ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 23, 1996 TAG: 9603260019
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 10 EDITION: METRO MIKE MAYO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
This week, the subject is gangsters - four new releases that focus on the entertainment business's favorite bad boys.
A screwy supercharged energy drives "Saints and Sinners," a crime drama/buddy flick/romance about two childhood friends and their adventurous girlfriend. "Big Boy" Baynes (Scott Plank) is a rising star in the illegal drug distribution business despite the opposition of the reigning neighborhood gang; his buddy "Pooch" (Damian Chapa) is a cop whose treacherous boss has forced him undercover to nab "Big Boy." Eva (Jennifer Rubin) has a different story for everyone she meets and mysterious purposes of her own.
The details of the inner-city drug trade don't ring true, but the characters have such a ferocious vitality that it hardly matters. The three leads are really terrific with full-bore performances. Writer-producer-director Paul More overdoes some currently popular gimmicks - circling hand-held camera, hyperactive editing - but he still manages to make this one a lot more enjoyable than most crime movies with much bigger budgets.
Sometimes sheer lunacy can accomplish what skill and talent cannot, and an otherwise unremarkable video becomes an alternative gem. That's the case with "Fatally Yours," your basic multigenerational gangster/reincarnation flick.
A black-and-white sequence - which will be repeated in its entirety for slow learners - introduces Jon (Rick Rossovich) and Sara (Sarah MacDonnell) and her father's (George Lazenby) gang in 1928. Flash forward to the present where Jon is Danny who's married to Patti (Annie Fitzgerald), daughter of Pauley (Roddy MacDowell), an alcoholic compulsive gambler who owes big bucks to a ruthless contemporary gangster. The moment that Jon sees a dilapidated old house once owned by the gangster from the past, he knows he must have it, setting in motion a plot that beggars description.
It's almost impossible to say how much of the humor is intentional. Is a line like: "Jon McGregor had a passion for his work. Accounting was to be his life." meant to be funny? Probably. And how about the bizarre finale where it's revealed that almost every character is a reincarnation of someone else, and sometimes the wires get crossed? I'm not sure, but it's still a real howler.
MacDowell madly overacts, while Rossovich plods through with complete earnestness. When it's all over, this one is certainly different, and it's never boring.
If only "Black Rose of Harlem" were as good as its title. Sadly, this low-budget video premiere is a formula flick with nothing to say about its historical setting. On the other hand, star Cynda Williams is remarkably beautiful and manages to do a lot with a stereotyped role.
She's Georgia Freeman, a singer who turns the Congo Club into a goldmine in 1931. Mobster Costanza (Joe Viterelli) tries to take over from the black owners, but his right-hand man Johnny Verona (Nick Cassavetes) falls hard for Georgia.
The film's main problem is a budget that limits most of the action to one heavily shadowed set. About the best that can be said of the boneheaded script is that it's equally insulting to both black and white characters. The action scenes are clumsy, and the songs aren't going to make anyone forget Billie Holiday. Williams does her best to overcome those flaws, but director Fred Gallo does her no favors with some atrocious lighting.
"The Criminal Mind" vaults from simple incompetence to alternative classic in a series of breathtaking strides. Nick (Frank Rossi) and Carlo (Ben Cross) are the sons of an assassinated Mafia chief. Carlo goes into the family business; Nick becomes a D.A. The loopy plot contains flashbacks within flashbacks, a dozen or so ridiculous but somehow predictable twists, and perhaps the most inept chase scene imaginable. The acting ranges from Rossi's shy mumbling to Cross's hysterical ravings. When this hambone cuts loose, watch out! The supporting cast including Lance Henriksen and Tawnee Welch is better, but the script is hopeless. For unintentional laughs, this one gets full marks.
Next week: Cassavetes and Kieslowski on video.
Got a question about home video or film? Contact your favorite video columnist at P.O. Box 2491; Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491, or by e-mail at 75331.2603compuserve.com
New releases this week:
Babe ****
Starring James Cromwell. Directed by Chris Noonan. MCA/Universal. 89 min. Rated G.
This surprisingly good kid's movie is one of the year's best and has the Oscar nominations to prove it. It uses animals, humans, models and animated effects to tell a story of courage and tolerance. Even though star is a young pig and most of the characters are four-legged, the film avoids the saccharine cuteness that makes so much of children's entertainment unwatchable for adults. Highly recommended. - M.M.
Seven **
Starring Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey. Directed by David Fincher. 127 min. Rated R for graphic violence, strong language.
Star-power propelled this ridiculously plotted serial-killer flick to the top of the box office, but its muddy, grubby look will make the story difficult to follow on the smaller screen. Even so, Freeman and Pitt are very good, and they'll make the film even more popular on tape than it was in theaters. - M.M.
Crumb *** 1/2
Directed by Terry Zwigoff. (Columbia TriStar) Rated R. 120 min.
This documentary film from Terry Zwigoff is a fittingly up-close look at the underground artist Robert Crumb and the forces that created him. Whether you think his work is pure id, as his wife insists, or unbridled misogyny, as a feminist artist claims, there is no question that Crumb's is as unusual an artistic sensibility as the world has ever seen. Zwigoff draws no conclusions and lets the artist unfold from the pages of his sketch book. - Katherine Reed
The Essentials:
(Each of these contains violence, strong language, bad Italian accents, some sexual material, brief nudity.)
Saints and Sinners *** LIVE. 99 min. Rated R.
Fatally Yours *** Monarch. 90 min. Unrated.
Black Rose of Harlem ** Concorde-New Horizons. 80 min. Rated R.
The Criminal Mind ** Columbia TriStar. 93 min. Rated R.
LENGTH: Long : 119 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Cynda Williams plays Georgia Freeman, a singer who turnsby CNBa nightclub into a goldmine, in ``Black Rose of Harlem.''