SeattleSueLibrary
The Seattle Public Library
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Crazy Rich AsiansCrazy Rich Asians, DVD
DVD - 2018 | Rental editionDVD, 2018. Rental edition
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added Mar 01, 2024
Reservoir DogsReservoir Dogs, DVD
DVD - 2006 | 2-disc special edition fifteenth anniversary editionDVD, 2006. 2-disc special edition fifteenth anniversary edition
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added Dec 26, 2022
Comment:
Waited 30 years to watch this but after 45 minutes, it seemingly went nowhere and as slowly as possible. I wondered just what anyone saw in this f-bombfest. A waste of a lot of talent. These are enough keystrokes to spend after admitting to giving it 45 minutes.Waited 30 years to watch this but after 45 minutes, it seemingly went nowhere and as slowly as possible. I wondered just what anyone saw in this f-bombfest. A waste of a lot of talent. These are enough keystrokes to spend after admitting to giving…
QuartetQuartet, DVD
DVD - 2013DVD, 2013
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added Dec 24, 2022
Comment:
Utterly charmless. What a waste of talent and location scenery. Tired premise - can two retired, formerly married, bitterly divorced opera stars make peace in time to put on the show to save the old-folks home (which is another of those British piles that photograph so well) from financial ruin. Yawn. The "best of show" was Pauline Collins, note perfect as the mezzo suffering from dementia. The rest phoned it in.Utterly charmless. What a waste of talent and location scenery. Tired premise - can two retired, formerly married, bitterly divorced opera stars make peace in time to put on the show to save the old-folks home (which is another of those British…
The Escoffier Cook BookThe Escoffier Cook Book, BookA Guide to the Fine Art of Cookery
by Escoffier, A.Book - 1976Book, 1976
Added May 19, 2022
Comment:
Please NB: Did Escoffier indeed die before he was born? I doubt that and wish someone would correct these dates.
Dead Poets SocietyDead Poets Society, DVD
DVD - 2006 | Special editionDVD, 2006. Special edition
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added Feb 26, 2022
Comment:
Although Robin Williams is the reason for seeing this movie, the story is ludicrous, the "adult" characters could not be more cliché and less than one-dimensional, particularly the bully father who drives his son to suicide. Could it not be more obvious that Neil would have no other choice than to kill himself with daddy's pistol while sitting in his underwear at daddy's desk? As for tearing pages out of textbooks, presumably that's every kid's dream but, as a plot point, it's silly. The only reason for seeing this 33-y-o film is to see what those very young actors were like before they became middle-aged actors. However, seeing a young Robin Williams in his prime is worth the time otherwise wasted. Be advised to FF through the more insipid parts, such as the party featuring a "football hero" bully boyfriend bloodying the nose of an upstart wimp trying to steal "his" girl. The 2 stars belong entirely to Williams and none go to the movie.Although Robin Williams is the reason for seeing this movie, the story is ludicrous, the "adult" characters could not be more cliché and less than one-dimensional, particularly the bully father who drives his son to suicide. Could it not be more…
Holy MatrimonyHoly Matrimony, DVD
DVD - 2012DVD, 2012
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added Feb 05, 2022
Comment:
My first experience with Gracie Fields and Laird Cregar, which was worth the price of admission. Monty Woolley sparkled in mistaken identity. The entire speaking cast was perfectly cast. My one quibble with the script would constitute a spoiler alert, but ... there was a photo that would have solved the entire mistaken ID issue, but then there'd be no reason to have this movie. A gentle gem worth a second viewing.My first experience with Gracie Fields and Laird Cregar, which was worth the price of admission. Monty Woolley sparkled in mistaken identity. The entire speaking cast was perfectly cast. My one quibble with the script would constitute a spoiler…
Please Pass the GuiltPlease Pass the Guilt, BookA Nero Wolfe Novel
by Stout, RexBook - 1974 | Bantam editionBook, 1974. Bantam edition
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added Dec 17, 2021
Comment:
After reading about 20 of these Nero Wolfe novels and story collections, I have advice for you: Don't start your journey with Nero Wolfe with this novel. Start at the beginning of the series. This one is a tedious, overly padded, and uncharacteristically vulgar (now and then) departure from Stout's usually sparkling, clever page turners. A disappointing and unrealistic premise with an unsatisfying denouement. The only worse one of Stout's oeuvre is "The Black Mountain," which I found unreadable and gave it up maybe a third of the way. This one, at least, you will finish if only to get to the last page where the reason for slogging through it is FINALLY revealed.After reading about 20 of these Nero Wolfe novels and story collections, I have advice for you: Don't start your journey with Nero Wolfe with this novel. Start at the beginning of the series. This one is a tedious, overly padded, and…
The BirdcageThe Birdcage, DVD
DVD - 1996DVD, 1996
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added Sep 13, 2021
Comment:
Made in 1996, this movie has not aged well. In my opinion, it's tedious and tries too hard to be camp in an age when life itself is too absurd. To be fair, the original La Cage aux Folles (1978) has not aged well itself.
