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TuccCay, March IS, INI
Courtesy of Disney & Amblin Entertainment
Finding water in “Far Away Places.”
Desert adventures
pleasing in movie
‘A Far Off Place’
The adventurous styles of Walt
Disney and Amblin Entertainment
have come together to bring “A Far
Off Place” to children and adults
alike.
The setting is the desert region
of Africa, and newly arrived Harry
(Ethan Randall from "Dutch”) is
looking for the satellite dish and
mistaking cat food for p&te.
The willful, seasoned Nonnie
(Reese Witherspoon from "The
Man in the Moon”) isn’t fond of
Harry’s egotism, and is anxious to
track and kill the ivory poachers
that h#vq b^en plaguing the area.
After an attack on their home
that kills their respective parents,
Harry, Nonnie and a bushman
named Xhabbo (Sarel Bok) set off
on a 2,000-kilometer trek across
the unpredictable Kalahari desert.
“If the wind can do it, we can do
it,” Xhabbo says just before their
trek begins.
In true “Wilderness Family” tra
dition, the three must deal with the
elements, wildlife and the poach
ers who are determined to elimi
nate everyone involved.
All performers in this film took
on an incredible job with not only
the roles that they played, but also
the climate and conditions in which
they had to work.
What is truly incredible (and
cannot be captured on any televi
sion) is the amazing scenery shots
throughout the picture. Sweeping
camera work and dazzling shots of
the African desert are almost mes
merizing.
In a diametric opposite from the
dramatic “A Far Off Place” is the
absolutely hilarious Maroon Car
toon “Trail Mix-Up” with Roger
Rabbit and Baby Herman, which
plays with the feature.
Roger ’ s cartoon an tics are a hoot,
and you’ll probably bust a gut laugh
ing.
Both flicks are great for kids,
and come highly recommended for
a family function.
— Gerry Beltz
Courtesy of Disney A Am biin Entertainment
Roger is Back!
Foreign film is lone bright
spot in week’s releases
Another blah week at the video
store. Nothing much exciting to take
home, although this week’s foreign
Him release looks somewhat promis
ing.
“Candyman” Virginia Madsen
stars as a doctoral candidate working
on her dissertation. Oral folklore is
her topic and in attempting to re
search some urban legends she acci
dentally awakes a bogeyman called
"Candyman.”
The candyman is a hook-handed
killer, come back to kill again. And
again.
Vanessa Williams of “Melrose
Place” co-stars. The film’s based on
the Clive Barker short story, “The
Forbidden.”
“Mediterraneo” This comedy
about shipwrecked Italian soldiers in
World War II won the 1992 Oscar for
best foreign film.
The soldiers are forgotten and left
on a Greek island — where they dis
cover a hidden paradise and have the
time of their lives.
' “Mr. Baseball” Tom Selleck stars
as an American baseball player who’s
seen better days.
He’s traded to a Japanese team.
Unfortunately he has a good deal of
trouble adjusting to his new surround
ings. ,
Billed as a comedy, its dismal box
office record indicates there weren’t
many laughs.
AJ1 titles available Wednesday.
— Staff Reports
More than romance
Powerful acting outshines disjointed script
‘Love Field’
“Love Field” (Starship 9,14th and
Q streets) is billed as an interracial
romance. Clearly it’s a period piece,
but there is more going on than ro
mance.
It’s November, 1963, Dallas. Presi
dent John F. Kennedy and his wildly
popular wife Jackie are en route to
Dallas.
That same day, in Dallas suburbia,
Lurene Hallett (Michelle Pfeiffer)
bustles in her bathrobe, preparing
herself to see the woman she idolizes
and the, president she adores.
After JFK’s assassination, Lurene’s
obsession with the Kennedys drives
her to D.C. to pay her respects and
attend the president’s funeral, despite
her husband’s heated objections.
While traveling via Greyhound,
Lurene meets Paul (Dennis Hay sbert),
a young black man traveling with his
5-year-old daughter (played expres
sively by newcomer Stephanie Janelle
McFadden). Together, they get in all
sorts of trouble, including falling in
love.
Directed by Jonathan Kaplan (‘The
Accused”), “Love Field” is a bit dis
jointed. It almost seems as if the edi
tors accidentally left a few important
transitions on the cutting-room floor.
But strong performances salvage the
film.
Pfeiffer snagged an Oscar nomina
tion for another wig-and-accent per
formance. Typically a solid actress,
here she has a believable accent and
her on-screen chemistry with both
Haysbert and McFadden is strong.
But her performance in “Batman Re
turns” was easily as impressive as the
one she gives here, if not more so.
Haysbert, a relative unknown, dis
plays a healthy dose of talent It wasn’t
an easy part, especially considering
he had to overcome taking the role
after Denzel Washington backed out
at the last minute. His performance
gave Paul the quiet dignity that the
script only halfheartedly developed.
“Love Field” tries to show that
crossing racial, social and class barri
ers is possible. The attempt is admi
rable, but flawed, lacking the conti
nuity it needs to make the ending
more powerful.
Still, it is a pleasant film, and the
performances, coupled with a few
wonderful moments, make it worth
viewing.
