From: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com (movies-digest) To: movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: movies-digest V2 #181 Reply-To: movies-digest Sender: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk movies-digest Saturday, April 17 1999 Volume 02 : Number 181 RE: [MV] Billions and Billions ... Re: [MV] Matrix RE: [MV] Billions and Billions ... RE: [MV] the line as begun -Reply [MV] Missing Story line (was Matrix) [MV] Bullion and Bullion... Re: [MV] Matrix Re: [MV] Matrix [MV] REVIEW: SLC PUNK! Re: [MV] Matrix -Reply [MV] Bullion and Bullion... -Reply Re: [MV] Matrix [MV] REVIEW: LIFE [MV] Sci-Fi Movie News - 04/15/99 [MV] More beautiful than Andersen and greater than Chaplin [MV] Movie News - 04/16/99 [MV] REVIEW: GOODBYE LOVER [MV] MovieJuice! - LIFE - Crimes and MisdeMurphy ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 11:10:31 -0600 From: jkrudy Subject: RE: [MV] Billions and Billions ... Well that was inspiring! After I've made my first 100 billion dollars I promise before you all that I will donate 1 billion to saving the poverty sticken masses of every third world country in the world. Now can we please get back to talking about movies? James K. Rudy - -----Original Message----- From: Christi Eilleen Falk [mailto:umfalkce@cc.UManitoba.CA] Sent: Monday, April 12, 1999 11:04 AM To: movies@lists.xmission.com Subject: Re: [MV] Billions and Billions ... You know, when you start talking billions, the number is so big, it's almost rendered meaningless. There is no way a person could spend that amount in their life time, even if they had to put a family of quintuplets thru college. Not that these millionaires would ever risk a family to squander their precious fortune. If they could manage to put a large dent in this amount by the time they died, It would be a terrible dissappointment. How many yatchs or mansions with 23 bathrooms does this world need? Why don't these people get off their duffs and do something about world poverty. No, I don't mean a stupid movie. The world already has enough Saving Private Ryan movies, I mean get over to that third world country on the tv, kick sally struthers' a## into a weight loss program, and get those people out of poverty. For someone who's worth 100 billion, what's donating 1 billion to a worthy cause? Or maybe their saving it for a rainy day. [ 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: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 13:16:04 -0400 From: Mike Allen Subject: Re: [MV] Matrix if you think the story line is missing then i think your brain is missing.. the story line was GREAT, and even though i thought the first 30 minutes or so were slow.. this movie was by far, bad... It was the best move i have seen for a year at least. just my opinion. - -Mike Allen Gene Ehrich wrote: > My wife and I listened to all the hype and went to see Matrix last night at > the new theater in Cherry Hill NJ. Great theater with stadium seating for > anybody who lives nearby. Not so great movie. Could not believe how bad the > first half of this movie was. Made no sense at all why it was even made. > The second half was real exciting although I would have to say it still > made no sense at all. Talk about missing story line. Great special effects > but that was all it had. > > Two thumbs down for Matrix > > Two thumbs up for the theater. > > gene@ehrich > http://www.voicenet.com/~generic > Computer & Video Game Garage Sale > > Gene Ehrich > PO Box 209 > Marlton NJ > 08053-0209 > > [ 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: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 12:23:44 -0400 From: Mel Eperthener Subject: RE: [MV] Billions and Billions ... At 09.07 AM 12/04/99 -0600, jkrudy wrote: >If we're going to factor in other money making sources, ask yourself this: >how many action figures did Titanic sell. My guess would be: Not a hell of a lot. Probably more posters. However, the point was that Lucas controls the merchandise for the entire Star Wars series, and those have proven much more lucrative (sp) than even the profits from the movie. Lucas didn't expect the first/fourth film to make much, so he didn't hardball Fox on the contract, instead giving up some control for the merchandise. The merchandise made him rich enough to control everything about the new movie, to the point that he financied the work himself, insulating him from the studio system. I wasn't trying to say that SW deserves to be King of All Media because of merchandise sales; rather I said that Lucas made quite a deal for himself by controlling the merchandise sales. Regardless of how many Jack and Rose figures Titanic sold, the question is: How much did Cameron get from these sales? Regards, - --Mel - --Mel Eperthener president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty Please support the endeavour of a friend and fellow Australian. Political Corrections by Michael Jaymes Cassidy http://www.angelfire.com/ma/politicalmusings ____________________________________________ Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas. - -Former Australian cabinet minister Keppell (Kip) Enderby __________________________ [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 12:04:16 -0700 From: "Romero, Leticia" Subject: RE: [MV] the line as begun -Reply NOT YET! > -----Original Message----- > From: Christi Eilleen Falk [SMTP:umfalkce@cc.UManitoba.CA] > Sent: Sunday, April 11, 1999 9:06 AM > To: movies@lists.xmission.com > Subject: RE: [MV] the line as begun -Reply > > Didn't anyone think of a visa card? You should be able to phone, > shouldn't you? > > [ 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, 13 Apr 1999 09:40:47 +1000 From: Lillian Lepinath Subject: [MV] Missing Story line (was Matrix) It really depends on what you consider to be a great story line. It also depends on personal taste. I mean, we all have our favorite movies, the ones we love and can almost quote word for word, and what's the bet that you know of at least one person who cannot stand that film? Just because there is so much media hype about a film, doesn't mean that EVERYONE is going to love it - remember the blitz re: ID4? The first time I saw that film, I just sat there and thought "This is it?" Granted, at the time I was studying Asian