THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, May 2, 1995 TAG: 9505020037
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Craig Shapiro
LENGTH: Long : 331 lines
``YOU MEAN all you do is sit at home and watch videos?''
Don't know how many times we here at Videomatic get asked that, but a pretty good guesstimate would be between a bunch and a lot.
The answer is no, our lives don't orbit around the VCR. Sometimes we go see movies. Why, just the other day the entire staff caught a matinee of ``Kiss of Death'' - not because the gritty film noir is David Caruso's first outing since leaving ``NYPD Blue'' or even because the seats are cheaper.
It was because of Nicolas Cage, a member of the Gillette Wing of the Videomatic Hall of Fame - dedicated to actors (Christopher Walken, Willem Dafoe, Dennis Hopper, Donald Sutherland) who give their characters a certain edge. Just look at their eyes and you know there's something going on.
Cage walks off with the movie as a vicious hood named Little Junior. But rather than do it the easy way and create a one-dimensional character, his performance is so subtle and complex that it should be remembered at Oscar time.
What's that have to do with videos? Well, you can see Cage in ``Trapped in Paradise,'' a pretty weak comedy arriving today, but to appreciate his steady evolution as an actor - and his fondness for risky roles - there are plenty of titles on the shelf.
Note: ``Moonstruck'' isn't among the following half-dozen because it's against policy here to suggest anything with Cher in it.
``Birdy'' (1984). A thoughtful and compelling drama about two friends (Cage and Matthew
Modine) whose involvement in the Vietnam War devastates them in different ways. Directed by Alan Parker with a soundtrack by Peter Gabriel.
``Peggy Sue Got Married'' (1986). Kathleen Turner is so-so in this comedy about an unhappily married woman who dreams her way back to high school, but Cage shines as her oafish husband. Directed by his uncle, Francis Ford Coppola.
``Raising Arizona'' (1987). The Coen brothers' second film is a riot. Cage is an ex-con happily married to an infertile policewoman (Holly Hunter). How do they start a family? By kidnapping a baby. Cage's narration is half the show.
``Vampire's Kiss'' (1988). Cage is a treat, playing a yuppie who thinks he's been bitten by a vampire (Jennifer Beals), then degenerates into a psychotic. A black comedy of the first order, but watch out for the cockroach scene.
``Wild at Heart'' (1990). Cage could hardly have a more kindred spirit than director David Lynch. Cage gives a very physical performance as Sailor Ripley. He's on the road with Laura Dern. He also does a dead-on Elvis impersonation.
``It Could Happen to You'' (1994). Cage makes the transformation into a romantic leading man. He's a cop who keeps his promise to share his lottery winnings with a waitress (Bridget Fonda) in one of the year's best tapes.
Flashback
Ask any Monty Python fan: No one does a slow burn like John Cleese. After all these years, the dead parrot, cheese shop and fish license sketches are guaranteed gut-busters.
Cleese is in top form in ``Clockwise'' (1986, Republic), playing a very punctual teacher who boards the wrong train on his way to deliver a lecture. The script doesn't have that Python bite, but it's worth the price to watch Cleese come undone as he falls victim to a chain of events beyond his control.
ODDS & ENDS: FoxVideo is busy. Today it's a triple pack with ``Die Hard,'' ``Die Hard 2: Die Harder'' and ``The Making of Die Hard With a Vengeance'' ($29.98); Wednesday, ``Woman's World'' joins the Studio Classics series ($19.98) and Shirley Temple's ``Baby Take a Bow'' arrives in color ($14.98).
Who said hoops? ``Hakeem the Dream'' focuses on the Rocket Man: Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon, while ``Shawn Kemp the ReignMan'' looks at Seattle's super Sonic. CBS/Fox has both for $19.98 a pop.
Who said wrasslin'? ``Ric Flair, Two Decades of Excellence'' highlights the career of the 11-time champ. It's from Turner for $9.98, as are `Slamboree, A Legends Reunion `94,'' ``Spring Stampede `94'' and ``Starrcade 10th Anniversary (1983-1993).''
Orion has added Streamline Pictures' ``Lupin III: The Mystery of Mamo'' and ``Crimson Wolf'' to its roster of animated actioners. $29.98 each.
