Author Topic: Movies & Books Into Movies (Read 591932 times)

marcie · « **Reply #720 on:** July 01, 2010, 01:05:29 PM »

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

marcie · « **Reply #721 on:** July 01, 2010, 01:05:42 PM »

There seem to be a number of Internet outages today and response time throughout the Internet is somewhat degraded. See http://www.internettrafficreport.com/namerica.htm

Babi · « **Reply #722 on:** July 01, 2010, 05:29:03 PM »

I had to leave this am and come back this afternoon. It may very well be weather interference. We are, after all, getting the outlying effects of the hurricane in Norther Mexico. Lots of rain and thunderstorms. Seems to be working find just now.

MaryPage · « **Reply #723 on:** July 02, 2010, 01:21:25 PM »

I am so excited, because a book I simply adored (though not as much as the series of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), The Pillars of The Earth by Ken Follett, has been made into a mini-series film with some great stars. It is made for cable TV and starts July 23 on STARZ. I have not been subscribing to that channel, but called Comcast right away and they have switched it on for me for only $5.00 a month.

As I say, I am very excited!

marcie · « **Reply #724 on:** July 02, 2010, 01:44:25 PM »

It looks like it has some good actors, MaryPage. They have a website at http://www.the-pillars-of-the-earth.tv/

marjifay · « **Reply #725 on:** July 02, 2010, 10:19:46 PM »

I got in on the middle of a movie I'd never seen on the Turner Channel -- THE LOVED ONE, a very humorous satire on the funeral industry, based on the novel by Evelyn Waugh. It's on Netflix, so I'll watch the rest of it. Great cast -- Robert Morse (How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, and lately in Mad Men), Jonathan Winters, Milton Berle, James Cobern, Roddy McDowell, John Gielgud and more -- even Liberaci!

Marj

PatH · « **Reply #726 on:** July 02, 2010, 10:46:34 PM »

Goodness! I totally forgot "The Loved One" had been made into a movie, though I read the book eons ago. What does Liberace do?

marcie · « **Reply #727 on:** July 03, 2010, 12:20:23 AM »

Oh, The Loved One made a great impression on me when I first read it. I don't think I've seen the film. I just found a clip from the film of Liberace as the undertaker in the funeral home at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oymjPBjYLQ

Frybabe · « **Reply #728 on:** July 03, 2010, 07:50:50 AM »

The Namesake is on one of me cable channels this morning. I started to watch it, but I don't really care to watch TV in the morning. The book is still in one of my TBR piles. The good thing about being layed-off is that I am not spending on books to add to my TBRs so I am reducing my pile faster than I am adding for the time being.

Picked up Memoirs of a Geisha at the used book store yesterday. Seen the movie, liked it.

PatH · « **Reply #729 on:** July 03, 2010, 11:31:06 AM »

That clip is a real howl, Ginny. Liberace is perfect in the part.

pedln · « **Reply #730 on:** July 04, 2010, 12:38:17 PM »

The trailer looked interesting, Marcie, even without captions. So now I’ve got The Loved One on my Netflix. I once heard a story about Liberace, and assume it’s true, but I really don’t know. His parents were on welfare when he was growing up in Milwaukee. After he became well-known, the city of Milwaukee sent him a bill for the welfare payments.

Over the past few days I’ve watched a British miniseries, 3 episodes – Melissa -- with Peter Barkworth, adapted from a novel by Francis Durbridge. It runs much like a play, going from scene to scene, as though on stage. Melissa, the wife of an unemployed Fleet Street journalist is strangled one night, and all clues seem to point to her husband (Barkworth) who hasn’t a clue about how to confront the lies being told about him. Quite low-key, no violence, etc. Lots of twists and turns.

I’d never heard of Durbridge before, but he has quite a bibliography of novels and radio and TV shows, especially for his character Paul Temple, novelist and detective.

pedln · « **Reply #731 on:** July 04, 2010, 12:40:54 PM »

Frybabe, re The Namesake -- both the book and film are excellent. Memoirs of a Geisha is in my TBR pile, too. Has been there forever.

Frybabe · « **Reply #732 on:** July 04, 2010, 08:06:50 PM »

Pedln: The station replayed The Namesake later in the afternoon. By that time I was winding down, so I watched the whole thing. I did like it.

Babi · « **Reply #733 on:** July 05, 2010, 08:26:31 AM »

"The Namesake" isn't ringing any bells. What is it about, please?

pedln · « **Reply #734 on:** July 05, 2010, 10:53:42 AM »

Babi, it's a novel by Jhumpa Lahiri about an Indian couple who emigrate to the US and start their family life here. A wonderful story, both novel and film, about cultural and generational differences. Lahiri is mainly a short-story writer -- Interpreter of Maladies, and I think she has a new collection out. I think The Namesake is her only novel.

Babi · « **Reply #735 on:** July 06, 2010, 08:15:32 AM »

Thanks, PEDLN. Completely new name to me.

