St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 87

SI.LUUIb HUaT-Di 3G FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 1993 REVIEWS FILM BLUES Tenderness And Wit Make For Good Love Story "BENNY Rating: PG. Running time: 1:40. i fk I 1 tik I. he realizes that it is becoming a romance. Sam has some mental quirks of his own.

He can barely read, and he is blissfully unaware of many of the clauses in the Social Contract that most of us live by. His whole life, it appears, revolves around his love for silent movie comedians, particularly Buster Keaton. Then he meets Joon. Sam charms Joon with some very graceful Keaton-like silent comedy routines. Former rock-singer Johnny Depp shows, as he did in "Edward Scissorhands," that he is a remarkable performer, with the combination of charisma and un-self-conscious acting talent that will probably make him a movie star.

Sam and Joon fall in love, but it takes awhile for him to realize how brittle her psyche is. When she breaks, he almost breaks with her. One of the wonderful things about this sweet, insightful movie is that it never condescends to Joon, never stoops to the Romantic lie that mentally ill people are magical creatures whose only problem is their treatment by society. Joon, in Masterson's richly nuanced performance, does possess almost magical qualities, but she also is beset by terrifying demons that slumber inside her head and are easily awakened. Writers Barry Berman and Leslie McNeil and director Jeremiah Chechik tell the story with tenderness and humor.

And miracle of miracles, in this day of endless endings when the story is over, the movie is over, too. (Clarkson, Crestwood Plaza, Galleria, Northwest Plaza.) By Harper Barnes Post-Dispatch Critic at Large THE NAUSEATINGLY CUTE preview for "Benny Joon" gives the false impression that this fine movie is a schlocky regurgitation of "Fried Green Tomatoes," with a dash of "Edward Scissorhands." It's not. "Benny Joon" is one of the most original movies to come out of Hollywood in the last few years, a witty and touching love story that is particularly remarkable for its sensitive treatment of mental illness. The cast is superb. Aidan Quinn plays Benny, the owner of a garage who has taken care of his mentally fragile sister, Joon Pearl (Mary Stuart Masterson), since their parents were killed in a car accident.

Joon is more than a handful, given to outbursts of temper that send housekeepers scurrying home and occasional public acts of delusion that can, quite literally, create traffic jams. Although the movie avoids psychological pigeon-holing, Joon is, it appears, a schizophrenic. Masterson gives a compelling, Oscar-level performance as a person whose mind skips from thought to thought in ways that make for both brilliantly revealing metaphor and tragically blurred nonsense. Despite her problems, Joon is, on the whole, charming. We are shattered when she suffers a full-scale, voices-from-the-ozone breakdown on a city bus.

Joon's therapist (C.C.H. Pounder) works gently but persistently to get Benny to let his sister move out of his Jimmy McGriff: I Mixing Blues, Soul By Terry Perkins hhm JIMMY McGriff is one of those rare performers seems to defy any attempt at being placed in one specific musical category. His approach to organ playing manages to blend elements of both jazz and blues and-add some spicy soul and gospel flavors to the mix as As he proved in concert Wednesday evening at Ju.st,, Jazz in the Hotel Majestic, McGriff can also create a powerful groove that combines jazzy improvisation and a funky beat and manage to keep every faction in the audience happy in the process. Three decades since he first appeared on the national music charts with his 1962 instrumental version of the: Ray Charles classic, "I've Got a Woman," McGriff stills-has a swinging soul touch that's as tangy and flavorful as barbecue sauce on baby back ribs. Backed by drummer Don Patterson, saxophonist Lili 1 White, trumpeter Kenny Rampton and guitaristsax player Paul Branin, McGriff charted a musical course during his opening set that bounced from Count Basie to Cannonball Adderley to Booker T.

and the MGs-style Memphis soul. McGriff's main instrument throughout was the venerable Hammond B-3, the backbone of the soulful jazz organ sound created by masters like Jimmy Smith and Richard "Groove" Holmes both teachers of McGriff, incidentally. It's a skill that McGriff has definitely mastered, and he's also added a touch of modern technology to his sound as well. McGriff adds tonal variety through the use of a MIDI synthesizer hooked up to his Hammond organ. This technique helps him create some unique sounds and brings a wider palette to the usual approach taken by an organ combo.

