Albums Of The Decade ( Part Two )

Okay, it's March already. How did that happen? Way back in the wastelands of 2020 ( is it always going to be painful to write that sequence of four numbers? ) I began to list my favourite albums of the last 10 years. Here's part two for anyone who wants to laugh at my musical choices:

Simulation Theory  -  Muse 

I've always liked Muse and, although Sarah is more of a fan than I am, seeing them play live a couple of times in the last few years has increased my admiration for the boys from Devon. Their music is a very slick, supremely well-played amalgamation of metal and prog, shot through with Queen-like bombast and slightly dodgy old science fiction ideas. Simulation Theory jams all these elements into its grooves but also adds a huge dollop of '80s synth-pop which makes it easily my favourite Muse album. There are some absolutely huge tunes here from the Gospel-inflected Dig Down to the appropriately catchy Thought Contagion and the pop-metal juggernaut of Pressure. All these songs are powerful and effective, even when divorced from their stage-show special effects.

The Modern Age  -  Sleeper

The Brit Pop era was a massively important time for women in indie music; so many talented females comprised and /or fronted great bands that went toe-to-toe with the more laddish types  -  Echobelly, Garbage, Elastica, Curve, Kenickie and Lush all kicked against the pricks and one of the most successful of these bands was Sleeper. After three albums of sassy, breathy pure guitar-pop, Louise Wener and her "Sleeperblokes" ( TM the NME some time in the '90s ) went their separate ways... until this 21st century reunion which was a long-overdue delight. A slight update to the original Sleeper sound but still that knack for a well-turned lyric and contagious chorus made this album, very possibly, the best thing they've done so far. Let's hope for more soon.

Diamond Mine  -  King Creosote & Jon Hopkins

A quietly beautiful amalgamation of Folk ( KC ) and electronica ( JH ) with ruminations on getting old, family squabbles and life at sea on Scottish trawlers. Kenny Anderson's vulnerable, Caledonian vocals float effortlessly over layers of acoustic guitars, found sounds and Hopkins' harmonium on such sublime songs as John Taylor's Month Away and Bats In The Attic. Absolutely haunting.

My Woman  -  Angel Olsen

This eclectic album from the ultra-talented Angel Olsen veers from the electronic torch song of the first track, Intern, through garage stompers like the Courtney Barnett-esque Shut Up Kiss Me to the Country Rock epic Sister, all held together by her soul-baring lyrics and keening, gorgeous vocals. Easily some of the most deeply moving performances I've heard in recent years. "I want to live life / I want to die right."

Kablammo!  -  Ash

After their A-Z Singles project when they'd announced that the album as a vehicle for music was dead, Northern Ireland's greatest pop/rock/punk/ metal band had a re-think and came back with this outstanding set of songs. As good as anything else in their career, Kablammo! saw Ash producing such classic power-pop singles as Cocoon and Bring Back The Summer, while Let's Ride and Evel Knievel showed they could still rock out with the best of them, and Free was just a beautiful, string-assisted Tim Wheeler ballad about escaping a toxic relationship. I had a ticket to see Ash play live in Bristol last March but, of course, the pandemic stopped that from happening like it put so much of our lives on hold. I'm really hoping that their "Teenage Wildlife" tour will be rescheduled... and Free will take on a whole new relevance.

American Dream  -  LCD Soundsystem

Another comeback album, this time from James Murphy's electro-pop outfit who had famously split up in 2011, making a big noise about it, and then apologetically reformed only four years later. Luckily, the result was worth it as American Dream is every bit as good as their previous output. Full to the brim with their retro-synth-driven Bowie / Talking Heads art rock and featuring the absolutely massive single Call The Police, it's a monster.

Given To The Wild  -  The Maccabees

With their melancholy lyrics, existential themes, beautifully smooth production sounds and propulsive guitar playing, the late lamented Maccabees almost turned into an indie Pink Floyd on this wonderful album. Which is a good thing.

