I was anxious to see “American History X,” and that was even before the controversy over director Tony Kaye’s dismissal from the film during the editing process. I have seen several outstanding movies dealing with skinheads and white supremacists, so I was anxious to see if these film makers could bring anything new to the forum.
Even though my friends and family liked “American History X,” I personally found the film lacking. Perhaps I’m too jaded, or perhaps I have seen more than my fair share of this material, but for some reason I felt that “American History X” was listless. It was the same old story, and not even its decent performances are enough to make it more than it is. The film starts off with a shocking event that sets the tone for the rest of the film. When skinhead Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton, in an Oscar-nominated performance) wakes up in the middle of the night to find three black men trying to steal his car, he ends up killing two of them (one rather viciously).

Sent to prison, Vinyard uses his incarceration to open his eyes and goes through a change of heart. Now he just wants to get along with everyone, and hopes his message will be welcomed by his family. Unfortunately, Derek’s younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong) has taken his place in the gang. Now Derek has to convince his brother that he’s on the road to hell if he stays with the gang, a plea that is ignored until its too late for Danny. Writer David McKenna sets up the usual conflicts for Derek, including a family that has been beaten into submission by his former lifestyle, a girlfriend who can’t tolerate his new lifestyle, and a gang leader who refuses to let go of Derek’s past. They’re all played out in typical fashion, with just the right amount of hysterics and melodrama. The cast approaches the material with conviction, yet that’s not enough to raise the material above the ordinary.

There is one harrowing scene that shows what the film might have been: Derek attacks his mother’s dinner guests because he’s Jewish. The attack is severe, and it’s to the credit of Norton, Beverly D’Angelo (as mom) and Elliott Gould as her boyfriend that this scene reaches the level that it does. They make you feel uncomfortable, and that is what is missing from the rest of the film. Norton is good as Derek, who goes from being scary to likeable with ease. He’s also pretty buff, as a prison shower rape scene attests. Furlong is also good as Danny, but it’s a role that Furlong has played many times before: the confused teenager looking for acceptance.

Stacy Keach does just fine as the gang leader who keeps his hands clean by having his followers do his dirty work, while Fairuza Balk manages to capture the look of a chick who hides her ordinary look behind a mask of hate. Director Kaye complained when his cut of the film was passed over for Norton’s personally supervised cut of the film. Kaye created a media circus over the incident, and after viewing the film, he should have just went on to his next project. “American History X” isn’t a good enough film to nail yourself to a cross over.

Technically, the film looks and sounds great, with a haunting score by Anne Dudley and exemplary production values. Too bad the film’s script didn’t rise to the same level.

DENTIST 2, THE (R)

Here’s the drill: In “The Dentist,” respected dentist Dr. Alan Feinstone had it all. A beautiful wife. A good life, and a successful practice. Feinstone is good at what he does, but he has one little hang-up: bad teeth. It drives him crazy. Really. On his trip there, he also learns that his wife is doing the pool boy. As his life slowly becomes unraveled, Feinstone goes further and further over the edge, until he becomes a driller killer (now there was a horrible movie!). Before you can smile and say cheese, Feinstone is taking out his anger and paranoia on his patients and wife, turning them into dental freaks. Of course such behavior never goes unpunished, and Feinstone is eventually arrested and locked up in a maximum security prison for life.

Sure, and Jason always dies at the end of each “Friday the 13th” film. “The Dentist” was such a cult hit (my dentist can’t get enough of it) that a sequel was inevitable. Enter “The Dentist 2: Brace Yourself,” shot as a theatrical feature, but ending up as a pay cable premiere. Now the sequel is out on video and DVD, and while the results aren’t nearly as appetizing as the original, there is enough here to warrant a look, especially for fans of the original. Corbin Bernsen returns as the notorious Feinstone, now serving his sentence in prison. It’s not long before he’s a free man (he uses a sharp instrument to secure his escape, and how he obtains this instrument is one of the film’s grosser moments), looking for a place to settle down and open up a new practice.

He finds it in Paradise, a small, quaint community where like Cheers, everyone knows your name. When one of his caps comes loose, Feinstone subjects himself to the local dentist. Shocked at the man’s medieval techniques, Feinstone kills him and then opens up a practice of his own. It’s not long before he’s up to his old tricks, turning the mouths of the locals into a nightmarish mess. He almost kills Clint Howard (almost only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades), but succeeds in killing off several people before the final credits roll, setting up yet another sequel.

Twice is enough, thank you very much. “The Dentist 2” was directed by Brian Yuzna, whose work in the horror genre has been hit and miss. While his “Bride of Re-Animator” and “Return of the Living Dead 3” were hoots, his last film, “Progeny” (also reviewed on this site) was stale and uninteresting. “The Dentist 2” isn’t groundbreaking, but at least he manages to keep the action moving and the body count high. Bernsen does fine as the demented dentist, while the rest of the cast rises to the occasion. Jillian McWhirter, who plays the object of Feinstone’s affection, is a Yuzna regular, also playing the lead in “Progeny.” I guess he uses her because she doesn’t mind taking off her clothes. You’re a big girl now, Jillian, you don’t have to get naked in every film. The special effects are appropriately disgusting, and anyone with a fear of dentists will find themselves squirming in their seats. (Trimark)

I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (R)

I had to toss a coin to decide which would be less painful: Sit through “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer,” or shove a rabid pit bull in my shorts and then whack it with a stick. I lost the coin toss, so here’s my review of “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.” Of course, the proper response is “I still don’t care what you did last summer.” I imagine there’s a movie being made called “I Still Won’t Scream at the Urban Legends You told last Summer.” The teenage horror flick, once a popular staple of the late seventies, is alive and well in the late 1990’s and we have one man to blame for the resurrection.

Kevin Williamson. Oh sure, his screenplay for the first “Scream” was clever and breathed new life into the genre. Unfortunately, Hollywood, desperate to jump on the latest bandwagon, doesn’t know when to leave well enough alone. No, it’s not enough to have “Star Wars.” We must have 2,000 clones. “Die Hard” was good. The 8 million imitations were not. Sometimes lightning does strike twice in the same place, but usually it is the sequel. Making sequels to good films is one thing. Making sequels to bad movies that happened to make a lot of money is another.

That’s why it was inevitable that a sequel to “I Know What You Did Last Summer” would arrive sooner than later. Click here for full review. (Columbia-TriStar)

LEGALESE (Not Rated)

Even though it was made for TNT, this made-for-cable satire emerges as a top notch effort. James Garner is excellent (isn’t he always?) as a high profile celebrity attorney whose latest case involves a beautiful actress (Gina Gershon, true to form) accused of murder. Director Glenn Jordan does an excellent job of balancing drama and comedy, delivering a hilarious look at a legal system that is far from perfect. Kathleen Turner co-stars as a gossip columnist who is as colorful as the words she writes, while Edward Kerr shines as the naive young attorney Garner’s character hires to lay down the groundwork and garner the public’s approval. (New Line)

ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK:

HOUDINI (NR)/Warner)

MACON COUNTY LINE (R/New Horizons)

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