The Hot Button by David Poland

Friday, 12 February 1999

WEEKEND PREVIEW

Three -- count 'em -- three big releases this weekend. And best of all, only one is a dump! And when I say dump, I don't mean a load in a diaper, but a strategic movie by Disney to throw My Favorite Martian into theaters without a life preserver. Glub, glub, glub. The water analogy continues with the movie that should take the No. 1 slot and which is easily the best new film of 1999 to date, Warner Bros.' Message in a Bottle. I have enumerated on the charms of this film before (THB 1/22), so why bore you with recounting them here? But needless to say, I think it's a wonderful weepy with stellar performances by Paul Newman and Robin Wright Penn. And the trades can eat my shorts if they don't like the film. (The movie is more subtle than that. Trust me.)
On the flip side, there is Blast From The Past. It's the story of the nuclear disaster that caused Alicia Silverstone's mouth to be deformed into this incredibly sexy, but challenging-to-the-spoken-word oddity that it is. OK, I'm lying. It's Sissy Spacek and a remarkably straight Christopher Walken as a pregnant couple form the early '60s who lock themselves in their bomb shelter until the A-bomb that exploded when Kennedy pushed the Cubans too far went off. Thirty-five years later, their son, born in the shelter, comes to the surface and ends up doing Alicia Silverstone. It's just that exciting! This is the film that home video was created for.
Look for Oscar®-nomination based jumps at the box office for Shakespeare in Love, Saving Private Ryan (re-released last weekend), The Thin Red Line, Elizabeth and Life is Beautiful. Only the "S" films were in the Top 10 last weekend, though all five made it into the Top 20. (Just barely, with LIB in slot 20.) Also curious will be how Disney handles Rushmore's Oscar® shut-out and the future of Waking Ned Devine, A Civil Action and A Simple Plan, all with disappointing nomination stories.
THE GOOD: Next Wednesday, I wing to San Francisco to attend the junket for EdTV. I didn't know what to expect when I sat down to see the film. As many of your have noted in bitter letters, I am not the biggest Matthew McConaughey fan all the time. But he charmed me for the whole two hours and change this time. This, my friends, is a big, fat, hit movie. Ron Howard and his sidekick writers, the great Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel finally found the perfect tone for a "man on TV" movie. It's not the '50s and Ed knows he is on TV. He is as conscious of the medium as we, the audience, are. And Ron Howard understands the medium of television better than any director working today. He understands it from in front of and behind the camera. He understands celebrity (which Woody Allen seems not to in his title of that name). And Ron Howard knows how to seemlessly tell a story. You may call him commercial, but why complain when there is nothing not to like.
McConaughey, playing a guy who wants to be like Burt Reynolds, is perfect. Jenna Elfman brings all of her weird charms to the party. Woody Harrelson can seem to do no wrong these days. (I even liked The Hi-Lo Country.) Sally Kirkland turns the trick in a relaxed performance. And Martin Landau gets a chance to get the big laughs for the first time in a long, long time. He's great. There is one more actor who stands out, perhaps not for the best, but I don't know whether Universal considers his presence a secret surprise or not, so I'll hold out on you for now. (Here's a hint: He was expelled from Truman's world, making his work here all the more ironic.) I really enjoyed this movie. It's not Ben-Hur, but it is the movie that The Truman Show should have been. A great ride with some real feelings.
THE BAD: This is actually bad-ass. Young Ms. Courtney Love, known as a wild woman, was grilled on Edward Norton in regards to the Oscars®. She was, of course, very happy for him. She also explained (with a smirk) that she was the key to Oscar® nominations. She was around to secure nominations for Larry Flynt last year and while Jim Carrey didn't get nominated for Truman this year, he's a shoo-in for Man on the Moon next year because Courtney is by his side. But that's not the bad-ass part. The nominations that Courtney was most excited about were the seven for The Thin Red Line. Welcome to the club, Courtney. We are happy to have you on board. (I'll probably get an angry e-mail claiming that Courtney started the club, but c' est la vie. Anything to support the most underappreciated film of 1998.)
THE UGLY: I'm pretty sure that Simply Irresistible is still in theaters. It just can't get much uglier than that!
