MOVIES - Dec. 15, 1988

Ready for Round 2? Universal Pictures and Cineplex Odeon announced they will re-release “The Last Temptation of Christ” nationally next spring, with the hope of cashing in on anticipated Oscar, Golden Globe and other industry award nominations. When “Last Temptation” opened in August, it was denounced by some conservative Christians as being blasphemous. Several theaters showing the film in the States and abroad were vandalized, and some theater chains refused to show it. It has continued to play in Los Angeles and a few other cities. “We’ve had to deal with the outcry of people from time to time, but we’ve never chosen to back down in matters that we believe firmly are exemplary in the spirit of an enlightened democratic country,” Garth Drabinsky, head of Cineplex Odeon.