THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, April 18, 1995 TAG: 9504180038
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Videomatic
SOURCE: Craig Shapiro
LENGTH: Long : 173 lines
USUALLY, THE OSCARS reflect what's right about the movies with all the accuracy Criswell brought to predicting the future. But sometimes, they toss a curve.
Take ``Ed Wood,'' which is out today on video. It's not politically correct. It's not a shallow epic or the fail-safe valentine Hollywood typically embraces.
But Martin Landau's Oscar for best supporting actor acknowledged more than his touching performance as the aging Bela Lugosi. It showed how the establishment hurts for spine. If ``Ed Wood'' had done any box office, there would've been no way the folks who decide these things could have avoided nominating Tim Burton for best director and the movie for best picture. Bet on it.
Translation: Sentiment and politics - not artistic achievement or defying the mainstream - grease the wheels. (One exception is ``The Silence of the Lambs,'' the riveting psycho-thriller that confounded pundits in 1991 by sweeping the top awards.)
So let's step way back to that night a 16-year-old kid from Petersburg learned the facts of Oscar life. Check some of these videos for yourself.
1969: John Wayne sleepwalks through ``True Grit'' and wins best actor. He was better than Dustin Hoffman or Jon Voight in ``Midnight Cowboy''? Please.
1974: Ditto, with Art Carney (``Harry and Tonto''), the choice over Hoffman (``Lenny''), Jack Nicholson (``Chinatown'') and Al Pacino (``The Godfather Part II'')
1975: Sorry, never was a fan of ``One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.'' ``Jaws'' or ``Nashville'' were better choices for best picture.
1976: Even more outrageous, with ``Rocky'' copping best picture. The competition? Just ``Taxi Driver,'' ``Network'' and ``All the President's Men.''
1979: Tougher call. ``Kramer vs. Kramer'' won, but even today, ``Apocalypse Now'' is a true masterpiece.
1982: That ``E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial'' lost to ``Gandhi'' was bad enough. The mystery is why ``Sophie's Choice'' wasn't nominated.
1989: See above. The sappy ``Driving Miss Daisy'' beats ``Born on the Fourth of July'' and ``My Left Foot.'' And no nomination for ``Do the Right Thing.''
1990: ``Dances With Wolves'' and Kevin Costner win big. ``GoodFellas'' and Martin Scorsese should have.
1993: Tom Hanks was OK in a can't-lose role for ``Philadelphia.'' At best, he was third-best behind Anthony Hopkins in ``The Remains of the Day'' and Liam Neeson in ``Schindler's List.''
Flashback
The release of ``The Advocate,'' a murder-mystery set in France in the 1450s, brought to mind another movie from the Middle Ages. In ``The Name of the Rose'' (1986), Sean Connery plays William of Baskerville, an English monk investigating a series of violent murders at an Italian abbey.
If the pace is a tad slow, it fits the times - can't expect car chases and shoot-outs in the 14th century. Besides, the attention to detail is impressive and the Connery factor can't be overstated. You can also get a look at Christian Slater early in his career. He plays the apprentice on the case.
ON THE WAY: ``Mary Shelley's Frankenstein'' (May 9); ``Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle,'' ``The Professional'' (May 16); ``Clerks,'' ``Heavenly Creatures'' (May 23); ``Legends of the Fall'' (May 31); ``Interview With the Vampire'' (June 6); ``Disclosure'' (June 13); ``Cobb'' (June 27)
ENTERPRISING: Paramount has released Episodes 53-56 of ``Star Trek: The Next Generation.'' ``The Bonding,'' ``Booby Trap,'' ``The Enemy'' and ``The Price'' are $14.95 each.
SALUTE: Cabin Fever marks the 50th anniversaries of V-E Day and V-J Day with a three-volume collection from the ``Medal of Honor'' series. It's $29.95.
SUCH A DEAL: Ol' Blue Light is back.
Paramount: ``Flesh and Bone,'' ``Bopha!'' ($19.95), ``The Last Tycoon,'' ``Mary White,'' ``The Mountain,'' ``Murphy's War,'' ``A Place in the Sun,'' ``Royce,'' ``Young Doctors in Love'' ($14.95)
Columbia TriStar: ``Guarding Tess,'' ``Chantilly Lace'' ($19.95), ``The Prince of Tides,'' ``Steel Magnolias,'' ``Waiting for the Light,'' ``Postcards From the Edge'' ($14.95)
Republic: ``The Stand,'' ``Texas'' ($19.98), ``Happily Ever After'' ($14.98)
TOP TAPES (in Billboard):
Sales: ``The Lion King,'' ``The Mask,'' ``Angels in the Outfield,'' ``Snoop Doggy Dogg: Murder Was the Case,'' ``The Little Rascals''
Rentals: ``Stargate,'' ``The River Wild,'' ``The Specialist,'' ``TimeCop,'' ``True Lies''
The Couch Report
No, teacher didn't grade on a curve. Just a good week for good vids.
