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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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