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Moriarty's RUMBLINGS FROM THE LAB : the return!!!! Many many subjects!
Hey folks... After Moriarty FAILED to obtain a concious post-party state last night.... or even this morning, meanwhile... I was up and at em with the cock crowing this day. He humbly crawled out of his underground lair with that Black Mastiff of his that gnaws on Mongo's good leg while Mongo sings a mute version of NEW YORK NEW YORK, to write up his first Rumbling back since his near miss with the LAPD and some bloke named Holmes. That's right, Johnny Wad was on the case again, but Moriarty is now safe again and secure.... And it's been... too long... here ya go....
Hey, Head Geek...
"Moriarty" here.
I'm going to assume you got out of Los Angeles okay
this morning. I was unavoidably detained by a small
henchman uprising. You show these little mutants ZULU
as a favor, and they get all riled up. Imagine. I've
had to mount several dozen of their tiny, misshapen
heads on pikes all around The Moriarty Labs to get
everyone back on track, but I think it worked. Still,
I'm sorry the column was late today. While you and
MotoMoriarty were at the premiere of THE GREEN MILE
last night, I was here, slaving away on my first
RUMBLINGS back on the regular schedule. And, of
course, I missed my regular schedule. Things really
are back to normal.
I'll be writing about THE GREEN MILE tomorrow, but I'm
going to give it a day or so to sink in. I have to.
I'm overloaded on movies right now. I'm drunk on all
the good films I've been seeing. I honestly don't
know how I'm going to start putting together my 10
Best of the Year list. It's just ridiculous at this
point. For example, this past Friday afternoon, I
finally saw the new offering from PT Anderson, the
highly-secretive MAGNOLIA. I think it's funny that
this film was treated like the next STAR WARS film
while in production. Secrecy was utmost, even though
the film's just an intimate charater drama without any
sort of wild "twists" like FIGHT CLUB or 6TH SENSE. I
can appreciate PT's desire for control of how people
learn about the film and when, but I don't think
there's really any way to spoil MAGNOLIA for viewers.
There's a reason this dense, rich tapestry of a film
is three hours long. It's a tightrope walk, a
beautifully built sprawling look at a series of people
all looking for connection, none of them aware how
deeply they're already connected, set against the
backdrop of PT's beloved San Fernando valley. It's
also one of the most audacious and haunting films of
the year.
Just running down a list of the key players in the
film should indicate just how ambitious PT's "little"
movie is: Earl Partridge (Jason Robards), Linda
Partridge (Julianne Moore), Frank TJ Mackey (Tom
Cruise), Stanley Spector (Jeremy Blackman), Donnie
Smith (William H. Macy), Jimmy Gator (Phillip Baker
Hall), Rose Gator (Melinda Dillon), Claudia Wilson
Gator (Melora Walters), Jim Kurring (John C. Reilly),
and Phil Parma (Philip Seymour Hoffman) are just the
main players on this crowded, busy stage, but even a
cast this size never overwhelms the material. Some
viewers may find themselves exhausted by the film's
relentless energy and the dazzling way Anderson weaves
in and out of the various storylines, but I was
energized by it, amazed at his nimble storytelling
skills. He's truly becoming a filmmaker's filmmaker,
a guy in total control of the medium. I've heard many
people say that he learned his chops from guys like
Scorcese or Altman, and to some extent that's true.
Film is a language, though, and what he's done is
master the language that's come before. Now he's
actually adding to that language, expanding it through
usage, and it's so exciting to witness his career as
it unfolds.
His cast is truly a dream in the film. John C. Reilly
is one of the standouts for me. I have loved this
guy's work since he was Hatch in the woefully
underrated CASUALTIES OF WAR, and it's so great seeing
him here, ten years later, doing such open, honest,
risky work. Most of his scenes in the film are with
Melora Walters, an actress who always seems to vanish
into films for me. I mean that in a good way. For
example, I had no idea she was in BOOGIE NIGHTS, even
though I already knew who she was when I saw it. As
Jesse, she was unrecognizable. She's an open wound
here, a raw nerve, and it's the kind of role that
could wear out its welcome if Walters didn't project
this aura of need, this air of vulnerability that
keeps drawing us back in, over and over. As her
mother, Melinda Dillon makes a welcome and wonderful
return to film, and she provides wonderful
counterpoint to Phillip Baker Hall.
