OnVideo Guide to Home Video Releases: April Calendar of Releases

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Guide to Home Video Releases:
April 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.

calendar page Back to Calendar Index.

April 5
  • Sideways Writer-director Alexander Payne's fourth feature film (following "Citizen Ruth," "Election" and "About Schmidt") starts with two old friends setting off on a wine-tasting road trip ... only to veer dizzily into a wry exploration of the vicissitudes of love and friendship, the damnable persistence of loneliness and dreams and the enduring war between Pinot and Cabernet. The misadventures begin when Miles (Paul Giamatti), an un-recovered divorce and would-be novelist with a wine fixation, decides to gift old college buddy and washed-up actor Jack (Thomas Haden Church) with a celebratory trip to the vineyards of the Santa Ynez Valley the week before Jack's wedding. The two couldn't be an odder couple. Jack is an over-sexed charmer; Miles is a sad-sack worrier. Jack is looking for his "last taste of freedom"; Miles just wants to taste perfection in a bottle. Jack is fine with cheap Merlot; Miles pines for the elusive, perfect Pinot. Indeed, the only thing they seem to share in common is the same heady mix of failed ambitions and fading youth. And yet, as they make their way up the coast, Miles and Jack soon find themselves drowning in wine and women. Jack falls head-over-heels for a local wine pourer (Sandra Oh) and threatens to call off his nuptials. Miles begins his own romantic encounter with a wine-savvy waitress (Virginia Madsen). Both men careen dangerously and comically toward mid-life crises. A lusty, poignant adventure into the deepest realms of human yearning, guaranteed to exhilarate you. Director: Alexander Payne. Stars: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh, Marylouise Burke, Jessica Hecht. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: R, 123 min., Dramedy, Box office gross: $63.165 million, Fox, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. 4 stars

  • Spanglish A look at cultures colliding as a beautiful native Mexican woman Flor (Paz Vega), the mother of an equally stunning 12-year-old girl, a golden child, becomes the housekeeper for an affluent Los Angeles family (Adam Sandler, Tea Leoni and Cloris Leachman). Of all the horrifying pitfalls she worried about in this new culture, Flor had never fathomed the peril of being truly embraced by an upscale American family. Fails as a comedy but becomes a bleak indictment on privilege and status (as Sandler's husband falls for Flor in response to the "sterility" of his controlling wife (Leoni). Director: James L. Brooks. Stars: Adam Sandler, Tea Leoni, Paz Vega, Cloris Leachman, Shelbie Bruce, Sarah Steele, Ian Hyland, Victoria Luna, Cecilia Suarez. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: Pg-13, 130 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $41.655 million, Sony, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. 2 stars

  • Corporation, The Exploring the inner workings of big business, this documentary looks at how, since its inception in the mid-1800s, the corporation has risen from a relatively insignificant entity to an over-protected behemoth wielding power that challenges that of governments and institutions worldwide. Based on Joel Bakan's book "The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power," the film -- via interviews with both leading corporate gurus and prominent social critics like Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore and Milton Friedman -- spins a disturbing tale of the ways big business influences everything from the economy and the environment to the smallest facets of our everyday lives. Director: Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 145 min., Documentary, Box office gross: $1.879 million, Zeitgeist Video. DVD: Only. 3 stars

  • Elektra Another comic book hero making the transition to the big screen -- from the pages of Marvel Comics, creator of "X-Men" and "Spider-Man." Jennifer Garner stars in the title role as a strong, mysterious and sexy action heroine -- a lethal synthesis of grace and power. Not long after recovering from seemingly mortal wounds, Elektra has severed all ties with the world, living only for her next assignment. But in an unexpected turn of events, she is forced to make a decision that can take her life in a new direction -- or destroy her. Key players in Elektra's journey are Stick, a blind martial arts master responsible for Elektra's "resurrection," and Mark and Abby Miller, a father and daughter on the run from The Hand, a powerful syndicate whose members practice the dark martial art of ninjitsu. Unlike most comic book heroes, Elektra possesses no super-human physical powers. Instead, she makes maximum use of her incredible physical prowess and martial arts skills. In addition, she has the ability to see into the future, a skill known as Kimagure, which she has honed through countless hours of deep meditation. Director: Rob Bowman. Stars: Jennifer Garner, Goran Visnjic, Kirsten Prout, Will Yun Lee, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Terence Stamp. 2005, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 96 min., Action, Box office gross: $24.326 million, Fox, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. 2 stars

