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From: Gene Ehrich <gene@ehrich.com>
Subject: [MV] The Forbin Project
Date: 01 Feb 2000 10:48:56 -0500
Finally found a copy at my local library of one of my all time favorite
science fiction movies. Colossus, The Forbin Project. Great movie with some
great lines and really rather up to date considering how old it is.
If you never saw it, see if you can get a copy.
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: maillist@moviejuice.com
Subject: [MV] MovieJuice! - SCREAM 3 - Schwing Blade
Date: 04 Feb 2000 12:23:57 -0500 (EST)
SCREAM 3 - Schwing Blade
by Mark Ramsey
February 4, 2000
<a href="http://www.moviejuice.com/2000/scream3.htm">Click here for
the full review!</a>
http://www.moviejuice.com/2000/scream3.htm
Scream 3 - Schwing Blade
by Mark Ramsey
There's a zit on hottie Neve Campbell's chin. Don't take my word
for it, see for yourself. It's a ZIT! Is this some devious new
product placement for Clearasil? ILM can create dinosaurs on a PC
but they can't cover a zit?! Doesn't Photoshop have an "Oxy-cute"
filter? Our priorities are all wrong, if you ask me.
That zit is our clue, it's time for Scream 3. And this time, Neve
is armed - not with a gun, but with what looks either like Pepper
Spray or a can of OFF insect repellent. Who can tell?
Believe it or not, the good folks at the studio set up a special
screening of Scream 3 just for me. Not because I'm a big-shot, but
because I'm a pest who can't be trusted to know too much too far in
advance. I'm a loose cannon, for chrissake! Look out!
Hey, Miramax, since you're going to all that trouble, why not just
send the cast over to my house to run lines? Oops, that's
impossible, since cast-member Jenny McCarthy couldn't find her way
unless I tie a line around her neck and reel her in. It's a common
practice at Jenny's one-time haunt, the Playboy mansion, where
there are so many live ones being hauled in, Hef should hang them
from hooks and snap photo mementos. "Hey, look at what Joe Montana
caught! Is that tuna an albacore?"
It won't surprise anyone to know that Jenny's job is to get
dispatched early, which is merciful to say the least. If Jenny
were a soldier, dialogue's the enemy - small wonder she owes her
success to her foxhole, if you know what I mean.
Didn't Jenny get her implants removed? Well it sure looks like
they're back! She's had those breasts stuffed so many times her
agent negotiates a side of cranberry sauce and a slice of pumpkin
pie. With Jenny, it's not called "surgery" it's called "harvesting
the crops."
If Jenny's gonna be on film, let it be 35mm Kodak prints, not the
silver screen. She's helplessly over the top and way out of her
face-mugging, belch-mongering league. Jenny, take a lesson from
the exquisite Parker Posey, who's also over the top and really,
really good at it.
Remember Cotton Weary? He has graduated from Woodsboro to host a
TV talk show called "100% Cotton," which the network refers to "the
fabric of our program schedule." At NATPE, it was sold as the only
"natural" thing to come out of LA that wasn't bottled from an
underground spring.
My God, Courtney Cox is so skinny she can slide into rooms without
opening doors. Her body double is a number 2 pencil. Not only is
she David Arquette's wife, she's also his bookmark.
One question: What's with Courtney's wig? It just looks...wrong!
I think wardrobe covered a soup ladle with hair and tipped it
upside down on her head, carefully slipping the handle down her
back to help prop her up. Does this big dipper require hair gel or
PAM?
This movie includes what was, for me, the funniest moment in all of
the Scream movies. A certain scathingly-funny slacker duo makes a
welcome cameo. You'll know it when you see it, and I wish every
movie had it.
Let's be honest, Scream 3 could have been screamingly bad. I mean,
what was fresh about the first one is impossible to duplicate. And
what can be harder than making the third movie in a series a gem?
One thing: Ending the series without opening the door to Scream 4!
Well, Wes Craven and his crew have done both, and it's a pleasure
to behold. A franchise with an ending! Glory be!
Does this mean the Scream homicidal maniac can't come back to nix
the cast of Real World Hawaii before that annoying Amaya signs on
as spokesperson for Jenny Craig?
We've come a long way since Dragnet. The two LA cops on the job in
this flick are heavy on LA and light on cop. Either they work for
the Melrose Place division or it's GQ Friday. The only lineup
these guys see is in a Gap ad.
Scream 3 is terrific fun and vastly better than I had feared.
That's despite climaxing with that trusty clichΘ, a lengthy
explanatory scene where the killer lays out his (or her)
psychopathic motivation and slows the movie to a dead stop.
Oh well, it's tradition.
Copyright 2000 Mark Ramsey. All rights reserved. NO PORTION MAY
BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.
********************
AND DON'T MISS "SCREAM 3 - THE REALVIDEO COMEDY ADVENTURE"
<a href="http://www.moviejuice.com/2000/scream3vid.htm">Click here
for the full video!</a>
http://www.moviejuice.com/2000/scream3vid.htm
********************
MOVIEJUICE.COM HOMOPHOBIC MAIL OF THE WEEK
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Monday, January 31, 2000 12:12 PM
Hi Mark - Just a quick note to let you know that I've been reading
your
Moviejuice reviews and I like your take on things. I first
discovered
moviejuice with the review for "The Talented Mr. Ripley". You were
right on
(which means that you agreed with an eminent NY movie critic -
myself) with
Ripley. Way too gay & way too weird without any of the babes in
the movie
getting naked.
MY REPLY:
Now just a minute. I NEVER said Ripley was "way too gay." I don't
even know what "way too gay" is, although I suspect "Kiss Me Kate"
comes close.
Thanks for your note.
MRR
********************
DON'T 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)!
********************
TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS LIST:
DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL! Just go to http://www.moviejuice.com
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It's very easy. NOTE: YOUR NAME CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM THE LIST
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Movieman <movieman@netcom.ca>
Subject: [MV] Scream 3 is Topsy Turvy reviews
Date: 07 Feb 2000 01:02:48 -0800
Topsy Turvy is getting some attention as it is on many people's top ten
lists for last year. It is a biographical tale of Gilbert and
Sullivan. Unlike most biographical stories, this one decides to focus on a
section of their lives instead of their whole careers - so we see a more
detailed look at the thought process and the creative process of putting a
musical play together. Highly entertaining, though I suspect only for
those that enjoy musical theatre in the first place as it has at least 6
full songs played out on stage for us. Intriguing look at theatre and at
the turn of the century. 81%.
Scream 3 is much more mainstream of course as it unloads into a record
breaking amount of theatres for a February release. Though it did not have
much hype in the ways of advertising it does carry with it two very
successful predecessors. This one is probably the weakest of the three -
and this coming from a fan of all three of them. Many clever moments as
well as suspenseful moments - though I thought the script dipped into the
same ink well that it was lampooning. A few times 2 characters would split
up in an unfamiliar place to search it out - when we were told in the first
two movies that this was a wrong thing to do in a horror movie. Some good
in-jokes with the Hollywood angle this time and it certainly is a fun
murder mystery to try and figure out. A 77% for a decent end to a good
trilogy of horror comedies.
There is still time to see many of last year's Oscar hopefuls...
Fantasia 2000 - 95%
Being John Malkovich - 95%
Cradle Will Rock - 93%
Magnolia - 92%
Toy Story 2 - 91%
If you do not want to receive Movieman's emails...then shame on you...but
just email me and I will remove you - no problem.
If you know someone who would benefit from Movieman's infinite wisdom and
insight then feel free to pass their email to me and I will include them in
the list!:-)
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: maillist@moviejuice.com
Subject: [MV] MovieJuice! - ADVANCE - THE BEACH - Boo-Boo Lagoon
Date: 09 Feb 2000 20:41:52 -0500 (EST)
THE BEACH - Boo-Boo Lagoon
by Mark Ramsey
February 10, 2000
<a href="http://www.moviejuice.com/2000/thebeach.htm">Click here
for the full review!</a>
http://www.moviejuice.com/2000/thebeach.htm
Steven Spielberg just had a kidney removed, and already it has
hired a personal trainer, signed a first look deal with Paramount,
earned a Golden Globe nomination, torn up the dance floor with
Jennifer Love Hewitt, and been tossed out a speeding car window by
a fleeing Puffy Combs. Go figure.
Good news! The Self-Indulgent Planet of Leo DiCaprio returns to
the screen in his first new movie since Titanic. Call it Titanic
Disappointment. Sorry, but The Beach is a flick only Leo's mom and
his Schwab broker could love.
The Beach is from the director of that killer heroin and heist
opus, Trainspotting. Unlike Trainspotting, however, The Beach
features needles of the pine variety and track marks leading to the
ocean. A baby crawling along the ceiling has given way to a movie
that just plain crawls. The Beach isn't killer, it's just deadly.
Bonjour, Love! Leo falls for French babe Franτoise, which I
believe is a type of salad. I'll take mine sans dressing, if you
know what I mean. Franτoise and her boyfriend Etienne (which is
French for "cash machine") join Leo on his quest for paradise or at
least a place to take off his shirt and flex.
Hey Leo, get thee to a gym! I know a movie's in only two
dimensions but so are you, pal. Word is, Leo mostly works chest -
as many as possible. He's heavy on the bars and light on the
barbells.
"Regardez-vous, Jack" says Franτoise, "if we sweem out to za sea,
za plankton will glooooow as zey bask in our lovemaking, and we may
share pomme frites and champagne with ze ocean fauna. Bonjour
Monsieur Tiger Shark! Mangez-vous on Za Heart of Zee Ocean!"
Hear that sound? It's music by the legendary composer Angelo
Badalamenti, who unfortunately has the words "bad" and "lament" in
his name. That's a warning beacon if ever there was one!
Once in paradise, Leo and his posse encounter a hippie commune
whose primary chore is to beam wistfully out over the beach as if
they - or we - have never seen one before.
To welcome Leo and his pals into their communal brood, the beach
hippies launch enormous hot air balloon condoms emblazoned with
their names into the night sky - just like NASA did with The Last
Action Hero. Up, up they float to join various other orbiting
birth control devices, such as gigantic dental dams, spinning pill
dispensers, and a hovering 8 x 10 of the Drew Carey Show cast.
