Author Topic: Movies & Books Into Movies (Read 590424 times)

MaryPage · « **Reply #3080 on:** January 05, 2013, 07:22:55 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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The 4th one of the 50 movies being released in this year of 2013 is called SAVING MR. BANKS and has Emma Thompson in it. It has something to do with the woman who wrote the Mary Poppins series and the making of the movie that starred Julie Andrews.

So there you have it. The 46 movies I will not be seeing are mostly horror, Sci-Fi, fantasy, and Violence & Sex. No thank you.

But all four I will go see or buy the movie for my iPad or buy the DVD of, are about books I have read and loved.

JoanK · « **Reply #3081 on:** January 05, 2013, 02:22:00 PM »

I always wondered why there weren't more Oz movies. there is a whole series of books (Dorothy goes back many times) which I gobbled up as a child.

MaryPage · « **Reply #3082 on:** January 05, 2013, 02:26:01 PM »

Me too!

I think they could make bazillions if they would do them all in order in animated form. Heavenly stories. Wonderful colors!

CallieOK · « **Reply #3083 on:** January 05, 2013, 05:03:26 PM »

I found this link to L. Frank Baum's books http://www.rareozbooks.com/frank-baum-books.html

I have an L. Frank Baum book that belonged to my mother and her sisters. Unfortunately, it's in my box of Very Old Books and that box is on a high closet shelf. I don't remember the title but I don't think it's an Oz book.

marcie · « **Reply #3084 on:** January 05, 2013, 05:38:35 PM »

Thanks for the news about the new films, MaryPage.

Here is a link to the trailer for Oz The Great and Powerful which is a prequel to the Oz film that starred Judy Garland. It's due out in March.
"Directed by Spider-Man's Sam Raimi, and starring James Franco, Mila Kunis and Michelle Williams, it tells the story of a Kansas fairground magician who is spirited away to the magical land of Oz, where he must battle wicked witches even though he is not the all-powerful saviour the Oz-dwellers think him to be."

I loved the Oz books when I was young. I wonder how it would be reading them now.

marcie · « **Reply #3085 on:** January 05, 2013, 05:51:59 PM »

Here's a bit about the Savings Mr. Banks film http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tom-hanks-becoming-walt-disney-380011

It seems to me an odd premise for a major film.

maryz · « **Reply #3086 on:** January 05, 2013, 06:07:47 PM »

Our daughter has a complete set of oz books. Our oldest granddaughter was valedictorian of her high school class, and used the four things they were searching for, brains, courage, heart, home, as things to work for in her address.

CallieOK · « **Reply #3087 on:** January 05, 2013, 07:42:57 PM »

From the article on "Saving Mr. Banks".... Disney and Travers disagreed over script, tone and casting, with Travers complaining that her character, as depicted by Julie Andrews in her Hollywood debut, was too pretty and too nice. Not even the overwhelming success of the movie would change the author’s mind.

I agree with Ms Travers. Not to take away from her performance or the general delight of the Disney movie, but Julie Andrews was nothing like the description or the sketches of Mary Poppins in the original book, which was one of my favorites as a young girl.
Emma Thompson as "Nanny McPhee" came much closer.

MaryPage · « **Reply #3088 on:** January 06, 2013, 07:54:41 AM »

I totally agree with you, Callie.

I think of the (very delightful) film as "Mary Poppins - The Musical," and am still waiting for the movie or movies to be made from the book or books.

Frybabe · « **Reply #3089 on:** January 06, 2013, 08:14:13 AM »

Ok, I'll bite. Why is the movie called Saving Mr. Banks? I never read nor saw Mary Poppins so I doubt this movie would hold any interest for me. I take it that this is a movie not about Walt Disney, per se, but about his efforts to get Mary Poppins on the big screen. I think I would rather see a bio of Disney rather than a focus on one movie. BTW, I was never a big fan of Julie Andrews nor of musicals, so I never saw Sound of Music either.

