206 new of 241 responses total.
Scott's probably thinking of Houghton Lake, which is nowhere near Houghton (except in global or perhaps astronomic terms..)
I don't suppose it's showing anywhere in Green Bay, Duluth, or Wasau?
(#36 is correct)
Caught Mystery Men at the Fox on Saturday. It was fun.
I loved the comic-book-ish cars in that movie, especially the stretched-Vette limo and the hot-rod Charger police cars.
I saw Better Than Chocolate at the Michigan the other day. It was enjoyable, but I wasn't all that impressed. All of the characters, not just the skinheads, seemed to me to be cookie-cutter stereotypes. Positive ones, perhaps, but still... they weren't individuals to me, they were personified labels.
RE #39 & #40 I was also fascinated in a bizarre way how the signs in Champion City (site of the "Mystery Men" movie) had Roman, Russian, Japanese, and Hebrew alphabet words intermixed. And while the villians had the Corvette limo, our heroes' mode of transport was a 1959 Rambler Station Wagon!
I really liked "Mystery Men".. definitely a high nerd factor, and you probably will hate it if you never liked superhero comic books, but for a certain population segment (to which I just happen to belong) it's a good movie.
Spike & Mike's Classic festival of Animation *sucked*. Not usual for them.
Re #42: I think, basically, if you think "The Tick" is funny, you'll like _Mystery Men_.
re #45- yeah... I never watched "The Tick" much, but I always thought it was funny, and I liked "Mystery Men"
I never liked superhero comic books, but I payed just enough attention to them to get the jokes in "Mystery Men". And I _love_ the tick.
You just liked the idea of JG as a superheroine. :)
Re #48: Admittedly, that was part of the appeal of the movie for me as well. ^_^ I also loved Mystery Men because it's the only movie I've seen where someone has a dysfunctional family relationship with an inanimate object. That was truly bizarre.
<laughs> It was great!! "Now can I go back to grad school?"
I liked the part where they were trying to get Mr. Furious angry, but everything they said just made him more depressed. "You dress in the manner of a male prostitute!"
Here's all I need to know about "The Tick": If a guy with as many alimony payments as Micky Dolenz has to make decides that there are other things he can do with his time, that tells me something.
BOYS DONT CRY-- This is the terrific new movie based on the true story about a Nebraska teenager named Teena Brandon, who chose to live her life as a guy named Brandon Teena, and was ultimately brutally raped and later murdered a couple of years back by people who didnt understand her sexual identification struggle. Brandon Teena was, in her mind and heart, a guy trapped in a female's body and was living in the only way that seemed real to her, and few people understood. She was raped and murdered by the ex-boyfriend of a girl she was dating. This movie does a wonderful job of chronicling Brandon's life and struggles, and the heinous crimes that took her life and dignity. In our own way, we all struggle with the issue of identity, finding out who we are and accepting reality. This movie raises the question: do we have the right to choose our own identities, even if it is in conflict with what nature has dictated? This is an explicit and unsettling movie in that it goes to great lengths to portray accurately everything that happened. Brandon is played in a great performance by Hillary Swank, who is a shoo-in for a best actress nomination. "BOYS DONT CRY" **** (four stars) one of the best movies of the year.
Earlier this week I saw, and was impressed by (not totally sure I "liked") "Three Kings" Basic plot summary -- just after the Desert Storm cease-fire, four American servicemen serving in the gulf take a map from a captured Iraqi soldier. Deducing that the map shows the location of valuables looted from Kuwait, the four decide to "liberate" some of the loot for themselves. Sounds like a by-now standard caper-movie in a war-movie setting, right? Well, there's more to it than that.. When things don't go exactly as planned (do things ever go exactly as planned?) the protagonists are quickly caught up in a situation for which they are totally unprepared (in any number of ways.) What's good about this film is the very fresh viewpoint it brings to a very tired genre, and the surprisingly effective moral ambiguity that suffuses every character's actions. Viewers should be aware that the movie contains disturbing scenes of graphic violence which, due to the fact that the movie doesn't break down neatly into "good guys vs. bad guys" are made even more disturbing. It also has a weak ending -- or perhaps it has a normal ending but has such a strong beginning that the ending nevertheless feels like a cop-out.. Anyway, highly recommended to those who can take the violence.
I found a new sleeping aid-- Titanic. 30 minutes and you're out like a light. I *was* prepared to watch Titanic on HBO, since I had been avoiding it like the plague until now. I flipped it on, started to get fascinated by the diving tech and then WHAM! It turned slow and boring. I woke up 2 hours later wondering what the hell happened. I decided that it was better to go upstairs and take a bath. Tonight's feature was a little better. The Bedford Incident with Richard Widmark as a tightly wound, haunted captain of a frigate who is hunting a Russian sub. Good performances by Martin Balsam, and Sidney Portier, as well as a very young Donald Sutherland and James MacArthur. As an extra added bonus was an appearance by Wally Cox, who gave a yet another stellar, steady performance as a young sonarman. I won't spoil the ending, but it is a good suspense flick. Black and White, made in 1965. 4 stars.
_The Spanish Prisoner_ Maybe I am just a conditioned fan of Mahmet's films but this one was way kewl. I know/knew enough about his style to predict many of the plot twists as we watched but it was still very much enjoyable to watch how the plot played out. Well worth the 7.99 OSCOS's pre-viewed video price for the VHS cassete. It is just so kewl. We know its a 'con job' because we know his films, but we don't 'know' what the 'conjob' is until----well....Besides, you know the character actors he likes to use. (Here are some new ones sure to show up in future offerings) About the only complaint I have about the film is I still want to know what 'the process' is. Is it a synthetic gasoline (from a much earlier film involving George C. Scott)? Is it a 'wonderdrug'? We never find out. And his awsome touch of throwing in that 'cameo' appearance of a well known actor of his films who is in fact NOT who we see him as is blissfully well done. I woulda payed full price to see it in a movie theater and still woulda bought the video. ITs still not _The Usual Suspects_ type of quality, but it is damn close.
re#55: Second the praise for _The Bedford Incident_. A well done flick of how WW-III just might happen. Very very realistic at the time and yet today. Things have not changed all that much and it is the technology portrayed in the film that is the actual very real threat that is 'wargamed' today in the 'War Colleges' even though the cast may be slightly different. Well worth the rent or buy.
