ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, April 27, 1996 TAG: 9604300006
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 10 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: It Came from the Video Store
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
This week, after a remarkable five-month absence, guilty pleasures return to the fore. We've got seven new releases, and the first of them is actually good. (Go figure.)
"Hostile Intentions" opens with the premise of your basic babes-behind-bars exploitation flick, then twists it with an unapologetically feminist-liberal attitude.
Nora (Tia Carrere) and Maureen (Tricia Leigh Fisher) take their pal Caroline (Lisa Dean Ryan) to Tijuana for a final fling before her marriage. They run into the wrong house party, corrupt rapacious cops, jail - you know the drill ... most of the drill, anyway.
The differences here come from writer-director Catherine Cyran's well-developed nonstereotypical characters, and excellent performances from the three leads. Ignore the idiotic title.
"Virtual Encounters" is top-drawer fluff about a busy executive (Elizabeth Kaitan) whose birthday present is a session of virtual wish fulfillment at a high-tech fantasyland. Her computer-generated proclivities involve masks, leather, desks, broccoli. Well, OK, the broccoli is an exaggeration; this is sexy and kinky, not sick. The cast is glamorous; the proceedings are slickly staged and well photographed by director Cybil Richards.
In "Masseuse," Kirsty's (Griffin Drew) dirty, rotten, no-good, two-timing fianc, Jack (Tim Atwell), tries to swindle her. Of course, she gets all the revenge she wants and then some. Most of the action is strictly within the limits of the soft-core genre, but the film has a sense of humor and a spirited feminist attitude. Fans, look for a cameo by Brinke Stevens.
"Blondes Have More Guns" is a typically trashy Troma parody of "Basic Instinct" and "Indecent Proposal." Is blond Montana (Elizabeth Key) the psycho chainsaw killer? What about her sister Dakota (Gloria Lusiak)? And why is that man dressed in a dog suit? Dim-bulb detective Bates (Michael McGahern) is hot on the case. As Troma fans expect, the action is crude, raunchy, sexy and unashamed.
Who's bumping off ecdysiasts in "Midnight Tease II"? Jennifer (Kimberly Kelley) goes undercover - metaphorically - on the runway to find her sister's killer. Considering the general level of quality in the stripper-flick subgenre, this one's a notch or two above average, but it's not even close to last year's sleeper, "Stripteaser."
"Dark Dancer" is your basic not-so-erotic thriller, made and set in Texas, and a little less coherent than most. The indefatigable Shannon Tweed plays Dr. Margaret Simpson, respected professor of feminist studies by day, masked stripper by night. The framing device is more interesting than the cliched story.
Though the box copy makes the dubious boast that "Caged Heat 3000" takes the women-in-prison genre to a ``whole new level" it must refer to a whole new low. With the exception of the star and a couple of others, this is perhaps the most unattractive cast - male and female - ever assembled for a bad movie. It's also a whole new level of cheapness with silly sets and costumes made from plastic sheeting.
Fans know that exploitation can overcome its shortcomings with outrageous humor and inventiveness - not this time though.
Next week: Sweet Mystery!
Got a question about home video or film? Contact your favorite video columnist at P.O. Box 2491; Roanoke, Va., 24010, or by e-mail at 75331.2603compuserve.com.
New releases this week:
Money Train *
Starring Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson. Directed by Joel Ruben. Columbia TriStar. 103 min. Rated R for strong language, violence, sexual content.
Here's a textbook example of how not to make an action flick. While the film looks good most of the time and has some effective scenes, that elusive screen "chemistry" is noticeably absent. The stars work well enough together, but there's not much they - or anyone - could have done with this flawed story of an alleged good guy who decides to rob a subway train. The ending is particularly weak.
The Show ** 1/2
Starring Craig Mack, Dr. Dre, Naughty by Nature, Run DMC, Warren G, Sean "Puffy" Combs and Wu-Tang Clan. Directed by Brian Robbins. Columbia TriStar. 90 min. Rated R for extremely rough language.
This documentary-concert film about the past and present of hip-hop or rap music is loud, profane, funny, energetic and honest. Even fans may not like everything they see. Though it's obvious that the producers love the music, they don't ignore its flaws - the violence, the misogyny, the immature posturing. Those are on screen, along with the self-hatred that's part of the form, but so is the crackling power of a live concert, where the singers communicate directly with an audience that loves what it hears.
How To Make an American Quilt ***
Starring Winona Ryder, Dermot Mulroney, Ellen Burstyn, Samantha Mathis. MCA/Universal. 109 min. Rated PG-13.
At long last - a ``chick movie'' that manages not to be condescending. This is the story of Finn (Ryder) who decides to spend the summer away from her boyfriend Sam (Mulroney) and gets an earful about love from her grandmother, great-aunt and the members of their quilting bee. They all have stories to tell - some more compelling than others - but when pieced together, they create a very interesting picture of the pitfalls and pleasures of love.
The Essentials:
(By definition, Guilty Pleasures contain nudity and sexual content. Other contents are noted below.)
Hostile Intentions *** WarnerVision. 90 min. Rated R, contains violence, rape.
Virtual Encounters ** 1/2 Amazing Fantasy Entertainment. 80 and 84 min. Rated R and Unrated.
Masseuse ** 1/2 TriBoro. 90 min. R-rated and unrated.
Blondes Have More Guns ** 1/2 Troma Team Video. 90 min. Rated R.
Midnight Tease II ** Concorde-New Horizons. 94 min. Unrated, contains violence, strong language.
Dark Dancer * Third Coast Entertainment 99 min. Unrated and R-rated, contains violence.
Caged Heat 3,000 * 85 min. Concorde-New Horizons. R-rated and unrated, contains violence.
LENGTH: Long : 117 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Glady Joe (Anne Bancroft, left) has an interesting taleby CNBto share with her grandniece, Finn (Winona Ryder), in ``How to Make
an American Quilt,'' now on video shelves.