From: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com (movies-digest) To: movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: movies-digest V2 #109 Reply-To: movies-digest Sender: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk movies-digest Thursday, October 8 1998 Volume 02 : Number 109 [MV] Flesh Gordon RE: [MV] Flesh Gordon [MV] Movie News - 10/06/98 [MV] Sci-Fi Movie News - 10/06/98 [MV] What Dreams May Come, * 1/2 (out of 4) [MV] Movie News - 10/07/98 [MV] Mercury Rising [MV] is it possible RE: [MV] is it possible Re: [MV] Mercury Rising RE: [MV] Mercury Rising Also Wild Things, and a comment on the Ra ting system. RE: [MV] Mercury Rising Also Wild Things, and a comment on the Ra ting system. [MV] The Movie Report#161, 10/8/98 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 07 Oct 1998 00:07:18 +0900 From: Honwa Chau Subject: [MV] Flesh Gordon Did "Flesh Gordon 2" feature a scene where Flesh had to have sex with a chicken in order to supply power to a spaceship? It took a genius to write a scenario like that. itchy [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 09:30:34 -0600 From: jkrudy Subject: RE: [MV] Flesh Gordon Yes, it was the drive that was powered by the harnessed energy of sex. "One day people will be able to screw their way across the galaxy." Do you remember what Flesh says after doing that deed? He's spitting feathers out of his mouth as he says, "That wasn't that bad." Pure Genius, JKRUDY - -----Original Message----- From: Honwa Chau [SMTP:nihonitchy@ibm.net] Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 1998 9:07 AM To: movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: [MV] Flesh Gordon Did "Flesh Gordon 2" feature a scene where Flesh had to have sex with a chicken in order to supply power to a spaceship? It took a genius to write a scenario like that. itchy [ 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: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 11:29:11 -0600 (MDT) From: The Reporter Subject: [MV] Movie News - 10/06/98 HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - DreamWorks' "Antz" marched off with an impressive $16.8 million opening, leading a surprisingly robust October box office weekend to a nearly $90 million finish. Also exceeding expectations was Polygram Films' costly Robin Williams-starrer "What Dreams May Come," which landed in second place with a studio-estimated $16.1 million. The two newcomers nudged New Line's action comedy hit "Rush Hour" into third place after two consecutive weeks at No. 1. Off just 29% to $15 million, the picture has kicked up $84.6 million to-date. -=> * <=- HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Ben Stiller, who appeared in three movies this summer, has been hired to star in "Mystery Men," an offbeat comedy about loser superheroes. The Universal project begins production Oct. 21 in Los Angeles, with commercials director Kinka Usher helming from an adaptation of Bob Burden's comic book. Stiller will play Mr. Furious, the angriest and craziest of a band of self-proclaimed superheroes. Fueled by a rage that stems from his parents' neglect, Furious and his not-so-super mates, Blue Raja (Hank Azaria) and the Shoveler, band to fight their archenemy, Casanova Frankenstein, played by Geoffrey Rush. -=> * <=- * DIED: British actor Marius Goring, best known as Moira Shearer's love interest in the 1948 dance film "The Red Shoes," Sept. 30, at his home in West Sussex, England, of cancer. He was 86. [<=- Life is just one crushing defeat after another until you just wish Flanders was dead -=>] [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 17:05:35 -0600 (MDT) From: The Reporter Subject: [MV] Sci-Fi Movie News - 10/06/98 The first Star Wars prequel finally has a name: Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace. The title was announced September 25 on the official Star Wars Web site. As previously announced, the film will open in North America on May 21, 1999. -=> * <=- Dimension Films and Edward Pressman Film Corp. are teaming up for The Crow: Salvation, the third installment in the popular Crow movie franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Bharat Nalluri (Killing Time and Down Time) will direct the movie from a screenplay written by Millennium scribe Chip Johannessen, based on a story developed by Matt Greenberg. The film will focus on a 20-year-old man who is sentenced to death for a crime he didn't commit. The man returns to life as a supernatural hero called the Crow in order to seek vengeance on those who wronged him. Salvation replaces the now-defunct film The Crow 2037, which