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 EIGHT - 2015) (ongoing thread)
And Jack Nicolson in "Five Easy Pieces," And we saw an interesting movie last night, "Separate Tables," starring David Niven(they made him up to look like an old man) Debroah Kerr, Rita Hayworth and Burt Lancaster and Wendy Hiller. She won Oscar for supporting actress. David N. won as best actor and I think the movie also won the Oscar.
Nina wrote: "... And we saw an interesting movie last night, "Separate Tables," starring David Niven(they made him up to look like an old man) Debroah Kerr, Rita Hayworth an..."Yes, that was a great movie!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052182/?...
"The stories of several people are told as they stay at a seaside hotel in Bournemouth which features dining at "Separate Tables.""
Often times Google is a help. We watched the movie, "Ladies in Lavendar," and couldn't figure out some of the parts that were missing so later on I googled that title and found the movie was taken from a short story so I was fortunate that it too was on the computer so I read it and it solved the problems.
Nina wrote: "Often times Google is a help. We watched the movie, "Ladies in Lavendar," and couldn't figure out some of the parts that were missing so later on I googled that title and found the movie was taken ..."That was a good movie. I gave it 5 stars in 2010. Maybe I should watch it again!
"Ladies in Lavender" (2004) Stars: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377084/?...
Joy, when we watched the movie there was no explanation as to how the young man got to the beach excpet by swimming but it's a big ocean. And in the movie it is established he is Polish. So, after reading the short story we find that he has one living relative, an uncle in Krakow and tht he boarded a ship bound for America in Hamburg Germany and it was blown off course by a terrible storm. He was in steerage and came up to get some fresh air and he picked up a life jacket and he fell overboard. The short story ended differently than the movie, however.
Nina, thanks for that background information!
I am a big fan of the crime series Law and Order:Special Victims Unit. In the past eight days I have watched the entire third season of the show.I enjoy all the characters but find Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler and Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson to be especially well-drawn characters; aided by a good set of supporting actors. Of the many crime shows, one of the BEST. The 17th season starts in September, 2015!
Wow, 17th season! That is success! Thanks for posting, Mary JL.
I miss the Mary Tyler Moore show and Seinfeld and Those Were the Days.
I'm enjoying the "Big Bang Theory" on TV. Sheldon is so funny. The show gets better and better! Here's their web page: http://the-big-bang-theory.com/
The Big Bang Theory is one of our favorites, too. Right now we're watching Grey's Anatomy. I think it's on its 11th season, but we're on season 2 & really enjoying it. I don't know why we didn't watch it when it first came out. Probably overlapped with ER (which was similar) &/or some other show. Marg really liked ER & followed it for years, maybe its entire run. I caught it pretty often at first & then lost interest. Interestingly (to me) Grey's Anatomy was the mid season replacement for Boston Legal, another show we really liked but didn't watch until after it had ended. Grey's Anatomy is about a bunch of surgical interns learning their craft. Each episode begins with the main character, Meridith Grey, speaking a few sentences that sums up the theme of the show. The one we watched last night was about denial - it works until it doesn't - & then the characters go through their day & odd situations proving out the point. Good characters & situations. It's been very enjoyable.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey%27...
Thanks for the recommendations. I'll check them out.
Believe it or not, I watched "The Ipcress File" (1965) at the TCM movie channel the other night. I don't usually watch that kind of spy/crime movie but I got caught up in it... mostly because I love Michael Caine!http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059319/?...
"In London, a counter espionage agent deals with his own bureaucracy while investigating the kidnapping and brainwashing of British scientists."
http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/The-Ipcr...
"At the height of the Cold War, ex-thief Harry Palmer -- now reluctantly working as a secret agent -- has been called in to investigate a series of kidnappings among scientists, including the disappearance of a doctor holding sensitive information."
It was truly scary and suspenseful.
PS- The Ipcress File was originally a novel by Len Deighton. At IMDb it says that he was "uncredited" in the movie. Imagine that!!!The GR book description is interesting:
=====================================
"Len Deighton’s classic first novel, whose protagonist is a nameless spy – later christened Harry Palmer and made famous worldwide in the iconic 1960s film starring Michael Caine.
