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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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Joy H., Group Founder
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Nov 13, 2013 09:06PM
Good point, Jackie! It seems that religion, even today, is considered by some to be myth or legend.
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At least back then 'mythology' wasn't called that until after it was no longer practiced as a religion.
There may have been some "doubters" even back then. Like the brains who figured out that the world wasn't flat. :)
Maybe so but if they were really smart they wouldn't have voiced those doubts. Look what was done to early scientists like Galileo, poor old blind man was forced to recant his heliocentric views and was under house arrest til he died and he was one of the lucky ones.
If they hadn't voiced their doubts, the world would have continued to exist in ignorance.
I randomly chose the following movie to stream from Netflix:"Another Happy Day" (2011)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1719071/?...
https://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/An...
I gave this film only 3 stars because there were many characters to keep track of and the movie didn't do a good job of keeping them clear.
Otherwise it was an interesting story about what happens when a divorced couple must see each other again at their son's wedding.
The situation is complicated by the fact that the son who is to be married was raised mostly by the second wife whereas his siblings were raised by their own mother, the first wife. The rivalry between the two wives is palpable and leads to several confrontations.
There are sub-plots relating to the problems of the other members of the family. (To me, the film felt disjointed at times, jumping from one problem to another.)
All in all, it is an interesting sampling of the universal stresses which families must endure.
Today I streamed "The Man Who Cried" (2000) from Netflix.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206917/?...
The soundtrack alone is worth the watch. In addition there's great acting and a story that draws you in.
Below is a user review from IMDb. It says it all:
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"My entire reason for bringing this film home was the cast: Christina Ricci, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro and Johnny Depp. Each of the actors are phenomenal and have talent in spades, and to see them all together in a film with such great characters was a delight.
However, this is one of those movies where there is no fast-paced, witty dialog, no car chases and no gratuitous sex. It is about the characters. Therefore, many will find its plot slow and dull. This movie was not made for mass appeal. Many will find it to be beautiful and meaningful, while others will not sit through the first half hour.
With that said, I will now say how much I loved this movie. It was visually stunning, superbly acted and has a score to match. ... Overall, I would have to recommend this to anyone who enjoys good character development/superb acting."
(Above review was written by Josh Munsterman.)
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Sounds good. I'll see if I can get it. Pretty soon most of my shows will be on winter break and I'll need something to watch.Does it have subtitles? I'm seeing many languages on imdb.
Jackie, "The Man Who Cried" is in English. It doesn't have subtitles but I had no problem understanding the dialogue. To tell the truth, Christina Ricci doesn't do much talking in this movie. She's a very quiet girl. :)I LOVED Blanchett's portrayal and, of course, Johnny Depp is so handsome!
It's a bittersweet movie. The setting is the beginning of WW2 when people are fleeing for their lives from Eastern Europe.
The music is in a classical vein.
Blanchett is a favorite actress and I've always liked Depp. Thanks for the info, I wonder why it has so many languages in imdb. I hope the library has it. I'll check tomorrow. I've had quite the week with TV, today was the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special and all week many DW related events were airing. I'd love to see the ratings on this, because it was aired in over 80 countries all at the same time across the globe. This is television history, never has something like this been done before on such a massive scale.
Jackie, perhaps the various languages refer to the songs that were sung in different languages in the movie. Occasionally a few characters spoke in a language foreign to us but there were no translations.That's great about the Dr. Who show. I wish it had appealed more to me. Thanks to you, at least I know what it's about. I did watch a few episodes after you told me about it.
Joy, that makes sense! That's strange that there was no translations, were you able to discern what they were talking about? I've seen movies where that happens, and usually we can figure it out. Doctor Who is something that builds, by the time you finish the first season and see how the underlying theme is connected, you realize how awesome it truly is.
Jackie, the fact that I didn't understand what they were saying, had no effect on my understanding of the plot. I had no idea what they were saying. In fact, either did the character to whom it was often addressed. She had forgotten the Russian she knew as a kid.Actually, there wasn't that much foreign language in the movie.
BTW, Cate Blanchett used a thick Russian accent all through the movie.
