I get a kick out of older movies, and watching Turner Classic Movies today really improved my mood. Earlier in the day they aired Casablanca, a definite classic even if I know those who dislike it. Having seen the film only a couple times in its entirety before, I took the viewing today to concentrate on the background characters. They were all very entertaining and well acted, at least to their small roles in the film.
Post-Midnight, TCM aired a second movie I had to stay up to catch some of - A Day at the Races. It's a Marx Brother's film from the 30s, and the source of the quote above. The funny thing about the films (Not the ha-ha funny parts) was the musical numbers. The Marx Brother's films tend to have large musical numbers placed into the film at two or three points. They are all well done, and one can assume that in earlier films this was common practice. I guess that it was just something films needed - even Casablanca has a few moments where they stop to sing a tune or two.
We had some family friends over, and I sat with my parents and the guests and chatted with them for about 6 hours, which included time I spent working on a Sudoku High Five and a full dinner with dessert. I've always enjoyed talking with guests. It isn't rare of them to find my degree of speech fairly well developed. My little brother stayed quiet during the time he was at the table, looking around the room and peeling the logo from his beer, while I talked and listened with my parents and guests. Of course, I don't think I'm on equal grounds with the adults. They have far more life experience than I ever will. I mean, I can't really match them when they start talking about things that happened in the 60s...
Anyway, I have things to do tomorrow, so I'm heading to bed. Overall today hasn't been half bad, but I'm certainly tired.
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Sunday, June 10, 2007
It's Fran-ken-steen!
I'm really enjoying some of the movie networks my cable package gets lately. AMC and Turner Classic Movies play all kinds of good, older films, while Action, Diva and IFC occasionally have some rare finds on (though they always conflict with stuff I want to watch).
Tonight they aired Young Frankenstein twice, first it was merely the original version and second they played it on 'DVD-TV', which had the bottom taken out for a pop-up video type of thing that related information about the scene, cast, original script and various other elements. It was quite interesting, and I had to live with it as I didn't have the control over the TV to watch the earlier, unaltered version. Personally, I'd watch other movies with those little add-ins on AMC.
The movie is really quite funny, if mostly in the silly-spectrum. It's quite similar to other Mel Brooks films like Spaceballs (which did Sci-Fi jokes) and Blazing Saddles (which did western jokes), so I'd have to suggest it.
I dunno what's with me lately. I've really been craving the idea of sitting back and watching older films and just enjoying them. I guess it comes from not being able to see all the critically trashed sequels coming out. But I get lonely. I don't want to sit there with my brother or father, but with a close friend who I can just chat with. That's really a big part of the movie experience to me, or maybe it's just my general feeling about everything.
Anyway, I highly suggest seeing the film sometime, and you should check to see what's on TV. You never know what they might be playing when you just need something to watch.
Tonight they aired Young Frankenstein twice, first it was merely the original version and second they played it on 'DVD-TV', which had the bottom taken out for a pop-up video type of thing that related information about the scene, cast, original script and various other elements. It was quite interesting, and I had to live with it as I didn't have the control over the TV to watch the earlier, unaltered version. Personally, I'd watch other movies with those little add-ins on AMC.
The movie is really quite funny, if mostly in the silly-spectrum. It's quite similar to other Mel Brooks films like Spaceballs (which did Sci-Fi jokes) and Blazing Saddles (which did western jokes), so I'd have to suggest it.
I dunno what's with me lately. I've really been craving the idea of sitting back and watching older films and just enjoying them. I guess it comes from not being able to see all the critically trashed sequels coming out. But I get lonely. I don't want to sit there with my brother or father, but with a close friend who I can just chat with. That's really a big part of the movie experience to me, or maybe it's just my general feeling about everything.
Anyway, I highly suggest seeing the film sometime, and you should check to see what's on TV. You never know what they might be playing when you just need something to watch.
Friday, June 1, 2007
This isn't Archeology!
