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Post by pledm on Mar 17, 2007 11:01:53 GMT -5
Just watched 2 movies `Blood Diamond` and `The Departed` both worth seeing.
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Post by pledm on Apr 29, 2007 10:43:28 GMT -5
Last night I watched `Altered States` with William Hurt a great filck and `Cinderella Man with Russel Crowe a really nice film.
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Post by pledm on Jul 27, 2007 14:47:38 GMT -5
Just watched Christiane F.
This film is taken from a true story by Kai Hermann and Horst Rieck, about the children from the Bahnhof Zoo train station in West Berlin who are drug addicts, drug dealers, and prostitutes. The film focuses on Christine F. (Natja Brunkhorst) whose life before the train station meant going to rock concerts and hanging out with her friends on the streets of West Berlin. On a fateful evening at a David Bowie concert, Christine asks to try some drugs she has just bought for a friend. Although others tell her not to do it, she is determined to see what it is like - and gets hooked into a downward spiral that she cannot control. Christine was only 13 years old when she got started on drugs - and the lives of the other young teen-agers at the train station are now no different than hers. Drug habits have reduced them all to one common, very tragic, and low denominator. Very intense movie 1st saw it sometime in the late 80`s,has anyone else seen it.
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Post by Summer on Jul 28, 2007 23:04:53 GMT -5
No, I haven't seen that film, Pledm. Sounds pretty interesting though. The last movie I saw was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was really good. I missed taking the whole family to see it though, as we always took the whole family to see all the other Harry Potter movies. This time I only went with my oldest daughter Lizz. What can I say, she corrupted me!
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Post by pledm on Aug 2, 2007 11:37:34 GMT -5
Hi just watched `300`,
Based on the epic graphic novel by Frank Miller, 300 is a ferocious retelling of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. Facing insurmountable odds, their valor and sacrifice inspire all of Greece to unite.”
Very enjoyable,I like the history movies,its well done all blue/green screen,alot of testosterone.It told a great story.
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Post by pledm on Sept 6, 2007 11:08:10 GMT -5
I`m watching `Neil Youngs Heart of Gold`its great directed by Jonathan Demme.Neil is in great shape singing at the Ryman Auditorium-the historic home of Nashvilles Grand Old Opry,some special guests like Emmylou harris,great for Neil fans. ;D
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Post by pledm on Oct 22, 2007 14:11:43 GMT -5
Hi all, I just finished watching a dvd of Led Zep,a dvd I grabbed from the library.It was one of those `unauthorized`dvd`s (suprised they had one).Its called Led Zeppelin `On the rock trail`.What a piece of shit,its just crap. I don`t know of other unauthorized dvd`s but don`t waste your time or money with this one,thank god I grabbed it from the library,totally a waste of time watching it.
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Post by Bob on Oct 23, 2007 11:38:48 GMT -5
I got a DVD set of Hercule Poirot (Agatha Christie) films as a b-day present. I opened it already but it isn't my b-day until tomorrow.
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Post by pledm on Oct 29, 2007 11:04:06 GMT -5
Just watched `Brians Song`heres a view;
While women shed more than a few tears over Love Story back in 1970, men had their equivalent with Brian's Song on TV. This biopic about the Chicago Bears' Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers is no mere sports film. It's one of those transcendent stories that struck a rare cultural nerve, a sensitive film about love, friendship, cancer, racial harmony, and football that came along at just the right time. James Caan is at his free-spirited best as Piccolo, and Billy Dee Williams is very charming as the quiet Sayers destined for superstardom. Roommates and rivals, these two rookies soon become best friends because of their competitive natures and complementary personalities. When Piccolo becomes stricken with cancer, his relentless will to live inspires the talented Sayers to reach his athletic potential. Jack Warden, as the masterful coach George Halas, superbly manipulates the ying and yang relationship for all it's worth. Michel Legrand's melancholy theme still lingers in the mind as one of the all-time greats. --Bill Desowitz
If you get a chance to see this,rent it I saw it years ago and it still hits you,,have kleenex ready for the ending.
