Director: Dean Parisot
Studio: Dreamworks Video
Rated: PG

You don't have to be a "Star Trek" fan to enjoy "Galaxy Quest", but it certainly helps. A knowingly affectionate tribute to "Trek" and any other science fiction TV series of the 1960s and beyond, this crowd-pleasing comedy offers in-jokes at warp speed, hitting the bull's-eye for anyone who knows that (1) the starship captain always removes his shirt to display his manly physique; (2) any crew member not in the regular cast is dead meat; and (3) the heroes always stop the doomsday clock with one second to spare. So it is with Commander Taggart (Tim Allen) and the stalwart crew of the NSEA "Protector", whose intergalactic exploits on TV have now been reduced to a dreary cycle of fan conventions and promotional appearances. That's when the Thermians arrive, begging to be saved from Sarris, the reptilian villain who threatens to destroy their home planet.
Can actors rise to the challenge and play their roles for real? The Thermians are counting on it, having studied the "historical documents" of the "Galaxy Quest" TV show, and their hero worship (not to mention their taste for Monte Cristo sandwiches) is ultimately proven worthy, with the help of some "Galaxy" geeks on planet Earth. And while "Galaxy Quest" serves up great special effects and impressive Stan Winston creatures, director Dean Parisot ("Home Fries") is never condescending, lending warm acceptance to this gentle send-up of sci-fi TV and the phenomenon of fandom. Best of all is the splendid cast, including Sigourney Weaver as buxom blonde Gwen DeMarco; Alan Rickman as frustrated thespian Alexander Dane; Tony Shalhoub as dimwit Fred Kwan; Daryl Mitchell as former child-star Tommy Webber; and Enrico Colantoni as Thermian leader Mathesar, whose sing-song voice is a comedic coup de grâce. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: Martin Scorsese
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Miramax Home Entertainment
Rated: R

"Gangs of New York" may achieve greatness with the passage of time. Mixed reviews were inevitable for a production this grand (and this troubled behind the scenes), but it's as distinguished as any of director Martin Scorsese's more celebrated New York stories. From its astonishing 1846 prologue to the city's infernal draft riots of 1863, the film aspires to erase the decorum of textbooks and chronicle 19th-century New York as a cauldron of street warfare. The hostility is embodied in a tale of primal vengeance between Irish American son Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his father's ruthless killer and "Nativist" gang leader Bill "the Butcher" Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis, brutally inspired), so named for his lethal talent with knives. Vallon's vengeance is only marginally compelling; DiCaprio is arguably miscast, and Cameron Diaz (as Vallon's pickpocket lover) is adrift in a film with little use for women. Despite these weaknesses, Scorsese's mastery blossoms in his expert melding of personal and political trajectories; this is American history written in blood, unflinching, authentic, and utterly spectacular. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: Lionel Baier
Genre: Art House & International
Studio: Picture This
Rated: NR

Though most reviewers and viewers are putting this film down as a waste of time, this particular viewer sees many redeeming factors here that, given some further time in the editing room and a bit of script doctoring, could have resulted in a moving story.

Young Swiss filmmaker Lionel Baier has both written (with Laurent Guido) and directed with quasi-autobiographical story that explores the coming of age of a lower class young lad who seems destined to settle for being a hustler. Loic (first time actor Pierre Chatagny) works in an assembly line chocolate factory in Bulle, Switzerland and his only 'life' is provided through his internet activity meeting men for sex. His casual sexual encounters (rather graphically shown in the first portion of the film) are his only answer to relating to people until he meets Marie (Natacha Koutchoumov) with whom he rooms and bonds. Marie is bright and encourages Loic, uneducated and uninformed, to look up words he encounters- a simple but well-intended manner in which Loic can improve himself. He meets the older Lionel (played by the director Lionel Baier) who dangles before Loic's eyes the possibilities of finer things in life. Loic spends his idle hours with a digital camera and between his new interest in photography and his pursuing his 'basic' education, he begins to long for a life more significant than his brainless casual sex. He becomes friends with a soccer player and his son, loses his friendship with Marie when Marie finds a real lover, and ultimately Loic yearns to escape the life of the 'stupid boy' of the title and enters a dreamworld fantasy of something better.

