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■ PERFORMING ARTS
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Best movies...not well-known, part II
By KEVAN WARD
Entertainment Writer
Editor’s note; this is part two of a
two-part series about the top 13
movies of 1989.
Ai you recall from our laet epieode,
we’re reviewing eome excellent
little (lime that moat people miued
in theatere.
The 13 Best Movies of
1989 that You Probably
Didn't See (But Should) —
Part II
7. The Adventuree of Baron Mun-
chsussn. (On video.) Like "Vam
pire 1 ! Rise,” thi! could manage
only two daye at the Tate Center as
it! Athena engagement — "Faat
Food” and "Rat Fighter" both
stayed here longer (does anyone re
member those?). Based on an Aus
trian folk tale about a wily,
globetrotting hero and his band of
eccentric companions, it’s written
and directed by Monty Python
alum Terry Gilliam. Although it’s
not as good as Gilliam's master
piece, “Brazil," the special effects
here are truly spectacular — the
world’s strongest man twirling
three Bhips in the air, the Baron
riding a cannonball or dancing on
air with Venus (the gorgeous Uma
Thurman). It’s a dazzling, breath
taking spectacle of a film that’s
also a great deal of fun.
8. The Girl In the Swing. (Not yet
on video, but coming.) Another
really strange film, it came to
Athens for one week. Meg Tilly
(“Agnes of God") itari in a sort of
psychological ghost story about
love, deception and consequence!.
Some things about this movie I still
don't understand, but that doesn't
diminish its impact. It's a very sad,
haunting dim. The 1989 Best Ac
tress Oscar belongs to Tilly, but of
course the Academy will give it to
someone else.
9. Fsrewell to the King. (On
video.) Strong performances by
Nick Nolte and Nigel Havers high
light this World War II epic. The
premise is a little hard to swallow
— Nolte is an American deserter
who has become king of a primitive
tribe of natives on a South Pacific
island. Once you get past that,
however, you find an excellent
film, as Nolte is forced to lead his
followers into combat against the
Japanese. Gorgeous cinemato
graphy, strong direction by John
Milius (“Red Dawn”) and a very lit
erate script all make this well
worth seeing. The film also in
cludes some of the most powerful
combat sequences this side of “Pla
toon."
10. Shirley Valentine. (Just fin
ished its rather belated theater run
in Athens.) An excellent film adap
tation of the play of the same
name, this is a life-affirming fairy
tale about the rediscovery of self.
Shirley Valentine, a run-down
housewife, goes to Greece and falls
“in love with the idea of living,” as
opposed to wasting one’s life away
as an aimless domestic zombie. At
once hilarious and poignant, this
"Shirley Valentine” should be re
quired viewing for anyone over 40.
There’s a lot of truth here for
younger viewers to learn aB well.
11. Mlllanlum. (Should be in
video stores any minute now.) A
nifty science fiction film concerning
time travelers, air crash victims
and a bewildered air crash investi
gator (Kris Kristofferson). Forget
the cheeBy ending — the reBt more
than makes up for it. There are
strong performances and great vi
sual effects, but the best thing is
the wonderfully clever script, and
the way it unfolds. To reveal any
more would ruin it, so, suffice it to
say this is far better than ‘Back to
the Future II.’
12. Erik the Viking. (Should get to
video some time in the next few
months.) Although it’s written and
directed by Terry Jones, of Monty
Python (“... and the Holy Grail”)
fame, and features a delightful
supporting performance by an
other ex-Python, John Cleese (“A
Fish Called Wanda”), this film
passed through theaters relatively
unnoticed. It's not as funny as
“Holy Grail,” or as dazzling as
“Baron Munchausen,” but this
small film (emphasis on “small”) is
still a whole lot of ftin. Who could
pass up a film featuring Cleese as a
bored tyrant casually pronouncing
sadistic tortures as he daydreams
about going on vacation? Not me.
13. The Navigator. (Now on
video.) Although it avoided Athens
like the plague, this is the most
creative use of the film medium in
1989, bar none. It’s a surreal tale of
medieval villagers who go in
search of the “Great Church” that
will protect their village from the
Black Plague ravaging the coun
tryside. They end up in a modern
city (or do they?). All the medieval
scenes are shot in stark black and
white, all the modem scenes in
color, and, in a young boy’s fre
quent visions, it makes for some
dazzling dream sequences inter
lacing the two. Unlike many recent
time-travel films, this is a straight
drama, and it works well, in its
own surreal world, although it’s oc
casionally a little dull. Intention
ally keeping the viewer in a
dreamlike state of confusion, ‘The
Navigator” is a tour-de-force for its
director, Vincent Ward, who earns
1989 Best Director honors hands
down. Too bad the Academy is so
narrow-minded.