Leo is supposed to keep the island a secret but that would mean
more airborne condoms, so out goes the word and in come the
immigrants along with the ghost of Papa Hemingway and numerous
bootlegs of Jimmy Buffet's Greatest Hits.
What kind of paradise is living in one room with fifty stinkin'
hippies and no TV, anyway? If The Blue Lagoon taught us anything,
it's that hot chicks living on remote islands get naked. Not in
this paradise, bubba. The only "endless love" here is between Leo
and his hair care products.
Things turn comic when Leo goes guerilla. Wrapping a bandana
around his head, Leo goes skipping through the forest like a
Keebler elf. He declined to stick camouflage branches in his hair
for fear they'd take root.
Elf Leo taunts the considerably less attractive gun-toting locals
like he's Tarzan, King of the Dingleberries. Hey, Puck, what fools
these peace-loving hippie mortals be.
Okay, as an actor, Leo is second to none. Maybe the finest of his
generation. But when he embarks on a torturous quest to find
himself in the jungle, do we have to go along for the ride?
On the other hand, Leo, if you want to go back to finding yourself
in every VIP room, every after-hours club, and all eligible models
under 21, let me know. I'll scrub for that ride anytime.
Warning: If you dare venture to this beach I have one piece of
advice:
Wear sunscreen and shield your eyes.
Copyright 2000 Mark Ramsey. All rights reserved. NO PORTION MAY
BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.
********************
AND DON'T MISS "SCREAM 3 - THE REALVIDEO COMEDY ADVENTURE"
<a href="http://www.moviejuice.com/2000/scream3vid.htm">Click here
for the full video!</a>
http://www.moviejuice.com/2000/scream3vid.htm
********************
MOVIEJUICE.COM HATE MAIL OF THE WEEK
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Saturday, January 22, 2000 6:37 AM
just read your Angela's Ashes review. Was all that racist stuff
supposed to be funny?
MY RESPONSE
Yes, yah feck.
Thanks for your note.
MRR
********************
THE MOVIEJUICE POLL RESULTS
"In the movie of her life, Angelina Jolie's lips will be played
by:"
Mini-Me and his fraternal twin - 16%
A Sealy Posturepedic boxspring mattress set - 27%
The Hamburgler - 40%
The Aircraft Carrier USS Kennedy - 16%
Well, you guys are good judges of the funny ones. Congratulations.
This week's NEW question: "Steven Spielberg just had a kidney removed.
According to his doctor, it's a case of..."
VOTE AT http://www.moviejuice.com
********************
DON'T 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)!
********************
TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS LIST:
DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL! Just go to http://www.moviejuice.com
and follow the directions at the bottom of the left hand side.
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: "The Reporter" <gregorys@xmission.com>
Subject: [MV] Sci-Fi Movie News - 02/10/00
Date: 10 Feb 2000 15:05:11 -0700
In the highly anticipated sequels to the SF action movie
The Matrix, Neo faces off with a female agent who can
move faster than the speed of light. That's a tidbit of
the plot offered up by an unnamed source to the Dark
Horizons Web site about the two sequels now in
pre-production.
A representative to the production told the Web site that
"in the period since shooting on the original film wrapped,
the programmers who devised the technology for The
Matrix have refined it and taken it to new levels. What
exactly this entails is anybody's guess." Also expect more
dynamic fight scenes with moves that "defy
comprehension."
As to rumors about where the two follow-up movies will
be filmed, the site reported that London's Shepperton and
Pinewood studios have been queried about their
availability from December to February 2001 and from June
2001 to August 2001. The original film was shot in
Australia. Other rumors have placed Keanu Reeves and a
producer who looks like Joel Silver in London, scouting
studio space.
Meanwhile, comic book writer Grant Morrison (JLA, The
Invisibles) is reportedly contemplating suing Andy and
Larry Wachowski, the brothers who created The Matrix.
Grant argues that The Matrix copies storylines from his
Invisibles comics, according to IGN Sci-Fi. So far, no suit
has been filed.
-=> * <=-
Padawan or Webbed One? Leonardo DiCaprio,
reportedly in the running to play Anakin Skywalker in
Star Wars: Episode II, is now on the short list of
actors vying for the role of Peter Parker in Columbia's
upcoming Spider-Man movie, based on the Marvel Comics
franchise. Entertainment Weekly online cites an unnamed
high-level studio source saying that DiCaprio is at the top
of a list that includes Freddie Prinze Jr. (Down to You) and
Jude Law (The Talented Mr. Ripley).
DiCaprio's representative Ken Sunshine told the magazine,
''He's obviously approached all the time about
great-sounding ideas, but he's got to see the script.''
Prinze's publicists weren't available, and Law's said,
''There have been some overtures about it. Jude has been
a Spider-Man fanatic since he was a kid.''
The magazine also reported that Sam Raimi (A Simple
Plan) has sealed the deal to direct the movie, with filming
to begin in December for a fall 2001 release.
Meanwhile, the Spider-Man Hype Web site quoted an
unnamed source saying that actor Liam Neeson (Star
Wars: Episode I) will play Spidey's nemesis The Green
Goblin. Long before he put on his Jedi robes, Neeson
played the title role in Raimi's feature film Darkman.
-=> * <=-
Contrary to rumors, Marvel Comics is apparently
pleased with the production of the feature film version
of its popular X-Men series, now shooting in Toronto,
Empire magazine reported. Production of Fox's X-Men
feature film is going so well, producers are talking sequels
and action figures.
X-Men has been shooting for five months, and a teaser
trailer and 10 minutes of footage have already been
assembled, according to an Empire magazine reporter who
visited the set recently.
The film is two months away from the end of shooting,
but producer Lauren Shuler Donner is already talking
sequels. Director Bryan Singer has been working
seven-day weeks to meet the July 14 release date,
despite a shoulder injury sustained while demonstrating a
Wolverine move to actor Hugh Jackman.
On the day Empire visited the set, X-Men Storm (Halle
Berry), Wolverine, Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) and Cyclops
(James Marsden) were fighting Mystique (Rebecca
Romijn-Stamos) on the Statue of Liberty. The good guys
were wearing skin-tight black leather, while Mystique was
wearing little but blue makeup.
-=> * <=-
Late director Stanley Kubrick's proposed SF movie A.I.
remains a closely guarded secret, but rumored details
of the story have been leaked to the Dark Horizons
Web site. The movie, based in part on Brian Aldiss' short
story "Super Toys Last All Summer Long," centers on a
robot child named David who outlives humanity centuries
from now after the polar ice caps have melted, the site
reported.
David, a robot in the form of a little boy, is discovered by
artificial intelligences (the "A.I.'s" of the title), and placed
in a computer-generated reality as a museum reminder of
a time when humankind ruled the Earth. Dark Horizon cites
several supposed drafts of a script based on Kubrick's
treatment for the movie, which combines elements of the
Pinocchio fairy tale, virtual reality and global
environmental disaster.
Director Steven Spielberg is reportedly interested in
making the movie, and is writing a screenplay based on
Kubrick's treatment.
-=> * <=-
Red Planet, the second of two Mars-themed SF movies
coming out this year, is being bumped back to Nov.
10 from its June 16 opening date. It's the second
delay for the Warner Bros. film, which was moved from an
original March 31 premiere after Disney's Mission to Mars
grabbed a March 10 release date, according to Variety.
The studio said the delay was necessary in part because
of the time needed to complete the movie's extensive
special effects. In June, the movie would also have faced
stiff competition from Shaft and Titan A.E..
Red Planet, about the first manned mission to mars, stars
Val Kilmer, Benjamin Bratt, Carrie-Anne Moss and Tom
Sizemore. Kilmer and Sizemore were reported to have
feuded during filming in Australia, but the stars have
denied a rift.
-=> * <=-
George Lucas has completed a script for a fourth
Indiana Jones movie, but neither potential star
Harrison Ford nor director Steven Spielberg have seen
it yet. Without Ford's or Spielberg's approval, a fourth
movie is unlikely, according to USA Today columnist
Jeannie Williams.
"If there was a script they all loved, they would kill
themselves to clear their schedules," Ford's agent,
Patricia McQueeney, told Williams. "They love it so much,
but they can't seem to get their heads together on a
script they are all enthusiastic about." Ford just
completed the supernatural thriller What Lies Beneath.
-=> * <=-
Chuck Russell (The Mask) is rumored to be the
potential director of a Sony feature film based on the
Marvel Comics character Dr. Strange. Russell, whose
credits include Eraser and The Blob, would also write the
script, according to the Comics Continuum Web site.
Don Murphy, a producer of the Doctor Strange project,
told the site earlier that Sony had put the movie on a fast
track for development, with an eye to a summer 2001
release.
-=> * <=-
The producer of the hit feature film Stuart Little, which
was based on E.B. White's children's book of the same
name, has bought the movie rights to another popular
kid's story: George Selden's The Cricket in Times Square.
Stephen Waterman, Little's executive producer, bought
the rights for Cricket and its six sequels from publisher
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, according to The Hollywood
Reporter.
Cricket, first published in 1960, chronicles the adventures
of a singing cricket named Chester and his New York City
adventures with Harry the cat, Tucker the mouse and
Mario, a young boy whose parents run a failing
newsstand.
Waterman intends to turn the book into a
live-action/computer-animated feature along the lines of
Stuart Little.
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[ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: maillist@moviejuice.com
Subject: [MV] MovieJuice! - ADVANCE - REINDEER GAMES - Holly Jolly Christmess
Date: 13 Feb 2000 16:23:49 -0500 (EST)
AN ENTERTAINMENT INSIDER AWARD FOR MOVIEJUICE.COM
I'm proud to announce that MovieJuice.com has been picked by the
editors of Fade In: magazine as one of the Top 100 Coolest Film Sites
on the Net.
Fade In: is a mag about and for screenwriters, so I consider this a
special honor since it comes from people who write movies - or at
least write about people who write movies. The full list of winners
is in the current issue of Fade In: on newsstands now. You can visit
Fade In: at http://www.fadeinonline.com.
Thanks, Fade In:! How you came up with 100 decent film sites is
beyond me.
