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| Author |
Message |
| 25 new of 229 responses total. |
mcnally
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response 167 of 229:
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Feb 27 23:24 UTC 2000 |
Snow Falling on Cedars -- (D)
If this movie had been a Fox special it might easily have been titled
"When Bad Directors Attack". Based on David Guterson's popular novel
about a murder trial involving a Japanese-American fisherman just after
WWII, "Snow Falling On Cedars" should've been a fairly safe bet --
adaptation of a bestselling novel, decent cast turning in decent
performances, attractive scenery and interesting setting (a small town
in an island off the coast of Washington State (one of the San Juans?))
Unfortunately, director Scott Hicks apparently decided to take all of
these elements of what should have been a modest success and throw them
into a blender. The resulting morass of flashbacks, cut-aways, and
poorly-edited montages is neither artistic nor appealing, just annoying.
*Extremely* annoying.
--
The World is Not Enough -- (D+)
I caught two movies at the bargain theater this weekend and this was the
second. After "Snow Falling on Cedars" I wasn't looking for anything
ambitious or involved, so a mindless dose of vehicle chases and explosions,
taken withouth any great expectations, seemed like a good idea. Nope!
The two thousandth feature-length James Bond film, TWinE managed to slide
in well under even my extremely low expectations for a Bond action film.
It's hard to criticise a Bond film..
Of course the plot was idiotic and full of holes.
Of course the characters were ludicrously one-dimensional.
And of course the physics of the action sequences were simply insulting
to any moderately thoughtful viewer.
These aren't flaws to be forgiven in a Bond film, they're apparently actual
necessary elements of the genre. You expect them. You might, in fact,
be scandalized if they weren't there.
In that sense, in fact, "The World is Not Enough" might actually be the
quintessential Bond film. The plot is *extra* idiotic, the characters
are especially one-dimensional, and a whole lotta things get 'blowed up
reeeal good,' often by scantily clad women.
Unfortunately, though many other Bond films have been enjoyable despite
these properties, "The World is Not Enough" is just too much.
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krj
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response 168 of 229:
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Feb 28 02:45 UTC 2000 |
Yeah, I didn't feel like working up a detailed criticism of it,
but I really did not like "The World Is Not Enough" very much.
I felt like it was a non-stop assault on my ears. There just wasn't
much of a sense of fun to it; in that respect it reminded me of
Timothy Dalton's second Bond film, "License to Kill," probably the only
Bond film I'm seen just once.
The one part of the film I liked was more screen time for Judi Densch,
who is the new 'M'.
Definitely a disappointment after the success of the previous film,
"Tomorrow Never Dies," with Hong Kong martial arts star Michelle Yeoh.
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flem
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response 169 of 229:
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Feb 28 04:35 UTC 2000 |
(Aside: I was in the movie store the other day and noticed "Grey
Owl", featuring Pierce Brosnan playing a white frontiersman, complete
with coonskin cap and fringed buckskin, who gets adopted into an Indian
tribe. I very nearly rented it, just to laugh myself silly at seeing
P.B. in buckskin. :)
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mcnally
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response 170 of 229:
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Feb 28 04:51 UTC 2000 |
It might've been worth it just to see how the movie would explain how
he kept himself supplied with styling mousse on the edge of the frontier..
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gypsi
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response 171 of 229:
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Feb 28 05:48 UTC 2000 |
<smirks> Nice one...
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drew
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response 172 of 229:
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Feb 29 03:08 UTC 2000 |
I still think the James Bond character is way overdue for shriveling up due
to old age. My god! He's been at it for almost 40 years!
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remmers
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response 173 of 229:
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Feb 29 13:28 UTC 2000 |
Trivia puzzle: Name all the actors who have played Bond in the movies.
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void
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response 174 of 229:
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Feb 29 14:28 UTC 2000 |
hmmm...george lazenby, sean connery, roger moore, timothy dalton,
pierce brosnan, and some american whose name i forget but who starred as
james "jimmy" bond in a 1959-ish made-for-tv serious production of
"casino royale." is that all of them?
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bruin
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response 175 of 229:
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Feb 29 14:37 UTC 2000 |
RE #175 I believe that "Jimmy" Bond was played by Woody Allen in "Casino
Royale." But I could be wrong on that.
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scott
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response 176 of 229:
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Feb 29 15:08 UTC 2000 |
"Casino Royale" is a trick refernce, though, since one of the plot lines was
that (to sow confusion) *all* agents would be named James Bond. So you'd have
to list a lot of actors and even a dog.
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remmers
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response 177 of 229:
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Feb 29 16:46 UTC 2000 |
I'm not familiar with a made-for-tv "Casino Royale". The 1967
film version had at least Peter Sellers, David Niven, and Woody
Allen as Bond.