Good ideas for a film here, but Baier seems to get sidetracked into artsy camera work, quasi-porno, and surrealistic moving lights and alpine scenery, and the film falters as a result. But there does seem to be some promise of a new filmmaker on the rise, This film may not be tolerated by some for various reasons, but for the adventurous spirits who are unafraid of a bit of male frontal nudity and sexual acting out, here are redeeming aspects to this little film that merit attention. Grady Harp, May 06

Director: Gary Entin
Studio: Breaking Glass
Rated: PG-13

SPECIAL FEATURES
-Producers / Director / Writer commentary
-"Membership has its Privileges: Making Geography Club" short film
-Cast commentary
-Photo gallery

"Required viewing" -- "Entertainment Tonight"
16-year old Russell is going on dates with girls while nurturing a secret relationship with star quarterback Kevin, who will do anything to prevent his teammates from finding out. Min and Terese tell everyone that they're just best friends. And then there's Ike, who can't figure out who he is or who he wants to be. Finding the truth too hard to hide, they decide to form a Geography Club, thinking nobody else would want to join. However, their secrets may soon be discovered and they could have to face the choice of revealing who they really are.

Director: George A. Romero
Genre: Horror
Studio: Universal Studios
Rated: R

Bolstered by the success of "28 Days Later", "Shaun of the Dead", the "Resident Evil" movies and the hit remake of his own "Dawn of the Dead", George A. Romero returns to the horror subgenre he invented with "Land of the Dead". The fourth installment in Romero's zombie cycle (and the first since 1985's "Day of the Dead") presents a logical progression of events since 1968's horror classic "Night of the Living Dead": Zombies (also known as "stenches" for their rotting odor) are the dominant population, and they've begun to show signs of undead intelligence and gathering power. The wealthiest survivors live comfortably in a luxury high-rise within a barricaded safe zone, ignoring the horrors of the outside world while armed scavengers stage raids in the zombie-zone to gather much-needed food and supplies. Simon Baker and John Leguizamo play mercenaries-for-hire; Dennis Hopper is their nefarious boss; and horror favorite Asia Argento (daughter of "Suspiria" director Dario Argento) plays a former hooker recruited into Baker's scavenger squad. While none of this seems particularly fresh or inspired, "Land of the Dead" benefits from hints of the social satire that made Romero's earlier zombie films so memorable. Not so much funny as gruesomely peculiar, Romero's plot isn't as inventive as it could've been, but as a big-scale B-movie, "Land of the Dead" delivers a handful of shocks and horror-celebrity cameos (including gore-masters Tom Savini and Greg Nicotero) that should keep horror buffs happy until the next zombie opus comes along. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: Dylan Kidd
Genre: Comedy
Studio: CBS Films
Rated: R

Life after college graduation is not exactly going as planned for Will and Jillian who find themselves lost in a sea of increasingly strange jobs. But with help from their family, friends and coworkers they soon discover that the most important (and hilarious) adventures are the ones that we don't see coming.

Director: Simon Shore
Genre: Art House & International
Studio: Paramount
Rated: R

"Get Real" begins with a couple of hedgehogs having sex, and deals with a topic just as prickly: gay love in adolescence. Steve (Ben Silverstone) is a student at a British school where everyone wears classy uniforms, knows he's gay, and is pretty comfortable being so. John (Brad Gorton), a top athlete and all-around admired guy, is just getting an inkling and isn't sure how he feels about it. This, cleverly, is how the movie manages to explore coming-out issues and be over them at the same time. In fact, the whole movie is pretty clever--witty dialogue, deft direction, nimble pacing, and clean editing--in exploring the seriousness of adolescent life without taking it too seriously. The key is in Silverstone's performance; he's a completely convincing mixture of hesitation and recklessness, all the conflicts of high school in one sweet-faced package. As the movie follows Steve and John's relationship--their evasions at school, getting picked up by the police in a park, goofing around in a heated swimming pool, grappling with coming out to the world at large--it lays out a bit of contrast with Steve's best friend Linda (Charlotte Brittain), who's as unapologetically fat as Steve is gay, and who's having an affair with her driving instructor. Excellent performances all around, funny, sexy, charming--if only straight teen comedies were half this good. "Get Real" even demonstrates the proper etiquette when soliciting sex in public restrooms; what more can you ask for? "--Bret Fetzer"

