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2002-01-31
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47KB
From: Marc Claude Desbiens <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] Dark passage - 1947
Date: 04 Jan 2002 12:35:56 -0800 (PST)
Ok, I watched this classic FILM NOIR !!
I thought it was good, 3/5, but I was expecting more
since many people are saying it is really terrific,
one of the best FILM NOIR of all times etc. It was
still quite good but suspension of disbelief is
certainly required in part and the middle section is
not so fun to watch ...
Humphrey Bogart is a CONVICT who escapes from San
Quentin prison in the first scene, the camera acts as
his eyes so we see everything from his point of view
only for a good part of the film (I liked that so I
was sorry they gave up on this technique after 30
minutes or so, I guess we really NEEDED to see
Bogart's face !)
Bogart was convicted of killing his wife by hitting
her over the head with an ashtray, of course he's
innocent so he's on the run now and trying to find out
who REALLY killed her while the whole city is looking
for him ... his face is plastered all over the
newspapers so he needs to have plastic surgery at
one point ...
He is aided in his quest by the lovely LAUREN BACALL,
wowo, she's a lil' cutie in that one and helps Bogart,
hiding him in her apartment, buying him new clothes so
he looks more RESPECTABLE, etc.
The acting was good (especially Bacall) and the story
intriguing in general, some plot twists are rather
implausible though but overall I would say it was a
very watchable classic (I saw the glorious
black-and-white version but I know there is a
colorised version available too !)
3/5
=====
Marc ;-)
"A boy's mother is his best friend ..."
Anthony Perkins as "Norman Bates" - "Psycho" (1960)
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From: Marc Claude Desbiens <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] Coma / Ruthless people
Date: 05 Jan 2002 21:37:05 -0800 (PST)
Ok, I watched a couple of oldies recently ...
quick comments !
- Coma (1978), It was my first time seeing this
thriller, based on a Robin Cook book, I thought it was
very good and suspenseful, good story, acting,
dialogues, Genevieve Bujold is a doctor in a huge
Boston hospital who starts investigating some cases
where young adults never wake up after minor surgeries
... Michael Douglas has a smaller part as her
boyfriend, he's also a doctor but thinks Bujold is out
of her mind and paranoid (at least for the bulk of the
movie !) 3.5/5
- Ruthless people (1986) I think it was my 3rd time
seeing this one, I had not watched it in 5 years at
least though, I like this dark comedy ... Bette Midler
is kidnapped by Judge Reinhold, he wants 500,000$ from
her rich husband, Danny Devito ... The problem is the
husband was already planning of getting rid of Midler
so he doesn't want to pay the ransom, in fact he does
his best to have his wife killed ... Things don't go
smoothly of course, Fairly amusing comedy. 3.5/5
Cheers !
=====
Marc ;-)
"A boy's mother is his best friend ..."
Anthony Perkins as "Norman Bates" - "Psycho" (1960)
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From: Marc Claude Desbiens <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] Planet of the Apes (2001)
Date: 07 Jan 2002 20:31:52 -0800 (PST)
Ok, I just watched this film ... 2/5
Wow, I have to say I was surprised at how bad it was,
a lot of times I was laughing out loud, not because it
was amusing and/or funny, I was laughing *at* the
film, you see ! I couldn't believe it !
I wouldn't say it is one of the worst films of the
year though, I mean some of the stunts and action
scenes were alright, the make up jobs on the apes were
impressive as well ... nothing wrong *there* ... Good
sound effects, cinematography, sets, etc. Those
aspects were making the movie more watchable ... but
as soon as they tried *telling the story* it was
turning to the ridiculous mode.
It has to be one of the weakest films of the year in
terms of storyline and characters though ... The story
was simply boring me for the most part, and when I
wasn't bored I was thinking how silly it was ... It
would be a good example of a big budget film with a
story that goes nowhere actually ...
I was actually thinking of "Armageddon" while watching
this, same deal, good special effects, loud film, weak
story, characters that make me cringe ! ...
Other titles that come to mind : "Wild wild west" ,
"Waterworld", "Godzilla", "Deep impact" ...
I thought the human characters were especially
ridiculous, Mark Whalberg is doing his best, it's not
his fault really, any actor playing this part wold be
in trouble ... Then you have "The Barbie doll" who is
in a lot of scenes as "window dressing", right there
in the background doing nuthin' except looking pretty
... (She was doing a good job in that department at
least !)
On the Apes' side, Helena Bonham-Carter was making me
laugh with her antics, totally awful ! Tim Roth was
good although he was always playing the same (angry)
note and why wasn't he able to kill Whalberg ?? He
seems to have super-human ... oops ... super-ape
strenght, he unleashes hell on Whalberg and the pretty
boy only has a lil' cut on his face at the end of the
film .. please ! ... Same with Michael Clarke-Duncan,
Paul Giamatti, etc.
I can't believe they want to make a sequel to this one
?? Pleaaaaaaase ... noooooooo !! Don't believe the
hype next time !
