Susan Loughran Movies
- 1995
- R
- Add Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation to QueueAdd Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation to top of Queue
In this third sequel to slasher classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, four Texas teens are abducted by a family of psychos on their way home from the senior prom. Bloodshed, torture, and intrigue ensue. Barry (Tyler Cone) and Sean (John Harrison) meet their fates quickly, but semi-bimbo Heather (Lisa Newmyer) lasts long enough to be tortured and burned before having her head cracked open like a walnut by a mechanical leg. Meanwhile, sweet, befuddled Jenny (Renee Zellweger) actively resists her captors by stealing cars, breaking through windows, and jumping off roofs. Although Leatherface (Robert Jacks), the human skin-wearing transvestite based on real-life serial killer Ed Gein, is back on board, the cannibal cast this time out also includes several new characters, from bionic villain Vilmer (Matthew McConaughey) to trashy realtor Darla (Tonie Perensky) and literature-quoting flunky W.E. (Joe Stevens). The plot also adds an X-Files-esque conspiracy to the basic Chainsaw concept in the form of deformed businessman Rothman (James Gale), who descends on the family of killers to critique their torture techniques. Written and directed by original Massacre scribe Kim Henkel, the film appeared at 1995 festivals in a 104-minute cut under the title The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre; after actors Zellweger and McConaughey became Hollywood stars, the film was re-titled, re-cut, and given a limited theatrical release in August of 1997. The nine minutes of deleted footage included scenes of Jenny's troubled home life. Both versions included brief cameos from Marilyn Burns, Paul Partain, and John Dugan -- all of whom appeared in Tobe Hooper's original film. Prodigious litigation preceded the film's re-release, although both the McConaughey and Zellweger camps denied attempting to block its release. The film's soundtrack includes a who's who of local Texas bands. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Renée Zellweger, Matthew McConaughey, (more)
Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom's follow-up to the underrated Once Around earned far more attention than its predecessor thanks to the judicious casting of perennial thinking woman's heartthrob Johnny Depp and a certain up-and-coming thespian by the name of Leonardo DiCaprio. A prisoner of his dysfunctional family's broken dreams in tiny Endora, IA, Gilbert (Depp) serves as breadwinner and caretaker for his mother and siblings following his father's suicide and his older brother's defection. Momma (Darlene Cates) is a morbidly obese shut-in who hasn't left the house in seven years; her children include retarded Arnie (DiCaprio), who's about to turn 18 despite a host of negative medical forecasts, and terminally embarrassed Ellen (Mary Kate Schellhardt), who's emerging from an awkward adolescence. When he's not taking care of the difficult but tender Arnie, Gilbert spends his time fixing up the family's tattered farmhouse, working at a failing mom-and-pop grocery store and hanging with local misfits Bobby (Crispin Glover), an overly ambitious junior undertaker, and Tucker (John C. Reilly), a handyman who hankers after a job at the new burger franchise. Into this complicated but essentially unchanging social universe steps Becky (Juliette Lewis), a thoughtful young woman who's been escorting her nomadic grandmother from state to state in a mobile-home caravan. As Becky teaches Gilbert to finally consider his own happiness for a change, she disrupts both his family obligations and his long-running affair with a lonely housewife (Mary Steenburgen). Adapted by Peter Hedges from his own novel of the same name, What's Eating Gilbert Grape was the first and only film role for non-actress Cates, whom the filmmakers discovered on an episode of the Sally Jesse Raphael Show titled "Too Heavy to Leave Their House." ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis, (more)
