Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 11, 1990 TAG: 9007110248
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Mike Mayo
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
This summer we have seen a series of over-hyped, undernourished "blockbusters" open with big ticket sales (though not as big as the studios would like), which fall off rapidly.
But smaller, smarter films like "Tremors" are doing well with release schedules and promotional campaigns that include home video.
A few months ago, "Tremors" did respectable business in theaters. It is an updated version of such grand '50s big-critter, science-fiction B movies as "Them" and "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms." It is told with excellent production values - even on the small screen, the picture is remarkably crisp. Added to that there is a solid ensemble cast (Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Michael Gross, country singer Reba McEntire), no-nonsense direction and a script that manages to combine laughs and scares in the right ratio.
The plot revolves around carnivorous super-worms that live underground and surface in the desert town of Perfection, Nevada. The characters are so fully developed, believable and funny that the story will appeal to a wide audience.
From the studio's point of view, the trick is letting that potential audience know that the movie is out there. Consequently the film's release on home video is being backed up with a vigorous publicity campaign.
"Tremors" will probably be a long-lasting hit, and it deserves to be. This is the kind of imaginative, slickly made entertainment that Hollywood has always done best. The guiding force behind the project seems to have been executive producer Gale Anne Hurd, who also produced "The Terminator," "Aliens" and "The Abyss." The vagaries of entertainment accounting not withstanding, "Tremors" may turn out to be a more profitable investment than "Days of Thunder," and it will almost certainly be more enduring than "Total Recall."
\ "Peacekeeper" is another modest sci-fi film that contains some pleasant surprises. Writer/director Kevin Tenney's premise is blatantly lifted from "The Terminator" and "Star Man." The story has to do with a couple of aliens from another planet who find themselves stranded here.
These two guys, played by Robert Forster and Lance Edwards, have remarkable recuperative powers: Shoot them dozens of times and they come back for more; run over them with a car, they don't care; blow them up with dynamite, they sneer. Of course, cars do run over them and they are shot dozens of times, etc.
The thing is, one of them is an intergalactic psychotic killer and the other is the cop who's chasing him. Both of them claim to be the good guy. What's a poor pathologist (Hilary Shepard) to do?
Overall, the humor isn't as funny as it's trying to be and the pace is a bit too slow at times. But the action picks up smartly during the big chase scenes and the three leads handle the material fairly well, even though the real stars are the action sequences and special effects. Note that the closing credits list 20 actors and 56 stunt people in the cast.
\ "The Forgotten One" is an erotic, atmospheric ghost story that's due in video stores late next month. It's not a perfect movie, but it is an effective one that's worth seeking out.
It begins with another cliched premise. Searching for inspiration, novelist Bob Anderson (Terry O'Quinn) moves to Denver and buys an old Victorian house that is haunted. He sees and hears visions of a woman (Blair Parker) in a white nightgown, but because he has been recently widowed, he dismisses the apparition. When it persists, he enlists the help of his neighbor (Kristy MacNichol) in uncovering its source.
Toward the middle, writer/director Phillip Badger's story takes a huge, illogical step you've got to overlook and the narrative line loses its focus toward the end. But beyond that, this is one spooky, sexy ghost movie.
Blair Parker is certainly a fetching phantom, and O'Quinn brings the same tightly wrapped unpredictability to this role that made his work in "The Stepfather" so memorable. Throughout, the formula aspects of the genre are kept to a minimum, and the special effects are restrained and effective.
"The Forgotten One" is not meant for kids, but considering the current sorry state of horror movies, it's strongly recommended for grown-up fans. New release this week Family Business: Starring Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, Matthew Broderick. Directed by Sidney Lumet. 113 min. Rated R for profanity. This one is a mistake.
It's the dramatically unsatisfying story of three generations of thieves and that's the first problem.
It's difficult, if not impossible to believe that Sean Connery begat Dustin Hoffman who begat Matthew Broderick.
Tossing in a Sicilian wife for Connery and a Jewish wife (Rosana DeSoto) for Hoffman only makes the ethnic mix seem more forced. The heist elements are thrown away. In the end, all the star power comes to nothing.
THE ESSENTIALS:\ `Tremors': MCA/Universal. 95 min. Rated PG-13 for mild violence and profanity.
\ `Peacekeeper': 1/2 Fries. 90 min. Rated R for graphic violence, sexual content, strong language.
\ `The Forgotten One' Academy. 89 min. Rated R for nudity, sexual content, violence, profanity.
by CNB