Santa Cruz Sentinel from Santa Cruz, California • Page 54

6 Friday, May 17, 1991 Spotlight Santa Cruz Sentinel SPECIAL LIMITED ENGAGEMENT. NOW THRU WEDNESDAY ONLY. How playing at a theater near you "THE MOST SPECTACULAR CINEMATIC PRODUCT OF THE GLASTNOST ERA" -Dave Kehr. CHICAGO TRIBUNE "ONE OF THE MOST ACCESSIBLE SOVIET FILMS THAT'S MADE ITS WAY THROUGHT THE GLASNOST THAW." -Bob Strauss, Daily News "PICK OF THE WEEK. FULL OF TRAGEDY, IRONY AND A SAWY HUMOR." -Ella Taylor, LA Weekly 1990 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL WINNER 1 CAMERA n'OR Freeze.

Die. COiVIE TO LIFE A FILM BY VITALV KANEVSKI STARRING PAVEL NAZAROVond DINARA DRUKAROVA A UNrlLM PKODUCTION AN INTERNATIONAL FILM EXCHANGE RELEASE NIGHTLY AT 7:00, 9:00 SATURDAY SUNDAY BARGAIN SHOWS AT 3:00. 5:00 By RICK CHATENEVER Spotlight editor THE following are mini-reviews and previews of movies you can currently see in the Santa Cruz area: "CLASS ACTION," (R), The Movie 426-9)09 Gene llackman and Mary Eliza-beth Mastrantonio play lather and daughter who both happen to be lawyers and both happen to be working on the same case only on opposite sides. He's the civil liberties champion; she's the ambitious woman on her way up San Francisco's cutthroat corporate ladder. Any resemblance to the father-daughter-courtroom connection in last year's "Music Box." or the box office appeal of "Presumed Innocent'' is purely intentional, at least as far as the producers are concerned.

Hackman is as reliable as ever, equally capable of exploding or melting your heart in any given scene. Happily. Mastrantonio isn't intimidated and can more than hold her side of the screen as his equally stubborn daughter. It's a good thing the two of them are so appealing, because everything else including the script of this Michael AptedJirected project looks a catalogue of Bay Area cliches, straight out of Focus Magazine or the Macy's ad in the Sunday paper. "DANCES WITH WOLVES," (PG -13), 41st Avenue Playhouse.

476-8841 Yes, it really is as good as all those Oscars would have you believe. Kevin Costner rewrites the book on the great American western, starring and directing this epic tale of a Union officer who goes out to find the frontier while it's still there, and along the way falls in love with the Indians. Movie is expansive and inspiring, letting the Native Americans speak their own language and bring to the screen something of their spirituality and their way of living on the land. Costner is as charismatic as ever in the role of U. John Dunbar, a boyish hero who realizes the Indians' way of life makes more sense than most of what he left behind.

Movie is long but beautiful: you could take hours more. Wonderful Oscar nominees Mary McDonnell and Graham Greene head a supporting cast featuring Rodney A. Grant, Floyd Westerman and Tantoo Cardinal. Majestic production is both a spectacular adventure, and a long overdue chapter in the history of what it means to be human. Winner ol Oscars for directing, writing, music, cinematography and, of course, Best Picture, it's not just a great movie, but also a unique and very personally moving experience.

"DEFENDING YOUR LIFE," (PG), UA Cinema, First in what's sure to be a wave of this comic look at romance in the afterlife is written and directed by its star, the quietly wacky Albert Brooks. He plays a guy who dies, then gets sent to the big judgement place literally in the sky where he has to make good on the movie's title. It's not a question of heaven and hell, but rather, if you blew it this time, you've gotta keep coming back to earth until you get it right. Just to complicate things, there's Meryl Streep. an angel if you ever saw "FX2 THE DEADLY ART OF ILLUSION," (PG-13), UA Cinema, No.

the title isn't what happens when you put a gorilla at the typewriter. As every Brian Dennehy fan knows, it is instead the sequel to the 1986 surprise hit "FX." That title as every reader of Premiere Magazine knows -refers to movie special effects, and Brian Brown returns as a Rollie Tyler, a wizard in the field. Script has him now making hightech toys and buddy Leo McCarthy (Dennehy) now retired from the police force pursuing a career as a private eye. The gimmick has them both coming out of quasi-retirement to concoct the most elaborate illusion yet. to trap a killer.

