Tuesday, 18 January 2000

WEEKEND REVIEW

Okay, first, let me apologize for not letting you in on our Martin Luther King Jr. Day break. Frankly, with all my travels lately, I forgot until I was in Maui and then it was too late to put anything up.

Second, today will be the first day of two straight weeks of midday updates here at The Hot Button. But you do get the bonus of an extra column for each of the next two weeks, as we are live at Sundance both on Saturday and Sunday. Also, if you happen to be at Sundance, keep an eye out for the Daily Roughcutter, which will include some Hot Button highlights and a daily column from Chicago critic Ray Pride.

Okay, now about the weekend. Well, the weather in Maui wasn't... oh... movies... okay...

Next Friday kicked some butt... even more than the film's $2.7 million Wednesday opening seemed to suggest it might. The Hurricane's opening was fairly promising for both box office success and for Oscar® consideration. Girl, Interrupted did a lot better than I expected (which was not as bad as leaving it out of Box Office Extra may have suggested... that was a mistake.) But I don't expect it to last. The Talented Mr. Ripley seems to be dropping a bit too fast for its own good. And Supernova paid for its legal fees with its opening. Maybe next week, it can gross enough to pay for the medical costs of all the ulcers it has caused at MGM.

Now, back to me. So I went to Maui on Friday. I got in after 10 with a few other journalists, so our hour-long ride to the hotel didn't allow us much sightseeing. But I still was happier than the two Canadians we were with, who had spent in excess of 15 hours making the trip to Maui from the frozen tundra.

So was it worth a five-hour flight to go to Maui for 48 hours? Sure. Not so much because of Maui, but because of the great party that Fox throws at these junkets. You know, with every junket I attend, I become more convinced that I should never do another one. But Fox could be the exception to that sensation, as Party God and Goddess Jeff and Meredith kept the drinks flowing and the good times rolling. Wanna hit the surf on a beach where the waves are so high that the beach is officially closed? Jeff's your man. You want to lead a group with raunchy party games? You go, Meredith! Sing-Along? Jeff. Dancing on the tables? Meredith. The other Foxers were all great too, but none of them seemed to have the raw energy to keep up with these two bacchanalians. (Of course, they all looked marvelous... you can tell the journalists from the publicity staff because the publicity staff is so much better dressed.)

Maybe it's just my limited junket travel schedule, but Fox has been the only studio that ever seems to have the serious joy of junket. And it's not about Hawaii, I don’t think. It seems to be a certain Fox attitude that comes from the top down. And with all the wildness, the amazing thing was that things seemed to go along pretty smoothly. Apparently, there were some early bumps before we arrived and Leo decided not to do TV with the Maui beach as a background, but all things considered, every single journalist I spoke to or heard talking was happy with how things went. Heck, how many other chances will I have to attend a screening with Sarah Ferguson? (And note: Though we were offered unlimited refreshments, I don’t think she had any junk at the theater at all. Take that, Monica!)

And so, as you read this, I am on yet another plane, winging to Chicago for a return to the Land of Ebert. I'm looking forward to seeing Roger again, getting another shot at honing my on-air skills and, especially, the opportunity to join Roger for "Memo To The Academy"... which has been a Siskel and Ebert fave of mine for a long, long time. So, the parade continues. Maybe Rog and I will sing some of those oldies that Jeff Godsick taught us so... well... loudly. That would be fun. I wonder whether Roger can sing...

THE GOOD: Leonardo DiCaprio was a delight on the junket. You couldn't have asked more of him. He was honest and open. He signed autographs. He talked about Star Wars. (From his mouth, "I haven't seen a script yet... " Cynics will say that is some sort of evasion. Others will say that he's a lock. I think the truth is what he said... he expects to see a script from Lucas and hasn't yet seen one. However, keep in mind that he is booked from April or May until August or September with Gangs of New York.) Speaking of Scorsese, he did everything but bow at the altar of Marty. I asked him whether he took pride in being able to get a film financed for Scorsese with his star power that may not have ever gotten otherwise financed and he first responded, "yes," but quickly included that he didn't really see it that way. It was just great that he'd get to work with the master. Throughout the weekend, no one could say enough nice things about Leo. And to answer the stupid rumor that everyone keeps floating, he's not a pound overweight and he seems to keep getting taller. So there. I'm about the last person you might expect to be happily buzzing about Leo, but he earned it with his attitude and that's all I could ask of anyone.

THE NOT BAD: You wanted to know what I thought of movie... well, that's about what I think. It would be unfair to call it bad, but it wouldn't qualify as good either. There is lots of interesting work in the film from director Danny Boyle and the acting is perfect from beginning to end. My problem with this movie is that I don't think it ever answers the question it presents: Can paradise exist for a group of human beings? I don't even demand a singular answer. But I felt as though there was a smorgasbord of answers in the film, and they conflict with each other so much as to blur into meaninglessness... at least, for me. Truth be told, after talking to director Danny Boyle and asking him some quite direct questions in these areas, I was left with the distinct sense that my sense of things was exactly as he intended. Good for him. That is what I hope every director succeeds in doing. But not good for me, since I prefer a more consistent brand of philosophy. There were also a number of surprising visual lapses given the brilliance of cinematographer Darius Khondji. But again, the question was answered by producer Andrew McDonald, who made it clear that he was of a mind to shoot on schedule, even when the weather wasn't cooperating. All things considered, I would have to say that as a work of great death and insight, The Beach is an artful failure. But will girls love Leo in the film? Absolutely. His faults are truly the faults of youth and passion, not evil. And will teens connect with the theme of searching for paradise? Could be. This could have been a great movie. The ideas are there. They just fell though Danny Boyle's fingers, I'm afraid, like so much beautiful sand.

"In Space, No One Can Hear You Flop"