Thursday, August 23, 2018

Wandering through the Shelves-Discovery/Exploration


I had a really tough time this week and had a huge brain fart. I know I have seen tons of films that fit this week’s theme but the dull lightbulb in my head was flickering like a 10 watt bulb. Let’s head on over to Wandering Through The Shelves and find out what everyone else chose. Here are my 3...

1. KING SOLOMON’S MINES-1950


A good old adventure film shot in beautiful Technicolor, with the beautiful Stewart Granger as the rough and tough (hahaa) Allan Quartermain and the equally beautiful Deborah Kerr as the romantic interest. She is in search of her husband, who went in search for, well, King Solomon’s mines, and hires Quartermain to help her. He reluctantly agrees and they search through jungles running from cannibals, vicious animals and all sorts of mayhem falling for each other in the process. It’s a good fun film that makes one forget our daily troubles for a couple of hours. Great cinematography highlights this film even though both leads seem better sipping tea somewhere.

2. INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE-1989


Yeah, I am not a huge fan of these movies. I know, I know, sacrilege, but I find them a bit meh...yeah...shoot me. The one that I do like the best and believe, is the best, is the third in this series that stars Harrison Ford as the famous professor/archeologist and Sean Connery as his dad. We finally know why Jones hates snakes and where he gets his love of finding items that are supposedly just legends. He and his dad have issues but this is set aside to try and find the lost grail. I saw this in the theatre because part of the filming took place in Petra. One day I will see this famous old site that was carved out of rock. This is the most entertaining of all the films that has everything in it...the fabled grail, dad and son issues, a love interest, Bad Nazis and the old knights.

3. STAR TREK:FIRST CONTACT-1996


I love Star Trek although I have not been able to get into the latest rebirth. This film stars the men and women from the second  version(not counting the animated series from the 70’s with all the actors that starred in the original Star Trek). We find out that, somehow, the Borg, those nasty machine/human hybrids, have traveled back in time and changed history. It is up to the Enterprise crew to go back in time and correct the calamity. They arrived just before Stephan Cochran sends his ship into warp speed starting the planet Earth on a whole new age of discovery and exploration. While some of the crew are down on the planet, Picard, Data and others are trying to stop the Borg and the Borg Queen from destroying Earth. Patrick Stewart never acted better in his role as Jean Luc Picard and his interaction with the under-rated Alfre Woodard was superb. The Captain Ahab quarrel is just perfect. I will also add, Alice Krige as the Borg Queen, was able to convey menace, intelligence and sexiness despite her pale colour with tubes coming out of her. The comedy on the planet is a nice break from the tenseness on the ship. Love this film.

Which 3 would you choose?

24 comments:

  1. I've actually seen ONE of these films this week. And it was Indiana Jones. I've seen all of them, but to me the first was the best because of the special effects, which I found so new and interesting. I DID like the one with Connery, too, but for very different reasons.

    I'm a HUGE Star Trek Next Gen fan, I never saw the movie. It explains a lot about the Borg at least. I watched every Star Trek series except the first one, which came before I was old enough to appreciate it or know it existed. I call it the OLD SHIT because I was NOT a fan of Kirk and his pregnant pauses in every sentence. Loved the reviews, though and one out of three is better than most times for me.

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  2. Birgit,

    I'm running way behind of return visits and for that I'm sorry,dear friend. It's been hectic here to put it mildly. I'm doing well from my ear tube surgery but picked up something in the hospital (mild bronchitis-like symptoms).

    I like all of the Indiana Jones films but my favorite is still the first. The National Treasure movies came to mind instantly both of which I really like and had hoped they'd make a third film but never did. Stupid Hollyweird! Wouldn't The Pirates of the Caribbeans productions sorta fall into this category? The da Vinci Code might also fall in the discovery class. I haven't seen this film but I did watch The Circle with Tom Hanks on Amazon Prime which is sorta like the da Vinci Code.

    Thanks for visiting. Have a blessed day!

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  3. I've only seen The Last Crusade. I'm not crazy over those films either but they're okay watches.

