Frost/Nixon (DVD)

Frost/Nixon (2008) starring Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Sam Rockwell, Toby Jones, Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt. British talk show host David Frost (Sheen) scored a series of TV interviews with former president Richard Nixon (Langella) in 1977. This movie tells the story of how the interviews were arranged, the preparations by both sides, the conduct of the interviews, the strategy, and the adversarial nature of the conversations. It's a surprisingly compelling film about a series of interviews. Directed by Ron Howard. Grade: A-

What a Girl Wants (DVD)

What a Girl Wants (2003) starring Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth. Fun chick flick about an American teenager named Daphne (Bynes) who goes to England to find her real father (Firth). Bynes is adorable, of course, and she does pratfalls well. After a detour in which she tries to adapt herself to British high society, Daphne decides that it's just best to be herself. And wouldn't you know it, everyone gets their happily ever after. Grade: B

Rachel, Rachel (DVD)

Rachel, Rachel (1968) starring Joanne Woodward, James Olson, Estelle Parsons. Woodward plays an unmarried 35-year-old teacher, living with her mother. During summer vacation, she meets a man (Olson), someone she knew as a youth. She spins fantasies around him, the first man she's ever been with. But the story takes an unexpected turn. Produced and directed by Woodward's husband, Paul Newman, this movie earned Oscar nominations in several categories. Grade: B+

Milk (DVD)

Milk (2008) starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, James Franco, Victor Garber. Penn won an Oscar for his portrayal of Harvey Milk, the openly gay activist who was elected supervisor in 1978 in San Francisco, then assassinated. The film is a moving testimony to the beginnings of the gay rights movement. Not for homophobes. Grade: A

A Walk to Remember (DVD)

A Walk to Remember (2002) starring Mandy Moore, Shane West. Moore plays preacher's daughter Jamie Sullivan, and West plays bad boy Landon Carter, who is cast opposite her in a school play. To their friends' and families' surprise, the two fall in love. Then tragedy intervenes. It's played for maximum pathos, and it succeeds. A real tear-jerker. Grade: B

The Wrestler (DVD)

The Wrestler (2008) starring Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood. Rourke stars as over-the-hill professional wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson, Tomei is his stripper love interest Cassidy, and Wood plays his estranged daughter, Stephanie. After suffering a heart attack in the locker room, the Ram tries to reconnect with his daughter, but she doesn't want anything to do with him. When his job at a deli counter proves to be unbearable, he decides to go back to wrestling, against doctor's advice. The final wrestling bout forms the climax to the movie. It's well acted, well scripted, noble, funny and tragic. Grade: A-

The Great Dictator (DVD)

The Great Dictator (1940) starring Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin plays dual roles in his take on Adolph Hitler, made shortly after the start of the Second World War. Chaplin portrays Adenoid Hynkel, dictator of Tomainia, and also an amnesiac Jewish barber who looks exactly like Hynkel. The barber, captured and sentenced to a prison camp, escapes just in time for a case of mistaken identity -- he is taken for Hynkel, and gets his chance to deliver an impassioned speech in favor of liberty and democracy. It's a bit heavy handed, but makes for an OK film. Grade: B

Meet Me in St. Louis (DVD)

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) starring Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien. Corny but charming slice of Americana set in 1903 in St. Louis. A family struggles with the father's decision to take a job in New York -- nobody really wants to move. Songs include "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "The Trolley Song," sung by Garland. O'Brien is unforgettable as the rambunctious young Tootie. Grade: A-

Role Models (DVD)

Role Models (2008) starring Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks. A couple of slackers (Rudd and Scott) get on the wrong side of the law, and are sentenced to community service with the Sturdy Wings mentoring program. They make an odd pairing with the two kids they are assigned to, and the comedy evolves from there. This is a moderately funny, profoundly profane movie with a happy ending, and it didn't hurt me any to watch it. Grade: B

The Wizard of Oz (DVD)

The Wizard of Oz (1939) starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley. Classic fantasy has weathered the years well, and in this restored version the colors are vibrant. The flying monkeys have been known to traumatize some young children, so be warned. The subtitles are superb -- even the song lyrics can be seen. Grade: B+

Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi (DVD)

Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher. Princess Leia (Fisher) in a gold bikini! A speeder chase through the forest of Endor! Ewoks! This final film in the Star Wars saga has it all, as Luke Skywalker (Hamill) heads toward his ultimate confrontation with the evil Lord Darth Vader. Though not the best of the Star Wars movies, this one packs a satisfying emotional wallop. Grade: B+

Rachel Getting Married (DVD)

Rachel Getting Married (2008) starring Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Bill Irwin, Debra Winger. Hathaway plays drama-queen/recovering-addict Kym, who is released from rehab just in time to attend her sister Rachel's (DeWitt) wedding. It's pretty much a given that the family will be dysfunctional, but there is a reveal about halfway through the movie that shows there are special circumstances involved in the dysfunction of this family. It's the mark of a good film that I found myself eager to find out what would happen next. The only criticism I have is that this disc lacks the crucial feature of subtitles for the hearing-impaired, and I couldn't hear a lot of the rat-a-tat dialogue. Hathaway was nominated for an Oscar for her performance. Grade: B-

Tell No One (DVD)

Tell No One (2006) starring Francois Cluzet, Kristin Scott Thomas. "The Fugitive" with a French twist. Pediatrician Alexandre Beck (Cluzet) was the prime suspect in his wife's murder eight years ago, and when two bodies are found buried near his home, he becomes a suspect once again. He receives anonymous emails suggesting his wife is still alive, but is soon framed in another murder and ends up running from the police. Meanwhile, a shadowy organization pursues both him and his wife, using any means necessary. I was entertained, but by the end of the film I was so confused that it all seemed like one big jumbled-up mess. In French, with English subtitles. Grade: B-

Slumdog Millionaire (DVD)

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) starring Dev Patel, Madhur Mittal, Freida Pinto. Winner of the Best Picture Oscar for 2008, "Slumdog Millionaire" has a lot to like. It's not so satisfying to watch on a home TV, however, even on DVD. The scenes in Hindi have subtitles that are nearly impossible to read, and many location and time cues also appear onscreen in type that is too small to read on a home screen. This ends up making the film more confusing than it needs to be, and some plot elements appear to be unexplained. It's a shame, because I sense I might have liked it more without these shortcomings. Grade: B