Getting out!

[DALederle]

I had some breathing problems the week before Christmas but a little anti-biotics and that cleared up.
For the last week I have been getting out of the house and doing things at least once every day. Went to the movies twice, grocery shopping once, out to lunch with my oldest daughter once and today I'm taking my grand-daughter to see Tangled. It's been very busy for me. The more I do the better I feel.
Of course, the last two movies were a disappointment.
True Grit and Tron Legacy! What a let down!
I usually like Jeff Bridges in almost anything he does. But I think the duke played that part better. Bridges was just a mean, drunk slob, were John Wayne had a sense of being more hidden under the drinking. The dude didn't do as good a job as the duke.
Tron Legacy was just a replay of Tron but the special effects weren't as special as the were in the original film.
I'm hoping Tangled lives up to it's reviews.
So, how is everyone else doing on this New Year! Are we all getting going yet?

Dennis A. Lederle

Grok?

[crfriend]

It's good to hear that you're "out and about", Dennis, and you'll find that the more you do, the more you'll be able to do. The climb out of that spiral is always harder than the descent, but it can be done.

I agree with you on Tron - Legacy. The original was much more fun and showed more imagination than the sequel; the special-effects in the sequel really overpowered the story-line. I rather like using my imagination to fill things in than having them served to me on a (visual) plate.

[DALederle]

Saw Tangled on New Years Day!
Now that was a fun movie! We all enjoyed it. And you didn't have to judge it. You knew going in that it was a just going to be a fun version of an old fairy tale. Did not expand my horizons in anyway. No PC to think about, no messages, except the bad get punished and the good win out!
It reinforces my theory that the best movies being made are the animated ones for children. The Shreks and Toy Stories, etc. So here's one I do recommend.

Dennis A. Lederle


Grok?

[crfriend]

It reinforces my theory that the best movies being made are the animated ones for children. The Shreks and Toy Stories, etc.

Have you seen Disney/Pixar's Cars? If not, I'd recommend that one as well as just bing plain good old fun -- and it's actually got *characters* in it. (OK, so the "old-timers" (Paul Newman and Richard Petty) steal the show, but how can they not?)

[Since1982]

Carl is right about ''Cars'', the animateds are far better than most if not all of the remakes of previously popular movies. Jeff Bridges definitely is no replacement for John (Marion Morrison) Wayne and whoever that actor (the one in the movie trailer) is definitely no replacement for the young Dennis Hopper who played the original "I'm gonna kill you in a minute" actor. The new one just doesn't come across with enough terror of the Marshal. I think True Grit might have been only one of two Westerns Robert Duvall was ever in. The other one was "Joe Kidd" with Clint Eastwood. He was the "heavy or bad guy" in both.

The good thing about Animated movies is the characters don't age from movie to movie. Unless a real life series of movies is done "Lord of the Rings" style, there is too much aging/death (find new faces for the same characters aka Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series) between storylines from movie to movie. The Lord of the Rings series were all done at the same time in New Zealand. The "new" Dumbledore is so eminently forgettable, I can't even remember his real name now. I don't think anyone can forget the ''original'' Dumbledore, played by Richard Harris. Richard Harris "owned" the audience with his eyes.

Look at Bugs Bunny, he's still the same age as his first movie 80 years ago. Of course they must use old recordings of the 80 year old character's voices, Mel Blanc, the "Voice of Warner Bros." who did all of their cartoon characters until his death a couple of years ago.

[DALederle]

Skip:
Mel Blanc's son does all the voices now!
He wasn't interested in doing the voices until just before his father got sick, I read that in an article in the Sunday magazine section of our local paper a few years back. He had lost track of his relationship with his father and then suddenly re-connected and found an interest in what his father was doing for all those years, which had always earned him a good income.
If you look at the animated films today a lot of big name stars are doing voice roles. Antonio Banderas as "Puss-In-Boots" for the Shrek movies and as the bee in the nasonex comercials. I guess it's "easy" money. I know I won't mind some coming my way.
I also recomend the film, Legend of the Guardians, The Owls of Ga'Hoole. A visually stunning movie. The Blue Ray version is better then the DVD but both are really good.
I also loved Cars and there is a second Cars movie coming out soon. Saw adds for it when I saw Tangled.
My problem with the Harry Potter movies is that they have gotten so dark. The first ones had a lot of fun in them in addition to the drama. But it's all dark drama now. No more moving stairs or ghosts and very few talking pictures, all of which were fun to wtach.

Dennis A. Lederle

Grok?

[Since1982]

Dennis said: Antonio Banderas the bee in the nasonex comercials

Are you sure of that? The voice sure sounds like him but I never saw him get billing for it anywhere. Where did you see that it was him? I'm a HUGE Antonio Banderas fan.

[DALederle]

Skip:
I saw it in a interview with him just a few weeks ago. I think it was TCM but I'm not sure. He was talking about how he created the voice for Puss-In-Boots and describe it as being the same thing he did for the bee.
Sorry I can't verify it any more then that.
But that's what I remember him saying.
Maybe it was on that Enterntainment Tonight show!

Dennis A. Lederle

Grok?

[DALederle]

Skip:
This is even better. Go read it for yourself!

http://blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/2006/0 ... deras.html

The straight skinny about the bee!
Hope you enjoy it!

Dennis A. Lederle

Grok?

[Since1982]

I like the quote for the IMb movie base coming out in 2008....umm..WHEN?????