Movie Update - Clash of the Titti-ans

Finally saw this movie...okay, okay, I saw it in the first weekend..dork, dork, dork! We heard 3D was done after filming and added in post production so we skipped the 5 dollar charge (5 dollars more!!! What the cuss!) and saw it in plain ole 2D. Maybe we should've seen it in 1D. Is that cheaper I wonder? Or better yet 0D. Because that would mean we wouldn't have seen it at all. Pretty disappointing, although funnier than I expected. But...it wasn't supposed to funny. Duh!

They almost completely changed the story and added another female character, whom I sort of liked, but what?? And Perseus is practically bald - hair shaved completely off. And he's the only male character to have hair this way. What, he refused to at least wear a wig? He looked totally out of place. The Pegasus is black. Black for crying out loud. I guess that's better than red, orange..

The special effects are of course better, but a bit jarring sometimes. In 3D I probably would've been sick to my stomach and running to the bathroom and not because I had to pee. Although I had to do that too. Not that I would've missed anything..

Sigh.
Bummer.
Watch the preview instead. It's better.

The Tudors - The Good Queen, The Ugly Queen, and the Stupid, Stupid Queen. Season 3

It's the 1500's in Tudor England. The King's wives keep dying, either from a broken heart, by losing a head or for giving their all while finally birthing the King a son. What's a poor grieving King to do? Marry a mysterious German princess of course, Anne of Cleves who happens to have a nose as long as the Empire State Building, poor girl. At least she had the sense to except his divorce and continue to live rather richly and quiet-like in England. Katherine Howard however, well, she just seems doomed to follow in her cousin's footsteps, or is it just me??

Season 3 of this series did not disappoint. As far as I can tell in my limited knowledge, they are following the actual story very well. You just can't write this stuff! It's unbelievable what happened back then, over 400 years ago. My only qualm of course, is King Henry's size. He was in fact quite hefty by his forties, and probably wasn't even close to the lion they portray him in the bedroom. But this is Showtime after all, not the History Channel.

Still though, very interesting to see it all played out on the screen. Aside from Cromwell's death however, which is horrible to read about, let alone see on tv. It's fun to see these people and times brought to vivid life. The next season will be the last. I wish they'd continue on into Queen Mary's and eventually Queen Elizabeth's life, both of whom were equally if not more interesting than their famous father.

But oh well, I'll take what I can get I guess.

I highly recommend this series if you like early English history at all.

Yes I know I'm a dork - I can't wait for this movie.

Oh, so long ago, almost thirty years - gasp, included within the ranks of Grease, Sound of Music, Xanadu, and Star Wars I had one other favorite movie: Clash of the Titans





I almost wore out the book pages back to the dust from whence they came.
Witness the beautiful original movie trailer below, and don't hurt yourself in your rush to push play.



Awe inspiring isn't it. Harry Hamlin did have great hair didn't he. Sigh..
They just don't make movies like that anymore.
But alas, my Lord of the Rings void may soon be filled. They've remade Titans and it's coming out the end of March.



I think I'm going to pee my pants with excitement.



Yes. I truly am a dork.

A Vampire Reunion

Too funny Stephanie!

For all you vampire lovers, see here.

And, speaking of vampires, where's my review of the recently seen----

New Moon - The Twilight Saga?

It doesn't exist because I want to keep my friends.

(Whom I had a most excellent time with by the way.)

I only have my evil man twin's review -

Bella was hot! And boy can she act!

(In The Panic Room)

The end.

Masterpiece Classic Begins Again December 20th!

It looks to be a great new season on Masterpiece Classic this coming year, starting with something to make that long Christmas break go by a little faster! An encore presentation of Cranford starting December 20th! I loved this movie when they aired it the first time, and am really looking forward to being involved in the lives of these crazy ladies again.

This year I want to read the books again as well, starting with this blurry covered one. Along with the yellowing pages and mysteriously stained lines, hopefully the writing with be legible at least. I'm a sucker for a good yarn.

Set your timers and tape this one, those of you who still own a V-C-R that is, because it's excellent!

Speaking of Frankenstein - Meet the Franks

I tried to embed this but I could only post the link here.

