THE RETRIEVER WEEKLY FEATURES March 16, 1999 PAGE25

CAPSULE REVIEWS OF MOVIES IN CURRENT FILMSPOTTING RELEASE BY JAM·IE PECK Blast From the Past Gibson's wronged thug seeks revenge- makes day still wouldn't do it justice. This *** for an exceedingly dark and brooding first half, exquisite melding of romantic drama, The cast is a blast in Past, especially appeal- while act two exceedingly lets humor (mostly of screwball comedy and historical com­ ing, photogenic leads Brendan Fraser and Alicia the black comedy variety) and its star's never-fail mentary features a high-minded, lit­ Silverstone; the former plays a 35-year-old who's charm seep into the mix. The final result is un­ erate screenplay that speculates what spent his entire life in a bomb shelter (it's a even and hard to classify, but still a decent game it would have been like for the Bard looong story), the latter a streetwise missy he pines of double-cross-ing and one-upmanship. - JP (Joseph Fiennes) to be grappling with for after stumbling into the real world. Also price­ a mean case of writer's block while less are Christopher Walken and Sissy Spacek as Saving Private Ryan penning some play called Romeo and Fraser's jaded parents, this flick's equivalent of a **** Juliet (original1y titled Romeo and bonus prize. Sure, the set-up sounds incredibly Bestowed a well-deserved re-release to ride its Ethyl, the Pirate's Daughter). Filled goofy, but you might be surprised at how well - recent 11 Oscar nods to further box office glory, with rapturous moments and career and with such cozy affection- it's all pulled off. Steven Spielberg's World War II epic is about as performances from an eclectic cast. - -JP unforgettable as movies come. If you have yet to JP see it, now is most certainly the time, but be My Favorite Martian warned-never before has on-screen carnage and 200 Cigarettes Paramount Picturef ** combat been portrayed so realistically and bru­ •·h Smoking Couch: Guillermo Diaz, Gaby Hoffmar.. As if last spring's big-screen version of Lost in tally. Tom Hanks is superb as aD-Day hero, but A better title would be 50 Missed and Christina Ricci play assorted bash-attendees Space didn't scream, "Danger, movie-goers! Dan­ Jeremy Davies turns in last year's best perfor­ Opportunities. This MTV-produced in 200 Cigarettes. ger!" here's yet another unnecessary updating of mance as a timid translator surrounded by horrors (read: It has a great soundtrack) ode a beloved 1960s TV chestnut. Potty humor, a lively he can't seem to· overcome. -JP to the Me Decade boasts a fantastic ensemble cast are all pretty much one-note, but performers likt · pace and fun special effects will entertain the playing various New Yorkers slowly - Courtney Love, Paul Rudd and Ben Affleck rist kiddies in attendance, but adults may only enjoy Shakespeare in Love very slowly- making their way to a 1981 New above the material whenever they're on screen · My Favorite Martian if they were fans of its origi­ **** Year's Eve party in Manhattan's East Village. That, unfortunately, is far too little to save thi ~ nal incarnation. Christopher Walken sillies him­ To compare Shakespeare in Love to a summer's None of the vignettes stand out and the characters garish mess. -JP self up as the otherworldly "Uncle Martin" (the Ray Walston role), who literally crashes into the life of harried Santa Barbara everyman Jeff Daniels (the Bill Bixby role). -JP Cage's Smm: Sick Thrills in Slick Thriller

October Sky Columbia Picture. JAMIE PECK Porn to Be Riled: As a ***'h Retriever Weekly Staff Writer A film full of treasures small but bountiful, Oc- private investigator soiled by tober Sky proves the "based on a true story" title his descent into the disturbing Any collaboration between the card isn't always indicative of TV-flicks-of-the­ world of snuff films, 8mm's scribe of Seven and the director of week and big-screen releases that should've been Nicolas Cage takes the law Batman & Robin pretty much guar­ relegated to the small one. The Space Race of the into his own hands 1950s is seen through the eyes of a high-schooler antees a high curio factor, and that (charismatic Jake Gyllenhaal) who becomes in­ interest level is the most telling trait just a statistic. This'll have to do­ spired by Sputnik to ditch his preordained career to trumpet in 8mm (*** out of and it does -for 8mm 's emotiona path - to follow in the soot-stained footsteps of four). Andrew Kevin Walker, best content, because Welles' relation· his demanding father (Chris Cooper)- in favor known for penning that grim mini­ ship with his wife (nice work frorr. of rocket science. Uplifting and smart. -JP masterpiece, and Joel Schumacher, Catherine Keener) and his new bah} Payback