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From: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com (movies-digest)
To: movies-digest@lists.xmission.com
Subject: movies-digest V2 #349
Reply-To: movies-digest
Sender: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com
Errors-To: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com
Precedence: bulk
movies-digest Monday, February 11 2002 Volume 02 : Number 349
[MV] Dancing at the Blue Iguana - 2001 (?)
[MV] Mr. Death : The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. - 1999
[MV] NAKED GOLD GUY AWARDS -- FINAL BALLOT
[MV] Ginger Snaps - 2000
[MV] The son's room - 2001
[MV] Stephen King's ROSE RED - 2002
[MV] Legally blonde - 2001
[MV] Lara Croft : Tomb Raider - 2001
RE: [MV] Lara Croft : Tomb Raider - 2001
[MV] Der Tunnel (2001)
[MV] NAKED GOLD GUY FINAL RESULTS / OSCAR PREDICTIONS
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2002 11:05:45 -0800 (PST)
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] Dancing at the Blue Iguana - 2001 (?)
Ok, I just watched this rather mediocre film ... 2/5
Story of a few girls who are strippers in a shady LOS
ANGELES strip club ... I was reminded of SHOWGIRLS and
STRIPTEASE sometimes which is not good since those 2
films were plain terrible ...
DANCING AT THE BLUE IGUANA is a lil' more *serious*
and interesting though but it still is not something
I would like to see more than once ...
We get to meet the different girls ... See what they
are going through, who they hang out with after hours,
arguing for the clients' attention and money, dealing
with the OGRE running the club, etc. It's mostly a
character development film as there is hardly any
*real* story ...
The acting was ok, the girls were very sexy too,
nudity and explicit dance numbers, *extras* for the
most generous "customers", the works. Jennifer Tilly
appears and at first I didn't even recognize her with
that special wig she had on but when she started
talking I realized it was her, you know she has a
special voice ! ;-) Sandra Oh and Darryl Hannah
appear as well ...
It proves my theory that it takes more than cute girls
to make a good film though, you need an intriguing
story and/or characters as well, I mean there must be
6-8 great looking women in this film and they often
walk around half dressed but I was still a bit bored
in general. ;-(
2/5
=====
Marc ;-)
"It's not a monster movie ...
IT'S A SUPERNATURAL THRILLER !!!"
Johnny Depp as "Edward D. Wood, Jr." - "Ed Wood" - 1994
__________________________________________________
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------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 13:42:54 -0800 (PST)
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] Mr. Death : The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. - 1999
Ok, I watched this nice documentary the other night
... Grim subject matter as the film is about a tiny
(and twisted !) man who repairs/builds death penalty
execution machines ...
We get to see his "shop" where he works on the death
devices, films of him strapped to an electric chair as
he is "trying it out" ... etc. Says he builds electric
chairs with nice big seats so that they are more
*comfortable* and that he wanted to install a TV set
next to the machine so the convict could watch
something on Tv while waiting (It would be cruel to
make him watch a wall, no ?)
He's all proud of his work and mentions how he
repaired the electric chair at a prominent Tennessee
(sp. ?) prison ... How he's working on a lethal
injection machine, etc.
It's all very interesting, learning about executions
that didn't go as planned, possible ghostly
appearances on a picture he took ... We see this weird
*white shadow* on the picture right beside the
electric chair, looked like a FREAKIN' GHOST, man !
;-)
The 2nd half of the movie concentrates on the guy's
trip to old NAZI DEATH CAMPS in Poland ... He has been
hired by a fellow who believes that the Holocaust is a
hoax and that millions of Jews didn't die in gas
chambers over there during WWII ... The fellow is on
a rampage there, taking samples, having them analyzed,
writing a report, etc.
This gets him into big trouble as you're not supposed
to hammer away in those special (sacred) places and
take rocks and samples back home after hours, not to
mention he firmly believes that there were no
executions performed there because he can't find any
traces of cyanide poison (That can be explained
according to experts, the traces could have been
destroyed by the way the samples were collected,
HAMMERING on the walls !)
So he gets from being an expert hired by many
different prisons to repair/replace their execution
equipment to living in a shady motel after losing
everything (Mainly due to his "Leuchter report" on the
gas chambers in Poland that was so controversial !)
Good material in general, I appreciated watching this
film ... the fellow is intriguing and often uses dark
humor too, making jokes as he is strapped to an
electric chair or describing how if he had to be
executed the electric chair would certainly be the
best way to go (as long as you use one he has built of
course, cos' they are so *efficient* !)
3.5/5 (Cheers, Elaine !) ;-)
=====
Marc ;-)
"It's not a monster movie ...
IT'S A SUPERNATURAL THRILLER !!!"
Johnny Depp as "Edward D. Wood, Jr." - "Ed Wood" - 1994
__________________________________________________
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------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 20:14:49 -0800 (PST)
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] NAKED GOLD GUY AWARDS -- FINAL BALLOT
To participate, simply fill out the ballot below,
indicating your choices among the nominated films and
then send it back to :
matte@istar.ca
matte @ istar . ca
You have two weeks to do so ... Woo Hoo !
I shall forward the results once they have been
compiled by Mr. Easterbrook ... Don't forget to change
the e-mail address, alright ?
Marc ;-)
- ------------
- --- Matt Easterbrook <matte@istar.ca> wrote:
> Well, the preliminary ballots for the Naked Gold Guy
> Awards have been
> tallied up, and results have seem quite similar to
> those from the Golden
> Globes this year. A few things I noticed: a)
> Nicole Kidman is
> apparently as popular with you guys as with me (you
> nominated her for
> best actress twice -- for Moulin Rouge AND The
> Others); b) AI:
> Artificial Intelligence seems to have a growing
> number of fans (at least
> among my subscribers); and c) apparently I'm not the
> only one who thinks
> Stifler Rules!!!
>
> I have to recognize Keith Whittier who, in the
> category "Best Onscreen
> Couple," voted for Mariah Carey and her Ego. It
> didn't make the final
> five, but I thought it was so funny it deserved a
> mention.
>
> Once again, you have two weeks to fill out the final
> ballot. Five
> nominees are listed under each category. Place an X
> in the brackets
> beside your choices. Ballots are due Saturday,
> February 9th at midnight
> EST.
>
> Happy voting!
