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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)
Jackie, I posted this on Facebook, but you didn't seem to see it. Another must read for you.http://www.cracked.com/article_16662_...
Joy, I would imagine it's just a new way to try to get people to buy the DVDs. We haven't watched Bonus Features in years by choice, there's usually nothing worth watching on them.They nailed it perfectly, Jim.
I'm really enjoying Cracked. Thanks
Jim, the article at Cracked.com made me glad that I don't go to the movie theaters anymore. There seems to be no end to the ideas they come up with for making more money by flooding us with commercials. Below is an excerpt from the article which sums it all up:==========================================================
"It turns out the dream factory that is the film industry is a business after all, and one with the kind of greed that puts Microsoft to shame."
FROM: http://www.cracked.com/article_16662_...
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It's all about greed. (Or is it about survival and each man for himself!) (Survival of the richest.)
Joy, that's one of the first items covered in that Cracked.com article. I'd suggest you read it, but the language in most of those articles would turn you off. It's a shame, but they're trying to be funny. Often it's almost too much for me.Anyway, they mention repackaging DVDs as one of the big money makers. They call it double dipping. We rarely watch the bonus features, either. Mostly they're a waste of time.
The other 4 items they mention are:
- Ads in front of movies, both on the DVDs & in the theaters.
- Hollywood Squeezing Theaters for Every Dime. Apparently the deal the theaters get is front loaded in Hollywood's favor. IOW, Hollywood gets 75% of the take for the first weekend, decreasing by 10% each week after that. Since most of the movie's money is made in the first few weeks...
- The MPAA is well known for jerking everyone around. They can break a picture with a bad rating (NC-17 rather than R, for instance) & they are well known for keeping any technical innovations at bay through lawsuits. They're horrible & account to no one.
Interestingly, the article list the #1 way Hollywood is ripping you off as Video on Demand. I'm not sure I really agree with their reasoning on this one, though.
Jackie wrote: "... We haven't watched Bonus Features in years by choice, there's usually nothing worth watching on them. ..."Jackie, that's often true, but sometimes I find interesting things in the bonus features. For example, the commentaries of the directors or writers sometimes reveal some interesting behind-the-scenes info.
Also, as I wrote in our 2010 movie thread:
========================================================
"I found a big surprise among the bonus features [of the Netflix DVD of "Grand Hotel" (1932)]. It's an amusing spoof of the actual film, but is much shorter in length. Unknown actors play the parts of the stars in the original film. They ham it up uproariously. The dialogue is very witty and had me chuckling. The title of the spoof is something like "Nothing Ever Happens", an ironic statement about life in the hotel. If you rent this DVD, don't miss this bonus feature!"
=========================================================
PS-You've given me an idea for a new topic which I titled:"Do you enjoy the Bonus Features on DVDs?"
It can be found in our movie section at:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...
Jim wrote: "Joy, that's one of the first items covered in that Cracked.com article. I'd suggest you read it, but the language in most of those articles would turn you off. It's a shame, but they're trying to..."Yes, it pretty discouraging to read about these practices. And yes, the language is a turn-off. Sometimes, I think there's no grace left in our modern culture.
Joy H. wrote: "Yes, it pretty discouraging to read about these practices. And yes, the language is a turn-off. Sometimes, I think there's no grace left in our modern culture."I blame George Carlin & I'm sure he doesn't mind.
;-)
Seriously, if you can get past the language, the content is good.
I've been reading Gone With the Wind and it sparked my interest in the Civil War. I found a wonderful documentary about the Civil War at Netflix:"Ken Burns: The Civil War" (1990) (9 episodes) (streamable)
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Ken...
The photographs bring it back so vividly. I was surprised that they were able to take such great photos back then in the 1860s.
It goes into great detail about the battles and the strategies which were used. Even though that part doesn't interest me, there are many other parts which did. Shelby Foote offers some interesting background information.
There are wonderful quotes throughout all the episodes; some of them are read by many current celebrities who have wonderful voices.
Also read aloud are the evocative letters written by the soldiers to their folks back home. There must be quite a collection of those letters kept in archives. I was surprised that so many have been preserved and then used in this documentary.
The entire documentary is a great piece of work. It's astounding to think of the research which must have gone into it.
