Flesh and Blood (1985) is a transition film for Paul Verhoeven, in that the lions share of the funding was from a US studio, but with European co-operation, and a mixed cast of US and European performers. He found that the studios interfered more in the plot, but deferred to them, and is not sure he should have. He also found that American actors were used to being pampered, and didn't understand his directing style. They constantly complained about things like unheated castles (those medieval rulers must have been really stupid not to install forced air heating and air conditioning) and lack of privacy. The biggest challenge was the directing style bit, however. Verhoeven was used to walking through a characters part himself to explain what he was looking for, and where. The American performers wanted to know the characters motivation in each scene and their complete psychology. Verhoeven thought those things were obvious from the script.

He went on from this film to making high-budget Hollywood films, with some spectacular successes and failures, but confided in the commentary that he will be returning to Holland and making a few films more true to his artistic muse. His DP this time was Jan de Bont, who worked with him on many of his films both in Holland and in Hollywood. In fact, Verhoeven has only worked with two DPs. de Bont is too busy directing his own films now, and Jost Vacano has now retired, so Paul will have to find a new DP for his next effort. He will be teaming again with writer Gerard Soeteman, who wrote all of his early films, but stayed in Holland.

This film became a story about Jennifer Jason Leigh, torn between Rutgar Hauer and Tom Burlinson, but was originally supposed to be more about men wielding power in Medieval times. IN this film, there are no clear good or bad people, and no heroes or villains. Jennifer Jason Leigh is one of the most conniving and self-serving characters, in that she plays both sides.

Whatever else you think of Verhoeven's body of work, he has certainly given as ample nudity, and this is no exception. With a resume that includes Showgirls and basic Instinct, you could defend him as being the single best mainstream director for female nudity. He and Hauer had worked together on many films, and were very comfortable together in this one. Scoop summarized the nudity perfectly. I kind of liked the ambiguities in the film, something more like Verhoeven's roots than the Hollywood formula. We never know, for certain, which guy Leigh really wants, for instance. There are plenty of digs at violence committed in the name of religion, and other strong political themes. Verhoeven believes he did not have enough budget to make this film perfectly, and was very clear in the commentary where things were not right. This "knights hack and slash and rape and pillage" is not my normal fare, and I enjoyed this one, which makes it a C+.

The Cider House Rules

Cider House is one of those films which provokes radically polarized reactions, ala The English Patient. James Berardinelli picked it as his #4 film in 1999, and it was a Best Picture nominee. On the other hand, Roger Ebert gave it a mere two stars, and critics were split about down the middle.

Some of the criticism was related to the film itself, which had some real flaws, starting with a corny musical score that tells you when to cry. Some of the other criticism was related to the film's point of view, which was strongly pro-abortion.

I discussed it at greater length here.

I'm not unaware of the film's problems, and its critics had some valid points, but in my mind they were insignificant points. The essence of the film was about real people, complicated multi-dimensional people, caring for one another. At its core, it is not a love story, but rather a film about love.

When I reviewed it in 1999, I wrote:

"It argues that we should love each other more in general, we should love our children most of all, and we should not create children unless we plan to love them. It delivers that message powerfully and simply, as Irving's novel did. And when you get right down to it, everything else is less significant than that."

It has an angelic spirit, and that leads me to forgive its flaws.

The fact that Charlize Theron gets naked didn't hurt my attitude any, either. Although it is not very explicit nudity, it is beautifully lit and the scene is composed and colored beautifully.

• Charlize Theron (1, 2, 3)

• There was more nudity in the first theatrical release than in the DVD. This topless scene was the continuation of the scene above, and it got lost along the way, probably to avoid an R rating.

Updates

• You will find about a dozen update volumes in letters H-J, plus Charlize Theron. Gabriella Hall must now be approaching the pole position, with nearly 200 entries in her volume. I don't specifically keep track of that, but I know that Hall has now passed Michelle Bauer, and I think Julie Strain is the only one higher on the totem pole, unless I have forgotten someone.

AMAZING COINCIDENCE:

JACKSON RELEASES NEW SONG EARLY AFTER INTERNET LEAK.

JANET JACKSON's new song JUST A LITTLE WHILE was rush released digitally to American radio networks yesterday morning (02FEB04) after it was leaked onto the internet.

Record label bosses at VIRGIN chose to release the DALLAS AUSTIN-produced track in a bid to scupper cyber thieves' plans to put the record out early as an exclusive download. Ironically, the number was apparently not officially chosen by the label as the first single from Jackson's new album, DAMITA JOE, which will be released at the end of March (04).

The track's arrival comes just hours after Jackson's controversial appearance as part of the MTV-produced Super Bowl half-time show, in which she exposed her right breast.
 

Final Word

TODAY's QUOTE COMES FROM COMEDIAN TOM DRIESSEN

"IT'S IRONIC: THE CAROLINA PANTHERS SHOULDN'T HAVE 'GONE FOR TWO'  AND JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE SHOULD HAVE"…

MAILBOX:

Scoop

Flesh and Blood, in the scene you capped, there was one good quick flash of beaver when JJL is squirming around.

