DENNIS SCHWARTZ IS THERE ANY GOOD IN SAYING EVERYTHING ABOUT A MOVIE? MONKEY SHINES (director/writer: George A. Romero; screenwriter: based on the book by Michael Stewart; cinematographer: James A. Contner; editor: Pasquale Buba; music: David Shire; cast: Jason Beghe (Allan Mann), John Pankow (Geoffrey Fisher), Kate McNeil (Melanie Parker), Joyce Van Patten (Dorothy Mann), Christine Forrest (Maryanne Hodges), Stephen Root (Dean Burbage), Stanley Tucci (Dr. John Wiseman), Janine Turner (Linda Aikman), William Newman (Doc Williams); Runtime: 113; MPAA Rating: R; producer: Charles Evans; Orion Pictures; 1988) "A frightening and very effective psychological thriller." Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz A frightening and very effective psychological thriller directed and written by the horror genre's master, George A. Romero ("Martin"/"Living Dead"trilogy), that goes south mainly due to the cop-out rosy ending forced upon the director by producer Charles Evans. It's based on the book by Michael Stewart. Though it would be hard to believe its hokey confrontational sequences are anything but the usual cheesy type of horror story shockers, it at least doesn't resort to special effects alone to tell its emotionally balanced and often gripping B-film story (some might complain that its pace is a bit slow for a horror story, but I think that works to its benefit as it gives us a chance to get to know and sympathize with the psychologically troubled hero in a very real way). | |
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