Capsule Movie Reviews
Copyright (c) 1994, Bruce Diamond
All rights reserved




        Ŀ
         PULP FICTION:  Written & directed by Quentin Tarantino.   
         John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth,  
         Amanda Plummer, Harvey Keitel, Maria de Madieros, Ving    
         Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, Christopher Wal-   
         ken, and Bruce Willis.  Miramax.  Rated R.                
        

          An intricate, literate, and fresh approach to hard-boiled
     movies.  Tarantino surpasses his first triumph as a writer/
     director, RESERVOIR DOGS, with a film that ties three stories
     together in a Gordian knot of plot and character.  A young couple
     robbing a restaurant frames the action, which features a couple
     of mob boys (Travolta & Jackson) out on an errand, a night out
     for Travolta and the mob boss' wife (Uma Thurman), and a
     down-on-his-luck boxer (Willis) who decides to go for the gold.
     Tarantino's dialogue sizzles and his direction cuts straight to
     the bone.  PULP FICTION deservedly won the Cannes Palm D'Or, and
     is going to be a nightmare for Tarantino to follow up.

     RATING:  9 out of 10


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        Ŀ
         ED WOOD:  Tim Burton, director.  Scott Alexander & Larry  
         Karaszewski, screenplay.  Johnny Depp, Martin Landau,     
         Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey Jones,   
         Lisa Marie, George "The Animal" Steele, and Bill Murray.  
         Touchstone.  Rated R.                                     
        

          Ed Wood as directed by Ed Wood!  Tim Burton's paean to the
     man voted "Worst Film Director of All Time" (GLEN OR GLENDA, PLAN
     9 FROM OUTER SPACE) looks amazingly like one of Wood's movies in
     atmosphere and subject matter, although it's miles better than
     anything Wood himself churned out.  Though the screenplay relies
     too much on the already-known and the assumed-to-be-true, Burton
     captures the director's enthusiasm for the sheer art of film-
     mmaking even though the man had no idea what he was doing.  Depp
     is astounding as Wood, a kinetic force of nature who seems to zip
     from scene to scene, eternally cheerful and eerily optimistic
     about his work.  Even more amazing is Martin Landau as the
     elderly Bela Lugosi, a portrayal that could have easily fallen
     into parody.  Look for an Oscar nomination in the supporting
     actor category.

     RATING:  8 out of 10


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        Ŀ
          THE SPECIALIST: Luis Llosa, director.  Alexandra Seros,  
          screenplay.  Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, James     
          Woods, Rod Steiger, and Eric Roberts.  Warner Bros.      
          Rated R.                                                 
        

          Movies that "blow up real good" seem to be the rage this
     year.  The publicity for THE SPECIALIST promised the love scenes
     between Stallone and Stone would be just as explosive as the
     special effects, but they're about as hot as a Fourth of July
     sparkler.  Stallone is a mercenary-for-hire, and Stone gives him
     a doozy of a job: take out the mobsters who killed her family
     when she was a little girl.  Rod Steiger and Eric Roberts are the
     father and son Colombian stereotypes who serve as Stone's
     targets, with scene-stealer James Woods acting as the family's
     bodyguard and security chief.  While the film hasn't bombed at
     the box office, it certainly bombs on most other levels.

     RATING:  2 out of 10


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        Ŀ
           ONLY YOU:  Norman Jewison, director.  Diane Drake,      
           screenplay.  Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey, Jr., Bonnie   
           Hunt, Joaquim de Almeida, Fisher Stevens, and Billy     
           Zane.  TriStar.  Rated PG.                              
        

          Marisa Tomei pursues the man who seems to be her dream beau
     (Robert Downey, Jr.) all the way to Italy, only to find out . . .
     well, that would be telling.  The land of amore comes vibrantly
     alive in director Norman Jewison's romantic follow-up to MOON-
     STRUCK, although the present film seems to lack the richness of
     the previous love story.  Tomei and Downey are just right in
     their roles, the music and cinematography set the mood perfectly,
     yet there seems to be a mechanical feeling to the plot twists and
     character manipulations.  Perhaps a little less cleverness and a
     little more romance would have served the movie well.  And it's a
     bit disconcerting when you find yourself rooting for the
     supporting character's budding romance (Hunt and Almeida seem
     made for each other) than for the protagonists.

     RATING:  5 out of 10
