Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
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Movies, DVDs, and Theater
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What MOVIES or DVDs have you watched? (PART SIX - 2013) (ongoing thread)
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Nina
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Aug 19, 2013 09:14AM
Interesting trivia.
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Jackie wrote: "I hope you like it Joy, it was a cute movie. A nice movie that the whole family can enjoy. Very sweet and innocent."Jackie, yes, "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" was a sweet fantasy. CJ Adams was precious in the part of the little boy, Timothy. I guess the message was to keep up hope and not give up. A good message. (Ties in with the quote by Emily Dickinson.)
PS-Here's CJ Adams page at IMDb, with a photo.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2640264/?r...
He was born in 2000; so he's 13 now. Wiki says:
===================================================
"He played the title character in the 2012 feature film The Odd Life of Timothy Green, which earned him the Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actor Age Ten and Under."
===================================================
Arnie wrote: "It was with reference to this poem ["Hope is the thing with feathers"] that Woody Allen titled his second collection of humorous pieces, "WITHOUT Feathers." (emphasis mine)"That's interesting, Arnie! It could possible mean "without hope". It's open to interpretation.
Here's a related quote by Woody Allen, from the book (per GR quotes):
“How wrong Emily Dickinson was! Hope is not "the thing with feathers." The thing with feathers has turned out to be my nephew. I must take him to a specialist in Zurich.” ---Woody Allen
Here's the link to Woody Allen's book: Without Feathers
That's exactly what Woody meant, Joy. At the time of the story collection (early 70's) he was, and mostly still is, a pessimist.
Arnie wrote: "That's exactly what Woody meant, Joy. At the time of the story collection (early 70's) he was, and mostly still is, a pessimist."Thanks, Arnie, for the validation. Yes, Woody's problem is "Anhedonia". Anhedonia is a psychological state where nothing gives a person pleasure.
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/...
'Anhedonia", was as you may know, the working title of "Annie Hall". (I believe Aniie Hall was Diane Keaton's sister's name).
Arnie wrote: "'Anhedonia", was as you may know, the working title of "Annie Hall". (I believe Aniie Hall was Diane Keaton's sister's name)."Arnie, I didn't know either of those things. Thanks of the interesting info!
I just read that perhaps Woody Allen's latest movie, "Blue Jasimine," is his cruelist. It opens here soon.
Nina wrote: "I just read that perhaps Woody Allen's latest movie, "Blue Jasimine," is his cruelist. It opens here soon."Here are the links:
"Blue Jasmine" (2013)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2334873/?...
http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Blue-Jas...
"The high life leads to high anxiety for a fashionable New York City homemaker in crisis who finds herself forced to live a more modest lifestyle in San Francisco. Woody Allen directs an ensemble cast that includes Cate Blanchett and Alec Baldwin."
"This movie is: Cynical, Dark" (from Netflix)
Critic, James Berardinelli, wrote in his review: "Blue Jasmine, Woody Allen's latest, is a loose reworking of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire. ... It's hard to imagine Blanchett not being acknowledged by the Academy for her work here... ... Although the screenplay contains elements of dark comedy and is good for a few (uneasy) laughs, it's far more serious and less whimsical than Allen's usual fare. He's not on autopilot here. And, although the main character has what could euphemistically be called "mental issues," she doesn't evidence the usual Allen angst/neuroses. She's too far off the deep end for that."
FROM: http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_t...
Sounds like a "must-see".
I want to see it, only because I like Cate Blanchett, she's a wonderful actress.
Jackie wrote: "I want to see it, only because I like Cate Blanchett, she's a wonderful actress."Yes, she certainly is! Wiki says Cate Blanchett has won the following awards:
"... two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTAs, and an Academy Award [for her Supporting Role in "The Aviator" (2004)."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cate_Bla...
BLANCHETT'S AWARD PAGE: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000949/aw...
She played the character, Galadriel, in the "Lord of the Rings" films. IMDb says:
"Alternate Names: Benadryl / Gayladriel / Gladwrapiel the Vegan / Gladwrapriel / Gynecaladriel" http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0000136/
Why "Benadryl", which is an allergy medicine?