Scoop's reply: There were three times when she flashed the ol' 'tang. One of these must be what you are looking for. If not, I'll bet Tuna nailed it above. (1, 2, 3, 4)

Hey Scoop,

I've been watching a movie I picked up at a half-price store - called Sunset Strip (1992).  It has to be the lamest stripper movie ever, and I've seen a few.  The strip scenes involve a club, where the audience is  full of middle aged men who cheer the dancers and throw dollar bills like they were frat boys that have never seen a topless woman before.  Most of the dances take two songs before any clothes come off - and then another one just to get the top off.  There's a few side stories about the strip club owner, the girls who are taking dancing lessons for some kind of legitimate competition a la flashdance, and so on, but nothing of any interest.  Speaking of Flashdance, Shelly Michelle is in this movie, but I don't know if any of the nudity was hers since I can't tell which one she is - all of the dancers kinda blend into each other. Well there is one small-breasted dancer at the end that had some gymnastic moves that might be her - and she shows her breasts in a very dramatic fashion (remove top facing away, turn around with hands over breasts, then open the arms wide in an expansive "I love the world gesture". I did like some of the music, but that's because I like 80s rock/metal music that's heavy on guitar.

A lot of the nudity is not very clear - either dance club scenes or with that hazy, vaselined lens look that Penthouse popularized.  One reason I'm mentioning it at all, is it had the longest trailer I've ever seen (why do they call them "trailers" if they come before the movie???). I didn't clock it, but I swear it must have been 12 minutes. It was for Bikini Summer II, and showed more nudity in the trailer than I remember was even in the movie. More than was even in the main feature, for that matter.

I noticed a couple of days ago you mentioned Susan Sarandon, Jennifer Aniston, and Charlize Theron (Theron as she was listed) by name only. Was there some reason why you had to qualify Julia Roberts as "Actress Julia Roberts"?  Kind of like saying George Carlin, Rodney Dangerfield, and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. 

Later,

Copperhead

Scoop's reply: I don't remember that. It doesn't sound like me. Hard to believe that I would refer to Julia Roberts as an actress with placing "alleged" before the term.

WMV clip:

• Here is a 640x480 (nearly DVD size) soundless clip of Timberwolf ripping off JJ's top at Super Bowl XXXBVDIII
   

 

OTHER CRAP:

