The USS Yorktown at Patriots Point? We went there in '03, wow that was a long time ago, I was just kid then. I don't remember much about it, there are probably a lot more displays now.

I've gone there a number of times, but I suspect that you don't really begin to appreciate it until you're slightly a few years along. I really believe one could spend several days just exploring the ship and I must say, if I had the opportunity I'd be happy to spend a week there just studying and looking about. There's been a number of changes since last I was there, but that was 94' so I don't know how much has changed. I think you're at an age and of a mindset that if you went you'd really come to appreciate and enjoy all that the Yorktown has to offer. Couple that with Ft. Sumter and you've got a great vacation. That's beside the point though, the ol' Fighting Lady is filled with history and is just a joy to explore as she is. The Medal of Honor museum was really amazing. Lots of kids going through but long after they had vacated there was this one Boy Scout who went dutifully to each display and played all of the programs and paid close attention to each one. He couldn't have been more than 10-12 years old at the most but I was humbled by his reverence to the source material. My kid didn't want to have any of it, so we had to cut short our trip to that portion of the ship. Very somber and solemn place. I wanted to see The Fighting Lady film but we just didn't have the time. They have an F-14 Tomcat up on the flight deck now!

@ PC...Ever After was a fun little film. There was a time when Drew Barrymore had a bit of a Bad Girl reputation, and Ever After was one of the films that sort of rejuvinated her reputation quite a bit back in the 90's. She got better film roles when she was a good girl than a bad one, yes?

The USS Yorktown at Patriots Point? We went there in '03, wow that was a long time ago, I was just kid then. I don't remember much about it, there are probably a lot more displays now.

I've gone there a number of times, but I suspect that you don't really begin to appreciate it until you're slightly a few years along.

Yeah, I think you are right, as usual.

I found out my library now has Dial M for Murder on DVD. I think I need to make another trip to the library and when I am there, I probably should get some more books.

SnowAngel

I didn’t know my Sherlock Holmes thread would get so little response. I’m sure you can discuss film adaptations – but in my thread, not here!

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=7934

Last night I saw “License to Kill” (1983), starring Denzel Washington as a young D.A. “Courageous” (2011), by comparison, was unrealistic. In both films, a daughter is killed by a drunk driver. But in “License” we see real grief and a desire to see justice for the charge of vehicular manslaughter. Did “Courageous” show grief or do legal follow-up? No. I like the father theme in this film, but that’s it.

I watched Citizen Kane for my film class. The name was familiar because of how popular it is, but I had never seen it/had no idea of the story. I thought it was going to be a war movie/WWII type thing and was looking forward to a storyline of that nature, so uh.. I was disappointed in that respect. For the movie itself... I think I'd view it from an aesthetic point of view and then a storytelling point of view.
I'm taking a Film Appreciation class and, while I have always sought a deeper discussion of movies beyond "That was a good movie," I am learning some more organized analysis tools, like noting recurring themes/narration and the like.
Aesthetically, I understand its significance. The sets, the cinematography, and the lighting were impressive. I enjoyed the composition of many frames, such as the "No Trespassing" sign, and especially the zoom in to El Ranchero and then through the window to Susan Alexander.
As for the story. I can't say I liked it. I suppose there is the quality of the storytelling (how the story was told) and then the elements of the story. The movie is depressing, but it was told well. The "Rosebud" thing explained why Kane was the way he was, and the movie did a good job of illustrating how he wanted people to love, but he could not love because he did not have any love to give.
However, I don't approve of a lot of choices made in the film or in how they were portrayed. The Kane/Alexander affair... Sometimes it seems like movie makers/writers are like, "Want a compelling story? Throw in an affair!" I feel like Kane had other choices, such as finding peace and love by focusing on something bigger than himself.
I'd probably watch it again to learn how the story was seamed together and to learn from the technical aspects of it, but I certainly would not enjoy the story.

Right now, my younger siblings are watching the second half of The Adventures of TinTin which we got on Blu-ray from the library yesterday. After we got the books for the boys, which they are crazy about, I figured it was okay to let them watch the movie. We watched the first half yesterday. My brother, sister, and I are going to watch the second half after my brother's friend goes home. My brother sat down last night to see what the movie was about and why we liked it so much, and he stayed until we stopped it. This is the same brother that won't watch it the first time we got it from the library. And now he wants to watch the rest of it!

Hi mate. I'm glad that your siblings are enjoying the Tintin movie. There are 22 colour albums/graphic novels and 2 old school black and white adventures. If your library has more of them, your family should borrow them. I'm just curious. Why did they watch the Tintin movie in two installments? It's not a long movie by any stretch of the imagination. Did your siblings notice any differences between the books and the movie? (there are plenty). Still, it's very worthwhile and well done. Thanks for sharing your story.

Right now, my younger siblings are watching the second half of The Adventures of TinTin which we got on Blu-ray from the library yesterday. After we got the books for the boys, which they are crazy about, I figured it was okay to let them watch the movie. We watched the first half yesterday. My brother, sister, and I are going to watch the second half after my brother's friend goes home. My brother sat down last night to see what the movie was about and why we liked it so much, and he stayed until we stopped it. This is the same brother that won't watch it the first time we got it from the library. And now he wants to watch the rest of it!

Hi mate. I'm glad that your siblings are enjoying the Tintin movie. There are 22 colour albums/graphic novels and 2 old school black and white adventures. If your library has more of them, your family should borrow them. I'm just curious. Why did they watch the Tintin movie in two installments? It's not a long movie by any stretch of the imagination. Did your siblings notice any differences between the books and the movie? (there are plenty). Still, it's very worthwhile and well done. Thanks for sharing your story.

