9.30.2013

Work


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The Art of Production Design - Robert Boyle

The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

Movies in 2013

1. Young Adult
2. Jeff, Who Lives At Home
3. Gosford Park
4. The Guard
5. Battle Beyond the Stars
6. Almost Famous
7. Ice Age: Continental Drift
8. G.I. Joe The Movie
9. The Rundown
10. Beasts of the Southern Wild
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
12. Oz, the Great and Powerful
13. The Avengers
14. Captain America: The First Avenger
15. Argo
16. The Hobbit
17. Stick
18. Heat
19. The Goonies
20. The Bay
21. Jurassic Park 3D
22. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
23. Iron Man Three
24. Zero Dark Thirty
25. Django Unchained
26. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
27. White Lightning
  
28. Prince of the City  
29. 2012  
30. Dredd  
31. Man of Steel  
32. The American  
33. Pitch Perfect  
34. Monsters University  
35. Black Rain  
36. Gator
37. Centurion  
38. Down Terrace  
39. Kill List 
40.  The Thieves
41. The Puffy Chair 
42. The Do-Deca-Pentathalon 
43. Godzilla, King of the Monsters! 
44. Godzilla Raids Again
45. Godzilla vs The Thing aka Mothra Vs. Godzilla
46. Ted
47. Peter Pan
48. Pacific Rim
49. Ghidorah The Three-Headed Monster
50. Godzilla vs Monster Zero aka Invasion of Astro-Monster
51. Chronicle
52. Moonrise Kingdom
53. The Spanish Prisoner
54. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
55. Gangster Squad
56. Seven Psychopaths
57. The Sweeney
58. Remember the Titans
59. X2
60. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
61. Smurfs 2
62. Killing Them Softly
63. Parker
64. The Lavender Hill Mob
65. Lincoln
66. X-Men
67. 42 
68. Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters
69. Batman: The Movie (1966) 
70. Ali 
71. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eight Dimension
72. Skyfall 
73. In The Loop 
74. Safe House 
75. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) 
76. Thor 
77. The Wizard of Oz (Imax - 3D)

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9.29.2013

Grand Prix

9.28.2013

The Thomas Crown Affair - Chess Scene

9.27.2013

Steve McQueen's Le Mans

Ravenswood Teaser Trailer

Teaser trailer for the show I am working on:


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Ravenswood


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Day & Night


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9.26.2013

Marty

The Long Goodbye

Interesting Placement


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Akira Kurosawa

Sergio Leone























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9.25.2013

Lonely Are The Brave Interview With Kirk Douglas

Richard Feynman - Fun To Imagine

Via Boing Boing:



The whole thing:

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Design is One Trailer

How To Be A Good Office Production Assistant

I decided to write this, because I am seeing a lot of the same problems over and over again with people who come in to to work as Office PA's on shows. I am focusing on office PA's since that is what I deal with, and Set PA's have a different life and different things they need to do.

First, you need three things to work as an Office PA:

1. A working, clean car.
2. A working, up to date laptop.
3. A smart phone.

You are going to be doing lots of runs as an Office PA. You will be picking up gear and dropping it off. You will be taking stuff to and from set. You will be picking up people from the airport. You will be driving around Cast and Directors and Producers. All of these people are going to be in your car at some point, so your car needs to be clean and needs to run.

You are in the Production Office. You are going to have to use a computer, and no office gives you one to work with. You are going to be asked to look stuff up constantly. You are going to have to create documents. The more you are trusted and the more experience you get, the more paperwork is going to be handed to you to work on.

Working in the office means you are going to receive emails constantly. You will receive them from the office staff and the distribution list. Your phone needs to be on at all times to receive calls and changes on runs. You will be asked to look things up while driving people around. Your phone should be with you and near you, even when you are off of work.

When you come to work in the office the first time, make sure you bring your own pens and something to write on. I don't trust PA's who say they will remember whatever is told them. I want to see it is written down. And bringing your own supplies shows me you are serious about your work. Production is under no obligation to buy you supplies.

You need to be a self starter. Don't wait to be told what to do. you see something in the office that needs to be done, then get to it whether it is making sure coffee is made or grabbing trash or filing away paperwork. We aren't here to hang out all day on our computer. If you are on a task, think about what you are doing. Also, know how to look busy. There can be big periods of downtime in the office. That doesn't mean you need to be playing games or watching Netflix. I have known producers to cut back an office because they didn't see a reason to have people around when PA's were watching stuff online.