I saw "Crash" last night. (Yeah, Independent Film Channel. That's just what you want to be showing people who can't sleep.) The short version: Until I saw "Crash", I always thought that no matter how bad the movie was, it could be redeemed by a scene of Holly Hunter and Rosanna Arquette getting extrafriendly with each other. Okay, I was wrong. The version that puts any of my film classes to work: "Crash" seemed to be a softporn movie that had aspirations of psychological drama (the desier to return to zero blah blah.) Or maybe it was the other way around. In either case, it took itself way too seriously, and at any given moment was always too much of both and not enough of either. Now if they had really gone all out and played it for camp, I might have enjoyed it more.
It's better if you've read the novel, Erik. Overall, I didn't think
the novel (which is about as coherent as Burroughs' _Naked Lunch_) would
translate well to film, and it didn't.
Re resp:56 - I liked "The Spanish Prisoner" a lot too. But what was the "cameo appearance" you refer to?
THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR (B) -- The guy at Blockbuster said it was a very good movie that got blown away at the box office by The Matrix. It turns out to have a somewhat similar premise to The Matrix (the world as computer program) but a much more complicated plot and relatively little action or special effects. I'm not quite sure it all holds together, but it was fun watching the filmmakers try. The real action, if you could call it that, takes place in the year 2024, but until almost the very end you think it's alternating between real 1999 and virtual 1937. Toward the end, as you sort out all the rabbit-holes- within-rabbit holes, you can find, if you think about it, the perfect solution to the heroine's dilemma. The only problem is you might've fallen asleep by then.
Re #55: I'd hate to spoil the ending of Titanic for you, but the boat sank. Ok, now that I've got that old joke out of my system... Re #58: I actually liked Crash. It was the best unintentional comedy of the year. I can't remember if I gave a review of Jacob's Ladder, so here goes... Jacob's Ladder (A-/B+) - I really liked this movie when I first saw it in 1990. Until I saw it in the Michigan Theater last Thursday, I didn't know if it had any "staying power." In other words, would I still think it was a good movie. I was not disappointed. I could enjoy the movie more as the protagonist's personal journey than a horror film. (I'm trying to avoid spoiling the film for those of you who haven't seen it, so don't read the rest of this review until you watch it.) SPOILER ALERT After the movie, the script writer came out and talked about the movie. He explained that the film was his adaptation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Jacob Singer made the journey in his mind through various Bardos as he sought a way to understand his death. Once he could do that, he could let go of his former life and go on to whatever lay beyond. After the writer explained that, the movie made a lot more sense.
The white light at the end, presumably, would be the pure womb of a
good rebirth, if I'm recalling my Bardo Thodol correctly.
I don't know the specifics, but that makes senses to me.
I remember seeing the previews for Crash and thinking that it looked like the worst premise for a film I had ever seen. But then, I thought nearly the same thing about The Sixth Sense. For which, by the way, the previews are even worse spoilers than I had suspected. For a movie that was really very good, it would have been at least 50% better, I think, had I not seen the previews.
Damn, I really need to see "Sixth Sense" one of these days. It seems to be strongly resisting a 2nd run / Fox Village showing.
Yeah, I'm waiting for it to hit FOx Village too. Is anyone else waiting to see Fight Club?
I'm not sure about that one... It could be interesting...
I was waiting to see "Eyes Wide Shut" at the Fox, but it was only there for a week or two, and I missed it. Some movies come and go very quickly there.
It's a shame. I thought it was very good. It would've been great, but I didn't like Nicole Kidman's acting.
(re#60: The guy with the key to the box next to the ferry is *not* a actor fave of Mahmet's from previous films. I do not believe for a moment that the striking resemblance is an 'accident')
Eyes Wide shut WAS great Even if you didn't like Nicole Kidman, she's not in the movie a whole hell of a lot. That movie is one of the most beautiful things I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. The soundtrack, oh god the sountrack! How creepy is that?! Easily Kubrick's best since "ClockWork Orange"
Oh, I agree. If the movie focused on Nicole Kidman instead of Tom Cruise, I would've hated the movie. He did an excellent performance. The movie was absolutely mesmerizing. As for the soundtrack, I rushed out the next day to buy it. Kubrick's choices for classical music were brilliant. The Chris Isaak song was wonderful.
Aside: I attended a looong meeting at work today about operating room software, and one of the examples that kept coming up of things that should be documented was "Eyes taped shut". People kept saying that all day, and every single time I did a doubletake. :)
the doctor's eyes, or the nurses'?
One of the most common complications of a general anesthetic is corneal abrasion. Taping is an easy way to prevent it. Residents, on the other hand, frequently need to have their eyes taped open. "American Beauty" is a stunningly perfect film. Bravo to the writer, director and the incredible ensemble cast.
Yes. Kudos also to the State Theater (where we saw it) for upgrading their projection and sound system so as to make seeing a film there a pleasurable experience, at long last.
Hey, that's good news.
Hm. I did enjoy it, but I found it a bit moralizing in tone.
We are cheering on as a hero a man who is breaking some of society's most cherished taboos. My kind of moralizing. ;-)
Did the State Theater do anything about its seats, or are they still horribly cramped? I've been in pain after the last few movies I saw there, so I haven't been tempted to return.
THE FIGHT CLUB (C) -- Another adolescent gay fantasy from David Fincher involving rough trade with shaved heads, and one pathetic female outsider. Think Alien^3. Lots of muscles, sweat, adrogeny, faux-noir scenes. It was on its way to turning into a fairly interesting thriller when the writers apparently gave up and turned it into a groaner. You literally groan and shake your head, and if you stay it's just to see how it ends.
