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From: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com (movies-digest) To: movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: movies-digest V2 #188 Reply-To: movies-digest Sender: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk movies-digest Friday, May 14 1999 Volume 02 : Number 188 [MV] test RE: [MV] Phantom Tickets [MV] RE: unsubscribe RE: [MV] Phantom Tickets [MV] RE:Jet Li Rocks [MV] cranky critic: SW1:TPM [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" -Reply RE: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" -Reply RE: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" -Reply RE: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" RE: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable RE: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable RE: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 13 May 1999 10:06:29 +0100 From: Wade Snider <wsnider@brazoselectric.com> Subject: [MV] test > Testing a moment [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 May 1999 10:27:30 -0500 From: mgauvreau@mms.org Subject: RE: [MV] Phantom Tickets unsubscribe > ---------- > From: Oz > Reply To: movies@lists.xmission.com > Sent: Thursday, May 13, 1999 6:59 PM > To: movies@lists.xmission.com > Subject: Re: [MV] Phantom Tickets > > Mel Eperthener wrote: > > > > At 03.00 PM 13/05/99 -0700, Oz wrote: > > > > OK, now at least we can sense where you are coming from. Now, if I > could > > ask another question, it would be WHEN did you see the original?? > > Same age as you, my friend. > > > But it was AWESOME!! We had never seen anything like it before. OK, > > actually we had (Hidden Fortress, etc), but not in this spiffy new > package. > > That's where this film falls over. The first was an effects > breakthrough. It could have been Gumby playing Luke Skywalker, but > the effects made it all watchable. We'd never seen that stuff > before. > > Now we have. Too much. And better than this. > > What does that leave? Nostalgia and only nostalgia. > > Lucas has tried to be Mr Breakthrough again by using the world's > first CGI character, blah blah, but it's a tough marketplace for > technical marvels now. It's not a case of blowing up a model and > making a hundred mill. You have to beat Matrix, you have to beat A > Bug's Life. > > Or maybe, hey, why not throw in a good script? > > > Then again, should this movie again change > > the cinematic landscape, I expect that you will stand by your scathing > > review (and I suspect that you have enough gumption to do just that:-) > > If this movie hanges the cinematic landscape, I'll leave the bis and > take a job packing groceries. > > It will sell many tickets. It will be around for a long time. It > will not warrant another two episodes. > > ----------------- {{{OZ}}} ------------------- > ------- http://www.filmink-online.com -------- > ---------------------------------------------- > > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > Want to earn money on your website? How does 17c a click sound? > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > http://www.valueclick.com/cgi-bin/refer_host_signup?host=h0032965 > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > > [ 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: Thu, 13 May 1999 10:33:50 -0500 From: mgauvreau@mms.org Subject: [MV] RE: unsubscribe unsubscribe movies [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 May 1999 11:51:57 -0700 From: "Romero, Leticia" <lromero@saonet.ucla.edu> Subject: RE: [MV] Phantom Tickets Lillian is right - the is a PREQUEL for those who truly love the myth and story of the Star Wars Saga - I don't expect to see any familiar characters until Episode III > -----Original Message----- > From: Lillian Lepinath [SMTP:q9303210@topaz.cqu.edu.au] > Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 1999 10:57 PM > To: movies@lists.xmission.com > Subject: Re: [MV] Phantom Tickets > > Oz wrote: > > > But this is cruddy. We're talking Godzilla, folks. The characters > > you love are absent. > > Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that, since it's a > prequel and all, this movie would be a backgrounder to the events that > took/take place in the original three.... Luke, Han and Leia haven't > been born yet... Chewie as well most likely (how long do Wookie's live > for, anyway?) > > > > If it was just my opinion, I'd shut the hell up. But I got an email > > from someone who interviewed people leaving a screening two days > > ago, and here were the responses he got: > > > > Okay - negative responses, but what about the positive responses? Who > comprised the sample audience? What exactly was the question? (Sorry - > the journalism/cultural studies student is screaming to get out here) I > mean, you can compile responses anyway you want... that's a wonderful > thing about street surveys/vox pops... if you don't get a response you > like, you ask another person... i mean - for all of those people who > say they loved (sorry for mentioning this...) Titanic, there were people > who said it was crap - who felt it was just another film in a genre... > > > > > > However, yes, it does get the benefit of the doubt until then, simply > > > because it is the latest chapter of our mythology. > > > > Nah, it's a new mythology. Give me a sequel to Jedi and I'll give it > > cred. But this is a new franchise, using the name of another. And > > it's just not a good movie. > > Perhaps the beginning of the mythology? > > Just a thought... > > TeckerDaze. > -- > __\/__ > . / ^ _ \ . > |\| (o)(o) |/| > #----------------.OOOo--oo--oOOO.------------# > # # > #Si hoc legere scis numium eruditionis habes.# > # # > #_________________________Oooo.