Friday, November 6, 1998
Screen Scene
"Elizabeth"
Directed by Shekhar Kapur
Starring Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush and Joseph Fiennes
Survivors of "The Man in the Iron Mask" are about to be rewarded
for their suffering in the form of "Elizabeth," another epic
European-royalty-comes-of-age movie.
This one, however, forgoes the self-righteousness and ’90s
patina in favor of thoughtful character development, humor that
works in the historical context and genuinely beautiful
filmmaking.
The film picks up when England’s queen-to-be is a princess in
countryside exile, despised by her Catholic half sister, Queen
Mary. After serving time in the tower for her somewhat
non-committal Protestantism, Elizabeth nevertheless lands on the
throne when Mary succumbs to cancer.
Here are the first hints of Cate Blanchett’s versatility and
depth  the early Elizabeth is playful, dancing her days away
with the dashing Lord Robert Dudley (her chemistry with Ralph
Fiennes both burns and evolves on screen), but she is also savvy to
the impending power and danger of her position.
As she defends threats to Great Britain from within and abroad,
she also fends off suitors, quickly aware that marriage and the
production of an heir will turn her from ruler to well-dressed
housewife. Some of the film’s funniest moments fall in the capable
comic hands of Vincent Cassel, whose Duke of Anjou tries to impress
her with a reenactment of the Spanish Armada. He plays mighty
England in a boat costume, body-bumping other boat-clad men out of
the picture.
The problem with living single, however, is that Robert is off
limits as well. The painful realization that she can rely only on
herself rends the story bittersweet and allows Blanchett to
stunningly transform her character (especially in the last 15
minutes of the film) from a bright but fallible young woman to a
wizened Virgin Queen whose sacrifices crack her white, pancake
makeup.
Surrounding Blanchett is a worthy cast of friends and enemies,
including Sir Francis Walsingham (Rush’s cryptic snakiness keeps us
guessing as to what side he’s on), the caring but old school Sir
William Cecil (a sympathetic and grandfatherly Richard
Attenborough), and plotting, flamboyant Mary of Guise (Fanny Ardant
is a sort French Faye Dunaway).
Nearly all balance intense individuality with historical
accuracy  the film is de facto feminist as opposed to the
Drew Barrymore "I threw an apple at a boy, so I’m a feisty heroine"
school of acting.
Kapur paints Renaissance England with the lush costuming and
landscapes typical of period movies, but his shots of drafty
cathedrals and starlit gondolas serve more than aesthetic
purposes.
Critics are fond of pinpointing movies of Oscar potential and
then putting them in their place. But if "Elizabeth" strolls down
the red carpet, it may be a rightful heir indeed.
Cheryl Klein
"The Waterboy"
Directed by Frank Coraci
Starring Adam Sandler and Henry Winkler
Adam Sandler has made a career out of playing losers, and with
"The Waterboy," it looks like he’ll continue doing so.
In the movie, Sandler plays a waterboy turned college football
linebacker. He uses the years of abuse he’s received because of his
less-than-average intelligence as motivation to destroy whomever on
the gridiron happens to be holding the ball.
The premise is thin, but then so are the premises of all Sandler
movies. That doesn’t make them any less funny. Actually, it seems
as though Sandler thrives on his ability to just roam in a plot and
discover what is funny.
Set in the deep South, the bayou to be exact (where football is
king), "The Waterboy" derives a good amount of humor from its
backwoods atmosphere.
The scenes set in Bobby Boucher’s home, run by his mother (Kathy
Bates) who believes that everything outside the home is evil, are
surreally amusing. Jerry Reed is also spectacularly funny as a
Cajun hick who is utterly incomprehensible.
But the real laughs come at the expense of Boucher himself. He’s
an endearing character, but the audience cannot help but laugh at
how intensely stupid and pathetic Boucher’s life has become. A
virgin at 31, Boucher cannot even understand the sexual innuendos
his semi-psychotic girlfriend Vicky (Fairuza Balk) tosses at
him.
Henry Winkler, of Fonzie fame, is also hilarious as Coach Klein,
a coach who has suffered a severe nervous breakdown and is on his
last threads of sanity when Bobby joins the football team.
The movie is also a real treat for the avid sports fan. There
are cameos by numerous sports figures, including Jimmy Johnson,
Bill Cowher, Lynn Swann and Brent Musberger. Also notable is an
appearance by former NFL linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who was
arrested for purchasing crack just recently.
It doesn’t really give anything away to say that this movie has
a happy ending, but the way it’s done is wonderful. It practically
mocks every Hoosiers clone.
"The Waterboy" won’t win any Academy Awards but that’s not the
point, is it? "The Waterboy" is a great time and delivers on every
promise Sandler has made his fans with "Billy Madison," "Happy
Gilmore" and "The Wedding Singer."
Sam Toussi
"Velvet Goldmine"
Directed by Todd Haynes
Starring Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Christian Bale
If a film is about rock ‘n’ rollers, some kind of sequence
involving drug use and perhaps a shot of the user’s spaced-out,
drug-induced state can be expected. "Velvet Goldmine," however,
takes that one step further. The film itself feels like a
drug-induced experience on screen.
What promises to be a fascinating introduction to the era of
glam-rock stars, their own motivations to don the feminine get-up
and their impact on young, confused teens takes a terrible turn
into a generic take at a behind-the-scenes life of a rocker.
The film is supposedly a fictional biography on British glam
rocker Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), who looks like a
dolled-up David Bowie in a skin-tight, sequined jumpsuit, a neon
mohawk and layers of Marilyn-Manson-like makeup. Ten years after
Slade gets shot onstage, it’s 1984, and a New York publication
wants to run a feature on rock has-beens.
Reporter Arthur Stuart (Christian Bale) is assigned to uncover
what he can about the exiled rocker who faked his own death and
repelled his fans in the process. Told like "Citizen Kane" (but not
as well) by the people who knew Slade, it seems that those closest
to him didn’t know him all too well. The drag-queen rocker behind
the freaky costumes and gaudy makeup is still an enigma after the
movie is finally over.
As the only poignant part of the film, Arthur’s sexual confusion
is heartfelt and sad, especially in a scene where he is caught
masturbating to a picture of Slade. The confusion is painfully
present, especially in the wake of a bisexual trend spurned by the
glam rockers.
Slade’s first manager, wife and lover attempt to tell their
stories about Slade from his first musical attempts to his
ascension into superstardom. Then he is filthy rich and (surprise!)
he engages in lots of sex and drug use.
If that description seems vague, well, the film itself is just
as vague. Sometimes in between, there will be some ridiculous
music-video-like sequence with swimming images set to some
forgettable rock song. The film can even make live performances and
orgy scenes boring save for a performance by Slade’s musical
inspiration played by Ewan McGregor.
"Velvet Goldmine’s" depth cuts as deep as Slade’s sequined,
chest-bearing jumpsuit  gaudy and ostentatious under bright
lights with no clue of what lies beneath the surface.
Sandy YangGramercy Pictures
Cate Blanchett stars as Queen Elizabeth I in "Elizabeth."
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