DVD
Masthead created by Good & Associates
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Guide to
Home Video
Releases: February Release Calendar
DVD Releases
Movies are rated on a scale of one to five, with five
denoting a classic. For more information on how we rate, check out our
Rentability Index.
Back to
Calendar Index.
- February 5
-
Ghost World
Based on co-screenwriter Daniel Clowes' comic book
of the same name, this offbeat black comedy follows the less-than-ideal lives of
two girls, friends from high school and recent grads Enid (Thora Birch) and
Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson). Though the two try to make ends meet to get an
apartment together, Enid can't hold down a job and instead lives her eclectic
life (with tastes that include 1960s musicals from India) in the home of her
laid-back father. On a lark, the pair respond to a personals ad placed by a
lonely man (Steve Buscemi), make a date, and then watch from a distance to see
him become humiliated. But Enid becomes intrigued with the man (who collects
vintage 78s) and begins to drift from Rebecca and toward the loner, eventually
sleeping with him and entering a world that she discovers is more like hers than
she would have ever admitted. One of the small unheralded treasures and
pleasures of 2001.
Director: Terry Zwigoff. Stars: Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi,
Brad Renfro, Bob Balaban, Illeana Douglas. 2001, CC, MPAA rating: R, 111
min., Black Comedy, Box office gross: $6.000 million, MGM, No VHS SRP, Priced
for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Disappointing adaptation of Louis de
Bernieres' novel strands some good talent in a bogged-down WWII romance that
just doesn't click. Nicolas Cage stars as mandolin-playing Italian officer
Antonio Corelli whose company of soldiers is sent to the beautiful (and as-yet
untouched by war) Greek isle of Cephallonia. He instantly falls for Pelagia
(Penelope Cruz), the proud daughter of the island's doctor. She's engaged to a
local fisherman but becomes weakened by Corelli's advances. Soon they're in an
impassioned affair -- but the war comes crashing down on them forcing each to
make dangerous sacrifices for country and home -- at the risk of losing each
other forever.
Director: John Madden. Stars: Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz, John Hurt, Christian
Bale, David Morrissey, Irene Papas, Piero Maggio. 2001, CC, MPAA rating: R,
124 min., Romantic war drama, Box office gross: $25.528 million, Universal, No
VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Life Without Dick
Quirky romantic comedy about a young woman
named Colleen (Sarah Jessica Parker), madly in love with a guy named Dick
(Johnny Knoxville). Told by a fortune-teller that Dick is cheating on her,
Colleen grabs a gun to threaten him with it; the guns goes off and she kills
him. Enter a professional hit man (Harry Connick Jr.). Colleen and the hit man
hook up and she finds out that he had been assigned to knock off Dick. When the
hit man finds out that Colleen has already fulfilled his assignment -- well,
it's a match made in Mafia heaven.
Director: Bix Skahill. Stars: Sarah Jessica Parker, Harry Connick Jr., Johnny
Knoxville, Teri Garr, Craig Ferguson, Ever Carradine. 2001, CC, MPAA rating:
NR, 96 min., Comedy, Columbia TriStar, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Rugrats Easter
Double-length Rugrats animated special (to air in
March on Nick) has love in the air as Spike and Fifi, the Rugrats' dogs, start a
springtime affair. Led by Angelica, the Rugrats decide to stage a wedding for
the love struck pets, but the real surprise occurs when Fifi delivers puppies at
the Finsters' Easter brunch. Explores the symbols of Easter, including the
symbolism of the egg as a representation of rebirth. In paper sleeve or
clamshell packaging.
2002, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 48 min., Animated, Paramount, $12.95 VHS SRP.
DVD: No.
-
Smokers, The
Getting even gets deadly in this coming of age
comedy about three teenage girls who decide it's payback time for all the guys
who did them wrong.
Director: Christina Peters. Stars: Dominique Swain, Busy Philipps, Keri Lynn
Pratt, Nicholas M. Loeb, Oliver Hudson. 2000, CC, MPAA rating: R, 90 min.,
Comedy, MGM, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Nightmaster (Watch the Shadows
Dance)
Actioner about a pair of
students (Nicole Kidman and Tom Jennings) who get involved in simulated martial
arts war games designed to test athletic prowess and intellectual superiority.
Unfortunately, they find out too late that their instructor is a fanatic and the
once-friendly games become all too real. This one must have been sitting on a
shelf somewhere for a long, long time.
Director: Mark Joffe. Stars: Nicole Kidman, Tom Jennings, Vince Martin.