films and had to get into all the icky cultural theory crap, but I just didn't like it. Now it's one of my favourite films to just zone out to. The reason for this is I sat down and watched it again. And I connected with something. Don't ask me what. Because I have no idea. I've heard all the raves about Matrix - and I've heard bad reviews as well (there was a review on CNN where the movie was canned - one of the reviewers had a problem with computer generated FX, she said that it was becoming too frequent in new releases. But I ask you - what else can be done? Go back to stop frame animation? More apparent blue/green screens?), but I think I will just go to see the movie to be entertaines/distracted. I will have no high hopes. That way, I will be either pleasantly surprised, or not too disappointed. I think some of my most enjoyable movie experiences is where I've walked into the theatre with little knowledge of a film. Without great expectations, nearly anything can be an adventure. TeckerDaze. Mike Allen wrote: > > if you think the story line is missing then i think your brain is missing.. the > story line was GREAT, and even though i thought the first 30 minutes or so were > slow.. this movie was by far, bad... It was the best move i have seen for a > year at least. > just my opinion. > -Mike Allen > > Gene Ehrich wrote: > > > My wife and I listened to all the hype and went to see Matrix last night at > > the new theater in Cherry Hill NJ. Great theater with stadium seating for > > anybody who lives nearby. Not so great movie. Could not believe how bad the > > first half of this movie was. Made no sense at all why it was even made. > > The second half was real exciting although I would have to say it still > > made no sense at all. Talk about missing story line. Great special effects > > but that was all it had. > > > > Two thumbs down for Matrix > > > > Two thumbs up for the theater. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 20:25:53 -0400 From: Mel Eperthener Subject: [MV] Bullion and Bullion... Continuing on the SW thread, this just came across the wire to me: >* "Menace" Menacing Movie Trailers >by Daniel Frankel >Moviefinder.com/E!Online > >It's like the Imperial fleet rumbling into your solar system: You >play ball if you know what's good for you. >Earlier this week, Variety outlined the tough terms 20th Century Fox >and LucasFilm are imposing on theater owners in order for them to show >Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace next month--terms that are >not just affecting the exhibitors, but rival studios, as well. > >Along with the stringent payment schedules (Fox wants its dinero >within seven days instead of the usual 30-60) and restrictions on >accommodations (the film must be shown on the biggest screen in the >house, unless Fox approves otherwise), exhibitors can show no more >than eight minutes of previews before the opening crawl--and a full >two-and-a-half of those must be Fox movie trailers. > >(For the record: Fox distribution boss Tom Sherak says the Variety >report isn't entirely accurate--but in the same breath he refused to >specify which points weren't true.) > >With only five-and-a-half minutes of movie trailer time to sell >rival studios, exhibitors are trying to figure out how to maximize >their revenue. > >According to Variety, one solution has been to ask the other studios >to trim their trailers from the usual two-and-a-half minutes to a >minute or less to cram as many previews as possible into the >eight-minute window. > >Several studios, including Sony, New Line (which is ready to release >the Austin Powers follow-up The Spy Who Shagged Me) and Warner Bros. >(set to promote Will Smith's Wild, Wild West), are apparently ready >to comply, not wanting to miss such a golden opportunity to hawk >their flicks. > >"Any situation which would increase the chances of 100 percent >placement on Star Wars is something we have to consider," Jeff >Blake, president of Sony Pictures Releasing, tells the trade. > >Still, while most are going with the flow, some are not happy about >it. "I didn't ask anyone to cut their trailer in half to play with >The Matrix," grouses Warners distribution head Dan Fellman. > >"These are really tough terms, but this is not your ordinary movie," >points out Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office tracking >firm Exhibitor Relations. "Star Wars gives Fox and Lucas >considerable leverage." > >Still, Fox's Sherak doesn't think his rivals are being "leveraged." > >"It is only a movie but it is different from anything else," he >says. "We're not trying to make things impossible. We're trying to >be as consumer-friendly as possible--any onscreen advertising they >do for the first two weeks is going draw boos anyway. What we're >doing is asking our partners to come along on this very special >ride. > >"This is Star Wars. It's a special movie." Regards, - --Mel - --Mel Eperthener president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty Please support the endeavour of a friend and fellow Australian. Political Corrections by Michael Jaymes Cassidy http://www.angelfire.com/ma/politicalmusings ____________________________________________ Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas. - -Former Australian cabinet minister Keppell (Kip) Enderby __________________________ [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 22:22:50 -0400 From: "Chris Culligan" Subject: Re: [MV] Matrix SLIGHT SPOILER!!!!!! PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION!!! OK. I liked the movie. I just didn't understand the story. Maybe you could help me out on a couple of plot points here. What exactly was "The Oracle"?? Was she a real human, a computer generated human, a machine, or what?? Also, the deal with the "prophecy". Were did this "prophecy" come from. At one point it was said that the first human freed themselves and then freed others and eventually the first human died. Keanu was supposed to be the first human reborn. Now what's up with that?? First, how did the first human free themselves in the first place??? And, assuming they did free themselves, how did they get reborn into the form of Keanu?? And given that the first human did escape and was reborn, what does "The Oracle" have to do with all this?? It