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E. Lurio probes and pokes at BICENTENNIAL MAN, THE GREEN MILE, MAGNOLIA and GIRL INTERRUPTED
Hey folks, Harry here, and ol E. Lurio here is the machine! He's been out in force knocking back the rest of the holiday scene in short order here. Like I said before, he's a long timer and a straight shooter. Let's take a look now shall we? Here we go...
Bicentennial Man
Directed by
Chris Columbus
I went to this film with a great deal of trepidation. The trailer wasn't that
good, and the resulting buzz was awful. Had Chris Columbus, and Robin
Williams destroyed Isaac Asimov's grand novella? The happy news is no. This
film is actually very good.
The film begins in the "not too distant future" where everybody wears
contemporary clothing and the middle upper class Mr. Martin(Sam Neill) has
bought an expensive new present for his wife (Wendy Crewson) and two
daughters(Lindze Letherman and Hallie Eisenberg). The gift is the latest
thing in household appliances: an android(Robin Williams), which the younger
daughter(Eisenberg) mispronounces as Andrew. So it is to be called Andrew,
and there is something wrong with it. It's creative, and without having it's
personality chip being turned on, soon develops one.
Mr. Martin is intrigued with this situation, and after checking with the
company if this sort of thing is common with their robots, he gives Andrew
the opportunity to grow as a "person." The younger Miss Martin and Andrew
become true friends, and by the time she's about to get married(and played by
Embeth Davidtz) real platonic love has developed between the two.
One thing "little miss" discusses with Andrew is the concept of freedom, and
demanding it from Mr. Martin, he is given it and told never to come back. So
he settles down, before going on a quest to find others of his kind. After a
decade or so of searching, he meets a human named Rupert Burns(Oliver Platt),
who owns a repair shop and becomes Andrew's confidant and helper in his quest
to become human. Soon Williams doesn't need all that prosthetic makeup.
He returns to his original home to find "Little Miss" a grandmother with
grown grandchildren, one of whom, Portia, is also played by Ms. Davidtz.
Romance develops between Andrew and Portia.
Now, on it's face, the idea of a romance between a human and an android with
no parts for it is kind of sick, and it is. But it works, and the ending of
the film gave your reviewer a lump in his throat. This film is everything a
good film should be. It's entertaining, emotional, good acting and an
interesting story. This is Columbus' best film since "Mrs. Doubtfire."
The Green Mile
Written and Directed
by Frank Darabont
One would expect the movie version of Steven King's "Green Mile" to be long.
After all, it was published in installments. The question is is it worth the
three hour plus slog.
The film begins with the crime. Two girls are missing and a search party is
on the trail...cut to many years later, and we're in an old age home. Paul
Edgecomb(Dabbs Greer) is in the TV room watching a tabloid talk show when one
of the inmates decides to change the channel. Coming apon Fred Astaire in
that old chestnut "Top Hat," He stops. When "I'm in Heaven" is sung Paul
begins breaks down and has to leave the room, and his girlfriend Elaine(Eve
Brent) follows, and in the dining room, Paul begins to explain....cut to 1935.
A police van is driving up to Louisiana's Cold Mountain penitentiary, where
that state has it's electric chair. In it is a huge black fellow named John
Coffey(Michael Clarke Duncan) and a guard named Percy Wetmore(Doug
Hutchison). Coffey has been convicted of killing those two little girls and
has been sentenced to die. The supervisor for death row, which is called "the
green mile" on account of the color of the floor, is Paul Edgecombe(now
played by Tom Hanks). Wetmore is a bit of a sadist, and he and the other
guards don't get along.
So, the next act is a bit of a soap opera. Paul has bladder problems. The
Wardon's(James Cromwell) wife(Patricia Clarkson) has cancer, and the other
guards: second-in-command, Brutus "Brutal" Howell (David Morse); sensitive
greenhorn Dean Stanton(Barry Pepper); old pro Harry Terwilliger (Jeffrey
DeMunn) are feuding with Percy. There's also a mouse who tended to disappear
prior to becoming the companion of a prisoner named Delacroix(Michael Jeter).
After one prisoner(Graham Greene) executed, another comes on the mile. He
likes to call himself Billy the Kid(Sam Rockwell), but everyone calls him
"Wild Bill" because he's nuts, proving this by nearly killing one of the
guards.
