We had a lovely Easter yesterday with lots of family and good food at my sister Laurie's house. I hope you all had a nice holiday weekend too.
Took this photo of some of the yearlings and their lambs down in the orchard early one morning last week. I love backlight. I've been busy working on upcoming things that I cannot reveal and have been watching movies on my computer. I've been into the director's comments about some different favorite movies. Watched (well, mostly listened) to Sydney Pollack talking about the filming of Out of Africa. It is so great to get the back-story on how the film was made. (I'm a process person for sure.) Did you know they shot the entire movie with back-light because the sunlight in Africa was so harsh? That was the secret to how the film looked. Now I know why I loved the cinematography in that movie. If you haven't watched it in a while, it is worth a re-look. Gorgeous and the story holds up.
Does anyone have any ideas for good films to watch/listen to? Have a massive amount of time to sit on my butt in the upcoming few months and need stuff to listen and watch.
I've notified the winners of the sock yarn. Thanks to all who entered. Boy - almost 200 entries. That is awesome. Thanks for playing everyone!
16 comments:
Oh Kristin, Out of Africa is my all time number one favorite movie. It is soooo romantic. I am going to try to get a copy with Pollack's commentary. I need a fix anyway, it's been a while. I lent my copy out and never got it back...(doncha hate when that happens?)
- Jules
I haven't watched Out of Africa in ages, now you awakened a new desire...
What about Downton Abbey, if you like that sort of thing? Two seasons of wonderfulness....
Have you watched the "Doc Martin" series? Very entertaining. (you can get them from Netflix - I believe they give you a free month of trial before you have to commit)Season Five just started on our local PBS. "Downton Abbey" was the best thing on tv recently.
I rely on the Lord of the Rings trilogy movies to get me through big knitting projects. I have also enjoyed Downtown Abbey for power knitting. You could try Long Way Down & Long Way Round with Ewan McGregor - two really cool documentaries. I haven't listened to very many books but once my husband and I drove from MN to NM and back and Diana Gabaldon's Outlander lasted the entire time. that's one long book!
I would recommend anything by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. My favourite would be 'I Know Where I'm Going' or 'A Canterbury Tale', both black and white. They were great storytellers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powell_and_Pressburger
Best wishes
Jane
movies we've liked recently:
Vitus (about a child prodigy pianist, funny and touching)
Super 8 (fun, exciting, spielberg apocalyptic film, with all kids)
Everything is Illuminated (quirky, funny)
Vision(gorgeous, about hildegarde von bingen, helps if you know about her before)
Kings of Pastry (documentary, pastry competition...gripping!)
One of my favorite movies of all time! We moved back to the states from Kenya just before the movie was filmed and have friends who were extras in the movie. It was loads of fun watching it with one of them years ago and hearing his stories about the filming.
not a film, but a non-fiction book, available in audiobook from Overdrive (does your public library give access to this?)
'The Element' by Sir Ken Robinson.
I found it absolutely fascinating. In brief, it's about our misconceptions about how our society defines intelligence, and how success is found by following passions. Google it...I can't do it justice by describing it here in brief. It was a life-changing listen for me.
I love backlight in general--and that photo in particular.Wool + backlight are perfect together.
If you don't mind lots of swearing, both Deadwood and The Wire are excellent series to become addicted to. For family friendly language, I liked the mini series Into The West. All of them are on disk now.
My husband and I have seen some great movies this winter through netflix. One in particular is a foreign film, turn of the nineteenth/twentieth century rural France or Italy, "The Tree of the Wooden Clogs." GREAT MOVIE!!!
"Out of Africa" is already on our list. I've seen it twice before and am looking forward to seeing it again.
You can google my suggestions and see if the story lines appeal to you.
Little Miss Sunshine
Appropriate Adult
Elizabeth (Cate Blanchette) -- any movie with Cate Blanchette is good.
The English Patient
Mixed Nuts (a silly comedy but one of the characters is shown knitting Peruvian style)
The Waiting Room (British - very nice movie)
Wordplay -- about Will Shortz the puzzle master and editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle -- quite an intriguing documentary.
Monsoon Wedding -- mixed marriage and Indian (from India) families in the deep south.
Aussie Movies:
My year without Sex (an Australian movie about a woman who becomes ill and how she and her husband and children cope -- it's a comedy... very nice)
Picnic at Hanging Rock (an old movie set in Australia but very compelling)
The Castle
The Dish
Jindabyne
Murial's Wedding
Rabbit Proof Fence
Strictly Ballroom
Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Dear Kristin,
Out of Africa is really a great film, I loved it entirely! If you're surching for good stuu to watch, try "The Intouchables". It's a french movie and I watched it for 3 times, it's so good!!!
Martina
"To Kill a Mockingbird"
One of the few books where the movie is not a disappointment. This movie works by listening as well as watching. The music is haunting. Those who 'look down' on black and white movies need to see this one.
Wow, what a lot of good movie suggestions. I know what we'll be doing for weeks to come....
How about "A Series of Unfortunate Events"?
A bit dark, weird but the sets and costumes are great, the "How They Made It" section was interesting, too. So good, we bought it.
Not intellectual but we liked it.
Wow, there are serious movie buffs with very exacting tastes up there. I'm afraid my favorite is pretty pedestrian compared to the other suggestions: Local Hero. *sigh*. Lovely, sweet, no violence, and not at all what you think it is (an oil magnate wants to buy up a small Scottish town for a processing terminal). Not at ALL what you think it's going to be. The background music is often a very delicate accordian line; this was when I found out the accordian is a really musical instrument! Music arranged by Mark Knofler of Dire Straits.
Thanks to all for a superb list of titles to pursue!
What great suggestions you've got there. I loved Out of Africa, too. I agree with the suggestion of Downton Abbey. I would recommend some oldies: The Sound of Music, the Pride & Prejudice with Colin Firth, Notting Hill and The King's Speech. More recent ones are: The Help and Midnight in Paris(which has the most BEAUTIFUL pictures of Paris!)
Hope you enjoy your time watching movies and don't forget books on tape.
Michele
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