Tim Robbins: Making waves in 'Eric the Viking’
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WASHINGTON ST
The Red and Black • Wednesday, January 10, 1990 • B
SCREEN
Film OK; Cruise great
A review of "Born on the Fourth of
July," starring Tom Cruise. Di
rected by Oliver Stone. A Uni
versal release rated R Now
playing at the Lefont BeechwoocL
By KEVAN WARD
Entertainment Writer
“Born on the Fourth of July,"
the latest film from Academy
award-winning writar/diractor
Oliver 8tone (“Platoon,” “Wall
Street”), is very powerful, no
doubt about it. So is a hand gre
nade. But I wouldn't want to sit
with and stare at a live hand gre
nade for two and a half hour*.
The film tells the true story of
Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic (who,
with Stone, co-wrote the screen
play). It follows him from his
childhood, through his voluntary
enlistment as a Marine and sub-
sequent service in Vietnam,
where he’s paralyzed from the
mid-chest down by an enemy
bullet. As he learns to deal with
his handicap, Kovic (played by
Tom "Risky Business,” 'Top
Gun,” “Rain Man," etc., etc.
Cruise) slowly goes from a
Vietnam War supporter to a
leading spokesman for veterans
against the war.
It’s a tour de force for both
Stone and Cruise.
Stone’s impeccable directorial
style improves with every film. In
“July," the camera ia constantly
moving, sometimes at dizzying
speeds. In the Vietnam se
quences, for instance, as the ac
tion heats up, the camera begins
frantically searching in all direc
tions in a helter-skelter home-
video style. By using off-balance
shots, jerky movements and
hyper-speed pans the audience
not only sees, but feels the confu
sion and chaos. It’s a wonderful
technique for forcing the audi
ence to understand and identify
with Kovic's situation. These
techniques fashion even more
powerful sequences than those
found in the film’s estimable pre
decessor, “Platoon.”
Stone should also be com
mended for his graphic, unre
lenting, realistic depiction of the
horrible conditions in VA hospi
tals, probably the most impor
tant, enlightening part of this
film. More repulsive than any
blood-and-gore horror film, these
sequences leave viewers feeling
at least as distressed as the main
character.
Cruise's performance is im
pressive. From the pudgy, ideal
istic teenager to the long-haired,
disillusioned, middle-aged man,
he does an excellent, insightful
job in every single scene, never
once lapsing into the pretty-boy
mugging that has marred tvsn
his best performances (“The
Color of Money," “Rain Man").
With this role, Cruise pays his
penance for the atrocity he com
mitted a couple of years ago, un
leashing “Cocktail" on innocant
moviegoers. In “July," he sets
himself up as the top contender
for the 1989 Beat Actor Oecar.
Only Paul Newman, for “Blase,"
could give him any competition.
However, — and thie ia a big,
fat, juicy "however" — theee ex
cellent parte don't add up to a su-
perb whole.
The ecript ie very episodic,
more like a aeriee of unrelated
acenea from one man'i life than a
unified ecript. There'a no flow to
carry the nlm forward and no
dramatic tension, due to ite dis
jointed nature and lack of direc
tion.
Returning to the hand grenade
analogy, the aeriea of powerful
scenes could have built into an
even more effective, powerful
whole, had Stone used them with
some sense of purpose — the dif
ference between a few randomly
tossed grenades and a planned,
purposeful military strike. As it
is, the film simply wanders
around with no apparent destina
tion.
Also, after the powerful acenea
in Vietnam and tne VA hospital,
the last third of the film, dealing
with Kovic's adjustment to his
handicap and change to an an
tiwar activist, is very anticli-
mactic. Although the movie
treats the audience to numerous
(seemingly pointless) scenes of
Kovic getting drunk and
whining, it doesn’t even show
him changing his attitudes —he
just sort of does between two
scenes. Likewise, it never shows
how he becomes involved with
the veterans’ antiwar group. He
just suddenly does. These are
major, major flaws
This is great direction. This is
truly great acting. (Two years ago
I never thought I’d be saying that
about Cruise.) The sub-human
treatment of the veterans in the
VA hospital is an important point
that truly deserves to be brought
to light.
But the fact remains that this
is too unfocused to be a great
film.
It will certainly get several
Oscar nominations, but, unlike
"Platoon,” it will soon be for
gotten.
Call it cinematic spinach — it
may be good for you, but the last
part, where you have to eat it, is
no fun at all.
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