From: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com (movies-digest) To: movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: movies-digest V2 #203 Reply-To: movies-digest Sender: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-movies-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk movies-digest Friday, June 18 1999 Volume 02 : Number 203 [MV] Movie News - 06/16/99 [MV] Top 10 Box Office Numbers (For Weekend Ending June 13, 1999) Re: [MV] FW: A fun tidbit from my audiophile friend Paul Re: [MV] Deforest Re: [MV] Movies that have not been made..... Re: [MV] Movies that have not been made..... RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor SPOILER (maybe) RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor RE: SPOILER (maybe) RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor RE: SPOILER (maybe) RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor Re: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor [MV] Tarzan Review by Malcolm Ritter [MV] New Movie Releases [MV] Short Reviews [MV] Tarzan review by Michael Wilmington ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1999 12:29:35 -0600 From: "The Reporter" Subject: [MV] Movie News - 06/16/99 Humphrey Bogart and his "African Queen" co-star Katharine Hepburn led the American Film Institute's list of the 50 greatest screen legends. (The legends had to begin their careers before 1950.) The roster was unveiled during a three-hour special Tuesday night on CBS. Cary Grant was No. 2 on the list of greatest male actors, followed in the Top Ten by James Stewart, Marlon Brando, Fred Astaire, Henry Fonda, Clark Gable, James Cagney, Spencer Tracy and Charlie Chaplin. (Only four on the men's list -- Brando, Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas and Sidney Poitier -- are still alive.) Following the Great Kate among female legends are, in order: Bette Davis, Audrey Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich and Joan Crawford. * There are five living female legends -- Liz Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, Lauren Bacall, Shirley Temple and Sophia Loren. -=> * <=- (Launch) - Singer Michael Jackson reportedly just purchased the Oscar which was given to the makers of "Gone With the Wind" when the movie won best picture back in 1939. Jackson snagged the statue for $1.5 million during an auction at Sotheby's via a phoned in bid. Prior to the auction, the Oscar had been estimated at a value of $300,000. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1999 12:45:07 -0600 From: "The Reporter" Subject: [MV] Top 10 Box Office Numbers (For Weekend Ending June 13, 1999) Movie (Studio) Weekend Gross/Total (millions) Weeks in Release 1. Austin Powers: The Spy (NEW LINE) $54.9 / $57.4 1 Who Shagged Me 2. Star Wars: Episode One (FOX) $25.6 / $296.9 4 3. Notting Hill (UNIVERSAL) $11.2 / $67.5 3 4. Instinct (BUENA VISTA) $6.8 / $21.2 2 5. The Mummy (UNIVERSAL) $5.4 / $136.2 6 6. Entrapment (FOX) $2.7 / $79.4 7 7. The Matrix (WARNERS) $1.8 / $161.3 11 8. The Thirteenth Floor (SONY) $1.2 / $9.6 3 9. Tea with Mussolini (MGM (G2 FILMS)) $0.7 / $7.6 5 10. Never Been Kissed (FOX) $0.7 / $51.9 10 [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1999 15:19:10 -0400 From: Mel Eperthener Subject: Re: [MV] FW: A fun tidbit from my audiophile friend Paul At 11.05 AM 16/06/99 -0700, Romero, Leticia wrote: >We won! Oh, we most certainly did. Joyous day!!!!! I just spoke to a retailer that told me that at a trade show last week, the sales reps were still pushing to get more retail outlets for the DIVXs. Evidently, they were working up to the last minute even when the ship was sinking. The "official" reason is a lack of studio support. This is bull. The studios supported this format very well, esp FOX (which released Something About Mary on DIVX but not DVD) and Disney (which had plans to release every upcoming animated feature on DIVX instead of open DVD. Can you imagine telling your kids that they can't watch The Little Mermaid anymore, because the 48-hour window was closed??). It was the customers that saw what a horrid bill of goods they were being sold, and said a resounding. "No, thank you" I'm only stopping here to go buy even more DVDs. Regards, - --Mel - --Mel Eperthener president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty email: bcassidy@usaor.net gowanna@australiamail.com http://www.webz.com/gowanna 419 Butler Street PO Box 95184 Pittsburgh, PA 15223-0184 (412) 781-6140 (412) 781-6380 1-888-45-GOWANNA -- TOLL FREE (1-888-454-6926) ____________________________________________ "Mulder, if you had to do without a cell phone for two minutes, you'd lapse into catatonic schizophrenia" - --Dana Scully ______________________________________________ [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1999 20:09:15 EDT From: SkipyLlama@aol.com Subject: Re: [MV] Deforest In a message dated 6/14/99 5:19:23 PM Central Daylight Time, jkrudy@micron.com writes: > Who else has died from the original cast? I thought Deforest was the first. > Don't fret, we all know that legends never really die. He's probably on > Risa sipping Romulan Ale as we speak. (probably stroking some Andorian > beauties antenna). well, I was counting rodenberry as a "member" of the cast, though he wasn't in the technical sense. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1999 22:24:11 -0400 From: "Chris Culligan" Subject: Re: [MV] Movies that have not been made..... This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - ------=_NextPart_000_0033_01BEB846.F5295220 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable How about a movie based on those Edgar Rice Buroughs books John Carter = of Mars?? I used to love reading those when I was a kid. I think = someone could do a lot with that. CHRIS - ------=_NextPart_000_0033_01BEB846.F5295220 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
