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? (PART FIVE - 2012) (ongoing thread)
I especially appreciate any writing straight from the heart. Your mother looks blessed in the picture and she probably felt that way. It shows. And your poem is a fine legacy. I feel blessed with my many grandchildren but so wish they weren't so far away. But, when I do see them to me that is a special blessing. I treasure our time together. Today happens to be my grandson and great-grandson's birthdays.
Nina wrote: "The Communion vessels that are over two hundred years old now rest in a cabinet at another John Alderson's home in Alderson. When I viewed and held them they were at John's aunt's home. She sort of..."Nina, that's a fascinating family history! Where did you find all this information?
The only time I was ever in West Virginia was a very brief one. We were travelling in our RV from NY to SC. We took the route through PA. In order to get to VA, we had to travel for a short distance through WV. I've never forgotten that. The furthest west I've ever been is Indiana.
My knowledge of the arrangments of the states is very poor. Here's a good map:
http://i.infopls.com/images/states_im...
In fact, looking at that map, I just now realized that between Jim's Kentucky and Nina's Kansas is the state of Missouri! I thought you were closer than that to each other.
Nina wrote: ""How many sibs did you have Joy?"Nina, to answer your question, I have 2 sisters and no brothers. I'm the middle child. :) My older sister is about 7 years older than I am. My younger sister is 4 years younger than I am. I'm the only one who doesn't color her hair. Because of that, my son told me I look like the oldest... as if it being old were something to be ashamed of! I let him know that it's something to be proud of! :)
As I look around at all the senior citizens, it's amazing how many color their hair. That tells us something about our culture's obsession with youth and its lack of appreciation for the elderly. Unfortunately, that attitude isn't apt to change. So we just have to make the best of it, going our own way and finding our own satisfactions.
How many sibs to YOU have, Nina?
I started watching Emma, a 2009 British miniseries. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1366312/I'm enjoying it, especially the actress who plays Emma. I find Emma less annoying because of the actress, she makes her likable.
Nina wrote: "... I feel blessed with my many grandchildren but so wish they weren't so far away. But, when I do see them to me that is a special blessing. I treasure our time together. ..."Nina, I have a theory about that situation and it jives with the saying: "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." When your kids live next door, there is less reason for hugging them (in fact one tends to take them for granted), but when they only visit once in a while, you instinctively hug them, simply out of happiness that you're finally seeing them again. So absence gets you more hugs! :)
Jackie wrote: "I started watching Emma, a 2009 British miniseries. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1366312/I'm enjoying it, especially the actress who plays Emma. I find Emma less annoying because of the actress, ..."
Jackie, I saw the 1996 film version of "Emma" (adapted from the book, Emma ) with Gwyneth Paltrow in the role of Emma. I gave it 3 stars out of 5.
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Emma/...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116191/
"In rural 1800s England things go bad for a young matchmaker after she finds a man for another woman."
I didn't realize that there was a 2009 version.
It would be interesting to compare Gwyneth Paltrow's Emma with Romola Garai's Emma.
Nina wrote: "... I especially appreciate any writing straight from the heart. Your mother looks blessed in the picture and she probably felt that way. It shows. And your poem is a fine legacy. ..."Thank you, Nina. Yes, doesn't Mom look happy in that picture!
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL25/9...
I gave her a big birthday party that year. It was a wonderful family gathering with uncles, aunts, and cousins included. Those were the days. Most of them are gone now.
I just finished a four-DVD set loaned to me by a friend. It is the first for episode of CADFAEL, the British TV series based on the novels by Ellis Peters.Starring Sir Derek Jacobi--boy is HE a good actor--the four episodes were 1) One Corpse Too Many 2) The Sanctuary Sparrow 3) The Leper of St. Giles and 4) Monk's Hood.
Highly recommended for those who like historical drama.
