Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Movies, DVDs, and Theater
>
What MOVIES or DVDs have you watched lately? (PART FOUR - 2011) (ongoing thread)
The library should have it. I wouldn't trust it to the mail either.
We had some discussion of Escape from New York on the "Coming Soon" thread, as well, about a year ago; that was in connection with the projected remake by New Line Cinema. (Did anything ever come of that?) That's messages 190-91, 203, 211, and 214-16, from February 2010 (for any group members with a taste for archaeological excavation :-) ).
Thanks, Werner. The posts in question (#190-91, 203, 211, and 214-16) are on the following webpages of our "Coming Soon" topic:http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...
I'm going to check them out.
Werner, I checked out the posts in question about the remake of "Escape from NY" (1981). Then I went to Wiki where I found the following:==========================================================
"Scottish actor Gerard Butler was close to signing a deal where he would play Snake Plissken in a remake of Carpenter's movie. Neal Moritz was to produce and Ken Nolan was to write the screenplay which would combine an original story for Plissken with the story from the 1981 movie, although Carpenter has hinted that the film might be a prequel.
"New Line Cinema (one-time video distributor of the original) acquired the rights to the film from co-rights holder StudioCanal, who will control the European rights, and Carpenter, who will serve as an executive producer and said, "Snake is one of my fondest creations. Kurt Russell did an incredible job, and it would be fun to see someone else try." Russell has also commented on the remake and on the casting of Butler as Plissken, saying, "I will say that when I was told who was going to play Snake Plissken, my initial reaction was 'Oh, man!' [Russell winces]. I do think that character was quintessentially one thing. And that is, American." Len Wiseman was attached to direct but he dropped out of the project and rumors were that Brett Ratner would helm the film. Since Ratner has not formally committed to the new project, the identity of the director is as yet unclear. The studio has brought Jonathan Mostow in to rewrite, with an option to direct. In addition, Gerard Butler has bowed out of his role claiming "creative differences". Allan Loeb wrote currently the script for the New Line Cinema project. Breck Eisner has been announced as the director of the remake. The film will not feature a post apocalyptic New York like the original did, rather the New York in the new film will have been built after the bomb.
"In November of 2010, reports cited Jeremy Renner as being in talks to play Snake Plissken. Reports also suggest that Josh Brolin has also been considered to play Snake Plissken."
FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_f...
==========================================================
Doesn't look like the remake has been accomplished yet, according to the above.
It doesn't sound like it's going to be made any time soon if at all. But another 'cult classic' Kurt Russell movie is back in the headlines regarding The Thing.The Thing has a prequel coming out on Oct 14, 2011.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0905372/
In the opening scenes of the original, a Malamute comes running into the US Camp with a Norwegian man shooting at it. This prequel is the story of what led to that moment: how 'the thing' was found in the ice and what happened at the Norwegian camp.
October! That's a long time to spend anticipating, Jackie! LOLAnyway, here's the Netflix page:
"The Thing" (2011)
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/The_T...
Genres: Horror, Sci-Fi Horror, Creature Features
"This terrifying prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 classic of the same name tells the story of a team of Norwegian scientists who find an alien ship frozen in Antarctica..."
IMDb says: "The Thing serves as a prelude to John Carpenter's classic 1982 film of the same name."
FROM IMDb summary page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0905372/p...
Considering I've been waiting since 1982 for the backstory, October is like next week to me, lol ;)
I wonder how good the back story will be. I always figured it was pretty short. Ice gets broken, dog laps some of the Thing up & mayhem ensues among a small group, pretty much like what happens in the original movie, but maybe in a remote camp. I guess they can pump it up to make it worthwhile, but I never bothered to watch the remake. I'm too often disappointed by them. For instance, "I Am Legend" was terrible. I don't know how they could have screwed that up any more. It was torture. (I'd tell you how I really feel, but that's not printable.)
;-)
I don't really see what they could do that's new, what happened at the US camp happened at the Norwegian camp. I'm guessing they'll draw out the finding of the creature and maybe they'll take longer to figure it out since they didn't have the advantage the US camp did of finding facts at their camp. Still, I'll see it even thoug I don't think we can get anything original out of it.
Today I streamed the following film from Netflix:"The Black Stallion" (1979) (adapted from The Black Stallion by Walter Farley):
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The...
Netflix says: "...this exquisitely filmed animal-lovers' treat follows a boy named Alec from shipwreck to winner's circle with the stunning horse that befriends him. ... Mickey Rooney was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as a trainer..."
