THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, March 14, 1995 TAG: 9503140047
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Craig Shapiro
LENGTH: Long : 104 lines
MOST OF YOU don't have a Yiddish dictionary, so you need to know right off that ``shmendrick'' is not a bad word. It's defined as someone who is ineffectual, but today we're going to stretch it to include something ineffectual.
Why do you need to know? Because nominations are open for the first Videomatic Shmendrick Awards. You may not have heard, but Blockbuster, the big kid on the video block, is taking votes for the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, which will be handed out during a national broadcast on CBS in June.
That can mean only one thing: The Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, Daytime Emmys, People's Choice, Cable ACE, MTV and two dozen country music awards shows aren't enough. Did you know there are acting awards for animals?
Anyway, that can mean only one thing: There's room for the Shmendricks. Moreso because the Shmendricks will have something going for them that the BEAs don't, and that's timing.
In show biz, that's all that matters.
Here's how it's going to work. You have until 5 p.m. Thursday to call Infoline at 640-5555, category 2827, and nominate your:
1. Favorite video that came out in 1994.
2. Favorite actor in a video that came out in 1994.
3. Favorite actress in a video that came out in 1994.
4. Favorite video columnist.
Just kidding about No. 4. Videomatic's staff of skilled CPAs will tally your calls. If you want, leave a comment about your nominees. Next Tuesday, we'll run the top vote-getters in each category. Then, you call again to pick the winners.
Payday is Tuesday the 28th: While everyone else is rehashing old news - who took home Oscars the night before - you'll be the first to know who won Shmendricks. Maybe ``Jurassic Park,'' Jim Carrey for ``Ace Ventura'' or Jodie Foster for ``Maverick.'' It's wide open.
You'll also be the first to know what a Shmendrick looks like. Sam Hundley, a VP/LS art guy with too little to do, is staying up late, ignoring his wife and daughters, to come up with a design. Who knows? We might run off a few copies, buy a nice frame and mail them to the winners.
One more thing about timing: Get in on the ground floor. Next year, when ``Entertainment Tonight'' gets wind of this, the Shmendricks will go through the roof.
Flashback
``Sometimes you have to lose yourself before you find anything.'' No question, ``Deliverance'' (1972) is about self-discovery. But 23 years after John Boorman kicked audiences in the gut, the answers don't come any easier.
Four men from Atlanta take a canoe trip down a Georgia river. Man vs. nature. Simple premise. ``Deliverance,'' though, is more complex than that. As the nightmare unfolds, you realize too late that the conflict here is man vs. himself - too late because there is no turning back. The best you can hope for is to survive.
Jon Voight's baptism of fire is painfully real. Burt Reynolds gives the performance of his career as the leader of the expedition. And Boorman's direction is perfectly in synch with the river. When the story isn't placidly rolling along, it is unyielding in its brutality.
To say this great film still holds up is an understatement. It may be even more relevant. (RATED: R, language, violence, sexual assault)
TOP TAPES (in Billboard):
Sales: ``The Mask,'' ``The Little Rascals,'' ``Little Giants,'' ``Beavis & Butt-head: There Goes the Neighborhood,'' ``Beavis & Butt-head: Work Sucks!''
Rentals: ``Clear and Present Danger,'' ``True Lies,'' ``Natural Born Killers,'' ``Wolf,'' ``Color of Night''
THE COUCH REPORT
``The River Wild'' (MCA/Universal, 1994). No way Meryl Streep would try to play a whitewater rafter if she couldn't do it with panache. She does, and she gets strong support from Kevin Bacon as the punk who takes her family hostage and David Strathairn as the uptight hubby who does what the tough supposed to do. What the plot lacks in originality it makes up for with sheer thrills and magnificent scenery. B+
(CAST: Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon, David Strathairn. RATED: PG-13 for mild violence, language)
``Stargate'' (Live, 1994). There's only one way to watch this lavish sci-fi yarn: Suspend disbelief. In much the way ``Star Wars'' did, the spectacular sets and eye-popping FX make it easy to buy in. Kurt Russell and James Spader play ``types'' rather than real characters; Jaye Davidson, though, is lots of fun as the evil ruler from the past - or is that the future? - who threatens present-day Earth. B
(CAST: Kurt Russell, James Spader, Jaye Davidson. RATED: PG-13 for mild violence)
``Caro Diario (Dear Diary)'' (New Line, 1994). Writer/director Nanni Moretti also stars in a travelogue of sorts that winds through his native Italy and the creative process. Divided into three chapters, it's a whimsical, leisurely road trip highlighted by local charm, gentle humor and touching insight. (Italian with English subtitles) B
(CAST: Nanni Moretti, Renato Carpentieri. UNRATED, nothing offensive)
Also: ``Cyborg Soldier,'' a heavy-action sequel to ``Cyborg Cop'' (unrated)
Next Tuesday: ``The Specialist,'' ``The Scent of Green Papaya,'' ``Only You,'' ``Pentathlon,'' ``A Woman at War,'' ``Crackerjack,'' ``Arizona Dream,'' ``Second Best,'' ``The New Age'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
From "Jurassic Park"...
by CNB