PS-I posted this message at Jackie's TV group and also added a poem from the documentary. To see the poem, go to:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...
(The poem is in Message #2.)
I've discovered a great documentary at Netflix:"The Life of Birds" (1998) (10 episodes) (streamable)
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The...
The following is from the Netflix description:
==========================================================
"...this arresting documentary series is the definitive film exploration of the most colorful, popular and perfectly adapted creatures on earth. To create it, researchers traversed the globe, exploring 42 countries and examining more than 300 species of birds using a variety of techniques, including infrared, slow motion and computer-enhanced effects."
==========================================================
The closeups of birds in this documentary are amazing! I learned so much about birds while watching it. For example, it shows the different ways birds use their tongues. Yes, they have tongues! :) It's also interesting to see the way birds adapt to their habitat.
Thank goodness that there are people who enjoy making documentaries like these. It's hard to imagine the amount of time and dedication it took to produce this documentary. We're so lucky to have films like this available to us.
Finches are what started Darwin on his evolution theory. This is a good one. Could you repost it at docs in TV group?
Jackie, I already have posted it at the TV group. See it here:http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...
I knew you'd be interested in this DVD ("The Life of Birds").
I see that a movie has been adapted from the book, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.It's a sci-fi drama.
"Never Let Me Go" (2010)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1334260/
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Never...
"Born for an unusual reason, the three [young adults] struggle with their destiny..."
I read the book and found it fairly compelling.
Netflixed Wallender S1D1http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Walla...
on your recommend, Jackie. It didn't grab me right away, it's a bit low-key for a cop show. But by the 2nd epi, Firewall, I was engrossed. I still give it only 3 stars out of 5, but I will rent some more of them as I think he will grow on me.
I agree with your assessment. He had to grow on me also. There's one more season, with 3 eps, which I plan on borrowing from the library sometime soon.A series I really enjoyed was Bonekickers. Another one I had to borrow from the library as my vid store didn't have it.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1148181/
1 season, 6 eps
Netflixed Wallender S1D1http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Walla...
on your recommend, Jackie. It didn't grab me right away, it's a bit low-key for a cop show. But by the 2nd epi, Firewall, I was engrossed. I still give it only 3 stars out of 5, but I will rent some more of them as I think he will grow on me.
Netflixed Wall St. Money Never Sleepshttp://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Wal...
I gave 3 stars out of 5. Not bad, all about how Wall St. is the lowest form of life. The finish was kind of simple-minded and disappointing.
Netflixed That Evening Sun
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Tha...
Good, I give 4 stars out of 5. The kind of ending where you make up your own mind how it ends. That doesn't endear it to me, but all in all, it was first rate.
Hi Earl. Thanks for the links. Looks as if "That Evening Sun" was Dixie Carter's last movie. It's nice that she made it with her husband, Hal Holbrook. I remember Dixie Carter from "Designing Women" on TV. She was terrific. Hate to think that she's gone.http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0141581/
I didn't know Dixie Carter was married to Holbrook. I always liked her a lot. He's on The Event right now.
Jackie, Wiki says that Holbrook and Carter were husband and wife from 1984 to 2010 when she died.Tonight I hardly watched TV except for the news. Instead I watched a Netflix DVD of "The Magnificent Ambersons" (2002):
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252147/
The film was not a very good rendering of the story. I agreed with all the negative external reviews at IMDb. I wish Netflix had offered the original 1942 version, but it doesn't. At least I got an idea of the plot. It's quite story!
Here's the 1942 version at IMDb:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035015/
Of course, the films are adapted from the book by Booth Tarkington, The Magnificent Ambersons (1918).
I've been listening to a free audio of the book via a website online at:
http://www.archive.org/details/magnif...
It's excellent.
The book can also be read free online via a Google eBook at:
http://books.google.com/ebooks/reader...
The book is in the public domain. I like the layout of the eBooks on my browser. You can opt (via settings) for scrolling or for a book-like layout with virtual pages. I like the book-like layout.
Last night, I spent 45 minutes on the phone with Dish tech support because my wife still likes CSI & it didn't record right. For some reason it didn't record the new episode on the DVR at its regular time during the week & did it yesterday morning at 3:05am. Except it didn't. It recorded 26 minutes in the middle of the show. Missed the first & last 15 minutes or so. Apparently this is their 2d report of this & everyone is scratching their heads.
