Thursday's Top 100 (2016)

Love this film too TN

I like a good costume drama, especially one with a bit of bite to it. Glenn Close and John Malkovich play utterly reprehensible aristocrats, who engage in dangerous games with the lives, loves and reputations of the people around them, and receive their comeuppance in the end.

Stephen Frears is a bit hit and miss for me as a director but he has made some really fine movies - including My Beautiful Laundrette and Philomena. Dangerous Liaisons looks fantastic (the costumes!), and despite dealing with some really quite despicable individuals, it has a lot of emotional power - especially when the notorious rake Valmont begins to fall in love himself with the virtuous woman he is attempting to corrupt. Even the scheming, amoral Marquise de Merteiul inspires some sympathy - cruelty is her method of survival. Based on the excellent book Les Liasions Dangereuse by Cholderlos de Laclos, the screenplay is full of sharp wit. There have been several versions but I think this is the best, with an honourable mention for the modern update, Cruel Intentions, which is also really good.

Adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley books, Plein Soleil is an absolutely gorgeous feast for the eyes as well as a tense, gripping thriller. It stars the wonderful Alain Delon as the magnetic Ripley, who is sent to bring home the cruelly charming playboy Phillippe Greenleaf, but ends up murdering him and assuming his identity. A noirish plot in a relentlessly sunny setting, you can practically feel the heat. The ending is changed from the book, but it’s a very powerful ending.

Honourable Mention: Clement’s Jeux Inderdits, another beautifully photographed film.

I’ve tried to get various people to watch this film, both on here and irl, but with little success - nobody else seems to see in it what I do! But I think it’s a charming and refreshing romantic comedy. When Bruno’s girlfriend dumps him, he befriends the new boyfriend, Pablo, in the hope of breaking them up somehow. When he finds out Pablo has previously been with a man, he switches to ‘plan b’ - seduce Pablo himself. Of course things don’t go according to plan and he ends up falling for Pablo for real. This film has a lot of people sitting and talking. Or sitting and not talking. And shots of Argentinian buildings. (And Argentinian men in their underwear). Which is perhaps why it’s not more popular. But it's both funny and emotional and has a romantic ending that beats any number of last minute dash to the airport type scenes.

Purple Noon and Forbidden Games are really good, curious about Clement's other stuff. Never seen Dangerous Liaisons but i have seen Cruel Intentions which i've always liked.

I feel like I've seen Plan B but I can't remember. It sounds so familiar.

I quite like entries 25 and 26 (tricky spelling).

Dangerous Liaisons is on my 100, so that's an obvious rep from me.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.