misswonderly3

Sometimes I get carried away as much in my dis like of certain movies as my love for others (movies, that is.) But I'm going to consciously try to not apply the word "hate" to a film I don't like, because it's such a strong word, and there are always a lot of people who probably love a film that I "hate." So out of respect for that, I'll try and stick with "really dislike" or "would rather spend two hours watching my cat sleeping ( ) than watch this movie". Not that I want to sound wishy-washy, but that word can get people's backs up. I can understand someone, especially an older lady, not enjoying *The Big Lebowski*. Coincidentally enough, I just re-watched it myself the other night. I am not obsessed with the Coen brothers, but I recently discovered a book about them I had, languishing on a shelf, and decided it was time to read it, which semi-awakened my interest in their films. I'm sorry your mum didn't like it, but I can see why- shambling mumbling messy Jeff B., uber-aggressive John Goodman, and a plot that's almost impossible to follow (I really don't think it makes any sense, and I think the title -"The BIG Lebowski" -is a nod to *the Big Sleep*, which also has an incomprehensible plot.) Actually, this time around, I liked *The Big Lebowski* more than the first time I saw it, and I thought it was quite funny, which I did not on first viewing. But like a lot of the Coens' movies, I think it's an acquired taste. And there are so many movies to watch that you probably would enjoy, why spend time on one you don't? So many movies, so little time... Edited by: misswonderly on Mar 4, 2011 4:43 PM Edited by: misswonderly on Mar 4, 2011 4:44 PM Sorry, TikiSoo, I got mixed -up; meant to direct this comment to you, because of your post about the Big Lebowski.

Yes, the Who did do their own rendition of Shakin' All Over, and all things considered, I much prefer the Who to the Guess Who. However, it's the Guess Who's version of this song that takes the cake for me. One thing I forget about when I think of old time country music is how skilled a lot of those guys were as musicians. I think of the culture, the charmingly flashy clothes, the lyrics (often a lot of word-play), but I don't give a thought to the talent that goes into how they play those gee-tars. That video helped to illuminate that aspect of old c &w music.

Can't resist adding to your comment about *O Brother Where Art Thou?* : I"m assuming most people here, being classic movie fans, know that the title of this Coen brothers film is an homage to Preston Sturges' great 1941 comedy, *Sullivan's Travels*. In that fine little movie, the main character, who is a popular and successful director, wants to make a "serious" film about the suffering of humanity, called "Brother, Where Art Thou"? The director is played by the lovable and always entertaining JOEL McCREA, and his lovely female friend, by Veronica Lake. This film is a lot of fun, I recommend it. But I digress. The Coens' *O Brother Where Art Thou* is, as you said, quite funny; it's also a very well-done period piece (1930s), and an engaging story. But almost the best reason to watch it is for the music. The film resonates with absolutely wonderful folk, gospel, country, and "roots" songs. I bought the soundtrack, and I listen to it often.

Recently, on a variety of threads, the subject of big long movies has come up: epics. I've probably made it tediously clear that I usually don't like this kind of movie, although there are always exceptions. But I'm aware that a lot of people do like epics. I'm very interested to hear why, what it is about epics that they like. Maybe I'm missing something and will have a Hallelujah ! moment when it comes to the epic film. The usual suspects - *Gone with the Wind, Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia* , are all well-beloved by many people who participate on these forums. Of course there are many others. I know, why am I starting a thread about epic movies if I personally don't like them? Well, because, as I've said, a lot of people love them, and I'm always interested in hearing opinions different from my own. Enlighten me, folks...Epics? Let's talk BIG. Edited by: misswonderly on Mar 4, 2011 11:26 AM

Shakin' All Over was originally written and performed by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, a Brit band, who released their recording of it in 1960.It's not bad, but for me the definitive version is the cover by the famous (at least in Canada) Canadian band, The Guess Who. This'll leave you Shakin' All Over: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koArHqulo3A

Isn't there some animated film from the '80s called *All Dogs Go to Heaven* ? Haven't seen it though. Perhaps it's a howler. Lassie seemed to be in touch with her (actually his) inner self on that long journey she took.

> {quote:title=FredCDobbs wrote:}{quote} > Well, maybe they can make an edition for Canada. Maybe they can CGI in some big icebergs, glaciers, and walruses. Don't forget the polar bears.

