The holiday movies are coming! The holiday movies are coming! And I sure hope I’ll be able to see a few of them. I’m headed to Jackson, Mississippi to visit the folks for Christmas. I’d love to spend my Christmas break seeing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Traffic, and O, Brother Where Art Thou? (shot right down the street from my folks’ place), but none of these films will be screening in Mississippi theaters during my visit. I’m picturing a little Sandra Bullock or Nicolas Cage in my holiday future. The sacrifices one makes for family! Then again, Miss Congeniality and The Family Man might surprise me. I’ll be sure to let you know.

On a completely different note, The New York International Latino Film Festival is hosting a screenplay competition. The contest is open to all Latino screenwriters and is co-sponsored by MTV films. The early deadline for submissions is January 16. The late deadline is February 16. The Grand Prize Winner will receive a cash prize, an award designed by James Knowles, a staged reading, and those all-important bragging rights. For more information and an application, visit www.nylationfilm.com. Now, on with the show…

Shawn F. starts us off with a few of his Holiday and New Years recommendations…

"Could this be? Are there actually movies worthy of praise beginning to flood the multiplexes? Well, in the next couple of weeks, the answer is absolutely yes. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was everything I was hoping it would be and more. While I thought the martial arts scenes were wonderful, it was the story, characters and emotional level that made the most impact on this viewer. I don't want to go into details about any of it (for those who haven't been lucky enough to experience it yet), but the final scenes of the movie left me floored. Everything about this film is exceptional, making this THE film event of Christmas movie season, no exception. I also enjoyed Finding Forrester a great deal. While there will be more than a few comparisons to Good Will Hunting, Finding Forrester is a solid, entertaining and inspirational drama that hopefully will find an audience as big as "Hunting" did three years ago. Sean Connery is great, but newcomer Rob Brown is the one who deserves the most applause here. A teenage newcomer who is making his acting debut with this film, Brown more than holds his own when sharing the screen with Sir Sean. Gus Van Sant's directing is solid and, like his best work (Drugstore Cowboy, Good Will Hunting), never calls attention to itself. Highly recommended. Finally, I also recommend Proof of Life and Chocolat. "Proof" is nothing more than a solid piece of entertainment (unlike the dismal Vertical Limit, What Women Want or The Emperor's New Groove. Yuck, yuck and yuck!) that features an Oscar-nomination worthy performance by David Morse. Chocolat is a sweet (no pun intended), easy-going comedy that will probably leave your memory the minute you walk out of the theater, but while you are watching it, the film does enchant and entertain. The ensemble cast is great, and Lasse Hallstrom's directing does a nice job at keeping the right tone throughout. So, there you go folks. Four films worth checking out. Finally! Happy Holidays everyone!" -- Shawn F. Cambridge, Mass.

Also handing out praise to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is Matt, who reminds everyone to get to theaters early if they want good seats…

"I was one of the lucky few to catch Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon over the weekend in Santa Monica. I say lucky because the movie was spectacular (definitely one of the best of the year), and I say few because it was only playing in a handful of theaters in L.A., and all the screenings at the theater I went to were sold out. Fortunately, I anticipated the crowds and got there plenty early and got good seats. Unfortunately, my friends did not heed my advice to arrive early and I got stuck trying to save 5 seats in a packed theater. Not a fun experience. But the movie was well worth the experience. There are two ways to look at this movie. It’s either a great action movie with a very dramatic story line or, it’s a great drama interspersed with exciting action scenes. Either way, it’s just a fantastic movie. For all the readers who wrote in to defend Vertical Limit, saying that the action scenes were good, and who cares that the plot and acting were under-par, they should definitely see Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It shows that it’s actually possible to make an action movie that’s well-acted, has interesting characters, and a great story. That’s something that Hollywood movies haven’t been able to do for quite some time now." -- Matt

Paul D. is quite possibly the biggest film fan in the world. (You’ll understand why I think this is so when you read his post.) He wasn’t quite as mesmerized by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as Matt, Shawn, and I were, and thinks that mainstream audiences won’t be embracing it either. He’s also got a question for you folks. So please respond…

