From rec.arts.sf.reviews Sun Feb 17 17:50:10 2002 Path: news.island.liu.se!news.ida.liu.se!newsfeed.sunet.se!news01.sunet.se!news.kth.se!uio.no!nntp.uib.no!uninett.no!news.algonet.se!algonet!news000.worldonline.se!fr.clara.net!heighliner.fr.clara.net!freenix!sn-xit-01!sn-post-01!supernews.com!news.supernews.com!not-for-mail From: JoBlo Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: Mothman Prophecies, The (2002) Approved: ramr@rottentomatoes.com Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 19:44:18 -0000 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Message-ID: X-RAMR-ID: 30850 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 281181 X-RT-TitleID: 1111834 X-RT-SourceID: 573 X-RT-AuthorID: 1021 X-RT-RatingText: 7/10 Summary: r.a.m.r. #30850 X-Questions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Submissions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Complaints-To: newsabuse@supernews.com Lines: 86 Xref: news.island.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:2792 rec.arts.sf.reviews:205 THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES RATING: 7/10 http://www.joblo.com/mothmanprophecies.htm For more reviews and movie screensavers, visit http://www.joblo.com/ PLOT: A reporter whose wife gets into a serious car accident after seeing "something" really scary in front of her, finds himself running into various other people who claim to have seen the very same apparition and other disturbing things. It isn't long before the man himself also begins to experience some inexplicable events and things only get creepier from there. By the way, this movie is based on real events which occurred around the small town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia in 1967. CRITIQUE: A really creepy movie which doubles its creepy quotient by actually being based on real-life events...now that's scary! But not "scary" in the every day sense of the word, more like an overall feeling of dread, a sense of unease all around, a brooding something or another...sitting up there...somewhere...watching over our shoulders. In fact, the film really gives you a great overall package of mood, style and the unexplained, a lot like a solid X-FILES episode but on the big screen (Gere even looks like Mulder in a few scenes). Moments of fright, goosebumps here and there, darkness, lights, sounds coming in and out...all very effective, but does it all add up to a superlative ghostly/horror/thriller? Not so sure about that. Which is strange because it does have an interesting story that never bored me, decent actors doing decent work and directing, that is overly stylized, but in the case of this film (centered on the paranormal), very complementary to its off-kilter feel. In fact, what's even more original about this particular chill-ride is that it didn't rely on goofy over-the-top Hollywood special effects to provide for its moments of tension and escalating fear. It created that atmosphere all on its own, with a deliberate pace, heavy visual tricks and the always scarier ability to not show the terror on the screen, but imply and embed it throughout. But in the end, even though I definitely enjoyed the movie, I didn't feel as though it was overwhelmingly successful (not sure exactly why yet). It was almost as if its final grandiose events (which are pretty awesome to witness but felt a little out of tune with the rest of the film) took away from its earlier, more mannered pacing and atmosphere. Don't get me wrong...it's a solid movie, no doubt about that, it got under my skin during several key moments, but it seems as though the sum of its parts, wasn't as impressive as were specific elements throughout (does that make any sense?). One thing that it definitely does is create a greater awareness of the supernatural world, and it certainly made me want to read more about the actual events and sightings of this "mothman" (click here for many sites on the topic). Do I smell a "Mothman Returns"? Just kidding...kinda. So if chills and an engaging tale of a real-life "boogeyman" is what you're looking for, this film should definitely be on your list of "to dos" this coming Friday. In fact, I get the feeling that it's the kind of movie that I would need to see a few times to truly appreciate (in the dark, by myself, crapping my pants...). It requires patience from its viewer, doesn't go for the easy "boo" scares and utilizes a lot of style to maneuver you into further unease. But don't expect any concrete answers here folks...this is a mystery ongoing. And oh yeah...Gere is in his patented suits again. Natch! PS: I love Debra Messing. Where's JoBlo coming from? Jeepers Creepers (6/10) - The Mummy (8/10) - The Mummy Returns (6/10) - Arlington Road (7/10) - The Sixth Sense (8/10) - The Others (9/10) - The Ninth Gate (8/10) - The X-Files (7/10) Review Date: January 22, 2002 Director: Mark Pellington Writer: Richard Hatem Producer: Gary Goldstein, Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi Actors: Richard Gere as John Klein Laura Linney as Connie Parker Will Patton as Gordon Genre: Thriller Year of Release: 2002 ------------------------------------ JoBlo's Movie Emporium http://www.joblo.com/ ------------------------------------ (c) 2002 Berge Garabedian ========== X-RAMR-ID: 30850 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 281181 X-RT-TitleID: 1111834 X-RT-SourceID: 573 X-RT-AuthorID: 1021 X-RT-RatingText: 7/10 From rec.arts.sf.reviews Sun Feb 17 17:50:10 2002 Path: news.island.liu.se!news.ida.liu.se!newsfeed.sunet.se!news01.sunet.se!erinews.ericsson.se!erix.ericsson.se!luth.se!nycmny1-snh1.gtei.net!