectives, Red Dwarf) and stars Tony Hawks, Ed Byrne, Sean Hughes, Valerie O’Connor, Josie Lawrence and Sara Crowe.

As an inspiring and funny British comedy-drama that will evoke memories of Calendar Girls, The Full Monty and Local Hero, the film recreates Tony’s actual 1997 journey around Ireland as he re-evaluated his life and career, found romance, met a wide range of bizarre characters, made many new friends and discovered that people are perfectly prepared to treat a small white domestic appliance as though it was a fully fledged person with a personality in its own right.

During the course of the film the fridge is taken surfing, christened, blessed by nuns, accompanied by a bagpiper, taken to a bachelor festival and becomes the hero of a national radio station as Tony and all those he encountered become aware of the power and philosophy of the fridge !

Round Ireland with a Fridge was aired on BBC 4 in March this year, and topped BBC 4’s Sunday night ratings.

The DVD is available to stream (Pay-Per-View) and a trailer of the movie is available at http://www.roundirelandwithafridge.com.

“Fabulous. Very very funny, wonderful performances and music, and beautifully shot.” – Ben Miller

” ‘Round Ireland With A Fridge’ is a human, gentle, uproariously funny, touching, poignant, uplifting, and happily spiritual film.” - Stephen Simon, Producer, ‘Somewhere in Time’, ‘What Dreams May Come’, ‘Author’, ‘Bringing Back The Old Hollywood’.

Family Weekend

On the surface, this may seem like just another nutty teenager-gone-wild movie, but the premise of Family Weekend is strong enough that the stellar cast may just help it pull through. Sixteen-year-old Emily, who gets tired of her family’s selfish ways, goes to great lengths to drug her parents so that she can effectively take them hostage and show them just how self-centered they are.

While they are in captivity, things slowly start to go wrong (as they always do), and the pace really gets going once word of the hostage situation gets broadcasted on Twitter. Kristin Chenoweth plays the fiery Samantha, Emily’s mother, and her character alone should be worth the price of admission. Looks like it would make a great summer film, but it’s not slated for release until later in the year.

Outrun

Although Chenoweth’s other current movie project, Outrun, is also an adventure comedy, it couldn’t have a more different premise from Family Weekend.  Dax Shepard wrote the story and directed the film, and he stars opposite Kristen Bell, who plays his girlfriend. The plot revolves around a jailbreak and a cross-country road trip, where Shepard’s character takes unauthorized leave from the witness protection program in order to help drive Bell’s character across the country for a job interview she has. Needless to say, the trip doesn’t go smoothly. Although it’s unclear just what role Kristin Chenoweth plays in the story, her part has been described as significant among the star-studded cast, which includes Tom Arnold, Beau Bridges, David Koechner, and Bradley Cooper.

This movie sounds like it may have undertones of Little Miss Sunshine in it, what with the race across the country to get to a certain place at a certain time and having everything go wrong in the process, but if you like that sort of hell-breaks-loose comedy style, Outrun should provide more than a few good laughs.

Image courtesy of nygossipgirl.com

About the author: Brynn is a film fan who enjoys writing about the latest and greatest movies.

If you’re looking for a specific DVD, your best bet is to do your searching online. Amazon and its network of sellers carry most of the titles you’ll be looking for, both new and used, and with many at great bargain prices. The condition of the items and shipping prices are all clearly listed in a way that makes it easy to find the best deal.

Ebay is another excellent place to pick up used and new DVDs. However, buyers need to shop wisely on this site. Some sellers have been known to sell bootlegged copies that they try to pass off as real. You should always read an auction listing over carefully, especially feedback ratings and comments, which will give you the best clue as to whether you are dealing with a legit seller or not.

If you want to get rid of some DVDs, as well as get some more, you should check out Title Trader. This is a DVD, CD and book swapping website where you can list the media you no longer want, while perusing the offerings from others for things you have a secret jones for.

Although video rental stores are becoming harder to find, the ones that are left are good places to look for deals on recent hit movies. Many stores sell their excess copies of popular titles at bargain prices once they are no longer in high demand.

