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From: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com (movies-digest)
To: movies-digest@lists.xmission.com
Subject: movies-digest V2 #68
Reply-To: movies-digest
Sender: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com
Errors-To: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com
Precedence: bulk
movies-digest Thursday, August 20 1998 Volume 02 : Number 068
Re: [MV] Movies that suck
Re: [MV] Movies that suck
RE: [MV] Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 14:01:15 +0200
Re: [MV] Movies that suck
Re: [MV] Movies that suck
Re: [MV] Movies that suck
Re: [MV] Movies that suck
[MV] Movie News - 08/19/98
[MV] REVIEW: BLADE
Re: [MV] Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 14:01:15 +0200
[MV] City of angels
Re: [MV] Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 14:01:15 +0200
[MV] Movieman Hiatus
[MV] Movie News - 08/20/98
[MV] The Movie Report#155, 8/20/98
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 11:37:36 -0400
From: MaryAnn Johanson <mjohanson@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [MV] Movies that suck
Garrett Winters wrote:
> Well off the top of my head I'd say Aliens, Star Wars, and T2 were all
> effects heavy and plot light. They stunned us and so didn't need much of
> a story.
> Garrett
Wow! That's the first time I've ever heard Star Wars descibed as "plot light."
Star Wars is a classic hero's journey story with plot that's always in motion.
Did you see the same movie the rest of us did?
Aliens and T2 may not have complex plots, but I think their stories do each
move along at a nice clip.
MaryAnn
- --
<------------------------->
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Check out The Flick Filosopher!
www.flickfilosopher.com
<------------------------->
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 11:34:31 -0400
From: ryana@allensysgroup.com (Ryan Allen)
Subject: Re: [MV] Movies that suck
At 10:53 8/19/98 , you wrote:
>Good vs. Evil is not a plot--it is a theme. Star Wars is much more than
>a theme--it has a plot that has continued to develop through three movies
>and no doubt will continue to develop through three more. It was part
>of a continuing story that is complex and does not rely simply on special
>effects to make it work.
Good point Sara, and my apologies to all if I wasn't more clear earlier.
The 12 stories I was referring to earlier were in fact THEMES. Good vs.
Evil, Man vs. Nature, all themes. The plot and storyline are what are
often convincing.
Oh, and Twister, another example. Themes (2): Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Man.
Plot: launch theoretical bulbs into a tornado. Not a strong one, but a
decent story.
Cheers,
Ryan
Intranet Specialist
Intranet Development Team (IDTeam)
Allen Systems Group
http://www.asg.com
## Hurricane Season (June 1-Nov. 1) is Here! ##
## Please visit my Personal Page ##
## http://www.gate.net/~airwolf ##
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 08:44:42 -0700
From: "Romero, Leticia" <lromero@saonet.ucla.edu>
Subject: RE: [MV] Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 14:01:15 +0200
City of Angels: good movie -- Wings of Desire: EXCELLENT MOVIE! I highly
recommend the Original!!
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Fabien FOUGEROUX [SMTP:fabien@vtech.fr]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 1998 5:02 AM
> To: movies@xmission.com
> Subject: [MV] Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 14:01:15 +0200
>
> I'm a new comer and I wonder if I can ask questions about movies...
> Anyway, here's my question:
>
> I'd like to know if somebody saw or heard about "The city of angels" (I'm
> not sure about the english title...). Someone told me it's a good movie
> but
> I'm still undecided...
>
> Thanks for your help!
>
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 12:09:25 EDT
From: <ATLibra930@aol.com>
Subject: Re: [MV] Movies that suck
I personally love star wars, and it did have a plot. One movie that didn't
have a GOOD plot was Mafia. Every movie has a plot, it is just whether or not
it is interesting and good. If Star Wars didn't have a plot, nobody would like
it. Well, that's my opinion at least....
Alison
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 09:16:20 PDT
From: "Danielle Conkle" <danyelli@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [MV] Movies that suck
>Oh, and Twister, another example. Themes (2): Man vs. Nature, Man >vs.
Man.
> Plot: launch theoretical bulbs into a tornado. Not a strong one, >but
a
>decent story.
A decent story? I think Twister would be a good example of a movie
living completely on special affects and almost no plot whatsoever.
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 13:13:19 -0400
From: ryana@allensysgroup.com (Ryan Allen)
Subject: Re: [MV] Movies that suck
At 12:16 8/19/98 , you wrote:
>>Oh, and Twister, another example. Themes (2): Man vs. Nature, Man >vs.
>Man.
>> Plot: launch theoretical bulbs into a tornado. Not a strong one, >but
>a
>>decent story.
> A decent story? I think Twister would be a good example of a movie
>living completely on special affects and almost no plot whatsoever.
