anchor Greta 6 minutes now past 12 and good afternoon. Welcome back to mid day on this Independence Day weekend. I'm Gary acting. Hope you're having a good weekend and a glad you could tune. And today we're so we have the fireworks. We have the picnic saw parades all the traditional celebrations this weekend, but besides that lots of people are going to be spending their fourth of July weekend at the movies. Maybe you plan to be one of them and there are so many big Blockbusters to choose from this this year pick your poison. Really you got killer asteroids killer monsters killer aliens killer or Killers, which ones are worth Siri and see which ones are a total waste of money plus of course movie buff. So there's that new list of the top 100 movies to try to sort through and comment on will joining us this hour to talk movies help us sort through the summer Blockbusters and discuss those all-time classic. Is Minnesota public radio's very own movie Maven producer Stephanie Curtis. She knows all if you'd like to join our conversation. If you have a question or comment about the big summer movies or that top 100 list for that matter. Hope you can call us this this hour to 276 thousand is our Twin City area number 227-6000. And if you're calling from outside the Twin Cities, the number is 1 800 to +422-828-227-6000 or one 800-242-2828. We are talking movies the sour Stephanie. Thanks for coming in. You're welcome. Very happy to be here. You are armed and dangerous full of all the info you usually have I am I am okay with a big one that open this week. I guess was Armageddon by Michael Bay who directed The Rock which was two summers ago with Nicolas Cage Ed Harris and Sean Connery and then before that he directed Bad Boys with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence before that. He made commercials and you can Armageddon it is you can really see his background in commercials in this movie. It's it's it's a it's a bad movie. It's it's gotten really bad reviews and I first started watching. I thought you know, this is amusing enough. I like I like Adventure films. I like action films and I love action film and it's a ragtag band of guys know they got a storm the castle. They've got to find the bomb your stuff is just great and Great Escape. Let's let's get together and get out of the Nazi prison camp. This is just great movies, but this one never really came together. The first part is amusing enough as it seems it seems fine. Like they make a lot of jokes are going through training. It's fun enough. No one really stands out besides Steve Buscemi. One of the actors Bruce Willis is kind of doing the Macho independent guy and is now It's not very interesting. It's not very interesting character and then it gets to the real action part where they've actually got to destroy the killer asteroid that is going to crash into Earth and bring on a nuclear winter. If you don't get burned up you're going to freeze to death and die. So they've got to save the Earth and you never really feel like they are there how to make the Earth is endanger. It is kind of remote and an even done that be okay if there's some fun explosions or you could eat Ward, you know, there was some tense moments as they were trying to destroy the asteroid but instead the last hour, you really can't tell what's happening where they are people get people died in in explosions and you you can't tell who in your lives are all my gosh you like the skin is dead and you're looking at your friend that your was like which one was that? I can't even tell and one guy that I thought was dead at the end of the movie where he was and he wasn't I don't know who died during the You really it's what if you want to be a Batman and Robin from last year with I'll just be these fight scenes are these chasing and they don't even have the filmmakers don't even have the competence so that you can tell what is happening and then you know, you're not going to be tense. If you don't care about the characters, you know, I can be tense. If you can't tell what's going on and the movie is incredibly bizarrely loud to boot. So I'm hoping please please do not go see this movie. It's it's just it's not worth it Armageddon. The popcorn is better than The Well of the of the big guy the other big Blockbusters that are out like which are the two best people haven't seen any of these movies are out this weekend that you should go to if you're looking for adult films for adults not family movies. I'll get that in the second Truman Show with Jim Carrey. I know it's gotten a lot of hype like it supposed to be brilliant. Anna commentary on our society and don't expect it to be all that but it's an enjoyable film. It's funny you are it's very it just drags you along. It feels really quick. Can you can't believe it's already over with it? So it's a really fun movie and Jim Carrey does a good job and hit the supporting characters in there. The other woman who plays his wife Laura Linney. I haven't heard much pray for her, but she's wonderful in that part and I really loved her. That's a good movie to start to buy Peter Weir who did Dead Poets Society and some other films and it's a very good and then out of sight with George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez it open up last weekend and that one is directed by Steven Soderbergh of all people who did Sex Lies and videotape and then he's done a couple small or films that no one went to see including one called skits opolis where he's in it playing himself or another character. It's very confusing and very funny but not for everybody and this is much more mainstream a lot more mainstream and it Scott great action. It's got great romance. And then there are enough other little characters put in there to spice up every scene. They got Ving Rhames playing George Clooney's sidekick and he was in Pulp Fiction and some other films and he's he's a really good actor and Jennifer Lopez does a great job as the babe and with brains and George Clooney. Do