Saturday, June 20, 2009

Cafe Chaos -- Movies

Saturday, June 20, 2009
SIS Barb says…
Since I don’t usually have time to see the latest movies, I sometimes find myself pulling out some oldies but goodies—and by oldies, I mean 5+ years. I like to watch them lying on the couch with pretzels and a coke on a rainy afternoon.

My Pick of the Week: Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
It is an adaptation of Fanny Flagg’s novel starring Jessica Tandy, Kathy Bates, Mary Stuart Masterson and Mary-Louise Parker. This movie has it all…Suspense, comedy and it’s a real tearjerker. I especially love the parking lot scene with Kathy Bates and the young snobby girls! So much fun. My type of flick!

SIS Bren says…
Movies. Love them. Love the variety. Sometimes I want deep and thoughtful. Sometimes fantastic and magical. But sometimes you just need something mindless to laugh at.

My Pick of the Week: Wild Hogs (2007)
Tim Allen, William H Macy, Martin Lawrence, and John Travolta. Enough said. No? Okay, well . . .

IMDb offers a great blurb: A group of suburban biker wannabes looking for adventure hit the open road, but get more than they bargained for when they encounter a New Mexico gang called the Del Fuegos.

The scene where John Travolta is crying cracks me up every time.

SIS Beth says…
Like Barb, I rarely get to the latest movies, but I have a huge collection of favorites, in multiple genres. Aside from books, movies are my chosen form of escapism. Romance, adventure, drama, period, fantasy . . . Take me away!

My Pick of the Week: The Waterhorse: Legend of the Deep (2007)
The screenplay is an adaptation from a children’s novel—The Waterhorse. But this exciting, endearing film isn’t just for kids. Or maybe it’s just that it appeals to the kid in all of us. Imagine if, as a young child, you discovered a mysterious egg and then went on to nurture what hatched out of it. Imagine if the hatchling was a Celtic water horse… also known as the Loch Ness Monster. Charming, funny, tender, and thrilling, this movie is a magical adventure. My heart pounded during a water sequence that I don’t want to reveal. Just imagine the ride of your life!

15 comments:

Brooks Conner said...

Waterhorse: Loved it!
Wild Hogs: On my want to see list.

Re-viewed this week: "True Lies" with Arnold Scwartzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis w/ Tom Arnold.
Humorous; action packed... Arnold S. is a super spy and his wife, Jamie Lee, has no clue until she is inadvertently sucked into his clandestine world. There is a very sexy scene between hubby and wife in a hotel room.

Olga said...

I love romantic comedies with a dose of suspense and watched Miss Congeniality more times than I can count.

Tori Lennox said...

I've been on a huge action/adventure kick lately. The more shootings & explosions the better. Not sure what that says about me. *g*

Sisters-in-Sync said...

Brooks!!!! Thank you so much for hopping over. I know you're a huge movie buff, so be sure to join us on Saturdays with your recs. :)

Regarding TRUE LIES. keep forgetting about that film. Lots of people have told me I should see it. (Maybe you were one). Your write up intrigues me big time. Putting it on my list!

SIS Beth

Sisters-in-Sync said...

Olga, I have to say, MISS CONGENIALITY is a long time fave of mine. I've seen it several times. It always makes me laugh. The snorting kind of laughter that I so love! I wish there were more well written/acted rom-coms out there. Lately, they've been pretty lame. But I keep checking them out... hoping for a winner. Looking forward to the NEW Sandra Bollack movie. Hoping.... Hoping....

SIS Beth

Sisters-in-Sync said...

Gotcha, Tori. Action. Adventure. Lots of stuff blowing up. If you haven't seen it, check out QUANTUM OF SOLACE. Races, crashes, chases, shootings, explosions... and Daniel Craig. :)

SIS Beth

Olga said...

Beth, I heard about the PROPOSAL, the new Sandra Bullock romance comedy, and I hope it's good, too. And QUANTUM OF SOLACE reminded me about another movie I watched several times, too. CASINO ROYAL. One word - wow.

Richard Craddock said...

DON'T GET ME STARTED!!!!! As, at LEAST, Brenda knows, I am a HUGE movie freak! Would like to say, "connoisseur," but to me the distinction pretty much involves how much you rave/drool over foreign films just BECAUSE they're foreign. Sorry -- "Les Miserables" still just translates to "Poor Wretches" to me;)! And will STILL be trumped, for all its "classic" angst, by "The Virgin Suicides."

BARB: "FGT"? GREAT flick (although, as always, better BOOK by such a "who woulda thunk it" author, FF!!) -- intense, suspenseful, deep, funny ... when it could have easily been just a chick flick!

