At the flicks

Billy, hope the Polanski tape worked. Arrested Development is a sitcom which I have seen on an alternate medium .
Susan B, sounds great...look forward to it.
Gail, John Travolta in drag???? Maybe

Haven't tried it yet Mary - but i have great faith...

Gail - my youngest(19) has seen Hairspray 4 times now and has the soundtrack playing in her car loud enough to bust your eardrums...

Saw 'Le petit lieutenant' the other day - typically french, typically intense - but I liked it 7/10

and just saw "Death at a funeral" ..."We had not laughed so much since Grandma died Or Auntie Mabel caught her left..." 8/10 good fun

Into the Wild is the best film I have seen in a year or more. I had read excerpts from Jon Krakauer's book in Outside magazine and expected this to be a very frustrating and depressing movie. Instead, I found it to be utterly engrossing. At the end of the movie no one left. It was hard to bring yourself back to the real world.

Hey Martha, saw the preview for 'in the wild', looks good...
Saw The War on Democracy...the historical parts showing the US interference in Latin and South America were chilling. Not sure I agree with his final statements that things have changed...too much like wishful thinking I believe.

Have to agree with Susan B and Billy....thoroughly enjoyed Death at a Funeral.

saw 'Control' recently based on the life of Ian Curtis ex frontman of Joy Division. Very good flick...well worth a look.

Hey Steve - how are you?! I hope you're referring to your knee btw...

'Control' is on here but it looked like it may be a bit depressing given that his life didn't end well...not sure if I'm up for that at the mo.

Watched Polanski's Macbeth and the video (yes - the VIDEO) worked. Hadn't seen this film since school and I was amazed that it hadn't dated (made in '71). Had forgotten how brutal Polanski had made it...great take on a great play.
On the look out for "Titus" now...Mary?

Looking forward to Elizabeth - The golden Age, and it's got nothing to do with perving at Clive Owen...

perving on Clive Owen? Now THAT sounds more like it

...ooops and cripes, perhaps stiff you aren't Steve...apologies stiff whoever you are, excuse this fool of a woman...

Yes Clive Owen - saw the shorts (not his, as he was wearing tights)and I didn't realise it ties in with the other 'Elizabeth' movie which I loved. I hope it's as good.

Clive Owen in tights!!!!!!Be still, my beating heart!!!

Saw the doco 10 questions for the Dalai Lama. Beautiful photography and lots of background information. A film to ponder...here's the link to the trailer. http://www.thedalailamamovie.com/

Saw another doco Bomb Harvest about an Aussie bomb disposal tech in Laos. Very interesting....bloke is one of three brothers who are all in bomb disposal...said it gives his parents something to worry about!!!(and I thought I had probs!)It was very informative and surprisingly uplifting for such a grim topic.

Jaz, if you're still around, the movie you recommended Conversations with my Gardener is FINALLY coming to Perth in the Festival over summer. Talk about a long wait....still, watching it in the openair cinema amongst the pine trees with a nice bottle and picnic tea will be worth it!

Just seen Atonement - compliments of the ABC - I won a comp! one of my all-time favourite books, the film did not disappoint, although I think it would have a different effect if you hadn't read the book...beautifully filmed and acted, Keira Knightly surprised me, McAvoy was excellent as was Vanessa redgrave. The most moving scene in the book still made me gulp..ok sob..in the film - so poignant. I so wanted this movie to be 'good' and for me it did not disappoint. 9/10
I'm reviewing both the film/book tomorrow on ABC 720 am with Bernadette!

Go Billy, I'm so looking forward to Atonement...loved the book...

Mary: I really liked The Black Book, too. I've been on a WWII kick lately. It seems all my favorite movies are set in that era. Others are: Before the Fall, Nowhere in Africa, Letters from Iwo Jima.

Bourne Ultimatum was great! I've seen all the Bourne movies (comes from living in a family of men and boys).

I also have two WWI movies I like: A Very Long Engagement and Merry Christmas (Joyeux Noel).

Disturbia is a good thriller (a remake of Rear Window) that you may have missed when it came out.

hey Martha, In the Wild has just been released here. I am just a tad worried as I have a romantic, highly suggestible 19 y-o male in the house and I don't want him swanning off to Alaska.
A Very Long Engagement was great too. Was Joyeux Noel the movie where the opposing troops stopped fighting for Xmas? I did hear that was very good too

Saw Hunting and Gathering(?) the Audrey Tatou movie with my Mum. Didn't think much of it but very suitable as choice to see with parent. Don't see why they had to change the title. The original French was something like 'Ensemble, c'est tout'which was much more appropriate. There is much better stuff out there.

Oh, forgot to mention the male star Guillaume Something..now HE is very watchable!

