Little Dorrit: Disc 1 (DVD)

Little Dorrit (2008) starring Claire Foy, Matthew Macfadyen, Andy Serkis. BBC miniseries based on the Charles Dickens novel; this first disc introduces all the characters and sets the stage for later events in the drama. In the first four episodes, contained on this disc, we meet Little Amy Dorrit (Foy) and her benefactor, the kindly Arthur Clennam (Macfadyen). We learn that Little Dorrit lives with her father in debtors' prison, and that Clennam does not get on well with his shrewish mother. The subtitles on this disc are very well done, and quite welcome. All in all, a promising start. Grade: B+

The Graduate (DVD)

The Graduate (1967) starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross. Hoffman's first major film role finds him playing Benjamin Braddock, a recent college graduate who is searching for direction in life. Seduced by the wife (Bancroft) of his father's business partner, he in turn falls in love with her daughter, Elaine (Ross). Truly a landmark film of the late 1960s, enhanced by Simon and Garfunkel's soundtrack. Oddly enough, the most poignant part of this film, for me, was Benjamin's visit to Berkeley to find Elaine. I lived in Berkeley in the late '60s, and the Berkeley in this film bears little resemblance to the living, breathing, hippie-fied place that I experienced. The landmarks are the same, but the people are different. Still, a great film. Only flaw is the DVD's lack of subtitles for the hearing-impaired. Grade: A-

Star Trek

Star Trek (2009) starring John Cho, Ben Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Winona Ryder, Zoë Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, Eric Bana. This "Star Trek" is obviously aimed at young audiences ("not your father's 'Star Trek' "), and it was a miss for me. As someone who has loyally followed "Star Trek" since the '60s TV show, I found that I was basically bored with this version of the Trek universe. Seeing it in a theater did not enhance the experience for me, and it seemed like just a lot of sound and fury. Plus, it cost $6.50 for a matinee show -- that's a third of an entire month's Netflix dues! Not worth it. Grade: B-

Manny & Lo (DVD)

Manny & Lo (1996) starring Scarlett Johansson, Aleksa Palladino, Mary Kay Place. Manny (Johansson) and Lo (Palladino) are two young sisters on the run from foster care, living on whatever they can steal from convenience stores along the way. When they find out that sixteen-year-old Lo is seven months pregnant, they take desperate measures -- kidnapping a woman (Place) from a local maternity store, and holing up in a stranger's vacation cabin. From there, the plot just gets weirder and funnier. The movie's only serious flaw is that this DVD does not include subtitles for the hearing-impaired, so some bits of dialogue got past me. Grade: B+

An American Rhapsody (DVD)

An American Rhapsody (2001) starring Scarlett Johansson. During a harrowing escape from Communist Hungary in 1953, a family becomes separated; despite their plans, the baby Suzanne is left behind in the Hungarian countryside, to be raised by a peasant couple. While her family lives and thrives in Los Angeles, Suzanne (Johansson) becomes a happy little girl in Hungary. Brought to America at the age of 6, she grows into a rebellious teenager, smoking and drinking and resenting her immigrant parents. At last, she holds her father to a promise he made when she was young, and she goes back to Budapest for a visit. The events that unfold there make for a fitting and moving climax to this unusual story. Grade: A

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (DVD)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett. Born in 1918, Benjamin Button (Pitt) ages backward from age 80. Blanchett plays Daisy, the love of his life, who ages normally -- and therein lies the dramatic tension of the movie. Benjamin and Daisy seem fated to be together, but because of his condition, they can't be. In spite of the interesting subject matter, this film left me unsatisfied. The main reason, as best I can tell, is Brad Pitt's performance. Instead of playing Benjamin Button as a young man in an old body, growing into a mature man in a young body, he does the reverse -- Benjamin as a "baby" seems unnaturally mature, and as an "old man" seems childish. It might have been difficult to play the other way, but I think it would have been more convincing and more moving. Besides, the movie is two hours, forty-five minutes long. Grade: B-

Bolt (DVD)

Bolt (2008) featuring the voices of John Travolta, Miley Cyrus. A "superdog" has to face the hard facts of life when he escapes from the TV set and finds himself in the real world, where he is just an ordinary dog. After accidentally being shipped from Hollywood to New York, he sets off on a cross-country trek to rejoin his "person." The animation is remarkable, and the story will tug at your heartstrings, in this enjoyable film. That said, seeing it at home on TV is probably not anywhere near as good as it would have been in 3D in a movie theater. The subtitles are excellent. Grade: B+

What's Eating Gilbert Grape (DVD)

What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) starring Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette Lewis. Gilbert Grape (Depp) is the "man of the house," older brother to Arnie (DiCaprio), an 18-year-old with the mind of a child. Gilbert's mother is morbidly obese, and his younger sister is nothing but trouble. They live in a tumbledown house in a small town, where not much of anything ever happens -- until one day a new girl (Lewis) arrives in town, upsetting the order of things. The result is an involving movie, with a satisfying ending. Grade: B+

Valkyrie (DVD)

