THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 12, 1994 TAG: 9409100051
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Mal Vincent
LENGTH: Long : 339 lines
NOW THAT THE summer popcorn season is over, it's time for movies to get serious.
Coming off the most successful summer movie season in history, the movie industry is not taking the usual slack-time fall break. Instead, a varied list of features pours into theaters in record numbers. Everyone from Frankenstein to Sharon Stone will show up on screen. Tom Cruise becomes a vampire and Arnold Schwarzenegger becomes pregnant.
Studios once avoided September because of a national institution known as the ``fall TV season,'' when favorite shows returned to the air and new series were unveiled. The networks, however, largely ruined their franchise by premiering shows throughout the year.
This year, the movie industry is aiming at an all-time record. To reach the goal, they have to sell well over $5 billion in tickets by Dec. 31.
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain because, when it comes to scheduling, there is nothing sacred. Opening dates are subject to change at any moment.
For September through November, though, these are the flicks that Hollywood will offer - and most of them are not summer leftovers. Let's go shopping.
Sept. 16
``Timecop'' - Jean-Claude Van Damme has a big budget ($28 million) this time and even a plot. It's the year 2094 and time-traveling is possible, but forbidden. Jean-Claude goes back in time to prevent a crooked politician (Ron Silver) from changing history.
``The New Age'' - Judy Davis and Peter Weller are so broke that they can't afford a divorce. In this dark, offbeat comedy, they open a boutique to try to save some money as well as the marriage.
``Princess Caraboo''- Phoebe Cates, the youngish wife of actor Kevin Kline, plays a mysterious beauty who wows them in small-town England. They think she's an exotic beauty from the East Indies. Only a troublesome reporter, Stephen Rea of ``The Crying Game,'' doubts her. Even hubby Kline makes an appearance. This one was a hit at the Montreal World Film Festival.
``Blue Sky'' - Jessica Lange makes another Oscar bid as a wanton wife on the loose. Tommy Lee Jones is her husband, a military scientist without a clue. It's the last film directed by Tony Richardson (Oscar winner for ``Tom Jones'' and the father of actress Natasha Richardson).
``A Simple Twist of Fate'' (opening date not set) - Steve Martin, the comic who constantly dares to try offbeat vehicles, wrote, produced and stars in this comedy-drama loosely based on ``Silas Marner.'' It's about a skinflint who adopts a little girl and then wants to keep her when her biological father, Gabriel Byrne, shows up. Catherine O'Hara and Stephen Baldwin co-star.
``Rapa Nui'' (opening date not set) - Jason Scott Lee is pumped up and shirtless throughout this outing as a native on Easter Island before it was discovered by the Europeans. Esai Morales battles him over the affections of Sandrine Holt. Native stuff, with lots of vegetation.
``Nostradamus'' - When this guy spoke, he often got things right. It's a biography of the 16th-century French scientist who predicted World War II and Kennedy's assassination.
Sept. 23
``The Shawshank Redemption'' - Pals in jail. Male bonding and a lot of Oscar talk already. Tim Robbins is a banker convicted of murdering his wife. Morgan Freeman (who used to drive Miss Daisy) is a lifer. Based on a short story by Stephen King, this cnronicles a 20-year friendship between the two guys serving in Maine's Shawshank State Prison.
``Terminal Velocity'' - Skydiving! It had to become an action flick sooner or later. Charlie Sheen, perhaps the world's worst actor still getting top billing, is a teacher who gets involved with a KGB mystery woman (Nastassja Kinski, who's been away from movies for a long time). The budget is over $50 million, so there should be some nifty special effects. But do we have to start worrying about the KGB again?
``Quiz Show'' - TV is on trial in the eagerly awaited metaphor directed by Robert Redford (Oscar-winning director for ``Ordinary People''). Watch for the performance of Ralph Fiennes (Oscar-nominated last year for ``Schindler's List'') as golden boy Charles Van Doren on the quiz show ``Twenty-One.'' John Turturro is nerdy contestant Herb Stempel and Rob Morrow, from TV's ``Northern Exposure,'' heads Congress toward an investigation. Paul Scofield (Oscar winner for ``A Man for All Seasons'') plays Van Doren's father. More than just about the quiz show scandals of 1958, it's about America losing its innocence.
