From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] New Year's Eve - what's on the menu?
Date: 01 Jan 2001 16:09:54 -0800
<<< Off list from Karen >>>
***** Hehe !! Nice e-mail, Karen !! Made me smile heaps !! ;-)
The last film I saw in the year 2000 was "the game" (1997) I watched that one after going "snow shoe-ing" (spelling ?) for an hour ... late afternoon on New Year's eve, before going over to my brother-in-law's place at 6pm or so ... t'Was beautiful too, going in the forrest in the middle of nowhere ... and it was snowing quite hard ... postcard images everywhere I looked !! ... awhhhhhh !!
I think I brought that one to watch at my parents' cabin up north due to our recent discussions here, it was my 3rd time seeing it and this was a 1997 release ... geeeesh ! 3.5/5
Then after partying (and drinking quite a bit although I DIDN'T drink and drive ... that is so STOOPID !) I came home in the wee hours of the morning and couldn't sleep (a bit too "hyper" ...)
so I watched "The full monty" (1997) for the 2nd time ... Also 3.5/5 ... So this was the first movie I saw in the year 2001 ...
Happy New year, people !!
Marc ;-)
>
>What is everyone watching tonight?
>-Karen-
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>20 Happiness - Father and son have a little chat about why he does the
>things he does.
**** Agreeing, this one is memorable ... especially when he says "Well son I didn't measure ..." ;-)
>
>19 Total Recall - Arnie jumps through the X-Ray machine.
**** Good scene but I wouldn't place it in such a list myself.
>
>18 Silence of the Lambs - Lecter pulls off the face.
**** Excellent pick ! that was SCARY ... in the ambulance .. oh yeah !
>
>17 The Exorcist - Regan's head does a 360!
**** Great one, but I think I would have picked another scene from that film ... Mmmmmm ... maybe the LEVITATION scene ...
>
>16 Independance Day - The UFO's attack America.
**** I hated that movie but that scene was good, spectacular effects.
The issues I had were with the story of course.
>
>15 Get Carter - Michael caine watches the 8mm porno film.
**** Not seen
>
>14 Salem's Lot - Little boy scratching at the window.
**** I could never finish that movie.
>
>13 Pulp Fiction - The backseat passenger gets an awful headache.
**** again, good choice but nothing beats the one where Willis comes in that back room with a sabre ... oh man ... classic lines of dialogues there ... "You want that gun don't you Zed ... go ahead, pick it up ... I want you to pick it up ..." .... "Step aside, Butch ..." BOOOOM !
>
>12 Terminator 2 - nuclear bomb dream sequence.
**** I would have picked ... Mmmmmm ... the scene where Linda Hamilton sees Arnie the first time and thinks he is out to kill her ... backing up !!
>
>11 2001 - The ride at the end.
**** A classic of course !
>
>10 The Usual Suspects - The closing 5 minutes.
**** Yes, memorable ! Kevin spacey is such a good actor.
>
>9 Die Hard 2 - Bruce Willis ejects himself from the plane.
**** Good one although did it really deserve to be here ?? Mmmm ..
>
>8 Saving Private Ryan - Opening 15 minutes.
***** Yes, that kicked some ... The last battle near the end is also something else ... I think out of that entire movie I would single out the scene where .. Mmmmmm ... Jeremy Davies (??) is scared to death to go up those stairs ... then the german comes down the stairs, not killing him ... powerful material !
>
>7 The Legend of Hell House - "I know your secret!" cries Roddy McDowell,
>"How tall where you Balasco?!!!"
***** never seen
>
>6 Basic Instinct - Oh my god was that Sharon's Stone p***y?
***** I censored you, lil' devil !! ;-) Yes, that was quite a scene, and I recall freeze framing it a bit ... uh oh, am I in trouble now ?? Well, I was just CURIOUS !! ;-)
>
>5 Jaws - First glimpse of jaws as he sinks he teeth around the rower.
***** In that film, the best scene for me is the opening one ... the one where the girl is attacked ... amazing ... "Oh my God" ... how she says it ... and how she breathes so rapidly after the shark grabs her legs the first time ... WOW !
>4 The Thing - Kurt Russel holds the flame over the blood samples, One by
>one.
**** I have to agree, this one scared me !! BOOH !!
>
>3 Little Shop of Horrors - "Cause I'm a denist!", sings Steve Martin as he
>tortures his patients.
**** Not seen
>
>2 Apocalype Now - Air strike drops their load, "I love the smell of napalm
>in the morning"
**** That Robert Duvall !!
>
>1 Evil Dead 2 - Ash starts up the chainsaw...."Groovy".
***** Never really liked those EVIL DEAD films ... but they do have a cult following !!
>
>
>by
>
>Ben Holland
>
>
***Bye !
Marc ;-)
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From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Danielle's top 50---1990's flicks
Date: 02 Jan 2001 13:53:35 -0800
**** Adding comments .. Marc ;-)
>Using both of the lists I've seen so far, as well as some of my own choices,
>here are my top 50 movies of the 1990s. Keep in mind that I'm only 19, and
>I still think....Dirty Dancing is a great movie ;)
***** Let's seeeeee .. Dirty dancing = 1987 ... so this means you were a lil' girl when it was released .. probably had a crush on Mr. Swayze, huh ?? ... Admit it, Danielle !! ;-)
so I'm (obviously) not a
>good critic of bad and good! :)
**** Nah, it's alright ... lots of people liked that one, especially girls ... I wonder why ... hehe !!
There were also movies on the previous
>lists that I've wanted to see, and heard were wonderful, but never got
>around to watching. So just because a choice is not on here, does not mean
>I think it isn't deserving--if its really that good, i probably just haven't
>seen it.
***** Good rental ideas for you !
But I had fun making the list....enjoy. (Now can we do a top 80s
>list?? :) --danielle
**** I have a "Top 40 from the 80's" list somewhere in my "archives" ... I'll send it to the group sooner or later ... ;-)
>
>
>1.) The Usual Suspects (1995) 3.5/5
>2.) Life Is Beautiful (1998) 3.5/5
>3.) American Beauty (1999) 5/5
>4.) Scent of a woman (1992) 4/5
>5.) And The Band Played On (1993, HBO) never seen it !
>
>6.) American History X (1998) 4.5/5
>7.) Fight Club (1999) 3.5/5
>8.) Trainspotting (1996) 5/5
>9.) The Matrix (1999) 3/5
>10.) The Fugitive (1993) 4/5
>
>11.) Being John Malkovich (1999) 4.5/5
>12.) Shine (1996) never seen it !
>13.) Contact (1997) 2.5/5
>14.) Speed (1994) 4/5
>15.) Galaxy Quest (1999) 3.5/5, surprisingly good !
>
>16.) Crimson tide (1995) 4/5
>17.) Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) 3/5
>18.) The Fifth Element (1997)
2/5, I didn'T really like that one ... one of the reason is I just hae Mila Jovovich, can't stand her !
>19.) Schindler's List (1993) 4.5/5
>20.) Pulp Fiction (1994) 5/5
>
>21.) Toy Story 2 (1999) never seen it !
>22.) Dances With Wolves (1990) ditto ! (hanging my head in shame !)
>23.) The Cider House Rules (1999) 3.5/5
>24.) Seven (1995) 5/5
>25.) Titanic (1997) 5/5
>
>26.) Apollo 13 (1995) 4.5/5
>27.) Three Kings (1999) 3/5
>28.) Jurassic park (1993) 4/5
>29.) Point of No Return (1993) 3/5 Surprising to find this one on someone favorite of the 1990's list ... you should see the original french film on which this film is based ... "La femme Nikita" 3.5/5, I think it is a better movie !
>30.) Sleepers (1996) 4/5
>
>31.) Eyes Wide Shut (1999) 4.5/5
>32.) The Insider (1999) 3.5/5
>33.) Elizabeth (1998) 3/5
>34.) Good Will Hunting (1997) 2.5/5
>35.) Shakespeare in Love (1998) 2.5/5
>
>36.) Beauty and the Beast (1991) No no no non ! never seen it D&A
>37.) The Shawshank Redemption (1994) 4.5/5
>38.) Brokedown Palace (1999) 2.5/5 I am surprised again !!
Have you seen Midnight express, 1978 ?? That one is so much better !!
Brokedown palace is like MTV in prison.
>39.) The Rock (1996) 2.5/5
>40.) The People Vs. Larry Flynt (1996) 4.5/5
>
>41.) Tommy Boy (1995) ewwwwwwk !! nooooooo !! Thoguht this was awful ... 1/5 or less.
>42.) 12 Monkeys (1995) 3.5/5
>43.) Ghost (1990) 2.5/5 Swayze again ?? Behave Danielle!!
>44.) Pleasantville (1998) 4/5
>45.) Election (1999) 4.5/5
>
>46.) The hand that rocks the cradle (1992) 4/5
>47.) The Hurricane (1999) 4/5
>48.) Renaissance Man (1994) Mmmmm ... with Devito ?? Haven't seen it !
>49.) Go (1999) 4/5
>50.) Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels (1998) 3/5
***** Wow, our tastes in movies are very similar Danielle .. a few glitches here and there (The biggest one is certainly TOMMY BOY) but overall I agree with a lot of your picks !
From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Saving Private Ryan vs The thin red line
Date: 02 Jan 2001 17:21:27 -0800
<<<< Off list from Jeff >>>>
***** Marc ;-)
>Marc,
>
>How could you rate Saving Private Ryan so low?
