Director: Richard Correll
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Universal Studios
Rated: PG

The spirit realm collides with the everyday world in this spooky Halloween movie from R. L. Stine, creator of the "Mostly Ghostly" books. Eleven-year-old Max Doyle (Sterling Beaumon) is obsessed with magic and is gearing up for a Halloween show. When Max's recitation of a newly discovered magic chant raises and angers evil spirit Phears, Max is shocked to discover that he can see spirits that no other human can. Nick (Luke Benward) and Tara (Madison Pettis), two young lost human spirits, beg Max to help them solve the mystery of their parents unexplained disappearance and Max agrees in exchange for their help with his magic act. Max hesitantly travels between the spirit world and human world to help his new friends and discovers that he is the one and only mortal who can permanently close the tunnel between realms and stop Phears from unleashing of a world of suffering spirits on humankind. This supernatural tale is sure to entertain suspense and thriller fans, but may prove too scary for sensitive children or those under 7 years old. While featuring a cast full of known tween stars and their siblings, the acting seems forced--a fact that bothers adult audiences far more than the tween audience for which the film is intended. "--Tami Horiuchi"

Director: Linda Voorhees, Bess Wiley
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Studio: Bathroom Boy Productions LLC
Rated: R

The film is about a boy who locks himself in the bathroom to work out math equations on the shower wall. The boy has obsessive compulsive parents. The boy is obsessed with a cheerleader named Lacy, who lives across the street from.

Director: Lynne Ramsay
Studio: Criterion
Rated: Unrated

Brutality and hope intertwine in this quiet coming-of-age story. Set in a Glasgow, Scotland, slum during a 1973 trash collectors' strike, the film follows young James, shaken after accidentally causing the death of a friend, who dreams of moving into newly built council flats. The loosely plotted slice-of-life piece moves between James's family and his friendship with Kenny, a slightly off animal fancier, and the older Margaret Anne. Though the setting is grim, the movie is far from bleak. Even as the trash bags pile up, James takes comfort in something as simple as being combed for head lice. The cast is excellent, and writer-director Lynne Ramsay coaxes astonishingly good performances out of her child actors. Complex and haunting, "Ratcatcher" holds a silent wish at its center. The DVD includes an interview with Ramsay, and three of her short films. "--Ali Davis"

Director: Branden Kramer
Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller
Studio: Start Motion Pictures
Rated: R

Emma, a graduate student living alone in NYC, is being watched by a stalker who hacks into the technology that surrounds her - laptop, cell phone, and other web connected devices. This obsession continues to grow as the hacker records Emma's most intimate moments. When the thrill of watching isn't enough, the situation escalates to a dangerous and terrifying level.

Director: Rafal Zielinski
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Xenon
Rated: R

Welcome to the new season of a hit reality show that pits seven diverse 20-somethings against each other in an old farm house 50 miles from civilization complete with a creepy caretaker and a rumored massacre in its past. When the mutilated body of a cameraman is discovered in the barn, paranoia takes over as suspicion and accusations fly in all directions. Is this big hoax designed to boost ratings? Or has the term "elimination" taken on a whole new reality? Starring Nate Dushku, Natalia Cigliuti, Courtney Peldon, and Sticky Fingaz.

Director: Stephen Hopkins
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Studio: Warner Home Video
Rated: R

The death of a child in mysterious circumstances; sparks of a series of events that seem to represent biblical plagues, start occurring in of all places a town called *Haven* located deep in the bowels of bible belt country in the bayous of Louisiana. A former Christian missionary turned religious phenomena debunker and her top open minded student turned personnel assistant is sent to investigate.

Director: Nicholas Ray
Genre: Drama
Studio: Warner Home Video
Rated: PG-13

When people think of James Dean, they probably think first of the troubled teen from "Rebel Without a Cause": nervous, volatile, soulful, a kid lost in a world that does not understand him. Made between his only other starring roles, in "East of Eden" and "Giant", "Rebel" sums up the jangly, alienated image of Dean, but also happens to be one of the key films of the 1950s. Director Nicholas Ray takes a strikingly sympathetic look at the teenagers standing outside the white-picket-fence '50s dream of America: juvenile delinquent (that's what they called them then) Jim Stark (Dean), fast girl Judy (Natalie Wood), lost boy Plato (Sal Mineo), slick hot-rodder Buzz (Corey Allen). At the time, it was unusual for a movie to endorse the point of view of teenagers, but Ray and screenwriter Stewart Stern captured the youthful angst that was erupting at the same time in rock & roll. Dean is heartbreaking, following the method acting style of Marlon Brando but staking out a nakedly emotional honesty of his own. Going too fast, in every way, he was killed in a car crash on September 30, 1955, a month before "Rebel" opened. He was no longer an actor, but an icon, and "Rebel" is a lasting monument. "--Robert Horton"

Director: Brett Ratner
Genre: Horror
Studio: Universal Studios
Rated: R

A lot could've gone wrong in "Red Dragon", but the movie exceeds expectations. Replacing the acclaimed "Manhunter" as an "official" entry in the Hannibal Lecter trilogy, this topnotch thriller--the second adaptation of Thomas Harris's first Lecter novel--returns to the fertile soil of "The Silence of the Lambs", serving as both prequel and heir to the legacy of Lecter as portrayed, with mischievous menace, by the great Anthony Hopkins. Familiar faces and locations reappear (along with "Lambs" screenwriter Ted Tally) as Lecter coaches FBI profiler Will Graham (Edward Norton) in tracking the horrific "Tooth Fairy" killer (Ralph Fiennes), whose transformative killing spree is inspired by a William Blake painting. By dutifully serving Harris's potent material, Tally and director Brett Ratner craft a suspenseful film worthy of its predecessors, bringing Hopkins full circle as one of the cinema's all-time greatest villains. With overtones of "Psycho" and a superb supporting cast, "Red Dragon" succeeds against considerable odds. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: Wes Craven
Genre: Drama
Studio: Dreamworks Video
Rated: PG-13

