Movieline Online

First, let's acknowledge the elephant in the room: Spielberg's original Poltergeist, which lay smack dab in the middle of an incredible run of success, both behind the camera and behind the scenes. Although director Tobe Hooper's actual contributions have been whitewashed from the get-go, their collaboration resulted in a best-of-both worlds mix of family drama and edgy exploitation effects. It's a near-perfect rollercoaster ride that filmmakers are still insidiously stealing from. Poltergeist 2 and 3....not so much. But after the franchise slipped off Spielberg's radar, the supernatural adventures of the Freeling family and their daughter, Carol Anne, became a playground for other directors eager to make their mark. First up was Brian Gibson with Poltergeist 2: The Other Side (1986), who had the benefit of a completely reunited cast (including JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson and Zelda Rubinstein as the pint-sized psychic, Tangina) and the support of Richa...

Poltergeist 3 (1988) was likely rushed into production before star Heather O'Rourke became too big to fit her footie pajamas. As it is, the actress (who died tragically from complications of an impacted bowel at the age of 12 just after production wrapped) is uncomfortably forced to look years younger in this director Gary Sherman led third installment. Tom Skerritt and Nancy Allen star as relatives who host a visiting Carol Anne in their posh penthouse apartment high atop a fancy Chicago high-rise. But Kane (played by a look-alike in make-up) returns to take Carol Anne, now attending a school for the psychically gifted, back with him to the other side. If the plot is still a tired re-tread, at least the setting opens up new possibilities. And director Gary Sherman, who worked wonders with low-rent thrillers like Raw Meat and Dead & Buried, takes an "Alice Through The Looking Glass" approach, filling the film with elaborate mirror effects performed completely on ...

The idea of making a sequel to Psycho would seem misguided, at best. Not to mention potentially embarrassing for all involved. But as Hollywood has proven, there’s no property that’s “untouchable”…even one with the great Alfred Hitchcock’s name attached. With the success of the slasher genre in full swing, particularly Halloween, Universal went ahead with Psycho 2 (1983) a continuation of the story of Norman Bates, now released from psychiatric care and returning home after 22 years. But is he truly “cured” or is the memory of his mother only waiting at the top of the stairs? Directed by Richard Franklin, a Hitchcock devotee and pupil, there’s an obvious – and much appreciated - intent to keep things classy. The script by Tom Holland (Fright Night, Child’s Play) is respectful and sympathetic to Norman (played again by Anthony Perkins), now almost a victim himself and persecuted by Lila Loomis for the death of her sister. Norman’s short-lived job at the local diner introduces h...

Set just a few months later, Psycho 3 (1986) picks up with Norman now a full-tilt loony once again. His fascination with a Marion Crane look-alike (Diana Scarwid) prompts an ill-fated romance that Mother disapproves of…and we all know what happens with women Mother doesn’t like. This time around, Perkin’s himself gets in the director’s chair and does a surprisingly good job. The kill sequences are a bit more modern and not afraid to show some gore. If anything works against him, it’s Perkins’ tendency to include references to the original film. That sort of wink-wink nudge-nudge stuff is exactly what you would have expected out of the first sequel and isn’t really necessary. The script by Charles Edward Pogue (who would reboot The Fly just a year later) works in enough humor and interesting characters all on its own, including a scene-stealing Jeff Fahey as a rock n’ roll drifter. Perkins seems to be aiming for the cheap seats in an attempt to boost Norman’s stature amongst new...

Art is of its time. And even though the best examples of cinema are “timeless,” it’s awful hard to reproduce the magic behind those classics in the first place. Actors, writers and directors reach a creative peak, and then fade into the Smithsonian of pop-culture (if they’re lucky) or unheralded anonymity (if they’re not). French director Jean Rollin only enjoyed appreciation for his work decades after it was released. But that late success provided him the chance to return to his favorite filmic themes with Two Orphan Vampires – a film produced in 1995 but existing somewhere in the director’s mid-70s oeuvre. Critics might contend that Rollin never had all the much skill to begin with. But even so, his ability to pick up exactly where he left off in terms of style, ideas and execution is pretty amazing. The film itself is much like his tone-poem vampire entries Fascination and Lips of Blood but more restrained in terms of violence, sexuality and budget. Henriette and Louise a...

