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movies-digest        Monday, September 21 1998        Volume 02 : Number 097



RE: [MV] Depressing movies......
RE: [MV] Depressing movies......
[MV] PI
[MV] more depressing movies
RE: [MV]Weekend movies
[MV] Re: Rush Hour (no spoilers)
RE: [MV] BAND PLAYS ON
RE: [MV] movies that would make you cry
Re: [MV] movies that would make you cry
Re: [MV] movies that would make you cry
RE: [MV] Depressing movies......
RE: [MV] PI
[MV] Movie News - 09/21/98
RE: [MV] movies that would make you cry
[MV] Buckaroo Banzai: Adventures Across the 8th Dimension
[MV] REVIEW: RONIN

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

Date: Sun, 20 Sep 1998 21:45:11 -0500
From: "Mr. White" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Depressing movies......

I'm not sure how one can really say that "Point of No Return" is "complete
and utter crap" while praising "La Femme Nikita" when 90% of "Point of No
Return" is a scene by scene remake of "La Femme Nikita" right down to the
camera angles.  Don't get me wrong.  I don't like "Point of No Return", but
mostly because I'm not sure how John Badham can sleep at night after
basically stealing a movie.

Richard J. Doyle
Visual Basic & Access Developer
CRW Systems
[e-mail]



- -----Original Message-----
From:    [e-mail]
[mailto:[e-mail]] On Behalf Of Mel Eperthener
Sent:    Friday, September 18, 1998 12:06 PM
To:    [e-mail]; '[e-mail]'
Subject:    RE: [MV] Depressing movies......

At 08.38 AM 18/09/98 -0600, jkrudy wrote:
>I totally agree with "Threads".  I liked it, but it was so depressing.
I've
>watched "Point of No Return"  about 3 times, and it still depresses the
heck
>out of me.

Sorry, but the only thing I found depressing about Point of No Return is
that Hollywood once again took a wonderful film that is literally a work of
art (La Femme Nikita) and turned it into complete and utter crap.  This was
an insult to Luc Besson.  Even the USA Network has done better with the
Nikita series.

Regards,

- --Mel


- --Mel Eperthener
president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty

email: [e-mail]
          [e-mail]

http://www.webz.com/gowanna

419 Butler Street
PO Box 95184
Pittsburgh, PA 15223-0184
[phone]
[phone]
1-888-45-GOWANNA -- TOLL FREE
(1-888-454-6926)
____________________________________________
"Mulder, if you had to do without a cell phone for
two minutes, you'd lapse into catatonic schizophrenia"

- --Dana Scully
______________________________________________


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

Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 00:05:45 -0400
From: Mel Eperthener <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Depressing movies......

At 09.45 PM 20/09/98 -0500, Mr. White wrote:
>I'm not sure how one can really say that "Point of No Return" is "complete
>and utter crap" while praising "La Femme Nikita" when 90% of "Point of No
>Return" is a scene by scene remake of "La Femme Nikita" right down to the
>camera angles.  Don't get me wrong.  I don't like "Point of No Return", but
>mostly because I'm not sure how John Badham can sleep at night after
>basically stealing a movie.

Yeah, but remember that a vast majority of Waterworld is The Road Warrior.
Only difference is that they are on the water looking for dry land, instead
of in the outback looking for water/fuel.  Try watching both back to back
(which is what I did for Point and Nikita, BTW), and you will see what I
mean.  And popular opinion (not just my own) is that Road Warrior is a cult
classic whilst Waterworld is a waste of perfectly good film stock.

Beyond that, we basically agree, as the problem with Point is that it is
such a blatent rip-off of Luc Besson.  Our opinions are the same, I am just
more emotional and vocal in them.

Regards,

- --Mel


- --Mel Eperthener
president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty

email: [e-mail]
          [e-mail]

http://www.webz.com/gowanna

419 Butler Street
PO Box 95184
Pittsburgh, PA 15223-0184
[phone]
[phone]
1-888-45-GOWANNA -- TOLL FREE
(1-888-454-6926)
____________________________________________
"Mulder, if you had to do without a cell phone for
two minutes, you'd lapse into catatonic schizophrenia"

- --Dana Scully
______________________________________________


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

Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 02:02:10 -0400
From: "Meyers, Megan" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] PI

Hey there!!

 Has anyone seen the movie "PI" ? Any opinions on it? I took my little
brother to see, but I didn't really catch the whole movie ( I admit I fell
asleep) Would it be worth my money to see it again? ( Providing I stay
awake?) I did catch the beginning and saw up until the guy was on the train
with a Rabbi ( I think that is who it was) and I saw the end with the little
girl. What was the idea with the brain or the glob on the floor in the
subway??