Rachel Ticotin and Joanna Glea-son co-star; Richard Franklin directs. "THE GRIFTERS," Capitola Theatre. 475-3518 The title is leftover from the '40s and '50s a term referring to the way. con artists identified themselves. The look and spirit are also holdovers from the golden age of noir, but the setting is modern day Los Angeles.

Here Anjclica Huston, John Cusack and Annette Bening play a mother, son and young woman, respectively, bringing their different styles to the art of scheming and deceiving. Martin Scorsese produces this project which won acting awards galore for Huston, including a Best Actress Oscar nomination. It also marks the first Ail-American project for English director Stephen Frears Beautiful Laundrette" and "Dangerous and got him his own Oscar nomination for his trouble. While the sleazy meanness in the script fits right into Frears' basically cynical outlook on life, he's not really on top of his Americanisms. Audiences who prefer a snicker over a good laugh may like the black humor and bizarre violence, but more normal folks will rightfully declare the whole thing twisted and not worth the trouble.

"HOME ALONE," (PG). Scotts Valley Cinema, 438-3260 Writer-producer John Hughes managed to get his mean streak under control long enough to create this entirely delightful comedy about an eight-year-old accidentally left at home when his family heads off to spend Christmas in Paris. You all know the story by now, but you'll love it anyway, thanks to the unique heroics of young Macau-lay Culkin and the lovable villainy of Pesci and Stern. Along with Culkin, who's terrific, Hughes and director Chris Columbus manage to make their little hero human and also manage to make the movie hilarious and touching by turns, and genuinely enjoyable throughout. John Heard and Catherine O'Hara co-star, with John Candy showing up for an unannounced cameo.

"A KISS BEFORE DYING," (R), Scotts Valley Cinema, 438-3260 Actually, movie is quite dead before the kissing starts, thanks to a wooden performance by Sean Young and a waste of the talents of Matt Dillon. He plays a moody type guy who has a thing for a couple of wealthy sisters, but likes to express his affection by murdering them. It's supposed to be noir for the '90s. but looks more like remedial reading, judging from the way Young delivers her lines. James Dearden should have stuck to screenwriting his directing debut here suggests he doesn't know how to do it.

"LA FEMME NIKITA," (R), Nickelodeon, 426-7500 The entirely enchanting Anne Parillaud stars in this offbeat spy adventure the French film industry is counting on to singlchandediy bring hack interest in foreign movies in the U.S. Nikita the name was borrowed from a song popular when she BERNARD-PIERRE DONHADIEU GENE BERV0ETS was born begins the movie as a punk junkie who kills a cop in a bungled burglary. She's sentenced to death, but goes for something worse a government makeover into a chic, lethal suiier agent woman. Luc Besson "The Big isn't too good at making things make sense, but he's got style tu spare. Film goes from the gutter to the plushest settings, rewriting the manual on career opportunities in spyassassin field.

If you can get past the lapses, gaping holes and other problems in the story, the film is brutal but fun. And star Parillaud is an extra added attraction, not acting so much as completely-captivating everyone including the audience in her range. "L.A. STORY," (PG-13), Del Mar, 425-0616 Steve Martin once again writes the script coming up with results that rival his extraordinary "Roxanne" lor this modern fable of life in the city of the future. He plays a wacky TV weatherman who falls for a delightful English journalist who bears a striking resemblance to Martin's real life wife.

Victoria Tennant. At some point he has to choose between her and someone named SanDeE, played in movie-stealing fashion by one Sarah Jessica Parker. SanDeE can't walk across a room without doing two pirouettes: along the way she elevates ditziness to line art. In fact, almost everything about Martin's script and work in front of the camera is fine art. He is the supreme tour guide to the inherent surrealism of L.A., and to the city's un canny ability to be a parody of itself.

While he hits all the targets with wit and whimsy, his touch is gentle and loving. From the art museum he roller skates through to the electric freeway condition sign which teaches him the meaning of life, movie is a feast of riches. "MANNEQUIN TWO: ON THE MOVE," 41st Avenue Playhouse, 476-8841 How the first one ever became a big enough hit to warrant a sequel is one of those mysteries for the ages and so is the premise of this wannabe romantic comedy. This time the manne quin (Kristy Swanson) is really a 1,000 year-old peasant girl waking up from a spell cast by a nasty sorcerer. William Ragsdale inherits the Andrew McCarthy part of the college kid working his way through college by doing department store displays.

