Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 9, 1994 TAG: 9404110156
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Mike Mayo
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
``The Club'' is a variation on your basic dead-teen-ager plot done up with a few inventive special effects (and several not-so-inventive), a sense of humor and some serendipitous casting.
The kids at Eastern High School have decided to hold their prom in a castle and to dress up in vaguely Renaissance costumes, giving the rest of the action the atmosphere of a Hammer movie. Beyond the usual adolescent angst of loneliness and breaking up is hard to do, etc., there are other problems. One of the chaperones is a serial murderer, and at the stroke of midnight, time stops. Someone on the dance committee has a lot of explaining to do.
Six kids and the aforementioned chaperone find that everyone else has disappeared. One of them (Matthew Ferguson) is carefully made up to look like Johnny Depp in ``Benny and Joon.'' That was certainly an intentional move on the producers' part. But they couldn't have anticipated that their real star (Joel Wyner) is a dead ringer for Jim Carrey of the surprise hit ``Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.'' He injects a manic sense of humor to the second half of the film that almost makes up for the predictable Gothic scares.
Overall the production values are high, and some of the visual tricks work well. The story is similar to Sam Raimi's ``Evil Dead,'' but it lacks the out-of-control pace and crazed energy that make Raimi's films so much fun.
The ``Witchcraft'' series has to be one of the oddest success stories in home video. It has now reached No. 6 and shows no sign of stopping.
For those who came in late, in the first movie we learned about the birth and upbringing of Will Spanner, who's the son of Satan but not really a bad guy. Actually, his unusual lineage hasn't been much of a problem as the stories have developed. He's occasionally tempted (as are we all), but never really goes over to the other side.
Now, five entries later, he's leading a happy normal life as a Los Angeles divorce lawyer by day, supernatural troubleshooter by night. Someone is sacrificing young women up in the hills, so the police call on Will for help.
There's nothing unusual in the off-the-shelf plot or in the various love scenes that move this one into the ``erotic horror'' subgenre. But co-writer/director Julie Davis handles things with a fair sense of humor, and she got a terrific performance from Bryan Nutter as Savanti, the bad guy with heavy-duty press-on nails. She also made the most of a small budget and limited special effects. At this rate, the series will continue for some time. It has built an audience and continues to deliver what the fans want to see.
Charles Band has done the same thing on a more ambitious level with his Full Moon Entertainment. It's a studio within a studio at Paramount. The company produces video originals with an emphasis on special effects and tightly written formula plots. One of the newest, ``Arcade,'' is based on virtual reality video games. Though the film's plot doesn't mean much to those of us who are ``game-impaired,'' the digital effects work well on the small screen. Young stars Peter Billingsly and Megan Ward are fine, and the whole film looks good. It's well-made escapism for those who appreciate the form.
``Skeeter'' is a '90s version of a '50s drive-in creature feature - ``Tarantula,'' ``Them,'' any of the big bug movies. Something strange is going on in the little mountain town of Clear Sky, and horror fans know that the illegal toxic waste dump has something to do with it. Our hero and heroine are forgettable mannequins. The presence of Charles Napier as the corrupt sheriff and Michael Pollard as the town's mad fool do a lot to perk things up. The effects are more silly than scary because it's almost impossible to make flying monsters believable.
One interesting change has taken place over the past 40 years. In '50s critter movies, the culprit almost always had something to do with nuclear power. The government, working with scientists and/or the military, was able to overcome it.
Today, the government is almost always in cahoots with evil capitalists to cause the environmental damage that creates the horror. Back then, the monster came from a new and unknown power. Today, it comes from us.
Next week: The art and craft of the cinematographer.
New releases this week:
Cool Runnings: ***
Starring Leon, John Candy, Doug E. Doug, Malik Yoba, Rawle D. Lewis. Directed by John Turtletaub. Disney. 95 min. Rated PG for a little rough language.
Like ``The Mighty Ducks,'' this is another Disney sleeper hit about a group of misfits, outsiders who are rejected by the sports establishment but persevere despite overwhelming odds, etc. etc. It's based - loosely - on a true story of the 1988 Jamaican Olympic bobsled team. John Candy turns in a fine performance, and the four newcomers who play the Jamaican sledders are just as good.
Carlito's Way: ***
Starring Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller. Directed by Brian DePalma. MCA/Universal. 141 minutes. Rated R for graphic violence, strong language, sexual content, nudity.
Al Pacino and director Brian DePalma try to strike the gold they found in ``Scarface'' with this story of a Puerto Rican gangster attempting to go straight in New York, 1975. Penn provides strong support as a crooked lawyer. Despite DePalma's fussy overdirection, this one's a winner for Pacino fans. Others may think it too long.
The Essentials:
The Club: **
Imperial. 88 min. Rated R for graphic effects, violence, strong language, sexual content, brief nudity.
Witchcraft 6: ** 1/2
Academy. 89 min. Unrated and R-rated for sexual content, nudity, strong language, some violence.
Arcade: **
Paramount. 85 min. Rated R for strong language, graphic special effects, some violence.
Skeeter: **
Columbia Tristar. 95 min. Rated R for bloody effects, violence, strong language, sexual content, brief nudity.
by CNB