Movieline Online

THE FLICK: The 70’s were an era of rebirth for the film industry. Studios, befuddled by a generation of baby boomers who craved something different, were forced to make “different” kinds of pictures. But who would think this would apply to animated films, too? “The Rescuers” has all the elements of a traditional Disney movie – cute characters, scary villains, and a healthy dose of comic relief. But it feels rawer than most of the studio’s classics, slightly unfinished, with an animation style closer to the Scooby Doo episodes of the 60’s than “Lady & the Tramp.” The plot, too, is a little darker than most, sending two mice (Bernard, voiced by Bob Newhart, and Bianca, by Eva Gabor) to rescue a runaway orphan from the clutches of some dastardly treasure hunters. They’re assisted their hunt through a spooky swamp by a clumsy albatross, a dragonfly named Evinrude, and a cast of alcoholic hillbilly critters. The unpolished feel of the film (even the music is sparse and “soft rock” in to...

THE FLICK: After Jackie Chan finally hit it big in the U.S. with “Rumble in the Bronx” the market was flooded with so many Chan imports from his native Hong Kong that the guy must have been making 10 films a year. Some got the deluxe re-mixed and re-released treatment (like “First Strike”) while others were picked up by cut-rate video distributors to cash in on the craze. “Project A2” catches Chan at the peak of his Hong Kong career, with enough clout to direct his own material and enough budget to produce something spectacular (at least by Hong Kong standards). The plot is a nonsensical mess – something to do with vengeful pirates, naïve revolutionaries, and corrupt cops – but the stunts are some of Jackie’s best. From the inventive (trading punches inside a giant bingo tumbler) to the just plain silly (Jackie swallowing hot peppers to spit and wipe in his opponent’s eyes), Chan is never afraid to let the physical comedy be front and center. In that respect, his films will never be ta...

THE FLICKS: The Western has been unfairly maligned by today’s generation as a slow-moving, predictable genre of film with nothing to offer besides a few Clint Eastwood flicks. Nobody plays cowboys and Indians anymore. Toy guns have been banned from the shelves. And, for all practical purposes, the only things “wild” in the West now are wacko militia groups praying for the government to topple. Which makes it all the more pleasantly surprising that Universal has launched a Western Collection, releasing some of the most innovating and exciting films in their catalog. And at the top of fans most wanted list are the films of Anthony Mann and Jimmy Stewart, the director/star combo that produced a slew of unique post-war Westerns that redefined Stewart’s persona and gave the genre a swift kick in the pants. “Winchester ‘73” is straight up action with Stewart on a mission to track down his murderous brother and his one-of-a-kind rifle. Consumed with vengeance, Stewart’s character Lin McAdam w...