Kenneth Wannberg, composer and Emmy-winning music editor who worked on nearly half of all John Williams’ films dating back to the late 1960s, died Jan. 27 at his home in Florence, Oregon. He was 91.
Wannberg was best known as Williams’ music editor, working closely with the composer on more than 50 of his films. He assisted Williams throughout the scoring process, from providing detailed descriptions of sequences to be scored to more technical aspects such as trimming or modifying music during the last stages of post-production.
He music-edited the first six “Star Wars” films, the first three “Indiana Jones” films and such other landmark Williams scores as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Jurassic Park,” “Schindler’s List” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
During his 50-year career in films, Wannberg worked with many other composers including Bernard Herrmann (“Journey to the Center of the Earth”), Jerry Goldsmith (“The Mephisto Waltz”), Michael Convertino...
Wannberg was best known as Williams’ music editor, working closely with the composer on more than 50 of his films. He assisted Williams throughout the scoring process, from providing detailed descriptions of sequences to be scored to more technical aspects such as trimming or modifying music during the last stages of post-production.
He music-edited the first six “Star Wars” films, the first three “Indiana Jones” films and such other landmark Williams scores as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Jurassic Park,” “Schindler’s List” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
During his 50-year career in films, Wannberg worked with many other composers including Bernard Herrmann (“Journey to the Center of the Earth”), Jerry Goldsmith (“The Mephisto Waltz”), Michael Convertino...
- 2/3/2022
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
In addition to the new movie Tremors: Shrieker Island coming out this fall, Graboid fans can also look forward to 1990's Tremors coming out on a new limited edition Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD this December.
As announced on Facebook, the Tremors 4K Ultra HD and limited edition Blu-ray releases will be available in the US, UK, and Canada, and you can check out the full release details and a look at the cover art and box set goodies below:
Tremors 4K Ultra HD: "A pulse-pounding love letter to 1950s creature features that delivers horror and humor in equal measure, Tremors is a bonafide cult classic that has grabbed audiences’ affections ever since its release and spawned a successful franchise that continues to this day.
Good-ol’-boy handymen Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) are sick of their dead-end jobs in one-horse desert town Perfection, Nevada (population: 14). Just as...
As announced on Facebook, the Tremors 4K Ultra HD and limited edition Blu-ray releases will be available in the US, UK, and Canada, and you can check out the full release details and a look at the cover art and box set goodies below:
Tremors 4K Ultra HD: "A pulse-pounding love letter to 1950s creature features that delivers horror and humor in equal measure, Tremors is a bonafide cult classic that has grabbed audiences’ affections ever since its release and spawned a successful franchise that continues to this day.
Good-ol’-boy handymen Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) are sick of their dead-end jobs in one-horse desert town Perfection, Nevada (population: 14). Just as...
- 9/25/2020
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Update: The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office has ruled that the death of “Hollywood Superman” Christopher Dennis was accidental.
Dennis died when he crawled into a clothing donation bin and suffocated. TMZ reports that the coroner’s office said Dennis “suffocated to death as a result of blunt force trauma to his head and neck … after being partially entrapped within a metal box used for donating clothes The Coroner’s report also cites methamphetamine toxicity as a significant factor in his death.”
Update: “Hollywood Superman” Christopher Dennis will be buried in his costume, after an anonymous donor stepped up to pay for his funeral and fulfill his final wishes.
A crowdfunding campaign had been started to provide funeral costs for Dennis, who was homeless and died trying to obtain clothing from a donation bin. He had told friends that he wanted to be buried in his costume, but the...
Dennis died when he crawled into a clothing donation bin and suffocated. TMZ reports that the coroner’s office said Dennis “suffocated to death as a result of blunt force trauma to his head and neck … after being partially entrapped within a metal box used for donating clothes The Coroner’s report also cites methamphetamine toxicity as a significant factor in his death.”
Update: “Hollywood Superman” Christopher Dennis will be buried in his costume, after an anonymous donor stepped up to pay for his funeral and fulfill his final wishes.
A crowdfunding campaign had been started to provide funeral costs for Dennis, who was homeless and died trying to obtain clothing from a donation bin. He had told friends that he wanted to be buried in his costume, but the...
