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)
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Nina
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May 28, 2015 07:14PM
One thing that makes a book interesting to me is if I have been to the places depited in the book. Because I'd been to Sweden and stayed in Stockholm the way it was protrayed seemed so authentic and actually I really did like the main character and wanted to follow her on her adventures through the triology. I think I might not have enjoyed the story as much if I had stopped at the first book. But, parts I really didn't like so I'm not sure about the rating.
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I liked the parts about the computer too.
I had forgotten your review, Joy. I thought Lisbeth was a very believable character, but I know a gal very much like her. She used to be one of my best techs. She lives in Japan now & is still acting like a teen even though she's in her 40's. Strange gal - interesting, damaged, & wild.The finance & computer parts you found overly complicated & boring were the reason I liked it. Hollywood usually makes them seem so quick & simple, but they're not. Even so, the book made some parts far easier & faster than they really are. For instance, the remote cloning of a hard drive. I remember thinking just how wonderful it would be to have such fast wireless & Internet access even today, but especially back then. It was the most realistic portrayal I've read in ages, but it still fell short of reality. Most wouldn't know, but I do this sort of thing all the time, so have a visceral knowledge of it.
I'm actually cloning a hard drive at this moment & it will take about 2 hours. It's using USB connections to make the transfer - a LOT faster than most Internet connections today, especially if they first go across a wireless connection - but the drive is a lot bigger, too. I have a handful of computers that backup across the Internet, too. I always do the initial backups with them wired to the network because it's so much faster. It takes several hours just to get the user's data - none of the operating system or other programs.
I used to support accounting & payroll software for small businesses remotely. I work with the auditors for our business occasionally. I'm not an accountant, but have to know something about the systems since I'm the administrator. I also deal with computer forensics regularly as I try to figure out problems. It's very detailed work & often hinges on noticing obscure patterns. It's even more boring than the book makes it sound, except that it's a puzzle & that makes it interesting to oddballs like myself.
The most believable part of it was the use of MACs & the software Lisbeth developed. People seem to think they can't be hacked as easy as a PC. In reality, they're generally easier & are based on Unix, so there are a lot of utilities that can be modified. Apple isn't nearly as good about patching vulnerabilities as Microsoft & many (most?) MAC users don't even bother with any antivirus software. The only reason they're not hacked more often is their tiny market share. With over 90% of the people using PCs, they're a far better target.
Jim, it's funny how different people are. My eyes glaze over when dealing with tech stuff but I notice that my sons and my husband love to talk about it. I usually bail out of the phone conversation when they start talking about sump pumps. :)
Jim, I enjoyed your references to the tech part of the book as that brought the story somewhat back to me. I thought the author was a good writer.
I watched a Netflix DVD of the movie "These Foolish Things" (2006).http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0439848/?...
"A young actress seeks to follow in her famous mother's footsteps."
http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/These-Fo...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000...
The plot revolves around a love triangle and a group trying to put on a show. Many of the Netflix customer reviews panned this movie. I myself found it a bit slow and lackluster but I stayed with it to see which fellow the lead gal would choose.
I especially liked the actor, Andrew Lincoln, who was part of the love triangle. Here's his picture: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0511088/?r...
Thanks for the recommendation. I will check it out.
I streamed "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont" (2005) via Amazon Prime.Stars: Joan Plowright, Rupert Friend. They were both superb!
It's the second time I've watched it. It's a lovely, bittersweet story. 5 stars!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421229/?...
"A genteel widow moves to London to start her life anew at the dowdy Claremont Hotel, which is not quite the picture of loveliness it was in the brochure. When she meets a young aspiring writer, she learns that real family ties can be chosen, not inherited."
It was adapted from the book, Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor. I didn't read the book but I wrote a review at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If you’ve seen "Jupiter Ascending", you should really watch this. It puts the movie down & contains huge spoilers, but it’s funny.http://nerdist.com/honest-trailers-ta...
Jim wrote: "If you’ve seen "Jupiter Ascending", you should really watch this. It puts the movie down & contains huge spoilers, but it’s funny.http://nerdist.com/honest-trailers-ta..."
Thanks for the link, Jim. Haven't seen that movie:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1617661/?...
I, too, really liked the Mrs. Palfrey movie. We are enjoying watching the mini series, "The Paradise," that is about a department store in London. It is somewaht similiar to "Mr.Selfridge" that had recently been on Masterpiece Theater. It's entertaining because of the characters and the clothing etc of the end of the 19th centrury. Also, saw an entertaining but not great movie, "The Tourist," a spy picture set in Venice. Went fast and we couldnt guess the ending.
Nina, I think I tried "The Paradise" but couldn't get into it. I usually don't like "series" because one must be fully invested in them to enjoy them. It takes time to become familiar with all the characters.
I wonder if i so enjoy mini series if it is a throwback for watching, "As the World Turns," soap opera so long ago. I can still picture me sitting in my grandmother's rocking chair with a baby in my arms as I watched and rocked.
That could be, Nina. I never listened to or watched the soap operas.
Joy, I watched that one because it was when I'd feed the babies. I had six babies and besides reading and singing to them it was sometning to watch with adults involved.
