New Toy

Finally, FINALLY. After months and months of wanting and wanting and WANTING, it is MINE. MINE.

This is now mine.

14 discs of joy, INCLUDING the REAL version of Superman II, the Donner Cut. Screw YOU, Salkinds, ya crazy Europeans who didn't know a masterpiece when you had it.

More on Superman later, I'm only through six discs so far, but I had to blog on this momentous purchase.

Clive Cussler vs. Hollywood (or, Hollywood Rant #1)

Well, this topic has been of interest to me as of late since I decided I liked "Sahara" enough to watch over and over again. I thought it was a fun movie, terrific funnies by Steve Zahn as usual. ("No way man, African war zone! Ship of death!") Oh, and the soundtrack? KICKIN'. I had kind of really hoped for sequels. It was a fun popcorn movie in the style of The Mummy. People have compared it to Indy Jones, but that is far too superior. But it seems right on par with the Mummy, which I enjoyed and which I own. (maybe I'll watch that tonight...)

So, from what I understand, Clive Cussler writes lots of popular books about Dirk Pitt and his adventures. So far, only one other book has been made into a movie-Raise the Titanic. Apparently it bombed big time, and Cussler slunk away for a time, having been stung. He came back to Hollywood again, and asked for, and was given, cast approval and script approval. And ten million dollars. He then proceeded to make a nuisance of himself rejecting script after script after script after script after script. I believe they went through about seven or eight screenwriters and countless scripts. He also turned down several potential Dirk Pitts, because they didn't have black hair and green eyes, because, you know, there is no such thing as hair dye or contacts. After about a year and a half of this malarkey, the producers, who had been tearing their hair out, were desperate to get the friggin' picture MADE, and basically told Cussler that THIS was the script they were going to use, and THIS was the star they were going to use, and he could like it or lump it. Cussler lumped it, threw a raging tantrum and proceeded to tour the country, signing autographs and disparaging the movie every chance he got. All this before it was even released. And then, after it was released, (making not off the charts money, but decent money, enough that the producers were thinking a sequel could work) he decided to sue for breach of contract. Paramount promptly countersued.

Now here's my thing. As someone who has written for both the page and the screen, and as someone who LOVES movie and adores books, I can see both sides. I understand how hard it must be for an author so see a story, a character, that you have thought on and labored on and spent sleepless nights on taken apart and changed. That would be a really hard thing to see happen. But, as a movie girl, I also understand that there is almost NO PIECE OF LITERATURE IN EXISTENCE that is going to translate to the screen WORD FOR WORD. PERIOD. There are some that have come awfully close-the first Harry Potter, Fellowship of the Ring (shut UP Bombadil people), The Pelican Brief, The Shawshank Redemption. But not many. For crying out loud, people, THE BIBLE has gotten hacked to pieces by moviemakers in more ways than one.

Basically, unless you want an outrageously long and expensive movie, you have to make some cuts. I'm glad they do. I like my version of Nicholas Nickleby. I tried to sit through an eight-ten hour BBC stage version that they did at the Royal Shakespeare Co. and released on video...couldn't do it. And the Charlie Hunnam version is one of my top ten favorite movies. Now, Sahara? 700 pages. TWO prologues. You do the math. I'm still trying to finish the BOOK. The movie was so fast paced and quick witted...I WISH the book was as much fun.

Many, many books have been turned into perfectly servicable, if not GREAT books by making some, sometimes MANY and BIG changes. Case in point? JAWS. Yeah, Benchley had words with Spielberg while it was being made. Ya know what? He cried all the way to the bank, too. Other greatly changed book=good movies? The Bourne Indentity. The Neverending Story. Planet of the Apes. The Princess Diaries. Almost any great piece of literature by Shakespeare, Austen, or Dickens.

Some authors just don't understand how movies are made. Movies are made by entertaining people, and different people are entertained by different things, and you have to be able to cater to a lot of different people in the same way in order for them to come see your movie. And you want a LOT of people to come see your movie, so it will make a lot of money. So Cussler's sold ten million books. Ok. He's now complaining this ludicrious idea that Hollywood has ruined him as an author, that the movie was so bad that people won't buy his books anymore. That's completely ridiculous. His books are his and his alone, and at last count, he had about 19 other books besides Sahara. That's like saying I'm never reading John Grisham again because I hated The Firm. (I didn't actually hate it, but I did like other Grisham books=movies better.) People will buy his books because they like his style of writing, not because Hollywood makes big movies out of them. That's what fan bases are. Of course, if your movie does well, then you get to add people to your fan base, because they will read the book because they liked the movie so much. (Like I did for Lord of the Rings) I read a great quote by I think it was Dashiell Hammet (I could be wrong) when asked if Hollywood had ruined his books, he looked behind him at his bookshelf and lazily replied, "Nope. They're still there."

