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From: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com (movies-digest) To: movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: movies-digest V2 #118 Reply-To: movies-digest Sender: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk movies-digest Monday, October 19 1998 Volume 02 : Number 118 [MV] Dead Zone Re: [MV] Dead Zone [MV] What Dreams May Come Re: [MV] Dead Zone [MV] To: movies@xmission.com Fw: Re: [MV] Dead Zone Re: [MV] Dead Zone Re: [MV] Dead Zone Re: Fw: Re: [MV] Running man & Misery Re: Fw: Re: [MV] Running man & Misery [MV] STEPHEN KING [MV] underrated movies [MV] underrated movies [MV] underrated movies ("Bullet") [MV] Movie News - 10/19/98 [MV] REVIEW: SLAM ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 18 Oct 1998 23:48:25 -0400 From: Gene Ehrich <gene@ehrich.com> Subject: [MV] Dead Zone We saw the Stephen King movie Dead Zone on cable TV last evening and found it to be a wonderfully made and intriguing film. All of the characters were beautifully done. Everybody from Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen and lots of others I cannot remember. At least three separate stories interwoven into one story. We didn't expect a lot since half the time King stories on film are awful while the other half are pretty good. We thought that this one was great. We are not on the quest for more. "It" has been highly recommended. What are the great ones? Which ones should we stay away from? gene@ehrich http://www.voicenet.com/~generic Computer & Video Game Garage Sale [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Oct 1998 23:59:23 -0400 From: Mel Eperthener <bcassidy@usaor.net> Subject: Re: [MV] Dead Zone At 11.48 PM 18/10/98 -0400, Gene Ehrich wrote: >We saw the Stephen King movie Dead Zone on cable TV last evening and found >it to be a wonderfully made and intriguing film. >We thought that this one was great. > >We are not on the quest for more. > >"It" has been highly recommended. > >What are the great ones? Well, I am not a "fan" of horror movies. So if I like a horror movie, it tends to be very good. We're talking Lost Boys, Army of Darkness, Near Dark, Scream (and I was not overly impressed), The Thing (John Carpenter), Videodrome, Man Who Fell to Earth, Psycho, and not much more (and some of these are borderline horror only). I have not seen many Stephen King movies, but the ones I have seen and liked are: Pet Cemetary (Actually, Pet Semetary, I believe) Doroles Claiborne Misery and isn't he behind Cat's Eye, as well?? Actually, I think the best Stephen King movie, full stop, is not even a horror film. Under his pseudonym, he wrote The Shawshank Redemption. It is a prison movie. It was up for seven Academy Awards. It deserved all seven. IMHO, it is that good. Regards, - --Mel - --Mel Eperthener president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty email: bcassidy@usaor.net gowanna@australiamail.com http://www.webz.com/gowanna 419 Butler Street PO Box 95184 Pittsburgh, PA 15223-0184 (412) 781-6140 (412) 781-6380 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 majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Oct 1998 23:28:10 -0500 From: "Tonya =)" <scoobygirl@bedford.heartland.net> Subject: [MV] What Dreams May Come I was wondering if anyone had some comments on this film? - -Tonya- scoobygirl@bedford.heartland.net _______________________________ "Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7th of your life" [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 08:48:23 +0100 From: "Gerry Taylor" <geeg@vossnet.co.uk> Subject: Re: [MV] Dead Zone This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - ------=_NextPart_000_000D_01BDFB3D.3AD42380 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable The only Stephen King adaptions worth seeing apart from "The dead zone" = are "Salems Lot" (the two part t.v movie not the cut version) and = "Misery"......all the rest are pretty dreadful. Incidentally King wrote = "Shawshank" under his own name not a psuedonym.~ 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >At 11.48 PM 18/10/98 -0400, Gene Ehrich wrote: >>We saw the Stephen King movie Dead Zone on cable TV last evening and = found >>it to be a wonderfully made and intriguing film. > >>We thought that this one was great. >> >>We are not on the quest for more. >> >>"It" has been highly recommended. >> >>What are the great ones? > >Well, I am not a "fan" of horror movies. So if I like a horror movie, = it >tends to be very good. We're talking Lost Boys, Army of Darkness, Near >Dark, Scream (and I was not overly impressed), The Thing (John = Carpenter), >Videodrome, Man Who Fell to Earth, Psycho, and not much more (and some = of >these are borderline horror only). > >I have not seen many Stephen King movies, but the ones I have seen and >liked are: > >Pet Cemetary (Actually, Pet Semetary, I believe) > >Doroles Claiborne > >Misery > >and isn't he behind Cat's Eye, as well?? > >Actually, I think the best Stephen King movie, full stop, is not even a >horror film. Under his pseudonym, he wrote The Shawshank Redemption. = It >is a prison movie. It was up for seven Academy Awards. It deserved = all >seven. IMHO, it is that good. > >Regards, > >--Mel > > >--Mel Eperthener >president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty > >email: bcassidy@usaor.net > gowanna@australiamail.com > >http://www.webz.com/gowanna > >419 Butler Street >PO Box 95184 >Pittsburgh, PA 15223-0184 >(412) 781-6140 >(412) 781-6380 >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 majordomo@xmission.com ] > - ------=_NextPart_000_000D_01BDFB3D.3AD42380 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> <META content=3Dtext/html;charset=3Diso-8859-1 = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META content=3D'"MSHTML 4.72.2106.6"' name=3DGENERATOR> </HEAD> <BODY> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The only Stephen = King=20 adaptions worth seeing apart from "The dead zone" are = "Salems=20 Lot" (the two part t.v movie not the cut version) and=20 "Misery"......all the rest are pretty dreadful. = Incidentally=20 King wrote "Shawshank" under his own name not a = psuedonym.~ Gerry=20 T ~~~~~ I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so = placid and=20 self contained, I stand and look at them long and long. They do = not sweat=20 and whine about their condition, They do not lie awake and weep for = their=20 sins, they do not make me sick discussing their duty to God, not = one is=20 dissatisfied, not one demented with the mania of owning things, Not = one=20 kneels to another nor to his own kind that lived thousands of years = ago, not=20 one is respectable or unhappy over the whole=20 earth. &nb= sp; &nbs= p; = ; = &= nbsp; =20 Walt=20 Whitman. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <B= R></DIV>>At=20 11.48 PM 18/10/98 -0400, Gene Ehrich wrote: >>We saw the = Stephen King=20 movie Dead Zone on cable TV last evening and found >>it to be a = wonderfully made and intriguing film. > >>We thought that = this=20 one was great. >> >>We are not on the quest for=20 more. >> >>"It" has been highly=20 recommended. >> >>What are the great=20 ones? > >Well, I am not a "fan" of horror = movies. So=20 if I like a horror movie, it >tends to be very good. We're = talking=20 Lost Boys, Army of Darkness, Near >Dark, Scream (and I was not = overly=20 impressed), The Thing (John Carpenter), >Videodrome, Man Who Fell = to=20 Earth, Psycho, and not much more (and some of >these are = borderline horror=20 only). > >I have not seen many Stephen King movies, but the = ones I=20 have seen and >liked are: > >Pet Cemetary = (Actually, Pet=20 Semetary, I believe) > >Doroles=20 Claiborne > >Misery > >and isn't he behind Cat's = Eye, as=20 well?? > >Actually, I think the best Stephen King movie, = full stop,=20 is not even a >horror film. Under his pseudonym, he wrote = The=20 Shawshank Redemption. It >is a prison movie. It was up = for=20 seven Academy Awards. It deserved all >seven. IMHO, it = is that=20 good. > >Regards, > >--Mel > > >= ;--Mel=20 Eperthener >president, Gowanna Multi-media = Pty > >email: <A=20 href=3D"mailto:bcassidy@usaor.net">bcassidy@usaor.net</A> > &n= bsp; =20 <A=20 href=3D"mailto:gowanna@australiamail.com">gowanna@australiamail.com</A><B= R>> ><A=20 href=3D"http://www.webz.com/gowanna">http://www.webz.com/gowanna</A> &= gt; >419=20 Butler Street >PO Box 95184 >Pittsburgh, PA = 15223-0184 >(412)=20 781-6140 >(412) 781-6380 >1-888-45-GOWANNA -- TOLL=20 FREE >(1-888-454-6926) >_____________________________________= _______ >"Mulder,=20 if you had to do without a cell phone for >two minutes, you'd = lapse into=20 catatonic schizophrenia" > >--Dana=20 Scully >______________________________________________ > &= gt; >[=20 To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe = ] >[=20 movies (without the quotes) to <A=20 href=3D"mailto:majordomo@xmission.com">majordomo@xmission.com</A> &n= bsp; =20 ] ></BODY></HTML> - ------=_NextPart_000_000D_01BDFB3D.3AD42380-- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Oct 98 09:06:45 PDT From: Wade Snider <wsnider@brazoselectric.com> Subject: [MV] To: movies@xmission.com test [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Oct 98 09:12:02 PDT From: Wade Snider <wsnider@brazoselectric.com> Subject: Fw: Re: [MV] Dead Zone I sent this once, but I'm not sure it went through.. so if it turns out to echo, then my apologies to all! Salem's Lot - So, whatever happened to Starsky anyway? Shawshank was a part of a group of 4 short stories in a book entitled Different Seasons, I think ... That may not be the right title... But, it was in the same collection as The