Recently watched movies

[Carol the Dabbler]

A friend of mine recently found himself torn between the Catholic and Baptist churches, each of whose clergy was telling him that theirs was the true Christianity and the other was a misinterpretation of the Bible.  I asked him, do you think God plays guessing games?

I personally refuse to believe that.  I decided years ago that I can't in good conscience believe something just because someone tells me I should believe it (because someone told them they should, and so on) -- which leaves me on the outside of any revealed religion.  I'm perfectly willing to believe that they MAY be true, but cannot commit to believing that they ARE true.  So I simply believe what I believe.

[J.P.]

If been trough that when I was about seven.  I still think it was a very important lesson.

[Artemis]

On 10/7/2019 at 7:38 AM, Arcadia said:

So it's finally coming out? I'd all but forgotten about it. I admit I've lost my enthusiasm for it.

This is the first I’m hearing about it, so I’m still enthused, lol.

 

[Arcadia]

On 10/16/2019 at 1:02 PM, Carol the Dabbler said:

A friend of mine recently found himself torn between the Catholic and Baptist churches, each of whose clergy was telling him that theirs was the true Christianity and the other was a misinterpretation of the Bible.  I asked him, do you think God plays guessing games?

I personally refuse to believe that.  I decided years ago that I can't in good conscience believe something just because someone tells me I should believe it (because someone told them they should, and so on) -- which leaves me on the outside of any revealed religion.  I'm perfectly willing to believe that they MAY be true, but cannot commit to believing that they ARE true.  So I simply believe what I believe.

Right. After all, it's called faith for a reason.

On 10/17/2019 at 1:28 AM, Artemis said:

This is the first I’m hearing about it, so I’m still enthused, lol.

A noble attempt to get us back on topic! Way to go Artie!  

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 10/17/2019 at 1:28 AM, Artemis said:

This is the first I’m hearing about it, so I’m still enthused, lol.

 

3 hours ago, Arcadia said:

A noble attempt to get us back on topic! Way to go Artie!

 

Well, close, anyhow.  Technically speaking, the topic is "Recently WATCHED movies," not "Recently heard-of movies."  But still, a noble attempt indeed!

 

[Artemis]

Picky, picky.   

 

[Artemis]

Let’s see, what have I watched recently...

Well, there was “Isn’t it Romantic”, a satirical rom-com.  It makes fun of its own genre, and overall I thought it was pretty funny.

There was also a Netflix original based on Stephen King’s works called “In the Tall Grass”, which started out creepy and interesting but then just got really weird.

There was “Welcome to Marwen”, a depiction of PTSD, and based on a real person.

“12 Strong”, starring Thor, about the unsung mission of the “Horse Soldiers” who were sent into Afghanistan immediately after the 9/11 attacks.

”Mary Queen of Scots” and “The Favourite”, both movies about queens and court intrigue.

The 1974 version of “Great Expectations”, which I enjoyed very much and sent me on my current Dickens kick.

And two documentaries, “Alternate Endings” and “They Shall Not Grow Old”.  “Alternate Endings: 6 New Ways to Die in America” is about the new and different ways people are choosing to approach the end of life and their funerals/burials/memorials.

“They Shall Not Grow Old” is fascinating.  It is put together with previously unseen archived footage of WWI from the Imperial War Museum, which has been retouched and colorized.  It is entirely narrated by men who were British soldiers in the war, relaying their first-hand accounts.  The first 15 or 20 minutes of footage is in black and white and a smaller ratio, but then the picture expands and changes to color, and you’d almost think you were watching a movie, or something happening now in modern times.  It really does make a difference, it doesn’t feel quite so long ago and far away.  Hearing the perspective of the soldiers is really interesting too.  Definitely worth a watch if you’re into history.

Hmmm... I’m sure there have been other things, but that’s all I remember for now.

