Movies
8MM
(Columbia Pictures). Nicolas Cage plays a
straight-arrow private eye who enters the seamy world of hard-core porn in
pursuit of information about a girl in a snuff film. Critics' reactions are all
over the map. Roger Ebert gives the film three stars and says "it deals with
the materials of violent exploitation films, but in a non-pornographic way; it
would rather horrify than thrill ... it is a real film. Not a slick
exploitation film with all the trappings of depravity but none of the
consequences" (the Chicago Sun-Times ). Several critics take the exact
opposite stance: The Los Angeles Times ' Kenneth Turan calls it "an
unapologetically sleazy ordeal that delights in twisting the knife, a tawdry
piece of work whose only raison d'être is making the skin crawl in the name of
box office profit." Most reactions to the film are negative, but each critic
cites a different flaw. Odd man out: Stephen Hunter of the Washington
Post , so unfazed by the subject matter as to call the film "insipid" and
"mild." ( David Edelstein's review in
Slate
.)
200
Cigarettes
(Paramount Pictures). Critics call this piece of early '80s
nostalgia a "dismally unfunny farce" (Todd McCarthy, Daily Variety ).
There are plenty of interesting stars (Christina Ricci, Courtney Love, Ben
Affleck, Janeane Garofalo), but the script, which follows a gaggle of young
folks on their way to a New Year's Eve bash in Manhattan's East Village, is
said to be unsalvageable. The film's only high note is a soundtrack with some
49 songs that evoke the era better than any of the actors do. (Check out the outfits on
the official site.)
The
Other
Sister
(Buena Vista
Pictures). Sugarcoated and manipulative is how critics describe this Garry
Marshall film about two mentally handicapped young adults (Giovanni Ribisi and
Juliette Lewis) who fall in love. Ebert lays into the film, saying it's
"shameless in its use of mental retardation as a gimmick, a prop, and a plot
device. Anyone with any knowledge of retardation is likely to find this film
offensive" ( the Chicago Sun-Times ). Those who condemn the film say its
real message is "[m]entally challenged people in love say the darnedest
things!" (Desson Howe, the Washington Post ). However, quite a few
softies like it: "Lewis and Ribisi eventually win you over" (Turan, the Los
Angeles Times ); "by the storybook conclusion I was cheering them on,
against all critical instinct" (Rod Dreher, the New York Post ). Stephen
Holden of the New York Times opens his review with what sounds like a
joke ("A beautifully acted love story") but isn't; he's the film's biggest fan.
(Check
out this site devoted to Ribisi.)
Books
The Houdini
Girl
, by Martyn Bedford (Pantheon). Bedford's sophomore novel,
after the acclaimed Acts of Revision , is called a gripping but flawed
work. The story follows a young magician uncovering the details of his
girlfriend's recent death and unpeeling the layers of deception that she had
wrapped herself in. The thriller side of the book is well crafted, and the
dialogue, pacing, and plotting keep reviewers engaged: "Bedford is the genuine
article, a writer of unmistakable flair and accomplishment" (Carey Harrison,
the New York Times Book Review ), but many reviewers say he does not show
the same skill level in revealing his characters' emotional lives. (Read the first chapter, courtesy of the New York Times
[requires free registration].)
Perfect Murder,
Perfect Town
, by Lawrence Schiller (HarperCollins). Jumbled, messy, and
"frustrating to read" (Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, the New York Times ) is
how most reviewers describe this rushed-to-press book about the JonBenet Ramsey
murder. Not only does the book repeat and contradict itself, but the author
doesn't even try to offer an answer to the most essential question of all:
whodunit? Some reviewers speculate that the shoddiness is a result of the book
being published before it was ready, in order to fill the post-Monica vacuum.
(Read this excerpt that ran in Newsweek .)
Theater
Not About
Nightingales
(Circle in the Square Theatre, New York City). This
recently discovered early Tennessee Williams play has been stunningly
staged--critics praise the acting, direction, and costumes--but they debate
whether the work itself is amateurish or fully formed. The New York
Times ' Ben Brantley concedes that "there are definitely moments to wince
over" and that it is "the work of a man still unsure of his voice" but still
sees enough flashes of brilliance to make the performance worthwhile. Daily
Variety 's Charles Isherwood agrees, saying the play "is manifestly not a
piece of juvenilia." Some critics are less generous and note a heavy reliance
on melodrama and film noir tropes; the Daily News ' Fintan O'Toole writes
that the play is no "lost masterpiece." (Find out more
about the show at sidewalk.com.)
Recent "Summary Judgment" columns
Movie--
October Sky ;
Movie --Jawbreaker ;
Movie -- Office Space ;
Music--
The Hot Rock , by Sleater-Kinney;
Book--
Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith ,
by Anne Lamott;
Book -- The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and
the Quest for the Ultimate Theory , by Brian R. Greene.
Movie--
Blast From the Past ;
Movie
--Message in a Bottle ;
Movie
--My Favorite Martian ;
Book--
The Testament , by John Grisham;
Book
--South of the Border, West of the Sun ,by Haruki
Murakami;
Theater--
Death of a Salesman (Eugene O'Neill
Theatre, New York City).
:
Movie -- Payback ;
Movie
--Simply Irresistible ;
Movie
--Rushmore ;
Movie
--Dry Cleaning ;
Book -- Werewolves in Their Youth , by Michael
Chabon;
Theater -- You're a Good Man,
Charlie Brown .
Movie--
She's All That ;
Movie
--The 24 Hour Woman ;
Movie -- Still Crazy ;
Movie -- My Name Is Joe ;
Book--
What Our Mothers Didn't Tell Us: Why Happiness
Eludes the Modern Woman , by Danielle Crittenden;
Book
--Amy and Isabelle , by Elizabeth Strout;
Book -- Heavy Water , by
Martin Amis.