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Post by Bob on Nov 3, 2007 4:56:12 GMT -5
I have several unseen DVD's on the shelf here. I just never get around to watching them. I hate to watch movies alone. I'd rather read a good book than watch a film on my own. This is one film I'd like to see though: The Lives of Otherswww.imdb.com/title/tt0405094/About STASI in the old DDR.
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Post by pledm on Nov 24, 2007 17:01:44 GMT -5
Just watched the Karen Carpenter story,for those who were to young they played so-called sappy love songs in the 70`s.This girl had a great/amazing voice and played the drums.She also suffered from anorexia a disease that at the time was not noted,heres a bio;
Birth name Karen Anne Carpenter Born March 2, 1950(1950-03-02) New Haven, Connecticut Died February 4, 1983 (aged 32) Downey, California Genre(s) Pop Years active 1965–1983 Label(s) A&M Associated acts Carpenters Richard Carpenter Website Richard and Karen Carpenter Notable instrument(s) Ludwig Drums Karen Anne Carpenter (March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983) was a highly successful American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard, formed the popular 1970s duo, The Carpenters. In recent years, artists such as Madonna, Shania Twain, and k. d. lang, among others, have cited her as a musical influence. If I Were A Carpenter is a tribute album to the Carpenters featuring several alternative rock bands covering the tunes performed by Richard and Karen Carpenter. (One of the most acclaimed songs on this album is Sonic Youth's cover of "Superstar.")[1] Karen was an accomplished drummer, placing first in Playboy's reader poll for Best Rock Drummer of 1975, thus pioneering the way for a plethora of female drummers to follow. She suffered from anorexia, a little known disease at the time, and eventually died from complications related to "recovering" from the illness at the age of 32, in 1983. Early life Carpenter was born in New Haven, Connecticut to Agnes Reuwer Tatum and Harold Bertram Carpenter.
When she was young, she used to enjoy playing baseball with other children on the street. On the TV program, This Is Your Life, Carpenter stated that she liked pitching the ball. [3] In the early 1970s, she went on to play as the pitcher on the Carpenters' official softball team.
Her brother Richard had developed an interest in music at an early age, becoming a piano prodigy. The family moved in June 1963 to the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, California. The move to Southern California, home of many recording studios and record companies, was intended in part to foster Richard's budding musical career.
When Karen Carpenter went to Downey High School, she asked Richard to ask the conductor of the band if she could substitute band for gym class. The conductor agreed to take her into the band, and gave her the glockenspiel. After admiring the performance of a friend named Frankie Chavez, [4] she asked the conductor if she could play the drums instead.
Drumming came naturally to Carpenter, and she practiced for several hours a day. Her drumming can be heard in many of the Carpenters' songs. When she was 17, Carpenter went on "The Stillman Diet" with a doctor's guidance, and lost between 20 and 25 pounds.
In 1968, John Wayne met the Carpenters on a talent show called Your All American College Show. He urged Carpenter to try out for a role in the film True Grit. Carpenter auditioned, but actress Kim Darby was selected instead. Music career From 1965 to 1968 Karen was a part of The Richard Carpenter Trio, with brother Richard and his college friend Wes Jacobs, a bassist and tuba player. The trio played jazz at numerous nightclubs, and also on Your All American College Show, though Bill Sissyoev played bass for the TV appearance.
Karen, Richard, and other musicians, including Gary Sims and John Bettis, would also perform as an ensemble known as Spectrum. Spectrum focused on a harmonious, vocal sound, and recorded many demo tapes in the garage studio of friend and bassist Joe Osborn.
Carpenter signed with A&M Records with her brother as "Carpenters" on April 22, 1969. She sang most of the songs on their first album, Ticket to Ride. Their only single released from that album, the title song, only reached #54 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts. Their next album, 1970's Close to You, contained two RIAA Certified Gold Records: "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun." They peaked at #1 and #2, respectively. The latter song was written by Paul Williams and was originally used in a commercial for Crocker International Bank, which showed a young couple moving into their first home.
