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 lately? (PART FOUR - 2011) (ongoing thread)
Mostly I feel the need to be entertained, like you mentioned, Joy, when I am into a book. However, there are times when I need to "take away" something after I am finished. Something I can identify with my own life even though my life itself can be entirely different; I find I might feel exactly the same as the main character even though our sex, setting and time is completely different. Hope I make myself clear???
"I can't understand why a person will take a year to write a novel when he can easily buy one for a few dollars." Fred Allen.
Though I don't watch much TV, on Monday night, through a combination of circumstances I wound up watching a Disney Channel made-for-TV movie, My Babysitter's a Vampire (which was the pilot film for a series). It was actually, IMO, pretty good --admittedly aimed at younger teens, but enjoyable for the young at heart as well. :-) It has some logical slips and loose ends, but I thought the take on the vampire mythos was original without straying too far from tradition; the good characters are likeable, the messages are sound, and there's some wry humor. Of course, the potential dangers of the plot aren't too suspenseful --it's no spoiler to say that in a movie of this type, we don't really worry about a dark, "triumph of evil" ending-- but the writers do have some surprises in their bag.
Werner, I'll have to see if Disney reruns it. Watch these promos. Once Upon a Time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmWaOn...
I'm pretty sure you'll like this one.
I wish it was on another channel because it looks amazing. It's on ABC, who we not-so-jokingly refer to as "Already Been Cancelled".
Grimm: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rVy3R...
This looks darker...grim, pun intended.
Secret Circle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpDO8J...
Only because it's on the CW that I'll give it a try. They're 'teen' shows are really good: Smallville, Vampire Diaries, Angel, Buffy.
And this looks really creepy, American Horror Story on FX:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOugYX...
Nina wrote: "Mostly I feel the need to be entertained, like you mentioned, Joy, when I am into a book. However, there are times when I need to "take away" something after I am finished. Something I can identify..."Nina, I know what you mean. I too enjoy stories or characters which resonate with me in some way. I consider that part of the "entertainment".
Werner wrote: "Though I don't watch much TV, on Monday night, through a combination of circumstances I wound up watching a Disney Channel made-for-TV movie, My Babysitter's a Vampire (which was the pilot film for..."Werner, that movie was listed on my TV grid as I scrolled down. I thought it was a strange title. Glad to hear that it was a harmless story.
Today I watched the Netflix DVD of "Never Let Me Go" (2010):http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1334260/
The movie was adapted from the book Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.
It's a dark story about children being raised to be donors of body parts. I read the book but can't remember how closely the movie followed the book. I didn't find the movie as compelling as I remembered the book. I watched it more because I was curious, not because I thought it was a good story. The love between the boy and the girl was touching toward the end of the movie, but on the whole, the story was a downer, IMO.
I tend to think there were differences from the book in the way the movie handled the story, but I can't be sure. For example, the movie mentions a song called "Never Let Me Go". I don't remember anything about a song in the book.
The only valuable thought I came away with was the final comment of one of the characters: "Maybe none of us really ... feel we've had enough time."
Of course, the whole idea of raising children to be donors is a horrible one but it's not inconceivable when one contemplates the horrors human beings have been known to be capable of.
It's a repugnant idea. But I think you're right, humans are capable of it.I read a similar book but they used clones and raised them for the sole purpose of extra body parts, can't remember the name but it was very disturbing.
There was a movie I saw a while back, not "Never Let Me Go", but another one that was similar. Two people are raised in a sort of factory setting where winning the lottery means going away to paradise. They find out that isn't true, it really means being cut up for parts since they're clones. It's illegal & they escape to try to make their case in our world. Anyone recall that one? It wasn't bad, but not great either.
Netflixed Fair Gamehttp://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Fai...
I gave it 3 stars out of 5.
Supposedly an indictment of the Bush administration's policies on the Iraq war. I would rather characterize it as an indictment of the way Washington DC, BOTH parties, fight our nation's wars. Regardless of which party is in power it is always just another opportunity to drag it out until US voters rebel, till all the fat cats have made all the money they can from it and to 'fight' a 'gentlemans war', (which is an oxymoron). God forbid they might be accused of some wartime atrocity!
