|
Grex > Cinema > #23: ---<<<< AT THE MOVIES >>>>--- |  |
|
| Author |
Message |
| 25 new of 146 responses total. |
aruba
|
|
response 47 of 146:
| 
Nov 8 17:36 UTC 1998 |
That sounds like "Enchanted April".
|
aruba
|
|
response 48 of 146:
|
Nov 8 18:18 UTC 1998 |
We went to see Pleasantville last night. This was the first movie in a
long, long time that I didn't feel bad about paying $7.50 for. (Well, I
felt bad when I paid it, but not after I'd seen the movie.)
It's a story about the choices we make personally and as a society. Would
we rather have things be pleasant all the time, or have soaring highs and
deep lows? Would we rather live in a small world where we understand
everything, or a big one which is scary but much more varied? Is there a
way life "should" be, which consequently makes it easier to know what to
do, or is it up to everyone to make what they can out of their lives -
making life harder but boundless.
People who are nostalgic for the 1950s often talk about how life was
"simpler" then. I am such a person sometimes (even though I was born in
1967) when I am frustrated about not knowing what to do with my life, or
how to interact with people, or how to judge if what I've done is a
success. Sometimes I wish that the world were small and the rules clearly
defined, so that I wouldn't have to make so many choices.
But I subscribe to the notion that you can't really be alive in such a
world. In other words, no one is a whole person who depends on everyone
else to make all the rules and judge all the accomplishments. The essence
of what makes us "intelligent life", and other animals less so, is that we
can confront new situations, solve new problems, and find our way in the
world unguided by evolutionarily built-in instincts. The very reason we
are able to do the things we do is that humanity didn't get locked into a
pattern of behavior and an evolutionary niche that would eventually
dissappear.
Societally built-in patterns and instincts, while making it a lot easier
to live, are no less deadly than evolutionary ones, in the end. If we
allow ourselves to think that there is one way that things "should be", we
are condemning ourselves to stagnation and, eventually, extinction.
The movie has a wonderful way of showing people coming alive. I give it
an A+.
|
remmers
|
|
response 49 of 146:
|
Nov 8 21:43 UTC 1998 |
Nice analysis. I liked "Pleasantville" a lot.
|
void
|
|
response 50 of 146:
|
Nov 9 00:41 UTC 1998 |
"apt pupil" is yet another example of someone screwing up a stephen
king story when attempting to translate it to film. don't bother seeing
this movie. the plot has been mostly removed, much of the rest of the
movie including the ending has been disneyed, and several of the
performances are lame.
otoh, the story "apt pupil," which is in stephen king's anthology
_different seasons_, may well be the best thing king has ever written.
i'm no big stephen king fan, but that story is one of the best i've ever
read, as well as being one of the most disturbing.
|
mwg
|
|
response 51 of 146:
|
Nov 9 02:27 UTC 1998 |
_The Wizard of Oz_, on a screen bigger than will fit in your living room,
see it. (And try to cope with a narrow-frame movie and credits that end
before the theater vacates. {Including the extra restoration credits.})
|
omni
|
|
response 52 of 146:
|
Nov 9 06:45 UTC 1998 |
I don't think I want to see the new Wizard.
I saw it years ago at the Michigan, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. For one
thing, this movie is made for the big screen, not TV, so even seeing the old
version in a theatre is yards better than on TV. I think the sequences where
the WWW is flying on the broomstick doing the pollution thing is neat when
you're watching it from a balcony, and the sequence where the trio meets the
Wizard for the first time is really scary when the sound is loud and it's 30
feet tall and in your face. You sort of lose than on TV.
Hey Hollywood- If it aint broke, don't fix it.
|
omni
|
|
response 53 of 146:
|
Nov 9 06:45 UTC 1998 |
WWW= Wicked Witch of the West.
|
remmers
|
|
response 54 of 146:
|
Nov 9 13:04 UTC 1998 |
Re resp:51 and resp:52 - the new version of _Wizard of Oz_ is a
restoration with a remastered digital stereo soundtrack. That could be
good or bad, depending on whether they tried to be faithful to the
original sound & just reproduce it better (good), or whether they added
snazzy directional effects that weren't in the mono original (bad).
The color restoration is, according to Siskel & Ebert, magnificent.
However, there are two kinds of prints circulating: Eastman Color and
3-strip Technicolor. The latter is the way color movies used to be done
and, although it is more expensive, the results are stunning. People who
haven't seen 3-strip Technicolor in a theater (a process abandoned in
the 1950's for cost reasons, but now making a limited comeback) don't
know what they've been missing.
