Boxoffice-September.1997

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U ff^k — — — FESTIVAL REVIEWS The road movie is nothing new, as fans of Hope and Crosby know well. But what makes "Western" so uniquely French is its preoccupation with love, emotions and human psychology. Nonetheless, funny, touching, familiar yet original, "Western" seems like it could be a natural hit for stateside audiences. Lael Loewenstein •• THE SERPENT'S KISS Starring Ewan McGregor, Greta Scacchi, Pete Postlethwaite and Richard E. Grant. Directed by Philippe Rousselot. Written by Tim Rose Price. Produced by Robert Jones, John Battsek and Tim Rose Price. No stateside distributor set. Drama. Not yet rated. Running time: 110 min. "The Serpent's Kiss" is the directorial debut of French cinematographer Philippe Rousselot, Oscar winner for "A River Runs Through It." In 1699, Meneer Chrome ("Trainspotting's" Ewan McGregor) is hired by Thomas Smithers ("The Lost World's" Pete Postlethwaite) to design an elaborate estate garden as a present for wife Juliana ("Emma's" Greta Scacchi). Bored by country solitude, she has little interest in husband or garden . Daughter Thea (Carmen Chaplin, Charlie's granddaughter) is so uncomfortable in the formal environment that her father believes she is disturbed. Juliana's scheming cousin Lord Warburton ("Twelfth Night's" Richard E. Grant) is secretly using the garden to bankrupt Thomas, hoping that Juliana will turn her attentions to him. Nothing goes as planned; The garden is destroyed by storm, Juliana is attracted to the young Chrome, but Chrome is drawn to Thea. The premise is similar to that of "The Draughtsman's Contract," but this film is more concerned with the feelings of its characters than was Greenaway ' s chilly tale. The theme of manipulation in "The Serpent's Kiss" is not original, but the film is made entertaining by the accomplished cast, particularly Scacchi, who is adept in whatever period her films are set, and she aptly conveys that her character is the one most constricted by the conventions of the time from revealing her emotions directly. Grant's flamboyance is always amusing. Also, the painterly images of the cast in 1 7th-century costumes in the unusual garden add to the film's visual appeal. EaScheid PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED: AUGUST/SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER FILMS -Bandwagon" -k-k-km: CFP, 9/12 ltd; sec April 1997. 'Box of Moonlight" -k-kl/l: Trimark, 8/1 LA, exp 8/22 & 8/29; see Nov. 1996. "Career Girls" •••••: October, 8/8 NY/LA, 8/15 exp; see Aug. 1997. "Coffy" •••: Kit Parker. 8/29 reissue; see May 28, 1973 issue. "Deep Crimson" ••••: New Yorker, 10/8; see April 1997. "The Delta" •: Strand, 8/1 NY, 8/15 lA; see July 1997. "Differentfor Girls" ••: First Uok, 9/12 NY/LA; see March 1997. "Dogs" if-k: Phaedra. Aug. undated; see April 1997. "The End of Violence" •••: MGM. 9/12; see Aug. 1997. "Fast, Cheap & Out of Control" •••: Sony Classics, 10/3 NY/LA; see April 1997. "Fire" •••1/2: Zeitgeist, 8/22 NY; see July 1997. "The Full Monty" ••••: Fox Searchlight, 8/13 NY/LA, 8/29 exp; see April 1997. "Going All the Way" •••: Gramercy, 9/19 ltd, 9/26 exp; see April 1997. "Hamsun " ••• 1/2: First Run, 8/6 NY; see March 1997. "The House of Yes" •••1/2: Miramax, 10/10 NY/IA; see April 1997. "Hurricane Streets" •••: UA, 10/24; see April 1997. "The Ice Storm" *icV2: Fox Searchlight, 9/26 NY, 10/3 exp; see July 1997. "In a Strange City" •••1/2: Filmopolis, Sept. undated; see July 1996. "In the Company ofMen" ••1/2: Sony Classics, 8/1 NY/IA; see Apr. 1997. "Intimate Relations" ••: Fox Searchlight, 9/5; see Sept. 1996. "I Was a Jewish Sex Worker" •kkV2: Greycat, 9/1 LA; see April 1997. "Kicked in the Head" ••: October, 9/12 NY/IA, 9/19 exp; see Aug. 1997. "LA. Confidential" k-k-km: Warner Bros., 9/19;seeAug. 