From /home/matoh/tmp/sf-rev Fri Aug 22 16:19:19 1997 From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Jul 15 23:06:53 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lejonet.se!newsfeed1.telia.com!masternews.telia.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!dciteleport.com!europa.clark.net!howland.erols.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uchinews!cbgw2.lucent.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: jmcgowan@cms.dbc.nospam.com (James McGowan) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: RETROSPECTIVE: MEN IN BLACK (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.past-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 23 Jun 1997 16:11:59 GMT Organization: Capital Management Sciences Lines: 27 Sender: evelynleeper@geocities.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: evelynleeper@geocities.com Message-ID: <5om78f$1fs@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> ~Reply-To: jmcgowan@cms.dbc.nospam.com (James McGowan) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtvoyager.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #07924 Keywords: author=McGowan Originator: ecl@mtvoyager Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:7307 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1363 MEN IN BLACK A film review by James McGowan Copyright 1997 James McGowan I had the pleasure of seing Men In Black last night at a press screening. First, if there's justice in this world, MIB should blow every summer release out of the water (not a thinly veiled reference to that execrable waste of celluloid, Speed 2, or to the upcoming Titanic). Second, it's great to see some imagination to go along with great special effects for a change! The story line is cute, and does a great job of twisting popular perspectives on such things as the tabloid press and government conspiracies. Jones is his usual gruff, lovable self as a seasoned "man in black". Smith is terrific as a befuddled inductee to the MIB organization. My personal favorite (and obviously the audience's) was Vincent DiOnofrio as, well, a loathsome human who gets hijacked by an even more loathsome alien. His spastic body English had me in hysterics from beginning to end. In short, MIB is hysterically funny, with lots of witty dialog and beautifully rendered sight gags. If you could combine Terminator 2 with Beetlejuice, you'd have a rough approximation of what I mean. I'll stop here and just advise that you get in line on opening night. What a blast! From /home/matoh/tmp/sf-rev Fri Aug 22 16:31:49 1997 From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Jul 15 23:07:39 1997 From: mrbrown@ucla.edu (Michael Dequina) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: MEN IN BLACK (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 23 Jun 1997 16:27:18 GMT Organization: Yale CS Mail/News Gateway Lines: 58 Sender: evelynleeper@geocities.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: evelynleeper@geocities.com Message-ID: <5om856$1hg@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> ~Reply-To: mrbrown@ucla.edu (Michael Dequina) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtvoyager.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #07926 Keywords: author=Dequina Originator: ecl@mtvoyager Path: news.ifm.liu.se!hk-r!genius!seunet!news2.swip.net!mn6.swip.net!nntp.uio.no!www.nntp.primenet.com!nntp.primenet.com!cs.utexas.edu!howland.erols.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uchinews!cbgw2.lucent.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:7298 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1358 MEN IN BLACK A film review by Michael Dequina Copyright 1997 Michael Dequina Men in Black (PG-13) *** 1/2 (out of ****) UFOs. Aliens. Slime. Will Smith. What more can you ask for? In the case of last year's Independence Day, a self-awareness of its inherent ridiculousness would have helped. That problem does not befall Smith's latest bout with creatures from outer space, Barry Sonnenfeld's witty and fun sci-fi-action-comedy Men in Black. In this adaptation of Lowell Cunningham's obscure Marvel/Malibu comic, Smith stars as a New York cop who is recruited by mysterious Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) into the ultrasecret underground group known as the Men in Black, which overlook intergalactic relations. It is up to Agent K and the newly christened Agent J to prevent an alien bug disguised as a farmer (Vincent D'Onofrio) from stealing a galaxy and thereby causing an interplanetary war and, in turn, the destruction of earth. If this sounds a tad confusing to you, you're not alone. MiB's biggest problem is its story--the primary plot cooked up by screenwriter Ed Solomon is introduced fairly late in the game and never completely adds up (just what is the deal with the bag of marbles at the end?). But by the time the nominal plot takes center stage, the film has already won you over with the script's witty one-liners, self-effacing sense of humor, and bashes at pop culture (Sylvester Stallone is skewered in one of the more inspired gags); and its imaginative production design (by Bo Welch) and visual effects (supervised by Eric Brevig). Most impressive, however, are the alien makeup effects designed by Rick Baker. The creatures look like exactly that--living, breathing alien creatures and not animatronic puppets. Especially convincing is an alien infant whom J delivers; slinky, squidlike, and covered in slime, the expressive baby alien succeeds in doing what the best human infants do onscreen--look cute and elicit "aw"s. As impressive a technical achievement MiB is, it would not have worked without a strong lead duo, and Jones and Smith make a great team. Smith's natural, infectious ebullience plays off well against the stoic Jones, who is at his deadpan best, engaging in some ridiculous situations with the straightest of faces. It is one thing to wear a straight face while having a heated discussion with an uncooperative dog, but it's quite a whole other level of achievement to do that and convincingly appear to treat the situation with the gravest of seriousness. Jones's K never shakes off his grim face even when he is joking, making his performance that much more effective and funny. D'Onofrio has some great slapstick moments as the insect who hasn't quite got the hang of wearing a human skin suit, and though she's underused, Linda Fiorentino, as coroner Dr. Laurel Weaver, fits quite snugly with the team of Jones and Smith. Men in Black is certain not to reach the stratospheric box office heights of Smith's bountiful bout with aliens last summer, but in shedding the self-importance and jingoism of the two-hour-plus ID4 and taking on a most welcome self-aware sense of humor, the lean, mean, 98-minute MiB is not just a better film, it's also a lot more fun. __________________________________________________________ Michael Dequina mrbrown@ucla.edu | mj23@the18thhole.com Visit Mr. Brown's Movie Site at http://members.tripod.com/~MrBrown/ Personal Page: http://members.tripod.com/~MrBrown/home.html __________________________________________________________ From /home/matoh/tmp/sf-rev Fri Aug 22 16:32:19 1997 From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Jul 15 23:07:40 1997 From: ben.hoffman@bcsbbs.com (Ben Hoffman) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: MEN IN BLACK (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 23 Jun 1997 16:35:44 GMT Organization: The BCS BBS - Los Angeles, CA - 213-962-2902 Lines: 54 Sender: evelynleeper@geocities.