I loved that TV series, and greatly regret that they aren't making any more episodes (nor, apparently, ever airing the reruns). :-( The only Cadfael novels I've read so far are the first one, A Morbid Taste for Bones, and An Excellent Mystery, but I definitely want to read more.For those not familiar with the series in either medium, Cadfael is a Benedictine monk and herbalist in 12th-century England, living near the border of England and Wales during the turbulent period of civil war that followed the death of Henry I. A former soldier in the Crusades, he's now in his 60s, and a smart, shrewd observer of both people and the details of forensic medicine and crime scenes, making him an excellent amateur detective and valued ally of the local sheriff. Before creating Cadfael, Dame Edith Pargeter was a respected author of medieval historical fiction under her own name and, as Ellis Peters, a successful mystery writer; when she brought her two fictional interests together, she basically created the modern sub-genre of historical mystery, which since then has really taken off and burgeoned.
Love Derek Jacobi, fantastic actor. Mary JL, did you see him in Doctor Who as The Master? I'll look for Cadfael, sounds like my kind of series.
According to imbd, there's 4 seasons with 13 episodes.
I just got Lost in Austen, 4 episodes, excellent cast. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1117666/
Amanda, an ardent Jane Austen fan, lives in present day London with her boyfriend Michael, until she finds she's swapped places with Austen's fictional creation Elizabeth Bennet.
Yes, Jackie, I saw Derek Jacobi in Doctor Who. I wish he had remained the Master instead of the younger actor--he was SO good in that role.Now, I want to see that I, Claudius mini-series that he starred in as Emperor Claudius.
Of course the British do great on historical drama series.
And Yes, imdb is correct--of the 20 "Brother Cadfael" novels, on 13 were turned into episodes. I do recommend watching the series in the order filmed, to avoid confusion and I think you would really enjoy it.
Interestingly, the order the Cadfael TV episodes were filmed in wasn't the same order in which the books were written. The TV series opens with One Corpse Too Many (which introduces Hugh Berengar, who becomes Sheriff of Shrewsbury); the book series opens with A Morbid Taste for Bones. When they adapted the latter for TV, it was set later in Cadfael's career, and instead of the original abbot who figured in the book, his younger replacement was running the monastery.Mary JL, I've only seen some parts of the I, Claudius miniseries, but I thought what I saw was done well. My friend the English professor here at BC loves both the miniseries and the novels by Robert Graves that it's based on.
I read the following books by Ellis Peters a long time ago:I should add them to my GR shelves.
Monk's Hood
St. Peter's Fair
Leper of Saint Giles
The Holy Thief
I liked the books better than TV episodes. The books had more mystery and atmosphere.
Jackie, I watched "Lost in Austen" via a Netflix DVD."Lost in Austen" (TV mini-series 2008)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1117666/
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Los...
===========================================
"After a dispute with her boyfriend, Amanda lands in the 19th-century world of author Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. While helping the Bennet sisters find husbands, Amanda accidentally causes problems that could alter the course of the tale."
===========================================
I gave it 4 stars out of 5. So I must have liked it. Wish I could remember more about it. I watched it in 2009.
Mary JL, thanks for mentioning "I, Claudius".I've added it to my Netflix queue.
"I, Claudius" (TV mini-series 1976)(British TV Show):
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074006/
"The history of the Roman Empire as experienced by one of its rulers."
Netflix: http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/I_Cla...
"Roman history comes alive in this 13-part drama told from the perspective of Claudius (Derek Jacobi), a man whose physical impairments helped him avoid assassination by the corrupt Caligula (John Hurt) but ultimately led him to embrace corruption himself. Set in one of history's most fascinating eras, this critically acclaimed miniseries is an epic of ruthless ambition, tracing the lives of the first of the Roman emperors."
I just watched Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. It was good, worth seeing. Not as sad as I thought it would be. The first hour was a little slow, but still held my attention. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477302/
Netflixed Straw Dogshttp://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...
kind of predictable. I gave 3 stars out of 5
Netflixed Adjustment Bureau
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...
2½ stars by me. How to work a boy-girl thing into something that radically affects history. Well, if a butterfly in China starts a hurricane, maybe.
Netflixed Cedar Rapids
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...
Not my usual serious drama type, but somehow this comedy grabbed me. 4 stars.