Even The Living Dead Girl (1982), probably the closest the director ever came to making a genre film (along with his zombie tale The Grapes of Death) defies any real categorization. There’s gore, but few scares as our undead heroine, Catherine, is brought back to life by some toxic waste dumping grave robbers. Compelled to kill, she meanders through her after-life with little purpose until her childhood friend pledges assistance – which includes securing some very unwilling victims. The flashes of violence likely put this at the top of the list for certain Rollin fans. But they exist in a separate world from our lead character, who commits most of her horrendous acts with no emotion or scathing self-hatred. Some English language scenes and a larger than usual budget hint that this was Rollin’s one last shot for genre success. But that’s like hiring a plumber to fix your car; they’re both experts, but in two separate professions.

With any new Bond films put on the backburner thanks to MGM’s financial woes, now’s the perfect time to catch up with Bond’s brother-from-another-mother: Dick Malloy, the CIA’s answer to Britain’s super-suave secret agent. He has a license to kill, punch, slap and make love to anyone that stands in his way. And as played by the burly Hollywood cast-off Ken Clark, you might just find yourself rooting for Agent 077 despite his hand-me-down villains, gadgets and overly dramatic theme songs.

Copyrights be damned, these Italian co-productions lift everything that works in the Bond franchise and tweak it just enough to stay out of court. In Mission Bloody Mary, Malloy is on the trail of a new superweapon hijacked from the US and about to hit the blackmarket courtesy of the mysterious “Black Lily.” Joining him on the job is an attractive female operative (Helga Linne) who may or may not be on his side.

LOVE HAPPENS: Romantic comedies have been in a real rut these days. Which is why it was so refreshing to discover Love Happens isn’t a romantic comedy at all, despite marketing that might argue otherwise. Aaron Eckhart plays Dr. Burke Ryan, a motivational speaker on the cusp of national success helping people deal with their grief. Trouble is, he’s never dealt with his own following the accidental death of his wife over three years ago. In the midst of this double-life, he finds himself attracted to Eloise (Jennifer Aniston), and despite the typical first act push-pull, they dip their toes into a satisfying relationship. Love Happens has plenty of opportunities to follow the well-trodden slapstick path of other rom-coms…most of them starring Jennifer Aniston. But it sticks with the rather poignant and emotionally powerful profile of a man who can help others, but refuses to help himself. It might be considered a “George Clooney” role, but Eckhart’s chin is up to the challenge....

AMELIA: There’s no question that the life of Amelia Earhart is worthy of a glossy cinematic adaptation. In fact, the famous lady flyer appeared in two films last year. So how wrong is it that I actually prefer the wax figure brought to life in Night At The Museum 2 (played much gusto by Amy Adams) over the historically accurate but overwhelmingly gloomy portrait embodied by Hilary Swank? Buoyed by the sort of old-Hollywood production values you rarely see invested in such “dated” material, Amelia is a gorgeous film to look at, sporting extravagantly beautiful flying footage and a supporting cast of dashing, experienced actors (Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor). But Swank is such a “Debbie Downer” in the lead role that the film has to work overtime to create enthusiasm for Earhart’s accomplishments, which include flying solo across the Atlantic before disappearing on her ambitious attempt to cross the globe. While Swank may deliver a more realistic portrayal (newsreel footage on the Bl...

ONG-BAK – THE THAI WARRIOR: The world has been waiting impatiently for the next Bruce Lee to surface ever since his untimely death in 1980. Jackie Chan and Jet Li both stood to inherit the crown but chose their own path to martial arts sainthood. Now the torch has been passed to Tony Jaa, whose debut in Ong Bak serves as a demo reel for his unique fighting style, combining Lee’s quickness with Van Damme’s groin-stretching flexibility. Jaa’s signature move, a pair of elbows to the top of the head, is just one of the many Muay Thai combat moves that make use off all the body’s pointy parts. Like the early Bruce Lee films, the story is only a loose structure used to introduce one fight sequence after another. Yet the film’s best assist goes to Petchtai Wongkamiao as Jaa’s fellow villager and comic relief, who keeps the film from falling into a monotonous series of Bloodsport-style deathmatches. Jaa himself doesn’t have much charisma when he’s not throwing a punch – unlike Lee, whos...