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.gtei.net!news.maxwell.syr.edu!sn-xit-03!sn-post-01!supernews.com!news.supernews.com!not-for-mail From: Steve Rhodes Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: Mothman Prophecies, The (2002) Approved: ramr@rottentomatoes.com Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 20:33:51 -0000 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Message-ID: X-RAMR-ID: 30868 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 281416 X-RT-TitleID: 1111834 X-RT-SourceID: 703 X-RT-AuthorID: 1271 X-RT-RatingText: 1/4 Summary: r.a.m.r. #30868 X-Questions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Submissions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Complaints-To: newsabuse@supernews.com Lines: 53 Xref: news.island.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:2807 rec.arts.sf.reviews:206 THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2002 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): * The almost always reliable Laura Linney (YOU CAN COUNT ON ME) isn't very good in THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES, but, to be fair, it's not her fault. A thriller that tries to be THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT for grown-ups with a little GROUNDHOG DAY thrown in as well, the picture is a disjointed and incomprehensible mess. Supposedly based on actual events that transpired in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, the movie makes no sense. No matter how many times he shoots scenes through red filters, Mark Pellington (ARLINGTON ROAD) can't make us care enough to attempt to decipher who or what the Mothman is. The only thing that we're sure of is that we were going to have to endure almost two entire hours of this hokum. The film starts off promisingly with its one effectively scary episode. Washington Post reporter John Klein (Richard Gere) and his wife Mary (Debra Messing) have a frightening encounter with a shadowy, moth-like figure. "You didn't see him, did you?" Mary asks rhetorically. "See what?" John replies nonplussed. Although we never really get to see the creature, we do learn of his powers, which include premonitions like "99 will die!" and "Wake up number 37." Like a bad case of the flu, he, she or it causes puffy eyes and other such ailments. When the movie finally gets to its very long concluding incident, in which a massive number of people are in peril, you'll be probably thinking what I did -- "Oh die, already!" so we can finally put this movie in its grave. THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES runs 1:53. It is rated PG-13 for "terror, some sexuality and language" and would be acceptable for teenagers. The film opens nationwide today, Friday, January 25, 2002. In the Silicon Valley, it is showing at the AMC and the Century theaters. Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com *********************************************************************** Want free reviews and weekly movie and video recommendations via Email? Just send me a letter with the word "subscribe" in the subject line. ========== X-RAMR-ID: 30868 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 281416 X-RT-TitleID: 1111834 X-RT-SourceID: 703 X-RT-AuthorID: 1271 X-RT-RatingText: 1/4 From rec.arts.sf.reviews Sun Feb 17 17:50:10 2002 Path: news.island.liu.se!news.ida.liu.se!newsfeed.sunet.se!news01.sunet.se!newsfeed.bahnhof.se!newsfeed3.bahnhof.se!newsfeed1.bredband.com!bredband!newsfeed.stanford.edu!sn-xit-01!sn-post-01!supernews.com!news.supernews.com!not-for-mail From: Laura Clifford Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: Mothman Prophecies, The (2002) Approved: ramr@rottentomatoes.com Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 19:52:23 -0000 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Message-ID: X-RAMR-ID: 30873 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 281784 X-RT-TitleID: 1111834 X-RT-SourceID: 386 X-RT-AuthorID: 1487 X-RT-RatingText: B+ Summary: r.a.m.r. #30873 X-Questions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Submissions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Complaints-To: newsabuse@supernews.com Lines: 71 Xref: news.island.