********************
REINDEER GAMES - Holly Jolly Christmess
by Mark Ramsey
February 13, 2000
<a href="http://www.moviejuice.com/2000/reindeergames.htm">Click here
for the full review!</a>
http://www.moviejuice.com/2000/reindeergames.htm
Ben Affleck has little bitty baby teeth.
See for yourself! I'm talkin' a full portfolio of juvenile
micro-ivories. Why didn't I recognize this when he spit up in his
stroller en route to the Golden Globes? Did Gwyneth ever mistake a
nibble for an insect bite, or was she too busy cutting Ben's food
into itsy-bitsy pieces? Ben, do you prefer a bite guard or a
crossing guard? Do your vitamins come in every Flintstone flavor?
What's the tooth fairy waiting for, anyway, critical mass?
You know, there's nothing like a Christmas movie that opens late in
February. Believe me, a late Winter sextet of dead Santas in the
opening frames tells you one thing and one thing only: Something's
rotten and it's coming from the silver screen.
Reindeer Games is one of the most expensive movies ever made by the
folks at Dimension films - that's the division of Miramax whose films
contain roughly one-third the standard number of dimensions.
With games like these, no wonder the other reindeer wouldn't let
Rudolph play. I don't know about red noses, but the faces must be
glowing red over at Dimension, thanks to this unseasonable turkey.
Any Thanksgiving movies forthcoming, guys?
As Reindeer Games opens, Ben Affleck is in prison. Ben's convicted
of illegal sex acts with Matt Damon, and here he is in the big house
embroiled in a food fight. The joint is jumpin', and somebody wants
that piece of cheese Ben's gnawing with those Stuart Little choppers.
Tattooed on Ben's shoulders are playing cards and crucifixes, which
are Ben's way of saying: "I am the Poker-playing servant of the
Lord. Thou shalt have no other Poker-players than me." It's also a
subtle hint of the miracle it'll take for Miramax to see payback on
this gamble.
Babelicious Charlize Theron is a lonely-heart pen pal to Ben's
cell-mate, because what gal can settle for a guy on the straight and
narrow when there are so many forlorn, sincere felons serving 20 to
life?
Gary Sinise buffs up for a slum stint as a nasty criminal. He
reprises his long-haired Lt. Dan costume in a look that shouts:
Jesus Christ, Super-hood. Gary is alleged to be Charlize's brother,
which has geneticists the world over returning to their drawing
boards in befuddled puzzlement.
They say every dark cloud has a silver lining, and there's just
enough of Charlize's upper torso exposed to line my cloud with silver
place-settings galore and a little baby setting for Ben, too. Bless
you, Charlize! Who needs a script when the Good Lord creates lines
like these?
Look quick and you'll see Ben's ass prominently displayed during one
particularly gymnastic go-round with Charlize. Ben should have saved
his ass for a better flick, because nothing's gonna save his ass
here.
This is one of those movies where the twists are more important than
the story. I hate movies like that. Twisting is the specialty of
writer and Miramax wⁿnderkind Ehren Kruger, the guy who penned twisty
- but far superior - Arlington Road and Scream 3.
Somebody remind Ehren that good movies are about delicious stories
first, clever twists later. Ehren, Hemingway had to die before his
crappiest stuff was released, so what's your excuse?
I expected much better from a movie with the credentials behind this
one. Reindeer Games is from director John Frankenheimer, who's been
making movies since my teeth were almost as tiny as Ben's!
John directed the underrated Ronin and authentic classics like The
Manchurian Candidate, where Frank Sinatra's hey-hey nookie with the
dames took a back seat to genuinely swingin' dramatic tension. The
only tension in Reindeer Games is in my straw when I suck on it.
I like Affleck a lot, and damn it he deserves better than this Santa
caper lump of coal. Even teeny-tiny teeth need something tasty to
chew on!
Reindeer Games is less Ronin, and more groanin'. It's a pimple on
the ass of The Manchurian Candidate.
Or, on Ben's ass, numerous pimples.
Copyright 2000 Mark Ramsey. All rights reserved. NO PORTION MAY BE
REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.
********************
AN INDIE FILM PLUG FOR ALL YOU ANGELINOS - TONIGHT!
Every so often a true-blue MovieJuice.com fan turns out to be a
filmmaker! Well I'll be darned! Here's the skinny on a new flick
screening TONIGHT, with copy provided by the producer. If you live
in the LA area, here's one you should catch:
METAL - "It's a dark art film about a black man who can't get a job."
The director's pitch line is, "METAL is the story of Ray (played by
Wedrell James), a sensitive black, unemployed mechanic who, in spite
of his debilitating and dehumanizing situation, tries to maintain a
sense of dignity and moral values. It might be said that he would be
equal to a modern day Sisyphus, who, according to Greek mythology,
was forced, forever, to push a block of stone up a hill only to see
it roll back again." For more info, visit:
http://www.21stcentury.org.
The film is showing TONIGHT at 6:15 at the Pan African Film Festival
in Los Angeles. Tickets are available by calling (323)-290-5900.
The screening is at the Magic Johnson Theatres, located in the
Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 3650 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Los
Angeles (1 block west of Crenshaw and King).
********************
MOVIEJUICE.COM BACKSTREET BOYS FANMAIL OF THE WEEK
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2000 9:13 PM
Hi my name is [NAME REMOVED]
IM 13 and Saturday IM going out for the first time alone with the boy
I have a crush on and our friends and we are going to see scream 3 I
have seen all the scream movies and cant wait to see this one and its
going to be kinda special to me i even bought me a 30 dollar outfit
for the occasion
MY REPLY:
Well, in a 30 dollar outfit how can he not be impressed? By the way,
has anyone ever told you you write like Brett Easton Ellis?
MRR
********************
DON'T 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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From: Movieman <movieman@netcom.ca>
Subject: [MV] Beach review (no spoilers)
Date: 16 Feb 2000 09:50:14 -0800
Leo mania is back and this time he's not wearing a shirt! This will only
excite the target group that cannot see this R rated flick though! The
preview for this movie is pretty lame but I went to see it mainly because
I'm Movieman and I have to - but also because it's directed by Danny Boyle,
produced by Andrew MacDonald and written by John Hodge - the same troika
that was involved with both Shallow Grave and Trainspotting (and A Life
Less Ordinary:-( Given the amount of poor critical reviews that were out
for this pic - I was pleasantly surprised to find a non-boring
movie! There are some tense moments in the Beach but the one thing that
was missing was one piece of thread that could tie and cinch it tighter
together. Other than that - 71%.
Not many good movies have been released yet this year - but here are some
movies that were released last year and are still lingering in the theatres:
Fantasia 2000 - 95%
Being John Malkovich - 95%
Cradle Will Rock - 93%
Magnolia - 92%
Toy Story 2 - 91%
If you do not want to receive Movieman's emails...then shame on you...but
just email me and I will remove you - no problem.
If you know someone who would benefit from Movieman's infinite wisdom and
insight then feel free to pass their email to me and I will include them in
the list!:-)
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From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" <gregorys@xmission.com>
Subject: [MV] Academy Award nominations
Date: 16 Feb 2000 12:21:43 -0700
1999 ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS
PICTURE
_American_Beauty_
_The_Cider_House_Rules_
_The_Green_Mile_
_The_Insider_
_The_Sixth_Sense_
ACTOR
Russell Crowe, _The_Insider_
Richard Farnsworth, _The_Straight_Story_
Sean Penn, _Sweet_and_Lowdown_
Kevin Spacey, _American_Beauty_
Denzel Washington, _The_Hurricane_
ACTRESS
Annette Bening, _American_Beauty_
Janet McTeer, _Tumbleweeds_
Julianne Moore, _The_End_of_the_Affair_
Meryl Streep, _Music_of_the_Heart_
Hilary Swank, _Boys_Don't_Cry_
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Michael Caine, _The_Cider_House_Rules_
Tom Cruise, _Magnolia_
Michael Clarke Duncan, _The_Green_Mile_
Jude Law, _The_Talented_Mr._Ripley_
Haley Joel Osment, _The_Sixth_Sense_
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Toni Collette, _The_Sixth_Sense_
Angelina Jolie, _Girl,_Interrupted_
Catherine Keener, _Being _John_Malkovich_
Samantha Morton, _Sweet_and_Lowdown_
Chloδ Sevigny, _Boys_Don't_Cry_
DIRECTOR
Lasse Hallstr÷m, _The_Cider_House_Rules_
Spike Jonze, _Being_John_Malkovich_
Michael Mann, _The_Insider_
Sam Mendes, _American Beauty_
M. Night Shyamalan, _The_Sixth_Sense_
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
_The_Cider_House_Rules_ - John Irving
_Election_ - Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor
_The_Green_Mile_ - Frank Darabont
_The_Insider_ - Eric Roth & Michael Mann
_The_Talented_Mr._Ripley_ - Anthony Minghella
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
_American_Beauty_ - Alan Ball
_Being_John_Malkovich_ - Charlie Kaufman
_Magnolia_ - Paul Thomas Anderson
_The _Sixth_Sense_ - M. Night Shyamalan
_Topsy-Turvy_ - Mike Leigh
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
_All_About_My_Mother_ (Spain)
_Caravan_ (Nepal)
_East-West_(France)
_Solomon_and_Gaenor_ (United Kingdom)
_Under_the_Sun_ (Sweden)
ART DIRECTION
_Anna_and_the_King_ - Art Direction: Luciana Arrighi; Set Decoration: Ian
Whittaker
