The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (DVD)

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) starring Mathieu Amalric. True story of Elle magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who in 1995 suffered a stroke and was left with "locked-in" syndrome. The only part of his body he could move was his left eye. With the help of a dedicated secretary, he was able to "dictate" his autobiography by blinking his eye. The autobiography became a published book and now a movie. Although there is no happy ending, it's a tribute to the power of the imagination and the human spirit. Grade: B+

The Savages (DVD)

The Savages (2007) starring Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Bosco. Two adult siblings, played by Linney and Hoffman, find themselves responsible for the care of their elderly father, who has dementia. The situation is complicated by the fact that, when the siblings were young, their father was abusive. At times savagely funny, this movie is enough to give one pause. What will you do when your own parents get old enough that they can't take care of themselves? What will happen to you when you get that old? Grade: B+

The Golden Compass (DVD)

The Golden Compass (2007) starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Ben Walker, Ian McKellan (voice), Eva Green, Jim Carter, Sam Elliott, Freddie Highmore (voice). The first book of Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is brought to the screen, albeit somewhat truncated. The fantasy world, a parallel universe where everyone's soul lives outside their body in the form of an animal "daemon," is brought to life effectively. It's an adventure in which young Lyra Belacqua (Richards) must journey to the North to save the children who have been taken away by the "Gobblers." She makes an alliance with an armored polar bear, and all kinds of magical things happen. Unfortunately, a lot of material from the book had to be left out so that the movie could have an acceptable running time. Still, it's a pretty good entertainment. Grade: B

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (DVD)

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei. Two brothers (Hoffman and Hawke) hatch a scheme to rob their parents' jewelry store, and of course the robbery goes terribly wrong. The plot devolves from there, and what had started out as a macabre thriller turns into a death-fest. What should have been resolved by clever writing instead is solved with guns (and other implements). It's quite a letdown. Grade: B-

American Gangster (DVD)

American Gangster (2007) starring Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Ruby Dee, Cuba Gooding Jr., Josh Brolin. Washington portrays true-life Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas, and Crowe plays the outcast NYPD cop charged with bringing Lucas down. Set against the backdrop of the societal upheaval of the Vietnam War, this is a pretty intense film, especially when Washington is on screen. Crowe's scenes are, oddly, more subdued. Directed by Ridley Scott. Both the theatrical and unrated, extended versions are included on this disc. Grade: B

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (DVD)

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) starring Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Mary-Louise Parker, Sam Rockwell, Sam Shepard, Zooey Deschanel. The title pretty much tells the whole story of the movie. Jesse James is played by Brad Pitt, and Robert Ford is played by Casey Affleck. Initially an admirer of James, Ford tries to join his gang for a train job. Somehow, over the course of the two-and-a-half-hour film, Ford grows to resent and fear James, and ends up shooting him in the back out of fear and for the reward money. There's plenty of material here to make an exciting and tense Western, but the movie meanders over the long middle section, concentrating on secondary characters and failing to really explore the character of Robert Ford. Grade: B-

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (DVD)

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007) starring Alex Etel, Emily Watson, David Morrissey. Pretty good children's film about how a young boy discovers and befriends the Loch Ness monster. Set during World War II, it largely tells the story from the young lad's point of view. It's all in Scottish-accented English, so I found the subtitles on the DVD to be very useful. This could be a decent family film, though there's not much originality for adults to enjoy. Grade: B

I Am Legend (DVD)

I Am Legend (2007) starring Will Smith. A virus, bio-engineered to be a cure for cancer, mutates and spreads. It turns humans and dogs into bloodthirsty monsters called hemocytes -- except for one percent of the population, who are immune. One such immune man, scientist Robert Neville (Smith), has stayed in New York City. While he searches for a cure to the disease, he goes out during the day to find supplies. It's the only time when it is safe for him to venture forth, because the infected humans and animals cannot endure sunlight. This movie is pretty well done, but it seems to me that it combines too many elements from movies that went before. Grade: B

The Kite Runner (DVD)

The Kite Runner (2007) starring Khalid Abdalla. Twenty years after fleeing Afghanistan in the face of the Soviet Union's 1979 invasion, an Afghan man returns from America to his Taliban-ruled homeland. He's on a mission to rescue the orphan nephew he never knew he had, and it's a risky endeavor. "The Kite Runner" is a story of loyalty, courage and redemption, and it is mostly true to the book. Based on the best-selling novel by Khaled Hosseini. Grade: A-

Dan in Real Life (DVD)

Dan in Real Life (2007) starring Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Mitch Burns, Dianne Wiest, John Mahoney, Emily Blunt, Alison Pill, Brittany Robertson, Marlene Lawston, Dane Cook. Carell plays Dan Burns, a widowed father of three girls. During a family reunion at the grandparents' house, Dan goes to the bookstore to pick up a newspaper and instantly falls in love with a woman named Marie (Binoche) he meets there. The catch? She's actually his brother's new girlfriend. He must pretend that he doesn't know her -- or so he thinks, anyway. There are so many awkward or downright unbelievable scenes in this movie that I couldn't even try to list them all. Example: Dan hides in Marie's (running) shower while his daughter has a heart-to-heart with Marie. Then when the shower is "ready," Marie must disrobe and join him in the shower. And his daughter never notices anything is amiss.
Along similar lines, the pairing of Carell and Binoche as a romantic couple is just totally unbelievable. Binoche is a wonderful actress, but she seems like a fish out of water here. I never for a moment felt the chemistry that was supposed to be happening between her and Carell.
And lastly, there just wasn't enough really clever comedy in this romantic comedy. Grade: C+

Bee Movie (DVD)

Bee Movie (2007) with the voices of Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, Patrick Warburton, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, Barry Levinson. Animated fare in which a bee (Seinfeld) makes friends with a human (Zellweger), then becomes alarmed to learn that humans are bottling and selling honey. Unfortunately, the movie is generally uninspired. The animation lacks pizazz, the script lacks imagination, and most of the jokes fall flat. It's modestly amusing at best. Grade: B-

