Watched 'The Commitments' again yesterday. I bought the new 2 disk
release. The 2nd disk has all the special features including
commentaries of the director (Alan Parker - 'Mississippi Burning')
and actors/musicians on their experiences making the film 15 years
ago, and the condition of North Dublin then and now. Never been to
Ireland but apparently Dublin is no longer a depressed city, and is
one of the most expensive places in Europe to live.
Second Avenue.
http://www.thecommitments.net/
THANKS for stopping by, I do my best to acknowledge when someone leaves a comment,you do not have to be a member here & everyone is welcome. Ps: This site is monitored but not actively posting on a regular basis. Mostly these are stories & some photos saved from a defunct site known as Verdun Connections which was on MSN Groups initially then on a social network called Multiply.
77 comments:
'Inside Man' with Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster and Clive Owen is
worth seeing.
Second Avenue.
I think the movie 'Crash' was mentioned in an earlier thread. Thank
you to whoever it was who recommended it.
What an incredible film!
No wonder it won academy awards.
Second Avenue.
Denzel Washington Date of birth . 28 December 1954
Mount Vernon, New York, USA Mini biography Tall, strikingly handsome leading man of films and television in the 1980s...
The son of a Pentecostal minister and a hairdresser http://user.pa.net/~joelong/home.htm Steve
This message has been deleted due to termination of membership.
Hey bubbacut..........I just added it to music. Steve
This message has been deleted due to termination of membership.
My original message to you Betty bounced.
I will rent your recommendation for sure.
Bill
Thanks Betty I'll check out your recommendation.
Bill
FYI. Just on certain days I have a minor problem posting on V.C. For
instance today my 'Films' message was bounced back to me and then
mysteriously reappeared on the designated thread hours later.
Sometimes it gets waylayed and posted to a different thread
altogether. No complaint, merely information for the computer savy
members.
Second Avenue.
I enjoyed Bruce Willis and Richard Gere in 'The Jackal' this
afternoon again for the 10th time. I also ordered 'The Day of the
Jackal' so I'll be able to compare the two films against the book.
Its nice to be retired even if it is raining.
S.A.
Watched 'A Dairy of a Mad Black Woman' yesterday and enjoyed it. Love
that black gospel!
I'm into some English TV comedy, so I rented the first season of 'The
Office'. Hilarious. I understand there is an american version on TV.
S.A.
This message has been deleted due to termination of membership.
Walk the Line A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins. In 1955, a tough, skinny guitar-slinger who called himself J.R. Cash walked into the soon-to-be-famous Sun Studios in Memphis. It was a moment that would have an indelible effect on American culture. With his driving freight-train chords, steel-eyed intensity and a voice as deep and black as night, Cash sang blistering songs of heartache and survival that were gutsy, full of real life and unlike anything. Steve
Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005) Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself (1999) Steve
The Day of the Jackal (1973) A professional assassin codenamed "Jackal" plots to kill Charles de Gaulle, the President of France. The bestselling novel by Frederick Forsyth was a prime candidate for screen adaptation. Director Fred Zinnemann brought his veteran skills to bear on what has become a timeless classic of screen... The Jackal (1997) Starring: Bruce Willis, Richard Gere
Director: Michael Caton-Jones
Synopsis: The FBI springs an IRA sharpshooter from prison to help them capture an expert hit man with no known identity.
Runtime: 122 minutes
MPAA Rating: R - for strong violence and language.
Genres: Action, Suspense, Thriller
Country of Origin: France, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, USA
Language: English, Russian. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Steve
Watched the English made 'Day of the Jackal' this afternoon and
decided it was much more realistic than the Bruce Willis 'Jackal'.
Why is it we tend to root for the Jackal? One man against the entire
european justice department I guess.
James Bond 'From Russia with Love' DVD had some insightful audio
commentary about the making of the 007 film, with historical
information in regards to the producers, directors and actors.
Lois Maxwell (Miss Moneypenney) and the co-producer Harry Saltzman
were both Canadians.
