Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion

What MOVIES or DVDs have you watched? Any comments?

Joy, as you can tell I got it this time. Tomorrow we are going to watch, "The One Hundred Foot Journey," and will report what we thought of it. In the meantime, we are watching old Doris Day movies. Some good/some pretty dated.

Glad to see you here, Nina.

I just finished watching "The Monuments Men" (2014) which Jackie G. recommended several months ago in the 2014 movie thread/topic. I'm so glad she did! It was very impressive and the cast was top-notch! Powerful! Here's the IMDb link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2177771/?...
"An unlikely World War II platoon is tasked to rescue art masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their owners."

Stars: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett and many more...

Thank you, Jackie. BTW, I borrowed the DVD from the Glens Falls Crandall Public library.

PS-The film was adapted from the book: The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel.

I just finished watching the entire first season---three DVd's---of "The Big Bang Theory", a favorite TV comedy of mine.

Since they are now in season seven, I had not seen these older episodes for a while and really enjoyed them!

Mary JL, Sheldon is my favorite character in "The Big Bang Theory."

I too loved Monuments Men; it's an interesting part of history that I never knew about. I like to learn new things.

BBT is the only American comedy I watch. Sheldon is hilarious. I have a bit of Sheldon in me, just not as rude, lol

Jackie wrote: "... BBT is the only American comedy I watch. Sheldon is hilarious. I have a bit o..."

Sheldon, in the "The Big Bang Theory", is played by Jim Parsons. I also like seeing Jim Parsons in other roles besides the "rude" Sheldon.

I've never seen Jim Parsons in anything else.

I'm watching a British movie, Ways to Live Forever http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1446208/. Just started it, so far so good. The young boy in Cranford is in it.

Jackie wrote: "I've never seen Jim Parsons in anything else. I'm watching a British movie, Ways to Live Forever http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1446208/. Just started it, so far so good. The young boy in Cranford is in it."

The young boy in Cranford is linked in the next post by Jackie. (I have removed my previous incorrect information.)

PS-I don't know where I've seen Jim Parsons elsewhere besides BBT, but he does appear elsewhere.

Robbie Kay isn't in Cranford, he was in Once Upon A Time as Peter Pan. The boy from Cranford is Axel Etel, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1375020/?r..., he looks older in his imdb photo than he did in Cranford, I almost didn't recognize him.

Thanks for the correction, Jackie. I will somehow edit my post. :)

Nina wrote: "Joy, as you can tell I got it this time. Tomorrow we are going to watch, "The One Hundred Foot Journey," and will report what we thought of it. In the meantime, we are watching old Doris Day movies..."Just finished watching, "The Hundred Foot Journey," and loved it. Great acting, scenery, food and fun theme. I haven't read the book.

Nina wrote: "Just finished watching, "The Hundred Foot Journey," and loved it. Great acting, scenery, food and fun theme. I haven't read the book. ..."

Nina, I will definitely keep "The Hundred Foot Journey" (2014) in mind.
Here's the IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2980648/?...

PS-Here's the book: The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais (first published 2008).

I see Jim Parsons did a lot of voice work http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1433588/, and he was in Judging Amy.

I saw The Hundred Foot Journey and enjoyed it.
Some other movies I saw include Interstellar which was fantastic, be warned that you must pay attention. It's the rare and excellent scifi. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816692/
We also saw the final Hobbit film, and that was fantastic also. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2310332/?...

Jackie wrote: "Some other movies I saw include Interstellar which was fantastic, be warned that you must pay attention. It's the rare and excellent scifi. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816692/
We also saw the final Hobbit film, and that was fantastic also. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2310332/?... "

Oh, gee. I have SO MUCH to catch up on! Thanks for the links, Jackie.

I've signed up for NETFLIX again. Amazon Prime Instant Video doesn't come near Netflix for many various reasons. I've tried them both and Netflix is so superior, not only in the movies it offers for one fixed price but also for the way it displays all the various functions for its customers.