Why any of those name? Trust me, no fan of LOTR would ever use those derogatory names for Galadriel, she is beloved to us all. I wonder where they get this stuff from.
Jackie wrote: "... I wonder where they get this stuff from. "Look here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2149599/1...
(Search for the word "Benadryl".)
Seems a 14 year old kid wrote a story in which Galadriel is a character:
"Why, yes, my dear." Galadriel said. "Would you rather a Benadryl pill, or a Ricola?"
I guess IMDb will include any reference on their pages, no matter how insignificant.
I see what the kid wrote, but how is Galadriel asking if someone wants a Benadryl become her name? If I ask you if you want a cup of coffee, is Coffee my name? lol I think you're right about imdb including anything and everything, I think it's just to puff up the page and make it appear larger, full of more info. Gotta love the internet, the where any lie or rumor becomes fact, lol It's kinda sad because the internet can have so much good information, and it sucks that we have to waste time sifting through the chaff to find the kernel of truth.
Jackie wrote: "... It's kinda sad because the internet can have so much good information, and it sucks that we have to waste time sifting through the chaff to find the kernel of truth. "Well put, Jackie! IMDb must be hiring some airheads to work on their webpages. lol
I want to see it so I can gaze hopefully at the background of my favorite city, San Francisco.
Nina wrote: "I want to see it so I can gaze hopefully at the background of my favorite city, San Francisco."Nina, I'll take special note of those parts (San Francisco). I've never been there.
RE: "Blue Jasmine" (2013)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2334873/?...
Jackie, the buzz is that Blanchett is a shoo-in for the oscar for this film.
Looks that way, Arnie!
Arnie wrote: the buzz is that Blanchett is a shoo-in for the oscar for this film. Cool! She's excellent at her craft.
Joy, just as the doorbell rang with my friend and the book in hand, I suddenly remembered it was Joan Didion. Both essays and I also liked Virginia, "Street Haunting." And I'll look through the rest of the book again and be certain which ones I really enjoyed and see if you thought the same.
Nina wrote: "Joy, just as the doorbell rang with my friend and the book in hand, I suddenly remembered it was Joan Didion. Both essays and I also liked Virginia, "Street Haunting." And I'll look through the res..."Thanks, Nina. I will look up those essays in The Art of the Personal Essay: An Anthology from the Classical Era to the Present.
I'm currently reading the essay called "Against Joie de Vivre" in that book. If I had to analyze it, I'd say it was an essay against pretentiousness, not "joie de vivre". I myself am a big fan of "joie de vivre". :)
Epic http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848537/Animated movie, very cute, good story, outstanding visuals, the colors are magnificent, impressive CGI. If you have little ones or grand-little ones, this is a great movie for them.
Jackie wrote: "Epic http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848537/Animated movie, very cute, good story, outstanding visuals, the colors are magnificent, impressive CGI. If you have little ones or grand-little ones, this..."
Thanks for the recommendation, Jackie. I'm currently watching the Netflix DVD of "The Lion King" (1994) (animation). I've never seen it before.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110357/?...
I liked The Lion King. I took Eric to the theater to see it.
"The Lion King" was a fun movie. Excellent sound track, too. Elton John out did himself.Have you ever seen "Fern Gully"? Robin Williams is the voice of Batty, an escaped lab bat with an electrode still in his head. Yeah, he played the part perfectly. "Whoops! Gravity works." became a staple around our house for a goof. Watch the movie for an explanation. It's too good for me to describe.
Jim, we own FernGully (www.imdb.com/title/tt0104254/ ) on VHS. We haven't watched it in years, but back in the 90s, everybody in our household liked it. It's a well-done animated movie, and with a good message.
Jim wrote: ""The Lion King" was a fun movie. Excellent sound track, too. Elton John out did himself. Have you ever seen "Fern Gully"? Robin Williams is the voice of Batty, an escaped lab bat with an electr..."Yes, Jim, the songs in "The Lion King" were so much fun!