The Ipcress File was not only Len Deighton’s first novel, it was his first bestseller and the book that broke the mould of thriller writing.
The film of "The Ipcress File" gave Michael Caine one of his first and still most celebrated starring roles, while the novel itself has become a classic."
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In the story, Harry Palmer (the spy played by Caine) has a mission to find a missing biochemist. He discovers a deadly conspiracy.
BTW, "IPCRESS" (in the book & movie) stands for: "Induction of Psycho-Neuroses by Conditioned Reflex with Stress".
I think the Ken Follett books are somewhat in the same vein. They are good and exciting.
My Joy, I'm impressed with how you ever came up that explanation.
Nina wrote: "My Joy, I'm impressed with how you ever came up that explanation."Nina, if you mean the meaning of IPCRESS, I found it at: http://www.acronymfinder.com/
They mentioned it in the movie but of course I couldn't remember it.
I streamed 2 good movies from Netflix:The Chorus (2004)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372824/?...
"The new teacher at a severely administered boys' boarding school works to positively affect the students' lives through music."
Dear Frankie (2004) (Gerard Butler is in this.)
"After having responded to her son's numerous letters in the guise of his father, a woman hires a stranger to pose as his dad when meeting him."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377752/?...
http://www.amazon.com/Chorus-English-...
http://www.amazon.com/Dear-Frankie-Em...
Joy H. wrote: "I streamed 2 good movies from Netflix:The Chorus (2004)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372824/?...
"The new teacher at a severely administered boys' boarding school works to positively ..."
Dear Frankie is one of my daughter's favorite movies. :)
Glad to hear that, Cori. "Dear Frankie" was a touching story.
I have seen "The Chorus," twice. Soo good. Just read about a book you might like Joy, "A Week at the Lake," by Wendy Wax. It taked place at Lake George. It had one bad review on Amazon and the rest were glowing so suit yourself which one to believe. But, you might want to check it out.
Have any of you seen, "Before Sunrise," and "After Sunset?"
I think I might have mentioned reading the book, "A Map of Betrayal," by Ha JIn. It is about a Chinese Mole in DC and China. This morning's paper talks about our difficulty with Chinese spies and the govt. trying to get rid of them. Interesting.
Nina, thanks for your recommendations.
Nina wrote: "Have any of you seen, "Before Sunrise," and "After Sunset?""Haven't seen either one, Nina.
Before Sunrise (1995): http://www.amazon.com/Before-Sunrise-...
"A French grad student named Celine (Julie Delpy) meets an American boy named Jesse (Ethan Hawke) on the Budapest-Vienna train. They get off the train in Vienna and hang out for a while."
Before Sunset (2004): http://www.amazon.com/Before-Sunset-E...
"Nine years ago, two strangers met by chance, spent a night together in Vienna, and parted before sunrise. Now, they're about to cross paths again." Starring: Ethan Hawke.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112471/?...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381681/?...
PS-Here are the Netflix descriptions:Before Sunrise (1995)
http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/293391?t...
"This intoxicating film from director Richard Linklater stars Ethan Hawke as an American backpacker who strikes up a conversation with a lovely fellow traveler (Julie Delpy) on the train to Vienna and persuades her to spend his last day in Europe with him. Wandering the picturesque streets of the Austrian capital, the two share stories of their pasts and their dreams for the future, ultimately forging a bond that leads to love."
Before Sunset (2004)
http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Before-S...
"Ethan Hawke reprises his role as Jesse, a traveling American who fell for a sweet French girl named Celine (Julie Delpy) while he was backpacking through Europe, in this sequel to the 1995 hit Before Sunrise that's set nine years after they met. Now a successful author, Jessie's on a book tour in Paris when Celine shows up at a reading, just hours before his plane leaves. It's their last chance at closure -- and maybe their second shot at love."
I might try them. They sound interesting. ("Before Sunrise" & "Before Sunset")
Jim. I recommended the book, "Circling the Sun," to you because it has a lot about horse training and racing in Africa. It is the story of Beryl Markam. You thought if you read that book, you might start with a memoir written by her, titled, "West with the NIght." My suggestion now that I am reading that book is to start with my former suggestion, "Circling..." as her memoir takes off where the other book ends. Mostly, this "West.." book is about her flying experiences and barely mentions her historic flight over the Atlantic. It is good so far, but I liked the other one better.