The Hunting Party (DVD)

The Hunting Party (2007) starring Richard Gere, Terrence Howard, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Kruger, Goran Kostic, James Brolin. A trio of journalists set out to locate Bosnia's most notorious war criminal, known as "the Fox." But the locals refuse to believe they are really journalists, instead suspecting that they are a team of CIA assassins. It's a post-Cold War thriller with a comic twist, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Written and directed by Richard Shepard. Grade: B+

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (DVD)

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) starring John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Kristen Wiig, Tim Meadows. Loopy faux biography of Dewey Cox, a singer for all styles and all decades. John C. Reilly does a good job in the lead role, but the script leaves something to be desired. The jokes just aren't funny enough or original enough, and neither are the songs. I'd put this one in the near-miss category and call it mildly amusing. Grade: B-

No Country for Old Men (DVD)

No Country for Old Men (2007) starring Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem. A hunter (Brolin) stumbles on the scene of a drug deal gone bad in the desert, including several dead bodies and $2 million in cash. He absconds with the money, and thus begins a horror-comedy-chase story that ends in just about everyone getting killed. Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen from the novel by Cormac McCarthy. Winner of four Oscars, including Best Picture. Grade: A-

Into the Wild (DVD)

Into the Wild (2007) starring Emile Hirsch, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn, Hal Holbrook, Jena Malone. A young man (Hirsch) gives up his safe, middle-class existence to seek ultimate freedom in remote Alaska. He travels on foot, usually alone, but meets an assortment of characters along the journey. In the back woods of Alaska, starving and living in a deserted bus, he comes to his ultimate wisdom -- that happiness is not real unless shared. But the insight comes too late for him; the story ends movingly, but not happily. We can't criticize the way it ends, however, because it is based on a true story. What we can criticize is its length -- it clocks in at two and a half hours. Holbrook was nominated for an Oscar for his supporting role, as an old man who wants to adopt the young traveler. Directed by Sean Penn. Grade: B+

Sweeney Todd (DVD)

Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jayne Wisener, Ed Sanders. Adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, in which Depp plays Sweeney Todd, a man who becomes a deranged murderer seeking revenge after being falsely imprisoned. Bonham Carter plays Mrs. Lovett, Todd's lover, who disposes of his victims by baking them into meat pies. The story has darkly humorous and tragic dimensions, but mostly it's just a bloody downer. Directed by Tim Burton. Grade: C-

My Kid Could Paint That (DVD)

My Kid Could Paint That (2007) directed by Amir Bar-Lev. Sensitive and thought-provoking documentary about precocious four-year-old artist Marla Olmstead. Is she a prodigy along the lines of young Mozart, who started composing at the age of four, or is her artwork a fraud that was influenced by her father? She has already sold paintings totaling $300,000, so certainly some people are convinced. This film doesn't come up with any definitive answers, but it gives you a lot of food for thought. The extras on the DVD are instructive, too. Marla, by the way, is now 7. Grade: A

The Brave One (DVD)

The Brave One (2007) starring Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Mary Steenburgen, Nicky Katt. Foster stars as a New York radio show host who turns vigilante when her fiance is beaten to death. Howard plays the cop who takes a while to realize that she is the killer he's looking for. Comes close to being a standard revenge flick, but has subtleties that save it. Foster and Howard are excellent. Directed by Neil Jordan. Grade: B+

Love Unto Death (DVD)

Love Unto Death (1984) starring Pierre Arditi, Sabine Azema. Simon and Elisabeth are a happy couple until Simon suffers a severe seizure. The movie then becomes a meditation on how to sustain love when facing one's own mortality. In French, with English subtitles. Grade: B-

Life Is a Bed of Roses (DVD)

Life Is a Bed of Roses (1983). Alain Resnais directs this three-part tribute to French filmmakers Georges Melies, Marcel L'Herbier and Eric Rohmer. It's a bizarre little movie that combines elements of fantasy, intellectualism and science fiction. Although it gets good reviews elsewhere, I have to give it a Grade: D.

Atonement (DVD)

Atonement (2007) starring Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan, Brenda Blethyn, Vanessa Redgrave. It's 1935 in England, and the coming war with Germany is just a rumor. A 13-year-old girl (Ronan) misinterprets a moment of passion between her sister (Kinghtley) and a servant's son (McAvoy). From the girl's fevered imagination springs an accusation, fingering the servant's son for a crime he did not commit, and irrevocably altering the lives of all involved. It's a melancholy tale, and well told. Nominated for an Oscar as Best Picture. Based on the novel by Ian McEwan. Grade: A-

Enchanted (DVD)

Enchanted (2007) starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall, Susan Sarandon. Adams is utterly charming in the roll of Giselle, a would-be princess who is cast out of a Disney cartoon-existence into the mean streets of New York by her wicked stepmother-to-be (Sarandon). Dempsey is adequate as the three-dimensional New Yorker she meets and (of course) falls in love with. Marsden is amusing as her not-too-bright Prince Charming, although in reality his name is Prince Edward. It all ends happily ever after and no doubt will live on in the hearts of a generation of girls forever. Grade: B+

Michael Clayton (DVD)

Michael Clayton (2007) starring George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack, Michael O'Keefe. One of the best movies of 2007, with Clooney starring as Michael Clayton, a burned-out, tapped out fixer for a top-drawer law firm. Although he is an attorney, he is best at solving special problems for the firm. When his good friend Arthur (Wilkinson) becomes one of the problems, Clayton becomes enmeshed in a plot to beat down a class-action suit being brought by victims of a pesticide company. It's beautifully played by Clooney, and could easily have won the Oscar for Best Screenplay. What it did win was an Oscar for supporting actress Tilda Swinton, and we'll have to be content with that. As for me, I'm going to keep the disc and watch it again, to see if those few loose ends I thought I detected were real or imagined. Grade: A-

Things We Lost in the Fire (DVD)

