VIDEO

Rip It Up, Issue 129, 1 April 1988, Page 12

VIDEO

Straight to Hell (Palace) I’ve seen some dogs in my time, but this one is the ultimate bow-wow. If you thought Out of Africa was bad, take a look at this pile of selfindulgent shit. I don’t know what director Alex Cox was doing here, probably taking horse tranquillizer. It’s a bit like one of those vague French films, with lots of people staring into space and wondering what the hell is the meaning of life, and what the hell am I doing in this film? : The people staring here include Joe Strummer (don’t give up your day job, Joe), Grace Jones, a couple of Pogues, Dennis Hopper and Sly Richardson (who once appeared in an all-nude version of Cinderella, trivia fans). The film has got something to do with stolen money, coffee addiction, sexual tension and English people pretending to be Mexican. Cox wanted to make this minimalist western, like the great Leone, and chuck in a bit of surrealism to appeal to the art fans, a bit of humour (not much) and some violence. But to do this you need a thing called continuity, as in A then B, but hell — that’s too much to ask. ' An amazing cinematic mess. Kerry Buchanan House II (Premiere Video) So here we are, number two, a different house and a different story. Whereas numero uno had a few good ideas (the stuffed, but nasty, swordfish for one), t|jis is about as fascinating as toilet paper. Something to do with a skull that the powers of good have, and this real evil son of a bitch is real keen to get. The good guys include a pair of total losers and a dead guy who talks like Jed Clampett. The bad guy has a nice line in gunslinger clothes and the help of a prehistoric man who grunts and a flying dinosaur and a caterpillar that looks like a cabbage patch doll — terminal cuteness. Nothing much happens. I don’t like it. KB Something Wild (RCA Columbia) American cinema is littered with psychopaths and they always wear

good shoes. Now Ray Liotta plays this great crazy man in a black T-shirt and silver-tipped cowboy boots. This guy is the ex-husband of Lulu (Melanie Griffith), a wild woman who takes Charlie (Jeff Daniels) away from his yuppie lifestyle and into something wild. Director Deeme takes us on a journey across America, the land of highways, diners, petrol stations and liquor stores, and the people who live there.

Against this landscape is the relationship between Lulu and Charlie, first full of liberating fun, robbing liquor stores and getting handcuffed to beds. Then things get evil when Mr Ray makes his entrance. This is a great film — because of Deeme’s sensitive direction, the interaction between actors, the vision of America and the soundtrack with a great Hispanic version of ‘Wild Thing.’ Kerry Buchanan Wanted DOA (Roadshow) You can usually tell what sort of video you’ve got by the quality of the previews. I knew I had a good one when this thing called Rolling Vengeance came on. A renegade trucker flick and the ultimate big wheeler movie, rednecks, beer, women and the open road with dead people on it. American culture at it's best. Now the main event: a terrorist movie with Rutger Hauer as the good guy (Nick Randall) and Gene Simmons (yes, Gene baby from Kiss) as a very nasty piece of work called Makal Al Rahim, or as Rutger calls him, “Raghead.” Lots of violence, including Gene blowing up a theatre of fun-loving kids watching Rambo. The plot gets a bit involved, with the CIA doing a bit of double dealing which leads Robert Guilliaune (our very own Benson) to say “Next time you’re going to fuck me, kiss me first,” a classy line you must admit.

Of course, the evil terrorists get what’s coming to them in a stunning climax, with Gene Simmons getting a hand grenade in his dentures. Hey, it’s a class film but I reckon the renegade trucker thing looks more philosophically satisfying.

Kerry Buchanan