of plants and other strange things
Latest unconfirmed rumor puts the 18th James Bond film behind schedule. An unfinished script, no cast and no locations may delay the release from November 1997 to December 1997. However, I'm sure that Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli will make sure that it doesn't go any later than that. Meanwhile rumors abound. Bruce Fierstein has turned in his first draft and director Roger Spottiswood held a pow wow of Hollywood scribes to award one of them the rewrite. It supposedly went to writer/director Nicholas Meyer (The Day After, Time After Time and Star Trek II, IV, & VI). The title may now be Shamelady, which is a type of plant that happens to grow around Fleming's estate Goldeneye in Jamaica (and also almost became the name of the estate). Writer Raymond Benson also claims this is one of his chapter titles in his upcoming novel Zero Minus Ten, so the rumor may have started there.
As we go to press...a number of things have changed. Second unit shooting has started in France. Michelle Yoeh (Jackie Chan's female friend from Supercop)has been signed as one of the female leads and an Italian horror actress is the other. Jonathan Pryce will most likely play the villain. Principal shooting starts in March.
fit to be tied
A gangster's moll meets a butch lesbian plumber in the elevator one day. The next thing you know they're not only in the sack together, but they're planning on relieving her man of $2 million in cash that he's guarding in the apartment. This is the basic plot of Bound, easily one of the best films of 1996. The attractive, yet squeaky-voiced Jennifer Tilly is the gangster's moll. Joe Pantoliano is the gangster and Gina Gershon is the butch lesbian. I don't want to say too much about the film's storyline, but it is one of the most tense in quite some time. All three leads give incredible performances (especially Pantoliano whose stock mobster defies all rational thought as the film progresses). I've never been one to be turned on by sex scenes in movies, but whoa-ho-ho....Gershon and Tilly have a scene that will leave all men (and probably most women) wanting...no needing...a cold shower. This is as close to a 10 as it gets.
crap that should stay in the vaults
There is a possibility that 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment will release the long lost 70's camp classic Myra Breckinridge sometime in 1997. The film is based on a novel by Gore Vidal and stars Mae West, Raquel Welch, John Huston, Farrah Fawcett, Rex Reed, Jim Backus, and Tom Selleck (in a minor cameo that might be his first film appearance). With this much talent what could you expect? Well having gotten my hands on a screener of this, let me just say that Fox shouldn't waste their money. I don't think the curiosity factor would produce enough revenue to justify this shit. Oh...what's the film about you may ask? Rex Reed plays Myron Breckinridge who has dreams of being Raquel Welch and then getting revenge on his bastard of an uncle (John Huston) who runs an acting school/sex school. Let me save you the trouble of ever having to see this. Myron dreams the whole thing between the time John Carradine as his surgeon removes his genitals and the time his new doctor (Jim Backus) wakes him up after the operation. Everything in between is confusing and pointless....hell....it ain't even funny.
and now our feature presentation
This month's feature article is a review of the various home video companies laserdisc divisions. Each review is based on film selection, film to disc transfers, packaging, pricing, and scheduling. The reason I'm doing this has to do with the impending DVD launch next year. If the companies can't get their acts together with existing formats, what makes one think they'll be able to handle a yet to be born one. Companies are presented in random order (and only comprise major studios, next month I'll deal with the minor ones):
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment - keeps a decent selection of films on disc, most of which have decent transfers from the best available sources (I'm forgiving them their late 80's widescreen remasters which were admirable, but abysmal). They have a good in house art department which tries to put some sort of liner notes on the discs. Their pricing is a bit high especially on some of their deluxe special editions (their recent Young Frankenstein is about $10 too high), but they've gotten better at this (their initial widescreen Star Wars cost $70, while their more recent widescreen THX version only cost $60 and looks infinitely better). As for their scheduling titles; they rarely, if ever, hit the same day as their VHS counterparts. And most of the time the intentional month delay turns into a longer delay. Whenever possible a release will be THX and/or Dolby Digital. All product from this company is exclusively distributed by Image Entertainment. Their best product released this year: The King And I 40th Anniversary Box Set. Upcoming titles to look forward to: special editions of Patton, Wall Street and David Cronenberg's The Fly.
