What MOVIES or DVDs have you watched? (PART SIX - 2013) (ongoing thread)

[Nina]

Jim wrote: "Glad you liked How Lincoln Learned to Read: Twelve Great Americans and the Educations That Made Them, Nina. You had mentioned buying it as presents on my review, I think."Yes, Jim, it was your review that prompted me to buy it twice; one for myself and one for my son who just told me yesterday how much he enjoyed it.

[Jim]

Glad to hear it, Nina. That's what GR is about. I agree with Werner's assessment of ratings. With all the books out there, readers can be quite choosey. I think being able to study them with GR reviews, especially controlling which reviews are easily visible through our GR friends, to be pretty close to perfect.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Werner wrote: "Most adult readers, unless they're taking classes of some kind or regularly reviewing books as a job, only pick reading material that they expect (or at least hope) to enjoy. Sometimes their expec..."

Good point, Werner.

Also, I sometimes think that some readers will try to give a positive review to a book that is generally considered good literature. It takes courage to give a negative review to a work that is respected world-wide. Sort of like the "Emperor's New Clothes" syndrome.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

I've been thinking about why we might nowadays consider the theme of Arms and the Man silly. We no longer have the strong class distinctions which were prevalent in the late 1800's when the play was written. The play was actually making fun of those silly class distinctions. Shaw was way ahead of his time in seeing how silly they were. So he wrote a play which pointed out the culture's senseless restrictions, especially when love wasn't considered a necessary requirement for marriage.

[Nina]

Jim, the quote I gave you.."the last man in the world.." is from a former scifi author named, Fredric Brown.

[Jackie]

Ruby in the Smoke, based on the book of the same title by Phillip Pullman, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587299/?...
Good mystery.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "Ruby in the Smoke, based on the book of the same title by Phillip Pullman, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587299/?...
Good mystery."

Here's the Netflix description:
"The Ruby in the Smoke" (2006) TV Movie
"After her father drowns in the South China Seas, young Sally Lockhart (Billie Piper) is drawn into a world of mystery, danger and great treasure. Along with the help of her friends Jim and Frederick, Sally confronts deadly villains and draws upon her sleuthing skills to discover the truth behind her father's death. This Victorian-era Masterpiece Theatre story is adapted from a book by author Philip Pullman."
FROM: http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Ruby-in-...

Too bad it's not streamable from Netflix. My DVD queue is at its max of 500!

[Jackie]

500! Wow that's a lot of movies!

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Don't remind me. LOL The pressure is enormous. I'll never catch up! :)

[Mary JL]

Last night I watched DOUBLE JEOPARDY with Tommy Lee Jones and Ashley Judd and found it very suspenseful and enjoyable.

[Mary JL]

In a video mood. I watched DOCTOR WHO---THE MOVIE. I had not seen it in years. I do wish we had been able to see more of Paul McGann as the Doctor; I think he had potential.

It was not the hit the producers hoped for--but it is not nearly as bad as some fans gripe about.

[Jackie]

I'll have to check it out. Like you said, so many fans trashed it, so I didn't even bother. I started DW with Eccleston, I can't get into classic DW. Every month for this milestone year, BBCA airs a special for each Doctor and a classic episode featuring that Doctor. I haven't been able to sit through one yet, Baker is up next. It's not that the show or episode is bad, it's how TV was done in the 60s and 70s, the bare sets, long pauses, I just can't.

Mary JL, do you watch Luther? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1474684/ Paul McGann is excellent on that. His character, Mark, has a complicated, but ultimately very cool, relationship with Luther, two excellent actors.

[Jackie]

I started watching DaVinci's Demons http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2094262/. It's on the DVR and I thought I better get it done. It was trashed in reviews, so you know what that means? Yep, it's really good, can't wait to get time for the next episode.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Thanks for posting Mary JL and Jackie.

I streamed A Good Woman (2004) last night and while I was watching I realized that it's an adaptation of Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379306/?...
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/A_G...