How about a movie based on those Edgar Rice Buroughs = books=20 John Carter of Mars??  I used to love reading those when I = was a=20 kid.  I think someone could do a lot with that.
 
CHRIS
- ------=_NextPart_000_0033_01BEB846.F5295220-- [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1999 22:29:02 -0400 From: "Chris Culligan" Subject: Re: [MV] Movies that have not been made..... Oops! I didn't read far enough in my email. Anyway, good choice Enrique, I agree. Let me throw this one out, though. How about that story, Mist above the Mountains, I believe is the name of it, by HP Lovecraft. That story was really creepy and would make a great SFX horror movie. Of course, most anything by Lovecraft would make a good horror movie. CHRIS - ----- Original Message ----- From: Enrique Bird To: Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 1999 12:30 PM Subject: RE: [MV] Movies that have not been made..... > Gerald, > > Good choice! > > I should also have mentioned in my original post the John Carter of Mars > trilogy, including the story from A Princess of Mars,The Gods of Mars, and > The Warlord of Mars by, of course, Edgar Rice Burroughs. > > Enrique Bird > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Gerald Taylor [SMTP:geeg@vossnet.co.uk] > > Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 1999 11:07 AM > > To: movies@lists.xmission.com > > Subject: [MV] Movies that have not been made..... > > > > What of Alan Moore's "The watchmen"? They had plans to make it but they > > fell through. This would be great as a film as it potrays superheroes as > > humans......every character has his weaknesses and flaws and it was one of > > the graphic novels that truly changed the world of comics. > > Cheers > > Gerry T. > > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] > [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 08:18:59 -0500 From: Wade Snider Subject: RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor Actually...His uncle never told him that he had fought in the clone wars. Luke mentioned to Kenobi that his father had piloted space freighters during the war and Kenobi corrected him saying his uncle told him wrong. I'm not sure how sad it is that I remember it. > and > plus, he knew, from his uncle, that his father fought in the clone wars, > did lots of neat stuff, etc. etc. etc. (although, of course, his uncle > didnt tell him his father was a jedi, and didnt tell him his father went > baddie). > > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 08:34:34 -0500 From: "Joshua Crow" Subject: RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor Which brings up another interesting point. Somewhere out there Anakin has a brother. |:| |:| Actually...His uncle never told him that he had fought |:| in the clone wars. |:| Luke mentioned to Kenobi that his father had piloted |:| space freighters during |:| the war and Kenobi corrected him saying his uncle told |:| him wrong. |:| |:| I'm not sure how sad it is that I remember it. |:| |:| > and |:| > plus, he knew, from his uncle, that his father fought |:| in the clone wars, |:| > did lots of neat stuff, etc. etc. etc. (although, of |:| course, his uncle |:| > didnt tell him his father was a jedi, and didnt tell |:| him his father went |:| > baddie). |:| > |:| > |:| |:| [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message |:| "unsubscribe ] |:| [ movies" (without the quotes) to |:| majordomo@xmission.com ] |:| [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 08:38:09 -0500 From: Wade Snider Subject: SPOILER (maybe) RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor Actually.......................... (Do I hear cringing when I say that word?? I am not usually a know-it-all heel.) Luke's Uncle Owen is reportedly supposed to be Obi-Wan's brother, not Anakin's. This is not just in the rumor mills, but it was in the serials written a few years ago. > Which brings up another interesting point. Somewhere out there Anakin has > a > brother. > |:| > |:| Actually...His uncle never told him that he had fought > |:| in the clone wars. > |:| Luke mentioned to Kenobi that his father had piloted > |:| space freighters during > |:| the war and Kenobi corrected him saying his uncle told > |:| him wrong. > |:| > |:| I'm not sure how sad it is that I remember it. > |:| > |:| > and > |:| > plus, he knew, from his uncle, that his father fought > |:| in the clone wars, > |:| > did lots of neat stuff, etc. etc. etc. (although, of > |:| course, his uncle > |:| > didnt tell him his father was a jedi, and didnt tell > |:| him his father went > |:| > baddie). > |:| > > |:| > > |:| > |:| [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message > |:| "unsubscribe ] > |:| [ movies" (without the quotes) to > |:| majordomo@xmission.com ] > |:| > > > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] > [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 08:47:29 -0500 From: "Joshua Crow" Subject: RE: SPOILER (maybe) RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor Ah. Then I guess the question is will Lucas adhere to that? I mean, if it was in one of the books (after the fact), it didn't come from his brain. |:| -----Original Message----- |:| From: owner-movies@lists.xmission.com |:| [mailto:owner-movies@lists.xmission.com]On Behalf Of Wade Snider |:| Sent: Thursday, June 17, 1999 8:38 AM |:| To: 'movies@lists.xmission.com' |:| Subject: SPOILER (maybe) RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor |:| |:| |:| |:| Actually.......................... |:| |:| |:| (Do I hear cringing when I say that word?? I am not |:| usually a know-it-all |:| heel.) |:| |:| |:| Luke's Uncle Owen is reportedly supposed to be |:| Obi-Wan's brother, not |:| Anakin's. This is not just in the rumor