A great movie

[Giant Communist Robot]

I see Killer Klowns has a good sized cult following. Interesting niche.

[Shapley]

I finally watched Red Cliff, parts I & II. I've had the DVD's for months, now, but I finally plugged them in the player over the holiday weekend. The Soundtrack is sometimes heard here on B.com.

It's a pretty good movie. Being a John Woo action flick, it's more action than history, but it seems to follow the general history of the Battle of the Red Cliffs rather well, at least as I've read it. Like most Chinese action flicks, it has fight sequences that exceed the boundaries of belief and physics - in which one man with a pointed stick will defeat dozens of soldiers armed with swords and pikes, hurling some of them dozens of feet at a blow. Typically martial arts fare.

The battle took place in the third century A.D. I had thought that some of the inventions seemed too modern for the timeframe, such as the repeating crossbow, but I see that Wikipedia claims they actually originated in China about the time of the battle portrayed, so the film may not play quite as fast and loose with history as I thought while watching it.

I have a number of DVDs I've bought over the past few years, which I have yet to watch. I've made it my New Year's resolution to choose one of them when I feel like viewing a movie, instead of watching something I've seen numerous times. I shall endeavor, whenever a movie comes on the television that I've seen before but think I'll watch again, to plug in a 'new' movie instead.

Among those on the shelf waiting for my viewing are: Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima, Memoirs of a Geisha, Das Boot (original full-length mini-series), Engineering an Empire (History Channel series), Apocalypto, and Star Trek. Those are ones that come readily to mind.

[analog]

I'll attest to Das Boot, dont start it unless you have time to go straight through . I was riveted.
But then i always liked submarines, one of the first books i read (second grade) was Lowell Thomas' "Raiders of the Deep" , his interviews with WW1 German U-boat crews. In fact just finished reading it again a couple weeks ago.

a.

[dai bread]

So will I. That's the movie I've ordered to test regionality, and I'll be mightily peeved if I can't play it. In fact, if I can't, I'll ask #1 son to copy it and send me a disc. I don't see it as my function in life to support regional licensing arrangements.

[jamiebk]

I'll attest to Das Boot, dont start it unless you have time to go straight through . I was riveted.
But then i always liked submarines, one of the first books i read (second grade) was Lowell Thomas' "Raiders of the Deep" , his interviews with WW1 German U-boat crews. In fact just finished reading it again a couple weeks ago.

a.

Das Boot............REALLY good movie. It literally takes you into that sub with those guys. it is riveting,,,and when those rivets start popping out of the hull plating, even more so.

[Shapley]

I've seen the Movie Das Boot several times - it was one of the first DVD's I bought, and one of my favourite soundtracks. I liked it so much I bought the full-length miniseries (five hours long, in German with subtitles) from which the film was made. That, I have't watched yet. I probably won't watch it all in one sitting.

I first Saw Das Boot when it was released as The Boat, which was the title given when it was released in English in American theatres. Apparently, we Americans weren't smart enough to figure out that Boot is pronounced 'boat' in German, and that it was a movie about a boat (submarine). They had to spell that out for us. The German-language release had played in Chicago while was stationed there, but I did not see it then.

[piqaboo]

OT also highly recommends Das Boot.

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Das Boot is ok,I suppose. Iron Eagle is much better, though...

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

And the sound track ROCKS

[Shapley]

I have a few Japanese movies that still need to be watched. I've watched Kagemusha, but it's been a while, and I didn't see it all as I was interrupted. I've watched The Seven Samurai, but I also have Ran[/] and [i]The Hidden Fortress, which I haven't.

[Shapley]

I also have Princess Mononoke, which has a great soundtrack!

[Haggis@wk]

I have become addicted to Netflix over the holidays. Santa gave me a ROKU and setup was as easy as they claimed. I signed up for Netflix ($7.99 a month) this past week and am totally hooked.

