THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 15, 1995 TAG: 9508150041
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Craig Shapiro
LENGTH: Long : 183 lines
MOM, DAD, take a deep breath. A DEEP breath. Fill those lungs. Perfect. Wait, don't let it out. . . . 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . exxxxhale. Are you getting a peaceful, easy feeling? Good, because you deserve it.
You got the kids - bless their young attention spans - through summer camp and summer vacation. Last month, when Mother Nature was grilling us, you got them through that. Now, you're half way through the dog days and into the home stretch.
The finish line? Labor Day. The trophy? School. Regular bedtimes. A r-o-u-t-i-n-e.
Here's the good news: Videomatic will run the final leg.
The staff spent last week in cramped quarters reviewing a Shaq-like stack of children's videos - big pile, big selection - so you can stretch out, guilt-free with a cold one, as the long, hot days of summer 1995 tick off.
Don Bluth has compiled a wonderful resume since his Disney days, but ``The Pebble and the Penguin'' (MGM/UA) rates with his very best work (``The Secret of NIMH,'' ``An American Tail''). It's a sweet, all-ages story about Hubie, a shy Adeli penguin courting his dream girl. Will 3,000 miles and an evil rival named Drake stop him? All the Bluth hallmarks are here: endearing characters, humor, detail and superb action sequences. Figure in Barry Manilow's music and the voices of Martin Short, Jim Belushi and Tim Curry, and you've got the whole package. (RATED: G; $22.98)
Speaking of Uncle Walt, ``Tall Tale: The Unbelievable Adventure'' (Disney) is a rousing yarn that says something timely about the values and ideals that built America. Set in 1905, a boy is torn between the sacrifices of the family farm and the promises of ``progress.'' Enter Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan and John Henry. No question, Patrick Swayze is Pecos; watching him rope that twister is worth the price alone. Shot by Oscar-winner Janusz Kaminski (``Schindler's List``), ``Tall Tale'' looks gorgeous. (RATED: PG)
Disney is less fortunate with ``Heavyweights,'' an unfunny comedy that sends fat kids to camp - only when they get there, they learn the new owner is a scenery-chewing fitness guru (an incredibly bad Ben Stiller) looking for a fast buck. The message is be yourself. The problem is not feeling bad for the corpulent cast. (RATED: PG)
``Conjunction Junction, what's your function? Hooking up words and phrases and clauses.'' Remember ``Schoolhouse Rock,'' those mini-lessons in grammar, math, science and history that ABC started slipping between its Saturday cartoons 20 years ago? They're as clever and useful as they were then; they've also been remastered on four tapes by ABC Video. ``Grammar Rock'' even makes adverbs and prepositions fun. How many teachers can claim that? ($12.95 each)
Writer/producer Linda Midgett drew on personal experience for ``Ports & Pilots'' (Outer Banks Productions). The daughter of a harbor pilot, she filmed in her Morehead City, N.C., home port and recruited family members to appear in the video. The result is a relaxed, professional, informative production with plenty of local interest. ($19.95, plus $3.50 S&H; call 1-800-947-9160).
