The Post-Crescent from Appleton, Wisconsin • 20

ENCORE PAGE 10 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1998 VIEWING SB BEAM ME UP: "Star Trek: Insurrection" stars (from left) Brent Spiner, Donna Murphy and Patrick Stewart. (G). Fox River Mall. STAR TREK: INSURRECTION: Data the android goes berserk on an idyllic planet where the Ba'ku race have eternal youth. Picard and the Enterprise try to handle the situation, which is complicated by plans of the dying Son'a race to kidnap the Ba'ku and their secret.

Meanwhile, Picard falls in love with a Ba'ku woman who's a babe despite being 300 years old. The central premise has logical flaws (wouldn't it be justifiable to save billions of lives at the cost of the happiness of 600 (PG sci-fi action violence, mild language and sensuality). Hollywood Cinema. VERY BAD THINGS: Not a bad movie, just a reprehensible one; it presents as comedy things that are simply not funny. Five buddies go on a Vegas bachelor party that results in two deaths, and more gruesome events follow, but the effect is sad and disturbing, not amusing.

The buddies include Christian Slater, Daniel Stem and Jeremy Piven; Cameron Diaz has good moments as a bride-to-be. (R grisly violence, sexuality, drug use, language). Fox River Mall. THE WATERBOY: Adam Sandler stars as a gratingly obnoxious simpleton from the Louisiana bayous who, at 31, is fired after 18 years as waterboy for a championship football team, and talks his way into a job on a losing team coached by Henry Winkler. The water-boy's voice is made of a lisp, a whine and a nasal grating; the effect is like fingernails on a blackboard.

(PG-13 for language and some crude sexual humor). Hollywood Cinema. him again, which, if he plans to remain a snowman, might be just as well. (PG -mild violence, language, bathroom sexuality). Fox River Mall.

MIGHTY JOE YOUNG: "Mighty Joe Young" is an energetic, robust adventure tale: not too cynical, violent or fragmented for kids, not too tame for adults. After all the calculation behind "Godzilla" or "Armageddon," it has a kind of innocence to it. It's not about a monster but about a very big, well-meaning gorilla that just wants to be left in peace. And about a woman (Char-lize Theron) who treasures the gorilla. And about a zoologist (Bill Paxton) who loves the woman.

All that stuff. (PG for some menacing action violence and mild language). Hollywood Cinema. PLEASANTVILLE: In a comedy that slowly reveals a walloping message, writer-director Gary Ross follows two modern teen-agers as they're mysteriously whisked back into a 1950s black-and-white sitcom. Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon play teen-agers whose new sitcom parents (William H.

Macy and Joan Allen) live in a world of predictable serenity. But the newcomers introduce change into town shaking up the soda jerk (Jeff Daniels) and alarming the chamber of commerce president (J.T. Walsh). One of the year's best films. (PG-13 for some thematic elements emphasizing sexuality, and for language).

Fox River Mall. RUGRATS: The popular Nickelodeon series inspired this feature-length animated comedy about Tommy Pickles and his family and friends. Commandeering his dad's newly invented Reptorwagon, Tommy leads an expedition into the woods, with adventures involving cliffs, wolves, monkeys, mattress trucks and a lot of mud. There's a lively sound track by such artists as Bus-ta Rhymes, The B-52s and Lou Reed. BABE: PIG IN THE CITY: Few sequels live up to their originals.

This one actually surpasses the Oscar nominee "Babe" (1995), improving and extending the original inspirations and adding a wealth of new wonderments. Babe and Mrs. Hoggett find themselves stranded in the city, where an animal boarding house provides the backdrop for a large cast of new characters. The movie is filled with wonders large and small, and is in no way just a "children's movie," but delights the imagination. One of year's best films.

(PG some peril, brief language). Fox River Mall A BUG'S LIFE: Va. Pixar, the computer animation studio that made "Toy Story," returns with another great-looking feature-length cartoon. This one is about an ant colony held in thrall to grasshoppers, until the plucky little Flik (Dave Foley) recruits some weird and wacky insects that he thinks are mercenaries (actually, they're refugees from a flea circus). Wonderful visuals, lots of wit.

Aimed more at a general family audience than the also entertaining "Antz." (Classified: Hollywood Cinema. ELIZABETH: Vi. Cate Blanchett is always convincing in a wide-ranging performance that takes England's first Elizabeth from frolicking girl to impervious monarch. Director Shekhar Kapur, from India, cloaks his production in dark, rich colors and texture that suggest rude luxury in a nation still inventing its civilization. Geoffrey Rush stars as Elizabeth's trusted adviser, and the cast includes John Gielgud, Christopher Eccleston, Fanny Ardant, Richard Attenborough and Joseph Fiennes.