 Megan

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

Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 00:49:25 +0900
From: Honwa Chau <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] more depressing movies

I forgot to add:

"Dance with a Stranger"

"Chinatown"

..."Breaking the Waves" has a really uplifting and gutsy ending but it's
not really happy, right?

My friend Kevin, who's forgotten more films than I've seen, offers:

"The Days of Wine and Roses"
"Wetherby"
"The Birds"
"To Forget Venice"
"White"
"Mr. Klein"
"Providence"
"The Champ" (both versions)
"Ironweed"
"Anna
"Sophie's Choice"
"The Pumpkin Eater"
"The Whisperers"
"Splendor in the Grass"
"Faces"
"A Woman Under the Influence"
"Cries and Whispers"
"Look Back in Anger"
"Saturday Night and Sunday Evening"
"The Razor's Edge" (1946)
"The Red Shoes"
"Pixote"
"Summer of '42"
"Death in Venice"
"The Boys in the Band"
"Summer and Smoke"
"Hud"
"A Taste of Honey"



itchy


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

Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 09:04:42 -0700
From: Bruce Bridges <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV]Weekend movies

Hi Guys,

I saw Rush Hour this weekend and have to admit that I enjoyed it to
some degree.  I've almost given up on being lucky enough to find a
mainstream film that is both entertaining and has a logical plot so
at least I can say I was intermitently entertained.   I won't even
try to make sense of it since I don't think that is the point of the
movie.  With a $31 million weekend boxoffice it looks like Jackie has
his first real american hit.

I ran down to see Six String Samurai at my local art house.  I have
been intrigued by this film since the trailers began and the
billboards went up.   I ended up walking out after 15 minutes.  I
think what the filmmakers have managed to accomplish is generate some
great pre-release promotion and publicity for a lame attempt at an
ultra-hip Road Warrior knock off.  Instead it is a tired retread of
other retreads.  I can't comment on much more than that first 15
minutes but cannot imagine it rose above embarrassing.

"The Eel" is a japanese film I saw yesterday and thought it was
wonderful.  It is the story of a man freed from prison after killing
his wife and his attempt to reconnect with society.   It seems that
there are some great japanese films coming out recently that break
out of the box of standard filmmaking and show real artistry rather
than the goal of selling tickets.

Finally, I rented the Starship Troopers laser disc this weekend and
it comes with a great running commentary by the producer and
director.  I highly recommend everybody  rent it to get a great
insight into the themes and goals of the filmmakers of this classic.

bb

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

Date: Mon, 21 Sep 98 11:00:38 PDT
From: Wade Snider  <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Re: Rush Hour (no spoilers)

I went into this movie with maybe slightly better expectations that chris did.
So, i, too, was pleasantly surprised. This movie had the entire theater laughing
quite readily and loudly the entire time. As for the combination of these two
characters, it went very well. They seemed to blend together as the type of
"mis-matched" team as you would hope to expect for a movie as such as this. Chris Tucker can
easily overshadow those around him with his style and loudmouth (as he verged upon doing
in Fifth Element and did  - but was supposed to do - in Money Talks). But, Chan
keeps a very strong presence without that much effort. If you watch Chan's movies,
you'll see quite a few of his typical stunt scenes, but greatly toned down. They are still
fast-paced and dangerous, but not quite as lengthy or quickly edited. A more
Amercianized version of his usual stunt sequences..... But, that's not to
downplay them! Chan's movies are so often partly a showcase for his wild and imaginative
stunts, but this movie is just another mis-matched buddy cop comedy, so the stunts are not
so heavily a part of the movie. Now, don't think that I'm saying there are not many stunts in the
movie, because it is filled with a lot of great sequences and plenty of Jackie Chan acrobatics....
but if you watch many of his regular movies, you'll know what I mean.

I appreciated the lack of gratutitous sex and nudity (!) and even though there was some profantiy,
there was not very much... and I can't remember if the say said the f*** word at all. I would imagine so,
but it didn't strike me. I normally could care less about these kinds of things, but the fact that a movie
like this was made without graphic profanity or nudity impresses me that the makers didn't feel they had
to cram it in there simply because Hollywood loves to do it so much.

Sure, the story was contrived, and the main villain was kind of dumb and his henchman (yellow-haired chinese
man) was not that intimidating. The chinese art stuff in the plot seemed pointless, and I hardly see how anybody, much less
a Chinese consul, can come up with 50 Million dollars in cash in one day. nu-uh..then managing to come up with another 20
Million. As if that was possible, much less would the FBI do that. Sure, some of the bad guys said and did some cliched
stuff, so did the FBI people. But, the movie is about Tucker and Chan, and that's where the fun in the movie
lies. Watching these two together is quite fun and never bored me. The movie was pretty quickly paced, and it was very
funny. I walked around yesterday nagging my wife with quotes from the movie. It's worth seeing for a good laugh.