Most people are going to come out of this film talking
about one actor in particular, and I don't blame them.
Tom Cruise is magnetic here, alive in a way that we
forgot he could be. This is Vincent from COLOR OF
MONEY all grown up, his hustle polished to a glow.
This is Maverick from TOP GUN if the military hadn't
worked out. This is Joel from RISKY BUSINESS if
school had fallen through. Cruise eats every scene
alive, particularly later in the film, where he
reveals a side of himself I don't think I've ever seen
on camera. One of the reasons I think Cruise is a
great actor and not just a great movie star is because
he's willing to show us the ugly side of himself. He
doesn't shy away from being imperfect or worse. I
think he's wrenching here, always one moment away from
total meltdown, but he's so charismatic at the same
time that I predict next year's hot impression will be
Frank Mackey and his motivational speech. It's
disgusting stuff, and that's one of the things Cruise
seems to relish about it.
Throughout the film, there's a recurrent visual motif
that I picked up that I had to go figure out
afterwards. The numbers 8 and 2 keep showing up,
written on things, formed from twisting cords, as part
of signs... and it's so prevelant that I figured there
was a reason. A friend of mine who also saw the film
with me called the next day, following our discussion
of the possible meanings of "82," and left the
following on my answering machine:
"And if thou refuse to let them go, behold; I will
smite all thy borders with frogs." Exodus 8:2.
What does that mean in reference to the film? Well,
you've all seen that teaser poster and the trailer,
and you've no doubt seen that there's frogs in the
film. How and where, though? Well, I can't fully
explain it to you, because of both where it happens in
the film and what I think it means. I will say
this... it's a giant risk for PT, and it's one that I
think pays off beautifully. It unifies all the
characters of the movie in a particular way, and I
think it's got a lot to do with the film's overall
themes.
I could go on and on about the technical contributions
to the film. Robert Elswit's photography is
remarkable, alive and electric, and the editing by
Dylan Tichenor is superb. Like I said, this thing
moves. It may be three hours, but it's still
breathless, never once slowing down. The score by Jon
Brion is perfect, but it's the layered use of songs on
the soundtrack that defines the film's sound. Aimee
Mann has the most amazing showcase I can imagine here,
with her songs providing some great counterpoint to
the actions onscreen, her voice filling in the darker
corners of these characters. In particular, the use
of the song "Wise Up" is memorable and striking. Her
cover of Three Dog Night's "One" made the hair on the
back of my neck stand up during the film's opening.
Even the use of songs like Supertramp's "The Logical
Song" is perfect here. PT knows that film is more
than just image, and it's practically an education to
watch how he's built this movie. It is one of the
year's very finest experiences to be had in a theater,
and you absolutely owe yourself the three hours.
I'm a little bit in love with New Line right now. One
major reason is because I love my DVD player so much.
I still haven't had a chance to see the whole
NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET box -- even Evil Genuises have
to prioritize their spending -- but this is definitely
a company that treats the consumer right. Disney, are
you paying attention? New Line makes the effort to
release their big titles in special edition "Platinum
Series" editions as soon as they hit home video, not
making us wait six months for special editions after
they've sold us a movie-only disc. Now they're
pushing that even further, releasing DETROIT ROCK CITY
as a fully-loaded DVD three weeks before it hits
videotape. That's the first time a major studio has
ever done that, and I hope it's a trend. It
definitely sends a signal about their commitment to
the format. It helps that DETROIT ROCK CITY is a
winning little movie, a raunchy, funny little slice of
late '70s nostalgia that actually works better at home
in some ways. As I wandered through the voluminous
extras on the disc, I was struck by just how much fun
everyone seems to have had on the film. The secondary
commentary tracks are great fun, the behind the scenes
footage is hysterical, but the coolest feature of all
is one of the first non-porno uses of the multiple
angles feature of DVD that I've seen. You can direct
your own KISS concert on the disc, cutting from angle
to angle, focusing on whatever you want. It's great
fun, and there's real replay value here for fans. If
you pick this thing up on Amazon.com, it's less than
$15 right now, and it's going to be out in time for
Christmas. For a disc this overloaded with fun,
that's a steal. New Line's also crafty about
promoting their upcoming releases, and when I heard
about the extras on the ASTRONAUT'S WIFE disc, I went
loopy. They're going to be including a LORD OF THE
RINGS browser on the DVD, the first of many that
they'll be slipping onto DVDs between now and the
release of the films. Expect to see LOTR material on
any disc even tangentially related to genre.