"I see 15-18 movies a month in the theater. My life revolves around film, for better or worse. As for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, I think the art house crowd in America will like it and appreciate it. However the mainstream will not. I saw it in Toronto with 2,000 people, and most laughed during the action sequences and came out complaining. They just did not get it. It's going to be a hard sell. It is also, along with Billy Elliot, the most overrated movie of the year. Not even one of the 10 best. I have taken a lot of heat from people recently for not enjoying Hollywood blockbusters such as Mission Impossible: 2 and Gone in 60 Seconds, and more recently, Charlie's Angels and Vertical Limit. The more I see these big budget movies, the more I hate them. I have no problem suspending disbelief and enjoying a movie for what it is, but to me these films cross the line. They are just too stupid for my tastes. When I think of an enjoyable Hollywood popcorn flick, I think of Face/Off. Not one second is believable. But the actors are great, the action is outstanding and the pace is furious. It all adds up for a good time. This year's slate has been awful, to put it nicely. I just haven't enjoyed them. Is it just me? Does anyone think popcorn Hollywood fare has been good this year, generally speaking? Or do others feel the same way I do?" -- Paul Doro

Well, I think we owe it to someone this dedicated to the movies to answer his question. How would you rate this year’s popcorn movies? I’ve been pretty darn disappointed by just about everything I’ve seen this year. Perfect Storm was probably one of the weakest films of the year. The special effects were o.k., but because I didn’t feel the least bit connected to any of the characters, including the storm itself, I found myself getting really bored. Charlie’s Angels was fun for the first forty-five minutes, and then I realized why I can’t watch MTV for more than an hour at a time. Mission: Impossible 2 also bored me. Stunts are neat and all, but nothing happened that I haven’t seen before. I could go on and on, but I’d much rather hear from you guys. What’s your opinion on this year’s slate of popcorn flicks?

If Paul is the ultimate moviegoer, than dmderwin is his antithesis. He issues a challenge for those of us who complain about commercials in front of our movies and videos…

"Regarding commercials in theaters, does anyone remember the long-distant year of 1987, when Paramount released the video of Top Gun? It was the first video ever to have a commercial in front of the feature, and everyone in Hollywood held their breath, wondering if the sheep who buy these things would line up once again to be sheared. Of course they did show up, and now we must all sit through five or six ads for tooth-rot and Clearasil before getting to the five or six coming attractions, which are also ads. If you're wondering when this whole thing started, you have to go back to the seventies, when the studios (or the theater-owners, or whomever) started loading commercials in with the features. Few complained, which explains why we now endure half an hour of newspaper ads and Pizza Hut and Tommy Hilfiger.com. Except for myself, of course--I haven't been to a movie in five years and have no desire to return anytime soon. The movie experience, once nearly a religious rite, has turned into a sideshow of bad music, loud trailers, freezing temperatures and people who talk back to the screen. Explosions from the latest Bruckheimer blam-a-thon next door bleed through the walls. Screenplays are now stamped out by committee, with all the depth and distinction of bottle caps. Direction consists of flying the camera all around the room –"Look Ma, I'm directing"! Producing is handled by tyro-savants who can tell you the name of the cat Orson Welles picks up in The Third Man but can't locate Canada on a two-country map. My only question--and it's a sincere one--is, why do you—the viewers--put up with it? Why do you pay good money to sit through ads at movies? Why line up for vanity projects you know are going to be awful? Why do you hand over your credit card for a video that forces you to wear out your fast-forward as you zip through the first half-hour? You're sheep - that’s why. Lining up is what sheep do--it's in their nature. But it doesn't have to be. The next time someone shoves another commercial in front of your movies, go to the manager and demand your money back. Same as the videos-- don't rent them, don't review them, just don't bother. Let the studios know you won't stand for this treatment any longer. But of course, that won't happen. Most people are so inured to this sort of thing that it no longer even registers. And so to poke through the ennui ad agencies have to make commercials more loud, more intrusive and more numerous. You get more of what you pay for. And what you're paying for is commercials. Up the ramp, now. Shearing to the left, de-hoofing to the right. Have those credit cards ready. Baaaa!" -- dmderwin

Ouch. Stings a little, dmderwin. I’d respond to your calling me a sheep, but I’m still reeling from the fact that you haven’t been to the movies in five years. Please, please, please, write back and let us know what the proverbial straw that broke your back was. I don’t like people talking during the movie, or a chilly theater, or a boatload of commercials, but I simply couldn’t stop going to the movies. There is something about the experience, even with commercial interruption that is too unique and special for me to give up.

