Boxoffice-January.2000

• ••1/2
THE INSIDER
self into the case and in the process finds
Starring A I Pacino, Russell Crowe, she has to confront her own demons in
Christopher Plummet; Diane Venom and order to have any chance at rescuing the
Philip Baker Hall. Directed by Michael victim who has been buried alive, with a
Mann. Written by Erie Roth and Michael limited oxygen supply, by her captors.
Mann. Produced by Pieter Jan Brugge and The plot unfolds with few surprises, it
MichaelMann. A Buena I ista release. Drama. sags badly in the middle and the ending is
Rated Rfor language. Running time: 157 min. a pretty much foregone conclusion. But
Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino. subdued the film is essentially saved by a couple of
since "The Devil's Advocate") is a produc-
superb acting jobs. Mike Kerrigan
er at "60 Minutes." known for his ability to
secure difficult interviews and for the
dependability of his word. His integrity is
compromised when he gains the trust of
Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe), an exemployee
of tobacco giant Brown &
Williamson whose insider knowledge of
the operation threatens the safety of his
wife and two little girls. Securing Wigand's
testimony that the "seven dwarfs." as he
calls the seven CEOs of big tobacco, were
fully aware of the dangers of smoking
when they testified to the contrary,
Bergman is betrayed by his company. CBS
refuses to air the segment because of a lawsuit
threatened by Brown & Williamson.
As Wigand. Crowe steals the show.
Besides deliberately gaining weight and
graying for the role, the Australian has
adopted the nervous ticks of his character,
honestly portraying the reluctant hero as a
man plagued by a hot temper, belligerence
and revenge, but also a loving father torn
between protecting his family and revealing
the truth to the American people.
Writer-director-producer Michael Mann.
who last directed 1995's crime drama
"Heat." employs the same stylistic elements
here, amply using slow motion and
handheld close-ups that, while sometimes
as dizzying as those in the notorious
"Blair Witch Project," demonstrate the
confusion and desperation experienced by
the characters. Mann's elegant stylization
and Crowe's superb performance pull
together a picture daunted by potentially
dry subject matter and a hefty running time.
— Anniee Ellingson
OXYGEN
**l/2
Starring Maura Tierney and Adrien Brody.
Directed and written by Richard Shepard.
Produced by Jonathan Stern. Richard
Shepard, Carole Curb Nemoy and Mike Curb.
A Vnapix release. Crime drama. Rated R for
violence and language. Running time: 92 min.
Detective Madeline Foster (Maura
Tierney) is having a rough day. After a fleeing
felon uses her for target practice she
unwinds with a bout of rough- -make that
sadistic—sex with a mystery lover and
copious amounts of alcohol. All of which
hardly makes her a
suitable candidate to
solve a kidnapping, especially as the person
heading up the investigation is her
unsuspecting husband. But she throws her-
REVIEW
THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL ••
Starring Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen,
Taye Diggs, Ali Larter, Chris Rattan, Peter
Gallagher and Bridgette Hi/son. Directed
by William Malone. Written by Dick Beebe
and William Malone. Produced by Robert
Zemeckis, Joel Silver and Gilbert Adler. A
Warner Bros, release. Horror. Rated R for
horror violence and gore, sexual images and
language. Running time: 93 min.
Billionaire theme-park mogul Steven
Price ("Mystery Men's" Geoffrey Rush)
loves designing thrill rides and is always
trying to outdo himself. So when his wife
("The Faculty's" Famke Janssen) asks to
have her birthday party at an abandoned
psychiatric institute for the criminally
insane, he sets out to make the evening a
to-die-for experience. Things go smoothly
until unforeseen demonic forces intervene
and the staged game becomes deadly.
The evil that pervades the asylum is
brought to life using some of the best
special effects seen on film; however, all
the visual bravura doesn't fill in the gaping
plot holes or generate any real frights.
—Dwayne E. Leslie
LIARS POKER *1/2
Starring Richard Tyson, Caesar Luisi,
Jimmy Blondell and Flea. Directed and
written by Jeff Santo. Produced by Billy
Savino and Jeff Santo. A North Branch
Entertainment release. Drama! Thriller.
Rated R for language, sexuality and pervasive
violence. Running time: 93 min.
"Nobody beats me at Liar's Poker."
announces Jack (Richard Tyson) to a circle
of card players—a remark that also
metaphorically applies to his other dealings
with members of the group, including
the womanizing Niko (Caesar Luisi),
the
hapless Freddy (Flea) and the enigmatic
Vic (Jimmy Blondell), all of whom appear
to associate with Jack as more a matter of
obligation than camaraderie. The film follows
each character's business dealings
with the alpha male, whose volatile temperament,
combined with the enormous
wealth he's obviously gained from sources
other than his day job as a car salesman,
imply he has a position as a mob boss.
It's quite evident that almost every
aspect of "Liar's Poker," Jeff Santos directorial
debut, is supposed to create an
oppressive tension. From the uniformly
slow dialogue delivery by the ensemble cast
to the Cimmerian soundtrack that thumps
incessantly throughout the pic. one gets the
impression that a sense of overwhelming
dread should be sinking in. Disinterest,
however, is the more pervasive feeling, with
the disjointed chronological sequences
forcing the viewer to work harder at following
a plot that isn't very compelling in
the first place.
•••
Francesco Dinglasan
DATS
Starring Dina Meyer, Lou Diamond
Phillips, Leon and Bob Gunton. Directed by
Louis Morneau. Written by John Logan.
Produced by Brad Jenkel and Louis Rosncr.
A Destination Films release. Horror. Rated
PG-13 for intense sequences of bat attacks,
and brief language. Running time: 91 mins.
"Why? I'm a scientist, that's why," is the
reason given for genetically altering two
bats to be smarter, more aggressive and
omnivorous. The research bats quickly
spread the virus they carry amongst thousands
of local bats, and soon the night
belongs to the horde and nothing in
path is safe once night falls.
their
This is a very intense film once it gets
past the preliminaries of introducing
everyone. After the first attack, it's apparent
how vicious the bats can be—so when
the town ignores warnings to stay indoors,
one can't help but cringe at what's coming.
The film skillfully mixes in humor without
undermining the tension. Dwayne E.
Leslie
DODY SHOTS
**l/2
Starring Sean Patrick Flanery, Jerry
O'Connell, Amada Peet and Tara Reid.
Directed by Michael Cristofer. W ritten by
David McKenna. Produced by Jennifer
Keohane and Harry Colomhy. A New Line
release. Drama. Rated R for strong sexual
content including graphic sex-related dialogue,
language, violence and scenes of alcohol
abuse. Running time: 102 min.
This is an old-fashioned cautionary tale
under the glossy veneer of a sex romp.
Much of the film is taken up with people
talking dirty about the most primeval of
urges, and the rest of the time they are
practicing them. But the underlying theme
is that sex—especially casual, drunken
sex—comes with a price.
Four women and four men all in their
20s are independently plotting their
evening which seems to basically consist of
mass quantities of booze, some lively
dancing and a chance of a close encounter
of the carnal kind. The octet gets together
in various combinations and the games
begin. But even in the many steamy scenes.
nobody seems to be having much fun. It is
a good-looking cast but it's hard to tell
how talented they really are. Mike
Kerrigan
68 (R-7) BOXOFHCI