NEW FILMS FRIDAY
BED OF ROSES - Mary Stuart Masterson is a successful, upscale New York businesswoman with a dark, mysterious past who finds herself wooed by a stranger (Christian Slater) who has given up the big-business rat race to deliver flowers. Sentimental romance. Reviewed in this section today. PG (vulgarity). (Carmike 12, Crossroads, Holladay, Plaza 5400, Sandy 9, Trolley North.)
BIG BULLY - Rick Moranis is a well-known novelist who returns to his old high school to teach a summer creative-writing course, where he locks horns with the shop teacher (Tom Arnold), who used to bully him when they were students. Family comedy, co-starring Julianne Phillips, Carol Kane, Don Knotts. Not screened in advance for critics; to be reviewed next week. PG (violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Carmike 12, Century, Gateway, Holladay, Plaza 5400, Sandy 9, Trolley Corners.)
CARRINGTON - This dramatic biographical film is the true story of the unrequited love a tomboy painter, Dora Carrington (Emma Thompson), held for gay writer Lytton Strachey (Jonathan Pryce) in post-World War I England. Reviewed in this section today. R (sex, nudity, profanity). (Exclusive, Broadway.)
CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY - James Earl Jones, Richard Harris and Charles S. Dutton star in this adaptation of Alan Paton's book about reconciliation in the midst of racial strife, the first movie to come out of democratic South Africa. (Previously filmed in 1951, with Sidney Poitier in the cast.) Reviewed in this section today. PG-13 (violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Exclusive, Avalon.)
SCREAMERS - In the year 2078 on a distant mining planet, scientists find that their secret weapon, self-replicating killing devices called Screamers, are taking on human characteristics and rebelling against their creators. Peter Weller ("RoboCop," "Naked Lunch") stars. To be reviewed next week. R (violence, gore, profanity, vulgarity, sex). (Century, Creekside, Gateway, Midvalley, South Towne, Trolley Square.)
SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT FRIDAY
GUNS OF THE CLACKAMAS - This one-time only, late-night three-hour program will be capped by a screening of this parody of Hollywood biographical documentaries, about a director of bad movies (a la Ed Wood) whose specialty is offbeat Westerns, such as "Vampire Cowboys" and "Hula Cowboys." Animator Bill Plympton ("Your Face," "25 Ways to Quit Smoking," "How to Kiss") will introduce and discuss his first live-action feature, and he'll also show some of his animation work. Not rated, probable PG (profanity, vulgarity). (Avalon, 9:30 p.m., admission is $7.)
SNEAK PREVIEW SATURDAY
WHITE SQUALL - Jeff Bridges stars in this true story of a sea captain and a group of teenage boys who set off on an eight-month Caribbean voyage in 1961 and found themselves stranded when a freak storm sank their ship. Directed by Ridley Scott ("Alien," "Blade Runner," "Thelma & Louise"). To be reviewed when it opens next week. PG-13 (violence, profanity, sex). (Carmike 12, Creekside, Crossroads, Gateway, Plaza 5400, Sandy 9, Villa.)
NEW FILM SUNDAY
I AM CUBA - This remarkably cinematic "found" movie, "presented" by Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese, is a 30-year-old, black-and-white, nearly 21/2-hour film, a Russian pro-Cuba propaganda effort filmed in four distinctive vignettes. In English, and in Spanish and Russian with English subtitles. To be reviewed in Sunday's Arts section. Not rated, probable PG (violence, profanity). (Exclusive, Tower.)
