ftp.xmission.com/2014.06.ftp.xmission.com.tar/ftp.xmission.com/pub/lists/movies/archive/movies.199901

Internet Message Format | 1999-01-30 | 501KB

From: Scott Renshaw <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] TOP 10 FILMS OF 1998
Date: 01 Jan 1999 09:54:32 -0700 (MST)

     Again it's time to venture into the critic's best friend and worst
enemy:  the year-end "best of" list.  Our decaphilic nature demands that
the list be one length and one length only, but as ever, don't think that
means this year's collection is on a par with any other given year's
collection.  It's too early in my career to begin hearkening back to the
good old days, so I'll spare us all the lament that the pickings are
growing slimmer.  I'll merely note that I present these ten films as
examples of what film-making can do right when so many people spend so
much money doing it wrong.  I'll also add that one choice this year marks
a radical departure, and a vote for the idea that great movies are great
movies no matter where you happen to see them.

     A few eligible films were not available for screening before the end
of the year in my neck of the woods, including noteworthy entries on other
top ten lists like RUSHMORE, THE THIN RED LINE, and AFFLICTION.  Contact
your local representative for the studios to let them know what a horrible
public relations blunder this could be.

     Avant:

1) THE TRUMAN SHOW -- I'm convinced that, if Paramount had chosen to
market THE TRUMAN SHOW without revealing its central plot point, it would
have been recognized as a masterpiece without reservation.  Even knowing
the story behind Truman Burbank's unique existence didn't hinder my
fascination with this brilliant social satire.  Andrew Niccol's marvelous
script gave it a brain, but Jim Carrey's career-turning performance gave
it heart.  Few films have captured American's relationship with television
as effectively, nor showed us the price we pay.  Most astonishingly, it
manages both a happy ending and a final line of dialogue that's absolutely
chilling.  Truly the year's best melding of film art and craft.

2) SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE -- No one since the Bard himself has had more fun
with the English language than Tom Stoppard...and curiously, he's used it
to greatest effect while having fun with the Bard himself.  Stoppard (who
also crafted ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD) co-wrote this smart,
effervescent speculative romance which skewered Shakespeare's plays,
oddball lit-crit theory, gender roles and -- of all things -- Hollywood,
all in the disguise of a simple love story.  Joseph Fiennes made a
charmingly overwrought artist, Gwyneth Paltrow his radiant muse, and Judi
Dench a scene-stealing Queen Elizabeth.  Crowd-pleasers with as much brain
as heart are a rare commodity; this one had humor, passion and wit to
spare.

3) HITMAN HART: WRESTLING WITH SHADOWS -- I broke with one tradition to
review this film in the first place, and I'll break with another to give
it its much-deserved place of honor.  The year's best documentary happened
to debut on television (the A&E network), but that doesn't diminish its
achievement one iota.  Framed as a year-in-the-life of one popular
professional wrestler -- Bret "The Hitman" Hart -- Paul Jay's brilliant
film managed to cover far more thematic ground than you'd expect.  It's a
tale of father-son relationships, of personal integrity, of entertainment,
and of the peculiar place where the wheels of capitalism grind individuals
into the dust.  Part character study, part social commentary and part
thrilling sports drama, HITMAN HART kept me enthralled sitting at home on
my couch, and that's even more impressive than keeping me enthralled in a
theater seat.

4) SAVING PRIVATE RYAN -- It has already become a bit fashionable to wag
fingers at Steven Spielberg's World War II epic, noting that its substance
doesn't quite hold up to its viscera.  It's true that it lands its hardest
cinematic body blows with images of physical devastation, but I remember
the psychological devastation nearly as vividly.  The human faces of war
-- including Jeremy Davies' unforgettable collapse into cowardice -- take
their place with the Normandy assault in an epic deserving of the term.
RYAN is a fascinating hybrid of the old-style patriotic war film and the
post-Vietnam "isn't war hell" tract.  It takes a chance on the notion that
war most certainly is hell, but that sometimes it's actually worth it.

5) OUT OF SIGHT -- Like most of Universal's 1998 offerings, OUT OF SIGHT
was a disappointment at the box office; unlike most of Universal's 1998
offerings, this one didn't deserve it.  Screenwriter Scott Frank, who did
a pretty good job once before of adapting Elmore Leonard for the screen
(with GET SHORTY), does an even better job in this funny, sexy and sly
caper.  The characters have every ounce of Leonard's oddball punch, giving
several of the performers (including stars George Clooney and Jennifer
Lopez) the best roles of their film careers to date.  Director Steven
Soderbergh, meanwhile, finds the unpredictable love story at the center of
the film and gives it remarkable zip.  OUT OF SIGHT is the cinematic
equivalent of great beach reading -- both unpredictable and effortlessly
entertaining.

6) HAPPINESS -- No sophomore slump was in evidence in writer/director Tod
Solondz's bitterly funny follow-up to WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE.  Many
critics and viewers attacked HAPPINESS as misanthropic, nihilistic or
gratuitously shocking, none of which captures the perceptive sadness at
the heart of this fascinating ensemble piece.  It happens to be the story
of people on a frustrating quest for happiness; the reason that quest
appears doomed is that most of them -- like most of us -- can only define
happiness in terms of things they don't have or can't have.  Solondz also
dared to put find the tortured humanity in society's monsters -- notably
Dylan Baker's chilling turn as a pederast doctor -- which made the film
even less palatable to many.  It may be hard to watch, but HAPPINESS shows
sympathy for a society lost in its longings.

7) A BUG'S LIFE -- John Lasseter, the brilliant director of TOY STORY,
steps down only half a notch for this marvelously kinetic piece of family
entertainment.  A BUG'S LIFE may have been the second of 1998's animated
insect films, but it turned out to be a hilarious triumph of visual
story-telling.  It also came up with the year's single most visionary
conceit -- the end-credits "blooper reel" of the computer-generated actors
-- which made an already very good film feel like the work of a genius.
You could quibble with a couple of characterizations, but it's not worth
the effort.  Ninety solid minutes of smiles are too precious.

8) HURLYBURLY -- We've all seen other insider satires of film industry
types, filled with cynicism and self-loathing.  HURLYBURLY, based on David
Rabe's stage play, takes all that cynicism and self-loathing and gives it
a soul.  That soul belongs to the mid-level Hollywood player portrayed by
Sean Penn, a man trying to find some human connection in a place where
humans don't connect too much.  Penn's performance shows him at his edgy,
engrossing best, shifting between numbing himself to everyone else's
numbness and fighting against it.  His journey of re-discovery anchors a
film filled with sharp performances -- Meg Ryan as a burned-out stripper,
Kevin Spacey as Penn's heartless business partner -- and Rabe's
machine-gun dialogue.  Though confined a bit by its stage roots,
HURLYBURLY delivers both energy and unexpected optimism.

9) BELOVED -- "Too long," groused some; "too dark," complained others;
"too impenentrable," shrugged many.  Too bad.  Though its title hardly
reflected its general reception, BELOVED was an unforgettable film
experience.  At its center it's a ghost story, the tale of a spirit from
the dead that overwhelms the lives of the living.  It was also a story of
banishing those ghosts, of finding ways to move beyond the horror of a
bleak past.  Director Jonathan Demme's languid pacing, the source of so
many jabs at BELOVED, was critical to its atmosphere of foreboding; the
look and feel of this film were part of its haunting pull.  Oprah Winfrey
and Danny Glover acted as the tormented center of the story, but the
supporting performers -- Thandie Newton, Beah Richards and Kimberly Elise
-- were even better.  BELOVED was a truly literary film, as well as the
most uplifting horror film I can recall.

10) THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY -- Peter and Bobby Farrelly found the
borders of good taste, then proceeded to trample them into oblivion in the
kind of comedy Mel Brooks used to make when he still had a sense of the
outrageous.  Sure, it had its slow patches.  It also provided the kind of
gut-level laughs comedies just don't produce much any more.  And don't
underestimate the importance of Cameron Diaz's effortless comic appeal on
the success of this film -- there aren't too many women who could play an
object of obsession effectively, or pull off that rather unique hairstyle
without looking stupid.  Silly, surreal (Jonathan Richman's wandering
minstrel) and consistently surprising, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY
delivered big-time fun.

HONORABLE MENTION:  FRAT HOUSE, LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, MEN WITH GUNS, LOVE AND
DEATH ON LONG ISLAND

                      Visit Scott Renshaw's MoviePage
                    http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
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From: "Danielle Conkle" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] TOP 10 FILMS OF 1998....anyone out there?!
Date: 01 Jan 1999 09:27:12 PST

    Hey I haven't heard much talking on the movie list, is everyone
still out there?!  I love making lists and i know you guys do too...does
anyone have a best & worst of 1998?  Or maybe some of you saw some
really great movies, that didn't get much attention, but should have?  I
would love to hear about all of them!!
   Danielle


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From: [e-mail]
Subject: [MV] Film Threat Weekly : 1-4-99 :  Take 1
Date: 03 Jan 1999 19:25:11 EST

Subj:    Film Threat Weekly : 1-4-99 :  Take 1

FILM THREAT WEEKLY
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
"Hollywood's Indie Voice of the New Millennium"
=============================
Take 1 : January 4th, 1999
=============================
http://www.filmthreat.com
=============================

"Fasten your seatbelts.  It's going to be a bumpy night."
- Bettie Davis braces for a rocky party in "All About Eve."

<===========Deluxe======Widescreen======Edition ===========>

THIS WEEK   "Right here, right now."
===========================================
ùù> NEWS: Where objectivity is strangely absent.
ùù> BOXOFFICE CHART: Who's number one at the boxoffice?
ùù> THE YEAR IN REVIEW: Meaningless "Best of" Lists for 1998
ùù> DIY FILMMAKING: Filmmaker War Stories
ùù> HATE MAIL: You like us. You really like us.


SUBSCRIBE   "Unless you already did."
===========================================
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BUY FILM THREAT T-SHIRTS   "Cures Nudity on Contact!"
===========================================
FILM THREAT T-SHIRTS are here and just in time!  You'll never have to suffer
the embarrassment of a NAKED body again with this miracle device!  Get one!
http://www.filmthreat.com/welcome.htm


CLASSIFIEDS   "If you advertise, they will come."
===========================================
Reach over 75,000 film fanatics on the net.  For our reasonable ad rates, e-
mail [e-mail].

SUBMIT OR DIE
Entries being accepted in film, video, screenwriting and music competitions of
Saguaro Film Festival -- Arizona's best fest.  Entry forms and info:
http://www.extrcheese.com/afs

SOULDANCE FILM FESTIVAL - GET YOUR FREE TICKETS!
The souldance film festival, showcasing the best in indie films by women and
minority filmmakers will be held in Park City, Utah, January 24 - 29, 1999.
For more info call 212-971-5835.
http://www.souldancefilmfestival.com

EXTENDED DEADLINE FOR VALLEYFEST
We are accepting features, documentaries and animations for March 12-14
festival in Knoxville, TN.  NEW DEADLINE -- JANUARY 31ST.  For information or
entry form call 423-971-1792 or visit web site:
http://www.esper.com/valleyfest

5TH ANNUAL CUCALORUS FILM FESTIVAL
Showcase festival in Wilmington, NC (big film town) is geared towards
filmmakers.  All genres, film/video formats accepted -- anything goes! ENTRY
DEADLINES January 15, February 1. Information -- http://www.cucalorus.org.
Hang on slang on!
http://www.cucalorus.org

NO DANCE FILM & MULTIMEDIA FESTIVAL
1999 NO DANCE Film & Multimedia Festival returns to Park City. Preliminary
lineup announced on web site.  More details to follow for the first-ever DVD
festival - ONE DAY - ONE EVENT - ONE MOUNTAIN!
http://www.6161.com


THE NEWS   "Filtered and manipulated.  Just like the real news."
===========================================
Our top story...

SOULDANCE FILM FESTIVAL JOINS ALTERNATIVE
FESTS INVADING PARK CITY, UTAH IN JANUARY
The Souldance Film Festival, to be held on January 24 - 29, 1999 in Park City,
Utah, is planned to be a showcase of the best in feature films and shorts made
by women and minority filmmakers. The diverse programming of the Souldance
Film Festival includes feature films and shorts making their US premiere as
well as a number of films that have received critical acclaim and awards.
Films selected for this year's Souldance Film Festival are:

Feature Competition:
"My Fathers Love" an urban Mexican drama directed by Frank Aragon.  This film
is making its US premiere at Souldance.

"Naked Acts" directed by Bridgett Davis. After winning awards at many top film
festivals worldwide, this sensitive drama about a Black woman coming to terms
with her body, opened recently to sell out audiences at the Thalia Theater in
New York City. Variety called it "Fresh, funny and original."

"Cappuccino" is a critically acclaimed film noir feature directed by Craig
Ross, Jr. The film has received top awards at the Urbanworld Film Festival and
appeared at Lincoln Center for its New Director/New Films series.

"you say tomatoà" a romantic-comedy directed by Prentice Penny will make its
US premiere at Souldance.

Shorts in Competition:

"Aftermath" directed by Jaison Greene
"The Lion's Den" directed by Rick Gough
"Girl Talk" directed by Stacey Holman
"True" directed by Chuck Stone

Films will be screened in video on a state of the art Home Theater System.
Tickets are free to the public.
http://www. souldancefilmfestival.com


BOXOFFICE CHART   "Hollywood's Horse Race... and they're off!"
===========================================
Weekend of January 1-3, Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.

1/New PATCH ADAMS $20.1/$66.6 (2)
2/     2 STEPMOM $15.0/$50.4 (2)
3/     3 YOU'VE GOT MAIL $14.1/$77.9 (3)
4/     4 THE PRINCE OF EGYPT $15.1/$66.6 (3)
5/     7 A BUG'S LIFE $10.0/137.6 (7)
6/     6 MIGHTY JOE YOUNG $8.7/$28.8 (2)
7/     5 THE FACULTY $8.0/$26.3 (2)
8/     9 ENEMY OF THE STATE $5.0/$97.0 (7)
9/     8 STAR TREK: INSURRECTION $4.8/$58.7 (4)
10/ 10 JACK FROST $3.2/$31.2 (4)
-/      - SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE $3.1
-/      - THE THIN RED LINE .376 (2 Theaters)
-/      - PLAYING BY HEART $.028 (1 Theater)
-/      - THE HI-LO COUNTRY $.006 (1 Theater)


PICKS OF THE WEEK   "Stuff we wanna plug."
===========================================
SCREENWRITING CONTEST:
The deadline for the Second Annual Taos Land & Film Screenplay Contest is
January 25th, 1999.  The winner will receive five acres in the Cerro Montoso
filmmakers colony that overlooks the Rio Grande Gorge in Taos.  The award will
be presented at the fifth annual Taos Talking Pictures Festival April 15-18,
1999.  "The deadline has been moved up this year due to the large number of
entries we received last year (apx. 400) and the logistical/time problems
encountered in doing all the coverage and judging before the festival in
April. We'd like to encourage writers to submit their entries as early as
possible and to avoid the last-minute "term paper" syndrome we experienced
with entries last year.  The benefit to the writer is the sooner we get your
script the more attention we can give it and the more producers and agents
that can review it."
     The winning script will be optioned by TLFC in exchange for the five
acres.  The option will be negotiated with the author against a purchase price
ranging between $50,000 and $500,000 contingent upon the scale and scope of
the story and the successful development and production of it as a realized
motion picture.
     Additionally, finalists will be submitted to agents and producers who
have expressed interest in purchasing options and developing co-productions
with Taos Land & Film Company.
     TLFC also sponsors the Annual Land Grant Prize at the Taos Talking
Pictures Festival -- as part of their effort to encourage the building of a
film community in the well-known artist's colony and ski resort -- five acres
awarded to the most inspired feature film entered.  Previous winning
filmmakers and writers who are now land-owners on the mountain include, Chris
Eyre, director of "Smoke Signals"; Connie Marks, director of "Green Chimneys";
Gary Walkow, director of "Notes From Underground" and Reynaldo Cantu', author
of "Why Angels Cry."  Call Taos Land & Film at 310/396-9242:
http://www.taoslandandfilm.com

WEB SITE:
For the coolest in hard-to-find Hong Kong films check out Tai Seng Video.
They have a library of over 2,000 titles and everything from Jackie Chan, Jet
Li, Sammo Hung, Michelle Yeoh and John Woo.  Awesome.
http://www.taiseng.com

DVD:
If you love food, you will love "Tampopo".  The touching little film is about
a truck driver who teaches a young widow named Tampopo how to improve her
noodle restaurant. The film is one part spaghetti western with a helping of
satire, surrealism and screwball comedy.  Made by Japanese director Mansaku
Itami, who is renowned for his films that focus on social commentary such as
"A Taxing Woman", and The Gangster's Moll".  Get a great deal on "Tampopo" and
other movies at DVD Express -- they have the best deals on the web!  And don't
forget to tell 'em Film Threat sent you.
http://www.dvdexpress.com


THE YEAR IN REVIEW     "Meaningless Lists for 1998"
===========================================
Guaranteed to piss you off and create mountains of annoying e-mail, here it
is, our annual... BEST, WORST, MOST ANNOYING LISTS OF 1998!

BEST FILMS OF 1998
10. "A Civil Action": An intelligent script, astute director and a supporting
cast that makes up for its mediocre superstar.

9. "Permanent Midnight": Ben Stiller's Oscar worthy performance about a drug
addicted writer. Intense and well written.

8. "Primary Colors": Adrian Lester, Kathy Bates and Larry Hagman are great in
this film that was forgotten by most. Don't let Travolta scare you.

7. "The Big One": Terrific documentary from the director of the brilliant
"Roger & Me", Michael Moore.

6. "The Thin Red Line": Although the cameos were intrusive, this filmed "poem"
has brilliant performances throughout.

5. "The Big Lebowski": Jeff Bridges is Oscar worthy as "The Dude" and John
Goodman is hilarious, too bad most were expecting "Fargo".

4. "The Spanish Prisoner": Cambell Scott and Steve Martin are impeccable in
David Mamet's flawless tale about the theft of a secret "formula".

3. "Saving Private Ryan": Oscar Favorite, watch for Tom Sizemore's well
deserved nomination.

2. "Life is Beautiful": Roberto Benigni's bizarre masterpiece about one man's
struggle to save his child from the terrors of the Nazi Concentration Camps.

1. "A Simple Plan": Sam Raimi's brilliant tragedy about three men who find $4
million. The script is close to perfect and the characters are second to none.
Bill Paxton and Bridget Fonda are excellent but it is Billy Bob Thornton's
performance that steals the film.

Other notables: "A Bug's Life", "The Celebration", "Rushmore", "Bulworth",
"Out of Sight", "Love is the Devil", "Henry Fool", "Pleasantville",
"Ringmaster", "Gummo", "Happiness", "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", "Pi",
"Buffalo '66", "Safe Men", "Gods and Monsters", "Les Miserables", "Shakespeare
in Love", "Return to Paradise", "Truman Show", "Zero Effect".


WORST FILMS OF 1998
10. "Apt Pupil": Never before has a film made you actually want to side with a
murdering Nazi.

9. "Halloween H20" / "Psycho": Weren't these supposed to be scary?

8. "Deep Impact" / "Armageddon": An asteroid hitting earth is a good idea for
a film ... so why were these films so terrible?

7. "Baseketball" / "Orgazmo": Just plain unfunny. Maybe a laugh track would
have helped to point out the jokes. Stick to cartoons guys.

6. "Desperate Measures": Michael Keaton as an evil serial killer who exercises
with bags of water? Try to sit through this gem.

5. "Dr. Dolittle" / "Holy Man": Please take away Eddie's comedy license. He
has not been funny for years.

4. "Lethal Weapon 4": Don't even try to use the lame excuse: "But Jet Li was
cool!" HE WAS NOT and the producers didn't even try ... awful film.

3. "Knock Off" / "The Big Hit": Only going to say this once: "NO MORE MIXING
HONG KONG DIRECTORS WITH VAN DAMME" ... both films are just insulting.

2. "Mercury Rising": Alec Baldwin is looking more like Daniel every day and
Bruce Willis is worse than ever... not even going to mention the kid.

1. "Dee Snyder's Strangeland": Dee Snyder acting, writing & producing?  Zero
production value, terrible acting and a ridiculous script.  Absolutely the
most UNWATCHABLE film released in 1998.

Other crap that deems mentioning: "Sphere", "Godzilla", "Lost In Space",
"Patch Adams", "Avengers", "Urban Legends", "Soldier", "54", "Burn Hollywood
Burn", "Man in the Iron Mask", "Small Soldiers", "Night at the Roxbury",
"Species 2" and "Switchback", to name just a few ...


MOST OFFENSIVE ACTORS:
Eric Schaeffer (did he have a film in '98?)
Adam Sandler
Ben Affleck
Leonardo Di Caprio
Ben Affleck
Leonardo Di Caprio
Ben Affleck
Leonardo Di Caprio ... (you get the idea)


BIGGEST BOMBS:
"Baseketball": Did "Premiere" really pick this film to make over $100 million?
"Godzilla": Even though it made $120 million it really sucked!!!
"Species 2": Yes, it was released theatrically.


MOST SOUGHT AFTER NUDE SCENES:
Jennifer Love Hewitt: "I Still Know I Have Huge Boobs"
Christina Ricci: "The Opposite of Small" & "Buffalo 66DD"
Neve Campbell: "Wild Dykes"
Christina Applegate: "The Big _its"
Minnie Driver: "Hard Rain in My Pants"


MOST ANNOYING ROBIN WILLIAMS FILM:
How many films did he release this year?  Take your pick.


WORST SCENES:
"Armageddon": Liv Tyler & Ben Affleck's Animal Crackers - Apparently this was
shot later to add more "depth" to the romance ... it worked.
"Wild Things": Matt Dillon & Kevin Bacon's Shower Scene - Do you really want
to see "Bacon-penis"?
"Man in the Iron Mask": Leonardo Di Caprio - Any scene that involved him
actually speaking. Why did everybody have an accent but the king?
"Lost in Space" - THAT STUPID MONKEY!!!
"Shakespeare in Love": What is Ben Affleck doing in a period piece?
"Species 2": Every scene in which Natasha Henstridge was NOT naked.


MOST SURPRISING FILMS:
"Something About Mary"
"Zero Effect"
"Return to Paradise"
"Les Miserables"
"Dark City"


20 FILMS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 1999:
"Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" (June 11)
"eXistenZ" (April 23)
"Eyes Wide Shut" (July 16)
"Fight Club" (June 24)
"Freddy vs. Jason" (October 31?)
"Fu Manchu"
"Gladiator"
"The Green Mile" ("Summer")
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (Thanksgiving?)
"Idiots"
"Man on the Moon"
"Mystery Men" (July 9)
"The Ninth Gate"
"Romeo Must Die"
"Sleepy Hollow" (November)
"The South Park Movie" (April)
"Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" (May 24)
"Stigmata"
"Stuck on You"
"The Talented Mr. Ripley"


DIY FILMMAKING:  "War Stories from the Frontlines of Filmmaking"
===========================================
Here we present another chapter in our continuing series focusing on the
trials and tribulations of making independent films.  These War Stories from
filmmakers who slaved to get it done will tear at your heart and might even
make you cry.  (Not really, but it sounds good to say that.)  Battle on indie
filmmakers!

INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKER: Wiley Wiggins (a former actor, he played that junior
high kid Mitch Kramer from "Dazed and Confused" and also starred in "Love and
a .45") who has now turned filmmaker with his short film "Binary Cancer
Tacos".

THE SCOOP: "Binary Cancer Tacos" was shot in Hi-8mm video combined with
malfunctioning video game footage, Mexican TV satellite feed mess-ups on an
ailing old computer to produce something that masquerades as a story about
robots who make tacos or something.

BUDGET: $5-10

WHY DID YOU MAKE IT?
Because in heartworm, worm doctors imprison video worm decay units. Cock-
marker undertow units monitor worm doctor corrosion kits.  (This was Wiley's
nutty answer: ed.)

WHAT SACRIFICES DID YOU MAKE ALONG THE WAY?
More producers realized that they probably shouldn't give me the lead in the
next Disney mah-jong playing telepathic monkey movie. Also I had to listen to
a bunch of people who saw it at a Texas Fine Arts Association block party tell
me what they thought it "meant".

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FILM?
Play it for people on drugs, telling them that it's actually tapes of the hit
television series "Riptide."  The short played at the TFAA opening night block
party and the second annual F3 film fest. I don't know if there is an audience
for it anywhere else. I'll probably sell it mailorder.

ANY PEARLS OF WISDOM?
Fast hard-drives. Magnetic distortion fields.  Learn to relish uncomfortable
silence. When all else fails, get really drunk start to take off your clothes.
There's no end in sight.

WAS IT WORTH IT?
Yes. It payed for two homeless people to  have a pack of cigarettes and talk
on tape about something other than their living situation.  One of the bums I
filmed had been waiting 20 years to sing Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" for
someone.

WILL YOU BE GOING TO SUNDANCE THIS YEAR?
Blah.  Probably not going to Sundance. Can't think of a reason why I should
really. I'll probably slum around SXSW a little and get drunk.  I need to suck
it up and do a big stupid movie so I can make a bunch of money to give to the
Zellner Brothers (Plastic Utopia) so they'll make a new movie. I'm thinking of
going to Japan to do tampon commercials.... Or maybe I could molest myself and
be driven to porn.

To find out more, surf over to:

http://www.fringeware.com/anathema/bios/wiley.html
Or e-mail Wiley at: [e-mail]

FILMMAKERS:  Hey!  How come my film isn't in this column?!!  E-mail your tales
to [e-mail] and answer the basic questions above.  Send us a copy of
your film and if it sounds cool, we'll run a story!  Send VHS review copies
to: Film Threat, 5042 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 150, Los Angeles, CA 90036


HATE MAIL: You like us. You really like us.
===========================================
Send your ramblings to: [e-mail].

READ THE FINE PRINT
Dear Commercial Alert: I am a 26 year old  filmmaker/writer/student/waiter. I
have for many years appreciated the research and campaigning that Mr. Ralph
Nader has led in the name of fairness and liberty for the American people; But
now I can't believe what I'm hearing. What is all this negative commotion
about movie ads in the theatres? Aren't there many more pressing issues to
contend with in this chaotic world?
     I love movie trailers! Ninety percent of movie ads are grotesquely
manipulative and they often insult (but sometimes exceed) the merit of
the actual film they're promoting. However, they comprise a tradition that
I've witnessed throughout my entire life, and I believe that they
are harmless and quite useful, even fun in a campy sort of way! I always make
sure I arrive at a movie theatre in time to see every single
trailer before the movie begins, because no matter what type or genre of movie
I have come to see, the excitement I feel from watching trailers
sets my mood perfectly for watching the movie, and watching the ads is indeed
the icing on the cake for my complete cinematic experience.
     Another very important benefit of having people arrive at a movie during
the trailers is that people always have a little talking to do when they sit
down in the theatre, and the trailers provide a perfect time to talk with
companions without disturbing anyone's movie experience. I should also note,
at the risk of revealing the obvious, that I honestly do appreciate being
informed about what movies I can look forward to seeing (or avoiding) in the
near future.
     In regard to your argument concerning the "art" of cinema: The history of
cinema is the history of horrible movies and great films and everything in
between---taking away the "commercials" is not going to change that.
     By the way, there are usually about five to seven minutes worth of
trailers before a movie begins, so if skipping the ads is that important to
you, then show up a little late! If the exact showtime of the film is what you
want, then call the theatre (use the phone number they offer at the end of
their "showtimes" recording) and a theatre employee will be happy to give you
the film's exact screening time.
     Thank you for listening.
- Jeff Britt
Austin, Texas
[e-mail]

FILM THREAT RESPONDS:
Hey moron, if you read everything in the story he is NOT talking about movie
trailers but COMMERCIALS for things like Coca Cola, McDonald's or Chevrolet.
We all love movie trailers and would not support a campaign to remove them
from theaters.  That is NOT what they are talking about.
     Disney, Miramax, Warner Brothers and other movie studios support the
permanent removal of COMMERCIALS at theaters.  One quick piece of advice: you
DO NOT have the right to an opinion.  You only have a right to an INFORMED
opinion.
     Go back and reread the original story, or better yet, have someone else
read it to you.  You really embarassed yourself.
- Your pals at Film Threat

FACULTY REVIEW
In response to THE FACULTY review:  I really liked the fake screenplay with
Williamson and Weinstein, but my only question is, after mocking their whole
approach to making this stupid crap, why give it 3&1/2?  I saw it the other
day, and left thinking, okay, from the second scene I knew that Elijah Wood
and Jordana Brewster were going to get together by the end.  I hated the
script for that.  By the third scene, I knew that the country girl was the
head Alien.  By the fourth scene, I knew that I should have gone to see
Shakespearre in Love instead.  I mean come on, the whole reason the horror
genre experienced a revitalization is because of it's new found originality,
not because we wanted to see a different take on the 'pen in the eyeball'
shot.  The reason I haven't liked "Last Summer" or "Faculty,"  is because they
both have the same non-wit that the Scream movies promised us.  Where did it
go?  Why does every movie have to be like 'Angus"  meeting "The Monster Squad"
because that's what it seems like.....I'm getting sick of it.
P.S.  What a craptacular cameo by Harry what'shisface of 'aintitcoolnews' as
the no named teacher who says nothing and sweated badly even before becoming
an alien!
- [e-mail]

DEAR FILM THREAT
I've enjoyed your newsletter for a few weeks now....after Rodney Conviser (aka
Comedy on Tap) put me on the list...I'm sure without asking.  And now that
you've made the very excellent choice to mention such a splendid upcoming
film, I guess I'll have to recommend this newsletter to a few of my friends.
     Keep up the good work.
- Richard Hull
(One of the now many producers of SHE'S ALL THAT)
[e-mail]


END CREDITS   "Written, produced, and directed by . . ."
===========================================
Publisher / Chris Gore
Senior Editor / Ron Wells
Jr. Editor / Anthony Miele
Contributors / Merle Bertrand, Tom Meek, Victor Minjares

Send us films, videos, CDs, games, screening passes:
FILM THREAT, 5042 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 150, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Website: http://www.filmthreat.com
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FILM THREAT WEEKLY is published by The Gore Group, LLC.  All material ⌐1999
Gore Group Publications.  All rights reserved.  Contents may not be reprinted
without written permission of the author.  You are, however, welcome to
forward this e-mail to whomever you wish.  All letters, comments and reviews
sent to Film Threat Weekly in any manner are assumed intended for publication,
unless stated otherwise. Your name and e-mail address will be printed if
published herein. Not responsible for unsolicited submissions.

Film Threat is now a proud part of the daily entertainment network at
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QUOTING FILM THREAT WEEKLY:  Journalists, if you feel the need to quote Film
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From: "Tonya " <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] TOP 10 FILMS OF 1998....anyone out there?!
Date: 03 Jan 1999 23:08:04 -0600

Well, here are a few movies I thought were really good this year.  These
movies might not be Oscar-quality, but I enjoyed watching them at the
theater.

Armageddon (one of my faves!)
Urban Legend (one of my faves!)
Night at the Roxbury (good for a laugh)
Bride of Chucky (another one for a laugh, not scare)
What Dreams May Come
Ever After (one of my faves!)
Meet Joe Black  (soooo good!)
Waterboy  (a laugh-er)

     ***There are more, but that's all I can think of at the moment***

I hated these:  **AGAIN- there are more, but I can't remember them all**

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
Knock Off


-Tonya
[e-mail]

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From: Jayson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] TOP 10 FILMS OF 1998....anyone out there?!
Date: 04 Jan 1999 14:15:13 +0800 (HKT)

I'm here Tonya! :) Anyway, it seems that we don't have the same taste when
it comes to movies but anyway, here's my list:

Best films:
1. Saving Private Ryan
2. The Truman Show
3. Sliding Doors
4. A Bug's Life/Antz/Mulan (good crop of kiddie films this year)
7. There's Something About Mary

Worst films:
1. Armageddon
2. Deep Impact
3. Urban Legend
4. I Still Know What You Did Last Summer

Anyway, I'm from the Philippines so some films have not yet been released
here (like Prince of Egypt, You've Got Mail, Patch Adams, Stepmom, even
Beloved and Pleasantville) so I'm looking forward to seeing them.

-------
Jayson
-------


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From: "Tonya " <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] TOP 10 FILMS OF 1998....anyone out there?!
Date: 04 Jan 1999 00:31:00 -0600

Well, Jayson, I haven't seen any of the movies you picked to be your
favorite.  From the things I've heard about most of them, they would
probably be on my 'good' list too.

You mentioned Deep Impact, I'd forgotten about that one.  I'll have to put
that one on my good list though, unlike you. I liked it.

I really want to see Pleasantville, You Got Mail, and Stepmom, also Mighty
Joe Young.

Hey, we did agree on the fact that neither of us liked I Still Know What
You Did Last Summer.

-Tonya
[e-mail]
______________________________________________


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From: "Danielle Conkle" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] TOP 10 FILMS OF 1998....anyone out there?!
Date: 04 Jan 1999 06:56:35 PST

    Hmmm, i can't tell if it's me, or there really just weren't that
many great movies this year.  The only one i can think of that was great
was    1.) There's Something about Mary
outrageousness and originality always gets snaps from me!  I also liked
2.) Antz  but i don't know if i would put that on a best list.

As for worst I would put 1.) Urban Legend
                         2.) Deep Impact (Tea Leoni needs to learn how
                             to act!)

That's all i can think of right now!

>Well, here are a few movies I thought were really good this year.
These
>movies might not be Oscar-quality, but I enjoyed watching them at the
>theater.
>
>Armageddon (one of my faves!)
>Urban Legend (one of my faves!)
>Night at the Roxbury (good for a laugh)
>Bride of Chucky (another one for a laugh, not scare)
>What Dreams May Come
>Ever After (one of my faves!)
>Meet Joe Black  (soooo good!)
>Waterboy  (a laugh-er)
>
>     ***There are more, but that's all I can think of at the moment***
>
>I hated these:  **AGAIN- there are more, but I can't remember them
all**
>
>I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
>Knock Off
>
>
>-Tonya
>[e-mail]
>
>[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
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>


______________________________________________________
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject:  [MV] REVIEW: HITMAN HART: WRESTLING WITH SHADOWS -Reply
Date: 04 Jan 1999 11:30:43 -0700 (MST)

I agree with your review 100%.  I caught the documentary on TV and
happened to tape it.  Now I am passing it around to all of my
friends.  The ending is explosive.

One description you left out is "scary".  I would hate to have run
into dad during his heyday.   He came across as a bit on the
freaky-deaky side.

bb

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Tommi Varoma <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] TOP 10 FILMS OF 1998....anyone out there?!
Date: 04 Jan 1999 22:16:33 +0200

I kind of share the same problem with Jayson because I live in Finland and
it always takes some time before the films have their premiere here. For
example Meet Joe Black has not been released yet or Ronin. I still know
what you did last summer is also unreleased but that doesn=B4t bother me too
much because I=B4m not paying for films like that. I saw Scream2 and I felt
like I have been robbed afterwards.

My list of best films 1998 is:
Saving Private Ryan - great movie with great actors. This is the first Tom
Hanks movie I actually liked
Prince of Egypt - This film kicks ass.

There can be more but who could remember them all and they are propably
1997 movies anyway

My not so good list of 1998 is:
Truman show - I expected more, it had some good ideas and the end was
almost good. Anyway I wonder how people didn=B4t get tired of this in 30
years when 2 hours was enough for me.

I don=B4t remember more of these either but who cares if they are bad.






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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 01/04/99
Date: 04 Jan 1999 15:49:43 -0700 (MST)

Charlize Theron -- currently seen on the screen with a big
ape in "Mighty Joe Young" and for a funny, fleeting date
with Kenneth Branagh in Woody Allen's "Celebrity" -- is to
take on the starring role in the movie version of the Tony
Award-winning musical "Chicago." USA Today says Theron has
been picked to replace Goldie Hawn, who had long been
penciled in for the role. On the other hand, this film has
been in the works since the original production of the stage
musical in 1975, and industry skeptics believe the movie
will never happen.

There would be some irony in having Theron play the role
of Roxie Hart, a murderess who kills her husband. In 1991,
Theron's mother shot and killed her own father while he was
in a drunken rage. The shooting was ruled self-defense, and
no charges were pressed.

                        -=> * <=-

The obvious works: "Patch Adams" was the No. 1 movie for a
second weekend, and "Stepmom" held its own as the critically
panned films claimed the top box office spots over the New
Year's holiday, according to industry estimates. "Adams"
made $20.1 million; "Stepmom," $15 million. They were
followed by the Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan romance "You've Got Mail"
(with $14.1 million). "The Prince of Egypt," DreamWorks'
$100 million animated fable about Moses, was in fourth place
with $11.5 million. Disney's "A Bug's Life" came in fifth
with $10 million. Much of the weekend movie business was
hampered by a severe winter storm that hit portions of the
country. "It's like a ghost town in Chicago," "Stepmom"
director Chris Columbus told Reuters, speaking from the
blizzard-stricken city.

                        -=> * <=-

In a surprise move, the National Society of Film Critics
named "Out of Sight," based on an Elmore Leonard novel, its
Best Picture. The crime thriller starred George Clooney and
was a box-office disappointment. The film also won for its
director, Steven Soderbergh, and screenplay. Nick Nolte was
named Best Actor for "Affliction" and Ally Sheedy Best
Actress for her comeback role in "High Art." Supporting
Actor winners were Bill Murray for "Rushmore" and Judi Dench
for "Shakespeare in Love."

                        -=> * <=-

DIED: Actor-director-writer Don Taylor, 78, who played
Elizabeth Taylor's bridegroom in "Father of the Bride" and
went on to direct such features as "Escape From the Planet
of the Apes," Tuesday, of heart failure, at the UCLA Medical
Center ... Oscar Scaggs, 21, the son of singer Boz Scaggs,
on New Year's Eve, of an apparent drug overdose in San
Francisco, it was announced Sunday by the elder Scaggs'
publicist.

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From: "Jason Cormier" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Patch Adams review
Date: 04 Jan 1999 23:28:45 -0800

Hope everyone had a happy holiday season and hope your year has started off
well!  I got to go to Montreal (actually 2 hrs east of Montreal) for New
Year's and had a blast skiing and sleeping in the chalet!  Anywho - I did
get to see a movie while I was there and it was Robin William's Patch
Adams - the number 1 movie for 2 weeks in a row!  It is definitely a
Williams movie - very funny and touching - but also kinda schmaltzy near the
end.  It is a very positive movie -even more so due to the fact that it is
based on a true story.  Good laughs but predictable (aspects of Dead Poets
Society)- but fun for the family.  78%.


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From: "Jason Cormier" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Shakespeare in Love review
Date: 04 Jan 1999 23:34:15 -0800

In many critic's top ten list of the year (including mine) this movie,
written by the Bard's decendent you would think, Tom Stoppard (Rosencrantz
and Guildentern are Dead, Dogg's Hamlet and Cahoot's Macbeth) is everything
that most movies of this genre aren't: funny, entertaining, witty, romantic
and definitely smart.  You do not have to be an expert in Shakespeare to
enjoy this film - as I surely am not (though there are 2 or 3 in-jokes if
you know something about his plays).  A great time with an amazing cast -
absolutely unrecognizable Geoffry Rush (from Shine) and pompous Ben Affleck
and Ralph's brother Joseph Fiennes - not to mention that this is Gwenyth's
second good performance of the year (third if you count Sliding Doors as
two!).  Blabber blabber - this is a good movie and was very refreshing to
see - highly recommended as an alternative to the drudgery of Hollywood.
88%.


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Scott Renshaw <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] REVIEW: THE CELEBRATION (FESTEN)
Date: 05 Jan 1999 07:32:56 -0700 (MST)

THE CELEBRATION (FESTEN)
(October)
Starring:  Ulrich Thomsen, Henning Moritzen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Paprika
Steen, Birthe Neumann, Trine Dyrholm, Helle Dolleris, Gbatokai Dakinah.
Screenplay:  Thomas Vinterberg and Mogens Rukov.
Producer:  Birgitte Hald.
Director:  Thomas Vinterberg.
MPAA Rating:  Unrated (could be R for adult themes, nudity and profanity)
Running Time:  101 minutes.
In English and Danish with English subtitles.
Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.

     THE CELEBRATION's Klingenfeldt clan is one of those families that
proves Chekhov's assertion about unhappy families being unhappy in their
own unique ways.  More to the point, it's a family that makes you feel
better about your own unhappy family.  Eldest son Christian (Ulrich
Thomsen) wallows in depression over his twin sister's recent death;
brother Michael (Thomas Bo Larsen) is still in hot water over his
alcohol-fueled scene at the last family gathering; sister Helene (Paprika
Steen) creates a stir by bringing black boyfriend Gbatokai (Gbatokai
Dakinah) to meet her less-than-politically correct relatives.  Throwing
these people together for a weekend on a country estate celebrating father
Helge's (Henning Moritzen) 60th birthday would be enough to insure plenty
of recrimination to go around.

     That's the kind of character truth "Dogma '95" -- a manifesto for a
return to bare bones filmmaking created by several leading Danish
directors -- was supposed to engender.  Yet at times THE CELEBRATION feels
forced and artificial, merely in a different way than the forced and
artifical genre films implicitly criticized by Dogma '95.  The gathering
in the story eventually comes to focus on the removal of a jurassic-sized
skeleton from the family closet, and the reactions of all the family
members to what has been revealed.  Some of those reactions ring jarringly
true, like Michael's attempt to return himself to his father's good graces
by removing the cause of the trouble.  Others feel silly, like the
machinations of the family cook to help air the dirty laundry.  But good
or bad, all the reactions spring from a bombshell rather than the typical
exchanges of small artillery that make for most family tension.

     It all seems terribly unnecessary considering how perceptively
Vinterberg and co-scripter Mogens Rukov capture the more mundane animosity
and foolishness of family gatherings.  When grandfather rises to tell the
same slightly risque joke for the second time in the evening, all and
sundry indulge him, chuckling and applauding just as merrily as the first.
Michael treats his wife Mette (Helle Dolleris) with such a basic contempt
that he leaves to walk a mile with the children when he picks up Christian
in their small car.  Helene's mother (Birthe Neumann) "mistakes" Gbatokai
for Helene's previous boyfriend, a Latino, with a casual and oblivious
racism.  Vinterberg and his exceptional cast -- Thomas Bo Larsen is
particularly good as the younger son overflowing with toxic anger -- find
moments of greatness in these simple conflicts.  They're the sort of
things all families contend with, the things that make people want to take
blood relations and make them bloody relations.

     Indeed, Vinterberg's point may have been that the more extreme
example of family crisis that supercedes the others is more common than
we'd like to believe.  If so, it still feels like an authenticity that
draws too much attention to itself.  Curiously, the same could be said for
the rigid film-making prescriptions of the Dogma '95.  The hand-held
camerawork, washed-out video-to-film cinematography, location shooting and
absence of underscore music were intended to subsume "auteurism" in favor
of story, but they simply become an auteurism of a different sort.  As
effectively as the location serves to intensify the claustrophobia of a
family forced to confront its demons, the look and sound of THE
CELEBRATION -- or lack thereof -- just make you aware of how different
this film looks and sounds than other films, exactly when the familiarity
of the situations should come into focus.

     Some might argue the same was true of the most notable previous Dogma
'95 effort, Lars Von Trier's BREAKING THE WAVES.  Yet in that film, the
style supported the instability of the main character's world;
thematically, the look was of a piece with the story.  In THE CELEBRATION,
that same look works far less effectively, because it feels like an
exercise rather than a choice.  When Vinterberg nails the truth of basic
family interaction, it's easy to overlook that exercise.  Later, when a
dramatic plot point takes over, it starts to seem that too much has been
imposed on these characters from without -- a bad dogma starts to run over
all its great karma.

     On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 bad dogmas:  7.

                      Visit Scott Renshaw's MoviePage
                    http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
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From: Scott Renshaw <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Correction to THE CELEBRATION review
Date: 05 Jan 1999 08:19:19 -0700 (MST)

My thanks to a kind reader who chose not to mock me when pointing out that
the quote I attributed to Chekhov should in fact be attributed to Tolstoy.
Apologies for the blunder.

Scott

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From: Alistair Dunn <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Top 20 Box Office
Date: 06 Jan 1999 20:43:12 +1300

Top 20 Box Office Earners (America only)

1 - Titanic    (a really big surprise - Yeah right!)
2 - Armaggedon
3 - Saving Private Ryan
4 - There's Something About Mary
5 - The Waterboy
6 - Dr Dolittle
7 - Deep Impact
8 - Godzilla
9 - Rush hour
10 Good Will Hunting
11 - Lethal Weapon 4
12 -The Truman Show
13 -  Mulan
14 - As Good as it Gets
15 - A Bugs Life
16 - Antz
17 - The Mask of Zorro
18 - The X files
19 - The Wedding Singer
20 - Enermy of the state


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From: [e-mail] (Hollywood Online)
Subject: [MV] Hollywood Online Weekly Dispatch
Date: 06 Jan 1999 04:23:12 -0800 (PST)

                    Hollywood Online Weekly Dispatch

Hello movie fans!

Welcome yet again to the Hollywood Online Weekly Dispatch, delivered
FREE OF CHARGE to your e-mail box every week. Instructions for
unsubscribing appear at the bottom.

The Hollywood Online Weekly Dispatch is THE source for detailed news
about the latest movie and video releases, Hollywood events, special
movie site features, exclusive interviews and audio clips, movie
soundtrack news, premiere coverage, and much more.

So, away we go . . .

