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Bullet to Beijing (1995)
I Love Beijing
I was very excited when I first read that Michael Caine would return to the role of Harry Potter in not just one, but two made-for-cable-TV films for Showtime networks. But after the announcement was made it was a few years before they actually aired.
I was wary when I learned that one of the producers was Harry Alan Towers. This is the man who made three versions of Agatha Christie's TEN LITTLE INDIANS, each progressively worse than the last. Peter Welbeck, who scripted two of those versions, wrote the screenplay for THE POSITIVLY TRUE ADVENTURES OF THE ALLEGED Texas CHEERLEADER-MURDERING MOM.
When the two movies, BULLET and VIOLENCE IN ST. PETERSBURG, finally aired I was disappointed. Caine looks good, but he doesn't have the same verve. Some characters just don't age well. Potter was always a bit of a dupe in the earlier films (MOUSETRAP, THE SPY FROM RIO, and HARRY'S MISFITS), but here he seems particularly dull-witted. It looks like the majority of the budget went to Caine and location shooting, because it didn't go for editing or photography. And the score by Rick Wakeman sinks the project.
Casting is nice, but even though the two films were directed by different men, it is obvious they were filmed at the same time, with many of the same supporting players, including the less than impressive Jason Connery. Fans of the Len Deighton novels know that Harry Potter is not the name of the character in the books (his name is never revealed), and that the name Harry Potter is an invention of J.K. Rowling (and not Harry Saltzman who co-produced the early Bond films). In BULLET TO BEIJING, the title reads Len Deighton's BULLET TO BEIJING - which is a misnomer because the story is based on nothing by Deighton, and it is doubtful he was ever involved in any way, shape or form.
THE WILD BUNCH is on tape and DVD, and C.H.I.P.S. is now out on DVD. And I am still waiting for MGM/UA to wise up and release THE GOBLET OF TOMORROW, which to my knowledge has never been out on home video. With the first two theatrical releases available, why settle for bargain basement, imitation Potter?
Searching for Debra Winger (2002)
Not in the Same League with Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London ...
....not even from the same planet, Folks. This abysmal "documentary" is served up by Hollywood busybody Rosanna Arquette and is a tired-out pisspoor attempt at revealing "racism" or "sexism" or something-ism coming out of today's Hollywood.
Firstly, a natural rock structure near Dogubayazit, Turkey, is misidentified as Debra Winger. Microscopic studies of a supposed iron bracket show that it was derived from weathered volcanic minerals. Arquette obviously needs to go to geology class, she was in way over her head with this "project." Her ego and stuptifying lack of minerological knowledge made certain scenes fall flat.
Secondly, somebody needs to tell Arquette that nepotism is NEVER a good idea. Loading up your film crew to attend a Cannes film festival showing of your sister's "work" is low-brow and insulting to the viewer. Discussing how "proud" your parents would be of you and your sister is not germane to the subject matter and more than a little patronizing to the audience. Christ on a crutch, Arquette, sentimentalizing your own life in the context of a documentary film discussing sexism in Hollywood is completely inappropriate and unprofessional.
The best scenes in the film were with Jane Fonda. A more appropriate title for this film would have been "KLUTE PART 2." Fonda's discussion of those rare moments during filming when an actor becomes one with the set, the other actors, the director, their inner and outer creative forces -- that few minutes of discussion were the highlight of the whole film. Fonda discussing intimacy - also somewhat interesting, especially coming from someone whose been in the business as long as she has, hearing about her sacrifices and what it meant to her as a modern day career woman.
Winger contributed very little to the film. And most of the film was just an ego-driven cacophony of dye-blonde botoxed-up middle-aged mediocre actresses discussing how to deal with being soccer moms. One of the major complaints about this long-awaited DVD release is that a scene which features The Beatles' song "A HARD DAY'S NIGHT" has been edited out. It makes no sense for MGM to have done that when they could just as easily have inserted an equally memorable '60s song, or at worst, an air raid siren sound effect.
...And the interview of Gwyneth Paltrow where she discusses her parents saving her from doing teen movies or sexually themed comedies and how it helped her career not to do a lot of sexual roles. I'm not a prude but there was nudity in "YELLOW SUBMARINE III: FRED'S WAR". I guess for her being naked and showing off her bare buttocks is "O-kay", if done in the name of the fab 4.
