Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion

I thought it would be a good idea to have a special place for upcoming moives.

On Nov. 13th, 2012 comes to theaters. With all the hype over the Mayan calendar, you can be sure we'll have a big action movie. It looks good, a big screen kind of movie. Anthony and I plan to see it during the Saturday matinee.
http://www.worstpreviews.com/trailer....

On Nov 20th, New Moon, the second of the Twilight series will be released. Anthony said he'll take me to the Saturday matinee, but whether or not he does, you can be sure I will be there no matter what.
http://www.worstpreviews.com/trailer....
Vampires and Werewolves, Oh My!

Jackie wrote: "I thought it would be a good idea to have a special place for upcoming moives.
On Nov. 13th, 2012 comes to theaters. With all the hype over the Mayan calendar, you can be sure we'll have a big ..."

Great idea, Jackie. Now maybe I'll be able to keep up with this type of thing... or at least be aware of what's out there. (g) Thanks for starting this topic.

My favorite preview site is worstpreviews.com. I like to see what's coming up. Here are some of the movies I'd like to see.

Avatar
I wasn't all that interested until I saw the preview, now I want to see it. It looks and right up my alley.

Prince of Persia, based on a video game, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, set for theaters in May of 2010. This looks really good too.
http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline...

Just a quick 30 second spot for Transformers 3, due out in theaters in July of 2011.
http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline...
I'm still hoping for a big screen version of Beast Wars: Transformers, then I can die happy.

On November 25th, Cormac McCarthy's The Road, which actually looks pretty good, starring Viggo Mortensen.
http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline...

The Fourth Kind I definitely want to see this one but I can wait for DVD. I'm pretty sure it comes out this week.
http://www.worstpreviews.com/trailer....

You're welcome, Joy. I find myself reluctant to put up too many previews in the movie section mainly because I haven't seen these movies yet and cannot give a review. Here, I can say, I think it'll be good, this is my kind of movie, etc.

There's so many great movies. Every week I find more and more movies I want to see at worstpreviews. For the first time ever, I have movie news before Eric does!

Jackie wrote: "... Every week I find more and more movies I want to see at worstpreviews..."

Jackie, I checked out a few of the previews. It was interesting to see that they've made a movie based on _The Road_ by Cormac McCarthy. Seems kind of depressing though.

Definitely. I didn't like the book at all. Maybe it'll translate better on the screen.
Did you recognize the father is the same man who played Aragorn in LOTR?

Jackie wrote: "Definitely. I didn't like the book at all. Maybe it'll translate better on the screen. Did you recognize the father is the same man who played Aragorn in LOTR?"

Yes, I recognized the name, Viggo Mortensen. Who can forget a name like Viggo? :) But I couldn't remember where I had seen or heard it. Thanks for the reminder.

He looks different.

I am immersed in the book, "South of Broad." I sometimes have thought of myself as a writer after having a few publlcations with my name attached but Pat Conroy is THE WRITER. He is the author of the above mentioned book. His writing puts you right there with the characters and the setting. The book itself is INTENSE. I can't wait to get to it. Have any of you read it? nina

I wonder if any of you saw John Grissom on the Today show this morning. I had no idea he had a southern accent. For some reason I thought he was from Maine. He has written a new book; this time it's short stories, titled, "Ford Country." He says that is the county where he is from. I didn't catch the state. It sound good, however. nina

More on Grissom: He thinks that Amazon and Wal-Mart will eventually put most bookstores out of business with their discounts and also the ability to get books on Kindle etc. I wonder, will our libraries by next? It is almost science fiction isn't it? nina

Jackie wrote: "Definitely. I didn't like the book at all. Maybe it'll translate better on the screen.
Did you recognize the father is the same man who played Aragorn in LOTR?"


I liked the book a lot,I practically read it in one sitting. I wonder if I'll even like the film...actually, I thought it had already come out.


Great idea for a thread too! :)

Nina wrote: "I am immersed in the book, "South of Broad." I sometimes have thought of myself as a writer after having a few publlcations with my name attached but Pat Conroy is THE WRITER. He is the author of ..."

