Hawaii Tribune-Herald from Hilo, Hawaii • 12

12 HawalTrfcune-Heraki. Friday; June 28, 2002 Arts Entertainment Friday, June 28, 2002 Arts Entertainment is published each Friday. Hilo at the movies Elmer Pasta Kodsl take lb siaceeu. v- bj an can I please, Daddy?" But why not. Mommy?" "Please, oh please, please, pleeeeeaaasse." mmmBS t- T-H photos by William Ing Telephone pranksters enjoy hamming it up.

From left, they are Shawn Lucas, Mathew Crowel, Ka'eo Malaka, Zachary Var. Enjoy this 'who-will-do-it' techno thriller MINORITY REPORT" (20th Century FoxDreamWorks Pictures, rated PG-13 for violence, brief language, some sexuality and drug an entertaining futuristic thriller set in the year 2054, should be enjoyed by more than just sci-fi fans. The impressive Steven Spielberg production, based on the 1956 Philip K. Dick short story, has kind of a Stanley Kubrick eery feel to it. I like how the unusual film combines technology and crime with both a sense of adventure and mystery.

Tom Cruise stars as the top man in the Justice Department's Pre-Crime unit in Washington, D.C., where the future is seen and the guilty punished before a murder has even been committed. You see, the evidence to convict is dreamed by "Pre-Cogs," three water-floating, psychic humans whose visions have never been wrong. It's supposed to be a perfect system. Well, that's until Cruise's character becomes a number-one suspect. I won't reveal how that happens, or even whether or not the dilemma is eventually solved, but suffice it to say there's plenty of exciting action as the accused killer-to-be is chased through the state-of-the-art, super-automated city.

The film's distinctive near-future is fascinatingly depicted by Industrial Light Magic visual effects. The capable cast also includes Colin Farrell as Cruise's chief rival; and screen vet Max von Sydow plays the big boss. Here's a who-will-do-it, instead of a who-done-it, and Spielberg takes us along on a spectacular ride. The majority of viewers will have fun at "Minority Report." "THE CAT'S MEOW" (Lion's Gate Films, rated PG-1 3 for "sexuality, a "scene of violence and brief drug takes an extraordinary look at a fateful excursion of "fun and frolic" aboard William Randolph Hearst's private yacht in 1924 that brought together some of the century's best-known personalities and resulted in a still-unsolved, hushed-up killing. The If you ever had children, or you have fond memories of your own childhood, this production, with full theater lighting and sound, will put a smile on your face and a laugh in your heart.

Anyone who has a child, or has ever been a child, will recognize the pleading tones of a kid who simply must get his way. That is the subject being presented in a hilarious adaptation of Delia Ephron's 1978 bestseller, "How to Eat Like a Child, and Other Lessons in Not Being a Grown-up" by the Hilo Community Players Children's Theatre Workshop. Performances for the public are tonight and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the East Hawaii Cultural Center. Boasting a cast of 1 2 boys and 1 1 girls, director Lina Manning, a two-year veteran of Kalanianaole School's after-school theater program, has fashioned a comprehensive course based on the works of the late Viola Spolin, a celebrated author and director in improvisational theater and a consultant to the National Contents Standards for Education, from which Hawaii adopted its standards.

"The children spent three weeks learning and practicing theater games before starting rehearsal," says Manning, "and it has really helped their communication and concentration skills. "Now, when I'm giving stage directions, I just refer to one of the games or skills they learned, and they know exactly what to do. It's a great way to keep everyone on focus." "Our goal," she continued, "was to provide as well-rounded a program as we could, given the time constraints. Each child will leave this program knowing what it's like to do a show from start to finish." More of a theater review with music than a traditional play, "How to Eat Like a Child" is a collection of "lessons," or sketches, that provide a guide to the art of being a child, strictly from their point of view. And each audience member will have a great time learning such subjects as "how to torture your sister," and "how to watch more television," as well as five musical numbers with j-x the children dancing and singing.

Current HCP President Lewis Moore, himself a Children's Theatre alum, is excited about the prospects for the future. "All children can benefit from a basic grounding in theater as it teaches memory and intuition skills and can really boost self-confidence. This is curriculum that, in many cases, goes untaught. We're making every effort to find the funding to do three eight-week sessions a year, and based on the volume of calls we received for this session, the community will support it." So if you ever had children or you have fond memories of your own childhood, this production, with full theater lighting and sound, will put a smile on your face and a laugh in your heart. To encourage a good turnout, HCP has set admission prices at $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under.

HCP can be reached at intriguing film speculates what circum stances might have come into play to prevent a major scandal. I found it fascinating to see that money and influence could help the media tycoon get away with anything. As Hearst (Edward Hermann, "Big and his lover, movie actress Marion Davies (Kirsten Dunst, "Spider set sail from California's San Pedro Harbor early one Saturday morn Linnea Gregg and Daniel Bennett-Drayer make a point in "How to Eat Like a Child, and Other Lessons in Not Being a Grown-up." ing, they have no idea what fate has in store for them. They host a small group that includes the brilliant but self absorbed Charlie Chaplin (Eddie Izzard, "Shadow of the film pioneer Thomas Ince (Cary Elwes, 'Lilo Stitch' is good fun ambitious gossip columnist Louella Parsons (Jennifer Tilley, "Bullets Over and eccentric British Victorian novelist Elinor Glyn (Joanna Lumley, "Sweeney These characters are fun to watch, however, it becomes quite clear that although witty repartee is the order of the day, deceit and deception are also on the menu. It seems everyone has a By David Germain Associated Press secret agenda.