1986, CC, Thriller, Trimark, $9.99 VHS SRP,
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real
Story
The Jim Henson company's
take on the fairy tale. TV miniseries.
Director: Brian Henson. Stars: Matthew Modine, Vanessa Redgrave, Mia Sara, Daryl
Hannah, Jon Voight, Richard Attenborough. 2001, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 184
min., Fantasy, Artisan, $14.98 VHS SRP.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Extreme Days
Quartet of friends graduate from a junior college
in Southern California and decide to go on one last road trip before entering
adulthood. They set off for sunny Mexico in their Jeep and hit the waves, but
soon are forced by bad news to head north to Yakima, Washington. Rather than
completely abandon their plans, they surf, skate and snowboard their way home.
And, along the way, they help a beautiful damsel in distress, who adds even more
excitement to the mix.
Stars: Derek Hamilton, Dante Basco, A.J. Buckley, Ryan Browning, Cassidy Rae.
2001, CC, 95 min., Adventure, Spartan Home Entertainment, No VHS SRP, Priced
for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Maze
When obsessive, introverted artist Lyle Maze wants to
broaden his work, his best friend's girlfriend agrees to pose for him. But as
the paint dries, they both begin to realize that there's more to their
friendship than meets the eye. Now they're faced with one of life's big
questions: can a man and woman really remain just friends?
Director: Rob Morrow. Stars: Rob Morrow, Laura Linney, Craig Sheffer. 2000,
CC, MPAA rating: R, 98 min., Romantic comedy, Trimark, No VHS SRP, Priced for
rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
- February 12
-
Hearts in Atlantis
Anthony Hopkins turns in another one of his
classy performances as a strange man who enters the life of an 11-year-old boy
in the summer of 1962. Young Bobby (Anton Yelchin) lives with his widowed mother
(Hope Davis) in a boarding house in a small Connecticut town when Ted Brautigan
(Hopkins) rents a room upstairs. Ted has psychic powers, of sorts, and also
claims that nasty men are after him because of it. He pays Bobby a dollar a week
to keep an eye out for the men, and to read the daily newspaper to him. In short
order Ted becomes a hero to Bobby as the older man teaches him how to look at
the world in new and exciting ways. But trouble brews: there's bigotry, betrayal
and nastiness in the town, and the only one who can offer any help is the
strange man upstairs. Told in flashbacks by a grown-up Bobby (David Morse).
Based on a pair of Stephen King stories.
Director: Scott Hicks. Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Anton Yelchin, Hope Davis, Mika
Boorem, David Morse, Will Rothhaar. 2001, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 101 min.,
Drama, Box office gross: $24.185 million, Warner, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Legend of the Red Dragon
When his wife and friends are brutally
murdered by Evil Manchu soldiers, master warrior Kwun (Jet Li) and his son set
out on a mission of vengeance that lasts seven years across ancient China. They
eventually hook up with five young Shaolin masters who have a detailed map to a
priceless treasure trove tattooed on their backs. When the Manchu soldiers find
out about the maps, they come after the masters, and Kwun and the Shaolins
embark on a fight to the death.
Director: Wong Jing. Stars: Jet Li. , CC, MPAA rating: R, 83 min., Martial
Arts, Columbia TriStar, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Legend 2, The
Sequel has Jet Li return as Fong Sai Yuk, a
martial arts apprentice to his godfather, the respected head of the underground
Red Flower Society. When he discovers that one of his godfather's most trusted
advisors has plotted to take over the society, Fong Sai Yuk springs to action --
while fighting off the affections of his girl friend and the governor's
daughter.
Director: Corey Yuen. Stars: Jet Li, Josephine Siao, Adam Heng, Michelle Reis,
Amy Kwok, Corey Yuen. 1993, CC, MPAA rating: R, 92 min., Martial Arts,
Miramax, No SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date .
-
Prime Gig, The
When a small-time scam artist (Vince Vaughn)
teams up with a legendary con man (Ed Harris) and his sexy, young associate
(Julia Ormond) he loses sight of rule number one: never trust another con man.
Greed, sex and betrayal come to the fore in this thriller about the scam of a
lifetime. Direct-to-video.
Director: Gregory Mosher. Stars: Ed Harris, Vince Vaughn, Julia Ormond, Wallace
Shawn, Stephen Tobolowsky, George Wendt. 2001, CC, MPAA rating: R, 97 min.,
Thriller, New Line, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Dead in the Water
Thriller about a quadrangle of sorts as three
men vie for a young woman on a yachting cruise off the Brazilian coast. When one
of the men mysteriously disappears, friendships rapidly disintegrate as each one
fights for his own survival.