You're right Suzette. This was extremely funny.

First love burns brightest. Sigh....

Am I the last person on the planet to know about this one?

Bright Star
A movie about the three year relationship between 19th Century poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne. Anybody who knows anything about Keats knows this will be a tear jerker.
But I'll still see it.
What is wrong with me?
Get a tissue ladies.

Julie and Julia: A tale of bread, cheese, and a scary duck!

Every once in a great while I get to go to a movie without children. Really, truly a whole movie without potty breaks! Me, and about 100 other mostly women in the over 60 crowd, out on the town with their girlfriends, snuggled in tightly to our dusty seats and sticky armrests, we leaned back and listened to the hum of the previews and some old man with the black lung coughing behind me, and after 15 minutes of watching a bad - ah, killer - stepfather and the world ending in 2012, finally got to watch a truly charming movie about an American legend and a blogger. Of course I was hooked.

Julie and Julia is a great movie. I laughed multiple times and even got a bit teary in parts, no small feat for me anyway. Unlike most of the audience members sitting around me, my only real remembrance of Julia Child is from Dan Ankroyd's depiction of her on Saturday Night Live. A treat we got to see again in the movie. I won't bore with details regarding plot here since I'm sure most know what the movie is about, other than to say it revolves around the lives of two women in two different time periods with exactly the same problem: Finding purpose and meaning in their lives. The separate plots weave together effortlessly, with real laughter and real moments of sweet emotion. Nora Ephron is in top form here, no doubt taken from an excellent memoir that I hope to be reading soon, Julie and Julia - My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell.

From hence forth, Meryl Streep is Julia Child. Fantastic acting. I felt inspired to cook after watching this show even though most of the dishes both Julie and Julia prepared were with meat! Duck even. Good grief she de-boned a duck! I could only survive in France on cheese I guess. Cheese...ah... blessed cheese, sounds good to me! Food is a uniting force isn't it? It is the glue that holds family together; friends together even. It's the jelly on the peanut butter sandwich. Speaking of food, at the beginning of the movie, the main character Julie is preparing and enthusiastically eating some bruchetta on wonderfully butter encrusted, toasted bread. It looked so fantastic I kept thinking and salivating about it the entire movie, plotting and wondering if I had all the ingredients to make this when I got home.


And believe it or not the stars aligned and I DID, right down to the multi-colored tomatoes and basil growing in my garden!



Bruchetta-Lula style
5 perfectly ripe tomatoes (yellow and red)
1 glove crushed garlic
1/2 red onion, chopped
salt to taste
A drizzle of olive oil
A handful of chopped fresh basil

Mix together and put on sliced asiago bread that's been toasted on both sides with olive oil and lots of butter in a pan.

You know that toast they give you with a baked potato at Sizzler? This toast is totally better than that!!

I ate like four of these and panted for more. If you're looking for a great end of summer treat this, like this movie, is perfect for an empty stomach in search of something satisfying. Bon appetit!

Speaking of Quirk Classics..

Here's a video clip of that Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters book trailer. I'm happy these unrepenting versions are going to continue. They really are a lot of fun.

Harry Potter - Books 3,4 and 5 - Oh, and that little movie coming out Wednesday

I've plotted. I've prepared. I'm almost ready. Books 3,4,5 read. Finished. How were they? Wonderful. I listened to them, which was really fun by the way. Jim Dale must be a national treasure. I love his voice. It's so animated and fun, so well done it played through my head like on a movie screen. I highly recommend it, since the movies do leave out a ton of great stuff. I'd forgotten a lot of the original stories. Do I really need to discuss them? Is there one person on the planet who hasn't read these books? Really? I don't believe you. Book 3 - short and to the point. The first one I really liked in the series. Book 4 - way too long, but entertaining with a great plot twist in the end. Book 5 - Pretty good actually, but the point was a little muddled. I expected a bigger climax sort-of ending, other than just "the prophesy". Holy adverbs, but whose counting. Not me.

Just started Book 6. And the movie, ah, yes, but I'm starting to sweat in unusual places. Will I be done with it before the movie comes out? Will I be allowed to get away for 2.5 hours? Will I be able to sit through it without having to take someone to pee? I swear I miss half the movies I see with my kids because I give them too much to drink. This time no water for 5 hours before!


