Conference bookie::movies

    
    	It sounds alot like "The Stand" to me, but maybe not.
    
    	It'll probably be good if judged on its own.
    

    I think it's based on a novel by (and I may have the wrong author) Mary
    Higgins Clark.
    
    MJ

    
    HBO has been running a "making of.." for
    this movie in March. Just a bit scary !
    
    Seems they did a lot of research and,
    of course, they say it could happen.
    
    Rick A

    re. .2
    
    I think it's based on a story by Robin Cook.  He's the guy who wrote
    COMA.  I read Outbreak last summer and it is about the outbreak of a
    certain type of deadly virus, which occur in certain hospitals through-
    out the country. (The story indicates the virus originated in Africa
    years before.)  
    
    I believe there actually was a virus outbreak in several African
    countries in the 1970's, though not as widespread as in the movie.
    
    Carol

    There were two movies in development, both based on an article about
    what happened (and almost happened) when a researcher was infected with
    a highly contagious and dangerous virus.  To my knowledge, neither Mary
    Higgins Clark or Robin Cook were involved.  The article was written
    for a magazine; I believe the original author expanded it into a book.
    
    One movie didn't gel, and went out of production.  I think that one was
    the one that had purchased the rights to the article.

    
    
    I think this movie is based off the book that I believe is called the
    Hot Spot or Hot Zone or something or other.  I remember the author was
    a male and was on The Matty in the Morning show with DJ Matt Siegel of
    Kiss 108.
    
    I've seen a paper ad for this and it looks like it might be an intense
    thriller.  Pretty scary to think something like that could happen!
    

    There was an article about Hoffmann in (I think) last week's Boston
    Sunday Globe.  He had to make his mind up in a hurry about whether to
    take the part, because the movie was competing with The Hot Zone movie
    (from the book of the same name).  Apparently Dustin doesn't like to
    rush into any decision.
    
    The Hot Zone book is the one that deals with the virus from Africa, and
    the scare that occurred when some monkeys in a research lab were
    discovered to have a possible variant of this virus.  
    
    In the end, The Hot Zone movie was canned.  Book sounds interesting,
    but I'm not sure I want to know the gorey details about how this
    particular virus kills you - it's really UNPLEASANT.

    .4 is right.
    
    Cook is the author and I liked the book a lot.  I like Hoffman so I'll
    definitley see it.  Keeping my fingers crossed!  I haven't seen a good
    suspense-thriller in a while.
    
    MJ

    
    There is a monkey in the movie. Dustin is yelling at an officer that
    99 people are dead already. Military moves into a town.
    
    That's all that's been on tv so far.
    
    

    Appears to bear a more-than-passing resemblance to The Andromeda Strain.

	Gene Shalit absolutely trounced it this morning.
	He was waxing semi-philosophical about what a sorry state the
	industry is in when a person of Hoffman's considerable talent has to
	resort to taking scripts as pathetic as this one.

> Appears to bear a more-than-passing resemblance to The Andromeda Strain.

	I thought the same thing when I saw the print ads .....

    > Appears to bear a more-than-passing resemblance to The Andromeda Strain.

    	Exactly! The TV ads made the movie feel like a simple Andromeda
    	Strain remake to me. AS would be pretty hard to beat, the movie
    	scared the willies out of me and I still feel some of its
    	influences in me today. Outbreak looked bad even in the promo
    	clips... poor Hoffman.

    I read that a similar occurance happened back in the late 80's near 
    Washington DC but was quickly contained (thus the movie Outbreak
    was based on this true situation)...The Hot Zone was canned
    but I had read about what happened and that was also true but
    occurred in Africa or somewhere in that zone....then recently heard 
    Mattie on Kiss 108 with the author....it was gruesome and it was Real!

    
    call this one "the andromeda strain" meets "blue thunder light."
    it shows a lot of promise in the early going, but suffers a tko
    by the writers at about the 60 minute mark, when it changes from
    a movie about a virus to a movie about helicopters.  wait, now
    that I think about it, there were a lot of helicopters in the first
    part as well.  8^)  one star (out of 4), but could go as high as three 
    if watched on video with a 12 pack.
    
    bill

It also didn't help that they recycled a subplot from The Abyss.

