The Toronto Star from Toronto, Ontario, Canada • 68

.016 Friday, May 18, 1990 THE TORONTO STAR Actors on high-test but story a clunkefi Cadillac Man Storing Robin Wlm and Tom RofaNna, acmwiptw by Kan FHedmari directed by Roger Donakfaon. At tha York jErfWon Awl eaet of Yonge. 486-5600). By Rita Zekas TORONTO STAR To do a comedy about a car salesman seems redundant Arent they the butt of jokes, anyway? Line, would you want your daughter to many one. Hardy, har.har.

Cadillac Man is the poor mans Tin Man, Barry Levinsons brilliant takeoff on aluminum skiing salesmen. If a shame Robin Williams, file Cadillac man of the title (because he drives a Caddy), couldnt get a better vehide, especially since the anticipation factor is running so high after Williams great success with Dead Poets Society. Williams is Joey OBrien, a slide-talking car salesman whose life is beginning to run on empty. His sales are down, the women in his life his ex-wife, daughter, two mistresses and mother are down on him and one hot dog day afternoon, wacko Lany Kbscmskl bursts into his life via the showroom window. Lany is gunning for the man his wife, Donna, the showroom's pretty secretary, is having an affair with.

Armed with an AK-47, Larry takes customers and staff hostage, and the bullets and banter start flying Comparisons with Dog Day Afternoon spring to mind. A1 Pacino, Dog Days' star, was even given first consideration as Joey. Call it Dqg Day Afternoon Lite. But to label Cad Men a "dog" would do disservice to Chester, the cranky Pomeranian. Joy is Chester and Joeys mutual mistress.

Yap-happy Chester turns In an inspired performance, probabfy inpait because he belongs to Fran Drescher, the actress who portrays Joy. Tim Robbins, so wonderful as Bull Durham'! Nuke LaLoosh, the lovable lug with file million-dollar pitching arm and bargain basement brain, plays Larry. You Si better deal on the between him and Williams. They dkked instantly upon meeting and urged each other on to great heights of improv. There are some great throwaway fines, when Liny is frantic because one of his random shots hits a police officer, Joey reassures hhn, "You didn't shoot a cop; you shot a food Joey allegedly has no problem in the pick-up dept.

He is a loving legena. "So many women, so little "he bemoans. But why women would be running after a scedy-looklng man PRECARIOUS BALANCE: MM Gibson and Goldls Hawn fan to Jugglo romanca and advantura In Bird On A Win. Generic action flick has Goldie playing Gibsons no-name lover But her life is turned upside-down when she pulls into a gas station and, to her astonishment, comes face to face with Rick Jar-min (Gibson), a former lover who was supposed to have died in an air crash in 1975. Marianne soon learns that Rick spent those 15 nomadic years in a long string of Jobs and aliases, all under the witness protection program.

In exchange for his testimony against crook ed police detective Eugene Sorenson (David Carradine), the government guaranteed his safe- hotel suites she indulges in today. But this is Just a flimsy way of marking time between shootouts and chases. And the only reason the fugitives survive is that the inane script sets Rick up as an expert marksman, mechanic, pilot, cyclist, animal handler, carpenter, designer and, yes, even hairstylist. Bird On A Wire also promises Gibsons panting female fans a 1 peck at his svelte But all they get is an extreme dose-up of a butt pockmarked with bloody bulletholes after Ride is grazed during a getaway. And speaking of rear ends, Hawn offers a fleeting glimpse of hers during a shadowy love scene and again when Gibson is practically cheek to cheek with her, as she clambers up a ladder ahead of him.

Neither scene is remotely offensive, but its still a shame to see Hawn stooping to such taste- What si she needs is a Walk into certain supermarkets and you'll find a slew of bland, no-trills products in austere parkagwi nthnifflin prices. As yet, no one has considered promoting movies that way, nor are they likely to. But if ever a film deserved to be hawked via a poster with die word "Movie in big, Mode letters on a stark, white background, it's Bird On A Wire Along the bottom, you'd also find the following notice, in smaller bold-face type: "Action-romance. Contains two stars, gunfire, explosions, three chases, one doublecross, 1960s nostalgia, romantic banter, one bedroom scene and one dimao-tic showdown. Who would have imagined that Goldie Hawn, without a hit for 10 long years since Private Benjamin, would choose director John Badham's noisy, vacuous vehide for her comeback at- tempt? Teaming with Md Gibson was a sensible move for commercial reasons.