By the mid-1970s, extensive touring and lengthy recording sessions had begun to take their toll on the duo and contributed to their professional difficulties during the latter half of the decade. Karen started out as both the drummer and singer. Since Karen was the lead singer on the albums, she was pressured to only sing, while another person played the drums during live concerts. It was then agreed that she would only stand up for the popular ballads, and would perform from behind the drums on album cuts.
Karen rarely selected the songs she would sing, and often felt she had very little control over her life. The rock-and-roll press did not like having to write about this middle-of-the road brother and sister act and sometimes wrote negative reviews about their image or dress, yet never about Karen's voice or the meticulous arrangements of their music. Carpenter dieted obsessively and developed the disorder anorexia nervosa, which first manifested itself in 1975 when an exhausted and emaciated Karen Carpenter was forced to cancel concert tours in the UK and Japan. At the same time, Richard developed an addiction to quaaludes, which began to affect his performance by the late 1970s and led to the end of the duo's live concert appearances for several years. On September 4, 1978, the Carpenters gave their last live concert at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas until 1981 with the release of the Made in America album, which included their final live performance together. As a Drummer Karen's drumming was praised by fellow drummers Hal Blaine, Cubby O'Brien, Buddy Rich and "Modern Drummer" magazine. Most people are unaware that Karen had an impeccable ability to play the drums, in part because the public wanted a singing Karen Carpenter; not a drumming Karen Carpenter. However, according to Richard Carpenter in an interview, Karen always considered herself as a "drummer who sang."
Carpenter first started playing the drums in 1964, shortly after moving to Downey, California. She was always enthusiastic about the drums, and taught herself how to play complicated drum lines with "exotic time signatures" (quoting Richard Carpenter from the "Close to You" documentary). Songs that effectively demonstrate her drumming abilities include "Caravan" and "Iced Tea," from 1965 and 1966, respectively.
After the release of "Now & Then" in 1973, the albums tended to have Karen singing more and drumming less. By 1981, Karen played on none of the songs, and drummers Hal Blaine and Ron Tutt substituted for Karen. As a Singer Karen's voice has almost always been lauded for her impeccable phrasing and control. She always sang at the perfect pitch, regardless of the situation. Her vocal quality was melancholy, which is demonstrated in their hit "Superstar" from 1971. Her voice is also associated with Christmas music, because of the holiday favorite, "Merry Christmas Darling" from 1970 (later re-recorded in 1978).
In the 1960s, Karen's voice was raspier and deeper, which is demonstrated in their early demo "Looking for Love" from 1966. However, during the 1970s, Karen's voice transformed into one of a smoother, cleaner quality. Richard had always stated in interviews that he told Karen that she should use "the basement," referring to her lower register, as opposed to her higher register.
During Karen's solo sessions in New York in 1979, Carpenter, who was suffering anorexia nervosa at the time, decided to test her higher register, and decided to record the songs with a higher, pitchier voice. The A&M staff weren't enthused by the songs recorded, so she decided to not release it, and to have it shelved. In 1983 and 1989, Richard slowly released more of Carpenter's solo songs. In 1996, Carpenter finally decided to release most of Karen's solo songs on Carpenter's self-entitled, posthumous album. Solo album In 1979, Richard Carpenter took a year off to cure a dependency on quaaludes [6], and Karen decided to make a solo album with producer Phil Ramone. Richard wanted his sister to see a doctor about her eating disorder, but Karen refused. While staying at the home of the Ramones, Karen took half of a quaalude tablet and passed out on the floor. [7] She soon recovered.
Karen's choice of more adult-oriented and disco/dance-tempo material represented an effort to retool her image. "Something's Missing (In My Life)," which didn't make it on to the final album, remains unmixed and without strings. Other unreleased songs are now available on the internet as bootlegs. Her solo works are markedly different from usual Carpenters fare, with more sexual lyrics and the use of Karen's higher vocal register.
