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Showing posts with label entertainment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label entertainment. Show all posts

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Remember When the Language of Romance in Movies was Corny and Sweet!

American movies and even TV shows these days no longer have innocence. By that I mean … I remember when there was once something called “censorship” and the entertainment industry was bound by certain rules that required all who were involved in writing script for movies and television shows to keep the dialogue “clean” and nudity was not just discouraged but forbidden! If in the movie, an actor and an actress were dating or pursuing a relationship, it was not necessary for them to appear in bed together for the viewing audience to understand that they were interested in each other. 

Where I Find Old Movies to Watch

I love my Pluto.tv subscription because they have lots of old movie channels. These channels show movies that were made when censorship rules were deemed important to strengthen the moral fabric of our citizenry. I love old movies. I especially love old movies which star Elvis Presley.

Entertainment Trivia About Elvis Presley

Just a little trivia I picked up a while back. I heard that Elvis did not like the fact that his fellow countrymen were going off to serve their country in the military and he was back home making silly movies. So finally he was approached by the military, asked to join, and his service to the country would be entertaining the troops. Elvis didn’t like the idea at first because that wasn’t his idea of serving his country. But the military officials convinced him that his performing for the troops would do wonders for their morale. So Elvis agreed and joined the military. He did not see combat but he did do wonders for lifting the spirits of the troops.

For you Elvis buffs, if that’s not a true story, feel free to call me out on it!

Back to the point of this article.

Delightfully Wholesome Sweet Talk in “G.I. Blues”

Thanks to the wonders of the remote control, one never has to linger on any one channel for an extended period of time. You would think a person has A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Disorder) when they get a remote control in their hands. So I’m clicking through channels searching for something to keep me entertained and landed on one of the channels for old movies and immediately stopped when I saw Elvis Presley dressed in a military uniform.

The name of the film is “G.I. Blues” (1960). I didn’t watch the entire movie but I stayed on the channel long enough to catch this exchange between the leading man (Elvis Presley) and the leading lady (Juliet Prowse). These are probably not exact quotes but it’s close enough to the exact dialogue.


In this scene, Elvis Presley gets into a cable car with the lovely Juliet Prowse so that it can take them up into the sky and they can have a picturesque view of the mountains, etc.

Ms. Prowse gets in first. Mr. Presley follows behind and the door is closed. Before they take off Elvis asked Ms. Prowse if the cars ever get stuck when they get up high and the occupants just have to wait for a long time until someone comes to rescue them.

Ms. Prowse responds something to the effect: “Oh that seldom happens. So you needn’t worry. These cars are quite safe.”

To which Mr. Presley responds: “Oh I wasn’t worried. I was just kind of … hoping!

🙂 Don’t you just love delightfully wholesome sweet talk like that? ðŸ™‚

Have you ever seen the movie “G.I. Blues”?




Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Korean Drama TV Series: The Scholar Who Walks the Night (2015)

I am not a fan of the horror genre. But I do like Korean historical period dramas. That's why when I first came across this TV series titled The Scholar Who Walks the Night which was about vampires during the Joseon Dynasty, I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch it.

First of all, my background is Christian and all the vampires that I have ever seen were weakened or even killed by a crucifix. So I'm thinking … how are they going to kill vampires in Korea??? Surely they won't use a cross. Nevertheless, I decided to watch the show because the main actor is Lee Joon-gi and I'm a fan.

There is a good vampire and a bad vampire. Lee Joon-gi plays the “good vampire”. He was close friends with the crown prince. The crown prince was fully aware that there was a vampire who was attacking people in the palace and he wanted to get rid of that vampire. Scholar Kim Sung-yeol (played by Lee Joon-gi) had no idea he was going to become a vampire. 

What happened was that the crown prince knew another good vampire who was trying to help him get rid of the bad vampire. He told his friend, the scholar, what his plans were and introduced him to the good vampire. 

Long story short. He was taken by surprise when the good vampire bit him! The good vampire told him that it was the only way for him to save the kingdom from that menacing wicked vampire. Lee Soo-hyuk plays Gwi, the bloodthirsty evil vampire who wants to rule over all the humans.

