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9022. Jenerator - 2/27/2014 11:37:01 PM Judith,
I will definitely check out Carnage. You are the second person to recommend it. Thanks. :)
Alistair,
I think you'll enjoy 12 Years A Slave. It IS a more civilized, nuanced story and the acting and directing (as well as costuming and set decoration, etc.) are top-notch. I suspect you will leave feeling depressed, but the movie resonates. 9023. judithathome - 4/25/2014 7:40:23 PM Here's a chilling look at what could easily be a huge problem in the not too distant future...Young People Don't Know How To Have A Conversation
Recently I stood in front of my class, observing an all-too-familiar scene. Most of my students were covertly—or so they thought—pecking away at their smartphones under their desks, checking their Facebook feeds and texts.
As I called their attention, students’ heads slowly lifted, their eyes reluctantly glancing forward. I then cheerfully explained that their next project would practice a skill they all desperately needed: holding a conversation.
Several students looked perplexed. Others fidgeted in their seats, waiting for me to stop watching the class so they could return to their phones. Finally, one student raised his hand. “How is this going to work?” he asked.
9024. Ms. No - 4/26/2014 6:59:29 PM I thought Tarantino handled Django masterfully. It's absolutely a blaxploitation revenge flic, BUT it also has some incredibly stark moments of "Hey, I know you're enjoying all this bread and circus and I sure enjoyed making it, but at the end of the day I have a message for you: There are no words for how incredibly wrong this part of our history was. Full stop. Now, back to the blood geysers and one-liners."
When it counts, he really makes it count. The most visceral scene of the movie shows you nothing: no blood, no gore, no nudity. The focus is on an individual who then becomes the representative for an entire people. It's the least explicit moment in the film and the one that is most arresting. 9025. arkymalarky - 5/18/2014 3:44:43 PM on my way to the IMAX to see Godzilla. Can. Not. Wait. 9026. judithathome - 5/18/2014 6:12:00 PM You have my sympathy! 9027. arkymalarky - 5/18/2014 6:41:38 PM EVERYTHING a great Godzilla movie should be down to the very last second. Fantastic! 9028. alistairconnor - 5/21/2014 5:06:02 PM Jen, I saw "12 years a slave" recently, and you're right, I liked it. A powerful historical document. The lack of catharsis, of bad guys getting theirs, stems directly from its accuracy -- it is an autobiographical account, and (though I haven't read the book) seems to be an accurate transcription. This makes the structure unsatisfactory in terms of film, but that's because real life is like that... Northup was betrayed by people he trusted, he didn't act heroically, the bad guys got away with it, and people wonder why there are unresolved racial tensions in the USA... 9029. arkymalarky - 5/21/2014 10:08:28 PM As opposed to the resolved ones elsewhere.... 9030. arkymalarky - 7/14/2014 4:21:52 AM I just love Napoleon Dynamite. 9031. arkymalarky - 7/14/2014 4:22:14 AM I just love Napoleon Dynamite. 9032. Ms. No - 7/14/2014 4:12:51 PM Watched The Professional last night with my folks --- they chose it and had never seen it before. I had forgotten how much I liked it -- and how funny it was.
I was also pleased because one of my current favorite bands, Alt-J, has a song titled after a line from the film and I hadn't realized it until I watched it again.
"This is from Matilda." 9033. wabbit - 7/14/2014 10:16:57 PM Jean Reno, be still my heart...I've had a crush on him forever. It's beyond explanation.
9034. Ms. No - 7/14/2014 11:41:29 PM What's to explain? He's infinitely appealing. And that voice! 9035. judithathome - 7/15/2014 7:01:51 PM Those French guys will get you every time.... 9036. Ms. No - 7/17/2014 4:41:34 AM Ah, yes, I still vividly remember my trip to France at 16 and being at a bonfire near a river in the hills above Annecy. I was having a pleasant evening with my traveling companions when we heard a hail from across the water. It was too dark to see, but soon thereafter Olivier rose from the waves like some Greek Adonis.
The evening got much more than pleasant.
sigh 9037. arkymalarky - 7/18/2014 1:22:54 AM en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Reno
wow, his birthday is the same day as mine! 9038. wabbit - 7/18/2014 7:31:30 PM Ha!
The voice, sigh. Hey, how about a Kickstarter campaign to get him to read the phone book for half an hour... 9039. arkymalarky - 7/18/2014 10:08:19 PM you know some celebrities do voices for GPS....I heard somewhere that Snoop Dogg has done it. I love his voice. I would love to have him on GPS. 9040. arkymalarky - 7/18/2014 10:08:56 PM not that it's sexy, I just love it. 9041. wabbit - 8/11/2014 12:01:52 AM As anyone who knows me knows, I am not much of a television person. I especially dislike the so-called "reality" shows. I cannot stand the kitchen shows (some on PBS excluded), the hillbilly shows, the fashion shows, the survivor shows, the wives shows, the dating shows, the roommates shows...I can barely get through the commercials and often change the channel to avoid those. They all seem to require a meanness for entertainment purposes that escapes me entirely. Of the US shows, the only one I can stomach is the one where people travel around the world in teams. I like it so much I can't remember the name and haven't seen more than three episodes ever. Even so, at least it isn't a show for bullies and cheats.
I enjoy nature shows, some of the DIY shows (Holmes on Home is a favorite), art shows, Live at the Met...
With that bit of background established, I'm catching up on what I think is one of the best reality shows going - educational and entertaining - BBC's Top Gear. Two of the three hosts, James and Jeremy, have just bequeathed the "worst car ever" to the third, a 2002 Lexus SC480. They stole his mustang (1960's vintage, starting it with a teaspoon) in exchange. I'm not a car person, but I enjoy this show.
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