From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] What lies beneath - 2000
Date: 08 Feb 2001 07:06:34 -0800
**Minor spoilers**
This film is slightly disappointing for me, 2.5/5. I didn't think it was so bad even if I knew going in that a lot of people were saying it was God awful, etc. It's not one of the worst films of the year.
Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford are playing a couple in looooooove, or so they seem !! ... They are married and living
the good life in a wonderful house in Vermont.
Soon Pfeiffer suspects the new neighbour has killed his wife (Just like in "The Burbs" where Hanks was watching his crazy neighbours, I was laughing !) and some strange things happen in the house : noises are heard, pictures are falling off desks, dog growling for no reason, doors opening by themselves ... the usual in a "haunted" house.
I was thinking, hey this is not very original but at least it is well made and some scenes are quite suspenseful and scary actually ...
Unfortunately the 2nd half where Pfeiffer "investigates" the disappearance of a young woman that might be the ghostly presence in her home (This is a criminal investigation with a supernatural twist !) is really not so satisfying and the last 20 minutes are rather silly too.
This is where the movie loses it in my opinion ... Had the last part been better I might have been tempted to give the film a 3/5. Just falls short a bit despite the intriguing subject matter.
The acting is so-so, Harrison Ford doesn't have a whole lot of scenes in the first half too. He only shows up once in a while so that we don't forget he is also in this film I guess. Michelle Pfeiffer was getting on my nerves by the end with her incessant screaming and bizarre acting, she kind of looked "bored" actually ... and Robert Zemeckis has done better in the past !
A better movie dealing with a similar idea is "Stir of echoes" (1999) with Kevin Bacon.
2.5/5
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: RE: RE: [MV] Human traffic - 1999
Date: 09 Feb 2001 08:58:50 -0800
It's ok ! Thanks for the precision ! I was under the impression they were in London ... oops ! (The location of the party is really a detail though as this is not something CRUCIAL in the movie.)
Marc ;-)
>
>I hate to nit-pick Marc, but the night out is in Swansea in Wales, only
>about 200 miles away from London, and technically, since the Welsh got
>independence - a whole different country.
>
>:)
>
>MARK
>
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Paul Newman, "best" actor of all times ??
Date: 10 Feb 2001 08:12:30 -0800
Alright, Mr. Paul Newman has just been named "Best actor of all times" by a group of experts in Britain. This was published in "Radio times" magazine.
Experts evaluated the different actors by comparing how many Oscars they had received as well as how many times they had been nominated, their overall acting skills, their habilities to "seduce" the audience (Example : Sean Connery's "cat-like" walk in The Bond films), the amount of money their films made, etc. etc.
Here is the top 10 :
1- Paul Newman
2- Tom Hanks
3- James Stewart
4- Harrison Ford
5- Marlon Brando
6- Carey Grant
7- Robert Redford
8- Sean Connery
8- Tom Cruise (Cruise and Connery were ranked equally)
10-Gary Cooper
The fans were also allowed to vote and they opted for Sean Connery as the best actor of all times.
Respectfully submitted
Marc ;-)
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Unlawful entry - 1992
Date: 10 Feb 2001 18:35:40 -0800
I was in the mood to watch this film again today. It was probably my 3rd time seeing it. 3.5/5, despite a rather ordinary last third.
Ray Liotta plays this psycho cop who has "issues" ... he is obsessed with a lovely woman he meets one night on a routine call. Madeleine Stowe and Kurt Russell are a couple, they own a house and one night it is burglarized after hours and the intruder holds a knife to Stowe's neck, scaring her to death of course but luckily she is not injured. Russell just stands there, helpless ...
Liotta shows up as the concerned cop and at first he appears to be a nice guy, advising them to install a new security system and maybe buy a guard dog ... but he only sticks around because he just loves Madeleine Stowe's character (she is beautiful in this film !) and he would do anything to be with her, including lying, cheating, beating up suspects, threatening people, making her husband look like a criminal, sabotaging his business deals ... etc.
I liked how for a good part of the movie everybody but Kurt Russell thinks Liotta is a nice guy, and he is the only one who really knows what he is all about ... good twist !!
The acting and the dialogues were so-so, it's really because I like the story a lot that I rate it at 3.5/5.
S
p
o
i
l
e
r
s
!
I would have preferred it if Liotta's character had been less "evil" in fact, the last third is a bit too over-the-top for my taste ... Plus was it really necessary to kill the young woman that was a teacher at Stowe's school ?? By the time Liotta kills her we have figured out he was really **bad** ... no need to add that on top ... Sometimes, less is more !!
I was waiting for him to kill that darn cat that was attempting to scare us a few times during the movie in fact, a bit too formulaic but overall it was a good lil' thriller !!
3.5/5
Marc ;-)
"Sticks and stones can break your bones ...
but words will cause permanent damages ..."
Eric Bogosian as "Barry Champlain"
"Talk radio" (1988)
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I had a question for someone about this film. I know that it was based on Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. Also Hannibal Lecter makes an apperance played by Brian Cox (I think). After seeing Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal I was wondering if it was worth the price of a rental to see this film?
