Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 1, 1995 TAG: 9507040005
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
First up is "Dream Horse," an independent release aimed at girls, ages 3 to 9, but any kid who's fascinated by horses will enjoy it. Producers Cherie Martinez and Lydia Clary use a simple fictional framework and a little animation to present information about various breeds and such. The story revolves around a 6-year-old girl and her mother. With the little girl's birthday approaching, they visit working farms and ranches in Northern California where they learn about different kinds of horses. The tone is light, never lecturing, and though the animals are presented at their most handsome - these are virtual equine centerfolds - the film doesn't become too sentimental or cute, either.
Certain little girls (and their parents and grandparents know who they are) will watch this one about 1,200 times before they get tired of it. Other kids won't be as enthusiastic, but I suspect they'll enjoy it. I did.
(This being the kind of tape that's not likely to be found in most rental stores, it can be purchased for $19.95. Call 1-800-386-9474.)
Jim Varney has taken his Ernest P. Worrell character from TV commercials to feature films and now back to the small screen with video originals. It's probably the best medium for his particular brand of family-oriented slapstick. His newest, "Slam Dunk Ernest" finds our intrepid hero working as a janitor in a shopping mall. His boss Barry (Cylk Cozart) still has dreams of an NBA career. Against his better judgment, he lets Ernest join the company basketball team as a benchwarmer.
Whenever Ernest touches a basketball, you see, disaster strikes. But then he is visited by the Archangel of Basketball (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), and everything changes. At the same time, Barry's young son, Quincy (Aaron Joseph), is seriously tempted by a pair of $200 sneakers, thinking that they will make him the star his father never was.
This low-budget effort was made by the same production team that's been responsible for most of Varney's films. They know what their audience wants to see and they deliver it. The jokes are silly; the message of hard work and tolerance is never preachy; Ernest is Ernest and Kareem seems completely comfortable with a light but serious role.
"Digger" is a coming-of-age drama that tries to do too much. When his parents separate, Digger (Adam Hann-Byrd from ``Little Man Tate") is sent to live with his aunt and uncle (Barbara Williams and Timothy Bottoms) on an island in Washington state. He reluctantly makes friends with Billy (Joshua Jackson) who has developed a vivid imagination to compensate for a weak heart. Filling out the cast are Digger's grandmother (Olympia Dukakis) and her new beau (Leslie Nielsen).
Writer Rodney Gibbons and director Robert Turner treat the conflicts with the proper seriousness, and that's a problem. Particularly at first, the action is talky, slow and hard to follow. Young viewers who aren't immediately hooked by the scenery may give up in frustration before the story really gets moving. Once it does, it attempts to cram in every possible adolescent emotion and crisis: disease, divorce, death, abandonment, unrequited love.
On the other hand, the acting is first-rate, particularly from the two leads, and most of the time they sound like real kids. For those who stick with it, the story has a strong emotional ending, too. Flaws and all, "Digger" is comparable to the recent theatrical release, "The Cure."
"Class of '61" deserves more credit for intentions than execution. In attempting to make Civil War history seem real to a young audience, it focuses on the contradictions, divided loyalties and hypocrisies that existed in both North and South.
The story begins with the firing on Fort Sumter and ends at the battle of First Manassas. It follows three West Point cadets (Clive Owen, Dan Futterman and Joshua Lucas) who choose sides and live or die with those choices. Writer James McCord tries to capture the spirit of those terrible times in the dialogue, and so many of the characters in this large cast climb on soapboxes to deliver political proclamations. Realistic or not, those moments are hard for today's audiences to accept. McCord also uses the racial language of the times and that's even more shocking.
The overlapping differences and similarities between North and South are equally difficult to dramatize. How does a filmmaker show confusion without being confusing? Director Gregory Hoblit doesn't always succeed, despite technical advice from Shelby Foote. The battle scenes appear to have been filmed with help from re-enactors, so they have an authentic feel, though they never come close to the believability and emotional power of "Glory."
Steven Spielberg is listed as executive producer, and the film has the polished look of mid-budget studio production. Given the curious structure of the story, and the many loose ends left unresolved, it feels like the first part or chapter of a longer work. The next installment will probably be better.
Finally, for older kids, there's "The Nutt House," which proves that timing is everything. This comic misfire about twins (Stephen Kearney) separated as children was made a few years ago and since then has been sitting on a shelf somewhere, not bothering anyone. In the meantime though, Bill and Ted and Wayne and Garth and Ace Ventura appeared, and "stupid" comedy became a blight upon the land.
An objective observer could argue that "The Nutt House" is no better or worse than "Dumb and Dumber" and in fact uses many of the same sight gags that appeared there and in "The Mask." It also boasts the presence of the eminently bankable Traci Lords. So what if it's a terrible movie? So what if the people who made it are embarrassed? (Note the variations on the pseudonym ``Allan Smithee'' that appear in the credits. That's the name Hollywood folk use when they wish to disassociate themselves from a project.) This one's going to be a video hit.
Next week: When creativity and imagination overpower exploitation (and when they don't)!
THE ESSENTIALS:
Dream Horse *** A Shaffer Travis Production. 40 min. Unrated, contains no offensive material.
Slam Dunk Ernest *** Touchstone Home Video. Time not listed, about 90 min. Unrated, contains no offensive material.
Digger ** 1/2 Paramount. 92 min. Rating pending, probably PG for a little mild sexual humor.
Class of '61 ** MCA/Universal. 95 min. Unrated, contains strong racial language, some violence.
The Nutt House * 1/2 Triboro. 90 min. Rating pending, probably PG for mild sexual humor, slapstick.
by CNB