I not a big fan of it ever never really thought much of him and he was in the show Facts of Life in the eighties and nineties on ER and he does a good job on TV, but his movies have never been very good at dancing guy who's supposed to have a lot of Charisma and one fine day with Michelle Pfeiffer and that didn't really work out in the Peacekeeper The Peacemaker Peacemaker, that's it and it came out and Venture film last fall. He just didn't have this movie star presents that you expect and suddenly in his movies like, he's Steve McQueen. He's got Charisma is funny smart. He's fun to watch. It was great. It's it's really good movie X-Files. What about that? You didn't mention that is that any good or I probably wouldn't have liked it that much except I had I just seen Armageddon. So it looks like a work of Genius compared to that. But I really don't think people who aren't a fan of the X-Files on TV are going to enjoy it that much. It's a good action film. You kind of forget the moment you leave the theater, but it's not a complete waste of 2 hours you enjoy yourself but there are parts of it that if you aren't familiar with the TV show, which I'm not you're just not going to get characters who come on that the audience kind of goes. Oh my gosh and giggles and you don't know who they are and they really don't explain it. But and the plot is a little Haley you're not quite sure what's going on and that's kind of the point of the X-Files like the characters themselves. Don't know what the big conspiracy is. But all it does is leave you hanging for the next the next the next movie to come out or at next Falls TV show. I don't know what so if you're really in the mood for an action movie, it's much better than Armageddon and there's some tense moments and some great action scenes and it's got great dialogue in some good acting from David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. So if you want an action flick, that would be fun to go to Stephanie Caruso. I come by today to talk about the movies that are in the theaters or about halfway through the the summer movie season. Lots of very expensive big movies out and without a group be great to get a get a review of which ones are good, which ones aren't so good. Look again to December movies that are coming out later and then of course there is that Is that came out a couple of weeks ago the American Film institute's list of the 100 best American movies of all time and I will be talking about that this all really whatever you'd like to find out about the movie Stephanie is the person to ask to 276 thousand is our Twin City area number to 276 thousand or 1-800. 242-282-8227 6001 800-242-2828 bobble head lice that. I laughed through the whole thing. I laughed my head off and especially when the president was standing up in the back of a pickup truck giving the speech. I thought it was supposed to be comedic and I was laughing my head off. And of course, I I looked around and I was getting all these glares from people and I'm just wondering what was that supposed to be cliche and hilarious or was that the whole thing with the pilot and he's Weeping in his children are listening to and go up in the plane and he's weeping and that was supposed to be funny wasn't it? I mean, they didn't seriously came off that way the same thing in Armageddon where they try to be a little bit more serious or patriotic or get your heartstrings going and they've got these people standing up and getting big speeches and they actually all my gosh in Armageddon Independence Day the American flag good guys or the other shot and I think the filmmakers themselves meant that to be moving and patriotic and serious, but it's it's just laughable most the time and he's actionflex when suddenly because they Veer so they Veer back and forth like an arm again. You're supposed to be feeling very patriotic when they saved the Earth in these guys go up there and then save not just the us but everybody and they've got an actually have after the Earth is say they actually have scenes of little kids running around. They look like they're from the Dust Bowl era. They've got little boys with just overalls. Barefoot running past American flags and one of them actually runs after a day of Kennedy election sign. It just completely baffling and these actor these directors who can do a great like they really know how to do a special effects. They know how to move their cruise around in their good at that part too good at the technical stuff. They really stink when it comes to human emotion and when it comes to patriotism you need an actual person who's good at me no patriotism the kind of treat the same way as they do a giant alien attacking people or dried asteroid hurtling towards Earth. They really they they're very clumsy with it and they don't know how to really get into people's hearts and it comes off as and spawn bass deck and kind of silly especially in Armageddon when they want you to be patriotic and half the movie. There's actually I don't know why this bug me so much that they just buy a direct. Order from the president of the United States in this movie and use are not a Law & Order girl like, you know, you got to do what the President says but then when they turn around and want you to feel patriotic and flag-waving are these kind of baffling when they when they just committed treason there really an app that this at this stuff? Who are the who are these big the big pictures aimed at is who's supposed to be who's the target audience for all these mega mega movies in the summer. It's teenagers and kids boys boys and girls are trying to draw the girls in with romance with in in Armageddon with Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler and the guys just with a lot of things exploding and if you get one, they're not trying to get everyone to go there trying to get teenagers to go more than once. They're trying to get kids to say, you know, what are we doing? We got a couple bucks and these kids have