ftp.xmission.com

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ ftp.xmission.com / 2014.06.ftp.xmission.com.tar / ftp.xmission.com / pub / lists / movies / archive / v02.n256 < prev next >

Wrap

Internet Message Format | 1999-12-31 | 52KB

From: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com (movies-digest) To: movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: movies-digest V2 #256 Reply-To: movies-digest Sender: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk movies-digest Saturday, January 1 2000 Volume 02 : Number 256 [MV] American Beauty; Election Re: [MV] American Beauty; Election [MV] MovieJuice! - ADVANCE - THE HURRICANE - Tropical Sturm and Drang [MV] Movie News - 12/22/99 [MV] MovieJuice! - ADVANCE - GIRL, INTERRUPTED - Crazy Like a Fox [MV] Sci-Fi Movie News - 12/23/99 [MV] Stuart Little's Galaxy Quest reviews [MV] The Insider [MV] Magnolia, Ripley, Moon, Sunday, Boys, Straight reviews [MV] MovieJuice! - MAN ON THE MOON - Drop Your Pants and Kauf ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 18 Dec 99 14:38:39 -0800 From: David F. Nolan <DFN@alum.mit.edu> Subject: [MV] American Beauty; Election I just watched the dark comedy ELECTION on video last night, and was struck by the similarities to AMERICAN BEAUTY. Without going into specifics (no spoilers!) I will simply say that I greatly enjoyed both movies, and would suggest that if you saw and enjoyed either, it will be well worth your time to check out the other. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Dec 1999 11:33:49 -0800 From: Movieman <movieman@netcom.ca> Subject: Re: [MV] American Beauty; Election Good call David - both are fine flicks. Election being very funny and disturbing and American Beauty being very disturbing and funny. High marks on my list as well - both are definitely in my top ten of the year! At 02:38 PM 12/18/99 -0800, you wrote: >I just watched the dark comedy ELECTION on video last night, and was >struck by the similarities to AMERICAN BEAUTY. Without going into >specifics (no spoilers!) I will simply say that I greatly enjoyed both >movies, and would suggest that if you saw and enjoyed either, it will be >well worth your time to check out the other. > >[ 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: Mon, 20 Dec 1999 12:55:38 -0500 (EST) From: maillist@moviejuice.com Subject: [MV] MovieJuice! - ADVANCE - THE HURRICANE - Tropical Sturm and Drang THE HURRICANE - Tropical Sturm and Drang by Mark Ramsey December 20, 1999 <a href="http://www.moviejuice.com/1999/hurricane.htm">Click here for the full review!</a> http://www.moviejuice.com/1999/hurricane.htm So boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter gets three life sentences for murder. I hope they're not consecutive because I don't have that much patience. It's an injustice, The Hurricane says, for a famous Black athlete to go to the slammer for murders he didn't commit. Especially nowadays when famous Black athletes guilty of murder go free. The nerve! With plenty of time on his hands, Rubin pens his memoirs from behind bars. And as luck would have it, some Black kid finds the book - his very first - in the "used" bin for 25 cents. "Hey," said the boy, "somebody already colored in this one." "That's writing," explained the bookseller. "It's what Puffy used to do before sampling. Those words represent the way folks talked before 'know what I'm saying' made all other language irrelevant." "Writing is more powerful than a fist could ever be," said Rubin, but not as powerful as the poisonous gas that circled Harvey Weinstein like the rings of Saturn after that fatal dosage of beans at this year's Miramax Cinqo de Mayo fete. Even Gwyneth Paltrow had to dodge as blasts of highly directional putrid air split the night sky with a piercing "r-r-r-i-p"! What were we talking about? So the kid writes a letter to Rubin telling him how much Rubin's book means to him. And Rubin writes back! How come when I write to Ricky Martin saying how much his ambiguous sexuality means to me, I never get a reply? This kid has a weird living arrangement. He seems to be adopted by two groovy white guys and a gal in Canada, in what appears to be a North-of-the-border merge of Three's Company and Diff'rent Strokes. You know they're Canadian because they say "aboot" instead of "about," and they don't recognize a policeman unless they see one rescue a girl tied to the railroad tracks by a villain with a handlebar moustache. Together, this intrepid quartet vows to set Rubin free and do what the racist establishment cannot: Tack notecards to the wall and pin "LIAR" to the ones that ring false. Right on, hippies! Smoke a bowl and call me in the morning. Fortunately, celebrities are lining up to support Hurricane's cause. Protesting on Rubin's behalf are Bob Dylan, Mohammad Ali, and Ellen Burstyn. Not Ellen Burstyn!! Now "the man" will have to give in! Frankly, the prison chant "Alice doesn't live here anymore, and neither should Rubin," seems lacking in potency if you ask me. Hey, if Ellen is Rubin's secret weapon, he'd better order up that Home-Sweet-Home needlepoint pattern - his cell needs some wall-hangings. The only way this guy's escaping is if Ellen invites Max von Sydow to cast him out. Beware: You must submit to endless plays of Bob Dylan's "Hurricane" anthem throughout this movie. I've got to admit, any movie that makes me hum Bob Dylan has really achieved something, unfortunately it's something for which I will immediately seek psychiatric counseling and a homeopathic cure. The Hurricane is from director Norman Jewison, who's been down this road before with In the Heat of the Night - the movie, not the TV show with Carroll O'Connor and the cast of coke-heads. Somehow, The Hurricane feels like a relic. I guess movies about institutional racism and flagrant and gross injustice don't have the zing they used to. Plus this flick paints Rubin as so obviously innocent, it manages to make a true story almost impossible to believe. Besides, any society that imprisons Hurricane Carter yet allows Bob Dylan to roam free should have its priorities seriously examined, not to mention its tin ear. Look for a refreshing turn by Rod Steiger doing his best Judge Mills Lane. Cue-ball head Rod turns in a