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Wednesday, January 9, 2013

MY FILM FESTIVAL

The Palm Springs International Film Festival is in full swing just a short distance from where I live. Local TV and the newspapers are full of pictures of Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Helen Mirren, and Sally Field. I’ve never gone to the festival and am not going this year, but it reminds me of films I’ve liked and/or disliked of those I’ve seen recently.


I love movies almost as much as I love books, but I admit–-as in the case of books–-my taste may not be anyone else’s. Not even my husband’s. He likes war films, I don’t. Unless, they’re more about a problem to be solved than the fighting itself.

For instance I enjoyed STALAG 17, THE GREAT ESCAPE, and THE GUNS OF NAVARRONE, among others. Hubby gets to see war movies on television, rents them on Netflix and also plays them on the big screen in the little theatre in our gated community. Free of charge. Most of the ones he shows--as well as the two other gentlemen who provide the films-–are older, but their clientele likes to see those oldies on a big screen surrounded by other viewers once again.

Rather than wait for Netflix every time, we sometimes go into the neighborhood cineplex. That’s where we recently saw SKYFALL, the latest James Bond film in the franchise they reminded us is fifty years old. The first, DR. NO, appeared in 1962. What can I say? It’s our guilty pleasure. SKYFALL is by no means our favorite Bond film, (Given the chance, I’d have written a different last half hour), and we often have discussions with friends about which actor best portrayed 007.

While one of the eight theatres showed SKYFALL, four of them were showing THE HOBBIT;  but I am no more a fantasy lover than I am a war-film buff. I never read Tolkein’s books and don’t plan to, but I read all those of Ian Fleming years ago.

Speaking of actors, I admire both Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones, but their film, HOPE SPRINGS, struck me as being a long, boring Infomercial about the value of sex therapy. The same can be said, although on a slightly different topic, about FLIGHT. Hubby knows about commercial airliners, having been an engineer with a major U.S. carrier, and he says the cockpit scenes about trying to save the plane are accurate. But that took only ten minutes of the movie, and the rest could be termed an Infomercial for Alcoholics Anonymous. Although Denzel Washington might get an Oscar for his good acting.

I loved ARGO and hope Ben Affleck gets an Oscar for either acting or directing. And I still plan to see LINCOLN, LES MISERABLES and JACK REACHER. But probably not GUILT TRIP, in which Barbra Streisand plays a Jewish mother. Type casting, anyone? I like Babs but it sounds like a wait-for-Netflix movie.

What about you, readers? Got any favorites you can share?

11 comments:

  1. Well, talking about movies is like talking about art and religion. There are going to be so many different opinions, right? I don't often go to the theatre but I love watching movies at home. I just watched The Change Up with Ryan Reynolds and laughed so hard. I love anything with Vince Vaughan or Ben Stiller. I'm also a Twilight fan.
    Different strokes, right?

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    1. Patricia:
      You're so right, but that's what's fun about movie talk. Thanks for mentioing THE CHANGE UP. I love comed and will check it out.

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  2. We loved Les Mis!!! :)

    I still need to see Lincoln... The Hobbit was a beautiful movie. Even if you're not a big fantasy buff, the New Zealand setting for Middle Earth is SOOO gorgeous!!!

    I'm not a big James Bond fan so I haven't seen Skyfall yet...

    Lisa

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    1. Lisa:
      Thanks for the comment. I'm looking forward to LES MIS

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  3. Thank you for asking, and yes there is the odd movie I would like to help edit.

    I enjoyed Skyfall, and Daniel Craig makes a wonderful 007, however I felt the current writers and directors just don’t get James Bond. Bond is supposed to be a hero, but in Skyfall he doesn’t protect one heroine or achieve one of his goals. He seems to stay alive by accident not by his wits or design. Skyfall is a good spy movie, for me it just isn’t worthy of James Bond spy and hero. The other thing is there wasn’t one plot item that I didn’t predict ;-)

    Just my take,

    Cheers,
    V

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    1. I think you nailed what's wrong with SKYFALL. One critic said Bond usually rescues beautiful women but this time it was "M"!

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    2. Agreed, thank you, and you’re right this time it was M.
      Cheers,
      V

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  4. It is so hard for me to get out to movies, I watch them on Netflix. Saw Abraham, Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and kind of liked it. I also love classic films like Gone With the Wind!

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    1. Georgie Lee:
      I'm not into vampire films or books, but I agree that GONE WITH THE WIND is a classic. Also, IMHO, BEN HUR and SOME LIKE IT HOT. Hollywood does get it right many times.

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  5. Yes, Phyllis.

    This morning I watched my DVD of AVATAR for the umpteenth time.
    I love the romantic arc. It includes all the milestones of a good romance.
    And the world-building . . . I can't say enough about the overwhelming details.

    Susan Burns

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    1. Susan:
      Thanks for the comment. AVATAR, which I did see in 3-D on an IMAX theatre, is not high on my list because it's science fiction and/or fantasy, not my favorites for either movies or books. Just not my cup of tea. But you are certainly in the majority there. I read that 82% of those who saw it opening weekend loved it.

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