What MOVIES or DVDs have you watched? (PART EIGHT - 2015) (ongoing thread)

[Nina]

Thanks for the review and I won't bother. Beautiful day here and love looking out at my maple with pink leaves shining in the sunshine and down the road a bit are the Bradford pears in full glory. Ah Spring!

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Hi Nina! Yes, we have a beautiful day here too. Sun is out and it's 44 degrees. Enjoy the day and all of nature's gifts.

[Nina]

I expect you do have a lovely town. How far upstate are you? We once long ago visited Croton on Hudson, Westpoint and all the way up the Hudson River to Canada. I should look on a map but would love to have you describe where your town in located.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

We are located an hour's drive north of our NY State capital, Albany, and twenty minutes north of Saratoga Springs. We are in Glens Falls in Warren County and very near Lake George, a beautiful vacation area in the Adirondack Mountains in the northeastern part of the state. Below are some map links. I hope they work:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...

You can see Lake George on the 4th map. It's not labeled but it's the narrow lake next to the larger narrow lake (north of Saratoga Springs on the map) which is Lake Champlain.

[Jackie]

Only a few miles and we have such different temps, Joy. If I'm lucky the high will be low 40s, as it is now, it's only 37. But as I just told my neighbor, it beats below freezing!

[Joy H., Group Founder]

We have 47 degrees here, Jackie, according to our home weather station. A lot depends on elevation too. Yes, anything beats below freezing!

[Jackie]

38 now. And Warrensburgh's weather is always colder than LG. I was out and it's pretty nice with the sun shining.

[Nina]

Joy H. wrote: "We are located an hour's drive north of our NY State capital, Albany, and twenty minutes north of Saratoga Springs. We are in Glens Falls in Warren County and very near Lake George, a beautiful vac..."Joy, thanks for your description of where you are located. i was able to view a NY state map and saw where Warren CO was located but the other websites didn't work for me. One only gave me RR lines in the state and the last one rather than viewing Lake George was a website for printable maps of the state. I tried several times. Sometiem in the summer send me a picture by email of Lake George.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Yes, Jackie, there was a touch of spring in the air today, even though the temps were still a bit cool. We went out and did a few errands. I was able to put my foot out the door and brave the weather. LOL

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "...send me a picture by email of Lake George."

OK, Nina, I'll do that! (Sorry the map links didn't work.)

[Joy H., Group Founder]

I streamed a terrific movie today: Frankie and Johnny (1991). Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer are TERRIFIC together! I'm giving the film 5 Netflix stars out of 5!

Michelle Pfeiffer was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in this picture. She should have won much more than that! I LOVED the way Al Pacino played his part! Nathan Lane had a small part but he had some great lines... and he can deliver them too! Great direction by Garry Marshall.

If some unknowns had starred in this movie, it's possible that we'd think that the plot was thin. But not with this cast and this director! They made a wonderful film together!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101912/?...
http://www.amazon.com/Frankie-Johnny-...
http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/600215...]
The Netflix description was the best one of the three sites linked above.
Netflix description: "A divorced ex-con becomes a cook at a Manhattan café, where he falls in love with a beautiful waitress with her own painful past."

PS-Kate Nelligan won some awards for her supporting role. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101912/a...

[Nina]

I'll see if I can get it. Saw a dreadful French movie tonight on TCM. Souldn't have wasted my time. Kept thinking it would get better. It got worse. Why didn't I turn it off?

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina, I have trouble bailing out of a bad movie too. I guess we keep hoping it will get better or we want to see how it ends. Sometimes it's pure torture. :)

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Today I streamed "Josephine and Men" (1955) via Amazon Prime. (Netflix doesn't seem to have it.) It stars Peter Finch, Glynis Johns, Jack Buchanan, Donald Sinden. It's a British film.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048232/?...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009...
"The trouble with Josephine is that her over-sympathetic nature leads her to switch from needful men to even more needful men."

In this movie Glynis Johns, as Josephine, is attracted to men who need her. The more needy they are, the more she's attracted to them. Of course this leads to comical troubles which are very entertaining and keep you watching. The story, as you get into it, has some light suspense which I enjoyed. Her uncle makes wry remarks all through the movie and adds a great deal to the dialogue. He has a dry sense of humor.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

I'm still watching old movies! LOL Too many of the new movies deal with heavy subjects. I like the light mood of these old movies:

"Somebody Loves Me" (1952) with Betty Hutton.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045171/?...

"Mr. Music" (1950) with Bing Crosby.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042753/?...

"Molly and Me" (1945) with Gracie Fields, Monty Woolley & Roddy McDowall.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037923/?...

