Here are 2 older, but funny, comedies from Amazon Prime: Down Periscope and Summer Rental.
Amazon.com: Down Periscope: Kelsey Grammer, Lauren Holly, Rob Schneider, Harry Dean Stanton: Amazon Instant Video http://buff.ly/1lsVmqU
Down Periscope is a 1996 comedy film starring Kelsey Grammer as the captain of a rust-bucket Navy submarine, the USS Stingray, who is fighting for his career as he is saddled with a group of misfit seamen. The name of the film is a play on the 1959 World War II drama Up Periscope. he USS Pampanito, a Balao-class submarine from World War II, now a museum ship and memorial in San Francisco, played the part of the USS Stingray.
Amazon.com: Summer Rental: Carl Reiner: Amazon Instant Video http://buff.ly/1fvCf86
Summer Rental is a 1985 comedy film. Nine years later, the lead actor John Candy died of a heart attack in his sleep in Durango, Mexico, at the age of 43.
Summer Rental was filmed in St. Pete Beach, near St. Petersburg, Florida. Several local landmarks can be seen throughout the movie, including the St. Petersburg Pier during the final leg of the Regatta. Other landmarks include the old drawbridge on US19/I-275 north of the old Sunshine Skyway, as well as shots of Egmont Key in the distance.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Rental
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_Periscope
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
The Women on the 6th Floor - French movie from Amazon Prime Video
The Women on the 6th Floor (French: Les Femmes du 6ème étage; also known as Service Entrance) is a 2010 French film directed by Philippe le Guay. The film premièred at the Montpellier International Festival of Mediterranean Film in 2010. First shown in the USA in 2011.
Plot
Set in Paris in the 1960s, the film is a social comedy that pits the propriety of a well-to-do French family with the earthiness and humor of Spanish cleaning ladies who work in their apartment building. It follows Monsieur Joubert (Fabrice Luchini), an unadventurous stockbroker, as he befriends the Spanish maids who live on the top floor of his building. Maria (Natalia Verbeke), his new maid, introduces him to her compatriots and their simple but happy lives animated by friendship and folklore, in contrast to the emotional austerity of his own life. Slowly he recovers his joie de vivre by tasting life's simple pleasures; when his wife (Sandrine Kiberlain) falsely accuses him of having an affair he moves into an empty room in the servants' quarters upstairs, the first time he has had a bedroom of his own.
Two of the Spanish actresses, Berta Ojea and Concha Galán, did not speak French before the film and learned their roles phonetically.
The film was well received by critics and audiences in France (British critics disagreed). Le Monde wrote "The entertainment is as good as the actors are pitch-perfect. Fabrice Luchini and Sandrine Kiberlain are among our best stars." Dissenting, La Croix described the "lazy screenplay, poor dialogue, catalogue of clichés, indigent mise en scène". The New York Press reviewed the film at the Rendez-vous with French Film festival in New York, calling it "charming".
I thought it was a good comedy when I watched it via Amazon Prime Video.
References:
The Women on the 6th Floor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://buff.ly/1drDza5
Plot
Set in Paris in the 1960s, the film is a social comedy that pits the propriety of a well-to-do French family with the earthiness and humor of Spanish cleaning ladies who work in their apartment building. It follows Monsieur Joubert (Fabrice Luchini), an unadventurous stockbroker, as he befriends the Spanish maids who live on the top floor of his building. Maria (Natalia Verbeke), his new maid, introduces him to her compatriots and their simple but happy lives animated by friendship and folklore, in contrast to the emotional austerity of his own life. Slowly he recovers his joie de vivre by tasting life's simple pleasures; when his wife (Sandrine Kiberlain) falsely accuses him of having an affair he moves into an empty room in the servants' quarters upstairs, the first time he has had a bedroom of his own.
Two of the Spanish actresses, Berta Ojea and Concha Galán, did not speak French before the film and learned their roles phonetically.
