Since Donna was in Brooklyn on Saturday night as well, I decided, rather than spend money on videos again, to see what the Boob Tube had to offer. Fortunately, the SCI FI channel was showing some of those great (IMHO) 'nature goes bad' movies. In this case two different takes on "giant spiders."

Now, let me be up front on this.... I'm completely creeped out by regular 'find them in your backyard or in the corner of the room' type spiders, so why I'm driven to watch automobile sized ones is beyond me. Hell, I thought EIGHT-LEGGED FREAKS was one last years BEST movies, so don't expect much in the way of indepth reviewing.

I think the films show two different ways of going at much the same subject, one of them badly and other with at least some attempt at story and acting.

SPIDERS (2000) - Is aimed at the usual teen market for this kind of thing. Lana Parrilla (who has appeared in NBC's current series, BOOMTOWN and also as a regular on SPIN CITY for it's last season) plays 'Marci Eyre' a college student and reporter for the school newspaper. Discovering that 'mysterious things' may be happening at a laboratory on campus and and several others find that the government is growing giant spiders which they hope to turn into weapons. Frankly, I didn't realize that FBI agents were put in charge of such things and could also, apparently with no fear or reprimand, shoot solders in the head for 'disobeying orders.' I guess I must have missed that back in Basic Training when I was in the service. You can pretty much guess who is going to end up webbed and sucked dry or used as eggsacks. In the end not only does one of the agents (this one a decent guy to rebels against his superior) proves he also happens to be an expert helicopter pilot AND Marci does a great Linda Hamilton/Sigourney Weaver impersonation. Not only does she show she can operate a shoulder-mounted missile launcher, but hanging by a rope dangling several stories up tied to a helicopter at the same. I think she get's extra credit for her faculty advisor for this. This is one of those films you can walk away from and not even wait for the commercials, knowing that you will have missed absolutely nothing.

On the other hand, ARACHNID (2001) appears to have been filmed with primarily Spanish speaking actors, seemingly for a more adult audience. I have to wonder if the movie may have had two different versions, one in English for American video release and the other for international release, either in theatres of video. Chris Potter (who starred in the cable series, QUEER AS FOLK) plays "Valentine" some kind of adventurer/tour guide, hired to lead a scientific expedition into the jungle to discover what had caused the death (by insect/spider) bite of some locals. Maybe the 'on location shooting' in the jungle (The film was released in some countries as AMAZON) adds to the claustrophobic feel. Even though this film like SPIDERS has it's share of characters who you know are doomed from the first reel, you actually do feel some sympathy towards them. You would actually like them to get out alive! The sub-plot of the pilot who brings the group to the island, also being the sister of the Air Force pilot whose encounter with an extra-terrestrial craft brought this all about, does ask the viewer to accept a bit too much coincidence. Still there are actually some really creepy scenes, with the pilot's 'encounter' with her dead brothe especially stand out.

If you have a chance to catch either on cable some boring afternoon, I'd skip SPIDERS and go for ARACHNID. Certainly better than watching some of the crap that COMEDY CENTRAL puts on between reruns of SNL.