Friday, January 11, 2013

#January Joy 11: Go to the movies


 Oh the movies. So many memories. There used to be a time when the local cinema had a 2x1 offer every Wednesday and so, it was movie night. Every Wednesday I'd go to the movie theater with a group of friends,  sometimes we watched movies just for the sake of watching them.

These days we don't go to the movies so often, what with downloading being legal in The Netherlands, we only really go when there is an epic movie that really deserves to be seen in the big screen. Or when we just don't want to wait. We'll try to sneak in a movie night this weekend, it's been so long since we went. We'll probably see "Koning van Katoren", one of the favorite childhood books of the boy.


What is your favorite movie of all times ? I absolutely loved "Jeux d'enfants" (Love me if you dare), and "10 things I hate about you" was one of my faves in high-school. I asked the boy and he says Gladiator and Forrest Gump are high on his list. More recently, "Intouchables" and "Et si on vivait tous ensemble" (All together) were a big hit among both of us.



First image via here.

23 comments:

  1. Favorite movies? That's a tough one, I have so many...definitely Amélie, the English Patient, Casablanca, The Pianist, Bram Stoker's dracula, LOTR (still have to see The Hobbit!), and I love, love, love everything from Tarantino. I'm sure I'm forgetting many others.

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    1. Oh yes Amelie. How could I forget to include it? I still have to see Casablanca... can you believe? And of course Lord of the Rings. And Tarantino, yeah.

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  2. Our local cinema has a pay monthly deal which we do, it is £15 a month for unlimited visits. So we only need to go twice to make our money back and thats not usually too tough. Recently we have been to see the impossible (sob!) and Jack Reacher (boy movie but ok)

    I am SO excited about Les Miserables!

    Not sure what my favourite movie is, it used to be Pulp Fiction and I am quite partial to The time Traveller's wife!! But I don't often watch films over and over. Did you see Argo or the Last Watch, they were out here just before xmas and were amazing!!

    xox

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    1. That sounds like a pretty good deal. I have not seen any of those movies... I wanted to first read "The Time traveller's wife" and it's still pending on my list.
      I am also very excited about Les Miserables. Historic France !
      I still have to see Pulp Fiction... but I love the soundtrack and hence can recite some dialogs of the movie by heart. The thing is when it first came out my dad did not let us see it and I never managed to see it later as an adult.
      I'm adding Argo, The Last Wife, The Impossible and Jack Reacher to my list.

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    2. Oh Amanda, you have to see Pulp Fiction! I went to see it to the movies with my mum and I still remember how my stomach hurt from laughing (I find Tarantino hillarious). Did you see Inglorious Basterds? It's spectacular.

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    3. I definitely want to watch it. I'll start downloading it now :) I too find Tarantino hilarious, I loved Inglorious Bastards. Crazy guy. Kill Bill is also quite good.

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  3. Ha! The 'Koning van Katoren' was also one of my favourite books. It's lovely!

    My all-time favourite film is a flick by Peter Greenaway, by the title of 'The Pillow Book'. I think I've watched that film ten times now and it is still magical. Another one I really enjoy is Gohatto ('Taboo' is an alternative title for this movie). It's a bit obscure, and I still feel I only understand half the movie (because there is a lot of subtext and I just don't know enough about Japanese culture to understand.

    Then, there are some anime flicks. 'The Girl Who Jumped Through Time' is a good one, as well as everything from Hayao Miyazaki. If you're ever into something Tarantinoesque (but better) you can also try Sukiyaki Western Django (i which Tarantino plays, but does not direct).

    An old favourite of mine is Trainspotting. And I'm a big fan of the 1996 movie version of Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Uhm. And many more, I guess :)

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    1. The boy says he read Koning van Katoren in one night, while still in primary school. I haven't seen "The Pillow book", but will make sure I do, as well as Gohatti.
      "The girl who jumped through time" is an absolute favorite, the boy showed it to me it is really really good. If you like that one I recommend "5 centimeters per second" (Byôsoku 5 senchimêtoru), another Japanese anime love story. We know and love the movies from Hayao Miyazaki. The boy and his brother are crazy about anime, they recommend "Full metal alchemist" (number one ever, greatest stories ever told says he) and "Mushishi". I wil also check Sukiyaki Western Dango oh my god so much to watch.

