 |
Film Clips
AUGUST 10, 1998:
 BASEKETBALL. South Park's Trey Parker and Matt Stone
have teamed up with Naked Gun creator David Zucker for
another exercise in gag-a-minute filmmaking. While the requisite
boobie and pee-pee jokes are very much in evidence, Parker and
Stone breathe new life into the enterprise with their subversively
cloying brand of comedic acting. Like Zucker, they'll do anything
for a laugh, even if that means French-kissing each other or nakedly
standing around wearing the kinds of prosthetic devices that would
make Mark Wahlberg cry. Their willingness to humiliate themselves
makes everyone else's humiliation a lot more forgivable. The premise,
too, is fresh: Instead of yet another by-the-numbers genre parody,
the movie invents a new sport that's so absurd, non-sports fans
may enjoy it more than aficionados. Though the film doesn't exactly
reinvent the lowbrow comedy, it's cute enough to place it a cut
above its recent competitors. With cameo appearances by Bob Costas,
Robert Stack, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Reggie Jackson and Jenny McCarthy.
--Woodruff
EVER AFTER: A CINDERELLA STORY. Here's a welcome revision:
a Cinderella that kicks butt. Sure, Drew Barrymore's character
is neglected and mistreated, but she's no helpless little waif:
In a pinch, she won't hesitate to deck her wicked stepsister (Megan
Dodds) or throw the prince (Dougray Scott) over her shoulders
and carry him away from danger. These sorts of touches, smartly
handled by director Andy Tennant, make Ever After a delight--even
for those of us who never thought we could thoroughly enjoy a
Cinderella movie. I'm not sure how Tennant got it out of her,
but Barrymore's performance is winningly effective, and surprisingly
well-rounded. A political idealist with passion to spare, she
earns the prince's respect until he realizes he needs to earn
hers in return. Better still is Anjelica Huston, who plays the
bitchy stepmother with a trace of complexity--you get the sense
she's evil because it hurts to be nice, and you keep watching
her face for signs of pain. Everything else about the movie turns
out a shade more entertainingly than you'd expect, from the fate
of the chubby stepsister (played by Heavenly Creatures' Melanie
Lynskey) to the whimsical way Leonardo Da Vinci is integrated
into the story. Battle on, Cinderella. --Woodruff
THE NEGOTIATOR. Less gunplay! More wordplay! At least,
that's the intention behind this talkative action picture starring
Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey. Jackson plays a hostage negotiator
who, framed after his buddy discovers a police embezzlement ring,
takes his own hostages in hopes they'll buy him time to prove
his innocence. Spacey plays a negotiator from another district,
chosen by Jackson because he's unlikely to be corrupt. Needless
to say, there's a lot of negotiating going on, and at times the
theme is pushed so hard that the film feels strained; the uncleverly
clever climax, in particular, begs for a rewrite. The law-enforcement
clichés pile up, too, and director F. Gary Gray doles them
out with no sense of irony--we're even subjected to close-ups
of Jackson's badge. But Jackson and Spacey can brighten up the
dimmest of screenplays, and they're well-supported by some of
the bit players--especially a comic-relieving criminal played
by Paul Giamatti, who looks like Rob Schneider after a holiday
eating binge. The late J.T. Walsh supplies his trademark sad-eyed
villainy, which leads to some very uncomfortable moments when
art imitates death. --Woodruff
|
|
