REVIEWS IN REVIEW:
COLOR OF NIGHT
Buena Vista
Director Richard Rush -- whose last film was the original, inventive, crowd-pleasing ''The Stunt Man, '' released in 1980 -- tries to make up for lost time by spicing up a promising thriller concept with athletic sex, tumultuous group therapy sessions and gratuitous car chases. But the blatantly commercial elements of ''Color of Night'' don't jibe with the director's old-fashioned visual style and bungled Hitchcockian pretentions.
Starring Bruce Willis as a tough-talking, guilt-ridden psychologist, the Hollywood Pictures release should have a colorful opening weekend, but poor word-of-mouth will guarantee a swift passage out of the marketplace.
The film's biggest problem is the script, credited to Matthew Chapman and Billy Ray. But casting is also suspect. Willis tries to broaden his range with several emotional speeches and, by golly, he doesn't blow anyone away (HR 8/19).-- David Hunter
BLANKMAN
Columbia
He fights crime in his underwear, draped in granny's housecoat as his cape. He's got no distinguishing moniker -- he's not super, nor does he soar like a bat.
This Daman Wayans-starring comedy is a refreshingly goofy takeoff on comic-book superheroes.
A devilishly funny satire of the superhero genre, ''Blankman'' is a nifty blend of lowbrow humor, sight gags and social zingers. Screenwriters Wayans and J.F. Lawton, like Blankman, have wired together a wad of generic story parts and situations and polished them off with a high comic sheen.
Mike Binder's deft comic direction keeps ''Blankman'' on a fast pace, nicely blending the film's off-color jokery with its sweet underpinnings. It's a tricky blend and Binder shows a real feel for physical comedy, while balancing it with a kind decency.
As the eccentric, virginal vigilante, Wayans is an engaging comic superhero. Robin Givens is well-cast as the beauteous love interest. Givens' comic ability is in her natural reactive takes.
Technically, ''Blankman'' is smart and funny. James Spencer's eco-trash production design is hilarious, while Michelle Cole's costumes are a savvy patchwork of old clothes and idiosyncratic color (HR 8/22).-- Duane Byrge
MILK MONEY
Paramount
''Milk Money'' is an ill-conceived romantic comedy about a 12-year-old boy who brings home a hooker as potential marriage material for his widowed dad.
The first production under former Amblin duo Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall New's multiyear deal with Paramount, ''Milk Money'' stars newcomer Michael Patrick Carter as Frank, a suburban preteen whose newly awakened hormones prompt him and his friends to pool their allowances and head for the big city in the hopes of seeing a real live naked woman.
They hit the jackpot with V (Melanie Griffith), a hooker with a literal heart of gold (guess what kind of pendant she favors?) who ends up following Frank back to the safe haven that is suburbia. Riddled with plot inconsistencies and pubescent dialogue and behavior that just doesn't ring true, ''Milk Money' '' warm, fluffy intentions quickly curdle.
Saddled with the problematic material, director Richard Benjamin does what he can to keep it all stitched together, but this is clearly not one of his best efforts (HR 8/22).-- Michael Rechtshaffen
Other reviews
Also reviewed last week were the films ''Drunken Master II'' (HR 8/17), ''The Advocate'' (8/19) and ''Killing Zoe'' (8/19).
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
Buena Vista
Director Richard Rush -- whose last film was the original, inventive, crowd-pleasing ''The Stunt Man, '' released in 1980 -- tries to make up for lost time by spicing up a promising thriller concept with athletic sex, tumultuous group therapy sessions and gratuitous car chases. But the blatantly commercial elements of ''Color of Night'' don't jibe with the director's old-fashioned visual style and bungled Hitchcockian pretentions.
Starring Bruce Willis as a tough-talking, guilt-ridden psychologist, the Hollywood Pictures release should have a colorful opening weekend, but poor word-of-mouth will guarantee a swift passage out of the marketplace.
The film's biggest problem is the script, credited to Matthew Chapman and Billy Ray. But casting is also suspect. Willis tries to broaden his range with several emotional speeches and, by golly, he doesn't blow anyone away (HR 8/19).-- David Hunter
BLANKMAN
Columbia
He fights crime in his underwear, draped in granny's housecoat as his cape. He's got no distinguishing moniker -- he's not super, nor does he soar like a bat.
This Daman Wayans-starring comedy is a refreshingly goofy takeoff on comic-book superheroes.
A devilishly funny satire of the superhero genre, ''Blankman'' is a nifty blend of lowbrow humor, sight gags and social zingers. Screenwriters Wayans and J.F. Lawton, like Blankman, have wired together a wad of generic story parts and situations and polished them off with a high comic sheen.
Mike Binder's deft comic direction keeps ''Blankman'' on a fast pace, nicely blending the film's off-color jokery with its sweet underpinnings. It's a tricky blend and Binder shows a real feel for physical comedy, while balancing it with a kind decency.
As the eccentric, virginal vigilante, Wayans is an engaging comic superhero. Robin Givens is well-cast as the beauteous love interest. Givens' comic ability is in her natural reactive takes.
Technically, ''Blankman'' is smart and funny. James Spencer's eco-trash production design is hilarious, while Michelle Cole's costumes are a savvy patchwork of old clothes and idiosyncratic color (HR 8/22).-- Duane Byrge
MILK MONEY
Paramount
''Milk Money'' is an ill-conceived romantic comedy about a 12-year-old boy who brings home a hooker as potential marriage material for his widowed dad.
The first production under former Amblin duo Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall New's multiyear deal with Paramount, ''Milk Money'' stars newcomer Michael Patrick Carter as Frank, a suburban preteen whose newly awakened hormones prompt him and his friends to pool their allowances and head for the big city in the hopes of seeing a real live naked woman.
They hit the jackpot with V (Melanie Griffith), a hooker with a literal heart of gold (guess what kind of pendant she favors?) who ends up following Frank back to the safe haven that is suburbia. Riddled with plot inconsistencies and pubescent dialogue and behavior that just doesn't ring true, ''Milk Money' '' warm, fluffy intentions quickly curdle.
Saddled with the problematic material, director Richard Benjamin does what he can to keep it all stitched together, but this is clearly not one of his best efforts (HR 8/22).-- Michael Rechtshaffen
Other reviews
Also reviewed last week were the films ''Drunken Master II'' (HR 8/17), ''The Advocate'' (8/19) and ''Killing Zoe'' (8/19).
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
- 8/23/1994
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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