Thursday Thirteen 451: Recently Viewed

For this week's topic I have thirteen movies I have watched so far this year. Some of these I had seen before — though in most cases it had been years since I last saw them — and a few I had not seen before (denoted by an *). Click on any link for more information about a particular movie.


01. While You Were Sleeping (1995; Bill Pullman, Sandra Bullock — one of my favorite movies)

02. The Holiday (2006; Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, Jack Black, Kate Winslet)

03. Tootsie (1982; Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr)

04. Love Actually (2003; Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightly, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth)

05. The African Queen (1951; Katherine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, Robert Morley)

06. Laura * (1944; Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb)

07. Precious * (2009; Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton)

08. Groundhog Day (1993; Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell)

09. Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003; The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, Return of the King; Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchette, Viggo Mortensen)

10. Ant-Man * (2015; Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll)

11. Pitch Perfect 2 * (2015; Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld)

12. To Catch a Thief (1955; Cary Grant, Grace Kelly)

13. Murder on the Orient Express (1974; Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman)


YOUR TURN: Seen anything lately you would recommend?



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Thursday Thirteen 437: A Presidential 13 . . . of a Sorts

Over the decades, many actors have portrayed The President of The United States, both on TV and the big screen. Here are a few memorable movie presidents:


01. Alan Alda — The President in Canadian Bacon (1995)

02. Dan Aykroyd — President William Haney in My Fellow Americans (1996)

03. Jack Lemmon — President Russell P. Kramer in My Fellow Americans (1996)

04. James Garner — President Matt Douglas in My Fellow Americans (1996)

05. Michael Douglas — President Andrew Shepherd in The American President (1995)

06. Harrison Ford — President James Marshall in Air Force One (1997)

07. Jamie Foxx — President James Sawyer in White House Down (2013)

08. Bill Pullman — President Thomas J. Whitmore in Independence Day (1996)

09. Mark Harmon — President James Foster in Chasing Liberty (2004)

10. Morgan Freeman — President Tom Beck in Deep Impact (1998)

11. Billy Bob Thornton — The President in Love Actually (2003)

12. Sam Waterston — President William Foster in The Enemy Within (1994)

13. John Travolta — President Jack Stanton in Primary Colors (1998)



Which of these would YOU rather see running for president?


For a bit of fun, I found this poll at IMDb.





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Thursday Thirteen 434: Recently Viewed

I realized I had not done one of these recently, so here is what I've viewed recently, going back to mid-July. A couple have been watched twice in this time frame, and four were first time viewings (denoted by *). Click on any link for more info.


01. Lucy Gallant * (1955; Jane Wyman, Charlton Heston, Claire Trevor)

02. Avengers: Age of Ultron * (2015; Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson)

03. The Lego Movie * (2015; Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks)
Two hours I'll never get back, but at least we didn't pay to see it.

04. Before the Frost (2012; Kenneth Branagh, Paul Andrew Williams, Cecilia Hjalmarsson, Rebekah Staton)

05. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971; Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum)
Watched twice -- once back in July, and again in early September after his death.

06. Clueless (1995; Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Paul Rudd, Brittany Murphy)

07. Say Anything (1989; Ione Skye, John Cusack)

08. Harry Potter 1-8 (2001-2011; Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson)
Watched all twice between July and end of September

09. Silver Streak (1976; Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor, Jill Clayburgh)
Another I had to see again after Gene Wilder's death -- had not seen this one in years.

10. Captain America: Civil War * (2016; Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson)

11. Elevator Girl * (2010; Lacey Chabert, Ryan Merriman, Hedy Burress)
(Better than the title suggests)

12. Monk, Season One (2002; Tony Shalhoub, Bitty Schram, Ted Levine, Jason Gray-Stanford)

13. Monk, Season Two (2003; Tony Shalhoub, Bitty Schram, Ted Levine, Jason Gray-Stanford)



Seen anything good lately?