I couldn't find that new trailer anywhere. Looks like they yanked it. Idiots. Here's an old one. In the words of Ron, "Who cares!" Boy it looks like it'll be creepy. Ya-hoo!

The Time Traveler's Wife

A book I enjoyed is coming out in movie form next month. Finally a preview. This book isn't for everybody. It's very intense. I'm hoping the raw emotion I felt in the story translates onto the screen, while leaving out some of the needless filler she had in the book, and leaving in the original, thought-provoking love story. I guess we'll see. I have a feeling this one's going to be good.

Edward vs. Buffy---Does it get any better than this?

Thank you Stephanie for bringing this to our attention. Let the mayhem begin!

Lost in Austen

No, this is not a book but for all of you die hard Pride and Prejudice fans you might like this movie. It is a 4-part series that played on PBS recently, but you can also rent it from Hastings. Apparently they are also planning on turning this into a movie for the theaters.

Amanda Price loves the novel Pride and Prejudice and the Colin Firth movie and has read and watched them numerous times. She is unhappy with the romance in her life and the modern world and wishes things were more like the Austen novel that she loves. One day Elizabeth Bennet shows up in her home and they end up switching places and Amanda finds herself in 19th century England living with the Bennet family as their guest.

The whole novel unfolds with Amanda right in the middle of it trying to make everything happen as it should, but, of course, chaos ensues beginning with Bingley eyeing her and not Jane! Oh no! :) As you can imagine, it is pretty funny.

Recap of Little Dorrit - Episode III (I'm dying of suspense it's so good!)

Wow, I am really liking this series! Mystery, romance, intrigue, it has it all. I wanted to cry out in agony several times during this last episode. What does the villainous, down right evil Rigaud have in store for the Dorrit family? What is the Clennam's matriarch hiding? Will Amy and Mr. Clennam end up together or are they really brother and sister? Is Mr. Dorrit having a mental breakdown with this awful behavior of his? Good grief I'm going crazy! I don't think I can stand to wait two more episodes to see what happens. Crap, crap crap...

A synopsis from the Little Dorrit website:

The villainous Rigaud (under an assumed name), begins an extortion scheme against Mrs. Clennam. Pancks uncovers information that dramatically alters the future for the Dorrits. Now able to move beyond his shameful past, Mr. Dorrit enlists the help of Mrs. General to instruct his daughters in etiquette. Disquieted by all the sudden changes, Amy continues her connection with Arthur through letters, and forges a closer relationship with Pet Meagles.

A more detailed synopsis is on that site if you really want to know what happened last Sunday, and again, if you want to watch this episode or any of the others, it's posted here until the first week of May.

They're remaking Clash of the Titans??

There are probably few of us who remember this lovely "classic" movie and book from the early eighties,

Clash of the Titans

I thought this was the greatest movie evah, at the time anyway, just like I thought Xanadu was worth watching and Get Physical by Olivia Newton John was the best album ever made. Unfortunately, experience has shown me that time is the cruel teller of truth when it comes to revisiting these old gems. Often I'm left wondering, "what the...?"

So what about this story I heard, could they really be making another? I don't know if my stomach could handle the creatures actually looking real. Might be the stuff of nightmares. Could be a rumor I guess, but until then I'll drag out my old worn-out copy and peruse through the creased pictures of a partially clothed Harry Hamlin. Wow, was he ever cute! (He's the one on the left.)

Recap of Little Dorrit - Episode II

This new, well done production of Little Dorrit did not disappoint. Dickens has proved himself a master of story telling once again. In this episode we have yet to see how these cast of characters are all connected, as they always are in a Dickens story, but the suspense is building on both a romantic and mysterious level. I have no idea how it's going to end, and I think that's fantastic!!