Netflixed Season of the Witch
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...
Seems like I remember this flick getting some bad-mouthing and I didn't expect much. However, except the the cheesy demon battle thing at the end I thought it was great. 4 stars.
Netflixed The Conspirator
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...
I was entertained. 3½ stars from me.
Netflixed Limitless
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...
Once you suspend disbelief in a designer drug that can make you a genius, it was a lot of fun. 4 stars.
Thanks, Earl. Quite a few of those are on my to-watch list. Don't know when I'll find time, but they're there.
Straw Dogs didn't interest me even though Alexander Skarsgard was in it.Adjustment Bureau annoyed me because (view spoiler)
Totally agree about Season of the Witch.
Limitless, agree there too.
Earl and Jackie, I've seen the trailer for Season of the Witch, and thought at the time that it had possibilities. So your feedback whets my interest in seeing it sometime. :-)
Jackie wrote: "I just watched Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. It was good, worth seeing. Not as sad as I thought it would be. The first hour was a little slow, but still held my attention. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477302/ "
It's in my Netflix "Saved" queue. (Availability: Unknown)
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Extre...
"Believing that his father left him a message before dying in the September 11 attacks, young Oskar Schell embarks on an emotional odyssey through New York City to find the lock that matches a key he found among his father's belongings."
Based on the book: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.
I tried to read the author's book, Everything is Illuminated, but couldn't get into it. I wonder if "Extremely Loud" is as surreal as "Everything is Illuminated". See my review of it at:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
PS-I just noticed that the cast in "Extremely Loud" looks very good:
Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn, James Gandolfini, Viola Davis, John Goodman, Jeffrey Wright, Max von Sydow, Zoe Caldwell, Stephen McKinley Henderson
Earl, thanks for the links and comments. I haven't seen any of those movies.I recently watched the following:
The Adventures of Tintin
My Week with Marilyn
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Frida
Hugo
The Help
Hard to keep up with it all.
"Limitless" is streamable from Netflix. So I put it on my Instant Queue."Limitless"(2011)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1219289/
"A writer discovers a top-secret drug which bestows him with super human abilities."
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Limit...
"With his writing career dragging and his girlfriend casting him off, Eddie Morra's life turns around when he takes a drug that provides astonishing mental focus -- but its deadly side effects threaten his future."
Genres: Thrillers, Crime Thrillers, Psychological Thrillers
Not sure I go for "thrillers".
"Season of the Witch" is also streamable from Netflix."Season of the Witch" (2011)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0479997/
"14th-century knights transport a suspected witch to a monastery, where monks deduce her powers could be the source of the Black Plague."
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Seaso...
"In 14th-century Europe, a courageous knight leads a group of weary warriors across impossibly treacherous terrain in order to transport a suspected witch believed to be responsible for spreading the devastating Black Plague."
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman,
Genres: Action & Adventure, Dramas, Action Thrillers, Period Pieces, Action Sci-Fi & Fantasy
This movie is: Dark, Exciting, Scary
Not sure I go for "dark" and "scary".
Joy, I'm getting a feel for what you like and don't like and I don't think you'd like either Season of the Witch or Limitless. Figures they're the ones instantly available. I saw Everything is Illuminated, I had no idea the same author wrote Extremely Loud. Extremely Loud was not surreal at all. Can't say for the books but only the movies.
What did you think of The Help? I saw it in theaters and it was good.
I'm on the fence for TinTin and Week with Marilyn. What's your assessment of them?
I watched A Dangerous Method but was bored out of mind, quit after 40 minutes. Good cast, I was surprised I didn't like it.
Fun to watch and interesting."The Big Year." It is about a group of competetive bird watchers. Shows great pics of birds and national parks. Steve Martin; not usually fond of him but he was good in this movie. I recommend it.
Jackie, thanks for your comments. Glad to hear that Extremely Loud isn't surreal.The movie, "The Help" was very good but I enjoyed the book more. 4 stars for the movie. 5 stars for the book.
