THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, May 21, 1996 TAG: 9605210037
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Videomatic
SOURCE: Craig Shapiro
LENGTH: Long : 122 lines
NO CHALLENGE is too great for the dauntless staff that is Team Videomatic. Usually. The one we brought down on ourselves this week was more than a little intimidating:
Let's pick our five favorite Martin Scorsese films.
We got this bright idea after watching ``Casino'' (MCA/Universal, 1995). If we recollect correctly (and we do), a couple of clueless critics dismissed the film as recycled ``Goodfellas.''
True, it stars Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci, and was written by Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi. But Scorsese is simply too great a director, the greatest of our time, to repeat himself.
If he's guilty of anything, it's of revisiting that gray, moral proving ground that has long occupied him.
Sam ``Ace'' Rothstein (DeNiro) made his rep as a bookmaker by betting on the sure thing. When he's given control of the $63 million Tangiers casino, he plays by the same rules: Keep a low profile and keep the bosses happy. Vegas is his ``morality carwash,'' and the operation makes him legit.
Nick Santoro (Pesci), a friend from back East, is a loose, violent cannon. But he sees through the veneer. ``We're supposed to be here robbing guys,'' he says. Nick's arrival is the first crack in the foundation.
The other is Sharon Stone, who earned every bit of her Oscar nomination as Ginger, the hustler - ``the long shot'' - Sam marries. She's incredible.
At nearly three hours, ``Casino'' is a sweeping morality play.
It's also endlessly fascinating as an exposition of the Vegas/mob hierarchy circa 1973 and just how a casino is run. Everyone, from the valets up, is on the take. This is not the Las Vegas promoted on TV, this is Sodom.
Videomatic considers ``Casino'' a must-see, which, lest you've forgotten, leads us back to this week's challenge: If every Scorsese film is a must-see, how do you pick five favorites?
It pained us plenty to leave off ``The Color of Money,'' ``Goodfellas,'' ``The Last Temptation of Christ'' and ``Cape Fear,'' but here goes:
``Taxi Driver'' (1976). No-brainer. Two decades later, DeNiro's performance as Travis Bickle, the unhinged avenging angel, still shocks. (Note: The Naro Expanded Cinema in Norfolk is showing a restored print, with a stereo soundtrack, Friday through next Tuesday.)
``Raging Bull'' (1980). No-brainer No. 2. It was only voted the best film of the 1980s. DeNiro won an Oscar as thuggish middleweight Jake LaMotta; he also put on nearly 50 pounds for the role.
``King of Comedy'' (1982). Scorsese explores the cult of personality in a scary black comedy. DeNiro is Rupert Pupkin, a delusional stand-up comic who kidnaps a talk-show host (Jerry Lewis is terrific) to get on the air.
``After Hours'' (1985). Like ``King of Comedy,'' disturbingly funny. Poor Griffin Dunne follows a girl to Soho and gets more than he ever expected. Scorsese's camera wizardry neatly ties up the story.
``The Age of Innocence'' (1993). Scorsese scored big with this period piece, a lavish adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel. Set in turn-of-the-century New York, it is about facade and convention.
(``Casino'' is rated R for extreme violence, language, drug use, brief nudity and adult situations; 179 mins. Videomatic says: A)
Robyn Redux
Since I've been unable to get my hands on those new ``X-Files'' tapes, I was glad to learn that ``The Night Stalker'' is on video, too. This 1974 TV movie, which spawned the short-lived cult series, ``Kolchak: The Night Stalker,'' is often cited by ``X-Files'' creator Chris Carter as one of his inspirations.
Indeed, all the elements we X-philes admire are in evidence: paranormal investigations, government cover-ups, wry humor and tastefully understated moments of terror. Darren McGavin is Kolchak, a rumpled reporter who can't stop stepping on the wrong toes. In the pilot, he pursues an eerie serial killer who turns out to be a genuine vampire!
Can't find ``The X-Files'' - AGAIN? Try ``The Night Stalker.'' McGavin is a delightful protagonist, and the series was years ahead of its time.
TOP VIDEOS (in Billboard):
Sales: ``Waiting to Exhale,'' ``The Aristocats,'' ``Babe,'' ``Pulp Fiction,'' ``The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh''
Rentals: ``Seven,'' ``Waiting to Exhale,'' ``Braveheart,'' ``The Bridges of Madison County,'' ``To Die For''
The Couch Report
``Nick of Time'' (Paramount, 1995). Johnny Depp tests the mainstream as a CPA drafted by Christopher Walken to kill the governor of California. He has 90 minutes or his daughter dies. Director John Badham had a good idea by filming in real time; it might've worked, too, if it didn't unfold so conveniently. Depp also looks out of place, and Walken, good for a giggle at first, gets old surprisingly fast. Videomatic says: C-
(CAST: Johnny Depp, Christopher Walken, Marsha Mason, Charles S. Dutton. RATED: R for violence, language; 90 mins.)
``Frankie Starlight'' (New Line, 1995). A little charmer about love and the stars, which aren't so far apart. Frank Bois becomes a best-selling author when he writes his memoirs, a combination of his mother's life and his love of astronomy. There's a twist, but we aren't giving it away. Excellent performances by Gabriel Byrne, Anna Parillaud and especially Corban Walker and Alan Pentony as the young and mature Frank. Videomatic says: A
(CAST: Matt Dillon, Gabriel Byrne, Anne Parillaud. RATED: R for ; 100 mins.)
``Total Eclipse'' (New Line, 1995). Arthur Rimbaud was the revolutionary, 19th century French poet who inspired Jack Kerouac and Jim Morrison. Too bad Lenorado DiCaprio's performance, mostly belches and general nose-thumbing, offers few clues as to what made him tick. Some of his poetry would've helped. David Thewlis is quite good as Paul Verlaine, the writer swept into Rimbaud's sphere. Videomatic says: C+
(CAST: Leonardo DiCaprio, David Thewlis, Romane Bohringer, Dominique Blanc. RATED: R for language, situations, themes, nudity; 111 mins.)
Also: ``GoldenEye,'' with Pierce Brosnan carrying on as Bond, James Bond (R); Jean-Paul Belmondo in ``Les Miserables,'' the drama, not the musical (R); two thrillers: ``Woman Undone'' with Mary McDonnell (R) and ``Portraits of a Killer'' with Jennifer Grey (unrated); ``Larry McMurtry's Streets of Laredo,'' the finale of the ``Lonesome Dove'' story (unrated), and ``Last Battle for the Universe,'' the finale of ``Josh Kirby . . . Time Warrior'' (PG)
Next Tuesday: ``Get Shorty,'' ``Wild Bill,'' ``Baby Fever'' ``The Tuskegee Airmen,'' ``Pharaoh's Army'' ILLUSTRATION: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Gene Watson (Johnny Depp) must assassinate an innocent political
figure or his daughter will die in ``Nick of Time.''
PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Gene Watson (Johnny Depp) must assassinate the governor of
California or his daughter will die in ``Nick of Time.''
by CNB