Thoroughly enjoyed Atonement. Mmmmmm James McAvoy. There was definitely unrequited love there Billy. Also saw 2 Days in Paris, the Julie Delpy movie. Enjoyed that too.

Sorry Billy, got the wrong end of the stick..should have re-read your comment on the Arts page first. Consummated? They said later that they had had 3 and a half minutes of love....from hazy memory that sounds about right?

Part of the debate Mary was that whilst they were making love, they were interrupted, and so never (well not in my opinion anyway) completed the act of love-making (Geraldine mentioned the word "orgasm" which I wasn't sure we could get into on the afternoon show)...something they were both wanting to return to...

I have been wanting to go to the movies and have not had an opportunity as yet - every film at Luna on Essex is worth seeing at the moment so i will try and make the time in the New Year - I'm getting antsy...

Must have been a spirited debate Billy, sorry I missed it. I agree with the amount of good films out at the moment.....the day job's gotta go!

er....I would ordinarily agree with you Mary...but I'm on hols and still not finding the time!

Did you (or anyone) happen to see Beowulf? GCity is showing it but not with the 3D glasses so I will have to go to Carousel - I want the 3D glasses...need the 3D glasses...can I keep the 3D glasses?

Sorry Billy, but I think they frisk you on the way out

Just saw 'I Am Legend' with Will Smith. If you're into scary flicks then this one's for you. I found it quite entertaining though not one of his best performances. 7/10

Before I forget...
saw The Darjeeling Limited and thoroughly enjoyed this quirky movie. Some real laugh out moments in an otherwise poignant tale...brilliant cameo by Angelica Houston.

Also caught Into the Wild before flew back, a film we had both been wanting to see and were so glad we saw it together as we needed each others shoulders to cry on! This film has had mixed reviews, but I fall on the side that says it is a near perfect movie made by Sean Penn. For me it was an inspiring story that makes you think about the values we put on our lives and the way in which we choose to live it...

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the Universe, and feel
What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal.

-- Lord Byron, (George Gordon)

* Jaz flew back

As Billy said above we went to see 'Into the Wild' on my last day in Perth.
Journeys of self-discovery are often of no interest to anyone but the person on the journey. Much of what happens is internal and difficult for someone else to understand but Sean Penn, both adapter and director, puts together a beautiful, moving film. Much of the movie is taken up with nature or travel montages to the tune of Eddie Vedder’s original songs. I found the effect stirring throughout the movie, and at the end I was exhilarated and devastated. I found myself unable to speak for about 10 minutes. I am so glad I saw this film with Billy. At the end of the film there was a dedication to the young mans parents for allowing the film to be made and I thought how difficult it must have been for them to watch the final product. There is an emotional wallop you can’t help be impacted by Chris’ ultimate fate. I got totally lost in the movie and loved it.

My daughter saw Beowulf (with the glasses) and loved it. She said it's not worth seeing without the glasses.

Saw The Golden Compass yesterday. Not going to enter into the controversy about it's background but I thought it was a good movie in it's own right. Very obvious at the end that there will be a sequel. Very good special effects. 7/10

I saw the ads for the Kite Runner and thought to go see it, so read the book. I enjoyed the book, but have read that the film ending has been changed to a feelgood cop-out. Now I don't want to see the movie.

I'm Not There...wish I hadn't been...

short and to the point

Beowulf - yay ...finally got to see it and look incredibly intelligent to boot, wearing the 3D glasses, somewhat akin to Brains in Thunderbirds...not the flimsy paper ones with the different coloured lenses, but 'real' plakky ones...and I got to keep them (no Mary i didn't nick 'em!)
The film is not for the purists of the epic poem, so best to take the film on its own merits rather than apply your knowledge of the tale. I'm not a huge fan of CGI but I have to say I soon forget about it when the story started to unfold. I really enjoyed the 3D effects (novelty factor?) and enjoyed the movie for what it was - a fairly good piece of entertainment, albeit somewhat violent but not gratuitously so, given the context. Give it a looksee if you want to look like a nerd for 115 minutes...

Do i see a lot of movies?...i wonder about this...well, I saw Juno and thoroughly enjoyed this delightful film, great cast, great acting - about teenage pregnancy (sort of)and how the family deal with it - humourous dialogue makes this worthwhile. Soundtrack good too (as was Into the Wild).

Billy D#3 (13yo) and I went to see Juno yesterday as a last treat before school started today. We both loved it. I thought they dealt with the whole situation beautifully and of course, I cried buckets.
Perfect ending in my opinion.

Saw No Country for Old Men...found it violent and scary. Even scarier were the reactions of my teenage sons who weren't scared and didn't think it excessively violent. It was a well made movie for all that and I think I enjoyed it