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: evelynleeper@geocities.com Message-ID: <5om8l0$1ir@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> ~Reply-To: ben.hoffman@bcsbbs.com (Ben Hoffman) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtvoyager.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #07927 Keywords: author=B.Hoffman Originator: ecl@mtvoyager Path: news.ifm.liu.se!hk-r!genius!seunet!news2.swip.net!mn6.swip.net!nntp.uio.no!news.maxwell.syr.edu!howland.erols.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uchinews!cbgw2.lucent.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:7314 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1364 MEN IN BLACK A film review by Ben Hoffman Copyright 1997 Ben Hoffman OUT OF THIS WORLD! EXTRATERRESTRIAL AND EXTRA-HILARIOUS! The Sci-Fi genre has never been this funny. With some witty lines written by screen story and screenplay writer Ed Solomon, free rein is given to Tommy Lee Jones in his role of K, the man in black who works for the unofficial government agency that monitors aliens on Earth. There credo is "Protecting the Earth from the scum of the universe." K spouts some very funny lines despite his tongue never leaving his cheek. Jones is terrific. Look for lots of belly-laughs. Why are these agents called "MEN IN BLACK?" Because they dress in black, why else? When Zed (Rip Torn), the chief of the agency, learns that inhabitants of another planet are planning on conquering Earth, he assigns J (Will Smith) to help K save us. It is good to see Smith again on the large screen after that fine performance in SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION of a few years ago. Casting could not have chosen a better actor for the role of J. The evil extraterrestrial, Edgar, (Vincent D'Onofrio) visits a farmhouse, takes over the farmer's body and for the rest of the movie grimaces and walks around like a Dr. Frankenstein's monster reject . . . except that Edgar is a takeoff on monsters and a funny takeoff it is. When some strange deaths occur, the bodies are turned over to a medical examiner, Dr. Laura Weaver (the pretty Linda Fiorentino) who becomes involved with the monsters and with trying to save the planet. Special effects include the gelatinous slime that the aliens squirt at the Earthlings. There is an alien, Mikey, whose exterior is that of a Mexican immigrant but he cannot fool our hero, K, who rips off his false face to expose his hideous, slimy real self while immigration border patrol police are shocked. Then there is the High Priest of Baltia who likewise uses a human disguise. The visual special effects were supervised by Eric Brevig; (Industrial Light & Magic) the alien make-up by Rick Baker. These are all excellent. The film is based on the Malibu Comic by Lowell Cunningham. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. 4 Bytes 4 bytes = Superb 3 bytes = Too good to miss 2 bytes = Average 1 byte = Save your money Ben Hoffman From /home/matoh/tmp/sf-rev Fri Aug 22 16:32:27 1997 From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Jul 15 23:07:41 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!eru.mt.luth.se!pumpkin.pangea.ca!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!ais.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uchinews!cbgw2.lucent.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: null@filmcritic.com (Christopher Null) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: MEN IN BLACK (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 30 Jun 1997 23:49:34 GMT Organization: Null Publishing Co. Lines: 37 Sender: evelynleeper@geocities.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: evelynleeper@geocities.com Message-ID: <5p9gme$2lv@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> ~Reply-To: null@filmcritic.com (Christopher Null) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtvoyager.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #08020 Keywords: author=Null Originator: ecl@mtvoyager Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:7424 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1392 MEN IN BLACK A film review by Christopher Null Copyright 1997 Christopher Null At last, someone remembered how to make a good summer movie! With a clever, funny script and dead-on acting by title characters Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones at the heart of this hot weather gem, MIB gets it all just about right, succeeding at crossing the sci-fi and comedy genres where recent experiments like MARS ATTACKS! crashed and burned. Linda Fiorentino, almost unbilled in a great supporting role, also lends a fun sexiness to the film -- a picture in which the leads seem perfectly crafted for its stars. While the plotline about chasing an interstellar bug around New York is a little spare (clocking in at around 90 minutes) and devoid of much sub-plot, it's so damn funny that you'll practically forget about all of that... another trick that recent offerings haven't pulled off. Also, make sure you stay to the end, wherein a surprisingly humble look at life is revealed... especially when you consider that this came from Hollywood. RATING: **** |------------------------------| \ ***** Perfection \ \ **** Good, memorable film \ \ *** Average, hits and misses \ \ ** Sub-par on many levels \ \ * Unquestionably awful \ |------------------------------| -Christopher Null / null@poboxes.com / Writer-Producer -Visit the Movie Emporium at http://www.filmcritic.com -and Null Set Productions at http://www.filmcritic.com/nullset.htm From /home/matoh/tmp/sf-rev Fri Aug 22 16:32:31 1997 From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Jul 15 23:07:42 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!eru.mt.luth.se!pumpkin.pangea.ca!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!ais.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uchinews!cbgw2.lucent.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: berardin@bc.cybernex.net (James Berardinelli) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: MEN IN BLACK (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 30 Jun 1997 23:52:20 GMT Organization: - Lines: 94 Sender: evelynleeper@geocities.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: evelynleeper@geocities.com Message-ID: <5p9grk$2mc@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> ~Reply-To: berardin@bc.cybernex.net (James Berardinelli) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtvoyager.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #08031 Keywords: author=Berardinelli Originator: ecl@mtvoyager Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:7432 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1394 MEN IN BLACK A film review by James Berardinelli Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli RATING (0 TO 10): 7.5 Alternative Scale: *** out of **** United States, 1997 U.S. Release Date: 7/2/97 (wide) Running Length: 1:35 MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Violence, profanity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Rip Torn, Vincent D'Onofrio, Tony Shalhoub Director: Barry Sonnenfeld Producers: Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald Screenplay: Ed Solomon based on the comic book by Lowell Cunningham Cinematography: Donald Peterman Music: Danny Elfman U.S. Distributor: Columbia Pictures Have you ever seen a tabloid headline like this: "Woman gives birth to son of six-headed alien"? MEN IN BLACK, the new science fiction comedy from cinematographer-turned-director Barry Sonnenfeld (GET SHORTY), postulates that such stories are not the result of fertile imaginations, but accurate representations of the truth. You see, ever since the 1960s, Earth has become an intergalactic hideout for aliens in need of a place to lie low for a while. Currently, there are over 1500 visitors, most in New York City (based on personal experience, that number may be low), and their ranks include such high-profile names as Sylvester Stallone (he obviously had trouble mastering the language), Newt Gengrich (guess what he looks like in his natural form), and Dennis Rodman (who knew?). MEN IN BLACK is Will Smith's second consecutive motion picture close encounter of the third kind. Here, instead of engaging in ship- to-ship dogfights with creatures ripped off from ALIEN, he's using Series 4 De-atomizers to blast giant cockroaches. As Jay, he's the latest recruit of the ultra-secret sixth division of the INS (the "Men in Black" of the title) -- a group of government workers in charge of licensing and regulating the presence of non-Earthborn aliens. His partner, Kay (Tommy Lee Jones), is a venerable agent who knows the ropes and is willing to give lessons. Together, the pair go in search of an intergalactic assassin (played in human form by Vincent D'Onofrio) whose unauthorized activities on Earth could result in the planet's destruction. In many ways, MEN IN BLACK is the movie that MARS ATTACKS! wanted to be, but wasn't. This is a snappy, clever, often-funny motion picture that provides the perfect blend of science fiction-style action with comic dialogue. The screenplay, credited to Ed Solomon (and based on the Marvel comic book by Lowell Cunningham) has a sly, sophisticated edge that many blockbuster scripts lack. Sonnenfeld's direction is crisp and the editing is tight, resulting in a film that clocks in at a mere ninety-five minutes, which proves to be a nearly-perfect length. That's not to say that the movie is of masterpiece status, or even light on flaws. There are plenty of minor problems along the way, and the ending is somewhat rushed and anticlimactic. On the whole, however, viewers are less likely to remember the glitches than the clever one- liners, subtle parodies, and effective use of visual effects to integrate aliens into everyday existence. MEN IN BLACK's deliciously unconventional spirit lends a refreshing twist to a premise that has fueled numerous conspiracy theory movies and one currently-popular television series. The chief pleasure of MEN IN BLACK isn't being dazzled by the special effects, but enjoying the deadpan performances of Tommy Lee Jones (whose offhand attitude towards the most bizarre events would make Jack Webb proud) and Will Smith. This is a rare case when the multi- million dollar, computer-generated creatures don't upstage their real- life co-stars. Smith and Jones are a fine pair, and the film's focus on them never wavers. However, while the two leads can't complain about screen-time, the supporting players have all been short-changed. Linda Fiorentino, who gets third billing, is vastly underused, appearing only peripherally throughout. Vincent D'Onofrio (as the bad alien's human host) and Rip Torn (as Zed, the leader of the Men in Black) don't fare much better. A word of caution for those who expect to see INDEPENDENCE DAY 2: despite the attempts of certain marketing campaigns to link the two, they're vastly different in scope and intent. MEN IN BLACK is an outright comedy (in fact, some of its satire is directed at movies like last year's box office champ), not a pastiche of worn sci-fi/adventure elements, and there's no big space battle to be found. In fact, from the opening credits to the closing ones, our heroes stay firmly rooted on terra firma. Those accepting MEN IN BLACK for what it is will likely agree that this is one of 1997's more satisfying big-budget offerings. - James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin From /home/matoh/tmp/sf-rev Fri Aug 22 16:44:58 1997 From rec.arts.sf.reviews Mon Aug 18 15:23:27 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!eru.mt.luth.se!news.algonet.se!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!howland.erols.net!ais.net!uunet!in1.uu.net!140.142.64.3!news.u.washington.edu!grahams From: Vance Scott Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.reviews,rec.arts.movies.reviews Subject: Review: Men In Black (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films Date: 17 Jul 1997 15:36:42 GMT Organization: Sympatico Lines: 26 Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu Message-ID: <5qle6a$c0o@nntp5.u.washington.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: homer38.u.washington.edu NNTP-Posting-User: grahams Summary: r.a.m.r. #08260 Keywords: author=scott X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Originator: grahams@homer38.u.washington.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.sf.reviews:1449 rec.arts.movies.reviews:7697 Men In Black 6 out of 10, ** of **** stars Tommy-lee Jones, and Will Smith star in this quirky comedy about the trials of Kay, and Jay two agents of the mysterious Men In Black agency. The concept of Men In Black is a winner, and is a ripe play ground for a science fiction comedy. The supporting characters come across as hollow, and cardboard. Although the film's weak supporting characters have more to do with poor writing than acting. Tommy-lee Jones, and Will Smith are engaging, and entertaining. The characters Kay, and Jay provide an excellent vehicle for Tommy-lee Jones, and Will Smith to show off their comedic talent. The rest of the movie was some what dull, and lacking in imagination. The plot focuses on Kay, and Jay's attempt to stop an intergalactic cockroach from capturing a minature galaxy placed in a gemstone located on earth. The exploits of the villain a 15 foot tall cockroach is largely a waste of film footage, and the audience's time. The villain fails to frighten, or amuse. The only thing the villain brings to the story is an excuse for the Men In Black to have an adventure. Hollywood has produced a mediocre film, a step up from this summer's losers. The only thing we can hope is that Hollywood will realize that good writing is important to a movie's success, and next summers movies will improve. I suspect that if screen writers started to get the recognition they deserve good, or bad screen plays would improve. From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Nov 4 17:48:46 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed1.news.luth.se!luth.se!feed1.news.erols.com!news-peer.