PAGE 18 THE RETRIEVER WEEKLY FEATURES December 1, 1998

• • • • • • now in theatres ...

Cap.mle reviews of current movies by Victory Mara.sigan and Jamie Peck. Antz (***'h out of four) Who knew that the be~t Woody Allen comedy in years would be one where he plays a neurotic, worrisome in­ sect? Allen·!> ant Z-4195 rages against his colony's rigid caste system in this computer-ani­ mated. pint-sited gem. The story may be anten­ nae-thin. but Ant;: is so loaded with winy imagi­ nation. lavish spectacle and a stellar sense of humor that any na1Tativc flimsiness is beside the point. There arc extra liUrpriscs for those who know a thing or two about bugs and bug anatomy. (Sec the 11/10/98 issue of The Re­ triel'er Wet>kly for a full review.) -JP I Still Know What Yo u Did Las t Summer (*'h) The nonsensical title should serve as a bla­ tant warning to anyone who expects this quickie sequel to carry over the original's genuine scares and nifty level of paranoid tension. Let's just Polygram Films say that a more appropriate moniker would be Cellular Criminal: Christian Slater calls Swpid People Gelling Hacked to Bits. Jennifer up murder and mayhem in Peter Berg's Love Hewitt is back. this time being chased Very Bad Things. through a Bahaman reson by that p~umably unkillable hook-handed Gorton's Fisherman. one of them accidentally kills the prostitute they Fake fright~ and red herrings abound; this is one hired for entenainment purposes. This leads to tired slasher rehash. ( 11/17/98) .Jp the first of many impulsive, panic-induced bad Practical Magic (* *) The pleasant perfor­ decisions. Altematingly hilarious and repulsive. mances of Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. Very Bad Things grabs a hold of you and as witch sisters plagued by a centuries-old curse, squeezes until you literally can't take it any caM a lovely spell that the rest of this dark com­ more. (11/17/98) - VM edy-drama unfortunately lacks. The first half of The Waterboy (**'h) The focus of this dumb Practical Magic holds promise. but the movie but somewhat delightful football comedy is a ultimately vexes more than it hexes. The tone not-too-bright waterboy (Adam Sandler) who grows inconsistent. much of the supernatural reveals a bang-up talent for tackling after being goings-on lack a decent explanation and the fool­ recruited by a losing college team. Sandler irri­ ish climax. involving the PTA and an exorcism. tates with his idiot savant character's man-child takes itself a bit too seriously. ( 11/03/98) -JP mannerisms and ~hrill Louisiana accent. but he ·s The Siege<***) &!ward Zwick's much-bally­ surrounded by sight gag~ that seem to grov. more hooed '111e Siegt• is not the flag-waving. for­ clever b> the minute and some stellar ~uppon­ eigner-bashing bullet fest 11 appears to be. Denzel ing turns. Hilanous Kathy Bates. as Sandler's Washington is Anthony Hubbard. a Jack Ryan­ way overprotective mama, wms th1s mo~1e's esque FBI agent ''hoI!> charged \\ith finding MVP award. (11/17/98) JP out who is behind a serie~ of horrifying New Wh at Dreams May Come (*) You can slap a York City bombings. Though blatantly preach) pretty liule bonnet and parasol on a pile of dog at times. the film smanl) pushes beyond the su­ feces. but it\ still just a pile of dog feces. A fit­ perficial constramt~ of it' main plot to delve ung analogy for the tonurous mess that is What deeper into the 1ssues of prejudice than most Dreams .Hay Come. a dull. messy fantasy-drama mainstream "thrillers" have before it. ( 11110/98) that finds deceased doc Robm Williams (in full­ VM blown serious mode) traveling from heaven to Very Bad Things<***) Five yuppie 30-some­ hell to ensure he has a wonderlul afterlife. The thmgs (Jeremy Ph·en. Daniel Stem, Christian narrauve cer1ainly holds promise. but the mov1c Slater. Leland Or~er and John Favreau) head off quickly tum~ into a jumbled mess of silly twistl> to Vega~ to celebrate a bachelor party. where and half-baked philosophies. (I 1/10/98) -JP Music Bouncing Souls Release Live EP This month. the NeY. Jen;ey-based punk enjoy the album. It's among a spec1al breed band the Bouncing Souls release its first live of albums released in the past fe\\ months. It CDEP. Y.hich comes a fev.. months before makes me think that a Bouncmg Sou h. show the)' record and prepare to release their fol­ is worth whatever amount of monc) it costs. lO\\-Up to 1997's self-titled Epitaph release. The ninth and fmal track of the album is a studio track that will appear on next year's release. The album begins with the most popular song from the 1997 release. "Sa) Anything:· The sound quality on the live album natu­ rally docs not match that of a studio record­ ing. However. the mv. sound is more "." The second track. "Lamar Vannoy." is dedicated to thctr annoying friend Lamar. It's an interesting song that almost reminds me of "The Ballau of Johnny X." The third song is my favorite from the 1997 release. "Kate is Gn..-at.'' wh1ch I also think was the best of any song olthc live relcru;e. Later in the shoY.. the Bouncing Souls played old favorites like "Here We Go" and "Argyle." Any fan of the Bouncing Souls would cher­ ish thi~ CD. Even some street punks would