Movies, Mom & Me

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  This movie causes both Mom & me to swoon. I'm pleased we finally own a copy. It's a "mood movie" for me: When I'm in the mood to watch it, nothing can take it's place and when we didn't own it I hungered for it when I wanted to see it.

Labels: biography, drama, haunting, historical, me-favorite, political, royals, spectacle

# posted by gail @ 17:12    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  Pure delight for both Mom and me. This is a keeper and one we'll watch frequently.

Labels: biography, historical, musical, shared-favorite

# posted by gail @ 17:11    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1* *2* *3*
3. Commentary:  Mom and I were both excited about finding this at Costco. Alas, the series, for us, anyway, is much better in memory than in reality. We have no quarrel with its reputation, its place as a cultural icon, its historical significance as literature and television and we concede intellectually that it was a groundbreaking series. But we couldn't help but laugh through several of the episodes. We're keeping this season but I don't think we'll be purchasing anymore. We both, by the way, continue to love Rod Serling's voice during his introductions.

Labels: drama, fantasy, mystery, suspense, TV

# posted by gail @ 17:10    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  I got this as a nod to Mom (see mention) but, lo and behold, I enjoy it, too. It's not even a guilty pleasure for me. It's got some great actors in it, I enjoy the fact that the Japanese is not subtitled in English because it keeps the viewer in the same position as Anjin-San and, well, it's an involving production. Mom could probably watch this 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Labels: action, adventure, drama, mom-favorite, period, political, spectacle, TV

# posted by gail @ 17:09    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  I used to be a Shakespeare snob. Up until the late 70's when I took a college course in Shakespeare I just didn't get what was interesting or important about Shakespeare's plays despite the fact that I'd studied two of them in high school. The course I took finally opened up the language and the structure for me. The class took place as these BBC plays were being broadcast on PBS and was recommended by the instructor. I bought a television just to see them. I get it, now. Although I have some other favorite productions of some of these plays: Laurence Fishburne's portrayal of Othello, for instance, and my favorite version of Hamlet is the production starring Richard Burton and Hume Cronyn, the vocals for which I have on record album, these BBC productions are excellent and do not disappoint. I hope to obtain the entire collection, since I've seen the entire collection.
     When I queue up these plays Mom tries her best but I think she's where I was before I took that course and, as well, she has trouble with British accents. It's easy for her to get bored and switch to her tabloids or take a nap.

Labels: buddy, drama, haunting, me-favorite, period, romance, royals, tragedy, TV, violence

# posted by gail @ 17:08    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  Mom and I have caught this at least three times when it's showed on PBS during their funds drives. For both of us it's the Cosmos of philosophy/spirituality.

Labels: documentary, shared-favorite, spiritual

# posted by gail @ 17:07    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  I bought this because we never caught the entire show on PBS and it intrigued both Mom and me. We haven't had it very long but have watched it twice. After the second watching I ordered the book. I'm sure it will be one that she and I will read aloud together. Although my mother considers herself a Christian and has a grounding in and much respect for C. S. Lewis' theology, both times we've watched this, during some of the explanation of Freud's thought journey to atheism, my mother has said, "You know, he's got a point, there."

Labels: documentary, shared-favorite, spiritual

# posted by gail @ 17:06    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  I have, for a long time, been shy about mentioning my adoration for this movie. Something about the way it's put together from the beginning. Something about its nonmusical musical quality. Something about its datedness, which was dated when it was made and thus makes it a period piece. Something about the coarse vulnerability of the characters. Something about the title song. Mom likes watching it because it's a dance movie. That's good enough for me.

Labels: drama, me-favorite, musical, period

# posted by gail @ 17:05    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1* *2*
3. Commentary:  This movie has an hypnotic effect on me. Aside from enjoying the super hero theory postulated in the movie and loving the way the father/son relationship is portrayed, I have a strong response to its technique, including the choice of shots, film editing, the way the story unfolds, the direction of the understated performances...every time I watch it I discover something new. It is, so far, my favorite Shyamalan movie. Mom likes its atmosphere but finds the story disturbing although she sticks with it when I watch it.