>
Yes, decent. Not good, not great. But I wouldn't say it's as bad as
Ishtar. The plot was thin, but the story (man vs. man, man vs. nature) was
OK. Maybe I should have used OK. Twister is a good example of a thin plot
and OK storyline covered in gobs of special effects.
Ryan
Intranet Specialist
Intranet Development Team (IDTeam)
Allen Systems Group
http://www.asg.com
## Hurricane Season (June 1-Nov. 1) is Here! ##
## Please visit my Personal Page ##
## http://www.gate.net/~airwolf ##
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 18:48:38 +0100
From: "Toni Slovacek" <tonis@dircon.co.uk>
Subject: Re: [MV] Movies that suck
Actually the PLOT in Twister was okay - the actual writing (dialogue,
direction) left a lot to be desired. The problem with most Hollywood
plots/storylines is that they can't just have the 'good' scientists trying
to do something with Nature - there has to be conflict in the form of some
'bad' scientists (or just baddies) to continually screw them up - this is
where Twister got so gloopy. But personally I think that the writer and/or
director wanted both the character-driven story (Hunt and Paxton
rediscovering each other) and the tornado-driven story (c'mon, c'mon, show
us an F5!!! AND the damage afterward!) at the same time and as result didn't
manage either satisfactorily. The theme should have been 'Man vs Nature' but
because of sloppy writing and/or direction it couldn't decide between 'Man
vs Nature', 'Man vs Man' or 'Love Reclaimed Against All Odds!'
Ho hum ...
- -----Original Message-----
From: Ryan Allen <ryana@allensysgroup.com>
To: movies@lists.xmission.com <movies@lists.xmission.com>
Date: 19 August 1998 18:14
Subject: Re: [MV] Movies that suck
>At 12:16 8/19/98 , you wrote:
>>>Oh, and Twister, another example. Themes (2): Man vs. Nature, Man >vs.
>>Man.
>>> Plot: launch theoretical bulbs into a tornado. Not a strong one, >but
>>a
>>>decent story.
>> A decent story? I think Twister would be a good example of a movie
>>living completely on special affects and almost no plot whatsoever.
>>
>
>Yes, decent. Not good, not great. But I wouldn't say it's as bad as
>Ishtar. The plot was thin, but the story (man vs. man, man vs. nature) was
>OK. Maybe I should have used OK. Twister is a good example of a thin plot
>and OK storyline covered in gobs of special effects.
>
>Ryan
>Intranet Specialist
>Intranet Development Team (IDTeam)
>Allen Systems Group
>http://www.asg.com
>
>## Hurricane Season (June 1-Nov. 1) is Here! ##
>## Please visit my Personal Page ##
>## http://www.gate.net/~airwolf ##
>
>[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
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>
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 14:11:12 -0600 (MDT)
From: The Reporter <gregorys@xmission.com>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 08/19/98
"Armageddon" launched into the record books over the weekend as Buena
Vista's top-grossing live-action film with a 47-day total of $180
million. The summer blockbuster, which stars Bruce Willis, broke an
eight year record of the distributor for the Walt Disney Co. shooting
past "Pretty Woman," which collected $178.4 million in 1990. Buena
Vista has historically enjoyed stronger performances from its
animation division. Its all-time highest-grossing film is "The Lion
King" (1994), with boxoffice receipts totaling $312.8 million. The
animated adventure is the sixth-highest-grossing release ever in
North America and has collected $455 million in international
boxoffice for a worldwide total of $767.8 million. "Aladdin" (1992)
is the studio's second-highest-grossing film with $217.3 million.
-=> * <=-
Fred Dryer's career has been idling since "Hunter" went off
the air in 1991, but don't tell that to the Chinese. Dryer
is going to be the guest of honor at the fourth Chinese Film
Festival starting Aug. 23. "From what they've told me, I am
the biggest American star in China," Dryer told Variety,
"and when they tell you there are 1.3 billion people who
think you're the biggest star in the world, you say you're
going." The popularity of his old cop show abroad has Dryer
working on a "Hunter" movie that he says would be shot
primarily in China for about $5 million.
-=> * <=-
Celine Dion says "My Heart Will Go On," her Oscar-winning
song from "Titanic," was a one-take wonder. The version on
the soundtrack was intended to be a demo, but it turned out
so well that it didn't need to be recorded again.
"Technically, I could have done it better, but emotionally
it was there," Dion told the Boston Globe. "Everybody was
crying [in the studio], and I think there's something good
in that." Twenty-five million copies of the soundtrack have
been sold, making it the all-time top seller in the
soundtrack category.
-=> * <=-
In other news of "Titanic," James Cameron and 20th Century
Fox have put together a package of souvenirs from the movie
to be auctioned off Oct. 23 at the annual Carousel of Hope
fund-raiser. The items include a crew jacket, T-shirt,
baseball cap, CD, video, a Cameron-signed "Titanic" book and
a signed photo of Leonardo DiCaprio taken on the set. Celine
Dion will perform at the event, to benefit the Barbara Davis
Center for Childhood Diabetes.