  • Fade to Black Documentary takes a look at the rapper Jay-Z's career, providing a backstage glimpse during his farewell performance as a solo artist and showing how his last album was conceived. Narrated by Jay-Z, the film features guest performances by Beyonce, Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige, R. Kelly, Pharrell Williams, Foxy Brown and appearances by P. Diddy and 2004 Grammy-winner Kanye West. Director: Patrick Paulson, Michael John Warren. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: R, 110 min., Documentary, Box office gross: $0.728 million, Paramount, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. 2 stars

  • Zero Day "We are the Army of Two!" So begins the video diary of Andre (Andre Keuck) and Cal (Calvin Robertson), two best friends and alienated high school students who have meticulously planned a "big-ass mission" that will shock and terrify their community and school. They have officially declared war, stockpiled their weapons, and set the day now, "let the countdown begin." With his uncanny unprofessional cast and unflinching intimacy, director Ben Coccio's award-winning first feature is a disturbingly authentic and harrowing look at a tragedy as unthinkable as today's headlines. Director: Ben Coccio. Stars: Calvin Robertson, Andre Keuck, Rachel Benichak, Gerhard Keuck, David Futernick, Pam Robertson, Steve Robertson, David Futernick, Andre Keuck. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 92 min., Drama, Home Vision Entertainment. DVD: Only.

April 12
  • Ocean's Twelve It's been three years since Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his crew -- fronted by detail man Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), up-and-coming pickpocket Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon), explosives expert Basher Tarr (Don Cheadle) and safecracker Frank Catton (Bernie Mac) -- pulled off one of the most audacious and lucrative heists in history, robbing ruthless entrepreneur Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) of every dime stored in his impenetrable Las Vegas vault. After splitting the $160 million take, each of the infamous Ocean's crew have tried to go straight, lay low and live a legit life ... but that's proven to be a challenge, much to the chagrin of Danny's wife Tess (Julia Roberts). When someone breaks Rule Number One and rats the gang out to Benedict, going straight is no longer an option. Benedict wants his $160 million back -- with interest -- or else. And, as the gang quickly discovers, Benedict isn't the only powerful person in the world looking for Ocean's Eleven. So now it's time to pull off another stunner of a plan-or plans -- in Amsterdam, Paris and Rome. Director: Steven Soderbergh. Stars: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Don Tiffany, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Jared Harris, Carl Reiner, Elliott Gould, Eddie Izzard. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 125 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $122.389 million, Warner, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. 3 stars

  • Hotel Rwanda Ten years ago, some of the worst atrocities of the 20th century took place in the central African nation of Rwanda -- yet in an era of high-speed communication and round-the-clock news, the events went almost unnoticed by the rest of the world. Over 100 days, almost 1 million Tutsis were brutally murdered by their own countrymen -- the Hutu militia. In the midst of this genocide, one ordinary man, a hotel manager named Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle ) -- inspired by his love for his family and his humanity -- summoned extraordinary courage and saved the lives of 1,268 Tutsis refugees by hiding them inside the Milles Collines hotel in Kigali. Hotel Rwanda is Paul's remarkable story. Director: Terry George. Stars: Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Nick Nolte, Joaquin Phoenix, Desmond Dube, David O'Hara. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 121 min., MGM, Box office gross: $17.085 million, MGM, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. 3 stars

  • Memento Mori Schoolgirl Min-Ah discovers a shared diary and is fascinated to learn that two schoolmates she thought to be close friends have, in fact, begun a forbidden romance. Unable to tear her eyes away, the secret allure of the diary begins to consume her. When one of the diary writers is found dead -- an apparent suicide -- rumors spread and Min-Ah begins to sense a strange presence. The once tranquil school is transformed into a morbid place of terror, as if the journal's words, "memento mori" (remember the dead), have taken on a life of their own. Sequel to chilling "Whispering Corridors," one of films that help start the Asian horror boom. In Korean with English subtitles. Director: Tae-Yong Kim, Kyu-Dong Min. Stars: Min-sun Kim, Yeh-jin Park, Young-jin Lee. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 98 min., Thriller, Tartan Asia Extreme. DVD: Only.

