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BOWFINGER Wild comedy about a low-class indie filmmaker (Steve Martin) who schemes to get a big-action star (Eddie Murphy) in his film by following him around and surreptitiously filming him -- with a bevy of "supporting actors." Unfortunately, all that sneaking around behind his back makes the star paranoid, and he seeks the help of a guru. Meanwhile -- and coincidentally -- Bowfinger discovers the star's dimwitted look-a-like brother (Murphy), whom he uses to stand in for the star -- such as in a nude scene with the lovely Heather Graham. There's more plot -- and laughs -- in store here. Director: Frank Oz. Stars: Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Heather Graham, Christine Baranski, Terence Stamp, Jamie Kennedy. CC, (MPAA rating: PG-13, 97 min.), Comedy, 1999, Box office gross: $65.433 million, (Universal), No SRP, Priced for rental, Available: 1/18, DVD: Day & Date. DETROIT ROCK CITY Rock on, dudes! This is a coming of age comedy about four Cleveland teenagers who will do anything and everything to travel to Detroit to attend a 1978 rock concert featuring their idols, KISS. When their tickets are destroyed by a bible-thumping mother, the lads take off on a odyssey to get more tickets, money for tickets, or both. Along the way they trash a car, foil some bad guys, and learn something about love. More energy than content carries the day. Features an appearance by the eponymous band as well as a very lively heavy metal soundtrack. Director: Adam Rifkin. Stars: Giuseppe Andrews, James De Bello, Edward Furlong, Sam Huntington, Natasha Lyonne, Shannon Tweed. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 95 min.), Rock comedy, 1999, Box office gross: $4.193 million, (New Line), No SRP, Priced for rental, Available: 1/11, DVD: Dec. 21. IDEAL HUSBAND, AN A wonderful chamber comedy (based on an Oscar Wilde play) set in the late 19th century about an eligible bachelor who must attempt to a keep a fortune-seeking seductress from revealing a scandalous event that will ruin the marriage and career of his politician friend. Jeremy Northam is the upwardly mobile aristocrat whose past political indiscretion comes back to haunt him; the always excellent Rupert Everett is the cad whose indiscretions give him the heart to help his friend. Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore and Minnie Driver are the women in their lives. Intelligent banter and humor for thoughtful viewing. Director: Oliver Parker. Stars: Cate Blanchett, Rupert Everett, Julianne Moore, Jeremy Northam, Minnie Driver. CC, (MPAA rating: PG-13, 97 min.), Comedy, 1999, Box office gross: $18.535 million, (Miramax), No SRP, Priced for rental, Available: 1/18, DVD: Day & Date. LAKE PLACID An incredibly dumb thriller about a 30-foot Asian crocodile snacking on humans in an isolated lake in Maine. This feeble attempt at horror has very few gruesome moments to titillate; its intended comic moments (among the crew of naturalists and scientists who arrive to kill the beast) come off as pretentious. A fine cast (Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman, Oliver Platt, Brendan Gleeson and Betty White) is wasted for want of dialogue or story. This should have been called "Lake Flaccid." Director: Steve Miner. Stars: Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman, Oliver Platt, Brendan Gleeson, Betty White. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 87 min.), Horror, 1999, Box office gross: $32.000 million, (Fox), No SRP, Priced for rental, Available: 1/11, DVD: Day & Date. MY LIFE SO FAR Delightful tale of one year in the life of a 10-year-old boy growing up in the misty Scottish Highlands in the 1930s, with an eccentric father, his mother, grandmother, practical-minded uncle and the uncle's child bride. Dad is a woebegone inventor and he leads his family in an idyllic lifestyle of benign, fairy tale bedlam. When the uncle, a straitlaced businessman -- who wants to sell the family estate -- and his new wife, arrive for a visit, their lives are changed forever -- she takes the estate by storm and wins everyone's heart, including dad's. Director: Hugh Hudson. Stars: Colin Firth, Rosemary Harris, Irene Jacob, Mary E. Mastrantonio, Malcolm McDowell, Robert Norman. CC, (MPAA rating: PG, 97 min.), Comedy, 1999, Box office gross: $0.616 million, (Miramax), No SRP, Priced for rental, Available: 1/25, DVD: No. MYSTERY MEN A group of misfit superheroes try to rid Champion City of the evil villain Casanova Frankenstein in this failed spoof of comic book superheroes. When a real superhero (Captain Amazing) is captured by Frankenstein, an unorthodox group of wannabes -- a master of the shovel, a fork thrower, a bowler, a master of flatulence, and an invisible boy (as long as no one is looking), among others -- join forces to try to save the city. Director: Kinka Usher. Stars: Stars Geoffrey Rush, William H. Macy, Janeane Garofalo, Greg Kinnear, Kel Mitchell, Paul Reubens, Lena Olin, Wes Studi and Ben Stiller. CC, (MPAA rating: PG-13, 122 min.), Comedy, 1999, Box office gross: $29.655 