Mentioning DETROIT ROCK CITY reminds me of one of the
projects that was set up while I was on my semi-hiatus
from AICN, a film called SEX, DRUGS & ROCK'N'ROLL.
It's about a rock superstar who witnesses a murder,
then becomes the killer's target. He agrees to let a
very straight-arrow cop hang with him for protection.
Not the most startlingly original of concepts, but
knowing that Gene Simmons is one of the film's
producers gets me interested. I really like Gene
onscreen. I still remember his bad guy from RUNAWAY
distinctly. I hope that if this film gets a green
light, Simmons plays the rock star himself. If he
doesn't, then at the very least I hope he pushes to
make the rock scene in the film real and raunchy and
fun. I'd hate to see it sanitized.
A quick Forrest Ackerman update for those of you who
have contacted me mourning the fact that you've never
visited the Ackermansion in LA. If you call
323.MOONFAN this Friday, you'll get the full details
about the last Ackermansion open house of the century,
which is being held this Saturday from 11:00 to noon.
It's free, but you should definitely check for
details. I hope you all have a chance to turn out and
say hello to the man and wish him well. If I weren't
going to be at the Butt-Numb-A-Thon in Austin, I'd
definitely be at Forry's.
Of course, I will be in Austin, and I'm dying.
Harry's got such cool plans for the marathon. I
literally can't wait for this Thursday to roll around
so I can get out of here. I have decided that it's
worth the risk, so I'll be attending live and in the
flesh, and not bothering with my mechanical
doppelganger. Hope to see many of you then.
Someone else who's headed to Austin is the exceptional
team of guy behind MR. SHOW, the single funniest
sketch comedy show of the '90s. They're currently
prepping THE RONNIE DOBBS STORY, a comedy that they'll
shoot in Los Angeles and Austin both. For those of
you who haven't seen the show, Ronnie Dobbs is one of
David Cross' recurrent characters, a guy with the
singular distinction of having been arrested more
times on COPS than anyone else. In the grand
tradition of Monty Python and The Kids In The Hall --
anyone else excited that the Kids are touring right
now? -- Bob Odenkirk and Cross will both be playing
multiple roles in the film, supported by their
incredible cast of comic actors like Brian Posehn and
BJ Porter. I'm praying that Tenacious D shows up in
some form in the film... one can never have enough
Jack Black in their lives, I say.
That's just one of many projects that popped up in
November that I'm interested in, both good and bad.
If you're like me, completely smitten by ELECTION
earlier this year, then take heart. Alexander Payne
is now prepping his next film, a dramatic comedy for
Artisan called SIDE WAYS. It's a road trip film about
a 40ish screenwriter who is frustrated by lack of
motion in his career and his personal life. When his
best friend announces his impending marriage, the two
guys hit the road for one last trip before the
wedding. It's based on an unpublished novel, and the
deal for the film promises Payne a fair amount of
control. As long as the film comes in under $10
million, Payne gets complete control, with final cut.
That's cool, and based on listening to the director's
commentary on the just-released ELECTION DVD, I'd say
the film's in good hands.
