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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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Jim
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May 12, 2013 04:23PM
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.
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Yes, I bought it for my son's birthday and he told me he just finished it today and he really liked it. Crazy weather here again: set a record last night for cold; thirty three degrees. On Tuesday they expect a reading of ninety degrees..My poor flowers won't know what to expect from day to day. At least they survived last night's low temp.
It's cold here today. I had to cover my morning glories, they just came up a few days ago and will never survive the night without being covered.On a side note, Jim, Juneau hasn't let go of his coat. It's the unseasonably cold weather. We had a few nice days and I thought it would happen...but no luck yet. It figures, the one time I want him to shed, and he doesn't, lol
I watched Beautiful Creatures, starring Emma Thompson and Jeremy Irons, about witches in South Carolina. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1559547/?... Better ending than I would have thought, given the teen romance thing. It was realistic and made sense. Not the greatest movie but not the worst either.
They told us we might get frost, but then changed their minds & said 37 for the low which was about right. I didn't bother covering anything.No worries, Jackie. I'm almost done with the Speedy pony, all made out of his fur spun into yarn & I'm using his mane hair for the hair & tail.
Thanks Jim. I hope you show photos of the Speedy pony when you're done.
Jackie wrote: "Will Blockbuster be getting S3 any time soon? ..."I called Blockbuster on Broad Street in GF and they have S3 of Downton Abbey. However, they charge $3.99 per disc. Furthermore, they've broken it up into 3 discs. So it's no bargain. I'll wait until it's being shown on TV in December and try seeing it via On Demand.
That price seems excessive, since there's only 8 episode in total. I would do the same and wait, good choice, Joy.
Earl wrote: "Anyone seen Argohttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024648/?... ..."
Argo won quite a few awards. My husband read the book and we were surprised to see that it was made into a movie. Now that you mention it, I think I'll put it on my Netflix queue so that he can watch it.
Nina wrote: "I have a book recommendation for each of you Goodread friends regardless of age or sex or prior reading preferences: "How Lincoln Learned to Read," by Daniel Wolff. It is not only about Lincoln, bu..."Nina, thanks for the Mother's Day wishes.
Here's a link to the book you mentioned:
How Lincoln Learned to Read: Twelve Great Americans and the Educations That Made Them
by Daniel Wolff
I'll check it out.
Jackie wrote: "That price seems excessive, since there's only 8 episode in total. I would do the same and wait, good choice, Joy."Jackie, I too think the Blockbuster price for S3 of Downton Abbey is steep. And I told them so. She said it was for 5 days but that didn't make any difference.
That's something I don't like about the rentals, the 'new releases' are for 5 days and cost more. Especially with movies, if I rent it today, I will watch it tonight, why do I want to pay for 5 days?
Joy H. wrote: Here's a link to the book you mentioned:How Lincoln Learned to Read: Twelve Great Americans and the Educations That Made Them
by Daniel Wolff ..."
PS-You can listen to a clip of the book here:
http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?...
Click on the word "Sample" under the picture at the left.
I may order the Audible version. Sounds interesting.
Joy H. wrote: "Nina wrote: "I have a book recommendation for each of you Goodread friends regardless of age or sex or prior reading preferences: "How Lincoln Learned to Read," by Daniel Wolff. It is not only abou..."Joy, In the book, "How Lincoln Learned to Raad," there is a long section on the slavery issue in Ulster CO New York and did you know(from this book) that Manhatten had the most slaves of any other city other than Charleston, SC in 1746? Fascinating read, as I mentioned.
That's intersting, Nina. Here's a link to a Wiki page about the History of slavery in NY:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_...
Earl wrote in Message #398: "Anyone seen Argohttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024648/?... ..."
Earl, thank you for reminding me about this movie. I rented the DVD from Netflix and just finished watching it. The movie was incredible. I can see why it got so many awards.
======================================================
"ARGO" (2012)
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024648/?...
"A dramatization of the 1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to extract six fugitive American diplomatic personnel out of revolutionary Iran."
NETFLIX: http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Argo/702...
"In 1979, when Iranian militants seize the American embassy, six Americans slip into the Canadian embassy for protection, prompting the CIA to concoct an elaborate plot to rescue them by pretending that they are filmmakers rather than diplomats."
IMDb AWARDS PAGE: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024648/a...
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BTW, according to IMDb, the movie was based on a selection from "The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA" by Tony Mendez (as Antonio J. Mendez) and also on the Wired Magazine article, "The Great Escape", by Joshuah Bearman. (Tony Mendez also wrote the book: Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History.)
Here's the Wiki page about Tony Mendez: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_...
