Most people hanker for a little excitement in their lives. But be careful what you wish for -- you might get it. That's the moral of the Americom Cinema's latest offering, "True Lies," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis.


Curtis plays Helen Tasker, a bored housewife looking for some adventure, not realizing that she is married to a man who speaks six languages and crashes parties dressed in a wetsuit over his tuxedo. As a supersecret intelligence agent, Schwarzenegger's Harry Tasker never told his wife of 15 years that his true profession is not selling computers, but hunting down international terrorists. By the way, they're deeply in love, but neither one realizes it.


When Helen falls for a used-car salesman posing as a spy in order to get women (Bill Paxton in a hilarious comic turn), Harry turns to his intelligence skills to rekindle their relationship. He does extremely well until terrorists interrupt a potentially wonderful seduction to kidnap them both.


In his successful attempt to save the day, Harry manages to not only to escape a virtual army of marksmen on skis and terrorists armed with nuclear bombs, but also dances a flawless tango -- twice.


Director James Cameron, of "Terminator," "T2," and "Aliens" fame, is clearly in his element here. The extravagant special effects, the action and the comic overtones are evident in all his movies and this one is no exception. The special effects, digital and otherwise, are stunning, especially the air scenes that utilize real Harrier military jets.


Schwarzenegger is also in his element, delivering a fine performance deftly edged with deadpan humor. He and Curtis conjure up some convincing on-screen chemistry, and the moments when Helen discovers her husband's true profession are particularly engaging.


For someone lacking in anti-terrorist training, Helen handles herself pretty well. In one scene, she is used a human shield by a terrorist. Harry plants a bullet in the guy's head anyway, walks over to the stunned Helen, kisses her and says, "Next time, honey, duck." She staggers after him, dazed, mumbling, "I married Rambo."


But that's the thing about this movie -- it isn't "Rambo." Its combination of action, romance and comedy is infinitely more appealing.


The Americom's other offering is just what Moscow needs -- a feel-good movie geared for kids that their parents will enjoy, too. "Andre" is about a family who adopts a seal, Andre, and the effect it has on their lives. The film focuses on the relationship between the seal and Toni, played by newcomer Tina Majorino.


Keith Carradine plays Toni's father, Harry Whitney, the harbormaster for a small fishing town and a self-styled Dr. Doolittle. As Andre's fame grows, it causes Toni's siblings to feel neglected by their father and the local fisherman to resent their harbormaster for not doing his job and helping them through a bad season.


The movie is based on a true story. Although the ending may seem a bit too pat, it is not outrageously so -- good things do happen in real life.


The scenes between Toni's older siblings, Paula and Steve, played by Aidan Pendleton and Shane Meier, capture very well the melodramatic conflicts of childhood. Majorino, who also starred in "Corrina, Corrina," is a promising young talent.


Andre the seal is actually played by a sea lion named Tony, who steals every scene he is in, which is to say the whole movie. The human actors play well opposite him, especially Majorino. Hardly bigger than Andre herself, she develops an onscreen rapport with him which is used to masterful comic effect.





"True Lies" shows nightly at 9 p.m., with added shows at 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. "Andre" shows nightly at 7 p.m. Both movies will run until Feb. 22; the cinema will be closed Feb. 13 to 15. Tickets are the ruble equivalent of $7.50 or $8 by credit card.