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movies-digest         Saturday, July 18 1998         Volume 02 : Number 055



Re: [MV] Armageddon (retraction of insult)
[MV] Lethal Weapon 4 / Buzzy's Review
[MV] Movie News - 07/14/98
[MV] Smaal Soldiers review
[MV] Disaster flicks
[MV] Movie News - 07/15/98
[MV] Sci-Fi Movie News - 07/15/98
[MV] Disaster flicks -Reply
Re: [MV] Disaster flicks
[MV] plots and people
[MV]Snakeeyes
[MV] Movie News - 07/16/98
[MV] Lethal Weapon 4
[MV] Polish Wedding
[MV] Movie News - 07/17/98
[MV] Death (a play)
[MV] Death (a play)
[MV] The Mask of Zorro is ...
Re: [MV] The Mask of Zorro is ... / Buzzy's Review

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

Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 18:26:54 -0500
From: "Tonya =)" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Armageddon (retraction of insult)

Greg wrote:
> My wife finally saw this film and absolutely loved it.  She also
> admitted to crying in a couple of places, so I hereby take back my
> implied criticism of the person who thought that the film was, among
> other things, a tear-jerker.

Just wanted to say thanks for your apology.

- -Tonya


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

Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 23:19:46 EDT
From: <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Lethal Weapon 4 / Buzzy's Review

Lethal Weapon 4

DO NOT TAKE YOUR CHILDREN!

I liked it but I didn't love it.  It seemed to me to be more of the, same old
same old, but with aging references and over-the-hill one liners tossed in to
keep things current.

The fx were wowsers.  Loud and explosive enough to keep up with the rest of
the current crop of action pictures.  The language was, well, as lord and
explosive as the fx.

Now, plot?  The Chinese.  Who can whup whose butt.  And getting old.  Well,
there is more.  But I hate giveaways.

I adore Joe Pesci.  I told my husband this morning that when Joe yells foul
language it is like hearing a love poem whispered in your ear.  Am I missing a
few cards from my deck?  Long gone into the fandom dimension?  Maybe.  But Joe
Pesci is worth going around the bend and not finding my way back.

If you have the chutzpah to experience Joe at his foul mouthed finest, go
rent, The Super.  You'll be a happy camper.

Chris Rock takes a little getting used to but when he and Joe go at it, in a
few memorable scenes, it makes the price of admission worthwhile.  But I gotta
tell you, you have to be one who can take action that is loud, down and dirty,
nastiness.

Now Mel and Danny are their usual adorable selves.  Doing their usual, we are
the good guys, bantering and butt kicking.  If this is your thing, extra
helpings of machismo, you are going to love it.  The fella at the end of the
first row apparently did.  He yelled boisterous crudities at the screen.  Then
I made a suggestion, befitting the movie, and he quieted down.  For maybe
fifteen minutes.  Perhaps he thought my cane could not, uh, never mind.

This was another one that I viewed at ShowPlace 16 in South Bend.  The sound
system is Dolby Digital and it shook the seats.  A young man named Anthony was
an enormous help in getting me my bulk candy, yogurt pretzels.  I needed the
help after the pseudo earthquake.


Buzzy




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

Date: Tue, 14 Jul 1998 15:24:16 -0600 (MDT)
From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 07/14/98

The boys are back. Led by the muscular $34.4 million projected
opening of "Lethal Weapon 4," a quartet of films appealing mainly to
young males dominated the domestic box office and pushed the weekend
tally 17% above the comparable period last year. "Lethal Weapon 4's"
debut was the biggest yet for the successful Mel Gibson franchise,
topping the last installment's $33.2 million opening in 1992. Also
promising was the picture's 12% bump in attendance Saturday over
Friday, which is unusually high for a sequel. Given the film's strong
opening in a crowded mid-summer marketplace, Warner Bros.
distribution president Barry Reardon predicted "Lethal Weapon 4"
could finish in the neighborhood of its predecessor's $145 million
domestic total.

                    -=> * <=-

"Godzilla" stepped into Japanese movie history Saturday by setting an
opening day attendance record of half a million viewers. The
"Godzilla" opening blew away the record set last year of 350,000
customers by "Lost World: Jurassic Park." Die-hard fans of the
fire-breathing lizard lined up early to be among the first to welcome
Hollywood's version of Japan's favorite monster back for its
homecoming. The movie was given one of the largest releases of any
film in recent Japanese history, and is playing at 389 theaters.
Japan is almost certain to be the largest overseas market for the
film.