PS-I didn't even realize they were by Elton John! Thanks for mentioning it.
Werner wrote: "Jim, we own FernGully (www.imdb.com/title/tt0104254/ ) on VHS. We haven't watched it in years, but back in the 90s, everybody in our household liked it. It's a well-done animated movie, and with ..."Jim & Werner, thanks for mentioning "FernGully". I have put it on my Netflix DVD queue. Thanks for the link, Werner.
"FernGully: The Last Rainforest" (1992)
http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/FernGull...
Netflix description: "When a sprite named Crysta shrinks a human boy named Zak down to her size, the lad vows to help the magical fairy folk stop a greedy logging company from destroying their home, the pristine rainforest known as FernGully."
I finished the first season of Veronica Mars http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0412253/?.... It was very good, now I see why so many people liked it. So many mysteries going on, it kept my attention.
Jackie wrote: "I finished the first season of Veronica Mars http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0412253/?.... It was very good, now I see why so many people liked it. So many mysteries going on, it kept my attent..."Jackie, I hadn't heard of that TV series. For some reason, certain mysteries usually get too convoluted for me to follow. Either that or I'm not interested enough to concentrate on them.
I do enjoy it when I come across some mysteries which appeal to me. Lawrence Sanders wrote some wonderful mysteries! (e.g., The First Deadly Sin)
I also enjoyed the mysteries of Robert B. Parker. (his "Spenser" books)
Veronica Mars is from around 2003, I think. It was written for a younger audience and not complicated at all. There would be the weekly mystery, (VM works for her father who is a PI), as well as the bigger mysteries gradually unfolding throughout the season. Did you ever see Spencer for Hire http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088612/ with Robert Ulrich? I'd catch an episode every now and then, I really liked it. I read some of the Spenser books and liked them. Anthony reads Lawrence Sanders.
Jackie, I'm not sure if I've seen the any of film versions of the Spenser mysteries. Netflix has them listed but they aren't available. I put one in my Netflix "saved" queue. Thanks for mentioning this.
I've seen a Spenser or two. I don't know why, but there's something about Robert Urich I've never cared for. Marg says he looks like a mannequin. Maybe that's it. Too slick & good to work the role. What's the similar series of movies that Tom Selleck is in? He's a big city cop who became the sheriff of a small town on the shore... Jesse Stone? It's about the same sort of thing, but Selleck makes it for us.
Last night we watched "City Heat" made back in 1984. Almost 30 years old, but still great.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087062/
IMDB gives this a low rating, but they're wrong. It's a spoof on the tough Prohibition era detectives & has a great cast, starring Clint Eastwood & Burt Reynolds with Madeline Kahn, Rip Torn, & Richard Roundtree. Marg typically doesn't care for Burt Reynolds, but says he's great in this movie. He fits his part & plays off Eastwood perfectly.
Eastwood is a tough detective while Reynolds is his dashing ex-partner & they have a long running rivalry. Eastwood always calls Reynolds "Shorty" which gives Reynolds an inferiority complex. One of the funniest movie scenes ever is a shoot out where the two of them pull progressively bigger guns. Reynolds pulls a bigger gun & looks over to see Eastwood pull even a bigger one.
The expressions are priceless. The whole town knows when Eastwood's eye starts twitching that very bad things are going to happen - bad guys run & everyone else cowers hoping the property damage won't be too bad.
Joy, even though it's fairly violent, it's mostly tongue-in-cheek. I think both you & Jackie would like this one.
Spenser for Hire is a TV series, Joy. It's old, from the 80s. Jim, Interesting, it's the other way around for me. I've never liked Selleck or his supposed good looks. I don't know if I've seen City Heat; it's too long ago. I'll have watch a clip. From your description, I think I would like it. It's not the usual juvenile I've come to despise.
I watched a true story of human trafficking in the US. Even though it was horrific, I had to watch it because most Americans insist such things do not happen here. It's called Eden but the American title is Abduction of Eden http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1734433/?...
