Special to the New Castle News
Copyright © 1996, New Castle News, New Castle, PA
I just watched a fascinating old Western, "No Name on the Bullet," starring Audie Murphy, on the American Movie Classics (AMC) cable network.
Scripted by Gene L. Koon (one of the major writers for the early "Star Trek" episodes), this 1959 tale is in many ways reminiscent of "High Noon" and "High Plains Drifter" in its exploration of ethical and psychological issues.
An infamous killer for hire, John Gant (Murphy) rides into town. Everyone knows his reputation: he's there to provoke his target into a fight, at which time he'll gun the man down in "self defense." However, nobody knows who Gant is there to kill.
The clever aspect of this story is that a great many people in the town have committed major misdeeds in their pasts, and each one thinks some wronged enemy has sent Gant there for _him_. His mere presence sets a chaotic chain of events in motion, all motivated by the guilty consciences of the townspeople.
As if that weren't interesting enough, the cold-blooded Gant has a number of provocative philosophical exchanges about justice with his moral adversary, the town physician -- whose job is indiscriminately to save lives, just as Gant's is indiscriminately to take them.
No, this isn't a great film; the production values are pretty modest. But it is an extremely interesting one, mostly due to the fine screenplay by Koon, and the icy cool of (former real-life WW II hero) Audie Murphy as Gant. Murphy actually used the title of the film for his own autobiography.
Definitely worth a look if you see it listed, or if it's available on video.
By now, you've been blown away by computer-generated tornadoes, charmed by computer-animated toys, terrified by computer-created dinosaurs.
But if you think you've seen it all, wait until you see the spectacular computer-conjured dragon in "Dragonheart."
Unlike the surly, stupid eating machines in "Jurassic Park," this magnificent creature has -- well -- a heart.
"Dragonheart" is a wondrous sword-and-sorcery tale of a once-honorable knight, and the majestic, 43-foot, flying-and- fire-spitting serpent he comes to befriend. Their story is a funny, touching, action-packed tale that blends classic medieval myth with contemporary movie magic.
It's 984 A. D., and a noble knight, Bowen (Dennis Quaid) has been tutoring young Prince Einon to become a better king than the prince's bloodthirsty father. But during a battle against rebelling peasants, the king is killed and Einon mortally wounded.
The desperate queen (played by the rarely-seen Julie Christie) takes her dying son to a dark cave, in hopes that the dragon living there will use its supernatural powers to heal him. The creature agrees to share half of its glowing heart with the prince -- but only if he vows to be a decent king.
No sooner is the boy cured, however, than he breaks his promise, becoming a more vicious tyrant than his father.
Ideals shattered, Bowen turns his back on his old knightly code. He wanders the countryside, now a cynical dragon-slayer for hire.
Years later, he encounters Draco (voice by Sean Connery) -- the last remaining dragon left to slay. Their first stormy encounter is a masterpiece of inventive writing, high comedy and astonishing special effects.
Soon, dragon and dragon-slayer become unlikely allies. They survive quite nicely scamming terrified peasants -- until they meet Kara (Dina Meyer), daughter of the leader of the peasant revolt against the king.
Now Bowen, the fallen knight, must heed the call of his forgotten code. He is forced to confront the evil king -- and a choice that could break his own heart.
Dennis Quaid is marvelous as the roguish, irrepressible Bowen. It's a breakthrough performance that reminds you of Harrison Ford's "Han Solo" -- but with a voice that sometimes hints at Michael Keaton's "Beetlejuice."
Dina Meyer is fetching and feisty as Kara; David Thewlis plays King Einon with reptilian gusto; and Peter Postlethwaite is a comic delight as Gilbert, Bowen's poetry-spouting sidekick.
But this film belongs to the stately Draco.
The dragon's rich, eloquent voice wasn't the only thing supplied by Sean Connery. The computer wizards at Industrial Light & Magic built the creature's entire personality -- from facial movements to subtle gestures -- on Connery's own mannerisms.
The result is a "character" as compelling as any of the human actors. Dazzling special effects insert Draco so seamlessly into scenes with real people, you'll never for a moment doubt that Draco is a real, physical creature.
"Dragonheart" is a superb family film. It offers adventure, spectacle, romance, wit -- and a moral about holding to ideals in a cynical world.
But it's the dragon who steals the film -- and who will steal your heart.
Sure, the Cold War was scary and nasty. But the Cold War could also be a lot of fun -- at least as depicted on the 1960's TV spy show, "Mission: Impossible."
Many graying Boomers like me were loyal viewers of that memorable series. No surprise, then, that actor Tom Cruise's new production company has decided to bring "Mission: Impossible" to the big screen.
