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"You know what luck is? Luck is believing you're lucky, that's all..."
Personal statement:

My name is Jonathan, I was born in the very last week of the sixties in a small town called Penrith, known as the gateway to the English Lake District.

My friends call me Tommo, none of them call me Kowalski but it's been my online moniker for a while now. The name is inspired by two films I love. They are very different from each other but each great in their own way. Stanley Kowalski (Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire) and Kowalski (Barry Newman in Vanishing Point, 1971).

As a kid I was a dreamer, always writing stories, acting out roleplays. I guess it was a natural progression from there to catching the cinema bug. My earliest memories of film were watching Elvis Presley movies with my mother. I was fanatical about those. I think Ann Margret was actually my first cinematic crush :)

The rest of the time i spent kicking a ball about desperately trying to emulate my footballing heroes George Best, Johan Cruyff and later Michel Platini and Diego Maradona. I'm still mad on football and support the mighty red devils 'Manchester United'.

I have had no formal film education. Film is an education in itself. I have no experience of the film industry either, although I am a "practising" screenwriter. More of a hobby than a career aim.

My real work day is spent as a crime researcher which i guess ties in with my passion for crime fiction, pulp and film noir.

I'm an obsessive habitual film watcher and like to work my way through lists. Currently i'm working my way through the BFI 100. I'm single so have a lot of time on my hands. If you're a single female on Spout I am looking for an equally obsessive film fan partner ;)

If you see me around, say hi, I'd love to chat with you all.  I don't know anyone else on Spout. My friends don't really hangout online much.

Oh and I have a blog. Rebellious Celluloid. Join me there and discuss...

http://rebelliousc.com

[more]

Kowalski76's movie tags

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Quantum of Solace (2008)
By Kowalski76 in Rebellious Celluloid
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. [What do you think?]
"I have always felt that Casino Royale was the best book in Ian Fleming's 007 series, it featured a Bond who was noticeably different to that in the films that followed, a more human Bond. Daniel Craig captures the essence of Fleming's Bond better than any, including Connery for my money. In Quantum of Solace agent 007 goes renegade in a raw story of revenge to find out who is behind the funding of the terrorist activities which caused his lover Vesper to take her own life. I'm ecstatic that the producers decided to make Quantum Of Solace the first direct sequel of a Bond film by picking up the action only a matter of hours after Casino Royale ended. And hope the series continues on this route. I found the action engaging but over-edited in some sections of the film. QoS runs at a breakneck pace and is the shortest Bond at only 106 minutes. The strength of character Daniel Craig brings to the film, and extended screen-time given to Judi Dench made me want to stay with them long ... " [More]
Re:WANTED: Free movies online ( ...
By Kowalski76 in FilmCouch
"[quote user="leeroy711"] Here's a pretty good site for open source films. I've seen a couple good old classics like Haxan and Tod Browning's Freaks. The video quality ranges from decent to horrible but rather than streaming, you can just download and watch on your itunes. And, there's no commercials. [/quote] Wikipedia hosts a large list of public domain films, many containing links to sites where you can watch online. " [More]

Re:Top high school horror movies
By Kowalski76 in Top 5
"[quote user="SkyPilot"] Kevin Kelly also posted his Top high school horror movies. I still haven't seen Carrie. Would anyone recommend it? Whatever happened to Neve Campbell? I liked her. [/quote] She married actor John Light, moved to England, did two not so well received west end stage-play's, presented the London leg of Live Earth and is set to reprise her role as Sidney Prescott in Scream 4 in 2010. " [More]

Re:Technical Help
By Kowalski76 in Spout Customer Care
"[quote user="seely"] Members can't, but I can! :-) Just respond here or message me with the title and I'll try to find/upload the poster. If you have the image already, feel free to email it to me at jonathan@spout.com Thanks! [quote user="Kowalski76"] Hi Can a member upload an image to a page that is missing a poster? Thanks Jon [/quote] [/quote] Hi, Jonathan Thanks for answering. There are three films in all i've noticed. Two that I reviewed. Somers Town (2008) and Last Resort (2000). There's also quite a few absent from the BFI Top 100 List i'm compiling. Brighton Rock (1947) for example. I've sent three poster images to your e-mail. Thanks againJon (Kowalski) " [More]

Re:Technical Help
By Kowalski76 in Spout Customer Care
"Hi Can a member upload an image to a page that is missing a poster? Thanks Jon " [More]

Re:Games that should be movies ...
By Kowalski76 in Top 5
"[quote user="SkyPilot"] [quote user="Kowalski76"] 2. John Waters directs Leisure Suit Larry. [/quote] Whoa, Leisure Suit Larry! I forgot all about that game. Remember how the game made you prove you were 18+ by giving you a pop culture quiz? [/quote] Yeah that was an odd feature. I remember reading an article a few years back about a new version of the game that announced Jay Mohr, Carmen Electra and Patrick Warburton amongst the voice actors. Seems it was released in 2004, but I can't find any of their names on the imdb cast list. " [More]

