REVIEW FILM WEE— Painstakingly drafted pen-and-ink mm CBUMB - drawings. The picture that emerges is
of a socially ill-at-ease man whose Ex" 1'0 EDEN
After the recent basketball-as-social- fame allows him to play the eccentric
metaphor film Iioop Dreams, comes card to deflect criticism of his often another acclaimed documentary sexually explicit work. The filmed feature which has been given a confrontations between the artist and
cinema release. The subject is llobert his feminist critics fail to address Crumb, the underground comic artist their legitimate concerns about his who has remained resoluter part of portrayal of women, and using footage the counter-culture since he started of Crumb posing with topless models
drawing in the 60s. for a girly magazine is just cheap.
This film by Crumb’s long-time friend As is the fashion with impressionistic Terry Zwigoft seeks to find an documentaries, there is no explanation for the cartoonist’s commentary, but Zwigoff’s editing disturbing output. The director’s tries to ensure that we see Crumb as starting point is the Freudian he does; an eccentric genius. It’s assumption that there is a causal perhaps unfair to criticise this film for , I connection between childhood, lack oi objectivity, however. Zwigoff’s Em 7" m": madness and creativity. Zwigoff passion for Crumb’s work and the fact provides plenty of evidence, that he was able to get close to the There's only a few pretty concentrating particularly on Crumb’s notoriously publicity-shy artist make bods and the Qdd funny two reclusive brothers. this a fascinating and personal film. gag 0" show In this
The film is assembled from a series (Eddie Gibb) "‘Cklus‘” i“""‘“‘
_ of extended interviews with friends, Crumb (18) (Terry Zwigofi, US, 1994) WW“? M “mm” . . . .s/(mrl and S & M
* relatives and critics, tntercut with 119 mins. From Fri 30. Edinburgh: Gil/mu" .3. MW) LA Crumb: ‘fascinating and personal tilm’ “M399 0' cmmb at "om 0" ms can“,- ‘tlintstone‘ cops Dan Aykroyd and Rosie O'Donnell go overcovered to sex paradise resort liden to find photo-journalist Paul Mercurio. who has the only pics of faceless diamond smuggler Stuart Wilson. But the villain and stroppy sidekick lman fecklessly follow suit. and
M ‘ Hekeiiier Homolka. a ring with a design on it that leads the way deep into the African jungle to the legendary city of Zinj and Solomon‘s lost
diamond mine. while a killer breed of 3 Dear. oh dear. This misbegotten morass psychotic sharp—toothed primates
of half-baked ideas. crass provide the storyline's main source of .
.n ‘ . I g . I g ‘ g . . . they all chase Mercurio as iiiiscalculation and sheer lionest-ta- suspense. and a climactic volcanic hc pumucq clmivc goodness stupidity is an awful waining eruptton-cum-earthquake seems to run dominatrix Dana [Many to all those who thought the words up because no one can think of a better i “redeeming”, self- ‘Michael Crichton should more : way of bringing the curtain down on -; aware. Exit 7}) [ft/en properly be written ‘SSSSSSb the damn thing. g escapes no inhibitions. SSSSSSSS'. Adapted by John Patrick The nominal leads in primatologist l wavering '[W‘X‘ SC“d'ul’ Shanley from another one of the C- Dylan Walsh and techno—company and h‘mg'up — Why." man‘s pot-boiler novels. ('mign is one i explorer Laura Linney are colourless :lid‘yf?"plmlw waiung m
. . . . . a 'C 0 . or 11 OVC S ()l' ofthose movies that wouldn t have I indeed; none of it works for a moment. .. . . , . . y yotten beyond the b'ick-of-a-civarettc- ‘ ' l 't t' k “ ' ' i ‘ t r ‘t l ‘ ' [CM Characters. In E. 1 . . . c ‘ r. c. I t1ll( l at L5 «In d&£ O &L .]L dlffcrcnt “rays‘ packet stage it it hadn I had you know § when the dark secret of Zilij is O‘Donnell, Delany and who’s name attached. eventually and laughably revealed. You Wilson rise above it. but
Aykroyd and Mercurio are
Consider these disparate plot elements will watch (,pcmmouthcd at the ghccr stuck in the mire. Director
and SEC if YOU million lhrOWing tens 0f misguided incompetence of it all
millions of dollars at them could ever (Trevor Johnston) QO‘TW‘MérSlfil“ had hope to mould them into anything like : com, (/2) (not Mars/tall. us, it’;,‘,‘,°f,j‘i;,‘j',‘3l 5,275}, , a coherent picture. Yes. Congo has a l /994) Dylan Walsh. Laura Linney. 77m Joli/tin- ‘but hele he(juslt( talking gorilla as a central character. Curry. [08 mins. Fm," [:,.,- 30 deny“, __ ._ _ s; .. - goes through the motions Tim Curry 115‘ Romania" Philamhmi’ist release. Congo: ‘misguided incompetence’ with a script that doesn’t
come off. It rehashes Anne Rice's sun~bleached (dried-up) novel. where bimbos of both sexes bounce about offering to be slaves. and only lman
Told in a series of extended flashbacks as the Kittredges dine out
I DE 8 F on their increasingly problematic i has the balls to accept. gExP 0 relationship with Paul, this is an s 3, M is brought into excellent adaptation from stage to the funshiiie without
Set in the rarefied atmosphere of llew screen, with a particularly watchable illumination Pelany is a York’s bourgeoisie who cluster round first hour. Smith’s performance dances dmnmam “OP ~ and
. - - - Mercurio is a submissive Central park, six Degrees purports to along the fine line between audacity .bouom.‘ The top used to
examine the defining similarities and deceit, while Channing delights as be a bottom the bottom ‘ between the haves and the have-nots. she vrsrbly sways between her liberal mm being gnmkcd and i The Kittredges (Stockard Channing sensibilities and gut reaction. they make a nice top and
and Donald Sutherland) are archetypes The film is a tad too long, however, bottom with nice tops and of the species: a pad overlooking the and not a little stilted. The underlying bottoms — but that doesn‘t park, kids at Harvard, a Kandinski over message - that the poor do not have "wily gel 10 the bottom of
the mantle and tongues that love to to destroy the rich to attain riches — is 3- 15“” 79' 1'5"?" fails ‘0 86‘ it up past the level of soft
wag with gossip and innuendo. hopelessly muddled. And, while there ,1 _ I . Hg ) Rmi “s. Especially if they are relating their are some superbly filmed and acted r" 11.20]: I‘l‘lp' in 81‘“; éy own adventures to their admiring moments, the whole, like its subjects, "‘35., h‘angmi n-éh‘tg ' friends. When Paul (Will Smith) turns is over-introspective and eventually (0,0 MacDonald)
up claiming to be a school friend of becomes tedious. (Thom Dibdln) their children who has been mugged in Six Degrees 0! Separation (15) (Fred __. , , e ' the park, they help him, consent to Schepisi, US, 19%) Donald Sutherland, It?” 5” I?" [19396;“m being charmed by his stories and put Stockard Charming, Will Smith. 111 u” m ' ‘ '
[)u/tu Dela/iv, Rosie
him up for the night. However Paul has mins. From Fri 30: Edinburgh 0 v Dunne/1' pa“! been pulling the same scam on all Fllmhouse. From Fri 7: Glasgow Film Hymn-U, I I 5 ,,,,-,,_,., Fm," Six Decree: Of Separation: ‘over-introsvective’ their friends. Theatre. Fri 7. General release.
The List 30 Jun-l3 Jul I995 25