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	Vol.7, No 24, October 11, 1999
	Weberg's wicked weekday video rentals  The '70s had many independent cult films emerge that remained virtually unseen for years. Many of these films were made for TV, such as "Duel." This 1971 film was director Steven Spielberg's major directorial debut and is the answer to last week's trivia question.  Don Weberg Film Critic The movie starred Charles Seel, Lucille Benson, Lou Frizzell and Jacquiline Scott but these people are seen sparingly throughout the film and their character names go unknown. The main character, David Mann, played by Dennis Weaver, is an executive driving through the deserts of California on his way to a business meeting.  What begins as a relatively routine and boring trip soon becomes the car journey from hell. Mann passes a dilapidated looking big rig, which turns out to be a terrible mistake.  The trucker becomes enraged and chases the little car. Mann finds himself driving his modest, red Plymouth Valiant at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour along the desert highways, in an effort to escape the wrath of the trucker. Despite the weight advantage of the Plymouth, and the apparent condition of the truck, the rig never gives in and always keeps up.  Most of the movie revolves around this chase. Very few words are said by Weaver or the co-stars. While some might say that lack of dialogue makes for a boring movie, rest assured, this movie is action packed, thrilling and downright scary.  Critics say there are certain communistic symbols within the film, such as the color of the little car,  and the ugliness of the rig. Could that be one of the ideas being conveyed in the film?  Who knows. The bottom line is that the movie is fun and scary and makes road trips seem less monotonous. While  the '70s redesigned and shaped the prototypes for new horror, the '80s added serious plot twists to the standard format.    One '80s film that used an extreme twist in plot structure is the 1986 Paramount Pictures flick, "April Fools Day."  It starred Jay Baker, Pat Barlow, Amy Steel and Lloyd Berry. The movie forces the audience to the edge of its seats with an accidental stabbing at the beginning as well as a manís head getting crushed between a boat and dock. The movie, however, also involves some sleuthing and unimaginable besides the obvious horror film shockers. In the film a young woman, Muffy, inherits a country estate and invites her buddies up for the weekend. Muffy's crazed twin sister crashes a possibly great party by killing each of the friends. Besides the sibling troubles, the house is another problem. When the victims try to escape they don't make it far. The house is built on itís own separate island. The movie has a great, twisting plot and a shocking ending. Trivia question of the week: Who is the former Breck Shampoo model, who posed for Playboy at 17-years-old, and made her movie debut in an early-'80s 007 film?  HINT: Many James Bond fanatics don't consider this to be a true 007 film.		Fungus not an ugly sight for professor Water polo star claims innocence Smuggled immigrants caught in L.B. Printmaking adopts 'Sweetie' Racism haunts U.S.A Religion's crutch won't carry Ventura Weberg's wicked weekday video rentals Kane & Abel shameful Elgazzar is knee-up on competition Fall 99 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach ©1999 All rights reserved.