Author Topic: Movies & Books Into Movies (Read 591792 times)

Babi · « **Reply #1160 on:** December 19, 2010, 08:40:09 AM »

So many movies – how do you choose what to watch?
Reviews? Recommendations? Actors? Availability?
Do you choose a movie the same way you choose a book?

And where do you like to watch most of your movies?
Do you stream movies from Netflix and other places?
Where’s the strangest place you’ve ever watched a film?

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Join us in an ongoing discussion of your favorite movies right now.
Pull up a chair, take off your shoes, pour yourself a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, and join in!

Your Discussion Leader: pedln

Aha! Pedlin, as soon as you said the show was available only in Afghanistan, PEDLN, I was
fairly confident it was propaganda and we were involved. Apparently it is a good show, tho', and
serves as an educational tool for the police force as well as being popular viewing. I was shocked
to read that female police officers were afraid of being raped by their own colleagues! And not
at all surprised to learn that a somewhat similar real unit was effectively hamstrung by the
government after they had the temerity to arrest a government aide.
If we hope to see any major advances in that country, I think we should expect it to take a
couple of generations.

pedln · « **Reply #1161 on:** December 23, 2010, 06:43:38 PM »

Quote

If we hope to see any major advances in that country, I think we should expect it to take a couple of generations.

I think you're right on that, Babi.

I've been nursing a pre-Christmas bug these past few days, but finally felt up to viewing one of the Netflix DVDs that had accumlated here, and it was a Christmas one. The Family Stone -- did someone mention it here -- I have no idea why I picked it. About the Stone family, complete with parents, grown children, grandchildren, partners, lovers and all the family dynamics that go with a group of opinionated people. A little earthy perhaps, funny in spots, sad in others, but completely honest. Recommended. With Diane Keaton and Sara Jessica Parker, don't remember the male leads.

I hope you all find a holiday film to your liking.

Babi · « **Reply #1162 on:** December 24, 2010, 09:02:04 AM »

Quote

a group of opinionated people.

PEDLN, that to me is a warning that get-togethers are generally marked by arguments. Everybody has their own opinions, and rightly so, but 'opinionated' has somewhat the ring of 'constipated' in my mind, with the disposition that
goes with it.

MaryPage · « **Reply #1163 on:** December 24, 2010, 02:40:23 PM »

Oh, I just loved The Family Stone. I have watched it several times now.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Mippy · « **Reply #1164 on:** December 25, 2010, 07:14:31 AM »

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

marjifay · « **Reply #1165 on:** December 26, 2010, 11:02:28 AM »

We were going to see the new True Grit movie after Christmas dinner yesterday. But we changed our minds when we got to the theater and saw the jammed parking lot and the line at the window. I don't like to sit next to someone I do not know at the theater. The last time I did that someone sat next to me and coughed and chomped on food all during the film. Disgusting. I would have left, but we'd paid premium prices to see the film. I only like to see a film in a theater when there is hardly anyone there.

Marj

maryz · « **Reply #1166 on:** December 26, 2010, 11:54:37 AM »

Marj, we usually go on a weekday afternoon, after a movie has been open for a couple of weeks. Usually there are only a handful of folks. I like to sit in the back row, so nobody can sit behind me and talk or kick my seat.

Also, those are the cheap showings.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #1167 on:** December 26, 2010, 01:07:21 PM »

Marj - we have one independent cinema here in Aberdeen - it is great, rarely busy, no hotdogs, and you can walk to it - in fact it's much easier to do that as there is no parking anywhere near. I have a membership of it, which allows me slightly cheaper tickets and some discounts elsewhere, but even without that it is well worthwhile. They show some mainstream films but also a lot of less popular stuff - they have French seasons, seasons of particular directors' films, etc . If a film is on elsewhere I very rarely go to it - on occasion I do have to give in for some film that my children want to see, and I always regret it - the noise, the smell, the sheer rudeness of people spoils the whole experience for me.

Rosemary

Babi · « **Reply #1168 on:** December 27, 2010, 08:47:41 AM »

MARJ, that makes you the ideal person to rent movies and watch them
in the comfort and privacy of your own home. I have another excellent
reason: the movie theatres don't show closed-captioning.

ROSEMARY, membership at a movie theatre is a new idea to me. Is that
common in Europe?

