One Fine Day ** (Short Review)
Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney
A romantic-comedy-shaggy-dog-tale, featuring very attractive leads who meander uneventfully towards the closing credits. None too funny either, but at least - save for the irritating children - it's all easily watchable.
101 Dalmatians **** (short review)
Starring Glenn Close, Jeff Daniels, Joely Richardson, Hugh Laurie & Mark Williams
Directed by Stephen Herek
DVD Review * 1/2
Good natured live action version of the old Disney animated classic has the canines and characters chasing each other through Leicester Square and on to England's rolling hills. Close has a fabulous time hamming it up as De Vil, Richardson and Daniels make a lovely couple, the standard issue John Hughes thick comic hitmen are well above average courtesy of the two superb comedians, and the animals are adorable (of course). And any film with the exchange "What kind of a sycophant are you?" "Er... what kind of a sycophant would you like me to be?" can't be all bad...
Oscar & Lucinda * (Short Review)
Starring: Ralph Finnes and Kate Blanchett
Directed by: Gillian Armstrong
He's brought up Plymouth Bretheren. She loves glass blowing. They both love gambling. Together, they build a glass church. And then bet on it.
God, indeed, help us. Beautifully photographed, but irredeemably awful.
Starring George Clooney, Jenniffer Lopez & Ving Rhames
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Elmore Leonard is flavour of the month these days, as his crime back catalogue is plundered by Hollywood seemingly on a weekly basis. Jackie Brown was overlong, Get Shorty was perhaps a bit self-consciously hip, but Out Of Sight, despite some flaws, is probably the most enjoyable adaption yet.
Clooney is perfectly cast as an institutionalised bank robber, who one day prison-breaks only to bump straight into the shapely body of FBI agent Lopez. To escape capture, he leaps straight into the boot of his accomplice's car with his would-be nemesis, only to discover that in the confined darkness, the two hit it off surprisingly well. The conversation moves rapidly from the predictable nature of Clooney's predicament, to the less predictable swapping notes of favourite movies. Lopez escapes, and a cat and mouse game then ensues, with the unusual distinction of both cat and mouse wondering if, when one catches the other, they'll have plenty on their mind besides lunch...
While the mid section is far too long, containing around 15 pages of subplot that could just be ripped out and fed straight to the paper shredder, this is a film that rests frimly and squarely on the chemistry of the two leads. Director Soderbergh (Sex, Lies & Videotape) weaves a masterful spell, with a love scene which has to rank as one of the the most stylish and sexy in cinema's history. And while the middle hour lollops around from time to time, the film's conclusion is far more entertaining, capped by an absolutely delicious ending.
It's a movie that requires a certain amount of disbelief suspension (I'm sure that, in a real car boot, Lopez would tag Clooney a borderline rapist), and is weighed down by far too much intricate-yet-dull plotting. But if you can get over that, the film that rewards the punter with oodles of style and, in the shape of the two leads, captivating content.
All reviews / articles copyright Guy Rowland (1998).