There are some movies I would like to watch that aren't there but all in all I'd rate it 8 out of 10. The MRHYN and I are hopelessly addicted to Britdramas and Britcoms and have found several that we had not been aware of. One in particular is "Doc Martin." A renowned London surgeon quits and returns to his roots in Cornwall as a GP in the village of Portwenn. He is rude, unbending and straightforward. He has no social skills and, as we learn, has developed hemophobia, a fear of blood. One of the funniest scenes is when he draws blood both he and the patient turn their heads away.

I profess disappointment that I can't find the movie "Love at First Bite" a companion movie to "Zorro the Gay Blade." I love both movies, although they weren't popular at the box office. I think George Hamilton, Brenda Vaccaro, and Ron Liebman were always under appreciated as comedic actors. Laura Hutton, not so much.

But then, we've always been drawn to goofy movies that no one else seems to appreciate; anyone else like Ice Pirates???

[Haggis@wk]

I have become addicted to Netflix over the holidays. Santa gave me a ROKU and setup was as easy as they claimed. I signed up for Netflix ($7.99 a month) this past week and am totally hooked.

There are some movies I would like to watch that aren't there but all in all I'd rate it 8 out of 10. The MRHYN and I are hopelessly addicted to Britdramas and Britcoms and have found several that we had not been aware of. One in particular is "Doc Martin." A renowned London surgeon quits and returns to his roots in Cornwall as a GP in the village of Portwenn. He is rude, unbending and straightforward. He has no social skills and, as we learn, has developed hemophobia, a fear of blood. One of the funniest scenes is when he draws blood both he and the patient turn their heads away.

I profess disappointment that I can't find the movie "Love at First Bite" a companion movie to "Zorro the Gay Blade." I love both movies, although they weren't popular at the box office. I think George Hamilton, Brenda Vaccaro, and Ron Liebman were always under appreciated as comedic actors. Laura Hutton, not so much.

But then, we've always been drawn to goofy movies that no one else seems to appreciate; anyone else like Ice Pirates???

[dai bread]

So will I. That's the movie I've ordered to test regionality, and I'll be mightily peeved if I can't play it. In fact, if I can't, I'll ask #1 son to copy it and send me a disc. I don't see it as my function in life to support regional licensing arrangements.

"Das Boot" has come in. It's German (Eurotv), and is coded for Region 2. My Blu-ray won't play it, but my DVD player will! Now what do you make of that?

[Shapley]

I watched Princess Mononoke this weekend. Great soundtrack, fairly good film, in an eco-warrior Japanese Anime kind of way.

The story was a bit weird. I guess the moral was supposed to be that there's good and bad in all of us, but it was kind of wishy-washy, I thought.

Still, the soundtrack was good!

[Giant Communist Robot]

I really like those Miyasaki movies like Princess Mononoke. My favorite is Spirited Away. Many of his films are visually stunning. My kids like My Neighbor Totoro--an unusual kind of story, one without an antagonist.

I'm waiting for Dude...Where's My Car 2.

[Schmeelkie]

Heartily enjoyed Disney's new movie Tangled. Had great fun with the Rapunzel story. The whole family enjoyed it (of course 7 yr old Pumpkin could have done without the kissing...), not too scary for 4 yr old Bella too. It did take Bella a bit to realize that the 'bad witch' who acted nice, was actually bad. Besides, finally a Disney heroine with both a father AND a mother (even in last year's Princess and the Frog the father had passed before heroine grew up). Amazing...

[analog]

i never forgot seeing "Mary Poppins" as a forty-something Dad.

In its most significant scene Bert the Chimneysweep admonishes Mr Banks:

You've got to grind, grind, grind, at that grindstone
Though childhood slips like sand through a sieve
And all too soon they've up and grown
And then they've flown
And it's too late for you to give.

i think he said 'you find it's too late for you to give', but it is one of those moments your mind remembers not what you saw but the feeling it caused.

We got in considerable kite flying.

a.

[Giant Communist Robot]

Watched that Steve McQueen movie Le Mans. I suppose it has a plot and some kind of story, but who cares? Those cars are great to watch. The cars and drivers all seem fast enough, so it comes down to strategy, preparation, and especially luck to win.