Journal Entries
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Scaling the Video Mountain
Posted Apr 30, 2000
Finally knuckled down to some Video Mountain scaling today. Caught up with an Abel Ferrara double-bill of "Driller Killer" (which owes a MASSIVE debt to Repulsion, right down to the skinned rabbit - it was a bit like 'Smithereens Goes Mental', as it seemed to share the support cast of New York deadbeats) and "Ms.45", which was MUCH better than I thought it was going to be. Abel Ferrara is one SICK puppy though - it's one thing to make a cameo in your movies, or even play the main role as in Driller Killer, but to cameo as the principal rapist, now that's just f****d up... Incidentally, since the rape is what sets her off on her killing spree anyway, I find it ridiculous that the BBFC hacked it so badly. The rape scene in Boys Don't Cry was equally integral, story-wise and they left that alone. Of course you can't go around arguing for "re-instated full-length rape-scenes" or people will question your Guardian-reading credentials... Bizarre film though, (again, with a huge debt to Polanski) with some truly original scenes, a stunning final sequence, and also what is surely a minor-parody of a scene in Manhatten (isn't that the same bench by the bridge?).
Also watched "China 9, Liberty 37" - a classic and rarely-seen Monte Walsh western. Also famous as yet another film where Jenny Agutter Gets Very Naked Indeed. In fact, this must be the most sexually explicit (not to say erotic) western ever made. Also starring The Great Warren Oates, so you KNOW it's good. Since no-one apparently recorded Hellman's "The Shooting", I'll be desperately hoping they show it again...
Finally, just watched "The Craft" on C4, which was mildly entertaining, and at least had That Nice Robin Tunney and Fairuza Balk in it. (I fail to see the attraction of Neve Campbell). "The Bitches of Eastwick" indeed...
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Latest reply: Apr 30, 2000
Techno Morons Anonymous
Posted Apr 26, 2000
I'm finally getting the hang of all this GuideML and html business...
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Latest reply: Apr 26, 2000
Films Seen In 1999
Posted Apr 20, 2000
After a prolonged bout of list-making, it appears I saw an all-time low of 351 films last year. Must Try Harder. (I blame the internet).
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Latest reply: Apr 20, 2000
The World Is Not Enough
Posted Nov 30, 1999
I've been through an odd phase recently of falling asleep halfway through movies. Consequently the journal has suffered - I only watched the end of Almodovar's Flower of My Secret recently and I STILL haven't watched Last of the Mohicans through to the end. I also saw Romance last Wednesday and have yet to write that up. Anyway, tonight (Monday 29th November), I saw the new Bond film, so here are some notes on that...
I’d heard mixed reviews, some saying it was the best ever, some saying it was awful, some saying Best Brosnan, some saying worst. I think it all rather depends on what you expect a Bond movie to deliver in the first place… In general, I think I enjoyed Goldeneye more than this but this is definitely better than TND, which I thought was a bit of a let-down. (Or was that because I don’t find Teri Hatcher remotely attractive?) Anyway, here are some Random Thoughts on TWINE.
1) Nice credits, and –as I’ll admit to being a fan of Garbage- nice song too, though obviously no classic, although what do I know? I liked the Sheryl Crow TND song…
2) The opening sequence was a major disappointment, which was a shame, as, again, I’d heard a lot of “best ever” mumblings over this. Reasons: a) they should have blown up the dome, b) boat chases just aren’t that exciting, c) they should have blown up the dome, d) I HATE that whole ‘boat travelling over land’ thing – he was even turning it round corners, and e) THEY SHOULD HAVE BLOWN UP THE DOME! Incidentally, if you’re wondering where you’ve seen ‘Cigar Girl’ before, her name is Maria Cuzia Gracinotta, and she was the girl in Il Postino, as well as being the fantasy neighbour in The Sopranos recently (I KNEW I’d seen her before).
