Palo Alto Weekly Movie Listings
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Bad Girls ** (Century 10, Century 12) Lovely Madeleine Stowe is the leader of a gang of prostitutes who, run out of town after Stowe shoots a colonel, go on a rampage through the old West, shooting almost every man they see. Andie MacDowell (sensitive, virginal), Mary Stuart Masterson (ingenue with dignity) and Drew Barrymore (can barely disguise her Valley Girl accent) round out this cowgirl fab four of intelligent, beautiful, confident prostitutes. The film makes a few stabs at being a Western "Thelma and Louise," but with all its trumped-up music and non-stop action, it is as superficially slick and gimmicky as Hollywood gets. Rated R. --N.M.

Back Beat ** 1/2 (Palo Alto Square) There is little of interest in Back Beat's principle storyline: the decision by Stu Sutcliffe, John Lennon's best friend, to drop out of the Beatles on the eve of the band's fame. Fortunately, "Back Beat" has more to offer. First, there is Ian Hart's hard-edged performance as John Lennon. Hart's Lennon is as crude, energetic and altogether entertaining as the driving Chuck Berry songs his band pounds out. Even better is the film's riveting account of the Beatles' early years. Unconstrained by the conventions of a show-business bio-epic, the film ignores the who-what-and-when details and concentrates on the power of the music. Rated R. --L.S.

Belle Epoque ** (Aquarius, UA 6) Spain's lackluster nominee for this year's best foreign language film Oscar is set during the sunny spring days of 1931 when the country is poised for a new beginning after the collapse of the monarchy. Director Fernando Trueba uses this unrestrained time of confusion and gaiety as a backdrop for his comic tribute to earthly delights. He takes his time--and too much of ours--to equate sex with life in "Belle Epoque." The story follows the Casanova-like escapades of a young army deserter (Jorge Sanz) taken in by a philosophical old artist (Fernando Fernan Gomez) and his four hot-blooded daughters. The movie stops and starts, its structure often recalling tired porn in which everything is set up for the next sexual dalliance, ogled by the eye of the camera like a peeping Tom. Rated R. Subtitled. --S.T.

Four Weddings and a Funeral *** (Century 10, Century 12) The beguiling spell of love and hope that British director Mike Newell cast in "Enchanted April" works its magic again in "Four Weddings and a Funeral," a high-spirited romantic comedy of intoxicating fun. Newell repeats his formula of tossing a diverse group of people together in a predictable situation. The film's charm comes through as the characters unexpectedly reveal themselves and get delightfully silly over affairs of the heart. Hugh Grant and his circle of friends boast about being single and proud of it while toasting the "enemy" at the string of weddings they attend. It takes a soft-spoken American (Andie MacDowell) and a funeral to convince the confirmed bachelor that the time has come to stop flirting with commitment. Rated R. --S.T.

Germinal ** 1/2 (Park) In the coal mines of northern France at the end of the 19th century, heartless managers live in comfort and style while miners risk their lives to earn starvation-level wages. (Gerard Depardieu is a remarkably corpulent "starving" miner.) A union of sorts is organized, a strike is called, violence erupts and lessons are learned. In bringing Emile Zola's novel to the screen, Claude Berri has chosen to illustrate the tenets of Marxism rather than illuminate life. Although his rendering of the nightmarish elements of the mines is brilliant, Berri's film is populated by two-dimensional stereotypes, characters whose destinies are determined not by dramatic logic but by the imperatives of a socialist parable. Rated R. Subtitled. --L.S.

Like Water for Chocolate ** (Guild) A movie about food, passion and the mystical power of women, "Like Water for Chocolate" purports to celebrate the preparation of food and the empowerment of women. But with its judgmental tone, "Like Water," in fact, fails to intelligently explore any issues of importance. Set on a ranch in Mexico early in the 20th century, the film revolves around Tita, the youngest of three sisters. Tita's shrewish mother insists that she forgo marriage and remain at home to care for her. Emotionally imprisoned, Tita pours her passions into the food she prepares. Director Alfonso Arau has fashioned a crude film filled with all the trappings of adolescent comedy--flatulence, vomit and instant sexual arousal--which people are taking much too seriously. Not rated. --L.S.