Another busy boy these days is Stan Winston. It's
probably a good thing his lousy devil-thing from the
climax of END OF DAYS in only onscreen for 30 seconds
or so. It's one of the most uninspired designs I've
ever seen come out of Winston's studios. I was
shocked to see Crash McReery's name attached to that
thing. I have higher hopes for his work in GALAXY
QUEST, where Winston's utilized techniques that were
developed for the proposed PLANET OF THE APES remake
to allow the lead alien in the film to be acted by the
guy in the suit in all regards, instead of having guys
with Waldos hiding off-camera. I'm also hoping we'll
see stronger work in two upcoming films, one of which
is being produced by the very smart Brian Gilbert over
at Winston's company. The film's called WILD KINGDOM,
and it's set up at Destination Films. It's about an
Animal Control officer in the future who must track
down a genetically engineered Cerberus when it breaks
out a Greek Mythology exhibit and begins to terrorize
New York City. The other film Winston's involved with
right now is still untitled, a Kennedy/Marshall
coproduction with Winston, set to be written by
Stephen Cornwell. It's set in the 19th century, the
story of a long-dormant alien that wakes up from its
hiding place here on Earth. Both of these films have
the potential to be real showcases for the kind of
classic work that Winston's done in the past. When he
is given a great creature to design, he and his team
have consistently risen to the challenge, giving us
creatures that seem to have actual inner lives. The
Predator, the Queen Alien, Pumpkinhead, Lestat, Edward
Scissorhands... these aren't just monsters; they're
characters. I hope these new films continue in that
tradition.
Now, there's tradition, and then there's being stuck
in an endlessly-repeating rut. Andrew Niccols is a
fairly talented guy. I liked GATTACA. I loved THE
TRUMAN SHOW. I'm interested in what he's doing
next... or at least, I was until I heard the concept.
Stop me if you've heard this one before: Centered on
paranoia, the film takes place in a small border town
where a man tries desperately to escape his
environment, even if it means giving up everything in
his life. Um, Andrew... you do know it's okay to
write more than one story in your life, right? I
mean, I understand recurrent themes in a writer's
career, but give me a break.
At least Niccols has talent, though. Personally, I'm
horrified that Castle Rock is allowing Larry David
another shot at bigscreen comedy with a film called
ENVY. It sounds almost exactly like his last picture,
SOUR GRAPES, which I can confidently predict will show
up on my list of the decade's worst. Larry David
seems to have just been the mean, morally unredeeming
side of the SEINFELD formula, while the rest of the
writers contributed the actual humor. Once again,
ENVY is the story of horrible people doing horrible
things to each other, as two family men who are best
friends, neighbors, and co-workers suddenly find their
relationship imploding when one of them gets rich and
the other one gets jealous. I'm guessing it will be
profane and ugly. Wow... how appealing.
Anyway... I've got to run for now, Harry, but I'm
going to send you a special follow-up RUMBLINGS
tomorrow, since there's just too much for one day this
week. I'll be reviewing GREEN MILE and FANTASIA 2000,
as well as bringing you more buzz from around town.
There's a lot of catching up to do. Until then...
"Moriarty" out.
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Dec 08, 1999 12:12:24 AM CST
Generalizations and unnecessary roughness in your Andrew Niccols
by alexandra dupont
Great column as always, Moriarty, but I do have to take exception to your comments about Andrew Niccols
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Am I the only one who is sick and tired of movies about humans and their ridiculous problems? Arrogant fucking species if you ask me. Lets see more films shot about the reality and unreality of this planet without including people. This is just a phase for the 20th century and its played.
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... It's called "Milo and Otis."
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It's nice to see that with the recent resurgence in quality character-driven movies these day, we can still count on Hollywood to provide us with movies about men tracking down genetically engineered dogs. But seriously, nice report. I'm really excited about the Mr. Show guys and their movie - I just wish I still had HBO!
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You're slipping, Moriarty...
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This review was amazing in the way it praises Paul Thomas Anderson's genius. I am truly one of his biggest fans and ESPECIALLY after reading this, i can not WAIT to see Magnolia. Thank you for giving PTA the credit he deserves, he truly is going to be one of our masters of the art.
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Am I the only one who's sick of seeing Stan Winston's alien characters? Granted, the man is a genuis, but give him something different to do. Perhaps Ang Lee should have consulted with Winston about making an animatronic Jewel who can actually act....Hmmmmm...
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Dude, I have to see that movie but it doesn't open here til January! AaaarrrrggghHh!!! Why limited release NewLine? Why? *sniff*
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Dude, Wild Kingdom sounds cool. Larry David is probably a prick. And the plot for Envy is the exact same as Sour Grapes. Exchange "lottery" with "slot machine jackpot".
