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Movies, DVDs, and Theater
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What MOVIES or DVDs have you watched? (PART FIVE - 2012) (ongoing thread)
I liked both versions of "True Grit" & read the book, although it's been many years. I liked them both, but the Duke's version is my favorite. It isn't very accurate, but a lot of fun & I love the sequel. He & Katherine Hepburn are fantastic together.Gene Wilder is funny. Oddly enough, I don't think I've ever seen "Silver Streak" all the way through. My favorite of his is "Young Frankenstein", hands down. Teamed up with Mel Brooks, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, & Madeline Kahn, it was just an unbeatable team. There were a lot of other good actors in it, too.
I always like the Wilder-Pryor team. See No Evil, Hear No Evil was hilarious. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098282/
I've never even heard of that one, Jackie. Cool.
I've seen it a few times, my dad loved this movie. It was so ridiculously funny. Of course it couldn't be done nowadays because someone would whine about it. You should check it out, I might rent it myself again soon.
Jackie wrote: "I always like the Wilder-Pryor team. See No Evil, Hear No Evil was hilarious. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098282/"
Thanks, Jackie. I've put it on my Netflix queue. They ARE good together!
"See No Evil, Hear No Evil" (1989)
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/See...
Jim wrote: "... Gene Wilder is funny. ... My favorite of his is "Young Frankenstein", hands down. Teamed up with Mel Brooks, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, & Madeline Kahn, it was just an unbeatable team. ..."That Mel Brooks always cracks me up! Crazy guy! Has a hilarious slant on life.
PS-I enjoyed his biography: It's Good to Be the King: The Seriously Funny Life of Mel Brooks by James Robert Parish. Great book.
Why? Never mind, with Wilder & Pryor, it's certainly not PC. I'm sure it's fun, though.
PS-Below are some quotes relating to Mel Brooks:=======================================
[Mel Brooks] was approached by a woman who offered condolences on the passing of his beloved wife, Anne Bancroft. "I know how you feel. I just lost my mother," the woman said. "How old was she?" asked Mel. "Ninety-six," the woman replied. "Well," Mel said, "she was asking for it." -"New York Post" [23 August 2005]
"Mel Brooks, the venerated elder statesman of show business, who refuses to abandon his career no matter how many ups and downs he experiences in the process, has never forgotten the best advice anyone ever gave him. 'I asked a 97-year-old who was still the busy guy in the herring business,' "Mr. Horowitz, what's your secret?" He said, "Follow your nature, boy. Follow your nature." ' "
-p. 285, _ It's Good To Be the King - The Seriously Funny Life of Mel Brooks_, by James Robert Parish, 2007.
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Jim, one's blind and one's deaf and they witness a murder, it is really funny but someone would say they're making fun of blind and deaf people, which they're not. It's so sad that comedy has to be limited, it's sad that anything creative has to be limited for fear of offending someone, but for comedy it's the worst. I mean, part of comedy is making fun of stuff, not meant to hurt just to make us laugh. How did we ever get here? Oh wait a minute, read Farenheit 451, Bradbury tell us exactly how we got here.
Jackie, I think you'll like this quote:(I just found it online.)
“What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.”
-Salman Rushdie (Indian born British Writer, b.1947)
A few days ago I watched "Crazy, Stupid, Love" (2011) via a Netflix DVD. It's a romantic comedy mixed with serious themes.http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Crazy...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1570728/
Cast: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Bacon, Analeigh Tipton, Jonah Bobo, Joey King, Liza Lapira
At first I thought it was the worst movie I had ever seen, but toward the end, I saw where it was going and changed my opinion of it to a more positive one. I do like Steve Carell; so that helped. The ending was satisfying but the rest of the movie was uneven. There were several romances going at the same time and that made it kind of choppy. You have to keep track of who is who because it jumps back and forth between romances. All the characters are connected to each other in some way. It gets a bit complicated but isn't very hard to follow.
As for the theme of the movie, critic James Berardinelli sums it up fairly well as follows:
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"Crazy Stupid Love offers two messages. The film espouses the concept that everyone has a single soulmate and the objective in life is to find that person and build a life with them. ... The movie also emphasizes that more than love is necessary for a long-term relationship to work and, even among the most devoted couples, routine and a lack of passion can dry things up."
FROM: http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_t...
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I recently saw this movie...and can't remember a thing about it. I like Ryan Gosling, that's probably why I watched it.
PS-About the title, "Crazy, Stupid, Love", critic Berardinelli questioned the punctuation and I agree with him. He said:"Whoever punctuated the title is either trying to send a message (which escapes me) or is illiterate." FROM: http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_t...
I think they should have left out all the commas or at least eliminated the comma after "Stupid".
Crazy, stupid title. :) It should have been: "Love Conquers All" (from Virgil).
http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/2...