For most of the movie, there is nothing supernatural. The guards go about
their lives outside the prison. Paul's wife Janice(Bonnie Hunt) tries to get
him to go to the doctor, and there's a chilling rehearsal of the execution
process using a comical trusty(Harry Dean Stanton).
Then Coffey grabs Paul and cures him. Then Percy stomps Delacroix's mouse and
Coffey brings it back from the dead. Yeah, this is Steven King alright.
Frank Darabont's first film in five years [the last was "The Shawshank
Redemption"] is a doozy. His script is sharp as a knife and he elicits
first-rate performances by just about everyone. While it is true Hanks is
very good indeed, he is not the best thing in the movie. The two villains:
Rockwell and Hutchison give by far the best performances. Rockwell especially
brings a stench of pure evil to the role of Wild Bill. He chews the scenery
without making it campy. Hutchison is delightfully slimy as the sadistic
guard with connections. Duncan's Coffey is a bit simpleminded, but very
sympathetic. Gary Sinise has a memorable cameo and the rest give good solid
performances.
This is one of the best films of the year.
Magnolia
Written and Directed by
Paul Thomas Anderson
This is a curious picture. But then Paul Thomas Anderson, who directed
"Boogie Nights" and "Hard Eight" specializes in those. The film begins with
the narrator(Ricky Jay) describing a couple of strange coincidences, the
second of which is described and analyzed in detail. Then there's a
discussion of baby geniuses on television, particularly 'Wiz Kid' Donnie
Smith, who grows up to be played by William H. Macy. We are given a weather
report and the narrator disappears for hours on end[the film is three hours
long], and the movie begins to get far stranger than we had begun to believe
possible.
Earl Partridge(Jason Robards) is dying of cancer. His trophy wife
Linda(Julianne Moore), who married him for money and is now racked with guilt
is going from doctor to doctor collecting prescriptions. Earl asks
Phil(Philip Seymour Hoffman), the nurse sent by the hospice, to get in touch
with his son Frank T.J. Mackey(Tom Cruise), who is a guru giving seminars on
how to pick up chicks. This is far more difficult than it seems.
Donnie goes to work and gets fired. His bosses(Alfred Molina and Miguel
Pérez) explain that his celebrity isn't worth his poor performance. Meanwhile
Game Show host Jimmy Gator(Philip Baker Hall) visits his daughter
Claudia(Melora Walters), who despises him for reasons that aren't immediately
apparent and tells her he is dying, the fight that ensues causes complaints
from the neighbors that causes Officer Jim Kurring(John C. Reilley) to come
and investigate.
Jimmy's game show pits whiz kids against precocious adults, one of the
former, Stanley Spector(Jeremy Blackman), arrives a bit late because his
father Rick(Michael Bowen) had a previous appointment and Stanley was unable
to relive himself.
....And thus it goes, seemingly forever. This is an ensemble piece with a
huge cast and a leisurely pace where each and every one of the dozen or so
major characters is given a chance to chew the scenery and give Oscar-worthy
performances. There's even a musical interlude where everyone joins in a song
playing on the radio.
The problem is, is that three hours plus is too long, and a subplot about
bladder problems doesn't help two thirds the way through, but parts of the
film are genuinely enthralling, one is never bored, even though one begins to
wonder how and when it will end.
Tom Cruise gives the performance of his career and most of the major
characters come close, Robards has a really effecting monologue and young
Blackman will be someone to watch if he decides to make a career out of this.
The special effects are pretty nifty too. If you've got the time and a cast
iron butt, you should definitely take this in.
Girl Interrupted
Written and Directed
by James Mangold
"Borderline personality disorder" is one of those terms that could mean just
about anything. Susanna Kaysen spent two years in the loony bin back in
1967-68 after a feeble suicide attempt. and she wrote a book about it. From
the film version at least, it would seem that borderline personality disorder
is an excuse to incarcerate an inconvenient person who has some problems.
When we first meet Susanna(Winona Ryder), she's in a room somewhere with some
druggies, then we cut to a hospital where she's having her stomach pumped.
The film goes back and forth in time, as she talks with a shrink(Larry
Jameson) whom she's never met before as her mother(Joanna Kerns) skulks
outside with a suitcase. Suddenly, she's dispatched to the McLean Psychiatric
hospital, where she signs herself in for a "rest." This is the first of many
lies she's told.
