Wednesday, January 6, 1999
Screen Scene
"Meet Joe Black"
Starring Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins
Directed by Martin Brest
By the end of Martin Brest’s three-hour opus "Meet Joe Black,"
we haven’t just met Brad Pitt’s other-worldly enigma – we’ve gotten
to know him pretty damn well. The film, a supernatural romance set
in a world of decadence, runs far too long for its own good. Though
it has some fun with its admittedly outlandish premise, the movie
becomes too stifled by its own severity.
The Joe Black in question is a human incarnate of the Angel of
Death, who has come to Earth to usher fabulously wealthy publishing
magnate Bill Parrish (Hopkins) into the next world. Fortunately,
Black has a sweet deal for Parrish; if he allows Death to live with
him at his palatial estate, he gets to prolong his life by a few
precious weeks. Of course, Parrish has no choice but to agree, and
thus begins the Grim Reaper’s adventures among the living.
Though this could have been the setup for a light comedy,
especially when one considers that Death enters a romance with
Parrish’s feisty surgeon daughter (Claire Forlani), the tone of the
picture contradicts this conclusion. While "Black" does enjoy an
occasional moment of levity, this is weighty material all the way.
Director Brest tries his best to say something about life and
death, and the production has aimed itself at something beyond the
level of pure entertainment.
To be sure, this perspective does allow for some delightful
camera work as well as some choice dialogue (the screenplay is 10
times as witty and literate than the average Hollywood
tear-jerker). Unfortunately, Brest also gives his actors far too
much room to indulge themselves in their characters, and the cast
tends to overplay many of the scenes. Dramatic pauses abound, the
tears flow throughout, and even the extremely talented duo of Pitt
and Hopkins cannot completely escape the draw toward melodrama. The
most guilty for the overacting malady, however, is newcomer
Forlani, obviously uncomfortable with the heaviness of the material
(she is perhaps best known for her comedic turn in Kevin Smith’s
"Mallrats"). Forlani, instead of challenging the audience with an
intelligent female presence, plays a swooning schoolgirl,
completely taken with Black’s charms and unable to resist his
quirky manner.
All minor points aside, what brings down "Joe Black" in the end
is its unstoppable determination to be meaningful. Instead of
giving us memorable characters and a thought-provoking screenplay,
Brest has to cram his message down our throats, forgetting that all
the frilly language and sweeping visuals in the world can’t make an
audience care about a dull film with glacial pacing.
Lonnie Harris
"I Still Know What You Did Last Summer"
Starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Brandy
Directed by Danny Cannon
According to the laws of horror filmdom, sequels suck and almost
never surpass the original movie. The problem with "I Still Know
What You Did Last Summer," the latest TV-teen-slasher flick, is
that the film delivers the same lukewarm chills as its predecessor
did.
Still traumatized by her ordeal with the one-handed Ben Willis –
who makes Captain Hook look about as threatening as Tinkerbell –
Julie James (Hewitt) tries to move on at college in Boston.
Unfortunately, she continues to be plagued by nightmares of the
murderous fisherman gutting her. Despite the efforts of her
boyfriend Ray (Prinze) and spirited roommate Karla (Brandy), nobody
can cheer Julie out of her slump. Julie’s anxieties disappear
momentarily, however, when Karla wins a trip for four to an exotic
island in the Bahamas. Anticipating a vacation in paradise, the
girls set off with their friends Tyrell (Mekhi Phifer) and Will
(Matthew Settle). Unknown to anyone, Willis follows the gang to the
island where a gory cat-and-mouse game ensues.
The hardest obstacle for the movie to overcome is its
unbelievable villain. Except for the token messages reading "I
still know," there is rarely any verbal or physical interaction
between Willis and the squeaky-clean teens. As a result, the
fisherman emerges more like a cartoon monster than a deeply
disturbed man with a complex history.
It seems the script neglected the teens, too. Even with a
Noxzema-perfect cast of up-and-comers to do the screaming, only
Brandy sticks out as a spunkier girl-next-door who is not afraid to
get down and dirty.
Despite the abundance of some gruesome splicing, the story flows
with few moments of suspense. The only ambiguity stems from trying
to guess which of the main characters will survive to make the
third movie. Although a movie sequel usually guarantees a
third-installment, this franchise is better off buried.
Terry TangUniversal Pictures
Brad Pitt enraptures Claire Forlani in "Meet Joe Black."
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