Babi · « **Reply #3090 on:** January 06, 2013, 10:59:24 AM »

How interesting, MARYZ. A most imaginative choice of inspiration. I love the way
your granddaughter thinks.

I adored the Nanny McPhee films. I wish there was another. My first reaction to
the nanny's appearance was shock and horror, I admit. But when I realized what was happening, I thought the whole concept was terrific.
Oh, FRYBABE. You missed some absolutely wonderful music. Still, you must have
heard the songs from those movies many times. My Dad disliked the unreal kind of
musical where the whole town is dancing down the middle of the street. But he would have liked 'The Sound of Music', I believe, because it told a real story.

PatH · « **Reply #3091 on:** January 06, 2013, 11:35:21 AM »

Quote from: MaryPage on January 04, 2013, 10:47:38 PM

...though why in this world The Hobbit requires more than one movie to tell the tale properly, I cannot imagine.

I can answer that for you, MaryPage. It doesn't. Peter Jackson has stretched it out by adding a lot of background stuff and by ramping up all the action, battle, and chase scenes. The first movie takes almost 3 hours to get us to the rescue by eagles. The battles are exaggerated and improbable and go on forever. It's still worth seeing, though. When he's sticking to the story it's very good indeed, and Martin Freeman, who plays Bilbo Baggins, is excellent.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #3092 on:** January 06, 2013, 01:51:02 PM »

PatH - Martin Freeman would be excellent playing a paper bag

I've read interviews with him and it seems that he is a genuinely lovely person.

We've been watching the box set of 'Gavin & Stacy', a sort of sitcom that was broadcast here a couple of years ago, and which for some reason I didn't watch at the time. It is absolutely brilliant, mostly thanks to Ruth Jones and James Corden, who co-wrote it and appear in it. They are not supposed to be the main characters, but they are just brilliant. It's ostensibly about Gavin, a boy from Billericay, Essex (for which read archetypical chav-land) and Stacy, a girl from Barry Island, Wales (a real life, rather seedy seaside resort). They fall in love, and the resulting interaction between Stacy's Welsh family (including Rob Brydon as her uncle and Ruth Jones as her best friend Nessa) and Gavin's Essex one (with Alison Steadman as his doting mother, Larry Lamb as his sensible father, and Corden as his best friend) is both hilarious and at times quite moving. I'm not sure that the humour would translate well, so maybe it wouldn't be shown in the US.

Rosemary

PatH · « **Reply #3093 on:** January 06, 2013, 02:54:57 PM »

Maybe it wouldn't translate well; what's chav-land?

JeanneP · « **Reply #3094 on:** January 06, 2013, 04:29:44 PM »

Rosemary. Gavin and Stacy sound like my type of show. Will check if it here but doubt it. They have to have been very Popular in UK before they will show them here. Even on DVD. We do pretty good though. I watch a lot of BBC stuff.

I don't have the problem of understanding them. Being Lancashire I can understand what all are saying. People here do have a problem. Even with the humor.

JeanneP · « **Reply #3095 on:** January 06, 2013, 04:42:14 PM »

Well my library does have the Gavin and Stacy's. I ordered Series 1 and 2 but for some reason the No. 3 which is a Christmas Special it will not let me order. Must be that the other lending library only has one copy.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #3096 on:** January 06, 2013, 04:57:51 PM »

Jeanne, I hope you enjoy them. The Christmas Special is the best one I have seen so far - it's a real tour de force by Ruth Jones, James Corden and Alison Steadman. Very funny but also a brilliant observation of real life in 21st century Britain.

Rosemary

JeanneP · « **Reply #3097 on:** January 06, 2013, 07:22:27 PM »

Rosemary.

