‘Twister,’ ‘Fargo’ Good Flicks To Look Forward To On Video

It’s a slow week, what with the only new release in some stores being “Sometimes They Come Back… Again” (Vidmark), a sequel to a 1991 made-for-TV adaptation of a Stephen King story.

So let’s take a second to look at some of the more interesting soon-to-be-released products:

“The Hate” (PolyGram) - This French effort is supposedly out already, though it may be hard to find. It enjoyed only a limited theatrical release (and, of course, not in Spokane), but reviews lumped it into the controversial category. It involves a gang of Paris street kids and their war against authority. From 28-year-old writer-director Mathieu Kassovitz.

Sept 10: “The Truth About Cats & Dogs” (Twentieth Century Fox) - A guy falls in love with a woman who he thinks looks like Uma Thurman but who actually is Janeane Garafalo. The plot thickens.

Sept. 11: “Muppet Treasure Island” (Buena Vista) - Kermit, Miss Piggy and friends enliven the Robert Louis Stevenson adventure.

Sept. 17: “French Twist” (Buena Vista) - A flawed romantic comedy that stars Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton as former lovers and the always-watchable Kevin Kline as the French con man who complicates the plot.

Sept. 17: “Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy” (Paramount) - As most comedy troupes (SCTV, Monty Python, etc.), the Kids are an acquired taste. Here the quintet portrays dozens of characters in a comedy about a man who invents the better Prozac.

Sept. 17: “The Birdcage” (MGM/ UA) - If you like Nathan Lane, you may enjoy this cross-dressing comedy from Mike Nichols. Also starring, Robin Williams, Gene Hackman and Diane Wiest.

Sept. 24: “If Lucy Fell” - Writer-director Eric Schaeffer is a bit too cute for this slim little story about romance in New York City, but the presence of Sarah Jessica Parker nearly makes up for it.

Oct. 1: “Twister” (Warner) - Pure energy on the big screen, this summer blockbuster about tornado-chasers (played by Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt) should fare less well when compressed into an image small enough for your living room. The non-existent script just can’t make up for Jan De Bont’s visual thrills.

Oct. 1: “Fargo” (PolyGram) - In contrast to “Twister,” this Coen Brothers dark comedy shouldn’t lose much in transfer to the little screen. The bizarre story about a kidnapping gone wrong should still amuse some, irritate others.

Oct. 1: “Cemetery Man” (Twentieth Century Fox) - This weird little Italian-made film, which stars British star Rupert Everett as a cemetery caretaker who spends his free time killing vampires, is just the thing for a “Tales From the Crypt”-type night.

Oct. 1: “Mystery Science Theater 3000” (MCA/Universal) - Another limited theatrical release, this movie, which is based on the former Comedy Central program, should provide at least a bit of entertainment. The movie-within-a-movie: “This Island Earth.”

Oct. 22: “Beautiful Girls” (Buena Vista) - Two words: Uma Thurman.

Nov. 12: “Mission: Impossible” (Paramount) - Two words: Tom Cruise.

‘Chinatown’ redux

A reader, Charles T. Bowman of Spokane, takes issue with my recent comparison of Roman Polanski’s “Chinatown” and Lee Tamahori’s “Mulholland Falls.”

“It didn’t make a damn bit of sense comparing the two,” Bowman wrote.

Actually, his letter was a lot more polite than that line suggests. And he was nice while pointing out that I mistakenly identified Michael Masden as Tom Sizemore (“I get them two mixed up all the time, too!” he wrote). Thank you, Charles.

But as for it making no sense to compare the two, well…

Both movies are period pieces set in Los Angeles (“Chinatown” in the 1930s, “Mulholland Falls” in the 1950s). Both revolve around murder investigations that are connected to conspiracies involving highly placed persons (water rights and John Huston in “Chinatown,” atomic testing and John Malkovich in “Mulholland Falls”).

Both feature as protagonists men who investigate crime (Jack Nicholson as private eye J.J. Gittes, Nick Nolte as L.A. homicide detective Max Hoover). Both protagonists tend to take the law into their own hands.

Both films involve the protagonist in a vain love affair (Nicholson and Fay Dunaway, Nolte and both Jennifer Connelly and Melanie Griffith). Both films attempt to capture a film-noir sensibility whereby the individual, confronted by the powers to be, ends up squashed.

Both films strive to capture period atmosphere (snappy suits, snazzy cars, cigarette smoking). Both films have what most people would consider to be unhappy endings.

And so on. There are obvious differences, of course. A major subplot of “Mulholland Falls” involves the Hat Squad, a secret vigilante group that enforces laws that the courts let slide. But, all in all, the two are cut from the same basic celluloid spool.

Except, of course, that Polanski made a movie classic.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo