Movies Movies Movies and more Movies!

Sep 26 01:22 UTC 2001

This is the movie review item.  Have you been to a movie lately? Rented 
a movie lately? Bought a movie on video or DVD? Caught a cool movie 
late night on cable?

This is the place to discuss cinematic arts...to trash the horrible 
movies and glorify the great ones.  

response 2 of 189:

Sep 26 01:43 UTC 2001

And to start off the fall movie item, what better than...

CITIZEN KANE--  Its finally out on DVD!  To celebrate the 60th 
anniversary of what is widely regarded as the greatest american film 
ever made, today was the release date of the deluxe DVD edition.  Its a 
two-DVD set loaded with extras, including alternate commentary tracks 
by director Peter Bogdanovich and film critic Roger Ebert, as well as 
newsreel footage, storyboards, studio correspondence, trailers .etc  
And on the second DVD is the wonderful 1995 full length 
documentary, "The Battle over Citizen Kane", depicting the battle 
between Orson Welles and the film's presumed subject, publishing tycoon 
William Randolph Hearst.

All of that is great, but the best thing is the film itself, in a new 
beautiful new digital/digital audio transfer.  The story is the tragedy 
of a man who wants only to be loved and yet never finds love.  Its a 
part of americana.  When I started collecting DVD's, I most of all 
wanted four movies...Chaplin's City Lights, Renoir's Grand Illusion, 
Casablanca, and Citizen Kane.   If I only owned really good DVDs of 
those four movies, I'd have been happy.  

Citizen Kane on DVD-- dont rent it, buy it.  This is one you want to 
own.  ***** (five stars)

response 4 of 189:

Sep 26 06:33 UTC 2001

I  watched Stalker the other night. In Russian but with English subtitles.
I was enrapt, but I didn't understand much of what it was "about". However
locales were areas of ruined buildings and war machines, with some sort
of metaphorical journey occurring. 

response 6 of 189:

Sep 26 13:53 UTC 2001

Speaking of stalking, I saw "The Watcher" not too long ago, and was surprised
(pleasantly) that it wasn't nearly so bad as the trailers made it look. It
had actual tension, and the plot was more involved than the trailer suggested.
A thumbs-up, albeit tentatively (Keanu will have to do better than that to
get a full thumbs-up from me, Bill & Ted's notwithstanding).

response 8 of 189:

Sep 26 18:49 UTC 2001

Agora 25 <-> cinema 45

response 10 of 189:

Sep 26 19:47 UTC 2001

Okay, I saw Shrek and liked it (not perfect, mind you, three stars). I also
saw (hangs head in shame) Charlie's Angels and loved it. It was so campy!

response 12 of 189:

Sep 26 20:34 UTC 2001

I've seen most of the major movies of the summer 2001, and the best movie by
far that I've seen was swordfish, if you haven't seen it yet go see it. Also
American Outlaws wasn't too bad of a movie either

response 14 of 189:

Sep 27 02:25 UTC 2001

I myself have been tickled by the all-scathing reviews for 'Glitter'... 
Mariah Carey's movie. I've heard it has complete camp classic 
potential, a la 'Showgirls'.

response 16 of 189:

Sep 27 13:32 UTC 2001

Saw "Silent Jay and Bob Strike Back" last night. If you're a fan of Kevin
Smith flicks, you'll probably enjoy this flick, with its references to his
previous movies. The critics' complaints that it's too full of Kevin Smith
"in-jokes" to be entertaining to someone who's never seen any of the others
(Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma) is possibly true, although there did
seem to be plenty of laughs that just had to do with how stupid Jay and Silent
Bob are, as well as a tolerably idiotic Ranger played by the usually much more
annoying Will Farrell. I'll see it again, but then, I'm also a Kevin Smith
fan (Dogma being the only flick I own on both VHS and DVD, so far).

response 18 of 189:

Sep 29 07:39 UTC 2001

Viewed _Eat,Drink,Man,Woman_ by Ang Lee.  Given the times I wanted to
view something light, something appropriate, such as _Tora,Tora,Tora_
but I was outvoted.  Its a definite 'girl flick' and I was captivated,
enjoyed it from beginning to end.  I don't know why I found some excuse
not to see it in the local 'art' theater (other than I seem to
philosophically avoid 'art' films - and then completely enjoy those I do
get roped into doing).

Its the story of a cook at a chinese restaurant and his three daughters.
Nothing more, nothing less.  No cook's daughter meets the president of
the USA and he falls for her.  No gook's daughter saves the world story.
About the closest thing to a 'miracle' which I won't tell involved the
father having a critical comment about the daughter.

response 20 of 189:

Sep 29 23:21 UTC 2001

Re 18, sounds dull, but the "c" and the "g" aren't *that* close 
together on the keyboard.

Re Charlie's Angels, I read somewhere recently that the scene of Drew 
Barrymore rolling naked down a hill is actually Drew Barrymore rolling 
naked down a hill.

response 22 of 189:

Sep 29 23:42 UTC 2001

Unfortunately, you can't really tell it's Drew, but I read in the 
latest Esquire that she did indeed do that scene instead of a stunt 
double.

response 24 of 189:

Sep 30 18:13 UTC 2001

#17> Or maybe Kevin Smith just isn't your cup-o-tea. *shrug*
I'm not a big fan of chasing Amy, myself.