Dates at the end of capsules indicate the film's initial review in the Deseret News.
NEW FILMS FRIDAY ED - Matt LeBlanc (TV's "Friends") stars in this family comedy as a rookie minor league pitcher whose life is turned upside down by a new teammate (and roommate), a chimp named Ed Sullivan. Jack Warden co-stars. Reviewed in this section today. PG (violence, vulgarity, profanity, racial epithets). (Carmike 12, Century, Midvalley, Reel, Sandy 9, Trolley North, Trolley Square.) EXECUTIVE DECISION - "Die Hard" on a passenger airliner (didn't "Passenger 57" already to that?), as a 747 is hijacked and an elite special forces team attempts to board it five miles above the Atlantic Ocean. This big-budget action-thriller pairs Steven Seagal with Kurt Russell. Halle Berry and Oliver Platt co-star. Reviewed in this section today. R (violence, profanity). (Carmike 12, Century, Holladay, Plaza 5400, Sandy 9, Trolley Corners, Trolley North.) FRENCH TWIST - Spanish star Victoria Abril is a happy homemaker, living in France with her French businessman husband and their two children - until she finds that he's been cheating on her. As a result, she accepts the advances of another woman. In French, with English subtitles. Reviewed in this section today. R (violence, sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity, drugs). (Exclusive, Tower.) TWO BITS - Al Pacino plays a fatally ill grandfather during the Depression, who dispenses wisdom to his young grandson (Jerry Barone) when the boy desperately tries to raise money to go to the movies. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio co-stars. Reviewed in this section today. PG-13 (violence, profanity). (Exclusive, Avalon.) 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). (Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (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). (Family Center, Kaysville, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Nov. 17, 1995) BABE - * * * - This family comedy was the summer's biggest surprise, a whimsical yarn about a piglet who trains as a sheep dog. 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"). Nominated for seven Oscars. G. (Cinemas 5, Gateway, Kaysville, Olympus, South Towne.) (Aug. 4, 1995) BED OF ROSES - * * 1/2 - Despite its weaknesses and a tendency to forcibly thrust its cuteness on the audience, this sentimental romance has plenty of charm, with Mary Stuart Masterson quite good as a successful, upscale New York businesswoman with a dark, mysterious past, and Christian Slater as the stranger who woos her with flowers galore. Could have used more humor, though. PG (vulgarity). (Carmike 12, Cinemas 5; Sandy 9.) (Jan. 26, 1996) BEFORE AND AFTER - * * 1/2 - Small-town New England doctor Meryl Streep is stunned when her artist husband (Liam Neeson) begins hiding evidence upon learning that their son (Edward Furlong) has been accused of murder. Interesting ideas, but the complex question of how far one might go to protect a child is treated superficially, and in the end is less than satisfying. Neeson and Furlong are polar opposites in temperament but Streep is terrific, as usual. PG-13 (violence, gore, sex, partial nudity, profanity). (Creekside.) (Feb. 23, 1996) 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). (Valley Fair.) (Jan. 15, 1996) THE BIRDCAGE - * * 1/2 - Funny, but artificial Americanized adaptation of the hit French farce "La Cage aux Folles," about a gay couple (Robin Williams and Nathan Lane) posing as straight to fool the prospective, very conservative in-laws (Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest) of the adult son they have raised together. Some wildly funny moments, but at two hours it's too long and falters in places. Quite faithful to the original film, however. R (profanity, vulgarity, partial nudity, lewd art). (Century, Crossroads, Gateway, Holladay, Midvalley, Reel, South Towne.) (March 8, 1996) BLACK SHEEP - * 1/2 - A dreadful misfire that attempts to recapture the success of "Tommy Boy," with Chris Farley as the title character, the younger brother of a Washington state gubernatorial candidate (Tim Matheson), who assigns David Spade to watch over him. Gross-out gags and juvenile one-liners abound, but very little that is funny. PG-13 (violence, profanity, vulgarity, drugs). (Cinemas 5; Redwood, with "Jumanji.") (Feb. 2, 1996) BRAVEHEART - * * 1/2 - Mel Gibson directed, co-produced and stars in this big-budget epic, which garnered 10 Oscar nominations (though none for acting). 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). (Kaysville, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (May 24, 1995) BROKEN ARROW - * * * 1/2 - This action-thriller boasts a very high "Wow!"