Two beautiful days in a row.
Went to see THE BAND'S VISIT, which was okay. My problem with it is personal and probably why I know much less music than the rest of you. I was unable to make out the middle-eastern accents and the lyrics. And now I realize I have not heard lyrics since my teen years. I needed closed captions to make out what was going on. Looks like this is some kind of auditory processing disorder. Understanding what is sung is more difficult than understanding what is said. My hearing aids make everything loud enough but still not discernible. I remember George having issues with this too. Of the four of us who went, three of us missed a whole lot of dialog.
Went to see REAR WINDOW. Had never seen it on a big screen before and it was just great. That set is so masterful.This is my favorite Hitchcock film. The ticket seller's was THE LADY VANISHES. Although mostly for those two actors who play characters on their way to a cricket match.
What is your favorite Hitchcock?
Finished SHETLAND, which ended the season on a cliffhanger, which I really dislike. It might be a year or more before it returns. It isn't about remembering it so much as it is about finishing a plot off in a timely manner.
Looking forward to BARRY tonight.
Reading MOTHERING SUNDAY. Love it.
What are you up to?
17 comments:
I have seen a lot of Hitchcock on the big screen. rear Window, Psycho, North by Northwest, Vertigo and a few others. My favorite is Psycho. The most fun is North By Northwest. I do like Rear Window a lot. Went and saw Everything is Everywhere. Both of us who went hated it and left half way through it. This has a 9.7 on Rotten Tomatoes and a 8.9 on IMDB? Oddly enough the last movie we both walked out on was Swiss Army Man, by the same directors. Also saw The Unbearable weight of Massive Talent with Nick Cage as Nick Cage. Again great reviews. I disliked it also. Better luck on tv with Barry, Tokyo Vice, Outer Reach and Better Call Saul The good news is Bob Odenkirk (Saul) has signed on to AMC to do a series baded on Richard Russo's novel Straight Man. A book I love.
Reading The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James and various short fiction .
Nice sunny weekend here but now cooling off with rain.
Congratulations to Megan for winning the LA Times book Award.
Rear View is a fantastic film, Patti. Glad you got the chance to really experience it.
I with you on REAR WINDOW. It's my favorite Hitchcock, too.
My reaction to THE BAND'S VISIT parallels yours: http://georgekelley.org/the-bands-visit/
Much of Western New York enjoyed 80 degree temps yesterday. Today it's the 70s, and then we fall back into the 40s!
I'm watch Josh Brolin in OUTER RANGE on Amazon Prime and three episodes in I'm still confused by the plot. I'm also excited the Second Season of RUSSIAN DOLL returns this week on Netflix.
Patrick saw the Lada Gaga concert in Vegas. He's flying back to NYC today. Katie is planning another trip to NYC to see more Broadway plays. Stay safe!
I also didn't care for Everything...Would have walked out but I was there with other people. I just didn't get why two plus hours of martial arts made a movie. Wish I could watch Better Call Saul. I may have to rent AMC somehow.
You raised theater goers, George. Josh is more of one than Megan. Megan loves movies much more.
Thanks, Margot.
Yes, George had a problem with THE BAND'S VISIT. We didn't, but we had seen the movie not long before.
Favorite Hitchcock? It has varied over the years, but now is NORTH BY NORTHWEST. We rewatched TO CATCH A THIEF last year, and while the scenery was gorgeous, there wasn't much else to recommend it.
We're still catching up on things - Jackie is watching OUTLANDER and BILLIONS and a new Harlan Coben show, we're watching MY BRILLIANT FRIEND (two episodes to go), 11.22.63 on Hulu (the book was long enough, you'd think, that they could just do the story instead of wasting the entire third episode on extraneous crap), and THE GILDED AGE (still watchable, barely, but mediocre at best, though it does seem to have nearly every actor on Broadway in it). Also watching OUTER RANGE on Amazon (Imogen Poots is really annoying me), WHITSTABLE PEARL (a restaurateur also does private detective work on the side), started WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS? on Saturday (in between the Poirot and Marple episodes), YAKAMOZ S-245 (our first Turkish show on Netflix, a spinoff of the Belgian INTO THE NIGHT), maybe others I can't remember right now.