Oh! What did they use instead of a crucifix? Something called Chinese hawthorn.

It was 20 episodes and to my surprise, I really enjoyed it!  Glad I stepped outside my comfort zone.

Original source




Watch on Viki.com with English Subtitles


Monday, March 11, 2024

Quick Review of a TV Show That Aired 1987–1993 : 'A Different World'

I've been a loyal viewer of American TV sitcoms since the late 50s, I watched Father Knows Best and My Three Sons and Leave It To Beaver.  Fast forward to my adulthood and I watched Family Ties and The Cosby Show.  Having had all of this exposure to "wholesome family entertainment", I can state unequivocally that ‘A Different World’ presented a different world to the US audience.

Before Bill Cosby’s “fall from grace”, he had a propular TV show and I was a faithful viewer. Lisa Bonet played the part of Denise Huxtable, one of his daughters. Her character was so popular they created a brand new TV show about her days in college. She attended Hillman College, an HBCU.

(HBCU = historically black colleges and universities. At one time during the period of segregation in the USA, blacks attended so-called “separate but equal” educational institutions. But these days anybody who wants to can attend no matter their background. Hey! They are really good schools! Our US vice-president Kamala Harris attended an HBCU.)

The show was started with Lisa Bonet in the spotlight, i.e. the main character. However, the character “Whitley” played by Jasmine Guy almost instantly took the spotlight. Viewers really liked her. I think it was “her accent”. LOL. If you ever saw the show you would understand that joke about Whitley’s accent. Lisa Bonet left the show after the first season.

In June 2021, the cast got together to discuss “the good old days” and the article was published in Vanity Fair. “A Different World” ran from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993. I was not a regular viewer. It was light comedy but often tackled serious topics. To borrow a quote from the article: “Fans remember the show as much for its cultural relevance as they do for its laugh-out-loud comedy and talented cast.” That’s true. I distinctly remember one episode where they addressed the link between sexual promiscuity and AIDS. It was definitely relevant to the times and it presented a world that was different from any of the other popular TV sitcoms during that same time period. The real plus or takeaway from the program is that it, in real life, the show actually encouraged a lot of young people of color to attend colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher learning.

‘A Different World’: Cast Members and Crew Tell the Oral History | Vanity Fair




WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

  • Lisa Bonet left the entertainment industry and replaced it with motherhood. That’s not a bad tradeoff. She was first married to Lenny Kravitz; and now she is the wife of Jason Momoa.
  • Jasmine Guy had a productive acting career in film and on stage, and also tried her hand at music. She also worked behind the scenes producing and directing but has not taken on any significant projects in the entertainment industry recently.

What The Stars Of A Different World Are Up To Now


Saturday, March 2, 2024

Captivating the King Will Become One of the Best K-dramas of 2024

“CAPTIVATING THE KING” (2024), K-DRAMA SERIES

March has just begun and 2024 Korean dramas are still being released. Even so, I do not doubt that "Captivating the King" will make many lists as one of the Best K-Dramas of 2024. It may even appear on lists as one of the Best K-Dramas of All Time. From the first episode, as a viewer, I was completely captivated.

This series is historical, set during the Joseon Era, loaded with political intrigue, and it's a love story. The king is suspected of being a homosexual because of his closeness to a baduk (Go) player. However, the baduk player ultimately reveals herself to him and also confesses her love for him.

A man, especially a king, who is surrounded by so many treacherous and traitorous people must have at least one person he can trust and rely on; a confidant who will stay beside him through thick and then, and comfort and love him. The burden the king carries is heavy because, among the people who seek his life, one of them is his one and only kinsman. That kinsmen killed his brother and planned to kill him also. Even worse, his mother, the Queen Dowager, did nothing to stop him, It is indeed a cruel world when your mother won't even try to rescue you.