million, (Universal), No SRP, Priced for rental Available: 1/11, DVD: Day & Date. RUNAWAY BRIDE Richard Gere, Julia Roberts and director Garry Marshall reteam ("Pretty Woman") in this comedy about a USA Today reporter inspired to write a column about a serial engager -- a woman who loves being engaged but runs away from the altar before the wedding vows. Gere is the reporter who travels to Hale, Maryland, to cover the woman's (Roberts) fourth attempt at marital bliss. Naturally she takes a disliking to him -- he is, after all, smearing her in a national paper -- and naturally they fall in love. Predictable and lightheaded, yet the Gere-Roberts chemistry still works, allowing audiences to have a feel-good time. Director: Garry Marshall. Stars: Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, Joan Cusack, Hector Elizondo, Rita Wilson, Laurie Metcalf, Paul Dooley. CC, (MPAA rating: PG, 116 min.), Comedy, 1999, Box office gross: $150.000 million, (Paramount), No SRP, Priced for rental, Available: 1/25, DVD: Day & Date. 13TH WARRIOR, THE A wild and woolly costume drama actioner set in the 10th century about Norse warriors who enlist an Arab poet (Antonio Banderas) to fight a marauding tribe of cannibals -- who dress, and fight, like bears -- threatening to wipe out a northern seaside village. Banderas has been banished from his homeland and travels north when he encounters the group of warriors. When the men are summoned to save the far-flung village, a fortune teller tells them they will fail unless they pick a foreigner as the 13th warrior. Banderas reluctantly joins the group, and quickly trades poetry for swordplay. There's plenty of blood, death and decapitations for diehard gore lovers. Director: John McTiernan. Stars: Antonio Banderas, Diane Venora, Dennis Storhoi, Vladimir Kulich, Omar Sharif. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 103 min.), Action, 1999, Box office gross: $31.972 million, (Buena Vista), No SRP, Priced for rental Available: 1/18, DVD: Day & Date. THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, THE More similar to 1999's "Entrapment" than a remake of the 1968 Steve McQueen-Faye Dunaway bank heist precursor, this slick, sophisticated thriller has Pierce Brosnan as an art thief who is being trailed by hotshot insurance investigator Rene Russo for the theft of a priceless Monet. She "knows" he's the culprit -- and tells him so -- and the film moves forward as she tries to get the painting back from him, by any means possible -- including romance. Unfortunately, Russo and Brosnan don't connect -- the chemistry's just not there -- so the film relies on fast pacing rather than its characters -- or story line -- for its punch. Director: John McTiernan. Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo, Denis leary, Faye Dunaway, Ben Gazzara, Frankie Faison. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 114 min.), Thriller, 1999, Box office gross: $67.993 million, (MGM), No SRP, Priced for rental, Available: 1/4, DVD: Day & Date. TWIN FALLS IDAHO Feature debut of the Polish brothers (Michael directed, Mark and Michael wrote, both star), about conjoined twins who travel to an unnamed city in search of their mother. Once there, they hire a prostitute, Penny (Michele Hicks), who, initially repulsed by the pair, gets involved in their lives and begins to see the humanity beneath their unusual exterior. One of the twins, Blake, is the stronger of the two, and it's his heart that keeps his brother living. When Penny and Blake fall in love, Blake must decide between dying with his brother or risking separation to be with her. A haunting and first-class debut. Director: Michael Polish. Stars: Michael Polish, Mark Polish, Michele Hicks, Lesley Ann Warren. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 110 min.), Drama, 1999, Box office gross: $0.975 million, (Columbia TriStar), No SRP, Priced for rental, Available: 1/18, DVD: Day & Date. WOOD, THE A trio of childhood best friends reminisce about their teen years in the Wood (Inglewood, Calif.) of the title in this impressive first outing by director-writer Rick Famuyiwa. Just hours before his wedding, Taye Diggs gets prenuptial jitters and flees to the home of his old high school sweetheart. Two of his pals (Omar Epps and Richard T. Jones) track him down and the three spend time flashing back to carefree high school days (cinematically represented by a needle landing on a spinning record). More intelligently rendered than most run-of-the-mill teen hormone flicks. Director: Rick Famuyiwa. Stars: Omar Epps, Taye Diggs, Richard T. Jones, Sean Nelson, Tamala Jones. CC, (MPAA rating: R, 106 min.), Comedy, 1999, Box office gross: $25.047 million, (Paramount), No SRP, Priced for rental, Available: 1/18, DVD: Day & Date. All films are screened using the DVD version, when available, on a reference Onkyo DV-S717 DVD player. | Contents/Site Map | Home | Resources | VidNews | KidVid | Calendar | Sell-Through | DVD | Reviews | E-mail: mail@onvideo.org © 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 OnVideo. All rights reserved December 15, 1999