A weekly update of video releases


* BUD ABBOTT &amp; LOU COSTELLO MEET THE KILLER: BORIS KARLOFF - Boris Karloff was Hollywood's most famous monster-man, but he also had a sense of humor and even a gentle streak. Those qualities serve him well in this flyweight farce, where he portrays a turban-toting swami trying to keep a straight face while silliness and slapstick erupt all around him. Abbott plays a hotel detective trying to solve a bunch of murders that bellhop Costello has somehow gotten accused of committing. Alan Mowbray and Lenore Aubert are among the supporting players, and Charles T. Barton directed the frenetic but forgettable comedy. (MCA Universal Home Video)

* MY LIFE'S IN TURNAROUND - "Turnaround" is filmmaker-talk for the limbo-like status of a project that's stalled on its way to production. The guys who find themselves in this condition are two would-be auteurs so eager to embark on their first picture that they don't bother with details like a cast, a screenplay, or even an idea for the plot. They're played by Eric Schaeffer and Donald Lardner Ward, who also wrote, directed, and coproduced this second-rate "Wayne's World" clone. It's all quite flimsy, and the dialogue is needlessly vulgar at times, but the subject is amusing and the action is peppered with likable cameo performances by Phoebe Cates, Martha Plimpton, Casey Siemaszko, and John Sayles. (Arrow Video)

* THE PROFESSIONAL - When a family is wiped out by killers, a hit man who lives nearby takes a surviving little girl under his wing, protecting her from further harm and eventually helping her take revenge. This unsettling melodrama has a melancholy air that slightly reduces the nastiness of its violent outbursts, and Jean Reno gives his best performance to date as the title character, ably supported by Natalie Portman as the vengeful girl and Gary Oldman as a psychopathic cop. Squeamish spectators should approach with caution, though. Directed by Luc Besson, of "La Femme Nikita" fame. (R; Columbia TriStar Home Video)

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