>
> Matt Easterbrook
> matte@istar.ca
>
>
>
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> NAKED GOLD GUY AWARDS -- FINAL
> BALLOT
>
> BEST PICTURE
> ( ) A BEAUTIFUL MIND
> ( ) THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE
> RING
> ( ) MEMENTO
> ( ) MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) MULHOLLAND DRIVE
>
> BEST DIRECTOR
> ( ) Peter Jackson, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
> ( ) Baz Luhrmann, MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) David Lynch, MULHOLLAND DRIVE
> ( ) Christopher Nolan, MEMENTO
> ( ) Steven Spielberg, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
>
> BEST ACTOR
> ( ) Russell Crowe, A BEAUTIFUL MIND
> ( ) Ewan McGregor, MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) John Cameron Mitchell, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
> ( ) Guy Pearce, MEMENTO
> ( ) Denzel Washington, TRAINING DAY
>
> BEST ACTRESS
> ( ) Nicole Kidman, MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) Nicole Kidman, THE OTHERS
> ( ) Tilda Swinton, THE DEEP END
> ( ) Naomi Watts, MULHOLLAND DRIVE
> ( ) Reese Witherspoon, LEGALLY BLONDE
>
> BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
> ( ) Jim Broadbent, MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) Hayden Christensen, LIFE AS A HOUSE
> ( ) Jude Law, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> ( ) Ian McKellen, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
> ( ) Seann William Scott, AMERICAN PIE 2
>
> BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
> ( ) Cate Blanchett, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
> ( ) Jennifer Connelly, A BEAUTIFUL MIND
> ( ) Laura Elena Harring, MULHOLLAND DRIVE
> ( ) Carrie-Anne Moss, MEMENTO
> ( ) Frances O'Connor, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
>
> BEST SCREENPLAY
> ( ) Akiva Goldsman, A BEAUTIFUL MIND
> ( ) Baz Luhrmann, Craig Pearce, MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) David Lynch, MULHOLLAND DRIVE
> ( ) Christopher Nolan, MEMENTO
> ( ) Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, THE
> LORD OF THE RINGS:
> THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
>
> BEST SCORE
> ( ) Craig Armstrong, MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) Angelo Badalamenti, MULHOLLAND DRIVE
> ( ) Howard Shore, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
> ( ) John Williams, HARRY POTTER AND THE
> PHILOSOPHER'S STONE
> ( ) John Williams, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
>
> BEST SONG
> ( ) "Come What May," MOULIN ROUGE. Performed by
> Ewan McGregor & Nicole
> Kidman.
> ( ) "May It Be," THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING.
> Performed by Enya.
> ( ) "There You'll Be," PEARL HARBOR. Performed by
> Faith Hill.
> ( ) "3 Small Words," JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS.
> Performed by Rachael
> Leigh Cook, Tara Reid & Rosario Dawson.
> ( ) "Wig In A Box," HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH.
> Performed by John
> Cameron Mitchell.
>
> BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
> ( ) Roger Deakins, THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE
> ( ) Peter Deming, MULHOLLAND DRIVE
> ( ) Janusz Kaminski, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> ( ) Andrew Lesnie, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
> ( ) Donald M McAlpine, MOULIN ROUGE
>
> BEST ART DIRECTION
> ( ) Rick Carter, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> ( ) Stuart Craig, HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S
> STONE
> ( ) Rick Heinrichs, PLANET OF THE APES
> ( ) Grant Major, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
> ( ) Catherine Martin, MOULIN ROUGE
>
> BEST COSTUME DESIGN
> ( ) Jenny Beavan, GOSFORD PARK
> ( ) Ngila Dickson, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
> ( ) Judianna Makovsky, HARRY POTTER AND THE
> PHILOSOPHER'S STONE
> ( ) Catherine Martin, Angus Strathie, MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) Arianne Phillips, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
>
> BEST MAKEUP
> ( ) AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> ( ) HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
> ( ) THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE
> RING
> ( ) MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) PLANET OF THE APES
>
> BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
> ( ) AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> ( ) HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE
> ( ) THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE
> RING
> ( ) PEARL HARBOR
> ( ) PLANET OF THE APES
>
> BEST SOUND-EFFECTS EDITING
> ( ) AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> ( ) THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE
> RING
> ( ) MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) PEARL HARBOR
> ( ) VANILLA SKY
>
> BEST SOUND
> ( ) AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> ( ) THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE
> RING
> ( ) MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) MULHOLLAND DRIVE
> ( ) PEARL HARBOR
>
> BEST EDITING
> ( ) Jill Bilcock, MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) Dody Dorn, MEMENTO
> ( ) John Gilbert, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
> ( ) Pietro Scalia, BLACK HAWK DOWN
> ( ) Mary Sweeney, MULHOLLAND DRIVE
>
> BEST VILLAIN
> ( ) The Dark Horsemen, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
>
> ( ) Don Logan (Ben Kingsley) in SEXY BEAST
> ( ) Saruman (Christopher Lee) in THE LORD OF THE
> RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP
> OF THE RING
> ( ) The Duke (Richard Roxburgh) in MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington) in TRAINING
> DAY
>
> BEST YOUNG PERFORMER (UNDER 21)
> ( ) James Bentley, THE OTHERS
> ( ) Hayden Christensen, LIFE AS A HOUSE
> ( ) Haley Joel Osment, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> ( ) Daniel Radcliffe, HARRY POTTER AND THE
> PHILOSOPHER'S STONE
> ( ) Elijah Wood, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE
> FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
>
> BEST ON-SCREEN COUPLE
> ( ) Colin Firth and Renee Zellweger, BRIDGET JONES'
> DIARY
> ( ) Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale, PEARL HARBOR
> ( ) Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman, MOULIN ROUGE
> ( ) Viggo Mortensen and Liv Tyler, THE LORD OF THE
> RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP
> OF THE RING
> ( ) Shrek (Mike Myers) and Donkey (Eddie Murphy),
> SHREK
>
> BEST ANIMAL
> ( ) Bowser (Elle's dog), LEGALLY BLONDE
> ( ) The Dark Riders' horses, THE LORD OF THE RINGS:
> THE FELLOWSHIP OF
> THE RING
> ( ) Donkey (Eddie Murphy), SHREK
> ( ) Gito (the rottweiler), AMORES PERROS
> ( ) Teddy, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
>
> BEST SCENE FROM A FILM
> ( ) HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE -- The
> Quidditch match
> ( ) THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE
> RING -- The Mines of
> Moria
> ( ) MOULIN ROUGE -- Elephant Love Medley
> ( ) MOULIN ROUGE -- Performance of "Spectacular
> Spectacular" (final
> scene)
> ( ) MULHOLLAND DRIVE -- The hapless hitman's botched
> murder scene
> ( ) PEARL HARBOR -- The attack on Pearl Harbor
> (duh!)
>
> WORST MOVIE OF THE YEAR
> ( ) AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> ( ) CROCODILE DUNDEE IN LOS ANGELES
> ( ) GLITTER
> ( ) SWORDFISH
> ( ) VANILLA SKY
>
> WORST PERFORMANCE
> ( ) Mariah Carey, GLITTER
> ( ) Penelope Cruz, VANILLA SKY
> ( ) Tom Green, FREDDY GOT FINGERED
> ( ) Freddie Prinze Jr, SUMMER CATCH
> ( ) David Spade, JOE DIRT
>
__________________________________________________
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2002 20:28:24 -0800 (PST)
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] Ginger Snaps - 2000
Ok, I watched this film earlier tonight, I had rented it
based on a strong recommendation from Mr. Michael
SCRUTCHIN, known WORLDWIDE for his love of gory low budget
horror films !