You also have to grow up and mature. A lot of office PA's are green to working in Film and TV. They are fresh out of college. But now you are working, so you need to act like a grown up. You have to be on time. In fact, you should be early for anything you are doing related to work. You need to learn to dress. The production office isn't like being on set. You don't have to be in full dress attire, but you need to drop the shorts and t-shirts and put on jeans and a polo or a button down at least. You are going to be dealing with people of all levels, so look like you are making an effort.

Understand you are a PA. No one cares what you did in college or what you have worked on outside of this show. We only care about your work here and now. Know that the director is a very busy person as are the producers. Know that the actors are not your friends, and they are not going to date you. If you are driving someone around, that is not your time to pitch them your script or try and get gossip from them. If you are driving a director or producer to set or somewhere else, let them initiate conversation.

Office PA work can be boring. I won't lie. But it also allows you to get to know everyone on the crew. You will get to meet everyone, and they are are going to get to know you. If you want to move into another department, being an Office PA is a way for you to get to know the department heads and others who can teach you as well as help you move into whatever department you want to be in. But you still need to show that you want to be there. You need to show you are motivated to work in production. A Production Coordinator or an APOC (Assistant Production Coordinator), can help you out a lot by recommending you or giving you time to go work in another department. But they aren't going to do that for people who they see as unmotivated and don't want to be there and do the job they signed up for.

All of this applies to any kind of show you work on, from no budget indies to major TV shows and big budget studio features.

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9.24.2013

Utmost


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9.22.2013

Movies in 2013

1. Young Adult
2. Jeff, Who Lives At Home
3. Gosford Park
4. The Guard
5. Battle Beyond the Stars
6. Almost Famous
7. Ice Age: Continental Drift
8. G.I. Joe The Movie
9. The Rundown
10. Beasts of the Southern Wild
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
12. Oz, the Great and Powerful
13. The Avengers
14. Captain America: The First Avenger
15. Argo
16. The Hobbit
17. Stick
18. Heat
19. The Goonies
20. The Bay
21. Jurassic Park 3D
22. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
23. Iron Man Three
24. Zero Dark Thirty
25. Django Unchained
26. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
27. White Lightning
  
28. Prince of the City  
29. 2012  
30. Dredd  
31. Man of Steel  
32. The American  
33. Pitch Perfect  
34. Monsters University  
35. Black Rain  
36. Gator
37. Centurion  
38. Down Terrace  
39. Kill List 
40.  The Thieves
41. The Puffy Chair 
42. The Do-Deca-Pentathalon 
43. Godzilla, King of the Monsters! 
44. Godzilla Raids Again
45. Godzilla vs The Thing aka Mothra Vs. Godzilla
46. Ted
47. Peter Pan
48. Pacific Rim
49. Ghidorah The Three-Headed Monster
50. Godzilla vs Monster Zero aka Invasion of Astro-Monster
51. Chronicle
52. Moonrise Kingdom
53. The Spanish Prisoner
54. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
55. Gangster Squad
56. Seven Psychopaths
57. The Sweeney
58. Remember the Titans
59. X2
60. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
61. Smurfs 2
62. Killing Them Softly
63. Parker
64. The Lavender Hill Mob
65. Lincoln
66. X-Men
67. 42 
68. Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters
69. Batman: The Movie (1966) 
70. Ali 
71. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eight Dimension
72. Skyfall 
73. In The Loop 
74. Safe House 
75. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) 
76. Thor

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Pumpkins?

Nope. Eggplant:


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Doctor Who Dat

The monkey's new Saints shirt:


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9.21.2013

Neil Marshall On Raiders of The Lost Ark



And the documentary he references, The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark:


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More Joss Whedon

BAFTA Mini Masterclasses


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BFI Ask An Expert Series

Walter Murch On Editing From Cinephilia & Beyond

9.20.2013

Movies in 2013

1. Young Adult
2. Jeff, Who Lives At Home
3. Gosford Park
4. The Guard
5. Battle Beyond the Stars
6. Almost Famous
7. Ice Age: Continental Drift
8. G.I. Joe The Movie
9. The Rundown
10. Beasts of the Southern Wild
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
12. Oz, the Great and Powerful
13. The Avengers
14. Captain America: The First Avenger
15. Argo
16. The Hobbit
17. Stick
18. Heat
19. The Goonies
20. The Bay
21. Jurassic Park 3D
22. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
23. Iron Man Three
24. Zero Dark Thirty
25. Django Unchained
26. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
27. White Lightning
  
