Dates at the end of capsules indicate the film's initial review in the Deseret News.
NEW FILMS FRIDAY
ABSOLUTE POWER - Professional thief Clint Eastwood witnesses a murder involving the White House in this thriller, based on David Baldacci's best-seller. Eastwood also directs the all-star cast, which includes Gene Hackman (as the president), Ed Harris, Scott Glenn and Judy Davis. Reviewed in this section. R (violence, attempted rape, sex, profanity, vulgarity, nude drawings). (Carmike 12, Century, Creekside, Crossroads, Gateway, Midvalley, Sandy 9.)
FOOLS RUSH IN - Matthew Perry (from TV's "Friends") and Salma Hayek ("From Dusk Till Dawn") co-star in this interracial romantic comedy set in Las Vegas, about a one-night stand that leads to pregnancy, marriage and major culture clashes. Reviewed in this section. PG-13 (profanity, vulgarity, sex). (Century, Holladay, Plaza 5400, South Towne, Trolley North, Trolley Square.)
HAMLET - Kenneth Branagh adapted, directed and stars as William Shakespeare's somber Dane in a full-length film version of the tragedy, aided by an all-star cast (including Jack Lemmon, Charlton Heston, Robin Williams and Billy Crystal). Reviewed in this section. PG-13 (violence, sex, nudity, vulgarity). (Exclusive, Broadway.)
SLING BLADE - A convicted killer is released after spending 25 years in an asylum, returns to his hometown and begins an unlikely friendship with a young boy and his widowed mother. Dwight Yoakam and John Ritter star alongside Oscar-nominated Billy Bob Thornton (who also wrote and directed). Reviewed in this section. (off-screen violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Exclusive, Broadway.)
SUBURBIA - Some "20something" musicians hash out their problems at their favorite convenience store as director Richard Linklater ("Before Sunrise") adapts Eric Bogosian's Off-Broadway stage hit. Reviewed in this section. R (profanity, vulgarity, violence, nudity, sex, racial epithets, drug use). (Broadway, South Towne.)
THAT DARN CAT - Christina Ricci (the "Addams Family" films) takes Hayley Mills' place in this remake of the 1965 Disney comedy about a curious cat who gets his owner caught up in a kidnapping mystery. Doug E. Doug (TV's "Cosby") co-stars. Reviewed in this section. PG (comic violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Creekside, Gateway, Plaza 5400, Reel, South Towne, Trolley Square.)
VEGAS VACATION - The Griswolds return (Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo, and even Randy Quaid as their lunkish in-law) for a fourth "Vacation" movie, minus the "National Lampoon" label. The family heads for the casino capital. To be reviewed after it opens. PG (comic violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Carmike 12, Century, Holladay, Plaza 5400, Sandy 9, Trolley Corners, Trolley North.)
NEW FILM SATURDAY
THE WORLD'S BEST COMMERCIALS OF 1996 - A collection of highly entertaining television commercials from around the world, some of them with unexpected star players. Not rated, probable PG (violence, sex, vulgarity). (Exclusive, Avalon.)
MIDNIGHT MOVIE
RUBIN AND ED - * * - Utah filmmaker Trent Harris ("Plan 10 From Outer Space") wrote and directed this eccentric comedy about two dimwits (Crispin Glover, Howard Hesseman) lost in the desert with a frozen, rapidly thawing dead cat. Some funny moments, but very eccentric. Filmed in Salt Lake City and Hanksville. PG-13 (mild violence, profanity). (Tower, Friday and Saturday.) (May 22, 1992) - C.H.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
FOUR DECADES OF EXPERIMENTAL FILMS BY STAN BRAKHAGE - A collection of short films from the Colorado filmmaker, including "Reflection on Black," "Window Water Baby Moving," "The Wold Shadow" and "The Garden of Earthly Delights." Not rated, probable R (violence, sex, nudity). (Utah Film & Video Center, Friday.)
GREASE - * * * - John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John are a mismatched high school couple in this energetic (and raunchy) adaptation of the stage hit about life in the '50s, with terrific dance numbers and amusing songs. Stockard Channing steals the show as bad-girl Rizzo. All three leads are far too old to play adolescents, and the ending sends a questionable message, but it's still a lot of fun. Made in 1978. PG (profanity, vulgarity). (Sugarhouse.) (June 20, 1978) - C.H.