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!Sprint!worldnet.att.net!news.u.washington.edu!grahams From: ChadPolenz@aol.com (Chad Polenz) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: Men In Black (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 4 Nov 1997 06:08:01 GMT Organization: None Lines: 85 Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu Message-ID: <63me41$mir$1@nntp5.u.washington.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: homer18.u.washington.edu X-Trace: nntp5.u.washington.edu 878623681 23131 (None) 140.142.64.2 X-Complaints-To: help@cac.washington.edu NNTP-Posting-User: grahams Summary: r.a.m.r. #09635 Keywords: author=polenz X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Originator: grahams@homer18.u.washington.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:8973 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1594 Men In Black Chad'z rating: *** (out of 4 = good) 1997, PG-13, 98 minutes [1 hour, 38 minutes] [comedy/satire/science fiction] starring: Tommy Lee Jones (Agent K), Will Smith (James Edwards/Agent J), Linda Fiorentino (Dr. Laurel Weaver), Vincent D'Onofrio (Edgar - The Bug); written by Ed Solomon; produced by Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes; directed by Barry Sonnenfeld; based on the comic book and characters created by Lowell Cunningham. Seen Sunday, November 2, 1997 at 3:15 p.m. at Crossgates Cinema 12 (Albany, NY), with my brother John for $5. Movies geared towards massive audiences tend not to be that complicated or have that much intelligence to them. Americans especially don't like to watch things they don't have to think too much about. What's good about "Men In Black" is that, technically, it's another lightweight, mass-market comedy/adventure, but it's also a very clever satire. It appeals to both the child and the adult in us. It's difficult to make a film that is intended for the family and can be enjoyed by all members. But this movie starts off well by displaying its ability to do just that. The first scene depicts a truck full of illegal immigrants which is stopped by highway patrolmen, until two men in black suits show up and take over. Agent K (Jones) singles out one of the immigrants and brings him back into the desert where his true identity is revealed. He's an illegal alien all right - but he's from another planet and he doesn't have a passport. The dialogue between K and the alien is cartoony, but witty, in a "Simpson's" sort of way. Even though there's a slimy sight gag, it was built up through satire, which shows how the comedy succeeds on many levels. Satire derives its power from great acting. Anyone can write a joke, but it takes talent to make subtle comedy funny. Tommy Lee Jones is fantastic here as the Joe Friday-like Agent K. His sense of timing is perfect and his deadpan delivery makes everything he says or does seem both serious and funny. Then there's his counterpart, the always hyperactive Will Smith as James Edwards - an NYPD officer who is asked to join "Men in Black" (the secret agency K works for), because of an encounter he had with an alien. Many consider Smith a typecast actor who always plays characters like himself - but it doesn't matter because he's hilarious! It seems like he improvises every joke and gag, yet he never repeats himself. The actual plot of the film involves some kind of pending inter-galactic war with Earth in the middle. Agents J and K's job is to find a "bug" (D'Onofrio as "Edgar") whose ship crash-landed on a farm in upstate New York. He has made his way to NYC and wreaks havoc like a zombie in an Ed Wood movie, and if they don't find him something terrible is going to happen. There's a lot of detail and attention given to the MIB operation, which not only makes the satire even funnier and more clever, but shows how the film doesn't cop-out where most others would. Everything the characters do has a purpose, and there's actually a real sense of mystery here. At times I wasn't quite sure what was going on, but because the story is so lighthearted I never felt confused. There's actually not much more to say about the film because the comedy is so broad. It would be difficult to list even a few examples without describing, in detail, the context in which they take place. Everything's just plain fun, and the ending is a real hoot. Special mention must be given to Linda Fiorentino as Dr. Laurel Weaver, the sexy coroner who never plays the role of the damsel in distress nor the butt-kicking, "strong-willed woman" stereotype. "Men In Black" is epitome what the summer blockbuster movie should be: it's just plain fun. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------ Please visit Chad'z Movie Page @ http://members.aol.com/ChadPolenz - over 160 new and old films reviewed in depth, not just blind ratings and quick capsules. Also, check out The FIRST Shay Astar Web Page @ http://members.aol.com/ChadPolenz/ShayAstar.html e-mail: ChadPolenz@aol.com (C) 1997 Chad Polenz From rec.arts.sf.reviews Fri Jan 30 16:31:20 1998 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed1.news.luth.se!luth.se!sunqbc.risq.qc.ca!news-peer-east.sprintlink.net!news-peer.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!Sprint!worldnet.att.net!news.u.washington.edu!grahams From: Bootsector@hotmail.com (Matt Petras) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: Men In Black (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 29 Dec 1997 05:24:12 GMT Organization: Opinion Inc Lines: 71 Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu Message-ID: <687c5s$h73$1@nntp5.u.washington.edu> Reply-To: Bootsector@hotmail.com NNTP-Posting-Host: homer29.u.washington.edu X-Trace: nntp5.u.washington.edu 883373052 17635 (None) 140.142.64.6 X-Complaints-To: help@cac.washington.edu NNTP-Posting-User: grahams Summary: r.a.m.r. #10359 Keywords: author=petras X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Originator: grahams@homer29.u.washington.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:9735 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1717 Men in Black(1997) ©1997 Matt Petras Official Site: www.meninblack.com Rating: *** out of **** Length: 98 min (1:38 hours) Director: Barry Sonnenfeld Producer(s): Laurie MacDonald, Steven R. Molen, Walter F. Parkes, Graham Place, Steven Spielberg Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio, Rip Torn, Tony Shalhoub Aliens!! Well, that is what this movie is about. Computer generated aliens. OK, the movie is not just about computer generated aliens. It's about computer generated aliens and a secret organization known as MIB. If one wasn't green and running around the other would not exist as it's known. The computer graphics in this movie are spectacular, they make you want to believe that aliens like the ones depicted exits. Since seeing this movie I have to agree concede that Denis Rodman is an alien, he simply has to be. Well, in all seriousness the aliens created here are not only of the monster variety but are also of the soft, squishy and cuddly kind. Just adds something of a lighter note to the movie where it could have become very dark. Along with aliens comes the humor and in a pretty decent way. J, well soon to be J, a smart ass cop(played by Will Smith) runs down what he thinks is a would-be villain and gets some attention from the MIB and K in particular. K aims to recruit our poor J, but that is not the whole