cult film freak: wendy schaal

Written by James M. Tate / 9/03/2015 / No comments / bruce dern , carrie fisher , horror , joe dante , satire , tom hanks , wendy schaal

JOE DANTE DIRECTS TOM HANKS & CARRIE FISHER IN THE 'BURBS

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Carrie Fisher and Wendy Schaal YEAR: 1989</u></td></tr>
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Director Joe Dante, no stranger to the world of strange characters in bizarre situations, throws it all into the cinematic pot… including the kitchen sink… serving up THE ‘BURBS starring Tom Hanks during the tail-end of his comedy-only career. As family man Ray Peterson, there’s a REAR WINDOW vibe as our passive, debilitated hero faces a suburban col de sac while one house in particular becomes the prime target for morbid curiosity.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>The BurbSCORE: ***</u></td></tr>
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Much of the film has Hanks and chubby instigating neighbor buddy Art, played by GROUNDHOG DAY actor Rick Ducommun, along with Bruce Dern’s Vietnam vet Lt. Mark Rumsfield, his trophy wife Bonnie (Wendy Schaal, pictured above), Carrie Fisher as Ray’s assertive wife Carol, who injects her usual pizazz into what would be a filler role with another actress in an extremely limited/thankless role...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Wendy Schaal stealing the scenery YEAR: 1929</u></td></tr>
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And last but not least is cool kid Corey Feldman as Ricky trying to figure out what exactly is going on with these mysterious new neighbors, residents of the shabby manor looking a cross between the Bate’s Hotel and Frankenestein’s mansion.
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The best scenes are in the buildup, getting to know the eclectic cast, after which Dante inserts so many “nostalgic” camera tricks, the tail begins wagging the dog. Which is sad since THE ‘BURBS was much better when we didn’t know what (or rather, who) lurked inside the house, making it difficult to tell exactly which specific genre is being parodied – as if the movie were making more fun of itself than any campy predecessor. And in one genuinely frightening image, when Ray witnesses cloaked figures frantically digging holes in the backyard during a lightning storm, there’s potential for the film to stretch beyond all the deliberate homage.

bruce dern, carrie fisher, horror, joe dante, satire, tom hanks, wendy schaal

JOE DANTE DIRECTS TOM HANKS & CARRIE FISHER IN THE 'BURBS

Carrie Fisher and Wendy Schaal YEAR: 1989 Director Joe Dante, no stranger to the world of strange characters in bizarre situations, thro...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/21/2012 / No comments / comedy , dennis quaid , dick miller , eighties , joe dante , kevin mccarthy , martin short , meg ryan , remake , robert picardo , science-fiction , steven spielberg , wendy schaal

JOE DANTE DIRECTS INNERSPACE

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1987 cast: Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan, Dick Miller, Robert Picardo rating: ***</td></tr>
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THE RIGHT STUFF stud Dennis Quaid plays another cocky test pilot – this time he’s transformed into a cell-sized explorer placed inside the body of Martin Short in this modernized FANTASTIC VOYAGE directed by Joe Dante, whose prior edgy thrillers like PIRANHA and THE HOWLING are only reminiscent in the lethal assassins that really mean business.<br />
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Quaid was supposed to go inside a test rabbit but the experiment leader is hunted and killed, and after desperately injecting everyman Short, the chase is on. Meg Ryan is Quaid’s journalist girlfriend aiding Short in the old school runaround action that, after characters are introduced (and others are shrunken to dwarves), gets way too complicated for its own good.<br />
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There are relatively few scenes inside the human body. Most of the film has Short providing physical comedy as Quaid roves around within. Although they hardly share screen together, both have great chemistry. And while Dante stock actors Robert Picardo and Kevin McCarthy are nice to have on board, there are too many cooks and the running time drags on thirty minutes too long.<br />
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Director Joe Dante seems at home with the science aspect – especially the ten-minute setup to the initial human shrinking, which looks real and makes everything else seem legit.<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Innerspace-Dennis-Quaid/dp/B0000648ZQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348128035&sr=8-1&keywords=innerspace"><br /></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meg Ryan with Joe Dante favorite Dick Miller</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The film's other blonde beauty, Wendy Schaal</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4ft4foBurN-NOdJtd7QSHnwod3mGBz7quUNOUXGy6MWcDg22Oa2Fi93gSIscnTzSGXXl86V7sl8_g0YZPaswrxGPuO98lZzx4RsS-Y0y1NyujnwJ-hLLjcCIUWrYk4pOwVEKUsv3LxzX/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4ft4foBurN-NOdJtd7QSHnwod3mGBz7quUNOUXGy6MWcDg22Oa2Fi93gSIscnTzSGXXl86V7sl8_g0YZPaswrxGPuO98lZzx4RsS-Y0y1NyujnwJ-hLLjcCIUWrYk4pOwVEKUsv3LxzX/s640/5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Martin Short, Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Innerspace-Dennis-Quaid/dp/B0000648ZQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348128035&sr=8-1&keywords=innerspace">BUY DVD</a></td></tr>
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comedy, dennis quaid, dick miller, eighties, joe dante, kevin mccarthy, martin short, meg ryan, remake, robert picardo, science-fiction, steven spielberg, wendy schaal

JOE DANTE DIRECTS INNERSPACE

year: 1987 cast: Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan, Dick Miller, Robert Picardo rating: *** THE RIGHT STUFF stud Dennis Quaid plays a...

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