classy, measured performance that reminds you what a great actor can do with only a few minutes of screen time and his fat ass glued to a chair. Yep, he's the last of a dying breed: Guys named "Rod." Has there ever been a famous Black historical figure whose looks can't be improved by Denzel Washington? And God knows, Denzel intends to play them all, which is okay by me. This is another rock-solid Denzel performance. What a pleasure it is to watch Denzel in action. He's a knockout. Even if The Hurricane scores only body blows. ******************** MOVIEJUICE "HATE E-MAIL OF THE WEEK" This is one message typical of many I got this week from someone who wanted off the mailing list - one of several misguided responses to my piece on "The Talented Mr. Ripley": - -----Original Message----- From: [Name Removed to Protect the Innocent] Sent: Friday, December 17, 1999 4:49 PM To: mramsey@moviejuice.com Subject: It was fun, but... (Way Too Homophobic 4 Me) I feel insulted and am leaving, but it was fun while it lasted. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com MY REPLY: So in other words, it's "fun" when I tease black, white, young, old, rich, poor, fat, thin, men, women, film critics, entertainment reporters, Hollywood big shots, Denise Richards, and myself. But it's not fun when I tease you. Recently I saw a former SNL cast member on some TV show sitting across from one-time teen heartthrob Joey Lawrence. She stated that his career was on the fast track to Palookaville. About a year ago, I got a note of complaint from that very same former SNL cast member. What was her beef? She was chagrined when I implied that her career was on the fast track to Palookaville. "People in the business should support each other," she said at the time, "not tear each other down." This is for you and for all the people who write me on the Ripley piece: Unless you can laugh at yourself and your own stereotypes, you have no right to laugh at other people's. Besides, the line: "For a split second, an anonymous encounter in an isolated men's room made all the sense in the world" is just plain funny. MRR ******************** DON'T FORGET TO VISIT MOVIEJUICE.COM! Hey, kids, don't forget to visit the MovieJuice! Site at http://www.moviejuice.com. The pictures are half the fun (and sometimes more than half the laughs)! ******************** TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS LIST: DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL! Just go to http://www.moviejuice.com and follow the directions at the bottom of the left hand side. It's very easy. NOTE: YOUR NAME CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM THE LIST UNLESS YOU UNSUBSCRIBE USING THE EMAIL ADDRESS YOU REGISTERED WITH). And don't write me lots of mean-spirited crap. I won't read it. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1999 12:41:01 -0700 From: "The Reporter" <gregorys@xmission.com> Subject: [MV] Movie News - 12/22/99 FIRLE, England (AP) - Desmond Llewelyn, who starred as the eccentric gadget expert Q in a string of James Bond films, was killed in a head-on car crash Sunday, police said. He was 85. The collision, which happened near the town of Firle in East Sussex, came as Llewelyn was returning home alone from a book signing. He suffered massive internal injuries and died after being air lifted to a nearby hospital, police said. The three occupants of a second car were in stable condition. There was no immediate word on the cause of the accident. The actor was best known for his role as Q, who equipped 007 with the latest spy tools - from toxic fountain pens to exploding toothpaste - in 17 Bond films from 1963's "From Russia with Love" up to the current film "The World Is Not Enough." Over the years, Q grew fond of Bond but could never forgive him for abusing his inventions. Q's first line in the 1997 film "Tomorrow Never Dies" is "Now pay attention 007," and his last is "Oh, grow up 007." Llewelyn was born in South Wales in 1914, the son of a coal mining engineer. He studied for a career as a chartered accountant but decided to become an actor. He made his first film, "Ask A Policeman," in 1939. -=> * <=- TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Rex Allen Sr., a singer and actor in Westerns who also served as the voice on Walt Disney films and TV shows, died from injuries suffered when he accidentally was run over by a car. He was 78. Police believe his caretaker did not realize Allen was behind the car when she began to back it up, police spokeswoman Judy Altieri said. Detectives were attempting to determine whether Allen had fallen before he was hit. Allen, who grew up on an Arizona ranch, starred in several western movies, including a 1949 film called "The Arizona Cowboy," and in a television series called "Frontier Doctor." His signature stallion for the western movies, Koko the Wonder Horse, was added in his second film, "The Hills of Oklahoma." Among his narration credits are more than 80 Walt Disney films and the animated classic, "Charlotte's Web." He got into music before reaching his teens, playing guitar and singing with his fiddle-playing father at dances. His professional break came in the 1940s when country star Roy Acuff heard him with a band in Quakertown, Pa. Though the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville hired Eddy Arnold instead and Arnold went on to fame, Allen joined with the National Barn Dance on WLS in Chicago and subsequently was signed by Mercury Records. His hits included "Streets of Laredo" and "Crying in the Chapel." Allen, who would have turned 79 on New Year's Eve, moved to Tucson from Willcox about three years ago. -=> * <=- LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Believe it or not: The Walt Disney Co. and Pixar are already planning to re-release their most recent blockbuster, "Toy Story 2," by as early as this week - just so a few "oopses" can be added. Sources at the Burbank studio confirmed that the final reel of the CG-animated comedy will be recut to include bloopers to play along with the film's end credits. Insiders at Disney said that it's the studio's way of treating their "Toy Story 2" audience to something "even more special." "Once you break the $100 million mark, you have a lot