Reviews for the week starting on November 27, 1995

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MOVIES IN THEATERS

Omaha: The Movie (1995)

Here's an odd little film. It's a low-budget comedy, made for less than $40,000. The story follows the adventures of Midwestern boy Simon (Hughston Walkinshaw), who has been on a spiritual journey in Nepal and has returned home to Omaha. Simon has returned a changed man. He is a practicing Buddhist and seems to have learned how to deal with the world around him. However, he lives with his nutty parents and siblings, who are slowly driving him crazy and has hooked up with his even crazier ex-flame, Gina (Jill Anderson), an expert of Tae Kwon Do.

To calm himself, Simon chews on sacred prayer stones he got in Nepal. Gina believes they might be emeralds, so they decide to find out if they're real or not. But, unbeknownst to Gina and Simon, two Colombian jewel thieves have taken an interest in the stones. So, a chase ensues across Nebraska, all the way to a monument called "Carhenge", an absurd recreation of England's Stonehenge.

A extremely bizarre comedy, Omaha is an interesting piece of work from producer Dana Altman (Robert's grandson) and director Dan Mirvish. I'd say it captures the boredom of Midwestern life quite nicely. Some excellent performances from Walkinshaw and Anderson and some great cinematography contribute greatly to this film. Well, hilarious cameos from Nebraska Governor Richard Roth and Omaha Mayor P.J. Morgon couldn't hurt. My only complaint is the maddeningly slow pace of some scenes. During those moments, it seems like nothing is going to happen and that there is no real point for those scenes, except perhaps to create the boredom of Midwestern living. I got the point without those scenes. By the way, this is playing mostly at film festivals and art house theaters, so it might not be in your local theater. If you can find it, go to it. It's a must-see.

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Goldeneye (1995)

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Here is the 18th entry in the James Bond series. This time, the suave super-spy, Bond, is played by Pierce Brosnan (Lawnmower Man). The plot is the usual Bond story. The Enemy takes control of a superweapon, and plans to use it to take over the world. Bond is sent in to stop them, with some help from the usual assortment of gadgets.

Sadly, to say, nothing new (or for that matter, special) here. There's plenty of action, but it seems like the film is trying too hard to be like Rambo and not enough like Bond. The Bond heroine (Izabella Scorupco) and villainess (Famke Janssen) are one-demensional characters. Nothing special with these women, either. The only two good things about this film are Brosnan, who makes a formidable Bond (compared to Timothy Dalton) and the usual fantastic Bond opening. However, those alone can't hold the film together. One more thing. Tina Turner's rendition of the title tune isn't exactly a chart buster.

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MOVIES ON VIDEO

Here are two films on video and/or laserdisc.

Dr. Strangelove (1964)

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I'd say this is one of the funniest comedies of all time. It's uproariously funny, yet the basic theme (nuclear apocalypse) is deadly serious. Actor-Comedian Peter Sellers plays three different roles to perfection. He plays the President of the United States, a British Captain and the mad inventor of the bomb, Dr. Strangelove (one of Sellers' best characters, next to Inspector Clouseau). The trouble starts when mad General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) orders an all-out nuclear attack on Russia. The message is sent to a squadron of B-52 bombers, lead by Major T.J. "King" Kong (Slim Pickens), who are sent to bomb strategic Russian Military bases.

In the mean time, Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (Sellers) is attempting to trick Hayden into giving him the code that will recall all the bombers. At the Pentagon, the President (Sellers again) and wacky General "Buck" Turgidson (George C. Scott) have decided that they will help the Russians shoot down the bombers, with the help of the extremely loony Strangelove, a wheel-chair bound scientist, who's artificial arm keeps giving the Nazi salute. Will the Bombs be stopped? Or will everyone be blown off the face of the earth?

From start to finish, Dr. Strangelove remains hilarious, with some extremely funny scenes. The scene with The President on the phone with the Soviet Premier is hysterical. Plus, the black-and-white cinematography is excellent. During the scenes of battle, you'd almost think you were watching a real documentary. The acting is great, especially from Sellers and Scott. This is most likely director Stanley Kubrick's (A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey) masterpiece.

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Exit to Eden (1994)

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MY GOD!!! Who was the schmuck that came up with this bogus film. The "story" follows two detectives (Rosie O'Donnell and Dan Aykroyd) to an island resort to catch a couple of smugglers. The island also happens to be a resort for people trying to bring their erotic fantasies to life, with help from the staff who use S&M techniques. There's nothing erotic about this movie though. It's supposed to be a comedy, but to be honest with you, I couldn't tell what the hell it was. O'Donnell gets a couple of funny lines, but she's virtually lost in the sea of bad jokes and bad porn. Supposedly based on an Anne Rice novel, I'm pretty sure that this film wasn't true to the book.

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