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New topic: Okay, this is gonna seem random, but the whole Mr. Show thing got me thinkin...I just watched Cable Guy again today, and I'm sorry, but Ben Stiller knows every cool person in Hollywood. His movie's got cameos by Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Janeane Garofalo, and David Cross. David Cross made me laugh more in a 2 minute scene in MIB than the entirety of Never Been Kissed. later -Renly
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You gotta hand it to these guys. How to you get people to rent/buy a DVD of a crap movie like the Astronaut
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Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha... You were fifth! Fifth! And it's not like you have a good excuse for being fifth when you OBVIOUSLY thought you were first. You only typed "..." as your message. Sooooo slow on the draw... Always the bridesmaid, never the bride... Such a sad life. I weep for you. This message brought to you as a public service to briefly divert your attention from whatever exchange is going on between Warrior and whomever he is currently warring against. See you in Reno.
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Is this the same Warrior that used to put "(by Warrior)" in every single one of his subject headings? {For example, the subject heading above would read: "...and about the Warrior (by Warrior)"}Or was that a different The Warrior? Or perhaps it was a Valkyre? "Green Elf has shot the food!" "Blue Wizard needs food badly!" Gauntlet. That game was great... Anyhoo, no offense to the current The Warrior if the other guy was a merely a doppelganger. I just think that the guy that used to sign his name in every subject heading was a dink. See you in sensible pumps.
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do you remember the other 4-player video game "quartet"? insteat of gauntlet's bird's eye maze view, it was a profile view where all four players are moving through various enemy strongholds? didn't think so. there was a lame home version on the original Sega Master system. Anyway, I will say that "Boogie Nights", even though it overstayed its welcome with the lame inclusion of cocaine (see GoodFellas), contained the freshest filmmaking energy since Pulp Fiction. I hope Magnolia is like Short Cuts, which I felt was one of the best films of 1993, if not the best. More real human content than Schindler's List, anyway. It's going to be a tight race between Philip Seymour Hoffman (Flawless), Christopher Plummer (The Insider), and Tom Cruise for Best Supporting Actor this year. Down with Haley Joel Osment and you overrating simpletons! Silence of the Lambs didn't deserve any awards, don't think Sixth Sense is anywhere close!
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Dec 08, 1999 9:01:15 AM CST
Know Harry, Know peace. Knowles Harry, Not me. A message for JJ
by first
Heh... So am I to understand that you have determined that I am in fact one Harry Knowles? Yes? Hmmm. I can't quite figure out if you're just joking around or if you're really just a raving lune. In any case, you're wrong. Let me just walk you through some of the more obvious telltale signs, okay Encyclopedia Brown? (Everyone else may want to move on now, I'm going to dumb this down substantially for this guy...) JJ, read this slow. Let it linger until it all comes together for you. Don't worry, the correct neurons will fire EVENTUALLY. Be patient. Listen up. Harry Knowles is a large gentleman that lives in Texas. He's in charge of this site. You see that jolly smiling cartoon character up on the upper left hand corner of this page? That's Harry. (I mean it. Literally. THAT'S Harry. Scroll up there right now. He's watching you. He'll wink at you if scratch his beard with your pinky. Try it, it's cute!) Me? I'm NOT Harry. I will press charges if you attempt to touch me ANYWHERE with your pinky. Here's some other clues that might lead you to conclusions regarding my identity. Recall that Harry is the gentleman in Texas. Now put your mouse over my name above. Notice what the address is? That's right! It says something about Indiana. I won't go into a HUGE lecture about geography or anything (because we're taking BABY STEPS here today!) but any map of the United States that isn't printed on the back of a Denny's placemat will reveal to you that Indiana is in fact quite a bit away from Texas. (No no no... I know they *LOOK* really close, but that's just an illusion on the paper. The real world is very very large.) Now, digging a little deeper, you will find that you can easily find the webpage of the university that I am affiliated with. Then you're merely a few simple clicks away from doing a simple search for me to find out that the university does in fact have me on file. They've even got my webpage listed, complete with photos that reveal me to NOT be a.) red-head b.) bearded or c.) hefty. In fact, I'm quite clean shaven and rather svelt. (And short.) Ask yourself why a Big 10 state school would give an e-mail account to a non-resident who didn't attend the school, espeically one that wanted an e-mail address as lame as mine. It just doesn't add up. Now a word about these "Harry is everywhere" delusions of yours: If you're trying to impress Jodie Foster, you'll have to go a little more mainstream in your choice of stalkees in order to really get her attention. John Hinkley went for President Reagan back in the day, but he was ambitious (and chose a target that was a bit obvious, in my opinion. He was the leader of the free world at the time! Choose someone a LITTLE less predictable, otherwise she'll think you're desperate...) I'd suggest perhaps Hillary Clinton (big newsmaker these days!), or perhaps an NBA star. As you make your move, please consider shouting this phrase during your spree: "Monkey is a lottery toot! Monkey is a lottery toot!!" It's just a little something I came up with during a mad fever dream one night and I'd really like to see it enter the pop culture lexicon. I hope you've found this little lesson educational. Now wipe the corner of your mouth (no, the other side) and go outside and play. A kid like you shouldn't be couped up inside all day! You've got bugs to crush and small animals to gut. See you in my bathroom, hiding behind the shower curtain with a knife.