None of the above are available at Netflix. They're available to me via streaming at Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime has better movies to stream than Netflix. In addition, Amazon streaming provides subtitles for the hard of hearing. I'm not hard of hearing but sometimes I miss hearing words that aren't clear enough.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

PS-I just found a way you can watch "Molly and Me" free at YouTube. The link is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdVOS...
It's an amusing story which catches your attention, especially after Monty Woolley comes on the scene.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

If you like old movies, here's one. It's light and "feel-good" with an appealing plot and characters:
"The Young in Heart" (1938) with Janet Gaynor, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Paulette Goddard and Richard Carlson. At least it kept my attention. :)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031002/?...
http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/60011433...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D...
NETFLIX DESCRIPTION: "A family of con artists, freshly kicked out of Monte Carlo, can't believe their luck when they meet a wealthy elderly lady who just may be their ticket out of Poorville. But their new mark's sweet nature may be enough to turn the crooks around."

Netflix has it on DVD.

[Nina]

Thanks Joy. I just ordered it. Crazy morning. My husband broke out in terrible rash all over his body and could hardly talk so off we went again to St. Joseph hospital clinic. He is now home and after taking new medication seems to be under control. Very painful if he touches his body. What next? Hope we get through another day with no hospital trips. Wish us luck.

[Werner]

You're both still in my thoughts and prayers, Nina!

[Nina]

Thanks Joy. Prayers are always welcome.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina, I feel so bad for you and your husband. I hope this trouble will be over soon. (BTW, Message #269 was from Werner.)

[Nina]

I think he is slightly improved tonight. Thanks for your good wishes.

[Jim]

Glad he's doing better, Nina. Fingers crossed!

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina, thanks for keeping us posted. I hope and pray that your husband will keep improving.

[Nina]

So far so good; no hospital trips planned for the day.Lovely weather but we need rain. We had so little snow this past winter but the grass is very green and the dandelions are thriving.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina, I hope that today will be a very good day for you.

I'm not sure if you would like the following old movie but you can stream it from Netflix. I watched it yesterday and it kept my attention although I usually don't care for George Raft's genre. This one had a good story and also starred Walter Pidgeon whom I like very much. Also starred lovely Joan Bennett.
"The House Across the Bay" (1940) Stars: George Raft, Joan Bennett, Lloyd Nolan
http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/702713...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032609/?...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H...

Are you able to stream Netflix or do you only get their DVDs?

[Joy H., Group Founder]

PS-The "house across the bay" was Alcatraz prison.

[Nina]

I think there is a movie, "The Birdman of Alcatraz," and one of our friend's mother is the one who gave him the birds.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

I remember that movie, Nina. Burt Lancaster was the star.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055798/?...

[Joy H., Group Founder]

I'm watching another old movie: "This Is the Army" (1943) (I'm streaming via Amazon Prime but Netflix has the DVD.)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036430/?...
http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/60011448...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004...
Irving Berlin wrote some wonderful tunes for the movie.
It's funny to see Ronald Reagan as a soldier.

[Nina]

Yeah! My husband is improving. One more test next week to try to determine what caused this infection and bleeding; hopefull the cause can be found and he never has to go through this again. And also good news, we have rain this morning. We just arrived at the lumber yard along with a mulitutde of others to purchase their three dollare hanging baskets of flowers and then came the downpour as we escaped to our van. Then to the bakery and home again. Whew! what a morning. And Werner, speaking of "Jamaica Inn," I actually passed the Inn by bus and it was pointed out that it was the inspiration for the book. It was in Yorkshire.

[Nina]

Thanks for the suggestion, "This is the Army," Joy. I seem to remember that movie. I will try to order it on Netflix.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Wow, Nina, you've been a busy little bee. :) Hope your flower baskets will thrive!

[Werner]

Yes, Nina, Jamaica Inn still stands today on Cornwall's Bodmin Moor (I'm guessing that "Yorkshire" in your post is a typo for "Cornwall"), and is still a functioning inn. Judging from the website at www.jamaicainn.co.uk , business is a lot better today than it was in the book. :-) (Of course, today it's also a much nicer and less dangerous place to stay at, too!)

[Jim]

Glad your husband is improving, Nina. Our hanging baskets of flowers were $12! The people that sell them set up in front of the local hardware store & sell good quality, though. Last year, their baskets lasted really well into September.

[Nina]

Oh Werner, thanks for telling me of my mistake. It wasn't a typing error. It was a memory error. I had so many trips around England at one time in my life that I coudn't remember exactly where I was when we passed the Inn. Same thing with Robert Louis Stevenson. We once passed the house where he lived when he wrote,"Treasure Island," and I have forgotten exactly where it was also. I know it wss somewhere in Scotland. I do remeber standing beneath his bedroom window in Edinburg and I was told the nurse would hold him up to the window so he could see the Lamplighters. He was oftne ill as a child. I loved his children's poems.

