Conference bookie::movies

    re. 0
    
    Probably not.  I don't think it begins till Memorial Day.
    
    
    kim

    re.-1
    I see.
    Usually movies are out in the US loooooong before there is a preview
    in the cinemas over here.
    Maybe this was a pre-pre-pre-preview. ;-)
    Andrea

    I had rented a movie and the first Coming Attraction was CLIFFHANGER 
    with Sylvester Stallone.  The preview was unreal.  This is definitely 
    on my list of "must see" movies at the theatre.  The scenes were 
    ACTION PACKED and the shots of  scenery, mountains etc., was
    unbelievable....I forgot the release date but I think it is in mid May.
    This MAY be his best movie yet.  Have expectations of a good action
    packed thriller.
    
    M* 

    Addendum:
    If you want to see the previews for CLIFFHANGER    rent that dog of
    a movie "Wind".  Its the first preview.
    Am almost positive it will hit the theatres in 3 weeks.

    Agreed about the preview.  Now if only the movie can live up to it...
    
    BTW it'll hit theatres May 28th.
    
    - Skip

    Skip your right, if the movie is as great as the preview then this
    should be a big money maker for Sly.  I wouldn't mind seeing him
    have a real good hit at the boxoffice  instead of getting slammed by
    the stupid critics.                         

    I don't know how accurate this factoid is but according to the Lowell
    Sun (major metropolitan newspaper that it is), "Cliffhanger" went $26
    million over budget...
    
    I'd like to think that a decimal point was misplaced here because I
    can't see any director getting away with this even for a potential
    blockbuster.
    
    The director is Renny Harlin who also went over-budget on "Die Hard 2"
    as he scrounged locations across the US looking for snow in late April.
    
    - Skip

    I thought the preview for this movie was especially stupid looking. 
    Looks like a typical vehicle for a brain dead Stallone
    character.  The old villains fighting in spectacular mountain terrain
    routine.  Yawn.  (I wonder if that sort of thing is constantly going on
    in the great mountain ranges of the world, even as we write and read.)
    :-)
    
    Lorna
    

	I couldn't resist commenting on this after seeing the flim
	clip last night on the Tonight Show.  Did anyone else see the
	that clip?  Did you see the same thing I saw?

	What I saw was a woman hanging by a belt above a gorge well out
	of arms reach of the hero Sly Stallone.  Camera shot changes to
	just the belt buckle slipping lose, camera shot changes again,
	and whola, what do you know, Sly is holding the woman by her
	arm.  Are we supposed to believe some magic occured there?

	Between this clip, and the TV ads, this one certainly looks like
	just another run of the mill action.  Sly must be getting old,
	he should stick with the comedies if he can't be creative
	any longer (I liked his work in "Oscar"!!)

	Thumbs down based purely on the previews.  But you'll be sure
	I'll still rent it on video :-))

	FWIW, the plot appears to be that some crooks steal a suitcase
	full of money while on an airplane or something.  The suitcase
	ends up falling from the plane over some high steep mountains.
	The crooks try to recover it, as does good guy Sly.

re     <<< Note 159.9 by 12368::michaud "Jeff Michaud, DECnet/OSI" >>>
     -< Opps, didn't realize existing topic, note moved, sorry for dupli >-


>	Between this clip, and the TV ads, this one certainly looks like>
>	just another run of the mill action.  Sly must be getting old>,
>	he should stick with the comedies if he can't be creative
>	any longer (I liked his work in "Oscar"!!)
>
>	Thumbs down based purely on the previews.  But you'll be sure
>	I'll still rent it on video :-))

 Jeff,
   Jeez! reviews based on film clips now :-)

Just saw the whole movie:
  Special effects are great, totally believable.  Sly is .....Sly, adequete
as an actor, but he wouldn't be nominated for an academy award anytime soon.
Ebert (or maybe it was Siskel?) gave it a three star review in the local
newspaper and predicts it  will be the box office hit Stallone needs.
I found it very entertaining, good stunts, good story, semi-believable plot.

Regards
Barry

    The TV clips for this have an "Indiana Jones" feel to
    them, which may be why a woman arrived with 3 children,
    all under 10, at the theatre where I saw it.  She was
    probably uncomfortable after 10 minutes, and then later
    the language and violence REALLY kicked into the R-gear.
    
    Not for small children:  it does earn its "R" rating.
    