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #1169 on:** December 27, 2010, 09:20:09 AM »

Babi - some of the independent ones do it. Ours is called The Belmont Cinema, but it is part of a group of independents called Picturehouses (www.picturehouses.co.uk). You can just "pay as you go" or you can buy an annual membership - for that you get a discount on ticket prices, plus 3 free tickets a year, plus some free previews, etc. You also get a discount at some local retailers who have joined the scheme - the ones I use most are the cafe opposite the cinema - another independent called Books and Beans (www.booksandbeans.co.uk)- it is a second hand bookshop + cafe, very popular, and the owner lives very near me, he is lovely - and also One Up Records (www.oneupmusic.co.uk), an independent record/CD shop (which is rare in this country and makes me think of The Vinyl Cafe books), again with a very nice friendly owner and helpful staff who don't look at you as if you have crawled out from under a stone if you are over 21

. Of course by buying a membership you also help the cinema, which I feel is a good cause as they try to show independent films, old films, unusual stuff, etc - AND they don't sell hotdogs! they also have a children's club every Saturday morning when they do craft activities then show a children's film, and sometimes they manage to get directors in to do a discussion with the audience .

There is a similar cinema in Edinburgh but I have forgotten its name.

Rosemary

marjifay · « **Reply #1170 on:** December 27, 2010, 01:32:06 PM »

Babi said, "MARJ, that makes you the ideal person to rent movies and watch them
in the comfort and privacy of your own home. I have another excellent
reason: the movie theatres don't show closed-captioning."

I agree, Babi, and that's why I joined Netflix. But I read a review of True Grit (In the Atlantic, I think), that said the best thing about the film True Grit was the gorgeous scenery and the background music score. And that is best in a theater.

We usually go on a weekday around noon or so, but my other son wanted to go with us and he can only go at certain times.

We'll see the movie when all the hype dies down.

Marj

marjifay · « **Reply #1171 on:** December 27, 2010, 01:46:19 PM »

Rosemary, your membership movie theater in Aberdeen sounds wonderful. I'm surprised they don't have something like that here in the Southern California/Los Angeles area. I'll have to check and see.

There is a theater not too far from me that shows films that don't appeal to a wide bunch of people, and I go there sometimes. A while back they were showing all the films directed by John Cassavetes that I liked -- The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, A Woman Under the Influence, etc. Loved to see his wife Gena Rowlands in his films. Each time I went (during the daytime) I was the only one there. Great!

Marj

JoanK · « **Reply #1172 on:** December 27, 2010, 03:26:39 PM »

Marj: I'd forgotten that you're in the LA area. I'm in Torrance. Not much of movie interest here -- just standard theaters.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #1173 on:** December 27, 2010, 03:43:40 PM »

Yes Marj, I too love it when I am the only person there!

Just been watching "the 100 greatest musicals" on TV - part one today and the remaining 50 tomorrow. I am supposed to be turning out all my cupboards prior to moving house, so it was great to have this on at the same time. There were some wonderful old films - the old musicals were just so lavish, with their amazing dance sequences, huge sets - and quite a bit of synchronised swimming!

R

maryz · « **Reply #1174 on:** December 27, 2010, 05:33:00 PM »

My sister-in-law lives in Torrance - they go to movies nearly every week. And they often go to see "small" movies. I'll have to ask to see which movie houses they frequent.

maryz · « **Reply #1175 on:** December 27, 2010, 08:48:10 PM »

JoanK and Marj, I wrote my SIL, and this was her reply (re movies in the Torrance area)

We most often go to the AMC and Regal theaters since they are closest to us. Some times we go to the Pacific theater in Manhattan Beach. The Laemle chain is the one that has most of the Independent movies, but are so far away that we almost never go. The chains are starting to show more of the Indies.

Babi · « **Reply #1176 on:** December 28, 2010, 08:17:11 AM »

ROSEMARY, sounds lovely. I especially like the cafe/bookshop across
the street.
MARJ, I agree about the widescreen gorgeous scenery, but the music
would be lost on me. I did watch the musical version of "A Christmas
Carol" and was able to enjoy the dancing even without the music. All
the solos were a complete loss, tho'. I'm surprised that the theatre
remains open during hours when only one or two customers show up. It
must be a significant monetary loss.

marjifay · « **Reply #1177 on:** December 28, 2010, 02:41:08 PM »

Babi said " I'm surprised that the theatre
remains open during hours when only one or two customers show up. It
must be a significant monetary loss."

They have several theaters under the one roof, not just the one I went to where I was the only one there.

Marj

Babi · « **Reply #1178 on:** December 29, 2010, 08:41:56 AM »

Ah, hopefully the other theaters had enough patrons to make the difference.
Patronage is so important. I've known a number of small cafes that served
really good food, but they didn't get enough regular customers to stay open.
I think in smaller communities like mine people tend to eat out less often. Just
an impression; I could be wrong. I notice there is only one multi-theater unit
in our area, too.

pedln · « **Reply #1179 on:** December 29, 2010, 01:11:39 PM »

Rosemary, great picture! It’s good to “see” you here. Interesting to hear about the theatre clubs --it sounds like some theaters are doing creative marketing. I seldom go to a theatre because I miss too much of the audio and the two theatre complexes in my town rarely show foreign films which would have subtitles. But when I have been, I’ve wondered how families could afford to attend very often, especially when you consider the cost of concessions as well. (We smuggled our water bottles and nibbles into the Stieg Larsson film.)