of repeat business. It's our way of thanking those repeat viewers," one source said. "Toy Story 2" has earned $140.3 million during 24 days in release. Sources at Disney said the studio plans on rolling out as early as Monday an updated "Toy Story 2" advertising campaign, heavily promoting the humorous outtakes. The revamped reel could hit theaters by next Friday. -=> * <=- LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Every royal expert known to Thailand is being consulted by the country's censors scrutinizing 20th Century Fox's film "Anna and the King." Fox is making yet another bid to persuade Thailand's censorship board to lift an expected ban on the movie that Thais say deals "insensitively" with the country's royal history. The Thai police Film Censorship Division is inviting 10 experts on Thailand's history and its revered monarchy, along with members of the royal household, to view the film and promotional materials. The board is expected to meet some time next week. From Monday on, Fox has already promised to alter "insensitive" ads that picture Anna, played by Jodie Foster, above Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-Fat, who stars as 19th century King Mongkut. -=> * <=- NEW YORK (Billboard) - Anthony Hopkins has agreed to star in "Hannibal," the highly anticipated sequel to "The Silence of the Lambs," for helmer Ridley Scott and producer Dino De Laurentiis after seeing a rewrite of the script. While all sides involved confirmed that Hopkins loves the script, the actor's reps must work out a deal for him to reprise his role as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, sources said. Jodie Foster is still considering whether to reprise her role as FBI agent Clarice Starling. Sources said there are ongoing discussions, and Foster will not decide until after reading the rewrite. -=> * <=- LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Kevin Costner, currently before the cameras on Beacon Pictures/New Line Cinema's "13 Days," is eyeing the indie film "3,000 Miles to Graceland" for Elie Samaha's Franchise Pictures, in which he would play a killer. The last time Costner played a bad guy was in Warner Bros.' "A Perfect World." Although deals are not yet done, sources said Costner's reps are trying to fit the picture into his schedule, which has him likely starring next with Catherine Zeta-Jones in the love story "Beyond Borders" for Oliver Stone and Mandalay Pictures. Demian Lichtenstein ("Lowball") will direct "3,000 Miles to Graceland," which he wrote with Richie Recco. Sources said Lichtenstein has been courting Costner for some time to join the production. -=> * <=- LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Charlize Theron is in negotiations to star with Billy Bob Thornton in "Wakin' Up in Reno" for director Jordan Brady and Miramax Films. A Jan. 24 start date is being planned. The picture will shoot in Los Angeles, Texas and Reno, Nev. "Reno," scripted by actor-writers Brent Briscoe and Mark Fauser, tells the story of two redneck couples from Arkansas who take a vacation in Reno to see a monster truck show. Thornton and Theron will not play a couple but will be paired with another actress and actor. -=> * <=- PARIS (AP) - Robert Bresson, the film director whose austere approach helped redefine French cinema and paved the way for France's New Wave movement, has died, French television reported Tuesday. He was 98. The LCI channel quoted members of Bresson's family as saying the director died Saturday. No cause of death was given. Often using untrained actors coached to speak in flat monotones, Bresson believed the most poignant stories defied words and were best told with images. Critics said Bresson played a unique role in the development of French cinema. A man who defied categorization, he was the ultimate loner, belonging to no particular school of cinematography. In "Pickpocket," (1959) widely regarded as his most brilliant film, Bresson pared down the compulsive art of lifting wallets to its barest psychological elements. Coinciding with the budding New Wave cinema, the film became a reference for the generation of young filmmakers spearheaded by Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. In "La Femme Douce" (1969), starring the 19-year-old Dominique Sanda in her first screen role, Bresson painted an ironic tale of obsessive love. Using flashbacks, he allowed the viewer to unravel the mystery of the opening scene: a woman who throws herself off a building. -=> * <=- LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Filmmaker Michael Mann is in negotiations to direct "Gates of Fire," an adaptation of Steven Pressfield's 1998 Greek epic novel, for Universal Pictures, sources said. Mann will also produce with George Clooney and Robert Lawrence. Pressfield's novel "Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae" tells the story of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. when 300 Spartan warriors held back rampaging soldiers from the Persian Empire for six days before being massacred. The story is told through the eyes of Xeones, a battle squire who is the sole survivor of the doomed army. No start date has been set for the project. Mann most recently directed, co-wrote and produced the controversial and critically acclaimed "The Insider" for Buena Vista. His other credits include "Heat," "The Last of the Mohicans," "Manhunter" and "Thief." [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1999 13:35:59 -0500 (EST) From: maillist@moviejuice.com Subject: [MV] MovieJuice! - ADVANCE - GIRL, INTERRUPTED - Crazy Like a Fox HAPPY HOLIDAYS Thanks to all of you who've been loyal readers over the past year. I appreciate your patronage, although if you started sending money I'd appreciate it more. ******************** A NEW FEATURE: DISCUSSION IS UP AND RUNNING! For the first time, you can talk amongst yourselves just like a real Internet community! Thanks to my severely limited technical skills this moment has been a long time in coming. Visit the MovieJuice.com Yaketeria and post and reply like maniacs. You'll find the link on the home page and at the bottom of every review. If you want to check it out, go here: <a href="http://www.coolboard.com/boardshow.cfm?mb=553062073898457">Click here for the MovieJuice.com Yaketeria!