Jim, yes, Jesse Stone is the name of Robert B. Parker's small-town sheriff character. I saw Tom Selleck in part of one of the movie adaptations a few years ago, on TV.Interestingly, Barb and I like both Urich and Selleck (we always used to watch Magnum, P.I. back in the 80s). IMO, they both have kind of a quiet, low-key manner that suits a strong, silent tough-guy type of role; but that's just me. :-) (We never got into watching the Spencer series, though.)
"Quigley Down Under" is a favorite of ours. The bad guy later played Snape in the HP movies. I forget the name of that cute little girl Selleck played with in that. She was good, too."I said I didn't have much use for a pistol, not that I didn't know how to use one."
LOL!
Yes, that line is priceless! :-) Quigley Down Under (www.imdb.com/title/tt0102744 ) has always been a top favorite with Barb and I, too, even before we had an Australian connection. Alan Rickman is as much a natural for playing villain's parts as Selleck is for playing low-key, understated heroes. We liked the lead actress there too (her name is Laura San Giacomo). As "Crazy Cora," she had a very demanding tightrope to walk here, bringing to life a woman who (because of psychological trauma) isn't perfectly sane, but at the same time not playing her as so crazy that we can't relate to her and really like her; and she carries that off perfectly.
Jim wrote: "...Last night we watched "City Heat" made back in 1984. Almost 30 years old, but still great. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087062/ ..."I'll check that out, Jim.
For some reason, I'm not receiving Goodreads email notifications. So I'm late replying here.
PS-Robert Urich doesn't thrill me either.
Jackie wrote: "I watched a true story of human trafficking in the US. Even though it was horrific, I had to watch it because most Americans insist such things do not happen here. It's called Eden but the American title is Abduction of Eden http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1734433/?... "Too sad for me to watch, Jackie. It's horrific that people can be so callous.
Werner wrote: "Yes, that line is priceless! :-) Quigley Down Under (www.imdb.com/title/tt0102744 ) has always been a top favorite with Barb and I, too, even before we had an Australian connection. Alan Rickman ..."I have a nephew who looks a lot like Tom Selleck. Good looking fellow!
I'm currently streaming "Woody Allen: A Documentary". I recommend this video to those who like Woody Allen's work and are interested in what goes on behind the scenes. I'm enjoying the candid interviews with Woody Allen and the celebrities who have worked with him over the years. Includes short clips from his movies. Includes the scandals in his life as well.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2397619/?...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1895299/?...
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/702...
http://www.amazon.com/Woody-Allen-Doc...
http://www.amazon.com/Woody-Allen-Doc...
I just finished the three disk set of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit:The Second Year. I am a big fan of that show & especially enjoy the interaction between Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay as the two lead detectives, Elliott Stabler and Olivia Benson.
Just starting to read, "The Boy in the Suitcase," and wondering if any of you have read it....
I've seen a few movies, none really worth mentioning except for "Unfinished Song" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1047011/?..."Grumpy pensioner Arthur honors his recently deceased wife's passion for performing by joining the unconventional local choir to which she used to belong, a process that helps him build bridges with his estranged son, James."
Thanks, MaryJL, Nina, and Jackie, for your posts. I'm a bit behind these days!Am following up on your suggestions.
Nina, I found the following:
The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbøl
The Boy in the Suitcase: Holocaust Family Stories of Survival by Sheryl Needle Cohn
Jackie, I've put "Unfinished Song" on my Netflix queue.
PS-MaryJL, I see that Netflix offers many "Law & Order" episodes for streaming. I may try one. Usually, I find it hard to follow the legal stuff.
Joy: Law and Order is very well written but there is quite a bit of violence---crime scenes and so on. I find the moral dilemmas it sometimes poses fascinating, so I watch it anyway. But I did want to warn you.
We liked "Law & Order" too. There are a lot of interesting dilemmas - both moral & legal. Don't always agree with their resolutions, either.
I also do not always agree with their resolutions---but the stories make you think---which I find interesting and challenging.Years ago, police shows were more unrealistic---the cops always won; the bad guys were always bad; all the characters liked each other and never disagreed on how to proceed, etc etc..
Law and Order and other shows like it are more realistic.
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