1997. •Ulies" •: Turbulent Arts, 10/17 NY, 10/24 lA; see April 1997. "Love Always" • 1/2: Legacy, 9/26 ltd; see April 1997. "loveJones" •••1/2: New Line, 8/8 reissue; see May 1997. "Love Serenade" *kl/2: Miramax, 8/1 exp; see Aug. 1996. "Mimic" -k-kV2: Miramax, 8/22 widie; see Aug. 1997. "Man Homme" •••: Artificial Eye, 8/15 NY; see March 1997. "Mouth to Mouth" •••1/2: Miramax, 9/5 NY/IA; see .Sept. 1996. "My Sex Ufe..." -kkk: Zeitgeist, 9/17 NY; see Aug. 1996. "The Myth of Fingerprints" •••1/2: Sony Classics, 9/19 NY; see Apr. 1997. "Nenetie et Boni" -kkk: Strand, mid-Sept.; see April 1997. "Omaha: the movie" •• 1/2: Movieworld, 9/26; see April 1996. "Paperback Romance" kk\l2: Goldwyn, 8/1 ltd; sec May 1997. "Parallel Sons" •••: Greycat, 10/10 NY; see May 1997. "SelfMade Hero" ••••: Strand, 9/26; see March 1997. "Shall We Dance?" •••1/2: Miramax, 8/1 exp; see May 1997. "She 'v .So Lovely" ••: Miramax, 8/15; see Aug. 1997. "Sunday" ••••: CFP, 8/22 NY/IA; see July 1997. "The Sweet Hereafter" k kkk: Fine Une, 10/10; see Aug. 1997. "Timeless" kkk: Phaedra, Sept. undated; see April 1996. "Trojan Eddie" • •: CastU Hill, Sept. LA; see April 1997. TORONTO PORTRAITS CHINOIS iririric Starring Helena Bonham Carter, Romane Bohringer and Jean-Claude Brialy. Directed by Marline Dugowson. Written by Martine Dugowson and Peter Chase. Produced by Georges Benayoun. No stateside distributor set. Drama. Frenchlanguage; English subtitles. Not yet rated. Running time: 138 min. A group of artistically inclined French friends fall in love and out of love in traditional romantic manner in "Portraits Chinois" ("Shadow Play"), but everything old here feels new again. Set in Paris (of course), "Portraits Chinois" is as intricately developed and lovingly crafted as the photos to which its title refers. It begins with a couple, English fashion designer Ada (Helena Bonham Carter) and screenwriter Paul (Jean Philippe Ecoffey) moving into a new home. They've been together for a while, but they're not really happy or communicating their dissatisfaction to each other. Guido (Sergio Castellito), Paul's writing partner, is having severe relationship problems but can only mope around Ada and Paul's kitchen. Enter Lise ("Mina Tannenbaum's" Romane Bohringer), an up-andcoming fashion designer who finds herself in the middle of Ada and Paul's marriage. "Portraits Chinois" sounds like a glib Woody Allen film, but it cuts much deeper. Director/co-writer Martine Dugowson (also "Mina Tannenbaum") follows these four and their friends as they laugh, bicker and lie to each other—in short, as they live their lives of not-so-quiet desperation. She even allows the audience to hear her characters' thoughts, an effective device in that it allows the filmmaker to contradict the words that are coming from their mouths. Her whole cast is excellent, but standouts are Bonham Carter (who, impressively, learned to speak fluent French for her role) as the somewhat cold Ada, and Castellito as the hilariously hapless Guido. Jean-Claude Brialy as Sandre, Ada's domineering fashion mentor, is also fine. With a sublime soundtrack (including the ubiquitous Leonard Cohen tune), "Portraits Chinois" contrasts romantic musical stereotypes with the less-than-flattering reality of people's ordinary love lives. But the movie allows for a smart and happy ending that nicely twists the fiction/reality conundrum of the cinema. Happiest of all should be those movie buffs who venture out to see this unheralded gem. Shlomo Schwartzberg SWANN • Starring Miranda Richardson, Brenda Fricker and Michael Ontkean. Directed by Anna Benson Gyles. Written by David Young. Produced by Ann Scottand Christina Jennings. No stateside distributor set. Mystery. Not yet rated. Running time: 96 min. This tepid and innocuous story about a best-selling writer, Sarah Maloney ("Kansas City's Miranda Richard.son), who's