If you caught ``The History of Rock 'n' Roll'' on TV, you saw only part of the story. Warner has put the 10-hour retrospective on 10 videos - with 10 to 25 minutes of extra footage on each tape. $19.98 each.
TOP TAPES (in Billboard):
Sales: ``The Lion King,'' ``The Pagemaster,'' ``Angels in the Outfield,'' ``The Mask,'' ``Snoop Doggy Dogg: Murder Was the Case''
Rentals: ``Stargate,'' ``The Specialist,'' ``The River Wild,'' ``The Shawshank Redemption,'' ``Only You''
The Couch Report
``The Road to Wellville'' (Columbia TriStar, 1994). With its fixation on things colonic, this sluggish comedy could do with one of the enemas that are de rigueur at John Harvey Kellogg's Wellville Sanitarium. It might have made writer/director Alan Parker lighten up. Anthony Hopkins, fitted with buck teeth perfect for chewing scenery, is the turn-of-the-century health guru. Matthew Broderick and Bridget Fonda look lost as the young couple trying to find themselves. Except for reliable John Cusack, as a naive businessman, the cast is wasted. D
(CAST: Anthony Hopkins, Bridget Fonda, Matthew Broderick, John Cusack. RATED: R for toilet talk, language, nudity; 120 min.)
``Trapped in Paradise'' (FoxVideo, 1994). Nicolas Cage gives this sappy comedy its flickers of life. He's the honest Firpo brother, who is tricked by his siblings (Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey) into pulling a Christmas Eve bank job. When they get stuck, and are taken in by the good locals, they have a change of heart. There are a few subplots, but they come off as afterthoughts - a way to disguise the see-through story line. It doesn't work. C-
(CAST: Nicolas Cage, Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz. RATED: PG-13 for language, mild violence; 111 min.)
``I Don't Want to Talk About It'' (Columbia TriStar, 1994). A widow refuses to accept that her only daughter is a dwarf. Enter Marcello Mastroianni, the perennial Don Juan, who befriends the girl and then, to his shock, falls in love with her. Maria Luisa Bemberg's poignant film is filled with gorgeous imagery that gives it a fairy-tale feel but, to her credit, one without the standard ``happily ever after'' ending. B+ (Spanish with English subtitles)
(CAST: Marcello Mastroianni, Luisina Brando, Alejandra Podesta. RATED: PG-13 for language; 102 min.)
NEXT TUESDAY: ``Mary Shelley's Frankenstein,'' ``The War,'' ``Witch Hunt,'' ``Sketch Artist II: Hands That See,'' ``Bad Blood''
``YOU MEAN all you do is sit at home and watch videos?''
Don't know how many times we here at Videomatic get asked that, but a pretty good guesstimate would be between a bunch and a lot.
The answer is no, our lives don't orbit around the VCR. Sometimes we go see movies. Why, just the other day the entire staff caught a matinee of ``Kiss of Death'' - not because the gritty film noir is David Caruso's first outing since leaving ``NYPD Blue'' or even because the seats are cheaper.
It was because of Nicolas Cage, a member of the Gillette Wing of the Videomatic Hall of Fame - dedicated to actors (Christopher Walken, Willem Dafoe, Dennis Hopper, Donald Sutherland) who give their characters a certain edge. Just look at their eyes and you know there's something going on.
Cage walks off with the movie as a vicious hood named Little Junior. But rather than do it the easy way and create a one-dimensional character, his performance is so subtle and complex that it should be remembered at Oscar time.
What's that have to do with videos? Well, you can see Cage in ``Trapped in Paradise,'' a pretty weak comedy arriving today, but to appreciate his steady evolution as an actor - and his fondness for risky roles - there are plenty of titles on the shelf.
Note: ``Moonstruck'' isn't among the following half-dozen because it's against policy here to suggest anything with Cher in it.
``Birdy'' (1984). A thoughtful and compelling drama about two friends (Cage and Matthew
Modine) whose involvement in the Vietnam War devastates them in different ways. Directed by Alan Parker with a soundtrack by Peter Gabriel.
