The Fresno Bee from Fresno, California • 59

Die Fresno Bee Friday March 12 1993 F7 Movies Hi ho hi ho off to the African desert we go By John Scalzi The Fresno Bee Disney seems to have an interesting preoccupation with taking teen-agers sticking them in some scenic but god-forsaken and area and then seeing if make it out alive Some of the more recent films in this genre include of Natty and now Far Off an adventure story based on the books of Lauren van der Post However Disney does have a knack for making these things work reasonably well Far Off is a fine adventure film for the younger set Shot on location in southern Africa the film is about two American kids Nonnie Parker (Reese Witherspoon) and Harry Winslow (Ethan Randall) who trek across the Kalahari Desert after their home is attacked by elephant poachers father a naturalist of some sort was getting too dose to discovering the identities of the poach- Nonnie and Harry are studies in opposites Nonnie is African bom and bred and her idea of a good time is hanging out with Mopani Theron (Maximilian Schell) head of the local anti- poaching squad and contemplating gunning down people who steal tusks Harry on the other hand has been dragged from New York to Africa by his father a friend of parents Harry is your average Walkman-wielding adolescent snot and the more practical Nonnie accurately assesses him as such in their first meeting And so it is no surprise that Harry is Bomewhat less than thrilled when he realizes after the poacher attack that the only way going to make it back to New York is to cross the Kala hari Desert several hundred Can I help? Jessica Rabbit plays a gazelle butcher its meat and craft a vest out of the skin like Outward Bound raised to the nth Randall entirely convincing in the transformation He has a look of whiny displeasure all through the film even when his character has supposedly moved beyond that Witherspoon in contrast lives up to her smart tough resourceful and era-minded character like a Dian Fossey-in-training character is more of an enigma but he is enjoyable on screen able to take one of the more diched scenes where Harry is trying to explain the concept of television to Xhabbo and make it actually seem fresh Far Off is the directing debut of Academy Award nominated cinematographer Mikael Salomen and appropriately boasts some extremely beautiful photography of the plains and of Africa with Golden Valley Girl Scout Council Presents Low-budget film? How does $7000 sound? lesson in survival from Sarel Bok desert and making cryptic Yoda-like pronouncements to his charges are like he at one point tells Harry after Harry and Nonnie have a tiff not the flowers that matter the Harry seems pretty dazed by that one But a quick learner and not too long before he and Nonnie are getting along swimmingly (to use a metaphor particularly out of place for a desert movie) Harry who is insufferable at the outset Beems to develop a bouI in the desert By the time he comes out of the Kalahari he can single-handedly kill a El Mariachi Starring Carton Gatardo Consuelo Gomez and PetarMarquardt Written and directed byRabeit Rodriguez A Columbia Pictures i UA Sierra Vista and Fig Garden dnemaa Spanish srith English subtitles for viotenca Rating: because too dam smug for that The action is low-rent (of course) but exciting and balanced with humor that is not only in the right proportions but of a different sort than you find in most action films People make wisecracks after killing someone rather the humor comes from people being confused as to going on and own idiosyncratic directorial style (dictated by a budget that only allowed one take per scene and a hand-held 16mm camera) No one would ever confuse with a big-time Hollywood production But for something that was intended as an exercise of straight-to-video crank-it-out movie-making Mariachi" is a surprisingly strong piece of work It goes to prove that if got a story that can stand on its own feet everything else will take care of itself John Scalzi is The movie critic For his capsule reviews of current movies callBeeUne at 443-2400 (3221) from a touch-tone phone Reese Witherspoon center get a because no one in his right mind would do it that way The two are guided on their trek hy a Bimhman tunned YhaH- bo (Sard Bok) who is friend and who saved their lives by warning them of the attack on their parents (Xhabbo knew because he had a a sort of premonitory ability that the movie suggests the Bushmen are able to generate at will) Xhabbo (whose named is pronounced with a tongue dick is located) is the desert where the equally helpful in talking elephants into covering their tracks finding water in the a i ')f i V' totes a guitar not a gun The identity mix now lished the film proceeds through the usual gates Azul is confused at the number of deaths assigned to him El Mariariii is confused as to why being shot at and men are confused because they know who they are supposed to be killing The only person who seem to be confused is Moco and forest ranger in Trail Namib Desert and its spectacular dunes subbing for the more mosaic Kalahari At times like watching a National Geographic pictorial done in real time comes pack-oger Rabbit animated short entitled In it Roger tries to keep his charge Baby Herman from foiling prey to the various hazards of a national park fun but a little hyperactive for my taste like watching a Roadrunner clip while under the influence of a hefty dose of methamphet-amines On the