_The_Cider_House_Rules_ - Art Direction: David Gropman; Set Decoration: Beth
Rubino
_Sleepy_Hollow_ - Art Direction: Rick Heinrichs; Set Decoration: Peter Young
_The_Talented_Mr._Ripley_ - Art Direction: Roy Walker; Set Decoration: Bruno
Cesari
_Topsy-Turvy_ - Art Direction: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: John Bush
CINEMATOGRAPHY
_American_Beauty_ - Conrad L. Hall
_The_End_of_the_Affair_ - Roger Pratt
_The_Insider_ - Dante Spinotti
_Sleepy_Hollow_ - Emmanuel Lubezki
_Snow_Falling_on-Cedars_ - Robert Richardson
COSTUME DESIGN
_Anna_and_the_King_ - Jenny Beavan
_Sleepy_Hollow_ - Colleen Atwood
_The_Talented_Mr._Ripley_ - Ann Roth and Gary Jones
_Titus_ - Milena Canonero
_Topsy-Turvy_ - Lindy Hemming
FILM EDITING
_American_Beauty_ - Tariq Anwar
_The_Cider_House_Rules_ - Lisa Zeno Churgin
_The_Insider_ - William Goldenberg, Paul Rubell, and David Rosenbloom
_The_Matrix_ - Zach Staenberg
_The_Sixth_Sense_ - Andrew Mondshein
MAKEUP
_Austin_Powers:_The_Spy_Who_Shagged_Me_ - MichΦle Burke and Mike Smithson
_Bicentennial_Man_ - Greg Cannom
_Life_ - Rick Baker
_Topsy-Turvy_ - Christine Blundell and Trefor Proud
ORIGINAL SCORE
_American_Beauty_ - Thomas Newman
_Angela's_Ashes_ - John Williams
_The_Cider_House_Rules_ - Rachel Portman
_The_Red_Violin_ - John Corigliano
_The_Talented_Mr._Ripley_ - Gabriel Yared
ORIGINAL SONG
"Blame Canada," _South_Park:_Bigger,_Longer_&_Uncut_
"The Music of My Heart," _Music_of_the_Heart_
"Save Me," _Magnolia_
"When She Loved Me," _Toy_Story_2_
"You'll Be in My Heart," _Tarzan_
SOUND
_The_Green_Mile_ - Robert J. Litt, Elliot Tyson, Michael Herbick, and Willie
D. Burton
_The_Insider_ - Andy Nelson, Doug Hemphill, and Lee Orloff
_The_Matrix_ - John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, David Campbell, and David Lee
_The_Mummy_ - Leslie Shatz, Chris Carpenter, Rick Kline, and Chris Munro
_Star_Wars:_Episode I--The_Phantom_Menace_ - Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, Shawn
Murphy, and John Midgley
SOUND EFFECTS EDITING
_Fight_Club_ - Ren Klyce and Richard Hymns
_The_Matrix_ - Dane A. Davis
_Star_Wars:_Episode_I--The_Phantom_Menace_ - Ben Burtt and Tom Bellfort
VISUAL EFFECTS
_The_Matrix_ - John Gaeta, Janek Sirrs, Steve Courtley, and Jon Thum
_Star_Wars:_Episode_I--The_Phantom_Menace_ - John Knoll, Dennis Muren, Scott
Squires, and Rob Coleman
_Stuart_Little_ - John Dykstra, Jerome Chen, Henry F. Anderson III, and Eric
Allard
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
_Buena_Vista_Social_Club_ - Wim Wenders and Ulrich Felsberg
_Genghis_Blues_ - Roko Belic and Adrian Belic
_On_the_Ropes_ - Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgen
_One_Day_in_September_ - Arthur Cohn and Kevin Macdonald
_Speaking_in_Strings_ - Paola di Florio and Lilibet Foster
LIVE ACTION SHORT
_Bror,_Min_Bror_(Teis_and_Nico)_ - Henrik Ruben Genz and Michael W. Horsten
_Killing_Joe_ - Mehdi Norowzian and Steve Wax
_Kleingeld_(Small_Change)_ - Marc-Andreas Bochert and Gabriele Lins
_Major_and_Minor_Miracles_ - Marcus Olsson
_My_Mother_Dreams_the_Satan's_Desciples_in_New_York_ - Barbara Schock and
Tammy
Tiehel
ANIMATED SHORT
_Humdrum_ - Peter Peake
_My_Grandmother_Ironed_the_King's_Shorts_ - Torill Kove
_The_Old_Man_and_the_Sea_ - Alexandre Petrov
_3_Misses_ - Paul Driessen
_When_the_Day_Breaks_ - Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
_Eyewitness_ - Bert Van Bork
_King Gimp_ - Susan Hannah Hadary and William A. Whiteford
_The_Wildest_Show_in_the_South:_The_Angola_Prison_Rodeo_ - Simeon Soffer and
Jonathan Stack
MULTIPLE NOMINEES
_American_Beauty_ - 8
_The_Cider_House_Rules_ - 7
_The_Insider_ - 7
_The_Sixth_Sense_ - 6
_The_Talented_Mr._Ripley_ - 5
_The_Green_Mile_ - 4
_The_Matrix_ - 4
_Topsy-Turvy_ - 4
_Being_John_Malkovich_ - 3
_Magnolia_ - 3
_Sleepy_Hollow_ - 3
_Star_Wars:_Episode_I--The_Phantom_Menace_ - 3
_Anna_and_the_King_ - 2
_Boys_Don't_Cry_ - 2
_The_End_of_the_Affair_ - 2
_Music_of_the_Heart_ - 2
_Sweet_and_Lowdown_ - 2
The Academy Awards will be handed out on Sunday, March 26 at 8PM Eastern/5PM
Pacific on ABC, beginning with the official Oscar pre-show.
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: maillist@moviejuice.com
Subject: [MV] MovieJuice! - BOILER ROOM - Cold Call
Date: 19 Feb 2000 18:41:09 -0500 (EST)
BOILER ROOM - Cold Call
by Mark Ramsey
February 19, 2000
<a href="http://www.moviejuice.com/2000/boilerroom.htm">Click here
for the full review!</a>
http://www.moviejuice.com/2000/boilerroom.htm
Did you hear that film critic Rex Reed was arrested for allegedly
shoplifting three CD's from Tower Records? That's right. They were
by artists Mel TormΘ, Peggy Lee, and Carmen McRae (which I believe is
an opera by Bizet).
Frankly, I endorse shoplifting these particular items, since the
humiliation of purchasing them would be unbearable! Why bother with
CD's, Rex, when 78's work better on your Edison Vitrola?
Rex, who's evidently lost somewhere in the murky vapor trail of pop
culture, responds that it's all a misunderstanding, and he intends to
appeal the charges to Mayor LaGuardia and President Roosevelt.
New in the Cineplex this weekend: It's Boiler Room. You know
Hollywood's Golden Age is dead and gone when the phrase "a Giovanni
Ribisi vehicle" is a studio movie's major selling point. You don't
know Gio? Then you're in the Meg Ryan line this weekend, aren't you?
Actually, Gio, who's best known from Saving Private Ryan, is a great
young actor and a pleasure to watch. Early on, he quotes Notorious
B.I.G. who, notes Rex Reed, once crooned with Glenn Miller before his
short-lived radio program with Bing Crosby, called "A Not Entirely
White Christmas."
To please his dad, Gio gets a gig in a low-rent brokerage house
selling stock in companies that don't exist to suckers like you and
me.
Not since the musical 1776 have there been so few babes in a movie,
but at least 1776 featured dudes with girly hair. This Billionaire
Boys Club is boys-only. And specifically, only boys who could
otherwise double for Ben Stiller. Yes, there's a high SSI count
here; that's "Stillers per Square Inch." Picture that Star Trek
episode with all the Harry Mudd wives; now imagine they're conjoined
twins with Janeane Garofalo and you get the idea.
And a job in this Boiler Room is only for straight men, thank you
very much. Does this imply gay brokers pitch better than they sell?
Is this some concession to ultra-conservatives? Why is it that
ultra-conservatives like to fancy there are no gay folks in
Hollywood, anyway? Listen here, ultra-conservatives, take the gay
folks out of Hollywood and you'll be watching 500 channels of
infomercials faster than you can say "which way to Rock Hudson's pool
party?"
Ben Affleck, a.k.a. Ben Stiller #67, appears as the recruiter/trainer
of the Boiler Room boys. If only Oscar had a category for "Best
Supporting Stiller."
Vin Diesel, another Saving Private Ryan alum, is the only
marble-mouthed seller who breaks the Stiller-amic hold on this Boiler
Room. Vin's cold calls are (you guessed it!) diesel-powered and
potent weapons of psychological warfare. He teaches Gio how to bilk
house downpayments out of hapless working people on stocks designed
to head south faster than Jenna Jameson.
My favorite scenes are the ones featuring the FBI agents. Why?
Because the casting crew found guys so white and so geeky, it's as if
a team of news anchormen captured the J. Edgar Hoover building.
Teased one: "An arrest for racketeering, right after accu-weather
with meteorologist Captain Mike."
There's a cool Rap soundtrack in this movie. That's at the request
of investment firms "Salomon Homies," "J. Master-P. Morgan," and
their partners in the Wall Street crib. It's NWC: "Niggaz with
Capital."
The first half of Boiler Room kicks some major sand in the face of
the usual crappy crop of February flicks. Too bad that sizzle cools
to a slow simmer in hour two, and this fresh tale turns tail and
morphs into just another melodrama mama.
And, from minute sixty-one on, this mama don't dance.
Copyright 2000 Mark Ramsey. All rights reserved. NO PORTION MAY BE
REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.
********************
THE OSCAR NOMINEES
Just a quick note to say how pleased I am at the amiably middlebrow
selections for Best Picture in this year's Oscars. Thank God The
Hurricane isn't on that list. But I do miss Ripley, believe it or
not. And Magnolia...that flick never had a chance. Now if someone
can please explain the appeal of The Insider....
********************
"SON OF A BEACH" PREMIERES SOON
This is off-subject, but have you seen the spots for the new FX
channel show from Howard Stern's production company? They're
terrific, and this show looks hilarious! Way too good for FX, if you
ask me.
I have reason to believe that Mr. Stern reads MovieJuice.com on
occasion, and all I can say is: Howard, F-Jackie!
********************
MOVIEJUICE.COM WEB POLL RESULTS
Here are the results from last week's poll question:
"Steven Spielberg just had a kidney removed. According to his doctor,
it's a case of:"
The Color Purple - 11%
Saving Private Renal Function - 18%
19-Faulty-1 - 9%
Pee-T - 18%
Indiana Jones and the Subcutaneous Irregularity of Doom - 45%
Go visit http://www.moviejuice.com today and vote in the new poll:
"Miramax just announced it's going to finance a Broadway play. What
can we expect next?"
VOTE TODAY at http://www.moviejuice.com!
********************
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" <gregorys@xmission.com>
Subject: [MV] Pitch Dark
Date: 19 Feb 2000 23:01:39 -0700
Two words: don't bother
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From: "Wade S" <wds9974@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [MV] Pitch Dark
Date: 21 Feb 2000 09:04:21 CST
If you mean Pitch Black... I liked it!