Tin Tin and Week with Marilyn were both enjoyable. I gave them both 4 stars. The latter presented a sympathetic point of view toward Marilyn and her problems.
If I had written my comments right after seeing the films, I could comment in more detail but the details usually become blurred soon after I view a movie.
Haven't seen A Dangerous Method. Below is the Netflix description:
"A Dangerous Method" (2011)
"In this David Cronenberg-helmed biopic, Viggo Mortensen stars as Sigmund Freud, whose relationship with fellow psychology luminary Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) is tested when Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley), one of the first female psychoanalysts, enters their lives. This World War I-set drama also stars Vincent Cassel Cassel as Otto Gross, a disciple of Freud, and Sarah Gadon, who plays Jung's psychoanalyst wife."
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/A_Dan...
IMDb says: "A look at how the intense relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud gives birth to psychoanalysis."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1571222/
I usually like biopics because they help me imagine what the real persons were like. Of course we have to allow that the story may not be exactly true but, still, it's a start and whets my appetite to learn more.
Nina wrote: "Fun to watch and interesting."The Big Year." It is about a group of competetive bird watchers. Shows great pics of birds and national parks. Steve Martin; not usually fond of him but he was good in..."Nina, "The Big Year" (2011) looks like it has possibilities. I usually enjoy Steve Martin. He's different, one of a kind.
Descriptions of the movie:
"Two bird enthusiasts try to defeat the cocky, cutthroat world record holder in a year-long bird-spotting competition."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1053810/
"Inspired by Mark Obmascik's nonfiction book of the same name (The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession), this high-flying comedy concerns a trio of competitive bird watchers who vow to win a contest by spotting and recording as many avian species as humanly possible."
Cast: Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Brian Dennehy, Anjelica Huston, Rashida Jones, Rosamund Pike, Dianne Wiest, Joel McHale, Jim Parsons
Genre: Comedies
This movie is: Feel-good
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/The_B...
If nothing else, I'll enjoy the birds.
Thanks, Joy. I'll add both TinTin and Marilyn to my ever-growing list.
Hope you'll enjoy them.
I watched "Law Abiding Citizen" today. It was pretty good, but they didn't show the amount of time that had passed very well. Also, I didn't like the ending. It would have been much better if (view spoiler)
I totally agree about the ending, I like yours better. It fits better with the rest of the story.
We'll have to tell them to consult with me next time, Jackie.;-)
Yes, as long as they send a big check too, lol
Jim wrote: "I watched "Law Abiding Citizen" today. It was pretty good, but they didn't show the amount of time that had passed very well. Also, I didn't like the ending. It would have been much better if [s..."I hate it when they don't make things clear. Ambiguity always bothers me.
I too like your ending better, Jim, even though I didn't see the movie. I got the drift of the story from reading all the posts about it in this thread. (See those posts here):
http://www.goodreads.com/group/commen...
"Law Abiding Citizen"(2009)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1197624/
"A frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family's killers free. He targets not only the killer but also the district attorney and others involved in the deal."
Jackie wrote: "Yes, as long as they send a big check too, lol"LOL - Good one, Jackie.
I could use it! Spring is expensive, especially this one, although I probably say that every year. Well, I'm getting a good tax refund which will help with all the travel & such. I can even afford a load of gravel!!! Yipee! I've got several places where I really could use it, but at $350, that's a lot on top of everything else.
About expenses, it always annoys me to have to spend money on the practical necessities. I'd rather spend it on luxuries. LOLYears ago I read an article about a family who decided to go on a vacation instead of having their old bathroom remodeled. They felt that the kids would remember the vacation longer than they would remember having a new bathroom. So that's my excuse for "letting things go".
The Descendants with George Clooney. Good movie but I wouldn't say Oscar worthy. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1033575/
Joy H. wrote: "About expenses, it always annoys me to have to spend money on the practical necessities. I'd rather spend it on luxuries. LOL..."The farm pretty much is our vacation spot - mine anyway. I'd rather be here than anywhere else I can think of.
