Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion

Let's continue our conversatons about movies in this topic.

I saw a great movie.

It's called "The Rocket" and was made by the CBC. It's the story of hockey legend Rocket Richard. The original movie is in French but the DVD is dubbed in English. Absolutely awesome movie.

It goes through his life from his childhood to when the NHL suspended him and the fans in Montreal rioted for several days in 1955.

Back then, he worked in a factory during the day and played in the NHL at night!

Crandall Library has the DVD if anyone wants to see it. It's one of the best movies that you've never seen.

Thanks for telling us about that, Don. I've never looked into borrowing DVDs from the library. I should check their catalog.

Today I caught part of the movie _Witness for the Prosecution_ (1957) on the TCM channel. Leonard Maltin gives it 4 stars. I didn't see the whole movie because I took one of my famous naps during the movie. I woke up just in time to see the surprising ending.

Charles Laughton was great as the gruff defense attorney. Elsa Lanchester was "delightful as his long suffering nurse." (Quote is from _Leonard Maltin's 2000 Movie and Video Guide_).

Maltin's book said it was a "fantastically effective London courtroom suspenser from (the) Agatha Christie play". It was directed by Billy Wilder and starred Marlene Dietrich and Tyrone Power. It was "Power's last completed film."

IMDb's summary said: "Agatha Christie tale of a man on trial for murder: a trial featuring surprise after surprise." See: ====>

About movies; I, too, rarely go to the movies but do subscribe to Netflix and some are so so and some very good(a few) and some not good at all. But, I did venture out on Thursday when it was in the sixties, to see, "Last Chance Harvey," and loved it. Don't go if you want violence, bad language, car chases, sex etc. Just an old fashioned romance with great actors;Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman. I somehow couldn't believe Dustin H. was acting. I thought he was in my living room. Once my writing class had an exercise of who would we choose of famous people to have dinner with; living or dead. I chose, Thomas Jefferson but now I think I change to Dustin Hoffman. It would be such fun. So would Emma Thompson. nina

Hi Nina - I love Dustin Hoffman too. He has a wry sense of humor.

Funny you should mention the movie, "Last Chance Harvey". Our Red Hat Society is recommending it. I rec'd an email about it a few days ago.

See the following blog about the movie at the website of some Red Hatters in Ohio:


Oh, look! Here's the trailer... it's great! I just watched it.
Yes, I love Dustin! (not dusting) (lol) (Pardon the awful pun.) (g)
Here's the link to the trailer: ====>

Don wrote: "I saw a great movie.

It's called "The Rocket" and was made by the CBC. It's the story of hockey legend Rocket Richard. The original movie is in French but the DVD is dubbed in English. Absolutely ..."

Hi Don, That sounds like a good movie and I love anything connected to Montreal. nina

I wasn't sure if this was where we had talked about Netflix or not...Joy, I mailed a movie out yesterday afternoon, Netflix sent me an email this morning that they have received it & will be sending the next one out today(The Tudors Season 2 disc 3) & it will probably be here tomorrow....all that & I never left the house!!

I just watched an excellent movie, Fireproof starring Kirk Cameron. You may remember him as Mike from Growing Pains in the 80s.

I'm an atheist so I'm not pushing faith but I do recognize good advice when I see it. You can either take the god part or not, it still doesn't lesson the message.
I've been married twice. The first time was not good and this time I have the greatest husband in the world. So I know a good relationship as well as bad. I think the exercises will work whether or not you believe in god, though one of the messages of the movie and book is about god. Personally, I don't feel the need for that but I'm not against it either. I just think there's a lot that can be learned from this book no matter what your religious preference is.

Even though my husband and I have a great relationship, I think the exercises outlined in the Love Dare from the movie can not only help a troubled marriage but strengthen a good one. Millions of copies of The Love Dare by Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick have been sold since the world-wide release of the movie.
It's cheap for a book too. $8.70 We're going to buy it, because if we ever need it, we'd like to have it handy and we both feel it would be an asset to our marriage to do the exercises even now. People grow apart and that's a fact, but what will you do about it?
Movies are usually fake BS, but I found this very realistic and hopeful. Some good lesson on how to treat people in all relationships, not only marriage.

