NEW FILMS FRIDAY
CHINA MOON - Film noir thriller in the "Body Heat" mold has femme fatale Madeleine Stowe seducing straight-arrow homicide detective Ed Harris, who then becomes a partner in the shooting death of her wealthy husband. To be reviewed next week. R (violence, sex, nudity, profanity). (Holladay, South Towne, Trolley Corners.)D2: THE MIGHTY DUCKS - Emilio Estevez and his underdog Minnesota peewee hockey team join the Junior Goodwill Games in Los Angeles for this sequel to the crowd-pleasing sports comedy of a year-and-a-half ago. Reviewed in this section today. PG (violence, vulgarity). (Flick, Gateway, Plaza 5400; Redwood, with "Blank Check"; Reel, Sandy 9, Villa.)
NAKED - This very dark British comedy-drama follows an intelligent, educated and homeless sociopath, played by David Thewlis, who travels from Manchester to London to visit his girlfriend. Reviewed in this section today. Not rated, probable R (violence, sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity, drugs). (Exclusive, Tower.)
THE PAPER - Director Ron Howard ("Splash," "Parenthood") has gathered a high-power ensemble cast (Michael Keaton, Glenn Close, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Marisa Tomei) for this look at 24 hours in the life of a New York tabloid newspaper. Reviewed in this section today. R (violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Century, Holladay, Midvalley, Reel, Sandy 9, Trolley Corners, Trolley North.)
SIRENS - When a proper English cleric (Hugh Grant) and his wife (Tara Fitzgerald) travel from London to Australia to confront an eccentric artist (Sam Neill) about a painting considered blasphemous by the church, they are unprepared for the artist's bohemian lifestyle and the effect it will have on them. Reviewed in this section today. R (nudity, sex, profanity, vulgarity). (Broadway.)
FREE MATINEE SATURDAY
FREE WILLY - * * 1/2 - Pretty good variation of "Namu, the Killer Whale" and "Flipper," with a young street youth put to work in an aquatic park, where he strikes up a relationship with a killer whale only he can seem to train. Simplistic and uneven but gorgeously photographed and the killer whale (actually a dolphin) is most charismatic. PG (violence, mild vulgarity). (10 a.m., Sugarhouse and Valley Fair, FREE with a can of food.) (July 16, 1993)
NEW FILMS WEDNESDAY
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN'S THUMBELINA - Don Bluth ("The Land Before Time," "An American Tail") returns to the animated feature fold with this fantasy about a tiny young woman who falls in love with the prince of the fairies but finds herself spirited away by an amorous toad. To be reviewed when it opens next week. G. (Century, Cottonwood, Midvalley, Sandy 9, South Towne, Trolley North, Trolley Square.)
JIMMY HOLLYWOOD - Joe Pesci stars in this comedy-drama from writer-director Barry Levinson ("Rain Man," "Good Morning, Vietnam") about a failed actor who comes up with an outrageous scheme to gain some attention in Hollywood. Christian Slater co-stars. To be reviewed when it opens next week. R (profanity). (Century, Creekside, Plaza 5400.)
MAJOR LEAGUE II - After an unexpected winning season in the first "Major League," the Cleveland Indians once again find themselves in the cellar and back under the ownership of hard-nosed Margaret Whitton. Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Corbin Bernsen and Bob Uecker return, with Omar Epps taking over the Wesley Snipes' old role. To be reviewed when it opens next week. PG (profanity, violence). (Century, Crossroads, Holladay, Plaza 5400.)
