What MOVIES or DVDs have you watched? (PART FIVE - 2012) (ongoing thread) Showing 401-450 of 1,040

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Werner wrote: "Don't worry about your tangents, Joy! You introduce us to a lot of fascinating things that way."

Thanks for the encouragement, Werner.
You also have opened new channels of knowledge for me.
There's so much out there!

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "Joy, I don't think audio is a good way to try and wrap our heads around Einstein's theories, it's too difficult. I read an excellent book on Einsteins theories and it explained them very simply, ..."

Jackie, thanks for telling me about Simply Einstein: Relativity Demystified. I checked and our library has it. I put in a request for it. Thanks for your offer to lend your copy to me. If the library can't get it for me, I'll turn to you. Sounds fascinating, especially because it's for nonscientists.

The audio-book I'm listening to re Einstein includes more than just info re physics. It also tells about Einstein's private life and struggles. He really didn't have promising beginnings working in a patent office. He was rejected many times when he applied for positions. I find it all very interesting, especially when I understand it! LOL.

Of course it isn't as riveting as The Bastard but who can compete with John Jakes' historical drama and romance. :) I just finished listening to the audiobook read by Michael Kramer. He does a good job of dramatizing the dialogue, accents and all. It's like listening to a radio show. :)

Now I've requested the library to get me the audiobook of the next volume in Jakes' "Kent Family Chronicles". It's called: The Rebels. (unabridged)(read by Kramer as well)

Eddie has read the first three volumes which I got for him from the library. He gobbled them up in a week. He's a born reader. Reads everything but doesn't keep up with books if I don't put them in front of him.

[Jackie]

The book you're reading is better for Einstein's personal life. It's been a few years since I read it, and I don't remember anything about him personally in it. It's a little dry but fascinating.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Yes, Isaacson's audiobook about Einstein can be dry in spots but I plod on. Sometimes I use it to put me to sleep. Works too! Finding my place again is a bit of a problem, but I manage. The reader, Edward Herrmann, sounds very dry himself. Could be better if someone else read it. I guess he's bored with physics. LOL [JK. That means "just kidding". That's something else I learned today. :)]

See Hermann's pic at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001346/
He's an actor as well as a narrator on the History Channel.

[Jackie]

I know him, he was in The Lost Boys. Wow, I can't believe that was 25 years ago.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Oooo, "The Lost Boys". I looked it up. It's a horror movie. Guess I'll pass that one up. :)

Hermann's got quite a list of filmography at IMDb.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001346/

I can't remember any specific movie I saw him in. I looked over his filmography list at IMDb, but no pictures came to my mind. Says he was "head master" in "The Emperor's Club" which I saw. He's a familiar face but there's nothing specific I remember him for. I realize he's a good actor though.

However, now that I've been mulling his name over in my mind, he starred in a 2-person play in NYC and played opposite the daughter of our good friends. Her name is Michelle Joyner. Here's a link:
http://www.2st.com/2st_season/season_...

The play was "Life Sentences" (1993-1994). You can see her pic at the link. She wearing overalls. Not a great pic but that's her. We knew her as a kid. Sometimes we celebrate New Year's with her folks.

Here's the NY Times review of the play (from 1993):
http://theater.nytimes.com/mem/theate...
Not a great review, but still, Michelle did alright for herself by just being cast on Broadway with Hermann.

Michelle was the actress who played the role of the girl who fell to her death at the beginning of "Cliffhanger" with Sylvester Stallone. She said Stallone never left the studio while she was hanging out over a real mountain crevasse. Frightening.

Now she's 20 years older and the mother of twin boys. The boys' father is a Hollywood producer.

Here's her filmography page:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0431662/
Not bad.

[Jackie]

The Lost Boys wasn't scary, it was more of a comedy.

I've seen your friend's daughter on a few TV shows, most notably as Cicely on Northern Exposure, on of the co-founds of the town.
She looks cute in the overalls.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie, I wish I had seen Michelle Joyner on Northern Exposure. She's listed here (near the bottom of the page)(but not at IMDb):
http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/northe...

I loved that "Northern Exposure", especially Rob Morrow and Janine Turner. There was a certain chemistry between them.

I also liked Morrow's receptionist, played by Elaine Miles:
http://www.foxnews.com/slideshow/ente...
"Miles had no previous acting experience before taking the role of reticent receptionist Marilyn Whirlwind."
http://www.foxnews.com/slideshow/ente...
"Miles, now 49, has toured her stand-up comedy and dancing since the show, and has emceed at numerous Native American events. ..."

