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Show Friday, March 11, 1994 SD ‘Guarding Tess’ hasa lighter side Cage, MacLaine perform well in new comedy By DONALD PORTER Standard-Examiner staff Having finally embraced mainstream movies, Outre actor Nicolas Cage has consistently been deliver- ing gem-like comedic performances. We knew he could doit after the side-splitting “Raising Arizona,” but it wasn’t until “Honeymoonin Vegas” that a much wider audience noticed. Then came the unfortunate “Amos and Andrew,” a misguided movie in which Cage was, nonetheless, extremely funny. REVIEW — 2all Paul Hogan and Cuba Gooding Jr. star as outlawsin ‘Lightning Jack,’ a Western comedy. ‘Lightning Jack’full of one-liners, cliches By DONALD PORTER Standard-Examuiner staff There haven’t been too many Westerns made during the past few years, but it seems Simon Wincer has made almostall of them. He’s the man who brought “Lonesome Dove” to the small REVIEW @ THE FILM:‘Lightning Jack’ @ OUR RATING: xxx @ STARRING: Paul Hogan, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Beverly D'Angelo, Kamala Dawson, Pat Hingle, Richard Riehle, Roger Daltrey, L.Q. Jones. @ THE FILM: ‘Guarding Tess’ HOUR RATING: xe @ STARRING:Shirley MacLaine, Nicolas Cage, Austin Pendleton, Edward Albert, James Rebhorn, Richard Griffiths, Dale Dye, James Handy. @ BEHIND THE SCENES:Directed by Hugh Wilson. Screenplay by Wilson and Peter Torokvei. M@ PLAYING: City Square 4, Movies 10. @ MPAA RATING: PG-13 Cage is back with a new comedy, “Guarding Tess,” a thoroughly pleasant, inoffensive and unwaveringly upbeat powder puff pairing him with Shirley MacLaine. Cage plays Doug Chesnic, an anal-retentive Secret Service agent whose by-the-book manner has made him the bane of Tess Car- screen, “Quigley Down Under” to movie theaters and even turned a contemporary crimefilm, @ BEHIND THE SCENES:Direct- lisle’s (MacLaine) existence. Tess is ed by Simon Wincer. Screenplay “Harley Davidson and the Marl- @ PLAYING: Motor-Vu Drive-in, shire. a widowed former First Lady, and Doug was one of the agents on her late husband’s White House detail. After the President’s fatal heart attack, Doug was assigned to protect @ MPAA RATING: PG-13 Tess. boro Man,” into a bizarre riff on “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” In-other words, Wincer loves Westerns. His latest, a comedytitled “Lightning Jack,” stars fellow Aussie Paul Hogan (“ ‘Crocodile’ Dundee”) as “Lightning” Jack Kane, sole survivor of the infamous Younger Gang. Hogan wrote the movie's script, and it comes equipped with the wry humor he used to good effect in “ ‘Crocodile’ Dundee-” Jack is a self-conscious outlaw: confident in his abilities as a gunslinger but insecure about his reputation. He rankles at inaccurate news- by Paul Hogan. Movies 6, Walker Cinemas 4, Wil- All along the way, there are humorous moments and witty lines. For example, Jack explains why he won't shoot a bunch of ranchers on a cattle drive: “They're just plain folks. I never shoot just plain folks — unless they really annoy me.” But while it’s frequently funny, there’s no avoiding that “Lightning Jack” is a messy, rambling movie. It embraces everycliche imaginable, and becomes unnecessarily vulgar a time or two. Its saving grace is Gooding (“Boyz N the Hood”), whose ex- Paper stories about him. Reporters have an utter lack of respect for him, and one claim — that he’s English — is especially bothersome: “I don’t speak Eng- pressive face is surprisingly well suited to comedy. Hogan is deft at playing the charming and lish.” Jack exclaims. “I’m a bloody Australian.” Variousarticles also label him as stupid, and so it becomes his mission to re- amazing as the speechless Ben — his body, and his bodyalone, slightly dim Jack, a slight varation on Dundee, but Gooding is is his tool for the entire perfor- banks alone, Jack takes on 2 particularly resourceful — if inexperienced — partner, Ben Doyle (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), Ben is mute, but what he lacks in mance. And the pairing of Hogan and Gooding produces some fine on-screen chemistry; these guys ought to work together again. “Lightning Jack” is an amiable comedy, sporting lots of good one-liners even though the script is