NEW FILMS FRIDAY
BLUE CHIPS - Nick Nolte stars as a Los Angeles university basketball coach who allows himself to be corrupted in order to recruit some hotshot players for the upcoming season. Shaquille O'Neal makes his film debut as one of Nolte's recruits. Reviewed in this section today. PG-13 (profanity, vulgarity). (Century, Cottonwood, Flick, Gateway, Plaza 5400, Reel, Sandy 9.)ON DEADLY GROUND - Steven Seagal makes his directing debut with this thriller, also starring as an environmentally correct oil rigger out to stop a corrupt oil tycoon from despoiling Alaska. To be reviewed next week. R (violence, profanity). (Century, Gateway, Holladay, Plaza 5400, Reel, South Towne, Trolley Corners.)
REALITY BITES - A twentysomething romantic comedy about finding yourself in the '90s, with Winona Ryder heading the ensemble cast as an aspiring documentary filmmaker who graduates as valedictorian of her class but can't get a job in her field. Reviewed in this section today. PG-13 (sex, profanity, vulgarity, drugs). (Century, Holladay, Midvalley, South Towne, Trolley Corners, Trolley North.)
THE 24TH INTERNATIONAL TOURNEE OF ANIMATION - Another collection of short cartoons from around the world, an eclectic mix of styles and subjects. Reviewed in this section today. Not rated, probable PG-13 (sex, nudity, profanity). (Exclusive, Tower.)
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
FATE IS THE HUNTER - * * * - Glenn Ford is the tenacious investigator determined to learn the reason a passenger airliner crashed, hoping to clear the name of the pilot (Rod Taylor), who was his friend. Fascinating and exciting, though some of the dialogue is a bit stilted. Suzanne Pleshette, Nancy Kwan, Jane Russell. Black and white; not on video. Made before ratings (1964), probable G. (Avalon, with "Follow the Sun.")
FOLLOW THE SUN - * * 1/2 - Interesting, if overly melodramatic biography of golfer Ben Hogan, who went from amateur status to one of the sport's all-time professional champs, then suffered injuries in an automobile accident, leading to a triumphant comeback. Glenn Ford stars, with Anne Baxter, Dennis O'Keefe and June Havoc in support. Black and white; not on video. Made before ratings (1951), probable G. (Avalon, with "Fate Is the Hunter.")
CONTINUING FILMS
ACE VENTURA, PET DETECTIVE - turkey - Over-the-top Jim Carrey (TV's "In Living Color") stars in this dreadful, broad slapstick farce as the title character, tracking down the kidnapped Miami Dolphins mascot and quarterback Dan Marino prior to the Super Bowl. This one is in Pee-wee Herman-Ernest P. Worrell territory, except that it's far too vulgar for children. PG-13 (violence, sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity). (Century, Creekside, Midvalley, Sandy 9, Trolley Square.) (Feb. 4, 1994)
ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES - * * * - Hilarious sequel to "The Addams Family," with young Christina Ricci (as deadpan Wednesday) stealing the show. Everyone is good, however, as Morticia and Gomez (Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia) bring a new baby home and hire a nanny (Joan Cusack), who proves to be a "black widow," marrying wealthy men and killing them - and she has her eyes on Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd). Wonderfully morbid comedy in the Charles Addams tradition. PG-13 (comic violence, sexual innuendo, profanity). (Family Center, Kaysville, Sandcastle, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Nov. 19, 1993)
THE AIR UP THERE - * * - OK Disney basketball comedy, along the lines of "Cool Runnings" and "The Mighty Ducks," with Kevin Bacon as a down-on-his luck assistant coach who travels to Africa after spotting a promising player in documentary footage, unaware that his prospect is a chief's son and the tribe is in the middle of a land dispute. By-the-numbers stuff. PG (violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Cinemas 5; Sandy 9, with "The Air Up There.") (Jan. 7, 1994)
BARAKA - * * * 1/2 - Knockout cousin to "Koyaanisqatsi" (on which director Ron Fricke was cinematographer), a series of images - including a number of religious rituals - superbly shot in 24 countries. No narration, no story - just a mesmerizing world tour with a message about our relationship to the earth. Not rated, probable PG (disturbing imagery, nudity). (Exclusive, Tower.) (Feb. 4, 1994)