- 1/11/2020
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Review by Roger Carpenter
My guess is that all true movie lovers have a list of films which remain unavailable on a decent DVD or Blu-Ray release and for which they are waiting for some company to pick up and give it a nice release. This was true for me regarding The Slayer. I first saw the film in the early-to-mid-eighties on a VHS double-bill with Fred Olen Ray’s Scalps. Both films were pretty terrible quality but both were fun in their own way and I duped both and kept them for a long time. Scalps has long since been on DVD (and recently Blu-Ray), and I have long owned a copy of that film which I still pull out from time to time and watch again. But my dupe of The Slayer died decades ago and I hadn’t viewed the film in a long time…...
My guess is that all true movie lovers have a list of films which remain unavailable on a decent DVD or Blu-Ray release and for which they are waiting for some company to pick up and give it a nice release. This was true for me regarding The Slayer. I first saw the film in the early-to-mid-eighties on a VHS double-bill with Fred Olen Ray’s Scalps. Both films were pretty terrible quality but both were fun in their own way and I duped both and kept them for a long time. Scalps has long since been on DVD (and recently Blu-Ray), and I have long owned a copy of that film which I still pull out from time to time and watch again. But my dupe of The Slayer died decades ago and I hadn’t viewed the film in a long time…...
- 10/12/2017
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Is It A Nightmare? Or Is It… The Slayer?
The Slayer (1983) will be available on Blu-ray + DVD August 29th From Arrow Video
One of the most sought-after titles for slasher fans everywhere, The Slayer finally rises from the ashes of obscurity in a brand new 4K transfer courtesy of Arrow Video.
Two young couples set off to a secluded island for what promises to be a restful retreat. But the peace is short-lived: as a storm batters the island, troubled artist Kay begins to sense that a malevolent presence is here with them, stalking them at every turn. Is she losing her mind, or are her childhood nightmares of a demonic assailant coming to terrifying life?
Previously only available on home video in truncated or full screen versions, The Slayer – whose nightmares-seeping-into-reality theme predates a certain Wes Craven classic by several years – comes lovingly restored from the original negative in...
The Slayer (1983) will be available on Blu-ray + DVD August 29th From Arrow Video
One of the most sought-after titles for slasher fans everywhere, The Slayer finally rises from the ashes of obscurity in a brand new 4K transfer courtesy of Arrow Video.
Two young couples set off to a secluded island for what promises to be a restful retreat. But the peace is short-lived: as a storm batters the island, troubled artist Kay begins to sense that a malevolent presence is here with them, stalking them at every turn. Is she losing her mind, or are her childhood nightmares of a demonic assailant coming to terrifying life?
Previously only available on home video in truncated or full screen versions, The Slayer – whose nightmares-seeping-into-reality theme predates a certain Wes Craven classic by several years – comes lovingly restored from the original negative in...
- 8/15/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
This August, Arrow Video enters the deranged mind of Herbert West with their limited edition 4K restoration of Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator (which was initially slated for a July 25th release), and we now have the full list of special features for the anticipated release, along with two other horror Blu-rays coming out this month from Arrow: The Slayer and a limited edition steelbook of Society.
Press Release: The summer really hots up in August, as Arrow Video releases a special edition of an 80s classic, a white-knuckle thriller, a splatter horror masterpiece, a box set of crime classics, a rare Italian sword-and-sandal epic, and an amazing new limited edition steelbook.
First up, one of the most wildly popular horror movies of all-time, Stuart Gordon's enduring splatter-comedy classic Re-Animator returns to Blu-ray in a stunning restoration packed with special features. According to the distributor (Mvd), this awesome package is officially sold out already,...
Press Release: The summer really hots up in August, as Arrow Video releases a special edition of an 80s classic, a white-knuckle thriller, a splatter horror masterpiece, a box set of crime classics, a rare Italian sword-and-sandal epic, and an amazing new limited edition steelbook.
First up, one of the most wildly popular horror movies of all-time, Stuart Gordon's enduring splatter-comedy classic Re-Animator returns to Blu-ray in a stunning restoration packed with special features. According to the distributor (Mvd), this awesome package is officially sold out already,...
- 8/3/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
We recently spoke with film composer Robert Folk about his tenure on the re-edited version of Roland Joffe’s epic, There Be Dragons. As a follow-up to that interview, film director / producer / wiz-kid James Ordonez provides us with the inner workings of the film’s progress from religious biopic to ambitious drama.