Also what did everyone think of Hannibal? I read the book last summer to get me ready for the film. The film went almost with the book with a couple of omissions. And of the course the ending was different, which leads me to think a another film could be on the horizion. But I think this was the last time everyone will see Anthony Hopkins as Lecter. Also with Ridley Scott directing the film seemed to take a different feel to it. Was it as good as Silence of the Lambs? I dont think so but the expectations were very high. Hannibal could have been better but overall I thought it was good. Anthony Hopkins is one of the best actors that is on the big screen. That is the factor which keeps this film in the good catergory with out him this film would die a sad death.
1) Hopkins has signed for a "remake" of Red Dragon/Manhunter where he will
be playing Lecter in a mor "Hannibal focused" Silence prequel.
2) Manhunter is a great movie. If you have a DVD player check out the
newly released Dir. Cut. If you don't, I can send you a copy.
-ak
On Sun, 11 Feb 2001, Nathan Lemrick wrote:
>
> I had a question for someone about this film. I know that it was based on Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. Also Hannibal Lecter makes an apperance played by Brian Cox (I think). After seeing Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal I was wondering if it was worth the price of a rental to see this film?
>
> Also what did everyone think of Hannibal? I read the book last summer to get me ready for the film. The film went almost with the book with a couple of omissions. And of the course the ending was different, which leads me to think a another film could be on the horizion. But I think this was the last time everyone will see Anthony Hopkins as Lecter. Also with Ridley Scott directing the film seemed to take a different feel to it. Was it as good as Silence of the Lambs? I dont think so but the expectations were very high. Hannibal could have been better but overall I thought it was good. Anthony Hopkins is one of the best actors that is on the big screen. That is the factor which keeps this film in the good catergory with out him this film would die a sad death.
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Video-Discrimination !!
Date: 12 Feb 2001 11:47:40 -0800
>
>Hey, last night I went to this video store that just opened in the next town (fairly close, takes 5 minutes to go there using my luxurious vehicule !!) and I thought, "wow", they had a great selection so I was pleased, the prices seemed reasonable as well,
>the works ...
>
>Then I get up to the desk and I fill out their damn form in 3 copies, asking all sorts of unnecessary questions like what was the serial number on the carburator in your first car ... what was the name of your 1st grade teacher ... Do you have a dog, and if "no", why not ??
>... and other useful information like that ...
>
>Finally I get up there and they take one look at my form and say "Well, you're from the next town so you can't register here ... sorry" ...
>
>I thought it was completely LUDICROUS myself and I let them have it ... who doesn't want someone to join because they live in the next town ??
>
>This is not a public service, this is a BUSINESS, how do they want people to rent tapes if they refuse new members based on that ?? Don't they want customers ?? If I had a business it would seem reasonable to be happy to get customers, no matter where they live !!
>
>It was convenient for me to go there since it was on my way and I passed nearby often and I told them, doesn't matter apparently !!... but apparently since I don't live in that town, it isn't possible !!
>
>I thought it was so stoopid, plus I was frustrated having wasted 20 minutes filling out their stoopid form only to be rejected later on ... grrrrrrr !!
>
>Marc ;-(
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Porky's - 1981
Date: 13 Feb 2001 11:26:05 -0800
**Minor spoilers**
Alright, since so many good titles are being mentioned these days (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Gladiator, Erin Brockovich ...) because of the Oscar nominations ... I decided to watch again another GREAT FILM that might have been forgotten, Porky's - 1981.
;-) Kidding !
I had not seen this film in 15 years and I didn't remember it as being this silly overall. The acting was terrible, the dialogues were inept, silly story, the works !! This is like American pie's big brother I guess and it has a minor cult following !
The story is simple enough and involves a bunch of horny guys (They are all supposed to be 16 and 17 years old but they look older than that ... one of the guy looks like he's in his 30's !!) ... we have all the steretypes there : The macho man, the wimp, the silly one, the tough guy ... etc.
They go to school (although we never actually see them in a classroom because they are too busy chasing girls, I guess !), spy on girls as they are taking a shower, try to sneak in this strip bar owned by a rude and annoying fellow named : Mr. Porky ... ;-) Bar room brawls, unfair cops, abusive fathers, sexy gym teacher ... the whole movie is one cliche after the other ...
It is watchable mainly because there are a couple of amusing scenes (Especially the one where the guys are spying on the girls in the shower through a hole in the wall ... and more ... trying to "seduce" the girls by exposing himself ... oh my, this is one of the greatest moments in the history of filmmaking !! ;-)
That scene is memorable even after 15 years ... and then the gym teacher says she wants the guys to be in a "line up" so she can identify "it" because she was able to take a good look at "it" while she was pulling hard ... hehe ! The film only has a few good scenes so I can't possibly recommend it ... but it wasn't all bad either !
2/5
Marc ;-)
"Sticks and stones can break your bones ...
but words will cause permanent damages ..."
