OPENED YESTERDAY
Dangerous Ground 
Ice Cube plays a former South African who returns home to find that the country has turned into a gang-ridden hellhole. This potboiler is just one more violent vigilante movie. (R) At Kapolei, Keolu, Pearlridge, Restaurant Row
OPENING TOMORROW
Absolute Power Clint Eastwood directs and stars as a thief who witnesses a murder, then finds himself in the middle of a big time presidential cover-up. See review below (R) At Aikahi, Enchanted Lake, Kahala, Kapolei, Mililani, Pearlridge, Restaurant Row
Fools Rush In
(Star rating unavailable)
Salma Hayek tries to help Matthew Perry break the "Friends" movie curse with this romantic comedy. (PG-13) At Kahala, Kailua, Kapolei, Pearlridge West, Restaurant Row
National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation (Star rating unavailable)
Those lovable Griswolds - Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo and a new set of kids finally visit a place where they fit in. (PG) At Kahala, Kapolei, Keolu, Koko Marina,
Mililani, Pearlridge West, Restaurant Row
That Darn Cat
(Star rating unavailable)
Disney remakes its own 1965 slapstick farce stars Christina Ricci as a teen-ager who gets caught up in a kidnapping plot thanks to the wanderings of D.C., her darn cat. (PG) At Enchanted Lake, Kahala, Kapolei, Mililani, Pearlridge, Restaurant Row
CONTINUING
The Beautician and the Beast This high-camp trifle stars Fran Drescher as a whiny Jewish beautician from Queens who is mistakenly hired to tutor the children of the dictator of an Eastern European nation. Romance blooms in the culture clash. (PG) At Kahala, Kapolei, Keolu, Pearlridge West, Restaurant Row
Beverly Hills Ninja 
As the first white man trained in the secret survival arts of the Japanese warriors, Haru (Chris Farley) is more ninny than ninja and can't do anything right. Farley's a funny guy, which is more than you can say about the script writers. (PG-13) At Kapolei, Pearlridge West
Dante's Peak
Volcano disaster movie, starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton, offers an impressive last 15 minutes of magmatic fire power. But the rest is formulaic Hollywood disaster flick. (PG-13) At Aikahi, Enchanted Lake, Kapolei, Koko Marina, Laie, Mililani, Nanakuli, Pearlridge West, Restaurant Row, Waikiki 2
The English Patient
This adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's romantic novel of wartime passion has been nominated for 12 Oscars. Stars Ralph Fiennes, Willem Dafoe, Kristin Scott Thomas and Juliette Binoche. (R) At Kapolei, Varsity
Evita
Madonna plays the title role in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical. The triumph of flash over substance received Oscar nominations for cinematography, sound, the song "You Must Love Me" and film editing. (PG) At Kapolei, Waikiki 1
Gridlock'd
Tim Roth, the late Tupac Shakur and Thandie Newton star in this clumsy heroin-addiction comedy that just isn't funny. (R) At Nanakuli, Pearlridge West
Jackie Chan's First Strike
The storyline is difficult to follow, but Jackie Chan's stunts are, as usual, extraordinary. (PG-13) At Kam Drive-In, Pearlridge West
Jerry Maguire
A modern morality play in which Tom Cruise plays a sports agent who dishonors himself by being honest. Honored with Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Cruise), Best Supporting Actor (Cuba Gooding), screenplay and film editing. (R) At Kahala, Kam Drive-In, Kapolei, Pearlridge West
Metro
This is a mediocre urban thriller with Eddie Murphy as a San Francisco hostage negotiator who does most of his reasoning with guns. "Metro" is retro. (R) At Kahala, Kam Drive-In, Kapolei, Pearlridge West, Restaurant Row
Mother
Writer-director Albert Brooks' perfectly pitched comic direction and witty, surprising script give Debbie Reynolds an ideal showcase as an eccentric mother who uses a hazy-dazey air of ineptness to keep annoying problems like her grown-up son at a distance. (PG-13) At Varsity
The Pest
This mess is a remake of "The Most Dangerous Game," with Jeffrey Jones as a white supremacist seeking to bag a specimen of every ethnic group. John Leguizamo is the annoying human prey of the title. (PG-13) At Kam Drive-In, Kapolei, Laie, Pearlridge West, Restaurant Row
Scream
Director Wes Craven's new teens-in-peril thriller raises the cheesy formula of the stalk-and-slash movie to an unexpected level of intelligence and valid suspense. (R) At Kahala, Kapolei, Pearlridge West
Shine
Australian filmmaker Scott Hicks tells the story of a prodigy, pianist David Helfgott, driven to madness by a possessive father, and saved by strangers. It is an unforgettable story of the power of love, richly rendered. Nominated for seven Oscars. (PG-13) At Cinerama, Kailua, Kapolei
Star Wars: The Special Edition
On the 20th anniversary of the movie's release, this rerelease features some new footage, enhanced special effects and a digital THX soundtrack. (PG) At Kahala, Kapolei, Keolu, Mililani, Pearlridge, Restaurant Row, Waikiki 3