Ordonez has taken the time to give WhatCulture an exclusive journey into the re-invention of Joffe’s project. The film bombed on release, and despite some positive reviews, it sank into the abyss of nothingness. Despite this firm rejection, Ordonez was unwilling to let the film die, and took this opportunity to help revive it. Join us now as Ordonez tells us about controversial beliefs, onset spats and the millions spent to redeem a potential modern classic.
Opus Dei
“There Be Dragons was originally conceived before Roland [Joffe] was involved, as a biopic for one of the main characters Josemaria Escriva,...
Ordonez has taken the time to give WhatCulture an exclusive journey into the re-invention of Joffe’s project. The film bombed on release, and despite some positive reviews, it sank into the abyss of nothingness. Despite this firm rejection, Ordonez was unwilling to let the film die, and took this opportunity to help revive it. Join us now as Ordonez tells us about controversial beliefs, onset spats and the millions spent to redeem a potential modern classic.
Opus Dei
“There Be Dragons was originally conceived before Roland [Joffe] was involved, as a biopic for one of the main characters Josemaria Escriva,...
- 8/4/2012
- by Brad Williams
- Obsessed with Film
WhatCulture! recently sat down for an exclusive interview with renowned film composer Robert Folk. Best known for his work on ‘Beastmaster 2’, ‘The Neverending Story 2’, ‘Toy Soldiers’, ‘Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls’ and of course, ‘Police Academy’, the 63-year-old L.A based musician is spritely and charming. Folk, who was born in New York, has an East Coast accent with a soft warm roll in it; something which one comes to associate with the cultured and educated members of American society. Sporting a healthy glow, he sits in an office decorated with posters of the films he has previously scored – a customary sight amongst film professionals.
During our one-to-one in depth chat Folk talks about IMAX ballet, the ‘Police Academy’ reboot and his work as replacement composer on Roland Joffe’s soon to be released, re-cut, re-mixed, re-packaged historical epic ‘There Be Dragons’ entitled ‘There Be Dragons: Secrets of Passion’.
WhatCulture!
During our one-to-one in depth chat Folk talks about IMAX ballet, the ‘Police Academy’ reboot and his work as replacement composer on Roland Joffe’s soon to be released, re-cut, re-mixed, re-packaged historical epic ‘There Be Dragons’ entitled ‘There Be Dragons: Secrets of Passion’.
WhatCulture!
- 6/26/2012
- by Brad Williams
- Obsessed with Film
The march towards a new Police Academy continues as the world waits with baited breath; so far New Line has announced a director as well as a new screenwriter hired to do rewrites. And now, thanks to WhatCulture, a few more nuggets of information has been gleaned about the project.
In an exclusive interview with composer Robert Folk, they learned that this new Police Academy will be a reboot of the entire franchise, something I think we all just assumed was the case. In addition, Folk also gushed about the pre-production on the project and of director Scott Zabielski, whom he thinks will bring a 21 Jump Street-style edginess to the reboot. Here’s what Folk had to say:
“They are thinking of it as, too coin the overused term, a ‘reboot’. That is how they are looking at it, as doing the whole series all over again for a new generation of that target audience.
In an exclusive interview with composer Robert Folk, they learned that this new Police Academy will be a reboot of the entire franchise, something I think we all just assumed was the case. In addition, Folk also gushed about the pre-production on the project and of director Scott Zabielski, whom he thinks will bring a 21 Jump Street-style edginess to the reboot. Here’s what Folk had to say:
“They are thinking of it as, too coin the overused term, a ‘reboot’. That is how they are looking at it, as doing the whole series all over again for a new generation of that target audience.
- 6/21/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
To quote the great Commandant Lassard, it has been “many, many wonderful” years since the original ‘Police Academy’ was released. From those days of risqué humour, walking one man sound effects and ‘Carry On’ style antics, grew a franchise that just refused to die. Some instalments were fun whilst others were nearly unwatchable, but still Mahoney and Co held a special place in American culture.
Whatever way you look at it, the 1984 original was a huge success and earned over $80 million at the box office, meaning a modern continuation was always inevitable. We heard news a while back that newbie director Scott Zabielski was directing some sort of sequel, but things have been quiet for a very long time.
