Alan Rickman Guestbook

• Metatron's accent

I'm still working on the Galaxy Quest photos. Will have them here later tonight or tomorrow.

Same clips on Sundance as up at NewsAskew, but so much nicer with good resolution! I am so eager to see this film! Mr. Rickman's comments on the voice of Metatron:

HEADLINE: Chris Rock to Host "1999 MTV Video Music Awards" Live from Metropolitan Opera House on 9-9-99

Thanks, Joan, for your devotion and bravery!

ENTERTAINMENT-TODAY.

COPYRIGHT 1999 United Press International

From Hollywood to Broadway...what's happening in show biz...from UPI...

KEVIN SMITH

Filmmaker Kevin Smith describes himself as a practicing Catholic. But the Catholic League of New York is angry about his latest movie "Dogma."

The film features a descendant of Joseph and Mary who works in an abortion clinic. The league says it quote "drags Catholicism down to the gutter."

Miramax, the film's distributor, reportedly is trying to turn it over to another company.

COPYRIGHT 1999 Time Inc. All rights reserved.

Miramax and the Catholic League have been brawling for months over Dogma, a film about holy men behaving badly, which will hit theaters later this year. But even as the filmmakers invoke artistic freedom to defend Dogma's edgy religious scenes, they are quietly considering whether to re-edit other scenes, including one in which a pair of pistol-packing angels, played by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, bullet-spray a board meeting at a large corporation, and another in which they have massacred a group outside a church. "There's definitely the question of Columbine to consider," says director Kevin Smith.

Dogma - Distributor at Last? Kevin Smith says a prayer of thanks 28/06/99

Dogma, Kevin Smith's controversial film which features Alanis Morrisette as God, looks at though it has finally attracted a distributor. The film had failed in its mission to be snapped up by a backer during a promotional stint in Cannes, despite the fact that heavyweight independent supporters Miramax had secured the rights.

The latest news is that Lion's Gate have taken it on, a fledgling-yet-courageous company who brought us Gods and Monsters and will be distributing the sure-to-cause-trouble adaptation of Brett Easton Ellis' American Psycho.

It's certainly a risk, especially as even Miramax were cautious in their role as production backer, buying out parent company Disney's interest to ensure that Disney doesn't suffer any slurs. In the best tradition of creating a furore around a movie, Dogma is the subject of numerous religious pamphlets citing blasphemy, Sodom & Gomorrah etc., etc. Naturally, the authors of much of the anti-Dogma propaganda can't possibly have seen the movie.

I'll make a sound .wav when I record it on Wednesday, and I'll post it here in the GB.

The Dogma clips were a bit scary, but hilarious at the same time. Talk about an adrenaline rush!

Join me and other Rickman fan who are theater lovers for an afternoon at the theater!

We will be attending a Sunday matinee performance at McCarter Theater, and dinner after.
McCarter is located in Princeton, New Jersey (50 miles from both New York City and Philadelphia) and easily reached by train or automobile.

Please e-mail me and let me know which of these 2 plays do you prefer:
Fool For Love by Sam Shepard (playing Sept. 14-Oct 3)
The Importance Of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde (playing Oct 19-Nov 7)

"The best part of the film was, even though it was long, it did not drag. There was enough great dialogue and character interplay to keep your interest The standout, for me at least, was Alan Rickman, whose pretentious British- alcoholic angel was a laugh riot. I've always been a big fan of Mr. Rickmans work."

DoC. . .

Please consider bidding on this item or pass the information along to anyone who might be interested. The URL to bid is:

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120008195

He wasn't exactly interested but the producers managed to get him to the pub with the script and they managed to get a line or two out of him there. The amusing reflection(s) on that particular event can be heard (sorry guys, audio file only) at the link below. Once there, scroll down to "Casting."

While going through some archives, I found an article on John Lithgow who *swore* that he would have been next in line for the Lecter role in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS had Hopkins declined it.

Please check out their web site at: http://www.fanyawards.com

Perhaps Claudia's GB would be a good place to post them if we don't want to clutter up the GB with trivia!

