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1998-12-23
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From: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com (movies-digest)
To: movies-digest@lists.xmission.com
Subject: movies-digest V2 #147
Reply-To: movies-digest
Sender: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com
Errors-To: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com
Precedence: bulk
movies-digest Wednesday, December 23 1998 Volume 02 : Number 147
RE: [MV] REVIEW: HURLYBURLY
RE: [MV] You've Got Mail review
[none]
Re: [MV] You've Got Mail review
[MV] REVIEW: WAKING NED DEVINE
RE: [MV] REVIEW: WAKING NED DEVINE
Re: [MV] REVIEW: I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
RE: [MV] REVIEW: I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
RE: [MV] REVIEW: I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
[MV] REVIEW: HITMAN HART: WRESTLING WITH SHADOWS
Re: [MV] REVIEW: I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
[MV] DVD
Re: [MV] DVD
RE: [MV] REVIEW: I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
[MV] Sci-Fi Movie News - 12/22/98
[MV] Movie News - 12/23/98
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 08:49:37 -0800
From: "Romero, Leticia" <lromero@saonet.ucla.edu>
Subject: RE: [MV] REVIEW: HURLYBURLY
I don't remember hearing about this... I can't wait to see it!
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Scott Renshaw [SMTP:renshaw@inconnect.com]
> Sent: Sunday, December 20, 1998 9:23 AM
> To: renshaw@inconnect.com
> Subject: [MV] REVIEW: HURLYBURLY
>
> HURLYBURLY
> (Fine Line)
> Starring: Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright Penn, Chazz Palminteri,
> Garry Shandling, Anna Paquin, Meg Ryan.
> Screenplay: David Rabe, based on his stage play.
> Producers: Anthony Drazan, Richard N. Gladstein and David S. Hamburger.
> Director: Anthony Drazan.
> MPAA Rating: R (profanity, drug use, sexual situations, adult themes)
> Running Time: 123 minutes.
> Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.
>
> Eddie (Sean Penn), a second-tier Hollywood player, is slowly
> realizing that Hollywood is a bad place to be if you feel things too
> deeply. His roommate and business partner Mickey (Kevin Spacey) thrives
> on a callous disregard for anything but immediate satisfaction; his friend
> Phil (Chazz Palminteri), a struggling actor, drifts into instability as he
> tries to save his failing marriage. In an environment where a homeless
> teenager (Anna Paquin) becomes a sexual "Care Package" from a colleague
> (Garry Shandling), Eddie is frustrated in his every attempt to make a
> genuine human connection. His life is a HURLYBURLY -- emotional
> turbulence occasionally interrupted by attempts at communication that come
> out "blah blah blah."
>
> It's always in fashion to take a stab at the shallow white underbelly
> of Tinseltowners, but HURLYBURLY -- adapted by David Rabe from his play --
> offers more than cheap shot industry-bashing. At its heart it's a study
> of a man who has set himself up for perpetual disappointment by being
> tempermentally incompatible with the people who surround him. Eddie fumes
> when Mickey pursues Darlene (Robin Wright Penn), a woman in whom Eddie is
> interested, foolishly ascribing scruples to Mickey; he is haunted by the
> image of a 6-year-old girl watching her mother perform oral sex, an
> incident Mickey barely recalls; he explodes when Darlene describes an
> abortion with the same ambivalence she applies to deciding where to have
> dinner. Sean Penn brings his edge-of-control intensity to Eddie,
> investing him with a savage humanity that can't be deadened by sex and
> drugs no matter how hard he tries. It's a riveting performance as one of
> the best-written characters of the year.
>
> David Rabe's writing has the familiar rhythm of another playwright
> named David -- Mamet -- giving the dialogue the snap of exchanged gunfire.
> HURLYBURLY always feels like a film adaptation of a stage play, with the
> action centered at all times on character interaction, which is not to say
> that it's static or visually uncompelling. Director Anthony Drazan serves
> up some nice visual flourishes (a casket being lowered into the ground to
> reveal the Paramount water tower in the background, a cell phone
> conversation between cars driving side by side), and at least one scene of
> impressive tension involving a razor and a revelation. This is certainly
> a piece for actors above all, with a uniformly stellar cast -- be prepared
> to be surprised by Meg Ryan in a small role as a stripper -- but it's not
> a film where the camera sets up simply for people to deliver monologues.
> HURLYBURLY feels like its setting: smooth and slick, with something dark
> bubbling just underneath.
>
> It's easy to get caught up in one element of a film's tone,
> particularly if previous films on a similar subject have led you to expect
> that sort of tone. Yes, HURLYBURLY is dark -- there are unhappy people
> who spend most of their time swearing, snorting or debasing other unhappy
> people, there is violence, and there is death. There is also a strangely
> touching friendship between Eddie and Phil which may be an insurance
> policy for Eddie against successful friends who could desert him, but
> could also be the only thing that saves his soul. There are moments of
> raw emotion that come from unexpected places and take unexpected forms.