Hi, W4J. We have 4 of the books on the shelf in the living room and six more in basement that the kids don't know about yet, but I think they suspect that we have more. My younger brothers love the books! The littlest one can sit for hours just looking at them.

The Secret of the Unicorn book is among the ones we have put back for the kids. They asked me after watching the movie, if we have the book, I said maybe. Might need to go ahead and get it out.

They watched in two installments, because they didn't get it started soon enough. They were support to have started earlier than they did, so that the adults in the house could watch The Lone Ranger (2013). And then The Lone Ranger wasn't even a very good movie, just so-so.

My brother, sister, and I plan to finish The Patriot (which we are watching extend on Blu-ray for the first time). I think we are over half through it.

SnowAngel

The Secret of the Unicorn is one of my favourite movies. The week I discovered it, my sister and I watched it every night for 7 consecutive days. It's a good movie, and it was a good catalyst to read the books.

I finally got around to seeing The Dark Knight Rises. Wow. Just wow. I loved the "Batman pops out of no where on an awesome vehicle in the highway at night in the middle of a police chase and this beautiful Zimmer soundtrack is going on in the back" scenes. I freely admit I got goosebumps at those epic sequences.
I think TDKR could be my favourite of the three Batman films. There were many meaningful characters. I especially liked the "Rise" scene, as well as when

. It was a little bit long, but I did like it. It felt separate from the other two and like a quality film as a result. I don't understand though-- is this the last of the Batman trilogy, or will there be more by Nolan?

I also got around to seeing Iron Man. It was good. I found the story to be a little simple, in comparison to, say, The Avengers, which felt more complicatedly layered. I felt the same way about Captain America--I liked it, the characters were interesting, but the films felt underwhelming. Looking forward to watching Iron Man 2 this week, as well as The Book Thief--it's taken me several months to get from sixty-seventh in line at our local library to get a copy of it.

Interesting that you liked TDKR the best of the trilogy, Bella. To me, it is by far the weakest film in Nolan's Bat-verse. I'm not sure if I've said it here or not, but TDKR truly feels like it was not meant to be the film we got. What I mean is, it's obvious this wasn't the originally planned conclusion. I feel like after Ledger's untimely demise, Nolan and Goyer had to quickly cobble something together to finish the trilogy and so we got... Bane and co.

It's a decent film, make no mistake, but it feels very cobbled together and Nolan doesn't seem to be as "into it" as he was with Begins and definitely The Dark Knight. Rises does have some great action scenes and some funny moments though, not to mention the amazing last 8 minutes or so with... well, you know if you've seen it.

Side note:
Yep. TDKR is the conclusion of any and all Nolan helmed Batman films. Unless they drag him back to make more, which is highly possible.

Currently Zack Snyder (of Man of Steel and Sucker Punch infamy) is handling Bat's in Man of Steel 2....
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Iron Man is an origin story whereas The Avengers had six heroes plus side characters PLUS villains to help flesh out the plot. Not sure what you'll think of Iron Man 2, I personally find it skippable and one of those movies *not* included in my personal "head canon" for the Marvel Universe films... especially since the opening of The Avengers introduces us to Black Widow so well.

I'm not sure if I've said it here or not, but TDKR truly feels like it was not meant to be the film we got.

It's the film we needed. Not the film we deserved.

On a serious note, Batman Begins is my favorite of the trilogy. TDKR is probably my least favorite as well.

Overall, I really liked Nolan's Bat-verse, and I wish we could have gotten more than just three films.

~Izzy

The first time I saw TDKR I felt very underwhelmed. On repeat viewings, I grew to love it. I still think it's the weakest of the three, and I felt it stood on its own feet the least well, but I now think of it as a worthy conclusion to the trilogy. I wish we could have seen the conclusion Nolan had planned.

Huh, it's interesting how y'all consider TDKR to be one of the weakest. I didn't think about that, Cor--that they might have thrown it together. I can see that. Though, I liked it so much, that my take is that even when Nolan throws things together, they turn out spectacular. I do need to rewatch the series in order to definitely identify one as my favorite (I've only seen TDK once, and that was some time ago.)

The reason I liked it as much as I did was because of all the characters and their different responses to the situation. The last couple minutes of the film were beautiful. They reminded me a lot of the last minutes of Inception.

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Cor, that's a good point, about Iron Man compared to The Avengers. I don't think my comparing it is very fair, but I suppose it was inevitable, since I was introduced to the Marvel superheros by The Avengers. I don't have huge expectations for Iron Man 2, but we'll see.

Happy Bastille Day! Do you have any favorite French Revolution films?

http://artsandculturereviews.wordpress. ... c-journey/

I wouldn't mind having a few of the Napoleonic-era flicks, although that's post-Terror stuff. I have read The Scarlet Pimpernel, but haven't seen the movie/s yet. I've been made to understand the David Niven one is pretty good.

Shadowlander: the 1950 version is pretty far back! I haven't seen it, but I like David Niven as an actor - Guns of Navarone, My Man Godfrey.

There's also ...

1934 with Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon
1982 with Anthony Andrews, Ian McKellen, and Jane Seymour [my FAVORITE, having seen it a dozen times]
1999 with Elizabeth McGovern and Richard Grant

http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=scarlet%20pimpernel

I did not know that David Niven was in a version of My Man Godfrey! I love the original with William Powell and Carole Lombard from the 30s. Huh, and June Allyson's in it, too! It's a bit hard to imagine her in Lombard's role, but I'll have to give it a watch and see what I think. I've seen quite a few of June Allyson's films (always a sucker for a musical), and I've generally liked the films that I've seen with Niven in it. Around the World in Eighty Days is a lot of fun. Now that I'm thinking about it, I want to watch it again. I shall have to mention it to the family.