ONCE UPON A TIME . . . WHEN WE WERE COLORED - * * * 1/2 - Heartwarming, emotionally ripe coming-of-age drama about a young boy growing up in povery-stricken "Colored Town," a shantytown in rural Mississippi from the late '40s to the early '60s. On the surface, it's about the black community being forced to confront the harsh realities of segregation. But it's also a strong endorsement of family and community love as a means of overcoming hardship. PG (violence). (Tower, Saturday only, 4:45 p.m.) (May 17, 1996) - C.H.
SPARROWS - * * * - Mary Pickford, known as "America's Sweetheart" during the silent era, stars in this horror movie melodrama as one of several orphans mistreated by an evil farmer on his swamp-infested land. One of her most popular films and still fun for silent film fans. Not rated, probable PG (violence). (Organ Loft, Thursday, Feb. 20, with live music by Blaine Gale on the Wurlitzer Organ.) - C.H.
STAR WARS - * * * * - George Lucas' special-effects tinkering with his sci-fi classic on its 20th anniversary hasn't hurt the film at all, and in some cases has helped it some. But the bottom line is simply that its great to see it on the big screen again. PG (violence, profanity). (Century, Cottonwood, Gateway, Midvalley, Reel, South Towne, Trolley Corners.) (Jan. 31, 1997) - C.H.
CONTINUING FILMS
THE BEAUTICIAN AND THE BEAST - * * 1/2 - Fran Drescher doesn't bring much more to this romantic comedy besides her "Nanny" character and nasal whine, but this lightweight take on "The King and I" still works somewhat because of Timothy Dalton's charming performance as a European dictator who falls in love with our unlikely heroine. PG (mild vulgarity, brief partial nudity). (Carmike 12, Century, Flick, Gateway, Holladay, Plaza 5400, Reel, Sandy 9.) - J.V.
BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD DO AMERICA - turkey - In this critic-proof animated feature, the MTV generation's favorite headbanging music-video critics search the United States for their beloved television, while commenting as only they can. Unfortunately, none of the hijinks that ensue are funny, and the lack of taste rivals that of any Jim Carrey comedy. PG-13 (profanity, vulgarity, violence, drug use, partial nudity, sex). (Cinemas 5.) (Dec. 20, 1996) - J.V.
BEVERLY HILLS NINJA - turkey - Chris Farley is certainly no John Belushi. Yet, he steals from Belushi's "Samurai" sketches for "Saturday Night Live" in this limp martial arts farce about an orphan who is taken in by a secret Japanese ninja society, where he becomes its most bumbling student. PG-13 (violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Carmike 12, Plaza 5400, Sandy 9.) (Jan. 24, 1997) - J.V.
BREAKING THE WAVES - * * - Highly praised look at introverted, unbalanced woman (marvelously played by Oscar-nominated Emily Watson) who marries a macho oil rigger, then must cope with tragedy. Central plot - her paralyzed husband asks her to have affairs and report them in graphic detail - is bad enough but the dizzying camera work may make you seasick. R (sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity, drugs, violence). (Exclusive, Tower.) (Feb. 7, 1997) - C.H.
DANTE'S PEAK - * 1/2 - "Twister" it ain't. This yarn about a "volcanologist" (Pierce Brosnan) whose instincts tell him a northern Washington volcano is about to blow gets him in trouble with townfolk and his bosses. Then he turns into Indiana Jones to rescue Linda Hamilton ahd her children from flowing lava. PG-13 (violence, gore, profanity, vulgarity). (Carmike 12, Century, Crossroads, Holladay, Midvalley, Reel, Sandy 9, Trolley North.) (Feb. 7, 1997) - C.H.
DAYLIGHT - * * - This Sylvester Stallone vehicle is "Indiana Jones and the Tunnel of Doom," by way of cheesy '70s disaster flicks. "The Towering Inferno," "The Poseidon Adventure" and "Earthquake" will all come to mind as Sly tries to help disparate survivors escape from a tunnel connecting Manhattan and New Jersey, which has been sealed at both ends. PG-13 (violence, profanity). (Kaysville, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Dec. 6, 1996) - C.H.
THE ENGLISH PATIENT - * * * - Visually captivating but emotionally muted adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's dense novel about an amnesiac burn victim (Ralph Fiennes) in Tuscany cared for by an emotionally scarred Canadian nurse (Juliette Binoche). Flashbacks reveal that the patient is a Hungarian mapmaker who had an ill-fated adulterous affair with an independent Englishwoman (Kristin Scott Thomas). Nominated for 12 Oscars. R (violence, gore, sex, nudity, profanity, drugs). (Century, South Towne, Trolley Square.) (Nov. 22, 1996) - C.H.
