Movie Thread

[OneMoreYear]

We haven't been to a movie theatre in years, even before COVID.

Recently, we re-watched A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, thought not quite on May 25th.  Do you know where your towel is?

[mamselle]

Wow. Just ran across this: "Lost Empires" with L. Olivier, a very young Colin Firth, and an amazing ensemble cast in between.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQJLR_ylsgc

... is the first of 7 installments, each 1:30-1:45 hrs long.

The blurb says, "The 1986 Granada television adaptation of J. B. Priestley's novel about the world of the British music hall. Starring Colin Firth, John Castle, Laurence Olivier, and Beatie Edney."

I'll have to ration myself.

M.

[Hegemony]

Wow, Mamselle, that looks like quite a find! I clicked over to catch a glimpse and found myself watching a full half of the first episode.

[mamselle]

Yes, I'm having to hold tight on the reins to keep from watching it straight through....

M.

[Sun_Worshiper]

Old (2021, streaming on HBO Max)

M Night Shyamalan's body horror about a group of people that visit a beach and grow old very fast. This is my favorite M Night movie in many years, as the concept is solid and the execution is interesting and properly grotesque. But, as usual, he can't quite stick the landing. In this movie, unlike some of his others, the twist itself is pretty cool and if he had just left it at that I'd have left quite satisfied. Instead, there are still more twists - one after another - and it really takes the fun out of it.

Overall, this is solid, but it could have been much better with just a little discipline from M Night (a director who is not known for having discipline).

Grade: B-

[clean]

I GOT TICKETS!!

I have three 3D tickets for the Jurassic World Dominion movie on opening day!  (June 9, 5 pm local time)

We are taking my brother in law with us. 

[hmaria1609]

Wow. Just ran across this: "Lost Empires" with L. Olivier, a very young Colin Firth, and an amazing ensemble cast in between.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQJLR_ylsgc

... is the first of 7 installments, each 1:30-1:45 hrs long.

The blurb says, "The 1986 Granada television adaptation of J. B. Priestley's novel about the world of the British music hall. Starring Colin Firth, John Castle, Laurence Olivier, and Beatie Edney."

I'll have to ration myself.

M.

I remember seeing this title in Acorn TV Shop catalog but it's no longer available from them. It was on "Masterpiece Theater" back in the day.

[ab_grp]

On the not-so-sophisticated side of things, we watched High School Musical a bit ago.  For those who have not been initiated, it's much like Grease, with a boy and girl from different worlds meeting during a school break and then (spoiler alert!) ending up at school together.  Will they try something different and flow together to achieve a particular goal associated with the (spoiler alert!) high school musical? My husband had not seen it, as it was more my popular in my daughter's time than my stepkids' time.  I have a fondness for it.  My daughter claims that HSM2 is better, but I disagree.  Anyway, it is what it is, but I like the soundtrack and will watch it again sometime.  I think my husband is hooked as well.

So then my husband introduced me to Paint Your Wagon over the weekend, and that was definitely a trip.  It's a 1969 musical comedy about the gold rush starring Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood, which should be enough to give one pause.  Strange to see Eastwood as a romantic figure, and a singing one at that.  It is a cute movie, and the soundtrack is Lerner and Loewe, so some catchy songs as well.  Interestingly, there is actually an intermission on the DVD that goes on for a while! I fast forwarded through it, but according to IMDB it is 4:20, so good time for a snack or other break.  I wish I had known, because we had just taken our break before that.  Anyway, it's an enjoyable movie full of shenanigans. 

[mamselle]

I saw 'Paint your Wagon' at a drive-in movie place when I was a camp counselor-in-training (so, a senior in HS), with a bunch of others, on our night out. Someone had a station wagon and we piled in and sat on the roof like everyone else.

I still remember "Wandering Star" (we were all singing along by then).

And we wrote out camp song (each year, the counselors-in-training contributed a song to the camp) to "I talk to the trees," and I still think we came up with beautiful lyrics.

M.

[Hegemony]

"They Call the Wind Maria" is a great song, though the best version is done by the Smothers Brothers. (Seriously.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHNdxtcfC5g

[ab_grp]

"They Call the Wind Maria" is a great song, though the best version is done by the Smothers Brothers. (Seriously.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHNdxtcfC5g

Wow! I was as surprised (or more so?) by that performance as by the one in the movie! That is beautiful.  I will share it with my husband.  He's been trying to get me to watch the movie for years, but I'm not sure he has heard this version.  The IMDB trivia for the movie stated that Mariah Carey was named for that song.

Mamselle, it's neat that you got to see it at the drive-in! I read that Wand'rin' Star was a big hit.  It's not my favorite of the songs or the one that sticks in my head most (which is probably I'm On My Way, maybe because it bookends the movie, but it's catchy!).

[mamselle]

I used to play and sing "Mariah" for strolling gigs (accordion/vocal).

People would join in on the chorus.

It was cool.

M.

[mythbuster]

Apparently Paint Your Wagon entered into that ultimate pantheon of pop-culture references: The Simpsons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W_g7_KJP_o

Lee Marvin. Dreamy and doing splits.

[ab_grp]

Apparently Paint Your Wagon entered into that ultimate pantheon of pop-culture references: The Simpsons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W_g7_KJP_o

Lee Marvin. Dreamy and doing splits.

That's great! Regarding the drunkenness, I also read in the IMDB trivia that actors would typically drink tea or water when liquor was called for in a movie, Lee Marvin insisted on being supplied with real alcohol and was drunk most of the time on set. 

[Hegemony]

I just rewatched Galaxy Quest. Man, I love that movie so much.