Jackie wrote: "I recently saw this movie...and can't remember a thing about it. I like Ryan Gosling, that's probably why I watched it."Jackie, in the first part of "Crazy Stupid Love", Ryan Gosling played a womanizer. I didn't like his character at all. So I can't say if I like him as an actor. Is there a movie in which he plays a likable character? I'd like to try it.
The Notebook. That's the movie that made me like him, and one of the few romance books/movies I truly love.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332280/
I agree, I didn't like his slick and slimy character as the womanizer in CSL. But he did look fine without a shirt, lol.
Jackie, I saw "The Notebook" a while ago. I don't remember Ryan Gosling in the movie but I do remember James Garner and Gena Rowlands.Is there another film I may not have seen, which you might recommend, with Ryan Gosling in it? I hate to watch a movie twice because there isn't even enough time to watch the movies I want to see once! :)
I watched the trailer just now and have no memory of any parts except the ones with Garner and Rowlands. Maybe I've seen only part of the movie. Perhaps I should try watching it again sometime.
PS-Yes, he was built. Probably worked out a lot.
Ryan Gosling was the young Noah, James Garner played the older Noah. When James Garner read to Gena Rowlands, it told their story and was played out by Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. All the flashback scenes were with Ryan and Rachel, that was the best part of the film. I know what you mean about watching a film twice, I forget a lot of the details of a movie later on too. But it doesn't mean I want to see it again.
I can't think of anything you would like, mostly he's in action type films.
Thanks for the info and the reply, Jackie. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of action films.Today I've been enjoying (via streaming from Netflix) "A Family Thing" (1996) with Robert Duvall & James Earl Jones. It's a pleasure watching those two pros acting opposite one another. An added bonus in the film is Irma P. Hall [ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355659/ ] who plays Aunt T. She's terrific.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116275/
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/A_F...
PLOT: "A white farmer and a black cop meet and must come to terms with each other after finding that they had the same mother." FROM: http://www.screenit.com/movies/1996/a...
Critic Roger Ebert said:
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"...it's a superior entertainment, warm-hearted and touching, and with some nice shadings in the performances."
"The most satisfying and entertaining element of the film, however, is the performance by Irma P. Hall, a veteran actress who walks away with every scene she's in, even when up against seasoned pros like Jones and Duvall."
FROM: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...
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Critic James Berardinelli said: "A Family Thing could easily have been a mediocre drama, but the excellent performances elevate the film considerably."
FROM: http://www.reelviews.net/movies/f/fam...
Critic Barbara Shulgasser said: "I HAVE rarely been so charmed by a movie as I was by 'A Family Thing.'" FROM: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article...
Now that I've seen this movie, I want to see "The Apostle (1997) which earned Robert Duvall many awards and nominations. Believe it or not, I never saw it.
One of the latest movies to attract my attention is "Albert Nobbs" (2011), starring Glenn Close. I can't wait to see it. It's in my "Saved" queue at Netflix.http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Alber...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1602098/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_N...
"Glenn Close plays a woman passing as a man in order to work and survive in 19th century Ireland. Some thirty years after donning men's clothing, she finds herself trapped in a prison of her own making."
The film is based on the short story: Albert Nobbs: A Novella, written by George Moore in 1918*. Wiki says that the story was originally entitled: "The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs".
FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M...
*At the above link, under the list of George Moore's works, there is the following item:
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A Story-Teller's Holiday ... 1918 (This work contains the story later re-published in the collection Celibate Lives, 1927, as the short story "The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs" which is being made into a movie with Glenn Close.)
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PS-Glen Close has been nominated for the 2012 Screen Actors Guild Award: "Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role" and also for a similar Golden Globes award.
FROM: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1602098/a...
(The above link also contains the many other nominations and awards for the film and its performers.)
"Luck" should be on real soon. It's a new HBO series about horse racing & stars Dustin Hoffman. Marg & I are really looking forward to it.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luck_%28...
Jim wrote: ""Luck" should be on real soon. It's a new HBO series about horse racing & stars Dustin Hoffman. Marg & I are really looking forward to it.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luck_%28... "
Thanks, Jim. I heard a radio ad about that today.
Wiki says: "The series will premiere on January 29, 2012."
"Luck" (TV Series 2011)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1578887/
"A TV series centered around characters who are tied to the same horse-racing track."
I LOVE Dustin Hoffman!
PS-I've added it to my "Saved" Netflix queue.
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Luck_...
"In this HBO drama series, Dustin Hoffman stars as a sophisticated gambler and street-smart ex-con who involves his longtime chauffeur and enforcer, Gus (Dennis Farina), in a complicated scheme involving a horse-racing track. As they work their plan, they become entangled with a variety of shady horse trainers, chronic gamblers and other characters who frequent the track. Nick Nolte and John Ortiz co-star."