>From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" <gregorys@xmission.com>
>Reply-To: movies@lists.xmission.com
>To: Movies Mailing List <movies@lists.xmission.com>
>Subject: [MV] Pitch Dark
>Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2000 23:01:39 -0700
>
>Two words: don't bother
>
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From: "Danielle Conkle" <danyelli@hotmail.com>
Subject: [MV] The Beach
Date: 21 Feb 2000 10:13:57 PST
I saw The Beach this previous Friday and was curious as to what other people
thought of it....
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From: "Wade S" <wds9974@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [MV] The Beach
Date: 21 Feb 2000 13:07:21 CST
I thought it was a big fat stinker.
>From: "Danielle Conkle" <danyelli@hotmail.com>
>Reply-To: movies@lists.xmission.com
>To: movies@lists.xmission.com
>Subject: [MV] The Beach
>Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 10:13:57 PST
>
>I saw The Beach this previous Friday and was curious as to what other
>people
>thought of it....
>______________________________________________________
>Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>
>
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From: Nathan Lemrick <Ghost160@go.com>
Subject: [MV] The Beach
Date: 21 Feb 2000 21:05:42 -0800 (PST)
I thought the Beach was good, but it had some flaws. The
plot was generic, and I not a big Leo fan. Other than
that I enjoyed myself.
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From: MARK <MARK@zippack.co.uk>
Subject: RE: [MV] The Beach
Date: 22 Feb 2000 08:50:59 -0000
It was completely different to the book, but that's not to say I didn't
enjoy it for what it was. When I first heard that they were casting Leo
instead of an English guy, I thought it wasn't a good idea. However, I
thought he portrayed Richard exactly as I imagined him in the book -
except as an American of course.
All in all, a pretty decent film, that has gained negative views from
people who failed to take it for what it was. I never thought the
source material was that good, it had plenty of incidents but no real
story, and as such, Boyle, Hodge and MacDonald have made a pretty good
job of it.
MARK
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Danielle Conkle [SMTP:danyelli@hotmail.com]
> Sent: 21 February 2000 18:14
> To: movies@lists.xmission.com
> Subject: [MV] The Beach
>
> I saw The Beach this previous Friday and was curious as to what other
> people
> thought of it....
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Nathan Lemrick <Ghost160@go.com>
Subject: [MV] To: movies@xmission.com
Date: 22 Feb 2000 13:43:52 -0800 (PST)
I just saw GalaxyQuest and Deuce Bigleow. Both of these
movies were funny and I was wondering what others that of
either film. GalaxyQuest was a great satire of Star Trek.
Deuce Bigelow is just plain funny to watch. Both films
are loaded with humor and a good time.
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From: "Danielle Conkle" <danyelli@hotmail.com>
Subject: [MV] Galaxy Quest & Deuce Bigleow
Date: 22 Feb 2000 14:49:42 PST
>I just saw GalaxyQuest and Deuce Bigleow. Both of these
>movies were funny and I was wondering what others that of
>either film. GalaxyQuest was a great satire of Star Trek.
>Deuce Bigelow is just plain funny to watch. Both films
>are loaded with humor and a good time.
Well I adored Galaxy Quest! Think it was my fave comedy i had seen in a
long time. It had a lot of clever jokes, and i was very pleasantly
surprised by it (which is probably why i liked it so much, cuz i wasn't
expecting anything good. ;) And with Deuce....well, uh, i wasn't the
biggest fan of that one. I thought the previews looked stupid, and...i
thought the movie was stupid too. ;) BUT, i was dragged to both, and ended
up really liking one, so like i always say:
never turn down a movie, no matter what opinion you may have already made
about it. :) bYE!
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From: "Danielle Conkle" <danyelli@hotmail.com>
Subject: [MV] The Beach
Date: 22 Feb 2000 14:51:49 PST
I think The Beach has a lot problems, but somewhere in there I think it also
had some potentially interesting ideas...actually I think they were
interesting. But I wish I could have gone in there and done some editing or
something, and explored other ideas more. but oh well!!
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From: "Tammy Greunke" <tgreunke@hotmail.com>
Subject: [MV] megaplex theatres
Date: 25 Feb 2000 13:38:13 PST
I am working on a project for my Computer Assisted Reporting class about the
growing trend of megaplex movie theatres. I have visited a few in the area
and have mixed views. As movie enthusiasts, I would greatly appreciate your
comments regarding this trend.
What do you enjoy about megaplex theatres?
What do you dislike about megaplex theatres?
What size of theatre do you attend most movies at?
Would you rather go to a megaplex theatre or a smaller-scale theatre?
What is the average cost of a movie in your area?
Please e-mail me directly at: tgreunke@hotmail.com
Thank you in advance,
Tammy Greunke
Midland Lutheran College, Fremont, NE
tgreunke@hotmail.com
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From: ("Paul D Richardson") <Richardson.Paul@amstr.com>
Subject: [MV] megaplex theatres
Date: 25 Feb 2000 15:32:00 -0700
> What do you enjoy about megaplex theatres?
Stadium seating. I'm short, and it's nice to be able to see even if
somebody's sitting in front of me.
Selection. If the movie I want to see is sold out, I have many other options.
Some movies are showing on multiple screens, so I can pick and choose the
time I go and see the film.
> What do you dislike about megaplex theatres?
Smaller screens. Paper thin walls.
> What size of theatre do you attend most movies at?
16 screen megaplex.
> Would you rather go to a megaplex theatre or a smaller-scale theatre?
In my area, there are only a few single-screen theaters left. One is the art
house, so I do go there. Unfortunately it's like sitting in a sardine can in
that place. The other is a large theater, but the seating is cramped and all
they show are Disney movies. Neither theater has stadium seating, although
the latter claims to. There are some run down second-run theaters as well,
but I don't really go to them.
In all, I'd rather be at a megaplex, despite their problems. Perhaps if there
were a better selection of single-screen theaters I'd change my tune.
> What is the average cost of a movie in your area?
7 bucks at night, 4 bucks for a matinee. I'm in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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From: "Danielle Conkle" <danyelli@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [MV] megaplex theatres
Date: 25 Feb 2000 16:00:16 PST
>What do you enjoy about megaplex theatres?
Well...I may be in the minority, but I like to be with a lot of people. I
like the energy or the atmosphere of a full crowd and lots of people that
create it. I also like the really big theaters because I think the picture
is better.
>What do you dislike about megaplex theatres?
High costs, long lines.
>Would you rather go to a megaplex theatre or a smaller-scale theatre?
I guess it depends. Sometimes it is fun to go to the smaller sized
theaters. But I would say on average i like the bigger places.
>What is the average cost of a movie in your area?
I think prices have gone up a lot recently. I'm only 18, and they already
have me talking about the "good ol days" where I could get student ticket
for 3.75. Student tickets are $5.00 now. (Columbus,Ohio)
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From: maillist@moviejuice.com
Subject: [MV] MovieJuice! - ADVANCE - ERIN BROCKOVICH - The Vich is Back
Date: 27 Feb 2000 10:29:02 -0500 (EST)
MOVIEJUICE.COM SPREADS ITS UGLY, PUTRID WINGS
Last week, I reported that Fade In: magazine, a mag for established
and aspiring screenwriters, picked MovieJuice.com as one of their top
100 movie sites. "The funniest movie reviews ever," they very kindly
said (for absolutely no money at all).
This week, MovieJuice.com announces a special arrangement with
Scr(i)pt magazine, another screenwriter bible. Scr(i)pt will excerpt
portions of MovieJuice.com reviews in their bi-weekly emails. Check
out the magazine at better newsstands near you, and visit their site
at http://www.scriptmag.com/.
********************
ERIN BROCKOVICH - The Vich is Back
by Mark Ramsey
February 25, 2000
<a href="http://www.moviejuice.com/2000/erinbrockovich.htm">Click
here for the full review!</a>
http://www.moviejuice.com/2000/erinbrockovich.htm
Erin Brockovich is based on a true story of a woman who exposed her
cleavage door-to-door to gather signatures. I didn't miss the point
of this movie, did I?
A check of the forms shows, mysteriously, 80 percent of the people
who signed were named "Nice Boobs!"
Julia Roberts is a Pretty Wonderbra Woman, and her wardrobe is the
envy of cocktail waitresses everywhere. Not a top goes by without
without a carnival of cleavage, a bounty of boobery. In one
polka-dot boobie dress, for example, the dots were bouncing so
vigorously, I expected lyrics to crawl across the screen for a
sing-a-long.
Julia plays a paralegal who's paradressed in a paraskirt causing
parachute-like protrusions to open in male co-workers' pants with
alarming frequency. Who needs the "class" in "class action suit,"
anyway, when there's so much action in the suit?
In the midst of her humdrum job as a legal-eagle, Julia discovers the
only California community that doesn't drink water from bottles, and
- as the rest of the state figured out years ago - the water's
poisoned! Not surprisingly, a huge, allegedly evil corporation is
responsible: PG&E. Hey, any company with "&" in it has got to be
big. And it must be making a fortune, unless it's called PG&E.com,
anyway.
To gather evidence, Julia crawls into wells for poisoned water
samples, bags dead frogs with little X's for eyes, even toe-tags
David Duchovny's movie career.
Joining Julia on this crusade for clean water and an obstacle-free
mammary landscape is legendary actor Albert Finney.
With his impossibly full-bodied mane of hair, Albert seems to be
lobbying for that gig as the new MGM mascot. Recently, The Globe
caught Finney sweeping his feather-duster head through blinds in Kirk
Kerkorian's old office. What's more, Finney was rated "the actor
you'd most like to be stranded on a desert island with" by the Pandas
at the San Diego Zoo.
And speaking of big hair, Julia's got a grand enough mop-top to chair
the Texas State Republican Ladies Caucus. If she teased her hair any
more, it would snap and launch a shooting spree. No wonder she skips
the stylist and goes straight to the landscape architect.
Julia hooks up with a gold-hearted, kid-loving Harley biker,
primarily because the kids need a baby sitter, and mama needs an
unemployed, freedom-loving grease-monkey. Why hire a teenager to
babysit when there's a jobless Hell's Angel next door? Skip the
finger paints, kids, and go straight to the body art, and don't step
on a pop-top, will ya?
