THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, May 9, 1995 TAG: 9505090030
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Craig Shaprio
LENGTH: Long : 117 lines
THIS IS GOING to come as a real big surprise, but the staff at Videomatic HQ isn't above an ``I told you so'' when the occasion permits.
``Win, Forrest, Win'' is such an occasion. The premise was simple: Match 20 quotes and movies and you get a shot at winning a copy of ``Forrest Gump.'' Those entries with the most right would go into a random drawing.
But instead of going with a bunch of worn-out Hollywood quotes, we went to the Internet and found the Movie Database - where we found lines from all kinds of movies that had been compiled by Lars J. Aas of Trondheim, Norway.
Thus, the contest included quotes from two Marx Brothers movies, plus one from Woody Allen's ``Bananas'' that could have been something Groucho said. There were similar quotes from ``Alien,'' ``Jaws'' and ``Predator.''
Another example: ``Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops.''
``Psycho,'' right?
Nope, ``Arsenic and Old Lace.'' (All the answers are on Page E7.)
It must've worked. Of the 124 entries, 11 had all 20 correct. One guy who answered via e-mail confirmed our concern that some folks with too much time might hop on the Internet and get the answers. We had a name for that in school, but since the rules didn't forbid it, it had to go into the drawing. (Relax, it wasn't one of the winners.)
Anyway, Sallye Stephens and Gary Robinson of Norfolk and Francis
Downing Jr. of Eastville on - appropriately - the Eastern Shore will be getting a copy of ``Forrest Gump'' in the mail soon.
Thanks to all of you for giving it a try. If you didn't win, better luck next time.
Flashback
``Mary Shelley's Frankenstein,'' out on video today, wears its literary heart on its sleeve. Other films have played by different rules. After 64 years, James Whale's classic has lost none of its stature, and ``Young Frankenstein,'' Mel Brooks' affectionate 1974 parody, is still a hoot.
``Frankenweenie'' (1984) and ``Frankenhooker'' (1990) give the legend a left-handed spin. In the first, little Victor Frankenstein sparks his beloved dog back to life after it's hit by a car. Shelley Duvall and Daniel Stern star in the 27-minute film, which launched the career of writer/director Tim Burton.
Caveat: ``Frankenhooker'' is not for everyone. When his fiancee is shredded by a lawnmower, Jeffrey Franken reattaches her head to the body of a hooker. It's played strictly for laughs, and, in a very black way, it delivers.
SUCH A DEAL: Talk about a smorgasbord.
Live: ``The Piano,'' ``The House of the Spirits,'' ``Deception,'' ``Fortress,'' ``Gunmen'' ($19.98)
``Dirty Dancing,'' ``Sophie's Choice,'' ``An American Werewolf in London,'' ``The Crying Game,'' ``The Doors,'' ``Ironweed,'' ``Platoon,'' ``Terminator 2: Judgment Day,'' ``Weekend at Bernie's,'' ``Chaplin,'' ``Glengarry Glen Ross,'' ``Madonna: Truth or Dare,'' ``Universal Soldier,'' ``Young Guns'' ($14.98)
Ah-nuld in ``Total Recall,'' ``Red Heat'' and ``The Running Man,'' Sly in ``First Blood,'' ``Rambo: First Blood, Part 2'' and ``Rambo 3,'' plus ``Queens Logic,'' ``The Object of Beauty,'' ``Hot Chocolate,'' ``The Coca-Cola Kid,'' ``Mannequin Two: On the Move,'' ($9.98).
Turner: John Wayne rules! ``Allegheny Uprising,'' ``Back to Bataan,'' ``Flying Leathernecks,'' ``Fort Apache,'' ``She Wore a Yellow Ribbon,'' ``Tall in the Saddle'' ($9.98).
MGM/UA: ``Getting Even With Dad'' ($19.98)
Columbia TriStar: ``City Slickers II'' ($19.95)
TOP TAPES (in Billboard):
Sales: ``The Lion King,'' ``The Pagemaster,'' ``Angels in the Outfield,'' ``The Mask,'' ``Jurassic Park''
Rentals: ``The Specialist,'' ``The Shawshank Redemption,'' ``Stargate,'' ``The River Wild,'' ``Quiz Show''
The Couch Report
``Mary Shelley's Frankenstein'' (Columbia TriStar, 1994). Except for one bad digression, Kenneth Branagh's movie is true to its roots. That was a problem for some critics: Shelley didn't envision stiff-legged Boris Karloff. Subtitled ``The Modern Prometheus,'' her novel is a tragedy about man playing God, and Branagh, who is good as the traumatized doctor, keeps the story literate rather than go just for scares. Robert De Niro brings real pathos to the monstrous man-child. Not enough? Then feast on the sets and costumes. Videomatic rating: B
(CAST: Kenneth Branagh, Robert De Niro, Helena Bonham Carter. RATED: R for violence, gore, brief nudity; 123 mins.)
``Night Train to Venice'' (Live, 1993). The PR mill didn't have this muddled mystery in mind when Hugh Grant was being crowned the new Cary Grant. Made before ``Four Weddings'' and ``Sirens,'' the film features Grant as a writer who travels to Venice to get a book on neo-Nazis published. He encounters skinheads, a mystery lady and Malcolm McDowell, whose role isn't quite clear. The pretentious cinematography and dead-end subplots make the trip seem longer. Videomatic rating: D
(CAST: Hugh Grant, Tahnee Welch, Malcolm McDowell. RATED: R for drug use, language, violence, nudity; 98 mins.)
``Sketch Artist II: Hands That See'' (MGM/UA, 1994). The premise is unlikely: A blind rape victim describes her attacker, from touching his face, to a police sketch artist. But, by avoiding the woman-in-jeopardy histrionics and centering on the investigation and trial, it works. Courtney Cox and Jeff Fahey have a down-to-earth appeal, and Michael Nicholshi makes an oily bad guy. Videomatic rating: B-
(CAST: Jeff Fahey, Courtney Cox, Jonathan Silverman, Michael Nicholshi. UNRATED, violence, language, nudity; 92 mins.)
``Witch Hunt'' (HBO, 1994). Promising cast, Angelo Badalamenti score, a murder with a twist - everyone in 1950s Hollywood is into black magic. So why doesn't this HBO project click? One, Dennis Hopper isn't right as private eye H. Phillip Lovecraft. Two, the plot tries to squeeze in too much. Still, the detail, FX and a sometimes witty script keep it moving. Videomatic rating: C
(CAST: Dennis Hopper, Penelope Ann Miller, Eric Bogosian, Julian Sands. UNRATED, language, violence, brief nudity; 100 mins.)
Also: Kevin Costner and Elijah Wood in ``The War'' (PG-13); ``Bad Blood,'' a thriller with Lorenzo Lamas (R); ``Till the End of the Night,'' a thriller with Scott Valentine (R); ``Dominion,'' a thriller with Brad Johnson (R); and ``Incident at Deception Ridge,'' a - Bingo! - thriller with Ed Begley Jr. (R)
NEXT TUESDAY: ``Bullets Over Broadway,'' ``Clerks,'' ``Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle,'' ``The Professional,'' ``Speechless,'' ``Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book,'' ``Pontiac Moon'' MEMO: [Quotes and answers appear on page E7.]
by CNB