The gadgetry in both 1960's films would make today's high school kids
laugh considering our sophisticated tech world, but the older
pictures seem believable to me.
Second Avenue.
I also thought Walk the Line was a wonderful movie. Of course I went out & bought Cash's Legends cd $11.99 at Costco. Carole
Just finished the second series (2002) rented DVD of 'The Office'. I
really enjoy great English humor, and this BBC show personifies this
genre brilliantly. Trust me on this if you will. As the child of an
English mother and an Irish father we all had to learn to laugh out
loud on the avenues of Verdun.
Btw these are two nationalities who have displayed a total inability
to get along with each other for hundreds of years. By all rights I
shouldn't be here I think. Love conquers all. Thanks mom and dad for
my taste in comedy.
Second Avenue.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/theoffice/clips/rickyinterview/
Carole I appreciate the music and poetry of johnny Cash's music too.
Folsom Prison Blues was written as you know when he was stationed in
the air force in Germany. Hard to comprehend where this 21 year old
conjured up that profound insight having never spent a day in jail.
Once in a blue moon this phenomena does occur. Another example that
comes to mind is Stephen Crane's 'The Red Badge Of Courage'. 21 years
old. Never once experienced battle and wrote a powerful novel of the
civil war. Must be nice huh.
Second Avenue.
I rented Walk the Line last night, but was too tired to watch it, but plan to today. This three pack of Johnny Cash Collection cd's are in my car quite often and are listened to a lot......my favorite is Ring of Fire.....................mpu.
Just finished walk the line...well worth watching. .................m.p.u.
No film brings me back to Montreal as does ‘The Apprenticeship of
Duddy Kravitz’. I finally received the DVD formatted copy from
Amazon . It has a few special features, In English and also French
dubbed dialog. I watch the first scenes to wet my appetite, but will
wait until I am in the best possible mood to watch it through;
probably tonight with a hot cup of java -- oh ya!
Mordecai Richler received an academy award nomination for the screen
play I just discovered. After becoming a little familiar with his
personality from the videos (thanks again Les), I bet even money he
insisted on doing the screen play himself or no deal. No wonder this
film was so Montreal.
Second Avenue
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Had to put ‘Duddy’s’ movie on the back burner tonight by majority
rule. Instead I was to have my guts slowly removed by David Lean’s
‘Ryan’s Daughter’ 1970, which always happens to me watching any of
his epic movies.
S.A.
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.
The first 5 minutes sets up the film for Montreal in the 1940s. A
high school marching band. Remember the home made scooters? A orange
crate turned on its end and nailed to a board with roller skate
wheels attached. A piece of wood nailed to the top to steer with.
Everyone I made never steered straight. Pea shooters which we
actually used mom’s peas. Iceman delivering a block of ice. Kids
playing hockey on roller skates, or playing sword fighting with
sticks and garbage can lids as shields. Broken down wooden fences in
the lanes enclosing back yards where parents try to make something grow.
Clotheslines crisscrossing the lanes usually with a large knot to
save rope and the clothes pin bags close by. How about the triangle
flags we put up on our bedroom walls.
St. Hubert Street but it could have been Verdun: The barber shop.
Hair cut 30 cents, shave 25 cents. A vintage Steinbergs van. A horse
drawn wagon doing his business.
Loved the movie and I did enjoy a cup of Kona Java freshly grounded.
Second Avenue.
Hi 2nd ave. You sound like a person from my era. What part of 2ns avd., are you from..I grew up at a time when we all had instant kids to play with at any time of the day. The playground on first ave., The Elmhurst milk wagon driven by horses. The pedlars in the lanes, the icemen, and even our bread delivered to trhe house by Wonder Bread etc. You created many memories for me ,thank you,,,,,,,,,Unscathed Big A
Unscathed, I lived in a bottom flat (457) from 1941 to 1958 when I
joined the navy at the age of 17.
My childhood buddys as I remember them were, Tommy Lawton, Jerry
Trudell, Kenny Harris, Gilbert Shortier (sp), Georgie Vine, Isabel
Macintyre, Bob Goudie.
I married Diane Reiter 3rd Ave.
I went to Bannantyne and VHS.
You and I must have crossed paths.
S.A.
Your mention of BBC calibre prompts me to recommend "The Grid" for fans of MI5, FBI and extremists. A 4 -5 hour BBC series that is out in video stores.......Excellent stuff........George Martin
Just watched ''Unforgiven'' again on Lone Star for the ??? time...can't go wrong with a movie with Morgan Freeman....or Clint Eastwood either I guess. In the credits it said the movie was filmed in various parts of Alberta.
Hi Mpu, I'm not much of a country fan at all, but I love Johnny Cash. He wrote some of the best songs of all time. One ditty that comes to mind is Deliah's Gone. Odd lyrics, but great also Mike
Back in the early 1980's I was on a military course and my instructor was a Lieutenant Colonel Whitelaw who happened to be the Commanding Officer of the army cadet corps from St. Basil Le Grande (south shore of Montreal) that was in the Duddy movie where they are marching down the street and step in a pile of sh.t.
Rented Mrs Henderson last night - very good movie - the week before we rented Broken Flowers - aaaack terrible dull movie. We also rented Their Eyes were on God - not bad.
Watched 'Gone With the Wind' (2 disks) tonight. I'm a glutton for
emotional punishment. The film holds up after 66 years I thought, but
I wont be playing it again for quite some time I hope.
Last night was 'A Brief Encounter' 1945 English, a David Lean movie.
He sure loved dramatic train scenes in his films. Whizzing by at a
100 miles per hour, smoke/steam bellowing out of the stacks. He used
them in many of his films; the one above, Bridge on the River Kwoi,
Doctor Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia.
Well I'm thinking I need to get out more.
Second Avenue.
Saw ''The Sentinel'' tonight, great movie, great acting, GREAT Kim Basinger................... ......mpu
I ordered 2 seasons of 'The Grid'. I usually like British TV. Can't
get enough of 'Masterpiece Theater'.
Watched 'The Sentinel' also -- very 24ish if you seen the TV show
'24' with Kiefer Sutherland.. Good action.
I have an Australian neighbour, and she recommended an aboriginal
film from 'down under'. It's called 'A Rabbit Proof Fence'. They make
some excellent movies, so it is on order.
Netflix sends me 3 films at a time, and has never fail one of my
unusual requests. They have over 50,000 titles, and that is a lot of
movies.
http://www.netflix.com/MemberHome
The 'Da Vinci Code' comes out tomorrow. I will definitely see it. I
enjoy Tom Hanks acting and I loved the book. Read it a few times. At
mass last Sunday our priest suggested if we are going to see it (he
acknowledged we probably will), to realize it is a work of fiction,
and to believe Jesus had a relationship with the Mary Magdalene was
sacreligious (sp). I think the book and the film may bring non
believers to read the New Testament to see for themselves. Either way
it is interesting times for Hollywood.
Second Avenue.
Tom Hanks http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/davincicode/international/ Steve
Hi Second Ave, I read the book too and thought it was a good thriller but overrated by all the hype and attention it received from the Vatican. It made Dan Brown a multmillionaire and hey I'm for anything that makes writers rich 'cause most of us work at other jobs 'cause the eatings better. It is fiction though, but then in its day, can we also say the same for the bible? Why are the priests so nervous? Don't they have faith in their flock? It is all very interesting and intriguing.. I will see the movie though because I adore Tom Hanks and Ron Howard, the director. Dolly
Hi Dolly, I'm not an apologist for the Catholic Church, God knows it has taken some well deserved knocks the last 30 years or so. I have to wonder what it is like to hear the calling to sacrifice your life to the priesthood, and then discover your marriage to the church has begun to crumble around the edges. Scary.Here on the windward side of Oahu, we have 3 churches with only one frail elderly priest. He staggers the mass times on Sunday so he can service all three. There are also weddings, funerals, confessions etc. whew! The Vatican is doing it's best to survive I'm sure. Check the library out, if you will, for 'The Changing Face of The Priesthood'. It's all there.I agree with you, it is a mystery why the Da Vinci Code book is so popular world wide. Could it be similar to 'Pet Rock' or the 'Mood Rings' craze years ago?I will be in attendance for the opening of the 'The Da Vinci Code' movie. I anticipate the Opus Dei albino assassin will be well casted. My mouth is already watering for the popcorn with extra butter. Second Avenue.
Why is 'Opus Dei' in huge print above??
S.A.
IT MAKES ME WONDER HOW ALL THESE SO CALLED INTELLIGENT PEOPLE CLAIM THAT THIS BOOK OF FICTION WILL MAKE THEM THINK. Surely they must have had a thought of their own in the past. The scarey part of all this is that some people only retain that which they read last....Let,s hope that it can be of some use to soome..............Unscathed big a
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Very interesting ......... Bill, watch out for albino monks. Somethings going on here.
Cheers. Enjoy the movie. I think I will too.
BobB
The large type isn't what I had intended. Too weird.
S.A.
Does make you wonder, eh?
BobB
Hi Gang!
I think it is absolutely great hearing all about Verdun, mostly from before I was born. Both of my parents are from Verdun. My dad grew up on the avenues and my mom grew up in Crawford Park (where we live now.)
Dad attended St. Thomas Moore , Mom Crawford Park School and then Verdun High School (Protestant).
This is so very awesome to be learning about the history of the place I love to be. I look forward to reading the emails every day! :-)
As for me, I left Montreal for a little to live in Virginia Beach, VA, but missed it so much I came home...
Have a great day everyone!
Lindsay
Lindsay Chartier (daughter of Gilbert Chartier and Gail Adcock)
musiklover@hotmail.com
Hi Lindsay: Are you related to Benny Chartier?.....Dianne
Hi Lindsay,
What years were you attending VHS? I have an impression you are much
younger than I. I went to high school during the 50s, and grew up on
2nd Avenue. I did visit Verdun last summer for the first time in 30
years or more, and it brought up so many memories of days gone by. I
wouldn't mind renting a place on the avenues for a month or so. That
would be a fun experience.
S.A.
Well at 10 A.M. H.T., 4 P.M. Montreal time I'll be queueing up to see
'The Da Vinci Code'. I've been waiting for over a year for the
opening. I will go without any expectations one way or another.
There has been lukewarm reviews so far. A radio film critic claimed
today, if a film is opening world wide on the same day its a
stinker. The reason is there wont be any chance for the bad news to
spread before they recover some money on opening day. 'The Da Vinci
Code' is opening everywhere today. I'm still going -- I bought the
tickets yesterday.
Second Avenue.
Hi Bill
I'll be iinterrested in hearing your comments. I saw it yesterday at a preview screening. Someone gave us a pass for the movie. Having read the book, I missed the detail from the book (that's to be expected) and was puzzled by changes in a couple of places. I'll say no more.
BobB
This message has been deleted by the author.
I thought the albino monk assassin Silas (Paul Bettany) was good, but...
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0519/p11s02-almo.html?s=widep
i didn't find the book DULL....
There are many true facts in the movie. For instance there was a man named Jesus who lived during the time of the Roman occupation of Jerusalem. His execution by Roman crucifixion and the events leading up to it has been documented in the ancient writings of the Greeks, Romans, Jews, in both secular and religious sources. Whether Jesus was the Son of God is a matter of faith in the bible.
The book The Da Vinci Code takes a few select passages from the ancient writings in the Dead Sea Scrolls (found in 1947) and constructed a fantasy story. There were many off shoots of the early church hundreds of years after the death of Christ. which had there own belief systems and literature. I'm no historian but I think this is correct.
After seeing the film I have no idea why the Vatican was sweating it out if that is true, and I do not doubt it. My priest told the congregation two Sundays ago to go see the film if that is what you want to do, but remember it is a fictional story. Anyway it will probably bomb financially, and disappear into the deep caverns of the Hollywood celluloid vaults along with ''The Last Temptation of Christ'.
Now this picture ought to do well at the academy next year, 'Akeelah and the Bee'
http://movies.about.com/od/akeelahandthebee/a/akeelahkp042006.htm
Second Avenue.
Saw the movie tonight, a good movie based on a good book...no more, no less. Tom Hanks in my opinion is still at his prime, I don't understand what all the negative hype is about...................... m.p.u.
M.P.U maybe our expectations of 'The Da Vinci Code' were too great,
because of all the hype for a year or more. I am buying the DVD as
soon as it comes out. Mainly for the special features. Looking back I
think one aspect which bothered me about the movie were the
irritating close-ups, but that is probably just me.
Watched 'Good Night and Good Luck' tonight. George Clooney wrote,
directed, and stared in the film. Not my cup of tea, but well made.
Second Avenue.
I forgot to ask. Are there mutiplex theaters in Verdun now? And if so
where are they?
S.A
S.A. I don't know if Verdun even has any theatres left, I will have to check, I doubt very much if they have any mexaplexes as they are called here. I live in Deux Montagnes where we have a 14 screen ''Guzzo'' cinema. In St.Eustache there is a 16 screen cinema, but very rarely any english movies. Not far in Laval there is a huge ''Famous Players'' complex, and then a bit further in Ville St.Laurent or the West Island there are tons of cinemas. I will check into what there is in Verdun. As far as the DaVinci code, I thought it was good, not too long as I had heard from somewhere, I was disgusted by the albino monk, I found the ''toe-tapping in the fountain'' at the end quite a cheap stunt to an otherwise beleivable movie. My biggest question after leaving the cinema was......are there only one actor (Jean Reno) in the industry that can play the part of a French cop?????? It seems that way. Just like when there is a movie involving an American Indian it seems that Graham Greene is the automatic choice. Both great actors in my opinion, just wondering why there are not more newer faces being introduced. mpu
This message has been deleted by the author.
Well I was wrong. 'The Da Vinci Code' has broken box office records
in Europe. No other film has made more money on opening day there
than this one, ever. It was humongous in Italy. I think the hype was
effective this time especially in Europe, and the U.S. film critics
were were stunned.
"Domestically, Code generated the thirteenth biggest Friday-to-Sunday
opening ever and the second best bow for a non-franchise film after
The Passion of the Christ which debuted to $83.8M following a
Wednesday launch in February 2004."
http://www.boxofficeguru.com/weekend.htm
Watched the Billy Wilder classic 'Sunset Boulevard' 1950 again for
the umpteenth time. I never seem to get tired of it. The academy
chose 'All About Eve' to win the best picture for 1950, only b/c
'Sunset Boulevard' exposed the cruel under belly of Hollywood,
according to the DVD commentary.
Gloria Swanson and Eric Von Stroheim, pretty much played themselves.
Has-beens from the silent movie era.
Glen Close who did the Broadway musical version, said the 1950 movie
was a genuine classic, and could not have been improved upon. However
she is making a S.B. movie this year. She can also play crazy.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/4671777.stm
Second Avenue.
I sent my above take to my buddy Sylvia and she responded below:
S.A.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Whereas "Sunset Boulevard" exposed the cruel underbelly of the
Broadway Stage??? Both concerned half-mad actresses. I don't know
if I agree with the commentator's assessment. Look at all the
reasons tossed out there about why "Crash" won this year.
I don't know if anyone really ever knows what the academy voters are
doing or why. In all my years in the industry, the determinining
factor--if there ever is one--especially between two films which are
pretty comparable as these two are--is often the previous Oscar
nominations/wins of the director, stars, producer, etc. Many times,
the award goes to someone who just missed getting one a year or two
before to "make up" for that loss.
Other than that, I don't think there ever is any one thing you can
cite as to why one film wins over another, or one performance. The
academy is a group of 5000 egos, some who take their AMPAS duties
serioiusly, others who have their secretaries fill out their ballots,
many who vote for their friends, others who vote against their
enemies, but nearly every vote is based on emotion as well as the
quality of the work. IMHO, of course. As I said, no one really knows.
Found the book and the movie a notch below good, maybe a B plus. However, I found Brown's "Angels and Demons" a much better read........an A. ......Sonny Martin
"My biggest question after leaving the cinema was......are there only
one actor (Jean Reno) in the industry that can play the part of a
French cop?????? It seems that way. Just like when there is a movie
involving an American Indian it seems that Graham Greene is the
automatic choice. Both great actors in my opinion, just wondering why
there are not more newer faces being introduced. mpu."
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
MPU.
Casting is an true art if it works, but b/c of the hundreds of
millions invested, the studios are overly cautious with the stock
holder's money (and their movie making careers) by taking a chance of
an unknown face. Which is no secret. Some faces become tiresome I agree.
Anyway I always am thrilled when an 'independent' produces a film
which becomes a sleeper of the year. 'Brother's McMullin (all
unknowns) was such a hit, and made for a pittance $25,000. A side
note, the theme music was Sarah McLachian's 'I Will Remember You'.
'Easy Rider' was another independent block buster. As we know there
have been hundreds.
Today I re-watched the 2 disk set 'The Irish Empire'. A documentary
of the Irish immigration to Canada, U.S., South Africa, and
Australia. . So much to watch and enjoy and so little time.
Second Avenue.
It's the birthday of poet Allen Ginsberg, born in Newark, New Jersey
(1926). He fell in love with the poetry of Walt Whitman when he was
in high school, after hearing his English teacher read a passage from
Whitman's "Song of Myself" to the class. He later said that he would
never forget his teacher's "black-dressed bulk seated squat behind an
English class desk, her embroidered collar, her voice powerful and
high ... so enthusiastic and joyous ... so confident and lifted with
laughter."
He went to Columbia University, planning to take pre-law classes and
become a lawyer like his brother, but he switched his major to
English after taking a Great Books class from the critic Lionel
Trilling. He fell in with a group of poets and artists that included
Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, and William S. Burroughs. They read
poetry to each other and took drugs and had all-night conversations,
and sometime in the late '40s they started calling themselves "Beats."
When Ginsberg was twenty-six years old, he was sitting in his
apartment in Harlem when he suddenly had a vision of William Blake.
He told friends and family that he had found God. He said, "My body
suddenly felt light, and [I felt] a sense of cosmic consciousness,
vibrations, understanding, awe, and wonder and surprise. And it was a
sudden awakening into a totally deeper real universe than I'd been
existing in." But Ginsberg still wasn't sure that he wanted to be a
poet after he graduated from Columbia. He worked as an apprentice
book reviewer for Newsweek magazine for a time, and then he spent
five years working for an advertising agency in an office in the
Empire State Building. In 1955, he and his psychiatrist decided he
would be happier writing poetry. He took six months of unemployment
insurance money and moved to San Francisco, where he became part of
the poetry scene that included Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen, and
Lawrence Ferlinghetti. In October of 1955, he read his poem "Howl" to
a large group of people at the Six Gallery in San Francisco. It was a
huge success, and it launched a writing career that lasted over forty
years.
"Howl" begins, "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by
madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the
negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix, angelheaded hipsters
burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in
the machinery of night ..."
Ginsberg wrote, "I want to be known as the most brilliant man in
America ... who sang a blues made rock stars weep ... who called the
Justice department & threaten'd to Blow the Whistle / Stopt Wars ...
distributed monies to poor poets & nourished imaginative genius of
the land."
He said, "Poetry is the one place where people can speak their
original human mind. It is the outlet for people to say in public
what is known in private."
Ahh Ginsberg. I was fortunate to see him at U of T's Convocation Hall a number of years ago. It was probably about a year before he died. Quite an event for an English Lit and music freak like me.
