Look, I think we've all got something we can bring to this
discussion. But I think from now on the thing you should bring is silence.
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Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2001 07:43:50 -0800
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] RE: Overrated directors !
>**** Marc ;-)
>
>Gary wrote : >In many cases, I have to ask "Who's been overrating them?" ...
>
>**** Either critics (Example : Woody Allen) or moviegoers (Example : Rolland Emmerich) or producers (they just can't make a good movie even if they are given a ton of money and big stars to work with like Renny Harlin)
>
>>>- Orson Welles : Touch of evil
>>
>>No way - though I agree with Ant's comment that Welles has reached a
>>position that there's very little new to be said about him. "Touch of Evil"
>>is one of my favourite movies.
>
>**** I knew this would get a reaction ! But I still think Mr. Welles is overrated ... Didn't really like Touch of evil and even Citizen Kane (Both 2.5/5) , he just happened to use new techniques so I am supposed to be in "awhhhhh !" I don't think so !
>>
>>>- Krzysztop Kieslowski : The decalog, Blue, White, Red
>>
>>Two of the masterpieces of the last 15 years.
>
>**** I just find his films really boring ... Julie Delpy and Juliette Binoche are among my favorite french actresses and I didn't even like "Blue" or "White" so he would be in the overrated category because he can't make a good movie even if it features people I REALLY like !
>Same with Pakula for example, look at the cast for some of his movies !!
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Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 13:22:49 -0800
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] Beware of my love - 1998
Alright, I saw this very good french drama last night ... the original title is : "Si je t'aime, prends garde a toi..." but it
is available with english subtitles : "Beware of my love" ...
Nathalie Baye is excellent as usual. She is quite attractive actually, especially for a woman that is 50 years old ! She plays a woman who meets a certain CREEP on a train one day. The creep is played well by Daniel Duval. At first he appears to be a charmer but he is really violent and agressive.
It's a nasty love story, love-hate relationship ... They keep bickering, arguing, treating each other like dirt basically yet they can't seem to be able to live without each other either. In fact I thought it was a bit hard to believe in part ... they should have broken it off at least 5 times before the half way point !!
Multiple fist fights, yelling, throwing ashtrays at each other, jealousy issues and generally feeling miserable yet they are still living in the same apartment and end up making love on the kitchen floor and/or sink.
Lots of nudity (full frontal since this is a european film), sexually explicit material that would make american censors go nutz, bad language, the works ... the ending is really powerful too ... Very good film even if it is hard to watch in part because of the characters that are mostly at each other's throats all the time.
I was reminded sometimes of "Une liaison pornographique" also with Ms. Baye, but that one was more of a conventional love story-love affair ... Definately for a mature audience.
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Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 17:21:55 -0800
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: RE: Re: [MV] Overrated directors !
*** Marc ;-)
Mel wrote : >>- Krzysztop Kieslowski : The decalog, Blue, White, Red
>
>You got something against French directors, Marc?? You, of all people.....
>:-)
**** hehe !! No !! Actually I like several french directors, especially CLAUDE CHABROL !! Is Mr. Kieslowski french though ?? I thought he was polish ... Mmmmmm ...
>
>I noticed two that you left off the list. One is Quentin Tarantino. Talk
>about one-hit wonders.
***** Oh, I disagree with you there ... QT has made a lot of amazing films, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir dogs, Jackie Brown .... great-great-great ...
And whatever moron said "Q, baby, you are a BORN
>actor. Do the Orsen thing, and act in all of your films" should be taken
>out back and shot for having put each and every one of us thru the horror
>of From Dusk till Dawn (an otherwise fun movie) or Destiny Turns On The
>Radio. And the best thing about Desparado is he was killed off early!!
**** I have to agree I think he isn't so good as an actor (Although he was ok in Reservoir dogs and Pulp fiction in small parts !) Why isn't he directing films instead of acting in rubbish like "Little Nicky" ??
