Besides some of the Bollywood productions, there are numerous movies made in Canada, Britain, Ireland and Australia that SHOULD be watched/attended, but haven't been to any large degree. Either because they didn't have enough funds to get them distributed in other countries or because the US pretty much ignored them (or never even heard of them). I find this rather sad.

"Bend It Like Beckham" (2002) is one of the few that did fairly well at the (US) box office (and was released five years before Beckham "defected" to the US in 2007). I LOVED that movie. I suppose it could be classified as a "chick flick" but it's really more than that, more complicated, with values and traditions and making fun of same within your own culture. It's about ambition and pride and how attitudes are gradually changing. But it really doesn't beat you over the head with all that. Fun, charming movie.

45 Years .... we're having a little film festival here,mand saw this Brit entry.

It is billed as a film for grown ups, and I suppose it qualifies by being slow and not having much action. But honestly the main character seems to have the emotional maturity of a 22 year old. Maybe it's because I had a volatile marriage, but the whole way through I Was thinking ..."You are at least 60 years old and this is how you react to this news? Grow up" so maybe the film is meantnfor those who have lived a placid life.

Was not as impressed as Imwas soppsed to be

Sorry for the typos. I do not love my ipad

I enjoyed that one too. It was fun and believable (for the culture it was set in) without being too over the top.

Two very Canadian Sci-Fi films, both extremely enjoyable on many levels:

"The Cold Equations" - Bill Campbell, Poppy Montgomery
This harkens back to some early B&W TV dramas, set in three acts with the two actors moving around a simple set. It reminded me of 'Waiting for Godot' at times, but it's not a barren country side, it's a disposable transfer/descent ship that was meant for one but now has two, which means a lot of character development.

"Antiviral" - Caleb Landry Jones, Sarah Gadon, Malcolm McDowell, Douglas Smith
What will the future be like when we master genetic engineering? Here is one possible scenario. The story couples viral growth mastery with a celebrity worship gone haywire. The protagonist gets really mixed up acting as a transfer vessel for star's illnesses that can be lucratively sold on the black market to fans eager to share the sicknesses of their favorite players. A minor capability this mastery brings about is that you can purchase tank grown stem cell slabs of meat cloned from your favorite media wonder. And, of course, if Malcolm McDowell is in the film, it must be good.

I watched "The Maze Runner" wish I hadn't dumb movie.

Watched "The Judge" with Robert Downey Jr & Robert Duvall fantastic movie I want to watch again.

"Hobson's Choice" 1954. Badly dated but still charming - Charles Laughton is a dreadful old man bullying his daughters who eventually get the better of him. John Mills is the bootmaker one of the daughters sets her cap for. Take it for what it is, and it's enormous fun. Loughton was a huge talent - I haven't seen him in anything where he wasn't wonderful.

"Will Penny" 1967. Pretty good 1960s western. Charlton Heston is not a favourite actor of mine, but here he gives a solid performance, while Donald Pleasance has a great time chewing the scenery and spitting out the splinters. Bruce Dern is a bad guy, Lee Majors has a minor sidekick role.

"Bend it like Beckham" 2002. Been meaning to watch this one for ages, and it's just as good as hoped. Yet again, just charming.

I didn't mind "Maze Runner". I suspect that it was aimed toward younger/teen audiences. Can't fault it on that front. It is sort of a modern day version of "Lord of the Flies" perhaps. Good fx. The only thing I really disliked it for was that there is presumably a sequel lol.

As for "The Judge"? Robert Downey Jr is one of my favourite actors and I'll watch him in anything except the Ironman franchise. Duvall can save any movie no matter how inane the plot is (case in point "A Night in Old Mexico" - he's in it all alone, terrible movie otherwise). They were both very good in "The Judge". The rest of the story/characters? Um, meh. Glad I watched it though.

Another Canadian movie worth watching: "Away from Her" (2006) starring Gordon Pinsent and Julie Christie. Not a "happy film" but engrossing. It won several nominations and a couple of wins. In my mind, like Duvall, Pinsent can do no wrong. He's a treasure.

"Away from Her" turns out to be the young girl from "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" (Sarah Polley's) Directorial debut. I will try to watch it just to find evidence of Terry Gilliam's influence. Thanks Jakeroo. (order placed)

Sarah Polley is very well known up here, she's been acting since she was a young girl, with the best Canadian cinema has to offer. The source material for "Away from Her" is a short story from the Nobel Prize winning Alice Munro. I'd say Terry Gilliam would be among the least of her influences.