The resulting product met a tepid response from Richard and A&M executives in early 1980, and Karen wavered in her dedication to the project. The album was shelved by A&M executive Herb Alpert as a result of Karen's decision to never release the songs. In the process, Carpenter had to pay $400,000, and wasn't pleased. [8] Carpenters fans got a taste of the album in 1989 when some of its tracks (as remixed by Richard) were mixed onto the album Lovelines. Seven years later in 1996, the entire album, featuring mixes approved by Karen before her death and one unmixed bonus track, were finally released. Personal life Karen lived with her parents until she was in her mid-20s. After the Carpenters became successful in the early 1970s, she and her brother bought two apartment buildings in Downey. Called "Close To You" and "Only Just Begun," the "Close To You" apartment can still be found at 8356 East 5th, Downey, CA.
In 1976, Karen bought two Century City apartments, gutted them, and turned them into one condominium. Located at 2222 Avenue of the Stars, the doorbell chimed the first six notes of "We've Only Just Begun". As a housewarming gift, her mother gave her a collection of leather-bound classic works of literature. Carpenter collected Disney memorabilia, loved to play softball and baseball, and listed Petula Clark, Olivia Newton-John, and Dionne Warwick among her friends.
Karen Carpenter before her wedding to Tom Burris on August 31, 1980.Karen's busy schedule kept her from any serious long-term relationship. She dated Mike Curb, Tony Danza, Steve Martin, and Alan Osmond. Ms. Carpenter went out with songwriter Tom Bahler, and broke up with him after she found out he had fathered a child with a married woman; this breakup inspired Bahler to write the Michael Jackson song She's Out of My Life. [9].
After a whirlwind romance, Karen married real estate developer Thomas James Burris on August 31, 1980. When they met, Burris was 39 years old and divorced, and Carpenter was 30. The couple was married at the Beverly Hills Hotel in the Crystal Room. A new song performed by Carpenter at the ceremony, "Because We Are In Love," was released in 1981. The couple went to Bora Bora for their honeymoon. Carpenter called her family from the island and described it as "Boring Boring."[10] The marriage became a disaster, and they filed for divorce in November 1981. (The divorce never took place, as it was scheduled to be finalized on the day Carpenter died.) After going out with Carpenter's parents to celebrate her father's birthday, Karen and Thomas returned to the Carpenters' Downey home and, after a brief argument, Burris told Carpenter's parents, "You can keep her!" Carpenter never saw her husband after that night. [11]
The song "Now," recorded in April 1982, was the last song Karen Carpenter recorded. She recorded it after a two-week intermission in her therapy with psychotherapist Steven Levenkron in New York City for her anorexia, a relatively unknown disease at the time. In the midst of her therapy, she befriended recovered anorexic Cherry Boone, and embroidered a sign that read, "You Win, I Gain!" which she gave to Steve Levenkron. After her recovery, she planned to go public about her battle with anorexia.
Carpenter returned to California permanently later that year, determined to reinvigorate her career, finalize her divorce and begin recording a new album with Richard. She had gained 30 pounds over a two-month stay in New York, and the sudden weight gain (much of which was the result of intravenous feeding) further strained her heart, which was already weak from years of crash dieting. At the height of her illness, Carpenter, who had a normal thyroid, was taking ten times the normal daily dose of thyroid replacement medication (equivalent to 1 milligram, as opposed to the normal 100 microgram dose), in order to speed up her metabolism. This, combined with heavy doses of laxatives, weakened her heart and digestive and nervous systems even further.
On December 17, 1982 Karen Carpenter made her last public singing appearance at the Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, California. She sang Christmas carols for friends. In late January 1983, Richard and Karen took part in a group photograph of Grammy winners, Los Angeles.
A few weeks before Karen died, Richard tried to get his sister into a hospital for medical treatment, because "She didn't look well... there was no life in her eyes." [12] At a meeting with Werner Wolfen, the Carpenters' financial advisor, two weeks prior to her death, Karen told Richard to mind his own business and that she had her problem under control. Death On February 4, 1983, approximately a month before her thirty-third birthday, Carpenter experienced heart failure at her parents' home in Downey and was taken to Downey Community Hospital, where she was pronounced dead twenty minutes later at the age of 32. She suffered cardiac arrest at 09.51 AM Pacific Standard Time. The LA Coroner gave the cause of death as "heartbeat irregularities brought on by chemical imbalances associated with anorexia nervosa".
