SHORT TAKES

ASYLUM — A tasteful, insipid shock theatre presentation. If there’s anything worse than a tasteful horror movie, it’s one that’s additionally not horrific. A young doctor’s application for a new job in an insane asylum takes him through four tales — “Frozen Fear,” “Weird Tailor,” “Lucy Comes to Stay,” and “Mannikins of Horror” trying to figure “who done it” to Dr. Rutherford (Patrick Magee of Clockwork Orange). The creators of Psycho, The House That Dripped Blood and Tales From the Crypt guessed wrong.

BAD COMPANY — A not-too-ciite account of five boys heading West to avoid the Civil War draft. Some fine acting, some fine dialogue (David Newman and Robert Benton of Bonnie and Clyde), some fine photography and some fine directing but not much of a story. Jeff Bridges, the newest, youngest, most prolific actor (Last Picture Show, Last American Hero and The Lolly Madonna War) plays the leader of this group of looters searching for their courage (at a conspicuous level) and meeting it, along with their grown-up counterparts. Nice rabbit cleaning scene. WRATH OF GOD — Another great garbagey Mexican western — perfect for drive-in triple bills. Robert “marvelous” Mitchum as Daniel Berrigan, the Straw Dogs sodomist as an exiled IRA member and Victor Buono play' nasty villians forced to join forces as an alternative to facing the firing squad. Will they accomplish their mission, rid the country of rotten Rodriquez and escape with their money and their lives? God knows.