2/5
=====
Marc ;-)
"A boy's mother is his best friend ..."
Anthony Perkins as "Norman Bates" - "Psycho" (1960)
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From: Marc Claude Desbiens <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] Whoopie ... at the Oscars !!
Date: 07 Jan 2002 20:50:22 -0800 (PST)
Late breaking news ...
Whoopie Goldberg will host the next OSCARS .... Just
heard that on the radio ... 11.49PM EST !!!
(I'm pulling my hair out ... noooooooooooooo !!!!!
Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwk !! I guess I will have to record it
this time and fast forward through her *bits*)
=====
Marc ;-)
"A boy's mother is his best friend ..."
Anthony Perkins as "Norman Bates" - "Psycho" (1960)
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From: Marc Claude Desbiens <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] Shrek - 2001
Date: 08 Jan 2002 22:06:51 -0800 (PST)
Spoiler ... or not ! (You know the ogre is gonna be
able to deliver the princess, right ? ;-) ...)
Ok, I don't have a lot of time, it's quite late so
I'll only write a few lines about this one ... I
thought it was a very good film in general, better
than I expected, 3.5/5
I thought the film was getting better and better along
the way too, rather slow start, but once they get to
the castle and deliver the princess from the dragon,
it's quite a fun ride ! Impressive visuals in that
section too, fireballs, close calls, etc.
Plenty of amusing jokes, and also lines of dialogues,
I laughed out loud a few times actually ... The people
voicing the characters were all good too, even Eddie
Murphy who usually annoys me ...
He's a lil' annoying in this one but that was the
donkey character that was like that really so it
worked out well ... I appreciated Mike Myers as the
green ogre, Cameron Diaz as the lovely Princess Elaine
(oops, Fiona !) *winking* ... and also John Lithgow
as the mini prince who wanted to be king at all costs
...
Fine story ... it was a lil' sappy la-la in part but
since it was an animated film I wasn't so surprised !
I was tapping my feet during the songs at the end
(hiding my face !) Thanks for the recommendation,
Elaine ! ;-)
Bye !
=====
Marc ;-)
"A boy's mother is his best friend ..."
Anthony Perkins as "Norman Bates" - "Psycho" (1960)
__________________________________________________
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] 5TH ANNUAL NAKED GOLD GUY AWARDS -- FIRST BALLOT
Date: 12 Jan 2002 21:34:10 -0800 (PST)
Ok, to participate in the nomination process ... fill
out the ballot below ... and then send back the
message to :
matte@istar.ca
matte @ istar . ca
... don't forget to change the address when you send
back the message so they go directly to Matt who will
sort out the responses !
Later on when the nominations are announced you'll get
a chance to vote and decide who gets to take the NAKED
GOLD GUY home !!
Yeah !!
Marc ;-)
-------------
--- Matt Easterbrook <matte@istar.ca> wrote:
> Hey guys,
>
> Welcome to the fifth annual Naked Gold Guy awards,
> where YOU get to
> choose the best and worst of cinema from the year
> 2001. Think Seann
> William Scott's performance in AMERICAN PIE 2 was
> unconscionably
> underrated? Now's your chance to give him that best
> actor award he so
> richly deserves. Think LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING is
> an overrated piece of dog crap not worth the air you
> breathe? Give it
> recognition for worst picture. Hell, there's even
> some freaky-deaky
> categories you won't find on any "serious award"
> ballots.
>
> Here's how it works. There are two ballots. For
> the first one (this
> one), you can list up to three of your favorites in
> each category. But
> you can't vote for the same thing twice. For
> example, if you vote for
> Freddie Prinze Jr for best actor in SUMMER CATCH
> twice, it'll only count
> for one vote. If, however, you cast one vote for
> Freddie in SUMMER
> CATCH and another for him in HEAD OVER HEELS, that
> is allowed. And
> please, for the acting categories, write which film
> you liked them in
> (it's difficult awarding something when an actor was
> in five movies but
> half the voters wrote just the name).
>
> You'll have to return these ballots by midnight on
> Saturday, January
> 26. At that time I will tabulate the results and
> later on the next day
> (Jan. 27) I will send out the final ballot with your
> top five choices in
> each category.
>
> So until then, happy voting!!!
>
> ---------------------------------------------------
>
> 5TH ANNUAL NAKED GOLD GUY AWARDS -- FIRST BALLOT
>
> BEST PICTURE
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST DIRECTOR
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST ACTOR
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST ACTRESS
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST SCREENPLAY
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST SCORE
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST SONG
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST ART DIRECTION-SET DECORATION
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST COSTUME DESIGN
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST MAKEUP
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST SOUND-EFFECTS EDITING
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST SOUND
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST EDITING
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST VILLAIN
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST ANIMAL
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST YOUNG PERFORMER (UNDER 21)
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST ON-SCREEN COUPLE
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> BEST SCENE FROM A FILM
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> WORST MOVIE OF THE YEAR
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> WORST PERFORMANCE
> 1.
