European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 27, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                This weeks films �?5 a. A a a a. A. R .-lk.r-t. Shoe i i a i s Beauty and tha Baa at rated o. Family. This Anima cd feature combines the original plot of the Book with a feisty capable heroine who loves libraries More than roses and a Dcasio who s funny As Well As scary. Baba a kid pc. -13. A self billed a animation with an  the bodyguard r. Whitney Houston portrays a superstar who Falls for her Security Suard Kevin Costner. Iram Loliar a Dracula r. Francis Ford Coppola s version of the Vampire tale. Buffy the Vamper Slayer pg-13. Vampires arc on the Loose in Southern California. Donald Sutherland. Curl Stophar Columbua tha disco vary pg-13. In this laugh a minute Columbus George Corral acc comes off As a cheerful hunk. Death Baco maa mar pg-13. Meryl Streep and Goldie hawn play a vain actress and a vengeful author locked in a deadly rivalry. The  Oan Talaman r. Eddie Murphy plays Jeff Johnson a con Man who runs for Congress. Far nully. Tha last it a inform to a this animated film tells the Story of the animals who live in an endangered rain Forest. Final Ana Lyal r. Richard Gere is a psychiatrist specializing in criminal eases involving temporary insanity. Also Kim Basinger. Frajdla a f.r.0.7 a an animated film about a Seerat agent Frog voice by Ben Kingsley who must save the United kingdom. Fra Jach r. A Young race Driver Emilio Estevez is in for the ride of his life when he is snatched into the future by powerful people who have diabolical plans for his body. Thoun in Batty Laud a handbag pg-13. Penelope Miller and Erie thai. Horn Alon 2i last in naw York pm. Zealous sequel is an attempt to almost exactly duplicate the original Home alone. Honay i blow up tha kid pm. Comedy with Rick Moranis. Jann far s r. Andy Garcia plays a Burnt out cop and Uma Thurman is the Blind a witness Quot with whom he Falls in love. A Laagus of thar own pm. Topping the roster for the Rockford peaches Gena Duvis As the Star Quality Catcher Tom Hanks As their mangy manager Lori Petty As Davis s envious kid sister and Madonna As a Wise cracking bad girl outfielder. Lathal weapon 3 r. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover mix it up one More time Mamora of on inv Palblo Man pg-13. Comedy. Chevy Chase plays a Wall Street analyst who loses himself and becomes invisible after a lab Accident. Now he is the target for some really bad Guys who want to Lake advantage of his condition for their own profit. Out on a limb pm. Matthew Broderick plays a financial Whiz summoned to a logging town named Buzzsaw by his Little sister. Plano Tchlo g. One of the Bona fide Disney classics from its exquisite character animation and Catchy score to its chilling sequences on pleasure Island and cart mulching finale with Monstrom the whale. Pro Ludo to a klan pg-13. The soul kiss of inc Century. Alee Baldwin and Meg Ryan. Rapid fro r. Brandon Lee follows in the footwork of his dad martial arts legend Bruce Lee. Rock-o�?~0oodlo g. An animated film about a boy and his favorite Story about Chanticleer a rooster. Song lot pg-13. Romantic comedy introduces us to an engaging Potpourri of Young men and women out on their own for the first Lime. Starring Bridget Fonda Matt Dillon and gorgeous Kyra Sedgwick. Ingla Whit Pamala r. Bridget Fonda is a new girl in new York with a huge rent controlled apartment on the upper West Side and a shy new Rookie Jennifer Jason Leigh who turns out to have a few screws Loose tatar act pm. Whoops Goldberg is on he Lam in a Convent. In Ankara. Pg-13. This entertaining caper comedy is like the bust Ever episode of Mission impossible. Robert Redford and Sidney Poitier. Stay tuned pg-13. In this satire a suburban Couch potato John Ritter and his fed up wife Pam Dawber arc sucked into a sinister Cable network. 3 ninja Alda pm. While their father is occupied with Fri business his Young sons Cope with his absence by learning the ways of the ninja from grandpa. Thund Arheart k. Drama. Based on u real incident this film is about an Earnest Fri agent Vul Kilmer whose bit of native american blood gets him assigned to a murder Case on a South Dakota reservation. Univa Raal sold Lar r. When a reporter discovers a plot to create perfect soldiers from the bodies of dead ones the order is Given to make sure this news in t Marie Public. Jean Claude Van Damme anti Dolph  Are the resurrected fight my machines of the future who wind up battling each other Over the Newsow Mart s attempt to get her Story released. Unlawful entry k the picture perfect docs of a Young  couple Kurt Russell and Madeleine Stowe begin to dissolve after their Home is robbed. Whu Para in tha dark k. A therapy thriller in which  Sci tru is up to her eyeballs in Kinky clients shifty shrinks and dead bodies. Also on tha aafe9 circuit rated of All i w ant for Christmas. Rated of Isi