Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.
---
This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Farm
---
The Man in the Moon (1991)
Remember that thing that happen to Reese Witherspoon's character sister's boyfriend.
Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)
I prefer this adaptation to the 1967 one. This Bathsheba is less silly, more mature and of course the movie looks gorgeous.
Tess (1979)
I'm picking the ones I like.
The Man in the Moon (1991)
Remember that thing that happen to Reese Witherspoon's character sister's boyfriend.
Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)
I prefer this adaptation to the 1967 one. This Bathsheba is less silly, more mature and of course the movie looks gorgeous.
Tess (1979)
Another Thomas Hardy adaptation, though this is not my favourite adaptation of Tess of the D'Urbervilles (the 2008 tv adaptation is), still this is pretty good. Poor Tess, she had such a miserable tragic life.
---
If
you are participating be sure to add your blog post to the linky widget
below (Enter your Blog Post URL, your Blog Name and your email {which
will remain hidden}). Please also visit the other participating blogs,
spread the word about this series, and also link back to my blog on your
own Thursday Movie Picks post :)
---
Participating Blogs/Bloggers
The Man in the Moon was such a wonderful surprise. I started watching without a real idea of what it was about but was quickly pulled in. Reese is just great in it.
ReplyDeleteI liked this version of Madding Crowd but I'm the inverse of you I prefer the '67 film but it took me a couple of views to really warm to it. Both are terrifically acted and both are gorgeous looking cinematically.
Speaking of gorgeous this version of Tess is an absolute treat for the eyes even if it's heavy going. But that's more the because of the story than anything to do with the actual film production.
I went with two lighter films and finished with a story of perseverance.
Summer Stock (1950)-Jane Falbury (Judy Garland) and her faithful housekeeper Esme (Marjorie Main) are struggling to keep the family farm afloat. One day Jane’s errant sister Abigail (Gloria De Haven) shows up with the news that she’s has been cast as the lead in a new musical. Oh and by the way she’s brought the entire troupe including her fiancée, the show’s director Joe Ross (Gene Kelly) with her to rehearse in the barn! After some persuasion Jane lets them proceed with the proviso that they trade chores for room and board. Everything goes bumpily along until Abigail departs in a snit and Jane is convinced to step into the lead. She’s reluctant but since she’s Judy Garland at the peak of her powers it goes well. Breezy if minor musical contains several iconic numbers, Judy & Gene’s challenge dance, Gene solo dance with a newspaper and most of all Judy’s infamous Get Happy number (filmed two months after the rest of the film with a 20 pounds lighter Garland). For something so light it was a nightmare to make taking six months to complete rather than the expected six weeks because Judy was coming apart at the seams (watch her weight fluctuate noticeably from scene to scene and entire backdrops change abruptly from scenes pieced together). For all the turmoil it’s a very pleasant film, Judy’s last at MGM.
The Egg and I (1947)-City slickers Betty & Bob MacDonald (Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray) head to the country to fulfill Bob’s dream of being a chicken farmer. Comic complications ensure with many rude shocks when they discover the farm is more or less a shack and the chicks are far more demanding than expected. Bob catches the eye of the rich neighbor farmer lady and Betty seeks solace and consul from their other neighbors, Ma & Pa Kettle (Marjorie Main & Percy Kilbride-who spun off into a successful series of B movies). Based on a bestseller by the real Betty MacDonald.
Places in the Heart (1984)-Suddenly widowed in Depression era Texas Edna Spalding (Sally Field) decides to make her small farm pay by bringing the first bale of cotton to market with the help of drifter Moze (Danny Glover), her blind boarder Mr. Will (John Malkovich) and her two young children. Facing many, many obstacles Edna perseveres against daunting odds. Sally won the Best Actress Oscar giving her famous “You like me! You really like me!!” acceptance speech.
I haven't seen any of your picks.
DeleteI've only seen each Far From the Madding Crowd movie once.
Oh yes...compared to the TV adaptation this Tess adapttaion is quite heavy going.
I've only seen Far From The Madding Crowd, which I didn't care for. I've always meant to see Man on the Moon, I've heard everyone rave about Reese in it.
ReplyDeleteYes Reese is very good in it. I think it could even have been her first movie.
DeleteI haven't seen any of these but I always meant to see Tess and wasn't sure about the 2nd one but it sounds good based on your review. I don't recall hearing about the first one
ReplyDeleteI've only seen The Man in the Moon. I thought it was okay, but my daughter absolutely adores it.
ReplyDelete