CONTINUING FILMS
ACE VENTURA: WHEN NATURE CALLS - turkey - Jim Carrey is back in the role that shot him to superstardom, taking his goofy, crass pet detective persona into the African jungle. But the studio must have blown the film's budget on Carrey's salary, as this sequel is even sloppier and less coherent than the original. Not that fans will care. PG-13 (profanity, vulgarity, sex, nudity, comic violence). (Cinemas 5.) (Nov. 12, 1995)
THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT - * * * - Slick, funny and bright romantic comedy has Michael Douglas as a widowed U.S. president who falls for an environmental lobbyist (Annette Bening), prompting his aides (Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox) to fear a romance may ruin his bid for re-election (especially when unbilled Richard Dreyfuss, as a ruthless senator, uses it to try and bring the popular president down). Engaging performances and a witty script make this slight but enjoyable yarn a lot of fun. PG-13 (profanity, vulgarity). (Gateway, Holladay, South Towne.) (Nov. 17, 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. (Family Center, Kaysville.) (Aug. 4, 1995)
BALTO - * * * - Funny, exciting animated feature from Steven Spielberg is a huge step up from his last effort ("We're Back"), the (true) story of a half-dog/half-wolf, trying to fit in with more domesticated canines in 1925 Nome, Alaska. And he gets his chance when the town needs medicine during a blizzard. "Lady and the Tramp" meets "Call of the Wild," with familiar supporting comic-relief characters, but quite enjoyable. Voices include Kevin Bacon, Bob Hoskins, Bridget Fonda and Phil Collins. G. (Family Center, Kaysville, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Dec. 22, 1995)
BIO-DOME - turkey - Awful, unfunny slapstick vulgarity from Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin, who do the "Dumb & Dumber" thing as a pair of slackers who accidentally go locked into an environmentally controlled biosphere with the scientists who are there by choice. Shore reaches new depths of annoying behavior. PG-13 (violence, sex, profanity, vulgarity, drugs). (Carmike 12, Century, Gateway, Holladay, Plaza 5400, Sandy 9.) (Jan. 15, 1996)
CASINO - * 1/2 - Despite some stunning visual touches, Martin Scorsese is really off his game with this bloated three-hour tale of mobsters in Las Vegas during the 1970s. Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci both narrate the story of De Niro running a casino, marrying alcholic hooker Sharon Stone and trying to control loose-cannon Pesci. The story is all over the map and performances are undermined by the redundant narration. R (violence, gore, sex, profanity, vulgarity, brief nudity, drugs). (Family Center, Sugarhouse.) (Nov. 23, 1995)
CUTTHROAT ISLAND - * * - Big, impressive stunts and eye-popping pyrotechnics highlight this Geena Davis-as-Errol Flynn swashbuckler, as she tries to beat her nasty uncle (Frank Langella) to buried treasure. But the script needed some serious work, as it's almost completely lacking in story and character development. Of course, maybe nonstop, impossible action is all you crave. Matthew Modine co-stars as Davis' slave; her husband Renny Harlin ("Cliffhanger," "Die Hard 2") directed. PG-13 (violence, vulgarity). (Kaysville, Sandcastle, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Dec. 22, 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). (Kaysville, Valley Fair.) (Aug. 11, 1995)
DON'T BE A MENACE TO SOUTH CENTRAL WHILE DRINKING YOUR JUICE IN THE HOOD - * 1/2 - Off-the-wall spoof (in the "Blazing Saddles"/"Airplane!" style) of urban black-issue films, such as "Menace II Society," "South Central," "Juice" and "Boyz in the Hood," along with many others, co-written by and starring the Wayans Brothers (Shawn and Marlon). Cheerfully vulgar, with a few scattershot laughs, though there isn't much here that hits the mark. R (violence, sex, profanity, vulgarity, drugs). (South Towne, Trolley Square.) (Jan. 15, 1996)
DUNSTON CHECKS IN - * 1/2 - Laughless orangutan-loose-in-a-posh-hotel comedy aims for kids, despite presence of sexual gags. And whose idea was it to cast smarmy Jason Alexander (TV's "Seinfeld") as a warm-and-fuzzy father-figure? The plot has the orangutan wreaking havoc in the hotel, while being pursued by Alexander's two young sons, a jewel thief and a "Rambo"-esque animal-control officer (Paul Reubens, formerly Pee-wee Herman). PG (violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Carmike 12, Olympus, Sandy 9.)
