Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Movies, DVDs, and Theater
>
Have you seen any good movies lately? (Part THREE - 2010)
Netflixed The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassushttp://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Imag...
I gave it 1 Netflix star out of 5. Reminds me of incomprehensible poetry or a bad dream. I'm going to have to chasten my mailman again for bringing me drek.
Earl wrote: "Netflixed The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassushttp://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Imag...
I gave it 1 Netflix star out of 5. Reminds me of incomprehensib..."
I remember watching the trailer to that movie.
It didn't appeal to me. Links to the trailer are at:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1054606/
Ugh, I couldn't even finish watching it. I don't think I even made it halfway.
Just watched The Mistress of Spices (2005) at my sister's urging. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407998/p...Good movie, exotic pleasant music, likeable characters and decent plot for a romance.
My love of herbs and spices led me to read the book about 10 years ago but the movie is quite different from the novel. I think I prefer the movie version, for a change.
Jackie wrote: "Just watched The Mistress of Spices (2005) at my sister's urging. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407998/p...Good movie, exotic pleasant music, likeable characters and decent plot for a ro..."
I hadn't heard of that one, Jackie. Sounds interesting.
"The Mistress of Spices" (2005)
http://www.netflix.com/Search?oq=&...
"This movie is: Feel-good, Romantic."
"... based on the book (The Mistress of Spices: A Novel) by award-winning writer Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni."
I didn't know there was a movie based on the book until my sister told me about it.
I watched Centurion, a film about the war between the Picts and the Roman Legion, 1st Century AD, set in Scotland. Normally I like this setting and period but sadly, I was very disappointed. Extreme violence and very thin plot. If a movie has to have this level of violence, then it better have me emotionally involved so I can grasp the point of it, and feel it is the only way. Granted, for the Picts it was the struggle to preserve their way of life, but that didn't translate to the screen in this movie. They were portrayed as extremely violent and vengeful people. Maybe it was so we'd feel sorry for the men of the Legion as it was from one man of the Legion's point of view.
The only thing worth seeing is the scenery of the Scottish Highlands but it's not worth watching this movie to see them. I'm sure I can see the Highlands elsewhere in a movie that is actually enjoyable to watch.
Take my advice, don't even watch this one.
Jackie wrote: "I watched Centurion, a film about the war between the Picts and the Roman Legion, 1st Century AD, set in Scotland. ... Take my advice, don't even watch this one."OK, Jackie, I won't. :)
"Centurion" (2010):
http://www.netflix.com/Search?v1=Cent...
"This movie is: Violent."
Netflixed Alice In Wonderlandhttp://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/Alice-...
Good fun, I give it 3 Netflix stars (out of 5)
Netflixed Extraordinary Measures
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Extraord...
I give it 3½ Netflix stars. I enjoyed the story but kind of resented the the way his two sick kids were represented. Sick kids are not QUITE than lovable. Real sickness detracts from one's adorable-ness. Better they made them a little more real. It would help, rather than hurt the story.
Thanks for the comments, Earl.I see by the Netflix description that "Extraordinary Measures" is "based on the true story of the Crowley family, as chronicled by journalist Geeta Anand in her book The Cure."
Earl, I think in most movies, children are not portrayed accurately. They're always so cute and so damn smart with a vocabulary of a 30 yr old.I do agree about the kids in EM, they were always so happy. Great indominable spirit in fiction but in reality it'd be quite different.
I was most impressed with the father who didn't take No for an answer and the lengths he went to for his kids.
I must admit the commercials (for Alice in Wonderland) of Johnny Depp in that horrible orange wig and strange eyes creeped me out and I haven't watched the movie.
We just saw that there is a new Clooney movie coming out & The Boss reminded me we haven't seen his last one about goats - "Men Who Stare at Goats"? Has anyone else? Did you like it?
No, a few of my RL friends saw it and told me it was really bad. I didn't care for the previews either so it wasn't worth my while to see it.The new one, is that The American? Looks like an action flick. Not sure if I want to see it or not.
Thanks, Jackie. I don't know what the new movie's name is. I do recall it looked like an action flick. Starts tomorrow, I believe. Marg loves Clooney. She was a big ER fan.
I liked ER alot. Watched the whole series. I remember when George Clooney was on Roseanne.
Jim wrote: "We just saw that there is a new Clooney movie coming out & The Boss reminded me we haven't seen his last one about goats - "Men Who Stare at Goats"? Has anyone else? Did you like it?"I haven't seen any of the following recent films of George Clooney:
"The Men Who Stare at Goats" (2009):
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The-Men-...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1234548/
Based on the book: The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson
"The American" (2010):
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The-Amer...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1440728/
Based on the book: The American by Martin Booth
"The Descendants" (2010) (2011):
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The-Desc...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1033575/
Based on the book: The Descendants: A Novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings
I did see "Up in the Air" (2009).