So after meeting the head nurse(Whoopi Goldberg), Susanna gets to know the
inmates(Brittany Murphy, Clea Duvall, Elizabeth Moss, Jillian Armenante and
Angela Bettis), all of whom are in far worse shape than she is. Then her
nemesis shows up. Lisa(Angelina Jolie) is brought back to the hospital in
handcuffs, having escaped a few weeks before. The film revolves around these
two, the suicide and the sociopath.
With little in the way of scenery or plot, the film focuses on character
studies. Each of the girls in question have their problems, wrestling with
boredom their inner demons and moronic doctors (Jeffrey Tambor and Vanessa
Redgrave), as well as each other. This gives the ensemble of ingenues a
chance to actually chew the scenery in a way that they couldn't find
elsewhere.
Jolie steals the movie. Her Lisa is an over the top character, and she gives
it everything she's got. She's having a much better time here than in such
recent fare as "The Bone Collector" and it clearly shows.
Ryder's performance a understated. It would have to be as she's depressed for
most of the film, but she's the only person in the film who actually grows,
and the process is interesting to watch.
This is the kind of thing that is better watched on the small screen, and as
such is worth a rental.
E. Lurio
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Hopefully Magnolia will deliver Tom Cruise an Oscar he is owed for Born on the 4th July, Rain Man and Jerry Maguire.
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Give that Oscar to Tom boy. Of what we've heard of Magnolia so far it seems like he has the chance, and he really deserves it.
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Dec 02, 1999 8:37:50 AM CST
But not Earl Partridge...though a title would be nice...
by i'malanpartridge
I think the Bicentennial Man is one of Asimov's best 'short' stories; I hope the film's lives up to the text but...
MAgnolia sounds confusingly cool and I love the idea of the sing-a-long; I'll use it someday.
Carry on as you were. -
Ricky Jay is a Genius. One of My Fave Mamet Regulars.
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Paul Thomas Anderson is the son of a legendary figure here in Cleveland, Ghoulardi- a bizarre late night monster movie host. The guy is a legend round these parts.
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...all movies become like Fight Club and we have a bunch of people on this board whining, "Not another Fight Clubish movie! Those studio bigwigs need to get their heads outta their asses!" : )
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Harry please let me review this shit. How could Bicentennial Man be worth $8?? Robin williams is a living corpse right now. Patch Adams? Wouldn't see it. Jakob the Liar? Hells no. The trailer for Bicentennial Man looks like some 1960s bullshit. C'mon Robin. Act in a movie. This looks like some TV movie bullshit.
By the way, it's Stephen King, not Steven King. Get it right dumb ass. So am i going to trust the opinion of someone who got into Bicentennial Man and got a lump in his jackass throat? No f'n way. Would I see Stepmom? Of course not. These movies perpetuate the idea that crap can be sold. And it can be sold in this sick stupid society. Patch Adams was a hit, and I think Stepmom was too. Positive reviews for these crap movies don't help. Will there ever be a day when crap like Runaway Bride and all these other lame ass movies are not hits?? WAKE UP AMERICA! GET A FUCKING CLUE! Tie Me Up Tie Me Down is a movie. A Clockwork Orange is a movie. Eyes Wide Shut would have been a movie if it wasn't for that bullshit editing. It's these no brain religious fucks that allow these crap films like Bicentennial Man to get made instead of real movies. Movies are supposed to make you feel something right? When I was a teenager more REAL movies came out like The Terminator and Evil Dead 2, and i was "too young" to see these pictures in the theater. Nowadays you're lucky to find something half as good. If Hollywood doesn't wake the fuck up, I hope it burns the fuck down. -
Ricky Jay rocks. Ever seen him perform magic?
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When did sentimentality become a poor trait in movies (and in life in general)? True, there are those that rely heavily on sentimentality and forget about everything else, but what about movies like It's a Wonderful Life or the Wizard of OZ? How about Little Women (both the Hepburn and Winona versions), the Joy Luck Club, Forrest Gump, or even Schindler's List? All those movies are filled to the brim with sentiment or have it as a very strong element in the movie, does that make them crap or not real movies? And who's to say what is a real movie and what isn't? A movie can suck big time, but it's still a movie - a story meant to entertain, express views, or be a piece of art that's set to film. I movie doesn't have to be sentimental to suck, there are far more examples of bad movies I can give you from the horror and action genres (take any Van Damme movie, for example), but I'm not going to say they're not real movies because they are in their misguided and/or money-grubbin' way.***And what's all the bashing of Stepmom? It wasn't the greatest film of all time, but it wasn't THAT bad, people. It didn't have the poignant, now standard in those kinds of films, death scene. The mother is still alive at the end. It's not a perfect ending or a totally sad one, either. The ones who really bash Stepmom in Talk Back, I notice, are the people who say they have or will not ever see it.
