Last Action Hero/Once Upon a Forest/Jurassic Park/The Music of Chance

Gene Siskel - Host: As I watched "Last Action Hero", I thought of a line written by film critic Vincent Canby almost a decade ago, that with the homogenization of the American film industry, with escalating budgets and safe subjects, we were heading for a time when, in a manner of speaking, there would be just ONE movie made in a year. And "Last Action Hero" could be that film. It has the number one movie star doing his thing, and also commenting on it at the same time. Ultimately, it seems like he wants to get onto new territory, and so do we. I enjoyed chunks of "Last Action Hero", but culturally, I think it may be more significant than it is entertaining.

Roger Ebert - Host: I was also disappointed in it, Gene, and also, like you, I was impressed by some of the stunt work, but then again, you can kinda manufacture stunts. The tricky part is to put them in a movie that's worth watching for two hours and keeps your interest. And here, I think one of the problems was, this duality. Because the, the suspense scenes, when you're supposed to be really wrapped up in them...

Gene Siskel - Host: You know what's coming.

Roger Ebert - Host: ...It's undercut by the knowledge that it's the movie within the movie, and so something is going to happen, uh, in such a way that what you're seeing isn't really what is going to be the pay-off. I don't know if I made that clear.

Gene Siskel - Host: No no, what you're saying is...

Roger Ebert - Host: The point is, that the movie constantly confuses you on that level of emotional involvement.

Gene Siskel - Host: No, what it does is, it sets up a pattern that you know is gonna be kept on going...

Roger Ebert - Host: Yeah.

Gene Siskel - Host: ...And so when it's tense, you know it's going to be uncut. What I think they should've done is have it be more bookend introductions and the action goes straight through...

Roger Ebert - Host: That might've helped.

Gene Siskel - Host: ...And have a rooting interest where he's really trying to help the kid. Not joking with each other so much.

Roger Ebert - Host: The one thing that I liked somewhat was the way they kid the action movie cliches.

Gene Siskel - Host: He was good.

Roger Ebert - Host: For example, the talking killer, that we've talked about on this show.

Gene Siskel - Host: That was smart.