The film was well received by critics and audiences in France (British critics disagreed). Le Monde wrote "The entertainment is as good as the actors are pitch-perfect. Fabrice Luchini and Sandrine Kiberlain are among our best stars." Dissenting, La Croix described the "lazy screenplay, poor dialogue, catalogue of clichés, indigent mise en scène". The New York Press reviewed the film at the Rendez-vous with French Film festival in New York, calling it "charming".
I thought it was a good comedy when I watched it via Amazon Prime Video.
References:
The Women on the 6th Floor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://buff.ly/1drDza5
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (movie)
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a 2012 British comedy-drama film. The screenplay is based on the 2004 novel These Foolish Things, by Deborah Moggach, and features an ensemble all-star cast consisting of Judi Dench, Celia Imrie, Bill Nighy, Ronald Pickup, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson and Penelope Wilton, as a group of British pensioners moving to a retirement hotel in India, run by the young and eager Sonny, played by Dev Patel.
Some of the finest actors in England lend their formidable talents to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
References:
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://buff.ly/Yb3C2O
Some of the finest actors in England lend their formidable talents to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
References:
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://buff.ly/Yb3C2O
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (trailer), and the art of perfection
From Magnolia Pictures YouTube channel: JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI is the story of 85 year-old Jiro Ono, considered by many to be the world's greatest sushi chef. He is the proprietor of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a 10-seat, sushi-only restaurant inauspiciously located in a Tokyo subway station. Despite its humble appearances, it is the first restaurant of its kind to be awarded a prestigious 3 star Michelin review, and sushi lovers from around the globe make repeated pilgrimage, calling months in advance and shelling out top dollar for a coveted seat at Jiro's sushi bar.
The chef, Jiro Ono, has been recognised by the Japanese government as a living national treasure for his contributions to Japanese cuisine. Reservations for Sukiyabashi Jiro must be made up to a year in advance. The food writer Masuhiro Yamamoto once analogized Jiro's sushi to the finest jewelry.
For most of his life, Jiro has been mastering the art of making sushi, but even at his age he sees himself still striving for perfection, working from sunrise to well beyond sunset to taste every piece of fish; meticulously train his employees; and carefully mold and finesse the impeccable presentation of each sushi creation. At the heart of this story is Jiro's relationship with his eldest son Yoshikazu, the worthy heir to Jiro's legacy, who is unable to live up to his full potential in his father's shadow.
The feature film debut of director David Gelb, JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI is a thoughtful and elegant meditation on work, family, and the art of perfection, chronicling Jiro's life as both an unparalleled success in the culinary world, and a loving yet complicated father.
References:
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (Official Movie Site)
Photos
The Men Who Stare at Goats (Netflix)
Available for streaming from Netflix: The Men Who Stare at Goats (film), 2009, 94 minutes.
The Men Who Stare at Goats is a 2009 comedy war film, if such genre exists.
Journalist Bob Wilton latches onto an unbelievable story in Iraq when he meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), a man of mysterious origins who reveals he was a "warrior monk" trained by the U.S. Army to develop psychic powers. Jeff Bridges co-stars as Lyn's mentor, the man who dreamed up the top-secret operation.
The movie is very different from the book: the book has 16 separate chapters whose only link is their connection to the use of unusual approaches that the army and intelligence services have employed, whereas the movie has a linear plot.
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2004) is a book by Jon Ronson about the U.S. Army's exploration of New Age concepts and the potential military applications of the paranormal. The title refers to attempts to kill goats by staring at them.
The movie is not that great actually. It is funny at times but overall it lacks a cohesive concept.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Men_Who_Stare_at_Goats_(film)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Men_Who_Stare_at_Goats
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Earth_Battalion
The Men Who Stare at Goats is a 2009 comedy war film, if such genre exists.
Journalist Bob Wilton latches onto an unbelievable story in Iraq when he meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), a man of mysterious origins who reveals he was a "warrior monk" trained by the U.S. Army to develop psychic powers. Jeff Bridges co-stars as Lyn's mentor, the man who dreamed up the top-secret operation.
The movie is very different from the book: the book has 16 separate chapters whose only link is their connection to the use of unusual approaches that the army and intelligence services have employed, whereas the movie has a linear plot.