Jackie wrote: "The Descendants with George Clooney. Good movie but I wouldn't say Oscar worthy. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1033575/ "
Thanks, Jackie. I have it on my Netflix queue. Netflix will have it available from 4/10/12.
The Descendants 2011
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/The_D...
"When his wife is killed in a Waikiki boating accident, distant father Matt King (George Clooney) begins an iffy journey to repair his fractured relationship with his two daughters. But he's also trying to decide whether to let go of some valuable family real estate. Judy Greer, Beau Bridges and Matthew Lillard co-star in this tragic-comic tale of legacy and unexpected loss based on the
novel [ [book:The Descendants|968403] ] by Kaui Hart Hemmings."
IMDb's description is much shorter:
"A land baron tries to re-connect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident."
Jim wrote: "Joy H. wrote: "The farm pretty much is our vacation spot - mine anyway. I'd rather be here than anywhere else I can think of."Jim, I knew you were going to say that. (lol)
I know what you mean.
'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
-John Howard Payne, 1791-1852, "Home, Sweet Home"
Clooney was good in the role, and he still looks great after all these years. One thing I particularly liked was the Hawaiian music, not the music itself but how it lent authenticity to the location.
Jackie wrote: "Clooney was good in the role, and he still looks great after all these years. One thing I particularly liked was the Hawaiian music, not the music itself but how it lent authenticity to the location."George Clooney is 50 years old. That's actually very young. I think people start looking "old" at about 65 or more, maybe even later. After that, many people change so much that they're hardly recognizable as their former selves. Of course it's different with each person, but as a rule, that's how it works, as far as I've observed. There are lots of exceptions though, like Cary Grant!
About Hawaiian music, it's so restful. I think the people are laid back too. I wonder if it's the music. (lol)
I thought he was older, I guess it's the grey hair.
Yes, grey hair can do it. Of course, that's why so many people color their hair. After a while, one gets so old that I wonder who they think they're fooling when they color their hair, especially at the Senior Citizens Center. (lol) I mean, I think there's a point where you have to grow old gracefully. Trying to look young when you're old is ridiculous, IMO. What's so wrong with being old? It's not contagious! LOL
I agree about growing old gracefully. Getting old is an honor, many people don't get that privilege. I just turned 50 and I have a lot of grey in my hair. I'm sick of coloring it. The last time I tried growing it out, it looked washed out and ugly, but now my dark hair seems to be darker so I think it'll look like proper salt and pepper. I have a few boxes left, so I'll finish the summer out with red hair but then I'm going to grow it out for the winter and see how it looks. I wear hats in the winter and I can cut it short to get rid of the red.
Jackie wrote: "I thought he was older, I guess it's the grey hair."Wonderful. He's younger than me & my hair is all gray, too.
;-)
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
Harvey (other topics)A Dance with Dragons (other topics)
A Song of Ice and Fire (other topics)
Coraline (other topics)
Ironweed (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Mary Chase (other topics)George R.R. Martin (other topics)
Neil Gaiman (other topics)
Janet Fitch (other topics)
Yann Martel (other topics)
More...
Thank you very much, Werner. My mom always looked on the bright side of things. She often used proverbs to get her point across. Now I do the same thing. One of her favorite sayings was: "Everything happens for the best." Yes, she was a Pollyana!
Some other of her sayings and stories were:
"You can't always have the best cut of the cake."
"Couragio!" (sp?) (Italian for Courage.)
"When the pear is ripe, it falls." (Italian: "Quando la pera è matura, casca da sè".) Mom must have heard it from her own mother!
A story she told:
===========================================
"A boy and a girl loved each other dearly and had a very strong relationship. Eventually, the boy had asked the girl to marry him, and she consented. Nevertheless, she laid before him a condition. The condition is that the boy would have to kill his mother, cut her heart out and bring it to the girl. Well, the boy did the unthinkable and as he was bringing his mother’s heart, he tripped and fell to the ground. Just then the mother’s heart spoke out, 'Son, did you hurt yourself?'"
FROM: http://www.christianbooksandmusic.net/
===================================================
I wrote a poem about Mom once. It's here:
http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/2...