The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 90

The Cincinnati Enquirer FILM Friday, September 29, 1995 21 A 'BeviP of a good mystery Washington eases into moody re-creation of post-war L. A. CRITIC'S PICKS time and place when black families shared a piece of post-war prosperity and built havens of middle-class comfort in spite of official segregation and the unchecked threat of racial violence. Franklin and company evoke the setting with subtlety and insight, from authentic BY MARGARET A McGURK Hie Cincinnati Enquirer Devil in a Blue Dress is a sizzling mystery yarn that earns a spot high on the list of good books translated into equally good movies. Mystery writer Walter Mosley served as MOVIE REVIEW TOP ART FILM: Sister My Sister (-k-kif'A) This creepy psychological thriller based on a true story is not for every taste.

But finely tuned performances byJoely Richardson, Jodhi May, Sophie Thursfield and Julie Walters are worth the price of a ticket. At The Movies. FOR KIDS: The Secret of Roan Inish () Still here, and still captivating, is John Sayles' 1994 Irish fable. This is a fantasy that parents can enjoy as much as the tots. At The Movies.

FOR TEEN-AGERS: Steal Big, Steal Little () Let everyone else go see Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers; you impress your date by picking this colorful California romp. Lots of hugging. The plot is kind of a mess, but that will give you something to talk about afterwards. At National Amusements. street signs to the air of dread that envelops Rawlins when he crosses color lines in pursuit of his prey who may or may not be a mysterious beauty played by Jennifer Beals.

The soundtrack, likewise, is a delicious blend of period gems from Duke Ellington, Jimmy Witherspoon, Thelo-nious Monk and other great artists. The mood is alternately scary and sexy, although the only love scene is performed with both parties fully clothed. That scene also provides one of the many moments of surprising humor that punctuate this tantalizing film. Others come courtesy of Don Cheadle, from the TV series Picket Fences, in a terrific associate producer on the movie, although the screenplay was written by director Carl Franklin (One False Move). Together they have cooked up a spicy nail-biter of a hard-boiled detective story that Bogart himself could envy.

Denzcl Washington, equal parts muscles and grace, is perfect as Easy Rawlins, an unemployed veteran who reluctantly takes on an apparently simple investigating job so he can make his mortgage payment Of course, nothing can be simple, or it wouldn't be a mystery. Before long, Rawlins' head is spinning at the double-crosses, murder, lies and corruption that almost bring him down. The sinuous plot TnStar PicturesBruce W. Talamon Easy Rawlins (Denzel Washington) confronts Daphne (Jennifer Beals) in a scene from Oevil in a Blue Dress. Devil in a Blue Dress (R; violence, language, sexuality) Denzel Washington, Jennifer Beals, Don Cheadle.

1 01 minutes. At National Amusements. turn as Rawlins' trigger-happy sidekick, Mouse. More good news: The movie ends with a set-up for a sequel. is a bobsled ride of miscues and twists, but Franklin never loses a beat as he propels the story toward its hero's walk in the sunset The story is set in 1948 Los Angeles, a las 'Unzipped' answers call of the wild designer T.I0VIE REVIEW HOW THEY RATE Excellent Good Fair Poor No stars Bomb ers, take note: You can't make up stuff this funny, so just go ahead and steal it) The drama peaks when, just before Mizrahi's show, "Eskimo chic" by a rival designer shows up on the cover of a leading trade magazine.

The notion of two designers trying simultaneously to dress women like Inuit seal hunters is hilarious. To his credit, fashion photographer turned director Douglas Keeve rolls with the joke, from start to end. That sense of humor saves Unzipped from terminal irrelevance as it dishes up a fresh look behind the supermodel-infested magazine rack at the loopy process of making what used to be called haute Unzipped (R; profanity, brief nudity) Kate Moss, Linda Evangelists, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington. 73 minutes. At The Esquire.

This has never been expressed more specifically, nor with such wicked humor, as when Mizrahi raves about a shot of Loretta Young being lifted from the snow in Call of the Wild with perfect hair, makeup and lighting. The movie follows Mizrahi as he prepares his 1994 fall collection, when fur looms large in his imagination. Early on, he rhapsodizes about how he wishes he could make jumpsuits out of "beast fur" for rich women to wear when they walk their dogs. As the work progresses, he draws inspiration from Call of the Wild, Nanook of the North, The Flintstones and Mary Tyler Moore. He also consults a Ouija board for guidance on evening wear.

(Comedy writ BY MARGARET A- McGURK The Cincinnati Enquirer Unzipped, a documentary about designer Isaac Mizrahi, is a keen, funny snapshot taken at the intersection of Seventh Avenue and Hollywood, America's twin fantasy factories. The thoroughly wacky Mizrahi is clued in to the fact that now more than ever, fashion competes with movies and music for center stage in the entertainment business. When high-fashion folk go on about bringing "glamour" to women's clothes, they mean glamour as expressed in movies. Their customers adopt the magic of th flickering screen by wrapping themselves in the garb of Hollywood creations. I.