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movies-digest          Friday, July 21 2000          Volume 02 : Number 277



[MV] Empire of the Sun (some spoilers)
[MV] Films I hate more than ID 4
Re: [MV] Empire of the Sun (some spoilers)
Re: [MV] Films I hate more than ID 4
[MV] =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Pok=E9mon=202000=20ready=20to=20hit?=
Re: [MV] Empire of the Sun (some spoilers)
Re: [MV] Empire of the Sun (some spoilers)
Re: [MV] Empire of the Sun (some spoilers)
Re: [MV] Empire of the Sun (some spoilers)
[MV] Movies and My Rant on Star Wars
Re: [MV] Empire of the Sun (some spoilers)
Re: [MV] Movies and Tastes
[MV] oops
Re: [MV] Movies and Tastes
Re: [MV] Films I hate more than ID 4
RE: [MV] Patriot - the british
[MV] Films I hate more than ID 4 - and some I like

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

Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2000 19:10:40 -0700
From: Dexter Sy <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Empire of the Sun (some spoilers)

Indeed.  It is an auto-biography by Mr. Ballard.  I believe parts were embelished and
changed, but the events roughly fallowed that of his own tale as a boy in Shanghai living
in P.O.W. camps under Japanese rule.   I actually saw the film on TV when I was about
10... this was in the early 90's.  I didn't remember much of the plot, I don't think I
was old enough to grasp the emotional richness of the film.  I just remembered it being a
Spielberg film and it dragged on forever, especially with the commercials.  I think it
last 4 hours on TV.    I only recently bought the video as I am a big WW2 buff and fell
in love with it.   Schindler's List wasn't the superior film in my mind.  It was very PC
and I think is more dear to Spielberg than Empire was but Schindler used a grown up
skeptiscm and realism as its eyes.  Empire was much more innocent and childlike in its
view of the world and I felt Spielberg is at his finest when he takes that perspective.
I mean some of his best movies were about kids is it not?

The film wasn't a financial success which is a shame but it is just superb.  There is a
sentimental innocence Empire of the Sun  that is similar, but much deeper than that in
E.T.    As for haunting, absolutely.  I've been to that part of the world, and I think
there's a personal connection there.  I can only imagine the atmosphere and the mood of
that era.  Spielberg with Ballard's work does an amazing job of building that "house of
cards" feel at the beginning of the movie, the feeling that everything is going to fall
apart in this boy's world.  We see westerners living in their opulant decedance, certain
of their superiority but the Japanese is always butting into the film.  The film opens
with a Japanese warship flying the "Rising Sun" battleflag plowing through the harbor and
then a little later there's a scene of the boy's father listening to reports of Japanese
troop build up as he burns documents.  At the embassy reception, we see the Japanese
ambassodor boasting of Japan's military might and of course the morning of the attack, we
see Japanese warships converging on the harbor.  And throughout that first act there are
images of the Zero-sen fighter sprinkled all around.  It all comes together so well, you
get the feeling that a this is a film about  a boy and his world, its not trying to be
political, the Japanese aren't painted as heartless villians  nor were the allies painted
as herioc fighters. Just a kid and his world.


John williams gives a stirring score for this film as well, accompanied by some angelic
sounding choruses which I liked as well.  Like you, I am also reminded of the film
whenever I hear that song sang.  Actually I was just watching the first part of the film
on video before deciding to watch the Sixth Sense instead (yep, just got it on DVD as it
is now very cheap).  I'll finish up with Empire later.  Do you know if its out on DVD?

Dexter



> Dexter Sy wrote:
>
> >
> > *If you're not aware of the film, its about an English boy lost in Shanghai when
> > the Japanese take over the city at the outbreak of world war 2.  It chronicles
> > his life in the prisoner of war camps through to the end of the war.  The movie
> > is based on the auto biography of the same name by J.G. Ballard who is also an
> > excellent cyber punk author I might add.
> >
>
> I loved that movie, I found it very haunting. I saw it when I was probably 12 years
> old. The first part was like The Lord of the Flies with only one character, I
> distinctly remember that mudy, dried up pool before he finally left his house. That
> introduced me to the talent of Christian Bale who is simply a marvelous actor but
> somewhat overlooked. After the movie, I searched for the book and got to read it when
> I was in college. Everytime I hear an angelic choir of boys, it reminds me of the
> movie.
>
> Was that Ballard's autobiography? Can't remember.
>
> blacknight
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]

- --
Dexter S.
Tendo Box - Nintendo e-zine
Http://www.tendobox.com



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[ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]

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

Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2000 21:29:40 CDT
From: "Wade S" <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Films I hate more than ID 4

Other than Armageddon..... films I hate more than ID 4.