Things We Lost in the Fire (2007) starring Benicio Del Toro, Halle Berry, David Duchovny. Berry plays Audrey, the grieving widow of Brian (Duchovny), and Del Toro plays Brian's best friend, Jerry, now a recovering heroin addict. Audrey and Jerry lean on each other in bearing their life burdens. The script, unfortunately, is slow-moving and there doesn't seem to be much chemistry among the players. Grade: C

Lady Chatterley (DVD)

Lady Chatterley (2006) starring Marina Hands, Jean-Louis Coullo'ch. At two hours, 35 minutes, this leisurely version of "Lady Chatterley's Lover" is way too long. It was loved by the French, who gave it five Cesar awards -- France's equivalent of the Academy Award. Not coincidentally, it was made in France, with English subtitles, although the action is clearly supposed to take place in England. It's a simple story of two adults falling in love, and features ample nudity, both male and female. Lady Chatterley falls in love with her husband's gamekeeper, and what starts out as a physical relationship develops into a mature emotional bond. It's not a bad movie, but you may find that it's not worth the investment of time. Grade: B-

We Own the Night (DVD)

We Own the Night (2007) starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Robert Duvall, Eva Mendes, Tony Musante. Two brothers (Phoenix and Wahlberg) find themselves occupying different worlds as adults. One manages a nightclub, the other is a cop. But their worlds collide when the Russian mob starts running drugs through the nightclub. What starts out as a tense thriller winds down into an anticlimactic police drama, but it definitely holds your interest through to the end. Grade: B

Gone Baby Gone (DVD)

Gone Baby Gone (2007) starring Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, Amy Ryan. A pair of private investigators (Affleck and Monaghan) reluctantly agree to try to help find a missing four-year-old girl. From there, the plot is so full of twists and turns that I was left thinking about it hours later. And yet, the more I think about it, the more certain plot points don't make sense. Ryan was nominated for an Oscar as supporting actress. Directed by Ben Affleck. Grade: B

Beowulf: Director's Cut (DVD)

Beowulf: Director's Cut (2007) starring Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Crispin Glover, Angelina Jolie, Robin Wright Penn. It's sometime in the Dark Ages, and a manlike ogre named Grendel (Glover) is terrorizing the Danes. The great hero Beowulf (Winstone) arrives by sea to battle the beast. After dispatching Grendel, however, Beowulf finds that he must deal with Grendel's mother (Jolie), who is bent on revenge -- or is it something else she wants from him? The movie is done in "photorealistic animation," which means the actors kind of look like themselves, but everything is a bit off. Grade: C+

Papillon (DVD)

Papillon (1973) starring Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman. Sentenced to a French penal colony, convicts scheme to escape. Chief among the schemers is Papillon (McQueen), who thinks of little else. (Papillon is French for "butterfly," and Papillon has a large butterfly tattooed on his chest.) The film seems a bit dated, and its extreme length (2 hours, 30 minutes) detracts from its impact, but still entertaining for long stretches. Grade: B-

Personal Best (DVD)

Personal Best (1982) starring Mariel Hemingway, Scott Glenn, Patrice Donnelly. Two world-class female athletes train together, compete against each other, become lovers, and break up, all while trying to get ready for the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow -- which, by the way, the United States boycotted because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. It's a pretty entertaining movie, with a fair amount of nudity for those who look for such things. Main problems: It seems a bit dated, and it's a little hard to buy Hemingway as an athlete in the same class as Donnelly. Grade: B

13 Going on 30 (DVD)

13 Going on 30 (2004) starring Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer. Garner plays Jenna, who finds being a 13-year-old unbearable. Accidentally sprinkled with magic dust as she wishes she were 30, she wakes up in a grownup body and finds that being an adult isn't all it's cracked up to be. Comparisons to Tom Hanks in "Big" are inevitable, and this movie falls short in almost every category. The one aspect that doesn't disappoint is Garner herself, who is simply adorable in the title role. But that's not quite enough to make up for the far-fetched shenanigans that pass for plot in the middle part of the film, before the quickly contrived happy ending. Grade: B

The Darjeeling Limited (DVD)

The Darjeeling Limited (2007) starring Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody. Following the death of their father, three brothers from a dysfunctional family embark on a journey across India on a train called the Darjeeling Limited. Only trouble is, they soon get thrown off the train. I think their journey through India is meant to be picaresque, but I found it mostly irritating. And not funny. Anjelica Huston makes an appearance as the boys' mother. Grade: B-

The Valet

The Valet, (2006) starring Daniel Auteuil, Alice Taglioni, Kristin Scott Thomas, Gad Elmaleh. When a photo of a billionaire businessman (Auteuil) and his supermodel mistress (Taglioni) makes the tabloids, he must fool his wife into believing that the poor schlub (Elmaleh) who wandered into the picture is the supermodel's real lover. This French comedy with its European flair for the ridiculous makes for enjoyable viewing. Grade: B+

Becoming Jane (DVD)

Becoming Jane (2007) starring Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters, James Cromwell, Maggie Smith. Novelist Jane Austen (Hathaway) faces the same choice as so many of her heroines -- whether to marry for love or money -- in this quasi historical drama. Although little is known of Austen's real life, the filmmakers have taken it upon themselves to posit a life for her which seems made up of fragments of her novels. They do not offer us a happy ending -- how could they? Jane Austen never married and died young. Grade: B

Margot at the Wedding (DVD)

Margot at the Wedding (2007) starring Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jack Black. Kidman plays the acid-tongued Margot in this dysfunctional family psychodrama that never actually gets to the wedding. It's fascinating watching all of these people and the fiction among them, but it doesn't actually go anywhere. Grade: B

In the Shadow of the Moon (DVD)

In the Shadow of the Moon (2007). The story of the Apollo space program, which successfully landed 16 astronauts on the surface of the Moon, is told in the words of the astronauts themselves, along with archival footage. It's an awe-inspiring story, especially for those of us who lived through it and realize what a chancy thing it was. Although I commonly think of documentaries as dry, I found this one riveting. Grade: A-

Across the Universe (DVD)

