The Virginian-Pilot
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Tuesday, February 20, 1996             TAG: 9602200020
SECTION: DAILY BREAK              PAGE: E3   EDITION: FINAL 
COLUMN: Videomatic 
SOURCE: BY CRAIG SHAPIRO, STAFF WRITER 
                                             LENGTH: Medium:   95 lines

VIDEOMATIC: THE OSCAR PICKINGS ARE SLIM

TALK ABOUT a charged atmosphere. Go ahead, talk about a charged atmosphere. It won't begin to describe the buzz here at Videomatic.

The green flag has been dropped on the Oscar race!

Not that anyone gives a flip about who wins. We learned way back that the Academy Awards rate with TV weather on the reliability index.

The staff's excited because we don't have to knock heads to cook up a clever lead. We just do what we do every year around now: Tell you which of the nominees are out on video and when the rest are due.

``Apollo 13'' is the lone best-picture candidate out there. ``Braveheart,'' which collected 10 nominations last Tuesday, is set for March 12 and ``Babe'' a week later.

No dates for ``The Postman (Il Postino)'' and ``Sense and Sensibility.''

Ditto for the best-actor nominees: Nicolas Cage, ``Leaving Las Vegas''; Richard Dreyfuss, ``Mr. Holland's Opus''; Anthony Hopkins, ``Nixon''; Sean Penn, ``Dead Man Walking''; Massimo Troisi, ``The Postman.''

Ditto for best actress: Susan Sarandon, ``Dead Man Walking''; Elisabeth Shue, ``Leaving Las Vegas''; Sharon Stone, ``Casino''; Meryl Streep, ``The Bridges of Madison County''; Emma Thompson, ``Sense and Sensibility.''

Except for Chris Noonan (``Babe'') and Mel Gibson (``Braveheart''), ditto for best director: Tim Robbins, ``Dead Man Walking''; Mike Figgis, ``Leaving Las Vegas''; Michael Radford, ``The Postman.''

But you can see three nominees for supporting actor: Ed Harris (``Apollo 13''), Tim Roth (``Rob Roy'') and Kevin Spacey (``The Usual Suspects''). James Cromwell (``Babe'') and Brad Pitt (``12 Monkeys'') round out the field. No date on the latter.

As for supporting actress, Kathleen Quinlan (``Apollo 13'') is it. No news on Joan Allen, ``Nixon''; Mira Sorvino, ``Mighty Aphrodite''; Mare Winningham, ``Georgia'' or Kate Winslet, ``Sense and Sensibility.''

The Couch Report

``Copycat'' (Warner, 1995). Sigourney Weaver, as a forensic psychologist who becomes agaoraphobic when she's attacked, and Holly Hunter, the determined cop who solicits her help in catching a killer, fuel this taut thriller. Casting them in traditionally male roles is no novelty; they're as tough as any actor working. Best of all, their characters are full-dimensional and believable. Same goes for the sharp, original plot. Videomatic says: B+

(CAST: Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter, Dermot Mulroney, William McNamara, Harry Connick Jr. RATED: R for violence, language; 125 mins.

``To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar'' (MCA/Universal, 1995). ``Priscilla'' had more substance, but ``Wong Foo's'' macho leading men clearly have fun as three drag queens on a cross-country road trip. Patrick Swayze gives a fine performance as the caring Miss Vida. The ``girls'' break down in a backwater burg and show the women how to live and teach the menfolk about r-e-s-p-e-c-t. Videomatic says: B

(CAST: Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, John Leguizamo, Stockard Channing, Chris Penn. RATED: PG-13 for mild language and violence; 109 mins.) B-

``Unzipped'' (Miramax, 1995). This inside look at haute couture confirms that ``Ready-to-Wear'' scratched the surface. Watching nebbishy designer Isaac Mizrahi throw a snit as he labors to get his collection to the runway is nothing if not revealing. Still, with its pampered supermodels, shallow hangers-on and contrived cinematography, the mercifully short film won't win any converts. Videomatic says: C-

(RATED: R for language; 76 mins.)

``Hackers'' (MGM/UA, 1995). ``There is only fun or boring.'' The character is talking about life, but the line fits this silly techno-thriller. A group of computer rebels, who take their fashion cues from `80s British punk-rockers, are framed by ``The Plague.'' To beat him, they've got to beat the system. It all moves fast enough. Take it as a joke and you won't feel taken. Videomatic says: C-

(CAST: Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie, Fisher Stevens. RATED: PG-13 for language, brief nudity; 104 mins.)

``Dead Tired'' (Miramax, 1995). French comedian Michel Blanc delivers a thoroughly enjoyable comedy about art and celebrity. He writes, directs and stars - as himself and the imposter ruining his life. The clever script has loads of in jokes, and two cameos at the end show that it has something serious to say, too. (Subtitled) Videomatic says: B+

(CAST: Michel Blanc, Carole Bouquet. RATED: R for language, nudity; 85 mins.)

``The Stars Fell on Henrietta'' (Warner, 1995). Two excellent leading men. A solid supporting cast. An intriguing place and time, West Texas in 1935. A quiet, little drama about a wildcatter who has hitched his wagon to a star and a farmer trying to scrape by. Why do such films go unnoticed? That's a rhetorical question. Videomatic says: B

(CAST: Robert Duvall, Aidan Quinn, Frances Fisher, Brian Dennehy. RATED: PG for mild language, violence; 108 mins.)

Also: ``The Affair,'' an HBO wartime drama (R), and ``Saints and Sinners,'' the erotic thriller of the week (R)

Next Tuesday: ``Double Happiness,'' ``Francois Truffaut: Stolen Portraits,'' ``Dead Weekend'' Feb. 28: ``Pocahontas'' by CNB