For the first time in a couple of seasons, syndicators' fall offerings create some buzz
By Staff
Broadcasting & Cable
Adventure Inc. (Oct. 5, 97%);Formerly known as The Ultimate Adventure Company, this action hour "didn't get out of the gate as quickly as we would have hoped," says Tribune Entertainment's Dick Askin. Tribune and Fireworks Entertainment are partnering on the show. Actor Michael Biehn wasn't signed to star in it until June. But now production is humming along, and the distributor is revisiting a few advertisers who wanted to see more detail about the show before making a commitment, says Askin. "All things considered, it sold pretty well. Now we're going back to fill in a few holes."
Family video: It's time for 'Clockstoppers'
Ah, a sci-fi adventure that's suitable for the whole family. It's about time.
In "Clockstoppers" (** 1/2; rated PG for action violence and mild language), two teens enter a new dimension when they discover a top-secret watch that speeds up their actions so fast that the rest of the world seems to stand still.
Zak (Jesse Bradford) and his girlfriend, Francesca (Paula Garces), have fun with their discovery at first, playing pranks on townspeople and giving their friend a funky edge in a DJ contest. But things soon turn deadly serious when a renegade government contractor (Michael Biehn) hunts them down to get the watch back.
The film is at its best when the charismatic Bradford and Garces are onscreen. Director Jonathan Frakes, capitalizing on his time behind the camera with various "Star Trek" proj ects, also does a fine job of blending the outstanding time-stopping special effects with the live action. (He even pokes fun at his "Star Trek" character, Cmdr. Will Riker, with a memorable line.)
But the story requires the adults to act like idiots; it doesn't help that the grown-up actors -- Biehn and Julia Sweeney as Zak's mom being particularly bad -- make such a poor showing. Also, the DJ contest stops the film cold, and the mumbo-jumbo science isn't consistently portrayed.
Despite this licking, the film keeps on ticking.
Kids will enjoy "Clockstoppers," and parents will have no trouble joining in for the fun. Think of it as a poor man's "Back to the Future."
Special mention must be made about the DVD's head-spinning Dolby Digital surround sound, especially in the clock-themed opening titles, which my young movie watchers asked to be repeated several times. Play it loudly enough, and your neighbors probably will wish that they could stop time, too.