What MOVIES or DVDs have you watched? (PART FIVE - 2012) (ongoing thread) Showing 901-950 of 1,040

[Nina]

Joy, have you seen, "Thomas Kincaid's Christmas Cottage?" It might be, "Thosmas Kindcaid's Cottage Christmas." It is heartwarming and Peter O'Toole who plays an important part is as wonderful as ever in his role.

[Jackie]

Yes, I saw it a few years ago. I remember it being enjoyable.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Haven't seen it, Nina, but I've put it on my Netflix queue. Thanks for telling me about it.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0999872/
Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage (2008)
Christmas Cottage (original title)
"A look at the inspiration behind Thomas Kinkade's painting The Christmas Cottage, and how the artist was motivated to begin his career after discovering his mother was in danger of losing their family home."

[Werner]

Barb and I saw Part II of Breaking Dawn, the final movie adaptation of the Twilight Saga (and produced by Stephanie Meyer herself), at our local mall theater yesterday; it was released simultaneously in Australia, so Tony and Rebekah saw it the day before. (Because of the International Date Line, that was their Saturday; they're living in the future. :-) )

In cinematography, performance quality, character development, etc., this one was well up to the standard of the series; I can't say much more without engaging in a spoiler. This one may be controversial with Twilight fans, because even if you've already read the books (actually, especially if you've read the books!) Meyer still manages to deliver jaw-dropping surprise and suspense. Rebekah professes herself still "traumatized," but Tony and I felt that this particular wrinkle, for the highly-visual film version, was a stroke of genius on Meyer's part; you'll just have to make your own decision. :-) Barb's verdict was favorable, too (she hasn't read the books, only seen the movies). She's never much liked Bella as a character, but she now feels that a strength of the five-film cycle is Bella's growth as a person (and Jacob's as well). While I've always liked Bella (though not always endorsing her every action!), I'd agree that Breaking Dawn is where she really comes into her own.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Werner wrote: "Barb and I saw Part II of Breaking Dawn, the final movie adaptation of the Twilight Saga (and produced by Stephanie Meyer herself), at our local mall theater yesterday; it was released simultaneous..."

Thanks for the report, Werner. At least it keeps me in touch with the latest. I'm currently watching an old Poirot movie which I got from our library.

I recently watched old movie (via Netflix DVD) of "Anna Christie" starring Greta Garbo (1930). There's not much of a plot, IMO.
Adapted from play: Anna Christie by Eugene O'Neill
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020641/
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"Eugene O'Neill's 1922 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, "Anna Christie," is the story of a young woman who following an illness decides to visit and spend some time with her father, a coal barge captain who she hardly knows. During this time she meets a sailor, Mat, who is looking to settle down, and the two fall in love. "Anna Christie" is a gripping drama of a woman torn between the expectations of two men, her father and her lover, and the shocking confession of her past life that this conflict evokes."
FROM: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57...
================================================

[Jackie]

Excellent. I'm waiting for the DVD, there's too many other movies I'll be seeing in the theater this season.
Bella was too whiny...until Breaking Dawn, it's where she grows up.

I watched "360" last night, cast included Anthony Hopkins, Rachel Weisz and Jude Law.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1680045/
From imdb: A dramatic thriller that weaves together the stories of an array of people from disparate social backgrounds through their intersecting relationships.
From me: Since the movie bounces between so many people the little 'drama' there was had no impact because I didn't know these people and I didn't care about them. A 'Thriller'? Really? When did that happen? And I didn't fast forward because I was expecting the thriller to be somewhere in this movie. It wasn't. Weaves a story? No weaving, more like stuck together tangentially.
I'm sure it's someone's kind of movie, just not mine.

Much more to my liking was the animated movie "Brave" with Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson and Billy Connolly voicing the main characters.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1217209/
Set in Scotland in a rugged and mythical time, "Brave" features Merida, an aspiring archer and impetuous daughter of royalty. Merida makes a reckless choice that unleashes unintended peril and forces her to spring into action to set things right. Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.
I was really impressed with the animation, the sets, the costumes, even the lighting looked real. Animation has come a long way. The story, the characters, the accents and the musical score made this one of the most enjoyable movies I've seen this year.
I went and bought the soundtrack/score from iTunes this morning. You can hear small excerpts here: http://disney.go.com/music/brave-soun...

