Movies
Snake Eyes
(Paramount Pictures). Despite great filmmaking,
including a virtuosic single-shot opening scene, Brian De Palma's latest
thriller is pronounced a failure. The problem: a disappointing ending. It's
"the worst kind of bad film: the kind that gets you all worked up and then lets
you down," declares the Chicago Sun-Times ' Roger Ebert. The New
Yorker 's Daphne Merkin says the film "underrates our intelligence."
Entertainment Weekly 's Owen Gleiberman wonders, "[H]as Brian DePalma
finally lost his mind?" The Wall Street Journal 's Joe Morgenstern is
alone in finding the ending plausible--he claims "it all makes perfect sense,
at least eventually." Raves, however, for Nicolas Cage's performance as the
sleazy, brown polyester clad Rick Santoro, a crooked local cop: Jay Carr of the
Boston Globe glows, "[Cage] suggests an oven-fresh, cheese-filled,
glazed meatloaf." (
Slate
's David Edelstein is more pro-De Palma
than most. Read his review.)
Halloween: H20
(Miramax Film Corp.). Twenty years after starring
in the original horror classic Halloween , Jamie Lee Curtis is back in
her original role as scream queen Laurie Strode (now an alcoholic
headmistress), facing off with the knife-wielding maniac Michael Myers. Critics
call this version more polished than the low budget original and better than
the other six sequels but say nonetheless that it is predictable, devoid of
scare power, and overly fond of the current horror movie trend of "smirky pomo
self-consciousness" (Dennis Lim, the Village Voice ). (Visit the official site.)
How
Stella Got Her Groove Back
(20 th Century Fox). Hype is
underway for the second film adaptation of a best-selling Terry McMillan novel,
after the unexpected success of the 1995 Waiting to Exhale . The story: A
40-year-old, workaholic stockbroker and single mom, Stella (Angela Bassett),
goes with her best friend Regina (Whoopi Goldberg) on a vacation to Jamaica,
where she falls in love with a man 20 years her junior. "[W]omen [should]
giggle with vengeful glee," says Newsweek 's Allison Samuels; the "big
dose of sister-girl humor" is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Critics pant at the
steamy, tearful sex scenes between Stella and young Winston (Taye Diggs),
although Time 's Richard Corliss dissents, calling it "soft-pore
cornography."
Book
Rainbow Six
,by Tom Clancy (Putnam). The father of the
technothriller delivers the goods, with 752 pages of thrill-a-minute action
scenes, incredibly detailed descriptions of cutting edge military technology,
and enough acronyms to set your head spinning. This isn't great literature but,
reviewers say, within the genre, Clancy remains the master. Despite the usual
carps about his "tortured" prose (Dana Kennedy, Entertainment Weekly )
and cardboard cutout characters, most critics admit the novel is "a ripping
read" ( Publishers Weekly ). (Read an excerpt of Rainbow Six .)
Television
Jerry Seinfeld: I'm Telling You for the Last Time--Live on
Broadway
(HBO). The second over-hyped Jerry Seinfeld finale of the year
(this time of his international tour and 10-show run at the Broadhurst
Theatre). Critics point out it's a rehash of his best trademark observations
about everyday life, but audiences give him standing ovations. Praise goes to
his pitch-perfect delivery, timing, and confidence. Pans go to the routine,
which lacks the requisite "free-associative lunatic spirit" (Jan Stuart, the
Chicago Sun-Times ). The Washington Post 's Tom Shales calls
Seinfeld "stiff" and the material "painfully familiar." (Visit HBO's home page).
The
Upright Citizens Brigade (Comedy Central; Wednesdays, 10:30 p.m. ET/PT). A
Manhattan-based sketch comedy and improvisation group rides a wave of critical
approbation to the choice post- South Park spot on Comedy Central. The
foursome's live shows, most recently Saigon Suicide Squad and Bucket
of Truth , win applause for their originality, cleverness, and flair for the
anarchic. Neil Strauss of the New York Times calls them "hilarious,
surreal, and completely off-kilter." (Check out
the group's page at Comedy Central).
Recent
"Summary Judgment" columns
Aug.
5:
Art --"The Art of the
Motorcycle";
Television -- Lolita (Showtime);
Television -- Maximum
Bob (ABC);
Movies -- Ever After:
A Cinderella Story ;
Movies -- The
Negotiator ;
Book -- Burn
Rate , by Michael Wolff;
Death --Jerome Robins.
July
29:
Book-- The Modern
Library's 100 Best English-Language Novels Since 1900;
Book--
Point of
Origin , by Patricia Cornwell;
Movie--
Disturbing
Behavior ;
Movie--
Pi ;
Movie--
The Thief .
July
22:
Movie -- The Mask of
Zorro ;
Movie -- Saving
Private Ryan ;
Movie -- There's
Something About Mary ;
Music -- Hello
Nasty , by the Beastie Boys;
Book -- Lucky
Bastard , by Charles McCarry;
Theater -- Twelfth
Night ;
Television -- Drudge (Fox).
July
15
Tina! --The Tina Brown
Years;
Art --"Unknown Terrain:
The Landscapes of Andrew Wyeth";
Movie -- Small
Soldiers ;
Movie -- Lethal
Weapon 4 ;
Movie -- Buffalo
66 ;
Music -- Embrya ,
by Maxwell;
Music -- Car Wheels on a Gravel Road , by Lucinda Williams.
--Eliza
Truitt