> 2.
> 3.
>
> ----------------------------
>
> Happy voting!!!
>
> Matt Easterbrook
> matte@istar.ca
>
__________________________________________________
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: KenKnows@aol.com
Subject: Re: [MV] Swordfish & GI Jane
Date: 13 Jan 2002 10:59:12 EST
I recently saw two fine movies. "Swordfish" has a truly great and surprising
beginning. I rented the video for two reasons that can be explained in one
phrase: "Halle Berry topless". The entire movie was very well done. Someone
could criticize something about the plot but if the viewer cuts it a little
slack, it is a very enjoyable movie. After the movie ends, the video shows a
second ending that I think is much better than the movie's original ending
and it shows how some of the stunts were done. This additional footage
greatly increases the value of this video. I also saw "GI Jane" and it
immediately earned a place among my top ten movies of all time. The cast, the
acting and the plot were great. The movie manipulated my mind and my emotions
but it was certainly an unforgettable fun ride. Both John Travolta and Demi
Moore moved up on my list of favorite stars as the result of my seeing these
two movies. I already was a fan of Travolta's work in movies ranging from
"Saturday Night Fever" to "Grease" to "Get Shorty" but "Swordfish" showed how
his range as an actor increased. He was perfect for this film. I recommend
seeing every movie that was mentioned in this message.
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Gene Ehrich <gehrich@tampabay.rr.com>
Subject: [MV] AITF
Date: 13 Jan 2002 11:02:55 -0500
Set to be released March 26, 2002, from Columbia DVD is the first
complete season of All in the Family!
Click below for more info!
http://dvdshrine.com/story.shtml?id=8969&cat=current
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] Heist - 2001
Date: 13 Jan 2002 09:41:34 -0800 (PST)
Ok, last night I went to the movies ... It was the
first time I went to this new theater where they
present films that were released 2-3 months ago for
bargain prices, 1.60$US for the ticket, you can't beat
that ! ;-) I saw "Heist" and then "K-Pax" almost back
to back ...
"Heist" was very good, 3.5/5 ... nothing really
incredibly original but it was well made. Simple
story of a group trying to steal gold from an airplane
(a lil' hard to swallow, but whatever !)
It starred Gene Hackman as the leader of the gang,
Danny DeVito as the crime boss who hires the *crew*
to do the job ...Rebecca Pidgeon as Hackman's lovely
*wife* ... His *wife* ?? I mean come on, she looks
more like his daughter, 30 year difference at least !
Hard to swallow she would really be in love with the
old man !
Delroy Lindo has plenty of good one liners as
well ... The actors were good and the dialogues were
interesting of course since it's based on a DAVID
MAMET script ... so you know there will be a few
doublecrossings as well !
The film was shot near here, Montreal (Canada) was
posing as Boston ... I recognized some of the
locations too, Mirabel airport where they steal the
gold bars, been there a few times, also near the end
we see the Jacques-Cartier bridge in the background !
hehe ! ;-)
I didn't appreciate the fact there was a F.L. in the
audience though, a *Frequent Laugher*, you see
everytime there was something mildly amusing on the
screen this guy would laugh out loud as if it was the
funniest thing he had ever heard ... Maybe it's me who
is not easily amused but lines of dialogues that were
*only* making me smile a little were having a much
bigger *effect* on the bugger ... oh well !
Roger Ebert = 3.5/4
James Berardinelli = 3.5/4
Cheers !
Marc ;-)
=====
'Bluto' : "My advice to you -- Start drinking heavily ..."
'Otter' : "You better listen to him, Flounder -- He's in
pre-med ..."
John Belushi as "John 'Bluto' Blutarsky" and
Tim Matheson as "Eric 'Otter' Stratton"
"National Lampoon's Animal House" (1978)
__________________________________________________
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Wade Snider <wsnider@brazoselectric.com>
Subject: RE: [MV] Swordfish & GI Jane
Date: 14 Jan 2002 13:32:59 -0600
On Sunday, January 13, 2002 9:59 AM, KenKnows@aol.com
[SMTP:KenKnows@aol.com] wrote:
>I also saw "GI Jane" and it
> immediately earned a place among my top ten movies of all time.
I honestly never could have imagined I would ever hear the above sentence
in my most fitful nightmares...
If I don't get hit in the head by a flying pig first, I will now cower in a
corner for a short period and hope the Four Horseman simply could not get
past the frozen gates of hell in order to bring forth the end of the world
as we know it...
Shiver, Shiver...
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] K-Pax (2001)
Date: 14 Jan 2002 15:41:52 -0800 (PST)
I saw this film last Friday night, I thought it was
good material, nothing really so special but I had a
good time, 3/5 ...
I also appreciated the fact that the audience was
a lil' more *mature* than the one that was watching
"Heist" a few hours earlier, no FREQUENT LAUGHER, the
noise level was kept to a minimum, etc.
