Hate to sound like a nag (after all I wanted a push for MLSF too) and I hate to point out the obvious, but what is this about a "Puttnam Rant"?? The article is entitled Exit Stage Left for Director Puttnam -- it is about David Puttnam's retirement from the movie business after a long and distinguished career and his subsequent new projects. It is NOT about MLSF. It is not about Colin (which is the more wonderful as he was the only actor mentioned by name in it). You should be counting th s as a gift to CF, (as he had little reason to be mentioned otherwise), not as a theft of due recognition! C'mon, ease off! 8-D

(KJArt)Re: Puttnam Rant article in LA Times..... It is NOT about MLSF....it is about David Puttnam's retirement from the movie business I didn't say it was. What I said is that his missed the boat in NOT giving MLSF a plug.Instead he arrogantly insulted the very people who are going to review and see the film.And as a producer of said film ,IMO he implicates the film with his uncalled -for comments.Anyway, I fervently hope you are right and I am wrong.

Firth has a curious resemblance to Tim Robbins ugh! Where does this guy have his eyes?? but Robbins' goofy charm is replaced in Firth by an awkwardness and rigidity that he's displayed before AND his brains? Pure envy, I think. How come critics can find merit in the acting of people like Adam Sandler and others like him, and totally dismiss sensitive and thoughtful performers? Baffling!

Although generally engaging, the movie is strangely dead through the first half, partly owing to Hudson and cinematographer Bernard Lutic's preoccupation with stunning vistas over familial interaction. But part of the dullness has to do with Firth in the all important role of Edward. Firth has a curious resemblance to Tim Robbins, but Robbins' goofy charm is replaced in Firth by an awkwardness and rigidity that he's displayed before when he portrayed Mr. Darcy in "Pride and Prejudice" and Kristin Scott Th mas' husband in "The English Patient." *********** Whew! Thanks, Karen. The Tribune is an influential paper. Such harsh words for Dear Boy. Now for the NY Times! I hope Janet M. likes it a bit better than this. And John Simon (National Review)is a long time movie critic who can be savage when he doesn't like something. Used to review, I believe, for New York Mag. He still does theater for it. Murph

This one is better from the LA Times (couldn't sleep!!) they seem to like it thank goodness and no nasty comments about our DB, I shall forget the bad reviews and remember the best two The HR and Roger Eberts - http://www.calendarlive.com/HOME/CALENDARLIVE/MOVIES/HOLD/review-mylife990723.HTM

The aboce is wrong try http://www.calendarlive.com/HOME/CALENDARLIVE/MOVIES/HOLD/review_mylife990723.htm

Thanks, Ann. IMO, this is a terrific review; "sumptuous", "handsome", "directed with verve and subtlety", "...perfectly modulated ensemble...the principles glow". The reviewer devoted a lot of space to Edward, made him sound like such an interesting character and even noticed CF's "sensual features". However, DB as "stocky"? In the trailer, he looked rather slender in the bathing suit, but The Jerusalem Post review of Fever Pitch also referred to lean Paul as "burly".

Ann, do they call you at the newspapers when they change over to their next day editions! Very nice review, but was not from Kenneth Turran. Must take what we can get. Richard Dix? Will have to pull out my old movie books and take a look if Colin resembles him.

From the NY Times. Maslin reviewed "The Haunting." Good review!! 'My Life So Far': Glowing Remembrances of a Scottish Childhood By STEPHEN HOLDEN "My Life So Far," a winsome childhood reverie of family life in Argyll, Scotland, in the late 1920s, offers such a muted, smoothly textured swatch of British nostalgia that you feel no qualms about languishing in its "Masterpiece Theater" vision of a safer, saner, more shining past. With its soft-focus portrait of a mildly troubled family viewed through the adoring eyes of a frisky little boy, it suggests Ingmar Bergman's "Fanny and Alexander" with all its demons comfortably subdued. Amid the prevailing serenity, of course, there are some ruffles. They include a simmering rivalry between brothers-in-law, sexual jealousy and pre-adolescent prurience. A beloved matriarch dies. And there is an embarrassing public spat between the boy's parents. But even the most upsetting events never undermine the film's glowing, child's-eye vision of life unfolding in a stately procession of lovely, adventure-filled days. The film, based on Denis Forman's childhood memoir, "Son of Adam," reunites the director Hugh Hudson with the producer David Puttnam for the first time since their 1981 blockbuster, "Chariots of Fire." Without turning cloyingly inspirational, the newer film expresses the same quietly optimistic faith in humanity's nobler impulses. "My Life So Far" follows a year in the life of Fraser Pettigrew (Robert Norman), a 10-year-old boy growing up in Kiloran House, the sprawling castlelike home of the Macintosh clan in the Scottish highlands. Presiding over the property is Fraser's benign, widowed grandmother Gamma Macintosh (Rosemary Harris), whose daughter Moira (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) has married Edward Pettigrew (Colin Firth), a handsome eccentric gentleman inventor. The film's most complex character, Edward is a passionate, fiery-eyed nonconformist who worships Beethoven (whose music he tells his son is the sound of God talking in his sleep) and is obsessed with aviation. When not tinkering with new gadgets, Edward oversees a marginally profitable moss factory that he has established on the estate. Not all of his inventions work. His most notable dud is a subterranean chimney system that leaks so profusely that smoke that was supposed to have been piped underground illows up through the lawn in spectacular plumes. Firth's deep, quietly tempestuous performance portrays Edward as both a caring father who delights in being a heroic role model for Fraser, and a petulant, self-absorbed visionary. The movie's central drama, observed by Fraser without his fully comprehending what is happening, is the continuing power struggle between his father and his uncle (Moira's brother) Morris Macintosh (Malcolm McDowell). A hard-headed businessman, who hopes one day to inherit the estate, Uncle Morris, as Fraser calls him, disapproves of Edward's silly schemes. When Morris brings home his new wife, Heloise (Irene Jacob), a beautiful, charming, much younger French woman and amateur cellist, Edward becomes instantly besotted and begins recklessly pursuing her right under his wife's nose. Relations between the brothers-in-law, which heretofore have been courteous, are strained to the breaking point, as is Edward and Moira's marriage. "My Life So Far" observes all this through the eyes of the curious Fraser, who also falls under Heloise's spell in the innocent way children do with adults who pay attention to them. At the same time, the boy makes secret sojourns into the attic, where he has discovered his grandfather's books, some of which contain erotic illustrations and definitions of sexual practices. In the film's most amusing moments, Fraser, unaware of what he's saying, naively regales his Puritanical family with the details of his sexual education. The film is peppered with small, colorful incidents that loom large in Fraser's memory: the landing on the property of a plane whose dashing pilot (Tcheky Karyo) sweeps his older sister Elspeth (Kelly MacDonald) off her feet; a joyous skating carnival that ends with a tragic accident, and the appearance in the house (through Heloise) of early jazz records, whose music Edward ominously declares to be the sound of the devil. What gives the film the flow of a good novel is its consistency of tone. Sparingly narrated by Fraser, the movie finds a perfect middle ground between the world as seen through Fraser's eyes and a more worldly wise authorial omniscience. It's good old-fashioned storytelling done with panache.

