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Movies, DVDs, and Theater > What MOVIES or DVDs have you watched? (PART EIGHT - 2015) (ongoing thread)

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message 51: by Jackie (last edited Jan 07, 2015 01:53PM) (new)

Jackie (thelastwolf) | 4050 comments I made it about a half hour before I shut off The Grand Budapest Hotel. It didn't do anything for me, I didn't think it was funny. As usual, award winners are just not for me. lol


message 52: by Joy H., Group Founder (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments PS-Hey! Some of the User Reviews at the link below agreed with me about "The Grand Budapest Hotel"!
http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-g...
I feel better now! lol


message 53: by Joy H., Group Founder (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Jackie wrote: "I made it about a half hour before I shut off The Grand Budapest Hotel. It didn't do anything for me, I didn't think it was funny. As usual, award winners are just not for me. lol"

Glad you agree, Jackie! :)


message 54: by Werner (new)

Werner I haven't seen The Grand Budapest Hotel, but it sounds like another one of many cases where the Emperor is naked.


message 55: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 07, 2015 03:46PM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Werner wrote: "I haven't seen The Grand Budapest Hotel, but it sounds like another one of many cases where the Emperor is naked."

Yes, Werner, I had the same thought.

However, I went to Wiki and struggled through the summary there. I was able to pick out the main storyline from all the details. If I watched it again (which I won't), I'd probably understand it better. One of the problems is that they throw so many characters into the movie, that it's difficult to keep them straight. The names "Gustave" and "Moustafa" roll around in your head and the dialogue is delivered so quickly that it doesn't give you a chance to remember who is who, among all the other characters coming and going, most of whom are famous actors with small parts.

The very detailed Wiki summary is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gran...


message 56: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 07, 2015 04:07PM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments PS-One critic at the New York Post wrote the following (about Grand Budapest Hotel):
“GBH” is a featherweight screwball comedy that, trying mightily to be cosmopolitan, feels awfully provincial, desperately touristy.
FROM: http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-g...

More from the same link:

"Meh, the film is interesting, and it's fun to see so many stars in one film. But it falls short in the laughs department. It's silly, and cute, and oh so clever, but left me a bit bored. I have a feeling some of the high reviews are from folks who are pleased with hollywood taking them a little more seriously. However, for me it was a bit dull."

"Just an awful movie. Not funny, weirdly directed, repetitive, featuring horrible florid set design, senseless celebrity cameo appearances, and some of the most boring dialogue ever. Hard for me to say how much I hated this movie. I know I'm in the minority, but I know I'm right too. Most people who say they like this movie probably secretly hated it."

However, I must say that most of the reviews were favorable.


message 57: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 09, 2015 08:17AM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Several days ago, I streamed the following two films from Netflix:

"Ida" (2013) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2718492/?...
and
"Remembrance" (2011) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1728620/?...

I gave them both 4 stars. They held my attention throughout. They are both serious movies.

"Ida" is spoken in Polish but the English subtitles are enough for understanding the plot.


message 58: by Jackie (new)

Jackie (thelastwolf) | 4050 comments Both sound really good, I'll put them on my To See List. TY


message 59: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 09, 2015 09:33AM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Via streaming from Amazon Prime "instant video" I was able to catch up on the "Downton" storyline free, as a member of Amazon Prime. I'm now beginning Season 4.

At Netflix, Downton Abbey is available on DVD only. I've only subscribed to the "streaming" part of Netflix where you can't get "Downton". Seems all the GOOD shows require subscribing to the DVD section of Netflix. It's too expensive to subscribe to both streaming and DVD. Am mulling my choices over. Meanwhile, I'm using the public library which requires travel.


message 60: by Jackie (new)

Jackie (thelastwolf) | 4050 comments I remember a couple of years ago when Netflix wanted to separate Streaming from DVD and the subscribers were up in arms over it, and Netflix didn't do it at that time. It's interesting to see that it has now come to pass anyway. More interesting is that I didn't hear about it, so that means people weren't complaining.
I always try the library first. The only problem with that is it often takes quite a while for the library to get the desired films.


message 61: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 09, 2015 06:02PM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Yes, Jackie, a few years ago Netflix offered Streaming as well as DVD for one reasonable price. Now they've separated Streaming from DVD and it's double the cost if you want both.