disposable money and they're willing to go see a movie over and over again. My gosh the teenage girls would go over and over and over. So it's not that that many separate individuals have seen it that there's some people who seen it maybe even 10 times. I mean I did the same thing when I was a kid, I would have went to see Star Wars constantly. I mean it was you know, we didn't even do we saw it last month but not go again and that's what they're doing. Again. They're hoping that teenagers will think well, you know is nothing else to say nothing else to do might as well go see Armageddon for the third time and that's what a lot of these big summer Blockbusters are are aimed at and then of course I sprinkle another one's more adult films or family films hoping that the family will go out to see Doctor Dolittle together or that when the grown-ups decide to go see something they'll go see out of sight. So there are remedies to this but the armageddon's Independence Day the teenagers that they really want to get hooked crochet or a question for Stephanie. I agree with you so much on I mean I was I am the target audience for this film. I'm 26 years old male and I liked Michael Bay's bad boys. I didn't like Michael Bay's The Rock and I was kind of excited to see Armageddon and all the other marketing that was pointed at us and laugh / Rock / edited overstretched overacted overproduced. I'm running out of words that begin with over described as film. I just thank God there was Billy Bob Thornton in the Man Steve Buscemi to just at least make me appreciate what good acting is from time to time and it really makes me just want to go back to the rental store and see John sayles films are Jim jarmusch's pictures. I just cannot caution warn people enough to stay away from this movie May I love Next guy but it was it was it just was bombastic and it was like getting beaten over the head. It really wasn't the last hours. It was horrible and what he said about Steve Buscemi in Billy Bob Thornton. I have to agree there Steve Buscemi is the comic relief even during the last hour when everyone else gets pretty serious because you know, this is about to be destroyed Steve Buscemi. He's a comic actor. He's been in a lot of the Coen Brothers film kind of a strange looking guy in Fargo. He was the guy that was described by the the prostitutes at the funny looking guy. He's got kind of bug eyes and he's in in this movie and he is constantly funny and constant every time he comes home. You just breathe the side relief and then Billy Bob Thornton is playing like he's the head of the mission control pretty much Ed Harris played a similar row and roll in Apollo 13 the guy back on Earth in touch with the guys in outer space and keeping everything calm and thinking things. And Billy Bob Thornton is seems serious. And he's the one the one character that you kind of like all might you connect with and when he comes on it, it's a relief because he actually seems to be taking this Earth might be destroyed seriously had the roast of Bruce Willis who who doesn't seem to mind at all I ask you there. So everybody has different tastes so I suppose and but how is it that said that and I assume that gobs and gobs of money was spent on Armageddon big bucks movies that have not turned out all that. Well, it doesn't anybody along the way look at these and say, you know, this is really kind of bad that way if we need it. We need a tidy this up a little bit. I got these deadlines to hit and they do special effects. Take a long time. They'll they'll be there finish up shooting but then the post production on these special effects take so long and up until two weeks ago. They Are still finishing up parts of the film. So they've got this Russ job. They're trying to fit their trying to get it out in the theaters in the time of the big weekend that near the big Fourth of July weekend. We got to get it done. And so I don't know if there's they're just the last the last hour was completely in the hands of a couple people in the studio just have to kind of give it up. They don't they don't finish them up far enough ahead of time to really sit back and think about it. They just kind of push the whole thing through in and how fast I mean, it's sometimes they at they're doing it up until week ahead of time. There was still doing sound effects editing. It's kind of bad feeling that this much money would be spent but if you spend that much money, you know that you got some special effects and even if it isn't going to work out or look that good or you know, people don't know what the heck is happening. Oh, where is Bruce Willis right now? What do they know that? They'll be lots of explosions. They'll be no be some good shots of people being destroyed a great shot of Paris themed. Right looks really cool and they figure around that'll bring them in and people aren't that this people will not stay away from an action film just because it's a little bit shoddy got a day trying to look at you in your next place. I'll keep listening but I just have to say that I just think of film criticism is like way overrated or that you're kind of in a club with yourself and I have friends were some critics and I'm glad you know what I'm 40, and I've got kids and I just love going to action flicks movies and I weep like a couple weeks ago. I went to a deep impact, you know, it came out we were just howling because you know, he's like, I can't believe you were crying there when the guy I dated baby to the parents. I'm thinking this is a film that story was just about you know, the potential end of the world. This thing was coming to parents. Were you going to get wiped out they gave their kid to the reason I go is to just let myself go along and enjoy it and a Groupon action flicks looking over my brother's phone shoulder. You know what James Bond, you know, man from Uncle James Bond movies and nose are really funny. You know, that's right. Like the guy that called earlier said, you know, he laughed through