Scanlines
Pee-wee's Christmas Special
Fri., Dec. 20, 1996
VHS Home video
Calling this his "special Christmas special," Pee-wee Herman sets the Playhouse stage for festive fun and frolic as he celebrates Christmas with celebrity friends such as Cher and Magic Johnson. As with most episodes of Pee-wee's Playhouse this special is full of helpful tips, in this case geared toward the Christmas theme. Pee-wee reminds viewers to think over their gift choices carefully, and he dispels that nasty rule about cash at Christmas, claiming instead that cash is always a practical gift. Not one to discriminate, Pee-wee even includes a special Chanukah portion of the show. So crank up the air conditioner, throw on a scarf, and pop in Pee-wee's Christmas Special. And as Pee-wee says, "Watch out for that yellow snow." -- Alison Macor
 Toy Story |
Laserdisc
Encore Movies & Music, 8820 Burnet
Any doubts that computer animation could be elevated to the same artistic level as standard animation disappeared forever with the release of Disney's Toy Story. Although visually stunning, the animation is consistently structured to meet the needs of the storyline, which involves two competing toys, Buzz Lightyear and Woody the Cowboy. Hilarious, touching, and inventive, Toy Story holds up quite well to repeated viewing. Given how often kids will likely want to watch it, that's a quality many parents will appreciate.
-- Bud Simons
Kind Hearts and Coronets
D: Robert Hamer; with Dennis Price, Alec Guinness, Valerie Hobson, Joan
Greenwood, Miles Malleson, Arthur Lowe.VHS Home Video
Vulcan Video, 609 W. 29th
Wry, wry, wry. Though there are plenty of comedies such as this in which the characters hardly ever laugh, there are few whose lead character kills at least seven people, all of them family members. Dennis Price's performance as the wrongly disinherited heir to the Dukedom of Chalfont is the epitome of restraint as he inventively offs all the living obstacles to his right. Guinness inhabits all eight of these kinsmen, and each performance is a marvel of satire. Greenwood, a viper in finery, plays Sibella, a childhood mate and eventual lover of the potential heir: again, an all-too-brief marvel of satire. This 1949 Ealing comedy deftly overturns the concept of the English heritage film, although it does have the typical tragic element -- our would-be nobleman both pines for and destroys his eventual dukedom. Black, black, black.
-- Clay Smith
Remembering Anne Frank
D: Jon Blair; with voiceovers by Glenn Close.VHS Home Video
Waterloo Video, 1016 W. Sixth
Though the famous diary written in hiding from the Nazis has had many dramatizations, this documentary version exemplifies the effect Anne Frank had on the lives of the people around her, lending human quality to the detached voiceover we've come to associate with the timeless heroine. For instance, through interviews with one of her now aged school friends, we learn how much Anne wanted to be famous, of her incredible mischievousness, and that she made an impression (sometimes not altogether positive) on everyone she met. Beginning just before Hitler's reign, we see the Frank family and close friends as they move to Amsterdam and, eventually, to the attic rooms where eight people would stay in hiding until caught. Miep Gies, the German girl who visited the Franks daily with news and supplies, tells how she found the diary after the Nazi raid and kept it secret, even when Otto Frank returned after the war with no word of his children. And more unbelievable yet, she never read it while it was in her possession. Historical footage provides a sobering dose of reality -- the most shocking recollection of the Holocaust comes from an elderly man who feels he owes his survival to model father Otto Frank. He recalls a warmly dressed Nazi guard telling a group of barely clothed prisoners shivering in the snow, "They will never believe what we did to you people." Thankfully, Remembering Anne Frank won't let us forget. -- Jen Scoville
 WipeoutXL |
Psygnosis
One of the earliest "killer apps" for the PlayStation was Psygnosis' Wipeout, a futuristic racing game that was highly addictive, but way hard. The inevitable sequel has significantly better graphics (which is quite an accomplishment), and a lower level of difficulty that makes it considerably less frustrating for beginning players. There are a few down sides, however -- notably fewer breathtaking jumps and slightly inferior music. Although nice, the tunes of Wipeout XL don't hold a candle to the rave-up music from Wipeout. Still, Wipeout XL is a fabulous joyride and will certainly please gamers who loved the original. -- Bud Simons