In a recent exclusive interview with film composer Robert Folk, WhatCulture has discovered that the long gestating Police Academy 8 film will in fact be a reboot of the entire series!
Whatever way you look at it, the 1984 original was a huge success and earned over $80 million at the box office, meaning a modern continuation was always inevitable. We heard news a while back that newbie director Scott Zabielski was directing some sort of sequel, but things have been quiet for a very long time.
In a recent exclusive interview with film composer Robert Folk, WhatCulture has discovered that the long gestating Police Academy 8 film will in fact be a reboot of the entire series!
- 6/21/2012
- by Brad Williams
- Obsessed with Film
Most of you will know this, but don’t-call-me-Sir Ridley Scott is returning to the career-making universe of Alien this week – with the worldwide release of Prometheus (our review Here and heavy, spoilerific analysis Here). It feels fitting at this point to have a retrospective on the cigar chomping auteur. In a legacy that spans 35 years, 20 directorial feature films and countless production credits, Scott has demonstrated a raw and animalistic fervor for filmmaking: and he shows no signs of slowing down!
Growing up, kids around me always had a favorite football player, or Power Ranger, or superhero, or (in the more tragic case) Eastender’s character. I on the other hand, had favorite directors. Whilst my friends would talk of Eric Cantona and Tommy Oliver (the white Power Ranger), I’d gush about Spielberg, Hitchcock, and more notably, Ridley Scott. To answer your two questions: Yes, I was a...
Growing up, kids around me always had a favorite football player, or Power Ranger, or superhero, or (in the more tragic case) Eastender’s character. I on the other hand, had favorite directors. Whilst my friends would talk of Eric Cantona and Tommy Oliver (the white Power Ranger), I’d gush about Spielberg, Hitchcock, and more notably, Ridley Scott. To answer your two questions: Yes, I was a...
- 6/2/2012
- by Brad Williams
- Obsessed with Film
Not a big hit on release in 1991, teen-filled action movie Toy Soldiers has aged surprisingly well. Simon takes a look back…
By the start of the 90s, the action movie was on the cusp of some big changes.
This was the last era of the global action movie superstar, powering their films to massive box office success. Terminator 2 was about to usher in a growing reliance on special effects, and the lure of the computer was something the genre would wrestle with from that point onwards. And that means films such as Toy Soldiers, whilst nothing as dramatic as the last of a dying breed, are really quite rare.
The concept and set-up of this particular film is quite straightforward, and in narrative terms, it’s happy to be conventional. A prologue alerts us to another generic criminal being extradited to America, and we can see that son of said criminal,...
By the start of the 90s, the action movie was on the cusp of some big changes.
This was the last era of the global action movie superstar, powering their films to massive box office success. Terminator 2 was about to usher in a growing reliance on special effects, and the lure of the computer was something the genre would wrestle with from that point onwards. And that means films such as Toy Soldiers, whilst nothing as dramatic as the last of a dying breed, are really quite rare.
The concept and set-up of this particular film is quite straightforward, and in narrative terms, it’s happy to be conventional. A prologue alerts us to another generic criminal being extradited to America, and we can see that son of said criminal,...
- 11/8/2011
- Den of Geek
While everyone was obsessing over the not-yet-aired Academy Awards show a couple weeks ago, I was running around in circles at the news that "Police Academy" was coming back. Not just that, but series producer Paul Maslansky was leading the charge to bring it back. This is very exciting news for me, as the "Police Academy" series is one that stands out in my formative experiences with film.
I immediately put in a call to Maslansky, not even daring to hope that he would speak with the press at such an early stage. He did though, and we had a lengthy conversation about the past, present and future of "Police Academy." The specific details haven't yet been hammered out, but it's clear from talking to the man that there's a plan which all involved parties are focused on carrying out. There's too much from the interview to contain in a single blog post,...
I immediately put in a call to Maslansky, not even daring to hope that he would speak with the press at such an early stage. He did though, and we had a lengthy conversation about the past, present and future of "Police Academy." The specific details haven't yet been hammered out, but it's clear from talking to the man that there's a plan which all involved parties are focused on carrying out. There's too much from the interview to contain in a single blog post,...