Well, I can't say I was really so impressed with "Ginger
Snaps" ... It's not terrible material but I wouldn't watch
it again either ...
Low budget horror film, a werewolf attacks a 16 year old
girl one night in the park as she is walking with her
cheeky sister. Of course she then starts transforming
slowly but surely into a werewolf and attacking people who
annoy her and her beloved sister of course. To avoid
becoming a werewolf she finds out she has to be injected
with a mix of water and herbs (That was rather ridiculous
actually !) ;-)
The problem with this film is the entire middle section,
the beginning and the ending are quite good but that's only
30-35 minutes of good material there, not enough to carry
the film all the way up to a 3/5 considering all the so-so
scenes in the middle, I would describe as "mediocre" some
of the scenes in the middle of the film actually.
The acting wa so-so, Mr. Scrutchin may have been influenced
by the rather CURVEOUS actress in the lead ... hum hum !
The special effects were very *cheap* too in part and you
could tell it was all *fake* often when the werewolf was
attacking people ...
A few good suspenseful moments near the end actually
brought this film back to a 2.5/5 for me as I almost had my
mind set it would end up at 2/5 but then the ending kicked
in and it was getting better in the last 15 minutes ... Too
little too late unfortunately. ;-( (At least it was
better than "An american werewolf in Paris" that was made
with 10 times more money probably !)
Cheers !
=====
Marc ;-)
"It's not a monster movie ...
IT'S A SUPERNATURAL THRILLER !!!"
Johnny Depp as "Edward D. Wood, Jr." - "Ed Wood" - 1994
__________________________________________________
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2002 19:25:05 -0800 (PST)
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] The son's room - 2001
Ok, I am just back from a nice lil' art house movie theater
that just opened ;-) I am pleased because it's really
close and they only present foreign films, low budget,
independant movies, etc. Tonight I saw "The son's room"
(2001) a very good italian drama directed by Nanni Moretti.
The place was almost jam packed with *mature* and/or
*serious* moviegoers too, even better, not a single rowdy
teeniebopper in sight ! ;-)
I enjoyed this movie about an italian psychiatrist who is
married and has 2 kids, one boy and one girl, both are in
high school. The guy reminded me of a young RON SILVER
actually. (Around 40-45 years old)
I was thinking of "Life is beautiful" sometimes while
watching the film, both have a similar structure and both
are from Italy. The first third of the film is rather
amusing and we get to meet the different members of the
family as well as some of the patients of the psychiatrist.
The mother works in an ad agency, the daughter plays
basketball and the son tennis ... etc.
The problem is that one day the son goes diving with his
friends and a FREAK accident happens ... The son dies (It
is possible that he committed suicide though, only made it
look like an accident ... but that is not 100% certain,
which is a plus, it keeps you guessing throughout the film
!)
We see the reaction of everyone, how they deal with this
TRAGEDY and it is very touching in part too. It's mostly
a character development tale as you can imagine.
The actors were all amazing and I recommend this film
highly. Sometimes I was almost thinking it was good enough
for a 4/5 but then the ending kicks in and it was just a
lil' too *cute* and *long-ish* too ... still a very good
movie.
3.5/5
=====
Marc ;-)
"It's not a monster movie ...
IT'S A SUPERNATURAL THRILLER !!!"
Johnny Depp as "Edward D. Wood, Jr." - "Ed Wood" - 1994
__________________________________________________
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------------------------------
Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2002 12:04:57 -0800 (PST)
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] Stephen King's ROSE RED - 2002
*Small spoilers*
*I'll add comments* with stars in front !
Marc ;-)
- ----------
> STEPHEN KING'S ROSE RED. Sunday, Monday and next Thursday
> nights at 9,
> ABC.
> Be very bored. By David Bianculli
>
> ]"Stephen King's Rose Red," the new six-hour ABC
> miniseries written by
> King, is a haunted-house story that's told so slowly,
> it's almost inert.
***** mmmmmmmm ... Yes, I watched the last part late last
night ... wow, that 3rd episode was amazing, really scary
and suspenseful, too bad the first two episodes weren't
really exciting ... Why was this a 3 part mini-series ??
What could easily have been done would have been to make it
a 2 part mini-series, combining the first two episodes that
were a lil' *boring* and then following with the 3rd one
that was top quality material (at least in part !)
>
> The climactic special effects are even worse,
> guaranteeing that ù
> should you last to the end ù the only screaming you'll be
> doing is
> with laughter.
****** I have to agree here, I was laughing sometimes in
the last 10 minutes and I wasn't supposed to ... When that
annoying mother grabbed her son by the neck and was choking
him, was that funny or what ?? Hilarious material !! ;-)
>
> Since it will be much more efficient to isolate
> the few good points of "Rose Red" (which begins Sunday at
> 9, continuing
> Monday and concluding Thursday at the same time), here
> they are:
>
> Two special-effects scenes ù one involves water that
> freezes, the
> other involves a mirror that liquefies; both are
> genuinely creepy.
>
> A scene from 'Red Rose' Only one performance is
> compelling, despite a
> large cast ù that of David Dukes, to whom "Rose Red" is
> dedicated.
>
> The miniseries is dedicated to Dukes because he died of a
> heart attack
> during production (playing tennis, not on the set),
> leaving much, but
> not all, of his performance completed. King, producers
> Thomas H. Brodek
> and Robert F. Phillips and director Craig R. Baxley have
> resourcefully
> pieced together the elements of Dukes' final role into a
> fairly coherent
> and cohesive onscreen character.
>
> Having done that, it seems, the creative team had no
> creativity left to
> spare.
>
> "Rose Red" stars Nancy Travis as a psychology professor
> obsessed with
> both the paranormal and a haunted house in Seattle called
> Rose Red. She
> assembles a team of psychics and mental mavericks and
> enters the house,
> which has a history of murdering men, victimizing women
> and doing its
> own warped remodeling.
> "Follow me," she tells her team, "and prepare to be
> amazed."
>
> Unfortunately, she doesn't say that until the end of the
> first two-hour
> segment, when this team of ghost-hunting Scooby-Doos
> finally reaches
> Rose Red. Before that, there's more exposition than in a
> doctoral thesis
> (it's delivered just as dryly), and so many lapses in
> logic and letdowns
> in suspense that "Rose Red" qualifies as one of King's
> worst efforts.
***** Oh man, when that religious lady was saying she
wanted to go get ICED TEA in the middle of the night I was
thinking it was highly ridiculous !! I mean who would do
that ?? This is a house that is haunted with plenty of
creepy ghosts and you're going to get iced tea all by
yourself, almost in the dark, with only a lil' flashlight
?? I was thinking it must have been really good iced tea
..... lol ! ;-)
>
> Major flaws? Start with Travis, a good comic actress who
> is miscast
> here. It's hard to imagine any actress who could pull off
> the scene in
> which she smears Dukes' face with her own blood during a
> temper tantrum,
> but Travis certainly isn't the one. Other cast members
> aren't worth
> singling out at all.