28. Prince of the City  
29. 2012  
30. Dredd  
31. Man of Steel  
32. The American  
33. Pitch Perfect  
34. Monsters University  
35. Black Rain  
36. Gator
37. Centurion  
38. Down Terrace  
39. Kill List 
40.  The Thieves
41. The Puffy Chair 
42. The Do-Deca-Pentathalon 
43. Godzilla, King of the Monsters! 
44. Godzilla Raids Again
45. Godzilla vs The Thing aka Mothra Vs. Godzilla
46. Ted
47. Peter Pan
48. Pacific Rim
49. Ghidorah The Three-Headed Monster
50. Godzilla vs Monster Zero aka Invasion of Astro-Monster
51. Chronicle
52. Moonrise Kingdom
53. The Spanish Prisoner
54. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
55. Gangster Squad
56. Seven Psychopaths
57. The Sweeney
58. Remember the Titans
59. X2
60. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
61. Smurfs 2
62. Killing Them Softly
63. Parker
64. The Lavender Hill Mob
65. Lincoln
66. X-Men
67. 42 
68. Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters
69. Batman: The Movie (1966) 
70. Ali 
71. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eight Dimension
72. Skyfall 
73. In The Loop 
74. Safe House 
75. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

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The Melville Variations

9.18.2013

Kickstarter: Helvetica, Objectified, Urbanized: The Complete Interviews

For those into Design, Typography, and Architecture:


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Paul Pope: BEA In Your Space


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9.17.2013

Breaking Bad Ozymandias Director's Commentary

Producer John Kilik on The Current State of the Film Business

From Deadline:

“I live near the Film Forum and last Saturday I went to see Jean Luc Godard’s “Contempt”, on it’s 50th anniversary. In the film, Fritz Lang plays the director of a commercial treatment of “The Odyssey”. His line near the end of the film sums up the separate but related realities of both love and filmmaking. He speaks his final 3 words, “ONE MUST SUFFER.”

A couple of weeks ago I was on a flight from Los Angeles to New York reading recent speeches and statements by some of our greatest American Filmmakers. This time, unfortunately, their words sent out more panic than inspiration. Steven Soderbergh, in his “State of Cinema” address at the San Francisco Film Festival claimed that “Cinema is under assault by the Studios, with the full support of the audience. The reasons for this are more economic than philosophical but when you add an ample amount of fear and a lack of vision and a lack of leadership you’ve got a trajectory that’s pretty difficult to reverse.”

In a recent talk at USC, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg predicted that the film industry is on track to have a “massive implosion” because there just isn’t enough time in the day for people to support all the films released in theaters. Lucas complained that it’s getting so bad it is even hard for him to get a film in a theater and that this should make producers of films very nervous.

According to these great titans, CINEMA is in danger of disappearing from the theaters and MOVIES are to be relegated to a lurid sensational experience akin to a theme park ride or Las Vegas Dinner Theater.

Many people have predicted the end of the film business. Or at least a cataclysmic shake up that destroys all modestly budgeted films of quality leaving us with only 4D motion control Blockbusters. These End-of-Days predictions have come before in our industry. The advent of Color was supposed to eventually doom Black and White – in which case we would have never had “Dr. Strangelove”, “Manhattan”, “Raging Bull”, or “Schindler’s List”. Or “She’s Gotta Have It”, “Stranger Than Paradise”, or “Pi” – giving birth to Spike Lee, Jim Jarmusch and Darren Aronofsky. Television was supposed to doom the theatrical experience – why would anyone want to go out to a movie when they can get it at home. Cable TV and DVD’s were supposed to do the same thing. Video on Demand and companies like Netflix were supposed to do it again.

It hasn’t happened – what has happened is that we now have more ways to make movies and more ways to get people to see them than ever before.

So my advice to us, all of us, from film students to Spielberg, Lucas and Soderbergh, all of us who make human movies that we care about, my advice is to ignore the prophecies, DON’T RETIRE, and keep on making films and showing films by any means available. Build and they will come.


The Internet has allowed us to express individuality and form communities that were unimaginable before. Social Media finds like-minded individuals and bonds them together in the formation of these communities. That’s another word for an “audience”. And in this way, there may be more opportunity for independent film than there ever has been in it’s history. All of this sets the stage for a renaissance in Independent Filmmaking. Instead of being on its last legs I would argue that the Independent Film is about to spring to life.