Kazaam
Baby Geniuses
Sphere
Meet Joe Black
Reindeer Games
Lawnmower Man 2
Wyatt Earp
Speed 2
Batman & Robin
Dr. Jekyl & Ms. Hyde
For Richer or Poorer


Wade



>From: "geeg23" <[e-mail]>
>Reply-To: [e-mail]
>To: <[e-mail]>
>Subject: Re: [MV] Patriot - lite
>Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2000 19:49:30 +0100
>
>ID 4 is atrocious.  It is a very poor excuse for a sci-fi film and lacks
>any
>of the edge that the science fiction films of the 50's had that it so badly
>tries to copy.  Emmerich is one of the worst directors around who makes
>films without plots...........or to be more precise, the plots are
>simplistic and filled with unlikely coincidences.  Anyone who considers ID4
>good sci fi has never seen much to be a good judge of what good sci-fi is.
>The only film worse than ID4 in the 90's is "Armageddon".  Dont get me
>started on that!!!!!!!
>
>Gerry T.
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Dexter Sy <[e-mail]>
>To: <[e-mail]>
>Sent: 20 July 2000 19:23
>Subject: Re: [MV] Patriot - lite
>
>
> > (refer to conversation below to know what i'm responding to)
> >
> > Well, I think ID-4 is a great film.  It is certainly one of the great
>sci-fi
> > films of the 90s.  It was one of the first summer blockbuster films that
>jarred
> > me psychologically.   Sci-fi hadn't don't what ID-4 did in a long time.
> > Basically watching the monuments to our civilization demolished has that
>effect
> > on people, and it strikes at the core of our human existence.  It is the
>same
> > reason invading armies in the past burn entire villages and towns...
>basically to
> > demoralize the population.  It is a very real human instinct.   Now,
>that
>has
> > been largely forgotten since subsequent films like Deep Impact or
>Armageddon have
> > done the same.
> >
> > Devlin/Emmerich are very much students of the Star Wars trilogy and the
>battles
> > have the same feel.   Waching the fighters go up against the shielded
>mother
> > ships was emotional.  It has the feeling that our best technologies
>failing us,
> > we are helpless, not even nukes can kill them.   It has the same kind of
>feeling
> > when people first saw X-Wings  flying down into that DeathStar trench to
>blow up
> > the death star.  THe feeling of fighting against increadible odds.
>Again,
>not
> > totally original but it is very much inherent in American cinema.  While
>Lucas
> > viewed hollywood as the Empire and hence the Death Star, I doubt
>Devlin/Emmerich
> > had the same ulterior meaning to their aliens.  They were following the
>formula
> > Lucas created.
> >
> > Dex
> >
> > [e-mail] wrote:
> >
> > > In a message dated 07/20/2000 10:54:30 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
> > > [e-mail] writes:
> > >
> > > << The
> > >  characters might as well be replaced with aliens and it would
>probably
>make
> > >  a nice sequel to independence day.  But for all its flaws I find the
> > >  patriotic bravado... nice.   I'm sorry if I'm stepping on people's
>toes
>here
> > >  but I'm the kind of sucker who likes this kind of stuff.
> > >
> > >  Dex >>
> > >
> > > I do agree about the flaws, but it was entertaining.  One question,
>how
>can
> > > this film possibly be compared to Independence Day?  That was pure
>crap,
> > > among my least favorite movies of all time with stinkers like Twister,
>House
> > > Arrest, and Rock-A-Doodle.  The Patriot was way above any of those.
> > > -Eric-
> > >
> >
> > >
> > > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> > > [ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]
> >
> > --
> > Dexter S.
> > Tendo Box - Nintendo e-zine
> > Http://www.tendobox.com
> >
> >
> >
> > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> > [ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]
> >
>
>
>[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
>[ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]


- ------------------------------------------------------------
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not
so sure about the first one."
                    --Albert Einstein

"I don't kill flies but I like to mess with their minds. I hold them above
globes. They freak out and yell, 'Whoa, I'm way too high!'"
              --Bruce Baum

________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com


[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
[ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]

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

Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 11:04:31 -0700
From: Blacknight <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Empire of the Sun (some spoilers)

I saw the movie when I was at an age that movies are meant to be fun. Maybe I connected to it
more because I had already read Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. But the movie was a
whole different experience than reading a book, it presented someone's viewpoint and somehow
transported me to another world. At that time, all I knew that it was a movie by Spielberg
but that thought never came up because again that time I did not appreciate artistic movies
and the movie was completely different from the usual Spielberg offerings. When I was in the
cinema, it felt like forever, it seemed that he would never be taken away from purgatory.
When Christian Bale's character was hungry, I was hungry. It was a coming of age story of a
different light, it showed innocence despite the chaos around him. If I was in his shoes, I
would have been scarred for life. A particular scene that haunted me was the one wherein he
was walking and came upon the treasures left behind by the Europeans and suddenly he could
see the flashes of the nuclear bombing at Hiroshima and Nagasaki (am I correct in this? it
has been a long time since I saw the movie eventhough it has been presented in tv, it was the
first and last time I saw it). Also in another scene, the Americans had liberated China and
they were throwing canned food eventhough he was the only one left behind in the camp. To be
alone and in that difficult situation would have been heartbreaking and mind numbing.

I love films that have rich scenes, it could be landscapes or details of a dress/costume or a
house (i.e. Martin Scorsese's Age of Innocence) or even a delicate movement. Music really
sets the mood of a film, even several bars can make you go to a tangent that sometimes your
mind just goes somewhere and you connect.

Dexter, maybe you can recommend good films that you have already seen? I like the way you
view them, not just a piece of entertainment.


