Cari-8

Initially unsure of what to expect, I admit to being surprised by the quality of Demon Knight. Is it Camp? Is it Schlock? Absolutely, but it's well thought out schlock. The plot concept was actually very intriguing, and the cast was exceptional.

The essential story is that the human race is living on borrowed time, and the fate of the world rests in the hands of the Demon Knight, a guy who has been losing a lot of sleep for a lot of years...Now, he must fight for his life and the lives of the others trapped in the hotel with him as he defends against the Collector, who is trying to steal back an "artifact" that will overthrow the balance of power in the universe. Pretty heavy for schlock, hmm?

Rarely has a villain been played with more relish than Zane gives to The Collector...He's having too much of a good time, in a Hannibal Lecteresque way. He's suave, persuasive, handsome, soothing, and just plain, well...as the politically correct would say, he has embraced his essential Evilness and is comfortable with his Demonic lifestyle.

William Sadler lends his particular brand of manic intensity to Brayker, demonstrating his customary keen grasp of the part of the reluctant messenger or unlikely hero (as witnessed in The Shawshank Redemption left and the tv series "Roswell").

And, best of all, it's easy to give a damn about these people. The supporting cast includes some of the best character actors around, namely Jada Pinkett--Jeryline, the essentially good diva with a serious attitude, CCH Pounder(Millenium) who portrays Irene the seasoned, determined innkeeper, Thomas Haden Church (Ned & Stacey) whose character Roach makes you want to write yourself into the story just so you can slap him around, Brenda Bakke, our prostitute Cordelia who just wants to be loved, Dick Miller (What can be said about Dick Miller? The man has been everywhere!) and Charles Fleischer (most famous as Roger Rabbit, but who has appeared in nearly 30 features to date)whose character Wally is some sort of sympathetic psychopath. You have to feel for the poor guy...it's the old story, boy meets girl, girl seems to finally come around, and it all ends in disembowelment. Don't you just hate when that happens?

The moral? Even good actors like a little schlock now and then.



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Although highly entertaining, Hey Boy! Hey Girl! is not exactly Oscar material...but it doesn't need to be. The music of "The Wildest" Louis Prima is loosely tied together with just enough story to bring Keely into the picture. Now, this isn't the true story of Louis and Keely, but a kindly tale of a bandleader (who just happens to be named Louis Prima) who falls for a sweet homespun Catholic girl named Dorothy Spencer (Keely's full name is Dorothy Keely Smith) who is raising her young brother alone, is a wonderful cook and housekeeper, loves all children and coincidentally has a voice to soothe both crying babies and nightclub audiences. What self-respecting musical frontman could resist? Listen also for Keely's native Tidewater Virginia accent...unmistakable.

The film features some of the signature Prima music and Sam Butera and Witnesses are whooping it up as always. There's some pretty interesting lip-synching going on here, but actually it's surprisingly well done considering Louis never did a song the same way twice. This is a fair Prima primer, but the plot, well...put it this way---at least you always know who to cheer for.

Audiophiles will find that there are now some excellent CD's out there...try "Capitol Collectors Series: Louis Prima". A great opportunity to hear the ultimate version of "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody"...

After only two episodes, this Xena-meets-Barbarella post-apocalyptic pajama party hasn't had a chance to deliver much...it seems to lack focus, and the pacing is extreme--likely due to the 30 minute formatting. It's a little (okay, okay, a lot) cliche, but seems well-intentioned. The premise has promise, and I have high hopes based on the cast.

Gina Torres (Hercules' dynamic pirate queen Nebula), Victoria Pratt (Xena's Amazon queen Cyane) and Jennifer Sky (Xena's aspiring but capable young Amazon Amarice) have been Raimi/Tapert favorites for several seasons of Xena/Hercules, but so far they have been too busy screaming, grimacing and performing quadruple somersaults to act human yet.

XWP/HLJ regular Joel (Strife/Deimos) Tobeck also joins the cast as the maniacal Creegan...and yes, you can recognize him even through the Mardi Gras make-up and prosthetic chin. It's actually refreshing to see him as the Supreme Menace as opposed to his XWP/HLJ characters, who are supremely annoying (in a psychotic, endearing sort of way.)

And so, All Hail the Futuristic/ Ancient Madcap Epic formulas so beloved by the Raimis...in effect a sort of Pythonesque Terry Jones/Michael Palin tribute. And hey, there's a reason Sam Raimi sometimes credits himself as Alan Smithee, Jr., folks.

---By the Way, that theme music...what were they thinking?