EYE FOR AN EYE - * 1/2 - What starts out as an exploration of flaws in the justice system settles for being merely another exploitative vigilante thriller, and without Sally Field and the R-rated trappings, it could be mistaken for a routine made-for-TV flick. Field is good, as is Ed Harris as her husband and Kiefer Sutherland as the sleazy bad guy, but it's just a gender-switch "Death Wish." R (violence, rape, sex, profanity, vulgarity). (Broadway, Carmike 12, Century, Cottonwood, Gateway, Midvalley, Reel, Sandy 9.) (Jan. 12, 1996)
FATHER OF THE BRIDE PART II - * * 1/2 - This sequel to the 1991 comedy (a remake of the 1951 sequel "Father's Little Dividend") has reluctant Steve Martin and giddy Diane Keaton facing grandparenthood, and just as Martin finally gets used to the idea, they discover Keaton is also pregnant! Too long, too silly, too much of Martin Short, and the characters' wealth makes it a bit hard for Joe Average to identify with them. But Steve Martin is great and there are enough laughs to make you forgive most of its faults. PG (vulgarity). (Cottonwood, Gateway, Plaza 5400, South Towne.) (Dec. 8, 1995)
FROM DUSK TILL DAWN - * 1/2 - Gory crime melodrama meets gory horror, uneasily, in the latest from Quentin Tarantino ("Pulp Fiction"), who wrote the script and co-stars with George Clooney (TV's "E.R."). They play psycho brothers on a bloody crime spree who seek sanctuary in Mexico only to encounter a topless bar full of vampires. A few amusing ideas, but they're blown away in the service of glop-and-goo special effects. Yechh. R (violence, gore, nudity, profanity, vulgarity). (Holladay, Midvalley, South Towne, Trolley Square.) (Jan. 19, 1996)
FUN - * * - Two young troubled teens (Alicia Witt, Renee Humphrey) meet, immediately bond together and by the end of the day have killed a helpless little old lady, just for "fun." Resonances of the superior "Heavenly Creatures" ring throughout this low-budget feature, pretentiously directed but notable for its strong lead performances. Not rated, probable R (violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Tower, begins Sunday.) (Jan. 19, 1996)
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. R (violence, profanity, brief nudity). (Family Center, Sugarhouse.) (Oct. 20, 1995)
GOLDENEYE - * * * - All the impossible stunts, miraculous escapes and sexual double-entendres you might expect highlight this first James Bond thriller in six years, with a new 007 (Pierce Brosnan) and a '90s, high-tech look. The plot is routine stuff about a former KGB agent plotting to destroy London with a satellite nuclear weapon, but when has plot ever mattered in a 007 flick? Brosnan won't make us forget Sean Connery, but he's good and the film is highly entertaining. PG-13 (violence, sex, vulgarity, profanity). (Carmike 12, Cinemas 5, Kaysville, Olympus.) (Nov. 17, 1995)
GRUMPIER OLD MEN - * * 1/2 - There are some funny bits in this sequel, and it's great to see Sophia Loren in a leading role again - but it's really just a retread of the first "Grumpy Old Men," and far too vulgar. Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau are terrific, however, as the sparring title characters, and their gift for delivering one-liners and doing double-takes gives the film a strong second wind. Lemmon got the "girl" (Ann-Margret) last time, so this time it's Matthau pursuing Loren. PG-13 (vulgarity, profanity). (Century, Crossroads, Holladay, Plaza 5400, Reel, South Towne.) (Dec. 22, 1995)
HEAT - * * 1/2 - Some gripping scenes and a bevy of terrific performances highlight this meticulous exploration of an obsessive cop (Al Pacino) and a cautious crook (Robert De Niro) in a deadly game of cat and mouse. But the film is too long (neary 3 hours) to sustain its impact, with too many skimpily written subplots. Pacino and De Niro fans will want to check it out, however. R (violence, gore, sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity, drugs). (Broadway, Carmike 12, Century, Cinemas 5.) (Dec. 15, 1995)
IT TAKES TWO - * * - This theatrical starring debut for the Olsen Twins (Mary-Kate and Ashley, of TV's "Full House") is a reworking of "The Parent Trap," with an orphan and a rich kid, respectively, switching identities while they try to bring one girl's caseworker (Kirstie Alley) and the other's rich father (Steve Guttenberg) together. Not bad, though it will appeal most to small fry. PG (mild profanity, mild vulgarity, comic violence). (Kaysville, Sandcastle, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Nov. 17, 1995)