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:2815 rec.arts.sf.reviews:207 THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES ---------------------- Washington Post reported John Klein (Richard Gere) couldn't be happier as he and his wife Mary (Debra Messing, TV's "Will and Grace") drive back to DC after finding their dream house. But Mary sees something horrifying and swerves off the road. After her death, John discovers her notebook filled with terrifying images of a dark winged being with red eyes. Two years later, John, en route to an interview, finds himself inexplicably off course by 400 miles in the middle of the night. He's arrived in Point Pleasant, West Virginia and is about to encounter "The Mothman Prophecies." Loosely based on the purported true events of John Keel's book, screenwriter Richard Hatem has removed the UFO references and moved the story from the 1960s to present day. "The Mothman Prophecies" is sure to spark internet searches for the many sites which relate stories about the Mothman, Indrid Cold and the Men in Black conspiracy which may be related. Klein seeks assistance at the home of Gordon Smallwood (Will Patton, "Remember the Titans"), but is greeted with a rifle for having arrived for the third time at 2:30 a.m. Police officer Connie Parker (Laura Linney, "You Can Count On Me") defuses the situation and takes John to a motel, explaining that a lot of strange things have been going on in Point Pleasant. John sticks around to investigate and finds that the creature his wife drew is being sighted, mostly around an abandoned chemical plant. The fire chief has been getting strange phone calls which John begins to receive as well. Consultations with a reluctant Chicago paranormal expert, Dr. Leek (Alan Bates), flesh out the history of the mothman as some kind of angel of death, sighted before such disasters as the Chernobyl nuclear accident. Gere is good as the grieving widower intent on discovering what his link is to the shadowy things which his wife experienced. He may be onto a startling journalistic piece or he may be losing his mind. He has chemistry with his "Primal Fear" costar Linney. The Oscar nominated actress is the voice of reason even thought she's in the midst of an inexplicable situation. Connie refuses to indulge in the growing hysteria and tries to help John work through his grief. Patton makes Smallwood's breakdown moving. Director Pellington proves once again that he knows how to build suspense and unease. As in "Arlington Road," red lights signal horror and potential evil. Working with cinematographer Fred Murphy ("Stir of Echoes"), who knows how to bring out the intrinsic scare quotient in winter-naked trees with camera angles, and editor Brian Berdan ("Blue Velvet"), Pellington maintains a sense of dread without ever fully revealing the titular mothman. Sound design and music by Tomandandy ("Arlington Road") complement the visuals by jangling the nerves. The film's flaws are concentrated within its climactic recreation of the Silver Bridge disaster. The screenplay provides a link for Connie to the event that's heavy handed and the sequence is confusingly edited. Still, the film's overall impact remains. "The Mothman Prophecies" is a difficult film to shake from your conscience when night falls. B+ For more Reeling reviews visit www.reelingreviews.com laura@reelingreviews.com robin@reelingreviews.com ========== X-RAMR-ID: 30873 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 281784 X-RT-TitleID: 1111834 X-RT-SourceID: 386 X-RT-AuthorID: 1487 X-RT-RatingText: B+ From rec.arts.sf.reviews Sun Feb 17 17:50:10 2002 From: Susan Granger Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: Mothman Prophecies, The (2002) Approved: ramr@rottentomatoes.com Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 20:01:26 -0000 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Message-ID: X-RAMR-ID: 30877 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 282750 X-RT-TitleID: 1111834 X-RT-SourceID: 742 X-RT-AuthorID: 1274 X-RT-RatingText: 5/10 Summary: r.a.m.r. #30877 X-Questions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Submissions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Complaints-To: newsabuse@supernews.com Lines: 35 Path: news.island.liu.se!news.Update.UU.SE!puffinus.its.uu.se!newsfeed.sunet.se!news01.sunet.se!erinews.ericsson.se!uab.ericsson.se!erix.ericsson.se!luth.se!newsfeed.berkeley.edu!ucberkeley!news.gv.tsc.tdk.com!sn-xit-02!sn-post-01!supernews.com!news.supernews.com!not-for-mail Xref: news.island.