STN Entertainment

'Batman And Robin'

Rated PG-13
ith its ominously dark
lighting and brooding,
flirty attitude, Batman
and Robin i _ s one good-
looking movie.
But like the attractive
stranger across the room at a
party, the film has nothing in-
teresting to say when you get
beyond the introductions and
small talk.
Directed by Joel Schumach-
er, this latest installment in the
Batman series again boasts a
star-studded cast, including
George Clooney and Chris
O'Donnell in the title roles, as

time to save the day.
In films like Batman and
Robin, where the villains snap,
cackle and plot, the story isn't
nearly as important as the char-
acters who inhabit it. And since
we know what to expect from
the good guys, the real fun
comes from watching popular
actors chew scenery as the su-
per-powered bad guys.
In this regard, the actors are
only as good as the lines that
they are fed, and that is pre-
cisely where Batman and Robin
comes apart. Except for some in-
creasingly repetitive ice jokes
from Schwarzenegger ("Hell will

Rated R

life in New York's Hell's Kitchen. fashion, permanently altering
And though Claude is eager for the girls' friendship and tone of
nder even the most ideal cir- direction, her mother pays her the film.
cumstances, adolescence little more than a passing regard,
Life is full of tough choices,
can be a time of confusion leaving her to fend for herself and All Over Me acknowledges
and self-doubt.
amidst the daily crises and triv- that young adulthood is the time
When you're a girl and your ialities of the world.
that those choices begin to ap-
mother is more concerned with
In the beginning of the film, pear. Claude's decisions on who
her fading sexuality than your Ellen seems like a suitable com- her friends should be and why,
blossoming identity and
panion for Claude, shar- on the consequences of loyalty
your best friend is show-
ing secrets and dreams and knowing when to be true to
MOVIES
ing signs of crumbling
with a bond that bor- one's self, are reminders of the
loyalty, adolescence can
ders, for Claude, on the pains we all feel growing up.
seem like a vast wasteland full romantic. Soon, however, their
As Claude, Alison Foland con-
of sandstorms and mirages. relationship feels the strains of veys the tangled mess of enthu-
Sometimes you have to wonder an intruder, as Ellen introduces siasm and vulnerability that
how anybody survives puberty her thuggish boyfriend Mark makes adolescence the magical
unscathed.
(Dazed and Confused's Cole mystery tour that we sometimes
This awkward transitory pe- Hauser), an intolerant louse who recall fondly and sometimes wish
riod in everyone's life is the sub- would rather punch first and not to forget. That Claude seems to
ject of the Sichel sisters'All Over ask questions later.
prefer women at this stage
Me. At the heart of the film is
Matters are further compli- shouldn't offend anyone, as her
Claude (Alison Foland from To cated when Claude befriends a tour is just beginning, and the
Die For), a tomboyish teen. defiantly gay punk rocker viewer can just be happy to have
Claude dreams of forming a band (played by Wilson Cruz of "My been there to see her off.
with comely best friend Ellen So-Called Life") who knows just
s® (.4.) ' 1/2
(Tara Subkoff) in order to escape how to get under Mark's skin —
the dull reality of her apartment until Mark retaliates in vicious
— Richard Halprin

U

COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.

W

'All Over Me'

Alicia Silverstone, George Clooney and Chris O'Donnell take care of the bad guys in

Batman and Robin.

well as Arnold Schwarzenegger
as Mr. Freeze, Uma Thurman freeze over ... Pm giving the cold
as Poison Ivy and Alicia Silver- shoulder ..." etc.), Mr. Freeze is
given no dialogue of conse-
stone as Batgirl.
As in the previous films, quence. Granted, the whole
Gotham City exudes an ethere- thing is supposed to be car-
al, otherworldly feeling: It toonish, but that doesn't mean
seems perfectly natural in this the writers couldn't have been
place that disfigured supervil- at least half as imaginative as
lains would conspire to wreak the set designers. Thurman's
havoc on a citizenry that has performance is even more spir-
ited than Schwarzeneg-
come to rely on masked
ger's, but her character
crusaders for protection.
MOVIES
runs out of gas long be-
This episode finds an em-
fore the film is through.
bittered Mr. Freeze on a
Once the bad guys start to
mission to steal diamonds to
power his deep-freeze machin- seem ordinary, the burden falls
ery while research scientist Poi- upon Clooney's and O'Donnell's
son Ivy finds herself mutated caped shoulders, but even they
with experimental fauna in a are boring when they're not sail-
laboratory exercise gone wrong. ing through the air in hot pur-
Meanwhile, back at the man- suit.
Yes, Batman and Robin
sion, millionaire Bruce Wayne
and Dick Grayson are engaged walks the walk; though they
in a power struggle involving can't talk the talk, the walk may
their alter egos, Batman and be enough for some people. But
my mother taught me long ago
Robin.
Their feuding goes on that personality matters more
throughout the film, until the than looks.
dynamic duo must put aside
(..) 1 112
their personal squabbles and
— Richard Halprin
join forces with Batgirl, just in

Rated R
the homosexual
ove! Valour! Compassion! is stereotypes por-
about all of those things and trayed too often
more. It's about devotion, in- in film — the
delity, lust, cruelty, insecu- sensitive artist,
rity and mortality. In short, it's the New York
about the human condition and yuppies, the rag-
what drives us to love and be ing queen with
loved.
the inside scoop
Eight friends, all gay, gather on Ethel Mer-
for three holiday weekends over man. Quickly,
one summer at the sprawling however, the
lakeside home of Gregory film gains its
(Stephen Bogardus), a choreog- senses and
rapher whose creative frustra- jumps onto fresh The cast of
Valour! Compassion!. Jason Alexander is
tions are growing. Joining him road, setting off second from Love!
right.
are his young lover Bobby (Justin on an affecting
John Glover shows striking
Kirk), blind yet intensely
journey and investing each
versatility
as brothers James and
perceptive; the "role mod-
character with a unique
MOVIES
el" couple Arthur (John
viewpoint and purpose- John, two sides of the same coin,
one kindhearted and gentle, the
Benjamin Hickey) and
ful development.
Perry (Stephen Spinella), who
Adapted from Terrence Mc- other devastatingly cruel and in
have been together for 14 years; Nally's stage play of the same desperate need of love. Stephen
mean-spirited John (John Glover) name, Love! Valour! Compassion! Spinella and John Benjamin
and his lover of three weeks, the is, visually, a rather stagnant film, Hickey also are wonderful as the
self-assured Puerto Rican dancer but who cares when the dialogue longtime couple. Without much
Ramon (Randy Becker); Din (Ja- and acting are so wonderfully ex- flash, they create a genuine sense
of familiarity and love between
son Alexander), HIV-positive, ecuted.
them,
especially in one unusual
flamboyant and obsessed with
The cast is uniformly excellent,
musical comedies; and the late ar- including Jason Alexander ("Se- scene as they trim each other's
rival, James (also played by infeld's" George Costanza) as ear hair and decide that "this is
Glover), who is beginning to suc- Buzz. Given some of the best lines what love is all about."
Love! Valour! Compassion! is
cumb to AIDS and has come from in the script, Alexander takes this
England to be with his twin broth- gift and runs with it. He is both a funny, haunting, lustful, and at
er, John.
funny and heartbreaking, espe- times, angry film. But it's also a
At first blush, no character cially in his later scenes as Buzz terrific, eight-sided love story.
seems substantially different from and James fall in love and must
s0 1/2
face the fact that they will never
Liz Lent is a local freelance
—Liz Lent
grow old together.
writer.

La

PHOTO BY ATTILA DORY

'Love! Valour! Compassion!'