ENTERTAINING ANGELS: THE DOROTHY DAY STORY - * * 1/2 - Moira Kelly is excellent as the title character in this true story of a left-wing radical who converts to Catholism and helps the poor in New York during the Depression. The script and some supporting performances (especially Martin Sheen's) aren't up to her level, however. Produced by the Catholic group Paulist Pictures (which also did "Romero"). PG-13 (violence, sex, profanity). (Family Center.) (Jan. 31, 1997) - C.H.
EVITA - * * 1/2 - It's big, it's bombastic, it's Madonna, but despite its visual opulence, this blustery 21/4-hour music video is too emotionally distant to genuinely connect with the audience as it paints Eva Peron as a saint. Alan Parker knows how to stage crowd scenes and Andrew Lloyd Webber's music is stirring (if overblown in places) but tedium sets in before it's over. PG (violence, sexual innuendo). (Broadway, Gateway, South Towne, Villa.) (Jan. 10, 1997) - C.H.
FARGO - * * * - Alternately hilarious and shocking, this film noir thriller with homey, domestic Midwest trappings is as eccentric and artful as anything the Coen Brothers have done. But think "Blood Simple," not "Raising Arizona." Character actress Frances McDormand (Joel Coen's wife) stars as a pregnant police chief up to her neck in her first homicide case after a local car salesman's kidnap scheme goes awry. A few missteps, but the dark satire is sharply drawn most of the way. Nominated for seven Oscars. R (violence, gore, sex, nudity, profanity). (Sugarhouse.) (March 29, 1996) - C.H.
THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS - * * * - Michael Douglas is as winning as ever, playing a big-game hunter tracking a pair of lions who have killed hundreds of railway workers in 19th-century Africa, while Val Kilmer is surprisingly subtle as an Irish bridge engineer aiding him. Stylish and scary at times. R (violence, gore, profanity). (Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Oct. 11, 1996) - J.V.
IN LOVE & WAR - * * - Chris O'Donnell lacks the passion (and range) to play young Ernest Hemingway, in this story of the future author falling in love with an older Red Cross nurse (Sandra Bullock, who is much better) on the front line during World War I. The stars have no chemistry. PG-13 (wartime violence, hospital gore, sex). (Cottonwood, Midvalley, South Towne.) (Jan. 24, 1997) - C.H.
JERRY MAGUIRE - * * 1/2 - This story of a high profile sports agent (Tom Cruise) boasts terrific performances, but it's also long-winded and preachy, with a mixed message about money vs. love. And it doesn't help that in the final third the film switches gears from clever comedy to sappy sentiment. The R rating is well-deserved, primarily for sex and profanity. Nominated for five Oscars. R (violence, sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity). (Cottonwood, Gateway, Midvalley, South Towne, Trolley Corners.) (Dec. 13, 1996) - C.H.
JINGLE ALL THE WAY - * * - The funny first half of this Arnold Schwarzenegger comedy (and the final moment, a clever punchline that comes after the end credits) works pretty well, but it gets way too silly along the way. Schwarzenegger is an everyday Joe who races around town on Christmas Eve in a futile search for a popular toy that has been sold out since Thanksgiving. PG (violence, profanity, mild vulgarity). (Kaysville, Valley Fair.) (Nov. 22, 1996) - C.H.
MARS ATTACKS! - * * * - It starts a bit slow, but the mayhem is definitely worth the wait, as director Tim Burton's tiny green Martian hordes nuke much of the country, including an all-star cast. Jack Nicholson is also a hoot as the President of the United States in this offbeat and violent slapstick comedy/sci-fi thriller about an invasion from Mars, based on the '60s trading card series. PG-13 (violence, gore, profanity, vulgarity, sex). (Family Center, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Dec. 13, 1996) - J.V.
METRO - * 1/2 - Eddie Murphy takes another career step backwards, as he returns to the film genre that made him a household name - violent "buddy" action-comedy pictures like "Beverly Hills Cop." This time around he's paired with Michael Rapaport, as the two play cops tracking a psychotic jewel-thief-turned-cop-killer. The thrills aren't thrilling, and Murphy has rarely been this unfunny. R (profanity, violence, nudity, racial epithets). (Plaza 5400.) (Jan. 17, 1997) - J.V.
MICHAEL - * * * - Some audiences will be put off by its irreverent, almost sacrilegious premise, but John Travolta is funny and charming as a hard-fighting, hard-loving archangel living in a motel in Iowa. He's discovered by some tabloid journalists (Andie MacDowell and William Hurt), who try to bring him back to Chicago to save their careers. Despite some lapses in taste, this comedy works often. PG (violence, profanity, vulgarity, brief sex). (Cinemas 5, Olympus, Reel, Sandcastle, South Towne.) (Dec. 25, 1996) - J.V.
THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES - * * * - Director and star Barbra Streisand looks luminous in this romantic comedy, about the modern myth of beauty and how it complicates relationships, but Jeff Bridges and Oscar-nominated Lauren Bacall steal things out from under her. Things do drag down in the final third, though. PG-13 (profanity, vulgarity, partial nudity). (Family Center, Kaysville, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Nov. 15, 1996) - J.V.
MOTHER - * * * * - This insightful, wry social comedy marks a genuine maturing of Albert Brooks as a filmmaker, but what really takes it to another level is the wonderful, uncharacteristically low-key performance from Debbie Reynolds as the title character. PG-13 (vulgarity, profanity). (Carmike 12, Creekside, Flick, Gateway, Sandy 9.) (Jan. 17, 1997) - C.H.
ONE FINE DAY - * * * - A light but witty romantic comedy with a bright, funny script and sprightly performances from both George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer as antagonistic single parents who are forced to rely on each other during a hectic workday, and who, naturally, fall in love. The stars make it work, and Clooney's comic timing is a wonderful revelation. PG (profanity). (Carmike 12, Cinemas 5, Cottonwood.) (Dec. 20, 1996) - C.H.
101 DALMATIANS - * * 1/2 - John Hughes co-produced and scripted this live-action version of the Disney animated classic, and he's grafted his own most famous movie - "Home Alone" - onto the final third. Glenn Close is great as Cruella DeVil, but when the protracted slapstick climax kicks in, she loses the upper hand and the film loses its way. G (but rather dark and violent for sensitive little ones). (Cinemas 5, Murray, Olympus.) (Nov. 2, 1996) - C.H.
THE PEST - turkey - John Leguizamo may yet find a project in which he'll flourish, but it's certainly not this vulgar and irritating comedy, which attempts to recast him as a Latino Jim Carrey - right down to the scatological and sex jokes. PG-13 (vulgarity, violence, profanity, nudity, racial epithets). (Carmike 12, Century, Cottonwood, Midvalley, Sandy 9, Trolley Square.) (Feb. 7, 1997) - J.V.
RANSOM - * * * - The script has holes, and it's a low-road thrill to put a child in peril - and especially to repeatedly put a gun to a child's head - but director Ron Howard ("Apollo 13") does keep the tension tight and the pacing in high gear for this Mel Gibson thriller about an airline tycoon who defies the FBI when his son is kidnapped by ruthless thugs. R (violence, gore, profanity, vulgarity, brief partial nudity). (Family Center, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Nov. 8, 1996) - C.H.
THE RELIC - turkey - Dreadful "Don't Go in the (Museum) Basement" horror yarn, with every cliche you can imagine (including the cat jumping out of the darkness), as it steals from "Godzilla" and "Alien" and everything in between. Plot has a strange creature decapitating innocent victims and eating part of their brains. R (violence, gore, profanity, vulgarity, drugs). (Cinemas 5.) (Jan. 10, 1997) - C.H.
RIDICULE - * * 1/2 - A mostly likable variation on "Dangerous Liaisons," with two of France's biggest stars, Fanny Ardant and Jean Rochefort, in supporting roles. The story has a young, naive country engineer seeking financial help from the king to drain his village's swampland and stave off an epidemic. But to get an audience he must display "wit" or risk "ridicule." Oscar-nominated for best foreign-language film. In French, with English subtitles. R (graphic nudity, sex, violence, vulgarity). (Exclusive, Tower.) (Jan. 31, 1997) - C.H.
SCREAM - turkey - Wes Craven attempts to parody the slasher film genre by milking its cliches. Ironically, in trying to spoof all the violent, crummy horror flicks, he's made one himself. And aside from Neve Campbell as the heroine in danger, the acting is atrocious, especially Courtney Cox's turnas a gung-ho TV reporter. R (violence, gore, profanity, vulgarity, sex). (Carmike 12, Midvalley, Sandy 9, Trolley Square.) (Dec. 20, 1996) - J.V.