 

[Arcadia]

3 hours ago, Artemis said:

“12 Strong”, starring Thor,

3 hours ago, Artemis said:

“They Shall Not Grow Old” is fascinating.  It is put together with previously unseen archived footage of WWI from the Imperial War Museum, which has been retouched and colorized.  It is entirely narrated by men who were British soldiers in the war, relaying their first-hand accounts.  The first 15 or 20 minutes of footage is in black and white and a smaller ratio, but then the picture expands and changes to color, and you’d almost think you were watching a movie, or something happening now in modern times.  It really does make a difference, it doesn’t feel quite so long ago and far away.  Hearing the perspective of the soldiers is really interesting too.  Definitely worth a watch if you’re into history.

Oh right, I remember hearing about that one, it sounded fabulous. Was that a theater movie? Or internet only? DVD? So many choices these days …...

[Artemis]

23 hours ago, Arcadia said:

Oh right, I remember hearing about that one, it sounded fabulous. Was that a theater movie? Or internet only? DVD? So many choices these days …...

It’s probably all three, but I watched it streaming on Amazon.

It was produced and directed by Peter Jackson, I just discovered.

 

[Arcadia]

Oh, right! I remember that now, too. Geez, then I went and missed it, dopey me.

[T.o.b.y]

I recently saw the Mowgli film where Benedict Cumberbatch did the voice of the tiger. 

It got pretty mixed reviews but I liked it better than the live action Disney version. It felt more like the book to me. 

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 10/7/2019 at 5:12 PM, T.o.b.y said:

Live action Aladdin: 8/10. 

Don't hit me. I am probably the only person on the planet who appreciates the Disney remakes. 

 

42 minutes ago, T.o.b.y said:

I recently saw the Mowgli film where Benedict Cumberbatch did the voice of the tiger. 

It got pretty mixed reviews but I liked it better than the live action Disney version. It felt more like the book to me.

 

I take it you're not a purist, then.  

 

[T.o.b.y]

1 hour ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

 

 

I take it you're not a purist, then.  

 

Not at all! 

Thing is, I am not a Disney fan. So new versions of their animated classics don't bother me because I have no childhood memories attached to them. But of course there are better films in general... 

The Andy Serkis Mowgli is quite dark. Certainly not a film for children. But I think it captures the books better - which I read at about the age of 12 so I don't really consider them children's books either. 

[Arcadia]

I read the Jungle Book when I was in my teens … maybe early twenties … I think. I don't remember that it was dark-ish! Now I'm tempted to go back for a re-read to see what everyone's going on about.

I love Disney films. (The animated ones … no use for most of the live action ones, except Mary Poppins.) I miss the old cel animation, too. *sigh*

[Carol the Dabbler]

2 hours ago, Arcadia said:

I miss the old cel animation, too. *sigh*

That was certainly a high point of the art.  Some of the newer computer-assisted stuff is technically quite good too, but it tends to suffer (in my opinion) from some of the same bigger-faster-louder overload as today's live-action movies.

[Artemis]

On 10/7/2019 at 4:01 AM, Artemis said:

I'm very excited to see "The Current War", I'll probably go on Halloween.

No movie for me.    My dad had a medical "emergency" that turned out to be not that much of an emergency, so I had to miss the movie to attend him.  Lost my monies too, because the theater is reserve seating only, and they only take cancellations in person, no less than an hour before the start of the film.  *Sigh*.

 

[Arcadia]

Yeah, what's with this move to "reserved seating?" It's not like the theaters are so packed that you can't easily find a seat you like once you're in. Of course, I only go to matiness … maybe it's different at night. Still, we managed to survive decades w/o reserved seats......

[Carol the Dabbler]

When I was a kid, the big downtown theaters around here had reserved seating for the really major movies.  Haven't heard of it lately, but then I usually go to a multiplex these days.

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 1/11/2018 at 4:11 PM, Janyss said:

We have a very famous and funny pastiche here in France, "Arsène Lupin contre Herlock Sholmes" (which btw gave the alias to one of the members here).

On 2/5/2018 at 5:33 PM, HerlockSholmes said:

I actually took my name from The Adventures Of Herlock Sholmes by Charles Hamilton (a.k.a Peter Todd.) It’s a collection of parodies.