“Captivating the King” is loosely based on the historical events about the time when Joseon was “between” the Qing and the Ming. In the history of Korea (formerly called Joseon), the date of the Manchu Victory is 1636. With this victory, the Qing defeated the Ming and the Emperor forced Joseon into a tributary relationship with the Empire.

MAIN CHARACTERS:

  • Grand Prince Jinhan / Lee In (played by Cho Jung-Seok, “The Face Reader”, “The Nokdu Flower”)
  • Kang Hee-Soo / The Baduk Gambler (played by Shin Se-Kyung, “Rookie Historian”)

Before he became king, people plotted against the Grand Prince Jinhan and accused him of treason. On the night he went before his brother, the king, to plead his innocence, his brother gave him “his last words” and died in his arms. The treacherous plans of his enemies BACKFIRED. He had the upper hand because he and a court maid were the only ones in the king's quarters when he received his dying words. The grand prince took the throne and became king. Although that was not his brother, the king, had willed. Nevertheless, to carry out his brother's dying wishes, Grand Prince Jinhan has to make himself king so that he has the authority to do so.

But what were his brother's last words? The grand prince was to:

  • Ensure that the king's son was placed on the throne; and
  • Find out who poisoned the king.

The king did not die a natural death. He was murdered.

The storyline for “Captivating the King” is rife with treachery and deceit, betrayal, psychological manipulation, and all of the tools power-mongers use to take control and satisfy their greed and lust for wealth and power.

When the grand prince was taken hostage by the Qing, he learned the value of playing baduk because it was a game that helped the player develop a military strategy to defeat his enemy.

When the grand prince returned to the palace, certain court officials convinced his brother, the king, to view the grand prince with suspicion and painted him as a spy for Qing. But even without the efforts of those within, the king had been threatened by those without. He was told that if something should happen to him, the Qing would place the grand prince on the throne, and not his son, the crown prince. This threat was already in the king’s mind and the Joseon court officials had simply added fuel to the fire.

One day the grand prince was out and about and came across a group of people playing baduk. He wondered if he could get into the game. That is how he met the baduk gambler. She was a noble lady, disguised as a man, who used the money she earned from gambling for charitable works.

Their relationship almost did not happen. The baduk player, along with several other people, were used as scapegoats to take the blame for the people who had plotted treason against the king. They were sentenced to death. The prince, who became king, thought she died. But several years later, the baduk player showed up. Not knowing how or why she/he survived, he made a way for her/him to stay by his side. Perhaps he had been given a second chance by the heavens to right his wrong against an innocent person. The baduk player, initially had plans to destroy him. But she had a change of heart once she learned “the rest of his story”.

The story of the prince and the gambler is truly captivating.

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

Netflix K-Content. “Captivating the King | Official Trailer | Netflix [ENG SUB].” YouTube Video. YouTube, January 9, 2024. Captivating the King | Official Trailer | Netflix [ENG SUB]

Original source



Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Books and Movies: The Beginnings of Science Fiction

Science fiction is a very popular book genre.

But sci-fi wasn’t always accepted as “real writing”.

Sharing an interesting fact about the beginning of science fiction; how it developed into a recognized and respected form of 20th-century literature. 


Though science fiction enjoys a wide audience of readers today, it’s not the type of story that suits my reading preferences. Would much rather watch a well-done film adaptation of a sci-fi novel. Why? Because a lot of the language in sci-fi books is too complicated for me. (Everybody’s brain works differently.) But to see an apocalyptic catastrophe on the big screen? I totally get it! Additionally, extreme relief washes over me to know that the event is just a product of a writer’s detailed research and his or her overactive imagination. Whew! So it’s great that science fiction book writers have a loyal fan base because, later on, their novels might be made into fantastic movies!

If you are a sci-fi book fan, this information likely comes as no revelation, but it was news to me! According to 
Kingsley Amis, there are three literary works thought of as precursors of OR that in some way created an opening for the Sci-Fi genre to find its way into the hearts of book lovers:
  1. Voltaire’s Micromégas;
  2. Shakespeare’sThe Tempest; and
  3. Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels.
Jonathan Swift’s Lilliputians? OK. I think a land of little people sounds like science fiction. But François-Marie Arouet, aka Voltaire, and William Shakespeare? Writers of sci-fi? Not so sure that I agree. At any rate, Amis published his survey of science fiction in 1960.