point of this movie. The main duty of the MIB is to police the extra terrestrials on earth who have chosen it as a home or a refuge. That's also the main point of this movie: protect the earth from the scum of the galaxy. Some of the scum from space is awfully bad and just down right nasty. Color commentary abounds when forced to deal with alien scum and none other than Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are there to deliver the punch. The dialogue is witty to say the least. This wittiness lets the movie flow well from scene to scene developing the characters to the extent needed for this movie. Tommy Lee Jones(as K) and Will Smith(as J) provide both the action and the comedy beautifully. The characters they play don’t seem to be wrong in any way nor does their performance as them. I would have to say that K is more amusing than J, but what's one without the other. Both roles complemented each other very well and the script seemed to be written for these two actors. The story also goes deep enough to provide a proper background so the audience is not totally clueless. Altogether good performances were put in by all the cast and the director blended everything marvelously with the necessary special effects to create a good movie. A movie well worth seeing if you are up for some lighthearted and witty humor. As most movies have their good things they also have their bad things. The character development in this movie was not all that grand because it didn't need to be. But if there was more character development and if there was some development of the alien characters that might have added quite considerable to the movie. Especially the evil alien, he did need some work. Though this could have been worked on, the movie was what it proposed to be a rather shallow and witty comedy. That was achieved rather well, with some interesting commentary and observations. A movie worth a view, but keep in mind what the movie is and if you are not fond of Will Smith's form of humor then I wouldn't go. Originally written after original release. Totally rewritten December 26, 1997 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- email: bootsector@hotmail.com web: www.imactive.com/bootsector/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- From rec.arts.sf.reviews Fri Jan 30 16:32:11 1998 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed1.news.luth.se!luth.se!cam-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!news-xfer.netaxs.com!news-peer.gip.net!news.gsl.net!gip.net!news-peer.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!Sprint!worldnet.att.net!news.u.washington.edu!grahams From: Steve Kong Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: Return of the Jedi Special Edition (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 8 Jan 1998 17:36:37 GMT Organization: The Hard Boiled Movie Page (http://boiled.sbay.org/boiled/) Lines: 65 Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu Message-ID: <6932r5$5cn$1@nntp5.u.washington.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: homer15.u.washington.edu X-Trace: nntp5.u.washington.edu 884280997 5527 (None) 140.142.64.1 X-Complaints-To: help@cac.washington.edu NNTP-Posting-User: grahams Summary: r.a.m.r. #10523 Keywords: author=kong X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Originator: grahams@homer15.u.washington.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:9785 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1722 RETURN OF THE JEDI SPECIAL EDITION (1997) A film review by Steve Kong Copyright 1997 Steve Kong "Die Ewoks! Die!" This is the phrase my Star Wars friends and I chant after every viewing of Return of the Jedi. Return of the Jedi could have been a good, no, great ending for the Star Wars Trilogy but there were those damn Ewoks. After finding out that his father was Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes back, Luke Skywalker and his friends set out to end the reign of The Empire once and for all. What the Rebels find out is that The Empire has been working hard on another Death Star, this time bigger and better than the original. What are the Rebels to do but to destroy the Death Star again and claim victory? But, first Luke and Leia must rescue Han Solo, who was carbon frozen in The Empire Strikes back. Return of the Jedi was the long awaited finale to the Star Wars Trilogy. Given the brilliance of the predecessors, Return of the Jedi should have been the best of the series. There are some great qualities about Return of the Jedi. The movie was made far enough later than the original Star Wars that the special effects were perfected enough to create a huge space battle. The space battle near the end of the movie is well crafted and fun to watch. The story about Darth Vader and his redemption is great. The story about Luke and his quest to stay with the Light Side of the Force is also good. The evil Emperor is cool also. And it was great to see Yoda back again, though so briefly. What stunk about Return of the Jedi are those damn Ewoks. A blatant aim at commercial success in the after-movie market, the Ewoks were introduced. I'm sure most of you know who the Ewoks are already, but for those of you who don't, the Ewoks are a bunch of cuddly looking teddy bear like creatures that live in the forests of Endor. The Ewoks are cute and make for great stuff animals that kids will beg for once they step out of the theatre. But for us Star Wars fans the Ewoks are a plain insult. These snuggly cuddly creatures should have been digitally erased during the Special Edition production. They are plain annoying and ruin the mood for most of Return of the Jedi. For the Special Edition there was not much added to the film. The film itself is so new that most of the special effects still look pretty good. What was added, and is most noticeable is the end sequence. Instead of the plain Rebel celebration with the Ewoks, we now get to see a grant universal scale celebration. This end sequence, with new music from John Williams, changes the overall feel of the Trilogy for the better. Overall, Return of the Jedi is a good film. But I wish that Lucas would have done something with those Ewoks. Don't Miss Return of the Jedi Special Edition, even if you've seen the original Return of the Jedi. The ending is much better in the Special Edition form. I hate Ewoks. --- steve kong reviews@boiled.sbay.org find the latest movie reviews at the hard boiled movie page http://boiled.sbay.org/boiled/ From rec.arts.sf.reviews Fri Apr 3 21:42:22 1998 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed1.news.luth.se!luth.se!fu-berlin.de!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!news-peer.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!Sprint!worldnet.att.net!news.u.washington.edu!grahams From: Phil St-Germain Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: Men In Black (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 4 Mar 1998 17:32:49 GMT Organization: University of Washington Lines: 78 Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu Message-ID: <6dk381$qdh$1@nntp5.u.washington.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: homer16.u.washington.edu X-Trace: nntp5.u.washington.edu 889032769 27057 (None) 140.142.64.4 X-Complaints-To: help@cac.washington.edu NNTP-Posting-User: grahams Summary: r.a.m.r. #11292 Keywords: author=st-germain X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Originator: grahams@homer16.u.washington.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:10506 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1795 Men In Black Science-fiction *** (sur ****) [bon] 1997, 98 minutes Réalisé par Barry Sonnenfeld Mettant en vedette Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onoforio, Rip Torn Écrit par Ed Solomon Produit par Walter F. Parkes et Laurie MacDonald Voici le grand succès américain au box-office de 1997 (ceci était bien sûr avant l'arrivée de "Titanic"). Contrairement à certains autres immenses succès commerciaux, ce film nous en donne régulièrement pour notre argent. Bénificiant d'un habile mélange de science-fiction, de comédie ainsi que d'action, il s'avère un divertissement plus qu'acceptable. L'intrigue réduise à sa plus simple expression ne sert que de prétexte à une série de séquences mettant à l'avant-plan des trucages fort réussis. Nous sommes dans une ère où les extraterrestres sont présents dans la vie de tous les jours, à l'insu de plusieurs terriens. Il existe toutefois une organisation ultra- secrète, la sixième division du INS, qui s'occupe d'exterminer toute créature susceptible de causer du tort aux humains. Jay (Smith), un policier à la réputation surfaite, est le dernier candidat pour joindre les rangs de l'équipe après un exterminateur aguerri, K (Jones), l'ait aperçu poursuivre à pied un extraterrestre. Les membres de ce groupe sont appelés Hommes en Noir, et leur identité est complètement effacée. Ils répondent aux noms on ne peut plus simple que J ou K, par exemple, et vivent pour leur métier. Jay (maintenant appelé J) et K devront à présent se lancer aux trousses d'un assassin intergalactique (D'Onoforio) agissant de manière bizarre sur Terre... et ses manigances pourraient bien menacer la survie du peuple. Les Hommes en Noir vont-ils réussir leur boulot? Comme je l'ai énoncé un peu plus haut, le récit n'a pas énormément de substance, mais ce n'est pas un problème. Ce film au gros budget ne tente pas d'être un grand film d'art à la puissance dramatique indéniable: il a comme but de nous divertir et nous amuser, et il gagne plus souvent qu'autrement son pari. Il y a énormément de blagues, et plusieurs touchent la cible (je ne connais aucune comédie où 100 % des farces frappent dans le mille). Nous ne rions pas comme des fous, mais on se surprend à sourire presque continuellement. Will Smith a donc apparu dans deux gros films de science-fiction consécutifs (le premier étant "Independence Day"), et je crois que celui- ci est supérieur. Lorsque j'ai commencé à visionner "Men In Black", je craignais un peu qu'il tombe dans le moule du second, mais ça n'a pas vraiment été le cas. Plus contenu et progressant avec un rythme plus vif, il nous tient davantage en haleine. Un autre point en faveur de "MIB" est l'absence d'enjeux dramatiques importants. On ne perd pas de temps à inclure des passages inutilement mélodramatiques pour casser le fil de l'histoire, ce qui est très efficace. Les acteurs ne sont pas l'attrait numéro un du film, mais ils effectuent de la bonne besogne. Tommy Lee Jones, c'est connu, est excellent lorsqu'il doit adopter le style pince-sans-rire, et il ne nous déçoit pas. Will Smith nous offre une performance très semblable à celle qu'il nous a donné dans "Independence Day", c'est-à-dire une interprétation décontractée et désinvolte qui colle bien à son personnage. Linda Fiorentino est surtout présente pour offrir une diversion aux spectateurs, mais Vincent D'Onforio arrive à nous faire rire avec son hilarant portrait d'un homme envahi par un esprit extraterrestre. Les effets spéciaux sont très nombreux et tous superbement exécutés. Au lieu de nous faire languir durant une longue période de temps, le réalisateur Barry Sonnenfeld nous tient occupés avec des créatures souvent imaginatives et parfois fort drôles. La réalisation est dans la note, tournant chaque scène avec vivacité sans trop s'en tenir aux clichés d'usage. La mise en scène est particulièrement luxueuse, avec des décors à grand déploiement très bien administrés. En résumé, "Men In Black" accompli son travail et nous fait passer une agréable heure et demie. Peu substanciel au niveau de l'histoire et plutôt superficiel lorsqu'on y pense plus longuement, mais ces idées sont loin de notre esprit lors de notre séjour devant le petit écran. Amusant! Évaluation de Philippe St-Germain Copyright, 1998. From rec.arts.sf.reviews Fri Apr 3 21:42:26 1998 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lejonet.se!linkoping.trab.se!malmo.trab.se!feed1.news.luth.se!luth.se!feed2.news.erols.com!erols!news-peer.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!Sprint!worldnet.att.net!news.u.washington.edu!grahams From: bucky@alphalink.com.au (Luke Buckmaster) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: Men in Black (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 4 Mar 1998 17:33:25 GMT Organization: OzEmail Ltd. Lines: 59 Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu Message-ID: <6dk395$qdt$1@nntp5.u.washington.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: homer16.u.washington.edu X-Trace: nntp5.u.washington.edu 889032805 27069 (None) 140.142.64.6 X-Complaints-To: help@cac.washington.edu NNTP-Posting-User: grahams Summary: r.a.m.r. #11296 Keywords: author=buckmaster X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Originator: grahams@homer16.u.washington.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:10635 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1805 REVIEW: Men in Black (1997) by Luke Buckmaster Veteran actor Tommy Lee Jones and rising film star Will Smith are now the coolest guys on the planet. The best, last and only line of defense against the worst scum of the universe. They work in secret and they dress in black. They see things that we need not see, they be places that we need not be, so go what you like look at the Roswell crap, show up with the black suit because that's the men in, that the men in, that's the Men in Black (Movie Zone recommends purchasing the MIB soundtrack from your local music retailer). Ok, so the films got catchy music and special effects, an appealing plot and some fine Hollywood actors, so what else does it need to be a success? Well nothing really, since the film has earned nearly 240 million dollars in the USA alone and is number 14 on the American all time highest grossing list. But what could have been a really great movie was only a reasonably good movie. Confused? Read on. Working for a highly funded yet unofficial government agency is K (Tommy Lee Jones) and newly recruited J (Will Smith), who investigate and patrol extraterrestrial life on earth. In no time they discover some wandering aliens (disguised as humans), and an intergalactic terrorist on a mission to assassinate the High Prince of Baltia (a high figure in the universe). When the prince is killed and his most treasured possession falls into the wrong hands, one group of aliens take personal offense and threaten to destroy Earth if his "jewel" is not recovered. So K and J find themselves find themselves racing against time to find the