>
>The other director that I have only recently accepted is overrated is (and
>I know I will be vilified for this) is Stanley Kubrick. I mean, Eyes Wide
>Shut committed the Cardinal Sin of being bor-ing.
***** Again, I like Stanley Kubrick a lot, Eyes wide shut was an excellent film too, loved it !! 4/5
How can Nic running
>around sans clothes be so boring, anyway?? THAT was a crime. And we could
>give him a pass on this, except I recently watched 2001, and that has not
>aged well, either.
**** I saw 2001 again about 6 months ago and I liked it more this time around actually ... 3.5/5 ;-)
Maybe it was creative for its time, but now it moves
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Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2001 03:13:06 -0800
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] VideoVista, The cell
**** Marc ;-(
Octavio wrote : The Cell
>>>rating: 5/10
>>>Director: Tarsem Singh
>>>107 minutes (R) widescreen 2.35:1
>>>New Line DVD Region 1 retail
>>>Special effects and wonderful visions can be exciting in small doses, but
>>>these features cannot carry a motion picture.
**** Oh great, another one who says The cell is all style and no substance ! This film is great no matter what **some** people say !! 4.5/5 (right now it's my #1 film for 2000 although I still haven't seen a lot of what I expect to be great films like Wonder boys, Crouching Tiger and company ...)
A perfect example of this
>>>observation is The Cell, an overrated blend of the crime, science fiction,
>>>and horror genres.
>>> Superficial critics have labelled this film cutting edge and
>>>imaginative,
**** Superficial critics ? Roger ebert rated it at 4/4, 'nuff said !!
when in reality director Tarsem Singh and screenwriter Mark
>>>Protosevich have stolen an array of ideas and images from music videos,
>>>other movies, and genre books.
**** Yes, I liked how the movie looked, rather intriguing !! Someone was talking about Nine inch nails videos too ... I like those nasty films as well so it doesn't hurt !
Then there's poor Jennifer Lopez, woefully
>>>miscast as a caring 'dream-astronaut' who speaks with a sugary pout,
**** Yes, possibly .. she was good but I thought she was a bit too sexy for this part, she could have toned it down a bit ... not wearing so many sexy outfits for example ... Hey I saw her on Letterman last night too ... Boy is she sexy and curveous ! (blood boiling !) Letterman was obviously desiring her (even if he tried to hide it, it was obvious !)
bends
>>>over at any given opportunity, and when all else fails will bat her eyes as
>>>a sign of acknowledgement or deep contemplation.
**** Didn't notice it ! ;-)
>>> Stealing from the plots of films like Dreamscape and Seven, The Cell
>>>begins with psychologist Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez) using a dream-link
>>>to help a boy with a personal problem (just like Alex in Dreamscape).
**** Yes, some scary scenes near the beginning ... brrrrr !
The
>>>film then switches to serial killer Carl Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio, who,
>>>like Brad Dourif, can't get away from playing twitchy types - remember Men
>>>In Black and Full Metal Jacket?), who abducts young women and places them in
>>>a chamber, where he watches them suffer before drowning them in water.
***** Yes, that was kind of SICK ... phew !
>>> Hot on his trail are local law enforcement and the FBI, including agent
>>>Peter Novak (Vince Vaughan). The agencies bust into Stargher's home, but
>>>they find the murderer has suffered a neurological seizure that's rendered
>>>him comatose. The agents know that the scuzzball has kidnapped a woman, but
>>>now they cannot find out her location. Or can they?
**** Yes, yes ... not **that** original ... but that twist of entering the killer's mind is something else !
>>> Enter Deane, who agrees to enter Stargher's mind and the get the
>>>much-need information. Deane's trips into Stargher's mind at first glimpse
>>>may appear impressive, but in reality director Singh has cannibalised
>>>sources as varied as Czech animator Jan Svankmajer, Salvador Dali, and the
>>>Brothers Quay, as well as the aforementioned films (and others, such as What
>>>Dreams May Come and the intellectual smorgasbord Altered States), medieval
>>>torture devices, and film noir.