JoanK · « **Reply #736 on:** July 07, 2010, 04:45:26 PM »

I didn'r realize that Jonathan Winters was in a movie!! A favorite of mine.

maryz · « **Reply #737 on:** July 07, 2010, 04:58:44 PM »

Joan, Jonathan Winters has been in bunch of movies. Check his page on IMDb.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005565/

mabel1015j · « **Reply #738 on:** July 08, 2010, 09:13:57 PM »

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, (etc) World!

One of the funniest movies ever and Winters is hysterical...........jean

pedln · « **Reply #739 on:** July 16, 2010, 11:57:58 AM »

I don't think I've ever seen Jonathan Winters -- I don't recognizd him on that movie site. We lived in Puerto Rico for 10 years when he was pretty active on TV, but we had no TV.

What has everyone been watching lately? I finally saw The Blind Side and it was every bit as good as folks said it was. 5 Netflix stars. Did Quinton Aaron get any awards for his performance? I thought he was amazing. This was my first 5 star film in a long time.

Has anyone seen this new film that just came out -- The Kids Are All Right? It'll probably be a while before the DVD comes out.

And I'm waiting for Babies. The promotional trailer was a lot of fun, but I guess it's not the kind of film that brings in lots of box office rewards.

marcie · « **Reply #740 on:** July 20, 2010, 11:58:44 PM »

pedln, both THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT and BABIES seem like interesting films. I just looked them up online. I'm definitely going to watch them on DVD.

In case you all haven't heard:
We're looking forward to three new Wallander episodes with Kenneth Branagh in October on PBS. If you'd like a set of Mankell books (Faceless Killers, The Man Who Smiled, and The Fifth Woman) for only the cost of postage, please post in our PBS discussion. Limited quantities. First come, first served.

MaryPage · « **Reply #741 on:** July 24, 2010, 02:26:09 PM »

A British writer, Flora Thompson, wrote novels about two imaginery places in England in the mid-nineteenth century: a hamlet called Lark Rise and a small town called Candleford. The BBC has turned these into a television series, and I just purchased the first two seasons from Barnes & Noble online. They are titled LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD.

I can report they are quite wonderful fun. Marvelous acting and superb costumes. Not intellectual, but good entertainment.

The Girl Who Played With Fire has finally come to Annapolis Harbour Center and one of my daughters will take me next Thursday. I am really looking forward to that! Critics have praised it. This is the Swedish version, with subtitles. They have not begun filming the Hollywood ones as yet. Dying to see for myself how they dealt with a lot of the stuff in the book.

JoanK · « **Reply #742 on:** July 24, 2010, 09:41:59 PM »

I hear it is very good, but VERY violent and graphic.

salan · « **Reply #743 on:** July 25, 2010, 07:10:01 AM »

I watched Lark Rise to Candleford on PBS. It was excellent and worth getting if you haven't seen it. Mary, did you read the books and did you like them??
Sally

Babi · « **Reply #744 on:** July 25, 2010, 08:54:32 AM »

"Violent and graphic" is as good as a thumbs down for me. NO, thanks!

Those who saw "Lark Rise...", was it closed captioned? It sounds like
something I would really enjoy.

marcie · « **Reply #745 on:** July 25, 2010, 02:31:29 PM »

I didn't see Lark Rise to Candleford on PBS. I don't know if it was ever shown in my area. It does sound good. Thanks for the information about it, MaryPage and salan.

pedln · « **Reply #746 on:** July 25, 2010, 03:37:21 PM »

Babi, Netflix has seasons 1 and 2 or Lark Rise to Candleford, and they have English subtitles.

salan · « **Reply #747 on:** July 25, 2010, 04:07:02 PM »

Babi, I think you would really enjoy Lark Rise. I'm glad it's out on DVD as I will probably watch it again.
Sally

MaryPage · « **Reply #748 on:** July 25, 2010, 05:58:40 PM »

Lark Rise to Candleford (so named because the young heroine, Laura, leaves her home in the tiny hamlet of farmfolk called Lark Rise for a job in her majesty's post office in the growing town of Candleford, 8 miles away) is, of course, spoken in British English and does have most excellent subtitles. You can also use your closed captioning system if you prefer. It takes place in beautiful Oxfordshire, per the books; but I did not notice where it was actually filmed.

No, I never read those books. Had never even heard of them, that I can remember. And yes, I do recommend the films. You will recognize a lot of the actors if you watch a lot of the British stuff on PBS.

My daughter and I went to see THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE this afternoon. We were going to wait until Thursday afternoon, but decided to do RAMONA AND BEEZUS then and go ahead to The Girl Who today. We both adored it. Keeps pretty close to the book, albeit they had to leave a lot of stuff out, just as they did with the first film, in order to get the main storyline told in a film of decent length. The ending was changed somewhat, but we could both understand why and did not mind. The difference was not substantive.