MCA/Universal Home Video - soon to be known as Universal Home Video, they probably have the best selection of films on laserdiscs (both classics and recent hits). All have great transfers from great sources (although there is the occasional flub). They have a good art department that reuses theatrical art whenever possible. And they've just started bleeding to all four corners on their widescreen releases (although I liked the old look). Their pricing on regular titles and double features is reasonable, but their Signature Collection series of collector's editions is way too expensive. The worst offender is Scarface which at $130 contains some stills, a trailer, and a 45 minute documentary...they even used the same old crappy transfer. What gives? There always used to be a week's delay between VHS and laser, but that gap seems it may have closed. Universal has yet to encode laserdiscs with Dolby Digital sound (although the upcoming Signature versions of 12 Monkeys and Dragonheart are rumored to have it) because they have money invested in DTS Digital Sound. Universal distributes their own laserdiscs, their upcoming line of DTS Digital Sound titles will be exclusively distributed by Image Entertainment. Their best product released this year: 1941 Signature Collection Box Set. Upcoming titles include special editions of Vertigo, Psycho and John Carpenter's The Thing.
Warner Home Video - a company that of this writing has two discs (Bogus and a 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition of Giant) in solicitation obviously doesn't give a rat's ass about laser. Their library does consist of mostly recent films and some decent remasters of older films, but there are too many key films in dire need of remastering (although to their credit they canceled a widescreen Mister Roberts because they couldn't find decent source material). Packaging is perfunctory (good chapter stops, no real liner notes). Pricing is standard ($35 for single discs, $40 for double discs). They rarely do collector's editions, but when they do they're over-priced (Wyatt Earp & JFK both go for $150...these films didn't need to be all in CAV). Warner almost always hits day and date with VHS counterparts (unless they stick to doing the title in Dolby Digital then tack on two weeks because there's only one pressing plant that can handle these titles). Warner distributes their own laserdiscs. Their best product released this year: Heat. Not much to look forward to from this company by way of interesting titles.
Paramount Home Video - Here's a company that has a great catalog that they obviously don't know what to do with. Nashville, Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and The Elephant Man are on the top of everyone's want lists. But Paramount's picks for widescreen remasters seem about as logical as a dart throw. And the quality varies greatly (Ferris Bueller is great, Ragtime isn't). On top of this their widescreen remasters of the Star Trek and Indiana Jones series are in desperate need of new remasters (due to technology upgrades). But even those are a long time off. Paramount only does special editions when they release one on tape also (like their not-so-special director's series that currently consists of Fatal Attraction, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Paper Moon - what a series). Pricing is a bit high ($40 for single disc remasters). They always hit day and date with their VHS counterparts. Paramount is distributed exclusively by Pioneer. Their best product released this year: Braveheart. Unsure of what titles they're working on for this year.
Walt Disney Home Video - this company actually encompasses several smaller ones (Touchstone, Hollywood, Miramax, Dimension, Buena Vista, Jim Henson, and Walt Disney Home Videos). Their product is top notch and is priced a bit high (that same $40, but that even tends to go for new movies that need to spread to three sides). They're not really into remastering older films, but when they do, look out. Most product hits about 2 weeks after the VHS counterpart. Of course all these rules get thrown out the window when dealing with Disney's line of animated masterpieces. We're lucky if these show up at all. The pattern currently seems to be this: if the film has already been on video, we get an inexpensive CLV movie only version and a real expensive CAV box set chock full of extras on the same day as the VHS re-release. Their newer classics seem to get released on VHS early in the year following their theatrical run (example: Hunchback in February 1997) and then we get the dual laser releases (CLV movie only and CAV box set) sometime fourth quarter of that year (or more than a year after the theatrical release). If it's new to video, it's anybody's guess. Disney has yet to release 101 Dalmatians, The Fox And The Hound, or Oliver And Company on laserdisc. On the plus side there are a few laser exclusives: Saludos Amigos and the full feature version of The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mr. Toad (these are official masterpieces, the latter is available on two separate tapes under their "Mini-Classics" line). Their best product this year: Toy Story the CAV box set (with the CAV version of Pocahontas running a very close second). Titles to look forward to are special editions of Sleeping Beauty and The Hunchback of Notre Dame as well as the release of Disney's 9th Animated Classic Fun And Fancy Free for the first time.
