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Another 48 HRS. (R)
A real comedown from 48 HRS., Walter Hill's overblown sequel is
like a Rambo flick set in San Francisco. The laughs are mostly buried
in Dolby-ized mayhem — apocalyptic gunfire, heavy explosions, and
enough random images of stuntmenenrashing through plate-glass windows
to stock a dozen thrillers. Eddie Murphy skulks through the picture
like a pasha who has been ordered to perform for his slaves. He still
has his laser-accurate timing, but megasuperstardom appears to have
coarsened Murphy's soul. It has taken away his lightness, his
devilish charm. C-
Gremlins 2 (PG-13)
Like its predecessor, The New Batch is a demonically surreal
Muppet movie that leaps from high point to high point, from sick
jokes featuring gremlins fed through paper shredders to gleeful
anthropomorphic satire. This time, the movie's cartoon darts are
aimed at a Donald Trump-like uber-honcho (John Glover) whose Clamp
Centre office building provides the setting for nonstop gremlin
hijinks. The beastie-boy monsters are a trifle more individualized
this time: One of them even talks. Although the movie is nothing but
the sum of its whirring pop-culture mechanics, it's enough to keep
you occupied, and occasionally exhilarated. B