Eric Bogosian as "Barry Champlain"
"Talk radio" (1988)
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Porky's - 1981
Date: 13 Feb 2001 11:27:33 -0800
**Minor spoilers**
Alright, since so many good titles are being mentioned these days (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Gladiator, Erin Brockovich ...) because of the Oscar nominations ... I decided to watch again another GREAT FILM that might have been forgotten, Porky's - 1981.
;-) Kidding !
I had not seen this film in 15 years and I didn't remember it as being this silly overall. The acting was terrible, the dialogues were inept, silly story, the works !! This is like American pie's big brother I guess and it has a minor cult following !
The story is simple enough and involves a bunch of horny guys (They are all supposed to be 16 and 17 years old but they look older than that ... one of the guy looks like he's in his 30's !!) ... we have all the steretypes there : The macho man, the wimp, the silly one, the tough guy ... etc.
They go to school (although we never actually see them in a classroom because they are too busy chasing girls, I guess !), spy on girls as they are taking a shower, try to sneak in this strip bar owned by a rude and annoying fellow named : Mr. Porky ... ;-) Bar room brawls, unfair cops, abusive fathers, sexy gym teacher ... the whole movie is one cliche after the other ...
It is watchable mainly because there are a couple of amusing scenes (Especially the one where the guys are spying on the girls in the shower through a hole in the wall ... and more ... trying to "seduce" the girls by exposing himself ... oh my, this is one of the greatest moments in the history of filmmaking !! ;-)
That scene is memorable even after 15 years ... and then the gym teacher says she wants the guys to be in a "line up" so she can identify "it" because she was able to take a good look at "it" while she was pulling hard ... hehe ! The film only has a few good scenes so I can't possibly recommend it ... but it wasn't all bad either !
2/5
Marc ;-)
"Sticks and stones can break your bones ...
but words will cause permanent damages ..."
Eric Bogosian as "Barry Champlain"
"Talk radio" (1988)
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Porky's - 1981
Date: 13 Feb 2001 11:25:42 -0800
**Minor spoilers**
Alright, since so many good titles are being mentioned these days (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Gladiator, Erin Brockovich ...) because of the Oscar nominations ... I decided to watch again another GREAT FILM that might have been forgotten, Porky's - 1981.
;-) Kidding !
I had not seen this film in 15 years and I didn't remember it as being this silly overall. The acting was terrible, the dialogues were inept, silly story, the works !! This is like American pie's big brother I guess and it has a minor cult following !
The story is simple enough and involves a bunch of horny guys (They are all supposed to be 16 and 17 years old but they look older than that ... one of the guy looks like he's in his 30's !!) ... we have all the steretypes there : The macho man, the wimp, the silly one, the tough guy ... etc.
They go to school (although we never actually see them in a classroom because they are too busy chasing girls, I guess !), spy on girls as they are taking a shower, try to sneak in this strip bar owned by a rude and annoying fellow named : Mr. Porky ... ;-) Bar room brawls, unfair cops, abusive fathers, sexy gym teacher ... the whole movie is one cliche after the other ...
It is watchable mainly because there are a couple of amusing scenes (Especially the one where the guys are spying on the girls in the shower through a hole in the wall ... and more ... trying to "seduce" the girls by exposing himself ... oh my, this is one of the greatest moments in the history of filmmaking !! ;-)
That scene is memorable even after 15 years ... and then the gym teacher says she wants the guys to be in a "line up" so she can identify "it" because she was able to take a good look at "it" while she was pulling hard ... hehe ! The film only has a few good scenes so I can't possibly recommend it ... but it wasn't all bad either !
2/5
Marc ;-)
"Sticks and stones can break your bones ...
but words will cause permanent damages ..."
Eric Bogosian as "Barry Champlain"
"Talk radio" (1988)
Apollo Guide: The Best in Movie Reviews, DVD & Home Video
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Blown Away - Unlawful entry
Date: 13 Feb 2001 13:44:41 -0800
***** Marc ;-)
Mel wrote :>My classic film for today was Blown Away. After discussing that, I do wish
>to comment on Marc's take on Unlawful Entry.
***** Yes, I've seen Blown away a few times too, maybe 3 ? ... Very good thriller overall ! 3.5/5 (Same rating as Unlawful entry for me !)
>
>Jeff Bridges (in a role he would improve upon in Arlington Road) is a bomb
>disposal expert, and runs into an old "friend", Tommy Lee Jones.
**** Yes, Tommy Lee was having fun ! ;-)
Very good
>action movie, with an excellent background story. Repeated viewing (I have
>seen this at least 3-4 times) shows this movie is much much deeper than it
>appears at first.
**** The film is very entertaining ... just like Unlawful entry ... they may not be considered "good" movies by teachers in film schools, but I enjoyed both of them !
>
>Additionally, as is the Hollywood style of studios having at least two
>similar movies in development at the same time (Volcano and Dante's Peak,
>Mission to Mars and Red Planet, Wyatt Earp and Tombstone, Deep Impact and
>Armaggedon, to name just a very few), this movie came out at the same time
>as Speed. Now, understand that I love Speed, it is fun and a guilty
>pleasure. But Blown Away.... well it just (wait for it.. wait for it)
>blows Speed away:-)
**** Hehe !! Yeah, I didn't see that one coming, Mel !! Speed is a really good action film as well, 4/5 so I think it's better than B.A.
even if some parts are highly implausible of course !!