[Jim]

Seems there were issues filming "The Hobbit" with the animals.
http://news.yahoo.com/wranglers-hobbi...

[Werner]

Disturbing article, Jim; thanks for sharing that. IMO, it doesn't demonstrate that the top brass behind the film were/are indifferent to the welfare of the animals being used in the filming, and I wouldn't boycott the adaptation over this yet, without more damaging information (I still want to see it sometime). But it does indicate that a lot of middle-echelon managers are only interested in the bottom line and don't much care about the animals, and that there need to be changes in the monitoring of animal welfare, to include conditions off the set as well as on. I hope this tragic turn of events prompts those kind of changes, and soon!

Jackie, I've seen commercials for Brave, and think it's really promising! Deborah recently got it on DVD, so I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing it sometime. (Though of course, in that household, it's very difficult to actually watch and hear a movie, even if it does happen to be playing on the TV screen.... :-( ) Maybe I'll borrow it and watch it here at home over Thanksgiving vacation!

[Jim]

I wouldn't let it detract from nor would I take it out on the movie, but the production company should certainly catch some hell when a couple of wranglers have issues & no remediation is taken. PETA is sure to make a huge deal out of it, but they'll likely attack the wrong target & manage to mangle the facts, as usual.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "... Since the movie bounces between so many people the little 'drama' there was had no impact because I didn't know these people and I didn't care about them. ..."

Jackie, there's the key. If we don't care about the people, then we won't be interested in the story.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim wrote: "Seems there were issues filming "The Hobbit" with the animals.
http://news.yahoo.com/wranglers-hobbi..."

Jim, I hope this gets the attention of the people in charge! What a shame that all those animals suffered because of the poor conditions.

[Jim]

Anyone know if "Mockingbird Lane" got picked up to become a series? I liked the premier.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim wrote: "Anyone know if "Mockingbird Lane" got picked up to become a series? I liked the premier."

Wiki doesn't say:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mockingb...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2130271/
I see that Eddie Izzard plays Grandpa Munster. Was he good? I'll bet he was.

[Jackie]

No word on Mockingbird Lane yet.
Izzard was great as expected but the big surprise was Portia de Rossi as Lily Munster. I had to check to make sure it was her, didn't look like her, didn't sound like her. What a fantastic transformation.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "No word on Mockingbird Lane yet.
Izzard was great as expected but the big surprise was Portia de Rossi as Lily Munster. I had to check to make sure it was her, didn't look like her, didn't sound..."

Here's her IMDb bio page: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005577/bio
Says she was born "Mandy Rogers" but changed her name to Portia de Rossi when she was 15. Interesting.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

I see that they've adapted a movie from the book, Life of Pi by Yann Martel (first published in 2001). I didn't realize a movie was in the works. Can't wait to see it!
"Life of Pi" (2012)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454876/
"A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor ... a fearsome Bengal tiger."

http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Life-of-...
"Based on Yann Martel's best-selling novel, this coming-of-age tale recounts the adventures of Pi, an Indian boy who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck. Pi finds himself on a lifeboat with only some zoo animals for company."

Here's my review of the book: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Here's the NY Times review: http://movies.nytimes.com/2012/11/21/...

[Jackie]

I want to see Pi in the theater, the visuals look worth it. Same for Cloud Atlas. Or so I hope. I'll let you know if I get the chance to go.

[Jim]

Joy H. wrote: "...Pi finds himself on a lifeboat with only some zoo animals for company."..."

Sounds like the beginning of lunch for someone.
;-0

[Jackie]

Just watched "With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story", a documentary on the life and creations of Stan Lee. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1091863/
It was fantastic, a must see for every comicbook fan but even worth watching for regular folks. I absolutely adore this man, always have; one of my heroes. He revolutionized the comicbook industry. There's a lot of interesting history here that I think would be interesting to everyone.

Safety Not Guaranteed: Three magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified ad seeking a companion for time travel.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1862079/
Oddly, this isn't a movie about time travel. Not for scifi fans. More of a mainstream movie, with a story for mainstream minds. I wasn't impressed. But then again, I'm a scifi girl who wants to time travel, regular stories don't cut it for me. I'm not a good judge of how good or bad this movie is, I was expecting a movie about time travel, silly me! lol

[Jackie]

Jim wrote: Sounds like the beginning of lunch for someone.
In the real world, for sure.
I think it's a spiritual book/movie, which is largely unappealing to me. If the visuals didn't look so good, I'd pass. I'm not expecting to like the movie but rather the visuals.