I think Cussler is making a HUGE fuss and is acting childish and selfish. The moviemakers, icluding Matthew McConaughey, took great personal interest in the film, and for him to be all pissy about it...well, it just bothers me. The movie did fairly well. Sequels would have solidified his fan base, made him MORE money...what's his beef?

If he really hates the movie adaptations of his books, well, he shouldn't sell any more rights. Raise the Titanic, shame on them, Sahara, shame on you, Clive.

And yet I understand how it feels to want to share what you've created with the world, to see and hope others feel the same exhiliration, the fear, the passion YOU felt when you were writing.

But hey, at least HE's been published.

Just my two cents. And here's a link to the original article.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-me-sahara8dec08,0,3301265.story?coll=la-headlines-entnews

Watching "Volcano"

Yes, yes, yes, it's is a silly movie. But good for some mindless movie watching, which is what I need tonight. And hey, it's fun seeing the Coast be Toast! And if I was ever caught by flowing lava in LA, I'd want Tommy Lee Jones for my daddy. And it has Anne Heche before she was dating Ellen and before she went completely mental.

It's sort of interesting watching this movie that came out in 1997. I'm sure I went to see it over at Braintree with John when it came out, that's pretty much all we did when I had the apartment. And I seem to remember John riffing on the movie pretty badly, since he's from Cali originally. Which it so deserves.

Ok, ok, here is the part I hate worse than any other-the public transit guy saving the train driver by jumping INTO the lava, then, whilst the lava disintegrates his FEET and LEGS, he THROWS the driver across the lava to safety and dies. Boo hoo. I'm sorry, but I find that to be just so completely unbelieveable...stupid, stupid scene.

Silly movie..I wonder when they'll rifftrax it.

10/26/04 "The Grudge"

weird movie...very Ring.

10-26-04 "The Grudge"

Notes from the Red Book

trailers-Ring 2, Meet the Fockers, Boogeyman

I didn't know Bill Pullman was in this movie-oh wait, I guess he isn't.
Hey, it's Yoko!
Hey-guy from Roswell.
Hey! guy from Seaquest.
So, we're like 15 minutes into the movie...that's a lot of expo.
Oh, a flashback.
Surround Sound footsteps are CREEPY.
This movie's setup is crazier than Memento.
"It's ok, Karen"...geeeeez what cheesy dialogue.
They stole that from Nightmare on Elm St.
Lots of eye-drawing, lots of reflection use.
LOTS of Ring here.
What is she a hooker now?
More crazy flashbacks than Pulp Fiction.
Ringing very effective.
Wow....that was an incredibly abrupt ending.

Ok, this movie was very confusing, had some creepy parts thrown in, but on the whole...eh. Let me see if I remember this correctly. There's a haunted house in Japan. It's haunted by a little Japanese boy that meows. And the house kills people, even when they're not in the house. And there's a creepy song that sounds like when you run your fingers down the length of a comb. Sarah Michelle Gellar plays a nurse who takes care of someone in the house, and somehow she pisses the house off and it kills everyone she cares about. And it ends rather openly, making way for the sequel, the Grudge 2: Sarah Michelle Dies In The First Few Minutes.

So...no, I don't recommend this movie. It was too confusing, or maybe I just understand Japanese horror. I dunno. It gave me a few jumps, but sometimes I jump just for the fun of it. And it was fun to make that noise at each other in the parking lot.

Until the next time, this is Sarah saying, "When someone dies in the grip of a powerful rage...confusion is born."

10/2/04 "First Daughter"

Katie Holmes...needs to find better roles.

10-2-04 "First Daughter"

Notes from the Red Book

trailers-The Polar Express, Christmas with the Kranks, Raise Your Voice, Finding Neverland, National Treasure

I hate the Rivers girls.
good fades!
roommate's ETA? Man.
I wonder if there will be terrorists before the end of this movie.
Wrist to elbow is the measure of your foot? huh.
Really random boat scene.
I bet he's the son of the president's rival.
Oh, he's a Secret Service agent! Didn't see that coming.
He's gonna lose the election.
Or not.

