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For the Past Away issue, be sure to visit the Count's Morgue. Check back here regularly for regular updates, and come admire our scary scary Awards.

Issue #21 ~ September 14, 1999

This site is dedicated to the best character on SCTV played by the excellent Joe Flaherty.

AAAaaawwoooo! I bid you ..... welcome to issue #21 of Count Floyd's Movie News. Well, we are knee deep into Summer and a lot has occurred. Tragedies mostly and not all of them on the movie screen. The last issue was completed just before the new installment of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace appeared. I was anxious to see it but not the stand in line 6 weeks kind of anxious. I went into the theater with an open mind so I found the film to be OK. I mean I wasn't blown away by it like I was with the original Star Wars but I'm older now and I'm not as easily impressed. The special effects were top-notch and they are getting better all the time. The acting seemed a little subdued though. I think the film needed at least one more well placed action scene to even out the pace of the dialogue. Star Wars fans should definitely see it on the big screen. Everyone else should wait.

Next came Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Perhaps I'm getting grumpy in my old age but I found this film fairly pedestrian also. There were a few good laughs sprinkled in but not as much as the original. In this film Dr. Evil steals Austin Powers' mojo. Powers must now go back in time to retrieve it. Dr Evil had a clone made of himself which came out midget size. He named him Mini-Me and he is kinda creepy. But he is a good little dancer. Again, all but the most diehard Mike Myers fan should wait for the video.

Next on the menu is The Wild Wild West. Speaking of menus, if this was a burrito it would be called El Stinko. Normally I like Will Smith and Kevin Kline but the chemistry between them was nil. The dialogue sucked but again the special effects were pretty good. This goes to prove that special effects can't carry a flawed film.

Speaking of El Stinko, I invite you to hold your nose and walk this way to the movie news won't you?

GODZILLA will return. Japanese fans were so bummed that the American version of Godzilla did not resemble their beloved monster that Toho Studios will resurrect Godzilla in his newest film called "Godzilla Millennium" which started shooting in April.

MARTIAL LAW, the TV series that stars Sammo Hung as a Chinese cop in America, may become a motion picture. The show's creator, Stanley Tong, is in negotiations now. Jet Li is being considered for the role of the villain.

THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH is the working title of the next James Bond picture. Denise Richards, who appeared in "Starship Troopers" and "Wild Things", will appear as a nuclear weapons expert. (Yeah and I'll appear as the Queen of England). The film will be directed by Michael Apted who directed "Coal Miner's Daughter".

TERMINATOR III may "be bok". Arnold S. has expressed some interest in doing it again. James Cameron is planning on writing and producing the film but as of now he has little interest in directing it. Being King of the World and all.

THE TIME MACHINE, based on the great H. G. Wells novel, is in the planning stages. Warner Bros. may team up with Dreamworks to co-produce the project. It is possible that Spielberg himself may direct this one which is scheduled to open in the summer of 2000.

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Count Floyd's Video Dungeon

I ran across a video last week called "Phantoms" which was based on a Dean Koontz novel. The film deals with Lisa, played by Rose McGowan, and her sister Jenny, who travel back to their small hometown to find that everyone has died very suddenly. They search the town and no one has seemingly survived. Soon they run into Sheriff Hammond who is there to investigate why one of his deputies never responded after going to the town to investigate something. They find someone's name written on a wall in blood; then they reach the district sheriff's office through a barely audible police radio but they do get out the message. The name on the wall belongs to a scientist who writes about ancient civilizations and their sudden demises. The army picks up this scientist named Timothy Flyte, played by Peter O'Toole, and transports him to this town with military backup and gads of scientific gear. The battle thus begins. Peter O'Toole is pretty good in this one. He appears as if he is sober for a change. The film is not great but I enjoyed it because it was based on lore and also because of the scientific element. The special effects are pretty cool also. This was a small time movie but it kept me interested and entertained. Check it out.

How do you give an official Count Floyd Batwing Flap? No, it's not a riddle. Try this: spread both your hands out in front of you palms down. Now interlock your thumbs together and flap your fingers like a butterfly. Now move your interlocked, flapping hands through the air in an erratic manner. Now you're doing the Count Floyd Batwing Flap.

Congratulations go to Brad for being the first person to answer the trivia question from the last issue which was: "What movie set was burned down during the burning of Atlanta scene in Gone With the Wind?". He now becomes the new Triviameister of Mellonville. The correct answer is the big jungle doors used in the original King Kong film. The following folks also answered the question correctly: Alan, SBA, Stephanie and Farty McCrablice. (Love that name!) Please give them and yourself an official Count Floyd Batwing Flap.

The new Triviameister of Mellonville asks the following trivia question: "What was the only 3 Stooges movie in which all 3 Howard brothers (Moe, Curly and Shemp) appeared together in?".

The first person to answer the trivia question correctly will become the next Triviameister of Mellonville and earn the right to ask the next question. Please click here to answer and good luck to you all.

 

THE HAUNTED SURVEY

The survey question from the last issue was: "What is your favorite George Lucas film?". The survey SAYS:

STAR WARS (2 VOTES)
THX 1138
EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
RETURN OF THE JEDI
LABYRINTH (2 VOTES)
AMERICAN GRAFFITI (3 VOTES)

Do you have a favorite cinematographer? That's a toughie. What is a cinematographer anyway? Well, he is the one who sees to it that the scene is lit properly and the camera settings are right. If you can imagine a fine painting then the movie director would say what he wants on canvas but the cinematographer would add the color and shading to complete the process. The directors get most of the credit and the cinematographers go unsung. One of my favorite cinematographers right now is Guillermo Navarro. Navarro started out in Mexico City as a portrait photographer around the age of 14. He then entered the fashion world and wound up in Paris for a while. Have you ever heard of him? Perhaps you've heard of his film credits like: Jackie Brown, Spawn, Dream for an Insomniac, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Desperado, Four Rooms, Cronos and From Dusk til Dawn. Quite an enviable list. So do you have a favorite cinematographer you'd like to share with us or perhaps you'd like to pick a favorite from the list of Guillermo Navarro credits above? Cinematographers are so vital to a film yet they go unheralded most of the time. If you'd like to answer the survey question please click here.

AAAAaaawwoooo! Count Floyd will return in issue #22 titled "Dr.Schmo" due out near Halloweenie.