Damage & Joy  -  The Jesus & Mary Chain

Can I use the word "comeback" yet again? Yes, I think I'll have to, as this album saw the return of the notoriously fractious Reid brothers who had buried the hatchet ( hopefully just figuratively ) long enough to go out on a couple of tours and produce some songs together for the first time in what seemed like several ice ages. Sticking to their tried and trusted formula of distorted rock 'n' roll fatalism, Jim and William showed there was life in the old dogs yet with such typically obnoxious tracks as All Things Must Pass, Mood Rider and Amputation ( "I'm a rock 'n' roll amputation" Of course you are, dear ). They also still have a way with a fuzzed-up girl-group ballad which Always Sad and The Two Of Us prove perfectly. Yes, it's a formula, yes, they're sticking to it and, yes, it's still fantastic.

Lost In The Dream  -  The War On Drugs

Okay, hear me out. What if Bob Dylan took a shed-load of mushrooms and recruited the E Street Band to back him on some windswept AOR epics that all went on for precisely forever? Yeah? Well, that would seem to be the thinking behind Adam Granduciel's psychedelic Americana on this towering album. And it works, it really works. Man.

The Sunshine Underground  -  The Sunshine Underground

Along with The Maccabees, The Sunshine Underground are one of those bands who, in a just and fair world, should have been absolutely massive. Their sky-scraping Nu Rave dance epics like Start and It Is Only You were tuneful, propulsive and all-inclusive and they were a massively fine live band. I saw them a couple of times and grinned from ear to ear throughout both performances of their positive-vibe-filled indie-dance-pop. ( That's a lot of hyphens! ) I was gutted when they announced they were splitting up but Sarah and I were lucky enough to catch them on their final tour at Bristol's iconic Thekla. As I say, in a better world, they would have been megastars. But of course we're living in a world where, instead, Ed Sheeran is a megastar. Aren't we lucky?

So, there you go, another 10 great albums which are guaranteed to make you even cooler than you already are whilst you listen to them. And you're pretty cool already, am I right?

Albums Of The Decade ( Part One )

 In a different corner of t'internet* I've been taking part in some weekly polls where a bunch of music nutters  fans discuss their favourite albums of particular years or decades. This has led to the inevitable question of which were the best albums of the last decade. While obviously a very difficult choice for anyone who doesn't think that "music has been rubbish since the '80s / '90s / delete as applicable", I've managed to get my choices down to a workable list of 20 and I thought I'd inflict it on you, Dear Reader...

( In line with the original poll I'm going with albums released from 2010 to 2019  -  I'm not really sure that's how decades work but I'll stick with it. The Number One is really obvious but after that all numbers are arbitrary and completely irrelevant anyway because it's only my opinions and who am I? )

*( Twitter) 

Blackstar  -  David Bowie ( 2016 )

The Thin White Duke's parting gift to the world, an endlessly rewarding treasure box of mystery, melody and melancholy. Bowie's previous album, The Next Day, had been his kick-ass comeback after the quiet years when we'd all assumed he'd retired. It was by any standards a very, very good rock album and probably more than most people had expected from the former David Jones. Blackstar, on the other hand, was a masterpiece for the ages. Reconnecting with his more experimental days, Bowie hired a crack team of top New York jazz musicians and made some of the most exciting music of his career, mixing Hip Hop beats, Nadsat lyrics and call-backs to 17th century playwrites with songs that, in hindsight, anticipated his sad demise but were also bursting with life and energy.                                  "Something happened on the day he died..."

Masseduction  -  St. Vincent ( 2017 )

Staying in the artier realms of pop music we have this glossy, glassy, diamond-sharp album from the wonderful Annie Clark aka St. Vincent. A burst of Glam synth-pop colour, vibrant and shiny but with a dark flipside, Masseduction is the perfect soundtrack to the rainbow-coated Dystopia of your choice.     "I can't turn off what turns me on / I hold you like a weapon"

American Slang  -  The Gaslight Anthem ( 2010 )

After breaking big with their second album, The '59 Sound, New Jersey rockers The Gaslight Anthem refined and distilled their Springsteen-goes-Punk ethos on this cracking collection of heart-on-sleeve anthems. Blue-collar rock doesn't get more poetic yet clear-eyed than this album's The Queen Of Lower Chelsea. "American girls they want the whole world."

Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit  -  Courtney Barnett ( 2015 )

You know that moment when you're in a record shop and you hear a song playing and think "that's really good" and then the next song is just as good and the next is even better and you have to ask the guy behind the counter who's the artist and then you buy the record and walk out of the shop and take it home and it still sounds great? Yeah? Well, that's how I first heard the laconic, ironic garage-rock of Courtney Barnett.                                                                                                                                        "Put me on a pedestal and I'll only disappoint you / Tell me I'm exceptional, I promise to exploit you"  

Arc  -  Everything Everything ( 2013 )

It's hard to believe that Everything Everything have been chronicling the horrors of the 21st century for over a decade now. Their twisty-turny, R'n'B-flavoured math-rock sounds like no-one else  -  a complex but danceable sound, deftly entwining often uplifting music with grimly pessimistic lyrics. And in front-man Jonathan Higgs they have surely one of the most powerful, if underrated, singers in modern music. Arc still stands, for me anyway, as their most complete album, a laser-guided dissection of the increasingly bizarre world we happen to be living in.                                                                                   "And that Eureka moment hits you like a cop car / And you wake up, just head and shoulders in a glass jar."

Wrecking Ball  -  Bruce Springsteen ( 2012 )

"Hard times come and hard times go, yeah just to come again." Bruce Springsteen's 17th studio album is one of his angriest, a protest howl about the uncaring forces ripping out America's guts. From the Irish-folk-meets-Punk of Death To My Hometown ( a song which really kicks hard when played live ) to the Gospel revival of Land Of Hope And Dreams, these are songs of ordinary people taking on the challenges of life in the USA, whether it's institutional racism or Ivory Tower bankers destroying communities. There's very little here that's subtle but it's powerful, stirring stuff with some of the most cast-iron tunes of Bruce's recent career. On a personal note, the title track has an extra meaning for me, beyond Bruce's intentions. I was listening to this album at the end of 2012 when I'd first been diagnosed with cancer and the sentiment of taking on whatever could be thrown at you affected me deeply. I can remember driving home from work one Winter night, full of mixed feelings, wanting to talk to my parents about my illness but being unable to  -  my Mum had passed away only two years before and it still felt very raw. I found myself singing along to Wrecking Ball at the top of my lungs, with tears coursing down my cheeks. I wasn't going to let this collection of rogue white blood cells beat me...        "Take your best shot / Bring on your wrecking ball!"

Damn.  -  Kendrick Lamarr ( 2017 )

I have to admit I'm not that well-versed in modern Hip Hop but Kendrick Lamarr is, for me, the finest rapper I've heard since Jay Z, and "Damn." ( full-stop intentional ) is a fantastic album. Kendrick looks back over his life, comparing his early hard years in Compton with his more recent success and, of course, comes to the conclusion that "They won't take me out my element." The album pinballs back and forth through his timeline with recurring themes, motifs and lines, until the end which instantly catapults the listener back to the start. With its winning combination of old skool / new skool Hip Hop sounds and beats, and Kendrick's seamless flow, this is an album which does indeed demand repeat listening.                                                                                                                                                      "What happens on Earth stays on Earth."

Skying  -  The Horrors ( 2011 )

The Horrors were a band I never really paid any attention to until I saw them supporting Primal Scream at the Eden Project, whilst promoting this very album. I was so impressed by their performance that I rushed out to buy Skying and was just knocked out by it. It's a hugely confident, atmospheric collection of songs  -  a whirlwind of Psychedelia, shoe-gaze and post-Punk influences with some huge Motorik beats underpinning it all. Still their best album.                                                                                            "In endless blue / Reflections look so good"

Beard, Wives, Denim -  Pond ( 2012 )