Nina, I haven't gotten around to reading Conroy's _South of Broad_. Goodreads description says: "Against the sumptuous backdrop of Charleston, South Carolina, South of Broad gathers a unique cast of sinners and saints." I'll have to put that on my To-Read Shelf.

Nina wrote: "More on Grissom: He thinks that Amazon and Wal-Mart will eventually put most bookstores out of business with their discounts and also the ability to get books on Kindle etc. I wonder, will our libraries by next? It is almost science fiction isn't it?"

Nina, I've often wondered about that. However, I think the public libraries will continue to thrive because folks don't have to pay a penny to read a book from the library. Even a digital book costs money. Furthermore, the public libraries are probably one of the biggest buyers of books and there are thousands of public libraries.

Pontalba wrote: "I liked the book a lot,I practically read it in one sitting. I wonder if I'll even like the film...actually, I thought it had already come out.
Great idea for a thread too! :)"

Pontalba, I assume you are referring to _The Road_ by Cormac McCarthy. Both you and Jackie have said you've read the book.

I read McCarthy's _All the Pretty Horses_ (1993) and didn't enjoy it because of a certain ambiguity. However, I could see that McCarthy is a powerful writer. His style of writing can be breathtaking.

Here's a sample from _All the Pretty Horses_:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
p. 235 - "He said that those who have endured some
misfortune will always be set apart but it is just that
misfortune which is their gift and which is their strength
and that they must make their way back into the common
enterprise of man for without they do so it cannot go
forward and they themselves will wither in bitterness.
He said these things to me with great earnestness and
great gentleness...and I knew that it was my soul he wept
for."
-Cormac McCarthy, _All the Pretty Horses_ (p. 235)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yes Joy, I did mean The Road. It was powerful, and I think different from his other books. I have more of his in my TBR stack, including the one you mention All the Pretty Horses, which is part of a trilogy including The Crossing, and Cities of the Plain. I started Blood Meridian Or the Evening Redness in the West and couldn't continue, it was too rough. I'll try it again I think though.

Pontalba wrote: "... I started Blood Meridian Or the Evening Redness in the West and couldn't continue, it was too rough. I'll try it again I think though."

Pontalba, in what way was it rough? Was it the story or the writing style?

I have to add about "South of Broad," the dialogue, internal and otherwise is beyond raunchy and it takes my breath away at times but I struggle onward to see what happens next. At my age I am not shocked by what I read but saddened that to be a best seller it has come to this. I think the story line would have been just as good if three fourths of the four letter words and description was left out. Not saying the book should be censored; just not written that way in the first place. nina

Nina, although I didn't read South of Broad, I know what you mean about cuss words. It is my feeling that they should be used sparingly and only for impact. If it's overused, it loses the impact and just sounds low-class. For the most part, I find them unnecessary. There are other words to use to make the same statement.

Salt starring Angelina Jolie, summer 2010

The story centers on Evelyn Salt (Jolie), a CIA officer who is fingered as a Russian sleeper spy. She eludes capture by superiors who are convinced she is out to assassinate the president. While trying to reunite with her family, she struggles to prove someone else is the traitor.

16 second commercial first
preview:
http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline...

Jolie is a wonderful action heroine who does all her own stunts and is an outstanding actress. I've come to like her her more and more with each movie she does.

One movie of her's that's not to be missed is 'Beyond Borders' from 2003. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0294357/
Not a good descriptions because it's much more than a romance as the synopsis states. Working on this film opened her eyes and transformed Jolie from a bored spoiled rich kid to the compassionate humanitarian she is today.

Joy wrote: Pontalba, in what way was it rough? Was it the story or the writing style?

I found it sickeningly violent, plus the violence was so casually assumed made the impact even more felt.
McCarthy is really a marvelous writer, he gets across the real physicality of the happenings in a very few words.

Jackie, I saw Beyond Borders on television a while back, not even the entire film, but what I saw was excellent. I agree Jolie gets better and better.

Ever since I heard Robin William's quip about wanting to lick Jolie's lips & stick her on a window, I just can't get that out of my mind when I look at her. ;-)

I liked her & Brad Pitt in "Mr & Mrs Smith". That was a fun movie.

Jackie wrote: "Salt starring Angelina Jolie, summer 2010
The story centers on Evelyn Salt (Jolie), a CIA officer who is fingered as a Russian sleeper spy. She eludes capture by superiors who are convinced she ..."

