Dates at the end of capsules indicate the film's initial review in the Deseret News.
NEW FILMS FRIDAY
ACE VENTURA: WHEN NATURE CALLS - Jim Carrey is back in the role that shot him to superstardom, this time taking the pet detective into the African jungle, where he encounters exotic animals and less-than-friendly natives. To be reviewed in Sunday's Arts section. PG-13 (profanity, vulgarity, comic violence). (Century, Gateway, Holladay, Plaza 5400, Reel, Sandy 9, Trolley Corners.)
BLUE IN THE FACE - This improvisational comedy was filmed immediately after "Smoke," using the same set (a Brooklyn tobacco shop) and many of the same characters, led by Harvey Keitel. Cameos by Roseanne, Madonna, Michael J. Fox and Lily Tomlin, among others, liven things up. Reviewed in this section today. R (violence, profanity, vulgarity, nudity). (Exclusive, Trolley Square.)
MIGHTY APHRODITE - Woody Allen's latest is a romantic social comedy, with Allen and Helena Bonham Carter as an upscale married couple who adopt a child and are very happy until Allen becomes obsessed with finding the real mother - only to discover she's a ditsy hooker (Mira Sorvino). Reviewed in this section today. R (profanity, vulgarity, nudity, violence). (Exclusive, Broadway.)
SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT
ENDLESS WINTER - Warren Miller's latest ski/snowboard epic includes spectacular footage filmed in Alaska, British Columbia, Austria and Bolivia and includes Argentina's 19,000-feet Alpine glaciers, the Nissan Freestyle Aerial Exhibition in Breckenridge, Colo., and free skiing with Olympic gold medalist Tommy Moe in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Not rated, probable G. (Tower, through Sunday; University of Utah beginning Thursday, Nov. 16; phone 297-4040 for information.)
SNEAK PREVIEW SATURDAY
THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT - Michael Douglas is a widowed U.S. president who falls for an environmental lobbyist (Annette Bening), which his aides (Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox) fear may ruin his bid for re-election. Unbilled Richard Dreyfuss co-stars as the senator who engages in character assassination. Romantic comedy-drama directed by Rob Reiner ("A Few Good Men"). To be reviewed when it opens next week. PG-13 (profanity, vulgarity). (Broadway, Century, Creekside, Gateway, Midvalley, South Towne.)
NEW FILMS MONDAY
BALLOT MEASURE NO. 9 - This clear-eyed documentary about Oregon's anti-gay-rights initiative was the Audience Award winner at this year's Sundance Film Festival, a balanced report on the controversial measure, with equal time given to its sponsors and opposition in the gay community. Not rated, probable PG (profanity). (Exlusive, Tower.)
THE INCREDIBLY TRUE ADVENTURE OF TWO GIRLS IN LOVE - A semi-comic, interracial lesbian romance about two teenage girls who meet during their senior year of high school. This film played out of competition at this year's Sundance Film Festival. R (sex, nudity, profanity, vulgrity, drugs). (Exclusive, Tower.)
RETURN ENGAGEMENTS
THE BROTHERS McMULLEN - * * 1/2 - The winner of the Sundance Film Festival's dramatic Grand Jury Prize this year is the story of three Irish-Catholic brothers who move into their late parents' home and argue about marriage, sex, religion, etc. Occasionally comic but more often overly earnest, with uneven performances - but when it's good, it's very good. R (profanity, vulgarity, sex). (Valley Fair.) (Sept. 14, 1995)
THE ENGLISHMAN WHO WENT UP A HILL BUT CAME DOWN A MOUNTAIN - * * * 1/2 - This low-key but frequently hilarious comedy is a throwback to the kind of British farce that Peter Sellers or Alec Guinness would have starred in four decades ago. A pair of cartographers measure a mountain near a small Welsh town and find that it's really a hill - so the townfolk try to build it up to mountain-size. Hugh Grant stars, but Colm Meaney steals the show. PG (adult themes). (Kaysville.) (May 12, 1995)
THE POSTMAN (IL POSTINO) - * * * - Sweet, low-key Italian romantic comedy about an idealistic postman in a small village who is befriended by a famed South American poet in exile. Because the poet's romantic exploits are legendary, the postman seeks advice about approaching a vivacious woman in town whom he loves from afar. Nicely executed; a real treat for foreign-film fans. In Italian, with English subtitles. PG (mild vulgarity, violence). (Avalon.) (Sept. 15, 1995)
CONTINUING FILMS
ANGUS - * * 1/2 - Easygoing, sentimental comedy-drama about an overweight high school kid (Charlie Talbert) who is tired of being the class joke, as he gets conflicting advice from his mother (Kathy Bates) and grandfather (George C. Scott). Uneven, but sweet and gentle, with some very nice moments and an excellent young cast. PG-13 (violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Family Center, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Sept. 15, 1995)