______________# > .oooO ( ) > ( ) ) / TeckerDaze > \ ( (_/ > q9303210@topaz.cqu.edu.au > \_) > > [ 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: Thu, 13 May 1999 12:03:38 -0700 From: "Romero, Leticia" <lromero@saonet.ucla.edu> Subject: [MV] RE:Jet Li Rocks here here! I can't wait for The Black Mask and Romeo Must Die! > -----Original Message----- > From: Oz [SMTP:oz@filmink-online.com] > Sent: Thursday, May 13, 1999 12:27 PM > To: movies@lists.xmission.com > Subject: Re: [MV] Phantom Tickets > > > > SkipyLlama@aol.com wrote: > > > > Secondly, I'm > > assuming you're not a martial arts movie fan...... If you were, you'd no > > doubt recognize Jackie Chan for what he is: the most creatvie martial > arts > > movie star alive today. > > Au contraire, there would be few who are bigger martial arts movie > fans than I. And that's one of the major reasons I didn't like Rush > Hour. Chan (who you are correct in saying is a gifted martial arts > actor) just completely re-used every fight sequence he's ever used > before. Fighting with fridge doors? The whole fighting in chairs > thing? The billiard cue bit? > Come on, if you've seen three of his films before you've seen those > sequences, and done a lot better. Not to mention that as far as > racial stereotyping trying to pass as humour, only Lethal Weapon 4 > has been worse. And the ending... yawn, what a stinker. > > > The fight scenes > > were the best since supercop, just b/c they were funny. Not that chan > should > > stick to comedy, but it's a welcome break occasionally > > Comedy is almost all he does! Let's be serious, the guy's a > clown/acrobat. If you want real martial arts expertise, you'd go no > further than Jet Li. Rent Fist Of Legend and tell me Jackie Chan is > even in the same stratosphere. > > ----------------- {{{OZ}}} ------------------- > ------- http://www.filmink-online.com -------- > ---------------------------------------------- > > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > Want to earn money on your website? How does 17c a click sound? > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > http://www.valueclick.com/cgi-bin/refer_host_signup?host=h0032965 > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > > [ 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: 14 May 1999 12:53:26 -0000 From: Cranky Critic <chuck@crankycritic.com> Subject: [MV] cranky critic: SW1:TPM Cranky Critic - http://www.crankycritic.com George Lucas' people asked that I not post the Phantom Menace review until next week, but since all the "big names" put their disses online before us down in the gutter press got to see the last screening and since but no one said anything about the crankycritic.com mailing list, you're getting first look at what goes up as soon as I'm allowed. THERE ARE NO SPOILERS OR PLOT SECRETS REVEALED HEREIN. Enjoy, and thanks for using the site chuck schwartz crankycritic.com The Cranky Critic« Reviews: Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace Rated PG, 130 minutes Starring Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Samuel L. Jackson, Frank Oz, Pernilla August, Ray Park, Ahmed Best Written and Directed by George Lucas website: http://www.starwars.com IN SHORT: oog factor of 10. 30 years earlier than "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away . . ." Cranky's not sure what movie the film student mentality big name press critics were sitting in when they wrote their slams of Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace (aka EP1), and posted 'em on their websites. It sure wasn't the same movie I sat at. While it's policy not to compare to Source Material, I will allude to the original Star Wars trilogy from time to time, to make my point clear. No surprises in the story of this part will be revealed, I promise. Writer/director George Lucas' Episode One is a different animal from 1977's Star Wars (hereafter A New Hope or EP4). The Phantom Menace must achieve different ends, being the opening chapter of what will be a ten-hour long epic when all is said and done. It has to introduce a new set of characters for this trilogy and give us enough reasons to come back to see how it turns out for them ('cuz virtually everybody knows how it turns out for Anakin Skywalker). Basically: The planet Naboo is under attack from the greedy Galactic Trade Federation due to some kind of dispute over the taxation of trade routes. Naboo's Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman), a pacifist, will not give in to the Federation's demands, nor is she willing to wage War. Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), a Jedi Master and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) are sent to Naboo to mediate the dispute. The Federation, in league with a shadowy villain calling himself Darth Sidious, has no intention of negotiation. Let us say you will see laser swords used in ways previously unimagined, and move on. On the surface of Naboo, the Jedis literally run into a clumsy native of the Gungan race, Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best). As the situation deteriorates, the Jedis, the Queen and her court, and Jar Jar flee for Coruscant, the planet wide Capital of the Republic, to plead their case before the Senate. Engine troubles force them to land on an obscure planet named Tatooine, where the Trade Federation has no hold, due to competition from a race of mobsters familiar to us all, the Hutts. While searching out replacement parts for his spaceship, Qui-Gon meets a nine year old slave boy named Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) and the Jedi feels something... We all know what that means. As Qui-Gon puts it, "nothing happens by coincidence." EP1 must set up the background for all that is to follow, in this trilogy and the next. That's a tremendous amount of weight to carry and it is born admirably. The Phantom Menace features the "return" of Jedi Master Yoda (Frank Oz); provides origins for the droids R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) and C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels). It introduces another Jedi Master, Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson), sole human on the Jedi Council who set the standards for Jedi conduct and determine who is to be trained in the Jedi way. We see glimpses of what Imperial society looked like before the Empire. We meet new characters such as Naboo's Senator Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), the