I would like to see a constitutional amendment requiring, when the nation is at war, that all congress and senators under the age of 62, not in a wheel chair, MUST serve 6 weeks, overseas, embedded in an action unit. My thought would be to put some actual patriots in our government and maybe lose a few of these snakes along the way.
Earl wrote: "...I would like to see a constitutional amendment requiring, when the nation is at war, that all congress and senators under the age of 62, not in a wheel chair, MUST serve 6 weeks, overseas, embedded in an action unit. My thought would be to put some actual patriots in our government and maybe lose a few of these snakes along the way."Great idea! I'll vote for it as many times as they'll let me.
;-)
Jim, that was 'The Island' with Scarlett Johansen. I saw that one too. The movie you saw titled Never Let Me Go, was that with the little girl vampire? Earl, great idea.
Ah! "The Island"! That's it. I didn't see "Never Let me Go". Joy did & provided in imdb link.
I'm thinking of a different movie about a little girl who's a vampire, I thought that was the name of it but I'm mistaken.
Jackie, thanks for the links above; I'll check them out as soon as I get a chance. (You know my tastes well; I tend to like most things supernatural, if they're not super-dark, or grisly-gory schlock. :-) )The movie about a little girl who's a vampire may be Let the Right One In (which I didn't see), which is an adaptation of Let the Right One In by John Lindqvist (which I haven't read).
Werner, it sounds like the movie I saw. Except that it was in English rather than Swedish. Maybe it was remade in the US under another title. I think Grimm and American Horror Story will be dark themed.
Jim wrote: "There was a movie I saw a while back, not "Never Let Me Go", but another one that was similar. Two people are raised in a sort of factory setting where winning the lottery means going away to para..."Sounds like the theme of harvesting body parts from unwilling victims has been used in many stories, especially since actual organ transplants have become more and more common. Lots of moral issues have been raised. I'm reminded of the book, My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult which has a similar theme.
I suppose there will be (or already have been) stories using the theme of stem cell research and/or frozen embryos. Lots of food for thought.
http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/...
Earl and anyone else who has Netflix. I'm having trouble accessing the Netflix website. I'm wondering if anyone else is having this problem. Perhaps my problem has something to do with the fact that I'm using my husband's laptop. He keeps turning off cookies. I can't wait until my son sends me my new laptop!
PS-I finally accessed Netflix. However, the page had the following notice:"The Netflix web site is temporarily experiencing technical issues. We hope to be back to normal shortly... "
Clones & body parts are a common theme in SF, Joy. My favorite body-parts-for-sale books are by Larry Niven. His 'Known Space' series http://www.goodreads.com/series/50222...
is a loose collection of novels & short stories that explore some of the things that the future might bring. They all share a similar universe & each piece points out something that is a direct outgrowth of our society.
One short story talks about a guy going into the body tanks, where he'll die, parceled out in pieces to deserving folk, because he's been classed as an incorrigible criminal. His crime? He got his third traffic ticket. The story explores how society brands crimes & why. In this case, the demand for body parts was so overwhelming that all sense was lost. Another novel also explores this as a planet revolts over this.
Wireheads are another scary idea. These are people who start using direct electro-stimulation of their brain's pleasure center as a drug. It's legal, but the devices have built-in safeguards. Sometimes people hack the system to get more & then they just sit there in bliss until they die of dehydration.
I watched The Conspirator last night. Well, 'watched' wouldn't be accurate as I shut if off after the first insanely boring half hour. It might appeal to others, though; if you planned on watching it then do so. It wasn't for me.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0968264/
Jim, thanks for the link and info about Known Space. Definitely something I'm interested in.Did you read Ringworld? What did you think of it?
Yes, I read Ringworld when it was first published, but by the time I had a chance to get the sequels, I was kind of tired of Known Space. I have to say, he introduced &/or popularized a lot of concepts in those stories The game Halo & Bank's Culture series both owe a lot to Niven for Ringworld. It is the jewel of his novels, I think, although I have a real fondness for "Protector", too. I read a lot of his books, but thought he really shined in his short stories. Neutron Star features Beowulf Shaefer, one of my favorite characters. The Long Arm of Gil Hamilton is another good one, SF detective stories, including the one I described in my previous message, I think. Definitely the one with the wirehead.