I'd be interested in seeing _Wizard_ in the Technicolor version. The
local ads don't mention Technicolor though, so I suspect they're showing
an Eastman Color print.
|
omni
|
|
response 55 of 146:
|
Nov 9 16:11 UTC 1998 |
I'm a revisionist, and I hate spoiling things from the past. Why can't this
generation just accept the work of the hollywood that was, instead of
retooling it into something evil? There are some wonderful old movies that
have been ruined by colorizaion. The Maltese Falcon is the first one I can
think of, and Mutiny on the Bounty is second. Heretics all!
I wonder what Lenny Maltin said about this new Wizard. He usually is
the voice of reason. Siskel and Ebert like most everthing, and that
is the reason I don't put much stock in the thumbs up/thumbs down thing.
|
albaugh
|
|
response 56 of 146:
|
Nov 9 16:45 UTC 1998 |
Restoring or improving a movie's media condition isn't spoiling the original
intent, and is sometimes an outright necessity, the recent restoration of
"My Fair Lady" (as seen on AMC) a case in point. (And I'm not referring to
colorization as one of those media improvements! :-)
Re: King books into movies: 2 of the 4 "seasons" episodes were made into
pretty good flicks, the first, "The Body", doing well as "Stand By Me", and
the 2nd "The Shawshank Redemption". I'm sorry to hear that "Apt Pupil"
suffered in the translation. I'd still probably pay $2 to see it, bad reviews
notwithstanding, if for no other reason than to personally ridicule it for
deviating from the book! :-)
|
gregb
|
|
response 57 of 146:
|
Nov 9 16:56 UTC 1998 |
*** Balto ***
When this first came out, I was sorta interested, but not enough to spend
money to go see it. Not too long ago, it was shown in the Cartoon Network,
so I gave it a look-see. I enjoyed it emensely. While this is an "animal"
flick, I think the story is pure drama. Thyis is no wussy Disney film (I
think Spielberg was Exec. Producer). There's big names doing the voices,
including Kevin Bacon and Phil Collings, et al. The music was composed/
conducted by James Horner, my second-fav movie score composers (John Williams
is my first). The animation was alright; not the best I've seen, but there
\was some nice bacground scenes.
Basically, the story is about a half dog/wolf named Balto and his search for
his place in the world, and to fulfil a dream: To become a sleddog in
Alaska's big sled race (I know the name, but can't spell it<g>).
Unfortunately, Balto is shuned by both humans and the other dogs. The only
ones who will accept his are Boris, a goose and his best friend; Two polar
bears (whose names escape me); And Jenna, a female dog and love interest.
The antagonist of the story is Steele, a champion sleddog whose more
interested in his own fame--and Jenna (in that order)--than anything else.
What I liked about this movie was none of these characters were two-
dimensional. You get to learn about them to some degree: Boris, a goose who
for reasons unknown doesn't want to re-join his fellow geese; The polar
bears, who love to squabble, and don't know how to swim, thus becoming out-
casts from the other bears (they also refer to Boris as "Uncle"); Jenna, who
is completely devoted to her little-girl master; And Steele, who'll do
anything to retain his "top-dog" status.
If you like "feel-good" movies, this one's a must see.
|
krj
|
|
response 58 of 146:
|
Nov 9 18:14 UTC 1998 |
resp:47 :: Leslie thinks that "Enchanted April" is indeed the title she
was looking for. Thanks! She got to thinking about it because
Joan Plowright has a role in the presumably-doomed sitcom ENCORE, ENCORE.
(Plowright plays the mother of retired opera singer Nathan Lane.)
|
mcnally
|
|
response 59 of 146:
|
Nov 9 22:17 UTC 1998 |
re #57: didn't see it but I thought that Balto was adapted from the
story of the origins of the Iditarod.
"Velvet Goldmine" -- C+. Different and potentially interesting subject
matter spoiled by muddled treatment and big problems with the narrative.
Relates the story of a glam-rock superstar told in "Citizen Kane"-like
flashbacks. (Many reviewers seem to assume that the character is supposed
to be David Bowie but those familiar with the music of that period will
recognize that the character is a composite of several performers.)
Outrageous costumes and good music fail to redeem a poor script but fans
of the era's music will probably enjoy the show.
|
tpryan
|
|
response 60 of 146:
|
Nov 9 23:22 UTC 1998 |
I too saw Wizard of Oz on one of previous appearaces at the
Michigan. However, I was in the Ann Arbor News reviewers seat (it said
so on the plaque), about 9 rows back. It would be good to see it again
at a theature.