Veteran horror director Wes Craven lends his proven talent to the non-horror thriller "Red-Eye", turning it into an above-average potboiler that makes the most of its 85 tension-packed minutes. That's a perfect running time for a movie like this, in which a resourceful heroine Lisa (Rachel McAdams, the breakout star of 2005) is trapped on a red-eye flight with creepy villain Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy, even more menacing than he was as the Scarecrow in "Batman Begins") who's playing middle-man in the plot to assassinate a Homeland Security official. He's got her father pinned down by a would-be killer, using that advantage to coerce Lisa into phoning the luxury resort where she works and arranging to move the target into a pre-set position. It's a situation from which there is seemingly no escape, but of course Craven and screenwriter Carl Ellsworth find a way to milk the suspenseful dilemma for all it's worth, even managing to wedge in a few intriguing character details to enhance the fast-moving plot. It's still a B-movie, but it's tightly constructed and well-executed by Craven, whose previous films made him a perfect choice to maximize all that "Red-Eye" has to offer. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: Antony Hoffman
Genre: Horror
Studio: Warner Home Video
Rated: PG-13

In "Red Planet", the only thing thicker than the Martian atmosphere (which is breathable, by the way) is the layer of clichés that nearly smothers a formulaic beat-the-clock plot. Science fiction fans are sure to be forgiving, however, because the film is reasonably intelligent, boasts a few dazzling sequences, and presents fascinating technology in the year 2057. We don't know how the Mars-1 spaceship gets to Mars in only six months (newfangled propulsion, no doubt), but we do get some cool diagnostic readouts on tinfoil scrolls, an abundance of well-designed hardware, and a service-robot-turned-villain that's a high-tech hybrid of RoboCop, Bruce Lee, and a slinky panther with plenty of lethal attitude.
The oxygen in the Martian atmosphere has resulted from nascent efforts of terraforming, made necessary by Earth's overpolluted condition. Mars-1 has been dispatched to determine why the terraforming is failing, and upon arrival everything goes inevitably haywire. Nearly two hours, three deaths, and multiple crises later (including the discovery of a Martian life form), "space janitor" Val Kilmer and his ultracompetent commander (Carrie-Anne Moss from "The Matrix") have collaborated to set things right, capped off by second dose of the wretched narration that bookends the movie. Hoary material, to be sure, and as a veteran of TV commercials making his feature debut, director Anthony Hoffman is clearly more comfortable with flashy visuals than depth of character. Still, he keeps things humming right along. A perfectly suitable companion to another 2000 sci-fi thriller, "Pitch Black", "Red Planet" is a fine way to kill a couple of hours. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: Anand Tucker, James Marsh, Julian Jarrold
Studio: Ifc Independent Film
Rated: Unrated

Three epic tales of murder, corruption and obsession. Three films, one overwhelming experience. David Peace's acclaimed novels become what The New Yorker calls "a mammoth, sensationally violent and beautiful five-hour movie." Utilizing recurring characters and events, The Red Riding Trilogy recounts three series of gruesome crimes over a turbulent decade in Northern England.

Director: François Girard
Genre: Drama, Music, Mystery, Romance
Studio: Rhombus Media
Rated: R

In present day Montreal, a famous Nicolo Bussotti violin, known as "the red violin," is being auctioned off. During the auction, we flash back to the creation of the violin in 17th century Italy, and follow the violin as it makes its way through an 18th century Austrian monastery, a violinist in 19th century Oxford, China during the Cultural Revolution, and back to Montreal, where a collector tries to establish the identity and the secrets of "the red violin."

Director: David Lewis
Studio: TLA Releasing
Rated: Unrated

Both original and incredibly romantic, Redwoods tells the story of an already-partnered man whose love is tested when a mysterious drifter passes through his small Northern California town. Everett (Brendan Bradley) and Miles (Tad Coughenour) are in a comfortably platonic relationship, which is held together by raising their son. While his family travels out of town, introverted Everett finally has time to himself that is until Chase (Matthew Montgomery), a striking writer, pulls up in front of his house. Shot amidst ancient Redwoods, David Lewis (Rock Haven) film is a stunning ode to the power of love.

Special Features:

Interview With Matthew Montgomery Deleted Scenes Behind The Scenes Of Redwoods Photo Gallery Original Trailer TLA Releasing Trailers

Director: Andy Fickman
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Showtime Ent.
Rated: R

If the idea of making a musical out of Roger Corman's Z-movie quickie "The Little Shop of Horrors" sounded weird, stick around for the all-singing, all-dancing "Reefer Madness". Deliriously based on the notorious 1936 anti-pot social-guidance film, this is an ultra-campy enterprise that lands somewhere between "Rocky Horror" and a John Waters comedy. Christian Campbell and the spritzy Kristen Bell play the innocent teens lured into a soul-sapping cloud of marijuana dependence by pencil-mustached pusher Steven Weber and his long-suffering dame, Ana Gasteyer. The cast includes femme fatale Amy Spanger and a cameo by Neve Campbell, who dances her way through one sequence. The musical was written and composed by Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney, who re-create some of the kookiest scenes from the original movie ("Faster! Faster!"). Their funniest idea is to frame the sordid saga with a black-and-white story of a government agent showing a public-service film to horrified small-town citizens; he's played by the reliably sinister Alan Cumming, who also pops up in a variety of guises in the film-within-the-film. The only problem with this made-for-Showtime version of the stage show is that camp tends to wear thin, especially at 109 minutes, despite the expert song parodies. Even the original hour-long "Reefer Madness" got old quick. "--Robert Horton"