  • DiG! Rock-documentary chronicles the classic tale of art vs. commerce and the do's and dont's of rock stardom. Filmed during seven years (1996-2002) and culled from more than 1,500 hours of footage by director Ondi Timoner, "DiG!"plunges into the underbelly of rock 'n' roll unearthing an amazing true tale of success, self destruction, friendship, and the ultimate rivalry between two up-and-coming bands: Brian Jonestown Massacre led by the tormented, self-destructive genius of Anton Newcombe, and the Dandy Warhols led by a more polished, but admittedly less visionary Courtney Taylor. "DiG!" is the story of their loves and obsessions, gigs and recordings, arrests and death threats, uppers and downers, and the delicate balance between art and commerce. As the idealism and destructive tendencies of Jonestown lead to their repeated undoing, the more "well-adjusted" Warhols navigate the corporate sea, trying to maintain their creative edge while starring in mega-budget music videos and playing huge arenas. Director: Ondi Timoner. Stars: . 2004, CC, MPAA rating: R, 107 min., Documentary, Box office gross: $0.127 million, Palm Pictures. DVD: Only.

  • Reconstruction Denmark's official Academy Awards entry and winner of the Camera d'Or and Youth Prize at the Cannes Film Festival (2003). Fate brought Alex (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) and Aimee (Marie Bonnevie) to the same train platform in Copenhagen. Aimee's husband August, a famed author, who is neglectful yet needy of her love, has left her to wander the streets alone while he writes in solitude. Alex and his girlfriend, Simone, are returning from a dinner with his father. Alex glimpses Aimee by chance on the platform in Copenhagen, and at that moment something indefinable happens between them. Seeing her again once on the train, Alex impulsively goes after her, following her to a bar without reason or explanation for Simone, who he leaves behind. In the bar, the two destined strangers strike up a conversation as if already acquainted and fall in love instantly. After a perfect night together in Aimee's hotel, Alex and Aimee make plans to cut loose from the monotony of their existing lives, unaware that August had come back to the hotel early and seen his wife's transgression. Alex too feels the consequences of his decision to spend the night with Aimee. Inexplicably, his flat is no longer where it was, his friends, father and even Simone no longer recognize him. Alex's only chance to re-connect with reality is to find Aimee and prove to himself that she is real and this cosmic joke is just true love working its mysterious ways. Alex and Aimee risked everything to be together, but at what price neither can foretell as they leap into the unknown. In Danish and Swedish with English subtitles. Director: Christoffer Boe. Stars: Nikolaj Kaas, Maria Bonnevie. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 90 min., Drama, Box office gross: $0.072 million, Palm Pictures. DVD: Only.

  • Bad Education A filmmaker gets a visit from an actor claiming to be an old school friend, drawing him into a twisted web of desire, revenge and murder. Filmmaker Enrique (Fele Martinez) gets a visit from an aspiring actor claiming to be his old school friend Ignacio (Gael Garcia Bernal), who has written a story about their traumatic childhood spent at Catholic school. In the story, a drag performer known as Zahara (also played by Bernal) attempts to blackmail a predatory priest by exposing their scandalous past. The tale provides the inspiration for Enrique's next film. But when the villainous priest from their school days arrives to tell his own version of the events, the truth is wilder than anything anyone could have imagined. In Spanish with English subtitles. Director: Pedro Almodovar. Stars: Gael Garcia Bernal, Fele Martinez, Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Lluis Homar, Francisco Boira, Javier Camara. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: NC-17, 105 min., Drama, Box office gross: $3.078 million, Sony, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. 3 stars

  • Suspect Zero FBI Agent Tom Mackelway (Aaron Eckhart) finds himself caught in a cat-and-mouse game with a brutal serial killer, and all clues point to a renegade agent "gone native." Trained by the government to use his psychic abilities to track and capture other serial killers, the renegade is killing other serial killers and claims to be in pursuit of the ultimate serial killer, a man he calls Suspect Zero. As Mackelway becomes increasingly obsessed with his suspect, he must decide what happens when pursuer and prey come face to face -- and if rational justice or primal revenge will prevail. Director: E. Elias Merhige. Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Ben Kingsley, Carrie-Ann Moss, Nicole DeHuff. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: R, 99 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $8.712 million, Paramount, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. 3 stars

