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Preview's Mary Draughon is quite enthusiastic about the Somerset Maugham adaptation Up at the Villa, which tells of an English widow (Kristen Scott Thomas) living in Italy at the dawn of World War II, whose misguided sympathy for an Austrian stranger threatens her impending marriage. Draughon praises the film for its "gorgeous Italian scenery, rich photography, and elegant costumes," but mostly for its story, which allows the widow to "suffer the consequences of her poor judgment," but nevertheless affirms "that life is about taking chances." The Dove Foundation agrees, calling it "an intelligent film that relies on witty dialogue and rich, detailed performances to hold viewer attention rather than bombs and car chases." But not everyone was so charmed. While Draughon felt that the "tasteful treatment of its adult subject matter is unlikely to offend discerning viewers," Movieguide warned that "adults should exercise extreme caution" because of its "uncaring, worldly viewpoint" in which "there is neither a redemptive character nor situation for the audience."

It'd be a stretch to call the infamously bad Battlefield Earth noteworthy, but Hollywood Jesus' staunch defense of it certainly is. While earlier reviews sighed with relief that this adaptation of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's sci-fi novel didn't preach its religion, Hollywood Jesus calls it a shame that "we mask our spirituality from others. … Why is our culture so afraid of sharing its varied spiritual beliefs with each other? … Scientologists should make films that express their ideas on the big screen. As all religions should. … In the midst of incredible interest in spirituality there is [undue] self-censorship going on. … Where is free speech and religious freedom? … Where is the free exchange of religious thought?" Most reviewers simply couldn't take the movie that seriously: eStudentMinistry.net says "you may have had more fun flushing 8 dollars down the toilet in the foyer."

Steve Lansingh is editor of thefilmforum.com, a weekly Internet magazine devoted to Christianity and the cinema.

See earlier Film Forum postings for these other movies in the box-office top ten: Dinosaur, Gladiator, Road Trip, Small Time Crooks, Frequency, U-571, Center Stage, and Where the Heart Is.

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May (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44