As an avid fan of the TV program, I'm happy to report that his film version doesn't disappoint.
"Mission: Impossible" has kept what we loved about the TV show: icy-cool spies, high-tech devices, convoluted plotting, beautiful double-agents -- even the unforgettable theme music by Lalo Schifrin.
But to this formula it's also added the politics, sensitivities and technology of the '90's.
The result is a smart, sophisticated updating of the TV show, and the wildest fantasy thriller since "True Lies."
It seems that secret agents miss the good old days of the Cold War, too. Spy agencies are downsizing; pensions are small; the New World Order is dull.
And face it: what can an expert in double-crossing and back- stabbing put on his job resum, anyway?
The Impossible Mission Force must face that new reality.
Team leader Jim Phelps (actor Jon Voight) gets a recording containing a new assignment, "should he decide to accept it."
An embassy employee is about to sell a stolen, coded list of American spies. The IMF team must tail this traitor to his buyer, and catch both in the act.
After the recording self-destructs, Phelps assembles and briefs his agents. They include his own ravishing wife, Claire (French film star Emmanuelle Beart), and the brilliant, audacious Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise).
In Prague, they track their quarry using cutting-edge gadgets and devious disguises.
Suddenly, though, things go terribly wrong.
A "mole" inside the team has betrayed their mission, to deadly effect. Suspicion falls squarely on Ethan Hunt, who now must search for the person who has framed him.
But if this quest is grim for Hunt, it's great fun for the audience.
Aided by other "disavowed" agents, Hunt's new "impossible mission" is to break into an ultra-secure vault...at CIA headquarters. It's a white-knuckle segment filled with dazzling technology, delightful bravado and droll humor.
And it all ends in a frenzied climax atop a high-speed European train -- a stunt-and-special-effects extravaganza that rivals anything you've seen from James Bond or Indiana Jones.
In fact, it's a bit too outrageous, clashing with the more serious tone of the story. But still, it's great fun.
Tom Cruise turns in another high-octane performance as the intrepid, irrepressible Hunt. Voight adds layers of complexity and depth to the Phelps role.
But the real surprise is Vanessa Redgrave, who steals the scenes as "Max," a silky, ruthless arms dealer. Another standout is Ving Rhames as Luther, a charming computer hacker.
The production values are top-notch. With a veteran crew assembled from other big-budget films, director Brian De Palma keeps everything whirling at a frenetic pace.
Incidentally, the language is remarkably clean, the violence relatively gore-free. My only warning?
Pay attention! The plot has more kinks and tangles than a Kennywood Park roller coaster.
So, if you like thrillers, your own impossible mission -- should you decide to accept it -- is to see "Mission: Impossible" and fail to enjoy it.
America prides itself as a place where individuals, with little more than guts and wits, can overcome great obstacles and personal limitations to do extraordinary things.
So it's not surprising that comic book superheroes are an American invention: they embody our national mythology.
Now, the ancestor of them all -- "The Phantom" -- has finally come to the big screen.
Created in 1936 by cartoonist Lee Falk, "The Phantom" was the first costumed comic strip hero, predating even "Batman" and "Superman." Still read daily by some 60 million fans in 40 countries, the jungle avenger's exploits are an obvious choice for film.
For this fan, though, the new movie was a disappointment.
"The Phantom," like many stories of its sort, is based on a hokey, supernatural premise.
Three ancient skulls -- of gold, silver and jade -- have been separated and lost for hundreds of years. Whoever finds and joins them together will acquire power beyond imagination.
Naturally, that's what the bad guys are trying to do. Henchmen of a ruthless gangster, Xander Drax, head for the jungle island of Bengalla to unearth one of the skulls. But there, they cross paths with The Phantom.
If this sounds somewhat like "Raiders of the Lost Ark," it's intentional. The problem with "The Phantom," in fact, is that you've seen it all before, and better.
The film swipes shamelessly from the Indiana Jones movies -- from fights on moving vehicles, to rope bridges collapsing over chasms, to mysterious rays that point to locations on maps.
Jeffrey Boam's limp, retread script also rips off James Bond (hero hangs onto airplane), "The Presidio" (hero runs across tops of moving cars), "Under Siege" (hero shoots two guns cross- handed), and countless others.
And unlike the original "Superman" and "Batman" films, it fails to even suggest any complexities of characterization.
Billy Zane looks and acts just fine as The Phantom, doing what he can with the one-dimensional part handed him. However, the campy screenplay turns his adversaries into buffoons.
Treat Williams plays arch-enemy Xander Drax with over-the- top silliness -- a pale, unfunny imitation of the sort of character Tommy Lee Jones does superbly. But Drax's cronies won't even register in your memory.