shadowy Darth Sidious and his apprentice Darth Maul (Ray Park), who is trained in the Jedi way and sports red skin, Satanic horns and a double bladed laser sword. The net result, the duels are even more frenetic. Very cool beans. EP1's special effects are seamless integrated into live action. The most spectacular of them all is the digital creation of lead character Jar Jar Binks who looks and moves so realistically, you could believe he's real. Yes, there are actors in alien masks in this movie, but there are equal numbers of digital creations in almost every scene in the movie. Besides Jar Jar there is, of course, Jabba the Hutt; the entire Gungan race and its leader Boss Nass (Brian Blessed); the mosquito-like Watto, owner of Anakin Skywalker and his mother Shmi (Pernilla August); lots of animals and virtually all the spacecraft. The cityscapes created by ILM far surpass their work on The Mummy. The detail is impressive. The settings, including the underwater city inhabited by the Gungans, the city/planet of Coruscant and the Queen's royal palace are all beautiful and breathtaking. The space battles, underwater action sequences and centerpiece pod race on Tatooine are all impressive pieces of work, even more so considering that at no point do the effects call attention to themselves, thus diminishing the story that is being laid out. Liam Neeson moves like an aging Zen Master through his role. Ewan McGregor has Alec Guinness' voice patterns down pat. Natalie Portman works twice as hard as everybody else and Jake Lloyd, who was eight years old when this was filmed, doesn't drop the ball. Pernilla August, as Anakin's mother, provides a fine emotional tone that doesn't exist elsewhere in this picture, though her character does spout some nonsense when asked about Anakin's father. I'll leave that to you to discover. Ray Park, as Maul, is just plain scary to look at, though he doesn't radiate evil as Darth Vader will. The Phantom Menace's is just a shade difficult to grasp. The smallest of kidlets may gape open mouthed at the graphics and effects and action sequences on the screen but at its core, the story of taxation and war will be well over their heads. Could you discuss taxation, and what it means, with a ten year old? I didn't think so. What determines "Evil" in this flick is not as clear as it was in the original Trilogy. Politics will do that. You will need to ignore the premise, at least for this part of the saga. Cranky hasn't even mentioned Clones, the use of which add more layers of intrigue to this story, and the stories to come. Look closely. Clones are everywhere. If you were expecting the Second Coming, you will be disappointed. If you have a life, what Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace delivers, aside from an incredibly long title, are action sequences that will bring you back to see it again and again, as in EP4: A New Hope. For all the shades of gray that make up this flick, it stands on par with the original Star Wars for action, surpasses it for plot movement and falls a wee bit short in presenting clear cut good and evil. Gee, Cranky can write an awful lot of words when he tries hard not to give the story away <vbg>. On average, a first run movie ticket will run you Eight Bucks. Were Cranky able to set his own price to Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace, he would have paid... ... waitasec, I've got to catch my breath. That title gets me every time.... $8.00 For this fan, Empire is still the best, and Episodes One and Four come close behind. No doubt about it, I'll see it more than once. The setup now in place, everything you've (well, we've) been waiting for will start showing up in Episode Two: Empire Rising and Episode Three: Fall of the Jedi (all titles are rumors), to wit: The Clone Wars Anakin's courtship of the Queen (the kid likes older women. Go Ani, Go!) The rise of the Empire The fall of Anakin Skywalker The Destruction of the Jedi The Birth of the Twins The death of Obi-Wan Kenobi... ...or was Vader lying to Luke about that last one, in The Empire Strikes Back? Only time will tell. The Cranky Critic« is a Registered Trademark of, and Copyright ⌐ 1995-99 by, Chuck Schwartz. All Rights Reserved. ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to crankycritic-unsubscribe@listbot.com Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/ [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 07:23:05 -0600 (MDT) From: Scott Renshaw <renshaw@inconnect.com> Subject: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" Reasonable "Force" -- Putting the STAR WARS Phenomenon in Perspective In the weeks building up to the release of STAR WARS: EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE, the scorn was flying as fast and thick as a squadron of Tie Fighters. The line-ups of fans appearing at theaters around the country had become a news story; what's more -- and more depressing -- they had become a national punch line. Detroit Free Press sports columnist Mitch Albom wrote a diatribe against the line-standing "losers;" late night talk show monologues found much mirth in the favored stereotypes. Yes, indeed, we were all having a right jolly chuckle at the expense of those foolish folks who clearly had far too much time on their hands. The barbs, though not at all surprising, inspired a raising of my film-loving hackles. The taunting of a sports writer struck me as particularly misguided in its essential hypocrisy. In a routine featured in the upcoming documentary TREKKIES, comic Matt Weinhold notes: "A guy can walk into a store wearing the uniform of his favorite sports team and no one thinks anything of it, but if I walk into the store dressed like a Vulcan, I'm a big geek." Every year, students at Duke University camp out for days for the right to purchase season tickets to men's basketball games; Green Bay Packer games feature adult human beings wearing foam cheese wedges on their heads. We've come to accept irrational passions in one aspect of our national life -- sports -- as part of the social fabric. When those irrational passions migrate to a film or a