***** Low ?? You've got to be kidding !! ;-) It's around #100 in my all time list of favorites ... 4/5, close to 4.5/5 ... not "Low" at all ! I loved it ! Amazing film that I have seen twice already even if it's a 1998 release.
and the worst war movie of
>all time "the thin red boring and slow line"ahead of it.
**** Mmmmmmm ... I rated both of those films at 4/5, The thin red line is around #95 of all times, so I would actually pick that one over Saving Private Ryan myself but by a Verrrrrrry slight margin ... I thought TTRL should have won the Best film oscar in 1998 just in front of SPR ... but of course Shakespeare in Love defeated them both (2.5/5 for that one !) The thin red line is like poetry, man ! (Are you rolling your eyes back ?? hehe !!) Well, it's a beautiful film and I wasn't bored at all, I was fascinated !
The red line was
>so poorly acted and constructed that it was a box office bomb,
**** Were those the reasons it failed at the Box office ?? I doubt it seriously ! SPR had Spielberg, Hanks, Sizemore, Damon ... a DREAM TEAM involved, it simply couldn't fail ! ... plus the marketing was amazing ... Anyway a lot of really terrific films fail at the Box office so that is not an indicator of quality ... or else why would film like Big momma's house become box office success stories ??!
the only
>saving grace was woody harrelson shot himself in the ass.
>Jeff
**** Hehe !! You're so cruel ! ;-)
Have a fine day anyway !
Marc ;-)
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Subject: Re: [MV] Saving Private Ryan vs The thin red line
Date: 03 Jan 2001 00:32:03 -0800
>
> **** Were those the reasons it failed at the Box office ?? I doubt it seriously ! SPR had Spielberg, Hanks, Sizemore, Damon ... a DREAM TEAM involved, it simply couldn't fail ! ... plus the marketing was amazing ... Anyway a lot of really terrific films fail at the Box office so that is not an indicator of quality ... or else why would film like Big momma's house become box office success stories ??!
> **** Hehe !! You're so cruel ! ;-)
> Have a fine day anyway !
> Marc ;-)
>
Let me deal with this in segments.
#1 The Thin Rid Line was really a Vietnam film masquerading in World War II clothes . The direction was weaker than Spielberg's more direct mode of storytelling. (I mean, how many panoramic bullcrap shots do we need in a war movie?)
#2 Yes, Star power played a vital role in this film. Marc is right on.
#3 Going to my original statement. World War II films are expected to be patriotic, not neccessarily squeaky "hollywood" clean, but it needs to have the
element of America's ultimate victory on both theatres forshadowing everything. That's what the American audience wants. The dirty, America is troubled, Vietnam films are really out of fashion right now as are the ranting and ravings of the far left. That is why it failed in the box office. Marc attempted to say the Thin Red Line was actually a great film because a lot of great films are shunned in the box office. True, but that is not a universal rule and to deem it as such is I think very irresponsible.
--
Dexter S.
Tendo Box - Nintendo e-zine
Http://www.tendobox.com
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From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Monsieur Hire - 1989 - 4.5/5
Date: 03 Jan 2001 09:24:42 -0800
Hi !
I watched this film last night and it was an amazing one.
It is difficult to talk about it though as there are many very intriguing twists and turns along the way despite the rather short running time (80 minutes, maybe even a bit less !)
I saw the french version but it is available with english subtitles as well (Alternate title : M. Hire), certainly worth a look as I found it really intelligent and interesting from the first until the last minute. I give it a 4.5/5 and place it very close to 5/5 actually, around #30 in my list of favorite films of all times.
Michel Blanc plays a lonely man around 50 years old who likes to watch a young woman after hours (The lovely Sandrine Bonnaire never looked better than in this one !) ...
He never turns on the lights in his apartment just accross the street for hers so she thinks nobody lives there, walks around half undressed, cooks, clean, makes love to her fiance who is not very nice to her ... etc.
She may be in danger as we are lead to believe early that Blanc is a killer. A young woman around her age has been killed in the alley nearby and the police suspect Blanc because he is such a weirdo and his neighbours make sure to tell the cops they should check him out ... but is he really a killer ?? Some clues seem to point towards him but he looks so harmless ...
Fairly soon Bonnaire discovers by accident that Blanc is watching her and at first she is shocked and angry but soon she feels flattered and actually "toys" with him ... pretending she doesn't know he is watching her, getting off on it ... etc. But does she really like him or does she only want to flirt with him to find out what he knows about her fiance that may or may not have been involved in something shady ...
I just love this film because nothing is black or white, plenty of grey areas and there are so many times you think you actually know what is going on in the mind of each of the characters but then something else happens that makes you realize you were wrong ... wonderful script !! (Based on a book written by George Simenon)
It can be interpreted in so many different ways.
The acting is superb by the two leads in a movie that is often rather silent ... not a lot of dialogues so it was wonderful to watch these fine actors at work. Good soundtrack as well, mostly classical music.
From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] The gun in Betty Lou's handbag - 1992
Date: 03 Jan 2001 17:20:16 -0800
>Oh my ... this was TERRIBLE !!
Saw it the other day, I was in the mood for a NO BRAINER I guess !
>
>Awful comedy (Besides the first 15 minutes that are ok ... then it's on a major downhill ... almost 45 degree angle, like you see in those extreme skiing videos !!)
>
>Penelope Ann Miller is usually likable but in this one she is wasted as a LIBRARIAN who has "issues" because her husband is a no good creep who ignores her more often than not ... so what does she do ?? Of course she confesses to a murder she didn't commit **just to get him to notice her** .. oh yeah !!
Then it gets awful when it turns out the guy who was killed was black mailing a mafia type and now he's after poor Betty Lou ... the horror !! ;-)
>
>Unfunny situations, dialogues, so-so acting ... etc. Even a couple of unnecessary violent scenes, especially in a light comedy like this one .. (A bad guy is killed in a very gruesome way, and it's not even relevant to the story ... The mafia type wastes a lawyer !)
Luckily I recorded this one on late night TV so it didn't cost me a DIME to see it ! (A dime was about what it was worth in any case !)
>
>1/5 !!
>
>Marc ;-)
>
>"A guy told me once ... Don't let yourself get attached
>to anything you are not willing to walk out on in thirty
>seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner ..."
>
>Robert De niro as "Neil McCauley"
Heat - 1995
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From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: RE: Re: [MV] Danielle's top 50---1990's flicks (response)
Date: 03 Jan 2001 21:01:56 -0800
*** Adding comments !! Marc ;-)
>>**** I have a "Top 40 from the 80's" list somewhere in my "archives" ...
>>I'll send it to the group sooner or later ... ;-)
>
>ooh, i wanna see that one!
*** I'll send it in a few minutes ...
>
>> >4.) Scent of a woman (1992) 4/5
>
>This one is also in my top five (all time). Of course, Pacino is my fave
>actor, but I also think it has a great storyline. The tango scene is
>definitly one of my faves. :)
***** Yes, that scene was memorable ... but one that I think is amazing is near the end when Pacino wants to shoot himself and O'donell won't let him ... I actually think I'm going to watch it again now (I own it !)
>> >15.) Galaxy Quest (1999) 3.5/5, surprisingly good !
>
>haha, I wasn't sure what kind of a response I would get with this one. I
>got dragged into this movie, when the one I wanted was sold out, pouting and
>sure I was going to hate it. I ended up laughing the whole way through.
>This was one of the best clean comedies I've ever seen. IT's too bad it
>didn't do very well in the theaters, I don't think they marketed it very
>well.
***** Yes, I wasn't even sure if this movie was worth seeing so I was pleasantly surprised. It was quite funny and entertaining, some good special effects, one liners, etc.
>
>> >29.) Point of No Return (1993) 3/5
>
>Haha, I know. I saw this one a long time before I ever saw the original
>version. And I used to watch it a lot, I guess it's kind of cheesy..but
>it's just one of those movies, you see so much, you start to love it. Even
>since I've seen La femme Nikita, I still like the "hollywood" do-up better.
>Bridget Fonda is my fave actress so that could be part of it. I was sure I
>would get flamed for this choice because this list bashes it so much; I'm
>surprised you gave it the rating you did!! ;)
**** Yes, I liked Fonda in a lot of films as well Example : A simple plan, Jackie Brown, etc. I thought Point of no return wasn't so bad (3/5) but I like the original french film better, hard to make a bad film with a story like that though ... ;-)
>
>> >34.) Good Will Hunting (1997) 2.5/5
>> >35.) Shakespeare in Love (1998) 2.5/5
>
>What didn't you like about these two?
**** Mmmmmm ... Good will hunting, I didn't really care for that story at all, plus Damon was getting on my nerves, same with Affleck ... also a lot of unnecessary swearing ... I was wondering what Minnie Driver liked about that guy ?? 2.5/5
**** Shakespeare in love ... first it's a period piece, 2nd, deals with Shakespeares so people talk a bit ... well , you know ... those are REPELLENTS ... I liked the sets, the costumes, etc. But the story was a bit silly sometimes ... I felt it was the least interesting of the nominated films that year ... The thin red line and Saving private Ryan are so much better .. no .. REALLY !!
>
>> >46.) The hand that rocks the cradle (1992) 4/5
>
>Was it your list I saw this one on? I had totally forgotten about it, but
>really liked it when I watched it. I remember it being one of the movies
>where at the end I wished the "bad guy" (or bad girl? ;) would have won.
