At 8:28 AM -0800 12/21/00, Marc Claude Desbiens wrote:
>Well, it'S "hip" to say you dislike those two, you have to agree
>with that statement ??
I loved "Forrest Gump" and "Titanic" and I don't care about being
"hip" (whatever that means). "Hip" goes out the window when you get
to a certain period in life. I know what I like and I know what I
don't like. It's so nice to feel comfortable to express my likes and
dislikes without feeling like I will be looked upon in a certain way.
For those of you who truly didn't like "Forrest Gump" or "Titanic"
and say that, good for you for expressing how you feel. For those
of you who are expressing dislike in order to be "hip", well, all I
can do is read your responses and hope for the truth. Go ahead and
be "hip." I (and others) tried to do that for a while and soon it
lost it's luster. Just know that when I read reviews from everyone
on the list, I think the members who tell the truth are the ones who
are the most in integrity. I'm not being oppositional. Really!!
This is just how I feel. Please be yourselves, guys!! I value your
true opinions!
- --
~~~~~
Diane Christy (Samantha and Joshua's Mom)
Jefferson, LA
http://www.geocities.com/diane507/
mailto:dchristy10@earthlink.net
ICQ #12904700 <dchristy10> on Instant AOL Messenger
~~~~~
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Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 11:06:39 -0800
From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Revealing too much ??
Alright, fine article in the newspaper the other day ...
M. Night Shyamalan (The sixth sense, Unbreakable) was talking about how he tries to tell as little as possible about his movies when he is interviewed ... being careful not to reveal the story in advance ... something I would have appreciated in the case of "Cast away" where you see so much in the trailer and learn about important details while watching multiple interviews as well.
"Among Hollywood directors, M. Night Shyamalan is known for being very careful not to reveal a lot about the scenarios of his movies in advance."
"Right up until the release, very few people in Hollywood knew what "Unbreakable" was really about and that was done intentionally in order to avoid details about the plot leaking in the press. It is always better not to say too much says the famous director. I know I wouldn't want to know almost everything about a movie in advance myself."
"Luckily, the studio felt the same and didn't try to force me to accept their ideas on how to market the movie. I had control over the entire production which was great, the fact that "The sixth sense" was a huge success certainly helped. The studio executives had a lot of confidence in me and knew I would be able to make this a successful film in every way."
"The trailer didn't reveal much about the movie and I think this is the way it should be done from now on ... usually trailers are trying to show as much as they can in the shortest possible amount of time and this is exactly what I wanted to avoid ..."
**** The worst movies are my uncle Jack's home movies ... I mean, come on !! Awful "acting", unfunny dialogues ... no script, shaky hand held camera, bad sound, obviously the director has "issues" ... the works !! ;-) (Joking around !!)
I would have to agree that Very bad things was awful as this is one of the 2 or 3 movies to which I gave a 0/5 in 1998 ... it was simply terrible !! Not funny at all, it made me cringe often in fact !! I wouldn't call it the worst movie ever made though .. but it would have a shot at the "worst movie of 1998" in my opinion !!
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Date: Mon, 25 Dec 2000 22:04:26 -0800
From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] The wizard of Oz - 1940's
*** Minor spoilers !! **
Alright, I saw that one entirely for the very first time just now ...
Before I had only seen lil' bits and pieces left and right ...
Another oldie I think is overrated by most people ... I mean what is so special about it ??
I can imagine someone being 5 or 10 years old in 194? loving this one easily ... but I only thought it was mildly interesting myself ;-)
People singing and dancing, rather simple plot, obviously fake painted backgrounds in many scenes, so-so acting ... etc. I was only impressed by a few scenes (and that's because I had in the back of my mind that it was made in the 1940's so I was thinking ... "Wow, this looks pretty good ... for a film made in 194? !!")
The buggers playing The scarecrow, The tin man and the lion king wannabe were all sometimes funny but most of the times they annoyed me slightly with their antics... The witch is also defeated way too easily, it made me go "Oh come on !" .. she's supposed to be evil or sumthin' yet is defeated by someone pouring a glass of ordinary tap water on her face ?? Was that tap water ?? I thought she kind of looked like a shorter (and greener !) Celine Dion anyway ... So I was happy to see her go ! ;-)
I liked some of the songs and the ending though, that lil' Dorothy going back home by tapping her heels and waking up ... "Oh, it was all a dreeeeeam" ... Awhhhhhhhhh !! T'was cute, but I wouldn't watch it more than once ... That lil' dog "Toto" was also a plus !!
