MOVIES!

We saw HP last night (NOT at midnight); there was a special showing just for people from DH's work at 7 pm. I was a little nervous taking K to her first PG-13 movie, but it wasn't that bad.

It was good. I am not a major fan, but my son is and he enjoyed it. Although he did point out what they left out of the book. But the book is like 800 pages long, isn't it? It would be impossible to put everything in.

What they've basically said, after the books got a billion pages long, is that if it didn't have to do with Harry, it was gonzo.

So, Fleur became this minor character, rather than someone who had a relationship with Bill. As a matter of fact, up until now, you haven't met Bill Weasley "the good-looking one" or, I think, "Charlie" the one in Romania with the dragons. If they tried to incorporate everything, the movie would be 5 hours long. Now, for the die-hard fans, we wouldn't mind (with an intermission of course) but the casual fans and the poor directors (who say the HP movies are a BITCH to film) would probably kill themselves. Not to mention the poor screenwriter.

Hi FC! I still enjoyed my 2nd viewing and I still wasn't able to take it all in properly. I became distracted with something (the scene) on screen and then I couldn't hear anymore what the character on screen was saying.

Nah. I don't think Harry Potter will get killed in the 7th book. I suspect Prof. Snape though as one of those who will die. Then of course, Voldemort.

The HP movie is overwhelming cuz of all those great British actors included as part of the supporting cast. Gary Oldman looked like his Dracula character in this HP movie. And GE, a 5-hour Harry Potter movie? Owowowowowsa! I'd love that very much.

That was what bothered my youngest son the most. When I took him to see the first movie, he was in 4th or 5th grade I think, I came out gushing about the movie and the actors. He came out all upset over all the things left out. Now when the first book came out I read it to him because it was too overwhelming for him to read it to himself, so I also knew that a lot was left out. But I understood why and still enjoyed the movie emensely! Son, just couldn't get over it. THen he stopped reading the books after the 4th one. I was sad about that. His interests changed and life revolved around Drangon Ball Z.

So MM saw it twice already? :jealous:

I cannot wait for the new Harry Potter book. I already have mine on reserve! I will read the last page first so I can read angst free. I hope Harry does not die. I WILL see the movie this weekend . My two fav actors are in it Ralph Fiennes and Alan Rickman. LOVE!!
Oh my so n gave up Harry Potter years ago but not me I am huge fan. The first book I read aloud to him and I was hooked.

Funny, I have a friend who would never go see HP with me, because it was always promised to her nephews. Now they couldn't care less about the HP. I think for girls it's different, because when they're little, they get all into the magic that is HP. When they're older, and the hormones kick in, they're all "ooohh! The boys are cute!". When the hormones kick in for the boys, yeah, it's either Pam Anderson or Transformers. Pam Anderson in a Transformers movie? EVEN BETTER!

Gary Oldman does look Dracula-days hot in the previews I've seen. I've always that that man was all kinds of sexy. Love him as Sirius. It was so cute, they were showing the making of the film, and the director cleared the set for "the kiss". Then you see Gary, Helena, etc., all gathered around the monitor, watching the scene, smiling like little kids. It's really funny and cute.

I was excited when I read the books and they brought Lupin back. I loved how Harry finally got the father figure he so desperately needed. I hope that he comes back for the movie as well.

I just saw Pan's Labyrinth.

Holy mother, father, child, sister, brother, fat middle aged loner woman, and spirit of all that is meaningful.

What a fucking powerful movie.

As Far as I am concerned Pan's Labryinth was the best movie of the year last year. That and Volver. It did not even win best foreign film. WTF is up with that?

I know I have mentioned this before, but thought I would again: I rent movies to download from http://www.movielink.com and http://www.cinemanow.com that I would not be likely to see in another format (DVD rental or in a movie theater).

Although I really do prefer movies that are stories about women, they are so few and far between I have been renting guy movies that are popular, like Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima (both of which, despite my crush on Clint Eastwood) bored me mightily...and the Bourne Identity and Supremicy, which both delighted me. Go figure.

Well speaking of Bourne, I went to see the Boune Ultimatum yesterday. That movie f'in rocked! I have been waiting on it all summer. The Bourne franchise is hands down my favorite. That and Harry Potter. Bourne could kick James Bond's ass , btw.

The Bourne movies are awesome! Can't wait to see the new one.

Saw HP and enjoyed it, but since jk's books get longer and the plots get more involved, they've had to strip away so much. They've said if it doesn't have to do with Harry, it's out, so now all the other characters just kinda revolve around him.

