A Knight's Tale

I made a copy of this movie for a teacher at school. She had a pre-recorder copy on tape but no longer has a way to show tapes to class.

I rented it fron Netflix and after the copy was complete, Jeanne and I watched it. We enjoyed it a great deal. It's better than I remembered. The upbeat rock musical tracks really add to the film.

Ledger died in 2008 of prescription drugs poisoning. Vicodin, Oxycotin and Valluim were among the several drugs in his bloodstream. How could he have gotten so many prescriptions is beyond me. Just trying to get one prescription for pain meds is tough enough. His performance as "The Joker" was world class and had him headed for superstardom.

This movie isn't the best, but has many great moments and is certinly worth another watch.

The ensemble cast was very good. Paul Bettany plays the part of Chaucer, a down and out writer who adds witt and charm throughout the movie. Cast as his companions in the adventure, Roland (Mark Addy) and Wat (Alan Tudyk) keep the adventure moving right along..always with the threat that they might quit at any moment. Laura Fraser is the blacksmith, Kate who joins the band and adds even more comraderie to the group.

Ben Hur - 1959

Filmed in 1959, Ben Hur was a hit when it was made. Not many films in those days were produced for such a large sum. It cost $15 million, a huge amount then and the film took 11 academy awards.

I've seen it before and watched it again recently. Nearly Four hours on 2 discs from Netflix. This is a movie that requires a real commitment, but it stands up so well that the time just flies.

They used to show this film every year at Easter time, but with easier methods of getting your favorite movies, they don't seem to show repeats as often. Remember the old days when Wizard Of Oz was shown each year?

If you haven't seen Ben Hur, or haven't seen it for a long time, it's worth seeing it again.