>I'm so terrible!
***** Yes, that was on my list, I knew it would annoy some people too as **normally** you are not supposed to say you liked such a film ... lol !! Well, I rated it at 4/5 and found it very entertaining myself ... Rebecca De Mornay was good as the EVIL GIRL !!
Bye !
Marc ;-)
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"Silence of the Lambs might not be most people's idea of a laugh riot, but director Ridley Scott, whose sequel Hannibal, is released this Spring, is adamant that his psychotic protagonist has hidden humour.
>
> Talking to Jonathan Ross, the director explained why he agreed to follow in Jonathan Demme's footsteps. 'It's a risk but we're all in search of good material. I was approached by Dino and Tom Harris to take a look at the book - then in manuscript form, pre-publishing - and I thought a lot of it was quite witty. That's what I picked up on and so I've incorporated it in Hannibal.'
>
>'Hannibal's a very charming character and of course Anthony...is an incredibly charming man, that's part of who he is. He loves this character - it's part of him.'
>
>When asked how he reacted to Jodie Foster turning down the opportunity to reprise her role as Clarice Starling, Scott maintains that Foster's decision wasn't that much of a shock.'We half-expected it,' he says. 'We mustn't forget Jodie's a fairly accomplished director. She'd just finished a big movie, Anna and the King. She'd planned to direct the next which was Flora Plum, which ironically was going to have Russell Crowe in it, and she was good hearted enough to wait round and read my version or Steve Zaillian's draft of Hannibal. I anticipated that it would happen anyway, so I already had thoughts [of other actresses in the role].
>
>When quizzed about the film's release in the States, Scott was typically bullish. 'It has a large release on 4,700 screens on February 9th which actually is the anniversary to the day - that's why we're going out then. It's also a great time to run because there's nothing around.' "
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From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Brendan Fraser
Date: 04 Jan 2001 22:37:13 -0800
Ok, I checked it out in the IMDB and here are the movies I have seen with Brendan Fraser in the cast ... He is indeed a MAJOR "repellent" for me ... I have nothing against him as a person, I saw interviews with him and he seems like a nice guy but I just can't stand any of his movies !
Actually I was surprised as I haven't liked ANY of his films and among the ones I haven't seen I don't think I would like any of them either ...
They all seem unappealing to me (Not necessarely only because he is in them but because of the stories, the subject matters !) ... a total disaster !! (Examples : Blast from the past, The mummy, Dudley Do-Right, In the army now, George of the jungle ... he's on a roll, a "streak" ... oh yeah !)
By order of preference :
- With honors - 1994 - 2/5
- Twenty bucks - 1993 - 2/5
- Gods and monsters - 1998 - 1.5/5
- Encino man - 1992 - 1/5
- Son in law - 1993 - 1/5
- Airheads - 1994 - 0.5/5
I saw those last three films before I started really getting more "into" movies in 1994 ... I wouldn't even bother watching those terrible films today as they would clearly be a waste of time for
me !
Marc ;-)
"A guy told me once ... Don't let yourself get attached
to anything you are not willing to walk out on in thirty
seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner ..."
Robert De niro as "Neil McCauley"
"Heat" (1995)
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From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] The diary of Anne Frank - 1959
Date: 05 Jan 2001 08:32:20 -0800
** Minor spoilers **
Hi !
I saw this classic black-and-white film the other night ... No need to describe the story in lenghty details as everyone knows it !!
How Anne Frank was hiding for a long time in a room above an office in Holland in 1942, trying not to get picked up by the Nazis and sent to a concentration camp !)
I thought it was very good but certainly a bit on the long-ish side ... almost 3 hours ! It was dragging a bit in part with some unnecessary details added.
Example : When Anne gives presents to everyone in there, one-by-one-by-one, with long "speeches" as well for each person ... Took 15 minutes to do that ... phew ! And then they started singing ... I was going NUTZ ! (Exaggerating for effect !)
The acting was appropriate, I was indeed being forgiving with little details sometimes though because the story is quite touching of course.
Good tension as well in some scenes where the group has to remain very quiet while the office below is being visited by a burglar after hours, or when the german soldiers come in to investigate and they are so close to being discovered ... then that darn cat starts moving around ... Wow, those scenes were great !
Also how they were arguing with each other, bickering ... suspecting each other of stealing food ... well done.
It was cutesy as well when Anne and Peter (the teenage boy) were meeting in that room alone ... kind of a first date, and the parents were worried ... I was laughing when her mom was asking Anne to "keep the door open" !! Man, they would have a heart attack these days (The film was set during the war in 1942 and it certainly showed there !)
Anne admitted to Peter she had been kissed twice ... once on the cheek and once on the hand ... ;-)
I also saw "Anne Frank remembered" narrated by Kenneth Branaugh about a year ago and that was a 3.5/5 film as well. Looked more like a documentary of course and certainly worth watching !
Marc ;-)
"A guy told me once ... Don't let yourself get attached
to anything you are not willing to walk out on in thirty
seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner ..."
Robert De niro as "Neil McCauley"
"Heat" (1995)
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From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" <gregorys@xmission.com>
Subject: Re: [MV] Brendan Fraser
Date: 05 Jan 2001 11:12:57 -0700
Say what you want about the rest, but Airheads was funny!
Marc Claude Desbiens wrote:
>
> Ok, I checked it out in the IMDB and here are the movies I have seen with Brendan Fraser in the cast ... He is indeed a MAJOR "repellent" for me ... I have nothing against him as a person, I saw interviews with him and he seems like a nice guy but I just can't stand any of his movies !
>
> Actually I was surprised as I haven't liked ANY of his films and among the ones I haven't seen I don't think I would like any of them either ...
>
> They all seem unappealing to me (Not necessarely only because he is in them but because of the stories, the subject matters !) ... a total disaster !! (Examples : Blast from the past, The mummy, Dudley Do-Right, In the army now, George of the jungle ... he's on a roll, a "streak" ... oh yeah !)
>
> By order of preference :
>
> - With honors - 1994 - 2/5
> - Twenty bucks - 1993 - 2/5
> - Gods and monsters - 1998 - 1.5/5
>
> - Encino man - 1992 - 1/5
> - Son in law - 1993 - 1/5
> - Airheads - 1994 - 0.5/5
>
> I saw those last three films before I started really getting more "into" movies in 1994 ... I wouldn't even bother watching those terrible films today as they would clearly be a waste of time for
> me !
>
> Marc ;-)
>
> "A guy told me once ... Don't let yourself get attached
> to anything you are not willing to walk out on in thirty
> seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner ..."
From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Brendan Fraser & Gods and monsters
Date: 05 Jan 2001 11:04:31 -0800
*** Marc ;-)
>> - Twenty bucks - 1993 - 2/5
>
>I would rate this one slightly higher than you. I thought the concept was
>great, although the execution left something to be desired.
**** I agree, the basic idea is fine but it goes into all sorts of directions, too bad !!
>I rate WITH HONORS pretty much the same as you. It was just another bad DEAD
>POETS SOCIETY clone (a sub-genre which still hasn't died off...FINDING
>FORRESTER, anyone?)
**** Yes, everybody is saying how they are looking forward to Finding Forrester, bla-bla ... what is so special about it ?? Must be the acting cos' I feel like I have already seeen that one ... Good Will Hunting wannabe ?? I just hope it's not boring.
I am simply astounded, however, that anybody could find
>it better than GODS AND MONSTERS, even by a small margin. I'd love to hear
>more on why you hated G&M so much...
**** Mmmmmmm ... I saw G&M only once and that was 3 years ago (approximately !) so it is hard to be very specific. I was annoyed by the characters, the story, the actors ... Everyone in that film was making me cringe ... Fraser, McKellan, Redgrave ... (Why an Oscar nomination for her, she has like 6 minutes on screen and I was annoyed by her antics the whole time anyway !)
*** The story was quite boring too, I didn't have any interest in the subject matter and only rented the film because I had read some good reviews that made me think it would be good despite the so-so subject matter ... I know that I am one of the few who doesn't like that one anyway as sevral of my friends are saying 4/5 or more !
**** I was cringing watching the ol' man painting Fraser, or when he was remembering those wild pool side parties for example, dream-like sequences that made me roll my eyes back !! ... naked men walking around and the ol' guy is in a daze ... or when he asks the journalist to undress to ask him question ... he was really an old pervert in disguise, like everyone should kiss his butt ... This wasn't because the film had bad actors in it, it was their characters I loathed, not the actor's themselves or their performances ...
*** It's not the fact he was gay at all as I have liked other films with gay characters in them ... This particular one was just not interesting for me, that doesn't mean it was a bad film, just that I didn'T care for it !! Same as I don't care for "The english patient" or "The piano" and others "Legends of the fall" that are usually regarded as "quality films" ...
Marc ;-)
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From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: RE: RE: [MV] Brendan Fraser & Gods and monsters
Date: 08 Jan 2001 09:51:06 -0800
**** Marc ;-)
>Marc, sometimes you make me worry -
**** Sorry, COM PADRE !! ;-)
for your own reasons, you admit that
>you don't watch animated films or (kiddies flicks),
**** correct, I think most animated films are for kids ... I did like Chicken run a lot though, but that was claymation as they say, stop-and-go animation .. not the same !
fine, you have your
>reasons, but you are missing out on a wealth of fantastic viewing. Some
>of these films are far more enjoyable than "grown up" films.