Director: Gustavo Lipsztein. Stars: Henry Thomas, Dominique Swain, Scott
Baristow. 2001, CC, MPAA rating: R, 89 min., Drama, Studio Home
Entertainment, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Love Come Down
When a sexy singer and a young comic meet in a
neighborhood night club, they both know it feels right. But after one incredible
night, the pressures of family secrets, their own personal fears and crippling
addictions take over. Now they're on a rough emotional journey of love, sex,
truth and devolution that must come full circle for their love to survive.
Director: Clement Virgo. Stars: Larenz Tate, Deborah Cox. 2000, CC, MPAA
rating: R, 102 min., Drama, Trimark, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Black Jesus
A Congo rebel leader is captured and imprisoned with
two white felons in this realistic drama -- based on actual events -- containing
religious symbolism and condemnation of colonial exploitation. Maurice Lalubi
(Woody Strode) is thrown in jail with a soldier and an Italian thief and the
trio endures torture at the hands of their captors while a newly formed military
regime decides the fate of the insurgent. Powerful and violent.
Director: Valerio Zurlini. Stars: Woody Strode, Jean Servais. 1968, CC, MPAA
rating: NR, 81 min., Drama, Eclectic DVD Distribution.
DVD: Only.
-
Luminarias
When separated Latina divorce attorney Andrea finds
herself falling for her white and Jewish opposing council, her three single
girlfriends choose sides in the ongoing debate over race and sex. It's a
learning experience -- at times funny, at times tender -- as they discover just
how much negative stereotypes color their relationships to men and to each
other. Director: Jose Luis Valenzuela. Stars: Evelina Fernandez, Scott Bakula,
Cheech Marin, Robert Beltran, Seidy Lopez. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 100
min., Romantic comedy, Box office gross: $0.428 million, MTI Home Video, No SRP,
Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Triangle
On a vacation with friends in Bermuda, a young man
(Luke Perry) begins to obsess about a passenger ship called the Queen of Scots,
which was lost 50 years earlier in the Bermuda Triangle. Convinced that the lost
ship -- and the riches its occupants had with them -- can be recovered, the
young man charters a boat with a desperate captain and his female first mate.
When the boat hits a dense fog, they become lost and panicked -- until they see
something slowly creep through the curtain of fog. It's the Queen of Scots, and
they board the ship, only to find that something horrible has happened to all
the passengers -- and it's starting to happen to them.
Director: . Stars: Luke Perry, Dan Cortese, Olivia D'Abo. 2002, CC, MPAA
rating: NR, 90 min., Thriller, York/Maverick, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Order, The
A reformed artifact smuggler (Jean-Claude Van Damme)
travels to Jerusalem to rescue his museum-curator father who's been kidnapped by
ruthless fanatics, and recover a sacred scroll believed to hold the dangerous
secrets of an underground sect. Framed for murder by a scheming police chief,
the ex-smuggler enlists the aid of a mysterious beauty to clear his name and
wage a one-man battle to recapture the prized manuscript before the ultimate
Holy War breaks out.
Director: Sheldon Lettich. Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Charlton Heston, Ben
Cross, Sofia Milos. 2001, CC, MPAA rating: R, min., Thriller, Columbia
TriStar, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Girl, The
Film of Parisian sophistication about a female artist
(The Painter) who meets a singer (The Girl) and the affair they have together.
Though they both agree that they can continue to carry on other relationships,
The Painter begins to obsess on The Girl when she finds The Man and The Girl
together. Crushed, the painter rushes out and walks the streets, painting
obsessively until she returns to visit The Girl again, only to find her with The
Man. But it will be for the last time. In French with English subtitles.
Director: Sande Zeig. Stars: Agatha de la Boulaye, Claire Keim, Cyril Lecomte.
2001, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 84 min., Drama, Box office gross: $0.104 million,
Wellspring Media, No SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
- February 19
-
O
Modern, urban retelling of Shakespeare's "Othello," set on the
basketball court instead of the battle field and involving interracial sex, drug
abuse and school violence. Mekhi Phifer plays Odin James, the only black student
at a private Southern school -- he's there on a basketball scholarship. O, as
he's called, is extremely popular, even dating Desi, the daughter (Julia Stiles)
of the dean. But then the Shakespearian tragedy starts in -- the son (Josh
Hartnett) of the team's coach starts insinuating that Desi is having an affair
with another student. It's an insidious plot, you know, and we watch with
trepidation as rumors and jealousy tear the lovers apart.
