Newspaper Page Text
March 18, 1992
Flagpole Magazine
Page 25
The Movie Dope
Okay, we don t run next week, so you ‘II have to face any possible movie
surprises alone. But don't panic. The highly trained professionals manning
the phones at you local theater are more than qualified to handle any
cinematic emergency. Remember, there's no shame in asking for help.
First Run
American Me (R)
Dirftcior/star Edward James Olmos’
(Stand and Deliver) new picture fea
tures some very disturbing imagery (I
learned a lot more about smuggling
drugs in one’s body cavities than really
needed to). 3ut the point to all this, other
than some generalized moralizing about
gang violence, isn't very clear. Olmos
has certainly given stronger perfor
mances. Only William Forsythe (Raising
Arizona) gives the sort of performance
needed carry this kind of effort. A disap
pointment. (Beechwood)
Article 99 (PG-13)
This is soma pretty rich territory, the
treatment of veterans by a government
which feels no responsibility toward
them, so it’s rather disappointing find
such a simplistic pedestrian treatment
of the subject. It’s the old wisecracking
mavericks vs. the uncaring administra-
tors(yeah,kinda like M'A'S'H*), handled
with a sledge hammer subtlety that
makes Alan Alda's worst T.V. posturing
seem delicately understated. There’s a
great cast here, but not the material to
match. The whole thing comes off as a
blown opportunity. (Beechwood)
Beauty and the Beast (G)
Still at the mall, its that damned Oscar™
nominated cartoon. Sure, its okay and
all. bu* Ren and Stimpy it ain’t. (GA
Square Mall - Outside)
Curley Sue (PG)
Egads! Who in our village has angered
the gods so horribly that they should
cause this beast to rise from its grave
and descend upon us? Send your chil
dren as sacrifice so that their anger
might be appeased. (Alps)
Father of the Bride (R)
This picture manages to capture the
feeling of the Spencer Tracy original,
but I’ve always found that film to be a
soulless cartoon, both lifeless and an
noying. Steve Martin is in for Tracy, and
offers his most maudlin performance.
Even the reliable Martin Short falls flat.
Not funny in the least. (Beechwood,
moves friday to the Classic Triple)
Final Analysis (R)
I know we've had to deal with a lot of this
sort of thing lately, honest folks from good
families who get
pleasant, engaging, film with some
strong performances and a sharp script.
It’s alsoa film that understands the value
of the whole storytelling thing. Make an
effort. (Beechwood)
realize with complete mediocrity. Pierce
Brosnan gives it the old college try. but
Jeff Fahey (Silverado) is swiftly becom
ing one of my least favorite actors. Those
hoping to check out some hot “cyber-
sex" will be bitterly disappointed, it's
dull. Skip it.(Classic Triple)
Medicine Man (R)
There’s something vaguely opportunis
tic about director John McTieman's (The
Wacky Docs, Evil bureaucrats, suffering patients, crazy patients, etc.
involved in those
erotic/potentially
iethal relation
ships. Its just not
an interesting idea
to begin with, but
Final Analysis is
the best of the tot.
The first half is
awfully sbw (di
rector Phil Joanou
(Rattle and Hurrf)
seems to be aton
ing for previous
excesses) and
Kim Basinger
turns in a typically
lazy performance. It can be said, that for
a change, the characters here are not
complete idiots, and that some of the pbt
twists toward the end are fairly clever.
That, and some sharp visuals durng the
climax makes this & Jy barely worth see
ing. Perhaps on video then. Ends Thurs
day. (GA Square Mall (inside))
Fried Green Tomatos (PG-13)
Sure, it’s the kind of movie you can
recommend to you parents, but you
should recommend it to them No. you
should go with them tt’s really a very
Gladiator (R)
Here’s my theory; they made a big list of
boxing movie cliches, and just checked
them off one by one as they wrote this
script (okay, nobody slips a horseshoe
mto his glove, but I was ready for it). The
h6ro, a dull, completely familiar “intense”
young man. is played without imagina
tion by James Marshall (Twin Peaks).
