September 29

Carol Frank, Betty and Florrie correctly identified "No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world." coming from Dead Poet's Society.

Try this one;

""Don't kid yourself Francesca. You are anything but a simple woman."

In Theaters:

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - This is a sequel to the original Wall Street movie starring Michael Douglas once again. He is made for the role of Gordon Gekko. This story takes place eight years later with its main theme being revenge. I won't give the story away, but it was quite engrossing. At times it was a bit technical about stocks, buying on margin and leverage, but the story of the father, daughter, future son in law and how they enact their revenge is quite interesting. It does combine the news of the day; the downfall of Bear Sterns/Lehman Brothers into the plot. Josh Brolin plays a bad guy which he does well. I am not a fan of Shia LaBeouf and felt he was miscast. Susan Sarandon has a brief role as does Eli Wallach. The movie is long; just over two hours and I did look at my watch once. If you saw the first film, like Michael Douglas (who is looking more and more like his father as he ages) and are interested in the world of trading, this film is for you.

The Closet (Le Placard) - This was my final foreign film for the course I took from OLLI. It is a delightful French film about how a mild mannered man saves his job by pretending to be something he is not. It is set in contemporary Paris and shows typical French life at the workplace. The stars are not familiar to the American audience except for Gerard Depardieu in an unusual role. It does have subtitles, but it is worth putting on your cue.

DWTS Update:

I sometimes wonder why successful people go on this show. Do they really need the money? Michael Bolton embarrassed himself with his jive on Monday night and although Bruno was a bit harsh, he did deserve to go. In my opinion, in the next two weeks, The Situation and Margaret Cho will be dancing their swan song. Turn in next Monday and decide for yourself.

Might be of Interest:

I know I told you about the website groupon with its daily coupons. Here is another; it's a website called www.livingsocial.com. I am registered with them as well as groupon and another called specialicious whose email I do not know, but you could google it to find out. They all work the same way. They send you coupons each day for a variety of services from restaurants to hair salons to entertainment. Check it out for yourself.

There are so many good movies coming out in the next two weeks, I am sure I will be seeing another this weekend.

Roberta

September 22, 2010

Carol Frank, Florrie, Betty correctly identified "Which one of you nuts has got any guts " coming from One Few Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Try this one:

"No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world."

On Netflix:

A Single Man - Colin Firth was nominated for best actor for this film about a man grieving the loss of his lover. It takes place in the '60's and although Firth is a favorite of mine, I did not like this movie. It is very slow and the ending blew me away. If the rest of the film was like the end, I would say Wow, but for just a shocking ending it was not worth my time, but see it for yourself and make your own decision.

Das Leben Der Anderen (The Lives of Others) - Once again I am taking a foreign film course at OLLI and this was the first showing. It is marvelous. With German subtitles, this story is set in the former East Germany in 1984. At that time the country was ruled by the secret police, the Stasi. It is an involved tale about a state security captain who is ordered to monitor one of the country's top playwrights and his actress girlfriend. Why he is ordered to do it, what he finds out, what he does with the information adds up to a well crafted story. It is very long; more than two hours, but worth the watch. It won the 2006 Academy Award for best foreign language film. Do yourself a favor and rent this one. You won't be sorry.

An easy read:

Lowcountry Summer by Dorothea Benton Frank - This is not on the level of the other books I have read with my other book clubs, but it was an easy read and one that allowed me to peek into the life of a Southern belle. The main character's inflexibility during most of the novel was annoying, but I did enjoy the descriptions of the land. Not one to put on the top of your reading list, but a good beach or airplane read.

DWTS Update:

Well week one is over and although David Hasselhoff was in my bottom rung, there were three others that were just as bad or worse, but here is my take as of now (not necessarily where they landed on the leader board)
My leaders are: Jennifer Gray and Brandi
Just below and in the middle for me: Audrena Patridge, Kyle Massey, Rick Fox and Kurt Warner
Those we will be saying goodbye to soon: Bristol Palin, Margaret Cho, David Hasselhoff, Florence Henderson, Michael Bolton and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino

Other thoughts: I loved watching Jennifer Gray dance. She brought back Baby of Dirty Dancing and was so elegant. Brandi seemed to be having a ball while remaining in character while she danced. I had forgotten she played Cinderella in a made for TV outing many years ago. Audrena was first out and did a fine cha cha. The judges and audience liked the guys: Kyle, Rick and Kurt more than I did although they made a respectable showing. For those in the bottom, I thought the judges rated Palin too high as she was so stiff. I really don't like this Mike guy at all, but since he is on the Jersey Shore show, I am sure he will be with us for a number of weeks. Margaret was disaster. There is a time to be funny which Louie's former partner did, but did it so much better. I am really disappointed as I love her role on "Drop Dead Diva." David Hasselhoff can't dance, but Florence Henderson still has some life in her at 76. I really don't have anything to say about Michael Bolton. He was just vanilla. Hopefully the judges and the public will agree with me. We will see.