Marjifay, do let us know when you get to see True Grit. I’m part of that very small minority that never saw the first one, with John Wayne, so am looking forward to your thoughts on which is the better. The few reviews I’ve seen seem to favor the new one.

Stomach flu forced me to cancel my Christmas visit to my West Coast families, so my New York daughter came to me instead of visiting friends in Nag’s Head. A quiet, but pleasant Christmas. She was nursing a cold and I was recouping, so we played board games and watched DVDs from Netflix.

I’d had Winter’s Bone for a few weeks, but wasn’t sure I wanted to see it – just not in the mood for what I perceived to be dysfunctional down-and-outers. What a surprise! Jennifer Lawrence does a wonderful job as the 17-year-old Ree Dolly, searching for her dead or alive father, much to the consternation of her meth-producing neighbors and relatives. Almost a one woman show. I’m so glad I saw it. The author of the book, Daniel Woodrell, lives in West Plains, MO, in the Missouri Ozarks. Supposedly, Missouri is the meth capital of the U.S. I don’t know, but a law was passed here recently requiring a doctor’s prescription to buy Sudefed or Muscinex, that type of cold medicine, to make meth ingredients harder to come by.

The other film we watched was You Can Count on Me, with Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo which was okay, but not as good as Winter’s Bone. One might think they were both films with strong, determined sisters caring for their families, but I don’t thing strong is the right word for the Laura Linney film.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #1180 on:** December 29, 2010, 03:25:43 PM »

Oh dear Pedln, I hope you feel better soon too - it seems like there hasn't been a family untouched by illness of some sort this holiday. My daughter is getting better but still has a terrible throat and cough. It does however sound like a very cosy Christmas, playing board games and watching DVDs with your daughter.

I have to say that (whisper it low) I would be most upset if they made Benylin a prescription only medicine here, as it is what I take if I am unable to sleep - I probably only take it about once every few months, and I only take the dose as on the bottle, but it does do the trick when all else fails. We already get an interrogation from the pharmacist when we buy it. We can buy very mild sleeping pills from the pharmacy, but I find they leave me feeling wiped out the next day, which Benylin doesn't. I have tried all the "natural" remedies and only wish they did work, but all the oil burners, lavender sprays, rescue remedy, etc, do nothing for me.

I do so agree about the cost of going to the cinema - and just about everyone apart from skinflint me seems to buy the hotdogs, popcorn, drinks and sweets from the concessions. Like you, I take in drinks for my children and sometimes a packet of sweets from the pound store.

Get well soon,

Best wishes,

Rosemary

maryz · « **Reply #1181 on:** December 29, 2010, 03:55:41 PM »

When we go to the movie theater, we go in the late afternoon ($6.00 here), and never buy anything else. We've never been movie snackers. Some of my swimming group goes on Tuesday afternoon when drinks and popcorn are $1.00.

CallieOK · « **Reply #1182 on:** December 29, 2010, 05:12:50 PM »

I once asked if the concession stand would sell a Senior Citizen a "child's" combo - and they would! It was just the right amount of popcorn, soft drink and a small bag of candy. I didn't take the toy.

A friend who was with me said, "I would never have thought of doing that!" I told her the worst thing that could happen is that they would say, "No".

Gumtree · « **Reply #1183 on:** December 30, 2010, 03:40:46 AM »

Movie theatre prices here are fairly reasonable - for senior citizens anyway - but for a family 2 adults and 2 children plus snacks and maybe parking fees etc it could get pricey. The classic snack for us is the chocolate covered icecream cone - almost de rigeur - but the younger folk favour the popcorn and make a such a mess spilling it everywhere.

We have an excellent theatre group who as well as mainstream films bring us international offerings from around the world - regular festivals of French, Italian, British, Asian films - they host talks, sometimes get one of the actors or director to give a short talk with question time etc. They also bring us seasons from Covent Garden, the Paris Ballet and the NY Met Opera all in HD - the price for these is almost double the regular ticket cost but still not out of the question.

We still have some of the old open air movie theatres which were popular in the days before the drive-in. The open air theatres screen only during the summer and are a popular spot to take a picnic to have on the lawns before the show with a glass or two of wine. Funny sometimes to hear a cork being popped during a tense moment later the film as someone opens another bottle of the bubby stuff. We're lucky that our climate allows these theatres to thrive as it rarely rains during the summer - there's nothing quite like sitting under the stars on a balmy evening watching a good movie and sipping on something cold. I love the simple life.