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Just a small question, because I wasn't entirely clear after reading your careful deliberations...
Have you actually *seen* any of the films you dismiss as crap? -
I saw the Green Mile two weeks ago at a screening at my school, UCLA. It blew me away. Everyone in the theater was teary eyed at the end. It is a masterpiece, and Darabont deserves to win a best movie nod after getting gipped with Shawshank.
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.....but they have to earn their tears; something STEPMOM certainly did not. As with every other Chris Columbus movie, the script depicted a world to which no one outside of a very high income bracket could identify with. Melodrama can be great (Sirk's ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS being the pinacle in my book,) but there has to be a little emotional honesty from the filmmaker in order for it to work. All Columbus did was summon up combine a century's worth of cliches and a great cast. Unfortunately, the former cancelled out the latter, and all we were left with was a pretty looking film without an original bone in its body, save for the omitting of the obligatory death bed scene. I'd rather Columbus stick with more unabashed commercial fare (aside from Spiderman.)
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for saying exactly what I was thinking while I was reading the comments about TBM on this board. I can't say anything that would add or detract from All thumbs becasue she summerized it for me very well. Good job. Oh and fanboys, I DID see Stepmom and Patch Adams, and while I didn't like them, seeing them helped me talk to those who did see it and like it and helped me to understand their opinon about WHY they liked it
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I didnt think so.
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At last, a reviewer who gets to the point! Harry's rambling drivel has become quite tiresome.
Well done on these and the fact that I agree with all them is an added bonus!
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the above poster who so bravely defended Robin Williams: I don't think most people here would say that he doesn't have talent, but I think they would agree that his role choices have been a little on the LAME side. I thought he totally deserved the Oscar for Good Will Hunting, and I saw that role as a departure for him. He played this hairy Bostonian alcoholic depressed widower, not the typical roly poly cuddly (as someone put it so perfectly the other day "smiling through the tears") guy we always see in crap like Patch Adams. I think his agent should be tarred and feathered. And doing a fantasy like "What Dreams May Come" isn't impressive either because it was the same character as usual. And in regards to THE GREEN MILE, I will take every opportunity to point out again and again that Tom Hanks is another hack, and shouldn't revered time and time again by people on this site. And you make fun of Stepmom? Tom Hanks is the male equivalent of that crap. As soon as he appears on screen you can start saving the teardrops for eventual release. I've said it before, the man has NO SOUL. You will never see the lightning in a jar immortal peformance you can find in the films of Brando, DeNiro, hell, even Cary Grant. This guy is WHITE BREAD, and look at everyone eat it up. I think if Spielberg ever put Robin Williams and Tom Hanks in a movie together and aimed his big floodlights on them as they both cried and smiled at us we could all have a world love-in. Be afraid. Be very afraid. *** And by the way, for all of you Alzheimer's cases who mourn over Shawshank Redemption not getting oscars, let's remember what movie actually deserved Best Picture and Director that year: PULP FICTION. Shawshank may be a perfectly crafted Hollywood film, but Pulp Fiction is still the film of the '90s. Or do all of you hate Tarantino so much now that you've erased all of his films from the Cool Hall of Fame? In terms of visual style and artistry, Darabont (an able tradesman, no doubt) isn't anywhere near Tarantino. I still believe.
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It is true, Ghouliardi, famous voice actor and late night horror host, is Paul Thomas Anderson's father.
