Are cinemas ready to amuse holiday revelers?

By Marselli Sumarno

JAKARTA (JP): Do you want to spend your New Year's Eve in a movie theater? Don't worry. As in previous years, Jakarta cinemas will screen double features. And as usual these movies come from Hollywood's big companies, with big stars and loads of excitement.

This time, with the highest admission being Rp 100,000 (US$50), titles include The Shadow, Disclosure, Interview with the Vampire, Night of the Running Man, Terminal Velocity, Man of War, Junior, and The River Wild.

Let's take a closer look at some of the films which may lure you.

The Shadow, just like Batman, focuses on a vigilant creature of the night. The film opens in Tibet, illustrating how the hero (played by Alec Baldwin) acquires his "shadow" powers.

The rest of the story involves a comic-book nemesis, Shiwan Khan (John Lone), a descendant of Genghis Khan who possesses the mental powers of the Shadow. Influenced by a noted scientist, he decides destroy New York!

Michael Douglas and Demi Moore star in Disclosure, based on Michael Crichtons' novel about sexual harassment and corporate power. The story is based around the arena of corporate melodramas sparked by manipulation, power abuse, greed and yes, sex.

Michael Douglas plays Tom, who is fully expecting a promotion at his high-tech firm. But his boss decides to bring in an outsider (played by Demi Moore) for the high-powered job. Of course Tom has a heavy thing with his rival and one day she claims that Tom sexually harasses her.

Fueled by the reputation of Tom Cruise, Interview with the Vampire is finally on screen after nearly two decades of innumerable failed attempts. Anne Rice's perennially popular novel was chosen for this horror movie.

Directed by Neil Jordan, Interview with the Vampire starts with Louis (Brad Pitt) in an empty room, who is ready to record his life story for an interviewer. The story then goes back 200 years where 24-year-old widower Louis is singled out by Lestat (Cruise), a handsome devil.

Instead of killing him, Lestat takes him to the brink of death and then has Louis drink from him, giving him the gift of ageless, endless life. Whereas Lestat is cruel and favors young people, especially aristocrats, Louis retains a high regard for human life and mostly feasts on small animals.

How about a comedy that generates a lot of laughter? Your choice should be Junior, starring Emma Thompson, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. They are scientists engaged in a project on a "wonder" drug for safer pregnancies. But the government concluded the drug was not quite ready for marketing.

Desperate, Alex (played by Schwarzenegger) agrees to become a guinea pig for the drug. And becomes pregnant!

This pregnant-man comedy is directed by Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters, Twins, Kindergarten Cop) and is really entertaining. Junior is currently fourth place in the U.S. box office.

While an action actor like Schwarzenegger stars in a comedy, Meryl Streep shows her muscles in The River Wild, a thriller about a family held hostage during a rafting vacation.

Streep's character, Gail, who shares her life with her husband, two kids and a dog, grew up near spectacular mountains and used to be a river guide. A cat and mouse game begins when she takes her son on a rafting trip and meets a menacing stranger (played by Kevin Bacon). The excitement lasts right through to the climatic end.

Promotional literature states that Streep performed 90 percent of the stunts herself. She looks determined and physically strong. Streep's character allows her to explore new dimensions not covered in any of her other roles.

The list of successful action dramas with women at center stage is short. Directed by Curtis Hanson, The River Wild, then, is refreshing on this level, as are several others like Alien and La Femme Nikita, to name a few.

* The writer is an avid film and television program observer.