You can read about it here and read a page from the book.


A synopsis of the movie Fireproof:
Capt. Caleb Holt lives by the old firefighter's adage: Never leave your partner behind. Inside burning buildings, it's his natural instinct. In the cooling embers of his marriage, it's another story.

After seven years of marriage, Caleb and Catherine Holt have drifted so far apart that they are ready to move on without each other. Yet as they prepare to enter divorce proceedings, Caleb's dad asks his son to try an experiment: The Love Dare.

While hoping The Love Dare has nothing to do with his parents' newfound faith, Caleb commits to the challenge. But can he attempt to love his wife while avoiding God's love for him? Will he be able to demonstrate love over and over again to a person that's no longer receptive to his love? Or is this just another marriage destined to go up in smoke?

Becky, thanks, for the encouragement. I'm getting closer and closer to joining NetFlix, especially because I'm enjoying the DVD of _Lonesome Dove_ from the library. The DVD's seem easier to work with than videotapes. No rewinding. (g)

Jackie, this is the first time I'm hearing about the book, _The Love Dare_. It's unusual for a book to be promoted via a movie ("Fireproof"). This seems to be a new way to sell books. What are they going to think of next? (g)

Anyway, I hope that the movie and the book will help to save some failing marriages. Ed and I will have made it to our 49th Anniversary next month. So we must be doing something right.

As you know, for years I have collected quotations. In my computer, my quotations are saved in alphabetically arranged files according to topic. I have over 1,000 topics (files) so far. The following two quotes stand out as being among the wisest ones in my file called "Marriage":
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"He [Terrence Real:] also says we get 'something' in a relationship but not 'everything,' and that the question we need to be asking ourselves is always, 'Are you getting enough?' If you are getting Enough, then you've got to learn to mourn what you're not getting -- not resent your partner for not having it to give."
-Mark Satin, editor, paraphrasing Terrence Real, psychotherapist

"At the end of the what is called the 'sexual life', the only love which has lasted is the love which has everything, every disappointment, every failure and every betrayal, which has accepted even the sad fact that in the end there is no desire so deep as the simple desire for companionship."
-Graham Greene
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Yesterday I watched my latest Netflix DVD, "The Constant Gardner" (2005). Below is the link to the IMDb web page about this movie: ====>


Writers:
John le Carré (novel)
Jeffrey Caine (screenplay)

Plot: "A widower [played by Ralph Fiennes:] is determined to get to the bottom of a potentially explosive secret involving his wife's murder, big business, and corporate corruption."

Roger Ebert's review says:
===================================================
"The flashback structure, told in remembered moments, passages of dialogue, scenes that are interrupted and completed later, is typical of John Le Carre...
"... It is a style suited to the gifts of the Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles, whose great "City of God" (2002) told a story that was composed of countless tributaries that all flowed together into a mighty narrative stream. ...
" ... The fragmented style is the best way to tell this story, both for the novel and the movie.
"... This is one of the year's best films."
ABOVE FROM:
====================================================

The movie kept me riveted to the screen, but at times it was difficult keeping up with all the quick scene changes as they flashed by. The quickness of the action made it a bit difficult at times to keep track of who was who. It's a good thing I can rewind and view the captions. That helped.

The scenes of Africa were real scenes with real people, not actors playing the people. So the movie had a sense of reality to it and let us see the real Kenya and its people. At times it almost seemed like a documentary because of the real scenes and people, even though it was fiction.

Rachel Weisz was excellent as Fiennes' wife.
She won an oscar for best actress in a supporting role.

Below is a page showing the other awards won by this movie: ====>

I saw, "The Constant Gardner," sometime last year and mostly agreed with your assessment of it except I remember not liking how it ended; but now I can't remember the end. Didn't his wife die? nina

SPOILER:
Yes Nina, his wife died and he died too. At least the mystery was solved about who killed his wife.

