From: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com (movies-digest) To: movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: movies-digest V2 #91 Reply-To: movies-digest Sender: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk movies-digest Wednesday, September 16 1998 Volume 02 : Number 091 [MV]screenplay of Gone with the Wind Re: [MV] 'Pretty Woman',a lovely movie [MV] Rounders review RE: [MV] 'Pretty Woman',a lovely movie Re: [MV] Private Ryan/Platoon [MV] pretty woman tangent Re: [MV] Re:Pvt Ryan Re: [MV] Re:Pvt Ryan +Ultimate sacrifices.... Re: [MV] Re:Pvt Ryan +Ultimate sacrifices.... -Reply RE: [MV] +Ultimate sacrifices.... -Reply [MV] One True Thing, * * * (out of 4) Re: [MV] Re:Pvt Ryan +Ultimate sacrifices.... -Reply [MV] Movie News - 09/16/98 Re: [MV] Private Ryan/Platoon RE: [MV] Re:Pvt Ryan +Ultimate sacrifices.... -Reply [MV] REVIEW: ONE TRUE THING ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Sep 1996 12:40:04 +0800 From: "Yusheng" Subject: [MV]screenplay of Gone with the Wind Hello,could any one be so kind as to tell me where I can find the script of 'Gone with the wind'? [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Sep 1996 22:18:52 +0800 From: "Yusheng" Subject: Re: [MV] 'Pretty Woman',a lovely movie Hi,James That's an interesting question.I don't think the movie has glamoured the life of a whore,who can't afford her rent,who has to go to the street to flirt with the strangers,and get so overjoyed for just +ACQ-3000.Sure enough that the writer of the play gave his compassion to those prostitutes who live the most miserable life. That remind me of Chaplin,whose comedy make u laugh with tears in your eyes+ACE- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 14:59:52 -0700 From: Jason Cormier Subject: [MV] Rounders review I love card game movies. A lot of it has been pretty predictable ("A royal flush beats your four of a kind") but this one has a lot of grit to it. Matt Damon stars as a poker player who has quit the game but is forced back into it when his best friend is released from prison. Matt's character goes through some inner conflict in which he has to choose to continue his law schooling or to follow his real desires and play the game. This movie puts a different spin on Poker - which was always thought of as the stereotypical example of gambling. Instead this movie explains that poker is not about luck - but about how you read people and it is in these scenes that the movie has some oomph. Damon does a fine job as does Ed Norton (who's building quite the portfolio for himself-Primal Fear, Larry Flynt, Everyone Says I Love You)...and the supporting characters are great to watch - from Turturro to Malkovich to Landau. I give Rounders an 80% because it was good entertainment but maybe could have been tighter and they could have gotten to some conflicts sooner. If you like this move then make sure you check out the director's other flicks - Last Seduction and Red Rock West to name a couple. Jay the Movieman movieman@netcom.ca [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 08:26:55 -0600 From: jkrudy Subject: RE: [MV] 'Pretty Woman',a lovely movie As I said, I don't give much weight to the debate, I was just curious about everybody's views on it. JAMES K. RUDY - -----Original Message----- From: Yusheng [SMTP:gouys@public.hr.hl.cn] Sent: Monday, September 16, 1996 8:19 AM To: movies@lists.xmission.com Subject: Re: [MV] 'Pretty Woman',a lovely movie Hi,James That's an interesting question.I don't think the movie has glamoured the life of a whore,who can't afford her rent,who has to go to the street to flirt with the strangers,and get so overjoyed for just $3000.Sure enough that the writer of the play gave his compassion to those prostitutes who live the most miserable life. That remind me of Chaplin,whose comedy make u laugh with tears in your eyes! [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 22:53:53 +0800 From: "Yusheng" Subject: Re: [MV] Private Ryan/Platoon Yes,the war is so cruel. Recently,on the TV,we saw the ture life of woman,who is the wife of a hero died for the country in the anti-Japanese war.I have known the hero from a movie since my childhood.The woman witnessed her husband being put into a gunny-bag and stabbed to death with bayonets by those cruel Japanese soldiers.Since that day,the woman