Murder at 1600

Dwight Little's Murder at 1600 is cheesy, by-the-book entertainment that's easy to watch and enjoy, and even easier to forget. I just finished seeing it 10 minutes ago, and here's what I vaguely remember. A young woman gets murdered at the White House, and they show her naked during the autopsy (why do they always do that?). Wesley Snipes is a homicide detective, and Dennis Miller is his wisecracking sidekick. They try to investigate but can't get the information they need from this mean bald guy who's head of the Secret Service. Pretty soon a White House janitor is accused, but Snipes knows the guy's innocent. Fortunately, Snipes builds elaborate models of Washington, which Secret Service agent Diane Lane finds intriguing and endearing. After much soul searching (done off camera), she decides to risk her life and help Snipes seek justice. They suspect a certain someone is the murderer, a conclusion that's obviously wrong because they come to it only a half-hour into the movie. So, someone else must be the killer. But who? Alan Alda also stars. At the Campus, Harbour Mall, Opera House, Showcase, Westerly and Woonsocket cinemas.

-- Mark Bazer