About Dr. Who, that room inside the telephone booth turned me off for some reason. It was so cold and mechanical. I like cozy scenes. :)
PS- Jackie, the library catalog shows another movie with the same name: "The Man Who Cried". But it's NOT the same movie. It's described as follows:==============================================
"The story of an unhappily married man who goes to desperate lengths to provide his son with a virtuous life. His adventures lead to murder, bigamy, and emotional upheavals."
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This is NOT the movie I saw.
PPS-Jackie, the one at the library is this one:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106060/?...
It's based on a novel by Catherine Cookson: The Man Who Cried.
I just realized that the Blanchett movie is based on a novel by Sally Potter (who directed the movie): The Man Who Cried
How do ya like THAT!!!
Thanks Joy, I was just coming over here to get the title and I find you've done the legwork for me! I'll try to find it elsewhere. Many movies can be viewed online for free but I don't like watching on the computer. If I cannot find it elsewhere, that's what I'll have to do. Wish me luck! I don't know what episodes you saw Joy, different Doctors have different TARDIS interiors, the current Doctor has had 2 different interiors. The latest one is dark, cold and stark looking, I don't like it. I like #10's best, it had an organic and living feel to it, as I think it should since the TARDIS is a sentient being.
Jackie, I watched _The Man Who Cried_ on my TV screen, not my computer. When I stream movies nowadays, I use my ROKU device which allows me to stream movies to my TV screen. I love it!A couple of years ago I watched Dr. Who, Series 4: Ep. 10, "Forest of the Dead" (2008) with David Tennant. I gave it 3 stars out of 5. (That's why I like Netflix. It keeps records for me.)
I just got my Xmas gift today, a new smart TV so now I can stream directly to the TV, no additional devices needed. It even has a USB port so I can pull files off my computer and view it on the TV screen. Eric has netflix so I'll just use his account to watch The Man Who Cried. What a coincidence that I got the TV today and it's a movie I couldn't get from the library or rent anywhere.
Ouuu, those are in my top 10 favorite episodes. Mostly because it introduces River Song, a most intriguing and mysterious character. I love how her past was his future and her future is his past, I like complex concepts like that. River had us Whovians theorizing for years over who she really is, we only found out last year. And it was epic. In fact, it was on the marathon today and while Ant and Eric were setting up my TV, I was watching that very part where we learn who River is, I was doing all the dialogue with River, The Doctor and Amy, Eric was very impressed. Well, I have watched it enough times, lol
Jackie wrote: "I just got my Xmas gift today, a new smart TV so now I can stream directly to the TV, not additional devices needed. It even has a USB port so I can pull files off my computer and view it on the T..."Wow, I didn't know TV's could be that smart! Amazing! They will put ROKU out of business. :)
Wow again! You are really hooked on Dr. Who! I guess that half the world is hooked.
Glad to know that you will able to watch "The Man Who Cried". Let me know what you thought of it.
Technology is ever growing and always putting someone out of business. We like to move onto the next new thing in this country especially. I didn't want a new TV, mine was fine, if a bit old. I was waiting for it to die. Doctor Who is more complex that people realize at first glance, sometimes even when it's been explained, I say 'Huh?' and have to watch it again. And my mind is pretty bendy, lol
I have favorite episode I watch all the time. Right now I'm involved in compiling all my favorite quotes and scenes to put in a replica of River's journal. Though I'll probably need at least another one, maybe two. This gives me the excuse to watch the series again, from the beginning. That's my plan when my shows go on winter break this week.
I'll watch The Man Who Cried also during this time. I'll be sure to let you know how I liked it.
Jackie, you will surely enjoy all the movies you will be able to stream to your TV screen now. I wonder if you will prefer that to the current TV shows you watch now.It's amazing how hooked you are on Dr. Who. Perhaps I should give it another chance. Netflix doesn't have many streamable Dr. Who's. I've only found one. But Amazon Prime has quite a few Dr. Who episodes available for streaming at no extra cost for members of Amazon Prime. So I've put them on my Watch List.
I'm current on all available movies, so I won't be giving up my TV shows any time soon. DW is better watching in order from the beginning, while you'll think you're watching individual episodes that have no bearing on each other, it's only later that you realize how connected they all were, at the end of the season.