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:2820 rec.arts.sf.reviews:208 Susan Granger's review of 'THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES" (Screen Gems) Think of it as an eerie feature-length "X-Files"/"Twilight Zone" episode - this supernatural tale of a seven-foot tall, red-eyed, winged apparition who foretells doom and destruction. Here's the background: in his 1975 cult-thriller, John A. Keel claimed he experienced various paranormal events in tiny Point Pleasant, West Virginia, in 1966-67 while writing about UFOs for Playboy magazine so screenwriter Richard Hatem has adapted his story for the screen. Richard Gere plays John Klein, an intrepid Washington Post political reporter whose wife (Debra Messing) drew mysterious sketches of a moth-like monster she said she'd seen just before her death from a rare brain tumor. Two years later, when he's driving to Richmond, Virginia, Klein somehow winds up in Point Pleasant, where his car breaks down in the middle of the night on a lonely country road. When he knocks on the door of a nearby house, he encounters a paranoid redneck (Will Patton) who aims a gun at him and accuses him of harassment. Soon a local cop (Laura Linney) appears on the scene and she tells Klein something strange is going on. Good, church-going people are experiencing creepy, inexplicable things, including demonic voices from beyond that warn of imminent disaster on the Ohio River, and a spooked scientist (Alan Bates) relates his experiences. None of this makes much sense but director Mark Pellington ("Arlington Road") uses extreme close-ups to maintain the tension and suspense. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "The Mothman Prophecies" is an ominous 5. So what's the truth behind the tale? Several credible witnesses claim to have seen this creature and the Silver Bridge over the Ohio River collapsed in 1967, apparently of metal fatigue. And according to Keel, the Mothman manifestations continue. ========== X-RAMR-ID: 30877 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 282750 X-RT-TitleID: 1111834 X-RT-SourceID: 742 X-RT-AuthorID: 1274 X-RT-RatingText: 5/10 From rec.arts.sf.reviews Sun Feb 17 17:50:10 2002 From: Edward Johnson-Ott Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: Mothman Prophecies, The (2002) Approved: ramr@rottentomatoes.com Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2002 20:04:43 -0000 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Message-ID: X-RAMR-ID: 30896 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 282985 X-RT-TitleID: 1111834 X-RT-SourceID: 591 X-RT-AuthorID: 1099 Summary: r.a.m.r. #30896 X-Questions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Submissions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Complaints-To: newsabuse@supernews.com Lines: 98 Path: news.island.liu.se!news.Update.UU.SE!puffinus.its.uu.se!newsfeed.sunet.se!news01.sunet.se!news.kth.se!uio.no!66.40.56.40.MISMATCH!hub1.nntpserver.com!headwall.stanford.edu!newsfeed.stanford.edu!sn-xit-01!sn-post-02!sn-post-01!supernews.com!news.supernews.com!not-for-mail Xref: news.island.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:2838 rec.arts.sf.reviews:211 The Mothman Prophecies (2002) Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Debra Messing, Will Patton, Lucinda Jenney, Alan Bates. Music by Tomandandy. Screenplay by Richard Hatem, based on the book by John A. Keel. Directed by Mark Pellington. 119 minutes. Rated PG-13 Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly www.nuvo.net Archive reviews at http://reviews.imdb.com/ReviewsBy?Edward+Johnson-Ott To receive reviews by e-mail at no charge, send subscription requests to ejohnsonott@prodigy.net or e-mail ejohnsonott-subscribe@onelist.com with the word "subscribe" in the subject line. At a motel room late at night the phone rings. After a moment of hesitation he answers, only to hear the raspy sound of some distant voice, whispering numbers and a few odd words. Standing nearby, she shifts nervously from one foot to another, waiting. He hangs up the phone and sits back on the bed, an ashen look on his face. After a beat, she moves to his side, touches his shoulder and says, "What did you hear, Mulder?" Wait a minute, scratch that last sentence. This isn't an episode of "The X Files." It's "The Mothman Prophecies," a completely different movie that only feels like an episode of "The X Files." Based on the book by John A. Keel, which was based on some freaky business that reportedly occurred in a rural West Virginia town back in the '60s, the film is a supernatural thriller that manages to establish and maintain a suitably creepy atmosphere. Don't expect any answers, of course, as the tale relies on an impressive recreation of an actual disaster, mixed with some mystical hoodoo, to wrap everything up. Mark Pellington, whose career was launched by his direction of Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" video, is at the helm. In his first two films, "Going All the Way" and "Arlington Road," Pellington displayed a great love of skewed camera work, whether it was appropriate for the scene or not. This time, the subject matter allows him to indulge himself completely and the director has a field day using odd angles, creative transitions and grainy imagery to create the feeling that something is seriously wrong. The story begins on a particularly good day for the Kleins. John (Richard Gere) and Mary (Debra Messing from "Will and Grace") have just purchased their dream home and life couldn't be better. Then disaster strikes in the form of a car wreck that lands Mary in the hospital, where doctors learn she has a rare form of brain cancer. She goes downhill quickly and is soon gone, leaving John with a series of