THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 13, 1994 TAG: 9407130038
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: VIDEOMATIC
SOURCE: CRAIG SHAPIRO
LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
CHRISTMAS IN July? How else to describe the new releases arriving in video stores today? Not only are there a lot of them but most are good, really good. Right, friends, we're talking the rarest of the rare - quality and quantity. With a buildup like that, let's get right to The Couch Report.
``Shadowlands'' (1993, HB0). Timeless questions about the symbiotic bond between suffering and love define Richard Attenborough's moving adaptation of William Nicholson's play. Anthony Hopkins, as author C.S. Lewis, rivals his wondrous performance in ``The Remains of the Day.'' Debra Winger is memorable, too, as Joy Gresham, the American poet who rouses him from his carefully constructed insulation. Can't imagine films getting better than this.
(CAST: Anthony Hopkins, Debra Winger, Edward Hardwicke. RATED: PG, but adults will appreciate this more)
``Heaven and Earth'' (1993, Warner). The final chapter in Oliver Stone's Vietnam trilogy is based on the memoirs of a peasant girl who came of age in that tragedy. Le Ly's triumph was over physical, psychological and cultural odds; in Stone's hands, it's also a microcosm of what ripped two continents apart so many years ago. He doesn't believe in gray areas, and it's his passion that holds this expansive story together.
(CAST: Hiep Thi Le, Tommy Lee Jones, Joan Chen, Haing S. Ngor. RATED: R for violence, rape, language)
``Searching for Bobby Fischer'' (1994, Paramount). In another household, it might be soccer or baseball. Young Josh Waitzkin, however, is a chess prodigy, and the game is every bit as meaningful. So are the lessons about the price of winning that adults and children can take from this exceptional, finely acted drama. It's based on a true story.
(CAST: Joe Mantegna, Ben Kingsley, Laurence Fishburne, Max Pomeranc. RATED: PG for the whole family)
``Reality Bites'' (1994, MCA/Universal). Even if you're removed from Generation X, there's a lot to identify with here. That's because, measured against what it's supposed to be, real life's a bust. A triangle between Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke and Ben Stiller puts it in context; their rich characterizations and a witty, hip screenplay make it ring true.
(CAST: Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Ben Stiller. RATED: PG-13 for language, themes)
``Body Snatchers'' (1994, Warner). There's no ``Invasion'' in the title, but you know the story. It's still a corker. Credit director Abel Ferrara, who in shifting the action to a remote Army base and casting young Gabrielle Anwar in the lead, has created a film that's as timely and menacing as those in 1956 and 1978. Crafty camera angles and shadow play add to the thrill ride.
(CAST: Gabrielle Anwar, Billy Wirth, Meg Tilly, Forest Whitaker. RATED: R for violence, nudity and language)
``Blink'' (1994, New Line). This above-average thriller has two plusses: a plot that plays fair and characters who connect. Madeleine Stowe is a blind musician who has her sight restored in the operating room. Did she really witness a murder? The gimmick, explained as ``perceptual delay,'' tends to get in the way. Aidan Quinn is the Chicago cop working the case.
(CAST: Madeleine Stowe, Aidan Quinn, James Remar. RATED: R for the Big 3, too)
``Leon the Pig Farmer'' (1992, Fox Lorber). Sometimes, you ``find'' yourself in the must unlikely place. Leon Geller, a nice Jewish boy living in London, learns he was fathered through artificial insemination. He also learns his biological father is a Yorkshire pig farmer and goes to meet him. The British humor is delightfully skewed. Mark Frankel, as Leon, is a delight, too.
(CAST: Mark Frankel, Maryam D'Abo, Janet Suzman, Brian Glover: UNRATED, adult themes, sexuality)
``Car 54, Where Are You?'' (1994, Orion). Not only is the big-screen take on the classic TV comedy unfunny but it's also vulgar and tasteless. David Johansen has a moment or two as Gunther Toody but not enough to save this waste of time. You just know Joe E. Ross and Fred Gwynne are doing 360s.
(CAST: David Johansen, Rosie O'Donnell, John C. McGinley, Fran Drescher. RATED: PG-13 for language, sexuality)
Also: ``Crush,'' a suspense-drama starring Marcia Gay Harden (unrated); ``Sister Act 2,'' with Whoopi proving sequels are habit-forming (PG), and ``Lefty: The Life & Times of Steve Carlton,'' a documentary about the enigmatic baseball great.
Next Wednesday: ``On Deadly Ground,'' ``My Father the Hero,'' ``The Hidden II,'' ``Fiorile,'' ``Tides of War,'' ``Moon Shot,'' ``Cisco Kid''
July 26: ``Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina''
July 27: ``What's Eating Gilbert Grape,'' ``Wrestling Ernest Hemingway,'' ``Cabin Boy,'' ``Blank Check,'' ``Lurking Fear-Infinite Evil,'' ``Test Tube Teens From the Year 2000,'' ``Scanner Cop,'' ``Psychocop 2,'' ``Assault at West Point,'' ``Dragon World,'' ``By the Sword''
TOP TAPES (in this week's Billboard):
Sales: ``Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,'' ``The Return of Jafar,'' ``Mrs. Doubtfire,'' ``Yanni: Live at the Acropolis,'' ``Playboy: 1994 Playmate of the Year''
Rentals: ``Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,'' ``The Pelican Brief,'' ``The Piano,'' ``A Perfect World,'' ``Mrs. Doubtfire'' by CNB