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

Watched the Bling Ring, 2 nights ago. It's based on a true story of a bunch of kids who robbed Celebrities homes while they were away. They made off with 3 million in goods, and ran thru other people's home like swarming locusts. It was depressing.

Last time I went to the cinema was in 1963 to see "Mysterious Island"

It's good to know you get a lifetime ban for wanking in the cinema.

I recorded The Life of Pi yesterday and I'm looking forward to watching it.

I watched a number of movies this weekend...

From Rome With Love--a Woody Allen flick that's far from one of his best movies. But, it's tolerable fluff, and sometimes amusing.

Les Miserables--the musical--I really didn't like this movie, except for Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and a few others. Russell Crowe should stick to acting, not singing. I'm not impressed or moved by most of the music in the score, and I found this film poorly directed, and overly draggy, I kept wishing it would just end already.
I much prefer the two non-musical versions, the first with Charles Laughton, and the second with Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush. They are both excellent films.

Carnage--I really wish I had seen this on the stage, where it was titled, "God of Carnage," and where it apparently had more comic impact than it did in this version. It's done in the same single set/single room format as the stage play, but, on the screen, this just seems claustrophobic. Absolutely top-notch ensemble acting from the 4 member cast, particularly Jodie Foster, and it's an intelligently written script, and it's well directed by Roman Polanski. And, while we can see our own foibles in these characters, and enjoy watching their veneer of civility crumble, I found myself not really caring about these people, and wondered why they were tolerating each other's company as long as they did. It did remind me, somewhat, of ,"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," but that was a much better crafted, and involving, and affecting play, with more dimensionally developed characters. But, if you enjoy fine acting, and biting dialogue, this is definitely not a waste of 80 minutes.

Lincoln--I really enjoyed this one, so much so that I'm anxious to watch it again to see what I might have missed or failed to appreciate more fully. Really fascinating view of politics during that time. Daniel Day-Lewis is marvelous, I really felt as though I was watching and listening to Lincoln. And Sally Field succeeded in finally making Mary Todd Lincoln a sympathetic and real person for me. Excellent supporting cast, fine script, wonderful direction--I have no complaints about this one at all. A very satisfying movie in every respect.

I remember being at my Grandmother's house after seeing a Walt Disney movie "lady and the tramp". I figured it was a pretty good movie and asked "Grandma, did you see "lady and the tramp" and she paused and said "No sweetie, the last movie I saw was "Birth of a Nation". The adults all started laughing but I was puzzled, however it did make me very interested in finding out just what was "Birth of a Nation". I learned a lot about early cinema and even older actresses, especially when she referred to me as "Our little Sarah Bernhardt".

Watched Takers a couple of nights ago about six guys who go for the big bucks with planning that are not only risky but "over the top." The last one they plan is a $25 million dollar job by a guy who just got out of prison, and Matt Dillion the cop gets involved in the case. Lots of thrills and suspense.

Yesterday afternoon, I caught "The Bird Cage", haven't seen it in quite a while but it's still a great movie if you want to laugh.

I heartily agree though the New Yorker notes:


Needless to say, I don't have one friend who saw it.

Thanks to youtube etc we can watch dozens of movies and old TV shows for free, especially as a lot of modern stuff is pure crap..
I like sci-fi shows mostly, such as the Twilight Zone.Two episodes i watched on YT recently explored the theme that no matter what a time-traveller to the past might do (no matter how drastic) history CANNOT be changed.
The first was "Cradle of Darkness" where a woman is sent back to 1899 to kill the newborn baby Hitler to prevent WW2, and the second is "The Once and Future King" where a guy is accidentally thrown back to 1950's America and hitches a ride into town on a truck that just happens to be driven by a young as-yet unknown singer named Elvis Presley.

Pursuit of Happyness!! amazing

The Forbidden Dance is Lambada.

Excellent low-budget film in which the princess of a small Amazonian tribe watches an American company bulldoze her village and the surrounding forest, and then travels to California to dance her way onto television, so that she can ask the American people for help.

Last time I saw an old movie "pakeezah" on TV. It is a very famous movie in the Hindi Cinema.

I saw an old movie at a theatre: Roberto Rossellini's The Journey to Italy with Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders. The star was the tailoring: both Bergman and Sanders looked terrific. Both played moody, crabby people. Interesting use of the same story James Joyce used in his novella, "The Dead" and interesting use of archaeology and documentary film.

I watched "Gone With the Wind" the past two nights. Well, "I just don't give a damn!"

In the 1929 film short "Black and Tan Fantasy" Duke Ellington portrays a broke pianist whose wife lands a well paying job as a dancer at the expense of her health. Far from a typical production of the period the picture supports a good storyline and above all else the finest Jazz in Harlem.



In this clip drummer Jo Jones performs a solo that displays his flawless rhythmic abilities. A true percussion innovator, he was one of the first drummers to use brushes.

Papa Jo's Drum Solo

Duke is not a 'her.'

Why can't I find Rake - and why on Earth is the US re-making it when the original is perfect??

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3011150/

We watched "Prisoners" earlier this week. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman. I found the film stressful and pulse pounding. I don't think I would want to see it if my life was in the dumper at the time, but it twists and turns and definitely is a chilling story.

Tonight we watched the Matt Damon movie Elysium on PPV, it started out pretty good then went down hill very quickly. Suckie movie!

Check out what I got in the mail today. I ordered it on amazon, the original A Christmas Carol in black and white. We’re watching it tomorrow night.