Movies...

Dec. 31st, 2008 10:20 pm
fajrdrako: (Default)
[personal profile] fajrdrako


[livejournal.com profile] omnivorously posted his movie meme a while back and I've been wanting to do it.
  1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times. - The Lord of the Rings

  2. Name a movie that you've seen multiple times in a theatre: The Lord of the Rings. There are others. My Fair Lady, The Three Lives of Thomasina and The Sound of Music when I was a kid.

  3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie. Ralph Fiennes, Rufus Sewell, Christopher Eccleston, Daniel Craig, Nicholas Cage, Bruce Willis.

  4. Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie. Tom Hanks, whom I can't bear to watch. Robin Williams. It used to be that I'd go out of my way to see Harrison Ford; now I avoid him. Same with Mel Gibson. But unlike Hanks or Williams, I still like their early work.

  5. Name a movie that you can quote from. I used to be able to recite all the dialogue in My Fair Lady, beginning to end.

  6. Name a movie musical that you know all the lyrics to all the songs. Oliver!, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Pippin (well, maybe not all the songs, but most), Your Own Thing, La Cage Aux Folles, The Pajama Game, and, well, others. I like musicals. I like musicals a lot.

  7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with. Any of the above, if I'm alone and unobserved.

  8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see. A Midwinter's Tale

  9. Name a movie that you own Much Ado About Nothing, the Kenneth Branagh version

  10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops. Uh... John Barrowman, maybe? I first saw him as an actor, so it's somewhat inverted there; and I knew he was a singer, so it was not a surprise to learn he was a good singer.

  11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? Yes.

  12. Ever made out in a movie? During a movie, yes. In a movie theatre, no.

  13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven't gotten around to it. A Christmas Carol with Alastair Sim.

  14. Ever walked out of a movie? Yes - once when I got sick.

  15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theatre. The Lord of the Rings.

  16. Popcorn? Of course. Food of the gods.

  17. How often do you go to the movies? Four or five times a year. I used to go a lot more often.

  18. What's the last movie you saw in the theater? Slumdog Millionaire

  19. What is your favorite/preferred genre of movie? Romantic thriller or romantic comedy. Musicals.

  20. What was the first movie you remember seeing in the theater? Peter Pan, the Disney movie. I was four. It was very exciting.


Date: 2009-01-01 04:43 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmegaera.livejournal.com
Believe it or not, there's only one film version of Much Ado.

A nice list, and I think I'm going to do this one myself [g].

Date: 2009-01-01 01:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] countrycousin.livejournal.com
I haven't seen recent Gibson movies, because I didn't want to see the movies. I still like some of the earlier ones, so I don't have a Gibson aversion. Maybe a Gibson-as-director aversion . . . I have trouble with zany male comedians - Carrey, Jerry Lewis, some others whose names escape me at the moment, but come to mind when I see them in the cast. I've seen a couple of Carrey movies and liked them OK, The Mask and The Truman Show, but I haven't re-watched them. And the Batman movie with him as the Riddler.

I like many musicals, particularly G&S ones. Haven't seen Pippin and Your Own Thing - will put them on the list. Thanks!

Date: 2009-01-01 01:55 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
I still like some of the earlier ones, so I don't have a Gibson aversion. Maybe a Gibson-as-director aversion . . .

That's it! He was quite wonderful in the Mad Max movies, and adorable as Tim. The first Lethal Weapon movie was a terrific adventure story - especially since I like stories of depressed heroes and their recoveries. (Tip of the hat to Miles Vorkosigan there.) I even quite liked his Hamlet, which had great moments.

It may to some extent be a case where knowledge of the actor and his ways interferes with my appreciation of his work, like with Tom Cruise. I have less aversion to Cruise but haven't seen any of his movies over the last few years, either. Or wanted to.

I have trouble with zany male comedians - Carrey, Jerry Lewis, some others whose names escape me at the moment, but come to mind when I see them in the cast.

I don't like comedy anyway, so I didn't even think of mentioning them. Mostly because I avoid them by genre, rather than by actor.

I didn't see that Batman movie; I suppose some day I will. Because I love Batman the character so much, it's sometimes painful to see what they do to him on TV and on movies - and sometimes in comics, but it's easy to avoid the comics I don't like.

As musicals go, Pippin and Your Own Thing are relatively obscure, but I loved them both. Both are, I think, from the early seventies. Your Own Thing is based on Twelfth Night, in which Viola and Sebastian are members of a rock band. Pippin is a sort of anti-war musical about the son of Charlemagne, in which my favourite song is "War Is a Science" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6RsDbJ3gR8), sung by Charlemagne - though you can probably hear the delightful words better here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGYSRVlSGl8), where they took the music from the recorded soundtrack. (Which I used to own, but sadly don't have any more.)