As for going to the library, sometimes that's inconvenient, especially in the winter. Well, today I picked up 7 items at the library. I feel like a kid in a candy store!

Right now I'm going to begin watching a DVD of "I Heart Huckabees" (2004).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0356721/?...
I hope I will enjoy it. Looks like a good cast.


message 62: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 10, 2015 08:05AM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments I started watching "I Heart Huckabees" last night. Can't make head or tail of it. It jumps all over the place.


message 63: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 10, 2015 08:25AM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments PS- About "I Heart Huckabees", reviewer James Berardinelli says: "...in order to understand what's going on, you have to sit through all 105 minutes of the running time, and that's an experience that will try the patience of many mainstream movie-goers. It's no exaggeration to say that this movie is not for everyone."
See Berardinelli's full review at: http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_t...

See Roger Ebert's review at: http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/i-h...
Ebert said: "I went to see "I Heart Huckabees" at the Toronto Film Festival. It was on the screen, and I was in my chair, and nothing was happening between us. There was clearly a movie being shown, but what was its purpose and why were the characters so inexplicable?"


message 64: by Werner (new)

Werner My youngest grandkids were re-watching Frozen last night, which reminded me of one flaw I didn't think to mention in my earlier comments: the scene where some of the characters are pursued by a pack of ravenous wolves does tend to perpetuate unfortunate and inaccurate wolf stereotypes. Contrary to what many people believe, healthy wolves would not try to attack humans --though, granted, they would be quite in character to chase a caribou with harmful intent, even if it happened to be somebody's pet caribou. But nobody in the film explains that distinction.

Hans Christian Anderson, of course, with the average state of knowledge a 19th-century city dweller would have had, wouldn't have known any better. Of course, I'm not sure if that particular scene simply reflects Anderson's original story, or was introduced by the scriptwriters.


message 65: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 11, 2015 07:15AM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Werner, I haven't seen "Frozen". Right now I'm watching "The Fifth Estate" which I borrowed from the library.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1837703/?...
"A dramatic thriller based on real events that reveals the quest to expose the deceptions and corruptions of power that turned an Internet upstart into the 21st century's most fiercely debated organization."

I mainly wanted to see Benedict Cumberbatch in this movie where he uses an Australian accent. The movie is adapted from the book. He plays the role of Julian Assange.

"Based on books by former Assange collaborators Daniel Domscheit-Berg, David Leigh and Luke Harding, “The Fifth Estate” focuses on Assange’s relationship with Domscheit-Berg (played in the film by “Rush” star Daniel Bruhl), a computer programmer in Germany who meets the snow-haired Australian at a hackers’ conference and quickly warms to his calls for “a whole new form of social justice” by way of using encryption to protect whistleblowers."
FROM: http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingou...


message 66: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 11, 2015 07:12AM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Below is a summary about the movie "The Fifth Estate" from my library catalog:
=============================================
"Summary: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his colleague Daniel Domscheit-Berg team up to become underground watchdogs of the very powerful. They create a platform that allows whistleblowers to anonymously leak covert data. But when Assange and Berg gain access to the biggest trove of confidential intelligence documents in U.S. history, they battle each other and a defining question of our time: what are the costs of keeping secrets in a free society, and what are the costs of exposing them? "
=================================================


message 67: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 11, 2015 11:51AM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments More about "The Fifth Estate":
"The Fifth Estate is a 2013 thriller film directed by Bill Condon, about the news-leaking website WikiLeaks. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as its editor-in-chief and founder Julian Assange, and Daniel Brühl as its former spokesperson Daniel Domscheit-Berg.