I don't think the pharmaceutical companies were too thrilled about that movie. It certainly made them look bad. I wonder how much truth there is in that movie about the corruption in the pharmaceutical world.

My wife and I rented and watched the movie Stardust today; our oldest daughter had been urging us to see it. Her advice was good; it's a very well-done, literate fantasy, IMO. Michelle Pfeiffer gets to show some of her thespian range by playing a villain for a change, but the rest of the performances are excellent as well; and a fantasy world with a Victorian (rather than medieval) flavor makes for a nice change of pace.

From the credits, I learned that this film is an adaptation of a novel by well-known British fantasy author Neil Gaiman. Though I've read reviews of his books, and heard his work well-spoken of here on 카지노싸이트, I've never read any of it myself; but now I'd definitely like to read Stardust! Since my "to-read" shelf already threatens to short out the Internet, though, I'll probably try to wait until I move some titles to the "read" shelf before adding it!

Werner wrote: "My wife and I rented and watched the movie Stardust today; our oldest daughter had been urging us to see it. Her advice was good; it's a very well-done, literate fantasy, IMO. Michelle Pfeiffer g..."

Thanks for the suggestion and the information, Werner. I've added the movie to my Netflix queue.
The Netflix summary says:
===================================================
"A young man journeys to a magical world to win the heart of his true love in this charming fantasy based on Neil Gaiman's novel. Tristan (Charlie Cox) has promised Victoria (Sienna Miller) that he'll retrieve a fallen star to secure her love. Along the way, he battles a pirate named Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro), an evil witch (Michelle Pfeiffer) and other assorted goblins and ghosts. Peter O'Toole, Claire Danes and Rupert Everett co-star."
====================================================
As for the number of books on your To-Read shelf, don't worry about overloading it. I think it's great to have a long list of books to look forward to.

“I always entertain great hopes.” -Robert Frost

We watched "Grand Torino" which starred Clint Eastwood who also produced & directed it. Excellent movie.

Jim wrote: "We watched "Grand Torino" which starred Clint Eastwood who also produced & directed it. Excellent movie."

Jim, I've got that movie on my Netflix queue, but according to Netflix, it hasn't come out in DVD yet. How did you happen to see it? Was it on TV?

Here's the summary from Netflix:
==================================================
"Crusty, inflexible Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) must confront his Hmong immigrant neighbors – and his own long-held prejudices – when the family's teen son, Thao, tries to steal Walt's beloved 1972 Gran Torino. Walt soon assumes the unlikely role of guardian angel to young Tao and his sister, who are vulnerable to disturbing gang influences in this intimate drama from 78-year-old director Eastwood."
====================================================

Here's the summary from IMDb...
(I think it's a better summary than the one above):
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Walt Kowalski is a widower who holds onto his prejudices despite the changes in his Michigan neighborhood and the world around him. Kowalski is a grumpy, tough-minded, unhappy an old man, who can't get along with either his kids or his neighbors, a Korean War veteran whose prize possession is a 1972 Gran Torino he keeps in mint condition. When his neighbor Thao, a young Hmong teenager under pressure from his gang member cousin, tries to steal his Gran Torino, Kowalski sets out to reform the youth. Drawn against his will into the life of Thao's family, Kowalski is soon taking steps to protect them from the gangs that infest their neighborhood. (Written by alfiehitchie) "
FROM:
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PS-Below are some interesting trivia facts from IMDb about the movie "Gran Torino":

====================================================
"Clint Eastwood's character's name, Walt Kowalski, is the real name of legendary wrestler, Walter "Killer" Kowalski."

"Kowalski is also the last name of two of the lead characters, Stanley and Stella, in Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire. Stanley Kowalski was played famously by Marlon Brando."

This is the "Highest grossing movie of Clint Eastwood's career."

"Clint Eastwood encouraged the Hmong actors to ad-lib in the Hmong language."