I gave it 2 out of 5 Netflix stars.
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Up-in-th...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1193138/
Based on the book: Up in the Air by Walter Kirn
I saw Up in the Air, it was OK but not his best. "The Descendants" looks good.
Wow! Thanks, Joy. Here we thought he made one new movie. Well, the rock we live under is a nice one. Comfy. ;-)
Jim, these days it's hard to keep up with everything... even when we have the help of the Internet (and Netflix!). :) There's just too much coming at us at once.
Netflixed North Facehttp://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/North-Fa...
I give this movie 5 Netflix stars (out of 5). I can't explain exactly why I liked it so well, but it entertained me hugely. German language, English subtitles. That still didn't detract for me. It's a true story, kinda, but a lot of literary license was exercised. You realize this at the end, after the flick is over. I think the mountain climbing scenes were the best I've seen in any movie. But I know zilch about mountain climbing. Though I did hike the Front Range with the Colorado Mountain Club for a few years in the 80s when my back could take it. I hope my glowing review convinces some of you GoodReads movie fanatics to try it, maybe tell me WHY I liked it so much.
Earl, I see that the Netflix format for "North Face" is both DVD and streaming. The description says that it's about "an attempt to be the first team to scale the infamous north face of the Eiger in the Swiss Alps." Since I'm afraid heights, I don't think that movie is for me. Glad you enjoyed it though.
Joy H. wrote: "Earl, I see that the Netflix format for "North Face" is both DVD and streaming. The description says that it's about "an attempt to be the first team to scale the infamous north face of the Eiger i..."I can't tolerate streaming, Joy. No subtitles, and if you don't understand German this would be a toughy. Also my 19" CRT screen is a bit too small for movies I think. AND it seems to be getting darker. I suppose that is telling me something. It's an ancient Dell (1998?), weighs a ton. It's STILL a better picture than my laptop screen, which is too bright if anything.
Netflixed The Green Zonehttp://www.netflix.com/Movie/Green-Zo...
which says the Bushies sent us into Iraq when they already knew the WMDs weren't there. I wasn't fond of W, and I disapproved of sidetracking our attention from Afghanistan to take on Iraq, but I still don't believe the movies premise. Still, a good flick, and I give it 4 Netflix stars (out of 5).
Earl, yes, it's too bad that Netflix streaming doesn't supply subtitles. I do miss them but can get along without them most of the time because I use a good set of earphones.I see that "The Green Zone" is an action thriller. I tend to stay away from those.
I've been enjoying streaming the British series of the sitcom, "As Time Goes By", from Netflix. It aired on BBC from 1992 to 2005. There are quite a few episodes available for streaming. Netflix has 9 different series, each containing many episodes.
http://www.netflix.com/Search?oq=&...
I've come to love all of the characters on the show, especially Judy Dench and Geoffrey Palmer. There's a wonderful chemistry between them.
I have watched that sit com As Time Goes By so many times I can't count them. I love all the characters and isn't Lionel's father wonderful? Besides the good acting, the written dialogue is great.nina
As Time Goes By, another one of my favorite British TV shows. PBS shows a lot of Brit TV on Saturday evenings.
Earlier this weekend, my wife and I finally watched the recent Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law (titled, not very imaginatively, Sherlock Holmes), though Barb slept through a good deal of it. She didn't care much for it; I did like it well enough as a piece of escapist entertainment, but not as much as I could have if it had been better done. Personally, I'd give it no more than three stars out of five --less than that as a pastiche, if faithfulness to the original canon is a criteria.Doyle's Holmes, of course, is no weakling; there are plenty of suggestions in the original Holmes canon that he's a strong, active man who can handle fights and physical challenges. (He also not infrequently packs a pistol --as does Watson.) And while Downey is younger than most cinematic Holmes portrayers, the film is set in 1890, when Holmes (who, according to "His Last Bow," was 60 years old in 1914), would have been 36; so his age here is actually just about right. But while his flights of deduction from very minute observations aren't absent here, they tend to get snowed under and buried by his transformation into an action hero figure. The DVD case copy says something to the effect that this is "a new Holmes for the new century." Sadly, the writers appear to think we needed a "new" Holmes because viewers in the new century are incapable of appreciating anything but action figures. Ironically, the continuing power of the original Holmes canon, and more faithful pastiches based on it, to draw in readers and viewers belies that assumption. The reversed emphasis on physical feats isn't really faithful to the spirit of Doyle's originals.