There is an upside; the rest of the cast is
pretty good. Brian Dennehy (Silverado)
and Robert Loggia are swell as slimy
fight promoters. Cuba Gooding Jr. (Boyz
N the Hood), is an actor to be reckoned
with. The whole thing manages to satisfy
its tow ambitions. If you can’t get over the
recent lack of Rocky movies, this one's
for you. (GA Square Mall (outside))
Great Mouse Detective (G)
Recycled Disney cartoon about the
mouse in Sherlock Holmes house. It went
pretty much unnoticed in its initial re
lease. but is in fact one of that studio’s
better animated features. Vincent Price
is swell as the villain, fun. (Classic Triple)
The Hand
That Rocks the Cradle (R)
In the first fifteen minutes of this one we
get to watch a woman molested by her
gynecologist during an examination, and
shortly thereafter, a gory miscarriage.
What follows is
CALL FOR TIMES
Alp* - 548-5256
Beechwood • 546-1011
Classic Triple - 543-6544
Commerce Drive-In - 335-2486
GA Square Mall
Inside - 543-1632
Outside - 548-9460
Georgia Theater-549-9918
Tate Center - 54-UNION
pretty dull. You
don't need to see
this. (Beechwood)
Hear My Song
(PG)Yes. It’s nice,
every once in a
while, to be caught
off guard with a
pleasant surprise.
Its a light comedy
that's actually
funny, has charac
ters that are en
gaging and lik
able, and possess
a spirit of real ad
venture. The end
ing is not as strong as it might be (I’ve
seen more of Ned Beatty lip synching
than I'll ever need) but this is still the best
film playing Athens. Hurry, it ends
Thursday.(Georgia Square Mall)
The Lawnmower Man (R)
This one. I’m told, has little to do with the
Stephen King short story on which it is
based, which is surprising in that it is so
very much like any other Stephen King
picture I’ve seen. The producers have
thrown in all this “virtual reality - stuff,
which they fail to make any sense of. and
Hunt For Red October) save-the-
rainforest picture, all the motives are a bit
simplistic, a bit too. well, correct. Nor is
the materiel here suited to his style, the
picture never establishes a consistent
pace. Scenes that should work just don’t
get moving. Luckily Sean Connery is
aboard, and the old boy just may be the
best damn movie star (if not actor) work
ing. A full pardon is granted for High
lander II. That performance and a few
strong moments effectively captured by
McTieman make this worth a trip to the
mall. (GA Square Mall (inside))
Memoirs of
an Invisible Man (PG-13)
You’ve gotta know I was dreading this
one. but that considered, this turned out
to be something of a pleasant surprise.
Chevy Chase, for the first time since
Fletch, turns in a decent performance,
the sort of thing he built his reputation on.
Director jjhn Carpenter (Halloween.
They Live) keeps things moving along
'"the movie dope 1
0 CHECKLIST
Your moviegoing made that
much easier! The picture at the
top of this list is the best one in
town. If and when you Ve seen it,
just check it off and move on to
the next one!
| j Hear My Song
J Fried Green Tomatoes
| | Beauty and the Beast
| | Medicine Man
| | The Great Mouse Detective
1 | Wayne's World
□ Memoirs of an Invisible Man
| | My Cousin Vinny
□ Article 99
] Once Upon a Crime
Gladiator
I I American Me
' | The Lawnmower Man
j | The Prince of Tides
fj Curly Sue
; ~] Father of the Bride
□ Stop or My Mom Will Shoot
1 I
well, and gets a lot of mileage (with some
s well FX) out of the whole invisibility thing.
