Bullock Is No Hack As Hacker In ‘The Net’
We’re in an era of instant reflection. Every time something newsworthy comes along, the media are right after it - either studying it to death on news-like programs such as “20-20,” running multi-part dissections of it in family newspapers or exploiting it in half-baked movies such as “Virtuosity” or “Hackers.”
Or “The Net.”
Fortunately for the makers of “The Net,” they had more than a hackneyed script and some impressive (if totally unrealistic) computer-like technology to depend upon.
And they had Sandra Bullock.
As for the computer stuff, let’s just say that even Bill Gates would have trouble accessing the Defense Department’s mainframe from a demo terminal at a computer hardware convention. Not only that, but the industrial-strength machines that Bullock’s character operates make the Concorde look like an STA bus.
As for Bullock, the “Speed” co-star continues to court us with her girl-next-door freshness. Pretty if not beautiful, sexy if not sexual, Bullock projects a sense of innocence - melded with a believable mix of inhibition and self-reliance - that puts the viewer squarely in her corner, whether she’s driving a speeding bus, humming a 20thcentury ad jingle (“Demolition Man”) or romancing a man in a coma (“While You Were Sleeping”).
In “The Net,” Bullock stars as a shy computer expert who, having stumbled onto a plot to control the computers of the world, is targeted for assassination. Not only is she betrayed by the very man who seems to be her romantic ideal, but she is victimized by the very industry she once knew so well.
Still, as her foes find out, you should never underestimate the resilience of a born hacker. Bullock provides credibility to this little thriller by acting as if she isn’t acting at all. Which is natural since she is, well, a natural. *** Rated PG-13
Priest
***
One priest is gay, another lives with his housekeeper, and yet the real problem is unbending church doctrine. That’s the position of this film by British director Antonia Bird (“Mad Love”), which explores the problems of contemporary Catholicism as played out in a northern England parish. Linus Roache portrays the protagonist, tortured as much by his unwillingness to break the seal of the confessional - even to protect a young girl being sexually abused by her sociopathic father - as he is by his sexual desires. Every imaginable question concerning the church is asked, even if few are answered. Still, the process makes for both a philosophical and a visual journey of interest. Rated R.
Aisle conversation
Overheard recently at a Spokane video store:
“Oh boy, ‘Showgirls,”’ a man said. “I want to rent that.”
“But that got horrible reviews,” responded his female companion.”
“Yeah,” he said, “but you have to remember who the critics are.”
Hmmmm, viewers with taste, perhaps?
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: What’s new to view Now available: “The Net” (Columbia TriStar), “Above Suspicion” (HBO), “The Sand Kings” (MGM/UA), “Playback” (Paramount), “Animal Instincts 3” (APIX), “Priest” (Hollywood). Available on Tuesday: “Indian in the Cupboard” (Columbia TriStar), “Lord of Illusions” (MGM/ UA), “Poison Ivy 2: Lily” (New Line), “Night of the Scarecrow” (Republic), “Nine Months” (Fox).