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Farina, Nick Nolte, John Ortiz, Ian Hart, Kerry Condon, Tom Payne, Spencer Garrett
Genres: TV Shows, TV Dramas, Crime TV Dramas
Availability at Netflix: DVD and Blu-ray availability date unknown
Glenn Close is good in almost everything I have seen so might try that movie. Our weather is so weird; it has gotten quite cold a few nights but daytime temps are in the forites and fifties and no snow; just one rainstorm and it's January not November. What next; same thing. Will winter arrive soon?
Glenn Close is good in almost everything I have seen so might try that movie. Our weather is so weird; it has gotten quite cold a few nights but daytime temps are in the forites and fifties and no snow; just one rainstorm and it's January not November. What next; same thing. Will winter arrive soon?
Glenn Close is good in almost everything I have seen so might try that movie. Our weather is so weird; it has gotten quite cold a few nights but daytime temps are in the forites and fifties and no snow; just one rainstorm and it's January not November. What next; same thing. Will winter arrive soon?
We have had temps in the fifties for ten days. INcredible in january.
On Jackie's recommendation, I watched "Dolphin Tale (2011) via a Netflix DVD. It's a warm and touching story. I enjoyed it.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1564349/
"A story centered on the friendship between a boy and a dolphin [whom they named "Winter] whose tail was lost in a crab trap."
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Dolph...
"A badly maimed juvenile dolphin is given a new tail, and a new life, through the efforts of the humans who save it in this true-life adventure saga. After losing its tail to a crab trap, the dolphin is doomed until a young boy spots its plight."
At Wiki I found the following interesting info:
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Differences between the movie and actual events:
In the movie Winter is found stranded on a beach near Clearwater, by a fisherman sitting on the shore (and rescued with Sawyer's assistance). In real life, Winter was found in Mosquito Lagoon (on the opposite side of the state), not on a beach, by a fisherman in the lagoon, and no children were involved.
In the movie it is mentioned that Winter's tail was amputated due to infection caused by the tail being caught in the rope. In real life, the loss of blood supply to the tail (from being caught in the rope) caused the tail to naturally fall off.
In the movie the process of developing Winter's tail takes place over a few weeks by a Veteran's Administration doctor working during his vacation. In real life, the process of developing a suitable tail (and attaching it) took well over a year by Kevin Carroll and a team of experts from Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics.
In the movie Clearwater Marine Hospital (already struggling from financial issues) is severely damaged by a hurricane and faces closure, only to be dramatically saved by "Save Winter Day". In real life, Clearwater Marine Aquarium did not face any such financial pressures, either before or after Winter's arrival.
In the movie Winter is found during the summer. In real life Winter was found in December.
FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin_...
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Interesting differences. I don't know why they make such changes. OK, the kid I get. But not the rest.I'm glad you liked it Joy. It's a movie that makes you feel good and there's not many of those around.
I tried to watch Tree of Life last night, but it was such an artsy fartsy snorefest that I had to shut it off after a half hour. I should have known, since it made it into the Academy Awards nominations.
Yes, including the kids in the "Dolphin Tale" story made it warmer and more family oriented. Nice kids, too.As for "Tree of Life" (2011), Netflix shows only one star (and a bit of the second star) out of 5. IMDb shows 7.1 out of 10 stars.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478304/
"The story centers around a family with three boys in the 1950s. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence."
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/The_T...
"Brad Pitt and Sean Penn star in [director] Terrence Malick's 1950s adventure about a confused man named Jack, who sets off on a journey to understand the true nature of the world. Growing up in the Midwest with two brothers, Jack has always been torn between his mother's guidance to approach everything he encounters with an open heart and his father's advice to look after his own interests. Now, Jack must find a way to regain purpose and perspective."
Genres: Dramas, Independent Movies, Independent Dramas, 20th Century Period Pieces
This movie is: Heartfelt, Mind-bending
Wiki says:
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"The Tree of Life is a 2011 American drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick and starring Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, and Jessica Chastain. Malick's film chronicles the origins and meaning of life by way of a middle-aged man's childhood memories of his family living in 1950s Texas, interspersed with imagery of the origins of the universe and the inception of life on Earth*."
FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tree...
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* Hmmm, I can see where this film could seem like "an artsy fartsy snorefest", as you said, Jackie. :)
BTW, here's a link to the list of the Oscar nominees:
http://oscar.go.com/nominees
Glenn Close got a bad review in our morning paper as the actress in that movie. It said it would have been better to have the woman who played the secondary part play her character. They ended by saying, "Don't the Irish have eyes or are they all blind." Apparently she didn't come across as a man.
interspersed with imagery of the origins of the universe and the inception of life on EarthIt's that sentence that got me interested to watch the movie, but after a half hour and all I saw was a waterfall rushing over the edge, well, that was enough of that. If I want to see 'imagery of the origins of the universe and the inception of life on Earth', I can watch a bazillion documentaries which are more to my liking anyway.
