Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 62

D6 Friday, June 10, 1988 Austin American-Statesman 'WILLOW IS BETTER THAN It has the vigor and panache of the best films Lucas has produced. high quality production values, fabulous creatures and otherworldly Settings." Joseph Gelmis. NEWSDAY fy '1 fj 1 titoira.irmiWf nifniMii "A TALE OF MAGIC that leaves a friendly glow and a sense of a magical world lovingly evoked." Sheila Benson. LOS ANGELES TIMES 'A PURE DELIGHT FOR ALL Photo by Ralph Nelson Jr. Col.

Alan Caldwell (Sean Donna Caldwell (Meg Ryan) Is ordered by her father, Provost Marshal Lt. Connery), to stop seeing police inspector Jay Austin (Mark Harmon). There's hope for a summer that can blast-off with a movie like Richard Freedman. NEWHOUSE NEWSPAPERS "GRAND AND MAGICAL MOVIE MAKING, building to an epic battle that is a wonder to behold. FUN!" Trouble in 'The Presidio' Life in Harmon, Connery's army borders on being tedious Dennis Cunningham.

CBS-TV "TOTALLY AWESOME. Splendid entertainment. and uplifting, humorous and sophisticated, WOndrOUS Stuff." Liz Braun. TORONTO SUN By Patrick Taggart American-Statesman Staff Review THE PRESIDIO Stars: Mark Harmon, Sean Connery, Meg Ryan Rating: for violence, profanity Theaters: Arbor, Southpark, Westgate 8 Critic's rating: -k dent daughter. She and Austin have an instant animal attraction to each other, a development that makes the already wary Caldwell furious.

It is one of the movie's foregone conclusions that Donna and Austin will eventually break through Caldwell's resentment. The plot, which centers on the mysterious murder of the MP, staggers on from there, involving a number of clearly identifiable villains and including the film's best action sequence a foot chase through San Francisco's crowded Chinatown district. While that portion is distinguished, remember that this is a movie that resorts to a trumped-up, barroom fight that has nothing to do with anything else in the movie other than to show that Sean Connery's character is one tough dude. Since when have American audiences doubted the gladiatorial capabilities of any character played by Connery? It's a measure ot how synthetic an entertainment The Presidio is that the composer hired to write music for the movie is Bruce Broughton. Broughton, who specializes in simulating John Williams, Max Steiner and countless others, has probably become the most shameless copycat in an industry that loves copycatting.

Oh, well. It's summer. What did we expect? A microtad more originality, perhaps? A little honest passion? Action sequences that don't come Straight from the stockpile and characters who aren't shallow, selfish, boring or all three? Presidio offers almost none of that, and I say almost because the film does tend to peek from behind its formulaic framework from time to time to offer hints of real personality. But on balance, director Peter Hyams' latest is a paint-by-number job. Hyams, working from a screenplay by Larry Ferguson, opens the action with a calculated pulse--quickener, a shootout and chase at a San Francisco military base known as the Presidio.

A female MP (Jenette Goldstein) is shot to death as she investigates a break-in, and the killers flee in a Lincoln sedan that manages to outrun several varieties of pursuit vehicle. Some Lincoln. The opening action gets our attention, all right, but not the way the filmmakers intended. Bored by the routine action, many in the audience will be left pondering the filmmaker's regrettable squandering of Jenette Goldstein, the actress who created the wonderfully saucy character of Vasquez in Aliens. Mark Harmon, playing police detective Jay Austin, enters the action and immediately butts heads with Sean Connery's Lt.

Col. Alan Caldwell, commander of the MPs. Austin had served under Caldwell two years earlier and had lost a stripe when he busted one of Caldwell's cronies. These two tough-talking hombres, who bicker every bit as much as the partnered cops in Lethal Weapon or Shoot to Kill (two of the many films that sired Presidio) are compelled to join their separate investigations. Enter Meg Ryan as Donna, Caldwell's very cute and indepen- 1 "in I PRESIDIO THEATRES I raflMH LAMAR BEN WHITE 692-2696 Andenon Lane Burnet 454-5147 IH 35 Ben While S'sOOS pmHsTFRE'o' CJ PRESIDIOTHEATRESj THLX 5r23Uij03 ULTRA STEREO 6406 IH 35 North 454 6469 lM 21 20 N.

Miyi Round Rock I ds mmm fhv, PROVOCATIVE AND that rare film that can tickle the funny bone and touch the heart." Peter Trovers, PEOPLE MAGAZINE "BIG is hilarious. Hanks has never been better." David Amen, NEWSWEEK "One of the summer's biggest Hanks emerges as one of Hollywood's 11! top comic actors. Gerald Clarke, TIME MAGAZINE Donna Britt, USA TODAY "BIG is the highlight of the summer." Gene Shalit, THE TODAY SHOW "A refreshingly grown-up Funny, warm, sophisticated, ana above all, imaginative. A hands down winner. A personal triumph for Tom Hanks." Kevin Thomas, LOS ANGELES TIMES Minn wm ma HIGH COMEDY AND DERRING-DO l1- ADVENTURE AND HOGAN IS IRRESISTIBLE." Zf I 1 Susan Granger, WMCA-NEW YORK ''itP "THE BOX OFFICE SMASH OF THE summer!" -immvn Joanna Langf ield, ABC NEWS 1 excels the LJ mnV ORIGINAL" ft if A -Bob Thomas, ASSOCIATED PRESS 1 "IT'S A FUN.

FUN 1 FILM. YOU LIKED I. 2 THE FIRST ONE. MrA YOU'LL LOVE THIS fv ONE!" XP Leeza Gibbons, ENTERTAINMENT TO ilium rr-i -----j- mMmtm- "The funniest comedy of the year. Hanks should be remembered at Oscar time." Michael Medved, SNEAK PREVIEWS "Tom Hanks is an absolute Funny, flawless and adorable." Janet Maslin, NEW YORK TIMES "When I looked around, all the women were grinning at the Denby, NEW YORK MAGAZINE (1 Awonderful new comedy TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX Presents a ACI FILMS poia PENNY MARSHALL nimTDM HANKS "BIG" ELIZABETH PERIS mom Miiir pnin nrnp ADVOncc hid I Bf nilllL OI ILLULIIU AMDUnill IIUOJ 81 Unlllll IVInLMIl Kini IT IAMC0I DDnntC OIRECTtDOrilllV HADOUAI I jiwiojhiiiljl.uiiuuij gymmiii mmm PntNTSBV HLU" NOt unJ FOt CHUM I mwaO IN tSSOdlTKW WITH WIIKAH fNTitTmNMHT PIIN1 II 1 1 KM THI MLUNflN! BOOK I EU.M rCWOCHUiTOH PARAMOUNT PICTURES PRESENTS PAUL HOGAN LINDA KOZLOWSKI "CROCODILE" DUNDEE II JOHN MEILLON EXECUTIVE PRODUCER PAUL HOGAN WRITTEN BY PAUL HOGAN AND BRETT HOGAN PRODUCED BY JOHN CORNELL AND JANE SCOTT pg'woe' mtTpANAVisiON-DIRECTED BY JOHN CORNELL A PARAMOUNT PICTURE TM A 1988 BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES CORPORATION AiL RIGHTS RfSfWED auff.tMMtern ZlflN.

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