``Peggy Sue Got Married'' (1986). Kathleen Turner is so-so in this comedy about an unhappily married woman who dreams her way back to high school, but Cage shines as her oafish husband. Directed by his uncle, Francis Ford Coppola.
``Raising Arizona'' (1987). The Coen brothers' second film is a riot. Cage is an ex-con happily married to an infertile policewoman (Holly Hunter). How do they start a family? By kidnapping a baby. Cage's narration is half the show.
``Vampire's Kiss'' (1988). Cage is a treat, playing a yuppie who thinks he's been bitten by a vampire (Jennifer Beals), then degenerates into a psychotic. A black comedy of the first order, but watch out for the cockroach scene.
``Wild at Heart'' (1990). Cage could hardly have a more kindred spirit than director David Lynch. Cage gives a very physical performance as Sailor Ripley. He's on the road with Laura Dern. He also does a dead-on Elvis impersonation.
``It Could Happen to You'' (1994). Cage makes the transformation into a romantic leading man. He's a cop who keeps his promise to share his lottery winnings with a waitress (Bridget Fonda) in one of the year's best tapes.
Flashback
Ask any Monty Python fan: No one does a slow burn like John Cleese. After all these years, the dead parrot, cheese shop and fish license sketches are guaranteed gut-busters.
Cleese is in top form in ``Clockwise'' (1986, Republic), playing a very punctual teacher who boards the wrong train on his way to deliver a lecture. The script doesn't have that Python bite, but it's worth the price to watch Cleese come undone as he falls victim to a chain of events beyond his control.
ODDS & ENDS: FoxVideo is busy. Today it's a triple pack with ``Die Hard,'' ``Die Hard 2: Die Harder'' and ``The Making of Die Hard With a Vengeance'' ($29.98); Wednesday, ``Woman's World'' joins the Studio Classics series ($19.98) and Shirley Temple's ``Baby Take a Bow'' arrives in color ($14.98).
Who said hoops? ``Hakeem the Dream'' focuses on the Rocket Man: Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon, while ``Shawn Kemp the ReignMan'' looks at Seattle's super Sonic. CBS/Fox has both for $19.98 a pop.
Who said wrasslin'? ``Ric Flair, Two Decades of Excellence'' highlights the career of the 11-time champ. It's from Turner for $9.98, as are `Slamboree, A Legends Reunion `94,'' ``Spring Stampede `94'' and ``Starrcade 10th Anniversary (1983-1993).''
Orion has added Streamline Pictures' ``Lupin III: The Mystery of Mamo'' and ``Crimson Wolf'' to its roster of animated actioners. $29.98 each.
If you caught ``The History of Rock 'n' Roll'' on TV, you saw only part of the story. Warner has put the 10-hour retrospective on 10 videos - with 10 to 25 minutes of extra footage on each tape. $19.98 each.
TOP TAPES (in Billboard):
Sales: ``The Lion King,'' ``The Pagemaster,'' ``Angels in the Outfield,'' ``The Mask,'' ``Snoop Doggy Dogg: Murder Was the Case''
Rentals: ``Stargate,'' ``The Specialist,'' ``The River Wild,'' ``The Shawshank Redemption,'' ``Only You''
The Couch Report
``The Road to Wellville'' (Columbia TriStar, 1994). With its fixation on things colonic, this sluggish comedy could do with one of the enemas that are de rigueur at John Harvey Kellogg's Wellville Sanitarium. It might have made writer/director Alan Parker lighten up. Anthony Hopkins, fitted with buck teeth perfect for chewing scenery, is the turn-of-the-century health guru. Matthew Broderick and Bridget Fonda look lost as the young couple trying to find themselves. Except for reliable John Cusack, as a naive businessman, the cast is wasted. D
(CAST: Anthony Hopkins, Bridget Fonda, Matthew Broderick, John Cusack. RATED: R for toilet talk, language, nudity; 120 min.)