Then/Now: The Cast of 'Northern Exposure':
http://www.foxnews.com/slideshow/ente...
(See the slide show which gives a blurb for each actor.)
"The quirky CBS series, which ran from 1990-1995, depicted the cultural clash between a New York City transplant (played by Rob Morrow) and the townspeople of eccentric (and fictional) Cicily, Alaska."

Ah, memories of good shows I once enjoyed on TV.
Now, I watch old Netflix movies. LOL
Today I found Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" (1993)(thought I'd learn something) Ha!:
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Much_...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107616/
Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves, Michael Keaton, Denzel Washington, Robert Sean Leonard, Jimmy Yuill, Imelda Staunton, Richard Briers, Kate Beckinsale

I learned where the nonsense words "Hey nonny nonny" came from. :)

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "The Lost Boys wasn't scary, it was more of a comedy."

Jackie, Here's what Netlix says. It's misleading:
==================================================
The Lost Boys: Special Edition 1987
After his brother, Michael (Jason Patric), drinks blood and gets mixed up with a rough biker gang rumored to be a coven of vampires, Sam (Corey Haim) and his two vampire-hunter friends -- armed with garlic and water pistols full of holy water -- try to rid the town of evil. Joel Schumacher directs this cult 1980s classic thriller, which co-stars Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Dianne Wiest, Corey Feldman and Edward Herrmann.

Cast: Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Dianne Wiest, Barnard Hughes, Edward Herrmann, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman, Jamison Newlander

Genres: Horror Movies, Cult Horror Movies, Supernatural Horror Movies, Teen Screams, Vampire Movies

This movie is: Scary
FROM: http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/The_L...
=========================================

On the other hand, IMDb says: The Lost Boys (1987) - Comedy | Fantasy | Horror
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093437/

[Jackie]

She's listed in imdb for Northern Exposure, the first listing for 1992. This reminded me that we still have the whole last season to watch so we just watched 2 episodes. I love No Exp, the entire cast is fantastic with their quirky personalities.

The Lost Boys had a really good cast too. I didn't think it was scary, just a lot of fun.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "She's listed in imdb for Northern Exposure, the first listing for 1992. This reminded me that we still have the whole last season to watch so we just watched 2 episodes. I love No Exp, the entire..."

I'm glad you found Michelle Joyner in the listing. I guess I didn't look in the right place. Things are getting more confusing all the time. LOL I tried looking for her name again at IMDb but I still can't find it.

If I had time and energy I'd call Netflix and tell them about their misleading description of "The Lost Boys". After all, IMDb used the word "comedy". So I'm sure you're correct. Now you've got me wondering. I may have to watch it to find out for myself. LOL I've put it on my Instant Queue. At least it's streamable.

[Jackie]

That's weird, I used the link you provided in message #406.

I'm guessing that Netflix went by the description of The Lost Boys movie; it is about vampire, it's not a stretch to think it's scary.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "That's weird, I used the link you provided in message #406. ..."

I see. Well, that was Michelle's filmography page, not the page for Northern Exposure. The Northern Exposure page doesn't show her name in any cast listing. Her filmography page does mention her participation as part of the cast. It says:
=============================
Northern Exposure (TV series)
Missionary
– Cicely (1992) … Missionary
=============================
FROM: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0431662/
Her "Cliffhanger" part is just a few lines above that.

About The Lost Boys, yes, the connotation of vampires leaves one with the "scary" impression.

I started listening to a sound recording of the book The Funny Thing Is... (2003) by Ellen DeGeneres. She's so funny that I have to laugh out loud even though I'm all by myself. LOL

[Joy H., Group Founder]

PS-I put DeGeneres book on my virtual shelf here at GR and added: "There's something unique about Ellen DeGeneres style of humor. I don't have words to describe it but she always has a unique point of view. The best word I can think of is "droll". One dictionary defines droll as "funny in an unusual way'. Yes, I think that fits."

[Jackie]

Her appearance on Northern Exposure was for one episode so she's not part of the cast but a guest.
If you go to the actual episode and look up the cast members she's be there. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0662332/
As I perused this cast page, I see that she wasn't Cicely, I guess I'm remembering the wrong person. Sorry.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Thanks, Jackie! I went to your link [ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0662332/ ] and I do see Michelle Joyner's name as part of the cast (it shows her playing the part of a "missionary"), but how did you know it was the 38th episode?

