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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 28, 1994)
Arts ©Entertainment Don’t wait nine months — ‘Tunior’ delivers Movie: “Junior” Rating: PG-13 Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Emma Thompson, Frank Langella, Pamela Reed Director: Ivan Reitman Grade: B Five Words: Arnold’s gonna be a mommy! By Otry Bslti Staff Reporter Although “Junior” isn’t the best preg nancy comedy ever conceived, seeing the film is worth the labor. Director Ivan Reitman again has teamed up with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito to make another comedy, probably in the hope that it would be as funny and successful as the trio’s previous mega-hit “Twins.” Sadly, it’s not. Dr. Alexander Hesse (Schwarzenegger) and colleague Dr. Larry Arbogast (DeVito) have developed a new drug, Expectane, which encourages healthy pregnancies. However, funding for the project is cut off after the Food and Drug Administration nixes the drug, and the standard sneaky research administrator Noah Banes (Frank Langella) throws Hesse and Arbogast out of the lab facilities and replaces them with Dr. Diana Reddin (Emma Thompson), a ditsy scientist working with frozen embryos. To furtherthe research so as to gain more funding for the project, Arbogast convinces Hesse that they should use the drug on a human subject. That subject turns out to be Hesse. Even tually, he gets more than he bargained for Courtaay of Un tv areal Pictures Dr. Alox Homo (Arnold Schwarzonoggor, loft) sons astounding results aftor volunteering to bo a tost subjoct a pregnancy drug that ho and Dr. Larry Arbogast (Danny DoVlto) developed In tho movlo “Junior. especially when he and Reddin begin to fall in love with each other. Although the film contains several funny moments throughout, its pacing does not work well. Most of the comedy is focused on Schwarzenegger, Thompson and their dis plays of affection. One would think that a passionate love scene with Schwarzenegger and Thompson would look like a hippo trying to mate with a flamingo, but the scene is both touching and amusing at the same time. Emma Thom pson’scomedic role in “Jun ior” is vastly different from the roles in which most American audiences are used to seeing her — one exception being her role as the homy nurse in “The Tall Guy.” While DeVito’s character is amoral step above some of the stuff he’s done in the past (“Twins,” “Other People’s Money”), his character still lacks a certain edge; he lacks lilt and panache. Although Schwarzenegger delivers the bulk of laughs during the film, his character has little development prior to the preg nancy. Hesse is supposed to be brilliant, withdrawn and anal-retentive, but these traits are not shown clearly to the audience. Even if “Twins” was a better teaming for Reitman, DeVito and Schwarzenegger, “Junior” still delivers. Cliched film literally is ‘A Low Down Dirty Shame’ By Syn McCarthy Staff Reporter Keenen Ivory Wayans, best 1 known for creating the TV show “In Living Color, has creategj a mess with “A Low Down Dirty Shame.” For more than an hour and a half, the audience is plunged into an unwatchable world of bad-cop movie cliches and unfunny stereo e movie has the originality of a “Matlock” episode. Wayans plays Andre Shame, an ex-cop who was kicked off the force because of a failed drug bust. He now is a pri vate investigator, working suicidal jobs forpetty cash. His trusty, loyal, spunky sidekick, Peaches (Jada Pinkett), tries to bring him out of his glumness. Just before Shame washes out, Courts*y sf Hollywood Plcturs* Compsny Kooiwn ivory Waynns at Andro than* In “A Low Doom Dirty Shams” opsciaiizso in votrfovlng stolon goods. DEA agent Rothmiller (Charles Dutton) meets him and gives him a second shot at glory. Shame’s job is to track down $20 million worth of stolen money. This job eventually leads him to drug lord Emesto Mendoza (An drew Divoff), the man whom Shame presumably killed in the botched drug bust. Shame also meets with his former lover, Angela Flowers (Salli Richardson). Flowers is a lusty vamp who dumped Shame for Mendoza. Shame then must choose between his lusty former lover or his sweet and loyal sidekick. Wayans seems to have a nostal gia for his “In Living Color” days with this movie. The two gay char acters who reviewed Films in the TV show reappear as Peaches’ roommate and his boyfriend. But the actors are different, and the jokes are stale in this one. Jada Pinkett uses her body and her voice to create a sassy assistant with an attitude. Peaches could have been used for a comic high light in the movie, but instead of focusing on Peaches’ character, Wayans focuses on her smartass cracks. Peaches seems to say the word “girlfriend” in nearly every sentence of the Film. “Dirty Shame” is Wayans’ First 2- at a semi-serious movie. Wayans mits to being a huge fan of action pictures. With “Shame,” Wayans Movie: “A Low Down Dirty Shame" Rating: R Stars: Keenen Ivory Wayans, Charles S. Dutton, Jada Pinkett, Salli Richardson Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans Grade: D Five Words: Wayans’ homage to cop films wanted to create a character that resembled Peter Gunn. Wayans also wanted to keep the humor that was in his earlier ef forts. What makes “Shame” fail is not Wayans’ passion for the genre but his word-for-word regurgita tion of every tired plot in cop genres. Wayans was able to use cop genre cliches and make a great parody with his film “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.” It’s a shame, literally, that he did not learn his lessons from that film. While trying to make fun of the stereotyped characters in cop films, Wayans turns each charac ter in “Dirty Shame” into the ste reotype that he’s trying to make fimof.