response 25 of 229:

Dec 28 07:43 UTC 1999

  Despite the fact that Bill Pullman always annoys me, I enjoyed "Zero
  Effect" (perhaps because this time for a chance he's actually *supposed*
  to be annoying.)

  Ben Stiller's role, playing the much harried sidekick/assistant/foil to
  private investigator Darryl Zero (Pullman's character) must've been
  reasonably fun..

response 27 of 229:

Dec 28 14:53 UTC 1999

Speaking of movies with "zero" in the title:  Check out "Apartment
Zero" sometime...

response 29 of 229:

Dec 28 16:18 UTC 1999

        "Ground Zero", a decent docudrama-style movie about the British tests
on Arboriginal land in the 1960s, and the fallout (literally) from them.

response 31 of 229:

Dec 29 21:29 UTC 1999

is it about spankings and stuff?

response 33 of 229:

Jan 1 17:02 UTC 2000

ON ANY GIVEN SUNDAY (D)  This movie was already described in #14, but
I take a far less charitable stand on the presumption of a plot and the
invention of the shakey-cam, the cliche for football mayhem on film.

I lpaid matinee prices and did not get my money's worth--even though I sat
for three hours.  I doubt that even the price of a rental would be a bargain.
I suggest waiting for a *broadcast* network to play it so that any dope with
some scissors can improve it by making random cuts for commercial space.

One good thing to say about the film:  The sound of turf being torn from the
ground in the hands of the first-string quarterback after his injury.  That
was great, but it certainly didn't make a three-hour movie any good.

response 35 of 229:

Jan 2 17:18 UTC 2000

No, it's a reworking of Sherlock Holmes.  No question about it.  It's
even a specific Sherlock Holmes story.

response 37 of 229:

Jan 2 23:04 UTC 2000

Roger Ebert says:

"Midway through the movie, I was being nudged by echoes of 
another story, and I realized that Zero Effect was probably 
inspired by the relationship between Sherlock Holmes and the 
faithful Watson -- Holmes, who could sit in his study and 
use pure deduction to solve a crime. When Zero described his 
methods, he sounds Holmesian: 'Objectivity ... and observation. 
The two ob's.'  If Zero is like Holmes, Gloria is certainly 
like Irene Adler, from 'A Scandal in Bohemia.' She was the one 
woman for Holmes, the one who got under his skin and into his 
mind."

response 39 of 229:

Jan 5 04:53 UTC 2000

As Delizia/Ebert say, "A Scandal in Bohemia".  Some points of similarity
(mild spoilers):

  - "He was, I take it, the most perfect reasoning and observing machine
    that the world has seen, but as a lover he would have placed himself
    in a false position."  Much is made in the first paragraph of Holmes'
    objectivity, and of the impression his nemisis in this story made on
    him.  "And yet, there was but one woman to him, and that woman was the
    late Irene Adler".

  - "I had seen little of Holmes lately.  My marriage had drifted us
    away from each other."  Like Steve Arlo, Dr Watson is being distracted
    from Holmes by love.  Holmes more or less drags him into the case.

  - Between cases, Holmes have been indulging in cocaine.  Zero drugs up.
    (Both also play string instruments (badly) though this is not mentioned
    in "A Scandal in Bohemia").

  - When Holmes sees Watson, he observes that he has taken up his practice
    again and has been recently caught in the rain.  The basis?  He smells
    of iodoform.  Zero identifies Gloria's profession based on her hair having
    been wet and her smell of iodine.

  - The King of Bohemia is being blackmailed by Irene Adler, with whom he
    had an affair.  She has a picture of them together, which she threatens
    to send to his future wife.  Obviously this had to be updated, since
    that could hardly be cause for much alarm in this day and age.  Irene
    has been split into two different women in "Zero Effect" and the
    embarrassingness of the relationship has been magnified.

  - Holmes, like Zero, uses many disguises in his work.

  - Holmes' client, like Zero's, attempts to keep secrets from the great
    detective.

  - A false fire alarm figures in both stories.

  - Holmes, like Zero, figures out the woman's secret, but fails to bring
    her to "justice", because she figures him out just as fast and flees
    the country.  She reveals that she has uncovered him by addressing him
    by name.

  - Though the lady is not captured, the blackmail threat is ended.

The "Zero Effect" plot is substanially more complex and suspenseful, but
this is a lot of similarities given that "A Scandal in Bohemia" is only about
20 pages long.  Zero's reclusiveness does seem similar to Nero Wolfe's, but
in fact Zero spends the whole movie out and about, not being reclusive.
I don't see many other Wolfe similarities, but I've only read a couple of
those books.

response 41 of 229:

Jan 6 23:18 UTC 2000

My roommate and I saw Fantasia 2000 last night on the IMAX screen here 
in Columbus. Was wonderful, albeit Disney. Some of the pieces including 
Beethovens 9th Symphony, Saint Saens 'March of the Animals' (Or 
something close, can't remember the exact name) with a flock of 
flamingos and a yo-yo; and Pomp and Circumstance with Donald Duck 
trying to herd animals onto Noah's Ark. Everybodies favourite 'The 
Sorcerers Apprentice' and Stravinsky's 'Firebird' (I think that's it 
name. Headache is blocking exact names at the moment). A few other 
songs were in the movie, of those I can't remember the names or 
composers so I won't embarass myself with my lack of knowledge on those 
songs(More than I already have).  Lots of story telling through the 
songs and less image and colours. (I think Beethovens piece may have 
been the only image piece and not a story). Typical Disney animation 
and a large contrast in the animation between the new songs and 
with 'Sorcers Apprentice'. Appeared to have more computer animation 
than the original. (For obvious reasons, but the computer animation was 
heavily used as opposed to regular animation. Did that make sense?) 
Well worth the $10 we each payed for an evening show.

response 43 of 229:

Jan 7 22:36 UTC 2000

I was going to see it at the IMAX theater here in NYC, but they
set up special ticket prices for that movie only-- $12.50 a ticket.
I will not pay $12.50 for a movie ticket.  Im too cheap.

response 45 of 229:

Jan 9 00:45 UTC 2000

Tried to go see Galaxy Quest, but...

The Goodrich 16 out on Jackson is pretty nice, but they schedule the starting
times of *all* the films within the same 20 minutes.  Needless to say, a huge
line forms all the way out into the parking lot.  Idiots.

response 47 of 229:

Jan 9 03:16 UTC 2000

  A friend and I also went to the Goodrich 16 to see Galaxy Quest.
  When the showtime we'd originally planned on sold out we went and
  had a leisurely supper at Mancino's (a pizza and sub place a few
  blocks further down the street) and then returned for the next showing.

  I wouldn't say it was hilarious, but it was at least amusing. 
  We both enjoyed it, I'd give it a solid "B"..

response 49 of 229:

Jan 9 04:02 UTC 2000

It's a theme park where all the fantasy characters look remarkably similar.