alien terrorist and recover his precious commodity in one intergalactic week (one hour). Still dressed in black and ready for action, the coolest partners this side of the universe have the fate of Earth in their hands. If there's one thing MIB does extremely well, it's the fun factor. The various scenes that make up the film are clever, funny and go straight to the point so the audience is never losing interest or becoming bored. Will Smith is a great credit to the movie, and supplies many hilarious one lines that fans will appreciate. Perhaps the most dazzling part of MIB are its unmistakable special effects which launch creativity and imagination, and from small worm guys and a gruesome huge insect the aliens look like nothing ever done before. It is however, a little too short - one hour and ten minutes really doesn't satisfy those waiting months to see it (MIB was probably the most hyped movie since Independence Day, which mysteriously also starred Will Smith). Although the entire movie is of a high quality and is presented in a comic style way, MIB misses out on being the best of its kind, and what could have been something truly special just missed the mark. 3 STARS Lots of laughs and an appealing plot ----------------------------------------------------------------- Movie Zone: http://moviezone.alphalink.com.au bucky@alphalink.com.au ----------------------------------------------------------------- From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue May 26 14:47:15 1998 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!newsfeed.sunet.se!news01.sunet.se!news99.sunet.se!newsfeed1.swip.net!swipnet!masternews.telia.net!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!feed2.news.erols.com!erols!wn4feed!worldnet.att.net!140.142.64.3!news.u.washington.edu!grahams From: syegul@cablehouse.dyn.ml.org (Serdar Yegulalp) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Retrospective: Men In Black (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 22 May 1998 21:39:55 GMT Organization: Jackie Chan's Kung Fu Process Servers Lines: 64 Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu Message-ID: <6k4rbb$ede$1@nntp5.u.washington.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: homer33.u.washington.edu X-Trace: nntp5.u.washington.edu 895873195 14766 (None) 140.142.64.2 X-Complaints-To: help@cac.washington.edu NNTP-Posting-User: grahams Summary: r.a.m.r. #12538 Keywords: author=yegulalp X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Originator: grahams@homer33.u.washington.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:11697 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1913 Men In Black (1997) * * 1/2 A movie review by Serdar Yegulalp Copyright 1998 by Serdar Yegulalp CAPSULE: Winsomely entertaining SF farce with two great performances. Too bad it's all empty calories. There is never a question that MEN IN BLACK is supposed to be sly, on-the-one, and tongue-in-cheek. It is. It's a comic book for the kind of people who wouldn't be caught dead reading one, and for that reason I felt a little bit let down by it. The premise is simple enough: it's a spinning-together of every alien-related urban myth out there, with the Men In Black as the principal protagonists. They're a corps of elite super-secret agents who police alien activity on Earth, in exchange for the destruction of their identities. Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) is trolling for a new partner, and finds one in a wiseass New York cop (Will Smith). (This is the second time in a row Smith gets to deck an alien; when does Jones get his next shot?) There are moments where the movie works hilariously. Smith, alias J, wonders what the heck is up when he's asked to come into MIB HQ for an "entrance exam"; the way the scene plays out is a mini-masterpiece of comedic set-ups and payoffs, especially the shooting gallery. But then the movie starts to take its flimsy plot seriously -- too seriously, as when it tries to get an abhorrent amount of mileage out of a gigantic CGI cockroach. This is undeniably amusing, but the funniest stuff in the movie seems to be tucked away in the corners and crevices. Take, for instance, the whole bit where the agents read the tabloid papers to get their latest scoops. That begs a question all by itself: if the freakin' tabloids get this information, then how come the MIBs have to hole up in their high-tech headquarters and beg for scraps? That's only one example of how the movie doesn't quite carry its thinking through to merciless and potentially hilarious extremes. Instead we get a plot about a stolen galaxy (yes, a stolen galaxy) that any member of the audience can figure out if they pay attention. And there are several effects stuntpieces (like an alien childbirth scene that ends exactly the way you'd expect, with the alien baby urping up tons of luminescent goo all over Will Smith) that go on and on until the joke is played painfully out. One of the surest signs that cinematic comedy is dying is when every joke is allowed to run too much of a course. Yes, the movie is fun. Specifically, the actors are fun. Tommy Lee Jones, as Agent K, fits into the role beautifully -- a lot more snugly than one of the aliens in the movie trying to wear a corpse as a kind of disguse. Smith is sidesplitting even in the tiniest moments; there's a bit where he totally misinterprets everything a morgue doctor (Linda Fiorentino, also good) says. But somehow it's all tell and no show. I went in expecting a good time, and I got one, but I also got the sense they'd missed about twice as many opportunities as they'd exploited. I mentioned at the start of the review that this felt like a comic book for the kind of people who wouldn't be caught dead reading one. If the folks who made this think they were having the last word in weird and goofy, then they should read SAM AND MAX. LOCATION FOOTNOTE: This is the only movie set in New York where I've seen a foot-chase begin near Grand Central Station and end, seconds later, at the Guggenheim. From rec.arts.sf.reviews Mon May 15 12:50:43 2000 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed2.news.luth.se!luth.se!newsfeeds.belnet.be!news.belnet.be!skynet.be!newsfeed.berkeley.edu!news.u.washington.edu!grahams From: skad13@my-deja.com Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Retrospective: Men in Black (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 13 May 2000 00:18:41 GMT Organization: Deja.com - Before you buy. Lines: 74 Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu Message-ID: <8fi711$ga4k$1@nntp3.u.washington.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: homer22.u.washington.edu X-Trace: nntp3.u.washington.edu 958177121 534676 (None) 140.142.17.40 X-Complaints-To: help@cac.washington.edu NNTP-Posting-User: grahams Summary: r.a.m.r. #24520 Keywords: author=bailey X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Originator: grahams@homer22.u.washington.