Saturday, March 21, 2020

Movies to be savored at home, all socially distanced and cozy under the blankies


HALLIE EPHRON: What we all need is a bit of divertissement. An amuse bouche between melt downs. Movies to be savored at home, all socially distanced and cozy under the blankies. Please, no plagues or zombies. No blood-borne pathogens. No war and violence. No post-apocalyptic hoo-haw. Sorry, hold the ick.


Here’s my top three choices:

PITCH PERFECT - The perfect underdogs musical movie with Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson and the Barden Bellas all-female acapella group competing to beat the preppy, arrogant, all-boy Barden University Treblemakers.  

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN - Great musical about the transition of movies to the talkies with Gene Kelly’s sublime dancing, Donald O’Connor’s love affair with a dummy, Debbie Reynolds’ sweetness, and the great unsung Jean Hagon as Lina Lamont. (“My father has me betrothed to the Baron Delancey, and I cawn’t stan him…”) Wouldn’t she have made a brilliant Cruella da Ville? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMzV96LV6Cc


BIG - A lovely “be careful what you wish for” movie with Tom Hanks as the boy who gets his wish “to be big.” He’s unbearably sweet and delicious. Who can forget the piano scene set in the original FAO Schwartz on Fifth Avenue.

Handing over the remote control… what shall we watch next?

RHYS BOWEN:  I have struck lucky on premium channels in the past few days

Mama Mia: perfect choice and you get to sing along!


Sense and Sensibility: one of my all time faves and I got to cry in a good way


Les Miserables: I know it’s not a laugh a minute but the music is so glorious

A few days ago Clare and I watched Legally Blonde. Great escape material 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Peeking out from under the covers:  I love Legally Blonde! How about:

WORKING GIRL:  The triumph of Melanie Griffith--who just wants to be taken seriously as a smart businessperson. I always cry at the Carly Simon song at the end. In a good way.

O’ BROTHER WHERE ART THOU: Bizarre and hilarious, a reworking of the Odyssey with George Clooney and fabulous music.  “He turned into a TOAD!” I laugh just thinking about it, and the soundtrack will haunt you.


SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS: A brilliant Preston Sturges movie about the power of laughter.

THE PHILADELPHIA STORY: Every line is brilliant. Every moment is brilliant. And HIGH SOCIETY,  too. I am gonna go watch right now.

Oh! And BRING IT ON.  Love love love this movie about empowerment and determination. And cheerleaders. Just what we need right now.

And don’t forget Charade and To Catch a Thief and Roman Holiday (:-()  and The Man Who Knew Too Much. Suspicion. Day of the Jackal. All those!

LUCY BURDETTE: If you can get access to the documentary that was out this summer called MR. ROGERS NEIGHBORHOOD, we loved it! So upbeat and honest. Also, not a movie, but we could imagine binge-watching FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. Such a great show!


DEBORAH CROMBIE: Oh, so many good suggestions! The first two movies that popped into my mind were SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN, with Ewan McGregor, and CHOCOLAT. A weird duo but both so much fun. I adore Juliette Binoche in Chocolat, and Johnny Depp before he got so weird.

How about LOCAL HERO? Anyone remember that one? With Peter Reigert? So sweet, with lovely Scottish scenery, and accents.

And if we can add a touch of sexy mystery, THE BIG EASY. One of my all time faves.

One more! BILLY ELLIOTT!  You can’t get much more heart-warming.
https://youtu.be/i0p2X2rQ6Ag

Oh, and did I see that the new LITTLE WOMEN is going to be available to stream?

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Oh, Debs, I hope so! I’m excited the new version of EMMA will be available online soon. Pricier than your average Amazon rental, but if two people are watching, it’s still less than two adult movie tickets - and the popcorn at home is much less expensive.

Can I expand it to TV shows/series? Everyone must add GALAVANT  to their watch lists - it’s a medieval comedy/musical that ran for two short but memorable seasons. It’s genuinely funny, with actual, gorgeous musical numbers and wonderful actors in every part.