I was discussing this with someone. How jk's writing is so wonderful and the feelings and the world she creates are so wonderful, that it's such a shame it has to be cut.

I finally saw The Last King of Scotland (Forrest Whitaker won an Oscar for it, playing Idi Amin). I enjoyed it...it is more a bizarre comedy than a horrific story about a brutal dictator, which is why it was enjoyable.

Really? I wouldn't have thought that from the clips. Forrest is such an amazing actor. I was so glad he won.

Back in my early days as an actor I met Forrest a few times...forget the context (in auditions for plays or commercials, probably), but he was as sweet and lovely as could be. That much I do remember.

I am trying to cram in as many movies that I was supposed to have seen as possible....so I watched Bulworth (Warren Beatty making a joke about how people mistake him for George Hamilton makes up for him winding up with Hally Berry, almost),, Washington Square, To Kill a Mockingbird (dunno how I never saw that one before), and Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

They all could not be more different from each other, but like them all.

Oh, I love "To Kill A Mockingbird!" I saw it for the first time when I was in sixth grade and I think I read the book about a year later. Oddly enough, even though it wasn't meant as a children's book my guess is that most people read it right around junior high school or even before.

Did you know that Rock Hudson was the original choice to play Atticus Finch?

I got "Dreamgirls" from the library a few days ago and finally watched it last night (Sunday). I really liked it a lot. I loved the costumes and the musical numbers and the way it evoked the Motown period. I thought Jennifer Hudson's performance was a little over the top especially in the "And I Am Telling You" number. I did think she did much much better in the scenes after that and I really liked her solo performance of "One Night Only". Eddie Murphy was great, and I thought Beyonce did well too. I didn't like Jamie Foxx in it at all.

I LOVED Dreamgirls. I usually disdain musicals. But I loved it. I thought Eddie Murphy was awesome and should have won Oscar. I also to see Hairspray, mainly because I love me some sweetcheeks Travolta .he was incredible in hat role. Christopher Walken is wonderful too. I always enjoy him.

I think Forrest Whitaker is an amazing actor.

To Kill A Mocking Bird - one of my fave movies of all times!! I cannot tell you how many times I have seen it Started watching it when I was a little girl. I just loved Scout. Adorable and wonderful little actress. So sad she didn't make more movies. Fell in love with Gregory Peck - that voice!! Just a truly wonderful movie.

I rented Conversations with Other Women, a little intimate movie with Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhart and was charmed. The movie is small...more like a play, really, about a complicated long term relationship between two old lovers reunited.

Sounds interesting! Glad you enjoyed it.

Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine" is available free at:
http://freedocumentaries.org/film.php?id=139

Much to think about.

I rented "Aristocrats" billed as a hilarious documentary of a bunch of comedians telling a well-known only to comedians filthy, disgusting joke.

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. Not funny.

I heard about that movie. Didn't sound like my thing Is it really just the same joke being told over and over again? I know people were shocked that the dad from Full House was in it.

I needed to get the execrable taste of The Aristocrats out of my mouth...EWWWWW...I mean brain.

So I rented (mind you I do all of this online) Charlie's Angels.

YEAH! GIRLS acting stupid and all powerful!!!

I am not enjoying it enough to keep watching without taking breaks to surf the web or answer e-mail, but WOW it sure is more fun to watch women in a fluff action movie comedy for a change.

As I try to catch up on all movies of the last decade, I find that there are so few females in any position of power it is really depressing.

Maybe I will write Charlie's Angels Mothers. And cast me as Drew's mother.

Any suggestions as to my age kinda women to be the mothers of Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu?

(I need images of the people to play the parts in order to write, whether they get cast or not).

Goldie Hawn for Cameron's mom for sure!

Humm? How sad is it that I can't think of any middle aged Asian actresses? I can picture some but I don't know there names

Speaking of Asian actresses, Miyoshi Umeki who was the first Asian performer to be nominated for and win an Oscar, passed away about ten days or so ago. She's probably best known for playing the housekeeper "Mrs. Livingston" on the old The Courtship of Eddie's Father show.

She won her Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Sayonara and also starred in Flower Drum Song both on Broadway and in the film version.

As for middle-aged Asian actresses, how about Michelle Yeoh who was one of the stars of Memoirs of a Geisha? I think she was the one who told the heroine that she could not be a geisha until she could make a man stop in his tracks with a single glance.