Even the difference in their ages shes 44, hes 34 Movies Henry Mietkiewicz Bird On A Wire SanftiQ kM Gfcson and Gokfla Hawn, overplay by Davtd Seltzer, Louis Vanoeia and Erie Lamar, dkactad by John Badham. tha York (Mntoi Ava. asst ofYonga, 4805600). doesnt noticeably upset the romantic chemistry. But alter working so hard in the late 70s and early HQs to create the impression that her giggly exterior hid a shrewd mind, Hawn has now accepted a role as little more than a dizzy damsel in distress.

True, Marianne Graves (Hawn) starts out as a sharp, self-sufficient corporate lawyer on a business trip to Detroit (Vancouver is Motor (Stys unlikely stand-in). Classic reggae film tops Caribbean fest ROBIN WILLIAMS inacheesysi Williams just suit beats me. doesn't cut it aa a Lothario. pacing la sluggish. Reger Donaldson lets the Director lets the movie ran out of gas three quarters of the way through.

You know they cant stay in that sales room forever and you know Lany isn't killer mentality so why not get eveiyone out of there so we can go home and save some money on the babysitter. And the script could use a good mechanic Producer Charles Roben admitted that there was a different slant to file movie, it was initially darker in mood and they a a. Jtaa -ir snot a Qinereru ending, one mat didnt wrap things up a nice family compact like the existing one. a lemon. The acting is top of the line: Pamela Reed as Joey's long-suffering ex-wife, Tina; Drescher as mistress number one; file whinydineyJoy; and Lori Petty as delightfully ditzy alternate mistress, Lila.

The redoubtable Elaine Stritch has a nice bit as a grieving widow Joey has the bad taste to try and sdl a car to at her husbands funeraL Not for a moment do we suspend our disbelief that Robin as Joey could be that smarmy. But if Helen, the dim turn girl, played by Lauren Tom, who outperforms the other actresses. Helen works at the locpl Chinese greasy spoon and bullies everyone who comes in: "No eat, no seat" Too bad she didn't start on the directors seat. Repertory Now that Denzd Washington is an Oscar-winning actor, curious movie fens have been taldng a second look at his pre-G2ory days. Thats wire last yes The Mighty Quinn worth catching (Thursday and May 25 at 9 p.m.).

This is actually pretty lightweight stuff that never amounts to much more than a funky cops-and-robbers romp. Still, Was ton. who nlavs too coo bean adventure, rives this movie more than enough zing. Abo in the festival are Sunsplash 79, Rockers, 1 Bongo Man and Children Of Ion. Tickets, available at La Theatre, are $4.99 per screening or $20 for a festival pass.

Hazardous Materials: So you think that in 1988 Stephen Frean was file first to make a adaptation of the 18th-century novel, Les Liaisons Dangereuses? And that Milos Forman followed his 1960 production of Dangerous Liaisons. Now completists can finally see the Vadim version, which runs tonight through Thuraday at the Bloor Cinema, 506 Moor St W. Then it transfers to the Revue Cinema, 400 RoncesvaDes, May 25 The big difference that, unlike Rears and Forman, Vadim updated the setting to modern Paris and made the characters fart of the European jet set In the leading roles are Jeanne Moreau as the predatory Count, ess, Gerard Philipe as the manipulative, womanizing Valmont, Annette Vadim (the directors wife) as virtuous Madame de Tourvel Jeanne Valerie as innocent Cedle and Jcan-Loub Trintignant as Ce-die's nervous boyfriend. Danceny Hiroshimas black rain 'But now Eugene has finished serving his time and comes gunning Ride with the help of a comipt insider in the protection program. This forces Rick to run for his life and, of course; he insists on dragging Marianne through an almost non-stop barrage of bombs and bullets.

From time to time, the screenplay strains in vain to make a social statement, as Ride reminds Marianne of their idealistic hippie years and then criticizes die cashmere fashions and lavish joined her Kazuo Shigeko (Etsuko Ichihara) in trekking across Hiroshima to shelter. Five years later, Shigematsu, now a rich landowner In a remote village, is worried about his slowly deteriorating health, but hes also thankful his wife and niece seem tol Still the bombs devastating but subtle effects are all around. No aspect of existence, from minor illness to work habits, can be discussed without reference to the bomb. I S' S'. ij i script that requires her to be an actress and not just a pretty face on the lam.

horror And even though life slowly appears to be returning to normal the funerals keep coming with distressing regularity. Shigematsu and Shigeko are also troubled by the well-founded rumors that no man will marry Yasuko because of her exposure to the black rain. The only match left is with Yuichi (Keisuke Ishida), a poor but compassionate sculptor who was so traumatized by the war that the mere sound of an engine calls up horrific images of attacking tanks. And just when Shigematsu Degins to believe his family has been spared any long-range sickness, another wave of misery sets to. By shooting Black Rain in Mack and white, Imamura has given his tale a visual starkness on a par with the mounting tragedy.