Anthony Mackie, David Thewlis, Alicia Vikander, Stanley Tucci, and Laura Linney are featured in supporting roles.

The film's screenplay was written by Josh Singer based in-part on Domscheit-Berg's book Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange and the World's Most Dangerous Website (2011), as well as WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy (2011) by British journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding. The film's name is a term used to describe the people who operate in the manner of journalists outside the normal constraints imposed on the mainstream media."
FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fift...

The books mentioned above:
WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy by David Leigh, Luke Harding
or
WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy by Luke Harding, David Leigh

Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World's Most Dangerous Website by Daniel Domscheit-Berg


message 68: by Jackie (new)

Jackie (thelastwolf) | 4050 comments Werner, TY for noticing about the wolves and the stubborn perpetuation of false information. This is a particular pet peeve of mine, and it's in every movie I've seen that has wolves. All I can say to those who believe the lies is everything we love about our beloved dogs comes directly from their wolf ancestors and then watch the greatest and most truthful wolf behavior documentary I've even seen, Living With Wolves, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd3d-...


message 69: by Joy H., Group Founder (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Thanks, Werner and Jackie, for the posts about the wolves. Right now I'm wrapped up trying to understand the movie, "The Fifth Estate".


message 70: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 11, 2015 07:24AM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Jackie, is it possible that there are wolves in the Adirondacks? One time, while driving on Route 9N, I think I saw a pair of eyes in the woods which were shaped exactly like those of a wolf. I never saw such a thing again but it was strange at the time.

BTW, thanks for the You-Tube link about wolves! The description there says: "For Centuries. Wolves have been characterized as bloodthirsty beasts and the bane of helpless livestock. determined to overcome this misconception, filmakers Jamie and Jim Dutcher-creators of the Emmy Award Winning Wolves at Our Door, spean six years in a tented camp in the wilderness of Idaho-living with a pack of wolves!"
FROM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd3d-...


message 71: by Jackie (last edited Jan 11, 2015 09:53AM) (new)

Jackie (thelastwolf) | 4050 comments No wolves in the Adirondacks but there are coyotes. I would love to see wolves introduced back into the Adirondacks. When top predators are back in their natural habitats, everything prospers. Watch this 4 minute vid that proves it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5O...
And even from just from a monetary standpoint, where there are wolves there's lot of tourists, millions of dollars in annual revenue and that would do our area good.


message 72: by Joy H., Group Founder (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments I worry about a wolf going after my dog in the yard.


message 73: by Jackie (last edited Jan 11, 2015 09:55AM) (new)

Jackie (thelastwolf) | 4050 comments I don't, hahaha (you've seen beastly Juneau, so you know why I'm laughing). But yes, I can see why you'd be concerned for Romeo but the truth is wolves rather not be near people or the areas we inhabit. As long as they have meat on the hoof to chase down, dogs aren't likely to be on the menu.


message 74: by Werner (new)

Werner Jackie, thanks for the links! When time permits, I'll definitely try to watch both of those.


message 75: by Joy H., Group Founder (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Jackie, yes, I guess Juneau can take care of himself! :)


message 76: by Joy H., Group Founder (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments At last night's Golden Globe Award show, the winner of the "Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical" was GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL!

It beat the following:
-Birdman
-Into the Woods
-Pride
-St. Vincent

I'll never understand that choice.


message 77: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 12, 2015 03:42PM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments PS-Here's a link to a list of the Golden Globe winners and losers:
http://variety.com/2015/film/news/gol...

"Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or TV movie":
Winner: Joanne Froggatt – Downton Abbey!
Hurray!


message 78: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 16, 2015 08:38AM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Last night I streamed a very unusual documentary entitled:
"The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life" (2014)
It is an Academy Award-winning documentary (2014). So inspiring!

IMDb:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2924484/?...
Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/70302...
"Czech pianist and holocaust survivor Alice Herz-Sommer describes how music enabled her to survive one of the darkest chapters in human history."