Well, that explains it -my not recognizing the line, I mean. I really don't like *Gone with the Wind* and haven't watched it in years. Not to derail the topic of the thread too much, but I think this extremely famous movie is over-rated. But the fault is possibly mine, not the film's; I very rarely enjoy any movie that's longer than 90 minutes, 2 hours tops. I hate epics. GWTW should have ended with Scarlet's holding up that handful of Tara's soil and vowing she'd never be hungry again. Music swells up, the end. No, not the end, it's just the intermission. Another hour and a half of melodramatics. Sorry, I should give this well-beloved picture another chance. Maybe when I've made an evening gown out of my living room curtains. Hey, I will say this: the production code worked very well in GWTW, the sexual chemistry between Rhett and Scarlet was conveyed most effectively without a single sex scene -just a kiss.

redriver wrote: "..the young people get caught up in the *furor,*..." Is that a pun? Edited by: misswonderly on Mar 3, 2011 2:48 PM

Don'tCallMeSugar wrote: "...That's one of my favorite lines from that movie and my wife says it just to get me to say "Don't call me sugar" " Sorry, I feel I should know this: what movie is that line from? *Some Like it Hot* ? (I realize this has nothing to do with swearing or violence. Maybe sex.)

An interesting double feature would be *Cabaret* and *The Mortal Storm* .

Well, like the song says, it's an ill wind that blows no good. Edited by: misswonderly on Mar 3, 2011 11:16 AM

Can I call you "sugar", cause you sound sweet to me. I agree with everything you just said.

hibi wrote: "...One thing I dont like about the movie is the implication that the hedonism/amorality going on in Berlin somehow led to Nazism......In reality Berlin was very anti-Nazi and when they took over the hedonism went bye-bye!" I don't get that from *Cabaret* at all. The hedonism/decadence was a feature of the Weimar Republic, I'm taking a guess that this would be partially as a reaction to the bleakness and pessimism Germany experienced in the years following the First World War. The state of the German economy wouldn't have helped, either. I have seen the film several times, and I've never interpreted it as a statement on the hedonism so prevalent at the time leading to Nazism. You do see an increasing number of brown shirts in the cabaret's audience as the film progresses, but this is to show that the Nazis are starting to gain power, and that there are a lot more of them. Someone commented on the scene with the youth division of the Nazis in a beer parlour, how chilling it is when they all stand up and sing Tomorrow Belongs to Me. It's only when you get to the half-way point in the song that you see the swastikas on their sleeves. Scary. Edited by: misswonderly on Mar 3, 2011 11:15 AM

The topic of squabbling brothers in a music combo has come up this week (Everlys).At least two more that come to mind are the Kinks and Oasis. Leaving my beloved Kinks out of it for today, I thought I'd post the Oasis song that for me was the turning point in terms of how I felt about this band. I used to dislike Oasis, mainly because everybody else liked them so much, and I couldn't figure out why. For some reason I missed hearing what I thought was called "Sally Can Wait" until years after its release. Great song, anthemic chorus, cryptic lyrics - I loved it ! Hallelujah ! I'd seen the light ! Blah blah blah...Here's the original Oasis video of Don't Look Back in Anger : now take that look from off your face. Edited by: misswonderly on Mar 3, 2011 11:06 AM

I 've noticed a lot of people on these boards have it in for the Coen brothers. They always cite violence and swearing as two evils perpetrated by the Coens in their filmmaking. I really don't understand this; they do have violence in many of their films, but they also have quite a few with no or very little violence whatsoever. ( *O Brother Where Art Thou?*, *Intolerable Cruelty*, *A Serious Man* ...) When they have a lot of cursing, as Kinokima observed, it's because of a certain character given to cursing. I do acknowledge that the Coens are not for everybody's taste, and I will be the first to concede that they've made their share of failed movies (I hesitate to use the word "bad"), but it seems that it's always the Coens who are brought up as the whipping boys for concerns over excessive violence in current cinema (nobody can accuse them of graphic sex scenes). There are other respected filmmakers who have used violence in their films that's at least as graphic and disturbing as the Coens, but nobody mentions them eg, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino. All three of the filmmakers I've named above do often use graphic violence in their movies, sometimes excessively and unnecessarily. But I would argue that these same films are about a lot more than violence, that all three of these directors tell good stories, feature three-dimensional characters , and examine serious issues. And sometimes they're funny, too.

