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Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2001 07:06:34 -0800
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] What lies beneath - 2000
**Minor spoilers**
This film is slightly disappointing for me, 2.5/5. I didn't think it was so bad even if I knew going in that a lot of people were saying it was God awful, etc. It's not one of the worst films of the year.
Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford are playing a couple in looooooove, or so they seem !! ... They are married and living
the good life in a wonderful house in Vermont.
Soon Pfeiffer suspects the new neighbour has killed his wife (Just like in "The Burbs" where Hanks was watching his crazy neighbours, I was laughing !) and some strange things happen in the house : noises are heard, pictures are falling off desks, dog growling for no reason, doors opening by themselves ... the usual in a "haunted" house.
I was thinking, hey this is not very original but at least it is well made and some scenes are quite suspenseful and scary actually ...
Unfortunately the 2nd half where Pfeiffer "investigates" the disappearance of a young woman that might be the ghostly presence in her home (This is a criminal investigation with a supernatural twist !) is really not so satisfying and the last 20 minutes are rather silly too.
This is where the movie loses it in my opinion ... Had the last part been better I might have been tempted to give the film a 3/5. Just falls short a bit despite the intriguing subject matter.
The acting is so-so, Harrison Ford doesn't have a whole lot of scenes in the first half too. He only shows up once in a while so that we don't forget he is also in this film I guess. Michelle Pfeiffer was getting on my nerves by the end with her incessant screaming and bizarre acting, she kind of looked "bored" actually ... and Robert Zemeckis has done better in the past !
A better movie dealing with a similar idea is "Stir of echoes" (1999) with Kevin Bacon.
2.5/5
Marc ;-)
- - "Look, I am two seconds away from calling the police !!!"
- - "They'll never make it in time ... we're in the middle
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Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2001 08:58:50 -0800
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: RE: RE: [MV] Human traffic - 1999
It's ok ! Thanks for the precision ! I was under the impression they were in London ... oops ! (The location of the party is really a detail though as this is not something CRUCIAL in the movie.)
Marc ;-)
>
>I hate to nit-pick Marc, but the night out is in Swansea in Wales, only
>about 200 miles away from London, and technically, since the Welsh got
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Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 08:12:30 -0800
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Paul Newman, "best" actor of all times ??
Alright, Mr. Paul Newman has just been named "Best actor of all times" by a group of experts in Britain. This was published in "Radio times" magazine.
Experts evaluated the different actors by comparing how many Oscars they had received as well as how many times they had been nominated, their overall acting skills, their habilities to "seduce" the audience (Example : Sean Connery's "cat-like" walk in The Bond films), the amount of money their films made, etc. etc.
Here is the top 10 :
1- Paul Newman
2- Tom Hanks
3- James Stewart
4- Harrison Ford
5- Marlon Brando
6- Carey Grant
7- Robert Redford
8- Sean Connery
8- Tom Cruise (Cruise and Connery were ranked equally)
10-Gary Cooper
The fans were also allowed to vote and they opted for Sean Connery as the best actor of all times.
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Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 18:35:40 -0800
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Unlawful entry - 1992
I was in the mood to watch this film again today. It was probably my 3rd time seeing it. 3.5/5, despite a rather ordinary last third.
Ray Liotta plays this psycho cop who has "issues" ... he is obsessed with a lovely woman he meets one night on a routine call. Madeleine Stowe and Kurt Russell are a couple, they own a house and one night it is burglarized after hours and the intruder holds a knife to Stowe's neck, scaring her to death of course but luckily she is not injured. Russell just stands there, helpless ...
Liotta shows up as the concerned cop and at first he appears to be a nice guy, advising them to install a new security system and maybe buy a guard dog ... but he only sticks around because he just loves Madeleine Stowe's character (she is beautiful in this film !) and he would do anything to be with her, including lying, cheating, beating up suspects, threatening people, making her husband look like a criminal, sabotaging his business deals ... etc.
I liked how for a good part of the movie everybody but Kurt Russell thinks Liotta is a nice guy, and he is the only one who really knows what he is all about ... good twist !!
The acting and the dialogues were so-so, it's really because I like the story a lot that I rate it at 3.5/5.
S
p
o
i
l
e
r
s
!
I would have preferred it if Liotta's character had been less "evil" in fact, the last third is a bit too over-the-top for my taste ... Plus was it really necessary to kill the young woman that was a teacher at Stowe's school ?? By the time Liotta kills her we have figured out he was really **bad** ... no need to add that on top ... Sometimes, less is more !!