Here's the url for the review: http://www.nytimes.com/library/film/072399life-film-review.html

Baz Bamigboye strikes again! From today's Daily Mail: (Big colour picture of Jeanne Tripplehorn) JT is the "Hollywood Hussy" Edward Atterton is bringing home to meet mummy. Dashing Mr A will portray Noel Coward's dapper Nigel, Easrl of Marshwood, in a movie version of his Fifties play RV, which is about an aristocrat who decides to marry a movie star. "But he has to take her home to meet mummy, and mummy is Julie Andrews, Mr A says. Coward's piece is an elegant spoof on class and snobbery. Ms T, one of the leading ladies in Basic Instinct and the hilarious forthcoming comedy Mickey Blue Eyes, will play Miranda Frayle, the siren Coward called "a good actress with excellent legs", who finds that her tall Hollywood tales don't go down too well at Marshwood Manor, particularly as the dowager countess's maid knows a thing or two about her background, JA nd Sophie Thompon play these parts...with Colin Firth as a drunken blue blood and Billy Baldwin as an actor who knows a thing or two about her background. more to come....

BB part 2... (whoops, that last line should have read, Billy Baldwin as an actor who knows a the dark secrets of her Tinseltown life.) Director Eric Styles and producer Chris Milburn will shoot RV on the Isle of Man. "Our film is set in the English countryside, the South of France and Hollywood and all of it will be shot on the Isle of Man," Milburn told me. The South of France is easy to depict bacause there are palm trees and lots of sandy beaches. The Hollywood scenes will be set in a studio." Writers Paul Rattigan and Michael Walker have adapted Coward's play, shifting the story a few years forward to the mid-fifties to make it easier to incorporate some Sinatra tracks.

ALSO and I can hardly believe this as RV is supposed to start filming on the 31July, but according to our Teletext Colin Firth is to star in another costume drama for ITV, The Turn of the Screw, A Henry James horror story set in victorian England. FILMING IS TO START THIS WEEK IN LONDON & BERKSHIRE. How can that be, unless the dates for RV are wrong and I did read that SF is starting something in Spain (I forget) on the 1st August. Boy is he making up for last year but this sounds great, apparently he is the head of an English Mansion. Go have a look Allison and Bethan, Teletext on ITV page 127. re RV above, don't like the description a drunken blue-blood, not another buffoon!!! (Thanks for the news Allison)

The NY Times and the LA Times reviews are both very good. I particularly like the LA review..."it's also a film that proceeds from one vignette to another:only when it reaches its climax do you realise that it's been quietly adding up all the while." This makes me wonder whether if MLSF had been shown to a more perceptive audience at its early previews, it would have been edited down so much (nearly 30 minutes removed). Audiences are so accustomed to zap-zap action that they wouldn't have patience with a series of apparently loosely linked vignettes. It seems to me that the reviewers with patience (and there are several) find MLSF the most rewarding. "Stocky, sensual, resembling Richard Dix (who is he when he's at home?)", well, that's much better (I think!) than the Tim Robbins comparison. Although doesn't the LA Times actually manage to squeeze out the word "handsome". We need a few Volvo-owning female reviewers!

We need a few Volvo-owning female reviewers! Okay, I'm available ;-)

Go have a look Allison and Bethan, Teletext on ITV page 127. Yup! It looks like he is working his lovely socks off. That must be some house he's buying!

Yeah! Thank God he's got a mortgage! Henry James "The Turn of the Screw"....ITV costume drama...starring role". Sounds very good to me. ITV have definitely got the edge over the BBC in costume drama productions at the moment and pour a lot of money in (as in the recent "Hornblower" series). "Turn of the Screw" is cerebral Victorian horror, and one of James' best works. There was a version of it in the early eighties, I think. It's difficult to keep up with his work schedule (!), but I think it is possible for projects to overlap. Peter won't be in every scene in RV. Re Baz's report, the "drunken blueblood" tag is just inaccurate reporting - Peter has the odd gin and tonic (as do they all) but is stone cold sober throughout! BTW I've seen Edward Atterton in a drama series on ITV, playing the younger son in an arisocratic family, along with the actor who played Madox in TEP. Good casting.

Total for the year so far and there is still five months to go:- 1 -Stage - 3DOR 2 -TV, DQ & The Turn of the Screw 2- movies, Londinium & Relative Values * possible BJD and, of course, stage 3Dor again - WONDERFUL, hope its a hug emortgage he has taken out!!

huge

(Ann)hug emortgage Freudian slip;-) What an exciting time we are having in the UK this morning. When the US droolers wake up this afternoon won't they be in for a surprise. All this and getting to see MLSF today, lucky things.

MLSF, Newsday.com. gives it 3*, more The Inspector Gadget and The Haunting, 28 each and they like it!! http://www.newsday.com /features/movrev/mv10723.htm(I really must get on with some work!!)

(2* each), not 28, so many erros this morning, got up to early, went to bed too late!!

Am going to be a slight party pooper, but Colin's role in "Turn of the Screw" could be just a cameo. I've checked my copy of the novel, and the "Head of the Mansion" must be the children's bachelor uncle who appoints the governess in the first chapter, and isn't seen again. Of course in the TV adaptation, the part could be different,more padded out, or there could be flashbacks, but I think this may well be "guest appearance by CF", which explains why he could easily fit it in with RV. But I'm not complaining...and don't fotget BJD will probably start shooting late summer.

ohhh,shame!!

Yes I was much puzzled when I read he was playing in Turn of the Screw, I could not work out how he came in. Must be a Cameo part. Still he's busy good for us.

Must be a Cameo part Teletext said he was starring though this may be the reverse of the States where his recognition factor is low. In the UK he may get more publicity than his costars even if his is a smaller role!