>
>Oh, and of course we must mention the awesome U2 soundtrack that is part of
>this movie.
**** Yessssss !! It features my favorite U2 song ... "I still haven't found what I'm looking for ..."
>
>Not unlike The Usual Suspects or What Lies Beneath or even The Cell (notice
>the drop in quality), it is difficult to describe this movie without
>ruining it. Simply put, if you haven't seen this movie, stop what you are
>doing, and go rent it immediately:-)
***** Yes, there is no reason to pass on that one, right ?? Great story, music, characters .... it's just plain FUN !
If you have, go watch it again, I
>think you will enjoy it even more the second time.
**** Yes, I own it ! ;-)
>
>Now, some comments on what Marc had to say:
**** Excellent !
>
>In this film?? Madeleine Stowe is beautiful, full stop. And a great
>actress, to boot. Just watch 12 Monkeys if you have any doubts about this.:-)
**** Yes, she is lovely in all of her films basically, Stakeout, Blink, 12 monkees, etc.
>
>>Spoliers for Unlawful Entry AND Hollow Man.... you have been warned!!:-)
>
>>
>>S
>>p
>>o
>>i
>>l
>>e
>>r
>>s
>>!
>Sounds sort of like the discussion of Hollow Man. Bacon's character goes
>over the top just to show us how evil he has become. And, in my opinion,
>that is where Hollow Man fell apart. However, I do give the director (the
>over-the-top Paul Verhoeven) some credit for downplaying the sexual attack.
> According to the "extras" on the DVD, this scene was originally more
>graphic (graphic?? Verhoeven?? Nah!!:-) ), but was downplayed so that the
>"evilness" of Bacon's character could build.
***** Thanks for this intriguing nugget of information !!
>
>Regards,
>
>--Mel
>
*** Bye !
Marc ;-)
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] The five senses - 1999
Date: 13 Feb 2001 22:53:27 -0800
This was a good canadian film although I have to admit I was slightly disappointed because I had heard it was a really good film and it wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be.
It mixes five different stories and each one is related to a sense of course ... The problem is the five stories are good but none of them are really extremely good either so it turns out to be a 3/5 film. Very watchable but I wouldn't call it memorable.
I liked the story about "Speech" especially, it involves a young woman who listens to an italian man on the phone. She met him during her vacation in Italy and now he calls her from the plane to say he is coming over to visit, what is problematic is she barely speaks any italian and he knows 2 english words basically so they can't communicate very well (When they're not making love, that is !)
;-) (Why was she so "fussy" ?? He seemed to me like a nice guy and she was always complaining about this and that ... seemed like an hard-to-please girl in my opinion !)
The story about "Hearing" is also good and involves a doctor who is going deaf so he made up a list of things he wants to listen to before it happens ... opera, bird singing, children laughing, etc. etc. A teenager likes to watch couples having sex for the rather under developed and a bit silly "Eye sight" story and her mother is
a masseuse so "Touch" is the sense she is using for the most part !!
Mother-daughter conflict !
... There also a story about "smell" where a gay man is involved in a mumbo jumbo tale, meeting his former lovers to "smell" them, I thought he was a weirdo !! ... and there is a twist that is highly unlikely about a "menage-a-trois" as well (3-some !) I thought that one was the weakest story and it was probably the one that took the longest screen time as well ...
The acting and the dialogues were appropriate ... also stars Pascale Bussiere that is one of my favorite french canadian actresses (The movie was in english but a few scenes were in french with english subtitles !) The disappearance of a young girl (3 years old !) ties all of the stories together as well (in a rather weak way though, the gay man talks about the missing girl once with his friend on the phone !) Still good and I like those movies mixing several stories together a-la "Short cuts" !
3/5
Marc ;-)
"Sticks and stones can break your bones ...
but words will cause permanent damages ..."
Eric Bogosian as "Barry Champlain"
"Talk radio" (1988)
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] The goodbye girl -1977
Date: 14 Feb 2001 10:10:40 -0800
>Hi !
>
>I saw that film last night and thought it was very good. Marsha Mason and Richard Dreyfuss are funny in this romantic comedy based on a Neil Simon play.
>
>At the beginning of the movie, Mason is in deep trouble because her actor/boyfriend just moved to Italy without telling her in advance. He got a part over there in an italian film so he wrote her a "Dear Jane" letter and left without warning. She is stuck in the New york city apartment with her 10 year old daughter. (The daughter was great, she had many of the most amusing lines of dialogues !)
>
>The problem is when the boyfriend left he also rented the apartment to a friend of his from Chicago. This is when Dreyfuss comes in. He shows up in the middle of the night, soaking wet because it is raining hard and of course he wants to be let in HIS apartment (he has a key and a letter from the boyfriend proving he paid for 3 months rent !)