Jackie, I'm going to follow up on the movies you mentioned. Will definitly put "Beyond Borders" on my Netflix queue. Here's the Netflix description:
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Beyond_B...

Jim wrote: "Ever since I heard Robin William's quip about wanting to lick Jolie's lips & stick her on a window, I just can't get that out of my mind when I look at her. ;-)
I liked her & Brad Pitt in "Mr & M..."

Jim, here's the Netflix description of "Mr&Mrs Smith":
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Mr._and_...
It says "... they discover that their next assignment involves them targeting each other."

That reminds me of the movie with Jack Nicholson and the blond actress with the husky voice where they also become each other's targets. Can't remember her name or the title of the movie.

Pontalba wrote: "I found it sickeningly violent, plus the violence was so casually assumed made the impact even more felt. McCarthy is really a marvelous writer, he gets across the real physicality of the happenings in a very few words. ..."

Pontalba, thanks for the reply about the "Blood Meridian" book. Violence isn't my cup of tea either. But then again, it depends on the way it's handled.

Joy, are you thinking of that movie based on the novel by Condon... Richard Condon... Prizzi series... "Prizzi's Honor"! That's it. Jack Nickolson & Kathleen Turner & that chick that played Morticia Adams, I think. Jack was a hitman for the Prizzi family & Kathleen is a freelance hitwoman. Excellent movie. Better than the books.

Jim wrote: "Joy, are you thinking of that movie based on the novel by Condon... Richard Condon... Prizzi series... "Prizzi's Honor"! That's it. Jack Nickolson & Kathleen Turner & that chick that played Mort..."

Yes, that's the one, Jim. Thanks!
That was a great movie! Nicholson and Turner are quite a match.
Netflix description: http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Prizzi_s...

Joy, as soon as I read the worlds 'husky voice', I knew it had to be Kathleen Turner, another good actress. I didn't see Prizzi's Honor but I did see her with Michael Douglas in The War of The Roses.

Pontalba, what bothers me is senseless violence or violence against children and animals.
The latter is always senseless.

Jackie, you really should watch "Prizzi's Honor" if you can. It is fantastic. Try reading the books, too. You'll like them. (I know, your TBR pile floweth over!)

I'll try, LOL

I read Prizzi's Honor years ago, maybe I ought to give it a reread, I hardly remember it. I can definitely see those two in the roles though. Yikes!

Believe me Jackie, McCarthy gives it new depth. /shiver/ I know the times were violent, and the depictions he uses are valid. I just wasn't ready to go there then. I'll eventually try it again and close my eyes for part of it.

Pontalba wrote: "... Believe me Jackie, McCarthy gives it new depth. /shiver/ I know the times were violent, and the depictions he uses are valid. I just wasn't ready to go there then. I'll eventually try it again and close my eyes for part of it."

Below is a link to the Netflix description of "The Road".
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Road...
Netflix refers to it as an "adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel."
Netflix says: "From the ash-covered, post-apocalyptic remains of Appalachia, the Father and Son take to the road in search of a better life. The Father's health is failing, lending urgency to a journey impeded by nomadic bands of cannibalistic humans."

Not sure I want to go there.

When they say 'adaptation' that generally means they've changed quite a bit. Maybe that'll be a good thing, for me, since I didn't care for the book.
Cannabalism is a topic that weirds me out, creepy, scary, abhorrent. It's something you don't expect in the modern world.

Joy wrote: Below is a link to the Netflix description of "The Road".
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Road/70...
Netflix refers to it as an "adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel."
Netflix says: "From the ash-covered, post-apocalyptic remains of Appalachia, the Father and Son take to the road in search of a better life. The Father's health is failing, lending urgency to a journey impeded by nomadic bands of cannibalistic humans."

Not sure I want to go there.

Joy, I was referring to Blood Meridian, not The Road. The latter is violent, but not nearly to the depth of the former in my opinion.
The "cannibalistic humans" referred [in The Road:] to were not nearly as vivid as the violence in Blood Meridian

Pontalba wrote: "... Joy, I was referring to Blood Meridian, not The Road. ...

