The Hot Button by David Poland

Friday, 4 December 1998

WEEKEND PREVIEW
This kind of weekend is torture for serious moviegoers. The only wide release is Psycho. Now, I'm not saying that Psycho is torture. (You can read the transcript of my Wednesday Movie Chat with screenwriter Joe Stefano here.) I doubt it will be, but the pain is in the other films that are opening. Three potential Oscar players hit theaters, but only in New York and L.A. and if you are ready to see them all, the pain is coming. All three could also ruin a date because the reaction to each has been highly conflicted.
Paramount's A Simple Plan has some people foaming at the mouth with Oscar buzz and others wondering what all the fuss is about. Me, I'm in the middle. I like the movie well enough, but sadly, in chasing after "normalcy," director Sam Raimi has thrown away his genius-level work for something that he isn't all that great at doing. Billy Bob Thornton is terrific and Brent Briscoe probably won't have to look for work anymore after giving a great earthy turn. But by making the characters more human, the movie's hard core turns turn soft. This is a good film, not a great film. And in what may be the most competitive category in this year's Oscar race, Billy Bob is no shoo-in.
Miramax will bring out a duo of Oscar hopefuls, one their little gun and one the only big gun they have left to fire in a year where award-level indie cinema is probably going to be dominated by Gramercy (Elizabeth and dark, dark horse, The Hi-Lo Country) and Fox Searchlight (Waking Ned Devine). The little film is Little Voice, a wonderful, tiny story about a girl so painfully shy that she can only communicate in song, performed remarkably by star Jane Horrocks, in the voices of famous singers.
The big gun is Shakespeare in Love, which people who have seen it seem to either love or hate, though almost everyone was enchanted by Gwyneth Paltrow's turn. I'll let you know what I thought on Monday. (My reaction upon seeing the trailer was a bad imitation of Tom Stoppard. Then I found out that Stoppard wrote the damned thing. Is that a good sign or a bad sign? I'll tell you Monday.) Also, Bulworth is relaunching in two theaters (NY/L.A.) in the beginning of an Oscar campaign of its own.
The weekly box office preview goes up Friday around noon, so you may well be able to get it right now by clicking here.
THE GOOD: I spent a lot of space yesterday trying to give you reasons why you should go spend your $8 on Babe: Pig in the City. Well, you're not getting off that easy. Here I am, bugging you again. I won't offer you a money-back guarantee so you won't hate me for sending you, but I will publish any negative reviews (that I believe are legit) if you are disappointed. I am that confident, in no small part because I haven't spoken to a single person who saw the film and didn't think it was really good, given its genre. Likewise, go see Elizabeth. There is more controversy on this one. I do know a few people who don't like the movie and I must admit that I truly fell in love after a second viewing. So if you didn't like the film, go again. And if you haven't seen it yet, get off ye duff.
THE BAD: I'm not one to mock another's charitable choices (at least not publicly), but I got through a funny story about Susan Sarandon's guest editorship of Marie Claire magazine and found that she had done the job as a way of getting a contribution to and promoting her pet charity. Now, I love Ms. Sarandon's work and she strongly supported a documentary that I feel went underseen (War Zone), but then I read this: "In exchange, Marie Claire made a donation to Sarandon's favorite charity, the Heifer Project, which donates farm animals to needy families." Farm animals to needy families. Say it to yourself. And tell me that you didn't at least crack a smirk.
THE UGLY: Hanson is going to be performing live at the premiere of Jack Frost in Westwood, Calif., 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning, December 5. Now, I could not care less about Hanson, except that they clog up Yahoo! Chat when they do events and make my chat room malfunction. They will play three Christmas-type songs before going to see the movie. I hope that every young girl or boy who loves Hanson comes to Westwood for this free event and makes it a huge success for my friends at the WB. As for the movie, I won't be commenting on the film in depth until it opens, but keep the title of this section of the column firmly in mind when you wonder what my take might be.
JUST WONDERING: Whatever happened to American History X, Pleasantville, Permanent Midnight, Gods and Monsters, Velvet Goldmine and all the other hot fall films which seem to have fallen by he wayside?
HAPPY TRAILERS TO YOU: First, to clarify, In Dreams is now officially back to In Dreams. I mentioned the film last Monday because of the great poster and now I'm mentioning it because the trailer is great, too. It has more of the Robert Downey Jr. character since I saw it last, and it looks good and creepy. The film was delayed from its original October perch by DreamWorks' Antz and let's hope there is an audience willing to give it a shot in January. I also got an eyeful of the Rushmore trailer, which is the rare trailer that really gives you a taste for exactly the kind of movie it is without telling you too much (or almost anything, really) about the story. And the trailer for Varsity Blues made one thing clear. Dawson's movie career is going up the creek.
BAD AD WATCH: I really don't see one this week. Ringmaster is still the self-proclaimed "Funniest movie of the season!" The Waterboy has added, "A hero for America," without attaching a quote from anyone yet. I got a rather magnificent book from Fox on The Thin Red Line, but you can't have it, so why tease you any further. (The package from DreamWorks' The Prince of Egypt is pretty spectacular too.) If you've got some bad ones, send them to me.
READER OF THE DAY: From Watergirl: "You know, like you, I love Adam Sandler. I think all these people who sit back and say that Adam Sandler is 'not' funny or that he is 'untalented' or those who think that The Waterboy is making Hollywood look bad, should just shut their mouths. Maybe they ought to go sit in the corner until they learn their lessons. That guy Eric is a moron (the one who wrote in saying that America has a lot of white trash who like stupid movies). What a d---. You know? There are all of these so-called critics [just] sit around and point their stuck-up noses in the air and cling to all the same stories. You know if one critic boo-boo's a movie they all start in. It doesn't take much to see why either. I am glad you have the courage to say nice things about Adam. Every one of his fans agrees he is talented, he is funny, and he is a real person. I love him. I sit back and read the critics, then I think to myself who are they to judge, really. Let the fans decide. Thanks for your support. Adam is Awesome!"

E ME: Hey, she made the ROTD on enthusiasm alone. What are you enthusiastic about? Are you signing up for a heifer? Running to see Hanson? Do you think Mr. Beatty can resurrect Bulworth in time for the Academy Awards?