>
>Mason is quite unhappy and they make and agreement that they will share the place even if they hate each other's guts basically. They argue and bicker over everything : money, food, noise .. etc. I was reminded of "The odd couple" with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau (spelling ?) sometimes ...
>
>They both struggle to make money. Dreyfuss in an actor and he only has lousy parts in awful plays and Mason used to be a dancer (not nude !) but now at 33 she is struggling because the younger girls out there are in better shape than she is (It looked a bit "fake" when she was pretending to be out of breath though, she wasn't asthmatic unless I missed
>something !?)
>
>The acting was great by everyone, especially by Dreyfuss of course that shines in this role. He has the same look as in Jaws (1975) too ... lil' round glasses, beard ... I kept expeting him to talk about shark attacks sometimes ... but he never did !! Disappointing !!
>
>3/5, I am close to 3.5/5 in part but I don't like the ending so much ... I'll say why below ... SPOILERS !
>
>S
>p
>o
>i
>l
>e
>r
>s
>!
>
>I didn't really buy it when they fell in love ... one minute they are at each other's throat and the next they are making a crossword puzzle in bed basically (Seinfeld bit !) ... during the last 30 minutes of the movie they fall in love, fight, fall in love, fight, like 4 or 5 times ...
>
>I thought it was unlikely ! Once Mason tells Dreyfuss she is sick of his ugly mug and he can leave at once basically and a minute later they are in bed again ... Wow, the guy was a human DYNAMO or what ?? Geeeeeesh !!
>Where was the "recuperation time" ?? ;-)
>
>If I had liked the last third more I would give the film a 3.5/5, 3/5 for now !
Marc ;-)
"Sticks and stones can break your bones ...
but words will cause permanent damages ..."
Eric Bogosian as "Barry Champlain"
"Talk radio" (1988)
Apollo Guide: The Best in Movie Reviews, DVD & Home Video
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Nil by mouth - 1997
Date: 15 Feb 2001 06:51:42 -0800
>Hi !
>
>I watched this nasty film last night ... dark, grim, depressing, the works !! 3.5/5
>
>It is set in England and had the potential to be a better film but not a whole lot happens in terms of story and/or character development either ... Also I was a bit annoyed by the shaky camera and the extreme close-ups used way too often ... making it hard to understand what is happening in some scenes.
>
>We basically follow a really twisted family where everyone has "issues" related to either drugs, alcohol, violence, etc.
>
>Gary Oldman dedicated this film to his father, I assume it is not done as a compliment since everyone in that film is not really a positive role model. Plenty of partying, drinking, going to strip bars, searching for drugs that may be hidden in a house, beating up the neighbours, endless bickering ...
>etc. etc. You watch this and think "Hey, my family's not so bad after all ..." ;-)
>
>The actors are all good dealing with difficult parts, I was impressed by the older brother of the family especially that beats up his wife when he gets drunk (at the beginning of the film he even bites his younger brother on the nose because he thinks he stole some drugs from him, making it all bloody ... later the rest of the family laughs about it actually saying the young man looks like a clown now with his big red nose !!) ...
>
>Dark humor is also used later when the same younger brother is in prison and they laugh saying he better "watch his arse" in there, rather sick family laughing at the thought of another family member being sexually assaulted in prison by a bunch of HOOLIGANS !! They seem to find that hilarious for some reason !!
>
>3.5/5, even if it is sometimes hard to watch. I was reminded of "Once were warriors" and "A la vie, a la mort" too while watching it.
Marc ;-)
"Sticks and stones can break your bones ...
but words will cause permanent damages ..."
Eric Bogosian as "Barry Champlain"
"Talk radio" (1988)
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] I wish to thank the ACADEMY !!
Date: 15 Feb 2001 19:26:52 -0800
*** Marc ;-)
> The race is between Hanks and Crowe. The only thing Crowe has going for
>him, however, is that "Gladiator" will win the lion's share of the Oscars. No
>one remembers his "Insider" performance. What they do remember, however, is
>that he broke up the Quaid-Meg Ryan marriage and the conservative members of
>the Academy (of which they are far too many) will hold this against him.
**** Oh come on, Filmbuff (Is it you who wrote that, not 100% sure but anyway !) ... this comment made me roll my eyes back !! Yes, I am sure the voters will be influenced ... especially if they watch Entertainment tonight !! (I always wonder if Mary Hart always sounds like she does on that show ... is she **really** like that when she gets out of bed at 7.32am each morning ??)
><<As much as I adore Judi Dench, I worry the the recent
> tragic loss of her husband of 30 years to cancer may wind up influencing
> members of the Academy.>>
**** again, what does this have to do with her performance ?? NOTHING !! Anyone who is influenced by things like that shouldn't even be allowed to vote in the first place, if they read those tabloids they should be disqualified from the get go. They should also make sure that people who are allowed to vote are not SENILE already, maybe having them examined by doctors once every 3 years or so ... my opinion !
Marc
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Hannibal
Date: 16 Feb 2001 07:48:45 -0800
**** Marc ;-)
Diane wrote : I didn't expect to see what I saw. Like I said,
>perhaps I'm too old for this stuff. And I didn't mean to say that
>Capra should have written this movie. I'm just tired of dark movies.