Babi · « **Reply #1184 on:** December 30, 2010, 09:08:58 AM »

PEDLN, the 'old movie' channels are offering "True Grit" lately, probably
in response to the new film coming out. You could probably find it easily
enough. The older version probably seems 'dated' to the current generation. The older generation might hold a different view.

Meet another 'skinflint', ROSEMARY. I no longer go out to the movies, as I need the closed captioning, but I remember well the shocking mark-ups on the lobby goodies. I was perfectly willing to stick something in my purse for any hunger pangs.

PatH · « **Reply #1185 on:** December 30, 2010, 11:58:35 AM »

Gumtree, I like your idea of the simple life.

JoanK · « **Reply #1186 on:** December 30, 2010, 03:56:32 PM »

MARY: thank you for the Torrance movie info. Sounds like the same theaters I go to. Except I didn't know about the one in Manhattan Beach. That's nearby, and we often go to the beach there to watch the surfers. It is the home of beach volleyball as well -- Southern California at its Southern Californyist!

If you're ever out here, visiting your SIL, let me know. We can get together. There's a kind of neat cafe/used bookstore, where people go, drink coffee and read the books. Some artists hang out there as well. Or we can go watch the surfers.

ALF43 · « **Reply #1187 on:** December 30, 2010, 04:13:59 PM »

My daughters and I went to see True Grit and I couldn't believe how packed the movie theatre was. It was the day after Christmas. I loved it, but I guess I am un-american as I never was a big John Wayne fan, but i dearly love Jeff Bridges and he excelled in this movie, IMO.

maryz · « **Reply #1188 on:** December 30, 2010, 04:36:51 PM »

JoanK - glad I "found" a new movie for you. I'll check in the next time we're out there - no plans at this time.

We might go see True Grit next week - or the week after that. Now we're getting into basketball season, and that keeps us busy.

Babi · « **Reply #1189 on:** December 31, 2010, 08:32:45 AM »

The early John Wayne was definitely an American icon. I must admit that as he grew older, he might have done better not to try to dash up hills as if he were still a young man. Nevertheless, he was such a favorite that people still wanted to see him.
I'm looking forward to seeing Jeff Bridges in the role. He is a top-notch
actor.

MaryPage · « **Reply #1190 on:** January 01, 2011, 09:03:16 AM »

Alf, I never liked John Wayne, either! Just never went for the big macho man full-of-himself type! I have always felt Wayne was more the image of what every American male wished he were than what every American woman desired.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #1191 on:** January 01, 2011, 02:02:11 PM »

Amen! Marypage. I prefer a man witha sense of humor, a la Paul Newman. Oh yeah, he looked better also - to my eyes........

.........jean

JoanK · « **Reply #1192 on:** January 01, 2011, 06:03:39 PM »

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH Paul Newman!

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #1193 on:** January 02, 2011, 03:11:07 AM »

And Aaaaaah.... George Clooney ditto.

R

Babi · « **Reply #1194 on:** January 02, 2011, 07:59:58 AM »

Okay, ladies, pull yourselves together.

Unfortunately, all the gorgeous men we sighed
over are now as old as we are, or older.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #1195 on:** January 02, 2011, 08:17:40 AM »

Well gorgeous George has certainly aged well

R

Babi · « **Reply #1196 on:** January 02, 2011, 08:50:52 AM »

Granted. Can't argue with that, ROSEMARY. Who else do you think has aged well? (general
question)

pedln · « **Reply #1197 on:** January 02, 2011, 06:27:55 PM »

Well, I took Jean's advice and watched a Paul Newman that just happened to be here from Netflix -- The Verdict. A golden oldie and pretty much a one man show for Newman.

Gorgeous George is one year older than my son. I don't consider that aging.

I guess that leaves Robert Redford and Clint Eastwood. And then there's Martin Sheen -- I really liked him in the West Wing.

roshanarose · « **Reply #1198 on:** January 02, 2011, 08:24:20 PM »

I have had a crush on Ed Harris for a long time. Followed closely by Tommy Lee Jones. I just can't see what the fuss is about with George Clooney. If he asks me out I will just refer him to RosemaryKaye.

Gumtree · « **Reply #1199 on:** January 03, 2011, 12:17:23 AM »

I'm with you Roshanarose on the Clooney thing and Robert Redford doesn't appeal either- it's had me puzzled for years as to why everyone raves...
I like Ed Harris and Tommy Lee Jones too - and Willem Dafoe- all great actors But I don't have a crush on them.

For that , there was Paul Newman ... sigh

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Author Topic: Movies & Books Into Movies (Read 591792 times)