SET IT OFF - * 1/2 - Ridiculously over-the-top blend of "Waiting to Exhale" and "Dead Presidents," with some "Thelma & Louise" thrown in, as four black women (Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica Fox and Kimberly Elise) attempt to break out of the projects by pulling off a series of bank heists. R (violence, gore, sex, nudity, profanity, vulgarity, drugs). (Valley Fair.) (Nov. 7, 1996) - C.H.
SHINE - * * * * - Here's one of those cases where the film's name really fits. This wonderful account of the life of David Helfgott, the brilliant concert pianist, is alternately harrowing and heart-breaking. Geoffrey Rush is superb as Helfgott, who was driven mad by his domineering father, and there's winning support from Lynn Redgrave, John Gielgud and Armin Mueller-Stahl, as well as a great score. Nominated for seven Oscars. PG-13 (violence, profanity, vulgarity, nudity, sex). (Broadway, Carmike 12, Holladay, Plaza 5400, Sandy 9.) (Dec. 25, 1996) - J.V.
SPACE JAM - * * 1/2 - It ain't no "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," but this teaming of NBA superstar Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny (along with the other Looney Tunes regulars) is an OK time-waster. Jordan is less than animated, and the film has some surprising (and ill-advised) vulgarity, but it's fun to see these "toons" in a feature. PG (violence, vulgarity). (Family Center, Kaysville, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Nov. 15, 1996) - C.H.
STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT - * * * 1/2 - Capt. Picard and the crew of the "Next Generation" Enterprise are back - boy, are they back! - in this pulse-pounding sci-fi thriller, the eighth installment of the film series and one of the best. In it, the Enterprise must race back in time to stop the half-human, half-robot Borg invaders from taking over Earth. The action may be too intense for younger audiences, though. PG-13 (violence, profanity, vulgarity). (Cinemas 5, Family Center, Kaysville, Sandcastle, Sandy Starships, Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Nov. 22, 1996) - J.V.
STEPHEN KING'S THINNER - * - Yet another dull, by-the-numbers Stephen King adaptation (published under his Richard Bachman pseudonym), this time about a sleazy, 300-pound attorney who accidentally kills an old Gypsy woman and finds himself under a curse that causes him to rapidly lose weight. Terrible, as if you expected anything else. R (profanity, violence, gore, vulgarity). (Sugarhouse, Valley Fair.) (Oct. 27, 1996) - C.H.
THAT THING YOU DO! - * * * - It's positively lightweight, but Tom Hanks' first feature film does what it sets out to do and does it well. He directed, wrote and co-stars in this charming musical comedy (and even co-wrote some of its songs!) It's a rock 'n' roll fable about the 1960s, in which a young band becomes an overnight success because of a hit single. PG (profanity, mild vulgarity). (Kaysville, Sugarhouse.) (Oct. 4, 1996) - J.V.
TURBULENCE - * 1/2 - Weird, dreadful blend of slasher genre with "Airport 1975," as cackling serial killer Ray Liotta kills crew and passengers aboard a 747 and stalks flight attendant Lauren Holly, who tries to land the plane. R (violence, gore, profanity, vulgarity). (Valley Fair.) (Jan. 11, 1997) - C.H.
TWELFTH NIGHT - * * * 1/2 - The perfect antidote to "William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet," this smart and funny, but long-overdue version of Shakespeare's comedy benefits from an all-star cast of British stage veterans and character actors, including Helena Bonham Carter, Ben Kingsley and Nigel Hawthorne. Director Trevor Nunn (from the Royal Shakespeare Company) changes its time frame to the turn of this century, but keeps the wit and spirit intact. PG (violence, mild vulgarity). (Exclusive, Avalon.) (Jan. 1, 1997) - J.V.
THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD - * * * 1/2 - Charming, utterly winning true story of eccentric writer Robert E. Howard, author of the "Conan the Barbarian" stories (Vincent D'Onofrio), in a small Texas town who awkwardly romances a new local teacher (Renee Zellweger). Initially a warm and funny romantic comedy, which gradually taking on tragic overtones as it becomes apparent Howard has an unhealthy attachment to his manipulative mother. PG (profanity, vulgarity, nude drawings). (Exclusive, Broadway.) (Jan. 7, 1997) - C.H.
*****
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