[Jim]

That Stan Lee movie sounds interesting. I love the cameos he does in all the recent movies. Did you ever see "Striperella", a 1 season cartoon that he did? Apparently it got sued out of existence because he got the name from a real stripper & didn't credit her. Who knew strippers had trade marked names?!!!
;-)

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie: I wouldn't call the "Life of Pi" a "spiritual" story. It's almost sci-fi or fantasy, IMO. A very unusual story. I wish you'd read the book and tell me what you thought of it. I remember it as a story written by someone with a great imagination.

Jim: As for Pie, today is a good day for it! :) Happy Thanksgiving!

Jackie: I'll have to read up on Stan Lee. I'm not familiar with his work.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Lee
"... American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics."

[Joy H., Group Founder]

PS-"With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story" is streamable from Netflix!
I've put it on my queue.
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/702...
"Arguably the most recognized name in comics, Stan Lee has co-created over 500 legendary pop culture characters, including Spider-Man and the X-Men. Explore the life of Stan Lee from his Depression-era upbringing through the Marvel age of comics!"

[Joy H., Group Founder]

PPS-Jackie: Was "Safety Not Guaranteed" funny? I see that it's supposed to be a comedy.
http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Safety-N...
"A team of journalists are dispatched to find out who's behind a classified advertisement seeking a companion for time travel, with payment on return. After tracking down their oddball prey, the team has to decide how best to approach their subject."

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim wrote: "Sounds like the beginning of lunch for someone. ;-0

Jim, the character's nickname is "Pi".

FROM MY REVIEW OF "Life of Pi":
Did you know that the protagonist, "Pi", took on that nickname because his real name was an embarrassment? So he told people his name was "Pi", as in the math pi symbol which stands for 3.14...
http://www.gradeamathhelp.com/math-pi...
By using the pi symbol to explain his nickname, he insured that folks would remember his name. Clever boy!

[Jackie]

Joy wrote: I wouldn't call the "Life of Pi" a "spiritual" story. It's almost sci-fi or fantasy, IMO.
This is what I hope to find when seeing it. Though everything I've read about Life of Pi says otherwise: "a spiritual journey", "a mystical journey of multifaith exploration", "during his time aboard the lifeboat, when his physical needs come to dominate his spiritual ones", "Pi provides a unique perspective on issues of Indian spirituality". Each quote is from a different review.
We all see things differently. If there's any review that makes me want to see it more, it's yours, "If you like learning about animals, you will like this book. Not only is it a good suspense story, but it's told in a unique way." Maybe you and me will see it in a similar way. That's my hope, anyway.
It's not a book I would even consider. I can put 2 hours into a movie but never a book like this. Without a doubt, it is not for me. I know what I like and want to spend my time on. Pi is not it.

Safety Not Guaranteed funny? No, not at all. Calling it a comedy is about as apt as calling it scifi.

I hope you like The Stan Lee Story, Joy. Netflix should amend their write up, Stan Lee is not 'arguably' they most recognized in comicS, his is the most recognized name in comics, no one else even comes close, lol I loved seeing his life away from the comics, the interaction between him and his wife. She's just as much a character as he is, and a big inspiration in his work.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie, I'll try to remember to follow up with comments here after I see the movies. I can't imagine how they're going to present "Life of Pi". There are so many aspects to it. It all depends on which aspect they zero in on.

[Jackie]

That's the difficult part of making movies out of books, so much has to be left out.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

I recently finished watching a Netflix DVD of "White Oleander" (2002), a drama adapted from the book, White Oleander (2001), by Janet Fitch. Haven't read the book but the movie kept me interested because I kept wondering what was to become of the two main characters. The acting was good and so was the dialogue although the movie was peopled with several weird individuals.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283139/
"A teenager journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother goes to prison for committing a crime of passion."
http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/White-Ol...
CAST: Alison Lohman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robin Wright, Renée Zellweger, Patrick Fugit...