> And there is the hope that a man can remember how to care. Those who see
> this as just another nihilistic stroll down Hollywood Boulevard aren't
> looking closely enough. HURLYBURLY may be talky, but the talk isn't
> cheap. That shallow white underbelly has rarely run this deep.
>
> On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 Hollywood signs: 9.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 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 ]
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 08:52:37 -0800
From: "Romero, Leticia" <lromero@saonet.ucla.edu>
Subject: RE: [MV] You've Got Mail review
yeah, but can you dance to it?
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jason Cormier [SMTP:movieman@netcom.ca]
> Sent: Monday, December 21, 1998 1:03 AM
> To: Undisclosed.Recipients@tor-smtp2.netcom.ca
> Subject: [MV] You've Got Mail review
>
> This movie redefines cute. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are the cutest onscreen
> couple of this decade. They've got great chemistry which was not fully
> played out in Sleepless in Seattle as they only had a five minute scene
> together. You've got Mail is fun, though predictable - no surprises here,
> but definitely fun and of course - the perfect date movie. Absolutely
> nothing new here - but it will make gobs of dough as it is already
> receiving
> favourable reviews - because who could ever get mad at Tom Hanks or Meg
> Ryan??! I give it an 86%.
>
>
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 14:28:33 -0500 (EST)
From: "Just Different." <yae@cooper.edu>
Subject: [none]
unsubscribe yae@cooper.edu
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 14:48:57 -0600
From: Diane Christy <dchristy10@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [MV] You've Got Mail review
On 12/21/98, 3:02 AM -0600, Jason Cormier said so nicely:
>This movie redefines cute. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are the cutest onscreen
>couple of this decade. They've got great chemistry which was not fully
>played out in Sleepless in Seattle as they only had a five minute scene
>together. You've got Mail is fun, though predictable - no surprises here,
>but definitely fun and of course - the perfect date movie. Absolutely
>nothing new here - but it will make gobs of dough as it is already receiving
>favourable reviews - because who could ever get mad at Tom Hanks or Meg
>Ryan??! I give it an 86%.
My husband and I saw this movie on Friday and I found is exceedingly
well-written. It brings up issues about what constitutes a relationship
and responsibility. It was also (as Jason said) VERY cute. And I can live
with that--especially in today's world. "Cute" is needed today!!
~~~~~
Diane Christy (Samantha and Joshua's Mom)
Jefferson, LA
http://www.geocities.com/~dchristy10/
mailto:dchristy10@earthlink.net mailto:DChristy1@aol.com
ICQ #12904700
~~~~~
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 08:36:35 -0700 (MST)
From: Scott Renshaw <renshaw@inconnect.com>
Subject: [MV] REVIEW: WAKING NED DEVINE
WAKING NED DEVINE
(Fox Searchlight)
Starring: Ian Bannen, David Kelly, Fionnula Flanagan, James Nesbitt,
Susan Lynch, Brendan F. Dempsey.
Screenplay: Kirk Jones.
Producers: Glynis Murray and Richard Holmes.
Director: Kirk Jones.
MPAA Rating: PG (profanity, adult themes, brief nudity)
Running Time: 91 minutes.
Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.
It's difficult to explain how 85 minutes of effortless charm could be
neutralized by one scene without giving away the ending of WAKING NED
DEVINE. As a film critic I almost always champion films that take
narrative risks, avoiding the plague of the obvious. WAKING NED DEVINE
takes just such a risk, but the result feels like a particularly nasty
bait-and-switch. Where many films err with gratuitous sentimentality,
this one errs with a gratuitous lack of sentimentality.
The most frustrating thing is that so much of it is so entertaining.
Set in the coastal Irish hamlet of Tulaigh Mhor, it centers on Jackie
O'Shea (Ian Bannen) and Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly), two elderly
friends among the town's 52 inhabitants. One morning, Jackie makes the
connection from a newspaper headline that a winning lottery ticket was
purchased in Tulaigh Mhor, meaning one of the other 50 townspeople is now
very wealthy -- and very desirable as a friend. After narrowing down the
field of contenders, Jackie realizes the winner must be fisherman Ned
Devine. Unfortunately, Ned is in no position to claim his prize, having
dropped dead from shock while watching the numbers announced on
television.
Thus begins a sparkling bit of farce as Jackie, Michael and
eventually the entire town conspire to share in the late Ned's good
fortune. When lottery offical Jim Kelly (Brendan F. Dempsey) arrives from
Dublin to verify the winner, Michael is forced into the unfamiliar role of
actor, posing as Ned so the $6 million pound jackpot won't go without a
claimant. Both lead actors are splendid -- Bannen the gleeful mastermind
behind the plan, and Kelly the flustered star of his show. The sequence
in which Jackie and Michael try to set up the deception, caught off-guard
by Mr. Kelly's early arrival, shows director Kirk Jones to have a rare
sort of comic timing. Farce rarely works on film the way it works on a
stage, but WAKING NED DEVINE fires on every cylinder -- game actors in a
great comic situation guided by a talented director.