television show, however, it somehow becomes reasonable to sniff, "Get a life." Those three grating words have become an inane, insulting shorthand for a kind of simple-minded intolerance. Let's be quite clear: when someone says "Get a life," what he really means is "Get _my_ life. Get the sort of life I can understand easily within my narrowly defined parameters of acceptable behavior. Conform to my expectations." Passionate, unconventional responses to popular art are nothing new. In 1841, devoted American readers of Charles Dickens' serialized novel _The Old Curiosity Shop_ waited at docks for the arrival from England of the installment which would reveal the fate of heroine Little Nell. The story goes that people read the installments on the spot, with wails of grief coursing through the masses as they learned of Nell's passing. Today, CNN and E! would have correspondents on those docks to report on the "phenomenon" with a smirk and practiced detachment. In a more contemporary context, there are people who have watched soap operas for fifteen years without ever missing an episode, or people who followed the Grateful Dead to hundreds of concerts, or "Trekkies" who faithfully attend conventions in full Starfleet regalia. Art, even mass-market art, can affect people in unique ways. Those who remain unaffected too often turn their lack of sympathy into haughty head-shaking. We live in a bitter, cynical time, and all too often we respond to expressions of joy with even more bitterness and cynicism. The idea that anything could touch people profoundly -- especially something so gauche as a science fiction film -- strikes others as not just absurd, but wrong. I visited a local theater at 7:00 a.m. on the morning of May 12, 1999, where nearly 2,000 individuals waited for STAR WARS tickets. I didn't see any "losers" deserving of my derision. I saw engineers and students, writers and programmers, fathers and sons, all of whom had embraced a myth and had turned the communal celebration of that myth into a grand party. It was a playoff game without the spilled beer and swearing, a superstar rock concert without the pot smoke and shoving. How much more deserving such joy is of envy than of scorn. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit Scott Renshaw's Screening Room http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/ *** Subscribe to receive new reviews directly by email! See the Screening Room for details, or reply to this message with subject "Subscribe". - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 08:48:27 -0700 From: "Bruce Bridges" <Bruce@ffww.com> Subject: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" -Reply Very well said Scott, but I think standing in line for a month does raise = the legitimate question whether somebody is in need of a life to get. =20 Of course that's just my geeky opinion. bb [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 11:22:34 -0500 From: "Joshua Crow" <joshc@galaxy-inc.com> Subject: RE: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" -Reply Also agreed. We also have to remember, though, that we're not talking about standing in line for some "one-time-only" event like a Pink Floyd concert or The Superbowl. We're talking about a movie that's going to be playing probably eight times a day for the next six months. All these "line lizards" are getting from their devotion is the chance to see the movie maybe 24 hours sooner than their more, shall we say, chemically balanced peers. I went down to my local megaplex around 5:30 on Wednesday. By then, the line had dissipated. Yes, all of the Wednesday shows were sold out, but I did get tickets for 7:20pm for the 20th, the next day. And you know what? My willingness to wait all of 24hours to see this movie means that I didn't have to lose my job or my sanity by sitting on a sidewalk for three weeks, and I'm going to be seeing the same movie they are. Besides, do any of you really WANT to see this movie on opening night? It's going to be like the Rocky Horror Picture Show. When I saw the "Star Wars" special edition opening night 2 years ago, I swore I'd never do it again. When they opened the doors to the theater, there was a stampede that almost killed people. Then, once everyone had claimed their seat, a couple of guys decided to have a toy lightsaber fight in the row directly in front of me. And the crowd was so obnoxious and rowdy that I literally could not hear the dialogue in the film for at least the first 20 minutes, even with a souped up DTS sound system. I don't know about you guys, but I want to actually be able to ENJOY this movie when I see it. Scott, I agree with every word you said when you compared Star Wars mania to the dregs who don facepaint and foam cheese hats to "support their team". We still need to put this into a bit of perspective, though. Josh |:| -----Original Message----- |:| From: owner-movies@lists.xmission.com |:| [mailto:owner-movies@lists.xmission.com]On Behalf Of |:| Bruce Bridges |:| Sent: Friday, May 14, 1999 10:48 AM |:| To: movies@lists.xmission.com |:| Subject: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" -Reply |:| |:| |:| Very well said Scott, but I think standing in line for |:| a month does raise the legitimate question whether |:| somebody is in need of a life to get. |:| |:| Of course that's just my geeky opinion. |:| |:| bb |:| |:| [ 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: Fri, 14 May 1999 10:48:09 -0700 From: "Romero, Leticia" <lromero@saonet.ucla.edu> Subject: RE: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" -Reply Geeks with a life Unite! > -----Original Message----- > From: Bruce Bridges [SMTP:Bruce@ffww.com] > Sent: Friday, May 14, 1999 8:48 AM > To: movies@lists.xmission.com > Subject: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" -Reply > > Very well said Scott, but I think standing in line for a month does raise > the legitimate question whether somebody is in need of a life to get. > > Of course that's just my geeky opinion. > > bb > > [ 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: Fri, 14 May 1999 11:27:37 -0700 From: "Romero, Leticia" <lromero@saonet.ucla.edu> Subject: RE: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" To me, the difference between standing in line for a ticket to a show that can NEVER BE REPEATED (sports) to a show that the same action EVERY TIME (movie) is pretty obvious. I will stand in line for days for Dodger tickets because you never know when Raul is going to out-bat the league. BUT, as much as I love the Star Wars saga, I have better things to do with my time than to camp out on the streets of Westwood with a bunch of Sega-playing, un-washed, pimply-faced geeks who's parents allowed them to miss school for tickets for a movie that will be playing all year... Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. Leti Romero ;) "The World Is Not Enough" P.S. T-shirts with team logos with a matching shorts and hat is an acceptable dress standard in our human society - Klingon war togs are not -- in the 80's maybe, but not anymore... > -----Original Message----- > From: Scott Renshaw [SMTP:renshaw@inconnect.com] > Sent: Friday, May 14, 1999 6:23 AM > To: renshaw@inconnect.com > Subject: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" > > Reasonable "Force" -- > Putting the STAR WARS Phenomenon in Perspective > > In the weeks building up to the release of STAR WARS: EPISODE I - THE > PHANTOM MENACE, the scorn was flying as fast and thick as a squadron of > Tie Fighters. The line-ups of fans appearing at theaters around the > country had become a news story; what's more -- and more depressing -- > they had become a national punch line. Detroit Free Press sports > columnist Mitch Albom wrote a diatribe against the line-standing "losers;" > late night talk show monologues found much mirth in the favored > stereotypes. Yes, indeed, we were all having a right jolly chuckle at the > expense of those foolish folks who clearly had far too much time on their > hands. > > The barbs, though not at all surprising, inspired a raising of my > film-loving hackles. The taunting of a sports writer struck me as > particularly misguided in its essential hypocrisy. In a routine featured > in the upcoming documentary TREKKIES, comic Matt Weinhold notes: "A guy > can walk into a store wearing the uniform of his favorite sports team and > no one thinks anything of it, but if I walk into the store dressed like a > Vulcan, I'm a big geek." Every year, students at Duke University camp out > for days for the right to purchase season tickets to men's basketball > games; Green Bay Packer games feature adult human beings wearing foam > cheese wedges on their heads. We've come to accept irrational passions in > one aspect of our national life -- sports -- as part of the social fabric. > When those irrational passions migrate to a film or a television show, > however, it somehow becomes reasonable to sniff, "Get a life." > > Those three grating words have become an inane, insulting shorthand > for a kind of simple-minded intolerance. Let's be quite clear: when > someone says "Get a life," what he really means is "Get _my_ life. Get > the sort of life I can understand easily within my narrowly defined > parameters of acceptable behavior. Conform to my expectations." > > Passionate, unconventional responses to popular art are nothing new. > In 1841, devoted American readers of Charles Dickens' serialized novel > _The Old Curiosity Shop_ waited at docks for the arrival from England of > the installment which would reveal the fate of heroine Little Nell. The > story goes that people read the installments on the spot, with wails of > grief coursing through the masses as they learned of Nell's passing. > Today, CNN and E! would have correspondents on those docks to report on > the "phenomenon" with a smirk and practiced detachment. In a more > contemporary context, there are people who have watched soap operas for > fifteen years without ever missing an episode, or people who followed the > Grateful Dead to hundreds of concerts, or "Trekkies" who faithfully > attend conventions in full Starfleet regalia. Art, even mass-market art, > can affect people in unique ways. Those who remain unaffected too often > turn their lack of sympathy into haughty head-shaking. > > We live in a bitter, cynical time, and all too often we respond to > expressions of joy with even more bitterness and cynicism. The idea that > anything could touch people profoundly -- especially something so gauche > as a science fiction film -- strikes others as not just absurd, but wrong. > I visited a local theater at 7:00 a.m. on the morning of May 12, 1999, > where nearly 2,000 individuals waited for STAR WARS tickets. I didn't see > any "losers" deserving of my derision. I saw engineers and students, > writers and programmers, fathers and sons, all of whom had embraced a myth > and had turned the communal celebration of that myth into a grand party. > It was a playoff game without the spilled beer and swearing, a superstar > rock concert without the pot smoke and shoving. How much more deserving > such joy is of envy than of scorn. > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Visit Scott Renshaw's Screening Room > http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/ > *** > Subscribe to receive new reviews directly by email! > See the Screening Room for details, or reply to this message with subject > "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: Fri, 14 May 1999 13:35:24 CDT From: "Wade S." <wds9974@hotmail.com> Subject: RE: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable Amen, brother. I hate it when I think of a reply to a well-written post such as Scott's, only to find that someone else said it much better than I had yet thought of!!!!!!!!!!! I kid but kudos on the comments, Josh (and Scott). I see no point in waiting three weeks in line to be in the first theater. I also question the folks who were paying 200 to 500 dollars for advance tickets about 2-3 weeks ago. Hanh???? i know that that was for charity, but I've read some posts on websites of people who actually paid that price to SEE the movie, not for any charitable reasons. Crazy. You