DVD REVIEWS OF NEW RELEASES A TRULY HELLISH DOUBLE FEATURE.

Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor

You know that any week that brings you ``Hellboy'' and ``Showgirls'' must mean you're on the road to perdition. But the dark Tom Hanks film of that title was better than either the story of a demon raised to be a superhero or the tawdry tale of a would-be ``serious'' dancer who finds that fame in Vegas means never having to put your clothes on.

The two films have in common a certain silly panache. ``Hellboy,'' which was released earlier this year, is directed by Guillermo del Torro (``Blade II,'' ``Mimic'') and adapted from the cult comic.

Our hero is played by Ron Perlman, made up as a red, barrel-chested devil who sands down his horns to try to fit in and who loves cigars and pancakes. He works for a secret branch of the FBI, under the direction of occultologist Trevor Bruttenholm (John Hurt), that battles bad demons. Bruttenholm found ``Hellboy'' some 60 years before as an imp.

You don't have to know any more of the plot, and yes, in demon terms, Hellboy is a young man. He also has a crush on lovely Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), another member of the team, who is prone to depression and - being pyro-kinetic - will burst into flames in stressful moments.

As far as comic adaptations go, ``Hellboy'' is formulaic but clever enough to know it. And while it relies heavily on CGI to tell the story, it slows the action down enough to give the 'boy some character.

The two-disc DVD set also is smart enough not to take itself seriously, and extras - way too many for many of us - are presented in a fun way.

Paul Verhoeven has made a lot of better films (most of them done in Europe) than the 1995 ``Showgirls,'' which was scripted by the notorious Joe Eszterhas (``Flashdance,'' ``Basic Instinct'').

The DVD is in a ``V.I.P.'' edition for no other reason than to capitalize on the film's status as something of a trashy camp classic. Extras include a five-minute lap-dance tutorial and a tongue-in-cheek commentary extolling the high art of the film.

Believe me, between the really, really bad dialogue and the inadvertent comedy routines, you need jokes to watch this movie.

One sex scene has our intrepid showgirl - played by Elizabeth Berkley - flopping around like a fish out of water. Erotic? Maybe if you're a flounder.

If you're not easily offended - the film is rated NC-17 - and have or know somebody with a trashy, catty sense of humor, ``Showgirls'' is perfect fodder. If you're looking for steam - try a subway grate.

``Hellboy'' (Columbia; $28.96) includes commentary by del Toro and co-executive producer Mike Mignola; commentary by Perlman, Blair, Rupert Evans and Jeffrey Tambor; new DVD comics; 27 brief documentaries and three deleted scenes with optional commentary on two discs.

``Showgirls - VIP Limited Edition'' (MGM; $39.98) includes mock commentary, lap-dance tutorial, pop-up trivia track, ``Showgirls'' shot glasses, ``Pin the Pasties on the Showgirl'' game with pasties and blindfold, deck of ``Showgirls'' cards and Elizabeth Berkley photo series.

`Pennies From Heaven'

`Pennies From Heaven'' began as a 1978 British miniseries written by Dennis Potter and starring Bob Hoskins before becoming a 1981 American film directed by Herbert Ross and starring Steve Martin.

The story involves Arthur, a small-time sheet-music salesman in the 1930s, who longs for the romantic world he hears in popular songs. Like another of Potter's creations, ``The Singing Detective,'' scenes often carom between gritty reality and the fantasy world in Arthur's head, with characters lip-syncing and dancing to pop songs of the era. When innocent Arthur becomes a suspect in a particularly brutal murder, events take a sinister and perverse turn. The talented Hoskins brilliantly conveys all of Arthur's confusion and frustration.

Ross' film version three years later did poorly at the box office but was adventurously filmed. Production numbers looked like they came from a Busby Berkeley musical, and the title scene - the song ``Pennies From Heaven'' - begins as Edward Hopper's famed painting ``Nighthawks at the Diner'' comes to life. Though audiences then had trouble accepting him in such a dark role, Martin was quite good as Arthur and Bernadette Peters perfect as his girlfriend.

``Pennies From Heaven'' - British Miniseries (BBC-Warner; $59.98) includes commentary by producer Kenith Trodd and director Piers Haggard on the first and last episodes, and all six episodes on three discs.

``Pennies From Heaven'' (Warner; $19.97) includes commentary by film critic Peter Rainer and the 20th-anniversary cast and crew reunion.

`Wolfe,' 'Frost,' 'V'

The TV box-set front brings us two classy detective series - one British, one American. Maury Chaykin brings Rex Stout's reclusive heavyweight detective Nero Wolfe of the late '40s and early '50s to life. Timothy Hutton is Archie, Wolfe's legman. The detective prefers to stay home, tend to his orchids and plan his next meal, but inevitably solves the case (with the multitude of suspects brought to his house) for a fee that keeps him in his comfortable lifestyle. Chaykin and Hutton are perfectly suited as the mismatched pair in these lavishly produced and always entertaining puzzlers.

David Jason plays Detective Inspector Jack Frost, an officer who can't seem to keep a partner (they change almost every episode) in ``A Touch of Frost.'' That may be because of his caustic humor and doggedness in pursuing a case. Jason gives Frost the iciness needed for the role but is also able to show the man underneath in these well-crafted mysteries.

``V - The Complete Series'' is the follow-up to the hit 1983 miniseries about an invasion of Earth by a reptilian race that is able to take on human form. Marc Singer starred as Mike Donovan, the head of a resistance group in this better-than-average sci-fi show that seems to draw from the fight against the Nazis in occupied Europe as its inspiration.

``Nero Wolfe - The Complete First Season'' (A&E; $59.95)includes all eight episodes on three discs.

``A Touch of Frost - Season 3'' (MPI Media; $49.98) includes six episodes on three discs.

``V - The Complete Series'' ($39.90) includes 19 episodes on three discs.

Rob Lowman, [phone]

robert.lowman(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) BRIAN STEELE, left, and RON PERLMAN IN ``HELLBOY''

(2) TIMOTHY HUTTON in ``Nero Wolfe''