Movies

Conspiracy Theory (Warner Bros.). Most critics chide the Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon) film as irredeemably far-fetched: A paranoid New York cabbie (Mel Gibson) and a lawyer (Julia Roberts) are chased by government assassins when one of the cabbie's fantastic theories turns out to be true. "[W]e don't believe a word of this," says Time's Richard Schickel. The New York Times' Janet Maslin is dubious about the casting: "The man who talks to himself and mails long, delusional screeds to strangers is not usually the dreamboat type." A few reviewers discern "tongue-in-cheek" humor in the use of sex symbol Gibson as a "poster boy for schizophrenia," and declare the film smarter than "other high-ticket summer fare" (Jack Mathews, Newsday). (Click here for the Conspiracy Theory site.)

Love Serenade (Miramax). A warm reception for rookie Australian director Shirley Barrett's "clever, deadpan comedy" (Maslin) about two sisters vying for the affection of a thrice-divorced radio DJ who moves to their outback town. "A wickedly funny examination of obsessive romantic behavior," says the Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan. Praise goes also to Barrett's gentle satire of the culturally backward outback (the radio station doesn't even have a CD player). Her idiosyncratic script and direction earn her comparisons to acclaimed antipodean auteurs Jane Campion and Gillian Armstrong. (Video clips and stills are available here.)

Television

VibeandThe Keenen Ivory Wayans Show (check local listings for channels and times). Critics scoff at two new late-night talk shows, hosted by black stand-up comics, as poor replicas of the early '90s hit TheArsenio Hall Show. Vibe, produced by Quincy Jones, and Keenen, made by the creator of the comedy series In Living Color, are pronounced "indistinguishable" (James Collins, Time) and "hard to stay awake through" (Howard Rosenberg, the Los Angles Times). The main gripes are that the programs stick to a "banal" (Caryn James, the New York Times) talk show formula and have even less bite than David Letterman's or Jay Leno's network show.

Event/Television

Garth Brooks in Central Park/Garth Brooks Live (Aug. 8, New York City; broadcast live on HBO). Bemused critics scratch their heads at the huge turnout (estimated as high as 1.1 million) for the country music megastar's live-broadcast concert. "So what ends up being the cultural event of the summer in the culture capital of the nation?" asks the New York Times' Michele Mitchell. Some see the concert as evidence of marketing acumen and a self-aggrandizing streak in the '90s' best-selling musician. Brooks' "neatly calibrated spectacle" (Jon Pareles, also in the New York Times), which included lots of smoke, lights, and cameos (by Billy Joel and Don McLean), was, Time says, "originally conceived as a mega-infomercial for his new CD." (HBO plugs its broadcast.)

Art

"Sculpture of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia: Millennium of Glory" (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.). The first American show of classical Cambodian art in 50 years is said to "carry the force of a revelation" (Holland Cutter, the New York Times). Time's Robert Hughes calls the pieces, which mostly depict Buddha and other deities and date to the 6^th century, "some of the greatest stone carving and bronze work in human history." Critics expect extra attention for the show because of the recent political turmoil in Cambodia. An editorial in the New Republic urges holding on to the art until democracy is restored in Cambodia. (See the National Gallery site. For a backgrounder on the Cambodian conflict, see Slate's "Gist.")

Books