>
> And while the set design is strong, the ghosts are
> pathetic. Designed as
> cadaverous animatronic puppets, they're about as
> believable, and as
> scary, as a house haunted by the Pirates of the
> Caribbean.
****** Oh, I thought most of the times the ghosts were
creepy ... maybe I am easily scared ! ;-)
>
> The 25th-anniversary "Roots" special on NBC recently
> reminded us that a
> generation ago, ABC executives scheduled it outside a
> ratings period,
> fearing they had a potential flop on their hands. Today's
> ABC executives
> are pulling a similar trick by launching "Stephen King's
> Rose Red"
> before the February sweeps.
>
> But this time, they're right.
>
>
******* Episode 1 = 2/5 Episode 2 = 2.5/5
Episode 3 = 3.5/5 ... it's a close call but with 2 episodes
out of 3 being sub par, I can't give this series a positive
rating ... 2.5/5 overall !
Cheers !
Marc ;-)
=====
Joe Pesci : "Your Honor, I request the permission to
treat Ms. Vito as a *hostile* witness ..."
Marisa Tomei : "If you think I'm hostile now wait 'til
you see me tonight !"
Joe Pesci as "Vincent Gambini" and Marisa Tomei
as "Mona Lisa Vito" - "My cousin Vinny" - 1992
__________________________________________________
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2002 20:38:13 -0800 (PST)
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] Legally blonde - 2001
Ok, quick review !
I enjoyed this film even if it never really *peaked*
anywhere really ... I was thinking 3/5 from the first until
the last minute actually, very watchable but it's really
not a *must see* movie or a film that could be seen more
than once every 10 years or so. I could see the twists and
turns coming from a mile away. Rather predictable film !
Ms. Reese Witherspoon plays a lovely young blonde woman who
is studying in California. I thought it was very amusing
that all the girls in her sorrority (sp. ?) had long blonde
hair (except for one that had short dark hair !) ;-) They
all looked like different versions of her ! Reese is the
president there and enjoying her popularity, everyone likes
her, she's the star of the show, etc.
Anyway she has a boyfriend and when the film opens she is
getting prepared to go on a *big date* with him, she is
certain he is going to ask her in marriage ... of course
you know he won't and instead decides to break up with her
saying that to be considered a serious contender in the
political world he really needs to marry a *Jackie* and not
a *Marilyn* ... To prove to him that she is not a dumb
blonde like the stereotype she decides to try to go to
Harvard Law School and become a lawyer, just like
Mr. Jerk who just dumped her, this way he will take her
seriously ...
The whole time I was thinking, why does she want this CREEP
?? the guy almost had a huge neon sign on his forehead
saying *JERK* ... It simply didn't make sense,
I'm sorry !! Nobody would act like that in the REAL
WORLD, if someone you care for treats you like dirt the way
he did, how can you go out of your way to actually get back
with him ?? Impossible !! This jerk should have been
*karate chopped* right there in the restaurant I tell
you ! (I would have liked that actually !!)
The acting was appropriate, Ms. Witherspoon especially, I
always like her, well, almost (Cruel intentions !) ;-)
Some parts are rather amusing as Reeese is doing her best
to impress her teachers and then she has her big day in
court *surprise, surprise* !
I was imagining watching this film in a packed theater, if
there had been a few FL in there (Frequent Laughers !) it
would have been hard to sit through since there were
several *mildly amusing* bits and I could imagined the FL's
really letting me have it with their incessant and
unnecessarely LOUD laughter !
3/5, a good *little* film !
Marc ;-)
=====
Joe Pesci : "Your Honor, I request the permission to
treat Ms. Vito as a *hostile* witness ..."
Marisa Tomei : "If you think I'm hostile now wait 'til
you see me tonight !"
Joe Pesci as "Vincent Gambini" and Marisa Tomei
as "Mona Lisa Vito" - "My cousin Vinny" - 1992
__________________________________________________
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Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2002 20:34:40 -0800 (PST)
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] Lara Croft : Tomb Raider - 2001
Ok, a quick word since it's late and I don't really feel
like writing a long review for that one ! lol !
Well, I thought it was good *even* if I didn't care much
for the story ... This film is a strange bird because I
give it a positive rating, 3/5, even if I couldn't care
less about the story, what Lara Croft was trying to do,
etc. It's not explained very well in the film anyway so
I guess the filmmakers didn't care about it either ! Mumbo
jumbo about the search for two pieces of a triangle, a
special *key*, etc. It's really not important anyway, so
why try to explain it ? ;-)
I was reminded of "The Matrix" sometimes because the film
is good mostly because of the special effects, the stunts,
the sound effects, etc. I was also thinking of "Mission
impossible 2" another film with a so-so story but the
action sequences *rock* so it's entertaining to watch !
Ms. Jolie was having fun kicking butts in the movie,
handling guns ... I liked that actually, a *strong* girl,
fighting the *evil doers* and other *creeps* she meets
along the way ... There's even a neat lil' hand-to-hand
combat near the end, good work ! She didn't have many
lines though, a rather silent character !
She's *extra* curveous in that one too, wearing tight lil'
outfits all the time, yeah, I knew I was being *played* but
the video game character is like that as well, so I guess
I didn't mind !
3/5
Marc ;-)
=====
Joe Pesci : "Your Honor, I request the permission to
treat Ms. Vito as a *hostile* witness ..."
Marisa Tomei : "If you think I'm hostile now wait 'til
you see me tonight !"
Joe Pesci as "Vincent Gambini" and Marisa Tomei
as "Mona Lisa Vito" - "My cousin Vinny" - 1992
__________________________________________________
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 6 Feb 2002 08:10:44 -0600
From: Wade Snider <wsnider@brazoselectric.com>
Subject: RE: [MV] Lara Croft : Tomb Raider - 2001
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The only things I liked about this movie were a couple of the set action
pieces. I liked the intro, which was basically for the fans of the video
game, and I liked the bit where she was hanging from the acrobat
tether-thing and the ninja-lookin dudes bust into her house. I expected more
from this movie, hoping for another Simon West guilty pleasure, like Con
Air, but I just couldn't feel like Tomb Raider was even close to the cheesy
fun of that flick. I agree that the script was crappola and a potentially
fun movie was merely a construct for a heavy opening weekend, knowing that
this movie was too bland for good word-of-mouth coverage or any repeat
customers, and not even the teenage male crowd...
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Marc C. Desbiens [SMTP:marcdesbiens@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2002 10:35 PM
> To: Marc C. Desbiens
> Subject: [MV] Lara Croft : Tomb Raider - 2001
>
>
> Ok, a quick word since it's late and I don't really feel
> like writing a long review for that one ! lol !
>
> Well, I thought it was good *even* if I didn't care much
> for the story ... This film is a strange bird because I
> give it a positive rating, 3/5, even if I couldn't care
> less about the story, what Lara Croft was trying to do,
> etc. It's not explained very well in the film anyway so
> I guess the filmmakers didn't care about it either ! Mumbo
> jumbo about the search for two pieces of a triangle, a
> special *key*, etc. It's really not important anyway, so
> why try to explain it ? ;-)
>
> I was reminded of "The Matrix" sometimes because the film
> is good mostly because of the special effects, the stunts,
> the sound effects, etc. I was also thinking of "Mission
> impossible 2" another film with a so-so story but the
> action sequences *rock* so it's entertaining to watch !