Director: Jeff London
Genre: Drama
Studio: Wolfe Video
Rated: NR

This is a sweet and touching little movie. I rented it not knowing what to expect. I honestly expected to be disappointed since there are so many really bad gay themed movies out on the market, but what a pleasant suprise...this one is a winner.

Billy (Ronnie Kerr)has to return back home to look after his younger brother Johnny (Jack Sway). Billy's best friend from childhood Dean (Jason Van Eman) returns from the Iraq war after receiving an head injury. Both Billy and Dean have deep feelings for each other but have no idea how to let the other know. Both men believe that the other is straight and are therefore affraid to let their feelings be known. What unfolds over the next hour and fifteen minutes of play is a story of commitment, love and understanding between family and best friends. I was really touched and suprised at how lovely this movie really was. Both men are very attractive, especially Jason Van Eman who plays Dean, I couldn't take my eyes off his beautiful face and that smile just melts your hearts. The acting from both Jason Van Eman and Rhonnie Kerr was very good. Making the most of their environment on what was a meager $20,000 budget, the guys did the best they could. And the chemistry between the two men was amazing. I sensed that on screen bond which many gay screen couples lack. I had no doubt of the love and phyical attraction they felt for one another. The kisses shared between the two men was also beautiful. I would love to see these two guys star together again in a movie with a larger budget and higher production values.

I now own Regarding Billy and have since watched it many times. I highly recommend this sweet and touching little love story. If you're having a down day just pop it in your DVD player and it will brighten your feelings and leave you with a smile.

Director: Rob Bowman
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Touchstone / Disney
Rated: PG-13

"The Road Warrior" meets "Dragonslayer" in the briskly entertaining post-apocalyptic action thriller "Reign of Fire". "Reign of Fire" exists primarily to give us a bigger and better dragon than the Vermithrax Pejorative of 1981's classic "Dragonslayer", and in that regard, the special effects are mightily impressive; the reptilian fire-breathers are stupendously convincing. While the earlier film offers a richer, more whimsical medieval adventure, "Reign of Fire" is a fast-moving tale of man versus dragon that takes place in the charred England of 2020, after Earth has been scorched by rapidly multiplying dragons and the aftermath of a futile nuclear counterstrike. Mixing high-tech gadgetry with primitive survivalism, "X-Files" alumnus Rob Bowman makes the most of his midlevel budget, establishing a lavish castle base for the rugged, adversarial teaming of Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey as dragonslayers on the brink of extinction. With a steady supply of crowd-pleasing highlights, "Reign of Fire" is a pyrotechnical treat. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: Darren Flaxstone, Christian Martin
Studio: TLA Releasing
Rated: Unrated

From the acclaimed team that brought you the hit gay drama Shank, Release is an explosive drama about violence, abuse and budding love behind the walls of a hellish prison.After finding himself locked-up for a serious crime, young priest Jack (Daniel Brocklebank) struggles to adapt to life inan increasingly volitile prison replete with corrupt guards and a vulnerable cellmate(Wayne Virgo, Shank). However,when he meets guard Martin (Garry Summers), a passionate but clandestine affair develops and he gets a new lease on life. Both men's dreams of escaping together are threatened as tensions rise and battle lines are drawn, and soon their very survival becomes paramount. More visceral and gut-wrenching than most gay cinema in recent memory, Release's unflinching exploration of justice, retribution, repression, religion and love is an example of British cinema at its most refreshing, controversial and exciting.

Director: Larry Charles
Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Studio: Thousand Words
Rated: R

Bill Maher interviews some of religion's oddest adherents. Muslims, Jews and Christians of many kinds pass before his jaundiced eye. Maher goes to a Creationist Museum in Kentucky, which shows that dinosaurs and people lived at the same time 5000 years ago. He talks to truckers at a Truckers' Chapel. (Sign outside: "Jesus love you.") He goes to a theme park called Holy Land in Florida. He speaks to a rabbi in league with Holocaust deniers. He talks to a Muslim musician who preaches hatred of Jews. Maher finds the unlikeliest of believers and, in a certain Vatican priest, he even finds an unlikely skeptic.

Director: Atom Egoyan
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Studio: Serendipity Point Films
Rated: R

"Remember" is the contemporary story of Zev, who discovers that the Nazi guard who murdered his family some 70 years ago is living in America under an assumed identity. Despite the obvious challenges, Zev sets out on a mission to deliver long-delayed justice with his own trembling hand. What follows is a remarkable cross-continent road-trip with surprising consequences.

Director: John De Leonardis, James Magedman, ,
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Paramount Home Video
Rated: NR

After a ten year hiatus, John K. resurrected his classic cartoon for Spike TV - no holds barred. Witness the cartoons he always wanted to make, uncensored and out of control. Deemed too hot to handle by Spike execs, these episodes are now available on DVD - be warned: this is not your baby-brother's Ren & Stimpy!