****************************************
NEW MOVIES RELEASED THIS WEEK
****************************************
(in alphabetical order)

Movies Opening or Expanding
January 8, 1999

"A Civil Action"
http://www.hollywood.com/cgi-bin/TARGET/indexmg.cgi?civilaction
Drama: Small-time attorney John Travolta gets in over his head when
he greedily takes on a case that leads in unexpected directions.
Steven Zaillian directs.
January 8, 1999 - expanded release

"It Happened Here"
http://www.hollywood.com/cgi-bin/TARGET/indexmg.cgi?ithappened
Art/Foreign: This 1963 release follows the adventures of an English
nurse at the close of World War II. While waiting for the Allies to
arrive, she weighs her career options in a frenzied, German-occupied
London. Filmed in gritty documentary style, the production includes
vintage costumes, settings and a non-pro cast. Co-directed by Kevin
Brownlow and Andrew Mollo.
January 8, 1999 - NY release

"The Ogre"
http://www.hollywood.com/cgi-bin/TARGET/indexmg.cgi?ogre
Drama: John Malkovich stars as "the ogre," a French man who becomes
a recruiter at a Hitler Youth school in Prussia during World War II.
From a torturous upbringing in a catholic orphanage to false accusations
of child abuse as an adult, Malkovich's simpleton finally earns respect
as a teacher who molds peasant boys into Nazi youths.
January 8, 1999 - LA release

"Private Confessions"
http://www.hollywood.com/cgi-bin/TARGET/indexmg.cgi?private
Art/Foreign: Liv Ullman directs an Ingmar Bergman tale that
spans the relationship of a husband and wife over several decades.
In 1925, a 36-year-old woman confesses her infidelity to a priest
who advises her to break off the affair. As time passes on, Bergman
isolates revealing encounters between the woman and her husband, her
lover, the priest and her best friend.
January 8, 1999 - NY release

"Shakespeare in Love"
http://www.hollywood.com/cgi-bin/TARGET/indexmg.cgi?shakespearelove
Comedy: Joseph Fiennes stars in the romantic comedy, set in London
1593, about the struggling playwright Will Shakespeare. Fiennes is
suffering from writer's block and can't seem to complete his latest
work, "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter," until Fiennes sets
his sights on the beautiful Gwyneth Paltrow. Love overcomes Fiennes
and unleashes his creative juices.
January 8, 1999 - expanded release

"The Thin Red Line"
http://www.hollywood.com/cgi-bin/TARGET/indexmg.cgi?thinredline
Action/Adventure: Terrence Malick returns as writer-director of a
star-studded adaptation of James Jones' novel about Guadalcanal.
January 8, 1999 - expanded release

"Waking Ned Devine"
http://www.hollywood.com/cgi-bin/TARGET/indexmg.cgi?neddevine
Comedy: Ian Bannen and David Kelly co-star as senior citizens in a
small town called Tully More. From a bit mention in the Irish Times,
they learn that someone in their populace of 52 has won the lottery.
Their scheme: work themselves into the winner's good graces before
they know they've won, thus becoming best friends before the money
is collected.
January 8, 1999 - expanded release


****************************************
SHOWTIMES MOVIE LISTINGS
****************************************

http://showtimes.hollywood.com/

Now that you've seen what's coming out this week, here's the best way
to find out where it's playing in your neighborhood, and when! Plus,
get maps, theater information, and much more!


****************************************
NEW VIDEOS RELEASED THIS WEEK
****************************************
(in alphabetical order)

Videos Released
January 5, 1999

"Disturbing Behavior"
http://www.hollywood.com/cgi-bin/TARGET/indexmg.cgi?disturbing
Horror: In Cradle Bay, unruly and misbehaving teenagers are simply a surgical
procedure away from Stepford-like perfection. Teen pregnancies, drunk driving,
drug overdoses, and other typical problems warrant an effective solution from
the local high school psychiatrist. But new kid on the block James Marsden and
social outcasts Nick Stahl and Katie Holmes remain wary of his prescription.

"How Stella Got Her Groove Back"
http://www.hollywood.com/cgi-bin/TARGET/indexmg.cgi?stella
Drama: Angela Bassett appears to have it all, but what she really wants is to
escape the stress in her life by vacationing in Jamaica. Instead of finding
peace and quiet, she unexpectedly meets sexy, young Taye Diggs. Despite the
twenty years between them, Diggs helps the fortysomething rediscover love and
happiness. Based on Terry McMillan's popular book.

"Out of Sight"
http://www.hollywood.com/cgi-bin/TARGET/indexmg.cgi?outofsight
Action/Adventure: George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez share screen time and
chemistry as an escaped convict and feisty federal agent. On the lam from
Florida to Detroit, Clooney's bank robber finds just enough time to fall for
Lopez, the FBI agent hot on his trail. Screenwriter Scott Frank follows "Get
Shorty" with another Elmore Leonard crime-noir caper. Steven Soderbergh directs.


****************************************
HOLLYWOOD NEWS
****************************************

HOLLYWOOD ROUNDTABLE - Our columnists' reflections on all things cinema.
http://www.hollywood.com/news/roundtable/

ART ATTACK: Top Ten Foreign Films of 1998
http://hollywood.com/news/roundtable/Thursday/12-31-98/index.html


THE PRESSROOM
http://www.hollywood.com/pressroom
The best premiere coverage, celebrity photos and interviews on the web!
New this week:

"Patch Adams" Premiere
http://www.hollywood.com/pressroom/premieres/patchadams/patchadams.html

Faux Fur
http://www.hollywood.com/pressroom/events/fur/award_fur.html

James Woods Interview ("Another Day in Paradise")
http://www.hollywood.com/pressroom/interviews/jwoods/jwoods.html


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DIGITAL REVOLUTION
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Everything you could want to know about DVDs, laser
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Pick of the Week:
"Out of Sight"
http://digital.hollywood.com/digital/movies/moviepage/0,1133,137,00.html

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Hear your favorite celebs in their own words, behind the scenes,
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Soundtrack of the week:
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Also:
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"Stepmom"
http://www.movietunes.com/soundtracks/1998/stepmom/

"You've Got Mail"
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From: "ABYRNE.IE.ORACLE.COM" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Release Date
Date: 06 Jan 1999 16:16:10 +0000

Can anyone tell me if/when the "HitMan Hart" documentory/film will bbe
released in Europe,(basically Ireland). Thank you, Thank You, Thank You!
And heres a pop quiz. What is the quote the end of my template from.
You will probably all know, but hey, it will mean you will all respond to
the
other question.
Thanks & Regards,
****************************************************************************=
**
****************************************************************************=
**

Anto Byrne                Net:[e-mail]
Oracle E.M.E.A.                Quality Rep.
    Unit 14                    Phone:[phone]
Airways Industrial Estate        Fax:[phone]
Cloghran                      email:abyrne
Dublin 17.
Ireland
****************************************************************************=
**

   "In Order to find his equal, an Irish Man is forced to talk to God"
****************************************************************************=
**



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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 01/06/99
Date: 06 Jan 1999 13:47:08 -0700 (MST)

George Lucas has told Vanity Fair he plans to call it quits
after the much-anticipated three-part prequel to his
blockbuster "Star Wars" trilogy. The long-standing
perception has been that the complete "Star Wars" saga would
be nine parts. "I never had a story for the sequels, for the
later ones," Lucas says in the February edition of the
magazine. "And also, I'll be to a point in my age where to
do another trilogy would take 10 years." Lucas, 55, said he
would "probably not" be open to letting someone else make
"Star Wars" movies. The first new movie in the new series,
"Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace," is scheduled to
be released in the US on May 21. Episodes II and III are
promised for the years 2002 and 2005, Lucas said.

                        -=> * <=-

In the wake of Gus Van Sant's redo of Alfred Hitchcock's
"Psycho," and despite the film's poor box office
performance, The New York Times engaged in a bit of whimsy
by fantasizing about remaking other classics by the late
master of suspense. Rutgers professor Lisa Zeidner played
casting director and came up with Tom Hanks and Alicia
Silverstone in the Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak roles for
"Vertigo"; Bruce and Demi in Sean Connery's and Tippi
Hedren's shoes for Hitch's mediocre "Marnie"; and "English
Patient" headliners Ralph Fiennes and Kirstin Scott Thomas
for Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman in "Notorious." As for the
"new" "North By Northwest," the professor suggests Anne
Heche in the Eva Marie Saint role and Cary Grant -- through
computer technology -- in the Cary Grant role, because
"Keanu Reeves just won't do."

                        -=> * <=-

DIED: Three quiet Hollywood legends: Veteran American
Indian actor and environmentalist Oskie "Iron Eyes" Cody,
94, whose work over the course of an 80-year film career
included "Little Big Man" and a '70s TV commercial in which
he shed a tear over pollution, Monday, in Los Angeles ...
Matinee idol of the '30s David Manners, 98, who played the
romantic interest in the original 1931 Bela Lugosi "Dracula"
and in Katharine Hepburn's 1932 screen debut "A Bill of
Divorcement" (before he retired from Hollywood in 1936 to
become a writer), in Santa Barbara, Dec. 23 ... David O.
Selznick's executive assistant on "Gone With the Wind"
Marcella Rabwin, 90, who became a civic leader in Beverly
Hills (spearheading the campaign to build that city's
library), in San Diego on Christmas Day. Her husband, the
late Dr. Marc Rabwin, was the good doctor who delivered Judy
Garland.

                        -=> * <=-

Besides being PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive, Harrison Ford, 56,
is America's favorite movie star, according to a poll
released Tuesday, with the late John Wayne rating second
place. The annual Harris poll of America's box office
favorites, based on interviews with 1,010 adults, found that
Ford was the No. 1 choice among people aged 18 to 24, as
well as for American adults overall. Western movie hero John
Wayne, who died in 1979, was the second most popular star,
ahead of Mel Gibson, who came in third, and Clint Eastwood
and Tom Cruise, who shared fourth place. (Eastwood topped
the list last year.) Other stars in the Top 10 list were
Jack Nicholson, Brad Pitt, Sean Connery, Denzel Washington
and Wesley Snipes. The highest ranking female movie star was
Julia Roberts, who took the 15th spot.

Stars who dropped off the Top 10 list this year included
Kevin Costner, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Richard Gere.

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: jkrudy <[e-mail]> (by way of Alistair Dunn <[e-mail]>)
Subject: RE: [MV] Top 20 Box Office
Date: 07 Jan 1999 17:39:34 +1300

Your email has sparked some debate among myself and a several coworkers here
at Micron.  We were wondering what the time period was on these Top 20
Earners.  Is it money these movies earned just in '98 or all time earnings.
We were wondering where you got this information from, and what the actual
figures were for each movie.  One last wonder is, how much money (domestic,
foreign and video sales) has Titanic and Armageddon made?

Any and all help you can provide will be much appreciated,

James K. Rudy


-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, January 06, 1999 12:43 AM
Cc: [e-mail]


Top 20 Box Office Earners (America only)

1 - Titanic    (a really big surprise - Yeah right!)
2 - Armaggedon
3 - Saving Private Ryan
4 - There's Something About Mary
5 - The Waterboy
6 - Dr Dolittle
7 - Deep Impact
8 - Godzilla
9 - Rush hour
10 Good Will Hunting
11 - Lethal Weapon 4
12 -The Truman Show
13 -  Mulan
14 - As Good as it Gets
15 - A Bugs Life
16 - Antz
17 - The Mask of Zorro
18 - The X files
19 - The Wedding Singer
20 - Enermy of the state


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: [MV] Release Date
Date: 27 Aug 1999 21:21:03 +0000

I don't know when "Hitman" will be released in Ireland, but the quote was from
Braveheart :)

ABYRNE.IE.ORACLE.COM wrote:

> Can anyone tell me if/when the "HitMan Hart" documentory/film will bbe
> released in Europe,(basically Ireland). Thank you, Thank You, Thank You!
> And heres a pop quiz. What is the quote the end of my template from.
> You will probably all know, but hey, it will mean you will all respond to
> the
> other question.
> Thanks & Regards,
> ******************************************************************************
> ******************************************************************************
>
> Anto Byrne                              Net:[e-mail]
> Oracle E.M.E.A.                         Quality Rep.
>     Unit 14                                     Phone:[phone]
> Airways Industrial Estate               Fax:[phone]
> Cloghran                                email:abyrne
> Dublin 17.
> Ireland
> ******************************************************************************
>
>    "In Order to find his equal, an Irish Man is forced to talk to God"
> ******************************************************************************
>
>
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]




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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Carmine Pascuzzi." <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Top Ten for 1998
Date: 07 Jan 1999 21:17:12 +1100

Hi all,

Just thought I'd send in my Top 10 for films that I saw in 1998 in
Melbourne, Australia. Note that a few of those already mentioned haven't
been released here as yet.

1.    LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
2.    GOOD WILL HUNTING
3.    BOOGIE NIGHTS
4.    DARK CITY
5.    THE SWEET HEREAFTER
6.    THE BIG LEBOWSKI
7.    THE HORSE WHISPERER
8.    THE BOYS (Australian film)
9.    ELIZABETH
10.  THE INTERVIEW (Australian film)

I usually go and watch the arthouse, independent films more so than the
supposed big hits. I'm not a Tom Hanks fan at all, and would never see his
films.
I haven't seen Truman Show and Out of Sight yet. Perhaps I'm missing out
with those two in particular.

Cheers,

Carmine



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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "ABYRNE.IE.ORACLE.COM" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] my Favourites
Date: 07 Jan 1999 10:48:00 +0000

And here are the votes from the Irish Jury.
Not particularly in this order, bar number one
I'm only sticking down a few, as I'm doing this from work, and the boss is
no
my case at the moment.
1)Armageddon
2)The General. An Irish film by John Boorman.Staring Brendan Gleeson and
John
Voigt.
3)Titanic
4)Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Will be a cult classic.Pulp Fiction
meets Trainspotting.
5)As Good As it Gets
6)Good Will Hunting.
7)The Full Monty

Honorable mentions.
Videos
Citizen X   trust me, see this film.


Any comments??????????????????
Thanks & Regards,
****************************************************************************=
**
****************************************************************************=
**

Anto Byrne                Net:[e-mail]
Oracle E.M.E.A.                Quality Rep.
    Unit 14                    Phone:[phone]
Airways Industrial Estate        Fax:[phone]
Cloghran                      email:abyrne
Dublin 17.
Ireland
****************************************************************************=
**

   "In Order to find his equal, an Irish Man is forced to talk to God"
****************************************************************************=
**



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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Scott Renshaw <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] REVIEW: A CIVIL ACTION
Date: 07 Jan 1999 08:06:05 -0700 (MST)

A CIVIL ACTION
(Touchstone)
Starring:  John Travolta, Robert Duvall, William H. Macy, Tony Shalhoub,
Zeljko Ivanek, Bruce Norris, John Lithgow, Kathleen Quinlan.
Screenplay:  Steven Zaillian, based on the book by Jonathan Harr.
Producers:  Scott Rudin, Robert Redford and Rachel Pfeffer.
Director:  Steven Zaillian.
MPAA Rating:  PG-13 (adult themes, profanity)
Running Time:  118 minutes.
Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.

     For those unfamiliar with the American legal system -- and count it
among your blessings if you are one of them -- it is not generally the
stuff of which great drama is made.  It is a thing of motions, pleadings,
depositions and causes of action, of hundreds of hours spent reading
thousands of incoming documents, or redacting thousands of outgoing
documents.  It is a war of attrition played out in conference rooms, only
rarely involving tense attorney-witness confrontations or even-more-tense
waits for a verdict.  Cinematic law is a satisfying fiction; real law is,
for the most part, a laborious game of chicken before an out-of-court
settlement.

     A CIVIL ACTION's dubious merit involves the extent to which it
effectively captures real law.  It's based on a real case, recounted in
Jonathan Harr's non-fiction best-seller about Jan Schlichtmann (John
Travolta), a Boston personal injury lawyer with a gift for turning the "s"
in "suffering" into a dollar sign.  He sees no such dollar signs in a case
brought in by his partner Kevin Conway (Tony Shalhoub), a case involving a
statistically significant cluster of children dying of leukemia in the
town of Woburn...that is, until he discovers that the toxic chemicals in
the area just may be spilling out of the deep pockets of R.W. Grace Corp.
and Beatrice Foods.  Schlichtmann smells a killing, and the Woburn case
comes to consume everything he has and everything he is.

     There was every reason to believe that, if anyone could lend a spark
to slogging through the legal mire, it would be Steven Zaillian.  This
was, after all, the director who made chess both kinetic and poetic in
SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER.  Indeed, there are several scenes in which
Zaillian nails the harsh truths of tort law:  Schlichtmann coldly ticking
off the relative cash values of women vs. men or black vs. white in
wrongful death cases; a hilarious courtroom moment in which a corporate
defense attorney realizes he's lost the jury's sympathy before he's even
begun; an effective montage showing the mounting costs of research and
expert witnesses.  A CIVIL ACTION pulls few punches when it comes to
underlining a process that's always about money, and only accidentally
about justice.

     Unfortunately, it pulls all its punches when it comes to giving the
story an emotional hook.  Schlichtmann's conversion from shark to softy is
supposed to anchor the film, except that it's far too subtle.  In fact,
Travolta often plays Schlichtmann as though his concern is always still
about the money, his frustration less about letting his clients down than
about letting the big one slip away -- which, frankly, is a more
interesting choice.  Those clients, meanwhile, remain stoic, heroic
abstractions, the working class American equivalent of the struggling
non-white characters who serve as background color in stories of a wealthy
white character's awakening to social conscience (like SEVEN YEARS IN
TIBET).  As the film slowly becomes the story of how the Woburn case
drains all the cash out of Schlichtmann and his firm, it slowly drains
what little narrative and visual energy it had.

     Certainly much of that energy was supposed to be provided by Robert
Duvall as Jerry Facher, Beatrice's eccentric veteran attorney.  I suppose
the idea is that he's wily because he passes himself off as such a goof,
but the character's tics -- taping up an ancient briefcase covered in
Snagglepuss decals; absently bouncing a ball during a phone conversation;
obsessing over the Red Sox -- are more often distracting than they are
entertaining.  At least Duvall's fussy colorfulness, along with William H.
Macy's less-mannered breakdown as Schlichtmann's nervous accountant, give
you something to watch.  Too often A CIVIL ACTION feels like the sort of
lecture in legal maneuvering we see Facher give to students at Harvard
Law.  It runs out of gas when it runs out of things to tell us, since it
lacks characters to engage us.  Real law makes the appeal of John
Grisham-esque courtroom melodrama make a lot more sense.

     On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 punitive damages:  5.

                      Visit Scott Renshaw's MoviePage
                    http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Tommi Varoma <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Release Date
Date: 07 Jan 1999 13:48:29 +0200

I saw that documentory yesterday (Wednesday) here in Finland so it is
allready released.
I don=B4t know when it comes to Ireland but hopefully someone else knows

Could that quote be from a film called Braveheart?=20
I must admit that the Irish fellow was one of my favorites.



At 16:16 6.1.1999 +0000, you wrote:
>Can anyone tell me if/when the "HitMan Hart" documentory/film will bbe=20
>released in Europe,(basically Ireland). Thank you, Thank You, Thank You!=20
>And heres a pop quiz. What is the quote the end of my template from.=20
>You will probably all know, but hey, it will mean you will all respond to
>the=20
>other question. =20
>Thanks & Regards,=20
>***************************************************************************
***
>***************************************************************************
***
>
>Anto Byrne                Net:[e-mail]=20
>Oracle E.M.E.A.                Quality Rep.               =20
>    Unit 14                    Phone:[phone]=20
>Airways Industrial Estate        Fax:[phone]                     =20
>Cloghran                      email:abyrne=20
>Dublin 17.=20
>Ireland=20
>***************************************************************************
***
>
>   "In Order to find his equal, an Irish Man is forced to talk to God"=20
>***************************************************************************
***
>
>     =20
>
>[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
>[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
>
>


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Jason Cormier" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Top Ten for 1998
Date: 07 Jan 1999 13:03:08 -0800

If you like 'alternative' movies then check out Heaven if it opens there.
It is a New Zealand flick and the editting in it is really warped!!  I loved
it!

-----Original Message-----


>Hi all,
>
>Just thought I'd send in my Top 10 for films that I saw in 1998 in
>Melbourne, Australia. Note that a few of those already mentioned haven't
>been released here as yet.
>
>1.    LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
>2.    GOOD WILL HUNTING
>3.    BOOGIE NIGHTS
>4.    DARK CITY
>5.    THE SWEET HEREAFTER
>6.    THE BIG LEBOWSKI
>7.    THE HORSE WHISPERER
>8.    THE BOYS (Australian film)
>9.    ELIZABETH
>10.  THE INTERVIEW (Australian film)
>
>I usually go and watch the arthouse, independent films more so than the
>supposed big hits. I'm not a Tom Hanks fan at all, and would never see his
>films.
>I haven't seen Truman Show and Out of Sight yet. Perhaps I'm missing out
>with those two in particular.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Carmine
>
>
>
>[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
>[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
>


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: jkrudy <[e-mail]> (by way of Alistair Dunn <[e-mail]>)
Subject: RE: [MV] Top 20 Box Office
Date: 07 Jan 1999 17:39:34 +1300

Your email has sparked some debate among myself and a several coworkers here
at Micron.  We were wondering what the time period was on these Top 20
Earners.  Is it money these movies earned just in '98 or all time earnings.
We were wondering where you got this information from, and what the actual
figures were for each movie.  One last wonder is, how much money (domestic,
foreign and video sales) has Titanic and Armageddon made?

Any and all help you can provide will be much appreciated,

James K. Rudy


-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, January 06, 1999 12:43 AM
Cc: [e-mail]


Top 20 Box Office Earners (America only)

1 - Titanic    (a really big surprise - Yeah right!)
2 - Armaggedon
3 - Saving Private Ryan
4 - There's Something About Mary
5 - The Waterboy
6 - Dr Dolittle
7 - Deep Impact
8 - Godzilla
9 - Rush hour
10 Good Will Hunting
11 - Lethal Weapon 4
12 -The Truman Show
13 -  Mulan
14 - As Good as it Gets
15 - A Bugs Life
16 - Antz
17 - The Mask of Zorro
18 - The X files
19 - The Wedding Singer
20 - Enermy of the state


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 01/07/99
Date: 07 Jan 1999 17:45:09 -0700 (MST)

Kevin Costner's problematic movie project about the Cuban
Missile Crisis has found a new studio home, a month after it
was shot down at troubled Universal, reports Variety. Sony
Pictures is close to setting a deal to do the movie, which
is set to start shooting in March. Costner will play Kenny
O'Donnell, an adviser in the Kennedy White House during the
crisis. Phil Alden Robinson, who directed Costner in "Field
of Dreams," will direct this one, too. Universal's decision
to drop the picture was a surprise, both because of the star
caliber behind the film and because Universal sources said
the studio dropped the film because it was worried about a
$90 million price tag on a period piece with a star who
hasn't had a big hit in a while.

                        -=> * <=-

John Travolta takes heart in knowing that his new movie, "A
Civil Action," is shining a national spotlight on
environmental issues. "If people leave the theater more
enlightened about the situation in our environment, we're in
good shape," Travolta told the Associated Press on
Wednesday. Hundreds of fans braved the cold Wednesday to
catch a glimpse of Travolta and co-star Robert Duvall, who
attended a $250-a-ticket screening to benefit the
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Based on the nonfiction
best-selling book by Jonathan Harr, the film chronicles the
saga of families who blamed polluted drinking water for the
leukemia that killed their children.

                        -=> * <=-

Walt Disney Co. slashed the pay of Chairman Michael Eisner
nearly in half last year, to $5.8 million, after a weak 1998
financial performance that the entertainment group's chief
labeled a "twice-a-decade" event. In his annual communique
to shareholders, Eisner likened Disney's tough 1998 to 1991,
when he said Disney made several key investments and new
product initiatives. For the current fiscal year, Eisner
said Disney will return to its roots with new cartoons
starring classic characters like Mickey Mouse and with more
films under the Disney brand name.

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Danielle Conkle" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Amadeus
Date: 07 Jan 1999 17:38:22 PST

  wow, i just finished watching the movie "Amadeus" for the first time,
and it was so good!  Maybe i'll rewind it and watch the beginning again,
but i i can't remember what the murder or suicide at the beginning was
about.  Who was that?


______________________________________________________
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Diane Christy <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Amadeus
Date: 07 Jan 1999 21:54:00 -0600

On 1/7/99, 7:38 PM -0600, Danielle Conkle said so nicely:
>Maybe i'll rewind it and watch the beginning again,
>but i i can't remember what the murder or suicide at the beginning was
>about.  Who was that?

Soliere (not sure about spelling) tried to kill himself because he felt so
guilty about what he did to Mozart.  Can't believe you're just watching
this movie now.  Such a classic!  Best preformance from F. Murray Abraham
I've ever seen.  One of the best ever I think.  "Amadeus" is up there among
the best ever in my book.
~~~~~
Diane Christy (Samantha and Joshua's Mom)
Jefferson, LA
http://www.geocities.com/~dchristy10/
mailto:[e-mail]  mailto:[e-mail]
ICQ #12904700
~~~~~

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From: "Wade Snider" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Amadeus -SPOILERS
Date: 07 Jan 1999 21:58:48 -0800

It's been such a long time since I've watched that. Yep, a great movie. F.
Murray Abraham is great in that. So, is Tom Hulce.



Here a spoiler if you haven't seen it or don't know.

If I remember it, wasn't that at the beginning, Soliere doing himself in
because of his guilt over murdering Mozart? Funny thing was, you get the
feeling that the death of Mozart as a person was less important than the
death of Mozart as one of the most brilliant musical geniuses ever. that is,
it was the death of his music, not the man that Soliere killed himself over.
Great movie.




>  wow, i just finished watching the movie "Amadeus" for the first time,
>and it was so good!  Maybe i'll rewind it and watch the beginning again,
>but i i can't remember what the murder or suicide at the beginning was
>about.  Who was that?
>
>
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From: "Tonya " <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] my Favourites
Date: 08 Jan 1999 00:16:15 -0600

I would have put down that Titanic, As Good As It Gets, The Full Monty, and
Good Will Hunting were all my faves too, but I thought those were last year
movies....I mean they were all up for an Oscar, so doesn't that mean that
they were 1997 movies???

-Tonya

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From: "ABYRNE.IE.ORACLE.COM" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] my Favourites
Date: 08 Jan 1999 08:37:26 +0000


--=_ORCL_6714770_0_0
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We don't get to see these films over in Ireland for a while.
Thanks & Regards,
****************************************************************************=
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**

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Oracle E.M.E.A.                Quality Rep.
    Unit 14                    Phone:[phone]
Airways Industrial Estate        Fax:[phone]
Cloghran                      email:abyrne
Dublin 17.
Ireland
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I would have put down that Titanic, As Good As It Gets, The Full Monty, and
Good Will Hunting were all my faves too, but I thought those were last year
movies....I mean they were all up for an Oscar, so doesn't that mean that
they were 1997 movies???

-Tonya

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From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Top 20 Box Office
Date: 08 Jan 1999 10:28:42 -0600

It seems to me that this must be for 1998. Only two of these movies,
titanic and good will hunting came out in 1997 and both of those after
thanksgiving.. i know titanic was the week before christmas. It makes sense
that they'd be on this list, since they came out so late last year.
As to the second part, i think I heard that Armageddon raked in over
200Million domestically as of the end of the year.. like 201mil or
something..worldwide not sure. titanic?... over 600 M I'm sure
domestically.. worldwide.. probably close to a billion if not more....


Your email has sparked some debate among myself and a several coworkers
here
at Micron.  We were wondering what the time period was on these Top 20
Earners.  Is it money these movies earned just in '98 or all time earnings.
We were wondering where you got this information from, and what the actual
figures were for each movie.  One last wonder is, how much money (domestic,
foreign and video sales) has Titanic and Armageddon made?

Any and all help you can provide will be much appreciated,

James K. Rudy


-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, January 06, 1999 12:43 AM
Cc: [e-mail]


Top 20 Box Office Earners (America only)

1 - Titanic    (a really big surprise - Yeah right!)
2 - Armaggedon
3 - Saving Private Ryan
4 - There's Something About Mary
5 - The Waterboy
6 - Dr Dolittle
7 - Deep Impact
8 - Godzilla
9 - Rush hour
10 Good Will Hunting
11 - Lethal Weapon 4
12 -The Truman Show
13 -  Mulan
14 - As Good as it Gets
15 - A Bugs Life
16 - Antz
17 - The Mask of Zorro
18 - The X files
19 - The Wedding Singer
20 - Enermy of the state


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From: Diane Christy <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Amadeus -SPOILERS
Date: 08 Jan 1999 14:14:46 -0600

On 1/7/99, 11:58 PM -0600, Wade Snider said so nicely:
>If I remember it, wasn't that at the beginning, Soliere doing himself in
>because of his guilt over murdering Mozart? Funny thing was, you get the
>feeling that the death of Mozart as a person was less important than the
>death of Mozart as one of the most brilliant musical geniuses ever. that is,
>it was the death of his music, not the man that Soliere killed himself over.
>Great movie.

the question was regarding this scene in the beginning.  the question was
what that was all about (the suicide attempt).  Soliere didn't kill
himself.  He tried to.  But I know what you mean about the death of Mozart.
Brilliant movie though!!
~~~~~
Diane Christy (Samantha and Joshua's Mom)
Jefferson, LA
http://www.geocities.com/~dchristy10/
mailto:[e-mail]  mailto:[e-mail]
ICQ #12904700
~~~~~

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From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 01/08/99
Date: 08 Jan 1999 14:07:03 -0700 (MST)

Although "Godzilla" was widely perceived as a disappointment
at the summer box office, the big-budget film ended up
grossing nearly $400 million worldwide and stirring up
enough nostalgia in Japan to warrant at least one more
Godzilla movie -- maybe two. Toho Co. Ltd. of Japan plans to
start filming "Godzilla Millennium" in April for a December
1999 release, featuring a monster that most likely will look
more like the guy-in-a-rubber-suit model (seen in 22
Japanese films since 1954) than the sleek computer-generated
lizard of the American version. Meanwhile, Centropolis
Entertainment, the production company that created last
summer's "Godzilla," intends to make a sequel for Sony's
film arm Columbia-TriStar.

American audiences may not be able to see "Godzilla
Millennium," at least not immediately. Toho doesn't hold the
distribution rights for a new Godzilla movie outside Japan,
while Sony has the non-Japanese, worldwide Godzilla rights,
sources say. A battle of the two Godzillas?

                        -=> * <=-

As the Hollywood adaptation of the bestseller "A Civil
Action" (starring John Travolta) hits movie screens, author
Jonathan Harr is being sued for libel by one of the book's
characters, the Boston Phoenix reported Thursday. John
Riley, who sold a tannery to one of two companies later
accused of poisoning groundwater, filed a lawsuit in New
Hampshire alleging he was falsely portrayed as having
committed perjury. Random House, the book's hardcover
publisher, and Random House's Vintage Books subsidiary,
which published the paperback version, were also sued.

                        -=> * <=-

ENGAGED: Popeye the Sailor Man and Olive Oyl, after 70
years of courtship. They are expected to wed next month in a
special comic book, "The Wedding of Popeye and Olive." It is
presumably the first marriage for both.

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From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Amadeus -SPOILERS
Date: 08 Jan 1999 15:13:18 -0600


Ahhh, that was generally what I was thinking, but it's been such a while
since I'd seen the movie. I know that he was put in a mental institution
for that though....
good call on clearin it up..