Entertainment Weekly Online Review MY LIFE SO FAR Colin Firth, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Irene Jacob, Rosemary Harris Rated PG-13 What's that twinkling in the gloaming? Ah, it's a bevy of clich�s in this twee drama, set in 1930s Scotland (the green green Highlands, the fine costumes, the caramel accents!) and based on the autobiography of a chap who went on to become a top British TV executive. ''Wasn't Papahhh extraordinary!'' seems to be the point of this memoir, told by an observant son (Robert Norman), but we're offered no proof. Dad (Colin Firth) is apparently eccentric because he fancies sphagnum moss as a profitable crop. He lso fancies his brother-in-law's exotically French fianc�e (Ir�ne Jacob), while Mamahhh (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) suffers quietly. The family matriarch (Rosemary Harris) sniffs with disapproval as a matter of course. Hugh Hudson directs as if time has stood still since Chariots of Fire. Grade: C- -- Lisa Schwarzbaum EW Review

Can anyone be so good as to tell me where I could find a completed list of events that CF has going for the next twelve months or so? I would really like to plan my holiday overseas a bit better next time, so I get the chance to see him perform on stage or something.

Must be a Cameo part "Turn of the Screw"......have had second thoughts. If this is a literal rendition, it would be a cameo, but I think that literal adaptations often don't work on screen. If CF's character is described as "Head of the Mansion", I think he will be the bachelor uncle, but could actually head the household, but with no interest or involvement with the children (but still be a visible presence, not someone who just disappears in Chapter 1). Also it's a psychological drama with opportunities for flashbacks (how much is actually in the boy's mind, not "real"), an the ending is far, far too downbeat. The boy dies after the governess tries to exorcise the "evil" spirit. I'm not in favour of sanitized endings but I think this would definitely have to be changed (the boy could be ill, and recover). And there is scope for some commitment and involvement from the uncle, particularly at the end. Can't see CF taking the role, even if it's not a major one, without some scope for development.

Or does the "head of an English Mansion" mean "head servant", which could be a meaty role?

The Turn of the Screw, A Henry James horror story Great. Like I�ve said before, I�ve always thought he�d be brilliant in horror movies.

More thoughts on "Turn of the screw" (Have time as am on holiday, but we are off to France on Monday, and should be focusing on the trip!) There was an earlier screen version "The Innocents", with Deborah Kerr, which I'd forgotten about. If you check out IMDB, full details are there. Colin could be taking the Peter Quint role (head servant). But I notice that the Uncle role was played by Michael Redgrave, a great actor, which also sounds promising (ie not a cameo). Would like to see "The Innocents". Has anyone seen it?

CF in HJ's The Turn of the Screw, eh? Geez, I remember seeing the Deborah Kerr version The Innocents and it scared the hell out of me. I think this is the most exciting news I've heard. All the other roles you've been discussing seems like a rehash of roles he's already played. Now, if they could only do this in black & white!

(Allison) When the US droolers wake up this afternoon won't they be in for a surprise. All this and getting to see MLSF today, lucky things. OK, am first up here and am shocked, surprised and now very awake!! All this news ladies! Thank you and thank your Volvos. ;-) Agree that I don't like the characterization of Nigel as a drunken blue-blood. He does have the "odd gin and tonic" throughout the entire second act, but drunken is the last thing that comes to mind when I think of Nigel. Perhaps they think it will work better than the alternative, which I won't mention... ;-D So Frank Sinatra will be featured on the soundtrack? Good choice! Henry James' Turn of the Screw? Hmmmm This is for your television, isn't it? Perhaps A&E will pick it up. Since I have Renate's wet blanket on loan, most of Henry James' works to be adapted to the screen lately have been poorly received. I do wonder how big a role Colin's will be. Am hoping that his role in Londinium is the starring role because it isn't in RV and doesn't sound like it would be in Turn of the Screw. Am off to scour the sites again. Good job, ladies. Nice to see that Colin is working and working and working... ;-)

Thanks, so much to you all for your diligence. These reports made for great reading this morning. (Karen) Am hoping that his role in Londinium is the starring role because it isn't in RV and doesn't sound like it would be in Turn of the Screw. I hope he's not spreading himself too thin here. I would rather see him in one good lead role a year than several supporting roles. Well, truthfully, even six good leads would be merely adequate. (Karen)... most of Henry James' works to be adapted to the screen lately have been poorly received. I saw both Washington Square and Portrait of a Lady within the last few months. Unsympathetic characters, turgid dialogue, slow-moving pace and very depressing endings characterise both films. I didn't like Washington Square (or the very unattractive Jennifer Jason Leigh) and Portrait of a Lady was a punishment to sit through (especially John Malkovich's creepy performance). I hope ITV's Turn of the Screw is a lot better. I loved the N.Y. Times reviewer's description of CF's performance as "deep, quietly tumultuous". This could apply equally to CF's performance as Mr. Darcy. Take note, Mr. Wilmington!

It seems to me the reviewers either like it (and a few--Ebert, Reed--love it) or hate it. They either "get it" or they don't. By "get it" I mean they realize the gaps and occasionally plodding pace are a function of the 10-year old storyteller, not the story itself. Overall, only the eunuch Mr. Wilminton has dissed Colin's performance. (Lynda) or the very unattractive Jennifer Jason Leigh Nothing beats her pouting, petulant, monotonistic performance in ATA. Yecchhh.

From LA Weekly (the alternative paper). It is designated "Recommended." Note designation of CF!! ;-D How true, how true. More women reviewers!! MY LIFE SO FAR British television pooh-bah Sir Dennis Forman may have had a lively childhood in the Scottish wilds, but director Hugh Hudson, who made the overblown Chariots of Fire, has smoothed Forman�s memoir into an edible package ruled by the principle of cute. As seen by his freckle-faced pubescent son (Robert Norman), madcap inventor father (bonny Colin Firth) comes on adorably eccentric (flies homemade plane, tries to market unmarketable medicinal plant, takes offspring swimming in icy lochs). Meanwhile, as beau eous mother (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) and ramrod granny (Rosemary Harris) look fondly on, ruddy-faced yokels slouch around saying "Brilliant, Mr. Pettigrew!" and amply busted cooks gossip below stairs to push the plot along. And push it does, when father�s older brother (Malcolm McDowell), a hardheaded captain of industry, shows up with a pocketful of sibling rivalry and a glam fianc�e (Irene Jacob) who wows every man in sight, including madcap dad and pubescent son. What�s not to like in this amiable tale, lavishly furnished with Highland scenery? Only that a boy�s own story with a decidedly troubled undertow has been so thoroughly doused with calculated charm, it comes up smirking even when it shouldn�t. (Ella Taylor)

Karen) Am hoping that his role in Londinium is the starring role because it isn't in RV and doesn't sound like it would be in Turn of the Screw. I'm revising my view of "Turn of the Screw"...he's either got to play the Quint role or the Uncle role as played by Michael Redgrave in "The Innocents" (forget the original book). I know he hasn't got a big ego, but I can't see that even CF would take a cameo role in a TV production. I wonder which company is doing it...if it's Carlton or some equivalent, it's bound to be a co-production with A&E or Boston (WBGH?) (Karen)... most of Henry James' works to be adapted to the screen lately have been poorly received. I think TOTS(!) is different and it is very much in the cerebral psychological horror genre which, according to the Times, is very popular in the US at the moment!