could wait a couple of weeks and then still have money to buy your ticket and snacks for at least a couple of dozen more viewings, which i'm sure these guys will do anayway. Here in Waco, one theater started a line on Monday, the other theater wouldn't let people stay the night in front of it. Checking by telephone yesterday evening, there were still plenty of tickets for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday!!!!!! Way out of proportion. As Joshua says, it's not like a farewell performance by The Rolling Stones or a Superbowl or even an All Star Game or sports champioship matchup. The movie will be played for months!!!!! I wouldn't be surprised to see it stay in the first run theaters through Thanksgiving. I'm not even going to see the movie next week unless there are no lines on the weekend. I can wait a few days. Sheesh. Wade >From: "Joshua Crow" <joshc@galaxy-inc.com> >Reply-To: movies@lists.xmission.com >To: <movies@lists.xmission.com> >Subject: RE: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" -Reply >Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 11:22:34 -0500 > > >Also agreed. We also have to remember, though, that we're not talking about >standing in line for some "one-time-only" event like a Pink Floyd concert >or >The Superbowl. We're talking about a movie that's going to be playing >probably eight times a day for the next six months. All these "line >lizards" >are getting from their devotion is the chance to see the movie maybe 24 >hours sooner than their more, shall we say, chemically balanced peers. I >went down to my local megaplex around 5:30 on Wednesday. By then, the line >had dissipated. Yes, all of the Wednesday shows were sold out, but I did >get >tickets for 7:20pm for the 20th, the next day. And you know what? My >willingness to wait all of 24hours to see this movie means that I didn't >have to lose my job or my sanity by sitting on a sidewalk for three weeks, >and I'm going to be seeing the same movie they are. > >Besides, do any of you really WANT to see this movie on opening night? It's >going to be like the Rocky Horror Picture Show. When I saw the "Star Wars" >special edition opening night 2 years ago, I swore I'd never do it again. >When they opened the doors to the theater, there was a stampede that almost >killed people. Then, once everyone had claimed their seat, a couple of guys >decided to have a toy lightsaber fight in the row directly in front of me. >And the crowd was so obnoxious and rowdy that I literally could not hear >the >dialogue in the film for at least the first 20 minutes, even with a souped >up DTS sound system. I don't know about you guys, but I want to actually be >able to ENJOY this movie when I see it. > >Scott, I agree with every word you said when you compared Star Wars mania >to >the dregs who don facepaint and foam cheese hats to "support their team". >We >still need to put this into a bit of perspective, though. >Josh > >|:| -----Original Message----- >|:| From: owner-movies@lists.xmission.com >|:| [mailto:owner-movies@lists.xmission.com]On Behalf Of >|:| Bruce Bridges >|:| Sent: Friday, May 14, 1999 10:48 AM >|:| To: movies@lists.xmission.com >|:| Subject: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" -Reply >|:| >|:| >|:| Very well said Scott, but I think standing in line for >|:| a month does raise the legitimate question whether >|:| somebody is in need of a life to get. >|:| >|:| Of course that's just my geeky opinion. >|:| >|:| bb >|:| >|:| [ 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 ] _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 13:15:55 -0600 From: jkrudy <jkrudy@micron.com> Subject: RE: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable I can't take it any longer!!!!!!!!!!! I must tell you that I'm writing this email from my laptop in line for Wednesday's show. I was the 10th person in the entire state of Idaho to have my tickets for the show. You bet ya, I'm going to be at the 12:01 AM showing and for all you losers on the West coast that's a full hour before you, so there! And I'm going to have my pick of seats since I'm already in line for the show. Ya, I couldn't get the time off from work so I quit. But I can always get another job after I'm done seeing the movie a couple dozen times. I can't believe you guys. Who would want to go to a stupid football game anyway? I don't understand what they're doing on the field anyway...sorry, I had to go for a while my buddy in Phoenix just emailed in his next move. Ya we're playing a game of 3D Chess just like on Star Trek. I'm kicking his Klingon butt! Any who, back to what I was saying, why do you question our mentality. I mean, I've got a life, in fact this time in line has given me a lot of time to do some really creative and useful things. I taught myself Klingonese, I read the entire Star Wars Encyclopedia (it's really cool because it includes all the stuff from the books--I'm thinking of starting up a Mara Jade fan club, she's so hot), and I'm thinking of starting my own Jedi Academy right here in Boise. Since my wife has left me, and I don't have a job I'll have plenty of time to do something really meaningful like this. If you don't know what I'm talking about maybe you should question whether you have a life or not. This kind of devotion isn't easy. Ya, some teenagers came over and threw stuff at us last night, garbage and stuff, but it wasn't too bad since we haven't bathed in 12 days. That's kind of cool too, it's like Woodstock man, except the only tunes playing is those of John Williams, loud and proud. Anyway I gotta go, it's time for my afternoon JEDIULCAN meditation trance. You guessed it, I created it myself it's a hybrid of a Vulcan trance and a Jedi trance only better. I am a GOD!!!! May the Force be with you all, Jak'da'r Daag Ut (That's my name in Klingonese) - -----Original Message----- From: Wade S. [mailto:wds9974@hotmail.com] Sent: Friday, May 14, 1999 12:35 PM To: movies@lists.xmission.com Subject: RE: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable Amen, brother. I hate it when I think of a reply to a well-written post such