The autopsy stated that Carpenter's death was the result of emetine cardio toxicity due to anorexia nervosa. Under the anatomical summary, the first item was heart failure, with anorexia as second. The third finding was cachexia, which is extremely low weight and weakness and general body decline associated with chronic disease. Emetine cardio toxicity implies that Carpenter abused ipecac syrup, an easily obtained emetic medicine that is only meant to be taken by persons who have accidentally swallowed poison.
Both her late mother and her brother Richard debated this finding. Both have stated that they never found any empty vial of ipecac in her apartment nor was there any evidence that Karen had been vomiting. Richard believes that Karen was not willing to do this because it could damage her vocal cords, relying on laxatives alone to maintain her low body weight.
A documentary in the 1990s quoting medical sources and those in her immediate circle, asserted that Karen Carpenter had actually died from "recovering" from anorexia—she was recovering from the disease but her quick weight gain placed enormous pressure on her heart, which had been weakened by years of malnutrition.
Her funeral service took place on February 8, 1983, at the Downey United Methodist Church. Carpenter, dressed in a rose colored suit, lay in an open white casket. Over a thousand mourners passed through to say goodbye, among them her friends Dorothy Hamill, Olivia Newton-John, Petula Clark, Cristina Ferrare, and Dionne Warwick. Carpenter's estranged husband Tom attended her funeral, where he took off his wedding ring and threw it into the casket[13].
After death Carpenter's death brought lasting media attention to anorexia nervosa and also to bulimia. Carpenter's death encouraged other celebrities to go public about their eating disorders, among them Tracey Gold and Diana, Princess of Wales. Medical centers and hospitals began receiving increased contacts from people with these disorders. The general public had little knowledge of anorexia nervosa and bulimia prior to Carpenter's death, making the condition difficult to identify and treat. Her fame and her "wholesome" image may have made people reluctant to confront the possibility that she had a problem, much less to intervene directly.
Her family started the "Karen A. Carpenter Memorial Foundation," which raised money for research on anorexia nervosa and eating disorders. Today the name of the organization has been changed to the "Carpenter Family Foundation." In addition to eating disorders, the foundation now funds the arts, entertainment and education.
Carpenters' star at the Hollywood Walk of FameOn October 12, 1983, the Carpenters received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It is located at 6931 Hollywood Blvd, a few yards from the Kodak Theater [14]. Richard, Harold, and Agnes Carpenter attended the inauguration, as did many fans.
In 1987, movie director Todd Haynes used songs by Richard and Karen in his movie "Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story." In the movie, Haynes portrayed the Carpenters as Barbie dolls. Richard decided to sue Haynes for copyright infringement and won. "Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story" was then pulled from distribution.
On January 1, 1989, TV movie, The Karen Carpenter Story aired on CBS with Cynthia Gibb in the title role. Gibb lip-synced the songs, (which were sung by Karen Carpenter). "The Karen Carpenter Story" is not to be confused with Haynes' "Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story."
Sonic Youth recorded "Tunic (Song for Karen)," a song about Karen's anorexia. It can be found on their 1990 album Goo.
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Post by pledm on Dec 1, 2007 11:35:49 GMT -5
Hi all, Just last night I watched `Being There`,haven`t seen it in yrs a great flick,one of the best,check it out if you can ;D.
Peter Sellers does such a tremendous job in 'Being There', a film based on the book by Jerzy Kosinksi. He is Chance the gardener. He has never been outside the house where he is the gardener, only in the garden. He lives only with his television and knows only the things he sees on TV. In his world you click with the remote control and the image you see will change. His motto: "I like to watch." You can imagine what happens when he goes out into the world and uses that line in some situations...
He has to go out in the world. The old man who might be his father (we never know, he doesn't know) dies and he owned the house where Chance was living. Since there is no record of Chance he has to leave the house. The simple mind of Chance ends up in the house of Benjamin (Melvyn Douglas) and Eve Rand (Shirley MacLaine). They are very rich and are even friends with the president. Because Chance is so simple, he is also very direct. The things he says are always about gardening, but people around him think he is just using the garden as a metaphor. The things seems to be logical and he is even quoted by the president.