It's really not the importance of the crowd that makes
a difference as there was probably twice as many
people for "K-Pax" yet it was more quiet and relaxed
... ;-)
Kevin Spacey stars as PROT, a man (or is he really an
alien ?) who claims he is from outer space, a planet
called K-Pax located a thousand light years away from
Earth ... Of course Jeff Bridges who is the
psychiatrist treating him doesn't believe that for
2 seconds and thinks he is suffering from some kind
of mental illness ... ;-(
We get to meet plenty of the other patients in the
hospital, it reminded me of "One flew over the
cuckoo's nest" in part ... only it's not as good of
course ! Several weird characters in that place !
Bridges is really interested in Spacey since the
bugger starts talking about things only experts would
know ... he also has a fruit fetish.
Bridges neglects his pretty wife (Mary McCormack, yum
yum, nice and curveous !! I mean Bridges really has
*issues* to sleep in his office overnight instead of
going home, let me tell you ! Maybe he should be the
one in *treatment* for leaving a lovely wee lass like
that by herself all the time and spending endless
hours with mental patients instead !) ;-)
Of course along the way Spacey starts helping the
doctor and other patients too, getting him to think in
a different way about his wife, his daughters and
especially his son who is a rebel-without-a-cause in a
college away from home ... Bridges proves he could
have been quite an investigator as well since he finds
out a whole lot about Spacey within just a few days (I
would have liked it more had they kept some of those
secrets actually !)
Fine acting and dialogues, I was thinking 3.5/5 for a
good part of the movie but it was a lil' bit too long
in my opinion and they revealed too much near the end
as well about Spacey's *real* life and the explanation
for his weird behavior ... 3/5
Roger Ebert = 3/4
James Berardinelli = 3/4
Next up for me "With a friend like Harry", a lil'
French thriller. ("Harry, un ami qui vous veut du
bien".
Cheers !
Marc ;-)
=====
'Bluto' : "My advice to you -- Start drinking heavily ..."
'Otter' : "You better listen to him, Flounder -- He's in
pre-med ..."
John Belushi as "John 'Bluto' Blutarsky" and
Tim Matheson as "Eric 'Otter' Stratton"
"National Lampoon's Animal House" (1978)
__________________________________________________
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Danielle Conkle" <danyelli@hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: [MV] Swordfish & GI Jane
Date: 14 Jan 2002 20:35:08 -0500
I have to admit...I thought Swordfish was pretty awful too. As in..it was
painful to make myself sit through it!
-Danielle
--------------------
>From: Wade Snider <wsnider@brazoselectric.com>
>On Sunday, January 13, 2002 9:59 AM, KenKnows@aol.com
>[SMTP:KenKnows@aol.com] wrote:
> >I also saw "GI Jane" and it
> > immediately earned a place among my top ten movies of all time.
>
>
>I honestly never could have imagined I would ever hear the above sentence
>in my most fitful nightmares...
>
>If I don't get hit in the head by a flying pig first, I will now cower in a
>corner for a short period and hope the Four Horseman simply could not get
>past the frozen gates of hell in order to bring forth the end of the world
>as we know it...
>
>Shiver, Shiver...
>
>
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] With a friend like Harry - 2000
Date: 14 Jan 2002 21:17:41 -0800 (PST)
This was a pretty good French thriller, 3.5/5 ... The
only actor in the cast I recognized was Sergi Lopez,
he plays a guy who is seriously disturbed.
When the movie begins we meet a man in his mid 30's
who is married and has 3 wee daughters, they are
travelling, going to a house they bought in the
country for a mini-vacation ... the husband and wife
are fighting, the kids are yelling and crying, the
works ...
They get to a rest-stop where the man accidentally
meets Sergi's character in the bathroom ... Sergi
recognizes him imediately even if the last time he saw
him was 20 years ago when they were in High School ...
Sergi develops a strange fixation with the man and
starts following him around, bringing his fiancΘe of
course and acting in a friendly but rather odd way
sometimes *fixing up* the life of this man he just met
by accident, the problem is he is fixing up his life
by getting rid of people who annoy him or doing things
that are really strange, like buying him a new 4X4
when his run down car breaks down for example ... he
says it's a *gift* ... ;-)
I was thinking 4/5 for the bulk of the movie but I
don't care so much for the last third, it gets a lil'
too bizarre there even if it's highly watchable of
course ... 3.5/5. Good acting and dialogues, some
parts made me think of THE VANISHING, the original
French movie of course, not the american remake with
Jeff Bridges.
Available in french with subtitles.
Cheers !
Marc ;-)
=====
'Bluto' : "My advice to you -- Start drinking heavily ..."
'Otter' : "You better listen to him, Flounder -- He's in
pre-med ..."
