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Film Clips
AUGUST 31, 1998:
 COUSIN BETTE. Pre-20th-century period pieces can be frightening
propositions: boring, slow-paced films about weak aristocratic
women who faint at the mention of Heathcliff. Don't let that too-often-true
generalization keep you from Cousin Bette, though. It's
kind of like Terminator set in mid-19th-century France,
as Bette (Jessica Lange) methodically plans the demise of those
around her. Her family degrades her and consistently contributes
to her rather skewed sense of self, but rather than throwing herself
into a river she devises a plan of revenge that would make Alexis
Colby proud. Bette's especially refreshing in that she doesn't
need to use sex to get what she wants; she uses other people and
their desires to achieve her goals instead. Elisabeth Shue and
her bare ass co-star as her confidants and key elements in her
schemes and provide moments of cheeky (sorry) humor. Really, the
only offense in the whole film is a multitude of bad hair. So
set your VCR to tape Melrose Place this week, and go to
the Loft for two hours of backstabbing melodrama and sweet sisterly
justice. --Higgins
DEAD MAN ON CAMPUS. Did you ever hear that thing that if
your college roommate committed suicide, you'd get straight A's?
And did you ever think it would make a good premise for a movie?
And do you think Mark-Paul Gosselaar can overcome the stigma of
having played "Zak" on Saved by The Bell if he
dyes his hair black and plays a party-crazed pot-head? Me neither.
Still, there's some decent comic sequences here thanks to Lochlyn
Munro's performance as an adrenaline-charged psychotic who's too
horny and drunk to be allowed to live in a frat house...as if
that were possible. --DiGiovanna
UNDER THE SKIN. This mediocre drama is a working-class
English take on Waiting for Mr. Goodbar. Samantha Morton
does a credible job as Iris, a young woman who tries a turn at
sluttiness after the death of her mother, though she probably
doesn't have quite the acting skills to pull off a role that has
to make up for a rather thin storyline. The plot is mostly an
excuse to string together a series of sex scenes and close-ups
of Morton's face while she has "feelings." All of the
close-ups are hand-held shots, which makes them a little hard
to watch, though there are some nicely photographed sequences
when the camera is allowed to pull back and expose the cramped
quarters in which Iris takes her sexual odyssey. Certainly more
engaging than most summer blockbusters, but it never rises to
great heights. --DiGiovanna
WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE. This bio-pic about Frankie Lymon,
doo-wop heartthrob of 1950's pop group "Frankie Lymon and
the Teenagers," is so oddly intriguing that it overcomes
many of its faults, including a penchant for melodrama and some
goof-ball acting by Lela Rochon and Vivica Fox. The story of a
teen idol's fall from fame and his marriages to three different
women is framed by a courtroom sequence wherein the three wives
fight over his estate. Told in flashbacks that start from the
witness stand, Lymon's life is a compelling oddity, charting what
happens to someone who must outlive his brief flirtation with
celebrity. Larenz Tate's performance as Frankie has a get-under-your-skin
quality that's perfect for both his overly-optimistic early years
and nostalgic, junkie decline; and Paul Mazursky does his usual
stand-up job as the paradigmatically sleazy record executive.
Worth a look, though perhaps not the two hours that it asks for.
--DiGiovanna
WRONGFULLY ACCUSED. Wrongfully written, wrongfully released,
and wrongfully attended by me. Leslie Neilsen sleepwalks through
the lead role, reiterating the lame jokes he's become known for
in films like Dracula: Dead and Loving It and Spy Hard.
Whether or not a spoof of The Fugitive was necessary, here
it is, complete with a cultural critique via toilet jokes. If
you're really into this kind of humor, save your money and go
stare at a pile of dog shit instead. Absolutely hilarious! --Higgins
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