FILM REVIEW
f
THE SCARLET LETTER
ingredient (in-c a cast that includes the hot l)emi Moore. the delightfully unpredictable Gary ()ldman and the ever reliable Robert l)uvall. plus veteran support from the likes of Edward Hardwicke and Joan Plowright. ingredient Two: .r director who proved his skills for visual power and dramatic scope in 'I he Killing Fields and The lllixsimt. Surely what we have is a bold and passionate romance filled with period splendour“? The answer is. probably
not. The reason‘.’ Rumours I
that it all falls apart in a Carry On bumbling manner and the fact that. despite several prints lic‘llig dispersed widely across the UK for the film's opening. there seemingly wasn't one available to show to the press in advance. ()r so the distribution company say. Sounds suspicious. The ads are on bus- shelters everywhere. but if you're drawn along. on your own head be it. (Alan Morrison)
'l'he Sear/e! letter ([5) (Ra/and Jar/e. US. 1995) I)enri Mao/"e, (Iarv ()lrlntan. Ruhert Dara/l. l-‘n'm Fri /7. (ieneral I‘eleat‘e.
TOMMY BOY
The latest film to showcase the sometimes dubious talents spawned by the American comedy show Saturday Night Live. 'Iinnnrv Bay stars Chris Farley — an actor of John Candy proportions but not skills — as popular but woefully inadequate stttdent Tommy Callahan. who enters his father's auto parts business after graduating from college. This coincides with the lightning romance and subsequent marriage between his beloved dad (Brian Dennehy) and the lovely Beverly (Bo Derek). which results in a not totally unexpected coronary that puts Tommy and his new stepmother in control of the company.
It proves a difficult enough task without the scheming of Beverly's weaselly son ta beleagured Rob l.owe reprising l‘iis titty/tek- War/ll schtick). but Tommy decides he has to
‘3 i Tommy Boy: ‘iunlt food‘ make a go of things. With his dad's former right hand man Richard (David Spade) in tow. he sets off to save Callahan Auto Parts froru oblivion by securing new orders frotn around the country. l-‘arley is energetic and eager to please (and the same goes for his hapless character), while Spade is the wry and sardonic foil to the obvious physical humour. Spade's the intelligent. diligent and hard-working employee. Farley the hopeless incompetent born into power. yet it‘s the former who‘s defined as the nerd. That‘s current American post-Gump ideology for you. With a few breezy set pieces and plenty of broad humour. 'Iinnnrv Boy is the cinematic equivalent ofjunk food: it temporarily satisfies without offering any pretence of nourishment. i Anwar Brett) 'Iinnntv Boy (Hi) (Peter I Segal. US. [995) Chris | , l-‘arlev. Darn/Spade, Rah
l Lowe. 97mins. l‘runt Fri l [7. (ieneral release.
I ACTION
GOLDENEYE
a i v:
Ah, Mr Bond, we've been expecting you . . . for six years now. After two outings by the rather dour Timothy Dalton, the series seemed shaken. not stirred. by its box office decline in the face of big budget, in—your-faee actioners such as Die Hard and lethal W’apan. The end of the Cold War also occasioned a serious rethink about the role Her Majesty‘s favourite secret agent could play in the 90s. The result is certainly worth the wait: a solid two- and-a-bit hours of fun, complete with all the vital ingredients -- Q‘s gadgets. awful throwaway puns. absurdly spectacular stunt set pieces.
As ever. the plot takes second place to the colourful array of individual goodies and baddies and the new tricks that the effects guys have come tip with. A renegade Russian general and an enigmatic villain known as Janus have captured the satellite-controlled weapons system .CTOldCllC'VL“, which is capable oferasing Britain‘s entire
Goldeneye: ‘a solid two-'and-a-bit hours of fun’
or
information superhighway. thus
sending the world‘s economy back to
the Stone Age. 'l'hrown into life-
threatening situations as far afield as Monte Carlo. St Petersburg and Cuba. (X)7 finds himself having to overcome not only the dangers of the present. but
troubles from his past.
Pierce Brosnan is simply the best Bond since Sean Connery: suave. with
the shadow of a wry smile at the corner
of his lips. he adds a touch of human
uncertainty to the character‘s
indestructible nature. By questioning
Bond's loyalty to the mission before his
colleagues. and his constant string of
women as ego reinforcement.
(in/ileneye sttcceeds in looking afresh at a character now on his seventeenth outing. The world is definitely ready
for more. (Alan Morrison)
(Inlrleneye (12) (Martin Campbell. UK/US, I995) l’iel't‘e limxnan. Sean Bean. liahella .S'eartipea. /.i()n1in.v.
From Fri 24. (tellé’l‘lll release
A WALK IN THE CLOU "
This is celluloid honey. Every scene is saturated with orange tones, Latin bodies, glowing smiles and fiery sunsets. Delicious, warming stuff for the sentimental toothed film-goer. Above all, A Walk In The Clouds radiates the lovability of its lead. Keanu Reeves is undeniably a wooden actor (his ‘you are the air I breathe’ lines provoke laughter), but his body is a pleasure to watch. Somehow reassuring, Keanu is the star who would cuddle your grandmother.
True to its golden hues, the film is nostalgic for that mythic day when we were a more earthy people. The Mexican extended family, into whose
3 arms falls distressed gringo Reeves, are traditional grape-harvesting types
presented in idyllic terms — give or take a bit of instinctual machismo. Perhaps this is the seductive surface of Hollywood’s alleged New Rightism?
I l t
A Walk In The Clouds: ‘celluloid honey’
The Mexican father’s violent assertion of control over his
daughter’s reproductive life seems disarmineg inevitable in a film world which equates patriarchy with nature
and marriage with bliss. At least there is a degree of conflict between
Victoria (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon), who returns pregnant from the city with already-married Reeves posing as her
husband, and papa Don Pedro (Anthony . Quinn), and the result is lessons
learned all round.
In any case, the one value which A
Walk In The Clouds really clutches to its breast is love. But who’s really thinking? This is a film for the senses,
not the mind. (Hannah Fries)
A Walk In The Clouds (PG) (Alfonso Arau, US, 1995) Keanu Reeves, Aifana Sanchez-Bijou, Anthony Union. 102 mins. From Fri 10. General release.
WHEN NIGHT rs FALLING
When flight Is Falling: ‘studied and dispassionate'
(‘amille and Martin are ‘eareer (‘hristians'z she is Professor of Mythology at a Christian college and he is an affable minister. Together. they are looking forward to sharing the college chaplaincy. provided they can prove that they're good Christians and get married. Camille. however. finds her world thrown into disarray when her dog. Bob. mysteriously dies. At
the local iaundrette. she rueets Petra. a beautiful and enigmatic performance magician. l’etra‘s world is
. diametrically opposed to
her own. Where hers is respectable. uptight and stifling. Petra's is alternative. relaxed and refreshingly libertine. Camille soon falls for this new way of life — and for Petra herself.
When Night Is I-‘alling is more than just a homoerotic take on the traditional love-triangle plot because Patricia Rmema. director of I Can Hear The .‘llermair/s Singing. manages to incorporate wider themes of faith and courage. Camille's experience with Petra is of interest because it forces her to question her faith and the entire belief system of her Christian. heterosexual universe.
()bviously inspired by Bergman (from whose l-‘anny .‘llltl Alexamler the title hails). this film is intelligent. poetic and visually stunning. However. the final product is. sadly. a somewhat studied and dispassionate look at passion. where warmth is sacrificed for artiness to the point of alienating the audience frotn the characters' emotional experiences. Camille-’5 gigantic leap from puritan to bohemian just doesn't ring true v- not with so little repulsion and angst. (Gill liarris)
When Night Is I’a/ling (/5) (Patricia Rmenta, ('anar/a, I994) l’itxeale litivxiel‘ex. Rue/tel ('I'aitjlorrl. Henry ('zernv. 9.? mins. l’rant Fri 24: lz'r/inhargh Film/tome.
‘2 The l.l.\’l l7 gill Nov l‘)‘)5