>
> Ms. Jolie was having fun kicking butts in the movie,
> handling guns ... I liked that actually, a *strong* girl,
> fighting the *evil doers* and other *creeps* she meets
> along the way ... There's even a neat lil' hand-to-hand
> combat near the end, good work ! She didn't have many
> lines though, a rather silent character !
>
> She's *extra* curveous in that one too, wearing tight lil'
> outfits all the time, yeah, I knew I was being *played* but
> the video game character is like that as well, so I guess
> I didn't mind !
>
> 3/5
>
> Marc ;-)
>
> =====
> Joe Pesci : "Your Honor, I request the permission to
> treat Ms. Vito as a *hostile* witness ..."
> Marisa Tomei : "If you think I'm hostile now wait 'til
> you see me tonight !"
>
> Joe Pesci as "Vincent Gambini" and Marisa Tomei
> as "Mona Lisa Vito" - "My cousin Vinny" - 1992
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Send FREE Valentine eCards with Yahoo! Greetings!
> http://greetings.yahoo.com
>
> [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
> [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]
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charset=3Dus-ascii">
<META NAME=3D"Generator" CONTENT=3D"MS Exchange Server version =
5.5.2654.45">
<TITLE>RE: [MV] Lara Croft : Tomb Raider - 2001</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<P><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF" SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">The only things I =
liked about this movie were a couple of the set action pieces. I liked =
the intro, which was basically for the fans of the video game, and I =
liked the bit where she was hanging from the acrobat tether-thing and =
the ninja-lookin dudes bust into her house. I expected more from this =
movie, hoping for another Simon West guilty pleasure, like Con Air, but =
I just couldn't feel like Tomb Raider was even close to the cheesy fun =
of that flick. I agree that the script was crappola and a potentially =
fun movie was merely a construct for a heavy opening weekend, knowing =
that this movie was too bland for good word-of-mouth coverage or any =
repeat customers, and not even the teenage male crowd...</FONT></P>
<UL>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D1 FACE=3D"Arial">-----Original Message-----</FONT>
<BR><B><FONT SIZE=3D1 FACE=3D"Arial">From: </FONT></B> <FONT =
SIZE=3D1 FACE=3D"Arial">Marc C. Desbiens =
[SMTP:marcdesbiens@yahoo.com]</FONT>
<BR><B><FONT SIZE=3D1 FACE=3D"Arial">Sent: </FONT></B> <FONT =
SIZE=3D1 FACE=3D"Arial">Tuesday, February 05, 2002 10:35 PM</FONT>
<BR><B><FONT SIZE=3D1 =
FACE=3D"Arial">To: </FONT></B> <FONT SIZE=3D1 =
FACE=3D"Arial">Marc C. Desbiens</FONT>
<BR><B><FONT SIZE=3D1 =
FACE=3D"Arial">Subject: </FONT>=
</B> <FONT SIZE=3D1 FACE=3D"Arial">[MV] Lara Croft : Tomb Raider - =
2001</FONT>
</P>
<BR>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Ok, a quick word since it's late and I =
don't really feel</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">like writing a long review for that =
one ! lol !</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Well, I thought it was good *even* if =
I didn't care much</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">for the story ... This film is a =
strange bird because I</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">give it a positive rating, 3/5, even =
if I couldn't care</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">less about the story, what Lara Croft =
was trying to do,</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">etc. It's not explained very =
well in the film anyway so </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">I guess the filmmakers didn't care =
about it either ! Mumbo</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">jumbo about the search for two pieces =
of a triangle, a</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">special *key*, etc. It's really =
not important anyway, so</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">why try to explain it ? =
;-)</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">I was reminded of "The =
Matrix" sometimes because the film</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">is good mostly because of the special =
effects, the stunts,</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">the sound effects, etc. I was =
also thinking of "Mission</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">impossible 2" another film with =
a so-so story but the</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">action sequences *rock* so it's =
entertaining to watch !</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Ms. Jolie was having fun kicking butts =
in the movie,</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">handling guns ... I liked that =
actually, a *strong* girl,</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">fighting the *evil doers* and other =
*creeps* she meets</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">along the way ... There's even a neat =
lil' hand-to-hand</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">combat near the end, good work =
! She didn't have many</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">lines though, a rather silent =
character !</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">She's *extra* curveous in that one =
too, wearing tight lil'</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">outfits all the time, yeah, I knew I =
was being *played* but</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">the video game character is like that =
as well, so I guess </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">I didn't mind !</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">3/5</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Marc ;-)</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Joe Pesci : =
"Your Honor, I request the permission to </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial"> &nb=
sp; treat Ms. Vito as a *hostile* witness =
..."</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Marisa Tomei : "If you think I'm =
hostile now wait 'til </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial"> &nb=
sp; you see me tonight !"</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Joe Pesci as "Vincent =
Gambini" and Marisa Tomei </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">as "Mona Lisa Vito" - =
"My cousin Vinny" - 1992</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial">__________________________________________________</FONT>=
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Do You Yahoo!?</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Send FREE Valentine eCards with =
Yahoo! Greetings!</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial"><A =
HREF=3D"http://greetings.yahoo.com" =
TARGET=3D"_blank">http://greetings.yahoo.com</A></FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">[ To leave the movies mailing list, =
send the message "unsubscribe ]</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">[ movies" (without the quotes) =
to =
majordomo@xmission.com &n=
bsp; ]</FONT>
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Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 21:07:20 -0800 (PST)
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] Der Tunnel (2001)
Ok, I saw this top quality GERMAN film tonight ... All I
have to say is "WOW !" ... This is probably the best film
I've seen in the past 3-4 years, I haven't checked the
"stats" yet but it's close to a Top 10 of all times movie
for me ...
Simple story of a couple of friends who are in East Germany
in the early 1960's just as they are building the BERLIN
wall ... They both want to go to the west side of the wall
before the security is beefed up of course. They succeed
in doing that, always being afraid of getting caught ...
The problem is they are not able to bring their loved ones
over there at the same time ... They are separated. One of
the men leaves his pregnant wife and the other leaves his
sister and her lil' girl (He is very attached to her since
she helped him get out of prison in the past.)
Anyway they are thinking about it and decide the best way
to get all those people out is to dig a tunnel that would
go under the wall ... They start in an old abandoned
factory on the west side and then they dig ... they dig ...
they dig ... 20 feet deep ... and then they have to go 400
feet straight right underneath the feet of the soldiers
guarding the wall ... At first they are only 4 involved in
the project but later on they need more people so they end
up being 15 people working on this ...
