Acting great, plot poor in ‘Blood Work’

Evan Marmol

Clint Eastwood’s jagged countenance, austere personality and

copyrighted raspy voice finally return to the silver screen in “Blood

Work.” He is a welcome guest when there are a host of movies with

teeny-bopper actors bereft of the magnetism that Eastwood has always

provided.

He returns in his usual style, but slightly removed. As a retired

FBI criminal profiler, he is compelled to solve one last case.

Beleaguered by a recent heart transplant he displays a frailty that

is not typical of an Eastwood movie; it is this change that finally

humanizes Eastwood, lends credibility and depicts the limitations and

strengths of growing old.

Accompanied by his sidekick Buddy (Jeff Daniels) Eastwood

maneuvers through a film that gracefully subjects the audience to a

multitude of plot twists that contribute to an already powerful plot.

The acting is superb on all fronts and the suspense drives the

audience very close to falling from the edge of their seats onto the

theater floor.

The only limitation is the predictability of the plot. It can

either leave you feeling like a super sleuth or an insulted patron.

Either way, the build up and catharsis far more than makes up for

your suspicions of who-done-it early on in the movie.

Who cares who ‘Cletis Tout’ is?

“Who is Cletis Tout” proves that ebb tides have flow tides and

that washed up actors can surface from the murky depths of obscurity;

it also begs the question as to whether they should.

Richard Dreyfus, Christian Slater, Portia De Rossi and Tim Allen

combine in an uninspired, facile effort to jump-start a movie that

never had a chance of going anywhere.

The movie drifts from a convoluted plot to an abundance of

derivative cliches. Almost all of the theatrical devices are utilized

in a manner that leaves the audience yawning and not gasping. In a

nutshell, this movie is comprised of a jewel theft, a case of

mistaken identity, and a love story intertwined with a modicum of

comic relief and mishap. Overall the audience cannot expect to be

either impressed or surprised. The subdued and tiresome humor is

reminiscent of Woody Allen outtakes from his more disappointing and

unremarkable films.

Underdeveloped characters leave the moviegoer struggling to

identify with, or even care about the fate of the movie and its

players. Tim Allen provides a comic diversion that is not only

unbelievable, but the abstruse movie references that he makes are

only humorous if you were around when Hoover was president.

This film innocently drifts by without insulting but without

enticing any emotions or provoking thought. It promises more that it

can deliver. A cup of coffee and a good measure of patience would

help to survive the arduous journey through this one.

* EVAN MARMOL is Laguna Resident. he graduated from UC Irvine

with a degree in Psychology and Social Behavior.

‘Tadpole’ lacks depth

“Tadpole” is the nickname given a precocious 15-year-old prep school boy (Aaron Stanford) by the doorman of his family’s New York

City Upper East Side apartment. He is intellectually far above his

peers and thinks he is emotionally as well. Thus he has no interest

in girls his age but has a deep crush on his stepmother (Sigourney

Weaver). The movie finds him being seduced by his stepmother’s

close friend and trying to hide this from his parents (John Ritter

is his father), especially his stepmom.

Although this story line is right in keeping with the recent wave

of older women/ teenage boy affairs, it is not weighty or funny

enough to be taken seriously as either a drama or comedy. This is a

lightweight film with good actors wasted in their roles.

Addicts of New York City will enjoy the visual backdrop. A peek

into Upper East Side educated life is also fun, but the female

characters, with the exception of Weaver’s, are almost stereotypes of

female sexual predators. The film attempts to be funny, but had the

story been reversed, with an older man seducing a high school girl,

humor would feel wrong. Here it is taken rather lightly, even by the

young man’s parents. No serious issues are addressed and this

coming-of-age story illuminates nothing.

This film isn’t worth the admission so you can skip it and not

feel you missed much. It might be a mediocre rental.

* DIANE AND IGAL SILBER are film buffs.