Alicia Keys, Nellie Furtado, India.Arie, The Soggy Bottom Boys, Robert Fripp

From: sonic5
Subj: Re: Shitty Videos & XNet2's Entertainment Express
Date: Sat, 18 Dec 1999 19:53:44 -0600

> The General's Daughter. * 1/2.

I'm "awarding" this horror 1/2 a star - if
James Wood had been in it longer, I might have been a
tad more generous. Unlike "The Haunting,"
which as W noted is awful in that sure to obtain cult
status way, this is just...awful. A movie that
attempts to make a brutal gang rape scene titillating
is about as low as it gets (contrasted with star John
Travolta who is as wide as it gets) ( or
co-"star" Madeline Stowe whose clothes are
about as tight as it can get and still allow
breathing). Must admit though that some of the
dialogue is primo stilted, ludicrous, sure to make you
fall off the sofa with laughter stuff. (hey, any film
that work the word" quell" into conversation
deserves at least that 1/2 *) However, IMHO, The
Haunting remains triumphant in that category.
>


> >The play marks the Broadway debut for Posey, who has
> >starred in "You've Got Mail" and the
> >upcoming "Scream 3."
>
>
> Oh, jeez, they're gonna RUIN her by giving her these
> bad, tiny bit parts in big movies, as opposed to
> letting her dominate little movies through sheer
> force of personality. I note that the same thing's
> gonna happen to Lili Taylor: brilliant in everything
> indie she does, then she goes mainstream in . . . . .
> "The Haunting," so that Joe Average Pop
> Moviegoer only know that she (or Parker) played these
> really annoying parts in really marginal fillums.
>

"They?" Someone's holding a gun to Parker's
head? Hypnotized her into believing "You've Got
Mail" is a masterpiece? Don't think so. Think
these are conscious choices by both Posey and Lili -
either cause they need/want the money (a la Olivier -
ol' Larry made some real stinkers [anyone seen The Boys
From Brazil lately?] and freely admitted he did that
Hollywood schlock to earn bucks, which in turn let him
do the theater work he loved but which paid zippo...)
and/or cause they want the exposure (and thus the
chance that someone will call offering a truly groovy
part). Or maybe they just like the idea that joe
average i-love-explosions moviegoer will indeed
recognize 'em. Or...maybe there aren't any indie roles
coming their way - both have been seriously
over-exposed on the indie scene and I'd bet many a
director shies away from casting them for fear that
the"star" will outshine and overwhelm his/her
l'il flick.

That said, I still gotta wonder what drug Taylor was on
when she agreed to make "The Haunting" (hell,
at least "You've Got Mail" provided Parker
with a fairly good role and nothing really embarrassing
to say or do (yes, I watched this - not by choice,
simply to be a polite guest) - unlike Lili fighting off
gargoyles and generally acting as if she'd had a
lobotomy a week or so before filming started (and for
her sake, I kinda hoped she had) then again acting
along side liam neeson makes a hell of lot more sense
than having to even be in the same room with meg ryan
and tom hanks....

s5