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Thursday Thirteen 423: Garry Marshall

I was saddened to hear that we lost a great writer/director/producer, Garry Marshall, who died at age 81 Tuesday. Marshall had a long and prosperous career, both on and behind the screen. Here are a few of the TV shows and movies he brought us that I have actually seen (six of which I actually own):







01. The Odd Couple (1970-75)

02. Happy Days (1974-84)

03. Laverne and Shirley (1976-83)

04. Mork & Mindy (1978-82)

05. The Flamingo Kid (1984; Matt Dillon)

06. Nothing in Common (1986; Tom Hanks, Jackie Gleason)

07. Overboard (1987; Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell)

08. Beaches (1988; Bette Midler, Barbara Hershey)

09. Pretty Woman (1990; Julia Roberts, Richard Gere; Héctor Elizondo)

10. The Runaway Bride (1999; Julia Roberts, Richard Gere)

11. The Princess Diaries (2001; Julie Andrews, Anne Hathaway, Héctor Elizondo)

12. Raising Helen (2004; Kate Hudson, John Corbett, Joan Cusack)

13. New Year's Eve (2011; Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Héctor Elizondo, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hilary Swank, Sofía Vergara -- and a few other big names)



Do you have a favorite Garry Marshall TV show or movie?



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Thursday Thirteen 399: Recently Viewed

While I haven't had as much time for crafting the past few months, I have been getting together with a friend every Sunday as we tried to finish Christmas cards and presents together while watching the Packers games and holiday movies. Here are thirteen of the movies watched during November and December craft sessions (click on any title for more info):


01. A Royal Christmas (2014; Lacey Chabert, Stephen Hagan, Jane Seymour)
Prince Leopold, heir to the throne of Cordinia, wishes to marry his young love Emily Taylor, a humble seamstress from Philadelphia. But Leopold's mother, Queen Isadora has other plans for her son.

02. Charming Christmas (2015; Julie Benz, David Sutcliffe, Catherine McNally)
When a young businesswoman plays Mrs Claus at her family's department store over Christmas, her life begins to take some unexpected turns.

03. A Gift Wrapped Christmas (2015; Meredith Hagner, Travis Milne, Anna Van Hooft)
Personal shopper Gwen's newest client, Charlie, is a high-rolling, workaholic, single father. When Gwen meets his 8-year-old son, Owen, during a package drop, she is saddened to see just how little time Charlie spends with him. Determined to get Charlie to appreciate his family, Gwen makes it her Christmas mission to get him into festive spirit. As she gets closer to Charlie and Owen, she also discovers what she wants for the holidays.

04. 12 Men of Christmas (2009; Kristin Chenoweth, Josh Hopkins, Anna Chlumsky)
A high-powered New York publicist finds herself in Montana promoting a charity calendar after being betrayed by her boss and fiancé. Unfortunately, matters of the heart are just as complicated in the wilds as they are in the big city.





05. Moonlight & Mistletoe (2008; Tom Arnold, Candace Cameron Bure, Barbara Niven, Ben Richards)
In 'Saint' Nick Crosby's old-fashioned all-year Christmas village Santaville, working as a mere elf on Christmas preparations all year killed his daughter Holly's seasonal spirit. So she moved out, feeling neglected since ma's death, to become a Boston toy firm's hardest-working sales executive. When Nick makes a bad fall, she returns to help out. She finds Santaville outdated, near bankruptcy despite much generous help, especially from shy Peter. She tries to save it, counting on a plan proposed by charming financial advisor Ben Richards.

06. The Flight Before Christmas (2015; Mayim Bialik, Ryan McPartlin, Reginald VelJohnson)
Two strangers who both happen to be in marketing, share a room at a bed-and-breakfast when a snowstorm strands their flight in Montana on Christmas Eve.

07. A Crown For Christmas (2015; Danica McKellar, Rupert Penry-Jones, Ellie Botterill)
After getting fired from her job as a maid at a ritzy New York hotel, Allie reluctantly accepts a temp gig as the governess to a young girl who is part of a powerful family in Europe that lives in an actual castle.

08. Help for the Holidays (2012; Summer Glau, Eva LaRue, John Brotherton)
Sara Vancamp is a busy mom with no Christmas spirit. Christine, an elf from Santa's village who wonders if there could be more to life than making toys in the North Pole, comes to the real world to help the VanCamp family, mom Sara, dad Scott, and their two kids, re-discover Christmas spirit.
(This was by far my least favorite)





09. The Santa Clause (1994; Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, Eric Lloyd)
When a man inadvertantly kills Santa on Christmas Eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place.