I’ve just ordered Arsene Lupin vs Herlock Sholmes from eBay as its one that I’ve never gotten around to getting. There’s also an Arsene Lupin vs Homlock Shears which I’ll have to look into

Herlock, I first assumed that your screen name was your own spoonerism on Sherlock Holmes, with no history attached.  Then I read Janyss's post and yours, and learned that it's been used in stories, and assumed the author had chosen the name for its comic effect.  But according to (surprisingly few) websites, the French story where that name first appeared had been written with Sherlock Holmes as a character.  However that was back when Doyle was still writing Holmes stories, and he objected.  Therefore the American translation has the character Herlock Sholmes, and the British translation has Holmlock Shears.  And the French character is also Herlock Sholmes, though sometimes with an accent mark.  But in Germany (where copyright laws are apparently different), he's still Sherlock Holmes.

From GoodReads:

Quote

Holmlock Shears is a caricature of Sherlock Holmes. Maurice LeBlanc originally wanted to use Sherlock Holmes as an adversary for Arsene Lupin (and did in one early short story), but after complaints by Arthur Conan Doyle, he created this obvious substitute.

Holmlock Shears is a much more extreme version of Sherlock Holmes, sharp and bitter, aided by his good friend and chronologer Wilson (i.e., Watson).

And from Wikipedia:

Quote

The character "Herlock Sholmes" is a transparent reference to Sherlock Holmes of Arthur Conan Doyle's detective stories, who appeared in "Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late", one of the eight stories in the first collection, Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar. The collection was translated twice into English, as Arsène Lupin versus Herlock Sholmes in the US (1910, by George Morehead), and as Arsène Lupin versus Holmlock Shears in the UK (1910, by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos, printed as The Blonde Lady in the US).

So apparently the character didn't start as an intentional parody, though he may have turned into that -- perhaps in part because of those silly names!

[Arcadia]

On 11/7/2019 at 2:07 PM, Carol the Dabbler said:

When I was a kid, the big downtown theaters around here had reserved seating for the really major movies.  Haven't heard of it lately, but then I usually go to a multiplex these days.

Huh. I don't remember it ever being a thing, anywhere, until about a year ago. At the multiplexes only, so far. I guess that's why it annoys me so much; why fix a thing that ain't broke? Ah, progress......

[HerlockSholmes]

17 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

Herlock, I first assumed that your screen name was your own spoonerism on Sherlock Holmes, with no history attached.  Then I read Janyss's post and yours, and learned that it's been used in stories, and assumed the author had chosen the name for its comic effect.  But according to (surprisingly few) websites, the French story where that name first appeared had been written with Sherlock Holmes as a character.  However that was back when Doyle was still writing Holmes stories, and he objected.  Therefore the American translation has the character Herlock Sholmes, and the British translation has Holmlock Shears.  And the French character is also Herlock Sholmes, though sometimes with an accent mark.  But in Germany (where copyright laws are apparently different), he's still Sherlock Holmes.

From GoodReads:

And from Wikipedia:

So apparently the character didn't start as an intentional parody, though he may have turned into that -- perhaps in part because of those silly names!

I never actually received my Arsenal Lupin book which got damaged in transit. I keep meaning to re-order. Thanks for reminding me Carol👍
 

Considering Doyle tended to be a bit dismissive toward his most famous creation he certainly wasn’t willing to let anyone else  write Holmes into stories. This is the reason that Solar Pons came into being. Doyle refused to let August Derleth write Holmes stories after Doyle had told him in 1928 that he was definitely finished with him. So Derleth invented Pons. Holmes in all but name. And I’m glad he did.🙂

[Artemis]

I saw “Knives Out”.  It was clever and engaging and a good way to spend an evening.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Odd title -- what's it about?

[Caya]

 I haven't shared a Plaidadder link in ages, and now you've given me an excuse:

https://plaidadder.tumblr.com/post/189412862149/all-in-for-knives-out

[Carol the Dabbler]

Ooh, that does sound intriguing!  I stopped reading at the spoiler warning because I may actually get around to seeing the movie one of these days.