Suddenly the Choices Run the Gamut

After last week’s poor selection, the video cup runneth over this weekend. New tapes range from the thoughtful to the violent to the comedic.

“Awakenings” (RCA/Columbia, no list price, PG-13). Moving dramatization of Dr. Oliver Sacks’ account of his work with patients suffering from a neurological disease. Directed by Penny Marshall, the film stars Robin Williams as the physician and Robert De Niro as a patient who comes out of a near-catatonic state after being treated with an experimental drug.

“New Jack City” (Warner, $92.99, R). One of the most successful ($44-million gross) of the 1991 films by black directors, this violent drama follows the rise and fall of a New York City drug lord. Directed by Mario Van Peebles, the movie features Wesley Snipes, Judd Nelson, rapper Ice-T and a best-selling soundtrack.

“He Said, She Said” (Paramount, no list price, PG-13) is a humorous examination of a romance, told from both sides. Starring Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth Perkins, the film is divided between Ken Swapis and Marisa Silver.

“King Ralph” (MCA/Universal, no list price, PG). Passable slapstick brightened by the performance of “Roseanne’s” John Goodman as an American lounge singer who suddenly finds himself the heir to the British throne.

“Psycho IV: The Beginning” (MCA/Universal, $79.95, R). If you were hoping for “The End,” no such luck. The periodically institutionalized Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) has become a horror-flick institution.

“Paris Trout” (Media, $89.98, R). Dennis Hopper stars in this harrowing adaptation of Pete Dexter’s novel about weird folks and happenings in a Southern town.

“Eve of Destruction” (Nelson, no list price, R). Thriller about a murderous android.