Body, of which Stand By Me is based. Both of these stories are not run of the mill King horror stories or flicks.... the closest that King has come to real literary quality.. both are very good stories. I do enjoy most of his work though... And, i did enjoy the movie Shawshank redemption very much... On a further note, as far I as I can think about it, only two of King's works under his psuedonym have been made into movies, The Running Man and Thinner. Both movies were very pathetic. I favor The Dead Zone and Misery , too. But, I also enjoyed Carrie, Christine, and The Shining. Wade >The only Stephen King adaptions worth seeing apart from "The dead zone" >are "Salems Lot" (the two part t.v movie not the cut version) and >"Misery"......all the rest are pretty dreadful. Incidentally King >wrote "Shawshank" under his own name not a psuedonym.~ >Gerry T >At 11.48 PM 18/10/98 -0400, Gene Ehrich wrote: >>We saw the Stephen King movie Dead Zone on cable TV last evening and found >>it to be a wonderfully made and intriguing film. > >>We thought that this one was great. >> >>We are not on the quest for more. >> >>"It" has been highly recommended. >> >>What are the great ones? > >Well, I am not a "fan" of horror movies. So if I like a horror movie, it >tends to be very good. We're talking Lost Boys, Army of Darkness, Near >Dark, Scream (and I was not overly impressed), The Thing (John Carpenter), >Videodrome, Man Who Fell to Earth, Psycho, and not much more (and some of >these are borderline horror only). > >I have not seen many Stephen King movies, but the ones I have seen and >liked are: > >Pet Cemetary (Actually, Pet Semetary, I believe) > >Doroles Claiborne > >Misery > >and isn't he behind Cat's Eye, as well?? > >Actually, I think the best Stephen King movie, full stop, is not even a >horror film. Under his pseudonym, he wrote The Shawshank Redemption. It >is a prison movie. It was up for seven Academy Awards. It deserved all >seven. IMHO, it is that good. > >Regards, > >--Mel > > >--Mel Eperthener >president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty > >email: bcassidy@usaor.net > gowanna@australiamail.com > >http://www.webz.com/gowanna > >419 Butler Street >PO Box 95184 >Pittsburgh, PA 15223-0184 >(412) 781-6140 >(412) 781-6380 >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 majordomo@xmission.com ] > - ---------------End of Original Message----------------- - -------------------------------------------------------- W. Snider Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards. - -Kierkegaard - -------------------------------------------------------- - ---------------End of Original Message----------------- - -------------------------------------------------------- W. Snider Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards. - -Kierkegaard - -------------------------------------------------------- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Oct 98 08:14:10 PDT From: Wade Snider <wsnider@brazoselectric.com> Subject: Re: [MV] Dead Zone Salem's Lot - So, whatever happened to Starsky anyway? Shawshank was a part of a group of 4 short stories in a book entitled Different Seasons, I think ... That may not be the right title... But, it was in the same collection as The Body, of which Stand By Me is based. Both of these stories are not run of the mill King horror stories or flicks.... the closest that King has come to real literary quality.. both are very good stories. I do enjoy most of his work though... And, i did enjoy the movie Shawshank redemption very much... On a further note, as far I as I can think about it, only two of King's works under his psuedonym have been made into movies, The Running Man and Thinner. Both movies were very pathetic. I favor The Dead Zone and Misery , too. But, I also enjoyed Carrie, Christine, and The Shining. Wade >The only Stephen King adaptions worth seeing apart from "The dead zone" >are "Salems Lot" (the two part t.v movie not the cut version) and >"Misery"......all the rest are pretty dreadful. Incidentally King >wrote "Shawshank" under his own name not a psuedonym.~ >Gerry T >At 11.48 PM 18/10/98 -0400, Gene Ehrich wrote: >>We saw the Stephen King movie Dead Zone on cable TV last evening and found >>it to be a wonderfully made and intriguing film. > >>We thought that this one was great. >> >>We are not on the quest for more. >> >>"It" has been highly recommended. >> >>What are the great ones? > >Well, I am not a "fan" of horror movies. So if I like a horror movie, it >tends to be very good. We're talking Lost Boys, Army of Darkness, Near >Dark, Scream (and I was not overly impressed), The Thing (John Carpenter), >Videodrome, Man Who Fell to Earth, Psycho, and not much more (and some of >these are borderline horror only). > >I have not seen many Stephen King movies, but the ones I have seen and >liked are: > >Pet Cemetary (Actually, Pet Semetary, I believe) > >Doroles Claiborne > >Misery > >and isn't he behind Cat's Eye, as well?? > >Actually, I think the best Stephen King movie, full stop, is not even a >horror film. Under his pseudonym, he wrote The Shawshank Redemption. It >is a prison movie. It was up for seven Academy Awards. It deserved all >seven. IMHO, it is that good. > >Regards, > >--Mel > > >--Mel Eperthener >president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty > >email: bcassidy@usaor.net > gowanna@australiamail.com > >http://www.webz.com/gowanna > >419 Butler Street >PO Box 95184 >Pittsburgh, PA 15223-0184 >(412) 781-6140 >(412) 781-6380 >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 majordomo@xmission.com ] > - ---------------End of Original Message----------------- - -------------------------------------------------------- W. Snider Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards. - -Kierkegaard - -------------------------------------------------------- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 12:30:41 -0400 From: MARSHALLK@lucas.lbe.edu.on.ca (Kevin Marshall) Subject: Re: [MV] Dead Zone >Actually, I think the best Stephen King movie, full stop, is not even a >horror film. Under his pseudonym, he wrote The Shawshank Redemption. >It is a prison movie. It was up for seven Academy Awards. It deserved >all seven. IMHO, it is that good. >Regards, >--Mel Most definitely. I rank "The Shawshank Redemption" among the best films I have ever seen. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kevin Marshall "It was the last time street guys were given anything that valuable." - - Casino - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 11:08:23 PDT From: "Danielle Conkle" <danyelli@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: Fw: Re: [MV] Running man & Misery >works under his psuedonym have been made into movies, The Running Man >and Thinner. Both movies were very pathetic. I liked The Running Man a lot! oh well ;) for anyone who's read the book it is very different from the movie, but i thought both ideas were fun, and i like how the movie played out its new version. >I favor The Dead Zone and Misery , too. But, I also enjoyed Carrie, >Christine, and The Shining. Oh yes, Carrie. That was a dark movie! I think misery has been my fave book by King. The part where she breaks his feet so he can't move around the house...you know it hurts in the movie, but there's nothing like a book that vividly describes each bone breaking, and crushing, and the pain rushing..... it was almost too much. but that's what made it good. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Oct 98 13:19:41 PDT From: Wade Snider <wsnider@brazoselectric.com> Subject: Re: Fw: Re: [MV] Running man & Misery - --- On Mon, 19 Oct 1998 11:08:23 PDT Danielle Conkle <danyelli@hotmail.com> wrote: >>works under his psuedonym have been made into movies, The Running Man >>and Thinner. Both movies were very pathetic. > I liked The Running Man a lot! oh well ;) for anyone who's read the >book it is very different from the movie, but i thought both ideas were >fun, and i like how the movie played out its new version. I'll tell you.. the more I have thought about it since posting, the more I think of things I enjoyed about it, so I might not still feel that it is sooo pathetic... Still don't rate it all that high, but it did have some fun stuff in it... but it could've been better, especially if they had kept the ending that King wrote for it.... But, I loved Richard Dawson in it. Just typical Schwarzeneaggar though.. Wade - -------------------------------------------------------- W. Snider Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards. - -Kierkegaard - -------------------------------------------------------- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 11:29:39 -0700 From: "Romero, Leticia" <lromero@saonet.ucla.edu> Subject: [MV] STEPHEN KING Being a huge King fan, I must say that "The Dead Zone" was the BEST rendition of his novels. Ofcourse, the book was much better, but seeing that his movies rarely translate well, it's always good to check out "the buz" before forking over $8... "Apt Pupil" is the fourth novella from the Different Seasons collection (that was NOT written under a pseudomym) and if it's predesesors are any indication, this one ought to be pretty good. Also, "The Green Mile" a six part book serial is being made with Tom Hanks... the script was excellent! "IT" the t.v. movie is not good; the book captured the trials and horrors of childhood so well, that it would have been difficult to do for a tv movie, therefore it shouldn't have been done. "The Shining" t.v. movie is a good translation of the book, but I felt that Kubric's version stayed true to the madness of the story. "The Stand" the tv movie was a disappointment! One of King's greatest novels, with