was to have been written and directed by White Zombie lead singer Rob Zombie. Salvation is expected to begin shooting in February for a late 1999 release. -=> * <=- The on-again off-again Warner Bros. film Superman Lives is on once again, at least according to a report by Variety columnist Michael Fleming. Fleming says the movie, which was canceled due to an escalating budget and script woes, has been revived thanks to a new screenplay by Dan Gilroy. Gilroy has apparently managed to keep the budget of Superman Lives down while playing up the characters, something that has given both Warner executives and would-be Superman Nicolas Cage new faith in the project. Fleming reports that Cage is eager to appear in the film, but there's no word if Tim Burton is still interested in directing. -=> * <=- Gore Verbinski, the former commercial director who helmed the DreamWorks flick Mouse Hunt, will reportedly be going behind the cameras for Disney's upcoming big-budget SF film Mission to Mars. The movie is based on an idea by writer David Goyer and producer Tom Jacobson. Mission focuses on two manned flights to Mars, the first a research and exploration voyage where something goes drastically wrong. The second is a rescue mission sent to pick up the survivors of the first and determine what went wrong. -=> * <=- The Mask of Zorro co-star Catherine Zeta-Jones is in talks with DreamWorks to appear in the upcoming supernatural thriller The Haunting of Hill House, according to Variety. Zeta-Jones would play the role of Theo in the film, which is based on the Shirley Jackson novel of the same name. Liam Neeson and Lili Taylor are also attached to star in Hill House, which focuses on a research team sent to investigate whether ghosts inhabit a supposedly haunted house. The film is being directed by Jan De Bont and is tentatively scheduled for a Christmas 1999 release. Jackson's Hill House novel was also the basis for the 1963 movie The Haunting, directed by Robert Wise. -=> * <=- Rod Steiger, who earned both an Oscar and a Golden Globe award for acting, is in talks to star opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in the supernatural movie End of Days, according to Variety. The film was scripted by Andrew Marlowe (Air Force One) and takes place around the turn of the millennium, when Satan pays a visit to New York. End of Days will mark the feature film directorial debut for Marcus Nispel, who previously made a name for himself in the music video industry. SF fans may remember Steiger from his appearance in Mars Attacks! as General Decker. -=> * <=- The DreamWorks/Paramount film Deep Impact picked up $5.1 million dollars in China during the last month, pushing its overseas gross over the $200 million mark, according to Variety. The comet-strikes-Earth flick was especially popular with Japanese audiences, earning $44.6 million during its stay in the Land of the Rising Sun. Deep Impact also performed well in Germany, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Australia, Spain, and Italy, although it apparently didn't strike the fancy of French moviegoers. As previously reported, the film earned a sizable $140 million during its North American run. -=> * <=- Universal Pictures is moving ahead with plans to create a computer animated feature film that picks up where the 1931 movie Frankenstein--starring Boris Karloff--left off, according to published reports. George Lucas' special ffects company Industrial Light and Magic will handle the CGI work for the film, which is scheduled for a summer 2000 release. According to The Hollywood Reporter, ILM visual effects supervisor Dave Carson and writer Brent Maddock will direct the picture from a screenplay written by Maddock and S.S. Wilson. The film reportedly focuses on Dr. Pretorious, an eccentric scientist searching for the electrodes that were implanted in the neck of Frankenstein's monster some 40 years ago. -=> * <=- Wolfmill Entertainment, creator of the successful new animated series Pocket Dragon Adventures, has acquired the media rights to Warp Graphics' long-running comic book series Elfquest. Wolfmill co-founder Craig Miller said his company plans to produce both an animated feature film and an animated TV series based on the comic, in a joint venture with Elfquest creators Richard and Wendy Pini. The Pinis, a husband and wife team, published the first Elfquest comic book 20 years ago and are still producing new issues today. The series focuses on a group of warrior elves called The Wolfriders--small in stature but huge in courage--who face a variety of dangers as they attempt to fulfill their