• Why were Betty and Veronica captivated? Archie Had A Huge Cock
• Enough is enough, says Greg Norman. Let the women play on their golf tour and stay away from men's events. Because, you know, they might fold up under pressure in the final round of a major, like little girly men.
• Bobby Knight tosses the salad.
• EARL DITTMAN EXPOSED Film Criticism's Greatest Shame
• Avert Your Eyes! - High-definition porn has arrived. That's bad news for HDTV.
• There are now several clips and trailers online for Hidalgo
• The high quality trailer for The Alamo is now online.
• BUSH ACCUSES SADDAM OF TELLING TRUTH. “After years of lying about his weapons, Saddam Hussein willfully decided to tell the truth about them,” Mr. Bush said. “His treachery knows no bounds.”
• Howard Dean dismissed as 'silly' a government inquiry into whether indecency rules were broken during the broadcast of the Super Bowl halftime show when pop diva Janet Jackson's bodice was ripped to expose her right breast."
• Wikipedia - the free online Encyclopedia project - has now passed 200,000 articles.
• Janet didn't show Bush. He fell asleep during the first half.
• The Top 11 S/F Movie Gadgets
• FANTASY: if Justin had managed to snag both
• Janet apologizes, says Super Bowl stunt went too far. She says that MTV and CBS were NOT in on it, and that she made the decision after final dress rehearsal. She did not mention whether Timberwolf was aware of exactly what he'd expose.
• Slow day at work? Learn to do Tricks with your Pen.
• Super Bowl Commercials atSuperBowl-Ads.com - all the ads since 1998
• Kerry leads Bush in new poll, 53 to 46 head-to-head. Of course, at this moment, Bush also loses 53-46 when matched head-to-head against a pop-up toaster.
• Gorbachev to Trademark His Forehead. This is not a satire site. It is a legitimate headline.
• The trailer and five clips from The Girl Next Door. Innocent "girl next door" is a former porn star.
• The Honky Tonk Man Website - "Greatest Intercontinental Champion"... takes on Vince McMahon
• The Bill O'Reilly Iraq WMD Apology Countdown Clock
• At least seven U.S. congressmen are boot-licking zombies controlled by Haiti's supersecret AIH intelligence agency (Weekly World News)
• FilmJerk.com - The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past: "The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past was set to begin principal photography with Ben Affleck in the lead role and Betty Thomas behind the camera before Disney suddenly and unexpectedly shut the film down. Rumor had it that the bad press from Affleck's stinker Gigli was the cause. Disney, red-faced, immediately denied the charge and set Affleck up with another film. So why did Ghosts get so close to only fall apart at the last minute? I think I know: because the script is an abomination."
• FilmJerk.com's Early Report for February 2
• Selma Blair and Ahmet Zappa capped their six-month whirlwind romance with a wedding last week.
• FCC to investigate Super Bowl breast-baring. The best comment so far: Timberwolf's comments that it was a wardrobe malfunction. Right. Janet didn't expect that giant nipple-pinching contraption to be exposed. She was just wearing it under her clothing for the sheer comfort of it.
• It took some convincing before police would respond to reports of a camel on a Swedish road in the middle of a snowstorm.
• Now that Arnold Schwarzenegger has become governor, Gray Davis has taken up ... acting. "I'll be hack". I already have my tickets for "Grey Davis's Othello". Ok, in that case it would be, "I'll be black". Chris Klein is tentatively on board as Iago. Hey, he's trying to overcome typecasting. As for Davis, he pointed out that this was nothing new, since before becoming a politician, he was known for years as character actor Clu Gulager
• Lots of online clips from Adam Sandler's 50 First Dates. (His girlfriend - Drew Barrymore - has that same memory disease from Memento, and can't remember anything that happened on previous days.)
• JoBlo interviews Kurt Russell about Miracle. (Disney film about the American hockey team defeating the Soviets at Lake Placid.)
• Harvey Weinstein, head of Miramax, doesn't really want to be a studio exec churning out phony-baloney films and bullying Oscar voters. Instead, his real dream is to DIRECT phony-baloney films and bully Oscar voters. Unfortunately, that may not be covered by his contract with Satan.
• Dark Horizons summarizes the Trades for Monday, February 2nd
• Here's a trailer and a clip from Danny the Dog, a strange film written by Luc Besson of "Leon" fame.
• A Jan. 28 story on MTV's Web site promised 'shocking moments' during her performance in Houston, and her choreographer made similar comments in a recent interview.
• Hairy little rat calls for six more weeks of winter. The 'hog was booed by the Pennsylvanians. Of course, these are the same people who boo the kids who don't find any Easter Eggs. Talk about celebrity nudity. This story includes plenty of pictures of Phil in the buff.
• Complete ranking of the popularity of all Super Bowl ads. Bud Light wins the Ad Bowl, Mike Ditka's soft Dicka finishes last.
• Here are four more free videos from Playboy's Twins & Sisters!
• Quote of the day from writer Wayne Davis, "TALKING ABOUT LAST NIGHT'S HALFTIME SHOW, HE SAYS "EVEN JANET'S BROTHER MICHAEL WAS OFFENDED. HE SENT CBS AN E-MAIL SAYING IT WAS 'INAPPROPRIATE VIEWING' FOR THE 12-YEAR-OLD BOY HE WAS IN BED WITH"
• CBS sorry for Jackson's breast in show. They claim that it was NOT approved in advance, and swore that MTV would not produce another show for them. Unless you thought it was cool. Then it was their idea.

Other Crap archives. May also include newer material than the ones above, since it's sorta in real time.

Click here to submit a URL for inclusion in Other Crap

MOVIE REVIEWS:

Here are the latest movie reviews available at scoopy.com.

• The yellow asterisks indicate that I wrote the review, and am deluded into thinking it includes humor.
• If there is a white asterisk, it means that there isn't any significant humor, but I inexplicably determined there might be something else of interest.
• A blue asterisk indicates the review is written by Tuna (or Junior or Brainscan, or somebody else besides me)
• If there is no asterisk, I wrote it, but am too ashamed to admit it.

• Holly Hunter, baring breasts and bush and looking fantastic at age 45 in scenes from "Thirteen" (2003). Hunter was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for this role.

• Hudson Leick, the Evil Callisto topless in scenes from "After the Game" aka "The Last Hand".

Be sure to pay Graphic Response a visit at his website. www.graphic-barry.com.

• Andrea Hargitay, robo-hooters, pubes and the occasional thong views.
  (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

• Brandy Davis, showing all 3 B's while cheerleading, and then toplessness in pseudo-sex scenes.
  (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)

• Shayna Ryan, robo-boobs and gettin' it on.
  (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

• Group pics including Amber Newman, Brandy Davis and Taimie Hannum in a 3-way lesbo scene.
  (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

SUPER BOWL UN-WRAP-UP
An Uplifting Game - The Patriots beat the Panthers 32-29 in the last seconds of a Super Bowl squeaker, but afterward, all the talk was about Janet Jackson. In an MTV-produced halftime show, Justin Timberlake sang, "I'll get you naked by the end of this song," then ripped off Janet's top, exposing one breast with a solar-shaped nipple medallion. CBS was swamped with complaints and claimed they had no idea it would happen. But the Drudge Report claims they did, and that MTV even issued a pre-game PR release on "Janet's Shocking Moments." Timberlake also apologized, calling it a "regrettable...wardrobe malfunction."