Hearst himself suspects that his paramour Davies has been unfaithful with the legendary comic Chaplin, and therein lies the major part of the plot. Acclaimed director Peter Bog-danovich Last Picture Show," "Paper knows well from personal experience that everything's a scandal when you live in the goldfish bowl of Hollywood. This is a unique piece of Hollywood legend. "The Cat's Meow" plays this weekend only at downtown Hilo's historic Palace Theatre. For showtimes call 934-7777 or see Web site www.hilopalace.com for more info.

Pass the popcorn, please! Associated Press Lilo (left) teaches Stitch to hula and become a model citizen like her hero, Elvis Presley, in Walt Disney Pictures' delightful new animated comedy, "Lilo Stitch." food on the table, deflect the attentions of her nice-guy ex-boyfriend (Jason Scott Lee) and cope with an imposing social worker (Ving Rhames) who thinks she's unfit to continue as Lilo's guardian. Against his diabolical nature, Stitch becomes a pivotal player in reassembling the pieces and making "ohana" a meaningful word again for. Lilo and Nani. The film is briskly paced, with enough pratfalls, chases and perpetual motion to keep young viewers occupied. The action is nicely accentuated by well-chosen Presley songs such as "Hound Dog," "Blue Hawaii" and "Suspicious Minds." For an added musical bonus over the end credits, Wynonna Judd does a decent version of Presley's "Burning Love" and the A-Teens do a sugary, beat-heavy cover of "Can't Help Falling in Love." "Lilo Stitch," a Disney release, is rated PG for mild sci-fi action.

Running time: 85 minutes. Three stars out of four. Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions: General audiences. All ages admitted. PG Parental guidance suggest-.

ed. Some material may not be suitable for children. PG-13 Special parental guid- ance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children. Restricted.

Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. NC-17 No one under 1 7 The Hawaiian word "ohana" means family, and that no one gets left behind, according to Disney's latest animated adventure, "Lilo Stitch." The movie practices what it preaches. "Lilo Stitch" is a sweet, energetic, reasonably funny little confection that's all-inclusive when it comes to family appeal. For girls, there's the young spark piug Lilo (voiced by child actor Dav-eigh Chase), a Hawaiian preteen misfit with a strong will and hopeful outlook despite a troubled home life with her older sister Nani (Tia Car-rere) after their parents' deaths. For boys, there's sci-fi gadgetry galore and the Looney Tunes Tas-manian-Devil mayhem of Stitch, a destructive alien mutant who escapes his interstellar jailers and takes up residence with Lilo as her new pet "dog." For parents, there's a depiction of real-life economic and domestic strife that's unusually substantive in a cartoon, plus a sunny message of familial faith and resilience.

And for everyone, there's fetching animation with vibrant watercolors, a strong dose of clever action and an irresistible soundtrack of Elvis Presley tunes. Very young children may have trouble digesting the film's prologue, which introduces Stitch, his mad-scientist creator and an alien culture of beasties that cannot tolerate a genetic abomination such as Stitch to roam Hear Elmer Pasta talk about movies on Friday mornings at 8:45 a.m. on K- BIG FM 97.9 East Hawaii, 106. 1 West Hawaii and at 9:15 a.m. on KHLO AM850.

skills and an fhstinct to destroy. When the creature steals a spaceship and escapes to Earth, Jumba is dispatched to recapture him. Jumba is accompanied by the one-eyed Pleak-ley (Kevin McDonald), the alien equivalent of a tree-hugging environmentalist, who tags along to make sure no damage is done to Earth's endangered mosquitoes or their food source humans. To hide from his pursuers, Experiment 626 morphs into a four-limbed approximation of a dog and is adopted by Lilo, who names him Stitch. A petulant child at first, Lilo is desperately trying to rebuild the sense of family she and 19-year-old Nani lost when their parents died.

Meantime, Nanfitruggles to put free. Once the film comes to Earth, though, young ones should coast along pleasantly on the sight gags alone. "Lilo Stitch" was written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, both making their directing debuts after apprenticing in various Disney animation assignments, most notably "Mulan." The story opens with the six-limbed, floppy-eared, razor-toothed "Experiment 626" (voiced by co-director Sanders, mostly employing grunts and squeals with occasional words thrown in) sentenced to exile because of his calamitous nature. His maker, four-eyed deranged genius Jumba (David Ogden Stiers), has imbued his creation with superhero We want your Do you have story ideas or suggestions for this weekly Arts Entertainment page? If so, the Tribune-Herald welcomes your input. Please send all submissions or material to Editor David Bock at trie T-H, P.O.

Box 767, Hilo, 9672 1 or call him at 935-6621, ext. 244. I few!.