>the question was regarding this scene in the beginning.  the question >was
>what that was all about (the suicide attempt).  Soliere didn't kill
>himself.  He tried to.  But I know what you mean about the death of
>Mozart.
>Brilliant movie though!!
~~~~~
Diane Christy (Samantha and Joshua's Mom)


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From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Sci-Fi Movie News - 01/08/99
Date: 08 Jan 1999 14:46:54 -0700 (MST)

Scott Cooper, who recently finished shooting the
upcoming film Takedown, will appear in Austin Powers:
The Spy Who Shagged Me, according to The
Hollywood Reporter. Cooper will play Bobby, a man who
makes an appearance on a Jerry Springer-like talk show.

Austin Powers II is the sequel to the 1997 hit film Austin
Powers: International Man of Mystery, about a 1960s
secret agent who is cryogenically frozen and then revived
in the '90s. Austin star Michael Myers is set to reprise his
title role in the second film, which is being directed by Jay
Roach.

                        -=> * <=-

Dimension Films' SF/horror flick The Faculty earned
$11.8 million during its first weekend in release,
finishing No. 5 at the box office for the period
between Dec. 25-27, according to The Hollywood
Reporter. Disney's remake of Mighty Joe Young debuted
the same weekend with ticket sales of $10.9 million,
placing it squarely in the No. 6 box-office slot.

Meanwhile, A Bug's Life pulled in another $10.1 million over
the Christmas weekend, taking the No. 7 spot at the box
office and pushing its total earnings up to $114.6 million.
Star Trek: Insurrection finished in the No. 8 position with
$7.5 million, for total earnings of about $47.9 million.

The disappointing holiday film Jack Frost rounded out the
weekend box office at No. 10, with earnings of just $4
million. Its total haul to date is a meager $22.6 million.

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From: [e-mail] (Waldo D White)
Subject: [MV] my Favourites
Date: 06 Jan 1999 17:15:47 -0600

I personally think that one of the greatest movies of the year was Blade
or Enemy of The State

Waldo

On 07 Jan 99 10:48:00 +0000 "ABYRNE.IE.ORACLE.COM" <[e-mail]>
writes:
>And here are the votes from the Irish Jury.
>Not particularly in this order, bar number one
>I'm only sticking down a few, as I'm doing this from work, and the
>boss is
>no
>my case at the moment.
>1)Armageddon
>2)The General. An Irish film by John Boorman.Staring Brendan Gleeson
>and
>John
>Voigt.
>3)Titanic
>4)Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Will be a cult classic.Pulp
>Fiction
>meets Trainspotting.
>5)As Good As it Gets
>6)Good Will Hunting.
>7)The Full Monty
>
>Honorable mentions.
>Videos
>Citizen X   trust me, see this film.
>
>
>Any comments??????????????????
>Thanks & Regards,
>************************************************************************
******
>************************************************************************
******
>
>Anto Byrne                Net:[e-mail]
>Oracle E.M.E.A.                Quality Rep.
>
>    Unit 14                    Phone:[phone]
>Airways Industrial Estate        Fax:[phone]
>
>Cloghran                      email:abyrne
>Dublin 17.
>Ireland
>************************************************************************
******
>
>   "In Order to find his equal, an Irish Man is forced to talk to God"
>
>************************************************************************
******
>
>
>
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From: "Wade Snider" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] my Favourites
Date: 08 Jan 1999 23:36:54 -0800

Ouch.
Blade???????



>I personally think that one of the greatest movies of the year was Blade
>or Enemy of The State
>
>Waldo
>
>On 07 Jan 99 10:48:00 +0000 "ABYRNE.IE.ORACLE.COM" <[e-mail]>
>writes:
>>And here are the votes from the Irish Jury.
>>Not particularly in this order, bar number one
>>I'm only sticking down a few, as I'm doing this from work, and the
>>boss is
>>no
>>my case at the moment.
>>1)Armageddon
>>2)The General. An Irish film by John Boorman.Staring Brendan Gleeson
>>and
>>John
>>Voigt.
>>3)Titanic
>>4)Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Will be a cult classic.Pulp
>>Fiction
>>meets Trainspotting.
>>5)As Good As it Gets
>>6)Good Will Hunting.
>>7)The Full Monty
>>
>>Honorable mentions.
>>Videos
>>Citizen X   trust me, see this film.
>>
>>
>>Any comments??????????????????
>>Thanks & Regards,
>>************************************************************************
>******
>>************************************************************************
>******
>>
>>Anto Byrne Net:[e-mail]
>>Oracle E.M.E.A. Quality Rep.
>>
>>    Unit 14 Phone:[phone]
>>Airways Industrial Estate Fax:[phone]
>>
>>Cloghran      email:abyrne
>>Dublin 17.
>>Ireland
>>************************************************************************
>******
>>
>>   "In Order to find his equal, an Irish Man is forced to talk to God"
>>
>>************************************************************************
>******
>>
>>
>>
>>[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
>>[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
>>
>
>___________________________________________________________________
>You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
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>or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
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From: "Rebecca Bezant" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] my Favourites
Date: 09 Jan 1999 02:10:04 PST

this following message is so very true, from looking at everyone's lists,=
 it appears that not many good movies came out this year,we had to borrow=
 a few from the previous year. So how about being differnent and make a =
list of the top 10 or 20 of the worst films of '98. I'm sure there are =
plenty out there with out looking into the past for one.

----------
> I would have put down that Titanic, As Good As It Gets, The Full Monty,=
 and
> Good Will Hunting were all my faves too, but I thought those were last =
year
> movies....I mean they were all up for an Oscar, so doesn't that mean =
that
> they were 1997 movies???
>
> -Tonya
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
>



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From: "Danielle Conkle" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] my Favourites..reply
Date: 09 Jan 1999 06:16:15 PST

   It's not so much that all the movies were bad this year just
that...none of them were really outstanding.   Everything was just "ok"
.



>this following message is so very true, from looking at everyone's
lists,=
> it appears that not many good movies came out this year,we had to
borrow=
> a few from the previous year. So how about being differnent and make a
=
>list of the top 10 or 20 of the worst films of '98. I'm sure there are
=
>plenty out there with out looking into the past for one.
>
>----------



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From: Scott Renshaw <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] REVIEW: AT FIRST SIGHT
Date: 09 Jan 1999 09:00:58 -0700 (MST)

AT FIRST SIGHT
(MGM)
Starring:  Val Kilmer, Mira Sorvino, Kelly McGillis, Steven Weber, Nathan
Lane, Bruce Davison.
Screenplay:  Steve Levitt, based on "To See or Not See" by Oliver Sacks.
Producers:  Irwin Winkler and Rob Cowan.
Director:  Irwin Winkler.
MPAA Rating:  R (sexual situations, nudity, adult themes, profanity)
Running Time:  127 minutes.
Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.

     It's a shame when a true story gets in the way of a good story.  Take
AT FIRST SIGHT, for instance, an adaptation based on a case study by
Oliver Sacks (AWAKENINGS).  It begins in New York City, where workaholic
architect Amy Benic (Mira Sorvino) is preparing for a long-overdue
vacation.  Her destination is an upstate mountain spa, where the amenities
include the services of gifted masseur Virgil Adamson (Val Kilmer).
Unexpectedly, the two begin developing a romantic relationship, a coupling
complicated by the fact that Virgil has been blind since he was a young
boy, and by the suspicions of Virgil's protective older sister Jennie
(Kelly McGillis).

     The first half-hour of AT FIRST SIGHT focuses largely on the
tentative early steps of Amy and Virgil's romance, and it's wonderfully
effective stuff.  Amy's first massage appointment with Virgil is intimate,
sexy and emotionally charged; their meeting on a remote skating pond is
loaded with simple charm.  Both lead actors are about as appealing as
we've ever seen them -- Sorvino aglow with re-awakened sensation, Kilmer
dropping his recent posing to connect with a fellow actor.  At first
glance, AT FIRST SIGHT is a throwback love story, short on world-changing
ramifications but long on gorgeous photography and superb chemistry
between Sorvino and Kilmer.

     Then the facts step in to blow the whole thing to shreds.  When Amy
researches Virgil's condition, she discovers that an experimental surgery
could offer hope.  Virgil eventually agrees to the surgery, and emerges
with the ability to see for the first time in over 25 years.  Director
Irwin Winkler does a fine job of conveying Virgil's initial
disorientation, an assault of stimuli on a man with no real visual
vocabulary.  And for a while, the medical details of Virgil's recovery --
such as his challenges with perspective and depth perception -- are
undeniably intriguing.

     The long-term problem with AT FIRST SIGHT -- and it becomes quite
long indeed -- is that the story becomes less about the relationship
between Virgil and Amy than it does about the relationship between Virgil
and his sight.  We watch Virgil struggle with being dependent once again
after living a hard-fought life of independence; we watch him struggle
with his feelings of abandonment after receiving a message from the father
who deserted him (Ken Howard).  Amy, meanwhile, is frustrated by her
inability to help Virgil enough, and turns to her ex-husband and business
partner Duncan (Steven Weber).  The simple appeal of the relationship
between Amy and Virgil turns overwrought, the chemistry fading with each
moment of focus on the disease of the week.

     It becomes even more frustrating when it becomes evident that AT
FIRST SIGHT is going to take exactly the same dramatic arc AWAKENINGS
took.  That's when you start to feel every minute of the two hour plus
running time, waiting for the inevitable revelations and confrontations
which in some cases are twenty or thirty minutes away.  AT FIRST SIGHT
closes with a caption informing us how Virgil and Amy fared in real life
after the events of the film, which only served to remind me that "based
on a true story" was no advantage in this case.  The film had too much
going for it as a love story to become a medical drama.  When fact proves
duller than fiction, it's time for a little artistic license.

     On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 blurry visions:  5.

                      Visit Scott Renshaw's MoviePage
                    http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
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From: Scott Renshaw <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] REVIEW: VARSITY BLUES
Date: 10 Jan 1999 08:08:17 -0700 (MST)

VARSITY BLUES
(Paramount)
Starring:  James Van Der Beek, Jon Voight, Ron Lester, Paul Walker, Eliel
Swinton, Scott Caan, Amy Smart, Ali Larter.
Screenplay:  W. Peter Iliff.
Producers:  Tova Laiter, Mike Tollin and Brian Robbins.
Director:  Mike Robbins.
MPAA Rating:  R (profanity, nudity, adult themes)
Running Time:  103 minutes.
Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.

     It would be trite to compare West Texas high school football to a
religion.  It would also be inaccurate -- religious faithful generally
demonstrate some sense of proportion.  A cult would be more analagous,
with thousands of people connecting their happiness to the achievements of
mere mortals to whom greater powers are ascribed.  Or perhaps rudimentary
tribal warfare is more appropriate.  Or even basic psychological child
abuse.  In short, the singular phenomenon that is West Texas high school
football is the stuff of which great American stories could be made.

     Or, VARSITY BLUES could be made.  This glossy youth melodrama stars
"Dawson's Creek" poster boy James Van Der Beek as Jonathan "Mox" Moxon, a
bookish senior backup quarterback for the West Canaan (TX) Coyotes.  Mox
plays football because it's what you're expected to do in West Canaan, but
he's content to remain in the shadow of his best friend, star quarterback
Lance Harbor (Paul Walker), while waiting for admission to Brown
University.  Then a season-ending knee injury sidelines Lance, forcing the
capable and creative Mox into the spotlight -- and into the line of fire
of autocratic, revered and feared Coyote coach Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight).

     The bulk of the film involves Mox's response to the adulation his new
role as star brings him -- will Mox be true to himself and his girlfriend
Julie (Amy Smart), or will he be seduced by fame, football, and head
cheerleader Darcy (Ali Larter)?  As the exceedingly pleasant Van Der Beek
plays him, there's never much question at all.  Mox is a Boy Scout whose
only lapse in judgment occurs in an effort at another good deed, bringing
Lance out to a strip club to cheer him up.  He's a broad strokes hero like
Kilmer -- who's not only a martinet, but a racist just for good measure --
is a broad strokes villain.  At least a couple of the supporting
characters (notably Scott Caan as the team wild man and Ron Lester as a
massive lineman) show sparks of life.  Dramatically, Mox is a flatline.

     That inconsequential plot progression wastes plenty of potentially
compelling conflict.  Mox's father (Thomas Duffy), himself a former
Coyote, is proud of his straight-A student son for the first time when Mox
becomes a football star, yet that relationship is played only for laughs
or speeches.  The emotional center of VARSITY BLUES should have been the
pressure and twisted values that make high school kids believe nothing
they ever do will be as valuable, a sentiment expressed in Kilmer's pep
talk that the big game is "48 minutes for the next 48 years of your
lives."  Though director Brian Robbins (making a dramatic leap from GOOD
BURGER) nails the atmosphere of abandoned Friday night streets, W. Peter
Iliff's script uses it mostly as scenery for a typical teen soap opera.
It's as though they went to the Amish country, then decided to make
"Dawson's Creek - The Movie."

     Of course, the intended audience for VARSITY BLUES is the same as the
audience for "Dawson's Creek":  high school students themselves, little
interested in studies of small town sociology.  It's worth noting that
Robbins and Ilif include at least a few insightful scenes -- including one
player's rage against how much he's always hated the game -- between the
obligatory T&A and party-hearty scenes.  This isn't THE LAST PICTURE SHOW
we're talking about, nor was it ever likely to be, but it could have aimed
for something slightly more ambitious than a climax where all that matters
is whether the Coyotes can win the big game.  That's not just uninspired
-- given the setting, it's painfully ironic.

     On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 gridironies:  4.

                      Visit Scott Renshaw's MoviePage
                    http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
                                   ***
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From: [e-mail]
Subject: [MV] MovieJuice! - PATCH ADAMS - Crappy Diem
Date: 10 Jan 1999 16:38:21 -0500 (EST)

PATCH ADAMS - CRAPPY DIEM

by Mark Ramsey

http://www.moviejuice.com

January 10, 1999

"Laughter is Contagious," reads the slug line for Patch Adams.  Then again, so is a yawn.  Fortunately, I visited the famous Dr. Jonas Salk who, having conquered Polio, has now developed a Robin Williams vaccine.   Flowing through my system are antibodies against random comic outbursts, "Mr. Happy" jokes, feel-good flatulence, and earnest yet manipulative manic mambo-mongering.  I'm ready for Patch Adams, baby!

Robin - who's played a doctor enough times to graduate with honors from most off-shore Med Schools - returns as Patch Adams.   The story kicks off with Patch, whose full name is Patch Quincy Adams, in a loony bin in the late '60s.  There, he realizes if you make crazy people laugh then they won't ask you for 25 cents on the street, and while they're doubled over in hysterics you can out-run them for your life.  No small lesson.

So Robin wants to become a doctor to heal people with laughter, or at least with a plentiful supply of balloons and big red noses.  Correct me if I'm wrong here, but the last time these items were laugh-a-minute, Red Skelton was the King of Comedy.  What a scream, when he flaps his arms like a chicken!  Hey, gang, it's Freddy the Freeloader!  What a stitch...er...suture!  If you love the idea of a Cancer Patient Conga Line, if bearing witness to the Rappin' Granny in a pool of Top Ramen turns your comedy crank, then you'll love Patch Adams!

"See what everyone chooses not to see," an old man advises Flatulence Adams.  Suspiciously, the old man vaguely resembled Universal kingpin Richard Branson who, methinks, must have been referring to Universal's lackluster slate of flicks for '98, of which this flick is the crowning achievement.

Fortunately, Robin's not alone!  There are three chicks in his Med School class, and he's lucky enough to hook up with the hot one:  Outrageously fine, super-blonde and barely humanoid Monica Potter.  Robin may be easily three times Monica's age, but that just gives him three times as many good lines as the hundreds of other Med students that are better looking and within a century of Monica's birth year.

"I'm not here to date, I'm here to study," says Monica Babe-r-onica, and any opportunity to study her is a welcome one, I say.  Here's a gal whose nose is so perky-riffic, her nostrils provide a horizontal line of sight straight into her head, and I think there's even some neural mass knocking around in there!

Patch Adams, which was originally to be called Robin and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter, features uplifting music, uplifting animated butterflies, and the very uplifted nose of Monica Potter.  Everything's up but "Up With People."  What's up with that?

Remember gang, this here's the Age of Woodstock, so Patch becomes Patchouli Adams faster than you can hum "Truckin'," and he opens up the first broken-down-shack-hippie-commune-medical-clinic to treat folks who can't afford the skilled but uncaring louts with actual medical degrees and no funny hats.  Thanks to free lovers like these, we have TV news stars with names like Soledad O'Brien and Willow Bay.  Thank YOU.

Robin's strategy is to use humor to heal pain and suffering.  Although if David Letterman's temperament is any example humor actually aggravates pain and suffering.   Does Richard Lewis look healed to you?

Naturally, the medical establishment wants to get rid of Robin because he threatens their dress code and because he wants to name his clinic the "Gezundheit Institute," which, the doctors correctly point out, is seriously not funny.  At the urging of one-time Rat-Packer Joey Bishop, Robin offers to change the name to the equally vaudevillian "A Jew, A Negro, and a Priest Institute," but only Dr. Red Buttons gave up the faintest glint of a chuckle at that one.

Robin's record is stained with a stinging criticism:   He's guilty of "Excessive Happiness" and thus unfit to be a doctor.  Now I understand why no local TV weatherperson can ever be a doctor, and here I thought it was because they were all fucking idiots.  Sadly, "Excessive Happiness" is not an affliction cursing any member of the audience.

Ultimately, Patch is on trial for his professional life.   Presiding is Judge Richard Kiley, the Man of La Mancha himself.  Whoops, it's a Don Quixote A&E acid flashback.

So what have we learned from Dispatch Adams?

- Swelling music and swelling noses produce the actualization of the Human Spirit and the attainment of Maslow's highest level on the hierarchy of needs.

- Peter Coyote is still alive.

- Individualism and expression are what make us vital and human.

- Good lookin' chicks are doctors only in the movies.

- No woman is too young for a man too old.

- Excessive "Happiness" will get you kicked out of Med School if your name is "Patch" but earns you Indie praise if your name is "Solondz."

This cuckoo's nest lays an egg.

Copyright 1998 Mark Ramsey. All rights reserved.  NO PORTION MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.
********************

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: [MV] Film Threat Weekly : 1-11-99 :  Take 2
Date: 10 Jan 1999 16:48:26 EST

FILM THREAT WEEKLY
"Hollywood's Indie Voice of the New Millennium"
=============================
Take 2 : January 11th, 1999
=============================
http://www.filmthreat.com
=============================

"They was giving me 10,000 watts a day, and, you know I'm hot to trot.  The
next woman takes me out is going to light up like a pinball machine and pay
off in silver dollars."
- Jack Nicholson boasting about his shock treatment from "One Flew Over the
Cuckoo's Nest"

<===========Deluxe======Widescreen======Edition ===========>

THIS WEEK   "Right here, right now."
===========================================
ùù> NEWS: Where objectivity is strangely absent.
ùù> BOXOFFICE CHART: Who's number one at the boxoffice?
ùù> BIG SCREEN: Shakespeare in Love, that's it this week.
ùù> TOP 10 AVANT-GARDE FILMS OF 1998 by Scott Stark
ùù> HATE MAIL: You like us. You really like us.


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FILM DISTRIBUTION
New company now acquiring in all genres. Submission guide:
http://www.MoviesMoveMe.com

SUBMIT TO SAGUARO
Entries welcome in the film, video, screenwriting and music competitions of
Arizona's best fest -- Saguaro Film Festival.  Entry forms and info:
http://www.extracheese.com/afs

NO DANCE FILM & MULTIMEDIA FESTIVAL
1999 NO DANCE Film & Multimedia Festival returns to Park City. Preliminary
lineup announced on web site.  More details to follow for the first-ever DVD
festival - ONE DAY - ONE EVENT - ONE MOUNTAIN!
http://www.6161.com

SOULDANCE FILM FESTIVAL - GET YOUR FREE TICKETS!
The souldance film festival, showcasing the best in indie films by women and
minority filmmakers will be held in Park City, Utah, January 24 - 29, 1999.
For more info call 212-971-5835 or visit our web site:
http://www.souldancefilmfestival.com


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THE NEWS   "Filtered and manipulated.  Just like the real news."
===========================================
Our top story...

DANCES ON WHEELS? YET ANOTHER FESTIVAL IN PARK CITY

Yes, it's true.  Yet another "festival" will make its debut in Park City.
Dances On Wheels is a  mobile film venue seeking short comedies, features and
works of any length created on various formats by indie filmmakers from around
the globe.  Indidog welcomes all members of the film industry and press to
drop in and take a break in its mobile cafe.  Screenings will take place in
and around Park City beginning Friday, January 22nd thru Sunday, January 24th.
Their motto:  "Every Indie Deserves a Home."

     The Mission of Dances On Wheels is to screen indie films deserving of an
international audience.  Dances On Wheels is a mobile RV film venue and center
for hospitality for all indie filmmakers, industry reps and film festival fans
during the 1999 Sundance Film Festival.  The Indidog hospitality RV with
complete home theater and sound system will be travelling throughout Park
City.  Free cups of hot cocoa and coffee will be provided to warm all guests
who wish to screen short films at their leisure.   Nothing could help better
re-capture the true cooperative Spirit of Sundance than to screen unique new
films in the comfort of this mobile cafe.

      This three day event is sponsored by Indidog.com and is the cooperative
effort and energy of producer, John Holser and program coordinator, Mike
Camoin.  John Holser is the webmaster of Indidog.com and producer/director of
"Lights, Camera & Credit Cards" while Mike Camoin

is co-founder of Upstate Independents, Inc. an active AIVF Salon and
writer/director of the documentary "Inside the Blue Line", which was recently
awarded runner-up at the 1998 Vermont International Film Festival, People1s
Choice Awards.  The deadline for submissions is January 15th.

http://www.indidog.com.

[e-mail]

FLIXTOUR TOURING FILM FESTIVAL PREMIERES EIGHT NEW FILMS
More on the site....

APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE FOR STUDENT ACADEMY AWARDS
Get the full story on the site....

GET THE JEWISH FILM REPORT
Plenty more on the site.... So, maybe you should go visit Film Threat Online?

Look for updates this week at Film Threat Online in the Dailies section at:
http://www.filmthreat.com/Dailies-Today.htm


BOXOFFICE CHART   "Hollywood's Horse Race... and they're off!"
===========================================
Weekend of January 8-10, Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.

1/  - A CIVIL ACTION $14.5/$14.8
2/  1 PATCH ADAMS $12.0/$82.8
3/  2 STEPMOM $8.0/$62.1
4/  3 YOU'VE GOT MAIL $7.7/$89.7
5/  4 THE PRINCE OF EGYPT $5.8/$74.6
6/  6 MIGHTY JOE YOUNG $4.7/$34.5
7/  - A BUG'S LIFE $4.5/$142.7
8/  - SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE $4.0/$15.0
8/  7 THE FACULTY $4.0/$31.8
10/ 8 ENEMY OF THE STATE $3.0/$101.3
10/ 9 STAR TREK: INSURRECTION $3.0/$63.1


PICKS OF THE WEEK   "Stuff we wanna plug."
===========================================
FILM FESTIVAL:
The San Diego Latino Film Festival takes place March 9-14, 1999 at the United
Artists Theatres located in downtown San Diego at Horton Plaza. Now
celebrating its sixth year, The San Diego Latino Film Festival, will screen
over 50 Latino films and videos from throughout Latin America and the US.
     The website contains articles about trends in Latino Cinema, interviews
with Latino filmmakers, lists of Latino films/videos and the latest updates on
the festival.
     "The website will be updated regularly and eventually will include clips
of recent award-winning Latino films/videos, the complete festival schedule
and a live webcast during the March 9-14th festival," says Festival Director
and Founder, Ethan van Thillo.  For info, contact Ethan van Thillo or Fred
Salas at 619-850-1849 or [e-mail].
http://www.sdlatinofilm.com

BOOK:
Finally, someone wrote a book about screenwriting the right way. "Secrets of
Screenplay Structure: How to Recognize and Emulate the Structural Frameworks
of Great Films" from Lone Eagle Publications is the best book on screenwriting
ever!  It is the best for one simple reason -- all other screenwriting books
discuss the final shooting script AFTER it is produced.  "Secrets" provides
in-depth analysis of the original script that was SOLD and the development and
changes that screenplays go through along the way to being shot, edited and
made into a finished film.  Author Linda Cowgill, a produced screenwriter,
offers the do's and don'ts and uses examples from the ORIGINAL scripts for a
wide variety of films including "Annie Hall", "Jerry Maguire", "Se7en",
"Groundhog Day" and 20 more.  You'd be surprised how much these films changed
in the rewriting and editing phase.  Indispensible and a must-have!
http://www.loneeagle.com

WEB SITE:
Jerry Springer Stick Figure theater features all the sex and violence of the
show in animated stick figures on the web.  Jerry!  Jerry!  Jerry!
http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Surf/4397/jerrys.gif"

DVD:
I love it when chicks kick ass.  "Zeram" features a hot warrior space princess
doing just that with bizarre aliens from beyond.  Zeram is a frightening
renegade monster that makes the creatures in the "Alien" film series look like
girl scouts.  This Japanese sci-fi action flick is like a live-action Anime
epic with incredible special effects.  Get "Zeram" on DVD from DVD Express --
they have best deals on the web!  And don't forget to tell 'em Film Threat
sent you.
http://www.dvdexpress.com


BIG SCREEN   "Coming Soon to a Theater Near You"
===========================================
From five stars "Perfect! * * * * *" to one star "Crap! *" here's the lowdown.

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (PG-13)
* * * * 1/2
(http://www.miramax.com)
Memo to director John Madden: Cut it out, damn it! Keep making charming and
enjoyable pictures like "Shakespeare In Love" and you'll ruin it for us grumpy
cynics everywhere.
     William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) is on a cold streak. Not only is he
writing for Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush), owner of The Rose, a theatre
whose doors are about to be closed by sadistic creditors, but he's got a nasty
case of writer's block. Hasn't written a hit in years. In fact, he hasn't
written much of anything recently. Thus, the Bard finds himself in quite a
bind when Henslowe, desperate to stave off another round of hot-coals-to-feet
application, stakes The Rose's solvency on Shakespeare's new comedy, "Romeo
and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter." The problem is, "Romeo" is safely "locked
away" in Shakespeare's head, which is to say that not a word of it is written.
     Meanwhile, the lovely Lady Viola (Gwyneth Paltrow, who is lovely indeed)
is an ardent theatregoer -- scandalous for a woman of her breeding -- who
especially admires Shakespeare's plays and, not incidentally, Bill himself.
Alas, she's about to be sold as property into a loveless marriage by her
mercenary father and shipped off to a Virginia tobacco plantation. But not
before dressing up as a young man and winning the part of Romeo in the
embryonic play. Shakespeare soon discovers the deception and goes along with
it, using the blossoming love affair to ignite his muse. As William and
Viola's romance grows in intensity and spirals towards its inevitable
culmination, so, too, does the farcical comedy about Romeo and pirates
transform into the timeless tragedy that is "Romeo and Juliet."
     I haven't liked ANY movie this much in a long, long time, let alone a
quasi-fictional romantic comedy period piece. One minute you're clutching your
anguished heartstrings, the next you're caught up in edge-of-your-seat action,
then you're guffawing at pure screwball comedy... and the transitions are
seamless. The intercutting between "real" events and those in the evolving
play are handled with a skill and marvelous pacing matched only by the
wonderful performances of a superb ensemble cast and breathtaking art design,
costuming and photography. Even normally kiss-of-death self-referential nods
to Hollywood -- Shakespeare writing a part for the investor, for instance, or
Henslowe's casual dismissal, "He's just the writer," when Shakespeare erupts
during rehearsal -- are so good-natured and so unobtrusively woven into the
fabric of the story, they actually ADD to the film's charm.
     "Shakespeare in Love" is a great date movie; that rarest of "chick
flicks" that all can enjoy.  Even crabby cynics. - Merle Bertrand


TOP 10 AVANT-GARDE FILMS OF 1998
===========================================
by Scott Stark
[e-mail]

Below are 10 (or so) avant-garde films and videos that mattered to me in 1998,
in no particular order. There were others that I liked also, and of course
many more that I wasn't able to see, but this is hopefully a good overview of
an interesting year in avant garde cinema. Find out more at the Flicker web
site at: http://www.sirius.com/~sstark/

FIELD STUDIES
by silt (8mm & 16mm film)
I think of these "silt" guys as organic film farmers. Partly it's the nature
of their material, as in a recent outdoor performance projecting 8mm and 16mm
film onto a large screen mounted by an ocean cliff: images of leaves, insects,
earth, water, all matter of natural matter. But more than the content, it's
the way they cultivate their imagery: patiently, organically, pushing light
and emulsion through a variety of natural processes to achieve unexpected
results. A nourishing harvest awaits those willing to reap it.

HOURS OF THE IDOLATE and OUT US WE BONE ONE SO NAKED
by Anie S8 Stanley (8mm film with audio tape, 16 mins. & 10 mins.)
Bad grrrl Anie Stanley's sloppy and indulgent super-8 fetish fantasies belie a
cunning wit and audacious post-feminist artistry. While on the surface they
appear just plain wrong -- several hand-wringing feminists in the audience
found them indistinguishable from male-centered porno -- they are in fact
quite right. The women pose and play in defiant affirmations of female
sexuality, and perform not for male pleasure or for commercial exploitation
but for their own unabashed enjoyment. As Anie herself says, "These women have
stopped 'gazing,' and have put on the welding goggles."  Of particular note
are "Hours of the Idolate," where scantily-clad women do politically-incorrect
things with western paraphernalia, and "Our Us We Bone One So Naked," where an
unseen male trapped in a parked car -- represented by the voyeuristic camera
-- is threatened and taunted by provocatively-clad women.

FLOATING
by Eagle Rock
SHE IS ASLEEP
by Konrad Steiner (16mm film with separate audio, 11 mins.)
Konrad Steiner uses a simple film technique we all thought had been done to
death -- the multiple exposure -- and finds in it a new grace and vitality.
Using images culled from his personal life and travels, he builds layers of
visual richness that interweave, overwhelm and subside like tidal rhythms,
revealing the passions and other miracles that normally lay hidden below
film's surface. In an era of visual gluttony where special effects are hailed
for their virtuosity, Steiner's film re-affirms the difference between
technique for its own sake and true artistry.

BOB COBBING/MOVIE TRIVIA/HYPNOPEDAGOGY
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE (16mm sound film, color/sound, 28 mins.)
Artist and provocateur tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE takes footage of a 60s-era
high school counselor -- blandly discussing teenage sexuality and reworks it
into a mantra-like intonation of distressed surfaces, severed frames and
stuttering loops. Bob Cobbing is a relentless, rigorous work, obsessively
punctuated and deftly executed with a complex hashwork of visual and aural
cues. tENT infuses the banality of his film's core with depth and wit.

PASANG NAIK
by Amie Siegel (3/4" video, color/sound, 16 mins.)
Amie Siegel's "travelogue" video shot in Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand
subtly affirms the distinction between "looking" -- gathering visual
information -- and "seeing" -- applying meaning to that information. Each
scene is a single shot, 20 or 30 seconds long, focusing on something that
caught Siegel's eye: light refracting through a window, a ring dangling from
the ear of a dancer, the shadow of a tree as it wavers across a noisy street.
Locations are never revealed, and actions are never explained, making it
impossible to exoticize, iconize or inform the imagery with any cultural bias.
Instead an indisputable essence of truth emerges: This happened here. Like so.
Here is proof.

THE MARCH
by Abraham Ravett (video from film and video, color/sound, 20+ mins., work-in-
progress)
In "The March," the Abraham Ravett documents his mother's recollections of the
1945 "Death March" from Auschwitz, using loose interviews conducted over a
thirteen year period beginning in the mid-1980s. As his mother's health
deteriorates and her willingness to discuss that terrible time diminishes, the
video becomes less about a historic event and more about a child's need to
preserve and understand his parents' -- and his culture's -- past. Ravett's
simple portrait is loving, respectful and deeply moving.

GLASS: MEMORIES OF WATER
by J. Leighton Pierce (16mm sound film, 7 mins.)
Leighton Pierce seems content to pursue his unique and idiosyncratic visions,
far from the maddening trends of his more urban counterparts. His latest,
"Glass," is a contemplative document of subtle movements in his semi-rural
environs, photographed through several light-refracting water vessels and
slowed to a sensuous and studious pace.

VARIATIONS
by Nathaniel Dorsky (16mm film, color/silent, 30 mins.)
The simple street scenes and cross-sections of natural and urban phenomena
that inhabit "Variations" become not studies of 'what is happening' but
revelations of 'what *else* is happening.' Dorsky allows each shot to have its
own life, giving it a length and breadth that seems utterly correct by some
non-verbal system of logic, and the layering of elements within the frame
gives respectful space for the eye to wander and wonder. The more one looks,
the more that is revealed, and journeying through its 30 silent minutes
becomes a process of learning how to see.

SHULIE
by Elisabeth Subrin (8mm film on video)
Elisabeth Subrin's shot-by-shot reconstruction of a little-known 1967
documentary about Shulie Firestone, an awkward art student who would later
achieve notoriety with her 1970 manifesto "The Dialectic of Sex," begs the
question: Why? There's no simple answer, but the question itself is intriguing
and the results are fascinating. The film resonates with the history that
followed its time and in the way our thinking has been shaped in the
intervening years.

CONCORD
by Gary Adelstein (8mm film on video);
CHANCE HAND by Jerry Orr (video)
Jerry Orr and Gary Adelstein toured in '98 with their videotapes designed for
large screen projection. Given the resulting diminished resolution, it's
perhaps not surprising that two of the most interesting pieces exploit the
nuances of moving water. "Concord" is shot over- and underwater in a
colorfully-lit swimming pool; in "Chance Hand," a bathing figure moves slowly
through digitized fields of sensuous patterns.


HATE MAIL: You like us. You really like us.
===========================================
Send your ramblings to: [e-mail].

ADS IN MOVIE THEATERS - THE DEBATE RAGES ON
Working for an exhibition company that sells ad space on everything from
popcorn bags to gift certificate envelopes, I will say that there is an upside
to onscreen ad campaigns, namely an alternate source of income for exhibition
that doesn't require jacking up the already obscene prices charged for food at
the concession stand.  As I am sure that all my good friends on the
production/distribution side of our wonderful business know, exhibition makes
very little at the box office, so our revenue has to come from other sources.
Now that I have once again beaten that dead horse, here's a scoop:
     Loews Cineplex Entertainment (Loews Theatres, Star Theatres, Magic
Johnson Theatres, Cineplex Odeon Theatres, et al.), the second largest
exhibitor in the US, has called a halt to it's onscreen ad campaigns.  No
more, nada, nix 'em, finae, were I believe the words used.  So battle on weary
heroes!  The end may be in sight!
     Your ever-loving fan-atic,
- Dave, one of the faceless minions who start your movies for you.
[e-mail]

THE YEAR IN REVIEW
Your year end lists were right on. Would you consider adding Matt Damon and
his big teeth to the most annoying actor list?
- Merc
[e-mail]

HOW COULD YOU FORGET?
You pretty much hit it right on the money as far as the worst films of '98 are
concerned, but I feel there are other titles worth mentioning as well, such as
Deep Rising, Firestorm, The Replacement Killers, Spice World, Fallen, The
Gingerbread Man, Almost Heroes, Half Baked and Snake Eyes, half of which I
didn't even have to see in order to know they're really bad.  Also, wasn't
Mafia! worse than Baseketball?  And where was The Butcher Boy on your list of
the best, or Your Friends and Neighbors?  I understand, though.  There were so
many films released it's awfully hard to pick and choose.
-Paul Bryant
Wichita, Ks.
[e-mail]

THE YEAR IN REVIEW
I just received your newsletter, and I really enjoyed your Year In Review
part. I especially agreed with your most sought after nude scene and worst
scene. One thing that I definitely did not(!) agree with was that you had
included "Sphere" in your worst film list! I guess people have different
taste. I liked it.............
Sincerely
- Robert Ronning
NORWAY
[e-mail]


END CREDITS   "Written, produced, and directed by . . ."
===========================================
Publisher / Chris Gore
Senior Editor / Ron Wells
Jr. Editor / Anthony Miele
Contributors / Merle Bertrand, Tom Meek, Victor Minjares

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "ABYRNE.IE.ORACLE.COM" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Vampire movies
Date: 11 Jan 1999 08:08:59 +0000

Does anyone know any Vampire films??
I'm looking for titles here folks!
Thanks & Regards,
****************************************************************************=
**
****************************************************************************=
**

Anto Byrne                Net:[e-mail]
Oracle E.M.E.A.                Quality Rep.
    Unit 14                    Phone:[phone]
Airways Industrial Estate        Fax:[phone]
Cloghran                      email:abyrne
Dublin 17.
Ireland
****************************************************************************=
**

   "In Order to find his equal, an Irish Man is forced to talk to God"
****************************************************************************=
**



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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "ABYRNE.IE.ORACLE.COM" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Bad Movies
Date: 11 Jan 1999 08:07:37 +0000

Here are a few from me.
1)Godzilla. Absolute tripe. Acting so bad, it made Keanu Reeves look like De=

Niro.
2)Lost In Space. Again, just crap.
3)The Avengers.Haven't seen it personally, but judging by the reviews on
this
list, I don't think I'll bother!
4)Boogie Nights.I'm sorry, but this just didn't do it for me.

When I think of more, I'll let you know,but Blade won't be on the bad list,
as
I liked it, but I'm a big big sucker for Vampire movies, and I like flicks
with martial arts too.
Any thoughts???
Thanks & Regards,
****************************************************************************=
**
****************************************************************************=
**

Anto Byrne                Net:[e-mail]
Oracle E.M.E.A.                Quality Rep.
    Unit 14                    Phone:[phone]
Airways Industrial Estate        Fax:[phone]
Cloghran                      email:abyrne
Dublin 17.
Ireland
****************************************************************************=
**

   "In Order to find his equal, an Irish Man is forced to talk to God"
****************************************************************************=
**



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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Danielle Conkle" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Vampire movies
Date: 11 Jan 1999 05:55:46 PST


>Does anyone know any Vampire films??
>I'm looking for titles here folks!
>Thanks & Regards,
>*********************************************************************



...speaking of vampire movies does anyone remember seeing the tv movie
"Daughter of Darkness"  (they're vampires..)  I saw it hmm, like in the
early 90s and i remember thinking it was really good.  I've always been
hoping it would pop back up on tv, but i've never seen anything about
it.


______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Bad Movies
Date: 11 Jan 1999 08:15:58 -0600

I would agree with the ones you mention below....

Here is my list of Worst of last year - in particular order:
Godzilla
Blade   (sorry Anto - even the coolness of the martial arts didn't do it for me)
Knock Off      <---- second worst next to Avengers
Lost in Space
Snake Eyes
Phantoms
Sphere
US Marshalls
6 Days, 7 Nights
The Avengers     <---- The one I hated the absolute most!!!!!



>Here are a few from me.
>1)Godzilla. Absolute tripe. Acting so bad, it made Keanu Reeves look >like De
>Niro.
>2)Lost In Space. Again, just crap.
>3)The Avengers.Haven't seen it personally, but judging by the reviews >on
>this
.list, I don't think I'll bother!
>4)Boogie Nights.I'm sorry, but this just didn't do it for me.

>When I think of more, I'll let you know,but Blade won't be o>n the bad >list,
>as
>I liked it, but I'm a big big sucker for Vampire movies, and I like flicks
>with martial arts too.
>Any thoughts???
>Thanks & Regards,
******************************************************************************
******************************************************************************

Anto Byrne                Net:[e-mail]
Oracle E.M.E.A.                Quality Rep.
    Unit 14                    Phone:[phone]
Airways Industrial Estate        Fax:[phone]
Cloghran                      email:abyrne
Dublin 17.
Ireland
******************************************************************************

   "In Order to find his equal, an Irish Man is forced to talk to God"
******************************************************************************



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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "ABYRNE.IE.ORACLE.COM" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Favour
Date: 11 Jan 1999 14:11:45 +0000

If there is any Australians on the list, can you e-mail me privately on
[e-mail]
Or if there is anyone who knows anyway, or anyone, who could help me and two=

friends get a job over in Oz in the Summer, it would be greatly appreciated
if
you could let me know!
Thanks & Regards,
****************************************************************************=
**
****************************************************************************=
**

Anto Byrne                Net:[e-mail]
Oracle E.M.E.A.                Quality Rep.
    Unit 14                    Phone:[phone]
Airways Industrial Estate        Fax:[phone]
Cloghran                      email:abyrne
Dublin 17.
Ireland
****************************************************************************=
**

   "In Order to find his equal, an Irish Man is forced to talk to God"
****************************************************************************=
**



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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Vampire movies
Date: 11 Jan 1999 08:20:14 -0600

There's always those that many would quickly suggest...
Hmm.. Salem's Lot, Dracula (the Lugosi original and the Coppola version),
Fright Night, Lost Boys, From Dusk til Dawn, the very old and creepy
Nosferatu, the very recent but kind of cheap looking Night Flier (A Stephen
Kind adaption - as is Salem's Lot)...
there are many more not on the tip of my tongue

I know I'm skipping a lot.. (and not including the likely obvious Blade and
Vampires of this past year as you likely know of them)

Wade
>Does anyone know any Vampire films??
>I'm looking for titles here folks!
>Thanks & Regards,
************************************************************************
******
************************************************************************
******

Anto Byrne                Net:[e-mail]
Oracle E.M.E.A.                Quality Rep.
    Unit 14                    Phone:[phone]
Airways Industrial Estate        Fax:[phone]
Cloghran                      email:abyrne
Dublin 17.
Ireland


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Bad Movies
Date: 11 Jan 1999 08:21:00 -0600

Actually I meant NO particular order..... apologies
Wade


I would agree with the ones you mention below....

Here is my list of Worst of last year - in particular order:
Godzilla
Blade   (sorry Anto - even the coolness of the martial arts didn't do it for me)
Knock Off      <---- second worst next to Avengers
Lost in Space
Snake Eyes
Phantoms
Sphere
US Marshalls
6 Days, 7 Nights
The Avengers     <---- The one I hated the absolute most!!!!!



>Here are a few from me.
>1)Godzilla. Absolute tripe. Acting so bad, it made Keanu Reeves look >like De
>Niro.
>2)Lost In Space. Again, just crap.
>3)The Avengers.Haven't seen it personally, but judging by the reviews >on
>this
.list, I don't think I'll bother!
>4)Boogie Nights.I'm sorry, but this just didn't do it for me.

>When I think of more, I'll let you know,but Blade won't be o>n the bad >list,
>as
>I liked it, but I'm a big big sucker for Vampire movies, and I like flicks
>with martial arts too.
>Any thoughts???
>Thanks & Regards,
******************************************************************************
******************************************************************************

Anto Byrne                Net:[e-mail]
Oracle E.M.E.A.                Quality Rep.
    Unit 14                    Phone:[phone]
Airways Industrial Estate        Fax:[phone]
Cloghran                      email:abyrne
Dublin 17.
Ireland
******************************************************************************

   "In Order to find his equal, an Irish Man is forced to talk to God"
******************************************************************************



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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply
Date: 11 Jan 1999 08:43:40 -0800

bad movies of 98 include

Godzilla (I thought they destroyed a franchise but evidently they are
making a sequel)
Hurly Burly (walked out)
Event Horizon (walked out)
Big Hit (rented the DVD and fast forwarded to action scenes)
Lost in Space (They destroyed the Dr. Smith character and ruined the
dynamics of the cast)
American History X

I'm sure there were many more that i just can't remember.

bb






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From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply
Date: 11 Jan 1999 08:48:51 -0800

Oh! I forgot Snake Eyes.

God I hated that movie.  Terrible acting by one of my favorite actors
and indulgent, masturbatory directing by one of my favorite directors.

bb

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Garrett Winters <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Vampire movies
Date: 11 Jan 1999 19:16:08 +0000

Anto Byrne asks
>Does anyone know any Vampire films??
>I'm looking for titles here folks!

Well off the top of my head: Fright Night 1 and 2, From Dusk till Dawn,
Near Dark, The Lost Boys, Interview with the Vampire, Blade, Vampires, (
there is one I can see so clearly but the name eludes me.. it starred
Grace Jones as queen Vamp and two young chaps go out on a night at some
club and one of them ends up as an undead. kind of a comedy), Bram
Stoker's Dracula, Planet of the Vampires, Count Yorga (something), the
two classic takes of Mathesons "I am Legend" i.e Omega Man and The last
man on Earth ( starring Vincent Price( I think that was the name but
haven't seen it in years)), Blacula, and all the old hammer films whose
names are legion, Salems Lot, all of the Necroscope novels would have
made a great bedding for a series of movies but I'm still waiting.
that's about all that comes to mind right now.
Garrett

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Garrett Winters <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Bad Movies
Date: 11 Jan 1999 19:15:51 +0000

Anto Byrne writes
>Here are a few from me.
>1)Godzilla. Absolute tripe. Acting so bad, it made Keanu Reeves look like De
>Niro.
>2)Lost In Space. Again, just crap.
>3)The Avengers.Haven't seen it personally, but judging by the reviews on
>this
>list, I don't think I'll bother!
>4)Boogie Nights.I'm sorry, but this just didn't do it for me.

I guess I went against the grain in loving 1,2 and 4 ( haven't seen 3
yet) and Godzilla did better than expected as it has a ninth place for
last years top grossers. LIS was brilliant, it reproduced the original
few episodes perfectly ( it was almost a carbon copy up until the
encounter with their future selves) and improved on the original a1000%
as it was dire to start with and got worse.  The cast were perfect and
that includes doctor smith who was exactly as first portrayed ( perhaps
not as cringingly though).
Boogie nights was great as I grew up in the states during that era and
porn stars were seen as gods to kids and nobody knew what their lives
were really like, so this expose of sorts was well received
Garrett

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply
Date: 11 Jan 1999 13:12:54 -0600



>Oh! I forgot Snake Eyes.

If only I could..............

>God I hated that movie.  Terrible acting by one of my favorite actors
>and indulgent, masturbatory directing by one of my favorite directors.

masturbatory? hahahahaha... well, probably. I thought it was well done in
the aspect of directing.  What'd you think of the opening take? it was so
well done and central to the plot that it overshone the rest of the
movie... I have said over and over that DePalma should get the best
director of a sorry movie award for last year..... Cage started out witha
bang, then his performance was crappy.. Sinise was crappy. The woman was
plain but crappy. the boxer was an idiot but crappy. The plot was a
crapfest. The acting was hammy. The ending was stinking awful. Rotten. For
me, this was a crap movie that a big name like Cage and a good director
couldn't save.

Wade



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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: cHriS <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] re: Vampire movies
Date: 11 Jan 1999 13:55:10 -0600


Anto Byrne requested:
"Does anyone know any Vampire films?? I'm looking for titles here folks!"

Lots of great suggestions so far, but I have to throw out this one: "Nick
Knight", a made-for-tv movie (I believe that was the title) starring Rick
Springfield as a vampire seeking soulful redemption by working as a cop
(graveyard shift only, of course). This movie evolved into the tv series
"Forever Knight" and was canceled/resurrected for four seasons on several
different networks (CBS "Crime Time After Prime Time", syndication, USA
channel) before finally getting the final stake. There were rumors that the
Sci-Fi channel had interest in making a new "Forever Knight" tv movie, but
I haven't heard anything about that in a long while. Fang-nabbit, that was
a cool show!

- cHriS




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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Jason Cormier" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Vampire movies - the best
Date: 11 Jan 1999 15:01:54 -0800

My absolute favourite vampire movie is directed by Tony Scott of Top Gun adn
True Romance fame and it is called The Hunger.  The Scott brothers did and
are still doing a US TV show based loosely on the theme of this movie.  The
movie stars a brilliant David Bowie (amazing), Susan Sarandon and Catherine
Deneuve.  Great cast, great acting, great music and a great movie!
Reccomended!

-----Original Message-----


>Anto Byrne asks
>>Does anyone know any Vampire films??
>>I'm looking for titles here folks!
>
>Well off the top of my head: Fright Night 1 and 2, From Dusk till Dawn,
>Near Dark, The Lost Boys, Interview with the Vampire, Blade, Vampires,

>there is one I can see so clearly but the name eludes me.. it starred
>Grace Jones as queen Vamp and two young chaps go out on a night at some
>club and one of them ends up as an undead. kind of a comedy), Bram
>Stoker's Dracula, Planet of the Vampires, Count Yorga (something), the
>two classic takes of Mathesons "I am Legend" i.e Omega Man and The last
>man on Earth ( starring Vincent Price( I think that was the name but
>haven't seen it in years)), Blacula, and all the old hammer films whose
>names are legion, Salems Lot, all of the Necroscope novels would have
>made a great bedding for a series of movies but I'm still waiting.
>that's about all that comes to mind right now.
>Garrett
>
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>


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply
Date: 11 Jan 1999 12:02:04 -0800

I thought the opening was great for only one reason and that was for
DePalma's ongoing goal to have the most elaborate and talked about
steadycam shot of the year.  I have loved his movies when his
technique added to the story but to me nothing he did in Snake Eyes
did that.  There was one shot where the camera tracked over several
hotel rooms that was a complete bore.  In Bonfire of the Vanities he
opened with a gigantic shot and followed with a complete bomb.

Don't you wish he could regain the brilliance of Body Double or The
Untouchables?  Even when he was cribbing from previous movies it
seemed to work.

bb



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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Jason Cormier" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Belated Psycho review
Date: 11 Jan 1999 15:08:22 -0800

Just saw the remake of Psycho directed by Good Will Van Sant and starring
Swinger Vaughn and I have to say that this movie is just like this review -
pointless (as the movie has been out for many many weeks!)  Remakes are one
thing - in which we get to see another person's take on something - but a
shot for shot remake?  Definitely pointless.  And as much as i love Vince
Vaughm - I love Anthony Perkins much more as Mr. Bates (pronounced Mister
Bates - as opposed to mispronouncing it and re-enacting a pointless addition
to this movie).  I did love the original - but I think this movie is for
Turner's colourization fans out there as that is all it was - a colourized
and wannabe-hip version of a classic.  Fail.


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] re: Vampire movies
Date: 11 Jan 1999 14:25:49 -0600


So is what's on the sci-fi channel just reruns now?


Anto Byrne requested:
"Does anyone know any Vampire films?? I'm looking for titles here folks!"

Lots of great suggestions so far, but I have to throw out this one: "Nick
Knight", a made-for-tv movie (I believe that was the title) starring Rick
Springfield as a vampire seeking soulful redemption by working as a cop
(graveyard shift only, of course). This movie evolved into the tv series
"Forever Knight" and was canceled/resurrected for four seasons on several
different networks (CBS "Crime Time After Prime Time", syndication, USA
channel) before finally getting the final stake. There were rumors that the
Sci-Fi channel had interest in making a new "Forever Knight" tv movie, but
I haven't heard anything about that in a long while. Fang-nabbit, that was
a cool show!

- cHriS




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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Belated Psycho review
Date: 11 Jan 1999 14:27:04 -0600

I have yet to hear one good review of the remake.


Just saw the remake of Psycho directed by Good Will Van Sant and starring
Swinger Vaughn and I have to say that this movie is just like this review -
pointless (as the movie has been out for many many weeks!)  Remakes are one
thing - in which we get to see another person's take on something - but a
shot for shot remake?  Definitely pointless.  And as much as i love Vince
Vaughm - I love Anthony Perkins much more as Mr. Bates (pronounced Mister
Bates - as opposed to mispronouncing it and re-enacting a pointless addition
to this movie).  I did love the original - but I think this movie is for
Turner's colourization fans out there as that is all it was - a colourized
and wannabe-hip version of a classic.  Fail.


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply
Date: 11 Jan 1999 14:40:05 -0600


>I thought the opening was great for only one reason and that was for
>DePalma's ongoing goal to have the most elaborate and talked about
>steadycam shot of the year.  I have loved his movies when his
>technique added to the story but to me nothing he did in Snake Eyes
>did that.

I think DePalma is trying to create the most talked about and longest take
ever. He seems to attack that goal with a personal vengance in Snake Eyes.
i thought the opening take was very good for another reason, but one the
rest of the movie failed upon. The opening take establishes the whereabouts
and situations of all the main characters. You see bits and pieces of the
various supporting characters, and in the later flashbacks you get the
various charatcers' descriptions of what they were doing and when. The
interesting thing is that each flashback is a little different in style (be
it a point of view difference or split screen) and directly relates in some
fashion to the events we saw in that opening take. The structure is great
in this movie. but the plot was SO dumb, and the acting was sad. I think
that if the story had not been so lame, people would have talked about his
technique over and over to this day. Much more so than our mutterings here.

There was one shot where the camera tracked over several
>hotel rooms that was a complete bore.  In Bonfire of the Vanities he
>opened with a gigantic shot and followed with a complete bomb.


I liked that tracking shot. There are some real complicated shots, too.
There was a shot where that girl is walking real hurridly being followed,
and then after a long pan, the shot lands on Cage waaayyyyy on the other
side of the casino. I also liked how DePalma seemed to make you think a
character was walking through a particualr place or about to knock on a
door that would give up a good guy, but it was really just the way he had
aranged the shots.. to disorient you somewhat. I liked most of Bonfire of
the Vanities, but yeah, I didn't think it was that great of a movie. There
are one or two fairly long and complicated shots in Carlito's Way,
especially the one in the train station. Maybe not that long, but great.


>Don't you wish he could regain the brilliance of Body Double or The
>Untouchables?  Even when he was cribbing from previous movies it
>seemed to work.

He is the master at doing that. My personal fav. of his is The
Untouchables, but after that, I love Carlito's Way. even his older stuff,
like Carrie or Blow Out is fairly fun to watch.......   I think the next
project of his the Howard Hughes biopic, starring Nick Cage. Well, i heard
that someplace.

Wade


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: cHriS <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] re: Forever Knight
Date: 11 Jan 1999 15:16:43 -0600


>So is what's on the sci-fi channel just reruns now?

Yeah. I think the Sci-Fi channel wants to do something with it (a new tv
movie was being tossed around a year ago or so), but there's some
complications with the ownership of the show. Sony/Tristar supposedly owns
it, and they won't air it because it doesn't make them money, yet they're
reluctant to sell it because they recognize (like a lot of other people)
that there's potential for a decent hit with the show. I guess as long as
there's enough audience interest in the reruns, there's always the chance
that the show will once again come back from the dead. The show was good
enough to warrant the national merchandising of a full-length CD of
excellent theme music, so who knows?

- cHriS





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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] re: Forever Knight
Date: 11 Jan 1999 15:31:26 -0600


That would be kewl. forever knight was ashow that got a little better after
its intial run, and it got some more money in its pocket. Good concept for
a show I thought.

A friend has told me about a tv show in England that has finished as of a
few weeks ago, caled "Ultraviolet" about a cop who has dealings with a
secret group of cop-vampire hunters. These cops use carbon-tipped bullets
and have special scopes that let them know their target is really a
vampire. Sounded pretty cool.

Any UK viewers have any more about this show?


Wade



>So is what's on the sci-fi channel just reruns now?

Yeah. I think the Sci-Fi channel wants to do something with it (a new tv
movie was being tossed around a year ago or so), but there's some
complications with the ownership of the show. Sony/Tristar supposedly owns
it, and they won't air it because it doesn't make them money, yet they're
reluctant to sell it because they recognize (like a lot of other people)
that there's potential for a decent hit with the show. I guess as long as
there's enough audience interest in the reruns, there's always the chance
that the show will once again come back from the dead. The show was good
enough to warrant the national merchandising of a full-length CD of
excellent theme music, so who knows?

- cHriS





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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply -Reply
Date: 11 Jan 1999 13:53:36 -0800

I also forgot Very Bad things as on of the most godawful movies I have
ever seen (I walked out).   In fact I walked out of more movies this
year than any other.  Also Armegeddon ughhhhhhhhh!

good movies I forgot to mention include Primary colors, Wag the Dog,
Blade(better than most action films today), the Opposite of Sex, High
Art and Rushmore.

Concerning SnakeEyes, one funny story is that I saw it at a studio
screening at Paramount.  When we left the theatre we were trashing it
viciously when my friend turned and recognized one of the studio heads
(he's good at that) behind us.  I guess he got an earful.  On my
comment card I said that they should not release the movie.

bb

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply -Reply
Date: 11 Jan 1999 16:48:40 -0600




>Concerning SnakeEyes, one funny story is that I saw it at a studio
>screening at Paramount.  When we left the theatre we were trashing it
>viciously when my friend turned and recognized one of the studio heads
>(he's good at that) behind us.  I guess he got an earful.  On my
>comment card I said that they should not release the movie.

Too bad they didn't listen to you or your friend, Bruce!


Wade




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From: jkrudy <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply -Reply
Date: 11 Jan 1999 15:51:43 -0700

Well, I guess we'll never get together and go see a movie.  I actually liked
Armageddon, but I thought Wag the Dog was one of the worst movies I've ever
seen.  It was like they couldn't make up their mind if they wanted it to be
a drama or a comedy and wasn't very effective as either.  It was an amazing
concept for a movie, I just think it could have either been more dramatic
(maybe action-type) or it could have been a pure comedy.  Keep in mind I
only saw this on video so it may have lost something in the conversion to
the small screen.  I didn't like Primary Colors either, but that's just me.

James K. Rudy


-----Original Message-----
Sent: Monday, January 11, 1999 2:54 PM


I also forgot Very Bad things as on of the most godawful movies I have
ever seen (I walked out).   In fact I walked out of more movies this
year than any other.  Also Armegeddon ughhhhhhhhh!

good movies I forgot to mention include Primary colors, Wag the Dog,
Blade(better than most action films today), the Opposite of Sex, High
Art and Rushmore.

Concerning SnakeEyes, one funny story is that I saw it at a studio
screening at Paramount.  When we left the theatre we were trashing it
viciously when my friend turned and recognized one of the studio heads
(he's good at that) behind us.  I guess he got an earful.  On my
comment card I said that they should not release the movie.

bb

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From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] my Favourites
Date: 11 Jan 1999 15:24:14 -0800

HEY!! Blade was Awesome!!
Leti Romero ;)

"The World Is Not Enough"


> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Wade Snider [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Friday, January 08, 1999 11:37 PM
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    Re: [MV] my Favourites
>
> Ouch.
> Blade???????
>
>
>
> >I personally think that one of the greatest movies of the year was Blade
> >or Enemy of The State
> >
> >Waldo
> >
> >On 07 Jan 99 10:48:00 +0000 "ABYRNE.IE.ORACLE.COM" <[e-mail]>
> >writes:
> >>And here are the votes from the Irish Jury.
> >>Not particularly in this order, bar number one
> >>I'm only sticking down a few, as I'm doing this from work, and the
> >>boss is
> >>no
> >>my case at the moment.
> >>1)Armageddon
> >>2)The General. An Irish film by John Boorman.Staring Brendan Gleeson
> >>and
> >>John
> >>Voigt.
> >>3)Titanic
> >>4)Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Will be a cult classic.Pulp
> >>Fiction
> >>meets Trainspotting.
> >>5)As Good As it Gets
> >>6)Good Will Hunting.
> >>7)The Full Monty
> >>
> >>Honorable mentions.
> >>Videos
> >>Citizen X   trust me, see this film.
> >>
> >>
> >>Any comments??????????????????
> >>Thanks & Regards,
> >>************************************************************************
> >******
> >>************************************************************************
> >******
> >>
> >>Anto Byrne Net:[e-mail]
> >>Oracle E.M.E.A. Quality Rep.
> >>
> >>    Unit 14 Phone:[phone]
> >>Airways Industrial Estate Fax:[phone]
> >>