BEETHOVEN'S 2ND - * * - Charles Grodin and the cast of last year's unexpected hit return for this sequel, as Beethoven the dog finds true love and sires pups, only for them to be threatened by the nasty woman who has custody of his lady love. Lightweight stuff for the kiddies. PG (comic violence, vulgarity). (Olympus Starships.) (Dec. 17, 1993)
THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES - * 1/2 - Silly, vulgar, stupid big-screen adaptation of the '60s TV sitcom is sluggishly paced and without any of the charm director Penelope Spheeris managed to bring to "Wayne's World." Jim Varney is generally effective as Jed and Lily Tomlin steals the show as Miss Hathaway, but laughs are sporadic. PG (comic violence, vulgarity, sexual innuendo). (Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Oct. 15, 1993)
BLANK CHECK - turkey - A young boy is mistakenly given a million dollars in stolen loot and goes on a wild spending spree in this hopeless blend of the MTV and QVC cable channels, as well as "Home Alone" and "Brewster's Millions." An atrocious, unfunny excercise in crass moviemaking. PG (violence, vulgarity). (Flick, Gateway, Plaza 5400, Reel, Sandy 9, Villa.) (Feb. 11, 1994)
BLINK - * * - A fiddler (Madeleine Stowe) in an Irish band, who has been blind since childhood, partially regains her sight through an operation. But while recovering, and with blurred vision, she witnesses a murder. Cliched, sometimes ridiculous thriller gets a major boost from Stowe's magnetic presence, and Aidan Quinn is also good as the male chauvinist cop who tries to help her. R (violence, sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity). (Trolley Corners.) (Jan. 26, 1994)
COOL RUNNINGS - * * * - Based on the true story of the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team, a foursome who managed to get into the Winter Olympics in Calgary, though none of them had ever seen snow or ice before. Some liberties have been taken with the truth but the result is a funny, ingratiating slapstick comedy. John Candy is their coach. PG (violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Family Center, Kaysville, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Oct. 1, 1993)
FAR AWAY, SO CLOSE! - * * * - Despite meandering into a conventional gangsters/kidnapping thriller in the final third, this sequel to Wim Wenders' superlative "Wings of Desire" is most enjoyable. The angels who watch over Berlin face new challenges when one (Otto Sander) becomes mortal and finds himself at odds with "Time" (Willem Dafoe). Nastassia Kinski, Peter Falk, Bruno Ganz and Horst Buchholz co-star, with a cameo by Mikhail Gorbachev. In German with English subtitles. PG-13 (violence, profanity). (Exclusive, Tower.) (Feb. 11, 1994)
THE FUGITIVE - * * * * - Harrison Ford stars in this adaptation of the popular '60s TV series as Chicago surgeon Dr. Richard Kimble, convicted of killing his wife and set free in a freak bus-train accident. In pursuit is Deputy U.S. Marshal Gerard (Oscar-nominated Tommy Lee Jones), as Kimble searches for the one-armed man who really killed his wife. Ford and Jones are great, but the real star is director Andrew Davis, whose action pacing and wild chases are perfectly structured. Nominated for a best picture Oscar (though Davis was not nominated as best director). PG-13 (violence, profanity, sex). (Sandy 9, with "The Pelican Brief.") (Aug. 19, 1993)
GERONIMO: AN AMERICAN LEGEND - * * * - Wes Studi (Magua in "Last of the Mohicans") has the title role here but it's really in support (as are the roles of Gene Hackman and Robert Duvall) of Jason Patric, as a tortured cavalry officer charged with capturing Geronimo and placing him on a reservation. Patric is weak but the film is still highly entertaining, and Studi, Duvall and Hackman are terrific. Filmed in southern Utah. PG-13 (violence, profanity). (Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Dec. 10, 1993)
THE GETAWAY - * 1/2 - Loud, obnoxious, over-the-top remake of Sam Peckinpah's 1972 gangster chase thriller has Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger in the Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw roles, as a dog racetrack robbery goes awry and they find themselves on the run from cops and bad guys. A frame-for-frame remake in places, prompting the question, "Why?" R (violence, sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity). (Century, Holladay, Midvalley, Reel, Sandy 9, Trolley North, Trolley Square.) (Feb. 13, 1994)