Yeah!! I've finally gotten through to the Miramax PR person here and she said that she will send me passes to the advanced screening on Aug 2. OK, not too much ahead of the regular opening, but I'll take any scraps... ;-D

Another review, quite good at least for Colin "Firth is engaging" from Yhe New York Daily News "Slow but Dramatic "Life"". 21/2stars nydailynews.com/today/New_York_Now/Movies/default.asp scroll down to Slow but Dramatic Life. I also liked the Newsday review, he had some nice comments about Colin, in fact all the reviewers (except one) seemed to like the cast just not always the film

http://www/nydailynews.com/today/New_York_Now/Movies/default.asp

http://www.nydailynews.com/today/New_York_Now/Movies/default.asp

From USA Today: My Life So Far 2-1/2 stars out of four This solidly mounted if only mildly moving childhood memoir, set on a castle-like estate in the misty Scottish highlands of the late '20s, at least has an unexpected sting. It's the kind of cosmic slap felt when you realize your beloved parent is capable of being a total jerk. Fraser Pettigrew (Robert Norman) is a precocious 10-year-old with an uncanny knack for asking awkward questions ("What's an orgy?") at the worst possible moments. He idolizes his dad, Edward (Shakespeare in Love's Colin Firth), a co servative dreamer. For Fraser, life is one long Scottish fling. Then Uncle Morris (Malcolm McDowell), announces he wants to marry a 24-year-old French cellist named Heloise (Irene Jacob). Her disruptive presence wafts through the staid household, ruled by Fraser's steely grandmother (Rosemary Harris), like an intoxicating spritz of Parisian perfume. She freely dotes on young Fraser, sharing with him a love of forbidden jazz music, but fends off the unwanted advances of a jealous - and very married - Edwar . And son and father become rivals for her affections. The episodic film, directed by Hugh Hudson (Chariots of Fire), unwinds with little urgency. (In New York and Los Angeles; PG-13: sexual content)

Just back from purchasing hard copy NY Times. The review follows a 3/4 page version of the ad towards the back of the leisure section. There is a picture with the review; it's the one of Edward and Moira embracing while sitting on a boulder. I will tell you the picture did not reproduce well insofar as ODB. He looks quite 'baggy, esp. around his eyes. It truly does him no justice. He looks *much* better in the ad (and I know how all of you feel about that picture ;-p)! BTW, Maslin's review of 'Haunting' was scathing: "'The Flaunting' would have made a better title" and another reviewer's opinion of 'Inspector Gadget' was just as bad ("a clinker"). Overall MLSF has fared quite well. Will see how all this translates into paying customers when I see it myself tomorrow.

(Allison) What an exciting time we are having in the UK this morning. When the US droolers wake up this afternoon won't they be in for a surprise. Boy, you said it, Allison! It never rains but it pours;-) Thanks to everyone (on both sides of the Atlantic) for posting the reviews, links and TOTS news. What a crew we are! (Eileen) It seems to me the reviewers either like it (and a few--Ebert, Reed--love it) or hate it. They either "get it" or they don't. Exactly so. Either you like this kind of movie or you don't. If you like childhood dramas featuring excessive weirdness a la Sibyl's fav "The Butcher Boy," stay away from MLSF. Re: the reviewer's comment about CF's "awkwardness and rigidity," IMO the only scenes where he displays this are the ones where he's trying, in a very nerdy way, to impress Heloise. In other words, it's part of the character. Someone give this guy a clue!

Well, Bethan may be able to grab TOTS off a bookshelf, but I've found a bunch of picture of Richard Dix in my movie books. There are several from The Ten Commandments and Cimmarron. There's a very vague resemblance. I'd scan them in, but it's too hot outside. Maybe I'll change my mind. There's one where he's in a clinch with some babe in 10 Commandments. Hair is wavy and floppy, but his face is only in profile. OK, here's the review from WSJ. Had to type this up myself. argh!! Very nice review. As Eileen said, most of the lead critics reviewed "The Haunting" today and it was roundly trounced. A columnist for Mr. Showbiz said that he's positive this is the movie that caused Liam Neeson to think about retirement, not TPM!! ;-D OK, enough: "My Life So Far" by Joe Morgenstern I'm giving away nothing but a promise of pleasure when I tell you that "My Life So far" ends in a Scottish castle with a 10-year-old boy smoking a cigar and swirling a stiff slug of milk in a brandy snifter as he listens to a record of Louis Armstrong's "On the Sunny Side of the Street" on a Victrola. The song and the scene make a perfect coda for a movie that leaves you feeling expansively happy. Hugh Hudson, who is best known in his life so far for "Chariots of Fire," has directed this coming-of-age story set in Scotland between the World Wars. The boy, Fraser, is played by Robbie Norman, an Edinburgh schoolboy with no previous acting experience-the kid's a natural if ever there was one-and a sweet, soft face manifestly ready to be molded by experience. That's what coming-of-age stories are all about, new experience that transforms a young person's world view, and "My Life So Far" is a fine exa ple of the genre. (Simon Donald adapted the script from an autobiography by the British TV executive Sir Dennis Forman. Bernard Lutic did the lovely cinematography.) Fraser lives on an estate in the midst of a family that includes his grandmother Gamma (Rosemary Harris), his mother Moira (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), and , on occasion, his rich uncle Morris (Malcolm McDowell), an affable semi-Scrooge, who's engaged to Heloise, a betwitching young Frenchwoman played, bewitchingly, by Irene Jacob. At the center of Fraser's world is his father, Edward (Colin Firth), an extravagant eccentric who loves Beethoven, hates jazz and runs the only moss factory in Europe. (Dur ng World War I sphagnum moss saved soldiers' lives with its medicinal properties.) Fraser worships his daft dad blindly, but Edward finally reveals himself as woefully human-unchained lust gives him away-and Fraser learns, from forbidden books and thrilling encounters with Heloise, what makes the world go round. It's wrenching to watch a father become a fallen idol. In my book, though, any man who dislikes Louis Armstrong is suspect from the start.

and Eileen we look forward to your review this weekend! and Mannen the oly thing Colin is doing in the next few months that you would want to travel and see it 3DOR November1999-January2000, unless of course he attends the London Premiere of MLSF whenever that may be. Do try and join us on the 15th January, at the Donmar, you may never get another chance to "be up close and personal". On the whole I think the reviews have been pretty good, a few bad a few middling but also many good ones and particularly or Colin, I think, or am I biased.