Director: Steve Beck
Genre: Horror
Studio: Warner Home Video
Rated: R

While it offers nothing new for horror buffs, "Ghost Ship" relocates its haunted house clichés to an eerily effective setting. The Italian luxury liner "Antonia Graza", its fate a mystery for 40 years, has suddenly reappeared in the chilly Bering Sea. Lured by a seemingly harmless proposition, Gabriel Byrne and Julianna Margulies lead a salvage crew (including Ron Eldard, Margulies's offscreen partner and fellow "ER" alumnus) to claim the wreck. But a grisly prologue--in which we witness the horrific fate of the ship's crew and passengers--makes it clear that bad things are going to happen. And they do... with the predictability of tomorrow's sunrise. The supporting cast is routinely dispatched, but their fates are determined amid outstanding art direction, slick cinematography, and judicious digital trickery, all primed to maximize the doom-laden atmosphere. Director Steve Beck (who remade "13 Ghosts" a year earlier) won't win any awards for ingenuity, but "Ghost Ship" offers a few good chills for a dark and stormy night. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: David Lowery
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Studio: Sailor Bear
Rated: R

Resonating with vibrant memories and silent echoes of a shared life, the old house is somehow connected to "C", a sensitive composer who is hesitant of leaving it, while his loving wife "M", on the other hand, is keen on moving out, having an indecipherable but grim premonition of danger. Sadly, disaster soon strikes, and C's untethered spectre which detaches from the lifeless body, rises from the mortician's table, and in a swift decision, decides to linger in this dimension to faithfully follow the grieving M back to the old house. As silent as a shadow and as invisible as the air, C's unappeasable phantom observes M's denial and depression gradually turn to acceptance and even hope, as time unravels, moving forward through the decades. In this earth, man struggles to leave his legacy behind. Is this the way to immortality?

Director: Bouli Lanners
Genre: Drama
Studio: Versus Production
Rated: See all certifications

Brothers Seth and Zak, fifteen and thirteen & 3/4 years old, are spending the summer in their deceased grandfather's house, waiting in vain for their mother, who is otherwise busy, and running low on cash. To make some money they decide to rent the house out to a local drug dealer, but things don't go exactly as planned...

Director: Tate Taylor
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Studio: Amblin Entertainment
Rated: R

The Girl on the Train is the story of Rachel Watson's life post-divorce. Every day, she takes the train in to work in New York, and every day the train passes by her old house. The house she lived in with her husband, who still lives there, with his new wife and child. As she attempts to not focus on her pain, she starts watching a couple who live a few houses down -- Megan and Scott Hipwell. She creates a wonderful dream life for them in her head, about how they are a perfect happy family. And then one day, as the train passes, she sees something shocking, filling her with rage. The next day, she wakes up with a horrible hangover, various wounds and bruises, and no memory of the night before. She has only a feeling: something bad happened. Then come the TV reports: Megan Hipwell is missing. Rachel becomes invested in the case and trying to find out what happened to Megan, where she is, and what exactly she herself was up to that same night Megan went missing.

Director: Phillip Noyce
Studio: Anchor Bay
Rated: NR

The Giver centers on Jonas (Brenton Thwaites), a young man who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment.  Yet as he begins to spend time with The Giver (Jeff Bridges), who is the sole keeper of all the community’s memories, Jonas quickly begins to discover the dark and deadly truths of his community’s secret past. With this newfound power of knowledge, he realizes that the stakes are higher than imagined – a matter of life and death for himself and those he loves most.  At extreme odds, Jonas knows that he must escape their world to protect them all – a challenge that no one has ever succeeded at before. The Giver is based on Lois Lowry’s beloved young adult novel of the same name, which was the winner of the 1994 Newbery Medal.

Director: Gerard Barrett
Genre: Drama
Studio: Blank Page Productions
Rated: See all certifications

Set in Dublin, 'Glassland' tells the story of a young taxi driver who gets tangled up in the world of human trafficking while trying to save his mother from drug addiction.

Studio: 20th Century Fox
Rated: NR

A concert documentary shot during the glee live! in concert! summer 2011 tour. Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 12/20/2011 Starring: Dianna Agron Lea Michele Run time: 84 minutes Rating: Nr Director: Kevin Tancharoen

Director: Andrew Neel
Genre: Drama
Studio: Killer Films
Rated: R

Reeling from a terrifying assault, a 19 year-old enrolls into college with his brother and pledges the same fraternity. What happens there, in the name of "brotherhood," tests him and his loyalty to his brother in brutal ways.

Studio: Pure Flix Ent
Rated: PG

Gods Not Dead Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack. Brand New With Cardboard Sleeve.

Director: Joshua Lim
Genre: Drama, Family

Two brothers reconnect after the death of their parents.