APOLLO 13 - * * * * - Heart-pounding suspense highlights this textured true story of three astronauts (Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon) stranded in space in the spring of 1970, as Mission Control races against time to bring their crippled craft back to Earth. Gary Sinise, Ed Harris and Kathleen Quinlan co-star, and all are excellent. Easily the best work yet from director Ron Howard ("Parenthood," "Far and Away," "Cocoon"). PG (profanity, vulgarity). (Family Center, Kaysville, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse.) (June 30, 1995)
ASSASSINS - * 1/2 - A few good action scenes can't make up for the idiotic story in this thriller about computer-geek hit men, as up-and-comer Antonio Banderas tries to displace the No. 1 assassin in the business, Sylvester Stallone. Both are as skilled at one-handed typing on their laptops as they are killing their "marks," but only Banderas shines, and then only occasionally, in an over-the-top, loopy characterization. R (violence, profanity, vulgarity). (South Towne.) (Oct. 6, 1995)
BABE - * * * - This family comedy was the summer's biggest surprise, a whimsical yarn about a piglet who trains as a sheepdog. Low-key and very funny, with a "Muppet" sensibility, this Australian effort is based on the children's book "The Sheep-Pig," by Dick King-Smith and was co-written and co-produced by George Miller ("Mad Max," "The Witches of Eastwick"). G. (Cinemas 5, South Towne.) (Aug. 4, 1995)
THE BIG GREEN - * 1/2 - Steve Guttenberg (where's he been lately?) headlines this laughless soccer variation on "The Mighty Ducks," as Olivia d'Abo plays a British "exchange teacher" in a small Texas town where Guttenberg is the burned-out deputy sheriff, and together they help her studnets form a peewee soccer team. Dull and dumb. PG (comic violence, vulgarity, one profanity). (Cottonwood, Gateway, South Towne.) (Sept. 29, 1995)
BRAVEHEART - * * 1/2 - Mel Gibson directed, co-produced and stars in this big-budget epic, based on the true story of 13th-century Scottish rebel William Wallace, who united his people against English rule in general, and evil King Edward I (Patrick McGoohan) in particular. Spectacular battle scenes and a compelling story with excellent performances, but the violence is far too bloody, and - at nearly three hours - the film is far too long. R (violence, gore, rape, sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity). (Olympus Starships.) (May 24, 1995)
COPYCAT - * * 1/2 - Yet another horror-thriller, bolstered by the performances of Holly Hunter as a San Francisco homicide detective tracking down a psycho who re-creates famous serial-killer scenarios and Sigourney Weaver as an agoraphobic psychologist who tries to help and becomes the killer's chief target. Routine, derivative and loaded with leaps in logic, but the stars bring it up a notch. R (violence, gore, profanity, vulgarity, nudity). (Century, Cottonwood, Crossroads, Gateway, Midvalley, Sandy 9.) (Oct. 27, 1995)
DANGEROUS MINDS - * * * - Michelle Pfeiffer is very good as an ex-Marine who lands a high school teaching position, only to discover she's assigned to troubled teens who have run other teachers out of town. Naturally, she wins the kids over and helps them discover the joy of learning. Familiar but well-played stuff. R (violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Cinemas 5, Midvalley, South Towne.) (Aug. 11, 1995)
FAIR GAME - turkey - Ridiculous, fireball-filled thriller designed as a vanity vehicle for Cindy Crawford (the super model and ex-wife of Richard Gere). She's an attorney targeted by ex-KGB agents, on the run with Miami cop William Baldwin. Lots of things go boom, but nothing makes any sense, and Crawford can't act . . . not that it matters. R (violence, sex, profanity). (Century, Crossroads, Creekside, Midvalley, South Towne, Trolley North.) (Nov. 5, 1995)
GET SHORTY - * * * 1/2 - Eccentric, light but very funny mobster-Hollywood yarn about a movie-crazy Florida collector (John Travolta) who finds himself in Los Angeles on the trail of a debtor and begins to worm his way into the movie business. Travolta and supporting cast (Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, Rene Russo and unbilled guest stars) are all in top form, the script is faithful to Elmore Leonard's comic best-seller and director Barry Sonnenfeld (the "Adams Family" movies) keeps things hopping. R (violence, profanity, brief nudity). (Broadway, Century, Gateway, Holladay, Midvalley, Reel, South Towne.) (Oct. 20, 1995)
