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Film Clips
MAY 10, 1999:
 CHILDREN OF HEAVEN. In spite of the fact that the U.S.
sponsored a bloody coup in their country in the 1960s, Iran still
sends us much better films than we deserve to watch. This latest
from director Majid Majidi is a quintessentially Iranian film,
focusing on the small tensions in daily life and giving them a
sense of urgency and universality. Young Ali loses his sister
Zahra's shoes, and must engage in a difficult series of trade-offs
that bring the siblings closer together. Sparse use of music,
unnaturally apt acting by the child-stars, and a strong sense
of rhythm make this a deeply engaging film. -- James DiGiovanna
FOOLISH. Sometimes I think it would be fun to go to a movie
without knowing anything about it. Sometimes I think it would
be fun to slide down banisters made of razor blades. Unfortunately,
I opted for the former and was subjected to a form of entertainment
that has the potential to cause staggering amounts of pain: standup
comedy. I'm still a little hazy after this cinematic ass-kicking,
but here's what I remember: an updated JJ Walker, bad acting,
underexposed shots and pussy humor. Since this was a fairly low-budget
endeavor, it's easy enough to forgive lighting problems. It's
more difficult to ignore the stereotypical character of Foolish
(Eddie Griffin), a comedian with a weakness for wine and women
who's just short of screaming "DYN-O-MITE!" every time
he does his act. Foolish is about to hit the bottom of his bottle
when his brother Fifty (Master P) organizes a comedy showcase
for him to headline. There are odd but interesting moments, such
as the scenes in which Foolish gets inspiration from talking feet
in bathroom stalls, but these are overshadowed by standup routines
centered around lame generalizations about gender difference and
race. --Polly Higgins
THE HARMONISTS. In the 1920s, six Germans formed The Comedian
Harmonists, one of the most successful pop groups in the history
of music. Unfortunately, in the 1930s
6 million Germans formed the Nazi party, one of the most successful
hate groups in the history of bigotry. The Harmonists tells
the story of the confluence of these two historical forces, as
the three Jewish members of the singing group try to surf their
crest of fame over the coming tidal wave of ignorance and murder.
Extremely well acted, shot and written, The Harmonists
is an interesting look at how the rise of National Socialism affected
life on all levels of German society. --James DiGiovanna
IDLE HANDS. The studio decided not to advertise this film's
opening in Colorado this week. I guess that after mercilessly
teasing two mentally unstable boys and then supplying them with
enough firearms to win the presidency of Uganda, the state of
Colorado had been through enough and couldn't face another crappy
teen slasher film. Idle Hands is the story of a pot-head
teenager who finds that his demonically possessed hand is forcing
him to kill his parents and get it on with the beautiful girl
across the street. Lots of bong jokes, dismembered teens and cruelty
to animals enliven this sad commentary on the cultural wasteland
that is inland California. --James DiGiovanna
LIFE. The Shawshank Redemption meets Stir Crazy
in this decades-spanning prison comedy. Eddie Murphy and Martin
Lawrence play a couple of buffoons who get framed for murder in
the Deep South. Their incarceration carries them from the Prohibition
Era into modern times, and director Ted Demme takes the opportunity
to mix social observation (it'd be a stretch to call it "commentary")
into the story. This includes surprisingly well-shaded views of
racism. Mostly, though, Life provides Murphy and Lawrence
with scattered opportunities for comic riffing. Murphy does his
funniest, most free-spirited work in years, and Lawrence makes
a likable straight man. It's a shame the movie is so aimless,
but a sloppy Life is worth a dozen tight Dr. Dolittles.
--Zachary Woodruff
SCHOOL OF FLESH. Contrary to the stereotypes held by certain
ignorant Americans, the French are a polite, sweet-smelling and
attractive people. On the other hand, they make the most consistently
mediocre movies on earth. School of Flesh is no exception;
it's a perverted Harold and Maude, with the omnipresent
Isabelle Huppert playing sugar momma to a skeevy street hustler.
Of course, they fall in love, but their love, she is so powerful,
she, how you say?...destroys them. Mais ben oui, eh? --James DiGiovanna
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