VIDEO . . . WHAT’S NEW : Murray’s Modern-Day Scrooge Reappears in Time for Holidays

THIS WEEK’S MOVIES

Your video store is being visited by the spirit of Christmas past--last Christmas’ “Scrooged,” to be precise.

This attempt at a hip, modern-day reworking of “A Christmas Carol” made $58 million at the box office and should bring Paramount a lot more money now that it has been released on tape (PG-13, no suggested list price).

If you’re a fan of star Bill Murray, however, prepare for a big disappointment. After failing to be humorously irreverent for most of its length, this mixed-up update clumsily tries to turn serious at the end. You’re better off waiting until Nov. 22, when a better Murray film, “Ghostbusters II,” comes out on cassette.

Two other recent bad comedies are recommended only to people who like their videos to look like sitcoms. “She’s Out of Control” (PG) stars Tony Danza as a widower worried over his teen-age daughter’s sexuality; “Loverboy” (PG-13) is about a pizza boy (Patrick Dempsey) who delivers more than pizza (ho-ho) to frustrated Beverly Hills wives. Both are $89.95 from RCA/Columbia.

For the more discerning, here are some more intelligent new video releases:

“The Prime of Miss Brodie” (CBS/Fox, $79.98, PG), the quietly moving 1969 film about an unusual Scottish schoolteacher (Maggie Smith, who won an Oscar for the role).

“Miss Firecracker” (HBO, $89.99, PG), the witty 1989 adaptation of a Beth Henley play about a beauty contest in a small Mississippi town. The first-rate cast includes Holly Hunter, Mary Steenburgen and Tim Robbins.

Three notable silent films from HBO: Buster Keaton’s great 1923 comedy “Our Hospitality,” the 1925 Rudolph Valentino epic, “The Eagle,” and a 1926 Harry Langdon comedy, “The Strong Man,” directed by Frank Capra ($39.99 each).

“Love Among the Ruins” (CBS/Fox, $59.98), the 1975 made-for-TV film about elderly romance starring Laurence Olivier and Katharine Hepburn and directed by George Cukor.

“After Pilkington” (CBS/Fox, $39.98), a darkly funny mystery made by the BBC (and shown here on the Arts & Entertainment cable network) that comes across like a dryly subtle twist on “Fatal Attraction.”