Across the Universe (2006) starring Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess. Uninspired, and uninspiring, attempt to weave a narrative around Beatles songs performed by mostly unknowns. I love the Beatles, but these pale reproductions left me cold, and the flimsy plot didn't help. The attempt to tie the Beatles' songs to the antiwar era in the United States just doesn't work. Grade: D

Black Book (DVD)

Black Book (2006) starring Carice van Houten. Near the end of World War II, a beautiful Jewish woman named Rachel Stein (van Houten) is hiding out in Holland from the Nazis. When her plan to escape goes terribly wrong, she manages to take on a new identity and infiltrate the enemy. She hooks up with the Dutch Resistance -- but of course the Nazis refer to the Resistance as "terrorists." This movie builds tension quickly and efficiently at the beginning, with scarcely a dull moment. Directed by Paul Verhoeven ("Basic Instinct," "Total Recall"). Grade: B+

Protagonist (DVD)

Protagonist (2007) by Jessica Yu. Documentary in which Oscar-winning filmmaker Yu explores parallels between human life and the formal dramatic structure of the Greek tragedian Euripides.
If that description makes the movie sound dry or boring, it's really misleading, because this is an interesting study of the lives or four men, all of whom sought control in their life, and at some point had a revelation that showed they were not in control. The men comprise a gay man who tried to deny his gayness by going into the ministry and marrying; a man who thought he had found his path through martial arts, only to realize that his teacher was a bully; a man who became a left-wing terrorist, but repudiated the movement when he saw that those he was involved with were anti-semitic; and a man who turned from a childhood of abuse into a bank robber. There's a lot of talking-heads stuff going on, but I was interested enough to watch it to the end. Grade: B

Joshua (DVD)

Joshua (2007) starring Jacob Kogan, Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga, Michael McKean, Celia Weston. Psychological thriller about a nine-year-old boy's jealousy over his newborn sister. Although he is a piano prodigy, Joshua (Kogan) suddenly finds that the spotlight has shifted away from him and onto his new sibling. The movie gets a little blurry from there, because the mechanisms by which Joshua pulls off his evil stunts are not apparent. It's almost like he's supposed to have supernatural powers, though there is never any basis for this possibility established in the script. There is one particularly chilling scene near the end that works well, but overall I found this movie disappointing. Grade: B

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (DVD)

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007). This documentary takes a look at the world of competitive video gaming and the geeks who occupy it. The main players in this film are Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell. Mitchell set a record score in Donkey Kong in 1982, and Wiebe later topped it, but the story is not so simple. Even though there's no money involved, there is intense competition to achieve and maintain the top score. This film explores some of the mind games the players use to try to gain or sustain supremacy. It will probably not be interesting to anyone who wasn't ever "into" video games. Grade: B-

Shoot 'Em Up (DVD)

Shoot 'Em Up (2007) starring Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Monica Bellucci. A mysterious loner named Mr. Smith (Owen) delivers a woman's baby during an intense shoot-out. For reasons which are too complicated to explain, or even believe, the bad guy (Giamatti) wants the baby dead. The body count is high in this tongue-in-cheek thriller, and Mr. Smith miraculously makes it almost all the way through with nary a nick. Some of the action scenes are spectacular, some are just preposterous, but it's a thrill-ride of a movie with some laughs thrown in. Grade: B

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (DVD)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint. In the fifth movie in the series, Harry returns to Hogwarts to find that his warnings about the return of Voldemort have been ignored, and are being disputed by the Ministry of Magic. He takes it into his own hands to form a group of students, dubbed Dumbledore's Army, to teach them about defense against the dark arts. Condensing a rather long and richly detailed book into a two-hour movie means you have to leave a lot out, and I felt that lack as I was watching this movie. But they've done a good job. The only real quarrel I have with it is that the scenes that take place inside the Ministry of Magic are rather dark and hard to follow on a TV screen. The special effects are very well done. Grade: B+

Sunshine (DVD)

Sunshine (2007) starring Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh. It's 50 years in the future, and the sun is dying out. A group of astronauts is sent on a last-ditch effort to re-ignite the sun with something called a "stellar bomb." But they get sidetracked when they detect the distress signal of the space ship that went before them on a similar, failed mission. They decide to divert their mission to check out the other ship. Big mistake. At the very least, I hope when I view a movie that it will entertain me. This one did not, for most of its running time I was just bored. The special effects might have been more impressive in a movie theater, but on the home screen they just didn't shine. Then, about a half hour before the end, the movie takes an unnecessary and totally unbelievable turn into space-monster territory. I found it deplorable. Grade: D

The Kingdom (DVD)

The Kingdom (2007) starring Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner. When a suicide bombing kills American civilians in Saudi Arabia, a small squad of FBI agents is sent in to try and find the culprits. The agents do what they can to investigate, battling Arab sensibilities and Saudi bureaucracy. But soon the movie's focus shifts, and it is the FBI team that comes under renewed attack. From that point on it's pretty much non-stop action for half an hour, until you come to the brief coda about the futility of war. My main criticism would be that parts of the movie are so chaotic that it gets hard to follow. It might play differently in a theater, but on the small screen there seems to be too much crammed into the frame at times. Grade: B

Futurama: Bender's Big Score (The Movie) (DVD)

Futurama: Bender's Big Score (The Movie) (2007). The canceled animated TV series about doings 1,000 years in the future returns in movie form, and it's as amusing as ever. Bender the robot is infected by a computer virus which causes him to do the bidding of acquisitive aliens who use time travel to steal all of the Earth's treasures. It's all done with trademark "Futurama" humor and will amuse you if you liked (or ever saw) the show. The DVD also includes an abundance of extras, which will be of interest to nerds like me who are fans of the show. Grade: A

The Bourne Ultimatum (DVD)

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) starring Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen, David Strathairn, Paddy Considine. Essentially a two-hour chase scene as Jason Bourne (Damon) continues his quest to find out what caused his amnesia. While Bourne pursues his past, a CIA black ops unit pursues him, believing him to be a threat and willing to kill him if necessary. Among the revelations during this chase is that Bourne's real name in David Webb, and he was born in Nixa, MO. The soundtrack is insistent, the camera-work is kinetic, the cast is terrific, and it all comes together in a satisfying conclusion to the Bourne trilogy. Grade: B+