Rob Lowe? I don't think so!! "Misery", "Shawshank", "Stand by Me", "Carrie"; all good movies with the King stamp!! I could go on and on and on.... [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 11:35:22 -0700 From: "Romero, Leticia" <lromero@saonet.ucla.edu> Subject: [MV] underrated movies Speaking of King movies, how many of you saw "Diggstown"? or "Deep Cover"? or "Shakedown"? What was a good movie that you felt didn't get enough attention? [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 11:35:22 -0700 From: "Romero, Leticia" <lromero@saonet.ucla.edu> Subject: [MV] underrated movies Speaking of King movies, how many of you saw "Diggstown"? or "Deep Cover"? or "Shakedown"? What was a good movie that you felt didn't get enough attention? [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 16:15:23 -0600 From: cHriS <csothman@nwchiro.edu> Subject: [MV] underrated movies ("Bullet") On Mon, 19 Oct 1998, Leticia asked: "What was a good movie that you felt didn't get enough attention?" I'll probably get flames galore for this, but I think Mickey Rourke's "Bullet" deserved better praise than it received. I liked that movie, yet most people I talk to about it immediately slag it because Rourke's in it. I thought that film was a decent drama with some intense messages about family relationships and fulfilling (or failing to fulfill) personal potential. Unfortunately, most reviews I read of it write the movie off as a street gangster film, with the main plot being Rourke and Tupac Shakur trying to gun down each other. Couldn't be further from the truth, in my opinion. Incidently, I'm a fan of Rourke, so my opinion is probably biased. I thought "Bullet" served as a great metaphor for Rourke's career: a promising talent who made some mistakes and is now trapped with a reputation he probably will never escape from. Hopefully, Rourke won't end up like his character in "Bullet." - - cHriS [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 13:58:54 -0600 (MDT) From: The Reporter <gregorys@xmission.com> Subject: [MV] Movie News - 10/19/98 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oprah Winfrey went head to head with Chucky, the demonic puppet, and Chucky won. Winfrey's much-publicized movie "Beloved" could manage only a tie for fourth place with "Rush Hour" in weekend box office returns with a take between $8.1 million and $8.5 million, according to studio estimates. "Bride of Chucky," on the other hand, was second in the rankings with $11.6 million. Topping them all was "Practical Magic," featuring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock as witches, with $13.6 million worth of tickets. -=> * <=- Actor James Woods has gotten his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. "You all made it possible," the 51-year-old actor told the crowd of several hundred who turned out for the ceremony last Thursday. Woods' credits include Academy Award nominations for his performances in "Salvador" and "Ghosts of Mississippi." John Carpenter, who directed Woods in his latest film, "Vampires," gave a tongue-in-cheek tribute. "He never rehearsed a scene he couldn't steal, never met another actor he couldn't upstage, and never picked up a prop or grabbed a piece of set dressing he couldn't manipulate and hurl at the narrative with gleeful abandon," Carpenter said. "And as soon as I get permission from my therapist, I can't wait to work with him again." -=> * <=- "Practical Magic" finished No. 1 at the box office this weekend, according to preliminary estimates by Exhibitor Relations. The benign-witches movie starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock pulled in $13.6 million in its debut. The evil doll movie "Bride of Chucky" was a strong second with $11.6 million, followed closely by "Antz" with $11.3 million. The cop buddy picture "Rush Hour" continued to do well with $8.7 million, while the new Oprah Winfrey-starrer "Beloved" had an $8.5 million showing. Eddie Murphy's "Holy Man," however, lost more than 50% of its already paltry audience in its second week out with $2.4 million. -=> * <=- The woman who said she was the inspiration for Truman Capote's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" character -- Holly Golightly -- has died. Bonnie Golightly died of lung cancer last week at age 77, the New York Post reports. She went to her grave believing that Capote stole her identity -- that of a World War II-era party girl. But Golightly was perhaps the only one who thought she was the inspiration for the novel, which Capote was writing at the time of their friendship. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" was brought to the screen in 1961 and starred Audrey Hepburn. Golightly sued Capote for $400,000 after the film was released, but the suit was dismissed. -=> * <=- GIVEN: The thumbs up, a "Dr. Dolittle" follow-up with Eddie Murphy, who is working with Fox and three producers to hire a writer to script a sequel. Alas, Betty Thomas, who directed the summer hit, won't be returning. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 16:08:36 -0600 (MDT) From: Scott Renshaw <renshaw@inconnect.com> Subject: [MV] REVIEW: SLAM SLAM (Trimark) Starring: Saul Williams, Sonja Sohn, Bonz Malone, Beau Sia. Screenplay: Marc Levin, Richard Stratton, Bonz Malone, Saul Williams and Sonja Sohn. Producers: Henri M. Kessler, Richard Stratton, Marc Levin. Director: Marc Levin. MPAA Rating: R (profanity, violence, sexual situations) Running Time: 100 minutes. Reviewed by Scott Renshaw. SLAM appeals to everything critics want movies to be. It tells a story of a side of American life most of us are lucky enough never to see. It has a unique narrative rhythm, and a gritty, uncompromising style. It's an idea movie, one that clearly wants its audience to walk out pondering its weighty themes rather than humming a theme song or grinning from ear to ear. It comes with the pedigree of an award-winning documentary film-maker directing his first feature film, and a Sundance Film Festival Grand Prize. SLAM is a great praise-worthy package. It is not, however, a great film. In fact, it's not even a particularly good one. Documentarian Marc Levin (HBO's "Bangin' in Little Rock") brings his verite style to the story of Ray Joshua (Saul Williams), a street poet and small-time marijuana dealer in Washington D.C.'s inner city. Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time during a gang shooting, Ray ends up convicted of possession with intent. In prison, Ray finds his survival may depend on allying himself with prison gang leaders like Hopha (Bonz Malone), even though Ray claims to be a pacifist. He also meets Lauren (Sonja Sohn), a poet offering creative writing classes for inmates. The two cross paths again upon Ray's release from prison, where their relationship forces ray to conider his role in the decay of his environment. SLAM virtually bubbles and boils with provocative concepts and viscerally effective scenes. Though at first it seems like it may be little more than a liberal tract on hard lives, inequities in the judicial system and the like, the film probes a bit deeper, questioning whether Ray is part of the solution or part of the problem. It's also hard not to feel a charge from the scene in which Ray defuses a potential fight in the prison workout yard by bursting into a poem of paralyzing ferocity. With Levin occasionally toning down the strident voice for a few wry observations (including Malone's smooth turn as the prison entrepreneur and Marion Barry's cameo as a trial judge waxing ironically indignant about drug dealing), SLAM at its best does manage to grab hold of you. Then, nearly as quickly, it'll let you go again. SLAM depends almost entirely on gripping you in the thrall of its intensity, but that doesn't always happen with a pair of inexperienced lead actors handling the most challenging material. Saul Williams doesn't have the chops to handle Ray's complex character arc, nor can Sonja Sohn always handle Lauren's didactic role. That leads to scenes where the two merely shout at each other with a discouraging lack of subtlety. As comfortable as they may be with the rat-a-tat, stream-of-insanity style of their poetry (showcased in scenes at coffee house poetry "slams"), it often feels like that's the only note they can bring to their performances. Make no mistake, Levin and his cast understand this milieu, and the sincerity of their conviction is never in doubt. Their film-making instincts are another matter entirely. From moment to moment, Levin alternates between compelling realism and the pretentious whiff of conspicuous symbolism -- a gangsta who becomes enlightened after he is blinded, for instance, or the hollowly open-ended final shot. SLAM is its own kind of tone poem, I suppose, its success riding on the strong accented beats provided by a few individually effective scenes. Yet ultimately that's all it is -- a collection of emotional iambs, alternately engrossing and meandering. Sincerity can only get you so far, even when you're telling a story everyone would like to have told. On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 slam funks: 5. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit Scott Renshaw's MoviePage http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/ *** Subscribe to receive new reviews directly by email! See the MoviePage for details, or reply to this message with subject line "Subscribe". - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ End of movies-digest V2 #118 **************************** [ To quit the movies-digest mailing list (big mistake), send the message ] [ "unsubscribe movies-digest" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]