[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
[ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]

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

Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2000 20:33:29 -0700
From: Dexter Sy <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Films I hate more than ID 4

Nice. I agree with your picks.

Dexter

Wade S wrote:

> Other than Armageddon..... films I hate more than ID 4.
>
> Kazaam
> Baby Geniuses
> Sphere
> Meet Joe Black
> Reindeer Games
> Lawnmower Man 2
> Wyatt Earp
> Speed 2
> Batman & Robin
> Dr. Jekyl & Ms. Hyde
> For Richer or Poorer
>
> Wade
>
> >From: "geeg23" <[e-mail]>
> >Reply-To: [e-mail]
> >To: <[e-mail]>
> >Subject: Re: [MV] Patriot - lite
> >Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2000 19:49:30 +0100
> >
> >ID 4 is atrocious.  It is a very poor excuse for a sci-fi film and lacks
> >any
> >of the edge that the science fiction films of the 50's had that it so badly
> >tries to copy.  Emmerich is one of the worst directors around who makes
> >films without plots...........or to be more precise, the plots are
> >simplistic and filled with unlikely coincidences.  Anyone who considers ID4
> >good sci fi has never seen much to be a good judge of what good sci-fi is.
> >The only film worse than ID4 in the 90's is "Armageddon".  Dont get me
> >started on that!!!!!!!
> >
> >Gerry T.
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: Dexter Sy <[e-mail]>
> >To: <[e-mail]>
> >Sent: 20 July 2000 19:23
> >Subject: Re: [MV] Patriot - lite
> >
> >
> > > (refer to conversation below to know what i'm responding to)
> > >
> > > Well, I think ID-4 is a great film.  It is certainly one of the great
> >sci-fi
> > > films of the 90s.  It was one of the first summer blockbuster films that
> >jarred
> > > me psychologically.   Sci-fi hadn't don't what ID-4 did in a long time.
> > > Basically watching the monuments to our civilization demolished has that
> >effect
> > > on people, and it strikes at the core of our human existence.  It is the
> >same
> > > reason invading armies in the past burn entire villages and towns...
> >basically to
> > > demoralize the population.  It is a very real human instinct.   Now,
> >that
> >has
> > > been largely forgotten since subsequent films like Deep Impact or
> >Armageddon have
> > > done the same.
> > >
> > > Devlin/Emmerich are very much students of the Star Wars trilogy and the
> >battles
> > > have the same feel.   Waching the fighters go up against the shielded
> >mother
> > > ships was emotional.  It has the feeling that our best technologies
> >failing us,
> > > we are helpless, not even nukes can kill them.   It has the same kind of
> >feeling
> > > when people first saw X-Wings  flying down into that DeathStar trench to
> >blow up
> > > the death star.  THe feeling of fighting against increadible odds.
> >Again,
> >not
> > > totally original but it is very much inherent in American cinema.  While
> >Lucas
> > > viewed hollywood as the Empire and hence the Death Star, I doubt
> >Devlin/Emmerich
> > > had the same ulterior meaning to their aliens.  They were following the
> >formula
> > > Lucas created.
> > >
> > > Dex
> > >
> > > [e-mail] wrote:
> > >
> > > > In a message dated 07/20/2000 10:54:30 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
> > > > [e-mail] writes:
> > > >
> > > > << The
> > > >  characters might as well be replaced with aliens and it would
> >probably
> >make
> > > >  a nice sequel to independence day.  But for all its flaws I find the
> > > >  patriotic bravado... nice.   I'm sorry if I'm stepping on people's
> >toes
> >here
> > > >  but I'm the kind of sucker who likes this kind of stuff.
> > > >
> > > >  Dex >>
> > > >
> > > > I do agree about the flaws, but it was entertaining.  One question,
> >how
> >can
> > > > this film possibly be compared to Independence Day?  That was pure
> >crap,
> > > > among my least favorite movies of all time with stinkers like Twister,
> >House
> > > > Arrest, and Rock-A-Doodle.  The Patriot was way above any of those.
> > > > -Eric-
> > > >
> > >
> > > >
> > > > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> > > > [ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]
> > >
> > > --
> > > Dexter S.
> > > Tendo Box - Nintendo e-zine
> > > Http://www.tendobox.com
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> > > [ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]
> > >
> >
> >
> >[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> >[ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not
> so sure about the first one."
>                     --Albert Einstein
>
> "I don't kill flies but I like to mess with their minds. I hold them above
> globes. They freak out and yell, 'Whoa, I'm way too high!'"
>               --Bruce Baum
>
> ________________________________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]

- --
Dexter S.
Tendo Box - Nintendo e-zine
Http://www.tendobox.com



[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
[ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]

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

Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2000 23:32:30 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: [MV] =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Pok=E9mon=202000=20ready=20to=20hit?=

Well, a lot are speculating that Pok=E9mon is on its way out, but, here in=20
Chicago, it looks like a different story to some.  Here's the latest report=20
from the Suntimes:

 <A HREF=3D"http://www.suntimes.com/output/show/poke20.html">Pokemon movie=20
should stir frenzy</A>=20

Right or wrong?  Only time will tell.  I'll see it once, but there's no poin=
t=20
to see it again since I have the Japanese version.  I'll keep my fingers=20
crossed for it to be better translated than Mewtwo Strikes Back.
- -Eric-

[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
[ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]

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

Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2000 20:45:46 -0700
From: Dexter Sy <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Empire of the Sun (some spoilers)

You're way ahead of me in the curve :)  When I was 12 I liked more popcorn material, actually I
still do :o)

You were right on the money with your recollections. The boy did walk through a collection of
cars and furniture piled together in a field.  And he saw a flash of light, which he thought as
the soul of a departed friend but he later found out was the blast in Hiroshima.  There was also
the scene with the Americans dropping food, I didn't read through Ballard's original
auto-biography but you did, so was this added because its a Spielberg film? or was that in the
book also?