Erin Brockovich is directed by well-known artsy director Steven
Soderbergh. He's the guy who made the movie Out of Sight, which
Erin's production notes proudly proclaim as "the third best-reviewed
film of 1998, according to Premiere Magazine." No offense, but what
kind of flimsy accolade is that? Especially from Premiere magazine,
where every movie is terrific, right up until it's released.
Lo and Behold, Julia is successful in sticking it to PG&E, and the
evil corporate giant pays through the nose, thus proving the world
would be a safer place if all water were clean, all corporations were
responsible, and all self-righteous law clerks were clothed like
Xena, Warrior Princess.
I love movies where the hero takes on a huge corporate behemoth and
wins, especially when those movies are produced by that huge
corporate behemoth Sony. Hey Sony, my water's fine but my Sony TV
and its 500 channels are turning my mind to mush! Call Xena, quick!
Erin Brockovich is pretty good, although I liked this movie better
when it came out a year ago and starred John Travolta. The audience
sure liked it, anyway. And Julia is her usual relentlessly appealing
and luminous self.
As stars go, Julia shines alone.
And that makes me mammary glad!
Copyright 2000 Mark Ramsey. All rights reserved. NO PORTION MAY BE
REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.
********************
BE ON THE WATCH FOR:
FLAWLESS on video. Written and directed by Joel Schumacher (who has
taken his share of well-deserved shit here at MovieJuice), Flawless
is a terrific little gem. And Robert DeNiro and Philip Seymour
Hoffman are outstanding.
********************
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From: gillianmasters@juno.com
Subject: [MV] Movie Experiences
Date: 27 Feb 2000 14:54:21 -0800
I manage a theatre in a small town, but I will soon be transferred to a
new 10 screen we are building in a much larger town. In the company I
have worked at smaller and larger theatres.
As a manager i was wondering what people out there want from a movie
theatre experience??? What would makes it better or worse??? Do
promotions draw you to a movie you might not see???
I know prices are a big thing, but that is something to a large extent we
don't have a lot of control over. Depending on the deals with the
studios they can take as much as 90% of a tickets price. We have to then
charge more for concession items to make up the difference for our
operating costs (payroll, utilities, etc.). Many of us realize that this
is hard on our patrons, but it is the only way we can stay in business.
Any comments would be appreciated - Gillian
gillianmasters@juno.com
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From: "Oz" <oz@filmink-online.com>
Subject: Re: [MV] Movie Experiences
Date: 28 Feb 2000 10:53:55 +1100
On 27 Feb 00, at 14:54, gillianmasters@juno.com wrote:
> As a manager i was wondering what people out there want from a movie
> theatre experience???
Comfort, convenience, value for money and a good selection of
films (IE: Not just the top 6 out that week, but a few smaller titles
to mix it up), but most importantly silence. If someone is talking or
kicking a seat or making a lot of noise with their food, it pisses me
off no end.
> What would makes it better or worse???
If you want to be the most popular place in town, quit selling things
that crackle. There's always a few folks in every crowd who feel the
need to rustle a chips packet in the middle of an important scene.
It's not their fault, it's yours (figuratively) for selling something
inappropriate for use in a quiet cinema. You don't want people's
mobile phones on during a screening, so why sell something that
you can't help but be noisy using?
Change this, announce it, and the people will flock.
> Do
> promotions draw you to a movie you might not see???
Not unless they involve a free ticket.
<----------- {{{OZ}}} ------------>
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From: "Movieman" <movieman@netcom.ca>
Subject: Re: [MV] Movie Experiences
Date: 28 Feb 2000 00:30:39 -0800
I saw 120 movies in the theatre last year and here are some of my likes and
dislikes...
likes: big screen, big sound, big seats, clean screen, someone comes out
before the movie starts and with a microphone they announce the movie and
remind people to turn off their cell phones and pagers (and sometimes gives
away some items), lots of new posters in the lobby, I personally love
previews - the more the merrier, somewhere to line up (if necessary) inside,
large bathrooms (more important for females because, as a guy, when the
movie ends we have to wait 10-15 minutes for the girls!), re-fillable pop,
the flavour shakes for popcorn, when the staff has a movie theme day when a
big new movie opens - for XFiles movie there was a huge crime scene outside
the theatre - cool!, movie related merchandise - either little freebies - or
movie cups when you buy a pop, poster give aways, the free movie magazine in
the lobby, cupholders in the seats - better when they are attached to the
back of the seat in front of you (an empty cup holder does not make a
comfortable arm rest), immediate free coupon when a complaint is lodged,
ability to call ahead and buy/reserve tickets, video games/arcade in lobby
dislikes: messy or torn screen, poor sound level, commercials for products,
sticky floors, small leg room (I'm 6' 3"), late comers who fumble around
(should have an usher find a seat for them with a small flash light), poor
projectionist - focus, sound, size, that all the food available is junky -
is it possible to find something that is halfway healthy?, awkward parking
lots, movie stubs that are just a cash register receipt
I would gladly pay $10 every time if all my likes were there and none of my
dislikes. Pretty cheap entertainment - as long as there's no complaints and
it's a good movie!
Hope this helps - keep us posted on how things work out for you!
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, February 27, 2000 2:54 PM
> I manage a theatre in a small town, but I will soon be transferred to a
> new 10 screen we are building in a much larger town. In the company I
> have worked at smaller and larger theatres.
>
> As a manager i was wondering what people out there want from a movie
> theatre experience??? What would makes it better or worse??? Do
> promotions draw you to a movie you might not see???
>
> I know prices are a big thing, but that is something to a large extent we
> don't have a lot of control over. Depending on the deals with the
> studios they can take as much as 90% of a tickets price. We have to then
> charge more for concession items to make up the difference for our
> operating costs (payroll, utilities, etc.). Many of us realize that this
> is hard on our patrons, but it is the only way we can stay in business.
>
> Any comments would be appreciated - Gillian
>
> gillianmasters@juno.com
> ________________________________________________________________
> YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!
> Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!
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From: ("Paul D Richardson") <Richardson.Paul@amstr.com>
Subject: [MV] Movie Experiences
Date: 28 Feb 2000 10:43:00 -0700
> As a manager i was wondering what people out there want from a movie
> theatre experience??? What would makes it better or worse???
The biggest thing for me is customer service. A lot of problems I've had in
theaters would never have happened if customer service was a top priority.
First of all, ushers need to take a more active role. They need to step into
theaters once in awhile and check and see what's going on. Is somebody
talking or being unruly? Please, silence them. The patrons should not be
expected to police themselves. Oh, and if somebody is pointing one of those
laser pointers at the screen, ban them for life.
Also, the projectionists should be taking a more active role. It makes me mad
that out-of-focus or badly-framed films are not fixed unless somebody goes and
complains. I realize that the projectionists can't watch all of the movies
all of the time, but at least they could stick around long enough to make sure
it got off to a good start. I can't count the number of times that the movie
started and went on for 10 minutes with some obvious problem. Also, if there
is a problem with the projection, the film should be rewound to the point
where the problem occurred. I have NEVER seen this happen, and it really
should be a no-brainer.
Another thing: I paid to see the ENTIRE film, and that includes the credits.
Don't send your ushers in to clean until the credits are over. I hate it when
I'm trying to watch the credits and a bunch of teenagers take over the theater
chatting and cleaning as if I wasn't there.
Finally, here's one thing I'd LOVE to see: special adults-only showings.
There's nothing worse than having your film experience ruined by screaming
brats or unruly adolescents. Set aside one screening of a film a week for 18+
patrons ONLY. If you offered such a service, I would pay double price to see
this without batting an eye.
>Do promotions draw you to a movie you might not see???
No. The only way I see I movie I normally wouldn't is
a) Free admission
b) Wife wants to see it
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From: ("Paul D Richardson") <Richardson.Paul@amstr.com>
Subject: Re: [MV] Movie Experiences
Date: 28 Feb 2000 10:57:00 -0700
> If you want to be the most popular place in town, quit selling things
> that crackle. There's always a few folks in every crowd who feel the
> need to rustle a chips packet in the middle of an important scene.
It should be noted that the loudest stuff are the things people bring in from
outside. It never fails to amuse me: the lights go down and all over the
theater you hear the sound of soda cans being opened. Back when Snapple and
such drinks were popular, the worst sound would be when somebody put their
bottle on the ground and accidentally kicked it over and you would listen as
the bottle would roll all the way down to the bottom of the theater.
I realize that the theaters make their main profits on concessions, but come
on -- the prices they charge are truly outrageous. The markup is
unbelievable! Lower your prices a bit and you'll get more people buying, and
thus make a larger profit. Right now, everybody sneaks stuff into the
theater. I mean EVERYBODY.
O/T: There's a funny joke from Steven Wright about this subject. He complains
that he was thrown out of a movie theater for bringing in his own food. I'm
paraphrasing here: "My argument was that concession prices were outrageous,
and besides...I hadn't had a barbecue in months!"
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From: julie_klenko@pleasantco.com
Subject: [MV] Concessions
Date: 28 Feb 2000 12:49:04 -0600
Are there signs indicating that outside food is not allowed? I always cringe
when my son and I sneak food into a theatre assuming that it's not OK and
we're "beating the system".
Is it an unwritten rule, and if so how can they enforce it?
Any comments?
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From: ("Paul D Richardson") <Richardson.Paul@amstr.com>
Subject: [MV] re: Concessions
Date: 28 Feb 2000 11:59:00 -0700
> Are there signs indicating that outside food is not allowed?
I've seen the sign at some theaters, although I don't actively look. Most
theater personnel tend to "look the other way" if you bring in your own food,
although I've found that they do draw the line if you try to cart in a case of
Schlitz.
> I always cringe
> when my son and I sneak food into a theatre assuming that it's not OK and
> we're "beating the system".
You aren't "beating the system," you are "sticking it to the man." If
theaters charged reasonable prices and offered more choices, then there
wouldn't be a need to sneak stuff in. Obviously they cannot charge as much as
the local 7-11 (concessions are where most of a theater's profits come from),
but there's a lot of room for improvement. $3.50 for a "large" soda? Come
on! That's like 1000% markup!
