THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, July 4, 1995 TAG: 9507010026
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Craig Shapiro
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
A GUY WHO writes about videos has a problem when no videos come out the day his column runs. Not that the industry can be faulted one bit for closing shop to celebrate said video writer's birthday.
With that in mind, Videomatic is going to do something different this week and look back at the first half of 1995. Seeing how July starts the rest of 1995, the timing could hardly be better.
Besides, a mid-year report card serves two purposes: It separates the wheat from the chaff, and it can be a checklist for those of you looking for a no-fuss way to burn a few hours today - said video writer's birthday.
Mid-Year Top 10
1. ``Fresh.'' Sean Nelson is remarkable in the title role - a young drug runner driven to clean up the streets after witnessing a playground tragedy. This riveting, thoughtful drama works on many levels.
2. ``I Like It Like That.'' First-timer Lauren Valez gives a wonderful, vibrant performance in Darnell Martin's romantic-comedy. She's a home girl who musters the courage to find her own identity.
3. ``Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle.'' Jennifer Jason Leigh doesn't take on the role of Dorothy Parker, she absorbs it. Her superb portrayal catches all the tragic flaws of the acerbic writer.
4. ``The Professional.'' Luc Besson's U.S. debut is that rarity: a stylish, original, action film with a heart. Here, it's the bond between a hit man and a girl orphaned by corrupt DEA agents. Great soundtrack.
5. ``Heavenly Creatures.'' In recounting a murder that rocked New Zealand in the 1950s, Peter Jackson blurs the line between fantasy and reality - much like the two schoolgirls it involved. Intoxicating.
6. ``Imaginary Crimes.'' Steady Harvey Keitel makes a bold change of pace in this powerful drama. He's a widower with two daughters, and a con artist working on that next big score.
7. ``The Scent of Green Papaya.'' A few lines don't do justice to this 1993 foreign film Oscar nominee. Set in 1951 Saigon, it is a visual, lyrical feast wrapped around an unconventional love story.
8. ``Fear of a Black Hat.'' Using Rob Reiner's blueprint for ``This Is Spinal Tap,'' Rusty Cundieff nails his target with this outrageously funny, fiendishly clever rap mockumentary. Everyone is fair game.
9. ``It Could Happen to You.'' Nicolas Cage makes the unlikely transformation to romantic leading man as a kind-hearted cop who shares his lottery winnings with a kind-hearted waitress.
10. ``Princess Caraboo.'' Part fairy tale, part comedy of manners. Phoebe Cates is the mysterious stranger who may, or may not, be a Javanese princess. Hubby Kevin Kline is a hoot as a Greek butler.
TOP TAPES (in Billboard):
Sales: ``Forrest Gump,'' ``The Crow,'' ``True Lies,'' ``Richie Rich,'' ``Pink Floyd: Pulse''
Rentals: ``Interview with the Vampire,'' ``Legends of the Fall,'' ``Junior,'' ``The Shawshank Redemption,'' ``The Professional''
The Couch Report
``Death and the Maiden'' (New Line, 1994). ``Psychological-thriller'' gets misused, but Roman Polanski's adaptation of the play by Ariel Dorfman measures up in every way. Sigourney Weaver, in her best performance, walks a keen edge as an ex-dissident once tortured by a South American junta. Now, democracy is in vogue, but when she catches the man she thinks was her assailant, a complex game of cat-and-mouse ensues. The conclusion is as unsettling as the events leading up to it. By filming chronologically, Polanski gets in your face and doesn't let up. Videomatic says: A (Due Wednesday)
(CAST: Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, Stuart Wilson. RATED: R for language, nudity, violence; 102 mins.)
Also: ``Alien Nation: Dark Horizon,'' a made-for-TV sequel (PG), and three Turner projects: ``The Avenging Angel,'' ``The Good Old Boys'' and ``Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long'' (all unrated)
NEXT TUESDAY: ``Nell,'' ``Immortal Beloved,'' ``I.Q.,'' ``Bad Company,'' ``The Walking Dead,'' ``Death in Brunswick,'' ``The Dangerous'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Miramax Films
Samuel L. Jackson plays the father and Sean Nelson the son touched
by drugs in "Fresh".
by CNB