Director: Tim Blake Nelson. Stars: Mekhi Phifer, Josh Hartnett, Julia Stiles,
Andrew Keegan, Martin Sheen, Elden Henson, Rain Phoenix, John Heard. 2001,
CC, MPAA rating: R, 94 min., Drama, Box office gross: $15.900 million, Trimark,
No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Hardball
Keanu Reeves vehicle and for his fans only. Reeves
plays a gambler deep in debt who decides to take a $500-a-week job coaching a
group of trash-talking ghetto kids in a little league baseball league. There's
all the typical plot-strings: the snotty coach of the league's best team, a
teacher who urges the kids to "learn" their way out of the ghetto, the
obligatory love interest (Diane Lane), the team that turns itself around and
becomes a winner when Reeves finds his soul. Spare us.
Director: Brian Robbins. Stars: Keanu Reeves, Diane Lane, John Hawkes, Michael
Perkins, Julian Griffith, DeWayne Warren, A. Delon Ellis Jr., Michael Jordan,
D.B. Sweeney. 2001, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 102 min., Drama, Box office
gross: $40.000 million, Paramount, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Don't Say a Word
By the books thriller that stretches one's
suspension of disbelief but still comes off as an edge-of-the-seat suspenser.
Michael Douglas plays an Upper West Side N.Y. psychiatrist who's summoned by a
colleague (Oliver Platt) to a psychiatric hospital to help a crazy teenage girl
(Brittany Murphy) with viscous tendencies who's spent the past 10 years in
mental institutions. Douglas is intrigued by the girl, who doesn't speak, and
gets drawn into her case even further when his daughter is kidnapped by a nasty
Englishman (Sean Bean) and he is forced to try to pry from the disturbed girl's
mind a six-digit number that is somehow connected to a bank robbery 10 years
earlier. Shades of Alfred Hitchcock show up here and there (in particular when
the shrink's wife, Famke Janssen, bedbound with a broken leg, spies on the bad
guys spying on her, ala "Rear Window"): It's kind of "The Man Who Knew Too Much"
on steroids.
Director: Gary Fleder. Stars: Michael Douglas, Sean Bean, Brittany Murphy, Skye
McCole Bartusiak, Guy Torry, Jennifer Esposito, Famke Janssen, Oliver Platt.
2001, CC, MPAA rating: R, 115 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $55.000
million, Fox, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Balto II: Wolf Quest
Direct-to-video sequel to 1995's animated
"Balto," which was loosely based on a true story about a half-wolf, half-dog who
-- against all odds -- brings a sled of needed medicine to a town in Alaska to
save sick children.
2002, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 76 min., Animated, Universal, $13.95 VHS SRP.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Close-Up
An early masterpiece by Iranian director Abbas
Kiarostami (Cannes International Film Festival award-winning "Taste of Cherry").
The set-up is simple in this meditation on the power of movies: one day while
riding a bus a man named Sabzian represents himself to a woman passenger as the
famous movie director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. As he gradually insinuates himself into
the life of the woman's family, he becomes a focal point for their aspirations.
But when he is revealed as a fake, the family unleashes its wrath. In the
classic ending, the real-life director Makhmalbaf accompanies Sabzian to the
family's home to make amends. In Farsi with English subtitles. For info:
www.facets.org.
Director: Abbas Kiarostami. Stars: Hossain Sabzian, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Abolfazi
Ahankhah. 1990, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 100 min., Drama, Facets, No VHS SRP,
Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Confessions of Robert Crumb
Robert Crumb's work is interspersed
throughout this film illustrating his life from childhood, where he began
creating comics with his brothers, to his choice to uproot himself and join the
counterculture assembling at the famous Haight and Ashbury intersection in San
Francisco during the mid sixties, to his disillusionment and expatriation to
France. Full of hilarious insights about the world and himself, "The Confessions
of Robert Crumb" is a wild ride with the most socially acerbic and recognized
artists of the American underground comics landscape.
Stars: Robert Crumb, Aline Kominsky Crumb. Written by Robert Crumb. 1987,
CC, MPAA rating: NR, 55 min., Documentary, Home Vision Entertainment.
DVD: Only.
