BULKED-UP BOMBSHELL FIZZLES IN CARTOONISH SCI-FI `BARB WIRE'.Byline: Steven Rea Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire Pamela Anderson
Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian-born actress, sex symbol, glamour model, producer, TV personality, and author. Lee moves from beach to bar in the title role of ``Barb Wire,'' a cartoonish, sci-fi take on ``Casablanca'' in which the former ``Baywatch'' star basically plays Bogie bo·gie 1 also bo·gy n. pl. bo·gies 1. One of several wheels or supporting and aligning rollers inside the tread of a tractor or tank. 2. , in spike heels and leather. As the proprietor of the post-apocalyptic Hammerhead hammerhead, common name for a heavy-looking, heronlike bird, Scopus umbretta. Its plumage is brown with light and dark glossy, purplish streaks on the wings and body. It has short legs, partially webbed feet, and a heavy, wide, moderately long, black bill. Bar, Barb is a hardened entrepreneur determined to stay neutral and make a few bucks in a world of warring idealist rebels and Gestapo-like government thugs. When Barb's old beau (New Zealand New Zealand (zē`lənd), island country (2005 est. pop. 4,035,000), 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km), in the S Pacific Ocean, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) SE of Australia. The capital is Wellington; the largest city and leading port is Auckland. hulk Temuera Morrison, in the Ingrid Bergman role) appears with an underground scientist in tow (Victoria Rowell, as a distaff Victor Laszlo), Barb's heartstrings get tugged. ``Barb Wire,'' which opens with a credit sequence that looks like an outtake out·take n. 1. a. A section or scene, as of a movie, that is filmed but not used in the final version. b. A complete version, as of a recording, that is dropped in favor of another version. 2. from Lee's Playboy videos, isn't horrible, exactly, but it isn't any good. As an action heroine, Lee has a couple of good kick-boxing moves, straddles a Triumph motorcycle convincingly and sports a decent Eastwood-y sneer. (Her signature line - ``Don't call me babe'' - is this movie's ``Go ahead, make my day.'') But the screenplay, credited to Chuck Pfarrer and Ilene Chaiken and plotted out scene by scene from ``Casablanca'' (its screenwriters, however, aren't credited), is a muddle of cyberpunk A futuristic, online delinquent: breaking into computer systems; surviving by high-tech wits. The term comes from science fiction novels such as "Neuromancer" and "Shockwave Rider. gibberish and weary retorts. David Hogan's direction (a rock video/second unit guy making his feature debut) plods in all the wrong places, though he and his cinematographer have gone to great lengths to photograph their siliconed star from every conceivable angle. There's a pumped-up soundtrack of guitar-grinding rock and chunky metal music (including a number by the star's Motley Crue spouse, Tommy Lee) that provides an artificial sense of momentum. ``Barb Wire,'' an adaptation of the comic book of the same name, can be intermittently amusing, as in when Lee breaks a nail in combat or when a character named Big Fatso descends from a bulldozer's maw. But despite its gimmicky appropriation of a film classic's story line and the preternatural physique of its leading lady, the picture is a dud. And there are close-ups of Lee, with her whorl whorl n. 1. A form that coils or spirals; a curl or swirl. 2. A turn of the cochlea or of the ethmoidal crest. 3. An area of hair growing in a radial manner. 4. of blond tresses, gobs of makeup and swollen, penciled-in lips, that can actually be frightening. This is one scary-looking bombshell. THE FACTS The film: ``Barb Wire'' (R; nudity, violence, profanity Irreverence towards sacred things; particularly, an irreverent or blasphemous use of the name of God. Vulgar, irreverent, or coarse language. The use of certain profane or obscene language on the radio or television is a federal offense, but in other situations, profanity ). The stars: Pamela Anderson Lee, Temuera Morrison and Victoria Rowell. Behind the scenes: Produced by Brad Wyman, Mike Richardson and Todd Moyer. Directed by David Hogan. Written by Chuck Pfarrer and Ilene Chaiken. Photography by Rick Bota. Music by Michel Colombier. Distributed by Gramercy Pictures. Running time: One hour, 33 minutes. Playing: Citywide. Our rating: Two Stars. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Pamela Anderson Lee stars in ``Barb Wire.'' |
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