337 new of 348 responses total.
Agora 20 <-> Cinema 31
Uh.... welll... Monday I was in the production offices of Julia Roberts' next, "Erin Brockovich", and I passed the offices of "Nutty Professor II". I bet I know which movie is going to have more ass jokes.
I'm dying to see "Tarzan" and "Wild Wild West" They are in theatres over here and I haven't seen either.
re #13: you're not going far out on a limb with that prediction, are you?
for more of a challenge, try to predict the first movie to be made
*after* "Nutty Professor II" that will feature more ass jokes.
If you can make that call correctly I'll be *very* impressed..
Thusfar, I heard that "Wild Wild West" is Avengers '99...take a TV show, fondly remembered, and mess with it.
Wild Wild West doesn't impress me to the point I'd go and see it. I still am a very big fan of the old one with Robert Conrad. Maybe the movie will catch on so that some pimp station will begin showing the tv show again just for the sole value of tying in.
Re 15: If they were doing a remake of "Tess of the D'Urbervilles", that would be a shoo-in.
So far, "Wild Wild West" has provided a feast for fans of really negative movie reviews. "Not As Bad As 'The Avengers'" was about the most positive evaluation I found so far. Anyone actually seen it?
I was tempted, but I think I'll wait until video. The previews did not impress me much at all. When that happens, you know there's trouble.
Wow, to me it looks like a whole lot of fun. I like Kevin Kline. He has one of those forgiveably-naughty smiles. A Simple Plan is now available on video. I think it was last year's best movie.
Yeah, I think Wild, Wild West looks like fun.
I always liked the show "Wild, Wild West" -- it was one of the trippiest
concepts for a television show ever ("I know -- let's make a science-fiction
western!")
I was hoping the movie would be good -- sounds like I can can kiss those
hopes goodbye..
Well, WWW looked like fun from the trailers. ;-) It had it's moments. All two of them. (sigh).
I wonder if this WWW movie is web-based... ;-)
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I sw Wild Wild West, it was cheesey. Actually, it was double cheesie
Is that a bad thing?
Pizza, no. Movies, Yes.
Recently saw "The Zero Effect" on video - liked it quite a bit and suspect it did not do well in the box office because though it has many parts that make one smile, it is not a "comedy". It is a good portrayal of that "Greatest Detective In the World" idea - amazing while on a case, but socially completely inept; finds love and so on, but all develops in an unexpected and entertaining way.
I enjoyed Zero Effect as well.
The original _West_ was almost before my time, but I remember a few bits and pieces about it. * They had a private train which also served as their base of operations. All you ever saw was the caboose, which looked *enormous* on the inside. I wondered how that caboose managed to fit on the tracks. * West had a small two-shot pistol in a power holster, and a few other hidden devices. * The railroad car was equipped with a "telegraph" that I thought would have had to be a radio tranceiver. How do you connect to wires from a moving train? * The plots often involved fighting villians who were inventing various 20th Century devices to use in various attempts of world domination and other mischief. * There was a Time Travel episode (an ex-Confederate general tryinmg to change the outcome of the Civil War), and an episode with Space Aliens! (details forgotten.) I don't know why I lost track of this one. I think I'd watch it if it showed up on broadcast television. There have already been a couple of movies made, both of them shown on television, which I thought were okay.
BIG DADDY (B) - Pretty good. Adam Sandler is one of those actors you never expect to mature, but that's what he seems to be doing. Who knew? Sandler's character's parenting philosophy reminded my son of me, which I guess I have to take as a compliment. WISHFUL THINKING (B-) - Too talky and too long, but the writer/director's use of point-of-view shifts and one or two neat plot twists kept my interest up. THE FACULTY (C) - I wasn't crazy about it, but my kids thought it was scary and cool. Jon Stewart is in all three of the above movies.
re resp:32
* The railroad car was equipped with a "telegraph" that I thought would have
had to be a radio tranceiver. How do you connect to wires from a moving
train?
The train is not attached to the wires, it travels *on* them.
Since a number of folks here seem to have picked up Pullman's _Zero
Effect_, it's worth asking - have any of you seen _The End of Violence_?
Yes, saw _The End of Violence_ and liked it a lot.
anyone seen South Park yet?
After much mucking about, I finally witnessed both Pulp Fiction and Lawrence of Arabia. Here we go. Pulp Fiction was a lot of fun. It neither panders to the senses nor denies them entirely. The dialogue is vivid, the characters are splendidly developed, and the stories are the sorts of things that don't pop up every day. The nonlinear presentation is really the icing on the cake, elevating this beyond any other movie. The acting's nice, too :) Lawrence of Arabia was viewed with two prominent issues in mind. 1) It is meant to be viewed in a movie palace. I couldn't agree more. Someone warn me when the Michigan plays it. 2) It is a "classic," and thus carries way too many expectations on it. "Classic" movies tend to follow entirely different rhythms from today's modern film. The differences are so great that comparing two films (the two I watched, for instance) is like comparing two completely different languages. Lawrence of Arabia essentially followed this pattern, and I was prepared for a long classic. The first half in particular was terrific. It trickled off at the end, leaving me somewhat unsatisfied, but it is still a magnificent work of art. C'mon Michigan.
HHS: Twice, byotch!
An Ideal Husband is absolutely wonderful. I am going to see it again.
Saw "WildWild West" this weekend and I really enjoyed it. That was the general consensus of the seven other people I went with. Personally, I loved all the puns and even though it was cheesy- I enjoyed it.
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I saw "Wild, Wild West" and liked it a lot. As others here have said, it was cheesy. It really was. But cheese can be very badly done, or very well done, and this one was some pretty good cheese. First of all, Will Smith is a very good actor. I don't know why I think so, except that I can imagine some of the scenes he's done, but with someone else filling in, say, Donald Sutherland. Will Smith is better than Donald Sutherland. Second, it was more or less true to my long ago, childhood memories of the TV show. (Which also was cheesy.) There's a lot to dislike in this movie. There are many unclever racial and handicapper jokes, and bland sex jokes (and bland sexism). The plot is nothing to get excited about. I was not awed by the special effects, or stunned by the scenery. The original "Wild, Wild West" theme music, which was good, appears only once. Will Smith's rap song doesn't appear at all until the screen credits. (Okay, I hate rap, and don't understand it, so this part didn't bother me much.) But I laughed out loud several times while watching. (Racial humor is not always funny, but when it's aimed at, and done with the participation of, one of the most successful entertainers around, then I might well find it funny.) And the unsavory jokes went right over my 8 year old's head, nonetheless he liked the movie for what he saw in it. On a scale of 4, I'd give it about a 2.5, I think.
Roger Ebert gave Wild Wild West thumbs way down-- says Will Smith and Kevin Kline have zero chemistry and script is poorly written. My problem with the movie is that it takes place in post-civil war 1860's Will Smith shouldnt be playing the Robert Conrad role because in the\ 1860's blacks had just been freed from slavery and were not yet accepted as any other members of society. A black man could not have been a spy working for the government in 1866. It is historically inaccurate.
Duh!
A historically accurate remake of "Wild Wild West" would be like low-fat lard.
ITs CHEESE! Richard, do you not know about Cheese Movies? If so, we can educate you on them. It is up there with comedies.
I saw American Pie. It was more entertaining than I expected, maybe becasue ..or even because...the audience was having such a good time with it. Kind of a poor-man's There's Something About Mary.
Would it make you feel better if it was a white person staring down the 80-foot mechanical tarantula instead of a black person?
Come on Richard! We're talking about a movie that has 80 foot mechanical tarantula... like THAT's historically accurate. <rolls her eyes> And what's the fun in merely spouting the opinion of someone else if you've never seen the movie.. Heh, I recommend "Manhatan" to you, Richard, pay attention to the Eric Stoltz character and his discussion on Jane Austen...
Actaully RIchard, SOme blacks did espionage for the Union during the civil war. Is it so hard to believe they might have done so after?
Re 48: My friends in LA kept calling it "There's Something About Pastry".
SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT (A) - You've heard it's offensive and you're wondering how offensive? At one point, an adult tells one of the kids that the way to make a woman fall in love with you is to "find the clitoris." Unable to get useful information about the clitoris from anyone, the kids go on line and search for "clitoris." They breeze past a message about turning back if you're under age 18, and find themselves viewing a German web site featuring coprophagia. Then the kids notice that the woman shouting "Ess mein scheisse!" is the mother of one of them, Mrs. Cartman. Cartman later asks his mother, "You wouldn't appear in a scheisse video, would you?" Finally, a gigantic clitoris appears to one of the kids in a vision, and warns him about earth's impending doom. Another theme that runs throuigh the movie is that Saddam Hussein, who died after being eaten by a pack of wild boars, has gone to hell and is now Satan's gay lover. The two of them are seen bitching at each other like a stereotypical pair of queens. The movie is an old-fashioned musical. When Satan finally tells Saddam it's over, Saddam sings his big number, "I Can Change." Highly recommended.
Hey, I was all pumped to see "The Red Violin" tonight but you make this sound so enticing.
I saw South Park last night. I laughed really hard, though I was sort of embarassed at myself for finding it so funny...
AHHH! I forgot about The Red Violin!!!!!!
I had to look up 'coprophagia'. (Among dogs, it's the problem of them eating their own feces. http://www.erinet.com/ghost/coprophagia.htm_
)
The problem I have with Wild, Wild, West is that this is not James West. Why did they have to use the name James West. Why couldn't he have been Richard west, son of James West in the 1890 instead of the 1860's. I could have bought that! And why did the villian have to be Mr. Loveless.
"The Red Violin" didn't quite live up to its reviews but it had it's moments. There was one scene where a brilliant violinist both infatuated with himself and his lover finds himself stroking the neck of his violin, which is draped over his naked body, covering his genitals. I'm sorry, but at that moment I'd was wishing I had indeed done "Southpark". I don't think we were supposed to be laughing aloud. For anyone who did see "Violin", a question. In that last scene, did he have possession of the fake or the real Red? What do you think? John and I disagree.
My father was terribly offended by "The Red Violin". Mostly he felt disappointed that he'd surrendered two hours and whatever of his life and gotten that little payoff.
The Red Violin Diaries? Coming to Showtime!
I thought that the story to Red Violin was interesting in concept, especially how it jumped around between various time periods, but there were definitely some sections that I liked more than others. I liked the section set in Maoist China the most (probably because I read a book not too long ago about the Cultural Revolution), despite some inaccuracies. Example: when the female revolutionary defends the music teacher by saying he teaches traditional Chinese music... Traditional music was included in the "Four Olds" (Old Culture, I believe), and would have been denounced as well as Western music. It was very interesting to note that the China section truly was filmed in Shanghai. I wonder how the film-maker got the permission to do that, since it didn't show Communist China in a particularly positive light.... The music to the movie was quite good, in my opinion. Re 60: (Spoiler follows, for those who intend to see the movie) At first, I thought he had taken the real violin, as that would have prevented that one violinist from buying it and would have continued the tradition of the violin's wild and wacky adventures. However, he never would have been able to tell his daughter what he had, and it seems that he'd feel a little guilty for stealing a multi-million dollar instrument. So, I'm not sure whether he ended up with the copy or the original, but I tend to think it was the original.
