10 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 5, 1999 'Payback' goes for broke, but is off the money By Ed Sholinsky Daily Film Editor The tag line for "Payback" is "Get ready to root for the bad guy." Said bad guy would be Mel Gibson who plays Porter, a macho thief out for revenge. But in another way, Gibson comes out of this movie the bad guy. Paramount was supposed to release "Payback" about a Payback At Briarwood 'and Showcase year ago, but Gibson, whose Icon Productions made the film, reported- ly took the film out of director Brian Helgeland's hands and reshot one- third of the film. The real kick in the head, as the Dean Martin song goes, is that early word from Hollywood insiders was the script by Helgeland (an Oscar winner for his "L.A. Confidential" screenplay) and Terry Hayes ("Road Warrior") did well and the movie itself was quite good. . . ,. f Whether that's true or not, Gibson's reworked version has very little going for it. It's a mess of a crime movie, complete with hokey voiceovers from a smoker-voiced Gibson and a ton of extraneous subplots. At the heart of "Payback," adapted from the novel "The Hunter" by Richard Stark and essentially a remake of the 1965 John Boorman film "Point Blank," is the story of Porter (Parker in the novel and Helgeland's initial script) who's betrayed by his wife, Lynn (Deborah Kara Unger), and best friend and partner, Val (Gregg Henry). After the pair shoots Porter in the back and leaves him for dead, Porter disappears for five months while he undergoes surgery from a hack doctor and recovers from his wounds. When he returns, Porter seeks his wife, who he finds strung out I sm'. 1-:1 - on heroin. For some reason, Porter decides to help the woman who shot him in the back detox instead of trying to get information from her about the whereabouts of Val and the $70,000 he stole from Porter. But too little, too late, Porter's wife overdoses and Porter must find her dealer in order to find Val, who has been supplying Lynn with heroin. On his quest to find and kill Val, Porter has run ins two crooked cops (William Devane and Bill Duke), the Chinese Mafia, a prostitute with a thing for pain (Lucy Liu) and the Outfit, which Val works for. And here is where the movie becomes a jumble: It's trying to squeeze too much into a 90-minute movie. The extraordinary number of situations Porter finds himself in are forced and a stretch even for those willing to sus- pend disbelief. With all of this going on, it's easy to forget that Porter is the bad guy, not the people around him. His whole mis- sion is to find the man who betrayed him, get his money back and kill him. Porter is not a very nice man. But compared to those around him, he comes out looking like the hero. This is an action movie convention so old that it's disturbing that two fine screenwriters like Helgeland and Hayes would fall into it. Or an innovative director like Gibson whose role in recre- ating the "Payback" can't be ignored. What gets lost, too, is the rather interesting love story that develops between the stoic Porter and Rosie ("ER"'s Maria Bello),the prostitute he used to protect, and with whom he fell in love. The love story works because unlike most movies of this type, when Porter is around Rosie his gruff exte- Srior never melts, despite the fact that he would trade his Courtesy of Paramount Pictures life for hers. back from Mel Gibson. Where "Payback" also Mel Gibson catches Gregg Henry and Lucy Liu with their pants down. goes wrong is in Helgeland's inability to get strong per- formances from his supporting cast. Even though Gibson is solid in the lead and David Paymer is strong as Stegman, a low level drug dealer and swindler, the rest of the cast phones in their performances. The usually terrific James Coburn (an Oscar hopeful for "Affliction") and Kris Kristofferson ham up their per- formances, leading one to believe they weren't trying too hard. Despite its short comings though, congratulations are in order to the production designer who gives "Payback" a grizzled feel that complements the bleaching procedure used to dull the film's colors. On top of that, the film has some tremendous moments. The film's opening and climax - particularly a torture scene, and no one does a torture scene li Gibson whose had practice in the "Lethal Weapon" films and "Braveheart" - stand out particularly gripping. Nevertheless, these things can't save "Payback" from being an overdone turkey, which shows that studio exec- utives aren't artists and shouldn't let a star steal a direc- tor's vision. Maria Bello gets her payb Oscars have become the Hollywood fashion show Los Angeles Times HOLLYWOOD -They are key players in the filmmaking process, artisans with fabric and dyes who work side by side with directors to create the look and feel of Hollywood's motion pictures. They have evoked the genteel splendor of 18th Century French nobility in "Dangerous Liaisons," captured the glamour of the '40s in "Bugsy" and re- created the rags-to-riches social ladder that existed among the doomed pas- sengers in "Titanic." Yet today Hollywood costume designers think of themselves as a forgotten and misunderstood segment of the Academy Awards, their work overshad- owed by upscale fashion designers whose gowns for Oscar contenders and presenters become the talk of the town. There was a time when Edith Head, who won eight Academy Awards in her life, was arguably the most famous designer at Oscar time, but the media's attention today is focused almost entirely on the gowns created by Valentino, Armani, Versace and other top fashion designers who dress the Oscar-nomi- nated actresses for their red-carpeted arrivals past the line of paparazzi. CALL FOR FE STOP GAMBLING AND START INVESTING TRIAL OFFER E "The Oscars are the biggest deal in the fashion business," said Brian Rennie, design director at Escada, who last year outfitted Oscar winner Kim Basinger for the Academy Awards. "Years ago, when the Oscars first started, the stars were dressed by people like Edith Head and Adrian," Rennie said. "They did the costumes for the movies and Oscars as well. Nowadays, that is all gone. If you asked me to name a list of costume designers, I wouldn't have a clue." Unlike fashion houses, costume designers don't use the Academy Awards to pitch a label or a look. While their creations do occasionally spark fashion trends - as Michael Kaplan did when he designed the layered, torn