Captain Ron. Rated it dig Slown Llyl Roiser 3 Lyell on . Pet  a Lawm Nowr Man to Money d w in peaks l ire walk Willii my. 20th Century Fox Joe pc Sci Macaulay Culkin and Daniel Stern go at it again this time in new York City in Home alone 2. Chuck Vinch staff write Ron Mon ii shome alone 2 rated pm must see Worth your time passable entertainment coming soon to a video outlet near you and you can wait More of the same that succinctly sums up this cartoon shy violent sequel to the massively successful film about a Little boy who Battles a pair of inept burglars after his family inadvertently deserts him Over the holidays. Macauley Culkin rapidly turning into the kind of annoyingly smug child Star who knows he can make adults Grove with a snap of his fingers reprises his role As resourceful Kevin Mcallister although a duplicates Quot is probably a More accurate description of what he is asked Lodo Here. In fact the films framework is virtually identical to the original. Director John 1 Lughes and writer Chris Columbus could easily be convicted of plagiarism if they weren tripping off their own work. For those who really think knowing something about the plot might affect their decision to see this film the scenario has Kevin s parents Catherine o l Lara and John 11 card once again whisking the family away for Christmas vacation. At the Airport they somehow manage to get Kevin on the wrong plane. Soon they re winging to Florida while Kevin is on his Way to new York where he confidently settles in at the posh Plaza hotel. This is where one of the films running gags is played out As he Battles Tim Curry and Rob Schneider the hotels snippy concierge and dense Bellman. Its a measure of Hughes Lack of imagination that he has Kevin again use an old movie soundtrack to con Curry and Schneider into thinking they re facing a real gunman a gag lifted intact from the original but the notorious wet bandits Hany and Marv Joe Pesci and Daniel Ste have escaped from prison and Are in new York looking to resume their Larcelous careers. Their previous run in with Kevin has had opposite effects on them a Marv has mellowed but Harry would like to kill that kid if he Ever gets the Chance. Of course he does. In the mass of humanity that is the big Apple the two just happen to bump into Kevin and the goofiness starts again this time played out in a Brownstone undergoing renovation. The violence is substantial enough to make the films pm rating seem lenient. In one scene Kevin rigs a huge Cache of hand tools to fall on Harry a head. Yuk Yuk. Harry also gets scalped Marv gets his butt stapled and his head smashed by flying bricks and the two Are treated to the old swinging paint can ploy with a minor variation. Most of the other stunts Are in the same vein. And of course it  be a Hughes film it it did no to have a maudlin subplot. In the original this was achieved by having Kevin help an elderly reclusive neighbor reunite w ill his estranged son and granddaughter. I Lere Kevin he friends a homeless woman Brenda Fricker who lives in a Park with Only pigeons Tor company. I hese awkward scenes kill w whatever momentum Hughes is Able to Dew lop because they Are at  Wanh the general mayhem of the firm. Kids weaned on slam Bam saturday cartoons will no doubt have a howling Good time but adults will find the film tougher to digest especially if they be seen the original. Personally if i have to see Culkin slap his Cheeks and scream once More i will blow lunch. The Schick was cute the first few Hundred times but its wearing thin. We re More familiar with the kids fillings than anyone except his dentist has a right to be. It s also hard to suppress a twinge of disappointment at seeing the Brilliant Joe Pesci wasting his talents Here. But everyone must have their Price. This is another heaping helping of Cinema junk food from Hughes and Columbus both of whom Are Hollywood a equivalent of the Utility infielder who occasionally comes up with a big hit. Sure the film will make enough Money to float fort Knox and bankroll the duo through More throwaway projects. Does anyone recall career opportunities How about curly sue Only the Lonell anybody but you can to blame them for that. The preordained Success of Home alone 2 says More about audience tastes than the Quality of the film itself. Besides Quality was not a top goal in the making of this film. The main objective was to slap together a launching pad for the real Gold mine the Over hyped merchandise tie in Campaign that s been in High gear in the states for what feels like forever to that regard Hughes and Columbus succeeded All too Well. You might think in a getting Overly worked up about this film but complacency and familiarity Are what Hollywood counts on to get you to keep shelling out for tickets to empty repetitious Cash cows like this Home atone 2gets one Star and Only because its the charitable season. Pace 10 a sunday dec la Muffi la. 1lj\h Quot