Show Movies Filmmakers abandon all sense of reality When was the last time you were paired with an to fight crime? Have your children ever wished they were “big” and grown a new adult body overnight? And do cartoon characters live on the outskirts of citiyour town as second-clas- s extra-terrestri- al Out- - takes Don Porter Film commentary zens? reality not wallow in it If you answer yes to any of escape Steven Spielberg Walt Disney I don’t want to these questions know you and I’d appreciate your staying away from my family If you recognize these odd situations as themes from recent major motion pictures you must be wondering like me if filmmakers have all but stopped trying to reflect reality Oh sure humanity sneaks in occasionally: rape and responsibility in “The Accused” yuppie love in “Crossing Delancey” unchecked ego in “Cocktail” and “Young Guns” But mostly incredible andor cockamamie circumstances have been providing the ingredients for recent movies: hanging out with a crazed anthropologist in “Gorillas in the Mist” New York doctors teaching professional actors the ins and outs of Hollywood casting in “Memories of Me” psychopaths who survive steamroller attacks in “A Fish Called Wanda” and the use of every conceivable explosive but a thermonuclear device in “Die Hard” Usher may I have the reality check please? Movies have never been all that good at reflecting real life anyway For every “Kramer vs Kramer” or “Twice in a Lifetime” we get oodles of cosmic personality-switc- h movies like “18 Again” and “Vice Versa” or mov“Hot to Trot” talking-hors- e New Line Cinema Corp Sir Alec Guiness (left) as the eccentric English settler Mr Todd sits with his prisoner Tony Last (James Wilby) Tragedy arrives in time to save film By DONALD PORTER Movie Review staff Standard-Examine- About halfway through “A Handful of Dust” you begin asking yourself why you took time to see this boring movie Then something pleasing happens — it becomes interesting and stays that way until its completely unexpected conclusion Based on the Evelyn Waugh novel and set in 1932 “A Handful of Dust” is about marital infidelity in the British upper class James Wilby stars as Tony Last a devoted but rather boring husband who enjoys nothing more than tending to his castle and country estate His wife Brenda (Kristin Scott Thomas) is tiring of life in the country and when one of Tony’s casual acquaintances comes to visit Brenda takes a fancy to him Soon she has convinced Tony to rent her a flat in London She says she wants to attend economics classes but the real reason is to pursue her affair with his friend Beaver (Rupert Graves) This takes all of about 5 minutes to set up and the film spends an enormous amount of time concentrating on the affair 1 ‘A Handful of Dust’ Vi and attending deceit This lapse in narrative flow makes the film drag almost unbearably Then just in time a family tragedy brings the affair into the open and the marriage is ruined Immediately and quite unexpectedly Tony leaves with an expedition to Brazil in search of a fabled lost city and Brenda takes up with Beaver to await her husband’s return so they can divorce Above all “A Handful of Dust” is a story about deceit of all kinds and how dishonesty complicates and ruins lives But the movie also enjoys a little imaginative immorality — or mischief if you prefer — and Tony’s trip to the jungle offers some wildly devious plot twists Some of the unsettling events are the result of ignorance and British pomposity others are patently evil and injurious These elements combine to form one of Movies at a glance - - New releases defending a fellow employee who claims to be the victim of sexual harassment The film begins well providing us with a richly textured look into life in working class Liverpool and its depressed economy But it fails to generate any significant sympathy for its characters beyond the basic hopelessness of their collective situation Good subject but a boring treatment Playing exclusively at the Holladay Center Cinemas in Salt Lake City 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS (R) Violence language That sick demented boy is back and Donald Pleasance is on his trail Filmed in Utah with some scenes shot in the Ogden area Watch for a review next week Layton Cinema Six Mann HALLOWEEN City Plaza A HANDFUL OF DUST (PG) Language adult situations James Wilby (“Maurice”) stars in this story — based on the Evelyn Waugh novel — about a woman who becomes bored with her husband and takes up with a socialite Sec the review in this section Wilshirc ne’er-do-we- ll TAPEHEADS (R) Language violence nudity John Cusack (“Eight Men Out") and Tim Robbins (“Bull Durham”) star as budding music video makers in this comedy that pokes fun at MTV the record industry and video artists See the review in this section Playing at the Trolley Square Cinemas in Salt Lake City ’ WINGS OF DESIRE (PG-I3- ) Lan- guage Angels — the kind with wings — coexist unseen with humanity in this film from German director Wim Wen- ders They want to help people but are able to provide only a bit of comfort See the review in this section Playing in Salt Lake City at the Trolley Square Theaters Continuing films ' THE ACCUSED (R) j Rape McGillis and violence language Kelly Jodie Foster star in this drama about a in a bar and woman who is the assistant district attorney who takes d her case Intelligently written and this film takes us along on the investigation of the rape allowing us to draw our own conclusions and discover our own biases ciriccrning the case be- gang-rape- d well-acte- show-steal- ies Many people were offended by light treatment of alcoholism in “Arthur 2 on the Rocks” — especially when Arthur and his wife played the disease for laughs during adoption interviews Still er half-craze- judging from box office popularity they preferred