["Androgyny" I think.]
re #81: Their seats are still pretty awful and the theaters still have that vertigo-inducing "the geometry of this room is just not right" thing going on, but hopefully they'll at least fix the seating sometime. They seem to be improving things for the long haul, and since they never fill the place (at least not when I'm there) it seems like they could get away with a few fewer seats and more room per customer..
The state is basically the balcony with the lower floor partioned off into some other business. I think the vertigo comes from one's knowing you are in the balcony and yet the floor is right in fron tof you:)
The Thomas Crown Affair Chick flick. Rich selfish guy drives amoral woman insurance investigator to distraction by leaving her unsure about his feelings for her while weaving an intricate museum theft. Some pretty hot scenes with Rene Russo and Pierce Brosnan, including a public dance in a dress that leaves nothing to the imagination. Otherwise, the plot was only marginally interesting and very implausible.
"AMERICAN BEAUTY"-- Really good movie about a seemingly ordinary suburban couple Kevin Spacey and Annette Benning, going through mid-life crises and coming to terms with their own functionality and dysfunctionality. Very smiliar to another really good movie from two years ago, "The Ice Storm", although more of a comedy. Salesman Spacey starts lusting after his teenage daughter's new best friend and lapses into a midlife crisis trying to relive his teen years. Wife Annette Benning also lapses into her own crisis and starts finding her own ways to relieve her frustrations. At the same time, we see their neighbors-- who, unlike them, really *are* dysfunctional, and you can see the difference (the neighbors' relationship is hopeless and beyond saving, whereas Spacey/Benning are not) Their daughter takes up with the neighbor's son, a drug dealer who is essentially the hero of the movie, as he is the only character who is capable of seeing the beauty in life, and in fact is so awestruck by life's beauty that he tries to film everything. This in spite of that he has a horrid homelife and is regularly beaten by his neo-nazi father. This is intended as a slice of suburban life, and shows how much we live our lives in denial of what is really out there. At first I had a problem with the ending of the film, which I wont give away except to say its quite unsettling, but upon reflection I think it made sense. A really well made film that deserves Best Picture nomination consideration. AMERICAN BEAUTY-- **** (four stars)
No, his father wasn't a Neo-Nazi.
#88..yeah he just had a display case full of weapons and a plate with a swastika on the back of it. IMO he was a neo-nazi, but you dont know for sure
I'd probably go so far as redneck, but not neo-nazi. But a great flick, by all means.
He was a retired military officer. Our military. He was probably an excellent officer. ;-)
<drift>
Would a retired military officer (USA) be likely to display a
captured Nazi flag?
</drift>
/
(when would a retired military officer who was the father of a teenage son in a movie set in the present day have been in a position to have captured a Nazi flag?)
(He *collected* Nazi artifacts. The plate was described as his most prized possession.)
It wasn't a flag, though, it was a plate with a swastika on the back.
I understand that it's a fairly common practice for people who've been
in war to keep trophies. And I can see where the confusion came from, since
his father's arch-authoritarian ways could easily be called "Nazi-like" in
this day and age.
authoritarian should not be linked to nazism. You can be authoritarian without being a nazi.
In this case, the father's age did make it seem likely that he was not, in fact, involved in WW2. Also, the plate in question was described as the only Nazi artifact in a *large* collection of wartime memorabilia from many eras. (I'm not quite sure I believe that; some of the guns I saw looked German and looked to be about the right age, but my knowledge of guns is at best minimal.)
Authoritarianism *is* liked with Naziism, and it's common to call an
authoritarian of any stripe a "Nazi". Where've you been in these last
few years?
"Nazi-like" - Heavy on the do's and don'ts.
Yeah, like the US government these days.
THREE KINGS (B) -- An attempt to make a movie in which cynical, mercenary American soldiers turn into compassionate and idealistic heros, without looking or sounding too mawkish. There are no thoroughly good guys, and no bad guys except Saddam Hussein & Co., and George Bush. Nevertheless, some good manages to get done. The grainy, overexposed look is oddly effective. Worth a look.
AMERICAN BEAUTY (A) - This is the most profound movie I've seen in years. I'm still not sure how to describe how this movie affected me. I loved it. People should get Oscars for this film.
...like work.
THX-1138 - Interesting. Unlike any other George Lucas film that I've
seen. Confusing at first, but it got better as it went on. Decent
plot, pretty good acting for a George Lucas film. Not as top-heavy as
Star Wars with Special Effects. Overall, I'd give it about a 7/10.
Trivia time: Can you think of ANY American movies that do not have one
of the following:
A) Sex
B) Violence
C) a Car Chase scene
"My Dinner with Andre"
Leslie and I are just back from seeing "The Third Man" at the new Screening Room at the Michigan Theatre. We liked the movie a lot: old fashioned, black & white paranoia thriller set in the ruins of Vienna after World War II. I'd thought that Orson Welles would have had a bigger part; it's really Joseph Cotton's movie. We loved the Screening Room. Roomy seats, and old-fashioned gently raked seats: I don't think I like stadium seating all that much. I think the Screening Room will become my favorite theatre in town; it's reminiscent of the old Odeon in Lansing, decorated quite a bit more upscale.
Re #105: I thought "My Dinner With Andre" was a French film. How about "Koyaaniqatsi"?
"Stop Making Sense", the Talking Heads concert film that got such great reviews, is playing at the Michigan for the next few days. Anybody interested in a Grexpedition to catch the 9:45 (I need to double check that) Friday showing?
Ooh, I'll go! :)
movie that doesnt have sex, violence or car chase scene, see prevous response 'Stop Making Sense'. Or maybe "Wizard of Oz"
Tina Weymouth (bass player for Talking Heads) is pretty sexy. And dropping a house on a witch? Definitely violent.
Koyaaniqatsi is arguably quite violent. Especially if Philip Glass doesn't do it for you. :)
How about "Home of the Brave", Laurie Anderson's concert film. According to my listings, "Stop Making Sense" plays at 9:15 and 11:15 tomorrow at the Michigan Theater. Since I'm going to whatever Japanese film is running at Lorch Hall at 7PM tomorrow, I'm not so sure I can make it now. I'll try though.