Wade

- --------------------------------------------------------
W. Snider

Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.
- -Kierkegaard

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


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

Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 11:04:34 -0700
From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] BAND PLAYS ON

This is a depressing movie only in that the Alan Alda character is such an
@&*#$%!!!!!!  And that with all the work these doctors of the world are
doing, the "politics" of there business is ruling over the search of a cure.

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Danielle Conkle [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Friday, September 18, 1998 1:05 PM
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    Re: [MV] Depressing movies......
>
>    Sometimes it feels good to cry.  I think And the Band Plays on is my
> choice for this category.  I don't know if it makes mewant to reach for
> a razorblade.....actually makes me want to do something to help.  But
> it's a very helpless and frustrating movie, because you don't know what
> to do.
>
>
>
> Anybody care to share their opinion on films that they thought =
> >depressing?  I am not talking about bad films but films that are good =
> >but also very bleak.......the type that make you think of reaching for
> a =
> >razor blade because there's no hope for mankind!  Off the top of my
> head =
> >I can think of four......two are T.V movies one is from the sixties =
> >called "Cathy come home" by the director ken Loach and the other is a =
> >tale of nuclear war called "Threads"......the other two are a russian =
> >film called "Come and see" and "Henry potrait of a serial =
> >killer".......anyone got any more?
> >~
> >Gerry T
> >~~~~~
> >I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self
> =
> >contained,
> >I stand and look at them long and long.
> >They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
> >They do not lie awake and weep for their sins,
> >they do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
> >not one is dissatisfied, not one demented with the mania of owning =
> >things,
> >Not one kneels to another nor to his own kind that lived thousands of =
> >years ago,
> >not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.
> >                                                               Walt =
> >Whitman.
> >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >
>
>
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
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------------------------------

Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 11:32:35 -0700
From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] movies that would make you cry

I cried through Armagedon...

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    jkrudy [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Friday, September 18, 1998 2:21 PM
> To:    '[e-mail]'
> Subject:    RE: [MV] Depressing movies vs. Sad movies
>
> I don't know, I'm feeling saucy, and ready to reap the world wind so I'll
> come out and say it, I cried like a baby all through Deep Impact and loved
> it.  Any thoughts?
>
> JAMES K. RUDY
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Diane Christy [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Friday, September 18, 1998 3:06 PM
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    [MV] Depressing movies vs. Sad movies
>
>
> I think for me there's a difference between depressing movies and movies
> that are sad.  I know of quite a few depressing movies that were
> depressing
> because they were so bad.  I think sad movies are movies that evoke a
> particular feeling of sorrow and if it's done well it can be very sweet to
> be swept up in sorrow because we can all identify with it.  Keeps us
> connected as human beings.  For some reason when I think of a sad movie, I
> keep thinking of "Charly."  It was just such ashame that the man we got to
> know in the story was locked in his brain never to be heard of again.
> ~~~~~
> Diane Christy (Samantha and Joshua's Mom)
> Jefferson, LA
> http://www.geocities.com/~dchristy10/
> mailto:[e-mail]  mailto:[e-mail]
> ICQ #12904700
> ~~~~~
>
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>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
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------------------------------

Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 12:43:47 -0600
From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] movies that would make you cry

Romero, Leticia wrote:
>
> I cried through Armagedon...

And I cried BECAUSE OF Armageddon.  Is that the same thing?

Greg

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

Date: Mon, 21 Sep 98 14:03:48 PDT
From: Wade Snider  <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] movies that would make you cry

That's just how I felt when I saw Godzilla! Down and out, as if I felt like
I could no longer go on in this cruel world.


>--- On Mon, 21 Sep 1998 12:43:47 -0600  "Gregory A. Swarthout" <[e-mail]> wrote:
>Romero, Leticia wrote:
>>
>> I cried through Armagedon...

>And I cried BECAUSE OF Armageddon.  Is that the same thing?

>Greg




- --------------------------------------------------------
W. Snider

Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.
- -Kierkegaard

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


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

Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 12:52:55 -0700
From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Depressing movies......

