Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, December 3, 1993 TAG: 9312030183
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: EXTRA-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB CURTRIGHT KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Yes, it's Christmas at the movies.
The big titles all seem to be dramas _ obviously flexing their muscles just in time for next spring's Oscar race _ with a range from a cutting-edge courtroom drama about AIDS to a look at Indian history through native eyes to a rush through Nazi Germany where Jews found a surprising benefactor.
The comedies are mostly sequels, but that's OK. And for children, there are animated tales about dinosaurs and Batman, although the latter is probably not for the very young.
Following are capsule looks at what Santa has in his cinema bag this year. As always, some dates may change.
DEC. 10 "Geronimo" _ Wes Studi, familiar from "The Last of the Mohicans," stars as the legendary Apache warrior as he steadfastly battles the westward push of the U.S. Army and relocation of American Indians in 1885 and 1886. Both admired for his courage and reviled for his ferocity, Geronimo was fighting to prevent the death of his homeland's spirit. Also starring are Jason Patric, Robert Duvall and Gene Hackman.
"Sister Act 2" _ The touching comic surprise of two summers ago gets a retread with Whoopi Goldberg returning as Sister Deloris, lounge singer turned "nun-dercover" agent. This time, she is lured back to St. Francis High by the exasperated sisters to give the rowdy students a musical reason for settling down and flying right. Kathy Najimy is back in the habit as the giddiest, most enthusiastic nun in the world, while Maggie Smith returns as the cynical mother superior.
"Wayne's World 2" _ Director Penelope Spheeris has jumped ship since the scatterbrained but charming original, but Mike Myers and Dana Carvey are back as the dim-witted duo, Wayne and Garth, who host a cable television show from the basement of Wayne's home. The script has changed so many times that nobody is revealing details about what's up this time.
DEC. 15
"Schindler's List" _ This is Steven Spielberg's latest attempt to be taken seriously by the Oscar people. He directs the adaptation of the Thomas Keneally novel about a high-living Nazi who sacrificed his fortune and risked his life to protect the lives of more than 1,300 Jews. The key question Spielberg explores is why he did it. Starring are Liam Neeson and Ben Kingsley.
DEC. 17 "Beethoven's 2nd" _ Last year, he found a home, grew up and stole our hearts as America's biggest _ literally _ canine star. Now, Beethoven the St. Bernard returns for another adventure, this time falling in love and starting a rambunctious, furry family certain to plague his long-suffering master (Charles Grodin) and his bemused mistress (Bonnie Hunt).
"The Pelican Brief" _ Yet one more high-powered thriller adapted from a John Grisham novel comes to the screen. Julia Roberts plays a young law student who is targeted by assassins after she writes a speculative legal brief about the who and the why behind the killing of two Supreme Court justices that apparently hits too close to home. Fleeing underground, she turns for help to an investigative reporter (Denzel Washington).
DEC. 22
"Batman: The Mask of Phantasm" _ The new and darkly stylish animated television series from Warner Bros. inspired this full-length story about the the Caped Crusader (voice of Kevin Conroy). In a surprising turn, Batman is tempted to hang up his crime-fighting cape after his alter ego's childhood sweetheart (Dana Delaney) comes back to Gotham City and rekindles the old spark. Trouble is, he is facing a new villain, the Phantasm, who bears a startling resemblance to the Dark Knight himself.
DEC. 24
"Philadelphia" _ In the first big-screen, mainstream AIDS drama, Tom Hanks plays a gay lawyer who sues his firm when he is fired after contracting the deadly disease. The high-powered lawyer he hires to represent him (Denzel Washington) turns out to be a homophobe in this film from director Jonathan Demme ("The Silence of the Lambs"). Also starring are Jason Robards, Mary Steenburgen and Antonio Banderas.
CHRISTMAS DAY "Intersection" _ Richard Gere plays a successful architect who must finally choose between his beautiful and talented wife (Sharon Stone) or his equally beautiful and talented mistress (Lolita Davidovich), a decision that will determine his future with his 13-year-old daughter. It's a character study rather than a linear story of a man who yearns to be free but can't give up the comfort of family.
"Heaven and Earth" _ After "Platoon" and "Born on the Fourth of July" comes the final part of director Oliver Stone's Vietnam trilogy, which is a look from the other side. It traces the life of a Vietnamese woman (newcomer Hiep Thi Le) through four decades and three wars as she endures the occupation of her native land and violent persecution of several armies before fleeing to America as the wife of a soldier and then returning in 1986 to reconcile her past and her future.
UNDATED "I'll Do Anything" _ Would you believe Nick Nolte in a musical comedy about an out-of-work New York actor trying to cope with caring for his precocious 6-year-old daughter? Director James L. Brooks ("Terms of Endearment," "Broadcast News") thinks that's just what we need this holiday season. Albert Brooks plays a powerful, self-absorbed producer, Joely Richardson plays his assistant and Julie Kavner is a research pollster in love with the producer. "In the Name of the Father" _ Daniel Day-Lewis reunites with director Jim Sheridan ("My Left Foot") in a riveting and grueling account of Gerry Conlon, a young Irishman who spent 14 years behind bars falsely convicted of being an IRA terrorist after a deadly pub bombing. Emma Thompson ("Howard's End") plays the attorney determined to get clear his name and free him.
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