-
Jackson Pollock:Love and Death on Long
Island
Documentary on
controversial and groundbreaking artist Jackson Pollock, whom some dubbed the
James Dean of the art world. The film uses stunning visuals of Pollock's work
and studio, interwoven with commentary from artists who were Pollock's
contemporaries, including his wife, painter Lee Krasner. Ed Harris, the star and
director of the Academy-Award winning film "Pollock," is also seen discussing
Pollock's meteoric rise to fame and the difficulties the artist had in coping
with his celebrity status. From his humble beginnings, to his career altering
appearance in Life magazine, and finally to his untimely, and tragic death
Pollock is a true American icon.
Director: Teresa Griffiths. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 46 min., Documentary,
Home Vision Entertainment.
DVD: Only.
-
Sudden Manhattan
Written and directed by and starring Adrienne
Shelly, this quirky and offbeat indie outing follows the surreal world of a
neurotic New York woman (Shelly) caught in a pair of unsatisfying relationships
who witnesses a pair of murders and tries to sort out reality from illusion.
Director: Adrienne Shelly. Stars: Adrienne Shelly, Tim Guinee, Roger Rees,
Louise Lasser, Paul Cassell. 1997, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 81 min., Comedy,
Vanguard Cinema, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Little Shots of Happiness
Indie black comedy about identity lost
and found. Frances, a bored 9-5-er, decides to leave her mentally unstable
husband and begins to live out of her telemarketing office, unbeknownst to her
co-workers. Each night she goes to a nightclub or bar in Boston and forces
herself out of her protected prim existence by meeting and picking up different
men. But her newfound liberation leads to dangerous repercussions.
Director: Todd Verow. Stars: Bonnie Dickenson, Todd Verow. 1997, CC, MPAA
rating: R, 83 min., Comedy, Vanguard Cinema, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Oz: The Complete First Season
Eight episodes of HBO's impressive
series that takes a realistic and gritty look at life inside prison (here at the
fictional experimental unit of the Oswald Maximum Security Prison). Four-volume
VHS set: $64.92; three-disc DVD set $64.98.
Stars: Ernie Hudson, Terry Kinney, Harold Perrineau, Eamonn Walker, Lee
Tergesen, Rita Moreno, Tony Musante. , CC, MPAA rating: NR, 450 min., Drama,
HBO Home Video.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Advertising Rules! (Viktor Vogel: Commercial
Man)
Viktor Vogel gets a career boost when he
sneaks into a high-powered ad agency meeting and winds up as the new partner on
a big-budget campaign. His lucky streak continues when he meets sexy, talented
artist Rosa at a club and helps her come up with a great idea for her debut art
exhibition. But under pressure at the agency, Viktor pitches the same idea from
his new girlfriend for his first ad campaign -- and gets the green light from
the company's biggest client. Now Viktor has to decide on what is more
important: his lust for success or his love for his girlfriend. In German with
English subtitles.
Director: Lars Kraume. Stars: Alexander Scheer, Gotz George, Chulpan Khamatova.
2001, CC, MPAA rating: R, 109 min., Comedy, Columbia TriStar, No VHS SRP,
Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Double Bang
Billy Benson, an honest cop, is forced to enter a
dark world of murder and corruption when his ex-partner is killed by a small
time mobster. Determined to exact revenge, Benson seeks restitution outside the
law.
Director: Heywood Gould. Stars: William Baldwin, Richard Portnow, Adam Baldwin,
Jon Seda. 2001, CC, MPAA rating: R, 104 min., Action, Artisan, No SRP,
Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Adventures of Felix
A social voyage of self-discovery as a
wide-eyed, kind-hearted free spirited young man -- who happens to be Arab, gay
and HIV positive -- leaves his boyfriend in Northern France and takes a road
trip to Marseilles to track down the father he never meet. Backpack in tow,
Felix sets out walking, hitchhiking, and "borrowing" cars to get to the South of
France. Initially determined to find his real father, Felix begins to construct
his own, elected ideal family, consisting of a "little brother" a "grandmother"
a "cousin" and a "sister." In French with English subtitles.