I was looking around for something to watch and I randomly found this film. It's very short, only 39 minutes, but it's worth watching, if only for the music alone. Beautiful! I LOVE piano music. Alice Herz-Sommer plays so many classical pieces FROM MEMORY! She lived a long life and played piano even when she was over 100 years old!

The film credits mention this book: A Century of Wisdom: Lessons from the Life of Alice Herz-Sommer, the World's Oldest Living Holocaust Survivor
FROM THE GOODREADS PAGE:
"An inspiring story of resilience and the power of optimism—the true story of Alice Herz-Sommer, the world’s oldest living Holocaust survivor."
"A Century of Wisdom is the remarkable and inspiring story of one woman’s lifelong determination—in the face of some of the worst evils known to man—to find goodness in life. It is a testament to the bonds of friendship, the power of music, and the importance of leading a life of material simplicity, intellectual curiosity, and never-ending optimism."

There seems to be several related books. You can access FREE SAMPLES of the books here:
SEE LINKS BELOW:
"A Century of Wisdom, Lessons from the Life of Alice Herz-Sommer, the World's Oldest Living Holocaust Survivor":
https://play.google.com/store/books/d...

"Alice's Piano":
https://play.google.com/store/books/d...


message 79: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 16, 2015 08:59AM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments PS-There's also this DVD which I found mentioned at Amazon:
"Everything is a Present: The Wonder & Grace of Alice Sommer Hertz"
Alice Sommer Herz (Actor), Gigi Sommer (Actor), Christopher Nupen (Director) Format: DVD
http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Pres...

Also see the following Goodreads pages::
Alice's Piano by Herz-Sommer
Alice's Piano by Melissa Muller and Reinhard Piechocki


message 80: by Joy H., Group Founder (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Today I streamed the movie, "The Lost Moment" (1947) via Amazon Prime. The opening credits say it's based on Henry James' story, The Aspern Papers.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039583/?...

If you like a good old-fashioned suspense story, full of drama, mystery, and dark atmosphere, this is for you! I'm not usually drawn to this type of movie but this one drew me almost from the beginning.

There are more details at my GR review at:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


message 81: by Joy H., Group Founder (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Today I streamed the suspense film, "Another Man's Poison" (1951) starring Bette Davis & Gary Merrill.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044364/?...
http://www.amazon.com/Another-Mans-Po...

It holds your attention and keeps you watching!

One of the Amazon customer reviews commented:
"The story was fresh and the dialogue was sharp, NOBODY CAN DELIVER A LINE LIKE BETTE DAVIS!!! She plays the evil dame with such grace and finnesse that you cant help wanting her to triumph in the end! So sit back, turn off the lights, and enjoy Bette Davis being so bad she's good!!!"


message 82: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 20, 2015 07:45PM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments I streamed "You Can Count on Me" (2000) via Amazon Prime.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0203230/?...

It won "Movie of the Year" at the AFI Awards, USA 2001. See other nominations and awards at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0203230/a...

This movie held my attention right to the end. AFI comments:
==============================================
"In YOU CAN COUNT ON ME, writer/director Kenneth Lonergan surprises time and again with his affecting story of a complicated, funny and emotional sister/brother relationship. Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo create heart-breakingly real characters in this underexplored thematic territory."
================================================

At first I thought that they could have come up with a better title, but the more I think about it, the more sense it makes.


message 83: by Jackie (new)

Jackie (thelastwolf) | 4050 comments "underexplored thematic territory", that peaked my interest. I'll see if the library has it.


message 84: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 21, 2015 03:34AM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Jackie, I think you will appreciate the film, "You Can Count On Me". It's about relationships and there's no boring small talk, as we sometimes find in "family" genre stories, (e.g., as I currently find in Anne Tyler's book, Back When We Were Grownups ) I hate small talk! It doesn't do the plot any good.

All the talk in this film is "heart-breakingly real", as the blurb says.