  • Woodsman, The After 12 years in prison, Walter moves into a small apartment across the street from an elementary school, gets a job at a lumberyard, and mostly keeps to himself. He finds unexpected solace from Vicki (Kyra Sedgwick), a tough-talking woman who promises not to judge him for his history. But Walter cannot escape his past. Shunned by his sister and living in fear of being discovered at work, Walter struggles with re-entry into society and facing his demons. Director: Nicole Kassell. Stars: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, David Alan Grier, Eve, Mos Def, Benjamin Bratt. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: R, 87 min., Drama, Box office gross: $1.359 million, Sony, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. 2 stars

April 19
  • Meet the Fockers The makers and stars behind the runaway 2000 hit "Meet the Parents" are reunited -- and joined by some formidable future in-laws -- in this follow-up comedy. Returning to the roles they originated in Meet the Parents are Robert De Niro as Byrnes clan patriarch, Jack; Ben Stiller, as the soon-to-be son-in-law, Greg Focker; Blythe Danner as Jack's wife, Dina; and Teri Polo as Greg's intended, Pam Byrnes. It's been four years since Greg's trial of initiation into the Byrnes family by ex-CIA operative Jack. Greg has managed to earn his way inside the Circle of Trust and things are going great. He and fiancee Pam are excitedly planning their wedding and there's only one tiny, itsy-bitsy little thing left to smooth the way to the altar: the future in-laws need to spend a weekend together. So, Greg and Pam climb aboard Jack's new state-of-the-art RV (with Kevlar-reinforced hull and two-inch Plexiglas windows) for a trip to Focker Isle, the Cocoanut Grove domicile of Bernie and Roz Focker (Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand). The next 48 hours will provide the parents of the intended bride and groom a little time to get to know each other, but more importantly, give Jack the opportunity to study Greg's parents. Things start off well enough, but that's before Jack discovers that the lawyer and doctor Greg presented are, in fact, a liberal stay-at-home dad and a senior citizens' sex therapist. Then there's an RV toilet episode, an overly zealous game of touch football, a saucy Cuban caterer, an incident with the toddler and glue. Is this any way to start a family? Director: Jay Roach. Stars: Robert De Niro. Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Owen Wilson, Tim Blake Nelson. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 115 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $276.573 million, Universal, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. 3 stars

  • Birth Nicole Kidman stars as Anna, a delicate young widow who is on the verge of a new life when a solemn little boy appears, claiming to be the reincarnation of her dead husband. Ten years after the sudden death of her beloved husband Sean, Anna is finally ready to emerge from the shadow of grief and begin a new chapter in her life. She has agreed to marry Joseph (Danny Huston), a good-humored, cultured man who has patiently courted the lovely young widow for three years. Anna's decision pleases her mother Eleanor (Lauren Bacall), an elegant and commanding woman who has welcomed Joseph into the family's spacious apartment on New York's aristocratic Upper East Side. But at a birthday celebration for Eleanor an uninvited guest appears as if out of nowhere. It's a young boy, and he wants to speak privately with Anna: He declares that he is her dead husband Sean and warns her not to marry Joseph. A stunned and angry Anna takes the boy downstairs, and discovers that the doorman knows the child: His name is Sean. Sean begins to write to Anna and regularly visits her building with his father, a tutor who has clients there. Sean's surreal intrusion on Anna's life is met with varying reactions in Anna's family. At the boy's own suggestion, he's quizzed about details of the dead Sean's life, and the child's knowledge is uncanny. More unnerving still is the intensity and certainty of his love for Anna. Though she cannot deny the strangeness of it all, Anna is increasingly drawn to the little boy and willing to flout the wishes of her fiance and family to see him. Could this child truly be Anna's husband, returned to her? How can she refuse the chance to experience again the love she felt for him? Director: Jonathan Glazer. Stars: Nicole Kidman, Cameron Bright, Danny Huston, Lauren Bacall, Alison Elliott, Arliss Howard, Michael Desautels, Anne Heche, Peter Stormare, Ted Levine. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: R, 100 min., Psychological thrill, Box office gross: $5.005 million, New Line, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. 2 stars