Exceptional that two movies from that era have re-shown on our
screens this year. The other being Gone With The Wind. Also amazing
that in just less than ten years after 'the talkies' where introduced,
movies making had advanced to what it was to Wizard and Wind caliber.
|
aruba
|
|
response 61 of 146:
|
Nov 10 01:53 UTC 1998 |
Re #55: Siskel & Ebert certainly do *not* like most everything. And they
have been very critical of Ted Turner's colorization campaign. When he
restored GWTW, they applauded him for finally getting the right idea:
colorizing movies that were in color to begin with.
Film deteriorates, Jim. Why do you think restoring it is evil?
|
senna
|
|
response 62 of 146:
|
Nov 10 05:11 UTC 1998 |
The reissue of the Star Wars trilogy illustrates both sides of the coin. On
one hand, they revamped the special effects, particularly in the first movie,
and added some scenes. This changes how the movie was originally released.
(George insists that there was a reason for this, since technology is only
now able to tell the story how he envisioned it, and there's reasont to
believe him.) On the other hand, a lot of the unchanged stuff got restored.
I shouldn't have to be the first one to tell you that the picture quality of
recent trilogy showings has been degrading. The original negatives are over
20 years old, and they were restored for a reason. They were showing their
age. I suspect the Wizard of Oz restoration is along a similar vein,
restoring the picture to its original quality.
|
omni
|
|
response 63 of 146:
|
Nov 10 06:19 UTC 1998 |
I'm not opposed to restoring negatives, in fact, I'm all for it. I
just wish they would leave the film as it was shot. Of course, excluding
Touch of Evil, which I understand was not shot the way Welles had intended.
I'm glad that someone finally shot it according to his notes.
|
remmers
|
|
response 64 of 146:
|
Nov 10 11:36 UTC 1998 |
As I understand it, the effort in _Wizard of Oz_ was to restore the film
as closely as possible to its *original* look. For example, the scenes
in Kansas were originally sepia-toned instead of straight black-and-
white. The new release restores the sepia.
|
krj
|
|
response 65 of 146:
|
Nov 10 19:57 UTC 1998 |
I'm still grumping at Spielberg for his revised version of
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS.
|
remmers
|
|
response 66 of 146:
|
Nov 10 21:37 UTC 1998 |
Never saw that. What was wrong with it?
|
tpryan
|
|
response 67 of 146:
|
Nov 10 22:33 UTC 1998 |
re 65,66: Pinochio becomes a real boy.
|
krj
|
|
response 68 of 146:
|
Nov 11 00:04 UTC 1998 |
Gripes with CLOSE ENCOUNTERS: SPECIAL EDITION --
Spielberg cut the long sequence where Richard Dreyfus wakes up one
morning and starts collecting the material for his living-room sized
model of Devil's Mountain. That was a sequence which got an *ovation*
in the movie theatre opening weekend.
Speilberg also decided that he had to add some extra footage showing the
interior of the Mother Ship; in the original film, the camera never
went inside that ship.
What's commonly shown on TV now is a blend of both versions.
|
remmers
|
|
response 69 of 146:
|
Nov 11 12:23 UTC 1998 |
Dreyfus' building of the Devil's Tower model was one of the highlights
of "Close Encounters" for me, so I'd miss it too.
|
scott
|
|
response 70 of 146:
|
Nov 14 15:58 UTC 1998 |
"Six String Samurai" (1998)
Really cool film. The setup (told in Star Wars scroll):
"In 1957 the Russians dropped the bomb and took over America. The only free
place left was Lost Vegas. 40 years later, King Elvis has died."
FRom there is the story of a "samurai" and his quest to get to Lost Vegas to
try and become the new King. (A samurai in this future has to be both a good
swordsman and also play a mean guitar). Our hero, a Buddy Holly type, fights
various Mad Max style desert characters while protecting a tagalong kid.
Very funny, very cool. Plays again next Friday and Saturday at the Michigan,
midnite.
|
omni
|
|
response 71 of 146:
|
Nov 14 17:46 UTC 1998 |
The Stand
Based on the book, and the teleplay was written by Stephen King, this
was an 8 (count 'em) 8 hour miniseries which told the story of a post
superflu world and it's struggle between good and evil.
Unlike most other Stephen King productions, this one was suprisingly
good. Gary Sinise, Rob Lowe, and Molly Ringwald were oustanding, as were Ray
Walston and Miguel Ferrer. Steve wrote himself a nice little part, since
he was the producer as well, and he acts just about as good as he writes.
All in all, it was very interesting, and the last hour is perhaps the
most gripping I've seen in a while. 3 stars.
|