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krj
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response 178 of 229:
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Feb 29 18:29 UTC 2000 |
void is correct about the made-for-tv version. Author Ian Fleming
sold the dramatic rights to "Casino Royale," his first Bond novel,
back in the 1950s. The makers of the 1967 film spoof bought those
rights and thus had a legal claim to use the "James Bond" name.
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void
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response 179 of 229:
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Feb 29 20:45 UTC 2000 |
right, krj. i'm not talking about the spoof version of "casino
royale" with peter sellers, david niven, et cetera. there was a
serious, as in non-comedic, black-and-white production of "casino
royale" made for american tv in about 1959 or so. most, if not all, the
actors were americans and the characters all referred to bond as
"jimmy." i'll see if i can find a reference to it somewhere, since krj
and i seem to be the only people who have heard of this version.
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void
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response 180 of 229:
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Feb 29 20:49 UTC 2000 |
hmmm. this is why i love google:
Casino Royale (1954)
The screen debut of James Bond, broadcast live on CBS-TV in the U.S. on
October 21, 1954 as part of the "Climax Mystery Theater." Running time
50 minutes.
Starring Barry Nelson as Jimmy Bond, Linda Christian as the Bond girl,
Peter Lorre as the villain, Le Chiffre, with Michael Pate as Clarence
Leiter.
In a nationality twist, "Jimmy Bond" is a CIA agent, and "Clarence
Leiter" is Bond's British ally.
(from http://www.mcs.net/~klast/www/cr54.html)
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gelinas
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response 181 of 229:
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Mar 1 03:07 UTC 2000 |
Peter Lorre as Le Chiffre. . . . Interesting.
I've not seen the movie, but I can't see Mr. Lorre in the book's role.
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remmers
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response 182 of 229:
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Mar 1 15:15 UTC 2000 |
Oh my. Now that void has entered the details, I can recall seeing
that TV production. I believe it was the premiere production of
"Climax Mystery Theater".
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md
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response 183 of 229:
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Mar 1 21:24 UTC 2000 |
From http://www.eonline.com/
"Leni Riefenstahl, 97, once famed as Hitler's
favorite filmmaker, survived a plane crash in
the Sudan with only broken ribs, a German source
said Wednesday."
I had no idea she was still alive.
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richard
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response 184 of 229:
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Mar 1 22:24 UTC 2000 |
leni reifenstahl, not only still alive at 97, but coming out with
her autobiography soon, should be good as she's had some life-- also
movie of her life with her played by Jodie Foster
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remmers
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response 185 of 229:
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Mar 1 22:31 UTC 2000 |
I had no idea she was still alive either. Must be in pretty
good health if she's flying around in planes in the Sudan.
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md
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response 186 of 229:
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Mar 10 13:25 UTC 2000 |
Recent rentals:
EYES WIDE SHUT (C) - A beautifully detailed production
but as shallow as a pizza pan. It can be helpful with a
movie by a Kubrick to imagine that it was directed by
someone else -- say, James Cameron -- and then ask yourself
what your opinion of it would be. Eyes Wide Shut flunks the
Cameron test dismally. Even the sumptuous visuals got on
my nerves after a while. In mean, how many curtains of
white Christmas lights do I have to be shown before I shout,
"I get the idea!"? And how many times does Nicole Kidman
have to dissolve in naughty-schoolgirl giggles before you
want to put duct tape over her mouth?
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remmers
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response 187 of 229:
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Mar 11 01:23 UTC 2000 |
If James Cameron had made "Eyes Wide Shut," I'd have said that he'd made
a major breakthrough in his development as a director and that I didn't
know he had it in him.
|
otaking
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response 188 of 229:
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Mar 11 05:55 UTC 2000 |
"Eyes Wide Shut" might prove to be the breakthrough film for Leelee Sobiewski,
who I really enjoyed in the "Joan of Arc" TV mini-series.
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richard
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response 189 of 229:
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Mar 11 22:19 UTC 2000 |
as steven spielberg said, he used to hate Kubrick's films-- he particularly
disliked The Shining. But a funny thing happened, he periodically watched
them again, and with each viewing saw different things and different details.
Kubrick made his films with such detail that you simply cant "get it" watching
it once. Spielberg now says The Shining, which he once hated, is now one of
his absolute favorite movies of all, and that he came to be in awe of
Kubrick's talent. He says that in time, people will come to realize "Eyes
Wide Shut" for the masterpiece that it is.
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aaron
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response 190 of 229:
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Mar 12 01:01 UTC 2000 |
Any "masterpiece" that must be studied over and over again to be appreciated
is unlikely to ever gain widespread recognition as a "masterpiece," no
matter how adored it may be by those who take the time to study it.
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flem
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response 191 of 229:
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Mar 12 01:08 UTC 2000 |
Perhaps. On the other hand, there are a great many "masterpieces" that never
achieve widespread recognition except among specialists.
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