This film had so many exciting moments that I had to take a break in the middle. It's almost 2 hours long. It held my attention throughout.
The horse who plays the Black Stallion truly has a majestic bearing. I enjoyed watching him.
This was an outstanding film. The background music was inspired, very unusual and fitting. There were many beautiful scenes. I gave the film 5 stars out of 5.
The following web page has a detailed article about the making of the movie (which is amazing by itself! Mind boggling, in fact):
http://theblackstallion.com/web/?page...
Excerpt (about the horses involved):
==========================================================
Producers ... spent months searching for the appropriate Arabian stallion, traveling to England, Morocco, Egypt and throughout the United States. At last they found their “star” in San Antonio, Texas — CASS OLE’, one of the most honored Arabian show horses in the United States... He was the Black Stallion. His rare beauty would thoroughly captivate an audience, and he had the willingness and intelligence to perform the demanding stunts required of the role. Realizing from the start that no one horse could have the full range of attitude and expression necessary for the Black Stallion’s transition from terrifying wild stallion to beloved companion, three other horses were trained with CASS OLE’ for the production. FAE-JUR, an Arabian stallion ... was chosen ... for his unique liveliness, and two horses owned by stunt coordinator Glen Randall, Jr. were trained more specifically for the fighting and running stunts."
===========================================================
The detailed article also says:
"THE BLACK STALLION is certainly the toughest horse film ever undertaken. Thousands of miles were traversed to find the right locations necessary for the film, which ranged from period sets resembling Flushing, N. Y. of 1947, to a barren, uninhabited island in the Mediterranean."
Joy, I've never read any of Farley's work or seen this film, but Barb has read every book by him that the BC library has (including The Black Stallion). She's also seen this movie, and totally agrees with you!
Werner, I had never heard of Farley or _The Black Stallion_ before this. Now, with Jim's postings about his horses, my interest has been piqued. So when I saw that Netflix had the film available by streaming, I thought I'd try it. I'm so glad I did! Netflix has certainly given me many pleasurable moments watching films I never would have seen otherwise.BTW, what is the BC library?
Hi to Barbara!
I read The Black Stallion when I was a kid and enjoyed it. Of course, what girl wouldn't. Thanks for reminding me of yet another title I had forgotten. I'm going to look for the movie as soon as I get the chance.
Jackie, you will LOVE it!
RE: The Sundowners by Jon ClearyI see via TCM-TV that this book has been adapted to film:
"The Sundowners" (1960)
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/The_S...
I like the cast (Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, Peter Ustinov). So I may order the film from Netflix.
Deborah Kerr speaks with an Australian accent in this film. Unusual.
(There are some cute little sheep too.) :)
Jon Cleary is another author to tap for possible reading choices.
Joy, to answer your question, in the context above, BC stands for Bluefield College; so, "BC library" = Bluefield College library (where, of course, I work). Sorry --us locals down here throw the initials "BC" around in casual conversation all the time and know what it means, but we don't stop to think that it's not immediately obvious outside of our little radius! :-)
Werner, thanks for explaining. When we first moved here, I used to wonder what ACC stood for when I saw it in print. Now that we've been here many years, I know it stands for Adirondack Community College. Live and learn. :)
Yes, Joy, that's another good example of the same thing. In your area, people pretty much take it for granted what ACC means --but if you'd used it in a post, I'd probably have guessed that it had something to do with air conditioning! :-)
Netflixed My Son My Son What Have Ye Donehttp://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/My_...
What a stinker. I was seduced by the blurb and Eberts review
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...
I just didn't believe anything that got 3 Ebert stars could be as bad as other Netflix patrons had reviewed it. It was. I gave it 1 stars out of 5 and fell asleep in the middle.
Does anyone remember my complaint about Hollywood Video trying to rob me of $100 for a movie they claimed I didn't return? I can't find my post now, so will add this here. I received a letter back from the NYS Attorney General to the effect that the collection agency has dropped the case. It also disappeared from my credit report. They included a self-serving letter from the collection agency, National Credit Solutions, which claims HV "attempted to notify me on multiple occasions by mail and phone". (a bald-faced lie). Said they "cannot keep the account from being turned over to another agency". What a racket. Wonder how many people they successfully robbed.
One movie I DID enjoy was a True Grit which I'd taped from tv and watched last night. John Wayne fit into the role of Rooster like it was created for him. I hadn't seen the flick for several years and enjoyed it immensely.
Earl, I remember. It's message 1282: by Earl in Have you seen any good movies lately? (Part THREE - 2010).http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...