A story like this is may be a little hard too take, but the way it is presented you will believe. It even seems the only thing you can believe. The performance by Sellers is absolutely great. He talks a little like HAL in '2001: A Space Odyssey', although he is not intelligent at all he sounds like a professor. Douglas and MacLaine are good too but Sellers definitely makes this his movie. Very intelligent, very funny, a very fine satire with a final sequence you can talk about for hours.
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Post by pledm on Dec 20, 2007 11:55:31 GMT -5
Hi all, Its not out yet but I`ve seen the trailers and it looks funny as hell,heres a little article; John C. Reilly feels guilty for role in "Walk Hard" LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rock music spoof "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" marks two departures for dramatic actor John C. Reilly. The movie is a comedy, and it is his first leading role in a major Hollywood film. Is Reilly feeling pressured? No, but he is feeling guilty. "Like any good Catholic boy, I feel guilty somebody spent so much money on me," Reilly said in an interview. "I hope people enjoy it, and the studio makes its money back." But at a cost of less than $35 million, Columbia Pictures has relatively little at risk in the movie, which debuts on Friday and lampoons real rock-star biopics like the Johnny Cash movie "Walk the Line" or director Oliver Stone's "The Doors." "Walk Hard" tells the tale of Dewey Cox, a poor farm boy who breaks into the world of rock 'n' roll to find a life of big money, wild women, hard liquor and dangerous drugs. But every time he falls, Dewey picks himself up, reinvents his music for the time period and, of course, walks on. In advance screenings around the United States, moviegoers are laughing out loud at "Walk Hard," so Reilly shouldn't worry. The film is winning early raves from critics, scoring a 94 percent "fresh" rating on the review aggregator Web site www.rottentomatoes.com. "Walk Hard" was directed by Jake Kasdan ("Orange County") and produced by Judd Apatow, one of Hollywood's hottest filmmakers at the moment with a string of comedy hits under his belt including "Knocked Up" and "Superbad." "He's not afraid of completely letting go and letting anarchy take over, and that's where you get the freshest and funniest stuff," Reilly said of Apatow. OTHERS MISSED IT Apatow also notices things other people miss, and in Reilly he saw a flair for making people laugh and the ability to sing and play guitar that set Reilly apart. He gave the actor a supporting role in the auto racing comedy "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," which eventually led to "Walk Hard." Previously, Reilly has won acclaim for supporting roles in dramas such as "Boogie Nights" and in the musical "Chicago," which earned him an Oscar nomination. The Chicago native began acting as a child and pursued musical theater early. Reilly said the key to Dewey Cox was to play him straight, as if the character really believes in himself and trusts his bandmates when they tell him to stay off drugs and keep away from loose women -- two things Cox rarely does throughout the rock-a-billy 1950s, psychedelic '60s, swinging '70s, and new wave '80s. To keep the jokes fresh, Reilly said he improvised heavily with his castmates, including "The Office" star Jenna Fischer and former "Saturday Night Live" comedian Tim Meadows. "You can write a great script, and execute it well, but after saying certain lines many times, you can get a little bored," Reilly said. "A lot of my favorite lines were improvs to make Jake (Kasdan) or the other cast members laugh." Reilly said he did not try to mimic any one rock legend to create the cocky persona of Dewey Cox, but names several recording stars who helped inspire the character, among them Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan and Brian Wilson and Mac Davis. Mac Davis? Yep, he's the 1970s country and soft-rock singer who had his own TV variety show and made women swoon with hits like "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me." In Reilly's mind -- or make that Cox's -- Davis rocked.
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Post by pledm on Dec 22, 2007 16:00:17 GMT -5
Hi all, I just picked up `The Incredibles`,its a disney PIXAR flick. I really love PIXAR. ;D
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Post by pledm on Dec 30, 2007 14:05:22 GMT -5
Hi all , Just finished watching `The Outsiders`. The Outsiders is a film adaptation of the novel of the same name by S. E. Hinton, and was made in 1983 by Francis Ford Coppola.