THE CHAT: Coming next Wednesday, 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT, Academy Award nominee for Gods and Monsters, Sir Ian McKellen. Co-produced by www.mckellen.com, Sir Ian's official site, which is maintained by Keith Stern. If you loved Gods and Monsters or if you love Oscar® or if you just want to chat with one of the world's greatest actors, this is for you. As Janet Maslin said in September, "Gods and Monsters is an unalloyed success at the New York Film Festival, with a performance by Sir Ian McKellen that richly deserves to be remembered at the end of the year." (Read her review here.)
JUST WONDERING: Is two or three double columns a week getting to you, because it's wearing me out. I've been chatting with Hot Button editor Jen Nowitzky and we've been talking about doing more noon EST, same-day columns each month. What do you think? Would you rather have The Hot Button, a little stale, but with your fresh coffee each morning. Or do you want The Hot Button piping hot with your lukewarm lunchtime coffee? Your wishes count, so let us know.
QUOTE WHORING USA: For Message in a Bottle: "Easily the best movie romance since Ghost!" "You can't take your eyes off Robin Wright Penn." "Paul Newman gives an Oscar®-worthy performance." "Kevin Costner doesn't screw the movie up, I swear!"
HAPPY TRAILERS TO YOU: You know, I really like The Mod Squad trailer. Every time I see it, I like it more. Sure, I'd like to hear some vestige of Quincy Jones' great theme, but this movie looks like real fun. Giovanni Ribisi is a great actor. Claire Danes is Claire Danes as the opposite of Claire Danes. And Omar Epps has never found a film to match his turn in Higher Learning, but this could be it. All that and Clarence Williams III. (OK, so he's not in the trailer, but he's in my head, like the sounds of doves crying.)
BAD AD WATCH: It's Oscar® week, so let's look at the Oscar® ads. Saving Private Ryan, second to Shakespeare in Love with an Oscar® tally of just 11 nominations to SIL's 13, is proclaiming itself "The Most-Honored Movie of the Year." Meanwhile, Central Station boasts "The Most Honored Actress of the Year," touting Fernanda Montenegro. And over in Miramaxville, they are touting Life is Beautiful ONLY as Best Picture. No mention of Best Foreign Language Film. Likewise, Shakespeare in Love is similarly situated, with a larger ad (to match the revenue) but almost exactly the same advertising design as Life is Beautiful. And I can't let USA Today's Susan Wloszczyna get away with "Hanks and Ryan should win a Nobel Prize for chemistry" without a mention. Blech!
READER OF THE DAY: Good wrote: "I can't agree with you more about Life is Beautiful. Foreign Language was enough! I slightly agree with you regarding Shakespeare in Love. All this hoopla about Gwynnie. It takes two and Joe has been grossly overlooked; after all it is Shakespeare that is in love and not Gwynnie that we love. There is no God and Gwynnie will win the Oscar® over Cate. Let's not forget Helen Hunt won over Judi Dench last year. (We want viewers to watch this telecast. Let's give them someone that they know). I have to disagree with you in regard to overlooked Jim Carrey; after all he was Truman. No one is saying that he should win, but they could have nominated him (Who is Roberto [Benigni]?) Supporting should go to Lynn Redgrave, but Kathy Bates was the best thing about Primary Colors. Supporting should go Ed Harris (Truman will not win anything else), but James Coburn is the last John Wayne. Best Actor should go to Ian McKellen, but Nick Nolte will take it (he should have won for The Prince of Tides but that was a Streisand movie and we know those old men are not going to give Babs anything but a ticket out of Hollywood).
(DAVID NOTE: Now, now. Maybe the non-nod for POT was unfair, but is anyone still crying about her being passed over for Yentl or Nuts? Or weren't those Oscar® runs hype-driven? And isn't the Academy reacting now to her academy-bashing since then? Just a thought.)
"Picture unfortunately will go to Saving Private Ryan (all visual with no substance, just like those WOW potato chips), though the The Thin Red Line was a much better film (The anti-war film that Spielberg wanted to make). Director, once again the academy doesn't fail in nominating a picture and not its director (probably couldn't [pronounce] his name). A gross oversight. [Elizabeth director Shekhar Kapur] has made the most visually stunning picture of the year -- my God a movie about something! Art direction should go to Elizabeth. Do I hear Saving? Cinematography should go to The Thin Red Line. Do I hear Saving? Costume, hands down to Elizabeth. Do I hear Shakespeare? I will be watching on March 21 with a drink in hand (which I'll need because it will be a Shakespeare and Saving kind of night)."

E ME: Did you get the Clarence Williams III reference? I should hold a contest for the most esoteric reference I make each week. Speaking of which, if you think you deserve to win the Oscar® contest, send me a note and I'll check out your entry. (Did anyone actually get Shakespeare outnumbering Ryan in nominations?)

.