There's also a major sub-plot in WAKING NED DEVINE, a romantic
triangle of sorts between single mother Maggie (Susan Lynch), gentle
but foul-smelling pig farmer Finn (James Nesbitt) and self-satisfied
ladies' man Pat Mulligan (Matthew Devitt). Initially, the whole business
seems to be little more than a distraction, an excuse for gags about odor
and fruity soaps. Gradually, however, it begins to take shape as the
ideal set-up for the story's lesson. Finn loves his work as a pig farmer,
but Maggie will only marry him if he gives it up. Will the lottery
windfall in which he'll share change Finn into a more suitable husband,
yet a less satisfied man? How will riches change all the citizens of
Tulaigh Mhor?
And it is here, friends, that WAKING NED DEVINE takes its left turn
into black comedy and bleak morality. Plenty of viewers will walk away
from WAKING NED DEVINE believing they have seen a feel-good film with a
happy ending, but it is an entirely contrary reaction which blunted my
enthusiasm. I laughed and laughed and laughed through much of the film.
Then I gasped. Then I fumed. WAKING NED DEVINE sheds its sympathy and
its sense of good humor for what, in retrospect, feels like a cheap shock
and a toast to situational ethics. 85 minutes of effortless charm counts
for a lot. If only one scene didn't make it count for so much less.
On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 Devine interventions: 6.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 ]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 08:24:09 -0800
From: "Romero, Leticia" <lromero@saonet.ucla.edu>
Subject: RE: [MV] REVIEW: WAKING NED DEVINE
you are the best and well written commentator of film! Thank you for not
spoiling the movie!! I can't wait to see it!
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Scott Renshaw [SMTP:renshaw@inconnect.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 1998 7:37 AM
> To: renshaw@inconnect.com
> Subject: [MV] REVIEW: WAKING NED DEVINE
>
> WAKING NED DEVINE
> (Fox Searchlight)
> Starring: Ian Bannen, David Kelly, Fionnula Flanagan, James Nesbitt,
> Susan Lynch, Brendan F. Dempsey.
> Screenplay: Kirk Jones.
> Producers: Glynis Murray and Richard Holmes.
> Director: Kirk Jones.
> MPAA Rating: PG (profanity, adult themes, brief nudity)
> Running Time: 91 minutes.
> Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.
>
> It's difficult to explain how 85 minutes of effortless charm could be
> neutralized by one scene without giving away the ending of WAKING NED
> DEVINE. As a film critic I almost always champion films that take
> narrative risks, avoiding the plague of the obvious. WAKING NED DEVINE
> takes just such a risk, but the result feels like a particularly nasty
> bait-and-switch. Where many films err with gratuitous sentimentality,
> this one errs with a gratuitous lack of sentimentality.
>
> The most frustrating thing is that so much of it is so entertaining.
> Set in the coastal Irish hamlet of Tulaigh Mhor, it centers on Jackie
> O'Shea (Ian Bannen) and Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly), two elderly
> friends among the town's 52 inhabitants. One morning, Jackie makes the
> connection from a newspaper headline that a winning lottery ticket was
> purchased in Tulaigh Mhor, meaning one of the other 50 townspeople is now
> very wealthy -- and very desirable as a friend. After narrowing down the
> field of contenders, Jackie realizes the winner must be fisherman Ned
> Devine. Unfortunately, Ned is in no position to claim his prize, having
> dropped dead from shock while watching the numbers announced on
> television.
>
> Thus begins a sparkling bit of farce as Jackie, Michael and
> eventually the entire town conspire to share in the late Ned's good
> fortune. When lottery offical Jim Kelly (Brendan F. Dempsey) arrives from
> Dublin to verify the winner, Michael is forced into the unfamiliar role of
> actor, posing as Ned so the $6 million pound jackpot won't go without a
> claimant. Both lead actors are splendid -- Bannen the gleeful mastermind
> behind the plan, and Kelly the flustered star of his show. The sequence
> in which Jackie and Michael try to set up the deception, caught off-guard
> by Mr. Kelly's early arrival, shows director Kirk Jones to have a rare
> sort of comic timing. Farce rarely works on film the way it works on a
> stage, but WAKING NED DEVINE fires on every cylinder -- game actors in a
> great comic situation guided by a talented director.
>
> There's also a major sub-plot in WAKING NED DEVINE, a romantic
> triangle of sorts between single mother Maggie (Susan Lynch), gentle but
> foul-smelling pig farmer Finn (James Nesbitt) and self-satisfied ladies'
> man Pat Mulligan (Matthew Devitt). Initially, the whole business seems to
> be little more than a distraction, an excuse for gags about odor and
> fruity soaps. Gradually, however, it begins to take shape as the ideal
> set-up for the story's lesson. Finn loves his work as a pig farmer, but
> Maggie will only marry him if he gives it up. Will the lottery windfall
> in which he'll share change Finn into a more suitable husband, yet a less
> satisfied man? How will riches change all the citizens of Tulaigh Mhor?
>
> And it is here, friends, that WAKING NED DEVINE takes its left turn
> into black comedy and bleak morality. Plenty of viewers will walk away
> from WAKING NED DEVINE believing they have seen a feel-good film with a
> happy ending, but it is an entirely contrary reaction which blunted my
> enthusiasm. I laughed and laughed and laughed through much of the film.