I too love G&S, with, for some reason, a special love Iolanthe.

Happy new year!

Date: 2009-01-01 01:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
Believe it or not, there's only one film version of Much Ado.

I saw another one - well, actually, I saw part of another one. I found it very... stiff. Boring. It was from a New York staging of the show, a very illustrious one, but I put it under the category of "why Shakespeare should never be filmed except by people who put a little life into it." It wasn't funny. That's... appalling.

I look forward to your list!

Date: 2009-01-01 03:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lauradi7.livejournal.com
The one with Sam Waterston as Benedick? I remember liking it, but it was a long time ago.
The BBC did (possibly) the whole set of Shakespeare plays in the 1970s. Despite featuring some very big name actors (in the Romeo & Juliet that was Alan Rickman's first filmed appearance (as Tybalt), John Gielgud was the chorus, for example), they were by and large pretty tedious. Plus they had very cheap production values, but if the performances were lively enough, that shouldn't matter.

Date: 2009-01-01 07:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmegaera.livejournal.com
Huh. Well, learn something every day. Does the IMDB list it?

Date: 2009-01-01 07:20 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmegaera.livejournal.com
Adam Sandler. The Wedding Singer was good, and I'd kind of like to see his new movie, but 90% of his oeuvre is absolute dreck.

And Jim Carrey hasn't done a decent turn since his debut in the TV show The Duck Factory, many, many years ago.

Date: 2009-01-01 07:33 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] countrycousin.livejournal.com
Ah, thanks! I have avoided The Wedding Singer because Sandler was one of those whose work I avoided. I will look at it more carefully.

Date: 2009-01-01 08:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmegaera.livejournal.com
The Wedding Singer was a cute romantic comedy. If you remember the 80s (I was in high school in the 70s, so it was a bit past my time), you'll appreciate it more, but he actually makes a nice romantic lead. I was surprised.

Date: 2009-01-01 08:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmegaera.livejournal.com
You may be on to something about the Mel-Gibson-as-director thing. There have been a couple of movies I've liked him in -- Maverick was fun, for one. But not anything he's done since he started directing (even stuff he's not directed).

Date: 2009-01-01 11:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] countrycousin.livejournal.com
I love Iolanthe. I have the Stratford DVD and very much enjoy that production. My first introduction was as an undergraduate when a reasonably talented student group put it on.

I've been in village government for a decade and have felt that Iolanthe needed a good filking with town and village boards and maybe the school board. OTOH, none of those are particularly convincing good fairy candidates, so it has to be bent further than my strength permits. :-) Next incarnation.

Date: 2009-01-01 11:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] countrycousin.livejournal.com
heh. My oldest got married in the eighties. I'll consult her. ;-)

Date: 2009-01-02 12:06 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmegaera.livejournal.com
I got married in 1980. Your daughter will no doubt enjoy it [g].

Date: 2009-01-02 01:36 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
The one with Sam Waterston as Benedick?

Yes. I remember really liking the costumes - it looked like a production of The Music Man, which is actually kind of suitable. But the movie-making was stiff, and in the end, I was bored.

I remember liking it, but it was a long time ago.

The script is, of course, incomparable. But it isn't nearly as good as the Kenneth Branagh movie. I started watching it with [livejournal.com profile] commodorified and [livejournal.com profile] auriaephiala and we ended up stopping halfway through.

If performances are good cheap production values shouldn't matter, but often Shakespeare is filmed with the stylistic devices of a play not a movie, and that just doesn't work. Branagh was able to apply his cinematic skills to the material and it was brilliant.

I did, however, see a good video-tape version of Much Ado that was available in the library and not elsewhere. I'd love to find it on DVD and buy it; it was excellent. It had Robert Lindsay as Benedick and Cherie Lunghi as Beatrice. Here it is; (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087752/) from 1984.

Date: 2009-01-02 01:37 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
Whatever you do with Iolanthe, I can't imagine a production that isn't fun, one way or another. As long as the people can sing.

Mel Gibson

Date: 2009-01-02 01:41 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
I think he has just deteriorated as he aged.

I wish people wouldn't do that.

Date: 2009-01-02 01:51 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
I don't think the story of The Wedding Singer is enough to attract me, even if the movie itself is all right. I didn't like the look of the trailers.

Date: 2009-01-02 01:57 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
Looking on IMDb, here's

(1) The Branagh version (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107616/)

(2) The almost-as-delightful Robert Lindsay version (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087752/)

(3) The Sam Waterson version (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071870/) that I didn't like

and loads of others - a Russian version, a Canadian version (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0186375/) (with Richard Monette!) - and one I'd love to see with Michael York (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077956/) as Benedick and Anthony Andrews as Claudio. I can't even imagine!