JUMANJI - * * * - This kids movie is definitely not for little ones, but as a rambunctious action-comedy it's loads of fun. The plot has a pair of kids stumbling on the title board game, as they inadvertently endanger New Hampshire's ecosystem by unleasing exotic animals and a deadly virus. Think "Gremlins," with which this film shares a certain anarchic sensibility. PG (violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Carmike 12, Century, Cottonwood, Midvalley, Reel, Sandy 9, Trolley Corners, Trolley North.) (Dec. 15, 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). (Kaysville.) (Sept. 14, 1995)
LEAVING LAS VEGAS - * * - Nicolas Cage delivers a knockout performance in this depressing melodrama as an alcoholic who goes to Las Vegas to literally drink himself to death, and Elisabeth Shue is also quite good as the inevitable hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold he meets. Relentlessly downbeat, with pointless, violent subplots. R (violence, rape, sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity, drugs). (Exclusive, Broadway.) (Jan. 12, 1996)
MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS - * * * - Formula, cliched stoytelling gets a boost from several inspiring vignettes and a knockout central performance by Richard Dreyfuss as a high school music teacher who takes the job reluctantly but over the next three decades learns the value of sharing his passion for music with others. Essentially a '90s update of "Goodbye, Mr. Chips." PG (profanity). (Carmike 12, Cottonwood, Flick, Gateway, Plaza 5400, Reel, Sandy 9.) (Jan. 19, 1996)
MONEY TRAIN - * 1/2 - Lumbering, violent, underdeveloped action-thriller re-teaming that "White Men Can't Jump" duo, Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. Here they are foster brothers working as New York transit cops, and when Harrelson's gambling debts become overwhelming, he plots to rob the subway that transports daily collections. Shrill and obnoxious. R (violence, profanity, vulgarity, sex). (Sugarhouse.) (Nov. 24, 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). (Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Oct. 20, 1995)
OTHELLO - * * * 1/2 - Purists may carp that this latest adaptation of Shakespeare's classic is so abridged and contemporary in its pacing, but it doesn't weaken the power of this timeless story of jealousy and treachery. Laurence Fishburne is good, if a bit aloof in the title role but Kenneth Branagh is stupendous as the scheming Iago. Too bad they included R-rated sex, which excludes youngsters from the audience. R (violence, sex, nudity, vulgarity, profanity). (Exclusive, Trolley Square.) (Jan. 19, 1996)
PERSUASION - * * * 1/2 - Excellent adaptation of Jane Austen's novel about social distinctions in 19th-century England, as a young Naval officer is spurned by the young woman he loves because he has no money. Several years later, however, the tables are turned, as her family is in financial straits and the Naval officer has struck it rich. But their second chance doesn't come easily. Nicely directed in that deliberate "Masterpiece Theater"/Merchant-Ivory style, with fine peformances from all concerned - but especially the luminous Amanda Root in the lead. PG (adult themes). (Avalon.) (Dec. 25, 1995)
POWDER - * * * - Call this one "Edward Powderhands," the story of a teenager (Sean Patrick Flanery) born with startlingly white skin who is found in the cellar of a remote farmhouse and who softens the hearts of a few folks in need of humanity transplants. Sensitive and amusing, though it might have fared better with a period setting. PG-13 (violence, nudity, profanity, vulgarity). (Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Oct. 27, 1995)
SABRINA - * * * - There's nothing wrong with the 1954 original, or its dream cast (Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn and William Holden), but this smooth remake intelligently updates the right elements and boasts a talented '90s cast (Harrison Ford, Julia Ormond and talk-show host Greg Kinnear). Taken on its own terms, this is witty, charming, of the kind we don't often get anymore. The story is an unlikely romance as a chauffeur's daughter is pursued by a pair of wealthy brothers. PG (vulgarity, profanity). (Carmike 12, Century, Cinemas 5, Creekside, Flick, Gateway, Sandy 9.) (Dec. 15, 1995)
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY - * * * * - Emma Thompson delivers a marvelous central performance and also wrote the screenplay adaptation for this delightful comic melodrama based on Jane Austen's novel. Thompson is one of two sisters (Kate Winslet plays the other) whose station in life has been reduced, and just when romance seems most likely, their suitors head for London. Charming, witty and unabashedly romantic. Alan Rickman and Hugh Grant co-star. PG (adult themes). (Broadway, Century, Creekside, South Towne.) (Jan. 19, 1996)
