January 30–February 6, 1997

movie shorts

SHADOW CONSPIRACY

Is it just me or is Charlie Sheen the kiss of death for anything other than Hot Shots? Here he's terrifically silly as a special adviser to the president (Sam Waterston), George Stephanopolous recast as rigidly moralistic action hero.Introduced playing basketball with the homies, Sheen is summoned by Chief of Staff Donald Sutherland and VP Ben Gazzara to talk the prez out of making a dangerously "radical'' speech and plug a press leak by intimidating conservative Sen. GoreVidal. Eventually, he and "spunky" reporter Linda Hamilton have to clean up the titular conspiracy (a familiar assassination plot). Flashy and flatfooted, George P. Cosmatos'"thriller" features high-tech gizmos, ludicrous stuntsand refashioned DC geography (nonexistent subway stations and assorted buildings). Throughout, folks are talking about Sheen's brilliance regarding the Washington bureaucracy, but once he's targeted by a terminator-style assassin (Stephen Lang), hemakes multiple convenient mistakes (for instance, using his cell phone and a trackable car), the kind of mistakes that anyone who's seen a movie like this would never make. Guess he doesn't get out much."

— Cindy Fuchs

(AMC Andorra; AMC Anthony Wayne; AMC Olde City; UA Cheltenham; UA Grant; UA 69th St.)