I just found this NY Times article about Benedict Cumberbatch. Thought I'd share it. Haven't read it all yet but I find him fascinating. I first saw him playing Sherlock Holmes and I knew I was seeing someone special!
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/mov...
EXCERPT:
"With his wide forehead and high cheekbones, Benedict Cumberbatch has been compared, and not unreasonably (especially if you’ve seen him in “August: Osage County”), both to an otter and to Sid the Sloth from the animated movie “Ice Age.” He also has one of those rumbling, mellifluous British voices that are capable of revving up and whipping out dialogue, perfectly articulated, at breakneck speed. He can talk faster than most people think."

BC is an amazing actor, British actors generally are. I love love love the Sherlock series. Both BC and Martin Freeman who plays John Watson were in The Hobbit movies. BC has a voice part, he does have a magnificent voice. I'd bet he'd make a great audio-book reader. It seems I'm not the only one who thinks so, here's a list of audio books he narrates: http://www.benedictcumberbatch.co.uk/...

Jackie wrote: "BC is an amazing actor, British actors generally are. ... here's a list of audio books he narrates: http://www.benedictcumberbatch.co.uk/..."

Oh, boy! Thanks for the link, Jackie. That's a treasure trove! I'll see if our public library has any of those audio books.

Jackie wrote: "I too loved Monuments Men; it's an interesting part of history that I never knew about. I like to learn new things.

BBT is the only American comedy I watch. Sheldon is hilarious. I have a bit o..."I saw the Madonna in the church in Bruges and had no idea of it's significance in actually being there until I watched The Monument Men. If it hadn't been for them my daugher and I would never have seen it. As it was, we did know that it was the only Michealangelo outside of Italy.

Isn't it funny that Cumberbatch's father, an actor too, changed his own name to Carlton because he thought that no one would ever hire an actor named Cumberbatch! LOL
INFO FROM: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/mov...

Does anyone care that "Downton Abby," is starting again this Sunday?

I do!

Cumberbatch's parents played Sherlock's parents in a couple of episodes.

I'm currently streaming (via Amazon Prime) "Parade's End" a 2012 TV Mini-Series starring Benedict Cumberbatch. So far, so good!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1956017/?...

It's a five-part 2012 BBC adaptation of a series of novels by Ford Madox Ford.
See the Goodreads page about the novel: Parade's End. (Published in four parts between 1924 and 1928).

Nina wrote: "Does anyone care that "Downton Abby," is starting again this Sunday?"

Nina, I got tired of Downton Abby after a while, even though it was a good story.

Sorry, I didn't see your post till now.

BTW, your visit to Bruges in Belgium must have been wonderful!
https://www.google.com/search?q=map+b...

We plan to watch Downton Abbey.

Me too.

Jim wrote: "We plan to watch Downton Abbey."

Will it be a new story or a repeat? What channel?

New season starts this Sunday on PBS.

I didn't get this email today so this is a test. I am posting it to see if it comes on my email messages.

Jackie wrote: "New season starts this Sunday on PBS."

Thanks, Jackie. I might give watch it to see if it draws me in. (Downton Abby)

I love Downton Abbey. I love British TV, and British Period Dramas in particular. I liked the first 3 seasons a lot, the 4th wasn't as good to me, but I'm still invested in the characters and want to see where it all goes.

Joy, you really need to watch Downton Abbey from the very beginning. The character & historical growth is very important to the show. The season beginning soon will be season 4, I think. I wouldn't start there.

We just finished watching "Newsroom". It was an HBO only program with a wonderful cast. Sam Waterson, the district attorney from the original Law & Order, was one of the main characters. Jeff Daniels was in the lead. Wonderful show, but they only did 3 short seasons. What a shame. It was excellent. Seems like any time I really think a show is worth watching, they kill it quick.

(I doomed Firefly, too. Yes, it was all my fault for jinxing it.)

;)

Jim wrote: "Joy, you really need to watch Downton Abbey from the very beginning. The character & historical growth is very important to the show. The season beginning soon will be season 4, I think. I would..."

I'll look at it anyway. Maybe they will give a summary before they start. I've already seen quite a bit of it.

I doubt if you jinxed anything. :)

Jackie, I just realized that I can watch all 4 seasons of Downton Abbey free via my Amazon Prime. See the following link:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_...