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From: gillianmasters@juno.com
Subject: Re: [MV] re: Concessions
Date: 28 Feb 2000 13:08:13 -0800
The movie studios take up to 90% of a ticket price (Our ticet price is
$6.50 - meaning we make $.65 per ticket on most new movies). We make the
rest of our operating costs from Concession Sales. They have to cover
our payroll, utilities, and other operating costs. If we lowered
concession prices we would also have to cut our staff and customer
service would become even more lacking than it already is.
Gillian
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From: gillianmasters@juno.com
Subject: Re: [MV] Movie Experiences
Date: 28 Feb 2000 13:03:45 -0800
>Also,
> if there
> is a problem with the projection, the film should be rewound to the
> point
> where the problem occurred. I have NEVER seen this happen, and it
> really
> should be a no-brainer.
For those that do not know this - Film comes on reels that are transfered
onto platters, the length of a film varies (average is 8,000 to 10,000
feet). It is IMPOSSIBLE TO REWIND a film. The platters are not setup to
go in reverse or fast forward. They are not like VCRs.
Gillian
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From: "Wade S" <wds9974@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [MV] megaplex theatres
Date: 28 Feb 2000 16:57:27 CST
>What do you enjoy about megaplex theatres?
Of course the larger selection and likely availability of films. i also find
that on occasion, there is a concession special, such as big popcorn-2
drinks for about 20% off the full price, every once and a while at the
bigger plexes. I also like to be in a new theater, one that is clean (HUGE
DEAL!), comfortable seats (GROWING TO LOVE STADIUM SEATING), and easy access
bathrooms.
Enjoy in order: Seating with good view, roomier theaters
cleanliness
selection
>What do you dislike about megaplex theatres?
We recently went to a movie at a megaplex (16 theater) in a town we used to
live in, that was built right before the stadium seating theaters caught on
all over, maybe 6-7 years ago. We used to say it ruined you for all other
theaters, because the seats were very comfortable, the floor was arranged
and curved to allow good view and there were easy access to restrooms and
multiple concessions. Recently, we found that the seats have been worn down,
the theater wasn't very clean, and there were problems with the projection.
Disappointing.
Sometimes they degenerate into my previous paragraph. Too easy to get dirty
and sticky floors, and a crowded theater might be fun, but a crowded hallway
or movement through it is no fun.
I absolutely dislike concession prices, and I also find that occasionally
the films are not projected correctly.
dislike in order: concession prices (but a huge gripe)
poor projection
mild lack of theater supervision by ushers
- my sister in law was cussed out for shushing a
woman on a cell phone in the middle of a movie. She shouldnt have shushed
anyone in the first place.
>What size of theatre do you attend most movies at?
Here in Waco, TX, we have 2 12-theater multiplexes. I go to either one.
>Would you rather go to a megaplex theatre or a smaller-scale theatre?
I am fine with a megaplex. I am not that much of a purist for theaters, as
long as I am comfortable and the movie is shown properly.
>What is the average cost of a movie in your area?
Matinee - 4.50, full price - 6.50
Wade
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From: julie_klenko@pleasantco.com
Subject: [MV] FW: Theatre
Date: 28 Feb 2000 17:25:13 -0600
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Julie K Klenko
> Sent: Monday, February 28, 2000 5:24 PM
> To: movies@list.xmission.com; film@egroups.com
> Subject: Theatre
>
> I get so annoyed with the advertising that is shown along with the
> previews.
> I know it's a money maker but I go to movies to escape the constant
> barrage
> of crap on TV. How about the "local" ads they show, amatuer garbage with
> bad
> sound and poor film quality. I think our theatre has shown the same pizza
> ad
> for 15 years! Time to update!
> the most annoying though is home videos.When I rent a video I expect not
> to
> see car and magazine ads!
> Thanks for listening.
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From: "Oz" <oz@filmink-online.com>
Subject: Re: [MV] re: Concessions
Date: 29 Feb 2000 11:19:49 +1100
> You aren't "beating the system," you are "sticking it to the man." If
> theaters charged reasonable prices and offered more choices, then there
> wouldn't be a need to sneak stuff in. Obviously they cannot charge as much as
> the local 7-11 (concessions are where most of a theater's profits come from),
> but there's a lot of room for improvement. $3.50 for a "large" soda? Come
> on! That's like 1000% markup!
Exactly. What theatre owners seem to have forgotten is that if they
charged *reasonable* prices, everybody would buy something. If I
could buy a popcorn and a coke for $4, I (and all my friends)
would. Every single time. But as it is, I can go next door, spend my
$4 at Burger King instead, load up the cargo pants with Whoppers,
and The King gets my cash while the cineplex gets burned. Why?
Because they prefer to earn a 200% markup from the 40% of
patrons silly enough to get robbed, instead of a 100% markup on
everyone.
Love the King.
<----------- {{{OZ}}} ------------>
<-------- FILMINK ONLINE --------->
<- http://www.filmink-online.com ->
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From: "Movieman" <movieman@netcom.ca>
Subject: Re: [MV] re: Concessions
Date: 29 Feb 2000 01:51:36 -0800
I have to side with the theatres on this one... I mean I really would love
it if popcorn was $2 - but until Hollywood stops taking away most of their
profits from ticket sales - how do you expect a theatre to stay in business?
They don't make money anywhere else - just tickets and popcorn. If I want
to see a movie on a big screen, with great sound and comfy seats - then I'll
pay $8 for a popcorn and a soda. By taking food in with you - you are
"cheating" the theatre of their only way of keeping afloat. The argument of
"lowering prices and more people would buy" seems obvious - but I am sure
the big boys have taken a course or two in economics and have figured out
the supply versus demand ratio and determined their pricing strategy
accordingly.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2000 4:19 PM
> > You aren't "beating the system," you are "sticking it to the man." If
> > theaters charged reasonable prices and offered more choices, then there
> > wouldn't be a need to sneak stuff in. Obviously they cannot charge as
much as
> > the local 7-11 (concessions are where most of a theater's profits come
from),
> > but there's a lot of room for improvement. $3.50 for a "large" soda?
Come
> > on! That's like 1000% markup!
>
> Exactly. What theatre owners seem to have forgotten is that if they
> charged *reasonable* prices, everybody would buy something. If I
> could buy a popcorn and a coke for $4, I (and all my friends)
> would. Every single time. But as it is, I can go next door, spend my
> $4 at Burger King instead, load up the cargo pants with Whoppers,
> and The King gets my cash while the cineplex gets burned. Why?
> Because they prefer to earn a 200% markup from the 40% of
> patrons silly enough to get robbed, instead of a 100% markup on
> everyone.
>
> Love the King.
>
> <----------- {{{OZ}}} ------------>
> <-------- FILMINK ONLINE --------->
> <- http://www.filmink-online.com ->
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
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>
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From: "Wade S" <wds9974@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [MV] re: Concessions
Date: 29 Feb 2000 08:35:11 CST
I tell you that they must be considering their economic principles in terms
of their costs when some stinkin plexies don't carry Dr. Pepper!!!!!!!!!!!!
And, there's even a couple in Austin that don't even carry Coca Cola, just
ratty Pepsi related products. Cause it's cheaper. But, the cost of the drink
is no cheaper than anywhere else..
But really, the prices in a theater concession stand may be based on
supply-demand, but that doesn't make it in everyone's best interest. In
considering the supply-demand principle, you should realize that if people
are bringing in food then there is not an equilibirium. If supply equals
demand, then people would be able to buy whatever they wanted at the
equilibrium price, and more importantly, people would not be sneaking in
food because they could get their demand satisfied at the concession stand
prices. That is not the case in reality.
Basically, the economic viewpoint is actually along the lines of a monopoly,
and to some extent it's like a centrally planned economy, that producers are
supplying a quantity lower than the equilibrium level as their prices are
higher than what would be equilibirium (if they weren't people wouldn't
bring in food). In a normal case, prices would decrease (people would not
buy at higher prices and thus buy from competitors at lower prices) and the
quantity supplied and then demanded (bought by consumers) would increase as
producers would try to bring their prices in line with the equilibrium. But
in this case, as a monopoly (where the only market is the concession stand
in the lobby and the only producer is the theater), they are able to hold
their prices higher and maximize their profits because there is no
competition. A monopoly is a market imperfection where a firm, by virtue of
the fact that it is has no competition, can limit its production of a good
in order to maximize profits by finding the quantity where marginal cost
equals marginal revenue, and then looking at the price for the demand at
that lower level of production. Basically, they are limiting output to take
advantage of higher prices.
Demand for a good is how many units of a good are sold at ANY given price.
So, at a lower price, there will be a high number of goods sold, and at a
higher price, there will be a lower number of goods sold. So, yes, the
theaters tend to set prices in relation to demand, but it is not the demand
of perfect equilibirum but a demand in relation to lower production. In a
competitive marketplace, consumers' demand will basically influence
producers to produce at a point where supply equals demand. In a monopoly,
because there is no competition from producers, producers don't produce
goods where in an equilibrium supply equals demand, but they restrict the
supply in order to be able to charge a higher price. So, there may be still
quantity demanded at the higher price, but a lower demand than there would
be at a lower price, which would be closer to market equilibrium.
Of course, by its nature, there cannot really be any competition in a
theater for concessions (and I acknowledge that theaters are somewhat forced
into this price setting by the nature of their costs), thus sneaking in
snacks is really sort of like a black market. It may seem like "cheating"
the theater, but rational people behave in their own self interest, and if
prices are not at equilibrium and there are no penalties, then it is often
in people's self interest to simply sneak in food. A black market can't
exist where there's perfect competition, but it thrives where there are
barriers to entry or barriers to competition.
Thus ends today's Econ 101... :)
Wade
By taking food in with you - you are
>"cheating" the theatre of their only way of keeping afloat. The argument
>of
>"lowering prices and more people would buy" seems obvious - but I am sure
>the big boys have taken a course or two in economics and have figured out
>the supply versus demand ratio and determined their pricing strategy
>accordingly.
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not
so sure about the first one."
--Albert Einstein
"I don't kill flies but I like to mess with their minds. I hold them above
globes. They freak out and yell, 'Whoa, I'm way too high!'"
