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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)
message 951:
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Joy H., Group Founder
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Nov 28, 2011 09:50AM
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Netflixed Morning Gloryhttp://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...
Same type heroine as The Devil Wears Prada. I enjoyed it a lot, 4 stars out of 5
Caught up with Once Upon A Time tv show over the weekend.
http://www.tv.com/shows/once-upon-a-t...
It's just the sort of dumb fairy tale that hooks me. I did catch one episode, about the 4th, I think, but it hadn't grabbed me. But watching it online, from the pilot onward (and with subtitles!) was every entertaining. I'll record it from now on.
Marg & I are recording 'Once Upon a Time' but only watched 2 episodes & the rest are building up. We don't actively dislike it or we'd stop the automated recording, but we're watching several other shows ahead of it including Grimm, Unforgettable, A Gifted Man, & House. All of those are shows that are just OK, too. Bluebloods & Boardwalk Empire are our 2 favorites right now.
Earl, thanks for reminding me about "Morning Glory" (2010). I see that I have it in my Instant Queue at Netflix. I'm moving it up to the top so I can stream it soon.http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Mor...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1126618/
"An upstart television producer accepts the challenge of reviving a struggling morning show program with warring co-hosts."
Stars: Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton
I love Once Upon A Time, I look forward to each episode. And it has stiff competition for my Sunday night viewing: Dexter and Homeland. I like the actors mentioned for Morning Glory but from the commercials, it looks like a rom-com. Is that true?
I think "The Elegance of the Hedgehog," would qualify for the non thinking people not liking it.
Jackie, what's a rom-com?
Nina wrote: "I think "The Elegance of the Hedgehog," would qualify for the non thinking people not liking it."Nina, how would you define or describe "non-thinking people"?
I ordered "The Incredibles" (2004) (family movie, animated.) from Netflix but the DVD was damaged. So I was able to see only part of the movie. Today a new copy should arrive.Actually, I ordered it for when my Grands would be here for the Thanksgiving weekend, but they had already seen it. I decided to watch it after they went home. It was entertaining. So I want to see the rest of it. I just realized that Craig T. Nelson does the voice of Mr. Incredible. I like Craig Nelson.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317705/
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The...
I liked the Incredibles. It was fun. The costume designer was just a hoot! Her parts always have me laughing out loud.
Joy, Romance-comedy.We liked The Incredibles too.
Jackie wrote: "I love Once Upon A Time, I look forward to each episode. And it has stiff competition for my Sunday night viewing: Dexter and Homeland. I like the actors mentioned for Morning Glory but from t..."
The 'romantic comedy' (which I generally am luke-warm about too) is a fairly minor part of the movie. The best part is her interface with the Harrison Ford character.
I like Grimm too.
I catching up with Dexter Season 5 on Netflix, rationing them out one at a time to make them last. I have other series going too, a re-viewing of Rome, and, my favorite, Sarah Conner Chronicles, but I'm letting that one stagnate in my queue until I've forgotten it a bit. This'll probably be my 3rd viewing of that show.
One of the best tv series right now is Sons of Anarchy, but extremely bloody. I think it was better the first season. AND you need to watch it from the beginning, I think.
Jim wrote: "I liked the Incredibles. It was fun. The costume designer was just a hoot! Her parts always have me laughing out loud."Yes, I got a kick out that character too. She was called "Edna 'E' Mode" or just "E". Here's her picture: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm364783513...
At IMDb, it says: "This character is based on the real-life clothing designer Edith Head , who began as an assistant costume designer in the Hollywood of the 1920s, and she eventually became the preeminent costume designer of Hollywood's golden age, earning eight Oscars (and over 30 nominations) during a career that included work on hundreds and hundreds of movies. The character is also based on real-life Central Florida costume designer Una Jones who posses the same physical and personality features as Edna Mode does in the movie."
FROM: http://www.imdb.com/character/ch00038...