drawings of a moth-like creature and the question; "You didn't see it, did you?" Cut to two years later. John, a highly respected reporter for the Washington Post, leaves his home in Georgetown late at night to head for an important interview in Richmond, Virginia. Roughly 90 minutes into his journey he realizes that he is lost. In fact, he has arrived in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, more than 400 miles from where he should be. He stops at a house looking for help, only to end up facing a furious local (Will Patton) who is convinced that John has been harassing him for days. Police officer Connie Parker (Laura Linney) provides what details she can: Strange things are happening in Point Pleasant, with citizens receiving cryptic phone calls from a bizarre voice, seeing lights in the sky and catching glimpses of large moth-like creature. While far from memorable, the film works well enough, although, as with most "based on fact" supernatural tales, there is no resolution. Viewers can only take the hints given to draw their own conclusions. As for me, I wondered about the Mothman's use of the telephone. I wondered where the large moth-like creature was calling from. Does it have a dark sanctuary deep in the West Virginia hills equipped with a phone? Or, if the Mothman is an alien, perhaps its spaceship can tie into earthly telecommunication lines. I also wondered if the people the Mothman contacted had call waiting. Imagine being home late one evening and hearing your phone ring. You answer and it's the Mothman! You listen as it begins to deliver an otherworldly message when suddenly, your call waiting beeps. Oh, what to do, what to do? You don't wish to be impolite to a being from the nether regions, but what if your daughter had a flat on the way home from her date? Then again, how embarrassing would it be to put the Mothman on hold and switch to the other line, only to be asked if you're satisfied with your long-distance carrier? But I digress. "The Mothman Prophecies" is serviceable entertainment; the kind of film one expects to see released in the early months of a new year. The acting is good (although Laura Linney is wasted an underwritten part) and the spookiness is nicely sustained. So there you go. © 2002 Ed Johnson-Ott ========== X-RAMR-ID: 30896 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 282985 X-RT-TitleID: 1111834 X-RT-SourceID: 591 X-RT-AuthorID: 1099 From rec.arts.sf.reviews Sun Feb 17 17:50:10 2002 Path: news.island.liu.se!news.ida.liu.se!newsfeed.sunet.se!news01.sunet.se!newsfeed.bahnhof.se!newsfeed3.bahnhof.se!newsfeed1.bredband.com!bredband!newsfeed.stanford.edu!sn-xit-01!sn-post-01!supernews.com!news.supernews.com!not-for-mail From: Deerboy Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: Mothman Prophecies, The (2002) Approved: ramr@rottentomatoes.com Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2002 20:10:27 -0000 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Message-ID: X-RAMR-ID: 30898 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 283078 X-RT-TitleID: 1111834 X-RT-AuthorID: 5241 X-RT-RatingText: B Summary: r.a.m.r. #30898 X-Questions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Submissions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Complaints-To: newsabuse@supernews.com Lines: 57 Xref: news.island.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:2837 rec.arts.sf.reviews:210 The Mothman Prophesies: A Review By: Deerboy "The Mothman Prophesies" staring Richard Gere is obviously a low-budget movie. That isn't a critique. In fact, film students should watch this movie to see what a good director can do with no money. The film avoids all the blood and guts visuals so typical of the modern day horror genre. Like the "Blair Witch Project," this movie's impact is almost completely psychological. The director, Mark Pellington, cut costs in several ways, one of which involved setting the film in the present, instead of in the 1960s when the incidents took place. Also, production costs didn't require expensive computer animated graphics to bring this mystifying creature to life. Instead the viewer gets only hints and suggestions of the ominous apparition. Pellington only shows quick sequences involving the Mothman, leaving the viewer to think the actual sightings lasted only an instant. In fact, some of the reported sightings lasted for several minutes and transpired for over a year. The Mothman itself only appears about 4 times or so throughout the whole film and only for about a second each time. Despite the Mothman's near absence, however, one feels its presence throughout. Strange sounds, mysterious phone calls, and a few eyewitness narratives testify to its activities, providing plenty of suspense. The director saves his money for the spectacular finale, bringing to full screen the tragedy and horror of an incident that occurred over 30 years ago. The Mothman Prophesies also proves the old cliché that truth really is stranger than fiction. In fact, the movie, although quite