Hank mentioned SENSE AND SENSIBILTY, so why not combine that with the classic Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle BBC adaptation of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, surely the best version of the tale ever filmed.

Finally, since they’re returning with a seventh series, I think it’s an excellent time to revisit what I know is a JRW favorite, DOWNTON ABBEY. The costumes! The meaningful looks! And of course the historical perspective is comforting. Things are bad now, and we know they’re going to get worse, but at some point in the future, it’s just going to be the background for a beautiful story where our heroine is thrown out of work (but still lives in a gorgeous house) and the hero has a new face/amnesia/erectile dysfunction due to a tragic social-distancing accident.

JENN McKINLAY: LOL, Julia, I was just contemplating how many authors are feeling inspired by this whole self-isolating/social distancing/what is happening weirdness that we’re living right now. Personally, I am all about the action/adventure film when I am stressed. 

Bring on JOHN WICK, to channel my rage and frustration, INDIANA JONES, for the smarty or historic adventurers, or ROMANCING THE STONE, if you need a bit of romance and some laughs. 


Of course, I could happily just fall into the Marvel Universe or go on a rom-com bender with any and all Sandra Bullock movies

HALLIE: More suggestions for movies and TV that will make social distancing, if not fun then at least somewhat palatable?

126 comments:

  1. So many good movies [“Singin’ in the Rain” came immediately to mind] . . . how about adding “Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang,” “Going My Way,” “On the Town,” or “Fame” to the list.
    Or “Fiddler on the Roof” . . . “All that Jazz” . . . “Chicago” . . . Jimmy Cagney in “Yankee Doodle Dandy” . . . .

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  2. Galavant was so fun - I was disappointed (but not surprised) when it was cancelled. Thanks for the suggestions!

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    1. somehow I missed this one... is it the one that's sort of like Monty Python?

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    2. It's more cohesive and less out there that Monty Python, Hallie. Imagine Mel Brooks producing and writing a TV series taking on the heroic knight/evil usurper/princess in distress genre. With Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, etc) writing the songs.

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    3. Just started watching Galavant on Netflix.

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    4. I will put Galavant on my list!

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  3. I had a big meltdown last night, but this morning I am over myself. Thank God for Britbox. It is full of outrageous comedy that keeps us both in hysterics. And none of them are better than "Upstart Crow." Trust me on this. Also "Mum", "Benidorm", and umpteen seasons of QI, first with Stephen Fry and later with Sandi Toksvig -- both of whom say things you wouldn't want your mother or your young grandchildren to hear!

    The first week of staying at home wasn't so bad. The second is terrifying. I think today we are going to bundle up the dogs and drive down to the Finger Lakes, hoping to see signs of spring if it doesn't snow too much. Yeah. Snow.

    I hope all of you are well. It is encouraging that in these draconian times, liquor stores are considered essential businesses.

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    1. What is this white stuff powdering the leaves on my yard this morning?? Yesterday we walked in 60+ degree wether!!

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    2. Which got me looking... turns out hand sanitizer needs to contain at least 60 percent alcohol to be effective. So, PSA, Glasgow-based Pincer Vodka Shanghai Strength vodka is 88.8 percent alcohol. In case anyone needs to know.

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    3. We had white stuff yesterday... and SO windy overnight all I could think was, what if I need to call the roofer? Mind galloping into the woods of uncertainty.

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    4. Omigosh, Mum is so weird, but SO funny.

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    5. Ann, the liquor store here was bare bones! I couldn't believe how empty the shelves were when I went on Wednesday. Anyway, I bought us some Scotch, although it would take months for the two of us to drink what we already have in the cabinet. LOL

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    6. Ann, I'm from the Finger Lakes region (Syracuse) and so am not at all surprised about the snow.

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    7. Julia, we didn’t get the predicted snow. Glad to hear your voice, even virtually. I’ve been thinking about that pneumonia you had last month. Stay home and stay safe. IMHO you are high risk

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  4. The artists who sing on Brother Where Art Thou are stunning: Iris Dement, Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, Allison Krause. Love it.

