Army sleuth Travolta part of this week's movie lineup

JAKARTA (JP): Military cover-ups, high-strung air traffic controllers, what could be more fun to watch? Here is the lineup of movies playing at local movie theaters, with reviews and grades by screenwriter Rayya Makarim and film reviewer Tam Notosusanto.

Big Daddy; Comedy; starring Adam Sandler, Joey Lauren Adams, Jon Stewart, Cole Sprouse, Dylan Sprouse and Steve Buscemi. Directed by Dennis Dugan.

Sandler's routine of crassness and imbecility continues: now he demonstrates how he can pollute a little kid with all his boorish shenanigans. From letting the tyke urinate anywhere he likes to showing him how to injure other people, this film is practically Sandler's very own Misbehaving 101. And the censorship board certified it as a "Movie for All Ages". Graded D by TN.

The General's Daughter; Detective theme; starring John Travolta, Madeleine Stowe, James Cromwell, Timothy Hutton and James Woods. Directed by Simon West.

Travolta and Stowe are army investigators delving into the case of a murdered female officer, the daughter of an influential, politically-ambitious war hero.

It's one of those Hollywood movies that want to depict the military as shady, twisted and absolutely evil, only this one probably tries too hard. One aspect that makes it worth-seeing, though, is Woods' multilayered performance as a tormented army colonel. Graded B- by TN.

Lake Placid; Comedy-thriller; starring Bill Pullman, Bridget Fonda, Oliver Platt, Brendan Gleeson and Betty White. Directed by Steve Miner.

It may seem like yet another addition to those man vs. giant reptile flicks, but the movie's focus is mostly on the people: two big-city scientists (Fonda and Platt) and two local officials (Pullman and Gleeson). They bicker, interact and fight among each other while collaborating to capture the creature.

You get your share of grisly images (of humans falling prey to the beast), but it's the offbeat comedic style of Emmy-winning writer/producer David E. Kelley (Picket Fences, Ally McBeal) that dominates. Graded B by TN.

Pushing Tin; Comedy; starring John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Angelina Jolie and Cate Blanchett. Directed by Mike Newell.

Inside the pressure cooker that is New York's Terminal Radar Approach Control center, air traffic controllers Cusack and Thornton entangle themselves in a fierce tussle of wits and derring-do, risking their marriages and the lives aboard the 7,000 flights that come in and out of New York. Glen and Les Charles, creators of the hit TV series Taxi and Cheers, wrote this superbly acted character-driven piece. Graded B by TN.

Runaway Bride; Romantic comedy; starring Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Joan Cusack, Christopher Meloni and Hector Elizondo. Directed by Garry Marshall.

USA Today columnist Ike Graham (Gere) does a last minute story on Maggie Carpenter (Roberts), a small-town babe who has the habit of dumping men at the altar. Ike gets fired and seeks vindication by getting up-close-and-personal with the "man devourer" herself. It's always great to see beautiful and well- liked people on the screen. A fun film with "quirky, weird and mysterious" characters. Graded B+ by RM.

The Sixth Sense; Psychological drama; starring Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Haley Joel Osment, Olivia Williams and Donnie Wahlberg. Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

Child shrink Willis must get inside the mind of a troubled young boy who sees dead people walking around him. It's a moving human drama about relationships and the fragility of life, disguised as a mild ghost story.

It does not matter that Willis underperforms, because Osment, as the boy, steals all the scenes he is in with his staggering portrayal of a reluctant psychic. Look for the unrecognizable former New Kid on the Block Wahlberg in a chilling brief turn. Graded A- by TN.