eerie in its own right, actually leaves out some of the strangest of the reported incidents. Men-in-black don't show up to harass witnesses, and Pellington leaves out the dramatic UFO sightings, relegating them to a few minor hints here and there. After seeing this movie, however, the viewer will want to read John Keel's soon to be re-issued book "The Mothman Prophesies," first published in 1976. I use to work in a small town about an hour from Point Pleasant, West Virginia, where the incidents in this film took place. I always wanted to drive down there for a day to check the place out, because I've heard all the stories associated with it. After seeing this film, I don't think I'll ever be doing that-at least, not without out a can of raid or a really big bug zapper. Grade: B ========== X-RAMR-ID: 30898 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 283078 X-RT-TitleID: 1111834 X-RT-AuthorID: 5241 X-RT-RatingText: B From rec.arts.sf.reviews Fri Apr 12 09:04:19 2002 From: Christian Pyle Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: Mothman Prophecies, The (2002) Approved: ramr@rottentomatoes.com Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2002 17:24:50 -0000 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Message-ID: X-RAMR-ID: 31533 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 303369 X-RT-TitleID: 1111834 X-RT-AuthorID: 1057 X-RT-RatingText: B- Summary: r.a.m.r. #31533 X-Questions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Submissions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Complaints-To: newsabuse@supernews.com Lines: 63 Path: news.island.liu.se!news.Update.UU.SE!puffinus.its.uu.se!newsfeed.sunet.se!news01.sunet.se!erinews.ericsson.se!erix.ericsson.se!luth.se!nycmny1-snh1.gtei.net!news.gtei.net!news-out.visi.com!hermes.visi.com!hub1.meganetnews.com!sjc-peer.news.verio.net!news.verio.net!sn-xit-01!sn-post-01!supernews.com!news.supernews.com!not-for-mail Xref: news.island.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:3356 rec.arts.sf.reviews:243 The Mothman Prophecies Reviewed by Christian Pyle Directed by Mark Pellington Written by Richard Hatem (based on the book by John A. Keel) Starring Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Will Patton, and Alan Bates Grade: B- I felt an odd sort of nostalgia watching "The Mothman Prophecies," a remembrance of the 1970's when "true" tales of UFOs, demonic possession, and afterdeath experiences were all the rage. "Mothman" hearkens back to movies like "The Amityville Horror," which generated lots of press and public interest in the supposedly haunted house in Long Island. The true stories behind "Mothman" concern a series of weird events in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, in 1966 and 1967, including sightings of a bizarre winged figure who has come to be known as "The Mothman." This period of odd happenings culminated in a tragedy that cost dozens of lives. The movie version, which makes no attempt to set its plot in the 1960's, centers on Washington Post reporter John Klein (Richard Gere). John's wife (Debra Messing of "Will & Grace") dies of a brain tumor shortly after a car accident that she claims was caused by a winged man. Two years later, John finds himself in Point Pleasant with no memory of how or why he came. He soon meets Gordon Smallwood (Will Patton), who hears an inhuman voice telling him prophecies of death, and local cop Connie Parker (Laura Linney), who is investigating a series of sightings of a strange winged figure. John quickly becomes obsessed with finding the truth behind the Mothman. One can appreciate the wisdom of screenwriter Richard Hatem by comparing the events of the movie to the "true story" as covered by the official website. The tales of actual Point Pleasant residents seem trite by comparison, containing many references to UFOs and government "men in black." One guy claimed to have been abducted to the Mothman's home planet where "the people were mostly nude." Hatem's screenplay avoids any references to aliens or government cover-ups and chooses instead to suggest that the Mothman is not an intruder but a natural part of our world, a harbinger of death with all sorts of theological implications. Although it reminds me of the 1970's, "Mothman" is one of the many films in search of the audience of "The Sixth Sense" (others include "Dragonfly," "The Gift," and "The Others"). This emerging horror subgenre puts more emphasis on atmosphere than fear, and director Mark Pellington shows considerable skill in "Mothman." The creepiness grows until it's almost unbearable. During the first three-quarters of the movie, I bought the plot and found it absorbing. The ending undercut the effect, though, by placing undue emphasis on the romance between John and Connie, a subplot that seems an obligatory Hollywood device. The creepiness is abated by a big heroic moment that doesn't seem to fit the movie. The ending was probably doomed anyway. Like all those "unexplained phenomena" movies/books/tv series of the 