In fact, it was Ghouliardi's porn collection that Paul Thomas Anderson found, around the age of nine, that first introduced him to that world. Who could have guessed a father's dirty collection of mastabatory aides could influence a boy to make an epic celluloid masterpiece? -
It's about time that somebody recognized the fact that Tom Hanks makes movies that are designed for him NOT to be daring or interesting. I'm glad he's not making gems like Turner and Hooch, but come on. He robbed Morgan Freeman, or Tim Robbins or fucking Travolta. I do think that Shawshank should have won though. Can you imagine what an asshole Tarrentino would be if he got director and picture? He would have pulled a Cimino on us and never done anything worthwhile again. OK nuff on that. Now to Bi-man. I think I have developed a brain tumor from all the fucking saccharine in that thing. It had some decent effects and I was surprized at how well it captured the feel of a sf short story. BUT, it was soooo fucking sappy. I was more interested at laughing at the drunk chick in front of me than watching the movie. He should have turned into the fucking terminator and killed the little pepsi girl. Oh well.
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For his next role why doesn't Robin play a Doctor, HE HASN'T PLAYED A DOCTOR YET HAS HE? (in case you didn't know I was being VERY sarcastic!) Fuck him! "Jack" "What Dreams may Come" "Patch Adams" now this crap! i'm going to be sick. This guy plays the same part over and over fuck him! And let's not forget "Jacob The Lair" WTF??? What was that? the steam is still rising off of that fat turd!
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Are Dark Horizons and AICN related? 'Cos these reviews are also on DH, by 'Eric'.
I just wondered. -
is really the only reason i'm going to see the green mile. he's a kick ass actor.
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It's so nice to finally hear someone ripping on Tom Hanks! God, what a smarmy, little wuss. Nothing like a little political correctness ("Philadelphia") to boost your career. As for Robin Williams, I've hated most of his zany bullshit since the "Mork and Mindy" days, but I have to give him credit for some of his more serious performances ("Dead Poets' Society," "Good Will Hunting"). He has gone off the deep end lately, though.
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Have you ever read one of his screenplays (i.e. for SHAWSHANK, or GREEN MILE?) They're masterpieces unto themselves. He sets scenes and describes action vividly enough to bring Tennessee Williams to mind. And though both films have been accused of overlength, he's really a very economical writer who doesn't waste a line of dialogue. Sure, he's a mainstream Hollywood kind of guy (even though he didn't exactly have a boatload of cash to play around with on SHAWSHANK,) but since when has that been a crime? Many of our finest filmmakers worked within the studio system and produced countless masterpieces (Huston, Lubitsch, Sturges, Wilder..... the list is endless.) PULP FICTION, while an "independent," is nothing more than an exercise in genre and story structure bending; however, it's not the great kiss-off to the three act structure that everyone thought it was (even though it's out of order chronologically, it still follows all of the rules.) If you want to see someone really shift time around, check out Atom Egoyan's EXOTICA and THE SWEET HEREAFTER; two films that are daring in ways Tarantino has never approached (except for the re-release of MIGHTY PEKING MAN.)
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What a bunch of boring reviews, it's like tell me something I don't already know, worst of all he likes Bi-retarded Man, ugggh what is this world coming too??? Christ!!!!!
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I don't think so. I've never left the theatre during a movie, not even The Thin Red Line, or Beloved, which where at times painful to sit through. Bicentennial Man flat out sucked. But hey, go blow your money (& even worse, give the studio money) & support this weak movie about a chubby robot that wants to be human. Oooohhhh, that material is so intruiging, rush out to see it you dumbass.
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"and the ending of the film gave your reviewer a lump in his throat."
Me too. From laughing so hard.
"This film is everything a
good film should be."
Not by a long shot.
"It's entertaining,"
At times, but usually not the way it's meant to be.
"emotional,"
Sorry, I felt nothing for any of them.
"good acting"
Good or acceptable?
"and an interesting story."
Boring, done a million times...and done alot better.
"This is Columbus' best film
since "Mrs. Doubtfire."
No comment. -
I have cried at a lot of movies or at least gotten choked up. The reason I tell you this is because sometimes it's good and sometimes it's bad. It's bad when the sacharine overblown music swells at just the right time pulling your heart strings and FORCES you to feel emotion that isn't real or earned in the context of the formulaic, manipulative film you're watching.... it's like Pavlov's fucking dog's man!!! I've felt more emotion that isn't a bullshit hollywood ploy to get oscars in films like Down By Law, most of Truffaut's work, The eel, Boogie Nights etc. Don't get me wrong I love shit-loads of mainstream movies, (like Starship Troopers , Blade, and Seven to name a few recent examples) just not ones that so transparently try to fake their way into your heart like Stepmom. I've met the kind of cocksuckers who worship crap like Patch Adams and I hope I never see those suckers again. Peace.