Can you clarify, is this charge still an issue? On one hand, it's off you credit report so I'd think it's over and done but then "cannot keep the account from being turned over to another agency" makes me think it's still ongoing, or could come back again. It's an outrage when this kind of thing happens.
The Attorney General is waste of time, been there done that.
Jackie wrote: "Earl, I remember. It's message 1282: by Earl in Have you seen any good movies lately? (Part THREE - 2010).http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2... "
Good work, Jackie! :)
Earl, I enjoyed the old "True Grit" movie too. I guess I saw it on TCM-TV recently. I had never seen it before. Jim had recommended it. Great story! John Wayne was terrific.
See my comments at:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...
Messages #1295 & 1296
I'll probably watch the new True Grit when it's available at Netflix.
Below is the Netflix page with descriptions of both True Grits:
http://www.netflix.com/Search?oq=&...
Whenever I'm not sure where a particular post is, I use the search box over towards the upper right below the area that has our group home, photos and polls.
Jackie wrote: "Whenever I'm not sure where a particular post is, I use the search box over towards the upper right below the area that has our group home, photos and polls."I did look for the Search option, hastily, and couldn't find it. Thanks for locating it for me.
I disagree about NYS Attorney General, Jackie. They've helped me twice now. Yes, I'm not sure the HV hassle is over yet, but I'm hoping. Wonder what the non-New Yorkers did about their HV hounding?
I went to the Attorney General's Office once and even though I was in the right, they did not assist me and I lost a good chunk of money. I'm not the kind of person who'll try again after getting screwed.
I recently watched the Netflix DVD of the movie, "1776":http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068156/
"The [1972] film version of the Broadway musical comedy of the same name."
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/1776/...
"... musical ... about the internecine congressional squabbling that led to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, makes a glorious transition to the big screen."
At first I wasn't drawn into this film, but as I watched more of it, it proved to be very entertaining. It focuses on the squabbling which took place among our founding fathers in the room* where the Declaration of Independence was finally signed in Philadelphia. Many of the lines are direct quotes from history. Other lines are fictionalized dialogue full of wit. The songs are forgettable but they fit the occasion each time.
Although Roger Ebert panned the movie for lowering the stature of our early leaders, I felt that the movie made me appreciate the struggle the men went through before they finally agreed to officially declare our independence from England. They argued over many fine points and the movie makes it all seem very real. Although I realize that much of the action had to be fictionalized, there was enough truth there to make the film memorable and to make me realize what a formidable task they had taken upon themselves. It's almost a miracle that they succeeded in their goal.
*PS-It's a great satisfaction to me that I was in that very room when we toured Independence Hall in PA years ago. It wasn't a very large room at all.
PPS-The Netflix description of the film "1776" describes it as a "Pultizer Prize-winning musical". [See: http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/1776/... ]However, I can find no proof that that is true.
David McCullough wrote the book (but not the musical), 1776, in 2005, but that book didn't win the Pulitzer. Instead, McCullough's two Pulitzer Prize-winning books were Truman and John Adams, according to Wiki.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Mc...
Hmmmmm. I called Netflix and told them the above. The representative politely took the information and said he would report it. That was my good deed for the day. :)
I just noticed that as of tomorrow, Feb. 9, the seven episodes of the TV series, "Downton Abbey" will be streamable from Netflix.[The TV series is already available as a DVD (3 discs)]
NETFLIX: "Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey" (2010)
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Maste...
"Exposing the snobbery, backbiting and machinations of a disappearing class system, this seven-part British series chronicles the comings and goings of the upper-crust Crawley family and their assorted servants."
Format: DVD (Streaming available 2/9/2011)
IMDb: "Downton Abbey" (TV Series 2010)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1606375/
"A drama set in pre-WWI England and centered on the dramas of the Crawley family and their servants."
PS-I viewed one episode on TV and enjoyed it very much.
What a coincidence! I'm watching Downton Abbey right now. I recorded it from PBS. I'm halfway through it and it's very good. I got caught up right away in the dramas of the Crawley and the servants. Another British miniseries I want to rent is North & South (2004) since I haven't been able to find it on PBS, it's probably too old and I've missed it. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417349/
We watched part of Serenity last night on our new HD TV in HD from Sifee (SyFy - sorry, but I HAVE to make fun of that stupid name). All I can say is WOW! Absolutely no glare so I could see everything & the action was very smooth, huge & awesome. I'm now officially spoiled (& poor).;-)
That IS a coincidence about "Downton Abbey", Jackie.I see that "North & South" is available at Netflix via both DVD and streaming. In fact my Netflix records show that I watched 3/4 of the first episode in March of 2010. At the time, I wasn't drawn in enough to want to see more. There are 2 discs and 4 episodes.
