* This video supplier does not set suggested retail prices on titles it deems primarily for rental.
THE FAVOR, THE WATCH AND THE VERY BIG FISH * * 1/2 (1992) (Vidmark) $92.95. 88 minutes. Bob Hoskins, Jeff Goldblum, Natasha Richardson, Michel Blanc. Any movie that casts Hoskins as a virginal Frenchman and Goldblum as a man convinced that he is Jesus Christ clearly takes risks. But he who dares doesn't really win in this ungainly blend of satire and whimsy - one partially redeemed by the splendid, straight-faced playing of the leads. R (profanity). Available on videodisc.
WHITE SANDS * * (1992) (Warner) $94.99. 101 minutes. Willem Dafoe, Mickey Rourke, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Director Roger Donaldson exposes dark film noir conventions to the blinding glare of the New Mexico desert in this muddled tale of a cop on the trail of arms traffickers. Dracula had an easier time in the sunlight. R (sex, violence, profanity). Available on videodisc.
ERNEST SCARED STUPID * (1991) (Touchstone) $94.95. 93 minutes. Jim Varney, Eartha Kitt. In his fourth and easily most stupid misadventure, Ernest opens the film lying in a heap of garbage. It's more than you usually get in the way of fair warning from Hollywood that what follows is recycled trash. Some of the horror film spoofing is on the scary side for younger kids. PG.
RECENT MOVIES
CAN IT BE LOVE (1992) (Academy) $89.95. 90 minutes. Richard Beaumont, Maryanne Mixon, Jennifer Langdon, Blake Pickett. Lowbrow adventure of college buddies on spring break who quickly lose their valuables, but are then offered a special opportunity by a beautiful private investigator. R.
FATAL INSTINCT (1992) (New Line) $89.95. 93 minutes. Michael Madsen, Laura Johnson. Thriller: Madsen stars as a maverick cop investigating a murder who finds himself becoming sexually obsessed with the woman who is the most likely
suspect. Sound familiar? R (an unrated version, which runs 95 minutes, is also available).
VINTAGE FILMS
DRACULA (SPANISH VERSION) (1931) (MCA/Universal) $14.98. 104 minutes. Carlos Villarias, Lupita Tovar. Horror: The recently rediscovered Spanish- language version of Bram Stoker's novel, made at the same time as the Bela Lugosi classic and using the same sets and script. In Spanish with English subtitles.
DRACULA'S DAUGHTER (1936) (MCA/Universal) $14.98. 71 minutes. Gloria Holden, Otto Kruger, Edward Van Sloan, Nan Grey. Horror: Van Sloan is the intrepid Dr. von Helsing, accused of murder in the death of Count Dracula, but still on the trail of vampires, especially an elusive Transylvanian countess.
THE HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944) (MCA/Universal) $14.98. 71 minutes. Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, Elena Verdugo. Karloff stars as a deranged scientist who escapes from prison and manages to revive Count Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and the Wolf Man.
THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS (1940) (MCA/Universal) $14.98. 82 minutes. Vincent Price, Cedric Hardwicke, John Sutton, Nan Grey. Price plays a man, unjustly accused of murder, who is given an invisibility serum by a sympathetic doctor. Can he track down the real killer before the serum drives him mad? The special effects in this sequel to The Invisible Man won an Oscar.
THE MUMMY'S HAND (1940) (MCA/Universal) $14.98. 70 minutes. Dick Foran, Wallace Ford, Peggy Moran, George Zucco. Horror: An archaeological expedition discovers a live - and murderous - mummy inside an Egyptian tomb.
MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1932) (MCA/Universal) $14.98. 61 minutes. Bela Lugosi, Sidney Fox, Leon Ames, Arlene Francis. Lugosi stars as a crazed scientist searching Paris for the right woman on whom to perform unspeakable experiments. Based on the Edgar Allan Poe story.
THE TOWER OF LONDON (1939) (MCA/Universal) $14.95. 93 minutes. Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Ian Hunter, Vincent Price. Rathbone stars as the scheming King Richard III of England, who, with the help of henchman Karloff, terrorizes his subjects.
TRADER HORNEE (1970) (Central Park) $29.95. 82 minutes. Buddy Pantsari, Elizabeth Monica. Low-budget, lowbrow spoof of jungle movies from Tarzan to King Kong. R.