History seen through the lenses of passion and intrigue. (R -violence, sexuality). Hollywood Cinema ENEMY OF THE STATE: Will Smith stars as a Washington lawyer whose life is the big scene is a Santa 5K Charity Run, and the movie is stupefying cinematic Ovaltine. (PG mild language and some rude humor). Fox River Mall I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER: Jennifer Love Hewitt stars as a survivor of massacres by a slasher who dresses like the Gorton's Fisherman and impales his victims on a fishhook.

She and her roommate (Brandy) win a trip to the Bahamas, where the Fisherman's body count steadily climbs, in a movie consisting only of insipid dialogue separating gory slashings. (R intense terror violence and gore, strong language and some drug use). Fox River Mall JACK FROST: Forget the movie: I can't stand the snowman. Michael Keaton dies and is reincarnated as a snowman on his family's lawn, in the worst premise for a movie in many a long year. Joseph Cross plays his son, who recruits Dad for snowball fights, and Kelly Preston is the widow who regains her husband as a snowman only to lose MJUUHIlllluuiiin.iinnmm n.i 8- ij-mn mm inmm -I destroyed after he unknowingly comes into possession of dangerous evidence.

The bad guy is a federal security and communications zealot (Jon Voight) who committed a murder in an attempt to get a pro-snooping bill passed. Now he wants the incriminating evidence back. Smart, scary, an attack on government violations of privacy. Could have been better with less action and a more plausible ending. (R for language and violence).

Fox River Mall THE FACULTY: Texas director Robert Rodriguez inspects a high school where the teachers may really be monsters. Eclectic cast includes Jordana Brewster and Salma Hayek. No review available. Fox River Mall. I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS: Jonathan Taylor Thomas, from TV's "Home Improvement," stars as a college student who must make his way from California to New York dressed as Santa Claus, for reasons too inane to explain.

Jessica Biel is his girlfriend, Adam Lavorgna is his rival for her affections, $6.9 billion year "A BUG'S LIFE" topped the $100 million mark last week. "Finally, the excellent motion picture has the opportunity to play in the excellent theater," said Disney distribution head Phil Barlow. "I believe the movies are considerably better, but the theaters are tremendously better." That $7 billion North American total was an increase of more than 9 percent over last year. Attendance also jumped more than 5 percent, to 1.46 billion tickets sold, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

Since 1988, domestic receipts Roger Ebert, Universal Press Syndicate For more reviews, see Picks of the Ricks on Page 8. Cross. CALL 1-800-HELP NOW OR CONTACT YOUR LOCAL CHAPTER. American HI MCran Help Can't Waif CROSS Mi ml 2H1S. Oi m.ntata.

Hollywood's By Michael Fleeman AP Entertainment Writer A doomed ship, space rocks, combat and comedy combined to propel Hollywood to a record year at the box office, pulling in nearly $7 billion in North America alone. The industry reaped the benefits of "Titanic," which was actually released in late 1997 but racked up $488 million in 1998. That pushed its total to a record $600 million in North America. So popular was the sinking ship epic that it was still collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars a week at the box office even as the video version was being released. Studios also benefited from a wide range of successful though not record-shattering movies, including 12 that grossed more than 100 million, including "A Bug's Life," which hit that milestone just this past week.

And movie executives cited changes in exhibition, particularly the increasing number of megaplexes that offer dozens of screens, cleaner lobbies and more comfortable seats. sets record have surged 56 percent, while the average ticket price has gone up just 16 percent. Attendance has increased 35 percent, while population has risen about 1 1 percent. The boom in movie grosses, however, is offset by increasing costs. The average movie cost $53.4 million to make plus $22.2 million to sell in 1997, and numbers likely were higher in 1998.

"We have to continually buck the tide of increasing costs," said Rob Friedman, vice chairman of Paramount Motion Picture Group. Only one movie passed $200 million "Armageddon" with $202 million though "Saving Private Ryan" came close with more than $190 million. Other movies joining the $100 million-plus club were "There's Something About Mary" ($173.7 million), "Doctor Dolittle" ($144.1 million), "The Waterboy" ($140.9 million through Dec. 20), "Deep Impact" ($140.5 million), "Godzilla" ($136 million), "Rush Hour" ($133 million), "Lethal Weapon 4" ($129.7 million), "The Truman Show" ($125.6 million) and "Mulan" ($120.6 million). Yes, I would like to support the Red $25 $50 $75 $100 Other Name Address City Zip.

Ptan mu par eked ptp In mmt omiMMfl r.Q. int), WittojM MtUCUHHW. Nml ant RED OX. si.