The Column Without a Name!
January 12, 1999
"Eyes Wide Shut" Exclusive!
The scooper known as 'Neerly D' hands me my first major exclusive scoop on Kubrick's
next! Here's what Neerly had to say to me:
"Good to see the interest in a Kubrick film
is as strong as ever. A friend of mine spent six months working on Eyes
Wide Shut from summer to winter '97. (He'll kill me for writing this!)
From our conversations he plays a stalker who follows Tom Cruise around
the streets of New York. There's no dialogue involved. Apparently the link
to the film is that the character Tom Cruise plays trys to extricate himself
from the vortex of drugs and sex he's involved in and my friends character
is hired to put the frightners on him. Where this all fits in is anyones
guess....Keep an eye out for him though he's a big bald guy and spent the
entire time in a long overcoat looking mean and nasty. Lots of lurking
apparently! Since he doesn't know I'm writing this It wouldn't be fair
to give his name but he tells me he does get an actors credit for the part!
Some people have all the luck! Generally there was only himself and Tom
Cruise in the scenes which were set at Christmas time. Hope this
is of interest to you."
Drugs and sex in a Tom movie? Hell, it's Kubrick. But what I'm asking is who hired the big bald guy to get
Tom's character out of this vortex? Would it be Nicole's character? So many questions remain
unanswered...
"Varsity Blues" Reviewed
I saw this movie at a sneak preview last Friday night. I didn't expect
much but I was plesantly surprised by this little film. Some good
direction along with a nice little script elevate this movie from the
usual high school angst drama. Jon Voight is riveting as usual,
better than his Enemy of The State role for sure. James Van Der Beek has
leading man potential, giving an anti-Dawson performance. Can't wait to
see what he does next. The supporting cast has no real highlights except
for Scott Caan, who was truly hilarious. A nice role for him after his
evil turn in Enemy of The State. Most of the youngsters
gave okay performances. On the negative side the ending is predictable and won't surprise you.
One of the plotlines that bothered me was the love story between Mox (Van
Der Beek) and Jul (Amy Smart). They seem to have no previous history, aside
from a bridge scene which was cut out of the movie but still mentioned.
When Mox is tempted to sleep with Whip Cream lover Darcy (Ali Larter),
there's no real string attaching him to Jul. Why doesn't he just do it?
But he doesn't do it and we're left wondering why the hell not. The movie
could have been a whole lot better if Dawson Creek members Katie
Holmes, Michelle Williams and Joshua Jackson would have taken the roles
given to Amy Smart, Ali Larter and Paul Walker. Ali Smart really resembles
Katie Holmes so much I thought Holmes was actually playing in the movie.
"Gladiator" on the move
We've received this very interesting scoop that we wanted to share with you since
we don't have a page (just yet!) for Ridley Scott's next film: "Coloseum being built
in Malta along with other Roman monuments." [Scoop provided by 'Jean Pierre
Borg'.]
"Grey Owl" Test Screening Results
"I work for a local production company in Montreal and recently was
privy to an advanced screening of Attenborough's GREY OWL. I must say that
audiences are going to be pleasantly surprised by this very moving film.
Pierce Brosnan gives a performance which I can only be described as tremendous.
Let's face it he sleepwalks through the BOND films and Dante's Peak was
another cakewalk. It seems like Attenborough has the ability to coax realistic
performances from his actors. Robert Downey was fabulous in CHAPLIN, although
that film was flawed (too much info not enough depth), Downey was stunning.
Grey Owl was supposed to be released in Febuary but initial response has
been so positive that they're aiming for an October release. Mr. Eberts
(the producer of Dances with Wolves, Ghandi) feels like he has another
Oscar contender on his hands. The love story between Brosnan and the native
girl is powerful. You'll see." [Scoop provided by 'The Northern Rogue'.]
Stuff like that happening in my own backyard and I don't even know about
it! I'll have to go hunting some more...
What's Your Top Five Wish List of '99?
Feel free to e-mail your top 5 movies you're dying to see right now. I just need a few more
of these wish lists to assemble my next column. Guess what movie is leading first place??? Episode
One, of course.
Stay Tuned...
That's All Folks...