--Bruce Baum
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From: ("Paul D Richardson") <Richardson.Paul@amstr.com>
Subject: [MV] re:Theatre
Date: 29 Feb 2000 09:23:00 -0700
> I get so annoyed with the advertising that is shown along with the previews.
> I know it's a money maker but I go to movies to escape the constant barrage
> of crap on TV.
Yeah, the theaters get big bucks from their advertisers and plead poverty when
we complain about concession prices.
> How about the "local" ads they show, amatuer garbage with bad
> sound and poor film quality. I think our theatre has shown the same pizza ad
> for 15 years! Time to update!
The funniest one I ever saw was in a small tourist town in Colorado. This
thing went on and on and on. I swear they must have shown every business in
town. What's funny is that you kept seeing the same people showing up as
customers and employees in the different shops and restaurants and such.
> the most annoying though is home videos.When I rent a video I expect not to
> see car and magazine ads!
Sweet sweet DVD.
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From: ":" <torq@mo.net>
Subject: Re: [MV] re:Theatre
Date: 29 Feb 2000 10:34:53 -0600 (CST)
On Tue, 29 Feb 2000 Richardson.Paul@amstr.com wrote:
> The funniest one I ever saw was in a small tourist town in Colorado. This
> thing went on and on and on. I swear they must have shown every business in
> town. What's funny is that you kept seeing the same people showing up as
> customers and employees in the different shops and restaurants and such.
i believe that i have the greatest tale of a theatre commercial. it was
back in 1995 in st. louis, mo (where i live), for the film "friday", right
after it came out. anyway, it was a commercial for colombian coffee (you
know, the "juan valdez" commercial). usually, not a very exciting topic,
right?
well, the film itself was running as a reverse-image AND upside-down, AND
the sound was running backwards. i still am not quite sure how this
happened, but suffice to say, it was absolutely hilarious.
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From: ("Paul D Richardson") <Richardson.Paul@amstr.com>
Subject: Re: [MV] re: Concessions
Date: 29 Feb 2000 09:46:00 -0700
> They don't make money anywhere else - just tickets and popcorn.
You forgot advertising.
> The argument of
> "lowering prices and more people would buy" seems obvious - but I am sure
> the big boys have taken a course or two in economics and have figured out
> the supply versus demand ratio and determined their pricing strategy
> accordingly.
I have nothing to add to Wade's brilliant essay on this subject, but I would
like to say this: the days of theater overpricing are numbered if they want to
stay in business. Home theater systems are getting more and more advanced
everyday. Many films are being released on DVD with anamorphic picture and
Dolby 5.1 surround sound mere months after theatrical release.
For my wife and I to go to the movies plus get drink and popcorn costs about
$20. For that amount of money, we can OWN nearly any DVD out there. For that
amount of money we can rent unlimited DVD's at Netflix. No theater chair can
beat my recliner...plus there's nobody kicking the back of my seat. The
amount of idiots making noise during the movie is reduced to 1 (me). My
equipment is maintained better than most theater equipment. And if I have to
go to the bathroom, I don't miss anything (I still have no idea what the
"twist" is in THE CRYING GAME since I got up in the middle of that one).
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From: David F. Nolan <DFN@alum.mit.edu>
Subject: [MV] Re: Theatre Economics
Date: 29 Feb 2000 09:16:00 -0000
This just in .........
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - The new year continued at an unspectacular
but respectable pace as February's national boxoffice rang up $491.4
million, up 10% on last year's $445.3 million but only the third-best
performance for the month. Dimension's "Scream 3" was by far the
frame's most popular film, scaring up $73.1 million during its first
21 days of release - more than doubling the take of its nearest
competition, illustrating the relative lack thereof. Neither were
turnstiles spinning as fast as during years past - ticket units
posted a modest 2% gain on last year's 92.9 million, good enough only
for third-best ever. This February racked up an estimated 95 million
admissions, down 14% from 1997's record-high 110.5 million and off
nearly 12% from 1998's 107.7 million. As this year's estimated
admission count was well below those of 1998 and 1997 - the only
years during which February ticket units surpassed 100 million - the
boxoffice increase can essentially be attributed to higher ticket
prices.
So there you have it folks. Higher prices DO drive down attendance,
especially as home viewing becomes an increasingly attractive option.
Personally, I don't mind paying $15-$20 for two tickets plus refreshments
IF ... and this is the big if ... I get a first-class experience: good
movie, well-shown on a big, flawless screen, surround sound, no talkers,
crying babies, or loud eaters. Hey, it's still cheap compared to any
live show!
Problem is, most moviegoers today are used to watching movies at home,
where they can chat away to their heart's content. That, and the
ubiquitous overpriced, noisy food (snap, crackle, pop....)
I realize that theater owners rely on food sales to turn a profit, but
maybe there are alternatives. How 'bout a reserved-seat section, in the
prime part of the theater, with a $2 surcharge? Or decent-quality
headphones you can rent for $2 that plug into a special jack on the
armrests of some seats? This would let people hear the movie soundtrack
w/o extraneous noises. (Note: They'd have to be GOOD headphones, not
those crappy airline air-tube deals.)
Also, I second the suggestion of having "adults only" showings, where
babies, kids and teenagers are barred.... unless there's some dumb-ass
law against this kind of "age discrimination."
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From: ":" <torq@mo.net>
Subject: Re: [MV] Re: Theatre Economics
Date: 29 Feb 2000 11:20:54 -0600 (CST)
On Tue, 29 Feb 2000, David F. Nolan wrote:
> Personally, I don't mind paying $15-$20 for two tickets plus refreshments
> IF ... and this is the big if ... I get a first-class experience: good
> movie, well-shown on a big, flawless screen, surround sound, no talkers,
> crying babies, or loud eaters. Hey, it's still cheap compared to any
> live show!
generally, i'm like most of you - when i see a film at the theatre, i dont
like hearing other people talk and whatnot. but the last film that i saw
at the theatre (and granted, as much as i enjoy movies, i generally do not
see many movies at the theatre, because most everything that is available
in most theatres does not appeal to me in the least) was a slightly
different experience.
the last film that i saw in a theatre was "american beauty". i saw it
rather late in its run, however (is it even still out?) - after all its
accolades and whatnot. so anyway, anyone who has seen this film knows how
deeply, deeply cynical this movie is - especially the first 20 minutes or
so. well, i consider myself to be a pretty cynical person - i have a
generally low opinion of most everyone, and i suppose in some ways a
rather egotistical sense of my own superiority (commentary not requested).
so anyway, during the course of the movie, i felt kind of good about
myself, i suppose, as i was able to see how much the film was making fun
of most everyone in our society - but not me, of course. also during the
course of the movie, there were two of three late-teen or early-twenties
couples sitting behind me and the friend of mine whom i was seeing the
movie with. so, during the course of the movie, the girlfriends were
constantly making idiotic remarks to their boyfriends: "what are they
going to do NOW?"; "what does he mean by that?"; and best of all, "this is
the single weirdest movie i ever seen in my entire life".
and thus, as the film was making fun of THEM - and they of course didnt
realize it - it just added to the enjoyment i derived from "american
beauty".
so a word to all: "american beauty" is a good movie. but its even better
if you see it with a bunch of idiots around.
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From: "Wade S" <wds9974@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [MV] Re: Theatre Economics
Date: 29 Feb 2000 12:55:03 CST
Ah, so that's why I didn't care for it too much.
>
>so a word to all: "american beauty" is a good movie. but its even >better
>if you see it with a bunch of idiots around.
>
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From: "Oz" <oz@filmink-online.com>
Subject: Re: [MV] re: Concessions
Date: 01 Mar 2000 10:25:45 +1100
On 29 Feb 00, at 8:35, Wade S wrote:
> But really, the prices in a theater concession stand may be based on
> supply-demand, but that doesn't make it in everyone's best interest. In...
<SNIP>
Or to put it in one sentence, if I go to the movies I'm prepared to
spend $4 to feed myself. If one theatre lets me have popcorn, coke
and some tooth-loosening yummies for that $4 and another only
gives me popcorn, who's getting my $5? And a lot more visits from
a lot more people in the future?
The fact of the matter is that over the last 20 years concession
prices have dribbled upwards so slowly that nobody ever really
bothered saying "um, we're being ripped off here, screw you" in
large numbers. "Oh, it's gone up 30c more? Rip off. Okay, hand
'em over" - so the theatre owners haven't noticed any huge drop-off
in sales. What they also haven't noticed is the POTENTIAL
increase in sales if they priced things like every other food outlet in
the world.
Stuff your cargo pants with burgers. Fight the power.
<----------- {{{OZ}}} ------------>
<-------- FILMINK ONLINE --------->
<- http://www.filmink-online.com ->
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From: David F. Nolan <DFN@alum.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: [MV] re: Concessions
Date: 29 Feb 2000 17:03:31 -0000
OZ wrote:
>The fact of the matter is that over the last 20 years concession
>prices have dribbled upwards so slowly that nobody ever really
>bothered saying "um, we're being ripped off here, screw you" in
>large numbers. "Oh, it's gone up 30c more? Rip off. Okay, hand
>'em over" - so the theatre owners haven't noticed any huge drop-off
>in sales. What they also haven't noticed is the POTENTIAL
>increase in sales if they priced things like every other food outlet in
>the world.
The problem is, you can't look at a movie theatre as just a food outlet;
it's a package deal: movies and food bundled together. I doubt that most
theatre owners would price their crappy food so high if they got a larger
cut of the box office receipts. As it is, basically they acquire the
right to a captive food market by renting movies to show at a very low
profit margin. That's why they'e a LOT unhappier when they catch people
smuggling in food than they are when people sneak in to an extra movie
after paying for the first one (unless the second movie is sold out).
The studios demand such a high percentage of the ticket sales because
they're paying outrageous salaries to movie stars and big-name producers,
and to hype the hell out of their overproduced movies. So in essence,
your popcorn costs $4 because Jim Carrey got paid $20 million. If you
don't like it, wait 'til the movie you wanna see hits the second-run
theatres, or rent it on video. (Life is tough.)
And if you've just gotta-gotta see it NOW, pay the freight, and/ or
smuggle in a candy bar. Who says we have to eat while watching movies
anyhow?
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