Columbia/TriStar Home Video - out of the seven major Hollywood studios, this one is the most inconsistent and sporadic when it comes to laser. Currently, they are releasing decent product at decent prices (meaning their quality and pricing fluctuates). But they are only releasing new theatrical films. They had embarked upon a series of bi-monthly remasters, but that came to a grinding halt at the end of the summer. They canceled a number of titles and never released a number of others that were proposed. This company is a high proponent of DVD (it's parent company Sony is making players) which might explain the lackadaisical attitude towards laserdisc. Their releases vary from day and date with VHS to four months later depending on which way the wind seems to be blowing. This company distributes their own discs, but we'd be better off if they didn't. Their best product of the past year: Stand By Me in a widescreen remaster.
MGM/UA Home Video - recently taken over as an Image exclusive, this company was one of the best laser companies for one of the longest times. There is very little left in their catalog that hasn't been on laser at least at one time. With Image at the helm, we will now be getting the best and worst of the company. Before the Image take over, titles were lacking, but their prices were low (like Warner), now prices have gone up, but Image is attempting to release or re-release just about everything in this library. There isn't much I can think of that we need from these guys (other than more James Bond box sets, which seem to be in limbo right now). Releases are either day and date with VHS or a week or two later (depending on Image's scheduling and what else they need to get out). Their best product of the year: a tie between the box sets for Goldfinger and Thunderball.
Next month, part two: This will include the minor Hollywood studios and independent laser companies: New Line Home Video - a minor studio handled by Image
Orion Home Video - a minor studio handled by Image
Live Entertainment - a minor studio handled by Pioneer
Pioneer Special Editions - a line of collector's discs from Pioneer
Criterion Collection - a line of collector's discs handled by Image
Elite Entertainment - a small company specializing in remasters and collector's versions of horror films
Lumivision - a small company specializing in remasters and collector's versions of whatever they can get their hands on
The Roan Group - a small company specializing in remasters and collector's versions of whatever's in the public domain that they can get their hands on
don't cry for her argentina
If ever there was an excuse to bring back the live action musical, Alan Parker's new film Evita is it. It is hands down one of the most beautifully shot films I have ever seen. If you don't know what this is about, then you're missing one of the more interesting musicals ever written. Unlike a number of previous musicals taken from the Broadway stage, this one represents Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice's original vision very well (and doesn't do any major damage through cuts made in the score - of which there are few). Madonna handles herself very capably in the role of Eva Peron, the beloved wife of Argentine dictator Juan Peron (Jonathan Pryce). Antonio Banderas is great as Che, the ringmaster for this "circus". This musical has taken a long time to get to the silver screen and over the course of many years (and many productions) a number of changes have been made. For the movie, a new song has been written for Madonna to sing (and so the film could get a Best Original Song nomination at the Oscar's) and another song has been shifted to an earlier spot so that Madonna could sing it ("Another Suitcase In Another Hall" was originally sung by Peron's mistress as Eva through her out, now Eva sings it after she arrives in Buenos Aires with Magaldi and discovers that she is being tossed aside as his mistress.) Another major change from both stage versions (the London and Broadway shows were different in a number of spots, the former containing a subplot concerning Che's invention of a new and powerful insecticide) concerns the song detailing Peron's rise to power. While we still get a verse from Broadway's "The Art Of The Possible", we are given a re-written (to remove the insecticide plot) version of "The Lady's Got Potential". The are other minor lyrical changes throughout (including the deletion of one of Che's best lines just before "Don't Cry For Me Argentina"), but the film is not marred by any of them. As stated above, this is easily one of the best looking films ever made, and that is created through the sumptuous cinematography, the rapid fire editing, and the lush production design. Don't miss this if you can help it....hopefully, there will be a resurgence of what is a dead genre because of this film.
woody's attempt
Woody Allen's latest film, Everyone Says I Love You, is another attempt at reviving the musical as a viable form of movie entertainment. This one is a failure in that respect. There isn't much of a plot to this film, in fact most of the characters only exist to sing in various musical numbers. While all of the musical numbers are handled by actors who aren't known for their singing prowess, they aren't shot very well by Mr. Allen and they seem cramped most of the time. Mr. Allen has attempted to make a gimmick film once again (along the lines of The Purple Rose Of Cairo), unfortunately, here he's come up short.