Sept. 30
``The Scout'' - Albert Brooks plays a down-on-his-luck baseball scout who discovers a hot rookie pitcher (played by Brendan Fraser). The kid is wild but he just might keep Brooks from being banished to Mexico. Play ball already!
Jason's Lyric'' - The effect of a father's death on his two sons is examined by fledgling director Doug McHenry in a film which had to be recut to avoid get the dreaded NC-17 rating. Forest Whitaker is the father. The sons are Allen Payne, a quiet appliance store clerk, and Bokeem Woodbine, a jailbird and gang member.
``The River Wild'' - Meryl Streep is tired of merely winning Oscars. She's out, with oars firmly in hand, to muscle in on the action-flick trade. She's rafting down a wild Montana river with quietish husband David Strathairn when, in addition to the rapids, she has to take on bad guy Kevin Bacon. She'll even attempt the trip with no noticeable accent.
``Second Best'' - William Hurt (where's he been?) plays a postmaster in a quiet Welsh Village who adopts a 10-year-old London street boy. The boy still worships his loutish real father and Hurt has to prove he isn't second best. A small and personal drama.
``Sleep With Me'' - When a guy falls in love with his best friend's wife, trouble ensues. In a comedy-drama featuring much improvised dialogue, Eric Stoltz and Meg Tilly are two sides of the triangle.
``The Professional'' - The first American film to be directed by hot French director Luc Besson (``La Femme Nikita''), this has Jean Reno as a hit man who tries to hide out in New York City from Gary Oldman. Reno adopts street-waif Natalie Portman along the way.
``The Glass Shield'' (date not set) - Racism in the Los Angeles Police Department is exposed with a plot to frame Ice Cube. Michael Boatman plays a rookie cop whose life is threatened when he attempts to expose the scheme.
``Great Moments in Aviation'' (date not set) - A transatlantic voyage turns into a romantic adventure with Vanessa Redgrave, Dorothy Tutin, Jonathan Pryce and John Hurt.
Oct. 7
``Pulp Fiction'' - Winner of the Cannes Film Festival, there is much talk about Quentin Tarantino's latest venture into sharp dialogue and merciless violence. He tells three related stories, inspired by crime novels of the 1930s and 1940s. The cast includes a revived John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Rosanna Arquette, Amanda Plummer, Eric Stoltz, Christopher Walken and Harvey Keitel.
``Only You'' - A schoolteacher runs off to Italy after both her Ouija board and a fortune teller advise her to get out of her engagement. Marisa Tomei is a pert searcher who finds Robert Downey Jr. It may be the dating movie of the season.
``A Troll in Central Park'' - This animated feature was pulled out of the summer to get out of the way of ``The Lion King. Dom De Luise is a nice troll who is banished to New York's Central Park by bad troll Cloris Leachman.
``The Specialist'' - Yet-another movie about explosives. Sylvester Stallone is a bomb expert drawn out of retirement when blonde Sharon Stone hires him to avenge the death of her family, killed at the hands of Cuban-American mobsters in Miami. James Woods plays the most evil of the bad guys. Between explosions, sensuality is promised.
``Ed Wood'' - Johnny Depp is again teamed with director Tim Burton in this off-beat biography of the man who has been called ``the worst director of all time.'' Ed Wood, who liked to wear dresses and high heels at home, directed ``Glen or Glenda'' and ``Plan 9 from Outher Space,'' movies that were delightfully awful. Depp reportedly has great legs. Bill Murray will also wear a dress. There's talk of supporting Oscar possibilities for Sarah Jessica Parker and Martin Landeau (who plays Bela Lugosi). It's sure to be one of the season's oddities.