Hulu has it free, all episodes up to the first half of this past season (7). http://www.hulu.com/search?q=doctor+who By starting at the beginning with the episode titled Rose, you can get the full story in the way it was meant to be learned and seen through the companion's eyes. The first season's aliens are a little hokey but they didn't have the big budget us Americans are use to, but they do now. Each season gets better and the mythology builds. It's an epic show, truly. But it's not for everyone. Try the first season and if you're not hooked then at least you gave it a fair chance.
I looked it up on netflix, here on the computer, and all episodes are listed up to Season 6, not including the specials which are listed as movies. http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Doc... Over at the lower right, it says 'Streaming Details Available in HD'. Eric hasn't set it up on my TV yet so I can't try it.
Jackie, thanks for pointing me to Hulu. I didn't know they had a free membership. So I signed up.Also, I didn't realize I could stream so many episodes of Dr Who from Netflix. Now I see that I can. It just takes proper navigation.
So I will take your advice and try the first season and go from there if I like it. Thanks again for pointing the way.
PS-I took a look at Dr. Who's Series 1, Episode 1, entitled "Rose". Seems to me that I have watched it before. Yes, the summary talks about the mannequins. Now I remember.I searched my records and found that I watched the following DR WHO shows in 2011:
SEASON 1. Doctor Who: Ssn 1: Rose
========================================
SEASON 2
Doctor Who: Ssn 2: Girl in the Fireplace
Doctor Who: Ssn 2: New Earth
Doctor Who: Ssn 2: The Christmas Invasion
===========================================
SEASON 4
Doctor Who: Ssn 4: Forest of the Dead
Doctor Who: Ssn 4: Silence in the Library
============================================
Don't know if this list is complete. I do remember that I didn't like certain ones. I'll watch a few more before I give up. :)
When I first watched the Rose episode, I thought those mannequins were the stupidest thing I ever saw on television. And even now, I don't particularly care for cheap monsters/aliens, but what I did like was Rose and her meeting the Doctor. DW is very much about all kinds of relationships and less about the monsters/aliens. And the monsters get better as their budget increases each season.
Jackie, I just found this LINK:COMPLETE "List of "Doctor Who" serials":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_...
It seems to include every single one of the episodes from the very beginning in 1963!
It shows a listing going from Episode #1 to #243.
It's complicated but I'm trying to get oriented.
It's divided into sections for the different doctors:
FOR EXAMPLE:
First Doctor
Second Doctor
Third Doctor
and so on... all the way up to:
Twelfth Doctor
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IT SAYS:
"It was announced on 1 June 2013 that Matt Smith would be stepping down from the role of the Doctor, and that the Doctor is going to regenerate in the 2013 Christmas special. The casting of the Twelfth Doctor was the subject of extensive media speculation. The identity of the Twelfth Doctor was revealed on 4 August 2013 in ... to be Peter Capaldi."
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NOTE: At the top of the page, it says:
===================================================
"Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. As of 23 November 2013, 799 individual episodes, including one television movie of Doctor Who, have been aired, encompassing 240 stories. Additionally, four charity specials and two animated serials have also been aired. The show's high episode count resulted in Doctor Who holding the world record for the highest number of episodes for a science-fiction programme."
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Jackie, can you tell me why the numbers 799 and 240 (243) don't jive (when referring to episodes)?
In the early years, each story would take multiple episodes to tell. Kinda like how we now use a season to tell a story as in Game of Thrones or American Horror Story. As I said, these are not one-off kind of stories, you may think so on some but later you'll realize most episodes are just part of a bigger theme.
PS: Jackie, it's interesting to note (at the page linked in my post above) that THE FIRST SHOWS WERE DIVIDED INTO SEASONS AND THE NEXT SHOWS WERE DIVIDED INTO SERIES.Confusing. :)
The link is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_...
It's not confusing when you look at it like this, Seasons are for Classic Who, Series are for New Who. It's a way to keep them separate to avoid confusion. Also, in the UK, most shows are called 'Series' now. Like Sherlock is Series 1, 2 or 3. Downton Abbey the same. Here we call them Seasons, for Sherlock we'd say Season 1, 2, or 3.