With my mother away once again looking after my grandmother, my father has gotten into the same bored attitude he often has in the evenings. It tends to start early, as he never knows what to have for dinner and rarely suggests making anything. It's tough getting along without my mother when meal preparation time becomes either a selection of restaurants or sandwiches and snacks.
Regardless, this is really about the evening's entertainment - my father is always looking for films on TV, I assume it's often an excuse to eat popcorn, not that you need one in my family. After his constant prodding, and a long stream of suggestions he shrugged through, I ended up putting on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, my personal favorite from the Indiana Jones Trilogy.
The film really is an amazing one. When I watch most movies they have long scenes that take away from the action, try to explain things carefully and generally slow down the film. Some recent films come to mind, where you have a lot of favorite scenes and tend to forget about all the crap in-between. The Last Crusade is different. When I was watching it, every little moment was filled with enough content to keep me interested, even if it was a particularly slow moment (Like Indiana and his father taking a quiet moment on the airship) it was perfectly lengthed and set perfectly between other scenes (The 'No Ticket' scene and the airplane scene, in this case).
Now, while I can enjoy films on a number of levels, I have to wonder about why my father always wants to watch movies. Much like my mother, he has a tenancy to fall asleep during movies - tonight it was when the clock started to approach 10 PM and the incredible tank chase was starting. I realise that we're working on far different clocks (Says the jobless insomniac at 2:45 AM) but I still think that some sense of paying attention could be asked for if he wants to watch movies so badly.
If you've got a chance to see an Indiana Jones film, particularly Last Crusade, I'd suggest taking it. It isn't a deep or dramatic film, and it doesn't have the same bang or zip that newer action films have, but it's a film that has been so perfectly polished and balanced out. It's a really enjoyable experience. And hey, if you've seen it 20 times before just pay attention to what you want to. It's a fun film to watch on the side too.
I came up with a new topic to write on, chatting with old friends, but I'm going to save it for later. I'm going to assume that a little post about a movie will be more than enough for tonight.
Regardless, this is really about the evening's entertainment - my father is always looking for films on TV, I assume it's often an excuse to eat popcorn, not that you need one in my family. After his constant prodding, and a long stream of suggestions he shrugged through, I ended up putting on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, my personal favorite from the Indiana Jones Trilogy.
The film really is an amazing one. When I watch most movies they have long scenes that take away from the action, try to explain things carefully and generally slow down the film. Some recent films come to mind, where you have a lot of favorite scenes and tend to forget about all the crap in-between. The Last Crusade is different. When I was watching it, every little moment was filled with enough content to keep me interested, even if it was a particularly slow moment (Like Indiana and his father taking a quiet moment on the airship) it was perfectly lengthed and set perfectly between other scenes (The 'No Ticket' scene and the airplane scene, in this case).
Now, while I can enjoy films on a number of levels, I have to wonder about why my father always wants to watch movies. Much like my mother, he has a tenancy to fall asleep during movies - tonight it was when the clock started to approach 10 PM and the incredible tank chase was starting. I realise that we're working on far different clocks (Says the jobless insomniac at 2:45 AM) but I still think that some sense of paying attention could be asked for if he wants to watch movies so badly.
If you've got a chance to see an Indiana Jones film, particularly Last Crusade, I'd suggest taking it. It isn't a deep or dramatic film, and it doesn't have the same bang or zip that newer action films have, but it's a film that has been so perfectly polished and balanced out. It's a really enjoyable experience. And hey, if you've seen it 20 times before just pay attention to what you want to. It's a fun film to watch on the side too.
I came up with a new topic to write on, chatting with old friends, but I'm going to save it for later. I'm going to assume that a little post about a movie will be more than enough for tonight.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Movie Night(s)
Well, so today was pretty much a day of rest for the family. With everyone home, my parents wanted to look around the house and make sure that nothing interesting has happened in the gardens, and my little brother is still in a pretty pissy mood, though I'm not sure if that's much of a change.
