Dave Kehr

There`s something horribly wrong with a Hollywood that can`t make better use of Walter Hill. The director of ''Hard Times,'' ''The Warriors,'' ''Southern Comfort'' and, most famously, ''48 HRS.,'' Hill...

Jim Abrahams` ''Big Business'' borrows its title from one Laurel and Hardy movie and its plot from another-from the 1936 ''Our Relations,'' in which Stan and Ollie play two long...

''Big,'' directed by former sitcom star Penny Marshall (''Laverne and Shirley''), is the latest if not the last of the body-switching comedies. This time the swap is one-sided: 13-year-old Josh...

Of the many continuing series Hollywood turned out before the advent of television-Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan, Blondie-none enjoys the continuing prestige of the six ''Thin Man'' films produced by MGM...

''O.C. and Stiggs'' (Daniel H. Jenkins, Neill Barry; RobertAltman, dir. Key Video, 1987; color. Running time: 109 minutes. Rating: R. $79.98) ''O.C. and Stiggs'' stands as the last major studio...

''In the Mood'' (Patrick Dempsey, Beverly D`Angelo; Phil Alden Robinson, dir. Lorimar, 1987; color. Running time: 98 minutes. Rating: PG-13. $79.95) The first directorial effort of screenwriter Phil Alden Robinson...

Back to the Beach'' (Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello; Lyndall Hobbs, dir. Paramount, 1987; color. Running time: 92 minutes. Rating: PG. $89.95) Released theatrically last summer to a teenage audience that,...

''Dragnet'' (Dan Aykroyd, Tom Hanks; Tom Mankiewicz, dir. MCA, 1987; Technicolor; running time: 106 minutes. $89.95). ''Dragnet'' (Jack Webb, Ben Alexander; Jack Webb, dir. MCA; 1954; Technicolor; running time: 71...

Why does it seem that most of the best movies of 1987 were accidents? Though the Hollywood production machinery seems to be functioning more smoothly than it has since the...

Sometimes, a little poverty can be an improving thing. John Carpenter`s film-making skills have been evident since he first surfaced with his low-budget productions of ''Dark Star,'' ''Assault on Precinct...