> Then I gasped. Then I fumed. WAKING NED DEVINE sheds its sympathy and
> its sense of good humor for what, in retrospect, feels like a cheap shock
> and a toast to situational ethics. 85 minutes of effortless charm counts
> for a lot. If only one scene didn't make it count for so much less.
>
> On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 Devine interventions: 6.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 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 ]
[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
[ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 08:50:26 -0800 (PST)
From: Catherine Clark <clarkc45212@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [MV] REVIEW: I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
This may be a little late to respond, but I thought I should take the
liberty to give you the teenager perspective on the sort of fun house
movie you've so correctly described. I am not going to disagree with
your review on the movie; I thought you were dead on. Just to let you
know, not every teen likes that sort of thing. I didn't hear anyone
saying they wanted to pay money to see this move(with the exception of
my brother, because he has the hots for the leading actress). Have
confidence that anyone over the age of 14 can find more interesting
things to do on a date. If they are going to see a movie, they are at
least going to see one with plot and character development. After
all, they teach us this stuff in school for a reason, right. I am not
trying to insult you, but you should find comfort in knowing that you
were wrong about the majority of teenagers.
_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
[ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 08:52:15 -0800
From: "Romero, Leticia" <lromero@saonet.ucla.edu>
Subject: RE: [MV] REVIEW: I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
How about the majority of teenage boys (15-35) who could care less about
plot as long as Love-Hewitt is wet and bouncy?
Leti Romero ;)
"The World Is Not Enough"
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Catherine Clark [SMTP:clarkc45212@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 1998 8:50 AM
> To: movies@lists.xmission.com
> Subject: Re: [MV] REVIEW: I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
>
>
>
>
>
> This may be a little late to respond, but I thought I should take the
> liberty to give you the teenager perspective on the sort of fun house
> movie you've so correctly described. I am not going to disagree with
> your review on the movie; I thought you were dead on. Just to let you
> know, not every teen likes that sort of thing. I didn't hear anyone
> saying they wanted to pay money to see this move(with the exception of
> my brother, because he has the hots for the leading actress). Have
> confidence that anyone over the age of 14 can find more interesting
> things to do on a date. If they are going to see a movie, they are at
> least going to see one with plot and character development. After
> all, they teach us this stuff in school for a reason, right. I am not
> trying to insult you, but you should find comfort in knowing that you
> were wrong about the majority of teenagers.
>
>
> _________________________________________________________
> DO YOU YAHOO!?
> Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
>
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]
[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
[ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 10:48:36 -0700
From: jkrudy <jkrudy@micron.com>
Subject: RE: [MV] REVIEW: I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
Amen to that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You know that sound panting dogs
make????
(Did I say all of this out loud????)
James K. Rudy
- -----Original Message-----
From: Romero, Leticia [mailto:lromero@saonet.ucla.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 1998 9:52 AM
To: 'movies@lists.xmission.com'
Subject: RE: [MV] REVIEW: I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
How about the majority of teenage boys (15-35) who could care less about
plot as long as Love-Hewitt is wet and bouncy?
Leti Romero ;)
"The World Is Not Enough"
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Catherine Clark [SMTP:clarkc45212@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 1998 8:50 AM
> To: movies@lists.xmission.com
> Subject: Re: [MV] REVIEW: I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
>
>
>
>
>
> This may be a little late to respond, but I thought I should take the
> liberty to give you the teenager perspective on the sort of fun house
> movie you've so correctly described. I am not going to disagree with
> your review on the movie; I thought you were dead on. Just to let you
> know, not every teen likes that sort of thing. I didn't hear anyone
> saying they wanted to pay money to see this move(with the exception of
> my brother, because he has the hots for the leading actress). Have
> confidence that anyone over the age of 14 can find more interesting
> things to do on a date. If they are going to see a movie, they are at
> least going to see one with plot and character development. After
> all, they teach us this stuff in school for a reason, right. I am not
> trying to insult you, but you should find comfort in knowing that you
> were wrong about the majority of teenagers.
>
>
> _________________________________________________________
> DO YOU YAHOO!?
> Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
>
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]
[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
[ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 11:01:18 -0700 (MST)
From: Scott Renshaw <renshaw@inconnect.com>
Subject: [MV] REVIEW: HITMAN HART: WRESTLING WITH SHADOWS
HITMAN HART: WRESTLING WITH SHADOWS
(A&E Cable Network)
Featuring: Bret Hart, Vince McMahon, Stu Hart.
Director: Paul Jay.
Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.
Airs Saturday, December 26 at 12 noon EST/9 am PST on A&E.
SPECIAL NOTE: Longtime readers will realize that I am breaking with a
longstanding tradition of reviewing only theatrical films. There is a
very good reason. Please note the air times listed above and don't miss
this one.
The best documentaries, like the best art of any kind, have always
been about more than their easily-summarized subject. HOOP DREAMS may
have been about high school basketball, but it was also about race, class
and the cultural deification of athletics. Great documentary film-makers
take individual lives and find stories that resonate beyond the
individuals whose lives are being explored.