Nina wrote: Apparently she didn't come across as a man. That's hilarious because I always thought she looked like a man on her best day. That is one hideous looking woman.
Jackie wrote: "... If I want to see 'imagery of the origins of the universe and the inception of life on Earth', I can watch a bazillion documentaries which are more to my liking anyway."Jackie, that thought also ran through my mind.
Jackie wrote: "Nina wrote: Apparently she didn't come across as a man. That's hilarious because I always thought she looked like a man on her best day. That is one hideous looking woman."
LOL !
My cousin, the producer of The Dolphin Tale," lives in Miami and I am in pretty close contact with his sister. I may ask her sometime why the changes>>>I haven't seen it yet but plan to do so. Interesting..
Nina wrote: "... I may ask her sometime why the changes..."Nina, if you do, please let us know what your cousin's sister says.
I will. I think she is in FL visiting him now. Maybe I will try sending her a message.
Anyone in the Glen's Falls area might like to know that FYE (in the Staples/Olive Garden plaza) is doing movie rentals for $1 per day, $2 for new releases.
Jackie wrote: "Anyone in the Glen's Falls area might like to know that FYE (in the Staples/Olive Garden plaza) is doing movie rentals for $1 per day, $2 for new releases."Thanks for the info, Jackie!
They have a large selection too. I was surprised.
I've never been there (FYE). I'll have to drop by one of these days.
It used to be Coconuts. I didn't even know it changed to FYE. We're also getting a Petco right in the same plaza. That'll be fun. I have a hard time finding the right toys for Juneau. I rented The King's Speech, I forgot about it. So when I saw it on the shelf, I grabbed it. I don't know if I'll finish it tonight, I feel tired. Has anyone else seen it?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1504320/
I watched "The King's Speech" via Netflix last April. I gave it 5 Netflix stars out of five. Excellent. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush gave great performances.The King's Speech (2010)
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/The_K...
"Britain's King George VI (Colin Firth) struggles with an embarrassing stutter for years until he seeks help from unorthodox Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) in this biographical drama that chalked up multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Logue's pioneering treatment and unlikely friendship give the royal leader a sense of confidence that serves him and his country well during the dark days of World War II."
PS-Jackie, about a pet store, I found some good dog toys at Benson's Pet Center in Queensbury at 118 Quaker Road in Quaker Plaza. (518-793-6655) It's in the same plaza with Trustco Bank and O'Toole's Restaurant.
Good rating, Joy. I didn't get to watch it tonight, but I will tomorrow.Benson's doesn't have what I need for Juneau, I need something indestructible. Everything Benson's has, he destroys in minutes, even their 'power-chewer' toys. And they're not cheap either. Only one toy I got there that lasted a couple of months and was good, from a company called Dogzilla, I went back to get more just so we had them, and they didn't have any more, nor did they ever order from that company again. Poor Juneau and his monster teeth, lol
Jackie, I know what you mean about wanting an indestructible toy. I bought our son's dog, Boogie, the following toy:http://www.lakeside.com/catalog/all_s...
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"No stuffing! No mess! Pogo Plush Dog Toy is fun for dogs of all kinds!
This innovative plush faux sheepskin toy has a free-floating squeaker inside to constantly challenge your dog.
An internal rubber cage protects the squeaker and produces a unique bounce-back effect not found in other plush toys.
It also prevents the squeaker from being removed and swallowed.
The soft exterior holds your dog's scent making Pogo Plush a familiar and welcome companion.
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Boogie's toys are always losing their stuffing. So I thought this would be good for him. As you probably know by now, here's Boogie:
Click on thumbnail.
Boogie looks content with his toy. What a cute name.Juneau tears through hard rubber like it was cardboard; he's got some mighty teeth.
How did you get that photo into the comment box, Joy?
Here's a link to Juneau's teeth, he was only 7 months old at the time, they're even bigger now: http://www.goodreads.com/photo/user/1...
Jackie, that pooch has some serious dental equipment! I wouldn't want him for an enemy. :-)
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Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
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I haven't read Portis's book and probably won't. There are so many other books I want to get to first. And I'm a slow reader and am currently distracted from my reading by my Netflix movies. :)
I'm currently streaming "Silver Streak" (1976) from Netflix, starring Gene Wilder.
I LOVE Gene Wilder!
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Sil...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075223/
"On a long-distance train trip, a man finds romance but also finds himself in danger of being killed, or at least pushed off the train."
Stars: Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor and Jill Clayburgh
"This movie is: Suspenseful, Feel-good."