That's a fatal flaw. Escapist adventure fantasies require villains of stature, in order to make real the threat to the hero. Here, the villains are laughable.
The Phantom's girlfriend, Diana Palmer, is performed by Kristy Swanson with all the acting range that made her so memorable in "Buffy, The Vampire Slayer."
Veterans Samantha Eggar and Patrick McGoohan are wasted in their brief moments on screen. Only Catherine Zeta Jones adds some spice as Sala, a sexy aviatrix in league with the bad guys.
The production looks good, the locations (including Thai jungles) are lush and romantic, the stunts and special effects entertaining. The vacuous screenplay, though, drains "The Ghost Who Walks" of any mystery, depth or stature.
"The Phantom" may captivate pre-adolescent boys, but will frustrate nostalgic fans of the legendary jungle hero.
TOY STORY
Dir: ??
Voices: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
Released: Fall, 1995
Reviewed: December, 1995
Sometimes, it doesn't take more than a few minutes into a film before you can safely make a judgment. Usually, the snap judgments are negative: you are so immediately repulsed by what you see that you have no desire to endure another minute.
Then there are the rare surprises, when a film opens up in a way that is so startlingly original and enthralling that you settle back for what you know is going to be a great time at the movies.
And then there the rarest of times at the movies, when you know from the opening scene that you are in the sure hands of movie-making wizards, and that you are witnessing an instant classic. In this last category, I can think of a few---Citizen Kane, The Wizard of Oz and Star Wars come to mind---timeless films that grab you with their breathtaking ingenuity and unprecedented vision from the outset.
Add Toy Story to this short list.
From the opening moment of this incredibly imaginative piece of entertainment, you find yourself laughing with the astonished delight of a child opening his first Christmas presents. And the "you" includes all the other adults in the audience, as well as all the children.
I know, I know---Toy Story is a kid's film, right? Well, let me dispute that. This is an everybody film. It is outgrossing everything else in movie houses at the moment, and after having seen it, I have little doubt it will take in more money than any animated film in history.
You may have heard about, or even seen a few outtakes on TV, of the astounding computer-animated special effects. And believe me, you've never seen anything like them: they push the boundaries farther than any film since Terminator II. Without question, the movie will capture all the Oscars for special effects.
But this movie is much, much more than special effects. The story itself is absolutely wonderful. Every scene is a delightful surprise, utterly unpredictable. The characterizations and dialogue range from charmingly witty to simply hilarious. There are even great little philosophical satires thrown in (e. g., a marvelous dig at New Age religion with some three-eyed self-sacrificial toys in a vending machine), and---for you eudaimonists out there---a wonderful moral about living up to one's potential.
A great film imposes an entirely new perspective on reality. The perspective of Toy Story is that of children's toys looking at the human world---and personifying its virtues and vices with gentle wit and keen insight.
Don't wait for the video version, when this animated masterpiece is shrunk down to lilliputian dimensions. See it right away on a big screen---preferably, with a theater full of kids---preferably, with your own, if you have them. And don't worry about the kids distracting you: they won't be fussing and crying; they'll be totally caught up in the enchantment.
And so will you.
GOLDENEYE
Dir: ??
Staring: Pierce Brosnan
Released: Fall, 1995
Reviewed: December, 1995
In Goldeneye, the question on my mind was whether Pierce Brosnan would finally, finally, give us a worthy successor to Sean Connery as 007. Now, everyone has his own image of the ideal Bond; but I must say that Brosnan did a surprisingly credible job in living up to mine.
The Bond character is a fantasy celebration of several magnificent male virtues: the ability to stay absolutely cool under incredible stress; unflinching determination in the face of overwhelming odds; and total efficacy in any situation. Happily, Brosnan has risen to the role: he is unflappably fearless, intransigently purposeful, and delightfully arrogant. I had feared he might sink to the self-mocking silliness of that plastic predecessor, Roger "the Mannequin" Moore. No danger. This Bond goes through absolute hell---The Living Daylights, actually---with his cool never shaken, his hair never stirred. Brosnan shows a steely edge I wasn't sure he could pull off. And for me, the added fact that he was cheerfully depicted as an incurable sexist was a welcome tonic of political incorrectness after having to endure Michael Douglas' and Annette Bening ceaseless collectivist sermonizing the night before in The American President. (On this count, guys, the opening credits are worth the price of admission.)