HITMAN HART: WRESTLING WITH SHADOWS is set in the world of
professional wrestling, and shame on you if that's enough to keep you from
watching. Paul Jay's documentary is a brilliant, riveting, touching and
funny biographical study of a man who happens to be a professional
wrestler: Calgary native Bret "The Hitman" Hart, a 40-year-old, 14-year
veteran of the World Wrestling Federation and heavyweight champion crowd
favorite when we meet him. Actually, "happens to be a wrestler" may be an
understatement. In fact, Bret Hart's entire universe is wrestling -- his
father Stu was a pro wrestler and promoter, his seven brothers also became
wrestlers, and his four sisters all married wrestlers. In interviews with
family members, we see how Stu's old-school style -- twisting opponents
into excruciating submission holds until blood vessels burst in their eyes
- -- came to define not just Bret's wrestling persona, but his entire view
of integrity via his relationship with his father. Manhood meant no
compromise and no submission, inside the ring or out of it.
This background provides a crucial context for the central story of
Bret's fall from grace within the WWF. He describes how his virtuous,
heroic Hitman character became passe as anti-heroes like Stone Cold Steve
Austin grew in popularity, leading WWF owner Vince McMahon to engineer
Bret's shift from "good guy" to "bad guy." Yet even in that role Bret was
able to remain true to himself, becoming a Canadian patriot who criticized
the moral collapse of American society. Unfortunately, he extended that
criticism to the WWF itself, arguing that the family entertainment
morality plays of the 1980s glory days -- Hulk Hogan urging kids to "say
their prayers and take their vitamins" -- had given way to increasing
vulgarity and the glorification of villains. And McMahon, needless to
say, was not pleased.
That conflict sets up a climactic showdown in Montreal between Bret
and the WWF's reigning glamour boy, Shawn Michaels. Facing the end of his
contract with the WWF -- perhaps due to financial pressure from Ted
Turner's competing WCW, perhaps due to more personal issues -- Bret is
asked to lose the championship match in Canada. The circumstances leading
up to that request, including Bret's refusal of a sizable raise to jump
ship to the WCW only months earlier out of loyalty to McMahon, leads Bret
to hope there is some way he can leave his home country a winner. What
follows is as tense and dramatic as any confrontation in any fictional
sports film, this in a "sport" where the outcome is carefully
choreographed ahead of time.
Viewers expecting HITMAN HART: WRESTLING WITH SHADOWS to be a
behind-the-scenes expose of the "phony" wrestling world will find that,
but only to a certain extent. They'll also find a man named Bret Hart who
made the tragic mistake of attaching his identity to a fictional construct
in a multi-million dollar business. As clearly as Vince McMahon is the
villain of this piece, he also makes one extremely insightful comment
about Bret Hart: "He forgot that this is sports entertainment." HITMAN
HART: WRESTLING WITH SHADOWS is a tale of capitalism and personal
integrity, and the extent to which one has anything to do with the other.
It's a human drama, a social satire and a thrilling adventure. And it is
not, repeat, _not_ "just about wrestling."
On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 broken Harts: 10.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/
***
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 98 16:05:49 PST
From: "Rebecca Bezant" <sunybruk@infoblvd.net>
Subject: Re: [MV] REVIEW: I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
You know I still have not yet seen "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer=
", so there for I know very little about a plot if there is any, but can =
anyone tell me how many Friday the 13th movies had one? The only ones tha=
t I remeber is the first, 2nd, 5th(though it sucked), and the last. But, =
in exception to the 5th movie, I loved to watch them all, all that viole=
nce and and new creative ways of killing each person made me want to see =
how the next was going to die. Ok, I'm not a demented person or anything,=
if you thought that from my last sentance, but I love to watch horror =
movies. But they are killing off all the good villians, from Jason and =
Freddy (even if they have a new combo movie coming out, their series is =
gone, but of course not forgotten) and Michael, and even though I have =
not seen "Bride of Chucky", Im sure from watching the other three, that =
Chucky died as well. I may be 22, but I was a teenager a little while ago=
, but in a way I still am one, I may find Jennifer Love-Hewitt pretty dam=
n hot, but she wasnt the reason that I wanted to see the first movie(she =
was the reason I wanted to see "Can't Hardly Wait), I wanted to see more =
horror movies, since we are lacking some good ones. I want to see the new=
Psycho and Carrie 2 when that comes out, why? Because they are fun to =
watch. So could anyone please recommend any good horror movies,regardless=
of plot, that I may not of heard of. Thank you.
Tim
- ----------
> Amen to that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You know that sound panting dogs
> make????
>
> (Did I say all of this out loud????)
>
> James K. Rudy
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Romero, Leticia [mailto:lromero@saonet.ucla.edu]
> Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 1998 9:52 AM
> To: 'movies@lists.xmission.com'
> Subject: RE: [MV] REVIEW: I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
>
>
> How about the majority of teenage boys (15-35) who could care less abou=
t
> plot as long as Love-Hewitt is wet and bouncy?