    (Actually, if they had toned the language way down, and put
    just a smidgeon of the violence off-screen, they could have
    gotten a much wider audience for it.  The action and special
    effects would be undiminished:  they are SPECTACULAR.  See
    them on a BIG screen.)
    
    			dick
    

    Don't put down this movie based on clips and Stallone's past failed
    movies.  This movie is action, action, action!  The title is very
    appropriate.  The bad guys are TRULY bad, and the good guys are truly
    good, but there's a twist when Stallone's character fades off because
    of an accident he can't live with.  Personally, I like Stallone and
    feel that because of Rocky and Rambo, he's been pegged, and everything
    else he tries to do that's not "macho" is put down.  Well, he's
    certainly macho in this film, almost painfully so, but he's also human. 
    The cast was excellent, the plot was clear, and the stunts were
    something else to watch.  Never mind the beauty of the mountains,
    folks! 
    
    I agree with a previous noter who said that if the language (which
    wasn't repetitive) was cleaned up a notch and the violence (at least in
    two painful-to-watch scenes) was less violent, this would have been an
    action film the whole family could have sat on the edge of their seats
    through.
    
    I think waiting for the video will lose some of the breadth of the
    scenery.  See it at the movies!
    
    ***1/2 out of ****
    
    Leslie

    Well, it wasn't all the clips played it up to be, but then again, they
    let Sylvester Stallone write his own script again.  
    
    Fairly thin plot, somewhat subpar performances from actors who know
    better, painful dialog scattered here and about, Rockies which aren't
    the Rockies and some unbelievable stretches to that good old suspension
    of disbelief -- still, the action manages to compensate for the flaws
    in the overall picture.  And, truly, this movie has one of the most
    intense/nerve-wracking opening 10 minutes that I've ever seen, which
    was worth the $6.50 right there.
    
    In case it hasn't been said before, Sly Stallone plays a rescue ranger
    (park ranger, that is, not the Chip n Dale sort), who loses his
    confidence when a rescue results in tragedy.  The light of his life,
    Janine Turner (whom seemed pretty hampered by the script or something,
    she seemed positively wooden at times), his best friend (Michael
    Rooker), the wonderful scenery of the faux-Rockies - he casts them all
    aside to go sulk in Denver.
    
    Meanwhile, some droolingly large amount of money is heisted from the
    Denver mint.  Unfortunately, it's lost in transit.  Where?  In the
    mountains of course.  And who do the people who want it need?  A rock
    climbing, rescue ranger to go get it.  And who happens to be coming
    back to the park, just to 'pick up a few things before moving on'? 
    Why, Mr. Stallone.  
    
    You can surmise the rest of the movie from there.
    
    Lots n lots of climbing sequences.  I dunno if mountain climbers today
    think ropes are for wimps, but it seems that scaling the side of a
    4000' cliff face with just hands, feets and a few pitons is the wave of
    modern climbing.  Like the trailers show, lots of leaping chasms,
    skidding down precarious slopes, running from people with guns,
    explosions, the whole nine yards.  There is some violence, a fairly
    liberal use of the F word, a bit of blood and absolutely no sex.
    
    All in all, not a waste of time, although I wouldn't pay to see it
    again in a theatre.  And there was a cool "Last Action Hero" trailer to
    boot.
    
    If you like the genre and are forgiving of script quality, go see it.
    (If you're acrophobic, I'd shun it, or at least be prepared to close
    your eyes a lot)./
    
    **.5 out of ****
    
    kim

    
    Pretty surprised by some of the mediocre reviews thus far.  I thought 
    this movie was excellent!  I enjoyed it as much as "Die Hard."  "Die Hard"
    probably had a better plot, but I'd personally rather watch Stallone than 
    Willis.  
    
    Absolutely a theatre movie!  I got to see it in a theatre with a huge 
    screen (hard to find these days) and a great sound system and it made all
    the difference in the world.  The camera shots were worth the price
    alone.  On tv - forget about it.
    
    My wife, who I have to drag to these types of flicks ("Sleepless in
    Seattle" will be more her type), was even impressed and thinks it'll 
    probably be one of the best of the summer (maybe it was because of
    the little critter who shows up towards the end!).
    
    Michael Rooker (Hal) is starting to be one of my favorite actors, too.
    
    - Sean

    Hi folks!!
    
    Have to put my 2 cents in on this one!!!  The scenery was exceptional
    and the plot wasn't bad....but the violence totally ruined it for me.  
    I expect a certain amount of violence and I'm not a real "wimpy"
    person.....but I think it crossed over the lines of "decent" violence,
    if ya' know what I mean!!  I won't say anymore as I don't want to ruin
    it for anyone and I'm sure many people could care less about the
    violence and be able to focus more on the positive things....but I
    wasn't happy with this flick overall.
    
    Renee

	Found this interesting reading EW on the plane.  It said the
	scene where Sly is in a closeup and the camera backs up and
	up to show him hanging from a cliff, that the cables supporting
	him were in full camera view.  They used computers to make the
	rope disappear.