Director: Olivier Ducastel, Jacques Martineau. Stars: Sami Bouajila. 2001,
CC, MPAA rating: NR, 95 min., Comedy, Wellspring Media, No SRP, Priced for
rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
- February 26
-
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Kevin Smith's final film in his
New Jersey series ("Clerks," "Mallrats," "Chasing Amy," "Dogma") is one for his
fans -- only. There's so many inside jokes and self-referential asides that most
audiences unfamiliar with Smith's work will be left in the cold. That said, if
you're a Smith fan, you'll love this. Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin
Smith), who heretofore have pretty much kept to the background of Smith's
previous outings (except for the crucial "Chasing Amy" explication in that film)
now take center stage. It turns out that big, bad movie company Miramax (which
bankrolled this real film through their Dimension label) has usurped the comic
book characters Bluntman and Chronic, which are based on Jay and Silent Bob, and
are about to make a motion picture of their antics. Well, the boys will have
none of this, so they take off for Hollywood to shut down the production. And
that's where the fun comes in, as Smith and company get every opportunity to
poke fun at themselves and tinseltown. There's plenty of misunderstandings,
slapstick, offbeat sexual jokes, snide attacks at Miramax films (particularly
those that star Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (stars, as it were, of Smith's
"Dogma"), homages to a variety of other films ("Star Wars," for one) and twisted
realities (with Ben Affleck playing both himself and the character Holden from
"Chasing Amy") as the boys make an abortive trek out West. It's a melange of
shticks in search of a plot -- kinda reminds us of Olsen and Johnson's great
"Hellzapoppin'" -- that you gotta love.
Director: Kevin Smith. Stars: Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon,
Shannon Elizabeth, Will Ferrell, Mark Hamill, Eliza Dushku, Judd Nelson, George
Carlin, Carrie Fisher, Chis Rock. 2001, CC, MPAA rating: R, 104 min.,
Comedy, Box office gross: $29.885 million, Dimension, No VHS SRP, Priced for
rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Va Savoir (Who Knows?)
Any film by the great director Jacques
Rivette (one of the lynchpins of the New Wave) is a cause for celebration. One
of Rivette's motifs has been the exploration of life and love as theater (many
of his films have lovers embroiled in relationships that parallel plays they're
performing in) and "Va Savoir" is no exception. Taking place in contemporary
Paris, the film bounces back and forth between six character's whose lives
become entwined around performances of Pirandello's "As You Desire Me." French
actress Camille, living in Italy, returns to paris with her Italian
director-lover to star in the play. While there, she tracks down her ex-lover,
Ugo, who's still working on his philosophy thesis and is married to a dancer. In
his spare time, Ugo searches for an obscure play, aided by a beautiful blonde,
Dominique. Add in Dominique's half-brother, Arthur, who shows up and tries to
seduce all the women. Rivette sets up several coincidences to get these oddballs
moving into each other's paths, and, all the while, the play goes on, with the
principals inhabiting the stage at the end for a happy ending. It's playful,
stagy, funny, tender and, coming from the 73-year-old Rivette, downright fresh
compared to most of what passes today for romantic comedies.
Director: Jacques Rivette. Stars: Jeanne Balibar, Sergio Castelitto, Marianne
Basler, Jacques Bonnaffe, Helene De Fougerolles, Bruno Todeschini. 2001, CC,
MPAA rating: PG-13, 154 min., Romantic Comedy, Box office gross: $0.751 million,
Columbia TriStar, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Bones
Run-of-the-mill horror outing stars Snoop Dogg as a
legendary protector of his urban neighborhood who is betrayed and murdered in
1979 by those close to him. Flash forward to the present day. The once elegant
brownstone Bones lived in is abandoned and spooky. Not knowing the house's
history, the sons of one of the men who betrayed Bones move in with the idea of
turning the place into a club. Once there, though, they find that old Bones has
come back to get even. Too much suspension of disbelief for this one to really
click.
Director: Ernest Dickerson. Stars: Snoop Dogg, Pam Grier, Khalil Kain, Merwin
Mondesir, Sean Amsing, Katharine Isabelle. 2001, CC, MPAA rating: R, 92
min., Horror, Box office gross: $7.300 million, New Line, No VHS SRP, Priced for
rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Musketeer, The
Revisionist reworking of Alexandre Dumas' classic
set in 17th century France pitting the King's musketeers against the evil
Cardinal Richelieu and his henchmen. Here the three musketeers take a back seat
to D'Artagnan (Justin Chambers) as the young man -- with the aid of martial arts
choreographer Xin-Xin Xiong -- takes on the bad guys single-handedly. Oh,
there's some minor love interest (Mena Suvari) and a nasty villain (Tim Roth's
Febre) but the story is merely a setup for the high-flying martial arts stunts.
