“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is based on a stage play of the same name. (Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox)
Owen Johnson
Connector Editor
Over the course of homecoming weekend, the films “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” “Casper” and “An American Werewolf in London.” The Luna Theater is located at 250 Jackson Street at Mill No. 5.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is a cult classic in which a newly engaged couple (Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick) suffer a flat tire in the middle of nowhere and end up under the hospitality of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry).
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is one of the most bizarre, engaging and downright entertaining films to exist. At least, it is like that for the first twenty minutes. Once Dr. Frank-N-Furter reveals himself and has his introduction song, the movie has given everything it has to offer.
Another big takeaway from the movie is that the characters are inconsistent and sometimes just disappear entirely. Sarandon and Bostwick should be the main focuses of the film, as they are the relatable individuals that are stuck in Frank-N-Furter’s wacky hijinks, yet they get pushed to the wayside on numerous occasions so that Tim Curry can have the show to himself. Granted, Tim Curry is the apex of entertainment in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” but it leaves no one to follow and connect with.
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” will be playing at the Luna Theater Oct. 12 and 13.
Final Grade: C+
An American Werewolf in London
In “An American Werewolf in London,” American college students David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) are attacked by a werewolf while backpacking through England. In the attack, Jack is killed and David is left comatose for three weeks. When David reawakens, the ghost of his dead friend informs him of what has happened and that David himself will turn into a werewolf at the next full moon.
The upsetting thing about “An American Werewolf in London” is that there are glimpses of good ideas and character moments that could be really impactful if the movie were done better, but these moments become casualties to its lackluster writing.
The movie is a void of nothingness. The characters are blank and uninteresting. The relationship between David and another character (Jenny Agutter) comes out of nowhere and has no reason to exist. There is zero buildup or increase in stakes at any point. It is just a movie where nothing really happens and the things that do happen have little reason for them to happen.
Things finally start happening at the last act of the movie, but it is all rushed and uninteresting. It is rushed in the sense that the climax of the movie is just one big fiasco that occurs over the course of about twenty-five seconds, and it is uninteresting because the movie has given no reason to care about anything.
“An American Werewolf in London” will be playing at the Luna Theater Oct. 14.
Final Grade: C-
Casper
In “Casper,” a ghost psychologist (Bill Pullman) and his daughter Kat (Christina Ricci) move into a haunted mansion at the behest of the newly named property owner (Cathy Moriarty). During their stay, Kat befriends Casper (Malachi Pearson), one of the ghosts that haunts the home.
Short-sightedness and inconsistencies befall the film. There are potential story and character arcs scattered throughout the film, and all of them feel under developed and not thought out.
In terms of short-sightedness, there is no idea of who the villains of the movie are. It is supposed to be the property owner and her lawyer (Eric Idle), but compared to other characters, they are the least evil and awful bad guys that the film has. At least until the end when they suddenly become murderers.
In terms of inconsistencies, there is a subplot about Kat’s classmates trying to prank and torment her. This subplot gets two scenes devoted to it, in the first scene one classmate expresses discomfort with their plan, but in the next scene of this subplot forty-five minutes later he is going along with it.
Outside of Bill Pullman who gives a good performance that is wasted on such a bad film, the movie has no other stand out qualities to it.
“Casper” will be playing at the Luna Theater Oct. 13 and 14.
Final Grade: D-