There were so many amusing features about "The Incredibles". Mr. Incredibles incredible physique was a hoot. All the family's special powers were fun too. Very creative.
Roger Ebert said: "On the surface, "The Incredibles" is a goof on superhero comics. Underneath, it's a critique of modern American uniformity. ... Grown-ups are likely to be surprised by how smart the movie is, and how sneakily perceptive."
FROM: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...
Reviewer,James Berardinelli, said: "The Incredibles is without question one of 2004's most accomplished and enjoyable family-oriented films."
FROM: http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_t...
I can't believe that it took me 6 years to find and see this film. (It came out in 2004.) Oh, well, better late than never. Thank goodness for Netflix!
BTW, the character, "Syndrome" (the bad guy) seemed to me to resemble Elton Jones. Here's Syndrome's pic:
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm327873638...
Also, the character of "E" resembled an actress I've seen before as well. I wonder if any of those subtle resemblances came to mind with other viewers.
Jackie wrote: "Joy, Romance-comedy. ..."Jackie, I never would have guessed that rom-com was short for "Romance-comedy'! LOL I'd better get with it, eh?
Earl wrote: The 'romantic comedy' (which I generally am luke-warm about too) is a fairly minor part of the movieWell, that statement could get me to watch it.
I just dropped Grimm, for me it's a weak Supernatural imitation.
SoA is fantastic, you're right, it is one of the best shows on TV and has to be watched from the beginning, a lot of backstory and relationship build-up. I think the Season 3 finale was the best episode of the entire series, but I do agree, overall, that Season 1 was the best. You should join us over here for SoA if you want to talk about weekly episodes: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/4...
I loved Rome but didn't get into Sarah Connor. I watched the first 3 episodes, and felt this Sarah was pathetic and weak ('don't kill anybody', seriously? let's be warm and fuzzy with those that are trying to kill us) compared to the kick-ass and take no prisoners Sarah we've come to know. I understand it's her early years but I just wasn't interested.
Dexter. Every season is fantastic. Love that show. Love that character.
Earl, do you watch Justified on FX?
Earl, I don't watch any of those series but I do like Harrison Ford. For some reason, I sometimes confuse Harrison Ford with Liam Neeson.Here's Neeson's pic: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000553/
Here's Ford's pic: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000148/
Joy, I knew that Edna in the Incredibles was based on someone vaguely familiar, but never looked into it. Thanks. Here is Edna from the Incredibles:
Here are a couple of pictures of Edith Head:
I didn't find any pictures of Una Jones, though.
More comments about the Hedgehog. In the book a "lowly" consierge(SP?) at a Paris apartment complex is completely overlooked except for the chores she performs until some exceptional tenants come into her life. There is more to the book than that, of course. But after reading this book I was watching an old movie where the main character is quite rich and then decides he can survive for one year on his own; no help from family. A family lawyer persuades him to follow this path. IN the following year he tries many ways to earn a living and none prove to last long; finally he takes a job as a chauffer. One one occasion he actually picks up the family lawyer who, in turn, fails to recognize him. He is beneath his social strata; therefore doesn't exsist. It reminded me of "hedgehog."
Speaking of incredibles; your quotes fit that description. Really wonderful. Thanks for posting them.
Jim wrote: "Joy, I knew that Edna in the Incredibles was based on someone vaguely familiar, but never looked into it. Thanks. Here is Edna from the Incredibles:
Here are a couple of pictures of Edith Head..."
Jim, thanks very much for the pics of Edith Head! Yes, there is a slight resemblance.
I know I've seen another actress who actually looks like "E" in "The Incredibles". Furthermore, she plays roles with the same type of personality. If I ever see her again, I'll try to post a message about her.
Nina wrote: "... But after reading this book I was watching an old movie where the main character is quite rich and then decides he can survive for one year on his own; no help from family. ..."Nina, I remember an old movie like that. In fact there are a couple of old movies with a similar theme.
In fact, in 1983 there was a movie called "Trading Places" with a similar theme:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086465/
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Tra...