became out of mind,for over 50 years, she has been living in dreams,dreaming that her husband is still alive,and kept murmuring his name. Yes, the war is cruel. But did we have any other options? Just get down on our knees to be slaves of the Japs? Or Just let Hitler to control this world? The war is cruel,and that makes those heroes even greater. >Nobody has mentioned it, but I thought Platoon also made >war look real bad, >as oppossed to all the romantic World War Films of it's predecessors. It is really a day in the life of a young kid with all these thoughts and dreams about war, and see's the realities first hand. Any comment's? (I await the onslought) Thanks & Regards, **************************************************************************** ** **************************************************************************** ** Anto Byrne Net:abyrne@ie.oracle.com Oracle E.M.E.A. Fulfillment Dept. Unit 14 Phone:8031461 Airways Industrial Estate Fax:8031541 Cloghran email:abyrne Dublin 17. Ireland **************************************************************************** ** [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 00:05:47 +0900 From: Honwa Chau Subject: [MV] pretty woman tangent I just saw "My Best Friend's Wedding" and I really enjoyed it. I've never been a fan of Julia Roberts but she does a great job in this film. She does some rotten things but I was still sympathetic to her cause. I really liked Cameron Diaz, especially in the karaoke bar scene, and Rupert Everett was fantastic. He and Roberts had terrific chemistry. However, Dermot Mulroney was bland. I wish someone with a livelier style had played his role - maybe Tim Robbins? But all the singing was fun, most of it not jazzed up but acapella. itchy [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 09:22:09 -0700 From: Bruce Bridges Subject: Re: [MV] Re:Pvt Ryan My only problem with English Patient is that I've just about seen enough stories concerning great loves in which adultery is involved. I don't know about you guys but my corner bar has plenty of forbidden loves develop but few of them are in the least bit romantic.I would like to see a movie for once in which the characters struggle with their attraction but make the ultimate sacrifice and do not consumate their relationship (and cheat) because of their greater commitment to family etc. Wouldn't that be a twist? Concerning Pretty Woman, I live literally 1 block from the main prostitute strip in LA and believe me there isn't a Julia Roberts in the bunch. I did enjoy the movie a lot but it was fantasy although I can't imagine anybody taking that as encouragement that they should go stand on the corner. My response to Private Ryan is a SPOILER... > > I think that the subplot involving the German prisoner was a demonstration of the struggle to maintain one's humanity in such madness. Even though Hanks character suffered because of this decision, he lived up to a very high standard he had set for himself and thus could die with a clear conscience. Sometimes doing the right thing does not necessarily mean you will prosper and that is why it is noble to take such a stand. Also Spielberg was looking for the ultimate irony so it was something of a gimmick. bye, bb [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 18:20:16 +0100 From: "Gerald Taylor" Subject: Re: [MV] Re:Pvt Ryan +Ultimate sacrifices.... This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - ------=_NextPart_000_003A_01BDE19E.A7923060 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Are you having me on? Most films have the guilty partner returning home = with their tails between their legs, feeling guilty and ashamed for the = wrong they have done......ok they usually consumate their adultrous = passion but I would rather see a film in which the character ditches his = family to find his/her own happiness......now that would be different = and also more realistic!! Incidentally a film that would meet your = expectations is "Breif encounter". =20 In response to your critique of my semi-spoiler----- =20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Remember that the german soldier shows no pity when he realises who = he has been shooting at.......and that the soldier who originally spared = his life, when confronted with the same situation, kills = him!....Speilberg seems to be demonising german soldiers throughout the = film and in my opinion a more believable and realistic scene is the one = in which the german soldier passes the cowardly U.S soldier on the = stairs after killing his (the american's ) comrade. >My only problem with English Patient is that I've just about seen >enough stories concerning great loves in which adultery is involved.