I vaguely remember finding Episode One to be too slow paced and too involved with details surrounding the mill in the town. I'll try picking up where I left off and then streaming Episode Two to see if the plot picks up. Netflix describes it as "dark and romantic".
"North & South" (TV mini-series 2004)
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/North...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417349/
"North and South is a four part adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's love story of Margaret Hale, a middle class southerner who is forced to move to the northern town of Milton."
I'll try N&S whenever I find it. I really like the actor, Richard Armitage, who plays the male lead. He's the reason I want to see it.
Jim wrote: "We watched part of Serenity last night on our new HD TV in HD from Sifee (SyFy - sorry, but I HAVE to make fun of that stupid name). All I can say is WOW! Absolutely no glare so I could see every..."Glad to hear your enjoying your new TV, Jim.
Here are links to descriptions of "Serenity":
http://movies.netflix.com/Search?oq=&...
"Serenity" (2005):
I watched the trailer there. Looks action-packed!
"Genre: Sci-Fi Adventure, Action Sci-Fi & Fantasy"
"This movie is: Exciting, Quirky, Suspenseful, Witty"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379786/
"The crew of the ship Serenity tries to evade an assassin sent to recapture one of their number who is telepathic."
Jackie wrote: "I'll try N&S whenever I find it. I really like the actor, Richard Armitage, who plays the male lead. He's the reason I want to see it."Jackie, I'm not familiar with the name, Richard Armitage.
For reference, here's his IMDb page and photo:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0035514/
He played Guy of Gisborne in the BBC series Robin Hood. He also played Harry, the man who marries The Vicar of Dibley in the series finale.
I see that Richard Armitage is also scheduled to be in the upcoming film "The Hobbit", scheduled for 2012:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903624/
He will play the role of Thorin Oakenshield.
=========================================================
"Thorin Oakenshield is a dwarf of great descent who's people have been misplaced and scattered. ... Thorin leads an expedition of 13 dwarves and the hobbit Bilbo Baggins with the aim of reclaiming the Lonely Mountain from the dragon known as Smaug."
FROM: http://www.imdb.com/character/ch00001...
=========================================================
Wow. He doesn't look anything like I pictured Thorin. I've had that picture in my mind for over 40 years, too. Not sure I'll watch the Hobbit.
No, me neither, he's really tall, 6ft 2in and not a stocky guy. I'd pick him for an elf, I already know he looks fabulous with long hair from RH.This is who's going to play Kili, he plays the ever-so-delicious vampire Mitchell in the BBC Being Human. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2636108/
You can bet your last penny I'll be seeing The Hobbit, lol.
Somehow the idea of a 6 foot, 2 inches tall dwarf strikes me a contradiction in terms. :-) Though I've read (in reviews) that in one of Terry Pratchett's later Discworld novels, one of the members of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is a dwarf who's well over 6 feet tall. But he's adopted, so unlike Thorin he wasn't actually born a dwarf!
With the way they did the photography in LOTR it's possible to have a regular-sized person as a hobbit or dwarf but I still think the dwarf needs to be of a stocky build, just like John Rhys-Davies who played Gimli in LOTR; he's 6 ft 1 inces tall but he made it work because he's stout. I mean, can any of us ever think 'dwarf' again without thinking of John Rhys-Davies? It's not so much the height that concerns me as much as the body type. Armitage is tall and well built but by no means stocky, stout or portly by any stretch of the imagination. When I heard he was to be in The Hobbit, I naturally assumed he'd be one of the elves. Imagine my shock when I read he is to play the dwarf Thorin!
Thanks for that information, Jackie! WOW! Rhys-Davies is that tall? I had no clue about that; they did a really super job of making him look dwarf-like in that movie, IMO. You're right; in most of our minds, he's the quintessential dwarf. But the body type challenge IS going to be something else again.
Yeah, I don't think I can skip the Hobbit movie either. It's just so weird what they can do in the movies with makeup & all.
Don't quote me on this because it's been a long time since I read about it, but some of the techniques they used were:1. body doubles in long shots
2. forced perspective, using different sized scale models. For example, the hobbits would be filmed in a regular sized set in the Shire whereas Gandalf would be filmed in a much smaller set to make him appear larger. In Rohan, Riverdell, and Gondor, Gandalf, elves and men would be using the regular sized set and the hobbits would be using an extra large set.