Ratatouille (DVD)

Ratatouille (2007) starring a bunch of (animated) rats, along with more human-looking characters. Remy the rat, the protagonist of the show, is voiced by Patton Oswalt. Although he is just a rat, he is gifted with a sensitive nose, and he longs to cook. Remy finds his opportunity in a scullery boy named Linguini, who wants to be a cook but has no talent for it. The two team up, and with the rat (literally) pulling the strings, they become a celebrated chef. The animation by Pixar is superb, as usual. There are some worthwhile extras included on the disc. Kids will no doubt be entertained. But as for me, I just couldn't help remembering that the characters doing the cooking were rats. Grade: B-

Waitress (DVD)

Waitress (2006) starring Keri Russell, Cheryl Hines, Adrienne Shelly, Nathan Fillion, Jeremy Sisto, Andy Griffith. Russell plays Jenna, a waitress who also makes fabulous pies. She lives a dreary existence with her husband, Earl (Sisto), whom she dreams of escaping and spends most of the movie plotting to leave. But along the way, he gets her drunk and gets her pregnant. "Waitress" is a frank and funny look at the fears brought on by impending motherhood for this beautiful young woman imprisoned in an abusive marriage. The film that this one most reminds me of, in scale and tone, is "Mystic Pizza." It's a bittersweet movie when you know that it was written and directed by co-star Adrienne Shelly, who was murdered shortly before the film's selection for the Sundance Film Festival. Grade: B+

Eastern Promises (DVD)

Eastern Promises (2007) starring Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts. Directed by David Cronenberg. A London midwife (Watts) gets involved with a Russian gangster (Mortensen) when she delivers a baby whose mother was a prostitute. She gets further involved when she brings the mother's diary to her Russian uncle to be translated. There is some pretty graphic violence in this movie, which might repel some viewers. But the plot and characters are fascinating, as well as the extras on the DVD which go into some of the thinking behind the film. Grade: A-

Stardust (DVD)

Stardust (2007) starring Charlie Cox, Sienna Miller, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, Claire Danes, Peter O'Toole, Rupert Everett, Mark Strong, Ricky Gervais. A young man named Tristan (Cox) journeys to a magical land on the other side of The Wall to win the heart of his true love. But his "true love" (Miller) is a bit of a drip, and one is tempted to think that someone else will turn out to be his real true love. This is a fairy tale with all the requisite elements, and it definitely has its moments, but it is so cluttered with subplots that the main thrust of the film seems at times to get lost. Grade: B-

Once (DVD)

Once (2006) starring Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova. A sort of musical in which the actors play aspiring musicians, and they perform songs that they have written themselves. They meet as strangers, and you expect them to fall in love, but the film goes in a different direction. Very interesting. I wasn't that crazy about the music, however. Grade: B

Interview (DVD)

Interview (2006) starring Steve Buscemi, Sienna Miller. Directed by Buscemi. Hard-nosed journalist (Buscemi) is forced by his editor to interview seemingly vapid B-movie and slasher-flick star (Miller). The two clash at first, but then by chance end up spending the evening together. They both end up revealing unplumbed depths -- or do they? The movie starts slowly, and both characters are somewhat irritating. The verbal games they play hold only passing interest. Grade: B-

Vitus (DVD)

Vitus (2007) starring Fabrizio Borsani, Teo Gheorghiu, Julika Jenkins, Urs Jucker. Swiss film about a young boy named Vitus who is a virtual genius and piano prodigy. His parents try to nurture his talent and push him to succeed, but he seems to have other ideas about what to do with his life. So he feigns ordinariness, and turns himself into a different sort of prodigy altogether. There are some problems with pacing, motivation and believability in the latter half of the film, but still it builds to a satisfyingly triumphant conclusion. Grade: B+

Paprika (DVD)

Paprika (2007). Japanimation -- also known as anime -- about a team of psychiatric researchers who develop a device known as a DC-Mini. The DC-Mini can record dreams, and allows people to share dreams. But when it is stolen, the thief begins intertwining the patients' nightmares with the staff's dreams. The avatar Paprika, a female psychiatrist's alter ego, takes on the task of catching the person who took the device. This movie is unintentionally amusing for the disconnect between what the characters are saying and what the subtitles say they are saying, which adds another layer of entertainment. Some of the animated sequences are terrific, but the script leaves much to be desired. Grade: B-

Miss Potter (DVD)

Miss Potter (2006) starring Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, Emily Watson. Charming exploration of the private life of Beatrix Potter (Zellweger), author and illustrator of the Peter Rabbit children's books. It's a gently told tale, occurring during the genteel age of the late 19th and early 20th century. There is little in the way of drama, though tragedy does strike at midpoint when Miss Potter's unexpected fiance (McGregor) dies suddenly at a young age. All in all, this movie meets with my approval, and I dare say it would be suitable for children, especially those who have been raised on Peter Rabbit. Grade: B+

The Nanny Diaries (DVD)

The Nanny Diaries (2007) starring Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, Paul Giamatti. Johansson stars as a young woman, fresh out of college, who can't decide what to do with her life. To fill the void, she takes a job as a nanny for wealthy Manhattanites. Johansson is appealing in the role as Nanny, but Linney and Giamatti are mostly just irritating as the parents of the child that Nanny is responsible for. Most telling, perhaps, is that the child actor portraying the young boy is lacking in appeal, and acting skill, and there's not much that can make us care about what happens to him. One thing for sure, this "comedy" isn't funny. Grade: C

Rescue Dawn (DVD)