> >>Cloghran      email:abyrne
> >>Dublin 17.
> >>Ireland
> >>************************************************************************
> >******
> >>
> >>   "In Order to find his equal, an Irish Man is forced to talk to God"
> >>
> >>************************************************************************
> >******
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> >>[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
> >>
> >
> >___________________________________________________________________
> >You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
> >Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html
> >or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
> >
> >[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> >[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
> >
>
>
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From: Mel Eperthener <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Vampire movies
Date: 11 Jan 1999 16:59:47 -0500

At 05.55 AM 11/01/99 PST, Danielle Conkle wrote:
>
>>Does anyone know any Vampire films??
>>I'm looking for titles here folks!
>>Thanks & Regards,

>...speaking of vampire movies does anyone remember seeing the tv movie
>"Daughter of Darkness"  (they're vampires..)

Actually, Daughters of Darkness was originally released in 1971.  It is
listed as a foreign film.  The one you saw may have been a remake.
Supposed to be a pretty good film.

I'm not much into horror flicks, but do like vampire films.  Nosferatu and
DofD are probably the two best that I have never seen.  Out of the ones
that I have, my favourites:

The Lost Boys
Near Dark
The Hunger
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Interview with the Vampire

Of course, it was difficult to come up with five good horror movies,
considering my aversion to the genre.  So this is just a list of five
vampire films I have seen.  In addition, I hear the Fright Nights (1 and
2), as well as Nadja (a French vampire film, I do believe),

Hope this is of help to you, Anto.

Regards,

--Mel


--Mel Eperthener
president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty

Please support the endeavour
of a friend and fellow Australian.

Political Corrections by Michael Jaymes Cassidy
http://www.angelfire.com/ma/politicalmusings

____________________________________________
Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas.
-Former Australian cabinet minister Keppel Enderbery
__________________________

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From: Chris Culligan <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Bad Movies
Date: 11 Jan 1999 19:50:28 -0500

I rented "Godzilla" and was kind of surprised at how much I did like it (after
reading all the bad reviews).  I just think they made a huge mistake calling it
"Godzilla".  "The Giant Lizard of NY", or something like that, would have been
better.  This Godzilla movie bore no resemblance to any Godzilla movie I ever saw
in the past and I think the inevitable comparisons (of which there could be none
save the name) hurt it.

I really liked "Boogie Nights".  It surprised me.  Here I was thinking that it
was going to be retro-70's disco movie (God, I wish we could put the Disco era
behind us) and it turned out to be a movie that took an unglamorous and hard look
at the porn industry.  It kept me enthralled through it's entirety.  Also, after
renting "The Basketball Diaries" the other day and seeing "Boogie Nights", I have
a new-found respect for the acting talents of  Mark "Marky-Mark" Walberg.  He
aint to bad!

My least favorite of the movies I saw last year would have to be "Armageddon".  I
couldn't stand watching it in the theater, and I can't stand watching it now that
my wife has bought the video.  I think the big problem with the movie is that,
although it started out pretty good, it ended up like you were staring strait
into a strobe light for an hour.  It seems like once the shuttle took off the
producer never held the camera on one scene for more then two minutes and even
then the camera was bouncing up-and-down like crazy.  It made me want to spit-up
(and Bruce Willis didn't help much in that department either).

CHRIS

Garrett Winters wrote:

> Anto Byrne writes
> >Here are a few from me.
> >1)Godzilla. Absolute tripe. Acting so bad, it made Keanu Reeves look like De
> >Niro.
> >2)Lost In Space. Again, just crap.
> >3)The Avengers.Haven't seen it personally, but judging by the reviews on
> >this
> >list, I don't think I'll bother!
> >4)Boogie Nights.I'm sorry, but this just didn't do it for me.
>
> I guess I went against the grain in loving 1,2 and 4 ( haven't seen 3
> yet) and Godzilla did better than expected as it has a ninth place for
> last years top grossers. LIS was brilliant, it reproduced the original
> few episodes perfectly ( it was almost a carbon copy up until the
> encounter with their future selves) and improved on the original a1000%
> as it was dire to start with and got worse.  The cast were perfect and
> that includes doctor smith who was exactly as first portrayed ( perhaps
> not as cringingly though).
> Boogie nights was great as I grew up in the states during that era and
> porn stars were seen as gods to kids and nobody knew what their lives
> were really like, so this expose of sorts was well received
> Garrett
>
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From: "Jason Cormier" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply
Date: 11 Jan 1999 23:53:11 -0800

Did you guys see the episode of X-Files that used this technique?  It was
this season and it was phenominal!!  Each segment was one shot - and the
music was very fast paced which helped in the entire feel of the episode
which took place on a ship in the Bermuda Triangle which thought it was
still in the 1940's.  Great episode.  Also the beginning of the Player uses
this technique while two producers are complaining that movies nowadays are
cut, cut, cut... very funny!  Anyone know any more movies that use very long
takes?  I find it interesting as it is similar to watching a play.


-----Original Message-----


>
>>I thought the opening was great for only one reason and that was for
>>DePalma's ongoing goal to have the most elaborate and talked about
>>steadycam shot of the year.  I have loved his movies when his
>>technique added to the story but to me nothing he did in Snake Eyes
>>did that.
>
>I think DePalma is trying to create the most talked about and longest take
>ever. He seems to attack that goal with a personal vengance in Snake Eyes.
>i thought the opening take was very good for another reason, but one the
>rest of the movie failed upon. The opening take establishes the whereabouts
>and situations of all the main characters. You see bits and pieces of the
>various supporting characters, and in the later flashbacks you get the
>various charatcers' descriptions of what they were doing and when. The
>interesting thing is that each flashback is a little different in style (be
>it a point of view difference or split screen) and directly relates in some
>fashion to the events we saw in that opening take. The structure is great
>in this movie. but the plot was SO dumb, and the acting was sad. I think
>that if the story had not been so lame, people would have talked about his
>technique over and over to this day. Much more so than our mutterings here.
>
>There was one shot where the camera tracked over several
>>hotel rooms that was a complete bore.  In Bonfire of the Vanities he
>>opened with a gigantic shot and followed with a complete bomb.
>
>
>I liked that tracking shot. There are some real complicated shots, too.
>There was a shot where that girl is walking real hurridly being followed,
>and then after a long pan, the shot lands on Cage waaayyyyy on the other
>side of the casino. I also liked how DePalma seemed to make you think a
>character was walking through a particualr place or about to knock on a
>door that would give up a good guy, but it was really just the way he had
>aranged the shots.. to disorient you somewhat. I liked most of Bonfire of
>the Vanities, but yeah, I didn't think it was that great of a movie. There
>are one or two fairly long and complicated shots in Carlito's Way,
>especially the one in the train station. Maybe not that long, but great.
>
>
>>Don't you wish he could regain the brilliance of Body Double or The
>>Untouchables?  Even when he was cribbing from previous movies it
>>seemed to work.
>
>He is the master at doing that. My personal fav. of his is The
>Untouchables, but after that, I love Carlito's Way. even his older stuff,
>like Carrie or Blow Out is fairly fun to watch.......   I think the next
>project of his the Howard Hughes biopic, starring Nick Cage. Well, i heard
>that someplace.
>
>Wade
>
>
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>


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Rebecca Bezant" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply -Reply
Date: 12 Jan 1999 01:42:14 PST

i would have to agree, Primary Colors kind of sucked! But i really liked =
Wag the Dog, a few months after watching it, i found something going on =
in the nation  that kind of made it almost a true story (is it a by chanc=
e that the recent problem in Iraq started and ended on Impeachment week =
in Dec.). but other than real life, i found that be the best  political =
comedy ive seen, i cant much about the rest, i slept through the others.

----------
> Well, I guess we'll never get together and go see a movie.  I actually =
liked
> Armageddon, but I thought Wag the Dog was one of the worst movies I've =
ever
> seen.  It was like they couldn't make up their mind if they wanted it =
to be
> a drama or a comedy and wasn't very effective as either.  It was an ama=
zing
> concept for a movie, I just think it could have either been more dramat=
ic
> (maybe action-type) or it could have been a pure comedy.  Keep in mind =
I
> only saw this on video so it may have lost something in the conversion =
to
> the small screen.  I didn't like Primary Colors either, but that's just=
 me.
>
> James K. Rudy
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bruce Bridges [mailto:[e-mail]]
> Sent: Monday, January 11, 1999 2:54 PM
> To: [e-mail]
> Subject: RE: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply -Reply
>
>
> I also forgot Very Bad things as on of the most godawful movies I have
> ever seen (I walked out).   In fact I walked out of more movies this
> year than any other.  Also Armegeddon ughhhhhhhhh!
>
> good movies I forgot to mention include Primary colors, Wag the Dog,
> Blade(better than most action films today), the Opposite of Sex, High
> Art and Rushmore.
>
> Concerning SnakeEyes, one funny story is that I saw it at a studio
> screening at Paramount.  When we left the theatre we were trashing it
> viciously when my friend turned and recognized one of the studio heads
> (he's good at that) behind us.  I guess he got an earful.  On my
> comment card I said that they should not release the movie.
>
> bb
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
>



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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] my Favourites
Date: 12 Jan 1999 08:12:16 -0600

Ohhhhhhh kay.


>HEY!! Blade was Awesome!!
>Leti Romero ;)

>"The World Is Not Enough"


> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Wade Snider [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Friday, January 08, 1999 11:37 PM
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    Re: [MV] my Favourites
>
> Ouch.
> Blade???????
>
>
>
> >I personally think that one of the greatest movies of the year was Blade
> >or Enemy of The State
> >
> >Waldo
> >
> >On 07 Jan 99 10:48:00 +0000 "ABYRNE.IE.ORACLE.COM" <[e-mail]>
> >writes:
> >>And here are the votes from the Irish Jury.
> >>Not particularly in this order, bar number one
> >>I'm only sticking down a few, as I'm doing this from work, and the
> >>boss is
> >>no
> >>my case at the moment.
> >>1)Armageddon
> >>2)The General. An Irish film by John Boorman.Staring Brendan Gleeson
> >>and
> >>John
> >>Voigt.
> >>3)Titanic
> >>4)Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Will be a cult classic.Pulp
> >>Fiction
> >>meets Trainspotting.
> >>5)As Good As it Gets
> >>6)Good Will Hunting.
> >>7)The Full Monty
> >>
> >>Honorable mentions.
> >>Videos
> >>Citizen X   trust me, see this film.
> >>
> >>
> >>Any comments??????????????????
> >>Thanks & Regards,
> >>************************************************************************
> >******
> >>************************************************************************
> >******
> >>
> >>Anto Byrne Net:[e-mail]
> >>Oracle E.M.E.A. Quality Rep.
> >>
> >>    Unit 14 Phone:[phone]
> >>Airways Industrial Estate Fax:[phone]
> >>
> >>Cloghran      email:abyrne
> >>Dublin 17.
> >>Ireland
> >>************************************************************************
> >******
> >>
> >>   "In Order to find his equal, an Irish Man is forced to talk to God"
> >>
> >>************************************************************************
> >******
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> >>[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
> >>
> >
> >___________________________________________________________________
> >You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
> >Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html
> >or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
> >
> >[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> >[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
> >
>
>
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From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply
Date: 12 Jan 1999 08:18:10 -0600


I saw that episode. It was the best one I've seen of the show this season.
It was very funny, and I liked that long take style they did, too. And some
of those shots in the lower decks of the ship were difficult to maneuver
I'm sure. I like that TV shows do this. here, they did it for effect. on
some shows, the only one popping to mind is ER, they do this technique
frequently, greatly because of the heightened effect, but alo due to the
fact that if not properly, it saves money!! The longer the shot, the less
shooting time overall, that is if there aren't too many mistakes or
mishaps.....



>Did you guys see the episode of X-Files that used this technique?  It was
>this season and it was phenominal!!  Each segment was one shot - and the
>music was very fast paced which helped in the entire feel of the episode
>which took place on a ship in the Bermuda Triangle which thought it was
>still in the 1940's.  Great episode.  Also the beginning of the Player
uses
>this technique while two producers are complaining that movies nowadays
are
>cut, cut, cut... very funny!  Anyone know any more movies that use very
long
>takes?  I find it interesting as it is similar to watching a play.


-----Original Message-----


>
>>I thought the opening was great for only one reason and that was for
>>DePalma's ongoing goal to have the most elaborate and talked about
>>steadycam shot of the year.  I have loved his movies when his
>>technique added to the story but to me nothing he did in Snake Eyes
>>did that.
>
>I think DePalma is trying to create the most talked about and longest take
>ever. He seems to attack that goal with a personal vengance in Snake Eyes.
>i thought the opening take was very good for another reason, but one the
>rest of the movie failed upon. The opening take establishes the
whereabouts
>and situations of all the main characters. You see bits and pieces of the
>various supporting characters, and in the later flashbacks you get the
>various charatcers' descriptions of what they were doing and when. The
>interesting thing is that each flashback is a little different in style
(be
>it a point of view difference or split screen) and directly relates in
some
>fashion to the events we saw in that opening take. The structure is great
>in this movie. but the plot was SO dumb, and the acting was sad. I think
>that if the story had not been so lame, people would have talked about his
>technique over and over to this day. Much more so than our mutterings
here.
>
>There was one shot where the camera tracked over several
>>hotel rooms that was a complete bore.  In Bonfire of the Vanities he
>>opened with a gigantic shot and followed with a complete bomb.
>
>
>I liked that tracking shot. There are some real complicated shots, too.
>There was a shot where that girl is walking real hurridly being followed,
>and then after a long pan, the shot lands on Cage waaayyyyy on the other
>side of the casino. I also liked how DePalma seemed to make you think a
>character was walking through a particualr place or about to knock on a
>door that would give up a good guy, but it was really just the way he had
>aranged the shots.. to disorient you somewhat. I liked most of Bonfire of
>the Vanities, but yeah, I didn't think it was that great of a movie. There
>are one or two fairly long and complicated shots in Carlito's Way,
>especially the one in the train station. Maybe not that long, but great.
>
>
>>Don't you wish he could regain the brilliance of Body Double or The
>>Untouchables?  Even when he was cribbing from previous movies it
>>seemed to work.
>
>He is the master at doing that. My personal fav. of his is The
>Untouchables, but after that, I love Carlito's Way. even his older stuff,
>like Carrie or Blow Out is fairly fun to watch.......   I think the next
>project of his the Howard Hughes biopic, starring Nick Cage. Well, i heard
>that someplace.
>
>Wade
>
>
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>[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
>


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Scott Renshaw <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] REVIEW: IN DREAMS
Date: 12 Jan 1999 08:29:39 -0700 (MST)

IN DREAMS
(DreamWorks)
Starring:  Annette Bening, Aidan Quinn, Stephen Rea, Robert Downey Jr.
Screenplay:  Bruce Robinson and Neil Jordan, based on the novel "Doll's
Eyes" by Bari Wood.
Producer:  Stephen Woolley.
Director:  Neil Jordan.
MPAA Rating:  R (violence, profanity, sexual situations, adult themes)
Running Time:  102 minutes.
Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.

     Somehow, there's something even more icky about an exploitative and
routine horror film that tarts up its exploitation and routineness with
plenty of style.  Such is the case with Neil Jordan's IN DREAMS, a
psychological thriller which lets its atmospheric creepiness disintegrate
into a trite chase-n-terrorize puree.  Annette Bening stars as Claire
Cooper, a Massachusetts-based children's book illustrator with a
picture-book life: lovely rural New England home, loving husband Paul
(Aidan Quinn), beautiful young daughter Rebecca (Katie Sagora) and loyal
dog Dobie.  She also posesses a spark of psychic ability which she has had
all her life, one which seems to be getting stronger as she has visions
connected to the disappearance of a local schoolgirl.  Then Rebecca is
abducted, and Claire comes to believe that she is psychically connected to
a serial killer -- and that the killer is similarly connected to her.

     For a while, it looks like IN DREAMS is going to be a thriller of a
different stripe, something as dramatically and visually compelling as it
is viscerally shocking.  Darius Khondji, the gifted cinematographer behind
SEVEN, gives IN DREAMS the same menacing silver tint and twisted light,
including an eerie opening underwater sequence in a submerged town.  The
story takes Claire on a descent into genuine madness, the kind that makes
a character truly unpredictable and interesting to watch.  Bening is a
superb actress, and she makes the most of Claire fumbling for answers with
the last shreds of her sanity.  The script also presents the idea that the
killer is a tormented soul who wants Claire to catch him, setting up a
potentially complex relationship when they finally do meet.

     Gradually, however, IN DREAMS starts to lose its way.  Partly it
seems rushed, with scenes slammed together too quickly to develop the
necessary foreboding.  Partly it seems sloppy, increasingly depending on
ridiculous contrivances (Claire being confined in exactly the same room
once occupied by the killer, for instance) and the blandly
counter-productive analysis of Claire's psychiatrist (Jordan regular
Stephen Rea, sporting a distracting accent).  And partly it seems
mean-spirited, using graphic murders for shock value or imperiled children
for sympathy value, rather than building interest in the characters.  Over
its final 45 minutes, IN DREAMS begins a slow but steady descent from
potent psychological thriller to careless mess.

     And then, when Robert Downey Jr. finally appears as the killer
Vivian, it careens out of control entirely.  Decked out in flowing red
tresses and whispering in an effeminate drawl, Downey exercises every
ghastly overacting muscle in his body simultaneously.  To be fair to
Downey, the role is a serial killer cliche -- he's a Norman Bates momma's
boy with _serious_ gender role issues -- without a remotely sympathetic
quality, dashing hopes of a mind-game showdown into the rocks.  Instead
it's all guns and sharp objects, running and screaming, until a bleak,
unsatisfying and confounding resolution.  It's a huge disappointment
coming from Neil Jordan, a film-maker who has consistently made films that
defied expectations -- THE COMPANY OF WOLVES, THE CRYING GAME, THE BUTCHER
BOY.  In a sad way, that's exactly what he does here.  Just when you
expect IN DREAMS might turn out to be a memorably disturbing horror film,
it turns out to be a gutless, nihilistic tease.

    On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 daydream believers:  4.

                      Visit Scott Renshaw's MoviePage
                    http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
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From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] REVIEW: IN DREAMS
Date: 12 Jan 1999 09:36:35 -0600

Sounds kinda like that movie Hideaway...

-----Original Message-----
Sent:    Tuesday, January 12, 1999 9:30 AM

IN DREAMS
(DreamWorks)
Starring:  Annette Bening, Aidan Quinn, Stephen Rea, Robert Downey Jr.
Screenplay:  Bruce Robinson and Neil Jordan, based on the novel "Doll's
Eyes" by Bari Wood.
Producer:  Stephen Woolley.
Director:  Neil Jordan.
MPAA Rating:  R (violence, profanity, sexual situations, adult themes)
Running Time:  102 minutes.
Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.

     Somehow, there's something even more icky about an exploitative and
routine horror film that tarts up its exploitation and routineness with
plenty of style.  Such is the case with Neil Jordan's IN DREAMS, a
psychological thriller which lets its atmospheric creepiness disintegrate
into a trite chase-n-terrorize puree.  Annette Bening stars as Claire
Cooper, a Massachusetts-based children's book illustrator with a
picture-book life: lovely rural New England home, loving husband Paul
(Aidan Quinn), beautiful young daughter Rebecca (Katie Sagora) and loyal
dog Dobie.  She also posesses a spark of psychic ability which she has had
all her life, one which seems to be getting stronger as she has visions
connected to the disappearance of a local schoolgirl.  Then Rebecca is
abducted, and Claire comes to believe that she is psychically connected to
a serial killer -- and that the killer is similarly connected to her.

     For a while, it looks like IN DREAMS is going to be a thriller of a
different stripe, something as dramatically and visually compelling as it
is viscerally shocking.  Darius Khondji, the gifted cinematographer behind
SEVEN, gives IN DREAMS the same menacing silver tint and twisted light,
including an eerie opening underwater sequence in a submerged town.  The
story takes Claire on a descent into genuine madness, the kind that makes
a character truly unpredictable and interesting to watch.  Bening is a
superb actress, and she makes the most of Claire fumbling for answers with
the last shreds of her sanity.  The script also presents the idea that the
killer is a tormented soul who wants Claire to catch him, setting up a
potentially complex relationship when they finally do meet.

     Gradually, however, IN DREAMS starts to lose its way.  Partly it
seems rushed, with scenes slammed together too quickly to develop the
necessary foreboding.  Partly it seems sloppy, increasingly depending on
ridiculous contrivances (Claire being confined in exactly the same room
once occupied by the killer, for instance) and the blandly
counter-productive analysis of Claire's psychiatrist (Jordan regular
Stephen Rea, sporting a distracting accent).  And partly it seems
mean-spirited, using graphic murders for shock value or imperiled children
for sympathy value, rather than building interest in the characters.  Over
its final 45 minutes, IN DREAMS begins a slow but steady descent from
potent psychological thriller to careless mess.

     And then, when Robert Downey Jr. finally appears as the killer
Vivian, it careens out of control entirely.  Decked out in flowing red
tresses and whispering in an effeminate drawl, Downey exercises every
ghastly overacting muscle in his body simultaneously.  To be fair to
Downey, the role is a serial killer cliche -- he's a Norman Bates momma's
boy with _serious_ gender role issues -- without a remotely sympathetic
quality, dashing hopes of a mind-game showdown into the rocks.  Instead
it's all guns and sharp objects, running and screaming, until a bleak,
unsatisfying and confounding resolution.  It's a huge disappointment
coming from Neil Jordan, a film-maker who has consistently made films that
defied expectations -- THE COMPANY OF WOLVES, THE CRYING GAME, THE BUTCHER
BOY.  In a sad way, that's exactly what he does here.  Just when you
expect IN DREAMS might turn out to be a memorably disturbing horror film,
it turns out to be a gutless, nihilistic tease.

    On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 daydream believers:  4.

                      Visit Scott Renshaw's MoviePage
                    http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
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From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply -Reply
Date: 12 Jan 1999 09:15:57 -0800

The original was "Rope" By Hitchock starring Jimmy Stewart.  It is
shot in something like 20 minute uninterrupted takes.  They had
sliding walls to accomodate the camera dolly.  You should check it
out.
bb

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From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply -Reply -Reply
Date: 12 Jan 1999 09:20:12 -0800

The important thing to remember is that Wag the Dog was a dark comedy.
 The goal of a dark comedy is to make you laugh and cringe
simultaneously.  I can see how some people wouldn't like that.  The
failing of Very Bad things was that it forgot to make you laugh.

So Armegedden keeps showing up as people's favorite movie.  I am at a
complete loss since I found it so appalling.  Of course boxoffice does
not indicate the quality of a film unless you consider Citizen Kane to
be crap and Mrs. Doubtfire to be a masterpiece.

An interesting development from last year was my favorite action
flicks seemed to have Black leads.  Blade, Rush Hour and Enemy of the
State were all movies that traditionally would have a white hero.  Its
a healthy development.

Most disappointing movie was Slums of Beverly Hills.

bb



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From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply -Reply
Date: 12 Jan 1999 11:28:47 -0600


I've seen it. the only reason Hitchcock even had takes was because he had
to change the film since the camera could only hold a few minutes worth of
film at a time; and he does it in such a way that he tries to hide the
cuts.. be it a shadow in a hallway or an extreme closeup of someones back
or something. If he had had access to today's technology, I'm sure he would
have gone for the whole thing in one shot. I think it was more like 8
minute takes if I remember right though.

How about the introductory scene to Touch of Evil. Very cool shot. the
movie was so-so, but then again the studio at the time edited in a way that
Welles didn't like.


>The original was "Rope" By Hitchock starring Jimmy Stewart.  It is
>shot in something like 20 minute uninterrupted takes.  They had
>sliding walls to accomodate the camera dolly.  You should check it
>out.
>bb



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From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply -Reply -Reply
Date: 12 Jan 1999 09:34:27 -0800

One of my favorites is the nightclub scene in Goodfellows where they
enter through the back door and travel through the kitchen.

Swingers did a very funny parody of that as well as other movies.

Oh, the Xfiles episode was cool.

bb

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From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply -Reply
Date: 12 Jan 1999 09:17:14 -0800

Except for the extended rehearsal time required.  Those crews don't
come cheap!

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From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply
Date: 12 Jan 1999 10:02:01 -0800

Check out any one of Brian Depalma's later movies...

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Jason Cormier [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Monday, January 11, 1999 11:53 PM
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    Re: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply
>
> Did you guys see the episode of X-Files that used this technique?  It was
> this season and it was phenominal!!  Each segment was one shot - and the
> music was very fast paced which helped in the entire feel of the episode
> which took place on a ship in the Bermuda Triangle which thought it was
> still in the 1940's.  Great episode.  Also the beginning of the Player
> uses
> this technique while two producers are complaining that movies nowadays
> are
> cut, cut, cut... very funny!  Anyone know any more movies that use very
> long
> takes?  I find it interesting as it is similar to watching a play.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
> To: '[e-mail]' <[e-mail]>
> Date: Monday, January 11, 1999 12:41 PM
> Subject: RE: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply
>
>
> >
> >>I thought the opening was great for only one reason and that was for
> >>DePalma's ongoing goal to have the most elaborate and talked about
> >>steadycam shot of the year.  I have loved his movies when his
> >>technique added to the story but to me nothing he did in Snake Eyes
> >>did that.
> >
> >I think DePalma is trying to create the most talked about and longest
> take
> >ever. He seems to attack that goal with a personal vengance in Snake
> Eyes.
> >i thought the opening take was very good for another reason, but one the
> >rest of the movie failed upon. The opening take establishes the
> whereabouts
> >and situations of all the main characters. You see bits and pieces of the
> >various supporting characters, and in the later flashbacks you get the
> >various charatcers' descriptions of what they were doing and when. The
> >interesting thing is that each flashback is a little different in style
> (be
> >it a point of view difference or split screen) and directly relates in
> some
> >fashion to the events we saw in that opening take. The structure is great
> >in this movie. but the plot was SO dumb, and the acting was sad. I think
> >that if the story had not been so lame, people would have talked about
> his
> >technique over and over to this day. Much more so than our mutterings
> here.
> >
> >There was one shot where the camera tracked over several
> >>hotel rooms that was a complete bore.  In Bonfire of the Vanities he
> >>opened with a gigantic shot and followed with a complete bomb.
> >
> >
> >I liked that tracking shot. There are some real complicated shots, too.
> >There was a shot where that girl is walking real hurridly being followed,
> >and then after a long pan, the shot lands on Cage waaayyyyy on the other
> >side of the casino. I also liked how DePalma seemed to make you think a
> >character was walking through a particualr place or about to knock on a
> >door that would give up a good guy, but it was really just the way he had
> >aranged the shots.. to disorient you somewhat. I liked most of Bonfire of
> >the Vanities, but yeah, I didn't think it was that great of a movie.
> There
> >are one or two fairly long and complicated shots in Carlito's Way,
> >especially the one in the train station. Maybe not that long, but great.
> >
> >
> >>Don't you wish he could regain the brilliance of Body Double or The
> >>Untouchables?  Even when he was cribbing from previous movies it
> >>seemed to work.
> >
> >He is the master at doing that. My personal fav. of his is The
> >Untouchables, but after that, I love Carlito's Way. even his older stuff,
> >like Carrie or Blow Out is fairly fun to watch.......   I think the next
> >project of his the Howard Hughes biopic, starring Nick Cage. Well, i
> heard
> >that someplace.
> >
> >Wade
> >
> >
> >[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> >[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
> >
>
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
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From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] REVIEW: IN DREAMS
Date: 12 Jan 1999 13:32:38 -0800

I'll bet he didn't like SEVEN either....

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Scott Renshaw [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Tuesday, January 12, 1999 7:30 AM
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    [MV] REVIEW: IN DREAMS
>
> IN DREAMS
> (DreamWorks)
> Starring:  Annette Bening, Aidan Quinn, Stephen Rea, Robert Downey Jr.
> Screenplay:  Bruce Robinson and Neil Jordan, based on the novel "Doll's
> Eyes" by Bari Wood.
> Producer:  Stephen Woolley.
> Director:  Neil Jordan.
> MPAA Rating:  R (violence, profanity, sexual situations, adult themes)
> Running Time:  102 minutes.
> Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.
>
>      Somehow, there's something even more icky about an exploitative and
> routine horror film that tarts up its exploitation and routineness with
> plenty of style.  Such is the case with Neil Jordan's IN DREAMS, a
> psychological thriller which lets its atmospheric creepiness disintegrate
> into a trite chase-n-terrorize puree.  Annette Bening stars as Claire
> Cooper, a Massachusetts-based children's book illustrator with a
> picture-book life: lovely rural New England home, loving husband Paul
> (Aidan Quinn), beautiful young daughter Rebecca (Katie Sagora) and loyal
> dog Dobie.  She also posesses a spark of psychic ability which she has had
> all her life, one which seems to be getting stronger as she has visions
> connected to the disappearance of a local schoolgirl.  Then Rebecca is
> abducted, and Claire comes to believe that she is psychically connected to
> a serial killer -- and that the killer is similarly connected to her.
>
>      For a while, it looks like IN DREAMS is going to be a thriller of a
> different stripe, something as dramatically and visually compelling as it
> is viscerally shocking.  Darius Khondji, the gifted cinematographer behind
> SEVEN, gives IN DREAMS the same menacing silver tint and twisted light,
> including an eerie opening underwater sequence in a submerged town.  The
> story takes Claire on a descent into genuine madness, the kind that makes
> a character truly unpredictable and interesting to watch.  Bening is a
> superb actress, and she makes the most of Claire fumbling for answers with
> the last shreds of her sanity.  The script also presents the idea that the
> killer is a tormented soul who wants Claire to catch him, setting up a
> potentially complex relationship when they finally do meet.
>
>      Gradually, however, IN DREAMS starts to lose its way.  Partly it
> seems rushed, with scenes slammed together too quickly to develop the
> necessary foreboding.  Partly it seems sloppy, increasingly depending on
> ridiculous contrivances (Claire being confined in exactly the same room
> once occupied by the killer, for instance) and the blandly
> counter-productive analysis of Claire's psychiatrist (Jordan regular
> Stephen Rea, sporting a distracting accent).  And partly it seems
> mean-spirited, using graphic murders for shock value or imperiled children
> for sympathy value, rather than building interest in the characters.  Over
> its final 45 minutes, IN DREAMS begins a slow but steady descent from
> potent psychological thriller to careless mess.
>
>      And then, when Robert Downey Jr. finally appears as the killer
> Vivian, it careens out of control entirely.  Decked out in flowing red
> tresses and whispering in an effeminate drawl, Downey exercises every
> ghastly overacting muscle in his body simultaneously.  To be fair to
> Downey, the role is a serial killer cliche -- he's a Norman Bates momma's
> boy with _serious_ gender role issues -- without a remotely sympathetic
> quality, dashing hopes of a mind-game showdown into the rocks.  Instead,
> it's all guns and sharp objects, running and screaming, until a bleak,
> unsatisfying and confounding resolution.  It's a huge disappointment
> coming from Neil Jordan, a film-maker who has consistently made films that
> defied expectations -- THE COMPANY OF WOLVES, THE CRYING GAME, THE BUTCHER
> BOY.  In a sad way, that's exactly what he does here.  Just when you
> expect IN DREAMS might turn out to be a memorably disturbing horror film,
> it turns out to be a gutless, nihilistic tease.
>
>     On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 daydream believers:  4.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>                       Visit Scott Renshaw's MoviePage
>                     http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
>                                    ***
>              Subscribe to receive new reviews directly by email!
>  See the MoviePage for details, or reply to this message with subject line
>                                "Subscribe".
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]

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From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Recall: [MV] REVIEW: IN DREAMS
Date: 12 Jan 1999 13:33:07 -0800

Romero, Leticia would like to recall the message, "[MV] REVIEW: IN DREAMS".

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From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] REVIEW: IN DREAMS
Date: 12 Jan 1999 16:18:14 -0600

He gave 7 a 7 in his scale.... He has a pretty thick homepage...

-----Original Message-----
Sent:    Tuesday, January 12, 1999 3:33 PM

I'll bet he didn't like SEVEN either....

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Scott Renshaw [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Tuesday, January 12, 1999 7:30 AM
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    [MV] REVIEW: IN DREAMS
>
> IN DREAMS
> (DreamWorks)
> Starring:  Annette Bening, Aidan Quinn, Stephen Rea, Robert Downey Jr.
> Screenplay:  Bruce Robinson and Neil Jordan, based on the novel "Doll's
> Eyes" by Bari Wood.
> Producer:  Stephen Woolley.
> Director:  Neil Jordan.
> MPAA Rating:  R (violence, profanity, sexual situations, adult themes)
> Running Time:  102 minutes.
> Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.
>
>      Somehow, there's something even more icky about an exploitative and
> routine horror film that tarts up its exploitation and routineness with
> plenty of style.  Such is the case with Neil Jordan's IN DREAMS, a
> psychological thriller which lets its atmospheric creepiness disintegrate
> into a trite chase-n-terrorize puree.  Annette Bening stars as Claire
> Cooper, a Massachusetts-based children's book illustrator with a
> picture-book life: lovely rural New England home, loving husband Paul
> (Aidan Quinn), beautiful young daughter Rebecca (Katie Sagora) and loyal
> dog Dobie.  She also posesses a spark of psychic ability which she has had
> all her life, one which seems to be getting stronger as she has visions
> connected to the disappearance of a local schoolgirl.  Then Rebecca is
> abducted, and Claire comes to believe that she is psychically connected to
> a serial killer -- and that the killer is similarly connected to her.
>
>      For a while, it looks like IN DREAMS is going to be a thriller of a
> different stripe, something as dramatically and visually compelling as it
> is viscerally shocking.  Darius Khondji, the gifted cinematographer behind
> SEVEN, gives IN DREAMS the same menacing silver tint and twisted light,
> including an eerie opening underwater sequence in a submerged town.  The
> story takes Claire on a descent into genuine madness, the kind that makes
> a character truly unpredictable and interesting to watch.  Bening is a
> superb actress, and she makes the most of Claire fumbling for answers with
> the last shreds of her sanity.  The script also presents the idea that the
> killer is a tormented soul who wants Claire to catch him, setting up a
> potentially complex relationship when they finally do meet.
>
>      Gradually, however, IN DREAMS starts to lose its way.  Partly it
> seems rushed, with scenes slammed together too quickly to develop the
> necessary foreboding.  Partly it seems sloppy, increasingly depending on
> ridiculous contrivances (Claire being confined in exactly the same room
> once occupied by the killer, for instance) and the blandly
> counter-productive analysis of Claire's psychiatrist (Jordan regular
> Stephen Rea, sporting a distracting accent).  And partly it seems
> mean-spirited, using graphic murders for shock value or imperiled children
> for sympathy value, rather than building interest in the characters.  Over
> its final 45 minutes, IN DREAMS begins a slow but steady descent from
> potent psychological thriller to careless mess.
>
>      And then, when Robert Downey Jr. finally appears as the killer
> Vivian, it careens out of control entirely.  Decked out in flowing red
> tresses and whispering in an effeminate drawl, Downey exercises every
> ghastly overacting muscle in his body simultaneously.  To be fair to
> Downey, the role is a serial killer cliche -- he's a Norman Bates momma's
> boy with _serious_ gender role issues -- without a remotely sympathetic
> quality, dashing hopes of a mind-game showdown into the rocks.  Instead,
> it's all guns and sharp objects, running and screaming, until a bleak,
> unsatisfying and confounding resolution.  It's a huge disappointment
> coming from Neil Jordan, a film-maker who has consistently made films that
> defied expectations -- THE COMPANY OF WOLVES, THE CRYING GAME, THE BUTCHER
> BOY.  In a sad way, that's exactly what he does here.  Just when you
> expect IN DREAMS might turn out to be a memorably disturbing horror film,
> it turns out to be a gutless, nihilistic tease.
>
>     On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 daydream believers:  4.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>                       Visit Scott Renshaw's MoviePage
>                     http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
>                                    ***
>              Subscribe to receive new reviews directly by email!
>  See the MoviePage for details, or reply to this message with subject line
>                                "Subscribe".
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]

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From: "Jason Cormier" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply -Reply
Date: 12 Jan 1999 18:38:10 -0800

Yeah - I totally forgot about that one - I did see it and enjoyed it.
Thanks for the reminder!

-----Original Message-----


>The original was "Rope" By Hitchock starring Jimmy Stewart.  It is
>shot in something like 20 minute uninterrupted takes.  They had
>sliding walls to accomodate the camera dolly.  You should check it
>out.
>bb
>
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>


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From: "Jason Cormier" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply -Reply
Date: 12 Jan 1999 18:39:36 -0800

Yes the shot was supposed to be quiet and uninterrupted but they stuck the
opening score and the opening credits right over top of it all!  Annoying!
Thanks for another reminder!

-----Original Message-----


>
>I've seen it. the only reason Hitchcock even had takes was because he had
>to change the film since the camera could only hold a few minutes worth of
>film at a time; and he does it in such a way that he tries to hide the
>cuts.. be it a shadow in a hallway or an extreme closeup of someones back
>or something. If he had had access to today's technology, I'm sure he would
>have gone for the whole thing in one shot. I think it was more like 8
>minute takes if I remember right though.
>
>How about the introductory scene to Touch of Evil. Very cool shot. the
>movie was so-so, but then again the studio at the time edited in a way that
>Welles didn't like.
>
>
>>The original was "Rope" By Hitchock starring Jimmy Stewart.  It is
>>shot in something like 20 minute uninterrupted takes.  They had
>>sliding walls to accomodate the camera dolly.  You should check it
>>out.
>>bb
>
>
>
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>


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From: "Tonya " <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Vampire movies
Date: 12 Jan 1999 17:57:00 -0600

This one sure got plenty of responses. I figured I would add my 2 cents
worth.  I happen to really like The Lost Boys and Interview With the
Vampire (both of which have already been mentioned). I also liked a couple
that had a comedic twist to them. They are Tales From the Cript: Bordello
of Blood and Dracula: Dead and Loving It (not sure if that one was
mentioned yet or not). 'Bordello"  stars Corey Feldman and Angie Everhart.
It's pretty good if you have an hour and a half to waste.   The Dracula one
stars Leslie Nelson, so automatically you know that it has to be kind of
funny, most of his movies are.    Anyways, I definitely advise you to check
these 4 movies out.   Also, I haven't yet seen Blade, but the previews
looked really interesting, so if you get the chance, you might want to
check that one out too.

-Tonya
__________
"Hate starts as an anger that doesn't get resolved. Then it
becomes a resentment, and then a true hatred that can go
on indefinitely...hatred causes serious damage over time.
Haters can't let go or get on with life. They become bitter
and frustrated. Their lives become mean, small, and narrow."

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From: "Tonya " <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Bad Movies
Date: 12 Jan 1999 18:01:35 -0600

wade snider wrote:
<<< Knock Off      <---- second worst next to Avengers >>>

I definitely agree with you about Knock Off being terrible!  I went to see
this at the theater for a first date with this guy. I swear if I had been
with a friend or a family member  I would have gotten up and left. It was
so boring, plus part of it was foreign!  I hate subscripts!  Jean Claude
Van Damme should NOT have done this movie, it was a waste!

-Tonya
__________
"When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I've
never tried before."
Mae West


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From: jkrudy <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Vampire movies
Date: 12 Jan 1999 16:57:26 -0700

Since humorous Vampire movies were brought up let us not forget Jim (James)
Carrey's role in ONCE BITTEN.  Also LOVE AT FIRST BITE which had one of my
favorite lines in a movie,  when George Hamilton says in his best Count
Dracula voice, "Creatures of the night...Shutup".

James K. Rudy


-----Original Message-----
Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 1999 4:57 PM


This one sure got plenty of responses. I figured I would add my 2 cents
worth.  I happen to really like The Lost Boys and Interview With the
Vampire (both of which have already been mentioned). I also liked a couple
that had a comedic twist to them. They are Tales From the Cript: Bordello
of Blood and Dracula: Dead and Loving It (not sure if that one was
mentioned yet or not). 'Bordello"  stars Corey Feldman and Angie Everhart.
It's pretty good if you have an hour and a half to waste.   The Dracula one
stars Leslie Nelson, so automatically you know that it has to be kind of
funny, most of his movies are.    Anyways, I definitely advise you to check
these 4 movies out.   Also, I haven't yet seen Blade, but the previews
looked really interesting, so if you get the chance, you might want to
check that one out too.

-Tonya
__________
"Hate starts as an anger that doesn't get resolved. Then it
becomes a resentment, and then a true hatred that can go
on indefinitely...hatred causes serious damage over time.
Haters can't let go or get on with life. They become bitter
and frustrated. Their lives become mean, small, and narrow."

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From: "ABYRNE.IE.ORACLE.COM" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Vamps
Date: 13 Jan 1999 09:47:00 +0000

Since I seemed to start this conversation, I think I'll continue it.
Has anyone heard anything about a sequel to Interview with a Vampire.
I heard a while ago that Pitt was out, as he found it too
depressing(altogether AHHHHHHHHH), but Cruise is in.
Any comments?
Thanks & Regards,
****************************************************************************=
**
****************************************************************************=
**

Anto Byrne                Net:[e-mail]
Oracle E.M.E.A.                Quality Rep.
    Unit 14                    Phone:[phone]
Airways Industrial Estate        Fax:[phone]
Cloghran                      email:abyrne
Dublin 17.
Ireland
****************************************************************************=
**

   "In Order to find his equal, an Irish Man is forced to talk to God"
****************************************************************************=
**



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From: cHriS <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] re: Vamps
Date: 13 Jan 1999 07:52:20 -0600


Anto Byrne remarked:

"Since I seemed to start this conversation, I think I'll continue it.
Has anyone heard anything about a sequel to Interview with a Vampire.
I heard a while ago that Pitt was out, as he found it too
depressing(altogether AHHHHHHHHH), but Cruise is in. Any comments?"

I haven't heard anything about sequels, but it woud make sense considering
how popular the books are. My only request: bring back Antonio Bandares as
the vampire Armand! He was my favorite part of the whole movie and was
perfectly cast (in my opinion) for that role.

- cHriS




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From: "ABYRNE.IE.ORACLE.COM" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] re: Vamps
Date: 13 Jan 1999 13:56:41 +0000


--=_ORCL_6789888_0_0
Content-Transfer-Encoding:quoted-printable
Content-Type:text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I agree. He waqs class in that role!
Thanks & Regards,
****************************************************************************=
**
****************************************************************************=
**

Anto Byrne                Net:[e-mail]
Oracle E.M.E.A.                Quality Rep.
    Unit 14                    Phone:[phone]
Airways Industrial Estate        Fax:[phone]
Cloghran                      email:abyrne
Dublin 17.
Ireland
****************************************************************************=
**

   "In Order to find his equal, an Irish Man is forced to talk to God"
****************************************************************************=
**



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Anto Byrne remarked:

"Since I seemed to start this conversation, I think I'll continue it.
Has anyone heard anything about a sequel to Interview with a Vampire.
I heard a while ago that Pitt was out, as he found it too
depressing(altogether AHHHHHHHHH), but Cruise is in. Any comments?"

I haven't heard anything about sequels, but it woud make sense considering
how popular the books are. My only request: bring back Antonio Bandares as
the vampire Armand! He was my favorite part of the whole movie and was
perfectly cast (in my opinion) for that role.

- cHriS




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From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Bad Movies
Date: 13 Jan 1999 08:20:34 -0600


Waste, yep. Well, Jean Claude was doped on cocaine when he made the movie,
so I hope that explains most of it.But given his recent past, I doubt it.
My wife and I thought it was pretty sad that the only thing we actually
liked in the movie was Rob Schneider, who is really not very funny. Can you
believe that the guy who wrote the screenplay is the same guy who penned
the first two Die Hards???? Yeesh. DeSouza hasn't written a good one since
then either. There were some interesting directions in the movie, some very
kewl shots and angles, typical of the HK movies that the director is well
known for overseas, but not so typical for American action flicks. Too bad
any glimmer of interest was wasted on this trash.

I am sorry you had to sit through a date at that movie. I am fortunate to
have only paid a rental charge as opposed to two tickets.

Wade



>wade snider wrote:
><<< Knock Off      <---- second worst next to Avengers >>>

>I definitely agree with you about Knock Off being terrible!  I went to see
>this at the theater for a first date with this guy. I swear if I had been
>with a friend or a family member  I would have gotten up and left. It was
>so boring, plus part of it was foreign!  I hate subscripts!  Jean Claude
>Van Damme should NOT have done this movie, it was a waste!

>-Tonya


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From: "Chantal Rousseau" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Vampire movies
Date: 13 Jan 1999 07:16:05 PST

Have you ever seen "Possession" by Andrejd Zulawski.  It's an 8o' film
starring Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neil.  The atmosphere that Zulawski
created is sometimes unbearable but very effective.  Adjani gives an
incredible performance.  I even heard that she almost had a nervous
breakdown after shooting the film because of Zulawski's twisted ideas.
You have to see it to understand.  A must if you can find it.


>There's always those that many would quickly suggest...
>Hmm.. Salem's Lot, Dracula (the Lugosi original and the Coppola
version),
>Fright Night, Lost Boys, From Dusk til Dawn, the very old and creepy
>Nosferatu, the very recent but kind of cheap looking Night Flier (A
Stephen
>Kind adaption - as is Salem's Lot)...
>there are many more not on the tip of my tongue
>
>I know I'm skipping a lot.. (and not including the likely obvious Blade
and
>Vampires of this past year as you likely know of them)
>
>Wade
>>Does anyone know any Vampire films??
>>I'm looking for titles here folks!
>>Thanks & Regards,
>************************************************************************
>******
>************************************************************************
>******
>
>Anto Byrne                Net:[e-mail]
>Oracle E.M.E.A.                Quality Rep.
>    Unit 14                    Phone:[phone]
>Airways Industrial Estate        Fax:[phone]
>Cloghran                      email:abyrne
>Dublin 17.
>Ireland
>
>
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>


______________________________________________________
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From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Bad Movies -Reply -Reply -Reply -Reply
Date: 13 Jan 1999 08:51:22 -0800



>>> "Jason Cormier" <[e-mail]> - 1/12/99
I assume you are talking about Touch of Evil.  YOu probalby know that
the reedited version that was released last year removes the credits
etc.  It is a phenomenal scene and works.

6:39 PM >>>
Yes the shot was supposed to be quiet and uninterrupted but they
stuck the
opening score and the opening credits right over top of it all!
Annoying!
Thanks for another reminder!



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From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Vampire movies -Reply
Date: 13 Jan 1999 08:55:54 -0800

An interesting note about "Near Dark" (one of my favorite vampire or
even horror films) is that the kid vampire in it is directing a film
based on a novel he wrote.  I read this in the trades a couple of
days ago.

bb

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From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Vampire movies -Reply
Date: 13 Jan 1999 08:58:21 -0800

Speaking of vampire comedies, the Fearless vbampire Killers was great
and I think was Sharon Tate's last role.  It was directed by and
starred Roman Polanski.  Very funny, scary and sexy.

bb

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From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] re: Vamps -Reply
Date: 13 Jan 1999 09:03:21 -0800

I saw an interview with Anne Rice in which she said that they were
actively trying to get Cruise to participate in a sequel.  This was
especially interesting since she went on record during the original's
production as being unhappy with the casting of Cruise.



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From: jkrudy <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] re: Vamps -Reply
Date: 13 Jan 1999 10:15:22 -0700

<<<Sorry if this goes through twice.  I got an error saying my first one
could not go through so here I go again.>>>

I believe it was similar to the trepidation felt when they were trying to
cast Val Kilmer to play the part of Jim Morrison in THE DOORS.  They were
sitting around asking, "Isn't this the guy from Willow?" but when he got on
stage Val did his normal magic and was perfect for the role as Jim Morrison.
Anne Rice didn't want pretty boy Cruise to ruin her character Lastat, but he
did such a great job doing it, there could be no other.  I haven't read them
all, but I don't believe Brad Pitt's character is in the sequel she wrote.
That would explain why he wouldn't be in the movie.  Of course we all know
that a screenplay doesn't have to follow the book.

James K. Rudy


-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, January 13, 1999 10:03 AM


I saw an interview with Anne Rice in which she said that they were
actively trying to get Cruise to participate in a sequel.  This was
especially interesting since she went on record during the original's
production as being unhappy with the casting of Cruise.



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From: "ABYRNE.IE.ORACLE.COM" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Vamps -Interview with...
Date: 13 Jan 1999 17:19:19 +0000


--=_ORCL_6793416_0_0
Content-Transfer-Encoding:quoted-printable
Content-Type:text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Apparently she said that she was very happy with him been chosen for the
role,
cause of his pretty boy image, however, after seeing the film, she took out
a
full page ad in the New York times apologising, and said that he was
brilliant!
Thanks & Regards,
****************************************************************************=
**
****************************************************************************=
**

Anto Byrne                Net:[e-mail]
Oracle E.M.E.A.                Quality Rep.
    Unit 14                    Phone:[phone]
Airways Industrial Estate        Fax:[phone]
Cloghran                      email:abyrne
Dublin 17.
Ireland
****************************************************************************=
**

   "In Order to find his equal, an Irish Man is forced to talk to God"
****************************************************************************=
**



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I saw an interview with Anne Rice in which she said that they were
actively trying to get Cruise to participate in a sequel.  This was
especially interesting since she went on record during the original's
production as being unhappy with the casting of Cruise.



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From: Scott Renshaw <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] REVIEW: THE THIN RED LINE
Date: 13 Jan 1999 10:27:28 -0700 (MST)

THE THIN RED LINE
(20th Century Fox)
Starring:  Sean Penn, Ben Chaplin, Jim Caviezel, Arie Verveen, Elias
Koteas, Nick Nolte, Woody Harrelson, Dash Mihok, Adrien Brody.
Screenplay:  Terrence Malick, based on the novel by James Jones.
Producers:  Robert Michael Geisler & John Roberdeau and Grant Hill.
Director:  Terrence Malick.
MPAA Rating:  R (violence, profanity, brief nudity, adult themes)
Running Time:  168 minutes.
Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.

     The announcement that THE THIN RED LINE would mark Terrence Malick's
return to the director's chair after a twenty year absence was greeted as
the cinematic equivalent of J. D. Salinger popping open his Smith-Corona
to give it another go.  This was, after all, the hermit-genius of Great
American Movie-Making, whose only two previous films -- BADLANDS and DAYS
OF HEAVEN -- were spoken of in tones of reverence.  Yet try as I might, I
couldn't work up the same enthusiasm.  As adept as Malick was at crafting
stunning visuals, narrative seemed to be an afterthought to him, something
to be cobbled together with voice-over narration.  Good films, yes, and
profoundly beautiful ones, but not profound ones.

     Malick reaches for profundity once again in THE THIN RED LINE; the
result is another good, great-looking tone poem where deep thoughts stand
in the way of genuine drama.  Based on James Jones' 1962 novel, it tells
the tale of the 1942-43 World War II Guadalcanal campaign through the eyes
of several members of a U.S. Army rifle company called C-for-Charlie.
Malick weaves his way through the minds and eyes of several characters as
C-for-Charlie prepares for its first action, including:  company commander
Capt. Staros (Elias Koteas), an officer concerned about his men; Lt. Col.
Tall (Nick Nolte), the batallion commander who sees this campaign as a
career-making opportunity; Pvt. Witt (Jim Caviezel), an idealist who
repeatedly goes AWOL; Sgt. Welsh (Sean Penn), whose cynicism hides a
heart; and Pvt. Bell (Ben Chaplin), whose every thought is focused on his
wife back home.

     It's instantly clear that Malick intends to take THE THIN RED LINE in
a very different direction from Jones' novel.  Jones, while he frequently
found his way into the heads of his characters, was equally concerned with
providing a vivid sense of the physical -- the oppressive heat and
humidity, the boots full of water, and the insect attacks that challenged
the men on Guadalcanal before a single shot was fired.  For long stretches
of THE THIN RED LINE, Malick seems to forget that these characters have
bodies at all. The narration captures the men thinking about God, about
the nature of evil, about their lives and loves.  The incessant koan-like
philosophizing becomes aggravating enough, but it's even more frustrating
that every one of the men, from the law school-educated Staros to
Kentucky-bred farm boy Witt, thinks in the same college-sophomore-on-a-
double-bong-hit, my-fingernail-could-be-a-whole-nother-universe terms.
With only a couple of notable exceptions -- Bell's obsessive love for his
wife, and Tall's careerist self-loathing -- Malick's internal monologues
turn the characters into an indistinct jumble of existential angst.

     Ironically, THE THIN RED LINE is at its best when it does get down
and dirty, following the company's assault on a well-defended Japanese
hill position.  It's a superb piece of kinetic war film-making, the camera
bursting through tall grass as soldiers are cut down during a suicidal
head-on attack.  It is here, during the heat of battle, that Malick finds
his most affecting and insightful moments:  a platoon sergeant (Woody
Harrelson) facing a greater threat from his own carelessness than from the
enemy; Doll reacting to his first kill; Staros and Tall facing off over a
risky attack order.  There's more poetry and insight as the men discover
what battle will make of them than there is in an hour's worth of
navel-gazing and heavy-handed juxtapositions of war ("bad") and nature
("good").

     There's little question that THE THIN RED LINE is an aesthetic
wonder, shot by John Toll in fickle available light and edited into a
wartime KOYAANISQATSI.  And it all might have worked much better if Malick
had let viewers draw their own messages from the images, rather than
letting a soldier inform us that "war don't ennoble men...it turns 'em
into dogs, poisons the soul."  Even that tactic might have worked better
if the voices had been distinctive, or if there were some exploration of
esprit de corps which connected these men to one another.  Each character
in THE THIN RED LINE is living too squarely inside his own head to connect
much with anyone else.  That sentiment applies to Terrence Malick as well,
who returns from his two decade sabbatical for three hours of stunningly
photographed, overwrought introspection.

     On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 flat lines:  6.

                      Visit Scott Renshaw's MoviePage
                    http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
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From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Vamps -Interview with... -Reply
Date: 13 Jan 1999 09:31:13 -0800

I remember that and the cynic in me had to believe that the ad was a
ploy to sell more tickets.



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From: jkrudy <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Vamps -Interview with... -Reply
Date: 13 Jan 1999 11:08:54 -0700

It was probably both:  A sincere apology and a sincere attempt to sell more
tickets!

James K. Rudy


-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, January 13, 1999 10:31 AM


I remember that and the cynic in me had to believe that the ad was a
ploy to sell more tickets.



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From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] re: Vamps
Date: 13 Jan 1999 10:14:53 -0800

> I haven't heard anything about sequels, but it woud make sense considering
> how popular the books are. My only request: bring back Antonio Bandares as
> the vampire Armand! He was my favorite part of the whole movie and was
> perfectly cast (in my opinion) for that role.
    [Romero, Leticia]  I COMPLETE AGREE!!! In "The Vampire Lestat"
Armand was one of the main characters towards the end of the story, and I
beleive it would make an interesting movie... anything with Antonio would be
"interesting"... does he have to be dressed?

> - cHriS
>
>
>
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
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From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] RE: knock off
Date: 13 Jan 1999 10:17:21 -0800

You can totally tell which scene Van Damme had used too much cocaine!  But
in all honesty, I thought it was an okay movie!  It was very much like a
"high quality" Hong Kong movie made in english.  It was fun to watch!

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    wade snider [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Wednesday, January 13, 1999 6:21 AM
> To:    '[e-mail]'
> Subject:    RE: [MV] Bad Movies
>
>
> Waste, yep. Well, Jean Claude was doped on cocaine when he made the movie,
>
> so I hope that explains most of it.But given his recent past, I doubt it.
> My wife and I thought it was pretty sad that the only thing we actually
> liked in the movie was Rob Schneider, who is really not very funny. Can
> you
> believe that the guy who wrote the screenplay is the same guy who penned
> the first two Die Hards???? Yeesh. DeSouza hasn't written a good one since
>
> then either. There were some interesting directions in the movie, some
> very
> kewl shots and angles, typical of the HK movies that the director is well
> known for overseas, but not so typical for American action flicks. Too bad
>
> any glimmer of interest was wasted on this trash.
>
> I am sorry you had to sit through a date at that movie. I am fortunate to
> have only paid a rental charge as opposed to two tickets.
>
> Wade
>
>
>
> >wade snider wrote:
> ><<< Knock Off      <---- second worst next to Avengers >>>
>
> >I definitely agree with you about Knock Off being terrible!  I went to
> see
> >this at the theater for a first date with this guy. I swear if I had been
> >with a friend or a family member  I would have gotten up and left. It was
> >so boring, plus part of it was foreign!  I hate subscripts!  Jean Claude
> >Van Damme should NOT have done this movie, it was a waste!
>
> >-Tonya
>
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
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From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] re: Vamps -Reply
Date: 13 Jan 1999 10:19:54 -0800

But then she saw an advanced screening of the movie and took out a two page
ad (orgasim) in the LA Times saying that Cruise was perfect for the part....

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Bruce Bridges [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Wednesday, January 13, 1999 9:03 AM
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    [MV] re: Vamps -Reply
>
> I saw an interview with Anne Rice in which she said that they were
> actively trying to get Cruise to participate in a sequel.  This was
> especially interesting since she went on record during the original's
> production as being unhappy with the casting of Cruise.
>
>
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
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From: wade snider <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] re: Vamps -Reply
Date: 13 Jan 1999 13:34:20 -0600


I seemed to remember seeing something to the effect that she had written the part with rutger hauer in mind.
Maybe she saw buffy the vampire slayer.. hardy har../.

Wade



But then she saw an advanced screening of the movie and took out a two page
ad (orgasim) in the LA Times saying that Cruise was perfect for the part....

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Bruce Bridges [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Wednesday, January 13, 1999 9:03 AM
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    [MV] re: Vamps -Reply
>
> I saw an interview with Anne Rice in which she said that they were
> actively trying to get Cruise to participate in a sequel.  This was
> especially interesting since she went on record during the original's
> production as being unhappy with the casting of Cruise.
>
>
>
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From: CECIL <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] CECIL'S TRASHY TABLOID GOSSIP - JANUARY 13, 1999
Date: 13 Jan 1999 12:45:14 -0700 (MST)

What does a sexy Hollywood star wear to the beach? Well, if you're
ultra-thin ALLY MCBEAL star Calista Flockhart, you wear long khaki pants
and a woolen cardigan buttoned up to your neck. This info courtesy of the
STAR, whose sources apparently even reach to the beach on the Hawaiian
island of Kauai. Another interesting tidbit: Temperatures were in the high
eighties. [What was she trying to cover up? Well, it sure wasn't her "I
Love McDonald's" tattoo.]

Some lucky junk dealer has a valuable treasure on his hands! Of course,
that depends on your definition of treasure. The GLOBE reports that
Courteney Cox got rid of live-in fiance David Arquette's bachelor
furniture while he was away, including his favorite chair, which was
shaped like an enormous hand.  [She shoulda had a yard sale and sold that
hand to Pee Wee Herman or George Michael.]

Look for a famous face to show up on future episode of THE X-FILES.
Hollywood insiders report to the STAR that Cher will appear on the hit
sci-fi show. She'll play David Duchovny's latest love interest, who just
happens to be an alien. [The people in wardrobe already have an idea for
Cher's appearance. To look like an alien, all she has to do is wear that
crazy headpiece she wore to last year's Oscars.]

Sounds like Martha Stewart's wearing her rollers too tight.  Those close
to the action tell the GLOBE that the homemaking maven was rude to a fan
while getting her hair done at a pricey New York beauty parlor. According
to sources, after a fan approached Martha, she snapped, "Can't you see I'm
having my hair colored?" and then told her colorist to hurry the job
along. [Martha's hair dye is made of a secret recipe. I can't tell you the
whole thing, but the first item on the ingredients list is "one natural
blonde, crushed beyond recognition by dental records."]

Jim Carrey's not afraid to reach deep into his pockets for a sexy gal.
Those close to the action tell the STAR that Carrey, along with several
pals, was extremely well-behaved on a recent trip to L.A.'s hot Crazy
Girls strip club. The dancers were happy to oblige Carrey and his crew
after he tipped every single topless dancer $300 per dance.

Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche have added an interesting decorating detail
to their shared home: Metal spikes on the wall surrounding their property!
Of course it's a security measure, according to the GLOBE.

Word has it that John Travolta's considering a new career.  According to
the STAR, John's planning to become a marriage counselor for the Church of
Scientology. Those in the know say that John and his wife, actress Kelly
Preston, have benefited from Scientology's relationship therapy and want
to help other members achieve marital bliss. [They're first
recommendation: That both you and your mate become gorgeous, rich movie
stars.]

Costumers didn't have to look far in their search for a wedding dress for
Brooke Shields to wear on an upcoming SUDDENLY SUSAN. Insiders tell the
GLOBE that the actress will wear the same gown she wore to her *real*
wedding to tennis great Andre Agassi.

Ever wonder just who those people are who take little babies into the
movie theater? Well one of 'em is Will Smith! Onlookers tell the GLOBE
that Will showed up with his two sons, including 6-month-old Jaden, at a
theater to see RUGRATS: THE MOVIE. After little Jaden started bawling and
people started "shushing" Will gave up and took the tots home. [The way I
see it, if theater owners wanted babies at the show, they'd serve Coke in
baby bottles and popcorn from a blender.]

Just how does MOESHA star Brandy keep that gorgeous figure of hers? It
must be hereditary, because it can't be her diet! According to the GLOBE,
Brandy likes to go to a Beverly Hills deli and chow down on -- get this --
fried egg and jelly sandwiches.

Diners at a Tinseltown restaurant recently got a free Bette Midler
performance. The GLOBE reports that the Divine Miss M was so happy to see
her food after a long wait, she began singing to it! For all you Midler
fans, the lyrics went exactly like this: "Oh, my little breakfast burrito,
how delicious to me you look." [Bette thought she heard some applause, but
it turned out to be her Rice Crispies.]

Copyright (c) 1998, InterPrep.Com

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 01/13/99
Date: 13 Jan 1999 13:00:56 -0700 (MST)

Sean Connery still sounds upset about being passed over for
one of Britain's highest honors -- a knighthood. "I think it
lacks class on their part," the Scottish-born actor was
quoted as saying in Monday's Glasgow Evening Times. The
Scottish National Party accused the British government in
February of rejecting Connery because he is a longtime
advocate of independence for Scotland. Connery told the
newspaper that it was "strange" how he'd played a knight in
last summer's film, "The Avengers." Describing the character
of Sir August De Wynter as "a scoundrel, a blackmailer and a
cheat," Connery said: "It makes you wonder at times what
exactly is the criteria to qualify."

                        -=> * <=-

James Bond will meet "The Full Monty" -- sort of. Britain's
most famous spy will face Robert Carlyle (star of the hit
1997 British comedy about jobless steelworkers who become
strippers) when Carlyle takes on the role of the villain in
"The World Is Not Enough," the latest 007 adventure, this
time set in the oil world. Carlyle plays Renard, who has a
bullet lodged in his brain that makes him immune to pain.
Pierce Brosnan plays Bond for the third time.

                        -=> * <=-

HONORED: "Stepmom" leading lady Susan Sarandon, with her
own slab of cement in front of Hollywood's Chinese Theater.
"I'm really so overwhelmed and proud," she said ... Country
music star (1975's "Before the Next Teardrop Falls") Freddy
Fender will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame --
after some behind-the-scenes pull from Texas Gov. George W.
Bush, who wrote the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to say
Fender was "most deserving" of the honor.

                        -=> * <=-

Billy Crystal out, Whoopi Goldberg in. Whoopi was named
Tuesday to host the 71st annual Academy Awards ceremony, to
be held Sunday, March 21. It will be her third time at the
helm of the event. "I am thrilled to escort Oscar into the
new millennium," she said in a statement. "Who would have
thought I would be hosting the last Oscar telecast of the
century?" Goldberg, who won a best supporting actress Oscar
in 1991 for her role in "Ghost," hosted the Oscar ceremony
in 1994 and again in 1996. She earned Emmy nominations both
times. Weekdays she can be seen in the center square in the
syndicated TV show "Hollywood Squares." Billy Crystal, who
hosted the Oscar show six times and was hilarious when he
did it last year, reportedly turned down an offer to return
this year.

                        -=> * <=-

Dustin Hoffman, nominated for an Oscar for his
cross-dressing role in the 1982 hit film "Tootsie," told an
LA court Tuesday he did not want his image from that movie
used to sell dresses. Hoffman is suing Los Angeles magazine
over a computer-generated photograph in a March 1997 fashion
feature that showed him wearing a butter-colored silk dress
designed by Richard Tyler and Ralph Lauren heels -- with the
prices listed. "If I were to be asked to be a model selling
clothes, it would be worth millions of dollars," Hoffman,
61, said in U.S. District Court. "But if I were to do a
commercial, I hardly think it would be selling clothes, male
or female." He is seeking unspecified damages from the
magazine and its parent, Capital Cities ABC, which is owned
by the Walt Disney Co.

                        -=> * <=-

DIED: Brian Moore, 77, writer of 20 critically acclaimed
novels ("The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne") and
screenplays (Alfred Hitchcock's "Topaz"), Sunday, in Malibu,
of pulmonary complications following an illness ... William
H. Whyte, 81, who helped pioneer the scholarly study of
urban human habitats and warned against the proliferation of
corporate conformity in his 1956 best-seller "The
Organization Man," Tuesday, in New York.

                        -=> * <=-

        "I am known to cause diabetes."

        -- MEG RYAN, acknowledging her cute persona, at
        Premiere magazine's Women in Film luncheon,
        Tuesday in Beverly Hills.

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From: cHriS <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] re: Vamps (the thread continues!)
Date: 13 Jan 1999 14:07:40 -0600


Wade noted:
"I seemed to remember seeing something to the effect that she had written
the part with rutger hauer in mind."

Anne Rice has also mentioned rock star Sting as an influence/inspiration
for Lestat. As far as Tom Cruise as Lestat, he didn't quite pull the role
off for me. I never saw the vampire Lestat on screen; I saw Tom Cruise
wearing a blonde wig and ruffles. Brad Pitt, on the other hand, had me
convinced that he was the anguished vampire Louis, and Antonio Banderas (my
apologies for repeating myself) was excellent as the distinguished vampire
Armand. I think part of my problem with Cruise was that he was too healthy
looking to play a vampire; I kept seeing Maverick with fangs. I'm not sure
who I would have cast as Lestat (maybe Julian Sands?), but Cruise would not
have been at the top of my list.

But that's just me...

- cHriS




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From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Sci-Fi Movie News - 01/13/99
Date: 13 Jan 1999 13:10:06 -0700 (MST)

Numerous online sources as well as the TV show
Access Hollywood have reported that George Lucas
has released the opening text for Star Wars - Episode
I: The Phantom Menace. The latest version of the
obligatory introductory scroll--made famous in Star Wars
with the words "Star Wars - Episode IV"--purportedly
reads:

                      Star Wars
             Episode I: The Phantom Menace

        A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

            Turmoil has engulfed the Galactic
         Republic. The taxation of trade routes to
           outlying star systems is in dispute.

          Hoping to resolve the matter with the
        blockade of deadly battleships, the greedy
         Trade Federation has stopped all shipping
              to the small planet of Naboo.

        While the Congress of the Republic endlessly
        debates this alarming chain of events, the
        Supreme Chancellor has secretly dispatched
         two Jedi Knights, the guardians of peace,
                to settle the conflict..."

Lucas also told Vanity Fair in a recent interview that the
new movie focuses on the heyday of the Jedi Knights,
who serve as the guardians for peace and justice in the
galaxy. Other Episode I tidbits include the news that
Anakin Skywalker and Emperor Palpatine--who were bad
guys in the original trilogy--are the good guys in this film,
and that Anakin won't start down the road to evil until
Episode II.

                        -=> * <=-

Star Wars creator George Lucas said he won't be
making any more movies in his epic space adventure
film series after the completion of the new trilogy in
2005, according to CNN. Lucas spilled the beans in the
Jan. 4 issue of Vanity Fair, which quoted him as saying "I
never had a story for the sequels, for the later ones."

Fans and filmmakers alike have long believed that Lucas
planned to create nine movies set in the Star Wars
universe, to be filmed as three separate trilogies.
However, the 55-year-old director said he will be too old
by the time the sixth film is finished to attempt any more.

The first of the new films, Star Wars - Episode 1: The
Phantom Menace, will hit theaters on May 21. It will be
followed by two sequels that will be released in 2002 and
2005.

                        -=> * <=-

Star Trek: Insurrection took the foreign box office by
storm during the New Year's weekend, premiering at
No. 1 in both the United Kingdom and Germany,
according to Variety. The ninth flick in the Trek franchise
garnered $5.7 million from German moviegoers, while Brits
ponied up $4.5 million to see the Jonathan Frakes picture.

Insurrection also set an all-time opening record for the
Trek franchise in Australia, where fans bought $1.3 million
worth of tickets. Australian trekkers were wooed to
theaters in part by Brent Spiner, who went on a publicity
tour Down Under in support of the film.

                        -=> * <=-

Six of the seven finalists for Oscar nomination
contention in the best visual effects category are SF
films, according to Variety. The Motion Picture
Academy announced that the SF films Armageddon,
Godzilla, Mighty Joe Young, Small Soldiers, The Truman
Show and What Dreams May Come made the short list for
the Academy Awards, along with Babe: Pig in the City.

On Feb. 3 the MPA will select three nominees from among
these seven films to place on the final Oscar ballot, and
the ultimate winner will be announced on March 21. The
award itself will be given to the people--up to four per
film--responsible for supervising the visual effects of the
winning flick.

                        -=> * <=-

The Walt Disney Co. is working on an animated film
called Dinosaurs that could carry a price tag of more
than $200 million, according to The Hollywood
Reporter. The movie is the brainchild of director Paul
Verhoeven, who conceived of Dinosaurs while on the set
of his 1987 film Robocop, though he is no longer attached
to the project.

The film is reportedly about a baby dinosaur born in the
Cretaceous era who is separated from his family as an
egg. The young dino is raised by lemur monkeys and later
goes on to save his species from extinction when an
asteroid strikes the Earth.

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From: Jayson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Vamps
Date: 14 Jan 1999 07:53:13 +0800 (HKT)

On 13 Jan 1999, ABYRNE.IE.ORACLE.COM wrote:

> Since I seemed to start this conversation, I think I'll continue it.
> Has anyone heard anything about a sequel to Interview with a Vampire.
> I heard a while ago that Pitt was out, as he found it too
> depressing(altogether AHHHHHHHHH), but Cruise is in.
> Any comments?

I'm not really sure but the last I heard was that they're entirely
skipping "The Vampire Lestat" (which seems damned in development hell) and
Anne Rice just finished the script for "Queen of the Damned". I'm not sure
about the casting but yeah, I also heard about Cruise and Pitt being out
of the project.

Jayson


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From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 01/14/99
Date: 14 Jan 1999 16:06:58 -0700 (MST)

In his first singing role since 1978's "Grease," John
Travolta is set to star as Jimmy Roselli -- a crooner
favored by the Mafia and then targeted for extinction when
he turned his back on the mob -- in "Standing Room Only," to
be directed by Gus Van Sant (the "Psycho" remake). The film
starts shooting March 15, reports Variety. "He'll be the
'Raging Bull' of lounge singers, but with the humor John
brings to the role," said Jonathan Krane, whose company is
financing the movie, which will be distributed by Disney.
"John will be singing the standards the way Roselli did ...
the mobsters' wives, who loved him, saved Roselli's life
several times." Of Travolta's pipes, the moneyman added,
"People might forget that John has a wonderful voice, did
all his singing in 'Grease,' and recently sang with Carly
Simon on her album."

                        -=> * <=-

Undaunted by criticism of its top 100 motion pictures list
last year, the American Film Institute is picking the 50
greatest American film legends of the 20th Century. Humphrey
Bogart, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Rita Hayworth and Spencer
Tracy were obvious candidates on the list of 500 nominees,
which seemed to include everyone who ever starred in a movie
(including the Three Stooges). AFI defined "American screen
legend" as an actor with a significant screen presence in
American movies whose screen debut occurred prior to 1951 or
whose debut occurred after 1950 but whose death marked a
completed body of work. That allowed inclusion of James
Dean, Grace Kelly. John Belushi, Elvis Presley, Steve
McQueen, Anthony Perkins and others, even Divine. Winners
will be announced in June.

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: 487030486 <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] (╡LÑD├D)
Date: 15 Jan 1999 13:40:28 +0800




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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: 487030486 <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Saving private Ryan
Date: 15 Jan 1999 14:06:35 +0800

Is there anyone who has seen the movie"Saving private Ryan"?
Please speak up you opinions about and feelings about
"Saving private Ryan" on that.
I will truly appreciate.


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Rebecca Bezant" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Re:_=5BMV=5D_=28=B5L=A5D=C3D=29?=
Date: 15 Jan 1999 03:17:24 PST

Who is 487030486, and what was the purpose of this blank email entitled =
,  [MV] (=B5L=A5D=C3D)?
____________________
>
>
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
>



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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Ada <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] No Way Back
Date: 14 Jan 1999 19:30:18 +0800

Is there anyone who has seen the movie"No Way Back"?
Please describe the contain of this movie for me .
I will truly appreciate.




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From: cecilia <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Two choices
Date: 15 Jan 1999 19:48:29 +0800

Hello, everybody. I am Cecilia.
I'd like to see  movies cuple days later, but I got two choices , "Let
It Be Me" and "Turbulence",Is there anyone kind enough to tell me which
one is better between them.
I'll be quite appreciate.


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From: Cecilia <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] No Way Back
Date: 15 Jan 1999 20:15:25 +0800



Ada ╝g╣DíG

> Is there anyone who has seen the movie"No Way Back"?
> Please describe the contain of this movie for me .
> I will truly appreciate.
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]

This movie is talk about a FBI special agent but he made a fatal mistake
on a case recently, that made a bad situtation btween he and his son.
One day,  his son was kidnaped and he is the only way to make his son
back.
By the way, This movie's actress is Helen.Hunt and I think she is a very
good one,
that make this movie become better.



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From: "ABYRNE.IE.ORACLE.COM" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Two choices
Date: 15 Jan 1999 12:28:55 +0000


--=_ORCL_6814333_0_0
Content-Transfer-Encoding:quoted-printable
Content-Type:text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Well, if it's Turbulence with Ray Liotta,, see it.
He is hillarious. I haven't seen the other one, but if Turbulence is the one=

I'm thinking of, see it!
Thanks & Regards,
****************************************************************************=
**
****************************************************************************=
**

Anto Byrne                Net:[e-mail]
Oracle E.M.E.A.                Quality Rep.
    Unit 14                    Phone:[phone]
Airways Industrial Estate        Fax:[phone]
Cloghran                      email:abyrne
Dublin 17.
Ireland
****************************************************************************=
**

   "In Order to find his equal, an Irish Man is forced to talk to God"
****************************************************************************=
**



--=_ORCL_6814333_0_0
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Hello, everybody. I am Cecilia.
I'd like to see  movies cuple days later, but I got two choices , "Let
It Be Me" and "Turbulence",Is there anyone kind enough to tell me which
one is better between them.
I'll be quite appreciate.


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[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]

--=_ORCL_6814333_0_0--


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Ada <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Two choices
Date: 14 Jan 1999 21:36:32 +0800



cecilia ╝g╣DíG

> Hello, everybody. I am Cecilia.
> I'd like to see  movies cuple days later, but I got two choices , "Let
> It Be Me" and "Turbulence",Is there anyone kind enough to tell me which
> one is better between them.
> I'll be quite appreciate.
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]

I'd like to introduce you to see "Let It Be Me", This movie mentioned some
emotion
problems between couples.


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ANDY <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Shedding on Teleportation...
Date: 16 Jan 1999 01:10:06 +0800


--------------43FAB041A6C836CD615BE596
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=big5
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit


         There must be a better way of getting around . It's too bad we
can't just beam ourselves around , like in Star Trek .

                    copy from English Digest99/1
          Is there anyone who has seen the movie " The Right Stuff " ?
          Please speak up you opinions about and
                     feelings about  " The Right Stuff " on that.
                 I will truly appreciate.

--------------43FAB041A6C836CD615BE596
Content-Type: text/html; charset=big5
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

<HTML>

<BR>         There must be a better
way of getting around . It's too bad we can't just beam ourselves around
, like in Star Trek .
<BR>
copy from English Digest99/1
<BR>          Is there anyone
who has seen the movie " <FONT COLOR="#3366FF"><FONT SIZE=+1>The Right
Stuff </FONT></FONT>" ?
<BR>          Please speak
up you opinions about and
<BR>
feelings about  " <FONT COLOR="#3366FF"><FONT SIZE=+1>The Right Stuff</FONT></FONT>
" on that.
<BR><FONT SIZE=+1>
</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000">I will truly appreciate.</FONT></HTML>

--------------43FAB041A6C836CD615BE596--


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Elton <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] About "While You Were Sleeping"
Date: 16 Jan 1999 01:50:53 +0800

Is there anyone can tell me details about "While You Were Sleeping"
thanks.


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Mel Eperthener <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] No Way Out (was: No Way Back)
Date: 15 Jan 1999 12:48:55 -0500

At 07.30 PM 14/01/99 +0800, Ada wrote:
>Is there anyone who has seen the movie"No Way Back"?

Haven't seem No Way Back, but No Way Out is one of my favourites.

S
L
I
G
H
T

S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S

Kevin Costner (back when he was good:-), a military man, works for Gene
Hackman, a senator.  They are also dating the same woman.  Hackman kills
her, but blames the murder on her other boyfriend (he does not know it's
Costner).  Costner is assigned to find the murderer.  Worth the price of
admission just for the twists and turns (if you think the above is the
major plot of the movie, you will be very surprised), especially at the end.

Regards,

--Mel


--Mel Eperthener
president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty

Please support the endeavour
of a friend and fellow Australian.

Political Corrections by Michael Jaymes Cassidy
http://www.angelfire.com/ma/politicalmusings

____________________________________________
Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas.
-Former Australian cabinet minister Keppel Enderbery
__________________________

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From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Shedding on Teleportation...
Date: 15 Jan 1999 13:03:27 -0700

"The Right Stuff" is one of my favorite movies, though it does get awfully
slow during the final third.  Every American should see it at least once.

Greg

ANDY wrote:
>
>
>          There must be a better way of getting around . It's too bad we
> can't just beam ourselves around , like in Star Trek .
>
> copy from English Digest99/1
>           Is there anyone who has seen the movie " The Right Stuff " ?
>           Please speak up you opinions about and
>                      feelings about  " The Right Stuff " on that.
>                  I will truly appreciate.

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From: "Danielle Conkle" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Out of Sight
Date: 15 Jan 1999 12:59:17 PST

    I keep hearing all this great stuff about "Out of Sight"  but i
don't know anyone who's actually seen it.  ...anyone on the movie list
happen to catch it?  I heard they were re-releasing it.


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From: "Danielle Conkle" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] buckle your seatbelts for this one...
Date: 15 Jan 1999 13:01:33 PST



>Well, if it's Turbulence with Ray Liotta,, see it.
>He is hillarious. I haven't seen the other one, but if Turbulence is
the one=

Oh Please, Turbulence?  That is the worst movie of all time!  It's not
even worth it to watch this trash movie to laugh at it.


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From: "Danielle Conkle" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] speaking of Kevin Costner....
Date: 15 Jan 1999 13:05:05 PST

    Hey, i recently watched The Postman on video, and was thinking it
wasn't as bad as everyone said it was.  It actually was pretty
okay...but like a lot of his movies just a lil too long.  Anyone else
see it, have comments on it??


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From: jkrudy <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] speaking of Kevin Costner....
Date: 15 Jan 1999 15:23:43 -0700

In the Road Warrior it was post Apocalyptic thugs running around in cars in
a desperate quest for gas, in Waterworld (another Costner movie) it was post
Apocalyptic thugs running around on jet skis in a desperate quest for dirt,
in The Postman it's post Apocalyptic thugs running around on horse back in a
desperate quest to somehow squeeze a few more cinematic bucks out of Kevin
Costner's movie career which seems to have reached it's zenith with Dances
With Wolves and has dropped like a stone since...I mean come on!!!!!!!!!
Okay it was a good story but it just didn't have the action that was
promised in the previews and it didn't come close to the "thinking man's"
movie that might justify sitting spellbound in front of your TV set for 3
hrs.  *******************SEMI SPOILER MAYBE *****************The highlight
of this movie was the brief appearance by Tom Petty as himself.  The only
thing this movie left me with was a deep suspicion of Copier Machine
salesmen (you'll just have to see the movie to understand what I mean).
Don't get me wrong I'm not criticizing The Road Warrior, it's just that one
movie like that was really enough.

James K. Rudy


-----Original Message-----
Sent: Friday, January 15, 1999 2:05 PM


    Hey, i recently watched The Postman on video, and was thinking it
wasn't as bad as everyone said it was.  It actually was pretty
okay...but like a lot of his movies just a lil too long.  Anyone else
see it, have comments on it??


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From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Out of Sight -Reply
Date: 15 Jan 1999 17:08:21 -0800

Out of sight was one of the best movies of last year.  It was funny
and exciting and was a really great return of the director Steven
Soderberg.  This is the movie that proves that what's his name can
carry a movie.  Ving Rhames is great as his stand up sidekick.

bb

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From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Out of Sight -Reply
Date: 15 Jan 1999 17:24:03 -0800

What are the chances, do you think, of it being a dark horse condender for
best picture?

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Bruce Bridges [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Friday, January 15, 1999 5:08 PM
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    [MV] Out of Sight -Reply
>
> Out of sight was one of the best movies of last year.  It was funny
> and exciting and was a really great return of the director Steven
> Soderberg.  This is the movie that proves that what's his name can
> carry a movie.  Ving Rhames is great as his stand up sidekick.
>
> bb
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
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From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Out of Sight -Reply -Reply
Date: 15 Jan 1999 17:41:19 -0800

I think there is no chance in hell to be honest even though it may
deserve it.  It isn't the kind of movie the academy gives notice to.
It wasn't "important" or "cutting edge" or "Ironic" or even "deep".
Just a really great movie.

bb

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From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Out of Sight -Reply -Reply
Date: 15 Jan 1999 17:36:43 -0800

You're right, I know... I should have said Best Adapted Screenplay.... we
all know that the Academy is too old to pay attention.

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Bruce Bridges [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Friday, January 15, 1999 5:41 PM
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    RE: [MV] Out of Sight -Reply -Reply
>
> I think there is no chance in hell to be honest even though it may
> deserve it.  It isn't the kind of movie the academy gives notice to.
> It wasn't "important" or "cutting edge" or "Ironic" or even "deep".
> Just a really great movie.
>
> bb
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
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From: Jayson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] About "While You Were Sleeping"
Date: 16 Jan 1999 12:05:00 +0800 (HKT)

On Sat, 16 Jan 1999, Elton wrote:

> Is there anyone can tell me details about "While You Were Sleeping"
> thanks.
>
>

It stars Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, and Peter Gallagher and it's a
romantic comedy. If you want to know more details (or spoilers), just
e-mail me privately.

Jayson


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From: Jayson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Out of Sight
Date: 16 Jan 1999 12:08:51 +0800 (HKT)

On Fri, 15 Jan 1999, Danielle Conkle wrote:

>     I keep hearing all this great stuff about "Out of Sight"  but i
> don't know anyone who's actually seen it.  ...anyone on the movie list
> happen to catch it?  I heard they were re-releasing it.
>

Out of Sight is a movie you either hate or love (like Pulp Fiction). If
you like Tarantino films, then you'll also like this one. Biases aside, I
think that it's a well-written movie with great performances from Clooney,
Lopez and the rest of the "goons". Regarding its chances in the Oscars, I
don't think it'll be up for Best Picture because it's not the type of
film the Academy people like. They'd rather have indie films like Life is
Beautiful or Waking Ned Devine as dark horses in this year's race.

Jayson


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From: Mel Eperthener <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Out of Sight
Date: 16 Jan 1999 00:43:14 -0500

At 12.59 PM 15/01/99 PST, Danielle Conkle wrote:
>    I keep hearing all this great stuff about "Out of Sight"  but i
>don't know anyone who's actually seen it.  ...anyone on the movie list
>happen to catch it?  I heard they were re-releasing it.

Actually, it came out on video in the States last week.

Not a bad movie.  The reviewers (who gave it high marks) are right that it
should have done better at the box office (then again, so should have
Playing God).  I liked it, but the only reason that I would consider it one
of the best is that we had a pretty dismal year in movies, when you think
about it.

Based on a book by Elmore Leanord (I believe), the same guy who wrote the
book Jackie Brown.  Very similar style.  I say if you liked Jackie Brown,
you should like this movie.

Right now, I am watching Pi.  It is a very good movie, but one that I think
you have to concentrate on.  Rent it if you like arthouse/Sundance films.

Regards,

--Mel


--Mel Eperthener
president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty

email: [e-mail]
          [e-mail]

http://www.webz.com/gowanna

419 Butler Street
PO Box 95184
Pittsburgh, PA 15223-0184
[phone]
[phone]
1-888-45-GOWANNA -- TOLL FREE
(1-888-454-6926)
____________________________________________
"Mulder, if you had to do without a cell phone for
two minutes, you'd lapse into catatonic schizophrenia"

--Dana Scully
______________________________________________


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From: Mel Eperthener <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] speaking of Kevin Costner....
Date: 16 Jan 1999 00:48:41 -0500

At 01.05 PM 15/01/99 PST, Danielle Conkle wrote:
>    Hey, i recently watched The Postman on video, and was thinking it
>wasn't as bad as everyone said it was.  It actually was pretty
>okay...but like a lot of his movies just a lil too long.  Anyone else
>see it, have comments on it??

I think I may have mentioned this here before.

The Postman originally started our as a short story (I believe a Novella or
Novellette) that won a Hugo (highest Sci-Fi literary award).  Followed up
with a story almost it's equal.  They were combined into a book (also The
Postman) that, although not as good as the sum of its parts, was still very
good.

When I heard that this movie was being made, I expected it to be good, and
really thought about seeing it in the theatre.  Then the reviews came out.
Like Godzilla, the reviews were horrid.  Also like Godzilla, when I finally
watched it on video, I had NO expectations.  And I have to say that both
movies were better than I expected.  Then again, that would be a very good
example of damning with faint praise.

(Of course, it goes without saying that Postman was still better than
Godzilla)

Regards,

--Mel


--Mel Eperthener
president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty

Please support the endeavour
of a friend and fellow Australian.

Political Corrections by Michael Jaymes Cassidy
http://www.angelfire.com/ma/politicalmusings

____________________________________________
Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas.
-Former Australian cabinet minister Keppel Enderbery
__________________________

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From: "David Lee" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Out of Sight -Reply
Date: 17 Jan 1999 00:41:11 +0800

Out of Sight was great because of the great chemistry between the two
leads... The plot is kind of refreshing too.. and the delivery, simply one
of its kind.


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From: "David Lee" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Oscar Predictions - What are you laying your bets on?
Date: 17 Jan 1999 00:46:26 +0800

Dear all,

I'm living near the equator, which explains why my Hollywood news may be a
little late.

Anyway, to pacify my personal thirst for Oscar trivia and gossips, can
somebody kindly provide me (or to suggest to the list) a few likely Oscar
Noms for the various MAJOR categories? I know Cate Blanchett is in tipped
to be one of the favourites for Best Actress (together with Elizabeth for
Best Picture), but is Gwyneth Paltrow as good as I hear she is? Is
Shakespeare in Love made of Oscar material? And what about the actors? Any
possible noms in that category?

Really appreciate it if you could feed some noms into the list, to humour
me over the weekend. Perhaps we could have an interesting 'discussion' out
of that...

David :-)

----------
| From: Mel Eperthener <[e-mail]>
| To: [e-mail]
| Subject: Re: [MV] Out of Sight
| Date: 16 January 1999 13:43
|
| At 12.59 PM 15/01/99 PST, Danielle Conkle wrote:
| >    I keep hearing all this great stuff about "Out of Sight"  but i
| >don't know anyone who's actually seen it.  ...anyone on the movie list
| >happen to catch it?  I heard they were re-releasing it.
|
| Actually, it came out on video in the States last week.
|
| Not a bad movie.  The reviewers (who gave it high marks) are right that
it
| should have done better at the box office (then again, so should have
| Playing God).  I liked it, but the only reason that I would consider it
one
| of the best is that we had a pretty dismal year in movies, when you think
| about it.
|
| Based on a book by Elmore Leanord (I believe), the same guy who wrote the
| book Jackie Brown.  Very similar style.  I say if you liked Jackie Brown,
| you should like this movie.
|
| Right now, I am watching Pi.  It is a very good movie, but one that I
think
| you have to concentrate on.  Rent it if you like arthouse/Sundance films.
|
| Regards,
|
| --Mel
|
|
| --Mel Eperthener
| president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty
|
| email: [e-mail]
|           [e-mail]
|
| http://www.webz.com/gowanna
|
| 419 Butler Street
| PO Box 95184
| Pittsburgh, PA 15223-0184
| [phone]
| [phone]
| 1-888-45-GOWANNA -- TOLL FREE
| (1-888-454-6926)
| ____________________________________________
| "Mulder, if you had to do without a cell phone for
| two minutes, you'd lapse into catatonic schizophrenia"
|
| --Dana Scully
| ______________________________________________
|
|
| [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
| [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]

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From: "David Lee" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] About "While You Were Sleeping"
Date: 17 Jan 1999 00:48:23 +0800

I must say that it was one of the more heartwarming, not too sweet romantic
comedies that I've watched. Bill Pullman wasn't bad in the show, IMHO. But
some may beg to differ.

David

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From: [e-mail]
Subject: [MV] Eyes Wide Shut
Date: 16 Jan 1999 16:05:54 -0600

well, i'm going to bring up a topic here that perhaps has or hasnt been
discussed at length on this list (i'm somewhat new to the list): Stanley
Kubrick's new movie "Eyes Wide Shut."

what all does anyone on the list know about this movie?  kubrick is of
course infamous for keeping a very, very tight rope on everyone working on
his movies until right before a film comes out, so of course very little
information has been released.  but i do know this so far, and i welcome
anyone adding information, or making comments on what they're expecting
from this movie:

starts tom cruise and nicole kidman (married in real life) playing a couple
of married psychologists who fall into some sort of 'sexual underworld'
where they cheat on each other with each other's patients (or perhaps their
own patients - i've heard both, though the former would perhaps be a bit
more interesting of a premise), get into crossdressing (cruise in
particular), bondage and s&m acts, and start experimenting with drugs.

this movie apparently took about 20 months to shoot, partially because two
supporting roles (originally set to be played by harvey keitel and jennifer
jason leigh, and replaced by sydney pollack and marie richardson) were
changed after filmmaking was completed.

one thing i heard about this film when i first heard about it's production
about two years ago was this: supposedly, back in the late 60s or early
70s, kubrick remarked to one of his colleagues that with so many
pornographic films being made, and with the majority (if not all) of them
having weak or non-existant plots, that wouldnt it be "interesting" to make
a quality, tasteful, thoughtful pornographic film using popular actors?
supposedly, "eyes wide shut" is kubrick's realization of this idea.
apparently, the movie is rather graphic as far as nudity/sexuality is
concerned, and is pretty much assured a strong NC-17 rating, which would
make it the first "major" nc-17 rated film since the nc-17 rating was
created in 1989 (?).  of course, however, kubrick was one of the few
filmmakers to release a "major" film rated X back in the 60s (when the X
rating was a real MPAA rating), namely "a clockwork orange."

any comments from anyone on this one?  i myself, as a big kubrick fan, am
very much looking forward to this one.  the release date has apparently
been set for july 16, 1999, which i'm eagerly anticipating.

on another kubrick note: kubrick has, of course, also been working on
another ambitious film, "a.i." for about 10 years now.  supposedly some
sort of movie about a boy who grows up with some sort of alien relation (i
dont know a whole lot about this film, as even less information about it
has been released than the little that has been released about "eyes wide
shut").  supposedly, the reason the film has taken so long to film is that
kubrick is actually filming the development of a particular actor for use
in the plot of the movie.

comments?


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From: "Jason Cormier" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Eyes Wide Shut
Date: 16 Jan 1999 19:33:27 -0800

I too am a big fan of Kubrick and can hardly wait too see what genre he has
mastered next.  The Shining, Clockwork Orange, 2001, Dr. Strangelove,
Killers, Spartacus, Barry Lyndon, Full Metal Jacket, Killer's Kiss and Paths
of Glory are my favourites (and yes I do know that I listed all his
films!:-) - hope I didn't forget any!)  I commend Cruise and Kidman for
sticking with it while Kietel (whom I'm a fan of as well) decided to call it
quits.  Jennifer's scenes were all finished being filmed so she signed up
with Cronenberg for eXistenZ and couldn't come back for some reshoots so
Kubrick had to replace her....that sucks - I love Jennifer - but I am
looking forward to eXistenZ!!  EWS is probably the yea'r second most talked
about movie being that the production took soooo long!  Hope it's great!!

-----Original Message-----


>well, i'm going to bring up a topic here that perhaps has or hasnt been
>discussed at length on this list (i'm somewhat new to the list): Stanley
>Kubrick's new movie "Eyes Wide Shut."
>
>what all does anyone on the list know about this movie?  kubrick is of
>course infamous for keeping a very, very tight rope on everyone working on
>his movies until right before a film comes out, so of course very little
>information has been released.  but i do know this so far, and i welcome
>anyone adding information, or making comments on what they're expecting
>from this movie:
>
>starts tom cruise and nicole kidman (married in real life) playing a couple
>of married psychologists who fall into some sort of 'sexual underworld'
>where they cheat on each other with each other's patients (or perhaps their
>own patients - i've heard both, though the former would perhaps be a bit
>more interesting of a premise), get into crossdressing (cruise in
>particular), bondage and s&m acts, and start experimenting with drugs.
>
>this movie apparently took about 20 months to shoot, partially because two
>supporting roles (originally set to be played by harvey keitel and jennifer
>jason leigh, and replaced by sydney pollack and marie richardson) were
>changed after filmmaking was completed.
>
>one thing i heard about this film when i first heard about it's production
>about two years ago was this: supposedly, back in the late 60s or early
>70s, kubrick remarked to one of his colleagues that with so many
>pornographic films being made, and with the majority (if not all) of them
>having weak or non-existant plots, that wouldnt it be "interesting" to make
>a quality, tasteful, thoughtful pornographic film using popular actors?
>supposedly, "eyes wide shut" is kubrick's realization of this idea.
>apparently, the movie is rather graphic as far as nudity/sexuality is
>concerned, and is pretty much assured a strong NC-17 rating, which would
>make it the first "major" nc-17 rated film since the nc-17 rating was
>created in 1989 (?).  of course, however, kubrick was one of the few
>filmmakers to release a "major" film rated X back in the 60s (when the X
>rating was a real MPAA rating), namely "a clockwork orange."
>
>any comments from anyone on this one?  i myself, as a big kubrick fan, am
>very much looking forward to this one.  the release date has apparently
>been set for july 16, 1999, which i'm eagerly anticipating.
>
>on another kubrick note: kubrick has, of course, also been working on
>another ambitious film, "a.i." for about 10 years now.  supposedly some
>sort of movie about a boy who grows up with some sort of alien relation (i
>dont know a whole lot about this film, as even less information about it
>has been released than the little that has been released about "eyes wide
>shut").  supposedly, the reason the film has taken so long to film is that
>kubrick is actually filming the development of a particular actor for use
>in the plot of the movie.
>
>comments?
>
>
>[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
>[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
>


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From: "Jason Cormier" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] A Civil Action review
Date: 16 Jan 1999 19:43:13 -0800

This review is based on a true story.

Enjoyed most of this movie as I sat through it - but I did start to notice
the time start to drag in the third act.  If you like law then maybe you
might like this movie - otherwise it's pretty straightforward 2-dimensional
characters at work here.  John is really good at playing the A-hole but he
really cannot act like he gives a damn.  He's a good jerk - but once it
comes time for his characters to care - I can't see it in him.  Kathleen
Quinlan's character was also quite 2D as she was the typical mother of a
dead son - we didn't know anything else about her at all (mind you if we did
the movie would have been even longer...urghhh)  Robert Duvall was
interesting as was most of the scenes in which he was in as they took the
time to flush out his character a bit more.  It's too bad that it didn't
matter since this movie was based on a true story we do not get to see what
we have been programmed to want to see - instead we see what did happen in
reality.  They say truth is stranger than fiction - but at least fiction is
a little more dramatic.  A 72%.


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From: Mel Eperthener <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Eyes Wide Shut
Date: 16 Jan 1999 22:27:21 -0500

At 04.05 PM 16/01/99 -0600, [e-mail] wrote:
>apparently, the movie is rather graphic as far as nudity/sexuality is
>concerned, and is pretty much assured a strong NC-17 rating, which would
>make it the first "major" nc-17 rated film since the nc-17 rating was
>created in 1989 (?).  of course, however, kubrick was one of the few
>filmmakers to release a "major" film rated X back in the 60s (when the X
>rating was a real MPAA rating), namely "a clockwork orange."

Two interesting notes.  First of all, as stated above, X was originally a
"real" MPAA rating.  Out of the four original ratings (G, PG, R, and X), it
was the only one not copyrighted, for whatever reason.  Thus the "adult
entertainment" took it as it's own.  The adult industry, figuring that if
one X was good, three must be better, then created on their own the XXX
catagory.  The reason that XX does not exist is it would be a step back
from XXX, and thus give the impression of not being as "good".

The two most famous movies to be released under the X rating were Clockwork
Orange and Last Tango in Paris.  Both movies now carry the R rating.  X was
so seized by the adult film industry that the MPAA created (and
copyrighted) the NC-17 rating.  X still is a valid MPAA rating, but is
never used anymore.  The MPAA will not even threaten a film with that rating.

Secondly, as for Clockwork Orange, Kubrick has instated a voluntary "ban"
on it being shown in the United Kingdom.  Owning the rights, he refuses to
let it be shown in his native land.  Not sure if this says more about the
British, the Americans, or Kubrick (who appearently does not want to live
in a society exposed to this disturbing film)

Regards,

--Mel


--Mel Eperthener
president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty

Please support the endeavour
of a friend and fellow Australian.

Political Corrections by Michael Jaymes Cassidy
http://www.angelfire.com/ma/politicalmusings

____________________________________________
Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas.
-Former Australian cabinet minister Keppel Enderbery
__________________________

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From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: [MV] Eyes Wide Shut
Date: 16 Jan 1999 23:07:35 -0600

At 10:27 PM 1/16/99 -0500, Mel Eperthener wrote:
>The two most famous movies to be released under the X rating were Clockwork
>Orange and Last Tango in Paris.  Both movies now carry the R rating.  X was

actually, there were two other somewhat major films in the late 60s that
were rated X: "midnight cowboy" with dustin hoffman and jon voight (the
only other film, with "a clockwork orange", rated X to ever receive an
oscar nomination), and "easy rider" with peter fonda, dennis hopper and
jack nicholson.

>Secondly, as for Clockwork Orange, Kubrick has instated a voluntary "ban"
>on it being shown in the United Kingdom.  Owning the rights, he refuses to
>let it be shown in his native land.  Not sure if this says more about the
>British, the Americans, or Kubrick (who appearently does not want to live
>in a society exposed to this disturbing film)

actually, the reason that kubrick banned a clockwork orange from the UK was
because many british critics said that it was too violent.  he didnt like
this commentary, so he's said that it'll only be available in the united
kingdom after his death.

and kubrick actually is american.  i'm not sure if he's a british citizen
now (i'm sure that he is), but he was born in new york city and lived in
the united states until the early 60s.


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From: Scott Renshaw <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] 1999 Sundance Film Festival Coverage
Date: 17 Jan 1999 07:40:01 -0700 (MST)

Subscribers,

The 1999 Sundance Film Festival will be held January 21-31 in Park City,
Salt Lake City, and Ogden, Utah.  I will be attending many festival
screenings, in addition to several pre-festival press screenings, and
providing mini-reviews of all the films I see.  However, for reasons of
logistics and my own sanity, I will only be posting that coverage to my
web site, not sending it to the distribution list.  It will also save
those of you who may never see any of these films from mailbox overload
over the next 14 days or so.

Several pre-festival screening reviews are now available.  Updates will be
going up daily beginning the 21st.  If you're interested, please visit
http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/sundance_99.html.

Cheers, and thanks always for your support,
Scott

                      Visit Scott Renshaw's MoviePage
                    http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
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From: Scott Renshaw <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] REVIEW: PLAYING BY HEART
Date: 17 Jan 1999 08:17:41 -0700 (MST)

PLAYING BY HEART
(Miramax)
Starring:  Gillian Anderson, Ellen Burstyn, Sean Connery, Anthony Edwards,
Angelina Jolie, Jay Mohr, Ryan Phillippe, Dennis Quaid, Gena Rowlands, Jon
Stewart, Madeline Stowe.
Screenplay:  Willard Carrol.
Producers:  Meg Liberman, Willard Carrol and Tom Wilhite.
Director:  Willard Carrol.
MPAA Rating:  R (profanity, adult themes, sexual situations)
Running Time:  118 minutes.
Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.

     PLAYING BY HEART inspires the question, "how many stories do you need
to tell in one film in order to cover the entire spectrum of human
relationship dynamics?"  Is three sufficient?  Five?  Ten?  The answer, of
course, is that it's actually a trick question; you can't possibly cover
the subject of love in toto over the course of one two-hour feature.  The
best you can do is make the stories you _do_ choose to tell compelling
enough and insightful enough that they feel somehow more universal.

     Writer/director Willard Carrol, apparently unhip to the tricky nature
of the aforementioned question, has answered it "six."  And that's at
_least_ two too many.  Carrol's line-up of romantically lost souls,
centered primarily in Los Angeles, includes:  elderly married couple Paul
(Sean Connery) and Hannah (Gena Rowlands), struggling with the shadow of a
long-ago infidelity; emotionally defensive Meredith (Gillian Anderson),
struggling with whether to pursue a relationship with Trent (Jon Stewart);
party girl Joan (Angelina Jolie), struggling to dent the armor of surly
party boy Keenan (Ryan Phillippe); unhappily married Gracie (Madeline
Stowe), struggling to keep her affair with a married man (Anthony Edwards)
meaningless; and Hugh (Dennis Quaid), struggling to come up with a new sob
story every night to win the sympathy of women in bars.  Added for good
measure is the reconciliation of a mother (Ellen Burstyn) with her
terminally ill son (Jay Mohr), each struggling to understand the other.

     There's an inherent danger in films that include several intertwining
stories, namely that some will be much more interesting than others, and
that the interesting stories will be less effective because we keep
dashing away from them.  At least one of the stories is extremely
effective -- Anderson and Stewart's tentative sparring -- thanks largely
to the charismatic intelligence of the two actors.  Two others are
consistently diverting -- Jolie and Phillippe, and Connery and Rowlands --
again thanks largely to the performers, which is a particular surprise in
the former case.  But with three other stories vying for time, including
the utterly tedious trysts between Stowe and Edwards, there's never enough
time for the good ones to build any momentum.  Carrol and usually reliable
editor Pietro Scalia (an Oscar-winner for JFK) chop PLAYING BY HEART into
bite-sized three minute chunklets, giving the film all the emotional
resonance of a wittier-than-usual episode of "The Love Boat."

     That wittiness is what Carrol is counting on to carry us through
PLAYING BY HEART, a film with more than its share of effective verbal
sparring and clever quips.  The dialogue makes the episodes diverting a
fair amount of the time; it also disguises a script that has virtually
nothing interesting or new to say about relationships.  It often feels
like Carrol is engaged in a decade-late scramble for a "modern" take on
love and sex -- incorporating HIV into not one but two of the storylines
-- but essentially every one of the stories is about people trying to
understand and be understood.  It's not a particularly revelatory take on
why love is complicated, which makes it even more unclear why Carrol had
to tell so many stories to say one thing.

     Perhaps it's the sense that Carrol is trying _so_ hard that makes
PLAYING BY HEART frustrating in spite of its occasional sparks of life.
John Barry's score drapes a curtain of strings heavily over too many
scenes, Vilmos Zsigmond's cinematography paints an unbelievably
romanticized L. A. nightscape, and the conversations sometimes turn into
exchanges that in real life would end with someone getting smacked across
the face.  Yet for all its flaws, PLAYING BY HEART probably would have
worked if it had given us the time to build a familiarity with only one or
two couples, allowing us to understand their hopes and fears about love in
more depth than a quick character capsule could provide.  The moments just
don't add up in this epic of the heart that proves the law of diminishing
returns.

     On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 heart lites:  5.

                      Visit Scott Renshaw's MoviePage
                    http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
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From: [e-mail]
Subject: [MV] MovieJuice! - THE THIN RED LINE - Patton Pending
Date: 17 Jan 1999 11:29:34 -0500 (EST)

THE THIN RED LINE - PATTON PENDING

by Mark Ramsey

http://www.moviejuice.com

January 17, 1999

Have you heard the news?  According to NBC's new programming honcho Scott Sassa, there'll be less sex on NBC from now on.  Thus, announced Sassa, Friends will be renamed Just Friends, Suddenly Susan will now be known as Suddenly Chaste Susan, and the world-famous NBC Peacock will now become the NBC Peahandshake.

Meanwhile at the Cineplex, The Thin Red Line is finally opening wide.  Bring on the film school field trips, kids!  Funky glasses and Indie 'tudes available at the door.  Join the vets, war buffs, and their exceedingly reluctant spouses as the spoils of war spoil your evening big time.

This is the prettiest war I've ever seen!  Who produced this flick, National Geographic?  Should I enlist or call my travel agent?  Is this The Discovery Channel Red Line?  Does there exist a critter this camera doesn't love?

There are so many star cameos in this flick, Fox should have stuffed them all into a jar so the audience could guess the count and win a prize.   There's Nick Nolte who, having survived Streisand, can certainly survive WWII.   There's Woody Harrelson, fresh from the hard-fought Battle of Hemp Hill.   There's even a brief turn by chief Japanese propagandist Tokyo Rosie O'Donnell.   All these stars and not one Baldwin!  Talk about defying the odds!

The Thin Red Line follows the exploits of Charlie Company which is comprised of several offshoots:  There's "Charlie Rose Company," skilled in talking the enemy to death, "Charles Nelson Reilly Company" which is ideal for reconnaissance and surveillance missions because it's "lightest in the loafers," and "Charlize Theron Company," which - needless to say - is the company all men want to be in.

If you insist on seeing this movie, stock up on provisions.   Panzer attack the snack counter for surplus rations and bring reinforcements if at all possible.  In my theater, the audience was deploying jujubes like grenades to the sounds of exploding popping corn, the aisles thick with the blood of Coke syrup.   "Incoming!" yelled an audience recruit as a latecomer entered the theater.  He was soon to retreat, however, following a barrage of neo-poetic innuendo, spiritual smoke-blowing, and metaphysical naval-pondering.  Where's a foxhole when you need one?

I don't know about you, but the only thin red line I see here is the one separating my body from the exit.  Who knew that WWII contained so little fighting and so much narration?

I was deep into this flick before I realized something important:  There's no story here!  I mean none!  This is nearly three hours of random action, if "action" is what you call Sean Penn's hair waving in the breeze.

Notoriously boring yet legendary director and film school darling Terry Malick took off 20 years in self-imposed hibernation somewhere on a distant planet and managed to direct an entire movie without even returning to Earth!

Ghost-written by Jewel, The Soap Opera Paced Red Line is set in the midst of one of WWII's worst conflicts, the island of Barnes and Noble Poetry readings.  General Emily Dickinson and Lt. Col. Robert Frost outline a battle plan called "Operation Metaphors 'R' Us."  We're going to fog the enemy's minds with symbolism, men!  And while we're at it, let's not leave out the audience!   This, gang, is what would have happened if the Gulf war had been covered by the Bravo channel.

Fortunately, enduring this movie beside me was Private First Class Shakti Gawain, who handed me a trusty copy of the "Intergalactic Malick-English Dictionary," available in the esoterica section of your favorite bookstore.   Just take a peek at these sample entries:

Malick-ese from the planet "Rigel 7"  /   English Translation, from the planet Earth

- "The closer you are to Caesar, the greater the fear"  /  "This salad sucks.  Bring me another."
- "What's this war at the heart of nature?"  /  "I need to pee really bad"
- "Who are you who live in all these many forms?"  /  "What, another Anthony Hopkins movie???"
- "What's keeping us from reaching out to touch the glory?"  /  "If only my seat was closer to the stage I could see Nicole Kidman nude"
- "Who lit this flame in us?"  /  "I have heartburn; can you spare a Tums?"
- "This great evil; where does it come from?"  /  "What time is Teletubbies on?"

I can't call this movie "pretentious" because I have no idea what it's pretending to be.  But if the Allies ever decode it, something tells me they'll find the real killer of Nicole Simpson.

Copyright 1999 Mark Ramsey. All rights reserved.  NO PORTION MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.
********************

Hey, kids, don't forget to visit the MovieJuice! Site at http://www.moviejuice.com.  The pictures are half the fun (and sometimes more than half the laughs)!

********************

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From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 01/17/99
Date: 17 Jan 1999 14:10:43 -0700 (MST)

"Titanic" was named the best movie of 1998, and Tom Hanks
and Sandra Bullock were named favorite film stars at Sunday
night's ceremony for the 25th annual People's Choice Awards.
(No relation to this PEOPLE.) TV stars Tim Allen of "Home
Improvement" and Helen Hunt of "Mad About You," the shows
"ER" and "LA Doctors" and singers Garth Brooks and Celine
Dion also were among those honored during the event,
televised live by CBS from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.
(The winners were chosen by Gallup Poll. Part of the
ceremony's audience consisted of members of the public, who
never stopped cheering -- which often prevented winners from
being heard.) Special "all-time favorite" honors were given
to Harrison Ford (movies), Bill Cosby (TV) and Elton John
(music). Nathan Lane was selected as favorite comedy actor
in a new series -- that series being "Encore! Encore!," an
early calamity of the new season.

                        -=> * <=-

In another awards ceremony, the New York Critics Circle
dispensed its citations atop the World Trade Center, at the
restaurant Windows on the World, last night. Best Actress
(for "There's Something About Mary") Cameron Diaz told New
York's Daily News, "I'm flattered, I'm shocked. I feel like
a bucket of water has been dropped on me. "Saving Private
Ryan" (Best Picture) producer Steven Spielberg said, "I'm
always surprised when we get an award for anything." During
the dinner, Bill Murray (Best Supporting Actor, for
"Rushmore") said, "This is, indeed, the only film award that
matters. That may be because it's the only film award that
requires an elevator."

                        -=> * <=-

Edward Asner, Joni Mitchell and Kenny Loggins are among the
well-known Hollywood names lending their talents to a
documentary opposing development of Playa Vista, the future
home of DreamWorks, reports Variety. (DreamWorks -- run by
Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen --
currently has "Saving Private Ryan" and "The Prince of
Egypt" in release.) "The Last Stand: The Struggle for
Ballona Wetlands" centers on the possibility of saving one
of Southern California's last wetland ecosystems and Los
Angeles' largest remaining open space. Asner narrates the
56-minute film, while Mitchell, Loggins and Joe Walsh
provide music. The film will have its West Coast premiere
Tuesday at the Museum of Tolerance in West Los Angeles.

                        -=> * <=-

"A Civil Action," a fact-based litigation drama starring
John Travolta, received a positive verdict from North
American moviegoers in its first weekend of wide release.
Travolta plays a personal injury lawyer who battles
corporate might in the case of eight children stricken with
leukemia, allegedly caused by toxic drinking water. The film
ranked No. 1 with a haul of $14.5 million for the
Friday-to-Sunday period, while reigning champ "Patch Adams"
slipped to No. 2 with $12 million, according to studio
estimates. "You've Got Mail" and "Stepmom" each reported
about $8 million, and "The Prince of Egypt" was at No. 5
with $5.8 million. Those rankings represented a major plunge
for each of the three films.

                        -=> * <=-

Geena Davis has been named the host of an officially
sanctioned pre-Oscar show on March 21, muscling in on talk
show host Joan Rivers and others who have made watching the
stars walk into the ceremony a lucrative business. "The one
thing I can guarantee that it will not include is anyone
yelling, 'Who made your dress?'" Davis said Sunday. Davis'
show will be telecast on ABC and will be followed by the
award ceremony. During the show, other networks will be
barred from televising the stars as they enter the theater.
That puts a crimp in the plans of people like Rivers, who
critiques the actors' and actresses' outfits for E!

                        -=> * <=-

HONORED: "In the Heat of the Night" and "Moonstruck"
director Norman Jewison, 72, with the Irving G. Thalberg
Award, for his "consistently high quality" of movie-making,
by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, to be
presented at its Oscar ceremony March 21.

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Gene Ehrich <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] limerick
Date: 17 Jan 1999 20:28:17 -0500

At 08:48 AM 1/11/99 -0800, you wrote:
>Oh! I forgot Snake Eyes.
>
>God I hated that movie.  Terrible acting by one of my favorite actors
>and indulgent, masturbatory directing by one of my favorite directors.
>

  I agree it was real bad but your comments remind me of a great limerick
from Playboy many years ago:

  Todays modern cinematic emporium
  Is not just a super sensorium
  But a highly effectual
  Heterosexual
  Mutual masterbatorium

               gene@ehrich
   http://www.voicenet.com/~generic
Computer & Video Game Garage Sale

Gene Ehrich
PO Box 209
Marlton NJ
08053-0209

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From: Gene Ehrich <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Oscar Predictions - What are you laying your bets on?
Date: 17 Jan 1999 20:30:41 -0500

I'd make a few bets on any of a number of the actors from Stepmom.

Sarandon, Roberts, Harris & both kids were fantastic.
               gene@ehrich
   http://www.voicenet.com/~generic
Computer & Video Game Garage Sale

Gene Ehrich
PO Box 209
Marlton NJ
08053-0209

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From: Jayson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Oscar Predictions - What are you laying your bets on?
Date: 18 Jan 1999 11:33:15 +0800 (HKT)

On Sun, 17 Jan 1999, David Lee wrote:
>
> Anyway, to pacify my personal thirst for Oscar trivia and gossips, can
> somebody kindly provide me (or to suggest to the list) a few likely Oscar
> Noms for the various MAJOR categories?

Hmm, Saving Private Ryan, The Truman Show, and Shakespeare in Love are
definite locks for Best Picture and Screenplay. Of course, their directors
are most likely to get nominations too. One possible director to get a
nomination is Terence Malick but his film may not get nominated (one war
film is enough?). In the acting race, watch out for these names: Tom
Hanks, Nick Nolte, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Gwyneth Paltrow, Susan
Sarandon, Meryl Streep, Billy Bob Thornton, Robert Duvall, Ed Harris, Judi
Dench and Lisa Kudrow. These next few people may not get nominated but I
think they should be: Jeremy Davies (or the entire SPR ensemble),
Christina Ricci (Opposite of Sex), Julia Roberts (Stepmom), Joan Allen
(Pleasantville), the writer of Sliding Doors, and Jim Carrey (hey, if
Sharon Stone can get nominated...).

Jayson






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From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: [MV] Oscar Predictions - What are you laying your bets on?
Date: 17 Jan 1999 21:28:50 -0600

At 11:33 AM 1/18/99 +0800, Jayson wrote:
>film is enough?). In the acting race, watch out for these names: Tom
>Hanks, Nick Nolte, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Gwyneth Paltrow, Susan
>Sarandon, Meryl Streep, Billy Bob Thornton, Robert Duvall, Ed Harris, Judi
>Dench and Lisa Kudrow. These next few people may not get nominated but I

i have absolutely no interest in who wins such-and-such award, but i am
curious what those of you who DO care about awards think of edward norton's
chance at an oscar/nomination for "american history x".

better yet, "american history x" for best picture.

awards are so silly.


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Jayson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Oscar Predictions - What are you laying your bets on?
Date: 18 Jan 1999 13:03:44 +0800 (HKT)


> i have absolutely no interest in who wins such-and-such award, but i am
> curious what those of you who DO care about awards think of edward norton's
> chance at an oscar/nomination for "american history x".

Hmm, he may have a chance.

> better yet, "american history x" for best picture.

I haven't seen the film but being included in some "worst lists" seems to
have killed its chances.




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From: "Jason Cormier" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Thin Red Line review
Date: 17 Jan 1999 23:57:48 -0800

Saving Private Mallick.

Well what could have saved this otherwise entertaining film, directed by
Terrence Mallick,
would have been some more time in the editing room.  A little on the leng=
thy
side if you ask me
- not that I hate long movies but this one seemed over and then it kept o=
n
going for another 45
minutes.  Also there are some problems regarding casting as two of the ma=
in
stars look very
similar and it is hard to distinguish between the two at times.  There ar=
e a
lot of meaningless
voice-overs as well that add to the confusion as you never know whose voi=
ce
it is doing the
voice-over.  A plethora of beautiful images and scenes that wonderfully
juxtaposed the insanity
of war was usually ruined by a voice over telling us how beautiful nature=
 is
and how different it
is to war...thanks for the tip!  Anyway an entertaining film but I didn=92=
t
feel as emotionally
involved as I did with Ryan.  I give it a 78%.


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From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: [MV] Oscar Predictions - What are you laying your bets on?
Date: 17 Jan 1999 22:57:38 -0600

At 01:03 PM 1/18/99 +0800, Jayson wrote:
>> better yet, "american history x" for best picture.
>
>I haven't seen the film but being included in some "worst lists" seems to
>have killed its chances.

i wasnt suggesting that i thought it was the best picture of the year, but
i do think it was a good movie.  had some flaws, likely due to the
controversy surrounding its post-editing process, but it was still a very
worthy film.  but i have heard both very good and very bad opinions of it
from various people.


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Jason Cormier" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Oscar Predictions - What are you laying your bets on?
Date: 18 Jan 1999 00:05:14 -0800

I think his chance are slim as not many of the voter's have seen that movie
as it is pretty against everything.  i loved the pic and would love norton
to win as he is so amazing (what a career this guy suddenly has!!) but his
chances are slim to none to even getting nominated...

-----Original Message-----
[e-mail] <[e-mail]>


>At 11:33 AM 1/18/99 +0800, Jayson wrote:
>>film is enough?). In the acting race, watch out for these names: Tom
>>Hanks, Nick Nolte, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Gwyneth Paltrow, Susan
>>Sarandon, Meryl Streep, Billy Bob Thornton, Robert Duvall, Ed Harris, Judi
>>Dench and Lisa Kudrow. These next few people may not get nominated but I
>
>i have absolutely no interest in who wins such-and-such award, but i am
>curious what those of you who DO care about awards think of edward norton's
>chance at an oscar/nomination for "american history x".
>
>better yet, "american history x" for best picture.
>
>awards are so silly.
>
>
>[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
>[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
>


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: [MV] Oscar Predictions - What are you laying your bets on?
Date: 17 Jan 1999 23:06:20 -0600

At 12:05 AM 1/18/99 -0800, Jason Cormier wrote:
>I think his chance are slim as not many of the voter's have seen that movie
>as it is pretty against everything.  i loved the pic and would love norton
>to win as he is so amazing (what a career this guy suddenly has!!) but his
>chances are slim to none to even getting nominated...

i didnt figure that his performance had much of a chance, since its a
slightly obscure movie (very little advertising), and a controversial
movie, and an upsetting movie.


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: [MV] Film Threat Weekly : 1-18-99 :  Take 3 - PRE-FEST SPECIAL
Date: 17 Jan 1999 23:49:07 EST

SPECIAL PRE-PARK CITY MADNESS ISSUE!!!
"Prepare for Film Festival Madness with Sundance, Slamdance, Souldance,
Lapdance, Dances on Wheels, Slamdunk and No Dance!"

FILM THREAT WEEKLY
"Hollywood's Indie Voice of the New Millennium"
=============================
Take 3 : January 18th, 1999
=============================
http://www.filmthreat.com
=============================

"It's a madhouse!  A madhouse!  A madhouse!"
- Charlton Heston goes bananas in "The Planet of the Apes"

<===========Deluxe======Widescreen======Edition ===========>

THIS WEEK   "Right here, right now."
===========================================
ùù> NEWS: Where objectivity is strangely absent.
ùù> TOP 10 LINES TO USE TO CRASH FESTIVAL PARTIES
ùù> BOXOFFICE CHART: Who's number one at the boxoffice?
ùù> PICKS OF THE WEEK: Stuff we wanna plug.
ùù> BIG SCREEN: Varsity Blues, Virus, more...
ùù> SF INDIEFEST: San Francisco's Newest Film Festival Debut


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festival in Knoxville, TN.  NEW DEADLINE -- JANUARY 31ST.  For information or
entry form call 423-971-1792 or visit web site:
http://www.esper.com/valleyfest

NO DANCE FILM & MULTIMEDIA FESTIVAL
1999 NO DANCE Film & Multimedia Festival returns to Park City. Preliminary
lineup announced on web site.  More details to follow for the first-ever DVD
festival - ONE DAY - ONE EVENT - ONE MOUNTAIN!
http://www.6161.com

SOULDANCE FILM FESTIVAL - GET YOUR FREE TICKETS!
The souldance film festival, showcasing the best in indie films by women and
minority filmmakers will be held in Park City, Utah, Jan. 24-29.  Call
212-971-5835 or visit our site:
http://www.souldancefilmfestival.com


THE NEWS   "Filtered and manipulated.  Just like the real news."
===========================================
Our top stories...

SLAMDANCE ANNOUNCES SLATE OF SPECIAL SCREENINGS, MUSICAL GUESTS, FREE LOUNGE
SCREENINGS, JURY AND FIRESIDE CHATS
More on the site...

WHAT IS INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING? A RAGING DEBATE IN PARK CITY
Get the full story on the site....

SOULDANCE GIVES OUT THE GOODS
More on the site....

1999 NO DANCE BRINGS NEW FILMMAKERS TO SECOND DIGITAL YEAR IN PARK CITY
Get the full story on the site....

DANCES ON WHEELS ANNOUNCES LINE-UP
More on the site....

ARDENT FILM THREAT FAN SCREENS HIS DREAM FLICK AT SLAMDUNK
Plenty more on the site.... So, maybe you should go visit Film Threat Online?

Look for updates this week at Film Threat Online in the Dailies section at:
http://www.filmthreat.com/Dailies-Today.htm


TOP 10 LINES TO USE WHEN CRASHING A PARTY IN PARK CITY
===========================================
Excerpted from "THE ULTIMATE FILM FESTIVAL SURVIVAL GUIDE: The Essential
Companion for Filmmakers and Festival-Goers" by Chris Gore

1. "I left my invite at the hotel, but here's my card."  If you're not on the
list, say: "But I DID RSVP. Is it okay if I just wait?"
2. "Karen put me on the list." There's always a Karen in every crowd. Try
other common names like Bob, Harvey, Geoff or Cassian.
3. "I left my cellular phone in there."  You can also say that you left your
coat, purse, address book, whatever.
4. "I was the one that got stuck parking the car.  I have to tell my ride I
can't get in."
5. "I need to use the phone."
6. "I'm scouting the venue for a possible event location for a party we want
to put on, I'm just observing.  Is that okay?"
7. "I need to use the bathroom.  Really baaaaaad."   (Rarely works for guys,
never fails for women.)
8. "I am with the press." Guaranteed to work better when you feign an accent.
People dig a French accent or a British accent.
9. WARNING, ADVANCED SKILLS ONLY: Casually lean over, without letting the
person see you, glance at the list and select a name.  Try to select one that
is not checked off.  Then say: "I'm the plus one with ______.  I have to meet
him/her here."
10. VERY ADVANCED SKILLS ONLY:"Hi, I'm Jesse Damon.  Matt Damon's brother?
I'm supposed to meet him here."

Learn the secrets of successfully marketing and selling your film at Sundance,
Telluride, Slamdance and over 500 film festivals worldwide. "The Ultimate Film
Festival Survival Guide" (Lone Eagle Publishing, 300 pgs., $14.95) is an
essential tool for film lovers and film industry people alike. Easy to flip
through, but densely packed with information, the book provides an inside
perspective valuable to those who attend or enter festivals.

Meet the author Chris Gore, editor of Film Threat and the All Movie Guide at
the following events:

SLAMDANCE FIRESIDE CHAT
Sunday, January 24, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Slamdance Filmmaker's Lounge, Treasure
Mountain Inn, 255 Main Street, Park City
[phone]  FREE books will be given out!

LAUNCH PARTY!
Monday, January 25, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Dolly's Bookstore, 510 Main Street
[phone]
Wine, FREE Beer, Food...

While in Park City, stop by the Yarrow Hotel FILM BOOKSTORE in the Executive
Boardroom and mention Film Threat for a discount on the book.
http://www.loneeagle.com


BOXOFFICE CHART   "Hollywood's Horse Race... and they're off!"
===========================================
Weekend of January 15-17, Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.

1/ New VARSITY BLUES $14.5
2/     1 A CIVIL ACTION $10.9/$30.4
3/     2 PATCH ADAMS $10.6/$97.2
 4/    15 THE THIN RED LINE $10.5/$13.6
5/ New AT FIRST SIGHT $7.7
6/     4 STEPMOM $6.8/$71.0
7/     3 YOU'VE GOT MAIL $6.0/$98.3
8/     5 THE PRINCE OF EGYPT $5.0/$81.3
8/ New VIRUS $5.0
10/New IN DREAMS $4.0
10/    8 SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE $4.0/$20.6


PICKS OF THE WEEK   "Stuff we wanna plug."
===========================================
FILM FESTIVAL:
The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival is now accepting submissions of non-
fiction films for consideration in its 8th annual celebration,  October 8-17,
1999. Travel & Leisure Magazine has recognized the HSDFF as "One of the Top 20
Film Festivals Worldwide".
     The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival features cutting-edge, classic
and experimental documentaries as well as lectures and forums on issues and
ideas.  Along with the selections of the FestivalÆs Screening Committee, the
current year's Academy Award nominees in the documentary category and
International Documentary Association (IDA) honorees are screened.  In 1999,
more than 70 films covering a wide range of topics will be screened multiple
times during the festival.  The Festival is unique in its recognition of
documentarians, many of whom will be on hand to discuss their work.  Deadline:
4-30-99.
http://www.DocuFilmInst.org

COMMERCIAL DEBUT:
YouÆre about to witness a moment in the emergence of the Internet as the
medium of the future: the release of the first cinematic, made-for-the-web
advertisement -- a TV commercial thatÆs not for TV. Based on the millennium
bug, that ticking time bomb triggered by antiquated software code --the new
Apple ad stars the most sinister computer villain of all time, the HAL 9000
from "2001: A Space Odyssey."  Check it out!
http://www.apple.com/hotnews/features/hal.html

MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN MOVIE:
The D.FILM web site has relaunched and the new centerpiece of the site is the
D.FILM Movie Maker, sponsored by Macromedia and Flashgenerator.com. It allows
the user to create a movie themselves, choosing from a cast of characters,
backgrounds and actions and allows them to write in dialog, etc...  It's
incredible!  There is nothing like it on the web yet!  You can even mail the
movies to other people. The site also contains tons of quicktime movies,
interviews with directors and lots of information about the digital film
revolution.
http://www.dfilm.com/

DVD:
"Pi" or if you prefer " " proves that DVD is now the must-have medium.  The
Darren Aronofsky's indie sci-fi thriller follows Max Cohen (Sean Gullette), a
mathematician on a quest to uncover the secrets of the stock market who is
recruited to unlock the mathematical code for God.  The Sundance Film Festival
award winner is amazing in sharp, stark black and white with features that
include commentary from the director, star, deleted scenes, trailers and a
music video.  DVD producers should take note as this is perhaps the best use
of the DVD medium yet and it couldn't have happened to a better film.  DVD
Express has the best deals on the web!  And don't forget to tell 'em Film
Threat sent you.
http://www.dvdexpress.com


BIG SCREEN   "Coming Soon to a Theater Near You"
===========================================
From five stars "Perfect! * * * * *" to one star "Crap! *" here's the lowdown.

IN DREAMS (R)
* *
Here's to the Sherman's March of cinema known as January -- the elephant's
secret burial ground of BAD movies.  Maybe in the future I can put myself in
cryogenic suspension from January 2 to February 15 so I may avoid the ass end
of the studio release schedule.
     Director Neil Jordan brings us this tale of Claire Cooper (Annette
Bening), an artist who's had psychic visions all of her life, though she could
not always understand them. As her small Massachusetts town is plagued by a
serial killer (Robert Downey Jr.) preying on young girls, Claire has a vision
of the murderer with a young girl in an apple orchard.  Her airline pilot
husband, Paul (Aidan Quinn), tells the police, but they've already found the
body at the bottom of the lake.
     The vision, though, turns out to be a premonition that will bring a two-
way psychic link between Claire and the killer. Soon, to find him and stop
him, she must lose herself and .... BECOME HIM!
     This is the Neil Jordan of the jumbled "Company of Wolves."  "In Dreams"
is just a mess.  It needs a first act where we get a chance to care about the
Cooper family under relatively normal circumstances, particularly the
daughter, Rebecca.  Instead the film immediately dives into the weirdness as
the killings are well under way and Annette Bening launches into hysteria at
any given moment.  The second thing is that Jordan doesn't seem to know what
to do with the cinematography.  The dreams and visions aren't shot very
different from the "real" scenes, and they look more like perfume ads than a
dreamscape.
     The two things that probably attracted Jordan and everyone else to the
project was the idea of having visions but being unable to understand them,
and the motif of the lake.  The Cooper family lives next to an artificial
lake, created when the old town of Northfield was completely flooded to create
a reservoir.  All of the town buildings still exist below where the eye could
see.  It's too bad that while the filmmakers knew how to photograph it, they
didn't always know what to do with it.
     This is the first time I've ever said this, but there are two filmmakers
who would have been perfect for this material: Steven Spieberg and Wes Craven.
I know, it's an odd pair, but I think any film would be better with Wes
Craven, hear me out.  Spielberg could have conveyed a dynamic family unit to
which we could have connected.  We, the audience would have felt a real sense
of loss.  Craven, on the other hand, is one of the few directors to have
really created a cinematic dream-space.  He could have created a true sense of
irrational horror and dissolving sanity.  Despite the occasional clunker,
Craven, in everything from "Last House on the Left" to "Scream" has conveyed
the primal brutality man is every man.  Whenever Jordan has attempted this, in
this film, "Wolves", or "Interview With a Vampire", it looks like some kind of
Details magazine fashion spread.
     Maybe the director blew his mental load on "The Butcher Boy".  It just
seems that Jordan is at his best when he sticks to the gritty urban dramas in
England and Ireland, where we get a "Mona Lisa" or "The Crying Game".
Whenever he steps into fantasy, we seem to get another "High Spirits". - Ron
Wells

VARSITY BLUES (R)
* * 1/2
(http://www.varsitybluesmovie.com)
Typically, with this subject matter, the January release, the constant refrain
of  "AH DON'T WANT YORE LAHF!" rattling around in my head from the trailers,
and direction by Brian Robbins (the director of "Good Burger" and the one-time
rebel kid from TV's "Head of the Class"), I would expect this movie to be a
real critical scratching post.  It is not quite as stupid as it looks.  I'm
not saying it ISN'T dumb, though, just not as bad as I think even the studio
thought.
     In New Canaan, Texas, only ONE thing matters: The Coyotes, the high
school football team.  The team, under coach Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight, in his
evil authoritarian mode), has one 22 straight divisional championships.  This
year, all-state quarterback Lance Harbor (Paul Walker) has led the team to a
perfect record with five games to go. Coach Kilmer, however, has been pushing
the team beyond their physical limits, causing the very large blocker Billy
Bob (Ron Lester) to collapse during a play.  Lance, suddenly unprotected, gets
hit, and is out for the season.
     At this point, his backup, our hero, Jonothan Moxon (James Van Der Beek
from TV's "Dawson's Creek"), is called in to finish the game.  After a heroic
play, Moxon gains the starting position and a new status in the town.
     Will he neglect his classes?
     Will he lose his girlfriend (Amy Smart)?
     Will he sleep with the head cheerleader?
     Will he blow the big game?
     Is he good enough?
     Does any of this matter?
     In the end, writer W. Peter Iliff has merged two types of sports movies,
1) Athletes pushed too far by the system, and
2) The underdogs can win by banding together and using the play that's
sooooooooo crazy, IT JUST MIGHT WORK...
     I don't think we're here to learn anything new.  Coming from MTV
Pictures, the people who brought us the singing cockroach movie, "Joe's
Apartment", the whole thing has the whiff of a star vehicle, as Moxon had
absolutely NO negative characteristics (those are reserved for Jonathan's
buddies, especially Tweeder, played by Scott Caan who's channeling his dad,
James Caan).
     I quickly grew tired of getting hit over the head about all the abuses
heaped upon high school players forced to win.  Luckily it doesn't feel like
an after-school special (due to all the gratuitous nudity, drinking, and
profanity) but I could have done with a little more subtlety from Jon Voight.
I believe he's thoroughly studied his peers, Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino,
because Voight, too has developed an all-purpose acting persona to use in
every film; this time pitched somewhere between "The Rainmaker" and
"Anaconda".
     The saving graces are actually the younger performances. Much as I make
fun of his projects, that James Van Der Beek is one likable fella, and you can
just wind up Caan and watch him go.  All this movie really wants to be is
another stupid teen movie, as the studios have relearned to do, and on those
terms it succeeds.  Sort of. - Ron Wells

VIRUS (R)
* 1/2
(http://www.virusthemovie.com)
Remember the computer virus that Will Smith used to kick alien ass in
"Independence Day?" Well in this sci-fi disaster-to-come, the aliens "are" a
malevolent electronic contamination that invades a high-tech Russian research
ship caught in the eye of a typhoon. The aliens' conduit to the ship is a data
transmission from the Mir space station as it is engulfed by a dreamy blue
electrical mass. Also in the eye of the storm is a sinking tug. Her crew is
delighted to find dry ground aboard the ghost ship, which promises to be a
salvage mother lode, until the power gets turned on and the mammoth vessel
comes to life literally. First come the little electronic scatter bugs, that
look like something out of Errol Morris' "Fast, Cheap and Out of Control," and
then the gory half-human, half-machine assassins tethered ridiculously by a
power cord.
     Based on the Dark Horse comic book series, the plot itself is a
disappointingly gory concatenation of two recently forgettable sci-fi
thrillers; "Hardware" and "Event Horizon." The cast which features Jamie Lee
Curtis, William Baldwin and the vivacious Joanna Pacula, struggle valiantly
through the nearly suspenseless action. Even Donald Sutherland in the
potentially juicy role as a self-serving old sea dog, is wasted in this big
budget ill. - Tom Meek


SF INDIEFEST:  "Complete Coverage of the Debut of SF Indiefest"
===========================================
by Allen White

The house is full for the opening night screening of "1999" at the first
annual San Francisco Independent Film Festival.  The sharp tang of expectation
fills the air -- perhaps anticipation of the catered vegetarian hors d'oeuvres
and tubs of iced free beer hidden behind the screen for the after show party.
    Founder/director Jeff Ross takes the stage to introduce the proceedings.
Ross is a plainspoken man with a wide, pleasant face and longish brown hair,
and in sharp contrast to the pierced and bespectacled arty/intellectual S.F.
film crowd, he looks like your next-door neighbor.
    He lets the audience in on a mild disappointment -- Fed Ex has lost the 35mm
print of tonight's film, and the screening will be on video instead.  "Film
snobs," he informs us, will have their money cheerfully refunded if they are
aesthetically offended at the dire prospect of watching scan lines.
    Nobody takes him up on the offer.  After all, San Francisco is a Mecca for
underground cinema, and we're used to suffering to see film. A brisk dash from
the BART station through shifty-eyed legions of panhandlers, zombified junkies
and smack dealers, the ancient Victoria Theater is the city's oldest operating
movie house, originally built in 1908 as a vaudeville venue.  The interior is
coated with gray primer, awaiting a paint job that will never come.  The seats
are rickety and cramped.  The video projector is balanced upon a slab of
flaking particle board precariously duct-taped atop the backs of third and
fourth row seats.  In other words, the Victoria is a Taj Mahal of style,
personality, and architectural rapture compared to the dungeonous basements
where indie films are often shown.
    The unofficial theme of the festival is a microcosm of film at large; art
versus exploitation.  There is gunplay, murder, rape, car-chases, gay-bashing,
drug-using and dealing, and sex, sex, sex.  On the flipside are humanism,
love, self-referentiality, philosophy, existential angst, and high-budget
polish slapped together on shoestring budgets.
    In a cafΘ restroom near the theater, I am struck by two pieces of graffiti
that seem to sum up the experience.  The first is the infamous quote by Joseph
Goebbels, propaganda minister of the Nazi Party; "When I hear the word
'culture,' I go for my gun."  Beneath, in crisp reply, reads, "When I hear the
word 'gun,' I go for my culture."
    Ross should be commended for putting together a classy, quality first
festival, and I look forward to the next one.

1999  (1998)
* * 1/2
When using a party on the Millennial New Year's Eve as a metaphor for
humanity, what defining trait should the main character possess?  Indecision,
naturally.  This is the lot of Rufus Wild (Dan Futterman), who spends the
night trying to decide if he really loves his girlfriend--not my idea of a
great character goal.
    The film avoids discussion of major subjects of midnight, year 2000, such as
the Y2K bug, apocalyptic cults, economic collapse, or drunk assholes partying
until dawn in the apartment above yours, and instead focuses on the shallow
anxieties of a group of 30-year-old whiners, so indecisive that they can't
even commit suicide correctly.
    Supposedly psychedelic fruit is introduced as some kind of plot device, and
although consumed by most of the major characters, doesn't seem to do much of
anything.
    Comedian Steven Wright is a welcome addition, and gets to interject the
occasional snide remark at opportune moments.  Also of note is
screenwriter/actor Buck Henry ("The Graduate"), who appears as the father of
party host Andrew.
    Overall, a moderately entertaining film that says nothing, but has fun in not
saying it.

Read the complete coverage on the site including reviews of "Bongwater",
"Independent's Day", "Killer Flick" and all the films from the first-ever SF
Indiefest.  Go to:
http://www.filmthreat.com/Dailies-Today.htm


END CREDITS   "Written, produced, and directed by . . ."
===========================================
Publisher / Chris Gore
Senior Editor / Ron Wells
Jr. Editor / Anthony "Blitz Cheater" Miele
Contributors / Merle Bertrand, Tom Meek, Victor Minjares, Allen White

Send us films, videos, CDs, games, screening passes:
FILM THREAT, 5042 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 150, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Website: http://www.filmthreat.com
Edress: [e-mail]

FILM THREAT WEEKLY is published by The Gore Group, LLC.  All material ⌐1999
Gore Group Publications.  All rights reserved.  Contents may not be reprinted
without written permission of the author.  You are, however, welcome to
forward this e-mail to whomever you wish.  All letters, comments and reviews
sent to Film Threat Weekly in any manner are assumed intended for publication,
unless stated otherwise. Your name and e-mail address will be printed if
published herein. Not responsible for unsolicited submissions.

Film Threat is now a proud part of the daily entertainment network at
http://www.theden.com

Film Threat Weekly is distributed by ZENtertainment -
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QUOTING FILM THREAT WEEKLY:  Journalists, if you feel the need to quote Film
Threat Weekly you MUST include the Film Threat url (http://www.filmthreat.com)
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===========================================
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FILM THREAT WEEKLY TAKES OVER THE NET
===========================================
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FILM THREAT  "Hollywood's Indie Voice of the New Millennium"
===========================================
Independent, Cult, Underground, Alternative Film, Hollywood Satire And No BS
==============CUT-AND-PRINT ===============

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 01/18/99
Date: 18 Jan 1999 13:42:52 -0700 (MST)

The opening of "Varsity Blues" scored a victory at the
nation's box office with an estimated $14.3 million in
ticket sales during the Friday-Sunday period, according to
studio sources. The comedy-drama, with "Dawson's Creek" star
James Van Der Beek as a Texas high school quarterback,
overcame mostly negative reviews and benefited from a strong
marketing campaign aimed at teens and young adults. (Van Der
Beek also hosted "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, one of
the show's all-time lamest, though no fault of his.) No. 2
"A Civil Action" took in $10.9 million in its second weekend
of wide release, followed by "Patch Adams" with $10.7
million ($97 million overall). No. 4 "The Thin Red Line"
expanded it number of theaters and came up with a
respectable $9.8 million, followed by "At First Sight," with
a moderate $7.1 million. Rounding out the Top Ten:
"Stepmom," "Virus," "You've Got Mail," "Prince of Egypt" and
"In Dreams" (followed closely by "Shakespeare in Love").

                        -=> * <=-

DIED: Actress Betty Lou Gerson, 84, the voice of Cruella
De Vil in Walt Disney's 1961 "101 Dalmatians," Tuesday, in
Southern California, after suffering a massive stroke. Her
TV credits included "The Twilight Zone," "The Dick Van Dyke
Show," "Perry Mason," "The Untouchables" and "77 Sunset
Strip." In addition to playing Cruella, she narrated
Disney's 1950 classic "Cinderella."

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: en4d <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Re:_=5BMV=5D_=28=B5L=A5D=C3D=29?=
Date: 19 Jan 1999 10:25:57 +0800 (CST)



On Fri, 15 Jan 1999, Rebecca Bezant wrote:

> Who is 487030486, and what was the purpose of this blank email entitled ,=
  [MV] (=B5L=A5D=C3D)?
> ____________________
> >
> >
> >
> > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> > [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
> >
>=20
>=20
>=20
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
>=20
unsubscribe


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Just Different." <[e-mail]>
Date: 19 Jan 1999 11:33:58 -0500 (EST)

unsubscribe movies



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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Eyes Wide Shut -Reply
Date: 19 Jan 1999 10:35:33 -0800

There have been a few NC 17 major releases including Crash and
Showgirls.  Beyond them being awful (showgirls especially) I think
the biggest problem is that they fail to make sex erotic or
appealing.  It seems that whenever a major filmmaker wants to push
the envelope in the sexual arena they always focus on an ugly aspect.
 Eyes wide Shut sounds as if it may do the same.  Not that they
shouldn't explore that side but I certainly don't run the the theater
to get creeped out about sex.

bb

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Richard J. Doyle" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Eyes Wide Shut -Reply
Date: 19 Jan 1999 13:10:15 -0600

Crash was not intended to make sex in the least part appealing.  It's a
reflection on sexual fetishism and obsession, using a particularly striking
metaphor.  That seems to be a valid thing to make a film about.  Who needs
to be told that sex is pleasant?  Why bother?

On the other hand, telling people that the displacement of sexual energy
away from other humans (like say, on the Internet for one example) can be
very ugly seems to me a very good thing to tell some folks.

Richard J. Doyle
Access & VB Developer
CRW Systems MB Inc.
[e-mail]

It's Eastern Europe's favorite cat & mouse team:  Worker & Parasite!


-----Original Message-----
[mailto:[e-mail]] On Behalf Of Bruce Bridges
Sent:    Tuesday, January 19, 1999 12:36 PM

There have been a few NC 17 major releases including Crash and
Showgirls.  Beyond them being awful (showgirls especially) I think
the biggest problem is that they fail to make sex erotic or
appealing.  It seems that whenever a major filmmaker wants to push
the envelope in the sexual arena they always focus on an ugly aspect.
 Eyes wide Shut sounds as if it may do the same.  Not that they
shouldn't explore that side but I certainly don't run the the theater
to get creeped out about sex.

bb

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[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]



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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: [MV] Eyes Wide Shut -Reply
Date: 19 Jan 1999 13:19:28 -0600

At 10:35 AM 1/19/99 -0800, Bruce Bridges wrote:
>There have been a few NC 17 major releases including Crash and
>Showgirls.  Beyond them being awful (showgirls especially) I think
>the biggest problem is that they fail to make sex erotic or
>appealing.  It seems that whenever a major filmmaker wants to push
>the envelope in the sexual arena they always focus on an ugly aspect.
> Eyes wide Shut sounds as if it may do the same.  Not that they
>shouldn't explore that side but I certainly don't run the the theater
>to get creeped out about sex.

i said no "major" nc-17 releases because i wouldnt consider "showgirls" a
major film (both because of its commercial failure and the fact that it
wasnt expected to do all that well), and i definitely would not consider
"crash" a major film (as it saw very limited distribution due to its
content and because cronenberg isnt a mainstream director).  i do agree
that one of the problems with nc-17-type films is that they are 'seedy',
and, supposedly, this isnt the entirety of what kubrick is going to/did
focus on with "eyes wide shut".  supposed to be 'honest' about sexuality, i
think.  we'll see.  i'll give kubrick the benefit of the doubt.


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Thin Red Line review -Reply
Date: 19 Jan 1999 11:37:51 -0800

I think that it is terribly unfortunate that Thin Red Line came out on
the heels of private Ryan.  They are simply nothing alike and it is
getting unfair comparasins.

As goofy as the voice-overs were and as overlong as it was, I was
swept up in The Thin Red Line from the beginning.  It grabbed me on
an emotional level and I thought it was beautiful.  I can't defend
the flaws or counter the criticisms except to say it worked for me
and others.  Just don't expect a linear story.

bb

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From: cHriS <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Thin Red Line review (another reply)
Date: 19 Jan 1999 14:51:48 -0600


Bruce Bridges noted:

"As goofy as the voice-overs were and as overlong as it was, I was
swept up in The Thin Red Line from the beginning.  It grabbed me on
an emotional level and I thought it was beautiful.  I can't defend
the flaws or counter the criticisms except to say it worked for me
and others."

Worked for me, too, so I agree. Very nicely shot; the narratives perhaps
were a bit intrusive and obvious at times, but overall I thought the movie
was done well. The only problem I really had with "The Thin Red Line" was
George Clooney's scene. I thought his cameo distracted from the flow of the
film (not to mention sitting in a theater with people gasping in
recognition as they pointed to the screen whispering "Dr. Ross!").

Now the real question comes up: what do the esteemed readers of this list
deem as their favorite war-theme films? Off the top of my head, my list
would go like this...

1) Apocalypse Now
2) Platoon
3) The Thin Red Line
4) Saving Private Ryan
5) 1941

- cHriS




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From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Saving private Ryan -Reply
Date: 19 Jan 1999 12:57:33 -0800

I thought Saving private Ryan was a terrifying and great war film.  It
would have been a masterpiece if the last 10 minutes had been left
out.

bb

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From: Diane Christy <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Saving private Ryan -Reply
Date: 19 Jan 1999 15:05:40 -0600

On 1/19/99, 2:57 PM -0600, Bruce Bridges said so nicely:
> It
>would have been a masterpiece if the last 10 minutes had been left
>out.

Why?
~~~~~
Diane Christy (Samantha and Joshua's Mom)
Jefferson, LA
http://www.geocities.com/~dchristy10/
mailto:[e-mail]  mailto:[e-mail]
ICQ #12904700
~~~~~

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From: [e-mail]
Subject: [MV] Re:
Date: 19 Jan 1999 16:14:43 -0500

send this to [e-mail]    not me

Just Different. wrote:
>
> unsubscribe movies
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
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From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Eyes Wide Shut -Reply -Reply
Date: 19 Jan 1999 13:26:18 -0800

Of course I'm not saying that subjects should not be addressed but I
think its easy to conclude that movies that focus on a non-erotic and
even the ugly aspects of sex (even when dealing in metaphor) do not
enjoy a wide audience because people just aren't attracted to that.

I think it would be great if an accomplished filmmaker made an adult
movie that did not rely on gross concepts or metaphors and instead
reflected a kinder, gentler erotica (and by erotica, I mean something
that dares to arouse the viewer).

bb


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From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Saving private Ryan -Reply -Reply
Date: 19 Jan 1999 13:30:05 -0800

I'll try not to spoil anything in my criticism of Private Ryan.

To me the last 10 minutes were pure emotional manipulation.  It
didn't add anything to the movie but was instead designed to have
everybody weeping in their seats.  I just felt it was out of place in
such a somber and serious movie and knowing Spielberg, I think he just
couldn't help himself.

bb

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From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Oscar Predictions - What are you laying your bets on?
Date: 19 Jan 1999 13:31:36 -0800

I HATED American History X!

bb

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From: jkrudy <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Thin Red Line review (another reply)
Date: 19 Jan 1999 14:34:27 -0700

My favorites are "Bridge on the River Kwai" and "All quiet on the Western
Front".  I also enjoyed "Tora, Tora, Tora".  Of course these are all from
the "Old School" of war films, but what the hey!

James K. Rudy


-----Original Message-----
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 1999 1:52 PM



Bruce Bridges noted:

"As goofy as the voice-overs were and as overlong as it was, I was
swept up in The Thin Red Line from the beginning.  It grabbed me on
an emotional level and I thought it was beautiful.  I can't defend
the flaws or counter the criticisms except to say it worked for me
and others."

Worked for me, too, so I agree. Very nicely shot; the narratives perhaps
were a bit intrusive and obvious at times, but overall I thought the movie
was done well. The only problem I really had with "The Thin Red Line" was
George Clooney's scene. I thought his cameo distracted from the flow of the
film (not to mention sitting in a theater with people gasping in
recognition as they pointed to the screen whispering "Dr. Ross!").

Now the real question comes up: what do the esteemed readers of this list
deem as their favorite war-theme films? Off the top of my head, my list
would go like this...

1) Apocalypse Now
2) Platoon
3) The Thin Red Line
4) Saving Private Ryan
5) 1941

- cHriS




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From: jkrudy <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Saving private Ryan -Reply -Reply
Date: 19 Jan 1999 14:37:48 -0700

*******Semi spoiler*********

Really? I thought the last 10 minutes wrapped up the whole point of the
entire movie:  What is the value of one life?  Did Private Ryan live his
life in a way to be worthy of the gift of deliverance?  Was it worth all
those others dying?  Without the end, you're left wondering "Well after all
that did he go home and become an alcoholic bum or did he do something with
his life."

James K. Rudy


-----Original Message-----
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 1999 2:30 PM


I'll try not to spoil anything in my criticism of Private Ryan.

To me the last 10 minutes were pure emotional manipulation.  It
didn't add anything to the movie but was instead designed to have
everybody weeping in their seats.  I just felt it was out of place in
such a somber and serious movie and knowing Spielberg, I think he just
couldn't help himself.

bb

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From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Saving private Ryan -Reply -Reply -Reply
Date: 19 Jan 1999 13:54:24 -0800

To me it wasn't needed.  I like to have something to chew on  after a
movie and didn't think that wrap up was needed.

bb

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From: "Richard J. Doyle" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Eyes Wide Shut -Reply -Reply
Date: 19 Jan 1999 16:06:27 -0600

Yes I must say I agree.  Honestly, I think Americans don't take stories
about sex serious unless it focuses on the unpleasant aspects.

Richard J. Doyle
Access & VB Developer
CRW Systems MB Inc.
[e-mail]

It's Eastern Europe's favorite cat & mouse team:  Worker & Parasite!



Of course I'm not saying that subjects should not be addressed but I
think its easy to conclude that movies that focus on a non-erotic and
even the ugly aspects of sex (even when dealing in metaphor) do not
enjoy a wide audience because people just aren't attracted to that.

I think it would be great if an accomplished filmmaker made an adult
movie that did not rely on gross concepts or metaphors and instead
reflected a kinder, gentler erotica (and by erotica, I mean something
that dares to arouse the viewer).

bb





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From: "Jason Cormier" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Thin Red Line review (another reply)
Date: 19 Jan 1999 18:43:20 -0800

Don't forget about Kubricks' visits to the War genre with Dr. Strangelove
and Paths of Glory - both amazing!

-----Original Message-----


>My favorites are "Bridge on the River Kwai" and "All quiet on the Western
>Front".  I also enjoyed "Tora, Tora, Tora".  Of course these are all from
>the "Old School" of war films, but what the hey!
>
>James K. Rudy
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: cHriS [mailto:[e-mail]]
>Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 1999 1:52 PM
>To: [e-mail]
>Subject: [MV] Thin Red Line review (another reply)
>
>
>
>Bruce Bridges noted:
>
>"As goofy as the voice-overs were and as overlong as it was, I was
>swept up in The Thin Red Line from the beginning.  It grabbed me on
>an emotional level and I thought it was beautiful.  I can't defend
>the flaws or counter the criticisms except to say it worked for me
>and others."
>
>Worked for me, too, so I agree. Very nicely shot; the narratives perhaps
>were a bit intrusive and obvious at times, but overall I thought the movie
>was done well. The only problem I really had with "The Thin Red Line" was
>George Clooney's scene. I thought his cameo distracted from the flow of the
>film (not to mention sitting in a theater with people gasping in
>recognition as they pointed to the screen whispering "Dr. Ross!").
>
>Now the real question comes up: what do the esteemed readers of this list
>deem as their favorite war-theme films? Off the top of my head, my list
>would go like this...
>
>1) Apocalypse Now
>2) Platoon
>3) The Thin Red Line
>4) Saving Private Ryan
>5) 1941
>
>- cHriS
>
>
>
>
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>[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
>
>[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
>[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
>


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From: "Wade Snider" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Eyes Wide Shut -Reply
Date: 19 Jan 1999 22:42:33 -0800

There have been some releases in history that cause a stir at the time. And
Kubrick is no stranger to the harshest rating possible. Clockwork Orange was
released with an X rating. Midnight Cowboy, which was nominated for a few
various Oscars, was also released as an X.


>i said no "major" nc-17 releases because i wouldnt consider "showgirls" a
>major film (both because of its commercial failure and the fact that it
>wasnt expected to do all that well), and i definitely would not consider
>"crash" a major film (as it saw very limited distribution due to its
>content and because cronenberg isnt a mainstream director).  i do agree
>that one of the problems with nc-17-type films is that they are 'seedy',
>and, supposedly, this isnt the entirety of what kubrick is going to/did
>focus on with "eyes wide shut".  supposed to be 'honest' about sexuality, i
>think.  we'll see.  i'll give kubrick the benefit of the doubt.
>
>



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From: Scott Renshaw <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] REVIEW: THE THEORY OF FLIGHT
Date: 20 Jan 1999 08:18:29 -0700 (MST)

THE THEORY OF FLIGHT
(Fine Line)
Starring:  Helena Bonham Carter, Kenneth Branagh, Gemma Jones.
Screenplay:  Richard Hawkins.
Producers:  Helena Spring & Ruth Caleb and David M. Thompson & Anant
Singh.
Director:  Paul Greengrass.
MPAA Rating:  R (profanity, sexual situations, adult themes)
Running Time:  101 minutes.
Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.

     If it's December or January, it must be time for "triumph over
illness/handicap" films.  They spew forth during Oscar season like colored
hankies from a magician's sleeve, playing to the Academy's time-honored
tradition of tossing nominations at anyone who hops into a hospital bed,
or occupies a wheelchair, or otherwise tackles physical or mental
adversity.  Into this crowded field comes THE THEORY OF FLIGHT, a quirky
comedy-drama of romantic friendship starring Kenneth Branagh as Richard
Hawkins, an artist so flighty that he actually does try to take
flight...right off the roof of a building.  For his trouble Richard is
sentenced to community service, which takes the form of assisting Jane
Hatchard (Helena Bonham Carter), a young woman stricken with ALS (better
known in the U.S. as Lou Gehrig's Disease) and confined to a wheelchair.
She wants only one thing from Richard:  for him to help her realize her
life's dream before she dies.  Cue soaring music and inspirational
message.

     Well, not exactly.  It seems that Jane's life's dream is to lose her
virginity.  None-too-keen on doing the deed himself, Richard instead
decides to rent her a gigolo for one night.  And none-too-wealthy, being a
flighty artist, he decides to rob a bank to pay for it.  Thus unfolds a
singularly odd sort of film, at once a dark comedy, an unconventional love
story and, yes, a triumph over illness/handicap film.

     The strange thing about THE THEORY OF FLIGHT is that it's not always
clear whose triumph over a handicap will be the focus of the film.  As the
narrative progresses, it becomes ever more clear that Richard is the real
protagonist of the piece, the character who is supposed to learn and
change through this experience.  Unfortunately, he's also the character
who is least interesting, and makes the least sense.  There's something
emotionally amiss with this fellow, that's for certain; exactly what that
something is, not so much.  Kenneth Branagh (apparently still suffering
side effects from channeling Woody Allen in CELEBRITY) is all neurotic
discomfort and goofy twitches.  The character's intense desire to follow
through on the bank robbery falls somewhere between melodramatic
affectation and sincere-though-misguided expression of resolve, when only
one or the other would truly clarify things.

     Meanwhile, Helena Bonham Carter continues to act circles around most
of her contemporaries.  Jane is a superb piece of characterization, never
merely the self-pitying, hard-on-the-outside-soft-on-the-inside person
with a handicap that has become such a cinematic cliche.  There's wicked
self-deprecating humor in the character -- she posts a message to an
Internet personals board stating "Hideously crippled young woman seeks
sex" -- but also an innocent wistfulness.  Though it's a challenging bit
of physical acting for Bonham Carter to wrap her mouth around Jane's
slurred speech and adopt the distinctive movements, her finest moment is a
silent one -- a pleading glance at Richard as her voice synthesizer plays
her recorded request.

     It's the clash between our interest in those two characters which
prevents THE THEORY OF FLIGHT from soaring to the highest possible level.
While Richard's awakening to his own self-indulgence may be the point,
it's still tedious watching him indulge himself when watching Jane is so
much more interesting.  Perhaps the problem is that there is too much
high-concept to this tale, too many silly little bits of business to
distract from genuine interaction between the two principal characters.
It's hard for a love story to be great when you want one of the lovers to
end up happy, and the other just to end up an adult.  You have to commend
THE THEORY OF FLIGHT for taking a slightly different flight plan towards
soaring inspiration.  It just can't quite get there on only one good wing.

     On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 bumpy flights:  6.

                      Visit Scott Renshaw's MoviePage
                    http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
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From: "[e-mail] (Ryan Allen)" <[e-mail]>
Subject:  RE: [MV] Saving private Ryan -Reply -Reply
Date: 20 Jan 1999 14:10:54 -0700 (MST)

**** Spoiler ****

At 16:37 1/19/99 , you wrote:
>Really? I thought the last 10 minutes wrapped up the whole point of the
>entire movie:  What is the value of one life?  Did Private Ryan live his
>life in a way to be worthy of the gift of deliverance?  Was it worth all
>those others dying?  Without the end, you're left wondering "Well after all
>that did he go home and become an alcoholic bum or did he do something with
>his life."

I thought the movie ended very poorly.  Cinematically, to tell a story and
use the dissolve trick (like at the beginning of Private Ryan), is to tell
the story through that person's eyes.  Ryan wasn't even with the group
before they found him, yet supposedly he was able to tell us this story.
With the detail as it happened.  I feel that the movie should've ended with
another character, perhaps the writer, telling the story.  It would've been
more believable.  However, over all, I thoroughly enjoyed the film.

My $.02.

Ryan
## Please visit my Personal Page ##
## http://www.gate.net/~airwolf ##

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From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 01/20/99
Date: 20 Jan 1999 14:20:33 -0700 (MST)

Mickey Mouse, move over. Adam Sandler is such a big cheese
that he's preparing to franchise himself, reports Variety.
He's convinced Sony Pictures to develop an animated musical
feature based on him. The project is expected to take
several years to develop, so Sandler is rarin' to get going
as soon as possible, the trade paper says.

                        -=> * <=-

In other movie news, "George of the Jungle" and "Gods and
Monsters" star Brendan Fraser, soon to be seen in "Blast
from the Past," is working on a deal to star in the
supernatural adventure "Monkey Bone," in which he'll play a
neurotic cartoonist with a hit animated TV show. After a car
crash, he slips into a coma, wherein he joins forces with
one of his creations, Monkey Bone, to battle Death (also a
cartoon) in Dark Town (purgatory).

                        -=> * <=-

Some of the world's top classical musicians joined together
in criticizing a movie about the late celebrated British
cellist Jacqueline Du Pre. "Hilary and Jackie" explores the
life of the distinguished musician, who died of multiple
sclerosis in 1987 at age 42, and her troubled relationship
with her older sister, Hilary. (British actress Emily Watson
has been nominated for a Golden Globe award for her
portrayal of the cellist.) In a letter printed in
Wednesday's London Times, cellist Julian Lloyd Webber
(brother of Andrew) condemned the film as portraying du Pre
as "selfish, spoiled and manipulative." Violinists Itzhak
Perlman and Lord Menuhin, as well as Du Pre's former teacher
William Pleeth, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and conductor
Pinchas Zukerman -- who are portrayed in the film -- also
signed the letter. "This is not the Jacqueline du Pre that
we, as her friends and colleagues, knew," they wrote.

"They are calling this a true story, but they have based
it totally on the writings of a very bitter and envious
sister," Lloyd Webber told the British Press Association.

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From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Sci-Fi Movie News - 01/20/99
Date: 20 Jan 1999 15:06:50 -0700 (MST)

Roger Christian, a second-unit director on Star Wars -
Episode I: The Phantom Menace, has signed on to
helm Battlefield Earth, according to Variety. The film
is based on the famous L. Ron Hubbard SF novel of the
same name and is being produced by Franchise
Entertainment.

John Travolta will star in the flick and will also earn a
producer's credit for the project, which was bounced from
MGM and Fox after its budget topped $100 million. Now
that the picture is at Franchise, its price tag has
reportedly been trimmed to the $70 million range.

                        -=> * <=-

Mousehunt director Gore Verbinski will no longer helm
the upcoming Disney SF flick Mission to Mars,
according to Variety. Verbinski reportedly dropped
the project due to budgetary concerns and creative
differences with the movie studio, leaving behind a
paycheck of about $2 million in the process.

Disney is looking for a new director to handle the picture
and is reportedly interested in either Sam Raimi or Frank
Marshall. The film is about a rescue mission to Mars sent
to find a previous expedition that disappeared after finding
something mysterious on the Red Planet.

                        -=> * <=-

Joe Dante, the director behind DreamWorks' heavily
animated SF flick Small Soldiers, has agreed to helm
the cloning thriller The Sixth Day. According to
Variety, the Phoenix Pictures project is about a helicopter
pilot who is replaced with a clone and later hunted by the
agency that duplicated him.

Production on the $40 million flick is expected to begin by
June, though no cast has been set. Dante's other credits
include Gremlins, The Howling and Innerspace.

                        -=> * <=-

Contact director Robert Zemeckis and Matrix producer
Joel Silver have joined forces to create Dark Castle, a
Warner Bros.-based film company that focuses on
mid-budget horror flicks, according to Variety. Supernova
writer William Malone has agreed to direct the company's
first film, a remake of the 1958 movie House on Haunted
Hill (not to be confused with the upcoming DreamWorks
project The Haunting of Hill House), which will carry a
price tag of about $20 million.

Dark Castle plans to produce original pictures as well as
remakes of classic works with an emphasis on horror films
from the 1950s and 1960s. Zemeckis, who also helmed all
three Back to the Future movies, will primarily serve as a
producer at Dark Castle, although he will likely direct from
time to time.

                        -=> * <=-

The independent SF movie CUBE, which stars
Deep Space Nine actress Nicole de Boer, will be
released to video on Jan. 26.

                        -=> * <=-

Halloween H2O director Steve Miner has agreed
to helm Dimension Films' upcoming supernatural flick
Ghosting, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

                        -=> * <=-

Principal photography has commenced on
Universal Pictures' supernatural thriller End of Days,
which stars Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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From: Oz <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Eyes Wide Shut -Reply
Date: 20 Jan 1999 20:04:34 -0800

[e-mail] wrote:
>
> i said no "major" nc-17 releases because i wouldnt consider "showgirls" a
> major film (both because of its commercial failure and the fact that it
> wasnt expected to do all that well)

Commercial failure? Showgirls has the title of "Most Rented Video In
History", despite Blockbuster not carrying the title. In Europe,
Asia, and Australia it made healthy dollars in cinemas and it's
continued cult screenings in the US have seen it make a healthy,
even hefty, profit for the producers. Strictly in terms of NC-17
releases, Showgirls would have to be amongst the top box office
earners *ever*.

If that's a commercial failure, what's a commercial success?

------ {{{OZ}}} ------------------------------------------
    "Damn the man, Joe!"    -= HOLLYWOOD BITCHSLAP =-
----------- http://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com ------------



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From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Eyes Wide Shut -Reply
Date: 21 Jan 1999 12:40:40 -0800

It's just too scary that Esterhaus has been justified in keeping his writing
job....

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Oz [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Wednesday, January 20, 1999 8:05 PM
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    Re: [MV] Eyes Wide Shut -Reply
>
> [e-mail] wrote:
> >
> > i said no "major" nc-17 releases because i wouldnt consider "showgirls"
> a
> > major film (both because of its commercial failure and the fact that it
> > wasnt expected to do all that well)
>
> Commercial failure? Showgirls has the title of "Most Rented Video In
> History", despite Blockbuster not carrying the title. In Europe,
> Asia, and Australia it made healthy dollars in cinemas and it's
> continued cult screenings in the US have seen it make a healthy,
> even hefty, profit for the producers. Strictly in terms of NC-17
> releases, Showgirls would have to be amongst the top box office
> earners *ever*.
>
> If that's a commercial failure, what's a commercial success?
>
> ------ {{{OZ}}} ------------------------------------------
>     "Damn the man, Joe!"    -= HOLLYWOOD BITCHSLAP =-
> ----------- http://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com ------------
>
>
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]

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From: Oz <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Eszterhas, Showgirls and stuff
Date: 22 Jan 1999 11:10:07 -0800

"Romero, Leticia" wrote:
>
> It's just too scary that Esterhaus has been justified in keeping his writing
> job....

Eszterhas blamed Showgirls being awful on Berkley, nice guy that he
is. I guess Drew Barrymore would have said "Versace" differently?

But what's scarier is that the man who wrote Navy Seals, Barb Wire
and Dark Man - chuck Pfarrer - has a new film out. The abominable
"Virus". You want a contender for worst movie ever? This has to be
it. If Don Sutherland works again I'll be very surprised.

------ {{{OZ}}} ------------------------------------------
    "Damn the man, Joe!"    -= HOLLYWOOD BITCHSLAP =-
----------- http://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com ------------

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From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 01/21/99
Date: 21 Jan 1999 17:14:02 -0700 (MST)

Gwyneth Paltrow wore Ralph Lauren, but her British co-star
Joseph Fiennes wore hand-me-downs at this week's London
premiere of "Shakespeare In Love." Fiennes, who claimed to
be wearing clothes from a west London charity store, was
joined by fellow cast members Colin Firth, Simon Callow, Tom
Wilkinson, Martin Clunes, Mark Williams and Imelda Staunton
at the benefit gala at the Empire Leicester Square. The
British Press Association happily noted that the film, in
which Fiennes plays local lad Will Shakespeare who struggles
with writer's block until he is inspired to pen "Romeo and
Juliet" after falling in love with Paltrow's character
Viola, is doing good business in the U.S., where it has also
been nominated for six Golden Globe awards.

                        -=> * <=-

Don't invite Sean Penn and his wife Robin Wright Penn to the
same party with media magnate Rupert Murdoch. New York's
Daily News (the rival paper to Murdoch's Post) reports that
Sean recently fired off a scorching letter to Murdoch's 20th
Century Fox studio after execs there refused his request to
fly his family to a Texas screening of "The Thin Red Line."
Now Robin is refusing to speak to Fox TV reporters at this
weekend's promotional junket for her new Warner Bros. movie
"Message in a Bottle," says the News. Not only is Sean's
letter gaining legendary status for chutzpah, it raises
questions about his ever working for Fox again and about
just  how working-class his values really are. In the letter
the actor writes, "Mr. Murdoch's gigantic corporation" has
grown rich "exploiting the pain and suffering of myself and
my peers in their tabloids." He further contends that the
use of a chartered jet would amount to "the fair market
price of one hair on Mr. Rupert Murdoch's formidable a--."

                        -=> * <=-

Tom Hanks has a fat neck, claims the New York Observer, for
reasons known only to itself. The hip publication claims it
isn't singling out the "Saving Private Ryan" star by
pointing out his heavy head base. The weekly also mentions
others who suffer the same syndrome: John Gotti's lawyer
Bruce Cutler, novelist Jay McInerney, Richard Simmons,
George Michael, Neve Campbell, Al Gore, British PM Tony
Blair, all of the Baldwin brothers (especially Daniel),
David Lee Roth, Garry Shandling, Courtney Love and John
Travolta, "perhaps the fattest neck in Hollywood, but Mr.
Travolta also has a fat belly and fatty man-breasts." The
Observer warns that Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck and Matt
Damon (especially) are at high risk. And how to solve
looking like Jabba the Hutt? Liposuction, a plastic surgeon
tells the Observer. Tom Hanks' spokeswoman said she didn't
know what the paper was talking about.

                        -=> * <=-

If anybody else had said it, the Anti-Defamation League
would have jumped in. But Roseanne, who recently talked on
her show about how she studies the Kabbala -- the hot old
Jewish mystical tradition that's currently sweeping
Hollywood (Barbra, Madonna, Courtney and Liz are said to be
followers) -- took a big swipe at DreamWorks partners Steven
Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg because of their movie
about Moses, "The Prince of Egypt." Said Roseanne on the
air: "Only really dumb Jews would come up with that. I'd
like to invite Katzenberg and Spielberg and all those other
Bergs to come down here and study the words of God. God
needs no rewrite ... I'd like to apologize [for the movie]
on behalf of all Hollywood Jews." A Roseanne spokesperson
told the New York Post that her words were meant in jest. A
DreamWorks rep, swiping back at Roseanne (who claims to have
many different personalities), said, "We're surprised at the
comments, because her other personalities have only good
things to say about us."

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[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Eszterhas, Showgirls and stuff
Date: 21 Jan 1999 16:29:13 -0800

VIRUS IS A HOOT IF YOU'RE DRUNK!

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Oz [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Friday, January 22, 1999 11:10 AM
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    Re: [MV] Eszterhas, Showgirls and stuff
>
> "Romero, Leticia" wrote:
> >
> > It's just too scary that Esterhaus has been justified in keeping his
> writing
> > job....
>
> Eszterhas blamed Showgirls being awful on Berkley, nice guy that he
> is. I guess Drew Barrymore would have said "Versace" differently?
>
> But what's scarier is that the man who wrote Navy Seals, Barb Wire
> and Dark Man - chuck Pfarrer - has a new film out. The abominable
> "Virus". You want a contender for worst movie ever? This has to be
> it. If Don Sutherland works again I'll be very surprised.
>
> ------ {{{OZ}}} ------------------------------------------
>     "Damn the man, Joe!"    -= HOLLYWOOD BITCHSLAP =-
> ----------- http://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com ------------
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]

[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Oz <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Eszterhas, Showgirls and stuff
Date: 22 Jan 1999 11:45:01 -0800

"Romero, Leticia" wrote:
>
> VIRUS IS A HOOT IF YOU'RE DRUNK!

And ONLY if you're drunk.
I've never seen such awful special effects. Swishing a model boat
around in a bathtub and trying to make it look like it's real? Good
lord, what were they thinking?

And the ending.. it has to be the dumbest ending ever, even worse
than Snake Eyes.
My review is at the URL below.
------ {{{OZ}}} ------------------------------------------
    "Damn the man, Joe!"    -= HOLLYWOOD BITCHSLAP =-
----------- http://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com ------------

[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Eszterhas, Showgirls and stuff
Date: 21 Jan 1999 16:45:49 -0800

I didn't think SnakeEyes was as bad.... but I thought it was hilarious that
every actor thought they had "the line" to recite for dramatic effect
("watch your back/ass/whatever")

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Oz [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Friday, January 22, 1999 11:45 AM
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    Re: [MV] Eszterhas, Showgirls and stuff
>
> "Romero, Leticia" wrote:
> >
> > VIRUS IS A HOOT IF YOU'RE DRUNK!
>
> And ONLY if you're drunk.
> I've never seen such awful special effects. Swishing a model boat
> around in a bathtub and trying to make it look like it's real? Good
> lord, what were they thinking?
>
> And the ending.. it has to be the dumbest ending ever, even worse
> than Snake Eyes.
> My review is at the URL below.
> ------ {{{OZ}}} ------------------------------------------
>     "Damn the man, Joe!"    -= HOLLYWOOD BITCHSLAP =-
> ----------- http://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com ------------
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]

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[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Michael Dequina <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] The Movie Report#174, 1/21/99
Date: 21 Jan 1999 17:25:24 -0800

T   H   E
M   O   V   I   E
R   E   P   O   R   T
#174
JANUARY 21, 1999

PLEASE HELP...
...keep the MR and Mr. Brown's Movie Site alive.   I am undergoing a
serious funding and resource crisis.  Please send any donations (every
little bit does help) to:
Michael Dequina
3650 Denver Avenue
Long Beach, CA  90810-2205
You can also help by purchasing videos and DVDs from Reel.com!  Do some
late holiday gift shopping by visiting:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-reel.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=welcome.html
Thank you very much.

=>T H I S  W E E K<=
M O V I E S
-_Virus_
-_At_First_Sight_
V I D E O
-_Buffalo_'66_
-_Jane_Austen's_Mafia!_
-_Love_and_Death_on_Long_Island_
-_Return_to_Paradise_
-_Slums_of_Beverly_Hills_
-_Still_Breathing_

By tomorrow, the Best and Worst of 1998 will be up at Mr. Brown's Movie Site:
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/bestworst98.html

For that, links to the official websites of all the current films, past
reviews, exclusive Hollywood event photos, movie MIDI music, movie
discussion board, a comprehensive link section, and more, point your web
browser to:
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown  or
http://welcome.to/mrbrown
Please don't forget to sign the guestbook...

If you are reading this on Usenet, you can subscribe to the MR at:
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/moviereport.html

Select reviews are available at CompuServe Hollywood Hotline:
http://www.HollywoodHotline.com
...and the Eyepiece Network at:
http://www.eyepiece.com
...and Albany Online at:
http://www.AlbanyOnline.com
...and Film Frenzy at:
http://www.filmfrenzy.com

all movies graded out of four stars (****)