GRUMPY OLD MEN - * * * 1/2 - This hilarious farce (though it is quite raunchy in places) has Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau as bickering curmudgeons living next door to each other in a Minnesota suburb. They find something new to fight about when alluring - and eccentric - Ann-Margret moves in across the street. Riotous, very well cast - but decidedly adult. Lemmon and Matthau are still great together. (And don't leave before the credits are over.) PG-13 (profanity, vulgarity, sex, comic violence). (Broadway, Century, Gateway, Holladay, Plaza 5400, South Towne.) (Dec. 24, 1993)
HEAVEN AND EARTH - * * - Loud, bombastic, superficial third Vietnam epic from Oliver Stone tells the true story of Le Ly Hayslip (played by newcomer Hiep Thi Le), whose story deserves better. Episodic yarn shows her youth as a Vietnamese peasant, through her adolescence when she is tortured, raped and ultimately ostracized by her village. Then, she marries an American soldier (Tommy Lee Jones) and moves to the United States, only to encounter more problems. Haing Ngor and especially Joan Chen are excellent in support; Jones is good but his role is underwritten. R (violence, sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity, drugs). (Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Jan. 7, 1994)
A HOME OF OUR OWN - * * * - Kathy Bates (Oscar-winner for "Misery") stars in this independent picture as a widowed mother of six in 1962 Los Angeles who packs up her brood and moves to rural Idaho. Overly sentimental in places but on the whole a very affecting drama, with a gritty, well-played cental performance by Bates. The kids - four of them from Salt Lake City - are also good; filmed in the Heber Valley area. PG (violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Kaysville.) (Nov. 5, 1993)
I'LL DO ANYTHING - * * - A few pointed laughs will hit the mark for Hollywood insiders but the rest of this James L. Brooks ("Terms of Endearment," "Broadcast News") satire, with a domestic plot about an aging, out-of-work actor saddled with his 6-year-old daughter, is uneven at best. Julie Kavner and Albert Brooks are terrific as a pollster and the self-absorbed producer she loves. This is the one that was a musical until preview screenings prompted Brooks to eliminate the songs. PG-13 (profanity, vulgarity, sex). (Creekside, Crossroads, Midvalley, Sandy 9.) (Feb. 10, 1994)
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER - * * * - Rousing true story of a petty Irish thief who was accused in a terrorist bombing in London in the mid-'70s and then railroaded as the fall guy, even after British police become convinced of his innocence. Daniel Day-Lewis is quite good in the lead, with Pete Postlethwaite equally fine as his father. Emma Thompson co-stars as the lawyer who tries to clear their names. Oscar nominations for best picture, best director (Jim Sheridan), best actor (Day-Lewis), best supporting actress (Thompson) and best supporting actor (Postlethwaite). R (violence, profanity, vulgarity, nudity, drugs). (Century, Crossroads, Sandy 9.) (Jan. 21, 1994)
IRON WILL - * * * - Despite some lapses (the villain is an over-the-top cartoon and the story is predictable), this yarn (based loosely on a true story) about a young man entering a 500-mile dogsled race in 1917 Canada is quite entertaining. The lad, though half the age - and size - of his competitors, and with none of their experience, has his eyes on the prize so he can save the family farm. Mackenzie Astin stars but Kevin Spacey, as a manipulative newspaperman, steals the show. PG (violence, mild profanity and vulgarity). (Cinemas 5, Cottonwood; Sandy 9, with "The Air Up There.") (Jan. 14, 1994)
JURASSIC PARK - * * * 1/2 - Eye-popping special effects and Steven Spielberg's skills as a horror director ("Jaws") combine for a thrill-a-minute roller-coaster ride. Adapting Michael Crichton's best seller about genetically engineered dinosaurs running amok on an island theme park, the film is a bit short on character development - but if you'll settle for action, this one certainly delivers the goods. PG-13 (violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (June 11, 1993)
