October 23, 2010

Old Movies

B&N's simply phenomenal DVD sale allowed me to buy The Producers and Blazing Saddles for my DH and The Princess Bride and Monty Python & the Holy Grail - for me - for just $28, using my membership (on sales like these, the employee discount isn't as good). I just swung by another B&N for a $6.21 copy of Emma (Paltrow and Northam...sigh) after ordering online Keira Knightley's Pride & Prejudice (although the ending is not true to the book, this is my favorite version - I know, heresy, but I think Matthew Macfadyen is to die for). The Knightley P&P, btw, set me back a mere $6.88...I also used coupons for the Austen adaptations.

All of this started last weekend when I worked music and Marie, one of our lead cashiers, came back to buy a bunch of sale DVD's. After I took a look at her booty, I decided it was time for me to get in on the action. She is far better than I am at discerning great values; during the last semi-annual employee sale, she bought an entire library worth of books for a pittance. It was impressive. I bow to Marie.

Anyway, I worked in Music again last night, and directed every customer to check out the sale; nearly everybody found something to buy. As for me, I noticed The Glass-Bottomed Boat among the sale DVD's, along with Nicholas & Alexandra. While I've read the latter probably a dozen times, the original price of $19.95 halved wasn't quite cheap enough for me, so I added it to my Netflix queue, along with Hello, Down There, a ridiculous movie from the 60s that I adore, one which pops into my head every time I think of The Glass-Bottomed Boat (probably because of the Doris Day/Tony "Have some Madeira, M'dear" Randall connection - I think he co-starred in each of her movies with Rock Hudson).

While I was at it, I looked for two more ridiculously fun flicks: The Impossible Years and Love in a Goldfish Bowl. The former, btw, starred a teen-aged Cristina Ferrare, once married to the infamous John deLorean, while starring in the latter was...wait for it...Fabian. Alas, neither of these is available on DVD at Netflix, or B&N or Amazon, although I could buy the Ferrare/Niven movie on VHS for a mere $145.

I don't know why I love so-bad-they're-good old comedies. I've got far better taste where musicals are concerned. Regardless, if you ever come across any of these three cheese-tastic choices - feel free to add Otto Preminger's The Moon Is Blue, once considered oh-so-shocking that it was banned in parts of the U.S. to this list - on TV, sit down and watch them. As for the Austen adaptations, which are your favorites?


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3 comments:

Rike Horstmann said...

My all-time favorite "bad" movie is 12:01 with Jonathan Silverman and Helen Slater.

I love the Knightley P&P, too, partly because of its perfect (short) length and partly because I've really had it with all those swooning allusions to the lake scene.

But I think my favorite Austen movie remains Persuation with Amanda Root. I cry each time I watch it.

Great to be hearing from you!

Laurie Gold said...

I'm not sure I've seen the Amanda Root adaptation...when did it come out?

And I'm unfamiliarv with 12:01, but now I'm going to look for it. You're far too young...and I doubt they air made-for-TV movies in Europe, but perhaps the baddest of the bad is "Bad Ronald," in which a shy teen kills a bully, after which he hides in his house. But then his mother dies, the house is sold, and he continues to live there secretly.

Rike said...

The Amanda Root adaptation came out in 1995; Wentworth is played by Ciaran Hinds. If you haven't seen it, do so, you're in for a treat!