Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 28, 1995 TAG: 9510310005
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
``Nature of the Beast'' is a neatly gruesome little character study and road movie featuring solid performances from two of the best actors in the video business.
Jack (Lance Henriksen) is a paunchy traveling salesman type. Adrian (Eric Roberts) is a spooky hitchhiker. They meet out in the remote California desert, miles away from the interstate, where a madman is chopping up people. At the same time, a million bucks-plus is missing from a Las Vegas casino. What does Adrian have in his daypack? Why is Jack so protective of his locked briefcase?
Writer-director Victor Salva uses a deliberately slow pace and edgy characterizations to maintain suspense. With a couple of exceptions, he does a good job. Henriksen and Roberts have built their careers on quirky, colorful roles and these are two of their best. Henriksen is particularly strong - he also gets credit as ``creative consultant'' - and his performance carries the story over several rough spots.
My only real complaint with the film is in the opening. It begins with that irritating cinematic convention of someone hiding in the backseat of a car. That's a trite, overused trick, and while it may have had some justification in the days of Conestoga wagons and motorized land-yachts, today it's flat wrong - a mark of lazy writing.
``Freakshow'' is an anthology of short films made in South Carolina. The framing device is a carnival sideshow where two teens listen to scary stories told by Gunnar Hansen (without his ``Leatherface'' mask from ``Texas Chainsaw Massacre''). Naturally, they're fairly graphic tales about revenge, cannibalism, and such with a grisly sense of humor along the lines of the old E.C. Comics. The production values are a bit on the thin side and the pace is slow, but the films get better. ``The Mummy'' has a slight Poe quality and stars Victoria Carlson, familiar to fans for her work in Hammer horror films of the 1960s and '70s, and still looking terrific.
``Jack-O'' is the video equivalent of a suburban Halloween spook house, a low-budget horror comedy that emphasizes laughs over scares. And like any good spook house, it's also a loving evocation of the season.
The opening nursery rhyme, ``Mr. Jack will break your back and cut off your head with a whack, whack, whack,'' sets the tone and director Steve Latshaw sticks with it. His bloody effects are about the least realistic you'll ever see, and the hoary plot revolves around a warlock who's resurrected as a pumpkin-headed slasher.
Young Ryan Latshaw is fine as the trick-or-treating hero. He shares the screen with a host of horror veterans led by John Carradine, Cameron Mitchell, Dawn Wildsmith, Linnea Quigley and Brinke Stevens, who ham it up happily. If it weren't for one long and deliberately gratuitous shower scene, this one would be recommended for kids. Instead, it's aimed more at nostalgic drive-in fans.
Turning now to the kid's section, we find ``Leapin' Leprechauns.''
The most recent entry in Charles Band's Moonbeam series of children's movies is a pleasant little fantasy for the small fry.
Michael Dennehy (John Bluthal) lives in an old castle atop Fairy Hill in Ireland (actually Romania, but so what?). That's also where the ``little people'' live; the male leprechauns and the female fairies. But Michael's grown son who lives in Denver wants to build a theme park on the family homestead; something lamely called Ireland-Land. So off Michael goes, with four pint-sized stowaways in his luggage, for an American visit. At first, only his granddaughter Melanie (Erica Nicole Hess, the cutest little redhead to grace the screen in years) can see these magical tricksters.
The story is carefully crafted for a young audience, and so is the humor, involving lots of slapstick and food-throwing - always a crowd-pleaser.
Director Ted Nicolaou is an old hand at the genre and knows what his audience wants. The hammy overacting may well drive adults from the TV room, but the kids will love it. They'll also love the bright, lively score. Music is an often overlooked area where Band productions always shine, and this one is no exception. ``Leapin' Leprechauns'' is probably the beginning of another popular series.
``The Phoenix and the Flying Carpet'' is not one of the chef's specials at your favorite Chinese restaurant. It's a low-budget kid's fantasy that will entertain small fry but will leave most grown-ups cold. Even the presence of Peter Ustinov (mostly in voice-over) is little help.
Three American kids go to England after the death of their grandfather. While their mother (Dee Wallace Stone) works out details of the estate, they complain about the lack of TV and play around in his country house. Hidden away in a box in a closet is an egg. The children accidentally drop it in a fire, and the golden Phoenix is reborn. This bird - which looks remarkably like one of Monty Python's deceased parrots - tells the kids that the ratty old Persian carpet on the floor is actually a flying carpet. Off they go, courtesy of some not-so-special effects by producer-director Zoran Perisic.
The film is too talky, but the comedy will appeal to some kids and, despite the limitations of the budget, it is inventive.
Finally, for younger children who like the idea of scary stories more than actual scary stories, there's a new episode of the animated ``Magic Schoolbus'' series, ``Inside the Haunted House.'' The Haunted House is actually a sound museum and after the featherweight spooky stuff has been taken care of, the focus turns to basic scientific principles of sound and how those apply to music. Lots of fun for the right audience.
New Releases This Week:
Batman Forever ***1/2
Starring Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman, Chris O'Donnell. Directed by Joel Schumacher. Warner Home Video. 120 min. Rated PG-13 for violence, some strong language and sexually suggestive material.
This third installment in the series is infinitely superior to the second and every bit as good as the first, if not better. The focus - at last! - is on the title character (well played by Kilmer), not on colorful villains Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and Riddler (an inspired Jim Carrey). Director Schumacher handles the story deftly. It's everything a fan of big-budget comic book escapism could ask for.
The Santa Clause ***
Starring Tim Allen. Directed by John Pasquin. Buena Vista. 95 min. Rated PG for some mild cussing.
One of last year's hits finally shows up on home video. It's a well-made and winning Christmas fantasy based on good characters. Star Tim Allen is fine as a divorced dad who's forced to fill some big boots and an even bigger red suit.
The Essentials:
Nature of the Beast ***
New Line. 91 min. Rated R for subject matter, violence, strong language, sexual material.
Freakshow **1/2
Arrow. 102 min. Rating pending, probably R for violence, strong language, brief nudity.
Jack-O ***
Triboro. 90 min. Rated R for silly violence, brief nudity, language.
Leapin' Leprechauns ***
Paramount. 84 min. Rated PG for comic action and some spooky stuff.
The Phoenix and the Magic Carpet **
Summa Video. 80 min. Rating pending, probably PG for mild violence.
Inside the Haunted House ** 1/2
Scholastic. 27 min. Contains no offensive material.
by CNB