2/5 or 2.5/5, depending how generous I feel (or how many glasses of eggnog I had before viewing it !!)
Marc ;-)
"A guy told me once ... Don't let yourself get attached
to anything you are not willing to walk out on in thirty
seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner ..."
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Date: Tue, 26 Dec 2000 01:24:15 -0700
From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" <gregorys@xmission.com>
Subject: Re: [MV] The wizard of Oz - 1940's
1939
Marc Claude Desbiens wrote:
>
> *** Minor spoilers !! **
>
> Alright, I saw that one entirely for the very first time just now ...
> Before I had only seen lil' bits and pieces left and right ...
> Another oldie I think is overrated by most people ... I mean what is so special about it ??
>
> I can imagine someone being 5 or 10 years old in 194? loving this one easily ... but I only thought it was mildly interesting myself ;-)
>
> People singing and dancing, rather simple plot, obviously fake painted backgrounds in many scenes, so-so acting ... etc. I was only impressed by a few scenes (and that's because I had in the back of my mind that it was made in the 1940's so I was thinking ... "Wow, this looks pretty good ... for a film made in 194? !!")
>
> The buggers playing The scarecrow, The tin man and the lion king wannabe were all sometimes funny but most of the times they annoyed me slightly with their antics... The witch is also defeated way too easily, it made me go "Oh come on !" .. she's supposed to be evil or sumthin' yet is defeated by someone pouring a glass of ordinary tap water on her face ?? Was that tap water ?? I thought she kind of looked like a shorter (and greener !) Celine Dion anyway ... So I was happy to see her go ! ;-)
>
> I liked some of the songs and the ending though, that lil' Dorothy going back home by tapping her heels and waking up ... "Oh, it was all a dreeeeeam" ... Awhhhhhhhhh !! T'was cute, but I wouldn't watch it more than once ... That lil' dog "Toto" was also a plus !!
>
> 2/5 or 2.5/5, depending how generous I feel (or how many glasses of eggnog I had before viewing it !!)
>
> Marc ;-)
>
> "A guy told me once ... Don't let yourself get attached
> to anything you are not willing to walk out on in thirty
> seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner ..."
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 26 Dec 2000 08:56:27 -0800
From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] The wizard of Oz - 1939
***** Marc ;-)
> Marc: First of all the year was 1939
**** Yes, thanks for the precision ... I was thinking it had been made in the early 40's ... some bits are impressive considering it was made such a long time ago ... I am not really a fan of musical films and/or very old films like that one so it was like a "double-whammy" in this case ...
> & secondly this is a fantasy & yu must be able to get in the swing of it, granted it is corny as n can be. & is somewhat overacted.
**** Yes, not surprisingly I have already received mostly negative comments about this message I sent ... well, I kind of knew saying The wizard of OZ is overrated would get me in trouble (again !) hehe !! ;-) I just don't see what it so special about it, I mean it was very watchable, don't get me wrong, I wasn't tempted to turn it off at any time ... but I wasn't so impressed either ! (Surrender, Dorothy ! Great line though !!) ;-)
But the whos who in the cast is what makes this a great film
> Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow was idealy cast
***** Mmmmmm .. he was mostly annoying me with his antics, jumping around acting all goofy... etc. Some funny bits though like when those flying monkees tear him apart ... hehe !!
> Jack Haley replaced Buddy Ebsen as the Tin Man was very funny
**** why wasn't he using his axe more often ?? I thought he was too wimpy myself ... should have been "meaner", kicking some !! I mean a couple of flying monkees oversome him easily ! This is obviously more kid oriented ... Imagine if they remade it today ... who would play Dorothy ?? Angelina Jolie ?? ;-)
> Who can fault the great Frank Morgan as the Wizard
**** Yes, good work by the wizard, I imagine that last speech when he gives the guys and girl their prizes is a classic !