quest of finding other tribes like their own and discovering the secret of their past. -=> * <=- Hudson Leick, best known to SF fans for her role as Callisto on Xena: Warrior Princess, has joined the semi-science-fictional movie Chill Factor, according to Variety. The film stars Skeet Ulrich and Cuba Gooding Jr. as two men who must keep a deadly substance chilled below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Hugh Johnson is directing Chill based on a script by Mike Cheda and Drew Gitlin. Peter Firth and David Paymer have also agreed to appear in the movie. Both Firth and Paymer can be seen in Disney's upcoming feature Mighty Joe Young. -=> * <=- Universal and Imagine Films are reportedly interested in hiring the writing duo of Peter Seaman and Jeffrey Price to script the live-action feature film of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Seamen and Price have previously written scripts for films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and the upcoming The Wild, Wild the West. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1998 12:10:57 -0600 (MDT) From: "Gregory A. Swarthout" Subject: [MV] What Dreams May Come, * 1/2 (out of 4) Review by Gregory A. Swarthout Stars: Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr., Annabella Sciorra, Max von Sydow. Written by Ronald Bass. Directed by Vincent Ward. Rated PG-13 for thematic elements involving death, some disturbing images and language. Chris Nielsen (Robin Williams) dies in an auto accident and, after roaming the earth for a few days, wakes up in heaven. His vision of heaven, a favorite painting by his artist wife Annie (Annabella Sciorra), becomes reality for him. Soon a guide named Albert (Cuba Gooding Jr.) shows up to help Chris understand what heaven offers and how he can use his world- creating powers. Annie, having lost her children to another auto accident four years earlier, becomes inconsolable at the loss of her husband and so commits suicide. Since she took her own life, she is sent to hell, leaving Chris without a chance to be with her eternally. But because they are soul mates, Chris braves a visit to the nether regions in order to see his beloved one last time. "What Dreams May Come" is a near-perfect example of style over substance. The film features astounding, creative visuals, but lacks the emotion one would expect from a romantic drama. That it is slow and dull is just its most obvious problem. The filmmakers have turned heaven into a colorful but dreary place where souls interact with odd detachment, if they choose to interact at all. Hell is actually presented better, putting to good use the despair that seems to permeate both realms. Told mainly in intrusive flashbacks, "What Dreams May Come" is more tiring than inspiring. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1998 13:52:33 -0600 (MDT) From: The Reporter Subject: [MV] Movie News - 10/07/98 HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - When the dust cleared Monday, "Antz" was still the king (or queen) of the weekend anthill - and by an even wider margin than originally projected. The DreamWorks computer-animated insect picture grossed a hefty $17.2 million, $400,000 more than the studio's Sunday estimate. It easily clinched the record for an October opening, besting the $16.6 million debut of "Stargate" in 1994. Meanwhile, Polygram revised its figure downward for No. 2 opener "What Dreams May Come" by $300,000 to $15.8 million. -=> * <=- NEW YORK (Variety) - "The Impostors" stole the top slot on the weekend's exclusives roster of limited release movies playing in New York and Los Angeles. Actor/writer/director Stanley Tucci's Depression-era comedy about two actors-turned-stowaways sailed away with $95,221 on seven ocean liners in Gotham and L.A. during its first outing. "Pecker" remained No. 2 in its second weekend. John Waters' comedy about a Baltimore photographer who snubs the New York art world posed for $68,500 in seven studios on both coasts. Last weekend's No. 1, "Clay Pigeons," was the third most popular limited-release picture. The Vince Vaughn starrer rang up $58,299 on eight screens in New York and L.A. Newcomers included "Strangeland," which scared up $19,078 on six sites. -=> * <=- While his primary focus is centered on preparing to direct "Fahrenheit 451" for Warner Bros. in May, Mel Gibson may first take a starring role in "The Million Dollar Hotel" for German director Wim Wenders, says Variety. In his biggest play against vanity since "The Man Without a Face," Gibson might shave his head for the role, which he shoots in January. "Hotel" stars Jeremy Davies ("Saving Private Ryan") and Milla Jovovich as two misfits in a seedy hotel whose lives are turned upside down by a badgering detective (Mel) trying to solve a possible murder. -=> * <=- * DIED: Bruce Williamson, 71, the Noel Coward of American film critics, of cardiac arrest, Tuesday, in New York. As a critic for TIME Magazine in the 1960s and then, for the next 31 years (until this fall), for Playboy, Williamson combined grace, cogency and wit in his writing, helped forward the career of Kim Basinger (by convincing her to pose for Playboy) and finessed Brigitte Nielson's introduction to Sylvester Stallone. A great guy. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1998 12:41:57 -0600 From: jkrudy Subject: [MV] Mercury Rising Where is everybody today? I saw Mercury Rising the other day on video. I loved it, but I had never heard of it before until just the other day so obviously a lot of people hated it. I'd like to hear any opinions you may have on it. I also saw Wild Things. This might be a slight spoiler, but my wife thinks that Kevin Bacon was the executive producer just so he could have his penis revealed on the big screen. Personally I think well why not, they've been showing female full frontal nudity for years. JKRUDY [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1998 11:37:36 -0700 From: "Romero, Leticia" Subject: [MV] is it possible That we've seen everything already? [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1998 12:49:08 -0600 From: jkrudy Subject: RE: [MV] is it possible That would mean that we would have to move on to discussing popular poetry or something along those lines. JKRUDY - -----Original Message----- From: Romero, Leticia [SMTP:lromero@saonet.ucla.edu] Sent: Thursday, October 08, 1998 12:38 PM To: 'movie' Subject: [MV] is it possible That we've seen everything already? [ 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: Thu, 8 Oct 98 14:08:15 PDT From: Wade Snider Subject: Re: [MV] Mercury Rising - --- On Thu, 8 Oct 1998 12:41:57 -0600 jkrudy wrote: >I saw Mercury Rising the other day on video. I loved it, but I had never >heard of it before until just the other day so obviously a lot of people >hated it. I'd like to hear any opinions you may have on it. I saw this in the theater. i liked it allright, but I was not all that impressed by it. I couldn't tell if it was an action film or a suspense drama. How many times to we get to see Bruce Willis with that strained constipation face as he jumps of something speeding or exploding. I also expected to see more of Alec baldwin... you gotta love him in a role like this. And, I tended to feel that a lot of the personal aspects of his relationship with the boy were just emotional manipulation much to reminiscent (sp?) of Rain Man. Those things said, I did relatively like it.. not too bored with it. Good rental choice. >I also saw Wild Things. This might be a slight spoiler, but my wife thinks >that Kevin Bacon was the executive producer just so he could have his penis >revealed on the big screen. Personally I think well why not, they've been >showing female full frontal nudity for years. >JKRUDY I had heard that they had shot the scene many times, and it just happened that in the best take, he turned a little faster than anticipated. They SAY they didn't plan that....... At some point, it became known just how much had been shown when in post production, and he himself said that they would have taken that out for him, but he said he had nothing in his contract about full frontal nudity or some such thing, and he seemed to me to get a hoot out of having that in there; so he told them to leave it... Wade - -------------------------------------------------------- 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: Thu, 8 Oct 1998 13:23:49 -0600 From: jkrudy Subject: RE: [MV] Mercury Rising Also Wild Things, and a comment on the Ra ting system. Also with Wild Things, I would have thought the 3-way sex scene would have merited a NC-17 rating. What is this world coming too? I mean I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it. In fact I enjoyed it all 4 times I watched that particular scene (LOL), I'm just commenting on the rapid decline of sexual morality in films, and how something that is rated R today would have been rated X tens years ago. Another example is I read where they are re-releasing "The Exorcist" in theaters with originally edited out scenes that made the movie rated X at first but which once removed they rated it R, now years later the scenes are put back in and it's still R. One of the scenes apparently has Linda Blair peeing