Re resp:106 - I'll second the endorsement for "The Third Man" and the Michigan Theater's new Screening Room. The elegant decor is compatible with the old part of the Michigan, and the walls are decorated with murals depicting Ann Arbor movie theaters of yesteryear.
Re: #104 Lots of movies fit that description. Lots. Think of chick-flicks, a good chunk of what Tom Hanks has starred in, films directed by Ron Howard, many of Robin Williams' movies, and on and on. And that's just the genre of contemporary fluff film - mainstream stuff.
9:15? Thanks for the correction. I've put this in the motd, since I'm not sure too many music people read Agora. I'll be just inside the overhang on the State Street side.
(the trivia question I posted was asked of everyone in my film class by our teacher. The only answer anyone could come up with (with no time to think about it) was Airplane.)
"Airplane" has a fair amount of both sex and violence.
Hmmmm... "Peewee's Big Adventure"?
For the contest in #104, I nominate "Apollo 13." I don't think a defective spacecraft part blowing up constitutes violence.
I nominate "Goodbye, My Lady" (which hardly anyone nowadays has heard of).
How about "A Christmas Carol"?
chitty chitty bang bang?
Twelve Angry Men?
There's a pregnant wife in Apollo 13. Next?
Singing in the Rain. But of course that's a musical.
I don't recall pregnant wives being especially sexy. But then I've never had a wife, let alone a pregrant one.
We had a little Music conference expedition to catch the Talking Heads concert film STOP MAKING SENSE on Friday night: scott, otaking and myself. I've never heard the film sound better; it's been mixed for six?-channel sound, putting the audience noise in the back of the theatre, and there are also some lovely effects done with the off-stage harmony vocals in "Heaven" and the keyboard fantasia at the end of "Once in a Lifetime." For me it was a complete nostalgia experience, since Talking Heads formed the soundtrack to my early twenties. I'm thinking of trying to see the last showing of this run on Sunday afternoon.
I'll be planning a similar Grexpedition to the Michigan when Yellow Submarine is showing in a week or two.
After seeing STOP MAKING SENSE, my immediate reaction was, "How did I miss seeing this movie for the past 15 years?" I LOVED it.
"BRINGING OUT THE DEAD"-- New film by Martin Scorcese, starring Nicholas Cage as a burned out ambulance driver driving around Hells Kitchen in NY This co-stars Patricia Arquette, and ironically reminds me of another early Scorcese film called "After Hours" which starred sister Rosanna Arquette. Both movies are more about capturing a scene and a mood aand are ont heavy on plot. Scorces's films are really dense and complex and I want to see this one again. I wouldnt rank this among Scorcese's best but even his merely good films are generally a lot better than most anything else....*** (three stars)
I'm not sure of the exact time yet, but I'm announcing Yet Another Movie Grexpedition to see Yellow Submarine this Friday at the Michigan. I'll pick the 9ish showing.
That's tempting. Is it the first night they'll be showing Yellow
Submarine?
Yup.
You guys should all go the the Lonely Hearts Cafe before or after.
Dr Caligari is a special film. It's a sequal to THE CABINET OF DR CALIGARI that was made in the late 80's. It's an attempt at an art filmthat failed wonderfully. It just has to be seen to be believed. If you like bizarre films, rent this at Liberty St. Video.
"The Limey" (A-) Like his "Out of Sight" from last year, I found director Stephen Soderbergh's latest non-linear opus to be a lot of fun. It stars three icons from the 60's (Terrence Stamp, Peter Fonda, Leslie Ann Warren) and has to do with British career criminal Stamp's efforts to avenge the death of his daughter, which he blames on Hollywood record producer Fonda. But a mere plot synopsis can't really do justice to this film, with its array of entertaining minor characters and continual use of flashbacks and flashforwards to establish a texture and give insight into the characters. Soderbergh is a master of this approach, which reminds me a bit of the films of the French New Wave era (also a 60's phenomenon). Highly recommended.
Huh. I thought previews for that looked interesting. I'll have to check it out.
(I think "The Limey" ends its run at the Michigan Theater Screening Room in a day or two. Maybe it'll move over to the State.)
Grexpedition to see the recently restored Yellow Submarine, this Friday! 9:00 pm at the Michigan.
In the category of movies with no sex, violence, or car chase scenes would you believe a David Lynch movie?! Yes, the director of Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, and Twin Peaks has directed a G rated movie, and a really good one too... THE STRAIGHT STORY-- A wonderful new movie from David Lynch telling the true story of a 73 year old Iowa man named Alvin Straight who drove his lawnmower 400 miles to Wisconsin to visit his dying brother, whom he hadnt been on speaking terms with in 10 years. He wants to visit his brother by himself, on his own terms, and has cataracts in his eyes so cant drive and the bus doesnt go there. So Straight hooks up a makeshift trailer to his lawnmower and takes off on a long, slow journey on backroads through Iowa and Wisconsin. Along the way he meets interesting people, camps out in cornfields, and basically has the time of his life and comes to terms with his own mortality. There is a great scene where he finally makes it the Mississippi River on his lawnmower after weeks of traveling and crosses over the bridge, as the mighty currents of the river flow underneath. At this point he looks at the river and smiles, as he realizes that he is now finally at peace with the world and realizes his past is all "water under the bridge". He knows that once he's seen his brother and settled things with him, he'll be completely at terms with his life. Straight is played in a great performance by Richard Farnsworth, who should be a leading contender for Best Actor Oscar. The rest of the cast is strong too, with Sissy Spacek as his mentally impaired daughter who adores him, and Harry Dean Stanton (one of my favorite actors) as the estranged brother. "The Straight Story" is IMO the best film Ive seen this year **** (four stars) (note: the opening credits brought a round of laughter from the audience, "Walt Disney presents a film by David Lynch" Talk about a weird combination!)
MaybeDisney could convince Lynch to direct an animated movie. I'd love to see what he could do with animation. *grin*
Well, Lynch is a comic strip cartoonist in addition to being a director, so the idea makes a lot of sense. I'm anxiously waiting for "The Straight Story" to come to Ann Arbor.
