~ Friday, May 6,.1988 - North Shore News :

Nicholson
steals
Witches’
show

THE wir CHES OF EASTWICK
* (Warmer Home Video) Rated R
IT SEEMS every time Jack
Nicholson is cast in a-horror
film, he ends up being ma-
nipulated by outside forces.”

- In The Shining, he was pos. -
. sessed by the evil that lurked in an
isolated hotel, eventually stalking:
his family with an axe. Although

he has been substantially promoted :

from chopmeister to Prince of
Darkness in-The Witches of ;
Eastwick, he still finds himself
under the influence. In this case,
it’s the combined power of Cher,
Susan Sarandon and d Michelle.
Preiffer.. a

ni the listless New England
lamiet of Eastwick, the trio of |
tiends meets regularly over cards
» and martinis to discuss their pres:
ent state of affairs. Most of their.

“Cher plays a widowed sculptress
pecializing in small pagan-like.. °°
ertility figurines while Sarandon ‘ly, :

fulfilling all their needs. Only one
townswoman (Veronica Cart-

- wright) recognizes the Great |

Deceiver for what he is, but her
rantings are ignored — at first.

When the sorceresses realize the
fallen angel’s pian, they invoke
some devilish special effects of
their own.

Ironically, in a film about
women, with three fine perfor-

-mances, it's Jack who walks away

with the show. Decked out in
shimmering robes, his hair tied in-
to a swine-like tail, Nicholson

- waggles those trademark eyebrows

like bat wings. He grins, flatters
and fakes insight to seduce his prey -
and tosses tantrums when rejected.
It's a meaty part that'allows for”.

‘plenty of mugging, but with such

chasm, it never becomes hammy.
only problem is the film’
disjointedness. It veers from °> >:
whimsical humor to gross-out hor-
‘ror. A tennis game where the ball”

floats or rockets depending on the :
~ “player's mood contrasts sharply
: with some nauseating-special ef.
-* fects. Also, the ending might be*
. more at home in’ Poltergeist: and ‘a
~ hokey fying sequence seems crib- ae

bed from Mary Poppins...
Fortunately, John Williams
light- hearted score he! .

: gelling soundtrack album

MY. FAVORITE WIFE ***:

. String quartet pis ys

‘teamed here with Irene Dunne, a

formidable actress and comedienne
‘who has been largely forgotten by
today’ 's audiences.

In case the story sounds famil-
iar, it was remade in the sixties as:
Move Over, Darling with James
Garner and Doris Day.- The origi-
nal is snappier and less dated, $0
- accept no substitutes, |
MY MAN GODFREY **42

" (Nostalgia Merckant) Rated G

© ‘Time has rot been kind to this
screwball comedy. Down-and-out

William Powell turns butler for an

oddball family and teaches them
important lessons while falling for
‘the dizzy daughter (Carole Lom-
bard). What was considered
quaintly.. eccentric in this family, :

* now:svems annoying and grating. ©

Powell, as always, is worth cat-'

“2 "ching as the sophisticated forgot-

"ten man who. learns to love again.

“The above films were sipplied
by Videomatica, the classic and —

. foreign film speciality store, on

> West Fourth i in Vancouver...

THE DEEP Cove String Quartet
presents its latest Music in the
Gallery show May 15, in Pres-
entation House's gallery featuring
Orient-influenced works.

Works from. Canadian com-
posers Elliot Weisgarber and Don
Druick and. American composer
Walter Piston’ will complement the
gallery's present exhibits..

For tickets or more information,
call Presentation House at 986-

1354.

eoe : :
NORTH VANCOUVER glass” ar-
tist Robert MacFarlane“will be ex-,
hibiting some of his. works‘in A

Glass Act II exhibit at the Langley

Centennial Museum until May 15.
Twenty-five other glass artists ~
whose works range from. stained
glass to glass sculptures —~ will be
joining loca!, artist MacFarlane.
The museum is located at 9135
King St. in Fort Langley. More j in-
fo: 888-3922. .

“THE BIG LITTLE COUPON
3 or more. One eats for. free.