the whole movie and people were given them a glare and I mean James Bond, they're definitely part where you know, it's everybody would have to think it's funny because it's so over-the-top, but I also think that there's room for going to movies letting yourself get into the story giving it away as if it's you know, kind of unbelievable in strength of somebody rejecting a convincing the president be kind of just go with it. And I also find that, you know, I just been frustrated cuz I so often Hanna movie and then I go and I love it. It's fine. It's a couple hours out and throw off and it has to do with it if it's actors or actresses that I said, I like to follow I don't care what they do. You know when I went to write I really do enjoy it. So that was like, okay we should point out by the way that you are not an official credit. Can I am not follow your off my credit call official critic probably should be though. What's your impression of that now, you know when people let people look at these official reviews in the papers and so on and should what should people make of what they read their should they follow that advice just kind of figure that. Well, if if this guy doesn't like it, I know I'll enjoy it. So what the heck best thing to do is to get to know a film critic and know when you agree with them and not because they'll be someday or some critics that I know I'll read their stuff and they'll say something's going to be great or something is going to be horrible, but I know what Who is Dave David said the same thing about before with love. I'll know whether I agree with him before or not and film critics can be snobs and or dismiss something that that people really love and he just it's kind of hard. You have to get to know a Critic and know your local critics. You can tell what a movies about test me what they say about it. And is it fair to assume that if everybody pan something that really is bad boy. This is wonderful. Usually can yeah, if something said if everyone says something is really bad, it is probably really is that bad and sometimes you just admit critics will pan Armageddon and I'll tell you it's bad but people will just enjoy the spectacle and just enjoy being in the NFL leader for a couple hours, but there are films that are Escapist that That are good to you know die hard and action film that is smart well-written tents good acting good directing and a lot of fun and you you forget yourself for a couple hours and you leave the theater and you actually would be willing to see it again. It's a good movie and then was like Armageddon, you know, when the critics say the bad there's there there are big problems with it. They are just my arm again is just incompetent Deep Impact was Ho Chi but some people like, you know, you have another killer asteroid is pretty hokey and very sentimental, but I know if there were people crying there and if you know that you that you like films that are in like big spectacles and you like big summer movies go see him. Anyway, there's nothing wrong with that there is nothing wrong with going to a movie and just sitting back and forgetting about life. You know, I think it's I think it's great and I don't think that Hollywood films all stink. I love Hollywood movies and I think they're fantastic movie enthusiasts. Stephanie Curtis is with us today. Now when Stephanie on the rare occasion, she's not in the movie theaters. She actually works here. She's a producer and a good one, but she really knows he's movies inside and out. And does she been good enough to come by today to talk about that the summer Blockbusters lot of people going to the movies this weekend. So talk about the summer Blockbusters and I do want to get to the top 100 movies at some point this list that came out a lot of buzzing about that. If you'd like to try our conversation to 276 thousand or 1-800 242-282-8227 6001 800-242-2828. Mike your next topic slightly to movie theaters themselves in the same way that there are Gordmans are audio files. I sometimes think of myself as being a movie or file in that. I really really wish The Cooper theater had not been torn down. That was my one favorite theater and I'm not topic. I got two halves of the same question. I've been to the Lakeville 6 Cinema Plex. I've seen screen one. Although I've never had seen a movie there. I've been to the new Kerasotes theater in Coon Rapids, but not the second one. Does Joe ordinary find out that yeah the movie I want is on screen one at Lakeville or hey the movie I want is on screen 2 8 9 or 6 at Kerasotes, you know, we're supposed to go into the little shoebox ones. They've got a news megaplexes and the second question is What is your favorite or at least least worst theater that is replacement for the Cooper are these big fears that opened up is one in Lakeville? And as one in I think it's in Coon Rapids and some of their theaters not all of them are huge and big beautiful screen and the seats are angled at a slope. So when you sit down the person in front of you you can see over them, and I don't know why am C Radiance eating a sloped and it's great. It's such a relief to just be able to see the whole screen and not have to be slouching moving your head around the whole time and the only way you can find out you got a call at the theaters and ask them and sometimes in the movies, they'll be double you can find out if something is has sound a sound system that you want to see there'd Sound systems that you want to hear actually not see and they'll the advertising that now under the film because people will go to films to be able to see and hear well and you just have to call and ask them. There's no big secret that you know just called the theater that is it in one of the big theaters or was it when one of the small ones because there's nothing it's such a pain in the butt to go to a theater and not be able to see the movie or have to move around because you can't see if the person in front of you. It's not their fault. I've learned