=20 >I don't know about you guys but my corner bar has plenty of forbidden >loves develop but few of them are in the least bit romantic.I would >like to see a movie for once in which the characters struggle with >their attraction but make the ultimate sacrifice and do not consumate >their relationship (and cheat) because of their greater commitment to >family etc. Wouldn't that be a twist? =20 > >Concerning Pretty Woman, I live literally 1 block from the main >prostitute strip in LA and believe me there isn't a Julia Roberts in >the bunch. I did enjoy the movie a lot but it was fantasy although I >can't imagine anybody taking that as encouragement that they should go >stand on the corner. > >My response to Private Ryan is a SPOILER... >> >> > >I think that the subplot involving the German prisoner was a >demonstration of the struggle to maintain one's humanity in such >madness. Even though Hanks character suffered because of this >decision, he lived up to a very high standard he had set for himself >and thus could die with a clear conscience. Sometimes doing the >right thing does not necessarily mean you will prosper and that is >why it is noble to take such a stand. =20 >Also Spielberg was looking for the ultimate irony so it was something >of a gimmick. =20 > >bye, >bb > >[ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] >[ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] >=20 - ------=_NextPart_000_003A_01BDE19E.A7923060 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
Are you having me = on?  Most films=20 have the guilty partner returning home with their tails between their = legs,=20 feeling guilty and ashamed for the wrong they have done......ok they = usually=20 consumate their adultrous passion but I would rather see a film in which = the=20 character ditches his family to find his/her own happiness......now that = would=20 be different and also more realistic!!  Incidentally a film that = would meet=20 your expectations is "Breif encounter".
 
In response to your = critique of my=20 semi-spoiler-----
 
@
@
@
@
@
@
@
@
@  Remember=20 that the german soldier shows no pity when he realises who he has been = shooting=20 at.......and that the soldier who originally spared his life, when = confronted=20 with the same situation, kills him!....Speilberg seems to be demonising = german=20 soldiers throughout the film and in my opinion a more believable and = realistic=20 scene is the one in which the german soldier passes the cowardly U.S = soldier on=20 the stairs after killing his (the american's )=20 comrade.

>My only problem with English = Patient is=20 that I've just about seen
>enough stories concerning great loves = in which=20 adultery is involved.
>I don't know about you guys but my corner = bar has=20 plenty of forbidden
>loves develop but few of them are in the = least bit=20 romantic.I would
>like to see a movie for once in which the = characters=20 struggle with
>their attraction but make the ultimate sacrifice = and do not=20 consumate
>their relationship (and cheat) because of their greater = commitment to
>family etc.   Wouldn't that be a = twist? =20
>
>Concerning Pretty Woman, I live literally 1 block from = the=20 main
>prostitute strip in LA and believe me there isn't a Julia = Roberts=20 in
>the bunch.  I did enjoy the movie a lot but it was = fantasy=20 although I
>can't imagine anybody taking that as encouragement = that they=20 should go
>stand on the corner.
>
>My response to = Private Ryan=20 is a SPOILER...
>>
>>
>
>I think that the = subplot=20 involving the German prisoner was a
>demonstration of the struggle = to=20 maintain one's humanity in such
>madness.  Even though Hanks=20 character suffered because of this
>decision, he lived up to a = very high=20 standard he had set for himself
>and thus could die with a clear=20 conscience.  Sometimes doing the
>right thing does not = necessarily=20 mean you will prosper and that is
>why it is noble to take such a=20 stand. 
