movie reviews, Volume 3 number 2, February 2001, © by Thela Clayton Video Dreamland February, the month of love: amoré is in the air, whether you shower your sweetheart with valentines, chocolate, or a trip to Hawaii. This is the time to tell everyone you care for how much they mean in your life. For life is love—it weaves a unique tapestry for all of us. Take a little escape from Dubya and the nightly news and warm your heart with my choice of love stories. Gone in 60 Seconds, PG 13 Ladies, show your man how much you love him. Buy a six-pack of beer, pop some popcorn, turn the volume up, and belt in! When a shelky named Eleanor lights up the screen,, watch his eyes glaze over and be sure to dab the drool off his shirt. Believe me, girlfriend, no skinny barbie-doll starlet can compete with this classic, full-bodied, hot mama! The movie has a simple premise: big brother has to save little brother’s butt by stealing fifty automobiles in seventy-two hours. Nicholas Cage and Robert Duvall are the good ole boys who treat us to the secrets of car boosting. They accomplish this faster than a trip to the outhouse at fifty below. And it is possible a few of you ladies will fall in love with Eleanor. Watch out! Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, PG 13 The Klump family, if you didn’t already know, is entirely portrayed by Eddie Murphy. The individual characters really showcase his talent, and I really love each one, especially Grandma. However, I liked them better in the short skits on Saturday Night Live. With the success of his formula, Professor Klump asks his lovely assistant, Janet Jackson, to marry him. Amidst all his excitement, the professor’s alter ego somehow manages to manifest, with the help of a dog’s DNA. The professor, living two lives, finds himself in a precarious situation when he realizes his alter ego is stronger than him. Two hours of slapstick comedy was too much for me. I now know more about this family than I ever wanted to know. Too many flatulent jokes gave this review a bad bout of flatus. Out of Africa, PG An aerial view of landscape, the silhouette of a man against the rising sun, the voice of a woman telling you she once owned a ranch in the foothills in Africa—the opening scenes of this film titillate our senses. Settle into your favorite chair as we visit exotic Africa of 1913 for a story of adventure and romance. Karen Blixen, a rich European woman without a title, arranges a marriage to her friend, the indigent baron. They settle on the baron’s family land in Kenya, where he announces to his wife that they will grow coffee—never done here before. She runs the plantation while he spends his time with the gentry at the country club. Life is lonely and dull until she meets the adventurer, Dennis. This is not a girls’ movie. The men and women I know who remember this movie when it first came out love it. It was one of the best pictures for 1986. Two people in love + their love for a pristine land = a beautiful valentine. See it with someone you love! Four Weddings and a Funeral, R In 1993, we were introduced to the talented English actor Hugh Grant. With a style similar to Cary Grant, he plays an excellent romantic comedy lead, a role few actors portray with the grace and ease that he does. The story centers around a group of thirty-something friends and the weddings they attend. Each wedding is a delightful, funny narrative that takes place in various British locales. Our man meets a lovely lady at the first wedding and has a fling with her. Being only one of his many love affairs, he doesn’t realize she’s special until he runs into her at the second wedding. This movie offers our palate plentiful humor, a happy valentine you will surely enjoy. Going South, PG My last pic for this month is a sleeper of a shining star. The 1978 cast includes Mary Steenburger, Christopher Lloyd, John Belushi, Danny DeVito, and Mr. Shining himself, Jack Nicholson. Nicholson plays Henry Moon, a second-rate outlaw, caught by the sheriff and sentenced to hang in Longhorn, Texas. At the last moment, he is told of a local ordinance: he can be freed if one of the local women marries him. This movie is fun. We are treated to that funny face with those crazed eyes that makes Jack the #1 man you want to party with. No matter how you like your different servings of Jack, he always delivers. So dish your dish a dish of this funny valentine. | ||
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