that finally. I'm no longer angry at the people who sit in front of me, but it's worth it to go see a movie at one of those big theaters is fantastic and thinking movie with a good sound system is great. My on the Cooper was a great theater & great seating rat sound systems beautiful screen, and I I really I really miss that and my theaters I break them down Roseville for theaters. It's a discount theater. You can go there when the movies been playing for a couple months and we'll show it a discount and the seats at the Pause before theater our Heavenly there these big seats that go all the way up to the back of the top of your head and then they rock you can lean back and they Rock and it's really comfortable not what is a plastic jar. Even if the movie is a bummer. You can just take a great nap in there are incredible. I like the Lagoon Theater. Is there seating because I can't they have a slightly sloped seeding. I can see over people and they're really but there really is no replacement for the Cooper theater, you know, the Uptown has it still has their big theater, but the sound system isn't very good and the Suburban world is a great old theater just going to sit cuz it's it's it's just beautiful inside as got the silly twinkling stars on the ceiling and that's always fun to go to another plug the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis. If you want to see a fantastic old art deco don't go. Go see a movie just go buy some popcorn and sit in the lobby there. They've got a wonderful old art deco Lobby. It's gorgeous. It's huge lots of couches everywhere. So while you're waiting for the movie to start you can sit great Theater. Now, what about these there's at least one and I suspect there are more of movie theaters where you you eat at work, or is that a concept? That isn't going to pan out don't don't Don't go money to really concentrate on a snowman don't go see a very complicated filmed because people are eating around you people are in it someplace where people go when they drink they drink beer and when people drink beer they tend to chitchat make jokes of the little the conversation when someone isn't like it was some guy next to his being wise and talking back to the screen it it increases 20-fold and one of those things cuz that guy has a couple beers in him that I said and it can't be fun. It's really great to eat and have a drink while you're watching a movie but make sure that it's some big actions movie not don't try to go and see anything too nuanced Gary your question place to my kids up at the classics and one of them are on my head and my oldest is 15 and then go down to 1/4 when I don't expect the great. See article inside for my four-year-old. The older ones I've been trying to introduce them movies like a if you are some wells and well that was rated number one on it by the American Film Institute. My question to you sent me is why is Citizen Kane considered to be such a stellar that you're great. Great movie best movie of all time. According to this American Film Institute. It's not going for kids really. It's it's really an adult film it's hard because it's a complicated story about a man who's not not a hero in you the reason why it's great one the story. It's slowly unfolding it got a little bit of a mystery at the beginning he dies and he says Rosebud you're wondering who the whole thing what you know, who first of all you don't know who the guy is and then you don't know who wrote. But it is then slowly you learn more and more and they'll tell you the story of his life and at the very beginning in 5 minutes that got an old news real so, you know, pretty much who he is and is slowly Healy you learn from different characters, like different points of view what this man was like so there's a slow unfolding of this man's character. That's great. And then visually the movie is just beautiful up until then. Movies where very much like theater and they they didn't they they didn't have so much going on just with surrounding people that the sets and they Citizen Kane in to introduce something of deep focus where you can look all you weren't commanded to look in one spot and that you left a wide shot so you can look all around a room and their stuff going on everywhere every time you see the movie you see something new is it's just a fantastic film but it's not it's not for kids really kids have a hard to kids better off with the Great Escape some heart pumping something or something. That's funny and it's a very adult movie about a man who is very ambitious and never quite finds happiness in your favorite movie of all time. You think it's the best movie of all time merican movie it probably one of the top five it's not one of my favorite movies. Top five here Citizen Kane II was a Casablanca then the Godfather Gone With the Wind and Lawrence of Arabia. What any of those fire in your mind qualify as the best American movie of all time. I love The Godfather and Gone With the Wind. I really think if you're saying greatest like the one that people love the one that people will see over and over again that just grab your heart. I think you have to go with Gone With the Wind is just no dispute its power over people. Now that's come out again and you were saying off the air that the whole point of this is to reclaim the biggest movie of all time from Titanic Ted Turner bought Gone With the Wind. I don't know 10 years ago or something when you got this but he bought a bunch of MGM movies. I think it was and he he owns Gone With the Wind belongs to him. Up until then you would see it on network TV every once in awhile, like once a year. They had Gone With the Wind on I remember watching it pretty much every year and then Ted Turner owns it and you know, he on CNN he has Turner movie classics. He's doesn't have let a-be CNBC or whoever was showing it show it anymore and you have Titanic came out and it's made more money than any movie. It's sold a lot of tickets. But all these Gone With the Wind of files