seems to me that the writers just threw plot point together to develop some kind of conflict that could be played out with some great SFX and action sequences. Or maybe, as in "The Abyss", the director cut some scenes to shorten the movie but ended up making it a little confusing. I'm not saying the movie was all bad because I loved the SFX and the action and was glad I shelled out the money to go. I just wish 1) Keanu would have had less dialog and 2) that the story were a little more understandable. Of course, maybe it just went over my head. If so, someone please explain. Thanks, CHRIS - ----- Original Message ----- From: Mike Allen To: Sent: Monday, April 12, 1999 1:16 PM Subject: Re: [MV] Matrix > if you think the story line is missing then i think your brain is missing.. the > story line was GREAT, and even though i thought the first 30 minutes or so were > slow.. this movie was by far, bad... It was the best move i have seen for a > year at least. > just my opinion. > -Mike Allen > > Gene Ehrich wrote: > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 06:19:48 -0700 From: "Wade Snider" Subject: Re: [MV] Matrix >SLIGHT SPOILER!!!!!! PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION!!! > >What exactly was "The Oracle"?? Was she a real human, a computer generated >human, a machine, or what?? As I recall, I seem to think she was another human like the group, but she was simply living in the Matrix the whole time. I don't where she wasplugged in, but remember that there were other ships out there aside from the one the group was on... Also, the deal with the "prophecy". Were did >this "prophecy" come from. At one point it was said that the first human >freed themselves and then freed others and eventually the first human died. I thought this so-called prophecy came from that first person. >Keanu was supposed to be the first human reborn. Now what's up with that?? >First, how did the first human free themselves in the first place??? And, >assuming they did free themselves, how did they get reborn into the form of >Keanu?? And given that the first human did escape and was reborn, what >does "The Oracle" have to do with all this?? I'm not sure if the meant the rebirth thing literally. I think that the first one represented something ideal, and that ability to make changes in the Matrix was what they meant by that. The Oracle I didn't think had anything to do with it other than noting Neo's powers in the Matrix. It doesn't explain how the first human freed himself... Some things you just got to wonder. >It seems to me that the writers just threw plot point together to develop >some kind of conflict that could be played out with some great SFX and >action sequences. Or maybe, as in "The Abyss", the director cut some scenes >to shorten the movie but ended up making it a little confusing. The plot has its weak points, but for a big budget action sci-fi, this plot is pretty developed. Some things are suppposed to be ocmplicated or leave you with questions, especially when you have semi-existential things such as the meaning of life or people's purpose, etc. etc... Some things can't be explained that easy, nor do I think any movie should always do that. I think that it worked okay in the Matrix. I thought the weak points in the movie came during the out-of-program sequences and some other points like that... Sometimes you have to realize you won't get all the answers though, nor do you need to get them all from the movie.. Wade >I'm not saying the movie was all bad because I loved the SFX and the action >and was glad I shelled out the money to go. I just wish 1) Keanu would have >had less dialog and 2) that the story were a little more understandable. > >Of course, maybe it just went over my head. If so, someone please explain. > >Thanks, >CHRIS > >----- Original Message ----- >From: Mike Allen >To: >Sent: Monday, April 12, 1999 1:16 PM >Subject: Re: [MV] Matrix > > >> if you think the story line is missing then i think your brain is >missing.. the >> story line was GREAT, and even though i thought the first 30 minutes or so >were >> slow.. this movie was by far, bad... It was the best move i have seen for >a >> year at least. >> just my opinion. >> -Mike Allen >> >> Gene Ehrich wrote: >> > > > >[ 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, 13 Apr 1999 08:16:44 -0600 (MDT) From: Scott Renshaw Subject: [MV] REVIEW: SLC PUNK! SLC PUNK! (Sony Pictures Classics) Starring: Matthew Lillard, Michael Goorjian, Annabeth Gish, Jennifer Lien, Til Schweiger. Screenplay: James Merendino. Producers: Sam Maydew and Peter Ward. Director: James Merendino. MPAA Rating: R (profanity, drug use, violence) Running Time: 97 minutes. Reviewed by Scott Renshaw. James Merendino's SLC PUNK! has something deep and insightful to say about the nature of youthful rebellion. Sort of. Maybe. I think. It's sort of hard to tell through all the bombast of Merendino's hyperactive period piece, which tries to be a sort of nostalgic BREAKFAST CLUB for the Dead Kennedys set but misses the point entirely. It's one thing to make a film about teens grousing over the sell-outs of adulthood and the trials of coping with societal expectations, and target it at the teens themselves; it's quite another to make such a film and target it at those who've already been through that melodramatic wringer. The simple enjoyment that might have come from the time and the tunes instead turns into a 90 minute wait for the characters to get a clue. Our tour guide through SLC PUNK! is Stevo (Matthew Lillard), who -- along with his best friend Heroin Bob (Michael Goorjian) -- is one of the few true punks in the capital of conservative Utah during the conservative Reagan era circa 1985. The tour consists largely of an anthropological dig through Stevo and Bob's twisted clique, which includes an independently wealthy and extremely paranoid drug dealer (Til Schweiger), the lads' respective ladyfriends (Jennifer Lien and Annabeth Gish), and an acid casualty (Devon Sawa). Along the way we learn about the various sub-categories of Salt Lake City youth, the influence of Stevo's 60s radical-turned-yuppie father (Christopher McDonald), and where to go for real beer when you need it. Like many an independent comedy, SLC PUNK! has enough frantic energy to guarantee at