Babi · « **Reply #749 on:** July 26, 2010, 08:36:20 AM »

Thanks, PEDLN and MARYPAGE. I'll add 'Lark Rising' to my Netflix queue.

pedln · « **Reply #750 on:** July 26, 2010, 08:13:22 PM »

Mary Page, I'm glad to hear the good report about The Girl Who Played With Fire, although thinking about the first film in the trilogy, "adore" would probably not be how I would describe it. But, our local Cineplex has decided to broaden its outlook and carry more foreign films, and it's coming here Aug. 20. Probably the first foreign flick here since Pan's Labyrinth came out.

PatH · « **Reply #751 on:** July 26, 2010, 08:51:14 PM »

Pedln, if you saw it, what did you think of Pan's Labyrinth? I found it very powerful and compelling, but almost unbearably creepy.

JimNT · « **Reply #752 on:** July 27, 2010, 08:23:09 AM »

My oldest son again talked me in to reading a Stephen King book. The Stand holds my attention but it's so lengthy I'm apprehensive it'll continue to do so. He's a "born again" King fan, having all first edition books King's ever had published. I read Dune last year and it was okay, but I'm not tied to any particular author. I would find it very difficult, if not impossible, to rank favorite authors. How does one compare Maryanne Robinson to Cormac McCarthy, both excellent writers and each entirely different? I did see an unusually good movie last week titled Winter's Bone, starring Jennifer Lawrence. If Lawrence doesn't get an Oscar for this performance, not to mention some great supporting performances, then the awards are a sham. Of course, I've never been right before.

MaryPage · « **Reply #753 on:** July 27, 2010, 09:26:11 AM »

I really was uncomfortable with and disliked Pan's Labyrinth. Because of the rave critic's revues, I actually bought the DVD and viewed it that way. Quickly gave the film to my cleaning lady, after loaning it to one of my daughters and having her wish she had not seen it, as well.

The reason we felt we "adored" The Girl Who Played With Fire is that we enjoyed having the heroine WIN in the long run, albeit she was most certainly horribly used and abused. We, as women, enjoyed her refusal to be a victim and her determination to figure things out for herself and swat down and destroy the monsters. You go, Girl, ----- was my strongest emotion.

JoanK · « **Reply #754 on:** July 27, 2010, 04:24:25 PM »

I felt that way too about the books.

marcie · « **Reply #755 on:** July 28, 2010, 12:00:02 PM »

Hi, everyone. Whether or not you've read the book, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, you've likely seen a movie version related to it. We're now discussing anything about the book or film versions in our final week of discussion of FRANKENSTEIN. You're invited! http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=1513.200.

pedln · « **Reply #756 on:** July 30, 2010, 10:27:12 AM »

PatH, I thought Pan’s Labyrinth was an excellent film, but very dark. Yeah, kind of creepy.

Jim, thanks for the input about Winter’s Bone. When I checked on Netflix I found it was based on a book by Daniel Woodrell – who has written a lot of novels. Never heard of him before. It’s interesting to come across these films made from novels and short stories that haven’t made the best seller lists. Schindler’s List comes to mind, as does Brokeback Mountain and The Emperor's Club.

Last night I watched I Am David, with Ben Tibber and Joan Plowright, among others, also based on a novel, North to Freedom by Anne Holm. It’s about a young boy who tries to make his way to Denmark after escaping from a communist camp in Bulgaria. The film has an interesting approach to dialog in the many scenes where the boy is alone. I really liked it and young Tibber did a fine job. Has he played in many films or on TV? This one came out in 2004, so he would be a young man by now.

JimNT · « **Reply #757 on:** July 30, 2010, 05:27:38 PM »

Pedlin: Please let me know how you like Winter's Bone. I, too, have never heard of the book's author but the movie will cause me to look him up. Again at my son's insistence, my wife and I rented The Book of Eli from Netflix. We made it to restaurant scene and I'll have to finish it alone because it's dark and futuristic, neither quality which attracts us. Nevertheless, he sees political ramifications which I must discuss with him. My wife gets a pass. Denzel Washington stars and I've seen few movies with him that I didn't like. This one appears to be among the few.

JimNT · « **Reply #758 on:** July 31, 2010, 10:11:13 AM »

I viewed The Book of Eli last eve in its entirety and must take a 180 degree turn in my opinion. While dark and violent, it's worth watching. For those whose viewing attention lapses at times, as mind does, there's a twist at the end but there are hints for the more astute viewer. Both Jennifer Beals and Denzel Washington perform creditably. Gary Oldman always plays the "bad guy" role enthusiastically.

PatH · « **Reply #759 on:** July 31, 2010, 01:12:55 PM »

I can think of one example of Gary Oldman not being the bad guy. He was Sirius Black in the Harry Potter movies--somewhat disreputable, but not bad.

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Author Topic: Movies & Books Into Movies (Read 591932 times)