THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, March 7, 1995 TAG: 9503070031
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: CRAIG SHAPIRO
LENGTH: Long : 105 lines
NEWSPAPER TYPES are grizzled, high-paid pros - well, grizzled pros anyway - so a little thing like a birthday is no great shakes.
But gee whiz, Videomatic celebrated its first a few days ago without a cake or a card or nothing. OK. That's cool. My gift has been one of self-sacrifice: slogging through the video morass on your behalf week after week, running interference kinda like Joe Jacoby did for John Riggins.
Sleep? Never needed much. Quality time? The kids can see Dad's picture in the paper.
So while you're rushing out for one of those cards that say something sincere like, ``Whoops, I forgot,'' here are a few changes that have been made as Videomatic toddles into the Terrible Twos:
1. It runs earlier. Actually, we switched from Wednesday to Tuesday last week, and for a good reason. Videos are now being released on Tuesday. Figured it didn't do much good for you to read about them a day late.
2. Play it again. This new feature, cleverly called Flashback, revisits a video that's been out awhile; you know, one to rent if the new stuff isn't in. Ideas? Call the Videomatic Infoline mailbox at 640-5555, category 2827.
3. Making the grade. It's only one opinion, mind you, but after sitting through 300-plus tapes during the last year, why not? No tired thumbs-up, thumbs-down here. It's pretty simple: A is pretty darned good, F stinks.
HOLD IT: Woody Allen's ``Bullets Over Broadway'' originally was due March 21, then it grabbed all those Oscar nominations last month, including one for best director. Word now from Buena Vista is look for it in May. FLASHBACK
Pedestals? William Friedkin puts his heroes on ethical tightropes - Gene Hackman in ``The French Connection,'' Jason Miller in ``The Exorcist,'' Roy Scheider in ``Sorcerer,'' even Nick Nolte in ``Blue Chips.''
But William L. Petersen's performance in ``To Live and Die in L.A.'' is just one reason to see this gritty, 1985 drama. He plays Richard Chance, a Treasury agent who hunts down the counterfeiter who killed his partner. A veteran of the Chicago stage, Petersen's intensity is real. Ditto for Willem Dafoe as the ruthless Eric Masters. It's one of his best roles.
This L.A. has zero to do with Rodeo Drive, and Wang Chung's soundtrack nails the film's sense of driving desperation. Yes, that Wang Chung; the two Brits never came close again. Finally, for visceral thrills, there's a car chase that rivals ``The French Connection.'' (RATED: R for language, nudity, violence)
TOP TAPES (in Billboard):
Sales: ``The Mask,'' ``The Little Rascals,'' ``Speed,'' ``Beavis & Butt-head,'' ``Little Giants''
Rentals: ``True Lies,'' ``Clear and Present Danger,'' ``The Mask,'' ``Wolf,'' ``Color of Night''
The Couch Report
``Jason's Lyric'' (PolyGram, 1994). If only good intentions and clever camerawork were enough. This drama's young lovers have the passion and smarts to escape the 'hood - and, for Jason, his scarred past. Think ``West Side Story'' for the '90s, except when it gets to crunch time, the weighty story turns to cliches and comes down with serious deja vu. C+
(CAST: Allen Payne, Jada Pinkett, Bokeem Woodbine. UNRATED: language, violence, nudity; R version also available)
``Milk Money'' (Paramount, 1994). Melanie Griffith must've missed a wake-up call, because she sleepwalks here as a good-hearted hooker who finds love in suburbia. She isn't helped by a clumsy script that drops subplots and cops out on its characters. Even with Richard Benjamin at the helm, this clunker misfires. D
(CAST: Melanie Griffith, Ed Harris, Michael Patrick Carter. RATED: PG-13 for language)
``Radio Inside'' (MGM/UA, 1994). Except for a few loose threads, this quirky, low-key, comedy-drama about loss and love is surprisingly effective. The writing is often funny, and the three leads are clearly attuned to each other. The Miami Beach setting and alt-rock soundtrack are put to good use, too. A ``little'' film that works. B
(CAST: William McNamara, Elisabeth Shue, Dylan Walsh. UNRATED, mild language, brief nudity)
``Parallel Lives'' (Paramount, 1994). Robert Altman meets ``The Big Chill.'' Sort of. This Showtime project, set at a fraternity-sorority reunion, putters right along, until a murder-mystery is tacked onto the end. Curious, but it's still fun keeping tabs on a grab bag of guest stars. C
(CAST: James Belushi, JoBeth Williams, Ben Gazzara, Gena Rowlands. RATED: R for language, brief nudity)
``Tim Allen: Men Are Pigs'' (Paramount, 1994). This 1990 performance captures the comic before his Nielsens assault, but it's all here: rib-tickling observations about men and women, with power tools as the Great Denominator. (Other tapes feature Denis Leary and Joan Rivers.) C
(UNRATED, saucy language)
Also: Two from Turner: Martin Sheen in ``When the Bough Breaks,'' a direct-to-video thriller (R), and ``Jacob,'' the biblical drama with Matthew Modine (unrated).
Next Tuesday: ``Stargate,'' ``The River Wild,'' ``Caro Diario,'' ``Cyborg Soldier,'' ``Jacob'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
The release of ``Bullets Over Broadway,'' starring Dianne Wiest and
John Cusack, was delayed until May after it won Oscar nominations.
Photo
GRAMERCY PICTURES
Allen Payne and Jada Pinkett star in ``Jason's Lyric,'' a newly
released drama about young lovers.
by CNB