**** I just can't watch Disney animated films ... they turn me "off" .. I am not saying they are bad films, they look really good visually and the songs are great as well ... I just don't really care for the stories ...
>However, you have excelled yourself in your dislike of both "The Piano"
>and "The English Patient" - both are fine, no DAMN FINE films, that
>appeal universally.
** did you see that "Seinfeld" episode where Elaine was saying how boring The english patient was ... this is how I felt ! I couldn't finish that movie because I was too bored, plain and simple. The movie looked good, well acted, etc. but I was snoozing !! Not interested int he story at all ... compared to a movie like "Breaking the waves" for example that deals with a somewhat similar subject matter and that is really intriguing ...
Have a fine day !
Marc ;-)
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- In 1999, mainly because of the young moviegoers and the increase in ticket prices, the american box office established a new record. In 2000 though, a lot of critics are saying that Hollywood produced the worst crop of films in the past 70 years !
- Experts have tips that could improve the situation greatly if they were followed by the BIG KAHUNAS in Hollywood.
Peter Travers : Rolling Stones magazine
- Hollywood is composed of a bunch of people who are afraid to lose their jobs if they don't have a huge hit in any given year. It only takes one big hit to compensate if the rest of the year was terrible
anyway.
When a movie costs 100M$ to make, you have to be very careful, playing it safe. If Hollywood was producing more small budget films they could take more chances, more risks, and moviegoers would be winners. The studios who wouldn't risk a lot of money on every single picture they put out so it wouldn't be a tragedy if one failed miserably.
Gerald Peary : Boston Phoenix
- Everybody knows that when several people are working on a script, polishing it over and over and over, the idea and concept that was in the original script is often lost.
Big studios persist in having a lot of the scripts written in collaboration with several people because they think it would be
too risky to have only one person involved. This really prevents a lot of audacious and original films from being made ... after so many people have touched it, the script loses a lot of its flavor.
Studios should learn to trust script writers and make sure to give him/her the time to develop their ideas completely, not rushing them to complete the job because a big name star is involved and has another project coming up later in the year.
A lot of Studio executives are cowards and think they can't risk losing a star just because the script is not ready yet, and it is easier to bully a script writer than Julia Roberts or Eddie Murphy.
Leonard Maltin : Entertainment tonight
- Studio executives should stop associating quality and profts. They think they are geniuses and are putting out really good films but they aren't ... They just make very profitable mediocre films.
Back in the good ol' days, people were concentrating on the movie itself but now they concentrate more ont he marketing aspect. Trying to anticipate what the young moviegoers will want to see next to make a lot of money.
If studios were thinking more about the quality of the films they produce instead of relying on bored teenagers and test-audiences for ideas, movies would improve.
Part. 2 .. later on ...
Marc ;-)
"A guy told me once ... Don't let yourself get attached
to anything you are not willing to walk out on in thirty
seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner ..."
Robert De Niro as "Neil McCauley"
"Heat" (1995)
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From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Any Given Sunday / Oliver Stone
Date: 10 Jan 2001 09:13:32 -0800
<<<< Off list from Paul >>>>
Thanks, Paul, those comments were interesting to read, especially for those who have seen the movie of course ! I really like Oliver Stone myself ... just saw Born on the fourth of July, Platoon & Talk radio again during the past month ... Excellent !! I am also thinking of seeing U-Turn again, am I the only one who liked it ?? ;-)
I loved U-Turn; haven't seen Any Given Sunday but the only one of Stone's
films I disliked was Heaven and Earth.
-ak
On Wed, 10 Jan 2001, Marc Claude Desbiens wrote:
>
> <<<< Off list from Paul >>>>
>
> Thanks, Paul, those comments were interesting to read, especially for those who have seen the movie of course ! I really like Oliver Stone myself ... just saw Born on the fourth of July, Platoon & Talk radio again during the past month ... Excellent !! I am also thinking of seeing U-Turn again, am I the only one who liked it ?? ;-)
From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Re: U-Turn/Red Rock West
Date: 10 Jan 2001 19:31:51 -0800
**** I liked U-turn a lot (3.5/5) and I was so surprised that so many people hated that one .. I recall Siskel & Ebert REALLY trashing the film on their TV shows ... taking it apart completely saying it was just a terrible film especially coming from one of their favorite directors.
The movie has a lot of style, Penn is just great as the victim, plenty of colorful characters, Jon Voight, Billy Bob Thornton is crazy as that mechanic (I have to admit I was laughing out loud when he was playing "Twister" in his run down shack !!), Jennifer Lopez, so sexy ! Nick Nolte having fun, Powers Boothe, Joaquin Phoenix "TNT" ... an all-star cast !! ... intriguing story too (even if it's not 100% original as you said, Paul D.) ...
It only loses it a lil' in the last third or so or else I would go up to 4/5 probably ... The music is also really special, excellent material ! Editing, all sorts of good "nature shots" ... ;-)
It's true that it is a mix of Red rock west and After hours ... ;-) Red Rock west = 4/5 After hours = 3.5/5 ... U-turn has a lot of similarities with those but it's a very good film anyway, any movie that reminds me of those 2 has to be good after all.
From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Burn Hollywood Burn !!! Part. 2
Date: 11 Jan 2001 17:46:05 -0800
Ok, continuing with the 2nd part of that newspaper article about Hollywood !!
"Susan Stark"
"Hollywood's most memorable films are the ones that are the most original. The problem is that studios try to find the material that they can sell to the largest number of people possible."
"This is why they produce a lot of bad films ... They rely on big budget films, sequels and/or television series that they can easily turn into movies. I even read that Columbia was thinking of concentrating on sequels from now on but do we need to see a
sequel to "Jumanji" or "Stuart Little" ??"
- Berge Garabedian "Jo-Blo's Movie Emporium"
"I didn't want to know that Tom Hanks was able to leave the island in "Cast away" before seeing the film. Why did they show that in the trailer ?? This is a problem, revealing too much in the trailers makes the movies less enjoyable for most people. "Finding Forrester" and "What lies beneath" are also good examples of this trend.
"Hollywood doesn't produce as many intelligent films as it used to. Producers seem to believe that nothing can be left to the moviegoer's imagination. They are afraid that if they don't explain everything people will be lost wondering what is going on, whispering in the movie theater."
"I think it is possible to make an intelligent film that would be successful at the box office just like "The Godfather" was in the early 1970's. Hollywood should make more films for people over 40 years old, or even 30 years old but those age groups are not really interesting for the studios, they prefer teens or very young adults because they go a lot to the movie theaters."
- Leonard Maltin, Entertainment tonight.
"Another problem is those people nobody has ever heard of who
praise awful films just to get their names in print in the papers. Producers call them up and they'll say just about anything in order to have one of their quotes in the paper. The result is that moviegoers don't know who to trust anymore as even "Battlefield Earth" was supposed to be "One of the best films of the year" ..."
"Moviegoers should also take part of the blame, if they wouldn't flock to see awful films, Hollywood would stop making them.
Right now they are making a lot of bad films like "Road trip" or "Loser" because it is easier to produce them than better quality ones."
"All they need to do to make money is to hire marketing experts to fill the seats. It doesn't even matter if the film is good or not. To avoid these issues, supporting better quality films like "Almost famous" and "You can count of me" would be a good idea."
From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Gimme a Reason /SPR
Date: 11 Jan 2001 18:52:13 -0800
**** Marc ;-) May contain Spoilers ... Saving Private Ryan.
Kristen wrote : >Okay - first, I didn't see the whole thing, I missed the first 25 minutes, and watched for moments at a time (during commercial breaks
**** The first 25 minutes were amazing ... I can't believe you haven't seen this film entirely already anyway. This is a 1998 release !! Why did you wait for so long ?? Do you like any war films ?? From your cynical comments I doubt you liked a whole lot of those : "Full metal Jacket" "The thin red line" "Platoon" ... etc.
"Saving Private Ryan" is a really good film, no, an EXCELLENT film in my opinion ... only loses it a little in the middle part but overall I give this film a 4/5.
while watching Once and Again but I missed most of Once and Again because I was really kinda watching this thing). I finally settled in to watch about an hour and then thought it wasn't worth my time.
**** "Once and again" was better huh ?? ... (Uncomfortable silence !)
>
>But, if someone can convince me, I will give it my time. So, I'm throwing down the gauntlet, someone gimme a reason to watch, through and through, the movie SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.
**** Technically, the film is great, the opening and closing battle sequences are amazing ... the sound effects, the acting, the stunts ... murder & mayhem ... some parts are a bit cheesy like that Sizemore speech you mentioned and when Damon tells the anecdote about his brothers in the barn but other than that it is really a good film. Plenty of memorable scenes !
>
>For your information, these are the reasons I felt it wasn't worthwhile. I'm sure there are spoilers.
>
>a) The snippet where the guy takes the dirt and puts it in a tin that says "France" and then stuffs it in his pack. Luckily for us, two other tins (I believe one that says "Africa" which is again lumped in to one big "country" and another that says "Italy") are nearly falling out of his pack. Slap in the face to viewer: This guy has been around, seen a lot, and lived to tell...but the use of the tins gives me reason to believe that the director or writers couldn't give us this information through general character development in an almost THREE HOUR LONG MOVIE. Gimme a break.
**** That is really nitpicking about details, the scene lasts like 30 seconds, I doubt this would really annoy anybody out there for more than 30 seconds as well.
>
>b) the music - intrusive and inappropriate - possibly the worst case of this that I have ever seen.
