Movies
The
Man in the Iron Mask
(MGM-UA Films). This adaptation of Alexandre
Dumas' 1846 swashbuckler "transforms its august stars [Leonardo DiCaprio,
Jeremy Irons, Gabriel Byrne, Gérard Depardieu, and John Malkovich] into
something akin to a manic dinner-theater troupe" (
Slate
's
David
Edelstein). The biggest problem: corny dialogue that attempts to replicate
17 th century vernacular. But teen idol DiCaprio, who plays both an
evil king and his good twin, emerges relatively unscathed. He is better "than
more conventional macho stars," despite "look[ing] barely old enough to be
playing anyone with hormones" (Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly ).
His sex appeal--also salivated over in two best-selling biographies--is
expected to garner huge box-office returns. (Click here for the official
site.)
Love and Death on Long Island
(Cinepix Film Properties). Critics
are surprised to find themselves raving over a film featuring Beverly Hills
90210 heartthrob Jason Priestley. (He plays a B-movie star with whom a
fusty English novelist is obsessed.) Plaudits go to rookie British director
Richard Kwietniowski for deploying "exactly calibrated bursts of dry wit"
(Kenneth Turan, the Los Angeles Times ). But the highest praise goes to
character actor John Hurt's wry depiction of the writer. Critics deem Hurt a
much underrated talent and say his performance evokes the protagonist of Thomas
Mann's 1912 Death in Venice . "A creep, but a true hero" (David Denby,
New York ). (Edelstein reviews the film in
Slate
.)
Men
With Guns
(Sony Pictures Classics). Respectful criticism greets Lone
Star director John Sayles' film about the massacre of villagers in Central
America. As always, critics applaud Sayles' heartfelt liberalism and choice of
offbeat subjects, which make him the "most restlessly independent independent
filmmaker" (Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly ). But most critics
say he "doesn't have a filmmaker's instinct" (Amy Taubin, the Village
Voice ). Except in Lone Star , they say, Sayles' dialogue is stilted
and his cinematography drab. (Stills and clips are available here.)
Television
Lateline
(NBC; Tuesdays, 9:30 p.m. ET/PT). Mixed reviews for this
sitcom satire of a TV newsroom, which stars Saturday Night Live alum Al
Franken. Some deem it the "funniest new series of the 1997-98 season"
( People ). They like its topical humor and cameos by such politicos as
Richard Gephardt and Robert Reich. Others say its humor is tame compared with
the reality of l'affaire Lewinsky . "While news is getting more
entertaining, entertainment is becoming more toothless than ever" (Caryn James,
the New York Times ). (NBC plugs the show here.)
Significant Others
(Fox; Wednesdays, 9 p.m. ET/PT). Fox continues
its campaign to corner the Gen X market, with yet another one-hour drama about
twentysomethings. Created by the makers of the popular Party of Five ,
Significant Others details the travails of a soft-core porn writer and
his two best friends. Some praise the show for its self-parodic dialogue and
realistic characters who are "as annoying and self-absorbed--as people of your
own acquaintance" (Barbara Phillips, the Wall Street Journal ). Others
say they have no interest in watching "spineless, whiny, indecisive nitwits"
(Tom Shales, the Washington Post ).
Pop
Pilgrim
, by Eric Clapton (Reprise). The '70s megastar's first
album of new songs in nine years is deemed melancholic and sluggish, "like it
has been injected with a tranquilizer" (David Browne, Entertainment
Weekly ). Critics lament that his guitar playing includes none of his
signature virtuoso licks. And they chalk up his morose lyrics to his 4-year-old
son's 1991 death. Dissenting, Rolling Stone 's David Wild forgives the
album's faults: It "captures the sound of a man trying to tame hell-hounds from
within."
Books
Spin
Cycle: Inside the Clinton Propaganda Machine
, by Howard Kurtz (The Free
Press). The Washington Post 's media critic milks the Monica moment,
rushing his insider account of White House spinmeisters to press months ahead
of schedule. Critics revel in his fresh dish (Clinton turns apoplectic over the
slightest unfavorable mention; Hillary hates Press Secretary Mike McCurry;
McCurry pits reporters against one another). "The best book in many years on
Washington media," says the Weekly Standard 's Andrew Ferguson.
Dissenting in the Wall Street Journal , Russ Smith says the current
hubbub upstages Kurtz's best material, rendering it moldy and boring. His book
"will only be read by C-SPAN junkies." (
Slate
's Jacob
Weisberg explains why the media want Clinton to fall.)
The
Children
, by David Halberstam (Random House). The Pulitzer
Prize-winning crack journalist revisits one of his first assignments--the early
'60s Nashville civil rights movement. (He traces the lives of eight student
leaders, including Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry and Georgia Rep. John
Lewis.) His depiction of harrowing sit-ins "captures the courage and nobility
of those small-scale protests that would transform America" (Tamar Jacoby, the
Wall Street Journal ). Others say the 783-page book could have stood a
heavy edit.
Update
More
Primary Colors buzz: Newsweek 's David Ansen calls it "the
most vital Hollywood movie of the new year." The New Yorker 's Hendrik
Hertzberg calls it "the smartest movie ever made about American politics."
Recent
"Summary Judgment" columns
March
11:
Movie -- The Big
Lebowski ;
Movie -- Primary
Colors hype;
Movie -- Twilight ;
Movie -- U.S.
Marshals ;
Theater -- The Beauty
Queen of Leenane ;
Book -- One Nation,
After All , by Alan Wolfe;
Book -- A History of the American People , by Paul Johnson.
March
4:
Movie -- An Alan
Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn ;
Movie -- Krippendorf's Tribe ;
Movie -- Lolita ;
Music -- Ray of
Light , by Madonna;
Book -- The
Smithsonian Institution , by Gore Vidal;
Theater -- Art ;
Art --"Chuck Close" (Museum of Modern Art).
Feb.
25:
Television -- The
American Experience: Reagan (PBS);
Television -- The
Wedding (ABC);
Television -- The
Closer (CBS);
Movie -- Palmetto ;
Book -- Cloudsplitter , by Russell Banks;
Art --"Fernand Léger"
(Museum of Modern Art);
Theater -- Freak .
Feb.
18:
Movie -- Sphere ;
Movie -- Mrs.
Dalloway ;
Movie -- The Wedding
Singer ;
Book -- The Street
Lawyer , by John Grisham;
Book -- Riven
Rock , by T. Coraghessan Boyle;
Television --18 th Winter Olympics (CBS);
Theater -- The Vagina Monologues .
--Franklin Foer