See more Trivia for this movie at:

====================================================

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Let's continue our conversatons about movies in this topic."

We watched, "The Duchess," last night.. It was interesting; supposed to be based on fact. Keira Knightly stars.. I might not have spelled her name right but she is a very good actress. I forgot the name of her first movie; girls' soccer team with a young Indian girl in the starring role..nina

Nina wrote: "We watched, "The Duchess," last night.. It was interesting; supposed to be based on fact. Keira Knigh..."

Nina, that's one movie I did see on the large screen. I went with my sister thinking it would be about the Duchess of Windsor! Wrong again! LOL But it was an enjoyable movie, even if it was about an era long before that of the Duchess of Windsor.

Have they made a movie about the Duchess of Windsor and the abdication of the king of England?

I watched the movie "Mama Mia" yesterday. It was really good! I love Meryl Streep, she was the main reason I watched it. I wasn't sure I would like it, so glad I gave it a chance.

Susan wrote: "I watched the movie "Mama Mia" yesterday. It was really good! I love Meryl Streep, she was the main reason I watched it. I wasn't sure I would like it, so glad I gave it a chance."

Susan, I think I'll put that "Mamma Mia" on my Netflix queue. I saw the musical on Broadway and loved it. I enjoy Meryl Streep too. Thanks for recommending the movie.

When I praised the movie Stardust a few days ago, I mentioned that I wanted to read the Neal Gaiman novel it's based on. So, having read a review of the latter by a fellow Goodreader, Jen (I couldn't type a clickable link in five tries, but if you search for the book as stardust/ gaiman and click on the first hit, her review is the second one down after your friends' reviews), I thought I should post a caveat! Like me, she loved the movie; but she felt that the book differed drastically in plotting, tone and execution, and every difference was for the worse. In particular, she was unhappy with the high level of gratuitous explicit sex and graphic violence. Of course, this is just one person's opinion --but out of 11 people who made comments, nine agreed with her completely; the two who liked the book didn't give any reasons why (and even one of those agreed that it shouldn't have been marketed as a YA novel). Based on this, I'm going to be content with having seen the movie version!

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Nina wrote: "We watched, "The Duchess," last night.. It was interesting; supposed to be based on fact. Keira Knigh..."

Nina, that's one movie I did see on the large screen. I went with my sister t..."I don't remember seeing any movie about the Duchess of windsor. There must be one out there. Wouldn't her life story be feast for fodder??nina

Werner wrote: "... having read a review of the latter [movie, "Stardust":] by a fellow Goodreader, Jen ... I thought I should post a caveat! Like me, she loved the movie; but she felt that the book differed drastically in plotting, tone and execution, and every difference was for the worse. In particular, she was unhappy with the high level of gratuitous explicit sex and graphic violence..."

Werner, thank you for the warning about the book, _Stardust_ by Neil Gaiman.
Thanks too, for your analysis of the various comments about the book.

Jen's review can be found at: ====>
http://www.africa-eu.com/review/show/....

She writes an interesting review.

Nina wrote: "I don't remember seeing any movie about the Duchess of windsor. There must be one out there. Wouldn't her life story be feast for fodder??"

It sure would be an interesting movie, Nina!
Which actress would you cast at the Duchess of Windsor? I can't think of one off the top of my head. Maybe that's the problem... the casting would be difficult.

A while back, I read an interesting biography about the Duchess of Windsor, written in 1988 by Charles Higham. Now I see that in 2004 he wrote a more detailed book about her after new documentary evidence was found. I'm definitely putting it on my To-Read Shelf!
See the link to 카지노싸이트' juicy description below: ====>
The Duchess of Windsor The Secret Life

Evidently, Charles Higham has written quite a few biographies of famous people. See the list at his 카지노싸이트 page. I've always loved reading this type of book. It's like being the proverbial "fly on the wall".