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2004) is a book by Jon Ronson about the U.S. Army's exploration of New Age concepts and the potential military applications of the paranormal. The title refers to attempts to kill goats by staring at them.
The movie is not that great actually. It is funny at times but overall it lacks a cohesive concept.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Men_Who_Stare_at_Goats_(film)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Men_Who_Stare_at_Goats
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Earth_Battalion
White Sun of the Desert
White Sun of the Desert (Russian: Белое солнце пустыни; Beloye solntse pustyni) (1969), a classic 'Eastern' or Ostern film of the Soviet Union.
The film is one of the most popular Russian films of all time. Its blend of action, comedy, music and drama has made it wildly successful and it has since achieved the status of a cult film in Soviet and Russian culture. The film has contributed many sayings to the Russian language. Its main theme song, "Your Honor Lady Luck" (Ваше благородие, госпожа Удача, music: Isaak Schwarz, lyrics: Bulat Okudzhava, performed by Pavel Luspekaev) became a huge hit. The film is ritually watched by cosmonauts before many space launches.
References:
Wikipedia.
Veoh
Amazon
The film is one of the most popular Russian films of all time. Its blend of action, comedy, music and drama has made it wildly successful and it has since achieved the status of a cult film in Soviet and Russian culture. The film has contributed many sayings to the Russian language. Its main theme song, "Your Honor Lady Luck" (Ваше благородие, госпожа Удача, music: Isaak Schwarz, lyrics: Bulat Okudzhava, performed by Pavel Luspekaev) became a huge hit. The film is ritually watched by cosmonauts before many space launches.
References:
Wikipedia.
Veoh
Amazon
North and South - BBC TV serial
North and South is a British television drama serial produced by the BBC in 2004.
It follows the story of Margaret Hale (Daniela Denby-Ashe), a young woman from southern England who has to move to the North after her father decides to leave the clergy. The family struggles to adjust itself to the industrial town's customs, especially after meeting the Thorntons, a proud family of cotton mill owners who seem to despise their social inferiors.
The story explores the issues of class and gender, as Margaret's sympathy for the town mill workers conflicts with her growing attraction to John Thornton (Richard Armitage).
The serial is based on the 1855 Victorian novel of the same title by Elizabeth Gaskell.
The 4-part series is currently available for streaming from Netflix as of Feb 2010.
References:
North and South (TV serial). Wikipedia.
It follows the story of Margaret Hale (Daniela Denby-Ashe), a young woman from southern England who has to move to the North after her father decides to leave the clergy. The family struggles to adjust itself to the industrial town's customs, especially after meeting the Thorntons, a proud family of cotton mill owners who seem to despise their social inferiors.
The story explores the issues of class and gender, as Margaret's sympathy for the town mill workers conflicts with her growing attraction to John Thornton (Richard Armitage).
The serial is based on the 1855 Victorian novel of the same title by Elizabeth Gaskell.
The 4-part series is currently available for streaming from Netflix as of Feb 2010.
References:
North and South (TV serial). Wikipedia.
Movies: Jim Henson's the Storyteller: Greek Myths
Jim Henson's the Storyteller: Greek Myths is currently available for streaming from Netflix.
From Wikipedia:
The Storyteller is a live-action/puppet television series. It was an American/British co-production which originally aired in 1988 and was created and produced by Jim Henson.
The series retold various European fairy tales, particularly ones considered obscure in Western culture, created with a combination of actors and puppets. The framing device had an old storyteller (John Hurt) sitting by a fire telling each tale to both the viewers and to his talking dog (a realistic looking puppet, performed and voiced by Brian Henson) who acted as the voice of the viewers.
In late eighties Henson attempted a follow-up, The Storyteller: Greek Myths, which had a different storyteller (Michael Gambon), but the same dog. This second series was first aired in 1990, focused on Greek mythology and took place, rather than by the storyteller's fire, in the Minotaur's Labyrinth, which the new storyteller and his dog wander through. Only four episodes of this series were made.
