What DVDs have you seen recently?

[Moscyn]

I watched North Country (Charlize Theron) on HBO. It's a movie I meant to watch for a long time but I knew it would disturb me and indeed it did. The movie finished at 10 pm and I could not sleep till around 2 am. It's an excellent movie released in 2005 - A fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States -- Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines, where a woman who endured a range of abuse while working as a miner filed and won the landmark 1984 lawsuit. It took me so many years to finally just sit through it and feel the pain women feel while working in the mines which is largely worked by men.

 

[Moscyn]

Watched Safe House- Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. If you want a non-stop action, heart pounding entertaining movie, don't miss this one. I liked it a lot. It is quite loud too (lots of gun shots) Not for children to watch it as it could be quite violent with lots of fighting and car chasing.

Safe House | Trailer and Cast - Yahoo! Movies

 

[TromboneAl]

A Face in the Crowd is a 1957 movie, which is remarkably prescient about politicians and the political process. It's fun to see Mike Wallace in it, as well as Lee Remick and Walter Mathau.

Andy Griffith is very good.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Finally got around to borrowing the first installment of the Atlas Shrugged movie and watched it last night. For those among us who enjoy Ayn Rand, I think the movie is a wonderful companion piece. I would imagine it would hold little interest for the GP or for people not familiar with the book, as there isn't a lot of character development or background for the who and the what of the film.
Seeing characters I first got to know by reading them when I was 18 actually "come alive" on screen was quite interesting and enjoyable, though, and the casting was spot-on for what I'd imagined these folks looked like. I see that Part 2 is due out in the fall and I'll be looking forward to it.

 

[Moemg]

I am a huge fan of the Stephanie Plum books so I watched "One for the money ". Totally awful ! They really dropped the ball on the casting . The only character who was cast well was Lulu . The rest just blah ! IMO !

 

[Moscyn]

I am a huge fan of the Stephanie Plum books so I watched "One for the money ". Totally awful ! They really dropped the ball on the casting . The only character who was cast well was Lulu . The rest just blah ! IMO !

Good thing I gave it a miss. I am also a huge fan of Stephanie Plum's books. I saw the trailers on "one for the money" and thought it was not too great, so decided to watch other movies first.

 

[JPatrick]

Just watched "We Bought a Zoo," with Matt Damon.
Good family movie with a predictable plot and based on a true story.
I'd recommend for all ages.

 

[Moscyn]

Not DVD but went to the movies to watch The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel which follows a group of British retirees who decide to "outsource" their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic India. I really enjoyed the movie and can relate to the different characters. The movie begins with showing very briefly each character's beginning with retirement and deciding to retire to India for various reasons - primarily finances and then how they each deal with retirement life in a different country and culture. Excellent acting too.

 

[harley]

I am a huge fan of the Stephanie Plum books so I watched "One for the money ". Totally awful ! They really dropped the ball on the casting . The only character who was cast well was Lulu . The rest just blah ! IMO !

I've read them all, mostly while standing in Walmart waiting in the book dept. while DW shops. I can usually finish one in about three trips. They are pretty enjoyable. When I heard they were making the movie I checked out the casting and decided it was going to be a dud. I like Katherine Heigel, but she's not Stephanie Plum. I would have picked Zoey Deschanel, or Sandra Bullock (getting a little old for the part), or maybe Minnie Driver. I'd also have cast Johnnie Depp as Ranger, if they could afford him. And since Estelle Getty is dead, maybe Betty White as Grandma. The group they got doesn't do it for me. I'll wait for the DVD. Although, now that I think about it, I always wait for the DVD. Haven't been to the theater since part 3 of LoTR.

 

[califdreamer]

Rented "Nowhere Boy" from Netflix, biopic of John Lennon. Focuses on his adolescence in Liverpool. I enjoyed the movie because it humanizes its subject warts and all and avoids the usual cliches. Kind of a sad movie but I enjoyed it.

 

[NW-Bound]

We just finished watching "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", a 2011 movie based on John le Carré 1974 spy novel of the same title.

Then, looked up on the Web and found that the movie was a commercial success and got a few Academy Award nominations. We are always the last to know, as we "do not get out much", nor watch much TV.

Anyway, if there is anything I miss from the "good ol' days of the Cold War", it is the genre of intriguing spy novels and movies. I just now recall a movie I watched as a kid: "Topaz" by Hitchcock. I do not remember much about it, and want to watch it again. Just reserve it from the local public library. Also "The spy who came in from the cold".

 

[Lsbcal]

We just finished watching "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", a 2011 movie based on John le Carré 1974 spy novel of the same title. ...