Mannen. Lisbeth's site might have the information you need about Colin's activities over the next year. It is not updated with today's informaation but I am sure it soon will be. Go to http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Salon/2327/calendar.html

Yes, there is a review at the Christian Science Monitor, with picture of Colin. The same one that was on the main Drool page for some time. The reviewer, David Sterritt, gave it only 2 stars. http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/1999/07/23/fp15s2-csm.shtml Last week, he gave a very good review to EWS. So I guess you can't pidgeon-hole these papers! ;-)

Mannen, may I also suggest you visit Mary Murphy's site for up-to-date info on Colin's projects. Not only is the site chock full of well-referenced and beautifully designed material, Mary also posts here and will frequently let us know when she has added a new feature or important news item. If you do go there, you will see information that many of us have cheerfully supplied to Mary. Here is the url (bookmark like I have) http://www.geocities.com/~murphyat65/index.html She has a newspage (in addition to the scrolling ticker) with items about all the projects.

Thank You All for the exciting news items on future projects, and reviews. You have made my weekend. Think I'll read the LA Times review over'n over :-) Have a good holiday in France, Bethan. We'll be eager to get your review of MLSF tomorrow Eileen. I know you'll have a good time. . Karen...good for you...getting a pass for the preview....jumping the gun on the rest of us peasants!! Mannen if you are planning on joining us on Jan 15th (and I hope you do!!) pl. order your tickets quickly...the center section of the stalls is going fast!! AnnW. and Tineke have a good time tomorrow at the Donmar... look for you-know- who!

Here's another one. http://www.msnbc.com/news/292602.asp

According to the Cinematter.com site Fever Pitch is to go direct to video in the Fall, does that mean that it isnot now being released for the big screen. Thankyou Evelyn for your good wishes for tomorrow, I am really looking forwazrd to the play and meeting up with Tineke again, will report on Odds & Ends Sunday (will also keep my eyes peeled). Happy Hols Bethan, when can we expect you back?!!, you always post such interesting snippets.

(WBGH?) hee hee. WGBH (stands for W because we are on the right of the Mississippi and GBH (Greater Blue Hills) minute mountains in Canton, MA;) Anything on the left of the ole Miss is K. fun trivia!

Jana, that is one horrendous review from MSNBC...and you guys thought the Trib's was low. This one redefines low. How anyone could mention MLSF in the same article with The Governess is beyond me. That movie is on my all-time worst list. Argh!! Fever Pitch direct to video!! I don't believe it. I just had an email from the SVP at Phaedra on July 8. I've emailed Matt at Cinematter to double check his sources. This news is very distressing. Not the best way to end such an interesting day of Colin news. Oh well, tomorrow is another day. ;-D

(Karen)Jana, that is one horrendous review from MSNBC...and you guys thought the Trib's was low. This one redefines low. How anyone could mention MLSF in the same article with The Governess is beyond me. That movie is on my all-time worst list. Argh!! I've been watching the station on tv hoping that they bypass this review. Haven't seen anything yet. I agree, The Governess was trash(glad I didn't pay $$ to see it on the big screen) a real Batman University production.

Hi ... coming out of lurkdom to rave about MLSF. I played hookey from work and do not regret it. The movie is poignant and utterly charming. Are there enough superlatives to describe CF's acting? He easily moves from doting father and husband to jealousy and scorn. I do hope he gets some critical notice, because the man is long overdue. Best of all, though the movie played in one of the smaller theaters (Laemmle's Sunset 5 in West HOllywood), the theater was packed!!! and the audience thoroughly enj yed themselves.

Thanks for that Marianne and welcome, please de-lurk again and join in on the future discussion of MLSF.

(Marianne)The movie is poignant and utterly charming..... the theater was packed!!! and the audience thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I�m happy to hear that Marianne, thanks for your report. No matter what the critics say, after all it�s the audience who make a movie raise or fall. Btw, Fever Pitch is STILL going in a cinema in Helsinki, I think it�s the 7th week by now! Must be because the right audience has found it. Planning to go to see it again this weekend.

Marianne, so nice to see you! I snuck out of work early and went to the 5:30 show at the Laemmle 5. I didn't see you so you must have been at the earlier or later show. The theatre was only half full at my showing (about 50 people?) but they seemed to enjoy it quite a lot. (Although they sure talked enough during it... GRRRRR!!) And now for my review, well...... I wanted to love it, and while I did like it quite a lot, it wasn't quite on the plane of love IMHO. Maybe it was because I had read too darn many reviews with spoilers, and I think I had my hopes up too high. It is a very charming film, but the vignette nature felt choppy to me like it had been re-edited too many times. There were a few spots where to me it seemed that events happened without the proper character development or foundation. I could say a lot more but ill save it for the spoiler topic so as not to ruin anyone else's enjoyment. Now for the positive side. CF's acting is marvelous, shaded and interesting. He looks absolutely gorgeous and is in almost every seen. There are several fabulous close-ups where his beautiful, thoughtful face fills the entire screen. There is a goose bump moment when after the initial title of the production company, the words COLIN FIRTH fill the screen. My I love for ODB to get top billing. The rest of the acting ensemble is first rate too. I thought the boy very charming and really liked MEM. he is a worthy mate for ODB. It was fun to see Rosemary Harris. I hadn't seen any of her films for years and had not realized how much she looks like Jennifer E.! And now for a confession... is it OK to tell a white lie if it's for a good cause? There were two Miramax employees waiting outside the theater asking us to take a short survey. Even though my reaction to the film was mixed, I fibbed and marked everything with the highest possible score. Have to do my bit to get Miramax off the dime to ship this film out to all of you! When it asked what I liked best about the film, I wrote "fabulous acting, especially Mr. Firth." Heavens, I'm shameless.

It's great to read all the reviews (well, the good ones certainly!) but the best news is audience reaction...and that audiences are going to see the movie and liking it! And a packed house too! Does anyone feel like posting their reactions to the movie over at imdb.com? The two external reviews posted so far are both pretty dreadful (culture vulture and Christopher Null) which hardly creates a positive buzz. You can vote (on a 1 to 10 scale)and post your own comment. If you click on view comments or vote, you have the option to add a comment/vote, and are then asked to register. You email, and receive (after 24 hours)a registration code and an email form. You can just register under a nickname a d (very roughly) where you live. It's quite anonymous. But a rather complicated process. But some supportive comments/votes are needed here (and for FP). The Fiennes bros get rave comments...it's about time Colin got a mention! Apparently imdb.com is the most widely accessed of all the movie sites, and does form opinion! Thanks for the good holiday wishes, Evelyn! I'm now starting to panic...too much packing undone! But it's been great to get all the news, and I like the projects CF is going for. There was something over at IMDB about Robert Carlyle (The Full Monty) who has just played the villain in the latest Bond movie and is probably going to do the next Star Wars. For some reason, these type of projects don't remotely interest me.....I prefer the sort of stuff CF is choosing (although his Bank Manager probably won't gree!)

