Author Topic: Movies & Books Into Movies (Read 591955 times)

Babi · « **Reply #560 on:** March 10, 2010, 08:37:52 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

Ah, okay, FRYBABE. I don't know if I've ever seem one of W' & G', but I must say the
industry is making some excellent animated movies in the past few years. Adults can enjoy
them as much as the kids.

Phyll · « **Reply #561 on:** March 10, 2010, 09:12:01 AM »

Quote from: Babi on March 10, 2010, 08:12:12 AM

PHYLL, what is a 'Wallace and Gromit' movie? (Here I am, unabashed,
showing my ignorance again.) I'm trying to imagine what a movie entitled
"A Matter of Loaf and Death" would be about. Definitely sounds 'tongue
in cheek'.

This can explain it better than I can, Babi. We've been fans of Wallace and Gromit since their first movie and are always impatient for them to make a new one but the movies are a very slow process and take ages to make. The figures are made of a type of clay and the movements are filmed painstakingly in a process they call Claymation. I think if you saw one you might be hooked. Children might enjoy these but they are really made for adults. Not that they have adult content, just that the humor is more on an adult level.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_and_Gromit

bellemere · « **Reply #562 on:** March 10, 2010, 01:39:00 PM »

I thought George Clooney's performance in Up in the Air was marvelous, wish he had won.
didn't care for CrazyHeart, but have to admint Jeff Bridges was very convincing. But the whole theme echoed the movie about Johnny Cash: singer turns alcoholic/addict;' saved by love of a good woman. At least in the old one we got to see June Carter Cash lobbing empty beer bottles at Johnny and Jerry Lee Lewis, and watch Johnny trash a motel rooom All Jeff Bridges did was throw up. always made the trash can or what the college kids call the Porcelain Altar though.

Babi · « **Reply #563 on:** March 11, 2010, 08:00:57 AM »

The link certainly has high praise for Wallace and Gromit, PHYLL. Tho'
I would ordinarily think 'claymation' must be pretty stiff and juvenile,
it obviously is making an impact. I'll have to look into this.
Thanks for the link.

Gumtree · « **Reply #564 on:** March 11, 2010, 09:07:20 AM »

I've tried to restrain myself but I just have to say that I can't stand Wallace and Gromit.

Frybabe · « **Reply #565 on:** March 11, 2010, 10:06:13 AM »

George doesn't like them either, Gumtree, but I do. I don't think George cares for any of the new cartoons. He likes the old Looney Tunes and Disney (especially the original Fantasia).

Gumtree · « **Reply #566 on:** March 11, 2010, 10:10:29 AM »

Frybabe: Now you're talking!

Phyll · « **Reply #567 on:** March 11, 2010, 01:23:37 PM »

Quote from: Gumtree on March 11, 2010, 09:07:20 AM

I've tried to restrain myself but I just have to say that I can't stand Wallace and Gromit.

You don't need to restrain yourself, Gum. We are all different in our tastes....thank goodness! It makes the world, and these discussions, so much more interesting, don't you think?

Gumtree · « **Reply #568 on:** March 13, 2010, 11:43:51 AM »

Have been catching up on movies we've missed - this weekend it was The Jane Austen Book Club - enjoyed it very much. The references to the books and characters and relating them to the movie characters were pretty well done but I think it would be a difficult movie for anyone who doesn't know JA's books.

And tonight a re-run of No Reservations - Catherine Zeta Jones and set in the kitchen of a good restaurant. I never cease to be amazed at the egocentricity of chefs. I like good food and I like good restaurants but the antics of some chefs have me in stitches.

PatH · « **Reply #569 on:** March 13, 2010, 07:04:33 PM »

Gumtree, we read "The Jane Austen Book Club" on the old SeniorNet in 2004. Not only are there character correlations, but also some of the scenes are versions of scenes from the books. Fowler joined the discussion, and was both informative and lighthearted. She was at a book signing in Washington, DC about the time we finished, and met with JoanP, Maryal, Maryal's daughter Susan, and me afterward. She was both gracious and delightful; it was like talking with an old friend about books.

She has written other books , some very different. My favorite is "Sarah Canary", somewhat surreal, starting out in a Chinese railway camp in California in 1873, and ending up in San Francisco.