I watched "The Last Man on Earth" yesterday, an old 60's flick with Vincent Price. It's based on I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. I plan to watch "The Omega Man" with Charlton Heston, then the Will Smith version of "I Am Legend" & read the book in there again somewhere. It should be interesting seeing Hollywood's different takes on the same story.

Price's version was interesting. It focused on his loneliness, loss & finally showed the new men destroying the old, even though they could have gained much from him. But lack of communication & distrust showed the new men were no better than the old. Quite different from the book, as I recall, but good.

Jim wrote: "I watched "The Last Man on Earth" yesterday, an old 60's flick with Vincent Price. It's based on I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. I plan to watch "The Omega Man" with Charlton Heston, then the Will Smith version of "I Am Legend" & read the book in there again somewhere..."

Thanks for the book link and also the summary of the movie with Vincent Price, Jim. I've heard of those titles, but have never read or viewed any of them.

The following is from Netflix:
==================================================
The Omega Man(1971) PG
In this cult sci-fi hit, Robert Neville (Charlton Heston) is one of few remaining survivors of a hellish germ-warfare doomsday, having injected himself with an untested vaccine. But he's far from safe, as he must battle a band of infected mutants who stalk at night and are determined to decimate any human left standing. Rosalind Cash co-stars.
------------------------------
I Am Legend(2007) PG-13
A terrible virus has spread across the planet and turned the human race into bloodthirsty monsters. Mankind's only hope for survival is scientist Robert Neville (Will Smith), the one person left unaffected by the epidemic. When he's not fighting for his life against the hordes of the infected, Neville searches for a cure to reverse the virus's effects -- all the while battling his own doubt and despair as he spends every day alone.
===================================================

Comparing all three versions (with Price, Heston, or Smith) sounds like fun. I love doing comparisons.

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Nina wrote: "I don't remember seeing any movie about the Duchess of windsor. There must be one out there. Wouldn't her life story be feast for fodder??"

It sure would be an interesting movie, Nina..."

Hi Joy (and Nina!) - I'm sorry to have to say that there's a rumor abroad that Madonna (yes, you read that right) is angling to play the Duchess of Windsor in a big-screen film about her. Oh dear. I don't think there's been a commercial film about the Windsors, but there was a terrific BBC miniseries back in the '70s called EDWARD AND MRS SIMPSON, with Edward Fox and Cynthia Harris, and a more recent tv film called WALLIS AND EDWARD with Joely Richardson and Stephen Campbell Moore. I think both are on DVD.

Nina wrote: "Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Nina wrote: "We watched, "The Duchess," last night.. It was interesting; supposed to be based on fact. Keira Knigh..."

Nina, that's one movie I did see on the lar..."

When I saw "The Duchess" I was struck by the amazing parallels between Georgiana's life and the life two centuries later of her great-great-great-great niece Princess Diana, another unhappy Spencer girl. A particularly striking example of history repeating itself within a family - one wonders whether it's genes or circumstance or a little of both.

Werner wrote: "My wife and I rented and watched the movie Stardust today; our oldest daughter had been urging us to see it. Her advice was good; it's a very well-done, literate fantasy, IMO. Michelle Pfeiffer g..."

I really liked the "Stardust" film also - its slightly hip, slightly irreverent approach to the fantasy narrative reminded me of "The Princess Bride." From what you say in your follow-up post it sounds like the film-makers made a good decision for a change about how to translate the novel to the screen effectively! I think writers and directors are more thoughtful about that process generally since Peter Jackson's spectacular translation of LORD OF THE RINGS from page to celluloid - I know he left a lot out and changed some things that shocked the purists, but for me he met the challenge of being true to the story and spirit of the source material and re-imagining it powerfully for a different medium.

Joy, the review of "The Omega Man" (which I just finished watching) has an error that is a pet peeve. "...determined to decimate any human left standing..." They want to KILL every normal human left. 'Decimate' comes from the way the Romans used to punish a village. They'd line all the men up, grab every 10th one & kill him. No matter how many times you do it, you're going to have at least 9 left. Marketing butchers the language yet again.