I called MIFF again today. They can't confirm who is coming with the film. Though it does make it sound like "someone" is coming with it.They are definitely showing it on Friday night and tentatively again on Saturday at 1:00. For now that it is and the second showing is still not firm. There is one other place it might be shown. There are 3 slots held for Saturday the 18th for the "best" of the festival, but obviously that is to be determined.

PREMISE: When alien rebel forces intercept broadcasts of a 1970's Earth television series about the brave Captain Peter Quincy Taggart of the U.S.E.A. Protector (Allen), they kidnap him and his co-stars (including an actress played by Weaver, a young actor played by Sam Rockwell, and a renowned British actor played by Rickman who sounds a bit like a cross between Spock and Picard) to help them defeat their evil oppressors.

I called the Maine International Film Festival number today. I've tried several times, as they seem to be taking forever to post the film list. In the past I've gotten a machine. Today I got 2 lovely people. They told me that "Dark Harbor" is confirmed as the opening night film for the festival. It will be shown at the opera house on Friday July 9th. They can't confirm whether or not it will be shown again during the week. I didn't get any other details as I was in a huge rush. The rest of the films will be posted after next Monday.

ances,
sound at least a little pretentious here. Jaques (pronounced "jay-keys" or "jay-kweez") is the resident sourpuss in the Forest of Arden, home to political exiles, banished lovers, and simple shepherds. Picking up on another character's stray suggestion that the world is a "wide and universal theater," Jaques deploys the theatrical metaphor for his famous speech on the Seven Ages of Man. The first of these ages, according to Jaques, is infancy (when the babe is found "Mewlling [sobbing] and puking in his nurse's arms"), and the last is "second childishness and mere oblivion" (complete senility). his glum epigrams make up a set "speech"; Shakespeare meant them to sound practiced, like a bit of oratory polished off and hauled out on the appropriate (or inappropriate) occasion.

FILM

Dogma

Celestial beings without genitals, demonic bar bullies made of human excrement, an almighty God who likes to visit Earth for kicks -- the gory, giggly church of Kevin Smith has opened up its doors wider than ever with "Dogma." The heavyweight cast includes Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Linda Fiorentino and Chris Rock. With many rude and offensive jokes, the movie is obviously too hot a tamale for corporate mother church Disney, despite the pious stance of the filmmaker. But for whoever releases it, "Dogma" is a likely commercial winner if not a fair-sized hit. (5/27)

Disappointed Star Wars devotees take note: Kevin Smith's Dogma is the real Phantom Menace, as inspired, goofy, subversive, and thought-provoking a pop-culture vision of the battle between good and evil as has been presented on the movie screen. Dogma follows the further adventures of Jay and Silent Bob, the movie-buff stoners from Clerks and Chasing Amy, as they become enmeshed in a struggle between angels and demons and try to prevent the apocalypse from starting in New Jersey.

With Smith, producer Scott Mosier, and stars Ben Affleck, Alan Rickman, and Linda Fiorentino in attendance, Dogma screened out of competition at the tail end of the Cannes Film Festival and made it seem like there was something new to be found under the intermittent Mediterranean sun. It also made it seem as if the dream of American independent film--the fusion of personal vision and popular culture-- might survive the millennium. At various moments reminiscent of Star Wars, '60s Batman comics, and the Bible, Dogma has a script as hilarious as The Rocky Horror Picture Show (it demands to be memorized and chanted back at the screen).

After the first press screening, Miramax's Harvey Weinstein held an informal press conference in the middle of the street outside the theater. He is in a bit of a bind here, having bought the film from his own company for $14 million when Disney got nervous, fearing the wrath of the Catholic right. What Disney doesn't understand is that what Dogma could have done for Disney is what American Graffiti did for Universal. The only way for Weinstein not to alienate such a talent is to release his movie in 1500 theaters ASAP.

For those of you who have not seen the film, imagine AR as a man who so loves a woman that he sells all his valuable possessions to secure the one thing she says that she wants: Her husband's release from prison.

Dialogue is sparse. Demonstrations of love abound.

This isn't to take anything away from David Thewlis. He does a fine job. But, my imagination went wild replacing him with AR.

