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CNN Saturday Morning News
Reviews of 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,' 'The Hours'
Aired January 11, 2003 - 09:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND")
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: I've never known a television producer before. I'm impressed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, OK. What's this money deal you were talking about?
CLOONEY: I work for a government agency. We're always looking for good, enthusiastic men to help us carry out our directives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Gong.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Aw.
O'BRIEN: No, I just used to love that show, "The Gong Show."
COLLINS: Oh, all right.
O'BRIEN: That's what this is about, gong, you know.
Let's go to the movies, shall we? "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" with George Clooney. That's about Chuck Barris. And then "The Hours," which is a hard one to explain. I was reading about it, I read it, like, three times. And it's a good thing we have (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
COLLINS: The book?
O'BRIEN: No, the explanation. I couldn't quite figure it out. It's like about three different stories going on in three different times.
COLLINS: Right.
O'BRIEN: Reminds me of "The French Lieutenant's Woman" a few years ago.
COLLINS: Oh, maybe, yes.
O'BRIEN: Paul Clinton, help us out here, would you?
PAUL CLINTON, CNN.COM/FILM: Well, let's start with "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind." O'BRIEN: Oh, OK.
CLINTON: It's based on Chuck Barris, who did an unauthorized biography about himself, so that gives you a little idea of how quirky this is. It's directed by George Clooney. It's his directorial debut. And he really did a great job. In fact, He's been named by "Variety," one of the trade papers, as one of the top 10 directors to watch.
Now, Barris did produce "The Gong Show," he produced "Newlywed Game" and "Dating Game," and he claims that during all this time period, he was also a CIA assassin and was sent overseas and actually assassinated 33 people.
Now, that's what he says in his book. Nobody knows for sure. He was never really hired by the CIA. He claims he was deep under cover, so there's no way of checking the story. But (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'BRIEN: The CIA is not talking, for some reason (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
CLINTON: The CIA is not talking, no. Can you imagine that? And, you know, Chuck Barris, as, you know, one of their agents. And maybe that explains a lot about the CIA back in the '60s and '70s, I don't know.
O'BRIEN: Well, wasn't Elvis a special FBI agent?
CLINTON: Yes, that -- he was a special FBI, yes, (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CLINTON: ... he wanted to be, Nixon wouldn't go along with it, but yes.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CLINTON: So anyway, this is...
COLLINS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
CLINTON: ... beautifully made, actually. And the cinematography is by Tom Siegel (ph), who did "Three Kings," which is also George Clooney. It's a very, very twisted cocktail of facts and fiction and real and surreal. And it's a lot of fun. It -- there's a real twist at the end, and you're never quite sure what's going on, but it's beautifully made, it's a lot of fun, it's a good ride.
O'BRIEN: All right. Do they have Jean-Jean (ph) the dancing machine in that?
CLINTON: Yes, they do have Jean-Jean the dancing machine.
O'BRIEN: Oh, excellent, excellent.
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: Now you're going.
O'BRIEN: Now I'm going.
CLINTON: He has no legs now. He's -- the guy's legs amputated, he's in a wheelchair.
O'BRIEN: And...
CLINTON: But they do have Jean-Jean the dancing machine.
O'BRIEN: You mean the real Jean?
CLINTON: The real Jean, yes.
O'BRIEN: OK.
CLINTON: They have little snippets from Jaye P. Morgan and Jean- Jean the dancing machine, Dick Clark, playing themselves talking about Chuck Barris.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
CLINTON: It's a really interesting movie.
O'BRIEN: All right.
COLLINS: So how about "The Hours"? What do you think about this one?
CLINTON: Yes.
COLLINS: Nicole Kidman?
CLINTON: Nicole Kidman. I'm -- your -- I agree with you, Miles, it's very, very hard to explain.
O'BRIEN: Explain it for us, will you?
CLINTON: OK. Three eras, three different actresses, three different stories. Kidman plays Virginia Woolf back in the 1920s who wrote a book called "Mrs. Dallaway." She was very suicidal. She had lot of mental problems. And she's one of the stories. Then Julia Moore plays a woman in the 1950s who's reading "Mrs. Dallaway" and really relating to it, and she's having emotional problems also.
And then Meryl Streep is a modern-day woman in New York City who has -- is very familiar with "Mrs. Dallaway," the book, and identifies with it. And then Ed Harris plays one of her friends that is dying from AIDS, and she's putting together a party for him because he's a poet and he's getting some kind of award.
And the whole idea with "Mrs. Dallaway" was that she did nothing in her life except plan parties. So that's the basic premise, and it goes back and forth and back and forth from one era and one time period to another.
O'BRIEN: All right, the thing, you know...
CLINTON: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the act...