At first I didn't like Mark Ruffalo's character, but after a while he became more appealing. Wish he'd comb his hair! LOL

As for Laura Linney, she played the role well. It's the first time I really liked her. Before this, she usually bored me in films.

The little boy is precious. A real little boy, no cutesy stuff.

PS-The Crandall Library has the movie, "You Can Count on Me" on DVD.
http://pac.sals.edu/polaris/search/ti...


message 85: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 26, 2015 06:01PM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments I recently streamed (via Netflix) a movie adapted from the book, Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier.
"Night Train to Lisbon" (2013)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1654523/?...

I had trouble following the plot. There were a lot of flashbacks. I couldn't keep the characters straight. There were too many of them.

The characters:
1. Raimund Gregorius (Jeremy Irons), a Swiss professor
2. Amadeu do Prado - a doctor and writer of a a small book, a memoir of sorts
3. the writer's sister Adriana (Charlotte Rampling).
4. local optician, Mariana (Martina Gedeck),
5. optician's uncle João Eça, who knew Amadeu
6. Jorge O'Kelly, friend of Amadeu, a pharmacist
7. Estefânia (Mélanie Laurent), a beautiful woman who helped the resistance by memorizing people's names and contact information (girlfriend of Amadeu)
8. older Estefania (Lena Olin)
9. woman on the bridge
10. several others

I couldn't figure how the woman on the bridge fit into the plot. Turns out she wasn't very important to the real plot even though in the beginnning I got the impression that she was.

The somber atmosphere of the movie gave it a sense of suspense, and Jeremy Irons was impressive, even though I couldn't figure out the plot, Not very satisfying, IMO.

The plot is explained fairly well by user Claudio Carvalho at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1654523/p...


message 86: by Jackie (new)

Jackie (thelastwolf) | 4050 comments I'm watching Sons of Liberty, a 3 part miniseries on History Channel. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3782838/
http://www.history.com/shows/sons-of-.... I love this period of our history, we were never greater than in these years. I highly recommend the series.


message 87: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 27, 2015 05:53AM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Jackie wrote: "I'm watching Sons of Liberty, a 3 part miniseries on History Channel. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3782838/
http://www.history.com/shows/sons-of-.... I love this period of our history, we were..."


Thanks, Jackie. I'll check it out. Seems I can stream the episodes from the History Channel website which you linked above. http://www.history.com/shows/sons-of-...


message 88: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 27, 2015 03:46PM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments I just remembered now to tune into the History Channel to watch an episode of "Sons of Liberty" which Jackie told us about today (above). It's Channel 39 in my area. The name of this episode is "A Dangerous Game" (5PM to 7PM ET).

"Sons of Liberty": "A Dangerous Game"" (Episode 1)
(85 min)
"In Boston, Sam Adams–brilliant but deeply in debt–incites the anger of the British crown after accidentally provoking the destruction of the royal governor's mansion.
With the British authorities on his tail, Sam is forced to turn to a wealthy socialite–John Hancock–for help.
But when their association ruins Hancock's British business connections, together, Sam and Hancock establish an ingenious black market smuggling operation only to have it swiftly shut down by the royal governor.
Once again, riots consume the streets of Boston. Sam engineers a protest of loyalist businesses, but when a young boy is murdered by a British supporter, the conflict with the British goes from a dispute about money and taxation to a fight for freedom."
FROM:http://www.history.com/shows/sons-of-...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3845302/?...

PS-Episode 2 is called "The Uprising".
http://www.history.com/shows/sons-of-...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3845306/?...

Episode 3 is called "Independence".
http://www.history.com/shows/sons-of-...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3845308/?...


message 89: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 27, 2015 03:58PM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Earlier today, I streamed (from Netflix) "Thérèse" (2012)

Thérèse (2012) (in French with English subtitles)
"Thérèse Desqueyroux" (original title)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1654829/?...
"An unhappily married woman struggles to break free from social pressures."
http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/702425...
"Bored by an arranged marriage to a dull but well-meaning husband, a young wife in rural France in the 1920s seeks a drastic solution to her problems."