short of being good. And local verbal ability, he more than audiences may get a kick out of store his credibility as a feared bank robber. But since it’s hard to rob makes up for in intelligence. It’s a good match, then, because Jack needs Ben to keep him out of trouble as much as Ben needs Jaek 40 show him the ropes. seeing the scenes filmed in fabulous Southeastern Utah locations: the red rock country near Moab, the Mexican Hat area and in MonumentValley. Their relationship, however, has been a rocky one. Tess delights in tormenting Doug, andit drives him crazy — especially when she requests that the current President order him to stay attached to her detail even after Doug’s initial three-year tour is complete. It’s easy to envision MacLaine as a vindictive taskmaster, since she’s no stranger to playing forceful, demanding characters. And so it’s no surprise that she’s outstanding in the role of Tess. More than that, however, MacLaine avoidscaricature and allows Tess enough feeling to convey a sense ofaffection toward Doug that we notice long before he does. Tess is lonely and, for the most Former first lady Tess Carlisle (Shirley MacLaine) shops under the watchful eyes of her part, estranged from her children. The Secret Service agents and her domestic staff are the only family she knows. Buther bitterness, pride and health problems have made her irascible — while at the same time she clearly views Doug as a surrogate son, a young man she’s proud of but can’t tell him in so many words. “Guarding Tess” was directed secret service agents (left to right: Brant von Hoffman, Nicolas Cage and Harry Lennix). and co-written by Hugh Wilson, the creative force behind the quali- ty TV series’ “WKRP in Cincinnati” and “Frank’s Place.” (He also co-wrote and directed “Police Academy” and “Burglar,” but those don’t really apply here.) Wilson and co-writer Peter Torokvei have fashioned a charminglittle story filled with surprises and moments of high hilarity. One of Cage's comedic strengths is his ability to do a slow burn — he internalizes his frustration and anger until you can see he’s about readyto erupt. Andit’s invariably funny when hefinally blows. Some may criticize the film for being too soft, but that’s missing the point. This is a film aboutessentially gentle people pushed into some extreme situations, and it’s always amusing. Marion Brando to work again for Coppola Kmight-Ridder Newspapers Vaniety reports that Marion Brando, who turned in a legendarily writer Jeremy Leven assuming the directorial chores. The picture, also set to star Johnny Depp, is about a psychiatrist caught in a mid-life cni- enigmatic performance for Francis Ford Coppola in 1979's “Apocalypse Now” and won an Oscar in sis (Brando, of course) who must evaluate a patient who believes he’s the director's inaugural installment the world’s greatest lover. (So that’s of “The Godfather” trilogy, will work for the filmmaker again. why Kate Moss is hanging out with The project, “Don Juan DeMarco Tom Shadyac is poised to go from “Pet” to “Pet”: The first-time director of the surprise winter hit “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” is said to be Warner Bros.” choice to Depp.) sess and the Centerfold,” won't be helmed by Coppola. He'll be shepherding it along as a producer, with 53-year-old psychiatrist-turned- oversee “Pet People,” a comedyto May at the Cannes Film Festival. star “Seinfeld” loony Michael Kramer as a dog who inhabits a man’s s** body (or something like that). Movieguide, the biweekly news~ sss letter circulated by the Christian Zhang Yimou’s (“Raise the Red Film and Television Commission, Lantern”) latest, “To Live,” which has announced its Best of °93 winners. Top prizes went to Disney’s animal adventure “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey” (best family film) and the Merchant-Ivory drama “The Remains stars his on- and off-screen collaborator Gong Li andis set in China over four decades, has been acquired in the United States by the Samuel Goldwyn Co. The distributor hopes to unveil Zhang’s follow-up to “The Story of Qiu Ju” in of the Day” (best film for mature audiences). MOVIES AT A GLANCE RATINGS GUIDE Reviews are by Donald Porter. kkk Excellent. xx