Director: Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: Company Films
Rated: PG-13

A daring synthetic biologist, after a car accident kills his family, will stop at nothing to bring them back, even if it means pitting himself against a government-controlled laboratory, a police task force and the physical laws of science.

Director: John Shiban
Genre: Horror
Studio: Warner Home Video
Rated: R

Jess is at the wheel. Nicole rides shotgun. And at the end of the road stretching before them is glittering, glamorous Hollywood. They're on a road trip, all right...straight to hell. When the runaway lovers pause at an abandoned rest stop, Jess disappears. And someone else appears - someone with his own demented sense of fun. With drills. Staple guns. Box cutters. All the tearing, grinding, ripping tools you need to hew wood. Or metal. Or people. Especially young, pretty people just like Nicole. Raw fear rules in Rest Stop, the first film from Raw Feed, the newest brand name in horror, sci-fi and thrillers. Director John Shiban, writer and executive producer of The X-Files and Supernatural, keeps the terrors and twists coming, each out-shocking the last. Stop. Stay awhile. But don't expect to rest.
DVD Features:
Alternate endings:3 Alternate Endings
Featurette:Scotty's Blog Expose
Photo gallery:On the Bus: Photos Taken on the Torture Bus
Theatrical Trailer:Rest Stop

Director: Peter Jackson
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: New Line Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13

The greatest trilogy in film history, presented in the most ambitious sets in DVD history, comes to a grand conclusion with the extended edition of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King". Not only is the third and final installment of Peter Jackson's adaptation of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien the longest of the three, but a full 50 minutes of new material pushes the running time to a whopping 4 hours and 10 minutes. The new scenes are welcome, and the bonus features maintain the high bar set by the first two films, "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers".
What's New?
One of the scenes cut from the theatrical release but included here, the resolution of the Saruman storyline, generated a lot of publicity when the movie opened, as actor Christopher Lee complained in the press about losing his only appearance. It's an excellent scene, one Jackson calls "pure Tolkien," and provides better context for Pippin to find the wizard's palantir in the water, but it's not critical to the film. In fact, "valuable but not critical" might sum up the "ROTK" extended edition. It's evident that Jackson made the right cuts for the theatrical run, but the extra material provides depth and ties up a number of loose ends, and for those sorry to see the trilogy end (and who isn't?) it's a welcome chance to spend another hour in Middle-earth. Some choice moments are Gandalf's (Ian McKellen) confrontation with the Witch King (we find out what happened to the wizard's staff), the chilling Mouth of Sauron at the gates of Mordor, and Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) being mistaken for Orc soldiers. We get to see more of Éowyn (Miranda Otto), both with Aragorn and on the battlefield, even fighting the hideously deformed Orc lieutenant, Gothmog. We also see her in one of the most anticipated new scenes, the Houses of Healing after the battle of the Pelennor Fields. It doesn't present Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) as a savior as the book did, but it shows the initial meeting between Éowyn and Faramir (David Wenham), a relationship that received only a meaningful glance in the theatrical cut.
If you want to completely immerse yourself in Peter Jackson's marvelous and massive achievement, only the extended edition will do.
And for those who complained, no, there are no new endings, not even the scouring of the Shire, which many fans were hoping to see. Nor is there a scene of Denethor (John Noble) with the palantir, which would have better explained both his foresight and his madness. As Jackson notes, when cuts are made, the secondary characters are the first to go, so there is a new scene of Aragorn finding the palantir in Denethor's robes. Another big difference is Aragorn's confrontation with the King of the Dead. In the theatrical version, we didn't know whether the King had accepted Aragorn's offer when the pirate ships pulled into the harbor; here Jackson assumes that viewers have already experienced that tension, and instead has the army of the dead join the battle in an earlier scene (an extended cameo for Jackson). One can debate which is more effective, but that's why the film is available in both versions. If you feel like watching the relatively shorter version you saw in the theaters, you can. If you want to completely immerse yourself in Peter Jackson's marvelous and massive achievement, only the extended edition will do.
How Are the Bonus Features?
To complete the experience, "The Return of the King" provides the same sprawling set of features as the previous extended editions: four commentary tracks, sharp picture and thrilling sound, and two discs of excellent documentary material far superior to the recycled material in the theatrical edition. Those who have listened to the seven hours of commentary for the first two extended editions may wonder if they need to hear more, but there was no commentary for the earlier "ROTK" DVD, so it's still entertaining to hear him break down the film (he says the beacon scene is one of his favorites), discuss differences from the book, point out cameos, and poke fun at himself and the extended-edition concept ("So this is the complete full strangulation, never seen before, here exclusively on DVD!"). The documentaries (some lasting 30 minutes or longer) are of their usual outstanding quality, and there's a riveting storyboard/animatic sequence of the climactic scene, which includes a one-on-one battle between Aragorn and Sauron.
One DVD Set to Rule Them All
Peter Jackson's trilogy has set the standard for fantasy films by adapting the Holy Grail of fantasy stories with a combination of fidelity to the original source and his own vision, supplemented by outstanding writing, near-perfect casting, glorious special effects, and evocative New Zealand locales. The extended editions without exception have set the standard for the DVD medium by providing a richer film experience that pulls the three films together and further embraces Tolkien's world, a reference-quality home theater experience, and generous, intelligent, and engrossing bonus features. "--David Horiuchi"

Director: Brendan Maher
Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Studio: Nim's Island
Rated: PG

Return to Nim's Island to see how things are going with Nim and her Father. One day they get a message that some people will be buying the island to build an attraction there, but Nim will not stand for it and comes up with some things to do to save what she calls home.