``It's Pat'' - Yet another movie based on a ``Saturday Night Live'' sketch. Postponed from both the summer and September, Julia Sweeney's androgynous character is finally getting a feature movie. Can it be stretched to 90 minutes?
Oct. 12
``The Browning Version'' - Terrence Rattigan's play has been made into a movie starring Albert Finney as the British schoolteacher who upsets his wife's plans when he decides to retire. She ( femme fatale Greta Scacchi) has been having an affair with a visiting American (Matthew Modine). Triangles almost never fail at the box office.
Oct. 14
``Love Affair'' - The third remake of the sentimental yarn about a playboy who meets his love on an ocean liner and then loses her when she doesn't show up for a rendezvous at the Empire State Building. It stars newlyweds Warren Beatty and Annette Bening. He's engaged to Kate Capshaw (Mrs. Steven Spielberg) but true love will find a way. ``An Affair to Remember'' was canonized recently in ``Sleepless in Seattle.'' Katharine Hepburn makes a surprise return to movies as Warren's aunt. If it works, the tears will flow freely.
``Bullets Over Broadway'' - Woody Allen returns with his lightest, and broadest, comedy since ``Broadway Danny Rose.'' It's set in the Jazz Age and concerns a Broadway opening amidst troublesome crime mobsters. The cast includes Dianne Wiest, Jennifer Tilly, Tracey Ullman, Mary-Louise Parker and Rob Reiner.
``Exit to Eden'' - An S&M comedy romance? Hey, there's something for everybody this fall. Dana Delaney is the lady with a whip and Paul Mercurio (that hot dancer from ``Strictly Ballroom'') is the guy she wants to teach submission. Dan Aykroyd and Rosie O'Donnell are cops who sneak into the kinky sex club. It's directed by funnyman Gary Marshall and fully intends to go over the top.
``Little Giants'' - Ed O'Neill and Rick Moranis are brothers and rival Pop Warner football coaches. O'Neill is the villain with star athletes and Rick is left with the fumbling rejects. Wanna guess who wins?
``I Like It Like That'' - Director Darnell Martin has made an autobiographical film about her upbringing in the Bronx. A Puerto Rican woman contends with a rowdy husband, three unruly children, a transvestite brother and a lecherous boss. Lauren Velez has the role.
``Imaginary Crimes'' - Harvey Keitel is a con-man left with two daughters after his wife's death. Fairuza Balk is a sensitive teen-ager who lacks respect for him. Set in the 1960s.
``S.F.W.'' - Don't ask. We can not print the full title. Stephen Dorff (the fifth Beatle in ``Backbeat'') is a suburban punk who becomes famous when he's taken hostage in a convenience store. Didn't we already get this fame-is-decadent thing in ``Natural Born Killers?''
Oct. 21
``The Road to Wellville'' - Anthony Hopkins plays John Kellogg of Kellogg's cereals - a health and food fadist. Directed by Alan Parker, it is based on the satirical novel by T. Coraghessan Boyle. Bridget Fonda and Matthew Broderick play health spa clients who are driven insane. An unlikely comic outing for Hopkins has buzz going about yet-another Oscar nomination.
``Radioland Murders'' - It's opening night for a radio station in 1939 and someone is murdered. Mary Stuart Masterson (``Fried Green Tomatoes'') and Brian Benben are the battling couple.Mel Smith directs the comedy with lots of people hanging from ledges and such.
``Trapped in Paradise'' - Nicolas Cage, Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey play the Firpo brothers (stange genetics?) who plan to rob a bank on Christmas Eve. The small-town goodness of the natives almost kills them with kindness. It's ``Dog Day Afternoon'' and ``Home Alone'' combined with more than a hint of ``We're No Angels.''
``Pontiac Moon'' - Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen co-star in this off-beat comedy about an eccentric teacher who takes his son and sets off on a crosscountry trip to parallel the Apollo lunar mission. Steenburgen is his estranged wife. Cathy Moriarty co-stars and Peter Medak directed.