"A snobbish investor and a wily street con artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires."
I wish I could remember the names of the other old movies. They were great!
PS-Nina, one of the other old movies I mentioned was "My Man Godfrey" (1936) with William Powell and Carole Lombard:http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/My_...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028010/
"A scatterbrained socialite hires a vagrant as a family butler...but there's more to Godfrey than meets the eye."
PPS-Nina, I racked my brains and came up with another movie with the same theme of switching roles. It was:"Sullivan's Travels" (1941/1942) with Joel McCrea.
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Sul...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034240/
"A director of escapist films goes on the road as a hobo to learn about Life...which gives him a rude awakening."
Nina, this sounds like the one you might have been referring to in Message #968.
Joy, It wasn't either of those movies but similiar theme. If I ever remember the title I'll send it along. It hasn't been that long ago since I saw, "My Man Godfrey." It was fun to watch. I think I will try Sullivan's Travels again as it has been a long time since I saw it. The movie I was referring to wasn't as well known as those two.
Jackie wrote: "Earl, do you watch Justified on FX?"
Nope, tried and dropped it. I would say because the cop isn't 'real' enough, but really, I watch so many so-so tv shows (to get my money's worth) that the weaker ones may get dropped from some mysterious personal bias that I don't even know I have.
I don't watch enough comedy. The half-hour shows seem to come and go without me ever trying them out. I do like Community, Parks and Recs, 30 Rock.
Earl, I find Raylon realistic and unrealistic at the same time. They way he straddles the Thin Blue Line in what he perceives as 'right' is realistic but the way he flaunts it to his boss is unrealistic. If a cop is gonna take matters into his own hands, he knows it's against the law and will do it on the down-low, not shove it in his boss' face.
I hear the new movie, "Descendents," is excellent. Have any of you seen it? "Midnight in Paris," is coming soon to Netflix. Can't wait to see that. Everyone I know who has seen it, wants to see it again.
No, I haven't seen either of them. I like Owen Wilson but not in a rom-com.I watched Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1399103/
What a surprise it was! I had put off watching it for a while because I thought it wouldn't be good, being a sequel and the 2nd movie was awful. Finally I forced myself to watch it last night and it was epic. Big story, big action, and some cool pop culture references which I always get a kick out of. And for once, the sound was right, big explosions didn't get louder and speaking voices didn't get lower, I didn't have to adjust the volume once. I think this one was the best of them all. Ant said it got poor reviews, although I don't see how.
I'm still waiting for a Beast Wars: Transformers movie. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115108/
Imaginative storylines. I bought the series so we can watch it over and over. I never tire of it.
Glad to hear that about Transformers 3, Jackie. I didn't mind the 2d one, but I don't remember it, either. I do remember the 1st & liked it.
I liked the first one, the second not so much. It felt like they stretched out a story to make the second. I don't remember all that much about it either, except for my disappointment. This third one is a new story and pretty good one at that. I still can't get over how good it was. I considering buying it. But I do have a question for all three of the movies, how does this skinny kid get such sexy women? lol
This past Friday night, I wound up having to stay up pretty late (long story), so watched Terminator Salvation (2009) to pass the time. Before that, I'd seen bits and pieces of a couple of Terminator series movies and hadn't been exactly bowled over, so I went into this one with low expectations. However, I found it a surprisingly good film experience!Exactly where this fits into the Terminator series chronology, I don't know; but most of us are probably roughly familiar with the broad outlines of the series' premise, since it's so big a part of our recent popular culture. According to the Imdb entry (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0438488 ), the lead actor here is Christian Bale, playing John Connor. Despite his big-name status, I didn't recognize him (I live under a rock, as Jim sometimes says about himself!), or any of the rest of the cast; but I thought all of the performances were commendably strong, and the special effects were well-done, rather than hokey. More inportantly, it has a good SF action-adventure plot, with a lot of constructive thought content: about second chances, courage and self-sacrifice, the meaning of being human, the value of trust and giving others the benefit of the doubt, etc. And of course the whole series raises serious cautionary notes about our society's (or at least our society's leaders')infatuation with high-tech military gadgetry and WMDs. So, enthusiastically recommended!
