THE ENTITY

THE ENTITY (1982). Director: Sidney J. Furie.

Carla Moran (Barbara Hershey) lives with her three children and has had a difficult past. One evening she senses an intruder in her bedroom, and is physically assaulted and raped -- but no one is there! Periodically this continues, and she wonders if she's going crazy. A sympathetic psychiatrist named Phil Sneiderman (Ron Silver) tries to get to the bottom of what's happening to her, but he, understandably  thinks it's in her mind and she's doing it to herself, even though there are wounds on her body in places that she couldn't possibly reach. Fed up as the attacks continue, Carla eventually turns to a team of parapsychologists, a trio whose presence in Carla's life and home Phil strenuously objects to. They believe a strange "entity" is responsible for the attacks on Carla, and arrange for her to help trap this invisible creature in a huge "set" erected in a gymnasium equipped with cameras and canisters of a liquid that can freeze the entity. But, as Phil fears, will Carla get caught in the trap instead of the monster? 

The Entity is a suspenseful film that benefits from two excellent lead performances from Hershey and Silver, as well as good work from the supporting cast, which includes David Labiosa [Mega Piranha]  as Carla's grown son, Billy; Margaret Blye as her caring friend, Cindy; Alex Rocco as her freaked-out boyfriend, Jerry; Jacqueline Brooks as Dr. Cooley; and others. The thumping on the soundtrack during the "thrill" sequences becomes irritating and there are a few moments of illogic, but the picture -- if not always in the best taste -- is absorbing. This is based on a novel by Frank De Felitta which was supposedly inspired by an actual case. You decide. 

Verdict: Compelling psychological-supernatural horror story. ***. 

SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE

Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve take flight

SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE (1987). Director: Sidney J. Furie. (Based on a story by Christopher Reeve).

The Daily Planet, where Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) and Lois Lane (Margot Kidder of Black Christmas) work as reporters, becomes the casualty of a hostile takeover by a sleazy tabloid king (Sam Wanamaker) and his pretty daughter, Lacy (Mariel Hemingway of Manhattan). In a more significant development, a young boy writes to Superman that he should make the world safe by getting rid of all nuclear missiles. The Man of Steel complies, sending the missiles hurtling into the sun, but then has to face a solar-spawned nightmare in the form of Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow), created by the nefarious Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman of The Firm) and his zany nephew, Lenny (Jon Cryer). Upon its initial release, Superman IV was excoriated by fans and critics alike, but it's always been a fun, entertaining movie that truly resembles an eighties (or perhaps a seventies) Superman comic book. Hackman and Cryer dumb down the story, yes, but are not too intrusive, Kidder and Reeve are fine, as always, and Mariel Hemingway scores as Lacy, the "rich bitch" who turns out to have both a brain and a heart. Mark Pillow certainly looks menacing and turns in some highly effective pantomiming as Superman's nuclear adversary. One amusing sequence has Clark/Superman using his speed powers to date Lois and Lacey at the same time. But the highlight of the film is the protracted battle between Superman and Nuclear Man (as well as the magical sequence when Superman takes Lois for a flight). The film's special effects work came in for criticism, which I have always found perplexing, as I find the numerous process shots in the film to be seamlessly done and very striking. Superman once again reveals his true identity to Lois, and once again he hypnotizes her into forgetting it (this is a fine romance!) There are signs of post-production tampering, as the continuity is confusing, and it's never made clear exactly why Nuclear Man kidnaps Lacy at one point. John Williams' score is excellent and there is top-notch cinematography from Ernest Day, including one especially good shot when Nuclear Man spirals his way down into an active volcano. Although this, like the previous films, is supposed to take place in "Metropolis," this is clearly New York City.

Verdict: Great battle and a lot of comic book style fun. ***.

WONDERFUL LIFE

Cliff Richard

WONDERFUL LIFE (aka Swingers' Paradise/1964). Director: Sidney J. Furie.

Johnnie (Cliff Richard) and his pals (The Shadows) survive a ship wreck and wind up in the desert, where director Lloyd Davis (Walter Slezak of Lifeboat) is making a picture. The nervous, inexperienced star, Jenny (Susan Hampshire) is treated badly by Davis, who happens to be his daughter, a fact she wants kept secret. Originally hired to be a stunt double for the male lead, Johnnie and his buddies decide to secretly film the same movie on the same sets, but with him as the lead and a less nervous (if unaware) Jenny playing her same role. The longest sequence is a tribute to the movies in which there are spoofs of everything from Charlie Chaplin and the Marx Brothers to Dr. No and West Side Story. Wonderful Life isn't a very memorable movie (some of the songs are pleasant but forgettable) but it is handsomely produced, Slezak gives a very good performance, and Richard and Hampshire have a surplus of charm. Richard and the Shadows were very, very popular in England but they never caught on in the U.S. This is the last of a trio of films they appeared in. If not quite the British Elvis, Richard was still quite talented.

Verdict: British pop musical with some good sequences. **1/2.