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This weekend Scream 3 outperformed the other nine movies in the top ten combined, thanks in part to playing on a record 3,467 screens, which allowed most everyone who wanted a ticket to buy one. Many critics claimed the horror series had run out of creative steam, but fans nevertheless wanted to know how the trilogy ended.

The few available Christian reviews, however, were only mildly critical of the campy slasher sequel. The series, which has always revolved around the question of how much art reflects life and life imitates art, adds another layer by moving the action to Hollywood where actors playing victims in a horror movie are being killed for real. The Movie Reporter's Phil Boatwright said Scream 3 achieved its goals of being "scary [and] funny," even if it's also quite crude. Paul Bicking of Preview warns there's enough "knife slashing and stabbing to satisfy the genre," but adds that it's "less gory than expected." The U.S. Catholic Conference was not so lenient, calling it a "horrific blood bath" and "a mindless unreeling of mayhem and gore." Mainstream reviews were more concerned with the movie's tedium: Tom Maurstad of The Dallas Morning News quips that "Scream 3 is full of surprises … it's surprisingly long, surprisingly dull and surprisingly stupid." Jack Garner of The Rochester Chronicle pins the blame on "a key mistake that was successfully sidestepped by its predecessors: It takes itself seriously."

This week brought more glowing reviews for the inspirational story of Rubin Carter's eventual release from wrongful imprisonment. The U.S. Catholic Conference says this "study of institutionalized racism" is noteworthy for how the jailed Carter "spiritually transcends his confines." World finds in it the uplifting message that "hope can be found even in horrible situations." Childcare Action was impressed by the selfless dedication of those committed to seeing Carter freed, calling it "a very touching presentation of courage and dedication for the right reasons. … It was about true love—the non-physical kind."

This family favorite is still performing strong, and looks likely to join 1999's ten biggest moneymakers before the end of its run. No new reviews are available this week, so visit our previous editions of Film Forum on Dec. 30, Jan. 12, and Jan. 26 for details of the enthusiastic Christian response.

Bad reviews continue to pour in for Ice Cube's comedy sequel. World calls it "obnoxious," finding its "live fast, die young" philosophy lacking. Focus on the Family's Bob Walkiszewski says the only positive element he detects is the heroism of the police force, which is "ironic from a writer who helped popularize such anti-law enforcement songs as 'F—the Police.'"

Falling quickly from the number one slot last week, Eye of the Beholder is suffering from bad word of mouth and even worse reviews. (The U.S. Catholic Conference calls it a "trashy melodrama [that] is unintentionally laughable.") The story follows an emotionally wounded British spy (Ewan McGregor) who becomes obsessed with a murderous femme fatale (Ashley Judd) he's tracking, but Movie Parables says this plot is lost amid heavy stylization: The "story is secondary (if not completely irrelevant) to the manner in which it is told." Preview's Paul Bicking agrees, panning it as "all look and no substance. … Without sympathetic characters whose actions are tied to stronger motives, the audience is quickly lost." J. Robert Parks of The Phantom Tollbooth bemoans the wasted acting talent in the movie, especially in the choice to reduce Judd to a sex object. "Judd has little to do but change clothes (or not—in one instance, she runs out onto the street wearing nothing but underwear and a fur coat)." The Movie Reporter's Phil Boatwright was able to find a message in the movie, even though he didn't feel it worth wading through the R-rated content to discover: "It makes a statement about how one can become psychologically unsound by shutting oneself off from society, and filling your existence with nothing but high tech gadgetry."

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February (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44