another nebbish makes a film
The Los Angeles version of Woody Allen happens to be Albert Brooks and his new film Mother is a laugh riot. Brooks plays a grown man who moves back into his mother's house after yet another failed marriage. The film examines the relationship between Brooks and his mom (Debbie Reynolds in an Oscar worthy performance) and his younger brother (Rob Morrow with a bad haircut). While not as funny or as cleverly original as Brooks' last film, Defending Your Life, you should still enjoy this film (especially if you've ever had a mother).
porn takes a stand
If you've never heard of Hustler magazine's publisher Larry Flynt and don't know anything about his life, you may want to check out Milos Foreman's new film The People Vs. Larry Flynt which tries to present Flynt in a light he's not quite been presented in before. Woody Harrelson plays Flynt, the crazy magnate of a porno publishing empire who is constantly winding up in court for various reasons. Edward Norton plays his attorney who wishes he'd keep himself out of trouble. Courtney Love plays Althea Leisure, Flynt's drug addict wife who died of AIDS at a very young age. The film does seem to paint Flynt as a defender of free speech (which he was), but at the same time portray something of his seedy side (he is the owner of Hustler magazine). It is at this second task that the film fails (slightly), Althea was Flynt's third wife (we never hear a peep about the first two) and there are many other aspects that get glossed over (which can be a necessity in a biopic in order to keep the story focused), but the story has a strong focus (Flynt's fight for free speech and his subsequent legal fight with the Reverend Jerry Fallwell) and never loses sight of it's objectives. Harrelson is great as Flynt, and Norton brings Alan Issacman's exasperation and dedication to the forefront nicely, but Courtney Love is playing nothing but herself. There isn't much of a stretch for this singer/heroin addict-turned actress to play a dancer/heroin addict.
if it's not a sequel, what the hell is it
Former Monty Python member John Cleese has finally fulfilled his promise to reunite the cast of A Fish Called Wanda in an unrelated film. Fierce Creatures gives us Kevin Kline in two rolls: an Australian billionaire who will stop at nothing to get what he wants and his American son, an idiot and simpleton who has always tried to take the easy (and vulgar) way out of things. When the elder Kline buys a British zoo, he installs Cleese to run it and get it making the requisite 20% profit. His first attempt involves getting rid of any animals that don't pose a threat to humans. Of course his only option winds up being to kill them, which he can't do so he hides them in his apartment (which leads to some greatly funny misunderstandings about his sexual appetite). Curtis and the younger Kline arrive to also help the zoo make money, but they have ideas that differ from each other and Curtis winds up falling for Cleese, while the younger Kline institutes a policy of having celebrity and corporate endorsements (for example you could see Bruce Springsteen's Tortoise) as he tries to woo Curtis. Palin plays one of the crazy zoo keepers who are constantly trying to keep up with the exasperating changes being made around them. While the film isn't as funny or as bitingly mean-spirited as A Fish Called Wanda, it is still funnier than most of what seems to pass as comedy in Hollywood these days. Try not to miss it.
returning to a point twenty years ago
Everyone who's a part of Generation X (whatever the hell that's supposed to be) remembers where they were back in 1977 when they first saw Star Wars (in fact I do believe that having seen the film at least once is what makes you a part of Generation X). Now the classic film has returned to the big screen in a way that no ever thought.
Star Wars is a turning point in the history of filmmaking. It has influenced both the way Hollywood has continued to make films and the filmmakers who try to get films made. Before the first part (or fourth part depending on your outlook) of George Lucas' epic story, Hollywood made smaller films that had stories and turned profits without having to pay out millions of dollars to overpriced hackneyed actors. Star Wars changed all that. With some special effects (and not much else), the studios decided it was more important to hit home runs every time at bat instead of just trying to get on base. Luckily, looking back on this twenty year old film, it has everything that something like Twister or Independence Day doesn't; a heart and a soul and a story that gripped an entire generation.
By now everyone out there knows how Luke Skywalker became a hero and how and why Darth Vader was redeemed, but what surprises are in store for you in this 20th anniversary re-release? First and foremost, a remixed soundtrack. Every sound has been tweaked and remixed into today's technologies, without sacrificing the integrity of the original. All the special effects have been digitally touched up and enhanced, without sacrificing the integrity of the original. And about four minutes of extra footage has been restored, without sacrificing the integrity of the original. That's the key to "updating" a classic of this nature....the original version of the film, must be kept intact. There was a plan a number of years ago to redo several episodes of the classic TV show Star Trek by redoing the special effects with today's technology. The key there was redo not enhance. Lucas has taken what he started with and made it all look smoother, slicker, and nicer than it did before, without making it look different.
