The Man Who Knew Too Little, 1997

THURSDAY MOVIE CONNECTION!!!
Alfred Molina--Bill Murray



Director: Jon Amiel (Entrapment)

Stars: Bill Murray, Peter Gallagher, Joanne Whalley, Alfred Molina




It's his birthday, and Wallace (Murray) heads to London to visit his brother James, who unfortunately, is busy that night, so he sends his brother on a unique London experience for a few hours.  He gets him tickets for the "Theatre of Life", where you don't even have to learn your lines, and you can be an actor for a night in a thrilling plot!

James drops Wallace off at a phone booth where the "Theatre of Life" will begin, and Wallace gets  a mysterious call for "Spenser," giving him an address and instructions.  Wallace goes along with the evening, not knowing that he's in on an assassination plot, and that call was not from the "Theatre of Life!"

Obviously, this is a spy comedy of mistaken identity, and it truly is funny how it keeps going on.  It's not the cleanest, though not that dirty.  If you're in the mood for a spy comedy, you'll like it.

The King's Speech, 2010

THURSDAY MOVIE CONNECTION!!
Guy Pearce--Helena Bonham-Carter


Director: Tom Hooper

Stars: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham-Carter, Guy Pearce





LOVE IT!

In the days before World War II, when radio broadcasts were carrying voices across nations and the world, a stammering prince (Firth) turns to a speech therapist (Rush) for help overcoming his speech problem.  And when his brother the king abdicates to marry a divorced woman, he is next in line for the  throne.

I don't want to say much because it's so wonderful you have to see it for yourself.  I will only say one thing: it is rated R for language, which is actually kind of funny, because throughout the course the speech therapy, they find that Bertie (Firth) doesn't stutter when he swears.  So at 2 or 3 points in the film, he is just swearing up a storm.  It's funny!

The Man Who Knew Too Much, 1956

Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK


Stars: James Stewart, Doris Day





While vacationing in Morocco, Dr. Benjamin McKenna (Stewart) and his wife, Jo (Day), accidentally become involved in an assassination plot, and because of their knowledge (as in, they "know too much"), their son is kidnapped to keep them quiet.  They follow the criminals to London, where they try to track them down and save their son, and maybe the ambassador set to be assassinated.  All without the involvement of the police.

The Man Who Knew Too Much is so suspenseful, and so emotionally moving.  When Jo finds out her son has been taken, I cry along with her every time!  And when she sings "Que Sera, Sera" (which was written for this movie) at the end, I am a complete wreck.

 

Midsomer Murders, tv series, 1997-

3. Midsomer Murders

I love this show. It has run since 1997, with Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby (John Nettles, right) as its main character. His Detective Sergeant has changed a few times, but the one in the picture is Gavin Troy (Daniel Casey), my favorite, and he stayed on til series 8. (Just so you know: the British call seasons "series".)

My dear friend Holly introduced me to Midsomer and all its murders years ago! And now Netflix has them all as "watch instantly", which perfectly suits me when I'm in the mood for a quiet, English countryside murder.

Holly and I usually have the worst luck when we pick one of these to watch together though. We usually pick ones where the kids are the killers, or there is a seriously messed up, dirty relationship, or something like that. A lot of the episodes involve sexual relationships and scandals though. This is not a kid's show! But I do like how it isn't too gruesome. When the bodies are too gross, they don't show it. Unlike in Bones, which I love but can't watch while I eat.

But otherwise, I like this show. Barnaby is a totally lovable Inspector, and the episodes are long enough (100 minutes) so that you are very confused and it keeps you guessing til the very end. Actually, the other day I watched one and was proud of myself that I knew who the killer was right off the bat! But I just didn't like the way she looked. I didn't really solve anything.