If you aren’t looking for a particular title, but are just hoping to stumble on some deals, keep an eye on Freecycle, which is a website where people give away stuff they no longer want. You might get lucky and find someone cleaning their basement of titles you’ve been looking for. And don’t forget to stock up at Christmas time when some of the big retailers try to lure in buyers with bargain basement prices on hit titles.

The moral of this tale: Your DVD collection doesn’t have to cost you a fortune if you just do your homework and maybe a little footwork.

Image courtesy of stcharleslibrary.org.

About the author: Kristine has a very big DVD collection. She spends a lot of her free time finding her favorite movies and purchasing them. It worries her friends and family sometimes.

As the new trailer outlines, Prometheus takes place in 2085, as two corporate superpowers struggle for control over the Solar System’s natural resources. When one side finds an advanced star map within Aztec, Mesopotamian and Magdalenian imagery on Earth, they send the crew of the spaceship Prometheus to investigate. Through this strictly scientific expedition, the crew follows their map hoping to discover secrets that will reveal the origins of mankind. But as they land on an alien world and begin exploring the advanced civilization of an extraterrestrial race they find there, what they discover is far more threatening than they could have imagined, and may even spell the end for humanity’s very existence.

From very early on in the film’s production, fans wanted to know if H.R. Giger’s iconic alien would make an appearance (or, as is the case in each film in the Alien franchise, become the film’s main focus). Ridley Scott was quick to give his opinion on the speculation: “I think I have to design – or redesign – earlier versions of what these elements are that led to the thing you finally see in Alien, which is the thing that catapults out of the egg, the face-hugger. … I don’t want to repeat it. The Alien in a sense, as a shape, is worn out.”

Scott maintained that the film was not a prequel to Alien, but that by the third act viewers would start to see connecting elements to the 1979 film. “While Alien was indeed the jumping-off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place. The keen fan will recognize strands of Alien’s DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative.”

Starring in the film is female lead Elizabeth Shaw, Charlize Theron as a corporate figurehead, and Michael Fassbender, who will play an advanced android called David. Fassbender is no stranger to big franchise prequels, as he played a young Magneto in the 2011 film X-Men: First Class. That film showed fans that new life could be injected into a franchise by changing the style and characters of the earlier films. Hugh Jackman’s iconic Wolverine took a back seat (while Jackman was hitting the Broadway stage) in favor of exploring a younger cast of characters during the Cuban Missile Crisis. If Ridley Scott’s latest offering follows a similar formula, moviegoers should be in for a blast when Prometheus is released on June 8.

About the author: Brynn is a film fan who enjoys writing about the latest and greatest movies.

The Godfather Part II

The success of the first Godfather film ensured the sequel was one of the most eagerly-awaited of the decade, and a few eyebrows were raised when it was announced that De Niro, a relative unknown, was to play the young Vito Corelone in various flashback scenes. His performance was flawless, however, and he deservedly received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his efforts.

Goodfellas

De Niro’s character in Goodfellas, Jimmy Conway, was based on real-life mobster Jimmy ‘The Gent’ Burke. Along with associates Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), Conway carries out a number of daring thefts, rising up the gangster ladder in the process. To many people, this movie is the ultimate crime story, and De Niro’s portrayal of an increasingly dangerous and unpredictable man was a tour de force.

Raging Bull

Perhaps the finest sporting biopic of them all, De Niro played tough boxer Jake LaMotta in this Martin Scorsese epic. The fight scenes were brutal and dramatic, but it’s those that take place outside the ring that perhaps show De Niro’s true greatness. His relationship with his constantly treading on eggshells wife, played by Cathy Moriarty, fuelled by LaMotta’s brooding jealousy and the ever present threat of violence, made Raging Bull so much more than a film about boxing.

The King of Comedy

Never one for being typecast, De Niro grew a moustache and played for dark laughs in this memorable black comedy. Trying to make his way in the world as a stand-up comedian, his Rupert Pupkin character becomes obsessed with the big break that is surely coming his way. His kidnapping of TV star Jerry Langford, brilliantly played by Jerry Lewis, remains one of De Niro’s best movie moments.

Taxi Driver

Very few movie actors can successfully portray a gradually unhinging character, but De Niro, fresh from the success of The Godfather Part II and Mean Streets, did just that in this superbly iconic movie. The lonely, dispossessed and largely ignored Travis Bickle had struggled to adapt to life after Vietnam, and his trauma continues to unfold throughout the film. In many ways Taxi Driver was as much about an America in transition as it was about one man’s battle with himself. As always, De Niro steals the show without stealing the heart of the story.

Image courtesy of IMDB.com

About the author: David Showell is a movie fan who has a particular fondness for gangster films. In the coming months, he plans to visit a movie studio in Florida. Car hire and accommodation have already been booked.

Legally Blonde

Reese Witherspoon became a name people would remember after her magical performance in Legally Blonde. Witherspoon defies the ‘dumb blonde’ stereotype to win a place at Harvard Law School based on sheer brain power and while she’s there she shows it’s possible to look great and get terrific grades at the same time. Interestingly, Harvard didn’t feature in the movie, apart from a few air shots. It was filmed in four locations: the University of Southern California, the University of California, California Institute of Technology and the Rose City High School in Pasadena. As for the graduation ceremony, that was filmed at Dulwich College, London, England, because the movie’s star actress was filming in the city.

Dead Poets Society

Poetry never sounded so good as when declaimed by English tutor Robin Williams in Dead Poets’ Society. The society is the school’s literary club and the movie tells the story of the disastrous clash between military minded students and those with their minds on more literary pursuits. This film took the best screenplay Oscar in 1989, made more than $235 million at the box office and is still popular today, racking up millions in DVD sales each year.

Mean Girls

The 2004 comedy saw Lindsay Lohan leave behind to the little girl image of her early movies to morph into a teenager. In her role, Lohan moves from homeschooling in Africa to North Shore High School in Evanston, Illinois, but never gets to grips with the high school cliques, resulting in a dramatic riot. Mean Girls has an excellent screenplay by Tina Fey, who also features alongside up and coming stars Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried.

Heathers

This dark comedy is closer to dark than comedy, featuring stars Winona Ryder, Christian Slater and Shannon Doherty. The story follows four girls at an Ohio high school. They run the school through intimidation, contempt and using their sexual energy. All the girls are called Heather and it doesn’t take them long to get involved with shootings, break-ins and sex. While it failed at the box office, the movie soon became a cult classic. It opened in 1989 to become a box office failure, taking less than it cost to make, but on later viewing has become a cult classic. The director filmed two endings to provide two alternative solutions to the demise of a key member of the clique.

To Sir with Love

This 1967 British movie set the benchmark in discussing social and racial issues within the school system.

Based on E R Braithwaite’s semi-autobiographical novel and screening a number one hit single for Lulu, it shows Sidney Poitier working as a teacher while he tries to find the job he really wants as an engineer. Gradually, Poitier comes to love his new job and develops a rapport with his students as he attempts to help them to learn more and become socially responsible. His attitude is in contrast to others on staff, who see the students having no future and treat them with contempt. The movie ends as Poitier receives an offer to leave teaching and take up the engineer’s role he so much wanted. What should he do?

Have you seen these films? Which did you like best?

Freelance writer Sharon Hurley Hall is writing for leavers hoodies supplier Hoodie Tee, known for their hoodies worn in schools, universities and clubs throughout the UK.

Let’s go to the movies! Watch these five films and you’ll come out a more eco-friendly person – they’re that powerful. Here are our eco-friendly movie picks.

The Day After Tomorrow

Everyone’s a bit blasé about climate change, but writer and director, Roland Emmerich, fights hard to bring a climate change warning to the public through this movie. After witnessing an ice shelf collapsing into the ocean, a research team tries to warn the UN of climate change. Of course, no-one will listen. Devastating weather patterns appear and a bigger fight begins. The movie shows dramatically how quickly problems can arrive, while in real life we can miss the changes.

