ADDICTED TO
LOVE
Matthew Broderick and Meg Ryan play spurned lovers who team up
in New York City to spy on their respective ex-lovers, ending up
falling for each other. He's an astronomer from a small town out
to win back his childhood sweetheart; she's a hip artist who
wants to get revenge for being dumped. When they realize their
ex-lovers are living together, they camp out in a condemned
building across the street, bugging the apartment and setting
the pair up for a fall until new romance enters the picture. A
comedy for anyone who has ever felt cheated upon. Revenge is
sweet, but in this case, unfortunately, the level of unnecessary
meanness and violence escalates until, by the end, the
romantic-longing tone of the film is undermined and it's the
viewer who's left feeling cheated.
Director: Griffin Dunne. Stars: Matthew
Broderick, Meg Ryan. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 99 min.), Comedy,
1997, Box office gross: $34.465 million, (Warner Bros. 15252),
No SRP, Priced for rental, Available:
10/28
ANACONDA
A documentary film crew in search of a mysterious tribe in the
Amazon jungle rescues a crazed hunter (Jon Voight) who claims he
can help lead them to their quarry. But the real quarry turns
out to be a 40-foot anaconda snake, a killing machine so vicious
that it has become the stuff of legends. And nothing will stop
the hunter from leading the crew right into the mouth of terror.
Co-stars Eric Stoltz, Ice Cube, Jennifer Lopez.
Director: Luis Llosa. Stars: Eric Stoltz,
Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight. CC, (MPAA rating: PG-13,
90 min.), Thriller, 1997, Box office gross: $63.202 million,
(Columbia TriStar 81753), No SRP, Priced for
rental, Available: 10/7
AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL
MAN OF MYSTERY
Mike Myers is too young to have lived through the 1960s but he
sure tried to pay homage to it in this psychedelic-tinged comedy
that gives lip service to bell-bottoms and paisleys. Myers stars
as a playboy and part-time secret agent who is frozen in 1967
and thawed out in 1997 to battle a master criminal (also played
by Myers) who did likewise, leaving them both in a "cool" time
warp. As an imitation of the cheesy spoofs of cheesy spy films
of the era, its a bit cheesy. If you were looking for a true
spoof here, look elsewhere: the film revolves around bad sexual
innuendos and unfulfilled comedic setups. It's imitation without
flattery, image and words with no heart. Co-stars Elizabeth
Hurley, Robert Wagner.
Director: Jay Roach. Stars: Mike Myers,
Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York, Mimi Rogers. CC, (MPAA rating:
PG-13, 87 min.), Comedy, 1997, Box office gross: $53.280
million, (New Line 4577), No SRP, Priced for
rental, Available: 10/21
BATMAN & ROBIN
The fourth installment in the "Batman" big screen series
disappointed many but still made hay at the box office; the
beauty of those sets and costumes made up for the silly action
and acting. Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Poison Ivy
(Uma Thurman) want to make Gotham City frigid and it's up to
Batman (George Clooney) and Robin (Chris O'Donnell) with new
partner Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone) to melt the ice.
Director: Joel Schumacher. Stars: George
Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alicia Silverstone, Chris
O'Donnell, Uma Thurman. CC, (MPAA rating: PG-13, 124 min.),
Action, 1997, Box office gross: $106.000 million, (Warner Bros.
16500), $22.97 SRP, Available:
10/21
BREAKDOWN
There's non-stop heart-throbbing fear and action in this
thriller about a married couple (Kurt Russell and Kathleen
Quinlan) on a trip from Boston to San Diego who get stranded in
the Southwest desert when their car breaks down. A passing
trucker give her a ride to get help and when she disappears,
Russell goes after her full speed ahead. It soon becomes a
vicious cat and mouse game as Russell is alternately the hunter
and then the hunted. A well-tuned specimen of the genre.
Director: Jonathan Mostow. Stars: Kurt Russell,
J.T. Walsh, Kathleen Quinlan. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 93 min.),
Thriller, 1997, Box office gross: $50 million, (Paramount
334543), No SRP, Priced for rental,
Available: 10/14
DOUBLE TEAM
The casting for this one must have looked great on paper: team
up boy-next-door action hero Jean-Claude Van Damme with enfant
terrible of basketball Dennis Rodman and pit them against
Hollywood's own bad boy Mickey Rourke in an action adventure
about a secret society of "retired" terrorists and counter-
terrorists (a bit too similar to "The Prisoners'" village
without the benefit of homage). At the heart of the story is Van
Damme's attempt to save his wife and newborn son from the
vengeful terrorist Rourke, but what needed saving was the
meandering story line.