    We started watching The Stranger (from a Harlan Coben book). I do NOT recommend it for anyone who is already scared. I'm not continuing past second episode. /shudder/ So thanks for all these great light watching tips!

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    1. Last night we started watching MODERN LOVE on Amazon. The first one (they're really short stories, not a series) is sweet, diverting... what we all need. I'm rationing myself one a night.

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    2. The Smithie wants to watch THE INVISIBLE MAN (the new one that's gone straight to streaming from the movie theaters)and she's so excited I don't know how to tell her I don't want to see anything scary! I'll probably sit next to her with a pillow over my face.

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    3. Edith, I have the O' Brother soundtrack. It is amazing!!

      Julia, I thought the same thing about The Invisible Man. No scary!

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  5. Thanks, ladies! I just added a whole bunch of movies to my list!

    What I'm watching or planning to watch:
    * Doctor Who (the new series) always makes me feel better because the Doctor always wins.
    * The Music Man (I *love* the music)
    * Rudy (with young Sean Astin)
    * The Goonies (with an even younger Sean Astin)
    * All the Marvel movies (because Captain America always makes me feel like I can do anything!)

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    1. Great idea on the Marvel movies, Cathy. It might be time for us to fill in the missing titles in our DVD collection - we have a great local chain selling both new and used, and while their storefronts are closed, they're still shipping!

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    2. All 22 Marvel movies? That's ambitious all by itself!

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  6. I have Charade and Roman Holiday on VHS tapes AND I still have a tv w/a video player, so time to haul it upstairs out of the basement. Two of my all-time favorite movies. I'd just checked out all of the Joan Hickson Miss Marple movies and the second season of Grantchester from the library before it closed, so I have something else to enjoy. We live in the land with stone-age internet access, so no streaming movies, unfortunately. Our libraries have hotspots for checking out, but ours was voluntarily given up because there are local kids out of school who had no internet access at home. Whatcha gonna do? Hey, there's another idea--Ghostbusters (the original), and what was that movie with Bill Murray and Harold Ramis in the army? I feel some belly laughs coming on....

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    1. Joan Hickson is the only Miss Matple I can bear to watch - And they’re the hardest to find - I need to break down and sign up for britbox

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    2. Flora, the Bill Murray Harold Ramis movie is Stripes. The classroom scene in the beginning is a riot!

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    3. Of COURSE Joan Hickson. Those others don't even get a look-in.
      Yes, I have all the episodes and they're on the stack of TBWs

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    4. Years ago I purchased all the Joan Hickson Miss Marple CDs, as well as some by other actors. I can practically say the dialogue along with the actors by now. Joan Hickson is perfect!

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  7. What a great list at a perfect time! I'm not a big movie person, but the ones that come to mind are tried and true, feel-good favorites: Apollo 13, A League of Their Own, While You Were Sleeping, The Sound of Music, You've Got Mail, Back to the Future and most Disney movies.

    Last night we watched 2 out of 3 available episodes of Little Fires Everywhere, and thought it was very interesting and well done. I've had the book on my TBR pile forever and haven't gotten to it yet. Also loved Modern Love on Amazon. And I probably wouldn't read the book, but the series of Virgin River was pretty good.

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    1. Oh, Apollo 13, what a great idea. Very reassuring that we do have the ability to get through anything with a slide ruler and duct tape.

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    2. Yes, apollo 13--I love the scene where he puts all the stuff on the table and says: this is what they have. Make something that works.

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  8. O Brother Where Art Thou is utterly brilliant, and the music is phenomenal. Plus, George Clooney as goofy as he gets.

    My husband has been joining me for an episode or so of Murdoch Mysteries every night. We each watch something else first in different parts of the house. Steve's started calling it "COVID Mysteries" since there are ELEVEN seasons of 13 episodes each. They're well done, plus so funny. Either Murdoch or his sidekick Constable Crabtree invent modern ideas in every episode.