Now is it still running on UK TV? I just see up to No. 3. Will ask my library to get it for me from the other Library. Mine will most probably buy it once the see it is on demand.

marcie · « **Reply #3098 on:** January 06, 2013, 10:10:38 PM »

My Library doesn't have Gavin and Stacy. I'm sorry because you gave it such a good review, Rosemary.

marjifay · « **Reply #3099 on:** January 07, 2013, 10:12:32 AM »

I just read where Steven Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich) has directed a new HBO film, BEHIND THE CANDELABRA, a story about Liberache. Guess who plays Liberache -- Michael Douglas! Soderbergh says it's a funny film, but he couldn't get any of the major studios to do it, so he turned to HBO.
It also stars Matt Damon (as Liberache's boyfriend), Dan Ackroyd, Rob Lowe, and Debbie Reynolds (who is now 78 years old). This is one I'll want to see.

Marj

marjifay · « **Reply #3100 on:** January 07, 2013, 09:11:47 PM »

Well, we finally got around to seeing the Spielberg film, Lincoln, today. Have to say I was a bit disappointed. I guess I'm just not a big fan of Spielberg. Think he gets a bit maudlin in his films. Like the opening scene where Lincoln is speaking to the two black soldiers, and they repeat his Gettysburg speech to him, and he humbly thanks them. A bit much, we thought. And Sally Field was good, except we got tired of her whining all the time. And I found it difficult to catch a lot of the speaking lines -- they were talking in the manner of their time and with that and much mumbling I missed a lot of the talk. I did think the costumes and scenery were great and made you think you were there back in the 1860s.

Marj

Babi · « **Reply #3101 on:** January 08, 2013, 09:03:50 AM »

I haven't seen the 'Lincoln' film yet, MARJ, but considering the reputation Mary Todd had
for being very difficult, it may be that Sally Field gave an accurate portrayal. I'll let you
know what I think once it reaches the top of our Netflix queue.

marjifay · « **Reply #3102 on:** January 08, 2013, 10:52:35 AM »

Watched the film OUR MAN IN HAVANA from Netflix, and was disappointed. I liked the book by Graham Greene much better.

I'm getting tired of being disappointed in films. I have about 85 on my Netflix queue (altho' some are TV series). There must be something there that I will like, LOL.

Want to see Bill Murray as FDR. Has anyone seen it yet?

Has anyone seen a 2012 film they think is worthy of an Oscar? I was trying to think of one but could not.

Marj

Frybabe · « **Reply #3103 on:** January 08, 2013, 10:58:25 AM »

Michael Douglas as Liberace and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney? Don't know what to think about that.

JeanneP · « **Reply #3104 on:** January 08, 2013, 11:58:30 AM »

Would not be hard to get someone to look like Liberace but Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. Will have to see to believe. Great actor though

MaryPage · « **Reply #3105 on:** January 09, 2013, 10:06:25 AM »

One of my daughters went to see The Hobbit and she advises me that I am correct, I should not go to see it but should buy the DVD when it comes out.

She reports that it is much too long and she had to use the rest rooms before it was over and there was a lot of violence and gore that was not in the book. She thought the movie was "OK" but not wonderful, and on the whole she was disappointed. Like me, she loved the book and did not care for the later series of The Lord of The Rings. Well, who could not adore The Hobbit? I certainly did! But I ask you, THREE MOVIES to do this one charming book? I don't think so.

Becky did not think so, either.

JeanneP · « **Reply #3106 on:** January 09, 2013, 01:34:58 PM »

My daughter took 3 of here older Grandchildren to see the "Hobbit" she didn't care for it and 2 of the kids got bored half way through.

Babi · « **Reply #3107 on:** January 10, 2013, 09:20:05 AM »

I'm afraid that Peter Jackson let his previous success go to his head. It seems to me very
poor judgment to try and develop one small book as though it were a complicated trilogy.
Perhaps he aspires to be the next C. B. DeMille, presenting all the great epics. If he is not
careful he may dig his own professional grave.