Babi · « **Reply #570 on:** March 14, 2010, 09:41:57 AM »

Sarah Canary is an interesting name. I'm currently reading a Marion Bradley book with a
heroine named Truth Jourdemayne. Of course, her parents were highly irregular.

bellemere · « **Reply #571 on:** March 15, 2010, 09:18:23 AM »

Missed the wardrobe discussion about girdles, etc. but my most embarrassing moment involved panty hose. Some years ago a colleague of my husband's invited us to his son's bar mitzva ceremony I knew getting dressed up was in order, but found a run in my last pair of panty hose: we stopped at the convenience store and I got a new pair; wiggled out of the old and int the new in the car. We parked in the temple parking lot and I got out, noticing that the other woment were dressed like empresses. One lady tapped me on the arm and said
"Did you drop your scarf?" It was the old pair of panty hose, stuck to the heel of my shoe! Of course I wanted to die. But tucked them into my coat pocket and soldiered on.

Babi · « **Reply #572 on:** March 15, 2010, 09:39:22 AM »

Okay, embarrasing moments. Many years ago the church I attended decided to have the
ladies take up collection one Sunday morning. I was one of those asked to participate. I
cheerfully agreed and dressed especially nice. As I walked down the aisle, static cling from
the rug caused my skirt to draw up and cling to me like a wet t-shirt. After fruitless efforts to
get it to unwrap, I handed my collection plate to someone else and slid into the nearest pew,
red-faced. Never happened before or after. Go figure.

JimNT · « **Reply #573 on:** March 15, 2010, 11:07:17 AM »

Yrs ago I saw the movie Pennies from Heaven and thought it silly and forgettable. At the insistence of son, I've watched it again last wk and then again last eve and made a 180 degree turn about. This movie is truly special and deserves one's rapt attn. Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Christopher Walken, and Vernal Bagneres are simply outstanding and the choreography masterful. It's set in 1934 Chicago and while it depicts the dark, depression era of that time, it does so thru music and dancing. It was a box office flop unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, and I cannot but help feel that it is a movie of enduring quality. Give it a try. I'll be watching it again and probably, again.

Gumtree · « **Reply #574 on:** March 15, 2010, 11:33:50 AM »

JimNT: I used to 'hate' Steve Martin but over the years have grown to appreciate him. Almost all of his films have much more to say than appears on the surface. I haven't seen 'Pennies from Heaven' for years - Thanks for the reminder about it - I'll put it on my DVD queue - one day it will turn up.

pedln · « **Reply #575 on:** March 15, 2010, 10:50:12 PM »

JimNT, I haven't seen many films with STeve Martin, but just did a Netflix look-up for Pennies from Heaven. And interesting to note, there are two film versions -- the Martin one and another that's a British miniseries with multiple discs and episodes.

I just finished watching Defiance, based on the book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec, a true story about three brothers who make it possible for 1200 Jews to live in the forests of Belurus, thus escaping being sent to internment camps by the Nazis. An excellent film, but quite brutal, with both man and nature conspiring to destroy the lives around them. In the March BookBytes that PatW has just sent out someone else mentions reading The Bielski Brothers by Peter Duffy.

Babi · « **Reply #576 on:** March 16, 2010, 08:26:14 AM »

Was that a remake, JIM? I thought Danny Kaye was in the original
"Pennies From Heaven". ....Nope, checked, it was Bing Crosby. As I
remember, I was somewhat disappointed in that one, too.

Me, too, GUM. In his early career, I stopped watching anything with
Steve Martin. Now, though, I find his work much more appealing.

ANNIE · « **Reply #577 on:** March 16, 2010, 04:11:33 PM »

Steve Martin has been one of my favorites for a long time but one has to preview some of his movies. My three favorites--Parenthood--Planes,Trains and Automobiles AND AND??? hmmm, what was the name of that one?

Didn't like "Cheaper by the Dozen".

I also liked John Candy movies and have never seen one that a kid could not watch. I really liked him.

The original Pennies From Heaven was with Bing Crosby, made in 1936: Link--
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028092/

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #578 on:** March 16, 2010, 06:43:30 PM »

I liked Martin in "Bringing Down the House" with Queen Latifah. Cute
movie, nothing you'd have to ponder over, just some light-hearted silliness!

