ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, August 10, 1996 TAG: 9608120100
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 10 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: It Came from the Video Store
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
This week: Kidvid!
In the first three minutes of "Aladdin and the King of Thieves" Robin Williams impersonates Sylvester Stallone, Walter Cronkite, boxing promoter Don King and Tinkerbell. The rest of the film doesn't maintain that frantic pace - it can't - but this one's still a wonderfully entertaining third (and final) installment in the "Aladdin" series.
As viewers of the first two films doubtlessly remember, the wedding of Aladdin (voiced by Scott Weinger) and Jasmine (Linda Larkin) has been postponed. As it approaches, our hero gets cold feet and worries about the father he never knew. At the same time, Cassim (John Rhys-Davies, sounding eerily like Sean Connery), king of the 40 Thieves, is planning to rob the palace. His target is the Oracle (C.C.H. Pounder), a magical scepter.
The rest of the story sticks close to the original with lots of fast-moving action, much of it staged underground. And again like the original, the film really kicks into overdrive whenever Robin Williams' "big blue guy" shows up. If he's not quite as inspired and hyperactive as he was before, he's still funny, inventive and appealing for both kids and adults. The same applies to the animation and the songs. Recommended. "Aladdin and the King of Thieves" arrives in video stores on Tuesday.
"Magic in the Mirror" works with a standard theme and gives it an effective, if limited, treatment. Young Mary Margaret (Jaime Renee Smith) has the traditional busy parents who don't understand her rich fantasy life. Then she finds her way to the other side of her grandmother's antique looking glass where she meets the comical "Mirror Minders" and their feathered enemies - big tea-drinking ducks. The makeup effects aren't bad considering the low budget; director Ted Nicolau cut quantity, not quality. Imagine Dorothy and two Munchkins. This one's the first of a new series.
"A Stranger in Time" begins with some strong visuals but loses steam. It's an independently produced time-travel story about young Andie Hopkins (Heather Kottek) who helps Sarah (Amy Seely) after Sarah inexplicably flashes forward 100 years from 1889. For the first half or so, the pioneer-girl-in-suburbia angle keeps things moving, but toward the end, writer/director Dennis Rockney lets the action go flat, both emotionally and dramatically. That's also where the lack of a special-effects budget is all too apparent. Still, so few films are made for adolescent girls that any young sci-fi fan ought to give this one a try.
Next week: Romance!
Got a question about home video or film? Contact your favorite video columnist at P.O. Box 2491; Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491, or by e-mail at| 75331.2603@compuserve.com|
New releases this week:
White Squall * 1/2
Starring Jeff Bridges, Caroline Goodall, John Savage, Scott Wolf. Directed by Ridley Scott. Buena Vista/Hollywood. 128 min. Rated PG-13 for violence, strong language, mild sexual material.
Hollywood filmmaking at its emptiest and most attractive. Director Scott fills the screen with some striking scenes in this seagoing adventure. But in emotional terms, the film is hollow and false. In 1960, a dozen or so rich teen-age boys spend a year aboard the Albatross, a "sailing school." They run into a terrible storm. Based on a true story.
Black Sheep *
Starring Chris Farley, David Spade. Directed by Penelope Spheeris. Paramount. 87 min. Rated PG-13 for strong language, drug use, bathroom humor.
Those who enjoy watching Chris Farley smack his head against hard objects may well think that this is the funniest movie ever made. Everyone else can safely give the half-hearted comedy a pass. Most of the people involved have some connection to "Saturday Night Live," and, like that TV show, the film is labored and uninspired.
Down Periscope **
Starring Kelsey Grammer, Bruce Dern, Lauren Holly. Directed by David S. Ward. FoxVideo. 90 min. Rated PG-13 for strong language and vulgar humor.
Mildly entertaining, old-fashioned service comedy is burdened with a substandard script. TV star Grammer is an amiable lead but he doesn't have much of a character to work with. Neither do his supporting actors, the familiar lovable misfits and screw-ups who are the crew of the Stingray, a vintage World War II diesel sub recommissioned for a war game. OK for fans.
Big Bully *1/2
Starring Rick Moranis, Tom Arnold. Directed by Steve Miner. Warner Home Video. 94 min. Rated PG for language, mild violence.
In this bland and inoffensive little formula comedy, the two stars walk through their roles as a schoolyard bully and his victim who carry their relationship into adulthood.
The Essentials:
Aladdin and the King of Thieves *** 1/2 Walt Disney Home Video. 82 min. Not rated, contains no objectionable material.
Magic in the Mirror **1/2 Paramount. 82 min. Rated G.
A Stranger in Time ** Bridgestone Multimedia. 85 min. Not rated, contains no objectionable material.
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: "Aladdin and the King of Thieves" is the third and finalby CNBinstallment in the "Aladdin" series. color.