Part of Mel Gibson's onscreen appeal, besides his roguish good looks and undeniable acting skill, has long been that many of his characters (including those he played in Mad Max, the three Lethal Weapons and even Braveheart) seem to exist just a step or two this side of sanity. In Conspiracy Theory, Gibson finally crosses over the line, playing a conspiracy-obsessed Manhattan cab driver who spouts a constant stream of wacko-sounding theories (such as the Vietnam War was fought because Howard Hughes lost a bet to Aristotle Onassis, and the space shuttle is causing earthquakes). For a while his agile portrayal of this psychologically shattered man is fascinating to watch.
This crackpot cabby badgers a government attorney (Roberts) with his theories, and she grudgingly tolerates his frequent visits to her office only because he once saved her from a mugging. "This guy is a restraining order waiting to happen," she mutters to a colleague, only half joking. Unbeknownst to Roberts, Gibson also parks his taxi outside her apartment building at night and watches through binoculars as she works out on her treadmill. Not exactly a gentleman hero. But, as this romantic thriller quickly establishes, some of what Gibson natters on about is actually true, and a certain highly placed government psychiatrist (Patrick Stewart, reeking evil) is out to kidnap and torture Gibson to find out exactly what he knows.
The problem with Conspiracy Theory, the fifth cinematic collaboration between Gibson and director Richard Donner (their earlier efforts are Maverick and all three Lethal Weapons), is that, while the movie starts off promisingly with a yeasty fizz, it falls flat two thirds of the way through. The big, dark secret behind Gibson's lunacy just isn't clever enough, too much back plot is laboriously explained, and there are three endings too many As for Roberts, few demands are made upon her other than to let her lower lip tremble in fear, which she does admirably. (R)
Michael Jai White, John Leguizamo
If you judge a superhero by his cape, then Spawn (White) is the coolest. His cape, maraschino-cherry red and seemingly the size of Ringling Brothers' tent, billows behind him like a giant flame, helping him reach soft landings and disguise himself. Too bad the rest of Spawn, about the titular African-American superhero of Todd McFarlane's popular comic book series (see page 113), isn't as alluring as the cape. Although there are some decent special effects, the movie's story (Spawn's own spawning and his battle to avert a biochemical disaster) is phantasmagoric gobbledygook that only the most ardent fans of the comic book will willingly endure. (PG-13)
Katrin Cartlidge, Lynda Steadman
The premise is simplicity itself. Having graduated from college six years earlier, Steadman, who works in corporate personnel outside London, comes into the city to spend a reunion weekend with her former roommate (Cartlidge), who likewise has taken up an office job. The movie flashes back and forth from their initially constrained get-together, during which each woman seems preoccupied by some personal unhappiness, to their school days, when they were almost aggressively miserable (Cartlidge spews a torrent of sarcastic puns and insults, while Steadman twitches with anxiety). Acted to perfection, Career Girls is smaller (and, thankfully, less lugubrious) than director-writer Mike Leigh's last film, the mother-daughter weeper Secrets & Lies. This funny, touching movie has but one purpose: to let us draw close enough to these women that we can hear their hearts beat. And break. (R)
>Winnie the Pooh
TIGGER HAPPY
STOCKS MAY BE REACHING RECORD highs, but Disney is betting on a bear market—a Pooh bear, that is. With the new direct-to-video release Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin ($24.99), the bruin of very little brainpower is starring in his first-ever feature. Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger, whose cartoon shorts were combined for the big screen in 1977's The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, have returned with a few '90s touches. Pooh, sounding as if he has been watching Oprah, tells his pals, "You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think." Most of the original voices are back, although erstwhile Pooh Sterling Holloway, who died in 1992, has been replaced by Jim Cummings, who does Winnie's voice on ABC's The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
This Pooh production is part of a grander scheme. Direct-to-video has become a House of Mouse cash cow. Though obviously not up to the originals in terms of animation and music, the Aladdin video sequels, The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves, sold more than 8 million copies each. In the works: video sequels to Pocahontas, The Lion King and Toy Story. The strategy isn't limited to animation. Disney's first live-action video, Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, sold 3 million copies this year. And that's just the beginning. Says Tania Moloney, of Disney's video arm: "We intend to keep the pipeline very full."
- Contributors:
- Tom Gliatto,
- Linda Friedman.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