This is one of my all time favorites. I've read the book a few times (and I never re-read books), watched the PBS version with Alec Guinness as Smiley, and now this excellent movie. I'd imagine if you did not know the story it could be a bit hard to follow -- definitely a murky story but that's how it's suppose to be.

There was a scene at the Circus's Christmas party where they were singing the Soviet national anthem. I was not sure whether this was a dream sequence or was suppose to really happen in the story? I wasn't paying enough attention to how that scene got started.

BTW, there is a 1982 Alec Guinness 3 disc DVD series Smiley's People available from Netflix. It's also based on Le Carre's novel. I don't think these classics appear too dated.

 

[NW-Bound]

Though I have read a few novels of le Carre, I have not read "Tinker, Tailor" though I heard of it for a long time.

Thanks for the heads-up on the "Smiley's People" DVD set. Just now got it reserved online at the local public library. I am trying to get my tax money's worth!

 

[Moscyn]

We just finished watching "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", a 2011 movie based on John le Carré 1974 spy novel of the same title.
QUOTE]

Loved that movie too. Watched it in a cinema and there was such a mixed reaction from the crowd. I did a review on my Facebook and told my friends to watch it and I also got a mixed review from them. Some found it boring (I guess they were expecting the James Bond type movie) but others enjoyed it a lot.

 

[Lsbcal]

Some more recent ones that we liked from Netflix:

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Stranger Than Fiction
Mao's Last Dancer
Manhattan Murder Mystery
Midnight in Paris

 

[Meadbh]

Not a DVD, but I saw Incendies (Scorched) which was one of the Oscar nominees for best foreign language film. It is a very powerful adaptation of a play about a woman caught up in the Lebanese civil war, and how it shapes her life and family. The denouement is devastating and disturbing. I highly recommend the movie, for adults only.

 

[Sarah in SC]

We watched The Man Who Would Be King, adapted from the Rudyard Kipling story, starring Michael Caine and Sean Connery. What a great movie!
Plenty of adventure and humor, and a great chemistry between these two fantastic actors. How'd I miss this one before now? Reminded me a lot of how much we loved
Second Hand Lions, another wonderful adventure movie along the same lines.

 

[Lsbcal]

We watched The Man Who Would Be King, adapted from the Rudyard Kipling story, starring Michael Caine and Sean Connery. What a great movie! ...

It's in our queue now. Thanks!

We watched Breach which is based on a true FBI mole case. Very good acting and suspenseful too.

 

[Ally]

I saw the Man Who Would be King when it first came out in the theater. What an impressive movie!

I don't know if this applies here, but we have been watching the Doc Martin DVDs. Both my husband and I love this series. It was on Netflix instant streaming, but several of the seasons disappeared, so we bought it.

 

[bssc]

Another vote for the Man Who Would be King. Watched Thor because it was free on Netflix, it wasn't bad but long in parts.

 

[JOHNNIE36]

Sitting in WalMart today I saw a poster advertizing "Hunger Games" coming to BluRay on August 20th. I was forced to go to this movie while in Chicago to be at my grandson's graduation from Navy boot camp. I thought, why are we doing this? Well, he wanted to see it after having read the book and I got dragged along with the group. I really enjoyed the movie and that's hard for me to admit. It's strange the way it starts out and you really have to pay attention to get the drift of it. Then it really gets exciting.

 

[Ally]

I read the first 2 Hunger Game books. They were ok, but I'm not sure l'll read the last one. I think maybe it would be more fun to watch the movie. I had to force myself thru the second one. I was curious and that's why I read them.

 

[Chuckanut]

Rocky and Bullwinkle. They might also be on Netflix streaming.

 

[freebird5825]

Iron Lady...Meryl Streep delivered an unbelievable performance as Margaret Thatcher.

A fabulous movie but it hit a little too close to home for me with the continuous thread of wistful remembrances of her late husband. Ouch.
I was completely immersed. I say BRAVO for an extremely realistic portrayal of a widow in grief. I was moved to tears. I wanted to go to her house and have tea and hug her.

 

[Meadbh]

Iron Lady...Meryl Streep delivered an unbelievable performance as Margaret Thatcher.

A fabulous movie but it hit a little too close to home for me with the continuous thread of wistful remembrances of her late husband. Ouch.
I was completely immersed. I say BRAVO for an extremely realistic portrayal of a widow in grief. I was moved to tears. I wanted to go to her house and have tea and hug her.

The movie has been quite controversial as many feel that the portrayal of Thatcher in old age intrudes on her privacy and should have confined itself to documented history. I had mixed feelings about that, but Streep is outstanding, as always.