kriegerg wrote: "...I don't see any reason someone from another country should have to explain themselves as far as what their language is. .." Why not? It's not a matter of "explaining themselves", it's just letting people know that their first language is not English. That way, there's no misunderstanding as to why there may be a few mistakes. Nothing wrong with that, I know I'd make mistakes if I were to try and write a post in the only other language I semi-know (French). And the reason I thought it might be someone whose first language supposedly is English is because, sadly, all you have to do is roam almost any given internet site with comments (try youtube, for starters) to see that there are many people who are American -born who do not write very clearly. There's nothing negative in any way about a person not being fluent in English, nor is there anything negative about their saying so. Edited by: misswonderly on Mar 2, 2011 6:40 PM

Also, especially in the case of *Ryan's Daughter*, young vs old.

Thanks for that, finance, I love Jackie Wilson and have been known to dance to his music.

> {quote:title=FilmAficionado wrote:}{quote} > Mary Astor once said: > > "There are four phases to an actress' career: > 1. Who's Mary Astor? > 2. Get Me Mary Astor! > 3. Get me a Mary Astor type. > 4. Who's Mary Astor?" Is somebody asking for me? I'm afraid I won't be available for some time, I'm working on this detective story with Humphrey Bogart, something about a jewel encrusted bird and a fat man...

Well, yes, I see what you mean. Sorry if I came on a little strong. The best thing about the production code was that it forced filmmakers to be creative and subtle if they wanted to communicate something in their movie that they werent' allowed to actually show (whether it be sex or violence or something else.) And I agree with you, it was better that way 99% of the time. It is dismaying how popular graphically violent horror movies are these days. And always with 18-25 year olds. You have to wonder why.

> {quote:title=musicalnovelty wrote:}{quote} > I can't stand it! Absolutely hated it! musicalnovelty, I always like to hear why people love or hate movies. I really like *Cabaret*, both for its examination of what was going on in Weimar Republic Germany at the time it is set, but also for the song and dance routines, which I think are outstanding. All the music in this is good, not a forgettable or weak tune in the entire film. I don't "mind" that you don't like it, if we all agreed about everything here this site would not be as fun to read as it is. But I am interested to hear "why" you did not like it -understatement: you appear to hate, loathe, and despise *Cabaret.* It would be interesting for me to hear the reasons (I'm always happy to give the reasons why I like or dislike a film -hope you don't mind my asking.)

This is a huge coincidence. I'd already "copied" the song I wanted to post today, and it too is a Van Morrison number. The logical follow-up to a Jackie Wilson song: Jackie Wilson Says , by the one and only Van the Man Morrison. I think either Van or one of the business guys associated with his label have a thing against having his songs available on youtube, because not many of them are. At least, a lot of his original recordings are not available, and that's a shame, because I often feel there's nothing like the original version of his songs. Although he can be an absolute dynamo live, I'm not sure that always translates on these youtube videos. Anyway, this was the only version of this song by Van himself I could find. It's pretty good, but people, if you ever get the chance to hear the original studio take of the song (from the album Saint Dominic's Preview ), give it a listen, it's bursting with life and joy. Van says that Jackie Wilson Says ( I'm in Heaven When You Smile ) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X86C6kFEA6Y ps- iFolks, if you haven't checked out the Jackie Wilson "Reet Petite" video I posted yesterday, I recommend that you check it out. It's not only a good song, the video is very funny.

Well, perhaps English is not the OP's first language, in which case I meant no offence. I cannot speak for Prince Saliano but I doubt very much if he was "being rude" either. I suspect we both just read the post as being written by someone who doesn't take a lot of care with spelling and grammar etc. If their first language is not English, then I apologize. There would have been no harm in the OP openly stating that their first language is not English, nothing wrong with that, therefore their perplexity regarding their tv guide information would have been more understandable.

You know what? There are many movies produced today that have no more "sex and violence" than pre-1960 films. This is such a chestnut, the complaint that current movies are nothing but explosions, sex, and violence ( I'm tempted to make a joke about those first two words, but best to leave it.) This ever-recurring lament seems to be based on an undue concentration on the above type of film, while almost willfully ignoring all the movies that present evidence to the contrary. Yeah, yeah, there are too many sex 'n violence 'n cussing movies, I'm not denying they exist. But there are a lot of films that have none or very little of these offending features. There is wheat out there, you just have to separate it from the chaff.