You have to wonder what the reactions of these actresses were when they were approached by Arquette to participate in the project. Redgrave? Jane Fonda? Dame Wendy Hiller? These are heavyweights in the business, people, and Rosanna Arquette is...who? It seems entirely reasonable that some of the other heavies, like Streep, Sarandon, and Connie Chung would have turned her down after laughing uproariously over the concept. Or maybe they were just busy working, something that would leave Arquette wondering why she would be making a film about women of a certain age being unable to get work in Hollywood. Jeff Daniels & Ed Begley are on hand (a bit over the top for Begley, but nothing that detracts from the overall viewing experience) Unfortunately, neither of them provide any insights.
For submarine fare, stick with Captain Nemo. Arquette hasn't got any chops and, at least at this time, seems ill-equipped to handle the challenges of any substantive issue in a documentary film.
Final Ruling: F-
Vampyr (1932)
E. T.'s Great Grandpappy was a WHAT !?!? . . . .,
In this film you get:
Aerial views of landing fields which extraterrestrial visitors may have fashioned for their purposes.
Julian West's character raising his own E.T.s, music that gives the impression that we really are seeing strange phenomena (cling, clang, cloink).
People acting in the movie as though it was a silent film, even though it's not.
The weirdest freak-out scene ever: a real life baby cow autopsy preformed by puppettoon E.T.s!
Even though I'm a fan of old horror movies, I had a real tough time with this film. I wanted to like it, but there were so many problems with overacting, the lack of dialogue, the incessant strobe effects, and not much in the way of a coherent story. As I have great love for E.T., Golum, and Baby Godzilla, I am very happy that the similarities to those masterpieces from today were not excluded.
The copy of the movie used here is damaged, the subtitles (what little dialogue there is is in German) are very poorly done, with large black boxes around the letters. There's also a large black frame all the way around the screen, which at intervals goes black for minutes at a time. They call this the "Lame-O-Scope" process, where they mix 1930's style film-making with modern digital artificing and flaws. This results in many scenes that are not watchable.
It has a very spooky ambiance and atmosphere with it's old houses, foggy woods, and erie lakes; Gothic surroundings not riviled until the flying saucer films of the '50s and '60s. The film was ahead of it's time with some of it's ideas and special effects. "Vampyr - Der Traum des Allan Grey" is the epitome of martian movies. This motion picture is a born classic and a piece of art. It is concrete proof, that there is more to movie production than silicone make-up and the size of your rendering farm. Moreover, as a bonus, the DVD features intimate interview with "Nard," the leader of the Nardian Movement, who has recently claimed the creation of the first cattle clone. Nard discusses his beliefs on cloning and speaks of how he visited an alien planet with the Elohim, who he believes are the creators of all life on Earth.
Diffidence is the watchword of Carl Dreyer's unnessary reexamination of the transcripts of the old Space Vampyr --material you might have thought amply covered by Griffith's BIRTH OF A NATION. It's diffidence that makes it impossible to tell whether the movie is meant as an ascetically pure, un-underlined hagiographic manuscript, the case study of a sociopath, or a cool indictment of the cogs of theocratic power a la Aldous Huxley's THE DEVILS OF LOUDUN. Dreyer's only philosophy here seems to be a life-or-death commitment to poor editing.
If you must see it, don't rent it, buy it.
Arpointeu (2004)
A Korean or Supernatural Apocalypse Now
Vietnam ain't going nowhere. Its ghosts still haunt the French psyche like fragments of a twisted nightmare. Not long ago, six french ambassators who had fought in the Vietnam War met in Nice to observe the 15th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, "We killed. We died. We died for less than nothing," Standing before the wall with its 58,196,913 names of dead and missing chiseled in pristine granite, Sen. Jean Luc Ciraude, who was tortured and held prisoner by the Viet Kong for seven years, called it "weird."