It was adapted from the book, Therese Desqueyroux & Het einde van de nachtTherese Desqueyroux & Het einde van de nacht by François Mauriac.

It kept my attention but I didn't particularly enjoy it because there were too many unanswered questions in my mind about motivations.


message 90: by Joy H., Group Founder (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments PS-About the film, Thérèse, which I mentioned in the previous post, #89, the following user-review expresses my thoughts about the movie much better than I could:
============================================
"Visually rich but somehow doesn't come off. Quite a few reviews blame [Audrey] Tatou. I thought her taut, grim expression was pretty good -- subtle, and in keeping with the overall style of the narration and the straight-laced characters around her.

"The whole project tries to be subtle -- her response to repression, boredom, constraint is not cliched; it is only very lightly suggested that she needs more scope or has more talent or spirit than others in her world; her husband's response to her crime is surprising and interesting.

"But all these features wind up merely blurred, uncertain. The sister-in-law's misadventure in love just kind of evaporates. The handsome Jewish potential lover just kind of evaporates. Therese's guilt just kind of evaporates. The fire happens and its effects just kind of evaporate. The consequences of things are so nuanced they barely exist. It's interesting, and I think visually arresting enough to keep one watching, but not a success."
FROM: http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/702425...

I think the review above says it well. Situations in the story seem to evaporate as the film goes on to other situations. Also, I would have liked to have seen more of the sister-in-law's experiences. The ending is so nuanced that I had to read a review to understand what it meant.

A user-review at IMDb used the term "hanging subplots". That's a good way to put it.

I got tired of seeing the same taut, grim expression on Theresa's face, actually expressionless. It hardly ever seemed to change.


message 91: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 28, 2015 09:35PM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments I streamed "Muriel's Wedding" (1994) tonight. It was terrific! Toni Collette did a superb job as Muriel. The ABBA musical background added to it. It was funny and sad all at the same time. I might have seen it when it first came out... there are slight echoes of it in my mind. But it seemed new to me anyway. I really enjoyed it.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110598/?...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006...
http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/783045...
"A misfit escapes life by listening to ABBA ditties and dreaming about marriage, but when she leaves her hometown, her fantasy starts to come to life."


message 92: by Joy H., Group Founder (last edited Jan 29, 2015 11:44AM) (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Today I started streaming (via Amazon Prime) "The Virgin Queen" (2005), the TV Mini-Series, starring: Anne-Marie Duff.
Amazon lists it as: "Masterpiece: Elizabeth I - The Virgin Queen".
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0481459/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D...

I really have to complain about 2 things which are very annoying.

First of all, the camera constantly swings across the scenes as if it's being hand-held. It almost causes a "sea-sick" feeling because the picture isn't steady; instead it "sweeps" across the room to get to other characters.

Second of all, the background music, in trying to create suspense, has a continual deep sound of what sounds like drums or thunder, underneath the other music. It's annoying to listen to.

I found via a Google search, an interesting (and amusing) NY Times review of the series at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/12/art...
The title of the review is: "Such an Unhappy Sex Life? But Such a Glorious Reign"
EXCERPT:
==========================================
""The Virgin Queen," a four-hour examination on "Masterpiece Theater" of Elizabeth's more than 50-year reign, seems deeply invested in its effort to unravel the mysteries of Elizabeth the woman - Elizabeth the singleton who would not fall prey to lust - refusing to acknowledge that the "mysteries" don't require all the keys in a locksmith's arsenal.

"The production prods and pokes at the young queen, laboring relentlessly, and without much success, to draw some sort of grand conclusion about her ...

"The Virgin Queen" is a hodgepodge treatise on sexual frustration. Spending 240 minutes with a woman who wants men to desire her, but not really, well, maybe sometimes, but only in the abstract - this has the effect of making you want to dust the baseboards.