    I also accidentally stumbled on the interesting connection between The Little Shop Around the Corner (with James Stewart in B/W), You've Got Mail, and She Loves Me, the Broadway musical. I watched the John Mulvaney/Jane Krakowski musical last night, on the Broadway channel (one month free trial right now on Amazon), and realized it was the identical story from LSATC, which I just watched a couple weeks ago. Charming, all of them.

    Bend it Like Beckham is one of my favorites, although I haven't seen it in a long time.

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    1. I LOVE Bend it Like Beckham!! Thanks for reminding me of that one, Karen. I might even have it on DVD.

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    2. And I need to start The Murdoch Mysteries. Sounds like fun.

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    3. Hank, it's available through Amazon Prime.

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  9. I have a shelf of DVDs for times like these -- The Sound of Music, Out of Africa, MamaMia, Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, Norma Rae (for some grit to cut the rom-com). I also could watch Foyle's War all over again...but I'm currently escaping reality by catching up on The Great Canadian Baking Show.

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    1. That's awesome about the Canadian baking show.

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    2. On Wait Wait Don't Tell me, they just talked about a real show available on Netflix - National Knitting Night, which is like eight hours of people knitting. Not competing, not demonstrating - just knitting.

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    3. Yes, indeed. A Canadian version. I'm streaming it on the CBC app called GEM, downloaded for free. You might find it interesting as an alternative channel into the world...

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    4. Oooh, I have all seasons of Foyle's War on DVD. What a great idea. Although I am now working my way through Shetland, because I had only seen scattered episodes while in the UK and somehow had never managed to watch when it became available here. It's so good!

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    5. Whoa! A Canadian baking show?

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  10. Shalom Reds and fans. A close friend of mine and I have a tradition. For more than 25 years, we have had a date to watch the college basketball game at the culmination of March Madness. It’s usually the first Monday in April. This year, the tournament was cancelled even before the teams had been selected.

    So I suggested to my friend that we watch the movie, He Got Game. It’s a Spike Lee joint and stars Denzel Washington. I think it’s available on all the movie streaming services but I thought to save a few pennies and purchased a used copy of the DVD on Amazon. It should be here in a few days.

    I did find another college basketball classic. It’s a documentary and only an hour long. It’s called City Dump and it’s about college basketball in New York City in the late 1940s and early 1950s. It’s not available to rent or buy anywhere but you can watch it in its entirety on YouTube without commercials. As a native New Yorker, my heart still soars to see the amazing talent that inner city kids manifested in the first half hour of this film. Then, in the last half of the movie, the story shifts as Satan steps in to tempt everyone in the game. I was born after this all took place but I still shed tears to watch this. I think the film is about 20 years old and there are some great interviews with sports journalists who were old enough to have lived through it. You won’t regret watching it.

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    1. David, what about HOOSIERS? My late husband was a basketball nut - our first date included a Georgetown-Arizona game! - and he loved that movie.

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    2. Julia, Hoosiers is my all-time favorite sports movie. Everything about that movie is just fantastic.

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    3. Julia -- I can rent Hoosiers for $2.99. I'll watch it tomorrow.

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  11. Correction, you can get the film from HBO.

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  12. I like musicals and would add The Sound of Music.
    Also two of my favourites Disney films: Beauty and the Beast and Tarzan for beautiful pictures and musics.
    And The King and I ( with Judy Foster)

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    1. Anna and the King, Danielle, with Jody Foster and the oh-so-handsome Chow Yun-fat. I loved that movie, and the cinematography is just gorgeous.

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  13. It takes me so much time to write a comment that The Sound of Music was already mentioned when I finally posted.

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    1. Danielle: I always enjoy reading your comments, knowing that you're in Quebec, just two provinces over from Manitoba, where I am!

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  14. Oh what a wonderful bunch of movies to watch! My internet is too slow here for streaming and the library is closed which is too bad for many reasons, but now I'm thinking because I can't borrow some movies.
    However, lately I rewatched Leap Year which I liked even better than the first time. Watching Vera I have become mildly obsessed with Brenda Blethyn so I want to watch everything she is in. A couple of her comedies are Saving Grace and Undertaking Betty, both very funny. Her dramas are just as good, maybe better, but one I hadn't even heard of On A Clear Day was really good. I call it a drama but it did have some great humor as well.