So what does Harry Dean Stanton do during the years in between David Lynch movies?
Cocaine.
We had a total of four people show up for Yellow Submarine last night: scott, scg, chanur and kaplan. Great movie, of course, but the restoration was quite nice. The audio was *wonderful*.
I picked up the Yellow Submarine on DVD just a few weeks ago. Saw it thru and also with the running commentary and a look at the specials and whatever else.
Had a rare free evening and went to see AMERICAN BEAUTY. Liked the film, but before I could make sense of it, I had to discard everything I'd heard about it. The reviews I'd read were based on an interpretation of the film that was at least as warped as most of the characters. Mostly a cool film, but falls just short of being as cool as it should have been.
resp:128 & resp:130 :: if you missed STOP MAKING SENSE at the Michigan Theatre because Grex was down that weekend so we couldn't write our rave reviews, you have a chance to see it in East Lansing. Wells Hall, MSU, 7 & 9:15 pm, Friday November 5 - Sunday November 7.
Leslie and I saw "Yellow Submarine" at the Michigan Screening Room tonight. Um, I loved hearing the Beatles songs in six-track stereo. Wow! As for the story: well, the trailer for "Being John Malkovich" was the dramatic highlight of the evening. :) Yes, Attention John Cusack Fans!! "Being John Malkovich," starring Your Idol, opens Friday at the Michigan and runs for about a week, with shows spread between both screens. When's the Grexpedition? Also at the Michigan this month is a festival of free silent films on Tuesday nights. And at the end of the month we get the latest of Gillian Anderson's restorations of silent music scores: Douglas Fairbanks in "Robin Hood," with a live orchestral accompaniment. The Lillian Gish show I saw with the live orchestra a year or so ago was just dazzling. I sure hope I can make it to this one.
I'd like to suggest that the Being John Malkovich Grexpedition be a night when it's showing in the old theater. The new one has nice sound, but it lacks the character.
Re #150: How long is Yellow Sub going to be showing?
Re #150: Gillian Anderson is restoring silent musical scores?
(The Gillian Anderson referred to in resp:150 is not the same person that stars in "The X Files".)
Thanks for clearing that up.
Re #152:
Today is, I understand, the last showing.
The Gillian Anderson in resp:150 is a musicologist -- I believe she is associated with the Library of Congress -- who resurrects lost orchestral film scores and then brings the film, and the score, on a short nationwide tour. We're incredibly lucky that Ann Arbor is one of her regular stops.
Bought and watched _Taxi Driver_. Somehow I missed it before. Awesome flick. Makes me want to go out and assassinate President Raygun (Note to Secret Service and Echalon: its a joke, Raygun is no longer President, chill out.) The next time you hire a cab in Chicago or NYC that is not driven by a pakistani, chechen, ukranian, polack, or black, think to yourself 'what the fuck is the problem with this white guy and why am I in the same car with him'.
Didja recognize the guy who was out to kill his old lady? That was Marty Scorsese himself. Taxi Driver is an awesome flick. Still frightening after all these years and that in itself is a tribute to the brilliance of DeNiro and Scorsese.
MONONOKE HIME (or Princess Mononoke) - A- This was the first anime dub that I have enjoyed. The film was as good as I remember it. It had a compelling story and wonderful animation. Hopefully, more theaters than the Maple 3 on 15 Mile and Telegraph will carry it. If you love anime, SEE THIS MOVIE. If you've never watchd anime before, try this one. It is one of the best ever made.
"BEING JOHN MALKOVICH"-- Easily the best and most original film of the year-- John Cusak plays a puppeteer who while working a menial office job discovers a hole behind a filing cabinet, that is actually a portal into the head of real-life actor John Malkovich. Go through this portal and you are actually inside the head of Malkovich and can see what he sees and feel what he feels. Of course you can only stay in the portal for 15 minutes and then you get dumped on the side of the highway on the New Jersey turnpike. Cusack and a female co-worker go into business selling entrance to the portal to anyone who wants to *really* know what it is like being a celebrity. Things get complicated when Cusack's wife, played by Cameron Diaz, goes into the portal and as Malkovich has a fling with Cusack's co-worker. There is a lot more to this film but I dont want toi give it away. The movie is a wonderful commentary on celebrity worship and also the desire we all have from time to time to actually be in someone else's body. The performances are great, especially John Malkovich as himself (he might earn an academy award nomination for playing himself!) Go see "Being John Malkovich"-- best film of the year. ****
I saw "Stigmata" at the Fox Village theater yesterday. Not great, but an enjoyable movie. The Catholic Church plays a large part in this movie, and for once, was treated with a certain amount of respect and dignity. The characterization was somewhat half-hearted, especially as regards motivation, and the main plot device is questionable at best, but overall, I think this was one of the more enjoyable and original thrillers that I've seen in a while. A solid B, even with a C- in the preview metric.
Re resp:159 - Martin Scorsese also "appears" -- in a sense -- in his latest film, "Bringing Out the Dead" (now in theaters everywhere). For 3 trivia points, identify Scorsese's role.
I second the nomination for "Being John Malkovich."
Mary Wilson and I watched the ST:NG film - 'Revolution'? or something like that? - where Picard meets his soul mate. Anyway, its the one where Data goes 'rogue' and the 'primary directive' is in question. (No spoilers so far.) The Enterprise jetisons 'warp core' at one point. They got a new 'core' in this out of the way primitive quadrant or are they gonna travel back to 'civilization' on 'impulse' alone?
list
How about a voice on the radio. He "played" a dispatcher.
I took my kids to see THREE TO TANGO (B-), because everything else looked dreary and too long. It turns out to be the best Mathew Perry movie I've ever seen, even better than the Windows 95 Video Guide. Perry himself was not at his best, however. He seemed piqued at having to do his Chandler Bing character from "Friends" yet again on the big screen. The premise -- girl-crazy architect wins $90 mil project and gets to room with Neve Campbell all because everyone thinks he's gay -- didn't need the elaborate and overlong setup it gets. Once it gets going, though, the writers and director have tremendous slapstick fun with it for about 45 minutes. Alas, they then expected me to wipe the tears from my eyes, clear my throat, sit up straight, and start taking these cartoon characters and their contrived woes seriously. There's even a message in there, toward the end, about how we should accept ourselves and each other for what we are. Gee, never heard that before, thanks for the tip. The movie will be much more enjoyable when it comes out on video and you can fast forward though all the crap.