That said, there have been some changes that do look a bit different. The four extra minutes is where this stuff comes into play. The most changes have come in the scenes at the Mos Eisley spaceport on Tatooine. When Ben, Luke, and the droids first enter the city, it now looks like a bustling spaceport. There are ships taking off in the background. There are a lot more creatures and people moving around in the background. Yes, some of it is a bit distracting, but it fits very seamlessly into what has already been there. On top of these snippets of footage here and there (including extra creatures inside the cantina), there is a two minute scene between Han Solo and Jabba The Hutt before Luke and Ben arrive at the Falcon. Originally, Lucas wanted to include this scene, but the technology wasn't available to him to replace the fat man stand in for Jabba with a creature (like the one we came to know two films later). Now he could, so he did. It's a nice addition. Also the Falcon shooting it's way out of Mos Eisley is exactly that. (There is a downside to all this, some genius decided that the good guy can't shoot the bad guy without provocation, so Greedo gets a shot off in this version before Han kills him....thank you politically correct assholes!) As for the other scenes, there is a half a minute or so scene between Luke and his friend Biggs before they take off in their X-Wings to blow up the Death Star. For years people have talked about the many extra scenes of Biggs and Luke at the beginning of the film on Tatooine and even Mark Hamil wanted to see them restored for this, but Lucas wisely left those out. The first third of the film is the slowest and wwe get enough of Luke's wining without actually seeing Biggs to re-inforce that he's unhappy on the planet. The short scene before the battle establishes who Biggs is (we've heard the name over and over out of Luke's mouth...now we have a face) and gives more meaning to his death, without adding twenty long minutes to an already draggy opening. The last major renovation is the battle of the Death Star....the fleet of thirty ships (heard in dialogue for years) now looks like a fleet of thirty ships (and they take off from Yavin in close-up....not like a swarm of white mosquitoes in the distance).
Even if you've seen this film enough times to recite dialogue as it runs ("Stay on target"), treat yourself and see it on the big screen again. So you own it on video, it's a theater experience. So you own a widescreen THX CAV laserdisc with a six speaker set up and a 100 inch video projector screen, it doesn't come close to recreating the communal experience that you get in the theater. See it now while you still can (and then see it again when all three are playing at once).
ratings, ratings, who's got the ratings
By now we've all seen the new TV ratings system as we watch our must see TV on Thursdays. Is there anyone else out there who thinks that this ratings system is the biggest pile of horse-shit this side of the Andes? Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with the concept of a ratings system. I don't think that it's censorship (although it is a form of self-imposed censorship - whatever that is - which will stay outside this discussion). The movie ratings system, for all it's imperfections, does what it's supposed to do. It lets parents know "Hey this movie's about people who have sex during car accidents and they're nude and bloody, don't bring your fucking kids, moron?" The TV ratings system doesn't say this at all. It generalizes what the content of each program is by giving the show a rating and not the particular episode. While one episode of Friends may be about Phoebe trying to get to know her father another may feature enough penis jokes to sink a ship. Is that appropriate for children at the 8:00 hour? So the whole show gets a PG rating instead of TV14. Millennium is a show crying out for TV-M, but no, it's TV14. And the height of silliness I just saw the other day. The Adventures Of Batman And Robin (an animated kids show which falls under the kids ratings of Y and Y7) was rated Y7 because it contains superheroic action (that's what was stated on screen and read by a narrator, I kid you not). What the fuck does that mean? Talk about vague? I think Jack Valenti needs to keep his nose in the movies and away from TV. Let the TV people rethink their system (without bullshiting us by saying "We can't rate every episode! That's too much TV to watch?" You make the shows people, you watch 'em anyway to know what you can and can't air - like pushing Roseanne back an hour for a gay wedding- so put up or shut up). I could rate an episode without even watching it just by the description. DO it right or don't do it at all. Otherwise, pinheaded government putzes are gonna step in. Then you'll know the meaning of the word censorship!
that's all she wrote
Well...another day, another dollar. That's all for this issue. Be here next month for my top 25 films of 1996 and my bottom 5 (were these bad?) of 1996. Also my review of The Empire Strikes Back: Special Edition, Dante's Peak, and whatever else I may have seen by then....so until then
Be seeing you!
Joel