>Also Spielberg was looking for the ultimate irony = so it was=20 something
>of a gimmick. =20
>
>bye,
>bb
>
>[ To leave the movies = mailing=20 list, send the message "unsubscribe ]
>[ movies (without the = quotes)=20 to majordomo@xmission.com &n= bsp;        =20 ]
> - ------=_NextPart_000_003A_01BDE19E.A7923060-- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 10:45:17 -0700 From: Bruce Bridges Subject: Re: [MV] Re:Pvt Ryan +Ultimate sacrifices.... -Reply Concerning romantic films, we'll just have to agree to disagree on how we want to see our romantic heroes behave. I think that since the film is told from the perspective of an american soldier that the german's would naturally come off badly. How could the american soldiers see them any other way? I'm sure it was the same from the other side as well. As far as the scene in the staircase, I didn't buy that for a second. I think he would have killed him immediately. I probably would have. bb [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 10:39:25 -0700 From: "Romero, Leticia" Subject: RE: [MV] +Ultimate sacrifices.... -Reply > As far as the scene in the staircase, I didn't buy that for a second. > I think he would have killed him immediately. I probably would have. > >>god forbid you should ever find out.... > > bb > > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] > [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 11:58:13 -0600 From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" Subject: [MV] One True Thing, * * * (out of 4) Stars: Meryl Streep, Ren=E9e Zellweger, William Hurt, Tom Everett Scott,= =20 Lauren Graham, Nicky Katt, James Eckhouse. Written by Karen Croner. =20 Directed by Carl Franklin. Rated R for language. Kate Gulden (Meryl Streep), vivacious mother of two adult children=20 and wife of literature professor George Gulden (William Hurt), has just b= een=20 diagnosed with cancer. George conscripts daughter Ellen (Ren=E9e Zellweg= er)=20 to take care of her mother because his duties at the university won=92t a= llow=20 him enough time to do so himself. This doesn=92t sit well with Ellen, wh= ose=20 ambitious writing career must be put on the backburner for the length of = her=20 service. Although Kate is worried that this circumstance will eventually= =20 cause her daughter to resent her, Ellen insists on following through with= this commitment. Although quietly resentful of Kate=92s homebody persona, Ellen slowl= y=20 comes to appreciate her mother in a way that had eluded her throughout=20 childhood. She also comes to see her father in a more realistic, less=20 idealized, way than she had before. The growth she experiences as a huma= n=20 being follows directly with her mom=92s deteriorating condition. Finding= a=20 new respect for her mother and the life she led, Ellen finds herself=20 contemplating euthanasia when Kate=92s pain reaches unbearable pain and h= er=20 love for life is extinguished. All of this sets the stage for the interv= iew with=20 a district attorney over her mother=92s death, which serves as the movie=92= s=20 framework narrative. Between this film and "Jerry Maguire", Ren=E9e Zellweger is quickly=20 establishing herself as one of this generation=92s premiere dramatic actr= esses. =20 Although Meryl Streep gives another in her continuous line of flawless=20 performances, "One True Thing" is really a showcase for Zellweger, whose=20 onscreen transformation from self-absorbed workaholic to patient caregive= r=20 is wholly believable. As profoundly moving as the film is, though, its=20 unrelenting crusade to jerk tears from one=92s eyes is ultimately exhaust= ing. I=20 wonder if George Gulden=92s mantra in the film, "less is more", couldn=92= t have=20 been taken into consideration by the filmmakers themselves. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Sep 98 13:05:31 PDT From: Wade Snider Subject: Re: [MV] Re:Pvt Ryan +Ultimate sacrifices.... -Reply In discussing the romantic nature of The English Patient, look at one of the premier romatic love stories, especially of WWII set films, Casablanca, of which English Patient is heavily resonant. There you have Bogart and Bergman who likely felt the same kind of temptation as the two in English patient, BUT they chose to make what was the right and honorable decision in staying separate, right not only for the commited relationship of bergman's character but for the cause of the Allies in WWII, in both ways unlike what happened in English Patient. There, two people succumbed to their lusts and they both paid harsh prices for it, as well as others. Casablanca is about honor and responsibility, and sacrificing personal happiness and not betraying the just cause for your own pleasure - the ultimate respect for true love and honor... whereas in English Patient (which has beautiful cinematography and direction by the way) two people sacrifice all and put many people's lives in danger for their own lusts and gratification. >--- On