From: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com (movies-digest) To: movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: movies-digest V2 #288 Reply-To: movies-digest Sender: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk movies-digest Friday, September 8 2000 Volume 02 : Number 288 Re: [MV] SPIELBERG - A SIMPLE LOOKBACK [MV] testing Re: [MV] testing Re: [MV] testing [MV] New member [MV] Nurse Betty [MV] Re: testing [MV] RE: New member Re: [MV] Nurse Betty Re: [MV] Scary movie [MV] The talented Mr. Ripley - 1999 - 4/5 [MV] Goldfinger - 1964 - 3/5 [MV] Closed: Who's gonna be the next big thing? - Poll Zaplet ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 01 Sep 2000 14:50:29 -0700 From: Dexter Sy Subject: Re: [MV] SPIELBERG - A SIMPLE LOOKBACK - --------------C2153006EF9999BCDB9D7698 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Source - Richard wrote: > I completely anticipate comments similar to those you mentioned, and > that was really the reason i thought i'd begin this thread. I think it > is wrong to dismiss him for making so called 'popcorn' movies - they > are as important to the art of film as anything else. To sit in a > cinema and give the audience a pure rush of joy, excitement and > emotion is not an easy thing to do. You bring up a very good point there. There is a fundamental or perhaps a chronological split in the way film texts/intellectuals/ or whatever you choose to call them perceive populist films, at least from my experiences with this film text (The Oxford History of Cinema) and the attitude of my professor. The split I speak of is basically the fact that the text tend to treat populist films in history, (films prior to the 60s) with much reverence and in fact, the text would bring up the fact that these films were "popular" to reinforce their importance. Of course, the films I'm referring to are indeed quite revered. Citizen Kane, Chaplin's films, Battleship Potemkin, and various works by stars like Ingrid Bergman, Fatty Arbuckle that I'm not too familiar with but were apparently popular in their time. It should be noted however that I'm not trying to make an all encompassing statement since this is not true all of the time. However, I do notice that popular films in history (and indeed, most of the populist films that helped established film as a viable medium) are treated with respect, if not reverent, while stuff from the "brat pack" of film makers which emerged from the 70s (Spielberg, Coppola, Scorcesse, Lucas) are dismissed to be too popular for their own good. > > > Steven Spielberg thus manages to include inner meanings which mirror > his own personality in mildly violent blockbuster movies. Everyone > with an open mind can enjoy his films. He is the best representative > of a whole part of the American film industry which succeeds in making > films which can both be enjoyed on a first degree and understood on a > second. My apologies for taking out your well thought out analysis of Spielberg's films but it was way too long and my response may go unnoticed. With regards to Spielberg's works, I agree with most of what you've already stated but also, I have to say that his films are often surrounded by the trappings of middle class living. I think the main point his critics bring up is that all he is doing is targeting America's middle class, pampering them with a feeling of self worth and sending them scurrying out of the theatre without opening up their minds to the underprivileged. They see Spielberg as a spoiled bourgeois filmaker who ignores the issue of the people outside white/middleclass background. I would disagree with the aforementioned analysis. However, I think the criticism does show Spielberg's limits. Like his good friend Mr. Lucas, Spielberg is in some ways limited by his upbringing and we often see parts of both their childhood dreams and interests displayed in their respective films. Anyways, there was a very interesting thread on Empire of the Sun a couple of months back starterd by yours truly. Did you get to read it? =) - -- Dexter S. Tendo Box - Nintendo e-zine Http://www.tendobox.com - --------------C2153006EF9999BCDB9D7698 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit  

Source - Richard wrote:

I completely anticipate comments similar to those you mentioned, and that was really the reason i thought i'd begin this thread. I think it is wrong to dismiss him for making so called 'popcorn' movies - they are as important to the art of film as anything else. To sit in a cinema and give the audience a pure rush of joy, excitement and emotion is not an easy thing to do.
You bring up a very good point there.  There is a fundamental or perhaps a chronological split in the way film texts/intellectuals/ or whatever you choose to call them perceive populist films, at least from my experiences with this film text (The Oxford History of Cinema) and the attitude of my professor.

The split I speak of is basically the fact that the text tend to treat populist films in history, (films prior to the 60s) with much reverence and in fact, the text would bring up the fact that these films were "popular" to reinforce their importance.  Of course, the films I'm referring to are indeed quite revered. Citizen Kane, Chaplin's films, Battleship Potemkin, and various works by stars like Ingrid Bergman, Fatty Arbuckle that I'm not too familiar with but were apparently popular in their time.

It should be noted however that I'm not trying to make an all encompassing statement since this is not true all of the time.  However, I do notice that popular films in history (and indeed, most of the populist films that helped established film  as a viable medium) are treated with respect, if not reverent, while stuff from the "brat pack" of film makers  which emerged from the 70s (Spielberg, Coppola, Scorcesse, Lucas) are dismissed to be too popular for their own good.