I don't want to annoy or offend anyone, its just that I've been an admirer of Mr Rickmans work for many years. I have also been an admirer of Kevin's work for many years and I was absolutely delighted when I learnt that they would be working together. Its a real joy to me that Kevin and Alan get on as well as they do. Kevin can't praise (on a personal as well as professional level) Alan enough. There is a tv ad running over here at the moment, Films for the Millennium. Alan is in the ad. His "Film of the Millennium"? Kevin's "Chasing Amy".

I don't really know why I'm posting this. Perhaps frustration that once again, Kevin and his work seems to be being judged before it's actually seen!If this isn;t the case, then I apologise. If this isn't the place for such posts, then I once again apologise, and have left my mail address should anyone wish to respond, and this isn;t the place to do it.

Here's to the Metatron!! :0)

CPP ANNOUNCEMENT

In the next few hours will change the Picture Page and link to another page with details of the sale of:

UK Truly Madly Deeply Poster

The Internet Movie Database does not list Mr. Rickman in the cast for "Elephant Juice" so doubt that is a large part, if he is in fact in it.

From the Hollywood Reporter:

December 29, 1998:
A year on, Miramax-backed venture HAL Films, headed by those execs, ex-Channel 4 Films heads Colin Leventhal and David Aukin and ex-Miramax executive Trea Hoving, has put two projects into production -- the $10 million "Mansfield Park" and "Elephant Juice," a contemporary urban romance from "This Life" scribe Amy Jenkins, starring Emmanuelle Beart and directed by Sam Miller.

AR's comments that he becomes his characters does not negate Jen's remarks about respecting the private man and distinguishing him from the professional actor.

We can admire the work and the man at the same time as we can express reservations about his judgement of scripts or the quality of the performances. I gather from the GB and the onelist that Judas Kiss doesn't contain one of his best. I think it's fair that these opinions are expressed here.

And a general disclaimer as well - this is NOT intended as a slight to anyone in particular. It's simply a response to recent postings here. PLEASE keep your Rickman comments coming (whatever they may be). I truly enjoy them all! But I must speak my mind in this particular instance as I'm, at the moment, stewing – which is something I rarely do. I've read here for many months and this is the first time I've been unable to keep quiet.

Thank you Robyn in regards to your comments earlier today! I very much agree with you. We, at this Guestbook, do not need to place this man under this sort of microscope. He is a human being just like any of us.

So what (?!) if he was chewing "whatever" in Cannes? I saw that myself and it was really not worth taking note of. Personally, I very much enjoyed the piece on Cannes. It showed him to be exactly as I thought he would be in that sort of setting. I was not disappointed.

Still, I held no prior illusions .. as some of you seem to do on a regular basis. He is not his roles! He is not Colonel Brandon, he is not PL O'Hara, he is is not Eamon De Valera. He is his own person. And I've always admired Alan Rickman for the person he is. Yet, I also admire his work as an actor. He is extraordinary to me in that respect. Please note, however, that the two are completely separate entities.

Can't we just be grateful that he's doing what he's doing without making judgements and commenting on his personal "faults" (things that I would never consider as faults, mind you)?

Alan Rickman has brought me many smiles, introspective thoughts, and interesting emotions as a result of his works over the years. So much so that I could never fault him for, nearly, anything. I find it hard to believe that some of you who frequent this place do not feel the same. He is not available to most of you on a personal level. So, why criticize him as such? I doubt he much cares what you think of him - aside from his work, that is.

Some of you complain that you never see him on such programs (as the recent E! at Cannes profile) or that he's not mentioned in articles, yet when you do see him in such instances you choose to criticize his appearance, his comments, his choice of roles, etc. Whereas I'm just thrilled to hear his comments or read/see anything regarding any project he's taken part in!

I suppose fans are different in their ideas of certain celebs but I had thought, initially, upon finding this place that I'd found a bunch of level-headed persons. People who would celebrate a man for who he was and his professional success - instead of criticizing him for failing to live up to what their imaginations *wish* he was.

Also on the E! channel, a show called "Wild on the Riviera" (all about the parties at the Cannes Film Festival) will be coming on every night at midnight, starting today through Saturday, with an additional airing on Saturday at 9:00 p.m.

And also on Saturday on the E! channel, "Cannes Fashion Review" at 3:00 p.m.

(all Eastern Time)