"Anne-Marie Duff plays the queen as if directed to imagine a dieter angrily trying to extinguish all thoughts of the menu at Friendly's from her head."
=================================================

Not sure I'll go back to it. I watched it for 15 minutes and it has an hour and 40 minutes to go!

Well, anyway, at least I found the amusing NY Times review.


message 93: by Jackie (last edited Jan 29, 2015 11:46AM) (new)

Jackie (thelastwolf) | 4050 comments I saw that version, and I agree with you, Joy. I don't particularly like Anne-Marie Duff. A better film is Elizabeth with the outstanding Cate Blanchette http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0127536/?...
She reprises the role in Elizabeth: The Golden Years http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0414055/?...


message 94: by Joy H., Group Founder (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Jackie, thanks for those links to the films starring Cate Blanchette as Elizabeth. They aren't free to me for streaming. I'd have to pay. I'd have to subscribe to Netflix DVDs OR I'd have to pay Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Golde...
http://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Cate-...

I'll think about it.


message 95: by Jackie (last edited Jan 29, 2015 12:06PM) (new)

Jackie (thelastwolf) | 4050 comments I'm pretty sure I got the first one out of the library, it was some years ago. Also, I forgot to say the second film wasn't as good as the first. I just checked youtube because sometimes you can view an entire movie there, but no luck, they want $2.99 to watch it.

The library has it: http://pac.sals.edu/polaris/search/ti...
That's LG library catalog, you'll be able to find it at the GF library catalog.


message 96: by Joy H., Group Founder (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Gee, I forgot about trying to get those films on DVD at the public library! Will do! Thanks for the reminder.

I suppose I should be willing to spend three or four dollars to watch films, but after a while all those dollars add up!

I often wonder if it would be worth paying for the films individually rather than subscribing to Netflix or Amazon Prime. But with Amazon Prime I get lots of free shipping and with Netflix I get the ability to see lists of various category choices as well as a history of what I've watched with my "star" evaluations.


message 97: by Jackie (new)

Jackie (thelastwolf) | 4050 comments I forget about the library too, most of the time I'm there and see something I'd like to watch. I rarely think to reserve a movie from them.

I would think individually would add up quickly. $2.99 for an old movie seems like a lot to me. I wonder what they want for a new movie, more than I'm willing to pay I'm sure.
Even one movie a week at that price is more than Netflix for the month. I don't know what Amazon Prime charges but it has to be better than individually.


message 98: by Joy H., Group Founder (new)

Joy H. (joyofglensfalls) | 16697 comments Jackie, Amazon Prime costs $99 per year. My first year it was $79 but it's gone up since then.


message 99: by Werner (new)

Werner The History Channel's Sons of Liberty miniseries has been mentioned above. I haven't watched any of it, simply because I get very little opportunity to watch TV, especially during the school year. But in an e-mailed newsfeed I get (I didn't sign up for it; it just started arriving one day!), I did get a link to an online article by historian Thomas Verenna, posted at the Journal of the American Revolution website. The series is a fictionalized dramatization of history, but apparently the fiction element predominates, and they get a LOT of historical facts completely wrong; Verenna goes through it episode by episode, pointing all of these out. It's a long article, and I only gave it a cursory glance; but if anyone's interested, here's the link: allthingsliberty.com/2015/01/discover... .


message 100: by Jackie (last edited Jan 30, 2015 06:49AM) (new)

Jackie (thelastwolf) | 4050 comments History Channel itself airs a commercial about Fact vs Fiction and has something on their website. All fictionalized programs are like this, I expect it. It's a little annoying that the History Channel do it, but they do, with every fictionalize drama they air.
What annoyed me most about the dramatization is Doctor Warren and General Gage's wife having an affair. It is irrelevant in every way possible.
I still enjoy anything to do with the American Revolution. I'm just glad there is a program on it, since most people in this country know nothing about it. Maybe it'll spark their interest and get them learning.


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