For The Love Of Port

I have a BluRay player which can stream onDemand from Comcast, Netflix, Hulu etc. After a couple of tries, I gave up on it for just about the same reasons - just too much trouble, plus the absence of good subtitles. Again, I really prefer the carefully produced compilations on DVD.

An exception: Breaking Bad (which we watched in one continuous streak over sequential evenings - all 5.5 seasons). It had only Closed Captions. I had to watch the episodes on my computer (which can display CC), and then watch them with Eva in the evening in order to get the dialog. Everybody on that entire show mumbled half the time. Worth watching, if you haven't been following it as it was broadcast. (Probably watched by the Seattle wine thieves.)

(EDIT: Oops; I see I already posted most of that.)

I liked the movie HER a ton:

A philosophical dark comedy infused with raw emotions between an individual and the clouds and others he holds at a distance. Joaquin Phoenix is cast in a role even better acted than his portrayal of Johnny Cash, (saying a heck of a lot) and Amy Adams on top of her game as well; but it is the evocative emotive voice of Scarlett Johansson and even the quick moments connected to Rooney Mara which make this small ensemble work at the core. Every viewer is likely to find a piece of themselves in one of the four and that's the crux of why watching this film feels so comfortable, or not.

In a rush to see remaining Oscar Best Pic nominees, yesterday my wife and I went to see AMERICAN HUSTLE which I really liked a lot. Then we caught NEBRASKA as the night cap of the doubleheader. We should have seen them in the opposite order. Nebraska was as lively as watching paint dry; in a good way.

Roy Hersh wrote:Nebraska was as lively as watching paint dry; in a good way.

Sounds about right except for game days.

O.k., here's my take for the SciFi fans out there. If you aren't at least somewhat interested in science fiction, you can probably skip all of these.

• After Earth - Not all that interesting and too predictable.
• Pacific Rim - Just loud. Reminded me of the Transformers movies. Some of my friends thought it was better than those, but I think just barely, and not enough better to merit watching. It will give your speaker setup a good workout.
• Elysium - O.k., but not all that impressive.
• Oblivion - I liked this better than the above. It isn't great, but not bad for a Netflix evening at home. I think there was just a little more interesting in this one to me. Maybe it was the flying/cycling/scenery?
• In Time - This is the sleeper of the bunch, a Justin Timberlake movie that didn't make much noise when it came out. I thought the whole premise of the movie was intriguing. Probably a good pick for fans of Logan's Run.
• Ender's Game - My favorite of the bunch. This is definitely a science fiction setting, but it raises a lot of moral and philosophical issues that are relevant today; almost too many in one film.

I haven't seen Gravity yet, but from what I know I wouldn't classify it as science fiction.

Ender's Game rocked, but I truly wish I had seen it in 3D when it first came out. That would have been great.


Here was a movie I really liked and have recorded with DVR. Even considering allowing my 11 year old to watch this, IN MY COUNTRY .. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0349260/

Eric Menchen wrote:

• After Earth - Not all that interesting and too predictable.

I have been somewhat validated on this on, noticing today it was nominated for at least three Razzies.

I just saw Inside Llewyn Davis, boring, no real plot. The only redeeming feature was a few good songs.

I'm waiting for Vikings to come back after a year hiatus.


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12 Years A Slave was a great movie. I have not seen all of the best picture nominees, so I'll leave it that this movie really deserves to be in this category.


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I have seen most, with two exceptions from top 10. 12 Years a Slave was the best picture I've seen. Doubt it will win, but it should.

Saw the movie: Constant Gardener for the first time since it was in the theater nearly a decade ago. The Fernando Meirelles directing was excellent and helped to do justice for the John le Carré novel which was a thrill ride and the basis of this movie. Rachel Weisz was perfectly cast, and Ralph Fiennes was pretty darn good too. The depiction of how multi-national pharma companies ruthlessly abuse and even murder patients in Africa in order to get new meds through their trials, is the basis of the film. Great pace, and the cinematography in this movie portrays a variety of African nations quite accurately. The ending was a bit predictable, but otherwise this was a solid A movie.

Marijke and I just watched Gravity, in 3D, and enjoyed it quite a bit. I can understand the nomination and not win for Best Picture.

Draft Day with Kevin Kostner is a really solid film and far better than I would've expected. B+/A-

Roy,
That was quick, wasn't this just released today?

Watched Cloud Atlas last night. From the reviews, most people love or hate this. I am in the minority, as I just liked it. Marijke loved it. Beautifully shot, it is both slow and suspenseful at the same time.

Yes, Eric. But I was still in NYC at the time and saw it w/ Taylor. Sticker shock compared to theaters here. I paid more for an under-12-year-old ticket $11.50 than I would pay for myself here at home. Adult price for ticket in NY theater was $15.

Don't miss those price gougings!

On the flight home, I saw the movie The Book Thief, which my daughter recommended while we were flipping through all of the options, 120 films being offered. The movie was wonderful and sad, another tragic film about a young girl (daughter of Communists) growing up in Germany pre-WW2 w/ adoptive new parents and then throughout the war and through liberation by US troops. I won't give any more away, but I can see why this received such broad acclaim.

Roy Hersh wrote:On the flight home, I saw the movie The Book Thief, which my daughter recommended while we were flipping through all of the options, 120 films being offered. The movie was wonderful and sad, another tragic film about a young girl (daughter of Communists) growing up in Germany pre-WW2 w/ adoptive new parents and then throughout the war and through liberation by US troops. I won't give any more away, but I can see why this received such broad acclaim.

The book is tremendous as well. Taylor might like it, too

Thanks Peter.

Taylor read it before seeing the movie, as did my wife. I have not read it. I don't believe in reading books. I only watch movies.

I watched Terminator 2: Judgement Day and I must say there is such an exponential improvement over the first movie. So rare to find the sequel better than the original.