(Bethan)I prefer the sort of stuff CF is choosing (although his Bank Manager probably won't I agree! And I don't suppose his bank manager will mind too much either. These people make some serious money! Have a wonderful time in France, Bethan. I hope the weather is even half as hot as it is in London today 8-)

Marianne and Jana! Darlings, I'm thrilled you got to see the film and so proud you went on the very first day. It's going to be really hard to be objective when I finally see it but no matter what, like you, I can't see how I won't love Colin in it. (Jana) There is a goose bump moment when after the initial title of the production company, the words COLIN FIRTH fill the screen. The moment I love...waiting for his name. My seat mate always gets clutch marks on the arm when it appears. Have I ever seen it first on a movie screen? Never! Don't worry about lying, Jana. It's for the best of causes and Hell might be much more interesting anyway. I'm sure I'll be there with you. ;-) I know we're concerned that negative reviews are going to color the public's perception of this film but don't you think there are enough positive ones from major sources that it will get a fair shake? This is not blockbuster material and for a small film it's being released much too soon for awards consideration so I have no expectations for this film beyond getting Colin's name noticed by more than his devoted fans. Almost all of the reviews have been very kind to him. Stocky and rigid be damned. You've got to scan that photo of Richard Dix, Karen.

Almost forgot...your fortitude comes through, Karen. Congrats on snagging those tickets. I'll see you at 121. Have a wonderful time, Bethan. When will we see you back? U.S. ladies, look at the Personality Parade in your Parade magazine in tomorrow's paper.

(JanaC) a real Batman University production. LOL!! Think I only paid $2.50 at the cheapie, second run show to see The Governess. Dragged one of my sisters and felt at the end I should reimburse her. (Elena) Fever Pitch is STILL going in a cinema in Helsinki, I think it�s the 7th week by now! Argh!! You lucky girl. All I can do is countdown to the day when I will see MLSF. 9, 8, 7, 6..... Marianne and Jana2: Thank you both for your comments and I would have have cut class, played hookey or left work early too just to see it as soon as I could. Seeing CF up on the big, big screen and looking so incredibly good is getting me all excited. Will I even pay attention to the story no matter how slowly or convolutedly it proceeds? ;-) And Jana, no matter what you should be proud of your "audience reaction" card feedback. Shoot, I exhorted Miramax to release MLSF on the audience card for a *different* one of their movies! Agree with Bethan. I had registered at the IMDb to update the info on MLSF since I do have the production notes with all the details, but that process looked terribly complicated. However, writing one's comments and voting on a film look to be very easy. You don't have to write a huge essay. A few lines in praise of the important things in this movie should suffice. (Bethan) For some reason, these type of projects don't remotely interest me Nor me. It does apparently go to the issue of bankability though, speaking of bank managers! ;-) Another sad note, have been seeing trailers for Mystery Men. Geoffrey Rush (AA-winning Best Actor) is playing some ridiculous superhero wannabee. How low can one go? In a sense, you can admire Colin's choice not to sell out. Fiennes - The Avengers; Everett - Inspector Gadget, etc. Have a very nice holiday in France, Bethan. :-)

Re: Richard Dix The more I look at the pix, the less he looks remotely anything like Colin. Have put books back in the box, but if I get a chance will do the scanning thing. ;-)

Have wonderful holidays, Bethan! And to all lucky ladies going to see MLSF, enjoy!

(Gi) And to all lucky ladies going to see MLSF, enjoy! Yes, enjoy! And I know you will and I can just about imagine how much. What a thrill only to think of him in a new main role, I�d feel weak in my knees in your place when the movie starts. I did when SiL started and practically forgot to breathe when Wessex appeared first time. (Aargh!!!.....I want to see MLSF. When was it to be released in the UK?)

I add my thanks for the reviews of MLSF Jana and Marianne..... I shall badger my Miramax rep next week to see *when* or *if* MLSF is coming my way. Dunno if it helps Colin...but it makes me feel better.

Yipeee!!! Passes arrived today for the (barely) advance screening of MLSF!! Anybody want to join me? She sent two cards and each is good for two admissions. It's on Wednesday, August 4 (not Monday as she said on the phone), but the card (3x5) has the poster picture on the other side. I'm not turning it in.

Prelim packing completed! Thanks for all your good wishes for our holiday! I know this is really the MLSF moment, and I'm rushing ahead by two or three projects, but having looked more closely at "The Turn of the Screw" I think (a) it will be a good production and (b)Colin must be playing the bachelor Uncle and owner of the estate. If told in linear fashion, or using extensive flashbacks (ie so that it's not just the story of the new governess) the Uncle could play a strong role in the build up to the psychological thriller/horror part. He's quite a charmer, and the new governess is infatuated with him and desperate to win his approval, to the extent of making decisions that have tragic consequences. Quote.."He was handsome and bold and pleasant, off-hand and gay and kind. He struck her invariably as gallant and splendid.....He had been left by the death of their parents in India, guardian to a small nephew and niece. These children were the strangest of chances for a man in his position - a lone man without the right sort of experience, or a grain of patience,-very heavy on his hands. It had all been a great worry, and, on his own part doubtless, a series of blunders, but he immensely pitied the poor chicks and had done all he could, sending them down to his other house, parting with his own sevants to wait on them, and going down whenever he could to see how they were doing." The governess is smitten...she wanders through the grounds hoping "someone would appear...would stand before me and approve. I didn't ask any more..I only asked that he should know, and the only way to be sure he knew it would be to see it, and the kind light of it, in his handsome face". So, you see, there is romantic potential, mixed with chilling supernatural!

....a lone man ....Bold.., spendid,.. gallant...handsome..gay... kind.. *Sigh*,.....that governess has good taste!! Beats a cuckold...a buffoon, or a loon any day!! Thanks Bethan...

Re: NBC review. Several of you have seen it now. This is the first reference I have seen to an "apparently offscreen rape" (not to mention the lesbians). Are these incidents "apparent" to those who've seen the film? Or are they a FigNewton of this guy's fertile (fetid?) imagination? (which "apparently" resides below the belt the vast majority of the time...) ...Just curious...

