Film Review: LEATHERFACE: TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 3 (1990, Jeff Burr)

Stars: 2 of 5.
Running Time: 85 minutes.
Notable Cast or Crew: Ken Foree (DAWN OF THE DEAD, FROM BEYOND, THE WANDERERS), Miriam Byrd-Nethery (Clu Gulager's wife and star of SUMMER HEAT, DEADLY GAME, FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM), Viggo Mortensen (APPALOOSA, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, CRIMSON TIDE), Tom Everett (AIR FORCE ONE, DIE HARD 2, EERIE INDIANA), Duane Whitaker (Maynard in PULP FICTION, THE DEVIL'S REJECTS, HOBGOBLINS).
Tag-lines: "There's Roadkill All Over Texas." AND "The most controversial horror film ever is finally here." Ummm, not quite.
Best one-liner(s): "I like liver."

I'd like to preface this by saying that I respect director Jeff Burr (FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM, STEPFATHER II) as a person, and as a friend and promoter of the Gulager family, but LEATHERFACE: TCM III is an unadulterated mess- particularly in the wake of Hooper's initial TEXAS CHAINSAW masterpiece and his own uniquely-crafted Gran Guignol follow-up. Blandness and mediocrity rule the day here. They didn't even film it in Texas. It plays out like a vague remake of Part I, but eagerly subverts everything that made Part I work. Just because you smudge dirt on the face of a TJ Maxx model doesn't mean they can suddenly play "Texas Hillbilly Cannibal."


Chilling.

The Sawyer family home is not dingy, terrifying, or filled with big filthy chickens in tiny cages– instead, it looks like it could be featured in Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Kinda looks like it could be in a gated community. Perhaps in a cul-de-sac?

Most of the cast is embarrassed and uncomfortable using words like "y'all," "ain't," and "darkie." Viggo Mortensen and Miriam Byrd-Nethery (R.I.P.) rise above the muck to deliver nuanced performances, but that doesn't change the fact that 'terrifying country bumpkin' Viggo has frosted blonde highlights and carefully blowdried hair.

I think I forgot to mention that Viggo's in partial drag sometimes, too. But instead of being scary, it's kind of whimsical, like SOME LIKE IT HOT or VICTOR/VICTORIA.

I guess Leatherface does some mean stylin' on the side. Speaking of Leatherface, it's almost like they had no concept of the character: here, he's basically just Frankenstein with a chainsaw. Oh, and he drives a car, listens to heavy metal, and plays with a child's computer.


Chilling.

It would have been better to just go the completely ridiculous route, like LEATHERFACE TAKES MANHATTAN or LEATHERFACE IN SPACE, rather than just limply rehash the original with groan-mustering elements. At least Ken Foree (Peter in DAWN OF THE DEAD, FROM BEYOND) is likable as a survivalist hero.

Ken Foree is a likable guy.

Overall, though, I can only give this two stars, and it earns both of them from the solid performances of some select actors.


Miriam Byrd-Nethery is a real trouper. You don't get to be Clu Gulager's wife by half-assing things.

My advice is to just pretend that Part II was the final installment of the series, and leave it at that.

-Sean Gill

Film Review: THE WANDERERS (1979, Philip Kaufman)

Stars: 5 of 5.
Running Time: 117 minutes.
Notable Cast or Crew: Karen Allen, Olympia Dukakis, Linda Manz (DAYS OF HEAVEN, GUMMO), Val Avery (FACES, THE ANDERSON TAPES, SHARKY'S MACHINE), Erland van Lidth (Dynamo in THE RUNNING MAN and Fatty in ALONE IN THE DARK), Ken Wahl (FORT APACHE THE BRONX), Ken Foree (the lead black cop in the original DAWN OF THE DEAD).
Tag-lines: "It's 1963. Meet The Wanderers... They were the hottest guys in town."
Best one-liner(s): "It's a shame to see kids beatin' each other's brains out, especially when there's no financial advantage."

THE WANDERERS is quite an achievement. It continually combines disparate elements and moods with an epic, exquisitely flowing narrative: it's a gang movie, it's a coming-of-age drama, it's a sentimental comedy, and it's a serious art film.

It owes most of its success to Philip Kaufman's direction and adaptation (the screenplay was co-written with his wife, Rose). Like Oliver Stone, all of Kaufman's films deal with pivotal historical moments in one way or another, but he chooses to focus on the emotional and mystical ramifications of these events: Eastern European turmoil in THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING, an intimate look at the Marquis de Sade in QUILLS, the human face of the space program in THE RIGHT STUFF, post-Civil War frustration in THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES (which he adapted), or the hamfisted, lopsided-grinned righteousness the specter of Nazi evil inspires in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (which he co-wrote). THE WANDERERS gets billed as sort of a 1960's-set WARRIORS, lulls you into complacency as an AMERICAN GRAFFITI-esque nostalgia comedy/drama, leaps headfirst into actual gang brutality, and ultimately ends with a reflective air of melancholy. As awesome as they are, the film's not about the endless, red-haired legions of murderous Irish toughs named 'The Ducky Boys.'

It's not about the fantastic, comprehensive soundtrack featuring music from 'The Shirelles,' 'The Four Seasons,' 'The Surfaris,' and a slew of others. It's not about the Baldies, the Wongs, gang brawls, football games, strip poker, or fishing for babes. It's about a mistake made by our hero before the the opening credits even roll, an error that cements his status in a culture of stagnancy, anchoring him to a world in decline, condemning him only to be a spectator and not a participant in the exciting and tumultuous youth movement of the 60's that is just beginning to raise its free-spirited head at the film's close. Five sobering stars.

-Sean Gill