O'BRIEN: Paul, Paul, I, you know, you know how Hollywood is.
CLINTON: Yes.
O'BRIEN: You know, you got to get -- boil it down to one sentence. How do they boil this one down to one sentence?
COLLINS: Chick flick.
O'BRIEN: The nose.
CLINTON: Nicole Kidman with the nose, actually, is a -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- she is totally unrecognizable...
O'BRIEN: Nicole and the nose, I love it. I love it.
CLINTON: Nicole and the nose. You know, I mean, you're given what, you know, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), something like this, a nose on a beautiful woman, and it's automatic Oscar nomination. Look at that.
O'BRIEN: Oh, yes.
CLINTON: She really...
COLLINS: Wow.
CLINTON: ... really looks different.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
CLINTON: She's phenomenal in this. She really is. If she doesn't get nominated for best actress, there's something very, very wrong.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
CLINTON: And the other two women are also excellent. But Nicole Kidman's character, Virginia Woolf, of course, is one of the main threads through the whole film. Philip Glass's music is absolutely astounding in this movie.
O'BRIEN: I, tell, tell me the truth, is Heidi on target here? Should the guys just skip this one?
COLLINS: Don't ever say that-
CLINTON: Maybe...
COLLINS: ... because then...
CLINTON: I would... O'BRIEN: Maybe. Did you hear him?
CLINTON: Maybe.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CLINTON: Maybe.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CLINTON: Yes.
O'BRIEN: So you go to (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
CLINTON: Go to "Confessions," go to "Confessions," drag her to "Confessions," and she can drag you to "The Hours."
O'BRIEN: Maybe you can go to one of those 21-screen theaters and split up, you know.
CLINTON: And split up.
O'BRIEN: Bring a walkie-talkie.
CLINTON: They're both very good movies, though.
O'BRIEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the walkie-talkie...
COLLINS: Go (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: ... pass the popcorn over, you know.
CLINTON: You might learn something, though, Miles, if you go to "The Hours," I know you don't want to do that, but, you know...
O'BRIEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), no.
COLLINS: That is impossible, Paul. He knows it all.
CLINTON: It's litter-chur. It's litter-chur. You might learn something.
O'BRIEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), all right, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
COLLINS: Paul Clinton...
O'BRIEN: Paul Clinton...
COLLINS: ... thank you.
O'BRIEN: You're the man, thank you, sir.
COLLINS: We appreciate it.
CLINTON: All right, take care.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 11, 2003 - 09:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND")
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: I've never known a television producer before. I'm impressed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, OK. What's this money deal you were talking about?
CLOONEY: I work for a government agency. We're always looking for good, enthusiastic men to help us carry out our directives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Gong.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Aw.
O'BRIEN: No, I just used to love that show, "The Gong Show."
COLLINS: Oh, all right.
O'BRIEN: That's what this is about, gong, you know.
Let's go to the movies, shall we? "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" with George Clooney. That's about Chuck Barris. And then "The Hours," which is a hard one to explain. I was reading about it, I read it, like, three times. And it's a good thing we have (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
COLLINS: The book?
O'BRIEN: No, the explanation. I couldn't quite figure it out. It's like about three different stories going on in three different times.
COLLINS: Right.
O'BRIEN: Reminds me of "The French Lieutenant's Woman" a few years ago.
COLLINS: Oh, maybe, yes.
O'BRIEN: Paul Clinton, help us out here, would you?
PAUL CLINTON, CNN.COM/FILM: Well, let's start with "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind." O'BRIEN: Oh, OK.
CLINTON: It's based on Chuck Barris, who did an unauthorized biography about himself, so that gives you a little idea of how quirky this is. It's directed by George Clooney. It's his directorial debut. And he really did a great job. In fact, He's been named by "Variety," one of the trade papers, as one of the top 10 directors to watch.
Now, Barris did produce "The Gong Show," he produced "Newlywed Game" and "Dating Game," and he claims that during all this time period, he was also a CIA assassin and was sent overseas and actually assassinated 33 people.
Now, that's what he says in his book. Nobody knows for sure. He was never really hired by the CIA. He claims he was deep under cover, so there's no way of checking the story. But (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'BRIEN: The CIA is not talking, for some reason (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
CLINTON: The CIA is not talking, no. Can you imagine that? And, you know, Chuck Barris, as, you know, one of their agents. And maybe that explains a lot about the CIA back in the '60s and '70s, I don't know.
O'BRIEN: Well, wasn't Elvis a special FBI agent?
CLINTON: Yes, that -- he was a special FBI, yes, (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CLINTON: ... he wanted to be, Nixon wouldn't go along with it, but yes.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CLINTON: So anyway, this is...