I was waiting for him to kill that darn cat that was attempting to scare us a few times during the movie in fact, a bit too formulaic but overall it was a good lil' thriller !!
"Wow! So that is what all that extra space on the movie screen is
for!" reaction to "Gladiator"
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Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2001 22:40:06 -0800 (PST)
From: Nathan Lemrick <Ghost160@go.com>
Subject: [MV] Manhunter and Hannibal
I had a question for someone about this film. I know that it was based on Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. Also Hannibal Lecter makes an apperance played by Brian Cox (I think). After seeing Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal I was wondering if it was worth the price of a rental to see this film?
Also what did everyone think of Hannibal? I read the book last summer to get me ready for the film. The film went almost with the book with a couple of omissions. And of the course the ending was different, which leads me to think a another film could be on the horizion. But I think this was the last time everyone will see Anthony Hopkins as Lecter. Also with Ridley Scott directing the film seemed to take a different feel to it. Was it as good as Silence of the Lambs? I dont think so but the expectations were very high. Hannibal could have been better but overall I thought it was good. Anthony Hopkins is one of the best actors that is on the big screen. That is the factor which keeps this film in the good catergory with out him this film would die a sad death.
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Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2001 23:47:44 -0700 (MST)
From: A Kanizaj <akanizaj@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca>
Subject: Re: [MV] Manhunter and Hannibal
I haven't seen Hannibal yet, but:
1) Hopkins has signed for a "remake" of Red Dragon/Manhunter where he will
be playing Lecter in a mor "Hannibal focused" Silence prequel.
2) Manhunter is a great movie. If you have a DVD player check out the
newly released Dir. Cut. If you don't, I can send you a copy.
- -ak
On Sun, 11 Feb 2001, Nathan Lemrick wrote:
>
> I had a question for someone about this film. I know that it was based on Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. Also Hannibal Lecter makes an apperance played by Brian Cox (I think). After seeing Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal I was wondering if it was worth the price of a rental to see this film?
>
> Also what did everyone think of Hannibal? I read the book last summer to get me ready for the film. The film went almost with the book with a couple of omissions. And of the course the ending was different, which leads me to think a another film could be on the horizion. But I think this was the last time everyone will see Anthony Hopkins as Lecter. Also with Ridley Scott directing the film seemed to take a different feel to it. Was it as good as Silence of the Lambs? I dont think so but the expectations were very high. Hannibal could have been better but overall I thought it was good. Anthony Hopkins is one of the best actors that is on the big screen. That is the factor which keeps this film in the good catergory with out him this film would die a sad death.
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Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 11:47:40 -0800
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Video-Discrimination !!
>
>Hey, last night I went to this video store that just opened in the next town (fairly close, takes 5 minutes to go there using my luxurious vehicule !!) and I thought, "wow", they had a great selection so I was pleased, the prices seemed reasonable as well,
>the works ...
>
>Then I get up to the desk and I fill out their damn form in 3 copies, asking all sorts of unnecessary questions like what was the serial number on the carburator in your first car ... what was the name of your 1st grade teacher ... Do you have a dog, and if "no", why not ??
>... and other useful information like that ...
>
>Finally I get up there and they take one look at my form and say "Well, you're from the next town so you can't register here ... sorry" ...
>
>I thought it was completely LUDICROUS myself and I let them have it ... who doesn't want someone to join because they live in the next town ??
>
>This is not a public service, this is a BUSINESS, how do they want people to rent tapes if they refuse new members based on that ?? Don't they want customers ?? If I had a business it would seem reasonable to be happy to get customers, no matter where they live !!
>
>It was convenient for me to go there since it was on my way and I passed nearby often and I told them, doesn't matter apparently !!... but apparently since I don't live in that town, it isn't possible !!
>
>I thought it was so stoopid, plus I was frustrated having wasted 20 minutes filling out their stoopid form only to be rejected later on ... grrrrrrr !!
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Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2001 11:26:05 -0800
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Porky's - 1981
**Minor spoilers**
Alright, since so many good titles are being mentioned these days (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Gladiator, Erin Brockovich ...) because of the Oscar nominations ... I decided to watch again another GREAT FILM that might have been forgotten, Porky's - 1981.
;-) Kidding !
I had not seen this film in 15 years and I didn't remember it as being this silly overall. The acting was terrible, the dialogues were inept, silly story, the works !! This is like American pie's big brother I guess and it has a minor cult following !
