who says the Post Office can't save civilization? (np)

[mikebailey at speakeasy.net]

> > 
> > This is the edition I have, unfortunately. Great
> > book, but... gah.
> 
> Great book, shame about the film ...
> 
> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119925/
> 

so it isn't the greatest movie ever... I liked it
(I also liked Waterworld... but anyway...)

all the arty types hate it because it's in color, doesn't have
a majorly depressing message, and shows some people who believe
civilization is worth saving; but what do they know?  these are
people who think a guy turning into a cockroach is a helluva yarn... (-;

people can indeed act on and live by corny emotions like those 
depicted in this film - and you've got to want to see neo-nazis 
get their butts kicked. 


here is a great review from Amazon: 

 It's As Bad As They Say, And It's Hilarious, May 24, 2006
Reviewer: Andrew Beaton "lyrical chef" (Venice, CA) - See all my reviews
     
The Postman: A movie so atrociously stupid, so egregiously absurd, so stunningly idiotic, it is easily one of my favorite films. I agree with the featured reviewers in one sense only: you really should see this movie. 

I was astonished to see the vast number of glowing reviews on this page. I'm guessing most of them were written by America's postal carriers. There's a reason the critics savaged The Postman when it first came out. Its script is ridiculous and its drama beyond maudlin. The underlying theme - that a restoration of the postal service is the first step towards bringing freedom and justice back to a destroyed USA - is simply laughable. Kind of like the entire film! 

Costner is at his worst as the Postman, an aimless drifter who spins a web of lies to get a free meal and then runs from his post as soon as the downtrodden start to feel better about themselves. Olivia Williams plays his love interest, yet another woman seeking Costner's seed in a postapocalyptic future. Supporting cast includes Larenz Tate as the Postman's sidekick Ford Lincoln Mercury; Daniel von Bargen, a classic "that guy" who delivers the great line: "RIDE, POSTMAN!"; and Tom Petty, who at first appears to be the mayor of a village on the Hoover Dam, until the Postman says "Hey, aren't you famous", and Petty replies, "I was, once." That's when you realize that TOM PETTY IS PLAYING HIMSELF. It's the kind of jaw-droppingly awful moment that typifies this film. 

The very entertaining villain, General Bethlehem, is played by Will Patton, who apparently was living on a diet of scenery during the shoot. Try keeping a straight face when he bellows lines like "I was AT the Battle of Georgetown, I saw the White House BURN to the GROUND!!!" 

But it's really the small moments that make this film a horrid spectacle worth laughing at again and again. When the Postman inspires a small village with his...postal carrying, a small girl begins to sing "God Bless America". Say what?! Another horrid scene involves a young boy hoping against hope that the Postman will pick up his letter - this later becomes the astoundingly dumb denouement of the film. Just imagine a three-hour-long movie packed with idiocies such as these, and you've got the Postman. An unintentional comedy classic.