  • House of Flying Daggers An exotic, beautiful blind dancer is associated with a dangerous revolutionary gang, known as the House of Flying Daggers. Captured by officers of the decadent Tang Dynasty, the woman finds herself both threatened -- and attracted -- to the most unusual circumstances. Here, her heart and loyalties battle each other, amid warriors in the treetops and dazzling combat -- the likes of which have never before been seen. In Mandarin with English subtitles. Director: Yimou Zhang. Stars: Ziyi Zhang, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 124 min., Martial Arts, Box office gross: $10.159 million, Sony, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. 3 stars

  • A Love Song for Bobby Long An estranged teenage girl returns to her family home only to discover she has an unexpected roommate: her late mother's lover, a boozy academic who's slowly drinking himself to death. Upon hearing of her mother's death, jaded teenage loner Purslane Hominy Will (Scarlett Johansson) returns to New Orleans for the first time in years, ready to reclaim her childhood home. Expecting to find her late mother's house abandoned, Pursy is shocked to discover that it is inhabited by two of her mother's friends: Bobby Long (John Travolta), a former literature professor, and his young protege, Lawson Pines (Gabriel Macht). These broken men, whose lives took a wrong turn years before, have been firmly rooted in the dilapidated house for years, encouraged only by Lawson's faltering ambitions to write a novel about Bobby Long's life. Having no intention of leaving, Pursy, Bobby Long and Lawson are all forced to live together. Yet as time passes, their tenuous, makeshift arrangement unearths a series of buried personal secrets that challenges their bonds, and reveals just how inextricably their lives are intertwined. Director: Shainee Gabel. Stars: John Travolta, Scarlett Johansson, Gabriel Mach. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: R, 120 min., Drama, Box office gross: $0.143 million, Sony, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. 2 stars

  • Devils on the Doorstep Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and banned in its native country, Wen Jiang's ravishingly photographed anti-war epic is set in 1945 in a Japanese-occupied rural Chinese village. Wen stars as Ma Dasan, a peasant, who, one night at gunpoint, is compelled to shelter two prisoners. One is a captured Japanese soldier who wants to be killed, the other his Chinese interpreter, who wants to stay alive. As the days turn into months, Dasan and his fellow villagers keep their unwanted guests hidden from the Japanese forces, while deciding whether or not to execute their captives. A plan to exchange the men for grain leads to the film's harrowing and devastating climax. In Japanese with English subtitles. Director: Wen Jiang. Stars: Teruyuki Kagawa, Wen Jiang, Ding Yuan, Hongbo Jiang. 2000, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 139 min., War drama, Home Vision Entertainment. DVD: Only.

  • Primer Sci-fier set in the industrial park/suburban tract-home fringes of an unnamed contemporary city where two young engineers, Abe and Aaron, are members of a small group of men who work by day for a large corporation while conducting extracurricular experiments on their own time in a garage. While tweaking their current project, a device that reduces the apparent mass of any object placed inside it by blocking gravitational pull, they accidentally discover that it has some highly unexpected capabilities -- ones that could enable them to do and to have seemingly anything they want: the ability to travel through time. Convinced that the device could put their company on the map, both men use themselves as guinea pigs to test the machine's capabilities. Taking advantage of this unique opportunity is the first challenge they face. Dealing with the consequences is the next. Director: Shane Carruth. Stars: Shane Carruth, David Sullivan, Anand Upadhyaya, Carrie Crawford, Jay Butler. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 78 min., Science Fiction, Box office gross: $0.424 million, New Line, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. 2 stars

  • Riding the Bullit Film version of one of the short stories in Stephen King's "Everything's Eventual." October 1969. The Summer of Love is over and a winter of hate is about to paint the ideals of the Flower Power Generation black. Alan Parker (Jonathan Jackson) is a young, struggling artist studying at the University of Maine whose work is haunted by images of death. Believing he is losing his girlfriend Jessica (Erika Christensen), Alan's obsession with the dark side pushed him to try to take his own life on his birthday. Some friends thwart his desperate act, yet events go from bad to worse as Alan soon discovers he has opened a door letting death literally enter his life. Recovering from his self-inflicted wounds and about to embark on a road trip to a John Lennon concert with his buddies, Alan receives crushing news -- his mother, Jean (Barbara Hershey), has suffered a major stroke and is lying at death's door in Lewiston Hospital, over 100 miles away. Rejecting his friends' offer to drive him, Alan decides to hitchhike. But it is Halloween night and Alan is about to discover that he has started down a nightmare road which will take him on both an odyssey into black recesses of the human heart and a journey that will bring him face to face with Death Incarnate. Trapped in a speeding car with the Grim Reaper, manifesting itself in the guise of a recently killed redneck, Alan is forced into a terrible dilemma -- the Reaper will not rest until it forces Alan to make a life or death choice. Director: Mick Garris. Stars: Jonathan Jackson, David Arquette, Cliff Robertson, Barbara Hershey, Erika Christensen. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: R, 98 min., Horror, Box office gross: $0.101 million, Lions Gate, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. 2 stars