> Leti Romero ;)
>
> "The World Is Not Enough"
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Catherine Clark [SMTP:clarkc45212@yahoo.com]
> > Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 1998 8:50 AM
> > To: movies@lists.xmission.com
> > Subject: Re: [MV] REVIEW: I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > This may be a little late to respond, but I thought I should take the
> > liberty to give you the teenager perspective on the sort of fun house
> > movie you've so correctly described. I am not going to disagree with
> > your review on the movie; I thought you were dead on. Just to let =
you
> > know, not every teen likes that sort of thing. I didn't hear anyone
> > saying they wanted to pay money to see this move(with the exception =
of
> > my brother, because he has the hots for the leading actress). Have
> > confidence that anyone over the age of 14 can find more interesting
> > things to do on a date. If they are going to see a movie, they are =
at
> > least going to see one with plot and character development. After
> > all, they teach us this stuff in school for a reason, right. I am =
not
> > trying to insult you, but you should find comfort in knowing that you
> > were wrong about the majority of teenagers.
> >
> >
> > _________________________________________________________
> > DO YOU YAHOO!?
> > Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
> >
> >
> > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> > [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]
>
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[ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1998 00:27:05 +0300
From: Soetji <deer@y.net.ye>
Subject: [MV] DVD
Hi,
On recent news on video release, I read this phrase: "with a DVD version
day & date." Does anyone know what it means?
Thanks,
Soetji
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 17:22:50 -0500
From: Mel Eperthener <bcassidy@usaor.net>
Subject: Re: [MV] DVD
At 12.27 AM 23/12/98 +0300, Soetji wrote:
>Hi,
>On recent news on video release, I read this phrase: "with a DVD version
>day & date." Does anyone know what it means?
It means that the version on DVD will be released at the same time (on the
same day and date) as the video version.
After 6 years in the industry, I still think "day and date" is one of the
most inane phrases known to man.
Regards,
- --Mel
- --Mel Eperthener
president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty
Please support the endeavour
of a friend and fellow Australian.
Political Corrections by Michael Jaymes Cassidy
http://www.angelfire.com/ma/politicalmusings
____________________________________________
Fear is the path to the Dark Side
Fear leads to anger
Anger leads to hate
Hate leads to sufferring.
- --Yoda, The Phantom Menace
(really cool trailer)
______________________________________________
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 16:31:35 -0700
From: jkrudy <jkrudy@micron.com>
Subject: RE: [MV] REVIEW: I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
I absolutely loved "The People Under the Stairs" by Wes
Craven!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It made me want to go eat a rare steak
afterwards, ha, ha, ha.
James K. Rudy
- -----Original Message-----
From: Rebecca Bezant [mailto:sunybruk@infoblvd.net]
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 1998 5:06 PM
To: movies@lists.xmission.com
Subject: Re: [MV] REVIEW: I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
You know I still have not yet seen "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer",
so there for I know very little about a plot if there is any, but can anyone
tell me how many Friday the 13th movies had one? The only ones that I
remeber is the first, 2nd, 5th(though it sucked), and the last. But, in
exception to the 5th movie, I loved to watch them all, all that violence
and and new creative ways of killing each person made me want to see how the
next was going to die. Ok, I'm not a demented person or anything, if you
thought that from my last sentance, but I love to watch horror movies. But
they are killing off all the good villians, from Jason and Freddy (even if
they have a new combo movie coming out, their series is gone, but of course
not forgotten) and Michael, and even though I have not seen "Bride of
Chucky", Im sure from watching the other three, that Chucky died as well. I
may be 22, but I was a teenager a little while ago, but in a way I still am
one, I may find Jennifer Love-Hewitt pretty damn hot, but she wasnt the
reason that I wanted to see the first movie(she was the reason I wanted to
see "Can't Hardly Wait), I wanted to see more horror movies, since we are
lacking some good ones. I want to see the new Psycho and Carrie 2 when that
comes out, why? Because they are fun to watch. So could anyone please
recommend any good horror movies,regardless of plot, that I may not of heard
of. Thank you.
Tim
- ----------
> Amen to that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You know that sound panting dogs
> make????
>
> (Did I say all of this out loud????)
>
> James K. Rudy
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Romero, Leticia [mailto:lromero@saonet.ucla.edu]
> Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 1998 9:52 AM
> To: 'movies@lists.xmission.com'
> Subject: RE: [MV] REVIEW: I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
>
>
> How about the majority of teenage boys (15-35) who could care less about
> plot as long as Love-Hewitt is wet and bouncy?
> Leti Romero ;)
>
> "The World Is Not Enough"
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Catherine Clark [SMTP:clarkc45212@yahoo.com]
> > Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 1998 8:50 AM
> > To: movies@lists.xmission.com
> > Subject: Re: [MV] REVIEW: I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > This may be a little late to respond, but I thought I should take the
> > liberty to give you the teenager perspective on the sort of fun house
> > movie you've so correctly described. I am not going to disagree with
> > your review on the movie; I thought you were dead on. Just to let you
> > know, not every teen likes that sort of thing. I didn't hear anyone
> > saying they wanted to pay money to see this move(with the exception of
> > my brother, because he has the hots for the leading actress). Have
> > confidence that anyone over the age of 14 can find more interesting
> > things to do on a date. If they are going to see a movie, they are at
> > least going to see one with plot and character development. After
> > all, they teach us this stuff in school for a reason, right. I am not
> > trying to insult you, but you should find comfort in knowing that you
> > were wrong about the majority of teenagers.
