Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 1, 1995 TAG: 9504030029
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The problem, as I see it, lies with the big studios' marketing departments. They have become increasingly sophisticated with their polling operations. By surveying test audiences, they can predict with a fair degree of accuracy how profitable a feature film will be; how well or poorly it will stack up to the competition.
Since there are a limited number of theater screens available, studio executives are forced to make decisions based on the bottom line. If, for example, 32.4 percent of the preview audiences give "Blood Bucket, Pt.. 4'' a highly favorable rating, then it's going to get the theatrical slot that a more thoughtful and serious film really deserves.That, I suspect, is why "Radio Inside" recently arrived at your local video store and not at the multiplex.
It's a first-rate love story, far from perfect but well worth a look.
Our hero and narrator is Matthew (William McNamara), a young man from Indiana who moves to Miami Beach to live with his older brother Michael (Dylan Walsh) after their father dies. Though the two are alike in some ways, their differences are pronounced.
Michael is a hard-working ad man who views life as a competition. Matthew just completed a graduate thesis on "Crime and Punishment" and is still grieving for his father. Michael is an unapologetic secularist. Matthew has personal conversations with Jesus (Ara Madzounian). Michael has a bright, beautiful girlfriend, Natalie (Elizabeth Shue). Matthew is falling in love with her.
First-time writer/director Jeffrey Bell makes enough mistakes to ruin a lot of films. A subplot involving a black kid, T.J. (Pee Wee Love), is handled awkwardly. Some of the nostalgic flashbacks verge on the mawkish, and in key scenes, Bell seems at a loss as to where the camera should be. At the same time though, a good heart and honest emotion make up for a lot of technical flaws.
Most importantly, these are three believable characters. They have depth and their conflicts are treated realistically. Beyond that, Bell is one of the few filmmakers in recent years to treat religious belief and spirituality seriously, and to view them as important parts of the protagonist's life. The unusual way that he presents it on film may offend some viewers, but that's not his intention. Bell is trying to give Matthew a moral dimension and to present it without preaching.
He succeeds. Despite its shortcomings, "Radio Inside" is well worth your time, and I'm looking forward to whatever Bell does next. This is a promising start.
Percy Adlon, on the other hand, is a veteran with a well-established reputation as a filmmaker whose work crosses national and cultural borders. His newest, "Younger and Younger" is more identifiably "American" than "Bagdad Cafe" or even "Rosalie Goes Shopping." Perhaps because of that, it's not quite as zesty and surprising.
Jonathan Younger (Donald Sutherland) starts each day with a fresh silk shirt, ice cream suit and a generous splash of cologne. Thus prepared, he sets out to charm the customers, particularly the women, of Younger Self Storage in Los Angeles.
Actually, his wife, Penelope (Lolita Davidovich), does the work. Jonathan's life is powered by charm and he's running on cruise control. He dotes on his son Winston (Brendan Fraser), a college student, and whenever the realities of business threaten to intrude, he hops on his motorcycle and rides over to a glittery disco.
Rounding out the cast are our narrator Francis (Linda Hunt), a writer who has Jonathan lock her and her word processor inside a storge unit every day; and the enigmatic and glamorous Mrs. Zig Zag (Sally Kellerman) and her daughter Melody (Julie Delphy). They're in the middle of an O.J.-esque celebrity murder case that's treated as a throwaway subplot.
Things are going along swimmingly for all concerned - except the overworked and underappreciated Penny - until Penny dies. In death, she finds new life, and that's when this curious film really gets started. Viewers will catch overtones of "Ghost" and "Truly, Madly, Deeply," along with a bit of Fellini. Adlon gives his world the same kind of tacky-glamorous circus sensuality.
This is the best part Sutherland has had in years and he handles it with obvious enjoyment. He makes Jonathan a complex rogue who deserves less sympathy than he receives. Lolita Davidovich handles her hard-to-describe role with a delicate touch, getting more out of it than you first think possible.
Toward the end, the story doesn't hold up as strongly as it might, but that's really a quibble. Overall, this is a charming fantasy that will probably appeal most to Adlon's fans.
"Silent Fall" has an equally impressive cast that's wasted in service of an unbelievable but obvious mystery.
Child psychologist Jake Rainer (Richard Dreyfuss) is called in to help a murder investigation where the only witnesses are a young autistic boy, Tim (Ben Faulkner), and his older sister, Sylvie (Liv Tyler). Their parents were stabbed to death in the bedroom of their lakefront estate.
Though Jake has one of those cliched secrets in his past, he and his wife, Karen (Linda Hamilton), agree to help, treating Tim with personal therapy. Jake's rival, Dr. Harlingen (John Lithgow), wants to give the kid a dose of a powerful drug with risky side effects.
Director Bruce Beresford handles things competently, but Akiva Goldsman's script depends on such flimsy and improbable psychological motivations and symptoms that it's difficult to become involved with the story. And in the last reel, things pretty much fall apart. This one is certainly superior to Beresford's lamentable "Rich In Love," but it's not even close to "Driving Miss Daisy."
Next week: European imports!
New releases
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Polygram)
Pagemaster (FoxVideo)
\ The Essentials:
Radio Inside ***
MGM/UA. 91 min. Unrated, contains mature subject matter, some strong language, fleeting nudity. (Would probably be PG or PG-13.)
Younger and Younger **1/2
Summa Video. Rated R for subject matter, some strong language.
Silent Fall* 1/2
Warner. 90 min. Rated R for subject matter, violence, strong language.
by CNB