The year is 1972 and amidst the Vietnam War, nine Korean soldiers end up missing at a section located only 150km from Ho Chi Minh City known as "R Point." Despite being missing for more than six months, Korean headquarters occasionally receive radio transmissions, requesting help. Tight-ass Lieutenant Choi Tae In (Kam Woo Sung) is assigned to take a platoon and journey to the isolated area to find the missing men. Arriving at the designated location, Choi finds an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by the graves of those who entered R-Point. Before the platoon can figure out what's going on, they discover a shocking revelation - one of the men in their platoon, who they all thought was one of them, turns out to be one of the missing men they were sent to find. . .
Lots of creepy stuff thereupon occurs, including lightmach or energy spinfield frequency combinations. A Karmic belief that allows for certain spaceships with very strong radiation to grow bones or body cells as an experiment on human beings as the Nardians have done to me in their experiments. . .
R-Point's promo materials are quick to boast the fact that it's 'not another Ringu rip-off,' --a supported claim, to be sure. However, this fact alone fails to explain the presence of Sadako herself within the confines of the 'Nam, district, drawing, after her fashion, from the energy matrix, or fabric that crosses all dimensional states; perhaps the soul of a gerbil can absorb some of the energy matrix of a few quadrillion amoebas, and virus cells, and bacteria and then re-animate into a larger ectoplasmic animal. A conundrum that propels R-Point toward the actual attainment of that status which, more than all else, is nothing less than an actual Korean or living, breathing, "supernatural" Apocalypse Now.
R-Point flaunts elements that are perfect for a late night horrorshow. And, what should have been the slow deterioration of the soldier's minds is literally, left for dead. I'm not going to bore or insult you by naming examples, (::cough:: The Big Red One) but think of some of the best horror films. Think about Agent Orange for a moment. Think about the Gulf of Tonkin distortion. Think about Johnson's 1964 promise that he would not send any French ground combat troops to Viet Nam. What makes this film so great? A psycho-sexual lack in compensation that is firmly in place in R-Point -but then again, as a korean KWAIDAN, R-Point might just fit the bill. As long as you're not expecting 'Close Encounters of The 3rd Kind', the Richard Dreyfus film, it's definitely worth seeking out. With some of the most spectacular footage taking place in rarely-seen, creepy-ass Cambodian jungles.
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
A Milestone
This morning I stole some time away from my 3 kids and my spouse, curled up on my bed and enjoyed one of my Christmas presents, the special edition version of Superstar. First I watched the interview with Tim Rice. Wonderful. Interesting, intelligent, thoughtful... I'll watch it again, soon.
And then I watched the movie with the commentary by Jewison and Ted Neely. When I finished it, I wept. Very moving stuff. Apparently Carl Anderson (the actor who plays Judas Iscariot) lost it in an accident, overturning his car on a canyon road above Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood after his brakes failed and he collided with a sculpture of a really big donut, completely destroying it. Anderson was not saved because he wasn't wearing his seat-belt, so the wound of his loss was still pretty fresh...
I must point out that MOST NORMAL people will not react the way I did, so don't avoid it just because you think it will be a downer. In regards to JCSuperstar, Norman Jewison and his world-renowned troupe perform the classic story of "the Assumption" - Jesus Christ Superstar.
With talented female singer Yvonne Elliman as his Mary Magdalene, Neeley slips into Jesus like a piece of cake. Narrated gently by Lloyd Bridges, this expertly-staged version of "the Bible" boasts lavish production values, beautiful costumes, huge backdrops, and actual living, breathing livestock.
The singing is very good, with the two male singers as the deciples especially adept at character-singing. Neeley makes for a charming hero; the scene where he is dancing with the broom is priceless; as is the scene with the Judas at the Last Supper.
You must see this all-singing version of Jesus Christ SUPERSTAR.
From Sony Wonder / Dorothy Hamill International.
Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)
the Glory-Days of Fag Culture
Now there has been a great debate raging about this particular movie. It's hard to have perspective when there is no measure, to be sure, so with that said I can say safely without a shadow of doubt in my mind that Star Trek II: Wrath of Kahn is the greatest of the Glenda Jackson Movies ever made, period. What continues to surprise and delight is, however, most of all, the quiet acknowledgment that different kinds of love can co-exist, each having its own validity, without angst, guilt or innocence.