The really big thing is that my Dad is repeatedly asking to go see Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End. The last time he brought it up, he couldn't remember a single thing about the second film in the trilogy. When he got back from his trip, he suddenly remembered having watched it and now wants to go see the third one.
This creates an interesting issue for me. I want to go see POTC3, but I have someone special I'd like to go with. I don't know when I'll get out to see the film under those circumstances, and unless I get busy this weekend, I'll be dragged out (or at least guilted out) to the film.
I really hope I'm able to get out to see the film. I know that if my parents see it my father will try to be funny and ruin the whole damned thing. Naturally, he'll make fun of my bad attitude when I ask him politely to shut up. He gets like that when he's having a good time.
Here's hoping I can get out to the movies.
The really big thing is that my Dad is repeatedly asking to go see Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End. The last time he brought it up, he couldn't remember a single thing about the second film in the trilogy. When he got back from his trip, he suddenly remembered having watched it and now wants to go see the third one.
This creates an interesting issue for me. I want to go see POTC3, but I have someone special I'd like to go with. I don't know when I'll get out to see the film under those circumstances, and unless I get busy this weekend, I'll be dragged out (or at least guilted out) to the film.
I really hope I'm able to get out to see the film. I know that if my parents see it my father will try to be funny and ruin the whole damned thing. Naturally, he'll make fun of my bad attitude when I ask him politely to shut up. He gets like that when he's having a good time.
Here's hoping I can get out to the movies.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
First Break
Wow, I've really been doing nothing lately, so it kind of hurts my mood to blog about stuff.
Well, Sunday I played more WoW and rested alongside my family. After that party we had to host, we were all too tired to do anything. The day ended only on a high note with the new Simpsons (400th Episode special) and the Family Guy and American Dad that followed. I swear, I never watch Fox except for the Sunday new animation block and the occasional show like House (That's on Fox, right?).
Oh, guess what? My Dad left about a dozen sausages from Saturday's part on the grill. Outside. All night. They looked a little shriveled and unhealthy, but they were quite edible and I've yet to have my stomach explode.
Monday was pretty dull as well. I played more WoW, including my last battlegrounds for the weekend, a 1 hour, 47 minute long heavy-defensive game where the opposing team basically locked out offensive attempts for an hour. To boot, I started the battle 30 minutes late, which is just my luck.
My Mom headed back north to visit my grandmother again, so us men were left to look after dinner. It turned out pretty well, Ribs with baked potatoes and some packaged broccoli with cheese for my Dad, while my little brother had leftover Salad from Saturday on top of it all. Apparently my Dad's dinner plans for the week also include another trip to Mandarin on Wednesday. <_< Fat chance I'm going there twice in a week's time.
If you don't get Discovery Canada or don't have access to it otherwise, you're missing out bigtime on Canada's Worst Handyman 2, the sequel to the reality-type show where a group of clueless handymen (and women) attend a rehabilitation center for their problems. I liked the first one a bit more, style-wise, but the series is worth watching every single week. It's not that I get an ego boost out of watching idiots do dumb stuff (If I did, I'd just watch Youtube or America's Funniest Home Videos or whatever Caught on Tape and crap like that), it's really interesting to watch people in a serious workplace and how they act and how it reflects on their work. I'd like to be on the program, not because I'm some horrible handyman, but because I'd really like to see if I could compare to the half-assed job they're all doing. The sister series to Worst Handyman is Canada's Worst Driver, a show of similar concept but with big dangerous cars flying around. It's going into its 3rd season, and my little brother says he'll sign me up (Since I don't drive, I'm therefore the worst person at it. Har har).
Today was another average day. I ended up skipping dinner since I had a lunch (This 'one meal a day' thing shouldn't be so habit-forming), though I'm not feeling hungry over 14 hours later, so I don't mind much. I found out that my weekend is going to be very, very boring. My entire family is out for one reason or another, and my plans to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End have fallen through just this afternoon. It means that from Friday morning to Sunday evening it's just me, the cats, and the interweb. Sounds nice and all, but when I'm trying to turn my life around just a bit a weekend where I won't be able to get out of the house or even see other people is more depressing than normal.