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). (Family Center, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Sept. 22, 1995)
SUDDEN DEATH - turkey - A mean-spirited "Die Hard"-at-a-hockey-game action picture, shaped as a vehicle for Jean-Claude Van Damme. He's not bad, and there are some wild, if completely implausible stunts. But so many innocent bystanders get slaughtered - including some we've come to care about - that audience sympathy goes out the window in the first half-hour. Strictly for blood-'n'-guts fans. R (violence, profanity, vulgarity, nudity). (Family Center, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Dec. 22, 1995)
TOM AND HUCK - * 1/2 - Jonathan Taylor Thomas ("Man of the House," TV's "Home Improvement") is far to contemporary to play Tom Sawyer, but that's exactly what he does in this umpteenth adaptation of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." And Brad Renfro ("The Client"), as Huckleberry Finn, does little more than strike poses. All the familiar vignettes are here, from the reverse-psychology whitewashing scene to Injun Joe chasing Tom and Becky Thatcher through a cave, but it's too violent for kids and too dumb for their parents. PG (violence, profanity). (Carmike 12, Cinemas 5, Murray.) (Dec. 22, 1995)
TOY STORY - * * * * - Hilarious feature-length Disney cartoon - entirely animated by computers - about two toys, an old-fashioned pull-string cowboy (voiced by Tom Hanks) and a space-age action figure (Tim Allen), who become rivals for the affections of the boy who owns them. Packed with visual gags and witty one-liners, though the toys are treated reverentially. Charming and hysterically funny, and it moves so fast it seems to be half its 70-minute length. G. (Carmike 12, Crossroads, Gateway, Plaza 5400, Reel, Sandy 9, Villa.) (Nov. 22, 1995)
TWELVE MONKEYS - * * * - Though hardly for every taste, this eccentric, bizarre, provocative post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller by Terry Gilliam ("The Fisher King," "Brazil") is loaded with wild ideas, inventive visuals and terrific performances. The future hangs in the balance as Bruce Willis reluctantly agrees to leave his own time (2035) and travel back to 1996 in search of the source of a deadly virus that is wiping out mankind. But, as any fan of time-travel movies knows, changing the past ain't easy. Brad Pitt steals the show as a paranoid psychotic. R (violence, nudity, profanity, vulgarity). (Century, Holladay, Midvalley, South Towne, Trolley Corners, Trolley North.) (Jan. 5, 1996)
TWO IF BY SEA - * * - Sandra Bullock is the highlight of this romantic caper-comedy, co-starring angry standup comic Denis Leary, who also co-produced, co-wrote and gets top billing in this yarn about a petty thief and his girlfriend hiding out on an upscale New England island after stealing a $4 million painting. Leary attempts to be warm and fuzzy, but he and Bullock have little chemistry. Bullock, however, is as appealing as ever, and there are a few scattered chuckles. R (profanity, vulgarity, sex, violence, nude paintings). (Cottonwood, Midvalley, South Towne, Trolley Square.) (Jan. 14, 1996) (Jan. 14, 1996)
WAITING TO EXHALE - * 1/2 - Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Lela Rochon and Loretta Devine try hard, but director Forest Whitaker's take on the novel about four Phoenix women who meet all the wrong men is a real mess. He wants to say that women don't necessarily need men to get along in the world, but instead he says all men are pigs and all women are hopelessly naive (if not downright dumb). Bassett, as a wronged wife who goes a little nuts, is way over the top - and any movie that makes her look bad is in real trouble. R (sex, profanity, vulgarity, violence, drugs). (Broadway, Carmike 12, Cinemas 5, Olympus.) (Dec. 22, 1995)
WHITE MAN'S BURDEN - * * 1/2 - What starts out with an intriguing premise - a "what if?" switch of America's racial balance of power in America - soon sinks into conventional melodrama, as John Travolta plays an angry worker oppressed by the predominant black culture and seeks retribution by kidnapping an affluent businessman (Harry Belafonte). Both stars are quite good, however. R (violence, profanity). (Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Dec. 1, 1995)
*****
CROSSROADS
Past movie reviews and capsules by Chris Hicks are available online. Search for MOVIES.