COLLINS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
CLINTON: ... beautifully made, actually. And the cinematography is by Tom Siegel (ph), who did "Three Kings," which is also George Clooney. It's a very, very twisted cocktail of facts and fiction and real and surreal. And it's a lot of fun. It -- there's a real twist at the end, and you're never quite sure what's going on, but it's beautifully made, it's a lot of fun, it's a good ride.
O'BRIEN: All right. Do they have Jean-Jean (ph) the dancing machine in that?
CLINTON: Yes, they do have Jean-Jean the dancing machine.
O'BRIEN: Oh, excellent, excellent.
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: Now you're going.
O'BRIEN: Now I'm going.
CLINTON: He has no legs now. He's -- the guy's legs amputated, he's in a wheelchair.
O'BRIEN: And...
CLINTON: But they do have Jean-Jean the dancing machine.
O'BRIEN: You mean the real Jean?
CLINTON: The real Jean, yes.
O'BRIEN: OK.
CLINTON: They have little snippets from Jaye P. Morgan and Jean- Jean the dancing machine, Dick Clark, playing themselves talking about Chuck Barris.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
CLINTON: It's a really interesting movie.
O'BRIEN: All right.
COLLINS: So how about "The Hours"? What do you think about this one?
CLINTON: Yes.
COLLINS: Nicole Kidman?
CLINTON: Nicole Kidman. I'm -- your -- I agree with you, Miles, it's very, very hard to explain.
O'BRIEN: Explain it for us, will you?
CLINTON: OK. Three eras, three different actresses, three different stories. Kidman plays Virginia Woolf back in the 1920s who wrote a book called "Mrs. Dallaway." She was very suicidal. She had lot of mental problems. And she's one of the stories. Then Julia Moore plays a woman in the 1950s who's reading "Mrs. Dallaway" and really relating to it, and she's having emotional problems also.
And then Meryl Streep is a modern-day woman in New York City who has -- is very familiar with "Mrs. Dallaway," the book, and identifies with it. And then Ed Harris plays one of her friends that is dying from AIDS, and she's putting together a party for him because he's a poet and he's getting some kind of award.
And the whole idea with "Mrs. Dallaway" was that she did nothing in her life except plan parties. So that's the basic premise, and it goes back and forth and back and forth from one era and one time period to another.
O'BRIEN: All right, the thing, you know...
CLINTON: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the act...
O'BRIEN: Paul, Paul, I, you know, you know how Hollywood is.
CLINTON: Yes.
O'BRIEN: You know, you got to get -- boil it down to one sentence. How do they boil this one down to one sentence?
COLLINS: Chick flick.
O'BRIEN: The nose.
CLINTON: Nicole Kidman with the nose, actually, is a -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- she is totally unrecognizable...
O'BRIEN: Nicole and the nose, I love it. I love it.
CLINTON: Nicole and the nose. You know, I mean, you're given what, you know, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), something like this, a nose on a beautiful woman, and it's automatic Oscar nomination. Look at that.
O'BRIEN: Oh, yes.
CLINTON: She really...
COLLINS: Wow.
CLINTON: ... really looks different.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
CLINTON: She's phenomenal in this. She really is. If she doesn't get nominated for best actress, there's something very, very wrong.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
CLINTON: And the other two women are also excellent. But Nicole Kidman's character, Virginia Woolf, of course, is one of the main threads through the whole film. Philip Glass's music is absolutely astounding in this movie.
O'BRIEN: I, tell, tell me the truth, is Heidi on target here? Should the guys just skip this one?
COLLINS: Don't ever say that-
CLINTON: Maybe...
COLLINS: ... because then...
CLINTON: I would... O'BRIEN: Maybe. Did you hear him?
CLINTON: Maybe.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CLINTON: Maybe.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CLINTON: Yes.
O'BRIEN: So you go to (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
CLINTON: Go to "Confessions," go to "Confessions," drag her to "Confessions," and she can drag you to "The Hours."
O'BRIEN: Maybe you can go to one of those 21-screen theaters and split up, you know.
CLINTON: And split up.
O'BRIEN: Bring a walkie-talkie.
CLINTON: They're both very good movies, though.
O'BRIEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the walkie-talkie...
COLLINS: Go (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: ... pass the popcorn over, you know.
CLINTON: You might learn something, though, Miles, if you go to "The Hours," I know you don't want to do that, but, you know...
O'BRIEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), no.
COLLINS: That is impossible, Paul. He knows it all.
CLINTON: It's litter-chur. It's litter-chur. You might learn something.
O'BRIEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), all right, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
COLLINS: Paul Clinton...
O'BRIEN: Paul Clinton...
COLLINS: ... thank you.
O'BRIEN: You're the man, thank you, sir.
COLLINS: We appreciate it.
CLINTON: All right, take care.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