Rescue Dawn (2006) starring Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies. Directed by Werner Herzog. Fighter pilot Dieter Dengler (Bale) is shot down in 1965 over Laos. Captured by the Viet Cong, he is imprisoned in a Laotian torture camp near the Ho Chi Minh Trail. From his first day as a prisoner, Dengler thinks of nothing but escape and, amazingly, his escape plan succeeds. But once outside the prison camp, he still must survive the monsoon, the jungle and the Viet Cong. Against all odds, he is rescued by an American helicopter, and it's an inspiring, uplifting event. Never boring, this movie is a great piece of story-telling. Grade: B+

The Namesake (DVD)

The Namesake (2006) starring Kal Penn, Irfan Khan, Tabu. A family of immigrants from India is torn between traditions of their homeland and the modern American lifestyle. The story is told gently and feelingly, with genuine emotions arising from modest events. The namesake of the title is the son of the family, who is named Gogol after the Russian writer. Grade: B+

Manufactured Landscapes (DVD)

Manufactured Landscapes (2007). Documentary about Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky, who finds often strange beauty in large industrial vistas. More than just a photographer, Burtynsky is a student of industrialization and globalization. The film begins and ends in China, which is in the midst of an industrial revolution. Burtynsky shows and verbalizes how much each one of us is responsible for the damage being done to Mother Earth. It's all quite unsettling, if not terribly original. Similar themes have been explored in earlier films, and this is not the best. Grade: C+

Knocked Up (DVD)

Knocked Up (2007) starring Katherine Heigl, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann. In a drunken night of celebration over her job promotion, Alison (Heigl) ends up sleeping with slacker Ben (Rogen). As you can tell from the title of the movie, she gets pregnant. There's a huge subplot about Alison's sister Debbie (Mann) and her husband Pete (Rudd), which is kind of entertaining, but it elevates the running time of this movie to over two hours. Never for one minute did I believe the romance between Heigl and Rogen, and this movie did not make me laugh. Grade: C

Live Free or Die Hard (DVD)

Live Free or Die Hard (2007) starring Bruce Willis, Justin Long. Willis reprises his role as John McClane, kick-ass New York cop, this time up against a group of Internet terrorists. The bad guys are intent on taking over the United States' information infrastructure, though why isn't entirely clear. That doesn't really make a lot of difference, as there is still time for lots of gunfights, smashups and explosions. McClane even succeeds in taking out a helicopter with a car.
This disc, however, rented from Netflix, proved to be unplayable about half way in. So I have to give Neftlix an F.

Sicko (DVD)

Sicko (2007) directed by Michael Moore. Moore takes aim at the American health care system. Why is health care free in Canada, England and France, while even Americans with insurance are being denied the treatment they need? It's a fascinating question, and Moore does a great sales job for universal health care. The disc also includes several interesting extra features. Grade: A

Grindhouse: Planet Terror (DVD)

Grindhouse: Planet Terror (2007) starring Freddy Rodriguez, Rose McGowan, Bruce Willis, Naveen Andrews, Michael Biehn, Marley Shelton, Josh Brolin, Michael Parks, Jeff Fahey. Directed by Robert Rodriguez. El Wray (Freddy Rodriguez), Cherry Darling (McGowan) and a ragged band of survivors battle an army of zombies infected with a biochemical weapon. Conveniently, these zombies stay dead when you kill them, mainly by shooting. And boy, do they have to kill a lot of zombies. There's lots of gore in this movie, plus lots of explosions, and it's taken to such extremes that it's a joke -- no doubt intentional. I was entertained, but not enough that I'd ever want to see this movie again. Grade: B-

In Between Days (DVD)

In Between Days (2006) starring Jiseon Kim. Newly transplanted Korean immigrant Aimie is trying to adjust to her new surroundings. Her only friend, Tran, regards her as "just a good friend." This film is a snapshot of her struggle with adolescence and assimilation. Supposedly it won a Special Jury Prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, but for the life of me I can't see why. I found it boring in the extreme. Grade: C+

La Vie en Rose (DVD)

La Vie en Rose (2007) starring Marion Cotillard, Gerard Depardieu, Sylvie Testud, Pascal Greggory. Cotillard throws herself into the role of beloved Parisian singer Edith Piaf. Piaf's tragedy-filled life and early death are portrayed lovingly, but the songs are all in French without subtitles. Plus, the subtitles that come with the movie are uncomfortably small when viewed on a TV screen. Unless you speak French, or you have a big-screen HD-TV, you will not enjoy the full experience of seeing this movie. By the time I finished viewing it, however, I was swept up in the emotion of it. Grade: B

Paris, Je T'aime (DVD)

Paris, Je T'aime (2007). A collection of 20 five-minute films, all set in Paris. Each features a different director, with actors ranging from the famous to the obscure. It's mostly in French with English subtitles, if that kind of thing matters to you. The short films vary from romantic to funny to surreal to supernatural, and it's all very entertaining. Grade: B+

Talk to Me (DVD)

Talk to Me (2007) starring Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Martin Sheen, Cedric the Entertainer. Cheadle delivers a star turn as real life radio trailblazer Ralph "Petey" Greene, an ex-con who leveraged a prison disc jockey gig into a stint at a Washington, D.C., radio station, where he became a popular talk-jock. For a brief time, he even had a television show. The movie turns from comedy to tragedy as, in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated and the blacks in Washington riot. Greene goes on the radio and becomes a voice of reason which helps calm the riots. Later, his manager gets him stand-up gigs, where he succeeds, and an appearance on the "Tonight" show with Johnny Carson, where he flops. It's a vivid portrait of a cultural icon who has been all but forgotten, but who deserves to be remembered. Grade: B+

Grindhouse: Death Proof (DVD)

Death Proof (2007) starring Kurt Russell, Rose McGowan, Rosario Dawson, Jordan Land, Vanessa Ferlito. Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Russell is suitably creepy as Stuntman Mike, a serial killer who uses his revved-up car to terrorize groups of women on the road. But in the second half of this faux-exploitation film, he decides to terrorize the wrong group of women.
The "Grindhouse" double feature, two movies interspersed with fake trailers, was meant to be seen as a block in a movie theater. Seeing this half of the twin bill at home instead of in a theater kind of defeats the purpose, but it's the only viable option for me. As it turns out, I ended up enjoying this movie. Grade: B