Anyways, I appreciate that you think of my opinion so highly, but I'm avoid the more obvious ones
and City Lights  by chaplin, La Terra Trema (its an Italian film I saw in my film studies
course.) and Hitchcock's Rear Window.     La Terra Trema is in the neo-realist form, very
different from the classical hollywood model but its a wonderful peice of film.  If you can find
it, rent it.    City Lights is probably Chaplin's best work.  It is funny, but its got depth,
emotional depth as well as an intellectual one.  Rear Window is kind of more popular but I'm
surpirsed a lot of  film buffs in my age group really don't watch a lot of Hitchcock.  But  Rear
Window must not be missed.

I would also recommend the Star Wars trilogy + Episode 1, that little art house project by an
obscure director called George Lucas :o)   OK, my stand on Star Wars is always controversial in
the intellectual circle which dismiss the films as nothing more than just popcorn entertainment,
but I don't agree and I think its largely a matter of priorities.  I think Star Wars isn't just a
popular series of movies, but its got this entire mythos around it, its amazing.  Have you seen
the indie film George Lucas in Love?

Dexter

Blacknight wrote:

> I saw the movie when I was at an age that movies are meant to be fun. Maybe I connected to it
> more because I had already read Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. But the movie was a
> whole different experience than reading a book, it presented someone's viewpoint and somehow
> transported me to another world. At that time, all I knew that it was a movie by Spielberg
> but that thought never came up because again that time I did not appreciate artistic movies
> and the movie was completely different from the usual Spielberg offerings. When I was in the
> cinema, it felt like forever, it seemed that he would never be taken away from purgatory.
> When Christian Bale's character was hungry, I was hungry. It was a coming of age story of a
> different light, it showed innocence despite the chaos around him. If I was in his shoes, I
> would have been scarred for life. A particular scene that haunted me was the one wherein he
> was walking and came upon the treasures left behind by the Europeans and suddenly he could
> see the flashes of the nuclear bombing at Hiroshima and Nagasaki (am I correct in this? it
> has been a long time since I saw the movie eventhough it has been presented in tv, it was the
> first and last time I saw it). Also in another scene, the Americans had liberated China and
> they were throwing canned food eventhough he was the only one left behind in the camp. To be
> alone and in that difficult situation would have been heartbreaking and mind numbing.
>
> I love films that have rich scenes, it could be landscapes or details of a dress/costume or a
> house (i.e. Martin Scorsese's Age of Innocence) or even a delicate movement. Music really
> sets the mood of a film, even several bars can make you go to a tangent that sometimes your
> mind just goes somewhere and you connect.
>
> Dexter, maybe you can recommend good films that you have already seen? I like the way you
> view them, not just a piece of entertainment.
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]

- --
Dexter S.
Tendo Box - Nintendo e-zine
Http://www.tendobox.com



[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
[ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]

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

Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 00:01:29 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: [MV] Empire of the Sun (some spoilers)

In a message dated 07/20/2000 8:38:41 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
[e-mail] writes:

> You're way ahead of me in the curve :)  When I was 12 I liked more popcorn
> material, actually I
>  still do :o)

Well, so do I.  After all, aren't movies supposed to entertain more than
anything?
- -Eric-

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[ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]

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

Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 12:47:35 +0800 (PHT)
From: "Elmer Rico E. Mojica" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Empire of the Sun (some spoilers)

I like the movie Empire of the Sun.

On Thu, 20 Jul 2000, Dexter Sy wrote:

>
>
> Indeed.  It is an auto-biography by Mr. Ballard.  I believe parts were embelished and
> changed, but the events roughly fallowed that of his own tale as a boy in Shanghai living
> in P.O.W. camps under Japanese rule.   I actually saw the film on TV when I was about
> 10... this was in the early 90's.  I didn't remember much of the plot, I don't think I
> was old enough to grasp the emotional richness of the film.  I just remembered it being a
> Spielberg film and it dragged on forever, especially with the commercials.  I think it
> last 4 hours on TV.    I only recently bought the video as I am a big WW2 buff and fell
> in love with it.   Schindler's List wasn't the superior film in my mind.  It was very PC
> and I think is more dear to Spielberg than Empire was but Schindler used a grown up
> skeptiscm and realism as its eyes.  Empire was much more innocent and childlike in its
> view of the world and I felt Spielberg is at his finest when he takes that perspective.
> I mean some of his best movies were about kids is it not?
>
> The film wasn't a financial success which is a shame but it is just superb.  There is a
> sentimental innocence Empire of the Sun  that is similar, but much deeper than that in
> E.T.    As for haunting, absolutely.  I've been to that part of the world, and I think
> there's a personal connection there.  I can only imagine the atmosphere and the mood of
> that era.  Spielberg with Ballard's work does an amazing job of building that "house of
> cards" feel at the beginning of the movie, the feeling that everything is going to fall
> apart in this boy's world.  We see westerners living in their opulant decedance, certain
> of their superiority but the Japanese is always butting into the film.  The film opens
> with a Japanese warship flying the "Rising Sun" battleflag plowing through the harbor and
> then a little later there's a scene of the boy's father listening to reports of Japanese
> troop build up as he burns documents.  At the embassy reception, we see the Japanese
> ambassodor boasting of Japan's military might and of course the morning of the attack, we
> see Japanese warships converging on the harbor.  And throughout that first act there are
> images of the Zero-sen fighter sprinkled all around.  It all comes together so well, you
> get the feeling that a this is a film about  a boy and his world, its not trying to be
> political, the Japanese aren't painted as heartless villians  nor were the allies painted
> as herioc fighters. Just a kid and his world.
>
>
> John williams gives a stirring score for this film as well, accompanied by some angelic
> sounding choruses which I liked as well.  Like you, I am also reminded of the film
> whenever I hear that song sang.  Actually I was just watching the first part of the film
> on video before deciding to watch the Sixth Sense instead (yep, just got it on DVD as it
> is now very cheap).  I'll finish up with Empire later.  Do you know if its out on DVD?
>
> Dexter
>
>
>
> > Dexter Sy wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > *If you're not aware of the film, its about an English boy lost in Shanghai when
> > > the Japanese take over the city at the outbreak of world war 2.  It chronicles
> > > his life in the prisoner of war camps through to the end of the war.  The movie
> > > is based on the auto biography of the same name by J.G. Ballard who is also an
> > > excellent cyber punk author I might add.
> > >
> >
> > I loved that movie, I found it very haunting. I saw it when I was probably 12 years
> > old. The first part was like The Lord of the Flies with only one character, I
> > distinctly remember that mudy, dried up pool before he finally left his house. That
> > introduced me to the talent of Christian Bale who is simply a marvelous actor but
> > somewhat overlooked. After the movie, I searched for the book and got to read it when
> > I was in college. Everytime I hear an angelic choir of boys, it reminds me of the
> > movie.
> >
> > Was that Ballard's autobiography? Can't remember.
> >
> > blacknight
> >
> > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> > [ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]
>
> --
> Dexter S.
> Tendo Box - Nintendo e-zine
> Http://www.tendobox.com
>
>
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]
>


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Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 13:21:49 -0700
From: Blacknight <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Empire of the Sun (some spoilers)

Dexter Sy wrote:

> You're way ahead of me in the curve :)  When I was 12 I liked more popcorn material, actually I
> still do :o)
>

Ditto, sometimes I don't want to think when I watch a movie, I just want to sit back and be
entertained. Eventhough I am already in my 20s, I still dig those formulaic teen flicks. But there
are times when you just get it. You become a part of what the director wants to say.

> the scene with the Americans dropping food, I didn't read through Ballard's original
> auto-biography but you did, so was this added because its a Spielberg film? or was that in the
> book also?
>

I can't remember much about the book, I sneaked off reading it while trying to do my homework in
college.

> course.) and Hitchcock's Rear Window.     La Terra Trema is in the neo-realist

I saw Rear Window like ten years ago, I even read the novellete. I like the genre very much, among
Hitchcock's film that I have seen is Dial M for Murder and another one. I hate it when they are
trying to remake an old film, usually the result is disappointing like The Perfect Murder. The feel
of the old movie just isn't there and try to make up to it by being slick or something.

>
> I would also recommend the Star Wars trilogy + Episode 1, that little art house project by an
> obscure director called George Lucas :o)   OK, my stand on Star Wars is always controversial in
> the intellectual circle which dismiss the films as nothing more than just popcorn entertainment,
> but I don't agree and I think its largely a matter of priorities.  I think Star Wars isn't just a
> popular series of movies, but its got this entire mythos around it, its amazing.  Have you seen
> the indie film George Lucas in Love?
>

I watched Episode 1 straight for more than five hours, I watched it twice in a row. My companion was
willing to go through it again but the theater was packed with screaming kids. I enjoyed the movie
eventhough I knew basically the whole storyline. Of course there were others who hated it. I am a fan
of Star Wars (the 2nd trilogy), my brother and I used to watch the three films each year. My brother
has this tremendous collection of books based on the Star Wars universe. I am not as fanatic as he is
about SW but I have read the 2nd trilogy more than five times. Yes, when I love a movie I try to read
the book or transcript so that I can recreate the whole thing in my head.

I'm sorry but I haven't seen the other movies that you have mentioned, if the opportunity comes I
will try to see it.

blacknight


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Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2000 22:28:37 -0700
From: Dexter Sy <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Movies and My Rant on Star Wars

>
>
> Well, so do I.  After all, aren't movies supposed to entertain more than
> anything?
> -Eric-

Yep.   I regularly watch movies that are nothing more than action.  Or say, Bond
clones, movies like Entrapment.  But movies that titillates my senses also gets
extra points.