Erin Brockovich

Julia Roberts plays a file clerk in a lawyer’s office, until she discovers an energy corporation trying to cover up the poor health of a nearby town. This true story shows how one person collects enough local support to take on and beat the big Pacific and Electric Company to gain financial restoration for those dying of disease brought on by local water pollution. The movie shows how small people can fight for their rights against bigger corporations and win their day in court, both emotionally and financially.

An Inconvenient Truth

U.S. Vice President Al Gore’s movie brought the facts about global warming to the forefront of people’s knowledge, helping the environmental movement. It shows Al Gore’s travels to show people his warning message, via a slide show. Not only does he use official sources to provide clear information about the issue, but he provides arguments refuting the claims of the naysayers. He issues an individual challenge to all people to make a stand and take action, not rely on government to solve the problems.

Gorillas in the Mist

This true story tells of Dian Fossey’s work in Rwanda and her studies of mountain gorillas, which became a lifetime learning experience. Sigourney Weaver plays Dian’s role with great success. We see Dian Fossey, arguing with the Rwanda government about appalling and unnecessary poaching. She rejects government responses and dedicated her life to helping the gorilla population while showing locals how they could earn a living with alternative work. Murdered in her bed, she still manages to save the gorillas from extinction and more importantly, map out a future for both the gorillas and those who needed to kill the animals to be able to feed their families.

Happy Feet

Through the use of animation, children and adults alike learned about the lifecycle of penguins in the Antarctic region. The movie centers on a penguin who likes to dance. He is fitted with a tracking device by aliens – humans ˆ which leads to the fishermen realizing they are overfishing.

Through an amusing view of the penguin’s life, the audience is able to see what effect fishing has on under stocked areas. The movie sends the message that overfishing can cause long term damage to available food stocks.

Have you seen these films? What would you add to the list?

Image courtesy of IMDB.com

Damien Higgins writes for Eden Springs, the UK’s No.1 water cooler rental company.

Who needs to watch horror movies? Ghouls and vampires are so last year. If you really want to get your scare on, there’s no better way to do it than with these five films, which are guaranteed to make you think twice about hitting the beach this summer. Here are our picks.

Jaws

Even if you’ve watched this film a dozen times, you still feel that dread when you hear the music as the shark approaches. The first time you watch it, it’s shocking, not least because it seems so plausible. A few torn limbs and bloody waters later, you are sure that there are sharks on your nearest beach – and you won’t be going looking for them!

Deep Blue Sea

If anything, Deep Blue Sea is even scarier than Jaws. The tale of how a group of genetically engineered smart sharks target and pick off the scientists who created them is unsettling to say the least. By now, it’s probably safe to reveal that the moment you know it’s going to be bad is when Samuel L Jackson gets killed off early, upping the yikes factor by a gazillion.

Titanic

At least in Titanic, you don’t have to worry so much about the animals. It’s more nature that gets the last laugh here. It’s ship zero, iceberg one in the story we all know so well. Again, part of the reason it’s so good is because of the ultra realism of people freezing in the water. Brrr!

The Perfect Storm

The Perfect Storm plays into our fears about death at sea as a fishing crew goes up against nature (not only the storm, but insanely big waves) in an effort to get back to land and sell their catch before it is too late. Another man against nature duel, nature flexes its mighty muscles in this disaster at sea epic, with predictable results.

Open Water

Although it’s back to the danger of sharks, Open Water is no Jaws or Deep Blue Sea. For a start, it’s based on the true story of a couple stranded in shark-infested waters and is more dramatic than horrifying. Still, the ‘what would I do’ factor is enough to make most of us think twice about getting into the water. At the very least, we’ll be sure we know exactly how and when we are getting back to land!

About the author: Sharon Hurley Hall prefers to drink her water. She writes for the UK’s premier bottled water cooler supplier, Eden Springs.

Click on the image below to open the entire map to catch every bit of movie info possible.

Best Movies of All Time Infographic