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 17:04:02 -0600 (MDT)
From: Scott Renshaw <renshaw@inconnect.com>
Subject: [MV] REVIEW: BLADE
BLADE
(New Line)
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson, N'Bushe
Wright, Donal Logue.
Screenplay: David S. Goyer, based on the character published by Marvel
Comics.
Producers: Peter Frankfurt, Wesley Snipes and Robert Engelman.
Director: Stephen Norrington.
MPAA Rating: R (violence, gore, profanity, adult themes)
Running Time: 118 minutes.
Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.
BLADE is a comic book adaptation, which in recent years has meant you
could expect one of two approaches: brooding and violent (THE CROW,
SPAWN) or gaudy and hyper-kinetic (BATMAN AND ROBIN, THE MASK, TANK GIRL).
BLADE is no exception...sort of. Instead of choosing one familiar path or
the other, the makers of BLADE have chosen both -- it's brooding, gaudy,
violent _and_ hyper-kinetic. The surprising good news is that it comes
impressively close to succeeding at both. The bad news is that means it
doesn't entirely succeed at either one.
The premise alone is intriguing enough to give it a fair shot. In a
prologue set thirty years ago, we see a woman dying from a vampire attack
just as she gives birth to a son. Flash forward to the present day, where
that son has grown up to be Blade (Wesley Snipes), a hybrid with all the
strength of a vampire but none of the weaknesses -- he can walk in
daylight with impunity, eat a pizza with extra garlic, and so on. That
makes him ideally suited for his vocation as vampire hunter, which he and
his weapons guru/mentor Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) carry out with
extreme prejudice. His latest challenge is a young upstart named Deacon
Frost (Stephen Dorff, the poor man's Kevin Bacon), who plans to unleash
some sort of vampiric armageddon upon humanity unless Blade can cut him
down to size first.
All right, the latter portion doesn't qualify as any sort of
intriguing. It's more in that gaudy and hyper-kinetic category, a
climactic conclusion to two hours of punishing, extremely sanguine action.
It's also extremely effective action, directed by former special effects
make-up artist Stephen Norrington at the kind of blistering pace generally
associated with Jackie Chan films. Make no mistake, BLADE _moves_, with
dynamic fight sequences and a parade of gruesome special effects --
exploding vampire heads, disintegrating vampire bodies, vampire skeletons
crawling out of their skins. With Snipes anchoring the action as the
chiseled anti-hero, BLADE's frenzied, over-the-top battles offer plenty of
visceral thrills.
Of course, it has to pause every once in a while for exposition,
which usually is where films of this kind collapse into a puddle of
stupidity. BLADE, on the other hand, teases with provocative concepts
that ultimately go nowhere. The tormented hero is nothing new in the
modern "graphic novel" comic book milieu, but BLADE adds the notion of our
protagonist as (in Deacon's words) a vampire Uncle Tom, trying to pass
himself off as human because he's uncomfortable with his vampire lineage.
There are more hints of vampires as a persecuted minority in scenes of a
vampire council discussing how they have struck bargains with humans for
their mutual survival. When the militant Deacon rejects the assimilation
tactics of his elders in favor of "vampire power," it could have been the
basis for more complex themes than you'd ever expect from a comic book
thriller. Is Blade, for all his righteous wrath, merely engaging in a
sort of "ethnic cleansing?" Could Deacon just be firing up a "we're here,
we're vampires, get used to it" civil rights movement?
Interesting questions, if anyone had bothered to ask them.
Unfortunately, the politics of vampirism quickly gives way to simple,
rapid-fire good guy vs. bad guy stuff. There's a token pseudo-romantic
interest (N'Bushe Wright), a thick-headed henchman (Donal Logue), and a
villain whose only distinguishing characteristic is his villainy. BLADE
keeps setting you up to expect that the sub-text is going to matter
somehow, then always bails out for another round of spinning back-kicks
and shotgun blasts. I suppose you could take a glass-half-full view and
applaud both the quality of the action and the mere attempt to give depth
to the viscera. There's just too much viscera, and not enough depth, to
take that attempt seriously. It's an exciting under-achiever -- to
brooding to be pure gaudy fun, to gaudy to let its brooding go anywhere
interesting.
On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 double-edged blades: 5.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 08:52:07 +0800
From: Blacknight <rvchua@ntep.nec.co.jp>
Subject: Re: [MV] Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 14:01:15 +0200
Fabien FOUGEROUX wrote:
> I'm a new comer and I wonder if I can ask questions about movies...
> Anyway, here's my question:
>
> I'd like to know if somebody saw or heard about "The city of angels"
> (I'm
> not sure about the english title...). Someone told me it's a good
> movie but
> I'm still undecided...