"There is no fate but what we make." --John Connor
I don't like Bale but I have to admit sometimes he's a fantastic actor. And Terminator Salvation was a really good film for all the reason you stated. Another film I thought wouldn't be all that good and turned out to be excellent was the 2009 Star Trek movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796366/
And speaking of Trek, I watched a doc by Roddenberry's son called Trek Nation. I thought I'd spend time skimming through it but it held my interest the entire time. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1529666/
Another doc series I've been watching is Prophets of Science Fiction: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2091018/ The best one so far was about Arthur C Clarke. I had no idea of the real contributions he made to science, such as satellites in geosynchronous orbit, that particular band around the earth is named The Clarke Belt. When you use your GPS or any other satellite based tech, thank Mr. Clarke. What impressed me was that he thought this up in the 1940s.
The series is halted for the holiday season so I have to wait til February to see the episodes for Asimov, Verne and Heinlein.
The holiday season hiatus for TV gives me the opportunity to catch up on watching films and docs I haven't gotten around to yet.
I seem to recall liking Bale as John Conner, but he was certainly better than the dweeb in T3. Maybe that's why. Salvation is T4, not counting the SC Chronicles.Terminator - John Connor conceived, Arnie blown up by Reese & squished by Sara.
T2 Judgment Day - Arnie protects John from a T1000 & gets melted.
T3 Rise of the Machines - Arnie protects John from a hot lady terminator & (view spoiler)
T4 Salvation is the last, so far.
Jackie, please let me know when/if you see 'Prophets of SF' coming on again. I did know that Clarke had done a lot of that stuff, but I'm sure there is stuff to learn.
It's on the Science Channel, Wednesday nights 10PM Eastern time. It's reairing some of the episodes this week and you can catch them. As soon as I have an exact date for the February return, I will surely let you know. The featured authors so far were Mary Shelley who I do not consider a PoSF, HG Wells, Philip K Dick and Clarke.
Nina wrote: "I hear the new movie, "Descendents," is excellent. Have any of you seen it? "Midnight in Paris," is coming soon to Netflix. Can't wait to see that. Everyone I know who has seen it, wants to see it again."Nina, I haven't seen either of those movies yet. Here are links for reference:
"The Descendants" (2011)
(based on the book, The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings):
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1033575/
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The...
"Midnight in Paris" (2011) (written & directed by Woody Allen):
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1605783/
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Mid...
"In this bittersweet dramatic comedy, legendary director Woody Allen focuses his lens on a young engaged couple (Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams) whose experiences traveling together in Paris make them begin to question the kind of life they want to live as a couple."
I found James Berardinelli's comments about "Midnight in Paris" interesting. See excerpts below:
=======================================
"From time-to-time, I suppose we all succumb to daydreams of what it might be like to have lived during a different, perhaps simpler era. Filmmaker Woody Allen, whose cinematic recipes have often incorporated more than a pinch of nostalgia, embraces this conceit with his 2011 effort, Midnight in Paris. An odd creation by some standards, this production is neither pure drama nor true comedy. It is too light and airy to touch the emotions in more than a fleeting fashion, and its humor is gentle and low-key, rarely exhibiting the edge associated with Allen. Instead, Midnight in Paris is a fairy tale, a parfait of whimsy. The film is constructed in such a way that suspension of disbelief isn't too hard because there's something universal in what Allen explores. Like Santa Claus, we know it's not real but the idea is so appealing that we go along with the fantasy."
...
"Words like 'pleasant', 'enjoyable', and 'undemanding' apply to Midnight in Paris, although some may consider that damning with faint praise - especially those who look to Woody Allen to cast a cynical eye on the foibles of a man in love. Allen's movies often deal with love and sex and, although he often dabbles in nostalgia, rarely does he do so with such unabashed romanticism. Midnight in Paris does not challenge greatness, but it's a nice, low-key way to spend 100 minutes."