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

Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 02:56:24 -0700
From: Jason Cormier <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Smaal Soldiers review

This movie has the same dilemma as the Mini Wheats.  Wholesome wheat
(mature violence) for the adults but targeted towards the kids with that
frosted coating (most of the characters are toys).  I don't like Mini
Wheats that much anyway - and that may be the reason why I didn't like
Small Soldiers too.  I'm sure young teen-aged boys would get a kick out of
this one but the characters (the toys) are so 2 dimensional that you cease
to care about them as soon as they start talking.  The human characters are
also pretty flimsy with only a coupla laughs from Hartmans final repose.
Oh to be young again and not care about plot and character development and
suspension of disbelief....I guess I'm going to have to eat just Shredded
Wheat from now on. (boy I think I took that analogy one step too far...:)
rating - Mr. Fail.


Jay the Movieman
[e-mail]

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

Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 12:21:31 -0500 (CDT)
From: Christi Eilleen Falk <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Disaster flicks

    I would like to comment on the recent trend of disaster films that have
begun to plague us.
    When Twister first came out, I thought it was a fantastic movie.
Excellent plot and original dialogue, I even suffered through the 'action'
scenes because the acting was so good.
    I gave it an Aplus.
    Then I saw Volcano and Dante's Peak back to back.  Liked volcano much
better, although it was a bit cheesy in some parts, but I would be content
watching Tommy Lee Jones peel tomatoes for two hours.  Dante's peak horribly
misused Hamilton. All she seemed capable of is crying that she couldn't find her
kids, her mother, and a good cup of coffee.
    But suprisingly, the audience couldn't get enough.  Then we have the
water and asteroid movies, and frankly the popularity of these movies makes me
shift uncomfortably in my seat.
    For those of you who just haven't been able to put their finger on why
these films are so popular, here it is.

Its a new bad guy.  One for the 90's.  God.  When a tornado or a flood, or some
other natural disaster strikes, there's no person you can blame, there's no one
you can sue.  God, in his 'hatred' has chosen our hero for annilation, and we
all have to rally for this wise cracking, stud in the lead role, because,
Dammit, he can't be expendable.
This infuriates me.  Outbreak was a perfect example.  We raised rene russo to
heroine status, and no she has everything to live for: an ex-husband and two
dogs. Meanwhile, a woman who has a loving husband and two small children is
allowed to die, because, hey, their not the main character's, and we can't save
them all.

I'll take a good will hunting movie, or a Usual Suspects movie anyday.

So, do you agree?

cf

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

Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 12:58:14 -0600 (MDT)
From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 07/15/98

Kevin Bacon has signed to star in the thriller "A Stir of
Echoes," independent film company Artisan Entertainment
says. According to Variety, Bacon will play a man whose
ability to predict the future causes him to become involved
in a murder mystery, which almost drives him insane. Bacon
also stars in the upcoming drama "Digging to China,"
directed by Timothy Hutton, and "My Dog Skip."

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

Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 13:36:49 -0600 (MDT)
From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Sci-Fi Movie News - 07/15/98

Moviemaker Steven Spielberg and author Michael
Crichton announced they will team to create a third
installment in Universal Pictures' lucrative film
franchise Jurassic Park.  Universal said Crichton will
write the script for the film, which will be
produced--though not directed--by Spielberg for a
summer 2000 release.

The original Jurassic Park movie, based on the novel of
the same name by Crichton and directed by Spielberg,
earned a staggering $913 million at the box office in
1993.  It was followed in 1997 by the sequel Jurassic
Park: The Lost World, which earned $600 million
worldwide, including a record-setting $90.4 million
during its first weekend of release.

                         -=> * <=-

Disney's much-hyped SF action flick Armageddon
took in an estimated $52.9 million during its first
week of release, giving star Bruce Willis his biggest
movie premiere ever.  However, the film industry
considers Armageddon's box-office take to be
something of a disappointment, as the film was being
touted as this summer's blockbuster.

