If You Can’t Find It, Chances Are This Georgia-Based Company Can
As has been proven to me over the past few weeks, some favorite video views are hard to find.
I’m still getting calls from people who have copies of, have seen privately taped versions of or even just have heard of the four “Billy Jack” movies.
I do what I can with such requests, and I don’t charge a thing for it - aside from the money that readers put out for the newspaper itself. But if you want a real professional to do your searching for you, you might consider A Million and One WorldWide Video.
This Orchard Hill, Ga.-based company specializes in ferreting out films that vary greatly as to how hard they may be to find. That includes videos that are “on moratorium, out-of-print, sold-out or active new releases.”
As company president Barbara Lambert says, “We’re video detectives. We buy, sell, trade, rent, broker and auction every title in the world.”
Million and One doesn’t charge for services, but the company won’t begin a search unless you contract to buy the video once it’s been located. If what you want can’t be found, you pay nothing. But Lambert claims a success rate of 95 percent.
To make an order, call (800) 849-7309.
Dolores Claiborne
***
Stephen King’s sense of melodrama is, as always, predictable to a fault.
Here it involves a “hard as stone” woman, the title character portrayed by Kathy Bates, who is suspected of murdering her long-time employer. Dolores’ case is complicated by the suspicions of the chief investigator (Christopher Plummer) that, years before, she also killed her husband (David Strathairn). The situation is complicated by her daughter (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a troubled woman who harbors a long-held grudge against her mother.
Director Taylor Hackford succeeds in raising King’s story above the author’s typical fare, giving it a sense of real-life horror that is far more compelling than the author’s regular closet full of spooks. And Bates deserves credit for pulling off a performance that has far more nuances than her Oscar-winning turn in “Misery.” Rated R.
Strawberry and Chocolate
***
As Cuba’s first official entry to the Oscar competition, this film - co-directed by Tomas Gutierrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabio - is a strange animal: It involves the struggle of a gay man (Jorge Perugorria) to express himself artistically in a most macho Marxist regime. At the same time, it involves the growing attitude of tolerance in a stalwart young communist (Vladimir Cruz).
The script is a bit thin, but Perugorria’s performance is terrific. And the fact that such a statement against revolutionary singlemindedness was approved by the Cuban government is ironic indeed. Rated R.
Crimson Tide
**-1/2
Testosterone-heavy in the same kind of military way that “A Few Good Men” explored, this Tony Scott film involves the personal struggle between the combative captain of a nuclear submarine (Gene Hackman) and his equally capable executive officer (Denzel Washington).
Their fight is set against the backdrop of a Russian rebellion, which potentially could become a nuclear threat.
Scott keeps things proceeding smoothly, churning up a bit of deep-sea excitement along the way, but there’s not much of a payoff in the end. Rated R.
Short takes
“Free Willy 2” - This time the killer whale has three little humans to love.
“Cold Blooded” - Jason Priestly (“Beverly Hills 90210”) is a neophyte hitman who loves his work.
, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: What’s new to view Now available: “Crimson Tide” (Buena Vista), “Dolores Claiborne” (Columbia TriStar), “Fall Time” (LIVE), “Free Willy 2” (Warner). “Cold Blooded” (Polygram), “The Infiltrator” (HBO), “Death Machine” (Vidmark), “Strawberry and Chocolate” (Miramax), “Xtro: Watch the Skies” (Triboro). Available on Tuesday: “Apollo 13” (MCA/Universal), “Congo” (Paramount), “Fluke” (MGM/UA), “Johnny Mnemonic” (Columbia TriStar), “Power Rangers: The Movie” (TWT). Available Nov. 28: “Forget Paris” (Columbia TriStar).