least a few belly laughs -- notably during Stevo's spin through a party describing the various sub-plots in action, and a scene showing our protagonists as pre-punk, "Dungeons and Dragons"-obsessed middle-schoolers. Also like many an independent comedy, it often has nothing _but_ frantic energy. For every decent gag or clever insight, you can count on at least two or three self-indulgent uses of direct address to the camera in which Stevo rails about religious oppression or the plague of poseurs (i.e., those who son the garb without walking the walk). Scenes which I'm assuming should come off as either amusing or wise-beyond-his-years instead come off as merely damp; if spittle were diamonds, Matthew Lillard's performance would surely be a piece of comic jewelry fit for a princess. Once again, a film-maker's attempt to connect with the audience through narration becomes a lazy failure. SLC PUNK! tries to score its major profundity points when Stevo is hit by the bombshell that rebellious youth are just conformists of a different kind. Well, you can file that one under "d" for "duh;" Stevo's revelation is one with which any audience member over the age of 25 will already be quite familiar. It's that kind of pseudo-wisdom that makes SLC PUNK! far more tiresome than a film built around devotion to the Ramones should have been. When tragedy strikes one of the film's significant characters late in the film, and Merendino tries to play it as a genuine tragedy, you realize he hasn't remotely earned an emotional response. SLC PUNK! blasts through its set pieces with little film-making prowess, then expects to tie it all together by having Stevo blubber away at misspent youth. Poseurs, indeed. On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 bunk rockers: 4. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit Scott Renshaw's Screening Room http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/ *** Subscribe to receive new reviews directly by email! See the Screening Room for details, or reply to this message with subject "Subscribe". - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 08:45:09 -0700 From: "Bruce Bridges" Subject: Re: [MV] Matrix -Reply I have to agree with Gene on the Matrix. The first 45 minutes were = excruciatingly slow and ponderous. The story was fine but took itself = way too seriously. It could have used some levity. I liked the effects = alot (haven't we all seen that in Gap ads by now?) but they were too few = for me. The most enjoyable part was seeing these actors go through the choreographe= d fights. they put in a lot of training and it shows. =20 bb [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 09:06:00 -0700 From: "Bruce Bridges" Subject: [MV] Bullion and Bullion... -Reply Along that same line, Lucas is demainding an unprecedented 20 to 25% = licensing fee for SW products. The normal fee is 10-15%, 15 being the = previous high end. =20 =20 Now the licensees are ticked because they feel lucas is holding back = product too much and is not giving them the opportunity to maximise sales. = =20 Wouldn't it be weird if this movie turned out to be awful (Like Godzilla) = and all of this blew up in the studios'/Lucas' faces? bb >>> Mel Eperthener - 4/12/99 5:25 PM >>> Continuing on the SW thread, this just came across the wire to me: >* "Menace" Menacing Movie Trailers >by Daniel Frankel >Moviefinder.com/E!Online >=20 >It's like the Imperial fleet rumbling into your solar system: You >play ball if you know what's good for you. >Earlier this week, Variety outlined the tough terms 20th Century Fox >and LucasFilm are imposing on theater owners in order for them to show >Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace next month--terms that are >not just affecting the exhibitors, but rival studios, as well. > >Along with the stringent payment schedules (Fox wants its dinero >within seven days instead of the usual 30-60) and restrictions on >accommodations (the film must be shown on the biggest screen in the >house, unless Fox approves otherwise), exhibitors can show no more >than eight minutes of previews before the opening crawl--and a full >two-and-a-half of those must be Fox movie trailers. > >(For the record: Fox distribution boss Tom Sherak says the Variety >report isn't entirely accurate--but in the same breath he refused to >specify which points weren't true.) > >With only five-and-a-half minutes of movie trailer time to sell >rival studios, exhibitors are trying to figure out how to maximize >their revenue. > >According to Variety, one solution has been to ask the other studios >to trim their trailers from the usual two-and-a-half minutes to a >minute or less to cram as many previews as possible into the >eight-minute window. > >Several studios, including Sony, New Line (which is ready to release >the Austin Powers follow-up The Spy Who Shagged Me) and Warner Bros. >(set to promote Will Smith's Wild, Wild West), are apparently ready >to comply, not wanting to miss such a golden opportunity to hawk >their flicks. > >"Any situation which would increase the chances of 100 percent >placement on Star Wars is something we have to consider," Jeff >Blake, president of Sony Pictures Releasing, tells the trade. > >Still, while most are going with the flow, some are not happy about >it. "I didn't ask anyone to cut their trailer in half to play with >The Matrix," grouses Warners distribution head Dan Fellman. > >"These are really tough terms, but this is not your ordinary movie," >points out Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office tracking >firm Exhibitor Relations. "Star Wars gives Fox and Lucas >considerable leverage." > >Still, Fox's Sherak doesn't think his rivals are being "leveraged."