TURN-ONS AND TURN-OFFS IN CURRENT HOME ENTERTAINMENT RELEASES : Excellent Good Fair Poor : VIDEOCASSETTES

“Einsturzende Neubauten and Friends.” Research/Dossier. $33 (VHS only). Shot in 1984 at two of the German group’s California concerts, this 25-minute video offers neither the insight nor the panoramic view needed to appreciate Neubauten’s industrial rock/art. The band’s cacophonous shows can be compelling, ritualistic rites that focus on a somewhat bizarre mix of noise (a lot of grinding and hammering on assorted objects) and vocalist Blixa Bargeld’s frantically impassioned cries. But this rather random production turns a potentially rousing experience into a series of stagnant or aimless camera shots that wander clumsily around Neubauten’s crew of deconstruction workers. The video also occasionally cuts to staged scenes involving blood and/or violence. Not a good idea. Information: (213) 662-3304. 1/2