Becca's comments (member since Jul 30, 2008)

Becca's comments from the Movies We've Just Watched group.

I saw it on a day when I was really down (especially regarding whether my spouse would continue to have a job) and this movie made me sob. Not for any of the story lines that were in it, but because the cars they were driving and such made me think of my adolescence and when my Dad's company was shut down during the bad economy of the 80s.

I liked the movie, but I wasn't over-the-top crazy about it like I was for Happy-Go-Lucky.

Alex:

I continue to be in awe of you, and you have just cemented your spot in my list of coolest kids on the block!

Ah, I missed that. Guess it didn't have the same emotional impact on me as the Otis Redding song did.

I don't remember there being a U2 song in it. There's definitely "For Your Precious Love" by Otis Redding in it.

No, alas, I'm not an Aussie. I'm an Anglophile and Aussieophile (not sure what the proper term is). Thanks to the software biz, I work with a LOT of Aussies. They are just great people!

Australia produces some great actors and films. Some of my favorite films are the little independent films from foreign countries.

The Castle is a film about this family who lives in a small house next to the Melbourne airport. The government is trying to force them out of their home to expand the airport. The father of the family goes all the way through the court system fighting for his family to keep their home because, as you know, a man's home is his castle. :-)

Way OT here: I recently had the extreme pleasure of getting to meet Harlan Coben (the thriller writer) who had Missy Higgins (an Australian singer/songwriter) touring with him. Read Harlan's Tell No One (there's even a French film of it--although I loved it, Alex didn't like it as much) and go listen to "Peachy" by Missy Higgins.

How about The Castle? I watch this one as a comfort movie. :-)

Ah, Alex, I'm sorry that you didn't like it better. It's based on Harlan Coben's novel of the same name. I love his thrillers. I just attended his book tour here in Houston, and it's so interesting how he comes up with the ideas for his novels. It's always kind of happenstance and he has this mind that is always asking, "What if?"
I was very happy with the French production, and felt that Hollywood would have ruined it. They would have exploited the torture scenes, and not emphasized enough how much this man loved his wife. Of course, the book is better. It has more time to establish the characters and their lives which makes the plot a lot more believable.

It's quirky. But you know me, Phillip, I loved it! Here's the IMDB synopsis:

"In Sunray, a backwater town on Australia's Murray River, there's little to do but fish or listen to the local radio station. D.J. Ken Sherry arrives from the hustle of Brisbane to run the station; he's mid-40s, detached, thrice divorced, hatchet faced. But both sisters next door find him attractive: awkward Dimity, only 20, who works in a Chinese restaurant with few patrons, and perky Vicki-Ann, a hairdresser with a hope chest who invents a happy future with Sherry based on little but his arrival. First Dimity then Vicki-Ann spend the night with Ken, one concluding he's her boy friend, the other her fiance. Then Dimity begins to smell something fishy."

LOL! They are so sneaky with their spoilers!

I watched this shortly after "Muriel's Wedding" which I love, but I have an issue with the packaging and marketing. Some of you may disagree with me, but "Muriel's Wedding" is NOT a romantic comedy!! It is NOT a feel-good movie. It's an AWESOME movie with great ABBA songs that examines serious issues and makes you applaud the growth of Muriel.

I loved this movie!

How about Love Serenade?

Thank you, Adrian!!!

Ah, Phillip! At least you have confirmed that I am NOT going crazy. Thank you!

ETA: Watching the Morris Engel films on TCM last night made me think of this movie. My husband is 11 years older than I am and thinks **he** is the movie expert (which he is most of the time), but he thought I might have just mixed up an Engel movie (The Little Fugitive) with another movie and dreamed up the addition of the Bee Gees song. (Maybe because he hates the Bee Gees? Hmm.)

I am NOT going crazy. I saw this movie on TV late at night several times when I was a child. I've searched and searched the Internet trying to find out the name of it.

The 60s era movie involves a young girl and boy who go off to a Coney-Island-like beach for the day. When I was a child, I was under the impression that they thought they could get married (they are in the age range of about 8 - 12 years old). I might see it differently if I saw the film now. Regardless, the big thing that always stuck with me is that "To Love Somebody" by the Bee Gees played in the movie. You would think that fact would make this movie easy to find, but it has not. It is definitely the original 1967 single in the movie.

Thanks to Alex, Phillip, Tom, Daniel, ANYONE, who can help me name this movie!

Phillip wrote: "i have to wretch everytime i see anne hathaway, so i'm going to pass."

Phillip, please don't miss "Rachel Getting Married" because of how you feel about Anne Hathaway. This is not Disney's Anne Hathaway or even "The Devil Wears Prada" Anne Hathaway.

The is a "slice of life" movie with hand-held cameras. Her character is so unsympathetic. And a chance to see Debra Winger in a small, but dramatic part?! Come on! The pivotal scene between Debra Winger and Anne Hathaway is so moving.

Please, Phillip, watch the movie. I'll respect any opinions you have of the movie, and I will even apologize if you have felt like you wasted a couple of hours of your life after you watched it.

Without a doubt! Feels like they were trying to be mysterious with the trailers to lure in viewers, but it didn't work.

Daniel M.

I have now read yet another topic where you have insulted one of our contributors because she (in other cases, it has been a "he") did not agree with your professional opinion.

We are welcome to our opinions despite the fact that we are not professional reviewers. This forum was not meant for professional reviewers. This group fosters debate, but we try not to be mean or insulting to each other when we do disagree in our opinions.

This group is not a forum for you to lead or be the sole arbiter of what opinions are valid. We existed long before you started contributing.

I really enjoyed this movie, and I think more people would have watched it at the theaters if the trailers had been a little more clear that the little girl *knows* her Mom. She was just wanting the story of how her parents met and fell in love so she could understand why they were not in love anymore.

I constantly encounter people who cannot understand why I watched this movie and why I liked it. They shake their heads and say, "How can a girl of that age not know who her mother is?" Then I have to explain the premise of the movie. Not a good thing when you have to do that for a movie.

Alex DeLarge wrote: "WALKABOUT is a great film, and one Criterion is releasing soon in high definition! Wow, what a great thread. I'm re-reading a vintage edition of Baum's WIZARD OF OZ and he says this is the introduc..."

Alex,

My daughter would love you! I gave her a copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales, and we also saw Strumpelpeter on stage. She is so sick and tired of children's movies and stories being made treacly.

♥Miranda[KewL}♥ wrote: "Maryse said (BTW sorry about being late! LOL!) As for kids in inappropriate movies, are they even allowed to enter cinemas showing violent/ action movies? A 4 yr old kid wouldn't be allowed to ente..."

Here in Houston, people bring little kids to PG-13 movies all the time and the theater staff let them. The Uninvited is PG-13.

I know Candy from some other Goodreads groups. Believe me, she is one of the coolest kids on the block!