    I have yet to see this movie, but do intend to do so, in a matinee to
    be sure, but see it i will.  I only want to address the comment on
    modern climbing and ropes.
    
    I do not know the scene you are refering to, but if the person was
    climbing alone, solo-climbers have to make do with significantly less
    rope support that climbing teams.  They are required to self-belay
    while they ascend, since they have no partner to do it for them, and
    tend to use only one rope for the entire ascent, using that only for
    immediate support on tricky sections.  Today, most climbing is
    "free-climbing"  that is climbing with minimal aid and protection.  The
    goal of free climbing is to climb light, climb fast and climb mostly on
    your own power.  A free-climber climbs and supports him or herself
    almost completely on their own, with little or no mechanical
    protection, including pitons (boo-hiss, damage the rock) or even many
    of the modern "clean-climbing" protection pieces.  In free-climbing,
    the ropes are there as sort of a safety net, to catch you if you fall,
    but not to rely on for constant weight bearing.  People do solo ascents
    of El-Capitan in Yosemite all the time and that beastie is tall (takes
    a couple of days to climb; climbers sleep on a "portable-ledge"  which
    they tie into the rock face, as well as themselves.  It is pretty
    amazing what mountaineers and high mountain rock climbers can do.
    
    Andrew, an aspiring mountaineer
    
    

    I saw Cliffhanger this weekend and liked it.  It was very similar to
    Stallone's work in the Rambo trilogy.  If you like action and a hero
    that never stops, you should like this one.  As far as the violence
    goes, I found a token amount considering movies these days but nothing
    that I would consider extreme.
    
    Stallone's buddy in the movie, Rooker (?), was very good as was
    ruthless villain (I forgot his name).  The scenery was spectacular!
    
    Overall, I'd rate it a *** out of ****.
    
    Robin

	Anyone else sit through the credits?  That has to of been
	one of the longest running closing credits (though usually
	I don't sit through them, I was forced to by others this time).

	[potential spoiler warning]

	I found humorous the disclaimer about that buckle that came lose
	in the opening scene.  Ie. it said the buckle had been altered
	to break ......

>As far as the violence goes, I found a token amount considering movies these 
>days but nothing that I would consider extreme.
    
Have we all been so numbed by violence these days that you've found that
there wasn't any "extreme" violence in the movie? I thought the movie
contained a bit too much violence and some senseless and cruel (not
to mention graphic which Hollywood is so good at) violence at that - the
kind today's society can do without. We've come a long way...

I did love this movie, though. Haven't watched one in some time that could
keep me on the edge of my seat. It had a great opening. The effects and
stunts were awesum!

/james

    
    
    I'd like to point out a fact in this movie that was mentioned in the In
    the Line of Fire note.  I will list after a form feed for those of you
    who still have not seen this.
    
    
    In th opening scene where Stallone is trying to save his friend's
    girlfriend, she is barely hanging on with one hand and he tells her to
    "Grab my hand".  Excuse me, but if she did that she would have to let
    go of the rope and as soon as she did she would fall immediately.  
    
    I only brought this up because someone mentioned it in another note and
    it's interesting to see how often that line is said in other movies.
    
    

    
    I just have to comment, I'm still freaked out. I saw this last weekend,
    that's fathers day here in Australia, and I am still buzzing. Anybody
    who has ever been on the end of a rope has to see this in an entirely 
    different perspective from those armchair critics who simply want to 
    slag someone for having a go. I loved the climbing scenes! I had gone 
    out climbing the day before and I walked out of the cinema feeling 
    inadequate, no matter who or how they did the climbing sequences. 
    The plot was barely plausible, but who needs a plot?  Most of
    the garbage being pumped out doesn't fulfill my definition of a good
    plot anyway, just take Jurassic Park as an example. I enjoyed myself
    for once while also feeling that there is more to life than
    dinosaurs...  I also enjoyed the fact that there was no sex or
    sexual inuendo, wasn't necessary and not missed either. I found the
    ruthlessness real, and the style of violence ie. 'ramboesque' fulfilled 
    my other needs.
    A great bit of entertainment, which is what it set out to be in the
    first place.
    
    Graham
    
    

    We rented this Sunday night, and loved it!  After seeing it, I
    really kicked myself in the butt for not seeing it on the big
    screen.  My brother kept telling me to go see it in the movies,
    but we never seemed to find the time to go see it.
    The opening of this was extremely intense!  As for the language
    and violence, I'm sure we've all heard and seen alot worse.
    The movie moved right along, and it definately held our interest
    through the whole show.  We had some friends over to watch it,
    and they really enjoyed it also.
    
    I saw an interview with Sly a few months ago about this movie,
    and he said he did all his own stunts, BUT, he's also afraid
    of heights!  Talk about dealing with your fears....

