Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (DVD)

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008) starring Michael Cera, Kat Dennings. The two stars spend a night in Manhattan sharing their opinions on music and life. Grade: B+

Wanted (DVD)

Wanted (2008) starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie. A young cubicle-dweller (McAvoy) finds himself recruited by a band of modern-day assassins (including Freeman and Jolie). The assassins refer to themselves as the Fraternity. The hook: The young man's father was a member of the Fraternity, and he has just been killed. Now the members of the Fraternity are giving the son the chance to take over where his father's work left off -- and eventually get revenge. Or so they tell him. Based on a series of comics books, this movie has some pretty great special effects but a very flimsy plot. Grade: B-

The Secret Life of Bees (DVD)

The Secret Life of Bees (2008) starring Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifa, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo, Paul Bettany. Set in 1964 in the American South, 14-year-old Lily (Fanning) escapes her dreary existence with her abusive father and heads to a nearby town with her friend and caregiver, Rosaleen (Hudson). Racial tensions are high, as President Johnson has just signed the Civil Rights Bill. But Lily and Rosaleen find a safe place to stay on the honey farm of three black sisters, August (Latifa), May (Okonedo) and June (Keys) Boatwright. Thanks to a strong performance by young Fanning, this is a movie which captures the spirit of the book it is based on. Adapted from the novel by Sue Monk Kidd. Grade: A-

The Terminator (DVD)

The Terminator (1984) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton. Schwarzenegger is perfectly cast as a soulless cyborg from the future who has been sent back to assassinate Sarah Connor (Hamilton), who is destined to be the mother of a human resistance leader in the future war between man and machine. Biehn is effective as the human soldier who has been sent back from the same future to protect her. The action is non-stop, with new layers of the story gradually revealed so that the viewer has the pleasure of discovering them as the movie progresses. This is a seminal science-fiction movie, and well worth seeing for fans of the genre. Grade: A-

The Pink Panther (DVD)

The Pink Panther (1963) starring David Niven, Peter Sellers, Claudia Cardinale, Robert Wagner. Princess Dala (Cardinale) arrives at a posh resort with her precious "Panther" -- a large pink diamond with a flaw in the shape of a leaping panther. A debonair thief (Niven) tries to take possession of the jewel, while the comically clumsy Inspector Clouseau (Sellers) tries to protect her. The sight of a rather mature Niven trying to seduce the young and beautiful Cardinale is rather jarringly unfunny. Plus, there are long stretches of nonsense which do little to advance the plot and which contain no moments of humor. It's all terribly dated. Grade: B-

The General (DVD)

The General (1927) starring Buster Keaton, Marion Mack. Silent film in which Johnnie Gray (Keaton), rejected by the Confederate Army at the beginning of the Civil War, ends up battling Union spies who have stolen his beloved locomotive, the General. Meanwhile, coincidentally, his beloved Annabelle (Mack) has been kidnapped by the same men who stole his train. Pursuing them in a borrowed locomotive, Gray passes the advancing armies and ends up behind enemy lines. Hilarity (and slapstick) ensue. It's not much to get excited about, but as an example of early movies, it's harmless fun. Grade: B

Snatch (DVD)

Snatch (2000) starring Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Farina, Vinnie Jones, Brad Pitt, Rade Serbedzija, Jason Statham, Alan Ford, Mike Reid, Jason Flemyng, Stephen Graham. Director Guy Ritchie juggles several interlocking plots involving a stolen 84-carat diamond and everybody's desire to possess it. Set in London, the movie has many characters, all speaking different dialects of English. Luckily, the subtitles are excellent. Grade: B

Chariots of Fire (DVD)

Chariots of Fire (1981) starring Ian Charleson, Ben Cross, Ian Holm. Long-distance runners in post-World War I England face off in a quest to bring Olympic glory to Great Britain. More than just an athletic contest, their rivalry is framed as a clash between Christian and Jew. Based on a true story. Winner of the 1981 Academy Award for Best Picture. Instantly recognizable music by Vangelis. Grade: B+

The Wackness (DVD)

The Wackness (2008) starring Ben Kingsley, Josh Peck, Famke Janssen, Olivia Thirlby, Mary-Kate Olsen. Peck plays a teenage drug dealer named Luke in '90s New York City, coping with the summer between his high school graduation and college. He trades marijuana for therapy sessions from Dr. Squires (Kingsley), and falls for Dr. Squires' stepdaughter Stephanie (Thirlby). It's kind of a coming-of-age story; in the final act, the protagonist and his family get evicted from their upper East Side apartment. To top it off, the disc lacks English subtitles. Grade: D

The Sting (DVD)

The Sting (1973) starring Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Robert Shaw. Small-time con man Johnny Hooker (Redford) hooks up with veteran flim-flam man Henry Gondorff (Newman) to fleece a homicidal racketeer (Shaw) in 1930s Chicago. The fascination of the film, other than the chemistry of the stars, lies in learning how the "big con" works and watching it carried out. The first time you see it it's a real mind-blower. The movie won seven Oscars, including Best Picture. Grade: B+

Liar Liar (DVD)