This morning, The Defenders, should have recorded at the same time. I wonder how that went? I wasn't awake to see (Lily thought I should get up at 4:45, although I was sleeping well. I think she just wanted the bed to herself!) but am supposed to call & leave a message if it doesn't work right.
Jim, sometimes these new-fangled devices are more trouble than they're worth!But then again... (g)
Jim, I had similar problems a while ago. It would record part of a program and then just stop. The cable tech had to come a few times, he couldn't figure it out either. He gave me all new wiring inside and out, checked signal strength, etc. In the end, they gave me a new DVR and it's worked fine ever since.
The thing that really has everyone puzzled is that it says it recorded the entire hour in the history, but only has 26 minutes in the actual program. I agree with Joy, sometimes these things are too much trouble.
Now that is strange, Jim. Mine did say how many minutes were recorded. Even though mine has given me fits at times, I wouldn't trade it for the world. It's definitely my favorite piece of electronics.I'm starting the 2010 version of Upstairs Downstairs. 3 episodes. I watched the first and I like it a lot. I don't know how it compares to the long running PBS series because I never saw it. I considered borrow that version from the library but it ran too long. I don't have that amount of time to put into it.
Jackie wrote: "... I'm starting the 2010 version of Upstairs Downstairs. ..."Netflix lists the 2010 version of "Upstairs, Downstairs" (UD), but it's not yet available to its members. I've got it on my "Save" list.
Netflix is currently sending me the DVD of Season One (1971) of UD. I ordered Disc 2. I viewed Disc 1 last July. I remember enjoying the series back in the 1970s, not that I watched every one of them back then.
Below are the Netflix descriptions:
==================================================
Masterpiece Classic: Upstairs, Downstairs: Season 1 1971 4 discs:
"Thirty years before Robert Altman redefined the English drawing room drama with Gosford Park, this beloved Masterpiece Theatre series chronicled the lives and loves of the aristocratic "upstairs" Bellamy family and their loyal "downstairs" servants. Catch a first glimpse of 165 Eaton Place and become enchanted with the saga that captures the essence of Edwardian England."
Upstairs, Downstairs 2010 2 discs:
"It's 1936 and Sir Hallam Holland and his wife have bought the iconic London townhouse at 165 Eaton Place. Luckily, former Eaton Place maid Rose Buck, now at the helm of her own agency, knows just what kind of staff the diplomat and his new home need."
FROM: http://movies.netflix.com/Search?oq=u...
==========================================================
Below are the IMDb descriptions:
1971: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066722/
"The series follows the lives of both the family and the servants in the London townhouse at 165 Eaton Place. Richard Bellamy, the head of the household, is a member of Parliament, and his wife a member of the titled aristocracy. Belowstairs, Hudson, the Scottish butler directs and guides the other servants about their tasks and (sometimes) their proper place. Real-life events from 1903-1930 are incorporated into the stories of the Bellamy household."
2010: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1782352/
We finished watching "Prince of Persia" last night (only took us 3 nights to watch a 2 hour movie). It was fun, especially since we were slightly familiar with the video game it was based on.
I streamed "War and Peace" (1956) from Netflix.It stars Audrey Hepburn as Natasha Rostova and Henry Fonda as Pierre Bezukhov. Also, Mel Ferrer as Prince Andrei Bolkonsky.
I loved it! I gave it 4 stars out of 5.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049934/
"Napoleon's tumultuous relations with Russia including his disastrous 1812 invasion serve as the backdrop for the tangled personal lives of two aristocratic families."
Haven't read the book, but I'm considering it. I'd like to get a taste of Leo Tolstoy's style of writing, but since his War and Peace was published in 1869, the writing style may be a bit heavy for me.
Here's the Netflix description:
"With great attention to detail and historical accuracy, personal stories, love affairs and philosophies are woven throughout this massive, intricate tapestry of Russia during Napoleon's invasion at the turn of the 19th century. A decade of preparation and two years of filming went into the making of this engaging version of Leo Tolstoy's 20th-century masterpiece, an epic drama starring Audrey Hepburn and Henry Fonda."
FROM: http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/War...
