Although it’s customary for laser discs to be padded with “extras” like outtakes and cast interviews, videos rarely hold the same spoils. But that’s beginning to change.
“Oliver Stone Presents Natural Born Killers Director’s Cut” (1994/96, Vidmark, No MPAA rating, $29.99) is one of a handful of special-edition videos on the way. The controversial movie will be available in both letter-boxed and pan-and-scan editions. Pioneer is readying a three-disc laser set ($110) for release later this month.
Regardless of what Stone says in his brief introduction, the three-minute-longer, unrated edition of “NBK” is basically the same violent melodrama as the R-rated theatrical version. Sure, more than 150 cuts have been restored, but after 90 minutes, carnage is carnage.
What makes this two-tape collection worthwhile is its fascinating making-of documentary and the 28 minutes of outtakes, including scenes with Ashley Judd, Steven Wright and Denis Leary. There’s even an alternate ending in which Arliss Howard guns down the sharpshooter lovers (Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis) as coldly as they’ve killed others.
Another tape boasting valuable extras is “Helen of Troy” (1955, Warner, No MPAA rating, $19.99), a restored (and letter-boxed) version of Robert Wise’s epic. Included are three behind-the-scenes featurettes. On Sept. 10, “Seven” (1995, New Line, R, $19.99) arrives in a letter-boxed edition, with a 10-minute making-of documentary. On the same day, Roland “ID4” Emmerich’s “StarGate Special Edition” (1994, LIVE, PG-13, $19.98) lands with nine additional minutes of restored footage.
* “Diabolique” (1995, Warner Bros., R, $102): The wife (Isabelle Adjani) and mistress (Sharon Stone) of an abusive schoolteacher (Chazz Palminteri) team up to plot the scoundrel’s demise in a remake of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s classic 1955 thriller. Okay, so this version isn’t as Hitchcockian as the original, but the chain-smoking, jungle-print-wearing, bon-mot-tossing Stone has rarely been better.
* “Othello” (1995, Columbia TriStar, R, $102): Kenneth Branagh plays Iago to Laurence Fishburne’s Othello in the latest adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy of passion and jealousy. Unlike the recent “Richard III” starring Ian McKellen, this translation is less cinematic than it could have been, making it an inoffensive, unremarkable effort.
* “City Hall” (1995, Columbia TriStar, R, $102): In Harold Becker’s complicated tale of inner-city corruption and greed, Al Pacino (as the mayor) indulges his passion for over-acting. Much better are John Cusack as Hizzoner’s executive assistant, Danny Aiello as a compromised politico and Tony Franciosa as a crime boss.
* “Angels and Insects” (1995, Evergreen, R, $102): A Victorian curiosity about an entomologist (Mark Rylance) who marries the woman of his dreams (Patsy Kensit) only to find himself facing a hornets’ nest of troubles.
* “Cracker” (1995, A&E;, No MPAA rating, $19.95): Fans of “Prime Suspect” should track down this crackerjack police procedural starring Robbie Coltrane as Manchester’s most politically incorrect criminal psychologist. As the serial-killing psycho, Robert Carlyle (Begbie of “Trainspotting”) is riveting. Highly recommended.
* “Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco” (1995, Buena Vista, G, $22.99): While en route to a vacation in the Canadian Rockies, a cat and two dogs get separated from their owners. Featuring the voices of Sally Field, Michael J. Fox and Ralph Waite.
* “The Wooden Man’s Bride” (1995, Evergreen, No MPPA rating, $102): Huang Jianxin’s atypically fast-paced drama from China follows a young peasant as he falls in love with the bride he’s assigned to deliver to her pre-arranged groom. As with Zhang Yimou’s “Raise the Red Lantern” and “Ju Duo,” this historical entry seems both modern and timeless.
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VIDEOCASSETTE RENTALS
Here are the most popular videocassette rentals listed in the Aug. 2 issue of Video Business magazine:
1. “12 Monkeys”
2. “Broken Arrow”
3. “Happy Gilmore”
4. “Mr. Holland’s Opus”
5. “Eye for an Eye”
6. “Rumble in the Bronx”
7. “The Juror”
8. “Dead Man Walking”
9. “Heat”
10. “Father of the Bride II”