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  4. Hi Birgit....I adored king solomons mines and I have wonderful memories of Sunday afternoons cuddled up on the sofa with my dad watching this film...and I have thoroughly enjoyed the INDIANA Jones films pure escapism....bliss....xxx

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  5. Once again, haven't seen any although I was also a Star Trek fan, that is of the originals and later Jen Luc. A few days ago watched Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr in The Prisoner of Zenda. Lots of sword fights and love etc. I enjoyed it so would probably enjoy Solomon's Mines. Possible I saw that many years ago.

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  6. There are parts of King Solomon's Mines that I really enjoy, Granger and Deborah Kerr among them, but it just goes too long.

    I LOVE the first and third of the Indy films but the second is subpar. This one has wonderful chemistry between Ford and Sean Connery (who is obviously having a whale of a time) and a decent story but I still prefer the first because Ford and Karen Allen made such a great team and it had an even better story.

    I'm good with the initial Star Trek series and the films with the original cast plus the new series with Chris Pine but I never have gotten into any of the million off shoots even though I do really like Patrick Stewart. You mentioned Alfre Woodard is in this one (LOVE HER!!) so I might check this one out.

    I tried to find films about exploration in different areas.

    The Right Stuff (1983)-Epic film of the origins, formation and realization of America’s space program with a stacked cast, Ed Harris, Sam Shepard, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Quaid, Fred Ward, Kim Stanley, Veronica Cartwright and on and on, of award level performances and a real sense of wonder and discovery. The best film of 1983 it was robbed at the Oscars where the prize went to the solid but not nearly as extraordinary Terms of Endearment.

    Never Cry Wolf (1983)-Canadian biologist Tyler (Charles Martin Smith) travels on government orders to the isolated arctic wilderness to discover if the area's caribou population is declining due to wolf-pack attacks. After a harrowing flight in a bush plane piloted by "Rosie" Little (Brian Dennehy) Tyler is left in the middle of a sub-zero frozen lake until he is rescued by traveling Inuit Ootek (Zachary Ittimangnaq), who builds a shelter for him and departs. On his own he encounters a wolf family and discovers they seem as curious of him as he is of them. Establishing an observation post he learns much including ultimately that the greatest danger to the caribou is man himself. Vivid Disney film lead to the formation of the Touchstone division of Disney when there was an outcry that this was far removed from their standard family fare.

    The Endless Summer (1966)-In search of the surfer's Holy Grail "The Perfect Wave" documentarian and competition-level surfer Bruce Brown embarks on an around-the-world adventure of discovery with surfers Michael Hynson and Robert August. In their quest the three visit Hawaii, Australia, South Africa and other secluded surfing spots seeking their sweet spot while Brown’s narration and an instrumental guitar-driven soundtrack by The Sandals plays over the silent footage.

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  7. King Solomon's Mines was just on TCM, like yesterday (this week sometime). I didn't watch it as I was busy doing other things, but I did see bits of it here and there. The other two I saw in the theater back in the day. Both great picks.

    I think I'd go with The Martian, which is a current favorite.

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  8. The first one that popped into my mind is the utterly epic 'THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING' starring Michael Caine and Sean Connery. One of the greatest adventure movies ever made!

    I wouldn't have thought of it on my own, but Joel's pick of 'ENDLESS SUMMER' is inspired and brilliant. I love that movie -- have been watching it since childhood -- and own it on DVD. What a great, unique choice. (101 Kudos, Joel!) That one is just too wonderful for me to fail jumping on Joel's bandwagon.

    And just for kicks, I will also choose the sequel, 'ENDLESS SUMMER II'. While not the classic that the original is, it's still a blast to watch. The fun new surfers revisit a couple of the locations filmed decades earlier in the first movie, and add a whole lot of new stuffs (with terrifically advanced underwater cinematography). Anyone who digs the first movie will also find the sequel worth watching. Plus, 'ENDLESS SUMMER II' includes one of the best original musical soundtracks ever composed:

    [Link> HOEY? WHO HE? (Or, Rockin', Guitar-Drivin' Movie Soundtrack For People Who Dig The Sun, Sand & Surf)

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents 'Battle Of The Bands'

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  9. Unlike many, the 3rd movie was my favorite. Alison Doody was also the hottest of the Jones romances

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  10. #1 is my fav and I like the older version better than the newer one tha that starred Richard Chamberlain. The other 2 I know of, but haven't seen. You picked some good ones this time, so guess the brain was still firing pretty sharply! TFS & have a great weekend.