The main characters are the Curtis brothers, Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Darry, and their friends Johnny Cade, Dallas Winston, Steve Randle, Keith "Two-Bit" Mathews. Together, they are a gang of greasers in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1967. The story is narrated by Ponyboy. The Curtis boys are orphaned after their parents are killed in a car accident. As a result, Darry forgoes college to care for his brothers so that the family will not be broken up.
The Greasers are, at first glance, the common stereotype of the juvenile delinquent. Their nickname is derived from the grease they use to slick back their long hair. The Socs (pronounced soashes, an abbreviation of Socialites) are the "haves" to the Greasers' "have nots." Although "The Outsiders" may seem to refer to the alienated Greasers, both groups are set back by economic, social, or creative limit
This synopsis is of the 1983 original release.
Dallas, Ponyboy, and Johnny sneak into a drive-in theater and seat themselves behind two Soc girls, Cherry and Marcia. Dallas starts flirting with the girls and refuses to leave them alone until Johnny tells him to back off. Dallas leaves, and the girls ask Ponyboy and Johnny to sit with them. Later, the boys are walking the girls home when their drunken boyfriends, Bob and Randy, catch up to them in their Mustang. Bob and Randy are itching to fight, but Cherry defuses the situation by asking Bob and Randy to take Marcia and her home. Johnny and Ponyboy go to a vacant lot and end up falling asleep. When Ponyboy goes home, Darry is upset with worry and, during the confrontation, hits Ponyboy. Ponyboy runs from the house back to the vacant lot and wakes Johnny. They go to a nearby park to cool off.
At the park, Ponyboy and Johnny are confronted and harassed by Bob, Randy, and their friends. The Socs try to drown Ponyboy in a fountain, but flee after Johnny draws his switchblade and stabs Bob to death. Ponyboy and Johnny seek help from Dallas, who gives them a loaded gun, money, and directions to an abandoned church in Windrixville, where they are to hide out until Dallas comes to retrieve them.
Ponyboy and Johnny cut off their hair to make themselves less recognizable, and Ponyboy bleaches his hair blond with peroxide. The boys pass the time by smoking cigarettes, playing cards, and eating baloney sandwiches. Ponyboy also reads to Johnny from a paperback copy of Gone with the Wind and shares the Robert Frost poem Nothing Gold Can Stay with him. Ponyboy confesses that he never quite understood the poem.
A week later, Dallas comes to visit the boys and takes them to get some hot food. Dallas tells Ponyboy and Johnny that Cherry is willing to stick up for them to the authorities. Johnny says that he and Ponyboy want to go home and turn themselves in, which upsets Dallas. Nevertheless, he starts the drive back home.
Ponyboy and Johnny see smoke from the direction of the abandoned church. They beg Dallas to drive by and they see that the church is on fire. When they hear the cries of children trapped inside, Ponyboy and Johnny both run in to rescue them. They get all the children out safely. Ponyboy escapes the inferno, but a roof beam collapses and falls on Johnny, who is still inside. Dallas immediately moves to rescue Johnny. Dallas, Ponyboy, and Johnny are taken to the hospital. Dallas has minor injuries, and Ponyboy is basically unhurt, but Johnny is in critical condition with severe burns and a broken lower back. Darry and Sodapop reunite with Ponyboy and, as the brothers hug each other tightly, Darry cries openly,(something he hasn't done in years not even at his parents funeral) relieved that Ponyboy is alive. Johnny asks for a new copy of Gone with the Wind to replace the one lost in the fire.
The next day, Ponyboy is resting at home when Steve and Two-Bit come over. They show him a newspaper article that calls Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dallas heroes for rescuing the children in Windrixville, and that Johnny is being charged with manslaughter for killing Bob. Even though Randy and the other Socs had admitted that they had been the aggressors, and that Ponyboy and Johnny were only defending themselves, Bob's death at Johnny's hands has sparked the call for a gang fight, or a "rumble," from the Socs.