Director: Nick Hamm
Genre: Art House & International
Studio: Lions Gate
Rated: PG-13

While it preys on the emotions of grieving parents, "Godsend" serves up a few minor shocks in an otherwise frightless supernatural thriller. Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos are the once-happy couple whose 8-year-old son (Cameron Bright) has been struck and killed by a car. When a fertility and genetics expert (Robert De Niro) offers them an opportunity to resurrect their boy through a secret, illegal cloning procedure, they don't know that the doctor's hidden agenda will have horrifying repercussions when the "new" son passes his eighth birthday and begins having "night terrors" about another boy who'd suffered a similarly unfortunate fate. Any casual viewer will catch the plot twist early, after which "Godsend" presses its flimsy premise past the breaking point. There are some eerie moments involving the kid (and Bright has effectively disturbing presence), but wretched dialogue and derivative plotting undermine the talented leads, all of whom seem to be slumming in the B-movie cellar. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: David Greene
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: G

Comparing "Godspell" to its near-contemporaries "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Hair" is unavoidable, but "Godspell" has developed its own unique following. With their thrift-store-meets-circus-performer garb, the characters in David Greene's adaptation of the popular off-Broadway production may look more like the hippies in "Hair" than the biblical personages of "Superstar". But "Godspell" isn't really about the "Age of Aquarius," nor does it adopt a dark or operatic tone towards its subject matter, the Gospel according to Matthew. The mood is, instead, upbeat and uplifting (at least until the crucifixion sequence).
The film opens with youthful city dwellers from various walks of life dropping their activities to follow John the Baptist (David Haskell from the original New York production). They sing ("Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord") as he leads them into a fountain where they are (metaphorically) baptized. There they meet Jesus (Victor Garber). Frizzy hair and mime makeup aside, the handsome young Garber ("Titanic", "Annie") is convincing in his film debut. Once baptized, they follow him around various scenic New York locations, singing and acting out passages from the Scriptures.
The largely unknown cast is talented and charismatic, but the film is only fitfully engaging on an emotional level because only Jesus, John, and Judas (Haskell again) emerge as distinct characters. Stephen Schwartz's pleasing pop-rock score, however, helps to smooth over the rough spots, and Robin Lamont's hit version of "Day by Day" remains a highlight. "--Kathleen C. Fennessy"

Director: Takao Okawara
Genre: Horror
Studio: Sony Pictures
Rated: PG

Gaaaaaaaargh! The guy in the rubber suit is back with a vengeance. Godzilla's back in the nurturing hands of Toho Studios, and they've beefed up the big beast with more highly developed spinal fins, resembling large crystals, and more menacing teeth. But he's the same guy in the rubber suit who smashes Tokyo's buildings and cars and dukes it out in larger-than-life smackdowns with the universe's monstrous villains. The plot is familiar to anyone who was a 12-year-old boy: Godzilla erupts from the sea for reasons that are never made clear, proceeds to wreak havoc amongst the buildings of a model city, and meets and beats a monster his own size, thus saving humanity. His nemesis this time around is a 600-foot-long rock that scientists find at the bottom of the ocean and unwisely bring to the surface, where it proves to be an alien spacecraft bent on acquiring Godzilla's regenerative abilities. "A visitor from outer space?" exclaims one of the scientists, "My god, it's just too crazy to believe!" To which the lead scientist responds, "Right, like Godzilla's normal. Anyway, it's my theory that..."
The film is thoroughly entertaining, and not just for the breathtaking sequences of destruction that follow Godzilla's emergence and his battles with the alien space monster. These do have a preternatural beauty. But the human story, if you can call it that, holds your interest due to the shear preponderance of improbabilities it generates. You laugh at the "mistakes"--assuming they weren't planted there as amiable self-deprecation. "--Jim Gay"

Studio: Summit Entertainment
Rated: PG-13

Amanda Seyfried (In Time, Red Riding Hood) stars in this intense thriller about a desperate young woman who, after being ignored by the police, is forced to go on the hunt alone for a maniacal serial killer whom she believes has kidnapped her younger sister.