MRS. DOUBTFIRE - * * 1/2 - When it's funny, this Robin Williams vehicle is very funny. But it's also overly sentimental, far too long (more than 2 hours) and blatantly steals from "Tootsie." Successful San Francisco designer Sally Field divorces out-of-work actor Williams, so he masquerades as an elderly woman and lands the job of housekeeper in his own home. Uneven but with some hilarious moments. PG-13 (profanity, vulgarity, violence). (Cottonwood, Crossroads, Midvalley, South Towne, Trolley North.) (Nov. 25, 1993)
MY FATHER THE HERO - * 1/2 - Appallingly tasteless teen farce with French superstar Gerard Depardieu as a befuddled father who takes his neglected 14-year-old daughter on vacation in the tropics, where she concocts a wild story about him being her lover, hoping to impress a 17-year-old boy. Depardieu manages a few chuckles, but the film is obnoxious and the camera leers at the girl in her thong bikini. PG (violence, profanity, sex, partial nudity). (Cottonwood, Gateway, Plaza 5400, South Towne, Trolley Square.) (Feb. 10, 1994)
MY GIRL 2 - * * 1/2 - Anna Chlumsky is wonderful as now 13-year-old Vada, spending her 1974 spring break in Los Angeles searching for information about her late mother. Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis also return as her father and stepmother, though their appearances are merely bookends, with most of the story taking place in L.A. Austin O'Brien ("Last Action Hero") is the boy reluctantly assigned by Vada's uncle to be her guide. PG (profanity, marijuana smoking). (Century, Gateway, Holladay, Plaza 5400, Reel, South Towne, Trolley Square.) (Feb. 11, 1994)
MY LIFE - * * * - A melodrama with mystical overtones, as Michael Keaton and Nicole Kidman play a couple expecting their first child when they learn Keaton is dying of cancer. A real showcase for Keaton's talent and some nice, thoughtful moments. Written and directed by Bruce Joel Rubin, screenwriter of "Ghost." PG-13 (profanity, brief nudity). (Kaysville, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Nov. 12, 1993)
THE PELICAN BRIEF - * * - Extremely disappointing adaptation of John Grisham's popular novel about two U.S. Supreme Court justices being assassinated and the young law student (Julia Roberts) who comes up with a theory about who may have done it and why. But when it threatens to entangle the White House, she finds herself on the run. Roberts and Denzel Washington are too low-key and the film is sluggish and slow - and nearly 21/2 hours long. PG-13 (violence, profanity, sex). (Olympus Starships; Sandy 9, with "The Fugitive"; Trolley Corners.) (Dec. 17, 1993)
A PERFECT WORLD - * * 1/2 - Clint Eastwood stumbles a bit as director of this thriller about an 8-year-old boy (Utahn T.J. Lowther) from a strict Jehovah's Witness family who is taken hostage by a prison escapee (Kevin Costner). Costner is OK, though he never quite gets a handle on his conflicted character and Eastwood spends too much time on broad comedy, undercutting the film's edge. Best is young Lowther, who delivers one of the year's best child performances, in a year when we've had an abnormal number of very good ones. PG-13 (violence, profanity, vulgarity, sex). (Family Center, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Nov. 24, 1993)
PHILADELPHIA - * * * - Tom Hanks is nominated for an Oscar for his role here as an in-the-closet gay lawyer who develops AIDS. The story has him being fired by the law firm he works for, so he hires homophobic Denzel Washington to sue for discrimination. Washington is also superb, gradually changing as the film progresses, and in support, Mary Steenburgen and Jason Robards are also good. The final third, set in a courtroom, gets a bit preachy and routine, but this is stirring stuff most of the way. PG-13 (profanity). (Broadway, Holladay, Sandy 9.) (Jan. 14, 1994)
THE PIANO - * * - Though critics internationally are falling all over themselves over this one, it failed to move me. A mute Scottish woman (Holly Hunter) travels to 19th-century New Zealand with her 9-year-old daughter (Anna Paquin) and her prized piano, for an arranged marriage with a man (Sam Neill) she's never met, where she is soon compromised by an eccentric Englishman (Harvey Keitel). Hunter is superb and there is some stunning visual composition but the characters and story left me cold. Eight Oscar nominations, including best picture, best director (Jane Campion), best actress (Hunter) and best supporting actress (Paquin). R (violence, sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity). (Broadway, Midvalley, Olympus Starships, South Towne.) (Nov. 19, 1993)