Hoo, boy, this movie was boring. Reminded me of the Princess Diaries, only not as fun. So, Katie Holmes is the daughter of the president who is running for re-election, and she's off to college for the first time, surrounded by secret service, which she hates, can't relate to normal teens, blah blah blah. The only surprise this movie pulled on me was when her little crush turned out to be a secret service agent. D'oh! Didn't see that one coming. Yeah, so this movie was pretty boring. Skip it.

Until the next time, this is Sarah saying, "Joey, Joey, wherefore art thou, Joey?"

9/28/04 "The Forgotten"

creepy...made me jump!!

9-28-04 "The Forgotten"

Notes from the Red Book

trailers-Team America:World Police, Closer, Spanglish

interesting theory of para-amnesia
So he just lets psycho woman into his apartment and goes to sleep?
Did we get married?
NSA?!? Whatever.
This reminds me of Dark City.
Having a National Enquirer moment
HOLY CAR CRASH!!!
too much salt or sugar.
Ok, I wouldn't undress in front of him.
This guy seems SO dead to me.
Sucked into vortex...huh.
Yeah, why didn't they take you.
Well, I know she gets sucked up cause the commercial gave it away.

So this movie I guess had a sort of interesting premise but I would have liked it a lot better if they could have presented it more as such. Ok, there's this woman Telly, and her son has disappeared. Suddenly, people are trying to tell her that she never had a son, and she needs to give up this idea that she did. She meets a man hose daughter has disappeared, and same deal, except he's forgotten his daughter, and Telly helps him remember her. So they set out in search of their missing children and it's all very X-Files and government and stuff. And, eventually, they get their kids back.

Ok, I hated Telly's name. It reminded me of that character on Sesame Street and I just couldn't take her character seriously after that. It's like making a movie about something really serious, like freeing slaves or the Holocaust, and naming some of the characters E-Z Reader and Letterman. I did find the whole sequence of the alien trying to make Telly forget her son by stealing the memory of his birth interesting, because Telly foils that by remembering when she was pregnant. But the movie was sort of confusing, and not really classic in any way. Skip it.

Until the next time, this is Sarah saying, "I wish this movie could be forgotten."

9/14/04 "Cellular"

clever twist on Phone Booth..kinda opposite

9-14-04 Cellular

Notes from the Red Book

trailers-The Grudge, After the Sunset

sounds like TRON opening
Kim has such a little girl voice
random kiddie
cool key hole shot
"Friend with nipples"
Kim way overacter
"Get off the phone and concentrate on the road!"
"Who do I make it out to-the chick who sucks?"
That's a very bad man.
end credits on a cell phone-clever

Gosh, it's been so long since I've seen this...let me try to remember. Ok, a woman is kidnapped by some bad guys who want to force her husband to do something...can't remember what. She is held in an attic in some house and the bad guys smash the phone right in front of her so she can't use it. But since apparently she is MacGyver, she jerry-rigs it up and randomly hits numbers and wind up connected to some guy's cell phone. She begs him not to hang up, to take his phone to the police. He agrees, then realizes the police are in on the deal. There's lots of car chases and concerns with the phone dying, or going out of range. Then he foils the bad guys by taking video of them doing bad guy stuff with his phone! Hah! And all is well.

The thing that irked me most about this film was Kim Basinger's little-girl voice. Grr, that irked me so much for some reason. That and that her son was named Ricky Martin. Blah. And even I, the queen of suspending belief, found it rather hard to believe that she managed to get some guy's cell phone close enough to actually be of some help to her, and not in say, Cleveland. Ok to see once.

Until the next time this is Sarah saying, "If the signal dies, I....really don't care."

9/12/04 "Exorcist: The Beginning"

curious..not bad at all for a THIRD sequel

9-12-04 Exorcist:the Beginning

Notes from the Red Book

trailers-Team America:World Police, Constantine

creepy upside down crucifix
he's like Indy Jones
good English/American accent
sanatorium reminiscent of first Exorcist
Father Gianetti? Sounds familiar....
NO WAY would I go down there.
hmmm...a shower...how Psycho
so he just happens to have all his stuff with him?
yay! awesome repentence scene.