I felt he took the copy for his daughter. He was indeed seduced by the idea of possessing the original but the more his thoughts turned to home, thinking of his daughter, talking to his wife, the saner he got.
Sounds like amusical version of "The Yellow Rolls Royce"...
The Thief (Russia, 1997) (A-) - An interesting tale, in which a six-year-old boy becomes increasingly devoted to his mother's poorly chosen boyfriend, an abusive, amoral thief. It's Russian. Do I need to add, "With tragic consequences"? Strangely, this film makes me wonder if modern Russia is not more in tune with what inspires the criminal mind, and what might cause a child to do bad things, than modern America. The General's Daughter (B-) - There are aspects to this film which are quite good, and others which are more problematic. An undercover military cop (finishing up an assignment, designed to give us some standard "police movie" action scenes in an otherwise non-standard police movie) is brought into the investigation of the apparent rape and murder of a young woman, and soon discovers that nothing is as it appears. Some interesting premises, but some whoppingly huge plot holes. The film is active enough that you don't have to think about the various plot defects and weaknesses, but not so fast that you won't, if you are so inclined. It's also a film that had to tack on a moralistic final sequence, which does not seem consistent with the rest of the film (which seems to have a distinct lack of moral focus beyond, "get the bad guy(s), whoever they are) -- it isn't particularly clear if the film was trying to convey a message about women in the military, or if its undertone of "they don't belong in combat roles" was unintended. Other than the ending, which seemed contrived, the film was relatively obvious, and was frequently cliched. It is not appropriate for people who will be disturbed by sexual violence. Arlington Road (C+) - This might have ranked a higher grade had I not seen the previews. This film spends a considerable amount of time on character development and a developing tension between the lead male characters, which is spoiled by the teaser. The film then turns to its action sequences, which are adequate, but its climax and ending reminded me of "The Game" -- completely implausible in the real world. In "The Game," a bottomless pit of money was supposedly used, in conjunction with an extraordinarily thorough psychological profile, to anticipate and manipulate the lead character's every move. In "Arlington Road," we are just to assume that events and actions that are inherently unpredictable where in fact precisely predicted well in advance. Arlington Road's attempts to convey a strong political message about domestic terrorism and governmental responsibility, but its preachings are heavy-handed, and its contrived ending dilutes its impact. Look for a fictionalized "Ruby Ridge", where the family is cuter, more law-abiding, and blatantly wronged by the government. Look for a (perhaps too thinly) fictionalized account of the Oklahoma City Boming, where McVeigh is transformed into something of a grown-up boy scout. If you believed "Conspiracy Theory," and you thought "The Game" was entirely plausible, this film is for you.
Today is the last day for the Ann Arbor Theater. The new metro-plex will be opening next Wednesday. John and I went to see "Arlington Road" yesterday and I think we tend to agree with Aaron's review. But see it anyhow, today, and say good-bye to a nice, accessible and comfortable movie house. I'll miss it.
The Ann Arbor Theater is closing? Does this mean that the local market for the film genre(s) it specializes in has dried up, or that the ultra-plexes are now showing this sort of film and providing unbeatable competition? When I last lived in Ann Arbor, the AAT was the only place showing small/independent/foreign films on a daily basis. Or, by "new metro-plex", do you mean that the AAT has divided itself into ten theatres of seven seats each?
I saw a feature just last night on the Independent film Channel about the AA Film Festival, which is managed as a labor of love by a local hairdresser. I think they said the films were shown at the AAT. Is that true? Are they out on the street now? That would be a great loss.
The public screenings of the Ann Arbor Film Festival are at the Michigan Theater, not the Ann Arbor Theater. I have no idea where the many, many preliminary screenings (for the festival committee to choose which films will be shown) occur..
The Ann Arbor Theater was doomed once it abandoned the serving of real butter on its popcorn. Johnnie, the foreign/indie film business now pretty much goes to the Michigan Theater, and to the State Theatre. (I believe I saw a note somewhere that the Michigan is now running the State Theatre's two screens.) The owners of the Ann Arbor Theatre have built a megaplex on the western fringes of Ann Arbor; if it has a more pleasant ambience than the Showcase, we'll probably become regular customers there, since that's the side of town we live on. (We hate the Showcase. It's the only movie theatre in the area with armed security guards, and the theatre does something to piss us off every time we go -- usually herding us around like cattle.) Press coverage reports that the owners of the new mega-plex promise to keep bringing in some indie/art/foreign films. Indie American films seem to be doing decently right now, but the USA market for foreign films has declined drastically. I assume this , like the repertory film circuit, is a casualty of the VCR.
I think the name of the new Theater is 'Quality 16'. I was driving the long way home the other day and saw it. Nifty keen to see movies right out of work.
I remember seeing lots of neat stuff at the Ann Arbor Theater when I was younger. I haven't been there for years, largely because when they've been showing stuff I wanted to see lately, I usually didn't get around to going to see it until after it had stopped showing. When I heard that it was closing I kept meaning to go there one last time, but I never got around to it, figuring that I could always go the next week. The theater's last day, which was announced in the Ann Arbor News that morning, conflicted with the last night of this year's TOP, and TOP won out. I do enjoy going to the Michigan, in part because of the archetecture, in part because of the stuff they show, and in large part because I can walk to it from home. Having another theater I could walk to close seems sad to me, but I suppose by not having gone to that theater in several years, I'm part of the problem that kept it from staying open. Apparrently the owner of the Ann Arbor Theater was trying to sell it to somebody who would keep operating it as a movie theater after he decided to build his megaplex, but wasn't able to find a buyer.
A2 needs a theater like Film Forum in New York. Film Forum is a small non-profit three screen multiplex in Greenwich Village that is owned and operated by its patrons, similar to grex. Yearly memberships are sold to to pay the rent on the theater, and those who buy memberships get get discounted theater tickets, plus get to help decide what films are are shown. The ticket takers, popcorn and soda vendors are all volunteer members. They show mostly independent films and revivals, and film festivals. This month they were showing an Erich Von Stroheim film festival featuring the classic german silent film, "Greed" I like the place, its a refreshing change from the monolithic Cineplex Odeon 18's of the world.
Actually, A2 sort of does. It is a not-for-profit theater biult inthe 1920's and usually shows a veriety of non-mainstream films. But the Ann Arbor Theater is just as special as the Michigan Theater (The Michigan Theater is the not-for-profit)
Ann Arbor also used to have a thriving film club scene, with groups like the Cinema Guild, the Ann Arbor Film Co-op, and several others showing classic, foreign, indie, and art films in campu auditoriums. The last vestiges of these groups linger (the Cinema Guild still shows stuff) but it's not like it was when I first came to Ann Arbor: at that time there were typically four or more non-mainstream films being shown on campus on any Friday or Saturday evening during the academic year. Ken's theory about the VCR killing local film diversity probably applies much better to the campus film groups.
Any mainstream movie that made it to those campus film groups had first available showings at about the time the video was being released. I guess the industry already had a business model for secondary markets.
Jon and I saw "wild wild west". It was hilarious. Sorry, I'm not much of a movie critic. So far I've loved nearly every movie I ever went to see in the theatre.
Someone should buy the old Ann Arbor Theatre, because if not we're going to have an urban sprawl like Detroit has, only ours will be toward the west. I noticed while coming home from Chelsea the other day how much Jackson is being built up. It sounds like most people are abandoning downtown Ann Arbor.
Ann Arbor's also sprawling pretty heavily to the South, along the Ann Arbor Saline road corridor, as well as out State Street.
Before I started going to U of M, the campus film group scene was still going along moderately well, but by my second year, it was downright anemic. M-Flicks decided not to compete with the VCR at all, and started mostly showing sneak previews. This meant, though, that the films started becoming more major-studio, with more corporate logos being tacked onto the promo materials.
Jackson Road is Scio Township's only commercial corridor, and Scio Township plans to keep it that way. I don't believe Pittsfield has any such restrictions, however.
resp:79 :: My recollection is that the site of the Ann Arbor Theater was slated to become more downtown condominium housing. So the closing of the theatre doesn't really reflect a flight from the city. The New York Times had a piece (yesterday?) on how consumers are flocking to the new stadium-seating megaplexes, and the older "shoebox" multiplexes like Briarwood (and to some degree the Ann Arbor) are now a drag on exhibitor profits.
I hear the government is taking some of the stadium-seating chains to court under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The stadium seats are mostly inaccessible to wheelchair- bound customers, so they have to use the level-floor seats down in front, which can't be a fun experience.
The stadium seating theaters I've seen have often had the entrances to the theaters somewhere in the middle of the seats, and have had some slots for wheelchairs on a flat area at that point. They're probably not the best seats in the house, but it doesn't look awful.
"GODS AND MONSTERS"-- movie about the last days of James Whale, the openly gay director of "Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein" among others. Ian McKellan plays Whale as an ill, deeply depressed, ouvertly sexual old man living his last days in seclusion in the 1950's. Brendan Fraser plays this young stud who mows his lawn for him, and lets Whale draw him. McKellan and Fraser talk about their lives and develop a bond, though much to McKellan/Whale's regret, Fraser is heterosexual. Its a movie about loneliness and the need for friendship, and draws a parallell between Whale and the Frankenstein monster, who in the movie is shown constantly searching for companionship and affection and acceptance. The monster never finds such in the movie; Whale however does or did in his life, but was sadly unable to realize it. Good movie. *** 1/2 (three and a half stars...good video rental)
I recall some old 'flashlight' movie theatres. You know, 10 seats wide, fourty seats deep.
I concur with Steve. The stadium seating theaters I've seen have been wheelchair accessible. In addition, Showcase has an additional handicap accessible entrance at the top of its theaters.
Yes, most of the "stadium seating" theaters I've seen have had much better accomodations for wheelchair-bound moviegoers than other theaters I've seen. Not sure how they compare for people with disabilities that don't require wheelchairs. I'm sure they must somehow offend someone -- everything does..
I'm assuming the wheelchair accomodations in newer theaters are partly a function of the age of the theater (theater designers are presumably much more aware of the usefulness of such accomodations now than they were in the past), and partly because having the seats that steep means it's possible to have a level area large enough for a wheelchair, and still not have it interfere with the view from the rest of the seats. Thinking back to the multiplexes built 10 or 15 years ago, which the steadily sloping floors and fairly densely packed seats, I'm not sure where a wheelchair could have parked easily.
