Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 25, 1990 TAG: 9004250111
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Mike Mayo
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
In fact, it's the kind of picture that might not have been made a few years ago, before the home video market changed the economics of the film industry.
Writer/director Stephen Soderbergh's debut is impressive. It won the top prize at the Cannes film festival, earned several Academy Award nominations and was a surprise box-office hit. Not bad for a low-budget film that was made on location with a relatively unknown cast.
"sex, lies and videotape" is the story of four people in Baton Rouge. Ann (Andie MacDowell) is a repressed, troubled young woman. Her husband, John (Peter Gallagher), is an aggressive lawyer who's having an affair with Ann's flashy sister, Cynthia (Laura San Giacomo). Graham (James Spader) is John's old college roommate who comes to visit and changes their lives.
Graham tells Ann that he is impotent. He is so disillusioned or disengaged that he can relate to women only through the videotapes he makes.
The tapes are not what you might expect. They are interviews in which he asks various women intimate questions, the kinds of questions they would likely normally hear from a doctor or psychiatrist.
Such an interview is immediately attractive to the sexually volatile Cynthia. Ann likes the dispassionate distance of Graham's tapes, while being repelled by his frankness. When thick-headed John realizes what's going on, conflict is inevitable.
The best part of all this is the way Soderbergh tells the story so simply. He uses long, uncluttered scenes focused almost exclusively on the characters. The only cinematic tricks come in the editing, where Soderbergh moves between tape time and "real" time.
The juxtaposition of those levels of reality is even more effective on home video than it was in the theater. Beyond the immediacy of the device, it's a good way to inject suspense into a deliberately paced plot that contains relatively little action.
This is fascinating stuff, genuinely adult material - kids just won't get it. And it's strongly sexual, though it contains almost no nudity or overt sexual activity. The film operates on such a personal level that it's easy to become involved with these characters.
To my taste, "sex, lies and videotape" is slightly flawed. Three of the characters, particularly the two women, are unusually well drawn. But Graham, the central figure, is elliptical and vague. He hints that something has hurt him deeply, but it's never made specific.
Beyond that, there's little substance to Graham. He's romantic, soulful, wounded, handsome, almost feminine in a way, and passive. Soderbergh has said in interviews that there is a strong autobiographical element to the story, and so perhaps he is reluctant to reveal too much of himself in the character.
Whatever the reason, there is an emptiness at the film's center. It is intentional, I suspect. Soderbergh doesn't mean to provide neat, tidy conclusions or complete answers to the questions he raises. That's not his point. He is more interested in removing the masks that these characters wear, that all of us wear. The inherent intimacy of home video makes it a perfect medium for his complex story.
If you saw "sex, lies and videotape" in its theatrical run, it's worth another look now. If you missed it before, it's a must-see on cassette.
New releases this week
`Erik the Viking' Starring Tim Robbins, Mickey Rooney, Ertha Kitt, Imogen Stubbs. Directed by Terry Jones (Orion). 103 min. Rated PG-13 for violence. This overly ambitious film attempts to be a swashbuckling adventure, a mythic fantasy, a Swiftian religious satire, a Pythonesque comedy and a movie with a message. Not surprisingly, the result is a very mixed bag that's maybe one-third successful. Robbins is miscast in the title role, a timid Norseman who must lead his men to the far land of Hy-Brasil.
The action scenes are underpowered; the special effects appear to have been limited by a low budget. The big finish is the best part of the film, even if it does contain a couple of blatant rip-offs from "The Wizard of Oz." Fans who are looking for another "Time Bandits" or "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" will be disappointed.
`Let It Ride' Starring Richard Dreyfuss. Directed by Joe Pytka (Touchstone). 90 minutes. Rated PG-13 for language.
A bad bet. Dreyfuss stars as a horse-racing addict who, beforegiving up gambling, begs God for one big win and has his prayers answered. While the movie tries to be an updated, non-musical "Guys and Dolls," it's so witless that its seedy racetrack characters emerge only as dim, inarticulate cartoons. - The New York Times
Sea of Love: Starring Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin and John Goodman. Directed by Harold Becker (MCA). 118 min. Rated R for nudity, strong sexual content, language and violence.
A sizzling love story and a suspenseful police procedural with good performances, a savvy script and sharp direction. Pacino plays detective Frank Keller, an emotionally battered cop, smarting from a marriage break-up, an increasing awareness of his mortality and alcoholism. His latest case is the murder of a philanderer shot to death in bed. Keller meets another cop (Goodman) who has a similar case and the two decide to set up sort of a sting operation using the personal ads.
One of those who responds is the sexy Helen (Barkin). As the movie unfolds, Helen turns out to be a prime suspect but Frank can't resist the chemistry that's starting to percolate between the two. The suspense is sustained and there's a lot of flavor and street smarts. That someone as smart and quirkily beautiful as Barkin would have to resort to ads for a date is the only unbelievable aspect of this suspenseful and highly entertaining movie. - Chris Gladden
Black Rain: 1/2 Starring Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia, Ken Takakura. Directed by Ridley Scott. Paramount. 127 minutes. Rated R for language and violence. A hard-boiled cop thriller constructed from a lot of familiar elements, but such an accomplished production that viewers hankering for a full-throttle action movie will hardly care. Douglas plays Nick Conklin, one of those two-fisted, world-weary, lonely-guy New York cops oppressed by alimony payments and by-the-book bureaucrats.
Nick and his partner Charlie (Andy Garcia) become involved in a shooting spree involving the Japanese Mafia and are assigned to escort one of the killers back to Japan. Before the Americans have time to flash their passports, the killer escapes and the humiliated duo wants the case despite their lack of jurisdiction. The Japanese don't want them around and the movie plays heavily on the clash of two very different cultures. Scott's version of the currently popular buddy-cop movie is intensely violent, entertaining and visually intense escapism. - Chris Gladden What the ratings mean:
Wonderful; one of the best of its kind. See it right away.
Very good; definitely worth renting.
Average. You've seen better; you've seen worse.
Poor. Make sure the fast-forward button on your VCR is in good working order.
\ Dud An insult to intelligence and taste. This category is as much a warning as a rating.
by CNB