Apparently deciding that there still isn’t enough murderous hatred in the world against Middle Eastern Muslimsespecially the kind that’s milked for the purposes of light entertainmentproducer Joel Silver thoughtfully decided to add to the pool. One more evil Islamic terrorist hijacks one more 747, and it’s Kurt Russell and Steven Seagal to the rescue; they actually manage to sneak on board while the planeloaded with enough nerve gas to wipe out half the eastern seaboardis halfway across the Atlantic. The mechanics of what the commandos must do before mounting their attack keep this fairly absorbing as a routine thriller; it’s the concept of what this movie is doing to us that makes me want to throw up. Directed by Stuart Baird from a script by Jim and John Thomas. With Halle Berry, John Leguizamo, Oliver Platt, Joe Morton, and David Suchet. (JR) Read more
Peter Greenaway’s most controversial feature (1993, 122 min.), in part because it’s so unrelievedly unpleasant without ever actually seeming atypical of his work. Set in France during the mid-17th century, it centers on the birth of a baby boy that’s mythologized for various ends, initially because it marks the end of childlessness in a city. The child’s older sister (Julia Ormond), a virgin, claims to be his mother; when she attempts to seduce the bishop’s son (Ralph Fiennes), he’s gored to death by a cow. Ultimately the baby is dismembered, and the sister is raped to death by 217 soldiers, each one pardoned in advance by the church. This being a Greenaway film, no character is shown sympathetically, the action is lushly and rather beautifully filmed (by Sacha Vierny) on a single set, and the whole thing is staged as a play within the film. I watched it to the end out of a sense of duty, not with pleasure or any hope of edification. (JR) Read more
The most popular non-American movie shown at the 1995 Cannes film festival, this fresh and unpredictable comic thriller from Iran is a first feature by Jafar Panahi, a former assistant to the great Abbas Kiarostami (Through the Olive Trees), who’s credited, with Panahi and Parviz Shahbazi, with the screenplay. The film describes in real time the adventures of a seven-year-old girl and her older brother in the streets of Tehran during the 85 minutes that elapse just before the celebration of the Iranian New Year. After convincing her mother she needs another goldfish for the celebration, the girl sets off to buy one, but twice en route to the store loses the banknote she’s been given; most of the remainder of the film is devoted to her efforts to get the money back. If the plot sounds slender, the movie is both gripping and charming, with well-sketched characters and expert storytellingand Panahi’s efforts to redefine our sense of time along the way are remarkable. A masterpiece, one that grows in impact and subtlety over repeated viewings.84 min. (JR) Read more
