THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 12, 1996 TAG: 9605090220
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOHN HARPER
LENGTH: Long : 106 lines
IT RAINED most of last week on the Outer Banks, but there were still plenty of places to go for entertainment.
The beach is beset with nearly a dozen video rental stores, each with its own niche for discriminating viewers. Nearly every place is well-stocked with current hits.
But what about the offbeat? You know, the non-mainstream stuff: foreign flicks, bad sci-fi, John Sayles/Woody Allen/Spike Lee motion pictures that never play in the local theaters, documentaries, rockumentaries, and surfing videos.
On a recent rainy day, I went looking for a copy of ``Endless Summer II,'' Bruce Brown's less successful surfing sequel.
I found it, and two dozen similar themed videos, in the ``Surfing'' section of Video Andy's in the Outer Banks Mall.
``We hear it all the time,'' says Tess Tillett, who co-owns the store with sister Jill Cote. ``Tourists say `I can't find this stuff in the stores where I live.' ''
The sisters bought the 10-year-old business from brother ``Andy'' in 1992.
Video Andy's is full of special sections like ``Foreign,'' ``Academy Award Winners,'' ``Woody Allen,'' ``Alfred Hitchcock'' and ``Nature.'' Not to mention the ``Late After Dark'' department.
Explore this last section, an eclectic collection of cult classics. Remember ``200 Motels''? This was Frank Zappa's pre-MTV rock videos of him and his band, the Mothers of Invention, wreaking havoc on the fictional town of Centerville. Zappa and his boys rocked in the Rancid Boutique, Cheesy Motel and the Redneck Cafe.
Another offbeat film that caught my eye was ``Plan 9 from Outer Space,'' considered by many as the worst movie of all time. Its director, Ed Wood, was the subject of Tim Burton's 1995 movie called ``Ed Wood,'' starring Johnny Depp.
If you enjoyed that movie, you'll want to see ``Plan 9.'' Aging horror film legend Bela Lugosi mumbles a few incoherent sentences that have nothing to do with the subject in one bad scene. In another, saucers that Grandma might have used masquerade as ``flying saucers.'' The saucers ``fly'' on strings that are fully visible.
The real-life love story of the Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious and his American groupie/girlfriend Nancy Spungen was the subject of the 1986 movie, ``Sid and Nancy.'' Totally disturbing, but compelling, this little picture is sometimes hard to find.
``That's probably our most popular rental in that section,'' Tillett says.
In the foreign film section, you'll find the acclaimed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece, ``Ran.'' The 1985 release is a brilliant mix of Shakespeare's ``King Lear,'' Japanese history and Kurosawa's feelings about loyalty.
Video Andy's also has Stephen King, Peter Sellers, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart sections.
One find for me was ``Wings,'' a 1925 silent film, and the first Academy Award winner for best picture.
And what is Tillett's favorite movie?
``The Shawshank Redemption,'' she says. ``I like Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. It also had a happy ending. I like that.''
Tillett and her sister are always on the lookout for the offbeat films that define their store.
``We love it,'' she says. ``It's so nice to have a job that you don't dread.''
If you're looking for the more mainstream movies, and plenty of them, the recently opened superstore Movie Gallery may be your ticket.
I counted 32 copies of ``Waiting to Exhale.'' Also available were multiple copies of ``Waterworld,'' ``Under Siege 2,'' ``While You Were Sleeping'' and ``Seven.''
Movie Gallery is part of an 800-store chain based in Dothan, Ala. And to make sure you feel the ``theater experiece,'' Movie Gallery stocks plenty of gum, candy, soft drinks and microwave popcorn that comes in a bucket.
The 3-year-old Carolina Video in the Wal-Mart Shopping Center also has a good selection of current movies. Owner Don Brown carries a good chunk of the catalogs of Meg Ryan, Al Pacino, Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer (I couldn't get out of that section), Eddie Murphy and Tom Cruise.
For the children, Brown stocks hundreds of cartoons, which can be rented for 50 cents each. And among the thousands of movies, I found a genuine American creation: Pez candy in Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck dispensers.
That made my day. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Tess Tillett, who co-owns Video Andy's in the Outer Banks Mall with
sister Jill Cote, has an eclectic collection of cult classics and
foreign videos available for rent.
Graphic
[Box]
VIDEO STORES
Video Andy's, Nags Head, 441-2666.
Movie Gallery, Southern Shores, 261-0179.
Movies, Movies, Kill Devil Hills, 441-2377.
Sea Breeze Video Store, Kill Devil Hills, 441-3412.
Village Video, Buxton, 995-6227.
Village Video, Rodanthe, 987-2988.
Village Video, Avon, 995-5138.
Video Store, Manteo, 473-3278.
Good Vibes Video, Kill Devil Hills, 441-2244.
Good Vibes Video, Corolla, 453-3503.
by CNB