</a> http://www.coolboard.com/boardshow.cfm?mb=553062073898457 ******************** GIRL, INTERRUPTED - Crazy Like a Fox by Mark Ramsey December 23, 1999 <a href="http://www.moviejuice.com/1999/girlinterrupted.htm">Click here for the full review!</a> http://www.moviejuice.com/1999/girlinterrupted.htm When the sky cracks open on Judgment Day (December 31, in case you haven't heard) and the angels carry me away, I'll have the pleasure of knowing that before the end came I saw Winona Ryder kiss Angelina Jolie full on the lips. And in Angie's case, that's full, indeed. Girl, Interrupted is based on a true story, except for the climactic light saber confrontation. In my dream, Angie gets sliced in two and I always rescue the tattooed half. Let's face it, both these gals are babes. And Winona has barely aged a day since Heathers. Too bad her one-time co-star Christian Slater can't say the same. What happened to him? It's as if Christian's forehead and his brain are shooting it out in an East coast/West coast turf war and every remaining hair is running for safe cover in the nearest drain. Christian's hair-proof head is securely encrypted and licensed for e-commerce. So let's set the scene of Girl, Interrupted.... It's the '60s, a time when parents can commit their kids to mental institutions on a whim. Winona's parents surreptitiously hire the Grateful Dead as pied pipers, leading a trail of ignorant, frolicking hippies to the funny farm with the promise of "a really groovy show." Like a lot of young girls all guys specifically target, Winona's a bit troubled. She's rushed to the hospital after chasing a bottle of aspirin with a bottle of vodka. Only later did she realize neither one of those items moves very fast under its own power. So into the funny farm she goes. Diagnosis: "Borderline Personality Disorder," which describes the level of celebrity for most of the boxes on Hollywood Squares and means you're an easy "get" for any game show on VH-1. Worse, Winona's also diagnosed as "promiscuous." An affliction easily cured by a few minutes with gender-neutral web site pitch-person Whoopi Goldberg. Yes, Whoopi is the kindly loony bin nurse who boasts an afro the size of Antarctica. Shampoo and conditioner must pass customs before entering. Fortunately Zagats has published a guide of the best places to eat and stay in that fro, and Whoopi's afghan frock is actually a fold-out map. Winona pals up with a coterie of bizarro babes, including a Rotisserie Chicken fanatic with Mary Tyler Moore hair flips and a soft spot for biscuits and slaw. And, of course, sociopath Angelina Jolie. I don't know about you, but Angie can beat a socio-path to my bedroom anytime. Yes, the more screwed up Angie gets, the more I must have her, and the shorter the time I'll want her. If I go to bed with Angie, can I wake up with Winona? Sorry Angie, but with lips that size, there'd be so much saliva on my sheets I'd suspect Ripley's hunting Aliens in my bedroom. Yes, Angie's got enough lip to power a John Philip Sousa-sized horn section. When she passes an airport x-ray, the security guy says "Can you turn those on for me?" Do those lips signal before making turns, or do they just stick an arm out the window? Hey Angelina, are those lips just swollen or have two Graf Zeppelins dropped anchor under your nose? Will you go down like the Hindenburg or is my imagination working overtime? Oh, before I forget, I should mention that not only is Angie one of the five hottest actresses alive, but she is also one of the five best. And her performance in Girl, Interrupted is spot-on perfection - an Oscar shoo-in. Way to go, Angelina. Deep in the heart of the loony bin is, of all things, a bowling alley. If bowling is therapy for crazy folks then that explains a lot about bowling. It also makes Winona a "promiscuous bowler," which strikes me as far more dangerous than "borderline personality disorder," especially when it comes to the shoes. "Crazy," says Winona, "is you and me, amplified, and joining a midnight bowling league." Girl, Interrupted is solid. Pass on the butter and sprinkle your popcorn with St. John's Wort, then sit back and let some dynamite performances roll over you the way I dream Angie and Winona will one day roll over me. I can dream. ******************** MOVIEJUICE.COM "NON-SEQUITER EMAIL OF THE WEEK" - -----Original Message----- From: Alexander Kostromitin [mailto:[removed to protect the innocent]] Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 1999 9:21 AM To: mramsey@moviejuice.com Subject: H-1 Hello! Can you provide an H-1 visa for Russian? (H-1 visa is a permission to hire alien). Thanks, Alexander Kostromitin, designer/programmer. MY REPLY: Al, you've come to the right place. I've got H-1's coming out of my ears. And anything I can do for our sobriety-challenged Russian friends or people from other worlds, I'm game. Just call me. My phone is 1-800-555-1212. Ask for "The White House," which is the name of my company. When they answer you must provide the code phrase: "I will whack the chief." Make sure to leave your number. Okay? Good. Talk to you soon! MRR ******************** DON'T FORGET TO VISIT MOVIEJUICE.COM! Hey, kids, don't forget to visit the MovieJuice! Site at http://www.moviejuice.com. The pictures are half the fun (and sometimes more than half the laughs)! ******************** TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS LIST: DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL! Just go to http://www.moviejuice.com and follow the directions at the bottom of the left hand side. It's very easy. NOTE: YOUR NAME CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM THE LIST UNLESS YOU UNSUBSCRIBE USING THE EMAIL ADDRESS YOU REGISTERED WITH). And don't write me lots of mean-spirited crap. I won't read it. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1999 13:22:55 -0700 From: "The Reporter" <gregorys@xmission.com> Subject: [MV] Sci-Fi Movie News - 12/23/99 Sliders co-creator Robert K. Weiss said he is hoping to develop a feature film version of the SF television series, with production starting in late 2000 or early 2001. Weiss made the comments in response to questions in an online chat with fans, according to the Earth Prime fan Web site. Weiss said he hopes the film will reflect the characters and situations in the first two seasons of the series, which premiered on Fox, then ran later on the SCI FI Channel. He also said he hopes to reunite the original cast, though he added that no talks have occurred with any of the actors. Once he writes a screenplay, Weiss said he'd have to persuade Universal, which owns the rights to the show, to agree to develop a feature film. -=> * <=- There's no truth to rumors that Star Trek: The Next Generation stars Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner are trying to oust producer Rick Berman from the proposed tenth Trek film, a Paramount spokesman told SCI FI Wire. "These rumors are absolutely incorrect and erroneous and couldn't be further from the truth," said Blaise Noto, a spokesman for Paramount, which owns the rights to the Trek franchise. Noto denied rumors that Stewart and Spiner have held meetings with Paramount executives, that they have contacted writers or that they have expressed their own ideas for the tenth movie. But Noto said a new Trek film is definitely in the works. "There will be one, but we have no information at this point," he said. -=> * <=- Corey Solomon, director of the feature film version of the game Dungeons & Dragons, said the movie will follow the rules of the game--unless they get in the way of a good story. Solomon told the DNDMOVIE.COM fan Web site that filmmakers "took very careful care since the inception of the script to ensure that the D&D [game] rules would be followed in the film." But, he added: "Obviously, with the difficulties of translating D&D to a film and creating an exciting film, some of the rules had to be compromised or altered in order to make the film work. But generally speaking, we followed the rules. We have altered some spells, or created new ones, but we have also used a bunch of the spells people would expect to see in a D&D world." Solomon added that the movie won't use settings from the games or from books based on them. "Sumdall is a city of mages created by mages, and much of the film revolves around the city of Sumdall and [the] Empire of Izmer. The film needs to be looked at ... as an adventure that takes place in a D&D world. Due to the nature of the game, and every adventure's being different, we felt that this was a good approach." -=> * <=- A long-delayed feature film based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man may be on the front burner again. New Line Cinema has hired Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott (The Mask of Zorro) to write a screenplay about millionaire Tony Stark, who's forced to live in an armored suit after he is shot in the heart, Eon magazine reported. "We heard New Line was looking for writers for Iron Man, we went in and pitched our approach, pitched it a second time to the Marvel folk, and got the job," Elliott told Eon. "Obviously, everyone is interested in seeing what happens with [Fox's upcoming movie] X-Men, but the only real similarity between the two projects is: they are based on Marvel Comics properties," Elliott said. "I think New Line feels pretty confident, based on their success with Blade, that they're capable of doing a good movie based on a superhero character--even if other studios can't." -=> * <=- General Hospital soap star Jonathan Jackson, 17, is a top bet to play grown-up Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode II, the actor's manager told Newsweek. Jackson will meet with casting directors soon and his calendar will be cleared to accommodate director George Lucas' schedule. For his part, Lucas denied most rumors about Anakin's casting in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. "The chances are extremely good that whoever plays Anakin is going to be somebody no one's ever heard of," he said. -=> * <=- Disney and Pixar could rerelease Toy Story 2 as early as next week with new blooper "outtakes" similar to those in A Bug's Life. Adding faux bloopers to the end of the animated film is a way to give something extra to repeat viewers of the hit movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Disney first added manufactured bloopers to the end credit sequence of its 1998 hit film A Bug's Life. Those drew critical praise and proved popular with viewers. -=> * <=- A producer of Fox's upcoming X-Men movie provided Cinescape magazine with hints about the much-anticipated film's plot. "It's sort of like this giant game of chess between [Magneto and Prof. X]," producer Tom DeSanto said. "It's Wolverine's story as he enters into these two men's worlds and their two philosophies and tries to find his way." DeSanto also tried to calm fan fears that the film's costumes will differ from those depicted in the Marvel comic of the same name. "It's tough to translate something that looks good in two dimensions, like Wolverine's mask," DeSanto said. "You see it on a piece of paper and it looks great, but when you try to build it in three dimensions it looks like a bad Mardi Gras mask. To give the mask--and those ears that fly up--weight is impossible. "But I think fans and non-fans alike are going to be really happy with the costumes, because they're rooted [in X-Men history]," DeSanto said. "Each of the costumes pays a little homage to the comic book costumes. But they're unique among themselves." -=> * <=- Crazy Jane, the DC comic book heroine who's part of the Doom Patrol anthology series, may be the latest superhero headed for the big screen. Warner Bros. is developing a feature film based on the character, a woman with multiple personality disorder whose various identities each possess a different super power, according to Variety. The film version of Crazy Jane will have the dark tone of Batman. Brian Nelson (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) is writing a script. -=> * <=- Tanith Lee's SF novel The Silver Metal Lover may become a feature film based on a screenplay by Randal Kleiser (The Blue Lagoon). Kleiser's screenplay, titled Silver Metal Lover, was optioned by Marty Katz Productions (Reindeer Games), according to Variety. Kleiser may also direct. Dimension Films would have first crack at the project. Lee's 1981 