Star Wars for example... It has primordial themes, very simple.  Critics from
the school of Star Trek and serious science-fiction scoff at the whole notion
that there is a deeper meaning behind the Star Wars movies.  What they utterly
miss as I pointed out earlier is that Star Wars isn't neccessarily science
fiction, it  is a fantasy film with very cool high tech gadgetry.  While being
interviewed for Episode 1, Liam Neeson made a very interesting poitn which I've
always known.  He mention (and I'm paraphrasing here) that Star Wars movies uses
all these amazing technologies but act as if its "matter of fact" stuff.  I
think that's Irish/British Jargon for everyday life.   Neeson made the analysis
that Luke skywalker's landspeeder is shown in the movie as another peice of
hardware.  He gets in and gets out of it like its done everyday, yet there's the
underlying fantastic thing that his car hovers!  Did he notice it? No. Luke is
Luke, not Mark Hamill pretending to be Luke and acting all blown away by all
this technology.  Because he isn't supposed to be.  An inherent flaw in many
science fiction films and this includes Star Trek the TV series and the movies
is that they treat the technology they use as if the characters were 20th
century time travellers in the future.  They are many moments where the
film/show goes into a long babble of technical analysis explaining how the
machines work and there are also moments where the characters themselves are as
surprised by the technology they are using as the audience is.  That I think
removes these futuristic characters from their settings and place them firmly in
the here and now. That is all well and good and Star Trek has a distinctly
different focus than Wars, but I prefer Star Wars' very casual treatment of
technology.  They are living in a Galactic Republic, wow. Replace Coruscant's
Greco-Roman skyscrapers with Columns and Domes and you have Rome.   Lucas didn't
sent out to imagine a futuristic city, he went to the past to get his vision of
this fantastic capital city, and I think that is also one of the other things
that rings very true in the films. We've all seen the stuff before, but Lucas
just tilts it like Esher and voila, its a new vision.

The film have simple themes, yes, but these are also timeless themes.  The
notion that all of us have a good and bad side may be dismissed by people as
common sense, but no film before Star Wars have used it as its central theme.  I
can't count the number of times I've looked at a situation and realized that I
was using the things Yoda told luke to guage my own sanity and my own
evilness.   I am somewhat impatient, I get peeved when people make me wait, and
it is times like that which the Star Wars themes rings true.  I am waiting for a
friend to arrive, Its been more than an hour. I am not in the best of moods, so
my mind is automatically going into revenge mode.  "Why not just call it off and
forget about it when she arrives so at least she would suffer a little too".
But I very often come around and remind myself that is the "quick and easy
path"  Yes, it is very easy and satisfying to get back at someone, but it is
also the path to the dark side as it leads only to hurt feelings and
suffering.     Star War's message isn't some baloney phoney message dressed up
by Lucas to sell tickets. I believe the director means it when he says he has
something he wants to teach young people.

Quoting Roger Ebert in his summation of the Star Wars movies, he said

"The film philosophies that will live forever are the simplest-seeming ones.
They may  have profound depths, but their surfaces are as clear to an audience
as a beloved old story. The way I know this is because the stories that seem
immortal--'The Odyssey,' 'Don Quixote,' 'David Copperfield,' 'Huckleberry
Finn'--are all the same: A brave but flawed hero, a quest, colorful people and
places, sidekicks, the discovery of life's underlying truths"

And he adds

" If I were asked to say with certainty which movies will still be widely-known
a century or two from now, I would list '2001,'   nd 'The Wizard of Oz,' and
Keaton and Chaplin, and Astaire and Rogers, and  probably 'Casablanca'. . . and
``Star Wars,'' for sure."

End of Rant

Dexter


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Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2000 22:36:52 -0700
From: Dexter Sy <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Empire of the Sun (some spoilers)

>

Good to know you like Star Wars also.    You can find George :Lucas in Love at Mediatrip.com.  its
absolutely free.

Dexter

>
>
> I watched Episode 1 straight for more than five hours, I watched it twice in a row. My companion was
> willing to go through it again but the theater was packed with screaming kids. I enjoyed the movie
> eventhough I knew basically the whole storyline. Of course there were others who hated it. I am a fan
> of Star Wars (the 2nd trilogy), my brother and I used to watch the three films each year. My brother
> has this tremendous collection of books based on the Star Wars universe. I am not as fanatic as he is
> about SW but I have read the 2nd trilogy more than five times. Yes, when I love a movie I try to read
> the book or transcript so that I can recreate the whole thing in my head.
>
> I'm sorry but I haven't seen the other movies that you have mentioned, if the opportunity comes I
> will try to see it.
>
> blacknight
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]

- --
Dexter S.
Tendo Box - Nintendo e-zine
Http://www.tendobox.com



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

Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 02:17:55 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: [MV] Movies and Tastes

In a message dated 07/20/2000 10:24:07 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
[e-mail] writes:

> > Well, so do I.  After all, aren't movies supposed to entertain more than
>  > anything?
>  > -Eric-
>
>  Yep.   I regularly watch movies that are nothing more than action.  Or
say,
> Bond
>  clones, movies like Entrapment.  But movies that titillates my senses also
> gets
>  extra points.