***** Still is very effective, who cares if it reminds you of other films anyway ?? What matters is how intense the film is, not if you think of Seven while you see this one ... Anyway being reminded of that great film is kind of a tribute to how good The cell is ! (Seven : 5/5 !)
>>> In the end, Lopez uses religious imagery to break down Stargher's
>>>weakest component, his inner child, in one of the silliest endings ever
>>>committed to celluloid. Although The Cell is a feast for the eyes and the
>>>special effects are flawless, the plot is a mess, Singh lets the direction
>>>get away from him, and Lopez's performance is as laughable as that of Tanya
>>>Roberts in the James Bond epic A View To A Kill.
**** hehe ! Out of left field ! You're pushing it !
>>> Like the movie, the Region 1 DVD is filled with eye candy and numerous
>>>special features, including several commentaries, deleted scenes, visual
>>>effects vignettes, trailers, and DVD-ROM content. One of the more
>>>embarrassing supplements is an original documentary in which Singh's
>>>collaborators attempt to convince the viewer of the director's visionary
>>>style. The only thing it convinced this viewer of is that Singh has a
>>>swelled head and needs others to assure him that all is right with the world
>>>so long as he can direct movies.
>>>review by Octavio Ramos Jr
>>>
*** Have a fine day !
Marc ;-)
"A china man pissed on my rug and this agression
will not stand, man ..."
Jeff Bridges as "The dude" (a.k.a. "Jeffrey Lebowski")
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Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2001 09:39:08 -0800
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] The farm : Angola, USA (1998)
I watched this excellent documentary last night, it was nominated for an Oscar in the "Best documentary" category of course ... I have to say it was really powerful and touching ... 4.5/5
We basically follow the lives of a few inmates, guards, day-to-day life in the Angola prison (Louisiana, USA) ... Church services inside, radio station, newspaper, working hard in the fields all day long for 4 cents an hour, drug use inside ...
Now that is not very original but it is quite detailled and I found it really interesting learning more about the people who lived there, especially the inmates who all have REALLY long prison sentences. In fact they said a few times that 85% of the inmates who go there will also die in that very same prison either of old age or because they have been executed. Old men in wheelchairs being handcuffed ... 77% of the inmates are black men too yet most of the guards and staff are white folks.
We get to meet them and they all try to keep hope despite their very bleak situation. One is even executed while they are there (I was reminded of Dead man walking of course and the guy looked a lil' like Sean Penn in that film too !)
Of course they were not angels on the outside, murders, rapes, only one claims he didn't do the crimes he was accused of actually and he seemed to have a good case but it was so frustrating to see the parole board deciding his faith without even talking to him ...
They talk to a few people and make up their minds and then they ask him to come in having already decided he's not going to be paroled or anything and the guy had been in there for 25 years already, waiting for this day ... and the guy comes in, trying to find some papers in a big stack he brought while having handcuffs on ... many times I was quite frustrated to see how they were treated actually, seemed quite cruel but I guess the victims and their families feel otherwise of course ...
Powerful material. Liz Garbus directing.
4.5/5
Marc ;-)
"A china man pissed on my rug and this agression
will not stand, man ..."
Jeff Bridges as "The dude" (a.k.a. "Jeffrey Lebowski")
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Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2001 12:18:43 -0800
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] John Woo
**** Marc ;-)
Gauti wrote : >Well, I just saw 'Mission: Impossible 2' again and I would just like
>to point out that John Woo is a self-indulgent lunkhead who overuses
>the following:
**** Yes, I think he is indeed overrated .. that doesn't mean he only made awful films of course ... I think Face-Off and MI2 are actually watchable ... but sometimes less is more and I would prefer those films with better scripts and half the ammo, the pigeons, the scenes in slo-motion ... etc. too many "gimmicks" repeated over and over.