Wed, 16 Sep 1998 10:45:17 -0700 Bruce Bridges wrote: >Concerning romantic films, we'll just have to agree to disagree on how >we want to see our romantic heroes behave. - -------------------------------------------------------- W. Snider Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards. - -Kierkegaard - -------------------------------------------------------- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 12:21:11 -0600 (MDT) From: The Reporter Subject: [MV] Movie News - 09/16/98 "Rounders," in which Matt Damon and Edward Norton play big-stakes poker players, took in $8.8 million in its opening weekend and knocked "There's Something About Mary" off the top of the box-office chart. "Blade" fell to third place. The only other new entry in the top 10 was "Simon Birch," a bittersweet tale based loosely on the John Irving novel "A Prayer for Owen Meany." It opened in fifth with $3.3 million in ticket sales but played at just 596 theaters, while the others in the top five each played in more than 2,000. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 19:45:03 cet From: "greuel" Subject: Re: [MV] Private Ryan/Platoon > Yes, the war is cruel. But did we have any other options? Just get down on > our knees to be slaves of the Japs? Or Just let Hitler to control this > world? The war is cruel,and that makes those heroes even greater. Well, I think the term "hero" is the real problem. Most anti war films desperately try to avoid conveying images of heroes - or they mock them. In Dr. Strangelove it's the selfless redneck hero who destroys the whole world with his efforts. What anti war movies try to get across that being a soldier is a dirty job and they are ambiguous whether they are necessities. I think in Platoon the question whether the war is justified or not is never really asked and there are no heroes either - neither in Full Metall Jacket or Hamburger Hill. The term hero is a dangerous one, as there are only victims. There is nothing to win and there are no winners. It doesn't matter whether the actual soldiers fought in Germany or Vietnam- whether the war was won or lost - they are still haunted by the same nightmares. Some people have stated that war is hell. Sheen says in Platoon that hell is the lack of reason. A good statement, and if you agree to it, you'd have to ask yourself whether something as irrational and incomprehensible as war can be portrayed in realistic pictures. You could wonder then whether a realistic war movie, like Saving Private Ryan supposedly is, can really portray war and the essence of it. Sure you can document war, but what about the nightmares or the soldiers long after their experiences or the pain felt? Many of the better films try to go beyond reality (Platoon, Apokalypse Now, Deer Hunters, Full Metall Jacket). I think this is the only way to try to capture war, and that statement that came across not quite as witty as it was conceived probably goes into the same direction of a lack of imagery in SPR to capture the viewer and grab them. I haven't seen it, but the pre-released reviews here in Germany suggest that Ryan is lacking a bit on substance and that it restricts itself to documenting. thomas - --- http://greuel.notrix.de/ - abomiNation "One must still have chaos in one to give birth to a dancing star" Friedrich Nietzsche [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 12:58:53 -0600 From: jkrudy Subject: RE: [MV] Re:Pvt Ryan +Ultimate sacrifices.... -Reply We would all like to think that we wouldn't freeze up and be the coward, but the fact remains that nobody knows how they would react in that situation. The meanest toughest truck driving, beer drinking construction worker might just sit in his foxhole and cry when the shelling hits, but the skinny nerdy mathematician might turn into a regular Rambo. Honestly how would anybody know? And before I get flak about the stereotypes above, I was only using them to make a graphic point. My apologies in advance if I've offended anybody by using them. JAMES K. RUDY - -----Original Message----- From: Bruce Bridges [SMTP:Bruce@SABAN.COM] Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 1998 11:45 AM To: movies@lists.xmission.com Subject: Re: [MV] Re:Pvt Ryan +Ultimate sacrifices.... -Reply Concerning romantic films, we'll just have to agree to disagree on how we want to see our romantic heroes behave. I think that since the film is told from the perspective of an american soldier that the german's would naturally come off badly. How could the american soldiers see them any other way? I'm sure it was the same from the other side as well. As far as the scene in the staircase, I didn't buy that for a second. I think he would have killed him immediately. I probably would have. bb [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 15:09:47 -0600 (MDT) From: Scott Renshaw Subject: [MV] REVIEW: ONE TRUE THING ONE TRUE THING (Universal) Starring: Meryl Streep, Renee Zellweger, William