Score one more for the Moonbeam folks. The same formula - clever stories, cuddly characters, decent FX - they applied to ``Prehysteria,'' ``DragonWorld'' and ``Beanstalk'' works like a charm in ``Leapin' Leprechauns!'' (Paramount). An irascible coot has to save Fairy Hill from being paved over for a theme park; he does, too, once he gets his American kin to believe in the wee folk. (RATED: PG)
Ditto for Jim Henson Video. Last year's ``Muppet Classic Theater'' put a new spin on some fairy-tale faves. With ``Muppets on Wheels,'' the company moves into the popular live-action market. Kermit and Lindy learn about trucks and trains, race cars and roller coasters, even skates and skateboards. It's all fast-moving, thanks to the Muppet wizardry and especially the fun songs cooked up by Dave Kinnoin and Mark Radic. ($12.99)
Big brothers and sisters will be interested in ``Bizet's Dream,'' the first title in Sony Classical's ``Composers' Specials'' series. A girl (Brittany Madgett) studying piano with Bizet (Maurice Godin) at the time he's writing ``Carmen'' begins to fear her own father won't return from the war in Spain. The acting is sometimes amateurish, but, filmed in Prague, it's a classy-looking production about life and art that doesn't compromise its story. ($19.98)
``Tales from the Whoop: Hot Rod Brown, Class Clown'' and ``As Stinky as They Wanna Be'' (Sony Wonder/Nickelodeon) are designed for older kids, too. In the former, Whoopi Goldberg plays an unorthodox guardian angel who gets a wise guy ninth-grader to believe in and apply himself. The Whoopster's a natural. The other tape is a new Ren and Stimpy collection, and Videomatic has to confess: Two senior staffers laughed themselves silly when the dynamic duo entered ``The Lair of the Lummox.'' Hey, you're never too old. ($9.98/$14.98)
Sony Wonder hasn't forgotten the young'uns. ``See How They Grow'' is a new, six-tape series that follows animals from infancy to maturity. ``Farm Animals'' tracks a chick, piglet, calf and lamb; ``Insects and Spiders'' looks at a ladybug, butterfly, spider and grasshopper. It's interesting that hatching eggs are OK, but no mammal births are shown. Kids 8 and up may tire of the repetitive format; not so with the younger, target audience. ($12.98 each).
With the voices of Dick Van Dyke, Pearl Baily and Jack Gilford, ``Tubby the Tuba'' (Sony Wonder) held some promise. Tired of his one-note role in life, Tubby searches for a melody to call his own. Unfortunately, it's a flat, rather tedious affair that didn't keep a 6-year-old seated. ($12.98)
The PBS crowd knows all about ``The Puzzle Place'' (Sony Wonder), the series starring six PC puppets. For you others, it's an imaginative half-hour with a clear message. In ``Rock Dreams,'' Skye finds a role model in the Native American rock band Red Thunder, while Kiki learns from Dr. Walter Turnball, director of The Boys Choir of Harlem, that she has an instrument she carries all the time: her voice. ``Tuned In'' is the other title. ($14.98 each)
Sony Wonder and Nickelodeon have launched Nick Jr. Video with ``Allegra's Window,'' ``Gullah Gullah Island'' and ``Eureeka's Castle.'' Allegra is a sweet, little puppet who learns in ``Small Is Beautiful'' that being on the short end of life is often a lot more than it's cracked up to be. ($12.98 each)
``I Wish I Were a Football Player,'' one of the titles in Kid Vision's new ``Dream Big'' series has - pardon the pun - a lot on the ball. It explains the equipment, rules, scoring and positions. It stresses practice, training and conditioning. And it makes the game fun. The producers have wisely focused on a high school team, making Tommy's dream more realistic. Other titles involve a ballerina, cheerleader and cowboy. ($9.95 each)
``It takes a bigger man to walk away from a fight than to start one.'' So begins ``Karate Masters'' (UAV), a how-to hosted by Austin St. John - yes, the original red Power Ranger. Running through warm-ups, stances, blocks, punches, kicks and combos, it's a good primer with enough choreographed action to keep it moving. Better is St. John's explanation of what the martial arts have taught him: self-discipline, inner strength and respect. ($9.99)
While ``Dream Horse'' (Shaffer Travis) was made for girls, it's hard to see any horse fancier not liking it. As mom and daughter make the rounds of ranches, the viewer learns lore (all breeds can be traced to five loyal Arabians) and fact (U.S. farmers first put the Belgian draft horse to work in 1885). A nice touch is the therapeutic effect riding has on the handicapped, imparting confidence and accomplishment. ($19.95; call 1-800-386-9474).
