ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 9, 1996 TAG: 9603120013
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 12 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: It Came From the Video Store
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
This week, we've got four more love stories: one from Down Under, a service romance, a studio's love note to itself and a hard-edged cautionary tale of love and sex.
It's easy to see why "Muriel's Wedding" has attracted a devoted but small following. This Australian import isn't really a comedy, isn't really a romance, isn't really a musical. For want of a better category, call it a coming-of-age story with music and costumes that might have been left over from "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert."
Muriel (Toni Collette) is an overweight romantic from the backwater burg of Porpoise Spit. She obsessively craves a big fancy wedding, but her chances don't look good. Her dad's a crooked womanizing politician, and he's the most sympathetic member of the family. After a long quirky introduction, Rhonda (Rachel Griffiths) convinces Muriel to move to Sydney, and everything changes, sort of.
But just when you think you've got the film figured out, writer-director P.J. Hogan shifts gears and changes direction. It's unconventional and off-putting. In fact, the whole thing would probably fly apart if the two leads weren't so strong. And they're nothing less than terrific.
"The Silver Strand" is an unashamed carbon copy of "An Officer and a Gentleman" with Gil Bellows taking over for Richard Gere. He's Brian Del Piso, an ensign in the Navy's S.E.A.L. school. Taking over for Debra Winger is pallid Nicolette Sheridan as the commanding officer's wife. Change the marital status of the supporting characters and the subplots are the same, too.
Director George Miller (``The Man from Snowy River") pumps up the energy in the training scenes, and he makes the most of a few well-chosen visual and sound effects. Bellows does good work in the lead, too. So, despite the been-there-done-that familiarity, this one's kind of fun.
A cynic would say that "The Universal Story" is nothing but pure self-promotion, and it's true that the studio takes an uncritical, loving look at itself in this retrospective. But, like most moviegoers, I'm a sucker for this kind of clip-filled anthology, particularly when the clips are as varied as these. After all, Universal's hits range from "Creature From the Black Lagoon" to "Schindler's List" with "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Touch of Evil" in between.
Richard Dreyfuss is an agreeable host and narrator. Keep a notepad handy to make a list for your next trip to the video store.
As the title indicates, "Stripshow" contains all the necessary elements for a bona-fide guilty pleasure. At the same time, though, it deals more honestly with the realities of stripping and prostitution than many mainstream films. In that respect, it's an amplification of the famous anecdote about George Bernard Shaw.
As the story goes, Shaw was seated next to a proper lady at a fancy dinner one night. In the course of conversation, he asked her if she'd go to bed with him for a million pounds. She thought a moment and answered yes. Then he asked her if she'd go to bed with him for one pound. "Certainly not," she huffily replied, "what do you think I am?"
"We've already established that," said Shaw, "now we're haggling over the price."
That's what veteran stripper Raquel (Tan'e McClure) tries to explain to the neophyte Kara (Monique Parent) in a Death Valley motel. She's got a suitcase full of cash to make the point. Yes, many of the speeches are too long and the exploitation scenes are too short, but director Gary Dean Orona does pretty good work with the characters and a well-realized sense of place.
Next week: Politics!
Got a question about home video or film? Contact Mike Mayo at P.O. Box 2491; Roanoke, VA 24010, or by e-mail at 75331.2603compuserve.com
New releases this week:
Clockers *** 1/2
Starring Mekhi Phifer, Isaiah Washington, Harvey Keitel, Delroy Lindo. Directed by Spike Lee. MCA/Universal. 126 min. Rated R for subject matter, violence, strong language.
Like all of Spike Lee's films, this one is passionate, raw and involving. It begins with a series of stark, violent images - the bodies of young black men gunned down in the drug business - but manages to end on a realistically hopeful note. At heart, it's a coming-of-age story about a street-level drug dealer (Phifer) or "clocker," but Lee is also interested in the social forces that have created today's urban drug/gun culture, and the personalities of the people caught up in it.
Braveheart ***
Starring Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Catherine McCormack. Directed by Gibson. 177 min. Rated R for graphic violence, brief nudity, sexual scenes.
Surprisingly, Mel Gibson's Scottish epic makes an easy transition to the small screen. It's an old-fashioned story that borrows freely from "Spartacus." Gibson is a fine hero, and he does good work behind the camera, too, with hard-charging battle scenes and a strong, romantic evocation of place.
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls ***
Starring Jim Carrey. Directed by Steve Oedekerk. Warner Home Video. 92 min. Rated PG-13 for gross humor, some strong language, comic violence.
Like "Pet Detective," this comedy is rude, crude and tasteless, the kind of movie that ought to be viewed with reproach by every high-minded filmgoer. It's also really, really funny. And the humor is never mean-spirited or cruel, even when it's most disgusting. Carrey combines astonishing physical flexibility with an unpredictable anarchy.
The Prophecy ***
Starring Elias Koteas, Christopher Walken, Eric Stolz, Virginia Madsen. Directed by Gregory Widen. Buena Vista/Miramax. 90 min. Rated R for violence and some profanity.
This enjoyable (and surprisingly witty) religious horror film goes beyond the traditional structure of Good vs. Evil as represented by God and Satan. The key combatants here are angels involved in an eons-long war with each other. Walken is at his dead-pan creepiest as Gabriel. Koteas and Madsen are excellent as the humans fighting against him in the Arizona desert. Recommended for fans.
The Essentials:
Muriel's Wedding *** Miramax. 106 min. Rated R for subject matter, strong language, sexual material.
The Silver Strand ** 1/2 MGM/UA. 104 min. Rated R for violence, strong language, sexual content, fleeting nudity.
The Universal Story *** 119 min. Unrated, contains a little rough language.
Stripshow *** MTI Video. (time not listed; about 90 min.) Unrated, contains nudity, sexual material, strong language.
LENGTH: Long : 130 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. Universal Studios has issued a loving retrospectiveby CNBof itself in ``The Universal Story.'' The photo above was shot in
the 1920s and shows a main road through the studio, Lankershim
Boulevard, still unpaved. 2. Dealer kingpin Rodney Little (Delroy
Lindo) dispenses his brand of wisdom to Strike (Mekhi Phifer), a
favorite employee, in Spike Lee's ``Clockers.''