Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 26, 1994 TAG: 9411290028
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
In almost all respects, "Improper Conduct" is unapologetic exploitation, just another leering bit of low-budget soft-core video. But - surprise, surprise - it's also a remarkably accurate portrayal of sexual harassment in the workplace. That side of director Jag Mundhra's story takes a sharp look at the complex sexual politics that are played out in an office and the ways in which a male power structure has stacked the deck in its favor.
The film is set in an L.A. ad agency where the boss (Stuart Whitman) has just brought in his son-in-law (John Laughlin) from New York to take over the business. Ashley (Tahnee Welch) is a young woman who has a problem with booze and makes bad decisions when she's drunk. Her reputation makes her an obvious mark for her predatory new supervisor. After he attacks her, she takes him to court.
The rest of the film is more or less standard retribution, implausibly meted out by Lee Ann Beaman, as a vengeful sister, aided by lawyer Steven Bauer and investigator Nia Peeples. The acting is uneven, though Laughlin is a good villain, and soap veteran Patsy Pease has a strong supporting role.
It's a shame that the film changes course so radically in midstream. The first half is often effective, particularly when it focuses on the inner workings of a small office. Mundhra is a seasoned veteran of video originals. He knows how to keep a plot moving and, when he's not catering to his audience's baser instincts, he can create believable characters in realistic situations.
And he's got a lot more to say about this controversial subject than David Mamet does in "Oleanna," the gassy new film version of his highly touted play. Mundhra may not come up with any answers to the questions he raises, but at least he frames them honestly, and that's a beginning.
"Bix" is a video biography of cornetist Bix Beiderbecke. For those who are only vaguely familiar with the man and his reputation, the film may work best as an overview of the early days of jazz. Though Beiderbecke's life was short and sad, it did not involve much conflict and, on its own, isn't really that interesting.
Leon Bix Beiderbecke was born into a prosperous Midwestern family in 1903. He was a genuine musical prodigy who followed his natural inclinations to jazz, the most dynamic popular music of his day. Though his parents disapproved, he found work in a number of bands. Too many late nights and too much booze killed him in 1931.
Writer-producer-editor-director Brigitte Berman tells Beiderbecke's story through interviews with musicians, including Hoagy Carmichael, who played with him. Without exception, they comment on his incredible ability to concentrate on stage. Berman uses still photographs of her subject, period film footage and the paintings of Edward Hopper to re-create Beiderbecke's world. Of course, there's also the music - a lot of it - and that's the point.
In the end, there's simply not enough to Beiderbecke's life to recommend the film without reservations, but anyone who's interested in jazz should give "Bix" a look.
"Anne Rice: Birth of the Vampire" may be more limited in its scope, but it's much more compelling. This co-production of the BBC and the Lifetime cable channel is hoping to cash in on the success of the film version of Rice's "Interview With the Vampire." The author's career is every bit as interesting as her fiction.
The film gets off to an unsteady start when it sketches in Rice's New Orleans background. A credulous parapsychologist and other mystics really don't have much to say, but they don't hang around too long. Once producer-director Anand Tucker focuses on the subject, it all falls into place. Though she writes about the supernatural, Anne Rice's fiction contains a strong element of emotional autobiography. Her reaction to the death of a daughter explains some of the pain and poetry in her work.
In the best part of the film, Tucker combines well-chosen voice-over quotes from "Interview" along with the expected "up close and personal" glimpses at Rice's home life. For the author's most passionate fans, all this may be old news, but it still makes for an interesting story.
Next week: Science fiction!
New release
Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas ***
Directed by Henry Selick. 75 min. Buena Vista Home Video. Rated PG for subject matter.
This ambitious feature-length work of stop-motion animation will appeal to some audiences but will put off others because it is so stylized. The story concerns Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, who becomes so entranced by the idea of Christmas that he kidnaps Santa Claus. The combination of dark and light holidays makes for an unusual film. Add in Burton's strong sense of whimsy and Danny Elfman's songs (ranging from so-so to excellent), and you've got something distinctly different and interesting in the very best sense of both words.
The Essentials
Improper Conduct ** 1/2
Monarch Home Video. 85 min. Unrated and R-rated for subject matter, sexual content, brief nudity, strong language, some violence.
Bix ** 1/2
Playboy Home Video 116 min. Unrated, contains no objectionable material.
Anne Rice: Birth of the Vampire ***
CBSFox. 45 min. Unrated, contains no conventionally objectionable material.
by CNB