— — — — — — FESTIVAL REVIEWS trying to pen a biography of Mary Swann, a murdered farm wife and obscure Canadian poet, has all the ingredients needed to be a clever little mystery. Unfortunately, the only real mystery is why anyone wanted to make "Swann" in the first place. The drama, based on a novel by Carol Shields, should spring to life when Sarah comes to Canada to research her book and meets the last woman to see Mary Swann alive—the local librarian, Rose ("A Time to Kill's" Brenda Fricker). Rose distrusts Sarah's celebrity status, wishing to do her own modest tribute to the rural scribe. Yet nothing comic, or remotely dramatic, is done to develop and explore their competing purposes. It even remains unclear why Swann maintains such a haunting presence in their lives. Instead, contrived circumstances involving a jealous boyfriend (David Cubitt) and a potential romance for Sarah with the dimply Stephen (Michael Ontkean) clutter the film just so Sarah and Rose can reconcile, and Sarah can finally find herself. Richardson gives the kind of pinched performance to which she's proved prone in dramas like "Dance With a Stranger" and "Damage" (as opposed to the expansiveness she displayed in the lighter "Enchanted April" and "The Evening Star"). Fricker, who usually displays a noble integrity, comes across here as merely earnest. Also, lacking dramatic tension to cover such faults, "Swann" allows audiences to see lapses of logic in its story. For example, when Sarah's house is broken into and her book materials are stolen, she doesn't call the police or set out on the culprit's trail; she decides she'd rather have intercourse with Stephen. And how many writers would find the theft of their work the perfect aphrodisiac? Kevin Courrier GONE, GONE, FOREVER GONE ^^ Starring Phuong Dung, Le Tuan Anh and Hoang Phuc. Directed by Ho Quang Minh. Written by Nguy Ngu and Ho Quang Minh. Produced by Tran Thanh Hung. No stateside distributor set. Drama. Vietnamese-language; English subtitles. Not yet rated. Running time: 85 min. Vietnamese history is given the full treatment in this epic tale spanning the country's last 50 years, including its disastrous split before Viemam was reunified. Two brothers whose lives were torn asunder by the war one went to the North, one to the South come together afterward through the good offices of their sister, a Buddhist nun. "Gone, Gone, Forever Gone" is a beautifully shot movie, with much emphasis on the changes of the seasons and Vietnam's natural beauty, but the film doesn't have much impact. Whether it's because of a low budget or director/co-scripter Ho Quang Minh's deficiencies as a filmmaker, the delineation of different time periods in the story is never very clear. Nor are the film's many flashbacks deftly inserted into the structure. What characterizations there are in "Gone, Gone, Forever Gone" are perfunctory at best. Reverence for history is fine, but this dry movie needs more flesh and blood. Shlomo Schwartzberg STRANGLED LIVES •• Starring Vincent Linden, Sabrina Ferilli and Luca Zingaretti. Directed by Ricky Tognazzi. Written by Simona Izzo, Graziana Diana and Guiseppe Manfridi. Produced by Vittorio Cecchi Gori and Rita Cecchi Gori. No stateside distributor set. Thriller. Italian-language; English subtitles. Not yet rated. Running time: 108 min. "Strangled Lives" is a thriller that aims to equal the work of the great Francesco Rosi ("The Mattel Affair," "Illustrious Corpses"), but it's a slick, empty work. The film concerns Francesco (Vincent Linden), an architect running his late father-in-law's construction firm who's besieged by financial and personnel problems at work. De- THRILL RIDE—THE SCIENCE OF FUN •^ Narrated by Harry Shearer. Directed by Ben Stassen. Produced by Charlotte Muggins. A Sony Classics release. Documentary. Rated G, Running time: 38 min. Format: IMAX. Openina with a bang, "Thrill Ride—The Science or Fun" takes viewers on an animated, hair-raising ride through a dark, falling-down mineshaft using computergenerated imagery to bring to life the hard turns and tummy-pitching sensations of a real roller coaster. Despite this colorful and highly imaginative Intro, the rest of this New Wave International production fails to provide the same momentum. The film opens by documenting the history of roller coasters from their origin in Paris In 1 804 to the peak of the rides' fame at the turn of the century to today's daredevil amusement park diversions. By