THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS:
LIVE FROM AUSTIN TEXAS
2006; DVD $19.95 each, UR
Three terrific new offerings from TV’s premier live-music showcase. First “The Sir Douglas Quintet” … what? You don’t remember “She’s About A Mover?” For shame! A rare treat for early indie rock fans. Next, songwriter Billy Joe Shaver showcases such honky-tonk hits as “I Been to Georgia on a Fast Train” and “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal.” Finally, the incomparable Willie Nelson is in top form for this 1990 performance — and it doesn’t have a clunker in the bunch. All three are highly recommended.
ON THE ROCK TRAIL
2006; DVD $6.95 each, UR
Three terrific new offerings from this low-budget rock-bio series featuring rare early performances, many filmed in small clubs around the world. The first focuses on classic David Bowie from his Ziggy Stardust/Aladdin Sane years. The second, “The Rolling Stones,” finds Mick and the boys to be well educated, middle-class lads before becoming the symbol of ’60s rebellion in Europe. And finally, “Queen” is captured in a full-tilt, balls-to-the-wall performance with the incomparable Freddie Mercury at the height of this prowess from a 1975 Christmas concert (rumored to be the first live performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody”).
B.T.K. KILLER
2005; DVD $26.95, R
A quickie, no-budget exploiter from no-budget horror vet Ulli Lommel (“Boogeyman”) based on the true story of the serial killer/father/husband/preacher who bound, tortured and killed women for 30 years in Wichita, Kan.
FLIGHT 93
2006; DVD $19.95, UR
Not to be confused with “United 93”; this is a no-budget made-for-Fox-TV quickie exploiter about the “fourth plane” of 9/11/01. It crashed into a strip mine outside of Shanksville, Penn., when passengers tried to wrest control from the hijacker. Most of them died. Very well made and disturbing.
HOODWINKED
2006; VHS Rental/DVD $29.95, PG
The latest animated CGI updating of a classic children’s fairytale (“Little Red Riding Hood”) that fails by confusing hip cultural references and pop voice talent as entertainment (see “Shark Tale”). A pain to sit through, but you’ll buy it anyway.
KANNAZUKI NO MIKO, VOL. 1: SOLAR PRIESTESS
2006; DVD $39.95, UR
While this is self-rated “16 and up,” it’s more mecha-and-panty shots than the graphic “18 and up” hentai-type animes. The epic tale of an eight-headed demon, returned to claim the Earth and all its souls, and a trio of 16-year-old girls who unwittingly hold the key to saving the universe. A real gem for fans of the genre.
LAST HOLIDAY
2006; VHS Rental/DVD $29.95, PG-13
Queen Latifah has a ball as the shy woman who discovers she only has weeks to live, so she takes out a bank loan to spend her final days living the glamorous life she’s always dreamed of. This is a remake of an Alec Guinness classic from 1950, but holds its own due to the loose, relaxed charm of its star and a fine cast featuring LL Cool J, Timothy Hutton, Alicia Witt and (shudder) Gerard Depardieu.
MOTOR HOME MASSACRE
2005; DVD $26.95, UR
A silly, no-budget gorefest about seven young adults on a vacation in a run-down RV. Big Dumb Fun.
NATHALIE
2003; DVD $29.95, UR
A delicate and slow, yet unpredictable romantic drama about a woman who hires a beautiful prostitute to seduce her philandering husband so she can keep an eye on him. But when the women develop a relationship, it surprises them both. In French with subtitles.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: IN THE WOMB
2005; DVD $19.95, UR
Possibly the best NG production ever! Cutting-edge technology takes you into the womb from the moment of conception to witness what can only be termed a nine-month miracle, culminating in the birth of a kicking, screaming, yellow-pooping projectile-vomiter destined to be in the next booth at Jerry’s when we’re trying to sober up. TV at its finest.
PLAN B
2001; DVD $19.95, R
There have been eight movies with this title since 1997, but this may be the best of the bunch. Diane Keaton plays a mousy bookkeeper who thinks she accidentally killed three mobsters. Her boss promotes her.
STEVE HARVEY: DON’T TRIP … HE AIN’T THROUGH WITH ME YET!
2006; DVD $19.95, UR
Steve drops his off-color material and plays it straight in this stand-up performance before a church congregation in the Phillips Arena in Atlanta. Possibly his best video ever.
SWARMED
2005; DVD $26.95, PG-13
Insanely stupid CGI Sci-Fi Channel fodder livened by “Stargate”’s Michael Shanks and leggy former supermodel Carol Alt. Genetically altered super-wasps attack a town’s annual BBQ festival, lead by good-old cowboy sponsor Tim Thomerson. Far more entertaining than their usual efforts.
THE FAMILY STONE
2005; VHS Rental/DVD $29.95, PG-13
Dermot Mulroney and Sarah Jessica Parker head this all-star “Meet the Fockers”-inspired dysfunctional-tribe silliness. With Claire Danes, Diane Keaton, Luke Wilson, Rachel McAdams and Craig T. Nelson. A good date flick; you’ve rented worse.
THE OMEGA FACTOR
1979; DVD $39.95, UR
The complete series, all 10 episodes on three discs, from one of the BBC’s most underrated supernatural dramas. “Dept. 7,” a secret branch of the government, keeps a watchful eye on otherworldly spookie-doin’s interfering with Her Majesty’s subjects.
THE WARRIOR
2005; DVD $29.95, R
A mega-hit in Europe, this is the first video release of this Hindi-language UK/French/German co-production. During the slaughter of a village in the Indian desert, a warrior leader has a mystical encounter with a young girl and drops his sword, vowing to never again take a human life. But his boss has other plans as the man and his son run to escape from his past.
WATER
1986; DVD $14.95, PG-13
A minor and all-but-forgotten comedy about a small Caribbean island under British rule that finds itself in the global spotlight when mineral water is discovered. Michael Caine leads a singular cast including Valerie Perrine, Brenda Vaccaro, Billy Connolly, Dennis Dugan, Jimmie “J.J.” Walker, Dick Shawn and Fred Gwynne.
OTHER DVDS OF INTEREST
BABY DOLL
1956; DVD $19.95, R/UR
FAT ALBERT AND THE COSBY KIDS, VOL. 3: THE ORIGINAL ANIMATED TV SERIES
2005; DVD $19.95, UR
KENNY ROGERS: LEGEND OF THE GAMBLER
1980; DVD $39.95, UR
KING OF THE HILL: SEASON 6
2004; DVD $39.95, UR
NOVA: THE MUMMY WHO WOULD BE KING
2006; DVD $19.95, UR
THE LONG, LONG TRAILER
1954; DVD $14.95, UR
A more complete listing and free vids at www.videotapeworm.com!
This article appears in April 24, 2006.