Based on its relatively anemic opening, some sources
estimated Armageddon would end its theatrical run with
a mere $140 million in sales, well short of the $200-250
million the film was expected to bring in.  The X-Files
movie also fizzled over the Fourth of July weekend,
taking in just $6.4 million in its third week of release.

However, the Eddie Murphy film Dr. Dolittle posted
strong ticket sales, earning another $19.8 million to bring
its two-week take up to $65 million.  That's nearly $6
million better than Murphy's last hit film, The Nutty
Professor, made by its second week in theaters.

                         -=> * <=-

Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush will play the evil
villain Cassanova Frankenstein in Universal's
upcoming superhero film Mystery Men, according to
Variety.  The film is being written by Neil Cuthbert (Hocus
Pocus) based on a comic book by Bob Burden, while
Kinka Usher is set to direct.

Mystery Men tells the story of a group of unusual
superheroes whose powers range from channeling
anger to wielding a shovel.  The unlikely bunch squares
off against Rush's Frankenstein, a criminal who escapes
from a mental hospital and plans to wreak havoc using a
gold chain as his primary weapon.

Rush, a native Australian who's considered one of the
leading stage actors down under, earned the Oscar for
best actor in 1997 for his role in the movie Shine.

                         -=> * <=-

Rob Bowman, who directed The X-Files: Fight the
Future as well as numerous episodes of The
X-Files TV series, is in talks to take over the troubled
Warner Bros. film I Am Legend, according to Variety.
The film was originally supposed to feature Ridley Scott
directing Arnold Schwarzenegger in the starring role, but
when the budget soared over $100 million, Warner
declared the film dead.

Bowman is reportedly waiting for a revised version of the
script that has been significantly scaled down from the
original, while Schwarzenegger may follow Scott in
exiting the project.  I Am Legend is based on the Richard
Matheson novel of the same name, which has previously
been adapted as The Omega Man and The Last Man
on Earth.

                         -=> * <=-

Gregory Widen will co-write and direct Highlander:
The Search for Conner, the fourth installment in the
Highlander film franchise, according to Variety.  The film
will feature both Christopher Lambert, who headlined the
first three films in the series, and Adrian Paul, the star of
the Highlander TV show.

Widen, who co-wrote the original Highlander movie,
would seem to be an ideal choice to revive the flagging
franchise.  His genre credits include writing and directing
The Prophecy, and he is currently adapting the Harlan
Ellison novella "Mefisto in Onyx" into a feature film that
will star Samuel L. Jackson.

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

Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 12:50:24 -0700
From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Disaster flicks -Reply

Christi,

As intriguing as your premise is I have to disagree on a couple of
points.

I don't think that God is being portrayed as a bad guy in fact I
think these movies pretty much sidestep religion.  I would imagine
that a large portion of the audience is not nec. religious but the
films still resonate.

I'm not defending the proliferation of disaster films since I am
probably more tired of them than you but my problem lies in the fact
that most are simply bad.

I don't think God will necessarily cross anybody's mind in producing
any of these films unless they are looking for a cheap emotional
hook.

In the 70s we had a streak of disaster films after a couple hit big
and we will probably have another couple of dozen twenty years from
now.

As soon as the audience grows bored with the F/X then I think these
godawful films will go away.

bb

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

Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 20:07:24 cet
From: "greuel" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Disaster flicks

<color><param>0000,0000,FF00</param><bigger>> Its a new bad guy.  One for the 90's.  God.  When a tornado or a flood, or some

> other natural disaster strikes, there's no person you can blame, there's no one

> you can sue.  God, in his 'hatred' has chosen our hero for annilation, and we

> all have to rally for this wise cracking, stud in the lead role, because,

> Dammit, he can't be expendable.

> This infuriates me.  Outbreak was a perfect example.  We raised rene russo to

> heroine status, and no she has everything to live for: an ex-husband and two

> dogs. Meanwhile, a woman who has a loving husband and two small children is

> allowed to die, because, hey, their not the main character's, and we can't save

> them all.

>

> I'll take a good will hunting movie, or a Usual Suspects movie anyday.

>

> So, do you agree?


Nope


If your theory was true than there would be something indicating that God was to blame. But I
can't find anything. There is no reference to God or religion or anything that would indicate a
Medieval revengeful God in any of these films. There is not even anything mankind would be
blamed for.