I am in error. She directed a few films before "Away from Her". Okay, I'll watch it for (my heart goes bumpity bump) Julie Christie's part in it.

Anyone want to hear more about any of these works of art?
Hellboy: Blood and Iron (animation) - Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, John Hurt
The Fountain - Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn
Lucy - Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-sik, Amr Waked
The Big Empty - Jon Favreau, Joey Lauren Adams, Darryl Hannah, Kelsey Grammar, Sean Bean
Super 8 - Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee
Push - Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Djimon Hounsou
Sliders - TV Seasons 1&2&pilot - Jerry O'Connell, Cleavant Derricks, Sabrina Lloyd, John Rhys-Davies
S1m0ne - Al Pacino, Evan Rachel Wood, Jay Mohr, Winona Ryder, Rachel Roberts


In conversations with acquaintances (friends?) I have found myself describing "Antiviral" to them. I'm suspecting this is one of those rare films that people will never forget. Great movie? NO, but one which has impact on several levels.

I liked Super 8 - not a wonderful film, but fun enough. Would have been even better if it had had a decent plot.

I really liked Super 8

I didn't understand Lucy it got lost on me

Hellboy (any of them): My husband likes the franchise. I like Ron Perlman (and John Hurt). At some point you have to share the couch with your spouse lol

The Fountain: Although I generally like everyone (and their acting) in this movie, I found the plot horribly pretentious.

Lucy: I already commented on it a coupla pages back

The Big Empty: haven't seen it yet

Super 8: Great fx. Visually very pleasing. You even cared about the characters even though they had no plot to work with lol

Push: just awful and the superpower thing has been done to death, particularly in the last decade.

Sliders: Great pilot. They should have made it a full movie and forgot about trying to turn it into a tv series.

SIM: Can't stand Wynona Ryder but thankfully she's not in this movie much. I find it quite odd that Pacino was in this one at all. Rachel Roberts was quite good though

Thanks Jakeroo. I found a Florida Goodwill that got "Away From Her" to me almost overnight. It is an important subject (Alzheimer's) not often discussed. The movie should help couples plan for future separation and loneliness. As a single person the topic scares the hell out of me. I have no one to worry about being the victim I would have to take care of. But what do I do if I become the victim? Where's the movie that would give me some guidance?

Apart from my problem, Sarah Polley (fulfillment aside about Terry Gilliam's influence on Polley: How could you not notice Gordon Pinsent's physical resemblance to Gilliam? I saw Gilliam in almost every frame) did a good job screenwriting Alice Munro's "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" and directing; Neil Young's words and music have a grand impact; and, I think the cast treated the subject with respect. I might note that on the commentary track, Julie Christie says she didn't want to do the film because she'd have to learn to speak Canadian! I thought that was her language in "Doctor Zhivago". Was I wrong? He he he.

But I must say I was lucky to have found the Florida Goo.... Oh, dear.

_________________________________

The past 2 posts buttress my decision not to spend much energy relating that I'd watched that series of films although I think I maybe liked them more than others liked them. The idea from "Lucy" that we might possibly use more of our brain tissue is really just another way to point out through omission that lack of the ability to use those miracles is heartbreaking as was said by "Away From Her". Same material, different takes and presentations. Compared to the character Lucy, in that film the professional staff stood as incapable as Alzheimer's patients.

Mehaul, I engage in an activity called contra dancing which I recommend to anyone who can follow directions, but if you're really worried about Alzheimer's, you should look into ballroom dancing. It reduces the risk of Alzheimer's in the elderly by 76%, better than reading or doing crossword puzzles. Here's an article that discusses the findings: article

Yes, great film.



Yes, I agree totally with that summation. Not a chick flick, but it has women and girls starring in it so obviously that might make some people think of it as chick flick material but, yeah, a lot more than that!

Spot on review. From distant memory...

"The Theory of Everything"

The Stephen and Jane Hawking biopic. Finally I get around to seeing this film, but I had to wait until I was in the right mood for it, see? Fantastic, of course, as everyone has said. It was most poignant for me for the telling of Jane's story (as Stephen Hawking's story is already well known). I was left in awe of her and her commitment to Stephen. A very positive and affirming film, all in all. Some personal things may have meant I found a few scenes particularly distressing/moving so maybe I am biased in that way but I think this film is a "must see".