I think it is because I love to see where writer's lived when they were writing that I enjoyed both the movie and the book, "Cross Creek." It is interesting to me to see how other people live and the inhabitants of Cross Creek area were living under such different circumstances than I am familiar with in my life. Also, when we were in FL we stopped at Cross Creek and toured her home and ate at the little restaurant that is now part of it. I had wonderful key lime pie.
Now showing in one of our theaters is the movie based on a book I read last fall, "The Hundred Year Old Man Jumped out the Window and Disappeared." I am wondering if there are any Goodreads reviews of that book. It was fun for me to read but so strange I am not sure I would recommend it. But, curious if any of you goodreaders came in contact with it.
I've read (and liked) one or two reviews of it. All of the reviews on Goodreads can be accessed (by scrolling and clicking) from this link: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared.
Werner wrote: "I've read (and liked) one or two reviews of it. All of the reviews on Goodreads can be accessed (by scrolling and clicking) from this link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... "Thanks for the link, Werner. Sounds like a very unusual book, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared.
Below are links to two Goodreads reviews of it, one positive and one negative:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
One man's meat is another man's poison. :)
PS-Here's the IMDb link to the movie adaptation which Nina mentioned above:
"The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared" (2013)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2113681/
I can understand both the good review and the not so good review of the One Hundred Year Old Man. Our movie reviewer said almost what the good review said about the movie. It was a fun movie but not too serious.
If you take this book in a serious vein you won't like it; but otherwise, it is a getting away from it all and enjoying the ride.
Nina wrote: "If you take this book in a serious vein you won't like it; but otherwise, it is a getting away from it all and enjoying the ride."Nina, I think you're referring to the "willing suspension of disbelief". I've always liked that expression. :)
PS-Suspension of disbelief or willing suspension of disbelief is a term coined in 1817 by the poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspensi...
Tes, Joy this book is a perfect example of that experssion. I had heard that experession before but had no idea who coined it. Thanks for that info.
I watched a Netflix DVD of "The Greek Tycoon" (1978) with Anthony Quinn and Jacqueline Bisset.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077636/?...
http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/The-Gree...
"... drama based loosely on the real-life romance between Jacqueline Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis."
Well-acted. Anthony Quinn was great in this. Beautiful scenery around Greece and the Aegean Sea.
Oh, he is such a good actor. I believe everthing he acts in and think it's real. Having been in Greece, I must watch this if I can get it on Netflix. But, weren't you startled when she married him? Jackie, that is.
Nina, Netflix offers the DVD of The Greek Tycoon.Yes, it was a big shock when they married, but she had her reasons.
I just ordered it. Thanks for your suggestion.
You're welcome, Nina. I was surprised that I had never seen it before now ("The Greek Tycoon"). But we were never big movie-goers. The movie came out in 1978. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077636/?...
A couple of years ago, I got the movie adaptation of Cornelia Funke's novel Inkheart on DVD as a Christmas gift, and finally watched it last night. The book (which I've never read) is for younger readers and the premise is fairly far-fetched. However, all but two of the major characters are adults (the other two are, I'd guess, teens, and neither dominates the plot); the adults play central roles in the story and action, and make significant decisions. I would say it can appeal to adults who like fantasy adventure, as well as to older kids and teens. As for the credibility issue --well, that's where "suspension of disbelief" comes in again. :-)Suppose that when authors commit a story to writing, it and its characters actually take on real existence on some plane of reality. Suppose further that some individuals ("silver-tongues"), whether they know it or not, have an inheritable magical or psychic ability to conjure people or things from the story text into our world by reading about them aloud. You now have the basic premise of Inkheart. It's not very plausible --but it can succeed at one level as an engaging metaphor for the power of story and storytellers.
Brendan Fraser and Helen Mirren are the biggest names in the cast, and do an excellent job in their roles; but the quality of all of the performances is good. The script brings out some very solid messages, and I thought the production values were up to standard. Joy and Nina, I don't think either of you would be apt to get into to it; but Jackie, you might. Here's the imdb link, if anyone's interested: www.imdb.com/title/tt0494238 .
Werner wrote: "A couple of years ago, I got the movie adaptation of Cornelia Funke's novel Inkheart on DVD as a Christmas gift, and finally watched it last night. The book (which I've never read) is..."Werner, that's an interesting idea for a fantasy story. Thanks for telling us about it.
No problem, Joy! I seldom watch a movie nowadays, but if I do, I try to post about it here. :-)
Just finished, "The Wright Brothers," excellent book; excellent author, David McCullough.
Yes, Nina, I agree that McCullough is an excellent author. I've read 2 of his books: 1776 and his John Adams. Here are my reviews:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Some of the comments at my book club on "Under the Wide and Starry Skies," book were somewhat similiar to the Goodreacs reviews. Most were glad the read the book but had some reservations on the middle slowing the story down and sometimes too many words and some places not enough. I think I was glad I read it as was another woman just because we wanted to read about Robert Louis's Stevenson's life. That was enough for me to like the book.
