Movie Renter's
Guide
Current Movies - Part 16 - December, 1996
By John E. Johnson, Jr.
Ratings: | ||
Extraordinary | ||
Good | ||
Acceptable | ||
Mediocre | ||
Poor |
"Last Dance", Touchstone Pictures,
1996, Color, Filmed spherically and presented at measured aspect
ratio (laserdisc) 1.78:1, Surround Sound, 1 Hr 43 min, Rated R;
Sharon Stone, Rob Morrow, Randy Quaid; Rick Hayes (Morrow) joins
the Public Defender's Office, and his first case is Cindy Liggett
(Stone), convicted murderer who is waiting on Death Row for
execution. Hayes must battle not only a governor resistant to
clemency, but Liggett herself, who has been through all the
appeals over the last 12 years and is ready to give up. It turns
out that her partner in crime made a deal with the D.A., in
return for a reduced sentence, and may have been coerced to lie
about the details of the crime so that the state would have its
revenge. Hayes fights the clock as Liggett receives a death
warrant. This film is in the same vein as "Dead Man
Walking", except that there is more sympathy for the death
row inmate, in spite of a terrible crime committed.
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | explicit |
Sex: | no |
Language: | the "F" and "S" words |
"Dragonheart", Universal Pictures,
1996, Color, Filmed in Panavision and presented at measured
aspect ratio (laserdisc) 2.32:1, Surround Sound, THX, 1 Hr 43
min, Rated PG-13; Dennis Quaid, David Thewlis, Pete
Postlethwaite, Dina Meyer, Julie Christie, Sean Connery; In jolly
old England, late 10th century, the wounded son of a slain Celtic
King is taken by his mother (Christie) to a dragon's lair, where
he is given a portion of the dragon's heart in return for a
promise to be a good and merciful king, instead of a nasty one
like his father. Unfortunately, the young king Einon (Thewlis)
breaks his promise, and decides that being nasty is more fun than
being nice. His mentor, Bowen (Quaid), feels betrayed and sets
out to find the dragon. As it turns out, the dragon (voice of
Connery), is kind and gentle (awwwwwwww . . . ), and they become
friends. In fact, they hoodwink the local villages by having
Bowen pretend to kill the dragon for money. In the meantime,
Einon uses one of the villagers for archery practice, and the
man's daughter, Kara (Meyer) seeks revenge. Together, Bowen, the
dragon (Bowen names him Draco), Kara, and a minstrel named
Gilbert (Postlethwaite), who is always reciting poetry to fit
every occasion, arm the villagers and assault the king's castle.
The outcome is nastier than Einon anticipated. I thought the film
silly at first, but the computer graphics are so brilliantly
done, and Connery is terrific as the dragon, the story gripped me
within 10 minutes or so. It might scare young children though.
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | swordplay and very big axes |
Sex: | no |
Language: | no |
"The Rock", Hollywood Pictures,
1996, Color, Filmed spherically and presented at measured aspect
ratio (laserdisc) 2.27:1, Surround Sound, AC-3, THX, 1 Hr 16 min,
Rated R; Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris; General Francis
Hummel (Harris) is rather piqued that some of his men died in
battle without recognition from the U.S. Government, just because
the actions were covert. So, along with some other Marines, he
steals rockets carrying VX Poison Gas warheads, and takes
hostages at Alcatraz. He contacts the FBI and demands that one
hundred million dollars be transferred from a secret slush fund,
called the Red Sea Trading Company, to the families of those
slain in battle. Of course, a few million will go to himself and
his followers in this escapade. Otherwise, San Francisco and its
inhabitants will have a very unpleasant afternoon, via poison
gas. Dr. Stanley Goodspeed (Cage), an FBI research chemist
specializing in chemical warfare, is asked to accompany a team of
Navy SEALs to Alcatraz for the rescue of the hostages and
neutralization of the rockets. Meanwhile, they need someone who
knows the passageways that line the bowels of the island so they
can infiltrate secretly. Turns out that John Mason (Connery), who
successfully escaped Alcatraz, and who has been held for 30 years
without trial for stealing J. Edgar Hoover's secret files on
everyone from J.F.K. to Churchill, has a blueprint of Alcatraz in
his head. So, mild mannered Dr. Goodspeed, Mason, and the SEALs
launch their rescue. This is one of the best action films of the
year, with some unusual comedy lines.
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | (the laserdisc image was too tightly cropped for home TV screens; tape version will probably be much better) |
Violence: | graphic, knife in the throat, rocket in the gut, lots of exit wounds |
Sex: | yes |
Language: | I haven't heard this many "F" words since "Scarface"; other extreme vulgarities as well |
"Tin Cup", Warner Brothers, 1996,
Color, Filmed in Panavision and presented at measured aspect
ratio (laserdisc) 2.37:1, Surround Sound, 2 Hr 15 min, Rated R;
Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, Don Johnson; Roy "Tin Cup"
McAvoy used to be a great golfer, but has now retired to being a
drunken golf pro at a small town Texas driving range. Dr. Molly
Griswold (Russo) signs up for lessons, because her boyfriend,
David Simms (Johnson) is a professional golfer on the circuit.
McAvoy and Griswold become involved, but she won't leave Simms
for one reason or another. McAvoy decides to get back in shape
and compete in the U.S. Open, for himself, as well as for her
affections. If you are a golf fanatic, you will probably enjoy
this movie. Otherwise, you will find it to be a rather silly,
boring salute to such things as, ". . . letting the big dog
eat," and, "singing the double bogey blues." There
are some famous golfers who have cameo roles, but my
mother-in-law had to point them out to me.
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | (almost no stereo, let alone surround sound) |
Photography: | (good shots of Texas; I know because I was born in Fort Worth) |
Violence: | no |
Sex: | yes |
Language: | the "F" and "S" words |
"Fear",
Universal Pictures, 1996, Color, Filmed in Panavision and
presented at measured aspect ratio (laserdisc) 2.32:1, Surround
Sound, 1 Hr 37 min, Rated R; Mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon,
Alyssa Milano; Steve and Laura Walker are a typical family:
previously divorced and each brings one child to the new
marriage. Steve's daughter Nicole (Witherspoon) is a high school
student and rebellious. She meets an older (25) guy, David McCall
(Wahlberg) who seems to be the man of her dreams . . . kind,
considerate, and loving. Bit by bit, we see his real personality
unfold, and her father objects, seeing that something is not
quite right. More than that, David is a psychopath. The film
starts off a little slow, but if you are a father of a teenage
daughter, it becomes riveting as the inevitable finale
approaches.
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | graphic |
Sex: | yes |
Language: | the "F" and "S" words |
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Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity
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