``Trapped in Paradise'' (FoxVideo, 1994). Nicolas Cage gives this sappy comedy its flickers of life. He's the honest Firpo brother, who is tricked by his siblings (Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey) into pulling a Christmas Eve bank job. When they get stuck, and are taken in by the good locals, they have a change of heart. There are a few subplots, but they come off as afterthoughts - a way to disguise the see-through story line. It doesn't work. C-
(CAST: Nicolas Cage, Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz. RATED: PG-13 for language, mild violence; 111 min.)
``I Don't Want to Talk About It'' (Columbia TriStar, 1994). A widow refuses to accept that her only daughter is a dwarf. Enter Marcello Mastroianni, the perennial Don Juan, who befriends the girl and then, to his shock, falls in love with her. Maria Luisa Bemberg's poignant film is filled with gorgeous imagery that gives it a fairy-tale feel but, to her credit, one without the standard ``happily ever after'' ending. B+ (Spanish with English subtitles)
(CAST: Marcello Mastroianni, Luisina Brando, Alejandra Podesta. RATED: PG-13 for language; 102 min.)
NEXT TUESDAY: ``Mary Shelley's Frankenstein,'' ``The War,'' ``Witch Hunt,'' ``Sketch Artist II: Hands That See,'' ``Bad Blood''
``YOU MEAN all you do is sit at home and watch videos?''
Don't know how many times we here at Videomatic get asked that, but a pretty good guesstimate would be between a bunch and a lot.
The answer is no, our lives don't orbit around the VCR. Sometimes we go see movies. Why, just the other day the entire staff caught a matinee of ``Kiss of Death'' - not because the gritty film noir is David Caruso's first outing since leaving ``NYPD Blue'' or even because the seats are cheaper.
It was because of Nicolas Cage, a member of the Gillette Wing of the Videomatic Hall of Fame - dedicated to actors (Christopher Walken, Willem Dafoe, Dennis Hopper, Donald Sutherland) who give their characters a certain edge. Just look at their eyes and you know there's something going on.
Cage walks off with the movie as a vicious hood named Little Junior. But rather than do it the easy way and create a one-dimensional character, his performance is so subtle and complex that it should be remembered at Oscar time.
What's that have to do with videos? Well, you can see Cage in ``Trapped in Paradise,'' a pretty weak comedy arriving today, but to appreciate his steady evolution as an actor - and his fondness for risky roles - there are plenty of titles on the shelf.
Note: ``Moonstruck'' isn't among the following half-dozen because it's against policy here to suggest anything with Cher in it.
``Birdy'' (1984). A thoughtful and compelling drama about two friends (Cage and Matthew Modine) whose involvement in the Vietnam War devastates them in different ways. Directed by Alan Parker with a soundtrack by Peter Gabriel.
``Peggy Sue Got Married'' (1986). Kathleen Turner is so-so in this comedy about an unhappily married woman who dreams her way back to high school, but Cage shines as her oafish husband. Directed by his uncle, Francis Ford Coppola.
``Raising Arizona'' (1987). The Coen brothers' second film is a riot. Cage is an ex-con happily married to an infertile policewoman (Holly Hunter). How do they start a family? By kidnapping a baby. Cage's narration is half the show.
``Vampire's Kiss'' (1988). Cage is a treat, playing a yuppie who thinks he's been bitten by a vampire (Jennifer Beals), then degenerates into a psychotic. A black comedy of the first order, but watch out for the cockroach scene.
``Wild at Heart'' (1990). Cage could hardly have a more kindred spirit than director David Lynch. Cage gives a very physical performance as Sailor Ripley. He's on the road with Laura Dern. He also does a dead-on Elvis impersonation.
``It Could Happen to You'' (1994). Cage makes the transformation into a romantic leading man. He's a cop who keeps his promise to share his lottery winnings with a waitress (Bridget Fonda) in one of the year's best tapes.
Flashback
Ask any Monty Python fan: No one does a slow burn like John Cleese. After all these years, the dead parrot, cheese shop and fish license sketches are guaranteed gut-busters.
Cleese is in top form in ``Clockwise'' (1986, Republic), playing a very punctual teacher who boards the wrong train on his way to deliver a lecture. The script doesn't have that Python bite, but it's worth the price to watch Cleese come undone as he falls victim to a chain of events beyond his control.
