Diane's Blog - Movies

Happy New Year

nospam@example.com (Diane C.) — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 18:43:33 -0800

My last post of 2006 is about the movies. We had a good laugh reading the worst movie list of 2006 in the SF Chronicle. The movie critic
Mick La Salle gave the #1 honors to Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

Having seen the same movie the night before, we must agree with Mick.

El Stinkaroo! Was there any dialog in that movie?

The best movie I saw this year at home (from Netflix) was Reds. I had been patiently waiting for years for that movie to come out on DVD and I was not disappointed. Hollywood can't seem to make epic movies like Reds anymore.

The recent movies that I really enjoyed this year were Syriana, Constant Gardener, Good Night and Good Luck and Nanny McPhee.

I have to get ready to go party, so have a Happy New Year and enjoy the movies in 2007.

Fall of Eagles

nospam@example.com (Diane C.) — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 19:33:58 -0700

I have just finished watching the last episode of the 1974 BBC miniseries Fall of Eagles ... (Thanks to Netflix). The Eagles were Kaiser Wilhelm II, Tsar Nicholas II, and Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph and not only do they fall...they self-destruct in a very spectacular fashion. But they always do their duty to God and Country to the bitter end. No change of circumstance or the anger of the starving and war ravished masses will deter them from duty to their view of God's truth.

If you read or watch the news this August (the 92nd anniversary of the beginning of World War I) watching this 70' series can make you believe in reincarnation. Or least say" my God there's an idiot like that in power once every several generations".

I certainly recommend this series as a "cautionary tale"...if you don't know much about World War I or the the events leading up to it, read the links at First World War.com How It Began.

The series features Patrick Stewart playing Lenin and John Rhys-Davies playing Zinoviev. If you are an IMDB buff like I am, you will know that Stewart, Davies and Charles Kay( the actor that plays Nicholas) were back together in 2 years on the BBC production of I-Claudius one of the best TV mini series ever made.

And the Oscar Goes To...

nospam@example.com (Diane C.) — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 14:28:41 -0800

Can't wait for Sunday night...so you'll never have to hear about "Brokeback Mountain" again.

Me too. Most movies I've seen this year were either boring or so-so. I haven't see Brokeback yet..however it is also likely boring or so-so.

To alleviate movie boredom, I like to scream "product placement" at the screen every time I see a product like Coke or Pepsi. So naturally there is a Product Placement movie award.

The winner for 2005 is the penguin. The documentary "March of the Penguins" has increased the market value of penguin merchandise in zoos and aquariums so much that the bird itself is now a product.

The lifetime achievement award goes to "Gatorade".
You can't film a sports movie without Gatorade. It wouldn't be realistic.