Should have been lots more time in the lab and less in the sky.

Still, I'd rate it somewhat higher than the last noter; I'll give it a
lukewarm recommendation.

I saw the movie this weekend.  It certainly held your attention.  The acting was
marvelous--Hoffman, et al were great but made us wonder why they would bother to
do a film like this.  Certainly not Hoffman's and Freeman's genre.  Sutherland
is appropriately evil and well cast.

You do have to suspend your belief just a little.  Mainly in timeframes.  And
yes, there was an outbreak of this type of virus in Africa some years ago and
they did destroy the village.

Go and enjoy and do not squeeze the hand of the person you are with too hard at
the tense moments.

    <----- What he said.
    
    Also, I thought Cuba Gooding Jr was wonderful.  Renee Russo, Hoffman,
    Freeman did a great job with what they were given by the writers and
    the movie is a lot of fun.  Donald Sutherland is such a great
    guy-you-love-love-love-to-hate!! I wonder how the movie would have
    turned out without such a marvelous cast.  I definitly think it should 
    be seen on the big screen.  The helicopter stuff is really fun, as is the
    "germ-spreading special effects" stuff.  But, yes, suspend the ol'
    noggin 'cause nothin' in life ever happens like it does in these type
    o' movies.
    
    MJ

    I found the book "The Hot Zone" much more scary than the movie
    Outbrake. The Ebola virus outbreak in the book was real life, the
    first outbreak was in Africa; the second escape of the virus was in 
    Washington, 1991.  The details in Hot Zone were not for the weak of
    tummy, and left the film pale by comparison.  (BTW a similar viral 
    outbreak happened in Aussi land last month.)  
    
    The movie had too much formula stuff: a monkey instead of the faithful
    family dog, the love interest, the kid.  It would have been a better
    story without it IMHO.
    
    Still, I paid money to see it and that's what the producers made the
    movie for--to make money.  It wasn't a totally wasted evening. 

    I have not read the book and do not know anything of the background of
    this apart from what is indicated in the film. I still found this an
    excellent movie.
    
    My girlfriend (NO laughing please) found the part where the monkey
    comes to take food from the little girl. At the edge of the seat she
    was, I was a little less enthusiastic. 
    
    my rating (****!) out of 5
    
    maybe (***!!) out of 5 on reflection films such as forrest Gump need
    somewhere higher to go
    
    daks

    forgive bad grammer 
    
    daks

    I thought this was a great movie, it is afterall a Gendre movie, it sits
    in the same box as Andromeda strain and perhaps the Satan bug, I
    thought it was great, all the necessary "bits" were in there.  The
    recycled Abyss plot recycled great, the "buddy" character who was going
    to die the moment he was introduced (think speed here), the petty
    officials, the "action" sequence, all had to he there!
    
    
    Minor spoiler.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Donald Sutherland was wasted as the big villain, this film had bugs for
    villains it didn't need another one.  If Sutherland had played a guy
    that tried to do the wrong thing for the right reasons it would have
    made a better film.
    
    Still 3.5 out of 5, good night out.
    
    R. Michael.
    
    PS.  My wife hated it.

    I also enjoyed the film, as did the people I went with.
    
    Nothing ground-breaking, but all the performances were fine. Not too
    much gore, either, which I think would have spoiled the effect of the
    film, even though they could have put it in so easily ... the effects
    of the virus were nicely presented (?!).
    
    The plot was fairly predictable, but entertaining nonetheless.
    
    Cheers,
    Dan

    Another great "disaster" movie cliche is the cut ins of library
    footage, in this case it was of the AWAC plane. - Its another got to be
    there (think plan 9 from outer space).
    
    R. Michael