>
I saw City of Angels about two months ago. I can't say it is one of
the best movies that I have seen. Eventhough I am a fan of Nicholas Cage
since FaceOff and Meg Ryan since Sleepless in Seattle, all I can give is
an OK rating.
The story of the movie was a bit ordinary but what I really liked
was the concept of the angels. I don't think I have read or knew before
about angels wearing black, hanging out at the library, listening to
God's music during sunrise, silently intervening on people's lives
during moments of conflict and waiting for people to die at operating
rooms. These were all new to me, it literally took my breath away. I
guess we were pretty brought up with stories of angels having halos and
wearing flowing dresses, the idea presented in the movie was quite
refreshing though I am not sure if the movie was the first one to
introduce this idea. I have to admit that when I was watching the movie,
I was really very unhappy. I ended up crying buckets of tears that were
totally unrelated to the movie. There were scenes that I loved, like
when Seth threw himself off the building, when a child waved to the
black angel, when the angels would line up on the beach to hear God's
music.
As for the story, almost everything fell down. I simply did not like
Meg Ryan's character, I wonder how could an angel fall in love with her.
Her character was poorly written, it could have been improved, given
more depth. As for Seth, I simply could not feel anything for him except
when he has that deep look in his eyes.
I guess the movie was too engrossed in the visuals and all those
varying shades of color. I myself was constantly trying to hear the
music. What really sent me to nirvana was hearing the strains of U2's
"If God Would Send His Angels" when Nicholas Cage and Dennis Franz were
talking in the diner. The song that I liked best in the soundtrack was
Goo Goo Dolls "Iris". I liked the instrumental pieces in the soundtrack,
in fact a friend of mine said that it was like someone died.
The best line from the movie would be "I would rather have had one
breath of her hair, one kiss from
her mouth, one touch of her hand, than eternity without it. One."
Blacknight
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 18:46:30 PDT
From: "Danielle Conkle" <danyelli@hotmail.com>
Subject: [MV] City of angels
The part i liked the most about City of Angels, was when Meg Ryan was
trying to get her (boyfriend?) to just look at her.....like the way Cage
looked at her. Cage really did have this amazing look, with these big
blue eyes. It seemed so penetrating.
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 10:42:24 +0800 (HKT)
From: Jayson <ja970600@balut.admu.edu.ph>
Subject: Re: [MV] Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 14:01:15 +0200
On Wed, 19 Aug 1998, Fabien FOUGEROUX wrote:
> I'm a new comer and I wonder if I can ask questions about movies...
> Anyway, here's my question:
>
> I'd like to know if somebody saw or heard about "The city of angels" (I'm
> not sure about the english title...). Someone told me it's a good movie but
> I'm still undecided...
>
It's "City of Angels" starring Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan and it's
uhm...okay.
Jayson
- -----------------
I've been down this road walkin' the line
That's painted by pride
And I have made mistakes in my life
That I just can't hide
Oh I believe I am ready for what love has to bring
Got myself together, now I'm ready to sing.
I've been searching my soul tonight
I know there's so much more to life
Now I know I can shine a light
To find my way back home
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 02:13:31 -0700
From: Jason Cormier <movieman@netcom.ca>
Subject: [MV] Movieman Hiatus
Sorry everyone...Movieman is going on holiday! He'll be away till the end
of August. I know you'll miss him and his witty reviews of all the current
movies but fear not my fickle friends as he will return unscathed and
totally intact. Maybe this journey will be for the better - only time will
tell. Until then may you see only good movies.
Jay the Movieman
movieman@netcom.ca
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 16:05:14 -0600 (MDT)
From: The Reporter <gregorys@xmission.com>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 08/20/98
DreamWorks has acquired the English-language remake rights to the hit
French comedy "Le Diner de Cons." The picture focuses on a wealthy
Paris publisher and his friends, who every Wednesday night try to
outdo one another by bringing the most flagrantly idiotic person they
can find to join them for dinner. When the publisher invites an
accountant whom he thinks is a complete nincompoop, he finds himself
at the mercy of the troubles the guest causes. The film is riding
high at the French box office with ticket sales of $44 million to
date.
-=> * <=-
Steven Spielberg's "Small Soldiers" hardly electrified summer movie
audiences, but the film has sparks flying at the Idaho Power Company.
In the feature by Spielberg's studio DreamWorks, a teen-age character
kills a mutant toy soldier by shorting out two distribution
transformers mounted on a utility pole. Idaho Power, horrified by the
high-voltage cinematic antics, blew its fuse in the company's weekly
newsletter Wednesday. "We've worked for years to educate kids and
their parents about the inherent danger of electricity," said Larry
Darling, manager of safety and security at the utility. "And now,
Hollywood is depicting power poles as jungle gyms."