REF: Amis, Kingsley W. New Maps of Hell. New York: Ballantine, 1960.

Other Links of Interest:

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Original Source


Tuesday, January 30, 2024

‘The Secret Garden’ Review: It’s as Lovely as You Remember | NYT (Reblog)

Are you in the mood to watch a delightful family movie?  

This is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett that has been adapted to film several times and I have watched various versions at one time or another, from my childhood to my adulthood. I know the main character in the story is the little girl but I am inclined to recommend you watch the film adaptation which stars Colin Firth because I am a huge fan.  Any movie with him is worth watching.  Here is the link to a wonderful movie review published via the New York Times (NYT).  "This version, featuring Colin Firth as the haunted uncle, hits the same notes as the 1911 novel and previous films, and that’s fine for this uncertain moment."



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Related or Similar Links:





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Thursday, January 11, 2024

Movie Gem: Bollywood: Mary Kom (2014)

Priyanka Chopra as a boxer? Get real! No way!

Those were my initial thoughts. By the time the movie was over, I was eating my words. 

PC worked it! She was super awesome playing the role of a real-life female boxer, Mary Kom.

Loyal fans of Priyanka Chopra-Jonas will appreciate this enthusiastic Bollywood movie review of the film about a real-life Indian female boxer called Mary Kom.




Top 20 Movie Trailers That Broke The Internet

Sometimes watching a movie trailer is just as much fun as watching the movie.  WatchMojo.com shares awesome fun videos like this.

Monday, January 8, 2024

Binge-Worthy TV Series: Turkish Drama: Filinta Mustafa (2014-2016)

“Filinta Mustafa” is a Turkish mystery and historical period drama series, set in 19th century Istanbul, the Ottoman Empire. There are 66 episodes and they aired from 2014 to 2016. Netflix was instrumental in bringing this TV show to an American audience.

A Clear Line Drawn Between Good and Evil

This series draws a clear line between good and evil and makes it plain for you to see.
  • The good guys are really good. Noble and kindhearted. Fiercely dedicated to the pursuit of justice.
  • The bad guys and ladies (there is no discrimination or gender inequality) are extremely bad.
Imagine that this fictional series paints a “true picture” of Sultan Abdülhamid’s era (the Ottoman Empire). If so, then to be a law enforcement officer in 19th century Istanbul, you never get any rest! Not only do you have to deal with the local thugs and scumbags, but you have to wrestle with the foreign criminals from around the world that bring their crime to your city. The English, the French, the Russians, the Americans, the Germans, the Catholics! Oh my!
These people scheme and connive to do everything from murder and robbery to starting wars! Also, we have to throw in corruption among the government officials within the Ottoman Empire. Did I mention the part about young children being kidnapped by a secret organization and trained to become ruthless killers? It’s a good thing Filinta Mustafa has a loyal partner, Blade Ali, who works with him to help fight crime and corruption.

The Shakespearean Lens

The best way to describe this TV series is to compare it to a Shakespeare tragedy. A tragedy written by William Shakespeare can’t be tragic if there aren’t dead bodies lying all over the place! Well! There was one episode where there are so many dead bodies and the crimes which occurred in such a short period of time, the police detective said: “Oy! It’s raining corpses today in Istanbul!”
Yeah. It was that many dead people! More than in a Shakespeare tragedy. You just have to ask: Do evil people ever stop thinking and take a break? Do they ever stop being cruel and ruthless, and just smell the roses? ðŸ™‚

Filinta Mustafa is Eye Candy for the Ladies

“Filinta” or “Filinta Mustafa”, is the first Ottoman crime show of television history”. The main character, Mustafa has been styled as “the Turkish Sherlock”. If you are a loyal fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s master detective Sherlock Holmes, you will probably become a fan of his Turkish look-alike.
If I’m being honest, the ladies would love watching this show, whether or not it was interesting. Why? Because they won’t be able to take their eyes off the main character. Filinta Mustafa (played by Onur Tuna) is strikingly handsome. Pure eye candy! Brings a new meaning to “Turkish delight”. Your eyes get glued to him. You follow him everywhere. You see no reason for them to take the camera off of him. If he’s not in the scene, the ladies are thinking: “Hurry up! Get the camera back on Mustafa!”

