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What Movies Have You Seen Lately?

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Nefret
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Favourite HF book: Welsh Princes trilogy
Preferred HF: The Middle Ages (England), New Kingdom Egypt, Medieval France
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Post by Nefret » Sun June 22nd, 2014, 1:09 am

Going to see Pirates of the Caribbean tonight. Because of Commodore type reasons.
Into battle we ride with Gods by our side
We are strong and not afraid to die
We have an urge to kill and our lust for blood has to be fulfilled
WE´LL FIGHT TILL THE END! And send our enemies straight to Hell!
- "Into Battle"
{Ensiferum}

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Madeleine
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Post by Madeleine » Sun June 22nd, 2014, 10:41 am

Watched "The Lincoln Lawyer" on Friday - excellent.

Also ploughing through the last two Harry Potters - watched Part 1 and it was Ok but so much in the dark!
Currently reading "Mania" by L J Ross

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fljustice
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Post by fljustice » Tue June 24th, 2014, 4:54 pm

Continuing with the BAM indie movie fest, I attended the premier of They Came Together, a satire of the romcom format starring Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler, directed by David Wain (Children's Hospital and Wet Hot American Summer fame). This was a funny send up of all the usual tropes delivered in a sly style with nods and winks to the audience. For me it had the advantage of being filmed in Brooklyn as a stand in for the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I got to recognize my new (as of 10 years) neighborhood masquerading as my old neighborhood. :D Added bonus, the director, two principal stars and two supporting stars did a Q&A afterwards. As with all in this series, it's an indie film. It will have a limited theatrical release and be On Demand. If you have the opportunity, check it out.

(Embarrassed to say, it took me over a week of seeing the title in print to get the double entendre.) :o
Faith L. Justice, Author Website
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fljustice
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Post by fljustice » Wed June 25th, 2014, 3:21 pm

Third up in the cinema fest: I Origins, written and directed by Mike Cahil--a moody scifi/supernatural fantasy set in (where else?) Brooklyn and Manhattan (with a short bit in India). Beautifully filmed, well acted--looked more like a major motion picture than an indie. My major complaint was the blurb that got me there in the first place which seemed focused on the science part. I was looking forward to a movie featuring science as a major part of the plot and got a lot of supernatural fantasy instead. Again, a good movie for it's genre and would highly recommend it to X-File fans (I like The X-Files and other supernatural fantasies, I just don't like my science adulterated with it).
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DianeL
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Post by DianeL » Wed June 25th, 2014, 11:15 pm

I actually read a bit about Double Indemnity, after finding it so frustrating.

Apparently, Stanwyck's ugly look was intentional - it was meant to be a cheap/phony look. So in its way, I guess that was effective - but ... I still would say that either McMurray needed to appear more desperate to get a little leg (it's implied he's not unaccustomed to tumbling clients - so why would he need the trashy murderess?) OR her cheap look has to be more alluring, for the entire plot to make sense.

Hilariously, Paramount's head honcho apparently called her George Washington in that wig ... but doesn't that highlight the fundamental problem here? When there is NOTHING appealing about a woman, why would a guy not otherwise in the straits of sexual tension murder for her?

Okay, shutting up now.
"To be the queen, she agreed to be the widow!"

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fljustice
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Post by fljustice » Fri June 27th, 2014, 4:11 pm

Highlight of the festival for me: NY premier of Snowpiercer directed by Joon-ho Bong (The Host). Stars Chris Evans (Captain America), a nearly unrecognizable Tilda Swinton, John Hurt (of everything), a surprising dramatic turn by Octavia Spenser, Ed Harris as visionary Wilfred, and Korean actor Kang-ho Song. This is a dark dystopian tale of environmental disaster and literal class warfare on a perpetually traveling train called the Snowpiercer, that carries the last remnants of earth's life (based on a French graphic novel). Cinematopogphy and art direction are superb (imagine filming inside sets that are the size of a train car). The story is filled with twists, occasional humor (the scene set in the school car was absolutely precious), and delivers with the ending. It's being released nationally today--recommended!

Added bonus was the Q&A afterwords with Director Bong, co-writer Kelly Masterson, and actor John Hurt. A Korean co-producer acted as interpreter for Bong. Wonderful insights into the creative process, working with an international cast and crew that didn't understand each other's language, and wrangling with American distributors who wanted a different ending (we saw the "director's cut" and that's what will be released). John Hurt was an absolute delight with spiky gray hair, a luxurious mustache, and sockless loafers. He shared a number of funny stories including Swinton's choice to recreate a hated nanny right down to her teeth and Yorkshire accent. Altogether a satisfying evening.

Only one other indie movie I'm interested in, but it's 9:30 this evening and I tend to run out of energy by then. We'll see...
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Madeleine
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Post by Madeleine » Sat June 28th, 2014, 10:48 am

How fantastic, getting to see John Hurt - he's a national treasure here.
Currently reading "Mania" by L J Ross

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DianeL
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Post by DianeL » Sat June 28th, 2014, 4:26 pm

Madeleine, he is here too. :) I LOVE him to bits.
"To be the queen, she agreed to be the widow!"

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The pre-modern world was willing to attribute charisma to women well before it was willing to attribute sustained rationality to them.
---Medieval Kingship, Henry A. Myers

***

http://dianelmajor.blogspot.com/
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fljustice
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Post by fljustice » Sun June 29th, 2014, 3:34 pm

[quote=""Madeleine""]How fantastic, getting to see John Hurt - he's a national treasure here.[/quote]

The Q&A with directors, actors, and crew has been a highlight of this festival. A was soooooo surprised that John Hurt showed up. I adore him. It's one of the first times I regretted having a plain phone (rather than a "smart" one). I would have loved to get a picture. <sigh> I was forced to be a New Yorker (famed for ignoring celebrities) rather than fan girl. :o
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DianeL
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Post by DianeL » Sun July 6th, 2014, 8:47 pm

Speaking of national treasures, my PBS channel on the Roku streaming box came up with a BRILLIANT new show this week: "Vicious" starring Ian McKellan and Derek Jacobi. It is close to live theater (including a pretty obtrusive laugh track), a wonderfully old-school sitcom about the two of them as lovers for 48 years, and their fantastically well-played friends. I cannot wait for more, especially Violet!!
Last edited by DianeL on Sun July 6th, 2014, 8:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"To be the queen, she agreed to be the widow!"

***

The pre-modern world was willing to attribute charisma to women well before it was willing to attribute sustained rationality to them.
---Medieval Kingship, Henry A. Myers

***

http://dianelmajor.blogspot.com/
I'm a Twit: @DianeLMajor

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