> >
> >
> > _________________________________________________________
> > DO YOU YAHOO!?
> > Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
> >
> >
> > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> > [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]
>
[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
[ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 12:14:58 -0700 (MST)
From: The Reporter <gregorys@xmission.com>
Subject: [MV] Sci-Fi Movie News - 12/22/98
Arnold Schwarzenegger is in talks to reprise his role as
a nearly indestructible cyborg for a third Terminator
film, which is in development at Fox, according to
Variety. James Cameron will likely write and produce the
on-again, off-again project, and there is a chance he may
also decide to direct the film.
Previously both Cameron--who wrote and directed the
first two Terminator films--and Schwarzenegger had
distanced themselves from the movie, which has been
bogged down in legal battles for several years. However,
now that Terminator 3 is in Fox's hands, the project is
reportedly moving forward rapidly.
-=> * <=-
Just three years after killing off Tokyo's favorite
radioactive lizard, the Toho Co. said it plans to
resurrect Godzilla, the most famous giant monster of
all time. According to Variety, Toho plans to release a
new Godzilla film in December 1999, tentatively titled
Godzilla Millennium.
Toho said it made its decision in part due to the recent
release of the Dean Devlin/Roland Emmerich version of
Godzilla, which was a box-office bomb in the United
States. "The shape of the American version of Godzilla
was so different from the Japanese version that there was
a clamor among fans and company officials to create a
Godzilla unique to Japan," Variety quoted a Toho
spokesperson as saying.
Godzilla has been featured in 22 films since he made his
debut in 1954, though 1995's Godzilla vs. Destroyer--in
which the Toho Terror finally met his match--was
originally going to be the last produced by Japanese movie
studios.
-=> * <=-
Star Trek: Insurrection took the top spot at the box
office for the weekend of Dec. 11 when it earned an
estimated $22.4 million in its first three days of
release. That was the third largest opening for a Trek film
ever, behind only Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek:
Generations.
Despite mixed reviews from fans and critics, Insurrection
should continue to do well in theaters since there are few
movies out that target Trek's predominantly male
audience. Insurrection is the ninth film in the Trek film
franchise and the third to star the cast of the TV series
Star Trek: The Next Generation.
-=> * <=-
Special-effects maven Ken Ralston plans to make his
directorial debut on a remake of the classic SF flick
Mysterious Island, according to The Hollywood
Reporter. The film is in development at Sony Pictures
Imageworks, where Ralston had been planning to helm the
big-screen version of Dinotopia before that project fell
victim to budget concerns.
Mysterious Island is based on the Jules Verne novel of the
same name and first hit theaters in 1929, showcasing
stop-motion effects created by Ralston and Ray
Harryhausen. It's a story about a group of Confederate
prison escapees who steal an observation balloon and end
up landing on an uncharted island populated by giant
animals.
Ralston has earned five Oscar awards in the visual effects
category, including a statuette for his work on Return of
the Jedi.
-=> * <=-
MGM plans to bring Annette Curtis Klause's young adult
werewolf saga Blood and Chocolate to the silver
screen, according to Variety. The flick will be helmed
by the husband-and-wife team of Larry Williams and Leslie
Libman, who have numerous music videos, commercials
and TV shows to their credit but who have never tackled
a feature film.
Blood and Chocolate centers around a teenage werewolf
who is mourning the death of her father and who has also
become bored with her fellow lycanthropes. Things
become more complicated when she falls in love with a
human boy, and a supernatural version of Romeo and
Juliet ensues.
-=> * <=-
SF films have been getting a mixed reaction at the
overseas box office, where Armageddon soared to the
fourth best opening ever in Japan while What Dreams
May Come floundered in Germany. Moviegoers of all
nationalities have been swarming to see A Bug's Life, but
Lost in Space has had both ups and downs, according to
published reports.
To date, Armageddon has earned $241 million in foreign
theaters and may break the $300 million barrier soon. The
X-Files is up to $98.4 million abroad, but What Dreams
May Come has taken in just $15.2 million.
Other overseas earnings include $41.7 million for Blade and
$52.7 million for Lost in Space. The Truman Show recently
passed the $112 million mark, and Antz is up to $60.6
million.
-=> * <=-
Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox announced that
Stars Wars: Episode 1 will debut in the United
Kingdom on July 16, 1999.
-=> * <=-
John Travolta may begin work on the film
adaptation of L. Ron Hubbard's SF novel Battlefield
Earth as early as this summer, according to Variety.