So why the doom and gloom about the film industry? Yes it’s true that movies have become a crass commercial commodity at times and studios have crowded these spectacles into theaters at a disproportional rate. But it’s also true that sensitive, brave, personal, and courageous work is being done everyday. For every tent pole being built pixel by pixel in a Hollywood Laboratory, there is a young filmmaker like Benh Zeitlin going into the bathtub of New Orleans with a small cast and crew and a 16MM camera to create a uniquely personal vision. “Beasts of the Southern Wild” found its way all the way to the White House and to the Oscars. For every sequel that’s being churned out, there is something new and original fighting to be born. It’s never been harder and it’s never been easier. I guess it’s been like that all along.

I’ve been lucky to work with a great number of talented directors. All of them have made the film for themselves first, and the audience second. That’s not out of vanity, or because they don’t care about the people who see their films. It’s because they know the only way to truly connect to an audience is to be as personal as they possibly can and share that piece of themselves onscreen.

I’ve made 5 films with my friend Julian Schnabel. None were financed by studios, none were financed by indies, they were made with the help of private contributors who believed in us when no company did. For us, raising money through social media meant making phone calls, shaking hands, and writing letters.

I can’t really blame any executive for not buying based on our pitch.

BASQUIAT – Black graffiti artist living on the streets of New York City in the late 70’s, rises to fame in the early 80’s, but drugs and depression result in death at age 27.

BEFORE NIGHT FALLS – Gay Cuban novelist Reinaldo Arenas finally escapes Castro’s Cuba but contracts AIDS and dies in New York City by assisted suicide. We’re going to do it in English but mix Spanish when we feel like it or if an actor can’t speak English.

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY – Jean Dominique Bauby is the editor of French Elle and on top of the world when he suffers a massive stroke. He wakes up 20 days later completely paralyzed. Unable to communicate he can only blink his left eyelid. Despite his condition, he writes a book by blinking when the correct letter was reached by his nurse slowly reciting the alphabet one letter at a time. And we are going to do it in French.

MIRAL – The story of a young Palestinian girl who, after her mother’s suicide, is sent to an orphanage in Jerusalem. She is assigned to teach at a refugee camp on the West Bank where she falls in love with a Palestinian militant. She is later arrested, interrogated, and tortured by Israeli soldiers.

BERLIN – First live performance in 30 years by Lou Reed of his 1973 solo record “Berlin” which in its’ record guide Rolling Stone described as “one of the most depressing records ever made”.

Why did everyone pass?

We got them all made and eventually they all found theatrical distribution. “Basquiat” won an Independent Spirit Award. “Before Night Falls” and “The Diving Bell” received Oscar nominations. Even “Miral”, despite poor reviews, was honored by the Muslim Public Affairs Council and screened at the United Nations General Assembly. You can find your audience.

So who out there wants to hear about our next one? It’s loosely based on Dante’s “Inferno”. All financiers can start to form a line outside now.

I’ve been talking to and advising up-and-coming filmmakers for a long time. Over the years, I’ve always given what I thought was some valuable advice, which is this: “Listen very closely to your inner filmmaker, be true to your own unique, distinctive voice. It’s all very well and good to study the craft and the history of cinema, but once you’ve taken all that in tell your story through your lens, through your unique perspective as an artist – and THAT is the definition of cinema. That is what sets cinema apart from mere movies.”

I’m a film producer but I know NOT to value a movie based on budget. Story is what is important. In whatever form you choose to tell yours, you have the opportunity to challenge the status quo, provoke thought, shine a light on an event, a condition, a time and a place, give a voice to those who have none, or simply make a love story, a comedy or a genre film. Tell your story. The work will outlive the format.

Now the record business really has “imploded” due to new technology. But despite this, there are more musicians creating more types of music than ever before.

Last year, thousands of them gathered in Austin, Texas to hear Bruce Springsteen deliver an inspiring keynote address at the South by Southwest Music Festival. Musicians, filmmakers and all artists can relate to his message. He said, “The one thing that’s been consistent over the years is the power of creativity. The power of the writer or creator. So whatever style your work, it’s all about how you’re putting what you do together. The elements you’re using don’t matter. The purity of human expression and experience is not confined to the tools you use. There is no right way, no pure way of doing it. There is just doing it.”

Bruce’s advice continued with “Don’t take yourself too seriously and take yourself as seriously as death itself…Don’t worry, worry your ass off…Have iron clad confidence, but have doubt…it keeps you awake and alert.”

In film, if you don’t have a vision for something it doesn’t happen. You’ve got to believe it to see it. Eventually you will find your audience or more accurately they will find you.

Film has a 100-year history of adapting to the changes and challenges brought on by new technology. This will always get figured out. The ease of being able to reach people will only increase.