The "West with the Night," book is getting better and might end up being just as good as the other one that I recommended. Hemmingway's remark after reading was, "Why did I think I was a writer?" If that gives you a clue.
Question. Why do movie producers think they add to the experience by using four letter words over and over again? Is it my age showing that it disgusts me after a while? We watched, "The Matchmaker," last night/setting lovely in Ireland/cast good/subject interesting/language R. too bad, otherwise an entertaining movie.
ji, as I read further into "West with the Night," it comes back to the earlier time in Beryl's life and once again it is about horses/training and racing and foaling, Jim, did you ever deliver a foal?
Joy, and the rest of you, what is your answer to my question?
Nina wrote: "Question. Why do movie producers think they add to the experience by using four letter words over and over again? Is it my age showing that it disgusts me after a while? ..."That's a good question, Nina. I too find the foul language offensive.
Nina wrote: "... We watched, "The Matchmaker," last night/setting lovely in Ireland/cast good/subject interesting/language R. too bad, otherwise an entertaining movie."Nina, which film was it?
I found the following at IMDb:
1997: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119632/?...
1958: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051913/?...
2010: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1655424/?...
2012: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2263174/?...
A couple of the others sound like fun to watch/1958 and 2012. We recently watched again, "Notting Hill, " and it was fun too. Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts.
Speaking of watching old movies again, I recently enjoyed "When Harry Met Sally" with Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. Wonderful!http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098635/?...
Nina, I don't appreciate gratuitous foul language in movies (or books) either. It adds nothing to the experience, and actually detracts from it.
Amen, Werner. Also, Joy it was such fun to watch "When Harry Met Sally," and I especially like Meg Ryan. Miss her. But they can't stay young forever; just in our memories.
I am really into Africa with the book I am currently reading, "West with the Night," and the one I just finished, "Circlying the Sun," and this morning I was cleaning my desk and found a letter written I'd saved from a granddaughter written twelve years ago when she was living in Africa with her sister who still lives there. The way she described her life there wasn't totally different from what I read.
I recently watched a Netflix DVD of "Broadcast News" (1987). It captured my interest and I stayed interested right to the end. Holly Hunter was excellent as were the other two stars, William Hurt and Albert Brooks.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092699/?...
"Take two rival TV reporters: one handsome, one talented, both male. Add one producer, female. Mix well and watch the sparks fly."
Netflix description: "Three ambitious workaholics -- a handsome but weak-minded anchorman, his driven producer and a neurotic reporter -- are set loose in a network TV newsroom, where their professional and personal lives become hopelessly cross-wired."
http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Broadcas...
I think I've seen Broadcast..but might watch it again. Have any of you seen "The Quiet Man?" Starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. I saw it long ago and remembered the one part I didn't care for was him/j.W. spanking Maureen.. Last night that wasn't in the movie. Wondering now if it was a different movie I was remembering. If not, wondering if they took that part out before showing it on TCM.
I saw "The Quiet Man" long ago & didn't care for it much, but that was because I'd read the short story it was based on first. The Duke was very poor casting for the main character. The movie was actually one of his better ones.
Nina, I know that John Wayne's character spanks his wife in the 1963 Western movie McLintock (www.imdb.com/title/tt0057298/ ); since Barb's a Wayne fan and has the movie on tape, I've seen bits and pieces of it when she watches it, including that part. Maybe he does in The Quiet Man too (I've never seen that one); but it's possible that you're simply confusing the latter with the former.
Werner, it is very possible that I am confusing the two movies with one another. Thanks for your info. And I agree with Jim that John Wayne was really very good in his part of the Quiet Man. I seem to like most movies that Barry Fitzgerald is in. He really fits his parts. And although not entirely, but the Quiet Man did remind me of the Ireland I was visiting.
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Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
Books mentioned in this topic
Buried Alive (other topics)West with the Night (other topics)
Circling the Sun (other topics)
West with the Night (other topics)
The Ipcress File (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Beryl Markham (other topics)Len Deighton (other topics)
Barbara Claypole White (other topics)
Michael Gruber (other topics)
Vivian Van Damm (other topics)
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Perfect casting!