Jim wrote: "We finished watching "Prince of Persia" last night (only took us 3 nights to watch a 2 hour movie). It was fun, especially since we were slightly familiar with the video game it was based on."I had never heard of that one, Jim. Looked it up and found:
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473075/
"A young fugitive prince and princess must stop a villain who unknowingly threatens to destroy the world with a special dagger that enables the magic sand inside to reverse time."
It's streamable from Netflix:
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Pri...
Prince of Persia was better than I thought it would be. I watched Hereafter last night. What an utterly boring movie, barely touching on the hereafter. They should have called it, "3 boring stories loosely tied together by death".
Jackie, I guess that not all of Clint Eastwood's films are hits. Same for Matt Damon, who is in the film, I see."Hereafter" (2010)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1212419/
IMDb trivia says: "The movie was pulled from theaters in Japan after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit in March 2011."
I didn't know Eastwood directed it til the end when I saw his name. Usually I love the movies he directs. I like Matt Damon too. I don't know what others thought of it, but I wasn't impressed at all. However, one bad movie won't turn me off of either director or actor.The opening scene is of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and resulting tsunami. Not a scene anyone who just survived either would want to see. It would have been in poor taste and cruel to allow it to run in Japan.
Shanghai with John Cusackhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt1092634/
I enjoyed it. It had that old time feel about it, the clothes and sets yes, but it was more than that. I guess 'atmosphere' would be the right word. Good storyline. It had a little bit of everything, mystery, romance, action, spy-thriller, but not too much of any single one; perfectly blended. Excellent acting. And has my 2 favorite Asian actors in it Chow Yun Fat and Ken Watanabe. I can't recommend it highly enough.
I like John Cusak. My favorite movie starring him, Dan Ackroyd & Minnie Driver was "Gross Pointe Blank". Did you ever see that, Jackie? If you haven't, you must. You'd love it.
Yes! That movie was crazy. Funny too. I like Cusack a lot, he's such a versatile actor. You'll definitely like Shanghai.
Tonight I streamed the following movie from Netflix:"The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" (TV 1974):
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071175/
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The...
The film stars Cicely Tyson as Jane Pittman .
It was based on the book by Ernest J. Gaines: The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1971), a fictional biography of a black slave, who lived for 100 years after the Civil War.
A user review at IMDb says: "The ending is one of the most emotional and moving things ever produced for a TV movie... with simple, fearless dignity, Miss Jane Pittman makes her final, and most magnificent stand against the racism that she'd known all her life."
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I'm also in the midst of watching "Roots", the TV miniseries from 1977. Netflix has it on 6 different discs, mailed one at a time.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075572/
"A dramatization of author Alex Haley's family line from ancestor Kunta Kinte's enslavement to his descendents' liberation."
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Roo...
"LeVar Burton portrays Haley's ancestor, Kunta Kinte, who was kidnapped from his African village and sold into slavery."
"This legendary TV miniseries -- an adaptation of author Alex Haley's groundbreaking novel [[book:Roots|546018]] (1976) that details the history of his own family from slavery to emancipation -- received five Emmy Awards, as well as a Golden Globe for Best Dramatic TV Series."
These shows were on TV back in the 1970s but I never watched them and never read the books. So now I'm glad to have a chance to catch up with them both, even if it's more than 30 years later.
I saw Jane Pittman all those years ago. It was really good. I caught a couple of episodes of Roots, but not all of it.
Jackie, you were really young then. I remember that you are the same age as one of my sons. :)
I was about 12 or 13. I watched it with my mom, we both like Cicely Tyson.
Cicely Tyson did a marvelous job in the part of Pittman. The makeup on the aging Pittman was extraordinary.
Truly. On both accounts. The make up for that time was amazing.
I watched the Pittman movie on TV back when I was in college, and was enormously impressed with it. And I've both read Alex Haley's book Roots and seen many if not all of the episodes of the original miniseries, as well as of the second miniseries following the later generations. (In fact, Barb and I have the first one, and maybe the second, taped on VHS.) Both miniseries, especially the second, depart a lot from the book, but reflect the spirit of it.