The day of the rumble, Randy seeks out Ponyboy and admits that he does not want to fight in the rumble, nor will he, because he feels that no matter what the outcome, nothing would change. He has grown weary of all the fighting, is ready to leave town just to get away from it, and wanted to tell someone who he felt would understand how he feels.
Dallas breaks out of the hospital to join in the rumble. The rumble begins, ending with the Greasers victorious. As the Greasers revel in their win, Dallas and Ponyboy rush to the hospital. The head doctor initially refuses to let them see Johnny because he is dying, but eventually relents. Dallas tells Johnny about the Greasers' victory, but Johnny seems disinterested. Dallas then tells Johnny that he is proud of him, which fills the younger boy with happiness. Johnny looks over at Ponyboy and tells him to "stay gold," and with that, Johnny passes away. Completely heartbroken, Dallas flees from the room.
Ponyboy returns home to tell the rest of the gang that Johnny is dead and that Dallas ran off. The gang is worried about what Dallas might do, and their worry becomes alarm when Darry receives a phone call from Dallas, who had robbed a convenience store and was now being pursued by the police. He tells the gang to meet him at the vacant lot. The gang races to the vacant lot to intercept Dallas, but they are too late; Dallas is already surrounded by police officers. He pulls out an unloaded gun and is shot to death by the police in front of his horrified friends.
Days later, Ponyboy is flipping through the copy of Gone With the Wind that Johnny had left behind and finds a letter from Johnny, addressed to him. Johnny's letter explains that the phrase "staying gold" in the Frost poem means to never lose the appreciation for the things one finds wondrous when one is young. He urges Ponyboy to tell Dallas about it. The film ends with him writing the opening line of the film, which is also the first line of the novel: When I stepped out into the bright sunlight, from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home...
Cast The Outsiders is notable for being the breakout film for a number of actors who would go on to become major stars. Though they were known within the industry as up-and-coming actors, none of the cast had yet had achieved any degree of success prior to being chosen for the film.
Matt Dillon as Dallas "Dally" Winston Ralph Macchio as Johnny Cade C. Thomas Howell as Ponyboy Michael Curtis Patrick Swayze as Darrel Shaynne "Darry" Curtis Jr. Rob Lowe as Sodapop Patrick Curtis Emilio Estevez as Keith "Two-Bit" Matthews Tom Cruise as Steve Randle Glenn Withrow as Tim Shepard Diane Lane as Cherry Valance Leif Garrett as Bob Sheldon Darren Dalton as Randy Adderson Michelle Meyrink as Marcia Gailard Sartain as Jerry Wood Tom Waits as Buck Merrill Heather Langenkamp in deleted scenes Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, Glenn Withrow and Tom Waits all went on to star in Coppola's related film, Rumble Fish, which was based on the S.E. Hinton novel.
Nicolas Cage really wanted the role of Dallas Winston. Before the audition, he locked himself in his house for a week with nothing but beer and did not shave for two weeks. Coppola, who is his uncle, was impressed by his dedication to the role and offered him the role of Two-Bit Mathews, since Matt Dillon had already been cast as Dallas. Cage turned down the role of Two-Bit, because he thought the character was basically a drunk with no importance in the story. Cage does appear in a brief cameo during the rumble scene.
Anthony Michael Hall read for the role of Ponyboy Curtis. Helen Slater was briefly considered for Cherry Valance before Diane Lane was cast. Tom Cruise originally auditioned for the roles of Randy Adderson and Dallas Winston.
S.E. Hinton plays the nurse in Dallas' hospital room. In a foreword for a platinum edition of the novel, she stated that she was very much involved in the production of the film and enjoyed spending time with "her boys" (namely, the actors who played Dallas, Ponyboy, Johnny, and the others) during production.
Stevie Wonder performed the song "Stay Gold" for the movie. Because of the movie's success, Wonder released the song on his album, Natural Wonder, but with a different melody than the film's.
I haven`t watched it since it opened,its amazing to see so many actors in 1 film,still a good flick.
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