-=> * <=-
A Minnesota teen-ager who claimed he didn't know what a veteran was
served part of his sentence for vandalizing a veteran's park:
watching the movie "Saving Private Ryan." Last week, Judge Dennis
Challeen sentenced Roger Bendickson, 18, to watch the film for
vandalizing Veterans Memorial Park on July 4. Bendickson also was
ordered to repay his share of $296 in damages, perform 20 hours of
community service and stay out of trouble for one year or face 90
days in jail. Dozens of angry veterans attended Bendickson's court
hearings. Winona County corrections agent Terry Marnach, who helped
craft the unique sentence said, "He now knows what a veteran is, he
knows what war is, he knows it's horrible and he understands why
those people were mad." The Winona Senior High School student said he
understands why the veterans are mad. "I ain't doing that again," he
said.
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 15:07:36 -0700
From: Michael Dequina <michael_jordan@geocities.com>
Subject: [MV] The Movie Report#155, 8/20/98
T H E
M O V I E
R E P O R T
#155
AUGUST 20, 1998
=>T H I S W E E K<=
M O V I E S
- -_Dead_Man_on_Campus_
- -_The_Avengers_
- -_Slums_of_Beverly_Hills_
- -_How_Stella_Got_Her_Groove_Back_
V I D E O
- -_(An_Alan_Smithee_Film--)_Burn_Hollywood_Burn_
- -_The_Apostle_
- -_Kundun_
- -_The_Newton_Boys_
PLEASE HELP...
...keep the MR and Mr. Brown's Movie Site alive
(_I_don't_even_own_a_computer_) by renting or purchasing videos from
Reel.com! Visit:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nhp-reel.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=welcome.html
You can now pre-order _Titanic_ for only $9.99! Order at:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nhp-reel.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=/sale/sale.html
For links to the official websites of all the current films, past reviews,
exclusive Hollywood event photos, movie discussion board, movie theme MIDI
files, and more, visit Mr. Brown's Movie Site at:
http://welcome.to/mrbrown or
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown
Please don't forget to sign the guestbook...
Select reviews are available at CompuServe Hollywood Hotline:
http://www.HollywoodHotline.com
...and the Eyepiece Network at:
http://www.eyepiece.com
...and Albany Online at:
http://www.AlbanyOnline.com
all movies graded out of four stars (****)
~~~
=>M O V I E S<=
N E W R E L E A S E S
Hollywood Hotline Featured Review
_Dead_Man_on_Campus_ (R) *
While I am not fond of any writer's use of cheap, easy puns, I am not
completely above using them myself when the situation merits it (witness my
review of _Pecker_ from a couple of issues ago). So here goes: the
juvenile, college-set black comedy _Dead_Man_on_Campus_ is dead on arrival.
Strait-laced med student Josh (Tom Everett Scott, who manages to remain
somewhat likable throughout)'s blemish-free academic record breaks out into
Fs, thanks to the influence of his ever-partying roommate, Cooper
(Mark-Paul Gosselaar), who introduces Josh to the sex- and booze-filled
nights that come with university life. With the threat of losing an
academic scholarship (Josh) and a life cleaning toilets for his dad looming
(Cooper), what are two good-hearted slackers to do? Easy--look for a
loophole, which they find in the form of an unbelievable rule in the school
charter that states that if a student's (or students') roommate commits
suicide, the surviving student(s) shall receive straight As. So instead of
studying, Josh and Cooper attempt to seek out the most depressed student
out there, move him into their dorm room, and drive him to suicide before
the semester ends.
Director Alan Cohn and screenwriters Michael Traeger and Mike White
(working from a story by Anthony Abrams and Adam Larson Broder) take their
sweet time to build the head of steam that comes with Josh and Cooper's
diabolical plot. Until then, the usual boring cliches of college life
(booze, sex, more booze) fill the time, which is made to feel longer by
_Saved_by_the_Bell_ alumnus Gosselaar's sitcom-bred mugging. That said,
once Cohn and company do build some comic momentum, they mishandle it. The
introduction of the manic, psychotic Cliff (Lochlyn Munro), a potential
roommate for Josh and Cooper, brings some demented life to the uninspired
proceedings before being hastily written out in favor of two less
interesting candidates: paranoid nerd Buckley (Randy Pearlstein) and
British death rocker Matt (Corey Page). One wishes that Cliff would
reappear, but, as they say, be careful what you wish for. Not
surprisingly, he does resurface, and it then becomes clear that this is a
character that is best taken in a small dose; almost immediately, his
extended boorish and sociopathic antics loses its novelty.