it to starkly realistic films like “Bright Lights Big City” and “Clean and Sober” — the argument being that most people go to movies to Certainly there’s nothing wrong with exaggeration and fantasy per se the movies wouldn’t be ' much fun without them But a little more reality would help The business doesn’t win any fans by making four personality-switc- h movies in a single year or by se- queling audiences to death Some of the best films of 1988 have been simple honest stories that we recognize as being truth- ful and accurate in their depiction of American life: “The Whales of August” de- tailed a loving and troubled rela- tionship between two elderly sisters “Tucker: The Man and His ' Dream” profiled a visionary auto- maker “Stand and Deliver” related an inspirational story about edu- cation in the Los Angeles barrios “Shy People” glimpsed the I cultural diversity of the Deep ' South “Promised Land” was about shattered dreams in the contemporary West f ‘t “Permanent Record” con- fronted teen suicide “Ironweed” journeyed back in time to Depression Era skid row Another thing these films have in common is that they caused little stir at the box office But most are now available on videocassette and worth a viewing There is a definite need for re- ality in motion pictures A con- stant diet of mindless comedies action pictures and special effects movies tends to distort our sensi- bilities A little dose of truth now and then gives us something to compare with our own existence and puts the rest of the year’s ex- travaganzas in perspective 1 ' ! ! ! I ! j - Ratings guide BUSINESS AS USUAL (PG) Language violence A British drama about a woman fired from her job for the quirkiest conclusions to a film this year — very bizarre but oddly satisfying The performances are good throughout especially by Thomas In her hands Brenda is despicable but her initial interest in Beaver quite understandable She’s a lot of fun to watch changing subtlely as her character becomes more desperate Wilby for all his success in getting roles (“Maurice” “A Room with a View” “A Summer Story”) is becoming the quintessential English wimp Watching his performance isn’t exciting And a glorified walk-o- n by Anjelica Huston provides a central plot development but isn’t memorable in the least in a minor role near the The end of the film is Alec Guiness Proudly displaying a pot belly and scruffy beard the legendary actor is nearly unrecognizable as d white man living with the naa tives in the Brazilian rain forest He is both the most appealing and feared character in the movie and has a lot to do with saving it from being just another tedious British period drama and George Lucas built empires on that knowledge Reviews are by Donald Porter Excellent Very good Fair Poor Worthless fore the truth is finally revealed A fine film everything good drama should be But the subject matter is handled bluntly and the rape depicted in all its horror — so be warned Mann City Plaza ALIEN NATION (R) Violence language adult situations In the near future 300000 aliens seek refuge on earth and attempt to assimilate into American society James Caan plays a human cop and Mandy Patinkin plays an alien cop teamed to find the alien who killed Caan’s last human partner An entertaining twist on the standard buddy-co- p formula with good performances and loads of humor Mann Fourplex BAMBI (G) A reissue of the classic Walt Disney animated feature about the life of a deer named Bambi Sometimes funny sometimes sad the film is still quite enjoyable Should be quite thrilling and entertaining for youngsters although Bambi’s mom buys the farm The animation is in the classical Disney style too Lots of fun for the family Country Club Newgate Cinema Four BIG (PG) Language adult situations Tom Hanks stars in a story about a boy who wishes he were “big” and wakes up one morning with the body of a man A charming comedy due primarily to Hanks’ intelligent and moving performance He makes us care about the character as opposed to other bodypersonality-switc- h movies that have been more gimmicky A good time indeed Layton Cinema Six Mann City Plaza Trolley North Lan BIG BUSINESS (PG) guage Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin each handle dual roles in this comedy about two sets of twins who were mismatched at a hospital and reunited in adulthood A very funny but not very original comedy of errors Midler and Tomlin are both quite good but Midler's sassy steamroller approach to performing will leave you chuckling after the final credits roll Newgate Cinema Four COCKTAIL (R) Language adult situations violence Tom Cruise Elisa beth Shue and Bryan Brown star in this tale of a young bartender who must choose between life in the fast lane and character love Brown’s — the mentor to Cruise’s — is worth investigation but the film treads familiar territory and tells its story in broad cliches We’ve seen most of it before and it wasn’t very interesting then either Layton Cinema Six Mann Fourplex “CROCODILE” DUNDEE II (PG) Vi Language violence The further adventures of Mick Dundee and his reporter gal from New York don’t sparkle iike they did in the original The story takes the two from New York City where Sue was roughed up by some Columbian dope dealers back to the Australian wilderness It’s still fun but the surprise has worn off Country Club Newgate Cinema Four DELANCEY (PG) CROSSING brief nudity adult situations Amy Irving stars as a single t) woman paired up with a date (Peter a Jewish Sort matchmaker a of by version of “Moonstruck” Good performances throughout A wry comic drama that doesn’t go for easy sentimentality A rarity in today’s cinema Mann FourLanguage Rie-ger- plex l2 Language vioDIE HARD (R) lence Bruce Willis stars in this action thriller from director John McTicrnan (“Predator”) as a New York cop who’s come to