Heavenly Creatures

Heavenly Creatures (1994) starring Kate Winslet, Melanie Lynskey. Directed by Peter Jackson. In the early 1950s in New Zealand, two teenage girls named Pauline (Lynskey) and Juliet (Winslet) form a close bond. To outside observers, the bond appears obsessive; some, including Juliet's father, suspect the girls are lesbians. Pauline and Juliet share an incredibly detailed and rich fantasy life, but they aren't doing anyone any harm -- until their parents decide that they must be permanently separated. The movie is based on true events, and excerpts from Pauline's diary serve as a framing device for the story. The DVD includes both English subtitles and closed captions. Grade: A-

Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope

Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Alec Guinness. Directed by George Lucas. This movie, also known as simply Star Wars, set box-office records back in '77, and with good reason. It has everything that the old Saturday afternoon matinees used to have, plus great special effects. The plot: Princess Leia (Fisher) has entrusted the evil Empire's plans for the Death Star to a droid called R2-D2, and Luke Skywalker (Hamill) sets out to save the princess and destroy the Death Star. He is aided along the way by Obi-Wan Kenobi (Guinness) and Han Solo (Ford). Great music by John Williams helps everything hang together. Subtitles in English are available; the disc also has closed captions. Grade: A

Start the Revolution Without Me

Start the Revolution Without Me (1970) starring Gene Wilder, Donald Sutherland, Victor Spinetti. Directed by Bud Yorkin. Two pairs of twins, switched at birth, grow up to be the noble De Sisi brothers -- and a pair of peasant brothers -- in 1789 France. Wilder and Sutherland both play dual roles as half of each pair of brothers. It's a madcap, slapstick movie about the French Revolution, none of it to be taken seriously. The King of France, Louis XVI, is made out to be the biggest fool of all. Meanwhile, the evil Duke d'Escargot (Spinetti) plots to oust the king and take over the kingdom. The movie was filmed entirely on location in France, which gives it a considerable air of authenticity. It really is a non-stop laugh-fest. English subtitles are offered, but the closed captions are better. Grade: B+

50/50

50/50 (2011) starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard. Twenty-seven-year-old Adam (Gordon-Levitt) is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and he and his friend Kyle (Rogen) struggle to find ways to deal with it. Adam's girlfriend (Howard) cheats on him, and his therapist (Kendrick) may be falling for him. The movie is based on real life (one of the writers had survived cancer), and it has a real-life feel to it. Adam meets his cancer with humor, and later with frustration and anger. The film is about as close to a comedy about cancer as you can get, but it still takes the disease, and its victims, seriously. The DVD offers English subtitles for the hearing-impaired, but no closed captions. Grade: B

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Catherine Hicks. The familiar (but somewhat older) crew of the USS Enterprise journeys back to the 20th century to save the earth -- with the help of a pair of humpback whales. The fun doesn't really start until the crew members arrive in 20th century San Francisco, where Hicks is the spark plug for the action. She's the keeper of the whales, and has to be convinced that Kirk (Shatner) and Spock (Nimoy) are from the future, and that they have good intentions. Even though the science aspect of the plot is full of hoakum and Trek-talk, it's still fun to watch these characters return to their old roles. The DVD offers subtitles in English for the hearing-impaired, as well as closed captions. Grade: B+

Stardust Memories

Stardust Memories (1980) starring Woody Allen, Charlotte Rampling, Jessica Harper, Marie-Christine Barrault, Tony Roberts. Written and directed by Woody Allen. Sandy Bates, a character not unlike Woody Allen, agrees to attend a weekend seminar devoted to his films -- where he is besieged by fans, who do all kinds of crazy things to get his attention. One gets the feeling that this film is highly autobiographical. Some may feel it's just narcissistic, but Woody addresses that objection in the film itself. I found it highly amusing. English subtitles are not included, but closed captions are. Grade: B+

Star Trek

Star Trek (2009) starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Eric Bana, Leonard Nimoy. It's early days as James T. Kirk (Pine) is born as his mother flees (in a medical shuttle) the destruction of the USS Kelvin -- with Kirk's father in charge. Eventually, Kirk goes to Starfleet Academy and ends up aboard the USS Enterprise, where he meets, for the first time, the future crew of the starship which he is destined to command. The rest of the plot is some time-travel crap, apparently devised so that Nimoy can show up as the future Spock. That's OK though, if you're a Star Trek fan you'll enjoy seeing the characters in their early incarnations. I thought Urban was a standout as Bones. There's some pretty exciting action, but the film doesn't stray far from the Star Trek we all know and love. Subtitles in English are available, but I chose to watch with the closed captions option. Grade: B