phis side however it features a cameo from Jessica Rabbit about whom I must say in all sincerity hubba hub-ba John Scalzi is The movie critic For his capsule reviews of current movies callBeeLJne at 443-2400 (3221) from a touch-tone phone 1 pm to 4 pm $5perperson at the door or in advance plmaerail 297- Iff 70 Name Address City Daytime phone number Indicate your picks for this year's Academy Awards from die nominees below: 1 Best Picture Nominees: Crying Game Few Good End of a Woman 2 Beit Actor Nominees: Robert Downey Jr -Chaplin' Clint Eastwood Ai Pacino nit Woman" Stephen Rea "The Crying Game" Denzel Washington 3 Best Actress Nominees: Catherine Deneuve Indochlne Maty McDonnell "Passion Fish" Michelle Pfeiffer "Love Field" Susan Sarandon 0B" Emma Thompson "Howards End" 4 Best Supporting Nominees: Jaye Davidson "The Crying Game" Gene Hackman "Unforgiven" Jack Nicholson Few Good Men" AI Pacino "Glengarry Glen David Paymer "Mr Saturday NighT 5 Best Supporting Actress Nominees: Judy Davis and Joan Plowright "Enchanted AprB" Vanessa Redgrave "Howards End" Miranda Richardson MarisaTomei Cousin Best Nominees: Neil Jordan "The Crying Game" James Ivory "Howards End" Robert Altman The Player" Martin Brest "Scent of a Clint Eastwood "UnforgivBn" 7 questloa To hear the Merer bonus question cal BaeLino wing a touch-tone phono 443-2400 After the greeting enlir I number 9999 If you dont have a phone call Community I 441-6286 for tha question Ethan Randall left A Far Off Place Starring Reesa Witherspoon Ethan Randal and Sarel Bok Written by Robert Cwwrii and Jonathan Hen-sleigh and Salty Robineon Directed byMftaal Salomon Festival and cy Cinemas PQ miles across no matter how you slice it not terribly thrilled about the idea either but the alternative is going back and getting shot Besides crossing the Kalahari will allow them to escape far the same reason crossing the Arabian Desert won TE Lawrence the part of Aqaba Man In black Carlos Gallardo usually Azul looks like So understandable that they confuse Azul who is quite frankly one ugly guy with the rather more attractive hero of the film El Mariachi (Carlos Gallardo) Both men wear MaA and both carry a guitar case El Mariachi of course has a guitar in his All Ell Mariachi wants to do is find a nice bar where he can play music Instead within minutes of entering town being shot at by men He manages to escape and hides in the apartment of Domino (Consuelo Gomez) a sympathetic bar owner and designated love interest of the story He OritlMi Mi OahfCMtdy Shop pretests 4- VANftM AHotottiringm mm jan ns MA GARDNER fWl UAl Thure8pm Dinner Available Fri 6 Sal 8 8 10:30 pm pm 4 Bssenfstloss Required 1231 Vu Hess Dowetowe Fresee and By John Scalzi Tneedto give a little perspective The movie was originally produced shot and edited by Robert Rodriguez for $7000 which makes it hands down the least expensive film put out by a mayor studio in decades compare it with the other end of the spectrum winch would be Last Action the upcoming Arnold Schwarzenegger Aide Best estimates figure it will come in at a tidy $77 milium $77 million for just one film Give that much money to Rodriguez and he could make 11000 movies And most likely still have money left over for a keg party at the end of each one Or if Rodriguez had hired Schwarzenegger for his film at per-word rate for (about $29000 per word) he have been able to afford a single phoneme Arnold would have stepped in front of the camera taken a breath and that would have been that Even figuring the additional $100000 that Columbia Pictures invested in the film to remix the sound and blow the 16mm original up to a 35mm print Rodriguez still could nrelm 720 movies for $77 mil or conversely afford to pay Schwarzenegger for a short but nevertheless complete sentence la vista $116000) Either way you get the idea: Rodriguez knows how to stretch a dollar until it screams And in he proves that he also can get a bang out of his buck flnanoBw aside a perfectly respectable B-grade action-adventure film It is in Spanish and subtitled in English ao bother coming unless you speak Spanish or know how to read (the film was originally conceived for the Vanish-language video market) The story is a case of mistaken identity gone terribly awry It starts with an assassination attempt at a prison The target is a tough guy nnmwri Azul (Reinol Martinez) The person ordering the hit is Moco (Peter Mar-quardt who if we are to believe file press materials speak Spanish he was given his lines phonetically by Rodriguez) Moco owes Azul money and figures that instead of paying up he will simply rub Azul out Azul escapes the attempt and heads out after Moco dressed in black and carrying a guitar case filled with guns knives and other implements of death and violence Moco sends his men out to kill Azul but at a disadvantage only Moco knows what March 13 Holiday Inn Fresno Airport Anyrtttrnlinriii OH OSCAR! Enter The Fresno Bee's Academy Awards contest and you and a guest could win dinner and a movie screening with John Scaizl The Bee's movie reviewer Second place wins four movie passes to all The Bee's screenings for an entire year and third wins four passes to the next Bee screening and a colorful comics umbrella To enter ballots must be received by March 22 noon Good lucid The Fresno Bee Oscar Contest P0 Box 24026 Fresno CA 93779-4026 HIGH qUAdJTYAT3CaAFTSiMUSJC VISALIA CONVENTION CENTER MARCH 13th 14 th Sat Sun 9 am to 5 pm Admission $200 Children Under 12 Free1 1-445-1459 3.