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What Movies Have You Seen Lately?

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fljustice
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Post by fljustice » Wed February 1st, 2012, 4:04 pm

I'm a primary widow (hubby working on CBS election coverage) so use those nights to catch up on movies he isn't interested in. Florida primary movies were the Swedish language versions of The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Fascinating story, well acted. One of my favorite thing about this foreign series is that the actors look like real people. They aren't all Hollywood pretty. The lead man has a rough complexion and one eye smaller and higher than the other. The women (for the most part) are middle-aged with wrinkles, sags and non-perfect hair. The women police and prison guards are tough cookies who looked like they could take care of themselves.
Faith L. Justice, Author Website
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annis
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Post by annis » Wed February 1st, 2012, 6:48 pm

I thought the Swedish movies based on the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy were brilliant, and to be honest I couldn't see why anyone would feel the need to replicate them. Thet were perfectly understandable with subtitles and I was intrigued by how just many words were familiar - Swedish being one of the Germanic languages related to Englisc, I guess it's not too surprising.

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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 » Wed February 1st, 2012, 7:29 pm

[quote=""SonjaMarie""]Or Buffy, Angel :)

SM[/quote]

I've seen parts of both.
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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LoveHistory
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Post by LoveHistory » Wed February 1st, 2012, 8:41 pm

Haven't seen Buffy or Angel, or Dollhouse either for that matter, but count me as another Alan Tudyk admirer. He was great in Death at a Funeral and A Knight's Tale.

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donroc
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Post by donroc » Thu February 2nd, 2012, 12:21 am

Saw the Tattoo trilogy Swedish version. Each well done. No need to see any other version. Agree with the above take on casting.

The books in translation break every so called writing rule: Plenty of passive verbs, beaucoup adverbs, long expositions--telling -- POV switching, long paragraphs filled with he and his -- I did not mind at all but wonder if an agency saw them as manuscripts by an unknown writer would the trilogy be accepted as-is or recommended for cutting if not rejected?
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Bodo the Apostate, a novel set during the reign of Louis the Pious and end of the Carolingian Empire.

http://www.donaldmichaelplatt.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXZthhY6 ... annel_page

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DianeL
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Post by DianeL » Thu February 2nd, 2012, 1:19 am

[quote=""Nefret""]Yes, Alan Tudyk is hilarious. I think he was also in Dollhouse, which I have not seen.[/quote]

Indeed he was, and I actually watched that series and accidentally bought it digitally (I thought I was getting the special inter-season ep, and bought the whole thing - whoops - but not TOO expensive an error). I had a mixed reaction to the show, discussed here and here. Now that enough time has passed for me to digest it and be able to focus, some of what had me swinging from the rafters at the time feels more like contrivance - BUT I still recognize the unique entertainment value of Whedon's work. Provocation and entertainment done well enough to engage like this show did me are not thick on the ground, and the questions his shows beg if you keep your brain active are often intriguing ones.

I won't reverse myself and say Whedon's work ages poorly, but it'd be no surprise to say the intensity of first-time viewing can never be recaptured - so when I do watch the show now, it is strictly an entertainment for me. Even that, though, is more than a lot of TV has to offer. And Dollhouse had WRITERS. Those are hard enough to find in the age of Reality Cable I'm willing to value 'em even when the results may be uneven.
"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

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SuzyQ
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Post by SuzyQ » Fri February 3rd, 2012, 12:48 am

I love Alan Tudyk! I saw him in a play in NYC - "Prelude to a Kiss" - a couple of years ago and waited backstage to meet him. He was absolutely fabulous!

I'm not a huge Joss Whedon fan, but I absolutely loved "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog."
Currently reading A Celt in Rome

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Brenna
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Post by Brenna » Fri February 3rd, 2012, 4:14 pm

I watched "You Again" last night. All I can say is, I wish the mean girls from my high school watched this movie!
Brenna

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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 » Fri February 3rd, 2012, 5:21 pm

[quote=""SuzyQ""]

I'm not a huge Joss Whedon fan, but I absolutely loved "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog."[/quote]

That was hilarious!
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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LoveHistory
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Post by LoveHistory » Sun February 5th, 2012, 4:43 pm

Watched Across the Universe and The Men Who Stare at Goats. The former was, um, interesting. Incredibly talented cast (didn't know Evan Rachel Wood could sing) and great music but...I think some of the 60s is just lost on me. Don't get "I Am the Walrus" at all. Were they just high when they wrote that or is the walrus supposed to have some kind of symbolism that I'm missing?

TMWSaG was funny, and kind of sad at the same time. I find it really interesting that Ewan MacGregor, who was Obi-Wan Kenobi is in another film where he's identified as a "Jedi." Great cast, good writing. Found myself wondering if the desert scenes were filmed in Nevada. Was nice to see goats in a movie, that doesn't happen often and it reminded me of raising them when I was young.

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