411111,-

'The Slingshot'

'Bogus'

Rated PG

W

•- _
PHOTO FROM COLUMBIA TRISTAR HOME VIDEO

hen Albert, an or-
phaned boy, is
transplanted from
the show biz world
of Las Vegas to the urban
realities of Newark, New
Jersey, he is forced to seek
refuge in his imagination.
He conjures up a friend, a
French man named Bogus
(played with charm and
sensitivity by Gerard De-
pardieu), who helps him
deal with his new sur-
roundings and "family'' —
namely, his aunt Harriet
(Whoopi Goldberg).
Harriet, a restaurant
supplier on an upward ca-
reer path, is informed that
her sister's will listed her child since I was a child," says Harriet
as Albert's custodial god- (Whoopie Goldberg) about her new
mother. Without a moth- godmother duties with Albert (Haley
erly bone in her body, she finds Joel Osment).
—Dick Rockwell
Rated R — on Home Video
mother devoted to her family.
it difficult to fit the
At school, Roland must deal
youngster's needs into
of until his late 70s did the with a teacher, Lundin (Ernst-
her hectic everyday
Swedish inventor Roland Hugo Jaregard), who promotes
schedule.
Schutt sit down to write his Christianity and makes his dis-
Pint-sized Albert's
vivid childhood memories of dain for the young Jewish boy ap-
face, with his bowl-cut
the 1920s in Stockholm. Schutt's parent to the whole class. At one
hair drooping over his
novel, The Slingshot, then took point Lundin's anger leads him
eyebrows, resembles
Sweden by storm and
to call Roland "the
that
of the shaggy De-
became a best seller.
Antichrist." When
A victim o f ceaseless
pardieu.
The consoling
The book also captured bullying an d prejudice,
Roland is discovered
scenes
between
Albert
the imagination of film- Roland (J esper Salen)
selling handmade
and
Bogus
are
tremen-
maker Ake Sandgren, creates a sl ingshot out of slingshots fashioned
dously touching.
wire and two of his
whose wonderful movie
from old wire and • Albert's misery is
version was nominat- Russian Je wish mother's condoms (which were
ed for five Swedish Os- contraband condoms to then illegal), Lundin heightened when he
runs away to Atlantic
protect himself.
cars.
says: "I wouldn't have
City to be with a hus-
The determined and
thought a socialist kid
band
and wife magic
innocent face of the feisty 12-year like you would start his own busi-
team
who
taught him
old Roland (Jesper Salen) domi- ness. I suspect it's the Jew in you.
nates this alternately tragic and Jew, socialist, criminal."
comic film. Roland confronts prej-
Director Sandgren's great ac-
udice at every turn and, while try- complishment in The Slingshot
ing to sort out his own identity, lies in his skill at molding Roland's
stretches everyone's patience with determined innocence into a fine-
his antics.
ly hardened, but positive, sense of
computer-assisted resurrection.
As karma would have it, the
In Roland's circus-like home, self by the movie's end. Sandgren Rated R
It would have been better to re- mystical crow revives Ashe from
his Swedish socialist father, Fritiof looks through Roland's eyes at a
f the accident-plagued original mit The Crow saga back to com- his watery grave. Also arriving
(Stellan Skarsgard, The Unbear, Stockholm that is grim, harsh and
The Crow wasn't ghoulish ic books from whence it sprang. In is Sarah (Mia Kirshner), the only
able Lightness of Being), domi- unjust. The film is rich in detail
enough due to the unfortunate The Crow: City of Angels, first- link besides the crow from the
nates the house with his
and benefits from the fine
death of its star Brandon Lee, time feature film director Tim previous film, who supplies the
political preachings, his
cinematography of Goran
VIDEO
then its sequel, The Crow: City of Pope brings his music video sen- weirdly unconventional narra-
obsession with Strindberg
Nilsson, and the evoca-
Angels, should satisfy even
sibilities to work. The score tive that attempts to explain the
and his constant pain from
tive jazz background score
the most odious grave rob-
is heavily Goth rock, crow's significance. Apparently,
sciatica. Fritiof pushes both of his by composer Bjorn Isfalt (What's
MOVIES
ber.
sounding churchy, but ul- the crow channels its power of an
sons to bear the difficulties of life Eating Gilbert Grape).
While filming a stunt
timately depressing and avenging spirit into someone
with their eyes open and push
scene for the former, Lee was shot oppressive.
wrongly murdered.
ahead. It is to Skarsgard's credit
to death by a gun that should
Vincent Perez plays Opposite page:
— Morrie Warshawski
Payback is certainly
that by film's end he has made
have been loaded with blanks. Ashe, a motorcycle me- Vincent Perez is justifiable when one con-
Fritiof a fully rounded character
The eerie similarity between Lee's chanic who inadvertently Ashe, resurrected siders Curve's boss, the
that elicits our understanding if
untimely death and his film char- witnesses a brutal execu- from the dead by malicious drug lord Ju-
not our affection.
Roland's mother, a Russian
Outstanding acter's death added a certain su- tion by a drug gang. To si- the mystical crow. dah (Richard Brooks),
pernatural element to that film. lence him, Ashe is bound,
spying not only on his
Jew named Zipa, is lovingly por-
Very Good Continuing curiosity about the gagged and drowned in the murky minions but also on an S & M
trayed by Basia Frydman, who
ct)
fate of The Crow demanded that river by the merciless punks. dungeon.
helped found the Jewish Theatre
Good its commercial potential was guar- Paint-by-numbers casting finds
in Stockholm. Frydman brings
0 bagels
anteed and the film was complet- Iggy Pop as the gang's leader,
iust the right note of restraint and
Fair ed thanks to the title character's Curve, a loathsome individual.
—Dick Rockwell
intensity to the role of a Jewish

■■■■■

___••

card tricks back in Las Vegas. need to pick up Albert, hug him
They sadly reject Albert, how- and tell him you love him." Sud-
ever, because of their hurried cir- denly, Harriet is able to not only
cus life on the road.
see Bogus, but dance with him
Haley Joel Osment ("The Jeff as well, in a full- blown re-cre-
Foxworthy Show," "Thunder Al- ation of some Fred Astaire and
ley") as Albert is the most in- Ginger Rogers routines. "Where
genuous child actor since were you when I was little?" Har-
Macaulay Culkin — only
riet sobs.
cuter. Explaining his show
Those of you who
MOVIES
biz connections to Harriet,
miss the comic strip
Albert breaks into Englebert
Calvin and Hobbes
Humperdinck's signature song (Calvin's imaginary tiger), which
"(Please) Release Me," with all delighted in playful, rambunc-
the heartfelt poignancy a 7-year- tious, child-like subversiveness,
old can muster in a sweetly sen- may enjoy this confection. But for
timental scene.
kids, the movie's rather boring.
Producer/Director Norman
Bogus, despite its simple plea-
Jewison eventually gets lazy and sures, particularly the restrained
hits us over the head with the performance by Goldberg and
theme. Bogus tells Harriet, "You the charming presence of Os-
ment, is mostly pure schmaltz.
"I haven't had a conversation with a

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'The Crow: City of Angels'

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