The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 92

FILM The Cincinnati Enquirer Friday, October 20, 199522 'Safe' explores dangerous ailment From left, Ashleigh Aston Moore, Gaby Hotfmann, Christina Ricci and Thora Birch in their beloved tree house. New Line Cinema MOVIE REVIEW Safe (R; profanity, brief sex scene) Julianne Moore, Xander Berkeley. 119 minutes. At The Movies. possible from modern chemicals and toxins.

It is run by a philosophical leader whose touchy-feely style and messianic stance push Safe a bit into The Twilight Zone. But even here, when Safe flirts with disaster, Moore holds it together with her unwavering portrayal. Moore is assured in a complex role. She brings far more to the film than I suspect was in the script. Writer-director Todd Haynes is less impressive, as he fails to divert his film from a sluggish pace, further accented by constant, gliding, dream-like camera movements.

Haynes could have done more with a sharper, more judgmental approach to the topic, and should have spurred it on with a more intense pace. Still, Safe is to be commended for bringing attention to a strange, new ailment. Half of 'Now, Then' is good, more or less MOVIE REVIEW Now and Then (PG-13; sex discussions; mild profanities, brief male nudity) Christina Ricci, Thora Birch, Gaby Hoffmann, Ashleigh Aston Moore, Demi Moore, Rosie O'Donnell, Rita Wilson, Melanie Griffith. 102 minutes. At National Amusements.

frightened Carol. She works her way through several doctors and a psychiatrist but none has a clue about her ailment, other thari vague suggestions about "stress." Her husband, Greg (Xander Berkeley) tries to be sympathetic, but he becomes increasingly skeptical. When conventional doctors fail her, Carol turns to a holistic health retreat for folks afflicted with the mysterious new ailment. Situated in the New Mexico desert, it's as far as BANKEONE. -The yjinters BY MARGARET A.

McGURK The Cincinnati Enquirer The female coming-of-age tale Now and Then is really two movies, one good and one forgettable. Ironically, the story with the marquee appeal in the form of stars Demi Moore, Melanie Griffith, Rosie O'Donnell and Rita Wilson represents the weak sister here. The young actresses who play the same characters at age 12 Gaby Hoffmann, Thora Birch, Christina Ricci and Ashleigh Aston Moore, respectively are given meatier parts and do a lot more with them. The story owes something to Stand by Me and other boys-to-men yarns. That is, four old friends get together to relive a summer when they began to cross the line from childhood to adult life.

The bulk of the movie is given over to the summer of 1970, when the spunky pre-teens revel in the cozy life of their small town. They raise money for a treehouse, battle with the nasty Wormer brothers, talk about sex and hold seances. One session convinces them they've contacted a long-dead boy named Johnny, and their search for the truth about him leads them on new adventures, including a brief BY JACK GARNER Gannett News Service Carol White lives in a stylish home in an affluent I-os Angeles suburb, overlooking the San Fernando Valley. On the surface, Carol has it pretty good. But there's a problem that surface is making her very sick.

She suffers from an immunity disorder of the modern age, which some call "the Twentieth Century Disease." In effect, she's allergic to the hundreds of everyday chemicals, the fragrances, fumes, powders and sprays of day-to-day life. That's the world explored in Safe, the sometimes-provocative, sometimes-pokey new film by independent filmmaker Todd Haynes (Poison). In Safe, Julianne Moore delivers a quietly powerful performance as the increasingly frustrated and HARRY J's SMORGASBORD LUNCH $4.97 DINNER $5.92 BIG SELECTION FREE SOFT DRINKS 4TH GENERATION CHEF PARTY ROOM, 20-200 PLUS 9972 READING RD. EVENDALE 563-2277 Every 3rd Friday Of The Month 50's 60's Show Bands Oct. 20 "HOT WAX" LAS VEGAS STYLE Tributes Id Elvis.

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Ultimately, their search brings them up short against their own fears and sorrows, including divorce and death. As the story goes on, the girls grow more complete, more sympathetic and appealing. That makes it more jarring to be returned to the four annoyingly stereotyped adults. As grown-ups, the characters don't have much to say or do, and I didn't believe for a minute that they were friends. Heck, I didn't believe they had ever met.

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