 

Steven Spielberg thus manages to include inner meanings which mirror his own personality in mildly violent blockbuster movies. Everyone with an open mind can enjoy his films. He is the best representative of a whole part of the American film industry which succeeds in making films which can both be enjoyed on a first degree and understood on a second.

My apologies for taking out your well thought out analysis of Spielberg's films but it was way too long and my response may go unnoticed.   With regards to Spielberg's works, I agree with most of what you've already stated but also, I have to say that his films are often surrounded by the trappings of middle class living.    I think the main point his critics bring up is that all he is doing is targeting America's middle class, pampering them with a feeling of self worth and sending them scurrying out of the theatre without opening up their minds to the underprivileged.  They see Spielberg as a spoiled bourgeois filmaker who ignores the issue of the people outside white/middleclass background.

I would disagree with the aforementioned analysis. However,  I think the criticism does show Spielberg's limits.  Like his good friend Mr. Lucas, Spielberg is in some ways limited by his upbringing and we often see parts of both their childhood dreams and interests displayed in their respective films.

Anyways, there was a very interesting thread on Empire of the Sun  a couple of months back starterd by yours truly.  Did you get to read it? =)
 
 

--
Dexter S.
Tendo Box - Nintendo e-zine
Http://www.tendobox.com
  - --------------C2153006EF9999BCDB9D7698-- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Sep 2000 21:36:10 -0700 From: Dexter Sy Subject: [MV] testing what happened to the list? - -- Dexter S. Tendo Box - Nintendo e-zine Http://www.tendobox.com [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 00:30:10 EDT From: Nutz4n64@aol.com Subject: Re: [MV] testing In a message dated 09/07/2000 9:28:36 PM Pacific Daylight Time, dextersy@home.com writes: << what happened to the list? >> Well, I can't recollect the last time a good movie (or interesting one) was released. That might be a clue in. - -Eric- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Sep 2000 21:47:28 -0700 From: Dexter Sy Subject: Re: [MV] testing heheh. right and i spent 14 hours straingt for 2 days on chrono cross this past week :) Nutz4n64@aol.com wrote: > In a message dated 09/07/2000 9:28:36 PM Pacific Daylight Time, > dextersy@home.com writes: > > << what happened to the list? >> > > Well, I can't recollect the last time a good movie (or interesting one) was > released. That might be a clue in. > -Eric- > > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] > [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] - -- Dexter S. Tendo Box - Nintendo e-zine Http://www.tendobox.com [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 10:28:06 +0200 From: "Ralph Utbult" Subject: [MV] New member Hi all! I=B4m new to this list and thought that I should start right away! There=B4s a scene in Pulp Fiction where Travolta dances with Thurman (in = some kind of restaurant) - what tune are they dancing to? Ralph Utbult Sweden [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 08:40:42 -0500 From: Diane Christy Subject: [MV] Nurse Betty This looks interesting. I would be interested to know what you guys have to say about this one. I haven't seen it yet. Anyone on the list seen it? - -- ~~~~~ Diane Christy (Samantha and Joshua's Mom) Jefferson, LA http://www.geocities.com/diane507/ mailto:dchristy10@earthlink.net ICQ #12904700 on Instant AOL Messenger ~~~~~ [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 08:24:00 -0600 From: ("Paul D Richardson") Subject: [MV] Re: testing > Well, I can't recollect the last time a good movie (or interesting one) was > released. That might be a clue in. Maybe if you only limit yourself to mainstream film. Check out your local art house, and you'll find a plethora of great film. Two good non-mainstream films I've seen recently are SAVING GRACE and CROUPIER, for instance. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 08:26:00 -0600 From: ("Paul D Richardson") Subject: [MV] RE: New member > There=B4s a scene in Pulp Fiction where Travolta dances with > Thurman (in some kind of restaurant) - what tune are they dancing to? It's by Chuck Berry, and the song is called "You Never Can Tell" (I think= ). The internet movie database (www.imdb.com) has soundtrack listings for mo= st movies, so you can check there for verification. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2000 08:54:07 -0700 From: "David F. Nolan" Subject: Re: [MV] Nurse Betty on 9/8/2000 6:40 AM, Diane Christy at dchristy10@earthlink.net wrote: > This looks interesting. I would be interested to know what you guys > have to say about this one. I haven't seen it yet. Anyone on the > list seen it? No, but here's a capsule review from "Screen It" a weekly e-letter for parents concerned about what their kids are watching... > "NURSE BETTY" (2000) (Renee Zellweger, Morgan Freeman) (R) > Black comedy: Two hit men (Freeman and Chris Rock) travel across the > country pursuing a woman (Zellweger) who's mentally snapped and now > truly believes she's involved with an actor's soap opera character. > A somewhat odd, black comedy mixture of genres, the story is part > "Being There," part hit man thriller, with a dose of "The Wizard of > Oz" thrown in for good measure. If you can imagine a Chauncy Gardner > type character transported from Kansas to "Oz" - in this case, > Hollywood - by a mental maelstrom rather than a tornado induced > nightmare - and then being pursued by associates of John Travolta and > Samuel L. Jackson's "Pulp Fiction" characters, then you'll begin to > get an idea of what this film is all about. While perhaps a bit > perplexing, incongruous and/or dark for some viewers' tastes > (particularly considering the brutal violence that contrasts the rest > of the film's warm, if somewhat twisted aura), the film is never short > of interesting to watch, and contains good performances, direction and > writing (it won the screenplay award at this year's Cannes Film > Festival). The R rating comes from extreme profanity (at least 56 > "f" words), lethal and bloody violence, and some sexually related > material (an encounter with movement and sounds and some unrelated > dialogue). > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: 08 Sep 00 18:35:10 +0100 From: "Source - Richard" Subject: Re: [MV] Scary movie Scary indeed. Absolutely dire - avoid at all costs. - ------------------------------------------------- Richard Benjamin Account Director e.mail: richard@sourcedesign.co.uk The Source, Westbrook Court Sharrowvale Road Sheffield S11 8YZ Tel: (0114) 229 6100 Fax: (0114) 229 6111 ISDN:(0114) 229 6123 [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 12:34:47 -0600 From: "Marc Desbiens" Subject: [MV] The talented Mr. Ripley - 1999 - 4/5 "The talented Mr. Ripley" was a very pleasurable experience for me and I think anyone seriously or casually interested in films should enjoy it or at least find something interesting about it ... The combination of cast and crew in this film creates a powerful, increasing tension that actually makes you nervous while you watch, in a way it's as if you were in Mr. Ripley's shoes yourself ... worrying about getting caught, trying to stay one step ahead of the law and checking over your shoulder all the time ! That's not an easy thing to do for a filmmaker and director Anthony Minghella builds the extended climax of this film in a very effective way I must say. Unfortunately, Minghella was not able to thread the tension throughout the entire film, from the beginning until the final credits roll. It's not that "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is too long, exactly, although it is a long film at around 2 hours 15 minutes ... but it just takes too long to wrap you up into the story. The 1st half is a little slow compared to the 2nd one, although it is still very watchable of course ... Don't get me wrong this is a quality film and #13 right now in my list of favorite films for 1999. I thought the 1st half was certainly not as good as the 2nd one ... or at least the first 40-50 minutes of the movie ... Tom Ripley is a musician who makes his living as a men's room attendant and part-time piano tuner. He lives in a basement in the meat market district of New York City in the late 50's. When a friend can't play a classical concert, he lets Tom fill in at the last minute. The problem is Tom borrows the friend's jacket to play and it has a Princeton patch on it. One of the society people attending the concert, Herbert Greenleaf, approaches Tom and comments that he noticed Tom's Princeton affiliation. Surprised for a moment, but figuring it might be fun to play along briefly, Tom nods. Herbert asks if Tom knows Dickie, his son. Tom says he knew him ... this is a LIE of course, the first of an incredibly long serie for him ! Herbert, after a bit of explanation, ends up hiring Tom to go to Italy where Dickie has been lounging with dad's money ... His mission (should he choose to accept it !) is to try and talk Dickie into coming back to New York and work for his father instead of wasting time and money in Italy. This begins Tom's descent into increasing lies, deceit, and serious moral, logistical and legal twists and turns (to put it politely), which is the basis of "The Talented Mr. Ripley's" script. The beginning of the film has to establish the small cast of characters. We need to get to know them and see the contrast between Tom's lifestyle and the fact that a beautiful Rolls Royce limo picks him up to take him to a cruise ship in Italy. We need to discover Dickie and his fiancée, Marge, the way we do and see Tom gradually approach them and appear into their lives by **accident** ... But we just don't need to see so much of it ... a good 20 minutes of screentime could have been cut in that section and would in no way have hurt the film's progression ... (Although the editing job required in this one is by far less important than in movies such as "The green mile" or "Meet Joe Black" for example ...) Please don't get on my case too much regarding my criticism, after all, I did really like this film, and once it gets to the halfway mark, "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is a near masterpiece ! The cast is excellent, which is a good thing because for a film like this to work, they need to be, and the script is even better. Everyone is in top form : Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and great supporting roles by Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Phillip Baker Hall ... two excellent but very underrated actors ! Minghella does an incredible job creating nuances among the characters as well. I was never quite sure but I kept wondering since the plot has a lot to do with motivation, where Tom Ripley's sexual interests lie, especially and maybe because Tom doesn't always seem to be quite sure himself either. Its faults aside, I highly recommend "The Talented Mr. Ripley" for any **serious** movie fan. Did I mention this is also an incredibly good looking film, the cinematography is marvelous, including lots of nice shots of Italy, travellings (Nice use of **those dollies** !!) ... this is pure EYE CANDY, I was impressed ! 