Re: Mel Gibson

Date: 2009-01-02 03:20 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmegaera.livejournal.com
He's one of those people I don't care for as a person, too, which doesn't help.

Date: 2009-01-02 03:26 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmegaera.livejournal.com
My word. The only one that's an English-language movie-in-theater version is the Branagh one, though, isn't it? Or was the Canadian one in the theaters? The Robert Lindsay version is from the BBC TV "let's do the whole canon" thing from the 70s and 80s, isn't it?

I wouldn't mind seeing the York/Andrews one, either. [googles] I don't see it on IMDB, though. Anyone I'm likely to recognize playing Beatrice?

Re: Mel Gibson

Date: 2009-01-02 03:47 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
Well, I think he deteriorated as a person as well as a talent. No, it doesn't help.

Date: 2009-01-02 03:50 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
The Anthony Andrews one is here (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077956/). Penelope Keith played Beatrice; she's been in a lot, but I've never seen her.

The Robert Lindsay version is from the BBC TV "let's do the whole canon" thing from the 70s and 80s, isn't it?

Yes, I think so.

I don't know anything about the Canadian version. I'd guess it was filmed for TV from a Stratford production, but I don't know.

Date: 2009-01-02 04:15 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmegaera.livejournal.com
Huh. I don't recognize her name, anyway.

I keep forgetting you guys have a Stratford, too [g].

Date: 2009-01-02 04:18 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmegaera.livejournal.com
The trailers don't do it justice. It's not Great Art, by any means, but it's a cute romcom way to while away a couple of hours.

I have to say that if I was looking to watch Drew Barrymore, though, I'd pull out Ever After instead. That's a lovely little movie.

Date: 2009-01-02 12:27 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
Okay - I'll add The Wedding Singer to my list of watchables. I like romantic comedy.

Haven't seen Ever After either, I don't think. Can't remember the last movie I saw Drew Barrymore in.

Date: 2009-01-02 12:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
We have a magnificent Stratford. And they put on good plays there, too.

Date: 2009-01-03 01:08 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmegaera.livejournal.com
Oh, Ever After is adorable. It's a sort of feminist retelling of the Cinderella story, with Barrymore as Danielle (the Cinderella character), Dougray Scott as the prince, and a really nifty entirely different take on the concept of a fairy godmother.

Now I want to find my tape of this (it's another one that's more than ten years old) and watch it again!

Date: 2009-01-03 03:20 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
You make Ever After sound like a lot of fun. And so nice to know there are more movies out there I'd probably enjoy.

I haven't seen Dougray Scott for eons.

Date: 2009-01-03 04:09 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmegaera.livejournal.com
It was adorable. Sort of a cross between a frock movie and a romantic comedy. It was the first movie I ever saw Dougray Scott in, and caused me to search out everything else I could find with him in it there for a brief time [g]. Which wasn't much, way back then.

Date: 2009-01-03 01:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
So what else has Dougray Scott been in? He doesn't seem to appear in much.

Date: 2009-01-03 06:31 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmegaera.livejournal.com
At the time, which was a long time ago, the only other thing I found with him in it that was something I wanted to watch was about Turing in WWII. It was interesting, but so far as I know that's the only other thing I've seen him in.

Date: 2009-01-03 07:14 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
That sounds interesting! And it reminds me that I haven't watched the show that had David Tennant and Andy Serkis as Einstein and Eddington. Mind you, I can't access it without my computer, and my computer isn't working now - !

Date: 2009-01-03 08:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmegaera.livejournal.com
Ooh, what's the name of that movie? And how does one access it???

Date: 2009-01-18 06:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
Einstein and Eddington (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0995036/). I watched it yesterday. I loved it totally and competely. Must write about it on my LJ. What a beautiful, wonderful movie. I was a little embarrassed about how much I was squeeing over it when my friends were relatively calm.




Date: 2009-01-19 03:05 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmegaera.livejournal.com
Rats. Netflix doesn't have it. [makes a note for future reference, anyway]

Date: 2009-01-19 05:05 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
I haven't found time to enthuse about it on my LJ either. Soon, soon!

Loved it so very much. Did find time to collect some screencaps of some of it.

Date: 2009-01-20 12:15 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmegaera.livejournal.com
Are you going to share thse screencaps??? Is your icon one of them?

Date: 2009-01-20 01:40 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fajrdrako.livejournal.com
Are you going to share thse screencaps???

I could, though at the moment, most of them are of Tennant. Mainly because I was finding them on David Tennant fansites.

Is your icon one of them?

Yes.

Date: 2009-01-20 06:09 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mmegaera.livejournal.com
Well, if you get a chance, I'd like to see them [g].

Date: 2009-01-20 01:19 pm (UTC)

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