THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, April 23, 1996 TAG: 9604230028
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Craig Shapiro
LENGTH: Long : 142 lines
BACK WHEN Videomatic was new and readers routinely called the official Infoline Mailbox (640-5555, category 2827, just in case you forgot), we got all kinds of requests.
Can you help me find so-and-so? Is such-and-such still in print?
But, most often we were asked:
1) ``When is `The Aristocats' coming out?''
2) ``When is `Heavy Metal' coming out?''
Get a pencil. Disney is releasing ``The Aristocats'' Wednesday at $26.99. ``Heavy Metal'' arrives June 4. The word from Columbia TriStar is it will be ``priced to own.'' When we know, you'll know.
First released 25 years ago, ``The Aristocrats'' has been out of circulation nearly 10 years, and has never been on video. It was the first film made after Uncle Walt's death in 1966, and the last animated project he OK'd. Where the Mouse House draws on a legend, fairy tale or children's story, its 20th animated feature was an original.
Set in turn-of-the-century Paris, a kindly millionaire leaves her estate to her ``family'' - Duchess and her three kittens. When the greedy butler gets wind of the plan, he dumps the critters in the countryside. Thomas O'Malley, a swinging alley cat, helps Duchess return home.
The voices include a Disney's who's who: Phil Harris (Thomas), Sterling Holloway (Roquefort the mouse) and Paul Winchell (Oriental Cat). Eva Gabor is Duchess and Scatman Crothers is, appropriately, Scat Cat.
And as with most Disney films, ``The Aristocats'' boasts its share of good music. A neat footnote is the great Maurice Chevalier came out of retirement to sing the title song.
``Heavy Metal,'' based on the popular fantasy magazine, has been a regular on the midnight-film circuit since 1981. But its video release was delayed mostly because of the soundtrack. With contributions from Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick and Devo, among others, there was a load of ownership rights to sort out.
That's been done, but the film you see in June will look a little different. It's been remastered and features a segment, ``Neverwhere Land,'' that was cut from the original. The animator was Cornelius Cole III.
Here's an item for you trivia buffs. The movie was produced by Ivan Reitman (``Ghostbusters'').
BUCK-PASSING: Bully to the Alert Readers who caught last week's foul-up.
The subject was Rowan Atkinson, and we wrote, ``In the same career-defining way that Basil Fawlty was John Cleese and Reginald Perrin was the late Leonard Rossiter, Mr. Bean is Rowan Atkinson.'' Here's what you read: `` . . . Basil Fawlty was the late Leonard Rossiter . . . ''
Blame the dropped line on a production glitch. You didn't think we didn't know, did you?
KIDS' STUFF: ``The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' is new to Sony Wonder's animated Enchanted Tales series ($14.98). ``Happy Birthday Old Bear'' and ``Friends, Friends, Friends'' ($9.98) have been added to ``Jane Hissey's Old Bear Stories.''
The Highlander, the 16th century Scot who warps to New York, has done films, TV and video games. With ``Highlander: The Adventure Begins'' ($14.98, F.H.E.), he's now animated and tamed.
Calling all boys. ``Aladdin's Arabian Adventures,'' ``Gargoyles'' and ``Street Sharks'' include two new cartoons each ($12.99, Buena Vista).
ODDS & ENDS: Learn it from one of the best. The New York Rangers' Luc Robitaille hosts ``Ice and Asphalt: The World of Hockey'' ($14.95, Paramount). The tape includes interviews and a tour of the Hall of Fame in Toronto.
For the first half of the century, the German war machine was lethal, efficient and colossal. MPI's new set, ``Blood & Iron,'' tells the story in three chapters: ``The Great War Comes,'' ``Fatal Alliances'' and ``From Nuremberg to NATO.''
``Inventing the All-American,'' ``Babes in Boyland'' and ``Love and Money'' make up Turner's ``Idols of the Game'' ($19.98 each/$39.98 for the set).
PRICED TO GO: Live just put a $14.98 tag on ``Reservoir Dogs,'' ``The Piano,'' ``Basic Instinct,'' ``Killing Zoe,'' ``Deception,'' ``When the Party's Over,'' ``An American Werewolf in London,'' ``Chaplin,'' ``The Crying Game,'' ``Dirty Dancing,'' ``The Doors,'' ``Platoon,'' ``The Terminator,'' ``Terminator 2: Judgment Day,'' ``Weekend at Bernie's'' and ``Young Guns.''