More Psychedelia, this time with an Antipodean flavour. Pond, formerly Kevin "Tame Impala" Parker's backing band, first came to my attention with this, their fourth album. The song When It Explodes drew me in with its dreamy, Flaming Lips-inspired otherworldliness and then I was hooked. Pond are the kind of band that can zoom off into stratospheric improvisations and freak-outs but will always return to a blue-eyed pop sensibility. Later albums like Hobo Rocket and Man It Feels Like Space Again only underlined this relationship between tunes and trips. I saw Pond play live a few years ago and they were just incredibly loud and heavy, man. Far out!                                                                                              "I hope that my head is not all straight" 

The Navigator  -  Hurray For The Riff Raff ( 2017 )

HFTRR ( as I'm sure nobody calls them ) are basically a vehicle for ferociously talented singer / songwriter Alynda Segarra. Apparently more known for a rootsy, folky style, the band here stretch out to embrace Indie, Velvet Underground-inspired sounds and  -  crucially  -  Segarra's Puerto Rican heritage in the stirring underclass anthem Pa'lante. It's a wonderful album, never going where you expect and always suffused with melody and passion.                                                                "Colonised and hypnotised, be something / Sterilised, dehumanised, be something"

   

Okay, that's as much as I can manage for now. The next 10 albums on my list will have to be revealed when this shitty, shitty year is over and we're on to the "sunlit uplands" of 2021. 

For now ( Dear Reader ) look after yourself, stay safe, wear a mask and have a Happy New Year. I'll see you on the other side... 

( By the way, if some of the lines above seem irregular and not aesthetically pleasing it just shows how useless the recent Blogger update has been. As I write and edit stuff it looks kind of alright, after some tweaking, but when I view the same stuff in "Preview" it all seems to go to hell. Blogger's overlords must have a "Brexit-style" view of things where they want to make blogging as difficult, restrictive and non-user-friendly as possible. Rant over. For now. )                                                                 

30-Day Film Challenge Week 4

At long last, as we feebly stagger up the last remaining steps of this seemingly interminable journey, the clouds part and we finally see the last installment of this flamin' film challenge. Yep, it's Week 4 and it's  -

Day Twenty-Two
A film that made you angry

Not many films have done this ( no, not even Suicide Squad ) but I'm going with Michael Moore's
Bowling For Columbine ( 2002 ), a frankly frightening look into America's obsession with guns. It can be argued ( mostly by the NRA ) that this movie is a polemic, one-sided and biased  -  and well, obviously it is  -  but that's to hammer home its message and for me ( and probably any other non-gun-toting goon ) it works. By the way, if anyone objects to my choice of this movie, feel free to not comment, I'll only delete it. ( See... still angry. )
"Thanks for not shooting me."

Moving on...
Day Twenty-Three
A film by a director that is dead ( Not for the first time  -  who writes this stuff? )

I Know Where I'm Going ( dir. Michael Powell 1945 )
Known more for his colourful epics ( in collaboration with Emeric Pressburger, of course ) such as The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus, this is a lovely little black and white film from the legendary Powell, full of heart, humour and subtle magic. Wendy Hiller, as the headstrong, brittle Joan, and Roger Livesy, as Scottish laird Torquill (?) MacNeil are both wonderful as the mismatched couple who seem to be thrown together by the very elements of the Hebrides. There may well be another Michael Powell movie later in this challenge. Okay, maybe at the bottom of this very page...

Day Twenty-Four
A film you wish you saw in theatres ( or "at the cinema" as we might say here in Blighty )

Alien ( 1979 )
I was desperate to see this film at the cinema but, as it was an "X" certificate ( that's an 18 for you young 'uns ) and I was only 12 at the time, it didn't happen. Of course, I've seen it many, many times since then. We re-watched it a few weeks back, during lockdown, and I was happy to see it had lost none of its power. Our daughter Sophie had never seen it before and even she was impressed with this 41-year old "haunted house in space" movie. Ridley Scott's finest film? I think so.