Some films, no matter if the stars are Robin Williams and Nathan Lane, should not ever be "remade." What a waste of all the rest of the talent.Made in 1996, this movie has not aged well. In my opinion, it's tedious and tries too hard to be camp in an age when life itself is too absurd. To be fair, the original La Cage aux Folles (1978) has not aged well itself.
Some films, no matter if…
Smoke Gets in your EyesSmoke Gets in your Eyes, BookAnd Other Lessons From the Crematory
by Doughty, CaitlinBook - 2014 | First editionBook, 2014. First edition
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added Jul 15, 2021
House of GamesHouse of Games, DVD
DVD - 2007DVD, 2007
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added Jun 15, 2021
Comment:
"If you are a con man, what does that make me? It makes you the mark. "
I saw this movie when it was released and now appreciate more the use of downtown Seattle - Union between 2nd & 3rd, which the Main PO in the background, the south side of the street now occupied by Benaroya Hall but back then, the Jones Bldg and that rundown mess where the House of Games was, across the street in the opening of the Post Office Market under the Mann Bldg, then the Old Marine Hospital on Beacon Hill, and the subtle use of what was then called The Olympic Four Seasons Hotel. Later they were in Hotel Kennedy, which used to feature Tulio's, another lost Seattle restaurant. Up on Capitol Hill at 15th and Madison, the north side of the street all gone. Harbor Island - who ever shot a movie on Harbor Island before?
At one point, two guys were waiting for the light to change at 4th & Spring. One said to the other: "Wait for the light. They'll ticket you for jay walking." Yes, that was Seattle back then, but I suspect not anymore.
As the long con grew, I appreciated the disciplined way Dr. Margaret Ford's illusion dissolved as she realized that she indeed was the mark and then - she conquered the con man."If you are a con man, what does that make me? It makes you the mark. "
I saw this movie when it was released and now appreciate more the use of downtown Seattle - Union between 2nd & 3rd, which the Main PO in the background, the south side of the…
Le Clan Des SiciliensLe Clan Des Siciliens, DVDThe Sicilian Clan
DVD - 2017DVD, 2017
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added Jun 14, 2021
Comment:
Excellent caper flick, very complex, not at all about a "seduction," which was a plot point that set up the ending (clearly telegraphed). Meanwhile, the Sicilian Clan flummoxes the French police at every turn, but ... No, I won't give away the ending. Beautifully photographed, every frame is a masterpiece.Excellent caper flick, very complex, not at all about a "seduction," which was a plot point that set up the ending (clearly telegraphed). Meanwhile, the Sicilian Clan flummoxes the French police at every turn, but ... No, I won't give away the…
Nero WolfeNero Wolfe, DVDVolume 1
DVD - 2012DVD, 2012
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added May 07, 2021
Comment:
Lifeless and annoying. T. Hutton archly overplays his role, cartoonish. Depends too much on romanticizing the era, much as the Marvelous Mrs Maisel does, depending on the hope that most of the viewers were not around in the 1950s to realize the clothes, women's make-up, and cars did not look that way at all. Utterly charmless - stick to the Rex Stout books.Lifeless and annoying. T. Hutton archly overplays his role, cartoonish. Depends too much on romanticizing the era, much as the Marvelous Mrs Maisel does, depending on the hope that most of the viewers were not around in the 1950s to realize the…
東京暮色東京暮色, DVDTokyo boshokuTokyo boshokuTokyo twilight
DVD - 2007 | JapaneseDVD, 2007. Language: Japanese
Added Nov 03, 2020
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added Sep 17, 2020
The Big SleepThe Big Sleep, Book
by Chandler, RaymondBook - 1992 | First Vintage crimeBlack Lizard editionBook, 1992. First Vintage crimeBlack Lizard edition
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added Sep 17, 2020
MilkMilk, DVD
DVD - 2009DVD, 2009
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added Sep 17, 2020
Force of EvilForce of Evil, DVD
DVD - 2012DVD, 2012
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added Feb 24, 2020
Added Feb 21, 2020
The Heads of CerberusThe Heads of Cerberus, Book
by Stevens, FrancisBook - 2019 | 2019 Modern Library Trade paperback editionBook, 2019. 2019 Modern Library Trade paperback edition
Added Feb 21, 2020
CharadeCharade, DVD
DVD - 2004DVD, 2004
Added Jan 24, 2020
Comment:
This movie, touted as the best movie Hitchcock never made, is nothing more than a silly caper flick featuring a too-old-to-be a-romantic-leading-man in Cary Grant and a lovely, if lightweight (not just thin) Audrey Hepburn.