mounting cameras on both the front and back of a coaster, director Ben Stassen allows viewers to vicariously experience the same sensations as those aboard, queasy stomachs and all. But the real focuses of Stassen, a CGI expert, are the history of ride simulators, starting with their development by NASA and the military, and the ways computer-generated imagery Is used to create special effects In film. To demonstrate, "Thrill Ride" uses footage from popular ride films "Secrets of the Lost Temple, ' "The Devil's Mine Ride" and "Asteroid Adventure." Although the overall affect of these simulated rides Is pretty close to the experience of the "real thing," the thrill of a CGI ride still can't compare to plunging down a roller coaster's steep wooden track, wind in your face, and nearing the clacking of the rails and the sighs of straining wood beneath you. Given the film's concerted attentions to the technical aspects of today's "virtual reality" rides ancf ride films, "thrill Ride" doesn't quite earn the E-ticke^f_stgtiisJt promises. spite the doubts of his loving wife, Miriam (Sabrina Ferilli), he is cajoled by an old acquaintance, Sergio (Luca Zingaretfi), into involving him in the family business, a decision that becomes potenfially fatal when Sergio's evil nature is revealed. Director Ricky Tognazzi and his scripting trio might have serious concerns about the corrupfion infecting virtually every aspect of Italian life, but "Strangled Lives'" melodramatic approach to its subject doesn't make for gripping drama. And a subplot involving Sergio's designs on Miriam borders on the exploitative. In the end, the film seems well made but strangles itself, leaving no lasting traces. It's the perfect murder. SPECIAL FORMATS Pat Kramer Shlomo Schwartzberg ALASKA: SPIRIT OF THE WILD •••1/2 Narrated by Charlton Heston. Directed by George Casey. Written by George Casey and Mose Richards. Produced by George Casey and Paul Novros. Narrated by Charlton Heston. A Graphic Films Corp. release. Documentary. Un^ rated. Running time: 40 min. Format: IMAK. ? "Alaska: Spirit of the Wild" is the latest IMAX film by the celebrated team of George Casey, a three-time Oscar-nominatecT director ("Africa: The Serengeti," "Ring of Fire") and Paul Novros, who m Casey on pays homage to shares production credits with the former and several other critically acclaimed IMAX-format films ("The Great Barrier Reef," "Planet Ocean"). Like their many other colorful. In-depth films, "Alaska" provides a wealth of intriguing footage celebrating and unveiling the mystique surrounding the rugged territory. At the same time, It Alaska's native inhabitants and the scores of settlers who lost their lives trying to tame this wild land where extreme weather conditions, glaciers and Impassable mountain ranges dominate the landscape. "Alaska" is a beautiful movie. In one scene, a herd of stampeding caribou fly over the camera in a snot for which director of photography Rodney Taylor literally risked his life. Other scenes diepict closeup footage of great walls of ice, a hundred or more feet in height, splintering away from a massive motnerlode and violently exploding into the ocean. In yet others, the camera travels over woodlands and rivers, perilously close to the sides of approaching mountains. Best of all, though, are the closeups of Alaska's most numerous residents—its wildlife—with captivating shots of polar bear, black bear, sea lions, wolves, moose, caribou and (just offshore) humpback whales. The film — provides the excitement "Thrill Ride- "^he Scishould have. Pat Kramer
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REVEALED! THE 1998 BUYERS DIRECTORY
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SEPTEMBER, 1997 VOL. 133 NO. 9 ABOU
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Response No. 473 "ûr projected inc
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mStereo System for about $12,000?
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Response No. 103 C? 4„.»K lOOT 1
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