THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, June 25, 1996 TAG: 9606250033
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: 102 lines
REMEMBER HOW that skunk Robert Irsay snuck the Colts out of Baltimore? Just loaded up the big rigs on a snowy night and high-tailed it to Indianapolis, without so much as a thank-you to the folks who had supported the team.
We bring this up because our CEO-for-life, before he became a family man and pillar of society, drank too many brewskis one afternoon while he watched Dan Fouts' Chargers bomb Bawlmer. The drive home is part of road-trip lore.
We also bring this up because if it ever came time for the straight-shooters on Team Videomatic to close shop, we'd come right out and say it.
That time is today. The U-Haul's packed. We're outta here. A new challenge awaits, and that's one thing we've never been able to turn down.
Yeah, it was a pretty good run. And fun. We held cockamamie contests - match the director and star, match the quote and movie. You won copies of ``Forrest Gump'' and ``Aladdin.'' Nothing like a freebie to keep those calls and letters coming, huh? We'd never sleep another wink if we didn't say thanks.
Now just because Videomatic is finito, video in the Daily Break is not. The poobahs have assured us that you'll still get the skinny on new releases. Word is they've even found a column on the news wire that's pretty good. (Of course, it won't have that Videomatic touch.)
Enough.
Remember how Roy Rogers and Dale Evans used to close their Saturday morning Western harmonizing on ``Happy Trails''?
We always liked that. ROBYN REDUX
My friends are so clever. Right after Robyn Redux ran in Videomatic, my buddy John asked, ``So, Robyn, what kind of sound do `red ducks' make?''
Without missing a beat, Tara, who was standing right next to him, answered. ``Qu-vack, qu-vack!''
You'll need something light after Tim Robbins' gut-wrenching masterpiece ``Dead Man Walking,'' so pop in Robyn Red Ducks' pick of the week, ``Erik the Viking.'' Tim Robbins, comedic actor, plays a sensitive Viking who becomes disenchanted with the barbaric life. He and his companions journey forth to find the mythical home of the Norse gods, and perhaps the meaning of life.
Terry Jones directs, and fellow Monty Python alum John Cleese co-stars, insuring laughs a-plenty. ``Erik'' is a hoot, especially the ``Cloak Invisible'' sequence.
TOP TAPES (in Billboard):
Sales: ``Heavy Metal,'' ``Jumanji,'' ``Mortal Kombat: The Movie,'' ``The Aristocats,'' ``Playboy: The Best of Jenny McCarthy''
Rentals: ``Casino,'' ``Get Shorty,'' ``Goldeneye,'' ``The American President,'' ``Seven'' THE COUCH REPORT
``Dead Man Walking'' (PolyGram, 1995). There's not much we can add to what's already been written. The story hits you right in the gut; every character, top to bottom, is real, and the scenes between Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn are so painfully intimate, watching them feels like an invasion of privacy. Best of all is writer/director Tim Robbins' even-handed treatment of a volatile issue. Because of that, it won't leave you untouched. Videomatic says: A+
(CAST: Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Raymond J. Barry, Robert Prosky, R. Lee Ermey, Celia Weston. RATED: R for language, violence; 122 mins.)
``The Crossing Guard'' (Miramax, 1995). Like Robbins, writer/director Sean Penn goes right for the gut. Jack Nicholson gives one his best performances in years as a vengeful, bereaved father whose daughter was killed by a drunken driver. The casting of ex-lover Angelica Huston as his ex-wife makes their scenes explosive. David Morse is very good as the driver trying to live with his guilt. There are no easy answers here, either. Videomatic says: A
(CAST: Jack Nicholson, Angelica Huston, David Morse, Robin Wright. RATED: R for language, nudity, violence; 111 mins.)
``Dracuala[sic], Dead and Loving It'' (Columbia TriStar, 1995). No one expected another ``Young Frankenstein,'' but give Mel Brooks credit - he squeezes more than a few laughs out of the old bloodsucker. Besides that, Peter MacNicol's Renfield does Dwight Frye proud, and all the accents are better than anyone in Francis Ford Coppola's bloated production. Videomatic says: C+
(CAST: Leslie Nielsen, Mel Brooks, Peter MacNicol, Steven Weber, Lysette Anthony, Harvey Korman. RATED: PG-13 for bawdy humor; 90 mins.)
``Bed of Roses'' (New Line, 1995). Is ``romantic comedy'' in every young actor's contract? There's nothing new in this ``Sleepless in Seattle'' wannabe. Christian Slater is a florist with a tragic secret; Mary Stuart Masterson is a workaholic with one of her own. They're likable, but the story is straight from Western Union. Videomatic says: D
(CAST: Christian Slater, Mary Stuart Masterson, Pamela Segall, Josh Brolin. RATED: PG for situations, mild language; 88 mins.)
Also: ``Sense and Sensibility,'' Emma Thompson's Oscar-winning adaptation of the Jane Austen novel (PG); ``My Life and Times With Antonin Artaud,'' about the friendship between the infamous poet and Jacques Prevel (unrated); the lauded fantasy/drama ``A Hungarian Fairy Tale'' (unrated); and ``Painted Hero,'' a Western thriller starring country star Dwight Yoakam (R).
Next Tuesday: ``Mr. Holland's Opus,'' ``Broken Arrow,'' ``Theodore Rex'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Gramercy Pictures
``Dead Man Walking''
Photo
GRAMERCY PICTURES
Susan Sarandon plays a nun who visits death row inmates in ``Dead
Man Walking.'' by CNB