(KJArt)This is the first reference I have seen to an "apparently offscreen rape" (not to mention the lesbians). Are these incidents "apparent" to those who've seen the film? Or are they a FigNewton of this guy's fertile (fetid?) imagination? OK, I admit that when I attended the MLSF premiere I was in a bit of a tizzy, having: (a) lied to my husband, (b) conned my sweet, elderly mother-in-law into watching my children, and (c) driven, white-knuckled, across state lines into a city that I wasn't sure had appropriate parking. But I definitely think the reviewer is mistaken about the "apparent offscreen rape." I certainly wouldn't have recommended this film to you folks, Colin notwithstanding, if the character he played was a rapist. I expound mo e on this at 121, and await the opinions of others who see the film. However, I strongly believe the reviewer is mistaken. I also don't think Roger Ebert et al would have found anything about this film "charming" if it had included a rape. The "lesbians" I do recall, and they were on the whole harmless and mildly amusing.

Oh, and I forgot to add: Bethan, have a wonderful holiday in France! And Gi, Elena, Mannen, great to have you all back!

Interview with Jeanne Tripplehorn in the Sunday Times in which she mentions RV with Colin Firth. http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/Times/frontpage.html?1642025

(Bethan) "He was handsome and bold and pleasant, off-hand and gay and kind. He struck her invariably as gallant and splendid... 'Nuff said. I want to see it. (OK, I'm superficial) ;-p (Susan) I also don't think Roger Ebert et al would have found anything about this film "charming" if it had included a rape. Yeah, Roger tends to have better taste than that. I agree. These guys are tranferring (I believe that is the psychological term) what they would've done in the film. Doesn't happen and wasn't meant to imply it. Thanks for finding the interview, Evelyn. Did you see the one in the Britain section with everyone's favorite PR person? Lord Puttnam? Small mention of MLSF at end, but there is a pic since you wanted to see what he looked like. More trashing of Hollywood (yawn, yawn), although I do agree with him. Thought that maybe a date for opening in the UK might be given, but no. :(

Am still here (we leave very early tomorrow am!) A parting shot! My theory about "Turn of the Screw" confirmed. Yesterday's Independent had snippet that Colin Firth (as "The Master" (ie the bachelor uncle)) and Jodhi May who has just appeared in the BBC's "The Aristocrats" and also was in "Last of the Mohicans" will star in TOTS for the BBC(?). Enjoy MLSF!

To All: EileenG and I saw MLSF yesterday. My review is HERE. There are some spoilers. IMO there was a boorish, over the line unwanted incident with Heloise. You saw only the beginning of it, but you heard more, there was a recovered choker later that gave another clue, and Edward himself, in the climatic scene, taunted Malcolm the Uncle with a disclosure about he and Heloise. I just loved the movie, though, as you can see if you read my review. Eileen, what did you think? Murph

Has everyone seen the Colin question in today's Parade magazine? The one that Heide pointed out last week? OK, who here is going under the name Leonard Koch, in Columbus, Ohio? ;-D Q. I have a few qauestions about Colin Firth, who won my heart with his touching performance as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice on the A&E Network. Why did he take on the unsympathetic role of Gywneth Paltrow's husband-to-be in Shakespeare in Love? And which does he think is more demanding: movies or the stage? - Leonard Koch, Columbus, Ohio A. "It's boring to play the same kind of role again and again," says the British actor, whose role as an eccentric inventor/father in the new film My Life So Far displays both his light and dark sides. "I can't be shy about playing the absurd parts of myself, like this immature man who makes an ass of himself before finding redemption." As for movies vs. the stage, the theatrically trained Firth, 38, surprisingly says: "I don't think the test of an actor is the stage. Film work is harder, because there s less continuity, and it requires more concentration and imagination to sustain a whole performance." Firth will be working in London the rest of this year, first on a film--Londinium, a comedy with Mariel Hemingway--then in a three-character play.

this immature man who makes an ass of himself Sounds to me like he attempts to kiss her and perhaps a little too enthusiastically...only.

(Karen)Sounds to me like he attempts to kiss her and perhaps a little too enthusiastically...only. Oh I hope so. The references to rape have left a bad taste in my mouth!

Sounds like we'll have to each come to our own conclusion about this infamous scene. Suits me just fine. I can't wait to see it so I can join in the discussion with Susan, Jana, Mary, Eileen, et al. who here is going under the name Leonard Koch, in Columbus, Ohio? ;-D My question too. Why did it have to be a "Leonard"? I want the world to know that ODB still sends FEMALE hearts aflutter. By the way there is a picture from MLSF with the question though in my copy it's a bit blurry so not very flattering.

Thanks, Murph. If you think this movie is good, I believe it is and am very happy about it. I know you�re all thinking about MLSF now so I feel funny to bring up something as old as ATA but I want to say a couple of words about it because I saw it today for the first time. It�s available on video in Finland now and it took me a v-e-r-y long time to watch it because of all the re-rewinding and slo-mo..... Ooh, isn�t he GORGEOUS in it! It�s almost unbearable. Of course his role in that movie is mainly to be gorgeous and he sure does that well. But some of those gentle, intelligent expressions in his face and that lovely way of using his voice give clearly away that he is in a far too simplistic role here. Colin makes Jess look very mysterious, he seems to be a bit too good to be true in those circles. Btw the film in whole wasn�t as bad as I expected. Don�t know really why it has been so terribly unsuccesful.

Still hanging around! Re. the encounter in the hay with Heloise. I haven't seen it, so this is just conjecture, but I should think we are just left to imagine a clumsy and unsuccessful attempt at a kiss/grope, or certainly something that stops several stages short of "rape", although the physical lust side would have to be stressed in order to make Edward's change of character convincing. Also, and I know I have been critical of David Puttnam for being a bore, but he is a devout Christian, and someone who over the years has often spoken up in support of traditional family values. I can't see him couuntenancing the idea of rape in one of "his" movies.

" Colin Firth, who won my heart with his touching performance as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice on the A&E Network" ( Karen)..who here is going under the name Leonard Koch, in Columbus, Ohio? ;-D I wonder?...it's got to be a female... Whoever heard of a man making a statement about another man:"...won my heart with his touching performance".... Good to see his name in US media though.... ....My Life So Far displays both his light and dark sides. Think this guy is referring to the "hay-loft" scene as the "dark side" Couldn't it have been consensual and not rape? Of course, the former would not be considered as rape. I bet they added this part...wasn't in the book.And Ben certainly didn't mention it when he saw it over a year ago.