A Mighty Heart (DVD)

A Mighty Heart (2007) starring Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman. Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl (Futterman) is kidnapped while researching a story in Pakistan. His pregnant wife, Mariane (Jolie) must do what she can as she awaits news as to his fate. Since this is a true story, there is little tension over Daniel Pearl's ultimate fate. We know that he dies at the hands of the terrorists who abducted him. Is there any suspense in this story? Not much. The viewer only sees Daniel Pearl in brief flashbacks and one scene that takes place at the beginning of the movie. So how are we to learn to care about him? We cannot and we do not. This is Mariane Pearl's story, and it all has a slight whiff of melodrama which detracts from its impact. Directed by Michael Winterbottom, based on Mariane Pearl's memoir. Grade: B-

Transformers (DVD)

Transformers (2007) starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Jon Voight. The Transformers are alien robots that can disguise themselves as cars, airplanes, tanks, trucks and more. Some of them are "good" (Autobots), some "bad" (Decepticons). The Decepticons attack humans, but mainly fight the Autobots. The script is of comic-book quality, but the machines are cool. Probably best if seen in a movie theater. Directed by Michael Bay. Rated PG-13. Grade: C

My Best Friend (DVD)

My Best Friend (2007) starring Daniel Auteuil, Dany Boon. French-language film tells the story of Francois, a man who is so career-driven that he has neglected to make any friends. When his business partner challenges him to produce his best friend, he finds to his surprise that he hasn't any. So he turns to a gregarious taxi driver to help him learn the meaning of friendship. There are several small surprises in this film, but the script is pretty thin and one never really quite understands why the two men end up liking one another. It has a nice ending, though. Grade: B

Crazy Love (DVD)

Crazy Love (2007) directed by Dan Klores. Documentary tells the true story of an obsessive relationship that made for sensational headlines, and is still stranger than fiction. It's the story of Burt Pugach, a married lawyer, and Linda Riss, the young woman he falls for in 1959. When she eventually rejects him, he hires thugs to throw lye in her face, blinding her. He goes to jail for the crime, but when he gets paroled he convinces her to marry him. But wait, there's more. I'm not going to tell it all here, but this rather slow-paced film turned out to be quite entertaining. Grade: B

The Hoax (DVD)

The Hoax (2006) starring Richard Gere, Julie Delpy, Marcia Gay Harden, Alfred Molina, Stanley Tucci. Gere plays Clifford Irving, who in the 1970s wrote an "authorized autobiography" of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes. It's rather entertaining to watch Gere play the consummate con-man who nearly gets his fake book published. Grade: B

Leprechaun (DVD)

Leprechaun (1993) starring Warwick Davis, Jennifer Aniston. Davis plays the title character, an evil leprechaun who goes on a killing spree when his hoard of gold is stolen. Aniston's appearance is notable mostly for this being her first movie. The script is totally laughable, and not in a good way. This might make a good scary film for 12-year-olds, except that it's rated R. Grade: D

28 Weeks Later (DVD)

28 Weeks Later (2007) starring Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Catherine McCormack, Jeremy Renner, Harold Perrineau, Imogen Poots, Mackintosh Muggleton. The plague from "28 Days Later," which turns humans into zombies, seems to have run its course, and people are returning to repopulate Britain. But of course the plague returns and must be snuffed out again. Meanwhile, this movie is plagued by action scenes that consist of violent shaking of the camera and much gushing of blood. The director seems fond of things that flash -- jump cuts, for one, and lights that jitter on and off repeatedly. Epileptics should avoid this film. Plus, much of the "action" takes place in darkness. The whole film was so sickening and irritating that I could not watch it all the way through, so I must give it a Grade: F.

Stranger than Paradise (DVD)

Stranger than Paradise (1984) starring John Lurie, Eszter Balint. Willie isn't exactly thrilled when Eva, his cousin from Hungary, comes to stay with him in New York. But Eva eventually earns his grudging respect, and a year later Willie and a friend invite Eva to accompany them on a trip to Florida. Their destination is Miami, but suffice it to say they get sidetracked. Oddly involving little film from writer/director Jim Jarmusch, with an unsatisfactory ending. Grade: B-

Frida (DVD)

Frida (2002) starring Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina. Hayek plays Frida Kahlo, the Mexican painter, 20th century icon, communist and bisexual. Molina portrays her philandering husband, the Mexican artist Diego Rivera. Frida struggled with a life of wracking pain following a trolley accident, a miscarriage, the amputation of a leg, and finally, alcohol and pain-medication abuse that killed her at age 47. This movie is a vivid portrait of her life. Grade: B+

1408 (DVD)

1408 (2007) starring John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson. A writer and paranormal debunker (Cusack) checks into room 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel, a room purported to be "evil." Although he does not believe in "haunted rooms," he soon finds himself in his own personal hell. It's all pretty predictable and lacking in originality. Grade: C

Chocolat (DVD)

Chocolat (2000) starring Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, Lena Olin, Johnny Depp. Binoche plays a wanderer, a free spirit who travels from town to town, and who changes people's lives with her chocolate concoctions. Along with her on her travels she takes her young daughter, who is not thrilled with all the constant moving. They move to a village in France where, surprisingly, everyone speaks English. She opens up a chocolate shop during lent and incurs the wrath of the mayor of the small town. It's all very whimsical and ultimately rewarding. Grade: A-

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+

The Lives of Others (DVD)

The Lives of Others (2006). In 1984 in East Berlin, a secret police spy bugs the apartment of a high-profile couple. He spies on the successful playwright and his actress companion, but begins to feel himself drawn into their lives. Frankly, I didn't know quite what to make of this movie. It got excellent reviews elsewhere, but I felt that I missed something when I watched it. Grade: B

Fracture (DVD)

Fracture (2007) starring Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling. Legal thriller with Hopkins as the man who shot his unfaithful wife, Gosling as the prosecuting attorney who is trying to convict him of the crime. The twists and turns of the plot are too many to detail here, but when you think about it, it all doesn't quite hang together. Grade: B-