Day Twenty-Five
A film you like that isn't set in the current era

David Eggers' seriously creepy, Puritan-era Folk Horror Movie
The Witch ( 2015 )
Featuring Black Philip, the scariest goat in movie history...

"Would'st thou like to live deliciously?"

Day Twenty-Six
A film you like that is adapted from somewhere

Released 10 years ago (!) last week, Edgar Wright's dazzling, underrated adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novels  -  Scott Pilgrim vs The World ( 2010 )
You can read my original review of this movie here, should you want to of course. I still can't believe I took James to see this film when he was only 10. Sadly a flop on release, Scott Pilgrim's reputation has grown over the last decade and it's now regarded as a cult classic  -  although some of us knew that from the start...

Day Twenty-Seven
A film that is visually striking to you

So many films I've already posted would fit this category ( the one above being a prime example ) but I'm going with the wuxia epic Hero ( 2002 ) by Zhang Yimou
Every shot in this movie is just gorgeous

Day Twenty-Eight
A film that made you feel uncomfortable

Pan's Labyrinth ( 2006 )
I'm in a minority here but I really don't like this movie. For a fantasy I found it totally lacking in a sense of wonder and I hated the "real-world" scenes of violence and torture. I've got nothing against Guillermo Del Toro  -  he always comes across as a very affable, intelligent film-maker who is a tireless exponent of horror and fantasy movies  -  I just don't like his films very much.

Day Twenty-Nine
A film that makes you want to fall in love

Midnight In Paris ( 2011 )
Owen Wilson and Marion Cotillard fall for each other and for Paris in Woody Allen's charming, witty time-travel romance

And finally, Esther...
Day Thirty
A film with your favourite ending

I could pick many, many great endings ( Some Like It Hot, The Truman Show, Don't Look Now, Inception, Planet Of The Apes,Casablanca, The Godfather, Withnail & I etc etc ) but it had to be
A Matter Of Life And Death ( 1946 )
Powell & Pressburger's remarkable romantic fantasy ends with David Niven's character being saved by Kim Hunter's love. It's arguably corny and sentimental but it's actually just perfect

And that's it for the film challenge. Thanks to anyone who stopped by and a special shout out to Paul McScotty and Sean for leaving comments and giving me ideas for more films to watch.

"Stay classy... Planet Earth"

30-Day Film Challenge Week 3

It's that time of week again, cinephiles  -  the third week of the never-ending  ongoing film challenge  -  and we're starting with an absolute classic. ( Yeah, I know I say that a lot but this one really is. )

Day Fifteen
A film that makes you happy

Singin' In The Rain ( 1952 )
Yep, every time. Just a joyous movie, every frame filled with colour, movement and sheer exuberance. The ultimate Hollywood musical.

Day Sixteen
A film that is personal to you

Not quite sure what this means but I'm going with
Star Wars ( 1977 )
When this movie was released in the UK I had just turned 11-years old, the perfect age for Lucas' space epic. Like most kids of my generation I was completely knocked out by it  -  I hadn't known it but this was the film I'd been waiting for...

Day Seventeen
Favourite film sequel

The Godfather Part II ( 1974 )
Most sequels are a case of diminishing returns but Coppola's second installment of his Corleone family saga is a masterpiece. So much so that, like the first two Superman movies, it's difficult to separate them. The cinematography, the score, the dialogue, the performances  -  all unbeatable.

And, as if the cast of the first movie wasn't wonderful enough, the sequel added Robert De Niro as a young Vito Corleone. Just outstanding.

Thank God Coppola didn't make an inferior third movie long after the fact.
( What do you mean he did??? )

Day Eighteen
A film that stars your favourite actor / actress

It's very hard for me to pick a favourite actor ( even if it was "pick a fave actor from a particular decade" it would be difficult unless it was the 1910s ) so I'm going with
The Philadelphia Story ( 1940 )
Here are three of my faves in one movie ( and one promotional photo )  -  Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart:

Day Nineteen
A film made by your favourite director

Another nigh-on impossible choice so I'll cheat and go with one classic / one modern
The Lady Vanishes ( dir. Alfred Hitchcock 1938 )
Baby Driver ( dir. Edgar Wright 2017 )

Day Twenty
A film that changed your life

Believe it or not it's the lame Bruce Willis / Kim Basinger comedy Blind Date ( 1987 )

There was a girl at work I liked and I knew she liked me. I asked her to see this film with me ( I knew she was a fan of Willis in Moonlighting ) ...and we're still together 33 years later.