-factor, with plenty of wild stunts and wonderfully choreographed action set-pieces by Chinese director John Woo (who stumbled with his first American film, Jean-Claude Van Damme's "Hard Target"). The high-profile cast includes John Travolta as a crazed Air Force pilot who steals a pair of nuclear bombs and Christian Slater as his co-pilot, who performs Indiana Jones stunts as he tries to stop him. A real nail-biter. R (violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Century, Holladay, Plaza 5400; Redwood, with "Dunston Checks In"; South Towne, Trolley Corners, Trolley North.) (Feb. 9, 1996) DEAD MAN WALKING - * * * * - Compelling, dramatically satisfying anti-death penalty film with a remarkably balanced view from writer-director Tim Robbins ("Bob Roberts"), based on the true story of a nun (played by Robbins' significant other, Susan Sarandon) who strikes up a tentative relationship with a death-row inmate (Sean Penn). Superb performances from the leads - and everyone else. Sarandon, Penn and Robbins are all nominated for Oscars. R (violence, rape, profanity, racial epithets, brief nudity). (Broadway.) (Feb. 2, 1996) DOWN PERISCOPE - * * 1/2 - This spoof of submarine thrillers takes its cue from the 1959 classic "Operation Petticoat," crossed with the anarchic spirit of "M*A*S*H," though it isn't nearly as accomplished. Still, despite the absence of any big-laugh set-pieces, there is a fairly steady stream of chuckles, highlighted by the capable cast, a mix of veterans and newcomers. Lauren Holly is wasted, however, as the lone woman among them, positioned as little more than a sex object. PG-13 (profanity, vulgarity, violence). (Broadway, Carmike 12, Century, Cottonwood, Gateway, Midvalley, Reel, Sandy 9.) (March 1, 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). (Redwood, with "Broken Arrow.") 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). (Family Center, Kaysville; Redwood, with "Mr. Wrong"; Sandcastle, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Dec. 8, 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). (Sugarhouse.) (Nov. 17, 1995) HAPPY GILMORE - * * 1/2 - Crude, vulgar and wildly uneven - but with some hysterical scenes - this vehicle for "Saturday Night Live" vet Adam Sandler has him playing a pro-hocky wannabe who can't skate. So he switches to golf and finds he has an unbelievable 400-yard tee shot! The scene with Bob Barker knocking the stuffing out of Sandler is worth the price of admission, and Carl Weathers is also funny as a golf pro with an unlikely wooden hand. But a deadly unfunny subplot about a nursing home should have been excised. PG-13 (violence, vulgarity, profanity, partial nudity, sexual imagery). (Crossroads, Holladay, Midvalley, South Towne, Trolley North.) (Feb. 16, 1996) 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 (nearly 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). (Family Center, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Dec. 15, 1995) HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE - turkey - A disgusting, idiotic excuse for more gross-out special-effects, this fourth film in the series based on Clive Barker's original begins in outer space, then goes into flashbacks to reveal the origins of the puzzle box that has unleashed the demon Pinhead on an unsuspecting Earth. Directed by fictional Alan Smithee, the pseudonym used by the Director's Guild of America when a director doesn't want his name on film. R (violence, gore, sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity). (Carmike 12, Century, Creekside, Midvalley; Redwood, with "Rumble in the Bronx"; Sandy 9, Trolley Square.) (March 9, 1996) HOMEWARD BOUND II: LOST IN SAN FRANCISCO - * * - Young children are the primary audience for this sequel to the earlier family film, based on "The Incredible Journey," with voice-over dialogue for the animals. Here, the two dogs, aging Shadow (voice of Ralph Waite) and peppy young Chance (Michael J. Fox), along with smart-aleck feline Sassy (Sally Field), try to find their way home when they become lost on the wrong side of the tracks in the Bay Area. And along the way, Chance finds romance. G. (Century, Creekside, Flick, Gateway, Plaza 5400, Reel, South Towne.) (March 8, 1996) IF LUCY FELL - * * - Slack slacker romantic comedy about a straight therapist (Sarah Jessica Parker) and a wacky artist (writer/director Eric Shaeffer) who live together platonically and make a pact to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge if they don't find love by age 30. Ben Stiller steals the show as a psycho artist and Elle Macpherson is quite charming as the neighbor Schaeffer worships from afar, but the film is only occasionally witty, more often sluggish. R (profanity, vulgarity, sex, partially nude painting). (Broadway, Century, Holladay, Plaza 5400, South Towne.) (March 8, 1996) 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, Cinemas 5, Olympus; Redwood, with "Black Sheep"; Sandcastle, Sandy 9.) (Dec. 15, 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. Cage, Shue and director Mike Figgis are all nominated for Oscars. R (violence, rape, sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity, drugs). (Broadway.) (Jan. 12, 1996) MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS - * * * - Formula, cliched storytelling gets a boost from several inspiring vignettes and a knockout central performance by Richard Dreyfuss (who is nominated for an Oscar) 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, Sandy 9.) (Jan. 19, 1996) MR. WRONG - * 1/2 - TV sitcom star Ellen DeGeneres makes her big-screen debut with this creepy gender-switch sendup of "Fatal Attraction," with Bill Pullman as the demented one-night-stand who won't go away. The setup offers some laughs, but the uneasy blend of dark satire and sprightly comedy never comes together and the second half of the film heads rapidly downhill without a chuckle or smirk in sight. PG-13 (violence, sex, profanity, vulgarity). (Carmike 12, Cinemas 5, Cottonwood; Redwood, with "Father of the Bride, Part II"; Sandy 9.) (Feb. 17, 1996) MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND - * * 1/2 - Cute, amusing Disney production reuniting Kermit, Miss Piggy and the gang for an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic pirate tale "Treasure Island" isn't quite up there with "A Muppet Christmas Carol," but it's not bad. Tim Curry is devious pirate Long John Silver - who has a lobster named Polly on his shoulder - and there are some good songs. But it plays like an elongated "Muppet Show" TV skit, with anachronistic asides and inside gags. G. (Carmike 12, Cottonwood, Gateway, Plaza 5400; Redwood, with "Toy Story"; Sandy 9, Trolley Square.) (Feb. 16, 1996) PERSUASION - * * * 1/2 - Excellent adaptation of Jane Austen's novel about social distinctions in 19th-century England, as a 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 performances from all concerned - but especially the luminous Amanda Root in the lead. PG (adult themes). (Avalon.) 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. Nominated for several Oscars, including best picture. PG (mild vulgarity, violence). (South Towne, Trolley Square.) (Sept. 15, 1995) RICHARD III - * * * - Ian McKellan delivers a powerhouse performance as the title character in this unique adaptation of Shakespeare, placing the devious and disfigured would-be king in the context of a fictional 1930s English civil war, with Annette Bening, Robert Downey Jr. and Maggie Smith among the sterling supporting players. Visually startling and highly cinematic, though wildly over the top in places. R (violence, gore, sex, nudity, drugs). (Exclusive, Tower.) (March 8, 1996) RUMBLE IN THE BRONX - * * * - Silly story has Jackie Chan as a Hong Kong cop vacationing in the Bronx and having run-ins with a motorcycle gang and local mobsters. But forget the plot; go for the action, driven by Chan's incredible stunt work and complex physical comedy. This is Chan's English-language effort to win over the American audience - and judging from the early grosses, he's succeeded. A huge hit at the recent Sundance Film Festival. R (violence, profanity, brief partial nudity). (Century, Midvalley; Redwood, with "Hellraiser: Bloodline"; Sandy 9, Trolley Square.) (Feb. 23, 1996) 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). (Family Center, Kaysville, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (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). Nominated for seven Oscars, including Thompson for both her acting and her screenplay. (Broadway, Gateway, South Towne.) (Jan. 19, 1996) 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). (Kaysville, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (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, Cinemas 5, Murray, Olympus; Redwood, with "Muppet Treasure Island.") (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 isn't easy. Brad Pitt steals the show as a paranoid psychotic (and landed an Oscar nomination as a result). R (violence, nudity, profanity, vulgarity). (Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Jan. 5, 1996) UP CLOSE & PERSONAL - * * 1/2 - Although supposedly based on the book "Golden Girl," the tragic true story of network news anchor Jessica Savitch, this film is merely romantic pap, a fictional, simple-minded tale of a pretty young newscaster (Michelle Pfeiffer) who rises from gofer at a local Florida station to network star (Robert Redford) under the guiding hand of her older lover, a veteran network newsman whose own star has faded. More like "Pygmalion" than "Broadcast News," but Redford and Pfeiffer prove that movie-star charisma can make an audience forgive the most ridiculous lapses in logic. PG-13 (sex, profanity, violence). (Broadway, Carmike 12, Gateway, Plaza 5400, Reel, Sandy 9, Villa.) (March 1, 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). (Sugarhouse.) (Dec. 22, 1995) Past movie reviews and capsules by Chris Hicks are available online. Search for MOVIES.