THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, March 12, 1996 TAG: 9603120037
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Craig Shapiro
LENGTH: Long : 136 lines
LAST TUESDAY you were promised a big announcement, so here it is: With today's column, Videomatic hits the big time.
Why? Because we've got a Robyn - just like Batman and Howard Stern.
Videomatic and Robyn. Nice ring, eh?
Our Robyn is 26, studied film at Purdue and runs a video store somewhere in Hampton Roads. That's her in the picture, disguised as a Blues Brother.
But it wasn't academic credentials or video access that put her in the outer circle. She's on the team because 1) she works for free and 2) she buttered us up good with a nice letter calling Videomatic thoughtful, witty and entertaining. Customers even bring the column into the store, she wrote.
We love hearing that.
It didn't hurt either that Robyn has a sharp sense of humor, knows her way around the keyboard and scored high for being enterprising. (She included her review of the recent mystery, ``The Usual Suspects.'')
Besides, the staff needed her. Contrary to what you think, we aren't all Johnny Appleseeds, cheerfully skipping about the week's bid'ness. Some of us are paranoid and stressed and like it indoors, holed up in a dim, drafty room with our precious stack of tapes. Yes, it is hard to believe.
Robyn, then, will be our eyes and ears, sending missives from the front. She might write about a video that applies to a new movie (like she does today) or one that tickles her fancy. Maybe she'll share something she overheard in the store or check in with who's renting what. She has carte blanche.
And, if she shows that stick-to- itness that we expect, who knows, we may admit her to the inner circle: the dimmest and darkest room where the overlords gather to review the . . . new videos.
Of course, that would involve the humiliating initiation ritual.
The word from Robyn
In these grungy times, we are fortunate that people are still devoted to keeping glamour alive. I am talking about drag queens, sweetie!
Judging from the slew of flicks on video - ``Wigstock,'' ``Jeffrey,'' ``Unzipped,'' ``Priscilla'' and its watered-down but still funny Hollywood counterpart, ``To Wong Foo. . . '' - the torch is being carried more vigorously than ever.
Last Friday's theatrical release of ``The Birdcage'' brings us full circle: The Robin Williams comedy is the Americanization of the 1979 French farce, ``La Cage aux Folles.'' Will the new film will capture the blend of wackiness and pathos that makes ``La Cage'' so endearing? Maybe. Meanwhile, you can relish the outrageous original on video.
Renato runs a nightclub where his hypersensitive companion Albin, known as Zaza, is the headliner. It's a happy life until Renato's son announces his engagement to the daughter of France's very proper morals minister. Renato and Zaza - delightfully played by Ugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault - go to side-splitting extremes to present a typical home life.
Check it out, for its warm, witty portrayal of love and loyalty and its fashion sense.
TOP TAPES (in Billboard):
Sales: ``Star Trek Generations,'' ``The Indian in the Cupboard,'' ``Cinderella,'' ``Playboy: The Best of Anna Nicole Smith,'' ``Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie''
Rentals: ``Waterworld,'' ``Under Siege 2,'' ``Dangerous Minds,'' ``The Net,'' ``The Usual Suspects''
The Couch Report
``Braveheart'' (Paramount, 1995). It's a tribute to Mel Gibson's directing skills that one can appreciate the epic scale of his big Oscar nominee even when it's been sliced and diced to fit a TV screen. Gibson also plays William Wallace, the 14th century Scottish hero. The detail is flawless, the cinematography gorgeous and the battle scenes brutally authentic. An old-fashioned feast for the senses. Videomatic says: A
(CAST: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Catherine McCormack. RATED: R for brutal violence, nudity, language; 177 mins.)
``Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls'' (Warner, 1995). When Ace is hired to find a sacred albino bat, Jim Carrey dusts off the same schtick he's used since hitting the movies. That doesn't mean he isn't a panic; he just works harder at it. Not to worry: The old funny bone gets a workout. Love the movie parodies. Videomatic says: C+
(CAST: Jim Carrey, Ian McNeice, Simon Callow; RATED: PG-13 for bathroom humor, mild language; 94 mins. $22.98)
``Clockers'' (MCA/Universal, 1995). A Spike Lee Joint starring Harvey Keitel should be better than average. Instead, his meandering tour de 'hood - set off by the murder of a hustler - brings up cliched definitions of justice and the usual indictments of the cycle of violence. Lee's argument is valid, it's just that he could make a sharper point without using a mallet. Videomatic says: C
(CAST: Harvey Keitel, John Turturro, Mekhi Phifer, Delroy Lindo. RATED: R for language, violence; 129 mins.)
``Never Talk to Strangers'' (Columbia TriStar, 1995). Buy into its almost-out-of-left field ending, and this wobbly thriller stands up. Rebecca DeMornay is a criminal shrink who falls for swarthy Antonio Banderas. When her life unravels, fingers point everywhere. A shred or two of evidence would've been nice. Videomatic says: C
(CAST: Rebecca DeMornay, Antonio Banderas, Dennis Miller, Harry Dean Stanton. RATED: R for language, violence, situations, nudity; 86 mins.)
``Muriel's Wedding'' (Miramax, 1995). An Australian Cinderella story minus the glass slipper. For gawky Muriel Heslop, matrimony is the only way out of a backwater life of low self-esteem. Meantime, she dreams and listens to ABBA. The ups are not without their downs; in the end, though, Muriel learns to put a premium on what counts. Videomatic says: B
(CAST: Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths, Bill Hunter. RATED: R for language, situations, brief nudity; 105 mins.)
``The Prophecy'' (Dimension, 1995). Christopher Walken can still teach the folks at Claxton something about fruitcakes. He's in top form as a renegade angel waging war on earth. Good thing, too. Otherwise, this load of theological hokum is all fertilizer. (Saturday) Videomatic says: D
(CAST: Christopher Walken, Elias Koteas, Eric Stoltz, Virginia Madsen. RATED: R for violence, language; 97 mins.)
``The Tie That Binds'' (Hollywood, 1995). Move over Mickey and Mallory. Keith Carradine and Daryl Hannah play natural born killers dead set on getting their li'l gal back from gooey foster parents. For real. See what we go through for you? (Saturday) Videomatic says: F
(CAST: Daryl Hannah, Keith Carradine, Moira Kelly, Vincent Spano, Julia Devin. RATED: R for violence, language, situations, brief nudity; 99 mins.)
Also: ``Assassins,'' with Antonio Banderas and Sly going mano y mano (R); the crime drama ``The Wharf Rat'' (R); trouble in 'Nam in ``Soldier Boyz'' (R), sci-fi thrills in ``Venus Rising'' (R), deceit and vengeance in ``The Silver Strand'' (R) and ``Breach of Trust'' (unrated)
Vids for kids
``The Baby-Sitters Club'' (Columbia TriStar, 1995). Life should be so simple as first love, passing science and reconciling with Dad. Maybe that's why the best-selling books make a nice change of video pace. Nothing comes up that the resourceful BSC can't handle. It's all about friendship. Videomatic says: C+
(CAST: Schuyler Fish, Bre Blair, Rachel Leigh Cook, Zelda Harris, Tricia Joe, Larisa Oleynik, Stacey Linn Ramsower. RATED: PG, but should be G; 92 mins. $19.95)
Also: R.L. Stine's ``The Haunted Mask'' (FoxVideo, $14.98)
Next Tuesday: ``Babe,'' ``Angus,'' ``Operation Dumbo Drop,'' ``Country Life'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Christopher Reddick
[Robyn with Video boxes]
by CNB