**** I don't understand this, Diane ... I mean you **had** to expect "Hannibal" was going to be a dark and grim film, no ?? It's a film involving a serial killer, not exactly "Kindergarden cop" ... It is perfectly fine if you don't want to see those types of film anymore but then why CHOOSE to go see "Hannibal" ?? Why not go see "The wedding planner" with Jennifer Lopez for example ... I'm sure you would have liked that one better since it's a light comedy ...
>I think our society needs more uplifting stories. I know this will
>or won't happen and I have no control over this. No, I'm not
>advocating censorship. I just don't like the way things are moving.
**** In fact, I think there are too many silly movies being made these days, the opposite of you, too many "Wedding planner" "Road trip" "Coyote ugly" and "Big momma's house" and not enough "The war zone" "Chuck and Buck" "Boys don't cry" and "Hannibal" ... But I prefer more "serious" movies so this is why I am kind of sick and tired of movies like "Saving Silverman" ... they should be banned !
;-)
>May I please have my point of view? I understand that you enjoyed
>the movie. I don't understand why people today want to see stuff
>like this. Isn't there enough misery and suffering? God, now I
>sound like my dad!
Diane
**** Hehe !! Well, again, why not stick to the light comedies if you don't want to see people suffering ??
Marc ;-)
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Hopkins on Lecter
Date: 17 Feb 2001 00:28:42 -0800
Interview with Anthony Hopkins
===============================
Question : "What is your worst nightmare ??"
- "I often dream that I forget my lines and that I lose my shoes just before going on the set. That has never happened to me but in those nightmares I simply can't remember what I have to say and I just stand there without my shoes ..."
Question : "What made you decide to appear in "Hannibal" ??"
- "I never said I wanted to retire, I only took a year off. When I was asked to be Lecter again I was thrilled because I liked the story. I was disappointed that Jodie (Foster) didn't want to be in this one for her own personal reasons. I talked to her about it but
I didn't try to convince her to change her mind. Julianne (Moore) is a very good actress and we got along well on the set. I also love acting, it brings me a lot of joy. Each time it is a challenge because you never know if you will win or lose, it's a gamble ..."
Question : "Will there be another film in this series ??"
- "I would like to do another film as Hannibal Lecter but it would have to be made quickly, within a year or two. I already have the first draft of a scenario and Julianne (Moore) is interested as well ..."
Source : "France-Presse" agency ...
<<<< Respectfully submitted >>>>>>>
<<<< Note : Translated freely from french to english >>>>>
Marc ;-)
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Feeling Minnesota - 1996
Date: 17 Feb 2001 19:55:44 -0800
Alright, I saw this film again last night, my 2nd time seeing it ... 3/5.
It is actually kind of romantic in part, lovers on the run, so I could include it in my list of "Favorite romantic films" I guess ... It's the same as "True romance" for example ... there are some
nasty parts in both films but also pretty good love stories !
Keanu Reeves and Vincent D'Onofrio play brothers who are constantly arguing and fighthing, especially after their mother dies !
Cameron Diaz (She is so lovely in this film too, wow !) is a young woman who is "forced" to marry D'Onofrio because she owes him money, gangsters are also involved (Delroy Lindo, wow, look at those hair !)
Love the opening sequence where we see Diaz running in her wedding dress and high heels as she is pursued by Lindo and his "crew" in a car ... excellent !
Diaz hates D'Onofrio and doesn't want to have anything to do with him even if she just got married (Funny scene where she slaps him in the face when he is trying to kiss her !) but she definately likes Reeves so she leaves town with him with D'Onofrio in hot pursuit ...
Courtney Love has a small part as a waitress and Dan Akroyd plays a crooked cop.
Nice mix of action and comedy in this "road movie" ... I like the first half especially then it gets a bit too silly in the 2nd half but the first half is good enough to carry the film a long way ...
The acting is ok, well, Keanu Reeves has been better (I s'pose !), anyway the film doesn't require top notch acting skills !
The soundtrack is also good and we hear the song "Ring of fire" (Is that the title ?) quite a few times during the movie ... catchy !
3/5
Marc ;-)
"Sticks and stones can break your bones ...
but words will cause permanent damages ..."
Eric Bogosian as "Barry Champlain"
"Talk radio" (1988)
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Menace II Society - 1993
Date: 18 Feb 2001 10:09:28 -0800
I saw this film again, 4/5 ! Actually I liked it more this time around ! I had seen it once maybe 5 years ago and back then I thought 3.5/5 .. That was a bit harsh !!
Top notch acting by everyone involved in this nasty film. Set in L.A. in 1993, lots of conflicts, drug dealing, drive-by-shootings, racism, growing up in the projects, etc. Mostly a character development tale as we follow the lives of a few young black men and women ... Tyrin Turner, Jada Pinkett (Great !), Larenz Tate, Samuel L. Jackson in a small role ...
The language used is awful of course but this makes the movie more realistic as it is set in bad neighborhoods all the time and the characters are not exactly angels ... They are struggling to survive in this very harsh environment, being harassed by coppers, battling rival gangs, carrying hand canons, the works !!