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Whats funny is people calling robin williams the funniest man alive now THAT'S hilarious! The man just says the stupidest things that pop into his head. Half the time I don't know what he's talking about. I can't believe people knock Joel Shumacher so much and don't knock this hairy piece of crap known as Robin Williams.
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Kinda cool to see where P.T. Anderson gets some of his genius. Truly cool story Akdov.
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COME ON HARRY! You've been scooped or beaten or maybe you just COPY-PASTED from some AUSSIE down under! I think your personal reviews have gotten a little better lately but STILL! This shouldn't be Ain't It Cool Cut & Paste.
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E.Lario,
You started to talk about the inmates. Who is good besides Jolie & Ryder? What material are they given to "chew into"? What is their reason for being in the mental instutition?
I'm sick of just hearing about Jolie! -
I find it amusing when people complain about how the story of Bicentennial Man is lame because it's been done so much already.
Do they realize that this is the one of the first stories on the subject?
Of course, that doesn't mean the film version is going to be any good. I've always thought Asimov stories to be pretty unfilmable.
In any case, I'll personally reserve judgment for the film until I see it. -
I know you LOVE everybody, even those you disagree with, but I'm pretty apathetic about you right now...of course, I guess it's better than me hating you. Of course, I do agree with your list of good sentimental films...I would like to add to that list Field of Dreams, Toy Story, Stand by Me, American Graffiti, and Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind. Of course, a sentimental movie is the hardest to make, since it risks being saccahrine and painful for nearly anyone older than 12. -Loki
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...and the current reuse of the Dr.Suess jokes involved with him. Guys, I smiled when I read the first one, but once is enough. You're beating a dead horse now. And speaking of beating a dead horse...To the guy he's arguing with Sam I Am who said Girl Interrupted and Bi-Centennial Man suck...have you seen these movies? I'm assuming no. Now, you can say the premise sucks. You can say the trailers/commercials/casting, etc. suck...just don't say a movie sucks in and of itself unless you have seen it. (Besides, you can't always and really shouldn't base a movie on its commercials or trailers.)I gotta say Girl, Interrupted (while I haven't seen ANY trailers or commercials) sounds like a pretty solid concept to me, though it also sounds a bit like Plath's The Bell Jar, but we won't go into that right now. Anyways...enjoy the rest of the Talk Back. (And Loki, you made a great point about sentimentality in movies!)
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well, I think Hanks was quite incredible in "Forrest Gump" (though I'm split as to who should have won the Oscar for best film that year...in my opinion, "Gump", "Pulp Fiction", and "Shawshank" were all worthy of the award...anyway, Hanks does have talent, and while it's wasted in movies such as "You've Got Mail", it's definitely there. Williams has incredible talent...unfortunately, he seems to be misusing it for sentimental tripe...and he had been doing so well after "Good Will Hunting"...sigh. I respect the guy enormously...I just wish he'd remember that he's supposed to be funny, and quit trying to make tear-jerkers. As to Bicent. Man, I read the story, and I had enormous hopes for the film...but after seeing the trailer, I'd take a really attractive single woman to get me to see it. As for Girl, Interrupted, I will possibly see it...the trailer showed me it might be interesting...but not "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". All Thumbs, was it a good thing that you compared it to Plath's "Bell Jar" (which, according to Woody Allen, gave teenage girls the mistaken notion that suicide was romantic)? I couldn't tell. -Loki
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Dec 02, 1999 10:26:40 PM CST
Magnolia is ShortCuts, but worse, And Robin Williams will ALWAYS
by portnoy
Anyone remember the Robert Altman movie Short Cuts a few years back. Three hours long, based on nine short stories and a poem with 22 main characters. It sounds like Anderson saw it and decided to do it again. Maybe it's just me, but Anderson seems a lot like a hack. Don't get me wrong, I liked Boogie Nights, but it was good not great.