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Someone needs to send a henchman over and find out something about frikkin' Ender's Game. What's goin' on with that film? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?****Also, It IS December, shouldn't we all be fighting over casting rumours for Episode 2? See you in Spandex.
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Not to belabor this point or beat a dead horse or spank a dead fish, but while I was pleased to see the "evil genius" back in the saddle, I still would like to see him insert some headers in his articles if he's so damn smart. Otherwise this becomes "ramblings" from the lab as opposed to "rumblings." Or maybe I just don't understand the need for an evil genius to hold us as a captive audience throughout his entire diatribe instead of letting us read about the subjects that we want. Come to think of it....that IS pretty darn evil! I take it all back...don't ever put in headers...I now see the "genius" of your "evil"....aaaarrrrrrg!
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Testify, Moriarity, New Line DVD makes me happy I made that investment in both the machine and the "Nightmare" box set. Paramount hasn't done shit yet, but I'd LOVE to see a box set half as good as the "Nightmare" one done with "Friday the 13th." I'd pre-order that bad boy the day it came out. As for the reference to C_Jason_D in my subject line, I try to avoid personal attacks, but I am from Austin and went to UT and then went to grad at Indiana University and just want the world to realize that Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, and Indiana itself is perhaps the absolute worst place on the planet. Yes, that is not a nice thing to say, but the only thing decent about Bloomington is the extensive video collection in the library that the backwards hicks have never sampled (I think I was the only person who had ever checked out the copy of Kurosawa's "Red Beard.") Other than that, I can honestly say that I would be happy to wake up one day and find that Indiana University had been destroyed in a flood, a plague, or ANYTHING of the seismic measure (now that I am safely in L.A.). For fuck's sake, I missed TRAFFIC (not the Steve Winwood group, but the thing involving many, many cars) when I was in Indiana. Bloomington is nothing like Austin and suffers from many delusions (as, I'm sure, do I). It doesn't get much more haplessly and provincially middle-America than Indiana University. If you don't believe me, go there. I apologize to all I've offended, but that's been building up for months and should be flamed as a meaningless, petty little rant.
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1) I thought his recent HBO special was very funny. If you didn't see it, I'd recommend checking it out. 2) SOUR GRAPES, while certainly not a well-directed movie by any stretch of the imagination, was no more ineptly filmed than, say, any of Kevin Smith's work. And while I wouldn't call it an inspired effort, it made me laugh on occasion, which would be enough to win it a reprieve from being included on my ten worst list (you'd be amazed how many times Shaq appears on that thing.) IMO, I think you're being a little hard on the guy, as well as Andrew Niccol. I'd wait until you've had a chance to read the script before judging it on a brief synopsis (which could always be misleading.) Other than that, good report, and thanks for getting me *more* excited about MAGNOLIA. As if the excellent trailer weren't enough.