JimNT · « **Reply #579 on:** March 18, 2010, 01:58:08 PM »

Pedin: I haven't seen the British miniseries with Bob Hoskins but I plan to. Interesting side note: Pennies from Heaven got many rave reviews, with the exception of one party. Near the end there appears a scene showing a movie scene of Fred Astair & Ginger Rogers which serves as the backdrop for a Steve & Bernadette dance routine (confused?). Anyway, Fred trashed the movie terribly saying something along the lines that it was a disgrace to the poor people of that era. Fred, of course, was a master.

Octavia · « **Reply #580 on:** March 18, 2010, 11:17:14 PM »

I'm curious to know if anyone else has watched Rachael Ward's first feature film Beautiful Kate?
I thought it was a lovely moving film with a haunting soundtrack, but the subject matter(incest) has turned some people off.
! didn't know when I watched it, that it was adapted from an American book by Newton Thornburg - Cutter and Bone? Having trouble reading my own notes, they made perfect sense at the time, but now they're very enigmatic

.
Rachael has set it in the striking Flinders Ranges in SA. Sophie Lowe is stunning as Kate, and Ben Mendelsohn and Rachael Griffiths are fine actors. Why don't we see more of Mendelsohn, I wonder?

Gumtree · « **Reply #581 on:** March 18, 2010, 11:44:02 PM »

Hi Octavia - Have been wondering where you were. I see you've a cyclone in the offing. Take care.

I haven't seen Beautiful Kate and probably won't - mainly because of the subject matter. As for Ben Mendelsohn - as you say he's good but not seen much - maybe over exposure when he was younger?

Gumtree · « **Reply #582 on:** March 19, 2010, 11:54:01 AM »

And speaking of Ben Mendelsohn - we watched the David Helfgott story 'Shine' this evening - Ben played the young David. He really is an accomplished actor.

Octavia · « **Reply #583 on:** March 19, 2010, 06:05:57 PM »

Shine was a great movie, wasn't it?
I believe any subject is acceptable if it's handled well. All this recent publicity about Alzheimers has brought it out of the closet and made it something we can talk about.
My stepfather treated Mum's illness as something shameful and embarassing and refused to acknowledge it, so she never got the early help that could have made a difference.

Re Ben's early exposure, I spent some large chunks of my life totally isolated from any media, even radio. It shows sometimes

Babi · « **Reply #584 on:** March 22, 2010, 08:19:20 AM »

OCTAVIA, that's an intriguing remark. Care to share the circumstances that isolated you from
the media? That's increasingly rare, since the media has become so all-pervasive.

Octavia · « **Reply #585 on:** March 22, 2010, 07:08:41 PM »

Babi, my husband had a road construction company and a lot of work was in very isolated areas of Queensland. It's totally changed now of course with mobile phones, satellites etc. but in the 60's, 70's and even 80's there were many areas with no reception.
I remember one job site(always set up in bushland) where the men lined a makeshift airstrip holding burning torches to guide the Flying Doctor in to pick up an injured man.
We did have the Flying Doctor wireless but that was only for medical business. They would relay telegrams though, which we dreaded. Interesting times!

Babi · « **Reply #586 on:** March 23, 2010, 08:32:55 AM »

Interesting, indeed, OCTAVIA, and definitely for the young and vigorous.

Thanks for
sharing. I'm often surprised, and delighted, by the wide variety of backgrounds among
all the participants here.

Gumtree · « **Reply #587 on:** March 23, 2010, 11:28:15 AM »

Octavia You made me think of how many times a worried Mum or Dad has lit fires on an outback station runway to guide in the Flying Doc to help a sick or injured child - or stockman.

Octavia · « **Reply #588 on:** March 23, 2010, 05:38:21 PM »

I was really impressed by the medical kit the Flying Doctors gave people. Everything from aspirin to scalpels, all numbered. The doctor would radio "give the patient 2 of no. 28 every 4 hours. No sitting around in crowded waiting rooms

.

Babi · « **Reply #589 on:** March 24, 2010, 08:24:52 AM »

And who, I wonder, would be expected to use the scalpels?

Amazing what you can learn
to handle if you must.

Gumtree · « **Reply #590 on:** March 24, 2010, 10:26:47 AM »

Quote from: Babi on March 24, 2010, 08:24:52 AM

And who, I wonder, would be expected to use the scalpels? Amazing what you can learn
to handle if you must.