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). (Gateway, 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). (Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Nov. 19, 1993)
THE AGE OF INNOCENCE - * * * * - If there is such a thing as the perfect movie, this may be it. Martin Scorsese proves himself one of America's most consistently innovative filmmakers, adapting Edith Wharton's story of an 1870s New York lawyer (Daniel Day-Lewis) falling for a scandalous countess (Michelle Pfeiffer), despite being engaged to her cousin (Winona Ryder). The cast is terrific, as is Scorsese's amazing attention to period detail. PG (mild profanity, nude art work). (Avalon.) (Sept. 24, 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.) (Jan. 7, 1994)
ANGIE - * * 1/2 - Geena Davis is marvelous in this meandering, muddled comedy-drama, which has some meaty moments but loses its way in the second half. Still, Davis is great as a single New York woman who opts to have a baby out of wedlock and sets out on a journey to discover why her mother abandoned the family years before. R (profanity, sex, nudity, vulgarity, violence). (Creekside, Plaza.) (March 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). (Family Center, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Dec. 17, 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 exercise in crass moviemaking. PG (violence, vulgarity). (Cinemas 5, Olympus Starships; Redwood, with "D2: The Mighty Ducks.") (Feb. 11, 1994)
BLUE CHIPS - * * * - Nick Nolte stars as a veteran Los Angeles university basketball coach who, after a losing season, allows himself to be corrupted in order to recruit some hotshot players. Nolte's central performance holds this one together, though Shaquille O'Neal makes a charming film debut as one of the recruits and a number of familiar faces have small supporting roles (Alfre Woodard, Louis Gossett Jr., etc.). PG-13 (profanity, vulgarity). (Cinemas 5; Redwood, with "Naked Gun 331/3: The Final Insult.") (Feb. 18, 1994)
THE CHASE - turkey - Dreadful chase comedy with Charlie Sheen as a convicted criminal on the lam, who takes spoiled rich kid Kristy Swanson hostage and steals her BMW, with the cops in hot pursuit. Dumb, vulgar and not funny. PG-13 (violence, sex, profanity). (Redwood, with "Lightning Jack"; Sandy 9.) (March 4, 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). (Valley Fair.) (Oct. 1, 1993)
8 SECONDS - * * * - Luke Perry (of TV's "Beverly Hills 90210") is very good in this sentimental, true story of rodeo bull-rider Lane Frost, who was killed at age 25 after becoming the world champion. The story is a bit strained in places but the rodeo footage is exciting and the supporting cast is excellent. PG-13 (profanity, vulgarity, sex, violence). (Cottonwood, Gateway, Midvalley, South Towne.) (Feb. 25, 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-winner 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. PG-13 (violence, profanity, sex). (Family Center, Kaysville, Sugarhouse.) (Aug. 19, 1993)
GREEDY - * * - There are some laughs in this satire on greed, with a family of vultures gathering around a rich relative (Kirk Douglas) to keep him from leaving his wealth to the young bimbo he has taken in. Michael J. Fox stars as an estranged nephew who returns to mix things up. Douglas, Fox and Nancy Travis as Fox's girlfriend are good and there are a few laughs, but the family is obnoxious and many of the jokes fall flat. PG-13 (profanity, vulgarity, nudity, comic violence). (Crossroads, South Towne.) (March 4, 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). (Plaza 5400; Redwood, with "The Pelican Brief"; Sandy 9, with "What's Eating Gilbert Grape.") (Dec. 24, 1993)
GUARDING TESS - * * * - This character-driven comedy-drama is sort of "Driving Miss Daisy" with politics instead of race relations, as an ill-tempered former First Lady (Shirley MacLaine) makes life miserable for the stiff, by-the-book Secret Service agent (Nicolas Cage) assigned to protect her. The finale, a misguided kidnapping plot, is unfortunate, but most of the way this is funny and touching stuff. PG-13 (violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Century, Crossroads, Gateway, Holladay, Midvalley, South Towne.) (March 11, 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. R (violence, profanity, vulgarity, nudity, drugs). (Broadway.) (Jan. 21, 1994)
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, nudity). (Sugarhouse.) (Feb. 10, 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). (Family Center, Kaysville, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Jan. 14, 1994)
LIGHTNING JACK - * * - Disappointing Paul Hogan vehicle - he stars in, wrote and co-produced this cowpoke comedy, best described as " `Crocodile' Dundee Goes West." Hogan plays the title character, a bungling outlaw with a fast gun, and his laconic screen persona still works. Cuba Gooding Jr., as his mute sidekick, is even better, often stealing the show. But too often the film is lethargic and settles for recycled gags. PG-13 (violence, profanity, vulgarity, sex, nude paintings). (Cottonwood, Midvalley; Redwood, with "The Chase"; Reel, Sandy 9, Trolley North.) (March 11, 1994)
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). (Cinemas 5, Kaysville, Murray, Olympus Starships; Redwood, with "My Girl 2"; South Towne, Trolley Corners.) (Nov. 25, 1993)