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I swear, you two are the worst thing about Talkback. Two cynics hiding in the corner and poking at everything like the two old guys on the Muppets (named Statler and Waldorf, incidentally. There's your fact for the day.) Why is Harry a sellout? Because studios will sometimes send him passes and posters? You know who else gets those promotional packages? EVERY SINGLE REVIEWER in the past twenty years. Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel and Rex Reed and any other movie critic that's ever held any respect in this business. Studios send that crap out like candy, Harry's just up-front about receiving it. What is it with you two? If the report doesn't come from someone who snuck into the studio through a window and hid under the catering table, it's automatically tainted? It must come from the "underground" to have validity? What a JOKE. And as for an AICN television show, I say Great. We Talkbackers have been wishing for years that somehow, television could bring us the kind of entertainment news we wanted, instead of that gossip and fluff-interview pablum. Harry, good luck, keep up your EXCELLENT work, and happy birthday. JJ and Warrior, any time you want to show a little more common sense in your dialogue (and yes, talkback is supposed to be a DIALOGUE between fans, not random shouts in the dark), that would be much appreciated. Peace.
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I am so psyched to see this film. Most of my friends think I heap way too much praise on Boogie Nights, but that film was pure excellence. Hard Eight was also very good. Question: did Harry or Moriarty ever review The Limey? I'd like to discuss it with someone.
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can anyone tell me about the kids in the hall touring?
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I only wanted to take exception to the lumping together of "Rex Reed" and "respect" in the same sentence. The day that man has something worthwhile to say will be the day George Lucas releases HOWARD THE DUCK: THE SPECIAL EDITION.
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I don't want to fight. In fact, I believe you two are intelligent folks, I just think your anger is misdirected. You're sounding more and more like a parrot every time you call Harry a sell-out. I ask again: What is the proof? As I pointed out before, everyone gets promotional packages. I think it's a credit to Harry that he gives us an honest account of what he's received and who has given it to him. You don't agree with some of his reviews? Well, boo-hoo, neither do I. Every Talkbacker has disagreed with Harry at some point. The discussion is the key, and that's why it's so sad when Talkback spirals down into flame wars. In the end, it comes down to a matter of trust. I've never had the pleasure of meeting Harry face-to-face, but I've been with this site for over three years now, so I've read his writings from many different stages: from his deep depression at the loss of someone close to him, his happiness at seeing excellent films, the curiosity in reporting on a film from it's pre-production phase until opening night, and most of all, the obvious joy of his daily reports from the Episode 1 ticket line, which I think is one of the greatest moments of this site's history. So I'm willing to put a little faith in Harry Knowles. When I agree with him, I say so, and when I disagree, I say so too. But it will take more than two people sniping from behind anonymous user names before I give up my basic optimism. You think Harry's been "bought and sold"? Stop visiting this site and start your own. No one can stop you, and that's the most beautiful thing about the Internet. If you want to remain here, try to contribute to a dialogue instead of acting like a one-trick pony. You see, I have some faith in you too. That's just the way I am. Peace.
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Okay, right now the only 3 hour flick on my plate would be THE GREEN MILE, and Mangolia, while it does sound cool from what I've read, 3 and a half hours should possibly have them give us water bottles for our collective asses. Now I envy the fanboys out there who have nice, large soft fat asses because you'll probably be able to endure it, but mine is rather skiny and my skiny little ass is gonna fuckin' ache from sitting in there for so goddamn long (and check the nick, I'm 6'6 so there's no fuckin' room for my legs either! I hate being a freak.) So I thnk I'll sit through Green Mile cuz I read the book, but Mangolia I'll wait for on video cuz my butt can only take so much punishment. XYU.
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...which has usually been a lot more dangerous than being a sheep. And The Warrior is right, calling you two losers was a mistake. I lost my temper and I apologize. Using anonymous nicknames can sometimes cause people to say things they wouldn't do face-to-face. Anyway: Warrior, I also liked Howard the Duck a lot, and Lea Thompson is on my list of under-appreciated hot chicks (although her Van Halen hairstyle in that movie's kind of a turn off. She was much cuter in Back to the Future.) And it may be possible for someone to get addicted to freebies, but I think Harry's still a loooong way from being a studio shill. He enjoyed being on the set of Grinch, and he said so. But he hasn't even posted a review of the movie yet, (hell, the movie isn't even DONE yet) so don't rush to say his judgement has been affected. But I am NO SHEEP. I state my own opinions, but I do it with some forethought. When I've disagreed with Harry, I've said so loud and proud. I would rather build something than tear it down, that's all. Peace.