I really prefer it when he writes with Jerry Pournelle. Those two tend to complement each other. Read The Mote in God's Eye &/or Lucifer's Hammer. The first is an alien contact & the second is a comet hitting the earth - before, during & after. They also set a lot of precedents for those that came after them. I'm sure you'll see their influence if you read any of them.
I'll give the collaboration a try. I really didn't like Ringworld all that much. I have Ringworld Engineers on my bookshelf for a good 5 or 6 years. Some authors are better at short stories and I felt that Ringworld would have been better as a short story.
I haven't read it in probably 30 years, so I'm not too surprised if my memory made my heart grow fonder. I've found that about quite a few books, especially ones that pioneered concepts because I see their shadows in so much current stuff. Neuromancer by William Gibson is a case in point. I didn't care for it all that much the last time I tried to read it, but it is an icon & was perfect in its day.When I said the two complemented each other, I really meant it. They're both well read & Pournelle worked at JPL. He's also a political activist & Niven has always been rich, doing pretty much what he wanted & when. The ennui that tends to creep into the stuff he writes alone is kicked out by Pournelle's energy & desire to preach, but Niven tones down the latter, so it's characterized - humanized rather than dumped on the poor reader.
IMO, they're a pair like Feist & Wurts - I like both authors alone, but they really shine when mixed together. Feist's Riftworld series was good, but kind of shallow. Janny's books are really intense & her War of Light & Shadows series is too long & intricate for me right now. Together, they did the Empire trilogy & that was just right - the best of both worlds for me. (Sheesh! I sound like Goldilocks.)
;-)
We all have our Goldilocks zone. I appreciate the input. I read Riftworld; good but not great. I have 2 or 3 of Janny's War of L&S, haven't started yet. But I managed to find all 3 of their Empire novels at the last library book sale I went to. I have too many to read, it's such a hard choice when choosing a new series to start.
Read the Empire novels ASAP. You'll love them.
OK, Jim, they're on my sooner-rather-than-later list. Thanks! I've got so many good books on my physical shelves.
I just tried to watch a movie that had rave reviews. Road to Nowhere, a better title would have been Movie Going Nowhere.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1504319/
Too slow, too artsy-fartsy. A full three minutes of a girl painting her fingernails and drying them with a blowdryer, no voiceover, nothing, just a girl and her fingernails. Then a scene with a cop cleaning out the empty takeout bags from his car, after he went into the house, I got to stare at his house for a couple of minutes, again, no talking, no voiceover, nothing. Not a good way to start the movie. But it did set the tone and alerted me that this was going to be agonizingly slow-moving. I gave it a half hour, that's more than enough time to waste.
Netflixed All Good Thingshttp://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/All...
Docu-drama about a big shot realtor's screwed up son who got away with killing 3 people. I give it one star. REALLY dark screen and small print when they made an overview comment. I had to get out of my chair and move to 4 feet from the screen to read them. Dull as dirt.
Sorry about "The Conspirator," Jackie---I was the one that was supposed to warn you---still have it sitting on shelf trying get my wife to watch it with me---that ain't gonna happen--and to think of all the times I sat through "An Affair to Remember" with her!
Others may like The Conspirator. It's only fair that she sit through your movies if you sit through her's. I've given up on me and hubby watching movies the other doesn't want to see. Now we watch some things alone and we're both happier people, lol
Lunch time on weekends or before Marg gets home are my times to watch stuff she doesn't want to watch. Sounds like we all have it worked out.;-)
Jim wrote: "Clones & body parts are a common theme in SF, Joy. My favorite body-parts-for-sale books are by Larry Niven. His 'Known Space' series http://www.goodreads.com/series/50222......"
Interesting post, Jim. Hope the world never comes to that sort of thing. But it makes interesting speculation for writers and readers.
Jackie wrote: "I just tried to watch a movie that had rave reviews. Road to Nowhere, a better title would have been Movie Going Nowhere.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1504319/
Too slow, too artsy-fartsy. A ..."
