response 146 of 290:

Jul 29 01:49 UTC 1998

Well, as was said more than once in the movie itself, "You can't
argue about taste."

response 148 of 290:

Jul 29 11:50 UTC 1998

I don't think Hartley was after naturalistic realism. If that
bothered you, how about this: Did you notice all the beer in the
film? People drinking from cans and carrying around six-packs.
Did you notice that it was always exactly the same brand?

response 150 of 290:

Jul 29 20:46 UTC 1998

*Sounds* incredibly stupid, but I'll have to go see for myself.  
Bloom's book is about "intentional misreading."  Fairly controversial 
at the time, pretty bland now.

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (B) -- Tom Hanks is excellent in this movie, but
despite its celebrated "realism" the movie is filled with cliches.  
It even has an example of the "It Was Written" rule, which appeared
notably in Lawrence of Arabia: Lawrence risks his life to save a man
everyone else says is doomed, just to prove that "nothing is written"
(i.e., in the Book of Fate), and then ends up having to shoot the man 
himself later in the movie.  The John Williams score, complete with 
piously noble chorus vocalising wordlessly, gives the game away.  
High-grade kitsch, if you like that sort of thing.  But Tom Hanks is 
fantastic, despite everything.  

Recent rental: ZERO EFFECT (B-) -- The casting was awful, but it's an
interesting idea.  A postmodern Sherlock Holmes and his disaffected
Watson.

response 152 of 290:

Jul 30 22:18 UTC 1998

"Stranger than Paradise", yes, that's it.  Saw it years ago.  One of the
characters listens to Screaming Jay Hawkins constantly on her walkman.  I
guess because of that, Jarmusch got to know Screaming Jay, and he appeared
as an actor in another movie, "Mystery Train".  He played a hotel clerk,
and did a good job, and was an interesting character.  Soundtrack for that
movie was Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, etc.  And in "Down by Law", Tom
Waits did music and acted a major part, and did brilliantly in both.
These are all great movies.

response 154 of 290:

Aug 1 06:25 UTC 1998

Rented "Daibolique" with Chazz Palminteri (woof!) and Sharon Stone. It's about
a man who is murdered by his wife and mistress, but turns up later, very much
alive. Whatever. Thing is, I could swear it's a remake of a movie I saw about
10 years ago, almost shot for shot. Can someone here help me out with the
title of the earlier one?

response 156 of 290:

Aug 1 12:02 UTC 1998

"Seven Samurai", the Kurasawa classic (at Lorch Hall, free!).  Great movie,
3.5 hours long but I even was able to stay the full length.

response 158 of 290:

Aug 2 13:05 UTC 1998

The original French "Diabolique" dates from 1955. There was a
made-for-TV remake in 1974 called "Reflections of Murder" that
starred Tuesday Weld. Perhaps that's the one you saw?

response 160 of 290:

Aug 4 00:51 UTC 1998

"Dead of Winter" was a 1987 thriller starring Mary Steenburgen 
and Roddy McDowall. It was about a woman being held prisoner in
an eerie old mansion. Not really the same story as "Diabolique",
but somewhat similar ambience perhaps.

response 162 of 290:

Aug 8 04:08 UTC 1998

  Evita 3 stars.
    I didn't see the stage play, but it was very well staged, and acted by
both Antonio Bandares, and Madonna, who was suprisingly good as Eva. In many
respects it was typical Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice in style. It reminded
me a lot of Jesus Christ, Superstar. The songs by Madonna were excellent, and
Banderes is a good singer as well. I didn't know that about him.
   I highly suggest that if you have the chance to see it, see it.

response 164 of 290:

Aug 8 11:42 UTC 1998

"Yojimbo", a Japanese film from 1961 directed by Akira Kurasawa and starring
Toshiro Mifune.  If you ever wondered where John Belushi got his samurai
character from, you must see this film.  Very funny!

response 166 of 290:

Aug 8 12:41 UTC 1998

Oh, the other important thing about Yojimbo:  It was remade as a western
starring Clint Eastwood, as "A Fistfull of Dollars", and appears to be the
inspiration for the classic Clint "man with no name" character that appeared
in a number of films.

response 168 of 290:

Aug 8 17:01 UTC 1998

Location is actually Lorch Hall for "Sanjuro"