Russell D. might not think we’re all sheep, but he does wonder about the American public’s ability to focus…

"I completely agree with you about the attention spans of Americans. The minute the story tries to develop, the resonating snores of 10 to 20 people in the theatre overwhelm the Dolby Digital surround sound. For example, a lot of my friends did not approve of films like Disappearing Acts, Sense and Sensibility, and Eve's Bayou because they took too long to get to the point. But films like the Perfect Bore, oops I mean the Perfect Storm, and Bad Boys, by far the worst film of any century, they loved because of all the action and antics on the screen. I do love popcorn films like Jurassic Park or Mission: Impossible 2 because they were not trying to do anything more then reel ‘em in. But a film like the Perfect Storm or ID4, that tries to tell a story on top of $100 million effects, is an embarrassment. Save face and just deliver the goods." -- Russell Dumornay

Mark E. follows Russell D. with his answers to a few questions posted in Tuesday’s edition…

"I am kind of inured to modern music in period pieces. You almost never see the same music in a trailer as is in the actual movie, Shanghai Noon being the only exception in recent years. In general, I have been very disappointed with the trends we are seeing in trailers (Spoiler clips, selling dramas as action films, Hallie Kate Eisenburg, etc.) I think the question should be, "Is the music appropriate to the mood you are trying to create?" If it is, then use it, regardless of when it was written. I see about 8-10 movies a month. As far as American audiences embracing CTHD, I think on the heels of The Matrix Americans are more open to martial arts in mainstream films. I plan on embracing it myself as SOON AS THE DAMN THING SHOWS IN SEATTLE! :-) Hmmm, big stars in movies together...Jim Carrey and Robin Williams would be fun." -- Mark Edwards

Ben Scuglia finishes today’s column by answering every single question posed in Tuesday’s edition. Now that’s what I call using your Civilian Voice…

"I see about four to six movies a month. Next week throws off the curve a bit because I have a week's vacation, and I'm planning on one film a day. I haven't seen the Boys Life 3 trailer, but the fact that a devoted film lover like you found it unappealing makes me cringe. Thanks, Strand Releasing! Again, just like the dearth of print advertising, Strand is making no effort to get this film out to a wider audience. How frustrating. The trailer for State and Main gave me a chuckle or two, but I can't say that it made the film seem special or interesting. Just a series of one-liners. I saw the trailer with a packed house waiting for Best in Show, and there was an obvious, amused buzz afterwards, so I guess the trailer scored some points on a basic level. I noticed that Melissa Etheridge song in the Chocolat trailer, too. That's weirdly off-center for Miramax, isn't it? What is up with them lately? Last year, Warner Bros. ran a hard rock song (I can't remember which because I blocked it out -- painful memories) during the trailer for Iron Giant. A more grievous blunder I can't recall. The movie was nothing at all like that trailer suggested -- and it didn't work, anyway. I'm withholding judgement on whether The Rock can cut it as an action star until I see The Mummy Returns. But be honest -- unless this guy is great actor, aren't you going to get tired of that arched-eyebrow-Can-You-Smell-What-I'm-Cookin' thing after a few movies? Alex is completely on the money about Dungeons & Dragons. The only way to enjoy a movie this utterly awful is to celebrate its awfulness. I'm a big fan of Russell Crowe, both as an actor and as a movie star. But Guy Pearce is the more interesting actor (and did you know he was a competitive bodybuilder when he was younger?) I think maybe Crowe's attitude off-screen puts me off a bit. I sometimes think, "Yeah, if you hate it so much, buddy, then go back home." It's a gut reaction. As self-aware as I think he probably is in real life, how dense do you have to be today not to realize that with success as an actor comes public scrutiny? You don't have to like it, but figure out a way to deal with it, for Pete's sake. Finally, I respect Woodge's opinion, but Proof of Life is a video rental. The action sequences in the first ten minutes, and the last twenty minutes, are tense and exciting. Crowe is charismatic as always. Pamela Reed, David Morse, and David Caruso are terrific in small roles. But the film is inert and ultimately much ado about very little. To me, it felt much, much longer than its running time." -- Ben Scuglia

O.K. folks, I know you’re all doing that last minute holiday shopping, but do take a few moments to send me an e-mail for this weekend’s Civilian Voices. How do you rate this year’s popcorn movies? Are you a sheep because you put up with problems at your local megaplex? Which films should people see this weekend? The weekend column will be the last column of 2000. Civilian Voices will return in the New Year, and I hope you’ll do so as well. Until then, send me an e-mail, won’t ya?

 

 

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