Our Flick of the Week is “Volcano,” and my reaction to it is like to my response to “Twister” — instead of “great wind; boring script,” this is a case of “great lava; boring script.” Of the two pictures, I prefer “Volcano” because it has better actors. (Did I go to college to make such distinctions?)
But even Tommy Lee Jones turns into a bore after a while in “Volcano,” spouting orders like a quarterback calling for the snap in his role as head of Los Angeles’ emergency disaster team. Late in the picture, I was thinking that this was a good time for Cher to show and give him a “Moonstruck” slap and “snap out of it” line. Jones is assisted by a feisty, diminutive seismologist played by Anne Heche doing a variation on Holly Hunter’s high-energy role in “Broadcast News.” Also on hand is the fine Don Cheadle (“Devil in a Blue Dress”) as Jones’ second-in-command.
Their mission is to save the city, which is under attack from new volcanic activity forming under the ancient La Brea Tar Pits. There is a suggestion that the city building a subway over a fault line is part of the problem, too. The screenwriter must really like driving to work.
What passes for a plot is that the lava and attendant gasses bubble up, spit fiery globs and then start rolling across Wilshire Boulevard. And while trying to figure out a way of diverting and then containing the molten goo, Jones has to deal with being separated from his pre-teen daughter who has been taken to a nearby hospital for a bad burn. How good are the special effects? Very good, although the molten river in the recent “Dante’s Peak” was exciting, too, so maybe creating convincing lava isn’t that difficult. Nevertheless, if you really like watching things melt and burn, “Volcano” may turn you on. A car becomes an instant low-rider as its tires melt and fenders dissolve; a human being loses his legs (off-camera) the same way and becomes a credible shrinking man. At the same time, there is a mechanical sensibility to this picture. As Hollywood’s international disaster films continue their roll-out, I can’t help but feel like I’m on a conveyer belt of sensation watching a parade of calamities. Stop the movie machine; I want to get off. Rated PG-13. (star) (star) 1/2
– ROMY AND MICHELE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION. A wonderful, fresh new comedy that owes its success to two original characters brought to life by actresses Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow. Friends since high school, Romy and Michele dress in garish outfits and suffer silently the rejection of their more popular classmates. This has been going on for a long time, and now it’s time for their 10-year reunion. They will buy power business suits and invent success stories, but they remain two little girls lost. Sorvino and Kudrow are so good together that this film deserves more than a spin-off TV series; it deserves a sequel. R. (star) (star) (star) 1/2
– SHILOH. A powerful boy-and-his-dog story about a child in a rural town who wants to save a beagle from being beaten by its owner. Actor Scott Wilson creates a very real villain in this story that is certainly too intense for little ones. But for older kids, say over 9 years of age, they will certainly get a lesson in courage and problem solving. My one complaint is that the men in the film are pretty mean, whereas the women are sweet. You’ll have to see the picture to see how heavy-handed this gets. PG. (star) (star) (star)
– TRAVELLER. A strong drama about a cult of Irish-American con artists who travel rural areas and look for marks. Their scams range from putting phony sealer on barn roofs to selling stolen vans to the much more elaborate. This is sort of a gritty, low-rent version of “The Sting.” Bill Paxton is excellent as the lead scammer who takes a fraternal liking to a newcomer played convincingly by Mark Wahlberg. Julianna Margulies is Paxton’s exciting love interest. She has great eyebrows. R. (star) (star) (star)
– = New this week