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While she is most assuredly smokin' in "Howard" and girl-next-door luscious in "Back to the Future. Gentleman, you are forgetting the hottest of the hot Lea Thompson appearances..."Some Kind of Wonderful"!!! Scantily clad drying her hair in the locker room? MMMMMM.
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By the way, he's the most arrested man on FUZZ, not COPS. He's been arrested in all 50 states, France ("Speak American, mother fucker!"), and even above Earth in orbit during a ratings stunt.
Moreover, he's also been a star of stage and screen.
"Y'all are brutalizing me!" -
Does anyone know the name of the song that's being played during the first half of the Magnolia trailer? It's really good so I want to get it.
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hey iam new to this here talkback thing...but i gotta tell u jj,u and the warrior are correct i beleve....
imean i never thought harry was a sell-out either until i overheard him one day scream"FUCK!THAT "BATS"MOVIE WAS FUCKIN GREAT", as he put a lou diamond action figure into his pocket....that bastard will sell-out for ANYTHING....and it wasnt even the lou diamond phillips action fig with the kung-fu grip...bastard!!!
so if u and warrior wanna start a "revoultion" count me in padre......me and all my mistypings will join u in taking down this man........bats..what the fuck -
In Regards to Detroit Rock City being the first dvd to beat its tape counterpoint, well, wasn't Lethal Weapon 4 released on dvd before the VHS video? If not (because I'm really not sure on that one), I know the dvd box set of that Tom Hanks HBO space mini-series was released several months before it hit tape. Not complaining mind you, I'm all for earlier dvd releases, just wondering.
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Warrior, you are so right! I can't believe Eric Stolz goes with Manly Stuart Masterson over her!!! What a homo.
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Yah, great column, welcome back and all that - but the single gratest Sketch Comedy show of the 90's is THE UPRIGHT CITIZENS BRIGADE!
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the voice of reason says we should not think of him as a sell-out he does any and everything we would do in his shoes...the voice of reason also says that we should give him the benifit of the doubt here maybe that dogma reviews coming...maybe he really did like sleepy hollow as much as he said he did...and the voice also says that we need to remember hes the one who put the smackdown on papa geek when he tried to censor this here talkback thing..but u know what
FUCK THE VOICE OF REASON!!!!!!there is no room...and i mean NO room in a reveloution for a voice of reason....all of u join forces with me....we say damn the logicial apraoch...damn reason....light em up boys...so whos in with me who will join the revoultion..who will teach me how to spell it.....there will be victims here we will lose people dont get me wrong but in the end we will have what we want the old harry back..now u can join me are u can sit around talking about lea thompsan..who lost all cuteness with that damn sitcom she did...come on one person cant do it himself(just ask the unabomer...but 4 or 5 people...yeah that should do it.....
viva revoultion
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Yes, where IS that review? Where could it be? I thought the same thing as the above poster, that the review is being SAT ON. I remember Dogma being called "Kevin Smith's latest masterwork" by Harry (before it came out).... hm... so.... shouldn't he write a review telling us all about it? Harry has written some negative reviews before, but, as we all know, they are always SAFE targets. Even "not liking Bond that much" is pretty safe. A bad Inspector Gadget review, no problem! But a bad review of a total GEEK film... that's different. So where is it? He obviously saw it. I don't like Kevin Smith or even own a Star Wars toy and I even saw it! SHOW ME THE REVIEW!
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Even though this is like the umpteenth post about DOGMA, WHERE THE HELL IS IT??? It's OK to not like a film Harry, and you know what? It would have been OK to dislike ARMAGEDDON. Anyways, this is to MORIARTY: I love your reviews/reports and everything, but this whole evil scientist thing going on is starting to make you sound a bit like the Comic book guy on the Simpsons. We don't need anykind of strange introduction to material about film. It's all starting to sound a bit like a Dungeon's and Dragon's game.
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