[Jackie]

I didn't. When I went to Michelle's page, under the Northern Exposure listing, the title of the episode she appears in is there and is hyperlinked so it was just a matter of clicking onto that link to bring me to the episode page which gives a short description of that episode as well as everyone who appeared in that episode.
I do it often for Doctor Who because many well known and well respected British actors make guest appearances. Sometimes I know exactly who they are, other times they're familiar but I can't remember what I've seen them in. So I go to the episode and find out who the actor is and where I've seen them before.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Ah, the link was the word, "Cicely". I hadn't tried clicking on it.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0431662/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0662332/
===========================
Northern Exposure: Season 3, Episode 23
"Cicely" (18 May 1992)
===========================
I see it was Episode #23. When I said that the episode was #38, I was wrong. It had said: "38 of 110 Episodes" and I misinterpreted it. Duh! lol

Thanks very much for your help in navigating. I see that you've had some experience doing that. Good thing! LOL

[Jackie]

IMBD is a good resource for movie and TV info. I use it alot and now they're showing a lot more new previews too.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

In the last two days, I watched "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" (2011) twice. The first time I didn't quite understand it. The second time things were a bit clearer, with the help of the plot explanation at Wiki.

The movie's atmosphere is captivating and the acting is fabulous. That's why I was able to watch it twice, something I hardly ever do.

I think Roger Ebert's review hits the nail on the head:
=====================================================
" ... superbly atmospheric in the hands of director Tomas Alfredson ...

"But the screenplay... is not a model of clarity. I confess I was confused some of the time and lost at other times; the viewer needs to hold in mind a large number of characters, a larger number of events and an infinite number of possibilities.

"More ordinary spy movies provide helpful scenes in which characters brief each other as a device to keep the audience oriented. I have every confidence that in this film, every piece of information is there and flawlessly meshes, but I can't say so for sure, perhaps because I don't have a mind suitable for espionage. I enjoyed the film's look and feel, the perfectly modulated performances, and the whole tawdry world of spy and counterspy, which must be among the world's most dispiriting occupations. But I became increasingly aware that I didn't always follow all the allusions and connections. On that level, "Tinker Tailor" didn't work for me."
FROM: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...
======================================================

Cast: Cast: Gary Oldman, Kathy Burke, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Dencik, Colin Firth, Stephen Graham, Tom Hardy, Ciarán Hinds, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Konstantin Khabensky, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Simon McBurney, Mark Strong

Links:

The book on which the movie was based:
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré (first published 1974)

IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1340800/
Netflix: http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Tinke...

[Jackie]

I plan on watching it when I have the time. Mainly for the cast.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie, let us know what you think of "Tinker Tailor..." after you watch it. I'd like to know your reaction to it.

BTW, I won't tell you who the mole turns out to be. :) See if you can guess as you watch the movie. Lots of red herrings. :)

In addition to Ebert's review (linked in my previous message), James Berardinelli's review is a good one too. Excerpt:
================================================
"The high density of the narrative forces the viewer to absorb too much exposition too fast. Despite this flaw, however, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy generates a fair amount of suspense... a lot of flashbacks and low-tension scenes ... Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy will likely play well to art house audiences, who exhibit a greater willingness to embrace films that demand patience and concentration. An absence of either quality will make this seem an arid and somewhat impenetrable experience. For those with an appreciation of the complicated back-stabbing and double-dealing that characterizes the labyrinthine worlds about which Le Carré and Deighton write, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy will provide a satisfying reminder that movies need not be action packed to be thrilling."
FROM: http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_t...
==================================================

[Jackie]

Let's see, I've seen a few movies and have to try and remember...the new Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr, just as much fun as the last one, I liked it.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1515091/

Contraband http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1524137/
Meh, typical action movie, nothing we haven't seen before. I generally do not like drug movies but Anthony wanted to see it, and it had the added bonus of Mark Wahlberg and Giovanni Ribisi, two actors I really like.

Return with Linda Cardinelli http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1677082/
Nothing great, I thought it would be better.

Innkeepers http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1594562/
Supposed to be a horror, nothing happens til the end and even then it wasn't all that scary.

I'm sure there's more I've seen, so I'll post them when I remember them. And if I don't remember them, then that speaks for itself and we don't need to hear about them, lol

[Werner]

Sounds like Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows might be worth seeing sometime!

[Jackie]

It is, if you liked the first one. Some people loved it, some hated the changes from the traditional Sherlock character. I liked the changes, it made him a more interesting character to me.

[Werner]

I had mixed feelings about the changes; but like one of my other Goodreads friends, I think this kind of thing works best if you don't think of it as an adaptation of the original at all, and just consider it by itself, on its own terms. I'll keep an eye out for the DVD!

[Jim]

I actually thought Downey brought out the manic side of Holmes very well. That's something that's been missing in all the previous film adaptations that I'm familiar with. The Holmes of the stories was a wild man, trying coke & odd things to keep his mind occupied.