Oh, I had planned to do something big for Monday, maybe make it a weekly thing. I was going to write about a new Anime series I was enjoying. This week was Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann, but after episode 08... I don't want to spoil it, but my will to cover the series was dashed to pieces. Maybe I'll have more to say when 09 comes out, or at least some sense of if Gurren-Lagann will be the most genius piece of anime work I've seen in ages, or a confusing muddled production Gainax did to keep themselves busy.
So until then, I'm going to just update when I feel like it, about what I feel like. Maybe I'll be able to put together something more regular to look forward too.
Well, Sunday I played more WoW and rested alongside my family. After that party we had to host, we were all too tired to do anything. The day ended only on a high note with the new Simpsons (400th Episode special) and the Family Guy and American Dad that followed. I swear, I never watch Fox except for the Sunday new animation block and the occasional show like House (That's on Fox, right?).
Oh, guess what? My Dad left about a dozen sausages from Saturday's part on the grill. Outside. All night. They looked a little shriveled and unhealthy, but they were quite edible and I've yet to have my stomach explode.
Monday was pretty dull as well. I played more WoW, including my last battlegrounds for the weekend, a 1 hour, 47 minute long heavy-defensive game where the opposing team basically locked out offensive attempts for an hour. To boot, I started the battle 30 minutes late, which is just my luck.
My Mom headed back north to visit my grandmother again, so us men were left to look after dinner. It turned out pretty well, Ribs with baked potatoes and some packaged broccoli with cheese for my Dad, while my little brother had leftover Salad from Saturday on top of it all. Apparently my Dad's dinner plans for the week also include another trip to Mandarin on Wednesday. <_< Fat chance I'm going there twice in a week's time.
If you don't get Discovery Canada or don't have access to it otherwise, you're missing out bigtime on Canada's Worst Handyman 2, the sequel to the reality-type show where a group of clueless handymen (and women) attend a rehabilitation center for their problems. I liked the first one a bit more, style-wise, but the series is worth watching every single week. It's not that I get an ego boost out of watching idiots do dumb stuff (If I did, I'd just watch Youtube or America's Funniest Home Videos or whatever Caught on Tape and crap like that), it's really interesting to watch people in a serious workplace and how they act and how it reflects on their work. I'd like to be on the program, not because I'm some horrible handyman, but because I'd really like to see if I could compare to the half-assed job they're all doing. The sister series to Worst Handyman is Canada's Worst Driver, a show of similar concept but with big dangerous cars flying around. It's going into its 3rd season, and my little brother says he'll sign me up (Since I don't drive, I'm therefore the worst person at it. Har har).
Today was another average day. I ended up skipping dinner since I had a lunch (This 'one meal a day' thing shouldn't be so habit-forming), though I'm not feeling hungry over 14 hours later, so I don't mind much. I found out that my weekend is going to be very, very boring. My entire family is out for one reason or another, and my plans to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End have fallen through just this afternoon. It means that from Friday morning to Sunday evening it's just me, the cats, and the interweb. Sounds nice and all, but when I'm trying to turn my life around just a bit a weekend where I won't be able to get out of the house or even see other people is more depressing than normal.
Oh, I had planned to do something big for Monday, maybe make it a weekly thing. I was going to write about a new Anime series I was enjoying. This week was Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann, but after episode 08... I don't want to spoil it, but my will to cover the series was dashed to pieces. Maybe I'll have more to say when 09 comes out, or at least some sense of if Gurren-Lagann will be the most genius piece of anime work I've seen in ages, or a confusing muddled production Gainax did to keep themselves busy.
So until then, I'm going to just update when I feel like it, about what I feel like. Maybe I'll be able to put together something more regular to look forward too.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Stargate Fanfiction
It figures that the first post I'd decide to make on a blog with a Sci-Fi name would be about a Sci-Fi movie. Don't get used to it.