Here's a web news item about it: "After seven months of unsuccessful negotiations, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed suit in the United States District Court in Los Angeles against American Multi-Cinema, Inc. and AMC Entertainment for failing to provide stadium- style seating for individuals whose disabilities prevent them from climbing stairs. Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (42 USCA ''12181 et seq.) requires places of public accommodation to provide equal access, service, and quality of goods to individuals with disabilities as are provided to members of the general public. "Most of AMC's theaters contain the popular stadium- style seats which are located on stepped 18-inch risers and provide an unobstructed view of the movie screen over the persons seated ahead. In all but a few AMC theaters, wheelchair seating is located in the front section of the theater, which does not provide the same unobstructed view. The DOJ alleges that, by placing almost all wheelchair seating in the front section, access to the better, stadium-style seats is denied to individuals whose disabilities prevent them from climbing stairs. In addition to requiring the availability of wheelchair seating, the ADA also requires that those wheelchair seating locations provide comparable lines of sight. In most of AMC's stadium-style theaters, the lines of sight for wheelchair seating are not comparable because they are much closer to the screen with inferior viewing angles. "In addition to seeking civil penalties and damages for individuals with disabilities who have patronized AMC theaters, the DOJ seeks an order to compel AMC to build new theaters in compliance with the ADA and to require AMC to modify existing structures as necessary for ADA compliance."
They could install relatively low profile 'chair lifts' which run along the stairs... Jim, the growth of the Jackson area is not in the least an indication that people are fleeing downtown Ann Arbor, it is *exactly* the opposite. The development rate of downtown Ann Arbor is constrained by ordinance, and the available office space, as reported in the June Observer, is filled almost (but not quite) to capacity.
re #91: sigh.. you can't offer wheelchair users seating near the front (bottom) of the theater. obviously you can't just put the theater entrance at the back (top) either -- then you're giving them seats which are too far from the screen. similarly, it's not fair, either to put the wheelchair spots at the sides, along the aisles. some people prefer to sit in the center and it's not fair to deny wheelchair users the same access as "temporarily abled" people get. and let us not forget blind users. they can't see these "moving pictures" at all. fairness dictates that we shouldn't offer sighted users a better movie experience than blind users.. you get the picture. perhaps I'm exaggerating the case slightly, but possibly not by much. I earnestly agree with what I *think* was the original goal of the Americans With Disabilities Act. It's a good thing for society to make whatever minor accomodations it can to help the disabled, but it's wrong to expect the law to be able to make everything equal for everyone. does anyone else but me expect Diana Moon Glampers to file an amicus curiae brief in this case?
geez..."harrison bergeron," anyone?
Well, it's more than just the seating area issue, I suspect. A year or two ago in the Toledo area, a stadium-seating theater was built (by AMC, I believe) that didn't even have the handicap-accessible basics, such as front entrance ramps or wide bathroom stalls until the authorities came down hard, and said features were put in *after* the place opened. Which is to say that AMC seems not to be putting much effort or thought at all into the needs of the handicapped. Would it be so difficult to put in a couple of ramps and a few removable seats a dozen rows up?
Given the pitch of the typical "stadium" theater, it might well be very difficult to put in a ramp useful for wheelchairs. If AMC is really building new theaters without any accomodations for handicapped access then that's clearly a Bad Thing. Requiring wheelchair accessible bathrooms, however, is not the same as mandating that the wheelchair accessible seating be placed so that it has an optimal view angle.
Quality 16: This looks like more of a cookie cutter corporate budget model than a lavish spare-no-expense theater in the tradition of Showcase. Everything seems to be about half the size, except the price. The price is only one dollar or fifty cents cheaper, depending on what day it is. This is not to say that it's a bad complex. The lobby is clean and funnels traffic well. Decoration will presumably touch up the sparse interior a bit, and I anticipate the large screen mounted in the most accessible corner to shortly be filled with previews or show listings or both. The movie experience, watching the Matrix, left something to be desired. Hardly surprising, given the age of the film and the unfamiliarity of the employees. The main problems involved a periodic appearance of a vertical string on the screen, and a problem dimming the house lights in time for the show. Nothing huge. The theaters are substantially smaller than Showcase's and remind me of chain stadia I've seen in other large cities. Seats are acceptably comfortable and the view from the back is good. I believe that this was the smallest theater in the complex, so I'll have to check out one of their first run houses soon. It's a nice place, and a good alternative to Showcase. I think United Artists is getting priced out of the business.
How was the wheelchair accessability? ;) I've only been in an AMC theater once. Now that I think about it, we may have entered from the very front of the theater, rather than the middle of the theater like they do in Showcase, so the wheelchair accessability would have been considerably worse, but I don't really remember clearly what it looked like.
Yeah, is there wheelchair access to the light bulbs abovehead?
Re #97: The 'vertical string' was probably a scratch on the film. It probably was on the print when they got it, if my short experience working at a theater was any guide. A lot of places don't clean their projector every day like they should, and dust gets drawn into the film gate and scratches the film as it goes past. THat's why the film often looks like crap by the time second run theaters get it.
man...cripples really piss me off.
"Run Lola Run" is a German film that takes "What if..." and tells a story three ways. It's fresh and clever and the soundtrack is absolutely right. Unless you simply can't deal with subtitles don't miss this one. It's at the Michigan through the 25th.
EYES WIDE SHUT-- The last film of master filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, about a wealthy New York doctor (Tom Cruise) whose adulterous fantasies lead him to a brief experience with the sexual underworld. Nicole Kidman play's Cruise's wife (and since she IS his wife in real life, you cant fault the casting) This is about the search for intimacy in a world where it doesnt seem to exsist. Its a really dense film which one needs to see more than once (every scene is filled with imagery-- Kubrick filmed each scene dozens if not hundreds of times over more than two years) This is not a film many of you might enjoy, as it is dark, perverse and kinky. I think it is a great film with one quite obvious flaw-- the central character (Cruise) has a credibility issue-- if you are married to Nicole Kidman why would you possibly cheat? A worthy if intriguing end to Kubrick's career....(four stars) highly recommended only if you feel comfortable with such provocative subject matter.
Actually, richard, one of the great parts of the film is deciding what it's about, and I think you may have gotten it wrong. But that's the beauty of the film. I, personally, found Cruise's ccharacter quite credible. His motive is not sexual boredom when he plays with temptation. He's consumed with jealousy. Or maybe it's *not* jealousy. :)
I haven't seen it, so temper my opinions with that knowledge, but, yes, Richard, I *can* fault the casting! Why would you want to watch a married couple making out? It's like, okay, yeah, that's probably their "kids at Grandma's" routine, but so what? Now a married couple fighting? Yes sir!
I heard the exact point in #105 made, on an editorial on NPR's evening news program, "All Things Considered". It is a silly viewpoint.
re #104: I think he has it wrong as well, but not because the film has any
great or deep meaning. I think, in many ways, its biggest weakness
is that it lacks a great or deep meaning. It is just a movie --
a pretty one, sure. But not particularly meaningful or memorable.
well if I have it wrong, offer your opinion
I will share my opinion after more people have viewed the film. Do you understand the concept of the "spoiler"?
This is a film I would have enjoyed considerably less if I knew what was going on before I saw it.
If I had known, not if I knew. I can grammar patrol myself to death.
you can talk about the themes of a movie without giving away plot details-- senna said he didnt agree with my impression of what the movie was about thematically, but didnt offer an alternate opinion.
A few questions for anyone who's been to the Quality 16: 1) How do the food prices compare to the other theaters in town? 2) Coke or Pepsi? 3) (most important) Are there cup holders on the seats?
I have no interest in seeing the film.
If you mean Eyes Wide Shut, me neither. According to IMDb, Jack Valenti is saying that the MPAA probably screwed up by giving the South Park movie an R rather than an NC-17, so if you've been putting off taking your kids to see it you might want to hurry. The two young men responsible for this masterpiece were on the Dennis Miller show last week, where Miller told them he thought the movie was the most subversive thing he'd seen in a long time. They admitted, only half-jokingly, that their goal was to bring down the MPAA.
Regarding Quality 16 theater - I can't comment on the refreshments as I didn't have any, but I like the theater. The lobby is twice maybe three times the size of the Ann Arbor, the refreshment stand is also small (buts looks efficient), and the auditorium I was in was fairly perfect, with comfortable seats, rows wider than deeper, a big screen and great sound. This was one one of the smallest rooms they have, no doubt (Lake Placid), so maybe all spaces won't seem so pleasant. Yes, there are cup holders and wide, soft, somewhat rockable seats. $4.75 for a Sunday matinee. "Lake Placid" is camp fun. It was worth the 85 minutes just to hear *Betty White* say, "If I were a man I'd tell you to suck my dick."
But how is the popcorn? Oil, or Butter? The one nice thing about the Ann Arbor was that they actually used real butter on the popcorn. Me, I think I'd rather spend an extra $20 for a movie package on cable, and be able to be comfortable, have real butter on my air popped corn, and of course access to the fridge. You can't do that at a multiplex. The only thing I can see that I'm losing is the chance to get herded like a cow, and possibly get my pocket picked. And the best thing about watching movies at home? You can sit there in your underwear and no one will toss you out for doing so.
Recent purchase: A spiffy new tape of WAR OF THE WORLDS (B) -- This was the first science fiction movie to show aliens and their machinery as truly alien. No men in rubber suits here. The war machines, which the designers modeled after manta rays and cobras, are sleek, strange objects, and the sound effects curdled my blood the first time I heard them. The movie is flawed with period cliches -- the cartoon Mexican, the piously sappy minister, the wide-eyed screaming bimbo -- which you have to think the director could've avoided. Some of the dialog is stilted. The scene where the minister walks slowly toward one of the Martian machines holding up his bible and intoning the 23rd psalm, and is promptly fried by the machine's heat weapon, brings me close to blasphemous giggles every time I see it. And of course the writers throw H.G. Wells's novel to the ground and dance on it (no great loss, in my opinion). But none of his matters next to the astonishing battle scenes. This movie is the paradigm for all the others that followed. A must-see.
Re #117: I don't know. Some movies are much better on the big screen. And I *hate* panned & scanned films.
Over the weekend I saw two movies: South Park: Extremely funny, assuming you aren't easily offended. The Red Violin: Cool, but a bit hokey and overly dramatic.
I rented the DVD of Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining"-- it is excellent of course, but unfortunately is the pan and scan version (most DVD's are the widescreen versions naturally) Any videophile would want the widescreen version, which makes me wonder what the DVD folks were thinking. The "making of" documentary directed by Kubrick's wife is excelleng though. Also rented the DVD of "Pride of the Yankees" with Gary Cooper, and discovered the DVD is the *colorized* version. Egads! Of course I refused to watch that, as noone with any respect for the original vision of a film director, would watch a butchered colorized version of their film. Why, when a company is putting together an expensive digitalized dvd version of a classic film, would they use a colorized print instead of the original black and white? Sheesh.
I used to be violently against colorization until I saw an interview
with Ted Turner wherein Ted pointed out that colorization can be undone by
the viewer by simply turning down the "color" knob or slider on their TV.
I enjoyed "Eyes Wide Shut".
I would think that turning the color down on a colorized movie would get you the B&W version of the colorized movie. There could be difference in shadow and light, as the new color would not always translate to the original grayscale.