[Jackie]

I think so too Jim. I saw it in the theater with Eric, but I plan on getting the DVD...maybe. Rent it for sure.
Eric will be taking me to our traditional Mother's Day Marvel Movie outing to see The Avengers. I am crazy excited to see it.

PBS airs season 2 of the new Sherlock starting May 6th if anyone is interested. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1475582/

[Jackie]

I just watched A Shine of Rainbows. Thank you, Nina, it was a wonderful film, I enjoyed it very much.

[Jim]

I just saw a preview for the Avenger's movie. Looks awesome. Loved the line where the bad guy says to Downey (Ironman), "I have an army."

Downey: We have a Hulk.

Too cool.
;-)

[Nina]

Joy H. wrote: "Jackie wrote: "Joy, I don't think audio is a good way to try and wrap our heads around Einstein's theories, it's too difficult. I read an excellent book on Einsteins theories and it explained the..."This is an interesting aside about Einstein. We once had a very good friend; he worked for my husband and we were personal friends with him and his wife; known him for almost fifty years. what we didn't know until reading his obit is that he once met Einstein. We thought he might have mentioned it.

[Earl]

Netflixed The Conspirator
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...

I gave it 3 stars. I didn't remember that they hung her. However unfair, I approve. Assassinations of US presidents deserve drastic retaliation,in my view.

Netflixed Limitless
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...

I gave 4 stars, I was entertained.

Netflixed Source Code
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...

I gave it 4 stars. However you must be able to suspend disbelief for a while to get into the story. Nice ending.

Netflixed My Dog Tulip
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...

Worth about 2 and a half stars, and I usually like dog flicks better than that.

Netflixed Cold Weather
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...
1 star. Slightly better than watching paint dry.

Netflixed Outside The Law
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...

1 star. Seemed like a propaganda film for Islamic terrorists. France's mistake was ever allowing Algerian immigration. But, of course, you know how the fat cats love that cheap labor.

Netflixed Jane Eyre
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...
2 stars from me. I usually like this genre fairly well, but this one bored me.

Netflixed State Of Play
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...

2 stars from me. It's a BBC two part series. I fell asleep during both dvds. Apparently journalists are allowed to record their suspects secretly and make them break down during questioning. Not believable. So why did I rent the 2nd disk? Well, I HAD to see how it came out.

Netflixed Moneyball
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...

4 stars from me. Brad Pitt, as General Manager uses spreadsheets to buy a cheaper better baseball team. The Boston Red Sox actually did this later successfully.

Netflixed The Debt
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...

2 stars from me. I usually like Mossad hunting down Nazis better than this, but the story was confusingly time-switched and took some of the fun out of it.

Netflixed Boardwalk Empire
http://www.tv.com/shows/boardwalk-emp...
A 2010 HBO series I never even heard of. I give it 4 stars, though I've only viewed the first dvd thus far.

[Mary JL]

I just came home half and hour ago from the Avengers' movie. It was quite good! Robert Downey , Jr. did great in his role of Iron Man; and Thor, the Hulk and Captain American had some great scenes as well.

Not going to win any Oscars--but if you liked comics when you were younger, you will like The Avengers. Some interesting dialogue mixed in with lots of great action scenes.

[Jackie]

I can't wait to go and see it, Eric is taking me on Monday. I love all the Marvel movies.

[Nina]

Jackie I hope you received the message concerning the book, "The Crossroads Cafe>' it is a terrific book and not a movie. It is written by Deborah Smith and has many five stars reviews.

[Jackie]

OK, thank you, Nina, now I understand. I thought it was a movie.

[Jackie]

Just watched Monsters, Inc. It's from 2001 but I never saw it. It was cute and I enjoyed it. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0198781/

Now I'm watching Body of Lies from 2008, so far it's good. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758774/

[Werner]

Monsters, Inc. is a kid's movie that can be appreciated by young-at-heart adults, too. :-) Like Jackie, I enjoyed it, and my grandkids seem to like it as well.

[Jim]

I liked it, too.

[Jackie]

Eric and I went to see The Avengers this afternoon, totally awesome and completely epic. They did a great job with it, I couldn't have asked for more. The characters were perfect and the actors playing the roles were fantastic. We saw it in 3D and we got to see a lot of really good previews.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848228/

[Mary JL]

I suspected you might enjoy it, Jackie. I especially enjoyed, as I always do, Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man.

[Mary JL]

I suspected you might enjoy it, Jackie. I especially enjoyed, as I always do, Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man.

[Jackie]

RDjr is always fantastic as Tony Stark, he really captures Tony's essence. The big surprise for me was Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk; I generally don't like The Hulk and I've never liked any actor in the role, but Mark was outstanding as Bruce Banner.
Did you stay for the extra scenes? Marvel always puts in extra scenes but you have to wait for the credits to end. We got two in The Avengers, one when the cast credits finished and one at the very end when all the credits were over.
And Stan Lee made his usual cameo, which I always love. Stan's the Man.

[Mary JL]

Yes, we stayed for the extra credits. Yes, Mark Ruffalo was good as The Hulk. And I can't wait for Avengers II and Iron Man 3!

Btw, with all the popularity of Harry Potter and things magical, I am really surpirsed that Marvel does not due a Doctor Strange movie. I've always liked him.

[Mary JL]

Jackie, make that "Do". My typing skills suffer late at night!

[Jackie]

They may get around to Doctor Strange. I'd love that.
Did you see the previews for the Amazing Spiderman? I like this new kid as Peter Parker, I never liked Tobey Maguire as PP even though I liked the movies.

Avengers 2 will be awesome, if the extra scene indicates what's next and it usually does, we'll be getting Galactus and the Silver Surfer! I can't wait to see the Surfer again, I've always loved him. Galactus, not so much, but it'll be good seeing the Avengers whup his butt.

Best scene in Avengers: When the Hulk grabs Loki mid-sentence and throws him around like a ragdoll, priceless. I couldn't stop laughing. Neither could Eric. That apple didn't fall very far, lol

[Earl]

Help! this is an appeal to people who own/rent a Time Warner cablebox with dvd recorder in it. I have a new Time Warner 'bundle', in that I switched from Verizon to TW on one of those special one-year deals that are SUPPOSED to get me tv, internet and phone for $89/month. The second month bill was $200 so apparently TW billing is just as crooked as Verizon. But my appeal to you is: how can I program the cablebox to record from time A to Time B? Sunday night is 60 Minutes, but CBS NEVER runs their schedule on time so you MUST add an extra hour to the recording, or lose minutes off your intended show. So I found a way to record on the cablebox 'record this show with options'. So I told it to record 60 Minutes and add an hour to the recording. The result was it refused to record anything at all. Anyone know the secret for doing this? Tricks? I have been using vcrs since the 1980s and THEY have no problem with recording from timeA to timeB, why is this ancient technology so much better? I could have used a vcr but I was recording Killing, Once Upon, Desp Housewives and catching 60 Minutes and NYC 22 on the cablebox seemed more convenient. I'm about ready to quit NYC 22 anyway.

[Jackie]

First, call cable and they'll explain why you're being charged so much. It's most likely that the $89 is the basic package, and extras like the DVR gets added to the bill. If you go over the bill with a service rep, you can determine if you want to drop some things.

Onto the DVR. Add 60 minutes to the DVR, it'll give you options, click onto 'Record Series with Options", new list comes up, using the buttons around the 'Select' button you can go up, down left or right, go down and click the area that says 'Adjust End Time' and it'll show arrows in the highlighted area, use the left and right buttons around the 'Select' button and it'll show you more options such as End 1 min later, End 2 mins later, End 5 mins later and End 15 minutes later, when you find the one you want click the 'Select' button and then it'll prompt you to use the triangular yellow button 'A' to save.
If the series is already on your DVR, when you go to The List, use the right button next to 'Select' and on the bottom it'll have options like Scheduled Recordings, Series Manager, click Series Manager and you'll get the Record Series with Option as on of the options click that follow everything the same as above.
Also in the List area, if you have a conflict, it will show it in there as a new tab but disappears when you have no conflicts.
If this is too hard to follow, you can call me and I'll walk you through it. It's really simple, it just doesn't sound that way when written out. Just let me know and I'll send you a Private Message with my number.

[Jackie]

The Vow came out today so I rented it http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1606389/
It was good for a girly movie.

[Earl]

Jackie wrote: " options such as End 1 min later, End 2 mins later, End 5 mins later and End 15 minutes later, when you find the one you want click the 'Select' button and then it'll prompt you to use the triangular yellow button 'A' to save."

Jackie, I THINK I followed you ok, sounds like just what I did BUT I don't remember if I pushed the yellow 'A' or not. Have you successfully recorded 60 minutes, Good Wife or one of the the other CBS shows that are displaced on Sunday night by sports by using the method explained?

RE the bill, I thought I'd deciphered the first bill I got and that cable box was costing only an extra 6 bucks. I've got to call and cancel the Premiums (3 month free) pretty quick I'll try to get a better explanation then. Thanks for you help.

PS. The second tech that came (the sharp one) said something about I could buy a replacement box for myself. I wonder if this is practical? Another person told me some of this gouging is 'negotiable' ie threaten to quit them etc.