Good. *%* Mediocre. ** Poor. * Worthiess. NEW RELEASES 4. ANGIE (R) **% Language, implied sex. Geena Davis stars as an Italian-American woman who becomes pregnant out of wedlock and, despite the protests of family and frends, decides she'll have the baby without benefit of marriage. Despite a fine performance by Davis, the film is a rambling, melodramatic jumble. Stephen Rea (“The Crying Game”) co-stars. City Square 4, Movies 10. BLANK CHECK (PG) *** Mild language. A kid's bicycle gets trashed by a Mercedes Benz, and the dnver — in a hurry after engaging in some nefarious business — hands the kid a GUARDING TESS (PG-13) x*** Language, violence. Shirley MacLaine plays a for- blank check for the price of the bike. The kid, mer First Lady who's driving her Secret Service detail crazy. Nicolas Cage shares top billing. See the review on this page. City Square 4, Movies cool $1 million and goes on a shopping spree. A kiddie-fantasy that exploits the same themes that made the “Home Alone” movies such a success: parents who ignore their children, free- LIGHTWING JACK (PG-13) #** Language, dom from authority figures, etc. Parents might no dummy, promptly fills in the amount for a violence. A comic Western starring question the film's rather glaring amorality — pairing of Paul Hogan (“Crocodile’ Dundee”) and Cuba Gooding Jr. (“Boyz N the Hood”). See the review on this page. Motor-Vu Drive-In, Movies 6. Walker Cinemas 4, Wilshire. THE REF (R) Language, violence. Denis Leary 1s a thief who kidnaps a bickering couple — Judy Davis and Kevin Spacey — in what's being billed as a dark comedy. See the review on page 6D. Movies 10. ROMEO IS BLEEDING (R) **** Violence, language, sex, nudity. We're talking mega-film noir, here. Lena Olin (“Havana”) plays a killer and Gary Oldman’a crooked cop. Annabella Scsorra, Juliette Lewis and Roy Scheider round out the cast. See the review on page 6D. the kid lies and steals. after all — but the story's playfulness is infectious. Capitol, Movies 6, Riverdale 4. BLUE CHIPS (PG-13) **** Language. A big-time college basketball drama starring Nick Nolte as a coach who must win or face the loss of his job. Directed by William Fnedkin (“To Live and Die in LA.~) and wntten by Ron Shelton (the writer-director of “White Men Can't Playing exclusively in Salt Lake City at the Broadway Centre Theatre. CONTINUING FILMS ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE (PG13) Language, nudity. Jim Carrey, of the TV comedy show “In Living Color,” plays a pet detective in this comedy. Critics around the country have pasted this one, saying it's stupid, and worse. But a few have, after taking it to task, admitted that they laughed a lot. Take your chances. City Square 4, Movies 6, Walker Cinemas 4 ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES (PG-!3) **## Cartoon violence. implied sex. The sequel'to “The Addams Family” finds the onginal cast back in place, doing that dark-humor schtick just like before. This one has more plot than the first, and an astonishingly high success rate when it comes to the non-stop barrage of jokes.and sight-gags. The humor is quite macabre <"infanticide 1s played for laughs — but it’s done with a light touch. Very funny, maybe ever Hidre so than the first film. Ideal, Newgate seat thrills, this one’s a genre gem. Fans of the TVseries will find that while the filmmakers have altered certain aspects of the story, this reincarnation is np-roaring fun, frequentlyintelligent and includes a wide-range of fully realized characters. Tommy Lee Jones co-stars as the relentless cop on his trail. Kaysville, Newgate 4. GREEDY (PG-13) ***% Language. Kirk Douglas plays a dying millionaire, and Michael J. Fox plays one of his nephews. All the relatives are Out 10 make sure they inherit as much of the old man’s money as possible. Amusing, if inconsequential. Good frothy fun. Cinedome, Movies 6, Walker Cinemas 4. GRUMPY OLD MEN (PG-13) ##*% Lan- their co-starring efforts since “The Odd Couple,” and they're clearly having fun here. A pleasing, moderately enjoyable comedy. The end credits feature numerous — and mostly off-color — outtakes. Capitol, Movies 6 IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER (R) wee Language, violence. Daniel Day-Lewis plays a man wrongly accused