A brief synopsis of this episode:

Romance and heartbreak are in the air. John Chivery proposes to Amy Dorrit,while Arthur Clennam's aspirations for Pet Meagles become deflated after meeting another suitor, Henry Gowan. Meanwhile, Flora Finching, concerned that Arthur's attention is being distracted by Amy, brings Amy to work for her. Opportunistic Fanny Dorrit leads on smitten Edmund Sparkler, stepson of famed banker Mr. Merdle. Cavalletto arrives in London, only to discover he has been followed by Rigaud. Learning of a box that contains Mrs. Clennam's secrets, Rigaud senses an opportunity. Mr. Pancks continues his investigation on Arthur's behalf. He recruits John Chivery and a lawyer for help. Tattycoram, outraged at what she considers poor treatment, declares she is leaving the Meagleses for good. Mr. Meagles watches with great concern.

If you'd like to watch it online, it's available here until May 3, 2009.

Little Dorrit - Episode 1

In case you missed it, the first episode of Little Dorrit aired last Sunday on PBS. I thought it very much im league with their other productions of his work, Bleak House and Our Mutual Friend, two of my favorites. Charles Dickens could write an excellent mystery as well as a love story. A synopsis of episode 1:

Amy "Little" Dorrit lives in the Marshalsea Prison for Debt caring for her father William Dorrit. To aid her family, Amy works for stern shut-in Mrs. Clennam. Son Arthur Clennam returns from China after his father's death, haunted by his father's final, mysterious words. Is there a long-buried family secret and does it somehow involve Amy and her family?

Settling back into English life, Arthur gets reacquainted with former sweetheart Flora Finching, although true affections are saved for Pet Meagles. Meanwhile, in Paris, sinister murderer Rigaud considers coming to England.

Having now befriended Amy and her family, Arthur makes a financial offering to help one member of the Dorrits. Amy's appreciation and affection for Arthur grows as John Chivery, a turnkey at the Marshalsea who has a longtime love for Amy, watches heartbroken.

To probe more deeply into the Dorrit mystery, Arthur enlists rent collector Mr. Pancks for help, leaving Arthur free to visit the Meagleses. While there, Arthur becomes troubled by Tattycoram (who lives with the Meagleses), and her mysterious connection to Miss Wade.

If you missed this episode, it's available on line here.
It's very well cast and worth watching!!

Little Dorrit on Masterpiece This Sunday

The second to last of the Dickens classics, Little Dorrit, will start this Sunday, March 29th. It's often called Dicken's most moving love story. A brief synopsis:

Amy Dorrit's (Claire Foy) gentle spirit has never been dampened by the confining walls of the Marshalsea Prison she's lived in her whole life. Despite the dark shadow of debtor's prison, Amy lovingly cares for her father William Dorrit (Tom Courtenay), the longest serving inmate. A possibly redemptive light unexpectedly shines in the form of Arthur Clennam (Matthew Macfadyen), who has been left with the intriguing threads of a mystery after his father's death — threads that will intertwine his family and fate with the Dorrits. Clennam's exhaustive search for answers involves murder, fortunes gained and lost, the upper echelons and lowest dregs of society, and most surprising of all, a tender romance. Adapted by Andrew Davies (Bleak House, Pride and Prejudice), Little Dorrit, based on the book by Charles Dickens, is a sprawling story as timely as it is moving.

I intend to watch it for another reason as well. Remember this fellow from another movie? Does he look familiar? Matthew Macfadyen plays Arthur Clennam in Little Dorrit.


Perhaps this will refresh your memory...here Rufus Wainwright sings the words to Shakespeare's Sonnet #29 to scenes from Pride and Prejudice 2005. Sigh....



And here Matthew to my extreme delight (Hello! Shakespeare and Jane Austen combined! I'm undone...)recites Sonnet #29 all by himself. Be still my beating heart.

Sense and Sensibility on PBS, Parts 1-2

PBS just finished its rebroadcast of Sense and Sensibility on Sunday, and even though I'm a huge fan of the book and especially the Emma Thompson movie version, this one was not an altogether bad interpretation. In fact, I liked it quite nicely. It followed the book for the most part, with only a pesky scene here or there that I found egregiously troublesome.


1. A steamy opening sequence, something I've now come to expect from screenwriter Andrew Davies. He likes to change how a book begins. Nothing is ever implied in his scripts. He wanted us to know that Willoughby (Dominic Cooper)was a cad from the very beginning instead of towards the middle of the book like Austen intended. It was confusing, and if you weren't familiar with the story, you'd have no idea what was going on.

