SHERMAN@RU-BLUE.ARPA@sri-unix.UUCP (06/13/84)
Displaying an absolutely perfect mixture of humor and nastiness,
Joe Dante's film "Gremlins" is an exhilarating exercise in filmmaking.
The story is particularly well developed and the special effects are terrific.
The setting is the town of Kingston Falls, a place which Norman
Rockwell would have been proud of. There is a tasteful dusting of
brilliant white snow everywhere, and when people get drunk they remain
nice and sensible. Enter the ill fated Rand Peltzer, an inventor who
has just bought a most unusual Christmas gift for his vapid son,
Billy.
This gift, the obscure Mogwai, is named Gizmo and is arguably the
most effectively executed creature ever developed. The full range of
facial expressions are dazzling and convincing, not to mention endearing.
Before you can say "gosh!" all of the three cardinal rules regarding the
little critter are broken and all hell breaks loose. It
seems that when you feed them after midnight they change into
something worse than a landlord (hard to believe, I know, but
nonetheless true).
This resulting mayhem is what the film leads up to, and it is
well worth the wait. Hundreds of demonic Mogwai descend upon the town
in an orgy of violence and fun. Some of the best scenes occur in the
bar where Billy's girlfriend Kate (Phoebe Cates) gets stuck serving
drinks to these sharp-toothed and low-tipping creatures. The deadly
Mogwai are absolutely hilarious in their overt humanness; the `guy'
smoking three cigarettes at a time, the jazz listener, and the break
dancer (!!!) are absolutely incredible to behold.
Mixed in throughout the film are references to a host of other
films and film genres. The ordering of a "vodka martini, shaken not
stirred," by a upwardly mobile bank worker was quite amusing, although
no one else in the audience seemed to share my enthusiasm!
There is no doubt about it; "Gremlins" is a tremendous movie. So
far I have seen it twice, and plan on seeing it a least a couple of
more times. The pacing, script, and cinematography are all superb. The
deliberately flat human characterizations are interesting and
effective in highlighting the validity of the Mogwai. I can only hope
that audiences take the initiative to check out the film for themselves,
rather than relying on unfavorable reviews from the likes of Vincent
Canby from the NY Times.
*Steve*
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