A wooden Darryl Hannah and the abrupt
ending are disappointments. Be sure to
catch a matinee. (Classic Triple)
My Cousin Vinny (PG-13)
Joe Pesci seems to have learned from
most, if not all of the mistakes he made
with last fall's dog. The Super. This one is
a enjoyable, if unimpressive, light com
edy. The script is actually pretty flat, but
Pesci and co-star Marica Tomei (we'll be
hearing more from this woman (and I
don’t moan a postcard)) actually get the
chemistry thing going well enough to put
his one, just barely, over the top. Hit a
matinee. (Georgia Square Mall)
Once Upon a Crime (R)
This one has its moments. John Candy
does his best stuff since Planes. Trains,
and Automobiles. Sean Young
(surpisingly) is good as well, but the rest
of the cast seems to be trying awfully
hard for what is supposed to be screw
ball comedy. Director Eugene Levy al
most pulls it off. but too much of this
misfires. (GA Square Mail (intside))
Prince of Tides (R)
I finally saw it. And was it ever awful. A
Oscar® nomination for best picture? i
demand an investigation. Of all the con
trived, hackneyed soap operas I’ve ever
seen Someofthis(whafhappenedtothe
Vietnam vet brother?) is pretty laughable.
Nick Nolte is a terrific actor, and it’s a real
disappointment to see him attacking this
material so earnestly. As for Babs, one
would have to rent some old William
Shatner horror movies to catch acting of
this caliber. As for her direction, she had
the sense to hire an expensive cinema
tographer. and let him do his job. but the
actors weren’t so lucky. Don't be a sucker,
rent The GreatSantinnnslead. (G A Square
Mall (outside))
Stop or
my Mom Will Shoot (PG-13)
Wow. This material is beneath Sylvester
Stallone! Even hard core fans will be quick
to recognize the fact that this sucks'. Think
Stallone doing a guest shot on Golden
Girls and you Ve got the picture. You wanna
pay.for that? Of course you don';. Worse
than Kuffs, It’s the lamest picture of the
year so far. (GA Square Mall (outside)
Wayne's World (PG-13)
This is about as tong as an edition of
Saturday Night Live, and on average,
about as funny. The bit begins to wear
thin as fast as you might expect, but Mike
Myers, a very funny guy. manages to
stave off complete disaster. Video? I think
this pretty well defines the "wait-til-it-hits-
Blockbuster" genre. Your not in any hurry
here. (Georgia Square Mall (inside))
Opening, 3/20
Basic Instinct (R)
Ohh. they get no more controversial than
this one. This Michael Douglas thriller
from director Peter Verhovan (Robocop)
is sure to an ungodly amount of noise.
(Georgia Square Mall (inside))
Opening, 3/27
Lady Bug (PG-13)
Rodney Dangerfeild coaches am all girl
soccer team. I’m in stitches already
(Beechwood)
Repertory
Georgia Theater • Wed -3/18
Barton Fink (R)
Scary fun from those Coen Brothers. It’s
out on video now so this is really your last
chance to see it in what more or less
amounts to movie theater.
Georgia Theater • Mon 3/23
Paradise Park (NR)
All the hope and glory that is life in a trailer
park (See Review on facing page)
Joe Greenia
749 W. Broad St.
543-7701
The fop 1
1. Boyz n the Hood
2. Thelma & Louise
3. Jungle Fever
4. Point Break
5. Bill& Ted's
Bogus journey
S.Whore
7. Barton Fink
8. Regarding Henry
9. Mobsters
10. Freddy s Dead
New Releases
• The Doctor
■ Other Peoples Money
■ Twenty-One
• Dead Again
• Child’s Play 3
• The Dark Backward
■ Back Track
• Prisoner of Honor
We Hava Expandad Our
Foreign Film Salactlon.
We now Hava Ovar 100
Foreign Pictures.
Foreign Ibp 10
1. The Vanishing
•
2. Drowning by
Numbers
3. The Reflecting Skim
4. The Nasty Girl
5. Akina
6. la femme Nikita
7. The Icicle Thief
8. Journey of Hope
v::v.
.
9. Cyrano de Bergerac
10. Betty Blue
.■ . ,
Tflvla Question
Akira Kurosawa s The Seven
Samurai is considered by marry'
as the greatest motion picture
ever made. What Famous
American Movie was based on
this Japanese dassic?
FreeTTvttolW 10 correct cnswers.
3 Free osiers from on gcb bag to
next 10 correct owen
Bpirej 4-1-92