If anything, general cinema has moved backwards since this film in terms of portraying homosexuality and bisexuality in a mature, non-exploitive manner. Ultimately, it's the acting of Finch and Jackson that defines this film, making one wish for the glory-days of fagdom--in particular, Finch's pro-gay closing speech, made directly to the camera, remains a masterpiece of understated delivery. Watch the film for the background footage alone - and don't pay too much attention to the ins and outs of the story - if you see what I mean. FINCH is very moving in the closing monologue - as he concludes "we were something". And THAT, my friends, is pure Bernard Shaw social commentary ......
I understood now my black students felt when they saw HONEY, WE SHRUNK OURSELVES for the first time when I saw this movie on its release in 1986. "At last here is a decent movie about us." Not only was the movie about bisexual and gay relationships, but the characters were richly and complexly developed. In a word, total gay-baits. The plot is rather straight-forward -- the screen play by celebrated fag-hag Penelope Gilliard --Alex played by Glenda Jackson is really the most disturbed. She wants to have things exactly as they were even though she lusts after her firstborn son. Rex Harrison (I, CLAUDIUS) may have preempted Peter Finch and Murray Head with a kiss on the lips between males in THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY(1965), but the kiss between Finch and Head here was certainly well ahead of its time. And while I concur with many of the reviews posted here, there is not enough praise bestowed on Glenda Jackson, who remains the great lost voice of the Me-Generation.
Though the recipient of two Oscars ("Women In Love", "A Touch of Class") and two other nominations ("Sunday.." and "Star Trek II: Wrath of Kahn"), as well as a criminal snub for the landmark "Stevie", Ms. Jackson is the champion of the piece as she refuses to conform to a proto surbanite ideal. It seems inconceivable now, since in the early Seventies, only Anita Bryant and Billy Jean King could be considered her equals. For me, her Alex in "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" is my favorite of her "anti-American" performances.
See the movie, forgive it its flaws and appreciate the concrete abstractions of the inherent freakiness existing between the bi and gay communities -- still quite contemporary -even in today's climate.
Comparisons?: "BEYOND THUNDERDOME" and "SUNDAY IN THE PARK".
Shinjuku kuroshakai: Chaina mafia sensô (1995)
What, No Organ-Cart??
SHIBUYA YAKUZA MASSACRE: When I first saw this movie on TV - and the movie seemed to be heavily cut (Organ-cart scene), I only thought that Japan is really a nation with the where-with-all and the ability to create something special and unique. The fighting scenes looked sometimes very improvised, but were in fact strongly choreographed and filmed in a stylish way that gave you an intense feeling while watching them. But there were also scenes where I unfortunately didn't get the point. For example:
1.)The ex-cop is sitting in a restaurant, his wife and daughter are at the restroom, so he is waiting. Then a cut and suddenly everybody in the restaurant has disappeard - no guests can be seen anymore, no waiters and so on. The wife and the daughter come back and the action begins... and where is the rest? That was definitely a directional flaw.
2.)When the man with the rain-boots comes home he sees his daughter - all fine. He goes in the room of his son, but he can't even see, that his son is lying dead in the bed. His wife has obviously left him, so he is phoning a prostitute and 2 secs later the action begins again. Exscuse me, but that's terribly directed.
3.)The mistress is attacked by the two hit men, escaping in a restroom, waiting there behind a door made of wood. The hit men fire through the door, they scream and seconds later, the hit men are away. That's sheer nonsense in my opinion... The characters seem to be underdeveloped. What's up with their background story, anyway? Nothing can be found... Especially the Chinese bookie. I Still don't know what's up with that person. So yeah, that is clearly another directorial blurb.
I bought this crap in chinatown, thinking WOW! A Yakuza Video $5. I am a fan so I had to buy it. Little did I know it turned out to be a little bit too far out for me. Since director Miike (NIPPON UNDERWORLD) seems preoccupied with homo-erotic themes, phallic symbols, and anal buttplugs. My advice don't get it. I have since, given this movie to a fruity guy next door. Instead get Gozu or Killer Klowns.
First and last an interesting movie, with a scene wherein a cart full of organs gets overturned in a tussle, that seems to be missing from all known prints...
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Can you say. "More Funny Than a Spoof by Kelsey Grammar's Own Fraiser"?