Summary Review

This is a made for TV crime-solving series that is genuinely delightful entertainment. In each episode, you look forward to the bad guy getting his comeuppance!! There are many bad guys but the main one who is a constant thorn in Mustafa’s side is “Boris Zaharyas”. This guy put the letter “C” in the words criminal, conniving, callous, and cruel! He has got to be brought down! Serhat Tutumluer plays this part and he plays it to the “T”!!
Take your time watching this series. You will want to savor the moment and patiently wait for when Mustafa finally brings down the curtain on Boris!!
My summary review of this series? Never a dull moment.

Source:  RationalMind.club

Follow Christine | KOCOWA+: Korean Entertainment, K-Drama & K-Variety News

Found another blogger who is addicted to Korean drama just like me! 



Thursday, January 4, 2024

Boys Over Flowers (2009 Korean TV series)

K-drama television series are addictive. Why? Because of their special ingredient called “adorable cuteness”.

Example and Recommendation:

Boys Over Flowers (2009 Korean TV series)


Image credit: viki.com

It’s official! My kids have decided that their mother has lost all the marbles in her head. Why? K-drama television series. Very pleased with the business decision by Netflix to add such programs into their database. Even more pleased that many of the programs are available for viewing online free at various websites.


Can’t explain my reactions. Grew up on American television. My husband got me started watching foreign films. Once my kids began subscribing to Netflix and other similar video streaming services noticed that some of them were into binge-watching. One particularly boring day at home decided to binge-watch a BBC mystery because BBC television mysteries are my favorite. From that point, binge-watching became my way of treating myself to a healthy dose of doing … The Nothing! You know. Those days when you just decide you have earned your “Goof Off All Day” reward and no serious work will be done on that day!



However, even when indulging myself in binge-watching, never lost sleep over a TV show; and certainly never really thought any series was worth watching more than once. Might watch a few particular episodes a few times more. But never the whole series!

Did I say BBC mysteries “are” my favorite? Sorry. Meant to say “were”.

Huh?? Duh??!!
That was how my children reacted.
– (???) What could possibly make mom choose an alternative for the BBC?

Answer. Those silly cute adorable Korean drama television series that have incredibly simple yet intricate, seemingly never-ending storylines with each episode, that leave with the thought”: ‘Gotta find out how this ends!!’


My first taste of K-drama was a movie called “Commitment”. It was intense!!


Then my husband found a more light-hearted TV series called “Tamra the Island” It’s a romantic dramedy (drama and comedy blend) that was “Inspired by the real story of a Dutch explorer, a young Englishman discovers Kdrama in the 17th century Joseon Era”. (Quote source: dramafever)

Tamra the Island
One of the main characters was played by this tall handsome guy with the “skinny little body” whose name in the series was Park Gue, whose real name is Im Ju Hwan. I was impressed with him so search for more programs where he was playing a character.


This is where “Boys Over Flowers” comes in.


My research indicated that Hwan (Park Gue) had made an appearance in this show. Started watching the program only looking for him. Got stuck on it!! Got so stuck one night and didn’t go to sleep until about 4:30 in the morning!! Hwan did make an extremely brief appearance, after about 20 episodes. Talk about an Easter egg hunt! Anyway … glad someone realized this young man’s acting abilities and gave him the lead role in “Tamra the Island”.

Disappointed at only catching a tiny glimpse of Hwan in this TV show. However, my decision to view the entire series was filed under “Happy R&R Time Well Spent”.   Took me a few days to finish all the episodes. Will say no more because people hate spoilers. But if you like romantic dramedy, you’ll like “Boys Over Flowers”. Wonderful love story. It’s so cute!! 