There are other places where the writers have taken drastic license with the original canon, and not for the better. Watson met his future wife, Mary Morstan, when she was Holmes' client in The Sign of the Four (so she was not, as here, a stranger to Holmes when Watson proposed to her); there's no hint in the Holmes canon of any displeasure on Holmes' part with the marriage, nor that it interfered or was expected to interfere with Watson's interest in Holmes' cases. The friction between the two men over this here is out of character, as is Holmes' rudeness to Mary in the restaurant. (In fact, this scene and others are out of character for a Victorian gentleman --which Holmes certainly was-- period; one suspects the writers are simply incapable of understanding the psychology of that time.) Given the tendency of boxers to suffer brain damage, it's hardly likely that Holmes would have indulged in that sport; and Doyle's Holmes is too self-controlled to seriously injure another fighter just for spitting on him. Finally, the Irene Adler of "A Scandal in Bohemia," (the only Doyle story where she appears) was an "adventuress," and a smart and capable one; a professional singer who had, by Victorian standards, a somewhat shady past and who wasn't above a bit of defensive blackmail --but she was certainly NOT a "world-class criminal," nor were she and Holmes ever in love with each other. (She was in fact in love with a lawyer named Norton, and married him with every likelihood of a happy future.)
These flaws in conception are matched by several in execution. The pacing is too hurried (Downey and Law both often have to deliver their lines with frenetic haste); the lighting is often dark enough to obscure the action; and the director is much too enamoured with "artsy" types of camera work --flashbacks, flash- forwards, slow-motions, etc.-- which confuse the viewer without enhancing the experience. And while the subtitles for French dialogue may work on the wide screen, they don't from across a room on the small screen.
All of that said, the plot is novel and imaginative (Doyle himself, who often used macabre and exotic elements in his Holmes novels and stories, might have appreciated the premise at least!), and one can appreciate the characters well enough if you don't think of them as embodiments of the originals. So it does succeed passably as an action entertainment. But the viewer is left doubting whether any of the writers ever read any of Doyle's work --and that's a pity; they might have produced a better film if they had!
If anyone is interested in seeing how a Holmes pastiche film should be done, I recommend Young Sherlock Holmes (1985), starring Nicholas Rowe, which pits Holmes and Watson, as teenage schoolboys, against murderous skullduggery surrounding an ancient Egyptian cult. (That one has its action component as well --but done better, and kept in balance with the deductive element.)
I'll try to find Young Sherlock Holmes this week. I might have already seen it, but if I did I don't remember it.
As luck would have it, I was just talking to my next door neighbor about Young Sherlock Holmes and she has a copy! She's going to lend it to me either tonight or tomorrow...as soon as she finds it.
That's cool, Jackie! I'll be interested in hearing what you think of it.
Werner, thanks for the review. Below is the Netflix link to a description of "Young Sherlock Holmes"(1985):http://www.netflix.com/Search?v1=Youn...
Netflix says the streaming of that movie is coming soon. I'll be looking for it.
Also on that Netflix page is a description of the 2009 movie with Robert Downey.
I enjoyed Young Sherlock Holmes. Definitely a more traditional foundation for our beloved Holmes and Watson. I would have liked to have seen this become a weekly TV series. I think it would appeal to a wide audience.
Glad to hear you liked it, Jackie! I'd never thought of it as a possible series, but yes, it would have made a good one.
Netflixed Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistanthttp://www.netflix.com/Movie/Cirque-d...
A fun kid-comedy about vampires. It was Ok. I give it 3 stars out of 5. I keep biting on vampire flicks, though they're mostly crap.
I hunger for more like Underground
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...
Probably because of the skinny chick in the rubber suit I suppose. Ebert only gave 2 stars but it's the type that entertains me.
Earl, I guess you mean "Underworld".Here's "Underworld":
http://www.netflix.com/Search?v1=Unde...
Here's "Underground":
http://www.netflix.com/Search?v1=Unde...
I liked Underworld, but thought the next two weren't nearly as good. Passable, but predictable.
Joy H. wrote: "Earl, I guess you mean "Underworld".Here's "Underworld":
http://www.netflix.com/Search?v1=Unde...
Yup, mea culpa. I had a heck of a time remembering the name to cite it, and when I finally found it, managed to mangle the name.
