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5 THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1991
4B
Entertainment
v - j
Taking care of Business' stars James Belushi and
Charles Grodin in a new comedy about two executives.
Cooper feels film 'Young Catherine' fills
hearts, minds and eyes with authenticity
By JACKIE k COOPER
HHJ Entertainment Critic
Turner Network Television
(TNT) went all out to make its
mini scries "Young Catherine” an
amazing one. Not only did they as
semble a star studded cast, they also
lilmed the movie in the Russian
city of Leningrad. That authenticity
makes "Young Catherine" a film to
fill the heart, mind, and eye.
Julia Ormond stars in the title
role and is a wonderful contributor
to tire film. She manages to convey
the youthful eagerness of a young
girl and then later the mature wis
dom of a Russian Empress. The
ole calls for a wide variety of
motions and actions and Ormond
. > able to deliver them all - and be
lievably.
It would be difficult for any ac
tress to keep her head in a film
filled with such talent stalwarts as
Vanessa Redgrave, Christopher
Plummer, and Franco Nero; but
Ormond manages to share the
screen with them and hold her own.
in truth their ability enlarges hers
as she works to meet them talent
toi talent,
it is alsu a tribute to the talent of
Redgrave, Plummer, and Nero that
they are not just cameo artists in
Tucker students dubbed
Home Alone a success
By JEREMY HAYES and BRAD
FRANKLIN
Tucker Elementary
In late 1990, one of the best
movies of the year came out
llome Aione. In the movie Home
Alone, a seven year old boy named
Kevin piotects his home and him
wlf hom two cruel robbers. You
rrnglu wonder why Kevin had to
piota t ius home instead of his par
ols doing it Well, that is the key
to die whole movie. Kevin was
HOME Ai ONE.
Kevin told his parents that he
aimed they were not there and that
tie could live alone. His wish came
true. The next morning the whole
iuiiuly left lor Paris for a Christmas
vacation. They packed their bags,
put everything in the
van everything that is, except
k via Kevin was not even missed
uniat ms family was on the air
plane.
I here he was, all by himself. He
couid anything he wanted- or so he
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this film. They actually create
characters who transcend the artists
who portray them. Thus you gel a
smooth telling of the story not in
terrupted by "star turns" of any
type-
And in this rich field of acting
talent it is a relative unknown who
steals the show. His name is Recce
Dinsdale and he plays Catherine's
husband Peter. Dinsdale amazingly
dominates every scene he is in.
Granted he has the intriguing role
of a madman but that could have
become ludicrous in and of itself.
Dinsdale however keeps a tight
reign on Peter's madness and makes
it a fluid thing, nevei completely at
the surface but always one step
away.
For splendor, for magnificence,
for spectacle "Young Catherine" is
the film to see. It starts a little
slowdy with the introduction of all
the characters; but once Catherine,
or Sophie as she is called at the
start, arrives in Russia for her en
gagement to Peter you will be
hooked for the duration of the story.
TNT once again shows its ability
to present the highest caliber of
movie entertainment on the small
television screen. The movies they
thought. That's when he tound out
differently. He had some visitors,
but hey weren't friends; they were
robbers.
Throughout the rest of the
movie, the robbers kept dying to
get into Kevins house, but they
couldn't because of Kevins' great
trap-setting. He made ice form on
the steps to keep them from com
ing in. He used normal house-hold
items as weapons like an iron, a
paint bucket, and Christmas Tree
decorations.
Kevins' mom was determined to
gel home for Kevin. She was so
worried about him. She caught a
ride home with a band and found
Kevin safe and sound. She never
knew about the robbers who had
been picked up by the police, then
the rest of the family comes home.
We think this movie is good for
kids because it is funny and excit
ing to watch.
Belushi film Taking Care of Business'
scores a four with entertainment critic
By JACKIE K. COOPER
HHJ Entertainment Critic
On a recent trip to California the
movie offered on the plane was
"Taking Care of Business." It
proved to be a very popular film
with the passengers who laughed
out loud at the antics in the movie.
Now the video of this film is at
your local store so you can bring
Jim Belushi and Charles Grodin
home and watch their whacky ways.
Jim Belushi plays Jimmy, a
crook. At the start of the film he is
in prison for multi-counts of Grand
Theft Auto. He has served his time
and is just about ready for parole,
but then he wins a radio contest for
two tickets to see the Cubs in the
World Series. That causes a prob
lem. Jimmy is a Cubs fan ot the
highest order and the game is to
occur before he is released from
prison.
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Young Catherine star Vanessa Redgrave is in a scene
from the show, She is a German teenager who comes
to St, Petersburg and captures an empire for herself.
select and create reflect a respect lor
•he viewing audience that other
networks do not possess.
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He begs the Warden (Hector Eli
zondo) to let him out early but the
warden says no go. So Jimmy goes
anyway. He arranges a riot which
will make his absence unknown.
Then he easily sneaks a ride out by
hanging on to the bottom of a
truck. Jailbreaking was never so
easy.
While this is going on Spencer
Barnes (Charles Grodin) is getting
more and more tangled up in the
business side of his life. His wife,
Veronica Hamel, feels completely
neglected and is threatening divorce;
but his boss, Stephen Elliott, keeps
dangling future promotions in from
of him. So Spencer goes for the
gold (watch) and flies off to Cali
fornia for one more big deal.
At the airport Spencer loses his
"filofax," the book in which he
keeps his credit cards, his appoint-
Young Catherine” premieres on
IN i February 17 and 18, and re
peats February 21 and 24.
ments and any other important data
of his life. The filofax is found by
Jimmy uses it to become
Spencer Bamcs for a day.
The silliness of the script could
have been overcome by two more
in tune actors, but Belushi and
Grodin arc never in sync. They have
completely opposite acting styles
which never lets them join together
for the fun of the film.
Plus you never forget that
Belushi is a crook. And odds are
that he will go crooked again in the
future. Secondly Grodin is so up
tight and business oriented you
never doubt he will get back in the
very same workaholic rut again and
again.
The women who support the two
male leads are decorative but dull.
Hamel doesn't have enough scenes
to be convincing as Grodin's wife.
Loryn Locklin serves primarily to
show you what a thong bathing
suit looks like. Gates McFaddcn is
supposed to be the "new age" busi
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ness woman but all she is a shrew.
And wonderful Anne DeSalvo gets
stuck with whining the film away.
The film is rated K for partial
nudity and profanity.
James Bclushi is still growing as
a comic actor. The weight of this
film is just too heavy lor hi , bulk y
shoulders.
Grodin has played the role ol
"Spencer Barnes" so many times lu
could do it in his sleep and that is
just what he docs heic sleepwalks
his way through the role.
"Taking Care of Business' is a
buddy comedy without buddies
Bclushi and Grodin are yin and yang
and never shall the twain meet. But
if you like your comedy obvious
and easy you might get a lew
laughs from the one liner , Bclushi
losses and the smirks that bounce
off Grodin's face. Ami on video you
can get a good close up view ol the
mugging that both actor do
I scored "Taking-( .a. ol Busi
ness" an out to lunch 4 out of 10