I have to agree that "Being John Malkovich" is a most fun movie. I'm not sure I completely agree with Richard's synopsis of it, butI won't get into that now. The characters are entertaining, and John Malkovich was a great sport for even just agreeing to this project. I highly reccomend it.
oh! I get to see "Being John Malkovich" tonight! yay!
Ugh, I saw "The Bone Collector"... bad film. It was a lot like "Seven" and very predictable. I have been waiting for a good scary movie for quite some time, I'll keep waiting.
The Bone Collector was not quite as dark as Seven, but it is safe to say that if you don't like one, you probably won't like the other. Predictable? You can predict the plot elements of the ending, yes. This film inspires the question of what makes for better entertainment -- a movie where you have enough clues to figure out the ending, where you are not given enough information to figure it out (but the killer is among the cast of characters), or where the hunt is for an unknown killer outside the cast of characters. I think option 1 is best, but it is difficult to pull off.
"Kiss the Girls" did a fairly good job of that, though it's
storytelling was too disjointed for me to really enjoy the fact.
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (C) -- I think that was the title. It's the new James Bond movie, with an increasingly old-looking Pierce Brosnan, whose Bond will have to start carrying cyanide suppositories in a few years, plus Denise Richards as a nuclear scientist (!), and lots and lots of explosions and lethal gadgets. It's hard to get *too* curmudgeonly about such a movie: if you didn't know what you were getting into when you bought the ticket, you need to get out more. It had some respectably tense moments, and the FX are okay. (This movie is a good litmus test for the sincerity of your feminist feelings, btw. The more it pisses you off, the more sincere you are.)
It's also a good litmus test to see if you're an engineer; the more
improbable bits of the movie seem to you, and that actually bothers you, then
the more you're worthy of the title "engineer". :)
I didn't think TWinE was really that misogynist, though. What'd I
miss?
(The way Bond manipulated the nurse into clearing him for active duty almost pissed me off, for one thing.) The science struck me as lame throughout. For example, that plutonium rod Reynard was wielding like an oversized aluminum basball bat: how much would such an object weigh in the real world?
(it's sufficiently early into the movie and non-germane to the plot
that it should be safe to discuss)
Why would it bother you? I've seen women do the same sorts of things,
in real life, all the time - in fact there are industries based on it.
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Rating: Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich (out of a possible
Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich)
Review: Very strange, very funny (if you like absurdist comedy)
film about, well, being John Malkovich. Holds together
surprisingly well given the bizarre premise of the film,
but some parts work better than others. Recommended.
The Bond character is finally showing signs of aging? It's about time.
Do you realize what a powerful advertisement it would be to have James Bond endorse Viagra?
I just saw Malkovich. Malkovich malkovich. Malkovich malkovich malkovich.
I'll Malcovich the recommendations for "Being John Malkovich". I'll also state that I didn't realize that Cameron Diaz and Orson Bean -- both of whom I'm familiar with from other movies -- were in the film until I read the closing credits. And they both have major roles. (Haven't seen Orson Bean for about 150 years. It's good to know that he's still around.)
By the way, the director of "Being John Malkovich" is listed as Spike Jonze. What else has he done?
He's directed a bunch of music videos.
Yep, this is his first feature film, so far as I know.. You can see him acting in "Three Kings", where he plays the ignorant redneck character..
Orson Bean has been busy being the cranky storekeeper on Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman. I like has work.
If you only *listen* to Orson Bean, you hear Bilbo Baggins.
Anybody see the Y2K movie (on NBC)? I saw about 60 seconds total. One
scene where a large jet airliner lands sideways in about 150 feet on a
runway lit by emergency vehicles ("It worked for Lindburg" was the
line). And another scene where the 'hero' views the core of a nuclear
reactor with zero coolant and tells his daddy about it over a cellphone?
It got about a 10 share I think. Anybody actually watch the entire
turkey?
I don't watch dogs. (howl)
I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be a comedy. I saw about the first
half. Another howler scene: Woman in labor, doctors and nurses huddled
around the fetal monitor, ready to do an emergency C-section 'cuz the
monitor indicated dire fetal distress. Turns out that the monitor was
made in New York (scene took place in Seattle), and so, since it had
already turned midnight in NY, the monitor was suffering from Y2K and
the fetus was not really in danger. ("Maybe the monitor is having a Y2K
problem?" "Impossible; it's not midnight yet!" "Wait! Where was the
monitor manufactured?") Problem: when discussing the baby's
heartbeat, camera focused several times on the monitor showing a fetal
heartbeat of 125 or so, which is worlds away from fetal distress.
The local (Grand Rapids) NBC station ran a disclaimer at the return from
each commercial break saying, "This movie is presented by NBC for
entertainment purposes. WOOD-TV8 is not responsible for it's content."
Wired News had a bit panning the movie which mentioned the interesting factoid that apparently the "Edison Electric Institute" and "Independent Community Bankers of America", presumably industry organizations representing the power and banking industries, both appealed to NBC affiliates to schedule alternative programming. (They must have been concerned that the movie's ultra-realism would spark paniced rioting..)
I figured it'd be similar to their other made-for-TV movies, such as "Earthquake in New York." (Short plot summary; an earthquake hits New York, causing a tragic outbreak of bad acting.)
"Felicia's Journey" is a brilliantly written, directed and acted film which lends an intimate view of the damage left from a childhood gone terribly wrong. Bob Hoskins puts in the performance of the year. Highly recommended.
note-- felicia's journey was I believe directed by Atom Egoyan, who directed the Sweet Hereafter
Rented "Office Space" over the holiday weekend. Very funny, good take on current computer cubicle hell jobs. Much funnier than the commercials for it promised. Also went and saw "Sleepy Hollow", the new Tim Burton movie. Good, gory, stylish, but don't expect an airtight plot.