    The only bad thing I have to say about the movie was:
    
    his buddy hated Gabe because he blamed the death of his girl friend
    on him, infact he came close to dropping him off the side of the cliff
    but he didn't think twice about risking his own life for him right off
    the bat... 
    
    tony
    

question about the possible spoiler...
    
>    his buddy hated Gabe because he blamed the death of his girl friend
>    on him, infact he came close to dropping him off the side of the cliff
>    but he didn't think twice about risking his own life for him right off
>    the bat... 
    
Tony,

could you clairify the his and him and he for me? you've totally lost me
after you mention the girlfriend... was Gabe's buddy close to dropping Gabe
or was Gabe close to dropping his buddy???

I saw this in the movies and I can't place what you're talking about
cause I don't know who is doing what!!!

thanks,
scott

    re:1
    
    When Gabes buddy first starting climbing the mountin he met gabe at one
    point, and they started arguing about Gabe's buddies girl. Gabes buddy
    grabed him by the shirt and started yelling at him saying you had to do
    it your way and because of that she is dead. By this time Gabe(sly) has
    backed up a couple of steps and his heels are right on the edge og the
    cliff, Gabe (sly) looks at his buddy and says well if you want to do it
    do it, and his buddy said no! you live with it.
    
    is that any clearer
    tony
    

>    is that any clearer

Yes, thank you! Now I know what you are talking about...

/scott

    RE: 24
    
    possible spoiler
    
    I would say the reason why he didn't think twice of saving Gabes life
    is because he knew he was wrong for bringing his beginner moutain
    climber girlfriend up to that ledge in the first place.  So deep 
    down he probably felt responsible for her death, but by blaming
    it all on Gabe seemed easier to do then blame himself for her death.
    
    "Gabes girlfriend" even told Gabe that when he showed up at her place
    for the first time in 8 months, and he was putting all the blame on
    himself and no one else.
    
    How's that sound?

    re:-1
    
    sounds good to me
    
    tony
    

    
    	Did anyone notice a blooper in this movie ?.
    
    	I'll hide it just in case...
    
    
    
    	In the scene where the plane crashes and slides a long way before
    	it stops, you see the nose of the plane stick out over the edge
    	of the cliff just as it comes to a full stop, but the next time
    	they show the nose of the plane, it's resting completely on solid
    	ground.  Did anyone else notice this ?.
    
    			Juan

    
    The movie was full of bloopers  one that sticks in my mind is:
    
    
    
    
    Jannie Turner/Jamie gets a new horse and she is brushing him when
    Sly comes home after a 1yr.  Jannie then makes it point to untie
    her horse (and she's using a climping type of clip on the lead roap)
    the very next second..the horse is tied up again eating hay
    
    Also, there were meny times in the same sceane that the weather
    chagned way too much..one minute it's snowing the next very second
    it's warmish and sunny
    
    Sly kept loosing his sweeter (the one he got in cabin) he kept
    showing up with it off and on...at one point he pulled it out of
    the air (or so it seemed) :<)
    
    also, how did the bad guy know what Jannie looked like?  when he
    flew up to here in the chopter and pointed the gun at her?  he
    had never seen her before...it could of been a lost hiker for all
    he knew
    
    Lkp

    
    Extremely enjoyable bubble-gum cinema and I'd probably watch it again,
    but I'd be sure to miss the first ten minutes.  That scene left finger
    dents in the armrests and made my colon and pancreas try to strangle
    each other.  YYUUUUUUCCCCKKKKKKK!!!!  WHATAWAYTOGOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
    
    You just knew John Lithgow was an evil S.O.a B. when he shoved his
    injured mercenary employee out the plane door, so that he wouldn't have
    to find the guy medical attention!!!
    
    If you liked 'Die Hard 2' (same director) i.e. large amounts of guns,
    blood, villains, exploding airliners, and general carnage, then see
    this.
    
    (If you didn't, don't)
    
    
    

    I don't know how to do a spoiler so anyone who hasn't scene the movie
    shouldn't read on.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    In the scene where Sly drops the girl they actualy did let her go. 
    With a parachute atached.  I am not sure if it was a stand in or realey
    her, but from the looks of the scene it was her.  But all I know for
    sure is that the fall was real.

    
    You could tell that by the camerawork, there was no way that was a
    matte-painted background.  Whoever did that fall was made of sterner
    stuff than me.......
    
    
    
    
    Ian

    or atleast got paid alot more than we would.
    				Scott

If I remember right, the actress that fell to her death was the same one that
performed the stunt.  In fact she "enjoyed" falling so much they did the stunt 
twice.  Also, they didn't use a parachute, it was more like a bungee cord.


/B