(Elena, Re: ATA )Ooh isn�t he GORGEOUS in it! But some of those gentle, intelligent expressions in his face and that lovely way of using his voice I quite agree! *sigh* I disliked the movie, but he was lovely in it, and you're right about his voice, I love the way he says "How about a walk?", and his hands on her neck! Ohhh... I just saw "An Ideal Husband", and think he would have been wonderful as Sir Robert...

(Heide) Why did it have to be a "Leonard"? I want the world to know that ODB still sends FEMALE hearts aflutter. Maybe they forgot to add "Mrs" in front of Leonard Koch? ;-D (Elena) Ooh, isn�t he GORGEOUS in it! It�s almost unbearable No disputing that one! The good parts of the movie: (Bethan) a clumsy and unsuccessful attempt at a kiss/grope, or certainly something that stops several stages short of "rape"...I can't see him [Puttnam] couuntenancing the idea of rape in one of "his" movies. Exactly. Having been *inspired* by Forman's book, I doubt he would seriously want to trash the man's father like that as well. (will be listening careefully to those noises

BTW, where is Eileen? Hasn't she yet recovered from seeing Colin yesterday? ;-D

BTW, where is Eileen? She has posted on 121. Or have you been playing with your "forget" button. I know someone who can help you out :-))

Many of the interviews called this movie about a man and his son coming of age charming and the tone (and ending) sounds upbeat. A rape (unpunished, no less) just could not be part of MLSF. Edward may be eccentric, but not violently depraved, surely.

Hee hee! I'm here, my dear. Go read my MLSF novella over at 121. It was most enjoyable to watch ODB in the company of other Firthfans! I'm catching up with all the posts since Friday afternoon. It's apparent to me the MSNBC reviewer is one who doesn't "get it"--again, by that I mean that the story is told through the eyes of a 10-year old. However, the ??rape makes for great discussion. Wish all of you could see this movie with Karen next week! Thanks for those Jess snappies, Karen! For me, Jess was a disappointment (but he looks great!). There was so much more to the character in the book (and, as has been discussed before, likely the pre-edit script). LOL about Leonard Koch. The picture is the same as Friday's NY Times but it looks much better in Parade.

Lisbeth says: I haven't seen it, so this is just conjecture, but I should think we are just left to imagine a clumsy and unsuccessful attempt at a kiss/grope, or certainly something that stops several stages short of "rape", although the physical lust side would have to be stressed in order to make Edward's change of character convincing. Lisbeth: Some spoilers in my answer: That is exactly what I think happened. Not rape or near rape, just a rather crude attempt to win her, more like an adolescent than a man. When you see the film, you will understand that the scene is important to show Edward's character. He even says in the scene, "Kiss me....Like you kissed Fraser." And she replies, "But Edward, Fraser is a child." As I said in my review, he is a child too. His children love him and worship him until they begin to grow up and to see the cracks in his armor. He needs tragedy and his wife's chastisement to grow up a bit himself. His final scene with Fraser shows how far he finally comes. Trust me, the "Moss in the Attic" scene is not something terrible, just a fleshing out of how E feels about Heloise, and what kind of man he is. The picture is truly one everyone will enjoy. It has a lot of depth, and I didn't expect that. Murph

...now show me the way to get to #121, so I can read Eileen's novella! I have no idea how to get to anything other than this page, and the "new" posts! Murph

Great snappys, Karen. Btw, that�s actually a bit darcyesque look he has in his face at the door. And he�s so cute there when he says to Lange, "about a minute". I watched ATA again a moment ago, partly (and you know perfectly well which parts.) I love him in those white shirts! And all the shirts as a matter of fact, he looks so wonderfully broad-shouldered and masculine in them. And I love it when he jogs along the roadside in those loose grey trousers.....!! He looks better in ATA than in any of the films I�ve seen so far.

I guess you like ATA then Elena, not high on my best film list but definitely droolable. When I went to see it at the cinema with my sister, there were only 5 people in the cinema including us!!

OT.BTW Evelyn, Tineke says B&H is showing in Belgium.

(Ann) I guess you like ATA then Elena No, as a whole it�s not a film that one can like, it has many weaknesses of course but I�m very relieved to see that it�s not complete crap, it�s just a bit boring and mediocre. Beforehand I thought it must be really terrible, knowing how unsuccessful it has been everywhere. Making Jess a more substantial character (and giving Colin much more screen time) would really have made it a better movie. And I think Jessica Lange is not very brilliant in it, surprisingly. But aaahh what a tender look Colin gives her between those kisses! Sorry folks if you�re all fed up with this, I know you have discussed ATA over and over but I couldn�t take part in it at the time. This situation will be repeated too, I�ll tell you what I think about MLSF in the next millenium, probably!

(Elena).Sorry folks if you�re all fed up with this, I know you have discussed ATA over and over but I couldn�t take part in it at the time. Elena....we enjoy anyone's posts when they're exhuberant about ODB as you are. And it even inspired Karen to crank up some ATA pics we hadn't seen in a long time.IMO we were disappointed with ATA because it had been hyped so much.... "Oscar nominations" roles..and it came from a Pulitzer-Prize book. MLSF, on the contray, has not...so we're all quite pleased:-) But keep goin Elena....brings to mind drooly moments.I might even go and watch it again....

(Murph) Lisbeth says: I haven't seen it, so this is just conjecture, but I should think we are just left to imagine a clumsy and unsuccessful attempt at a kiss/grope, or certainly something that stops several stages short of "rape", although the physical lust side would have to be stressed in order to make Edward's change of character convincing. What do you mean "Lisbeth says"???? That is what Bethan posted earlier today verbatim!! (Allison) Or have you been playing with your "forget" button. I know someone who can help you out :-)) Very funny!! I know how to push all the *right* buttons!! ;-D I think I'm going to hold off on reading 121 for now. (I'll read it as soon as I get home from the movie on August 4.) As is, I've read way too much and hope that it doesn't affect watching the movie. Most of the reviews I've just skimmed, looking for Colin comments. I don't want the reviewers' POV and interepretations to color my thinking. *****Murph, to get to 121, you can either change the number in the url above or hit the button on the top or bottom of the page that says "Next Topic." You will likely get 120 first (which Terry set up for JFK Jr. news) but the next one in order will be our MLSF Spoiler Topic. (Eileen) The picture is the same as Friday's NY Times but it looks much better in Parade. Or here: (Elena) Sorry folks if you�re all fed up with this, I know you have discussed ATA over and over Not really, Elena. We've only just superficially trashed it. Never done a real discussion about it at 98. Perhaps we should, although I think we might be doing Apartment Zero next. Lots of people (OK, Moon) have been lobbying for it. And AnnW, I saw ATA the day it opened and there were about a dozen people in the audience. Well, it was a matinee... ;-D