At the same time, though, he retains an air of spareness and simplicity to avoid any possibility of cheap melodramatics. Most important, Black Rain benefits from dean, Unaffected performances by the entire cast Tanaka, in particular, gives Yasuko a of pride and dignity that becomes even more pronounced as her world begins tocrumble. The only drawback is the actual movie print, which has white English subtitles that sometimes fade into invisibility against a light background. But never does this last long enough to destroy in individual scene. In its own way, Block Rain is is forceful an argument against nudear war as any piese of North American pseudo-science fiction.

But by looking simultaneously to the future ana the cast, it emerges as a work or extraordinarily subtle eloquence and power. At long last, there's some a hint of tropical temperatures to come and we're into our first weekend of the fair-weather son. That's perfect timing for "Once In A Lifetime," Toronto's first Caribbean filift festival, tonight through May 27 af La Plaza Theatre, 735 Queen St a block east of Broadview. Organizers have assembled a strong cross-section of Caribbean movies, with a good balance of comedy, drama and reggae cert features. Even thoifgh the festival in-, dudes material released as recent-V as last year, the most notable entry is the oldest Thats The Haraer They Come from 1973 (showing Sunday at 1.30 p.m., Monday at 1, Tuesday at 7, Wednesday at 7, and May 27 at 7 pm).

Production values on The Harrier They Come are sometimes crude, but the over-all impact is still powerful, hugely because of Jimmy Cliff's charismatic presence. Cliff plays a would-be singer who, in an ironic twist breaks on to the pop charts only after hes given up on show business and turned to crime. Also woven through the screenplay are loftier political themes involving freedom Ironi oppicSSIuTk The Harder They Come was instrumental in introdudng reggae to North American audiences, and its soundtrack features Toots and the Maytals and Cliff singing hits Drop Many such as "Pressure imip inwy Rivers To Cross and "You Can Get It If You Really Want. It also spawned a sort of sequel in 1976, Smile Orange (tonight at 7. pm, Saturday at 2.30 and 7, Tuesday at 9, Wednesday at 9 and May 273).

Why "sort of? Because Cliff isn't in it Instead, Smile Orange a delightful comedy built around Carl Bradshaw, who was prominently featured in The Harder They Come. Here he reprises his role as a waiter in a hustling Montego Bay resort-hotel under the able direction of Trevor Rhone. By Hemy Mietldewicz TORONTO STAR Desnite its Jananese setting and familiareounding title, Black Rain could not be farther in theme, mood or style from last falls police thriller starring Michael Jn racL the movie it most doscly resembles is Testament; a 1983 drama that rthe numbing, day-to-day activities of a U.S. family after a nuclear detonation near tneir middle-American town. But while Testament was a cautionary, anti-war tale about a fictional explosion, Black Rain lobks to the actual bombing of Hiroshima and dwells on the long-range horrors, as well as foe day the mushroom cloud bloomed on fiw horizon.

The title refers to the thick, inky, radioactive rain that fell in the Hiroshima area just after the bomb went off. Unlike the thousands who suffered instant death or debilitating radiation burns, anyone far enough from ground zero was pelted only by the black rain and was able to cany on in what seemed like perfect health. But years later, these people, too, succumbed without notice and at random moments to the bombs fatal grip. 1 Director Shohei Imamura, who co-wrote the screenplay with Toshiro Ishido, does not stint in his depiction of the horrors of Aug. 6, 1945.

A dazed mother tobreast-foed the charred corpse of her child, writhing casualties are indistinguishable from the rubble of their homes and bewildered burn victims shuffle about aimlessly like the zombies of Night Of The Living Dead. But these grim images occupy only two sequences. Since Imamura is concerned mainly BLACK RAIN: Director Shohei Imamura details the long term terror of fallout that hit Hiroshima after atomic blasL Black Rain Storing Ybehlto Tanaka and Kazuo lUaaMM jMMAiudaii Cknlul LgmMi Knamurs, tcreonpiay dv ononw invnuri and Toehlro lahiooT dkacted by Shohei Imamura. At Cumberland Four jCumbertand a Avenue Ri, 964-5970). with the private, personal toll of the distastcr, most of Black Rain is set in an idyilicvillage in 1950.

As we learn through flashbacks, the black rain fell on Yasuko the black rain fell on Yasuko (Yoshiko Tanaka), a demure, marriage-minded woman in i early 20s. Then, covered with i in her Then, covered with the i Us rt ru-T-rn mati mm no if ftair-- i.