MONKEY TROUBLE - * 1/2 - Boring children's comedy about a young girl befriended by a trained monkey, unaware that the little creature is a thief and pickpocket. Thora Birch ("Patriot Games," "All I Want for Christmas") stars, with Mimi Rogers as her mother and Harvey Kietel, in a horrid stereotype, as the Gypsy who trained the monkey. PG (violence, a couple of mild profanities). (Century, Holladay, Plaza 5400, Sandy 9, Trolley North, Trolley Square.) (March 18, 1994)
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). (Cinemas 5.) (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). (Family Center; Redwood, with "Mrs. Doubtfire"; Sandcastle, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Feb. 11, 1994)
NAKED GUN 331/3: THE FINAL INSULT - * * - Some hilarious moments help but this third outing with Leslie Nielsen as Lt. Frank Drebin of Police Squad is largely dull and offensive (especially a sperm bank sequence, which goes on forever). This time Drebin comes out of retirement to prevent a bombing attack at the Academy Awards by a terrorist assassin (Fred Ward). Priscilla Presley, O.J. Simpson and George Kennedy return, with several guest stars the extended Oscar spoof. PG-13 (violence, sex, vulgarity, profanity). (Century, Cottonwood, Flick, Gateway, Plaza 5400; Redwood, with "Blue Chips"; Reel, Sandy 9.) (March 18, 1994)
ON DEADLY GROUND - turkey - Atrocious big-budget directing debut by Steven Seagal casts him as an environmentally correct oil rigger out to stop corrupt oil tycoon Michael Caine from despoiling Alaska . . . though Seagal destroys a lot of the tundra with explosive devices along the way. Idiotic and unintentionally funny in spots. R (violence, gore, profanity, vulgarity, nudity). (Plaza 5400, South Towne.) (Feb. 20, 1994)
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). (Family Center, Redwood, with "Grumpy Old Men"; Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Dec. 17, 1993)
PHILADELPHIA - * * * - Tom Hanks won 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). (Century, with "The Piano"; Broadway, Holladay, Midvalley, 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. Hunter and Paquin both won Oscars, as did writer-director Jane Campion for her screenplay. R (violence, sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity). (Century, with "Philadelphia"; Broadway, Midvalley, South Towne.) (Nov. 19, 1993)
THE REF - * * 1/2 - Profane, dark and frequently hilarious (but with an oddly sentimental ending), this satire of life in upper-crust suburbia is something of a spin on O. Henry's "The Ransom of Red Chief," as a jewel thief (Denis Leary) kidnaps the most dysfunctional couple in history (Judy Davis, Kevin Spacey) and wishes he hadn't. Uneven but when it's funny, it's very funny, with Davis and Spacey getting the lion's share of the laughs with their incessant bickering. R (violence, profanity, vulgarity, nude photos). (Century, Cottonwood, Gateway, South Towne, Trolley Square.) (March 11, 1994)
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"). PG (nothing offensive). (Trolley Corners.) (Nov. 5, 1993)
RUBY IN PARADISE - * * * - Nice little low-key independent production gets a major boost from a starmaking turn by Ashley Judd (daughter of Naomi, sister of Wynonna) as a young woman who travels from Tennessee to South Florida in an attempt to find herself. The movie is episodic and easygoing but Judd lights up the screen. Not rated, probable R (sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity, violence). (Exclusive, Tower.) (March 18, 1994)
SCHINDLER'S LIST - * * * * - Superlative moviemaking from Steven Spielberg, who dug deep into his soul - and finally won his Oscar - for 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 manipulates. And in the end, it is surprisingly uplifting. A dozen Oscar nominations, each well-deserved. Winner of seven Academy Awards, including best picture and director (Spielberg). R (violence, sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity). (Broadway, Century, Holladay, Reel, 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). (Crossroads, Creekside.) (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). (Kaysville; Redwood, with "Tombstone"; Sandcastle, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (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). (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). (Redwood, with "Sister Act 2.") (Dec. 24, 1993)
WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE - * * * - Funny, sharp-eyed view of small-town Americana and family loyalty, with Johnny Depp in the title role as a young man unable to break free of inherited responsibilities. His anxieties only heighten when he falls in love with a stranded tourist (Juliette Lewis). Subplot with Mary Steenburgen as a frustrated housewife misfires but most of the way this is a real charmer. Leonardo DiCaprio (who was Oscar nominated as best supporting actor) steals the show as Depp's retarded brother. PG-13 (sex, vulgrity, profanity, violence). (Century, Creekside; Sandy 9, with "Grumpy Old Men.") (March 4, 1994)
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). (Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Dec. 10, 1993)