mills, but it |:| was in the serials |:| written a few years ago. |:| |:| |:| |:| > Which brings up another interesting point. Somewhere |:| out there Anakin has |:| > a |:| > brother. |:| > |:| |:| > |:| Actually...His uncle never told him that he had fought |:| > |:| in the clone wars. |:| > |:| Luke mentioned to Kenobi that his father had piloted |:| > |:| space freighters during |:| > |:| the war and Kenobi corrected him saying his uncle told |:| > |:| him wrong. |:| > |:| |:| > |:| I'm not sure how sad it is that I remember it. |:| > |:| |:| > |:| > and |:| > |:| > plus, he knew, from his uncle, that his |:| father fought |:| > |:| in the clone wars, |:| > |:| > did lots of neat stuff, etc. etc. etc. (although, of |:| > |:| course, his uncle |:| > |:| > didnt tell him his father was a jedi, and didnt tell |:| > |:| him his father went |:| > |:| > baddie). |:| > |:| > |:| > |:| > |:| > |:| |:| > |:| [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message |:| > |:| "unsubscribe ] |:| > |:| [ movies" (without the quotes) to |:| > |:| majordomo@xmission.com ] |:| > |:| |:| > |:| > |:| > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message |:| "unsubscribe ] |:| > [ movies" (without the quotes) to |:| majordomo@xmission.com ] |:| |:| [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message |:| "unsubscribe ] |:| [ movies" (without the quotes) to |:| majordomo@xmission.com ] |:| [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 09:01:09 -0500 From: Wade Snider Subject: RE: SPOILER (maybe) RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor That may be true, but it is a good enough idea that Lucas may not mess with it, and I doubt he could come up with a better or more original aspect. I personally like the idea better myself. It also would avoid some complicated issues that might arise from what we know happened in Ep. 1. What I remember recently was that one internet site supposedly picked up the tidbit from someone who said that Lucas liked the idea from the original novel serialization of the prequels. He's supposedly writing the script for Ep. 2 now or before the end of this year. Of course, rumors, especially heresay, on the internet are to be taken with 2 grains of salt, but it is a good idea. It has a good possibility for a subplot conflict or issue without overtaking the story. > Ah. Then I guess the question is will Lucas adhere to that? I mean, if it > was in one of the books (after the fact), it didn't come from his brain. > > |:| -----Original Message----- > |:| From: owner-movies@lists.xmission.com > |:| [mailto:owner-movies@lists.xmission.com]On Behalf Of Wade Snider > |:| Sent: Thursday, June 17, 1999 8:38 AM > |:| To: 'movies@lists.xmission.com' > |:| Subject: SPOILER (maybe) RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor > |:| > |:| > |:| > |:| Actually.......................... > |:| > |:| > |:| (Do I hear cringing when I say that word?? I am not > |:| usually a know-it-all > |:| heel.) > |:| > |:| > |:| Luke's Uncle Owen is reportedly supposed to be > |:| Obi-Wan's brother, not > |:| Anakin's. This is not just in the rumor mills, but it > |:| was in the serials > |:| written a few years ago. > |:| > |:| > |:| > |:| > Which brings up another interesting point. Somewhere > |:| out there Anakin has > |:| > a > |:| > brother. > |:| > |:| > |:| > |:| Actually...His uncle never told him that he had fought > |:| > |:| in the clone wars. > |:| > |:| Luke mentioned to Kenobi that his father had piloted > |:| > |:| space freighters during > |:| > |:| the war and Kenobi corrected him saying his uncle told > |:| > |:| him wrong. > |:| > |:| > |:| > |:| I'm not sure how sad it is that I remember it. > |:| > |:| > |:| > |:| > and > |:| > |:| > plus, he knew, from his uncle, that his > |:| father fought > |:| > |:| in the clone wars, > |:| > |:| > did lots of neat stuff, etc. etc. etc. (although, of > |:| > |:| course, his uncle > |:| > |:| > didnt tell him his father was a jedi, and didnt tell > |:| > |:| him his father went > |:| > |:| > baddie). > |:| > |:| > > |:| > |:| > > |:| > |:| > |:| > |:| [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message > |:| > |:| "unsubscribe ] > |:| > |:| [ movies" (without the quotes) to > |:| > |:| majordomo@xmission.com ] > |:| > |:| > |:| > > |:| > > |:| > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message > |:| "unsubscribe ] > |:| > [ movies" (without the quotes) to > |:| majordomo@xmission.com ] > |:| > |:| [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message > |:| "unsubscribe ] > |:| [ movies" (without the quotes) to > |:| majordomo@xmission.com ] > |:| > > > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] > [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 13:05:48 EDT From: SkipyLlama@aol.com Subject: Re: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor In a message dated 6/17/99 8:34:34 AM Central Daylight Time, joshc@galaxy-inc.com writes: > Which brings up another interesting point. Somewhere out there Anakin has a > brother. not really. "uncle" owen isn't really his uncle, just a guy that he stayed with.... I"m not sure HOW i know that, but I'm pretty sure that's the case. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 11:18:35 -0600 From: jkrudy Subject: RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor That was always the impression I got. As far as whether Owen is Ben's brother, I don't know. Owen seemed to have some awfully bad things to say about Ben: "That's man's just a crazy old hermit..." The only thing I think we know for sure is they never said that Owen and Beru were Skywalkers. James - -----Original Message----- From: SkipyLlama@aol.com [mailto:SkipyLlama@aol.com] Sent: Thursday, June 17, 1999 11:06 AM To: movies@lists.xmission.com Subject: Re: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor In a message dated 6/17/99 8:34:34 AM Central Daylight Time, joshc@galaxy-inc.com writes: > Which brings up another interesting point. Somewhere out there Anakin has a > brother. not really. "uncle" owen isn't really his uncle, just a guy that he stayed with.... I"m not sure HOW i know that, but I'm pretty sure that's the case. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 12:47:57 -0500 From: Wade Snider Subject: RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor If any male has a brother, especially if there are just two brothers, they know how easy it can be to let petty disputes or even big disputes get between you sometimes. Then when such a dispute or fight separates you long enough, then there is a gap between you filled with years of resentment made all the more bitter by the fact that you are brothers. I would imagine it can be similar for sisters, and to some extent any combination of siblings. My own brother and I have had disagreements, and although we get along fine now, the times when we were bothered by each other were uniquely distant and hard. I have seen the worst case of years of bitter feelings in other people, and it's not pretty. Back to the point, if Owen and Ben are brothers, they could very easily get into a bitter fight over their participation wars and situation to come in future episodes, and such fights between the two very well may be intensely personal. With what we know to come about Luke/Leia, I could very easily see the two brothers working together to save the twins, with Owen and Beru as a maried couple being able to provide a family for Luke, but with some instance of hostility between them O&B that would lead them to be bitter and distant as they got older. It makes perfect sense that Owen would be derogatory of Ben and that Ben would discount Owen when in Ep. 4 Luke gets whiny and makes excuses, saying "you sound just like your uncle." Makes all the more sense if they are related, as in estranged brothers. Mega-Over-Analysis, yes!! But, makes for a better subplot than Owen as Anakin's brother. More interesting to me, anyway. But, more than likely we won't now for sure until they hire actors and shooting is mostly underway. Then, an actor or someone might let it slip.I also seem to recall that Owen has a different last name than Skywalker, but I can't remember what it is. Oh, well, didn't mean to make a big case, but I did anyway. My 22 cents there..... > That was always the impression I got. As far as whether Owen is Ben's > brother, I don't know. Owen seemed to have some awfully bad things to say > about Ben: "That's man's just a crazy old hermit..." The only thing I > think we know for sure is they never said that Owen and Beru were > Skywalkers. > > James > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: SkipyLlama@aol.com [mailto:SkipyLlama@aol.com] > Sent: Thursday, June 17, 1999 11:06 AM > To: movies@lists.xmission.com > Subject: Re: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor > > > In a message dated 6/17/99 8:34:34 AM Central Daylight Time, > joshc@galaxy-inc.com writes: > > > Which brings up another interesting point. Somewhere out there Anakin > has > a > > brother. > not really. "uncle" owen isn't really his uncle, just a guy that he > stayed > with.... I"m not sure HOW i know that, but I'm pretty sure that's the > case. > > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] > [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] > > [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] > [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 16:32:08 -0400 From: Mel Eperthener Subject: RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor At 11.18 AM 17/06/99 -0600, jkrudy wrote: >That was always the impression I got. As far as whether Owen is Ben's >brother, I don't know. Owen seemed to have some awfully bad things to say >about Ben: "That's man's just a crazy old hermit..." Well, maybe Beru is Ben's sister. I know I talk about my brother-in-law in the same glowing terms:-) The only thing I >think we know for sure is they never said that Owen and Beru were >Skywalkers. No, their last name was Lars, IIRC. Regards, - --Mel - --Mel Eperthener president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty Please support the endeavour of a friend and fellow Australian. Political Corrections by Michael Jaymes Cassidy http://www.angelfire.com/ma/politicalmusings ____________________________________________ If people are worried about the whole Y2K thing, just wait until they try to get technical support the day "Phantom Menace" opens. __________________________ [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 15:41:05 -0400 From: Mel Eperthener Subject: RE: [MV] Episode II (or III) Rumor At 08.34 AM 17/06/99 -0500, Joshua Crow wrote: > >Which brings up another interesting point. Somewhere out there Anakin has a >brother. Actually, I suspect that Owen Lars (which means that Beru would be Anakin's sister, if they were related) was Luke's uncle in the same way that Bail Organia was Leia's father. IE, in name only. Regards, - --Mel - --Mel Eperthener president, Gowanna Multi-media Pty email: bcassidy@usaor.net gowanna@australiamail.com http://www.webz.com/gowanna 419 Butler Street PO Box 95184 Pittsburgh, PA 15223-0184 (412) 781-6140 (412) 781-6380 1-888-45-GOWANNA -- TOLL FREE (1-888-454-6926) ____________________________________________ "Mulder, if you had to do without a cell phone for two minutes, you'd lapse into catatonic schizophrenia" - --Dana Scully ______________________________________________ [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 10:27:42 -0600 From: "The Reporter" Subject: [MV] Tarzan Review by Malcolm Ritter MOVIE: Tarzan MPAA RATING: G GENRE: Family STARS: (Voices of) Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, Rosie