The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 74

MARCH 20, 1998 8E THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER MOVIES A tale of sex, lies and unintended laughs By LAWRENCE TOPPMAN Movie Writer ust ers, derhead or one can be to a one edit natural learn movie on chow- trail- the job? Teasers of the '90s are revealing larger and of plot; watchlarger portions movie ing them is like leafing Cliff's through Notes review a before reading the entire book. Whoever assembled clips for "Wild Things" gave away twothirds of the story. Though three big plot twists go unrevealed in the trailer, they come late in the film and land right on top of each other. The rest seems like deja view. All you need to know is that respected teacher Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon) is accused of rape by two high school girls in the tony South Florida town of Blue Bay.

Kelly (Denise Richards) is the spoiled daughter of a neglectful, trampy millionaire (Theresa Russell). Susie (Neve Campbell) is the marijuana-smoking delinquent whose mother runs a WILD THINGS whole thing was camp. Who could blame them, with Susie GRADE: C-. snarling, "That's what am I to you, STARS: Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon, isn't it? Swamp trash just like Neve Campbell, Denise Richards, my mom!" Murray. My favorite moment Bill came DIRECTOR: John McNaughton.

when Robert Wagner turned up as RATING: Violence, profanity, brief a bullying lawyer. Immobile as a sex and nudity. refrigerator and menacing as RUNNING TIME: 105 minutes. Raggedy Andy, he dressed Dillon down: "You're finished here, Lombardo. Take a hike.

I see you at the edge of town. Detectives around again, you'll be finished, (Kevin Bacon) and period! Now get the outta Duquette Perez (Daphne Rubin-Vega) smell here!" Ooh, Bobby, I'm shakin'! many rats in the case and investi- Dillon and Bacon win the Battle gate. of Celebrity Cheekbones over Double- and triple-crosses fol- Campbell and the impossibly low, with cash as the prize. The voluptuous Richards. Rubin-Vega final lineup of winners and losers gives a serious performance; may startle you a bit.

But since not Bacon and Campbell hold their one of the characters is an individ- own, and Russell extends a twoual, and the plotting isn't clever decade string of cluelessness. Bill enough to make us forget that, Murray has a small, key role as a you may not give a hoot after all. lawyer. Stephen Peters' script veers as In case you can't follow the plot wildly as a pilotless skiff in the while sitting through it, stay for Everglades. Moments of drama the credits.

Scenes depict action mingle with moments of (appar- that remained implicit through ently) unintentional comedy. the movie, and you get to hear the Halfway through, the audience at unique "pop" of a tooth extracted the sneak preview decided the by pliers from a living person. Waco film has Oscar potential, UNCC connection Movie Writer live years ago, the federal government attacked a compound of people in Texas. Images of "cult leader" David Koresh prophesying, buildings burning and attorney general Janet Reno testifying before Congress have gotten jumbled in America's collective memory, maybe even tangled up with suicide cults from Jonestown to Heaven's Gate. "Waco: The Rules of Engagement" puts those visions into sharper focus.

It argues that the government was uninformed, disorganized and disastrously brutal and lied extensively about its behavior after the raid on April 19. The documentary may win an Academy Award on Monday night. In the meantime, UNC Charlotte will show it Sunday at 7 p.m. and Monday at 3:15 p.m. in Room 100 of the Fretwell Building.

Why is UNCC offering free screenings? James Tabor, one of its associate professors of religious studies, is the leading speaker in the first half-hour of the film. He explains how the Branch Davidians sprang from Seventh-day Adventists. He sets forth their beliefs, including one that says the kingdom of God will be established on Earth, rather than in heaven. A fuller account can be found in his book "Why which includes some of the documents Koresh was writing when he died. "The film has a controversial ending (in which radar footage is The The The COMedY COMedY ZONE ZONE ZONE 568-HAHA THIS WEEKEND! in Charlotte I April 3rd 4th Lenny Schultz (2 Nights Only) Mar.

20th Amazing thru Jonathon Mar. 22nd "Lounge Lizards" "Laugh-In" on Comedy Centrall Comedy Central This show is Rated This show is Rated PG IN CHARLOTTE Visit Our Other Location Tom McGillen LAKE NORMAN Mar. 25th COMEDY ZONE thru Exit 36 off of 77N Mar. 29th 455 Plaza Dr. Impressionist (behind McDonald's) This show is Rated PG Call 664-3031 Little Tony's Cafe, Karaoke Full Dinner Nightly Menu Drink 535-1119 Specials 5317 E.

Independence Blvd. (behind Friday's) FROM THE DIRECTOR OF "THE BIRDCAGE used to debunk the claim that the Davidians set the fire). But the main thing is that it puts a human face on the group," says Tabor. "You come away with the sense these were decent people who in no way wanted to die. During the siege, all you heard was 'cult That just wasn't true.

"The three great indigenous American religious movements Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventists have all focused on Bible prophecy. But people we think of as more mainstream, such as Billy Graham and Pat Robertson, have dealt with those ideas in books, The tragedy, says Tabor, is that "four days before the fire, a surrender and exit plan was worked out. The lawyers, David Koresh, (biblical scholar) Philip Arnold and I worked out legal questions: who would be indicted, what would happen to the children. Koresh was concerned about his message. So we said, 'If you write a reasonable-length exposition of it, we'll present it to the scholars of the "Janet Reno kept telling the FBI, 'Give me an argument for The FBI did not tell her about this (agreement), in which David wrote he'd come out as soon as he finished his manuscript.

So the FBI went in, and the Davidians felt they really were dealing with the Armageddon they thought would come. "I have to fault higher-ups in the FBI, who didn't take seriously the religious side of the group. And there was a split between tactical people and negotiators. If you listen to the phone records from the day before the fire, the negotiators are the best actors in the world, or they didn't know that the tanks would be rolling in with the gas." Have things gotten better? "Several of us formed a religious crisis task force, and we've had meetings with the FBI, which believes the government should get really good information. The Freedman stand-off showed that they're changing.

The government doesn't want another Waco." THE NEW YORK TIMES, Janet Maslin "TWILIGHT' IS A CLASS ACT IN A CLASSIC GENRE." TWILIGHT www.twilightmovie.com TIE COPYRIGHT 1950 BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (CONSOLIDATED THEATRES GENERAL CINEMA CARMIKE PARK TERRACE TOWER PLACE 8 TOWN CINEMA 6 Park Rd. Shop. Ctr.

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