1970's, "Mothman" cannot resolve its mystery. It can only end with words flashing on the screen that spell out the familiar refrain "these events remain unexplained." © 2002 Christian L. Pyle ========== X-RAMR-ID: 31533 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 303369 X-RT-TitleID: 1111834 X-RT-AuthorID: 1057 X-RT-RatingText: B- From rec.arts.sf.reviews Wed Jun 19 14:23:06 2002 Path: news.island.liu.se!news.ida.liu.se!newsfeed.sunet.se!news01.sunet.se!erinews.ericsson.se!erix.ericsson.se!luth.se!news.tele.dk!small.news.tele.dk!193.174.75.178!news-fra1.dfn.de!news-stu1.dfn.de!news.belwue.de!news.uni-stuttgart.de!feed.textport.net!sn-xit-04!sn-post-01!supernews.com!news.supernews.com!not-for-mail From: Harry Caul Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: Mothman Prophecies, The (2002) Approved: ramr@rottentomatoes.com Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films Date: Sat, 15 Jun 2002 07:34:30 -0000 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Message-ID: X-RAMR-ID: 32049 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 727011 X-RT-TitleID: 1111834 X-RT-AuthorID: 5804 X-RT-RatingText: 6/10 Summary: r.a.m.r. #32049 X-Questions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Submissions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Complaints-To: newsabuse@supernews.com Lines: 90 Xref: news.island.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:3864 rec.arts.sf.reviews:290 The Mothman Prophecies (Fore more reviews: http://www.iscriptdb.com) Starring: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Will Patton, Debra Messing, Nesbitt Blaisdell Directed by: Mark Pellington Written by: Mark Pellington, Richard Hatem Distributor: Screen Gems Release year: 2001 Rateing: 6 out of 10 What is the The Mothman Prophecies? That was my final question when it was over, and that’s not a good one to have after watching a movie. What was it trying to achieve? Was it a Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Supernatural, or Love story? This movie wanted to be all of these things and therefore never committed to any of them enough and as a result we are left with a shifting and themeless movie that lacked intrigue. It’s a sexless, non-genre specific, non-thematic creation. Richard Gere plays John Klein, a respected Washington Post journalist. John and his wife Mary, played by the likable Debra Messing, have just found the home of their dreams when disasters strikes. On the way home after finding their dream house something strange happens and they get into a minor car accident. Mary was driving when something flashes across the road and causes her to lose control of the car. She is knocked unconscious. John takes her to the emergency room and later they learn she has a tumor. She dies several months later. John then discovers a journal she had kept with strange drawings of demon (moth-man) looking creatures. Two years later and John is still not the same. One night while driving to interview the Governor, he gets lost and ends up 400 miles from his destination in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. He’s not sure how he got there. He doesn’t leave. He learns that some of the locals are reporting to authorities strange sightings of a demon like creature. He discovers that these things look just like the creature his wife drew in her journal. The first 60 minutes of this movie were enthralling. I was hooked! But then the filmmakers starting shifting the tone and feel of the thing so much that it lost all of its appeal to me. I lost interest. It should have stuck to the horror/mystery aspects and less of the love story and thriller ones. It’s a love story between John and Mary, but then Laura Linney’s character comes into the fold and really throws everything off. The horror aspects, the frightening nature of this creature was alluring. Once that wore off and the horror aspects disappeared the movie lost most of its steam. Writer/director Mark Pellington tried to have his cake and eat it too. This movie was neither scary enough, thrilling enough, nor had enough of a mystery. By the time it ends I didn’t care enough about it to make it a worthwhile experience. This one is forgettable -- The Spectator ------------------------------------------------------ In June of 1908, on the very last page of The New York Dramatic Mirror, Frank "The Spectator" Woods became this countries first "movie critic." In honor of his work, and the many others who have followed, we name this column. ========== X-RAMR-ID: 32049 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 727011 X-RT-TitleID: 1111834 X-RT-AuthorID: 5804 X-RT-RatingText: 6/10 From rec.arts.sf.reviews Wed Sep 4 09:24:33 2002 Path: news.island.liu.se!news.ida.liu.se!newsfeed.sunet.se!news01.sunet.se!logbridge.uoregon.