Babi -Yes, in the outback it's often a case of 'needs must' I have personal knowledge of one incident involving an appendectomy performed in a very small, remote town on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert. The surgeon was located in Perth and gave instructions by radio to a telegraphist who actually performed the operation in the Post Office of the town almost 2000 miles away. The patient lived to tell the tale.
There are many similar stories - some involve operations performed by non medical people in Antarctica but most such surgery is of minor proportions.

pedln · « **Reply #591 on:** March 24, 2010, 11:10:54 AM »

A few years back we discussed the book about the doctor in Antarctica who developed breast cancer while there and more or less directed her own surgery, backed up by the Internet. Perhaps survival makes its own rules -- you do what you have to do.

I've been in a funk with recent movies from Netflix, rating the viewings with only two or three stars. Finally, saw Up in the Air the other night, and really enjoyed it. An interesting focus, kind of a feel good film even when it wasn't happy. Very realistic (yes), and full of surprises.

Babi · « **Reply #592 on:** March 25, 2010, 08:25:00 AM »

Was that their rating, PEDLN, or the one you gave after viewing. I opt for the 4-5 star movies.
Of course, there are always some highly-rated movies that I still don't care for. It has occurred
to me that critics, who must view so many movies, may give a higher rating to a movie just
because it said something startling or somewhat original. (I doubt if there is anything truly
original left to do or say.)

"needs must", GUM, but my hat (if I wore one) is off to them, anyway.

marjifay · « **Reply #593 on:** March 25, 2010, 09:47:45 PM »

We just watched Up in the Air too, Pedln, and liked it. It was a bit sad, tho'. I like George Clooney. (sexy eyes!)

We just subscribed to Netflix. Don't know what took so long. Love to be able to call up a movie instantly. We were like kids in a candy store for awhile.

Just watched Bill Maher's Religulous and got a big kick out of it. But as an atheist, I like that kind of stuff.

Marj

pedln · « **Reply #594 on:** March 26, 2010, 06:50:05 PM »

Babi, most of the time I don't pay attention to Netflix ratings before watching a film. My stars may be different from theirs. For me, three stars means, ok, nothing super,but not bad. Four stars -- very good really enjoyed it. Five stars --probably watched it all in one night, really super,"couldn't put it down."

I find that I do pay attention to the films Netflix recommends to me -- have picked up more than one sleeper that way.

Marjifay, I love Netlix, have had it for years, but it took along time for my kids to convince me. And tnen, like you, I wondered why.

JoanK · « **Reply #595 on:** March 27, 2010, 01:37:04 PM »

I loved Netflix when I first got it: used it a lot. After a couple of years, I found I wasn't using it anymore, and cancelled. But I think everyone who likes movies should give it a try.

Babi · « **Reply #596 on:** March 28, 2010, 08:16:22 AM »

Netflix provides a lot of our entertainment. Umpteen channels on TV, and there are still many
evenings when everything I'm interested in is a re-run. Even channels like biography seem to
find only gangsters interesting.

Phyll · « **Reply #597 on:** March 28, 2010, 12:10:23 PM »

We've been watching (on Netflix) the episodes of House of Cards, based on books by Michael Dobbs, that were never played here in the states. I love Ian Richardson in this part and thoroughly enjoyed the first of the series that played on PBS back in the early 90's . I was surprised that there were two more seasons that were never offered here, but I found out why....they are really X rated! Don't know why they thought they had to go that way to tell a good story but I'm still enjoying Ian Richardson. He was a wonderful actor and especially good....and evil...in this story that tells how absolute power can corrupt absolutely.

marjifay · « **Reply #598 on:** March 28, 2010, 12:58:56 PM »

Thanks, Phyll, for your review of House of Cards. Sounds very good. I didn't know you could get TV series on Netflix. That's great to know.

Marj

salan · « **Reply #599 on:** March 28, 2010, 05:14:22 PM »

Phyll, I watched and loved House of Cards. I did not know other episodes were made. I really ought to join Netflix again just to get the later episodes. How are they listed? Didn't Ian Richardson's character give you the creeps? He was so evil!
Sally

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Author Topic: Movies & Books Into Movies (Read 591955 times)