O'Donnell, Glenn Close, Wayne Knight, Alex D. Linz, Nigel Hawthorne, Brian Blessed and Lance Henriksen. DIRECTED BY: Chris Buck and Kevin Lima. WRITTEN BY: Tab Murphy RELEASED BY: Disney OFFICIAL SITE: http://disney.go.com/worldsofdisney/tarzan/adventures/index.html After seeing the ballroom whirl in "Beauty and the Beast" and 2,000 Huns charge on horseback in "Mulan," moviegoers have a right to expect gems of animation from Disney's artists. In "Tarzan," they won't be disappointed. Watch Tarzan whiz through the jungle canopy, surfing along branches. Watch him save Jane from a pack of baboons, and fight a leopard to the death. Hold onto your popcorn. That's not all. Disney's animators combined traditional and computer techniques to create a deeply atmospheric jungle. You feel the humidity. It's the setting for a story that's entertaining but not quite as memorable as some of its scenes. An opening sequence deftly shows how the infant Tarzan comes to be adopted by the gorilla mother Kala (voiced by Glenn Close). In childhood, his gorilla pals deride him as "the hairless wonder" and Kala's mate makes it clear Tarzan is not really part of the family. Tarzan vows to become "the best ape ever," but in a fast-paced montage he develops in a most human-like way, throwing spears, tying branches, and doing that branch-surfing trick. Once he's a young man (with the voice of Tony Goldwyn) he meets Jane (voiced by Minnie Driver). She arrives with her father and the malevolent guide Clayton to study gorillas. Tarzan and Jane get mighty interested in each other, of course. But evil intrudes as Clayton tries to capture Tarzan's ape relatives to sell back in England. You can take it from here. The movie makes much of Tarzan having to choose between being a gorilla or a person. Rest assured that he and Jane end up happily together. There are some wonderfully clever scenes in this movie, like one that shows the 5-year-old Tarzan trying to snatch a hair from an elephant's tail, and the fast-paced sequence that takes him from childhood to adulthood. And if you didn't get enough of Timon and Pumbaa from "The Lion King" and its video sequel, you can see them reincarnated in two of Tarzan's pals, Terk the ape and Tantor the elephant. Who'd have thought that Rosie O'Donnell (the voice of Terk) would sound so much like Nathan Lane (who voiced Timon)? By Disney's count, this is the 48th movie adaptation of the Tarzan story but the first full-length animated feature. Good idea. It's a treat to look at. - - By Malcolm Ritter, The Associated Press [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 10:28:19 -0600 From: "The Reporter" Subject: [MV] New Movie Releases *National Releases* - ------------------- - - THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER (R) - A military investigator clashes with brass to investigate the murder of the title character. John Travolta, Madeleine Stowe, James Woods. Directed by Simon West. Official site: http://generalsdaughter.com/ - - TARZAN (G; Animated) - Disney-ized tale of a boy raised by apes in the African wilds who grows up to be Lord of the Jungle. Minnie Driver, Rosie O'Donnell, and Nigel Hawthorne. Directed by Chris Buck and Kevin Lima. Official site: http://disney.go.com/worldsofdisney/tarzan/adventures/index.html *Limited Releases* - ------------------ - - AN IDEAL HUSBAND (PG-13) - Victorian hilarity ensues when a woman finds out her family's place in society was achieved through controversial means. From the play by Oscar Wilde. Rupert Everett, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett, Minnie Driver. Directed by Oliver Parker. (Los Angeles, New York) - - JEANNE AND THE PERFECT GUY (No rating) - A sexy woman falls for an HIV-positive guy. In French with Subtitls. Directed by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau. Jacques Bonnaffe, Valerie Bonneton, Mathieu Demy. (Los Angeles) - - JUNK FOOD (No rating) - Synopsis unavailable at press time. Miyuki Ijima, Keigo Naruse, Yoichi Okamura. Directed by Masashi Yamamoto. (Los Angeles) - - THE LEGEND OF THE PIANIST ON THE OCEAN (No rating) - An orphan who masters the piano while playing on trans-Atlantic ships eventually competes against a piano legend. Tim Roth, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Clarence Williams III. Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. (Los Angeles, New York, Toronto) - - RUN LOLA RUN (R) - A young man with debts to mobsters goes on the lam. In German with subtitles. Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup. Directed by Tom Tykwer. (Los Angeles, New York) [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 10:29:07 -0600 From: "The Reporter" Subject: [MV] Short Reviews (RATINGS: The movies listed below are rated according to the following key: 4 stars -- excellent; 3 stars -- good; 2 stars -- fair; 1 star -- poor.) (M.C. -- Mark Caro; M.W. -- Michael Wilmington; J.P. -- John Petrakis; M.R. -- Maureen Ryan; R.K. -- Rick Kogan; M.E. " Monica Eng; B.S. " Barbara Shulgasser; A.J. " Allan Johnson.) AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME. Mike Myers is a very funny guy, and there's no doubt that Austin Powers, his swinging superspy character, is a unique creation. But too often the pace drags and the framing and staging of this installment suggest an old episode of "Get Smart" that's been taken over by a porno movie team. PG-13. 