Valkyrie (2008) starring Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson. During World War II, there were 15 attempts within Germany to assassinate Adolph Hitler. This movie tells the story of one of them, perhaps the most dramatic one and the one that came closest to success. It's a daring plan, inherently exciting -- but if you have any knowledge of history, you know how it turns out. That is the fatal flaw of an otherwise well-made movie. Cruise's performance is a little flat, but he plays a noble character who attempts a brave deed. It's involving, if a little confusing. Grade: B

The Incredibles (DVD)

The Incredibles (2004) with voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter. A family of superheroes is in hiding because society disapproves of their use of their special powers. But of course, they are called out of retirement to fight Syndrome, a super-villain who lives on an isolated island. The animation (by Pixar) is superb, and the story is clever and funny. Grade: A

Finding Neverland (DVD)

Finding Neverland (2004) starring Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Dustin Hoffman. Depp stars as J.M. Barrie, author of "Peter Pan." Winslet plays Mrs. Davies, mother to the four boys who provide Barrie with the inspiration for Peter and the Lost Boys. It's really quite a magical movie, but with a tragic element. Definitely worth seeing. Grade: A-

The Cooler (DVD)

The Cooler (2003) starring William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Alec Baldwin. Macy stars as Bernie Lootz, a Las Vegas fixture whose luck is so bad that he can cool off lucky streaks of gamblers in the casinos. His own luck starts to turn when he falls in love with a cocktail waitress named Natalie (Bello) -- and unfortunately, when Bernie's happy, he loses his ability to perform his job. Baldwin is convincing as the crooked -- and violent -- casino chief. Grade: B+

Doubt (DVD)

Doubt (2008) starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis. Set in 1964 in a Catholic elementary school in the Bronx -- strict Sister Aloysius (Streep) begins to have doubts about one of the priests, the personable Father Flynn (Hoffman). Streep is, as always, excellent in her portrayal of the well-intentioned but misguided nun. Hoffman and Adams both hold their own when they share the screen with her. Did Father Flynn have an improper relationship with one of his students? You will have to decide for yourself. (Note: The subtitles are excellent.) Grade: B+

The Day The Earth Stood Still (DVD)

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) starring Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly. Reeves plays Klaatu, an alien in human form who has been sent to Earth on a mysterious mission. Connelly is the woman scientist who has gained his trust and ends up driving him around. I can't really recommend this movie. It's incoherent and hardly has any plot at all. Grade: C

Little Women (DVD)

Little Women (1994) starring Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, Susan Sarandon, Christian Bale, Eric Stoltz, Gabriel Byrne. In Civil War-era New England, the four March sisters and their mother battle the vicissitudes of life while the father of the family is away at war. If any movie ever merited the label "chick flick," this is it. And a tear-jerker, to boot. But I couldn't help becoming absorbed in the lives of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March. It was refreshing to see Winona Ryder in her pre-shoplifting days. Based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott. Grade: A-

Frozen River (DVD)

Frozen River (2008) starring Melissa Leo, Misty Upham. On a Mohawk reservation on the Canadian border, two desperate women team up to smuggle illegal immigrants into the U.S. The work provides the women with much-needed money, but each trip puts them in ever greater danger. It's a taut drama, but this DVD lacks the crucial element of English subtitles for the hearing impaired. Movie: A- DVD: F

Remember the Titans (DVD)

Remember the Titans (2000) starring Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Kip Pardue, Donald Faison, Kate Bosworth, Ryan Gosling, Earl Poitier, Hayden Panettiere. Moving, fact-based drama about the forced integration of a high school football team in 1971 in Alexandria, Va. Washington plays Herman Boone, the African-American who is given the nod to be head coach of the team. It's a well acted, well directed film with many actors who would rise to greater fame. Grade: A

Superman Returns (DVD)

Superman Returns (2006) starring Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Parker Posey, Eva Marie Saint. After five years' absence, Superman (Routh) comes back to Earth to face a challenge from an old nemesis, Lex Luthor (Spacey). Meanwhile, Superman's true love Lois Lane (Bosworth) has moved on while he was gone, and now has a fiance and a son. There's not much new in this movie -- the special effects are OK, but the script is weak. Grade: C+

Wendy and Lucy (DVD)

Wendy and Lucy (2008) starring Michelle Williams. Homeless woman named Wendy (Williams) tries to travel to Alaska in search of a good-paying job. She becomes stranded in Oregon when her car conks out, and her dog Lucy goes missing after Wendy is busted for shoplifting. It's a sad little film, without a happy ending, but it has something to say about the plight of the homeless and the poor. There, but for the grace of God, go you or I. Grade: B

Two Weeks Notice (DVD)

Two Weeks Notice (2002) starring Sandra Bullock, Hugh Grant, Alicia Witt. Bullock plays Lucy Kelson, a socially conscious lawyer who goes to work for the enemy, developer George Wade (Grant). When she tries to give her notice, he makes it difficult for her to leave. Naturally, they fall in love. This is a moderately amusing Rom-Com, leaning heavily on the charms of its lead actors to carry the day. Grade: B