of complicity in an IRA bombing in this docudrama. Directed by Jim Shendan (“My Left Foot”), the film brims this film relives. The film received an Oscar dard and Shaquille O’Neal. An interesting character study about the pressures of coaching nomination for Best Picture, and acting nominations went to Day-Lewis and co-siar Emma Thompson. Movies 10, Wilshire for Mexico. Intended as a spoof of action-come- tule chase picture. A loser all the way around. Walker Cinemas 4 MY GIRL 2 (PG) *#e% Mild language. The primary cast members are back — except for mother's real identity, hoping to write a school paper about the woman she never knew. (Mom McDonnell, Ed O'Neill, J.T. Walsh, Alfre Woo- dies and so-<alied “reality TV,” but it winds up as nothing more than a mind-numbingly infan- tion during World War II. While the film could him that her father is her lover. Critics everywhere have praised Depardieu's performance, but have said the leenng camera and under-age sensuality leave you with a bad taste for a comedy. Take your chances. Movies 10, Riverdale 4, plays the object of their desires. The actors recapture some of the magic that’s been lacking in with anger and basks in the opportunity to rub the British Establishment’s nose in the scandal major college ball, with a ternfic performance by Nolte — who obviously based much of his portrayal on Indiana's Bobby Knight. City Square 4, Movies 10 THE CHASE (PG-|3) * Language, sex, violence. Charlie Sheen plays an escaped con who kidnaps an heiress (Kristy Swanson) and heads daughter wants to impress a young man, telling the title characters: two cantankerous old men who've been feuding for decades. Ann-Margret The supporting cast includes Mary Jump”). film about Oskar Schindler, a German who nsked all to save some 1,100 Jews from extermina- Macaulay Culkin, of course — for more adventures in the life of Vada Sultenfuss. To the film's credit, it's more than a remake of the original. Wada goes in search of her late guage. Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmonplay THE JOY LUGK CLUB (R) *##*% Violence, language. Based on the novel by Amy Tan, this one is a multigenerational tale focusing on four Chinese women and their four daughters, The title refers to the club formed by the mothers, who gather each week to play mahjong. The film unfolds in episodic fashion — in flashback from a game and the surrounding party — telling the story ofall eight princpal characters, and the intense relationships died shortly after Vada's birth.) A low-key comedy that embraces a refreshing realism. Capitol. ON DEADLY GROUND(R) * Violence, language, nudity. Steven Seagal’s enviro-terrorism action flick, which he directed. Co-stars Michael Caine and Joan Chen. A thorough, thudding disaster, with Seagal as a pony-tailed Red Adair — the oil well firefighter. The story has him going up against a corrupt oil barron (Caine), with the aid of some Eskimos; Chen, a Chinese actress, plays an Eskimo, if you can believe it. Sure to be a candidate for a spot on this year's 10 worst films list. Movies 10, Riverdale 4 PHILADELPHIA (PG-|3) #*## Language In director Jonathan Demme'sfirst narrative film since landing the Oscar for “The Silence of the Lambs.” Tom Hanks plays a lawyer whois fired when his firm discovers he has AIDS. Denzel Washington plays the other attorney hired to win the job back for him. A good film, and maybe even necessary. But it's not the lind of startling work we've come to expect from Demme. The film functions efficiently as a courtroom drama — Mary Steenburgen represents the firm. But the most interesting aspect of “Philadelphia” is that it serves as a wide-ranging Movies 10. Wilshire. 