Boxoffice-Febuary.1998

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REVIEWS
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KUNDUN iriririr
Starring Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong. Directed
by Martin Scorsese. Written by Melissa
Mathison. Produced by Barbara DeFina. A
Buena Vista release. Drama. Rated PG-13
for violent images. Running time: 134 min.
A Martin Scorsese picture about nonviolence
sounds like a contradiction in terms,
but the director triumphantly pulls off the
daunting creative challenge of telling the
story of a living hero whose mission is "to
love all living things." Made with the cooperation
of the 14th Dalai Lama, the Tibetan
leader now in exile in India, "Kundun" is
both a stunning visual feast and a moving
meditation on the difficulty of sustaining
the Buddhist principle of nonviolence in a
brutal world.
Spanning 1937 through 1950, when the
Dalai Lama was forced from Tibet by the
conquering Communist Chinese, "Kundun"
looks like no other Scorsese film. But like
his trademark movies about Italian-American
gangsters, this is also a story about a
closed, male-run ethnic group fighting for
survival against violent adversaries.
Chronicling the Dalai Lama's discovery,
training and adolescence, the film uses
three well-chosen boys in the role before
focusing on the young adult Tenzin
Thuthob Tsarong. Tsarong movingly conveys
the complex tests of character the
evolving leader faces in the crisis with
China. Joseph McBride
AS GOOD AS IT GETS ^^^1/2
Starring Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt
and Greg Kinnear. Directed by James L.
Brooks. Written by James L. Brooks and
MarkAndrus. Producedby James L Brooks,
Kristi Zea and Bridget Johnson. A TriStar
Drama/comedy. Rated PG-13 for
release.
strong language, thematic elements, nudity
and a beating. Running time: 132 min.
This dramatic comedy from James L.
Brooks delivers the goods audiences since
his "Terms of Endearment" and "Broadcast
News" have come to expect: laughs and
tears, fine writing, rich acting, social commentary,
and a smile on the face as one exits
the theatre. As the marquee draw. Jack
Nicholson as a missing-some-marbles romance
novelist who rarely allows human
contact is nigh-on perfect m a role nigh-on
perfect for him: weird enough to allow him
to be Jack, but human enough for audiences
to take him into their hearts. As a struggling
single mother, Helen Hunt counterbalances
Nicholson by keeping things simple and it
works. Greg Kinnear, he of the Olympian
looks but goofy nature, draws from some
third source in his affecting creation of a
lonely gay artist who a sad fate draws into
the writer's and waitress' lives.
Given the choice between being too humorous
or too tragic. Brooks obviously
would always take the former; as in the rest
of his works. "As Good As It Gets" never
goes too deep. But for mainstream audiences
who want to believe that ultimately
there's a charm to life, "As Good As It Gets"
could hardly play much better. Kim Williamson
MOUSEHUNT •••1/2
Starring Nathan Lane and Lee Evans.
Directed by Gore Verbinski. Written by
Adam Rifkin. Produced by Alan Riche,
Tony Ludwig and Bruce Cohen. A
DreamWorks release. Comedy. Rated PG.
Running time: 98 min.
This is a great movie for children and for
adults who appreciate pure slapstick. When
Ernie (Nathan Lane) and Lars (Lee Evans)
inherit not only their father's string factory
but the rundown mansion he won in a bet,
the fun begins. They discover their house
was designed by a famous architect and,
although dilapidated, is worth millions.
There is only one downside: the house is
already occupied by a mouse. And this is no
ordinary mouse. As in all good movies
where man pits wits with a rodent, the furry
creature wipes the floor with them.
"MouseHunt" offers slick special effects
and strong, larger-than-life performances
by Lane and Evans as the two unlikely
brothers. While the plot is generally predictable,
the ending is rather clever and
totally unexpected. Lisa Osborne
PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED: JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH FILMS
The alphabetkal list bek>%v notes the issue of BOXOFFICE in which our
review of an upcoming film appeared, gives its star rating, and
provides newly updated distributor and release date information,
"Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life" -k-k-kXIl: Strand, 1/.W; see March 1997.
"The Blackout" 1/2: Trimark, 1/30; see July 1997.
"The Butcher Boy" -k-k-k-k: Warner, 3/13; see Sept. 1997.
"Deceiver" k-k-k\ll: MGM, 1/30; see Nov. 1997.
"Four Days in September" ***: Miramax, 1/16; see June 1997.
"Hurricane Streets" -kkir: UA, 2/13; see April 1997.
"The Leading Man " •••: Ugacy, 1/16; see April 1997.
"Nil By Mouth" •••: Sony Classics, 2/6; see August 1997.
"Star kid" -k-k-k 1/2: Trimark, 1/16; see .fan. 1998.
"Suicide Kings" -k-k-k: Live, 3/13; see Oct. 1997.
"Swept From the Sea" •: TriStar, 1/23; see Nov. 1997.
''Talk ofAngels" -kk-k: Miramax, 3/6; see Sept. 1997.
"Wide Awake" -k-k-k: Miramax, 3/20; see Sept. 1997.
54 (R-12) BoxoFFicE