> Margaret Hamiltion as the wicked witch was a senssation
**** Yeah, quite good and "evil" !! ;-)
> & of Course Billie Burke as Glenda was a dream
*** Glen or Glenda ??
>& who else could play Dorothy as well as Judy Garland even tho they had to hide her breasts with tape
**** Mmmmmm ... not sure there ... I thought she was way lovely and cute but she seemed to be "overracting" in part ... reciting her lines a bit ?? I dunno, maybe it was that last shot of eggnog but I was thinking she was a lil' "fox" too ... Why did the wizard want to send her home ?? lol ! ;-)
> Sorry yu did not like it, I am sure we will see many letters sayingnot too nice things about yr comments
***** Yeah, no worries, I am used to creating controversies !!
I didn't hate the film either but I would have to be VERY forgiving to give a high score to this one ... I was only marginally forgiving so I give a marginally good score ... around 2.5/5 ... 2/5 might be pushing it a little ! ;-)
> But I like & respect yu too much to be one of them
> I gave this ***1/2 & I have seen it countless times, I even saw a play version in San Francisco in the 1970`s (it was marvelous
>> as always
Jay Harris
***** Glad you liked it more than I did, Jay ! But you are also more likely to like it considering you are a more .. mmmmmm .. experienced citizen !
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 08:58:00 -0700
From: ("Paul D Richardson") <Richardson.Paul@amstr.com>
Subject: [MV] RE: Forrest Gump
> Which is your right. But to say, or even suggest it is not a brilliant
> piece of filmmaking or that Hanks' performance was anything less than
> stellar displays a glaring lack of knowledge about the art of filmmaking
> and the craft of acting.
Happy Holidays to you as well. I guess your right...shame on me for not
sharing the same opinions as you! Such a travesty deserves the tirade you
spewed against me. No doubt I'll burn in Hell for not liking FORREST GUMP.
All the same, it's no wonder that there are so many more lurkers in the group
than active posters. They are afraid of getting attacked for simply sharing
their opinions. They see that if somebody disagrees with them they launch
into personal attacks instead of friendly debate.
Oh well. I will still continue to post using my real name rather hiding
behind an alias, and by composing my own thoughts rather than copying the
reviews of a well-known critic.
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 13:17:51 -0800
From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Forrest Gump
>
>**** Marc ;-)
>
>========================
>
>From Paul D. to Smoke ..
>
>>Happy Holidays to you as well. I guess your right...shame on me for not
>>sharing the same opinions as you! Such a travesty deserves the tirade you
>>spewed against me. No doubt I'll burn in Hell for not liking FORREST GUMP.
>
>**** Yes, when I was reading that original "tirade" from smokefeath I was thinking ... "What the hell !!" ... seemed like he was pushing it quite a bit there ... I mean I agree with that Forrest Gump was a good film (In fact I watched part of it just last night as it was presented on TV here !) but everybody has different ideas about all the movies out there and that one is certainly controversial !! There ways to express yourself too, I have probably locked horns with you, Paul D, more than with anyone else here and yet I still like you ... interested in reading what you have to say ... same as Ebert that was arguing often with Siskel (Not that I am comparing myself to either one .. hehe !!)
>
>
>>All the same, it's no wonder that there are so many more lurkers in the group
>>than active posters. They are afraid of getting attacked for simply sharing
>>their opinions. They see that if somebody disagrees with them they launch
>>into personal attacks instead of friendly debate.
>
>**** Yeah, I agree there ... many people do not post because they don't want to get "flamed" if they say something controversial especially ... like saying a certain ... hum-hum ... "classic film" is overrated ... ;-) Well, I got plenty of messages after that "Wizard of Oz" post, also personal ones that were not posted here and most people said that they were disagreeing with me (except a handful of "braves" !) but most were discussing the issue intelligently .. which was great !! I don't mind people disagreeing as long as they have some kind of argumentation ...
>
>>
>>Oh well. I will still continue to post using my real name rather hiding
>>behind an alias, and by composing my own thoughts rather than copying the
>>reviews of a well-known critic.
>
>**** Well, I don't mind that so much myself ... the part about the alias ... but I clearly recall Mr. Ebert (or was it Siskel ?? Maybe both !) saying he liked "Mimic" and that this was a movie he would like to see again someday, which is quite impressive considering the number of new films out there ... (Siskel also said he watched "The last detail" (1973) maybe 15-20 times ... this encouraged me to search for it and I have to agree it was wonderful ... 4/5, and I've seen it about 3 times since 1994 or 1995)
>
>**** Side note .. talking about movies one sees over and over ... Did you know that Steven Spielberg watches "Duel" (1971 ?) over and over and over ... he watches it at least once every 6 months (since the early 1970's !) Apparently he loved making that one, fine memories so he wants to watch it often !