Hurt. Screenplay: Karen Croner, based on the novel by Anna Quindlen. Producers: Harry Ufland and Jesse Burton. Director: Carl Franklin. MPAA Rating: R (profanity, adult themes) Running Time: 121 minutes. Reviewed by Scott Renshaw. [Note: Some of the content in this review may be considered spoilers] Director Carl Franklin (DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS) and screenwriter Karen Croner take a calculated risk in setting up the story for ONE TRUE THING. The framing sequence, introduced in the first few minutes, finds Ellen Gulden (Renee Zellweger) in a district attorney's office, answering questions about the death of her mother Kate (Meryl Streep). The narrative then proceeds through flashback, introducing Ellen as a career-minded journalist summoned home by her stern academic father George (William Hurt) to care for Kate after she is diagnosed with cancer. The risk, of course, is that knowing the outcome way ahead of time might somehow reduce its emotional impact. How effective can a tear-jerker be if you're waiting for them to be jerked? ONE TRUE THING deftly sidesteps that problem -- at least for half its running time -- by being nothing at all like a conventional tear-jerker. At its core, it tells a story of one of adulthood's most daunting tasks: coming to terms with the humanity of one's parents. It is clear from the start that Ellen is George's daughter -- she has followed in his footsteps as a writer, craves his approval, and emulates his disciplined, intellectual approach to life. Kate, on the other hand, is a slightly embarrassing enigma to her. Ellen sees Kate's delight at being a life-long mother and home-maker as simple-mindedness; she sees Kate's sunny optimism as obliviousness. Spending time with both parents forces Ellen to recognize George's hidden weaknesses, Kate's hidden strength, and the value understanding both parents can have for her growth. As long as the focus remains on those three characters and their relationships, ONE TRUE THING is solid film-making. Meryl Streep delivers yet another winning performance, finding the warmth and compassion in Kate without ever turning her into a cartoon. The small mannerisms in her attempts to connect with Ellen -- an almost imperceptible rejected touch, hidden disappointment at her daughter's dismissals of her -- are the stuff great screen acting is made of. Zellweger is nearly as good both in awe of her father and in contempt of her mother, while Hurt makes good use of the remoteness which has hindered his performances inother films. The Guldens are a thoroughly recognizable modern family, their interactions real enough to evoke emotion and sympathy without resorting to sobs or recriminations. There's something particularly wrenching about watching people who love each other trying to like each other. Alas, the plot device which brought Ellen back home soon rears its head and pulls ONE TRUE THING in the wrong direction. It's not that the cancer storyline is mawkish or overly manipulative. Indeed, Franklin's direction and Streep's performance avoid most of the traps which can turn such stories into melodrama. Kate's battle with cancer simply occupies too much screen time, time which had been so well-spent on Kate, George and Ellen battling with each other. Once the Big C starts taking over the proceedings, the nuances of character which had made ONE TRUE THING such compelling viewing begin to lose their force. Conversations become confrontations; the words sound progressively more scripted and less genuine. A tighter, leaner screenplay might have been able to keep Ellen's journey of discover squarely at the center of ONE TRUE THING. Unfortunately, screenwriter Karen Croner handles sub-plots like Ellen's unstable relationship with her boyfriend (Nicky Katt) and her pursuit of an interview with a scandal-ridden Senator (David Byron) with find-the-metaphor urgency. There's only one true thing which makes ONE TRUE THING glow with realism, and that's the struggle of parents and their adult children to deal with each other as adults, as equals, as fellow human beings. That's the reason it was so wise to remove the live-or-die suspense from a story that's not about who will live or die. That's also the reason it was so disappointing to watch the film linger on a foregone conclusion. On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 parental guidances: 6. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit Scott Renshaw's MoviePage http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/ *** Subscribe to receive new reviews directly by email! See the MoviePage for details, or reply to this message with subject line "Subscribe". - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ End of movies-digest V2 #91 *************************** [ To quit the movies-digest mailing list (big mistake), send the message ] [ "unsubscribe movies-digest" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]