We get to meet at least 10 characters who are so
interesting they all could have their own movie ... Very
intense film, a good part is shot in the tunnel they are
digging, etc. Incredible action, lots of tension as they
are always afraid of being discovered, this goes on for
months as digging such a long tunnel using simple tools is
really long and difficult as you can imagine. The actors
were terrific, cracking dialogues ...
This was a made for TV film in Germany, the running time is
2 hours 37 minutes but it actually seemed short, I thought
it was PURE FILMMAKING in any case, highly intriguing
material all the way through, hand held cameras, shaky
images, digging in the tunnel, flooding ...
In German with subtitles ... People were clapping and
cheering at the end, and I was TOO !! Unless there's a
miracle this one should be my #1 film for 2001.
5/5
=====
Marc ;-)
"You want the kid to die for your own personal reasons !"
Henry Fonda as "Juror #8" - "12 angry men" (1957)
__________________________________________________
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Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 13:32:44 -0800 (PST)
From: "Marc C. Desbiens" <marcdesbiens@yahoo.com>
Subject: [MV] NAKED GOLD GUY FINAL RESULTS / OSCAR PREDICTIONS
***** ;-)
- --- Matt Easterbrook wrote:
> Well, the votes are tallied and, I have to tell you,
> there were a few
> really great races in the Naked Gold Guy Awards this
> year. Moulin Rouge
> and Lord Of The Rings, to no surprise, were pretty much
> even in the
> final tally, with Baz Luhrmann's musical garnering 6 wins
> and Peter
> Jackson's epic notching up 5 victories. Here, then, is a
> run-down of
> each and every category, along with my predictions for
> who will ACTUALLY
> be nominated for Oscars:
>
> BEST PICTURE:
> MOULIN ROUGE ...
> -- ... but just barely. This was the closest category
> I've ever seen in
> the history of the Naked Gold Guy Awards. Moulin Rouge
> got 25% of the
> votes, followed by Memento, which had 24%, and Mulholland
> Drive, which
> 22% of you chose. The two odds-on-favorite to win best
> picture at this
> year's Oscars, A Beautiful Mind and Lord Of The Rings,
> got 13 and 16% of
> the votes respectively.
>
> Come Oscar time, I think it's fair to say ABM, LOTR and
> Moulin Rouge
> will get best picture nods, but I'm going out on a limb
> and saying the
> final two will be Black Hawk Down (which did very poorly
> in the Naked
> Gold Guys) and a fifth, more family-friendly, nominee
> (I'm thinking
> either Harry Potter or Shrek). Everybody loved them, and
> Shrek in
> particular has so many in-jokes that Hollywood types will
> probably love
> it to pieces. I certainly hope In The Bedroom and
> Gosford Park don't,
> as has been predicted, get anything here.
>
> BEST DIRECTOR (tie):
> Peter Jackson, THE LORD OF THE RINGS
> Baz Luhrmann, MOULIN ROUGE
> -- Jackson and Luhrmann each got 27% of the votes, with
> Lynch and Nolan
> close behind. Poor Steven Spielberg, whose career has
> been made on
> popularity contests like this one, got a lackluster 5% of
> votes.
> Replace Spielberg with Ron Howard and Lynch with Robert
> Altman (even
> though I didn't particularly care for his movie or his
> direction, he's
> like 725 years old so the Academy figures they'll have to
> honor him in
> some way), and you have your slate for best director come
> tomorrow.
>
> BEST ACTOR:
> Russell Crowe, A BEAUTIFUL MIND
> -- The Krazy Kiwi walked away with this one. Crowe
> wasn't even
> nominated for best actor in the Naked Gold Guys last
> year, but judging
> from the results here, that must have been a fluke. He
> got 35% of the
> popular vote, and his closest competitors, Ewan McGregor
> and John
> Cameron Mitchell, had half his total.
>
> Look for Crowe to clean up at the Oscars. His main
> competition there
> should be Denzel Washington, who surprisingly finished
> last here. The
> other three potential nominees will be Tom Wilkinson (the
> only good
> thing about In The Bedroom), Sean Penn (retards always
> get nominated),
> and Billy Bob Thornton in The Man Who Wasn't There. If
> Moulin Rouge --
> like I'm hoping it will -- sweeps up on the Oscar
> nominations, you might
> see Ewan McGregor replace somebody here (probably
> Thornton). And if
> Gene Hackman is nominated, there's no justice in this
> world.
>
> BEST ACTRESS:
> Nicole Kidman, MOULIN ROUGE
> -- Nicole's closest competition here was herself, as she
> got 57% of
> votes in this category (32% for Moulin Rouge, 25% for The
> Others).
> Needless to say, that isn't going to happen at the
> Oscars, as stupid
> Academy rules dictate that a person can only be nominated
> in a specific
> category once each year. I'd put my money on Nicole
> getting nominated
> for Moulin Rouge. Although Swinton and Watts deserve to
> be nominated,
> they are both considered long shots, so Nicole may be the
> only NGG
> nominee to make it to the Oscar ceremony.
>
> Sissy Spacek is definitely in (she's the front-runner to
> win), so that
> makes two. Other than that, it's up in the air. I've
> heard much about
> Judi Dench's performance in Iris, so she has to be
> considered up there.
> Halle Berry, Miss Hit-And-Run 2000, might score a
> nomination if Oscar
> can get over its prejudice towards black actresses (the
> last nominee in
> this category was Angela Bassett in 1993; before that,
> Whoopi Goldberg
> in 1985. Come to think of it, those were in 8-year
> intervals, so seeing
> as 2001 is next on the list, maybe you will see a sister
> in the seats
> come Oscar time). And look for the Academy to make
> amends to Renee
> Zellweger for skipping over her Nurse Betty performance
> last year (plus,
> Oscar loves Americans who do British accents).
>
> BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
> Ian McKellen, THE LORD OF THE RINGS
> -- McKellen pretty much took the bull by the horns here;
> his closest
> competitors, Seann William Scott and Jude Law, only got
> four more votes
> combined than the master thespian achieved by himself.
> No chance of
> Stifler getting a golden-statue-shower at this year's
> Oscars, though.
> McKellen is a sure bet, as is Broadbent (for a different
> film, Iris).
> It's also possible Christensen could be on the list for
> Life As A
> House. Look for Ben Kingsley (Sexy Beast) and Jon Voight
> -- the only
> white guy in a movie about a black guy (Ali) -- to fill
> out the slate
> (you know how Oscar works).
>
> BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
> Jennifer Connelly, A BEAUTIFUL MIND
> -- Connelly cleaned house here, and not just because her
> character was a
> stay-at-home mom. NGG voters clearly loved her
> performance in A
> Beautiful Mind. She scored more notches on her
> awards-post than Cate
> Blanchett, Carrie-Anne Moss and Frances O'Connor. She
> even had
> two-and-a-half times more votes than her closest
> competitor, Laura Elena
> Harring. Connelly is the only sure shot for Oscar
> consideration in this
> category. Blanchett definitely won't get a nod, Moss and
> O'Connor are
> highly doubtful, and Harring's -- while the best
> performance of the
> bunch -- is in a movie that's too esoteric for highbrow
> Academy tastes.