***** I don't really remember the music in this film so it must not have bothered me so much.
>
>c) the story - three brothers die, last remaining brother needs to be found and brought home to Mother. A general reads an affecting (I've read this letter before, it is an amazingly written letter and it drips with sadness and despair - you can actually feel Lincoln's thoughts as he wrote it) that Abraham Lincoln wrote to a mother who lost five sons on the battlefield. This kind of scene is ripe for the jerking of tears, yet it was mishandled so horribly that I could swear I was watching a movie directed by Tony Scott and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
**** I agree the story could have been improved. Especially in the middle part as I said but I still like the film a lot the way it is now ... lil' changes here and there would improve the film of course.
>
>d) Further - in regards to the story - as much as I watched, I could not get over the fact that the men sent on the search for Private Ryan were sent on a bogus mission.
***** It was really an excuse to get the platoon in the french countryside looking for the lost brother. The top brass feared bad publicity and all that. Plus I read that things like that really happened, 3 brothers killed, only one alive and all that ...
What makes them less important? What makes *their* Mother's loss of them any less important? Maybe this had something to do with making a point about the stupid decisions that people at home in cozy war offices make and how it effects the people in the trenches. Maybe it was making a point that these men would do anything to get home. I don't know.
**** You ask yourself too many questions perhaps ! And anyway those points are discussed in the movie ... maybe you were busy watching that other program during those parts ... ;-)
But Tom Sizemore's small speech about how maybe saving Private Ryan is the only thing that makes sense in this crazy war was ridiculous. I got the sense that you were supposed to care about these guys...yet you meet Ryan in the last less-than-an-hour. And he is nothing special. Big mistake.
***** Nothing special ?? What sort of guy did you expect to find ?? He looked like an all-american boy, Matt Damon !
>
>e) The constant closeups of Tom Hanks. Hanks isn't a bad actor but he just does *not* have the chops to emote what needed to be emoted in those scenes. He (Tom Hanks in general) looks like he is about ready to break in to a big grin. The Captain Hanks plays is a battle-weary school teacher that knows what he is doing and hates every bit of it. Hanks was miscast. But the closeups were not so bad as some of the silouette shots and the like. Jesus Christ, just tell the fucking story and try not to be stylish about it (or don't let the style get in the way). This is a war film, for God's sake...
***** Hanks was excellent in the film and I already said I liked how the movie looked, the visuals.
Spielberg should have taken a cue from his own work - he's been able to pull this off before with tremendous results (SCHINDLER'S LIST). Maybe it is that there wasn't any substance. Who knows?
***** SPR should have won easily over Shakeseare in love at the Oscars IMO. (I would have voted for The thin red line myself but most people prefer SPR over that one !)
>
>So - there it is...what can I say? Some people love this movie and I have to say that I don't know if I gave it even half a chance. So...gimme a reason to give it a chance.
>-K
***** Hard to convince you since you hated the film so much but anyway !
Have a fine day !
Marc ;-)
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From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] RE: Re: [film] Fargo
Date: 11 Jan 2001 20:23:38 -0800
*** Marc ;-)
> Smokefeath wrote : Most definitely. "Fargo" is a great example of a character-based movie.
**** I agree with you Smokefeath ! This film has so many memorable characters ... amazing !! Most of the Coen brothers' films are like that too .. "The big Lebowski" "Raising Arizona" etc. etc. Memorable people !
>Have you ever met characters like that in a movie before? Name one other
>movie where the hero was a pregnant police chief? That had nothing to do with
>the plot, but oh so much to do with the characters.
**** I agree this was very original ... and how about that scene where she is looking at the ground and the trooper with her asks her if she has found a clue and she says "Nah, I think I'm gonna be sick" (Or something similar !) This was priceless !! And amazing mix of dark humor throughout the film makes this one a 5/5 film in my opinion. My #6 favorite of all times.
And that wonderful,
>wonderful scene inserted in the middle of the film where the Frances
>McDormand character meets the character from high school. It had absolutely
>nothing to do with the "events" of the story, but told so much about two
>people in an economical way.
***** Yes, so many people were complaining saying "What did that have to do with the plot ??" .. The answer is "NOTHING !!" it was all character development ...
All that business about McDormand's husband and
>his duck stamp: great stuff, but was also about character and nothing about
>events. The magnificent scene with Macy and the couple who come pick up their
>car with the undercoat already on when they didn't order it.
**** Yes, Macy was amazing in this role ... how he was looking down as the angry customer called him a "f***in' liar" ... wow ... No matter what he tried nothing was working out like he had planned.
The dynamic
>between Steve Buscemi and Peter Stomare. The magnificence of "Fargo" is not
>the storyline, but that you meet characters you have never met before.
***** Yes, Buscemi and Stormare discussing pancakes ... Buscemi complaining that Stormare never talked ... so many memorable scenes.
A MUST SEE for any movie fan ! The movie is just PERFECT !!
Marc ;-)
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From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: RE: Re: [MV] Burn Hollywood Burn !!
Date: 12 Jan 2001 07:29:27 -0800
Thanks for your support, Paul D. !
Yes, I sometimes stumble on intriguing newspaper articles here and I think if I find them interesting, **maybe** just **maybe** someone else out there might like to read them as well (or part of them !) ... and anyway it was quite appropriate for a movie related E-Group.
Bye !
Marc ;-)
>Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2001 08:31:00 -0700
>From: ("Paul D Richardson") <Richardson.Paul@amstr.com>
>To: movies@lists.xmission.com
>Subject: Re: [MV] Burn Hollywood Burn !!
>Reply-To: movies@lists.xmission.com
>
>> Keep your politics to yourself.
>
>??? Marc's article (which he did not write, but was just passing on) wasn't
>political. It was perfectly on-topic for this list, as it discussed that
>state of Hollywood today.
>
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From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Off Topic - Reality TV shows
Date: 12 Jan 2001 13:46:34 -0800
**** I watched the Survivors TV show when they presented it again during the Olympics ... CBS sticking it to NBC ... hehe !!
I was thinking it was going to be terrible and only watched it by "accident" actually as I was flipping the channels just at the "right" time to catch the beginning of the first show, only missed the first 3 minutes or sumthin' ! ... To my surprise, I actually liked the show a lot. Sure some parts were a bit silly but I liked it overall, can't always watch "serious" movies, right ?? ;-)
All sorts of intriguing characters, a few lovely girls (Colleen
was "turning me on" a bit too, yum !) back stabbing, alliances, struggling to survive, how to make fire, low on food, etc. ...
and then the tribal councils ... oh my !!
I would have liked longer shows actually, maybe 90 minutes per episode instead of 60, that would have been great ! Looking forward to Survivors 2 in the australian outback ! (Those aussies !) ;-)
I also watched the first episode of THE MOLE, tuesday night on ABC and thought that was a very good TV show as well (I wouldn't be caught DEAD watching Temptation island on FOX though, the concept seems so SILLY, phew ! Same with Big brother that used to be on CBS, not sure ... not a lot going on for that one !)
The mole is great, I was trying to figure out who the spy was the whole time, just like the characters ... another one I thoguht could have been longer ... why not 90 minutes instead of 60 ?? It would be better if we would get to know the people better of course ... and I liked those stunts they had to do, parachuting out of an airplane, and then the ATM gig ... also a bit of frenchie in that one which was good (Hey that french-speaking contestant was not so bad, nice accent too !) Seemed like a nice group of people and I like the concept a lot, having someone acting as a spy inside the group, great idea !
"Real" actors are complaining a bit because those Reality TV shows are stealing jobs away from them ... Real people being involved in those Tv shows means no actors are involved ... bummer !
From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Stone cold ! (Was : Any given sunday !)
Date: 12 Jan 2001 20:59:14 -0800
***** Marc ;-)
>Hello,
>
>Um... why would anyone enjoy "Any Given Sunday"?
**** Mmmmmmm ... because it is a good film !! 3/5 !!
(beeping sound !!)
>
>I frankly refused to watch it in the theater simply because it looked so
>stupid and Oliver Stone made it.
**** I didn't think it looked stupid before seeing it ... and I didn' think that afterwards either ... Plus Oliver Stone is such a good director ... for me it is a PLUS when he directs a movie, certainly not something that would keep me from watching a film ! ;-)
His name alone is enough to make me
>stay away. I also refused to rent it as I refuse to pay to watch one of
>his films ever again.
***** What if he made a film that had 3 of your favorite actors/actresses in the cast and you thought the story was intriguing ?? Would you still refuse to see it just because he is the director ?? I find it hard to believe myself ... for example I really dislike Brendan Fraser as I said but if he made a movie with Scorsese I would be willing to watch it ... I wouldn't say I will never see another Brendan Fraser movie no matter what.
So when it finally made it to one of the pay
>channels I took the opportunity to view it.
***** You change your mind quickly ... ;-)
>
>As I watched the movie, several points came to mind.
>
> 1) Why wasn't Dramamine served with the movie? I thought I was
>going to get seasick with all the ridiculously overused and unnecessary
>hyper-quick shot editing.
**** I agree the editing in that film was too fast and furious and the film was way too loud as well ... even if I give 3/5 to the film overall it wasn't really a "fun" film to watch because it almost gave me a headache ! I would watch it only once every 5 years or so, not more often than that.
>
> 2) Has Oliver Stone ever watched a football game? Has Oliver
>Stone ever watched a well-made movie. At the end of "Any Given Sunday"
>all I knew was that I had not seen either.