Re resp:194 - Yes, "Felicia's Journey" is an Atom Egoyan film, and displays the same visual flair as "Sweet Hereafter". I agree with Mary about Bob Hoskins' performance. Try to catch this one in a theater; the creative use of the wide screen to tell a story would be largely lost on TV.
Saw Toy Story 2 Sunday night. Very good, I think it's a bit better than the first one. Pat (now 8) sorta liked it, and cracked up over a few parts. If you're worried about going by yourself, borrow a few kids and have a good time.
My quick take on "Toy Story 2": While the first film was a revolution, this one really only manages to be an evolution. But that's okay. In the last five years, Lasseter & Co. have gotten a lot better at what they do. Buster the Dog, for example, would have been unimaginable not too long ago. It's also heartening to see that the story wasn't neglected in the mad dash for the toys. (They certainly could have gotten away with paying it much less attention. Just ask DreamWorks SKG.) And longtime followers of Pixar's work will appreciate the nods to the other films in their canon--from the pairing of the feature with their first short, "Luxo, Jr.", to the flashes of other Pixar films when the characters channel surf, right down to the inclusion of Geri as a toy rehabilitator. (I guess he plays chess on the weekends.) On the downside, "Toy Story 2" was originally intended to be straight-to-video, but was lengthened to be a feature. *Very* occasionally, it feels it. And am I the only contemporary filmgoer who lacks the Randy Newman Appreciation Gene? (Hey, Rand. I may not know where the line between "signature style" and "self parody" is, but you done passed that thing a long while ago.) I give it... I don't know. An A-minus. (Yeah, I know that wasn't exactly "quick".)
You're definitely *not* the only one who's genetically unable to appreciate Randy Newman. Lasseter's feature-length films have been the best computer-generated animated films so far but I had more admiration for his short films -- the level of amazement they create is possibly just too much to sustain througout a feature-length piece.. In my opinion his great genius is the ability to imbue inanimate objects with human attributes and feeling in what seems like a totally natural way. The Lasseter work which impresses me most to this day is "Luxo, Jr." -- I could go through it frame by frame and still never understand how he manages to give emotins and expressions to a pair of swing arm lamps which are without any face or other human features. (I'm similarly fascinated by the amount of expression Nick Parks can give to claymation figures without mouths, but Lasseter is the master..)
I've loved "Luxo, Jr." ever since I saw it running as a short on Nickelodeon. (This was back before they started running commercials, as hard as that may be for some to imagine...)
_End of Days_: B. Not a bad flick, all told, so long as your expectations are low. Just remember: Arnold Schwartzenneger plays a role in it. That should put it in the proper context: comedy without meaning to be. :) I don't remember making that many snide comments at a movie, or laughing so hard at them, in a long time. :) One particularly interesting point is that the guy who plays the devil, the spelling of whose name I can't remember, was in _Stigmata_ as essentially the opposite character. Very similar plots, similar kinds of imagery (at least on the surface), but in this one he's the good guy protecting the innocent female victim. IMO, Stigmata was by far the better movie. It would make an interesting movie night someday to get both of them and watch them back-to-back for comparison.
(I think you're talking about Gabriel Byrne..) "IMO, Stigmata was, by far, the better movie.." Now *there's* something you don't hear every day.
Well, I suppose... I liked it, though, probably better than most people would, but still. :)
I've had a sweet spot for Schwartzenneger ever since "Conan the Barbarian". I love that movie. So I'll probably see "End of Days" before it's off the big screens.
Dammit, when is "Sixth Sense" going to drop to Fox Theater?
good question.. I've been wondering much the same thing..
"LIBERTY HEIGHTS"-- This is the fourth, and supposedly final, installment in director Barry Levinson's acclaimed "Baltimore" series, depicting life in Baltimore in the 1950's. The others, all great films, were TIN MEN, DINER, and AVALON. This one is just as good. It tells the story of a jewish nightclub owner, played by Joe Montegna, who has to reconcile his occupation with the normal, religiously grounded life he wants to provide his wife (played by Bebe Neuwirth of Cheers) and sons. They live in the jewish community of Liberty Heights. The film explores the racial and class issues that people of that era lived with and dealt with daily. It is told through the eyes of Montegna's youngest son, who is starting to understand how different the outside world is from his protected, all-jewish society of Liberty Heights. Levinson (who also directed "Rain Man") is one of the best directors working today and this series of films represents a deeply heartfelt tribute to his childhood in Baltimore. If you loved Avalon or Diner or Tin Men, you will love this film. It is a proper and just conclusion to the series. LIBERTY HEIGHTS **** (FOUR STARS-- ONE OF BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR)
(Total drift: I'm pretty sure "Luxo Jr." came out in 1986, and Nickelodeon started running ads two years before.)
Hmm. Maybe my memory's faulty, then, but I'm almost sure I originally saw that short on Nickelodeon.
I'm not saying you didn't... but ads were on their way earlier.
re 307- Sounds like a great film which probably guarantees that Levinson
will again be ignored at the Oscars again. I've always loved his work. The
first one of his movies I saw was "Diner" back when it first came out and I
thought it was boring, but what does a 21 year old know from film? It wasn't
until I came across Tin Men and Avalon that I truly became a fan of his
movies. Now I don't miss anything he directs.
Movies seen recently (from cable)
"I Still Know What (your breasts) you did last summer"-
Class A stinker. I don't know why they bothered, except to give JLH more
exposure, and to try to make her into an actress.
"Hud" - 4 star movie from the 60's with Paul Newman as an amoral man in
conflict with his father (Melvyn Douglas). A performances all around. I really
didn't like seeing Newman in this role, but he did well just the same.
I'm looking forward to seeing "The Sea Wolf" with Edward G. Robinson. I saw
the version with Chris Reeve and Charles Bronson, and it was great. I just
know that Robinson is going to knock it out of the park. I'm also looking
forward to seeing Gone With The Wind in one uncut piece and not chopped to
little bits like it had been presented on Ch 7 a few years ago. That should
be a real treat.