- 3/17/2010
- by Adam Rosenberg
- MTV Movies Blog
In the hallowed tradition of quest movies comes "Booty Call". While Indiana Jones may have quested for the Lost Ark and Jason quested for the Golden Fleece, Bunz and Rushon quest for a latex condom. Given the fine and foxy ladies they're on a mission for, modern-day urban audiences might consider Bunz and Rushon's quest much more important than the mere retrieval of old religious arcana.
Accordingly, there should be considerable first-weekend box-office booty for Sony from black, teen audiences, and, to boot, "Booty" should call up some nifty cash from the frat-boy crowd and MTV-heads everywhere.
A risque romp centered around a double date, this Columbia movie is a bawdy blend of hormones laced over with pseudo-sociological sermonizing about the necessity for safe sex. The comic carnality centers around Rushon (Tommy Davidson) and Nikki (Tamala Jones). Rushon and Nikki have gone together for what passes for a long time by today's romantic standards -- seven weeks. Both are upwardly mobile and somewhat strait-laced, but both feel the urge to "do it."
These feelings are fired up by their two libidinous, good-time friends: Womanizer Bunz (Jamie Foxx) goads Rushon to quit jerking around and get Nikki in bed, while Nikki's gal-pal Lysterine (Vivica A. Fox) doesn't believe in holding out for more than 30 minutes.
Unabashedly crude and lewd, "Booty Call" is, especially in its first 45 minutes, a hoot. A strong dose of sexual slapstick lathered up with safe-sex strictures, "Booty" sashays as a first-rate farce. Screenwriters Takashi Bufford and Bootsie have smartly wadded up a batch of sexual frustration, crammed it together with opposite character types, and then massaged it with some tried-and-true comic pleasers like a feisty pet, a hyper Chinese waiter (Gedde Watanabe) and two Punjabi convenience clerks.
Indeed, there's not a lot of correctness gunking up the hilarity and, as you might expect, the subject matter does not hold up throughout, even at 77 minutes.
Not dilly-dallying around with much aesthetic foreplay, director Jeff Pollack keeps things tight and light, but it's the four lead performances that are this callipygean carnality's most alluring charms. Davidson is finely cast as the well-meaning but frustrated Rushon, while Foxx is perfect as a dreadlocked, 'hood rat.
On the distaff side, Jones is a perfect blend of sweetness and sexiness as good-girl Nikki, while Fox smolders as the highly charged Lysterine. Watanabe is terrific as an addled Chinese waiter, a perfect reactive character for the sexual shenanigans.
BOOTY CALL
Sony Pictures Releasing
Columbia Pictures
A Turman/Morrissey Co. production
A film by Jeff Pollack
Producer John Morrissey
Director Jeff Pollack
Screenwriters Takashi Bufford, Bootsie
Director of photography Ron Orieux
Production designer Sandra Kybartas
Editor Christopher Greenbury
Costume designer Vicki Graef
Music Robert Folk
Co-producer John M. Eckert
Casting Mary Vernieu, Ronnie Yeskel
Sound mixer Douglas Ganton
Color/stereo
Cast:
Bunz Jamie Foxx
Rushon Tommy Davidson
Lysterine Vivica A. Fox
Nikki Tamala Jones
Chan Gedde Watanabe
Akmed Art Malik
Singh Scott LaRose
Running time -- 77 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Accordingly, there should be considerable first-weekend box-office booty for Sony from black, teen audiences, and, to boot, "Booty" should call up some nifty cash from the frat-boy crowd and MTV-heads everywhere.
A risque romp centered around a double date, this Columbia movie is a bawdy blend of hormones laced over with pseudo-sociological sermonizing about the necessity for safe sex. The comic carnality centers around Rushon (Tommy Davidson) and Nikki (Tamala Jones). Rushon and Nikki have gone together for what passes for a long time by today's romantic standards -- seven weeks. Both are upwardly mobile and somewhat strait-laced, but both feel the urge to "do it."
These feelings are fired up by their two libidinous, good-time friends: Womanizer Bunz (Jamie Foxx) goads Rushon to quit jerking around and get Nikki in bed, while Nikki's gal-pal Lysterine (Vivica A. Fox) doesn't believe in holding out for more than 30 minutes.