=20 > >"It is only a movie but it is different from anything else," he >says. "We're not trying to make things impossible. We're trying to >be as consumer-friendly as possible--any onscreen advertising they >do for the first two weeks is going draw boos anyway. What we're >doing is asking our partners to come along on this very special >ride. > >"This is Star Wars. It's a special movie." Regards, - --Mel - --Mel Eperthener president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty Please support the endeavour=20 of a friend and fellow Australian. Political Corrections by Michael Jaymes Cassidy http://www.angelfire.com/ma/politicalmusings ____________________________________________ Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas. - -Former Australian cabinet minister Keppell (Kip) Enderby __________________________ [ 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, 14 Apr 1999 02:04:56 -0700 From: Oz Subject: Re: [MV] Matrix Chris Culligan wrote: > > I just wish 1) Keanu would have > had less dialog and 2) that the story were a little more understandable. See, I had a different view of Matrix. I thought that the first half of the film spent WAY too much time over-explaining the whole background deal, so that even the Adam Sandler fans could work out what was going on. I kinda prefer my films to make me think a bit more, instead of sitting around explaining the plot to me. Having said that, I guess some folks need to have everything spelled out, all the i's dotted and all the t's crossed. Personally, I couldn't care less who the oracle really was. She was just this chick.. who knew stuff.. and allowed Keanu to get to the point where he got all kick ass and started shooting stuff up all Woo style. Cos that was really the point of the movie. ----------------- {{{OZ}}} ------------------- ------- http://www.filmink-online.com -------- ---------------------------------------------- - ---------------------------------------------------------------- Want to earn money on your website? How does 17c a click sound? - ---------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.valueclick.com/cgi-bin/refer_host_signup?host=h0032965 - ---------------------------------------------------------------- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 09:18:31 -0600 (MDT) From: Scott Renshaw Subject: [MV] REVIEW: LIFE LIFE (Universal) Starring: Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Obba Babatunde, Nick Cassavetes, Bokeem Woodbine, Ned Beatty. Screenplay: Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone. Producers: Brian Grazer and Eddie Murphy. Director: Ted Demme. MPAA Rating: R (profanity, adult themes, violence) Running Time: 108 minutes. Reviewed by Scott Renshaw. LIFE is funny sometimes...just not as often as you might expect. Universal is promoting LIFE just the way you'd expect it to promote a film starring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence -- as a raucous comedy with plenty of the insult humor, attitude and gay-baiting their target audience has come to expect. The funny thing is -- or isn't, as the case may be -- that LIFE is actually an attempt by the two comedians to grow up a little. Anyone expecting to see Eddie and Martin doing their version of STIR CRAZY is bound to be somewhat surprised to find Eddie and Martin doing their version of THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. It's a commendable effort by two performers best known for more simple-minded material; it's just not a very successful one. The principal action begins in 1932, where two different men find themselves in similar trouble. Small-time hustler Ray Gibson (Eddie Murphy) is in trouble with Harlem crime boss Spanky (Rick James) for running numbers in his territory; mild-mannered Claude Banks (Martin Lawrence) is in trouble with Spanky for being short on the bill in Spanky's club. To save both their skins, Ray offers to bring Spanky a shipment of bootleg liquor from Mississippi, with Claude as his partner. Unfortunately, things go from bad to worse down South, where Ray and Claude are convicted for a murder they didn't commit and end up sentenced to life in the Mississippi State Prison. Once the narrative gets to the prison setting (which takes around 30 minutes), the story predictably involves the new city-slicker inmates learning the hard facts about their new milieu -- when not to back-talk the bossman (Nick Cassavetes); when to turn over your cornbread to the largest land mammal on two legs (Michael "Bear" Taliferro); why prison makes strange bedfellows (literally). The pacing may be a bit pokey, but it still looks and smells like a mass-market comedy for a while. That's before screenwriters Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone and director Ted Demme start taking some intriguing detours. In one scene, Ray begins describing the nightclub he dreams of starting one day, momentarily taking his fellow inmates somewhere wonderful; in another, a gay inmate (Miguel A. Nunez Jr.) about to be released is treated with sympathy and a bit of dignity. As LIFE unfolds, it starts to feel surprisingly ambitious, not at all like a whoop-it-up crowd-pleaser. As admirable as LIFE's reach may be, however, it generally exceeds its grasp. While it lays out the sub-plots and advancing years like an epic in the making, the film-makers never appear entirely committed to making a film that could alienate many of the stars' core fans. Key elements of the story -- Claude's fiancee leaving him for another man; a sympathetic superintendent (Ned Beatty) dying before he can act on evidence of our protagonists' innocence; even Ray and Claude's fate in the film's climactic fire -- never actually appear on screen, the information tagged on by an inmate (Obba Babatunde) narrating the tale in flashback. LIFE is a frustrating experience, because every time it appears close to making a connection to its characters it falls back on a lame joke to reassure the viewers that they're still watching a comedy. I may be kinder to LIFE than it really deserves, simply because I was so surprised by its tone. Martin Lawrence, whose screen work has generally bordered on the insufferable, does some fairly nice work as the straight man in the duo, and Murphy is in fine form as his quintessential fast talker. Rick Baker's old-age makeup is also a star of the show, taking the stars into their 90s (and, in the case of Lawrence, making him look frighteningly like Whitman Mayo). LIFE is effective in bits and pieces, building on the predictable comedy in some unexpected ways. It just never builds on them in the necessary ways, never making the friendship between Ray and Claude its primary dramatic concern. It's a film caught between what the film-makers wanted to do and what the studio must have wanted them to do, just the clashing creation you'd expect from a story that's part STIR CRAZY and part SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 life sentences: 5. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit Scott Renshaw's Screening Room http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/ *** Subscribe to receive new reviews directly by email! See the Screening Room for details, or reply to this message with subject "Subscribe". - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 18:55:20 -0600 From: "The Reporter" Subject: [MV] Sci-Fi Movie News - 04/15/99 When George Lucas realized he needed to cut some footage from his upcoming film Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, he called on a few friends to help him out. One of those friends was actor-turned-director Ron Howard, who had nothing but praise for what he saw during a private screening of the film at Lucas' Skywalker Ranch. "The story is great. The effects are absolutely the next step in technology," Howard reportedly told the Calgary Sun. "This is one movie that is going to live up to all the hype." Howard described the picture as the most humorous Star Wars film yet and said that the humor is used in "an appropriate way." -=> * <=- Theaters that hope to be playing Star Wars: Episode I - - The Phantom Menace in the near future will have to meet a lengthy set of restrictions set down by George Lucas. According to Variety, cinemas that don't abide by Lucas' demands will face stiff penalties and may even have their prints of the flick confiscated. The restrictions include: The film must run in the largest auditorium in the complex and cannot move to a smaller room for the minimum length of the run without permission from Fox; Minimum runs are eight or 12 weeks--depending on the market--for theaters that open the film on its May 19 release date. A four-week run is available for theaters that start playing the film five weekends later, on June 18; If an exhibitor commits to playing the film on two or three screens in a multiplex, the film must stay on those screens for the minimum run as well; In competitive zones--where more than one exhibitor has theaters--the film must play on at least three screens. Interlocking, which allows theaters to use one print to present a film on two screens, is prohibited; Exhibitors may not deduct additional security expenses from the film rental fees they charge Fox; Theaters are not to honor passes for the first eight weeks; Payment is to be made within seven days (30-60 days is typical) for the first several weeks; Paid on-screen advertising is prohibited for the first two weeks; No more than eight minutes of trailers are to run before the film. (Fox has attached 2-1/2 minutes of trailers to the beginning of the picture.); Theaters can begin playing the two-hour, 11-minute film at 12:01 a.m. on May 19. -=> * <=- Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace has become a tourist attraction for overseas travelers, according to Variety. The film opens in North America two months before it will debut in the United Kingdom, and that's got many British fans on the move. The STA travel agency in London reports that people are coming in and booking flights to the United States specifically to see Star Wars, while Sports Mondial is offering a New York air-and-hotel package for the film's May 19 open. How these fans will get their movie tickets remains to be seen, however, as George Lucas has put a moratorium on advance sales in order to thwart scalpers. -=> * <=- Paramount Pictures has acquired the film project The End of Eternity--based on the Isaac Asimov novel of the same name--for Ridley Scott to direct, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Total Recall scribe Gary Goldman is adapting the 1955 book for the big screen, while Scott Free Productions and Wind Dancer Films plan to co-produce the flick. The story of The End of Eternity centers around a ruling class in the future known as the Eternals, who are able to create and destroy the past, present and future. The Eternals are not allowed to have feelings, which causes strife when an Eternal called Andrew Harlan falls in love with a non-Eternal. -=> * <=- Malcolm McDowell, the man who killed Captain Kirk in Star Trek: Generations, has signed on to play a wizard in the English-language remake of the 1993 hit French film Les Visiteurs. According to The Hollywood Reporter, McDowell will join a cast that includes the stars of the original movie, actors Jean Reno and Christian Clavier. Visiteurs director Jean-Marie Poire has agreed to helm the remake, which will feature Christina Applegate, Tara Reid and Matt Ross. Shooting is scheduled to begin later this month on the John Hughes picture, which will be distributed by Disney. The film is a comedy about a nobleman and his squire who are accidently sent forward in time to the present day. -=> * <=- Keanu Reeves' SF action flick The Matrix pulled in $27.2 million over the Easter weekend, setting a new three-day opening record for the month of April. According to Variety, The Matrix blew away previous record-holder Indecent Proposal, which took in $18.4 million during its first three days of release in April 1993. After five days in theaters, The Matrix has earned an estimated $37.7 million, far more than industry analysts predicted. That's an impressive feat, considering that the film was rushed through post-production in order to make its April 2 debut, leaving little time for promotion. -=> * <=- Barry Pepper, who starred as a sharpshooter in the epic war picture Saving Private Ryan, is in talks to star opposite John Travolta in the big-screen version of Battlefield Earth. According to reports, Pepper is trying out for the role of Jonnie, a hero who is attempting to overthrow alien invaders who have subjugated humanity in the year 3000 A.D. The $80 million film is being directed by Roger Christian and will be released domestically through Warner Bros. Battlefield Earth is based on L. Ron Hubbard's 1982 best-selling novel of the same name and will feature Travolta in the role of the alien leader Terl. -=> * <=- The novelization of Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace will be released on May 3 by Ballantine Books, more than two weeks before the film hits theaters. -=> * <=- George Romero is reportedly in final negotiations to helm Carnivore, a surreal gothic fairy tale written by The Matrix sibling directors Larry and Andy Wachowski. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 20:38:44 -0600 From: "vienna9@netian.com" Subject: [MV] More beautiful than Andersen and greater than Chaplin Has everyone watched the movie "Life is Beautiful"? On the 6th March,the very first day that it was released in Korea, I went to the movie right away because I had been longing for it since my American friend spoke very highly of the movie. (I'm a moviegoer as all of you really are. I watched another movie "Shakepere in Love" in succession on that day. I also loved it. My roommate called me mental patient or psycho for a joke. She wondered how dare I could think of going to the movies alone on saturday) Anyway,this film was awarded a special prize from the awarding commitee in the Cannes Film Festival and has won the major prizes in the 30 international film festival until now.Over the 70 press around the world set high value on this work of ast as one of the best films of the year. Roberto who directs as well as plays a leading part of the movie won the main actor prize in the Academy Awards. Almost all the critics have given favorable comment on this movie saying that it is handling love and tragedy that is extrely divide! d and it is presenting hunor of Charlie chaplin's style at the same time. However,the most valuable thing is not what the critics say about the movie but how the audiences feel about it.There is a beautiful and pure romance like a fairy tale in the first half of the movie and there is great humanity from the tragedy with the Jewish concentration camp as its setting in the last half of it.Ironically,I was so moved to tears and laughed. After the movie, my heart was too full for words. Though it may be a hackneyed expression just to say that it's about love, I don't think I can find any other proper words for it,because it is true that "Life is Beautiful"is about LOVE. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 10:51:17 -0600 From: "The Reporter" Subject: [MV] Movie News - 04/16/99 NEW YORK (AP) - Despite hype that had fans lined up to catch a two-minute trailer for the latest "Star Wars" installment, Liam Neeson says the movie isn't changing his life. The 46-year-old Irishman told Movieline magazine he can remember braving a dangerous section of Belfast years ago to see the original "Star Wars." Then a young theater actor, Neeson said he found the film "breathtaking." "It's a simple story, yet with all the complexities of myth. The technology was so understated," Neeson said. "I thought he (George Lucas) was an amazing director who had created this totally believable world." That memory was part of what made Neeson jump when offered the chance to meet Lucas in London two decades after "Star Wars." [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 09:25:34 -0600 (MDT) From: Scott Renshaw Subject: [MV] REVIEW: GOODBYE LOVER GOODBYE LOVER (Warner Bros.) Starring: Patricia Arquette, Dermot Mulroney, Ellen DeGeneres, Mary-Louise Parker, Don Johnson, Ray McKinnon. Screenplay: Ron Peer and Joel Cohen & Alec Sokolow. Producers: Alexandra Milchan, Patrick McDarrah, Joel Roodman and Chris Daniel. Director: Roland Joffe. MPAA Rating: R (profanity, sexual situations, adult themes, violence) Running Time: 97 minutes. Reviewed by Scott Renshaw. GOODBYE LOVER is the kind of nihilistic entertainment that gives you a few giggles while watching it, then leaves you feeling dirty for not loathing the whole enterprise. Aptly labeled a "film-gris" in the production notes, it's a convoluted comic thriller centered around Sandra Dunmore (Patricia Arquette), a real estate agent with dreams of the good life and a car full of motivational tapes reminding her that she can have it. Standing in her way, unfortunately, is her alcoholic husband Jake (Dermot Mulroney), which leads her to an affair with Jake's more successful brother Ben (Don Johnson), while Ben also romances a co-worker named Peggy (Mary-Louise Parker) on the side. When the tangled interactions of this quartet leads to murder, Det. Rita Pompano (Ellen DeGeneres) comes on the scene to investigate and discovers that very little is what it appears to be. The reason nothing is what it appears to be is that GOODBYE LOVER is a film about twisty-turny plotting...and, essentially, that's _all_ it's about. Allegiances shift, backs are stabbed (figuratively and literally), and greed is the order of the day. It's the kind of stuff that usually makes a film interesting to watch thanks to its unpredictability, but GOODBYE LOVER becomes strangely predictable in its unpredictability. It's so instantly obvious that it's a film about hidden agendas that it becomes a matter of waiting until the next character's obviously hidden agenda is revealed. There's not much fun in the zigs and zags the story takes because every 20 minutes or so you know it's going to be time for the next zig or zag, and the next permutation in a series of unholy alliances. There's still something over-the-top goofy about GOODBYE LOVER which makes it possible to slip into its sociopathic world. Patricia Arquette is an ideal cast as Sandra, a driven Barbie doll who sees herself as the cutthroat reincarnation of Julie Andrews' Maria from THE SOUND OF MUSIC. The performance is only so-so, but the character is such a wild blend of madonna and whore that she's enjoyable to watch. Ellen DeGeneres gets most of the prime punch lines as the embittered Det. Pompano, most directed at her morally upright Mormon partner (Ray McKinnon). The real key to appreciating GOODBYE LOVER, however, is slipping into the slickness of a production which takes the image of Los Angeles as duplicity capital of the world and blows it up to billboard size. From the encounters with spin-doctoring publicists to the ubiquitous use of mirrors, GOODBYE LOVER has a blast with tarted-up sleaze and the way motivated misanthropes can create an image that allows them get away with murder (literally and figuratively). In fact, GOODBYE LOVER is so gleeful in its complete absence of humanity that it may take you a while after it's over before you feel the need to shower its decadence right off of yourself. It's too self-aware of its lack of real characters to inspire too much head-wagging, but it's still one of those films that finds it cool to set up the only person with an ounce of optimism as an object of ridicule. GOODBYE LOVER is full of ugly-on-the-inside types who feel justified doing whatever it takes to grab the golden ring because, after all, everyone else is doing it. There's just enough residual cheesiness to keep the film in the realm of the surreal, with just enough bleak attitude to blunt its surreal appeal. It's not a thriller so much as it is an ultra-black comedy, where part of the joke is on you for leaving your moral outrage at the door. On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 jilted lovers: 6. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit Scott Renshaw's Screening Room http://www.inconnect.com/~renshaw/ *** Subscribe to receive new reviews directly by email! See the Screening Room for details, or reply to this message with subject "Subscribe". - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 17:04:29 -0400 (EDT) From: maillist@moviejuice.com Subject: [MV] MovieJuice! - LIFE - Crimes and MisdeMurphy LIFE - CRIMES AND MISDEMURPHY by Mark Ramsey http://www.moviejuice.com April 17, 1999 True story: Eddie Murphy's wrapping The Nutty Professor, so he dreams up a new project and takes the notion to producer Brian Grazer. As Grazer tells it, "Eddie came to me and said, 'Life,' just a simple word. And I said, "We'll help. We'll get a writer." Duh. To translate for those outside the movieland scene, Eddie said, "Brian, I'm going to pick a word at random from that Random House Dictionary, the one where they mix up all the houses. It could be any word - except 'transvestite.' It won't be that word! I don't pick up that word, I just give it an occasional ride! So I'll pick the word and I want you to make me a star vehicle full of dialogue and shit. Make it about something, and what not. Where there's no dialogue, we'll just mumble." To which Brian replied, "I may be white as Casper the Ghost, but I'm still a bad-ass motherfucker, Eddie! Know what I'm sayin'? I'm down wit dat! All the best movies have words. Damn! I'm just glad your word's not "Onomatopoeia" or "Triskadekaphobia" or some shit like that." Life begins in the '30s, an era before stars began freaking out and incoherently wandering through heavy traffic on Ventura Boulevard, waving a gun, and screaming obscenities at cars. Before "dehydration, overwork, and exhaustion" became available by the pint or the gel-cap. Whatever happened to those good old days of studio-financed abortions and sham marriages? Here's the scene: Eddie and Marty are in the clink for life for a crime they didn't commit. The world around them changes. Even Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman come and go. Yes, check the currency exchange ratio, it's time to redeem your shawshanks. Redeem your Shawshanks now! Couldn't somebody have script-doctored some DNA testing into this flick and saved us all some time? Give us free! All those years they're locked up in Mississippi. I can say what I want about Mississippi, of course, because the Internet missed the memo on Mississippi just as the telephone did a hundred years earlier. Mississippi is the Bermuda Triangle of Teeth! It's the only state with street signs cautioning "In-Bred Pedestrian Crossing." In fact, shoes were introduced only in 1993. Unfortunately "footwear" constituted a new species, thus upsetting the delicate ecological balance and instantly qualifying for endangered status. In addition to Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence, this flick stars Obba Babatundé, cousin of hair-care magnate Jojoba Babatundé, making actor Obba the family's Babablack sheep. I was surprised to see makeup wizard Rick Baker in the credits. What is this, The American Werewolf Goes Up The River? Then I realized our heroes age 60 years in the space of two hours, thus requiring lots of fine but extraordinarily distracting makeup and the strange feeling that you're watching Roots with pie jokes. In fact, after the makeup "Old Eddie" is a dead ringer for Bill Cosby, meaning Life is as close to Ghost Dad II as I ever hope to get. As usual, Eddie's better than his material. The more distance I get from Life, the more distance I wish I had. Unfortunately, escape was impossible. Warning: See Life and you'll need the Governor to commute your sentence. Save your shawshanks to redeem another day. And save me a Life-boat. Copyright 1999 Mark Ramsey. All rights reserved. NO PORTION MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. ******************** MOVIEJUICE! NEWS 1. Check out the big new site redesign. Finally it looks almost like a professional did it. http://www.moviejuice.com 2. MovieJuice! is on vacation next week. Look for the next issue on May 2. 3. Commercial haters: MovieJuice! is, for now at least, commercial free! How do I feel about doing without banner ads? A lot better than I feel about trading away free promotional banners and few and far between poorly sold paid slots at $5 CPM, that's for sure. No wonder there's "ex" in "exploit." So for the time being, no ads. I will not trade for pennies the enlargement of the soul. ******************** DON’T FORGET TO VISIT MOVIEJUICE.COM! Hey, kids, don't forget to visit the MovieJuice! Site at http://www.moviejuice.com. The pictures are half the fun (and sometimes more than half the laughs)! ******************** TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS LIST: DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL! Just go to http://www.moviejuice.com and follow the directions at the top of the left frame. It's very easy. NOTE: YOUR NAME CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM THE LIST UNLESS YOU UNSUBSCRIBE USING THE EMAIL ADDRESS YOU REGISTERED WITH). And don't write me lots of mean-spirited crap. I won't read it. ******************** IF YOUR LINES AREN'T WRAPPING… Your browser and/or email client (why DO they call it that?) has a setting called "Wrap Long Lines." Select it! [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ End of movies-digest V2 #181 **************************** [ To quit the movies-digest mailing list (big mistake), send the message ] [ "unsubscribe movies-digest" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]