While it did not play Lincoln dur
ing its first run at the theaters, there is
no reason to avoid it now, especially
when it can be seen for $1.50.
— Anne Steyer
Emotional ride
Film studies boy’s fight against rare disease
‘Lorenzo’s Oil’
“Lorenzo’s Oil” (Plaza 4* 12 th and
P streets) is two hours and 20 minutes
of raw, emotional energy.
And it’s definitely a double-fisted
hanky film, too.
Australian filmmaker George
Miller (the “Mad Max” flicks) wrote
and directed this heart-wrenching tale
based on the true story of a couple
who refused to let their son die.
Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte
star as Michaela and Augusto Odone.
In 1984, their 5-year-old son Lorenzo
(Zack O’Malley Greenburg) was di
agnosed with adrenoleukodystrophy
(ALD), a rare and debilitating disease
with no cure.
ALD affects the tissue that sur
rounds the body ’ s nerve cells, causing
them to degenerate and the victim to
goblind.deaf, mute, immobile—and
more horrifying things. The disease
gene is carried by women and affects
only little boys.
7*#fieartof the movie deltfiirflife
Odone’s quest to find, if not a cure, at
least a treatment for Lorenzo’s dis
ease. They meet tremendous stone
walling by the medical community,
so they strike out on their own, relying
on determination and love to save
their son.
The oil in the title is the treatment
they research, discover and fight for,
despite the findings of medical sci
ence.
Both leads are superb. Sarandon
received a Best Actress Oscar nomi
nation for her portrayal of Michaela,
and the nomination was not unwar
ranted. Nolte’s character is Italian,
and, at first, the accent is difficult to
reconcile with the blond Southerner
from last year’s “Prince of Tides.”
But Nolte deftly captures Augusto’s
passionate nature. >
In fact„ it is surprising the film has
not had numerous other accolades
heaped upon it as well.
“Lorenzo’s Oil” is not a pretty
film. The subject matter is depressing
at best. Miller, who has a medical
background, doesn’t flinch from
showing the realistic effects of the
disease and the result is emotionally
devastating.
But Miller has crafted a truly inti
mate and emotional portrait of the
Odone’s heroic struggle for life —
one that is not to be missed.
— Anne Steyer
i 1 ■ ■ -1
Rap industry spoof
offers mature comedy
‘CB4’
In a spoof of the rap music indus
try, “CB4” (Cinema Twin, 13th and P
streets) provides lots of laughs for the
audience, and it doesn’t matter
whether or not they enjoy rap music in
the first place.
Chris kock (“Saturday NightLive”)
stars as Albert, who with his buddies
Otis (Deezer D) and Rip (Allen Payne),
have been trying to break into the big
time rap scene at a gangster club
managed by a ruthless hood named
Gusto.
Their ideas of“The Bagheads’’ and
“The Overweight Lovers’’ don’t pan
out, so when Gusto gets busted during
a (hug deal, Albert assumes the role of
MC Gusto, Otis becomes Stab Master
Arson and Rip becomes Dead Mike.
Their group, called CB4 for ’Cell
Block Four,’ now stands for degrada
tion of women, empty sex and every
thing else that makes Tipper Gore
wake up in the middle of ttie night.
dripping cold sweat and screaming
“SUPPORT FAMILY VALUES!”
We also have hilarious appear
ances by Chris Elliot as a weenie
rapumentary creator and Phil Hartman
(also from “Saturday Night Live”) as
a public-schmoozing political hope
ful that tries to use CB4 as a catalyst
to get him into office.
Director Tamra Davis brings a great
piece of work to the screen, and pro
vides lots of laughs for the moviegoer,
but some parts of the movie are un
necessarily obscene.
The movie has animpressi ve list of
cameos, including Ice-T, Bulthole
Surfers and Shaquille O’Neal. The
film also has a great soundtrack, with
contributions from P.M. Dawn, Ice
Cube and Public Enemy.
With loads of profanity and sexual
situations, “CB4’' has garnered a well
deserved ‘R’ rating, and under NO
circumstances should you take the
kiddies to this sucker, no matter how
“mature” or “seasoned” they may be
to such behavior.
A proverbial hoot for the mature
moviegoer, “CB4” is worth a lot*.
— Gerry Bettz
Documentary
unveils media,
political facade
_ With “Panama Deception,”
Barbara Trent and David Kasper
offer chilling eyewitness ac
counts of the 1989 American
invasion of Panama and its af
termath.
The film contends that what
was common knowledge among
Panamanian citizens and jour
nalists hardly made a dent in the
coverage the invasion actually
received in the American news.
While mainstream media re
ported a straightforward inva
sion to capture Gen. Manuel
Noriega, the film’s witnesses
(including policy makers, offi
cial spokespersons, and politi
cians) explain how destruction
of Panamanian defenses oc
curred to give the United States
an advantage in renegotiating
the Panama Canal treaties.
The film also documents
massive devastation of residen
tial areas, as well as U.S.-super
vised mass burials of Panama
nian citizens.
“The Panama Deception” is
showing Thursday only at the
Mary Riepma Ross Film The
ater. Screenings are at 7 and 9
p.m.