ALTITUDE: DANGER IN THE SKY

There are several high profile titles being released this week that I could talk about. But the odds of you being able to pick one of those up to watch are slim. So I thought why not mention a title no one (or few) have heard of, an effective little thriller that should hold your attention and provide an evening’s entertainment? Something like ALTITUDE.

Denise Richards stars as Gretchen Blair, an FBI agent who is on her way down for doing what she felt was right rather than following orders. Forget the fact that her actions resulted in a hostage taker not being gunned down nor the hostages being shot. That taking place she is sent packing back to Washington, D.C., and a desk job.

She boards a late plane and finds the seat she’s supposed to be sitting in occupied by a slob with no intention of giving up the window seat even though it isn’t his. After threatening the man Gretchen is asked to step away by the flight attendant, then surprised to find she’s upgraded her to business class rather than giving her a hard time. Apparently she’d always wanted to treat a poor customer the same and was glad to see it happen.

While sitting in her seat the man next to her makes small talk. Terry (Kirk Barker) seems to be trying to make a move on her which she passes up with short notice. He then takes note of the flight attendant that has moved into their area and gets suddenly nervous. He asks Gretchen is she would like to make $5 million by protecting him.

At first not taking him seriously he then tells her about the attendant who is apparently his ex, Sadie (Greer Grammer). He then points out another man who has just go on the plane, Matthew Sharpe (Dolph Lundgren) as well as their apparent muscle, Rawbones (Chuck Liddell). It seems the four of them were part of a team doing something illegal.

Caught between loyalties to the FBI, the money put on the table she could earn and the sense of honesty she is possessed by, Gretchen agrees to at least look into it. As she begins moving through the plane she finds another attendant dead in the back. She seeks help from the US Marshall on the plane.

But things don’t turn out as planned.

Eventually Gretchen along with Terry must fight for their lives as well as those of the other passengers on the plane. The issue with the movie is how do you make a convincing cat and mouse game between two sets of characters with the limitations of space to move around in. ALTITUDE makes that believable here switching from passenger area to cargo hold and various passage ways between them.

Eventually the gang takes control of the plane and keeps the passengers unaware of their activities. They drop below the ceiling that radar can keep track of them and begin their search for Terry and the package he’s carrying, the payoff from their last job. Once found the question of what to do with a plane filled with potential witnesses comes into question. Is Gretchen enough to end this plan?

What we have here is a more or less direct to DVD feature that probably wouldn’t have stacked up against fare like WONDER WOMAN at the box office. But it is a nicely made film that shows quite a bit of quality on the screen. The technical aspects of the film are very well done, even more so when you consider the limited space that a camera crew would have to work with shooting this film.

The actors all turn in solid performances as well. Richards, sadly known more for her personal life than her acting skills, honestly does a good job her making her character more real than some would give her credit for. Lundgren has always been given the muscle roles in the past that Liddell is saddled with this time around. As Sharpe he displays a fine performance that few would give him credit for. Barker, who I’m not familiar with, does a fine job as the bad guy we’re rooting for. And Greer Grammer (daughter of Kelsey Grammer) offers a chilling performance as a woman with few scruples.

All in all this movie is a pretty good film and better than a number of made for TV films out there. Note that with an R rating it isn’t kid far (almost all for the language with who knows how many F bombs dropped from start to finish). But if you’re looking to watch something after the kids are in bed then this might be something to give a try, especially once you discover all of the major releases are gone. And even if they aren’t this one would be worth giving a watch.

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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: ANIMATION TO LIFE

It looks like Disney studios are going to attempt to take all of the treasured animated classics made there in the past and transform them into live action films. Well live action matched with CGI created effects. We had CINDERELLA not long ago and now they’ve added a new one. Low and behold the live action version of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

If for some reason you aren’t aware of the story it tells us of a spoiled and nasty young prince who treats a beggar woman with scorn one day. It turns out she’s an enchantress and transforms him into a horrendous beast like creature and the servants of the house into various items found in the house. A single red rose is kept on hand and should the prince mend his way, find someone to love and who loves him, before the last petal of the flower falls all will return to normal.

We’re then told about the young and attractive girl named Belle (Emma Watson), a girl most in the small provincial town consider odd since she enjoys books and is inventive rather than act like most girls her age. The townsfolk like her but keep their distance and disapprove of her attempts at education. Belle’s father Maurice (Kevin Kline) is a tinkerer, an artist when it comes to small clocks and mechanical gizmos. Belle has picked up much of this from her father.

Maurice heads out to deliver a piece he’s made at the nearby market but on the way gets lost when a tree falls in his path. He is set upon by a pack of ferocious wolves that attack him and finds safety in the castle of the Beast. When he leaves he picks a rose to take back to her and the Beast throws him into a cell for stealing from him. Maurice’ horse runs home and Belle has the horse take her to her father where she exchanges her freedom for his. Could she be the one to break the spell?

While this is all going on we also make the acquaintance of Gaston (Luke Evans), an ex-military man with no battles to fight and a tremendous amount of ego in hi being. Gaston is in love with Belle and plans on marrying her no matter what she thinks of the idea. When Maurice returns and tells the townsfolk about the Beast no one believes him. But Gaston agrees to help him go back in search of Belle with his own intentions in mind.