Director: John Robert Hoffman
Genre: Comedy
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Rated: PG

A young boy named Owen learns the startling truth about dogs: They're actually from outer space, sent here to rule mankind. A canine agent from the star Sirius (voiced by Matthew Broderick) gets rescued from the pound by Owen (Liam Aiken) and named Hubble. As Hubble desperately tries to train a motley crew of dogs from Owen's neighborhood to behave like conquerors before the Greater Dane arrives and decides the planet's fate, the outer space pooch slowly bonds with Owen and discovers why dogs may have joined forces with humans instead of dominating them. "Good Boy!" will charm dog lovers in particular, but the movie has enough clever touches to engage most viewers, and it manages a sweet tone without turning cloyingly saccharine. Featuring the voices of Carl Reiner, Brittany Murphy, Delta Burke, Donald Faison, and--of all people--Vanessa Redgrave as the Greater Dane. "--Bret Fetzer"

Director: Gene Stupnitsky
Genre: Adventure, Comedy
Studio: Good Universe
Rated: R

Invited to his first kissing party, 12-year-old Max asks his best friends Lucas and Thor for some much-needed help on how to pucker up. When they hit a dead end, Max decides to use his father's drone to spy on the teenage girls next door. When the boys lose the drone, they skip school and hatch a plan to retrieve it before Max's dad can figure out what happened.

Director: Sam Wood
Genre: Drama
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios

An old classics teacher looks back over his long career, remembering pupils and colleagues, and above all the idyllic courtship and marriage that transformed his life.

Director: Herbert Ross
Studio: Warner Home Video
Rated: G

Remake of an older film where an elder teacher and former boarding school headmaster looks back upon his career and personal life over the decades.

Director: Rob Letterman
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Horror
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Rated: PG

First this is all about monsters and any kind of supernatural .After going to a new small town,the teenager boy Zach Cooper (Dylan Minnette) he meets the beautiful girl, Hannah (Odeya Rush), living right next door. But every silver lining has a cloud, and Zach's comes when he learns that Hannah has a mysterious dad who is revealed to be R. L. Stine (Jack Black), the author of the bestselling Goosebumps series. It turns out that there is a reason why Stine is so strange... he is a prisoner of his own imagination - the monsters that his books made famous are real, and Stine protects his readers by keeping them locked up in their books. Zach unintentionally unleashes the monsters from their manuscripts and they begin to terrorize the town, it's suddenly up to Stine, Zach, Hannah, and Zach's friend Champ (Ryan Lee) they all do their best to back all of the monsters in the book.

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: Primrose Hill Productions
Rated: TV-14

In crime ridden Gotham City, Thomas and Martha Wayne are murdered before young Bruce Wayne's eyes. Although the idealistic Gotham City Police Dept. detective James Gordon, and his cynical partner, Harvey Bullock, seem to solve the case quickly, things are not so simple. Inspired by Bruce's traumatized desire for justice, Gordon vows to find it amid Gotham's corruption. Thus begins Gordon's lonely quest that would set him against his own comrades and the underworld with their own deadly rivalries and mysteries. In the coming wars, innocence will be lost and compromises will be made as some criminals will fall as casualties while others will rise as supervillains. All the while, young Bruce observes this war with a growing obsession that would one day drive him to seek his own revenge as The Batman.

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Studio: Primrose Hill Productions
Rated: TV-14

In crime ridden Gotham City, Thomas and Martha Wayne are murdered before young Bruce Wayne's eyes. Although the idealistic Gotham City Police Dept. detective James Gordon, and his cynical partner, Harvey Bullock, seem to solve the case quickly, things are not so simple. Inspired by Bruce's traumatized desire for justice, Gordon vows to find it amid Gotham's corruption. Thus begins Gordon's lonely quest that would set him against his own comrades and the underworld with their own deadly rivalries and mysteries. In the coming wars, innocence will be lost and compromises will be made as some criminals will fall as casualties while others will rise as supervillains. All the while, young Bruce observes this war with a growing obsession that would one day drive him to seek his own revenge as The Batman.

Director: Thom Oliphant, Mathieu Kassovitz
Genre: Horror
Studio: Warner Home Video
Rated: R

The title of "Gothika" prepares you for a spooky, atmospheric thriller with an emphasis on supernatural mystery. The best way to appreciate the movie itself is to understand that it's a waking nightmare that needn't make sense in the realm of sanity. Making a flashy Hollywood debut after his superior 2000 thriller "Crimson Rivers", French actor-director Mathieu Kassovitz pours on the dark and stormy atmosphere, trapping a competent psychologist (Halle Berry) in the prison ward where she treated inmates (including Penelope Cruz) until she was committed for killing her husband (Charles S. Dutton), who was also her boss. Did a car crash cause her to suffer ghostly delusions, or is a young girl--dead for four years--sending clues from beyond the grave? Berry has to prove her innocence while Kassovitz keeps everything--including the viewer and costar Robert Downey Jr. (as Berry's colleague)--in the dark about just where the nonsensical plot is leading. There's a better movie in here somewhere, among the catwalks and crannies of the impressive prison-castle setting, and Berry gives 100% in a performance that's consistent with the movie's overwrought tone. Attentive viewers will identify the killer early on, and the ending is anticlimactic, but "Gothika" serves up a few good shocks for ghost-story connoisseurs. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: James Bolton
Genre: Drama
Studio: Blank Stare
Rated: NR

