FILM
Routine story pulls strings of Puppet Masters
1/2 The Puppet Masters (R)
by Russel Mobley / April 12, 1995
From a dark and eerie beginning that promises so much, The Puppet Masters descends to B movie status during its second half and ends with a time-worn scenario.
Donald Sutherland stars in the science fiction thriller as Andrew, the head of a secret government agency, formed in 1959 by President Eisenhower. The organization plans for every contingency possible that might arise during contract with space aliens.
When rumors reach Andrew about the possible landing of an alien spacecraft, he calls his team of alien hunters into action. Among them are Sam (Eric Thal), Andrew's estranged son, and Mary (Julie Warner, Doc Hollywood), an expert on aliens.
The team arrives at the site, just outside of a small midwestern city, and finds several teenage boys making money by giving tours of what they claim is a genuine flying saucer, a crudely constructed contraption of wood and corrugated metal. The scene looks innocent enough at first glance, but Mary senses something wrong. Being a well trained scientist, she conducts a psychological field experiment, unbuttoning her blouse to test the reaction of the teens. What she discovers I don't know, because being a gentleman I averted my glance. But it must have proven an effective test of alien possession, because she continues to do it a lot.
The Specialist - short on action, long on talk
The Specialist (R)
by Russel Mobley / March 15, 1995
The Specialist will be a big disappointment for Sylvester Stallone's fans used to lots of action sequences. It starts with a bang and ends with a whimper, and in between is a lot of talk.
What keeps the film from being a total blowout are the performances of Sharon Stone and James Woods. Woods is his usual high-energy quirky self. And Stone gets the most she can out of her cliché role, a sexy prize for competing males.
The movie opens with Raymond Quick (Stallone) and Ned Trent (Woods), explosive specialists on a covert mission in Bogota, Columbia for the Central Intelligence Agency. (The scene was actually filmed at Rock Island State Park in Warren County, Tennessee, utilizing the park's dam.) Their aim is to assassinate a drug lord. When innocent people are killed as result of Ned's over zealousness, Ray reports his actions to the agency. Both leave the agency and become mercenaries. Ned sells his skills to the highest bidder, while Ray provides his services for just causes (yeah — sure).
Years pass and May Munro (Stone) enlists the help of Ray to wipe out the mob members in Miami who killed her parents when she was a little girl. Their conversations are carried out by phone, since Ray wants to remain anonymous. They talk and they talk. May manages to get picked up by Thomas Leon (Eric Roberts), the man who ordered her parents killed. They talk. Ned arrives on the scene looking for Ray with revenge on his mind. Ray and Ned talk. Thomas and Ray talk. Ned and Thomas talk. May talks with Ray, Ned and Tomas.
In between the repartee, Ray kills some gang members and rescues a stray cat.
