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Post by ptcaffey on Oct 3, 2006 3:44:23 GMT -5
"Booklady: Are you recommending that I give GGR another viewing?"
Probably not. But if you get a chance to see it on stage, as a play, do that.
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Post by juliastar on Oct 3, 2006 7:07:53 GMT -5
Why does hottie, in the female context, have to go with age 22? Was there something about Charlotte that had to be 22? One can be 40 and inexperienced. And, in my mind, one needs a pulse to be hot. How about we flip it, Kathy Bates opposite a male aged-22 hottie?
If they make it, I will go. Well, maybe not. For me, the characters either have to move forward (significantly enough to be measured) or we have to understand a little of why they didn't / couldn't. Comedy or tragedy. I don't care who you cast if you don't make that bargain.
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Post by booklady on Oct 3, 2006 18:26:42 GMT -5
J*, I mean no offense, but I wonder, are you ever moved by an opposing argument? If PT can't convince you that a movie has quality, there is no hope. He's got me rethinking Glengarry Glen Ross. But maybe I'm just shaky in my mind. Or maybe that's a topic for another thread: Why Argue?
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Post by juliastar on Oct 3, 2006 20:18:41 GMT -5
Excuse me, but I wasn't arguing, I was discussing, disclosing a little of the secret of who I am and listening to the secret of who someone else is in the context of artistic taste where there is no right or wrong.
As one woman to another, why do you suppose you need me to let PT have the last word?
Every criticism you say of me could be reversed and be just as true. If j* can't convince PT that Lost in Translation is narcicisstic and self-indulgent, there is no hope.
Is this a gender issue?
PT is the one who challenged my worst choice movie pick in opening this thread and you aren't accusing PT of being argumentative for having an opinion that varies from the one I expressed first.
Note to PT -- I didn't mind. I was having fun. Until now.
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Post by ptcaffey on Oct 3, 2006 22:00:29 GMT -5
//J*: Was there something about Charlotte that had to be 22?//
In both "Lost in Translation" and "Harold and Maude," we see befuddled and confused youth taking lessons from older and wiser ones. That's the story. One could write a movie about Kathy Bates, 58, meeting Bill Murray, 56, but it wouldn't be the same story. It could still be funny and touching (see "About Schmidt," where Bates is paired with Jack Nicholson) but it would be different. Bill Murray made that kind of movie next, with "Broken Flowers," where he was paired with "ex-girlfriends," including Sharon Stone (age 48), Jessica Lange (age 57) and Frances Conroy (age 53).
More than a few critics have knocked Sofia Coppola's work for being both "narcissistic" and "self-indulgent," especially in regard to her new movie, "Marie Antoinette." They accuse her of having the limited viewpoint of a privileged, rich girl, and I suppose she does. But I also see a bit of gender-bashing going on here. Coppola favors young female protagonists in her films in an age when central characters in movies are almost always male. She has explored this sensibility in a unique way, in both her first film, "The Virgin Suicides," and in "Lost in Translation," which does contain, as Booklady points out, autobiographical references (e.g. Giovanni Ribisi plays the slightly spacey "Spike Jonze" character, Sofia's ex-husband; Sofia did spend time in Tokyo with her father, who appeared in Japanese liquor ads with Kurosawa, etc.).
"Marie Antoinette" has been both praised and panned, but I'm looking forward to it. Hope is alive.
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Post by booklady on Oct 4, 2006 5:04:39 GMT -5
Julia*, argue/discuss. Take your pick. I didn't mean "argue" as in "fight." "Why discuss?" works too. That was my question, which you answered. It really wasn't a value-laden question, or a gender-based one, just one of curiosity.
To me, discussions, whether about movies, politics, reporting, or debate styles, are opened because people have points they want others to consider, and because they want to know why others feel the way they do. I don't really care who gets the last word, as long as all the words in between the first and the last make good points and inform. I like to share my opinions, yes, but I'm more interested in the thinking behind them, which the thinking of others can often help challenge and develop.
I apologize for offending you. My curiosity was best kept to myself in this case.
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Post by mike on Oct 4, 2006 5:27:29 GMT -5
A disappointing flick... The Way We Were
What was the point, other than to cash in on the popularity of Robert Redford and Barbara Streisand? Nothing wrong with the acting or the cinamatography... but, the story sucked.
The Story:
Redford is a carefree but talented writer who can get any chick he wants. He loves to hang out with his friends, tell stories, sing songs, crack jokes and get drunk. (I like this guy).