Re:Games that should be movies ...
By Kowalski76 in Top 5
"[quote user="paul"] Two lists are being created for SpoutBlog this week (10/20/08): Video Games That Should Be Movies High School Horror Stories (think teen movies and horror movies getting it on in the back of dad's sedan) Got any top 5's for those two categories? [/quote] 1. Classic Sega oddity Toe Jam & Earl helmed by Spike Lee. 2. John Waters directs Leisure Suit Larry. 3. Live action Sonic The Hedgehog starring Russell Brand in the title role. 4. TuPacman: Tupac comes back from the dead to consume all that's fake about the world of hiphop. That's a lot of food. 5. Max Payne II: Quentin Tarantino stops that annoying baby from wailing once and for all. " [More]
Somers Town (2008)
By Kowalski76 in Rebellious Celluloid
Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Somers Town; the neighbourhood of London squeezed between the Euston, St. Pancras, and Kings Cross railway termini is the unlikely location and title of Brit director Shane Meadow's latest effort. I say 'unlikely' as it marks the first time Meadows has shot on location outside of his native East Midlands. It also marks his first film since the BAFTA winning 'This Is England'. Sixteen year old runaway Tomo (Thomas Turgoose) arrives in London off the train from Nottingham to a beating from a trio of cockney kids which results in the loss of his bag and wallet. Whilst contemplating his next move Tomo meets Polish immigrant Marek (Piotr Jagiello). The pair form a mutual appreciation society for the lovely Maria (Elisa Lasowski) a French girl who works at the local cafe and they turn their attention to earning some money to spend on wooing her, and finding some clothes and a roof for the potless homeless Tomo. Granted this is not much of a plot but strong characterisation and Meadows w ... " [More]
In Bruges (2008)
By Kowalski76 in Rebellious Celluloid
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"Martin Mcdonagh on his debut makes a great case for more playwrights stepping into film. He and the cast handle the dark themes of guilt and atonement with as much ease as the films many comedic moments. There are a few belly laughs to be had from Colin Farrell's dialogue alone. In Bruges is guaranteed to offend some people, you may be one of those people but the film really doesn't care. It just keeps on entertaining until the credits roll. One of my favourites of 2008 so far. " [More]
Re:Recast HIGH FIDELITY (2000) ...
By Kowalski76 in Filmgaming
"[quote user="SkyPilot"] Recast HIGH FIDELITY winner -- kowalski76Great list kowalski! It seems to be a favorite with the group, too. Ewan Mcgregor ... Rob GordonKate Winslet... LauraEwen Bremner ... Dick (the quiet one)Rhys Ifans... Barry (the Jack Black one)Charlotte Gainsbourg ... Marie De SalleHayley Atwell ... Charlie NicholsonShirley Henderson ... LizSteve Coogan ... Ian 'Ray' RaymondStephen Fry ... Middle aged customer (the guys won't help him)Ben Whishaw ... Louis, the cool customerRussell Brand ... Marco (the guy Charlie falls for)Bruce Springsteen ... HimselfReally great trio for Rob, Dick and Barry. I'd love to see the dynamic between ewan MacGregor, a meekly opinionated Ewen Bremner, and a rude & smarmy Rhys Ifans. Some great picks others mentioned are Shirley Henderson for Rob's friend Liz and Charlotte Gainsbourg as Marie de Salle. This would be a real flip from her conscientious, vulnerable role in I' ... " [More]
Son of Rambow (2007)
By Kowalski76 in Rebellious Celluloid
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"A film about cinema lovers for lovers of cinema. Son of Rambow captures the heart and soul of the eighties almost perfectly. Although there's things that feel foreign to the decade, Brethren for one. I can't say I ever met such people in my time on this small island. I'd forgotten how magical it was to imagine as a child, to create imaginary worlds. Thanks to Carter and Will I got to relive my youth a little. If you're looking for escape, for a light-hearted fun-packed film Son of Rambow may just be that film. " [More]
Naked (1993)
By Kowalski76 in Rebellious Celluloid
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"A relentlessly brutal early-nineties odyssey that is so real you can almost smell the stench of London's underbelly in each cell. David Thewlis is amazing as the anti-hero, Johnny. So much so I'll probably see him as this character no matter whom he plays on future watches. Johnny's rants are worth the rental fee alone. " [More]

Lists

The British Film Institute 100 (100)
In 1999 the British Film Institute surveyed 1000 people from the world of UK film and television ...