Unabashedly crude and lewd, "Booty Call" is, especially in its first 45 minutes, a hoot. A strong dose of sexual slapstick lathered up with safe-sex strictures, "Booty" sashays as a first-rate farce. Screenwriters Takashi Bufford and Bootsie have smartly wadded up a batch of sexual frustration, crammed it together with opposite character types, and then massaged it with some tried-and-true comic pleasers like a feisty pet, a hyper Chinese waiter (Gedde Watanabe) and two Punjabi convenience clerks.
Indeed, there's not a lot of correctness gunking up the hilarity and, as you might expect, the subject matter does not hold up throughout, even at 77 minutes.
Not dilly-dallying around with much aesthetic foreplay, director Jeff Pollack keeps things tight and light, but it's the four lead performances that are this callipygean carnality's most alluring charms. Davidson is finely cast as the well-meaning but frustrated Rushon, while Foxx is perfect as a dreadlocked, 'hood rat.
On the distaff side, Jones is a perfect blend of sweetness and sexiness as good-girl Nikki, while Fox smolders as the highly charged Lysterine. Watanabe is terrific as an addled Chinese waiter, a perfect reactive character for the sexual shenanigans.
BOOTY CALL
Sony Pictures Releasing
Columbia Pictures
A Turman/Morrissey Co. production
A film by Jeff Pollack
Producer John Morrissey
Director Jeff Pollack
Screenwriters Takashi Bufford, Bootsie
Director of photography Ron Orieux
Production designer Sandra Kybartas
Editor Christopher Greenbury
Costume designer Vicki Graef
Music Robert Folk
Co-producer John M. Eckert
Casting Mary Vernieu, Ronnie Yeskel
Sound mixer Douglas Ganton
Color/stereo
Cast:
Bunz Jamie Foxx
Rushon Tommy Davidson
Lysterine Vivica A. Fox
Nikki Tamala Jones
Chan Gedde Watanabe
Akmed Art Malik
Singh Scott LaRose
Running time -- 77 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 2/24/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IN THE ARMY NOW
Buena Vista Pictures
The stoner lingo has been toned down and the costumes are not as spectacular. Even the trademark curls are shorn. But before one gets the idea that Pauly Shore's screen persona has significantly matured, ''In the Army Now'' shows its silly stripes. A late-summer theatrical campaign should come marching home with fair booty for Buena Vista Pictures.
Shore and the usual phalanx of writers, including his strike team of Fax Bahr and Adam Small, have cleverly managed to expand the stand-up comedian's up-to-now limited appeal to MTV-soaked airheads, while delivering an uneven but enjoyable farce.
While Shore still has most of the best lines and situations -- such as when he faces off against drill sergeants and other stern military types -- he's also backed up by a solid ensemble cast, including Lori Petty, David Alan Grier and Andy Dick as the other misfits in a water-purifying detail of army reservists.
Director Daniel Petrie Jr. and cinematographer William Wages are appropriately conservative in their approach. Robert Folk's heroic movie music rehash hits the target, while O. Nicholas Brown's editing helps the laughs flow more or less constantly (HR 8/12-14).-- David Hunter
ANDRE
Paramount Pictures
A Pacific sea lion stands in for a harbor seal and Vancouver locales double for Rockport, Maine, but ''Andre'' gets away with the usual Hollywood trickery. Four-legged, live-action animal stars have not fared well this season. But Paramount's bewhiskered, herring-munching, wryly comic seal has a chance to swim at least a few leagues along the same family film current as last summer's aquatic sleeper hit ''Free Willy.''
Set in the '60s, ''Andre' '' plot is strictly formula and the payoffs predictable. Still, there's a disarming gentleness and positive messages aplenty in debut screenwriter Dana Baratta's adaptation of the book ''A Seal Called Andre'' written by Harry Goodridge and Lew Dietz.
Goodridge is the basis for Harry Whitney (Keith Carradine), the kindly harbor master who adopts an orphaned seal pup to the delight of his family.
Director George Miller (''The Man From Snowy River'') orchestrates the swiftly swimming plot and shifting emotions with reasonable success, while the main human performers are natural and relaxed.