Day Twenty-One
A film that you dozed off in

Avengers: Age Of Ultron ( 2015 )
My family can attest to the fact that I can fall asleep anywhere any time but this particular superhero slugfest seemed to go on for sooooooooooo long that the old eyelids began to droop somewhere during the climactic battle...

Sorry Ultron, I know you tried your best.

Okay, just one more week to go and, as the number of categories goes up to 30 ( it's a month! ), this final post will probably be on 18/08 if I can get my act together. That's a big "if"...

As ever, if anyone would care to join in with this challenge then please leave a comment, it would be very welcome. Cheers!

30-Day Film Challenge Week 2

Here we go with week two of the film challenge where I collate all my biased, ill-informed Tweets from the last week into one handy, celluloid-based post...

Day Eight
A film where you liked the soundtrack more

Fantasia ( 1940 )
Whilst obviously ground-breaking and technically brilliant I find this film incredibly slow and I'd rather just listen to the score which is basically Classical Music's Greatest Hits.

Day Nine
A film you hate that everyone else liked

The Shawshank Redemption ( 1994 )

Painful, smug and painfully smug. And it features Tim Robbins. No more needs to be said.

Day Ten
Your favourite superhero film

While we're clearly living through a golden age of superhero movies ( okay, pre-pandemic ) I always go back ( unsurprisingly ) to Superman The Movie ( 1978 ) / Superman II ( 1980 ), still my absolute, inseparable faves.

Day Eleven
A film you like from your least favourite genre

As I said here in my original Massive Movie Meme posts, my least-favourite genres are a tie between what I think of as "cowboy musicals" and the odious "torture porn" horror movies. Neither of these fit the bill so I'm going with romantic comedy. I'm not a great fan of rom-coms as I find many of them too formulaic but Marc Webb's ( 500 ) Days Of Summer ( 2009 ) is an exception  -  bittersweet and genuinely funny with two eminently watchable lead actors and a cool indie soundtrack.

As a bonus treat, here's another photo of the lovely Zooey Deschanel. You're welcome.

Day 12
A film that you hate from your favourite genre

Well I don't hate it but Silent Running ( 1972 ) is a science fiction film that has a lot going for it  -  still impressive special effects from Doug Trumbull, a typically twitchy performance by Bruce Dern, cute robots  -  but the whole premise is fatally flawed ( why would a dying Earth send its last forests into space? where are they going? ) even before the point Dern, a botanist, realises going further away from the sun will kill the forests ( duh! ). And then bloody Joan Baez turns up to warble over the end of the movie. ( At least it's not as painful as her murdering The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. )

Day 13
A film that put you in deep thoughts ( ??? )
Who writes this stuff?

The Ninth Configuration ( 1980 )
William Peter Blatty's sort-of follow up to the themes of The Exorcist. An arty, pretentious but brilliant movie about the purpose of evil, God's indifference to Man and the difficulties of adapting the works of Shakespeare for dogs.A truly unique film with unforgettable performances and cracking dialogue. Warning: although very funny this film also gets extremely dark and despairing before the final, redemptive scene.

Day 14
A film that gave you depression
Again, who writes these categories???

No film "gave me depression" but the 2015 documentary Amy is one of the saddest movies I've ever seen, documenting the meteoric rise and heart-breaking fall of Amy Winehouse.

Day 14 ( supplemental )
I don't really want to end this post on a downer, so I'll just mention that James and I ( finally ) watched Bong Joon-ho's extraordinary Parasite ( 2019 ) on Blu-Ray yesterday. Is it as good as they say? No, it's even better. Part black comedy, part horror, all social satire, constantly twisting and turning, and beautifully shot... even the scenes of toilets overflowing. Highly recommended.