Werner, it's great that you read _Roots_. I'm not sure that I'll get around to it, but, as you say, the TV version reflects the spirit of the books. There are so many books that I know I'll never read, but it satisfies me to see the film versions, if only to gain some background into what the books are about. I know I'm missing the literature part of the books, but I'm a very slow reader and it would be impossible for me to read them all.
I hear ya, Joy! (Same problem here --there are a lot of book-based movies I've seen where I'd love to read the book, but getting the time to actually do it is a whole 'nother story. :-) )
Werner, sometimes I see a movie and learn later that it was adapted from a book. For example, last night I streamed "Nightjohn" (1996) from Netflix and now I see that is was adapted from Gary Paulsen's young adult book, Nightjohn (1993).At the book's Amazon page, Publishers Weekly says:
======================================================
"Among the most powerful of Paulsen's works ... this impeccably researched novel sheds light on cruel truths in American history as it traces the experiences of a 12-year-old slave girl in the 1850s. Narrator Sarny exposes the abuse ... suffered by her people on the Waller plantation.
"The punishment for learning to read and write, she knows, is a bloody one, but when new slave Nightjohn offers to teach her the alphabet, Sarny readily agrees. Her decision causes pain for others as well as for herself, yet, inspired by the bravery of Nightjohn, who has given up a chance for freedom in order to educate slaves, Sarny continues her studies."
======================================================
My TV screen was a bit dark during some of the low-lit scenes and at times I didn't quite understand where the story was going. I think there could have been more exposition for the viewer. We watch slow scenes and don't quite understand their importance until later. This can become boring while waiting for things to become clear.
However the story was very touching and made me realize how the enforced illiteracy of slaves by slaveowners kept slaves in ignorance and enforced their dependency on their owners. We take our literacy for granted these days, but for the slaves, just learning the alphabet was difficult for them to accomplish. Some of them weren't even aware of the existence of letters.
Joy H. wrote: "My TV screen was a bit dark during some of the low-lit scenes and at times I didn't quite understand where the story was going. I think there could have been more exposition for the viewer. We watch slow scenes and don't quite understand their importance until later. This can become boring while waiting for things to become clear."My tv is less than 5 years old, but the "old" technology, ie not flat screen, led, or whatever. I tried to research a hi-def tv before I purchased, but it was confusing. The deciding factor, for me, was that I "heard" that non-hi-def shows displayed with inferior quality on a hi-def screen. Then of course there's Time Warner with their hands out to charge more for digital signal. Anyway, I often have a too-dark screen with newer dvds. I surmise it's my tv, but it could be the dvd player for all I know.
I also don't have a lot of patience when watching a slow-moving movie, especially if there's some mystery involved. I've been known to just eject the dvd and forget about it. Or go to sleep and miss the rest of the tedious dvd.
Netflixed The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nesthttp://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The...
I gave it 4 stars, as I did the previous two Girl Who movies. I appreciated the English dubbing in this one. I don't see how anyone who HADN'T read the books could appreciate this movie. Seems like a lot of scenes were shortcutted, or something, to make for sudden appearance of unexplained characters and events. Fortunately for me, I'd just finished The Girl Who Kicked book, so it was fresh in my mind. I wish the author had lived long enough to keep writing these.
Earl, the dark screen problem is definitely a downside to streaming. I wish there weren't so many low-lit scenes. I guess we just have to put up with the problem and enjoy the brighter scenes. After all, streaming is an economical way to see a lot of films we otherwise wouldn't get to see. Streaming is kind of a compromise... less quality but more films. :)As for seeing the Stieg Larsson movies before reading the books, I'm sure you're right that it's best to read the books first. But I saw the Dragon movie without reading the book and I'm glad I did. I may never get around to reading the books. So at least I know the story.
I tried reading the book but couldn't get past the first chapter because I found it so boring. I know it's supposed to get better in the third chapter, but so far I haven't had the urge to go back.
BTW, you may be interested in the following conversation at Goodreads Book Talk:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/4...
The title of the thread is: "Anyone finding it hard to get through?"
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"This disc is intended for rental purposes and only includes the feature film. Own it ... to view these bonus features...."
In other words when you rent the DVD you can't view the Bonus Features even though they are listed on the DVD. The bonus features are available only if you buy the DVD.
I wonder if we'll be seeing more of these limitations on the newer DVDs we rent.