The TV Set (DVD)

The TV Set (2007) starring David Duchovny, Sigourney Weaver, Ioan Gruffudd, Justine Bateman, Lucy Davis. Duchovny stars as the writer who has his script picked to be made into a network TV pilot; Weaver plays the network executive who screws with his vision for the show. Based on real-life experiences of writers and producers of TV shows, "The TV Set" is more amusing in concept than in execution. It's a kind of inside joke that people outside the movie-making business cannot entirely appreciate, but can still enjoy. Grade: B

American Graffiti (DVD)

American Graffiti (1973) starring Richard Dreyfuss, "Ronny" Howard, Cindy Williams, Harrison Ford, Suzanne Somers. The real star of this film is the music, which acts as the soundtrack to a 1962 night when a disparate group of high school students struggle with rites of passage. Beautifully evokes a moment in time. Directed by George Lucas. Grade: A-

Away from Her (DVD)

Away from Her (2006) starring Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent, Olympia Dukakis. A long-married couple struggle with the wife's Alzheimer's Disease. As she slowly deteriorates, she realizes she must go into a nursing home. Some of the dialog sounds a little stilted, but this is otherwise a poignant story. Grade: B

Disturbia (DVD)

Disturbia (2007) starring Shia LaBeouf, Sarah Roemer, Aaron Yoo, David Morse, Carrie-Anne Moss. In this updated and dumbed-down version of Hitchcock's "Rear Window," LaBeouf plays a troubled teen who is stuck in his house because he is on house arrest. He starts spying on his neighbors, and soon begins to suspect that he is living next door to a serial killer. There's not much real suspense, and the movie seems aimed at a teen audience. Grade: C+

Zelig (DVD)

Zelig (1983) starring Woody Allen, Mia Farrow. It's weird to watch a charming, funny movie from Woody Allen, knowing what has happened since between him and Mia Farrow. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this mockumentary about Leonard Zelig, a man who first turned up in the 1920s and who had the chameleon-like ability to transform himself into the likeness of whomever he was hanging out with. Film trickery allows Zelig to turn up in some very surprising surroundings, and the film succeeds in being entertaining and, at times, funny. Grade: B+

Year of the Dog (DVD)

Year of the Dog (2007) starring Molly Shannon, Peter Sarsgaard, Regina King, John C. Reilly, Laura Dern. Shannon plays Peggy, an upbeat secretary whose life takes a nosedive when her beloved dog, Pencil, suddenly dies. Although it is billed as a comedy, I found this movie rather sad. Peggy tries to fill her empty life with her love of animals, especially dogs. Given the right treatment, this theme might have made a moving film; but here, it's told in vignettes that don't really fit together. Grade: C+