Now I was surprised though by the use of the "N" word repeatedly in this film ... I was remembering how they made such a big deal in the OJ Simpson trial about it ... Did the white detective use that word or not ... bla-bla ... Seems a bit ludicrous to get on his case for saying that word since according to this film it is really a word that is used often.
I mean we must hear it 150 times during this movie and nearly all of the times it is said by a black man !! Once a guy even makes fun of one of his friends who says "Black man" instead of "N****r" ...
Spike Lee complaining about it a couple of years ago, related to the Tarantino films, Jackie brown and company ... This one is a Hughes brothers project and unless I am mistaken they are indeed black men as well ...
4/5, but it is not a film that is easy to watch because of all the violence (This is a Hughes brothers film after all !) ...
For example one of the characters shoots an asian store owner and his wife and then he gets the videotape from the surveillance camera and he watches it over and over, asking his friends to come over and see it ... he is REALLY proud of what he did and even says he'll sell copies for 59.95$ ... geeeesh !
Marc ;-)
"Sticks and stones can break your bones ...
but words will cause permanent damages ..."
Eric Bogosian as "Barry Champlain"
"Talk radio" (1988)
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Menacing Spike
Date: 18 Feb 2001 11:50:27 -0800
*** Marc ;-)
Dallas wrote : >I hate this and other movie that show Black people in such a derogatory
>manner.
**** They were not saying all black people are like that but presenting a particular group of people who happen to live in a bad neighborhood in Los Angeles. The people presented are drug dealers, hoodlums ... one would have to be a fool to think all black people are like that !
The fact is that people like your self who get a thrill out of see
>black portrayed in urban and "Ghettos" scene. With the pants down, bad
>language, shooting up the streets.
***** I said it was a good movie and most people agree. This was the Hughes brothers first film (Unless I am mistaken !) and it was a huge hit. I think they could have cut down a bit on the swearing and the violence but anyway.
I have spoken to many black that don't
>watch or support Hugh Brother, Spike Lee cause most of his film show the
>negative aspects of black.
Dallas
**** I like the Hughes Brothers films so far even if I agree that they are not presenting the black citizens in a very positive way : example : Dead presidents, American pimp,Menace II Society ... they are still making very good and interesting films.
**** Spike Lee on the other hand made lots of "bad" films like He got game and Bamboozled, Girl 6 (?), he's still riding on his "Do the right thing" wave from the 80's (1988 ?). He should **try** to make good films before trashing Tarantino and others because they "N" word is used in their films, not that I like hearing that "N" word, it is used way too often in "Menace II society" but if they talk like that in real life I guess it was reasonable ... don't you think ? I would place Spike Lee in a list of "Overrated directors" myself.
Marc ;-)
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: RE: [MV] Showgirls - So bad it's BAD!!
Date: 20 Feb 2001 06:29:21 -0800
Wow, Excellent review Mark, I agree with everything you said basically !! This film was just plain awful even if we see a number of gorgeous women in sexy outfits !! Awful story, acting, dialogues ... I would say either 0.5/5 or 1/5 depending if I feel generous or not !! ;-) Did you see the way Berkley was handling that ketchup bottle near the beginning, I knew I was in big trouble right **there** !! ;-)
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Gregory Hines' MASSIVE ERECTION
Date: 25 Feb 2001 21:28:16 -0800
Alright, I am watching "The History of the world. Part. 1" (1981)
on Tv right about now ... It's on NBC, around midnight (Yes, I know I should be in bed !) and I just saw that one of my favorite scenes
has been "butchered" ... Those censors at work ??
I had not seen this film in 15 years at least but I remember the scene where Gregory Hines is "tempted" by the sexy dancer and despite his best efforts can't resist having an obviously MASSIVE ERECTION ... well this scene is certainly not as funny in the version I just saw, we don't even get to see the huge feather raising, just a shot of Hines face has he makes a quick getaway after being "exposed" as a traitor or spy ... what is this ??
I was looking forward to that scene, Hines being "tempted" like that and the feather raising, so hilarious !! That was one of the funniest and most memorable scene in the movie so why not show it ?? Especially since the film is not presented at 7pm but very late
at night ...
What's the deal ??
Marc ;-)
"You know Jaks - Why can't it be **NICE** when
you come to visit ... you know ... **NORMAL** ...
like other families ??"
Vincent D'Onofrio as "Sam Clayton"
"Feeling Minnesota" (1996)
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Gregory Hines' MASSIVE ERECTION
Date: 26 Feb 2001 07:55:37 -0800
Ref. The history of the world, Part. 1 (1981)
**** Marc ;-)
Elaine wrote : >Ah, Marc....
>You should have known better than to watch a movie on network televison.
**** Hehe !! Well, that movie was so-so ... 2/5, it was just frustrating that they cut that scene, yet later on in the movie during the "French revolution" segment, women are being treated like sex objects and it's supposed to be funny ?? I wasn't amused, I thought it was silly, the king grabbing the women's breasts repeatedly, get over it, boooooy !! Is Brooks such a sexist ?? I didn't really like that french revolution part, treating women like dirt !! The opening scenes in prehistoric times were also awful ... I liked the roman ones though ...