novel concerns the love affair between a woman and an android. -=> * <=- Spyglass Entertainment (The Sixth Sense) will develop a feature film based on Matt Wagner's Image Comics hero Mage. Wagner told the Comics 2 Film Web site that Spyglass will adapt The Hero Discovered, the first book in Wagner's Mage trilogy. The final chapter (No. 15) of The Hero Defined--the second installment of the Mage trilogy--makes its way into stores Dec. 22. The Mage comics are an urban update of the King Arthur myth, with characters caught in the middle of an epic battle between good and evil. -=> * <=- Filmmakers screened a rough cut of the upcoming Warner Bros. SF adventure film Battlefield Earth recently, and reaction was good enough that executives were ready to approve a sequel, according to the Dark Horizons Web site. The movie is based on the first half of the novel of the same name by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Plans were to film the second half of the book only if the first one did well. Battlefield: Earth is reportedly being moved from an early May 2000 release to a Memorial Day weekend slot, where it will compete with Mission Impossible 2. -=> * <=- Tony Goldwyn (Ghost) will star as the main villain facing Arnold Schwarzenegger in Sony's upcoming SF action thriller The Sixth Day. Goldwyn will play a wealthy industrialist whose scientists illegally clone him after he dies, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Sixth Day, which also stars Robert Duvall, is now shooting in Vancouver, Canada. -=> * <=- Filmmakers are finally talking out details of the anticipated sequel to Independence Day. Special effects designer Patrick Tatopoulos told Popcorn.com that he and others behind the 1996 hit are already working out how the aliens will return for the second installment. "Every time we do a show like that, we create a back story which nobody knows about just to make sure we have something solid for a future sequel," he said. Tatopoulos wouldn't divulge details, but did say, "We established on the first movie that maybe they're just a small group sent by the main alien, and that we discover a new race." Tatopoulos added that he has spoken with ID4 director Roland Emmerich and that Fox is giving its full support to a sequel. -=> * <=- Chris Columbus, the director who is reportedly in the running to direct a feature film version of Spider-Man, is also talking about directing a new movie based on The Fantastic Four. Columbus told the Calgary Sun that a film based on the Marvel comic-book quartet might become a strong possibility if Fox's upcoming feature film based on Marvel's The X-Men is a success. That film, also based on a Marvel comic book of the same name, is now in production in Canada and set for release next summer. Columbus' new SF film, Bicentennial Man, opens later this month. -=> * <=- Peter Jackson's epic movie trilogy Lord of the Rings isn't the only live-action film project based on J.R.R. Tolkien's famous fantasy saga. Elemental Films, a small Los Angeles film production company, said it is working on Elessar, a short, digital video movie based on the Rings characters of young Aragorn and Arwen, according to TheOneRing.Net Web site. Elemental Films said it is revising final drafts of a script and seeking copyright and licensing permissions from Rings publisher Houghton-Mifflin and Tolkien Enterprises. Once those are granted, the filmmakers will begin production, perhaps at the beginning of the new year. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 27 Dec 1999 01:28:03 -0800 From: Movieman <movieman@netcom.ca> Subject: [MV] Stuart Little's Galaxy Quest reviews Two Holiday movies conquered this weekend (6 more to go this week!) Stuart Little is the story of a family adopting a mouse and all of their adventures as Stuart tries to fit in. What I liked about this film is that no one ever slowed the movie with "hey - why does a mouse talk?". When the audience is asked to just 'buy' into a concept - I like it when characters in the movie 'buy' into it as well. This is a fun family movie - not a guy movie - but perfect for a group of all agers. What is interesting is that the screenplay is written by the guy who wrote and directed The Sixth Sense. I was half expecting to hear Stuart whisper "I see dead mice." I give this a 77% for being a fun family flick. Galaxy Quest is a phaser set on 'laugh' (that's comedy gold right there!) I thought that this would be a total joke -in the 'wasting time' sense - but it ended up being a total joke - in the 'ha ha' sense. You do not have to be a Trekkie (pardon me - a Trekker) to enjoy this flick - but if you hate Star Trek and sci fi then you probably wouldn't like this movie. Galaxy Quest does such a great job at equally recreating the TV show feeling while still poking fun at it. I cannot believe how much I laughed during this movie - and I even had a open mouth popcorn eater beside me too (how annoying)! If you really want a good laugh and have sat through at least a few episodes of Star Trek then definitely check out this 88% rated movie! In the next few days I will be seeing Man In The Moon, Talented Mr. Ripley, Girl Interrupted, Any Given Sunday and Magnolia.....so seeing as you should wait for my review before you see any of these...here are some other movies that you can see... Being John Malkovich - 92% (please see this amazing movie...and tell your friends to see it too...!) Toy Story 2 - 91% Galaxy Quest - 88% The World Is Not Enough - 87% The Green Mile - 79% [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 27 Dec 1999 22:57:02 -0500 From: Gene Ehrich <gene@ehrich.com> Subject: [MV] The Insider My wife and I saw The Insider this weekend and it was a great, great movie. I found it exciting and quite well acted. One of the best I've seen in a number of years. gene@ehrich http://www.voicenet.com/~generic Computer & Video Game Garage Sale Gene Ehrich PO Box 209 Marlton NJ 08053-0209 [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 31 Dec 1999 15:26:14 -0800 From: Movieman <movieman@netcom.ca> Subject: [MV] Magnolia, Ripley, Moon, Sunday, Boys, Straight reviews Whew! What a week of movie madness! Here are some quick reviews of 6 of the movies I saw this week.... Magnolia - the