> What does that mean, you ask? Grab your dictionary and
> you'll find out
> it means the movie is too fucked up for anal-retentive
> snobs. And
> that's all I have to say about that.
>
> Who will get a nod here, then? Judging from recent
> awards shows, pretty
> much everybody in Gosford Park is up for consideration.
> Although Maggie
> Smith and Helen Mirren have been getting much of the
> sparkling reviews,
> I thought it was Kelly McDonald that held the piece
> together, but two
> things work against her: a) she's not ancient, decrepit
> and
> disintegrating rapidly like the other two, and b) she
> ain't British
> (she's Scottish). So, Smith and Mirren it is. That
> leaves two
> performances open. Marisa Tomei will probably get a nod
> (although I
> didn't much care for her work, let alone that damn In The
> Bedroom
> movie). And while everyone keeps going on about Kate
> Winslet in Iris --
> I haven't seen it but I'm a huge Winslet fan and would be
> happy if she
> was nominated -- don't be surprised to see her Iris
> castmate Judi Dench
> get recognition for a different film: The Shipping News.
>
> BEST SCREENPLAY
> Christopher Nolan, MEMENTO
> -- Nolan got twice as many votes as everybody else
> combined, and then
> some. Need I say more? As for the Oscars, he's a lock
> for a nomination
> for best adapted screenplay (other contenders include A
> Beautiful Mind,
> Lord Of The Rings, Bridget Jones' Diary, and Black Hawk
> Down). For
> original screenplay, I'm sure Gosford Park will get a
> nomination (even
> though it was improvised), along with The Man Who Wasn't
> There, The
> Others, and probably -- unfortunately -- The Royal
> Tenenbaums). People
> have mistakenly considered Memento an original screenplay
> contender, but
> it was based on a short story by Nolan's brother. As for
> Moulin Rouge,
> it could get a nomination -- if it's an original
> screenplay. I have a
> feeling that, since there has already been a film version
> of Moulin
> Rouge made, it may fall under adapted screenplay -- but
> I'm not quite
> sure about that one. Then there's the Mulholland Drive
> conundrum: it
> was originally a TV series pilot which was then turned
> into a motion
> picture -- so is it an original or adapted screenplay?
> Guess we'll find
> out tomorrow (then again, it's David Lynch, so we may
> not, either).
>
> BEST SCORE
> Craig Armstrong, MOULIN ROUGE
> -- To be honest, I was sort of shocked that Armstrong's
> score garnered
> so many votes (twice as much as its nearest competitors).
> Because,
> frankly, I remember practically nothing of Moulin Rouge's
> score -- its
> song, yes; its score, not really. I was expecting Howard
> Shore's epic
> scoring of LOTR to walk away with this one but whoops ...
> I was wrong
> there! Angelo Badalamenti's moody treatment for
> Mulholland Drive also
> got more votes than expected. But poor John Williams!!!
> His two
> nominated scores, for Harry Potter and AI, got five votes
> in total,
> combined. So much for being a legend!
>
> Nevertheless, it's safe to count Williams as being one of
> the nominees
> come Oscar-time (the Academy Awards could rename its
> "Best Musical
> Score" category the "John Williams Award For Scoring" and
> nobody would
> blink an eyelash). Probably for Harry Potter but then
> again, since
> Williams has been nominated for almost every single movie
> he's done with
> Spielberg, it could be AI as well. Shore is a definite
> lock, and
> Armstrong stands a strong chance of getting a nod as
> well. I could see
> James Horner getting a nod here for A Beautiful Mind, and
> don't be
> surprised if a fifth nominee comes out of left field
> (perhaps Gosford
> Park).
>
> BEST SONG
> "Wig In A Box," HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH. Performed by
> John Cameron
> Mitchell.
> -- Good job, guys!!! Although "Come What May" is from
> one of my
> favorite movies of the year, nothing in the category had
> me tapping my
> toes and singing along with the movie quite like "Wig In
> A Box." Hell,
> it even had the words up there on the screen for the
> audience to sing
> along!!! Unfortunately, the chances of it being
> nominated are
> practically nil. It's a song about being a drag queen,
> for Christ's
> sakes!!!
>
> Oscar prefers their best song choices safe and very Top
> 40. Meaning
> Enya and Faith Hill are sure locks for their theme songs
> from LOTR and
> Pearl Harbor, respectively. That leaves three spots
> open, one of which
> will not be "Come What May" (which was deemed ineligible
> because it was
> written originally for Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet five
> years ago). Look
> for the academy to recognize Paul McCartney for "Vanilla
> Sky" and Sting
> for "Until..." from Kate & Leopold. As for the fifth
> nominee, I'm gonna
> go with that Charlotte Church song from A Beautiful Mind.
> I have no
> idea if it's original or not, but ABM is an obvious Oscar
> favorite, and
> Charlotte Church is an opera singer whom everyone loves ,
> so ... there
> you go. Josie & The Pussycats? I don't think so. My
> personal choice
> would by Afroman's "Because I Got High" but like I said
> before, it's a
> little too out there for the hoity-toity academy.
>
> BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
> Andrew Lesnie, THE LORD OF THE RINGS
> -- This was pretty much down to the wire between Lesnie
> and Donald
> McAlpine of Moulin Rouge, with Roger Deakins' marvelous
> work for The Man
> Who Wasn't There a distant third. I think the category
> come Oscar time
> will be much the same as you guys chose, with maybe Black
> Hawk Down or
> The Others replacing Mulholland Drive.
>
> BEST ART DIRECTION
> Catherine Martin, MOULIN ROUGE
> -- Martin got 52% of the votes here; her only competitor
> was Grant Major
> from LOTR, and he was far behind. Look for both movies
> to be nominated
> in almost every single technical category come Tuesday
> morning. As for
> the other three nominations here, look for A Beautiful
> Mind, Gosford
> Park and The Others to show up here (with maybe AI
> replacing The
> Others).
>
> BEST COSTUME DESIGN
> Catherine Martin and Angus Strathie, MOULIN ROUGE
> -- Another showdown between Moulin Rouge and LOTR (the
> cast of which was
> clothed by Ngila Dickson), with Arianna Phillips of
> Hedwig & The Angry
> Inch coming in a rather close third. Those three are
> pretty much locks
> for costume design (although I didn't think the costumes
> in LOTR were
> all that special, to tell you the truth). Beavan's work
> in Gosford Park
> looks like a definite lock, and for the fifth and final
> slot, I'm
> thinking it'll either be Pearl Harbor or Harry Potter
> (with perhaps Kate
> & Leopold taking a surprise slot).
>
> BEST MAKEUP
> PLANET OF THE APES
> -- Gee, I wasn't expecting this (it's called sarcasm,
> people). POTA is
> the hands-down favorite to win this category this year
> (and, much like
> John Williams and the music awards, AMPAS should
> seriously consider
> naming the makeup category the "Rick Baker Award for
> Prestige in Makeup
> Design"). Its only competitor was LOTR, which seems
> likely to get a
> nomination. For the third and final slot (makeup,
> special effects and
> sound effects editing only get three choices each), I'm
> thinking it'll
> be Shallow Hal. Gotta give Gwyneth Paltrow something, ya
> know.
