ghost@cs.utexas.edu (Chris Burton) (11/08/89)
SECOND SIGHT DETECTIVE AGENCY
A film review by Chris Burton
Copyright 1989 Chris Burton
Summary: A detective agency with a power psychic is hired
to find a kidnapped Cardinal and secretary.
This made-for-TV movie is now playing in theaters for $6 and is posing as
a real movie with big screen talents and skills. This, however, is not the
case. If you are interested in New Age stuff, this movie can provide many
guffaws and chortles, but it might insult some who take the psychic arts
seriously.
The cast consists of John Larroquete reprising his part as a shifty, money
grubbing, woman-grabbing slob from "Night Court." Only he's not a lawyer,
he's a PI. Bronson Pinchot could have been replaced in this movie with a
manniquin or Roger Rabbit for all the believability and motivation he
portrayed. The other "namable" character, well, I've forgetten his name again.
He previously played a psychiatrist on "Night Court" who was in charge of a
"famous rock star/Michael Jackson/Sid Barrett" type. Well, in the TV show, he
was in it only for the money. There are three love interests in this movie,
but, except for the one playing the nun (yes, I said nun), they are
interchangable with fast cars or bizaare gadgets.
The movie provides a humorous account of the events around a "power
psychic" who channels a dead Jewish guy named Murray. Well, the nun was
Murray's girlfriend before he died. Hummm. Anyway, the special effects, if
that is what you spend $6 to see, are pretty lame and could be reproduced with
a VCR and a 4th-of-July sparkler. Perhaps if the effects were better, I would
have enjoyed the movie more, but I doubt it.
I did laugh. I laughed loud and hard. For the same reason I rent Z-grade
sci-fi pulp movies and laugh. Lousy characters, transparent plot lines, stupid
motivations, and poor effects. And I got someone else to pay the $6 for me.