as Scott's, only to find that someone else said it much better than I had yet thought of!!!!!!!!!!! I kid but kudos on the comments, Josh (and Scott). I see no point in waiting three weeks in line to be in the first theater. I also question the folks who were paying 200 to 500 dollars for advance tickets about 2-3 weeks ago. Hanh???? i know that that was for charity, but I've read some posts on websites of people who actually paid that price to SEE the movie, not for any charitable reasons. Crazy. You could wait a couple of weeks and then still have money to buy your ticket and snacks for at least a couple of dozen more viewings, which i'm sure these guys will do anayway. Here in Waco, one theater started a line on Monday, the other theater wouldn't let people stay the night in front of it. Checking by telephone yesterday evening, there were still plenty of tickets for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday!!!!!! Way out of proportion. As Joshua says, it's not like a farewell performance by The Rolling Stones or a Superbowl or even an All Star Game or sports champioship matchup. The movie will be played for months!!!!! I wouldn't be surprised to see it stay in the first run theaters through Thanksgiving. I'm not even going to see the movie next week unless there are no lines on the weekend. I can wait a few days. Sheesh. Wade >From: "Joshua Crow" <joshc@galaxy-inc.com> >Reply-To: movies@lists.xmission.com >To: <movies@lists.xmission.com> >Subject: RE: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" -Reply >Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 11:22:34 -0500 > > >Also agreed. We also have to remember, though, that we're not talking about >standing in line for some "one-time-only" event like a Pink Floyd concert >or >The Superbowl. We're talking about a movie that's going to be playing >probably eight times a day for the next six months. All these "line >lizards" >are getting from their devotion is the chance to see the movie maybe 24 >hours sooner than their more, shall we say, chemically balanced peers. I >went down to my local megaplex around 5:30 on Wednesday. By then, the line >had dissipated. Yes, all of the Wednesday shows were sold out, but I did >get >tickets for 7:20pm for the 20th, the next day. And you know what? My >willingness to wait all of 24hours to see this movie means that I didn't >have to lose my job or my sanity by sitting on a sidewalk for three weeks, >and I'm going to be seeing the same movie they are. > >Besides, do any of you really WANT to see this movie on opening night? It's >going to be like the Rocky Horror Picture Show. When I saw the "Star Wars" >special edition opening night 2 years ago, I swore I'd never do it again. >When they opened the doors to the theater, there was a stampede that almost >killed people. Then, once everyone had claimed their seat, a couple of guys >decided to have a toy lightsaber fight in the row directly in front of me. >And the crowd was so obnoxious and rowdy that I literally could not hear >the >dialogue in the film for at least the first 20 minutes, even with a souped >up DTS sound system. I don't know about you guys, but I want to actually be >able to ENJOY this movie when I see it. > >Scott, I agree with every word you said when you compared Star Wars mania >to >the dregs who don facepaint and foam cheese hats to "support their team". >We >still need to put this into a bit of perspective, though. >Josh > >|:| -----Original Message----- >|:| From: owner-movies@lists.xmission.com >|:| [mailto:owner-movies@lists.xmission.com]On Behalf Of >|:| Bruce Bridges >|:| Sent: Friday, May 14, 1999 10:48 AM >|:| To: movies@lists.xmission.com >|:| Subject: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" -Reply >|:| >|:| >|:| Very well said Scott, but I think standing in line for >|:| a month does raise the legitimate question whether >|:| somebody is in need of a life to get. >|:| >|:| Of course that's just my geeky opinion. >|:| >|:| bb >|:| >|:| [ 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 ] _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.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: Fri, 14 May 1999 14:21:55 -0500 From: "Joshua Crow" <joshc@galaxy-inc.com> Subject: RE: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable Brilliant... |:| -----Original Message----- |:| From: owner-movies@lists.xmission.com |:| [mailto:owner-movies@lists.xmission.com]On Behalf Of jkrudy |:| Sent: Friday, May 14, 1999 2:16 PM |:| To: 'movies@lists.xmission.com' |:| Subject: RE: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable |:| |:| |:| I can't take it any longer!!!!!!!!!!! I must tell you |:| that I'm writing this |:| email from my laptop in line for Wednesday's show. I |:| was the 10th person in |:| the entire state of Idaho to have my tickets for the |:| show. You bet ya, I'm |:| going to be at the 12:01 AM showing and for all you |:| losers on the West coast |:| that's a full hour before you, so there! And I'm going |:| to have my pick of |:| seats since I'm already in line for the show. Ya, I |:| couldn't get the time |:| off from work so I quit. But I can always get another |:| job after I'm done |:| seeing the movie a couple dozen times. I can't believe |:| you guys. Who would |:| want to go to a stupid football game anyway? I don't |:| understand what |:| they're doing on the field anyway...sorry, I had to go |:| for a while my buddy |:| in Phoenix just emailed in his next move. Ya we're |:| playing a game of 3D |:| Chess just like on Star Trek. I'm kicking his Klingon |:| butt! Any who, back |:| to what I was saying, why do you question our |:| mentality. I mean, I've got a |:| life, in fact this time in line has given me a lot of |:| time to do some really |:| creative and useful things. I taught myself |:| Klingonese, I read the entire |:| Star Wars Encyclopedia (it's really cool because it |:| includes all the stuff |:| from the books--I'm thinking of starting up a Mara Jade |:| fan club, she's so |:| hot), and I'm thinking of starting my own Jedi Academy |:| right here in Boise. |:| Since my wife has left