Video Releases

Phenomenon

"Phenomenon" is my girlfriend's favorite movie. I hated it. Here's why ...

For starters, the script has serious problems. "Phenomenon" is plagued by a generic plot that can't put a new spin on things - the protagonist is different from everybody in his small town and the townies don't like it and he falls in love with girl who wants nothing to do with him. Moreover, the love that develops between said protagonist, George Malley (John Travolta), and Lace (Kyra Sedgwick), is shaky. In redundant Hollywoodrama, the two fall in love after having dinner and a few thought-stunting conversations. The dialogue is so weak that when I should've been teary-eyed from sadness, I was laughing almost to tears.

Another grease spot is Travolta himself. From Vinny Barbarino to Danny Zuko to Chili Palmer to ... country bumpkin Malley? You can take Travolta out of the borough, but you can't take the borough out of Travolta. When Malley smiles, it's the smile of a city boy, not a country one. When telling his co-workers that Lace has, "My heart, amigos. My heart," he sounds like Vincent Vega doing a country impersonation.

If there's anything salvageable in this film, it's the cinematography. Even though the movie sucked, there was enough footage of rolling hills and Northern California seasonal changes to keep it almost bearable. In the end, though, even great performances by Robert Duvall and the ever-brilliant Forrest Whitaker couldn't save this hopelessly lost film.

-Ben Wintroub

Bottle Rocket

"Bottle Rocket" is a hilarious genre-bender starring newcomer Owen Wilson as Dignon, an overzealous criminal wannabe. Dignon drags his friends Anthony and Bob along on his would-be crime spree after helping Anthony "break out" of a voluntary mental hospital. Mr. Henry (James Caan) runs the criminal operation that Dignon has invented a farm system for, hoping to prove his worth.

The trio's plans are foiled when, after robbing a bookstore, they flee to a small motel outside of town where Anthony promptly falls in love with Inez, a maid at the motel who speaks zero English. Things get even funnier when Bob strands his two cohorts at the motel because of a family emergency.

Eventually these three are reunited to pull off a heist that will, Dignon hopes, break them into the bigs. Naturally, nothing goes as planned and Dignon ends up behind bars. He can't even get that right, though, as he lands in a minimun-security dump. All told, this film is quirky, funny, and highly recommended.

-Ben Wintroub