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CNN Live At Daybreak

Leah Rozen on Summer Movies

Aired August 17, 2001 - 08:51   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to talk about what are the hot movies this weekend.

TYRESE GIBSON, ACTOR/SINGER/MODEL: Yes, what are the hot movies?

COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: I don't know, let's see. "Corelli's Mandolin," right?

LIN: Yes, and we want to hear a little bit more about that from Leah Rozen, our movie critic from "People" magazine.

Leah, good morning.

LEAH ROZEN, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: Good morning.

LIN: So what's hot this weekend? Do you think Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz have a little chemistry onscreen?

ROZEN: Nope, they don't have any on-screen.

LIN: Come on, come on! We've read so much about their private lives.

ROZEN: You know, the weather is hot, not what's at the movies right now. Yes, this is interesting because there were, of course, tabloid rumors when they were making the film that they were having an onset romance. But what they're showing on-screen would sort of cast down on those rumors.

"Captain Corelli's Mandolin" is based on the best-selling novel, "Corelli's Mandolin," and it is about a World War II romantic drama. Nicholas Cage plays Captain Corelli, an Italian army soldier, who is posted to a Greek island that the Italians and the Germans are occupying during the war. And he falls in love with Penelope Cruz, who plays a local doctor's daughter.

But this movie is just -- it's a real snooze fest. You know, nothing all that dramatic really happens, other than beautiful, beautiful shots of the scenery on this Greek island. It's one of those movies you go, you know, I'd like to vacation there.

LIN: Yes, I don't want to pay 8 or $9 to see great photography.

MCEDWARDS: But with that kind of star power, what's the problem? Is it the script? What is it?

ROZEN: It's one of these movies in which everyone is being fabulously, colorfully ethnic. All the actors are speaking English, but with accents. Nicholas Cage in particular has this Italian accent that sounds like Chico Marx. He's waving his hands enthusiastically to, you know, show us how full of life the man is.

(LAUGHTER)

ROZEN: You just sit there and you go, you know, this is ham -- as big as I've ever seen it.

MCEDWARDS: Well, that's a pan if I ever heard one. What about "American Outlaws?"

ROZEN: Sorry, but I'm going to be -- I'm putting out negative energy on this one, too.

"American Outlaws" is a Western really sort of aimed at teenagers and at young male action adventure fans. It's the story of Jesse James, yet again. How many Jesse James movies have you seen? This is sort of young Jesse, cute Jesse. He is painted as the nicest guy to ever point a gun at a bank teller.

Jesse James is played by Colin Farrell, who is this 25-year-old Irish actor -- but he has no trace of an accent here -- who I think is going to end up being a major movie star, but not with this one. This movie makes "Young Guns," which was sort of the last teen-appeal Western, look like a John Ford masterpiece.

(LAUGHTER)

MCEDWARDS: Yes, I'm afraid I saw it.

ROZEN: Yes, it certainly wasn't, if you remember.

MCEDWARDS: That's all the bad news we can take.

LIN: Let's end on an up note here in the few seconds we have left. Name them.

MCEDWARDS: What should we see?

ROZEN: You should see "Rat Race," actually. I'm not going to claim this was a brilliant movie. I'm not going to claim it's a deep- thinking movie. But "Rat Race" is silly, goofy fun. It's a bunch of folks who are in this race to get $2 million. They're going from Las Vegas to Silver City, New Mexico. They're going by car, train, plane -- all sorts of mishaps befall them. It is based, to some extent, on "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," the early '60s film. And it's just silly fun, and sometimes in the summer that's what you want.

MCEDWARDS: You bet, thanks so much, Leah.

LIN: Always a pleasure.

ROZEN: You're welcome.

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