I enjoyed the performances of most of the main characters. Patrick Fugit ( http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0297578/ ) was new to me. I was impressed with the way he played his role (a likable character). (He played the part of a friend of the daughter.) He seems likable as a person too. I see that he's in "We Bought a Zoo" which Jackie recommended. It's in my Netflix queue.

A reviewer at IMDb said: "...while Ingrid's gift is to give Astrid the power to survive, Astrid's gift is to teach her Mother about love." I guess there's some truth to that, now that I think about it. That's a good way to put it. There's lots of room for discussion there.

Another reviewer at IMDb said: "Strong performances by Lohman, Penn, Zellweger and especially Michelle Pfeiffer in a faithful adaptation of Janet Fitch's novel. Not hard to see why this one didn't attract more attention in theaters, since it lacks the ingredients that seem to characterize hit films nowadays -- such as action, violence, sex and stunning special effects. It's just a very moving story, well-crafted and well-acted. I'd recommend it to anyone."

I gave it 4 stars because the story had some depth and it kept my attention. Also, the acting was good. Alison Lohman (the daughter) was remarkable the way she handled the maturing of her character. I had never seen her before.

Michelle Pfeiffer, Renée Zellweger, and Robin Wright are always good, IMO.

Good to know that the movie stayed true to the book.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

PS-Reviewer, James Berardinelli, made an interesting comment about "White Oleander". He wrote: "White Oleander is a flower - a hearty-but-poisonous flower whose beauty makes it appear deceptively fragile. This blossom, which appears several times throughout the film that takes its name, is a perfect metaphor for Ingrid Magnussen, the character played by Michelle Pfeiffer. Ingrid is strong, beautiful, and self-possessed, but she acts as a poison to everyone around her, especially her impressionable daughter, Astrid (Alison Lohman), who idolizes her mother. Yet Ingrid acts based on her own whims and desires, without considering how they might ultimately damage the daughter she claims to love."
...
"...the central theme, that of a child trying to escape from the pernicious influence of a misguided parent, has universal appeal, and White Oleander's narrative is comfortably linear and uncomplicated."

FROM: http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_t...

Berardinelli always nails it.

[Jackie]

I saw White Oleander years ago and I thought it was a very good movie. The daughter was fantastic in her role. Everyone was good, really.
I know what you mean, Joy, about it not being a movie that attracts a large audience, mostly because it's kids and young who go to the theater so they're the target audience. While this movie is about a teenage girl and her mother, it seems more suited to mature viewers.

My friend Helena and I are going to see Life of Pi on Saturday. We originally made plans for Friday...until we realized it was the dreaded Black Friday. There's no way I want to go out, much less at the mall on this maniacal shopping day.

[Earl]

I just discovered The Borgias (2011) from Showtime
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1582457/
So far, it's not up to par with my favorite HBO or Showtime series, but better than 90% of regular tv series on the CBS, NBC etc. And, of course, much much better than 98% of what you'd find in movie theaters. I'm giving 4 Netflix stars.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie, I hope you'll let us know what you thought of the "Life of Pi" movie. Hope it won't be too spiritual. :) If I remember correctly Pi accepted ALL religions, ancient and modern. He tries to explain that but it seems contradictory to me. Either you believe one thing or the other. Unless you're just not sure. :)

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Earl wrote: "I just discovered The Borgias (2011) from Showtime
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1582457/
So far, it's not up to par with my favorite HBO or Showtime series, but better than 90% of regular tv series ..."

Earl: I tried streaming "Borgia" (TV Series)(2011) from Netflix but didn't get very far. This is the one with John Doman playing Rodrigo Borgia.
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/702...
"The name Borgia stands for betrayal, intrigue and corruption in the Vatican, which was the center of the world during the Renaissance. Rodrigo Borgia -- later Pope Alexander VI -- embodied the spirit of the time with its unimaginable contradictions."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1736341/

Haven't seen any of "The Borgias" (TV Series)(2011), the one with Jeremy Irons playing Rodrigo Borgia.
http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/The-Borg...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1582457/
"The saga of a crime family in 1492 Italy."

Seems strange the there were two TV series about the Borgia's in 2011. I wonder which Channel carried which. Seems they were in competition with each other.

PS-I see that Showtime aired the series with Jeremy Irons. Wonder which channel aired the other one.