There were some interesting differences in this take. While our hero is also slightly barmy from loneliness, the bad guy is a cult leader. The cult has an Amish view of technology - OK to a certain level & then bad. Neville represents the old world, doesn't bear the marks of the disease & uses technology. He also hunts them mercilessly, so he's their devil.

No dog in this one at all & he first meets the girl about 1/4 of the way through. She & her younger brother, that Neville saves through his immunity & science, are black. The younger brother preaches peace to Neville & tries to broker it with Mathias. Neville is against it, but wavering, however Mathias, the cult leader of the infected, will have none of it. The girl turns & Neville dies heroically saving her & the serum that he has made for a small group of kids that will inherit the earth.

The influence of the 60's is very clear in this interpretation. Kids, inter-racial love & the message of peace & communication are all present & accounted for. A lot more graphic viloence & action, too.

The way the movies start is very indicative of the difference. Price is shown alone in his house preparing for the nightly assault while Heston is shown driving a red convertible & watches "Woodstock" at a movie theater.

I'm still feeling punk, so I guess I'll see if I can talk the Boss into watching "I Am Legend" with Will Smith tonight. I'll have to read Matheson's book this weekend. That means putting down Janny's book, though. I hate to do that. She's turned out to be a good friend here on GR as well as a good writer.

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Let's continue our conversatons about movies in this topic."I just watched a fun Disney movie..In the mood for silly.."Beverly Hills Chiwauwau." One of my neighbors watched and cried and laughed..She has a Yorkie; three Yorkies and one Shitzu..when you need cheering up watch it. nina

Margaret wrote: "Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Nina wrote: "I don't remember seeing any movie about the Duchess of windsor. There must be one out there. Wouldn't her life story be feast for fodder??"Thanks for the tip about the Wallis/Duke series and movie..I will try Netflix. nina

It sure wou..."

Margaret wrote: "I'm sorry to have to say that there's a rumor abroad that Madonna (yes, you read that right) is angling to play the Duchess of Windsor in a big-screen film about her. Oh dear. I don't think there's been a commercial film about the Windsors, but there was a terrific BBC miniseries back in the '70s called EDWARD AND MRS SIMPSON, with Edward Fox and Cynthia Harris, and a more recent tv film called WALLIS AND EDWARD with Joely Richardson and Stephen Campbell Moore. I think both are on DVD."

Thank you, Margaret for telling me about those DVDs!!! I've put both on my Netflix queue.

I can't imagine Madonna as Wallis Simpson, but she might surprise us. She seems to be like a chameleon, capable of changing herself to fit the occasion.

Wallis Simpson had a certain stiff appearance and aloof manner which made one wonder what the king saw in her. If I remember correctly, she was a very stylish, confident person and I remember getting the impression that the insecure king saw her as someone to lean on. That may have been what made her so attractive to him.

I can't wait to see the DVDs. Thanks again for telling me about them.

Margaret wrote: "When I saw "The Duchess" I was struck by the amazing parallels between Georgiana's life and the life two centuries later of her great-great-great-great niece Princess Diana, another unhappy Spencer girl. A particularly striking example of history repeating itself within a family - one wonders whether it's genes or circumstance or a little of both."

Margaret, that's so interesting. I don't remember recognizing the parallels. Hmmm, you may have something there!

I wish I knew the whole truth about Diana's relationship with Charles. I read _The Way We Were Remembering Diana_ and _A Royal Duty_, both by her butler, Paul Burrell. From the way it was told, I believed everything he said.

I often wonder why the Queen suddenly decided (at the last minute) not to press charges against Burrell for having Diana's belongings in his possession. Perhaps he knew too much and a trial might have publicized some unpleasant truths about the Royal Family. That was the impression I got at the time.

Jim wrote: "... That means putting down Janny's book, though. I hate to do that. She's turned out to be a good friend here on GR as well as a good writer."

Jim, who is Janny?