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    1. Brenda Blethyn! She won the Academy Award for best performance in a supporting role for LITTLE VOICE. She was spectacular. I loved that movie SO much!

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    2. Oh YES to Brenda Blethyn, especially in Saving Grace -- that's laugh out loud funny

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    3. Judi, we have spotty streaming here in the country where I live, and I buy a lot of second hand dvds. Our local Maine chain, Bull Moose, sells them for as little as 3.95 - and you get free shipping with any order over $30. I can highly commend them to you.

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    4. A marvelous Blethyn movie is Secrets and Lies.

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    5. I love Saving Grace. Good suggestion!

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  15. Blogger ate my previous comment, and now I’ve thought of other movies! I’m also a fan on the Joan Hickson Miss Marple movies and was thinking about rewatching them. And maybe rewatching the first 8 Star Wars movies leading up to The Rise of Skywalker, which is now available digitally. Netflix has a series of movies based on Dolly Parton songs called Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings and some of them are really good. They aren’t necessarily light, but they are heartwarming.

    I watched Ghostbusters last night, and then slept better than I had in days— coincidence? Also thinking about rewatching The Holiday, Nottingham Hill, The Maltese Falcon, The Princess Bride and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I’m a sports fan, too, so I may go looking for all the great sports movies.

    The new Disney movie Onward is also available digitally , along with Emma and a few others. As Julia said, they are more expensive than usual movies but I’m glad they are available.

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  16. These movie suggestions are great. Jenn, I could also watch the entire Marvel Universe from the beginning and be very, very happy. Also, all the Star Wars movies and even the Star Trek movies for pure escapism. Oh, anything with a young Robert Redford or Paul Newman, or both of them! LOL Deb, I remember how much I adored The Big Easy when it came out. That role was perfect for Dennis Quaid. Whew. It's been years since I've seen it. A friend posted on Facebook: 47 Classic Movie Musicals to Stream on Playbill.com
    I am reading so much these days that the space for recording shows on my comcast account was 100% filled. Of course, my first obligation timewise is to read Reds. Doing that most days. Baked a cake yesterday. Frosting it later.
    Stay well everyone.

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    1. I don't think I've seen anything from the Marvel Universe... Has anyone mentioned Breakfast at Tiffany's?

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    2. Judy, thinking of young Robert Redford, I picked up THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR last year and watched it with my girls. It holds up extremely well (albeit with some cultural sexism built into Faye Dunaway's character.)

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    3. I loved that movie. It's hard to separate out the sexism of those days and earlier days, too.

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    4. Three Days of the Condor was wonderful. (I had a soda with me in the movie theater, and after I finished drinking it, I ate the waxed paper cup!) And there are two versions of The Thomas Crown Affair. Both are terrific.

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  17. Thank you for many wonderful movie recommendations. I will look for them on Netflix. I get Netflix, Acorn and Britbox. Loved SENSE AND SENSIBILITY with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet. There are many Pride and Prejudice movies. I think KING'S SPEECH with Colin Firth is on Netflix?

    I've been watching MRS. BROWN, with the actors from As Time Goes By, on Britbox. I think As Time Goes By is on Acorn or Britbox.

    Loved FRANKIE AND GRACE on Netflix. MIDSOMER MURDERS and INSPECTOR LEWIS / MORSE are on streaming tv. I will check out the channels that Rhys mentioned.

    Loved ROMANCING THE STONE, Jenn. I always thought that Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas made a great team in movies.

    Diana

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    1. KT and MD: They were magic together. Like Tracy and Hepburn.

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    2. I loved Romancing the Stone, too, Jenn. So perfect.

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  18. All the suggestions above are excellent. No one has mentioned my go-to chick flick, though: MOONSTRUCK. For some reason this Cinderella story just absolutely grabbed me and has never let go.