Re #121: They don't have any choice...if the rights to the print are owned by the company that colorized it, they may well have been forced to use the colorized version.
While it's possible to add colorization at the film level, if the colorization is being done for home video, it's done at the video stage. As a result, there aren't many colorized "prints" around. And yes, tpryan, when you turn down the color on a colorized movie, you get the black and white version of the colorized movie. Which is the black and white movie. (If you were to make a copy of a color film onto black and white stock, then there could be differences, because different black and white stocks have different color sensitivity. But colorization only affects the chroma, not the luminance.) In fact, it's often the case that when a film is colorized, a new film-to-video transfer is struck, and these often can be better than the transfers that had been available before.
I read somewhere recently that the colorization fad is pretty much dead, and I'm inclined to think it's true. When I'm channel surfing I seldom run into a colorized film these days. A few years ago I came across them a lot. I for one do not miss them. I found "Eyes Wide Shut" to be an engrossing, fascinating film, masterfully executed. Much of the fun was trying to figure out where it was headed. In the end, I wasn't disappointed. And the title is perfect. We saw "Eyes Wide Shut" at the new Quality 16. I like the theater. Has an intimate feel to it that you don't often find in a multiplex. Comfortable stadium seating, nice big screen, excellent sound.
True enough: nowadays I really only see colorization on the pre-color episodes of "Gilligan's Island", "The Beverly Hillbillies", etc. I'd be willing to construct an argument that the artificial color harms the believability of the greater Text, but that's going to have to be later.
I saw all but the first 30 minutes of "Full Metal Jacket" on cable the other nite. I was shocked, horrified, amazed, engrossed and repulsed. I intend to tape it, and watch it more closely the next time around. The guy who played the D.I gave an excellent performance, well over the top. This is a must see-must rent-must record. 4 stars. The repeat will be on Encore, 9:45pm on Monday.
Agree, a must see. Oddly enough the 'actor' that portrayed "Gunnery Sgt. Hartman" was no actor, but was in fact originally hired merely as a 'technical advisor'. He was retired at the time. Prior to his retirement he worked as - you guessed it, a USMC "DI". Art->Life indeed. I use the audio of "What is your major malfunction, numbnuts" as one of the Winblows error 'sounds' and "Good night, ladies" as the shutdown sound. (I use "Good morning viet-nam" of Robin Williams as the startup sound.) R. Lee has appeared in many other roles since. all characterized by his ernest attention to detail of the part - you don't get the sense that he is in fact acting. He is in fact not. One dimensional perhaps - one wonders how he would play a 'love scene' but the fact remains, he is a very good actor.
Locally (Chicagoland) he is noted for having his sound clips used on a local radio station's 'talk radio' show and his 'cameo' appearance on a recent live broadcast. (The after hours 'pub crawl' he and the two radio personalities went on is apparently 'of legend'.)
DROP DEAD GORGEOUS (C) -- I'm not sure what to make of this movie. As various reviewers have pointed out, the culture it's supposed to be satirizing doesn't exist except possibly in the imagiations of people who don't know any better, so in that sense it has the juvenile appeal that movies like Dr Strangelove have. But despite that, it's a black comedy with some very funny moments. I'd recommend it to anyone who thinks they might enjoy the spectacle of a beauty pageant contestant dancing with a giant papier-mache crucifix to the tune of "I Will Follow Him." I laughed out loud in a couple of spots. I guess the folks in Minnesota don't think it's so funny.
THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (D) -- Well-engineered special effects, I guess, but the otherwise it's a sloppily-written mess. Several talented actors are wasted in this one. You'd do better to rent the earlier version from 1963, called "The Haunting".
Just got back from seeing "The Haunting" and I agree with Remmers review. The special effects were fabulous, but the story needed some work... John (jazz) and I agreed that it should have ended rather differently then it did (I won't tell you how we thought it should end, rather spoils the movie).
LAKE PLACID (C+) -- Decent special effects and a funny appearance by Betty White. Mediocre story, however. It tries hard to be a comedy, with an assortment of eccentrics and a slyly budding romance between the two main "serious" characters, but that part of it struggles and fails.
DEEP BLUE SEA (B+) -- The mindless ferocity of sharks is such a great subject for movies that it's a shame the best one was the first one. The variation this movie tries out involves some genetic alterations that make the sharks intelligent instead of mindless. What elevates the movie is its sense of humor. The characters are all cliches, and the fun lies in seeing them torn sadistically to shreds. If that sounds cruel, all I can say is you had to be there. There's also suspense, of the "How the hell are we going to get out of this one?" variety, some excellent effects, and a fine performance by Samuel L. Jackson, who seems to get cast in these things (Sphere, Jurasic Park). The climax of his inspiring speech to the other characters sets the tone for the rest of the movie.
I mean, "Jurassic." Like it matters.
Saw SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER AND UNCUT again with my son, who wanted to see it again and can't get in without an adult. I was glad I went. This movie bristles with thorns. Anywhere you touch it, there's something sharp enough to draw blood. But just as behind such superficially "warm" movies as It's a Wonderful Life there sometimes lurks a cold manipulative contempt for the audience, South Park's prickly exterior masks a fun-loving creative impulse that deeply respects the audience and invites us to join its subversive cause. The movie assumes that you are intelligent, that you aren't fooled by the pious crap that issues from the mouths of politicians and power-tripping "morality" crusaders, and that you might enjoy participating in the noble effort to lace their food with laxatives and lock all the bathroom doors. 10 out of 10.
Recent rental: HILARY AND JACKIE (D) -- Based on a self-serving and, by many accounts, inaccurate book by the attention-starved brother and sister of cellist Jacqueline du Pre. It was excruciatingly embarrassing watching actress Emily Watson trying to replicate du Pre's performance style. And what on earth was the point of showing du Pre losing bladder control and, in the end, spazzing hideously out? To show us that MS is a horrible way to die? Duh. The movie almost seems to relish the indignities and agonies the disease inflicted on du Pres. You feel dirty after watching it. Not even the soundtrack snippets of du Pres performing the Elgar cello concerto made it bearable. It was nice to see Nyree Dawn Porter again, as Dame Margot Fonteyn. I haven't seen much of her since The Forsyte Saga on PBS, if anyone remembers that.
THE IRON GIANT Good movie. good insite into th bounds of prejudice and fear. WILD< WILD< WEST Only saw this becaus e it was free after watching the iron giant. I am very glad to say it is probably worth what we paid to see it.
Naaah, it wasn't really worth that much, dear. (Wild Wild West, that is.) But The Iron Giant was FAN-tastic. Six thumbs up from the PRices. (Bruce, Rhiannon, and moi.)
If depraved filth is what you want to see, rent one of those porno tapes. But if you want to see a towering, final artistic statement by a major director, then could I have the porno tape?
huh?!
The Onion critique of "Eyes Wide Shut".
THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (C) -- Slightly nerve- wracking in a few places, but hardly "the scariest movie since The Exorcist." The scariest part was when the camera was looking up the nose of this sobbing girl and I was cringing in fear that we'd see a slimy booger drip out of it. As it turned out . . . nope, that would be a spoiler, I can't tell you what happened.
The "Blair Witch Project" was made for $6,000 and made $28 million just in its first weekend-- should highest profit to expense ratio of any move in history. Its per theater numbers exceeded (yes exceeded) that of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace to set a new record. Film must have something going for it.
I've heard several accounts of people getting nauseous from watching "Blair Witch". Apparently the "homemade" footage is really jerky and generally hard to watch. You might want to take some dramamine before seeing this film.
re #146: based on its success, plans are already in the works for a "Blair Witch" prequel which will feature a computer-generated, pseudo-Jamaican character.. aieeeeeeee!!
Pseudo-Jamaican? <giggles> Are they going for a Tituba of Salem idea, or a Jar Jar Binks idea?
re#146: I believe it was made for $60,000 not $6,000.
Seen over the past few weeks at Fox Village, the local 2nd-run theater..
Election - B
Warped comedy about a high-school student council election gone bad
and the neurotic teacher (Matthew Broderick) who gets caught in the
middle. Reese Witherspoon is skin-crawlingly convincing as the
obsessive over-achiever for whom Failure Is Not an Option.
Notting Hill - B+
When I got to the front of the line at the box office tonight, I
still hadn't decided what I wanted to see -- it was a toss up between
"Notting Hill" and "The Mummy." I settled on "Notting Hill" under the
rationale that any film starring both Hugh Grant *and* Julia Roberts
had to be much scarier than Brendan Fraser being ravaged by the undead.
What I got was an enjoyable romantic comedy which neatly exceeded my
cynically low expectations up until the necessarily sappy and neatly-
resolved happy ending. Definitely not a timeless classic, but noticably
better than the usual fare in this cookie-cutter category..
Saw "Mystery Men" last night, and I give it two very enthusiastic thumbs up. It's NOT your usual super-hero movie, and is damn funny. This is a must see. :)
I saw it last night, and loved it too. Funniest movie I've seen in a while. :>
yup yup. :)
Incidentally, if you like "The Tick," you'll probably love this movie. The villains, in particular, are very Tick-esque.
I liked it, too, but I thought it dragged a bit whenever Janine Garolfalo wasn't in the scene. She is one funny chick.
Jeanine really made the movie, despite what the reviewers have said
about the other characters. Without her presence it would've been entirely
forgettable.
[Her first name is spelled "Janeane." My mistake.]
I also liked Mystery Men. I disagree that the other characters weren't funny. I thought Ben Stiller's Mr. Furious was hilarious. Reubens I couldn't even look at but not because I thought he was funny, he just made me ill in that makeup. Casanova Frankenstein was also good, and I just like William Macy in anything ever since "Fargo". And as far as "the Sphinx" goes, I believe he wasn't listed in the credits, which if true, and he is who I think he is, is funnier still.
This response has been erased.
As I believe has been discussed elsewhere, Studi has quite a performance in Last of the Mohicans.
Inaccurate information in #160; Wes Studi was in Last of the Mohicans.
Ah ok, if Studi was teh Sphinx it wasn't so funny:)
Who did you think it was, out of curiosity?
Jay Silverheels, which would have made "who was that masked man?" an appropriate question to ask:)
Is Jay Silverheels still alive??
RE #166 Jay Silverheels went to the Happy Hunting Ground sometime in the late 1970's or early 1980's (don't remember the exact day of his death).
oh:)
SAw Mystery Men. Was okay. STill like the Iron Giant better.