2-1/2 stars. " M.W. BESIEGED. Bernardo Bertolucci's new film is a great movie romance, a film of almost hypnotic power and sensuality. Set in modern Rome, it's the tale of a complex seduction by a young British pianist from a wealthy family (David Thewlis) who falls madly in love with his immigrant African housekeeper (Thandie Newton) and sets out desperately to win her heart, in the process all but tearing his own world apart. R. 4 stars." M.W. ELECTION. When arrogant know-it-all Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon, in a dead-on comic performance) runs for high school class president, teacher-of-the-year Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) manipulates a sweet dumb jock to join the race. The uncomfortably funny pangs of recognition are what drive this entertaining but frustratingly uneven film. Like many politicians, "Election" talks a good game but never quite delivers on its promise. R. 2-1/2 stars. " M.C. ENCOUNTER IN THE THIRD DIMENSION. While this new IMAX-3D film boasts some of the most spectacular stereoscopic effects seen on any screen, it has a plot flat as pancake. For 40 minutes, director/co-writer Ben Stassen simultaneously gives us a capsule history of stereoscopic movie effects and bombards us with the antics of a wacko scientist (Stuart Pankin), his cute robot Max (voice by Pankin) and Elvira, Mistress of the Dark: the famed TV horror show vamp, played by Cassandra Peterson in her famous low-decolletage black gowns. Still, If you get hooked into this movie's effects and roller coaster rides -- which are pretty extraordinary -- you may not mind. No MPAA rating. 2-1/2 stars. -- M.W. ENDURANCE.. Casting world champion runner Haile Gebrselassie as his adult self " and using Olympic footage shot by Bud Greenspan " "Endurance" bookends a touching docudrama about a young boy from one of the poorest countries in the world (Ethiopia) who dreams of escaping his father's farm to achieve glory in running. G. 3 stars. " B.S. ENTRAPMENT. A glamorous but weak heist thriller starring Sean Connery as the world's greatest art thief and Catherine Zeta-Jones as the world's most beautiful and dangerous insurance investigator. It's all too modern: a wildly expensive formula movie full of computers, nonsense and violence. PG-13. 2-1/2 stars. " M.W. FOOLISH. Laziness allowed this plot-deprived mess to pass up an opportunity for an entertaining, enlightening look into the life of a rising standup comic. Rapper Master P ("I Got the Hookup") is a one-note as a suave small-time criminal trying to boost the career of his comedian brother (a crude Eddie Griffin from UPN's "Malcolm & Eddie"). R. 1 star -- A.J. THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER. John Travolta and Madeleine Stowe star as an intrepid warrant officer and his hard-nosed partner in an expensive-looking new detective thriller that should have been much better. "The General's Daughter" is a big, lurid murder-mystery movie about sexual sleaze in the U.S. Army. R. 2 stars. " M.W. GOODBYE LOVER. Here's a strange phenomenon: an intrigue movie that becomes less intriguing as the stakes rise. Roland Joffe's movie hooks you as it sets up the intertwining relationships between a "The Sound of Music"-fixated real estate agent (Patricia Arquette), her PR exec lover (Don Johnson), his alcoholic brother/her husband (Dermot Mulroney) and the exec's adoring underling (Mary-Louise Parker). But once the inevitable murder happens, the characters turn into puppets manipulated to serve too many double-crosses and character switcheroos. R. 1-1/2 stars -- M.C. INSTINCT. An overly-emotional hybrid of "Gorillas in the Mist" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." In "Instinct," style buries substance, the way to hell is paved with good intentions and Anthony Hopkins (as a scientist who likes to live among apes) and Cuba Gooding Jr. (as Hopkins' psychiatrist) take on roles that would try the patience of saints. R. 2 stars. " M.W. LIFE. Eddie Murphy's latest is one of his best: a ribald but serious male-bonding comedy about two wrongfully convicted Mississippi prison lifers and their volatile seven-decade relationship: a friendship/feud that stretches from the Depression to today. The movie shows off star and co-producer Murphy and co-star Martin Lawrence at their performing peaks. But it also exposes a vulnerable, more melancholy side of them that we don't often see. R. 3 stars -- M.W. LIMBO. A taciturn fisherman (David Straithairn), a rootless malcontent bar singer (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) and her smart, alienated teenage daughter (Vanessa Martinez) fight for survival after a shipwreck in Alaska. "Limbo" is special and strange, and may have the most controversial ending of the year. R. 3-1/2 stars. " M.W. THE LOVE LETTER. This film is best taken on its own sweet, innocuous terms, without expecting true poetry. Starring and co-produced by Kate Capshaw, "The Love Letter" is the light-hearted tale of what happens when the aforementioned declaration of love is accidentally discovered by several inhabitants of a quaint New England seaside village. Tom Selleck, Blythe Danner and Ellen DeGeneres also star. Although the movie's affection for its characters is refreshing, none of them stirs our passions. PG-13. 2-1/2 stars. " M.C. THE MATRIX. This extravagantly designed, futuristic thriller was made by the brotherly writing-directing team of Larry and Andy Wachowski, whose previous film was the lesbians-and-guns indie caper movie "Bound." It's a change of pace, with overwhelming visuals and big ideas regarding What Is Reality, yet even as it overreaches for profundity, "The Matrix" sports intelligence and style . Keanu Reeves, in his intelligent blank-slate persona, stars as the computer-savvy Neo, who's recruited to thwart a conspiracy that keeps the world's population living in an electronically created virtual reality. Laurence Fishburne is fine as good-guy mythical leader Morpheus, but the plum performances are from Australian actor Hugo Weaving as a droll evil "agent" and Carrie-Anne Moss as an agile, stoic heroine who knows how to somersault downstairs with a gun. Some ideas are provocative, others recycled, but you can always turn your brain off and just enjoy the "Alice in Wonderland"-derived trippiness and high-flying martial arts battles. R. 3 stars. -- M.C. A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. Director Michael Hoffman's version of Shakespeare's classic is sumptuous all-star masque (Michelle Pfeiffer, Kevin Kline, Calista Flockhart), full of fine actors caught with their pants down " literally " but having a ball nonetheless. Most of the original play's matchless, magical speeches are preserved here. PG-13. 