Episode 1: Daedalus and Icarus
Daedalus was the greatest craftsman in Greece. Unfortunately his skill did not rub off on his son, Icarus. Jealosy and frustration forces the pair into a life on the run after Daedalus killed his skilled nephew apprentice. Cruel King Minos of Crete asks Daedalus to design a maze to imprison the creature known as the Minotaur, then locks Daedalus and his son inside the labyrinth to make sure only he knows the secrets it hides. But Daedalus escapes, and builds a pair of wings for himself and Icarus to escape Crete. Read the rest of the story at Wikipedia.
From Amazon:
From Wikipedia:
The Storyteller is a live-action/puppet television series. It was an American/British co-production which originally aired in 1988 and was created and produced by Jim Henson.
The series retold various European fairy tales, particularly ones considered obscure in Western culture, created with a combination of actors and puppets. The framing device had an old storyteller (John Hurt) sitting by a fire telling each tale to both the viewers and to his talking dog (a realistic looking puppet, performed and voiced by Brian Henson) who acted as the voice of the viewers.
In late eighties Henson attempted a follow-up, The Storyteller: Greek Myths, which had a different storyteller (Michael Gambon), but the same dog. This second series was first aired in 1990, focused on Greek mythology and took place, rather than by the storyteller's fire, in the Minotaur's Labyrinth, which the new storyteller and his dog wander through. Only four episodes of this series were made.
Episode 1: Daedalus and Icarus
Daedalus was the greatest craftsman in Greece. Unfortunately his skill did not rub off on his son, Icarus. Jealosy and frustration forces the pair into a life on the run after Daedalus killed his skilled nephew apprentice. Cruel King Minos of Crete asks Daedalus to design a maze to imprison the creature known as the Minotaur, then locks Daedalus and his son inside the labyrinth to make sure only he knows the secrets it hides. But Daedalus escapes, and builds a pair of wings for himself and Icarus to escape Crete. Read the rest of the story at Wikipedia.
References:
The Storyteller. Wikipedia.
From Amazon:
Movies: The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain
The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain is a 1995 film written by Ivor Monger and directed by Christopher Monger.
The movie is based on a story heard by Christopher Monger from his grandfather about the real village of Taff's Well (Ffynnon Taf in Welsh). Due to 20th century urbanisation of the area, it was filmed in the more rural Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant and Llansilin in Mid Wales.
Plot
The movie is set in 1917 (with World War I in the background) and revolves around two English cartographers, the pompous Garrad and his junior, Anson (Hugh Grant), who arrive at the Welsh village of Ffynnon Garw ("Rough Fountain" in Welsh) to measure its "mountain" – only to cause outrage when they conclude that it is only a hill because it is slightly short of the required 1000 feet.
The villagers, aided and abetted by the wily Morgan the Goat (Colm Meaney) and the Reverend Jones conspire to delay the cartographers' departure while they build an earth cairn on top of the hill to make it high enough to be considered a mountain.
From YouTube:
References:
The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. Wikipedia.
Related books:
The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill but Came Down a Mountain: A Novel
The movie is based on a story heard by Christopher Monger from his grandfather about the real village of Taff's Well (Ffynnon Taf in Welsh). Due to 20th century urbanisation of the area, it was filmed in the more rural Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant and Llansilin in Mid Wales.
Plot
The movie is set in 1917 (with World War I in the background) and revolves around two English cartographers, the pompous Garrad and his junior, Anson (Hugh Grant), who arrive at the Welsh village of Ffynnon Garw ("Rough Fountain" in Welsh) to measure its "mountain" – only to cause outrage when they conclude that it is only a hill because it is slightly short of the required 1000 feet.
The villagers, aided and abetted by the wily Morgan the Goat (Colm Meaney) and the Reverend Jones conspire to delay the cartographers' departure while they build an earth cairn on top of the hill to make it high enough to be considered a mountain.
From YouTube:
References:
The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. Wikipedia.
Related books:
The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill but Came Down a Mountain: A Novel
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