Sweetie (DVD)

Sweetie (1989) starring Karen Colston, Genevieve Lemon. Jane Campion's directorial debut plumbs the depths of a dysfunctional Australian family. There are no subtitles, and the Australian accents are impossible to understand. What would otherwise be just a strange movie becomes incomprehensible. Grade: D

Zodiac (DVD)

Zodiac starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, Chloë Sevigny, Brian Cox, Dermot Mulroney, John Carroll Lynch. Gyllenhaal plays Robert Graysmith, a cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle in the 1960s and '70s who becomes obsessed with the Zodiac killer and eventually writes a book about the still-unsolved case. Unfortunately, this movie, which runs over two and a half hours, spends most of its second half showing him doing research for his book -- not exactly riveting viewing. Dates and places where action takes place are shown in fine white type which is not legible while viewing the DVD. Grade: B

Days of Glory (DVD)

Days of Glory (2006) starring a cast of unknowns. North African soldiers join the French army to help liberate France from Nazi occupation during World War II. The film dramatizes a lost chapter of history and pays tribute to the heroism of these forgotten troops. It also shows how little gratitude France showed to her Colonial soldiers. In various languages, with English subtitles. Grade: B

They All Laughed (DVD)

They All Laughed (1981) starring Ben Gazzara, John Ritter, Audrey Hepburn, Dorothy Stratten. A private eye team is hired to track down two women suspected of infidelity, but they can't seem to separate business from pleasure. Makes great use of Manhattan locations, and many pretty actresses are on display, but mostly falls pretty flat. Hepburn and Gazzara both look past their sell-by dates. Notable for appearance by Stratten, young actress who was killed before the film was released. Grade: C+

Hot Fuzz (DVD)

Hot Fuzz (2007) starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost. A top London cop (Pegg) is transferred to a bucolic village because he's making everyone else on the force look bad. He gets more action than he bargained for when a series of grisly "accidents" starts hitting the people of the hamlet. Brought to you by Edgar Wright, director of "Shaun of the Dead," this is part action movie, part murder mystery, but mostly just goofy fun. Grade: B-

1900 (DVD)

1900 (1977) starring Robert De Niro, Gerard Depardieu, Sterling Hayden, Donald Sutherland, Burt Lancaster. Bernardo Bertolucci directs this epic tale that follows the lives of two Italian men -- a peasant and a landowner -- both born on Jan. 1, 1900. Friends as children, the two become estranged as their differing social status pulls them apart. Their personal conflicts mirror political events in Italy, as both fascism and socialism gain footholds in the country. Sutherland, De Niro and Depardieu look remarkably young. De Niro and Depardieu both appear totally nude in one scene where they attempt to employ a young prostitute. Ultimately, though, this movie is just a five-hour-long mess. Grade: C-

The Butcher Boy (DVD)

The Butcher Boy (1997) starring Eamonn Owens, Stephen Rea. Disturbing and surreal story of Francis Brady (Owens), young bully in Irish village whose horrific home life is eventually acted out in murderous fashion. The film is imaginative in its use of unreal imagery, including space aliens, an atomic bomb attack on the village, and Sinead O'Connor appearing to Francis as the virgin Mary. But on the emotional level it somehow fails to connect, and ends up as just a string of events that, while interesting, doesn't really move us. Directed by Neil Jordan. The English subtitles really helped me, because everyone spoke in an Irish accent and I would not have been able to follow it without the subtitles. Grade: B-

Extras: Season 2 (DVD)

Extras: Season 2 (2006) starring Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Ashley Jensen. The second season of this HBO comedy series from "Office" genius Gervais is hilarious, at least judging from the first disc. Gervais, as struggling actor Andy Millman, has managed to score the starring role in a sitcom he created for the BBC. But he finds his original vision destroyed by meddling network executives. Guest stars Orlando Bloom, David Bowie and Daniel Radcliffe all add extra pizazz to the mix. The DVD also features backstage commentary by Gervais and writing partner Merchant, plus a short reel of outtakes. Grade: A

After the Wedding (DVD)

After the Wedding (2006) starring a cast of Danish actors who will not be familiar to most Americans. A man who is running an orphanage in India comes home to Denmark on a money-raising trip. The wife of the billionaire from whom he is soliciting funds turns out to be an old flame, and that is only the beginning of the surprises, secrets and lies that soon come to light. The movie takes a marginally soap-opera turn, then the ending seems rushed. But there are extras on the DVD -- a conversation with director Susanne Bier, and a slew of deleted scenes -- that may help the viewer appreciate the experience more. Grade: B

The Last Mimzy (DVD)

The Last Mimzy (2007) starring Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, Chris O'Neil, Joely Richardson, Rainn Wilson. Two children discover a magical box of toys that's been sent from the future, and soon start to develop some inexplicable, unearthly abilities. As their mother and teacher delve into the mystery, the adults as well as the children are drawn into a strange and unpredictable world, and Homeland Security even gets involved. There's a lot that's nonsensical here, but also an entertaining story and some good visuals. Grade: B+

Fast Food Nation (DVD)

Fast Food Nation (2006) starring Greg Kinnear, Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, Bruce Willis. A corporate executive with a national fast-food chain (Kinnear) follows beef's journey from the corrals to the slaughterhouse and ultimately to our stomachs. Early on, we learn that "there's shit in the meat," and the film slowly narrows in on the part of the butchering process where this takes place. The scenes in the slaughterhouse are progressively more harrowing. This may be a necessary film, if not one to savor. Grade: B

The Perfect Crime (DVD)

The Perfect Crime (Crimen Perfecto) (2004) starring Guillermo Toledo. Spanish-language film with English subtitles has hilarious take on Hitchcockian murder plot. Salesman accidentally kills rival, gets unexpected help covering up his crime from a homely sales girl. But she wants his love in exchange, and it's more than he's willing or able to give. Nevertheless, she blackmails him into sex, then a relationship, then to marriage. Grade: B+