The same can be said about all of _Dead_Man_on_Campus_. Whatever morbid
appeal the far-fetched premise has quickly evaporates, and the
self-absorbed characters, especially Cooper, pretty much grate from the
get-go. _Dead_Man_ doesn't grow tiresome; it already _is_ once the clever
opening titles are through. As it slogs along to a cheesy,
happy-for-all-parties conclusion, _Dead_Man_ lives up to its title and then
some--not only does the movie grow even more tired and die, it still
insists on going on... like a zombie.
_The_Avengers_ (PG-13) no stars
Before I take a closer look at anything within a film--the acting, the
script, whatever--it must first pass the "WTF" test. That is, I must be
able to safely watch the entire film without once seeing something so
incredibly, stupefyingly insulting, at which point I am left to (audibly)
utter, "WHAT THE FUCK?" The mega-budgeted big-screen update of the cult
'60s spy TV series _The_Avengers_ failed the WTF test around the 25-minute
mark, when the villainous Sir August DeWynter (Sean Connery) has a
conference with his partners in crime. While that doesn't sound out of the
ordinary in and of itself, DeWynter and his conspirators, seated at a long
table, are all wearing fuzzy teddy bear suits. Each one in a different
color of the rainbow. Everyone together now: "WHAT THE FUCK?"
Exactly what is this completely incomprehensible bore perpetrated by
"director" Jeremiah Chechik and "writer" Don Macpherson about? No, it's
not about superslick British spies John Steed (Ralph Fiennes) and Dr. Emma
Peel (Uma Thurman) and their world-saving adventures. Nor is it about
DeWynter's mystifying plan to somehow destroy the world by way of a weather
machine. Far from it. _The_Avengers_ is about the superstylish fashions
sported by Academy Award-nominated models Fiennes and Thurman. Here's
Ralph in a classy gray flannel and silk suit with matching bowler hat and
umbrella. Now it's Uma, looking fetching in a skin-tight, neck-to-toe
vinyl catsuit with four-inch heels. And so on. Yes, there is something of
a story stringing the fashion show together, but since Chechik and
Macpherson obviously didn't give it a second thought, neither will I here.
Granted, the photogenic Fiennes and Thurman make an attractive pair. But,
as with even the best models, things go straight to hell once they open
their mouths. The two are talented actors, but there's nothing they or
anyone can do with Macpherson's witless idea of comic repartee. The
tension that consequently builds between Steed and Peel is not sexual but
of a different sort--the type you get when oil and water meet (so I guess
you can say there is some kind of chemistry going on). The Oscar winner in
the bunch, Connery, is even more lost, so over-the-top as if to be "acting"
in a completely different film from another planet.
For the entire film, the audience with whom I saw _The_Avengers_ was stone
silent... until the end credits started to roll, at which point a lone
voice from the rear of the auditorium snapped, "That shit was stupid."
While no one offered an "amen," I'm certain that's exactly what everyone
was thinking.
Hollywood Hotline Featured Review
_Slums_of_Beverly_Hills_ (R) ** 1/2
In late August, the Fox network is premiering a new period sitcom called
_That_'70s_Show_. If I didn't know any better, I would have believed that
the pilot had already aired--on the big screen, under the title
_Slums_of_Beverly_Hills_. For her first film, writer-director Tamara
Jenkins has served up a well-meaning, often engaging comedic slice of 1976
SoCal life, but even its pleasures would seem more at home on the tube.
This is not to say, however, that _Slums_ is without big screen-worthy
virtues. First and foremost, Jenkins offers an unusually frank depiction
of a teenage girl's sexual awakening, that of 15-year-old Vivian Abramowitz
(Natasha Lyonne). Vivian is neither completely excited over nor frightened
of her burgeoning womanhood, as films often depict; instead, she occupies a
more realistic, tentative middle ground. A sore subject for her is her
ever-increasing breast size, but she is not afraid to use the allure of
such assets, allowing a
potential paramour (Kevin Corrigan) to touch them during what is only a
second meeting. Jenkins also deserves credit for showing Vivian experiment
with a vibrator. While she deserves credit for the mere inclusion of such
a scene, Jenkins's real accomplishment is making it tasteful, realistic,
and not at all ridiculous.
Lyonne is an endearing lead, and her performance is well-supported by the
rest of the cast, including Alan Arkin as her father, Murray; and Marisa
Tomei as her recovering drug addict cousin, Rita. However, the cast is
ultimately only as good as the material, and Jenkins's script, while
consistently amusing and full of nicely droll one-liners, is fairly thin.
The title refers to the seedy areas on the fringes of the Beverly Hills
city limits where the divorced Murray insists he and his three
children--Vivian, wisecracking older brother Ben (David Krumholtz), and
nondescript youngest Rickey (Eli Marienthal)--make their home (he wants
them to get the education only the Hills of Beverly schools can provide).