**** I'm sure Mr. Stone has indeed watched a football game and also a well-made movie. ;-)
>
> 3) Cameron Diaz... I don't even know where to start with this
>ridiculous plot point.
***** I thought she was ok in this one ... maybe it was her character that you disliked because she was so mean ??
>
> 4) What in the heck was up with the moronic uniforms and playing
>fields. This wasn't the World League of American Football. Everything
>from the pads to the pants to the on-screen scores looked STUPID!!!
>It's not as if he was working with a clean slate here. The movie was
>billed as a movie about football and, as such, it should bear some
>resemblance to the actual appearance of football.
***** I agree that some of the uniforms were terrible ... but that wasn't anything that would prevent me from liking a football movie or not ... The "Miami Sharks" uniforms were cool though, liked 'em !
>
>In conclusion, why people continue to fawn over Oliver Stone is beyond
>me. I just checked IMDB to confirm my recollection and with the
>exception of "Platoon", "Wall Street" and "Talk Radio" I haven't liked a
>single thing he has made.
Scooter
**** I liked all of the movies he made so far.
Marc ;-)
>
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From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Re: Heat
Date: 14 Jan 2001 08:01:38 -0800
***** Marc ;-)
>Once again: box office success is not an indicator of a film's quality (I
>should make this my signature). The film was not well received when it was
>first released, but has since grown a following particularly among film buffs.
**** Isn't it because of the "star power" that it is so memorable though ?? Not necessarely because of the story ?? It's the only film in which Pacino and De Niro have a scene together after all.
> I've seen it mentioned on quite a few "best of the 1990's" lists that include
>more than ten titles. It's currently the #49 selling DVD at Amazon, which is
>amazing considering that it's featureless and has been out almost a year.
**** Uh oh, isn't that contradicition ?? You say that the movie is successful and popular, selling a lot of DVD's and tapes ... yet a minute ago you were saying that commercial success is not an indicator of a film's quality ?? ;-)
>Whenever I bring it up in conversation, somebody always says "Oh yeah, that's
>a great film."
***** I wouldn't call it great, I would call it "Very good" so it's not like I hated the film, on the contrary. A "great" film can mean different things for different people as well ... I wouldn't call a film "great" unless it was at least a 4/5 or more ... yet someone else could say a film was great if it managed to entertain them for 90 minutes, 3/5 ... or someone could say "The waterboy, what a GREAT film ..." (No comments !) ;-)
Most recently, a scene from it was mentioned as one of the
>best on this very list.
>
>HEAT was overrated and overlooked when it first came out, but has found a new
>life on home video.
**** Yes, it is a shame though that the film was overlooked in theaters mostly ... I don't want to sound like I hated this film because I didn'T ... I rate it at 3.5/5 so I think it is better than 2/3's of the new releases out there ... maybe better than 3/4's !
>
>Remember films like JUST CAUSE or KISS OF DEATH? These are both crime films
>that came out in 1995 that featured respectable actors, just like HEAT.
**** Just cause = 3.5/5 Kiss of death = 2.5/5
They
>aren't terrible films, but unlike HEAT, they played up the "thriller" aspects
>of the film at the expense of character and drama.
**** I liked Just cause a lot myself, had a lot of atmosphere and only lost it in the last quarter or so with an average Hollywood ending. It wasn't as "deep" as Heat but I was entertained for the most part.
In just five short years,
>they have disappeared into obscure mediocrity, while people are still talking
>about HEAT.
**** I still remember Just cause myself but it doesn't have the same appeal as Heat ... Heat REALLY had an all star cast ... Just cause had Connery ... he is BIG ... but then you had Laurence Fishburne and Ed Harris, they might be big with movie buffs but the average citizen out there couldn't tell you their names ! Pacino and De Niro are both huuuuuuge, everybody knows them of course ! 2 against 1 !
Marc ;-)
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I just have to say, as much as I love Heat, and as *amazing* as it sounds
on my home theatre system, Kiss Of Death is even better. most people hated
it, but I think David Caruso is an amazing actor and Nic Cage played an
amazing role. I am ready for the hate mail now :)
-ak
On Sun, 14 Jan 2001, Marc Claude Desbiens wrote:
>
> ***** Marc ;-)
>
> >Once again: box office success is not an indicator of a film's quality (I
> >should make this my signature). The film was not well received when it was
> >first released, but has since grown a following particularly among film buffs.
>
> **** Isn't it because of the "star power" that it is so memorable though ?? Not necessarely because of the story ?? It's the only film in which Pacino and De Niro have a scene together after all.
>
> > I've seen it mentioned on quite a few "best of the 1990's" lists that include
> >more than ten titles. It's currently the #49 selling DVD at Amazon, which is
> >amazing considering that it's featureless and has been out almost a year.
>
> **** Uh oh, isn't that contradicition ?? You say that the movie is successful and popular, selling a lot of DVD's and tapes ... yet a minute ago you were saying that commercial success is not an indicator of a film's quality ?? ;-)
>
> >Whenever I bring it up in conversation, somebody always says "Oh yeah, that's
> >a great film."
>
> ***** I wouldn't call it great, I would call it "Very good" so it's not like I hated the film, on the contrary. A "great" film can mean different things for different people as well ... I wouldn't call a film "great" unless it was at least a 4/5 or more ... yet someone else could say a film was great if it managed to entertain them for 90 minutes, 3/5 ... or someone could say "The waterboy, what a GREAT film ..." (No comments !) ;-)
>
> Most recently, a scene from it was mentioned as one of the
> >best on this very list.
> >
> >HEAT was overrated and overlooked when it first came out, but has found a new
> >life on home video.
>
> **** Yes, it is a shame though that the film was overlooked in theaters mostly ... I don't want to sound like I hated this film because I didn'T ... I rate it at 3.5/5 so I think it is better than 2/3's of the new releases out there ... maybe better than 3/4's !
> >
> >Remember films like JUST CAUSE or KISS OF DEATH? These are both crime films
> >that came out in 1995 that featured respectable actors, just like HEAT.
>
> **** Just cause = 3.5/5 Kiss of death = 2.5/5
>
> They
> >aren't terrible films, but unlike HEAT, they played up the "thriller" aspects
> >of the film at the expense of character and drama.
>
> **** I liked Just cause a lot myself, had a lot of atmosphere and only lost it in the last quarter or so with an average Hollywood ending. It wasn't as "deep" as Heat but I was entertained for the most part.
>
> In just five short years,
> >they have disappeared into obscure mediocrity, while people are still talking
> >about HEAT.
>
> **** I still remember Just cause myself but it doesn't have the same appeal as Heat ... Heat REALLY had an all star cast ... Just cause had Connery ... he is BIG ... but then you had Laurence Fishburne and Ed Harris, they might be big with movie buffs but the average citizen out there couldn't tell you their names ! Pacino and De Niro are both huuuuuuge, everybody knows them of course ! 2 against 1 !
From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Shaft - 2000
Date: 15 Jan 2001 20:28:40 -0800
I think there is one line of dialogue Samuel L. Jackson says in the movie that can resume it perfectly : "It's my duty to please that booty ..." ... I mean ... come on !! ;-)
The way Jackson says that to the bartender and smiles, I was laughing out loud, SMOOTH TALKER !! This movie is all about style, not about substance !!
The story is simple enough. John Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson) has to find a girl (Toni Collette is good but it is such a shame that she hardly has any scenes ... She is such an ACTRESS though, even with such a limited role she is amazing !!)
This girl witnessed a murder so Shaft has to find her and get her to testify against a racist rich boy that killed a black man because he humiliated him in front of his firends (Christian Bale plays the baddie with panache, this guy is SLICK and look at that "do" !)
The witness has disappeared from the face of the Earth, although she is not really hidden so well since ... well, that would be a spoiler so I'll keep my mouth shut !! Shaft is the best cop on the police force, he is tough and doesn't take any "BS" from anybody. I was reminded of Clint Eastwood a few times (I haven't see the original film on which this one is based but I have seen all the "Dirty Harry" pictures !)
This film is good although the plot is oh-so formulaic. This has been done a hundred times over and there is nothing new about this one to distinguish it from every other cop movie out there. It is well made technically though, looks very good on screen and Shaft has some good one liners at least. A few good stunts, pyrotechnics used wisely, etc.
There is nothing fresh, nothing new, nothing remotely original in
this script. John Singelton directed this one and I was expecting more (I rate the film at 3/5 but a 3.5/5 would have been possible ... it wasn't meant to be !!). Shaft is a by the numbers film that is very watchable but also very forgettable.
Samuel L. Jackson is a great actor and ever since his turn in Pulp Fiction, people want to see him in the movies. This is his chance to shine in a starring role and although he is good, charming and sexy, the film fails him. It is not very interesting or memorable, mainly because of the conventional script. MI-2 anyone ??
Marc ;-)
- "Look, I am two seconds away from calling the police !!!"
- "They'll never make it in time ... we're in the middle
of nowhere ..."
Drew Barrymore as "Casey Becker" and
Roger L. Jackson as "Ghostface" (voice)
Scream (1996)
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From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Jaws
Date: 17 Jan 2001 08:57:35 -0800
>Jaws (1975) is really a classic film that I have seen at least 10 times (4.5/5), I saw a "Making of" video as well, quite interesting to learn how they made the film (It was quite difficult, the animatronics were not working properly for a long time, production delayed for a long time ! ... actually this is good because Spielberg had to fun other ways of scaring us, without showing too much of the actual BEAST !! What you don't see if often more scary, especially with those horror films !)