Wasn't Gone With the Wind cut into two parts for release at the
theatures to have an intermission?
I need to watch my DVD of it when I find the 4 hour evening to
do it.
Yup. I never liked or supported cutting movies for intermissions.
Some people have to pee more often than others, especially after coffee.
Or a large Coke.
Recent rentals starring Catherine Zeta-Jones: ENTRAPMENT (B+) - I was pleasantly surprised. The action sequences were excellent -- some real nail-biter scenes. Zeta-Jones and Sean Connery are not a matched set, however, which dragged the movie down whenever one of them wasn't being shot at or dangling over an abyss. THE HAUNTING (C-) - Boring, silly, unscary. The house was really, really cool, however.
London tabloids are reporting that Jennifer Lopez has insured her body for $1,000,000,000 (one billion dollars). "$500,000,000 per cheek," as the N.Y. Post observed. That is one insurance policy I would love to see.
BTW, I do believe that in England, the insured value of Jennifer Lopez's body would be "one thousand million dollars," and a "billion" would be "one million million."
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I bet her premiums cost an arm and a leg..
I just caught the remake of "Psycho" on cable the other night. What a complete waste of film stock.
After watching the "Psycho" remake, my question was "Why?" The fact that talented people were involved made the existence of this movie all the more puzzling.
We're living in the 90's (for another three weeks, anyway..) The studios are required to produce at least one high-profile remake for every new idea they produce.. You don't think anyone *wanted* to produce a version of Diabolique with Sharon Stone instead of Simone Signoret, do you? As far as "Psycho" goes, though, I chalk it up to the Gus van Sant factor. I've met people who have claimed to enjoy his films but they're obviously seeing different versions of them than I am..
The cool thing to do with Psycho is to rent the DVD of the original film and the videotape of the remake, and play both at the same time, so you can jump back and forth. Since the sequel is a scene for scene, shot for shot remake, watching both at the same time is really eerie.
Again, this begs the question: Why? (of course my stock answer is that Hollywood has no original ideas left and resorts to remakes to keep the myth floating)
Yeah, Van Sant did a carbon copy of the Hitchcock masterpiece, but lost all the wit and humor. Hitchcock's "Psycho" is actually a wickedly funny film.
This summer, I was briefly parked in Van Sant's space at the Universal lot. Apparently, *that's* an exact duplicate of Hitchcock's, too.
Except for "Psycho", I've mostly liked the Van Sant films I've seen: "My Private Idaho", "To Die For", "Good Will Hunting".
I turned off "To Die For" about 2/3 of the way through, after waiting in vain for it to go somewhere or start developing a point (that is, a point other than "Look! Nicole Kidman!") "Drugstore Cowboy" didn't do much for me, either (except for the sndtrk.) And must I really dredge up "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues"?
The Seven Samurai is being shown on TCM at 7:30pm Dec 9. I strongly suggest taping it, or watching it. I think it just might get the bad taste of that terrible Psyco out of your mouth. It IS 4 hours long so be prepared for that as well.
I made a mistak. It was on at 10:30pm.
Yes, with "The Magnificent Seven" (Hollywood version of "Seven Samurai") on just before.
I have also got wind that both the silent and the 1959 versions of Ben-Hur will be shown as well as Gone With The Wind. Uncut. In one piece. I'm not sure I'm worthy of such good programming. ;)
I got myself an early christmas present yesterday-- the new Criterion Collection DVD of Jean Renoir's classic "La Grande Illusion" (which actually translates into 'the Great Illusion', but everyone calls it 'Grand Illusion'. This is widely regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made-- a story of people trying to maintain their humanity and decency while caught up in the chaos of World War I. Renoir was the son of the famous artist of the same name and became France's greatest film director The DVD has a clip of Renoir introducing the film, saying that it summed up his hopes for the world, and what he felt was the most dangerous threat to our futures, the gradual loss of humanity in the modern world. The film details the travails of prisoners of war in a german prison camp, how they cope with being in prison, without losing their basic essential decency. This DVD is the new uncut digitally remastered version made directly from the original negative. Hitler's cronies saw the film as propoganda and attempted to destroy all copies. For years until recently, there were no uncut copies and scenes were missing. But, miraculously, the original negative was smuggled out of Nazi occuppied France during World War II by an american captain, and with the wonders of modern technology this one of the greatest of all films has been beautifully restored. One of the extras on the DVD is the story of Criterion's restoration process, comparing chopped up and missing scenes from previous issues with the uncut digital version offered here. This also has the 1937 radio broadcast of Renoir accepting the 1937 Academy Award for Best Foriegn Film, and a radio interview with great German director Eric Von Stroheim, who plays the German prison camp commander here. And of course the trailer for the film and a whole bunch of other stuff (the Criterion DVD's are loaded with more extras than most) Suffice it to say that being able to own this DVD of "Grand Illusion" is by itself worth the price of buying a DVD player. It is one of the prizes of my movie collection. GRAND ILLUSION (***** five stars, masterpiece...DVD version 5+ stars!)
I am somewhat less than patiently for the restored "Grand Illusion" to make its way to an Ann Arbor theater.
(Make that "I am waiting somewhat less than patiently...")
Criterion released the restored version in theaters back in august because the early reviews of the new dvd were raves. Since the DVD is now out, I think the theatrical run is probably done. French films with english subtitles from the 30's arent the sort to have long theater runs. They are now working on restoring Renoir's other classic, "Rules of the Game"...I cant wait
Actor Desmond Llewellyn (sp?) who played the character Q in the James Bond series was killed in a trafic accident today. He was 85. A sad loss.
Re resp:237 - On the other hand, Ann Arbor has a theater (the Michigan) which commonly does short runs of foreign films and restorations, so I'm puzzled why they haven't shown "Grand Illusion". Perhaps I should ask them.
Maybe they figure that the last lingering shards of the Cinema Guild hold a monopoly on campus-area showings of Renoir's films..
Grand Illusion played out here at the DIA last November. I was in awe. it was well worth the wait. i recommend it to all the film watchers out there
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