``Blue Sky'' (Orion, 1994). The ABCs: Jessica Lange is the scandalous wife of a military scientist. Entertainment Weekly called her performance ``fierce, brave, sexually charged.'' She was so good she won an Oscar, and our own Mal Vincent gave the film three stars, saying Lange gives ``a showpiece performance . . . one of the best of her career.'' Can't tell you anything else because when I settled in to watch it - TILT! The tape jammed. See you in line.
(CAST: Jessica Lange, Tommy Lee Jones, Powers Boothe. RATED: PG-13 for language, sexuality; 101 minutes)
``Quiz Show'' (Hollywood, 1994). As he always does behind the camera, Robert Redford uses a small palette to paint a bigger picture. The TV quiz-show scandal of the 1950s is the foundation for a carefully etched portrait of the corruption of the American dream and the high price - the loss of our innocence - for buying into it. If it gets a bit self-righteous, a committed cast led by Ralph Fiennes makes it resonate long after the credits. Videomatic grade: A
(CAST: Ralph Fiennes, Rob Morrow, John Turturro, Paul Scofield. RATED: PG-13 for language; 143 minutes)
``Ed Wood'' (Touchstone, 1994). Ignored in theaters, Tim Burton's biopic, a loving tribute to every artist with a vision, deserves to find an audience now. Martin Landau's richly deserved Oscar as the aging Bela Lugosi will help. He has his match in Johnny Depp, who again shows his affinity for daring roles. The crisp, black-and-white cinematography is perfect: It plays like an Ed Wood movie about Ed Wood. A
(CAST: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Bill Murray. RATED: R for language; 137 minutes)
``The Advocate'' (Miramax, 1994). A young lawyer leaves 15th century Paris for what he fancies will be the simple life of a village public defender, only to learn that church, state and even the law he prizes dictate otherwise. The murder-mystery that follows is outrageous and intriguing, more so because it's based on real cases. Given today's headlines, the barbs still sting. Well-acted and great-looking. A
(CAST: Colin Firth, Nicol Williamson, Donald Pleasence, Amina Annabi. RATED: R for language, nudity; 102 minutes)
``I Like It Like That'' (Columbia TriStar, 1994). Darnell Martin's assured debut is irresistible; the chemistry she creates undeniable. Chino is a devoted father, but when he's jailed, Lisette breaks the home-girl cycle and finds a job to support their family. She finds her own identity, too. For all its wild turns, this wonderful romantic-comedy is firmly grounded in reality. A reaffirming slice-of-life you won't forget. A+
(CAST: Lauren Valez, Jon Seda, Griffin Dunne, Rita Moreno. RATED: R for language, brief nudity; 106 minutes)
``Double Dragon'' (MCA/Universal, 1994). Is it faithful to the video game? Couldn't say. But in a cartoonish way, it's fun. The Lee brothers have to stop a mystical medallion from falling into the wrong hands. Simple premise for sure, but the leads are likable, the sets are creative and the martial-arts choreography sure keeps things moving. B-
(CAST: Mark Dacascos, Scott Wolf, Robert Patrick, Alyssa Milano. RATED: PG-13 for martial-arts violence, mild language; 96 minutes)
Also: A couple of thrillers - ``The Secretary'' with Mel Harris (R), and ``The Companion'' with Kathryn Harrold (R)
NEXT TUESDAY: ``Hoop Dreams,'' ``Puppet Masters,'' ``Terminal Velocity,'' ``Radioland Murders,'' ``Sleepstalker: The Sandman's Last Rites''
April 28: ``Forrest Gump'' ILLUSTRATION: ON THE SHELF
Newly Released Videos
Blue Sky
Quiz Show
Ed Wood
The Advocate
I Like It Like That
Double Dragon
The Secretary
The Companion
[Color Photo]
1993
Oscar winner Tom Hanks, left, was OK in a can't-lose role in
"Philadelphia." But at best, he was third-best behind Anthony
Hoplins, right, in "The Remains of the Day" and Liam Neeson in
"Schindler's List.
CLIFF LIPSON
Orion Pictures
Carly (Jessica Lange) is comforted by her husband (Tommy Lee Jones)
over her unpredictable behavior in ``Blue Sky.''
TOUCHSTONE
Johnny Depp, left, plays cult legend filmmaker Edward D. Wood Jr.
and Martin Landau is film star Bela Lugosi in ``Ed Wood.''
by CNB