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1998 17:03:23 -0700 (MST)
From: The Reporter <gregorys@xmission.com>
Subject: [MV] Movie News - 12/23/98
A martial-arts expert has been denied a rematch with
Jean-Claude Van Damme. On Friday, a Superior Court judge
rejected Frank Dux's request for a new trial in his
breach-of-contract suit against the movie star. In November,
a jury dismissed Dux's claims that "The Quest," a 1991 movie
that Van Damme directed and starred in, was similar to the
manuscript "Enter the New Dragon: The Kumite," which they
both wrote. Dux sought $1.5 million.
-=> * <=-
"You've Got Mail" clicked at the box office. The Tom
Hanks-Meg Ryan romantic comedy pulled in an estimated $18.7
million during the weekend, compared to the $14.3 million
for the debut of "Prince of Egypt." Both films received
strong reviews and aggressive marketing campaigns, so they
are likely to play well for the rest of the holiday season,
predict industry observers. "Mail" could top $100 million
while "Prince" will likely finish at about $80 million.
* Elsewhere at the box office, Disney's "A Bug's Life"
slipped a notch to No. 3 with $9.5 million, bringing its
total to $95.9 million, while last week's No. 1, "Star Trek:
Insurrection," tumbled to fourth in its second weekend with
$8.5 million, a 60% slide from its opening score. The second
weekend of "Jack Frost" followed with $5.1 million, topping
the fifth weekend of "Enemy of the State" with $4.4 million.
"The Rugrats Movie" finished seventh with $3 million, edging
"The Waterboy" with $2.9 million. (The latter has become the
74th movie to go past $140 million in U.S. grosses.)
Rounding out the top 10 were "Psycho" with $1.9 million and
"Elizabeth" with $885,000. "Shakespeare in Love" continued
to perform well in limited release.
-=> * <=-
TV and radio critics named the World War II dramas "Saving
Private Ryan" and "The Thin Red Line" as among the top 10
pictures of 1998, but will hold off giving their best
picture award until late January. The Broadcast Film Critics
Association, the largest group of radio and TV film critics,
also named "Life is Beautiful," Elizabeth," "Gods and
Monsters," "A Simple Plan," "Out of Sight," Pleasantville,"
"Shakespeare in Love" and "The Truman Show" to its top 10
list, from which a best picture winner will be selected on
Jan. 25. The critics' group did announce winners in other
categories, including Sir Ian McKellan as best actor for his
work in "Gods and Monsters" and Cate Blanchett as best
actress for "Elizabeth." Steven Spielberg was named best
director for "Private Ryan."
-=> * <=-
Speaking of WWII flicks, the Turner Classic Movies cable
network and broadcast.com will present the video Internet
premiere of the 1942 classic romance "Casablanca," with
Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, at www.tcm.turner.com
and www.broadcast.com on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. The online
premiere will highlight a night of simultaneous on-air and
online video programming that will include TCM Online's
"Between the Scenes," which offers movie buffs expert trivia
and backstage tidbits that are streamed through the Website
in time with the movie playing on-air on TCM. In addition to
"Casablanca," tcm.turner.com will feature "Between the
Scenes" presentations of "Singin' in the Rain" (1952) at 10
p.m., "High Noon" (1952) at midnight and "Citizen Kane"
(1941) at 1:30 a.m. (all times Eastern).
-=> * <=-
Sean Penn, Woody Harrelson and Nick Nolte had to do
something to break the tension while shooting the World War
II movie "The Thin Red Line." New York's Daily News reports
their pranks started when Harrelson lined Penn's military
helmet with pre-chewed bubblegum. Penn then had 2,500
posters printed and distributed declaring "Woody Harrelson
Day." The locals in Australia turned out for the event, but
Harrelson didn't. The News says Nolte got in on the act by
making a late-night call to Penn saying he was in jail and
needed to be bailed out. When Penn arrived, finding Nolte
handcuffed and crying "help," he heard a gunshot and was
confronted by a jailer pointing a weapon. Harrelson appeared
from the sidelines -- the director of the carefully
choreographed prank.
-=> * <=-
Gwyneth Paltrow made a big fan out of Joseph Fiennes, her
hunky costar in "Shakespeare in Love." "Her ability to hit
the accent is extraordinary," Fiennes (younger brother of
Ralph) told the Boston Globe. "I haven't done much film, so
it was remarkable to watch someone just nail it, someone who
understands the discipline of Shakespeare and has the poise
and brilliance to get it right and doesn't need 15 takes."
Paltrow says she got her feel for the Bard from her mother,
actress Blythe Danner, who was always rehearsing Shakespeare
and taking her to Shakespeare in the Park.
-=> * <=-
* DIED: Irene Hervey, the dimpled leading lady who appeared
in dozens of 1930s and 1940s films (including playing James
Stewart's love interest in "Destry Rides Again"), Dec. 20,
of heart failure. She was 89. She also appeared on several
TV shows, including "Charlie's Angels," "Perry Mason" and
"My Three Sons."
-=> * <=-
* IMMORTALIZED: Robin Williams, who put his hand- and
footprints in cement in the forecourt of Hollywood's Chinese
Theater, Dec. 22, three days before his gooey new movie,
"Patch Adams," opens at the landmark. He wore a red clown
nose during the ceremony.
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------------------------------
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