Hope you'll be feeling better. One thing about movies, they can distract us from our pains and they don't demand too much from us if we're not feeling well.

Yesterday I finished watching a DVD of "The Bostonians" (finally found out what it was all about) and am now in the middle of a video-tape of "The Little Prince" (cute!) which I borrowed from the library. The next DVD on my agenda is "The Changeling". Eddie watched it and says it's great!. And Eddie is not easily impressed. :)

Ain't life grand! LOL So much to look forward to in books and movies.

Nina wrote: "I just watched a fun Disney movie..In the mood for silly.."Beverly Hills Chiwauwau." ... "

Thanks for the recommendation, Nina. I've put it on my Netflix queue.
The Netflix description says:
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Beverly Hills Chihuahua(2008) PG
"Chloe (voiced by Drew Barrymore) is a privileged Chihuahua from Beverly Hills who rides in style in her owner's purse -- until she gets lost on a Mexican vacation, and must find her way home with the help of her newfound Latin canine friends. Salma Hayek, George Lopez, Edward James Olmos, Cheech Marin and Andy Garcia also lend their voices to the cast of this comedic live-action adventure."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Janny Wurts, Joy. She has a horse & a lot in common. I really liked a trilogy she wrote years ago with Raymond Feist. Mistress of the Empire is one of them.

I did put her book down & read I Am Legend. It was a fast read & very good. Price's movie, "The Last Man on Earth" follows it pretty closely.

Jim wrote: "Janny Wurts, Joy. She has a horse & a lot in common. I really liked a trilogy she wrote years ago with [a:Raymond Fei..."

Jim, the 카지노싸이트 author description of Janny Wurts says: "Her lavish use of language invites the mind into a crafted realm of experience, with characters and events woven into a complex tapestry, and drawn with an intensity to inspire active fuel for thought."

That's quite a description! She must be good!

Wow, I've missed a lot.
Two movies mentioned I want to see are Gran Torino and The Duchess.

JIM wrote: 'Decimate' comes from the way the Romans used to punish a village. They'd line all the men up, grab every 10th one & kill him. No matter how many times you do it, you're going to have at least 9 left.
ARRRH! I have the same exact pet peeve with the same word. I hate when they use a word and have no clue what it actually means! Hey, that sounds good, let's insert it here. What are they thinking? Don't they possess a dictionary?

Werner, I read Stardust before seeing the movie and I have to say, whoever wrote that review must have read a different book, LOL. Stardust was one of the few movies that was close to the original book. The book had sex and violence and the only thing that was changed was the Fair in the very beginning. I enjoyed both and thought the movie was a fantastic adaptation of the novel.

Jackie, there are quite a few grammar, usage & punctuation issues that drive me wild. Odd from a kid that hated grammar in school. Something as obvious as 'decimate' is one. Using 'presently' to mean now instead of soon, is another. (I'm busy at present. I'll be with you presently.)

Double shots, adjectives for words that stand on their own perfectly well, get old. It makes the work read like an ad; 'incredibly fantastic', 'singularly unique'. Most ads are filled with them & too many write what they hear. I hate it when I do it, but I especially dislike it in a finished piece of writing like a novel. That's why there are editors.

PC words really get me down too. I agree with George Carlin. They take the life out of the language. His bit about 'Shell Shock' versus 'Post-traumatic stress disorder' is wonderful. He goes on to list some of my most hated PC words; 'mobile home', 'pre-owned car' & 'substandard housing'. They're a trailer, used car & a slum. I like the older words. They have flavor & bring up a sharp image. The newer ones are flavorless.

I also hate some buzz words. "It's problematic." Really? What does that mean? It could be 'a problem', but it could mean 'a reoccurring problem' or 'a possible reoccurring problem'. The trouble is people use it as if it tastes good & to hell with my understanding.