And as for Robin Williams, the man is a genius. He is one of the funniest men alive and he also happens to be a great fucking actor. Anyone who wants to see Robin at his dramtic best should try to find a copy of his guest appearance on Homicide: Life On The Street. Not one adlibbed line, and not one joke. He is brilliant in almost everything he does. Anyone who doesn't see that is either stupid or just insn't paying attention. -
have you been reading anything? most of the gripes on here have to do with William's CHOICE of roles, not his ability or talent. If you're going to tell me I'm an idiot for not seeing the greatness in Patch Adams, or the performance contained therein, you are a much more sympathetic critic than I. Talk about manipulative over the top cheese. This is filmmaking at its worst. Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List are unforgivably manipulative as well (a whole other can of worms), but AT LEAST there is some artistry going on amidst the tearyanking and flag-waving. And also, Chris Columbus shouldn't be given the electric chair for Stepmom or Doubtfire, because he should already have been drawn and quartered for unleashing Home Alone on our collective souls.
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Thank the maker! I almost forgot to mention this. On VARIETY's web site (www.variety.com) there is a review for the Green Mile that is quite far from the rectal make-out sessions we've been subjected to so-far. They use terms like "overlong" and mention a pretension with the importance of the source material. All sorts of good stuff...so you people who think this is an open-and-shut Oscar case should check out what looks like a fair opinion. Spoilers are included, so you can just quick-scroll past the paragraphs dealing with story like I did.
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Dec 03, 1999 12:11:16 AM CST
people, people, there's something far more important to discuss
by tommy five-tone
i hear 'girl, interrupted' contains winona ryder's first on-screen nudity. IS THIS CORRECT? i must know
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I think Robin Williams is a very good actor. But he hasn't done anything thats pushed himself lately, and it seems like every movie he's in he plays the exact same character, and its all chockful of emotion. So I agree with whoever above said its his choice of roles, not his ability. He's playing it safe, and he's becoming typecast, or has already become typecast so that when his name appears, you immediately think "Robin Williams movie". When I saw the trailer for the Bicentennial Man, I immediately thought "Robin Williams movie". And I think thats the idea they wanted to give, too, I mean why else would they make even the damn robot look like him? Robin Williams has come to symbolize family fun for everyone. That might not be a good thing for him as an actor, but it sure is a good thing for all those families who are concerened about what they should watch with their kiddies. When they see Robin Williams, they know that they'll get at least a semi-entertaining family film that won't offend you, won't contain nudity or violence. So is that really a bad thing?
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I agree that its all namby pamby crap, what I meant was that for its intended audience, they'll just swallow that stuff down and keep beggin' for more!! Robin Williams has synonymized himself with sentimentality movies just like Schwarzennegar or Stallone synonymize their names with action (unless you count those forays into the comedic arena...). Thus, people know what to expect now from a Robin Williams starrer, it's the next Robin Williams movie before its the story of a robot journeying to humanity. So I guess that's my version on why he's sticking to all the "emotional" roles. As for whether they're quality or not....no comment.
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Yeah, I pretty much agree with what you said. So you feel he isn't pushing himself as an actor. I agree. That doesn't mean he HAS to be in teen horror or action films, I'd just like to see him play a character with a little more complexity, rather than just playin it straightforward-and-honest what- you-see-is-everything about him type of character. And I think its cause he's stickin' too much to the kid family film scene. The Good Will Hunting guy was the most complex character he'd played recently. He was still a good guy, but there was just MORE TO HIM than there was at the surface. Anyone know what I mean? I've seen his character all start in the same place and make the same progression throughout different films...
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True that, I wholeheartedly agree with you, man, that's why I try to stay away with personal attacks against the individual actor, director, etc. in my posts. But your post could be applied to all of TalkBack, and movies in general. Yeah, it takes them a year of laborious work out of their lives, it is for the most part a labor of love, and sometimes it still ends up suckin. Think maybe thats why Barry Sonnenfeld was a little bit bitter after Wild, Wild West? But besides that, taking the other side here....this IS a harsh business, it's a dog eat dog world in Hollywood, they know they're gonna have to deal with criticism. By the way, does your post refer to attacks on an individual, or attacks on that individual's ability? Saying something like "Barry Sonnenfeld is freakin ugly" is different from saying "He has no vision, he sucks at doing so-and-so" Just curious.