ODDS & ENDS: FoxVideo is busy. Today it's a triple pack with ``Die Hard,'' ``Die Hard 2: Die Harder'' and ``The Making of Die Hard With a Vengeance'' ($29.98); Wednesday, ``Woman's World'' joins the Studio Classics series ($19.98) and Shirley Temple's ``Baby Take a Bow'' arrives in color ($14.98).
Who said hoops? ``Hakeem the Dream'' focuses on the Rocket Man: Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon, while ``Shawn Kemp the ReignMan'' looks at Seattle's super Sonic. CBS/Fox has both for $19.98 a pop.
Who said wrasslin'? ``Ric Flair, Two Decades of Excellence'' highlights the career of the 11-time champ. It's from Turner for $9.98, as are `Slamboree, A Legends Reunion `94,'' ``Spring Stampede `94'' and ``Starrcade 10th Anniversary (1983-1993).''
Orion has added Streamline Pictures' ``Lupin III: The Mystery of Mamo'' and ``Crimson Wolf'' to its roster of animated actioners. $29.98 each.
If you caught ``The History of Rock 'n' Roll'' on TV, you saw only part of the story. Warner has put the 10-hour retrospective on 10 videos - with 10 to 25 minutes of extra footage on each tape. $19.98 each.
TOP TAPES (in Billboard):
Sales: ``The Lion King,'' ``The Pagemaster,'' ``Angels in the Outfield,'' ``The Mask,'' ``Snoop Doggy Dogg: Murder Was the Case''
Rentals: ``Stargate,'' ``The Specialist,'' ``The River Wild,'' ``The Shawshank Redemption,'' ``Only You''
The Couch Report
``The Road to Wellville'' (Columbia TriStar, 1994). With its fixation on things colonic, this sluggish comedy could do with one of the enemas that are de rigueur at John Harvey Kellogg's Wellville Sanitarium. It might have made writer/director Alan Parker lighten up. Anthony Hopkins, fitted with buck teeth perfect for chewing scenery, is the turn-of-the-century health guru. Matthew Broderick and Bridget Fonda look lost as the young couple trying to find themselves. Except for reliable John Cusack, as a naive businessman, the cast is wasted. D
(CAST: Anthony Hopkins, Bridget Fonda, Matthew Broderick, John Cusack. RATED: R for toilet talk, language, nudity; 120 min.)
``Trapped in Paradise'' (FoxVideo, 1994). Nicolas Cage gives this sappy comedy its flickers of life. He's the honest Firpo brother, who is tricked by his siblings (Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey) into pulling a Christmas Eve bank job. When they get stuck, and are taken in by the good locals, they have a change of heart. There are a few subplots, but they come off as afterthoughts - a way to disguise the see-through story line. It doesn't work. C-
(CAST: Nicolas Cage, Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz. RATED: PG-13 for language, mild violence; 111 min.)
``I Don't Want to Talk About It'' (Columbia TriStar, 1994). A widow refuses to accept that her only daughter is a dwarf. Enter Marcello Mastroianni, the perennial Don Juan, who befriends the girl and then, to his shock, falls in love with her. Maria Luisa Bemberg's poignant film is filled with gorgeous imagery that gives it a fairy-tale feel but, to her credit, one without the standard ``happily ever after'' ending. B+ (Spanish with English subtitles)
(CAST: Marcello Mastroianni, Luisina Brando, Alejandra Podesta. RATED: PG-13 for language; 102 min.)
NEXT TUESDAY: ``Mary Shelley's Frankenstein,'' ``The War,'' ``Witch Hunt,'' ``Sketch Artist II: Hands That See,'' ``Bad Blood,'' ``Night Train to Venice,'' ``Till the End of the Night,'' ``Incident at Deception Ridge,'' ``Dominion'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
Nicholas Cage has carved out a career by playing some far-out
characters in film[s] such as "Raising Arizona" above; the newly
released "Trapped in Paradise," top right; and "It could happen to
you," right.
Photos by COLUMBIA PICTURES
Anthony Hopkins stars as the real-life Dr. John Harvey Kellogg in
``The Road to Wellvill,'' a satirical story of a turn-of-the-century
health and fitness sanitarium that is out on video this week.
by CNB