‘Help’ Is on the Way; Just the Ticket for Beatles Fans; : ‘Echo Park,’ ‘Blue City’: Offbeat, but Mainstream Stars

Though it’s hard to believe, the Beatles’ “Help!”--released in 1965--has never been available on home video. But that will change Jan. 28, its release date on MPI. Gussied up with a digitalized stereo sound track, it will sell for $69.95. “Ticket to Ride” and “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” are among the songs in this movie, in which the Fab Four are hunted by factions who covet Ringo’s ruby ring.

“A Hard Day’s Night,” marketed 18 months ago by MPI, is being rereleased the same day at $39.95--$30 less than the original price. Made a year earlier than “Help!” and in black and white, “Night” is a much better movie, boasting what’s considered the best of all the rock-movie sound tracks. Richard Lester directed both films and many movie historians regard “A Hard Day’s Night” as the pinnacle of his career.

NEW RELEASES: Paramount’s “Echo Park” is a low-key character study of some struggling young singles seeking fame and love in Los Angeles. Starring Susan Dey and Tom Hulce, it’s for those who covet interesting, arty movies. Some critics liked it, praising the atmosphere and the performances. But so far both movie and home-video audiences have been indifferent to it.

If you don’t mind seeing teen favorites Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy in a crime drama, then you might like “Blue City.” Though many critics panned it, fans of the genre like it--apparently because of its pace and feel--and in spite of the stars.

Out this week: Vestron’s controversial “Desert Hearts,” about a romantic entanglement between two women, played by Helen Shaver and Patricia Charbonneau, in Reno in the late ‘50s. Also New World’s “Making Contact,” largely overlooked by the general audience but a favorite of fans of movies about the supernatural. At the core of this cleverly plotted tale are toys that are sinister and villainous.

Two noteworthy documentaries are out this week: “Secrets of the Titanic” (Vestron, $29.95) and “The Mystery of Picasso” (Vestron, $69.95), which shows Pablo Picasso creating works of art exclusively for this 1955 film.

Out next week: Karl-Lorimar’s “Maximum Overdrive,” starring Emilio Estevez and directed by novelist Stephen King, and Media’s “Invaders From Mars,” a remake of the 1953 B-movie sci-fi classic.

UPCOMING MOVIES: February’s big home-video release--on Feb. 26 on CBS-Fox--will be “Aliens,” the sci-fi/horror shocker that was one of this year’s biggest hits. This will be one of the first cassettes marketed at the new $99.98 price tag, that may become the industry standard for major movies by midyear. Because of the higher price, sales to customers will certainly drop. Most likely rental prices will rise slightly but legions of fans will be eager to rent this crowd-pleasing blockbuster anyway.

That final week in February will be a busy one in video stores. On Feb. 24 Touchstone is releasing “Ruthless People,” starring Bette Midler and Danny DeVito. This comedy about a riotous kidnaping was a huge success, instantly turning DeVito into big box office.

Because he’s so popular now, “Wise Guys,” a CBS-Fox release due Jan. 29, should do good business in the home-video market. Audiences and most critics were lukewarm toward this comedy, about the misadventures of two petty gangsters played by DeVito and Joe Piscopo; consensus was that director Brian De Palma, best known for his gory thrillers, should stick to thrillers.

Another CBS-Fox sci-fi/horror hit, “The Fly,” will swoop into the stores March 26, also at $99.98. This grisly thriller will be one of the dominant April movies. Jeff Goldblum stars as the scientist who accidentally turns himself into a fly.

Paramount is releasing “Extremities” Jan. 21. It’s about a victim (Farrah Fawcett) who turns the tables on an attacker. Too unnerving for many movie fans, it did just modest box-office business. If Fawcett gets an Oscar nomination, this could be a big rental hit.

“Psycho III,” an MCA release due Feb. 5, was directed by Anthony Perkins, who again plays Norman Bates, one of the most famous weirdos in movie history. Rather than trying to match Hitchcock’s chilling original, the sequels have been good, old-fashioned B-picture horror fun.

NOT YET ON VIDEOCASSETTE: People often write VideoLog to find out whether certain old films are available on videocassette. This column will occasionally mention some not yet available on home video for the benefit of other readers who may want to know about the same movies. Following are two not yet out:

“The Sweet Smell of Success” (1957), starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis. About a collaboration between evil columnist J. J. Hunsecker (Lancaster) and unscrupulous press agent Sidney Falco (Curtis). Arguably the best movie about a Walter Winchell-type columnist.

“The Manchurian Candidate” (1962), starring Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey, an adaptation of Richard Condon’s novel about a cleverly planned political assassination. Many regard this provocative thriller as director John Frankenheimer’s finest work.

WHAT’S HOT: The release of “Star Trek IV” has stirred up the Trekkies. It’s apparently making them yearn to see the first three movies in the series. That’s why Paramount is shrewdly offering the oldies at a considerably reduced price--$19.95. On the Billboard sales chart, “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” is No. 10, “Star Trek II” is No. 8 and “Star Trek III,” No. 21.

CHARTS (Compiled by Billboard magazine) TOP VIDEOCASSETTES, SALES 1--”Sleeping Beauty” (Disney).

2--”Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (Paramount).

3--”White Christmas” (Paramount).

4--”Jane Fonda’s Low Impact Aerobic Workout” (Karl-Lorimar).

5--”Raiders of the Lost Ark” (Paramount).

6--”Jane Fonda’s New Workout” (Karl-Lorimar).

7--”The Sound of Music” (CBS-Fox).

8--”Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” (Paramount).

9--”Witness” (Paramount).

10--”Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (Paramount).

TOP VIDEOCASSETTES, RENTALS 1--”Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (Paramount).

2--”Cobra” (Warner).

3--”Raw Deal” (HBO/Cannon).

4--”Short Circuit” (CBS-Fox).

5--”Down and Out in Beverly Hills” (Touchstone).

6--”Poltergeist II: The Other Side” (MGM/UA).

7--”SpaceCamp” (Vestron).

8--”The Money Pit” (MCA).

9--”9 1/2 Weeks” MGM-UA).

10--”Out of Africa” (MCA).