"God is dead." (Nietzsche end of 19th century) and he certainly is for cinema in mainstream
films.

I would go along the lines of Bruce to explain the popularity: FX.

If you want to read any deaper meaning into these films then I'd say it's the intrusion of the
unexpected and terrifying into our safe and tamed world. It's the idea that came up towards
the end of the industrialisation: With all our technology we can't completely control nature,
and all our believe in safety is fragile. Our means to blank out risks and dangers are not
always working. If there is anything metaphysical in there it's simply that man is not almighty.

Unfortunately these films demand a happy ending and thus we seem to get away with it in the
end. Something that spoils the idea. I mean who would want to see a ship hit by an iceberg if
they wouldn't be able to save all onboard - and especially the leading actors?


thomas</color><smaller>

<nofill>

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/8911/  - abomiNation

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

Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 09:11:13 cet
From: "greuel" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] plots and people

<FontFamily><param>Monotype.com</param>*** Moviegoers more concerned with plot, survey says


While studios continue to shell out huge paydays to A-list actors,

moviegoers say that star power is not all that important to them.

According to a recent Arbitron New Media survey, more ticket buyers

are concerned with a film's "topic or plot" than with seeing their

favorite actors or actresses. The social aspect of moviegoing is also

a major motivator in getting viewers out of the house and into

theater seats, said the report, which is part of Arbitron New Media's

most recent Pathfinder study. See

<underline><color><param>0000,8000,0000</param>http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2555084354-9a0


<nofill>

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/8911/  - abomiNation

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

Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 08:43:00 -0700
From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV]Snakeeyes

HI Guys,

Last night I went to a screening of Snake Eyes.  This was a workprint
and will probably be tweaked before release but I can't see how they
will change it that dramatically.

First of all I am a very big fan of Gary Sinise, Nicholas Cage and
Brian DePalma and have been anticipating what I expected to be a
great collaboration between some of the top talents in the industry.
Sadly this movie is a complete mess.  Cage is over the top for about ,
oh, 90% of the movie, DePalma is still attempting to keep the record
for longest steadycam shot and Gary Senise is simply wasted.

The script is ridiculous and makes no sense and I'm sure that it was
only accepted because DePalma shared writing credit on it.

After the film friends and I spent 30 minutes venting over the
various problems with the film.  We could have gone on except the
Paramount security guard ran us off the lot.

As much as I've slammed so many movies this year, this is by far the
biggest disappointment of the year for me.

bb

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

Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 11:16:07 -0600 (MDT)
From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 07/16/98

Nicolas Cage will produce and star in a remake of "The
Courtship of Eddie's Father," the 1963 film starring Glenn
Ford and Ron Howard, according to Variety. Ford played a
widower who struggles to find a new wife/stepmother who
meets the approval of his young son (played by Howard). The
film was also the basis for an ABC TV series starring Bill
Bixby and Brandon Cruz that ran from 1969-72. Cage, 34, was
said to be interested in the project because he has a
7-year-old son, Weston, approximately the age of the young
boy in the original picture.

                         -=> * <=-

In other casting news, Johnny Depp and director Tim
Burton, who did "Edward Scissorhands" and "Ed Wood"
together, are expected to collaborate for a third time on
the romantic "Sleepy Hollow," with Depp playing author
Washington Irving's Ichabod Crane, says Variety. Christina
Ricci is said to be the top contender for the lead female
role of Katrina van Tassel.

                         -=> * <=-

Geena Davis, who hasn't been seen in a feature since
1996's "The Long Kiss Goodnight," will star in "Stuart
Little," scheduled to be released for Christmas '99. The
film is based on the classic 1945 children's book by E.B.
White about the youngest mouse in the Stuart mouse family.

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

Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 20:55:11 -0500
From: Anita Osler <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Lethal Weapon 4

Has anyone seen it yet?  What's your verdict on this latest addition?
Does it hold up to the previous sequels or are they copying this one to
death like the Rocky movies?

I hope to see it this weekend.  I saw Armageddon last week and
thoroughly enjoyed it.
:o)


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

Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 07:16:58 -0700
From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Polish Wedding

I'm beginning to feel like the movie grouch.