Penniless teen Nick (played by Ruben Bansie-Snellman) is The Graffiti Artist. Alone at night he finds walls and spray-paints words (Rupture is a favorite.) and images on walls and similar spaces. There are occasional run-ins with the police, and he supports himself through shoplifting. He gets around on a skateboard. In daytime he takes pictures of his handiwork and pastes them into a scrapbook, helping him hone his craft.

Nick spots fellow-graffi-maker Jesse (played by Pepper Fajans) at work, at what seems to me a lower artistic level. The two do not meet up until later, when Nick spots Jesse from an overpass. For no particular reason, they join up and begin joint operations, making art and fleeing the police. Nick likes them using the word Elusive once Jesse defines it for him. Jesse has some money and a place to stay; so matters look up for Nick.

Undressing for bed, Nick has his eye on Jesse, but Jesse is the one who makes a move. Afterward, Jesse is the one who feels weirded out and grows distant. Jesse, concerned about going too far with both the police and the sex, moves on and away. Nick follows, is rebuffed, and shows his personal growth by now spray-painting Free Art around his graffitied image of spray-paint can.

The film is useful in showing a slightly romanticized view of graffiti-making by a suffering artist. Nick does show above-average talent. The film uses age-appropriate actors, but spares the audience the related dialog. The film relies on body language to tell the story of why they like each other, what the sex meant, and what the long-term impact is likely to be. Although the physical acting is good, the audience still has to decide what to make of it.

My guess is that Jesse will view this as a slightly embarassing interlude, and that Nick will forget it all together. Neither character was all that deeply invested in the relationship.

The two principals provide good skin. There is a filmography but no other generally useful extras. The location shuttles between Seattle and Portland.

Director: Paul Weitz
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Studio: Depth of Field
Rated: R

Lily Tomlin stars as Elle who has just gotten through breaking up with her girlfriend when Elle's granddaughter Sage unexpectedly shows up needing $600 bucks before sundown. Temporarily broke, Grandma Elle and Sage spend the day trying to get their hands on the cash as their unannounced visits to old friends and flames end up rattling skeletons and digging up secrets.

Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Studio: Warner Home Video
Rated: PG-13

GRAVITY, directed by Oscar nominee Alfonso Cuaron, stars Oscar winners Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in a heart-pounding thriller that pulls you into the infinite and unforgiving realm of deep space. Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney). But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone.

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Studio: Warner Home Video
Rated: PG-13

F. Scott Fitzgerald, meet Baz Luhrmann: One of the finest novels of American literature gets the lavish treatment we expect from the director of "Moulin Rouge!" and "Romeo + Juliet". Were it not for those party scenes at the millionaire's mansion, "The Great Gatsby" would seem to be far down the list of possible projects for the hyper Luhrmann, but hey--that Gatsby fellow did know how to throw a shindig. And indeed, the party scenes brim with flappers and champagne and fireworks, all stuff that Luhrmann knows how to pump up to maximum volume. He's shrewdly arranged his movie around the golden-hued presence of Leonardo DiCaprio, who occupies his Jazz Age suits as though he'd waited to wear them all his life. Yet in some essential way, and despite what appears to be a sincere reverence for the book (in many ways the movie's extremely faithful to the plot), Luhrmann is completely off-key in his delivery of this sad-edged saga: The quick cutting, the glossy digital backdrops, the heavy emphasis on Fitzgerald's subtle imagery, all combine to throttle the material rather than animate it. Some of the people on screen fare nicely, as Joel Edgerton gets the brutishness of upper-class Tom Buchanan, Elizabeth Debicki is a sly Jordan Baker, and Tobey Maguire makes sense as the observant narrator Nick Carraway. As Gatsby's romantic ideal, the unattainable Daisy, Carey Mulligan appears misplaced, but one can hardly blame the actress for getting lost amidst the glitz. There's just one person to blame for this gaudy extravaganza, and it's not F. Scott Fitzgerald. "--Robert Horton"

Director: Ivo Trajkov
Genre: Art House & International
Studio: Picture This! Entertainment
Rated: Unrated

Zhivko Chingo wrote a children's book in the 1970s, a Yugoslavian best seller, 'Golemata voda' ('The Great Water') about the way the children of Macedonia responded to the critical changes Communism created in the country in 1945. It is stunningly brought to the screen by Ivo Trajkov as a labor of love and dedication and as an attempt to pay homage to the philosophical sensibilities of the Macedonian people in a difficult time of transition.