DICK (A-) - Offers a wonderfully zany series of mock-explanations for the big news stories of Nixon's second term. You'd think it wouldn't make much sense to someone who was born almost ten years after Nixon resigned and who hasn't reached that era yet in school, and yet my son laughed himself silly over it, owing mainly to the endearingly goofy protagonists, a pair of highschool girls. The actresses playing the two girls are first-rate. Highly recommended.
saw "mystery men" friday night. it did have its funny moments and some good lines. paul reubens' character was entirely unnecessary. even so, the movie reminded me of what my circle of friends could be if our neuroses and psychoses were just a little more pronounced. saw "the blair witch project" on saturday. i didn't find it to be the seat-grippingly terrifying movie that some people have. even so, there are some images from it (and what those images made me think of) which are going to stay with me for a long time. the movie was interesting in some other ways, too. i thought it was a pretty good demonstration of how urbanized some people have become and what can happen when people are taught that the needs of the individual outweigh the needs of the group. it seems to be a step in the right direction for the horror-movie genre, as well...maybe, just maybe, the days of the blood-soaked slasher series are over and horror movies which encourage audiences to think and to supply the scariest bits themselves will have a resurgence.
I saw THe Mummy at the Fox yesterday. It was worth about $1.50.
Do a "Facts of Life" parody and call it "The Blair Warner Project"?
Mark- what show were you at? Ashke (formerly sun) and I were there yesterday at the 4:15 showing. Personally, I really like that movie, it's horribly cheesy- but it *knows* it's cheese and plays it up.
I saw Inspector Gadget last Friday. It was a fun movie. It covered all of the old standards of the cartoon show, except for the obligatory scene in each TV episode where Chief Quimby gives Gadget his assignment. (Chief Quimby does appear in the film, played by Dabney Coleman.) It was a silly stupid film, but not as silly or as stupid as George of the Jungle. I give it a B+.
Re #174: I was at the 4:15 show too - down near the front on the right. Sorry I missed you!
Heh, askhe and I were probably very near you then. <laughs> Although, we arrived just in time to miss most of the previews... (We intended to see "Matrix" but were too late)
re: way back there...Jay "Tonto" Silverheels died back in the late 70's (maybe 1979?) One of the pallbearers was his real-life best friend Clayton Moore, who of course played the Lone Ranger along side his Tonto for years first on radio and then on television.
RE #178 I believe that Clayton Moore played The Lone Ranger exclusively on television. But, of course, I may be wrong on that.
Brace Beemer was the radio Ranger.
Brace Beemer was the first radio Ranger....or actually the second...Clayton Moore was the Lone Ranger on the radio during the 40's. John Hart played the LR on TV first, but was replaced by Clayton Moore for most of the tv series run as well. Jay Silverheels was of course, always Tonto
I bow to your superior Lone Ranger knowledge. I used to listen to TLR on the radio when I was a kid, but it wasn't until I moved to this area that I learned that the show was broadcast from Detroit.
But who played Silver?
You folks know what "tonto" and "kemo sabe" mean, right?
And while were doing Lone Ranger stuff: The Lone Ranger was produced live on WXYZ radio, from Detroit. The same company would also go on to produce The Green Hornet. WXYZ was located in the old Maccabees building on Woodward. The Maccabees is now known as the Detroit Public Schools Center. There still is a radio station, and it is known as WDET. And lastly, a man named Rube Weiss, who died a few years ago did the introduction to the Lone Ranger. Even though he is gone, Rube can still be heard on the Guardian Alarm TV commercials.
I also saw "Mystery Men" over the weekend and also thought it was really funny, though I might qualify that with "if you like superhero stories or enjoy movies whose basic joke is playing with the 'rules' of a genre.." Whatever -- I thoroughly enjoyed it, even after paying Showcases's amazing $8 ticket price, which is usually enough to sour me on even a really good movie..
I did like mystery men, tho they could have lost the spleen, there was enough conflict in the other characters that we could have lost him. It played on the spacialization of the character traits very well, and the screwups were great. Thats Specialization up there, by the by.
You know the Green Hornet was supposed to be the great great grandson of the Lone Ranger or something like that...they have the same last name
Get out of here.
just saw the matrix. wow. i've had dreams like that, but not nearly so stylish.
re #188: What was the Lone Ranger's last name?
Re #187: I think the Spleen was a necessary character. Having someone with a super poewr noone wanted nearby was a great twist on the superhero genre.
Saw "Entrapment" last night at Fox Village. Definitely a fun movie, but a bit too scary for us height-scardy-cats!
Try watching it at 13,000 feet sometime.
Rather low for an airplane. Are you suggesting climbing a peak in the rockies to watch it?
I haven't been in a airplane in over twenty years -- and I'm never climbing a peak.
Forget my figure in resp:194 - how high do airplanes fly these days? In any case, "Entrapment" was shown on an airborne 747 on which I was a passenger a few days ago. I paid only sporadic attention to the movie; general impression is that it's a rather cookie-cutter Hollywood romantic thriller.
I think 30,000 feet is pretty typical. Carol and I saw Notting Hill at the Fox last night. I liked it a whole lot. Very funny and very romantic.
I think anything from 30,000 to 50,000 is typical for a 747. 25,000 or less for short commuter flights on things like ATR turboprops. Under 12,000 for non-turbocharged general aviation aircraft like Cessna Skylanes and Piper Cherokees. (Friend of mine whose wife is an ATC says they refer to that level as 'indian country' because of all the Piper aircraft.)
#199...I believe the Lone Ranger and Green Hornet's characters last name was Reed...both shows owned by radio station, and Green Hornet was a spinoff meant to be something likea modern day LR. Both shows had great theme songs...the Lone Ranger was of course Wagner, and Green Hornet was Stravinsky's Flight of the Bumblebee.
I mean it, Richard -- who was that masked man? I wish I knew his name.
RE #200 I believe that the "Lone Ranger" theme was the "William Tell Overture" by Rossini.
Right - Rossini, not Wagner.
A question: Did the Green Hornet play poker with Bee cards? <I'm not expecting an answer>
His sidekick was none other than Bruce Lee (born and raised in Oakland,CA) (who was allergic to 'pot' and is why he died.)
Bruce Lee played Tonto? ;)
RE #206 Bruce Lee played Kato (The Green Hornet's sidekick on the 1966-67 TV series).
Actually rumors have always held that Bruce Lee was killed by the chinese mafia for some dark, sinister reasons. There are also conspiracy theories about the death of Lee's son Brandon Lee, who died in the most bizzarre way on the set of the movie "The Crow" Lee was filming a scene for the movie, where his Crow character gets shot. He was supposed to be shot with a gun that had blanks in it, so his charater would appear to have been shot and killed. However, the prop gun mysteriously had a *real* bullet in it and Lee was *really* killed. An actual murder captured on film for the big screen. The conpsiracy theorists think it was his dad's old enemies in the chinese mafia who pulled this off.
re#208: There are other 'legends' about Bruce Lee's death, that he was killed for revealing secret arcane teachings, etc. The fact is he was allergic to some compound in marijuana/hashish/hemp. He had been previously warned about it and had at least one and perhaps more prior allergic reactions. Each allergic reaction is more severe than the prior and in the fatal case his brain swelled and of course the skull is rather inflexible. There was nothing to be done, and he died. From pot.
It is my understanding that Brandon Lee was killed by a poorly constructed squib rather than an improperly loaded gun.
I'm assuming here you mean the pyrotechnic charge, and not a short
piece of satire. If it were possible to kill with the latter, Swift would've
been a mass murderer many times over.
Brandon Lee was not killed by a real bullet... I think I still have all the articles that were written in connection to "The Crow" and his death at my parents house... I could find them... There were also several other mishaps on the set.
I rented several movies recently. Here's some mini-reviews. Trainspotting: Once I got past the thicker Scottish accents, I really enjoyed this movie. I'm not sure what else I can say about this. A- Wax: or the Discovery of Television Among the Bees: What started out as a weird psuedo-documentary turned very quickly into a trip full of video effects and a rambling monologue. I love bizarre movies, but the narration almost made me fall asleep. I had to stop the film and come back to it later. The plot was incoherent at times. It was a good effort, but too taxing to watch. C- Marquis: This was like watching the cast of _Meet the Feebles_ do a period piece. The movie is set months before the storming of the Bastille in pre-Revolutionary France. The Marquis de Sade interacts with his literay characters. He even talks to himself, in a way that just has to be seen. Oh, I forgot to mention that all of the characters (except for Colin) are animorphic animals. The French have a very weird sense of humor. A Touch of Evil: It's now my favorite Orson Welles movie. Watch it. You won't be disappointed. Try to find the Director's Cut, if possible. A+
Saw BOWFINGER (C) today. Didn't like it much except when Eddie Murphy was in the shot. Many old stale Hollywood in-jokes.
Touch of Evil was on cable a few months ago. I was lucid enough to record it. I agree, it was stupendous.
The Sixth Sense (B+) - It helps to avoid the teasers and advance information about this film (although it is not as necessary as with "Arlington Road.") The film does a good job building tension and suspense, even if you have seen the teasers, but it will be better if you don't. The genre, technically, is "thriller." A psychologist (Bruce Willis) treats a boy (Haley Joel Osment) who is suffering from severe anxiety, social withdrawal, and some disturbing behavior, and finds out a lot more than he had bargained for. The film's title is suggestive of the origin and nature of the boy's disturbance, and that's probably all you should know going in. Willis and Osment do a good job with their roles, and build a respectable intensity, something that too few self-described "thrillers" manage to do.
I was impressed by the staging and the amount of time the movie spent
in developing it's characters; I really could empathize with both of the
protagonists.
"Touch of Evil" is a reasonably good film, and there are many technical achievements in it that make film geeks drool (such as the long shot at the beginning, following the car..) but I, at least, didn't find it enjoyable enough to warrant an "A+" rating.. I'm impressed with the technical artistry of the film, and some of the performances are quite good, but it's not a film I'll return to again and again..
Recent rentals: ELIZABETH (B+) -- I'm a sucker for any historic drama. This one is better than most, thanks mainly to the acting of Cate Blanchett, who seems to have perfected her 'tude by watching Glenda Jackson in the old "Elizabeth R" TV series. French cinebabe Fanny Ardant is hot in a brief appearance as Mary of Guise. The over-all atmosphere and the final scenes of this movie are cribbed straight from Godfather I, however. I almost expected to see Fat Clemenza show up and plug Norfolk in his bed. SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (A) -- I'm a sucker for any historic drama. This isn't awfully historic, but it does deal with some real people, and is filled with English Lit. major in-jokes. (My favorite one is John Webster portrayed as a boy whose favorite parts of the plays are the violent death scenes.) There's a too-sweet love story in there, too, plus Gwyneth Paltrow, if you like her.
As to remarks of the Spleen being superfluous in Mystery Men: in the appearances of the Mystery Men in various numbers of Flaming Carrot Comics, the Spleen was generally useless, cowardly, and - if memory serves - had no superpowers at all, but simply (for some unexplained reason) had a radioactive spleen. He was a foil to the others, who were generally ready for a fight; usually hid when there was a battle and then boasted afterward. There were a couple Mystery Men left out of the movie... I guess the Garofalo character replaced Mystic Hand.
"The Bowler" was a *great* caracter though.
I hoped that Screwball would make an appearance in Mystrey Men, if only so I could watch him play with his pet shoelace.
I *really* liked "Sixth Sense". **** I agree with Aaron that knowing almost nothing about it would be a good thing here.