and Ted Turner and a man with no small ego who who thinks it is kind of his his film now wanted to release it because Gone With the Wind has sold more tickets and is being seen by more people than Titanic. So he wanted to kind of bring it back out and it's restored and supposedly gorgeous because they redid the film and recolored it going back to the original process. So now the colors are supposedly almost like they were when it first came out it was more colorful. It came out then you've ever seen it before so it's a brand-new gorgeous print and Ted Turner kind of wants to and it's gotten a lot of press people are writing about it. Again. He wants to sell a bunch more tickets and kind of thumb his nose at Titanic. It's a great. I mean, it's just a fantastic film yummy there a lot of problems with it. I'm sure the Old South wasn't as wonderful as they portray it and it's the parts of it that make you cringe when I'm dealing with blacks in the movie, but I just can't help it. I love that movie. I love Scarlett O'Hara. I love that she is nasty and that she's bad. She's a climber and I've no red butler. The ultimate romance book hero is Just Disagree film. Stephanie. Curtis is our guest this hour talking about the big summer Blockbusters the list of the supposed list of the it while it is a list the list of the supposed. 100 best movies American movies of all time whatever you'd like to talk about. We're talking movies this our lot of people go to the movies over the Fourth of July weekend. We got to be a great too great opportunity to get your specific questions answer to 276 mm or 1 800 to +422-828-227-6004 1 800-242-2828. You know Stephanie one of these times when we do these programs. I am going to use the S word though the stump Stephanie word for the week beforehand. We have to do it sometime this woman knows more about movies. That's inconceivable how she anyway Cecilia. You're next. Glad please. Oh, hi there. I have a question about Doctor Dolittle. I've heard I have a couple favorite the critics that I look too and they seem to be in Conflict it on this one and I was wondering what your opinion of the PG-13 rating of got like a 10 to a five-year-old three boys. And is it some I've heard it's the profanity that's this got the rating and another that was you know, sexual kind of innuendos. It was mainly sexual innuendo as far as I I can tell and it's a kind of sexual innuendo where you know, it's really innuendo. It's not that I don't think kids would really understand what was happening. There is certainly no nudity and it's it's a good family. My thing is I had a good time. It's funny. It's short. It doesn't overstay his welcome. They've got a lot of cameos from different stars. Look portraying different animals. So they'll have people come on and do one funny little bit and then then they're out of there. It's it's a nice film and I would I wouldn't think there'd be any problem with taking your kids to it. Any other movies out. Now that are that would be good for a for a whole family with kids that have a good time and the parents could parents could can enjoy it too. And that's fine. It's not want his movies. That only kids can enjoy and mulan's the new Disney film. I'm a huge fan of Disney animated films there and I know there are many problems it sexist and racist other than that, but Mulan is it's good. It's it's again doesn't overstay his welcome. I like it when family films her short cuz kids get restless and soda parents and Mulan is about a young girl who in place of her father goes to war for China. And I'm the Middle Ages and it's it's funny. It's gorgeous. The main character Mulan is a great is a great girl and it's supposed to be epic and it really doesn't feel quite epic. It feels easily tied up inside, but but it's a good film. I enjoyed it watched As Good As It Gets on video and frankly we were totally baffled and Frankly, we thought it was garbage and to put a to put it exactly as it is without any sugar-coating and rather than debated what I would be interested in as if I could hang up and just hear you tell me either why this movie has Merritt or why Hollywood rewarded it or why people are loving it. I simply cannot make head or tail of why this is supposedly as good as I'm not a big fan of As Good As It Gets enforced least. I won't give up all that strong are all that strong support for people want people love Jack Nicholson and everything and it's going to let Jack Nicholson do his I'm a load some scoundrel don't you love me thing? I found an inexplicable cuz I don't think there's any way that Helen Hunt's character would fall in love with this man. It it made no sense. The dog was funny enough. I like the dog. I like little dog jokes. The dog was funny. It was sappy. It was unbelievable. It wasn't all that funny and the problems were easily solved. I don't know. I really was not all that chat. I don't think it's worse piece of dreck to come along but it certainly didn't deserve best actor best actress and I think and it's also directed by James L Brooks and he's a TV director and he's really it felt very and it was felt very it never really took off as a film. It's all very TV, like like it felt very sedate somehow. I don't I don't I didn't really like it all that much but I'm not a Big Jack Nicholson fan either. I don't like him. He does nothing for me. I know people are going to hate me for saying that but I just don't like him and Helen Hunt was I don't know why people went Bonkers over her. I mean she was When she said she was good enough and she's better than she is on TV or at least different than she was on TV, but I really don't get it at all plus it's the annoying younger woman and this ancient guy and I'm a younger woman then let me tell you I would never even look twice at Jack Nicholson's character in that we've heard a lot of the lot of talk about this business of the old guy and the in the young woman people are are in arms about this when I was reading some articles of all it's nothing