"Pride"

The little-known (well, I'd never heard of it, or if I did I forgot) true story of a London group of gay rights activists who decided to support a group of Welsh striking coal miners at a time when when both groups were suffering badly. Of course neither group knows much - if anything - about the other so it is an interesting culture clash/exchange.

Of course with true stories there is always an element of fiction, but apart from a minor character or two being merged or invented so that the story could be told, those involved in the two groups have stated that they were amazed at how accurately the film has portrayed the whole saga, and how many real details were included such as verbatim dialogue. So all in all, what we get is the real story.

I thought the film could have presented a bit more of the suffering; I think if you didnt know, or if you'd forgotten, how crazy things were in some respects, such as public and police attitudes to gay men, and the enormous war between government and coal miners, and the way the police and government seemed so opressive, then you might not understand the enormity of some of it. My daughter disagrees on that point and in fact says I am talking rubbish and that everyone knows all that history very well.

But is a light hearted film, a comic telling of the tale, and it is a very British sort of a film; a seemingly small film about a seemingly small story, but I've found it is a story that has stayed with me. Some sadness but over all an affirming sort of film!

Both my daughter and I loved this low key treat. Recommended!

Sorry, you've touched a sore spot in my existence, a pain that represents fifty tears of false physics being sold to a rapt audience by an alchemist. As far as Hawking is concerned, the man had to come up with an invisible, unmeasurable and flat out fantasy, Hawking Radiation, to explain away the errors of his acclaimed 'insights'. When you need magic to explain the physical universe. history has proven your original idea is all wet. He won't admit something of his is wrong, he keeps coming up with new fantastic reasons for them. And then when the community of Physicists was about to revolt, he did admit that he might be wrong but came up with the idea of 'hilly' event horizons to explain it away. His real and only claim to fame, and justifiably so, is his battle against ALS. His Physics is false.

His time cones are a nice way to tell about how things have a broad set of possibilities in the future. But they also require that a diverse and unconnected set of circumstances can lead to the same event which is not the experience the universe around us exhibits. Adding blue and yellow gets you green but dicing blue things to their component parts will never deliver something that is green. Those cones look fine extending forward but he never discusses the part of the cones leading up to an event. You can't have a universe that only follows one side of a balance system. You can't have dark without the light.

He said in "Brief... Time", chapter 7, paragraph 3 that Black Holes merge and become even more massive. He offered no calculus to prove that assertion. Actually, when 2 Black Holes approach each other, there is an antithetical point between them that experiences the opposite value of Gravity that defines Singularities. A point where the G value approaches ZERO (REM: the gravity of the Singularity approaches infinity) and through which all the matter in the inescapable Black Holes can, ahem, escape! Any item in a rotating shell of an Event Horizon shifts from one extreme of gravity to the other in moments. Individual Black Holes can exist in the way J Robert Oppenheimer performed calculations about them but they are not the monsters that developed in Hawking's poor head.

Sorry again for imposing on the Movie thread my need to try to get things correct in another field.

I know nothing and can barely do long division but I still love to try to understand all the theories. Maybe this deserves its own thread just for the fun to be had watching funtrivia players trying to explain black holes to each other.

:0

A great Indian Astrophysicist, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, at 19 began theorizing about the mass amounts needed to create different sizes, colors and longevities of the observable stars. This led to the conclusion that certain massive stars could come to the end of their lives in a major implosion that would cause the central point to become so dense that the gravity created at that point would mathematically calculate toward infinity. These objects were referred to as Singularities. The mass amount needed to result in a mass collapse of the infinite density variety was called Chandrasekhar's Limit. Our Sun has less than this amount and so will not collapse into a singularity at its final stage.
Then along came J. Robert Oppenheimer (of the Manhattan Project fame) who calculated that at a certain distance from such a singularity, the gravity would be so intense as to prevent the equivalent mass of a photon (following Einstein's Relativity Laws) travelling at the speed of light would be an insufficient escape velocity (in accordance with Newton's Celestial Mechanics) and so nothing (we knew of at the time) could ever leave the singularity from that distance inward. And so the Black Hole and the inseparable Event Horizon terms were born. After you read this article go finish the rest of your homework and then you can watch the Deputy Dawg cartoons

I don't want to, and you can't make me.



(suppose I should edit in a smile, after that......:) )