ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, December 9, 1995 TAG: 9512120007
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 12 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: It Came From the Video Store
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
``VideoHound's Complete Guide to Cult Flicks and Trash Pics'' is the perfect answer to all of your Christmas video gift-buying needs.
I should know. I wrote it.
All right, I wrote part of it. Picky, picky, picky. And following in the footsteps of Edgar Allan Poe and Walt Whitman, who, if memory serves, didn't hesitate to review their own books, I heartily recommend it. Without question, it is the single most informative and enjoyable guide to films on video - both the weird and the mainstream - ever published in the history of the known universe. In range of subject, the book is both eclectic and broad. Such proven standards as ``My Darling Clementine,'' ``Taxi Driver'' and ``It's a Wonderful Life'' receive the same treatment given ``Jessie James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter,'' ``Don't Look Now'' and ``Boxcar Bertha.''
The individual reviews are informative, opinionated and funny. Even the most dedicated movie fan will find something new in the sidebars, focusing on the people, institutions, themes and oddities that can turn an ordinary movie into a cult favorite.
Don't miss the introduction by editor Carol Schwartz, who sets a properly cheeky tone for the whole enterprise, and the wonderful photo captions by Susan Stefani and Jane Hoehner.
By the way, according to editor Schwartz, there is absolutely no truth to the rumor that some copies of the book came from the printer with arrived in stores with $100 bills tucked between the pages.
For those whose tastes are more conventional, two other video books might - and I stress might - also merit consideration. ``Leonard Maltin's 1996 Movie and Video Guide'' is still the standard film reference in a conventional paperback format. It contains more than 19,000 capsule entries and has earned a permanent spot on many videophiles' bookshelves. It's the book that I turn to first, particularly when little-known older titles show up on cable or tape.
``VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever, 1996'' gives Mr. Maltin a run for his money. The book lists more than 60,000 titles available on tape and videodisc. It's also available with a CD-ROM that has a whole bunch of other stuff, but for those of us who still multi-media challenged, its contents are a mystery. For the moment.
Turning now to tapes themselves, this year we find an astonishing number of lower-priced titles that are being aimed at more specific audiences. Here's a quick look at a few.
The single woman on your Christmas list might appreciate the video version of ``AlaskaMen'' magazine. On this tape, single guys who live in Alaska introduce themselves and hope to entice women in the lower-49 to write to them. After that ... The publicists assure me that this is not a joke, and that the tape includes addresses and phone numbers so that interested parties can pursue their relationships. The first tape is due in stores Jan. 9.
Since single guys tend to take a different approach to such matters, something like Playboy's ``The Best of Anna Nicole Smith'' might be more appreciated. It, of course, features the phenomenally popular covergirl, millionaire's widow and blond czarina of the tabloids.
In a more ``family''-oriented direction, there's a new gift set of director Gillian Armstrong's ``Little Women'' with Susan Sarandon and Winona Ryder. And while the ladies of the house are bonding with Louisa May Alcott, the old man can kick back in the Barcalounger and slap the ``NFL's Greatest'' series into the VCR. If two VCRs aren't available and a video rapprochement must be reached, ``Nutcracker on Ice'' might fill the bill. Starring Olympic medal-winners Oksana Baiul and Viktor Petrenko, it's an adaptation of Tchaikovsky's ``Nutcracker'' that combines the familiar music and story with ice-skating's unique mix of athleticism, art, commerce and kitsch.
For pop music fans, there's Hootie and the Blowfish's ``Summer Camp With Trucks.'' I have no idea what the title means, and I can't understand most of the lyrics, but so what? These guys are likeable; their tunes are catchy and the tape is actually 30 minutes longer than the box says. Beatles fans whose tastes have been whetted by the recent broadcast of the ``Beatles Anthology'' (due to appear in an extended 10-hour version on tape next May) might want remastered versions of the Fab Four's two fine films, ``A Hard Day's Night'' and ``Help!,'' both worth another look any time.
And finally, we have the world's most famous Play-Doh character starring in ``Mr. Bill's 20th Anniversary.'' Yes, it's been that long since the hapless dope made his debut on ``Saturday Night Live.'' On this 40-minute tape, it's interesting to see how Mr. Bill's creator, Walter Williams, has progressed from low-budget 8-mm film effects to today's low-budget digital effects without missing a beat ... or a slice, as it were.
Next week: Families!
New release this week:
Judge Dredd H
Starring Sylvester Stallone. Directed by Danny Cannon. Buena Vista/Hollywood. 90 min. Rated R for violence, strong language.
For a big screen comic book adventure, this one does everything wrong. It's humorless, slowly paced and unoriginal. There's virtually nothing on screen that hasn't been done with more style in other films. The violence is loud, relentless and dull. Stallone is stiff and pretentious.
The Essentials:
VideoHound's Complete Guide to Cult Flicks and Trash Pics. Visible Ink. $16.95, trade paper.
Leonard Maltin's 1996 Movie and Video Guide. Signet. $7.99, paper.
VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever, 1996. Visible Ink. $19.95, trade paper; $49.95, trade paper and CD-ROM.
AlaskaMen. WarnerVision. 45 min. $14.95.
The Best of Anna Nicole Smith. Playboy. 55 min. $19.95
Little Women. Columbia TriStar. 118 min. $29.95.
NFL's Greatest. Polygram Video. (3 volumes.) 50 min. and $14.95 each; $34.95 set.
Nutcracker On Ice. CBS/FOX Video. 110 min. $14.98.
Summer Camps With Trucks. WarnerVision. 146 min. $19.98.
A Hard Day's Night. MPI. 108 min. $19.98.
Help! MPI. 98 min. $19.98.
Mr. Bill's 20th Anniversary. Anchor Bay Entertainment. $12.95.
LENGTH: Long : 114 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: The single woman on your Christmas list might appreciateby CNBthe video version of "AlaskaMen" magazine. color.