Naked Gun 33 1/3 **1/2 (Century 10, Century 12) More than its two predecessors, "Naked Gun 33 1/3" rests squarely on the shoulders of Leslie Nielsen, who moves the story through an uproarious beginning, a sagging middle and a climax too silly even by "Naked Gun" standards. The new film finds Nielsen retired from the police force ("We've shot a lot of people together," he says wistfully at his retirement party) and navigating his way chaotically through the domestic life. As his new wife (Priscilla Presley) goes off to work every day, he stays home ironing, making cupcakes and sniffling at the soaps. He's called back into action to thwart a terrorist bomber (Fred Ward), and here's where the movie thuds. There are just too many plot convolutions in the middle of the film, dragging the momentum down. Rated PG-13. --N.M.

The Paper *** (Century 10, Century 12) With the help of an energetic script, Ron Howard capitalizes on the strengths of his all-star cast: Michael Keaton is charming and likable, Robert Duvall is the face of authority, Glenn Close is a femme fatale, Randy Quaid is oddly humorous and Marisa Tomei is just plain adorable. A New York city newspaper editor (Keaton) is caught between trying to balance his demanding career with the demands of his wife (Tomei). He loves his job, but it could mean the end of his relationship. The story of a man discovering he has misplaced his priorities has been covered countless times before, and yet Keaton's "average-guy" acting style makes it seem so real that it is worth going through again. Rated R. --J.H.

The Piano **1/2 (Guild) Ada (Holly Hunter) has sailed from Scotland with her young daughter and beloved musical instrument to enter into an arranged marriage with a shy colonial rancher (Sam Neill), who has a British neighbor who's "gone native" (Harvey Keitel). Struck dumb by childhood trauma, Ada finds her deepest self-expression in music. Jane Campion ("An Angel at My Table") creates a stylish blend of the gothic, exotic and neurotic, but enjoyment of this film, voted best at Cannes this year, may depend on how much disbelief you can suspend. Rated R. --M.V.

Schindler's List **** (Century 12) Because "Schindler's List" is a movie of such power, scope and intelligence, it will eventually take its place alongside masterpieces like "Battleship Potemkin," "Grand Illusion" and "The Great Dictator." Three hours and 15 minutes long and shot almost entirely in black and white, "Schindler's List" tells the true story of how one man, and not a particularly good or extraordinary man, pits himself against the Nazi war machine to rescue nearly 1,100 Polish Jews from certain death. Director Steven Spielberg spares nothing in his evocation of the era. The performances are universally outstanding. Liam Neeson is formidable as the handsome, urbane, philandering Oskar Schindler, whose shifting emotions and allegiances must be masked at every turn. Ben Kingsley plays Schindler's Jewish accountant with heartbreaking humanity and restraint. Rated R. --D.S.

Serial Mom ** (Palo Alto Square, UA 6) John Waters' attempt to meld his shocking camp with mainstream Hollywood filmmaking fails because it's neither satirically relevant nor shocking enough. Kathleen Turner plays a housewife who is heavily into recycling, baking and offing anyone who assaults her idea of cozy domesticity. Turner brings undeniable big-star charisma and credibility to a flaccid script and uneven direction. But the main problem with "Serial Mom" is its irrelevance. The movie tries to be flippant and biting, but as a satire on suburban mores it's unoriginal. The type of two-parent, two-kid, two-car-garage families portrayed here aren't ripe for parody anymore. Rated R. --N.M.

Sirens *** (Varsity) In John Duigan's light-hearted look at sexual awakening, model Elle MacPherson's sensuality translates pretty well from the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue to the big screen. As a model posing for a portrait, she is just one visual highlight in an all-around intriguing tale of a young Englishwoman (Tara Fitzgerald) who experiences a sexual awakening in the pastoral mountains of rural Australia. The beautifully filmed venue for this awakening is the secluded house of controversial painter Norman Lindsey (Sam Neil), whose work created considerable scandal in 1930s Australia. At times the movie threatens to take itself too seriously, trying unsuccessfully to deal with the church's attitudes toward sexuality. Luckily, these moments are few and far between, and they never manage to derail the viewer. Rated R. --J.S.

Threesome ** 1/2 (UA 6) Andrew Flemming's "Threesome" tells the titillating tale of three college roommates who learn a lot about themselves and their sexual limits when Alex (Laura Flynn Boyle) mistakenly gets housed in a men's dorm suite with Eddie and Stuart (Josh Charles and Stephen Baldwin). Despite an implausible script, the tension-filled nuances of this gay-straight triangle are aptly and honestly portrayed. However, "Threesome" is not for the prudish. The language is more than straightforward, as are the sex scenes. The film's comic moments are well-timed, and as the party animal Stuart, Baldwin is right on. Rated R. --S.I.