Thomas Burstyn's wide-screen cinematography is serviceable, but such potentially riveting scenes as Andre's climactic return journey to the Whitneys after being let go in the open sea are disappointing (HR 8/12-14).-- David Hunter
A LA MODE
Miramax Films
''A la Mode'' (aka ''Fausto'') is a comfortable fit, not too fancy but stylish and spirited. Directed by first-timer Remy Duchemin, the French import distributed by Miramax tries on familiar themes, centered around a young man's coming of age after a family tragedy, but triumphs because of the captivating characters and upbeat, fun-loving mood.
With a strong screenplay and four excellent lead performances, the worst thing one can say about ''A la Mode'' is that it's noticeably episodic. Word of mouth should be good and the art-house underdog ought to perform well.
Set in the mid-1960s in Paris, ''A la Mode'' is written by Duchemin and Richard Morgieve, based on the latter's novel ''Fausto.'' The well-directed film is quietly ambitious in both its evocation of the times and smooth combination of comedy and drama (HR 8/12-14).-- David Hunter
Also reviewed last week was the film ''A Good Man in Africa'' (HR 8/15).
(c) BPI Communications...
Buena Vista Pictures
The stoner lingo has been toned down and the costumes are not as spectacular. Even the trademark curls are shorn. But before one gets the idea that Pauly Shore's screen persona has significantly matured, ''In the Army Now'' shows its silly stripes. A late-summer theatrical campaign should come marching home with fair booty for Buena Vista Pictures.
Shore and the usual phalanx of writers, including his strike team of Fax Bahr and Adam Small, have cleverly managed to expand the stand-up comedian's up-to-now limited appeal to MTV-soaked airheads, while delivering an uneven but enjoyable farce.
While Shore still has most of the best lines and situations -- such as when he faces off against drill sergeants and other stern military types -- he's also backed up by a solid ensemble cast, including Lori Petty, David Alan Grier and Andy Dick as the other misfits in a water-purifying detail of army reservists.
Director Daniel Petrie Jr. and cinematographer William Wages are appropriately conservative in their approach. Robert Folk's heroic movie music rehash hits the target, while O. Nicholas Brown's editing helps the laughs flow more or less constantly (HR 8/12-14).-- David Hunter
ANDRE
Paramount Pictures
A Pacific sea lion stands in for a harbor seal and Vancouver locales double for Rockport, Maine, but ''Andre'' gets away with the usual Hollywood trickery. Four-legged, live-action animal stars have not fared well this season. But Paramount's bewhiskered, herring-munching, wryly comic seal has a chance to swim at least a few leagues along the same family film current as last summer's aquatic sleeper hit ''Free Willy.''
Set in the '60s, ''Andre' '' plot is strictly formula and the payoffs predictable. Still, there's a disarming gentleness and positive messages aplenty in debut screenwriter Dana Baratta's adaptation of the book ''A Seal Called Andre'' written by Harry Goodridge and Lew Dietz.
Goodridge is the basis for Harry Whitney (Keith Carradine), the kindly harbor master who adopts an orphaned seal pup to the delight of his family.
Director George Miller (''The Man From Snowy River'') orchestrates the swiftly swimming plot and shifting emotions with reasonable success, while the main human performers are natural and relaxed.
Thomas Burstyn's wide-screen cinematography is serviceable, but such potentially riveting scenes as Andre's climactic return journey to the Whitneys after being let go in the open sea are disappointing (HR 8/12-14).-- David Hunter
A LA MODE
Miramax Films
''A la Mode'' (aka ''Fausto'') is a comfortable fit, not too fancy but stylish and spirited. Directed by first-timer Remy Duchemin, the French import distributed by Miramax tries on familiar themes, centered around a young man's coming of age after a family tragedy, but triumphs because of the captivating characters and upbeat, fun-loving mood.
With a strong screenplay and four excellent lead performances, the worst thing one can say about ''A la Mode'' is that it's noticeably episodic. Word of mouth should be good and the art-house underdog ought to perform well.
Set in the mid-1960s in Paris, ''A la Mode'' is written by Duchemin and Richard Morgieve, based on the latter's novel ''Fausto.'' The well-directed film is quietly ambitious in both its evocation of the times and smooth combination of comedy and drama (HR 8/12-14).-- David Hunter
Also reviewed last week was the film ''A Good Man in Africa'' (HR 8/15).
(c) BPI Communications...
- 8/16/1994
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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