Or, rather, homes--the family rarely stays in one location for longer than
a month, setting the stage for a few location changes that would suit an
ongoing television series. Then again, a lot of _Slums_ would suit a
series, for the film feels like a pilot for a made-for-Showtime series,
with its formulaic episodes of zaniness (the growing comic complications in
a scene with an unconscious Rita follows a predictable "let's top this"
crescendo), a family member who pops in to stir the pot as a "guest star"
(Rita), plot threads eventually tied together into a cutesy little bow, and
an open ended resolution that screams out "to be continued," all of which
is laced with enough raunch to keep it from seeing broadcast network airwaves.
_Slums_of_Beverly_Hills_ is a reasonably enjoyable lark whose 91 minutes
go down smoothly. You're guaranteed a laugh here and there, and plenty
more smiles. But it's the snack food equivalent of film--it satisfies for
a while, but it doesn't fill you up in the long run.
IN BRIEF
_How_Stella_Got_Her_Groove_Back_ (R) ***
Burned-out, 40-year-old divorced career woman Stella Payne (Angela
Bassett) goes on a spur-of-the-moment trip to Jamaica, where she falls into
a hot relationship with a local (Taye Diggs) who is literally half her age.
Predictably, tongues wag, both at the island and back at home in San
Francisco. In fact, all of the bases covered in this adaptation of Terry
McMillan's bestseller are by the book, from the heart-tugging resolution of
the romance to a subplot involving Stella's best friend's (Whoopi Goldberg,
in a bit of scene-stealing magic that is--yes--predictable) dark secret.
But like all romances, as predictable as they may be, the ultimate measure
of their success is the appeal of focal couple, and thanks to its sizzling
pair of lovers, _Stella_ easily sweeps one up into its groove. While
charismatic former _Rent_ster Diggs looks and acts a bit older than 20
(he's 27 in real life) and the sexy, smashingly fit Bassett looks years
younger than 40, their skill, charisma, and smoldering rapport make the
entire yarn involving and believable, assembly-line contrivances and all.
IN CURRENT RELEASE
(full reviews of the following in past MRs and at the listed URLs)
- -_Armageddon_ (PG-13) *** <MR#149, 7/1/98>
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt36.html#armageddon
- -_Billy's_Hollywood_Screen_Kiss_ (R) *** <MR#148, 6/26/98>
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt36.html#billy
- -_Doctor_Dolittle_ (PG-13) ** <MR#148, 6/16/98>
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt36.html#dolittle
- -_Ever_After_ (PG-13) *** <MR#152, 7/30/98>
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt37.html#everafter
- -_Gone_with_the_Wind_ (G) **** <MR#147, 6/17/98>
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt35.html#gwtw
- -_Halloween:_H20--20_Years_Later_ (R) *** <MR#152, 7/30/98>
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt37.html#h20
- -_Lethal_Weapon_4_ (R) *** 1/2 <MR#150, 7/10/98>
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt36.html#lethal4
- -_The_Mask_of_Zorro_ (PG-13) *** <MR#150, 7/10/98>
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt36.html#zorro
- -_Mulan_ (G) **** <MR#147, 6/17/98>
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt35.html#mulan
- -_The_Negotiator_ (R) *** <MR#151, 7/24/98>
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt37.html#negotiator>
- -_The_Opposite_of_Sex_ (R) *** 1/2 <MR#144, 5/29/98>
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt34.html#sex
- -_Return_to_Paradise_ (R) *** <MR#154, 8/13/98>
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt38.html#paradise
- -_Saving_Private_Ryan_ (R) **** <MR#151, 7/24/98>
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt37.html#ryan
- -_Small_Soldiers_ (PG) ** 1/2 <MR#150, 7/10/98>
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt36.html#soldiers
- -_There's_Something_About_Mary_ (R) *** 1/2 <MR#150, 7/10/98>
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt36.html#mary
- -_The_X-Files_ (PG-13) *** 1/2 <MR#147, 6/17/98>
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt35.html#x
FUTURE FILMS
- -_Lolita_ (R) ** 1/2 <MR#151, 7/24/98>
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt37.html#lolita
(September 25)
- -_Pecker_ (R) ** 1/2 <MR#153, 8/7/98>
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt37.html#pecker
(September 25)
O N T H E H O R I Z O N
OPENED WEDNESDAY
_Your_Friends_&_Neighbors_ (R) *** 1/2
Full review in MR#154, 8/13/98; and at:
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt38.html#friends
Writer-director Neil LaBute takes another lascerating look at the dark
side of human nature in this fascinating, fiercely funny look at the sexual
entanglements of three men (Aaron Eckhart, Jason Patric, and Ben Stiller)
and three women (Amy Brenneman, Catherine Keener, and Nastassja Kinski).
FRIDAY
_The_Best_Man_ (PG)
This period drama from Italy centers on an unhappy young woman (Ines
Sastre) who falls for the best man at her arranged wedding to a much older
man.