'Solitary Man' starring Michael Douglas recently came to DVD. I thought I'd like this movie but I really didn't. It was bad enough witnessing the aftermath of how this man destroyed his life out of fear of his own mortality but it ended without resolution. That's an hour and a half I'll never get back. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1294213/
Earlier today, I watched a Western that I've bought on DVD to give to Barb for Christmas. (Telling that on the Internet won't spoil the surprise, since she's too computer-phobic to get online! :-)) I wanted a preview to make sure the disc actually worked (and to check it for unacceptable content). On the whole, I'm less of a Western fan than she is, and most of the ones I like are unconventional in some way; that's the case here, since the main characters are women rather than men. As it happens, I did like it in the main, and have good hopes that she will too!Made in 1994, Bad Girls stars Madeline Stowe, Andie McDowell, Drew Barrymore, and Mary Stuart Masterton. Despite the title, and their occupation (when the film opens, they're co-workers in a brothel), our heroines aren't genuinely bad; they're just women who've been dealt a lousy hand in life. When Stowe's character is about to be lynched for shooting a wealthy man in self-defense, her three friends rescue her; and though she hasn't been convicted of anything, they find themselves pursued by a pair of Pinkerton detectives. Their worse problem, though, is posed by a gang of cutthroat male outlaws who ARE genuinely bad.
Though the movie is rated R "for Western violence," I'd say it's no more violent than the average Western, and fans of this genre won't be bothered by that factor. The occasional profanity or swearing (there's no obscenity) is what one might expect from characters in this milieu, especially under stress. Also, the producers did not milk the situation for sexual content, as I'd feared they might; some of the villains have rape or sexual exploitation on their agenda, but otherwise, there's no sex here, only chaste romance. (Two brief glimpses of one of the title character's bosoms wouldn't, in context, evoke any prurient interest from pure-minded male viewers.) To me, the only seriously objectionable content that really mars the movie was the invidious stereotyping of Christian believers, who make up the lynch mob and are portrayed as bloodthirsty, judgmental cretins. (The intentionally offensive symbolism of a horse trampling a Bible is particularly puerile, coming from a Hollywood establishment falling all over itself with pretended indignation over any insult to the Koran.) This is partially mitigated, though, by the scene where one of the girls enters a church and kneels in prayer; it's clear that while she's got her foibles (and who doesn't?), she does have a sincere faith as well.
On the positive side of the scale, though, the weight is pretty heavy. Like all good Westerns in the classic tradition, this is a conflict of good and evil where the writers can tell the difference. The messages are mainly about justice and decency to others, respect for women, courage and loyalty, the value of friendship, the possibility of redemption in a moral sense, hope and optimism. All of the acting is good, and the plot is both exciting and makes sense logically (many movie plots don't). It's also emotionally evocative; there are scenes here that are quite poignant, and one that's heartbreaking. So in balance, I'd say this qualifies as a movie for this thread --not a perfect, unflawed one, but a good one!
I'll try to find this one, Werner. While I'm not a big fan of Westerns, I do like some of them. And the 4 actresses are a huge draw for me.
Jackie wrote: "'Solitary Man' starring Michael Douglas recently came to DVD. I thought I'd like this movie but I really didn't. It was bad enough witnessing the aftermath of how this man destroyed his life out ..."I wonder why Netflix calls is a "comedic drama":
"Solitary Man" (2009)
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Solitary...
They also call it "dark".
Werner, thanks for the interesting review of"Bad Girls" (1994}
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Bad-Girl...
You've done a good job of pointing out the various themes in the film.
You're welcome, Joy, and thanks for the link! (And the kind words. :-))
Joy wrote: I wonder why Netflix calls is a "comedic drama"Maybe I just didn't get the comedy part.
It's probably too dark to be called comedic.
I guess, Joy. I just didn't see anything remotely humorous about any of it. It was more pathetically sad than anything.
I saw 'Robin Hood' with Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchette tonight. At first, I didn't like it because it had historical inaccuracies, such as the death of King Richard I (Lionheart) and the origin of the Magna Carta. The movie is set in the time leading up to Robin becoming an outlaw and was as dissimilar to the traditional Robin Hood legend as you can get, though it was original and unique. I rather enjoyed it.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0955308/
As someone who's taught history at the college level, I always hate it when movie writers/producers mangle the most elementary historical facts, which even a smart high school student could have researched for them in about half an hour. It's bad enough that they never paid attention in school or read anything since --but do they really think that nobody else ever did?That said, though, the Crowe version of Robin Hood might have its compensating positives! Thanks for the heads-up and link, Jackie.
I watched the Netflix DVD of "Legally Blonde" (2001).http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Legally_...
I gave it 4 stars.
Very entertaining. Reese Witherspoon is delightful in the part of the blonde who goes to Harvard Law School. Amusing plot.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
Books mentioned in this topic
Thinner (other topics)Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister (other topics)
Mirror Mirror (other topics)
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (other topics)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Gregory Maguire (other topics)Jeff Kinney (other topics)
Charles Portis (other topics)
Charles Portis (other topics)
Horton Foote (other topics)
More...
Netflix calls it a psychological thriller:
"Abandoned" (2010)
http://www.netflix.com/Search?oq=&...