Last night I saw Polish Wedding and it was just awful.  Poor Clair
Danes is not destined to reach the levels of success that her Romeo
and Juliet co-star has achieved if she continues in roles such as
this.

Lena Olin plays the strong matriarch of a large polish family in
Detroit with Gabriel Byrne as her patient husband.  Clair is the one
daughter with 4 or 5 brothers, I don't remember erxactly how many.

Anyway, mom's cheating on dad.  Clair's teasing the local sailors and
smoking with her 6 year old brother.  Dad endures his burden with
quiet stoicism and the brothers generally grunt at the dinner table.
 I don't know what the point of all this is but all in all the family
is a bunch of jerks.

If I was polish I would be insulted.  If I was Catholic I would be
insulted.  If you are either of these you should be.  In fact if you
are a Polish Catholic you should be really pissed.

SPOILER_SPOILER_SPOILER

There is one of many developments that defy logic.  Clair Danes is
blatantly screwing around with strangers literally from the opening
seconds of the movie.  She and friends hang out on the street
drinking beer late at night.  She's just dropped out of High School.
Despite all of this the local priest chooses her as the honored virgin
in a religious procession that occurs at the climax.

There are so many bad movies this summer that I'm stuck because I
cannot say this one or that is the worst I've seen.  I will say this
is the worst family drama I've seen in years.

I did have a nice dinner and conversation afterwards though.

bye,
bb

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

Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 13:37:16 -0600 (MDT)
From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 07/17/98

Rather than risk controversy, Antonio Banderas has withdrawn
from a film about Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (credited with
creating modern Turkey out of the ruins of the Ottoman
Empire) after intense protests by Greek-Americans who fear
the film will portray historical rival Turkey in a favorable
light. Banderas, who opens today in "The Mask of Zorro," has
left producer Tarquin Olivier, 61, son of the late actor
Laurence Olivier, without a star for the $25 million
project, The New York Times reports. Banderas' agent, Lisa
Baum, said Banderas wanted to devote full time to another
film, "The Phantom of the Opera." But Olivier said Banderas
withdrew in reaction to the protests.

                         -=> * <=-

Claire Danes, Minnie Driver and Gillian Anderson have agreed
to lend their vocal talents to the American version of the
Japanese animated blockbuster "Princess Mononoke." Miramax
is targeting a summer 1999 domestic release for the
adult-oriented picture, which grossed more than $150 million
in Japan. Danes will provide the voice of the heroine San,
Driver will take the role of Eboshi and Anderson will voice
a character called Moro.

                         -=> * <=-

Ralph Fiennes is negotiating to star in "The End of the
Affair," a film based on a Graham Greene novel that has the
romance of "The English Patient" with a bit more steaminess.
Variety says the story, which takes place during the London
Blitz, revolves around a man and woman who endure a cold
marriage until the wife falls for one of her husband's dear
friends, a writer played by Fiennes. The writer and the
woman have a brief, passionate affair, which she ends
abruptly. The lover later discovers that the woman has made
a pact with God that if the Almighty spares her lover from a
particularly bad bombing raid, she would agree never to see
him again.

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

Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 16:58:39 -0700
From: Jason Cormier <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Death (a play)

                          Death (a play)
                        &
                Death (a collective)

        will be performed on July 26th and 27th at 8:30pm
                 on the roof of Jackson Square in Hamilton

Death (a play) is written by Woody Allen and it is very funny.  The
collective is a play created by the cast about the myth of Orpheus but set
in the modern day workplace.  Both are very entertaining and both are very
FREE!!!!!!  Bring a blanket or lawn chairs as it is outside (there is an
inside venue if it rains!).  This is my directorial debut and I am having a
wonderful time with such a wonderful cast.  Come on out so you never have
to say that there isn't anything fun to do in Hamilton!


Jay the Movieman
[e-mail]

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

Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 16:57:53 -0700
From: Jason Cormier <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Death (a play)

                          Death (a play)
                        &
                Death (a collective)

        will be performed on July 26th and 27th at 8:30pm
                 on the roof of Jackson Square in Hamilton

Death (a play) is written by Woody Allen and it is very funny.  The
collective is a play created by the cast about the myth of Orpheus but set
in the modern day workplace.  Both are very entertaining and both are very
FREE!!!!!!  Bring a blanket or lawn chairs as it is outside (there is an
inside venue if it rains!).  This is my directorial debut and I am having a
wonderful time with such a wonderful cast.  Come on out so you never have
to say that there isn't anything fun to do in Hamilton!