Director: Tsui Hark. Stars: Jean-Claude Van
Damme, Dennis Rodman, Mickey Rourke. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 93
min.), Thriller, 1997, Box office gross: $11.313 million,
(Columbia TriStar 83233), No SRP, Priced for
rental, Available: 10/14
FIFTH ELEMENT,
THE
In the 23rd century an unlikely hero arises to help fight the
anti-life, anti-energy dark being that has waited centuries to
grow in strength to extinguish all life in the universe. Bruce
Willis stars as a New York cabby enlisted by a priest (Ian Holm)
to save a cloned "supreme being" (Milla Jovovich) from an agent
of Evil (Gary Oldman) and bring her to Egypt where she will
merge with the four elements - earth, wind, fire, water - to
save the universe from destruction. The real fifth element in
this saga is the terrific special effects, which just barely
overcome a script packed with way too much information: Though a
bit lumpy, the wild and wooly futuristic ride is great in dark
room with the stereo pumped up as loud as your neighbors will
allow. Now if Bruce Willis could just learn some new moves.
Director: Luc Besson. Stars: Bruce Willis, Gary
Oldman, Ian Holm, Milla Jovovich. CC, (MPAA rating: PG-13, 127
min.), Science fiction, 1997, Box office gross: $61.138
million, (Columbia TriStar 82403), No SRP, Priced
for rental, Available: 10/28
GROSSE POINTE
BLANK
Here's a weird comedy with a great premise: a hit man (John
Cusack) returns home for his 10-year high school reunion to
reunite with the girl (Minnie Driver) he left behind while at
the same time making one last hit before retiring. Standing
between him and his search for love and understanding is an
archrival hitman (Dan Aykroyd) out to erase his future. Throw in
some government agents and a paranoid shrink and you have a
bizarre scenario. The whole outing had the makings of an offbeat
gem, but the final execution leaves something to be desired.
Director: George Armitage. Stars: John Cusack,
Minnie Driver, Dan Aykroyd. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 106 min.),
Comedy, 1997, Box office gross: $27.911 million, (Hollywood
10040), No SRP, Priced for rental,
Available: 10/14
NIGHT FALLS ON
MANHATTAN
An idealistic street cop (Andy Garcia) turned D.A., thrust into
the limelight after a headline-making case, experiences personal
and professional betrayal after uncovering a crime and coverup
among those close to him. Director Sidney Lumet's typical look
at the underbelly of crime and corruption among the rich and
powerful in high places. Co-stars Richard Dreyfuss, Lena Olin,
Ron Leibman and Ian Holm.
Director: Sidney Lumet. Stars: Andy Garcia,
Richard Dreyfuss, Lena Olin, Ian Holm. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 114
min.), Drama, 1997, Box office gross: $9.881 million,
(Republic Entertainment 6292), No SRP, Priced for
rental, Available: 10/14
SIXTH MAN, THE
College basketball brothers Antoine (Kadeem Hardison) and Kenny
(Marlon Wayans) are taking their team to an NCAA basketball
tournament when Antoine dies. Younger brother Kenny is left to
carry on the withering dream alone -- the team has fallen into a
terrible slump -- until the ghost of his brother appears,
helping them slam dunk their way to the championships. Pranks
and wise- cracking bits come to center court before the
heartfelt conclusion. There's some funny moments here but not
for long as the willing suspension of disbelief becomes
suspended.
Director: Randall Miller. Stars: Marlon Wayans,
Kadeem Hardison. CC, (MPAA rating: PG-13, 109 min.), Comedy,
1997, Box office gross: $14.633 million, (Touchstone 10444),
No SRP, Priced for rental, Available:
10/21
THAT OLD
FEELING
Bette Midler and Dennis Farina star in this comedy about a
happily divorced couple of 12 years who, despite their mutual
disdain, rekindle the flames of desire. Midler plays a movie
diva and Farina is the ex-husband thrown together at daughter
Molly's wedding to a stuffy conservative politician. When the
sparks fly and the parents disappear for a fling, Molly chases
after them. When the politics of the bedroom are thrown for a
loop, everyone learns something new about affairs of the heart,
though the sputtering, rambling story line makes it difficult to
get all the way to the end.
Director: Carl Reiner. Stars: Bette Midler,
Dennis Farina. CC, (MPAA rating: PG-13, 85 min.), Comedy,
1997, Box office gross: $16.112 million, (Universal 83214),
No SRP, Priced for rental, Available:
10/7
WILD AMERICA
Three brothers hop into their truck and go in search of
adventure and endangered species in mid-1960s America. Armed
only with a 16mm movie camera, the brothers face off against a
hungry alligator, an enraged moose, and a den of angry grizzly
bears in this enticing family adventure. Inspired by the true
story of the Stouffer brothers, whose PBS documentary series
captured the mystery, majesty and charm of nature's endangered
creatures. Stars Jonathan Taylor Thomas.
Director: William Dear. Stars: Jonathan Taylor
Thomas, Devon Sawa, Scott Bairstow, Frances Fisher. CC, (MPAA
rating: PG, 102 min.), Family Adventure, 1997, Box office
gross: $7.206 million, (Warner Home Video 15580), $22.96
SRP, Available: 10/21
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