>LONDON, England -- Madonna is reported to have been given a late wedding gift by her new husband, British film director Guy Ritchie -- a starring role in his next film.
>
>The Queen of Pop, who tied the knot with Ritchie in Scotland three days before Christmas, will take the lead role in his latest gangster film called "The Mole," Britain's Daily Mirror tabloid newspaper reported on Wednesday.
>
>"She plays an American girl who comes to England and is caught up in an underworld battle where the hunt is on to find a police informer in one of the gangs," a production insider on the movie told the newspaper.
>
>Madonna, 42, and Ritchie, 32, who directed the successful films "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" about gun-toting London gangsters, wanted to work together to avoid the pressure of having separate job commitments, according to the Mirror.
>
>The movie will be based in London, where the couple have a home, and filming could start in March. Scripts are being finalised and casting for the film is "nearing completion", the paper said.
>
>The newlyweds are on honeymoon at a 52 acre estate in southern England owned by British pop star, Sting.
>
>Madonna's film career, although less conspicuous and prolific than that of her musical career, has spanned 15 years -- albeit with limited success.
>
>Among her higher profile screen efforts have been major roles in Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Who's That Girl (1987), Dick Tracey (1990) and an all-singing performance in Evita (1996).
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Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2000 13:52:00 -0700
From: ("Paul D Richardson") <Richardson.Paul@amstr.com>
Subject: [MV] RE:The vanishing - 1988
> Highly recommended ! 4.5/5
I second Marc's recommendation. The film plays very much like a modern-day
Dostoyevsky novel. The characters are well-drawn (and believable) and the
situations are shocking without being exploitive. The film succeeds on every
level.
What's interesting to me is that I've only seen the film once, maybe ten years
ago. Yet I still can remember little details about it. For example, a
wonderful little scene where a man stops for a female hitchhiker. Out of the
bushes pops the hitchhiker's boyfriend (hiding to increase the chances of
getting somebody to stop) and the man drives off.
I've never bothered with the remake myself. Make sure you seek out the
original version, which is available on DVD. In fact, I just added the film
to my Netflix queue...it's time I watched it again!
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Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2000 13:06:28 -0800
From: "Marc Claude Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] RE:The vanishing - 1988
**** Marc ;-)
>> Highly recommended ! 4.5/5
>
>I second Marc's recommendation. The film plays very much like a modern-day
>Dostoyevsky novel.
***** Oh good !! We agree !! Yesssss !! I just read some reviews and the film is compared to the (good) ones made by Alfred Hitchcock, I think Roger Ebert gives it 3 stars out of 4 ... or is it 3.5/4 ... Mmm ... not sure !! It is also known as "Spoorloos" .. original Dutch title.
The characters are well-drawn (and believable) and the
>situations are shocking without being exploitive. The film succeeds on every
>level.
**** Yes, you don't see any blod and guts in this one ... and you know who the kidnapper is early too but it is very suspenceful anyway.
>
>What's interesting to me is that I've only seen the film once, maybe ten years
>ago. Yet I still can remember little details about it.
*** I've seen it about 4 times myself (since I own it it is easy !)
and I agree it is memorable, lots of little details which makes it great even on repeated viewings.
For example, a
>wonderful little scene where a man stops for a female hitchhiker. Out of the
>bushes pops the hitchhiker's boyfriend (hiding to increase the chances of
>getting somebody to stop) and the man drives off.
**** Yes, that was actually quite ironic ... the man stops and suddenly the boy who was hiding behind the bushes appears ... the man calls them "liars" and drives off ... and yet he only stopped because he thought the young woman would be a possible victim !! Mmmmm ... on 2nd thoughts he called them "Cheaters" not "liars" ... (that doesn't make a whole lot of difference anyway !!)
>
>I've never bothered with the remake myself. Make sure you seek out the
>original version, which is available on DVD. In fact, I just added the film
>to my Netflix queue...it's time I watched it again!
**** Oh good !! Glad I inspired you !! Yes, this film is in my Top 50 favorites of all times ... excellent thriller !