Director: Walter Murch
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Rated: PG

You don't fool with Mother Nature, spit into the wind, remake "Casablanca", or trash the land of Oz. Perhaps that is why the 1985 live-action sequel split critics and audiences alike. The 1939 classic musical is so beloved that it's almost impossible to imagine seeing Dorothy in shock therapy, a crumbled yellow brick road, the ruins of Emerald City, and the Tin Man turned into stone. But L. Frank Baum, the author of the original "Oz" books, portrayed just that with his continuing stories of Dorothy. When you get by these tough facts, the film version is solid entertainment for the over-7 set.
Dorothy (a 10-year-old Fairuza Balk in her debut) is back in Kansas, where Aunt Em (Piper Laurie) is at the end of her rope: her niece is not sleeping and going on about a place called Oz. Therapy may be the answer, but luckily the scary clinic goes dark before Dorothy can be, er, cured (but the lead-up will scare the munchkins out of most kids). She wakes up in the land of Oz, now in tatters, and searches for its king, the Scarecrow. A new set of friends, including a tin soldier, a talking chicken, and a pumpkin man, help her against new villains, including Princess Mombi (Jean Marsh)--complete with a set of detachable heads--and the evil Nome King (Nicol Williamson with a great assist from Will Vinton's Claymation). The sole directorial effort of Oscar-winning editor Walter Murch is stuffed with marvelous effects that foreshadow later works by Tim Burton and the Henson non-Muppet films. "--Doug Thomas"

Director: Fabrice Gobert, Frédéric Mermoud
Studio: Music Box Films
Rated: NR

In an idyllic French Alpine village, a seemingly random collection of people find themselves in a state of confusion as they attempt to return to their homes. What they do not yet know is that they have been dead for several years, and no one is expecting them back. Buried secrets emerge as they grapple with this miraculous and sinister new reality, struggling to reintegrate with their families and past lovers. But it seems they are not the only ones back from the dead. Their arrival coincides with a series of gruesome murders that bear a chilling resemblance to the work of a serial killer from the past...

Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Thriller, Western
Studio: Regency Enterprises
Rated: R

While exploring the uncharted wilderness in 1823, legendary frontiersman Hugh Glass sustains injuries from a brutal bear attack. When his hunting team leaves him for dead, Glass must utilize his survival skills to find a way back home while avoiding natives on their own hunt. Grief-stricken and fueled by vengeance, Glass treks through the wintry terrain to track down John Fitzgerald, the former confidant who betrayed and abandoned him.

Director: Jud Taylor
Genre: Horror

A deranged mother avenges herself on the man she thinks seduced her daughter by imprisoning him in a cage in her basement.

Director: Aaron Woodley
Genre: Art House & International
Studio: Sullivan
Rated: NR

Studio: Sullivan Home Entertmnt Release Date: 02/12/2008 Run time: 92 minutes

Director: Erlingur Thoroddsen
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery
Studio: Hero Productions

Months after they broke up, Gunnar receives a strange phone call from his ex-boyfriend, Einar. He sounds distraught, like he's about to do something terrible to himself. Gunnar drives up to the secluded cabin where Einar is holed up and soon discovers that there's more going on than he imagined. As the two men come to terms with their broken relationship, some other person seems to be lurking outside the cabin, wanting to get in.

Director: Gore Verbinski
Genre: Horror
Studio: Dreamworks Video
Rated: PG-13

With its disturbing images and a few good shocks, "The Ring" is the kind of frightfest you'll watch to set a chilling mood or spook your susceptible friends, but when you try to sort it out, this well-mounted American remake (of the 1998 Japanese hit "Ringu", based on Koji Suzuki's popular novel) becomes a batch of incoherent parts. The negligible plot follows a Seattle reporter (Naomi Watts) as she investigates the death of her niece, the victim of a mysterious videotape that, according to urban legend, causes the viewer's death seven days later. ("Fear Dot Com" borrowed the same idea while avoiding this film's lofty pretensions.) The countdown structure follows the reporter, her son, and her estranged boyfriend into deepening layers of terror--all quite effective until the movie attempts to explain itself. At that you're better off shutting down your brain and letting the creepy visuals take over. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: Hideo Nakata
Genre: Drama
Studio: DreamWorks / Universal Studios
Rated: PG-13

Most contemporary horror movies depend upon a series of sudden jolts, executed with the finesse of a cattle-prod, to keep their audiences awake. "The Ring Two" offers something far more interesting: A slow but relentless creepiness that might just linger in your mind when the movie is over. A few months after the events of the first "Ring", journalist Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts, "Mulholland Drive") and her son Aidan (David Dorfman, "A Wrinkle in Time") have fled to a small town on the Oregon coast to get over their awful experience with a cursed videotape. Of course, a copy of the videotape finds its way there, and soon the troubled spirit of a girl with long, face-obscuring black hair is worming her way into Rachel and Aidan's lives by worming her way into Aidan's flesh. As a story with a coherent beginning, middle, and end, "The Ring Two" is full of holes; but as a series of surreal and evocative images accumulating into a dislocating sense of dread, "The Ring Two" holds up. In fact, at one point the movie becomes so dreamlike in its flow that it verges on avant-garde. The source of this alluring eeriness is the director, Hideo Nakata, who directed the Japanese "Ringu", on which "The Ring" was based. Also featuring Gary Cole ("Office Space") and Sissy Spacek ("Carrie"). "--Bret Fetzer"