Here's a photo of the real Tony Mendez being congratulated by President Carter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Car...
The film the CIA said they were going to make for the 'Argo' operation was Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light. It's one of my favorite books of all times.
Jim wrote: "The film the CIA said they were going to make for the 'Argo' operation was Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light. It's one of my favorite books of all times."Thanks for that interesting detail, Jim! I didn't know that.
Just now I went to Wiki's "Argo (2012 film)" page and found the following:
====================================================
"The real life screenplay that the CIA used to create their cover story came from an adaptation of Roger Zelazny's 1967 novel: Lord of Light. Producer Barry Gellar had spearheaded an earlier, sincere attempt to produce the movie with the book's original title. After that production attempt had failed, it was utilized by the CIA, and the title was changed to Argo."
FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argo_%28...
====================================================
Today I streamed "Quartet" from Netflix. The Wiki page says: Quartet is a 1948 British anthology film with four segments, each based on a story by W. Somerset Maugham.WIKI PAGE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartet_...
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040335/?...
NETFLIX: http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/701...
Maugham's stories are always good. Recommended.
One Netflix member review said: "...the stories all have a morale ... in the style of Alfred Hitchcock all had an unpredictable ending." Another said: "Very good film consisting of four stories unrelated but all of them with a message about human nature."
Because of a thunderstorm last night, I couldn't get online while eating supper. Instead, I watched the Masterpiece Theatre production of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw It was a really well-done, effectively acted adaptation (as most of the Masterpiece Theatre productions are), following the plot of the novella pretty closely. The only real variations are that the movie version has more hint of romantic attraction on the governess' part toward her employer, and some explicit religious references. I liked the way they treated the story, making it pretty clear that the ghostly apparitions and the children's creepy behavior are real, not a hallucination on the part of the governess. (She's pretty strung out at times in the last half of the film, but she's got good reason.)In the film version, you aren't exposed to the brunt of James' ultra-convoluted, slow-moving prose style, so it actually might be a better way for some people to experience the story. :-) But be warned that it's a very dark tale, with small children in the cross-hairs of evil menace; it'll appeal best to those who like brooding, Gothic ghost stories in a Victorian atmosphere --and might be too dark even for some of those fans. (Sorry I don't have a link to more information --typing this in a hurry!)
Werner, thanks for the interesting post. In the past, I've watched a couple of movie versions of
Turn of the Screw
(haven't read it). There were differences in each one.I searched our group's messages about it and here is a link to the hits:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/commen...
As you can see, it looks like we've talked about this before. I remember that I found our discussions very interesting.
Here is an IMDb page with all the different film versions of the story:
http://www.imdb.com/find?q=turn+of+th...
Which one was the Masterpiece Theater production?
BTW, I like your words: "the brunt of James' ultra-convoluted, slow-moving prose style...". Spot on! LOL Although, if one has all the time in the world to spend reading his work, it can be enjoyable (if you're in the mood for that sort of dense reading). :)
Joy, the Masterpiece Theatre production is the fifth one down on the list --the 1999 "TV movie." It's the only one that I've ever seen so far, though I'd enjoy comparing other adaptations, too.
Werner wrote: "Joy, the Masterpiece Theatre production is the fifth one down on the list --the 1999 "TV movie." It's the only one that I've ever seen so far, though I'd enjoy comparing other adaptations, too."Ah, yes, here it is:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209440/?...
"The Turn of the Screw" (TV 1999)
My past comments indicate that I saw that version. Colin Firth is part of the cast.
In 2010, I wrote:
======================================================
"Today I'm Netflixing another version of "The Turn of the Screw' with Lynn Regrave, made in 1974.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072328/?...
It's very different from the version with Colin Firth, made in 1999. In the 1974 version with Lynn Redgrave, the boy, Miles, is older, about 16 years old. There are quite a few scenes and slants which I don't remember seeing at all in the 1999 film.
=======================================================
In both the original story and in the MT version, Miles is about 10 years old. So the Redgrave version doesn't follow the book as closely there; and it would lose a lot of the emotional impact and creepiness factor that's inherent in the character's younger age.Because of his fame as an actor, Firth gets high billing in the MT version; but he actually only appears in the first scene (he plays the absent master of Bly). He shows his acting talent there, however, projecting a wholly different personality than the one we see in his role as Darcy in the BBC Pride and Prejudice miniseries.
Werner, thanks for your comments. Yes, Firth certainly does attract an audience. He has "star power".
I watched a war movie yesterday, a true story:"Memphis Belle" (1990)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100133/?...
