Friday, 5 November 1999

WEEKEND PREVIEW

This is THE weekend for movies.

Why? The titles of all three wide releases start with a "the." But it's a pretty good weekend anyway. The Bone Collector is a solid thriller. The Insider is a solid heroic drama with grand flourishes by Russell Crowe, Al Pacino, Christopher Plummer and director Michael Mann. And then there is The Bachelor...which you should leave at the altar and run away from like a plump bride for Hannibal Lechter.

I've pretty much told you how I feel about these movies already, no? Read the Box Office Extra

On the indie front, two terrific documentaries lead the way. American Movie is an instant classic about a guy who desperately wants to make a low-budget film and against all odds, does. If you love film, you will love this movie. My Best Fiend, which I reviewed at Telluride, is Werner Herzog's look at his relationship with regular partner/actor Klaus Kinski. There have been some doubts about how much of Herzog's view is based on reality, but even if he's making stuff up, it befits the subject matter. And it sure is amusing.

Indie dramas are led by Mansfield Park. I really enjoyed this movie. In fact, I've liked it more and more as I've gotten farther away from it. Ron Rosenbaum of The New York Observer wrote a great piece about how Patricia Rozema melded Jane Austen and the character of Fanny Price that he feels like he's lost the bitter unpleasant joy that was Fanny. Me, I'm an ignoramus who never read "Mansfield Park", so it's all Frances O'Connor to me. Also, Rosetta hits American screens and a lot of Americans will want to hit back. This is a tough, harsh story of a desperate young woman. But I kind of started liking it near the end. There was something just so unrelenting about her pain and unhappiness. Maybe like Fanny Price really was written by Jane Austen. But if you are looking for sunshine, you probably should stay home and rent this weekend.

THE GOOD: There was lots of complaining about how Warner Bros. sold The Iron Giant when it opened. But you can't really complain about how they are handling the video release. The studio has taken the road show for the film to Washington, involving congressmen like Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) in a press conference, after which, the studio will give a copy of the film to every member of Congress. (Hopefully, copy protected. If not, Jack Valenti may have a fit.)

THE BAD: Bad news about a great comic actress. Madeline Kahn has ovarian cancer. I'm sure that the news cast a pall over the 25th Anniversary celebration for Young Frankenstein that I have been touting here over the last few weeks. Kahn has most recently been a regular on CBS' "Cosby" show, but has spent more and more time hospitalized and is now receiving home care. Kahn's work as a comic actress was dominant in a film generation that celebrated the gritty and the moody. Lily Von Shtupp was one of the few people who could ever survive being called a Teutonic twat and come out ahead for having fit the attempt at an insult. Only Kahn could tame both the doctor and the monster, hitting every note, low and high. And even in one of Mel Brooks' weakest efforts, she could choose, "Yes, no, no, no, no, yes, no, no, no, no, yes, no, no, yes, no, no, yes, no, no, yes, no, no, no, no, no, no YES..."

THE UGLY: Warren Beatty still is trying to get America to draft him to be president. Sorry, Warren. Doesn't work that way. But you loook mahvelous trying. WAIT!!!! Enough mocking Warren. I just got some really ugly news. NBC, which apparently stands for No Brain Comedy division, is hiring Body Shots writer David McKenna to create a pilot for the network that will be like a guy version of "Sex and The City." Here's the problem... "Sex and the City", as "I want a man" obsessed as it is, has intelligent characters in the lead. Even in McKenna's script for American History X, which I liked, his characters were lowlifes. And based on Body Shots, his perception of sex is completely one note and abusive. Dear God, let it die in development, lest someone think it was a good idea.

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY: You have almost a full week to get to Los Angeles to see Better Living Through Circuitry, a terrific, pulsing documentary about the rave scene. It starts at 8 p.m. and goes on until...

BAD AD WATCH: It's been interesting to watch New Line evolve its marketing for The Bachelor. First, it was Chris O'Donnell's back. And no one cared. Then, O'Donnell's face. And no one cared. Now, it's O'Donnell and Renee Zellweger. Does anyone care? The TV spots are pretty good considering that they really don't reflect the film much at all. A good ad for a bad movie.

