Sorry this is a day later than it's usual Friday slot, but better late than never right... Scotsman
Danny Wallace is a popular writer and comedian in the U.K, best known for the several non-fiction novels he has penned (such as
Random Acts of Kindness, Join Me, Are You Dave Gorman?) and his always in-demand status as a t.v. broadcaster (he co-hosts
Test the Nation with Anne Robinson and is presenter of the quiz show
School's Out). Wallace started writing reviews of video games when he was just 13, and by the time he was 22 became a producer for the BBC and was key in bringing inventive and original comedy shows such as
Dead Ringers and
The Mighty Boosh onto the radio. Last year, Hollywood mega star
Jim Carrey starred in the movie
Yes Man, based on Wallace's 2005 novel about his life experiences when he decided to say "yes" to everything, no matter what question or proposal.
Yes Man hits
Blu-Ray and DVD this Monday. Wallace's current best selling novel
Friends Like These is available right now from
Amazon priced at £7.89. May I take the time to thank Danny for making a trip to the mysterious island of
Movie Castaway, and hope one day he might be able to write a novel about his experiences there? In the mean-time, he's in good company with his five film choices...
Who would've thought that 1984 would have been as influential and memorable as it was for films? 25 years ago this year, we were given
Gremlins.
The Karate Kid.
Police Academy.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Terminator. And, of course, the mighty
Ghostbusters. It was the first time I realised funny films could be scary, and scary films funny. I'd take it to the island, just to remind myself of childhood, and how exciting a trip to the cinema could be.
This is like four films in one. Social satire.
Ben Stiller-esque comedy. Conspiracy thriller. Touching tale of redemption and justice. It really has got it all, including film's finest villain of the last few years:
Billy Mitchell. Explain it to anyone in a pub, and they will look at you with the eyes of a bored and sleepy man. Make them watch it, and they will thank you. I would take it to the island just to remind myself that the geeks shall inherit the earth.
I love this film for its bleak and washed-out world of justified paranoia. I lived in Berlin just as the wall fell, and still have family friends affected by just the type of events depicted in the film. It's brilliantly acted, and has one of the best end-lines I've seen. Just great.
Tales of redemption will never go out of fashion. I remember seeing this film quite by accident and not wanting it to end... but when it did, I wasn't prepared for the impact. There are a million films featuring brutal guards and corrupt wardens, but only a handful that make the whole thing seem new and real.
Tim Robbins was brilliantly cast - an ordinary man who has to work years on being extraordinary, and manages it.
I have absolutely no idea how many times I've seen
Die Hard. A million, maybe? Feels like it, but I'd watch it again tomorrow. Exciting, blood-pumping, and obeying every rule of action-film-Hollywood, yet somehow none the worse for it. Plus, it's quotable!
Movie Castaway runs every Friday where those with links to the film industry let us know which five films they would take with them if they had to stay on a desert island. You can find the
Movie Castaway Archives Here.
This is like four films in one. Social satire. Ben Stiller-esque comedy. Conspiracy thriller. Touching tale of redemption and justice. It really has got it all, including film's finest villain of the last few years: Billy Mitchell. Explain it to anyone in a pub, and they will look at you with the eyes of a bored and sleepy man. Make them watch it, and they will thank you. I would take it to the island just to remind myself that the geeks shall inherit the earth. 
Tales of redemption will never go out of fashion. I remember seeing this film quite by accident and not wanting it to end... but when it did, I wasn't prepared for the impact. There are a million films featuring brutal guards and corrupt wardens, but only a handful that make the whole thing seem new and real. Tim Robbins was brilliantly cast - an ordinary man who has to work years on being extraordinary, and manages it. 