Tyson Carter – Desert Island Films

I have just created a new feature for my site, in what I hope is a good way to get to know you guys and girls that read my blog. Desert Island Films is about choosing 8 films you would take if you were going to be stranded on a desert island and explaining your choices. They don’t necessarily have to be your favourites, just 8 films, no more or no less! You are also permitted to take one book and one novelty item which must be inanimate and of no use in escaping the island or allowing communication from outside.

If you would ever like to take part for a bit of fun, to help everyone get to know you a little better, and to get your name and site on the prestigious ‘castaway’ list on Desert Island Films, please drop me an email to – tysoncarter@hotmail.co.uk

I thought I should start and kick this project off with my choices. In no particular order:

#1 – The Godfather.

Just everything about this film is perfection to me. Music, acting, story, just a masterpiece and a film I can never get tired of. Telling the tale of a New York mafia boss and his family, it defies belief that some people still haven’t seen this film. Please go watch it now if you are one of these people! 🙂 So often imitated and referenced, this truly is the benchmark for all mafia movies, and arguably one of the greatest films ever made.

#2 – The Godfather: Part II.

How else can I follow up The Godfather without The Godfather: Part II? If it’s possible I love them both equally, as whilst the majority of sequels fail, Godfather Part II shows us a young Vito Corleone and delivers a story that’s different enough from the original, and yet good enough to be agreed upon by the majority of film lovers as the greatest sequel of all time. My amazing wife bought me a signed & framed poster of this film years ago for my 21st birthday, and it hangs with pride of place in my home. After my cat, and maybe the wife this is the first possession I would rescue 🙂

#3 – Pulp Fiction.

After Godfather parts I & II, I know you won’t be surprised to see Godfather: Part III Pulp Fiction as my 3rd desert island choice. Tarantino’s superb film about mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster’s wife, and a pair of diner bandits is just gloriously funny and dark, and yet far and away one of the greatest films I have seen. Multi layered, incredible cast, eccentric story-lines and performances with the typical Tarantino brilliant soundtrack, Pulp Fiction is a piece of work that just gets better the older I get. I don’t think many (if any) of the cast have done anything anywhere near this good since, and maybe even the master director himself has created something he will never be able to better.

#4 – Saw.

I remember buying a copy of Saw on dvd from an asian lady in Battery Park, New York, whilst I waited to take the ferry to Staten island like all the other tourists. I then went back to our friends house In New Jersey to huddle round and watch the awful quality copy of this dvd on a laptop, and whilst I was amazed it not only worked, I was blown away by how good it was and it’s legacy has stayed with me through all 7 of the Saw films. Simple premise, but with a twist I don’t think will ever be bettered and it has created one of the best bad-guys in any horror franchise in my opinion. Whilst it may have been responsible in parts for creating the awful phrase ‘torture-porn’, the original Saw is something I watch every year and am still amazed at how good it is.

#5 – Anchorman.

Just to lighten the mood, I would have to take the greatest comedy of all time. This was a really close call and The Big Lebowski nearly snatched it, but in the end I plumped for Anchorman. I could watch Anchorman every day and never get bored. Endlessly quotable, even just reading quotes makes me cry with laughter. Will Ferrell has never been better, and whilst I know some people just don’t ‘get it’, I honestly can’t imagine ever getting bored of it however long I was stuck on the island for. (I actually collect bobbleheads, and the Anchorman set is pretty much impossible to get hold of, especially here in the UK. If any one has any they don’t want………. 🙂 I would literally kill  do anything to get hold of them though.)

#6 – Casino.

The first film that ever made an impression on me simply has to come to the island. The fact that it’s 3 hours long also helps as that will fill some time, but Casino is just another masterpiece from Scorsese and De Niro, and it’s always fun to see Pesci playing the psycho. If your interested you can read my Casino review by clicking here. That review pretty much sums up my love and feelings for Casino.

#7 – The Deer Hunter.

Not the lightest of film watches, but The Deer Hunter gives us an in-depth examination into the way that the Vietnam war affects the lives of people in a small industrial town in the USA. Seeing De Niro and Walken play russian roulette is one of the most emotional moments in cinema I have ever seen. An incredible film, thoroughly deserving of the acclaim and awards it received.

#8 – Goodfellas.

Last but by no means least is Goodfellas. Quite possibly my favourite film of all time, Ray Liotta has never been better in the true story of real life mobster Henry Hill. Pesci is funny and frightening and plays the perfect psycho, and De Niro is his cool and calm best in this incredible film. Scorsese and De Niro again finish of my list, and whilst it may seem a pretty generic and mafia filled list to some, I really struggled picking just 8 and missed off so many other films I already feel bad about it, but those are the rules! I can never imagine getting bored of the 8 films I have chosen, and I watch them all religiously at least once a year. Drive and I Saw The Devil came within a whisker of being picked, but in the end I’ll settle for linking you to my reviews of them, please check them out and watch it you haven’t already, they need more love!

My book choice would be Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling by Bret Hart.

I actually saw Bret Hart at Wrestlemania in Caesars Palace when I was a kid on a family holiday. I always loved wrestling and Bret was easily my favourite. Reading his book was heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time, and what this man has overcome (the death of his younger brother in the ring in a freak accident, suffering a stroke then being fit enough to return to wrestling) was just inspiring and possibly the best book I have ever read.

As for my luxury item, that would have to be my wedding & honeymoon photo album.

Easily the happiest times in my life, all summed up in one album filled with photos such as this one of our paradise island in the Maldives. Would always be nice to be reminded of the best times. Unless Kelly Brook appeared on this island, then I would lose the album and definitely be single 🙂 My wife actually asked me why I didn’t choose her. I explained what the word ‘inanimate’ meant and she is still annoyed at my reasoning. Maybe I’ll cut her out of the photos just to be safe 🙂

Posted by Tysoncarter182 on July 26, 2012

https://headinavice.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/tysoncarters-desert-island-films/