3. camera angles to make them appear smaller or larger.
There's probably more but these are the ones that stuck in my mind. When the movies were being made I was obsessed with any info about LOTR.
Netflixed The Tudorshttp://movies.netflix.com/Movie/The_T...
I believe someone else here on GoodReads recommended this show, and there's a LOT of episodes to watch. It appeared on Showtime which I don't subscribe to. I'm overjoyed to say that I like it. So far, not as much as Rome or Spartacus Blood and Sand, but it is indeed watchable and I'm pretty sure I'll get 'into' it as I go along. My big criticism is that they seem to throw the whole cast at you in the first 15 minutes of the first epi without adequate introduction. Maybe British schoolboys learn all about Henry VIII in their school history books, but as an American, I didn't. However I do have one thing going for me: a few weeks back I finished Wolf Hall
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65...
which I had to wade thru it and only awarded 2 stars.
But it did introduce me to characters in Henry's bio and I had a small head start with the show. So now I have a nice big backlog in my Netflix queue to draw on.
I probably recommended it. I really enjoyed it and I'm glad that you are too. I'm familiar with British history and I still had to look up certain characters in the very beginning. 38 episodes in total for all 4 seasons.
What I liked most about The Tudors is that I saw Henry VIII in a whole new light. I'd always seen him as a self-centered ass, he's still that in The Tudors but where I thought he was strong, I now see he was so easily manipulated which translates to weak, IMO. All the things Ann Boleyn does in The Tudors is historically accurate. What a witch! (exchange the 'w' for a 'b' and you'll have my true feelings about her.)
Since I haven't seen even a tiny bit of The Tudors, I can't personally critique it; and I'm always happy for anybody who finds a TV show that he/ she likes. (Heaven knows, there aren't many of them that are very likable! :-) ) One caveat, though: a lot of people who've watched this series and are also historically knowledgable about the period agree that the writers take some serious liberties with history and period detail. (My library director, who's quite a British history and culture buff, is of that number.) So it's probably best to take it as fiction with a (loose) historical basis, rather than rely too heavily on it as a source for serious historical education.On one of my other groups, there's a discussion going on about this series (some of the people there have made a similar point). If anyone's interested, that link is: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/4... .
I tried watching "The Tudors" but couldn't get into it. I do remember that the folks here were talking about it. So I was disappointed when it didn't appeal to me. Perhaps I'll give it another try sometime since it's streamable from Netflix.PS-A while ago I read The Other Boleyn Girl (Tudor Series #1)* (2001) (historical fiction) by Philippa Gregory. I remember enjoying it (gave it 4 GR stars), but when I tried another similar book by the same author, I didn't enjoy it. (IIRC, it was like a sequel.) It was too much like the other book. I had had enough of it by that time.
*Below is a link to a listing of all Gregory's books in her Tudor Series:
http://www.goodreads.com/series/55425...
PS-I also saw the film adapted from the book:
"The Other Boleyn Girl" (2008)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467200/
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/The_O...
PPS-Looking back in my notebooks today, I discovered that I've read many other books by Philippa Gregory. I'll have to add them to my shelves.
BBCA is airing The Tudors so the graphic sex will be cut. The series mixes fact with fiction, or as they like to call it, 'dramatization', but the parts I mentioned about Anne Boleyn is well documented with how she withheld sex from Henry to control him and force him to divorce Catherine of Aragon.
I just started another TV series, borrowed from the library, called Bonekickers, (2008 BBC): Dr. Gillian Magwilde leads an intrepid team of archaeologists as they come across mud, blood, and death-defying adventure when they start digging. A blend of modern forensics with historical mysteries.
I watched the first episode, out of 6 in total, and I enjoyed it very much. It was about The Knights Templar. Archaeology fascinates me and attracts me.
I like the British series because their seasons are so short. They get to the point in the overall story-arc and don't drag things out.
I'm really going to start utilizing the library for borrowing DVDs more often. I was very surprised they had this series and it's encouraged me to make a list. I'd rather borrow than rent, and the library lets me keep it for a full week. You can't beat that deal!
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
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (other topics)The Card (other topics)
A Thousand Acres (other topics)
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again (other topics)
Tom Brown's Schooldays (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Douglas Adams (other topics)Arnold Bennett (other topics)
Jane Smiley (other topics)
J.R.R. Tolkien (other topics)
Fred Gipson (other topics)
More...
;-)
Seriously, if you can't find it elsewhere & want to read it, I'll let you borrow it.