3 stars. " M.W. THE MUMMY. A lavish Universal Pictures remake of the studio's 1932 Boris Karloff horror classic. But it packs so much hell-for-leather action, gorgeous Moroccan scenery and eye-popping Industrial Light and Magic visual effects into its two hours that, after a while, I began to get tired of it. Sometimes a movie is just too big, loud and fast for its own good. PG-13. 2-1/2 stars. " M.W. NOTTING HILL. Hugh Grant plays a humble bookseller who ends up in an improbable relationship with a starlet (Julia Roberts). This is a romantic comedy that just flat-out works. It's funny, sympathetic, mostly smart, and it boasts a likable cast of characters led by two performers who have star power and know how to use it. PG-13. 2 stars. " M.C. PUSHING TIN. A slick, fast movie about two rivalrous, hotshot air traffic controllers (John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton), this mix of occupational comedy, criss-crossing romance and aviation thriller has tangy scenes and a super cast. Like Robert Altman's "M-A-S-H," "Pushing Tin" suggests you must be brainy, irreverent and a little crazy to get through pressure-cooker jobs. Smart alec Cusack and laconic Thornton couldn't be better and neither could Cate Blanchett and Angela Jolie as their wives. But if "Tin" begins well, its last third is a fog of cliches and contrivances. R. 2-1/2 stars. " M.W. THE RED VIOLIN. Francois Girard's ambitious, playful film is about more than just a supreme instrument. Episodic in structure and sprawling in execution, the movie explores the power of music itself " and the strange spells it can cast on a world of listeners and participants. Samuel L. Jackson stars as an antiques expert. No MPAA rating (sexuality, nudity). 3 stars. " M.C. STAR WARS: EPISODE 1-THE PHANTOM MENACE. The prequel everyone's been waiting for turns out to be a highly entertaining and visually breathtaking movie. It's a hokey tale but it's also magical " because of the story's wide-eyed, wondrous tone and dazzling visual treats. While the alien or human characters (particularly young Anakin Skywalker, who will grow up to become Darth Vader) can't match George Lucas' spectacular backdrops, the film is everything its admirers could have wanted: a shining fantasy of stars and war, a child's epic. PG. 3-1/2 stars. " M.W. TARZAN. Disney's animated "Tarzan" is entertaining and spectacular, another all-star showcase. But it lacks that special pizazz that the string of Disney cartoon features from "The Little Mermaid" through "The Lion King" all had. G. 3 stars. " M.W. TEA WITH MUSSOLINI. This is one of those movies with its heart in the right place but no brain at all. It's based on the early life of its director, Franco Zeffirelli, features a stellar cast (Cher, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith) and yet falters stunningly. PG. 2 stars. " B.S. THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR. Another weak sci-fi thriller with a maddeningly dense plot about the blurring boundaries between reality and a computer game. What really confused me was why everyone gets all upset at the news that they're part of a game. People in Hollywood live with this fact every day, and no one seems to mind. R. 1-1/2 stars. " B.S. THIS IS MY FATHER. James Caan plays an Illinois teacher who goes to Ireland in search of his roots. The tale of his father, told in flashbacks, winds up dwarfing the modern-day story. The teacher may finally be able to say, "This is my father," but where that gets him is anyone's guess. R. 2-1/2 stars. " M.C. TREKKIES. This film is a loving celebration of the everyday oddballs who've made "Star Trek" the center of their universes. Actress Denise Crosby takes us to Star Trek conventions, visits with costumed fanatics and reflects on the meaning of it all with cast members of the various TV series and movies. The movie plays like a very expanded version of what would make " and likely has made " a cute TV newsmagazine segment. PG. 2 stars. " M.C. TRIPPIN'. A teen comedy about planning for life after high school that wastes its potential with a weak plot by Gary Hardwick (TV's "In The House"), uninspired direction, gratuitous profanity and unnecessary nudity. R. 1-1/2 stars. " A.J. THE WINSLOW BOY. David Mamet's adaptation of Terence Rattigan's 1946 play about the patriarch of an upper-class English family in 1912 who fights the political establishment to clear the sullied name of his 13-year-old son. Despite some theatrical devices that bog the story down at the end, this good-looking film is a pleasure to watch. G. 3 stars. " J.P. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 10:29:55 -0600 From: "The Reporter" Subject: [MV] Tarzan review by Michael Wilmington FILM REVIEW: "TARZAN" Three stars (out of 4) By Michael Wilmington Chicago Tribune Movie Critic Some legends never die; they just adapt to new technology and newer generations. Take the Disney studio's "Tarzan," for example. The latest of innumerable screen incarnations of Edgar Rice Burroughs' immortal jungle lord, it taps into a pop myth that has remained almost always before us since Burroughs' novel "Tarzan of the Apes," back in 1914. But, though this new ape man chronicle is another miracle of modern animation from Disney, I'm afraid it's not really a miracle of a movie. Not for want of trying, though. The Disney "Tarzan" is entertaining and spectacular, another all-star showcase: Voice talent includes Tony Goldwyn and Minnie Driver as Tarzan and Jane, and Glenn Close and Rosie O'Donnell as supporting apes. Rocker Phil Collins wrote and mostly sings the songs. Courtesy of the latest digital breakthroughs, the film gives us some incredible displays of vine-swinging animation virtuosity. Directors Kevin Lima ("A Goofy Movie") and Chris Buck and their team swoop and hurl us through the jungle trees with fleet Tarzan in amazing illusions of leaping, diving, flying camera work. In fact, if you've ever wondered what Tarzan's perspective might have been " or what George of the Jungle saw right before he crashed into another tree " it's reason enough to see this movie. But this "Tarzan" as a whole is too tame. It lacks that special pizzazz that the string of Disney cartoon features from "The Little Mermaid" through "The Lion King" all had (during Jeff Katzenberg's tenure) " and that only the Pixar features "Toy Story" and "A Bug's Life" have shown consistently since. It's not the fault of the material, a pop legend that tends to work even in the cheapest incarnations. This script sticks fairly close to the outline of Burroughs' first book " much closer than, say, the famous 1932 MGM Johnny Weissmuller-Maureen O'Sullivan "Tarzan of the Apes" " while making the changes you'd expect from Disney: the addition of cute animals like O'Donnell's wise-cracking Terk the Ape and Wayne Knight's fubsy Tantor the Elephant, plus political corrections. Most dubiously, this film eliminates not only all Burroughs' original cliched African or African-American characters (like Jane's blubbering servant Esmeralda), but all other Africans as well. Watching it, we might as well be in a particularly wild and overgrown area of Yorkshire. Couldn't the writers have conceived new African characters " just as they came up with new playmates for young Tarzan? As in Burroughs' book, we see Tarzan's parents, the castaway Lord and Lady Greystoke, lost in the jungle, their brief lives and hard deaths. We see Tarzan's adoption by his ape mother Kala (Close). We then watch the growth of boy Tarzan (Alex D. Linz) into the ape community, his assumption of power and his encounter with the European explorers, beauteous Jane Poreter (Driver), her dithering academic dad, Professor Porter (Nigel Hawthorne), and Tarzan's exploitative and dangerous cousin, Clayton (Brian Blessed). Somewhat like the tale of Rudyard Kipling's wolf boy, Mowgli, in the Disney "Jungle Book," this is a tale of the assumption of royalty and man among beasts, something Disney has tackled before. (There's even a bit of "Bambi" or "Lion King" here.) But entirely new for the studio is the muffled but red-hot eroticism of the Tarzan-Jane encounters. I'm not sure everyone here is up to it. In the original, the eroticism is lightly veiled. After Tarzan falls for Jane, we have to wonder if he'll be a gentleman or a beast. It's vital that we sense both sides of the ape man: primitive and lordly. The movie never sets up much tension in the romance though, perhaps because it can't " after all, it's intended for kids and families. And, because Jane has been reconceived as a feisty dynamo, the relationship is less tense and provocative. Of the voice actors, only Close is really exemplary. (Interestingly, it was also Close who dubbed Andie MacDowell's Jane in the 1984 "serious" Tarzan movie, "Greystoke.") Another problem: Collins' songs. Obviously, there's an intention to repeat some of the success of the Elton John rock song score for "The Lion King," especially John's two showstoppers, "Circle of Life" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" But Collins can't stop a show like John, and depriving the characters of big numbers weakens the movie. On the other hand, the jungle backgrounds have obviously inspired everyone involved to heights of lavish drawing and sumptuous detail, occasionally corny as it all might be. Traditionally, Disney cartoons, long or short, always had that lush detail. They didn't go minimalist until the '50s and the huge critical success of "Mr. Magoo" and the rival U.P.A. minimalist cartoons; 1988's "The Little Mermaid" marked a welcome, and successful, return to some of the old spectacle, with a shot of Loony Tunes madness thrown in. Now, in this richly backgrounded "Tarzan," we can see a modern continuation of the older tradition " and it's often exciting. In other areas " the choice of the actors and songwriter and the cultural cosmeticism " this "Tarzan" is a bit disappointing. But, give Disney's animators their due. Here, they take us into the jungle, swing us through the trees, regale us with the blood-curdling victory cry of the bull ape. As a ride, this Tarzan succeeds. As a pop myth, it needs more jungle fever. "Tarzan" 3 stars (out of 4) Directed by Kevin Lima and Chris Buck; written by Tab Murphy, Bob Tzudiker and Noni White; edited by Gregory Perler; art direction by Daniel St. Pierre; music by Mark Mancina; songs by Phil Collins; produced by Bonnie Arnold. A Walt Disney Pictures release; opens Friday. Running time: 1:28. MPAA rating: G. THE VOICE CAST Tarzan (John Clayton, Lord Greystroke)/Tony Goldwyn Jane Porter/Minnie Driver Kala/Glenn Close Terk/Rosie O'Donnell Young Tarzan/Alex D. Linz Clayton/Brian Blessed Copyright 1999 chicago Tribune Distributed by tribune Media Services, inc. [ To leave the movies mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ movies" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ End of movies-digest V2 #203 **************************** [ To quit the movies-digest mailing list (big mistake), send the message ] [ "unsubscribe movies-digest" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]