in her own face and drinking it. That still sounds X to me, how 'bout you? JAMES K. RUDY - -----Original Message----- From: Wade Snider [SMTP:wsnider@brazoselectric.com] Sent: Thursday, October 08, 1998 3:08 PM To: movies@lists.xmission.com Subject: Re: [MV] Mercury Rising - --- On Thu, 8 Oct 1998 12:41:57 -0600 jkrudy wrote: >I saw Mercury Rising the other day on video. I loved it, but I had never >heard of it before until just the other day so obviously a lot of people >hated it. I'd like to hear any opinions you may have on it. I saw this in the theater. i liked it allright, but I was not all that impressed by it. I couldn't tell if it was an action film or a suspense drama. How many times to we get to see Bruce Willis with that strained constipation face as he jumps of something speeding or exploding. I also expected to see more of Alec baldwin... you gotta love him in a role like this. And, I tended to feel that a lot of the personal aspects of his relationship with the boy were just emotional manipulation much to reminiscent (sp?) of Rain Man. Those things said, I did relatively like it.. not too bored with it. Good rental choice. >I also saw Wild Things. This might be a slight spoiler, but my wife thinks >that Kevin Bacon was the executive producer just so he could have his penis >revealed on the big screen. Personally I think well why not, they've been >showing female full frontal nudity for years. >JKRUDY I had heard that they had shot the scene many times, and it just happened that in the best take, he turned a little faster than anticipated. They SAY they didn't plan that....... At some point, it became known just how much had been shown when in post production, and he himself said that they would have taken that out for him, but he said he had nothing in his contract about full frontal nudity or some such thing, and he seemed to me to get a hoot out of having that in there; so he told them to leave it... Wade - -------------------------------------------------------- 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 ] [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Oct 98 14:40:23 PDT From: Wade Snider Subject: RE: [MV] Mercury Rising Also Wild Things, and a comment on the Ra ting system. - --- On Thu, 8 Oct 1998 13:23:49 -0600 jkrudy wrote: >Also with Wild Things, I would have thought the 3-way sex scene would have >merited a NC-17 rating. What is this world coming too? I mean I'm not >saying I didn't enjoy it. In fact I enjoyed it all 4 times I watched that >particular scene (LOL), I'm just commenting on the rapid decline of sexual >morality in films, and how something that is rated R today would have been >rated X tens years ago. Another example is I read where they are >re-releasing "The Exorcist" in theaters with originally edited out scenes >that made the movie rated X at first but which once removed they rated it R, >now years later the scenes are put back in and it's still R. One of the >scenes apparently has Linda Blair peeing in her own face and drinking it. >That still sounds X to me, how 'bout you? > >JAMES K. RUDY That sounds bizzare to me. I don't see who would want to see that who hasn't already seen the original as it is, especially in theaters. It's like with Last Tango in Paris.... very big deal and extremely shocking 26 years ago... Today.. not a very big controversial matter. Similar with the view on Midnight Cowboy years ago.. Interesting comment on the decline. Wade - -----Original Message----- From: Wade Snider [SMTP:wsnider@brazoselectric.com] Sent: Thursday, October 08, 1998 3:08 PM To: movies@lists.xmission.com Subject: Re: [MV] Mercury Rising - --- On Thu, 8 Oct 1998 12:41:57 -0600 jkrudy wrote: >I saw Mercury Rising the other day on video. I loved it, but I had never >heard of it before until just the other day so obviously a lot of people >hated it. I'd like to hear any opinions you may have on it. I saw this in the theater. i liked it allright, but I was not all that impressed by it. I couldn't tell if it was an action film or a suspense drama. How many times to we get to see Bruce Willis with that strained constipation face as he jumps of something speeding or exploding. I also expected to see more of Alec baldwin... you gotta love him in a role like this. And, I tended to feel that a lot of the personal aspects of his relationship with the boy were just emotional manipulation much to reminiscent (sp?) of Rain Man. Those things said, I did relatively like it.. not too bored with it. Good rental choice. >I also saw Wild Things. This might be a slight spoiler, but my wife thinks >that Kevin Bacon was the