My review is at: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[Jackie]

I watched Jack the Giant Slayer, a Jack and the Beanstalk story, it was pretty good. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1351685/?...

[Joy H., Group Founder]

I streamed "Charlie Bartlett" (2007) from Netflix. Enjoyed it very much. I gave it four stars out of five. It's supposed to be a comedy but has a serious sub-text.

http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Cha...
"This comedy follows the exploits of Charlie Bartlett, a miserable high school student who finds a novel way to fit in with his classmates: by pretending to be the school psychiatrist, dispensing advice and the occasional prescription medicine."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0423977/?...
"A rich kid becomes the self-appointed psychiatrist to the student body of his new high school."

Stars: Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis

Anton Yelchin as Charlie is charming.

[Werner]

Last night, I watched the 1988 movie version of Robert Bolt's 1960 stage play, A Man for All Seasons, dealing with the last years of Sir Thomas More, who was executed for refusing to endorse Henry VIII's claim to be "Supreme Head" of the English church. (I'd previously seen part of the better-known 1966 version, years ago on TV, but not enough to compare the two productions authoritatively.) I'd definitely say that this version is extremely powerful --grim and tragic, but the kind of grim tragedy that educates and inspires rather than simply horrifies. It's an eloquent statement of the importance of personal integrity, of standing up for your convictions about right and wrong even if it means loss of position and property, imprisonment, or even death. Along the way, it makes some points about the proper limits of State authority, and about what the rule of law is supposed to mean for the protection of human rights. As such, it's enormously relevant for our time and place, the 21st century U.S. --as it increasingly devolves into a police state, ruled by a political class with a hate-based ideology, hell-bent on persecuting others for their religious and political beliefs, recognizing no limits to its own power, and gutting the legal system of any foundation in democratic law or justice. Watching the self-justifications of Henry and his jackals, and the conduct of More's interrogations and trial, I had the indelible feeling that except for their clothing, these people could be present-day U.S. "civil servants," and that if I live for another 20 years, I could easily be subjected to the same fate.

Charlton Heston is, IMO, perfectly cast here as More, and he delivers certainly his best performance in any movie I've seen where he's starred (and I've seen a few others). He definitely demonstrates that you don't have to have a gun or a sword (or super powers) to be a genuine hero! The film departs from strict realism with the touch (I'm assuming taken from the play, which I haven't seen or read) of a sail-trimming, self-serving "Common Man" character, who takes several small parts and addresses commentary directly to the audience in places; that takes some initial getting used to, but it's actually quite effective. (His parting "If you see me, recognize me," would be like a slap to the face of some viewers --assuming they had enough brains to understand his meaning.) It's pretty accurate historically, even to the point of reproducing actual words that were recorded on paper in some cases; the one exception is repeated reference to Henry's "divorce" rather than "annulment" (probably because the writers assumed most of the audience would have no clue as to what an annulment is. :-( )

The imdb links for the two versions are: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095578 (1988) and http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060665 (1966).

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Werner wrote: "Last night, I watched the 1988 movie version of Robert Bolt's 1960 stage play, A Man for All Seasons, dealing with the last years of Sir Thomas More, who was executed for refusing to endorse Henry ..."

Werner, thanks for commentary and for both links of the two different film versions of the play, A Man for All Seasons. As it turns out, I discovered that I have both movies in my Netflix DVD queue. I'll bring the 1988 version to the top of the list. (OOPS! The 1988 version is in the "saved" section because the DVD isn't available from Netflix. Shucks! Amazon Prime doesn't have it either.) Guess I'll have to watch the 1966 version.

Here's the Netflix page for those who can access it:
http://dvd.netflix.com/Search?oq=&...

The Netflix descriptions:

1988 version: "Charlton Heston stars as Sir Thomas More in this TV exploration of the friendship and conflict between King Henry VIII and his pious Lord Chancellor. When More refuses to sanction the divorce Henry desires, British history is at a crossroads."