Jackie, here is a recommendation for you and perhaps Werner, "Miss PEregrine's Home for Peculiar Children."It is listed at a YA and was #! on Best Seller list for a few weeks. It is part fanasty but not all. I am also mentioning it as my cousin is now in the process of producing it. Should come out next year. He is filming in FL now and soon will be in Wales. Check it out. nina
Nina, thanks for the recommendation! I'd actually read a review or two of this one by some of my Goodreads friends, so I'm aware of it. So far, it hasn't really struck me as a "must read," so (especially since my to-read shelf just recently broke the 390 books barrier, and REALLY needs to be reduced, not expanded!), it's one I'll pass up for now. But I'll keep it in mind for the future!
Nina wrote: "Some of the comments at my book club on "Under the Wide and Starry Skies," book were somewhat similiar to the Goodreacs reviews. ... I think I was glad I read it as was another woman just because we wanted to read about Robert Louis's Stevenson's life...."Nina, I know what you mean. I recently watched a Netflix DVD of
"Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill" (1974)(Disc 1) (TV Mini-Series)
because I was interested in the subject matter. The movie was boring in parts with all that stuffy British conversation. But it was interesting to learn something about Winston Churchill's mother.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072520/?...
http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Jennie-L...
"Lee Remick won a Golden Globe for her engaging portrayal of Jennie Jerome, mother of Winston Churchill in this PBS miniseries about the American-born beauty who commanded a top spot in British political society. Drawing on Churchill family papers, the biopic recounts Jennie Jerome's betrothal at 19 to Lord Randolph Churchill, later marriages to much younger men and her strong bond with her son and future prime minister."
http://www.amazon.com/Jennie-Jerome/d...
"American heiress Jennie Jerome marries British aristocrat Lord Randolph Churchill, despite strong objections from both families."
It was an interesting bio. I watched it several years ago. Almost as many stories/movies/books of Churchill as Abe Lincoln.
Tonight I enjoyed a terrific movie! I had no idea what it was about and I'm glad I didn't because it was all such a wonderful surprise! (All I knew was that it starred Judi Dench.) This movie has it all... music, drama, comedy and much more. It was inspired by true events. Netflix has the DVD but I streamed it via Amazon. FIVE STARS!"Mrs Henderson Presents" (2005) starring Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0413015/?...
http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Mrs.-Hen...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009...
"Recently widowed well-to-do Laura Henderson is at a bit of a loose end in inter-war London. On a whim she buys the derelict Windmill theatre in the West End and persuades impresario Vivian Van Damm to run it."
PS-There's a non-fiction book which tells the story told in the movie: Tonight and Every Night by Vivian Van Damm.
I think I saw that movie but wouldn't mind seeing it again. Thanks for the memory.
Nina, I especially enjoyed the music in "Mrs Henderson Presents". There are a lot of upbeat tunes and also a beautiful rendition of Jerome Kern's "All the Things You Are".
I can;t think of any Jerome Kern song I didn't like. Just got a recommendation from a friend of mine. She said she could't put down the book, "The Good Son," by White/that's the last name. It is on my Kindle and I am charging it so can't see the author's full name. It got four and a half stars on Amazon.
Nina wrote: "... Just got a recommendation from a friend of mine. She said she could't put down the book, "The Good Son," by White/that's the last name. ..."Nina, I couldn't find that book. I DID find the following:
The Good Son With Earbuds by Michael Gruber
Joy, I copied the title wrong. I shouldn't do anything just before bedtime. Here's the right info:"The Perfect Son," by Barbara Claypole White.
Nina wrote: "Joy, I copied the title wrong. I shouldn't do anything just before bedtime. Here's the right info: "The Perfect Son," by Barbara Claypole White."Thanks, Nina. I'll check it out: The Perfect Son by Barbara Claypole White
Today I streamed "Words and Pictures" (2013) via Netflix. The stars were: Clive Owen & Juliette Binoche. It was a good story with some thought-provoking dialogue about "art". Clive Owen is very likable in this movie. (I'm not sure if I've ever seen him before this.) I gave the film 4 Netflix stars.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2380331/?...
http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/702929...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N...
"An art instructor and an English teacher form a rivalry that ends up with a competition at their school in which students decide whether words or pictures are more important."
I'll check out your recommendation Joy. Sounds interesting. Saw a fun movie/not great/just enjoyable/"Honeymoom with Mom." Sad day for us as we lost our very good oldest family friend this afternoon and she is ten years younger than us. They are removing life support.
Nina wrote: "... Saw a fun movie/not great/just enjoyable/"Honeymoom with Mom".Sad day for us as we lost our very good oldest family friend this afternoon..."
The movie sounds like fun. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0762102/?...
I love Shelley Long. She was great on the TV show, "Cheers".
Nina, I'm so sorry about your friend. That is so sad.
Nina, I add my condolences to Joy's. I'm really sorry for your loss. :-(
This is Where I leave you is a great movie I just watched on HBOGO. Jane Fonda, Tina Fey and Jason Bateman. Really good with humor and real-life family substance. (not a great choice for those under 14 because of adult language and themes.)
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Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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Barbara Claypole White (other topics)
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