30-Day Film Challenge Week 1

Yes, that's right Dear Reader, as if the 30-day song challenge and comic challenge weren't enough, I've taken the plunge and started the film challenge too! I'm obviously a glutton for punishment. As well as peanut butter. As in the previous challenges, some of the categories are a little bizarre so I may have to, er. reinterpret them as I go along. Here we go with Week 1  -

Day One
The first film you remember watching

No idea what the very first film I saw was ( something on telly no doubt ) but I think the first film I saw at the cinema may have been a re-release of Disney's Sleeping Beauty ( 1959 ), some time in the early 1970s. ( I believe this was in Gloucester's old Odeon cinema which was closed down in 1975 and, of course, turned into a bingo hall. )

Yep, still one of the coolest dragons in all of pop culture. I remember being very scared and excited by this and I couldn't believe the friend I was with was so scared he cried. I thought it was the best bit...

Day Two
A film you like that starts with the first letter of your name ( first dumb category alert! )

Some Like It Hot ( 1959 )
My all-time fave movie comedy. The combined talents of Monroe, Lemmon, Curtis, Wilder and Diamond forging sparkling, iconic Hollywood comedy gold from chaos.

Day Three
A film that has more than five words
( I'm taking this to mean more than five words in the title, or otherwise it could be any "talking picture" ever made. Ho hum. )

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind ( 1977 )
My second favourite Spielberg after that big fish movie

And also one of my favourite movies full stop. CE3K could easily appear in multiple categories across this film challenge and I could also very easily write an entire blog post about how much I love it. Maybe some other time. In the meantime, keep watching the skies...

Day Four
A film with a number in the title

Another no-brainer, it has to be Kubrick and Clarke's "ultimate trip" -  monoliths, monkeys and mystery in space:
2001: A Space Odyssey ( 1968 )

I've posted about this movie before on this 'ere blog ( more than once, I think ) so I won't say much more except:
"Alexa, open the pod bay doors."

Day Five
A film where a character has a job you want

Roman Holiday ( 1955 )
I want Gregory Peck's newspaper reporter job so I can pose around a black and white 1950s Italy with Audrey Hepburn. There may be some writing involved too...

( The comment above has been recycled from a series of posts I did here many moons ago, under the title Massive Movie Meme. You can find these posts, should you wish to, by going to the "Labels" section to the right of this very page and clicking on MMM. If you do this you can keep track of just how many times I can plagiarise my own posts in the next few weeks. As well as adding more traffic to this 'ere blog. It's a win-win situation! Cheers! )

Day Six
Your favourite animated film

I struggled with this one but settled on the absolutely insane, plastic toy-based Belgian film A Town Called Panic ( 2009 )
One of the funniest, most imaginative films of this century, constantly topping itself with ever-escalating lunacy. ( And, yes, this is another recycled comment. Honestly... it's a good job you're not paying for this crap, Dear Reader. Unless, of course, you want to. Drop me an email, we'll sort something out... )

Day Seven
A film that you will never get tired of

Okay, I'm a film fan so obviously there are a lot of these and no doubt a few will turn up in this challenge, so I'll just go with the piscine perfection of

Jaws ( 1975 )

As I said above, this is still my favourite Spielberg movie. He may have made slicker movies, bigger-budgeted movies and more meaningful movies ( yawn! ) since Bruce first swam around Amity Island but, for me at least, none have had the sheer impact of this big fish tale. Outstanding performances, ever-increasing tension, endlessly-quotable dialogue and John Williams' unforgettable score  -  Jaws has the lot. It's the kind of movie that I've seen dozens of times and have on DVD ( of course ) but, if I'm flipping through TV channels and it's on, I will always, always watch it.
"Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish ladies..."

And that's it for Week One. If anyone would like to join in with the challenge, please feel free to leave a comment with your choices. I'll be waiting. ( Does that sound desperate enough? )