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Working links in the
members' page, text-only in the AdultCheck
version "Immortal
Beloved", from Tuna
I've discussed this many
times. Excellent Beethoven biopic. The real trick
with biopics is to somehow give them the
structure of a real movie, instead of just
loosely stringing some events together. Amadeus
uses the famous Salieri story, even though it is
undoubtedly apocryphal, and the rich complexity
of Salieri's character makes it a great movie.
They also solved the problem in this movie. They
made the overlay a mystery - a search for the
mysterious Immortal Beloved mentioned in a
Beethoven letter. Classy movie with real
multi-dimensional characters, and nudity, and the
music of the greatest composer in Eurocentric
history. Hard to go wrong. Although Gary Oldman
is not a subtle actor, neither was Beethoven a
subtle man, and I think Oldman was very effective
in the part. thumbnails Geno Lechner (1,
2,
3)
Valeria Golino (1,
2,
3,
4,
5)
Johanna ter Steege (1,
2,
3)
"Dirty
Dancing", from Tuna
On the off-chance that
there is actually somebody out there who doesn't
know about this movie, here is Tuna's commentary:
When I saw the following news story today, I
couldn't resist doing one of my all-time favorite
films, the surprise hit "Dirty
Dancing." After being rejected by all of the
major studios, Vestron agreed to do the film for
5.2 million -- a shoestring budget, and half the
original estimate. Seems Vestron outguessed the
majors, because the film has grossed more than
$170 million worldwide. The story occurs at a
Catskill's resort in the summer of 1963, and
features Jennifer Grey as a shy, insecure brain,
and Patrick Swayze as the dance instructor that
awakens her sensuality.
Essentially a coming of
age film, there are many other side themes that
make it a complex and touching film. Most of
these center around the way lower class people
are treated by upper-class people. The sound
track is phenomenal, as is the dancing. Even
Jennifer, who had never danced professionally
prior to this film, did a wonderful job. The
location was changed from the Catskills to
Virginia and North Carolina to make budget, but
the locations were beautiful, and beautifully
photographed. Call me sentimental, but two
moments in the film always give me a lump in my
throat. The first occurs between Grey and Swayze
in his room. He has admitted to admiring her
courage, and she says she is afraid of
everything, "but most of all, I am afraid
that I will walk out this door and never again
for the rest of my life feel as good as I feel
when I am with you." The second moment comes
at the end, when she is balanced triumphantly
above Swayze's head. Although there is no actual
exposure, some of the images of Grey are good
see-through, and the film is VERY hot due to the
romance between Grey and Swayze, and the
"Dirty Dancing."
Martin
and Portman Step to Dirty Dancing 2? By Kasia
Anderson
Here's some news that's
sure to provoke a wide variety of reactions, to
say the least: Artisan and Miramax are teaming up
to make a sequel to that seminal slab of '80s
cheese, Dirty Dancing, and they want Ricky Martin
and Natalie Portman to star. The hip-swinging
singer and Queen Amidala herself haven't signed
any contracts yet, but sources say the studios
have them in mind for their Dancing duo.
"According to Variety, Dirty Dancing 2 would
revamp the original plot, placing prancing lovers
Baby and Johnny in Miami's steamy South Beach.
Those familiar with the 1987 version will recall
that the first Baby-Johnny combo, played by
Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze, practiced their
dance steps at a resort in the Catskills in 1963.
The stylish new setting was Artisan head Amir
Malin's idea, as was the notion of giving the
story a Latin twist.
"Variety says
Miramax's Harvey Weinstein "embraced "
the idea over lunch last December. "Dirty
Dancing is a cultural touchstone and phenomenal
property," he told the trade, adding,
"I am personally looking forward to working
with Amir and Artisan on this exciting
project." "Artisan has had the rights
to the original for some time now, and has been
pulling in money from its video sales for over a
decade. The studio was also thinking of adding to
the franchise back in '96, and supposedly made a
$5 million offer to Swayze to swagger his way
through a sequel. Given that the original rustled
up more than $150 million worldwide, not to
mention the super-popular soundtrack's selling
power, it may be time to pull Baby out of the
corner again. "
thumbnails Cyhthia Rhodes (1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6)
Jennifer Grey (1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
"Profile
for Murder", from GR
Kind of 1997 low budget
version of "Silence of the Lambs", in
which a female psychiatrist develops a sexual
obsession with a patient accused of murder. Will
her obsession with him lead her to mislead police
investigators? Who cares? I haven't even seen the
movie, but Joan Severance showed her chest, and
even though she is now 41 (39 at the time of
filming), her chest is still worth a look.
Big Joanie
Three single
images from GR
Erika
Anderson, "Object of Obsession" Jennifer
MacDonald, "Object of Obsession" Diane
Varsi, "Bloody Mama"
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