Jay the Movieman
[e-mail]

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

Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 22:17:39 -0600
From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] The Mask of Zorro is ...

... great!

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

Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 13:30:24 EDT
From: <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] The Mask of Zorro is ... / Buzzy's Review

The Mask of Zorro

Do you dream of adventure?  Heroes and heroines?  Romance?  Love that is
strong and true?

You do?  Wonderful!  Then our dreams are much the same and The Mask of Zorro
was made for you.

This movie is lovely to look at.  The visuals.  The scenery.  The beautiful
Catherine Zeta-Jones and the equally beautiful, in a very handsome way :-) ,
Antonio Banderas.

It is a fun movie.  I grinned from ear to ear through better than ninety
percent of the it.  If you loved the original, you are going to adore this
one.

My husband Kevin, who pays attention to other reviews while I do not, says
that a certain female reviewer he saw on television claimed that this movie is
not for children.  To a certain extent, I do agree.  But to a certain extent,
I do not.

It is intense.  Very much so.  Especially in certain scenes.  Some of which
may be too stimulating for very small children.  However, having seen this, I
believe that the stronger scenes can be explained to an older child if a
parent is willing to do so.  There is one, in particular, that is meant to
serve as a visual blow to Zorro, and being meant as a blow, would certainly
stun children.  For that, I would be inclined, with explanation, to do some
quick eye covering if I felt it warranted.

I suggest that you not dismiss it entirely as a movie for your children and
instead prescreen it.  When I was a child, Zorro left his mark on me.  I count
myself blessed.  Believing that good can best bad, in heroes and heroines that
are the stuff of legends, has gotten me through some very tough times.  If I
had not been exposed to Zorro, I may not have made it.

The plot itself concerns a, uh, revamped Zorro.  Who, once again, is
responsible for the good people of California.  Who has to battle an evil Don
in order to win their freedom.  Along the way, as is the case with Zorro and
other legendary swashbucklers, his eye and heart are captured by an exquisite,
fiery beauty.

He is marvelously portrayed by Antonio Banderas.  I laughed, chortled, shouted
out my glee.  What the audience thought of this loud fat woman, dressed all in
black, brandishing a cane, I do not know.  I do know that I simply could not
contain my joy.  Antonio has earned himself a new fan in Buzzy.

Of course this means I did the boisterous viewer of another heroic film,
Lethal Weapon 4, quite the injustice.  When he expressed his joy at the
screen, albeit more with words, I became quite angry.  Shame on me.

Antonio does manage to portray all of Zorro's intricacies.  His sorrow, hunger
for justice, thirst for revenge, and that delightful sense of showmanship.
Such fun!

Catherine Zeta-Jones, as Elena, is every bit, even more so, a match for Zorro.
She is incredibly beautiful, spirited, and courageous.  There are one or two
false notes in her performance.  I cannot tell you what they are without
revealing plot.  However they are more likely due to direction and writing
than to acting.  I have to say, too, that this woman is beautiful enough to be
a work of art.  Her inner beauty, as well as genetically gifted good looks,
work together to make her memorable.

Anthony Hopkins, a consummate actor as the public already knows, shines in his
role as the teacher of Zorro.  Both as mentor, and example of what Zorro can
be, he is superb.  Also, quite sexy, and handsome in his own right.  He,
himself, made my pulse race.

Stuart Wilson, as the evil Don Rafael Montero, manages to convey the humanity
and goodness of the character.  Not just the lust for power that drives him to
evil.  A superior performance.

Matt Letscher's performance, as Captain Love, I did not care for at all.
Matt, if you read this, I am sorry.  I just kept thinking of him as a twisted
General Custer.  Whether it be acting, writing, or direction, I do not know.
I just plain did not like anything about the character or performance.

I am so in love with this movie.  I actually had to go and download publicity
pictures.

Go see it.  If you do not love it, well, come after me and challenge me to a
sword fight.  But you might be surprised at who'd win.


Buzzy




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