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  11. So many films fit this category. I just recorded King Solomon's Mines (for about the 3rd time). Maybe this time I'll watch it before it disappears from my queue.

    I still consider 2001: A Space Odyssey to be the best space movie put out yet. It was masterful and set the bar for future films in the genre.

    I like movies based on actual people and events and there are a number that fit into today's category. I don't remember many offhand, but I'll throw in 1492: Conquest of Paradise. Despite the negative reviews, I thought it was an interesting movie that stayed with me.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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  12. Seen the remake of King Solomon's Mines, was meh. Probably because it was a remake haha I like the Indiana Jones movies, except 4, but I'm not over the moon about them either.

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  13. Hi, Birgit!

    The only one of these three that I have seen is film #2 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. However I do not remember much about it. The series does not interest me and I only watched it because Mrs. Shady insisted. We were babysitting young family members at the time and we all watched it together. If I am going to watch Harrison Ford, I would much rather see American Graffiti or Regarding Henry, not Indiana Jones. I can't be of much help with film #3 either because I never watched the Star Trek TV series and have not seen any of the films.

    However I enjoyed learning about all three films through your reviews. I appreciated the trailer for King Solomon's Mines because it lets us know that the film was shot on location in "darkest Africa" rather than on a Hollywood sound stage. That would be a key selling point for me, plus I adored fire haired actress Deborah Kerr, especially in An Affair To Remember with Cary ("Judy, Judy, Judy") Grant. A common theme in movies is that it is bad luck or at the very least a nuisance to bring a woman along on safari or aboard a ship, and that's why films like King Solomon's Mines are fun to watch. That one is my pick, the movie that interests me most of the three featured.

    Thank you very much for visiting me today, dear friend BB. I will reply as soon as I finished submitting this comment. Enjoy the rest of your week!

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  14. So that's what's the Solomon Mines is about. Maybe I'll see it one day. I don't care too much for Granger and Kerr. Still haven't figured out why. I like #3 Indiana Jones the most, too. That last line of Indiana Jones being the name of their dog when Junior was a kid was the best.

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  15. I really enjoyed Star Trek: First Contact. IMHO, the best of the Next Generation flicks, and second best out of all the Trek films. Eerily sexy Borg Queen, and plenty of well-done humor. ("Assimilate this.")

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  16. Last Crusade and First Contact are two great choices.

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  17. Hi Birgit - yes not my sort of films either ... the best thing about writing these up - is we get everyone else's views too = and other suggestions ... love it! Cheers Hilary

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  18. I loved the first Indiana Jones movie. My obsession with Mayan ruins followed. Not sure if they are connected. Thanks for all the interesting movies you share.

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  19. I have only seen the Indiana Jones movie- and I saw it a long time ago. I barely remember it really. Just the gust. I think I have heard of the first movie- but had no idea what it was about. Thanks for sharing. :)
    ~Jess

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  20. I'm not sure I've seen King Solomon's Mine all the way through. I need to rectify that. Hope you're enjoying your weekend.

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  21. I'd have a hard time choosing too. I'm not into films about Discovery/Exploration. Heck, I might choose Monty Python's Holy Grail. Instead, I support all your choices.

    Be well, Brigit.

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  23. This is a great list. I'm adding to my list to see, thank you.

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  24. I have been bad in responding to all my comments as of late, my apologies. I love what was written here and that many actually feel similar about Indiana Jones. Yes, Joel, the #2 Jones flick is horrible and I wanted that kid to fly out of the cart and not come back. I have to c(elk out Endless Summer. Thank you everyone for checking it out including The Dutchess and Mary H who create beautiful cards and still comment here when I don’t showcase my cards

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