MaryPage · « **Reply #3108 on:** January 10, 2013, 10:04:43 AM »

Personally, I always felt The Hobbit would make a perfectly splendid animated film. The descriptions and original illustrations were so adorable, and truly only animation could bring those things to life as my mind pictured them. After all, this IS a fairy tale land, and not real life.

pedln · « **Reply #3109 on:** January 10, 2013, 11:36:12 AM »

Quote

Has anyone seen a 2012 film they think is worthy of an Oscar? I was trying to think of one but could not.

Not yet, marj, but I'm waiting to see Lincoln and Beasts of the Southern Wild, both nominated for best picture, according to the NY Times.

Oscar Nominees

It seems like a pretty narrow list to me, same names repeated over and over. I guess that's the name of the game. I'm glad to see Moonrise Kingdom get in there with a nomination for original screenplay. It was a sweet film, but not best picture quality.

I finally watched The Changeling this week -- from 2008 or 9. I'd been putting it off for some reason. But I really enjoyed it, kept me on the edge of my seat. It was based on a real-life situation -- The Wineville Chicken Coup Murders, set in California in the late 1920's.

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #3110 on:** January 10, 2013, 11:48:26 AM »

A nomination in the Foreign Film category should definitely have gone to "Les Intouchables" which is a beautiful and well-acted film, based on a true story. By the way, it will be out on DVD in March, I think! If you don't mind in French with sub-titles, put it in your Netflix queue.

marjifay · « **Reply #3111 on:** January 10, 2013, 09:42:02 PM »

Tomereader, I think I saw Les Intouchables, but I can't find it reviewed at Internet Movie Database. Was it about a man confined to a wheelchair who hires a black man to care for him and they turn out to be such good friends? If that was the one, and if it was a 2012 film, then I agree, it should have been nominated. Wonderful film.

Marj

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #3112 on:** January 11, 2013, 11:41:48 AM »

Yes,you are correct,marjifay. When I saw it in the theatre, I said "now that will get an Oscar nomination for best foreign film". Must have been some darn good films to beat this one out.

JeanneP · « **Reply #3113 on:** January 11, 2013, 06:39:06 PM »

Not heard of "The Intouchables" Will look out for it.

marjifay · « **Reply #3114 on:** January 12, 2013, 10:59:09 AM »

The Intouchables was nominated for best foreign film by the Golden Globe people. Their awards, I think, will be televised tomorrow, Sunday, Jan. 13.

Marj

pedln · « **Reply #3115 on:** January 12, 2013, 12:54:00 PM »

The Intouchables is definitely one film I want to see. It was previewed on a Netflilx DVD last night and looks really good. Amazon has the DVD, Netflix says they're getting it in March.

Watched Hope Springs with Meryl STreep last night. My friends laughed a lot, I almost fell asleep.

Thanks for the reminder about the Golden Globes. Guess I'll have to tape Downton Abbey (the VCR thinks it's 1992, but it works.)

salan · « **Reply #3116 on:** January 12, 2013, 05:34:14 PM »

I watched Hope Springs last week. I did not care for the movie. I love Meryl Streep and like Tommy Lee Jones. They were good in it, of course; but I had to wonder what possessed them to make this movie. I am not a prude, but I found several scenes in this movie uncomfortable to watch (and rather boring). I was sorry I rented it.
Sally

I have Les Miserables in my que, but haven't watched it yet. Have any of you seen it?

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #3117 on:** January 12, 2013, 06:49:29 PM »

How do you manage to have it in your queue? It only released to Theatres last Friday.

maryz · « **Reply #3118 on:** January 12, 2013, 09:25:17 PM »

Tome, you can put not-yet-released movies in your queue. Netflix will put it in when it is released.

salan · « **Reply #3119 on:** January 13, 2013, 04:31:34 AM »

Tome, I bought in "on demand" for 3.99. It has been downloaded, but I haven't started watching it yet. I was surprised that it was available so early. I have put Life of Pi in my on demand queue, but it hasn't been released yet. My "on demand" feature frequently gets the movies before netflix.
Sally

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Author Topic: Movies & Books Into Movies (Read 590424 times)