Babs is a bit on the homely side, politically engaged, stubborn, and thrilled to bed a dude like Redford.
The rest of the movie is centered around their incompatibility and fighting. Then they split up and live happily ever after.
Boring.
However, I did love the theme song.
That's my two cents,
Mike
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Post by Jane on Oct 4, 2006 6:54:10 GMT -5
I hate it when a movie is made based on a charming children's book, and the movie takes all the charm right out of it. "Charlotte's Web" is a case in point. An utterly lovely little book, beautifully written and funny and touching--the movie removes all of it and makes it a pedestrian talking-animals cartoon with no there there. So too other of White's books, Harry Potter (the books are so much better), "Anne of Green Gables". And, quite possibly the worst of all, that horrid TV show of the Little House books.
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Post by slb2 on Oct 4, 2006 9:24:35 GMT -5
Jane, which Charlotte's Web do you mean? The video we have made eons ago is very endearing, just like the book. I have heard that there's another one out. Maybe you're referring to that? But your point is well taken. Although I love the BBC movie  of Persuasion. By crackers, but that movie is delectable! I taped it, hey, maybe I'll watch it today! I haven't watched TV in years, save for a weather report of if I'm giving Ace a backrub and he's watching it. Right after I do an interview. I'm procrastinating on an investigative journalism story that I have in my writing queue. |
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Post by ptcaffey on Oct 5, 2006 1:58:03 GMT -5
There's a live action adaptation of Charlotte's Web, starring Dakota Fanning, opening soon.
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Post by Jane on Oct 5, 2006 7:13:13 GMT -5
Oh, great, just what we need. Precocious little twit. I like my books to be books and my movies to be movies. (Although you can't get much better than "Sophia's Choice" with Meryl Streep. But "The Great Gatsby" with Robert Redford? Give me a break!)
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Post by booklady on Oct 5, 2006 15:47:23 GMT -5
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Post by Jane on Oct 6, 2006 16:47:31 GMT -5
I know. I read the book first and made sure I left during the "choice" part of the movie. It was devastating. It is an amazing book.
Tangent: What movie made you cry the most? "Sophie's Choice" "Gorillas in the Mist" "In America" "The Hours" "Brokeback Mountain" *Sob*
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Post by mike on Oct 6, 2006 18:10:03 GMT -5
I'm sure that most everyone cries when Glen Campbell dies in "True Grit". Of course, I also get choked up when John Wayne's horse dies. They just don't make movies like "True Grit" anymore... what a shame.
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Post by Gracie on Oct 6, 2006 19:04:32 GMT -5
I know. I read the book first and made sure I left during the "choice" part of the movie. It was devastating. It is an amazing book. Tangent: What movie made you cry the most? "Sophie's Choice" "Gorillas in the Mist" "In America" "The Hours" "Brokeback Mountain" *Sob* "Sophie's Choice" ripped me to pieces. How could you ever make the choice, and how could you live with whatever the choice would be....Styron is an incredibly powerful writer. "The Hours" brought me to my knees, not the least of reasons being that I adore Ed Harris (who has been described as the 'intelligent, thinking woman's sex symbol'--which explains it!  and because I felt sorrier for the small boy than his tormented mother. You had to wonder what this would do to him...and then, of course, you learn. And "Brokeback Mountain," which I watched again just last weekend, broke my heart. ALL the characters lost, in the end: the two men who wanted each other and were not free to say so, the wives they hurt, the children, the girlfriends. I think that Heath Ledger did some of his finest acting, right up there with his work in "Monster's Ball" (though such a small part) because his words were so few... and his eyes, and body language said so much. About to watch "The Lake House" with my Grizzy.....if you haven't seen it, and you like romance, you should. But only if you can suspend disbelief: if you can't, you won't like it--you can't sit there and think, wait, this can't be happening. Just fall into it and let go...it's beautiful. |
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Post by booklady on Oct 6, 2006 21:30:01 GMT -5
I loved Brokeback Mountain. I held my emotions in check while watching it, letting it play out, not sure where it was going or where it would take me. As soon as the credits began to roll, I burst into tears and sat sobbing in the theater for a long time. I could have cried a lot longer than I did, but forced myself to stop and leave. That has never happened to me before, although several have hit me hard in their final scenes -- Schindler's List, Terms of Endearment, Steel Magnolias, Field of Dreams. Yes, Field of Dreams. I have Unresolved Issues with my father.
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Post by ptcaffey on Oct 7, 2006 2:48:37 GMT -5
I'm sure that most everyone cries when Glen Campbell tries to act in "True Grit".