>
>1. Slow-motion
>2. Pigeons
>3. Ammo
**** Oui-oui-oui !
>4. Pretty much everything that could make this film good if it
>weren't overused so much (face masks spring to mind)
**** Yes, I could guess each and everytime when a mask was being used too, except maybe for the opening sequence in the plane ... the script was really so-so, I only give it a good rating because of the stunts, special effects, etc. Like a hamburger with a lot of ketchup on it ... Mmmmmmm !
>5. Thandie Newton
**** Oh, I didn't think she was bad, but maybe I'm being forgiving cos' she's a cutie !! ;-)
>
>and underuses the following:
>
>1. Scriptwriters
>2. Common sense
>3. Anthony Hopkins
**** oui-oui-oui .. you are WISE !! ;-)
>
>I enjoyed this film in the theater, but at home it just ain't the
>same. There's really only one word that adequately sums up my view
>of this movie: trite.
**** I was certainly disappointed because I enjoyed the first film a lot more too ...
>
>John Woo is OK sometimes, but he's far too much in love with his own
>stylistic tricks. By the end of this film, it was really starting to
>get to me. When Cruise blew up the door near the end, and that fire-
>resistant pigeon just HAD to fly through the doorway before we saw
>Tom's chiseled features slide by (in glorious slow-motion, I might
>add), I let out a groan so deep and pained that my girlfriend (who
>was unfortunate enough to be watching too) was genuinely worried for
>me.
***** hehe !! Yeah ... those pigeons ... I was probably thinking at that time "Not another one ..." Your gf probably thought you were hungry or sumthin' ... Groooooooowling sound !!
I had to use all my willpower to stop myself from collapsing in
>exhaustion after forcing my bleary eyes through this overblown pile
>of cliches. Graaaarg.
**** ;-)
>
>I think I will wait a while before watching another Woo flick.
>>Gauti
***** What he is working on now ?? A remake of "The wizard of OZ" ?? Dorothy carrying a couple of HAND CANNONS !! ;-)
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Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2001 09:21:53 -0800
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@apolloguide.com>
Subject: [MV] One fine day - 1996
** Minor spoilers ** ... or not !
This movie should instead be called "One awful day" ... not because the movie is terrible but because so many bad things keep happening to the different characters, besides the so-called "romance" that is dealt with near the end (a good 7 minutes of screen time, wowo !! Rolling my eyes back !) ... 2/5 overall.
George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer are both divorced parents and both have issues with their ex's ... Clooney's ex has just remarried and is going on her honeymoon and Pfeiffer's ex is a guitar player who is not around too often ... So they are "stuck" with their respective kid for the day but have to deal with their day-to-day-life anyway of course.
The film certainly doesn't make you want to have children either as they are portrayed as being annoying lil' creatures who make your life a LIVING HELL !! Are kids such a burden ?? Geeeeeesh !! Needing constant attention, having to watch them all the time or else they get into trouble when they don't wander off that is ... Made me want to get a doctor's appointment to "get fixed" actually ! ;-)
That tiny boy (he was also in Liar Liar !) was making me cringe often, Pfeiffer should have given him up for adoption in my opinion !! (A bit harsh ?? oui !!) Clooney's lil' girl was "better" although she was still quite annoying in part, misbehavin' ... etc.
This film also makes you hate New York City, people running left and right in a mad panic half the time ... geeeeesh ... I was exhausted watching this film. The characters are always under pressure to go here and there and having to deal with all sorts of issues ... They take 101 taxi cabs, make 201 calls on their cell phones .. all sorts of appointments, soccer games, meetings in bars ... Didn't seem like a very happy life to me !!
I kept wondering why it was called "One fine day" actually, I would hate to see one of their "worst" days if that one was "fine" !! Well, that was before the formulaic romance kicked in near the end of course (that was expected !) ... Too much yelling, bickering, running, crying, make this film a very unpleasant one to watch.
Clooney and Pfeiffer were ok though ... although it was hard to swallow they would fall in love after yelling and bickering for half the day basically ...
2/5
Marc ;-)
"A china man pissed on my rug and this agression
will not stand, man ..."
Jeff Bridges as "The dude" (a.k.a. "Jeffrey Lebowski")