So it isn’t true that cinema is dead, it’s actually a very healthy industry and as Soderbergh pointed out, it’s one of the few American exports that continues to do very well. But we can’t ignore that one particular sector of the market is getting squeezed and must be protected – the midrange budget drama – movies about HUMAN BEINGS.

But despite that squeeze, many talented filmmakers, young and old, have overcome the challenge and made a large quantity of quality independent dramas that are coming out this year. I have never seen so many high quality films entering the main stream.

“Blue Jasmine”, “Fruitvale Station”, “Mud”, “The Butler”, “Inside Llewyn Davis”, “Gravity”, “Her”, “12 Years a Slave”, “Nebraska”, “American Hustle”, “Foxcatcher”, “Out of the Furnace”, “Captain Phillips”, “Rush”, “The Monuments Men”, “Prisoners”, “August O’Sage County”, “Philomena”, “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”, “Saving Mr. Banks”, “Labor Day”, “All is Lost”.

I’m sure there are several more I’m missing. Has there ever been a better time for Independent Cinema? I can’t wait to see all of them. I’m predicting a great year. Thank you to all the distributors who bring these films to the theaters. All distributors both independent and major studios for continuing to finance and distribute movies about the human condition. For supporting handmade films by auteur filmmakers. Stay strong, stay committed, and we will continue to partner with you to grow the great history of American Independent Cinema.

Studio executives are not our enemy. Especially today with more women and growing diversity. I have found execs – to a person – as hardworking and courageous as their filmmaker counterparts. They are passionate and educated in film history and often put their job on the line to help a filmmaker get what he or she needs.

And finally, I want to leave you with a quote from one of the most inspiring speeches I have ever heard. It was at the 73rd Academy Awards. I was fortunate to be there with two independent films: “Before Night Falls” and our Best Actor nominee Javier Bardem, and “Pollock” with our Best Actor nominee Ed Harris and Best Supporting Actress winner Marcia Gay Harden. The speech came in a different category but it struck deep and I never forgot it. It went like this – “I want to thank anyone who spends part of their day creating. I don’t care if it’s a book, a film, a painting, a dance, a piece of theater, a piece of music, anybody who spends part of their day sharing their experience with us. I think this world would be unlivable without art and I thank you.” That was from Steven Soderbergh, Academy Award Winner, Best Director, March 25th, 2001.


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Today's Fortune


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9.16.2013

Waiting on the light to change

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Beware the Were-Rabbit!

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9.15.2013

Kathryn Bigelow

Mark Boal

Zero Dark Thirty:









The Hurt Locker:





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9.14.2013

Ron Howard on Filmmaking

BAFTA Screenwriters Lectures

Movies in 2013

1. Young Adult
2. Jeff, Who Lives At Home
3. Gosford Park
4. The Guard
5. Battle Beyond the Stars
6. Almost Famous
7. Ice Age: Continental Drift
8. G.I. Joe The Movie
9. The Rundown
10. Beasts of the Southern Wild
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
12. Oz, the Great and Powerful
13. The Avengers
14. Captain America: The First Avenger
15. Argo
16. The Hobbit
17. Stick
18. Heat
19. The Goonies
20. The Bay
21. Jurassic Park 3D
22. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
23. Iron Man Three
24. Zero Dark Thirty
25. Django Unchained
26. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
27. White Lightning
  
28. Prince of the City  
29. 2012  
30. Dredd  
31. Man of Steel  
32. The American  
33. Pitch Perfect  
34. Monsters University  
35. Black Rain  
36. Gator
37. Centurion  
38. Down Terrace  
39. Kill List 
40.  The Thieves
41. The Puffy Chair 
42. The Do-Deca-Pentathalon 
43. Godzilla, King of the Monsters! 
44. Godzilla Raids Again
45. Godzilla vs The Thing aka Mothra Vs. Godzilla
46. Ted
47. Peter Pan
48. Pacific Rim
49. Ghidorah The Three-Headed Monster
50. Godzilla vs Monster Zero aka Invasion of Astro-Monster
51. Chronicle
52. Moonrise Kingdom
53. The Spanish Prisoner
54. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
55. Gangster Squad
56. Seven Psychopaths
57. The Sweeney
58. Remember the Titans
59. X2
60. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
61. Smurfs 2
62. Killing Them Softly
63. Parker
64. The Lavender Hill Mob
65. Lincoln
66. X-Men
67. 42 
68. Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters
69. Batman: The Movie (1966) 
70. Ali 
71. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eight Dimension
72. Skyfall 
73. In The Loop 
74. Safe House

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