READER OF THE DAY: Burnin' Love wrote: "Okay David, sometime(s) you annoy [me] [like] today you've made me wanna start a fight club with you. Where do you live, Dubuque? Still scared of black people, on the eve of this glorious revolution? I say, without pause, Hooray for Danny Glover and his willingness to fight against the petty indignities of city dwelling. Contrary to your assumption, I'm not black, I don't drive a cab, and I still think my opinion is worth something on the matter. My pigmentation has nothing to do with my empathy for other people- that is a matter of the heart. I am young white female New Yorker who has been above 89th St many times without suffering any physical damage. For your information, the people who live there are not rabid killers, eager to mug you, rob you, or scalp you for your lousy $15. They are human beings like you and I. And Cabbies who refuse to pick up black folk because they're frightened of them are violating ALL of our civil rights. It's a LAW in New York that you have to take your passenger anywhere they want to go in the 5 boroughs. Now, it seems you need a lesson in human connectivity. Now that I see what kind of man you are, I don't much feel like reading your column, so why didn't you just stick to the movies instead of exposing your ugly b**ch ti***es?"

DAVID RESPONDS: Wow...that was fun. Let's see. I've lived in New York... upper west side. I've had cabbies pass me up for being brownish. I never said that everyone over 89th street is a mugger or murderer. I said that cabbies -- some of whom, by the way, have fought for civil rights -- have told me that they consider it a percentage game. I tried to acknowledge that this is a difficult problem for black people, hispanic people and cab drivers alike. But in matters of the heart -- and I should have seen this letter coming -- people are all or nothing in their opinions. Which is unfortunate, because so few things in this world are absolutely black & white. Oh well.

And this from a Regular Russ: "Well I for one know that I am better off walking than relying on a cab in New York, as well as any other major city in the US of A. Even black drivers are rejecting the black customers, so fingers cannot be pointed at the white drivers. Regardless, Danny Glover''s efforts may be in vain, but appreciated, because the investigation won't make much of a difference. No matter what is done the cabs will keep on rejecting the black customers. For some reason our money is not green to them."

And finally, a measured response from our Lonesome Dove: "It's very important that Danny finally filed an official complaint with NYC about racism among cab drivers. We have all joked for years about how hard it is to get a cab if you're a black man, but no one has actually done anything about it. Danny is a celebrity and can bring attention to this issue. It's demoralizing to be ignored and brushed aside because of your skin color. It's like saying that you're a dog and you're not even worth anyone's attention. It's very painful and it's about time someone finally did something about it. I have never had a problem getting a cab, but I have been followed around in a retail store with no reason but the color of my skin. I know some white people have mentioned to me that sometimes they get followed around if they look like some hip hop kid or grunge kid and that it doesn't really bother them. Well, of course not. They are of the privileged class that has never feared police officers, receives top service in restaurants on a regular basis and can hail down cabs with a flick of the wrist. They can change their hip hop clothes at any time and receive their benefits. I do not have that type of freedom.

You inferred in your article that the cabbie may be hesitant to pick up black fares because they might have to drive past 89th in New York to get to their destination. From my understanding that's not the reason why cabbies ignore black men. Usually they're afraid that black men are going to rob them in transit. I admit that does happen on occasion, but does that give cabbies the right to universally discriminate against all black people? Does that give cops the right to stop citizens simply because of their race and then detain them for an indeterminate amount of time? You can't accept one without the other. Racism is racism.

When I heard that Danny was ignored by several cab drivers and then not allowed to sit in the front seat by the one that actually stopped for him, I understood his problem. I have had several white friends sit in the front seat of a cab on several occasions without protest from the cabbie. Why the discrepancy? Did Danny Glover really look like a threat? We as a people can only lie down so much. You can only be a doormat for a certain amount of time, then you need to get up and demand better treatment.

I don't usually walk around Chicago thinking about my race, but when someone discriminates against me, it cuts deep into my soul. I heal within a few days but it hurts. Why should I have to deal with that? I'm an educated person and a good citizen. Why should I or any of my people get profiled?

Latinos deal with the same kind of stuff that black people do and we're done with it. We have too much power as minorities to lie down any longer. This is why Danny's action is important. We deserve to be treated as equals...finally."

E ME: I have nothing but agreement with The Dove. But it's kinda heavy, huh? Especially after yesterday was a beach. Send me some light e-mail. Delight me! Amuse yourself! Scare children!