8 SECONDS (PG-13) *####% Language. actenzations, moving stories and incredible per- implied sex. John G. Avildsen, who directed the formances make this one a must-see. Adapted look at American society through the prism of the AIDS debate. Furthermore, the perfor- original “Rocky” and “The Karate Kid™ films, works some magic with the real-life story of bull nder Lane Frost. Luke Perry and Stephen Baldwin co-star. Loaded with fine scenes of bull for the screen by Wayne Wang (“Chan is Miss- mances by both leads are memorable. Movies riding, and there's a touching, humorous story to tell alongside the rodeo action. A genuinely entertaining, well-crafied movie that you just can't help but enjoy. Movies 10, Riverdale 4 THE FUGITIVE (PG-13) **##* Language. violence. Harrison Ford plays the physician framed for his wife's murder in this distillation of the popular David Janssen TV senes. Delinously implausible and filled with edge-of-your- between the mothers and daughters. Rich char- ing”). Kaysville MAS. DOUBTFIRE (PG-)3) ### Language, vulgarity. Robin Williams, in his variation on “Tootsie,” plays a man who loses custody of his children in a divorce. Desperate to be close to them, he masquerades as a British matron and applies for the nanny’s job taking REALITY BITES (PG-|3) #*#* Language drug use, implied sex. A look at twentysometh- ings — Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Ben Suller — trying to figure out what to do after college. A funny, clever debut by director Stuller probably destined to become some sort of care of his young ones. Williams is very, very touchstone for Generation X-ers. The film alter funny. but the script ts shallow and the movie is naics between pathetic and loving portraits of its too long by half an hour, Features the usual comic follies associated with cross-<iressing that have been staples since “Some Like It Hot.” A SCHINDLER'S LIST (R) #**** Violence, mixed bag Cinedome, Movies 10. MY FATHER, THE HERO (PG) Language. sex. Gerard Depardieu stars as the title character, a divorced father trying to bond with his daughter during a resort vacation. But the twentysomethings. Overall, the film retains an ironic edge. Definitely worth secing. Movies 6 Wilshire language, nudity, sex. Liam Neeson and Ben Kingsley star in Steven Spielberg's magnificent have resembled any number of docudramas about the war and/or the Holocaust, Spielberg bravely depicts the harsh realities involved. The violence is unflinching — although mitigated somewhat by the use of black and white film — and the prejudices bared for all to see. This is not a polite examination of anything; it roughs you up. A masterpiece. Movies 10 SISTER ACT 2: BACK IN THE HABIT (PG) *®® Language. Whoopi Goldberg repnses her role as lounge-singer-turned-nun in this sequel to the blockbuster “Sister Act.” This time, she leaves Vegas to help the nuns teach high school. Less fun than thefirst. but not ternble. Co-stars include Goldberg's “Sister Act™ cohorts Kathy Najimy, Mary Wickes and Wendy Makkena. Kaysville, Lakeside, Newgate 4 SUGAR HILL (R) *** Language. sex, violence. drug use. Wesley Snipes stars in this dra- ma about a drug dealer who wonders whether he should go straight. Director Leon Ichaso chooses to emulate ~The Godfather” filmsin an effort to make his picture seem grand and operatic. The result, however, is a film lacking vibrance and sizzle — it's hackneyed and verges on the boring. instead. Snipes is excellent, but it isn’t enough. Playing exclusively in Salt Lake City at the Trolley Square Cinemas. THE THREE MUSKETEERS (PG) tee', Violence. it's the same methodology used in “Young Guns” a few years ago: put a bunch of aging Brat Packers in outrageous costumes, and people will come to see them. Based loosely on the classic Dumas novel, Chris O'Donnell (“Scent of a Woman”). Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland and Oliver Platt (“Indecent Proposal”) play the musketeers. Rebecca DeMornay and Tim Curry co-star. It's fun, but not up to Richard Lester's bawdy. rollicking mid-’70s films (“The Three Musketeers.” “The Four Musketeers”). Kaysville, Lakeside, Newgate 4 WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE (PG-13) wee Language. implied sex. Lasse Hallstrom (“My Life as a Dog”) directs this off beat film about small-town life in America’s heartland. Johnny Depp plays the ttlcharacter, a young man saddied with more responsibility than he wants. He imagines life would be better somewhere — anywhere — cise, but he just can't break away. A charming. deceptively de- cent film with top-notch performances, especially by Oscar-nominated Leonardo DiCaprio. Julette Lewis co-stars. Movies 6 The movies playing at the Country Club and Vortor-Vu Drive-in Theaters were not reported carly enough to be included in these listings |