Long, incorrectly punctuated qualifiers are another pet peeve; "short term fringe benefits" or "cost containment move". I always have to read them twice before I can be sure of the meaning & even then the meaning can be obscured, especially when many are packed into a paragraph. Our language has a cue that the next word is being modified; the simple addition of an 'ly'. Commas & hyphens help separate adjectives & stick compound words together. The phrase "short-term, fringe benefits" is much easier to read. But I'm still not sure if it is a costly containment move, as in chess, or if it is a move that contains costs; "cost-containment move". (Yes, I did the first phrase of this paragraph on purpose.)

Perhaps I am too picky, but without body language & repetition, written communication is tough enough to get correct. Butchering the language doesn't help at all.

I don't think you're too picky, this is what our language is supposed to be. I agree with all your examples and I feel the same about punctuation. I didn't like grammar in elementary school but apparently it stuck because I use punctuation correctly, or try to. If you ever see any mistakes, feel free to point them out. I would be grateful rather than uspet. Some people don't like to be corrected, I do.

Carlin is the Master of Language, no one comes close to his in-depth examination of the English Language. I recently watched the Mark Twain Award for Humor honoring George Carlin and 'Shell Shock' was one of the exerpts shown. I've heard it before, yet each time I hear it, it has a 'Wow' impact on me.
I believe some words should have a sharp image. The world is harsh; stop trying to cover it up with pretty words.

Here's Carlin's last HBO special. I have yet to see it but I'm sure it's right on par with his other work.

Thanks. I'm almost done with my third book of Carlin's. The Girl stole the hard copy, which looks like it contains more than the audio book. (Oh, 'The Girl' = daughter, Erin, aka 'The Little Boss'.)

In typed messages, I'm not terribly worried about occasional lapses in spelling or most of my pet peeves. I expect a quick note here to be just that. It really bugs me when it is finished work; written & edited by a pro or team of them. Then it bugs me a lot.

Whenever I hear 'problematic' I always wonder if I can get one from Ronco for just $9.99 plus S/H. It sounds like something they'd sell, but I don't know why I'd buy one...

Jim wrote: "Thanks. I'm almost done with my third book of Carlin's. The Girl stole the hard copy, which looks like it contains more than the audio book. (Oh, 'The Girl' = daughter, Erin, aka 'The Little Bos..."spelling: my husband says his Jesuit English teacher was adamant that all right was two words not spelled alright which seems to be the accepted way it is used now days..nina

Jackie, thanks for sharing your take on Stardust (the book). That goes to show that in literature as in life, eyewitnesses can have very different impressions of the same thing!

Jim, I'm sometimes guilty of using "problematic" myself, as a convenient adjective to describe something that poses problems. (I guess if I wasn't lazy, I could just say that it "poses some problems!" :-))

Jackie wrote: "Here's Carlin's last HBO special. I have yet to see it but I'm sure it's right on par with his other work.
... "

Jackie, I love George Carlin's standup comedy. Your link didn't work for me. Otherwise I would have enjoyed watching it.

In other words, your link was problematic. LOLOL
:)

Don't duck & run, Joy. I'll sell you one cheap!

Common usage of words does make a difference, Nina. We do have to bow to the times as our language progresses, sometimes not for the better. I remember the furor when "ain't" was added to the dictionary. contracting "all right" to "alright" is just a case of a language growing, IMO.

A lot of words have been since I was a kid, many (mostly?) due to technology. Accepted usage of others have changed & some are no longer with us. If we don't accept that, we're as silly as the French who are trying to freeze a living language through law. Still, there are limits. I have a few lines in the sand & some probably don't make a lot of sense, others are likely valid.

Werner, I do not speak the same way I write. I'm a lot sloppier. Aren't we all? I just happen to have an unreasoning hatred for 'problematic'. I never liked Ronco products either.

Jim wrote: "Don't duck & run, Joy. I'll sell you one cheap!

What will you sell me, Jim? That went over my head. :)

You spoke about finished work and editing.
Below is a quote which I get a big kick out of:
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"When time comes to make that final revision, however, you must harden your heart, sharpen the axe and murder your darlings." -James Patrick Kelly 1951-
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