Once again, I agree, and to state my take on movies in general, "There is no
such thing

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

Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 02:19:36 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: [MV] oops

I just sent an incomplete message to this list by accident.  Aaaargh!!!!
Meant to delete it, but accidently sent it, so please disregard that mistake.
- -Eric-

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

Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 02:21:44 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: [MV] Movies and Tastes

In a message dated 07/20/2000 11:18:36 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
[e-mail] writes:

> Once again, I agree, and to state my take on movies in general, "There is
no
>  such thing

Well, to finish the thought (and I think all should agree), "There's no such
thing as a movie so good everyone likes it, and, likewise, no such thing as a
movie so bad everyone hates it."  That was rather embarrassing.
- -Eric-

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

Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 02:49:52 EDT
From: "Selena Walker" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: [MV] Films I hate more than ID 4

>From: "Wade S" <[e-mail]>
>Reply-To: [e-mail]
>To: [e-mail]
>Subject: [MV] Films I hate more than ID 4
>Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2000 21:29:40 CDT
>
>Other than Armageddon..... films I hate more than ID 4.
>
>Kazaam - basketball players shouldn't do movies
>Baby Geniuses - wasn't what I thought it would've been
>Wyatt Earp - TOMBSTONE was better
>For Richer or Poorer - wasn't toooo bad


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Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 09:10:29 +0100
From: MARK <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: [MV] Patriot - the british

He wasn't a villain, he was an officer in an opposing army.  Then Mel
and his kin mercilessly slaughter him.


MARK

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Dexter Sy [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    20 July 2000 19:12
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    [MV] Patriot - the british
>
> >
> >
> > Personally, I thought The Patriot was a terrific film.  I doubt any
> of the
> > Redcoats were as villainous as Tavington, but he created a great
> tension in
> > the film.  The house searching scene was probably the most tense.
> This air
> > about him made him a very good villain.  As for the plot, I thought
> it was
> > mostly pretty predictable, but it really got the adrenaline going.
> I'd give
> > it a 10, but would go as low as an 8.
> > -Eric-
>
> People have dismissed the screenplay for using caricature figures as
> its
> villian.  This is true, but not entirely true.  The British officer at
> the
> beginning of the film who thanked Mel Gibson's character for caring
> for  the
> British injured   was I think the sympathetic villian in the film.
> Roland made
> the wise choice of cutting to the speechless officer a few times as
> Tavington
> rides in and basically overrides the officer's thanks and goes on a
> killing
> spree.   I thought it was a nice.  But people seem to have forgotten
> that
> character and probably for a good reason.  He was the first and last
> villian I
> sympathized with.
>
> Dex
>
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]

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

Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 09:31:16 +0100
From: MARK <[e-mail]>
Subject: [MV] Films I hate more than ID 4 - and some I like

Nah, nah nah, they are all bad films, however my list of stinkers are:

HIGHLANDER - a detestible pile of cack, why do so many people like this
film
Wild Wild West - There haven't been many that are worse
Anna and the King - Just pips The Patriot as being the most boring 3
hours of my life
Dirty Weekend - Michael Winner should just be shot!
The Waterboy - WHY!!!!!!
Getting Even With Dad - Mac nearly always destroys a film
The out of towners (remake) - Steve Martin is a GOD, however, this is a
terrible film
Summer of Sam - I really wanted to like this film, but it was
dis-jointed and badly edited
My Favourite Martian - I was flying back from Dubai, there was nothing
else on  - HONEST!!!!
Entrapment - derivative crap - go see the far superior remake of "The
Thomas Crown Affair" for a good thief movie.
The Avengers - Nobody could have actually liked this movie

(Shit, I've just noticed that there are 3 Sean Connery films in my list
- - greatest living Scotsman - PAH!!)

I realise that this is a fairly recent list of films, but I tend to give
myself a frontal lobotomy whenever I have seen a bad film, so therefore
they don't stick in my mind.

Some of my faves:

The Thing - John Carpenters version (although the original is still very
good)
Seven Samurai - Kurasawa knew how 3 hours in a war should be presented
to the viewer - EMMERICH take note
Die Hard - Other action films have been big, but this will always be the
daddy
Heat - It's hard to try and not praise this film too
The Jerk - Steve Martin - as  a white-blackman - a MASTERPIECE
The Exorcist - still the best horror film in the world
Alien - The Second best horror film in the world
Smoke & Blue in the face - Wayne Wangs' irreverant yet totally absorbing
pair of films
Manhattan - Woody and Gershwin - wow!
Dr Strangelove - bitingly satirical
First Blood - have any of you watched it recently, it is close to
becoming a classic
Swingers - it is SO the money
Pulp Fiction - an obvious choice - but it is great
Kind hearts and Coronets - Ealing comedy at it's finest
Hobsons Choice - John Mills is wonderful in this film
Hudson Hawk - I don't know why, but I just love it!