So, this movie is the third sequel, actually a prequel, to "The Exorcist", and I didn't think it was bad at all. It was certainly better than "Exorcist II: The Heretic", which made me want to beat John Boorman many times about the head with a heavy silver crucifix. It's about Father Lankaster Merrin's first encounter with the demon Pazazu in the desert at the excavation of an early Christian church which appears to have been buried the day it was completed. Father Merrin, due to horrors he witnessed during WWII, has renounced his faith in God. But he soon realizes that he will need God to defeat the evil that lies buried under the church.
I guess this movie went through two directors and got a lot of flack. But I didn't think it was too bad. I've certainly seen worse. It was interesting to see Merrin's beginnings, and the film made many references to the original. No references were made to Exorcist II, thank goodness, which was a bad acid trip covered in silvery Boormanistics. Cruumy CGI, though. Some good jumps, but I found the ending to be a bit predictable. Oh well.

Until the next time, this is Sarah saying, "God may not be here, priest, but entertainment is!"

8/31/04 "Open Water"

Ok, this movie was SO MUCH WORSE than I expected.

8-31-04 "Open Water"

Notes From the Red Book

trailers-Shaun of the Dead, Life Aquatic, Saw

based on true events
call cell phone
and suddenly...it's a PORNO
oooo...I HATE jellyfish
Discovery boy like Rob
"Let's swim outta this puke."
security video of honeymoon
cool lightening effect
better if PITCH black
SUCKIEST ENDING EVER!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this movie review because I HATED this movie. In a nutshell, two people go scuba diving with a group and get left behind by their stupid dive leader. They float in the water and eventually get attacked by sharks and give up and drown. The end.

OMG, this movie was horrible. I just kept waiting for it to get going, and it never did, and then when it ended, it was the worst ending I've ever seen. What a letdown, because Jaws is one of my top ten favorite movies ever, and this movie just completely BLEW. The script was bad, contrived, and camera work was choppy, which I guess I could forgive since it was low budget AND shot on the water. And the random PORN in the beginning of the movie which HELLO wasn't expecting at all...and neither was Janelle, who had brought her younger brother and sisters.

The film is inspired by the 1998 disappearance of Tom and Eileen Lonergan, who were left behind by their diving boat off the coast of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. I found that at the IMDB. And I feel really bad that these poor people's plight was so monstrously told.

Until the next time, this is Sarah saying, "For God's sake, get OUT of this movie!!"

8/24/04 "Without a Paddle"

Oh, this movie was SO much better than I expected.

8-24-04 "Without a Paddle"

Notes From the Red Book

trailers-Surviving Christmas, Ocean's 12, Sky Captain and the World of Tommorrow, Team America:World Police

Ethan Suplee Ghostbusters!
Burt Reynolds
aww, they killed off the cute one
sound is really bad
horror posters-Friday the 13th 3D
BA Baracus
C3PO
they're 30?!? Eeeeeek
"Your responsibility is to come treasure hunting with us."
hog ridin'!
He's got a sports sac.
He's got an Indiana Jones ring.
"What's a camping trip without beer?" (A camping trip?)
growling deer
What a wonderful world rock.
peeing off canoe
"Hi there, coal miner's daughter."
"I'm not an astronaut...I'm an American."
surfing a rapid....cool
C3PO speak-cool.
"I never thought I'd be so happy to hear anything that sounds like Creed."
Leonard! Skynyrd!
"I'll write you a prescription!"
Matrix spoof!
hairy legs-perfect armpits
"Thank you kind crazy hairy lady of my dreams!"
"I'm pretending I'm on a speederbike so I can block out reality!!"
Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!
The hills have gone gay.
Boy Scout leader

Three childhood friends come together for the funeral of a fourth and find an old treasure map which they decide to follow for old times sake. They wind up with the adventure of a lifetime.

Okay, this movie had all the fart jokes, the burp jokes, the gross hygiene jokes. And it was the funnest movie ever! Well, maybe not ever, but it was GREAT. SO much better than I expected. It was like "The Goonies" at age 30. And the 80s references were killing me. What a blast. And I just found this and thought it was funny. Dax Shepard, who played Tom in this movie, also was in "Employee of the Month" with Dane Cook. Anyway, I just found this quote and thought it amusing-

Jerry Conlaine: Wait a second. Tom, were you really employee of the month?
Tom Marshall: No! I lied about that too!

haha. Well, I thought it was funny. This movie I guess really wasn't anything special, but it tickled me. And made me want to go camping.

