Payback A+ 2/6/1999 3:15pm Lafayette, Indiana Mel Gibson goes around shooting everyone and blowing things up for two hours on a wild mission of revenge to get back at the people who tried to kill him. The film is shot in almost "Film Noir" style, with Mel doing the voice-over narrative as if it was some sort of detective flick. The direction is great, and the action is incredible. Mel Gibson is, of course, very much in his element when he's running around and kicking ass, and that's what this movie has him do. He plays a con man fighting other con men, so there's no good guys in the film, but that doesn't seem to matter. It just gives him license to be extra ruthless. I had a great time, I'm probably going to go see it again. I found no flaws in the film, and a lot of the lines are so quotable they'll probably be part of my repertoire for years to come. Affliction B- 2/12/1999 7pm Chelsea This was an odd film, but it does show Nick Nolte's been expanding himself lately. In this role he plays an alcoholic cop who's having a bad time. His father, a mean son of a bitch played by James Coburn, abused him as a child and has been haunting him ever since. Over time, of course, we find Nolte's character turning into his father. Eerily, at several points in the film I was reminded of the Luke and Darth relationship from Star Wars, including the funeral pyre. Anyway this is a good film if you're into art-house flicks or want to see Nick Nolte in a strange role. The movie is not as wonderful as the critics would have you believe, though. Blast from the Past A 2/13/1999 7:45pm Union Square Brendan Frasier plays a very naive 35-yr-old guy who has spent his entire life in a fallout shelter. His parents are very well cast as a stereotypical 1962 couple, Christopher Walken and Sissy Spacek. Walken is always great, of course. What happens is that the father confuses an airplane crashing into house to the apocalypse, and locks himself and his pregnant wife into the fallout shelter. The time locks open after 35 years. Brendan has to go out and explore the world, and he meets up with a young lovely girl who helps him deal, played by Alicia Silverstone. The script's pretty funny and the late 50's and early 60's references are very campy. There's even some swing dancing for you fad-loving maniacs. All in all I found it very enjoyable. Rushmore A 2/19/1999 7pm Secaucus This is a hilarious comedy about a very rebellious high school student whose bizarre antics create an upheaval in the lives of everyone he touches. Not since Ferris Bueller's Day Off has there been this much zaniness. Max, the intrepid young troublemaker, falls in love with a young teacher. At the same time, he befriends an older businessman, elegantly played by a gracefully aging Bill Murray, who happens to fall in love with the same teacher, even though he's married at the time. The movie is a laugh riot, and certainly among the best in its class. Office Space B+ 2/20/1999 8:10pm Ridgefield Park In this age of Dilbert it only makes sense that there would be movies based on the same theme of the dreadful stupidity of office politics and life in the cubes. Office Space is very funny in many places, but not overly original; a lot of it is too much like Dilbert, and the main plot is taken from Richard Pryor's scheme in Superman III; in fact, the characters themselves frequently mention that film, I guess in a way asking our forgiveness. Nonetheless, it's a very cute movie and worth seeing.