BREN: "WG"? Haven't seen it, so can't voice a (fair) opinion. Off the top --- looked stupid/common in previews, so never rented (not that I'm AGAINST stupid/common movies --- in fact, could go on and on about MANY that fit that "genre" that I love!). Mayhaps will soon.

BETH: "WH"? ALMOST like above, haven't seen, KINDA turned off by previews that left me with a "(yawn) contrived" taste in my mouth. DO like the Kid Flix, though -- going back a bit, REALLY love such films as "The Neverending Story," etc. I mention that mainly because, at the TIME, WAY back when in 1984, the "ride of your life" was upon the back of Falkor, The Luckdragon;). Will add to wish list, though! THANKS!

My most recent contemporary movie viewing(s) that made me say, "WHOA!:
"Doubt," Meryl Streep, P.S. Hoffman;
"Let The Right One In," an ASTOUNDING, intense, romantic, scary indy Swedish vampire flick;
"Star Trek," the latest, for "gratuitous" Summer fun, yet VERY well done;
and ... well, as I said, I could go on and on .. so I'll stop here, 'cuz it ain't MY blog!! LOL!

Richard said...

LOL!! Got caught up in the moment, mostly with my abbreviations;) Not that it matters, but Brenda, "WG"? Where'd THAT come from? I WAS referring to "WH;" (i.e., "Wild Hogs")

Beth Ciotta said...

Hey, Olga! I have to say CASINO ROYAL is is huge fave of mine and a much better movie over all than it's sequal--QUANTUM OF SOLACE. In my opinion anyway. The thing that made CR so special was the insanely well written script. A deep gritty look into Bond. What made him tick. What shaped his future. The characterization, the plot, the pacing, and dialogue... all compelling.

A lot of that was lost in QOS. I couldn't believe how little dialogue there was. I understand that Bond was emotionally shattered and bent on revenge. But that's about all I got out of it. TOO much action, not enough story. Some may say, yes, but it's a BOND film. But the filmamkers set usup for something more, something deeper with the new Bond--Daniel Craig and Casino Royal.

That all said, I can be shallow, and still enjoyed QOS simply because it starred Daniel Craig. :)

Beth Ciotta said...

Sorry for the typos in my previous comment. Not enough coffee and focus yet this morning. ;)

Richard, you movie lover, you... 'The Waterhorse' wasn't contrived at all. At least not in my opinion. Then again, as I'm fond of saying, taste is subjective. What impresses one person may bore or offend another.

Which brings me to 'Wild Hogs'.

I haven't seen it yet, so I have no opinion on the movie. But for all those who may find the humor stupid, there are many who may be genuinely amused. I guess it's all what tickles your funny bone. A prime example...

WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY, starring John C. Riley. A spoof on the Johnny Cash biopic WALK THE LINE. I watched this movie with my husband. There were parts that made me smile. Then parts where I rolled my eyes. My husband spent the majority of the movie laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes. He said to me, "You just don't get it." Meaning the humor.

When discussing this film with other people, I found the reviews 50/50. Some people thought it was so stupid, they couldn't even watch the whole thing. The other half thought it was one of the funniest movies they'd seen in ages.

That movie remains for me a stark reminder that humor is subjective. Since I write rom-com, it's helpful to keep that in mind. But I digress...

On to your picks...

I've heard nothing but great things about DOUBT. It's on my list.

Dying to see STAR TREK!! But the way my life is right now, I'll have to wait for the dvd. Wah!!!

Hey, have you seen IN BRUGES, starring Colin Farrel and Brendan Gleeson. Excellent Indie that may be right up your ally.

SIS Beth

Richard said...

Briefly (since I've again used up MUCH of YOUR blog-space!), saw it and LOVED "In Bruges"! And, you like Daniel Craig? Give "Layer Cake" a twirl. Ciao!

Beth Ciotta said...

You're welcome anytime, Richard. Thought you'd like IN BRUGES. I thought it was incredible. And Colin Farrel's best work to date, in my humble opinion.

I saw LAYER CAKE. It was the first I'd seen of Daniel Craigs work. I thought the film was excellent and I thought he tore up the role and lit up the screen. When they announced him as the next James Bond, I, unlike many others, thought him an edgy, but perfect choice.

SIS Beth

Olga said...

Beth, yep, that's what I heard about QOS - so much action. It's still on my "to watch" list because, like you said, it stars Daniel Craig.

Sisters-in-Sync said...

Wow! We have quite the discussion going on here. I love all types of movies. Sometimes you want to think and other times you just want to laugh at stupid things.

I'm back home now and will be able to comment much more often.

Glad to see everyone here!

SIS Barb

Post a Comment