BobB
When I was about twelve or thirteen the Fifth Avenue Theater in
Verdun was playing 'The Robe' 1953. I could never afford the price
of admission so I never did see it nor did I have any idea what the
story was about. I realized it was a biblical epic b/c of the
colorful posters of the very first CinemaScope.
Well Friday I finally got to see it for myself (Netflix), and I was
surprised a mere ROBE was a central part of the story line It only
took 53 years to clear that up.
Were children restricted from such movies back then? Maybe I wouldn't
have been admitted even if I had the money. Quo Vadis was another
5th Avenue movie I waited 53 years to see.
Somewhere in the back of my mind I recall that way back when, not sure of the era, possibly 1940's or there about, there was a fire in a movie house in Montreal and many children died as a result. So the city or the province banned children from movie houses for years. My friend Maureen and I use to go to the movies at the Frist Presb. Church and one Saturday we decided to try to get into the 5th Ave theatre which we did and we saw Cat on a Hot Tin Roof featuring Liz Taylor and Paul Newman...pretty mature subject matter in those days, however by todays standards very, very tame stuff. Youth...what a wonderful time that!........Dianne
The fire was at the Laurier Theatre in the 30's, and there was a panic and many children trampled, the number of 34 dead sticks in my mind, this is from history I wasn.t around at that time. Gordo
Dianne & Gordo, this is a clip that someone else posted a while ago, and I saved it.......... ,,,probablt the fire you were refering to.
Watched ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ tonight. It was an interesting story.
Most of the actors were chinese. I wonder why.
A touching final voiceover of the movie:
You cannot say to the sun, “more sun.’’ Or to the rain, “less rain.”
To a man geisha can only be a half wife.
We are the wives of nightfall.
And yet, to learn of kindness, after so much unkindness. To
understand that a little girl with more courage than she knew, would
find her prayers were answered.
Can that not be called happiness?
After all these are not the memoirs of an empress, nor a queen. These
are memoirs of another kind.
Bill..you seemed to enjoy so many books...we just finished reading 'MARLEY & me' ..you must love dogs to really enjoy this goofy dog, we can relate to some of his habits when we had 2 golden retrievers........ lots of good laughs in it! cookie
Second Ave, I too am a fan of Netlex and will add both those movies to my list. The old classics are so often better than todays movies Ruth
Cookie, When this book Marley & Me came out, the morning man on CHOM radio kept talking about how great a book it was, he even called up the writer and spoke to him for a while. It did sound to be a great read. I haven't made an attempt, as I am still only a few chapters into The DaVinci Code (I started before the movie came out), and only a few chapters into a french book about Nathalie Simard. I fall asleep after a few minutes, so a book can last me months... ...Ralph.
It's the birthday of filmmaker Billy Wilder, born Samuel Wilder in
the town of Sucha, which is now part of Poland (1906). He came to the
United States after Nazis took power in Germany in the 1930s. He
learned English by going out on dates with any American woman who was
willing, and started writing screenplays for Fox Film Corporation.
He went on to become a director because he got sick of watching his
best dialogue get cut from the movies he worked on. He made all kinds
of movies: musicals, comedies, dramas, but most of his movies are
about hypocrisy. His first major success as a director was Double
Indemnity (1944), and he also directed Sunset Boulevard (1950) and
Some Like It Hot (1959).
I watched this English film (DVD) 3 times over the weekend, once with the director's commentary. I enjoyed Robert Lang the best of the cast although they were the best of the best of the English stage. Timothy Bateson, the doorman, stole many a scene with only a look. The Director Dan Ireland is a Canadian. The movie was made in England for less than a million dollars! Elizabeth Taylor wrote the novel from which the film was based. A struggling young writer befriends a lonely old English lady. She becomes his surrogate grandmother. It reminded me of my dead mother. A beautiful story indeed.I loved it!
"Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont" - Casthttp://www.mrspalfreythemovie.com/castbios.htm
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