Reviews for the week starting on March 18, 1996

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MOVIES IN THEATERS

Before and After (1996)

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A compelling mystery-drama about a young teenage boy (Edward Furlong of Terminator 2), who is accused of murdering his girlfriend and about how this situation effects his family's lives and the people in the small town in which he lives. His mother (Meryl Streep) wants to search for the truth about what happened. His father (Liam Neeson) wants to keep away any proof that might lead to his son's conviction. The story is seen and at times narrated by Furlong's little sister, who seems to be the one most effected by the murder case.

The film is not brilliant, but it certainly is interesting. It's the type of film that asks the question, "What would you do to keep your child safe?" Streep and Neeson give superb performances as the parents with opposing views on how to help their son. Furlong is equally impressive as the accused kid, finally growing out of the mainstream teenage junk and into a surprisingly mature role. Barbet Schroeder's direction is as grimly fascinating as his Reversal of Fortune. The script tends to lapse into unintentional funny dialogue, but you may be able to ignore such minor details.

My Rating =

Rent

MOVIES ON VIDEO

Here are three films on video and/or laserdisc. This week, I'll be reviewing some of comedian-actor-director Mel Brooks' film work.

Young Frankenstein (1974)

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If you're looking for a comedy that is non-stop funny, then you've found it in this, Mel Brooks' affectionate parody of the Frankenstein horror films. Gene Wilder portrays the famed doctor's grandson, Frederick Frankenstein (pronounced "Fronk-en-steen"), who is carrying on the work of his late relative. With the assistance of "Eye-gor" (Marty Feldman, giving an hysterical bug-eyed performance), Wilder creates a truly hideous creation (Peter Boyle), that eventually turns against him and runs away.

Brooks creates an extremely funny homage of the old Universal horror film, toning down his usually broad humor. He also creates the perfect atmosphere with appropriate music, camera work and set design. The performances are excellent, including Wilder, Boyle, Feldman and Cloris Leachman as Frau Blucher, a woman so hideous, she causes horses to whinny in fright at the mere mention of her name. There is not a scene in here that should be missed. Especially the scene with Gene Hackman, spoofing the blind man scene from Bride of Frankenstein. It's uproariously great.

My Rating =

Rent

Spaceballs (1987)

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A partially funny spoof of the Star Wars films, involving the rescue of Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) from the clutches of the evil Lord Helmet (Rick Moranis). Sound familiar? Brooks assaults us with tons of verbal and visual parodies of the famous films, but most of the jokes have been done to death and Brooks doesn't breathe much life into them. There are some humorous moments involving Joan Rivers as the voice of Dot, a C-3PO type robot, but even she can't save this film from being an embarrassment to cast and crew. Still, there are funny moments and so it's not a total loss.

My Rating =

Rent

History of the World-Part 1 (1981)

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This on the other hand barely rises above vulgarity. Apparently, it's a spoof of all those historical epics about Romans, French Revolutionaries and cavemen. The scattershot humor ranges from mildly funny to revolting. By this time, Brooks humor became too old fashioned for anyone to like, even die-hard Brooks fans. Gregory Hines gives the only adequate performance among the star-studded cast, in the Roman episode as a slave trying to flee the Roman imperial guard. However, it's just a bunch of expensive sets, just lying around hoping for Brooks to do something funny with them. The comedy is nothing but bad toilet humor, as if there was any other kind, with nothing really making any sense.

Normally, this type of stuff is something you'd expect to be good, considering Brooks' previous work. However, Brooks decides to go for the bigger-is-funnier method and comes out with something you'd expect Ed Wood, the king of bad filmaking, to make. If you see this film in the video store, don't touch it with a ten-foot pole.

My Rating =

Rent

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