``Wes Craven's New Nightmare'' - The good news is that this is not ``Nightmare on Elm Street, Part VII.'' The bad news is that Robert Englund has again found employment. It's yet another mishmash about confusing fantasy and reality.
``Clerks'' - Two employees at a New Jersey convenience store talk dirty in a character study that won awards at both Sundance and Cannes Festivals. Directed by Kevin Smith, the film got a NC-17 rating just for its dialogue. It has been cut, and now has an R rating.
``Oleanna'' - The off-Broadway play set off wars between the sexes for hours after people saw it. David Mamet writes and directs the screen version, all about a college professor (William Macy) who is accused of sexually harrassing a student (Debra Eisenstadt). Did he or didn't he?
Oct. 28
``Stargate'' - A $50 million budget should give the other-worldly special effects show a glitzy look. Kurt Russell and James Spada are transported to a distant planet ruled by none other than Jaye Davidson (``The Crying Game''). Just to make things interesting, Jaye plans to conquer the world. It's the big sci-fi spectacle of the fall.
``Nobody's Fool'' - Paul Newman has his best role in years, and may be going for an eighth Oscar nomination, as a down-and-out construction worker who seeks the son he abandoned years ago. Melanie Griffith is the daughter-in-law who becomes his romantic interest, Jessica Tandy is his landlady and Bruce Willis is his boss.
``Squanto: A Warrior's Tale'' - A native American warrior survives shipwreck and slavery and goes on to help the Pilgrims settle. It's from Disney.
``Silent Fall'' - Richard Dreyfuss and John Lithgow are duelling therapists treating a 9-year-old boy who has witnessed a double murder. Linda Hamilton of ``Terminator'' co-stars and Ben Faulkner has the all-important role of the autistic boy. Directed by Bruce Beresford.
``Curse of the Starving Class'' - Sam Shepard's play about a poverty-ridden couple who hate their lives and each other stars James Woods and Kathy Bates.
``DROP Squad'' - Racial identity is the subject of this drama about an African-American business executive who turns his back on his background in order to get success. Vanessa Williams is in the cast.
``...And God Spoke'' (set for Oct. but no specific date) - A comedy about two bumbling moviemakers who are trying to make a Biblical epic in the 1990s. Called a ``mockumentary,'' it's a funny idea.
``Hoop Dreams'' - A documentary about the black urban experience follows two boys from inner-city Chicago to their entry to college. Their ticket is the fact that they can play basketball. It won an award at the Sundance Festival.
``The Last Seduction'' - From the director of ``Red Rock West,'' another thriller about a mean woman. Linda Fiorentino involves her husband (Bill Pullman) in a drug deal and then skips town with the profits.
``Murder in the First'' - Kevin Bacon, after molesting Meryl Streep earlier in the season, is now serving time in Alcatraz for petty thievery. He brutally kills the man who put him in solitary confinement for three years. Christian Slater is his lawyer, who maintains his client was driven to it. Gary Oldman, who will have a busy season, plays a sadistic associate warden.
``The Puppet Masters'' - Alien creatures are taking over the bodies and souls of folks in a small midwestern town. Sound familiar? The trick is to kill the alien things withough destroying the humans. It's based on a 1951 novel and stars Donald Sutherland.
Nov. 4
``Mary Shelley's Frankenstein'' - If there was ``Bram Stoker's Dracula,'' wasn't this sure to follow? Here's hoping it's better. Kenneth Branagh (director of ``Henry V'' and ``Much Ado About Nothing'') directs as well as plays the good doctor. Helena Bonham Carter (``Howard's End,'' ``Room With a View'') is his newlywed love. The surprise casting, though, is Robert DeNiro as the creature. (``Are you talking to me?'') Branagh promises that this one goes back to the gothic romance foundtation of the original novel. It promises to be the season's big horror show.
