ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, August 3, 1996 TAG: 9608050124
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 12 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: It Came from the Video Store
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
"Sex sells. As long as I look like this, people will want me to do this kind of film."
That's Wendy Schumacher, commenting on her first starring role in ``Animal Instincts: The Seductress.'' It's the first of six new guilty pleasures this week.
She's right, of course. Sex does sell, and she does "look like this." In this side of home video, sex tends to be depicted in glossy, romanticized stories that typically lack the violence so often seen in big-screen guilty pleasures (``Basic Instinct,'' ``Showgirls'' etc.).
In many ways, the first "Animal Instincts" set the standard for the genre. The original, now four years old, is still on the new releases shelf at some video stores because it has remained so popular. By this third installment, the series has become a bit studied. It's about a writer of dirty novels (Schumacher ably taking over from star Shannon Whirry) living with a record producer (James Matthew) who pretends to be blind so he can "watch" her. Veteran producer/director Gregory Hippolyte tries some experimental techniques - mixing in black-and-white scenes, interviews, etc. - that don't interfere with his real intentions.
As a young, relatively unknown actress, Schumacher is using various video genres to make a name for herself, including action films. In our brief interview at a recent video convention, she talked about her physical training. "Until I got into martial arts, I felt like a victim, and it's amazing how much you can do to defend yourself," she said. "There's a lot of soft tissue on the body. If I'm really in danger, I could rip your eyes out. It's not hard - I could do it right now."
But she meant it in a nice way.
Four veteran filmmakers tell short low-budget bawdy stories in ``Tales of Erotica.''
Mira Sorvino is a dental technician who finds her way into an oil painting in Susan Siedelman's Felliniesque "Dutch Master." Melvin Van Peebles spins out a sexy variation on the three-wishes theme with "Vrooom, Vrooom, Vrooom." Ken Russell's "The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsh" is about a writer's misunderstanding of a mysterious hotel guest. The best of the bunch is Bob Rafelson's "Wet," about a salesman (Arliss Howard), a young woman (Cynda Williams) and the hot tub she wants to buy. In all four, the production values are acceptable, the acting is better and the humor is rowdy.
``Over the Wire'' actually attempts to add an element of mystery to the standard "erotic thriller" plot. A telephone repairman (David Christensen) overhears a call where one woman plots the murder of another. When he goes to the address, he finds two sisters (Landon Hall and Shauna O'Brien) with similar voices. Who's up to what? The acting is laughable, but that's not exactly the point. O'Brien is one of the sleekest actresses in the business, and the rest of the cast is attractive. Surely it's a joke that the voice actor who plays "Phone Sex Guy" is named Bob Dole. Now, if it were Bill Clinton...
``Femalien'' is about as hot as non-hardcore erotica gets. It's a simple sci-fi theme film about the title character (Vanesa Taylor) who comes to California from outer space to learn what human physical sensations feel like. Director Cybil Richards also made the slick "Virtual Encounters." Despite a modest budget, this one has equally high production values. Perhaps the key lies with director of photography "Allen Smitty," possibly a variation on the "Alan Smithee" pseudonym used by directors who don't want their names associated with a film. Maybe this man (or woman) was moonlighting.
Despite the title, ``Forbidden Zone: Alien Abduction'' is extremely romanticized s-f meant primarily for a female audience. If a bunch of English grad students and "X Files" fans got together to share their fantasies, this might be the result. It's all about three friends (Darcy De Moss, Pia Reyes and Meredyth Holmes) who discover that they've each experienced "missing hours" involving a guy (Bumitri Bogmaz) who looks a lot like the comic book character Submariner. The remarkable thing about the film is director Lucian Diamonde's attention to photographic detail, down to the level of skin pores and individual hairs.
Talk about truth in titling! ``Naked Souls'' has more gratuitous nudity than any video that's hit the store shelves in recent memory. Though superbabe Pamela Anderson Lee gets top billing, she has to share the screen with several other buck-nekkid women. They, however, are part of black-and-white flashbacks. Lee is the full-color sweetie of a young scientist (Brian Krause) whose genetic experiments run into trouble when he gets private funding from an aging millionaire (David Warner). The old guy has an eye for Pam, and it seems he's found a way to switch bodies with his protege.
Despite fine production values and acceptable acting, the whole thing barely qualifies as formula s-f. As an excuse for blatant ogling, it gets full marks.
Next week: Kidvid - Aladdin and the King of Thieves!
Have a question about home video or film? Contact your favorite video columnist at P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010-2491, or by e-mail at 75331.2603@compuserve.com.
New releases this week:
Girl 6 ***
Starring Theresa Randle, Spike Lee. Directed by Lee. FoxVideo. 106 min. Rated R for subject matter, strong language, brief nudity.
Though this one was made on a low budget - compared with "Malcolm X" or "Do the Right Thing" - it's one of Lee's most ambitious, combining reality and imagination in a fluid mix. For a more apt comparison, think of "All That Jazz" made on the fly. The title is the name that's given to a young New York actress when she takes a job at a phone sex service.
Mike Mayo
Executive Decision ***
Starring Kurt Russell John Leguizamo, Joe Morton, Oliver Platt, Halle Berry. Directed by Stuart Baird. Warner Home Video. 132 min. Rated R for violence, strong language.
Breaking with the trend of recent years, this one is more a suspense film than an action film. It's not about things blowing up; it's about preventing things from blowing up. The movie still manages to deliver the goods in a wildly concocted tale of a terrorist's 747 bound for Washington, filled with nerve gas and boarded by commandos. A little long.
- MM
Ed (BOMB)
Starring Matt LeBlanc and Ed, the chimp. MCA/Universal. 109 minutes. Rated PG.
This is a stupid, offensive movie about a chimpanzee who joins a struggling California baseball team. Matt LeBlanc stars as the pitcher who has to take in Ed, the chimp, and experiences some kind of primate epiphany. Don't waste your money or your kids' minds on it.
- Katherine Reed
The Essentials:
(All of these contain varying amounts of nudity and sexual content.
They're also rated on the 10-point Guilty Pleasure Index (GPI).
Anything above an 8.5 is truly guilty, indeed; a 3.0 is the video equivalent of room-temperature tofu.)
Animal Instincts: The Seductress ** 1/2 A-Pix. 102 and 90 min. Unrated and R-rated. GPI: 8.7.
Tales of Erotica *** Vidmark. 103 min. Rated R. GPI: 6.5.
Over the Wire ** Triboro. 90 min. Unrated and R-rated. GPI: 8.9.
Femalien *** 90 min. Amazing Fantasy Entertainment. Unrated. GPI:9.3.
Forbidden Zone: Alien Abduction ** 1/2 Amazing Fantasy Entertainment. 90 min. Unrated and R-rated. GPI: 8.2.
Naked Souls ** 1/2 WarnerVision. 90 min. Rated R. GPI: 6.6.
LENGTH: Long : 138 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Shauna O'Brien stars in ``Over the Wire,''a new videoby CNBrelease.