The Sweet Hereafter (1997) was an early project, one of my first detailed reviews, and remains one of my favorite films. My images were in need of a rework, and I dusted off and touched up the old review as well.

Director Atom Egoyan adapted Russell Banks' novel, The Sweet Hereafter, for the screen. He believes directing begins with writing the screen play, and only directs films that he writes. This is not the only unusual thing about his work. While he doesn't mind people who use a linear time sequence in films, he prefers to think of a film as an on-screen dream, where people slip effortlessly from past to future to present. Partially because of this, and because he avoids narrative voice-over (he sees that as the easy way out to convey the plot) you have to think to interpret his cinematic dreams. This has caused some to criticize him for being "too cerebral." Based on this film, and Exotica, he is one of my favorite directors.

A common theme in Egoyan's recent films is dealing with loss of a loved one. He says he is fascinated by the grieving process, and is hoping to understand it by making films about it. He also believes that the image is everything, and sees dialogue as much less important, so creates visually moving films, and employs actors who have the ability to covey information with body language and facial expressions. Anyone can shout "I hate you," but it takes talent to do this without speaking. Since he delivers his message in these ways, he provides time to think with a slower pace than those who employ linear time line, a standard curve of excitement, and plenty of dialogue. Egoyan added an element not in the book. To the twin stories of the layer and his daughter, and the town and its loss, he added a recitation of the Pied Piper of Hamlin. This was a perfect allegory of what happened in both of the other stories. Author Banks remarked that, if he had thought of it, he would have put it in the novel.

The Sweet Hereafter was critically acclaimed, was nominated for numerous awards, and won many of them. This particular film also won public acceptance, and is ranked #233 in the top 250 films of all time by IMDB, with a rating of 7.9 of 10. It is the story of an attorney who goes to a small town that has suffered a nearly unimaginable tragedy hoping to recruit enough residents to win a huge award in a class action suit. The school bus for this rural town crashed, and nearly all of the town's children were killed. Only two survived -- the bus driver, and a teenager who had babysat for most of the kids who were killed. As the attorney attempts to get the grieving parents to retain him, we learn of many skeletons in the closets of the town people. The attorney is also dealing with a similar loss in his own life -- his daughter is a drug addict and essentially lost to him. He believes he can find a guilty person or entity to punish for the bus crash, much as he would like to find out why he lost his own daughter. Sure, he is an "ambulance chaser," but he is a dedicated one who honestly thinks he can help the parents channel their anger and grief.

Any more would be a spoiler, and I hope you will see this film. The nudity is provided by the talented Alberta Watson, who is probably best known as Madeline in the TV series La Femme Nikita. She is seen in a sex scene, first undressing, and then dressing at the end, and leaves no part of her body unseen. While this film could be called a little cerebral, and may be too depressing for some, it has very wide appeal for what is really an art house film. The proper score is B+.

leftovers from yesterday's two-day projects:

• Salma. Find the rest of them in yesterday's edition.
• other

Femme Fatale is the new Brian de Palma pic. This is the film I mentioned last week. Ebert gave it four stars (highest score), Gleiberman gave it an F (lowest score). It is filled with razzle-dazzle, but includes one of the oldest (and corniest) writing gimmicks in the world. Don't read my review page if you object to spoilers, because I spoil everything. Quite a bit of nudity. Find it in yesterday's edition.

• here's one more frame of Rie Rasmussen

Punch-Drunk Love is the new PTA film with Adam Sandler. It isn't just "with" Adam. The script was actually inspired by him, as was the script for Rosemary's Baby. (Oh, sorry Sandler, just kidding about the antichrist thing, dude! I know you can't be the antichrist, because Ethan Hawke obviously is). Punch-Drunk was generally liked by critics. I reacted to this film as I did to Femme Fatale - I saw immeasurable filmmaking talent on display, but I felt it wasn't worth my time to watch it. At least Femme Fatale had naked chicks, while this film does not. On the other hand, Hollywood is filled with pablum and cookie-cutter movies, while Punch-Drunk is truly a strange and imaginative film, and is more than half "loco", the kind of film you will love or hate deeply. Sandler was extremely good at playing the darker aspects of the infantile douchebag character that he usually plays. I didn't like this film, but maybe I'll like his next one, so I applaud PTA for his eccentric and personal filmmaking.

