ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, December 30, 1995 TAG: 9601020011
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: It came from the video store
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
The home-video business ends 1995 and begins 1996 with controversy on three ever-popular fronts: religion, sex and politics.
Even though it received only a limited theatrical release earlier this year, ``Priest" has sparked considerable comment, much of it justified, within religious circles.
Many Catholics condemned the film for its unapologetic liberal bias and criticism of church hierarchy. More recently, conservative Protestants have cited "Priest" as part of their protests against the Disney company. They're honked off at the film's tolerant acceptance of homosexuality and Disney's corporate decision to extend benefits to same-sex partners of its employees.
Happily, the film lives up to all the hoopla. Writer Jimmy McGovern and director Antonia Bird deal with serious issues in a compelling, entertaining manner. They also mean to make people think and to make people angry.
The title character is Father Greg (Linus Roache), a young, fairly conservative priest who comes to an inner-city parish in Liverpool. His colleague, Father Matthew (Tom Wilkinson), is something of a social firebrand who's prone to overstatement, strong drink and other sins. Father Greg has to face two problems, a case of incest he learns of in the confessional and his own homosexuality. Both cause him to question his faith and his calling. Can he remain silent while a child is being harmed? Is he meant to be celibate?
When it's time to answer those questions, the film stacks the deck in favor of certain ideas - so did "On the Waterfront" and "Norma Rae" and "The Green Berets." This is popular entertainment, not theology.
Not all viewers will agree with the conclusions, but even the film's critics will have to admit that it deals with spiritual issues in a serious manner. It neither mocks nor makes light of faith. The filmmakers also depict homosexuality in pretty much the same way that heterosexual relationships are shown in other R-rated films. That part of the story will upset other viewers.
Moving from the serious to the silly, we find another controversial theatrical release, "Showgirls." Filmmaker John Waters probably summed it up best on the "Tonight Show" when he told Jay Leno, "It's big budget, it's bad and it's dirty!" So, what's not to like?
For starters, there's the NC-17 rating, which bothered Blockbuster Video. For months the video community was abuzz over the fact that Blockbuster was refusing to carry the title in its franchise-owned stores.
Because of that, MGM, the studio that made "Showgirls," decided reverse the trend that we often see with trashy Hollywood movies. Usually, an R-rated version plays in theaters, then six months later, the "unedited director's cut" appears on video. Instead, MGM took the Joe Ezterhaus-Paul Verhoeven epic about Las Vegas nude dancing, and cut three minutes from its theatrical NC-17 to a tamer unrated version. They also changed the box art, but Blockbuster still said no.
So more cuts were made, the film was resubmitted the MPAA ratings board, and it got an R-rating. Then Blockbuster said yes, and now it arrives in two versions in video stores everywhere.
Is it worth all the fuss? Of course not! As Waters said, it's bad and it's dirty, and to see the movie in any form other than its worst and dirtiest misses the point. It's an unintentional comedy about showbiz that has already earned a place beside "Valley of the Dolls" and "Mommie Dearest." As a movie that you laugh at instead of with, it's wonderful.
But with the critical and commercial failure of "Showgirls," desperate moviegoers must wonder if there will ever be a sensitive and perceptive portrayal of topless dancing on film. The answer is a resounding "Yes!" The video original "Lapdancing" has all the sex and sleaze of its big-budget counterpart plus a sense of humor. Take a look.
Turning finally, as we so often do, from religion and sex to politics, we find "The Real Richard Nixon." The three-volume tape can be seen as a valuable companion piece to Oliver Stone's "Nixon." The President tells his own story to friendly interviewer and producer Frank Gannon.
The third installment, "28 Days," is about Watergate. It's the central event of his Presidency, and Gannon allows Nixon to explain the final stages in his own terms. Gannon doesn't pursue the most questionable aspects of the matter; there's no mention the infamous 18-and-a-half minute gap. Instead, Nixon explains what it was like from his point of view. The man is smooth, persuasive, self-serving and blind to his own flaws. He emerges as a creation of his own power, a political being who never understood what he'd done.
Notice, for example, the strange way that he slips in and out of the third-person royal "we" when talking about himself. Near the end, when he's describing the last helicopter ride away from the White House, he says, "I remember Mrs. Nixon was sitting next to us ..."
The other two tapes are focused on his childhood, education, early political career and his marriage to Pat. Like its subject, the trilogy is fascinating stuff. Recommended for anyone interested in Nixon, but particularly for younger viewers who see the Stone film and need some help sorting out fact, fiction and interpretation.
Next week: Video '95 - the best, the worst and the rest!
New releases this week
Clueless *** 1/2
Starring Alicia Silverstone, Dan Hedaya. Written and directed by Amy Heckerling. Paramount. 97 min. Rated PG-13 for subject matter, language, mild sexual content.
What a delight! If they gave Oscars for comedies, this sleeper would be a shoe-in for a bunch of nominations, certainly writer-director Amy Heckerling and Dan Hedaya who delivers one of the year's best supporting roles. But the real surprise here is star Alicia Silverstone who manages to turn a spoiled Beverly Hills brat into a sympathetic and delightful character. If this one slipped past you in theaters, do yourself a favor and go out and rent it right away.
Die Hard With a Vengeance ** 1/2
Starring Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Irons. Directed by John McTiernan. FoxVideo. 128 min. Rated R for graphic violence, strong language.
The short review is: Better than "2," (way better); not as much guilty fun as the original. This one delivers most of the things that fans want to see, but that in itself is the problem. The fans have seen these things before. Bruce Willis gets all the support he needs from Samuel L. Jackson and a villainous Jeremy Irons.
The Essentials:
Priest *** 1/2 Miramax. 98 min. Rated R for subject matter, strong language, sexual content.
Showgirls ** MGM/UA. 131 min and 123 min. Rated NC-17 and R for abundant nudity, strong sexual material, language, rape, violence.
Lapdancing *** Triboro. 93 and 90 min, Unrated and R-rated for nudity, sexual material, strong language.
The Real Richard Nixon *** 1/2
201 min. Unrated, contains no objectionable material.
LENGTH: Long : 126 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Linus Roache plays the lead role in the controversialby CNB"Priets." color.