I hadn't planned on seeing sixth sense, so I felt that hearing the ending wouldn't mean much. As it turned out, I now wish I could see it without that information, but that's okay. I knew what I was getting into. I was *highly* impressed with what I heard, based on what I knew.
See it. Even if you know where the road's going, the ride's well
worth it.
Not to mention that Haley Joel Osment gives one of the most memorable performances by a child actor in recent memory.
I watched Godzilla because it was renting for 99 cents. Having arrived with very low expectations, I didn't find them entirely met. Special effects were fine. Liked the way that they failed to anthromorphize Godzilla - he is treated as a big fierce animal, not a sapient being. Interestingly, because he is treated that way, he becomes somewhat sympathetic and you can feel sad for him when he is killed. I think it's a bit of 90's think - it's kind of sad to kill the last of a species (barring sequels) even if it's not exactly a species you want visiting your backyard. The hero and heroine were a pair of dewy-eyed Brady-bunch escapees, but that's consistant with the human characters in all the original films, and makes a nice contrast to the monster. And they had fun pitting New York City against Godzilla. The final duel between Godzilla and a yellow cab driven by a foreigner was fun from that point of view. Chrysler Building, subways, fish markets, Madison Square Gardens, Holland Tunnel, and the Brooklyn bridge all figure promently into the movie. Interesting that they left out the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center (except for a reference to the bombings) and the Statue of Liberty. Anyway, it wasn't great, but it was enjoyable for me.
Didja notice how the mayor and his assistant were named Siskel and Ebert?
Oh my God! They killed Godzilla. Those bastards!
I just watched Fail Safe and Dr Strangelove in a row. yikel!
Where the heck did you find _Fail Safe_? I've wanted Kenn to see it for years and can never find it!
Where all obscure videos hide: Liberty St:)
The Thomas Crown Affair - C+ - It is cute, which might make up for the fact that the plot is not credible, but it is *entirely* predictable. The only think I did not predict was how lame the ending was going to be. They do an amazing job with some of the sets, however, such as the museum sets (no part of the film was shot inside a real museum).
Why is _Fail Safe_ an obscure video? Was it because it came out the same year as _Dr. Strangelove_?
Universal Soldier: The Return (B-) is a sequel to the original. The computer running the unisols (reanimated dead supersoldier) goes FUBAR, moves into a human body, and directs the unisols to wreak havok in the military base in which they are situated. It's Jean Claude van Damme's job to stop them. The storyline doesn't go smoothly (Damme's sweethart seemed to be stuck into the story, and there wasn't a good transition from the original), although there was a bit of humor in there (people getting bashed in some funny ways), and the sound (Heavy rock music for all the fight scenes) and graphics were pretty good. Basically, if you have a DVD, 50" projection screen, and a really good sound system, you won't care for one minute that the story's bad. Though this movie has one scene which made half the theatre yuck out, you can take your teenagers with you (exept for the fact that there's around five minutes of off-and-on (mostly on) frontal nudity (strip club), so that's a great time for the teen to get a refill on popcorn). Anyway, unless you go to a theatre with really good DTS Surround sound, wait for the DVD.
I got both fail safe and dr strangelove from amazon.com. Failsafe was only 8.99 I.ve already got my order in for yellow submarine in. to be rerelised next month.
We saw "The Blair Witch Project" at the new theater on Jackson Rd. on Saturday. I was not impressed at all; it seemed to me like 2 hours of a home movie, with very little plot and not much of interest from the characters. My wife liked it pretty well; she called it "post-modern". Interestingly, we read an article in the AA News on Saturday, saying that people over 35 don't like it as much as those under 35. I'm over that age, and she's under. We weren't too impressed by the new theater, either. Andrea didn't like the smaller theater; she said she just prefers larger ones. I thought it was okay. Smaller theaters ought to mean a smaller chance of someone behind you using his popcorn to compete with the audio level of the movie. (Though perhaps less likely, we were treated to this experience on Saturday.) I liked one thing: at 8:00 pm on a Saturday, there were *no lines* at the concession stand, and the line for getting a ticket moved very quickly. Neither of us liked the tiny parking lot.
Actually, it seems that a smaller theater could increase the odds of somebody eating popcorn while sitting behind you -- in a larger theater, assuming similar traffic, the odds are greater that there won't be someone behind you at all. Of course, there are a lot of variables to consider.
However, a larger theatre will have a larger clientele.... therefore, the proportions for filled-seats-to-empty-seats and jackass-filled-seats-to-normalpeople-filled-seats will be the same. Ergo, you have the same chance of someone screwing around with the popcorn behind you.
Which is why I specified similar traffic. As I said, there are a lot of variables to consider.
In any case it hasn't been my experience that theater patronage is generally proportional to theater size..
Right. This is because nature abhors a vacuum but not an empty theater.
My experience is that at theatres with different-sized screens, a bigger screen meant a more popular movie, ergo more patronage, ergo proportionality.
Within the same theater megaplex, no doubt the management tries to balance just as you say.. Once you get outside the confines of a single megaplex, though, the relationship doesn't hold. In this area, where large-capacity old-style theaters like the Michigan show independent and 'art' films, there's probably a negative correlation between theater capacity and theater patronage..
Even in the bigger theaters, they have a set number of theaters of various sizes. It costs more to build large theaters. It may cost moderately more to operate them, due to cleaning costs, but I'm guessing that part isn't too significant in the grand scheme of things. Therefore, once they've built the capacity, much of the expense directly related to capacity has been taken care of, and they then need to start bringing in money to pay their construction and operations costs. To maximize income, they need capacity to hold as many people as want to see the most popular movies during peak hours. There may be a lot of people wanting to see the popular movies, and there may be several popular movies out at once. It is therefore to the megaplex's advantage to build a number of very large theaters. They also build some small theaters, not because off peak crowds are small, but because there will always be some movies that don't draw big crowds even during peak times. Now, let's say it's an off-peak time, or a time of year when the studios aren't releasing many really popular movies. The theater has all these large theaters sitting there, but crowds that aren't big enough to fill them. The theater has a choice: leave the large theaters sitting empty and make no money from them, or show movies in them anyway, and make some money. Which are they going to choose?
_Sixth Sense_ - a definate 'do'. Try not to hear anything about it before you see it. Whats-her-name and I were both fortunate in not knowing anything about it other that her nephiew said to do it. Both of us were extremely and pleasantly surprised by it. The acting is superb, all the major characters deliver outstandingly. (Bruce Willis has two kinds of movies, one where he actually works, and one where he kinda floats jokingly through the script while collecting green beer coupons - this is most definately the former.) _Bowfinger_ - a definate 'do'. Not in the same class, but still well done none-the-less. There are a lot of 'hollywood inside jokes' that do not detract from the film if you don't 'get' them and add to your enjoyment of it if you do (especially when you know who Steve Martin's most recent sex partner was).
I liked "Sixth Sense" quite a bit and agree that the less you know about the plot going in, the better. I'll say a little bit about the style, though. The movie takes chances that Hollywood films don't often take - very leisurely pace, many quiet moments. "Sixth Sense" is a big hit (number one at the box office for two weeks in a row), so the approach seems to be working with audiences. We saw it in a fairly crowded theater, and during the quiet moments, the audience was absolutely silent; you could've heard a pin drop.
I was impressed that such an intelligent film did so well at the box
office.
I take it you're a connoisseur of movies like Dumb & Dumber and Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion?
I didn't see "Dumb and Dumber" but I'll stick up for "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion" It wasn't "Hamlet", but then it didn't set out to be..
Re #245: The Cinema 5 in Houghton seems to have a different strategy. All their theaters are quite small (it's crammed into one end of the Copper Country Mall.) Really big films, they show in more than one theater for a while. The same company owns the Lode, which was a classic "huge" theater until they divided it up into three smaller ones. They also own the Pic, which is still huge, probably because they didn't want to put that kind of money into it.
As to Dumb & Dumber and Romy & Michele - it's true that D&D was asine, but it did have a few funny moments - yet you must admit that it succeeded where Forrest Gump failed. Romy & Michele was , yes it was, a good picture. You must have a heart of stone to not laugh when as they watch "Pretty Woman" and cry when they won't let Julia Roberts shop in the stores on Rodeo Drive.
I finally saw American Pie, which was hillarious. Lots of mentions of Ann Arbor too (talked about in terms of future plans -- it didn't actually take place here). This was also my first trip to the Quality 16 theater out on Jackson Road. Compared to the grandeur of the other new multiplexes I've been in, it was extremely pretty small and very understated. The theater we were in was tiny, although I'm assuming they probably have some bigger theaters somewhere. I haven't made up my mind about the theater yet.
Video/DVD recommendation-- just bought the new DVD edition of the Universal films 1933 classic "Frankenstein", with Boris Karloff. The DVD features a terrific new, completely restored and uncut version of the original film (somebody found the master print, which is great since the film has been edited and cutup so many times over the years as its played on tv). Also features an alternate soundtrack you can play over the movie with that film historian from American Movie Classics (I forget his name) which is really fascinating. As well as a full length documentary on the making of the Frankenstein movies showing many cool clips, like Karloff having his monster makeup applied .etc And an extensive photo archive, showing stills and posters and publicity material for the movie. There;s an old frankenstein cartoon on there and the movie trailer and cast/director biographies and production notes and other stuff. This DVD package gives the proper treatment a great and cool old movie deserves. It is the first of what is gokng to be a series of DVD's of the old Universal 1930's horror classics (like Bride of Frankenstein, INvisible Man, Dracula, Wolf Man .etc) I cant wait...
In spite of bad reviews, we all found The 13th Warrior to be an excellent movie. Thats four thimbs up. I am begining to think the reviewers in this country are full of something other than gray matter. The historical setting is accurate, teh equipment and clothing set well with the times. One of us had a quibble with one of the pieces of armor, but it was a very rough version of what would have been seen in a later period. My only quibble is that there were too many of the enemy for what they were supposed to be at that time. The comeraderie between the warrior, th way they worked as a group, the combat techniques, and the encampments were all very well done and as you would expect them to be in early midevil times. (post mohhamed) Go. Enjoy!
The 13th Warrior - D+ The vikings are pretty cool, but they are secondary characters in a poorly plotted, poorly acted film. As Bruce suggests, the "massive enemy" is so contrived, it is impossible to take it seriously. There are some interesting "myth versus reality" aspects, but not much else in the movie is particularly interesting. I have heard that this film had a $100 million budget, yet the CGI boating scenes are *that* cheesy? Run away! Run away! (And now we bring this exercise in contrasts to a close. ;)
Yeah: Adam Herz was from Grand Rapids (referred to as Great Falls in the movie) and went to U-M. It makes sense that Stifler's Mom would have a cabin on Lake Michigan. What makes less sense is that Stifler would have a prescription filled from a pharmacy that had a 517 area code.
