Video Reviews and News : MORE NEW RELEASES : Movies

Box office smash “Three Men and a Baby” (Touchstone, $89.95, PG) makes its way to videocassette this weekend. The Leonard Nimoy-directed remake of the French comedy “Three Men and a Cradle” stars Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson.

It’s a great week for lovers of classic ‘50s American movies, thanks to MGM/UA. Besides “The Bad and the Beautiful” (reviewed above), the company has also just released these, all at $29.95: “The Sweet Smell of Success” (1957), a gritty portrayal of a gossip columnist’s world, starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis; “Some Came Running” (1958), another of Minnelli’s dramatic works, even though the cast (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Shirley MacLaine) makes it sound like a musical; “Bad Day at Black Rock” (1954), a tense Western directed by John Sturges and starring Spencer Tracy; plus two notable Robert Wise-directed dramas--”Somebody Up There Likes Me” (1956) with Paul Newman as boxer Rocky Graziano, and “Executive Suite” (1954) with William Holden and Barbara Stanwyck.

Other films new to video: “Colors” (Orion, $89.98, R), the controversial police vs. gang picture starring Robert Duvall and Sean Penn (the video contains seven minutes not in the theatrical version); “Stand and Deliver” (Warner, $89.95, PG), which dramatizes the real-life story of an East L.A. teacher’s unusual way of motivating his math class.

Other Videos

Dodger fans can celebrate all over again by watching “The Official 1988 World Series Video” (CBS/Fox, $19.98), an hour of highlights narrated by NBC’s Bob Costas. For those who prefer the links to the stadium, there’s “Chi Chi’s Bag of Tricks” (CBS/Fox, 49.98), an hour of golf tips from Chi Chi Rodriguez.

Latest hot novelty video: “Can’t Sleep? Count Our Sheep” (Creative Consultants, $19.95), in which said sheep--actual ones, not animated--jump a fence in real time and slow motion for 58 minutes (actually, it’s the same one or two sheep, edited to look like many). This is one tape we can call a yawner and mean it as a compliment. Information: (415) 776-2743.