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:23587 rec.arts.sf.reviews:2704 Men in Black almost makes one wish for an old Abbott and Costello Meet Whoever flick. Whatever one's opinion about A&C, at least they had some chemistry. In Men in Black, Will Smith knocks off one improv routine after another, and Tommy Lee Jones stands frozen, waiting to deliver his next line. The two of them hardly even seem to be in the same scene. The best movie comedy has always been simple, but Men in Black takes the Blues Brothers approach, thinking that $80 million and a couple of guys in cool sunglasses ought to garner sufficient laughs. Smith and Jones spend an awful lot of time reacting to blank screens waiting to be filled in by the visual effects guys, and an even awfuller lot of time is filled with exploding spaceships that look like outtakes from Plan 9 from Outer Space. The plot is based on a popular comic book (What isn't these days?) about the ultimate alien immigration service--in this case, the aliens are from "out there," not the U.S. border. Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) needs a partner, and after a sadly unfunny induction scene, he chooses New York cop James Edwards (Will Smith, his role cribbed from Beverly Hills Cop), who is dubbed Agent J. Supposedly, New York is routinely filled with aliens, which is fine with K as long as things don't get out of hand. But a bug in human disguise (Vincent D'Onofrio) starts killing off alien royalty and tries to hijack Earth, and of course it's up to J and K to stop him. Director Barry Sonnenfeld ought to be the right choice for this material, having put offbeat characters through their paces in the Addams Family movies and Get Shorty. But the movie is so far removed from the human element as to be off-putting. Sonnenfeld has always been a sucker for wild point-of-view shots (he began as a cinematographer on Raising Arizona), but here he really uses up his quota. Someone should take his camera and nail it to the floor for a while. And the movie is unusually mean-spirited and repulsive. One of the alien's victims is a backwater wife whose husband's body was stolen to provide human cover for the alien bug. So this gives Will Smith license to do a riff on the woman's trashy lifestyle. And D'Onofrio, as the bug in question, develops so many tics that he becomes painful to watch. (Sonnenfeld seems to find deteriorating human flesh a huge laugh-getter. Sorry, it didn't work in An American Werewolf in London, either.) Jones and Rip Torn, normally a couple of great actors, are reduced to standing around looking at giant monitors as though they were extras on "Star Trek." Tony Shalhoub (of TV's "Wings") is so effects-laden, he hardly gets a chance to show whether or not he can act. And Linda Fiorentino has that thankless sci-fi role, the brilliant female doctor who's there mainly to display her shapely legs. As for Will Smith, I admit that people around me were guffawing at his one-liners, but for me, his act is strictly second-rate Eddie Murphy. And a couple of his more racially oriented remarks would probably cause riots in the theaters if they were uttered by a Caucasian. The movie's most-used joke is Agent K's "neuralyzer"--a weapon that shoots a beam of light which causes people to forget that they just saw an alien life form. There ought to be men with neuralyzers stationed in the theater lobby after every showing of Men in Black. Men in Black is rated PG-13 for frequent profanity and graphic scenes of murder and explosions. Submitted by: Steven Bailey http://pages.hotbot.com/movies/skad13 Steven Bailey, a movie reviewer for The Beaches Leader newspaper in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, has movie reviews posted in The Internet Movie Database at: http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Steven+Bailey Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy. From rec.arts.sf.reviews Thu Sep 18 22:48:35 2003 From: Dragan Antulov Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Retrospective: Men in Black (1997) Approved: ramr@rottentomatoes.com Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.past-films Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2003 20:05:16 -0000 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Message-ID: X-RAMR-ID: 35636 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 1194229 X-RT-TitleID: 1077297 X-RT-AuthorID: 1307 X-RT-RatingText: 5/10 Summary: r.a.m.r. #35636 X-Questions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Submissions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Complaints-To: abuse@supernews.com Lines: 61 Path: news.island.liu.se!news.Update.UU.SE!puffinus.its.uu.se!newsfeed.sunet.se!news01.sunet.se!uninett.no!feed.news.nacamar.de!news.maxwell.syr.edu!sn-xit-03!sn-xit-06!sn-post-01!supernews.com!news.supernews.com!not-for-mail Xref: news.island.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:7462 rec.arts.sf.reviews:646 MEN IN BLACK (1997) A Film Review Copyright Dragan Antulov 2003 50th anniversary of the Roswell incident created a lot of interest for all things related to UFOs, alien abductions and government conspiracies. That interest later helped the makers of INDEPENDENCE DAY and allowed THE X-FILES to become mainstream TV show. This cultural phenomenon also paved the way for MEN IN BLACK, 1997 science fiction comedy directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, a movie that represented the parody of all those films and TV shows. The plot, based on the comic book by Lowell Cunningham, borrows its premise for the urban legends that inspired THE X-FILES - aliens exist and they are regularly visiting Earth, but all knowledge of their existence is suppressed by mysterious government agency known as Men in Black. In the film, Men in Black are known as Division 6, and their mission is not only to suppress human knowledge of aliens, but also to deal with those aliens who abuse planet Earth's hospitality. Agent K (played by Tommy Lee Jones), one of the most experienced Men in Black, recruits NYPD detective James Edwards (played by Will Smith) into organisation and two of them start the investigation of particularly nasty alien who had taken over the body of a farmer (played by Vincent d'Onofrio). In order to stop him and his evil plans, they would get assistance from coroner Dr. Laurel Weaver (played by Linda Fiorentino). Just like any other summer blockbuster, MEN IN BLACK shows how modern Hollywood invests all of its creative energy into style at the expense of substance. The plot is paper-thin, characters are one- dimensional and even the protagonists' one-liners are forgettable. But the target audience would hardly care, because Sonnenfeld filled the film with marvellous special effects, combined with good deal of visual humour. And the acting is more than passable - Will Smith seems quite comfortable under the shadow of Tommy Lee Jones; Linda Fiorentino also handles the thankless role of token female protagonist quite well and Vincent d'Onofrio is again quite impressive in role that demands another physical transformation. All that isn't enough for MEN IN BLACK to earn the place in anthologies, but for not audiences demanding some light entertainment 98 minutes of this film could represent time well- spent. RATING: 5/10 (++) Review written on September 4th 2003 Dragan Antulov a.k.a. Drax http://film.purger.com - Filmske recenzije na hrvatskom/Movie Reviews in Croatian ========== X-RAMR-ID: 35636 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 1194229 X-RT-TitleID: 1077297 X-RT-AuthorID: 1307 X-RT-RatingText: 5/10