executive producer just so he could have his penis >revealed on the big screen. Personally I think well why not, they've been >showing female full frontal nudity for years. >JKRUDY I had heard that they had shot the scene many times, and it just happened that in the best take, he turned a little faster than anticipated. They SAY they didn't plan that....... At some point, it became known just how much had been shown when in post production, and he himself said that they would have taken that out for him, but he said he had nothing in his contract about full frontal nudity or some such thing, and he seemed to me to get a hoot out of having that in there; so he told them to leave it... Wade - -------------------------------------------------------- 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 ] [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] - ---------------End of Original Message----------------- - -------------------------------------------------------- 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: Thu, 08 Oct 1998 12:29:30 -0700 From: Michael Dequina Subject: [MV] The Movie Report#161, 10/8/98 T H E M O V I E R E P O R T #161 OCTOBER 8, 1998 PLEASE HELP... ...keep the MR and Mr. Brown's Movie Site alive. I am undergoing a serious funding and resource crisis. You can help by renting or purchasing videos from Reel.com! Please visit: http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-reel.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=welcome.html You can also help in other ways. _Please_ visit: http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/support.html Thank you very much. =>T H I S W E E K<= M O V I E S - -_Apt_Pupil_ - -_Reach_the_Rock_ V I D E O - -_Lost_in_Space_ - -_A_Perfect_Murder_ For links to the official websites of all the current films, past reviews, exclusive Hollywood event photos, movie discussion board, movie theme MIDI files, and more, visit Mr. Brown's Movie Site at: http://welcome.to/mrbrown or http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown Please don't forget to sign the guestbook... Select reviews are available at CompuServe Hollywood Hotline: http://www.HollywoodHotline.com ...and the Eyepiece Network at: http://www.eyepiece.com ...and Albany Online at: http://www.AlbanyOnline.com all movies graded out of four stars (****) ~~~ =>M O V I E S<= N E W R E L E A S E S _Apt_Pupil_ (R) *** 1/2 Bryan Singer's adaptation of the the Stephen King novella _Apt_Pupil_ opens with images one would associate with such a title. A high school student receives an "A" on a paper and then shuttles off to the library, immersing himself in research as the opening titles unspool. As this dark, often disturbing psychological thriller progresses, the title's meaning remains the same, except it gradually takes on a much more sinister perspective. The apt pupil seen at the opening of the film is 16-year-old high school student Todd Bowden (Brad Renfro), whose intense extracurricular research on the Holocaust leads him to discover that one Arthur Denker (Ian McKellen), an old man whom he has seen around town, is really Nazi war criminal-in-hiding Kurt Dussander. But instead of turning him in, Todd proposes an odd exchange: his silence in return for Dussander's first-hand accounts of wartime atrocities. Of course, dredging up the past brings to the surface Dussander's fascist tendencies, but _Apt_Pupil_ goes one step further in that the stories bring forth Todd's capacity for evil as well; it is this psychological seduction that lends the film a queasy fascination. Singer and screenwriter Brandon Boyce also go against the populist Hollywood grain by boldly making the already fairly unsympathetic characters _moreso_ as the film goes on. While the absence of a likable lead character will certainly off-put many moviegoers, and one contrived plot development is a bit hard to swallow, audiences are nonetheless more than likely to remain riveted by Renfro and McKellen's dead-on performances. Renfro's evolution from curious adolescent to hateful manipulator is unsettlingly believable while McKellen, speaking with a perfect German accent, gives Dussander an air of quiet majesty that is as frightening as it is deceiving. While he heavily uses quick cuts and horrifying imagery, Singer admirably eschews easy "shock" gimmicks to jolt the audience out their seats. Instead, he appears more concerned with the collective effect of a variety shocks, visual and otherwise, on the viewer's psyche. As such, _Apt_Pupil_ gets under the skin like few thrillers do. A mad slasher with an axe does not necessarily constitute