Director: Peter Hyams. Stars: Justin Chambers, Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Mena
Suvari, Tim Roth, Catherine Deneuve, Stephen Rea, Nick Moran, Steve Speirs, Jan
Gregor Fremp. 2001, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 104 min., Swashbuckler, Box
office gross: $27.053 million, Universal, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
David Lynch's cult TV show became
a cult big screen affair with this loopy 1992 outing, now released to DVD for
the first time. This is basically a prequel to the TV series, exploring the last
seven days in the troubled life of Laura Palmer prior to her death. The film
begins with two federal agents (Kyle MacLachlan and Chris Isaak) arriving in
Twin Peaks to unravel the bizarre clues, mysterious disappearances and strange
happenings that lead to Palmer's untimely end. The investigation plunges deep
beneath the facade of a town where nothing is as it seems. Lynch supervised the
remastering of the video and sound for this release. In 5.1 Dolby and DTS.
Includes original documentary, "Reflections on the Phenomenon of Twin Peaks."
Director: David Lynch. Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Chris Isaak, Sheryl Lee, Kiefer
Sutherland, Moira Kelly, Harry Dean Stanton, Miguel Ferrer, David Bowie, Ray
Wise, Pamela Gidley, Madchen Amick, Peggy Lipton. 1992, CC, MPAA rating: R,
134 min., Drama, New Line.
DVD: Only.
-
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True
Direct-to-video "sequel" to
"Cinderella" that explores Cinderella's "happily ever after" life as a princess.
With help from the Fairy Godmother, mice Jaq and Gus explore how life has
changed for the young princess and her friends: Cinderella's awkward first days
at the palace, when she tried so hard to fit in that she forgot to be herself;
how Jaq felt so left out that he wished to be a human -- a wish that came a
little too true; how Cinderella taught one of her nasty stepsisters how to smile
-- uncovering a hidden well of kindness that leads her to her own true love.
2001, CC, Animated, Disney, $26.99 VHS SRP.
DVD: Day & Date
-
Magnificent Ambersons, The
Telefilm reworking of Orson Welles'
1942 film of Booth Tarkington's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the tragic
fall of a wealthy Midwestern family as it fails to adapt to the rapidly changing
world at the turn of the 19th century.
Director: Alfonso Arau. Stars: James Cromwell, Madeline Stowe, Gretchen Mol.
2002, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 150 min., Drama, A&E Home Video, Two-VHS set
$24.95 SRP.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Taste of Others, The
Tantalizing tale of the search for love and
the battle of the sexes, following the exploits of a group of normal people
whose romantic appetites make for a juicy set of inter-related stories.
Castella, the conservative owner of a trucking firm, travels with his bodyguard
Franck and his personal driver Bruno during business negotiations. At home,
Castella is tied to his neurotic wife, who smothers their home in saccharine
decoration and pampers her hostile dog. When Castella hires a struggling
actress, Clara, to tutor him in English, he discovers a new love and lifestyle
outside his home. Meanwhile, Bruno and Franck encounter the sultry Manie, a
bartender with a secret business on the side. As their love lives grow
entangled, all involved find funny and bittersweet discoveries about themselves.
In French with English subtitles.
Director: Agnes Jaoui. Stars: Anne Alvaro, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Alain Chabat,
Agnes Jaoui, Gerard Lanvin, Christine Millet. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 112
min., Comedy, Box office gross: $0.635 million, Miramax, No SRP, Priced for
rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Pendulum
Detective Amanda Reeve is abruptly taken off the case
of tracking down a serial killer and is reassigned to investigate the murder of
a renowned law professor. The clues lead her to the doorsteps of the city's most
wealthy and influential citizens and, as she gets closer to discovering the
truth, her life becomes endangered, and she must figure out the connection
between the serial killings and the professor's death before her time runs out.
Director: James D. Deck. Stars: Rachel Hunter, James Russo, Matt Battaglia.
2001, CC, MPAA rating: R, 94 min., Thriller, Artisan Entertainment, No SRP,
Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Soul Survivors: The Killer Cut
Below average horror thriller
revolving around four college students (two guys, two girls) who celebrate the
start of the school year by attending a gothic party at an old church on the
edge of town. We know this is a weird place cause there's torches everywhere and
all the dancers wear black. Strike One. The students freak, get into their car
and get into a car crash. One of the girls, Cassie, gets struck on the side of
the head, and one of the boys, Sean, dies. Strike Two. Then Cassie begins to
have visions of Sean. And there's strange occurrences. Is Cassie going out of
her mind? Or is someone trying to drive her crazy? Strike Three, we're outta
here. This edition of the film is dubbed "The Killer Cut" 'cause there's "More
Blood! More Sex! More Gore Than The Theatrical Release. Available Only To Home
Video!" Nuff said.
