A GALLERY OF
CONTEMPORARY.CRAFTS
TUESDAY - SATURDAY 10:00 - 6:00
470 NORTH WOODWARD AVENUE
BIRMINGHAM, MICHIGAN 48009-5372
810.642.4795
ardly. So, what's my point? These
movies are events, not works of
art. They come and go like yes-
terday's newspaper. What did I
think of the newest installment in
the Caped Crusader series? I
think it's the worst of the three re-
leased so far. I like the second one
best and then the first one (and I
think the fact that Tim Burton di-
rected those two may be the rea-
son). Batman Forever is a loud,
clunky, annoying comic book that
had me so worn out by the end
that I was relieved to exit the the-
ater. There really isn't much of a
story to become involved with here
(unless you are really interested
in whether Jim Carrey's over-the-
top portrayal of the Riddler can
chew up even more scenery than
Tommy Lee Jones' cackling Har-
vey Two-Face). Val Kilmer makes
for a sexier Batman than Mr.
Keaton, but let's face it, once that
mask goes on, it could be that guy
who played Jason in all those Fri-
day the 13th flicks under there.
Noisy, loud and obnoxious, this
movie should be collecting dust for
years to come. C-
Stuart Saves His Family —
Remember Its Pat? Neither do I,
but just play along. That was a
movie (based on a popular "Sat-
urday Night Live" character) in
which you spend the entire 78
minutes trying to determine
whether the lead actor is playing
a man or a woman. It sank bad-
ly at the box office (I think it
played for a few days in Seattle,
though). Now "SNL" producer
Lorne Michaels is trying again,
but this time the movie works in
spite of its shortcomings. For those
uninitiated, Stuart Smalley (Al
Franken, the movie's writer and
star) is a caring nurturer who
hosts his own 15-minute public-
access show on cable and attempts
to help people with his simplistic
repertoire. In the film, Stuart is
fired from his show and must fend
for himself when he visits his dys-
functional family in Minnesota.
Whether or not you will even
watch this movie for five minutes
Box
will depend on your tolerance for
the Stuart character. He is an ef-
feminate simp who is so willowy
that he almost blows over any
time there's a strong wind. But if
(like my wife) you find him
adorable, you will probably find
Stuart Saves His Family a real
treat. I especially liked the way
the film switched from easy laughs
to a somewhat realistic and un-
predictable ending. The way this
family comes together at the end
is really quite commendable. B
LLYN STRONG
PERSONAL APPEARANCE
2 NOVEMBER 5:30 - 8:30
3 AND .4 NOVEMBER 10:00 - 6:00
The Cure — Any time you
hear of a feature film that delves
into the medical nightmare that
is AIDS, you kind of pull for it to
be more than a TV movie of the
week. Unfortunately, this small-
scale, sentimental drama is just
that: a glorified D.O.T.W. (Disease
of the Week). The story takes place
during one summer as two 11-
year-old boys form a friendship —
even though one of them is dying.
Brad Renfro (The Client) is an an-
tisocial kid with an alcoholic moth-
er who decides to make friends
with Joseph Mazzello (Jurassic
Park), a young boy who caught the
virus via a blood transfusion. The
two fend offbullies, attempt a can-
dy- bar cure and, over the course
of the film, travel by themselves
to New Orleans in search of an an-
tidote. There are many interest-
ing character relationships
including an unexpected one be-
tween Renfro and Mazzello's
mother (Annabella Sciorra, in a
strong performance). Their bond
turns out to be the real emotional
core in the film. C
v
HELIOS BROOCH
MATTE ONYX, RUBIES, AND GOLD
do,ny
Top 10 Videos
1. Pulp Fiction
2. French Kiss
3. Casper
4. Tommy Boy
5. Little Princess
6. Rob Roy
7. Goofy Movie
8. Roommates
9. Billy Madison
10. Outbreak
(ieroic&
cr c/o-natio/I/ to-
commitrut
ce grosses, nationally and regionally.
*For the period between Oct 27-29
Top 10 films (in order of local rank)
Film
Nat'l rank
Vampire In
3
Brooklyn
Get Shorty
1
Powder
2
Seven
6
Copy Cat
4
Now And Then
5
Three Wishes
7
How To Make An
8
American Quilt
Dead Presidents
12
Never Talk To
11
Strangers
Your Tribute Gift helps the agency serve people of all ages,
Local box office
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Nat'l box office
$ 7,045,379
$ 179,195
$ 132,200
$ 84,492
$ 83,061
$ 76,677
$ 55,210
$ 33,076
$ 10,202,007
$ 7,146,973
$4,034,511
$5,170,522
$4,462,819
$2,601,093
$ 1,584,465
$28,179
$24,202
$ 1,105,986
$ 1,204,309
lifestyles and circumstances.
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JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE
24123 Greenfield Road • Southfield, MI 48075 • (810) 559-1500
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