a successful frightfest; what does is the feeling of terror that comes with being pursued by such a force of evil. _Apt_Pupil_'s primary force of evil may be axe-less and of poor physical health, but his--and the film's--subtle brand of cerebral terror cuts sharper and deeper than anything found in a more conventional horror movie. (opens October 23) IN BRIEF _Reach_the_Rock_ (R) * 1/2 "An intimate, character-driven drama about a troubled youth at a crossroads in his life," read the press notes for _Reach_the_Rock_. I'm not really sure what film that statement is describing because those words bear little resemblance to the slow, completely uninvolving bore I saw--at least, it certainly does not describe what goes on for most of the film. Alessandro Nivola plays Robin Fleming, a troubled, directionless 21-year-old who has a penchant for breaking storefront windows in a small town. Police sergeant Phil Quinn (William Sadler) takes him in, and what ensues for the first 70 minutes is a tedious series of sneak-outs and sneak-ins where Robin slips out of his jail cell, breaks a window, then returns, all without Quinn ever noticing. Also added to the pointless proceedings is some would-be humorous shenanigans involving Quinn's dimwitted deputy Ernie attempting to engage in clandestine patrol car sex with his girlfriend Donna (Karen Sillas). With a half hour (if even that long) remaining, director William Ryan and writer John Hughes (yes, John Hughes of '80s youth films and _Home_Alone_) finally approach something close to a point. Turns out Robin still pines for his high school sweetheart Lise (Brooke Langton), who has long gone on with her life, and Hughes's main concern at long last reveals itself as a tired "live in the present and for the future" message. Most moviegoers, however, will likely be asleep by that time. Wide awake, however, is the cast, who individually tackle their showcase dramatic scenes with energy and skill--thus revealing the _real_ purpose behind this listless enterprise: to serve as a series of acting exercises. Such a glorified workshop may have its rewards for the actors, but it leaves audiences with a booby prize. (opens October 16) I N C U R R E N T R E L E A S E (full reviews of the following in past MRs and at the listed URLs) - -_Antz_ (PG) *** 1/2 http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt39.html#antz - -_Blade_ (R) *** http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt38.html#blade - -_Clay_Pigeons_ (R) ** 1/2 http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt39.html#clay - -_Ever_After_ (PG-13) *** http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt37.html#everafter - -_The_Impostors_ (R) ** 1/2 http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt40.html#impostors - -_Lolita_ (R) ** 1/2 http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt37.html#lolita - -_Next_Stop_Wonderland_ (R) ** 1/2 http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt39.html#wonderland - -_A_Night_at_the_Roxbury_ (PG-13) 1/2* http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt40.html#roxbury - -_One_True_Thing_ (R) *** http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt39.html#1truething - -_Pecker_ (R) ** 1/2 http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt37.html#pecker - -_Permanent_Midnight_ (R) ** http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt39.html#midnight - -_Ronin_ (R) ** http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt39.html#ronin - -_Rounders_ (R) *** http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt39.html#rounders - -_Rush_Hour_ (PG-13) ** 1/2 http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt39.html#rush - -_Saving_Private_Ryan_ (R) **** http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt37.html#ryan - -_Simon_Birch_ (PG) ** 1/2 http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt39.html#simon - -_Six-String_Samurai_ (PG-13) *** http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt39.html#6string - -_Slums_of_Beverly_Hills_ (R) ** 1/2 http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt38.html#slums - -_There's_Something_About_Mary_ (R) *** 1/2 http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt36.html#mary - -_Urban_Legend_ (R) ** http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt39.html#urban - -_What_Dreams_May_Come_ (PG-13) *** 1/2 http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt40.html#dreams - -_Without_Limits_ (PG-13) *** http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt38.html#limits - -_Your_Friends_&_Neighbors_ (R) *** 1/2 