best known for a grim mini-master­ are somewhat ill defined. That flav­ **'h. piece himself- 1993's Falling hardly matters, though, becausl Don't be fooled by perennial nice guy Mel Down-before allegedly killing the 8mm devotes much of its attentior­ Gibson's casting in the lead role- in Payback, Batman franchise, brand this dis­ on Welles' unfolding, engross in~ nice guys finish last, as unpleasant characters and turbingly downbeat chiller with as­ search for the truth, and if you car bouts of nasty violence regularly punctuate this sorted elements from their respec­ make it through some of the earl ~ gritty crime thriller. The pulpy narrative - tive bits of feel-bad cinema. A dis­ scenes without the need to exit the gusting murder here, a hero driven theatre, you '11 be OK for the lont to the edge by societal decay there run. -what's not to grit your teeth dur­ Without giving away to( ing? much, Welles' trail leads him ink Like a recipe assembled from the seamy world of undergrounc scraps of other dishes, 8mm is less sleaze, and needless to say, it isn't <... than the sum of its parts, delicious pretty place. The seedy ground hr­ to fans of the dark and brooding covers with a porn clerk (game though they may be; but, oh, does Joaquin Phoenix), his only ally, be this two-hour-plus ode to unpleas­ gins to transform him, though it' ~ antness make good on its engaging no fair to say in what ways. Plo creative pairing. A further boost is twists are guaranteed; some are pre given by the casting of Nicolas Cage dictable, some are not, and an ex in the lead, one of those progres­ ample of the latter is a disturbin ~ sively unhinged roles the Oscar­ climax (one of several) that take ~ EVENING & SATURDAY winner excels at playing. The hot­ place in a rain-soaked graveyard CUSTOMER SERVICE button subject matter - pornography - more terrifying than what's in plain view. complete with vivid flashes of lightning. Per REPS NEEDED! should determine whether uncertain poten­ Cage's professional sleuth goes by _the haps Schumacher's gorgeously gaud) tial viewers will love it or leave it early, name Tom Welles and has just accepted a case Batman takes prove he isn't one for restrainL $6.0.0/hr training pay though you can probably already tell from from the widow (Myra Carter) of a recently but the stylish overkill of 8mm works morr­ lncrease·to $14.00 with Bonuses this description alone if it's your kind of deceased and immensely wealthy steel ty­ often than it doesn't. movie. coon. While going through his private things, He does, however, treat the whole porn. Full time/Part time/Saturday shifts That Cage stars as a private dick in a film she located a reel of eight-millimeter stock snuff area with moderation-and thankfull· available must have great com­ that heavily incorporates the adult entertain­ on which a young girl is raped and murdered so. We're treated only to fleeting glimpses (th munication skills, attention to de­ ment industry is worth a small chuckle, but by a creep wearing a leather mask. Yowza. worst depicts a "nurse" preparing to do some this possible in-joke is close to the extent of But is it an actual snuff film or something thing to a "patient" that probably isn't cov· tail, & keyboarding skills 8mm 's humor quotient. Like Seven, the story feigned to give perverts their jollies? And ered on his HMO), but we get a..strong enoug Paid Training, Paid Holiday is played with almost no comic relief, yet how did it come to be in this rich guy's be­ reading of their explicit content from Cage' & Vacations Available another cause of probable diminishing audi­ longings? Those are the questions Welles gets bountiful terrified-but eventually desensi· ence appreciation. (Then again, that didn't bankrolled to answer, and he starts by identi­ tized - reaction shots. Those who apprec: Call Patty Ramos at stop Seven from being a $100 million hit, but fying the alleged victim and tracing her back ate this dissection of humanity's dark side ca 41 0-480-1550 that movie only fleetingly relied on sexual to her hometown. wonder what sort of dreams Andrew Kevi Monday- Friday violence.) Those seeking cheap, explicit There, he meets her mother (Amy Morton) Walker has while they wait for his nex I 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. thrills are better off visiting a seedy video but not the victim, and these scenes, perfectly screenplay. This much appears to be a give' store somewhere, however, because handled by Schumacher, are a powerfu \ re­ It'll be solemn, it'll be somber. and it'll ha ~ Qy_nami~s -- Ellicott _City Schumacher knows that the unseen is far minder that e •ery missing child is more U IN\ some fo m of the number nine in its title.