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Post by mike on Oct 7, 2006 19:46:38 GMT -5
What! PT, how dare you! Glen played the part of Texas Ranger La Boeuf perfectly. Remember this unforgettable interchange between Campbell and The Duke?
LaBoeuf: What are you doing?
Rooster Cogburn: Lookin' for sign.
LaBoeuf: You couldn't see it if you saw it.
Now, that's acting!
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Post by ptcaffey on Oct 7, 2006 22:26:21 GMT -5
Fill your hand with lead when you say that.
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Post by slb2 on Oct 8, 2006 0:18:19 GMT -5
Crying movies:
"The Gathering" w/ Ed Asner
"The Philadelphia Story" w/ Tom Hanks
"Alive" about a crash in the Andes mountains
"My Side of the Mountain" w/ Beau Bridges and ?? I forget! I can see her face, though.
I love movies that make me cry.
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Post by mike on Oct 8, 2006 5:55:17 GMT -5
Fill your hand with lead when you say that. My father used to say that my pants were filled with lead. |
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Post by slb2 on Oct 8, 2006 10:49:10 GMT -5
heh, heh. And now look what they're filled with!
Oo, la, la!
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Post by joew on Oct 8, 2006 11:56:26 GMT -5
LOL, PT. Never saw the movie, but the line is worthy of Dorothy Parker. I'd exalt you for it, but I can't right now because I just smote someone.
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Post by Gracie on Oct 8, 2006 17:50:18 GMT -5
Crying movies: "The Gathering" w/ Ed Asner "The Philadelphia Story" w/ Tom Hanks "Alive" about a crash in the Andes mountains "My Side of the Mountain" w/ Beau Bridges and ?? I forget! I can see her face, though. I love movies that make me cry. OH! I LOVE "The Gathering"!!!! I wish they still showed it every year at Christmas like they used to. And remember "The House Without a Christmas Tree"? with Jason Robards? "Philadelphia" was just wrenching.... And you're trying to remember Marilyn Hassett. She played Jill Kinmont in the 'Other Side...' movies. |
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Post by hartlikeawheel on Nov 17, 2006 0:17:06 GMT -5
I always cry during "Terms of Endearment." And when a group of "the girls", all of us sentimental social worker-type souls, went to see "Steel Magnolias" one of us started to cry during the opening music! There wasn't a man in the house and by the end of the film you never heard such sobbing. Some wimmins were actually gasping out loud. Hillarious.
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Post by hartlikeawheel on Nov 17, 2006 0:19:07 GMT -5
"Plan Nine From Outer Space" is supposed to be the worst movie ever made. It is the last Bela Lugosi was in before he died.
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Post by Gracie on Nov 17, 2006 9:50:40 GMT -5
It IS. Grizzy loves old B movies and even he has to admit this one is a grade Z. Most of Ed Wood's WERE! and this one was so titled because the previous EIGHT incarnations had been so bad!!
We saw one once in college though, seeking some brainless entertainment after finals week. It was called "Night Patrol" and was billed as comparable to the Police Academy movies, which I had never seen but most of our gang loved and hey, the tickets were only a dollar. (Should have tipped us off a bit.....)
It was SO bad...that there was a moment when a joke was made that caused the entire audience to groan. Yes, that bad. And the actor onscreen who had just delivered the line looked INTO THE CAMERA and said, 'Oooooooooooohhhhhhh yourself!" THEY knew how bad it was.
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Post by mike on Nov 17, 2006 18:16:38 GMT -5
A friend of my wife's loaned her "The Da Vinci Code" on DVD and we watched it last night. After the first hour, I was so bored and disappointed that I went to bed. I suppose that it gets really good after the first hour, but I'll never know that.
Thumbs down on "The Da Vinci Code"
Mike
Movie critic and wine taster
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Post by hartlikeawheel on Nov 18, 2006 14:01:00 GMT -5
I picked the book Sophie's Choice for summer reading once and have yet to get through it. When I drop into that quicksand of the book review section toward the front I bog down bigtime.
Loved the movie.
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Post by booklady on Nov 18, 2006 15:42:55 GMT -5
I just bought a used copy of Memoirs of a Geisha. I liked the movie, but friends who read the book said it (the movie) was terrible in comparison to the book.
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Sneezy Member
of Persuasion. By crackers, but that movie is delectable! I taped it, hey, maybe I'll watch it today! I haven't watched TV in years, save for a weather report of if I'm giving Ace a backrub and he's watching it.