10. On the Twelfth Day of Christmas (2015; Brooke Nevin, Robin Dunne, Dani Kind)
Maggie is thrilled when Mitch, her long time crush, moves back to town. When she learns Mitch's love for Christmas has drastically changed she tries to bring his holiday spirits back on track by showing him the magic of Christmas.

11. A Christmas Detour (2015; Candace Cameron Bure, Paul Greene, Sarah Strange)
An anxious bride-to-be throws in with a broken-hearted guy and a happily married couple for an emergency ride to NYC, learning about each other and themselves along the way.

12. Becoming Santa (2015; Meredith Baxter, Laura Bell Bundy, Tony Cavalero, Michael Gross, Jesse Hutch)
A woman brings her boyfriend home for Christmas to meet her parents, Santa and Mrs. Claus. He must decide if he's willing to continue their relationship after learning that he'd be next in line for Santa's job.

13. A Boyfriend for Christmas (2004; Kelli Williams, Patrick Muldoon, Charles Durning)
On Christmas Day, Santa brings two lonely people together. But can love overcome deception?



Have you seen any of these, or are there Christmas movies you have watched this year or try to watch every year?

Merry Christmas!



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Thursday Thirteen 386: Recently Viewed

Here are some of the movies watched during June and July. Half of these I had seen before, while the rest were new-to-me movies. An (*) denotes a first viewing.



01. My Sister Eileen * (1955; Jack Lemmon Janet Leigh, Betty Garrett)

02. Mamma Mia! (2008; Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Christine Baranski)

03. The American President (1995; Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, Micharl J. Fox, Richard Dreyfus)

04. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014; Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie)

05. The Trouble With Angels (1966; Rosalind Russell, Hayley Mills, Binnie Barnes, June Harding, Mary Wickes)

06. Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows * (1968; Rosalind Russell, Stella Stevens, Binnie Barnes)






07. The Great Debaters * (2007; Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Kimberly Elise)

08. Flight * (2012; Denzel Washington, Nadine Velazquez, Don Cheadle, Tamara Tunie)

09. A Boyfriend for Christmas (2004; Kelli Williams, Patrick Muldoon, Charles Durning)

10. Seven Years in Tibet * (1997; Brad Pitt, David Thewlis, BD Wong)

11. The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996; Barbra Streisand, Jeff Bridges, Lauren Bacall, Pierce Brosnan)

12. Taps * (1981; George C. Scott, Timothy Hutton, Ronny Cox, Tom Cruise, Sean Penn)

13. The Contractor * (2007, Wesley Snipes, Eliza Bennett, Lena Headey)



Seen anything good lately?



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Thursday Thirteen 368: Recently Viewed (Feb)

Between gatherings with friends and frigid weekends when one did not wish to do more than huddle inside, I've seen a lot of movies over the past few months. Here are a few seen in February. With the exceptions of one, nine and ten, I had seen all of these previously — though some had not been watched since high school or college.


01. O.S.S. (1946; Alan Ladd, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Patric Knowles)
John Martin is part of an American spy team dropped into France during World War II to destroy the French railway system.

02. On the Waterfront (1954; Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Eva Marie Saint)
An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses.

03. Inherit the Wind (1960; Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly, Dick York, Henry Morgan)
Based on a real-life case in 1925, two great lawyers argue the case for and against a science teacher accused of the crime of teaching evolution.

04. Flashdance (1983; Jennifer Beals, Michael Nouri, Lilia Skala)
A Pittsburgh woman with two jobs as a welder and an exotic dancer wants to get into ballet school.

05. Judgment at Nuremburg (1961; Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark)
In 1948, an American court in occupied Germany tries four Nazi judges for war crimes.

06. Die Hard (1988; Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson, Paul Gleason, William Atherton)
John McClane, officer of the NYPD, tries to save wife Holly Gennaro and several others, taken hostage by German terrorist Hans Gruber during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.




07. Die Hard Two: Die Harder (1990; Bruce Willis, William Atherton, Bonnie Bedelia, Dennis Franz)
John McClane, officer of the N.Y.P.D. and hero of the Nakatomi Hostage Crisis, attempts to avert disaster as rogue military officials seize control of Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.