Content previously published at BlogJob.com

Boys Over Flowers Funny Moments Part 1








No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering


Original Source 

Monday, January 1, 2024

Vintage Television: "One Step Beyond" (1959 ~ 1961)

 I was born in the latter half of the 50s and the new technology of my day was the television. What a marvelous invention. You could watch the news, movies, cartoons, and TV shows. During my day one of the most popular TV shows was “The Twilight Zone”. I am so glad that they have these local channels that show nothing but old movies and shows. But they don't have everything from back in the day. That's why I am also glad that there is YouTube.


I have watched all The Twilight Zone episodes and some of them I watched more than once. I was desperate to find an old TV show that was similar and stumbled upon a series called “One Step Beyond”.
Image Credit:  Amazon.com

This show, unlike The Twilight Zone, which is fiction, the episodes for One Step Beyond are “a matter of human record”. In other words, it's been recorded that this stuff really happened to people. However, they can not explain how or why.

I'm enjoying this series. It's in black and white. The video quality is not that great. But the stories are very interesting. Although, if things like that happened to me, I'm not sure I would tell anybody. :lol:

Are you watching any old TV shows?


** Original Source












https://movies-and-memories.tumblr.com/post/634448419018227712/joiedevivre-magazine-the-twilight-zone-was-a


Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Movie Review: The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

Fans of Jake Gyllenhaal and sci-fi movie lovers will enjoy this film. I remember listening to a review by one of the critics that made me laugh. Paraphrasing his words, basically, he said:

  • “This is a typical storyline. Something devastating or catastrophic is going to happen on earth. And of course, the one who knows what it is, what to do, and tries to warn others is the very person that nobody listens to!!



This is a lighthearted movie review of a 2004 sci-fi film. Even though it’s 15 years old (as of 2019), it’s still relevant today. Plus! Fans of Jake Gyllenhaal, who want to know what he looked like as a teenager, will love this movie!

What the Official Movie Critics Said

Several official critics had a lot to say about “The Day After Tomorrow”. I remember a review by one of the official critics that made me laugh. Paraphrasing his words, he said:
  • “This is a typical storyline. Something devastating or catastrophic is going to happen on earth. Of course, there is one person who knows what it is, what to do, and tries to warn others is the very person that nobody listens to!!

What This Unofficial Movie Reviewer Says

If you believe in climate change, you’ll understand the storyline. What’s going to happen is there is going to be a drastic change in the weather and there will be freezing cold temperatures. Cold enough that people will die. If you believe in cryogenics, people won’t die. They’ll be instantly frozen. They can be thawed out later.

The Day After Tomorrow – Official® Trailer

Watched this movie and don’t want to spoil it for those who may not have seen it. (Although you might guess The End through the “hints” woven in between the lines of this discussion.)

Most Memorable Movie Scene

For me, there was only one memorable scene in the movie; a scene worth remembering because I love libraries.
In this scene, there is a group of people in a room in a library. It’s getting really cold! They have to do something to stay warm and since they’re in a library, they start burning books, grabbing any book within their reach and throwing it in the fireplace. They get ready to grab this one book and the man holding on it to refuses to let it go!
He goes: “You’re not burning this book!” He spills out his various reasons why “The Book” must not be destroyed.
Some debate and try to reason with him. Others are about to physically struggle to take the book away from him. Someone yells out that they have found an alternative set of books. No doubt every American would love to burn them! This is not one book. It is a set and has volumes upon volumes upon volumes. The group consensus is: “Yeah! Let’s burn those!!”
To me, that scene was totally hilarious fiction. The scene was also realistic. You could almost visualize that scenario actually happening in real life. If you’re an American taxpayer, you know you’ve thought of burning the U.S. Tax Code.

My Unofficial Movie Rating?  3.5 out of 5 stars and I’m being generous.

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Links of Interest:
We need better laws to protect the rights of future frozen cryonicists: Cryogenics is facing legal trouble with body preservation — Quartz



Content first published at RationalMind.club.





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