WEREWOLF OF LONDON (1935) (MCA/Universal) $14.95. 75 minutes. Henry Hull, Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson, Spring Byington. When botanist Hull travels to Tibet to find a special flower, he's attacked by werewolves.
MUSIC AND DANCE
BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO. 6 ("PASTORAL") (1992) (VIEW) $19.97. 51 minutes. The National Orchestra of Lille performs the famous work, conducted by Jean- Claude Casadesus. To order, call 800-843-9843.
BRAHMS PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1 (1992) (VIEW) $19.97. 49 minutes. The National Orchestra of Lille performs the work, conducted by Jean-Claude Casadesus, with pianist Jean-Bernard Pommier. To order, call 800-843-9843.
ELTON JOHN - LIVE (1992) (Atlantic) $24.98. 120 minutes. The singer- songwriter performs in Barcelona, Spain. Songs include "Daniel," "Tiny Dancer" and "I'm Still Standing." Available on videodisc.
MAKING OPERA: THE CREATION OF VERDI'S "LA FORZA DEL DESTINO" (1992) (VIEW) $29.97. 88 minutes. A look behind the scenes and into the creative process as Canadian Opera Company takes on this operatic work. To order, call 800-843-9843.
SPORTS
THE 1992 AMERICA'S CUP (1992) (ESPN) $24.99. 105 minutes. Veteran yachtsman Gary Jobson narrates this look at the most recent episode of the "World Series of sailing."
DOCUMENTARY
EXPEDITION EARTH (1992) (ESPN) $14.99 each. 48 minutes each. Six titles
from the series in which adventurers explore remote locations. Individual titles are Africa's Cats: Fight for Life, Bio Bio: Lost River of the Mapuche, Himalayas: Kingdom of the Sherpa, Sharks: Predators in Peril, Soviet Union: Rafting to Freedom and Timbuktu: Off the Wall.
BENNETT MARINE VIDEO has released its next series of outdoors and sports videos. Individual episodes are Alaska's Great Race: The Susan Butcher Story ($24.95, 60 minutes), Blue Water Hunters ($29.95, 60 minutes), Night Diving ($29.95, 44 minutes) and Three Flags Over Everest ($29.95, 60 minutes). Also from Bennett: Storm From the Sea ($29.95, 60 minutes), a look at Operation Desert Storm. To order, call 310-821-3329.
OTHER
WANNA-BE'S (1992) (Central Park) $34.95. 45 minutes. Adult-oriented Japanese animation about the adventures of a pair of novice female wrestlers.
MARKDOWNS
MCA/UNIVERSAL HOME VIDEO has reduced these videos to $14.98 each: The Black Cat (* * * * '34), Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (* * * * '42), The Raven (* * * * '35), and Son of Frankenstein (* * * * '39).
COMING NEXT WEEK
Christine Lahti and Meg Tilly in LEAVING NORMAL.
Stars:
* * * * Excellent
* * * Good
* * Fair
* Poor
(Videos with no stars were not reviewed by The Inquirer.)
MPAA ratings: Motion Picture Association of America ratings are included for all titles that received them. If the title was reviewed by The Inquirer, further parental warnings (violence, nudity, etc.) are included.
FOR CHILDREN
They're back! They're wacky! They're Alvin, Theodore and Simon: The Chipmunks. And they're this week's best bet in the world of children's video.
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS (1992) (Buena Vista) $12.99 each. 25 minutes each. Six videos featuring the animated adventures of that mischievous trio and their long-suffering manager, David Seville. Individual titles are Back to Alvin's Future; Batmunk; A Chipmunk Christmas; Funny, We Shrunk the Adults; Kong! and Rockin' With the Chipmunks.
ALSO FOR CHILDREN
ADVENTURES IN DINOSAUR CITY (1992) (Republic) $89.98. 88 minutes. Omri Katz, Shawn Hoffman, Tiffanie Poston, Pete Koch, Megan Hughes. Three teens get zapped back to the Stone Age and soon find themselves joining a crime-fighting tyrannosaurus named Rex in his quest to find the power cell that will save Saur City. PG. Available on videodisc.
