Conference bookie::movies

    I thought I heard somewhere that John Travolta gets struck by lightning
    and is transformed into a genius.  Or something like that
    
    P

    
    	Sounds like "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes".
    
    	8^)
    

    
    I get the sense from the previews that he sees a light and then starts
    acquiring powers, such as ability to learn quickly, telekinetics (?),
    etc. The question is whether the light is divine, alien, etc...

    Knowing a little about Mr. Travolta's 'religion', this is a pretty
    funny role for him! All his Scientology friends are gonna think
    no special effects were involved - he's an 'Operating Thetan' in
    Scientology so he's supposed to have power over the physical
    universe you see.
    
    		Robert.

    
    This is being released the same day as  "Independence Day".
    
    So it will most likely not due well.
    
    Besides, it sure does resemble "Powder" based on the tv ads.
    
    

Saw this one on vacation ... and except for about 20 seconds' dialogue that 
was a bit too thick on human potential, we all enjoyed it very much!  Great 
moments, neat cinematography, sincere characters.

    We saw this last week.  One of the most enjoyable movies
    I've seen in a looooooooong time.
    
    It's a nice, quiet, mostly-gentle movie.
    
    Travolta stars as a person who suddenly gets extremely
    intelligent.  His extreme intelligence becomes a burden as
    he finds himself increasingly cut off from the community.
    Having tele-kinetic powers just exacerbates the situation.
    
    Yup, there are some flaws in the movie, but not enough to
    seriously mar the enjoyment of it.
    
    The only potentially serious flaw is how he gets his intelligence,
    seemingly from a UFO type of event.  And throughout the movie
    I kept wondering how/when/if some other similar event was going
    to take it away.  Suffice it to say that this gets resolved in
    a satisfactory manner by the end of the movie (although to say
    how would be a spoiler.)
    
    

    All reviews that I have read in papers, mags etc give this the thumbs
    up - so I'm hopefully off to see it tonite (if I can get a ticket!)
    so...Watch this space!!
    
    S..x

    Got round to seeing this last night!! What a luverly film!!!!!
    I thoroughly enjoyed it!!! Very gentle, and John Travolta was fab! Most
    believeable.
    If you want a nice enjoyable film then go see this!! Can't fault it
    really!! Might have been a bit slow in places but the pace of the film
    was just gentle anyway!!
    
    Thought it might have been too 'girly' a film for males, but my
    boyfriend also really enjoyed the film except 'the soppy bits'!! He
    said it was a good film!!
    
    S..x
                          

    
    Does john die in this film?
    
    

    Spoiler:
    
    	His character does, yes, very late in the film.  And Sedgwick does 
    some *real* crying as her character starts to mourn him... very affecting.
    
    Leslie

    Sedgwick?? Don't you think she looks like Julia Roberts???
    
    S..x

    Hmm!  Never thought of that.  She does have a wide smile like Roberts
    :-]
    
    I liked her in "Heart and Souls", but can't think of anything else I've
    seen her in.
    
    Leslie

    
    	"Singles", as Campbell Scott's girlfriend.
    

    This is a really good flick.  The characters are great, especially
    Travolta and Duval.  The story is great, the one liners are great and 
    well as I said the whole thing is great.  Very enjoyable.  
    
    	4 outta 5
    
    	  Jay  

	Another thumbs up here too.

	I also feel there was some inspiration for this film from
	Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life".  In both films the
	main character's name is George, and simliar sounding last
	names, and both character's were known by all the town's
	folk.

    More thumbs here! It was a very touching film, and very convincing. The
    portrayal of an ordinary man suddenly imbued with extraordinary powers,
    and how he deals with it, was superb!
    
    I really liked the doctor! I'd like to know someone like him in real
    life.
    
    A couple of points --
    <spoiler>
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    We probably could have done without the telekinesis, though it did give
    a particular punch to the scene where George loses his temper in the
    bar. The other abilities were extraordinary enough, and quite plausible
    in light of his condition.
    
    It's to be wondered whether simply elevating mental activity is
    sufficient. People with bipolar disorders (manic-depressive) exhibit
    the same sort of increased capabilities in their hypomanic phase. They
    need much less sleep, have very high energy, can grasp concepts quickly
    and put thoughts together in numerous interesting ways. But when they
    proceed beyond that to the full manic state, thoughts come at them so
    fast that there is no time to follow them; or they become dillusional,
    hallucinate, or have various physical symptoms. And the mania
    inevitably gives way to depression, with the lows being just an intense
    as the highs, or more so. Maybe George was spared that phase.
    
    I couldn't believe the presumptuousness -- no, the insult -- of the
    neurosurgeon who proposed that George let him operate on him to find
    out the mechanism of the tumor. Isn't vivisection illegal in this
    country? Yet there probably are doctors out there who think that way;
    having worked with surgeons, I know some of them can be arrogant. "He's
    going to die anyway; doesn't he want to be part of this great
    opportunity for knowledge (not to mention all the scientific papers I
    can publish on him for the next ten years)?"
    
    It's a bit hard to believe that the surgeon could get a court order to
    proceed with the operation; also that he could so easily elude the FBI
    by staying at his girlfriend's house; but I guess a bit of Hollywood
    magic has to seep into the plot. Overall, a wonderful movie. I was
    wondering how they were going to explain his condition, and where the
    movie was heading; I think they did a good job with both.
    				Jim