John Belushi as "John 'Bluto' Blutarsky" and
Tim Matheson as "Eric 'Otter' Stratton"
"National Lampoon's Animal House" (1978)
__________________________________________________
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] Broken vessels - 1998
Date: 17 Jan 2002 13:53:07 -0800 (PST)
Last night I watched this very good low budget film
... Anyone who likes REQUIEM FOR A DREAM should try to
see that one as well ...
I didn't know any of the actors in advance but the
story was quite intriguing in general ... Simple story
of a young paramedic, he's just starting on the job
after moving to Los Angeles, California ...He is
teamed up with a guy who has a few years of experience
... showing him the ropes, etc.
The problem is the *mentor* is really terrible, he
takes drugs while on the job driving the ambulance,
drinks, uses heroin, buys from dealers during working
hours, stealing from patients and even sexually
assaulting a young woman as she is unconscious in the
back of the ambulance etc.
Of course the young guy doesn't like this behavior but
slowly but surely he is going down the same path ...
Taking drugs due to the stress of this job and
destroying his life and his relationship with a lovely
nurse along the way ...
3.5/5 mainly because the film is too short for its own
good, it only lasts 92 minutes so the characters
development is not optimal, had the film been longer,
maybe 120 minutes, adding nasty bits here and there,
getting to know the main character more, it would have
been a sure shot for a 4/5 ... The ending feels
*rushed* ... minor sub-plot about a drug deal that
goes horribly wrong !
Still highly recommended if you like those types of
films ... Requiem for a dream, Sid & Nancy ... even
Boogie nights in part !
Marc ;-)
=====
'Bluto' : "My advice to you -- Start drinking heavily ..."
'Otter' : "You better listen to him, Flounder -- He's in
pre-med ..."
John Belushi as "John 'Bluto' Blutarsky" and
Tim Matheson as "Eric 'Otter' Stratton"
"National Lampoon's Animal House" (1978)
__________________________________________________
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] Bread and Roses - 2000
Date: 24 Jan 2002 10:31:20 -0800 (PST)
Hey there !
Last night I watched this excellent film ... "Bread
and Roses", directed by Ken Loach ! 4/5 It's #12 in
my "Top films of 2000" list so I really enjoyed it ...
Highly recommended !
Simple story of a young Mexican woman who crosses the
border and enters the United States illegally ... She
wants to have a better life and is willing to work
hard to achieve her goals. She is living with her
sister and her family who have been in the USA for
several years and told her to come over so she could
work in a bar.
She doesn't like that job at all because of the rowdy
drunken customers so she soon quits and starts working
in a building where she is part of the crew hired to
clean up the place after hours.
We get to meet her family, her co-workers ... see
how hard she is working for very lil' money ...
struggling to make ends meet. One day she meets a
young man who is an union representative and he gets
her to start a protest so all the workers there can
get better working conditions, health insurance,
better salaries, etc.
Very good acting, dialogues, the ending is also quite
appropriate (certainly not *Hollywood-ish*). Ken Loach
is so great directing those tales where people have to
struggle to survive on a daily basis too ... Low
budget film, hand held cameras ... some parts are in
Spanish with subtitles.
4/5
=====
Marc ;-)
"It's not a monster movie ...
IT'S A SUPERNATURAL THRILLER !!!"
Johnny Depp as "Edward D. Wood, Jr." - "Ed Wood" - 1994
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] Dancing at the Blue Iguana - 2001 (?)
Date: 26 Jan 2002 11:05:45 -0800 (PST)
Ok, I just watched this rather mediocre film ... 2/5
Story of a few girls who are strippers in a shady LOS
ANGELES strip club ... I was reminded of SHOWGIRLS and
STRIPTEASE sometimes which is not good since those 2
films were plain terrible ...
DANCING AT THE BLUE IGUANA is a lil' more *serious*
and interesting though but it still is not something
I would like to see more than once ...
We get to meet the different girls ... See what they
are going through, who they hang out with after hours,
arguing for the clients' attention and money, dealing
with the OGRE running the club, etc. It's mostly a
character development film as there is hardly any
*real* story ...
The acting was ok, the girls were very sexy too,
nudity and explicit dance numbers, *extras* for the
most generous "customers", the works. Jennifer Tilly
appears and at first I didn't even recognize her with
that special wig she had on but when she started
talking I realized it was her, you know she has a
special voice ! ;-) Sandra Oh and Darryl Hannah
appear as well ...
It proves my theory that it takes more than cute girls
to make a good film though, you need an intriguing
story and/or characters as well, I mean there must be
6-8 great looking women in this film and they often
walk around half dressed but I was still a bit bored
in general. ;-(
2/5
=====
Marc ;-)
"It's not a monster movie ...
IT'S A SUPERNATURAL THRILLER !!!"
Johnny Depp as "Edward D. Wood, Jr." - "Ed Wood" - 1994
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] Mr. Death : The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. - 1999
Date: 27 Jan 2002 13:42:54 -0800 (PST)
Ok, I watched this nice documentary the other night
... Grim subject matter as the film is about a tiny
(and twisted !) man who repairs/builds death penalty
execution machines ...