There is no McGuffin
There is no icy-blonde to conquer
There is no compelling score, only a fluffy, if "hooky," pop-music theme from ubiquitous Henry Mancini
The titles are a Saul Bass" ripoff
There was, however, an obligatory and obvious scene of rear projection of Grant and Hepburn having dinner on a boat traversing the Seine. This was truly distracting.
There was no suspense at all as each thug's demise was completely telegraphed in advance, including that Walter Matthau was the actual crook, not Cary Grant.
Stanley Donen made a lot of pretty good movies. This was a pretty good movie, too, but it's not Hitchcockian by any stretch no matter how far you reach.This movie, touted as the best movie Hitchcock never made, is nothing more than a silly caper flick featuring a too-old-to-be a-romantic-leading-man in Cary Grant and a lovely, if lightweight (not just thin) Audrey Hepburn.
There is no…
The bad sleep wellThe bad sleep well, DVD
DVD - 2006 | JapaneseDVD, 2006. Language: Japanese
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added May 20, 2019
Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'dThrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd, Book
by Bradley, AlanBook - 2016 | First U.S. editionBook, 2016. First U.S. edition
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added Oct 25, 2017
Comment:
These convenient corpses are, in my opinion, McGuffins. I believe Alan Bradley is a genius. The real story is never about the murders Flavia solves in her own way.
Guillaume TellGuillaume Tell, DVDopera in four acts
DVD - 2015 | FrenchDVD, 2015. Language: French
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added Apr 08, 2017
Comment:
To start, I am no fan of JDF. To me his voice is harsh, edgy, and hardly flexible enough to be a true Rossini tenor. He's simply easy to look at. If you are partial to him, you will enjoy this.
I also waited for months for this DVD and was very much looking forward to it. But, the staging is confusing and the camera work is a little frantic for my taste. Sad to say, I did not get through the first act. The sadness of this is that William Tell is so seldom staged due to its length, the expense of it, and artists capable of performing it.To start, I am no fan of JDF. To me his voice is harsh, edgy, and hardly flexible enough to be a true Rossini tenor. He's simply easy to look at. If you are partial to him, you will enjoy this.
I also waited for months for this DVD and was very…
Slaughterhouse-fiveSlaughterhouse-five, DVD
DVD - 2004 | Widescreen editionDVD, 2004. Widescreen edition
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added Dec 03, 2016
Comment:
I wonder if comments regarding the "jumping around" are from persons who have not read the original book. That's how Vonnegut wrote it. Go read the book. Then rewatch the movie. You might understand this is exactly how Vonnegut meant this amazing piece to be absorbed. The whole premise is that Billy Pilgrim became "unstuck in time." This cannot be stated any more simply than that. The movie does an excellent job of depicting how a man "unstuck in time" lives his life.
In my tightly held personal opinion, Kurt Vonnegut Jr did not care at all if his books were to be translated into movies. He wrote for readers, not watchers.I wonder if comments regarding the "jumping around" are from persons who have not read the original book. That's how Vonnegut wrote it. Go read the book. Then rewatch the movie. You might understand this is exactly how Vonnegut meant this amazing…
SeattleSueLibrary's rating:
Added Dec 02, 2016
Comment:
Quick read: may, in its day, have been considered daring but now all the action is telegraphed as inevitable after the first set of murders. No one is spared; however, the ironic ending is amusing in that the protagonist ends up becoming exactly that which he had abhored growing up. Most loose ends are tied up. Most, not all.
I have no way of knowing if this is better in its original language but presume it is.Quick read: may, in its day, have been considered daring but now all the action is telegraphed as inevitable after the first set of murders. No one is spared; however, the ironic ending is amusing in that the protagonist ends up becoming exactly…
Comment: