THE DAILY HERALD, Provo, I'tah, Friday, January 19, 1996 Paue D2 CTl 1? sStasS ewes sati IlfiS 6 IMIItSIiIIllIltJlIi "I I f n t f X" T j ' "'I r ' plans to go straight for his girlfriend, played by lock, after one last heist, WINTERS Special to The Daily Herald Only Sandra Bullock's buoyancy keeps the movie Two If By Sea afloat in a lame comedy written by Denis Leary. With a her string of Bullock hits in the last 18 months that includes Speed, While You Were Sleeping and The Net, this is'the only one that needs a life jacket Jor two thrown at it to make a dent at the box office. Ledry plays a thief and Bullock his bookstore clerk girlfriend of seven years. Using. a filched car 'and Bullock's wits, they elude the .police in an unoccupied Rhode Island ' estate while they wait to drop off a stolen painting at a designated spot. While there, they meet a sophisticated neighbor who likes Bullock and succeeds in drawing her away from her lamebrained steady. Bullock, no more educated but considerably brighter than her lover, longs for the con- ventional marriage-house-children-hon- employment and real- co-st- ar izes the likelihood that her boyfriend will change is slim. In a series of twists so simple to follow that the FBI head, an Yafet Kotto, keeps saying 'This is too easy,' the law closes in on the couple as well as Phil the Shill, the weasel who hired Leary to steal the art work. Leary 's idea of humor is to have his characters dress in ugly clothing and have his character perfect the pratfall. While there are some a genuinely funny moments stolen box of cellular phones that drive everyone crazy as they keep ill-us- . By HENRY SHEEHAN Orange County Register gressmen are such big Oscar buffs that they'll change their policies over an process, but they probably don't have a chance of affecting the people in the Academy of charge here Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Although the academy has long followed a policy of allowing governments to nominate foreign-languag- e films, it hasn't always let them change their minds. A press release for October Films, which will release "The White Balloon": in the United States, reminds us of unsuccessful efforts by China to withdraw "Ju Dou" and Poland to pull "Man of Iron." Speaking of October Films, if you were a real conspiracy buff, you might think the distribution company is behind it all. After all, as a highly regarded remnant of a vanishing species, the independent award-nominati- There's, a CIA conspiracy the Oscars. No, that's not the pitch line for a new Oliver Stone expose of show business but a thumbnail description of some shenanigans within that most vexed of Oscar categories, the foreign language film. This year's entry from Iran is "The White Balloon," a highly acclaimed feature that has won prizes, accolades and ovations at film festivals all over the world. While the film has an allegorically political side, most audiences have received the film, the story of a girl and her brother trying to retrieve lost shopping money, as a universal, humanistic effort. ' The movie will be featured at .the Sundance Film Festival in rUtah as part of the festival's World Cinema presentation. I lAt any rate, it's not the movie's Coptent that provoked Iran's top film" officials to try to pull the Imoyie from Oscar competition. The withdrawal is part of a larger protest over recent attempts in the House of Representatives, led by JIewt Gingrich, to add an unsolicited $20 million to the CIA's "budget. The money is supposed to .be specifically earmarked for a iovert campaign against Iran. J- don't know why Iranian government officials believe that con . the company can't ad campaigns the majors or their distributor, afford the kind of expensive major-owne- d competitors (Miramax, Fine Line) can. But here, just weeks before the Jan. 24 opening of "The White Balloon," the Iranian government blunders onto the scene with the kind of free publicity small film distributors can only dream about. , Actually, October doesn't have to engage in any monkey business. You can always count on someone to try to turn a work of art into a political hobby horse. mpMf Charlene Winters is a master's candidate in film theory and criticism at Brigham Young University. -- " Ik.- , t 4f. tnimi ,r-.- -- Itwi 'i&awfr In other foreign-languanews, "II Postino," the swan song of the late Italian comic star Mario Toisi, is fighting for an award but not in the foreign language section. One requlre-inETi- ts of' the foreign-languag- e is that the film nominated must have been shown in its country of origin for the relevant year of the awards. "II Postino" was shown in Italy in 1994, disqualifying it for the 1995 Oscars a fate it shares with the French film "Wild Reeds," which won the best foreign language film award from all three major critics groups. So "Postino's" distributor, the indefatigible Miramax, is launching a campaign to get the movie nominated for best picture. It isn't a bad idea; the movie was a hit in Los Angeles, which is an important requirement. To bolster its 'Tk , " : fit s - - '7. i- S- " f i ; ' ..' v's. i - y SKI j, 1, . s ge H Star of Knott's chances, the company has the movie out in about 250 theaters in Landing l J Susan Sullivan i Strand Releasing, the small company that handled "Wild Reeds," has its film back in theaters, riding the charge of its critical hat trick. Star of Falcon Crest and and The Monroes in aiive pel ;fopiance a major rere lease. T . William Devane of A.R.Gurneys ftitiailtysclaimed The Monroes and heartwarming i M- M. , 11 February Day Ragan Theatre HehadBrunch. t& n i 5 5 In this case it's Iran trying to turn a prize competition into a commentary on CIA plots. Yesterday, it was presidential candidates condemning Hollywood films they haven't seen. AMD OM THP NPVPNTr-: mstos Li ringing and a stolen cement truck that leaves a trail of gravel for the this film proFeds to follow vides no more than a laugh every half hour. Supporting characters are Three but they make Stooges wanna-be- s, the Stooges seem brilliant and cultured by comparison. It's billed as a romantic comedy, but if that is what you seek, you would be advised to go to Satrina instead. The charming fairy tale deserves a boost, while Two If By Sea is lucky for every admission. The comes from sex, lanand, perhaps, nude classical guage art. Gingrich gives 'White Balloon a covert boost at the Oscars y Dal Bul-Cree- Sandra Bullock is the only thing keeping 'Two If By Sea' afloat , By CHARLENE ft Photo courtesy ot Warner Bros. V. Denis Leary and Sandra Bullock star in Morgan romantic comedy, "Two If By Sea," a Warn- er Bros, release. Leary plays a small time thief who ; J 'I - 96-10- , 1996-7:- 30 Utah Valley State College (North End of UVSC Campus) Ticket Donation1: $25 (performance only) or $50 (VI.P. package including a private reception and photo with Mr. Devane and Ms. Sullivan) .v::: Tickets available at Smidi'sTix or by calling 800t888-849- 9 Sponsored by Sunday Brunch 516.95 30-35- U WING i. h k k . PROVO nil HOTEL 'Donations may be tax dtiuctibk - . -I i I l il PAAD WAV TTlilTril'IWHif iHmiiiii.ii j i, -