VIRTUOSITY and Other Reviews
A film review by Michael John Legeros
Copyright 1995 Michael John Legeros
Contents - VIRTOUSITY - BABE - BELLE DU JOUR - OPERATION DUMBO DROP
VIRTUOSITY
(Paramount)
Directed by Brett Leonard
Written by Eric Bernt
Cast Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Kelly Lynch, William
Forsythe, Stephen Spinella
MPAA Rating "R" (presumably for violence)
Running Time 106 minutes
Reviewed at Six Forks Station Cinemas, Raleigh (5AUG95)
More virtual-reality stuff from director Brett Leonard (HIDEAWAY, THE LAWNMOWER MAN). The year is 1999, Los Angeles, and convicts are being used as test subjects against the VR criminal Sid 6.7 (Russell Crowe). Sid--a composite of 183 of the worst serial killers of all time--was created for law enforcement purposes, but he plays too rough. Before the computerized killer can be shut down, he "escapes" into reality via the body of a nano- machine android. The only person who can track him is an ex-cop convict (Denzel Washington) whose family was killed by one of the aforementioned "psychos."
There's lots to look at in VIRTOUSITY. Leonard's hyperviolent vision of a vaguely Fascist future is pretty cool. (The LAPD drives hummers.) The FX and production design are the best, and always outshine the boring humans. Without a single concern for characterization, the old-fashioned story just chugs along merrily, right up until the overwrought climax that features, yawn, two guys on a roof with fists. (Don't expect much suspense.)
The cast is okay. Russell Crowe breezes through his part with minimal scenery-chewing, while Denzel Washington is a strong, bland presence. (He was *much* more fun in the underrated 1991 action-thriller RICOCHET, Joel Silver producer.) Other prominent players include Kelly Lynch, Louise Fletcher (!), and William Forsythe. The latter sports a shaggy mustache and slicked hair that makes him a dead ringer for Nick Nolte. Or is it Pat Hingle??
CAMEO WATCH: Yup, that's Traci Lords as a nightclub dancer.
Grade: C
BABE
George Orwell meets E. B. White in this adorable Aussie import about a pig who thinks he's a sheepdog. Before you roll your eyes at yet *another* animal comedy, check out director Chris Noonan's switched perspective that puts the animals before the humans. A combination of live-action and animatronic tricks (from Jim Henson's Creature Shop) make this barnyard gang appear to talk (via voice-overs). The main characters include a plucky pig, a neurotic duck, and a matriarchal Border Collie. (We could all do without the Greek chorus of squeaky-voiced rodents, though, who appear at odd intervals to announce the title cards.)
Co-produced and co-written by George Miller (MAD MAX), of all people, from the children's book by Dick King-Smith. Fine technical credits throughout, including a delightful score that's based on one of *my* favorite orchestral works, Camille Saint-Saens' "Symphony No.3 Op 78."
BACON BIT: Because they grow so quickly, a total of 48 little piggies
were used for the filming. So, how many center-cut loin
chops does *that* translates into? Uuuummmmmm, pork.
Grade: A-
BELLE DU JOUR
Called a classic in its day, now, twenty years later, BELLE DU JOUR comes across as chaste, stiff, and only mildly intriguing. The story centers on a young housewife (Catherine Deneuve) whose frigidity toward her husband--coupled with her lavish, sadomasochistic dreams--compels her to take a job at a local brothel. (Apparently, she's never heard of therapy.) The silence is the most disconcerting--director Luis Bunuel includes very little in the way of incidental music or sound effects.
In French, with English subtitles.
Grade: C+
OPERATION DUMBO DROP
We walked out after about an hour. The slow, uninvolving story--of an elephant's role in the Vietnam War--is based on a real-life incident that was probably much more interesting than the sanitized version presented here. (This is ABC/Disney, where even costar Denis Leary has to watch his mouth.) The cast is agreeable, though, and director Simon Wincer--how appropriate--finds the correct tone to balance war and slapstick, which means that OPERATION DUMBO DROP is probably okay for kids. Pachydull.
-- Michael J. Legeros Raleigh, NC legeros@cybernetics.net
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