OTHER CRAP:

• Manchester University pulls naked student calendar from student newsshop. They claimed it would offend the majority of the student body, and stop applicants from enrolling. Two thoughts (1) the existing student body sure is sensitive (2) the applicants sure are stupid. It seems to me that the university would be better off if those applicants chose another school. If you ran a university, would you be looking for students who object to the right of other students to pose naked for fun and profit? Let those mofo's apply to the University of Riyad.
• Kylie Minogue criticizes kids who want to be famous. Silly article, but great picture.
• "Pop music magazine Rolling Stone purchased a stinging ad in yesterday's New York Times, in which it sarcastically congratulated record labels for what the magazine sees as anti-consumer behavior." (Bottom story on the page)
• The hottest site on the web? Amish Heat.
• Is Joe Camel a front for al-Qaida
• Keep snowmobiles in the national parks? No problem!  Why did the proposed ban get reversed? The Bush administration ordered a new review as part of a settlement with snowmobile makers who challenged the proposed ban. The all-powerful snowmobile manufacturer lobby versus the preservation of the vanishing wilderness. Those guys must wield power second only to the penis-enlargement lobby. For the record, snowmobiles are made by four manufacturers, two of whose parent companies are foreign - Bombardier (from Quebec) and Yamaha. The number of people who snowmobile in Yellowstone annually is 65,000. That's right, our environmental policy is based on foreign companies and 65,000 people! All I know is Harry Truman would have told those mofo's to stick their little snowmobiles where the sun don't shine. But, unlike our current leaders, Harry didn't need the services of the penis enlargement lobby. But anyway, we're finally coiming to my point. Our government is so incompetent that at the same time they are announcing the removal of the ban, they have also left on line their own official governmental study which says snowmobiles are more evil than Saddam and al-Qaida added together (check out the chart!). Oh, and by the way, they just updated that page on June 28 of this year. Wouldn't you love to be able to trace the outgoing funds of the snowmobile manufacturers and the incoming funds of some of our fine government officials?
• Independent wrestling promotion trying to challenge WWE monopoly. Good luck!
• Other legal application of the Winona Defense. Famous people committing crimes while rehearsing for a role.
• thinking about a trip to Maui? Why wait to see the naked chicks?
• Hollywood celebs - some of their nastiest tantrums
• The New York Times tells us how to view the election.
• Good news on that pesky global warming - England to become the new Bali. And you Brits can figure on a massive reduction in those heating bills. When I lived in Scandinavia, I always told the people in Oslo they were in the perfect place for the globally warmer future, since (a) Oslo is colder than deep space (b) the city rises immediately into high elevations. It is thus prepared for both higher temperatures and higher sea levels. England and its gardeners might enjoy the warmth, but a significant rise in ocean levels might be a bit troublesome for the coastal areas at low elevations (a big chunk of the country). It'll actually be better for the Northern Highlands.
• J Edgar Hoover ordered g-men to go undercover as women, even helping with their make up. Hey, it must be true. It's in Weekly World News.
• Also from WWN - editor Ed Anger demands that the US Government pay reparations to the descendants of slaveholders.
• Europe declares thought illegal - at least when posted on the internet.

Here are the latest movie reviews available at scoopy.com.

• The yellow asterisks indicate that I wrote the review, and am deluded into thinking it includes humor.
• If there is a white asterisk, it means that there isn't any significant humor, but I inexplicably determined there might be something else of interest.
• A blue asterisk indicates the review is written by Tuna (or Lawdog or Junior or C2000 or Realist or ICMS or Mick Locke, or somebody else besides me)
• If there is no asterisk, I wrote it, but am too ashamed to admit it.

• Karen Young, topless in "Criminal Law", starring Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon and Fun House hero...Joe Don Baker.

Be sure to pay Graphic Response a visit at his website. www.graphic-barry.com.

'Caps from two movies today.

Continuing with the Model Solution babes, today there is a brunette beauty who called herself Sascha Rochelle in this movie but went by the name of Sascha Peralto when she posed for one of the bunnymag's college girls' specials. She is the first nekkid babe of the movie and right away you know this not a hooters-only flic.

• Sascha Rochelle. Gynocam in 1, full-frontal in 2 and 7, boobs and bum in 8, 3-6 boobs only. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

Our second babe is a one-shot wonder, Rachel Dyer, who appeared topless and showed a right nice bum in Almost Hollywood (1994). This a movie within a movie that knows not whether it should be a dark comedy or a whodunit.

Rachel plays a young actress who plays a murdering villainess who plays a murder victim who plays... Oops, one too many who plays. A mixture of boobs and bum; collage is an amalgam of the best frames.

• Rachel Dyer (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Today a look back to 1993 and Pamela Anderson in "Snapdragon", Pamela was probably in her prime at that time and shows some boob in lovemaking scenes with Stephen Bauer.

• Pam Anderson (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Kathryn Atwood

Michelle Clunie

EMINEM THE "NEW ELVIS?"
Except Elvis Could Sing - Eminem's screen debut "8 Mile" made a whopping $54.4 million over the weekend. By comparison, Britney Spears' "Crossroads" had a $14.5 million debut, and fellow white rapper Vanilla Ice's "Cool As Ice" made just $1,193,000 in its entire run. Eminem's movie scored mostly positive reviews, with critics comparing it to "Rocky" with rappers instead of boxers. Industry analysts said Eminem has turned from a scary, foul-mouthed parental nightmare into the new Elvis.