Los Angeles to attempt to patch up the relationship with his estranged wife After he arrives he’s trapped in the same high-ris- e building with terrorists who have taken his wife hostage McTieman puts an unusual twist on this formula tale by spinning a terrorist tale inside another terrorist story Spectacular special effects too Layton Cinema Six Trolley North Wilshire 'z EIGHT MEN OUT (PG) — Christocast An Language pher Lloyd John Cusack DB Sweeny Studs Terkcl — heads up this film version of the infamous “Black Sox” scandal of 1919 when members of the Chicago White Sox conspired to throw the World Series More a character study than a straight baseball film “Eight Men Out” boasts stellar performances and fine writing A fascinating story of how corporate greed had a lot to do with tarnishing the image of the national pastime Walker Wilshire all-st- A ar FISH CALLED WANDA (R) Language violence adult situations A wildly funny caper comedy starring Kevin Kline Jamie Lee Curtis John Cleese and Michael Palin — the latter two from the Monty Python comedy troupe As much a humorous look at the differences between English and American attitudes as anything The funniest film of the ’80s Layton Cinema Six Mann Fourplex GORILLAS IN THE MIST (PG-13- ) Vi Language violence adult situations Sigourney Weaver (“Aliens”) plays researcher Dian Fossey in this movie about the fight to save the mountain gorillas of central Africa Interesting subject matter stunning cinematography and a fine performance by Weaver as a woman degenerating into madness make this film worth seeing The love story between Fossey and a National Geographic photographer tends to intrude but doesn’t destroy the film Cinedome Trolley North Walker THE GREAT OUTDOORS (PG) Vi Language violence John Candy (“Planes Trains and Automobiles”) and Dan Aykroyd (“Dragnet”) star as rival brothers-in-laon a camping trip in this film directed from a John Hughes (“Planes Trains and Automobiles”) screenplay Most of the movie’s elements are borrowed from Hughes’ past as screenwriter andor director on the films “Mr Mom” “National Lampoon’s Vacation” and “Planes Trains and Automobiles” so there’s nothing original here — or very funny either A surprisingly lame comedy Kaysville Newgate Cinema Four Roy HOT TO TROT (PG) No stars Language A starring Bobcat Goldthwait Dabney Coleman Virginia Madsen and — get this — a talking horse A pitiful movie that has no rational excuse for being There is no comedy unless seeing a horse speak breaks you up One of the worst films of the year Layton Cinema Six MEMORIES OF ME (PG-13- ) Language adult situations Billy Crystal and Alan King play father and son in this comic drama about a young physician who goes home to patch up his relationship with dad — who works as an extra in the movies Standard stuff we’ve seen a hundred times but a fine Oscarworthy performance by King Trolley North Wilshire w non-come- MIDNIGHT RUN (R) ': Lan- guage violence Robert De Niro plays a bounty hunter and Charles Grodin a bail jumper in this road comedy from the director of “Beverly Hills Cop” De Niro's character is trying to travel coast to coast with his captive but the FBI and the mob want him too A very funny d movie De Niro and Grodin are fantastic Mann Fourplex A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER (R) ': Language violence Freddy Krueger's back for more slashing fun in this wdt- action-packc- made truly scary movie The premise — that anything is possible in a nightmare — frees the film to experiment with all sorts of fantastic imagery and special ef-fects Well above average for a slasher movie Newgate Cinema Four PUNCHLINE (R) Language Tom Hanks and Sally Field star in this film about a housewife who yearns to make it big as a stand-u- p comedian Good entertainment although it’s a dark film about the business of making peo- pie laugh Field is OK but Hanks turns on the juice with a performance that might lock up the Oscar for him Amazing work Cinedome THE RESCUE (PG) ': Language violence When several Navy divers are taken captive by North Korea and the American government refuses to attempt a rescue their children take action A stupid movie from the outset this revisionist tale is supposed to make us believe that if only the government would let us we could do anything — even our children are no match for the godless Communists And it’s not very good as an action film either Capitol TUCKER: THE MAN AND HIS Vi DREAM (PG) Language Jeff d Bridges stars in this story about Preston Tucker a maverick automaker who took on the establishment in the late ’40s and ran afoul of the Big Three car manufacturers This film has the most unabashedly positive outlook of any film this year telling the story of a man who would let nothing get him down Director Francis Coppola does some great work here but the most stunning aspect is Vittorio Storaro’s cinematography Simply beautiful Layton Cinema Six Walker ! i fact-base- WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (PG) Language cartoon vion lence A and animation mix about a private detective (Bob Hoskins) who helps a cartoon character try to clear his name A brilliantly conceived hilarious movie with the best animation ever in a motion picture Also surprising- -' ly complex and wise in its use of allegory to reflect how minorities were — and are — treated in America the land of' opportunity A real treat one of the best films of 1988 Capitol Mann City Plaza YOUNG GUNS (R) Language violence The western returns with a story about William Bonney (aka "Billy the Kid”) and his band It’s a real Brat Pack western stamng Emilio Estevez Charlie Sheen Kiefer Sutherland Lou Diamond Phillips and Casey Sicmaszko And it’s a lousy one too wherein esery young star gets his one or two moments in the spotlight at the expense of a lucid storyline Walker live-actio- 1 |