FROM: http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_t...
============================================
I'm looking forward to seeing the movie.
Thanks for the reminder, Nina. I've moved it up on my Netflix queue.
Jackie wrote: "No, I haven't seen either of them. I like Owen Wilson but not in a rom-com..."Jackie, I had to find Owen Wilson's pic to remind myself of who he is.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005562/
By coincidence, he's in a movie at the top of my Netflix queue:
"The Darjeeling Limited" (2007):
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0838221/
"One year after their father's funeral, three brothers travel across India by train in an attempt to bond with one another."
I might have seen Darjeeling, it sounds familiar.
Jackie wrote: "It's on the Science Channel, Wednesday nights 10PM Eastern time. It's reairing some of the episodes this week and you can catch them. As soon as I have an exact date for the February return, I wi..."Thanks. I'll see if we get that. I'll send The Boss an email about it.
Here is an interesting quote I just came across. It is from Winston Churchill and I think he was referring to students at a high schoold or University."I would make them all learn English and then I would let the clever ones learn Latin as an honor and Greek as a treat."
I have enough trouble with American, thank you very much.;-)
Joy, tell your son that The Family Stone was a good holiday choice, I just finished watching it and enjoyed it. A great cast.I also rented The Blind Side and My House in Umbria. All for a dollar each at Hollywood vid and I get them for 5 days. They're on the agenda for this week.
Yes, Jackie, "The Family Stone" was terrific! Even Eddie enjoyed it. As you said, it was perfect for the holiday season. Blind and House were both good too.The deal at Hollywood vid sounds like a good one. Where is it located?
Nina wrote: "Here is an interesting quote I just came across. It is from Winston Churchill and I think he was referring to students at a high schoold or University. "I would make them all learn English and then I would let the clever ones learn Latin as an honor and Greek as a treat."Nina, I studied 3 years of Latin in high school. I think its value is that it trains the mind to understand how language works, e.g., parts of speech, grammar. It's also good exercise for the mind. Good discipline. They say it helps in figuring out the meaning of words, but I never found that to be true. I still need the dictionary in most cases. The dictionary's etymology explains the derivation from Latin if one really wants to know it.
Latin wasn't offered in any of the schools I went to, not even the fancy eastern prep school. I always thought that stunk, even as a kid. I didn't want to learn French or Spanish, but Latin would have been a big help in both English & the sciences.
I find that Latin helps in deciphering medical terms and scientific terms, as Jim stated. I didn't learn it formally but self-taught, which means I know words, not grammatical sentence structure. Greek is also a help in knowing the meaning of words in our language. English has a lot of influences so Latin and Greek cannot help all the time, it depends on where the word comes from.
Joy, Hollywood is on Quaker. The dollar deal is only for old movies, meaning not new releases which can remain listed as a new release for a few months. Their new releases are $5 per movie.
Jackie, isn't that a trip for you to go to Quaker Road? I'm afraid I'm spoiled by Netflix with the DVDs coming right to my door. I also like having the Netflix queues and my viewing history at Netflix. It gives me the feeling that my movie life is organized, not the random, hit-or-miss state that it really is in. LOL
I only took Latin my freshman year but I still find derivaties even when I am not looking for them. My Latin teacher held contests once a week on Monday morning when we were to bring as many words from the newspaper we could find with Latin derivaties in them. If you won you were excused from homework for two days. One of my sons took Latin four years in high school and one year in college and two years of Greek My granddaughter asked why he didn't take French instead. Wonder if Latin is even taught any where anymore. I had Latin in a public high school.
We used to walk to school chanting the Latin declensions. I still remember some of them:"ille, illa, illud - illius, illius, illius." (sp?)
"hic, huc, hoc - huius, huius, huius." (sp?)
How about that! LOL
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