Sequel After Sequel Lives Again In Video

Reviewing "Scarlett" last month, a Variety critic claimed that he'd finally had it with follow-up films.

"As God as my witness, I'll never watch sequels again," wrote Timothy M. Gray.

Moviegoers are feeling much the same way, as theater owners recently found out when they booked "My Girl 2," "Endless Summer II," "That's Entertainment III," "The Next Karate Kid," "City Slickers II," "White Fang 2" and "Beverly Hills Cop 3."

But there's always hope for a sequel on videocassette, where title familiarity can help promote a tape as much as a catchy box design or a marketable star. Even movies that barely played theaters are generating third and fourth installments in the straight-to-video market.

This month's list of sequels includes made-for-video continuations of "The Land Before Time," "Relentless," "Thunder in Paradise," "The Cage," "Fast Getaway" and Jim Varney's "Ernest" comedies. Coming in the new year: "Trancers 5: Sudden Death," two sequels to "Darkman" (one of which may open in theaters first) and the seventh feature-length episode in the "Police Academy" series.

Disney's "Return of Jafar" proved that a made-for-video cartoon sequel can sell millions of tapes. On Dec. 26, MCA Home Video will find out if the stunt can be repeated with the release of "The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure." The 74-minute film, featuring songs by the Roches, continues the adventures of the cuddly dinosaur, Littlefoot, from Don Bluth's 1988 theatrical hit.

Bluth was not involved in it or the two sequels that MCA is planning. "The Great Valley Adventure" is designed to sell for $20 per cassette, although the rest of the month's straight-to-video releases are rental-priced at $80 or more.

Lou Ferrigno plays a kidnapped muscleman and Reb Brown is his threatened pal in "Cage II . . . Arena of Death" (Dec. 14), a continuation of the 1989 Ferrigno/Brown movie, "The Cage." "Thunder in Paradise II" (Dec. 28) reteams Hulk Hogan and Chris Lemmon from last year's soldier-of-fortune adventure.

Varney plays Ernest P. Worrell again in "Ernest Goes to School" (Dec. 14), the sixth "Ernest" comedy and the first to make its debut on video. One semester shy of a high school diploma, Ernest must get one to keep his job as a Chippewa Falls school custodian. Two mad science teachers give him a brain boost.

"Relentless 4" (in stores now) stars Leo Rossi, who played married detective Sam Dietz in all three of the previous installments in this series, which started with a 1989 theatrical film featuring Judd Nelson as a serial killer. This time the villain is a beautiful psychiatrist who seduces Rossi. New Line Home Video claims the series has taken in $23 million to date from cassette rentals alone.

Mike Sedan's soft-core follow-up to his straight-to-video 1993 release, "Married People Single Sex 2: For Better or Worse" (Dec. 21), stars Playboy Playmate Kathy Shower. It will be released in an R-rated edition and an unrated version that runs two minutes longer. It's due Dec. 21, and so is "Fast Getaway II," starring Corey Haim as a bank robber and martial-arts star Cynthia Rothrock as his accomplice.

Sam Irvin's "Oblivion" (due Dec. 14), which was shown at this year's Seattle International Film Festival, is Part One of a campy science-fiction Western that was filmed in installments in Romania. Winner of a prize at last spring's Houston Film Festival, it stars Meg Foster, George Takei, Julie Newmar and Irvin regular Isaac Hayes. "Oblivion 2: Backlash" has already completed editing and will be released next year.

Also bypassing theaters:

"Eyes of an Angel." John Travolta is the star and Michael Douglas is the executive producer of this "exclusive video premiere" from Live Home Video. Travolta plays a down-and-out widower who tends an injured Doberman with his 10-year-old daughter (Ellie Raab).

"The Last Butterfly." Much-praised drama starring Tom Courtenay as a French mime forced by the Nazis to perform for propaganda purposes. This Czech-British production was filmed three years ago; its video release was inspired by the success of "Schindler's List." It features the last score composed by the late Alex North, who did the music for "Spartacus" and "Cleopatra" and created "Unchained Melody."

"Running Free." Coming-of-age story about a Seattle boy (Jesse Montgomery Sythe) whose journalist mother (Jayme Lee Misfeldt) takes him on a research trip. The first-time director is Steve Kroschel, who worked as an animal trainer on "Never Cry Wolf."

"The Desperate Trail." Turner Home Entertainment's first direct-to-video release is an R-rated Western starring Sam Elliott as a vengeful lawman and Linda Fiorentino as an outlaw he's escorting to her hanging.

"The Stoned Age." Originally intended for theatrical release, this R-rated comedy is set in late-1970s Southern California. Michael Kopelow and Bradford Tatum play suburban teenagers looking for a good time.

"Fortunes of War." Martin Sheen, who nearly died in the Philippines while making "Apocalypse Now," returned there to play a supporting role in this drama about the Thailand adventures of a disillusioned American relief worker (Matt Salinger) and his old friend (Dr. Haing S. Ngor).

"Getting In." Andrew McCarthy and Kristy Swanson, who both did time in the "Mannequin" comedies, are teamed in this R-rated tale of a series of murders at Johns Hopkins Medical School.

"Jack Be Nimble." Gothic horror film starring Alexis Arquette and Sarah Smuts-Kennedy as disturbed siblings whose mother's nervous breakdown led to their separation. The New York Times called it "a superior genre film that never loses its focus on childhood trauma and obsession."

"Direct Hit." R-rated thriller starring George Segal as a CIA chief and William Forsythe as the retiring assassin who used to work for him.

"Sherlock: Undercover Dog." Family comedy that sounds like a "Beethoven" wannabe. It's about two kids who team up with a police dog to capture a gang of klutzy smugglers during the boys' summer vacation on Catalina Island.

"Operation Golden Phoenix." Martial-arts thriller starring Jalal Merhi ("Tiger Claws"), Loren Avedon ("King of the Kickboxers") and James Hong ("The Shadow").

Video Watch by John Hartl appears Thursdays in Scene. For more information call the Video Hotline on InfoLine, a telephone information service of The Seattle Times. Call 464-2000 from a touch-tone phone and enter category 7369. It's a free local call.