Nov. 11
``Interview with the Vampire'' - Toothy Tom Cruise takes on the coveted role of Lestat, the vampire, in a film directed by Neil Jordan (``The Crying Game'') and based upon Anne Rice's classic. Rice objected to the casting but Cruise is out to prove that ``Born on the Fourth of July'' was no fluke. Christian Slater, replacing the late River Phoenix, plays the interviewer. Brad Pitt is Louis, the weary plantation owner.
``The War'' - In the spirit of ``To Kill a Mockingbird,'' this is a coming-of-age drama set in the South. Directed by Jean Avnet, the star is young Elijah Wood, who is reportedly getting a push for a best actor Oscar nomination. Kevin Costner, who produced, is the father - a Vietnam vet who hopes to find work and keep the kids off the streets.
``The Santa Clause'' - Tim Allen, in a break from his ``Home Improvement'' TV assignment, plays a bitter Dad who finds a Santa Claus suit left by the real thing and promptly wins over his son. This is from the Disney studio.
``The Crossing Guard'' - Sean Penn directs Jack Nicholson, Anjelica Huston and David Morse in a drama about a man trying to get revenge upon a drunken driver who killed his daughter. The casting of estranged sweeties, Nicholson and Huston, sparks interest.
``The Pagemaster'' (opening date not set) - Twentieth Century-Fox, taking a look at all the money Disney is making, is attempting to turn out a holiday classic all its own. Macaulay Culkin is on screen briefly before nutty librarian Christopher Lloyd (``Back to the Future'') turns him into a cartoon. It's a mixture of animation and live action.
``Miracle on 34th Street'' (opening date not set) - There are those of us, quiet though we may be, who favor the orignal 1947 movie version of this even more than ``It's a Wonderful Life.'' So why are they remaking it? Sir Richard Attenborough stars. Elizabeth Perkins plays Maureen O'Hara and little Mara Wilson has the Natalie Wood role, a cynical little girl who questions the existence of Santa.
Nov. 18
``The Swan Princess'' - In an attempt to break the monopoly held by the Disney studio, $35 million has been spent on this animated feature. Jack Palance provides the voice of an evil sorcerer who threatens princess Sandy Duncan. She is saved by a frog with the voice of John Cleese.
``Star Trek: Generations'' - This seventh big-screen ``Star Trek'' outing puts the old crew to rest and clears the way for the cast of the recent TV series to take over the franchise. Malcolm McDowell does away with Captain Kirk (William Shatner) in a casual, and heavily publicized, way that is an ignoble depature. Scotty and Chekhov are there but McCoy and Spock chose not to participate. Patrick Stewart and the new cast have most of the footage, including Whoopi Goldberg and Levar Burton. The plot is standard stuff - about thwarting an alien who hoped to conquer the earth.
``To Live'' (no date set) - Chinese director Shang Yimou has produced an epic about the lives of a married couple from the 1930s to the Cultural Revolution. Ge You and Gong Li star.
Nov. 23
``Junior'' - The sight of a pregnant Arnold Schwarzenegger may be enough to draw crowds.Here, Arnold is a genetic engineer and Danny DeVito is a gynecologist. Things go wrong with a lab experiment and Arnold becomes the first pregnant man. The real surprise is that Oscar winner Emma Thompson agreed to get involved.
``A Low Down Dirty Shame'' - Keenan Ivory Wayans wrote, directed and stars in this action comedy about a former police detective who doesn't know his new assignment will be to track down a dangerous mobster.
Nov. 25
``Red'' - The third of Krzystof Kieslowski's ``Three Colors'' trilogy stars Jean-Louis Trintignant as a retired judge and Irene Jacob as a young Swiss model. They are plagued by the difference in their ages. ``Blue'' was a hit here but the sceond one, ``White'' has yet to play, making this last film unlikely to get an early date.
``Camilla'' (no specific date set yet) - Jessica Tandy stars as an elderly woman who persuades young Bridget Fonda to help her search for an old beau (Hume Cronyn). ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
"Quiz Show"
"The River Wild"
"The Scout"
"Legends of the Jungle Book"
by CNB