    Our 26-year-old son is currently living with us, and I think this afternoon we are going to indulge his request that we watch a movie or movies of his choosing. This should be interesting and possibly worth reporting back on, as his taste often runs to Anime, fantasy, and other genres that we would never normally choose. But as he has aged, he has improved at identifying which we might enjoy, so I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about this endeavor.

    PS: For some reason the preview function of Blogger is still not working for me. Fortunately, this time I had the foresight to copy my comment before I tried it, so I just pasted it in again. My apologies if any typos slip by!

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    1. LOVE Moonstruck!
      Sorry about the problems with Blogger.
      Let us know if any of your son's choices turn out to be winners.

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    2. I suspect a lot of us are going to be exposed to our children's tastes more than we might have, Susan!

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  19. If you have Disney streaming, the new Frozen 2 is already available, and the brand new Onward will be available in early April. Can't wait!

    Some DVDs that I have that always make me feel good: Enchanted April, Monsoon Wedding, The Devil Wears Prada, The King's Secret, Midnight in Paris, Liar Liar, Love Actually, Something's Gotta Give, Wallace & Grommit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Best in Show, Get Smart, What Women Want, The Italian Job, Chocolat, Shallow Hal, Red Hot Ballroom, How to Train Your Dragon, Sideways, When Harry Met Sally, 500 Days of Summer, City Slickers, and filmed Broadway shows such as Company, Shrek, Into the Woods, and so on.

    I am also binge-watching The Good Place on Netflix--hated the first episode when I watched it 3 years ago, but now I'm halfway through Season 2.

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    1. Took me two tries to get hooked on THE GOOD PLACE. Now I'm trying to go slowly since I'm nearing the end. It's brilliant.

      And SHAUN THE SHEEP! File beside Wallace & Grommit. Infectious silliness.

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    2. Wallace and Grommit--love those!!

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    3. Hallie, I watched the first season in two days, now mid-Season 2. And yes, I'm definitely trying to slow down. It's not really what I expected, and I think that's why I appreciate it so much.

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    4. Yes, THE GOOD PLACE. SO BRILLIANT. Cannot wait to talk to you about it, Hallie.

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  20. The perfect topic for today. Thank you, Reds! Most of these are already favorites and I have a few on DVD, but I'm going searchilng for some right away. Two I sutmbles on by accident this week: 3rd ndiana Jones movie. Hardly unknwn(!) but it had been a long time and it was a lot of fun. Plus Petra, where I have now been in person. And I'd never heard of - a Western comedy called Big Hand for the Little Lady. Great cast (Henry Fonda! Joanne Woodward! Paul Ford! and more) and surprisingly entertaining. And I saw Downton Abbey movie on my Netflix subscription ( DVD in mail) and it was just what I expected and needed.

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  21. Just about everything mentioned above. Plus 84 Charing Cross Road.

    And yes, Romancing the Stone, if for nothing but the line "Write your way out of this one, Joan Wilder."

    Now's the time I can smugly say I still have my VHS player, and ALL THOSE TAPES!!

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  22. You have all covered so many of my favorites, I don't really know where to chip in. I find myself re-watching things like Moana and Enchanted. Chocolat and Notting Hill and Sleepless in Seattle are also favorites. Also, I definitely remember Local Hero, Deb. It was the first movie I saw by myself, instead of rounding up a bunch of friends. Loved it. Then, when I did start telling my friends about it they were . . . not so enthusiastic. Doesn't matter. I still love it, and that ever-so-cool Mark Knopfler score.

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    1. Local Hero is one of my absolute favorite movies. Somehow I've missed adding it to the shelf--and right now it would be especially great to watch again.

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    2. Oh, my gosh, Enchanted. I smiled at the very thought of it. xoxo

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  23. Next week (I think) will be the airing of the final episode of the first season of PICARD, which will be my cue to subscribe to CBS All Access for exactly ONE month to binge the series.

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    1. This is my plan too! Been waiting for this moment

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  24. "Galaxy Quest" and-- if you can find it-- "Ten From Your Show of Shows." And, Hallie, don't forget the wonderful "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home."

