Canine wonder, treasure hunt, and slapstick

Press, 3 February 1987, Page 18

Canine wonder, treasure hunt, and slapstick

Mike the Dog, the canine superstar of “Down and Out in Beverley Hills,” steals the limelight again in Walt Disney video release, “Spot Marks the X ” (PG). He is up to his paws in criminal activities as Capone, the four-legged sidekick to a trio of bank robbers. When the gang’s leader is captured and jailed after an unsuccessful heist, Capone is the only other participant who knows where the loot is buried. When he is subsequently adopted by an unsuspecting family, it is not long before he becomes the “top dog” in a rousing pursuit involving the criminals, the police, and his startled young owners.

As well as Mike the Dog, “Spot Marks the X”

stars Barrett Oliver, Natalie Gregory, Richard B. Shull, Vic Dunlop, Jerry Wasserman and Geoffrey Lewis as Dirty Jerry, and David Huddlestone as Doc Ross.

Running time of the movie is 90 minutes.

Other February releases from Cannon Screen entertainment on the Walt Disney label are:—

“Treasure of Matecumbe” (PG)— Starring Robert Foxworth, Joan Hackett, Peter Ustinov as Dr Snodgrass, and Vic Morrow as Spangler, is based on the book “A Journey to Matecumbe,” by Robert Lewis Taylor.

In post-Civil War Kentucky, young Dave Burnie (Johnny Doran) becomes the unexpected heir to the family secret: a map leading to buried treasure on the Florida Isle of Matecumbe. The youth, joined by four fellow adventurers (Robert Faxworth, Joan Hackett, Peter Ustinov, Billy Attmore), begins his search for the treasure despite deadly interference by his late father’s arch-enemy (Vic Morrow). The angry threat of a hurricane and the presence of hostile Indians sets the mood for the frantic trek to the swampy site — a destination that could provide untold wealth for the searchers, or for their evil pursuers!

“Treasure of Matecumbe” is directed by Vincent McEveety and runs for 111 minutes.

“Monkeys Go Homer (G) — Stars Maurice Chevalier, Dean Jones, Yvette Mimieux, and is based on the book, “The Monkeys,” by G. K. Wilkinson. An American, Henry Dussard, inherits a broken-down and badly neglected farm in a small French village. Determined to make a go of it, but desperate for labourers, the inventive Dussard turns to the tree tops for the zaniest crew of olive pickers ever — four hilarious monkeys. These are no ordinary monkeys, however. They

are former astro-chimps and they pick up their new trade quickly. In the process they prove to be the complete undoing of the local townspeople. This 86-minute movie is a slapstick family adventure filled with merriment and monkeying around. “Mr Boogedy” (PG) — The Davis family move into their dream house only to see it turn into a house of horrors. A sinister stranger gives them a dire warning which they ignore, prompting.a host of nightmarish occurrences. The Davis home is haunted by an evil 300-year-old spectre named Mr Boogedy. As the hauntings become more and more frightening, the family makes a startling discovery, one that forces them into a dangerous confrontation with the terrifying Mr Boogedy.

Also on this 90-minute video is the fantasy adventure “Fuzzbucket” in which Mikey Gerber, a shy, lonely 12-year-old befriends a fantastic creature named Fuzzbucket. When Mikey prepares a strange concoction to make his friend materialise, the boy is unwittingly swept into a wild, breathtaking adventure — above and below ground — with his runaway pal.