True Heart & Courage Mountain

Kirsten Dunst demonstrates her star charisma in True Heart. Dunst and Zachery Ty Bryan star as twins whose plane has crashed in the Canadian wilderness, where they are rescued by a Native American named Khonanesta (August Schellenberg). Khonanesta is fighting to save a giant Kodiak bear from villainous poachers (we know they're bad because their leader has a claw for a hand). Though initially suspicious, the kids soon join him in his struggle, and in turn his simple wisdom helps them resolve their grief over their dead father. Dunst is a naturally engaging actress, but her efforts are thrown away on this clumsily written bundle of clichés. Aside from the bear--because who can resist a great big bear--the rest of the cast flounders. --Bret Fetzer

You'd never guess it from the title, but Courage Mountain is a sequel to children's classic, Heidi. In this handsome production, filmed in Europe and set during World War I, a teenaged Heidi (Juliette Caton) leaves Switzerland to attend school in Italy. Things go wrong from the start. The other girls make fun of her country ways, then the school is seized by the army. Due to a misunderstanding, Heidi and several classmates are separated from their beloved headmistress (Leslie Caron) and sent to an Oliver Twist-like orphanage. Fortunately, they're able to escape. Using her mountaineering skills, Heidi leads them on an expedition across the Alps to her grandfather's house. Charlie Sheen, who plays her sweetheart Peter, acquits himself nicely as a soldier who assists the girls, but his American accent sounds out of place. Odd casting aside, this family adventure is faithful to the spirit of the original story. --Kathleen C. Fennessy