[Nina]

Joy, is it warm enough for you to put plants out yet? I am waiting to plant until another week as it gets a bit cold at night still. My azaleas have buds but no blossoms yet. I bet Jim's are blooming.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "Joy, is it warm enough for you to put plants out yet? ..."

Nina, the weather is getting milder and milder. I haven't put out any plants. I'm waiting. The nights are often cold.

[Jackie]

The general rule in this area is Memorial Day is when we can plant. And sometimes not even then. Past 2 years we couldn't plant safely til the end of June.

[Jim]

If we had azaleas, they'd be in bloom. I have a couple of little ones, but they don't do well around here. The soil isn't acidic enough & I'm not going to coddle anything.

Derby Day, the first Saturday in May, is the day we can plant tomatoes. That's the frost free date & the soil is generally warm enough for them. They don't like cold feet.

Everything is blooming here. The native plums, crabapples, regular apples, magnolias, redbuds, & tulips are all going strong. The Rose of Sharon, trumpet vine, & weigela are just leafing out. The asparagus is just emerging, though. It's comparatively late this year.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "The general rule in this area is Memorial Day is when we can plant. And sometimes not even then. Past 2 years we couldn't plant safely til the end of June."

Yes, Jackie, now I remember that rule. I've heard it before but I had forgotten it. Thanks for the reminder!

[Jackie]

It must be nice to see the signs of Spring, growing things blooming.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

It must be beautiful there, Jim, with all that blooming! We are really deprived here. LOL

[Jim]

I got a lot done today. I needed to overseed some places in the fields after the hard winter, so I harrowed last night. This morning I spent about an hour turning my walk-behind seeder into a tow behind. True redneck rigging - some fence board scraps, a few screws, & an hour's work turned it into a perfectly good tow behind. It was a little narrow for some of the hills, but it worked out great. I spread almost 50 lbs of seed with it in about 2 hours. Then harrowed those areas again to drive the seed in. Here are some pictures:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...

Spent a couple of hours visiting with people dropping by today. One couple is into turning so I expect to see them again soon. We swapped some wood & they said they'd get me some Osage Orange for the lathe tool I gave them. Another gal stopped by to pick up a set of carders I ordered from England. I was getting myself a set, so got her a set, too.

In between, Marg & I got the lawn mowed. Marg got Indy back from Kayla's where he's spent the past month learning how to jump & move a bit better. I took a ride on Chip & we did a picture perfect jump out of the north field with the dogs following close behind. Of course Marg didn't have a camera & wished she did. Typical.

[Jim]

Jackie wrote: "It must be nice to see the signs of Spring, growing things blooming."

It is!!! Marg & I were just talking about that. Love all the green & flowers.

[Nina]

Jim, Sounds like your spring and the one here aren't that far apart. Our flowering trees have been going since the past six weeks/now it's the dogwood and last week redbud. The Bradford pears are almost done blooming as are the tulip trees but not yet the magnolias. Do you have lilac bushes. They are already blooming here/but not peonies yet. As a rule of thumb here they suggest to plant Mother's Day and hope no freezing temps later. My daughter lives about seventy miles from the Canadian border in ID and she says their Japanese cherry trees are gorgeous. I had no idea they would grow that far north. Sounds as if a good time was had by all the other day you were describing.

[Jim]

Lilacs are just blooming here, too. I don't know anything about Japanese cherries. Yes, we've had a great day, but I think the hot water heater may be dead. Marg's bath is only tepid. Not looking forward to a cold shower!
:(

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim wrote: "I got a lot done today. I needed to overseed some places in the fields after the hard winter, so I harrowed last night. This morning I spent about an hour turning my walk-behind seeder into a tow..."

Jim, you must be tired! :)

[Jim]

Not too bad, I spent most of the day riding tractors, Joy. It's supposed to rain here all day today, so I'll take a nice long nap after a big lunch.
:)

Just got off the phone with Mom. She's cut asparagus twice now & will do so again today. Her flowers are 2-3 weeks behind ours, but the asparagus is way ahead. Ours are still just peeking out. Nothing to cut yet. Must be the clay soil keeping the cold. Just west of us in Indiana, a guy I work with has been cutting his for several weeks now.

[Jackie]

What's the distance, and direction, between your Mom's house and yours, Jim?

I'm pleased with out little bit of warm weather, and some rain coming our way this week. The past 2 years it was much colder this time of year. I feel like I've been in 3 years of winter. It's lovely to have the weather back the way it should be though I will admit my envy for those that have warm weather sooner, even NYC has these lovely temps for a month now.