FLICKS FILM & VIDEO FILE : Cutting Edge : ‘Edward Scissorhands’ almost snips its way to the top, but there is no clear video rental favorite.

Competition has been pretty tough locally for the top spot on the video rental list. There was no clear-cut winner, but the guy with all those scissors came pretty close. Here are the top five most popular videos at three local stores:

At Blockbuster Video in Port Hueneme: “Edward Scissorhands,” “Look Who’s Talking Too,” “GoodFellas” and, thanks to their recently released sequels, “Terminator” and “Naked Gun.”

At Giant Video in Santa Paula: “Kindergarten Cop,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “Three Men and a Little Lady,” “Look Who’s Talking Too” and “GoodFellas.”

And at Plaza Video in Ventura: “GoodFellas,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “Green Card,” “Kindergarten Cop” and “Predator II.”

The Ventura County Film Commission, still struggling to get off the ground, recently went through a nearly complete turnover of staff. Most notably, it now has a new second-in-command. Gone is Karen Wolfe as the main spokesperson and in her place is Michael Larroque.

What remains, however, is the commission’s goal of getting more film companies--and revenue--into the county.

On the subject of local film production, Port Hueneme may be breaking out of a slump. Brady Cherry, the city’s director of recreation and community development, said he got a call from a company interested in using the city’s pier. May not sound like big news, but Cherry said the city has seen remarkably little action over the past couple of years.

Ojai’s American Vedic Assn. is kicking off its summer program Saturday with Part 1 of the four-part video “Mahabharata.”

This saga, based on a 100,000-stanza Sanskrit poem, centers around feuding families in ancient India. As the promotional material describes it: “Come see how the wicked Duryodhana cheats his half brothers from the throne and then proceeds to throw the entire kingdom into the most devastating battle the world has ever known.”

Pretty heavy stuff--so heavy that a genealogical chart of the characters and an explanation of the story line will be handed out before the showing. Parts 2 through 4 will be shown later this month and in early August. The show begins at 7 p.m. outside the home at 687 Villanova Road, Ojai. Admission is free. For information, call 640-0405.