This is by no-means a definitive list of my favourite movies, moreso
just what I like today, right now, ask me again in 5 minutes and my
choices will have changed

MARK

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    Dexter Sy [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    21 July 2000 04:33
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    Re: [MV] Films I hate more than ID 4
>
> Nice. I agree with your picks.
>
> Dexter
>
> Wade S wrote:
>
> > Other than Armageddon..... films I hate more than ID 4.
> >
> > Kazaam
> > Baby Geniuses
> > Sphere
> > Meet Joe Black
> > Reindeer Games
> > Lawnmower Man 2
> > Wyatt Earp
> > Speed 2
> > Batman & Robin
> > Dr. Jekyl & Ms. Hyde
> > For Richer or Poorer
> >
> > Wade
> >
> > >From: "geeg23" <[e-mail]>
> > >Reply-To: [e-mail]
> > >To: <[e-mail]>
> > >Subject: Re: [MV] Patriot - lite
> > >Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2000 19:49:30 +0100
> > >
> > >ID 4 is atrocious.  It is a very poor excuse for a sci-fi film and
> lacks
> > >any
> > >of the edge that the science fiction films of the 50's had that it
> so badly
> > >tries to copy.  Emmerich is one of the worst directors around who
> makes
> > >films without plots...........or to be more precise, the plots are
> > >simplistic and filled with unlikely coincidences.  Anyone who
> considers ID4
> > >good sci fi has never seen much to be a good judge of what good
> sci-fi is.
> > >The only film worse than ID4 in the 90's is "Armageddon".  Dont get
> me
> > >started on that!!!!!!!
> > >
> > >Gerry T.
> > >----- Original Message -----
> > >From: Dexter Sy <[e-mail]>
> > >To: <[e-mail]>
> > >Sent: 20 July 2000 19:23
> > >Subject: Re: [MV] Patriot - lite
> > >
> > >
> > > > (refer to conversation below to know what i'm responding to)
> > > >
> > > > Well, I think ID-4 is a great film.  It is certainly one of the
> great
> > >sci-fi
> > > > films of the 90s.  It was one of the first summer blockbuster
> films that
> > >jarred
> > > > me psychologically.   Sci-fi hadn't don't what ID-4 did in a
> long time.
> > > > Basically watching the monuments to our civilization demolished
> has that
> > >effect
> > > > on people, and it strikes at the core of our human existence.
> It is the
> > >same
> > > > reason invading armies in the past burn entire villages and
> towns...
> > >basically to
> > > > demoralize the population.  It is a very real human instinct.
> Now,
> > >that
> > >has
> > > > been largely forgotten since subsequent films like Deep Impact
> or
> > >Armageddon have
> > > > done the same.
> > > >
> > > > Devlin/Emmerich are very much students of the Star Wars trilogy
> and the
> > >battles
> > > > have the same feel.   Waching the fighters go up against the
> shielded
> > >mother
> > > > ships was emotional.  It has the feeling that our best
> technologies
> > >failing us,
> > > > we are helpless, not even nukes can kill them.   It has the same
> kind of
> > >feeling
> > > > when people first saw X-Wings  flying down into that DeathStar
> trench to
> > >blow up
> > > > the death star.  THe feeling of fighting against increadible
> odds.
> > >Again,
> > >not
> > > > totally original but it is very much inherent in American
> cinema.  While
> > >Lucas
> > > > viewed hollywood as the Empire and hence the Death Star, I doubt
> > >Devlin/Emmerich
> > > > had the same ulterior meaning to their aliens.  They were
> following the
> > >formula
> > > > Lucas created.
> > > >
> > > > Dex
> > > >
> > > > [e-mail] wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > In a message dated 07/20/2000 10:54:30 AM Pacific Daylight
> Time,
> > > > > [e-mail] writes:
> > > > >
> > > > > << The
> > > > >  characters might as well be replaced with aliens and it would
> > >probably
> > >make
> > > > >  a nice sequel to independence day.  But for all its flaws I
> find the
> > > > >  patriotic bravado... nice.   I'm sorry if I'm stepping on
> people's
> > >toes
> > >here
> > > > >  but I'm the kind of sucker who likes this kind of stuff.
> > > > >
> > > > >  Dex >>
> > > > >
> > > > > I do agree about the flaws, but it was entertaining.  One
> question,
> > >how
> > >can
> > > > > this film possibly be compared to Independence Day?  That was
> pure
> > >crap,
> > > > > among my least favorite movies of all time with stinkers like
> Twister,
> > >House
> > > > > Arrest, and Rock-A-Doodle.  The Patriot was way above any of
> those.
> > > > > -Eric-
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message
> "unsubscribe ]
> > > > > [ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]
> ]
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Dexter S.
> > > > Tendo Box - Nintendo e-zine
> > > > Http://www.tendobox.com
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message
> "unsubscribe ]
> > > > [ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]
> ]
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> > >[ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and
> I'm not
> > so sure about the first one."
> >                     --Albert Einstein
> >
> > "I don't kill flies but I like to mess with their minds. I hold them
> above
> > globes. They freak out and yell, 'Whoa, I'm way too high!'"
> >               --Bruce Baum
> >
> >
> ______________________________________________________________________
> __
> > Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at
> http://www.hotmail.com
> >
> > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> > [ movies" (without the quotes) to [e-mail]          ]
>
> --
> Dexter S.
> Tendo Box - Nintendo e-zine
> Http://www.tendobox.com
>
>
>
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