The Salt Lake Tribune SECTIONB it Lake P, Page B-6,7 World’s Biggest Star And the WinnerIs... Fest Picks Best Flicks seeks Gazers in U.S. By Sean P. Means LAKE TRIBUNE PARK CITY — “Who left their wallet in the toilet?” asks Jackie Chan, holding up a small black @ Mingling with big names rabidly adored by a handful of moviegoers but unknown to the masses. Now, at 41, Chan aimsto changethat, with “Rumble in the license \aren-somebody sheepishly up to retrieve her missing Bronx,” a ferociously exciting movie set in New York (though wallet ind ets a kiss from Chan n the bargain filmed in Vancouver) that played house Trent Nelson The Salt Lake Tribune Action star Jackie Chan asks the crowd, “Who left their wallet in the toilet?” before screening of his “Rumble in the Bronx” at the Sundance Film Fest. Wallet and owner were reunited at Sundance this week and opens in theaters nationwideon Feb. 23. Chan makes kung fu movies. is how Jackie Chan, the biggest movie star in the world will conquer America: by charming the country — in the theater which is like saying Itzhak Perlman is a fiddle player. Chan's movies are fast, breathtakingly to house if necessary. In Asia and places where die- exciting and endlessly inventive. hard film fans congregate, Jackie mi famous he can’t walk down tl reet without getting mobbed. An estimated 2 billion His influences not only include Bruce Lee, but alsosilent-movie clowns Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd and dancers Fred Astaire Spitfire Grill.” and Micha el Jackson. “He jus' t fensive weapon. In one sequence puts everything into in “Rumble in the Bronx,” he em- ployeda couch, refrigerators, ste- his movies,” i sa s Steve Salles. a Salt Lake Ci y screenwriter and TV producer The guy just throwshis body andcautionto the wind.” reos. a pool table, skis. a shopping cart and pinball machines. Even sitting down in a Park City restau- rant, Chan can imagine choreographing a spectacularfight In a fight scene, Chan can turn anything into an offensive or de- See CHAN, Page B-5 a melodrama THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE about a prison inmate who tries to PARKCITY — Movies about a family farm, a country diner anda tormented 11-year-old received rebuild her life by working at a the top prizes at the 1996 Sun- In America, Chanis a cult icon, ing to read the nameon the driver r By Sean P. Means fans worldwide flock to his spectacular and funnyaction movies. pocketbook fore the roaring crowd at the Egyptian Theatre Karen-somebody.” headds, try- That +6 danceFilmFestival @ Welcome to the Dollhouse writer-director Todd Solondz’s edgy comedy-drama about a sev enth-grader taunted at school and ignored at home. won the Grand Jury Prize in the dramatic-film competition @ Troublesome Creek: A Mid- western,” in which husband-and wife filmmakers Jeanne Jordan and Steven Ascherchronicle the hard times on her parents’ Iowa farm. received both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for documentaries @ The Audience Award for dra matic films went to “Care ofthe diner in Maine. Spitfire Grill” already received a significant prize this week: a $10 million distribution deal with Castle Rock Entertainment — a record for a Sundance film The movie's budget of $4.5 million also is high for an indepen- dent film, andfestival program director Geoffrey Gilmorecredits that to the first-rate cast (Ellen Burstyn, Marcia Gay Harden and Will Patton among them), a score by Hollywood composer James Horner and the experience of writer-director Lee David Zlotoff. an industry veteran whose credits include co-creator of the TV series “MacGyver @ See SUNDANCE, Page B-5 Buried — and Harried Slides and Slick Roads Keep Crews Hopping THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Closed roads and extreme danger of large worst he weather news Saturday as another inter storm moved into Utah avalanches were the Backcountry enthusiasts or people travel ing in the northern part of the state could find conditions difficult this morning as well In fact, part of the recorded avalanche-re port telephoneline on Saturday said If you are going out in the backcountry, takea snor Steve Griffin The Salt Lake ter Chris Baker soarsin the northern foothills of Salt Lake City. Cheap and accessible, such areas are becoming more popular among snow fans kle, water wings and a buddy. Trail-breaking is almost impossible Jordan Has Got Nothin’ on Air Boardin’ By Jim Woolf space. They gracefully soared about 30 \KE TRIBUNE | feet on a good jump, but found the landings a challenge Both were covered with snow from tumbling downthe steep ud Jason Darrow want“otton- hillside “It's a little sketchy tod nyonSat- led up flying downtiie Salt Lake City instead the canyons were mad d 24-y r-old Darrow l * conceded Baker, 20. “It's hard-packed and we're starting to hit dirt Recent storms ha ve left the high mountain resor with almost too much snow. Roadcrews are working furiously to keep the highways open, but the Cot- t let me up. jump above the Ave- wrhood and took turns mill strapping on their iching themselves into 1 tonwood canyons havebeen closedfrequently during the past 10 days. ys. For F : Don’t Take an Ax More weather Information 88 those who make it up the canyons, the threat of avalanches makes backcountry travel risky But those samestorms have dropped several feet of fluffy snow in the foothills of the Wasatch Range. and hun dreds of skiers. boarders. and sledders are finding good conditions closer to home. Yesterday was fantastic Schmerker as he returned said Je Saturda \ new storm movedinto northern Utahlate Saturday that was expected to drop 2 to 4 inches of snow onthevalleys ¢ ong the Wa fromskiing the foothills above the Avenues with his dog Porter It was alittle and almost every decent windy today slope had skied a_half-doz been times. The most popular foothill areas zre above the venues and University of Utah, said Tom Kimbrough of the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center On Thursday 80 skiers were counted along the satch Front by this afternoon. The mountains could receive to 18 inches of additional snow said Lar Burch, lead forecasterfor the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City The storm was forecastto just clip southern Utah, bringing 2 to 4 inches of snow to the southern mountains and only a chance of snowflurries to Cedar City, St George and Moab should see only clouds from this storm Avenues and City Burchsaid the next in this continuing series of storms is expected to hit on Wednesday and it looks now like t could be real big @ See FLIGHTS, Page B-4 @See BURIED. Page B-5 ridge between the Creek Canyon Bush Shares Her Wit, Wisdom With Women }o State Property Tax By Lili Wright THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE OREM — Once again proving why sheis more charismatic than Payment Destabilize evenues May nues, fueled by a state economy Given the nature of business cy- wmakers consid- cles, says Christensen, a downturn in Utah’s present economic boom study says elimi e of proper an increasing c state is inevitable. When it comes, it will hit sales- and income-tax rey enues hardest. Without the stabi- € — an nesses and many the Utah yn director Mike I Christense s the Utah Brown, yerty andsales yng run, to House Speaker R-Midvale, She later joked: of George Bush's Neither are the Bushes post President Lane Beattie, R-Bounti and Houston. tion Committee, want to steerthe @ See STUDY, Page B-4 quested a lock “He may not be presidency lives. The couple dividetheir timebe tween Kennebunkport, Maine and Senate $100 million cut toward property Bush swears she —no matter ' how qu womanwho wanteda president edict against broccoli especially its insidious pre in soups er who re and salads. Or the tainly not boring Mel bers of the Executive Appropria risingly direct neutral foun don't bors are And then there able to keep a job, but he is cer ful, as well as leading GOP mem sub- one th she began. “Youdo re member George Bush. the public doesn't haveto besurprised with tax increases. state's 40. ture. whichre. F to lately.” you” stable system where business and health of government de- what Georgeand I have been up homeowners may consider the property tax onerous, says Christensen you're far better off having a s make instable and jeop: n said simultaneously fending and poking fun at her This must be looked at in the long haul,” he says. While busi idea Costner stoppe: self-depr ing wit, Bush offered frank talk about herfam. husbandof 51 years I wouldlike to update you on obligedto raise taxes $180 million-a- tax sand womenat the Utah Valley State College's “In Honor of Wo conference. With her signa ily and life, lizing effects of property taxes, he says, lawmakers probably will be nonpartisan polithe Utah Foun. that doing away with property Wearing a red suit with shiny gold buttons. the white-haired matron addressed several thou wrestles with how to spend nearly e $100 million in the Goy. Mike Leavitt has termed as sizzling. B-3 dation. comes as the Legislature Semerad lat 0 million in surplus tax reve- her husband, former first lady Barbara Bush shared stories from her life outside the White House on Saturday. from typing her memoirs in bed to ogling her just born 14th grandchild Gun ownersrally Al Harte nn/The Salt Lake Tribune Women cf all ages turned out Saturday to listen to former first lady Bar! bara Bush speak at a women’s conference in Orem They write. volun teer and travel. racking up 32 states i 17 foreign countries in e past year And the Bushes en their share of dignitaries. Don Johnson and Kevin won Amer poll. Barbar @ See BUSH, Page B-4 UTAH QUOTE with you ES Jon M t | Huntsman, Utahbillionaire. m the trans-Atlantic flight he ordered to retrieve a friend burned in Armenia “I love to get pin ther B Wt $8,000 we hi mith of Spr ingdale, on the cost to fence his peach orchard to keep out deer — Andrea Packer Salt LakeCity ona legislative proposal that would outlawthe tattooing of | ' - POOR COPY Utahns ages 17 to 20 without parental consent | — Jac! Ford, Utah State Prison spokesman, on thefiring-squad execution of John Albert Taylor