T-shirt look in "Flashdance" - costume designers rarely reap the rewards. So, it is understandable that costume designers, after years of feeling over- looked, have decided to shine the spotlight on themselves. For the first time in three decades, the 470-member Costume Designers Guild will hold a gala awards banquet on at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Feb. 6. Hosted by actress Anjelica Huston, with Annette Bening and Carol Burnett scheduled to present awards, the already sold-out affair will do what the directors, screenwriters, producers and actors guilds do annually - honor their own. The winners will receive a sterling silver statuette that depicts a female fig- ure draped in an amorphous swirl of fabric. The guild's decision to trumpet its members' contributions to filmmaking reveals much about the frustration currently felt by costume designers. Not only are they usually outshone by world-famous fashion designers at the Academy Awards, but fashion designers are encroaching on the movies themselves, inking deals with studios giving them screen credit in return for the free clothes they provide to a production. "A couple of years ago, I had a group of 12 designers over at my house and I said to them, "Look, I don't care if we have beer and pretzels at the Sportsmen's Lodge, we have to have a party, we have to celebrate ourselves," recalled Deborah Nadoolman Landis, who has designed clothes for such hit films as "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Coming to America." Landis, who co-chairs the upcoming banquet, said that, all too often, cos- tume designers remain anonymous even though their work catches the pub- 71 ----&1 j88-r60 6-8257) WI NIOUDON'TPAT J lic's fancy. When "Bonnie and Clyde" was released in 1967, she recalled, Faye Dunaway sparked a fashion trend by portraying bank robber Bonnie Parker in a long cardigan sweater, narrow skirt and beret. Landis noted that it was Theodora Van Runkle who designed the costumes for the film, but it was the fashion industry that "ended up making millions of dollars on that look."' The fashion world's invasion of the Oscars is best illustrated by the fever- ish attention now given to the gowns worn by the actresses at the show. "It all started with Armani," Rennie said. "He sent over a ton of people from Italy with his newest collection.... Then all the other designers starte doing it." But the fashion houses know that one of their gowns seen onstage at the Oscars is worth 10 Vogue covers. A year after Basinger won as best support- ing actress for "L.A. Confidential," Rennie said, photos of her wearing the green satin gown to the Oscars still pop up in publications every week. Some say that while the costume designers have been eclipsed, Hollywood itself has not forgotten their contribution. "I think the people who do it know how important they are, but I don't know about the world," said director Paul Mazursky, who will receive the Distinguished Director's Award at the guild's banquet. "If the world is told it* an Armani outfit, you'll be impressed by the name Armani. But the industry knows which costume designers do a good job." That may be true, say costume designers, but they point out that even acad- emy members often misunderstand their work. They point out that Oscars rarely go to films set in modern times. The academy, they note, often bestows the Oscar on period.films that con- vey style or elegance. The Oscars and costume designing have had a curious history. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences did not create a separate cate- gory for costume design until 1948, almost two decades after the awards began. Until 1957, two Oscars were handed out for costume design - one for black-and-white films and another for color films. Then in 1967, as the number of black-and-white films began to dwindle, the category was consolidated again. Judianna Mokovsky, who is currently the wardrobe designer for Kevin Costner's new baseball film, "For Love of the Game," said there is a miscon- ception among many academy members that costume designers merely go out and buy clothes off the rack at Bloomingdale's. "It's not just about shopping,"' she stressed. "We're the ones who recognize that a garment is correct for that movie or that situation and the entire visual concept of the film. In essence, it's like opera or theater. It's not just about selecting a pretty dress." For now, the costume designers simply want to give themselves a pat on the back. Maybe in the future, they hope, their names will be as well known as Edith Head. Do you want to write for Daily Arts? Call 763-0379. 1 The University of Michigan School of Music II Saturday, February 6 Contemporary Directions Ensemble James R. Tapia, director " Music of George Crumb, celebrating that Pulitzer Prize- winning composer's 70th birthday Rackham Auditorium, 8p.m. Michigan Opera Works Tania Miller, music director; David Gordon, stage director " Benjamin Britten: The Rape of Lucretia (a chamber opera) McIntosh Theatre, E. V. Moore Bldg., 8 p.m [For ticket (free) and other information phone 763-8587] Sunday, February 7 Concert Band Kevin Sedatole, conductor " music by Presti, Barber, Gould, Williams, Welcher, Young Hill Auditorium, 4 p.m. Monday, February 8 Guest Lecture/Demonstration Kenneth Fuchs, composer, will present the talk titled Interdisciplinary Relationships in Music and the Fine Arts Room 2033, E. V. Moore Bldg.,11:30 a.m. [Co-sponsored by The University Musical Society] Composers Forum Britton Recital Hall, E.V. Moore Bldg., 8 p.m Tuesday, February 9 University Philharmonia Orchestra Vincent Donner, guest conductor " Respighi Ancient Airs and Dances, Set I " Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. I (first movement) Charisse Baldoria, piano (98-99 Concerto Competition Winner) " Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 (first movement) Alan Huckleberry, piano (98-99 Concerto competition Winner) - n2o . . ~r"Tnn- C..: a . w ,, A ALL TRI PS INCLUDE: TAKE $50 OFF Round trip Air YOUR VACATION RT Transfers Staff Assisnce WITH THIS AD Free Side Excursion Hotel Accomodations From Party Pack 21 Hours of Free Drinks m " 14 Free Meals irs !0 - 3" 0 Home to the "Sunbreaker Cancun's only party package with over 75 houi of open bar and 2 Tshirt CLASS AND SEX CLASH! A hortiv after the Fnelish start the first nenal colonv in 1200 S. University at Church St. 734-994-9401 hmA 4 I