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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 29, 1988)
Movie lives up to title By Michael Deeds Staff Reviewer When I was a kid, Action Jackson was a G.I. Joe-type of doll that I’d kill with my Planet of the Apes guys. Well, not anymore. “Action Jackson” is a new Lori mar release starring Carl Weathers as Sgt. Jericho “Action” Jackson, a cop with a Harvard law degree who also happens to be a real toughic. The plot is almost sickeningly basic, but as usual, keeps everybody happy with at least one explosion or car wreck every five m inutes. Weath ers, who to most people will always be Apollo Creed of the “Rocky” movies, has been demoted as a police officer because of a murderous auto tycoon, Peter Dellaplanc, and spends the whole movie seeking revenge for losing his lieutenant’s stripes. Of course, it all boils down to a final “fight to the death” scene with Dellaplanc, who is played by Craig T. Nelson. I guess I never realized that pot-bellied auto company own ers arc also martial arts experts on the sly, willing to give any Apollo Creed available a run for his money in the hand-to-hand combat arena. i— ... ~ Truthfully, though, this movie has more class than any that action movie hero Arnold Schwarzenegger has put out. Sure, Weathers rips off Arnold’s one-liner style of killing people, but at least he doesn’t have a stupid ac cent that you have to strain to under stand. The script is actually very funny, too. There’s enough comic relief that is so corny, I mean so-o-o-o corny, that it makesyou laugh. Which isalso more than I can say about the movies made by a certain Austrian weight lifter with big muscles. The action is definitely up to par. Stunt coordinator Craig Baxley di rects the film and there arc breathtak ing activities occurring at all points of the film. The opening scene, in which two people are murdered by Dcllaplanc’s gang of heavy metal style super-killers, is an impressive display of what the movie is about. And, of course, there’s the female night club singer/junkic that is not only Dellaplanc’s mistress, but falls for good ol’ Action Jackson. And, surprise, it’s Vanity. Vanity comes off as a pretty good junkie, gets to sing a bit and bares her breasts often enough for everyone. And when she’s not doing that, she wears a see through top part of the time. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! Much to everyone’s surprise, she reforms from her heroin addiction miraculously within two days so Action Jackson will like her. It’s such a thoughtful thing for her to do. Would she do that for Prince? Action Jackson is so clean cut that when Vanity hops into bed and asks him to do a certain something to her beautiful body, he looks disgusted. Everybody respects him for that. The action is defin itley up to par. H / <• ' ' 5 } '• Overall, Weathers docs a good job. He realizes that he is portraying an almost comic book type of charac ter, but he plays him as a believable guy, not some superhuman ultra-cop. It is hard not to keep expecting Sylvester Stallone to come running in to help him all the time, but that’s not really Weathers’ fault. This movie is meant to be basic. The plot is very unoriginal, but the humor and Weathers’ natural ability to come across as an action-oriented character make everything work. If you like non-stop violence and stunts done in a light-hearted way, you’ll definitely like the movie. If you don’t, you won’t. “Action Jackson” is playing at the Plaza 4 Theaters, 12th and P streets, and at the East Park 3 Theaters, East Park Plaza Mall. . ' ' —" .. -' ‘Vice Versa’ is a Freudian slip VICE from Page 6 Eventually, the ploy degener ates into an action sequence where the nasty smugglers attempt to get the skull back. The “Freudian nightmare” parts are some of the most intriguing in the movie. Marshall has to go back and live with his ex-wife for awhile. Apparently, it wasn't a very nice divorce. Charlie, at the girls-are-yuck stage, is being seduced by Marshall's girlfriend. Marshall sees this, and interrupts at a critical point by exclaiming, “I feel sick!’* A lot of exploration could be done along these themes, but it seems pointless when the premise is so ridiculous. Of course, this plot is silly and totally predictable, but it’s fun. It’s a mindless vacation from school and other nasty realities. Fred Savage, an adorable child* actor, is simply fantastic. When playing Marshall, he seems 37. Precocity also seeps into his role of Charlie, but since he plays an adult for most of the movie, it works. Judge Reinhold sometimes doesn’t act, but hams unmercifully. His gee-whiz rendition of an 11 year-old can be more than a little annoying, but overall, it can be ignored. Swoosie Kurtz is wonderful as a crooked art collector. It’s too bad her role is so limited in the movie, but it would interfere with the Oedipal themes. With a PG-13 rating, “Vice Versa” is good, clean fun if you just want to enjoy a box of popcorn and occupy your eyeballs for awhile. “Vice Versa” will start at East Park 3 in two weeks. i 1 r i Catch-A-Ray Without Delay. With spring break coming up the rush for that great tan is on. But Catch-A-Ray can help you beat the rush with their 5 TANNING BEDS which allow you to tan great with less wait. 1 Visit $4.50 Hours 5 Visits $17.50 Mon.-Fri. 9 to 10 ! 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