Did you read Roger Ebert's review of Red Dragon? He called Ratner's filmmaking "stylish." The man is no longer off the deep end - he's drowned.
Jonah
P.S.: Ralph Fiennes is about as creepy as Tammy Wynette.

REVERSALS OF FORTUNE

Walter, while I criticized you a couple of weeks ago for being too hard on Burt Reynolds, I have to give credit where credit is due: Yours is a GREAT review of Undisputed, and you exhibit a keen understanding of Walter Hill, who rivals Martin Scorsese as my favorite director.

I have a feeling Hill is destined for the same fate as Don Siegel, Sam Peckinpah or Sam Fuller--uncompromising directors who weren't appreciated until after their deaths. And I totally agree with what you said about Supernova. It would have been a far more interesting film if those 20 minutes of deleted scenes would have made the final cut. Anyway, I'm hoping Undisputed does at least moderately well at the box office so Hill can continue working his craft. Take care,
Chuck

NUDITY SUMMIT 2002

Greetings! Just stumbled on your review of Box of Moonlight--well, actually I was looking at DVD/VHS reviews of the film to see if anyone else had noticed that the DVD has been re-edited to coyly excise 90% of the nudity that was present in the VHS version. Apparently you missed it too. Frankly, I hate it when a video version is altered from the screened version (or worse, from the format of another video release) without warning. Pisses me off. Makes me less inclined to trust the company that released it. Grumpily,
Steve

Was it edited out or is it because the DVD is soft-matted (letterboxed), masking some of the nudity? I'm sorry I failed to point out this omission, in any case; wasn't that I hadn't caught it, was that I only saw the film in theatres and then two years later on DVD, with a bzillion films in-between and no VHS on hand to cross-reference. -Bill

I'd say it was edited out by reframing. The only reason I know about this is that I got into an argument with a friend--we resolved it by digging out both the VHS and the DVD, and by gosh there WAS a difference. The VHS is "full screen" and the DVD is widescreen--normally the latter just gives you more on the sides, of course, but in the scenes where there's nudity, it's been reframed to cut off the bottom of the screen. I don't know whose idiotic idea this was, but it's irritating that ANY changes are made in a film without some kind of notification. This was not, by the way, a consistent reframing--it seems specific to the nude scenes. Someone at Trimark evidently has Issues. Hoo boy.
Steve

I have a suspicion, by the by, that now that Lion's Gate owns Trimark, they're going to want to revisit a few of those early releases, spiffy them up with anamorphic remasters. You'd likely see a reframing at that point, hopefully one more mindful and respectful of those of us (er, those of you!) for whom The Bare Facts was written. On the whole, though, I wouldn't say that Trimark is known for their puritanism. (They were, after all, the only takers when the video rights to Adrian Lyne's Lolita went up for sale.) This whole thing seems a fluke. -Bill

Well, "gratuitous nudity" IS an oxymoron as far as I'm concerned, that's true. One scene reframed is a fluke. Three or four, in an otherwise-untouched transfer, indicates someone with a pair of scissors and a sweaty brow, alone in the editing room late at night, saving the world. Or am I being harsh? HA!
Steve

STAIRWAY TO HEAVY WATER

I haven't seen the movie yet and have just been introduced to your reviews (by way of Rotten Tomatoes), but I wanted to let you know that your "Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock" reference in the Weight of Water critique was not lost on me. Very impressive. I think it is fairly courageous of you to use such a reference that I must admit made me feel good to get. (Kind of like reading Pound and understanding what he is talking about.) Anyway, great reviews.
Michael

Thanks so much for the comment. The number one thing that I get slagged for by most online wags is having the temerity on occasion to not underestimate my readers. Thanks for justifying that faith. -Walter

LOVED BY SOME, HATED BY OTHERS