08. Die Hard With a Vengeance (1995; Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson, Graham Greene)
John McClane and a Harlem store owner are targeted by German terrorist Simon Gruber in New York City, where he plans to rob the Federal Reserve Building.

09. Cloudy With a Chance of Love (2015; Ben Begley, Stacey Dash, Chris Dotson)
An academic in meteorology must decide between her new job as a popular weather girl and her pursuit of her PhD and fellowship. Is her handsome boss interested in her true self or just as a ticket to a network job in New York?

10. The Stranger (1946; Orson Welles, Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young)
An investigator from the War Crimes Commission travels to Connecticut to find an infamous Nazi.

11. Dead Man Walking (1995; Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Robert Prosky)
A nun, while comforting a convicted killer on death row, empathizes with both the killer and his victim's families.

12. Escape From Alcatraz (1979; Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, Roberts Blossom)
A dramatization of the one possibly successful escape from the infamous prison island in 1962.

13. Inside Man (2006; Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster)
A police detective, a bank robber, and a high-power broker enter high-stakes negotiations after the criminal's brilliant heist spirals into a hostage situation.


Have you seen any of these? Any you would like to see?


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Thursday Thirteen 342: Robin Williams

I was deeply saddened Monday evening to learn of the passing of actor and comedic genius, Robin Williams. Whether he was making us laugh as a an alien in "Mork & Mindy" or a cross-dressing nanny in "Mrs. Doubtfire," or creeping us out in such movies as "One Hour Photo," Williams entertained us for more than three decades. It didn't take me long to compile a list of his movies that I own, and there are almost twice as many more that I have seen. Here are some of those in my personal movie library:


01. Moscow on the Hudson – 1984, Russian immigrant

02. Good Morning, Vietnam! – 1987, Airman Adrian Cronauer (DJ)

03. Dead Poets Society – 1989, Teacher John Keating

04. Awakenings – 1990, Dr. Malcolm Sayer

05. Dead Again – 1991, Dr. Cozy Carlisle

06. Hook – 1991, Peter Banning (Peter Pan)

07. FernGully: The Last Rainforest – 1992, Batty Koda (voice)

08. Aladdin – 1992, Genie (voice)

09. Mrs. Doubtfire – 1993, Daniel Hillard / Mrs. Doubtfire

10. The Birdcage – 1996, Nightclub owner Armand Goldman

11. Good Will Hunting – 1997, Sean Maguire (Won an Oscar)

12. Night at the Museum – 2006, President Teddy Roosevelt

13. August Rush – 2007, Maxwell 'Wizard' Wallace


How lucky we are that we will have him with us forever, in the more than 70 roles he brought to TV and movie screens. RIP, Mr. Williams, and thank you for keeping us entertained.

Do you have a favorite Robin Williams movie?



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Thursday Thirteen 336: Recently Viewed

The cold, wet spring meant a lot of time indoors when people would rather have been outside. Being couped up inside, particularly on rainy weekends, not only means a lot of reading, but sometimes a lot of movies. Here is a list of some of those watched in April and May.


01. Frozen (Disney animated; 2013; Stars: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff)

02. Secretariat (Disney; 2010; Stars: Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Margo Martindale)

03. Chocolat (2000; Stars: Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina, Johnny Depp, Leslie Caron)

04. The Sum of All Fears (2002; Stars: Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Ian Mongrain)

05. The Water Horse (2007; Stars: Emily Watson, David Morrissey, Alex Etel)

06. Kate & Leopold (2001; Stars: Meg Ryan, Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Breckin Meyer, Bradley Whitford)





07. The Hunger Games (2012; Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Amandla Stenberg, Donald Sutherland)

08. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013; Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland, Sam Claflin)

09. Woman of the Year (1942; Stars: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Fay Bainter)

10. Suspect (1987; Stars: Cher, Dennis Quaid, Liam Neeson, Joe Mantegna)

11. The Juror (1996; Stars: Demi Moore, Alec Baldwin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Heche)

12. Thor: The Dark World (2013; Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Stellan Skarsgård)

13. Morning Glory (2010; Stars: Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, Jeff Goldblum, Patrick Wilson)



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