Yes, I realized that you were referring to _Blood Meridian_, Pontalba. See my Message #25 in this thread. P.S. Ooops, maybe I didn't. I just looked back at my post in Message #32.) (g)

Anyway...

Jackie had mentioned _The Road_ in Message #3.

Of course, they're both by Cormac McCarthy. I wonder if he could ever write an upbeat story. I also wonder why he focuses on such depressing themes.

I don't look at it as depressing themes, but more as an observation of humanity, for good or bad. It's true that in times of adversity, we go to either extreme, amazingly selfless and heroic or appallingly cruel and selfish.
Humans are a conundrum, why do we do the things we do, good or bad, what makes one person selfless and another selfish?

Jackie wrote: "... Humans are a conundrum, why do we do the things we do, good or bad, what makes one person selfless and another selfish?"

I suppose psychologists and psychiatrists have been trying to answer that question for years. I think that your question might be partially answered by studying "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs." See the Wiki page at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%2...

Although you will see criticisms of this hierarchy of needs (included on the above Wiki page), I think it's a good starting point for understanding human nature. It clarifies so many ideas by putting them into a visual structure. At least it's a starting point.

I see what he means about motivations, but it's more than that, I don't still don't see why we do horrible things to one another.

Joy wrote: Of course, they're both by Cormac McCarthy. I wonder if he could ever write an upbeat story. I also wonder why he focuses on such depressing themes.

The Road actually ended on a hopeful note, plus the relationship between the father and son was a wonderful thing to behold.

Pontalba wrote: "The Road actually ended on a hopeful note, plus the relationship between the father and son was a wonderful thing to behold."

Pontalba, that's good to know.

Jackie wrote: "I see what he means about motivations, but it's more than that, I don't still don't see why we do horrible things to one another."

Jackie, I could never understand cruelty either. It seems like a kind of sickness.

I don't know what it is, but there's far too much of it in the world.

The Wolfman, a remake of the original classic with Athonly Hopkins and Benico Del Toro, coming February 12th, 2010

http://www.worstpreviews.com/trailer....

Anthony Hopkins is one of my favorite actors. I can easily envision him in this movie. The best thing about these remakes is the CGI and effects that were not available when the originals first came out.

Good old Larry. That was one of my favorites as a kid. Did you see the Jack Nicholson one? He was great as a werewolf.

Yeah, I think it was called "Wolf", right?
Jack is great in everything!

I think so. Yes, he is. I either love his movies or can't watch them at all.

Jackie wrote: "The Wolfman, a remake of the original classic with Athonly Hopkins and Benico Del Toro, coming February 12th, 2010
http://www.worstpreviews.com/trailer....
Anthony Hopkins is on..."

I watched the preview. Lots of action! It seems unusual to see Anthony Hopkins in this kind of movie. It's wonderful the way he can act in so many different genres.

Below are two Netflix links to Wolfman movies.
One seems to be the one Jackie posted about.
Is the second one an earlier version?

The Wolf Man (2008):
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Wolf...

Wolfman (1979):
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Wolfman/...

He played Van Helsing in the 1992 version of Bran Stoker's Darcula.

I don't know the full story so I can't say if it's the same or not. I used to watch the old B & W Wolfman, Dracula, Mummy movies, etc. with my dad, I'm wondering if this new one will have the basic story of the orginal. It says it's a remake, so it implies it's been done before. But which one?

Jackie wrote: "...I'm wondering if this new one will have the basic story of the orginal. It says it's a remake, so it implies it's been done before. But which one?"

Both of the Netflix links I posted in Message 47 mention the protagonist's father, but the protagonist has a different name in each movie. In one of the movies (2008), the character's name is Lawrence Talbot. In the other movie (1979) the character's name is Colin Glasgow.

P.S. The writing credits for the 2010 movie at IMDb mention a 1941 screenplay. See:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780653/f...

Netflix says it's "based on the 1941 classic".

Strange, Netflix dates the movie as 2008. IMDb dates it as 2010. Yet each movie entitled "The Wolfman" stars Benicio Del Toro as the character named Lawrence Talbot.

Below is a link to the 1941 movie, "The Wolf Man" (1941):
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034398/

Looks as if Lon Chaney Jr. played The Wolf Man, "Larry Talbot".