By Ed Koch
The New World (-)
This visually stunning film depicts a lush virgin America and later on, beautiful formal gardens in Great Britain belonging to the King. For me neither was enough, and I found the movie boring.
Every child of my generation knows the story of Captain John Smith and Pocahontas. In the film, he wanders away from his fellow soldiers at Jamestown and is captured by the Indians in the area. My childhood recollection of the story is that he met Pocahontas, she saved his life, and they lived happily ever after. Not so. Captain Smith (Colin Farrell) deserts Pocahontas (Q’orianka Kilcher). Thinking he is dead, she eventually marries John Rolfe (Christian Bale) and has a child with him.
To tell the truth, when I read the story of Captain Smith and Pocahontas 70 years ago, I didn’t find it particularly inspiring. I love stories about Indians, but not the dolled-up version depicted in this movie. I like them looking more like Geronimo, Chief Joseph, and Dustin Hoffman in “Little Big Man.” A lot of the dialogue in this film was so softly spoken that I often missed what was being said, and after a while, I didn’t care. Many in the audience as well as other critics enjoyed this movie and the scenes of early America and England. I, however, was not one of them.
April’s Shower (-)
In the last few months, several movies on sexual orientation — homosexual, gay and lesbian, and transsexual — have been released, e.g., “Brokeback Mountain,” about two homosexual cowboys, and “Breakfast on Pluto,” involving a transvestite. Whereas the first two films are sensational, “April’s Shower,” about a lesbian relationship, is poorly done.
Ten women and four men gather at a bridal shower given by Alex (Trish Dolan) for April (Maria China) who is marrying Paul (Randall Batinkoff). During the party, the sexual secrets of those in attendance unfold. The characters, including the mothers of the bride and groom, certainly provided interesting material with which to work, but, regrettably, the film is foolish often engaging in slapstick and was quickly revealed as a bore.