GOLD DIGGERS: THE SECRET OF BEAR MOUNTAIN - * 1/2 - What starts out as a Disneyesque family picture becomes surprisingly ugly in this story of a city girl (Christina Ricci) and a country girl (Anna Chlumsky) who come together in a small Washington town and go on a treasure hunt. The graphic subplot about Chlumsky and her mother being abused simply has no place in a movie aimed at children. PG (violence, language). (Century, Holladay, Midvalley, Sandy 9, Trolley Square.) (Nov. 4, 1995)
HACKERS - * * - A group of high school computer geeks are framed for an industrial conspiracy by a corporate security officer who is also a hacker. So, they enlist the aid of Internet peers to help clear their names. Despite its high-tech trappings and some amusing moments, this is conventional stuff, with nothing we haven't seen before. PG-13 (violence, vulgarity, profanity, sex, nudity). (Sugarhouse.) (Sept. 17, 1995)
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS - * * - Jodie Foster stumbles in her second diercting effort, a comedy-drama with Holly Hunter as a harried single mother who reluctantly goes home to her dysfunctional family for the Thanksgiving holiday. Good cast includes Robert Downey Jr., Anne Bancroft and Charles Durning, but the film is an uneasy, overplotted blend of comedy and melodrama that fizzles more often than it soars. PG-13 (profanity, vulgarity, drugs). (Century, Cottonwood, Flick, Gateway, Plaza 5400, Reel, Sandy 9.) (Nov. 3, 1995)
HOW TO MAKE AN AMERICAN QUILT - * * - Despite a stellar cast (Winona Ryder, Ellen Burstyn, Anne Bancroft, Maya Angelou, Alfre Woodard, Kate Nelligan, Jean Simmons, Kate Capshaw) and a few charming moments, this ensemble yarn linked to a patchwork quilt becomes frayed with episodic storytelling, weak plotting and conflicting messages. The story has a young graduate student spending the summer with her grandmother and great aunt as she tries to finish her thesis and consider a marriage proposal. Flashbacks tell us about the women's younger lives and their frustrating relationships with unfaithful males. PG-13 (nudity, sex, profanity, vulgarity). (Cinemas 5, Olympus.) (Oct. 6, 1995)
INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD - * * * - A bit slow but still magically entertaining, this adaptation of the award-winning children's book is a fantasy about a young boy who sees a small toy Indian come to life, leading to life lessons for both. Imaginatively directed by former Muppeteer Frank Oz ("What About Bob?" "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels") from a screenplay by Melissa Mathison ("E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial," "The Black Stallion"). PG (violence, mild profanity). (Kaysville, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (July 14, 1995)
A KID IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT - * 1/2 - Lame teen take on "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court," with a Little Leaguer finding himself transported back in time to Camelot, where he must help King Arthur reclaim his kingdom. But the new Mickey Mouse cartoon, "Runaway Brain," which precedes the film, is great fun. PG (violence, mild vulgarity). (Family Center, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Aug. 11, 1995)
LAST OF THE DOGMEN - * * 1/2 - A movie full of interesting ideas, though it tends to squander them, this modern Western with a mythical Old West twist has a Montana bounty hunter (Tom Berenger), in the company of a skeptical anthropologist (Barbara Hershey), looking for a lost American Indian tribe in the wilderness. Marred by a poorly written, redundant voiceover narration (spoken by unbilled Wilford Brimley) and some wildly unconvincing plot points. PG (violence, profanity). (Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Sept. 14, 1995)
A MONTH BY THE LAKE - * * * - That endangered species - middle-aged romance - gets a comedy-drama treatment in the Merchant-Ivory vein as an Englishwoman (Vanessa Redgrave) pursues a British bachelor (Edward Fox) in 1938 Italy during a stay at a scenic resort, only to see him flattered by the innocent attentions of a flighty young American nanny (Uma Thurman). Redgrave and Fox are great, thogh Thurman overplays her part. PG (brief partial nudity, mild vulgarity, mild profanity, violence). (Exclusive, Broadway.) (Oct. 27, 1995)
MORTAL KOMBAT - * 1/2 - Very violent but lame action picture based on the popular video game about a trio of martial-arts heroes participating in the title tournament, a series of one-on-one battles with warriors and monsters. Some good special effects (and some that are surprisingly cheesy), but the story and dialogue are pretty bad. Not that the young target audience will mind. PG-13 (violence, gore, profanity). (Cinemas 5, Sandcastle.) (Aug. 20, 1995)
NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS - turkey - Ridiculous, poorly made "erotic thriller" mixes up "Fatal Attraction" with various Brian De Palma yarns ("Dressed to Kill," "Body Double," "Raising Cain") as loony psychiatrist Rebecca De Mornay (who also executive produced) interviews an imprisoned serial rapist-killer (Harry Dean Stanton, doing "The Silence of the Lambs") and begins an affair with a Puerto Rican ex-cop (Antonio Banderas). When she starts getting threatening mail at home, whodunit? Think De Palma and you'll easily figure it out. R (violence, sex, profanity). (Broadway, Midvalley.) (Oct. 20, 1995)
THE NET - * * * - Sandra Bullock stars in this predictable but suspensefully directed thriller, playing a lonely but lovable computer nerd who uncovers a high-tech conspiracy when she stumbles on a confidential program. A paranoia fantasy primed for the '90s, demonstrating how talent can make enjoyable fluff out of by-the-numbers material - and a terrific showcase for Bullock's appeal. PG-13 (violence, profanity, vulgarity, sex). (Kaysville.) (July 28, 1995)
NINE MONTHS - * * 1/2 - Wildly uneven romantic comedy, alternately amusing and annoying story of an unmarried couple (Hugh Grant, Julianne Moore) trying to cope with her unexpected pregnancy. Tom Arnold and Joan Cusack are obnoxious acquaintances, Jeff Goldblum is Grant's neurotic best friend and Robin Williams has an extended cameo as a medical version of his "Moscow On the Hudson" character. PG-13 (sex, profanity, vulgarity, violence, nude art). (Sugarhouse.) (July 12, 1995)
NOW AND THEN - * * - Occasionally charming ensemble comedy-drama, with Demi Moore, Melanie Griffith, Rosie O'Donnell and Rita Wilson in brief bookend segments as long-time best friends, whose growing up years make up the bulk of the film, as their 12-year-old characters are played by, respectively, Gaby Hoffmann, Thora Birch, Christina Ricci and Ashleigh Aston Moore. Overly familiar and under-directed. PG-13 (profanity, vulgarity, nudity, violence). (Holladay, Plaza 5400, Trolley North, Trolley Square.) (Oct. 20, 1995)
OPERATION DUMBO DROP - * * - Silly family comedy set in the Vietnam War has American soldiers taking an elephant through 200 miles of jungle terrain by truck, boat and plane to help out a village being used as an army outpost. Silly, sentimental and highly implausible. Danny Glover and Ray Liotta try hard but Denis Leary and Doug E. Doug get all the laughs. PG (violence, vulgarity). (Family Center, Kaysville, Sandcastle, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (July 28, 1995)
POCAHONTAS - * * * 1/2 - It's not history, but this latest Disney feature-length cartoon - based very loosely on the story of the Indian maid who saved the life of English explorer John Smith - is a delightful romantic adventure loaded with gorgeous animation. Voices are provided by Mel Gibson (who gets to sing), Russell Means, Christian Bale and Linda Hunt, among others. G. (Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (June 23, 1995)
POWDER - * * * - Call this one "Edward Powderhands," as it certainly resembles Tim Burton's "Edward Scissorhands" (and maybe "Nell," as well), with its story of a teenager (Sean Patrick Flanery) born with startlingly white skin who is found in the cellar of a remote farmhouse. Naturally, he is misunderstood, but he does manage to soften the hearts of a few folks in need of humanity transplants. Sensitive and amusing, it might have fared better with a period setting, but Flanery is engaging and Mary Steenburgen and Jeff Goldblum help (despite their underwritten characters). PG-13 (violence, nudity, profanity, vulgarity). (Flick, Gateway, Plaza 5400, Reel, South Towne, Villa.) (Oct. 27, 1995)
SEVEN - * * 1/2 - Compelling but far too grisly and dark (both literally and figuratively), the best aspect of this thriller is Morgan Freeman's performance as a methodical veteran homicide detective on the verge of retirement. Brad Pitt is his hotheaded replacement and they are partnered to find a serial killer who selects victims on the basis of their having violated one of the seven deadly sins. R (violence, gore, profanity, vulgarity, sex, nudity). (Broadway, Holladay, Gateway, Plaza 5400, Sandy 9.) (Sept. 22, 1995)
SHOWGIRLS - This sleazy variation on "All About Eve" (written by Joe Eszterhas and directed by Paul Verhoeven, the "Basic Instinct" team) is being decried by critics nationally as the worst film of the year - and maybe the decade. The nominal story follows the rise of a stripper who goes from low-rent dives to high-rolling Vegas clubs. MGM is purposely flaunting the NC-17 rating as a test case. NC-17 (sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity, violence). (South Towne.)