The story is simple enough and involves a bunch of horny guys (They are all supposed to be 16 and 17 years old but they look older than that ... one of the guy looks like he's in his 30's !!) ... we have all the steretypes there : The macho man, the wimp, the silly one, the tough guy ... etc.
They go to school (although we never actually see them in a classroom because they are too busy chasing girls, I guess !), spy on girls as they are taking a shower, try to sneak in this strip bar owned by a rude and annoying fellow named : Mr. Porky ... ;-) Bar room brawls, unfair cops, abusive fathers, sexy gym teacher ... the whole movie is one cliche after the other ...
It is watchable mainly because there are a couple of amusing scenes (Especially the one where the guys are spying on the girls in the shower through a hole in the wall ... and more ... trying to "seduce" the girls by exposing himself ... oh my, this is one of the greatest moments in the history of filmmaking !! ;-)
That scene is memorable even after 15 years ... and then the gym teacher says she wants the guys to be in a "line up" so she can identify "it" because she was able to take a good look at "it" while she was pulling hard ... hehe ! The film only has a few good scenes so I can't possibly recommend it ... but it wasn't all bad either !
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Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2001 11:27:33 -0800
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Porky's - 1981
**Minor spoilers**
Alright, since so many good titles are being mentioned these days (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Gladiator, Erin Brockovich ...) because of the Oscar nominations ... I decided to watch again another GREAT FILM that might have been forgotten, Porky's - 1981.
;-) Kidding !
I had not seen this film in 15 years and I didn't remember it as being this silly overall. The acting was terrible, the dialogues were inept, silly story, the works !! This is like American pie's big brother I guess and it has a minor cult following !
The story is simple enough and involves a bunch of horny guys (They are all supposed to be 16 and 17 years old but they look older than that ... one of the guy looks like he's in his 30's !!) ... we have all the steretypes there : The macho man, the wimp, the silly one, the tough guy ... etc.
They go to school (although we never actually see them in a classroom because they are too busy chasing girls, I guess !), spy on girls as they are taking a shower, try to sneak in this strip bar owned by a rude and annoying fellow named : Mr. Porky ... ;-) Bar room brawls, unfair cops, abusive fathers, sexy gym teacher ... the whole movie is one cliche after the other ...
It is watchable mainly because there are a couple of amusing scenes (Especially the one where the guys are spying on the girls in the shower through a hole in the wall ... and more ... trying to "seduce" the girls by exposing himself ... oh my, this is one of the greatest moments in the history of filmmaking !! ;-)
That scene is memorable even after 15 years ... and then the gym teacher says she wants the guys to be in a "line up" so she can identify "it" because she was able to take a good look at "it" while she was pulling hard ... hehe ! The film only has a few good scenes so I can't possibly recommend it ... but it wasn't all bad either !
Apollo Guide: The Best in Movie Reviews, DVD & Home Video
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2001 11:25:42 -0800
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Porky's - 1981
**Minor spoilers**
Alright, since so many good titles are being mentioned these days (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Gladiator, Erin Brockovich ...) because of the Oscar nominations ... I decided to watch again another GREAT FILM that might have been forgotten, Porky's - 1981.
;-) Kidding !
I had not seen this film in 15 years and I didn't remember it as being this silly overall. The acting was terrible, the dialogues were inept, silly story, the works !! This is like American pie's big brother I guess and it has a minor cult following !
The story is simple enough and involves a bunch of horny guys (They are all supposed to be 16 and 17 years old but they look older than that ... one of the guy looks like he's in his 30's !!) ... we have all the steretypes there : The macho man, the wimp, the silly one, the tough guy ... etc.
They go to school (although we never actually see them in a classroom because they are too busy chasing girls, I guess !), spy on girls as they are taking a shower, try to sneak in this strip bar owned by a rude and annoying fellow named : Mr. Porky ... ;-) Bar room brawls, unfair cops, abusive fathers, sexy gym teacher ... the whole movie is one cliche after the other ...
It is watchable mainly because there are a couple of amusing scenes (Especially the one where the guys are spying on the girls in the shower through a hole in the wall ... and more ... trying to "seduce" the girls by exposing himself ... oh my, this is one of the greatest moments in the history of filmmaking !! ;-)
That scene is memorable even after 15 years ... and then the gym teacher says she wants the guys to be in a "line up" so she can identify "it" because she was able to take a good look at "it" while she was pulling hard ... hehe ! The film only has a few good scenes so I can't possibly recommend it ... but it wasn't all bad either !