> Beyond that, we basically agree, as the problem with Point is that it is
> such a blatent rip-off of Luc Besson.  Our opinions are the same, I am
> just
> more emotional and vocal in them.
>
> Regards,
>
> --Mel
    [Romero, Leticia]  As much as I LOVED  L.F.N., and can't understand
why anyone would choose Badham to remake it, it was ADVERTISED as a remake!
Ofcourse it was a rip-off!  It was suppose to be... ala 3 Men and a Baby,
Birdcage, etc....

> --Mel Eperthener
> president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty
>
> email: [e-mail]
>           [e-mail]
>
> http://www.webz.com/gowanna
>
> 419 Butler Street
> PO Box 95184
> Pittsburgh, PA 15223-0184
> [phone]
> [phone]
> 1-888-45-GOWANNA -- TOLL FREE
> (1-888-454-6926)
> ____________________________________________
> "Mulder, if you had to do without a cell phone for
> two minutes, you'd lapse into catatonic schizophrenia"
>
> --Dana Scully
> ______________________________________________
>
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to [e-mail]           ]

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

Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 12:56:40 -0700
From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] PI

I saw it!  I thought it was quite inovative, but the "moral" of the story
was a bit lost on me.... I've come to the conclusion that the movie was
saying "Don't Do Math"

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Meyers, Megan [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Sunday, September 20, 1998 11:02 PM
> To:    '[e-mail]'
> Subject:    [MV] PI
>
> Hey there!!
>
>  Has anyone seen the movie "PI" ? Any opinions on it? I took my little
> brother to see, but I didn't really catch the whole movie ( I admit I fell
> asleep) Would it be worth my money to see it again? ( Providing I stay
> awake?) I did catch the beginning and saw up until the guy was on the
> train
> with a Rabbi ( I think that is who it was) and I saw the end with the
> little
> girl. What was the idea with the brain or the glob on the floor in the
> subway??
>
>
>  Megan
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
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------------------------------

Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 15:02:36 -0600 (MDT)
From: The Reporter <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 09/21/98

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Rush Hour," a comedy cop caper starring
Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, defied all expectations when it opened
at the top of the North American box office with $31 million,
according to studio estimates issued Sunday. That was more than the
next eight movies combined, said the film's distributor, New Line
Cinema. "One True Thing," a tear-jerker starring Meryl Streep as a
terminally ill housewife, opened in second, while the gross-out
comedy "There's Something About Mary" slipped a notch to third. Last
weekend's number one, "'Rounders," was in fourth place and "Simon
Birch" held steady in fifth with $3.3 million.

                        -=> * <=-

TORONTO (Reuters) - As the Toronto International Film Festival closed
Saturday with a gala screening of the animated feature "Antz,"
organizers said the event looked to have bettered the financial and
critical success of last year. Festival officials said the 10-day
event produced a record box office haul of C$1.9 million, with about
250,000 paid admissions. Audiences responded strongly to many films
and industry watchers said the value of acquisitions at the event
appeared to have matched 1997's record. However, unlike last year,
when a handful of films such as Robert Duvall's "The Apostle"
dominated critical and industry attention, this year's event appeared
more democratic.

                        -=> * <=-

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - At least three bidders came to the table by
Friday's deadline for PolyGram's film arm, producer of "Four Weddings
and a Funeral," and formal bids were emerging by day's end, sources
close to the talks said. Negotiations between the suitors and bankers
working for Seagram Co., which is trying to sell PolyGram Filmed
Entertainment, went well past the noon deadline. While terms were not
revealed, the bids were believed to be in the lower end of the $500
million to $750 million range - far below the $1 billion Seagram was
hoping to fetch. The bidders included Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. and
Tracinda Corp., the investment wing of MGM's majority owner,
billionaire Kirk Kerkorian.

                        -=> * <=-

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Author Terry McMillan and the man who inspired
her best-selling novel-turned-movie "How Stella Got Her Groove Back"
have married. People magazine reported McMillan, 46, and Jonathan
Plummer, 23, married Sept. 5 in Maui. Plummer was a student when
McMillan met him while vacationing in Jamaica. She used the romance
as a basis for her 1996 novel.

                        -=> * <=-

"The message I got on my machine, like, the day
before: 'It just ain't me, bro'.' Apparently,
getting $4 million to do a juice ad that airs only
in Japan is him; going to the Oscars is not."

- -- "Titanic" director JAMES CAMERON telling New
York's Daily News how miffed he is that Leonardo
DiCaprio didn't show up at this year's Academy
Awards ceremony.

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Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 14:18:49 -0700
From: "Romero, Leticia" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] movies that would make you cry

CLOSE!