STRANGE DAYS - It's probably natural that a movie about assaulting the senses should work so hard at assaulting the audience, but this one goes way over the top with headache-inducing chaos and in-your-face violence and rape. Stealing liberally from "Brainstorm" and "Blade Runner," the film is set in Los Angeles on the eve of the year 2000 as a petty crook (Ralph Fiennes) who sells addictive "memories" is implicated in several rape-murders that have been "taped." Angela Bassett, as his best friend, is the film's greatest asset, but the film is the pits. R (violence, rape, sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity). (Family Center.) (Oct. 13, 1995)
THREE WISHES - * * - Fair "family" picture that plays like an episode of TV's "Touched By an Angel," with Patrick Swayze as a mysterious drifter who ingratiates himself into the lives of a widow (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) and her two children in 1955 suburbia. Better before it goes into special-effects overload in the final reels, but it never quite takes flight. PG (violence, profanity, nudity, implied sex). (Broadway, Century, Cottonwood, Midvalley, Reel, Sandy 9, Trolley North.) (Oct. 27, 1995)
TO DIE FOR - * * * - Raunchy and dark, witty and loopy, this saber-toothed satire of the media combines elements of "Network," "The King of Comedy" and "Double Indemnity," and boasts a knockout, Oscar-bound performance from Nicole Kidman as a ditsy but zealous cable-TV weathercaster who seduces a trio of teens to kill her naive husband (Matt Dillon) when he gets in her way. Great cast includes scene-stealing Ileana Douglas as Dillon's suspicious sister. Sags in the middle, with unnecessarily graphic sex, though the media satire is on the mark. R (violence, sex, brief nudity, profanity, vulgarity). (Century, Cinemas 5, Creekside, Crossroads, South Towne.) (Oct. 6, 1995)
TO WONG FOO, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, JULIE NEWMAR - * * - Amusing Americanization of "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," though this one is less realistic as a couple of big stars (Wesley Snipes and Patrick Swayze) camp it up. The story has a trio (with John Leguizamo) of drag queens finding themselves stuck in a Southern redneck town, where all concerned learn lessons in tolerance. Broadly played comedy with an out-of-place abused-wife subplot. Excellent support from Stockard Channing, Blythe Danner, Arliss Howard, Jason London and Chris Penn. PG-13 (violence, nudity, vulgarity, profanity, racial slurs). (Family Center, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Sept. 13, 1995)
UNSTRUNG HEROES - * * * * - Diane Keaton's theatrical directing debut is a wonderful comedy-drama about a young boy growing up in the early '60s in a household where his mother (Andie MacDowell) provides the strength and his eccentric father (John Turturro) is emotionally distant. When Mom becomes fatally ill, the boy runs away and moves in with his two even more eccentric uncles (Maury Chaykin and "Seinfeld's" Michael Richards). Funny, warm and quite touching. PG (profanity, vulgarity, violence). (Broadway, Gateway.) (Sept. 22, 1995)
VAMPIRE IN BROOKLYN - * 1/2 - Gory, vulgar and largely laughless Eddie Murphy vehicle (he co-wrote, co-produced and plays multiple roles) about an ancient vampire in modern-day New York, searching for the last of his race, a half-vampire who doesn't know it. Angela Bassett fares best as the woman he seeks, who turns out to be a Brooklyn cop. Directed with his usual heavy hand by horrormeister Wes Craven (the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series). R (violence, gore, sex, profanity, vulgarity, drugs). (Century, Creekside, Gateway, Plaza 5400, Sandy 9, Trolley Square.) (Oct. 27, 1995)
A WALK IN THE CLOUDS - * * 1/2 - Old-fashioned, contrived '40s-style soap opera about GI Keanu Reeves returning home after World War II and playing husband to an unmarried pregnant woman (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon) who fears her intolerant father (Giancarlo Giannini). Warm and sensuous but not completely satisfying, due in part to Reeves' flat line readings of the highly romantic dialogue. Anthony Quinn, as the woman's grandfather, steals the show. PG-13 (violence, profanity, sex). (Sandy 9.) (Aug. 11, 1995)
WATERWORLD - * * 1/2 - Another loud, bombastic stunt-driven futuristic thriller, about a water-logged Earth. Visually arresting (though it owes more than a little to the "Mad Max" movies), with impressive action and solid performances by villain Dennis Hopper and feisty young Tina Majorino. But an ill-advised cruel streak undermines Kevin Costner's protagonist, a mutant with gills and webbed feet. And the film is extremely violent. PG-13 (violence, nudity, sex, profanity, vulgarity). (Family Center, Kaysville, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (July 28, 1995)