THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 18, 1995 TAG: 9501180025
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: CRAIG SHAPIRO
LENGTH: Long : 112 lines
THE GOOD NEWS is Jack Nicholson is no threat to Lon Chaney Jr. That's also the bad news.
Not that ``Wolf'' (1995, Columbia TriStar) could rival ``The Wolf Man'' - there isn't a film around that can touch the 1941 classic for horror and pathos - but with a cast headed by Black Jack and Michelle Pfeiffer, and a director like Mike Nichols, the new movie, just out on video, should be better.
Will Randall (Nicholson) is a Manhattan book editor who only wants to keep his job. One snowy New England night, his car hits a wolf. When he gets out to investigate, he's bitten on the wrist.
Here, ``Wolf'' shows promise. Before the accident, Randall looks every bit of his 50-some years. When he learns he's been replaced by the snotty yuppie (James Spader) he brought up through the ranks, he begins to change.
Nicholson is excellent, carrying himself in a way that suggests Randall has rediscovered something primal in himself. Actually, he's becoming Jack Nicholson, the one we know from ``The Shining,'' ``Batman,'' ``The Witches of Eastwick'' and just about every entry on his resume. Still, it's effective; in fact, ``Wolf'' (R for language, violence) works much better as a satire on the '90s workplace.
It's when the story ventures outside those confines that it runs aground. There are no surprises. Suspense? Forget it. To keep things moving, Randall riles up a zoo and shreds some punks. Characters drop cryptic lines like, ``Remember who you are.'' The ending is incredibly hammy.
The problem, as with most modern horror movies, is ``Wolf'' tries to make too much of what is a simple story, giving it more psychological and supernatural and sociological weight than it can bear. As a result, it has no bite.
Other werewolf movies, however, have succeeded where ``Wolf'' fails - giving the premise a new spin while abiding by the rules laid down 54 years ago. Here are three that pulled it off:
``The Howling'' (1981). Written by John Sayles and directed by Joe Dante, this is fast, funny and furious. Dee Wallace Stone is a traumatized TV reporter who goes to a clinic to recover. A clinic for werewolves. You need a scorecard to keep track of the inside jokes.
``Silver Bullet'' (1985). That rarity of rarities - a Stephen King adaptation that actually makes for a good movie. The residents of a quaint New England town are being slaughtered. Corey Haim is the kid who figures it out.
``An American Werewolf in London'' (1981). The crash scene in Picadilly Circus almost drags down John Landis' film, but there's no denying its black humor. Plus, the soundtrack is killer.
HOOPLA: Pro ball's playmakers - Kevin Johnson, Mark Price and Muggsy Bogues - get their due in ``NBA Below the Rim,'' while Shaq, Shawn Kemp and Larry Johnson rattle the rim in ``NBA Super Slams 2'' ($14.98 each, CBS/Fox).
SUCH A DEAL: With Black History Month nigh, Columbia TriStar has reduced ``Poetic Justice,'' ``House Party 3,'' ``Zebrahead,'' ``One False Move'' and ``Mississippi Marsala'' to $19.95, and ``Boyz N the Hood,'' ``Who's the Man,'' ``Hangin' With the Homeboys,'' ``To Sleep With Anger,'' ``Heaven Is a Playground,'' ``Amos 'N Andrew'' and ``Mo' Money'' to $14.95.
More from Columbia TriStar: ``The Fisher King,'' ``Bugsy,'' ``Awakenings,'' ``Late for Dinner,'' ``Three of Hearts'' and ``Return to the Blue Lagoon'' ($14.95).
MCA/Universal: ``King of the Hill,'' ``Dazed and Confused,'' ``The Real McCoy'' ($19.98), ``Blood Simple,'' ``Criss Cross,'' ``Duel,'' ``Eddie Macon's Run,'' ``Gangster Wars,'' ``Heroes,'' ``Into the Night,'' ``Rollercoaster,'' ``The Sugarland Express,'' ``Two-Minute Warning,'' ``Videodrome,'' ``White Palace'' ($14.98).
Republic: ``Tomcat,'' ``Payback,'' ``Society,'' ``Amityville: A New Generation,'' ``Bounty Tracker,'' ``Comrades in Arms,'' ``Trauma'' ($9.98).
TOP TAPES (in Billboard):
Sales: ``Speed,'' ``Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,'' ``Jurassic Park,'' ``The Nightmare Before Christmas,'' ``The Land Before Time II'
Rentals: ``Speed,'' ``Maverick,'' ``When a Man Loves a Woman,'' ``The Client,'' ``Blown Away''
The Couch Report
``The Mask'' (1995, New Line). You want wired? As The Mask, Jim Carrey is a Chihuahua on black coffee. But when the bank clerk-turned-superhero isn't cleaning up Edge City, the story kind of drags. Silver lining: Use the time to catch your breath; you'll need it when the rubber-faced comic and the boys in FX kick into high gear. Viva Tex Avery!
(CAST: Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Peter Riegert, Richard Jeni. RATED: PG-13 for cartoonish violence)
``The Shadow'' (1994, MCA/Universal). Don't get hung up on comparisons with the classic radio serial. This ambitious yarn - equal parts ``Dick Tracy'' and ``Batman'' - stands up on its own. It gets a tad talky, but Alec Baldwin does a good job as the mysterious avenger who foils a plan for world domination. The Art Deco look is lavish.
(CAST: Alec Baldwin, John Lone, Penelope Ann Miller. RATED: PG-13 for violence)
``Trial by Jury'' (1994, Warner). A first-class thriller thanks to Armand Assante as a crime boss and Gabriel Byrne as the D.A. out to get him. Joanne Whalley-Kilmer is convincing in the lead, a juror bullied by the defense then sought by the prosecution. Director/screenwriter Heywood Gould plays fair from the start.
(CAST: Joanne Whalley-Kilmer, Armand Assante, Gabriel Byrne, William Hurt. RATED: R for language, violence)
Also: James Woods and Kate Capshaw in the comedy ``Next Door'' (R); ``Midnight Edition,'' a thriller with Will Patton (R); ``Roswell,'' based on UFO goings-on in New Mexico (not rated), and the laff fest wannabe ``Police Academy: Mission to Moscow'' (PG).
Tuesday: ``Natural Born Killers,'' ``Opera Imaginaire,'' ``Sensation''
Next Wednesday: ``Killing Zoe,'' ``Head'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Jack Nicholson, left, undergoes a metamorphosis in ``Wolf,'' and
Christopher Stone has a similar experience in ``The Howling.''
Jim Carrey and some wild special effects make ``The Mask'' worth
seeing.
by CNB