Director: Rupert Wyatt
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Rated: PG-13

A galaxy's worth of nihilism buried under a '70s Velveeta topping, the Planet of the Apes series stands today as a dark marvel of pop cinema, a group of wildly variable films that combine to form a giant inescapable kiss-off to the human race. (That said message was able to withstand such distractions as ever-cheapening makeup and Charlton Heston loudly pounding sand makes its achievements even more impressive, really.) Boasting a keen awareness of its predecessors' particular charms and a gem of a central CGI performance by Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes makes for a rather miraculous summer movie: a big-budget special effects extravaganza that also delivers a killer backhand. Sort of redoing 1972's Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, the film follows the events set in motion when a bereaved scientist (James Franco) attempts to create a cure for Alzheimer's, resulting in a supernaturally intelligent chimp named Caesar. The old bit about science tampering in God's domain quickly applies. Director Rupert Wyatt (The Escapist) displays an admirable sense of pacing, deftly levying the escalating action scenes with small character moments from the likes of John Lithgow and Brian Cox. That said, the film belongs to Caesar, whose path from wide-eyed innocent to reluctant revolutionary generates the ironic pulp empathy that gave the original series such a kick. Watching the climactic confrontation on the Golden Gate Bridge, it's distressingly easy to figure out which side to root for. Chuck Heston would no doubt grit his teeth in approval. Note: Those skeptical that this revamp could wholly retain the original's doomy backbeat would do well to stick around during the end credits. --Andrew Wright





Related Products
More Apes 
      

Books




Music 



More From the Stars of Rise of the Planet of the Apes

James Franco
      


Andy Serkis




Freida Pinto

Director: Kevin Reynolds
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, TV Movie
Studio: LD Entertainment

Follows the epic Biblical story of the Resurrection, as told through the eyes of a non-believer. Clavius, a powerful Roman Military Tribune, and his aide Lucius, are tasked with solving the mystery of what happened to Yahshua in the weeks following the crucifixion, in order to disprove the rumors of a risen Messiah and prevent an uprising in Jerusalem.

Director: Jamie M. Dagg
Genre: Thriller
Studio: REDLABdigital
Rated: See all certifications

A medical practitioner gets himself involved in a crime which happens in a unexpected way. Filled full of guilt, he tries to escape from the cops of Thailand but finally gets captured for a while.

Director: James Merendino, Alan Smithee
Genre: Drama
Studio: Picture This
Rated: NR

Thaddeus Mackenzie (Chamberlain), a wealthy lawyer, learns that he is dying and decides to sell all of his property and visit his old friend Allen Hayden (Imperioli). Allen is a struggling artist with a passion for life who once survived by working the streets, but now is romantically involved with Eva, a wealthy European gallery owner living in L.A. Thaddeus implores Allen to find Jamie (Duval), a young street hustler that Thaddeus had once tried to rescue. Allen returns to the streets to face the dark corners of his past where he must choose between what he left behind and the uncertainty that lies ahead.

Director: Curtis Hanson
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Universal Studios
Rated: PG-13

Meryl Streep tried her hand at action films with this Curtis Hanson film and proved herself quite credible, bringing emotion as well as the willingness to kick butt. She plays a suburban mom and former white-water rafting guide who is taking her family on a raft trip for summer vacation. But overworked Dad (David Strathairn) can't make the trip, so she and her son leave without him--and walk right into trouble. Killers on the run (Kevin Bacon, John C. Reilly) abduct them and force Streep to take them down the most dangerous stretch of river to elude the cops. Hanson understands how to pace and construct this kind of action fodder, but it's strictly formula stuff, enlivened only by the depth of Streep's portrayal and the viciousness of Bacon's character. "--Marshall Fine"

Director: Rémi Lange
Genre: Art House & International
Studio: Water Bearer Films, Inc

2001's "Tarik El Hob" (The Road To Love) is billed as a "Drama" but views more like a documentary, with the subject being homosexuality among French-Algerians. Karin is a student living with his girlfriend in Paris, who decides to tackle a sociology video project on that topic, and seeks out those open enough to be interviewed on camera. One of the early interviewees is Farid, a gay flight attendant, and the chemistry between the two is evident in their first meeting. Karim rebuffs Farid's good-natured flirtations, but it is clear he is flattered by the attention and somewhat intrigued by the possibility, though he repeatedly states that he is heterosexual and in love with his girlfriend. Farid's travels allow him to collect additional footage and research for Karim's project, and they get better acquainted in future meetings to review the information he obtained. Farid comes up with some tough questions for Karim, including why he doesn't see himself ever marrying his girlfriend, and why he chose this particular topic for his project. In time, the two make a journey to Morocco together, supposedly to do more research for the project, but both know it is a "honeymoon" of sorts for Karin to think about and reconcile his desires.

Beyond the story above, the film (actually, shot on video, in Paris, Marseille, Amsterdam and Morocco) is an informative and intriguing study of homosexuality among some Islamic cultures, where it was seen as an acceptable activity for young men before they married a woman, and where same-sex marriages actually took place until the mid 20th century. The story is told well, with attractive, non-stereotypical "actors" (Though obviously scripted, one wonders if part of this may be somewhat autobiographical, with the characters having the same names as those who play them.) and commendable techncial quality given the tiny budget. In French with English subtitles, some male nudity but no explicit sexual activity. DVD features deleted scenes and expanded versions of some of Karim's interviews.