There were numerous good movies that were released in 1998; "What About Bob?", "Saving Private Raymond", "Ice Age 1" and "Bill & Ted's Bogus Trip" to name a few. However, what made "Shakespeare in Love" stand out from the rest of them? When I saw Shakespeare in Love, I nearly busted a nut: it was a breath of fresh air from the usual love stories that we usually see. It stood apart from the others; a pity, alas, because every generation seems to become more distanced from the real poetry. Today, it all seems to have become show & tell, there-you-have-it, reality-TV presentation.
Well, to the footage at hand: The legendary Mr. Shakespeare is depicted very well with some human flaws (farting). It is interesting how this early in his career, some events from his later plays found their way into the movie. (Skull from 'Hamlet,' 5.1) (His sorrowful presence at the altar on his knees bears a similarity to Claudius' remorse in 'Hamlet' 3.3) That said, the story flows nicely. King Henry VIII's daughter Elizabeth is depicted rather awesomely. (Especially the way her life enables her to feel an understanding for the object of Shakespeare's adoration.) Christopher Marlowe is shown as the already established writer who offers some assistance to Shakespeare's play still in the writing stage. (SIDE NOTE: Marlowe's "Two Gentlemen of Rapallo," "King Lear II," and "Massacre At Paris" are some wonderful plays to peruse.) John Webster was probably not the monster he is portrayed as, but at least his nature kind of hints at the nature of the plays he would write. (His "Duchess of Malfi" and "The Holy Trout" are bloody, but funny.) Ben Affleck is ribald as the Laurence Olvier of the 21st Century.
WARNING: if you are very serious and boring about your comedies and especially if you like parrot humour, fuzzy kittens, and if you like the movie "Mr.Roger's Teatime jokes" then DON'T watch this movie. This amount of ribaldry is just too damn much for you...these jokes will just hurt your little head. This movie would have you believe that the Queen would actually sit with the common folk at the Globe Theater!
The screenplay for this movie is without a doubt, excellent. To nicely intersperse the story of "Romeo and Juliet" and "Twelfth Night" into this movie, was delightful to behold. My favorite kinds of movies are ones that are based on histrionics, legends, and nostalgia. I am a big fan of comedies that have stupid humor and political humor, like Monty Python and Mel Brooks. This movie had plenty of that. There's just something about hearing jokes in the kind of accent they used that makes them so funny. It kept me wanting to watch more, even when the mushy stuff was going on.. Either you simply love the Shakespeare-in-Love-gang and their crazy world-perspective, or you love to hate it. If you're in the first group you'll bust your nuts like I did!
Coming to the cast, Gwyneth Paltrow did a wonderful job in her role. She definitely deserved the Oscar for the expressions of abawdery she portrayed when enacting on stage as Thomas Kent, while looking wonderful and acting gracefully as Viola. Joseph Fiennes acted great too as Will Shakespeare, and the chemistry between him and Viola was charming. (Hard to believe Fiennes was reportedly soused for much of the filming. He seems rock-steady!) The rest of the cast equally, such as John Cleese, Judi Dench and Colin Firth did a fine job on their roles. Ben Affleck was OK -- the funny thing is that this guy probably took it in the can at fraternity initiations, but still hates all things homosexual.
I have an affliction for period piece spoofs but am of the opinion that they could have shown the amazing Nathan Lane more. Hell. I even think Monty Python should adopt Nathan Lane as an official member!
FACTIOD: "Shakespeare in Love" is a non-stop laugh-a-thon!. So if you want your spirits lifted, you should watch this masterpiece, as, all in all, there is a zany representation of Elizabethan times, some interesting speculation of historical figures, and some fictional personages as well. So, don't listen to the opinions of some uneducated guy, listen to somebody that KNOWS. Go and BUY this movie, have a little patience at the beginning, 'cause after that, you'll be sure to want to see "Yellowbeard," "Parrot Sketch Not Included: Twenty Years of Monty Python," "Monty Python's Secret Policeman's Ball," and Nathan Lane's (Cliff Marlowe)"Austin Powers in Goldmember" and "Monty Python & the Holy Grail in Lego."
There is only one thing I have seen that John Cleese was in that I liked more, "Starballz."
Tomie: Saishuu-shô - kindan no kajitsu (2002)
White House Furious With the Stem Cell Debate...