"The story of the American bomber crew of the "Memphis Belle", the first US airmen to complete a full tour of 25 missions during the air battle of Europe during the Second World War. The film begins the night before the Belle's last mission, and follows the crew through the hectic flight that they must endure, and survive, in order to go home."
Whew! What suspense! I could hardly stand it! Those poor boys!
PS-It was free (to stream) to members of Amazon Prime.
http://www.amazon.com/Memphis-Belle/d...
"This adventure is based on actual events of the young crew of the "Memphis Belle," one of America's B-17 "Flying Fortresses" assigned to fly missions over Nazi occupied Europe."
Today I just saw Star Trek Into Darkness. If you liked the first movie, you should like this sequel.
Me and Eric saw it, it was fantastic. This reboot came as a complete surprise to me. I didn't see the first one in the theater because I didn't think it would be good. When it came to DVD, I rented because I had to see it anyway. Wow, it knocked my socks off! and the casting was amazing! That's why I had to see Into Darkness on the theater and it was just as good as the first one. And some of the 3D effects were the best I've seen. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1408101/?...Another excellent cast I recently saw was in "Glorious 39" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1319694/ I think Joy in particular would enjoy it, set in Britain right before England's involvement into WW2. It was a very good film and held my attention all the way through.
Mary JL and Jackie, it's good to see both of you here.After reading Jackie's post, I added "Glorious 39" to my Netflix DVD queue. The Netflix description says:
========================================================
"Oblivious to the looming shadow of World War II, the wealthy Keyes maintain a confident façade in the British countryside until daughter Anne becomes an unexpected pawn. Her accidental discovery of secret recordings creates a rift in the family."
FROM: http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Glorious...
========================================================
Thanks for the recommendation, Jackie.
Jackie: You are right about the casting! Zachary Quinto makes a great Spock---and didn't you love Uhura's scene with the Klingons? Hope there is a third movie---seems likely.
Yes, everything was fantastic, everyone was fantastic! I'm sure there will be more, it's a huge success.
Mary JL and Jackie, you made me curious. So I watched a trailer of "Star Trek Into Darkness" (2013). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1408101/?...I was surprised to see Benedict Cumberbatch in the film. He played Khan.
Was Khan a bad guy or a good guy?
I LOVED Cumberbatch's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in "Sherlock" (2010– ) (TV Series)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1475582/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1212722/?r...
Martin Freeman played Sherlock's sidekick, Dr. Watson. They made a great pair! (Freeman had played Bilbo Baggins in the latest version of The Hobbit. He's great!)
Khan is supposed to be the villain but he does have a point as to why he's angry at the Federation. Cumberbatch is amazing as Sherlock. The writer for Sherlock is Steven Moffat who also writes for Doctor Who, you can tell by the clever quick dialogue and the well-thought out stories on both shows.
Cumberbatch also plays the early Sauron who is only known as The Necromancer in the first Hobbit movie and also voices Smaug the Dragon in the second Hobbit movie. Freeman was perfect as Bilbo. Here's a trailer for the second movie in the Hobbit trilogy coming to theaters mid December: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnaojl...
Yes, the dialogue was great in Sherlock! Yes, "well-thought out" stories. Good way to put it!I hadn't ever heard of Cumberbatch until I saw Sherlock. I didn't notice him in the first Hobbit movie. Thanks for the info about his different roles.
I went to the link you provided and watched the trailer of the second Hobbit movie. It looks quite breathtaking! Thanks!
I'm so excited to see it. I wish we didn't have to wait a year for each movie.
I sort of watched "The Raven" last night while figuring out how to crochet the granny squares together. It's a fun old movie from 1963 with Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, & Boris Karloff as magicians.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057449/
Thanks, Jim. "The Raven" is available for streaming at Netflix. So I put it on my Instant queue there.http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The...
"After discovering that a string of baffling murders seems to be inspired by the macabre short stories of Edgar Allan Poe, Baltimore cop Emmett Fields turns to the brilliant-but-boozy author to help solve the crimes."
Today I watched "Arms and the Man" via a Netflix DVD (1987). It stars Helena Bonham Carter. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0862646/It was originally a play (a comedy) by George Bernard Shaw: Arms and the Man (1894).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arms_and...
The story takes place during the 1885 Serbo-Bulgarian War.
Bonham's character hides a soldier in her "chambers" and the story goes on from there. It's a bit wordy and melodramatic but I suppose that was the style back in the 1890's.
To me it seemed silly. But I stuck with it because it's considered a classic and I had always heard the name but never knew what it was about.
I usually love romantic comedies but this one seemed corny to me. Perhaps it was the acting. The casting could have been better, IMO.