1966 version: "When Henry VIII (Robert Shaw) seeks approval from the English aristocracy to divorce his wife and marry commoner Anne Boleyn, Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield) finds himself caught between a murderous king and the powerful Roman Catholic Church. Richly crafted with a fine supporting cast, director Fred Zinnemann's period drama swept the 1966 Oscars, winning six golden statuettes, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director."

Interesting that Vanessa Redgrave is in both versions (playing a different character in each). She is superb no matter what she does.

1966 version - Vanessa Redgrave plays Anne Boleyn.

1988 version - Vanessa Redgrave plays Lady Alice More.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

PS-Werner, our public library doesn't have the 1988 version either. :-(
Where did you get yours?

[Werner]

Joy, good question! Mine was one of a number of VHS tapes I picked up free from the BC library, when we greatly reduced our VHS collection (to make room for more DVDs), and gave away the discarded tapes. (A lot of them are still sitting around without takers. :-( )

Yes, Redgrave makes a very convincing Lady Alice! (Anne Boleyn doesn't appear in the 1988 version, though she's mentioned.) Glad to hear you're going to watch the 1966 version; you'll have to let us know what you think of it. I won't say I hope you "like" it, since I don't think this is the type of film the writers exactly expect (or want!) you to "like," in the same way you would a feel-good movie; but I hope you find it worthwhile and rewarding.

[Jackie]

DaVinci's Demons took a lot of liberties in the storyline in regards to actual history but I still enjoyed it anyway.

I watched the Doctor Who movie, it was OK. I don't like Eric Roberts and I can't think of a worse choice to play The Master so that kinda ruined it for me. He's one of the worst actors I can think of, and The Master is such a fantastic character that someone with more depth would have made it a much better movie. I did like Paul McGann as The Doctor.

[Margaret]

Joy H. wrote: "PS-Werner, our public library doesn't have the 1988 version either. :-(
Where did you get yours?"

Joy, I hope you'll go ahead and see the 1966 version, you won't be disappointed. Lavishly produced, visually stunning, and wonderfully realized by a host of marvelous British actors headed by Paul Scofield recreating his award-winning stage performance as More; Wendy Hiller as Lady Alice (she was in younger days a personal favorite of GB Shaw, who cast her in several of his plays including PYGMALION and MAJOR BARBARA, both on stage and in the film versionszz); Leo McKern in his pre-Rumpole days as the wily Thomas Cromwell; a very young John Hurt as the ambitious clerk Richard Rich; and especially the great Robert Shaw, now mostly remembered as the shark hunter in JAWS, in a superb one-scene turn as Henry VIII that really makes you feel this is what the King must have been like. His long scene with Scofield is like a little one-act play, almost complete unto itself.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Werner and Margaret, you both make me look forward to watching the 1966 film version of A Man for All Seasons. Thanks for your informative comments.

Good to hear from you Margaret!

Werner, you were SO lucky to get the 1988 version and FREE too! :) (What's BC?)

[Werner]

Joy, BC stands for Bluefield College. Sorry I didn't make that clearer!

[Jackie]

Lsst night we watched the late great George Carlin, an old HBO special called Complaints and Grievances http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0287460/ It's listed as a documentary on imdb but it's a stand up comedy routine.
He is so funny, I never get tired of watching him. I've seen this one already but a friend recently watched it and it prompted me to watch it again.
If you're easily offended, he's not the comedian to watch.

[Jim]

We watched 'The Great & Powerful Oz' last night. It was fun. Nice to see how the situation Dorothy walked into was set up. It's a shame Johnny Depp didn't get that part, though. The guy that played it was OK, but didn't have that extra dash of craziness.

[Jackie]

Totally agree about Depp, Jim, he has a knack for the odd characters. Sometimes I like James Franco but mostly I can do without him.
I liked the witches better, and all the stunning visuals.