~~~

=>M O V I E S<=
N E W  R E L E A S E S

Hollywood Hotline Featured Review
_Virus_ (R) no stars
    You got to love January--where else can you find such cinematic schlock
that studios not only spent millions of dollars on, but also believed would
make millions for them in return?  It seems that every January at least one
studio dumps a pathetic excuse for a sci-fi thriller upon the moviegoing
audience.  In 1997, it was _The_Relic_, which should have remained
undiscovered; last year, it was _Phantoms_, which will surely continue to
haunt the careers of all involved, especially Hollywood "it" boy Ben
Affleck.  This year's selection (sacrifice?) is _Virus, a thoroughly
ridiculous sci-fi yarn whose abundance of unintentional laughs fail to
compensate for the lack of thrills.
    _Virus_ had been bounced around Universal's release schedule like a hot
potato, most recently scheduled for a July opening.  Universal's official
reason for this latest shelving was the conflict with another Jamie Lee
Curtis starrer, _Halloween:_H20_; but watching the film, it's obvious that
the true reason was something much simpler: the film just plain stinks.
_Virus_ does get off to an interesting enough start, though, when a
mysterious electrical force of alien origin makes its way onto a Russian
ship through a transmission with the Mir space station.  Days later, the
high-tech is found abandoned by an American shipping crew, who decides to
poke around.  Of course, this proves to be a deadly mistake, for the alien
life form has taken over the ship.
    As with any action flick, the film is only as good as its villain, and
once _Virus_ offers a glimpse of our alien, all hopes of a decent thrill
ride are instantly dashed.  The alien lacks a body, so it constructs its
own out of parts found on the ship.  It sounds somewhat interesting, but in
execution is laughable, especially some fearsome creatures which are little
more than video cameras atop metal spider legs.  Oooh, scary.  The more
elaborate creations, featuring human body parts mixed with electronics
aren't especially frightening because the audience has seen it before--it's
just another gloss on _The_Terminator_.  The "main" creature is especially
disappointing, a large mass of scrap metal that bears a striking
resemblance to the unmenacing title robot adversary in the dreary sequel
_RoboCop_2_.
    I haven't yet mentioned the actors because, frankly, they don't really
matter in a film such as this.  Even so, it must be noted that there is
some dreadful performances on display here.  Vying neck-and-neck for worst
acting honors (no small feat here) are Donald Sutherland and Joanna Pacula,
both varying grades of ham as the Yank crew captain and the only survivor
of the Russian crew, respectively.  Billy "refer to me as William" Baldwin
fares better here than in his previous action role in the famous folly
_Fair_Game_, but that's not saying much.  By default, Curtis comes off
best, but her earnest performance would be better suited for a more
intelligent, exciting script, one where "What the hell was that?" and "What
the hell is going on?" don't make up 95% of the dialogue.
    The latter quote is likely one that will be asked by audiences as they are
watching _Virus_, and the former once they walk out of the theatre.
_Virus_ is one of those cinematic disasters that leaves one wondering what
the hell everyone involved--from the cast and crew to the studio production
heads who greenlighted the project--were thinking.

IN BRIEF

_At_First_Sight_ (PG-13) ** 1/2
    Val Kilmer and Mira Sorvino share a natural romantic rapport in Irwin
Winkler's fact-based drama about a blind man (Kilmer) who undergoes an
operation to regain his site at the urging of his well-meaning girlfriend
(Sorvino).  The emotional and physical struggle of a once-blind man
adapting to the sighted world would be enough to sustain an entire film,
but Winkler and co-screenwriters Steve Leavitt and Rob Cowan felt the need
to bloat the running time past the two-hour mark with pointless and
contrived subplots: Kilmer's reunion with his estranged father (Ken
Howard), and Sorvino's lingering feelings for her ex-husband and business
partner (Steven Weber).  But even if Winkler and company had kept their
focus on the main plot, there is still the little matter of Kilmer's
strange performance.  He registers little emotion aside from a silly grin
he perpetually wears throughout the film, especially during the "blind"
scenes.  One would think that once he sees himself in the mirror, he would
realize how ridiculous he looks.  Alas, no.

I N  C U R R E N T  R E L E A S E
(full reviews of the following in past MRs and at the listed URLs)

-_Affliction_ (R) *** <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#affliction
-_Another_Day_in_Paradise_ (R) ** <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#paradise
-_A_Bug's_Life_ (G) *** 1/2 <MR#167, 11/20/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt42.html#bugs
-_The_Celebration_(Festen)_ (R) **** <MR#171, 12/16/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#festen
-_Central_Station_ (R) *** 1/2 <MR#171, 12/16/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#central
-_A_Civil_Action_ (PG-13) ** <MR#172, 12/24/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#civil
-_Down_in_the_Delta_ (PG-13) *** <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#delta
-_Elizabeth_ (R) *** 1/2 <MR#162, 10/16/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt40.html#elizabeth
-_Enemy_of_the_State_ (R) *** 1/2 <MR#168, 11/24/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt42.html#enemy
-_The_Faculty_ (R) *** 1/2 <MR#172, 12/24/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#faculty
-_The_General_ (R) ** 1/2 <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#general
-_Gods_and_Monsters_ *** 1/2 <MR#171, 12/16/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#gods
-_The_Hi-Lo_Country_ (R) * 1/2 <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#hilo
-_Hilary_and_Jackie_ (R) **** <MR#172, 12/24/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#h&j
-_Hurlyburly_ (R) ** <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#hurlyburly
-_In_Dreams_ (R) *1/2 <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#dreams
-_Life_Is_Beautiful_(La_Vita_E_Bella)_ (PG-13) **** <MR#162, 10/16/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt40.html#vitabella
-_Little_Voice_ (R) *** <MR#164, 10/29/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt41.html#lv
-_Mighty_Joe_Young_ (PG) ** <MR#172, 12/24/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#mightyjoe
-_Out_of_Sight_ (R) *** 1/2 <MR#149, 7/1/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt36.html#outofsight
-_Patch_Adams_ (PG-13) * <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#patch
-_The_Prince_of_Egypt_ (PG) **** <MR#171, 12/16/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#prince
-_The_Rugrats_Movie_ (G) *** <MR#166, 11/12/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt42.html#rugrats
-_Shakespeare_in_Love_ (R) *** 1/2 <MR#171, 12/16/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#shakespeare
-_A_Simple_Plan_ (R) **** <MR#167, 11/20/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt42.html#plan
-_Star_Trek:_Insurrection_ (PG) ** <MR#170, 12/11/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#insurrection
-_Stepmom_ (PG-13) ***<MR#170, 12/11/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#stepmom
-_The_Theory_of_Flight_ (R) ** 1/2 <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#flight
-_The_Thin_Red_Line_ (R) **** <MR#172, 12/24/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#red
-_Varsity_Blues_ (R) * <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#varsity
-_Waking_Ned_Devine_ (PG) *** <MR#164, 10/29/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt41.html#ned
-_You've_Got_Mail_ (PG) **** <MR#171, 12/16/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#mail

F U T U R E  F I L M S

-_Jawbreaker_ (R) *** <MR#174, 12/24/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#jawbreaker
   (February 19)
-_My_Name_Is_Joe_ (R) *** <MR#172, 12/24/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#joe
   (February 5)
-_Rushmore_ (R) **** <MR#170, 12/11/98>
  http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#rushmore
   (February 5)

O N   T H E  H O R I Z O N
FRIDAY

_Gloria_ (R)
    The January studio shelf-clearing continues with Sidney Lumet's remake of
John Cassavetes's 1980 drama about a former gangster's moll (here played by
Sharon Stone) who takes in a young boy (Jean-Luke Figueroa here).  This
one's been sitting on the shelf for well over a year, and Sony has opted
not to screen it for critics.  Hmm.

_Playing_by_Heart_ (R) ***
Full review in MR#173, 1/15/99; and at:
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#architecture
    Engaging, if featherweight, ensemble comedy-drama following the lives and
loves of a cross-section of Los Angeles residents.  Angelina Jolie stands
out in a cast that also includes Gillian Anderson, Sean Connery, Anthony
Edwards, Dennis Quaid, Gena Rowlands, Jon Stewart, and Madeleine Stowe.

_Still_Crazy_ (R) **
Full review in MR#169, 12/3/98; and at:
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt42.html#crazy
    The biggest joke of this year's Golden Globe nominations (OK, maybe not
bigger than _The_Horse_Whisperer_'s two nods, but damn close) was the Best
Musical/Comedy Picture nod for this silly comedy about the reunion of an
old '70s British rock group.  Stephen Rea, Jimmy Nail, Timothy Spall, Bill
Nighy, and Juliet Aubrey star.


~~~

=>V I D E O<=
N E W  T H I S  W E E K

_Buffalo_'66_ *** 1/2
Buy at Reel.com:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as
p?MMID=41760
    It may not be the masterpiece that its narcissistic writer-director-star
Vincent Gallo has claimed to be, but his filmmaking debut is a ceaselessly
fascinating piece of work.  The story, about an ex-con (Gallo) who kidnaps
a teen (Christina Ricci, sublime as always) and passes her off as his wife
to his parents (Anjelica Huston and Ben Gazzara), is thin, and the romance
a bit wobbly in terms of believability, but what makes the film so
watchable are Gallo's strange flights of fancy: a spotlight dance number by
Ricci, an extended lip-synching set piece for Gazzara, and the imaginative
visual cues, most memorable being a literally frozen look at the aftermath
of a shooting.  Call it pretension; call it self-indulgence (which is what
I see it as being)--but I dare you keep your eyes off of the screen.
(Universal Studios Home Video)

_Jane_Austen's_Mafia!_ (PG-13) **
Full review in MR#153, 8/7/98; and at:
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt37.html#mafia
Buy at Reel.com:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as
p?MMID=42126
    The once-mighty Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker joke-a-second comedy formula
sputters in this limp _Godfather_ parody from Jim Abrahams.  Jay Mohr,
Christina Applegate, Olympia Dukakis, and the late Lloyd Bridges star.
(Touchstone Home Video)

_Love_and_Death_on_Long_Island_ (PG-13) *** 1/2
Full review in MR#130, 2/12/98; and at:
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt29.html#love&death
Buy at Reel.com:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as
p?MMID=40959
    With any luck, the Academy will not forget (that is, if they know at all
about) John Hurt's exquisite performance as an effete British professor who
falls for an American teen idol (Jason Priestley) in this bittersweet
comedy from first-time writer-director Richard Kwietniowski.  (Universal
Studios Home Video)

_Return_to_Paradise_ (R) ***
Full review in MR#154, 8/13/98; and at:
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt38.html#paradise
Buy at Reel.com:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as
p?MMID=42583
    _Psycho_ stars Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche first teamed up--to much
greater effect--in this intriguing moral drama in which two friends (Vaughn
and David Conrad) must decide whether or not to serve a three-year prison
sentence in Malaysia to spare the life of a third (Joaquin Phoenix).
(PolyGram Video)

_Slums_of_Beverly_Hills_ (R) ** 1/2
Full review in MR#155, 8/20/98; and at:
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt38.html#slums
Buy at Reel.com:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as
p?MMID=42488
    This well-acted, often engaging portrait of a 15-year-old girl's (Natasha
Lyonne) sexual awakening in '70s SoCal will undoubtedly play well on the
small screen, where its modest appeal would feel more at home (bad pun
intended).  (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)

_Still_Breathing_ (PG-13) ***
Full review in MR#144, 5/29/98; and at:
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt34.html#breathing
Buy at Reel.com:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as
p?MMID=41395
    Before his fine work in _Gods_and_Monsters_, Brendan Fraser also impressed
in this quirky, little-seen romantic comedy-drama in which a Texas street
performer (Fraser) falls for a Los Angeles con woman (Joanna Going) he sees
in a vision.  Contrived, yes, but also quite involving, confidently written
and directed by first-timer James F. Robinson.  Unfortunately, the film is
available exclusively at Blockbuster Video--which will just further prevent
this charmer from finding an audience.  (Blockbuster Entertainment)

A L S O  N E W

_Smoke_Signals_ (PG-13)
Buy at Reel.com:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as
p?MMID=41748
    The first film written, produced, and directed by Native Americans was
this well-received road movie in which two friends (Michael Beach and Evan
Adams) travel from Idaho to Phoenix to retrieve the remains of Beach's dead
father.  (Miramax Home Entertainment)


~~~

=>N E X T  W E E K<=

More reviews, including:
-_Gloria_

'til then...

__________________________________________________________

Michael Dequina
Chat Forum Host, The Official Michael Jordan Web Site
http://jordan.sportsline.com

[e-mail]  |  [e-mail]
[e-mail]  |  [e-mail]

>My personal WWW sites<
Mr. Brown's Movie Site: http://welcome.to/mrbrown
Michael Jordan Beyond the Court: http://fly.to/michaeljordan
A Michael Jordan Fan's Heartbreak: http://fly.to/mj23
Personal Page: http://welcome.to/w3md
>Other WWW sites I work on<
CompuServe Hollywood Hotline: http://www.HollywoodHotline.com
Albany Online: http://www.AlbanyOnline.com
Eyepiece Network: http://www.eyepiece.com
Film Frenzy: http://www.filmfrenzy.com
__________________________________________________________

[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] REVIEW: THE THEORY OF FLIGHT
Date: 21 Jan 1999 18:01:42 -0800

If you get sick of these reviews, let me know!!

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Scott Renshaw [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Wednesday, January 20, 1999 7:18 AM
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    [MV] REVIEW: THE THEORY OF FLIGHT
>
> THE THEORY OF FLIGHT
> (Fine Line)
> Starring:  Helena Bonham Carter, Kenneth Branagh, Gemma Jones.
> Screenplay:  Richard Hawkins.
> Producers:  Helena Spring & Ruth Caleb and David M. Thompson & Anant
> Singh.
> Director:  Paul Greengrass.
> MPAA Rating:  R (profanity, sexual situations, adult themes)
> Running Time:  101 minutes.
> Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.
>
>      If it's December or January, it must be time for "triumph over
> illness/handicap" films.  They spew forth during Oscar season like colored
> hankies from a magician's sleeve, playing to the Academy's time-honored
> tradition of tossing nominations at anyone who hops into a hospital bed,
> or occupies a wheelchair, or otherwise tackles physical or mental
> adversity.  Into this crowded field comes THE THEORY OF FLIGHT, a quirky
> comedy-drama of romantic friendship starring Kenneth Branagh as Richard
> Hawkins, an artist so flighty that he actually does try to take
> flight...right off the roof of a building.  For his trouble Richard is
> sentenced to community service, which takes the form of assisting Jane
> Hatchard (Helena Bonham Carter), a young woman stricken with ALS (better
> known in the U.S. as Lou Gehrig's Disease) and confined to a wheelchair.
> She wants only one thing from Richard:  for him to help her realize her
> life's dream before she dies.  Cue soaring music and inspirational
> message.
>
>      Well, not exactly.  It seems that Jane's life's dream is to lose her
> virginity.  None-too-keen on doing the deed himself, Richard instead
> decides to rent her a gigolo for one night.  And none-too-wealthy, being a
> flighty artist, he decides to rob a bank to pay for it.  Thus unfolds a
> singularly odd sort of film, at once a dark comedy, an unconventional love
> story and, yes, a triumph over illness/handicap film.
>
>      The strange thing about THE THEORY OF FLIGHT is that it's not always
> clear whose triumph over a handicap will be the focus of the film.  As the
> narrative progresses, it becomes ever more clear that Richard is the real
> protagonist of the piece, the character who is supposed to learn and
> change through this experience.  Unfortunately, he's also the character
> who is least interesting, and makes the least sense.  There's something
> emotionally amiss with this fellow, that's for certain; exactly what that
> something is, not so much.  Kenneth Branagh (apparently still suffering
> side effects from channeling Woody Allen in CELEBRITY) is all neurotic
> discomfort and goofy twitches.  The character's intense desire to follow
> through on the bank robbery falls somewhere between melodramatic
> affectation and sincere-though-misguided expression of resolve, when only
> one or the other would truly clarify things.
>
>      Meanwhile, Helena Bonham Carter continues to act circles around most
> of her contemporaries.  Jane is a superb piece of characterization, never
> merely the self-pitying, hard-on-the-outside-soft-on-the-inside person
> with a handicap that has become such a cinematic cliche.  There's wicked
> self-deprecating humor in the character -- she posts a message to an
> Internet personals board stating "Hideously crippled young woman seeks
> sex" -- but also an innocent wistfulness.  Though it's a challenging bit
> of physical acting for Bonham Carter to wrap her mouth around Jane's
> slurred speech and adopt the distinctive movements, her finest moment is a
> silent one -- a pleading glance at Richard as her voice synthesizer plays
> her recorded request.
>
>      It's the clash between our interest in those two characters which
> prevents THE THEORY OF FLIGHT from soaring to the highest possible level.
> While Richard's awakening to his own self-indulgence may be the point,
> it's still tedious watching him indulge himself when watching Jane is so
> much more interesting.  Perhaps the problem is that there is too much
> high-concept to this tale, too many silly little bits of business to
> distract from genuine interaction between the two principal characters.
> It's hard for a love story to be great when you want one of the lovers to
> end up happy, and the other just to end up an adult.  You have to commend
> THE THEORY OF FLIGHT for taking a slightly different flight plan towards
> soaring inspiration.  It just can't quite get there on only one good wing.
>
>      On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 bumpy flights:  6.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>                       Visit Scott Renshaw's MoviePage
>                     http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
>                                    ***
>              Subscribe to receive new reviews directly by email!
>  See the MoviePage for details, or reply to this message with subject line
>                                "Subscribe".
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]

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From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] REVIEW: THE THEORY OF FLIGHT
Date: 21 Jan 1999 18:04:20 -0800

OOPS!!!  I ment to send that to my husband!!!


