At the flicks

Saw The Lovely Bones. Odd and disturbing. I've not read the book, but US critics didn't think Jackson's interpretation fared very well.

I read TLB and loved the book, but I too heard that the movie lost something and wasn't tempted to see it. Talking of 'translations', I loved the book Cold Mountain, but couldn't bear to see the movie, even if it did have JL in it.

Terry, as our resident expert, what say you of these comments? http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2010/apr/23/who-can-save-the-romcom Personally I loved 500(DoS) and don't like this person's disparaging comments about JG-L. However I usually choose to pass on films with JA in them, although I might make an exception for a film starring AE.

I read TLB too and watched the film. The book was so much better but I enjoyed the film even though parts were lost in translation. Much the same with The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas. I guess when you have a small (as in not too many pages) book it is difficult to pan the story out.

I saw Cold Mountain and hated it. I'm sure the book was so much better. The critics said the film was magnificent...the scenery maybe but the rest well...

I was a bit perplexed by Renee Zellweger's Academy Award for Cold Mountain. Scenery chewing at its most shameless.

Saw Crazy Heart. Fairly ho hum movie and I'm always game to watch Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhall. Colin Farrell was a revelation as a country music singer, though.

Mary, re the article, the first problem I have is with including 500DoS in the romcom category at all since it's about unrequited love (even when they were together and happy, didn't she make it clear she wouldn't fall in love with him?). As for the genre, it's been anemic, true, but in general I tihnk the scripts are the problems and not the pairings of the actors. I fell in love with all the characters in While You Were Sleeping b/c of the great cast. The Holiday gave us two great couples for the price of one. CD and JL were smokin' the screen. And for pure chemistry, Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo were way hot in The Thomas Crown Affair. There's plenty more examples. We've talked about them. That writer's an old windbag.

Do you know my brain is not functioning (that would imply that it was at one time but...) I meant Brokeback Mountain...oh sigh oh...I quite enjoyed Cold Mountain now I think of it but still agree about the scenery chewing - great expression Terry...

Must Love Dogs. Another very nice romcom.

Wish I could take credit for "chewing the scenery," Andre, but it is a common idiom in the U.S. Probably coined by a critic to describe Al Pacino (Ex.: Scent of a Woman AND HE WON THE OSCAR, so it obviously has its fans).

Re Brokeback Mountain, I was glad I saw it, but couldn't use the word "enjoy." It was such a brutal movie.

KNEW there was a reason I am still so outraged about Pacino's Academy Award for Scent of a Woman. Looked up what else was nominated that year (1992) and remembered Daniel Day Lewis was robbed -- ROBBED, I tell you -- for Last of the Mohicans. I've said it before but it bears repeating -- best on screen sex scene, fully clothed, EVER (with Madeline Stowe). Not a romcom, but I'll put that pair of movie lovers up against any from the Golden Age of cinema. (Barumph)

Ah Terry, thank you....I defer to, and appreciate, your expert opinion.
Re the book CM. It is the only book I cared enough about to hurl across the room (albeit into a lounge chair)towards the end (you know the bit I mean!). You were WITH this guy for hundreds of pages and months of his life through excruciating traumas...and THAT happens!!!!!!!
I shall have to think about romcom pairings...hm..

I probably wouldn't have aimed for the easy chair. You know how I like my happy endings.

I watched The Singer with my favourite Gerard Depardieu...He's a sweetie in my all time lists. I don't know why but he is so charismatic. Jean de Florette, Manon de Source being some of his best work I feel.

Green Card. Another sweet romcom.

Al Pacino is getting rave reviews for his role of Jack Kevorkian. Maybe he's improving with age?

I saw a pic of him in character in the NY Times. He was made to play that part.

It's Complicated is ... complicated. Not great by any stretch. But some moments of real comedy, and great actors playing nice characters. Worth a watch, IMO.

Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang...have to say I had a tear in my eye at the end...

wooohooo - a few minutes here to chew the cud with the most wisest of women/persons of all things cinematic and pop-cornish....

Now then Terry re It's Complicated...i 'watched' this particular film courtesy of qantas and i omitted to get the headset as i wanted to read a few pages of wolf hall and then the movie started...have you ever watched the meryl with no sound? try it...you'll want to slap her botoxified idiotic gormless grin...although in her defence her expression does waver every now and then - although I wasn't sure of the context (semi-naked baldwin? befuddled steve martin? concerned-looking-youngish-adults-possibly-children-looking suitably-distressed-types?)as it was a silent movie in billy's world...
it was accompanied by a rather tasty vino and arock hard frosty fruit...love youse all xxx

Gday Billy

I spied with my ittle eye at Ikea, a little over a week ago, something beginning with B..
It twas noice to see and chat with you Billy (and your hubby).

Howdy, y'all. Billy, drop in more often. You liven up the conversation so. I've been away from home and computer, getting renovations rolling on house up-coast. First phase of move in a week.
I found The Meryl's performance quite fluttery in Its Complicated. Flying toward Diane Keaton land (Because I Said So being the outer limits of which, I hope!).

Come, come, Ladies..please don't say that no-one has seen a movie, any movie, in the past fortnight? I know Terry has a feeble excuse...moving house.. huh! No stamina that girl! The flix are out there Ladies... Go Gettum!

Okey dokey...saw Precious. Aside from the fact I couldn't understand a word that the character Precious said, I quite enjoyed the film but it didn't captivate me. It tackles some serious issues though and makes you realise just how lucky you are compared to Precious and others like her. Hi Mary, how is your garden growing?

Valentines Day a huge disappointment. Theory must be with enough stars, it's entertainment. So many characters, you couldn't care about them. Most had about as much depth as those in chewing gum commercials.

Don't want to see Precious. I hate domestic abuse movies, particularly when it involves kids.

Good morning, ladies, ditto Terry! Saw the ad for Precious and thought that was enough for me.
My garden is in superlative shape, thank you André. The silver bells are blooming, the cockleshells likewise, and the pretty maids are looking gorgeous!

All in a row?

goes without saying Terry..... they did try to wander, but I stapled their feet to the ground...

Saw The Secrets in their Eyes, this year's Palme d'Or winner. An interesting movie that picks up in the second half.It's a cop/murder/romance if you will....sort of NCIS on steroids.

Mary...have you always participated in the torture of pretty maids? Was the 'all in a row' a line up for NCIS?...I'll inform Gibbs straightaway.

Hey André, well, they wouldn't stay still!!!! Maybe they objected to the smell...do you realise how much animal poo it takes to get cockleshells to bloom???

Anyway, I ventured into the local DVD shop for the first time in many years (back then it was a video store!) and was blown away by the sight of thousands of utterly crap movies. We decided to go all out and get a 6 for $6 per week selection...and we looked and looked and looked....before we finally found 6 movies that we didn't object violently to watching. The point of this rant being that I saw a movie called Eulogy which I thought watchable. It was great value at $1 a week. It had moments of humour and pathos and showed a family so dysfunctional that it made ours look good.

Need more clues, Mary. Too many movies titled "Eulogy."

Re video stores, I feel your pain. Just heard about streaming DVD players. Do you have Netflix or its equivalent there (flat fee per month allows you to order DVDs online)? For the same fee, they're now making a lot of the movies available for streaming to compatible DVD players. I don't exactly understand what this means, but plan to find out when we're settled in the new house (movers come next week).

Staples? Is there a SPCPM?

Hope the move goes well Terry. Now I have to work out SPCPM.