Director: José Padilha
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Rated: PG-13

Director: David Lewis
Studio: TLA
Rated: Unrated

Is faith stronger than sexual attraction? Brady, an 18-year-old devout Christian, is given that test when he and his mother move to a scenic Northern California coastal town where he falls in love with his new neighbor Clifford. There to spread the good word, Brady instead becomes hopelessly attracted to this handsome athlete who is the complete opposite of him: vivacious and free-spirited. There's an instant sexual spark and the two young men must navigate the divide between Brady s beliefs and their budding romance.

Director: Jeffrey Blitz
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Rated: NR

The first fiction film from Jeffrey Blitz has nothing to do with aeronautical engineering and everything to do with finding your voice. For 15-year-old New Jersey-based Hal Hefner (Reece Thompson), that’s a tall order. He’s bright, but he stutters. To complicate matters, his parents are on the outs and his brother, Earl (the droll Vincent Piazza), is a bully. Just when he needs a guardian angel most, one materializes in his midst. Self-possessed schoolmate Ginny ("Camp"'s Anna Kendrick) sees something in Hal no one else does. She's convinced he'll make a terrific debate team partner, so she recruits him. Unaccustomed to female attention, he opts to give it a try. Turns out, there's more to Ginny than meets the eye, but there's also more to Hal. When she double-crosses the lovelorn lad, he finds a brilliant way to get her back. It isn't about revenge, but self-respect. In Blitz's Oscar-nominated documentary "Spellbound", the action revolves around the National Spelling Bee, but the director demonstrates greater interest in his subjects than the outcome of the contest. With its absurdist tone, "Rocket Science" may look different, but follows a similar trajectory. Unlike "The Karate Kid" and other teen favorites where an outcast triumphs over adversity "and" gets the girl, things aren't so simple in this case. As with its hero, "Rocket Science" can be awkward--there are too many subplots--but the throwaway gags, most involving Hal's buddy, Lewis (Josh Kay), are priceless, and Eef Barzelay's ukelele-based score is a nice touch. "--Kathleen C. Fennessy"

Director: Jim Sharman
Genre: video-musicals
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Rated: R

Fasten your garter belt and come up to the lab and see what's on the slab! It's The Rocky Horror Picture Show Special Edition, a screamingly funny, sinfully twisted salute to sci-fi, horror, B-movies and rock music, all rolled into one deliciously decadent morsel. And now there's even more to make you shiver with antici...pation: two additional musical numbers, "Once In A While" and "Superheroes", never seen theatrically or available on video! The madcap, musical mayhem begins when rain-soaked Brad and Janet take refuge in the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite mad scientist from outer space who is about to unveil his greatest creation - and have a bit of fun with his reluctant guests! Join Tim Curry, Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon and rock star Meat Loaf in the most popular cult classic of all time.

Director: Jim Sharman
Genre: Comedy
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Rated: R

If a musical sci-fi satire about an alien transvestite named Frank-n-Furter, who is building the perfect man while playing sexual games with his virginal visitors, sounds like an intriguing premise for a movie, then you're in for a treat. Not only is "The Rocky Horror Picture" all this and more, but it stars the surprising cast of Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick (as the demure Janet and uptight Brad, who get lost in a storm and find themselves stranded at Frank-n-Furter's mansion), Meat Loaf (as the rebel Eddie), Charles Gray (as our criminologist and narrator), and, of course, the inimitable Tim Curry as our "sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania."
Upon its release in 1975, the film was an astounding flop. But a few devotees persuaded a New York theater to show it at midnight, and thus was born one of the ultimate cult films of all time. The songs are addictive (just try getting "The Time Warp" or "Toucha Toucha Touch Me" out of your head), the raunchiness amusing, and the plot line utterly ridiculous--in other words, this film is simply tremendous good fun. The downfall, however, is that much of the amusement is found in the audience participation that is obviously missing from a video version (viewers in theaters shout lines at the screen and use props--such as holding up newspapers and shooting water guns during the storm, and throwing rice during a wedding scene). Watched alone as a straight movie, "Rocky Horror" loses a tremendous amount of its charm. Yet, for those who wish to perfect their lip-synching techniques for movie theater performances or for those who want to gather a crowd around the TV at home for some good, old-fashioned, rowdy fun, this film can't be beat. "--Jenny Brown"

Director: Debbie Palacio, Gregory Sills, Walter C. Miller
Genre: Comedy
Studio: R2 Entertainment
Rated: NR

The Rodney Dangerfield "Ultimate No Respect Collection" features many of the beloved comedian's TV specials and performances. This 3-DVD set includes over 8 hours of laughs. Fans will be reminded that nobody did stand-up comedy better than Rodney...he was the master! Being released for the first time ever, these shows are the only non-movie Dangerfield material available. In development for quite some time, the content was selected and approved by Rodney himself.
So let's begin with the end - as the producers of this DVD definitely saved the BEST for last! Included at the end of Disc 3 is Rodney's Act - NEVER BEFORE SEEN or available. The Act is classic, uncensored, irreverent Rodney - just the way everyone loved him! Coming straight from Dangerfield's personal collection, Rodney wanted people to see this show. Now, thanks to Rodney's wife Joan - viewers can share in something that is truly extra-special and ultra rare! Now preserved on DVD, Rodney's Act will live on forever!
Content included: Disc 1: ORIGINAL ABC NETWORK SPECIALS
- It’s Not Easy Bein' Me (1981)
- I Can’t Take It No More (1983)
- Exposed! (1984)
Disc 2: HBO CABLE SPECIALS (contains some strong language and adult humor)
- It’s Not Easy Bein' Me (1986)
- Nothin' Goes Right (1987)
- The Really Big Show (1991)
Disc 3: RARE RODNEY (contains some strong language and adult humor)
- Opening Night at Rodney's Place (1989)
- This Is Your Life honoring Rodney (1981)
- A long-lost segment of Rodney on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson!
- Rodney’s Act – Very rare and never before seen, this classic 1995 stand-up routine was taped at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Director: David Wain
Studio: Universal Studios
Rated: Unrated