I had a cold all week, probably an upper respiratory infection. Just coughing now. Weather has mostly been quite cool. Finally finished King's BILLY SUMMERS and read Roddy Doyle's BULLFIGHTING: STORIES. Not bad, but the new collection, LIFE WITHOUT CHILDREN, was much better IMHO.
We're going to see a matinee of GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY on Saturday. Our first show since my birthday in November.
Jeff, I get all of my ideas of what to try from you. WHITDTABLE PEARL on Acorn? I only have BRIT BOX. Enjoy the show.
Loved MOTHERING SUNDAY, which I just finished. Must read more Graham Swift. He has two collections of stories. Read WATER LAND AND LAST ORDERS years ago.
I really liked LAST ORDERS and I do want to read the new one. I think I read one of his story collections.
Whitstable is a place in Kent. They did film there. It might be Acorn.
Diane and I took Patrick and Katie to movies and plays at a young age. They also participated in our local children's theater group so both them are no strangers to the stage. If I had to guess I'd say Katie likes plays more and Patrick prefers movies. But, they go to both.
Between all the viewing and doing and reading comments here and over at the Kelley blog, I feel like I wandered into the wrong room party at the con. I’m just an old guy on a fixed pension who reads some books from the library and has basic cable. I don’t go to movies (pandemic, don’t like theaters), not much on TV except PBS sometimes, don’t go anywhere (pandemic), just a grumpy old fuddy-duddy. So I hope you’ll forgive my lack of “what I saw, did, etc.”.
Most of my books are from the library. Although you can get a lot more through various library apps now. I am listening to one I just downloaded through HOOPLA, which most libraries have. Same for movies. HOOPLA has many free ones. So too with KANOPY and LIBBY. There is more to get for free than ever before. I think you can get out more than you think if you wear a mask and go to movies in the off-hours. I remind myself that we are nearing the end our lives so we must try to find ways to make it worth living. Maybe someone at your library can show you how to get Hoopla, Kanopy and Libby. It's really pretty easy.
Kanopy Provides Access to More than 30,000 streaming films
Kady F. | Mon, Oct 01, 2018
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The popular on-demand film streaming service Kanopy is now available for free to Multnomah ... County library cardholders. MCL cardholders can access Kanopy and sign up to start streaming films on demand ... instantly by visiting multcolib.kanopy.com Kanopy showcases more than 30,000 of the world’s best films ...
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Whistable Pearl is also on Hoopla.
It is hard to choose a favorite Hitchcock movie. NORTH BY NORTHWEST is the the one we watch over and over, but I think my favorite is NOTORIOUS.
Rick, we also don't like movie theaters. It has been many years since we have been in one. We have a backstock of DVDs, etc. that we rewatch though. We are going to be trying out the Wingspan game this afternoon. We finally ordered it and it is very impressive. I recently bought a copy of JUSTINE by Lawrence Durrell that you recommended and also THE ASSAULT by Harry Mulisch that Patti recommended.
I finished REBECCA by du Maurier. I enjoyed it a lot and I think it is much more than a romance. I did have difficulties in the middle because too much was familiar. We will be rewatching our copy of the movie soon.
Thank you, Patti. Hope you like the Durrell, Tracy.
I think NORTH BY NORTHWEST is the most exciting and cinematic. Hard to beat that scene with the plane and crops.
The entire Justine Quartet meant so much to me at eighteen. I am almost afraid to reread.
Jackie has Libby on her tablet and usess it occasionally, when books aren't available on Kindle.
The other comment I thought of when we were out. (The doctor gave me an antibiotic but said I am OK. He also did a Covid test, so will see in two days.) That is, we're watching THE FIRST LADY (Showtime) and was particularly impressed with how good and how subtle Michelle Pfeiffer was as Betty Ford this week. But on the other hand, I can barely force myself to watch Viola Davis (who would seem perfect casting) go through those facial contortions as Michelle Obama. Also, her voice is just her, not Michelle. I have no idea how much Gillian Anderson is like to Eleanor Roosevelt (I definitely remember Eleanor having a very high-pitched voice, in the 'sixties, but I could be wrong), but she mostly underplays nicely. The Obamas were the wrong choice, though I can understand why they picked them.
Such a hard thing to do: capture a character that is so familiar to all of us.
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