Rovin' and Ravin'

-by Mike Segers -

-All rights reserved-

Videos for Valentine’s

Last week, we looked at the ways technology—specifically, computer technology—can contribute to your celebration of St. Valentine’s Day. This week, I want to share with you the way another technological advance can enrich your celebration of St. Val’s Day—videotapes.

I know you young’uns get tired of hearing this, but when I was your age, I actually had to go to a theater to see a movie. (There actually was a theater in Sylvester to go to.) I once knew a student of film history who kept a notebook of all the films he had seen; living in the suburbs of New York City, he would juggle work, love, and other such unimportant matters to catch, perhaps, a showing of a rare Mary Pickford film.

Now, things have changed. We can accumulate libraries of favorite films the way people who lived way back in the days of typewriters and eight-track tapes used to accumulate libraries of books. So, for Valentine’s Day, we can reach to the shelf—our own shelf, or the shelf at the nearby video store—and choose a favorite film to share with a favorite person.

This week, instead of my usual review of one new film, I’m giving you a bonus—a review of five films currently available on videotape, to rent, to purchase, to watch again and again. You probably have seen all of these, but, if not, perhaps you’ll give them a try, either to rent, own, or at least, enjoy…

This is one of those films that I’m scared to say too much about. It is as light and airy as a butterfly or as a lace doily cut into a Valentine heart. But, these are videos for Valentine’s Day. The film stars Hugh Grant in his pre-scandal days, but already his tousled bad-puppy look was a bit much. Andie MacDowell has never been lovelier than she is in this film, nor have many other women. Film historian Simon Callow gives the most memorable, although brief performance.

The title pretty well summarizes the film. A young man ventures through four weddings and a funeral, in the company of various women he has wronged. At every function, he encounters a lovely, exotic woman—an American!—and, do you want to make a guess about one wedding or other?

Sheer, frothy fun for the heart and the mind and eyes alike, it just may be the romantic comedy for people like me who do not like romantic comedies.

A psychiatrist for Valentine’s Day? Even a rather porpoise-shaped psychiatrist? Perhaps love is all about being crazy, and you may well be either crazy or in love by the time you sort out this messy but charming tale of a young man whose infatuation with a magazine pinup throws him into a state of mental unbalance or a state of grace.

Marlon Brandon waddles through the role of a psychiatrist who comes closer to a cure than his "patient," played by Johnny Depp with a lack of irony and shirt buttons. Faye Dunaway lends her quiet elegance to the proceedings as a woman whose husband’s renewed passion (pre-Viagra) is a cause as much for concern as celebration. Just remember, Valentine’s Day is a celebration of the heart, not the mind. Relax, enjoy, and after you see this film, you’ll never think of reaching for the popcorn in quite the same way.

This just might be the Gone with the Wind of a new generation. But, at least for me, it ruined Tom Hanks: he will always be Forrest… Forrest Gump. But, don’t let his superb performance distract you from Gary Sinese, who has the more interesting challenge. Forrest must be Forrest throughout, a person without a personality. He can’t see the forest for the trees. But Sinese has to be the cocky, obnoxious "Lieutenant Dan" (not that—according to my Military Advisor—Forrest would have called him that in real life) of the beginning of the film, the self-pitying drunk of the middle, and the triumphant, subtly cocky bridegroom of the film’s final minutes. And Robin (not Rovin’) Wright… bless her heart, she has the most thankless task anyone has had in many a year. She has to play the purely beloved (in real life, nice work if you can get it), the belovedly pure, even when she is stripping.

The special effects are dazzling in an almost undazzling way. A very intelligent friend of mine was convinced that two different actors played Lieutenant Dan, one in the first half of the film, another, legless, in the second half. And the music? Well, I have been criticized for using this word, but it’s boomer in spades.

Time to make a confession: this column is a product of my own world wide web of friends and contacts. As I was working on this collection of videos for Valentine’s Day, I sent frantic e-mails to several friends, asking for their input. One who obliged was a professor of English, now retired to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Since I did not ask her permission to quote her, I shall refer to her as the Deer, not just because she is a dear, but also because that gives me a pun on her surname in another language.

Anyway, the Deer went to the dogs and said that for romantic films, this one would always have her vote. How wonderful, I thought! Then, I began to do my usual research, noticed the year it was released, and was shocked to think that I saw it first in a theater. Of course, my parents have a photo of me wearing a Davy Crockett style coonskin cap. To change the subject, let me say that this would be worth the watch just to hear the elegant songs of the very elegant Miss Peggy Lee.

There is a story told of a small town reviewer who went to see a performance of Hamlet. Great, he said, but there are too many clichés. You know how we small town reviewers are. What can I say, but, "Here’s lookin’ at you, kid!"

Surely, surely you know what happens when a codependent drowns? Someone else's life flashes before his eyes! With two columns, the glories of the internet, and the video tapes of great films to get you started, if you have a miserable Valentine’s Day, just this once, I won’t feel responsible. At least till next time, keep your feet dry (but, maybe, for some of these videos, your eyes moist), and your heart full of sweet sentiments and noble thoughts.

Just a personal note: One night this week, as I logged on to check my e-mail, I was surprised to find a message from a friend who lives on Cape Cod. She was as delighted to tell me, as I was delighted to read, that if her four-year-old granddaughter could operate a computer, it was time for her to learn also! Happy Valentine’s Day, Barbara, and thanks for the inspiration!