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

Watched PBS's Jews In America last night.
Fascinating stuff

@panzade,

Is that the one by Arthur Hertzberg? It's on sale at Amazon for $27.

@cicerone imposter,

Quote:

THE JEWISH AMERICANS is a three-night documentary that explores 350 years of Jewish American history. Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker David Grubin, THE JEWISH AMERICANS is a journey through time, from the first settlement in 1654 to the present. It is about the struggle of a tiny minority who make their way into the American mainstream while, at the same time, maintaining a sense of their own identity as Jews. Focusing on the tension between identity and assimilation, THE JEWISH AMERICANS is quintessentially an American story, which other minority groups will find surprisingly familiar.

Narrated by actor Liev Schreiber, this landmark series features Jewish Americans who have made significant contributions to American life – from Louis D. Brandeis and Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Henry Morgenthau, Hank Greenberg, Betty Friedan, Molly Goldberg, Carl Reiner, Sid Caesar, and Tony Kushner. However this story is also about Jewish American tailors and shopkeepers, soldiers and bankers, peddlers and merchants, labor organizers and civil rights activists, all of whom also helped shape the American landscape

A lot I didn't know like the bad blood between the teachers, unions and blacks in NY city in the 60s

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I watched The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it might have particular appeal for the over 60 set, and it does have to do with aging, but when the aged folks are played by the likes of Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tim Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, and other wonderful talents, what could be bad? By turns, it's serious, and moving, and funny. It has some great, laugh out loud lines. This was a favorite of mine:

Quote:

Norman Cousins: This is it.

Madge Hardcastle: You're not worried about thre danger of having sex at your age?

Norman Cousins: If she dies, she dies.

If you want to escape--or retire-- to India for 2 hours, with some delightful companions, watch this one.

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@firefly,

I liked that movie as well but I particularly liked the young Indian man who was the romantic lead, Dev Patel. He was the star of Slum Dog Millionaire, a movie on my to see list (I continually forget my to see list). He's not handsome in the classic sense but he's tall and he's a bit on the nerdy side which I find very attractive. In a little piece on the making of Hotel, Judi Dench said he was physically daring. A lot of big men are. He certainly has charisma.

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@plainoldme,

I liked him too--although I think I enjoyed him more in Slum Dog Millionaire. I found his acting in Hotel a little too broad, particularly next to the beautifully nuanced performances of those British pros. Maybe the director preferred him to be that way, but I found the effect to be a little too forced and exaggerated at times, and too flat at others. But he does have a likable and appealing quality.

I also liked Lillete Dubey, who played his mother.

I really just liked the movie. I really hadn't expected to enjoy it as much as I did.

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@firefly,

I watched Slumdog Millionaire last night. It's a "very good" movie about a kid who goes through life learning all the answers to Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The sponsors believe he cheated, and grills him on how he cheated, but finally concludes "he's honest." It also includes a love story.

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Watched Kenneth Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing with Branagh as Benedick and Emma Thompson as Beatrice. A luminous film. One analysts thought that Claudio ought to have been punished for his old-fashioned male chauvinist, patriarchal attitude. Watched it with my daughter and her husband. My daughter said Hero could have done better than "Dead Poets Society" boy.

Also watched Olivier's Hamlet. Cornball. Prefer Branagh's although he was showing off how much time he spent at the gym.

One off the wall thought I had during the Olivier film is how terrible the bras were that Jean Simmons and Eileen Herlie wore. Lumpy circular stitched cotton. They were young women: 18 and 27. Why the costumer didn't put them into strapless bras is my question.

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@plainoldme,

Watched Crash last night. It all happens in Los Angeles about several people whose lives crosses over each other. One of the main stories about Matt Dillon who plays bad cop/good cop was interesting to say the least. He stops a black couple driving home from a party, and body searches the woman up to her crotch even though they've done nothing wrong. Later in the story, she's involved in a car accident, and is upside down in her car while gas spills on the ground ready for it to explode. Matt Dillion saves her.

Well done movie with many diversions and stories of interest.

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@cicerone imposter,

Watched The Devil's Own with Brad Pitt, a member of the IRA, and Harrison Ford, a cop. Pretty good story line with Pitt coming to the US to get some money, and is placed at Ford's home as a guest without knowing why Pitt is there - only that he's from Ireland.

Good ending.

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The local PBS affiliate ran Dead Ringer (1964) with Bette Davis early this morning. The usual kindly poor twin kills mean-spirited wealthy twin tries taking over her life and so on and so forth.

Also appearing in it are Karl Malden, Peter Lawford, Bert Remsen and a few others.

Not a bad movie, surprised I had missed seeing it prior.

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@Sturgis,

Saw Peter Lawford once in San Francisco at the democratic convention when we walked through the back stage area. Saw some other popular actors in Las Vegas many decades ago, but don't ask me for names. LOL

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@cicerone imposter,

Quote:

I agree! She's one super actress. Some consider her the greatest living film actress.

Ah, CI, you're spot on. Meryl Streep is an incredible actress....simply fantastic! I remember her in "Sopia's Choice" and the "Holocaust" with Michael Moriarty. These two movies are classics.

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Just finished watching John Huston's film of James Joyce's The Dead. Wonderful movie. I saw it when it came out but not since. Just beautifully done. Huston's last film.

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Since I got my Roku 3, (which I can't stop raving about), I have been discovering stuff that I never knew existed.
We also have Netflix, and Amazon Prime, so that there are a lot of choices. Amongst others, we have seen the entire series of Damage, and Breaking Bad.

But the best so far is 24. We started in the beginning a few weeks ago, and are now near the end of Season 3. That show sure packs a wallop. It is so great though to watch the show without the commercials.

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Watching Branagh's Hamlet with my class and we all love it

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@plainoldme,

Watched the first production of "The Man Who Knew Too Much." It was really a short version of the Jimmy Stewart-Doris Day movie.

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Killing Season starring Robert De Niro and John Travolta.
Good movie, De Niro & Travolta both did a great job with their characters, naturally, their old pros now.
I read Nicolas Cage was the original choice for De Niros role, sure glad he didn't get it.

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@eurocelticyankee,

Thanks for your review.
That movie just appeared on my cable provider's line up and I was wondering about it

I have just discovered Comcast's home streaming content and I'm lovin catching up on movies I missed in the theater.

There's a selection from The Sundance Film Festival that is particularly good.
Sound City is a documentary directed and produced by Dave Grohl ; the drummer for Nirvana and later the leader of the Foo Fighters.
The film chronicles the history of a recording studio in LA that was almost out of business in the early 70's until it bought and installed a three of a kind hand built mixing console from Rupert Neve in the UK that was rumored to have the best drum sound in the universe.
The studio went on to record over 100 platinum albums.
Interviews with Neil Young, Tom Petty, Rick Springfield and Trent Reznor are particularly poignant.

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@panzade,

I downloaded "A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD". The latest in the Bruce Willis films about the cop John Mclain.
It lasts about an hour nd a half. Its totally without plot . Its just a cluster of CGI crap , special effects, and shootemup.
It is about the stupidest movie Ive seen in 2013.

I wonder who the hell thinks these things up and why isn't he or she fired?

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

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