best of the bunch! A great follow up to another great flick - - Boogie Nights from director Anderson. Most of the cast returns in this tale of being who you are and how chance has a role in that. A great ensemble cast with Tom Cruise (honestly amazing!), Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, John C. Riley, William H. Macy, Jason Robards and more. A 92%!!! Talented Mr. Ripley - I feel that this movie has been incorrectly marketed. From the previews I was left expecting a tense, suspense thriller. What I got was a tense drama with thriller tendencies. Once I got over this misdirection I did enjoy the movie. I was expecting a Dead Again/Dead Calm kind of movie but got a very intriguing story with some well rounded characters. An 82%. Man In the Moon - Jim Carrey will finally get his nomination for his portrayal of Andy Kaufman. A very fun movie that unfortunately lacked some heart or indepth understanding to be a brilliant movie. This flick was more of a review of Kaufman's bits - his Mighty Mouse bit, his wrestling bits, his Elvis bit etc... The movie did not get into his head though and I suppose that is what I was looking for. We don't get to understand why he did the Mighty Mouse bit - or even how he felt about his girlfriend. Still it was very entertaining since I did not know anything about Andy Kaufman. 78%. Any Given Sunday - Pacino being Pacino and Stone being Stone. Yelling and controversy. The yelling worked this time since he was a coach and that is what coaches do. The major downfall of this flick is that Stone tried to put too much into this movie - tried to touch on too many topics and this left the non-football scenes fairly empty and uninteresting. The football scenes (and there were many of them) were like watching MTV on speed - very entertaining and fast paced (not that MTV is entertaining mind you!) Anyway - 72%. Boys Don't Cry - And the winner for Best Actress in a leading role....Hillary Swank for Boys Don't Cry. She plays Teena Brandon - who, from the first scene of the movie, would prefer to be Brandon Teena. She cuts her hair, bandages her breasts down and puts a sock down her pants. She takes it very seriously however and she moves to a new town where no one knows her. Her reckless nature makes it difficult at times to feel more sympathy for her but, being a true story, it is clear that real people have more complex characters then do fictional movie characters. Another intriguing tale for this week with some crazy tense scenes. An 82%. Straight Story - Directed by David Lynch - maker of Wild at Heart, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks. You would think that this movie would have crazy one-eyed villains and midgets on fire but the craziest thing about this movie is that David Lynch made it. This is the sweet story of a 93 year old man who wants to visit his brother before his brother dies. The only problem is that his brother lives across the state and he can't drive a car. His solution is to drive his lawn mower tractor across the state. He meets many people on his journey and this movie is a nice reminder of how nice everyone is in the world!:-) Remember a stranger's just a friend you haven't met. I was half expecting the littlest hobo music to start playing. Well until tomorrow I'll just keep moving on...78%. Whew! A great week for movies! More to come - Girl, Interrupted; Cradle Will Rock and Hurricane - all next week!!! Until then...and if we don't explode in a few hours...check out these films.... Being John Malkovich - 92% (If you haven't seen this yet - shame on you!) Magnolia - 92% Toy Story 2 - 91% Galaxy Quest - 88% - I swear that this is a funny movie - honest!! The World Is Not Enough - 87% Talented Mr. Ripley - 82% Boys Don't Cry - 82% [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Jan 2000 16:59:08 -0500 (EST) From: maillist@moviejuice.com Subject: [MV] MovieJuice! - MAN ON THE MOON - Drop Your Pants and Kauf MOVIEJUICE TOP TEN MOVIES OF 1999 Happy New Year! Okay, these are my favorite flicks of 1999. I haven't seen a few, so don't bitch. Conspicuously absent but accounted for: Being John Malkovich, The Green Mile, Man on the Moon, The Hurricane. Writeups on many of these may be found at http://www.moviejuice.com. 10. The End of the Affair - Very low-key yet surprisingly good. Ralph Fiennes and Julianne Moore. Coming soon to a theater near you. 9. The Blair Witch Project - Forget the backlash and forgive the spoofs; give this movie its due. It changed the way Hollywood sees horror. 8. Austin Powers - The Spy Who Shagged Me - Maybe the funniest movie of the year. 7. Notting Hill - A classy, hilarious romantic comedy that's as well written as anything you'll see this year. Oh, and Julia Roberts too. 6. The Talented Mr. Ripley - Don't let my irreverence fool you. These actors eat the screen for lunch. 5. The Sixth Sense - So this is where the twist endings went! 4. Go - You probably missed this one; Tarantino for teens. Rent it on video today. 3. The Matrix - Uh, hello! Anyone in the Academy remember this little modern classic? This is the Blade Runner of the 90's and deserves a place on every top ten list. 2. Three Kings - Vastly under-appreciated, but an awesome movie. Clooney's the man. And, my undisputed number one: 1. American Beauty - Perfection everywhere. And it gets better with repeat viewings. Please God give Kevin Spacey an Oscar. ******************** MAN ON THE MOON - Drop Your Pants and Kauf by Mark Ramsey January 1, 2000 <a href="http://www.moviejuice.com/1999/manonthemoon.htm">Click here for the full review!