THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, December 19, 1995 TAG: 9512190037
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Craig Shapiro
LENGTH: Long : 141 lines
THIS WEEK, ``Die Hard With a Vengeance.'' Last week, ``Judge Dredd.'' Next week, ``Mortal Kombat.'' Maybe what's so unsettling about the alarming regularity of movie/video violence is that it's gotten so it's not regularly alarming.
No one's pulling a Dole here. No soapbox. No chest-thumping. No hypocrisy. That would be to deny the rush of ``The Road Warrior'' or ``Hard-Boiled'' - and to trivialize ``Bonnie & Clyde'' or ``The Wild Bunch.''
Yet, it's that dichotomy that makes Stephen Hunter's ``Violent Screen: A Critic's 13 Years on the Front Lines of Movie Mayhem'' (Bancroft Press, $19.95) such captivating, thoughtful reading.
Hunter writes, ``I have learned something of the squalor, devastation and immense sense of violation that a violent crime leaves in its wake, and I know that it's something the movies never, ever get right.'' It's not his work for The Baltimore Sun or six novels that make him an expert. It's because his father was murdered.
And while the man was hardly the model for a Norman Rockwell painting - Hunter's painfully honest epilogue, written on Father's Day 14 years ago, makes that clear - the author's perspective is no less valid.
``Violent Screen'' collects 100 movies Hunter has reviewed during his tenure at The Sun and groups them by type. The Outlaw Life includes the superb ``One False Move'' and the bloated ``Natural Born Killers''; Horror has ``Manhunter'' and ``The Stepfather''; Sexual Obsession
includes ``Basic Instinct'' and ``The Accused.'' Accompanying them are articles in which he writes at length, and with polished insight, on the genre.
Hunter, however, doesn't use this collection for a platform. Violence, like horror films, may provide a kind of cathartic release, but there is no pattern, he writes, no conclusions to draw on the influence of movie violence on real violence. It repulses us, yet we revel in it.
Case in point: The intro to this book was written just after the Oklahoma City bombing tragedy, when ``Die Hard With a Vengeance'' was No. 1 at the box office.
For all its timeliness and intent, ``Violent Screen'' is also a fun read. Hunter is a fan first, and film (and video) fans will appreciate the energy in his writing. Here's his take on Oliver Stone, ``self-decreed king of issue pictures,'' and ``Natural Born Killers'':
``It turns out that not only does the emperor not wear any new clothes, but he's not even an emperor. He's just a guy with a $50 million budget but without a clue.''
Enlightening and entertaining, ``Violent Screen'' could hardly offer a better combination.
HUT-HUT: ``NFL's Greatest Ever Series'' isn't the drive capped off by the Joe Montana-to-Dwight Clark pass that beat Dallas for the NFC crown. It's three videos from PolyGram. ``The Plays,'' ``The Players'' and ``The Game'' are $14.95 each, $34.95 for the set.
TOP TAPES (in Billboard):
Sales: ``Apollo 13,'' ``Batman Forever,'' ``The Santa Clause,'' ``Star Wars Trilogy,'' ``Miracle on 34th Street''
Rentals: ``Apollo 13,'' ``Crimson Tide,'' ``Congo,'' ``While You Were Sleeping,'' ``The Santa Clause''
The Couch Report
``Clueless'' (Paramount, 1995). Alicia Silverstone is great fun - and great looking - as Cher, a Beverly Hills teen with all the right moves, plus a fashion sense to die for. When it comes to love, though, she hasn't a clue. Where other directors might go for a fail-safe spoof, Amy Heckerling (``Fast Times at Ridgemont High'') has created a film of surprising insight and depth. Not that it hurts for humor. Her script is peppered with in jokes, and the young cast is attuned to what's happening. Videomatic says: B+
(CAST: Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy. RATED: Pg-13 for mild language, marijuana use; 97 mins.)