ARIZONA COLT RETURNS: There’s a tendency to put Spaghetti Westerns into two categories: “those made by Sergio Leone” and “everything else.” And while none of the imitators really came close to approximating Leone’s inimitable style, quite a few managed to be damn entertaining. Like this well-meaning shoot-em-up which pits a lanky Eastwood stand-in (Anthony Steffan) and his loyal but perpetually drunk sidekick (Roberto Comardiel) against a small army of bad guys who’ve framed our hero for robbery and sullied his not-so-good name. Directed by Sergio Martino with his usual energetic pace, there’s nothing here you can’t see in dozens of other Italian Dollars knock-offs that will never make it to DVD. But Arizona Colt hits the trail hard and fast, jumping from one showdown to the next until the nearly 20-minute finale, the perfect capper to a film that’s constantly trying to top itself. Through it all, Martino maintains a good-natured tone, expertly balancing the comic relief with the...

ISLAND OF THE FISHMEN: Volcanoes, black magic, escaped convicts, mutated Gill-Men and Barbara Bach. Could you ask for anything more? Not when it comes to the Italian exploitation genre. This take on the familiar Island of Dr. Moreau story sees three shipwrecked survivors attacked by an army of Black Lagoon leftovers led by an evil recluse using them to steal treasure from the lost city of Atlantis. The plot actually makes more sense than you’d think, and Joseph Cotton even pops up as the dedicated but deranged scientist convinced that we’d all be better off with fins. Director Sergio Martino makes effective use of his exotic locale and limited special effects, delivering a perfect Saturday matinee that doesn’t skimp on the monstrous action, yet remains relatively bloodless. The film’s titular fishmen parade around on full display for most of the running time, making sure everyone gets their money’s worth. Lead actor Claudio Cassinelli brings a rugged believability to the procee...

SUNSHINE CLEANING: Another straight-from-Sundance flick with Amy Adams and Emily Blunt as sisters whose aimless lives get pointed in the right direction when they open a crime-scene clean-up business. The concept is ripe for a wacky Hollywood comedy, but the film rarely zigs in that direction. Instead it opts to zag down some rather tragic family history and personal hang-ups. Adams is an ex-high school cheerleader having an affair with her married ex-quarterback boyfriend. Blunt is a self-masochistic loafer still scarred by her mother’s suicide. Their father (played by Alan Arkin) is a failed businessman always counting on the next flip of the coin. It’s not really fair to label Sunshine Cleaning as a downer, but it certainly is optimistically challenged. What it does offer is another stunning example of how good an actress Amy Adams truly is. Equally adept at performing opposite Smithsonian exhibits brought to life or more intense serious dramas, Sunshine Cleaning owes most ...

ADVENTURELAND: One of the most common rites of passage as a director is restaging your own rites of passage as a young-adult. Writer / director Greg Mottola takes us on a ride down his own memory lane as an ambitious post-grad who’s forced to take a summer job at a local amusement park. The games and rides are all run by equally unenthusiastic twenty-somethings living at home with Mom and Dad while they develop an unspoken familial bond toiling in their mutual misery. Except James (Jesse Eisenberg), who finds the girl of his dreams (Kristen Stewart) while handing out giant-ass Pandas. Adventureland shares vague similarities with Mottola’s previous hit, Superbad, in the sense that it the story is deceptively aimless. There are brief bursts of comedy, mostly from Adventureland onwer-operators Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, but by and large Mottola’s not interested in making anyone laugh this time around. Like its alt-retro soundtrack, Adventureland doesn’t really fall into an eas...

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA: The last collaboration between director John Carpenter, director of photography Dean Cundey and actor Kurt Russell - a combo that produced Escape from New York and The Thing – this tongue-in-cheek, supernatural, kung-fu action-comedy couldn’t be more different from their previous films if it tried. In fact, it was so different the theatrical reaction at large in 1986 was a collective “What the F___?” But like most of Carpenter’s early work, cable and video cemented the film as a bonafide cult classic with more quotable lines that a Will Ferrell movie. Russell plays Jack Burton, a beefcake blow-hard truck driver who gets conned into rescuing a kidnapped Chinese girl from a 2000-year-old sorcerer. Along the way he must face the seven Chinese hells, three elemental warriors and a parade of supernatural creatures. Over-the-top in almost every respect, Big Trouble is unlike anything else in Carpenter’s oeuvre, which up until then included mostly horror fil...