The film begins in the present as old Lem (Meto Jovanovski) is experiencing a heart attack and while he is being wheeled into a hospital and examined and wired, he has memory flashbacks to his childhood in 1945 when the WW II was over, Stalin was in power, and orphans were placed in 'orphanages' (re-education facilities) to learn the Communist life. Young Lem (Saso Kekenovski) was brought to the 'orphanage' when his parents were imprisoned for their anti-Stalin stance, and since he is new to the system, he must quickly adjust to the Dickens-like poor house conditions. He is befriended by his 'instructors' Ariton (Mitko Aposolovski) and Olivera (Verica Nedeska), learning how to adjust to the role of obedient brainwashing. The most influential person in Lem's life arrives in the form of young Isak (Maja Stankovska) whose girlfriend has been in the camp prior to Isak's arrival. The manner in which Lem struggles to repay Isak's kindnesses is by acting as a liaison with camp commander to find Isak's love. It is this friendship's course that serves as the tender core of this film.

The struggles quietly underplaying all of the camp surface activity are many: the dichotomy of a Communist ideology removing the Church from existence with a people dependent upon the spiritual values of religion, the Stalin/Tito issue, the adjustments to the policies of Communist regime in a country where fierce national pride had ruled, and the depersonalization of children into political pawns despite the need for role models and the luxury of growing up with friends and confidants. But it is the powerful effect of retrospect as the old Lem relives this tragic time that fills this film with luminous meaning.

This is one of the few films that has been made in Macedonia (a former portion of Yugoslavia now the Republic of Macedonia) and it is a genuinely touching, finely tuned work of art, one that depends on a large cast of non-professional child actors gathered from the Macedonian schools by Ivo Trajkov. The DVD is accompanied by a statement by Trajkov not only about the film but also about the pride of Macedonians that is enlightening and tender. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, November 05

Director: Martin Campbell
Studio: Warner Bros.
Rated: PG-13

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, an elite force of protectors for peace and justice has existed for centuries. They are the Green Lantern Corps. When a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of the Corps' newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds). Bringing the popular superhero to the big screen for the first time, Green Lantern also stars Blake Lively ("Gossip Girl"), Peter Sarsgaard ("Orphan"), Mark Strong ("Sherlock Holmes"), Academy Award® nominee Angela Bassett* and Academy Award® winner Tim Robbins**.

Director: Richard Natale
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Wolfe Video
Rated: Unrated

"Green Plaid Shirt" is a fabulously touching (and heart-wrenching) love
story that brilliantly covers so many bases. Set in the late-80s to
mid-90s, a group of gay men is struggling to find the balance between
simply being in love and the ever-evolving world of queer politics and
realities--from polyamory to finding community to dealing with AIDS.

The opening scene sets the mood for a story of true love, and the pains
and joys that go with it. Philip is searching for meaning in the love that
he has felt for so long, and takes us on a journey through his memories of
the past ten years of commitment. What he reveals is a beautiful story of
two men falling in love, and then forcing themselves to change their ways,
to open their relationship, and to detach themselves from feelings of
dependence and of jealousy. Through the years, other partners come and go,
they deal with friends dying of AIDS, they go through good times and bad
times, both together and apart. And ultimately, they discover what it is
they both need.

"Green Plaid Shirt" tackles a lot. It's a very astute story about
insecurities, love, the ebs and flows of monogamy in queer culture, and
the harsh realities of AIDS and other illnesses. It's a remarkable love
story that could happen in any decade, but is a poignant story about gay
love in the 80s and 90s. It's a phenomenal tale with humor, heart-warming
passion, and a powerful message. A beautiful movie.

Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Genre: Crime, Horror, Thriller
Studio: Broad Green Pictures
Rated: R

A band straying into a secluded part of the Pacific Northwest stumbles onto a horrific act of violence. Because they are the only witnesses, they become the targets of a terrifying gang of skinheads who want to make sure all the evidence is eliminated.