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    1. Yes to Galaxy Quest--and also two other favorites include Ladyhawke with Matthew Broderick, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Rutger Hauer, and Willow.

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    2. Add me to the chorus for Galaxy Quest.

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    3. Me too for Galaxy Quest and Ladyhawke. Somehow I missed Willow, so need to see that

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  25. My friend just turned on her Disney for the very 1st time. She's so excited, she said it's like really reliving her childhood. Now she's gonna expose her kids, who are trapped! (I say with a wink and a smile.)
    Okay, my short list.... Odd as it may be:
    Pollyanna - the original, I know where Aunt Polly's house is!
    Pride and Prejudice, of course, Julia
    The classic Hitchcock movies, some have already been listed already, nothing gross, just mystery/thillers: Shadow of a Doubt, classic! And you can see what my hometown used to look like before I was born.
    The Truth About Spring - Haley and John Mills, James MacArthur
    The Bishop's Wife with David and Cary
    Musicals! Grant, Astaire, Crosby, Sinatra, Crosby, Rogers, .. Just for dancing if nothing else... I think these were the escape for another generation. I seem to be going to my parent's generation for much of my list. I like contemporary, but these popped into my head first.
    Of course, I just discovered that Turner Classic is now a premium channel on my cable.... Grrr. Take a minute to look up, outside, my sky to is clear and bright. The trees are blooming under the redwoods in my complex.




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  26. Oh! And "The Tall Blond Man With One Red Shoe."

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  27. I rummaged through our DVD shelf and found: Red and Red 2 with Helen Mirren as Bunny, Pirate Radio, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 1 and 2, The Ten Things I Hate About You, Shakespeare in Love, and the Oceans Movies, 8, 11, 12, 13. If I had access to them, I'd watch all the James Bond movies in order.

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    1. Pirate Radio is an all-time classic in my book. The scene where The Count is going to say the F Word on the radio is one of my favorite individual scenes ever. Especially Bill Nighy's line about governments and freedom.

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  28. I've been watching some stupid comedies on TV the last few days. These would include the aforementioned Legally Blonde but I also threw in Doc Hollywood and She's All That the last couple of days.

    I was thinking of watching Baby Boom again since it is on On Demand for free. On DVD, I might check out Torpedo Run and The Truth about Spring. The latter stars Hayley Mills, who was one of my very first celebrity crushes. Oh and if we are talking the Emma Thompson-Kate Winslet version of Sense and Sensibility, I'd watch that one.

    I'm still going to work so I may or may not get around to watching all of them. However, if I end up being ordered by the state to become poor and jobless (aka stay at home order), I'll probably watch The Last Starfighter (I got to meet Catherine Mary Stewart a few years back!) and of course I have to watch Serenity again too.

    I love that Lucy/Roberta is watching Friday Night Lights. She's right, it is an amazing series. Though be warned that Season 2 is much shorter because it happened when a writer's strike went down and it is probably the least favorite individual season.



    A friend of mine has been watching a lot of cheesy 80's movies like Earth Girls Are Easy, Transylvania 6-5000 and Once Bitten.

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    1. I adore Earth Girls are Easy! geena Davis and Jeff goldblum

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  29. Some funny and feelgood movies I love are Little Miss Sunshine, Dumpling, and Troop Zero. They all star young girls whose characters are trying to swim upstream, so to speak. I think Dumpling is on Netflix; if not, Amazon. It is filled with Dolly Parton music and has some funny, funny scenes! Troop Zero is set in Alabama I think and is showing on Amazon. It is centered on a contest where the prize is making a recording to go into space. All are funny and inspiring.
    Tv-wise, I catch a new Murdock mystery every week. Phrynne Fisher's movie will debut on Acorn this Monday. (dancing with glee). I watch Midsomer Murders. I just started a series called The English Game about how football (soccer) went from a gentleman's game to a professional sport. Really good, so far. I jumped in the wayback machine and started watching Black Adder on Amazon, and The Irish R.M. on Acorn. My sister and I watch The Sinner in our respective households and text back and forth as we watch. Many expletives flying across the countryside. The final episode is coming up next week. And we do the same routine for Better Call Saul. Ozark is returning next week. What We Do in the Shadows in April. Netflix has a cool documentary about ZZ Top, if anyone's a fan.

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  30. This week I've watched "Yesterday" 3 times! Don't we all yearn for yesterday" I absolutely LOVE this movie. I've seen it 5 times and there's a part that makes me tear up everytime.

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  31. Well, thanks to the Reds and friends, I'm not going to be bored while I shelter in place! Spectacular choices. When Harry Met Sally has to float to the top of my list, and Julie & Julia, let's not forget Notting Hill. Downton Abbey is coming back for number seven? YES! No matter what happens in real life, I'm staying in quarantine until I've binged through it.

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  32. OK, so I won't mention the name of the show I'm watching on Amazon Prime now because it falls into the category of heavier subjects, although it is quite quirky with dark humor. I do have to say that Al Pacino is awesome though.

    I have some movies that haven't been mentioned, or else I missed them when scrolling through the comments. I think most of you would love them. First up is The Burbs with Tom Hanks and Carrie Fisher as his wife. It's one of my favorite Tom Hanks movies. Next up are two lesser known movies that I love. The Decoy Bride is a comedy with the ever versatile David Tennant and one of my favorite female British actors, Kelly Macdonald. Hilarious! Then, my love of time travel gets a nod in the sweet movie romantic movie About Time, with one of my all-time favorite actors Billy Nighy, Domhnall Gleeson, and Rachel McAdams.

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  33. Just have to add Tea With Mussolini. I think I'll watch that again today.

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    1. Oh, I LOVED that-- especially having spent two summers in Florence in my misspent youth.

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  34. Anything by Richard Curtis is probably a good choice to watch right now. I love About Time, Pirate Radio, and Yesterday. We just finished the second season of Fleabag. I’m reading Jenn’s Hat Shop mystery series set in Notting Hill and can’t figure out why it took me so long to order it. I love it.

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  35. Shawshank Redemption, Moneyball, and Master & Commander are some of my anytime favs...also Sleepless in Seattle, While you were Sleeping, and Because of Winn Dixie...Forrest Gump, Castaway - a Tom Hanks marathon might be good LOL

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    1. Moneyball. Fabulous. And Master & Commander is my husband's favorite--he could watch it over and over.

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  36. Oh, I just found this on Netflix:

    - Julia and Julia about a friendship between Julia Child and a food blogger

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  37. I also love The Burbs “Take me to the hospital. I’ve been blown up!” Comedies are at the top of my list right now...wonder why? I just finished Raised By Wolves on Acorn and may go right back and rewatch it for anything I missed while laughing. I recommended it to a friend and now we’re sharing quotes back and forth via text messages. Decline and Fall on Acorn is British dry humor at its best. There is much to love on Acorn and Britbox, and if you haven’t already seen Miranda Hart and Tom Ellis in Miranda, you can catch it on Amazon Prime Video. So silly!

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  38. There are so many movies that, when you think back on them, embedded themselves in your memory. I'd watch "Two For The Road" again. And maybe "The Greatest Show on Earth" with a young and gorgeous Charlton Heston before he went all political. And "Exodus"-- the scene with Paul Newman and Peter Lawford! And Sal Mineo. Speaking of Sal, "Rebel Without A Cause" for ALL of the stars. And speaking of Paul, "The Sting." And of course, the wonderful "Some Like It Hot."

    I wonder if the Rock Hudson/Doris Day movies hold up? Or "Bells Are Ringing" with Judy Holliday? Or maybe just curl up with "Stuart Little"? Oh, now I want to watch movies. But I've promised myself a clean(er) house.

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  39. Loved the movie HUGO a long time ago and it is now on Netflix.

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  40. Another favorite was really funny - the UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT

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  41. The new EMMA is wonderful! And LOVE all your movie listings.

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    1. EMMA has been getting rave reviews. Thanks, Ellen!

      Diana

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