I'm not a member of Amazon Prime; but the Bluefield College library has the first three (I think) seasons of Downton Abbey on DVD. Like Jackie, I can get into this kind of thing (I've watched some of it late at night at my daughter's house at times), and I do hope to watch the entire thing from beginning to end sometime, when I get the time. (Of course, the burning question is, what decade will that happen in? :-) )

You've all renewed my interest in Downton Abbey. :)
Downton Abbey (2010 – ): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1606375/?...
"A chronicle of the lives of the Crawley family and their servants, beginning in the years leading up to World War I."

Series Writing Credits:
Julian Fellowes ... (creator) (43 episodes, 2010-2014)
Tina Pepler ... (1 episode, 2010)
Shelagh Stephenson ... (1 episode, 2010)

PS-Julian Fellowes is quite an interesting person. See the info at Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_F...
His Goodreads page: Julian Fellowes

Joy, still not receiving goodreads emails. I go to the link you sent me and press on unread and new and then I get this. It is really frustrating how much trouble I have to go through several times a year, but I really enjoy our group and try my best to stay in touch no matter.

Nina wrote: "Joy, still not receiving goodreads emails. I go to the link you sent me and press on unread and new and then I get this. It is really frustrating how much trouble I have to go through several times..."

Nina, I understand your frustration. My own sister is having trouble registering for FunTrivia!
PS-I do appreciate your loyal participation, no matter how you get here. LOL

QUESTION: How is the UK version of Downton Abbey different from other versions?

They sure are tear-jerkers!

I think the UK version just comes out several months sooner.

Jim wrote: "I think the UK version just comes out several months sooner."

Thanks, Jim.

No difference, the UK version is the only version; PBS airs it for us as Jim said, a few months after it airs in the UK. But it's the same show, same episodes.

Jackie wrote: "No difference, the UK version is the only version; PBS airs it for us as Jim said, a few months after it airs in the UK. But it's the same show, same episodes."

Thanks, Jackie. As you advised, I've gone back to watch the earlier versions (of "Downton Abbey") which I missed so I will know the history of each character and the complete storyline. I think the casting is perfect. Some wonderful characters. The settings, inside and out, are beautiful. But it does tug at your heartstrings... and the writers knew it! The background music puts it over the top emotionally.

DA is very well done. A lot of attention to detail, I appreciate that. It's a bit of a soap opera but I like it, I'm very invested in the characters, I care what happens to them.

Yes, Jackie, it's important to care about the characters if one wants to enjoy a story. Each character in Downton Abbey is so well drawn that one could write a vignette about each one. For example, even the head cook is adorable! I'll have to catch her name.

I hear good reports on the movie, "St.Vincent," and
interestingly I read an essay in our paper written about a lady remembering her childhood in NJ with such fondness and especially when she visited her grandparents home and saying, they would have been amazed to have their house as a background for that movie. It is on my to see list.

Nina wrote: "I hear good reports on the movie, "St.Vincent," ..."

Nina, here's the IMDb page for "St. Vincent" (2014).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2170593/?...
" A young boy whose parents have just divorced finds an unlikely friend and mentor in the misanthropic, bawdy, hedonistic war veteran who lives next door."
Stars: Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts

I recently watched "The Grand Budapest Hotel" via a DVD borrowed from our local library. I couldn't make head or tail out of it. And yet it had favorable reviews. It won several awards at the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards.
IMDb page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2278388/?...
"The adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous hotel from the fictional Republic of Zubrowka between the first and second World Wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend."

I was unimpressed. It seemed so fragmented. I thought it was very confusing. It didn't pique my interest. However, I kept watching hoping things would become clearer. They didn't.

I suppose it was supposed to be a strange tongue-in-cheek comedy, but for me it wasn't that funny. It was just weird.

Did anyone watch it? Comments?

Here's the Amazon Instant Video page: http://www.amazon.com/Grand-Budapest-...

You can watch trailers at either of the links above.

If you like to suffer, you can read the plot summary at Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gran...

At Rotten Tomatoes it says : "Typically stylish but deceptively thoughtful, The Grand Budapest Hotel finds Wes Anderson once again using ornate visual environments to explore deeply emotional ideas."
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_g...
I didn't get it!