Van Gogh’s Starry Night
by Albert Boime
CD-ROM for Windows or Mac*
Voyager Ever wish you could study the seductive painting of the swirling night sky for
hours, look carefully at each section, into each crevice formed by the paint?
Return to Van Gogh’s Starry Night as many times as you’d like with
Albert Boime, an art history professor at UCLA, who takes you on a trip where
the truth is in the details. Included in the two hours of audio are over 250
contemporary, related images; Van Gogh’s famous correspondence; and an
illustrated essay on astronomy in art. The quality of Voyager’s titles make
them shine, and this one continues to impress and engage. — Jen
Scoville
Dolores Claiborne
D: Taylor Hackford; with Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, David
Strathairn
VHS Home Video Rarely do the movies based on Stephen King’s work surpass his books, but this
film is an exception. Screenwriter Gilroy took a mediocre book and turned it
into an excellent and enjoyable movie that explores the life of a dysfunctional
family in rural Maine. You’ll have to get over the fake Eastern accents in the
movie just as you had to get over the artificial, first-person point of view in
the book. Once you do, though, Bates’ fearfully confident Dolores, Leigh’s
credible alcoholic angst, and Strathairn’s disturbingly genuine drunken abuse
will set you on edge. In this case, don’t judge the movie by the book.
— Sarah Hamlin
Civnet
CD-ROM for Windows
Microprose Software
Do you dream of global rule? Fantasize about defining the destiny of
all humanity? Do you have the patience to spend years, decades, even centuries
slowly building your base of power? Can you stomach crushing all who come
between you and your quest? Civnet is the multi-player version of
Civilization, a terrific strategy game from several years ago. You can
play against computer-generated opponents, but the real fun is setting up a
game between humans. Networked PCs or a modem allow you to prove dominance over
your peers. Microprose is working on a sequel that has been called both
Civilization II and Civilization 2000. Its release date has yet
to be announced.
— Kurt Dillard
How Tasty Was My
Little Frenchman
D: Nelson Pereira dos Santos; with Ana Maria Magalh�es, Eduardo
ImBassahy Filho, Manfredo Colasanti.
VHS Home Video Set in 1557 colonial Brazil, a French adventurer is captured by a
cannibalistic Indian tribe in the jungle. Chosen as the chief’s slave, he
receives a wife, hut, food, and hunting gear — but after eight moons is to be
eaten. Made in 1971, this darkly humorous commentary on colonialism is a
product of the Brazilian Cinema Novo movement which sought to develop a
nationalist film culture. Despite the simplistic style, the intriguing content
piques interest. It’s slow — but scenery, music, Tupi language, and a steady
story move it along. Not knowing what to expect, I was left a little hungry.
— Stephany Baskin
Doom
for Sony PlayStation
id software and Williams Electronics It’s time to grab your shotgun and save the world… again. For those few
gamers who haven’t played Doom yet, there’s now a version of this
enormously popular PC title for the PlayStation. This rendition of the classic,
first-person shooter contains most of the levels from both Doom and
Doom II, along with a few new ones (unless they’re from Ultimate
Doom, which I haven’t seen) to keep old hands on their toes. The graphics
feature enhanced lighting effects not found on the PC or any other version and
the control is excellent. For players who have two PlayStations, two TVs, two
copies of the game, and a link-up cable, deathmatch and cooperative modes are
possible. Take no prisoners.— Bud Simons
Search and Destroy
D: David Salle; with Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Illeana Douglas, Ethan
Hawke, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, John Turturro.
VHS Home Video Sleazy loser Martin (Dunne), spurred by late- night cable TV self-help
philosopher’s (Hopper) book, makes big plans to produce said book on the big
screen. Thwarted by money problems and a severe case of polyester-itis, Martin
teams with a crew of quirky creeps to raise money and prove his worth as a
producer. With this cast, you expect a bit of weirdness, and this movie
delivers it in offbeat scenes of black comedy and eerie desperation. Listen to
all the different pronunciations of your favorite F-word! See Christopher
Walken sing karaoke! See a well-known artist turn into a film director! — Sarah Hamlin
This article appears in January 26 • 1996 and January 26 • 1996 (Cover).