2. Harry Dashwood, the firstborn son of Fanny and John Dashwood finally gets some screen time. However, this is not how he's depicted in the book, and the poor kid looks miserable. Just look how they dressed him.

3. Where are the Palmer's, the daughter and son-in-law of Mrs. Jennings? They are only briefly seen after she gives birth. In the book and movie version, they were some of the funniest characters, with Mrs. Palmer's obnoxious gaiety, and her husband's non-contrite rudeness towards her. Also Lucy Steele, what little screen time she had made her seem more innocent than conniving, like she is in the book, and no time was devoted to how she fell in love with Robert Ferrars. They were just suddenly married. We saw none of the aftermath.

4. Gentling Marianne "like a horse". Every time I hear that, I try to find it in the book. It's just not there. It takes several years for her to fall in love with the Colonel. He doesn't treat her like he's breaking a horse, or in essence, play hard to get. In another scene Mr. Davies has him commanding Marianne to "Come here" as she looks at him all starry-eyed while he handles a hawk on his arm. I was more than slightly offended. Women are not horses, Mr. Davies.


I will add though, the Colonel was pretty good looking in this version. So was Edward Ferrars. I though both were better looking than Willoughby. Is that what Jane Austen intended?

But for the most part, I just love this story, and will take it in its many forms, horses and all.

I did like the addition of Mrs. Ferrars (Jean Marsh), played remarkably well with just the perfect amount of "bitchiness" and snobbery. The scene were Marianne puts her in her place is perfect.

And Elinor (Hattie Morahan) was also very good. She was both serious and vulnerable at the same time. Her face looked as though she carried the weight of her family's woes upon her shoulders. A remarkable actress.

I thought Willoughby was perfectly mischievous looking and I was particularly glad they included the scene where he returns to beg forgiveness after Marianne's illness. I almost felt bad for him then. Almost.

It must have been hard to take over the character of Marianne after Kate Winslet immortalized the part, but this actress (Charity Wakefield) does a good job of portraying both the innocence and recklessness of this young heroine.

Overall, a delightful adaptation.

True love indeed does conquer all, and I love Jane for it.

Somewhere in the oblivion of my VHS pile, I think I have this taped. If anyone wants to borrow it. It's worth watching with a cup of marshmallow-laden cocoa when the kids are finally in bed.

Wuthering Heights on PBS, Parts 1-2

Ah, what's not to like about darkness and light, death and love, hate and innocence, revenge and naivety. All are contained in Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, one of my favorite books. This however, was not my favorite movie version of this book. In fact, I was quite disappointed in their interpretation this time around. This is not a favorable review.

Most are probably familiar with the story so I will not bore with details here. It is a dark tale, written by a young woman in her twenties, who never married, never even left the house much, yet she was able to contrive one of the darkest villains to ever be inked on paper. Healthcliff. Many debates have been issued forth about his true character. Was he evil to his very core? Or was he simply a product of his environment? Does he redeem himself in the end?

For me the book is about love and power, and what some people will do to get it, to retain it, how to use it against others to your advantage. This particular movie version was about sex, and it made me madder with each passing moment. What was once a story filled with tortured love and revenge, was now a Royal Shakespearean roll in the hay!

The story was done out of sequence, eliminating the first narrator entirely, Mr. Lockwood and a key scene where Catherine breaks through his window. One of the scariest scenes of the book! And then the sex. It can never be simply implied by the BBC by revealing a character to be pregnant. The story had to be modernized. They have to show it. There were no sex scenes in the book. I don't think there is even a kiss between living people in it.

And the ending. They completely changed how Heathcliff died. I immediately turned off the tv. Disgusted.

Why can't they just leave the story intact as it is written? Who gave someone the right to reinvent a classic and still call it Wuthering Heights? I didn't want a modernized story. I wanted the real one, with different actors applying Bronte's thoughts onto the screen.

This version didn't do Emily Bronte any justice. In fact she's probably rolled over in her grave. What a disappointment.