Raunchy, but not nauseating, Role Models is an exceptionally funny slacker comedy co-written by Paul Rudd. Rudd stars as Danny, one-half of a team (along with Seann William Scott's character, Wheeler) that visits schools on behalf of a power-drink company. With his lack of enthusiasm for work and his life painfully evident, Danny loses his live-in girlfriend, Beth (Elizabeth Banks), and soon has a run-in with the law resulting in community service for him and Wheeler. Ordered to appear at a Big Brothers-like organization, Danny is partnered with a lonely if brilliant adolescent boy, Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), while Wheeler is hooked up with a foul-mouthed pre-teen named Ronnie (Bobb'e J. Thompson). Neither of the men has anything in common with their charges, a fact exacerbated when Danny reluctantly attends Augie's participation in a weekend role-playing fantasy game with a medieval flavor. Meanwhile, Wheeler just tries to survive his ongoing power struggle with Ronnie. Both sets of relationships improve when Danny and Wheeler begin to meet their kids halfway and even learn to empathize with them, though the results are sometimes comically bumpy before the characters all hit their groove. There are a number of hilarious scenes (the film definitely deserves its R rating) and more than a few thoughtful ones, including a terrific moment where Danny defends Augie to the latter's critical parents over an awkward dinner. Jane Lynch is very funny as a semi-insane director of the program pairing kids and adults, and Banks (W.) is very appealing as Danny's unhappy ex-girlfriend. --Tom Keogh


Stills from Role Models (Click for larger image)



 

Director: Scott Smith
Genre: Drama
Studio: Ardustry Home Entert
Rated: R

In pursuit of fantasy, five teenagers hop the fence of a now defunct amusement park. While apparently a mindless diversion, for two of them the park is the setting for a more fatal bid at escape.

Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Genre: Drama
Studio: Element Pictures
Rated: R

ROOM tells the extraordinary story of Jack, a spirited 5-year-old who is looked after by his loving and devoted mother. Like any good mother, Ma dedicates herself to keeping Jack happy and safe, nurturing him with warmth and love and doing typical things like playing games and telling stories. Their life, however, is anything but typical--they are trapped--confined to a 10-by-10-foot space that Ma has euphemistically named Room. Ma has created a whole universe for Jack within Room, and she will stop at nothing to ensure that, even in this treacherous environment, Jack is able to live a complete and fulfilling life. But as Jack's curiosity about their situation grows, and Ma's resilience reaches its breaking point, they enact a risky plan to escape, ultimately bringing them face-to-face with what may turn out to be the scariest thing yet: the real world.

Director: Carter Smith
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Studio: Paramount
Rated: R

While on vacation in a resort in Mexico, the Americans Jeff, his girlfriend Amy, her best friend Stacy and her boyfriend Eric befriend the German Mathias in the swimming pool. Mathias invites the group to visit the ruins of a Mayan temple with his Greek friend Dimitri in an archeological field where his brother Henrich and his girlfriend are camped eighteen kilometers far from the resort. They hire an old taxi and when they reach the spot, they are surrounded by Mayan villagers armed of revolver, rifle and bow-and-arrow that kill Dimitri and do not allow the group to leave the place. They climb a construction covered of creepers with red flowers, and remain under siege of the locals. When they hear a cell phone in the bottom of a well, Mathias decides to seek the apparatus using a rope that breaks and he has a serious accident breaking his back. Amy and Stacy go to the bottom of the mine to rescue Mathias and they find many corpses covered by the climbing plants; further, they realize that they had been lured by the plants that are vibrating with the sound of a cell phone. When they are attacked by the carnivorous creeping plants, they understand the reaction of the Mayan villagers.

Director: William Friedkin
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Paramount
Rated: R

Director William Friedkin knows a thing or two about staging harrowing action sequences, and if you don't believe that, you've never seen "The French Connection" or "To Live and Die in L.A." He comes through niftily in this film as well, with an opening Vietnam battle sequence that sets the stage for the rest of the story, and then with the central moment in the film: a rescue mission involving Marines extricating the American ambassador from an embassy surrounded by hostile protesters in Yemen. Unfortunately, Friedkin can't do much about the implausible plot that follows, in which the Marine commander, played by the always-terrific Samuel L. Jackson, is accused of slaughtering innocent civilians (who actually were shooting at him and his men). He must rely on an old Marine buddy--a lawyer played by Tommy Lee Jones--to get him through the jury-rigged court martial. But the central premise--that an evil presidential aide would perjure himself and destroy evidence simply to maintain good relations with U.S. allies in the Middle East, rather than defending a highly decorated Marine colonel who risked his life--is inevitably hard to swallow. And the ending is even flimsier. "--Marshall Fine"

Director: Chris Dowling
Genre: Drama, Sport
Studio: Reserve Entertainment
Rated: PG

Against the backdrop of high school football and track, two brothers in a small Southern town face escalating problems with two different world views, straining - but ultimately strengthening - the bonds of brotherhood.