February 17 movie: The Devil's Advocate. Oh lordie. What can I say about a movie that stars dueling hams who think YELLING is the best way to show emotional intensity. And not one, not two, but three twist endings. Two of which you could see a mile away, and all three of which were totally stupid.
The most interesting thing about this movie is its role in an important copyright law case. That big sculpture on the wall in Pacino's loft was an unauthorized reproduction of a sculpture at the Washington National Cathedral. I read that the infringement was considered particularly egregious because the sculpture was not only duplicated, but modified in a manner considered offensive by the creator (when it comes to life and "writhes erotically").
Some Disney animated features would benefit by yelling instead of showing intensity with Standard Facial Expression Number Three, with the elegant, S-shaped eyebrows, and the corners of the mouth pulled back, teeth together. (Number One is "I AM HAPPY!" and Number Two is "I AM SAD!" Both were overused in that movie-length cartoon about the western horse.)