DINAH WASHIE ONE WEEK ONL hote submitted DENZEL WASHINGTON portrays Malcoim X in Spike Leo's new jfilm on the life of the American black activist. ~ Extolling Malco! mM ‘Malcolm X bio ranks as best Spike Lee film to date Malcolm X & & *& (Warner Bros.) Rated Mature (at the Park Royal, Capitol and Station Square cinemas) =the unknown. Be- fore Malcolm “Red” Little drop- ped his slave name for a mathematical equation, he was far from being a black activist. Tim Bell | FILM REVIEW if the chemicals had been avail- able then, he’d have whitened his skin 2 la Michael Jackson. Instead, © he just chemically fried his scalp to straighten his hair. . SSE 4&4 (Lee) handles the grandeur like David Lean. 99 He also preferred the American ideal — the blue-eyed blondes. Decked out in flash zoot suits, he ran numbers, snorted coke and burgled. Then something good happened in his life — he got caught. An eight-to-10 stretch guided the con- fused, angry convict to the Muslim teachings of Elijah Mohammed. He found that he'd been in prison all his life, swapping his African origins for white man’s goais. And that’s where the movie bugs down. The energetic 40s era of jitterbug dancing and dangerous pastimes hits a brick wail. Malcolm’s life may have been spiritually bankrupt Yelore he entered prison, but it sure cooked. His enlightenment, on the other hand, is less kinetic. He becomes a devout Muslim, gets out of prison, marries and raises a family. He spreads Elijah’s message of black self-acceptance and rejection of the white devil society. Maicolm‘s dynamic speeches make the 11 o’clock news with terse statements like, ‘We didn’t land on Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Rock landed_on us.”’ -~ The movie picks up momentum again when he finds his idol, Eli- jah, has feet of clay and several Turner weeps well and often. SHOWTIME HOTLINES: Famous Players ........... 681-4255 Cineplex Odeon . ++ 687-1515 . paternity suits to boot. This ranks as Spike Lee’s best film to date. He handles the grandeur of an epic like David Lean without forsaking his own trademark visual style. And the excellent cast keeps the film afloat when the storyline sags. Denzel Washington captures the many complicated layers of Matcolm from self-centred punk to Muslim martyr, while keeping him vulnerable in his humor, in- genuousness and compassion. Be prepared, though — at 3% hours, it’s a long movie. But, as with aif of Spike Lee’s projects, you can expect challenging enter- tainment. Madame X * x (MCA Home Video) Unrated Couldn't resist matching these two films up. Despite similar titles, this soap opera is strictly popcorn fluff. Lana Turner marries out of her league and a dalliance with swarthy playboy Ricardo Mon- talban goes sour, forcing her to abandon boring hubby John For- sythe and an unnaturally well- behaved four-year-old son. Years later, she’s an absinthe addict up for murder one and guess who ends up as her defence lawyer? That's right — her son, totally unaware he's defending his mother. Pure hokum, but the look is lav- ish with some nice performances. CAROL SHIP PARADE OF LIGHTS! Family Night aboard the MV Malibu Princess Join us for a fun-filled Carol Ship Cruise through False Creek Wednesday, December Sth 6:30 - 9:30pm Perey | caens Tickets: $15 Adults / $10 Seniors & Children uncer 12 Cali Malibu Yacht Charters at 685-8468 to reserve your tickets now! Serving World Famous Fish & Chips in HORSESHOE BAY since 1946 © expires Dec. 17/92 ¢ Mon.-Thurs. only 4 pm to closing ®* Horseshve bay. - f location only Buy the first entree, and receive a second entree of equal or lesser value, FREE! 21.7755 6408 Bay Street ; West Vancouver THE LANDING Exquisite shops with unique Christmas gifts. 375 WATER STREET Phone 687-1144.