new has been going on the movie, but they keep trying out these guys. I was reading some article that said coming out this summer or two of Hollywood sexiest man are going to be in the movies, Warren Beatty. And Robert Redford have a talking about you know not come to the Viagra generation or something. I mean these guys are so Hollywood has yet to let them go as their big their big Superstar these big Superstar what you were saying earlier that like specially during the summer with the big movies. They're trying to get the teenagers in girls get the older audience in trying to appeal and they so they keep trying out these same guys. I mean cuz it's supposed to be funny and maybe young women went to see Robert Redford's film on The Horse Whisperer cuz they wanted romantic movie, but I don't know that they've got to get their trying desperately to buy new Young stars for Action films new young male stars and they leap on every young guy that comes along hence the the Acclaim for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, but man Bulworth did pretty well and I think it's partially because Warren Beatty kind of mop himself in it. He didn't take himself all that seriously. But yeah, it is noise me when they when they they got these young young women with these old guys and one of my favorite little facts that I just learned actually in The Graduate we're Benjamin is having an affair with his parents older older friend and Bancroft Dustin Hoffman was 30 and she was 36 and we still think of that is like this this young young guy in this ancient woman getting together and having an affair and there are 6 years apart. And that was it mean while and Haitian Harrison Ford like 20 years apart and how Barry who starred opposite Warren Beatty and Warren Beatty are about 35 years apart. If it's it, I don't know why they keep trying out. These old guys to play when they don't have them play. Someone who's of their age. Why don't they have them at opposite gender role in The Fantasticks sexy woman who's in her late forties. She said, she's great. I don't know why they don't get parts to her. But one of the black and white. Those are really cool. So I was running you think that this new one is Antonio Banderas is going to going to be up to Snuff trailers for this the other part the previews in the movies since last fall and then tell me all these commercials. Come on again. It felt like oh my god did this movie already come out been hearing that for so long, but the latest ones I saw the latest previews looked really fun. They look great Anthony hop and I love Antonio Banderas Anthony Hopkins plays opposite him as the Old his older trainer in tutor in the art of sword and horseplay or something. I don't know it. It looks like it was fun. I have high hopes for it. I really hope it's a good that it can be an amusing film and they got some new young gorgeous woman playing opposite them bloom. I've never seen before and it looks like it might be fun jobs are only from the TV show and there is a which brings to mind then the Avengers which is a show coming out. Is that supposed to that's coming out supposed to be a big deal or is it that they're really starting to promote? It is supposed to be one of the big films of the summer and I think they're trying to like people would see Mission Impossible hoping the same people go see this is kind of hard to tell what's going to be like Sean Connery is playing the bad guy, which I think is great. Cuz I I've always thought that Sean Connery should play a bad guy sometime and really a he could really get into it and rip that apart. So he's Play the guy on girlfriend. I suppose I don't get off that he is playing a guy who controls the I think it is going to destroy the Earth. I'm not quite sure what the plot is, but it looks like it might be amusing. Uma Thurman is she's proved that she can be a good, comedic actress in Pulp Fiction. Looks like she's supposed to be it's supposed to be funny and not just really really serious. So your next and that was what I was calling to ask about. I saw it on one of the younger people that went to go see it because I like Warren Beatty but it was hilarious. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen and I don't understand why everybody is harping on the fact, you know, a lot of critics have said that it was a horrible feeling and Warren Beatty shouldn't be doing this and all their heart pain is the older man younger woman thing and not about the fact that he's speaking a lot of Truth within the whole film, you know, and I just didn't understand why the critics thought it was so off. It was really well-crafted still with you. Got a lot of good reviews too. And I think there's some people mean what you just kind of have to let certain things go, you know, if you're going to go see a movie and Warren Beatty's and it said he'll bury just let it go and suspend your disbelief and try to enjoy the film and I think that some people just thought the humour was too broad or too obvious and other people loved it. It really didn't get pan by most everybody. We got mixed reviews this refused meaning of some people who didn't like it and then some people thought it was great and hysterical. There's a pretty sharp, D much sharper than most Hollywood comedies which are mainly about butt jokes and all that stuff a lot of butt jokes and Doctor Dolittle by the way, I'm not going to horrible Stephanie Curtis is our guest this hour she is a producer at Minnesota Public Radio, but more to the point today. She is a big time movie fan and has been going to come by. Going to Russian while we have Stephanie into would bring us up-to-date on the big movies and what she likes what she doesn't like always interesting to hear her comments, Bob. I ain't got to tap for this. I was going to ask you about the six days and seven nights. I just think my wife liked it more than I did. I'm a big Harrison Ford van love the guy this to me seem like a huge step down for him a little more Chemistry