THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, June 6, 1995 TAG: 9506060034
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Craig Shapiro
LENGTH: Long : 118 lines
DOWN HERE in the dim, dank bunker that passes as Videomatic HQ, expectations are darned high for the June 16 opening of ``Batman Forever.''
The buzz, though, has zero to do with whether Val Kilmer can fill Michael Keaton's prefab suit. In fact, the staff is unanimous in this: Tim Burton's Batman films aren't only tepid takes on the legend but they're also the weak links on the resume of one of our very favorite directors.
Not that the match didn't have po'. Batman is a misfit, and every Burton project, from ``Pee Wee's Big Adventure'' to ``Ed Wood,'' is about a misfit. Nor did ``Batman'' or ``Batman Returns'' hurt for looks. Gotham City boggles the mind.
Burton just got hung up on the Dark Knight's dark side. There's no denying Bruce Wayne's haunted past, but how about some action? For the record, Jack Nicholson's Joker (too old) and Danny De Vito's Penguin (too freaky) didn't cut it.
All the new movie has to do is lighten up, and with Joel Schumacher (``The Lost Boys,'' ``The Client'') at the reins and Jim Carrey (Riddler), Tommy Lee Jones (Two-Face) and Chris O'Donnell (Robin) on board, it looks like it will.
But the big test will be if it measures up to the cartoons that have been a fixture weekdays and Saturday mornings on Fox TV.
Check that. ``Cartoons'' doesn't do justice to ``Batman: The Animated Series'' and 1993's big-screen ``Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.'' Call it 'toon noir - appealing to kids on the one hand, but in their mood, writing and stylized neo-Deco look, also aimed at adults. They're by far the best adaptations of Bob Kane's creation yet.
That goes double for ``The Adventures of Batman & Robin,'' which Warner is bringing out today on four tapes ($9.95 each). Made by the same team, they define the art of animation. Live-action movies should have characters so fully realized and plots this inventive and complex.
The stories on the Joker and Riddler tapes have been kicking around the Fox schedule a while. They're fine, but if your budget is limited to $20, go for ``Robin's Reckoning'' and ``Shadow of the Bat.'' Both are two-part adventures, giving the writers time to really get into them.
``Reckoning'' recounts how Dick Grayson became Robin, adding enough angst, retribution and redemption to fill a Greek tragedy. ``Shadow of the Bat,'' which features Richard Moll as the voice of Two-Face, is 'toon noir at its best. When Commissioner Gordon is framed, it's up to Batman and Robin to clear him. They untangle a plot that is rife with back-stabbing and double-dealing. A bonus is the first appearance of Batgirl.
Sounds heavy? It is, but not enough to turn off the young'uns. The humor and action will hold their attention. As for you big kids, a swell time is guaranteed.
ODDS & ENDS: Cheap laughs? Paramount has added ``Brett Butler: The Child Ain't Right,'' ``Elayne Boosler: Live Nude Girls'' and ``Paul Reiser: 3 1/2 Blocks From Home'' to its ``Showtime Comedy Superstars'' series ($12.95 each).
FoxVideo is bringing out ``The Little Princess,'' the one starring the little princess, Shirley Temple ($14.98). It's due Wednesday, along with the 1945 thriller ``The House on 92nd Street'' ($19.98), a video first.
What $9.98 gets (from FoxVideo): ``Two of a Kind,'' ``Toys,'' ``Silver Streak,'' ``Father Was a Fullback,'' ``All the Right Moves,'' ``Pacific Heights,'' ``Hear No Evil,'' ``Black Widow,'' ``Shining Through,'' ``Class Action,'' ``Follow the Sun'' and the original ``Kiss of Death.''
What $14.95 gets (from Columbia TriStar): ``Double Impact,'' ``Nowhere to Run,'' ``Cast the First Stone,'' ``Entangled,'' ``Eyes of the Beholder,'' ``The Harvest,'' ``Me & Veronica,'' ``Deadly Currents,'' ``Full Contact'' and the remake of ``The Razor's Edge.''
Dr. Seuss is in the house. Turner is releasing ``Daisy-Head Mayzie,'' ``The Butter Battle Book'' ($9.98 each) and ``In Search of Dr. Seuss'' ($14.98), a live-action/animation combo starring Kathy Najimy, Patrick Stewart and Robin Williams.
TOP TAPES (in Billboard):
Sales: ``Forrest Gump,'' ``The Lion King,'' ``Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book,'' ``Playboy: The Girls of Hawaiian Tropic,'' ``The Pagemaster''
Rentals: ``Forrest Gump,'' ``The Shawshank Redemption,'' ``Quiz Show,'' ``Terminal Velocity,'' ``Mary Shelley's Frankenstein''
The Couch Report
``Interview With the Vampire'' (Warner, 1994). Neil Jordan has made fine work of Anne Rice's novel, seducing the most vocal naysayer amid a swirl of spellbinding imagery and solid performances. If Tom Cruise's Lestat is less than menacing, his enthusiasm for the role is contagious. This vampire defines joie de vivre, and that's no small feat. Likewise, Brad Pitt strays too close to self-pity as Louis, but his anguish is real. Young Kirsten Dunst has the most complex assignment, the child-woman Claudia. She tackles it like a pro. No one, though, can pick at the sets and costumes. They're spectacular. Videomatic rating: B+
(CAST: Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Slater. RATED: R for violence, rat-chomping gore, nudity; 123 mins.)
``Safe Passage'' (New Line, 1994). While this drama practically yanks on the heartstrings, there's no denying it touches nerves that parents especially will feel. Susan Sarandon is the mother of seven sons, obsessed because she can't always protect them, frustrated because life has shortchanged her. She's also estranged from her husband - until a tragedy makes everyone realize the answers were at the doorstep all along. Sarandon saves it from becoming too maudlin. She's better here than she was in ``The Client.'' Videomatic rating: B-
(CAST: Susan Sarandon, Sam Shepard, Robert Sean Leonard, Sean Astin. RATED: PG-13 for language, situations; 98 mins.)
Also: ``Junior,'' the comedy that gets Ah-nuld in a family way (PG-13); Gregory Hines in the thriller ``Dead Air'' (PG-13); two spins on Iron Mike: the HBO movie ``Tyson'' (unrated) and the documentary ``Mike Tyson: The Inside Story'' (unrated); and a no-pretense comedy called ``Attack of the 60-Foot Centerfold'' (R)
NEXT TUESDAY: ``Disclosure,'' ``Drop Zone,'' ``Queen Margot,'' ``Far From Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog,'' ``Baraka'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos of video covers of Batman
GEFFEN PICTURES photo
Tom Cruise, left, and Brad Pitt star in ``Interview With the
Vampire,'' which is newly released on video.
LOREY SEBASTIAN, New Line Cinema photo
Susan Sarandon and Sam Shepard play parents hearing news that
threatens to shatter their lives in ``Safe Passage.''
by CNB