Show 4D April Friday Ogaer 11 1385 Movies 'Off B eat' is pretty funny r r— f ('jr'j'w ' s 1 — I ft f i as comedies go By DONALD PORTER Suniiirl Eaimnw siaff Movie Review -- Off Beat" is exactly what it An odd little love story 'Off Beat' a librarian and a New York cop who specializes in hostage negotiation — for his gaff so when Abe It's not a film anyone will get one is assigned to audition for a pofired up about but it's not a dislice dance number at Lincoln appointment either As comeCenter he puts his librarian dies go it's pretty funny friend in a borrowed uniform especially when compared with his place It's a recent disasters like "Head Of- and sends him in since Joe risky proposition fice" and "The Longshot" could do time in a penitentiary It possesses certain charming for impersonating one of New York's finest elements the foremost of which is probably the cast Judge d The trouble really begins ("Beverly Hills Cop" though when Joe does well at "Head Office") plays librarian the tryout and falls in love with Joe Gower Meg Tilly ("Agnes of Rachel His one night of repenGod") is Rachel the hostage netance to Abe turns into several gotiator he falls in love with weeks of subterfuge and a myriand Cleavant Derricks ("Mosad of close calls with real cops cow on the Hudson") plays Abe situations and Washington another cop who's also Joe's best friend There is a lot of good comedy arising from this situation but The film opens with Abe the film's pace is too slow and working on an undercover drug there aren't enough laughs to fill buy There are cops all over the in the frequent gaps for the dealer to place waiting offer Abe some dope when — Reinhold is an appealing actor out of nowhere — Joe the librarbut not quite up to the stanian rides up on his bike and dards set by Tilly and Derricks starts making funny with cop He does manage to handle this jokes to his friend Abe's cover material quite well though and is blown the bust is down the makes "Off Beat" an appealing — if slightly uneven — comedy toilet and Joe is in big trouble Joe owes Abe a favor — a big experience suggests: between IB — iTTrrrr V tuirtt Um'1— - - - r £ Toocnstone Joe Gower (Judge Reinhold) gets better acquainted with policewoman Rachel Wareham Films urt Kirk team up again Stars play old-tim-e robbers who return to By BOB THOMAS Associated Press Writer — Police cars raced the officers ready to do battle with a couple of aging tough LOS ANGELES into the train yard guysAn army of cops fired hundreds of rounds from rifles and shotguns at the two hijackers on board the grand old Daylight Limited When the smoke cleared Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancas- ter stepped down from the ' steam train and headed for the shade of the train shed ! For the Douglas and Lancaster retirement is out of the questici They are making their sevnth film together "Tough Guys" for Disney's Touchstone Films The two stars play robbers ho return to an inhospitable Los An- -' geles after spending 30 years in jail Bored with their humdrum lives they return to their old profession of robbing Strains That sets off a chase that leads them and the train to the Mexican pursued by the cop who had once jailed them Charles Durning The other day director Jeff Kanew escape 'staged the with Durning's army of police firing at !the two tough guys A helicopter parked whirred slowly the sound of its !engines almost obliterated by the deafening din of the fusillade The train started to move until the director called "Cut!" The locomotive with its bright new paint was in the contrast to its surroundings In the were rows of other railroad cars unwashed with paint peeling The train live in LA sheds and serv ice buildings were dilapidated and layered by years of smog The old Daylight which once plied the Southern Pacific route between San Francisco and Los Angeles and became the Freedom Train during the US Bicentennial looked good It stopped running in 1955 and now resides at a retirement home in Portland Ore Lancaster stepped down from the locomotive first an erect figure in a period fedora He pin stripe suit and spoke in his familiar clipped sentences mostly in admiration of the Daylight "What a wonderful locomotive" he said "This one was built in 1940 and continued on the line until 1955 A bunch of railroad buffs completely rebuilt the engine so it works perfectly now Look at the size of it! The locomotive weighs 237 tons The wheels are S feet tall It's a marvel" He drifted off to his motor home and dressing room Lancaster is not very conversant on movie sets Douglas is "What fun I'm having!" Douglas said "This is making up for what I missed in my childhood I never had trains to play with The other kids did but my family was too poor "Now look I got a great big train for my own toy I get to play cops and robbers with guns police cars even a helicopter How could anybody be so lucky?" The teaming goes back to just after World War II when they were brought from New York for contracts with Hal Wallis They first in 1947 in "I Walk Alone" Ten years later they played Doc HoIIiday and Wyatt Earp in the classic western "The Gunfight at OK Corral" They delved into George Bernard Shaw with "The Devil's Disciple" in 1959 followed by "The List of Adrian Messenger" in 1963 and "Seven Days in May" (1964) Their last film together was the 1977 "Victory at Entebbe" "Was Burt in that?" queried Douglas "I only worked one day and I didn't see him" in San Francisco They also in a play "The Boys of Autumn" appearing as Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn in their 60s strenuous" "That was fun but too Douglas recalled "We were both on stage the whole time and I had to sing dance and play the banjo The play would have required a lot of fixing to take to Broadway and it was just too much work" Douglas also dapper in a pin stripe and fedora remarked that he and Lancaster have remained friends over the years but don't often see one another "We used to play golf together bat in the past 10 years I've been playing tennis" he said "Occasionally we'll have dinner and if I need something I'll give him a call and he does the same with me" Kanew said the inspiration for the came at last year's Academy Awards when the two actors made an appearance together with Douglas son Michael Douglas The "Tough Guys" filmmakers found the ideal desperados Associated Burt Lancaster (left) and Kirk are pair of Douglas Press toughs Movies at a glance New releases 3:15 THE MOMENT OF TRUTH (R) Violence language According to the advertisements for this one a student faces big trouble when school lets out at 3:15 one afternoon Watch for a review North Star (with "Better OlT Dead") Mann Citv Plaza THE AURORA ENCOUNTER (PG) Language A futuristic science fiction arn about a small town's encounter with L'FOs and alien beings Character actor Jack Elam and Dottie West star Watch for a review North Star (with "April Fool's Dav") Mann City Plaza BAND OF THE HAND (R) Language violence Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky in TV's "Starsky and Hutch") directed this action flick about the trans- formation of several street punks into a cohesive unit fighting crime on the Miami streets Watch for a review next week Wilshire HAMBURGER (R) Language adult situations Can't tell much from the ads on this one but it looks like another teen sex comedy Take your chances Watch for a review next week Davis (with "My Chauffeur") JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS (PG- adult situations Mary Ty13) Language ler Moore Ted Danson Christine Lahti and Sam Waterston star in this drama about infidelity between friends Watch for a review next week Lav ton Cinema Tour Mann Fourplex v io- Language OFF BEAT (PG) Tence Jud:e R e if hold an d Meg Tilly Ratings guide Reviews are by Donald A classic Very good Good Porter Fair Poor plistic ev en for the smallest of children Cinedome THE COLOR PURPLE ) violence adult situaLanguage tions Steven Spielberg's sensational and mov ing adaptation of Alice Walker's Punovel The best film litzer of 1935 Cinedome Walker '2 LanCROSSROADS (R) violence adult situations Ralph musician Macchio stars as a on the road with an old blues singer (Joe Seneca) He's searching for a "lost song" by legendary blucsman Robert Johnson and hopes to achieve fame by recording the tune Macchio's OK but Seneca is great And Ry Coodcr's score is the price of admission Walker "2 Language GUNG HO (PG-1Ron Howard ("Cocoon" "Splash") directed this very funny film about a Japanese auto firm moving a factory to an economically depressed Pennsylvania town Michael Keaton ("Mr Mom") and Ogden native Gedde Watanabe star Wilshire Walker THE HITCHER (R) Language violence A young man driving a car to San Diego gives a hitchhiker a ride but it's one he'll never forget- - Actually the film is probably meant to be the product of the voung man's nightmare as he falls asleep at the wheel But whatever the case it's a violent vet entertaining motion picture Davis THE JEWEL OF THE NILE PG ': Violence language nudity The sequel to "Romancing the Stone" with Michael Douglas Kathleen Turner and DunnV rvVito reprising their roles from guage star in this comedy from Disnev's Touchstone Films Reinhold portrays an ordinary citien who impersonates a cop causing all kinds of comic situations See review this page Layton Cinema Four Mann City Plaa Continuing films APRIL FOOLS DAY (R) language adult situations Teens gather to party on April Fools Day but the pranks may be more serious than anyone counted on From the makers of the "Friday the I3ih" scries this film is only slightly better than its sickening predecessors Mann City Plaza Davis BACK TO THE FUTURE (PG) Michael J Fox stars as Language a young man who travels back in time to ensure that his parents will fall in love One of the best mov ies of 1985 Newcate Cinema Three CARE BEARS MOVIE II: A NEW The Care Bears GENERATION (G) are at it again in an all new adventure but the animation is Saturday morning cartoon quaVty and the ston is too sim the original It's OK but not nearly as much fun as its predecessor because it relies on too many special effects explosions etc Country Club Newgate Cinema Three THE LONGSHOT ) ': adult situations Tim Conway Language wrote and stars in this comedy about four shiftless men who hang around the horse track waiting to hit it big The dialogue is very weak and stupid with Conway's knack for slapstick taking precedence over everything else in the movie Newgate Cinema Three lanViolence LUCAS ) guage Corey Haim ("Murphy's Rowho mance") stars as a thinks he has to join the football team to impress an older girl This film smacks of honesty the kind we don't often see in teenage films And the characters are complex rather than being drawn in broad and highly unbelievable stereotypes Wilshire Vi THE MONEY PIT (PG) language Shelly Long and Tom Hanks star in this comedy about a young couple's efforts to restore an old home The first third of the mov ie drags a bit but when the slapstick kicks into gear it's a lot of fun Lavton Cinem3 Three Mann Fourplex Lav ton Cinema Four MURPHY'S ROMANCE ) Language A charming love story starring James Garner and Sally Field The most gentle and satisfy ing rural romance since "Tender Mann Fourplex f OUT OF AFRICA (PG) Lanadult situations Director Sydney Pollack's panoramic and impressionistic look at writer Isak Dincscn's years spent in East Africa Meryl Strecp and Robert Redford star Splendid acting magnificent cinematography Cinedome POLICE ACADEMY 3: BACK IN 'A TRAINING (PG) Language violence The misfits in blue have been called back to help save the academy from budget cuts but nothing can save this tired retread of the same gags worked to death in the two previous films Mann City Plaza Walker Layton Cinema Four PRETTY IN PINK ) ': Language adult situations Another in the fine tradition of John Hughes productions concerning teenage life in America This one concerns class distinctions between the "haves" and the "have nots" Molly Ringwald John Cryer Harry Dean Stanton and Andrew McCarthy star Mann Fourplex Capitol SLEEPING BEAUTY (G) The Walt Disney classic returns to entertain a new generation of young mov iegoers A timeless piece of animated entertainment Mann City Plaza Capiguage tol SPIES LIKE US (PG) Language violence adult situations Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd star as two bumbling CI recruits sent to decoy the Soviets while the real spies accomplish their mission It's a lame comedy at best with only enough truly funny scenes to fill a TV advertisement Newgate Cinema t Three Davis Roy i " rS a r if- a |