While this is all going on the items around the house that were once servants (things like a candlestick, clock, dresser, harpsichord, etc.) do their best to make Belle comfortable and convince the Beast that this young girl might be the one to break the spell. The stage is set, the two begin to know one another better and the chances of the spell being broken increase. But a tragedy involving Maurice causes Belle to leave and before the end of the story she will either return or the last petal will fall.

If you remember the animated film of this story (which was re-released this past year in a special edition) then you know just how enchanting a film it was featuring numerous musical numbers that remain in your mind like all good animated Disney films had. It was one of the last Disney animated features to not rely solely on computer generated images and captured that flair the studio had when it came to creative genius. So why remake the movie?

For one there is a new generation out there that was never exposed to the original. Another reason is that this new generation has less appreciation for the animated art form and lean more towards the computer generated image as in TOY STORY. This is not to say it’s bad but there is room for both. In an effort to generate dollars and to offer this classic tale up to that new generation these live action films have come into being.

The question is are they any good? Well I can tell you that this one is indeed a feast for the eyes. The sets, costumes, direction and performances all combine to make the story as enchanting as it was in the original. Some new music has been added and it goes along well with the previous offerings. On the whole while watching this I found that it reminded me of the classic movie musical of the past, even more so than this year’s LA LA LAND did. Seeing a city burst out in song early on as Belle walks/prances through the streets is a magical moment.

All that being said I think I still enjoy the original better though. That could be because I grew up with the old 2 dimensional hand drawn renderings of those classic characters. I’m left wondering which children of today would enjoy more. As the final credits rolled on this one I began to think maybe it wasn’t made for children but more the young adults. Some themes and jokes tended to be aimed more at them than at small children. The movie also had a Broadway feel to it as opposed to a classic Disney film. I would think that smaller children will enjoy the original compared to this one but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a completely enjoyable film for all.

As to the controversy that came out with the release of this film concerning a potentially gay character it is not near as blatant as some would have had you believe. Granted it adds nothing to the story or movie but if that truly offends you know that it’s there but not near as in your face as many would think. For me the movie would have survived without the controversy so I don’t understand the choice to do so but such is life.

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CREEPSHOW 2: SUFFERING FROM SEQUEL-ITIS

I loved George Romero’s CREEPSHOW. I was a fan from the first moment I laid eyes on the trailer. When it was released I was working as a theater manager showing the film and I would pop in to watch moments from the film when time provided. To this day I consider it a classic. Had it not been for the success of the film we might never have seen anthology shows like TALES FROM THE CRYPT, MONSTER or Romero’s own TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE come about. When I heard back then that CREEPSHOW 2 was being made I was ecstatic. The end result left much to be desired though.

Once more we’re presented with tales to frighten straight from the comic book pages of Creepshow, a homage to the horror fueled comics of the fifties. A wrap around story involving a young boy who loves the comic and is tormented by bullies keeps the film moving. Add to that the Creep in the film, this time portrayed by effects artists Tom Savini rather than an animated dummy.

The first story has us in a small town out west gasping its last dying breath. General store owners Ray and Martha Spruce (George Kennedy and Dorothy Lamour) provide a helping hand to those in need in the way of store credit even though they could easily retire and live comfortable on their own. When a criminal Indian from the nearby reservation and his gang rob the store killing the pair it seems justice will not be served. But then they never counted on the wooden Indian standing out front.

The second story is perhaps the best here, based on Stephen King’s novella THE RAFT. Two young couples are headed out to the local lake with the intent of swimming out one last time to the floating raft in the middle despite the chilly temps of the water. Fueled by beer and false bravado they swim out completely ignorant of the large patch of something floating on top of the water. That is until they see it engulf a bird floating on top. When one of the girls is taken from the raft and eaten by this glob a standoff follows. The only way to get help is for one of them to reach the shore. But how will they avoid the creature?

The final story here is about a woman having an affair who plows down a hitch-hiker on her way home. If she reports it or takes the man to the hospital she’ll have to explain why she was driving where the accident occurred. Rather than do so she drives off hoping someone else will find him. Except that he continues to pop up, more battered and bloody with each appearance, always saying “Thanks for the ride, lady.” Will she ever be free of this damaged image?

The film ends with an animated piece featuring the aforementioned story of the young boy pursued by bullies on his bicycle. So how does the film hold up? It doesn’t come close to the original. That could be in large part because the film went from a high profile studio like Warner Brothers to the low budget line New Horizons, Roger Corman’s company. It could be because Romero was no longer directing or that King and Romero weren’t on set daily to discuss the script they had written. In any case while a decent movie it placed side by side with the original leaves it lacking.

And yet there is a legion of fans out there who love this one as well. For them the news that the film was being released on blu-ray by Arrow Video was a Godsend. Now they could have it in a pristine format to enjoy over and over again. And, being an Arrow release, you knew that the extras would be better than most and that the version offered would indeed be the best ever found. The film is presented here in a 2k digital restoration with original stereo audio. Other extras include audio commentary from director Michael Gornick moderated by Perry Martin, a new interview with Daniel Beer, a new interview with Tom Wright, and interview with Romero, and interview with Savini, a featurette with make-up effects artists Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero, a featurette on Rick Baker, behind the scenes footage, trailers and TV spots and a reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Mike Saputo.

Fans have already been buying this one up like crazy with special editions that include a collector’s booklet fetching top dollar. I’m glad that this version now exists but I doubt I’ll watch it over and over again. It is worth watching once and fans will delight that they can have this version on their shelves now.

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