Until the next time, this is Sarah saying-"I like to pretend I'm on a speederbike so I can block out reality."

8/18/04 "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement"

Sequels! Yay!

8-18-04 "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement"

Notes From the Red Book

trailers-National Treasure, First Daughter, Shark Tale, Are We There Yet?, Raise Your Voice, The Incredibles

obvious CGI plane
Hey! I saw that set at Universal Studios!!
Whitney Houston produced?
Mia is stunning in red
John Rhys Davies! My buddy!
"Power means never having to say you're sorry!"
kitty hammock
"I have diplomatic immunity is 46 countries including Puerto Rico."
toe popper kiss!
prettiest girl ridin' in the STANG
Julie Andrews was SO hoarse!
on a horse w/ a cell phone...huh

Princess Mia (Anne Hathaway) has finished college and returned to Genovia to take her place as Crown Princess of Genovia. But an old law proclaims that she must be married to assume the throne. So she must assent to an arranged marriage, or renounce her claim to the throne.

I was amused by this movie. I thought it was sweet, and nice. Not as wonderfully quirky as the original. Still funny tho. I was watching the original the other day and one of the things that was absolutely hilarious was the background announcements at the high school like, "Will the Fengshui club PLEASE stop rearranging the lawn furniture!" Random stuff like that. But, I did like several outfits that Anne Hathaway wore, and LOVED the romance between the Queen and Joseph. That was great. I didn't care for Nicholas...I thought he was boring. I think it would've been cool to just leave Mia unmarried...at least for now. But it was a good follow up, all the same characters back (even the mom and her new husband!) and I always give points when you get back all of your original cast.

Until the next time, this is Sarah saying, "WISH I wuz ridin' in the 'STANG!"

8/7/04 "The Village"

I was really looking forward to this...a bit disappointing.

8-7-04 "The Village"

Notes From the Red Book

trailers-Exorcist:the Beginning, Ladder 49

not gonna think about anything, just gonna let the movie carry me away....
meat eaters? Are they vegetarians?
hey, that's the sheriff from Signs
Lucius seems kinda slow....
Speech is SO stilted.
Bryce has nice voice
Adrien Brody's kinda weird.
Bryce is BEAUTIFUL.
Can she see? Her eyes move.
I like Sigourney's sweater
I love the simplicity...like the Shakers.
those look like huge porcipines
"You are fearless in a way I shall never know."
"We are grateful for the time we have been given."
time passes? No leaves.
Covington Woods
outstretched hand-beautiful
yup...very Wuthering Heights
damn...I think I figured out the ending
Oh, it's all fake...oh...
The world kneels before love in awe.
Ok, I really didn't see that coming.
DAMN! I DID guess the ending.
ah...no planes.
M. Night!

M. Night Shaymalan, still trying to get back to where he was with "The Sixth Sense", tries again with "The Village", a story about a small town of people who live off by themselves in the woods, and must be on their constant guard against the creatures of the forests that surround them. Bryce Dallas Howard (daughter of Ron) plays the blind daughter of the town's leader, William Hurt. Joaquin Phoenix plays her love interest. When he is mortally wounded, Ivy must trek through the forbidden woods for help...but what will she find on the other side of them?

So, M Night's been getting flak and I can see why. This movie really builds you up to it being scarier than it actually was. There were a couple of times when I got really tense, but when all was revealed I was disappointed. I was all, "THAT was what I was afraid of?" But I liked the love story, M Night said he was trying to evoke Wuthering Heights and that's exactly what I got from it.

I did figure out the ending about half an hour before it happened. I tried to take my mind away and not focus on trying to figure out the movie, I DID....but it just happened. That was kind of annoying.

So, I'll probably get slapped in the mouth for this, but eventually I really did like this movie. Later, after I had time to get used to it. I mean, the love story between Lucius and Ivy is really sweet and angsty, and the cinematography, OMG...you can eat it with a spoon. I just want to gather so many screenshots and use them for my desktop wallpaper.

So, not horrible, anyway.

Until the next time, this is Sarah saying, "Do your very best not to expect too much from this movie."

just a note

I found some old reviews of movies, so I thought I'd post them here. And in case anyone's just joining the show already in progress, i take notes during movies in my red notebook, called "The Red Book". Mostly random comments or reactions, or very funny quotes. I also put LOTS and LOTS of spoilers in my reviews. So if you don't wanna know, don't read 'em.