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!sn-xit-03!sn-xit-06!sn-post-02!sn-post-01!supernews.com!news.supernews.com!not-for-mail From: Jerry Saravia Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: Mothman Prophecies, The (2002) Approved: ramr@rottentomatoes.com Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films Date: Tue, 03 Sep 2002 18:57:25 -0000 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Message-ID: X-RAMR-ID: 32743 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 762252 X-RT-TitleID: 1111834 X-RT-SourceID: 875 X-RT-AuthorID: 1314 X-RT-RatingText: 2/4 Summary: r.a.m.r. #32743 X-Questions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Submissions-to: ramr@rottentomatoes.com X-Complaints-To: abuse@supernews.com Lines: 76 Xref: news.island.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:4573 rec.arts.sf.reviews:372 THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES (2002) Reviewed by Jerry Saravia September 2nd, 2002 RATING: Two stars "The Mothman Prophecies" is an example of low-grade horror with high-grade talent. It could easily have been called "The Mothman" and starred actors like John Saxon, and nobody would have given it a second look. With a bigger budget, a high-class star like Richard Gere and an Oscar nominee like Laura Linney, the temptation is to treat this film as if it were serious horror that builds with imagination and mystery. Imaginative and mysterious, yes, but watching this film can be a chore. Richard Gere is John Klein, a respected reporter for the Washington Post. He is also something of a skeptic. He is about to move into his new house with his darling wife (Debra Messing, from TV's "Will and Grace") when an unusual, brutal car accident occurs. It is so brutal that the doctors discover Klein's wife has brain cancer and has only a short time before she passes away. She leaves some obscure drawings of a moth-like creature for him after her death (a creature she had seen just prior to the accident). Two years pass as Klein finds himself on a trip to Richmond, though he mysteriously ends up in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, a four-hundred mile trek he accomplishes in less than two hours! Naturally he has no idea how his travel plans got so screwy. His car breaks down. He asks for help from a seemingly crazed man (Will Patton) who brings out a shotgun! Nice neighbors! This man claims he has seen Klein before, knocking on his front door at 2:30 in the morning. He says he has also seen the Mothman, a figure with red eyes and sprouting wings who can see future catastrophes. One of the Mothman's obscure phrases relates to "99 lives" and the number 37. Klein gets a phone call from this Mothman, who knows of similar catastrophes, one involving a collapsing bridge. So the question is: what did Klein's wife see the night of the car accident? Who is this mothman, and why does he taunt people, particularly young couples making out in the backseat of their cars? Why are people who make contact with the Mothman getting eye rashes that don't go away? Does the police sergeant (Laura Linney, playing what seems to be the only police officer in town) know who this Mothman is, or is she just interested in getting Mr. Klein in the sack? Based on a 1975 novel by John Keel, the first forty minutes of "Mothman Prophecies" is gripping because we are as interested as Klein is in discovering this phenomena. Unfortunately, director Mark Pellington ("Arlington Road") seems uninterested in keeping the audience in suspense without the benefit of overcaffeinated camerawork, grainy superimpositions, lots of shots of the red eyes of the mothman, and several other stylized effects. It's not that I mind such effects - I just do not see their purpose in a horror film that keeps its mystery ambiguous throughout. Consider how Roman Polanski might have helmed this film, sparing us of all the fanciful camera moves that have become du jour in horror since the late eighties. Some tracking shots and fast zoom-ins seem to indicate the point-of-view of the mothman, but is the mothman really circulating around Klein all the time? Who knows. The effects simply become repetitious, and whatever mystery exists is thrown out of the window when we realize that, prophecy or not, this mothman is just playing games with us. I liked Gere's restrained performance, and I loved the scenes with Alan Bates as some sort of physics professor who knows the history of the mothman. These few scenes electrify our curiosity because they are not overplayed or heightened for any effect. Laura Linney seems completely wasted as the police sergeant - it is as if she is back playing insignificant roles prior to her great work in "You Can Count On Me." There is a creepiness to Will Patton, but most of the film is inert with loud sound effects to remind us that the mothman is near. My prophecy is that this film will be long forgotten. That is not the equivalent of a catastrophe. For more reviews, check out http://us.imdb.com/ReviewsBy?Jerry+Saravia Post any thoughts at http://moviething.com/members/movies/faust/forum.shtml ========== X-RAMR-ID: 32743 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 762252 X-RT-TitleID: 1111834 X-RT-SourceID: 875 X-RT-AuthorID: 1314 X-RT-RatingText: 2/4