``Die Hard With a Vengeance'' (FoxVideo, 1995). Nothing new here as far as character and story go. Instead, Sequel No. 2 ups the ante in bombs and gunplay. A madman leads John McClane (Bruce Willis) around New York. Recruiting steady Samuel L. Jackson, as a civilian drawn into the fray, was smart. His self-righteous humor adds another dimension. Still, as fast-moving and furious as ``Vengeance'' is, the sense of familiarity is thick. Videomatic says: C+
(CAST: Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Irons. RATED: R for violence, language; 131 mins.)
``Belle de Jour'' (Miramax, 1994). Catherine Deneuve has it all: a caring, handsome husband and a luxurious Paris apartment. So what compels her to work in a brothel? Luis Bunuel asks the same question in this intriguing study, unavailable for nearly 20 years. While Deneuve is simply gorgeous, she's far from one-dimensional. She gives one of her most memorable performances - erotic and haunting in every sense. (Subtitled) Videomatic says: B+
(CAST: Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel, Michel Piccoli, Genevieve Page. RATED: R for violence, themes, discreet nudity; 100 mins.)
Also: Sexual politics in Playboy Films' ``Playback'' (R); action with Dolph Lundgren in ``Men of War'' (R); Leslie Nielsen in the comedy ``Rent-a-Kid'' (G); Sean Astin in the satire ``Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron'' (R); and ``WCW Halloween Havoc,'' another Turner pro rasslin' fest (unrated)
Vids for kids
``Magic Island'' (Paramount, 1995). Moonbeam lifts a chapter from ``The Pagemaster'' as an old book sweeps a young boy back 200 years to help some swashbucklers outwit bumbling Blackbeard. Like the studio's ``Prehysteria!'' and ``DragonWorld,'' the new title sports a likable cast, an easy-to-digest story and FX trickery that Ray Harryhausen would just love. Videomatic says: C
(CAST: Zachery Ty Bryan, Edward Kerr, Lee Armstrong, Andrew Divoff. RATED: PG for a few tense moments; 88 mins.)
Next Tuesday: ``An Awfully Big Adventure,'' ``Burnt by the Sun,'' ``Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde,'' ``Born Wild''
Dec. 27: ``Mortal Kombat - The Movie''
ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
VIDEO STOCKING STUFFERS
FORGET THE LITTLE darlings? At this time of year? Santamatic is
coming to town.
With live-action videos the hot thing, check out ``The Zoo Crew''
(Big Kids Productions) and ``Let's Explore . . . Furry, Fishy,
Feathery Friends'' (Braun Film and Video).
``Zoo Crew'' goes behind the scenes, following three youngsters
as they visit a zookeeper, nutritionist and veterinarian. Kids, and
some adults, will learn that the most important part of any job is
to love and respect the animals. The camerawork is creative, the
kids are good and a handful of lively, island-flavored songs keep it
moving. In ``Let's Explore,'' a little girl makes a tough decision:
What does she want for a pet? It's a real charmer. Both list for
$14.95.
Three others: ``How a Tugboat Works'' (Think Media, $14.95), ``I
Dig Dirt'' (Dreams Come True, $14.95) and ``A Lionel Christmas''
($19.95).
Sony Wonder mines the Nickelodeon/Nick Jr. motherlode with
``Allegra's Window: Waiting for Grandma,'' ``Gullah Gullah Island:
Binyah's Surprise'' and ``Christmas at Eureeka's Castle'' ($12.98
each). ``Doug: Christmas Story,'' ``Rugrats: The Santa Experience''
and Lassie in ``A Christmas Tail'' and ``Come HO-HO-Home'' are on
the shelf, too ($9.98 each).
A seasonal twist? ``Ren & Stimpy: Have Yourself a Stinky Little
Christmas'' ($14.98) is out again and ``Rocko's Modern Christmas''
($19.98) bows on video. In the latter, as the Everywallaby looks for
Christmas cheer, a cloud chugs prune juice to make it snow!
Sony Wonder also has more tapes from PBS' ``The Puzzle Place'' -
``Deck the Halls'' and ``Rip Van Wrinkle'' ($14.98 each); ``Noah's
Ark'' and ``The Christmas Elves'' ($14.98 each) from its ``Enchanted
Tales'' series.
by CNB