tory episodes of Tom Sawyer
outwitting children and
grownups alike. Taylor
Thomas (Randy on ABC's
"Home Improvement") as
Sawyer is mischievous and
engaging. His eyes sparkle
with the promise of misbe-
havior, and his smirk is as
smart-alecky as Bruce
Willis' in the Die Hard se-
ries. The rest of the cast,
comprised of mostly un-
known actors, is quite com-
petent.
Individually, each corn-
ponent of this movie is com-
petent. Competent
cinematography, competent
direction, a competent
screenplay. Competence alone,
however, is not a laudable goal
in filmmaking. It should be a
Brad Renfro is
Tom's best
pal Huck
Finn.
starting point, not an objective.
Mark Twain's fable has en-
dured, not just on the strength
of the story, but on
the power of the sto-
rytelling. Tom and
Huck is somewhat
unsatisfying to the adult audi-
ence because it misses that
point. The film skims through
the tale without lingering on the
wit or wisdom that made the
original story so rich. It is like
watching sports highlights on
the news instead of seeing the
whole game. Nevertheless, this
movie offers good, clean fun for
the younger members of the
family. And, while it may not ap-
peal to the child in you, it will
certainly entertain the child in
your house.
,)
Opening Tonight
Sudden Death (Rated R) —
A suspense-thriller for the
sports enthusiast. Pittsburgh
Penguins vs. Chicago Black-
hawks at the Stanley Cup Fi-
nals. Extortionists and hostages
abound in a race agairist the
game clock.
Dracula: Dead & Loving It
(Rated PG-13) — Leslie
Nielson stars as the Count —
he's dead and he's loving it.
A Mel Brooks spook on life in
Transylvania, the film also
features Steven Weber, Harvey
Korman and Amy Yasbeck
—Richard Halprill
'Bab'
Rated G
B
alto, we're told, is based
on the true story of a
brave canine who saved
the life of at least one
small child during an epidemic
of diphtheria in the 1920s. Fact
or fiction, the tale is greatly
charming.
Through this tale of a half-
breed — Balto is half wolf, half
Boris confers with Bold during his
search and rescue mission.
Polar bear cub brothers Muk and Luk
join Balto on his amazing journey
through the Alaskan wilderness in a
race against time to save the town of
Nome.
dog — the movie extols the
virtues of ethnic diversity,yer-
severance and teamwork. Balto
is a good-natured stray who
hangs around with Boris, a wit-
ty-, world-weary snow goose with
a Russian accent. The other dogs treat its sick children, including
in the arctic town, particularly Jenna's mistress Rosy, Balto
Steel, a puffed-up husky who saves the day by rescuing a lost
wins All the sledding races, don't dog team that Steel has filed to
want Balto around. And, Steel's lead out of a snowy valley.
love interest Jenna seems
In a pivotal scene dur-
to have a crush on Balto.
ing
the rescue operation,
MOVIES
Balto is never part of
Balto, who has rejected
a dog-sled team because
his wolfhood, recognizes
he is unable to break into their he can assimilate and hold onto
ranks. But when the Alaskan his uniqueness at the same time.
outpost badly needs medicine to This illuminates the movie's cen-
tral message — draw on your
strengths, even if others consid-
er them weaknesses.
And Balto uses his wolf-might
and wit for the good and safety
of the team, rather than for him-
self. He is an underdog battling
himself, but he ultimately tri-
umphs over the snobbery of the
well-placed and wins the respect
of Jenna and the townsfolk.
The characters, particularly
Boris the goose, are richly drawn
and the animation is broad
enough to appeal to very young
eyes.
In the end, the movie revisits
the (non-animated) grandmoth-
er and granddaughter we saw
at the beginning, searching
for an elusive statue in Central
Park. They have found
what they were looking for
— a bronze monument of
a husky named Balto —
and we learn that the
grandma is the Rosy whom
Balto saved in the winter of
1925.
Aside from a few harrow-
ing moments in which Bal-
to's life is threatened, kids 6
and over will love this, and
adults will, too.
® c•, )- 0
—Julie Edgar
Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as a fire marshal! engaged in a deadly game of cat
and mouse with a ruthless adversary in Sudden Death.
Grumpier Old Men (Rated
PG-13) — The lovable grouches,
Jack Lemmon and Walter
Matthau, are back in this com-
edy sequel to the 1993 release.
Also back for more fun and an-
tics are Ann-Margret, Daryl
Hannah, Kevin Pollak and
Burgess Meredith, who are
joined by Sophia Loren.
(The Mask), the damsel in dis-
tress.
Cutthroat Island (Rated
PG-13) — Geena Davis, Matthew
Modine and Frank Langella are
featured as a band of pirate
captains who bury a treasure on
an island, promising to return
years later to split it.
Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau are just fishing for trouble in Grumpier Old Men.
Waiting to Exhale (Rated R)
— Four women — Whitney
Houston, Angela Bassett, Loret-
ta Devine and Lela Rochon — are
waiting for a lot of things: wait-
ing for their careers to take off,
for the weight to be lost, for the
divorce to come through, for the
kids to grow up. But most of nil,
they are waiting for the men who
will finally sweep them off their
feet and take their breath away.
Tom and Huck — (Rated
PG) see today's review.
Balto
review.
—
(Rated G) see today's
Four Rooms (Rated R) see
today's write-up in the Picks
column for what to do on Dec.
25. ❑