4/5 (Excellent) Marc ;o) - ---------------------------------------------------- "When I lived in Porpoise Spit, I used to sit in my room for hours and listen to ABBA songs. But since I've met you and moved to Sydney, I haven't listened to one ABBA song. That's because now my life is as good as an ABBA song, it's as good as "Dancing Queen" ..." Toni Collette as "Muriel Heslop" "Muriel's wedding" - 1994 - 4/5 - ---------------------------------------------------- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 12:36:38 -0600 From: "Marc Desbiens" Subject: [MV] Goldfinger - 1964 - 3/5 ** Minor spoilers ** This was a pretty good James Bond film although I still think it is overrated by many people. I mean is it really **that** good ?? If such a film was made today, would it be a huge success ?? A good reason why so many people like it is because it was made in 1964 and back then I **suppose** it must have been something else ... audiences these days have seen too many "modern" movies to be impressed by this film, well, at least in my case ! Bond would get hit over the head these days with a frying pan if he would try to act as he does in this film, treating the ladies like that (Telling his girlfriend to say "Goodbye to Felix" because he needed to talk to him alone and then he gives her a big slap on the butt as she walks away ... oh man !) I like that in the newer films now how Bond is still a macho basically but the ladies are not letting him push them around no more ... example : Michelle Yeoh ! Plenty of things that made me rolls my eyes back and of course the ending is quite implausible too. the BIG Goldfinger being sucked through that TINY airplane window ?? Come on !! This is IMPOSSIBLE !! And then he has like 12 seconds to strap on a parachute and jump off with the lovely "Pucelle" Galore .. phew .. no wonder they didn't show that on screen ... not even SUPERMAN could have done it ! Also when Bond dismantles the Nuclear Bomb, time seems to be standing still as the Bomb would have had the time to blow up 10 times at least but everytime he looks at the conveniently placed "counter" it seems to be always higher than it should be ! James Bond (Sean Connery of course !) is good and this is much better than "Dr. No" and "From Russia with love" in my opinion, mainly because the story, the acting, the dialogues, are much better. Pussy Galore and Goldfinger were also very good and fun to watch ! There are plenty of little details to pick on, things that are silly (Bad guy throwing his "hat" around, hehe, maybe in a wrestling match, but not here !) or that could simply not happen, but overall it was rather fun to watch this story and as long as you don't take it too seriously you should have a good time ! I had never seen this film entirely until just now even if it is a "classic" ... the story is well known so I won't detail it too much here ... Bond is back and has to investigate an intriguing villain, Goldfinger ... who wants to destroy the gold reserve at Fort Knox so that the gold he possesses himself would increase value 10 times ... not sure this demented plan would work, but it doesn't really matter because the story is fun so I am willing to be "forgiving" for once because I was interested in the story and the last third is rather exciting too ... 3/5 Marc ;o) - ---------------------------------------------------------- "When I lived in Porpoise Spit, I used to sit in my room for hours and listen to ABBA songs. But since I've met you and moved to Sydney, I haven't listened to one ABBA song. That's because now my life is as good as an ABBA song, it's as good as "Dancing Queen" ..." Toni Collette as "Muriel Heslop" "Muriel's wedding" - 1994 - 4/5 - ---------------------------------------------------------- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 17:18:33 -0700 From: "Jenny Baxter" Subject: [MV] Closed: Who's gonna be the next big thing? - Poll Zaplet - ----Zaplet-Multipart-Divider Content-Type: text/plain Jenny Baxter has sent you an interactive Zaplet about 'Who's gonna be the next big thing?'. Based on the email software you are using, the best way to access your Zaplet is on the web. Click here to view this Zaplet Thank You Jenny Baxter - ---------------- If you are unable to reach the link above, go to the following address using your web browser: http://zaplet.zaplet.com/servlet/Z?m=2_QAhXq1P-iJWz-r1gIWFVz9qA If you require assistance, please email us at support@zaplet.com To learn more about Zaplets, visit us at www.zaplet.com Thank you for using Zaplets! - ----Zaplet-Multipart-Divider Content-Type: text/html Poll Zaplet: Who's gonna be the next big thing?
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  Jenny Baxter writes: There has been a lot of buzz about these new young actors ... which one do you predict will be the next big thing?
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