We get to see his "shop" where he works on the death
devices, films of him strapped to an electric chair as
he is "trying it out" ... etc. Says he builds electric
chairs with nice big seats so that they are more
*comfortable* and that he wanted to install a TV set
next to the machine so the convict could watch
something on Tv while waiting (It would be cruel to
make him watch a wall, no ?)
He's all proud of his work and mentions how he
repaired the electric chair at a prominent Tennessee
(sp. ?) prison ... How he's working on a lethal
injection machine, etc.
It's all very interesting, learning about executions
that didn't go as planned, possible ghostly
appearances on a picture he took ... We see this weird
*white shadow* on the picture right beside the
electric chair, looked like a FREAKIN' GHOST, man !
;-)
The 2nd half of the movie concentrates on the guy's
trip to old NAZI DEATH CAMPS in Poland ... He has been
hired by a fellow who believes that the Holocaust is a
hoax and that millions of Jews didn't die in gas
chambers over there during WWII ... The fellow is on
a rampage there, taking samples, having them analyzed,
writing a report, etc.
This gets him into big trouble as you're not supposed
to hammer away in those special (sacred) places and
take rocks and samples back home after hours, not to
mention he firmly believes that there were no
executions performed there because he can't find any
traces of cyanide poison (That can be explained
according to experts, the traces could have been
destroyed by the way the samples were collected,
HAMMERING on the walls !)
So he gets from being an expert hired by many
different prisons to repair/replace their execution
equipment to living in a shady motel after losing
everything (Mainly due to his "Leuchter report" on the
gas chambers in Poland that was so controversial !)
Good material in general, I appreciated watching this
film ... the fellow is intriguing and often uses dark
humor too, making jokes as he is strapped to an
electric chair or describing how if he had to be
executed the electric chair would certainly be the
best way to go (as long as you use one he has built of
course, cos' they are so *efficient* !)
3.5/5 (Cheers, Elaine !) ;-)
=====
Marc ;-)
"It's not a monster movie ...
IT'S A SUPERNATURAL THRILLER !!!"
Johnny Depp as "Edward D. Wood, Jr." - "Ed Wood" - 1994
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] NAKED GOLD GUY AWARDS -- FINAL BALLOT
Date: 27 Jan 2002 20:14:49 -0800 (PST)
To participate, simply fill out the ballot below,
indicating your choices among the nominated films and
then send it back to :
matte@istar.ca
matte @ istar . ca
You have two weeks to do so ... Woo Hoo !
I shall forward the results once they have been
compiled by Mr. Easterbrook ... Don't forget to change
the e-mail address, alright ?
Marc ;-)
------------
--- Matt Easterbrook <matte@istar.ca> wrote:
> Well, the preliminary ballots for the Naked Gold Guy
> Awards have been
> tallied up, and results have seem quite similar to
> those from the Golden
> Globes this year. A few things I noticed: a)
> Nicole Kidman is
> apparently as popular with you guys as with me (you
> nominated her for
> best actress twice -- for Moulin Rouge AND The
> Others); b) AI:
> Artificial Intelligence seems to have a growing
> number of fans (at least
> among my subscribers); and c) apparently I'm not the
> only one who thinks
> Stifler Rules!!!
>
> I have to recognize Keith Whittier who, in the
> category "Best Onscreen
> Couple," voted for Mariah Carey and her Ego. It
> didn't make the final
> five, but I thought it was so funny it deserved a
> mention.
>
> Once again, you have two weeks to fill out the final
> ballot. Five
> nominees are listed under each category. Place an X
> in the brackets
> beside your choices. Ballots are due Saturday,
> February 9th at midnight
> EST.
>
> Happy voting!