</a> http://www.moviejuice.com/1999/manonthemoon.htm "Every generation has a star whose influence is ahead of its time," crows the TV spots for Man on the Moon. Then again, every generation also has Milton Berle, so I guess it all balances out. Man on the Moon is a strange movie, and not just because it's about Andy Kaufman, one of the strangest guys in comedy history. It's strange because the cast of Taxi is reunited and expected to ignore the fact that Danny DeVito plays someone other than Danny DeVito! Yes, Liev Schrieber's performance as DeVito is a tour de force! Although Rhea Perlman as Cheryl Tiegs was one step too far, if you ask me. What was the Taxi cast thinking? They're all in non-speaking roles where the direction amounts to: "Look annoyed with Andy all the time, and try desperately to find Tony Danza." You're too big for this movie, huh Tony? Without you, who will perpetuate dated Italian-American stereotypes and introduce the cast to Alyssa Milano? Wherever the camera finds them, the Taxi folks have deer-in-headlights expressions, as if to say: "Why did I let Marilu Henner talk me into this walk-on job, anyway when there are 1-800-CALL-ATT commercials to be done?" How do we explain the appeal of a guy so reviled by the public as Andy Kaufman? See, if the audience laughs, you're just a comic. If they're confused, disoriented, and angry, you're a genius. And if you die young, you're a genius with a bio-flick. The distance between a major motion picture and an E! True Hollywood Story is shorter than the distance between Dana Plato and a bottle of Scotch. Leave it to Hollywood to make a movie about a guy who empties out an auditorium, which nowadays is the job of Joan of Arc director Luc Besson. In the history of Saturday Night Live, only two folks were voted off the show: Andy Kaufman and Larry the Lobster. That's if you don't count the entire cast from season nine. Jim Carrey is every bit the Andy Andy was. In fact, compare the Kaufman bits in the movie to the real thing on video and it's tough to tell them apart. One clue: One Andy has Professional groupie-to-geniuses-who-die-young Courtney Love, and the other doesn't. Most drivers know their crossing pedestrians better than Andy knows Courtney when he proposes after about two seconds. Jeez, that's how long it took Tom Cruise to call Nicole Kidman after seeing her naked ass on the big screen in Dead Calm. Controversy arises when critics accuse Courtney of having her forthcoming Hole album ghost-written by Andy. If Courtney had co-starred in Amadeus would her next album be called "Live Through This in G-Minor for String Quartet"? "My only regret," says Courtney, "is that Mozart died so long before I could suck the life-force from the marrow of his bones, given that I've sucked everything else at this stage in my career." You know you're outta the music biz when 2pac puts out more new stuff than you do. Inextricably linked to Kaufman is wrestler Jerry Lawler, "The most popular athlete in the history of Memphis, Tennessee," and proof positive that Elvis wasn't athletically inclined. "It's not about comedy, it's about art," says Andy who proves you don't need a painting of elephant dung in the shape of the Virgin Mary to piss people off. What you need is to read the Great Gatsby to the audience - front to back. What you need is "Tony Clifton." Tony is Andy as anti-Andy, the lounge singer from Hell who wouldn't know a Great Gatsby if a Vegas Showgirl performed one on him in his dressing room. He's Andrew "Dice" Clay with a backup band and a day job. After one show, Andy takes the entire audience out for milk and cookies. Chris Rock tried that once, but his audience looted Circuit City to watch "The Hughleys" with their snack. Never apt to miss a trend, Dennis Miller's audience raided the Philosophy section at Borders, fiendishly swapped Socrates with Kierkegaard, and arrogantly refused to pay until the checkout clerk could use the word "sangfroid" in a sentence. I suppose there's something to be said for people hating you because they don't realize you're a joker. Maybe putting one over is the ultimate comic achievement. That's as true on the comedy circuit as it is in a movie review, don'tcha think? ;-) Copyright 2000 Mark Ramsey. All rights reserved. NO PORTION MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. ******************** MOVIEJUICE.COM "HATE EMAIL OF THE WEEK" - -----Original Message----- From: [Name Removed to Protect the Innocent] Sent: Saturday, December 25, 1999 2:53 PM To: mramsey@moviejuice.com Subject: Angela Ashes I found your movie review rife with Irish Stereotypes and slurs. In your weak attempt at trying to be funny, you have insulted the Irish. You have demonstrated your ignorance of the Irish Culture and your review smacks of it. I was no fan of the book, but I will be making it a point to be showing your commentary to the Irish Community and groups throughout the New York and New Jersey metro area. MY REPLY: Jeeesus, I'm shakin' in me boots at the thought of the wee little people from New York and New Jersey lifting their laazy arses off the scurvy pub floor to tap out cranky emails while intoxicated beyond the feckin' legal limit with a potato-bushel of fine stout. Bring 'em on, ya feck! Have ye lost yer sense of humor 'cause yer too busy differentiatin' between shamrocks and four-leaf clovers? Just watch yer Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald movies and leave me be. Ted Kennedy can go to the Devil! MRR ******************** ASK MOVIEJUICE.COM - -----Original Message----- From: [Name Removed to Protect the Innocent] Sent: Thursday, December 23, 1999 4:03 PM To: maillist@moviejuice.com Subject: Re: The Green Mile Hi: I know you know all the inside info on the movies. Do you know if the mouse in the movie THE GREEN MILE was real or computer generated. MY REPLY: Yes, the mouse was quite real. However, the swaying motion of Tom Hanks' hefty jowl was completely computer animated. MRR ******************** DON'T FORGET TO VISIT MOVIEJUICE.COM! Hey, kids, don't forget to visit the MovieJuice! Site at http://www.moviejuice.com. The pictures are half the fun (and sometimes more than half the laughs)! ******************** TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS LIST: DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL! Just go to http://www.moviejuice.com and follow the directions at the bottom of the left hand side. It's very easy. NOTE: YOUR NAME CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM THE LIST UNLESS YOU UNSUBSCRIBE USING THE EMAIL ADDRESS YOU REGISTERED WITH). And don't write me lots of mean-spirited crap. I won't read it. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ End of movies-digest V2 #256 **************************** [ To quit the movies-digest mailing list (big mistake), send the message ] [ "unsubscribe movies-digest" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]