THE REMAINS OF THE DAY - * * * * - Superb, meticulously crafted look at social mores in pre-World War II England, as seen through the eyes of Anthony Hopkins, the head butler at an elaborate manor, and Emma Thompson, whom he hires as the housekeeper. Another stunning achievement from the Merchant-Ivory team ("Howards End," "A Room With a View"). Eight Oscar nominations, including best picture, best director (James Ivory), best actor (Hopkins) and best actress (Thompson). PG (nothing offensive). (Broadway, Midvalley.) (Nov. 5, 1993)
RUDY - * * * - True story of lightweight defensive halfback Rudy Ruettiger (Sean Astin), who aggressively pursued his dream of being on Notre Dame's football team, despite discouragement from family and friends due to his small size, lack of talent and poor scholastic ability. Predictability is made up for by a Astin's excellent central performance and the solid direction of David Anspaugh ("Hoosiers"). PG (violence, profanity). (Sugarhouse.) (Oct. 22, 1993)
SCHINDLER'S LIST - * * * * - Superlative moviemaking from Steven Spielberg, who dug deep into his soul to put this three-hour-plus, black-and-white epic true story on the screen. A stark look at the Holocaust through the eyes of a complex, decidedly unheroic German Nazi who ultimately saved more than 1,100 Jews from the death camps. Liam Neeson is superb in the title role, Ben Kingsley is very good as the Jewish accountant who becomes his conscience and Ralph Fiennes is chilling as the monstrous Nazi commandant whom Schindler maniplates. And in the end, it is surprisingly uplifting. A dozen Oscar nominations, each well-deserved. R (violence, sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity). (Broadway, Century, South Towne.) (Jan. 7, 1994)
SHADOWLANDS - * * * 1/2 - Wonderful, low-key romantic melodrama, with director Richard Attenborough ("Gandhi," "Chaplin") toning down his usual excesses. Celebrated English author C.S. Lewis (Anthony Hopkins) finds his cloistered 1950s world at Oxford disrupted by a brassy New Yorker (Debra Winger) with whom he unexpectedly falls in love. What starts as comic turns tragic, however, as fate steps in. PG (nothing offensive). (Broadway, Creekside, Sandy 9.) (Jan. 7, 1994)
SISTER ACT 2: BACK IN THE HABIT - * * - Whoopi Golberg returns in this rehash sequel, which lets the terrific supporting cast just stand around with nothing to do. This time she is asked by the nuns who protected her in the first movie to go undercover as a music teacher and help problem kids, eventually taking them to a state choir competition. PG (vulgarity, profanity). (Cinemas 5.) (Dec. 10, 1993)
THE THREE MUSKETEERS - * * 1/2 - This umpteenth remake of the classic novel stars Charlie Sheen and Kiefer Sutherland in what might be described as "Young Swords." Oliver Platt joins them as the third musketeer and Chris O'Donnell is D'Artagnan. Funny and fast, though a bit too contemporary in tone. Rebecca De Mornay, Tim Curry and Gabrielle Anwar co-star. PG (violence, sexual innuendo, brief partial nudity, profanity). (Family Center, Kaysville, Sandcastle, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Nov. 12, 1993)
TOMBSTONE - * * 1/2 - The first half of this violent retelling of the Wyatt Earp-Doc Holliday story is a pleasing view of the events leading up to the shootout at the O.K. Corral. But the second half becomes somber and gruesome, veering into revisionist "Unforgiven" territory. Kurt Russell is very good as Wyatt, and as a sickly, alcoholic Doc, Val Kilmer also fares well. But Dana Delany is woefully miscast as Wyatt's love interest. R (violence, profanity, vulgarity, sex, drugs, nude painting). (Cinemas 5, Murray, South Towne.) (Dec. 24, 1993)
WAYNE'S WORLD 2 - * 1/2 - More of the same, with smug Mike Myers and goofy Dana Carvey back as Wayne and Garth in this sequel to the first film, based on a "Saturday Night Live" skit. They put on a rock concert - Waynestock - in their home town, Aurora, Ill., inviting Aerosmith, among others. Mostly, however, it's movie spoofs - of movies the core audience has likely never seen! PG-13 (vulgarity, profanity, sexual innuendo, nudity). (Cinemas 5.) (Dec. 10, 1993)