OnVideo JANUARY 1997 Releases
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OnVideo JANUARY 1997 Releases

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ALASKA
This family wildlife adventure tells the story of a brother and sister (15- and 13-years-old, respectively) who travel to Alaska with their father, an airplane pilot. When dad crashes his plane on a mercy mission in the wilderness and is given up for dead, the youngsters take off to find him, never dreaming of the adventure and danger that lie in store for them.
Director: Fraser C. Heston. Stars: Thora Birch, Vincent Kartheiser, Dirk Benedict. CC (MPAA rating: PG, 109 min.) Family adventure 1996 (Columbia TriStar 80200) No SRP: Priced for rental Available: 1/21
2
stars go
back



BORDELLO OF BLOOD
From the folks who brought you "Tales From the Crypt" comes this horror fest. A rock 'n' roll televangelist decides that the only way to eradicate sin is to resurrect the nastiest, sexiest vampire of all time to run a bloodsucking bordello, hoping to entrap the impure at heart. Unfortunately things go amok and only a single detective (Dennis Miller) stands in the way of a true "hell-on-Earth."
Director: Gilbert Adler. Stars: Dennis Miller, Angie Everhart. Erika Eleniak. CC (MPAA rating: R, 87 min.) Horror 1996 (MCA/Universal 83133) No SRP: Priced for rental Available: 1/14
2 stars go
back



DEAD MAN
This strange yet compelling Western, written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, stars Johnny Depp as a Cleveland accountant, William Blake, who travels out West and is wrongly accused of murder. On the run and slowly dying of a bullet wound, he meets up with an outcast Native American, Nobody, who leads him on an eerie journey through the unfamiliar landscape of the wilderness. Along the way he becomes the murderous outlaw he's accused of being, fulfilling the destiny he had no hand in setting. Shot in black and white.
Director: Jim Jarmusch. Stars: Johnny Depp, Lance Henriksen. CC (MPAA rating: R, 127 min.) Western Drama 1996 (Miramax 8991) No SRP: Priced for rental Available: 1/28
4 stars go
back



EDDIE
This comedy stars Whoopi Goldberg as a limo driver totally in love with the last place New York Knicks basketball team. When she wins a contest to become the honorary coach for the night, her passion for the game leads the Knicks' owner (Frank Langella) to hire her as the real coach -- more as a publicity stunt to sell tickets than anything else. But her enthusiasm leads to more than just sales -- the team actually starts winning. For Goldberg fans.
Director: Steve Rash. Stars: Whoopi Goldberg, Frank Langella, Dennis Farina. CC (MPAA rating: R, 103 min.) Comedy 1996 (Hollywood Pictures 8292) No SRP: Priced for rental Available: 1/21
2 stars go
back



ESCAPE FROM L.A.
Director John Carpenter's follow-up to 1981's "Escape From New York" with Kurt Russell reprising his role as Snake Plissken wasn't the spectacular sequel that many had hoped for. Set in 2013, the story takes place in a Los Angeles ravaged by the "Big One," surrounded by water and now serving as a haven for anarchists and discontents. Into this fray comes Plissken to help moviegoers escape. This is for true fans, who will appreciate Russell's snarl and the special effects.
Director: John Carpenter. Stars: Kurt Russell, Stacy Keach, Steve Buscemi. CC (MPAA rating: R, 101 min.) Science Fiction 1996 (Paramount 332493) No SRP: Priced for rental Available: 1/21
2 stars go
back



FAN, THE
This by-the-book thriller has Robert De Niro as a hunting-knife salesman on the skids who goes nuts over a San Francisco Giants' player (played by Wesley Snipes), an over-paid center-fielder who's popularity and playing slide into a slump. De Niro can't stand that, and he vows to stop at nothing to restore his idol's reputation. San Francisco steals the show.
Director: Tony Scott. Stars: Robert De Niro, Wesley Snipes, Ellen Barkin. CC (MPAA rating: R, 115 min.) Thriller 1996 (Columbia TriStar 82473) No SRP: Priced for rental Available: 1/28
2 stars go
back