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Gregory A. Swarthout [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Monday, September 21, 1998 11:44 AM
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    Re: [MV] movies that would make you cry
>
> Romero, Leticia wrote:
> >
> > I cried through Armagedon...
>
> And I cried BECAUSE OF Armageddon.  Is that the same thing?
>
> Greg
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
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Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 16:54:17 -0600
From: jkrudy <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Buckaroo Banzai: Adventures Across the 8th Dimension

I just saw this movie for the first time in well over a decade, and I was
pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed as much as an adult as I did when I was
a child.  I want to hear other people's opinions and if you haven't seen it,
I believe you should.  Also what happened to the promised sequel:  Buckaroo
Banzai Against the World Crime League, or was that just a joke?

JAMES K. RUDY



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Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 19:36:03 -0600 (MDT)
From: Scott Renshaw <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] REVIEW: RONIN

RONIN
(United Artists)
Starring:  Robert DeNiro, Jean Reno, Stellan Skarsgaard, Natascha
McElhone, Jonathan Pryce, Sean Bean.
Screenplay:  J. D. Zeik and Richard Weisz.
Producers:  Paul Kelmenson and Frank Mancuso Jr.
Director:  John Frankenheimer.
MPAA Rating:  R (violence, profanity)
Running Time:  121 minutes.
Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.

     Since time immemorial -- Memorial Day 1996, to be precise -- one
question has plagued movie-goers the world over:  what might MISSION:
IMPOSSIBLE have looked like if someone had shown the faintest interest in
telling a coherent story?  As answer, I give you RONIN, an international
espionage thriller fueled by as much brain power as adrenaline.  The
comparison to MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE is almost too easy, especially given the
presence of Jean Reno in both casts, but it's a telling comparison
nonetheless.  RONIN shows how much more effective a film can be when set
pieces are connected by ideas.

     The film opens in Paris, where a man known only as Sam (Robert
DeNiro) joins a multi-national band of mercenaries employed by Irish
nationalist Deirdre (Natascha McElhone).  Vincent (Jean Reno) is the
team's French location expert; Gregor (Stellan Skarsgaard) oversees
electronic surveillance; Spence (Sean Bean) is the weapons specialist;
Larry (Skipp Sudduth) serves as their driver.  Their mission is obtaining
a certain silver case by any means necessary, the contents unknown to the
operatives but obviously much in demand.  As the operation begins,
alliances quickly shift with the prevailing winds, no lofty ideal more
important than the exigencies of the moment.

     That notion both drives the film and provides its title.  As
explained in too-literal (especially given a later, more subtle
explanation) on-screen titles, "ronin" is a term for masterless samurai in
feudal Japan, forced to survive as bandits or swords-for-hire without the
honor of serving a worthy lord.  Sam, Vincent and company, all of whom
once served as government agents or soldiers, are now down-sized Cold
Warriors without a patriotic purpose.  MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE flirted with
the same concept, but it was to turn characters into vengeance-driven
super-villains.  They function in RONIN as free agents, loyal only to
themselves, suspicious and treacherous because everyone around them could
be more suspicious or more treacherous.  The characters are sketched in
only the most basic terms, in keeping with their private natures, yet they
are given presence by actors like DeNiro and Reno bringing mournful weight
to their performances.  Though few words are spoken in the script by J. D.
Zeik and Richard Weisz (a.k.a. David Mamet), the very lack of human
interaction between the characters speaks volumes.

     For a fairly introspective film, RONIN is also a fairly exciting one.
Director John Frankenheimer goes to the car chase well perhaps once too
often, but those he uses are tense and well-constructed.  The action level
is as high in RONIN as it has been in any summer blockbuster of the last
few years, and it's _better_ action, more white-knuckle gripping than
whoop-it-up flashy.  For some viewers, that may be reason enough to spend
two hours at the movies, but it's all the more impressive because the
action serves the story.  Every subsequent violent encounter raises the
stakes in this chaotic world, while it's always clear that the combatants
neither know nor care what they're fighting for.

     RONIN certainly has its share of jagged edges, notably the
aforementioned opening titles and a distracting romantic sub-plot between
DeNiro and McElhone.  Some may find the characters too remote and
under-developed, and consequently find it difficult to invest emotionally
in the story.  I found the chilly isolation of the characters exactly what
Ineeded to become emotionally invested; the emptiness of their lives and
actions _is_ the hook.  This isn't earth-shaking profundity we're talking
about, merely the building blocks of effective drama -- the visceral
coupled with the intellectual, actions with consequences.  Consequences
were never really an issue in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, which makes it that
much easier to appreciate what RONIN has to offer.  It's no longer a James
Bond landscape of world domination.  For once, evil in an espionage
thriller isn't what people do, but why they do it.

     On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 masterless samurai:  8.

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