For those of you who haven't seen it, Stargate is a pretty average Sci-Fi film about a, well, Star Gate. The American military sends a small team plus one Egyptologist with some wacky theories into this gate to another world - where it ends up Egypt's gods were aliens and the people are still around, just somewhere else. Seeing that it was made back in 1994, which is when I first saw it, it's pretty interesting to see just how much more cartoony films are today with their overuse of CGI for everything from crowds to buildings to characters (I'm looking at you, Star Wars Prequels).
Stargate has always stood out to me as a good sub-genre of science fiction - where technology is not only alien but historical in nature. I mean if you look at something like The Fifth Element where it's another ancient but alien threat, I get similar vibes, even if the film is completely different in a number of ways. There's just something about visiting some locale on Earth and discovering 'Hey, we just solved an unknown mystery and it's going to unlock the secrets of these aliens'. (I'm also reminded of when Optimus Primal in Beast Wars came across Stonehenge, but that show has a lot more connections going for it.)
One of the reasons that I really find Stargate an interesting two hours of film to watch is probably because of the hundreds of hours I've spent watching Stargate SG-1, a TV series based on the film that's been going since 1997 and should be coming to a close soon, even though it's already created another spin-off. Now a lot of you wouldn't have read any of the fanfiction I've put together, but you can at least understand from various RPs I've participated on: I love writing additional materials based on the premise of other universes. SG-1 is basically that, fanfiction for Stargate that they just happened to get approved and filmed and whatnot. I love the show, so calling it fanfiction almost feels like an insult, but they're really how I've gotta look at it. I also don't know how much the original writers of Stargate did on the series, but with 10 years of episodes I doubt they were there penning every last one.
It's funny that Stargate has always been one of those movies I've been meaning to rewatch, but never get around to. If you've watched even a dozen episodes of SG-1, I'd really suggest going and rewatching the original movie to see where they started and how the plot was ballooned by professional fanfiction writers.
For those of you who haven't seen it, Stargate is a pretty average Sci-Fi film about a, well, Star Gate. The American military sends a small team plus one Egyptologist with some wacky theories into this gate to another world - where it ends up Egypt's gods were aliens and the people are still around, just somewhere else. Seeing that it was made back in 1994, which is when I first saw it, it's pretty interesting to see just how much more cartoony films are today with their overuse of CGI for everything from crowds to buildings to characters (I'm looking at you, Star Wars Prequels).
Stargate has always stood out to me as a good sub-genre of science fiction - where technology is not only alien but historical in nature. I mean if you look at something like The Fifth Element where it's another ancient but alien threat, I get similar vibes, even if the film is completely different in a number of ways. There's just something about visiting some locale on Earth and discovering 'Hey, we just solved an unknown mystery and it's going to unlock the secrets of these aliens'. (I'm also reminded of when Optimus Primal in Beast Wars came across Stonehenge, but that show has a lot more connections going for it.)
One of the reasons that I really find Stargate an interesting two hours of film to watch is probably because of the hundreds of hours I've spent watching Stargate SG-1, a TV series based on the film that's been going since 1997 and should be coming to a close soon, even though it's already created another spin-off. Now a lot of you wouldn't have read any of the fanfiction I've put together, but you can at least understand from various RPs I've participated on: I love writing additional materials based on the premise of other universes. SG-1 is basically that, fanfiction for Stargate that they just happened to get approved and filmed and whatnot. I love the show, so calling it fanfiction almost feels like an insult, but they're really how I've gotta look at it. I also don't know how much the original writers of Stargate did on the series, but with 10 years of episodes I doubt they were there penning every last one.
It's funny that Stargate has always been one of those movies I've been meaning to rewatch, but never get around to. If you've watched even a dozen episodes of SG-1, I'd really suggest going and rewatching the original movie to see where they started and how the plot was ballooned by professional fanfiction writers.
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