>
> Matt Easterbrook
> matte@istar.ca
>
>
>
>
> NAKED GOLD GUY AWARDS -- FINAL
> BALLOT
>
> BEST PICTURE
> ( ) A BEAUTIFUL MIND
> ( ) THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE
> RING
> ( ) MEMENTO
> ( ) MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) MULHOLLAND DRIVE
>
> BEST DIRECTOR
> ( ) Peter Jackson, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
> ( ) Baz Luhrmann, MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) David Lynch, MULHOLLAND DRIVE
> ( ) Christopher Nolan, MEMENTO
> ( ) Steven Spielberg, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
>
> BEST ACTOR
> ( ) Russell Crowe, A BEAUTIFUL MIND
> ( ) Ewan McGregor, MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) John Cameron Mitchell, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
> ( ) Guy Pearce, MEMENTO
> ( ) Denzel Washington, TRAINING DAY
>
> BEST ACTRESS
> ( ) Nicole Kidman, MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) Nicole Kidman, THE OTHERS
> ( ) Tilda Swinton, THE DEEP END
> ( ) Naomi Watts, MULHOLLAND DRIVE
> ( ) Reese Witherspoon, LEGALLY BLONDE
>
> BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
> ( ) Jim Broadbent, MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) Hayden Christensen, LIFE AS A HOUSE
> ( ) Jude Law, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> ( ) Ian McKellen, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
> ( ) Seann William Scott, AMERICAN PIE 2
>
> BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
> ( ) Cate Blanchett, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
> ( ) Jennifer Connelly, A BEAUTIFUL MIND
> ( ) Laura Elena Harring, MULHOLLAND DRIVE
> ( ) Carrie-Anne Moss, MEMENTO
> ( ) Frances O'Connor, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
>
> BEST SCREENPLAY
> ( ) Akiva Goldsman, A BEAUTIFUL MIND
> ( ) Baz Luhrmann, Craig Pearce, MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) David Lynch, MULHOLLAND DRIVE
> ( ) Christopher Nolan, MEMENTO
> ( ) Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, THE
> LORD OF THE RINGS:
> THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
>
> BEST SCORE
> ( ) Craig Armstrong, MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) Angelo Badalamenti, MULHOLLAND DRIVE
> ( ) Howard Shore, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
> ( ) John Williams, HARRY POTTER AND THE
> PHILOSOPHER'S STONE
> ( ) John Williams, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
>
> BEST SONG
> ( ) "Come What May," MOULIN ROUGE. Performed by
> Ewan McGregor & Nicole
> Kidman.
> ( ) "May It Be," THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING.
> Performed by Enya.
> ( ) "There You'll Be," PEARL HARBOR. Performed by
> Faith Hill.
> ( ) "3 Small Words," JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS.
> Performed by Rachael
> Leigh Cook, Tara Reid & Rosario Dawson.
> ( ) "Wig In A Box," HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH.
> Performed by John
> Cameron Mitchell.
>
> BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
> ( ) Roger Deakins, THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE
> ( ) Peter Deming, MULHOLLAND DRIVE
> ( ) Janusz Kaminski, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> ( ) Andrew Lesnie, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
> ( ) Donald M McAlpine, MOULIN ROUGE
>
> BEST ART DIRECTION
> ( ) Rick Carter, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> ( ) Stuart Craig, HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S
> STONE
> ( ) Rick Heinrichs, PLANET OF THE APES
> ( ) Grant Major, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
> ( ) Catherine Martin, MOULIN ROUGE
>
> BEST COSTUME DESIGN
> ( ) Jenny Beavan, GOSFORD PARK
> ( ) Ngila Dickson, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
> ( ) Judianna Makovsky, HARRY POTTER AND THE
> PHILOSOPHER'S STONE
> ( ) Catherine Martin, Angus Strathie, MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) Arianne Phillips, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
>
> BEST MAKEUP
> ( ) AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> ( ) HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
> ( ) THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE
> RING
> ( ) MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) PLANET OF THE APES
>
> BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
> ( ) AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> ( ) HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE
> ( ) THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE
> RING
> ( ) PEARL HARBOR
> ( ) PLANET OF THE APES
>
> BEST SOUND-EFFECTS EDITING
> ( ) AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> ( ) THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE
> RING
> ( ) MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) PEARL HARBOR
> ( ) VANILLA SKY
>
> BEST SOUND
> ( ) AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> ( ) THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE
> RING
> ( ) MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) MULHOLLAND DRIVE
> ( ) PEARL HARBOR
>
> BEST EDITING
> ( ) Jill Bilcock, MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) Dody Dorn, MEMENTO
> ( ) John Gilbert, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
> ( ) Pietro Scalia, BLACK HAWK DOWN
> ( ) Mary Sweeney, MULHOLLAND DRIVE
>
> BEST VILLAIN
> ( ) The Dark Horsemen, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
>
> ( ) Don Logan (Ben Kingsley) in SEXY BEAST
> ( ) Saruman (Christopher Lee) in THE LORD OF THE
> RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP
> OF THE RING
> ( ) The Duke (Richard Roxburgh) in MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington) in TRAINING
> DAY
>
> BEST YOUNG PERFORMER (UNDER 21)
> ( ) James Bentley, THE OTHERS
> ( ) Hayden Christensen, LIFE AS A HOUSE
> ( ) Haley Joel Osment, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> ( ) Daniel Radcliffe, HARRY POTTER AND THE
> PHILOSOPHER'S STONE
> ( ) Elijah Wood, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
>
> BEST ON-SCREEN COUPLE
> ( ) Colin Firth and Renee Zellweger, BRIDGET JONES'
> DIARY
> ( ) Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale, PEARL HARBOR
> ( ) Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman, MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) Viggo Mortensen and Liv Tyler, THE LORD OF THE
> RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP
> OF THE RING
> ( ) Shrek (Mike Myers) and Donkey (Eddie Murphy),
> SHREK
>
> BEST ANIMAL
> ( ) Bowser (Elle's dog), LEGALLY BLONDE
> ( ) The Dark Riders' horses, THE LORD OF THE RINGS:
> THE FELLOWSHIP OF
> THE RING
> ( ) Donkey (Eddie Murphy), SHREK
> ( ) Gito (the rottweiler), AMORES PERROS
> ( ) Teddy, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
>
> BEST SCENE FROM A FILM
> ( ) HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE -- The
> Quidditch match
> ( ) THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE
> RING -- The Mines of
> Moria
> ( ) MOULIN ROUGE -- Elephant Love Medley
> ( ) MOULIN ROUGE -- Performance of "Spectacular
> Spectacular" (final
> scene)
> ( ) MULHOLLAND DRIVE -- The hapless hitman's botched
> murder scene
> ( ) PEARL HARBOR -- The attack on Pearl Harbor
> (duh!)