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I read Sylvia Plath's poetry and the Bell Jar a couple of years back. In no way did her novel glorify suicide, but it did take a harsh look at the social system of the time (60's I believe) during which many young women were sent for "rest" in mental home because they didn't fit within the "norm." I'm sure Girl, Interrupted takes a different spin on the same idea since it is from the novel based on the authors experiences. Also, Girl probably focuses more on the actual experiences in the mental institution rather than those that got the main character there. So...no, I didn't mean the reference to Plath as a bad thing because I think she was a talented writer who was a product of a cookie cutter society, as well as poor mental health. It's hard to explain at 1 a.m. when you've got a bad case of insomnia.
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I want poo. I want someone to take a dump in my mouth. I want them to mix it with piss and bile and then squirt whip cream and put a cherry on top and call me birthday boy. I want poo poo all day. Poo poo. I poo poo to poo poo. I yes to say poo poo. Poo poo.
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I don't know how to write a review? You don't know how to read one! Things you obviously missed from my review..."This movie might've cut it, oh...thirty years ago. Right now, in 1999 this shit is tired material!" If you don't think it's tired material than you haven't watched any scifi movies or tv in the past 30 years. So what if Assimov has been ripped off by Star Trek & countless other shows & movies? That doesn't make Bicentimental Man any fresher today now does it?
Because everybody supposedly borrowed from his ideas, means we've already seen them! And I didn't need to see them yet again!
He should've turned Bicentimental Man into a movie decades ago! It could've been a classic! Today, it was a steaming piece of shit of a movie. That review that the other guy did is only 3 lines. The rest is just a plot summary. From what was written, I don't even know why he liked it, other than 'it was good'. You like that kind of review? Good for you. Go see the movie twice. Go the 2nd week and look around the theatre and see if you see anybody in there with you.
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That's a pretty dubious distinction. Are there some people out there who actually think that Mrs. Doubtfire is a good film and not just a loud fart emitted from the high concept factory?
Yikes . . . I guess my whole mode of thinking is being challenged . . . -
Some people just don't get it. How do you get through to people that seem to have not enough blood going to their brains? SEVEN SAMURAI was made in 1954!!!!
The knock-offs came AFTER it!!!!!
I own the Seven Samurai Criterion version on DVD, & I just got the Collector's Edition of A Bug's Life. A Bug's Life has so much going for it, even if it did swipe part of it's plot from Seven Samurai. Both are great movies! THE BICENTENNIAL MAN IS NOT!!!
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When you say you don't like TBM, is it because of how it was put together, or because it re-hashes stuff that has already been discussed? If it is the first, well, your opinion, and since you have seen it, you have your right to it. I still do plan on seeing it for my own sake, but you are in a better position to examine this. If it is the second, I would argue that doing this is no different than speilberg doing Saving Private ryan, or for that matter, Iron Giant. We have already had a ton of WW2 movies, yet SPR was very good. And we all know many of those who hate IRon Giant claim it is merely ET redone, nothing more
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If you don't like it because it just re-hashes stuff that has already been done before, well, what do you want a robot movie to do?
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The material in Bicentennial Man only seems tired and old because its been done by so many before, but in fact it was done by Bicentennial Man first, it just took it forever to get to the big screen. However guys, just this fact won't prevent something like that from coming off as tired, like it or not. Its kind of like if there was ever a live-action Akira made....a hell whole bunch of people would think its the same tired and ripped off stuff from the Matrix, when in fact its the other way around...and you know what? It won't seem as interesting and fresh as it would have if it came before, but thats just its own tough luck! It sucks, but thats the way it goes...
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These two movie are almost cookie cuts of one another, The bad guards that you love to hate, the innocent man wrongfully accussed and the friendship between u nlikely characters is the same. I liked green even though it was long, couldve been edited better. I would recomend this film to anyone.
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I'm sorry to say this, but please don't believe the hype you're hearing about The Green Mile. I saw it at a sneak preview at Penn State a few weeks ago, and while it may be a very good movie, it is not near Oscar worthy. I agree with the premis of the earlier respondants - the acting is stellar, the cast is amazing, and the story is quite good. The biggest problem with this movie is the pacing. It runs way to long for the story it was trying to tell. They really let alot of elements from subplots in the middle of the movie drag out the films length, and I really feel that it distracted from the final product. My own personal take on this is that they had a few too many stars in the film that demanded their own camera time. I was a bit dissapointed overall, especially considering the director's previous work - the masterpiece Shawshank Redemption. Now don't get me wrong, I still like the movie and think it's worthy of renting, and probably even going to the movies to see it, but this is no Oscar movie.
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