Jackie wrote: "When I first watched the Rose episode, I thought those mannequins were the stupidest thing I ever saw on television. And even now, I don't particularly care for cheap monsters/aliens, but what I d..."Last night I watched Doctor Who's, Season 1 - #5 - "World War 3". It had weird monsters and electrical sparks going through all the characters like lightening. Too much of that. I bailed out. The characters seemed to be running away from the monsters but they couldn't get out of the building. It was boring. I didn't wait around for the ending.
Jackie wrote: "In the early years, each story would take multiple episodes to tell. Kinda like how we now use a season to tell a story as in Game of Thrones or American Horror Story. As I said, these are not on..."Jackie, I guess that jumping into the middle of these stories is similar to coming in during the middle of a movie. They're hard to understand unless you see each episode from the beginning of the story.
Jackie wrote: "It's not confusing when you look at it like this, Seasons are for Classic Who, Series are for New Who. It's a way to keep them separate to avoid confusion. Also, in the UK, most shows are called ..."The "seasons versus series" business takes getting used to.
I can't get into Classic Who at all, the time has passed for the stark sets and long pauses, it's just not my thing. I can't go back to the old kind of TV, even B&W movies are not for me, Anthony watches old TV like Donna Reed and Make Room for Daddy. I have no patience for it, same for Classic Who. I do not negate that it was awesome for it's time, but that time has passed, for me at least.
Jackie wrote: "I can't get into Classic Who at all, the time has passed for the stark sets and long pauses, it's just not my thing. I can't go back to the old kind of TV, even B&W movies are not for me, Anthony ..."Jackie, do you mean that the 2005 episodes are "classic" to you? See the list at IMDb:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436992/e...
If so, should I bother watching them?
I misunderstood, when you said 'season' I thought you meant the Classic Who. What you saw would be New Who. I don't think it's your kind of show in any case. And if it's not watched it order, there's really no point, you'll never get the underlying theme to the season, and that's the cool part, when you get the Eureka moment.
Jackie wrote: "I misunderstood, when you said 'season' I thought you meant the Classic Who. What you saw would be New Who. I don't think it's your kind of show in any case. And if it's not watched it order,..."Oh, I see.
Well, in any case, I've discovered that IMDb presents a clearer picture than Wiki. The following IMDb page has LINKS TO ALL THE DIFFERENT YEARS from 2005 on:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436992/?...
It has links to separate pages for each year (beginning with 2005). Each page lists all the episodes for that year and has short summaries.
What's even better is the fact that I can view the episodes in order via Amazon Prime by clicking on the link at the same above-linked page. (This is much clearer than navigating the episodes via Netflix.)
So I will take your advice and watch them in order. My next one will be:
Doctor Who - Season 1, Ep. 2: "The End of the World"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0562997/
IMDb SUMMARY: "Rose goes off on her first adventure with the Doctor who takes her 5 billion years into the future to view a cataclysmic event: the destruction of the Earth. They're on an orbiting space platform with a groups of invited guests who seem to travel from one cataclysmic event to another. There are uninvited guests as well in the form of spider-like mechanical robots that seem to multiply at will and are obviously bent on causing destruction. The spiders soon dispose of the Steward and gain control of the orbiting platform's mainframe. It doesn't take long for the Doctor ..."
or
AMAZON SUMMARY: "The Doctor takes Rose on her first voyage through time, to the year Five Billion. The Sun is about to expand and swallow the Earth. But amongst the alien races gathering to watch on Platform One, a murderer is at work. Who is controlling the mysterious, deadly spiders?"
I'm not giving up yet. I want to find out why the show is so popular!
PS-Jackie, the Amazon instant video of Doctor Who's "The End of the World" has captions! So I won't miss a word! LOLBTW, I see that Rose is played by Billie Piper. I saw her in the 2007 film version of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0847182/?...
I knew her face was familiar!
I love Billie Piper as Rose, a favorite companion. The important thing about the companions is that they're our stand-ins, we view it all through their eyes, they ask the questions we would ask. Billie is gorgeous and a really sweet person too. I saw her in Mansfield Park too. I will watch all the Doctors and companions in anything they're involved with.
I admire you're persistence and I really hope it pays off. I wasn't impressed with the first few episodes but it grew on me, and by the end of the first year, I was completely hooked.
Jackie, if nothing else, I am persistent! I have great tenacity when I'm interested in something. If I'm not interested, there's little hope. LOL An example is cooking. That's one area where I have let go altogether! In fact, I ENVY people who like to cook. I'll never figure out why I am like that.
Jackie, to tell the truth, I didn't enjoy Billie Piper in Mansfield Park. She didn't have much expression. I think she was miscast. (Quite a few member-reviewers at Netflix panned the movie on the whole.) I'm hoping I will like Piper better in Doctor Who.
OOOPS! The captions for Amazon's instant video of Doctor Who's "The End of the World" are available only when I stream to my laptop. They are NOT available when I stream to my TV screen. I wonder why there's that difference.
That is interesting, I wonder why that is, and what's the difference between streaming to TV or to laptop. I was under the impression it's a digital signal so from my limited perspective, I don't see why there would be a difference. I'd be interested if you find an answer to this.
If I ever find out, I'll let you know.
Watched a good movie, "Save Haven," based on Nicholas Sparks novel.
Yes, Nina, I gave "Safe Haven" 5 Netflix stars out of 5. It held my interest and was well done.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1702439/?...
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/702...
"This adaptation of the novel (Safe Haven) by Nicholas Sparks centers on a mysterious woman who arrives in a small North Carolina town and begins a new life but remains haunted by the terrifying secret that prompted her to travel across the country."
You muar have been the one to recommend it, Joy. The little girl seemed so much like my great granddaughter. Great acting.
Nina wrote: "You muar have been the one to recommend it, Joy. The little girl seemed so much like my great granddaughter. Great acting."Yes, Nina, I guess I mentioned it here earlier this month (Message #782). Glad you enjoyed it. ("Safe Haven")
I had written: "Mimi Kirkland played the young daughter. She is absolutely adorable!" Nice that your granddaughter is like her.
Pics of Mimi Kirkland:
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&a...
This weeek the movie, "Philomena," starring Judi Dench opened here. The review this morning, besides remarking on her great acting, as usual(they remarked) the movie exposed the different views on religion from the perspective of an atheist young journalist who is aiding Phil...to help find her son that was taken from her as a toddler and Philomena who, in spite of being treated terribly due to her Catholic upbringing, sticks to her belief. It sounded intriguing in view of what we have been discussing here lately. What do you think?
Nina wrote: "This weeek the movie, "Philomena," starring Judi Dench opened here. The review this morning, besides remarking on her great acting, as usual(they remarked) the movie exposed the different views on ..."Here are links to pages re the movie:
"Philomena" (2013):
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2431286/?...
http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Philomena
"A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman's search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent."
NETFLIX: http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Philomen...
"Floundering BBC journalist Martin Sixsmith and aging Irishwoman Philomena Lee form an unlikely bond when they pair up to find the son Philomena was forced to give up for adoption 50 years ago."
This one I want to see!
Adapted from the book:
The Lost Child Of Philomena Lee: A Mother, Her Son And A Fifty Year Search by Martin Sixsmith
I want to see Philomena too, Judi Dench is a marvelous actress. I saw her in an interview on Graham Norton recently and she says that it was the infamous Magdelene Sisters who took Philomena's child. I saw a movie years ago about the Magdelene Sisters in Ireland, it was very good but it can really make a woman angry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318411/?...
It's a true story, and on the DVD I rented in the extras were interviews with the real women it happened to. I highly recommend it, to see how far we've come, if nothing else and rejoice in the knowledge that this doesn't happen any longer.
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Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
Books mentioned in this topic
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (other topics)The Lost Child of Philomena Lee: A Mother, Her Son and A Fifty-Year Search (other topics)
Safe Haven (other topics)
Mansfield Park (other topics)
The Man Who Cried (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Martin Sixsmith (other topics)Ted Hughes (other topics)
Ian McEwan (other topics)
Timothy Egan (other topics)
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