Between Harrison Ford and Anne Heche and their haste and there was in the Jack Nicholson movie by far. But I mean, I guess I was trying to find something I liked about the movie. I just was wondering what your comments right? I thought it was kind of a stinker in my wife said it was okay. Thanks. And and I think he went to this movie because he had made Air Force One and he wanted to make something a little bit more lighthearted and War in the realm of the right of the Lost Ark and those movies that he's made there a little bit more. His last romantic comedy outing with Sabrina was a rousing failure again older guy younger woman, but it didn't fail because of that it fell because the woman they were both playing in Sabrina. They're both playing kind of cold fishes and watching too cold fishes. Get-togethers is not much fun six days and seven nights is better than Sabrina, but still not all that good. It's been kind of confused between whether it was a romantic comedy or it was going to be an action movie and they kind of wanted a a banter between Harrison Ford and Anne Heche liking is Tracy and Hepburn, you know, where they make their that each other and there just weren't that many singers. It never really took off its gorgeous. I mean that makes you want to go to an island and I think and Haitian Harrison Ford did have chemistry, but the script just wasn't funny enough. It wasn't sharp enough and the movies a waste neither fish nor fowl in your mind. I should have gone all out with action, or they should have tried to make it a lot funnier than it was. Seth go ahead Stephanie. I hear you're a movie expert. It was a look of panic across your tuition. Go ahead and Carrie Fisher called under the rainbow looks that apparently it never came out on teeth. Is it to that kind of like get buried because it was unfair to dwarves or something that took place at a reunions of dwarves from The Wizard of Oz movie. So they're going on this like Caper and then everywhere there are dwarves running around it was in the early 80s carries laughing a lot here. It's a very it was a very very silly, It didn't do very well and they got a lot of it got a lot of people angry because it made there are a lot of dwarf jokes. Wars were happy to get the work but the ones weren't in the movie weren't happy with being made fun of it never I don't think it ever came out of video is kind of one of the it was one of the movies that came out before video everything was regular put on a video cuz it was in Sunday 980 so that everything automatically went to video that you know, they're still trying to decide between VHS and beta at that point and this isn't a movie where it's someone's going to say, you know, I bet lots of people are looking for the hidden treasure, but you can every once in a while see it. I've seen it and I didn't see in the theaters. I saw it on late night TV. It's one of those things that you know, you're flipping through the TV 2:00 in the morning on Saturday night. If you can't sleep and you come across that fine film under the rainbow. Yeah. I just want to make the comment that some people are complaining about some mediocrity and some of these Blockbusters and I think part of the problem is these films at the Videos actually green light films made by Warner Brothers in Paramount not Independent films have to go through all these screenings and have to really appeal to sort of a lowest common denominator and and without being able to be very specific about humor or content or audience a lot of times. It's like food, you know, you find one thing that every everybody likes but you said that maybe the blandest thing on the table still be movies where the it will start you beauty when you go to see a movie look at the screenplay by and if there are more than three names up there, you know, something's wrong too many cooks are spoiling the broth. They'll start out with a screenplay written by somebody that's got some jokes are some action or some romance or some drama and then the producer or whoever buys it might then get a script doctor to come in and clean it up and say, you know, this is an action film but Titanic did really well, so we need to have some teen romance in their you know jokes about And then it went to help win after Terminator came out and they started pointing guns at people making a joke and shooting people like the end of the famous the awful one Arnold Schwarzenegger shooting in alligator and saying your luggage that's usually not written by the original screen. Where are they bringing people to just add little zingers and funny things you end up with this mishmash. That doesn't make any sense. That's why is a movie like The Truman Show written by one person. He he also Road Gattaca a good movie. If you want to rent a good movie Gattaca is really it's really good written by one person. So it's kind of a cohesive Miss to the voice and they didn't have someone come in and add some extra extra jokes. They didn't say, you know, there's no nudity in this movie. We had need to add new Denny don't look for movies with one screenwriter and I'll be better Stephanie. Unfortunately, we're out of time. We have only scratched the surface again. So Armageddon thumbs down one movie this weekend. People should go see. Okay great. Thanks a lot. Stephanie Curtis joining us this hour movie enthusiastic movie expert but not a movie critic not a movie critic. Thanks to all of you who joined us. This our hope you have a great Independence Day weekend where they go to the movies or not. Have a great weekend and we are sure glad glad that you were able to join us here for a midday program programming on Minnesota Public Radio is supported by Valleyfair amusement park where you can choose your kind of fun. Thrill rides live entertainment and refreshing water park. That's it for Midday Gary I can hear thanks for tuning in. On the next all things considered the mpca is taking a second look at an air quality study that found Coke Refinery doesn't pose.