me, and I don't have a job I'll |:| have plenty of time |:| to do something really meaningful like this. If you |:| don't know what I'm |:| talking about maybe you should question whether you |:| have a life or not. |:| This kind of devotion isn't easy. Ya, some teenagers |:| came over and threw |:| stuff at us last night, garbage and stuff, but it |:| wasn't too bad since we |:| haven't bathed in 12 days. That's kind of cool too, |:| it's like Woodstock |:| man, except the only tunes playing is those of John |:| Williams, loud and |:| proud. Anyway I gotta go, it's time for my afternoon |:| JEDIULCAN meditation |:| trance. You guessed it, I created it myself it's a |:| hybrid of a Vulcan |:| trance and a Jedi trance only better. |:| |:| I am a GOD!!!! |:| |:| May the Force be with you all, |:| |:| Jak'da'r Daag Ut (That's my name in Klingonese) |:| |:| |:| -----Original Message----- |:| From: Wade S. [mailto:wds9974@hotmail.com] |:| Sent: Friday, May 14, 1999 12:35 PM |:| To: movies@lists.xmission.com |:| Subject: RE: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable |:| |:| |:| Amen, brother. I hate it when I think of a reply to a |:| well-written post such |:| |:| as Scott's, only to find that someone else said it much |:| better than I had |:| yet thought of!!!!!!!!!!! I kid but kudos on the |:| comments, Josh (and Scott). |:| |:| I see no point in waiting three weeks in line to be in |:| the first theater. I |:| also question the folks who were paying 200 to 500 |:| dollars for advance |:| tickets about 2-3 weeks ago. Hanh???? i know that that |:| was for charity, but |:| I've read some posts on websites of people who actually |:| paid that price to |:| SEE the movie, not for any charitable reasons. Crazy. |:| You could wait a |:| couple of weeks and then still have money to buy your |:| ticket and snacks for |:| at least a couple of dozen more viewings, which i'm |:| sure these guys will do |:| anayway. |:| |:| Here in Waco, one theater started a line on Monday, the |:| other theater |:| wouldn't let people stay the night in front of it. |:| Checking by telephone |:| yesterday evening, there were still plenty of tickets |:| for Thursday, Friday, |:| and Saturday!!!!!! Way out of proportion. As Joshua |:| says, it's not like a |:| farewell performance by The Rolling Stones or a |:| Superbowl or even an All |:| Star Game or sports champioship matchup. The movie will |:| be played for |:| months!!!!! I wouldn't be surprised to see it stay in |:| the first run theaters |:| |:| through Thanksgiving. I'm not even going to see the |:| movie next week unless |:| there are no lines on the weekend. I can wait a few |:| days. Sheesh. |:| |:| Wade |:| |:| >From: "Joshua Crow" <joshc@galaxy-inc.com> |:| >Reply-To: movies@lists.xmission.com |:| >To: <movies@lists.xmission.com> |:| >Subject: RE: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" -Reply |:| >Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 11:22:34 -0500 |:| > |:| > |:| >Also agreed. We also have to remember, though, that |:| we're not talking about |:| >standing in line for some "one-time-only" event like a |:| Pink Floyd concert |:| >or |:| >The Superbowl. We're talking about a movie that's |:| going to be playing |:| >probably eight times a day for the next six months. |:| All these "line |:| >lizards" |:| >are getting from their devotion is the chance to see |:| the movie maybe 24 |:| >hours sooner than their more, shall we say, chemically |:| balanced peers. I |:| >went down to my local megaplex around 5:30 on |:| Wednesday. By then, the line |:| >had dissipated. Yes, all of the Wednesday shows were |:| sold out, but I did |:| >get |:| >tickets for 7:20pm for the 20th, the next day. And you |:| know what? My |:| >willingness to wait all of 24hours to see this movie |:| means that I didn't |:| >have to lose my job or my sanity by sitting on a |:| sidewalk for three weeks, |:| >and I'm going to be seeing the same movie they are. |:| > |:| >Besides, do any of you really WANT to see this movie |:| on opening night? It's |:| >going to be like the Rocky Horror Picture Show. When I |:| saw the "Star Wars" |:| >special edition opening night 2 years ago, I swore I'd |:| never do it again. |:| >When they opened the doors to the theater, there was a |:| stampede that almost |:| >killed people. Then, once everyone had claimed their |:| seat, a couple of guys |:| >decided to have a toy lightsaber fight in the row |:| directly in front of me. |:| >And the crowd was so obnoxious and rowdy that I |:| literally could not hear |:| >the |:| >dialogue in the film for at least the first 20 |:| minutes, even with a souped |:| >up DTS sound system. I don't know about you guys, but |:| I want to actually be |:| >able to ENJOY this movie when I see it. |:| > |:| >Scott, I agree with every word you said when you |:| compared Star Wars mania |:| >to |:| >the dregs who don facepaint and foam cheese hats to |:| "support their team". |:| >We |:| >still need to put this into a bit of perspective, though. |:| >Josh |:| > |:| >|:| -----Original Message----- |:| >|:| From: owner-movies@lists.xmission.com |:| >|:| [mailto:owner-movies@lists.xmission.com]On Behalf Of |:| >|:| Bruce Bridges |:| >|:| Sent: Friday, May 14, 1999 10:48 AM |:| >|:| To: movies@lists.xmission.com |:| >|:| Subject: [MV] ESSAY: Reasonable "Force" -Reply |:| >|:| |:| >|:| |:| >|:| Very well said Scott, but I think standing in line for |:| >|:| a month does raise the legitimate question whether |:| >|:| somebody is in need of a life to get. |:| >|:| |:| >|:| Of course that's just my geeky opinion. |:| >|:| |:| >|:| bb |:| >|:| |:| >|:| [ 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 ] |:| |:| |:| _______________________________________________________________ |:| Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.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 ] ------------------------------ End of movies-digest V2 #188 **************************** [ To quit the movies-digest mailing list (big mistake), send the message ] [ "unsubscribe movies-digest" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]