THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 16, 1996 TAG: 9601160023
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Craig Shapiro
LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines
WHY, WHEN our library is bulging with new videos that haven't even been unwrapped, would we rent a movie that is 20 years old?
Because the movie is ``All the President's Men'' and, contrary to what some of you think - and you know who you are - we at Videomatic do not spend all of our time in dark rooms gleefully shut off from the rest of the world.
Exhibit A: The staff knows full well that Richard M. Nixon is news again, though the consensus is Oliver Stone bungled in casting his biopic about the disgraced prez. Anthony Hopkins is a great actor, but no one can play Nixon better than Dan Aykroyd.
Exhibit B: We know that obese radio commentators and old men on Capitol Hill would have us believe Whitewater and the White House travel-office mess are scandals of Watergate proportions. Sorry, go fish in another pond.
You can see, then, why we'd hustle up a copy of ``All the President's Men'' (Warner), the Oscar-winning adaptation of the book by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, whose dogged investigation brought down the house that paranoia built.
Is it still relevant?
Yes, and a big reason why is the straightforward way director Alan J. Pakula (``Klute,'' ``Sophie's Choice'') approached the story. The one lapse is near the end, when Jason Robards, as Post editor Ben Bradlee, gets a bit preachy about the fate of the First Amendment.
In addition, Pakula was working from a script by William Goldman (``Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid''). He had Robert Redford as the WASPy Woodward, Dustin Hoffman as the brazen Bernstein and a uniformly solid supporting cast. The cinematographer was Gordon Willis (``Manhattan'').
All of which, ironically, adds up to more than an account of a dark chapter in our national history:
As Redford and Hoffman learn to trust, and learn from, one another, ``All the President's Men'' becomes a buddy picture. Their piece-by-piece pursuit of the cover-up gives it a detective-story feel. Hal Holbrook's shadowy Deep Throat makes for a taut political thriller.
If you've ever questioned whether art imitates life, you could hardly ask for better proof.
The Couch Report
``Nine Months'' (FoxVideo, 1995). Plus side: Hugh Grant, Tom Arnold, Jeff Goldblum. Minus side: Hugh Grant plays himself again (but he does it well); writer-director Chris Columbus (``Mrs. Doubtfire'') piles on the artificial sweetener. It evens out. While the story is fail-safe - Grant is a self-centered child shrink forced to grow up when his girl gets pregnant - it does find the funny bone. Videomatic says: C+
(CAST: Hugh Grant, Julianne Moore, Jeff Goldblum, Robin Williams, Tom Arnold, Joan Cusack. RATED: PG-13 for language; 103 mins.)
``Clive Barker's Lord of Illusions'' (MGM/UA, 1995). When it comes to cinematic sleight-of-hand, Barker is tough to top. ``Illusions'' is no exception. Too bad his script, a litany of weighty claptrap, can't support the FX wizardry. Scott Bakula is a private eye who stumbles onto a clash between good and evil. Videomatic says: C-
(CAST: Scott Bakula, Kevin O'Connor, Famke Janssen, Daniel Von Bargen. UNRATED: violence, gore, language, brief nudity; 120 mins. Also, rated R; 109 mins.)
``Poison Ivy 2: Lily'' (New Line, 1995). Bum-mer. In last year's hootfest ``Embrace of the Vampire,'' ex-TV child star Alyssa Milano showed beyond a doubt that she's all grown up. In this snoozer, she wastes time ``acting'' as a naive art student who plays femme fatale. Hey, we're only it for the cheap thrills. Videomatic says: D-
(CAST: Alyssa Milano, Xander Berkeley, Jonathon Schaech. UNRATED: nudity, violence; 112 mins. Also, rated R; 110 mins.)
Also: Horrors in ``Night of the Scarecrow'' (R); the psycho-thriller ``The Courtyard'' McCarthy (R), and the Turner production ``Anatomy of Love'' (unrated)
Vids for kids
``The Indian in the Cupboard'' (Columbia TriStar, 1995). There might not be enough action here for little kids, but big brothers and sisters, as well as parents, will appreciate this touching adaptation of the novel by Lynne Reid Banks. A young boy receives a magical cupboard; when he puts his toys inside, they come to life - complete with their own histories. Little Bear is an Iroquois from 1761 who lost his wife to smallpox. Boone is a rough-tough Texan from 1879. The message is understanding, and this well-acted, gentle film makes it clear. Videomatic says: B+
(CAST: Litefoot, Hal Scardino, David Keith, Lindsay Crouse. RATED: PG for some tension; 97 mins.)
Also: ``Streetfighter II: The Animated Movie,'' a take on the hit video game
Next Tuesday: ``Waterworld,'' ``Jade,'' ``Love and Human Remains,'' ``Prince Brat and the Whipping Boy,'' ``The Man in the Attic,'' ``Last Man Standing,'' ``Hourglass,'' ``Dangerous Passion,'' ``A Mother's Prayer,'' ``Through the Eyes of a Killer'' by CNB