http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt38.html#friends F U T U R E F I L M S - -_Slam_ (R) **** http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt40.html#slam (October 16) O N T H E H O R I Z O N FRIDAY _Bad_Manners_ (R) Adaptation of the play _Ghost_in_the_Machine_, in which the psychological relations between two couples continually shift over a tense weekend in New England. David Strathairn, Bonnie Bedelia, Caroleen Feeney, and Saul Rubinek star for director Jonathan Kaufer and screenwriter David Gilman, adapting his own play. _Detroit_9000_ (R) The latest nugget to be unearthed from Rolling Thunder's film vaults is this 1973 blaxploitation flick in which a white cop (Alex Rocco) and a black cop (Hari Rhodes) are paired to solve a crime that brings Detroit's race relations to a boiling point. _Hit_Me_ (R) Adaptation of the Jim Thompson novel _A_Swell-Looking_Babe_, in which a bellhop (Elias Koteas) gets caught up in the noirish affairs of a femme fatale (Laure Marsac). _Holy_Man_ (PG) A televangelist (Eddie Murphy) enters the home shopping biz in this comedy. Jeff Goldblum and Kelly Preston also star for all-purpose Disney director Stephen Herek. _Love_Is_the_Devil_ The destructive relationship between English painter Francis Bacon (Derek Jacobi) and crook George Dyer (Daniel Craig) is the centerpiece of writer-director John Maybury's historical drama. _The_Mighty_ (PG-13) *** 1/2 Full review in MR#160, 10/5/98; and at: http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt40.html#mighty Moving, understated drama about the life-changing friendship between two young outcasts (Elden Henson and Kieran Culkin). Sharon Stone, Gena Rowlands, Harry Dean Stanton, and Gillian Anderson round out the ensemble cast. _One_Tough_Cop_ (R) Bruno Barreto directed this gritty crime drama about a cop's (Stephen Baldwin) relationship with his partner (Chris Penn) and his mafioso best friend (Mike McGlone). ~~~ =>V I D E O<= N E W T H I S W E E K _Lost_in_Space_ (PG-13) * Full review in MR#137, 4/10/98; and at: http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt31.html#lost Rent or buy at Reel.com: http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as p?MMID=41011 Dreadful big-screen adaptation of the cult 1960s sci-fi series, cluelessly written by Akiva Goldsman and clumsily directed by Stephen Hopkins. Only Gary Oldman stands out in an otherwise bored-loooking cast that also includes William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham, Matt LeBlanc, and Lacey Chabert. (New Line Home Video) _A_Perfect_Murder_ (R) ** 1/2 Full review in MR#145, 6/4/98; and at: http://www.godamongdirectors.com/mrbrown/movierpt35.html#murder Rent or buy at Reel.com: http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as p?MMID=41511 Andrew Davis's just-OK reworking of Alfred Hitchcock's _Dial_M_for_Murder_, in which a wealthy industrialist (Michael Douglas) his wife's (Gwyneth Paltrow) lover (Viggo Mortensen) to kill her. (Warner Home Video) A L S O N E W T H I S W E E K _Character_ (R) Rent or buy at Reel.com: http://www.reel.com/cgi-bin/nph-session.exe?COBRAND=MRBR&OBJECT=moviepage.as p?MMID=40992 This year's winner of the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar was Mike Van Diem's period drama from the Netherlands about a young man's turbulent relationship with his father. (Columbia TriStar Home Video) ~~~ =>N E X T W E E K<= More reviews, including: - -_American_History_X_ - -_Beloved_ - -_Holy_Man_ (postponed from this week) - -_Pleasantville_ - -_Practical_Magic_ 'til then... __________________________________________________________ Michael Dequina Chat Forum Host, The Official Michael Jordan Web Site http://jordan.sportsline.com mj23@michaeljordanfan.com | jordan_host@sportsmail.com michael_jordan@geocities.com | mrbrown@iname.com >My personal WWW sites< Mr. Brown's Movie Site: http://welcome.to/mrbrown Michael Jordan Beyond the Court: http://fly.to/michaeljordan A Michael Jordan Fan's Heartbreak: http://fly.to/mj23 Personal Page: http://welcome.to/w3md >Other WWW sites I work on< CompuServe Hollywood Hotline: http://www.HollywoodHotline.com Albany Online: http://www.AlbanyOnline.com Eyepiece Network: http://www.eyepiece.com "Life is knowing the toughest competition you ever face is yourself." - --Michael Jordan __________________________________________________________ [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ End of movies-digest V2 #109 **************************** [ To quit the movies-digest mailing list (big mistake), send the message ] [ "unsubscribe movies-digest" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]