Snippy Meshach Taylor the best thing about Mannequin the hirst is back to head the supporting cast, under the direction of Stewart Raffill. "MISERY," (R), Skyview Drive-In, 475-3405 Kathy Bates really did deserve that Oscar she got as Best Actress in this fun-filled adaptation of a Stephen King thriller, skillfully directed by Rob Reiner. King's adaptation of his best-seller pits a physically injured novelist (James Caan) against one fruitcake of a fan (Bates), winner take all. Caan plays a successful mystery writer who has just killed off his much-loved romantic heroine Misery Chastain when he has an auto accident on a mountain road. Fortunately for him, he's found by Bates.

Unfortunately for him, she is one mighty admirer of Misery and will do anything to save her. Richard Farn-sworth, Frances Sternhagen and Lauren Ba call co-star. Reiner quickly masters the Hitchcock genre, getting screams of fear and fun from the audience as the war of will tautens into more violent stuff. The confined Caan is very believable and remember, you read about Bates' Oscar prospects here first. "MORTAL THOUGHTS," (R).

Del Mar, 425-0616: Skyview Drive-In, 475-3405 Bruce Willis doesn't even take top billing in wife Demi Moore's movie (she co-produced it) but that may be because he's not around too long. He plays the obnoxious husband of Demi's best friend, and fellow beautician (Glenne Deadly). Bruce is so unpleasant, his murder is relatively good news. Well, not too good, since Demi's a suspect. Movie revolves, literally, around her interrogation by cop Harvey Keitel.

exploring friendship between women, not to mention manners and morals in New Jersey in the process. The always interesting Alan Rudolph directs, coming up with fine performances and a tone of delicious irony but not bothering too much with the easier whodunnit stuff. "MR. AND MRS. BRIDGE," (PG-13), Capitola Theatre.

475-3518 Mr. and Mrs. Paul Newman (Joanne Woodward) depart from their own artistic milieu and spaghet ti sauce empire to play the title couple, sturdy foundations of an upper-middle-class family moving through the '30s and '40s. Margaret Welsh. John Bell and Kyra Sedgwick play the offspring, growing into their own identities and problems as their parents are incapable of doing anything but withdrawing into rigid habits and empty memories.

The oh-so-fashionable Merchant Ivory team producer Ismail Merchant, director James Ivory, screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala -are at the helm here, steering things in a cultured, meaningful, civilized direction. Woodward got a Best Actress nod for her efforts, but the most amazing thing about the film is how absolutely stow it is, as it ponders Please see Page 7 -THE- II I one, who doesn't seem to be headed in the same direction as Albert. Movie turns out to be utterly blissful, not to mention often hilari a film by GEORGE SlUIZEP (01 990 MOVIE VISIONS TAIM ttUASINS ous, from beginning to end. The premise is ingenious and the follow-through impressive, with Brooks back in rare form and Meryl NIGHTLY AT 6:30, 8:30 SATURDAY SUNDAY BARGAIN SHOW AT 4:20 Streep more appealing than you can believe. Highly, highly recommended.

NOW TOGETHER! MUST END SOON! I I ART SIX DAYS! I 0" SMART AND WITTY. UfMifVt A cross between early John Lennon fVi1 i liiii-niimnni-inlliiiif ii I VW and Monty Python." gfcjkUJ3 "TWO THUMBS UP! fa 9 Ql 0 IV A REALLY GOOD A JT "DAZZLING." 1 I I FILM!" 1 fcj fl SUSANCOISTMS NIGHTLY: SUPERSTAR 6 30, 10:05 OBJECT OF BEAUTY 4:35 SAT SUN BARGAIN SHOWS: SUPERSTAR 2:50. OBJECT 8:15 LAST 6 DAYS! NIGHTLY 10:20 SAT SUN 2:45 mum CHILUREN UNOI JtR HVt ADMITTED unW nnilinnunnM'' cuufiiv mFflunnuc tun uniifuv niuniLi i.ia.a. a -r rcuiuiinu lflE1f unc LUOTrUKf J. SUNDAY AFTERNOONS AND MONDAY EVENINGS ONLY LIIHHIIIN Xl RATXSllNBABfiAIN b--.

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r. ima Lincoln Cedar 426-7500 303 Potreto Street, Santa Cruz 427-171 1.