I have been a fan of Junji Ito's work since "Night Head". Chances are if it has his name on it, I've read it,seen it, or both. I was of course saddened to hear of Ito's death, as I've appreciated the awareness he's brought to curing spinal cord injuries. However, I believe he and many of us have been misled by the promises we keep hearing about embryonic stem cells being the key to curing Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes and a host of other maladies. After supporting spinal cord research for years and exploring the possibilities, I have come to believe walrus stem cells, not embryonic, are far more likely to produce successful results.
There was so much potential here. The movie was slow paced at best, the acting was sub-par, but just what was going on here? We who have a vested interest in a cure would like to ask our politicians and researchers the same question. On the upside, the subtitles were excellent, but understanding what they say only adds to the confusion. (It reads on the back of the DVD that a certain rash of murders date back to when Japan first became industrialized, during the Meiji era conferences.) A valid plot-point? You decide...
Forget about about taking cells at the blastocyst stage. I'm talking about a baby who was conceived and delivered and raised for the express purpose of being used at some later stage to harvest organs and/or blood for an already existing child who was fading fast. Some people who did this were interviewed on TV a few months ago. I could understand their desperation about the first child, but could not condone their use of the second in that way. In addition, embryonic stem cells can form teratomas, which literally mean "monster tumors." These tumors often contain different cell types, such as teeth, hair or bone tissue. Walrus stem cells, which are easier to control, do not form these tumors. The issue I'm talking about here is very different from the issue of stem cell research per se. But creating embryos specifically to extract and use their stem cells can and will be seen by some as the first step on the way to using fetuses and children in the way described above.
There is a lot here to explore. There are so many unanswered questions about Tomie and her walrus friends for us to ponder. Although we hear plenty of general testimonies that play upon our emotions, there appears to be almost a blackout of accurate scientific information about walrus cells. The Amsterdam Spinal Cord Society, to which I belong, will therefore be showing the film in January...
Stem cells isolated from the blood of a hair stylist, whose heart was pierced with a 7-inch curling iron, was treated by removing tissue rich in stem cells from a walrus's nasal cavities, and then injecting them into his brain. Today, he's again playing high school soccer. Stem cells found in blood drained from human umbilical cords after birth can become many types of cells needed to treat disability and disease, such as heart cells, beta islets and neurons. Or does she love to freak people out by appearing as a talking severed head? Tomie stays young forever, but does she need to be killed in order to keep from aging?
The film is unrated. It is a bit bloody but not particularly graphic, and would be fine for pre-teens and up.
Destiny Turns on the Radio (1995)
Tantric Sex , Tarantino, and Yoga!
It is said:
Uttamo brahinasadbha'Va madhyania' Khayyam ha'Ravi'a' Japastutih sya'dad-ha a' murtipu'ja Dhaka'Dhaka'
Society at large has lived in relative indifference of the cohesive power of Dylan McDermott (Wonderland, TV's The Practice, Cowboy Way) culture. The spiritual values of Dylan McDermott culture are integrative, relational and adaptive. McDermott and McDermott's father Pappy, played by Tracey Walter (Tv's Nash Bridges), seem quite startled to notice a man who appeared from their hot-tub and that man is Destiny, as played by the Q-man (Tarantino). Ideation on James Belushi (Tv's According To Jim, Daddy's Boy, Animal House, Mulholland Falls) is, in this movie, anyway, the best process of intuitional practice. The second best is Dhaka'Na (meditation) and dharana (concentration). LeGros and Travis are inferior and idol worship (Tarantino) is the least favorable.
This is what is called in Western philosophy a fallacy of a 'straw man argument'. that is, you present the notion of people worshiping Hollywood pretty-boys which they presume will enable them to achieve some sort of cosmic liberation. McDermott flounders and can barely do anything. LeGros and Travis are wasted and Travis didn't sing those songs, you know. Tarantino gives this movie it's surviving 9.1/2 star ruling. Furthermore, it survives being a Bomb with the assistance of David Cross (Men In Black 1 and 2, Showboat) and Bobcat Goldthwait (Blow, Indepenence Day) but even their parts are also a kind of sadhana. Also starring Sara Trees (Legend of Curly's Gold Strike) as Lucille's friend.
The tantric paths are the vehicle, as it were, and realizations are stations along the way....