Goldeneye has a clever-enough story line, a tough-but-more-realistic villain who doesn't disappoint, better-than-ever roles for the Bond Girls (they're actually allowed to act a bit in this one), a new Christmas list of wonderful toys from Q, and---absolutely---the most spectacular stunts, chases, and action sequences ever. In fact, the knock-down, drag-out finale fight scene between Bond and the villain surpasses even the titanic Connery/Robert Shaw battle in From Russia With Love. (Do see this one at a theater with a big screen and a great stereo sound system: it's a feast for the eyes and ears.)
But Brosnan himself is the vital center who holds it all together---and altogether, Goldeneye is the best Bond entry since Connery last parked the Astin-Martin. There are enough intentional loose ends for plenty of sequels, and I for one will be in line to see them tied up on future opening days.
Yes, 007 is back at last, and Western civilization still has a fighting chance.
THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT
Dir: Rob Reiner
Staring: Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Michael J. Fox
Released: Fall, 1995
Reviewed: November, 1995
I'm not overly sensitive about political messages intruding into movies---as long as the messages are integral to the plot of a film. However, in The American President, liberal positions on a host of issues overwhelm and finally drown what was launched---and is being floated---as a Capra-esque morality tale.
Director Rob Reiner apparently thought that the individualist theme of the film (Does the President have the right to pursue his own happiness in his private life?) insufficient to sustain a modern story---or at least to sustain the liberal political objectives of his writers and actors. So he allowed the plot to degenerate quickly into an awkwardly obvious and undisguised apology for Bill Clinton and his particular positions on issues---all to the detriment of the original plot line and theme. Good acting (Michael Douglas and Annette Bening), outstanding production values and an interesting premise were sacrificed on the altar of politics. The result is like an overly adorned Christmas tree, bending under the weight of too many distracting and diverting items that cause one to forget that, once, there was a real tree in there, somewhere.
Briefly put, the story begins with the widowed liberal President suffering in the polls for daring to acquire a left-wing lobbyist girlfriend---a political decline inflamed by the incendiary moral onslaught of a cynical conservative Senator, a rival for the presidency. So far, not an unacceptable story line: here is a worthy moral conflict, with the individual's right to pursue his own happiness posed against traditionalist morality. Logically, the story would have proceeded to a climax in which the fairly pragmatic President would have had to choose, after many complications, between his girlfriend and his political success. He'd give a rousing climactic speech in defense of his right to pursue his own happiness, even if with a Jane Fonda knock-off; and the public, chagrined, would rally to his defense and ultimate re-election.
But this story is at once hijacked to serve the very narrow, concrete ends of re-electing Bill Clinton. This isn't fiction: it's a Clinton presidency docudrama, incredibly romanticized. There are immediate potshots, by name, against the NRA, while (in his climactic speech) the President gives a sappy testimonial, by name, to the ACLU. The slimeball, moralizing political opponent is a Republican senator from Kansas, whose first name just happens to be Bob; a top aide, played with left-wing hysteria by Michael J. Fox, is a cookie-cutter George Stephanopoulos; the girlfriend, Bening, is a strident understudy of the Hillary Clinton/Jane Fonda school of ideological excess; and the fumes of environmentalism hang heavily in the air, like a toxic cloud, asphyxiating every piece of dialog. The specific, concrete events of the Clinton presidency (including his liberal angst over a retaliatory bombing raid in the Middle East), are everywhere stuffed into the plot, which begins to bulge and split open like an overcooked Thanksgiving turkey.
By reel three, the "pursuit of happiness" theme has abruptly morphed into "the character issue," with a liberal Democrat Clinton clone defending himself against a conservative Republican Dole clone (as if a widowed President acquiring a girlfriend is morally equivalent to a married President's philandering); and the story line is suddenly derailed from the individualist "stand by your woman" to a complete sidetrack: "stand by your liberal agenda."
Huh?
Needless to say, the screenwriters' eagerness to shill for Clinton's re-election causes the President's climactic speech---supposedly in defense of his right to happiness against an overly intrusive American electorate---to disintegrate. It loses all track of the original theme: there is no such defense---only a meandering diatribe against handguns, advocacy of a 20 percent cut in fossil fuel emissions, and a reaffirmation of his ACLU membership card---as if disloyalty to THAT agenda was the issue that had caused him to plummet in the polls. (At least the speech rang true to life in one respect: it was as incoherent as any by Clinton.)
If Rob Reiner and his liberal pals had expected to win over the same American audience that loves old Frank Capra films, they badly miscalculated. There is nothing wrong with a liberal theme handled skillfully (say, Seven Days In May, or Inherit the Wind); but such films succeed only by remaining true to their original unifying themes. The American President is more like The Man With Two Heads: a movie that couldn't make up its mind whether it was supposed to be about ethics, or politics. It proved to be an ugly job of grafting.