April 26
  • Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Based on books by Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket), "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" tells the story of the three young Baudelaire children who receive terrible news that their parents have died in a fire and have left them an enormous fortune not to be used until the eldest child is of age. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are placed in the care of their uncle, Count Olaf (Jim Carrey), an evil fiend who is plotting to kill them and seize their fortune. Once they escape his clutches, the orphans travel from guardian to guardian, including herpetologist Montgomery Montgomery (Billy Connolly) and grammar-wise Aunt Josephine Anwhistle (Streep). But the children can't escape the evil plans of Olaf, who keeps disguising himself and keeps popping up in the strangest places. Just when the Baudelaires think things are getting better, something unfortunate happens. Director: Brad Silberling. Stars: Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Jude Law, Kara Hoffman, Shelby Hoffman, Timothy Spall, Billy Connolly, Catherine O'Hara, Cedric the Entertainer, Luis Guzman, Jennifer Coolidge.. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 107 min., Family, Box office gross: $116.956 million, Paramount, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. 3 stars

  • Blade: Trinity Wesley Snipes returns as the day-walking vampire hunter in the final film in the Blade franchise. For years, Blade has fought against the vampires in the cover of night, with the world above unaware of the brutal ongoing war. But now, after falling into the crosshairs of the FBI, he is forced out into the daylight, where he is driven to join forces with a clan of human vampire hunters he never knew existed -- The Nightstalkers. Together with Abigail (Jessica Biel) and Hannibal (Ryan Reynolds), two deftly trained Nightstalkers, Blade follows a trail of blood to the an ancient creature that is also hunting him -- the original vampire, Dracula. Director: David S. Goyer. Stars: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Dominic Purcell, Jessica Biel, Ryan Reynolds, Parker Posey, Mark Berry, Paul Anthony, James Remar, Natasha Lyonne. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: R, 113 min., Horror thriller, Box office gross: $52.397 million, New Line, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. 3 stars

  • Assassination of Richard Nixon, The In the winter of 1974, a time of great political unrest, Samuel J. Bicke (Sean Penn) is a 44-year-old man who wants to believe in something -- anything. But at every turn, his faith -- in himself and in the world around him -- is undermined. He is separated from his wife, Marie (Naomi Watts), who refuses to consider the reconciliation he wants so desperately. With his personal life in such disarray, he is also struggling to hold onto yet another job for which he is fundamentally unfit. An idealist who detests lying in any form, Bicke is miserable working as a salesman in an office supply company. The only bright spot in Bicke's life is his dream of opening a door-to-door tire repair service with his auto mechanic friend, Bonny (Don Cheadle). Their business proposal requires a modest bank loan. Bicke applies and nervously waits the requisite period for the loan application to be processed. As his anxiety mounts, Bicke begins to fall apart, and in his vulnerable state, sees injustice and hypocrisy everywhere. Bicke would like to strike out at all the offenders, but there are too many dragons to slay. However, there is one villain who looms large. For Bicke, Richard Nixon, described by Bicke's boss (Jack Thompson) as the greatest salesman in history because he swindled the American people twice, becomes the embodiment of everything that is wrong with the world. When Bicke experiences a series of ill-fated events -- his loan is rejected, his ex-wife and his brother abandon him, and his dreams of starting his own business die unrealized -- he decides the only way to reclaim his insignificant life is to carry out a grand, historic gesture that will make his presence felt. At this point, dreams give way to delusions. A new Samuel Bicke, uncharacteristically resolute and resourceful, sets out on a chilling crusade to right the world's wrongs. He has an appointment with history. A chilling drama that explores and exposes the dark side of the American dream: the true story of the man who plotted an abortive attempt on the life of the 37th President. Director: Niels Mueller. Stars: Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Don Cheadle, Mykelti Williamson. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: R, 95 min., Drama, Box office gross: $0.697 million, New Line. DVD: Only. 3 stars