Labels: drama, fantasy, haunting, me-favorite, mystery, suspense, violence

# posted by gail @ 17:04    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  I absolutely had to own this movie. Read the mention linked above to see why. Mom tolerates me when I watch it and usually reads her tabloids. I think it's too quiet for her.

Labels: caregiver, drama, me-favorite

# posted by gail @ 17:03    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  I'm surprised there is no mention of this movie in my journals. The reason I bought a copy is that Mom and I watch it every time we notice it playing on TV but we usually manage to cue it up after it's already begun. I'm only a fair fan of gender-bender movies. They have to have other qualities to recommend them and the gender bending performance has to be really sleek for me to enjoy it. This one qualifies on both counts. Mom always forgets that Tootsie is being played by a man until the end. The sideline performance of her surprise is a delight in itself to watch.

Labels: gender-bender, mom-favorite, romance, satire

# posted by gail @ 17:02    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  What can I say? The Coen Brothers. Jeff Bridges. John Goodman. John Turturro. Steve Buscemi. The characterizations are over-the-top excellent. The humor is right up my alley. I can watch this one in whole or in part and never get tired of it. This is my definitive Up in Smoke movie.

Labels: buddy, me-favorite, satire

# posted by gail @ 17:01    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  I bought this movie sight unseen on MPNC's recommendation. I enjoyed watching it and will probably watch it again although I don't consider it quite as "important" as its advance publicity made it out to be. What I do like is that it is a "show, don't tell" movie. I think Spike Lee did it better, though, in Do the Right Thing.

Labels: drama, political

# posted by gail @ 17:00    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1* *2*
3. Commentary:  Another favorite of mine. I love luxuriating in Maggie Smith's performance in this HBO movie. I love the ambiance of the voice over. I enjoy the story. Mom has liked this movie on and off. She has to be in the mood for it.

Labels: drama, dream, me-favorite, TV

# posted by gail @ 16:59    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1* *2*
3. Commentary:  It took me a long time to decide to buy this series. When I watched it first run on TV I was never sure that Mom has liked it. Finally, when the price dropped drastically and even more so at Costco, I picked up these seasons. To my surprise Mom was as fascinated with it in arrears as I am. We will probably and eventually purchase all the seasons, even the much maligned fifth and certainly the last season. Mom especially enjoys watching the episodes with the good subtitles and has mentioned that she "understands it a lot better" now that we can "rewind" when she doesn't catch something. When we watch this I am reminded how Mom still enjoys following politics even though she can't remember who the current president is and doesn't anymore care who he is.
     I asked her, after we watched the first season on DVD, why she liked the show.
     "It's like bartering in shops in Mexico," she said.
   12/24/06 Addendum  You'll notice the designation has changed to "The Entire Series", rather than just seasons 1 & 2. I received the series this year as a surprise gift from a long time friend. It was an extreme surprise because he and I have never been known to exchange gifts, we rarely see each other, we don't email each other, we talk on the phone infrequently, and yet we remain bonded. He is one of the few people I know who is aware of my ambivalent interest in politics and my "secret" desire to become President of the United States. Truth is, I only vaguely remember talking to him about the series once, soon after it started, when Mom and I still lived part of the year in Mesa and, him living in Scottsdale, we spoke more frequently and occasionally visited one another. I do remember I was pretty excited about it, at the time we talked about it. So was he. He was recording the episodes. I wasn't, though. Funny thing, when I noticed that the entire series was available of a piece, I thought about buying it but since I already had the first two seasons and Mom and I hadn't watched it in awhile, I figured, well, maybe I should try it out on her again and see if I should collect the other seasons separately. I couldn't see spending the amount of money involved in purchasing the entire series when it would be cheaper for me to fill in the seasons. So, this was like one of those magical gift moments that blew me away!
     Needless to say, I'll be turning the first two seasons in for credit at my usual search-for-bargains video store.

Labels: drama, political, presidential, TV

# posted by gail @ 16:58    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  Although the story is pleasant enough and I enjoy the romantic comedy no matter how many times I see it, this movie is a hallmark for me because I lived in Seattle when it was being filmed, saw it during its first run in Seattle and watch it more for its ability to transport me back to Seattle than anything else. Mom enjoys the story.

Labels: comedy, me-favorite, romance

# posted by gail @ 16:57    0 comments    email......this post