Here's what $19.98 gets from New Line: ``Friday,'' ``Don Juan DeMarco,'' ``Safe Passage,'' ``Widow's Peak,'' ``Even Cowgirls Get the Blues,'' ``The Ballad of Little Jo,'' ``Waterland,'' ``The Last Days of Chez Nous,'' ``Where Angels Fear to Tread,'' ``An Angel at My Table,'' ``A Handful of Dust.''
TOP TAPES (in Billboard):
Sales: ``Babe,'' ``Pulp Fiction,'' ``The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh,'' ``Pocahontas,'' ``Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls''
Rentals: ``Braveheart,'' ``Babe,'' ``Seven,'' ``Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls,'' ``The Usual Suspects''
Robyn Redux
With ``The Bridges of Madison County,'' we see what director Clint Eastwood can do with a gooey, romantic chick-flick. But for vintage thrills and chills, check out ``Play Misty for Me,'' his 1971 directorial debut.
He stars as a deejay who is terrorized by an obsessed fan after their brief affair. Jessica Walter plays the psycho-stalker with such zeal that it had to inspire ``Fatal Attraction's'' Glenn Close.
Next, take a look at the 1977 actioner, ``The Gauntlet.'' Eastwood directs himself as a gin-soaked cop escorting hooker (and ex-love interest) Sondra Locke to Phoenix to testify in a mob trial. They soon find themselves on the lam from the hoods and the trigger-happy police. The final leg, made in an ``armored'' bus, rivals the public-transit endorsement of ``Speed.''
In both films, the burgeoning director proves himself a competent and hardworking craftsman.
The Couch Report
``Waiting to Exhale'' (FoxVideo, 1995). The adaptation of Terry McMillan's novel veers close to melodrama and is often too matter-of fact. But there's plenty to recommend it; notably, the wonderful Angela Bassett as Bernardine, who lashes back with unchecked anger when she's dumped by her husband. Whitney Houston shows she's not the automaton ``The Bodyguard'' suggested, and director Forest Whitaker peppers the story with funny and touching moments. Finally, the romantic ups and downs of four African-American women is a refreshing change of perspective. Videomatic says: B
(CAST: Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Lela Rochon. RATED: R for language, situations; 124 mins. $19.98)
``The Bridges of Madison County'' (Warner, 1995). Didn't read the book, so don't know if the film is faithful. But if it stars Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood, it's worth renting. Their finely attuned performances create an engrossing love story. Streep's bearing alone catches the torment of Francesca, whose life on an Iowa farm is not the America she dreamed of in Italy. Her evolution when the worldly Robert enters her life is a marvel. Eastwood's stature keeps the prose from getting too saccharine; his direction is sensitive and straightforward. Videomatic says: A
(CAST: Clint Eastwood, Meryl Streep. RATED: PG-13 for themes, situations, a few bad words; 135 mins.)
``Steal Big, Steal Little'' (HBO, 1995). Andy Garcia plays twin brothers adopted by an eccentric millionairess. When she dies, the compassionate Ruben inherits her estate while the double-dealing Robby gets nothing. Director Andrew Davis (``The Fugitive'') too long to reach the foregone conclusion - family and ``the land'' are what counts - and the humor and drama don't quite balance. Still, it's colorful, and Garcia is fun. Videomatic says: C+
(CAST: Andy Garcia, Alan Arkin, Rachel Ticotin, Joe Pantoliano, David Ogden Stiers. RATED: PG-13 for language; 135 mins.)
Also: ``The Boys of St. Vincent,'' the acclaimed, wrenching, drama about the abuse of young boys at a Roman Catholic orphanage (unrated), and the erotic thriller ``Beyond Desire'' (R)
Next Tuesday: ``The Money Train,'' ``How to Make an American Quilt,'' ``White Man's Burden,'' ``The Show,'' ``Murdered Innocence,'' ``Yankee Zulu,'' ``Daens,'' ``Shadows, Faces'' ``Doom Generation''
May 1: ``Tom and Huck'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos of video covers
by CNB