>
> WORST MOVIE OF THE YEAR
> ( ) AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> ( ) CROCODILE DUNDEE IN LOS ANGELES
> ( ) GLITTER
> ( ) SWORDFISH
> ( ) VANILLA SKY
>
> WORST PERFORMANCE
> ( ) Mariah Carey, GLITTER
> ( ) Penelope Cruz, VANILLA SKY
> ( ) Tom Green, FREDDY GOT FINGERED
> ( ) Freddie Prinze Jr, SUMMER CATCH
> ( ) David Spade, JOE DIRT
>
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] Ginger Snaps - 2000
Date: 30 Jan 2002 20:28:24 -0800 (PST)
Ok, I watched this film earlier tonight, I had rented it
based on a strong recommendation from Mr. Michael
SCRUTCHIN, known WORLDWIDE for his love of gory low budget
horror films !
Well, I can't say I was really so impressed with "Ginger
Snaps" ... It's not terrible material but I wouldn't watch
it again either ...
Low budget horror film, a werewolf attacks a 16 year old
girl one night in the park as she is walking with her
cheeky sister. Of course she then starts transforming
slowly but surely into a werewolf and attacking people who
annoy her and her beloved sister of course. To avoid
becoming a werewolf she finds out she has to be injected
with a mix of water and herbs (That was rather ridiculous
actually !) ;-)
The problem with this film is the entire middle section,
the beginning and the ending are quite good but that's only
30-35 minutes of good material there, not enough to carry
the film all the way up to a 3/5 considering all the so-so
scenes in the middle, I would describe as "mediocre" some
of the scenes in the middle of the film actually.
The acting wa so-so, Mr. Scrutchin may have been influenced
by the rather CURVEOUS actress in the lead ... hum hum !
The special effects were very *cheap* too in part and you
could tell it was all *fake* often when the werewolf was
attacking people ...
A few good suspenseful moments near the end actually
brought this film back to a 2.5/5 for me as I almost had my
mind set it would end up at 2/5 but then the ending kicked
in and it was getting better in the last 15 minutes ... Too
little too late unfortunately. ;-( (At least it was
better than "An american werewolf in Paris" that was made
with 10 times more money probably !)
Cheers !
=====
Marc ;-)
"It's not a monster movie ...
IT'S A SUPERNATURAL THRILLER !!!"
Johnny Depp as "Edward D. Wood, Jr." - "Ed Wood" - 1994
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From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] The son's room - 2001
Date: 31 Jan 2002 19:25:05 -0800 (PST)
Ok, I am just back from a nice lil' art house movie theater
that just opened ;-) I am pleased because it's really
close and they only present foreign films, low budget,
independant movies, etc. Tonight I saw "The son's room"
(2001) a very good italian drama directed by Nanni Moretti.
The place was almost jam packed with *mature* and/or
*serious* moviegoers too, even better, not a single rowdy
teeniebopper in sight ! ;-)
I enjoyed this movie about an italian psychiatrist who is
married and has 2 kids, one boy and one girl, both are in
high school. The guy reminded me of a young RON SILVER
actually. (Around 40-45 years old)
I was thinking of "Life is beautiful" sometimes while
watching the film, both have a similar structure and both
are from Italy. The first third of the film is rather
amusing and we get to meet the different members of the
family as well as some of the patients of the psychiatrist.
The mother works in an ad agency, the daughter plays
basketball and the son tennis ... etc.
The problem is that one day the son goes diving with his
friends and a FREAK accident happens ... The son dies (It
is possible that he committed suicide though, only made it
look like an accident ... but that is not 100% certain,
which is a plus, it keeps you guessing throughout the film
!)
We see the reaction of everyone, how they deal with this
TRAGEDY and it is very touching in part too. It's mostly
a character development tale as you can imagine.
The actors were all amazing and I recommend this film
highly. Sometimes I was almost thinking it was good enough
for a 4/5 but then the ending kicks in and it was just a
lil' too *cute* and *long-ish* too ... still a very good
movie.
3.5/5
=====
Marc ;-)
"It's not a monster movie ...
IT'S A SUPERNATURAL THRILLER !!!"
Johnny Depp as "Edward D. Wood, Jr." - "Ed Wood" - 1994
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