Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 14, 1995 TAG: 9501170107
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
With their newest, "The Dallas Connection," they have taken the established formula and refined it into the archetypal guy flick. The elements include:
Sexy, powerful women in slinky outfits,
Vintage cars and souped-up power boats,
Shower scenes every 12 to 15 minutes,
Lots of exotic weapons and explosions,
Neat radio-controlled toys,
Heroes who are such thick-headed bimbos they couldn't pour lemonade out of a boot.
The plot is built on a nutty premise involving secret agents (Bruce Penhall and Mark Barriere), assassins (Julie Strain, Julie K. Smith, Wendy Hamilton), satellites and meteor showers, but it's really the least important part of the proceedings. Sidaris films exist in their own universe. Things that would ruin other movies - wooden acting, nonsensical story - are precisely what make these so wonderful, so unpredictable ... so Sidarian!
"The Dallas Connection" moves right along at a quick pace. The production values are up to the high standard set by the earlier films. There's not a single serious moment.
In short, it delivers everything that a fan of guilty pleasures could ask for, and it's certainly the cream of this crop, though it is given serious competition by "Sensation."
This one's a preposterous mystery about co-ed Lyla Reed (Kari Wuhrer) and professor Ian Burton (Eric Roberts) who enlists her in his "psychometry" experiments. Lyla, an artist, receives visions of other people from objects they've owned. But the good doctor is giving her stuff that belonged to a girl who was killed a year before. The murder still hasn't been solved, and the girl was Burton's lover. What's going on?
Before long, other suspects are popping up everywhere - the nerdy student (Kieran Mulroney), the voyeuristic landlord (Paul LeMat), the ominous stranger (Ed Begley Jr.), the detective (Ron Perlman), the prof's current girlfriend (Claire Stansfield).
Director Brian Grant tells the story with some innovative visual flourishes involving paint, ceiling fans and odd camera angles. Most of the spooky moments are effective and surprising; others are silly. (That's always a possibility when Roberts cuts loose.) Star Kari Wuhrer could be Marisa Tomei's sexy sister, though her limitations are obvious in the big emotional scenes.
That's not a real problem, though. Lightweight thrillers like this succeed or fail on style and "Sensation" has all that it needs.
"The Dark Side of Genius" deals with some of the same themes and plot devices. It's about L.A. art critic Jennifer Coles (Finola Hughes) who falls hard for artist Julian Johns (Brent Fraser), even though he killed a model years before and is still obsessed by the woman. Director Phedon Papamichael tosses in the requisite plot twists and keeps things moving fairly well. In visual terms, though, he aimed for (and got) a trashy, paint-stained shabbiness. The studio-loft set looks like it ought to be scrubbed down with a wire brush and strong soap, and Julian seems right at home there. Fraser plays the part as a seedy, sweaty, lank-haired Andre Agassi of the artsy set.
Tom Hiel's elegant classical score is completely at odds with the images on the screen and deserves special mention.
"In the Heat of Passion II: Unfaithful" is an updated Gothic with a surprisingly high-powered cast including Lesley-Anne Down, Barry Bostwick and Michael Gross. Most viewers will figure out the cheating-husband/wheelchair-bound wife plot within the first 15 minutes. But director Catherine Cyran understands the demands of the genre. The real question is: "Who gets the house?" And the message is: "Love comes and goes, but property is forever."
Finally, we have "Sexercise," a silly little parody of workout tapes with scream queen Jewel Shepard doing the Jane Fonda bit. It's a slap-dash, shot-on-video effort notable for only two things. First, the "actual testimonials" from people who claim to have lost weight, and second, the closing credits, which contain a real estate ad for the house where the tape was made.
Only on home video.
Next week: "American Cinema" and Haskell Wexler!
New releases
Wolf ***
Starring Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader. Directed by Mike Nichols. Written by Jim Harrison and Wesley Strick. Columbia TriStar. 122 min. Rated R for graphic violence, strong language, sexual content.
Judged strictly as an old-fashioned horror movie, "Wolf" is better than star Jack Nicholson's last work in the genre, "The Shining." It's scarier, smarter and funnier. Nicholson is fine, but co-star Michelle Pfeiffer plays a curiously unsympathetic heroine.
The transfer from big screen to video was done with a new "image enhancing technology" that improves the clarity of the image. The difference is not dramatic, but it's certainly noticeable. Particularly in the night scenes and the big finish, "Wolf" is extremely sharp and vivid, approaching the quality of a good laserdisc. The process ought to become the industry standard.
The Shadow: ***
Starring Alec Baldwin, John Lone, Penelope Ann Miller, Ian MacKellen, Peter Boyle, Tim Curry. Directed by Russell Mulcahy. MCA/Universal. 100 min. Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content.
The obvious inspiration for this cinematic comic book is "Batman." But writer David Koepp and director Mulcahy also had "Ghostbusters" in mind. The film is never completely serious. The humor has a surprisingly macabre edge that may make it too strong for younger audiences, but teen-agers and adults will welcome it. Curiously, the big scenes and special effects play better on the small screen than they did in theaters.
The Mask ** 1/2
Starring Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz. Directed by Charles Russell. Turner/New Line. 95 min. Rated PG-13 for violence, some strong language, mild sexual content.
This combination of live action, comedy and computer effects is enjoyable enough for what it is. Some of the musical scenes are energetic and surprising. The rest of the action often seems slow, and there's never much to the story (mild-mannered clerk finds magical mask) or the characters. Even Carrey's broad physical comedy is overshadowed by the special effects created at George Lucas' International Light & Magic.
THE ESSENTIALS:
(Guilty pleasures, by definition, contain nudity, sexual material and, in most cases, mild violence.)
The Dallas Connection ***
Monarch. 94 min. Rated R.
Sensation ***
Columbia TriStar. 102 min. Rated R.
Dark Side of Genius **
Paramount. 86 min. Rated R.
In the Heat of Passion II: Unfaithful. ** 1/2
New Horizons. 107 min. Unrated and R-rated.
Sexercise *
Ivy Film/Video. 40 min. Unrated.
by CNB