  • Darkness Regina (Anna Paquin), her younger brother Paul, and parents Mark (Iain Glen) and Maria (Lena Olin), have just moved into a beautiful, old house in the country. They came in search of quiet and tranquility, but instead they unearthed a horrifying secret that has been deeply buried for many years. Their home quickly becomes anything but welcoming and comfortable; it seems to have a life of its own ... especially after dark. As Regina begins to investigate her mysterious surroundings, she uncovers the truth about her family's new address. Decades ago, it was the site of a ritual gone awry -- one that would have spread evil to the ends of the world. Seven children were to be sacrificed, but one got away. Now, the force that has been brewing for so many years is aiming for a final sacrifice to complete its reckoning and travel beyond the walls of their home. No one is safe, and every time the lights go out, something terrifying comes out of the darkness. The family's only chance for survival is to stop something that they can't even see. Director: Jaume Balaguero. Stars: Anna Paquin, Lena Olin, Iain Glen, Giancarlo Giannini, Fele Martinez. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 88 min., Horror, Box office gross: $22.160 million, Dimension, $29.99 VHS SRP. DVD: Day & Date. 2 stars

  • Divorce Italian Style Baron Ferdinando Cefalu (Marcello Mastroianni) longs to marry his nubile cousin Angela, but one obstacle stands in his way: his fatuous and fawning wife, Rosalia. His solution? Since divorce is illegal, he will devise a scenario wherein he can catch his spouse in the arms of another and murder her to save his honor -- a lesser offense. Pietro Germi's hilarious and cutting satire of Italy's hypocritical judicial system and male-dominated culture won the 1962 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. In Italian with English subtitles. Director: Pietro Germi. Stars: Marcello Mastroianni, Daniela Rocca, Stefania Sandrelli. 1961, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 104 min., Comedy, The Criterion Collection. DVD: Only. 4 stars

  • Emile Ian McKellen portrays a man consumed by guilt over abandoning his family when he was young. Now, at 65 Emile makes a last attempt to reconnect with his only living relatives. Much of the film's key events are examined through flashbacks, with the real and imaginary intersecting throughout. Emile's fragile state of mind is reflected through this interweaving, suggesting that he may never escape the past enough to really be present in the current moment. Emile's niece (Deborah Kara Unger) and her daughter Maria (Theo Crane) hold the key to Emile's tragic past and the guilt, which has taunted him his entire life. In the present, Emile struggles to connect with his estranged family. In the past he plays back the memories of leaving the farm where he grew up with his two brothers. As the past weaves together with the present, the experience reveals a portrait of one man's redemption. Director: Carl Bessai. Stars: Ian McKellen, Deborah Kara Unger, Theo Crane. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: R, 93 min., Drama, Monarch Home Video, $24.95 VHS SRP. 3 stars

  • Heroic Duo A hard-boiled Hong Kong actioner-crime thriller. Tough cop Ken Li (Ekin Cheng) is at the top of his game, but still needs some help to solve a grisly crime that the offender, a respected police official, doesn't even remember committing. Li seeks out Jack Lai (Leon Lai), a former psychologist, now disgraced and behind bars, who possesses an uncanny ability to bend people to his will. Forming an uneasy alliance, the unconventional duo sets out to find the man responsible for the crime: a master hypnotist who will stop at nothing to exact revenge on his enemies. In Cantonese with English subtitles. Director: Benny Chan. Stars: Ekin Cheng, Leon Lai, Kar Yan Lam, Anson Leung, Francis Ng. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: R, 100 min., Thriller, Tartan Asia Extreme. DVD: Only.

  • Undertow Dramatic thriller -- set in a contemporary South untouched by time -- about two brothers who run away from home to guard a secret following the death of their father and the arrival of their greedy, troubled uncle. Director: David Gordon Green. Stars: Jamie Bell, Josh Lucas, Devon Alan, Dermot Mulroney, Shiri Appleby. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: R, 107 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $0.124 million, MGM, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. 2 stars


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    All DVDs are screened on a reference system consisting of a Rotel RDV-1060 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.

January 2005 Releases
February 2005 Releases
March 2005 Releases
May 2005 Releases
June 2005 Releases
July 2005 Releases




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April 15, 2005