McGriff has surrounded himself with a fine supporting cast of musicians, and the result is a sound that can lock onto a groove like a snapping turtle and still find space for some hot solos as well. White turned in soulful efforts on both tenor and alto sax, and Rampton a former member of Ray Charles' band showed his ability on' trumpet with some fine muted solos. Special mention should also go to unsung hero Don Patterson at the drums. He stayed out of the spotlight but kept the beat rolling steadily all night. Johnny Depp plays an eccentric named Sam in "Benny Joon." house and into a group home, where she could live independently but with plenty of support.

But Benny is overprotective of Joon. He has tied much of his own self-esteem to his ability to take care of her, despite the fact that he is left with no time for a life of his own. When a sweet-natured eccentric named Sam wanders into Joon's life, Benny encourages the friendship until Lean Budget Makes For Taut And Fast-Moving Flick "EL MARIACHI" dances on the edge between slapstick and Kabuki. A mariachi musician comes to a small Mexican border town. He is mistaken for a hit man who also carries a guitar case (guess what's in it?) and is in the midst of a war with the local gang boss.

The musician, of course, ends up having to defend himself from the boss' swarms of minions, and as soon as he gets into the flow of things, he does it with all the flair of a champion bullfighter who has turned in his muleta for an assault weapon. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, you're dead, dead, dead, dead, dead. There's a little time for romance, but none for moraliz ing. Mainly, there is a blur of action. And then its over, and the musician goes Eastwooding down the road, heading for the next town.

"El Mariachi" makes the bloated movies of Steven Seagal and other American martial arts stars look as lazy and cluttered as the tag-team match at a tanktown wrestling arena. This movie means business. It's in Spanish with English subtitles, but, if you're worried about that, don't be. There isn't a whole lot of talk. (Tivoli.) Harper Barnes Rating: violence.

Running time: 1:23. iTfl- MARIACHI," which cost young director Robert HiRodriguez $7,000 to make, would be an amazing accomplishment even at 100 times the price. This violent but highly stylized shootout flick moves as fast as a hopped-up Harley. Its very low (by Hollywood standards, non-existent) budget may actually have helped, giving the movie a clean, pure, uncluttered look. Nothing gets in the way of the action which, if you don't mind all the blood, achieves a spooky surrealism that COOL UNUSUAL i 1 I II 1 11 1 I Hi i 7 Lots of items, some cool, some unusual, some ridiculous, fall across the desk of this newspaper's entertainment editor, Ellen Futterman.

As space allows, she will share them with readers. It gives her something to do. Digging for love: A new nationwide service called "Natural Connections" links singles interested in nature, outdoor activities and wilderness-related sports. Those who join receive brief profiles of members of the opposite sex in their state, region and elsewhere in the country. Members contact each other initially by writing through Natural Connections, which charges a $1 forwarding fee.

Membership costs $35 for six months; $55 a year. For more information write: Natural Connections, P.O. Box 655, Pomona, N.Y. 10970 or call (914) 354-3717. Aiding AIDS: Only a week is left to bid in 93.7 KSD's on-air silent auction in support of AIDS research.

Some of the items featured during the auction, which began April 5, include an autographed suit worn in concert by Rod Stewart; Grateful Dead artwork signed by the band; autographed sweat shirts from Phil Donahue and Oprah Winfrey and a "Late Night With David Letterman" musical guest book with signatures from Sting, Paul Simon, Ted Nugent, Chris Isaak and more. Those interested should listen to KSD weekdays at 8 a.m. when items or packages to be auctioned that day are announced. Then call 997-5594 that day to make an offer on the items; the highest bidder that day gets it. Toast to Mom: Racking your brain to come up with a great Mother's Day present for May You might want to think about entering Proctor-Silex's appliance giveaway in the hope of winning the latest in toaster ovens, irons and coffee makers.

For details on how to enter, call 800-TOASTER. All entries must be received by April 30. And hey, there's no reason you can't save your prize if you prefer and give it to dad for Father's Day (June 20). Think about it: Mom might want it that way. Take a whiff of "Nose." It's an investigative magazine of the weird and unusual (it's based in San Francisco), sort of like "Spy" but less celebrity oriented.

The current issue includes articles about the Rev. Ivan Stang and the dubious-yet-persistent Church of the SubGenius and another about finding God in North Dakota. It's available at newsstands throughout the St. Louis area. i i mm Redeemable I for five dollars towards any one purchase of $20.00 or more.

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