[Jackie]

I had hoped to like Showtimes's The Borgias, watched a one episode, hated it, found it mind-numbingly slow and I didn't care about a single character. I tried it again with the second episode (because of friends saying it was good), same result. The subject matter is something that makes me angry, hypocrisy and corruption in religious organization so why watch something that will just make me angry? I don't.

The other one debuted on Netflix not any American channel.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

I agree, Jackie. It IS disturbing to see such corruption.

I wonder where the other one ( with John Doman) aired. Perhaps in the UK?

[Jackie]

The country of origin is listed as France and Germany and the language is English. So probably across Europe?

I found this in a user review on imdb: "It is an original production by Canal+, which appears to be like a European version of HBO."
This user also says that the Showtime version is 'tame' in comparison...not sure if that's a good thing.

[Jackie]

I just watched Hope Springs with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1535438/
After thirty years of marriage, a middle-aged couple attends an intense, week-long counseling session to work on their relationship.

Very good movie that should appeal to people who've been married for a long time, and to people of middle years onward. It felt honest without being overly dramatic. Both actors were excellent in bringing a level of belief to their roles. Very well done, worth seeing.

[Jackie]

Total Recall, the remake. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386703/ I don't where all the hate for this movie is coming from, it has a better story, better effects, and a better lead actor than the original http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100802/ which I liked also. This new one is just better in every way possible.

[Jim]

Nice to hear about both movies, Jackie. Marg & I wanted to see them. Meryl Streep can be fantastic. "Iron Weed" with her & Jack Nickolson is horrible, haunting, & might be my favorite. I don't want to see it again, though.

The first "Total Recall" was pure cheese, but fun. Anyone who holds it up as any kind of measuring stick is an idiot. Ignore them.

[Jackie]

I never heard of Ironweed, I'll have to watch it sometime.

Good advice. I don't get people, like Anthony, who hate remakes just because they're remakes.

Now I'm watching 'Envy', a Ben Stiller and Jack Black comedy. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0326856/ Eric says it's "so funny" so we'll see. I like both comedians so that's why I'm giving it a chance.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "The country of origin is listed as France and Germany and the language is English. So probably across Europe?
I found this in a user review on imdb: "It is an original production by Canal+, which..."

Thanks for the info, Jackie. I had skimmed through the IMDb user reviews but hadn't seen that.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "I just watched Hope Springs with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1535438/
After thirty years of marriage, a middle-aged couple attends an intense, week-long counseli..."

Sounds like a good one!

[Jackie]

Envy, meh.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

You mentioned "Ironweed". Never saw it but it jogged my mind to think of the title, "Silkwood". I don't know why. It's just that there is something similar in the two titles. I guess it's the weed and the wood. Senior moment. :)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093277/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086312/

PS-Another reason is that they both star Meryl Streep.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "Envy, meh."

I like Ben Stiller but sometimes he gets too silly.

[Jackie]

I remember Silkwood from a long time ago, it was a very good movie, based on a true story.

I liked Stiller in Zoolander, he was silly in that but somehow it worked and made me laugh.

[Werner]

I've seen the original Total Recall, and thought it had its strong points; but its biggest defect was the superabundance of totally gratuitous bad language. A comparison of the imdb descriptions for that one and the remake shows that the latter tones that factor down greatly (the 28 f-words in the original are reduced to two in the regular version of the remake, for instance). I'd consider that to be an enormous improvement, besides the ones Jackie already mentioned!

The movie Ironweed was based on the 1983 novel Ironweed by William Kennedy, which won both the Pulitzer prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. IMO, these accolades are more apt to indicate that it's a lousy book than that it's a good one (and the Goodreads description does not, to me, sound particularly beguiling!); but I haven't read it, so can't speak firsthand. :-)

[Jim]

I haven't read "Ironweed" either, although I had a beat up copy around for a while. Not sure I want to. The movie was so good that I'm not sure a book would improve it.

[Arnie]

Jackie wrote: "I saw White Oleander years ago and I thought it was a very good movie. The daughter was fantastic in her role. Everyone was good, really.
I know what you mean, Joy, about it not being a movie t..."

I thought Michele Pfeiffer should have at the very least been nominated for an Oscar for "White Oleander"---without any make-up she was able to transform her face and eyes into a chilling conduit of evil.