>
> BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
> LORD OF THE RINGS
> -- 69% of all votes cast resulted in a huge victory for
> LOTR's multiple
> effects. I gotta agree with you guys -- the special
> effects work here
> was wonderful. As for the other potential nominees, I'm
> thinking Pearl
> Harbor will get its token nod here, along with Harry
> Potter and the
> Philosopher's Stone.
>
> BEST SOUND EFFECTS EDITING
> LORD OF THE RINGS
> -- The film had a little bit of competition from Pearl
> Harbor and Moulin
> Rouge (its two likely competitors in this category come
> tomorrow morning
> -- that is, if Black Hawk Down doesn't reap all the
> technical awards),
> but ultimately prevailed, winning 38% of the popular vote
> (enough to get
> it into the presidency!!!).
>
> BEST SOUND
> MULHOLLAND DRIVE
> -- A bit of an upset, but then again, this was the most
> hotly-contested
> category of all. Mulholland had one more vote than its
> TWO runners-up,
> LOTR and Pearl Harbor; and it had two more votes than the
> fourth-place
> contestant, Moulin Rouge. And all the way down there at
> the bottom,
> with absolutely no votes cast in its favor, is AI. Come
> Oscar time, you
> can bet your bottom dollar Pearl Harbor, LOTR and Moulin
> Rouge will be
> there. There's a slight chance Mulholland Drive will get
> a nod here,
> but I'd expect it to go to something more familiar, like
> Harry Potter or
> Black Hawk Down. Come to think of it, that's five right
> there. I'll
> stop now. Moving on ...
>
> BEST EDITING
> Dody Dorn, MEMENTO
> -- Dorn's only competition here was Pietro Scalia for
> Black Hawk Down
> (oddly enough, the only category in which you guys
> nominated it). I
> would definitely expect these two in the final running,
> along with LOTR
> and Moulin Rouge of course (and for my fifth and final
> choice, I will
> nominate A Beautiful Mind).
>
> So, before we get onto the fun categories, let's recap a
> bit. Here is
> the way you guys voted:
>
> FILM WINS
> Moulin Rouge 6
> Lord Of The Rings 5
> A Beautiful Mind 2
> Memento 2
> Hedwig And The Angry Inch 1
> Planet Of The Apes 1
> Mulholland Drive 1
>
> And here are my predictions for Oscar nominations come
> tomorrow:
>
> FILM
> NOMINATIONS
> Lord Of The Rings 14
> Moulin Rouge 11
> A Beautiful Mind 9
> Gosford Park 7
> Black Hawk Down 6
> Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone 5
> In The Bedroom 3
> The Man Who Wasn't There 3
> Memento
> 3
> Pearl Harbor
> 3
>
> Now, on to the fun stuff ...
>
> BEST VILLAIN
> The Dark Horsemen, THE LORD OF THE RINGS
> -- The nine evil horsemen rode off with the award, with
> only Denzel
> Washington able to keep up for any length of time. My
> personal
> favorite, The Duke from Moulin Rouge (Richard Roxburgh),
> finished dead
> last. Whoops!
>
> BEST YOUNG PERFORMER
> Haley Joel Osment, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> -- Harry Potter got creamed in this category, only
> getting four points.
> He finished last to a jedi knight (Christensen), a midget
> (Wood), a dead
> person (Bentley), and a kid who sees dead people
> (Osment). No Muggles
> in sight, however. The winner, Osment, triumphed for the
> third year in
> a row. If he wins again next year I'll name this
> category after him,
> and you can choose the new name: either "The Haley Joel
> Osment Award
> for Juvenile Excellence in Acting," or "I See Dead
> Careers Five Years
> From Now."
>
> BEST ONSCREEN COUPLE
> Ewan McGregor & Nicole Kidman, MOULIN ROUGE
> -- No real surprise here. The two lovebirds' closest
> competitors for
> best onscreen couple were were an animated ogre and his
> literal beast of
> burden. Just goes to prove that to win this category,
> all you need is
> love, along with a great script, wonderful direction and
> marvelous
> production values. A 20-song medley atop a giant
> elephant doesn't hurt,
> either.
>
> BEST ANIMAL
> Teddy, AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
> -- But just bearly :o). I found it funny that the top
> two votegetters
> were actually not real animals at all but a robot and a
> cartoon. In
> fact, I was all set to make a comment about the winner
> kicking Donkey's
> ass in this category, but seeing as Eddie Murphy's
> wonderful animated
> creation finished second, just a couple of votes behind
> Teddy, that
> wouldn't really work in this case. At any rate, I'll
> just say it was a
> beary good year (hey, work with me here).
>
> BEST SCENE FROM A FILM
> The Mines Of Moria, LORD OF THE RINGS
> -- This was a really close call, as only nine votes
> separated the winner
> from the fifth place position (the cellar dweller was the
> Quidditch
> match from Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone, which
> garnered only
> 7% of the votes). The Mines of Moria got 22% of the
> votes, followed by
> Spectacular Spectacular from Moulin Rouge (which got 20%;
> although, to
> be fair, the two nominees from Luhrmann's film may have
> split each
> other's vote, as the Elephant Love Medley finished fifth
> with 15% of the
> votes). Third place went to the attack on Pearl Harbor
> (19%) and the
> botched murder scene from Mulholland Drive finished much
> stronger than I
> was expecting, with 17% of all votes cast.
>
> WORST MOVIE
> GLITTER
> -- Oh, come on now. Did y'all really see this film, or
> was the
> opportunity to hound Mariah Carey too irresistible?
> Whatever the case,
> 47% of you thought Glitter was a piece of Shitter --
> almost twice as
> much as the second-biggest turd in the ocean, Vanilla
> Sky. And with
> that in mind,
>
> WORST PERFORMANCE
> Mariah Carey, GLITTER
> -- the race here was a little bit closer than the
> previous category.
> Carey still won out -- or should I say, lost out -- in
> the end, but she
> was given a run for her money by the horribly over-rated
> media sensation
> Penelope Cruz, whose performance in Vanilla Sky was
> pretty much on Cruz
> control. Just for the record, my man FPJ (Freddie Prinze
> Jr) got 14% of
> the voting. Look for him in this category next year for
> Scooby-Doo.
>
>
>
> And that pretty much wraps everything up. Now you can
> all wake up and
> shrug off the coma this long diatribe induced. Stay
> tuned in a few
> weeks for my Oscar prediction column, in which I make
> four separate
> predictions for each category: who I want to win, who
> will win, who
> should win, and who was screwed over in the voting
> process.
>
> Matt Easterbrook
> matte@istar.ca
>
=====
Marc ;-)
"You want the kid to die for your own personal reasons !"
Henry Fonda as "Juror #8" - "12 angry men" (1957)
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