>
>I am one of the few who thinks Jaws 2 is actually pretty good (3/5) I have seen that one often as well, in fact I saw it again about 2 months ago ... the story is not as good, the acting, the dialogues, plus Spielberg, Dreyfuss, Shaw ... are not around (Shaw is not there for a good reason, though !) ...
The shark also looks quite fake in a few scenes, (Sponsored by Rubbermaid ?) Overall it's watchable mainly because the concept is highly intriguing and Roy Scheider is memorable in this role of course.
>
>Jaws 3 and 4 (Was it called : The revenge ?!) were terrible though ... 1.5/5 or less for each one of those. They should have stopped after #2 (some even say after #1)
>
>Marc ;-)
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>>Films about war are always full of inacuracies. They have to be. When you
>>have a hero with the face of Mel Gibson or perhaps Sylvester Stallone ( when
>>he was big )or whomever, you are vying for box office dollars in a crowded
>>market.
***** Why do you say that ?? Does it really matter if Mel is good looking in this film ??
So you are appealing to the masses, and in this case, the masses
>>are Americans.
**** Mmmmmm ... People all around the world can like this film, not only americans. I think it made 100M$ or more at the US Box office but it'll probably make twice as much around the world ... This is one reason they had Tcheky Karyo (Spelling ??) as the frenchie soldier in this one ... The guy is huge in France so people over there will flock to see it !
Does it
>>really matter how accurate this film is? Does it really matter if it shows
>>the Americans as nothing but brave patriots that are only interested in
>>becoming independent? Does it really matter if most of the English in this
>>film are nothing more than blood-thirsty mongers that want to burn, and
>>plague everything in their path?
>>
>>Of course not. And I could really care less either. I am not here for a history lesson nor do I care if this is
>>nothing more than a xenophobic account of what may or may not have really
>>happened to my neighbours to the south.
**** Well, small details that may not have happened exactly like depicted in the film are not crucial ... I thought the film was entertaining throughout, well made and interesting ... a nice surprise in fact as I was afraid it was going to be a loooooooong so-so film ! 2 hours 45 minutes, phew !
>
>>The Patriot is a simple enough story about a great war hero from the years
>>past that has hung up his musket and sword and wants to raise a family. He
>>has done some heinous things in the past that he is obviously not proud of
>>and he has a terrible and imminent fear that his sins are going to come back
>>to haunt him. The United States has decided to go to war with England for
>>it's freedom and it's independence. But William.... I mean Benjamin wants
>>no part of it.
**** Oh yeah .. you mean William WALLACE ! lol ! It's true that some parts were reminding me of Braveheart (another great film, 4.5/5 !) This one is not as good but still an excellent film in my opinion.
(4/5)
His oldest son, Gabriel, (in an amazing performance by Heath
>>Ledger from 10 Things I Hate About You) is eager to join the battle.
**** Mmmmmmm .. I thought the son was ok, nothing so special !
Soon
>>after, he returns home with battle wounds and Benjamin is tending to both
>>countries wounded on the porch of his house. It is then that Col. William
>>Tavington comes along, and for reasons unknown, except that he is a sadist,
>>decides to take Gabriel hostage and then hang him, kill all of the American
>>wounded, burn down Ben's house and then he kills one of his younger sons.
**** Well, he wanted to take Gabriel away because he was a soldier and a messenger, or something to that effect ... he was a P.O.W. but he wanted to kill him anyway, so cruel. The scene where the young son is killed was quite formulaic though, could see that coming from afar ... it was so obvious ! And then how Mel "hesitates" and decides to go on a rampage, seen that before a lot of times ... I even saw it in RAMBO III, remember how Stallone was hesitating for 12 seconds after the colonel is taken hostage ?? Classic scene, right **there** !! ;-)
>>Quite a guy this Tavington is. This, of course, gets Benjamin into the war.
>> And it is this next scene that is one of the best battle scenes I have
>>ever
>>seen.
**** I thought it was good but also highly implausible ... how could he do all that ?? The two lil' buggers (his sons !) must have been sharp shooters because they were hitting english soldiers every single time, and fatal shots, too !! I was thinking it was impossible but it looked good on screen though, quite a fight !
Benjamin and two of his young sons attack and kill the men that are
>>taking Gabriel hostage. The battle is great because the men that are being
>>hunted and killed are not cartoon characters that pop out of nowhere only to
>>die. They are young, scared, boys, following orders and are just on the
>>wrong side of the war. You see the fear, the anguish and the sheer horror
>>on their face as they are about to die patriotically.
**** Oh, you're pushing it a bit there, mate !
;-)
>>
>>The rest of the film has a few minor sub-plots of love and other boring
>>stuff that only serves as a purpose so that when someone's wife or
>>girlfriend dies, it gives the men a chance to seek vengence.
**** I didn't feel those parts were boring at all ! I was intrigued by Mel's family and his love interest ... also the son's marriage and all that ... it was interesting ! I liked Mel's lil' daughter too ... that blonde girl, wow, some nice touching scenes !! (It was really sentimentalism but I fell for it !) ;-)
But the real
>>highlight of the film is the battles. They are bloody and brutal and I
>>enjoyed them immensely.
***** Yes, well made battle scenes !! Quite graphic too, not for the faint of heart !!
When a cannonball is launched and it takes off legs
>>and heads, it gives you the proper perspective of war.
**** Yes, shocking !! I was thinking they were wasting a lot of cannonballs though, shooting them as the opposite army was out of reach, too far away ... looked a bit "fake" in that sense ! Why shoot a cannonball if there is no way you can hit an enemy soldier !?
It is just enough to
>>remind us that as much as we are enjoying this "film", these events really
>>did take place and just like Saving Private Ryan, they were brutal and
>>final.
**** Yes, the battle scenes were impressive, just like in Glory for example.
This is not like Commando, when Arnold mows down 95 men with an M-16
>>and they drop like flies. This is violent, nasty and bloody.
**** I was thinking that people in this movie were all experts with hand guns though because they would hardly ever miss ... a bit hard to believe but it was still better than in movies like MI2 for example where machine guns are fired at close range and never hit the "hero" .. Tomorrow never dies also comes to mind ... hehe ! ;-)
>>
>>The Patriot may be liked by Americans because it is about their fight for
>>independence. It may be liked by them because it shows how they fought for
>>what they have. It be liked by them because it shows how proud they are of
>>what they had and what it took to get it.
>>>I like it because it is fun, entertaining
>>>8 out of 10
>>Dan
**** I agree, this film was fun to watch !! Also the sets, the costumes, visually impressive !! 4/5
Marc ;-)
- "Look, I am two seconds away from calling the police !!!"
- "They'll never make it in time ... we're in the middle
of nowhere ..."
Drew Barrymore as "Casey Becker" and
Roger L. Jackson as "Ghostface" (voice)
Scream (1996)
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From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Overrated films !
Date: 17 Jan 2001 20:34:45 -0800
Ok, this magazine here gathers a group of 5 critics and they come up with the list of the films that were the most overrated and underrated in any given year ... Here is their list of the most overrated !!
Those are movies that are not really good (according to the majority of those 5 critics !) but made a ton of money anyway !!
No particular order !! (Some might be considered 1999 release ??)
431 M$ - Star wars : The phantom menace
157 M$ - Scary movie
123 M$ - Nutty professor 2
118 M$ - Big momma's house
117 M$ - Double jeopardy
102 M$ - Gone in 60 seconds
69 M$ - Road trip
68 M$ - Blue streak
65 M$ - Deuce bigelow male gigolo
61 M$ - Coyote ugly
61 M$ - Rules of engagement
61 M$ - Mission to Mars
60 M$ - Snow day
58 M$ - Bicentennial man
57 M$ - The whole nine yards
57 M$ - Next friday
57 M$ - Shangai noon
53 M$ - Final destination
Marc ;-)
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From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Underrated films !
Date: 17 Jan 2001 20:42:36 -0800
***** Continuing !!!
>Ok, this magazine here gathers a group of 5 critics and they come up with the list of the films that were the most overrated and underrated in any given year ...
Here is their list of the most underrated !!
>
>Those are movies that are good (according to the majority of those 5 critics !) but were so-so at the box office (or should have made more money, considering their quality !!)
>
>No particular order !! (Some might be considered 1999 release ??)
>
18 M$ - The contender
19 M$ - Wonder boys
25 M$ - Nurse Betty
32 M$ - Almost famous
33 M$ - Pay it forward
41 M$ - Men of honor
51 M$ - The hurricane
56 M$ - Eyes wide shut
58 M$ - The cider house rules
61 M$ - The cell
66 M$ - Unbreakable
Marc ;-)
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>Sean Penn has "the gift" of genius as an actor. But it is well known he would rather direct films, not star in them. It may be just a matter of money.
>
>"I don't know what will happen," Penn told The Sun just before Friday's launch of The Pledge, his third film as a writer-director. "I don't know how much I'll act, how much I won't act. My sense is that, if I were a rich man ..."
>
>At 40, happily settled near George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch in the San Francisco area with his actress-wife Robin Wright Penn and their two children, Penn is hardly destitute. But he is not in the big leagues of $20 million per picture. By his choice.
>
>"I've never been able to accumulate cash," Penn says, "because the movies I act in I don't get paid well for and I don't make money as a director. And it's an expensive life, especially when you start directing films.