I found a few good movies on Sundance or IFC, can't remember which, as they're next to each other on the Guide. I started The Private Lives of Pippa Lee this morning, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1134629/?..., because it sounded interesting and has a good cast. Before I started it, I looked at the guide description and it said 'comedy', I almost deleted it but the cast was so good I thought I'd give it a few minutes. I'm about 40 minutes in and I see no comedy here, which is good because I'll finished it out later when I have time. Even imdb has it listed as comedy, romance and drama. So far I only see drama. And I love the dramas.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Werner wrote: "Joy, BC stands for Bluefield College. Sorry I didn't make that clearer!"

Thanks, Werner. I should have remembered that. I suspected that it was the name of the college but my poor old memory couldn't recall the name.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "Lsst night we watched the late great George Carlin, an old HBO special called Complaints and Grievances http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0287460/ It's listed as a documentary on imdb but it's a stand u..."

Jackie, I've always enjoyed Carlin's standup routines. I see by my Netflix records that I did watch that one. I gave it 2 stars out of 5. So I guess there are even better ones. Netflix has quite a few of them that are streamable.

Here's the Netflix description for George Carlin: Complaints & Grievances (2001):
"Legendary comic George Carlin skewers everything from being stuck in gridlock and long-winded email newsletters to charging cheap items on credit in this riotous stand-up appearance at New York City's Beacon Theatre in November 2001."

Here's a page which lists all of Netflix "Carlin" shows (for those who can access Netflix):
http://dvd.netflix.com/Search?oq=&...

PS-I gave Carlin at Carnegie three Netflix stars out of 5.

[Werner]

No problem, Joy!

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim wrote: "We watched 'The Great & Powerful Oz' last night. It was fun. Nice to see how the situation Dorothy walked into was set up. It's a shame Johnny Depp didn't get that part, though. The guy that pl..."

Jim, I didn't know about that one. Sounds interesting.
"Oz the Great and Powerful" (2013)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1623205/?...

Here's the Netflix description:
"In this prequel to The Wizard of Oz, circus magician Oscar Diggs is magically transported to the Land of Oz, where he deals with three witches and uses his illusionist skills and resourcefulness to become the wizard the residents have been expecting."
FROM: http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Oz-The-G...

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "... I started The Private Lives of Pippa Lee this morning ... I looked at the guide description and it said 'comedy' ... I see no comedy here... "

Jackie, Netflix doesn't categorize it as comedy. Instead it says:
"Genres: Drama, Romantic Dramas, Dramas Based on Contemporary Literature..."

"The Private Lives of Pippa Lee" (2009)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1134629/?...
http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/The-Priv...
"When her husband, who's 30 years her senior, relocates the family to a retirement community, flawless wife and mother Pippa Lee slides toward a nervous breakdown as she reflects on her tumultuous past and befriends her neighbor's enigmatic son."

I see that it's been adapted from the book: The Private Lives of Pippa Lee by Rebecca Miller (first published September 30th 2002)

[Jackie]

It's good that someone got it right! (Netflix) Romance is minimal and I wouldn't classify it as a romance but there is a little at the end.

It was probably an interesting read. Had I known about the book first, I might have read it. The movie was good, kept my interest and as a middle aged woman, there were some things I could relate to.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "... The movie was good, kept my interest and as a middle aged woman, there were some things I could relate to."

Jackie, "relating" to things in a book or movie is one of the prime motivators for my reading or watching. They evoke certain memories and/or emotions. It's very enjoyable and is food for thought as well. I found this to be true of the book, We Were the Mulvaneys, which I just finished reading today.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Margaret wrote: "Joy, I hope you'll go ahead and see the 1966 version, you won't be disappointed. ..."

Margaret and Werner: Today I watched "A Man for All Seasons" * (1966). So glad you encouraged me to watch it. For some reason, I had always avoided it because it sounded too academic. However, I found it to be an engrossing film. It made me brush up on my history as well! Great performances!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060665/?...

Makes me want to watch more films with historical backgrounds.

*PS-See my review at: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[Werner]

Glad to hear you liked it, Joy! Maybe I'll watch that version myself someday, and compare it to the Heston one.