Joy H. wrote: "Thanks, Jim. "The Raven" is available for streaming at Netflix. So I put it on my Instant queue there...."I wouldn't put it too high up, Joy. The special effects were pretty terrible, but it was amusing.
I'll keep that in mind, Jim. Most of the movies which I put on my Netflix Instant queue are there so I can take a quick look at them. If the movie doesn't "grab" me in the first few minutes, I'm outa there! :)
I give a movie 20 to 30 minutes, by then I'll know if it's for me or not. Some movies have a slow build and I'm OK with that as long as I like the story, characters, something.Last night I watched Side Effects, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2053463/?...
Even though it didn't deal with the ethical and responsibility questions it brought up in my mind, it was still a good movie, just not what I thought it would be about.
Jackie, I don't have the patience for slow build-ups at the beginning of a movie. I need to be drawn in almost immediately by something, even if it's only the scenery! Last night I started streaming the movie adaptation of The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120532/?...) The opening scene showed a man walking through the woods... walking...walking...walking. Sigh! But I stayed with it and so far so good.Netflix will have "Side Effects" available as a DVD on June 18. I put it on my Netflix queue. Sounds like a good Psychological Thriller. Thanks for mentioning it. I'm open to anything that draws me in!
http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Side-Eff...
"Emily copes with her depression by taking antidepressant medication. But when her dire state apparently spirals out of control due to her husband's prison release, she turns to a new medication that alters her life forever."
I know exactly what you mean, Joy, the walking, I think it detracts from the movie, it's filler and I surely don't need filler, just get to the point. It's what made me hate Black Swan http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0947798/. Too much time was wasted on the main character walking around, and even worse is the POV held the back of her head in the frame, yay I got to see a bun, oh what fun! It would have been a good movie without all that walking and looking at her bun. Or when a character walk down a hallway slowly, who needs that? I can infer that part. I have no patience for wasting my time.
I'll give a movie 20 minutes because there has to be time for the set up but if something hasn't caught my attention by then, I shut it off. 30 minutes will be for a movie that I'm still unsure of, but mostly it's 20 minutes. Either I'm interested or not. Other movies I know right away, within 5 minutes, that it's not for me but I kinda know that before I even turn it on, lol
Jackie wrote: "... I have no patience for wasting my time. ...."Right on, Jackie! On the other hand...
"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." ---Bertrand Russell
... but you've got to enjoy it! LOL
PS-The quote is sometimes attributed to John Lennon:
http://www.google.com/search?gs_rn=17...
I like this one: http://www.demotivation.us/time-you-e...
My time isn't wasted if I like what I'm doing...watching a person walk, no, not enjoying it at all, lolInteresting that two people are attributed tot he same quote, it can only be one who said it first. I would think Russell said it and Lennon just read it.
Side Effects just came out to DVD this week or last, that's not a long waiting time for Netflix. They seem to be getting better and better about getting DVDs soon after release date.
Joy, I felt the same way about that movie. A waste of good actors. The premise was silly rather than comical.
I just watched Oz The Great and Powerful http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1623205/?.... What a spectacular feast for the eyes! Now I wish I saw it in the theater. Good story too, it's about how the wizard came to Oz. Now I want to read my copy of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West since I'm in that kind of mood. I promised a friend we'd read it together so hopefully she's up for it too.
Jackie wrote: "... Interesting that two people are attributed tot he same quote, it can only be one who said it first. I would think Russell said it and Lennon just read it. ..."I agree, Jackie. That happens fairly frequently, even more so nowadays because erroneous attributions get spread around the Internet so fast.
Jackie wrote: "... Side Effects just came out to DVD this week or last, that's not a long waiting time for Netflix. They seem to be getting better and better about getting DVDs soon after release date."I think it depends on the popularity of the movie.
Nina wrote: "Joy, I felt the same way about that movie. A waste of good actors. The premise was silly rather than comical."Nina, thanks for validating my evaluation of the film adaptation of Arms and the Man. Yes, "silly instead of comical" is a good way to put it.
PS-Yet, if you read the GR reviews of the book, many of them rave about that play, written by G.B. Shaw. The stars given out (via the GR filter) look like this:
5 stars (590)
4 stars (803)
3 stars (610)
2 stars (169)
1 star (25)
Looks like a majority liked it (the original play).
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 expectations are disappointed, which account for negative reviews. But (especially if they pick their books with some attention to the cover descriptions, previous reviews, etc.) they're more apt to be on the mark. So on a site like this, for most books, positive reviews will always tend to outnumber negative ones --unless the book is really ultra-bad, or one that people can get "brownie points" in some quarters for trashing. :-)
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Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
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