May 9 - 16, 1 9 9 6

Barb Wire

As an admitted occasional late-night Cinemax viewer and recovering Bay Watch fan, I thought Pamela Anderson Lee's breast vehicle, Barb Wire, could've been a hoot. It's set in 2017 during the Second American Civil War, with Lee playing Barb Wire, the scantily leather-clad bar owner and mercenary who, much like Switzerland, plays the neutral role in a battle between the government and the resistance -- I'm told the film's based on a comic book, but there are definite hints of Albert Camus thrown in throughout.

Unfortunately, there's hardly any quality camp here to speak of, and the dramatic moments and lines just aren't silly enough to be funny. The exception is Barb's staple, pre-attack line, "Don't call me Babe." Pamela, what do you want us to call you? Meryl Streep? Finally, at the risk of sounding like a dirty old man, I was expecting some good, solid nudity. A little is all I ask, but this movie was tame enough to take the whole family to (which, by the way, the folks behind me did). At the Copley Place, the Fresh Pond, and the Allston and in the suburbs.

Click here for much, much more on Barb Wire...

-- Mark Bazer