3) Sophie Marceau reduced me to Homer Simpson-esque droolings throughout, but especially in her final scenes – that look she gives Bond when she’s at gunpoint, etc. (I’ve now resolved to rent Beyond the Clouds as quickly as possible). Johnathan Ross complained that he couldn’t buy her character ‘doing the things she does to the people to whom she does them’, and you can sort of see his point. When Bond killed her I wanted to shout “You IDIOT! She’s just misunderstood! Elektra complex, man – any fool can see that!” Anyway, she was quite the best thing in it – wasn’t that ice-cube bit saucy? “Oh, I say…” and so on…
4) Brosnan as Bond. I’ve always been a fan, but he’s undeniably better than Moore. My main thought, here as in TND was “Doesn’t he RUN well?” You can’t imagine Connery running like that, can you? Best RUN of any Bond ever – fact. Anyway, it was interesting that, on the one hand they made him more vulnerable (an injury that lasts the entire movie), and on the other, he was more of a Hard Bastard than ever (killing Marceau in cold blood, etc) I’ve never read the books, but apparently he’s very close to Fleming’s original here. Brosnan was superb – he’ll be sorely missed if he quits after the fourth (place your bets).
5) The stunts / set-pieces: apart from the laugh generated by the ball-suit thing, the ski sequence was another disappointment, which suffered from a severe case of Baddies-Who-Can’t-Shoot-For-Toffee. You couldn’t shake the feeling that you’d seen it done better in so many other films, ditto the submarine bit. The oil-pipe thing was different, but –as others have pointed out- Richards was superfluous, and the whole scene was a bit of an anti-climax. Pity. Nothing really stood out here at all – although the circular saw bit was a nice touch.
6) I thought for a nasty moment it was all going to go a bit “Judi Dench: Action Heroine”. Luckily that didn’t happen. Though it WAS nice to see her get ‘out and about’ a bit, I’m undecided as to whether that was such a good idea.
7) Carlyle was good value – was the implication that he was impotent? That was a nice touch. He was a little wasted though – they should have gone all out and had Bond chop bits off him, etc…
8) Coltrane was also good value, though his loyalties seemed to veer wildly. Why were they trying to kill him exactly?
9) Denise Richards…well, let’s face it, she was never going to be much more than eye-candy, was she? And she gets full marks for that. Her delivery was laughably bad at times, but she’s hardly alone there, is she? The Lara Croft thing HAD to have been deliberate – she’s surely a shoo-in for that part if it’s still going…She gets my vote, anyway. Personally, I’m willing to forgive Richards a multitude of sins after Wild Things (“You…skanky…BITCH!” etc) and Drop Dead Gorgeous. Mind you, that final joke was unforgivable.
10) Did anyone else rather fancy That Nice Miss Moneypenny? No? I’ll get my coat…
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Latest reply: Nov 30, 1999
The best laid plans gang aft aglae
Posted Nov 23, 1999
Bother. Somewhat inspired by setting up the Film Log, I'd planned to see at least one, if not two films a day. Sadly, I fell asleep during "Mulholland Falls" last night (which I'd seen before), meaning I didn't get to watch the second half of the Randolph Scott version of "The Last of the Mohicans" (in my book) either.
A few notes on Mulholland Falls though: it looks great, has a great score and a superb cast (Nick Nolte, Chazz Palminteri, Chris Penn, Michael Madsen, John Malkovich, Melanie Griffiths, Andrew McCarthy (carving out a potentially lucrative future career niche as the Dubious Homosexual and stealing an interrogation scene in which he kisses Nick Nolte), and Jennifer Connelly looking, frankly, fabulous in 40s outfits and getting Spectacularly Naked), but is let down in the plot stakes. Basically, it starts out wanting to be Chinatown and ends up deciding it would actually rather be The X-Files. Still, there's plenty of good stuff along the way, especially if you like hats.
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Latest reply: Nov 23, 1999
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