Hhm. I gave "The Thirteenth Warrior" a high B plus, or four stars, or an eight. I don't give out that many eights. I think this is the second in two years. Maybe it's all those months I spent translating Beowulf from the Anglo-Saxon, maybe it's the fact that most of the historical details were spot on, maybe it's that I'm a gamer and look for different things in my movies -- like a plausible fight, a very plausible level of action, things like that -- but I didn't see any real problems with it, on the acting or on the script level. (Oh. Yeah. I read "eaters of the dead" a few years back, so I also knew that the enemy was supposed to be who they were, and what the conceit of the movie/book was. But no one else who watched it with me knew, and they all enjoyed it, too. The movie is about a thousand times better realized tha the book.)
very much enjoyed "The Red Violin."
new movies in production item-- word is that United Artists has bribed Sylvester Stallone with many millions of dollars to make Rocky VI-- thats right- coming to a theater near you next christmas, Rocky Balboa now age 53 or so comes out of retirement with new manager Mr. T to win back the heavyweight title. Movie will parallell the real life comeback of George Foreman. It sounds like Im making this up, but Im not. Rocky VI. I guess the real question will be who dies in this one (one Rocky character dies in each sequel) Will it be Adrian, or Paulie or Mr. T or Rocky Jr.?
Movie will parallel George Foreman... So, a somewhat genial but dimwitted Rocky, carrying about eighty extra pounds, and his ten children (boys and girls, all named Rocky), will fight as a heavyweight (because Stallone would be such a convincing heavyweight), and... wait -- didn't Foreman retire again, long before he had a chance to contend for the title? Maybe it will be like Rocky II, and Rocky will try to work his damaged brain up to the point when he can stammer through the lines for a commercial.
_better than chocolate_ quite possibly the most entirely entertaining movie i can remember. rated "one of the five best lesbian movies," it is a love story with a fairly standard gay/lesbian issue (telling the parents), but it remains pleasantly free of cliche' and has some nice twists. really nicely shot, intelligently written, funny, etc. and a really creative and beautiful love scene, too. you don't have to be a lesbian to enjoy it, either.
"Autumn Tale" is a charming story of a woman in mid-life who has almost convinced herself that she is isn't up to the effort of finding love in a long term relationship. In comes her best friends, who feel otherwise. This isn't a Hollywood screenplay which goes for laughs but rather for honest dialogue, played with a light touch. Highly recommended. French subtitled.
I second the recommendation for "Autumn Tale". It's yet another winner in the series of witty comedies of manners and morals that director Eric Rohmer has been turning out for thirty years.
"54"-- movie about the famous New York 70's disco, "Studio 54", with Mike Myers as 54's egomaniacal owner, Steve Rubell. Myers is really good in what is a dramatic, non-comedy, role. Ryan Philippe is a naive New Jersey pretty boy that Myers/Rubell picks out of the line in front of the club and makes a busboy and later bartender. This film has some script problems but is in general a pretty good chronicle of the 70's disco craze and the era of Studio 54 (the world's most famous disco at the height of the disco craze) *** (three out of four stars, not a great film but ok) "EDTV" Matthew Mconaughey as a guy named Ed whose life becomes chronicled on a 24hour cable channel. This also had script problems, and Mconaughey was the wrong person for the lead. His part should have gone to Woody Harrelson who played his brother in thefilm. Also the ending was too contrived. Pretty funny though. Truman Show was much better. ** 1/2 stars
"The Governess" **** A really engrossing and heartbreaking film starring Minnie Driver as a Victorian era Jewish woman from London who hides her heritage, taking a Christian name and becoming a governess in Scotland in order to help support her family after her father is murdered. She falls in love with her employer, while his son falls in love with her. Lots of erotic scenes of passion, and a couple of glimpses of full frontal male nudity (in case that sort of thing bothers you -- it didn't bother me in context... it wasn't flagrant).
I wasn't crazy about 54 (B-). The expensive-looking set wasn't very convincing. Also, Neve Campbell's character seemed hackneyed -- the weary, "I bet you think this is glamorous," actress who finds coffee and conversation at a simple diner more rewarding than drugs and dancing at fabulous "Studio," as everyone called it (wouldn't've made a very good title, though). Mike Myers' sustained impression of Steve Rubell was . . . impressive. The director had a lot of fun with Neve Campbell's face, as directors always do. Speaking of faces, my daughter brought home a movie called CANDYMAN (C), which seems be about Virginia Madsen's face more than anything else. The camera is *always* focused in on it -- smiling, weeping, angry, swooning, left profile, right profile, full-face. It's a nice face, but jeez. Madsen bears up under the camera's scrutiny quite well and does a convincing job with her role. The title character's monotone recitations of the silly lines he's given, which perfectly matches the tediously droning score (by Philip Glass, of all people), makes you almost glad he was stung to death by bees in his former life. There were a few jump-out-at-you moments that were more startling than scary. You can see the surprise ending coming, but it's still pretty cool. My kids both gave Candyman a "B," so I'm sure it has its admirers.
"Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" I'll give it a B, but with the caveat that you can't watch this movie sober and gain any enjoyment at all. Knowing the text helps, I think (I know it quite well), but being somewhat impaired helps quite a bit more. But with that taken care of, it *does* do a pretty good job of carrying the tone of the book. Even the more reflective part about the 60's culture is in there, which I was pleasantly suprised to find. "Waiting for Guffman" Hmm, another B. It's sort of the Spinal Tap of local theatre. Quite funny, but seemed a hair long to me even at it's less than 2 hour length.
Saw "Run Lola Run" at the State Theater, and really enjoyed it. It was a very unique and creative film, unlike anything I've seen before (which probably isn't saying much -- I'm not much of a moviegoer). I won't reveal much about the film, except that the plot is essentially that the flame-haired Lola must obtain 100,000 marks (or was it 500,000?) within 20 minutes in order to save her boyfriend's life. Upon seeing a preview for this movie at the Michigan theater, I really had no interest in seeing it, but upon the high recommendation from two friends I decided to give it a try, and found it to be quite worthwhile. It's a fast-paced film, and one of my friends said that she felt like everything was moving really slowly after she came out of the theater. The film is in German with subtitles and runs a bit less than two hours, despite all the action taking place within 20 minutes.
Jerry and I just returned from "The Thomas Crown Affair" which we both truly enjoyed. Thought it was fun and sexy and Rene Russo is one of the most attractive woman I have seen.
I saw Ed TV last night. It was enjoyable, but too long. Some of the subplots just dragged on too long. Although it was more realistic than The Truman Show, it wasn't as fun to watch. I actually found it harder to suspend my disbelief with this film than The Truman Show. C-
I saw Bullworth last night. Didn't know it was such an attitude adjustment' movie.
THE SIXTH SENSE (C) -- Pretty lame. It's one of those movies in which several key characters would have to be stupid, or laughably inattentive, to behave the way they do, and in which the director repeatedly has to cut away from certain scenes and move hastily on, in the hope that we won't notice. Cheap trick. There were a couple of well-executed startles, which are always fun, and the drizzly autumnal atmosphere was just right. Bruce Willis is his usual smirky self. The little boy is very good. The "surprise" was figured out in the following order, according to the people involved: my 15-year-old-son (the movie maven in the family), right after the opening sequence; myself, about 15 minutes in; my wife, a couple of scenes before the truth comes out at the end; my 13-year-old daughter, when we explained it to her on the way out to the car.
"13th Warrior" Entertainingly gory. Would have been a really kickass Xena episode. Oh wait, I think it was on last year's season.
Ah, now I remember. I think 3rd season Xena, "The Horde". They came back in a later episode, livingh in a cave! After some reflection, I'd have to say that "13th Warrior" was pretty badly done. But it, like Star Trek movies with even numbers, was at least quite fun to watch.
Whoops, make that 2nd season Xena. Episode was called "The Price". The bad guys were called The Horde, and were wonderfully over the top barbarian (with bones in their noses, no less). (can you tell I'm bored?) (info courtesy www.whoosh.org)
"The Astronaut's Wife". Both lead characters had the same cool haircut. That's the best thing I can say about this movie.
<steve cracks up laughing>
"SIXTH SENSE"-- I thought this was really pretty good, with a great performance by 8-year old Haley Joel Osment as the kid (he's the early favorite according to Variety for the best supporting actor oscar-- what kind of acceptance speech does an 8 year old give anyway) who is tormented by ghosts and visions. Bruce Willis is also excellent as the psychologist. The ending caught me off-guard and now I want to re-watch the whole film. Its a very complex movie, and well-made ***1/2 (3.5 stars)
re#279: Indeed. I saw it a couple weeks ago and am still telling folks to do it. Excellent do. On the airplane I watched some film "The Letter" or something like that just to kill time. Kate Capshaw, Blythe Danner, and some others, it was actually quite good. I wished that it was dubbed in mandarin so Nai-Nai could enjoy it as it was one of those sort of universal sorta films that I think will so well in no matter what foreign market it shows in. As it turns out it was directed by a chinese person I think. Instead, nai-nai slept most of the way back to chicagoland.
I also liked Sixth Sense. There's another movie from a few years ago which is very similar and also done much better. Can't tell what it is without giving away a lot of the plot of SS.
Last night John and I went to see The Muse, at Quality 16. Have I mentioned before I really like that theater? Albert Brooks, who directed and co-wrote the screenplay, reminds me a whole lot of Woody Allen, if Allen lived in southern California but still didn't get much sun. So this movie was great fun. I'm especially fond what he did with the cleverly placed cameo roles. ***
The bit with Martin Scorsese is a classic.
The Quality 16 lacks in one critical area - popcorn. Their popcorn
isn't so much bad, as it is tasteless.
We brought our own.
At Quality 16 I asked for salt for my popcorn. The droid behind the counter said there was some "somewhere". And when there wasn't any salt to be found, he he told my kids there was something wrong with me for wanting salt in the first place:) Not that there was anything wrong with him being a tree sloth.
Hey, I've been wanting to see South Park ever since Mr. Delizia reviewed it here, a month or so ago. So I went to the cheap show today and had great fun. Writing Satan as the most sympathetic character in the story was a nice touch. I waited through the credits to the very end. I so wanted it to be dedicated to Lenny.
bruce?
(I especially enjoyed Satan's big song, "Up There")
I loved the Terrance and Phillip song at the beginning. For some strange reason, I never made the connection between T&P and the adopted Canadian baby until I saw the film. It was only then that I realized that all Canadians are drawn with the same style. I don't know how I missed that before.
Saw "Stigmata" tonight with Jazz ans Clees. Wow, that was a very cool movie, and the soundtrack was great. I was most impressed. Although, it's being billed as a horror movie, but it wasn't really scary. I highly reccomend this movie.
Bruce.
It was the historical touches that prevented the pissant in me from
being annoyed - the stigmata were in the right places, and the mysterious
quotes were really from the Gospel of St. Thomas of the Nag Hammadi
collection of early writings. Very spooky effect.