Although it has been glorious weather here on the east coast, keep watching the movies and the new TV season.

Roberta

September 17

Florrie, Yolanda, Alison, Lucy, Mark correctly identified "I'm going next. So if ole' fat ass gets stuck, I won't get stuck behind her!" coming from The Poseidon Adventure.

Try this one:

"Which one of you nuts has got any guts?"

On Netflix:

Please Don't Eat The Daisies - I can't quite say an oldie but goodie. I watched this as I am facilitating a Doris Day retrospective at OLLI with Carol Flicker. We've already showed Pajama Game to great raves and thought our next movie would be a romantic comedy. I certainly would not describe this film as a romantic comedy. I do know it is based on the book written by Jean Kerr about her life with her critic writer husband Walter Kerr and their four boys. The eventually had six children. It was also made into a TV series in the 60:s running for two seasons. This film was distributed in 1960, but it seemed older. The plot was not dynamic and I felt there was lack of chemistry between Doris Day and David Niven. It is interesting to note that Janice Paige is in the film as the sexy siren. Paige was passed over for the role of Babe she created on Broadway in Pajama Game which was given to Day. I am anxious to hear the comments from our class when we show it in a few weeks.

On Netflix and Instantly on Computer and through Wii:

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - As I said in my last entry, I just finished this novel and now wanted to see how the Swedes dealt with it on film. This is the Swedish version, with subtitles. The American version is in production now, but I don't know the release date. Even at almost two and a half hours, lots of the book storyline was left out or condensed with a line or two. The film focused on the mystery and its solving. It was interesting to note that flashbacks to Lisbeth's past were not in this novel, but I believe in the next one. It was done well and tastefully. The violent sex scenes were done with a minimum of "in your face" graphics, but you certainly got the terror the victims were going through. If you haven't read the book, you will enjoy it as a good mystery film. Although I do not know the actors, they did a good job with the roles especially the actress playing Lisbeth.

On the Lifetime Network (now I believe On Demand):

The 19th Wife - As many of you remember, I recently finished reading the novel this movie is based upon. Lifetime on cable had a premiere of this film this past Monday so I am sure they will be repeating it throughout the month. Once again, although they did a good job, for someone who read the book it was a bit disappointing. I realize if they had included everything in the book, the film would have been at a minimum of three hours long so what they decided to do in the 90 or so minutes they had (I DRVed it and the two hours was a little more than 90 minutes) they focused on the modern day murder mystery of the novel. The historical part was a very limited flashback as the main character read her book. Many characters were eliminated from the film and the main character, Jordon Scott, had a complete personality change. Most of the actors were people you know, but never know their name. The male lead was played by the same young man who played Rory Gillmore's boyfriend in the "Gillmore Girls" and is now Alicia's foe in "The Good Wife." It was enjoyable, but I think if you didn't read the book you would like it better.

For those of you observing Yom Kippur this weekend, have an easy fast.

Roberta

September 13

Betty, Carol Frank, Yolanda, and Florrie correctly identified "Sometimes I don't know where the bullshit ends and the truth begins." coming from All That Jazz.

Try this one:

"I'm going next. So if ole' fat ass gets stuck, I won't get stuck behind her!"

On Netflix and HBO:

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past - Since I wanted something mindless to do, I watched this movie starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner and Michael Douglas. It is a take off on A Christmas Carol. This time a playboy is shown the light as he sees his love life past, present and future and in the end changes his ways. Whenever I see Jennifer Garner I always wonder what her appeal is. She doesn't sparkle and has an unusual look. Her acting is so so, so why does he land so many parts. Michael Douglas really looks his age, although he is dead in this film, but why he chose this vehicle is a wonder to me. He should stick to roles playing the evil villain like his upcoming sequel to Wall Street. Cute movie, nothing to think about.