      I also really really liked "Trainspotting". I had the poster in my room as a student and all. I remember watching this movie "forbiddenly" (we rented it and watched it at home when my parents weren't looking) because they did not want us to be influenced by all that drug use. I was not as shocked as people told me I would be, well to be precise, people kept saying I was way too naive that I would be scared, and mostly, I found I could relate with the characters. We also watched "Kids" (and Marilyn Manson and Molotov videos) on that "sneaky session". I think it was Christmas Eve with cousins. At some point my father found out what we were up to and actually stayed with us to watch, he's alternative like that.
      Romeo and Juliet with Claire Danes is also great. And speaking of Claire Danes I really, really loved "Stardust". You are right. Many more.

      If you like Asian chick flicks, which are very sweet and have real depth, I think you'd like "My Sassy girl" (make sure you get the original Korean version, not the American remake), "Train Man" (Japan) and "You are the apple of my eye" (Taiwan)

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    2. I love exchanging move tips with you!

      Will try to get my hands on the titles you mentioned. They all sound right up my alley.

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    3. Let me know what you think when you see them !

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  4. I'm not so good with favourites, as I find I'm always changing my choice. For a long time though I had Apollo 13, Stardust, Contact and the Wizard of Oz as favourite movies. I like the fantasy and space elements (so at least if I can't make up my mind I'm somewhat consistent!)

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    1. Oh Stardust, I love that film oh the fantasy, it's also very high on my list. Contact is also great, it was like the non-scary version of Event Horizon. I could not sleep for days after watching that one.

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  5. I think most of my favorite movies are Russian (childhood nostalgia maybe?), but I loved 10 Things I Hate About You! I've already seen it so many times!

    My favorite movie in English is Spaceballs. Mel Brooks cracks me up. :)

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    1. Memories of childhood are the best. Which Russian movies do you like ?
      10 things I hate about yuo is the absolute best, I can also just watch it over and over again.

      And wow, Spaceballs goes into the list of movies I haven't seen.

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    2. Two of my favorite Russian movies are Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears, and Office Romance. There are also a bunch of comedies but it's too many to list.

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    3. Great ! I will try to get them :)

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  6. I am so terrible at this question. I can't think of "favorites," it's too much pressure. So let me throw out some randoms: My Fair Lady, Sound of Music, The Power of One, Empire of the Sun, National Velvet, Y Tu Mama Tambien....wow what a mish-mash.

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    1. Oh wow ! Sound of Music. You know what, the boy had never seen "The Power of One" and we actually watched *this* Tuesday, this very week.
      And "Y tu mama tambien" is so good I love the part when they get all angry about the charolastras manifiesto.

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  7. I remember the 2x1 Wednesdays! They were great, I used to go with my sister all the time. Also, these holidays we discovered the joy of going to the cinema in the mornings, it is cheaper and emptier so you can get the best seats.

    Some of my favourites are: Planet of the Apes (I LOVE stories of animals winning over humans), 500 days of summer, Bridget Jones' Diary, Intouchables, the King's Speech, Big Fish, Closer, Black Swan, Midnight in Paris, Love Actually, A Separation. I also love Pulp Fiction, one of my favourite sequences ever is the one with John Travolta and Uma Thurman, you should watch this movie when you have a chance!

    I can only think of films I have watched in the last year, but I like all kinds, from cheesy to horror (even though I can't sleep afterwards), to documentaries. I am trying to find more foreign movies lately cause I realize how many great films do not make it to theatres here, we get mostly the american stuff; so if you have some recommendations I would like to know!

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    1. Going to the cinema in the mornings is great. A friend of mine and I used to go... they had an offer that included a simple breakfast (coffee and a croissant). It was great.

      I love many of those films you mentioned.500 days of Summer was the best, but oh how I *hated* Summer... (been there) And yeah, foreign films are often good, more real in a way.

      Lately I really liked "Et si nous vivons tous ensemble". For Asian movies see above, my reply to The Smitten immigrant, the romantic comedies (My Sassy Girl, You are the apple of my eye) are very sweet and fun. An old one that I really liked is "Mauvaises frequentations" and "Dreamers" (Bertolucci). And did you see "L'ultimo bacio"? "Los amantes del círculo polar?"... mmm I can not think of more movies now...

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  8. Ik heb Grease echt zó vaak gezien, die hoort zeker tot één van de favorieten. En van Amelie word ik ook altijd blij. :)

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    1. Oh Grease ! Echt een klassiek. En Amelie, natuurlijk.

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