FLED
This fast-paced action-adventure tracks two prison escapees (Laurence Fishburne and Stephen Baldwin) on the lam and in a race against time to search for a hidden cache of cash and an incriminating computer disk that could bring down the Cuban mafia -- or get the pair killed, whichever comes first. Hunted by the cops and the mob, the pair find that on either side of the law, they lose.
Director: Kevin Hooks. Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Stephen Baldwin. CC (MPAA rating: R, 98 min.) Action 1996 (MGM/UA 905763) No SRP: Priced for rental Available: 1/7
2
stars go
back



KINGPIN
Woody Harrelson and Randy Quaid star in this silly comedy about a washed-up bowler (Harrelson) who, reduced to selling bowling supplies, comes across a raw talent (Quaid) among the Amish of the Pennsylvania Dutch and recruits him to compete in a million-dollar bowling tournament in Reno, Nevada. The pair pick up a street smart beauty (naturally) and set out on a wild road trip to face off against bowling's superstars.
Director: Peter and Bobby Farrelly. Stars: Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Vanessa Angel. CC (MPAA rating: PG-13, 107 min.) Comedy 1996 (MGM/UA 905769) No SRP: Priced for rental
Available: 1/7

2 stars go back



PHENOMENON
This surprise hit stars John Travolta as George Malley, an ordinary guy -- an auto mechanic -- living in a small town whose life is turned upside down when he's struck by a blinding white light on his 37th birthday. Suddenly he develops an insatiable appetite for learning and knowledge, and cultivates a new-found intelligence. But along with this boon comes problems - his friends shrink from him, and the government wants to control him. Co-stars Kyra Sedgwick and Forest Whitaker.
Director: Jon Turteltaub. Stars: John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, Robert Duvall. CC (MPAA rating: PG, 117 min.) Drama 1996 (Touchstone 8293) No SRP: Priced for rental Available: 1/14
3 stars go
back



POSTMAN, THE (IL POSTINO)
This is the humorous and moving tale of a simple postman (Massimo Troisi, who died at age 41 one day after the film was finished) whose eyes are opened to a world of new possibilities when he finds himself delivering letters to one of the most romantic poets of the 20th century, renowned Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (played by Philippe Noiret), who was forced into exile and granted sanctuary in Italy in 1952.
Director: Michael Radford. Stars: Massimo Troisi, Philippe Noiret. CC (MPAA rating: PG, 108 min.) Drama 1995 (Miramax 5921) No SRP: Priced for rental Available: 1/28
Five stars go back



SHE'S THE ONE
Life, loves and infidelity among the twentysomethings. The brothers Fitzpatrick think they're happy. Mickey (Edward Burns) is happy until he meets Hope (Maxine Bahns), a free-spirited graduate student; Francis (Mike McGlone) is happy making a killing on Wall Street and being married to his college sweetheart (Jennifer Aniston), until he takes up with Heather (Cameron Diaz). Things get worse when the brothers' romantic problems converge in ways neither of them could have imagined.
Director: Edward Burns. Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Edward Burns, Cameron Diaz, John Mahoney. CC (MPAA rating: R, 97 min.) Comedy 1996 (FoxVideo 4119) No SRP: Priced for rental Available: 1/14
3 stars go
back



TRIGGER EFFECT, THE
When a mysterious power failure cuts off all forms of communication and leads to a social meltdown in a major city, a young suburban couple (Kyle MacLachlan and Elisabeth Shue) are thrown into a chaotic test of survival. Aided by an old friend (Dermot Mulroney), they head out on a road journey that leads them into brutal confrontations with mistrust, fear and, eventually, murder. A tame thriller.
Director: David Koepp. Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Elisabeth Shue, Dermot Mulroney. CC (MPAA rating: R, 113 min.) Drama 1996 (MCA/Universal 82879) No SRP: Priced for rental Available: 1/28
2 stars go
back




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January 5, 1997