What movie featured the following cast: Gillian Anderson, Ellen Burstyn, Sean Connery, Anthony Edwards, Angelina Jolie, Jay Mohr, Ryan Phillippe, Dennis Quaid, Gena Rowlands, Jon Stewart, Madeleine Stowe? It's called PLAYING BY HEART (A). It's a collection of short stories with a common theme that share a common ending. The stories are all well- written and beautifully directed. The strongest of the stories is about a pair of star-crossed lovers, played by Phillipe and Jolie, who go together like butter and toast. Highly recommended.
Kids insisted we catch STIGMATA (C) yesterday. It almost put them to sleep. Pokey, unscary. Uncreepy, even. Gabriel Byrne, as an angsty priest, and Patricia Arquette, as Saint Frankie, valiantly try and make something of all the nonsense. It's worth seeing for them, but that's about it. Someone described Stigmata as "MTV meets The Exorcist." Close. Portia de Rossi, who plays Nell on TV's Emmy-winning Ally McBeal, has a miniscule role.
If you can , talk to me ,please.
(i still wonder why someone would name their child "door.")
:-) They didn't. She was born Mandy Rodgers,
changed her name when she was 12 and started
modeling.
"Portia" is an old Roman name, but the noun
"portia" doesn't exist. There is a masculine noun
"portio," meaning "part." If you felt like it, you
could posit the existence of a feminine form
"portia," indicating that Miss de Rossi is a "piece."
("Nomen," the Latin word for "name," also means
"noun," so we may be on to something.)
I guess it beats Kevin Kline's query about the name, from "A Fish Called Wanda".
When people tell Arsenio Hall that "Arsenio" is an unusual name for a black man, he says "It means Leroy in Latin".
Forgot to mention: "ostium" is "door." "Portus" is "port." Now, write that 100 times.
Portia is an Uranian Moon. Along with Desdemona, Cressida, Opelia, Juliet, Puck and Ariel, just to mention a few.
Rented John Boorman's "Excalibur" last night. Still a cool movie, but those knights were pretty tough characters to be wearing their full plate armor all the time like that. They didn't even take it off to have sex!
Yeah, that's what I remember about that movie, all right.
Now you know how turtles and armadillos feel.
Good about practicing safe sex?
'YELLOW SUBMARINE'-- They have just re-released a fully restored and beautiful looking new version of one of my alltime favorite movies, the Beatles "Yellow Submarine" This was the first movie I can ever recal seeing (my dad took me to see it at theater in 1968 when it came out, I was almost five I think) This was back when the Beatles were like supergods and I remember loud screaming of girls when the cartoon versions of John, Paul, George, and Ringo were introduced on screen. The Beatles are recruited by Sgt. Pepper to be in his Lonely Hearts Club Band and travel to Pepperland aboard the Yellow Submarine to save the world from the Blue Meanies. The psychedelic animation and the interspersing of live action and animated shots is really something in this. And of course the music including many Beatles classics, like "All You need is Love". "When Im 64", "Nowhere Man", and a personal favorite, the title song, "Yellow Submarine" This is a true 60's classic. The DVD has the widescreen version, a making of documentary, plus you can index by song and just play your favorites. **** (four stars...buy it, its a keeper!)
Also The Matrix has come out on DVD today. Some say it is the movie that will drive people to buying DVD players.
MATRIX ON DVD? WHERE ARE MY SHOES? I am serious closing agora *now* and buying this.
Don't forget about Uncle Albert.
Got Matrix?
I also loved "It's all too much", which is a masterpiece of
odered-seeming chaos, and appears only in _Yellow Submarine_ and it's
soundtrack, insofar as I've seen.
Its been reported of course that Keanu Reeves has signed to film not one but two Matrix sequels back to back next year. They are to be filmed late this year at the same time with the thought (and this is an interesting idea) to release both Matrix II and III at the same time. This way theater owners can play with your minds by not telling you which movie you are seeing until you are in the theater, or they can switch the endings around.
Hm, I will probably stay home so that they can't play with my money.
Robert Zemeckis did something like that for the filming of "Back to the Future" II and III (filmed them at the same time and then released them almost simultaneously..)
Not for another week. However, I had some computer shopping which that prompted me to do.
Re #315: There were about 6 months between the release dates of BTF II and III (11/22/89 and 5/25/90, according to the IMDB).
my copy of yellow sub. came in the mail to my door from amazon :) the sound os great, good surround sound, oh, the pictures were good too :) ,
MICKEY BLUE EYES (C) - A hearty laugh or two, but that's about all, despite the nice cast. The story and pacing don't sustain your interest. The directing seemed off the mark in many places: thirty minutes in, it suddenly dawns on you what the movie's been trying, clumsily, to make think this or that character is supposed to be like. Hugh Grant is not at his best. 200 CIGARETTES (B) - Something I read or heard put me off about this movie when it was showing in the theaters. It definitely has its moments, though, if not its audience. It resembles a '90s teen party flick in some ways -- think Can't Hardly Wait -- but the characters are mostly early '80s 20-somethings. Several separate stories intertwine and converge. Funny in places, touching in places, some stories work, others fail. It's one of those movies you keep on recasting it in your head, which is not a good sign.
ZARDOZ (C-) - I only rate this bad movie this high because it was a fun bad movie.The plot was very confusing at times. Sean Connery probably regretted starring in this one. Then again, maybe he liked running around in a red loincloth throughout the whole film.
re resp:267 I had an amusing few seconds, thinking you were saying that Philip Glass was stung to death by bees in a former life. It would explain a lot. :)
i loved zardoz. great late-night swill!
re#320&322: Yeah. _Zardoz_ was way too kewl. And if you ever thought about it rather meaningful as well. I especially liked the use of the 7th symphony as well as other classical music in the score.
Ugh. My friend has Zardoz on video and he loves it. We watched it one night after the bar. Even with a mild buzz I can't say I enjoyed it. And I usually would go for that sorta thing.
I think that Zardoz is not really a movie to enjoy, but something more like a rite of passage. Since we are talking of such old films, am I the only person on earth who LIKED "Hudson Hawk" and "Big Times in Little China"?
No..
When I saw Hudson Hawk for the first time, in the theaters, I didn't like it at all. I saw most of it again recently on late night cable, and loved it.
That's "Big Trouble in Little China", and it's become one of my all-time favorite movies. "Now I'm gonna tell you about an accident, and I don't wanna hear 'Act of God'."
Cassia- you're not alone. I liked "Hudson Hawk" when I saw it in the theater, and I really really like "Big Trouble in Little China." Although, in the last big fight scene- try counting how many knives Kurt Russell's character pulls out of his boot... It's amusing.
I liked Hudson Hawk when I watched it with a group of friends. As bad as it was, Richard Grant played the role he was born to play. I love "Big Trouble in Little China" and watch it whenever it's on. I just love how the movie plays with the macho hero stereotype. Too bad they never made the sequel.
Just saw "Strange Days" for the first time. (It came out in '95, and I had meant to see it then but never got around to it.) *Very* cool. Great story, with action, sci-fi, suspense and a little bit of romance all rolled into one. The ending was a little predictable, but by that point I had become so engrossed in the story that it didn't matter. It takes place roughly three months from now, during the last two days of 1999, which makes it all the more realistic. It's certainly worth renting, and I wouldn't have felt at all disappointed had I paid to see it in a theater.
I would agree that "Strange Days" is a good movie. Realistic, though? Perhaps in comparison to "1984" or "Space: 1999", or other specifically time-stamped future scenarios.. Our world is substantially less screwed up than the one portrayed in the movie..
Yeah, and those Sony Discmans that record our memories will be out any day now. "Space: 1999" did get one thing right. We're very dependent on computers to the point that a lot of people would be afraid to work without them. It hasn't reached the point that when a computer says it requires a human decision, there's a collective thought of "We're screwed!" I've known some people who kind of forget that not everyone has e-mail though. :)
It's pass-the-buck-itis. Most people look for reasons to avoid work,
rather than what they need to do, and having computers down is a wonderful
excuse which sounds plausible enough for them to pass on to coworkers,
employers, and customers.
My favorite "pass-the-buck-itis" was when a co-worker called and requested some info. The personon the other end said, "Sorry, our fax lady is out right now. We can't fax anything until she returns." How hard can it be to fax something? If you can use a phone and a document feeder on a copier, you can use a fax machine.
but you don't understand.... sales people are only able to so certain things... other things in life they have no clue. They would get their tie stuck in the fax machine and die!
"Lulu on the Bridge" is an interesting rental which I enjoyed a whole lot. It's written and directed by Paul Auster (who also did "Smoke") and stars Harvey Keitel, Mira Sorvino and Willem Dafoe. Where did this little gem come from? I don't think it played anywhere in Ann Arbor, or maybe it did, and I missed it. It's another that will play much better the less you know about the plot. Just let it unfold. Send me mail once you've seen it. I'd like to compare takes on the ending.
George C. Scott has died.
Geez, really? That's sad. A great actor. He was fairly old but was still practicing his craft within the last few months. Seems to me I just saw him as the William Jennings Bryan-like character in the made-for-cable version of "Inherit the Wind".
Saw _Better than Chocolate_ last night.
My first thought was, that if you were looking to it to be a political
commentary, it'd be a failure. It dashes all sorts of stereotypes about
lesbians and transgenders, but then proceeds to stereotype all skinheads as
violent racists and downplays the rejection of bisexual folk by both the gay
and straight communities.
My second thought was, if you don't think of it as political commentary
and just accept it as a romantic comedy, it's easily one of the best romantic
comedies I've seen in years, since _Overnight Delivery_, and easily as
intelligent as _Love and Human Remains_.
So if you're looking for political commentary, skip it. If you're
turned off by transgenderism, homosexuality, or the free speech folks, skip
it. If you're looking for an intelligent and honest modern love story told
as a comedy, then you'd do well to track it down at one of the local
independent theatres.
George C. Scott passed away? Looks like I'll be watching Patton and They Might Be Giants, my favorite Scott movies.
It is actually pushes as a "Romantic Comedy for Lesbians" - About Better than Chocolate
Also passed away... Pop icon Madonna is mourning the sudden, unexpected loss of her darling, irrepressible, three-year-old British accent.
I saw "Better Than Chocolate" and I agree that as a political statement it's a flop, but I liked seeing it as a romantic comedy. It seems to me that if a lesbian film can be seen as simply a romantic comedy and not a statement then it's becoming more mainstream, more 'normal' for such movies to be out there. Which, I think, is a good thing.
Re: 339, since when is 71 terribly old?
George C. Scott was a great actor-- my favorite was in the "Hustler" where plays this slimy hustler who takes control of pool shark Paul Newman's career and teaches him what it *really* means to hustle, the price you really have to pay. He won best supporting actor for that but turned it down, and also turned down the best actor award for Patton, because he doesnt/didnt believe you can compare dramatic performances.
Stop the presses: I definitely agree w/ richard re: "The Hustler".
So watch The Hustler, and The Color of Money back to back if you have the time. I loved The Hustler. Great film, great cast, and great acting.
You have several choices: