American movies and RW

[KenC]

Ken, give it another look next time it's on. The first time I saw The Big L I thought it was mildly funny and never thought about it again until a few of my pals convinced me to watch it again. It's the sort of movie that gets funnier each time you see it 

Groov,
I will.  There was a movie called "The End" with Dom DeLuise and Burt Reynolds and I hated it the first time I saw it.  the second time I laughed until I cried.  Funny subject: suicide.
KenC

[GalinaF]

K19 - Terrible

Ste, why do you think that “K19” is a terrible movie? As far as I can remember there were very few unrealistic scenes (like when sailors were dancing (?) folk dances). Otherwise, IMHO the movie conveyed the idea of Soviet Navy pretty well…

[Ste]

Ste, why do you think that “K19” is a terrible movie? As far as I can remember there were very few unrealistic scenes (like when sailors were dancing (?) folk dances). Otherwise, IMHO the movie conveyed the idea of Soviet Navy pretty well…

Well, it's the usual Hollywood disdain of the truth, most of the events in the movie never happened. That's ok, it's a movie, events compressed into one.

For me tho it's the awful Russian 'accents' adopted by the actors, mostly unconvincing. Some didn't even bother, just did American...

Having worked in nuclear industry radiation sickness just doesn't work like that - it's actually much worse...

Anyway, there was never any munity on the boat, and actually the boat still exists and did many more missions after the event. Oddly enough with a lot of accidents...

Rather worryingly, I understand the sub has been purchased by a Moscow entrepreneur to bring to the capital and convert to a floating restaurant.

Quite understandably, the widows of the dead of the crew aren't too happy.

But for me it's the bad accents. Spose I like subtitles!

[GalinaF]

To be honest, I don’t remember all of the twists and turns of the plot of the movie. For me, it was a movie about a tragedy that very few people had known about. The movie was about the first (?) accident with an atomic reactor on a submarine, the struggle of the crew, and the sad consequences… I didn’t study the memories of the survivors, but I think that it’s quite likely that there were many opinions/arguments about what the crew could do, which, of course, may not be even close to what is shown in the movie. Somehow, such a dramatic license doesn’t bother me at all because of the general noble theme.

A quick search gave me many links. This article seems to be trustworthy:

http://nash-sovremennik.ru/p.php?y=2004&n=7&id=4

The member of the crew  says:

Кинематографисты США (реж. К. Бигелоу) использовали эти события при создании кинофильма “К-19”, который был показан на экранах России и стран СНГ в 2002—2003 гг. Несмотря на то, что фильм — художественный и в нем много вымысла и нестыковок, авария реактора и борьба за живучесть корабля отражены достоверно, а выход из строя средств связи и спасение АПЛ “К-19” другими лодками показаны искаженно, материалов в печати об этом нет.

Also, I have never heard that the submarine was bought and was supposed to get converted into a restaurant. Again, here is a link to another Russian article:

http://shipbuilding.ru/rus/news/russian/2003/08/08/k19/print.phtml

So, I doubt that the boat still exists.

Anyway, as I spent five years in a small submarine base near Murmansk in the 80s, I had a very clear understanding what Soviet Navy was like (of course, from a housewife’s point of view…) While I was watching the movie, I didn’t experience any discomfort or/and dissonance – it was mostly a true  picture that should have been Russian!

[Gator]

Ste,

Others for your East-West list:

East-West – French, but superb anyway (and French are still West).  Convincing depiction of Soviet life in Odessa.

The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming -  before your time but hilarious to me then (I was always considered offbeat).  Won many awards including Golden Globe  (Best Comedy or Musical) and significant nominations (Alan Arkin for Best Actor Academy Awards)

American Rhapsody   – Not much East, and that is Hungarian; but I have always enjoyed Natasha Kinski.

[Gator]

Any documentary on the Kursk is more entertaining than K-19.

Galina.  Wow!  Were you in Murmansk around the time of the Kursk (2000)?

I wonder how the RW in America feel to see Western documentaries of events not fully disclosed by Russians.  The Kursk being one and the FSA connection to the deadly "terrorist" explosion being another.  Particularly, which version do you believe?

[Blues Fairy]

Blues Fairy,
Dr. Z is total cheese and overly melodramatic, therefore thought you would like it.  Aren't many Russian movies the same? (cheesy & melodramtic)

Interesting reasoning, KenC.  Many Russian movies are cheesy; Blues Fairy is Russian; therefore she would probably like a cheesy movie like D.Zh.?  ???
Do I really strike you as someone who would appreciate cheesy movies?

[Ste]

Also, I have never heard that the submarine was bought and was supposed to get converted into a restaurant.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/tm_objectid=17415564%26method=full%26siteid=66633%26headline=Jambos-chief-Vlad-splashes-out-on-sub--name_page.html

[KenC]

Interesting reasoning, KenC.  Many Russian movies are cheesy; Blues Fairy is Russian; therefore she would probably like a cheesy movie like D.Zh.?  ???
Do I really strike you as someone who would appreciate cheesy movies?

Blues Fairy,
If I knew I would not have asked.  If not, why do you think you are different from the typical Russian?  BTW, I do not think liking cheesy movies is a negative trait either.  In the right mood, I too can be captured by the same.
KenC

[Blues Fairy]

If I knew I would not have asked.  If not, why do you think you are different from the typical Russian?

I gave my list of favorite movies above.  Out of those, perhaps Jane Austen only would border on cheesy; but those are British not Russian movies.
Why am I different?  Perhaps because I hate generalizations so much, whereas a typical Russian likes to generalize? 

[GalinaF]

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/tm_objectid=17415564%26method=full%26siteid=66633%26headline=Jambos-chief-Vlad-splashes-out-on-sub--name_page.html

Ste, thank you for the link.  Here is a Russian article that says that this businessman is going to have a museum in the part of the submarine he was allowed to buy.

http://1sn.ru/show.php?id=7204

Also, there will be a club/meeting place for submariners, and it is probably not a bad idea. I can’t think about any Russian atomic submarine that was converted into a museum, while there is The Nautilus here in Groton, CT…

[GalinaF]

Any documentary on the Kursk is more entertaining than K-19.
Galina.  Wow!  Were you in Murmansk around the time of the Kursk (2000)?
I wonder how the RW in America feel to see Western documentaries of events not fully disclosed by Russians.  The Kursk being one and the FSA connection to the deadly "terrorist" explosion being another.  Particularly, which version do you believe?

Gator, I was back in SPb in 2000, but I was at that submarine base (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zapadnaya_Litsa)  while the accident on board of the Komsomolets submarine happened in 1989.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_submarine_Komsomolets

To be honest, I didn’t follow any investigation of the Kursk accident, and I didn’t see any American documentaries about the tragedy. I know that they fired new torpedoes and then had two devastating explosions. I’m not sure what went wrong…

Anyway, instead of controversial documentaries about Russia I prefer to watch Western movies.  And I like very different ones:

Big Fish
On the Waterfront
Million Dollar Baby
The Bridges of Madison County
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
The Color Purple
I am Sam
My Left Foot
Breaking the Waves
Walk the Line
North Country
Shine
The Piano

Etc….

[Wayne]

What about, Natalie Wood in West Side Story. A born in Russia girl.

I like, Wait Until Dark, staring Audry Hepburn as a blind woman.  When the frig door opens and you can see the killer with a knife because of the light inside the frig, your wife will jump!

Breakfast at Tiffinies, also Hepburn, but with a very funny Mickey Rooney!

The Long Hot Summer, with Paul Newman, Joanne Woodard and Orson Wells.

Cool Hand Luke, also Newman.

Another Bogart and Hepburn, The African Queen.

Did anyone mention, One Flew Over the Cocco's Nest.

What about, When Harry Met Sally?

The Sound of Music, with Julie Andrews.  Lots of kids!

The Music Man

What about all the James Bond movies?  Anyone remember, Goldfinger?  Lots of Russians portrayed in Bond films.

Pretty Woman

Dances With Wolfs

How the West Was Won

[SANDRO43]

Since many FSUW state that they love poetry, a movie that I mentioned in another thread might be worth considering:

-  Dead poets' society (1989)

[Ste]

Ste, thank you for the link.  Here is a Russian article that says that this businessman is going to have a museum in the part of the submarine he was allowed to buy.

http://1sn.ru/show.php?id=7204

Also, there will be a club/meeting place for submariners, and it is probably not a bad idea. I can’t think about any Russian atomic submarine that was converted into a museum, while there is The Nautilus here in Groton, CT…

It's soo wrong tho....

[Son of Clyde]

My favorite actors are Humphrey Bogart, Gregory Peck and Jimmy Stewart. Would the average RW enjoy any of their movies?

[KenC]

My favorite actors are Humphrey Bogart, Gregory Peck and Jimmy Stewart. Would the average RW enjoy any of their movies?

Does your wife enjoy them?
KenC

[Son of Clyde]

Her favorites are Michael Douglas, Mickey Roarke and Richard Gere.

[KenC]

Her favorites are Michael Douglas, Mickey Roarke and Richard Gere.

In which movies?  You wife doesn't like the actors you mentioned before?  What is her reaction to the classic movies I know you like?
KenC

[Markus]

Kenc,

Nice topic by the way.

As was previously mentioned, my wife also laughed while watching the Bourne Supremacy. She knew who only learned to speak Russian for the film. But we saw the place at the train station we were at on that movie. Recently, we saw the Bourne Ultimatum. Both of those movies are excellent.

We have seen only 2 of the movies in your list, It's a wonderful life (my favorite movie, next to My Cousin Vinnie and Dumb and Dumber) and Forrest Gump. I have never been much of a movie watcher so my wife knows more about American movies than I do. She watches her 3 Russian stations quite often and even watches TV on the Internet. Getting Russian TV for her was a good thing to do. But, I really like watching Westerns and Oksana doesn't like those movies. So, we differ in that area.

Tonight, we're going to watch Def Lepperd, Styx, and Foreigner in concert..something different from watching TV.

What about going to watch things like the Nut Cracker live?  Have any of you done that? The Bass Hall in Fort Worth has Broadway type plays that we have been considering going to see.

Mark

[KenC]

Kenc,

Nice topic by the way.

As was previously mentioned, my wife also laughed while watching the Bourne Supremacy. She knew who only learned to speak Russian for the film. But we saw the place at the train station we were at on that movie. Recently, we saw the Bourne Ultimatum. Both of those movies are excellent.

We have seen only 2 of the movies in your list, It's a wonderful life (my favorite movie, next to My Cousin Vinnie and Dumb and Dumber) and Forrest Gump. I have never been much of a movie watcher so my wife knows more about American movies than I do. She watches her 3 Russian stations quite often and even watches TV on the Internet. Getting Russian TV for her was a good thing to do. But, I really like watching Westerns and Oksana doesn't like those movies. So, we differ in that area.

Tonight, we're going to watch Def Lepperd, Styx, and Foreigner in concert..something different from watching TV.

What about going to watch things like the Nut Cracker live?  Have any of you done that? The Bass Hall in Fort Worth has Broadway type plays that we have been considering going to see.

Mark

Mark,
We enjoy live concerts and plays very much.  Two of the best concerts Lena and I have seen were Aerosmith and Lenny Kravits (with Pink as an opening act).  We just recently saw "Dirty Rotten Scoundrals" which is touring as a musical (and very entertaining).  We were able to take Lena's parents to see "Momma Mia" in Vegas and they loved it.
KenC

[Simoni]

We enjoy live concerts and plays very much.  Two of the best concerts Lena and I have seen were Aerosmith and Lenny Kravits (with Pink as an opening act).  We just recently saw "Dirty Rotten Scoundrals" which is touring as a musical (and very entertaining).  We were able to take Lena's parents to see "Momma Mia" in Vegas and they loved it.
KenC

Last night we watched two movies at home with our new Blu-ray player....impressive!   Marina loved Robin Williams in RV :-) But she did not like his movie wife and daughter in the flick one bit! 

Concerts?  Marina knows much of the 70s music and we catch a lot of the old bands on their tours (she loved the Eagles).

Marina stops to listen to street music almost every time, and pitches a dollar into their hat.

[BradSTL]

Never been into Peter Sellers much except for "Being There" . . .

In the early to mid 1960's Peter Sellers made several slap-stick films that most critics call 'forgettable'.  Except for one... "The Party"... became a favorite of mine in my college days and I still like to watch it every now and then.  Again... its slapstick... but pretty good.

[KenC]

Just wanted to give you guys (and girls) a heads up.  Time Warner offers some international movies in the pay per view section.  Lena and I watched a Russian movie titled "The Italian" with English sub titles.  It really was quite good.  About a Russian boy being adopted by an Italian couple.  The other kids in the orphanage immediately call him "the Italian" thereby the title.  Very touching story, get your handkerchiefs out girls.
KenC

[Son of Clyde]

Ken, I was thinking about your comment. She does not like black and white movies so the classics to me are just old movies to her. My stepson and the neighbor fell on the floor laughing when they watched Peter Sellers in "The Party" and he loves the Honeymooners.