On Netflix and instantly through Wii and on the computer:

Formosa Betrayed - Teresa Lin recommended this film that was very thought provoking. This film is based on actual events. FBI agent Jake Kelley (James Van Der Beek of "Dawson's Creek") investigates the murder of a Taiwanese American professor. He goes to Taiwan to pursue the killers, but is thwarted by the government. It was very eye opening and gave you an insight into what was happening in Taiwan. As I researched the film, I found that it was made by donations from Taiwanese American communities across the country. The movie is about the past and present struggles of Taiwanese Self-Determination Movement (Taiwan Independence) against the authoritarian regime of KMT (The Chinese Nationalist) in the past and the Chinese Communist aggression posed on the island, Formosa. This movie revealed the roles US government played and how past administrations dealt with these issues. This movie is not allowed to be broadcast in Taiwan by the KMT party. As a film, it was a bit disjointed. The action goes back and forth from present to past and back to present again. See it for yourself and make up your mind about it.

Interesting read:

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - This is the first novel in the trilogy about the computer savvy Lisbeth Salander who helps solve an interesting mystery with Mikael Blomkvist a journalist. The beginning was a bit slow. It is also hard to keep all the family members straight, but the mystery was intriguing. There is quite a bit of violent sex described in the book, but it was germane to the story. It is well written and will hold your interest once you get into the heart of the book. The ending set the stage for more books to come. A few of my friends did not like the book, but some of them loved it and I must say I fall in between. I had a hard time getting into it, but once the mystery took hold, it held my interest to the point that I want to read his next book in the series The Girl Who Played With Fire. I would recommend you read it and then decide for yourself. Netflix has the Swedish version on instant viewing. I plan on watching it tonight so I'll let you know what I think. An American version has just been cast. Daniel Craig will be playing the male lead, and Rooney Mara of Nightmare on Elm Street will be Lisbeth.

I am finding there are not many movies out right now that have me anxious to see, so I will catch up on old ones. Some movies for the fall have possibilities and of course next week the regular TV networks unveil their new season. I'll have lots to say about them.

Roberta

September 2, 2010

Mark Bunney and, Gil get partial credit as they only said Star Wars while Alison Westfall (a new joiner) and Betty gave the entire title Star Wars Return of the Jedi when identifying which movie contained the quote "He's more machine now than man; twisted and evil."

Try this one, a bit harder:

"Sometimes I don't know where the bullshit ends and the truth begins."

As I said in my previous post, Sarah and Amanda were staying with us and we traditionally go to the "cheap" movies near GMU each summer. This year The Karate Kid was playing so soon on Netflix and in some theaters:

The Karate Kid - It is a wonderful movie for children and adults alike. The story is a good one, the scenery is breathtaking and the actors are quite good. Jaden Smith, son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, is a good young actor and Jackie Chan, as his mentor, is quite believable. Put this film on your list for a good movie for the whole family to enjoy.

On Netflix:

The Bounty Hunter - A number of people warned me that this was a lame film and by and large it was. Jennifer Aniston can't seem to find a good vehicle to highlight her comedic talents. Gerald Butler is a pleasant enough guy, but his character was not well written. The story is predictable and the mystery is solved with limited explanation. It seemed like the writers ran out of steam. Was it horrible, no. Is it worth almost two hours of your time; perhaps.

DWTS Update:

Well the new contestants have been announced and they are an interesting group. For those of you who don't know yet, here is this season's line-up:
Bristol Palin (who is getting the lion's share of attention), Brandy (pop singer), Jennifer Grey (Baby from Dirty Dancing - probably one to watch), Margaret Cho (comedian and actress on one of my favorite shows "Drop Dead Diva"), Audrina Patridge (from "The Hills" I have no clue who she is), Florence Henderson (Brady Bunch Mom, but musical comedy actress might still have the chops), David Hasselhoff ("Baywatch" and former judge of "America's Got Talent"), Kurt Warner (retired NFL quarterback), Rick Fox (ex-NFL player), Kyle Massey ("That's So Raven" kid brother) Michael Bolton (singer I am surprised he is doing it) and finally Mike Sorrentino of" Jersey Shore." Although I tend to get frustrated with this show, it is one of my guilty pleasures. It premieres on Monday, September 20.

TV alert:

Those of you who read The Nineteenth Wife might want to set your DVRs to 9:00 p.m. Monday September 13 on Lifetime as they show the first run movie of this novel.

To those of you who will be celebrating the Jewish New Year this week, Happy New Year. To those of you staring a new school year, have a great beginning.

Roberta