_Blade_ (R)
Before Buffy slew any bloodsuckers on the big or small screens, the
half-human, half-vampire Blade was hunting down the undead in the pages of
Marvel comics. Now he comes to the big screen, with Wesley Snipes, who
also produced, in the title role.
_Dance_with_Me_ (PG) **
Full review in MR#154, 8/13/98; and at:
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt38.html#dance
Exuberant salsa dance sequences energize this largely uninvolving
melodrama about a Cuban emigre (Chayanne) who falls for a Houston dance
instructor (Vanessa L. Williams).
_Dead_Man_on_Campus_ (R) * <see above review>
Dead-on-arrival black comedy about a couple of college roommatess (Tom
Everett Scott and Mark-Paul Gosselaar) who plot to drive a third to suicide
in order to get straight As.
_Next_Stop,_Wonderland_ (R)
Boston-set romantic comedy about a nurse (Hope Davis) and marine biologist
(Alan Gelfant) who would make the perfect match... but keep on missing each
other.
_Wrongfully_Accused_ (PG-13)
For the third summer descendant of the old Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker
filmmaking team, Pat Proft, the silent "P" in "ZAZ," makes his directorial
debut with this _Fugitive_ spoof, starring Leslie Nielsen. Given the
anemic box office and critical performances of the other two ZAZ spinoffs
of the season, _Jane_Austen's_Mafia!_ and _BASEketball_, it's not terribly
surprising that Warner Bros. opted to not screen this one for critics.
~~~
=>V I D E O<=
N E W T H I S W E E K
_(An_Alan_Smithee_Film--)_Burn_Hollywood_Burn_ (R) no stars
Full review in MR#133, 3/5/98; and at:
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt29.html#smithee
Rent or buy at Reel.com:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as
p?MMID=40930
The worst film of 1998 (nothing else set for release this year could
_possibly_ beat it) is this horridly unfunny Joe Eszterhas-penned, Arthur
Hiller (or Alan Smithee, as is credited)-directed satire of Hollywood
studio politics, in which a disgruntled director (Eric Idle) burns the only
existing print of his fizzled action blockbuster starring Sylvester
Stallone, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jackie Chan (who appear as themselves). A
flat-out turkey with absolutely no redeeming qualities. (Hollywood
Pictures Home Video)
_The_Apostle_ (R) *** 1/2
Full review in MR#130, 2/12/98; and at:
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt29.html#apostle
Rent or buy at Reel.com:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as
p?MMID=40826
Robert Duvall, who also wrote and directed, deserved to win the Best Actor
Academy Award for his electrifying, nominated performance as a sinning
Southern Pentecostal preacher who undergoes a spiritual rebirth.
(Universal Studios Home Video)
_Kundun_ (PG-13) *** 1/2
Full review in MR#124, 1/5/98; and at:
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt27.html#kundun
Rent or buy at Reel.com:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as
p?MMID=40812
Martin Scorsese's sumptous sensory feast follows the life of the 14th
Dalai Lama of Tibet. (Touchstone Home Video)
_The_Newton_Boys_ (R) ** 1/2
Full review in MR#137, 4/10/98; and at:
http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt31.html#newtonboys
Rent or buy at Reel.com:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as
p?MMID=40994
Richard Linklater's easygoing but superficial western based on the
true-life bankrobbing brothers (Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, Vincent
D'Onofrio, and Skeet Ulrich). (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)
A L S O N E W T H I S W E E K
The Borrowers (PG)
Rent or buy at Reel.com:
http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as
p?MMID=40923
John Goodman stars as an evil lawyer who threatens the lives of a family
of miniature people in this adaptation of Mary Norton's children's books.
(PolyGram Video)
~~~
=>N E X T W E E K<=
More reviews, including:
- -_54_
- -_Why_Do_Fools_Fall_in_Love_
'til then...
__________________________________________________________
Michael Dequina
Chat Forum Host, The Official Michael Jordan Web Site
http://jordan.sportsline.com
mj23@michaeljordanfan.com
michael_jordan@geocities.com | mrbrown@ucla.edu
>My personal WWW sites<
Mr. Brown's Movie Site: http://welcome.to/mrbrown
Michael Jordan Beyond the Court: http://fly.to/michaeljordan
A Michael Jordan Fan's Heartbreak: http://fly.to/mj23
Personal Page: http://welcome.to/w3md
>Other WWW sites I work on<
CompuServe Hollywood Hotline: http://www.HollywoodHotline.com
Albany Online: http://www.AlbanyOnline.com
Eyepiece Network: http://www.eyepiece.com
"Oliver Stone doesn't know shit about basketball."
- --Michael Jordan, on why he refused to work with the
director on a hoops-themed Nike commercial
__________________________________________________________
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