The Last Movie You Saw On DVD or VHS or TV.

AND
- Angel-A (2005), really nice French noir with heavenly undertones
- Hard Ball (2001), I expected nothing from this film and indeed it was one cliché after another, but still it was not bad.

21- With an always ultra professional Kevin Spacey, 21 is about a professor who recruits some genius college students to make money in Vegas. A good time was had by all!

AND
- Lonesome Jim (2005), wrongly promoted as a romantic comedy, the protagonist character is depressing rather than funny
- The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), passable oddball comedy
- Doom (2005), too dark, I didn't see a thing for half the time

OMG paasky! How could you not LOVE the Tennenbaums!!!??

Yeah on Lonesome Jim. I like Casey Affleck, but please. That was so depressing...

Having seen three of Wes Anderson's films this summer, I have to conclude that although I find them interesting, I do not find them engaging. His work is quirky, artful and well acted, but I can't relate to it.

My summer "holiday" of shuttling between my DVD-player and the video store ends next week when the school year starts, so coming weekend is reserved for the final barrage. Then I will make up the balance.

OK, paasky. I guess we can't all be Anderson-ophiles. Was the Zissou film one of your choices?

I laughed so hard I cried...Bill Murray...oy jeez.

Good luck on the last hurrah this week.

Have you seen In Bruges? I'll have to trawl back and look again.

I saw The Darjeeling Limited, The Life Aquatic and The Royal Tennenbaums in that order and I liked the first one best.

I will probably have to wait until 2009 before In Bruges arrives at the local video store.

AND
- Ask the Dust (2006), Romantic drama, flirts with melodrama and could do with less voice over, but nonetheless nice
- Diarios de motocicleta (2004, The Motorcycle Diaries), the motorcycle broke down before the halfway point, but the film went all the way
- Iris (2001), the tragic unravelling of Iris Murdoch masterfully enacted; Jim Broadbent's Academy Award was well deserved
- RV (2006), painful comedy, although Robin Williams has some good moments
- Casino Royale (2006), nice, tough spy thriller, but a bit long
- Ike: Countdown to D-Day (2004), not entirely accurate, but entertaining nonetheless
- Life of Brian (1979), wanted to see it again and it hasn't aged a bit!
- Free Jimmy (2006), excellent Norwegian animation with equal parts humour and drama
- The Hunt for Eagle One (2006), below average war film
- The Hunt for Eagle One: Crash Point (2006), sequel, even worse than the original

OK, tomorrow the students return to school, so no more film-filled evenings agogo. This summer I saw 105 film (as far as I can remember) and here is are the 10 I liked best in the order I saw them (actually its 11, I couldn't decide ):

- Auf der anderen Seite (2007, On the other Side/The Edge of Heaven)
- Eternal Sunset of the Spotless Mind (2004)
- Hawaii, Oslo (2004)
- The Constant Gardener (2005)
- Sideways (2004)
- The Station Agent (2003)
- Va, vis et deviens (2005)
- Central do Brasil (1998)
- Les Fantômes de Louba (2001)
- Chinese Box (1997)
- Angel-A (2005)

The best horror film I saw was:
- Gwai wik (2006, Re-Cycle)

And the best comedy:
- C(r)ook (2004)

And the best animated feature:
- Free Jimmy (2006, NB: not for kids!)

The above mentioned films I can recommend.

Last night I watched my dvd of "Splendor in the Grass".

I'm probably the only person who really didn't like The Dark Knight.

I doubt I will ever cease to enjoy the romance of Moonstruck or the clear, gifted performances in On Golden Pond or Steel Magnolias. On the other hand I laughed till I cried over the dark humor of Pulp Fiction & Kill Bill Parts 1 and 2. There have also been several Chinese films recently that attracted my attention recently; Pavillion of Women & Memoirs of a Geisha that I've watched many times. When it comes to the musical; I'lll always be a fool for all the music from The Fiddler on The Roof & The Sound of Music & Mary Poppins (I've sung all those songs to my grandkids for eons) In the spy genre Robert Redford & Brad Pitt did a movie called Spy Games that was great & Michael Caine & Brandon Frasier in one about Vietnam which the name escapes me. I usually don't go in for "spy films". Off the wall & odd favorites are Silence of the Lambs, Citizen X, Interview with the Vampire, Denzel Washington in almost everything, and then American Beauty & The Upside of Anger were just so insanely full of honest humor they were amazing. I like a genuine total hodgepodge of films, but I am a film lover. Take your tv series like The Sopranos - they do nothing for me - I love the movies.

Babs, there's a movie that revels in the comic book style of Pulp Fiction and is set in China. It's called Kung Fu Hustle. I bet you'd like it.

The last movie I saw at home was Stripes. A classic!

Why thanks little k, it's so nice to see you again. Hope you're doing well.

You're welcome. I am doing ok. How have you been? What have you been doing?

Kung Fu Hustle. Totally wacky.

Bikur Ha-Tizmoret (The Band's Visit)
"Once-not long ago-a small Egyptian police band arrived in Israel. Not many remember this...It wasn't that important."

The Israeli far left is a becon of hope for positive change in the Israel/Palestine conflict. The actors used in the film to portray the Egyptian band members are Palestinians.

Oh LITTLE K , life's been tough on me - so many hospitalizations over so many years - I am on the upswing again, beginning to get some strength and drive back in my life. Hence, I've reappeared here on A2K. Things seem to have changed a whole lot around A2K since I was here last.

babs, glad to hear you're feeling better. I'm sorry to say that I don't know much about your hospitalizations. What has changed here? Things happen incrimentally, so I haven't noticed anything major.

Well "k" you know there's a good possibility that it is just me noticing some things that have always been exactly the same as they are right now. I've turned into such a complete cynic that perhaps more of any genuine change is ME & not anybody on A2K. And then I've crossed paths with a few newbies who were just plain rude - but - oh well, I just let them whirl & enjoy themselves - makes no diference to me. Nothing is a big deal other than that the old place doesn't "feel" quite the same as it did awhile back. I just need to get back into the groove no doubt.