>
>"I'm not going to accuse myself of having a gift or not," he says of acting, "but it's not something I have an obligation to do. I feel I can be excited about it, I can commit a lot to it. But I think that, if somebody put $10 million cash in a bank account for me, I would never act again ... probably ..."
>
>Penn says he can afford to direct about once every five years. In between, he is an actor for hire. An actor with two Oscar nominations for Dead Man Walking and Sweet And Lowdown. Penn has the child custody drama Sam I Am lined up to shoot next with Michelle Pfeiffer. He has a cameo role in the forthcoming Before Night Falls and a strong support role in The Weight Of Water.
>
>Meanwhile, he yearns for the freedom to direct full time, as his late father Leo Penn did in a long career. "If I could do it every year and not act, that's what I would do."
From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <gregorys@xmission.com>
Subject: [MV] Cast away commercials
Date: 22 Jan 2001 14:48:34 -0700
**** Marc ;-)
>Mike wrote : The makers of "Cast Away" didn't receive a single cent from FedEx. It was
>never a product promotion kinda deal -- it was written into the script from
>the start.
***** Wow, I am surprised about this ... what a deal for a certain company, having their name mentioned a million times worldwide and people seeing their
logo left and right throughout this movie and of course it is ALWAYS justified, is it the company's fault if their name enters our "field of vision" ..
of course not they are so pure, lil' angels !!
***** I guess the Cast away producers gave them this juicy deal because their plane goes down in the movie, after that it's all
GRAVY basically ! A "coup de maitre" !! ;-) This has to be worth millions in advertising fees especially since the film is a huge hit ...
**** I would be curious to see the actual numbers, how much money that company will make because of this movie, people deciding to use them, I mean all
those companies are similar .. UPS, Airborne, etc. Why pick that particular one ... because you liked the movie basically !! ... Especially for people
who are not regulars and use those services only once in a while.
Once again, using a fake company would have been a lot more work
>for the filmmakers in the long run. Besides, it just seems more realistic to
>use a real company (for me, at least).
**** Nah, that would have been better, actually I just read an interesting article in the paper today about this ... I guess I am not the only one
complaining about the product placement in this movie at least !!
>
>Marc, I'm starting to think your trying to promote FedEx with all these
>messages about the ridiculous product placement in "Cast Away."
***** (Uncomfortable silence !) ;-)
You gotta
>admit, you're giving the company quite a bit of exposure here talking about
>it.
***** (trying to look INNOCENT !!)
Who are YOU??? And WHO do you work for??? Heheh, just kidding, of
>course.
>Mike S.
**** Hehe !! Well, I did mention their name often but I am always saying it is RIDICULOUS to have a company featured in such an extensive way in a movie
... I think it should have been titled "Fedexed" ... now is that a perfect title or what ?? Hexed .. Fedex ... get it ?? Hooray !!
Marc ;-)
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From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <gregorys@xmission.com>
Subject: [MV] The patriot - 2000
Date: 22 Jan 2001 14:49:00 -0700
Mmmmmmmmm ... Mark, could the fact you are from the UK influence your opinion here ??
I thought this film was excellent, maybe part of your anger towards this film is due to the fact that British soldiers are portrayed as "EVIL" .... now
don't get me wrong or raise your lil' fists of RAGE high ...
I'm just asking because I know of at least to other people who say they hated-hated-hated this movie and they are both from the UK, is it a coincidence
?? One even said she left the theater after 45 minutes cos' she couldn't take it anymore.
She admitted the way the british soldiers are portrayed in this film annoyed her so much she had to leave, It wasn't because the movie wasn't well made
technically or anything like that, she was furious because of the story and the characters ...
I suppose Midnight express wasn't a big hit in Turkey, Indiana Jones and the temple of Doom in India ... or Red corner in China for example. (Although
in that last case it might have been cos' of the film ... not necessarely because of how the chinese were portrayed ! "YOOOOU AAAAAARE IN CONTEEEEEMPT
!!" Remember that chinese judge yelling ?? Oh my !!) ...
Why do they have foreign people talking in english in the movies anyway ... even when they talk among themselves, geeeeesh ... come on !! Can't the
director use subtitles for a minute here and there ?? Makes the movies more realistic !! Kudos to Soderbergh for doing that in "Traffic" ... spanish
spoken when the story is set in Mexico ! Also Jim Jarmush in Ghost dog and that french guy !! So original !!
I didn't find this movie boring at all even if it lasted 2 hours 45 minutes I was interested all the way through ... I even liked those sentimental parts
dealing with Mel's love interest and his lil' daughter ... imagine that !
I haven't seen the Seven Samurai, heard it was "ace" though !
From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Hollow man - 2000
Date: 25 Jan 2001 11:01:40 -0800
Alright I saw Hollow man the other night. I thought it was good, nothing spectacular but the movie makes good use of the special effects to create suspense.
It stars Kevin Bacon as a scientist working on some secret project for the military, finding a way to make animals (and later human beings !) invisible and also bring them back of course ... (Why is it so difficult to bring them back ?? Because it wouldn't be as much FUN if it was easy !!)
I was laughing seeing Bacon typing furiously on his keyboard at home, as if we could believe such complex issues could be dealt with using artsy fancy graphics on a puter. Clicking here-there, sitting back ... This looks so "Hollywood", they want to make sure everyone understands so they have those lil' graphics in there telling you absolutely everything "Click here, please ..." ... like in "The net" with Bullock, remember ?? ;-)
Also Elisabeth Shue who is a really great actress as she proved in Leaving Las Vegas, but that was one role ... since then she appears in a lot of roles that are really not as difficult and challenging ... The trigger effect, Palmetto, The saint ... etc. Those are not awful movies but not at the level of LLV for sure ! A few colorful people in the supporting roles which is expected, you need a few weirdos in there to add "color" ... ;-)
The film is all special effects so I wasn't expecting a really great story anyway. It's very formulaic and predictable actually, you just have to put your brain in the neutral position by drinking a few pints of delicious imported-from-the-UK beer and enjoy the visuals. The special effects are great and I thought they didn't really have to try and tell a nasty story like that, making the movie more of a "drama" instead of a thriller could have improved it perhaps ...
As soon as Bacon becomes invisible himself he of course starts harassing women, fondling one that is sleeping, sexual assault, etc.
Like this would be soooooooo great, the first thing you do as you become invisible is harass people in a sexual way ?? Apparently,
YES !! I was reminded of "The entity" a 1980's film where a "ghost" attacks a woman in a sexual way as she is sleeping ... Have you seen that one ??
Anyway of course Bacon is paranoid and gets out of control as was expected ... the ending is rather ludicrous and over-the-top too, so it's not a very original film but it looks quite good on screen so I let it slide.
There is a nasty scene though where a dog is slammed against a metal cage and killed, I thought that was quite unnecessary. Plus would Josh Brolin really step in that cage with the gorilla near the beginning ?? The wild beast could cruch him like an egg with her powerful hands and he's walking in there and tries to stick a needle in her arm ?? Geeeeeeesh, I call that a DEATHWISH trying to stick a gorilla with a needle with absolutely nothing to protect
yourself with !!
3/5
Marc ;-)
- "Look, I am two seconds away from calling the police !!!"
- "They'll never make it in time ... we're in the middle
of nowhere ..."
Drew Barrymore as "Casey Becker" and
Roger L. Jackson as "Ghostface" (voice)
Scream (1996)
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Cecil B. Demented - 2000
Date: 31 Jan 2001 22:57:31 -0800
>
>
>Alright, this film should have been called
>"Cecil B. Ludicrous" ... now is that a good title,
>or what ??
>
>I hated this film, 1.5/5, I admit I fast forwarded a
>lil' during the last 5 minutes because I could not stand it anymore even if it only lasted 85 minutes or so ... and the worst part is it started on a good note.
>
>After the first third I was thinking it was going to be
>a fairly good film actually but that is when Cecil B. Ludicrous became more
>and more silly, rude, violent, meaningless, etc. I really think a good
>film could be made with this material. There are plenty of in-jokes for
>movie buffs too, some flashes of "Brilliance" in a sea of mediocrity would
>be a good way to describe it.
>
>I like the basic idea of an independant film militia lead by a sort of
>"movie guru" (Stephen Dorff) was kidnapping a star (Melanie Griffith should hang
>her head down in SHAME !) and making her perform in their own low budget
>film ...
>
>The problem is the movie is about 5 times too silly, rude, offensive, nasty
>... to even be remotely enjoyable, it's on a major downhill after the first
>third, extreme skiing kind of angle on the slope !
>
>Why go over-the-top like that in nearly every single scene, it was ok for a
>while as I said but then I got sick of all those stoopid idiots on screen
>dancin' and chanting those demented lyrics ... and acting like idiots
>basically ... had it been made in a more "serious" way it could actually
>have been good, or at least not going off the deep end like they did.
>
>This film is just cinematic garbage, the same kind they are saying we
>shouldn't support in the movie. The only thing the film has going for it is
>the basic idea, then it goes into all sorts of directions that are not
>interesting for the most part ...
>
>Goofy acting, dialogues ... The icing on the cake is Kevin Nealon in a phony
>sequel to Forrest Gump ... unless they deliberately wanted to make it look
>awful of course ... and in retrospect, I think they did.
>
>1.5/5 for this one, it should be in my "Top 10 most ludicrous movies" of
>2000. It almost makes me want to watch more mainstream movies now ... ;-)