**** Also I realized you can't say "Piss" apparently ... they edited that word out in a very obvious way as Brook's is called the "P ---" boy ... there is a "silence" added so you can't hear the actual word ... lol ! Yet a few other nasty words are heard without any ""silences" added ... bizarre !! ;-)
>lol! I've seen what you described far too many times. They cut scenes and
>bleep things that you hear on TV all the time.
**** Yes, it was silly because the movie was presented really late at night so I doubt anyone would have been offended by seeing a feather raising anyway ! Gregory Hines' funniest scene in the movie, except maybe for the one where he rolls a giant joint and lights it to get the roman pursuers stone !! (No doubt this is Lisa's favorite scene too !!)
I realize some of it's done
>so they can "fit it in their allocated time slot" but it always irritates me.
**** Yes, I don't think they cut any scenes in this one though .. they just edited out some "bad words" and "explicit scenes" ... as ifffffff !! It was quite offensive towards jewish people as well ... was there a big fuss over that when it was released ??
> I've given up watching anything I've seen and liked before (unless it's on
>cable) because I know I'll be disappointed. I'll stick to videos for the
>good ones.
**** ;-)
>Calm down now and relax! Get some sleep too! :)
>Elaine :)
**** Of course, mommy !
Marc ;-)
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Sequels - Hannibal, part.1
Date: 27 Feb 2001 09:10:55 -0800
Good article in the paper the other day about sequels and actors accepting to be the "replacement actors" when the original stars refuse to participate a-la Jodie Foster and "Hannibal" ... I'll send it in multiple parts since it is rather long ...
"It is always hard to replace an actor in a sequel, in "Hannibal", Julianne Moore replaces Jodie Foster who refused to play the part again. Moore didn't want to do any interviews though because she didn't want to have to answer questions regarding Foster and why she refused to appear in "Hannibal", especially since she had won an Oscar for her performance in the 1991 film."
"Actors who act as replacements have a tough time because people identify their characters with the previous performer of course. Jason Patric replaced Keanu Reeves in "Speed 2" and the film didn't make half the money the first one did. Patric is not responsible for this because people were not really missing Reeves, they were missing a good script."
"This doesn't mean that Hollywood is not interested in producing sequels because they are and more than ever in the past few years.
"Hannibal" would probably not have been made though if Anthony Hopkins had also refused to appear in the sequel. Ridley Scott who directed the new film says he wouldn't have done it if both Foster and Hopkins had been absent."
"Hopkins' part is even more crucial in "Hannibal" and it is hard to imagine anyone else playing the part. The character has an image and a voice that is quite memorable."
"Luckily, Hopkins accepted for 10M$ but he wanted to read the script first which was reasonable. He wanted to make sure the script was good before going forward."
...
Marc ;-)
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Karakter - 1997
Date: 27 Feb 2001 10:44:45 -0800
Hi !
I liked this film a lot and I think it is very good (even if it certainly was a bit too slow in the middle section !) 3.5/5 overall.
I have mixed feelings about this film because I think the first third is excellent ... then it slows down quite a bit in the middle third before becoming intriguing again in the final third ...
The break down would be :
4/5 for the first third
2.5/5 for the middle third
4/5 for the last third !
The story is simple enough ... we follow the life of a man who may or may not have killed his father ... We are led to believe in the opening scene that he did although we are not sure. Then the movie is told in multiple flashbacks in a rather interesting way, learning what happened and why he would be so angry at his dad.
It is set in Rotterdam in the 1920's and 1930's. The father is a mean bailiff who mistreats quite a few people. Great acting there, you just want to sucker punch the guy and that is what was required too ! He has an affair with his maid who then becomes pregnant but she doesn't want to have anything to do with him ... refuses to marry him and moves away to have the baby on her own.
The bailiff wants to marry her and give her money to help her with the baby but she refuses. It is this baby's life we are following from the moment he was born until he becomes a lawyer just to spite his father and show him that he succeeded without his help ...
Great acting, dialogues ... I wish I could be more generous but the middle part where the young man goes to school, studies, flirts
with a young lady he met in the law firm where he works, joins the communist party, is not as intriguing as the beginning and the ending ...
I was reminded of a few films while watching it ... "Angela's ashes", "Germinal" (in french !) and especially "Affliction" ... If you liked "Affliction" I have a feeling you might like this one as well !
It was the winner for the "Best foreign film" Oscar in 1998 ...
FYI :
Leonard Maltin : 3/4
Roger Ebert : 3.5/4
James Berardinelli : 3/4
I say : 3.5/5 ;-)
Marc ;-)
"You know Jaks - Why can't it be **NICE** when
you come to visit ... you know ... **NORMAL** ...
like other families ??"
Vincent D'Onofrio as "Sam Clayton"
"Feeling Minnesota" (1996)
Apollo Guide: The Best in Movie Reviews, DVD & Home Video
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