Director: Stephen Carpenter. Stars: Casey Affleck, Melissa Sagemiller, Wes
Bentley. Eliza Dushku, Angela Featherstone, Luke Wilson. 2001, CC, MPAA
rating: R, 85 min., Horror, Box office gross: $3.100 million, Artisan, No SRP,
Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Haiku Tunnel
Indie comedy about one man's struggle to survive
the 9 to 5 work schedule. When young, funny temp worker Josh accepts an offer to
go "perm" at a popular San Francisco law office, his carefully unstructured,
ambivalent, commitment-phobic lifestyle begins to unravel and he finds that he
can no longer complete even the simplest of tasks.
Director: Josh and Jacob Kornbluth. Stars: Josh Kornbluth, Warren Keith, June
Lomena. 2001, CC, MPAA rating: R, 92 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $0.247
million, Columbia TriStar, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Long Run, The
Story of a discarded veteran coach and a talented
young runner and their passionate dreams to succeed in the world's toughest
marathon despite personal adversities.
Director: Jean Stewart. Stars: Armin Mueller-Stahl, Nthati Moshesh, Paterson
Joseph, Hilda Snyman. 2000, CC, MPAA rating: R, 113 min., Drama, Universal,
No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Lush
Booze-soaked drama about a pair of New Orleans men who
wander from drink to drink -- moving from martini-soaked country club luncheons
and elite socialite parties to the wasteland of Bourbon Street bars, spiralling
downward into the underbelly of the Big Easy. When one of the men disappears,
the other becomes the prime suspect.
Director: Mark Gibson. Stars: Campbell Scott, Laura Linney, Jared Harris, Laurel
Holloman. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 94 min., Drama, Studio Home
Entertainment, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Hidden Agenda
Ex-NSA agent Jason Price makes people disappear
for a living: His high-tech network is so efficient that top government agencies
turn to him when they need someone to be untraceable. In 10 years he has never
lost a client -- until now. When a top lieutenant for a mobster asks to be "run
under" things take a turn for the unexpected and a hit man known only as "The
Cleaner" infiltrates the system, leaving behind a trail of blood. Now Jason has
to figure out what happened.
Director: Marc S. Grenier. Stars: Dolph Lundgren. 2001, CC, MPAA rating: R,
94 min., Action, Trimark, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Glimpse of Hell, A
Military suspenser about a Navy captain
battling to uncover the truth behind a deadly blast on a battleship that claimed
the lives of 47 sailors. Telefilm based on real events.
Director: Mikael Salomon. Stars: Robert Sean Leonard, James Caan. 2001, CC,
MPAA rating: PG-13, 85 min., Drama, Fox, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.
DVD: Day & Date.
-
Drawing Flies
Billed as a "lost' View Askew film, "Drawing
Flies" was initially filmed between "Mallrats" and "Chasing Amy" by Malcolm
Ingram, a Film Threat reporter on the set of "Mallrats" who befriended the cast
and pitched the idea about a film about city kids lost in the woods trying to
find Bigfoot. The cast includes View Askew regulars Jason Lee, Jason Mewes and
Renee Humphrey, and has been endorsed by View Askew mavens Kevin Smith and Scott
Mosier. The film was finished by IndieDVD, an independent home video label
founded by struggling filmmakers to create a direct channel of quality
undiscovered independent cinema to the home audience. The story line: Slackers
in Vancouver, B.C. lose their welfare checks and head for a cabin in the woods
to save cash -- or so they believe. In actuality, their guide Donner (Jason Lee)
leads them further and further into the forest on a delusional pursuit of
Bigfoot. Available for sale at Best Buy, for rental at Hollywood Video, or
purchased direct from www.indiedvd.com. $19.98 DVD, $14.98 VHS.
Director: Malcolm Ingram, Matthew Gissing. Stars: Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Renee
Humphrey, Carmen Lee. 2002, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 81 min., Comedy, IndieDVD,
$14.98 SRP.
DVD: Day & Date.
All DVDs are screened on a reference system consisting of a
Rotel RDV-1080 DVD Audio/Video Player, a
Rotel RSX-972 Surround Sound Receiver, and Phase Technology 1.1 (front), 33.1 (center),
and 50 (rear) speakers and Power 10 subwoofer.
December 2001 Releases
January 2002 Releases
March 2002 Releases
April 2002 Releases
May 2002 Releases
June 2002 Releases
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February 10, 2002
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