One wonders why the movie got rave reviews!!!
Who are these people who like that sort of stuff!
Earl wrote: "Netflixed All Good Thingshttp://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/All...
Docu-drama about a big shot realtor's screwed up son who got away with killing 3 people. I give i..."
I'll avoid that one, Earl! Crime thrillers usually don't thrill me. They just make me nervous.
Jackie wrote: "Others may like The Conspirator. It's only fair that she sit through your movies if you sit through her's. I've given up on me and hubby watching movies the other doesn't want to see. Now we w..."
Eddie and I NEVER watch TV shows together. Sometimes we'll watch the news together for a few minutes, but that's all.
I think it's the way to go, separate viewings, this way we each get to see what we want to see. I'm at a time in my life where I refuse to do anything I don't truly want to do. My life, my time, I'll spend it how I want.
Arnie wrote: "Sorry about "The Conspirator," Jackie---I was the one that was supposed to warn you---still have it sitting on shelf trying get my wife to watch it with me---that ain't gonna happen--and to think of all the times I sat through "An Affair to Remember" with her! "Arnie, what did you think of "An Affair to Remember"? Which version did you watch? I suppose it was the one with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr (1957):
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050105/
It's interesting to note that there were two other movies with the same plot. They were both called "Love Affair":
1939 (with Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer):
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031593/
1994: (with Warren Beatty, Annette Bening):
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110391/
Credits for writing the original 1939 story go to Mildred Cram and Leo McCarey.
I liked the version with Cary Grant the best.
Joy H. wrote: "Jackie wrote: "Others may like The Conspirator. It's only fair that she sit through your movies if you sit through her's. I've given up on me and hubby watching movies the other doesn't want to ..."
My husband and I start off watching the same show, but if one should lose interest, and the other likes what is on, we have the option of getting up and going to another tv. This is fine for tv watching. But when we have plans to watch a dvd in our entertainment room with the surround sound and a bowl of freshly made popcorn - its somewhat lonely and one can get a belly ache eating all the popcorn!! :)
We generally watch the same shows, but there are a few that Marg likes that I'm not all that interested in, so I'll read & half watch the show. I did that last night during "Necessary Roughness". It's OK, but my book was better.
Jim, I watched the first 3 eps of Necessary Roughness mainly because Callie Thorne stars in it. I agree it was OK, but not interesting enough to keep me coming back. Each episode was the same, with minor details changed, name and problem changed but basically the same format. I've got more important things to do with my time ... like read.
Is that the little hottie's name? She's the girl friend on that show where the crazy guy is a fireman... Dennis Leary? I remember you said you liked that show & we've watched some of them. It's a little too much for me, but Marg likes it.
Yes, she's Sheila on Rescue Me. She is very beautiful. I love her character on RM, but I found Dani in NR had a bit of Shiela in her and that's not what I was looking for.Yes, RM is a bit much at times, but really funny and really heartbreaking at the same time. I like Leary, always have, and Tommy Gavin is very much like Leary the comedian.
Netflixed Queen to Playhttp://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Que...
Hard working housewife lacks intellectual stimulation, finds it in chess. And finds she has a talent. For some reason I gave it 4 stars, not sure why but I enjoyed it 4 stars worth. In French with English subtitles.
Linda... "surround sound"! Pretty fancy!Here's the Wiki link on "Necessary Roughness":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necessar...
I haven't watched it. Wiki says: "The series is based on the true story of a female psychologist Dr. Donna Dannenfelser who worked for the New York Jets."
Earl, Netflix says the "Queen to Play" is "Inspiring, Heartfelt, Feel-good". Maybe that's why you enjoyed it so much. IMDb calls it "Joueuse". Guess that's the French title.
IMDb description: "Sandrine Bonnaire and Kevin Kline shine in this sophisticated feel-good comedy set in idyllic Corsica. Middle-aged chambermaid Hélène's newfound obsession with the game of chess leads her to seek the tutelage of a reclusive American expat, transforming both of their ho-hum lives in the process."
FROM: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1082009/
Sounds good. And I like Kevin Kline. I think I'll add it to my Instant Queue at Netflix.
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Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
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PS - I see that Earl feels the same way.