> If you get sick of these reviews, let me know!!
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From:    Scott Renshaw [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> > Sent:    Wednesday, January 20, 1999 7:18 AM
> > To:    [e-mail]
> > Subject:    [MV] REVIEW: THE THEORY OF FLIGHT
> >
> > THE THEORY OF FLIGHT
> > (Fine Line)
> > Starring:  Helena Bonham Carter, Kenneth Branagh, Gemma Jones.
> > Screenplay:  Richard Hawkins.
> > Producers:  Helena Spring & Ruth Caleb and David M. Thompson & Anant
> > Singh.
> > Director:  Paul Greengrass.
> > MPAA Rating:  R (profanity, sexual situations, adult themes)
> > Running Time:  101 minutes.
> > Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.
> >
> >      If it's December or January, it must be time for "triumph over
> > illness/handicap" films.  They spew forth during Oscar season like
> colored
> > hankies from a magician's sleeve, playing to the Academy's time-honored
> > tradition of tossing nominations at anyone who hops into a hospital bed,
> > or occupies a wheelchair, or otherwise tackles physical or mental
> > adversity.  Into this crowded field comes THE THEORY OF FLIGHT, a quirky
> > comedy-drama of romantic friendship starring Kenneth Branagh as Richard
> > Hawkins, an artist so flighty that he actually does try to take
> > flight...right off the roof of a building.  For his trouble Richard is
> > sentenced to community service, which takes the form of assisting Jane
> > Hatchard (Helena Bonham Carter), a young woman stricken with ALS (better
> > known in the U.S. as Lou Gehrig's Disease) and confined to a wheelchair.
> > She wants only one thing from Richard:  for him to help her realize her
> > life's dream before she dies.  Cue soaring music and inspirational
> > message.
> >
> >      Well, not exactly.  It seems that Jane's life's dream is to lose
> her
> > virginity.  None-too-keen on doing the deed himself, Richard instead
> > decides to rent her a gigolo for one night.  And none-too-wealthy, being
> a
> > flighty artist, he decides to rob a bank to pay for it.  Thus unfolds a
> > singularly odd sort of film, at once a dark comedy, an unconventional
> love
> > story and, yes, a triumph over illness/handicap film.
> >
> >      The strange thing about THE THEORY OF FLIGHT is that it's not
> always
> > clear whose triumph over a handicap will be the focus of the film.  As
> the
> > narrative progresses, it becomes ever more clear that Richard is the
> real
> > protagonist of the piece, the character who is supposed to learn and
> > change through this experience.  Unfortunately, he's also the character
> > who is least interesting, and makes the least sense.  There's something
> > emotionally amiss with this fellow, that's for certain; exactly what
> that
> > something is, not so much.  Kenneth Branagh (apparently still suffering
> > side effects from channeling Woody Allen in CELEBRITY) is all neurotic
> > discomfort and goofy twitches.  The character's intense desire to follow
> > through on the bank robbery falls somewhere between melodramatic
> > affectation and sincere-though-misguided expression of resolve, when
> only
> > one or the other would truly clarify things.
> >
> >      Meanwhile, Helena Bonham Carter continues to act circles around
> most
> > of her contemporaries.  Jane is a superb piece of characterization,
> never
> > merely the self-pitying, hard-on-the-outside-soft-on-the-inside person
> > with a handicap that has become such a cinematic cliche.  There's wicked
> > self-deprecating humor in the character -- she posts a message to an
> > Internet personals board stating "Hideously crippled young woman seeks
> > sex" -- but also an innocent wistfulness.  Though it's a challenging bit
> > of physical acting for Bonham Carter to wrap her mouth around Jane's
> > slurred speech and adopt the distinctive movements, her finest moment is
> a
> > silent one -- a pleading glance at Richard as her voice synthesizer
> plays
> > her recorded request.
> >
> >      It's the clash between our interest in those two characters which
> > prevents THE THEORY OF FLIGHT from soaring to the highest possible
> level.
> > While Richard's awakening to his own self-indulgence may be the point,
> > it's still tedious watching him indulge himself when watching Jane is so
> > much more interesting.  Perhaps the problem is that there is too much
> > high-concept to this tale, too many silly little bits of business to
> > distract from genuine interaction between the two principal characters.
> > It's hard for a love story to be great when you want one of the lovers
> to
> > end up happy, and the other just to end up an adult.  You have to
> commend
> > THE THEORY OF FLIGHT for taking a slightly different flight plan towards
> > soaring inspiration.  It just can't quite get there on only one good
> wing.
> >
> >      On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 bumpy flights:  6.
> >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >                       Visit Scott Renshaw's MoviePage
> >                     http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
> >                                    ***
> >              Subscribe to receive new reviews directly by email!
> >  See the MoviePage for details, or reply to this message with subject
> line
> >                                "Subscribe".
> >
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> > [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]

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From: "Jason Cormier" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Eszterhas, Showgirls and stuff
Date: 22 Jan 1999 00:52:27 -0800

I haven't seen Virus but I loved Darkman - mostly becasuse of Sam Raimi's
influence though!  Check out Simple Plan if you get a chance for mor Raimi
goodness!

-----Original Message-----


>"Romero, Leticia" wrote:
>>
>> It's just too scary that Esterhaus has been justified in keeping his
writing
>> job....
>
>Eszterhas blamed Showgirls being awful on Berkley, nice guy that he
>is. I guess Drew Barrymore would have said "Versace" differently?
>
>But what's scarier is that the man who wrote Navy Seals, Barb Wire
>and Dark Man - chuck Pfarrer - has a new film out. The abominable
>"Virus". You want a contender for worst movie ever? This has to be
>it. If Don Sutherland works again I'll be very surprised.
>
>------ {{{OZ}}} ------------------------------------------
>    "Damn the man, Joe!"    -= HOLLYWOOD BITCHSLAP =-
>----------- http://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com ------------
>
>[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
>[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
>


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From: "Rebecca Bezant" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Hello? Am I still here?
Date: 24 Jan 1999 02:39:23 PST

Hi, i am curious if my subscription ran out or not? Cause i havent gotten=
 any email from the list in 3 days, or is there nothing to talk about?
Just wondering.
Tim


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From: [e-mail]
Subject: [MV] MovieJuice! - VARSITY BLUES - Van Der Weak
Date: 24 Jan 1999 19:22:33 -0500 (EST)

VARSITY BLUES - VAN DER WEAK

by Mark Ramsey

http://www.moviejuice.com

January 24, 1999

Suppose you're a pretty young thing with a major chemical imbalance.  Isn't it nice to know that the only thing between your miserable life and glitzy, glamorous caviar dreams is the fence, the window, and the drawer leading to Brad Pitt's PJ's?  Hey, look what wearing Brad's underwear did for Gwyneth; just imagine what it can do for you!

Brad checks his locks now (and I don't just mean the ones draped over his forehead), but fortunately there are lots of other celebrities with private homes and private lives who would be happy to host your springboard to stardom at their expense.  Some folks go to jail for breaking and entering; others land a shoot with Playboy.  Go figure.

Varsity Blues is the new football flick from MTV films.   That's right, MTV films, where the soundtrack is king and the script is referred to as "non-melodic interstitial lyrical content."

According to MTV's production head, Beavis D. Labelweasel, "Varsity Blues is set in a town where football is not only the most important thing in life, but after air guitar, it IS life.  In fact, if life had a pop-top and an insatiable hunger for yeast, it'd be Varsity Blues."

Here we have a town where the elders read dialogue as if the script is upside down:  "Shit, them boys is having the time of their lives!"  To which I reply, "Pass me a corndog.  Jed and Mr. Drysdale is comin' round the bend in that Four-Runner doohicky!"

The good news, kids:  Like virtually all efforts from MTV films, Varsity Blues features rows of lockers and pairs of knockers.  Let's hear it for consistency and flicks with high schoolers in strip joints!

Fresh from the middle of a rowboat on Dawson's Creek comes James Van Der Beek in another gig that's Van Der Meek.  Jimmy is the sensitive second-string high school quarterback with miles and miles of eyebrow - enough to hide a ball, a case of Gatorade, the Lindbergh baby, and most of the alumni skyboxes when the good seats just aren't good enough.  Damn, man!  You've got the only eyebrows with a built in 50-yard line!  Do you scrimmage or tweeze?

The high point of this flick is when Jimmy visits Darcy, the Queen of all Cheerleaders, who wants in his Van Der Pants.  She excuses herself to add whipped cream to a sundae and returns with her privates strategically snow-covered in a pattern only Jack Valenti and the ratings board could have devised.  Word has it this scene required extensive retakes, since bowl after bowl of Cool Whip kept slipping off her breasts - not because of the hot lights but because of the hot breathing of the crew, who've had precious little time for gripping and gaffing lately.

Will Jimmy be Matterhorny for Mounts Everest and McKinley?   Or will he demurely decline?  Maybe it's the thin air - or the lack of proper climbing gear.  When James resists Darcy's Elsie-covered charms, a small gaggle of Dawsonettes in the theater applauded, while a much larger group of machoguys groaningly acknowledged this is only a movie, and definitely a fictional one at that.

Her Highnesses Darcy is a gal who yanks her reluctant boyfriend into the laundry room for coy coital shenanigans.  When he's in no mood to please, she sits atop the equipment, flicks a switch, and says "let the dryer do the work."   If the dryer could do that work, sweetheart, babies would look like blow-dryers instead of daddies, and the umbilical cord would come UL-approved.

Last, but not least, there's Jon Voight as "Coach Kilmer," and I'm not talkin' acting coach, believe me!  Jon has an unbeaten record for football wins and - as far as I can tell - eyelid lifts.  Take that, Jack Lemmon.

Pigs, as the saying goes, get slaughtered, but hams have long, fruitful careers, and Jon's so smoked and honey-baked, he's got pineapple slices toothpicked to his sides.  I guess if you've got ham and cheese, somebody will always give you bread.

In all fairness, though, we have Coach Jon to thank for legendary tight end Angelina Jolie.

More players like that, Jon, and I'm ponying up for the draft!

Copyright 1999 Mark Ramsey. All rights reserved.  NO PORTION MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.
********************

Hey, kids, don't forget to visit the MovieJuice! Site at http://www.moviejuice.com.  The pictures are half the fun (and sometimes more than half the laughs)!

********************

TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS LIST:

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL!  Just go to http://www.moviejuice.com and follow the directions at the top of the left frame.  It's very easy.  NOTE:  YOUR NAME CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM THE LIST UNLESS YOU UNSUBSCRIBE USING THE EMAIL ADDRESS YOU REGISTERED WITH).  And don't write me lots of mean-spirited crap.  I won't read it.

********************

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From: Noah Giovanetto <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] MovieJuice! - VARSITY BLUES - Van Der Weak
Date: 24 Jan 1999 18:50:18 -0500

Obviously you're not the target audience for this movie.  MTV's last two films featured neither "lockers" nor "knockers" as you so eloquently stated.  One was a cartoon and the other, "Joe's Apartment" was about a guy and his cockroaches.

And by the way, just because people are from the South and perhaps do not speak as eloquently as you, does that mean movies should not be made about them?  Even Roger Ebert liked this movie, so get off your soap box already....

Anyway, that's my two cents...

[e-mail] wrote:

> VARSITY BLUES - VAN DER WEAK
>
> by Mark Ramsey
>
> http://www.moviejuice.com
>
> January 24, 1999
>
> Suppose you're a pretty young thing with a major chemical imbalance.  Isn't it nice to know that the only thing between your miserable life and glitzy, glamorous caviar dreams is the fence, the window, and the drawer leading to Brad Pitt's PJ's?  Hey, look what wearing Brad's underwear did for Gwyneth; just imagine what it can do for you!
>
> Brad checks his locks now (and I don't just mean the ones draped over his forehead), but fortunately there are lots of other celebrities with private homes and private lives who would be happy to host your springboard to stardom at their expense.  Some folks go to jail for breaking and entering; others land a shoot with Playboy.  Go figure.
>
> Varsity Blues is the new football flick from MTV films.   That's right, MTV films, where the soundtrack is king and the script is referred to as "non-melodic interstitial lyrical content."
>
> According to MTV's production head, Beavis D. Labelweasel, "Varsity Blues is set in a town where football is not only the most important thing in life, but after air guitar, it IS life.  In fact, if life had a pop-top and an insatiable hunger for yeast, it'd be Varsity Blues."
>
> Here we have a town where the elders read dialogue as if the script is upside down:  "Shit, them boys is having the time of their lives!"  To which I reply, "Pass me a corndog.  Jed and Mr. Drysdale is comin' round the bend in that Four-Runner doohicky!"
>
> The good news, kids:  Like virtually all efforts from MTV films, Varsity Blues features rows of lockers and pairs of knockers.  Let's hear it for consistency and flicks with high schoolers in strip joints!
>
> Fresh from the middle of a rowboat on Dawson's Creek comes James Van Der Beek in another gig that's Van Der Meek.  Jimmy is the sensitive second-string high school quarterback with miles and miles of eyebrow - enough to hide a ball, a case of Gatorade, the Lindbergh baby, and most of the alumni skyboxes when the good seats just aren't good enough.  Damn, man!  You've got the only eyebrows with a built in 50-yard line!  Do you scrimmage or tweeze?
>
> The high point of this flick is when Jimmy visits Darcy, the Queen of all Cheerleaders, who wants in his Van Der Pants.  She excuses herself to add whipped cream to a sundae and returns with her privates strategically snow-covered in a pattern only Jack Valenti and the ratings board could have devised.  Word has it this scene required extensive retakes, since bowl after bowl of Cool Whip kept slipping off her breasts - not because of the hot lights but because of the hot breathing of the crew, who've had precious little time for gripping and gaffing lately.
>
> Will Jimmy be Matterhorny for Mounts Everest and McKinley?   Or will he demurely decline?  Maybe it's the thin air - or the lack of proper climbing gear.  When James resists Darcy's Elsie-covered charms, a small gaggle of Dawsonettes in the theater applauded, while a much larger group of machoguys groaningly acknowledged this is only a movie, and definitely a fictional one at that.
>
> Her Highnesses Darcy is a gal who yanks her reluctant boyfriend into the laundry room for coy coital shenanigans.  When he's in no mood to please, she sits atop the equipment, flicks a switch, and says "let the dryer do the work."   If the dryer could do that work, sweetheart, babies would look like blow-dryers instead of daddies, and the umbilical cord would come UL-approved.
>
> Last, but not least, there's Jon Voight as "Coach Kilmer," and I'm not talkin' acting coach, believe me!  Jon has an unbeaten record for football wins and - as far as I can tell - eyelid lifts.  Take that, Jack Lemmon.
>
> Pigs, as the saying goes, get slaughtered, but hams have long, fruitful careers, and Jon's so smoked and honey-baked, he's got pineapple slices toothpicked to his sides.  I guess if you've got ham and cheese, somebody will always give you bread.
>
> In all fairness, though, we have Coach Jon to thank for legendary tight end Angelina Jolie.
>
> More players like that, Jon, and I'm ponying up for the draft!
>
> Copyright 1999 Mark Ramsey. All rights reserved.  NO PORTION MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.
> ********************
>
> Hey, kids, don't forget to visit the MovieJuice! Site at http://www.moviejuice.com.  The pictures are half the fun (and sometimes more than half the laughs)!
>
> ********************
>
> TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS LIST:
>
> DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL!  Just go to http://www.moviejuice.com and follow the directions at the top of the left frame.  It's very easy.  NOTE:  YOUR NAME CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM THE LIST UNLESS YOU UNSUBSCRIBE USING THE EMAIL ADDRESS YOU REGISTERED WITH).  And don't write me lots of mean-spirited crap.  I won't read it.
>
> ********************
>
> IF YOUR LINES AREN'T WRAPPING
>
> If the lines extend way off into the right horizon, then look to your browser or email software for a setting called "Wrap Long Lines."  Now, if your lines aren't RAPPING, then you should consider that normal.
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]


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From: Scott Renshaw <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Sundance Coverage This Week
Date: 25 Jan 1999 12:35:22 -0700 (MST)

Subscribers,

Just a reminder -- particularly to new subscribers who may be wondering
why they haven't gotten anything yet -- that this week is the Sundance
Film Festival.  This week's only wide theatrical release (SHE'S ALL THAT)
will not be reviewed due to scheduling conflicts.  Regular coverage of new
theatrical releases will resume the week of February 1.

Coverage of Sundance films can be found in the Screening Room, and will be
updated daily throughout the festival:
http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/sundance_99.html

Regards,
Scott

                      Visit Scott Renshaw's MoviePage
                    http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
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 See the MoviePage for details, or reply to this message with subject line
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From: Vi On <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Hello? Am I still here?
Date: 25 Jan 1999 16:34:44 +30000


> Hi, i am curious if my subscription ran out or not? Cause i havent gotten any email from the list in 3 days, or is there nothing to talk about?
> Just wondering.
> Tim

There's no good movies recently.  The next good movie is Star wars and thats
few more months to go.

-Vi

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From: Gaurav <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] unsubscribe
Date: 26 Jan 1999 11:40:21 +0530



[e-mail] wrote:

> unsubscribe
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]




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From: "Danielle Conkle" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Playing By Heart
Date: 26 Jan 1999 13:31:56 PST


   Hello everyone!  I'm dying to see "Playing by Heart" but now i'm kind
of worried about all the hype i've put into it in my head!  Don't want
to ruin my great expectations, but has anyone seen it, and have any
comments??  (I don't want any spoilers, just curious to see if it's
actually any good..)  THANKS!!!  --Danielle


______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

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From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: [MV] Playing By Heart
Date: 26 Jan 1999 16:36:41 EST

Great Movie!!!
  The cast was wonderful and it had a great script.

   - Mr. Movie

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From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Sci-Fi Movie News - 01/26/99
Date: 26 Jan 1999 15:36:51 -0700 (MST)

Toby Emmerich's time-travel screenplay Frequency has
been given the green light at New Line, according to
Variety.  Fallen director Gregory Hoblit will be helming
the picture, which will star Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel.

Frequency is about a modern-day homicide detective who
discovers that he can communicate with his dead father.
The father is a famous firefighter who is stuck in time
during the fall of 1969, just weeks before his death.

                        -=> * <=-

New Line has signed Mystery Clock Cinema, the
company founded by Dark City director Alex Proyas
and his partner Andrew Mason, to a two-year,
first-look deal, according to Variety. "We loved Dark City
and we love Alex's creative vision," the trade publication
quoted New Line's vice president of production, Brian
Witten, as saying.

New Line financed Dark City, a noirish SF film that was
lauded by many critics but that earned just $14 million
during its run in U.S. theaters. Proyas' only other feature
film credit is the Dimension flick The Crow, which grossed
$50 million in the U.S. and nearly $100 million worldwide.

                        -=> * <=-

Mel Gibson has once again delayed his plans to
direct a film adaptation of Ray Bradbury's famous SF
book Fahrenheit 451, according to Variety columnist
Michael Flemming.

                        -=> * <=-

The hit SF film The Truman Show received five
nominations for the 11th annual Chicago Film Critics
Awards, including best picture, best director, best
actor, best screenplay and best original music
score.

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From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 01/26/99
Date: 26 Jan 1999 15:49:27 -0700 (MST)

Hours after winning best dramatic picture and best director
Golden Globes for "Saving Private Ryan," Steven Spielberg
was nominated by the Directors Guild of America for making
the top motion picture of 1998. The DGA nominations
announced Monday also included Roberto Benigni for "Life is
Beautiful," Terrence Malick for "The Thin Red Line," John
Madden for "Shakespeare in Love" and Peter Weir for "The
Truman Show." Benigni, Madden and Malick are all first-time
nominees. Weir has been nominated previously (for 1985's
"Witness" and 1989's "Dead Poets Society"), but he has never
won. Spielberg won for his 1993 "Schindler's List." The
winner of the DGA award has won the directing Oscar all but
four times since the DGA prize was first presented in 1949.
The award will be presented March 6 in Los Angeles.

                        -=> * <=-

Besides the DGA nod, Steven Spielberg triumphed again on
Monday when his "Saving Private Ryan" won the awards for
Best Picture, Best Director and Best Film Score from the
Broadcast Film Critics Assn. Top acting awards went to Ian
McKellen ("Gods and Monsters") and Cate Blanchett
("Elizabeth"), with the supporting awards going to Billy Bob
Thornton ("A Simple Plan") and, in a tie, Joan Allen
("Pleasantville") and Kathy Bates (the largely overlooked
"Primary Colors").

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From: Oz <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Playing By Heart
Date: 27 Jan 1999 09:50:13 -0800

Danielle Conkle wrote:
>
> Hello everyone!  I'm dying to see "Playing by Heart" but now i'm kind
> of worried about all the hype i've put into it in my head!  Don't want
> to ruin my great expectations, but has anyone seen it, and have any
> comments??

I've got a friend at Miramax who has been hyping this for a while,
but then my sister just saw it and was kinda bored by it. But then
she hated What Dreams May Come and I thought it was great, so go
figure..

------ {{{OZ}}} ------------------------------------------
    "Damn the man, Joe!"    -= HOLLYWOOD BITCHSLAP =-
----------- http://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com ------------

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From: Gaurav <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] unsubscribe
Date: 27 Jan 1999 09:45:08 +0530

"unsubscribe

Gaurav wrote:

> [e-mail] wrote:
>
> > unsubscribe
> >
> > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> > [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
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From: Michael Dequina <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] The Movie Report#175, 1/28/99
Date: 28 Jan 1999 13:28:32 -0800

T   H   E
M   O   V   I   E
R   E   P   O   R   T
#175
JANUARY 28, 1999

Have I really written 175 of these...?

PLEASE HELP...
...keep the MR and Mr. Brown's Movie Site alive.   I am undergoing a
serious funding and resource crisis.  Please send any donations (every
little bit does help) to:
Michael Dequina
3650 Denver Avenue
Long Beach, CA  90810-2205
You can also help by purchasing videos and DVDs from Reel.com!  Please visit:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-reel.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=welcome.html
Thank you very much.

=>T H I S  W E E K<=
-1998 Golden Globe Award Winners
-1998 Screen Actors Guild Award Nominations
M O V I E S
-_She's_All_That_
-_Gloria_
V I D E O
-_Cube_
-_Rush_Hour_
-_Snake_Eyes_

Mr. Brown's Movie Site's regular URL is down once again.  However, you can
still view the best and worst of 1998, links to the official websites of
all the current films, past reviews, exclusive Hollywood event photos,
movie MIDI music, movie discussion board, a comprehensive link section, and
more, visit at the following mirror sites:
http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown  or
http://welcome.to/mrbrown  or
http://mrbrown.webjump.com

Sorry for the inconvenience...

Please don't forget to sign the guestbook...

If you are reading this on Usenet, you can subscribe to the MR at:
http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/moviereport.html

Select reviews are available at CompuServe Hollywood Hotline:
http://www.HollywoodHotline.com
...and the Eyepiece Network at:
http://www.eyepiece.com
...and Albany Online at:
http://www.AlbanyOnline.com
...and Film Frenzy at:
http://www.filmfrenzy.com

all movies graded out of four stars (****)


~~~

=>G O L D E N  G L O B E S<=

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced the winners for their
56th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, January 24.

DRAMATIC PICTURE
_Saving_Private_Ryan_

MUSICAL OR COMEDY PICTURE
_Shakespeare_in_Love_

ACTRESS IN DRAMATIC PICTURE
Cate Blanchett, _Elizabeth_

ACTOR IN DRAMATIC PICTURE
Jim Carrey, _The_Truman_Show_

ACTRESS IN A COMEDY OR MUSICAL PICTURE
Gwyneth Paltrow, _Shakespeare_in_Love_

ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR COMEDY PICTURE
Michael Caine, _Little_Voice_

FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE
_Central_Station_ (Brazil)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Lynn Redgrave, _Gods_and_Monsters_

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ed Harris, _The_Truman_Show_

DIRECTOR
Steven Spielberg, _Saving_Private_Ryan_

SCREENPLAY
_Shakespeare_in_Love_ - Marc Norman & Tom Stoppard

ORIGINAL SCORE
_The_Truman_Show_ - Burkhard Dallwitz & Philip Glass

ORIGINAL SONG
"The Prayer," _Quest_for_Camelot_

I feel compelled to comment on this one...  three words: WHAT THE FUCK???


~~~

=>S A G  A W A R D S<=

The nominations for the Fifth Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were
announced on Tuesday, January 26.  The nominees in the film categories:

CAST
_Life_Is_Beautiful_(La_Vita_E_Bella)_
_Little_Voice_
_Shakespeare_in_Love_
_Saving_Private_Ryan_
_Waking_Ned_Devine_

MALE ACTOR
Roberto Benigni, _Life_Is_Beautiful_(La_Vita_E_Bella)_
Joseph Fiennes, _Shakespeare_in_Love_
Tom Hanks, _Saving_Private_Ryan_
Ian McKellen, _Gods_and_Monsters_
Nick Nolte, _Affliction_

FEMALE ACTOR
Cate Blanchett, _Elizabeth_
Jane Horrocks, _Little_Voice_
Gwyneth Paltrow, _Shakespeare_in_Love_
Meryl Streep, _One_True_Thing_
Emily Watson, _Hilary_and_Jackie_

SUPPORTING MALE ACTOR
James Coburn, _Affliction_
Robert Duvall, _A_Civil_Action_
David Kelly, _Waking_Ned_Devine_
Geoffrey Rush, _Shakespeare_in_Love_
Billy Bob Thornton, _A_Simple_Plan_

SUPPORTING FEMALE ACTOR
Kathy Bates, _Primary_Colors_
Brenda Blethyn, _Little_Voice_
Judi Dench, _Shakespeare_in_Love_
Rachel Griffiths, _Hilary_and_Jackie_
Lynn Redgrave, _Gods_and_Monsters_


The SAG Awards will be handed out Sunday, March 7, on TNT.


~~~

=>M O V I E S<=
N E W  R E L E A S E S

Hollywood Hotline Featured Review
_She's_All_That_ (PG-13) * 1/2
    While watching the teen comedy _She's_All_That_, I fondly recalled the
heyday of the _Ricki_Lake_ show a couple of years back, when just about
every episode of the gabfest dealt with self-absorbed people who thought
they were, well, all that.  What a field day Ricki's then-notoriously rowdy
audience would have with the makeover of the film's Laney Boggs, a frumpy,
long-haired high school geek who turns chic after a touch of makeup,
wardrobe overhaul, and, most importantly, a haircut.  To paraphrase the
title of one of my favorite _Ricki_ episodes, "You may have lost all that
hair, but you are _not_ all that."
    The failure of the makeover in question is quite surprising, considering
the fact that the actress playing Laney, Rachael Leigh Cook, is actually
quite attractive, as briefly seen in last fall's _Living_Out_Loud_ and in
_She's_All_That_'s poster.  Be it makeup, styling, or whatever, Laney
doesn't look quite so "all that" in her first post-makeover appearance,
gussied up in a flaming red dress, matching high heels, and a shorter 'do.
This sounds like a minor quibble, but the entire film hinges upon it, for
the next day at school social outcast Laney not only finds herself to
suddenly popular, but also a nominee for prom queen.
    While this comes as a surprise to Laney, it's actually a calculated move
by soccer team stud Zack Siler (Freddie Prinze Jr.), who, recently jilted
by his diva girlfriend Taylor Vaughan (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe), makes a bet with
his friends that he can turn the seemingly hopeless Laney into the prom
queen.  As one can expect, as he brings the swan out of his ugly duckling,
Zack begins to feel something genuine for Laney, and her for him.
    A rather far-fetched plot that has been done in one, way, shape, or form
many a time, but what makes it especially difficult to believe in
_She's_All_That_ is that Zack never really does anything for Laney.  His
sister Mackenzie (a heavily made-up Anna Paquin) is the one who gives her
the life-altering makeover, and Zack's most dramatic "show of support" is
actually a defense of Laney's brother Simon (Kieran Culkin).  Factor in a
lack of sparks between Prinze and Cook, and one is left with a romantic
comedy with little in the way of romance.
    On the other hand, neither is there much comedy on display, either, with
the only successful bits coming from the wild overacting of Matthew Lillard
as Taylor's new beau Brock Hudson, and some savvy satire of MTV's
_The_Real_World_, of which Brock is a former cast member; one big gross-out
gag is just that, and not particularly funny.  Other laughs are to be had,
but they are of the unintentional variety, stemming from the sloppiness of
director Robert Iscove and writer R. Lee Fleming Jr.  The hairpiece that
Cook wears during Lacey's long hair stage is hilariously obvious; a
choreographed set piece at the prom is apparently designed to be "good,"
but it's more bizarre than anything else, especially the moves.  Sloppiest
of all is the inclusion of R&B sensation Usher Raymond in the completely
superfluous role of the school DJ.  Watching his scenes, I suspect that he
was spliced in after principal photography had already been completed: most
of his scenes are by himself, and the one scene that shows his character
with others--the prom--intercuts solo closeup shots of him with distant
ones of the crowd.
    Perhaps the saddest thing about _She's_All_That_ is that it's designed as
a breakout showcase for Cook, who is a natural and likable young actress.
I hope that this weak effort won't put a damper on her career, and she will
be given a more worthy vehicle where she can show that she could very well
be all that.

Hollywood Hotline Featured Review
_Gloria_ (R) **
    Since her breakthrough performance in 1992's _Basic_Instinct_, Sharon
Stone has been intent on proving that she is a "serious actress."  Yet
while she earned her critical and industry vindication with her Golden
Globe-winning and Academy Award-nominated turn in 1995's _Casino_, Stone
still feels she has something to prove.
    Stone's latest bid for her already-won respectability (further cemented by
her generally well-received turn in 1996's _Last_Dance_ and her recent
Globe nod for last year's _The_Mighty_) is _Gloria_, director Sidney
Lumet's update of John Cassavetes's 1980 drama of the same name, which
earned star Gena Rowlands matching Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.  I
have not seen the original film, but on her own merits (despite a
distracting accent, which also marred her otherwise strong _Last Dance_
work), Stone delivers an appropriately steely but warmly comedic turn as
the title character, a gangster's (Jeremy Northam) ex-girlfriend who takes
under her wing a young boy (newcomer Jean-Luke Figueroa) whose family was
killed by the gangster's crew.
    It is highly doubtful, though, that Stone will duplicate Rowland's double
nomination, for the film overall is much less effective than she is.
Although the film had been sitting on Sony's shelf for a year, and the
studio opted not to screen it for critics, _Gloria_ is not the disaster
those facts would suggest; the film is simply more dull than anything else.
 Lumet is no stranger to the streets of New York, having walked the
territory in films sush as _Dog_Day_Afternoon_ and _Serpico_, and the look
and atmosphere of _Gloria_ bears a gritty authenticity.  But there's little
Lumet can do to juice up Steven Antin's suspenseless update of Cassavetes's
original script--not even an extended car chase.  Not long after the setup,
where Gloria is released from a Florida prison; a mob thug murders the
family of the kid, Nicky; and the two meet, the film settles into a
predictable rhythm.  Scenes of Gloria being simultaneously annoyed and
charmed by Nicky alternate with those of her ex, Kevin, ordering his men to
find and kill the pair and retrieve the precious floppy disk in the Nicky's
possession.  The repetitive nature of the script could have been made
somewhat bearable if it built to an exciting climax and resolution, but
there is neither.  The conflict with Kevin is resolved in a most
anticlimactic fashion, and the outcome of the Gloria/Nicky relationship is
pretty much what one can predict from the get-go.
    So, yes, Miss Stone, you can act, as we can see yet again in _Gloria_.  We
get it already.  Now it's time to start entertaining your audience,
something you haven't done in much too long.

I N  C U R R E N T  R E L E A S E
(full reviews of the following in past MRs and at the listed URLs)

-_Affliction_ (R) *** <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#affliction
-_Another_Day_in_Paradise_ (R) ** <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#paradise
-_At_First_Sight_ (PG-13) ** 1/2 <MR#174, 1/21/99>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#sight
-_A_Bug's_Life_ (G) *** 1/2 <MR#167, 11/20/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt42.html#bugs
-_The_Celebration_(Festen)_ (R) **** <MR#171, 12/16/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#festen
-_Central_Station_ (R) *** 1/2 <MR#171, 12/16/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#central
-_A_Civil_Action_ (PG-13) ** <MR#172, 12/24/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#civil
-_Down_in_the_Delta_ (PG-13) *** <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#delta
-_Elizabeth_ (R) *** 1/2 <MR#162, 10/16/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt40.html#elizabeth
-_Enemy_of_the_State_ (R) *** 1/2 <MR#168, 11/24/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt42.html#enemy
-_The_Faculty_ (R) *** 1/2 <MR#172, 12/24/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#faculty
-_The_General_ (R) ** 1/2 <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#general
-_Gods_and_Monsters_ *** 1/2 <MR#171, 12/16/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#gods
-_The_Hi-Lo_Country_ (R) * 1/2 <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#hilo
-_Hilary_and_Jackie_ (R) **** <MR#172, 12/24/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#h&j
-_Hurlyburly_ (R) ** <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#hurlyburly
-_In_Dreams_ (R) *1/2 <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#dreams
-_Life_Is_Beautiful_(La_Vita_E_Bella)_ (PG-13) **** <MR#162, 10/16/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt40.html#vitabella
-_Little_Voice_ (R) *** <MR#164, 10/29/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt41.html#lv
-_Mighty_Joe_Young_ (PG) ** <MR#172, 12/24/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#mightyjoe
-_Patch_Adams_ (PG-13) * <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#patch
-_Playing_by_Heart_ (R) *** <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#architecture
-_The_Prince_of_Egypt_ (PG) **** <MR#171, 12/16/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#prince
-_The_Rugrats_Movie_ (G) *** <MR#166, 11/12/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt42.html#rugrats
-_Shakespeare_in_Love_ (R) *** 1/2 <MR#171, 12/16/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#shakespeare
-_A_Simple_Plan_ (R) **** <MR#167, 11/20/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt42.html#plan
-_Star_Trek:_Insurrection_ (PG) ** <MR#170, 12/11/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#insurrection
-_Stepmom_ (PG-13) ***<MR#170, 12/11/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#stepmom
-_Still_Crazy_ (R) ** <MR#169, 12/3/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt42.html#crazy
-_The_Theory_of_Flight_ (R) ** 1/2 <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#flight
-_The_Thin_Red_Line_ (R) **** <MR#172, 12/24/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#red
-_Varsity_Blues_ (R) * <MR#173, 1/15/99>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#varsity
-_Virus_ (R) no stars <MR#174, 1/21/99>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt44.html#virus
-_Waking_Ned_Devine_ (PG) *** <MR#164, 10/29/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt41.html#ned
-_You've_Got_Mail_ (PG) **** <MR#171, 12/16/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#mail

F U T U R E  F I L M S

-_Jawbreaker_ (R) *** <MR#174, 12/24/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#jawbreaker
   (February 19)
-_My_Name_Is_Joe_ (R) *** <MR#172, 12/24/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#joe
   (February 5)
-_Rushmore_ (R) **** <MR#170, 12/11/98>
  http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt43.html#rushmore
   (February 5)

O N   T H E  H O R I Z O N
FRIDAY

_A_Cool,_Dry_Place_ (PG-13)
    January studio shelf-cleaning continues with this drama in which a former
big-city lawyer and single dad(Vince Vaughn, the one "next big thing" that
should have arrived already) retreats to Kansas and falls for a local (Joey
Lauren Adams).

_She's_All_That_ (PG-13) * 1/2 <see above review>
    Sloppily executed teen comedy in which a high school jock (Freddie Prinze
Jr.) bets that he can turn a geeky outcast (Rachael Leigh Cook) into prom
queen.


~~~

=>V I D E O<=
N E W  T H I S  W E E K

_Cube_ (R) **
Full review in MR#159, 9/25/98; and at:
http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt39.html#cube
Buy at Reel.com:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as
p?MMID=43048
    Vincenzo Natali's stylishly made but weakly acted and directed sci-fi
thriller in which six strangers find themselves trapped in a labyrinthian,
cube-shaped prison.    (Trimark Home Video)

_Rush_Hour_ (PG-13) ** 1/2
Full review in MR#159, 9/25/98; and at:
http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt39.html#rush
Buy at Reel.com:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as
p?MMID=43048
    The inspired pairing of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker provides strong
comedy in Brett Ratner's blockbuster action comedy, but Chan's watered-down
stunts and derring-do makes for a disappointing "action" element.  (New
Line Home Video)

_Snake_Eyes_ (R) **
Full review in MR#153, 8/7/98; and at:
http://www.mysp.com/p/mrbrown/movierpt37.html#snakeeyes
Buy at Reel.com:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as
p?MMID=42387
    This pro forma conspiracy whodunit set in an Atlantic City casino is
distinguished by little more than director Brian DePalma's mesmerizing
visual tricks.  Nicolas Cage and Gary Sinise star.  (Paramount Home Video)

A L S O  N E W  T H I S  W E E K

_Kurt_and_Courtney_
Buy at Reel.com:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as
p?MMID=41078
    Nick Broomfield's controversial documentary on the relationship between
the late Kurt Cobain and his widow, Courtney Love.  (BMG Independents)

_Marie_Baie_des_Anges_ (R)
Buy at Reel.com:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as
p?MMID=41646
    French romance between a free-spirited young woman (Vahina Giocante) and a
15-year-old thief (Frederic Malgras).  (Columbia TriStar Home Video)

_Whatever_ (R)
Buy at Reel.com:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as
p?MMID=41924
    Writer-director Susan Skoog's portrait of carefree teen life in the '80s.
(Columbia TriStar Home Video)


~~~

=>N E X T  W E E K<=

More reviews, including:
-_Payback_

'til then...

__________________________________________________________

Michael Dequina
Chat Forum Host, The Official Michael Jordan Web Site
http://jordan.sportsline.com

[e-mail]  |  [e-mail]
[e-mail]  |  [e-mail]

>My personal WWW sites<
Mr. Brown's Movie Site: http://welcome.to/mrbrown
Michael Jordan Beyond the Court: http://fly.to/michaeljordan
A Michael Jordan Fan's Heartbreak: http://fly.to/mj23
Personal Page: http://welcome.to/w3md
>Other WWW sites I work on<
CompuServe Hollywood Hotline: http://www.HollywoodHotline.com
Albany Online: http://www.AlbanyOnline.com
Eyepiece Network: http://www.eyepiece.com
Film Frenzy: http://www.filmfrenzy.com
__________________________________________________________

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From: "Jason Cormier" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Playing by Heart review
Date: 28 Jan 1999 20:06:54 -0800

Lack of decent movies made me see this flick although I wasn't entirely
dissappointed.  An amuzing tale of relationships told from many people's
viewpoint.  Stars Sean Connery, Gillian Anderson and Jon Stewart to name a
few and the scenarios seemed pretty simplistic and superficial independently
but because it was shown to us like a Sienfeld episode we do not realize it
until the end.  I did find myself smiling and enjoying myself throughout it
though - but nothing really new in this movie.  A 70% for making me smile!


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From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] HELP!
Date: 29 Jan 1999 15:40:14 -0800

I'm trying to find Scott Renshaw's web page... does anyone know the address?

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Wade Snider" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] HELP!
Date: 29 Jan 1999 23:32:52 -0800

I think this is it...

http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/


>I'm trying to find Scott Renshaw's web page... does anyone know the
address?
>
>[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
>[ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]
>


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From: "Danielle Conkle" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] I'm thinking this might have been a tv movie, but...HELP!
Date: 29 Jan 1999 22:00:44 PST


   I have this assignment for photography which is to take a picture
that "tells a story" and since i can relate Everything back to a
movie...it instantly triggered this memory of a movie, in which at the
end, an (old couple?) i believe point to a photo in a gallery of a girl
in a prom dress slumped over with her hand & arm resting on her knees.
The couple then says, "i bet there's a story behind that" or something
to the sort.  I know i'm rambling so.. but noow i really want to watch
this movie, and I can't remember the name but the basic gist of it is
there's this girl who gets stood up for prom.  So she sues the guy
because she had to pay for a dress, and all that emotional damage...
They then take it to "court" which is really put on by the school with
students taking the parts of judges, lawyers and such.  It was actually
pretty cheesy, but i love cheesy stuff! :)  Can anyone help me out with
a title, or have any idea what i'm talking about??  THANKS!!   Danielle


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From: [e-mail]
Subject: [MV] MovieJuice! - SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE - Bard Simpson
Date: 30 Jan 1999 23:19:10 -0500 (EST)

THIS WAS THE WEEK I MET STEVEN SPIELBERG


As he entered the hotel lobby, I approached him, said a quick hello, shook his hand, thanked him for a lifetime of work that has impacted us all more than we can say, and gave him a MovieJuice! business card.

As he walked away reading the card, he looked up, smiled, and said with a glint of recognition:  "Ohà MovieJuice!"

Translation:  MovieJuice! is on Steven Spielberg's radar.  He's a fan.

Remember, I've got no network TV show, no gig at the LA Times.  I'm just a guy with a laptop and a skewed sense of humor.  Even so, MovieJuice! has spread like a viral wildfire through every nook and cranny of the movie biz.  You and the heavyweights have something in common.

Thanks, Steven, for two encouraging words.  Coming from you, that's all it takes.

By the way, a close-up, in-person inspection reveals that every one of Steven's gray hairs has a Katzenberg story attached.

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SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE - BARD SIMPSON

by Mark Ramsey

http://www.moviejuice.com

January 31, 1999

I found the letter at the bottom of an antique chest, caked in centuries of dust and grime.  Stashed away in the underworld below London's Rose Theatre, this chest has been in a private collection for decades.

The Rose, of course, was the stomping and pomping ground of one Wm. Shakespeare, and this decrepit letter, it seems, was a bitchy missive from one of Shakespeare's actors, a Master Sean QuillPenn.

The note read as follows:

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Now that thou has't rejected my inquiry for a private carriage for transport to the province of Houston for the opening of the play Ye Thin Red Line, thou shal't suffer great shame at my hand.

Methinks with all the sixpence thou has't earned owing to my labour and suffering at thy command, Sir Rupert, with thy gigantic counting house, thy might be so generous as to grant me private transport to Houston province!   But thou has't sullied my honor, knave!

Sir Rupert, has't thou ever ventured to a commercial carriage port?  'Tis madness, verily!  Thou cans't not conceive of chaos like that at O'Hare, or even Midway.  "Midway"!  Alas, what a name!  'Tis neither here nor there!  'Tis MIDway betwixt.  Ergo, 'tis nowhere.  What devilish tomfoolery, this!

Commercial carriage???  Dost thou not know that churls, heathen, and crying lads and lasses populate them aplenty? And spacious exit rows require willingness to help fellow travelers, which my soul cans't not abide.  My spirit dulls at the thought!  Forsooth!  I am more likely to wed the Madonna herself!

With abacus, my staff has calculated that the differential cost of private carriage transport is merely 6,000 sixpence!  'Tis nary equivalent to thy watering hole heating expenses for a month!  'Tis the fair market price of one hair on thy formidable ass, Sir Rupert, and woe unto ye who come betwixt that ass and its rightful porcelain throne!

O, executives at 16th Century Fox, thou art peddlers of deer meat, thou art merchants of venison!  Fare thee well not, good sirs!  Sin hath burnished thy greedy hearts!

Thou shoulds't spend thy time as I - watching the new play Shakespeare in Love.  Sir Rupert, thou art ignorant of its charms.  'Tis produced by Lord Bob and Lady Harvey of Weinstein in the province of Miramax.  These princes boast ample bosoms and 5:00 shadow with equal aplomb.

I understood not vast portions of this play, but enjoyed the whole in all earnest.  By Heaven, 'tis a fine play!  Funny and romantic in equal measure.

Master Shakespeare, thou has't been transformed from parochial longhair with receding hairline - much like Sir David of Crosby - to Sir Model of GUESS!  Thou scurvy patch!  Thou art a romantic lead like I am Sir Horse of Ass!  O heaven, O earth!  Nay, 'tis envy, methinks.  Th' affliction of my mind amends.

Sirs, I am vexed!  'Tis puzzling:   Lord Bob and Lady Harvey hath marketed said play as a comedie of love, magic and poetry.  Yet there is one truly mass appeal draw about which there is but silence:   Gwyneth Paltrow's bare bodkin is on display without precedent!  'Tis poetry indeed, those bubbies!  Though less plentiful than Lady Harvey's, they make up in quality what's absent in abundance.  Shout it loud from the highest hilltop, and thy grosses will multiply many-fold, methinks!  Shakespeare himself hath writ "Leave not a rack behind."  'Tis potent advice!

Sincerely yours in the Love of God and Her Majesty the Queen,

Sean QuillPenn

P.S.  If my name is unfamiliar to you, you can check your laptop parchment database under "Movie Buff."  'Tis a peculiar term, but my name is inexplicably listed therein.  If thou art part of the studio publicity department, thou can find'st my name under "Movie Duff."

P.P.S.  Hark!  Henceforth, I shall refrain from scribing scathing letters when angered, for such may turn up as if by miracle in industry trade papers centuries hence.  As you from crimes would pardoned be, let your indulgence set me free.  By providence, my descendents shalt likely have steadier heads.

Copyright 1999 Mark Ramsey. All rights reserved.  NO PORTION MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.
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DONÆT FORGET TO VISIT MOVIEJUICE.COM!

Hey, kids, don't forget to visit the MovieJuice! Site at http://www.moviejuice.com.  The pictures are half the fun (and sometimes more than half the laughs)!

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DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL!  Just go to http://www.moviejuice.com and follow the directions at the top of the left frame.  It's very easy.  NOTE:  YOUR NAME CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM THE LIST UNLESS YOU UNSUBSCRIBE USING THE EMAIL ADDRESS YOU REGISTERED WITH).  And don't write me lots of mean-spirited crap.  I won't read it.

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