Space, the final frontier, is easy to grasp in ``The New Solar System'' (Finley Holiday). A high-tech travelogue, it uses footage and graphics to explain why the sun will burn out in 5 billion years and how life is sustained in the narrow orbit occupied by Earth. Among the most telling images are those from Mariner 10's 1971 flight to Mercury and Voyager's 12-year, 3-billion-mile trip into the ``realm of the giants.'' ($29.95; call 1-800-345-6707).
Short cuts
Walt Disney: two more volumes from the way-cool series, ``Bill Nye the Science Guy''; ``Bright Beginnings,'' a collection of pre-school videos; the new-to-video ``Aladdin's Arabian Adventures,'' and a couple of Winnie the Pooh titles: ``Growing Up'' and ``Fun `N Games'' (all $12.99 each)
Kid Vision: two titles from the ``Real Animals'' series ($12.95 each); three from ``Scholastic's the Magic School Bus'' ($12.95), and four from the popular ``Real Wheels,'' including ``There Goes a Monster Truck'' ($10.95)
ABC Video: ``Lions: Africa's King of the Beasts,'' ``Earthquakes: The Terrifying Truth'' and ``Secrets of the Golden River,'' all new to the ``World of Discovery'' series ($19.95 each)
Sony Wonder: the video debut of ``AAAHH!!! Real Monsters'' ($12.98; next Tuesday); ``Extra Sensory Pooch,'' a Lassie double-dip ($9.98; next Tuesday); more ``Tales from the Cryptkeeper'' ($12.98; next Tuesday); ``Nicktoons: Road Trip,'' including episodes of ``Rocko's Modern Life,'' ``Ren & Stimpy'' and ``Rugrats'' ($12.98), and a one-hour ``Are You Afraid of the Dark?'' ($12.98)
F.H.E.: ``Pochacco: Exciting Birthday,'' ``Pekkle: Aladdin and His Magic Lamp,'' two ``Hello Kitty'' titles and the video debut of ``Phantom 2040'' (each $12.98; next Tuesday); four more ``Speed Racer'' collections ($12.98) and ``Speed Racer: The Movie``($14.98); the final 12 volumes of ``Robotech'' ($14.98 each), and more episodes of the ``Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' ($9.98)
F.H.E. also has reduced a bunch of movies to $14.98: ``The Magic of the Golden Bear: Goldy II,'' ``The Magic Snowman,'' ``King of the Wind,'' ``The Legend of the Lone Ranger'' and ``Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveler''
Orion: five titles from the ``Storyteller's Classics'' ($7.99)
Warner: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in ``Double, Double Toil and Trouble'' and ``To Grandmother's House We Go'' ($12.95)
BMG Kidz: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in ``The Case of the Mystery Cruise'' and ``The Case of the Sea World Adventure'' ($12.98)
20th Century Fox: the Fox Kids Network series ``Where on Earth Is Carmen San Diego,'' ``The Tick,'' ``Bobby's World'' and ``Eek!stravaganza'' ($9.98)
CBS/Fox: a half-dozen of ``Shelley Duvall's Tall Tales & Legends'' ($9.98)
Columbia TriStar: a half-dozen National Geographic titles, among them ``Search for the Great Apes'' and ``Save the Panda'' ($14.95)
Turner: three adventures of ``SWAT KATS: The Radical Squadron'' ($12.98)
NEXT TUESDAY: ``Tom & Viv,'' ``The Mangler,`` ``Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh,'' ``Top Dog,'' ``Dillinger and Capone,'' ``From Here to Infinity,'' ``Fists of Iron,'' ``Provincial Actors,'' ``Record of a Tenement Gentleman'' and ``How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman''; plus, Videomatic plays catch-up with reviews of ``Tank Girl,'' ``Circle of Friends,'' ``Wicked City'' and ``Vibrations'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos< Tall Tales
I wish I was a Football Player
Schoolhouse Rock
The Pebble and the Penguin
Photo by JIM HENSON VIDEO
The Muppets learn about trucks, trains, race cars and roller
coasters in ``Muppets on Wheels.''
by CNB