[Werner]

We've had some discussion, on one of our older movie threads, of the movie John Carter, which is basically an adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' 1912 novel A Princess of Mars, although it throws in some plot elements from his second Barsoom series novel, The Gods of Mars, as well. (The imdb link is: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401729/ .) I finally got to see it over the weekend, and my verdict is very positive!

We can freely admit that the scriptwriters don't follow ERB's work too closely; they change or reinterpret some aspects of the plotting, omit some things, and develop the two main characters better. But I'd say they are faithful to the basic concept of the story; and where they differ from it, they usually do so for the better. The plotting is more cohesive, some of Burrough's more logically or scientifically questionable story elements are eliminated, and the CGI is used to great advantage in bringing ERB's Mars to life. John Carter's character is more realistic and human here than in the books, IMO, partly because of greater delving into his pre-Barsoom backstory; and the Martian princess Dejah Thoris, while faithful to the original conception, plays a more active role in events here and comes more into her own.

Of course, this won't be everyone's cup of tea. But if you're an SF or action-adventure fan who hasn't seen it yet, it definitely has my seal of approval!

[Nina]

Just watched, "Life of Pi," and gave it two stars. It was just too unbelievable and I couldn't watch some scenes and after struggling through the entire movie I didn't like the ending. I tried twice to read the book and gave up part way through.It is a choice of our book club in a couple of months or I wouldn't have bothered. I started, "Z " at my daughter's and hope to finish it from the library. Of course, you know it is a novel concerning Zelda.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Werner, thanks for telling us about "John Carter". I watched a bit of the trailer. Definitely not for me... all that action and noise is bothersome. But I guess that's the style nowadays in SF.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina, sorry you didn't like "Life of Pi". I enjoyed both the book and the movie, although the book took getting used to. My review is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Part of my review says:
===================================================
"There were some vague parts in the beginning (purposely so, I surmise). As you read, those parts become clearer."
==================================================
I gave the book, Life of Pi, 5 stars.

[Werner]

Joy, I didn't figure that John Carter would be up your alley. :-) (That's fine; we're all different individuals, and have our own different kinds of likes and dislikes!) Mary JL might enjoy it, though.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Werner, it's because I come from an "older" generation. Many of my favorite movies are from the 1940s. :) And even some from the 1930s.

[Nina]

Joy H. wrote: "Nina, sorry you didn't like "Life of Pi". I enjoyed both the book and the movie, although the book took getting used to. My review is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Part of my ..."I liked reading your review, Joy.

[Jackie]

Upside Down http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1374992/

Interesting love story and unique gravity being represented. Cool visuals.

[Jackie]

Also watching The Walking Dead, still don't see what all the rave reviews are about. It's mediocre at best.

[Jim]

I watched a few early episodes of 'The Walking Dead' but didn't think it was all that great & Marg hates zombies, so didn't stick with it.

[Arnie]

Nina, I have to agree with you about "Life of Pi"---I was underwhelmed---my wife who is an animal lover couldn't watch some scenes---I suspect the same ones you had problems with.
Yes, it was visually spectacular, but I'm not sure it really knew exactly what it was trying to say.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "Upside Down http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1374992/
Interesting love story and unique gravity being represented. Cool visuals."

Very unusual premise! I watched the trailer. Thanks, Jackie.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Arnie wrote: "Nina, I have to agree with you about "Life of Pi"---I was underwhelmed ... Yes, it was visually spectacular, but I'm not sure it really knew exactly what it was trying to say."

Arnie, I think the subtext of "Life of Pi" deals with the issue of illusion vs reality, and which one we choose. There's a lot going on in the story. Reading the book, Life of Pi, helped me to understand it all. My review explains my point of view about it:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...Life of Pi

I agree that some of the animal scenes were unpleasant but that was part of the story. The book handles it so much better than the movie.

[Nina]

Joy, I tried to read the book three different times and I have to say I felt the same way as Arnie. I couldn't figure out what they wanted to say. But, I really did like reading your review and if I had read it first I might have given the book one more try. Your review did make sense to me. That ia way reviews are really worthwhile. Even if you don't alway agree with them.