Director: Lexi Alexander
Genre: Action & Adventure
Studio: Warner Home Video
Rated: R

After the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Elijah Wood could've opted for further big budget epics, but took a sharp left turn with this better-than-average B-movie. Released just after "Everything is Illuminated", another offbeat entry, Wood plays journalism student Matt Buckner. In the prologue, he's expelled from Harvard when his over-privileged roommate sets him up to take the fall for his own misdeeds. With nowhere to go, Matt decides to visit his sister, Shannon (Claire Forlani), in London. He's already got a chip on his shoulder when he falls under the sway of Shannon's brother-in-law, Pete (Charlie Hunnam), head of West Ham's football "firm," the Green Street Elite. Matt soon gets caught up in their thuggish antics—to tragic effect. In her feature debut, German-born Lexi Alexander makes a mostly convincing case for the attractions of violence to the emotionally vulnerable, as opposed to the emotionally numb pugilists of the more satirical "Fight Club". Unlike David Fincher (by way of Chuck Palahniuk), she plays it straight, except for the stylized fight sequences. Consequently, humor is in short supply, but the young Brit cast, especially Leo Gregory as the surly Bovver, is charismatic and Wood makes his character as believable as possible, i.e. he may seem miscast, but that's the point. Although there's no (direct) correlation between the two, "Green Street" makes a fine taster for Bill Buford's "Among the Thugs", the ultimate dissection of the hooligan mentality. "--Kathleen C. Fennessy"

Director: Takashi Shimizu
Genre: Horror
Studio: Sony Pictures
Rated: Unrated

It's not the scary hit that "The Ring" was in 2002, but "The Grudge" makes a similarly convincing case for American remakes of popular Japanese horror films. Barely a year passed between the release of Takashi Shimizu's creepy ghost story "Ju-On: The Grudge" and the production of this American remake, set in Tokyo and starring Sarah Michelle Gellar in her first post-"Buffy" horror film. About the only significant difference between the two films is the importing of a mostly-American cast (including Bill Pullman, Clea DuVall and Grace Zabriskie), but "The Grudge" was reconfigured (by screenwriter Stephen Susco) to allow Shimizu to refine and improve the spookiest highlights of his earlier version, which enjoyed previous incarnations as a short film and two made-for-Japanese-video features. Surprising box-office analysts with a $40 million opening weekend, "The Grudge" may disappoint hard-core horror fans because it lacks gore and graphic violence, but as a creepy tale about a "very" haunted house, it's guaranteed to send a few chills up your spine. "--Jeff Shannon"

Director: Graeme Campbell
Genre: Drama
Studio: Mpi Home Video
Rated: NR

Susan Walker is a single mother raising two children. In the midst of planning a future with her perfect boyfriend, Russell, she discovers he's a drug dealer and breaks up with him. Soon, her house is raided by drug enforcement officials who charge her as a co-conspirator in Russell's drug ring. Susan is innocent and confidant that the jury will acquit her. But, under a new mandatory-minimum drug-sentencing law, she is sentenced to 20 years in jail. Her resolve to fight this injustice never wavers, even when the system has abandoned her. After years in prison, Susan learns that the government has reduced the sentences of women like her and finds there may be a ray of hope after all. Guilt By Association is a disturbing story based on true events, starring Mercedes Ruehl, Academy Award (r)-winning actress, The Fisher King.

Director: Anne Fletcher
Studio: Paramount
Rated: PG-13

After making his reputation as a performer of R-rated material, Seth Rogen seems an unlikely match for Barbra Streisand, iconic star of stage and screen, but "The Guilt Trip" works more often than not. Rogen plays Andy, an organic chemist who has poured his life savings into a nontoxic cleaning solution. While in New Jersey to make a pitch for Scieoclean--a name no one can pronounce--he pays a visit to his mother, Joyce (Streisand), who has plenty of friends, but gave up on romance when his father died (similarly, Andy threw in the towel when his first love fizzled out). In an unguarded moment, she tells her son that she named him after a college sweetheart, which makes such an impression that he invites her to accompany him across the country as he attempts to find a buyer for Scieoclean. Little does she know that Andy plans to set up a meeting with her and her old boyfriend in San Francisco, where he hopes she can put her unresolved feelings to rest, leading to a road-trip comedy in which the characters generate a combination of prickly humor and touching moments as they laugh, bicker, meet an attractive admirer, and learn to see each other as fully fledged human beings. Though Colin Hanks and Adam Scott appear briefly, "The Proposal"'s Anne Fletcher relies primarily on her leads, who acquit themselves nicely. If "The Guilt Trip" never cuts as deeply as it could, it offers a pleasant enough ride. "--Kathleen C. Fennessy"