Liar Liar (1997) starring Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney, Justin Cooper, Jennifer Tilly. Lawyer Fletcher Reede (Carrey) is an expert liar. But his lying ways have destroyed his marriage to Audrey (Tierney) and threaten to damage his relationship with his son Max (Cooper). When Max makes a birthday wish that his dad can't lie, it comes true. Fletcher finds he's incapable of lying, and his uncontrollable urge to blurt out the truth threatens a case he's working on -- and his career. Carrey is at his rubber-faced best as he acts out the inner turmoil of a man striving to lie but unable to do so. In general, I like Jim Carrey; but in general, I don't like Jim Carrey movies. This one is an exception -- I loved it. Grade: A

The X-Files: I Want to Believe (DVD)

The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008) starring David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet. Former FBI agents Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson) are drawn into a missing-persons case that soon becomes something much more sinister. It comes off as an extra long, extra gruesome episode of the old "X-Files" TV series -- not necessarily a bad thing. Grade: B

Appaloosa (DVD)

Appaloosa (2008) starring Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris, Jeremy Irons, Renee Zellweger, Lance Henriksen. A malicious, land-hungry rancher (Irons) kills the marshal of Appaloosa and two deputies, and two guns-for-hire (Mortensen, Harris) are brought in to restore law and order to the frontier town. The two lawmen are more than up to the job, but when the widow Mrs. French (Zellweger) arrives in town, the dynamics of the situation change. The movie could have used tightening up, and runs on about a half-hour too long. Plus, I'd swear some of the plot devices are recycled from other movies. Grade: B

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (DVD)

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) starring Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen. Frodo and Sam (Wood and Astin) continue their daunting quest, to carry the One Ring to Mordor and there destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom. Meanwhile, the forces of the Dark Lord Sauron are on the move, preparing to attack Gondor, the realm of Men. It's a faithful adaptation of the book by J.R.R. Tolkien, but the battle scenes may not be to everyone's taste. Director Peter Jackson's epic fantasy won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Grade: A-

The Duchess (DVD)

The Duchess (2008) starring Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Dominic Cooper, Charlotte Rampling. Georgiana (Knightley) marries the Duke of Devonshire (Fiennes) and thus becomes the Duchess of Devonshire. But the time is the late 18th century, and they are a poor match. She fails to provide him with a male heir, which is basically all he wants from her, and he treats her wretchedly. She rebels, but all of the power is in his hands. There's a lot of sturm und drang, but basically this is a chick flick set in historic times. Grade: B

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (DVD)

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen. The Fellowship of the Ring is broken, and this second film in the trilogy picks up where the first left off -- with Frodo and Sam making their way to Mordor, pursued, then led, by Gollum, to try and destroy the One Ring of power. Whether anyone who has not read the book will be able to follow the movie, or will care to, I'm not sure. But it is beautifully conceived and majestically filmed -- although for some viewers the time spent on battles will be unwelcome. I find it to be the least of the three "Lord of the Rings" films. Grade: B+

Burn After Reading (DVD)

Burn After Reading (2008) starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton. A computer disk falls into the hands of a pair of not-too-bright private gym employees (Pitt and McDormand), and they conclude that it contains top-secret data. Hoping to turn a profit, they first try to blackmail the man who wrote the disk (Malkovich), then try to sell it to the Russians. It's a Coen brothers film with an all-star cast, so it is rather disappointing when it turns out to be not very entertaining or funny. Worst, perhaps, is the ending, which seems abrupt and fails to satisfy with any decisive climax. Grade: B-

Ghost Town (DVD)

Ghost Town (2008) starring Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, Tea Leoni. After dying and being brought back to life, a misanthropic dentist (Gervais) finds that he has the ability to see the ghosts of the dead. More particularly, the ghosts notice that he can see them, and they have all kinds of unfinished business that they want help with. One in particular (Kinnear) manages to gain the dentist's attention, and he wants help preventing his widow (Leoni) from remarrying. It's actually a pretty standard romantic comedy, but the presence of Gervais gives it an added spark, and it's been expertly filmed. Extras: The standout is a short reel of Gervais being himself on set, and having trouble getting through takes without cracking up with laughter. Grade: A-

The House Bunny (DVD)

The House Bunny (2008) starring Anna Faris and a large supporting cast. Faris plays a Playboy bunny who gets tricked into leaving Hef's mansion and ends up briefly living in her car. She soon finds another way to survive, however, becoming house mother to an outcast sorority at a local college. If you're looking for believability, this movie is not for you, but it's actually a rather cute story that had me rooting for the girls of Zeta Alpha Zeta. Grade: B+

Mamma Mia! (DVD)

Mamma Mia! (2008) starring Merly Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Christine Baranski. Based on the stage musical featuring the songs of pop superstars ABBA, this movie demonstrates that some actors, no matter how talented, should never, ever sing and dance on screen. Particularly painful is when Brosnan bursts into "song," but he's not the only offender. This is actually kind of cute chick flick, but the musical part of it just doesn't work for me. Grade: B-

Tropic Thunder (DVD)

Tropic Thunder (2008) starring Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, Nick Nolte, Tom Cruise. A group of dimwitted actors making a war movie are forced to become "real" soldiers when they are abandoned in the jungles of southeast Asia. They run afoul of a drug lord and his minions, who take Stiller captive and force him to re-create a movie role he once played. The movie is perhaps a bit flawed in its particulars, but overall it's a comic masterpiece. Grade: B+

Fargo (DVD)

Fargo (1996) starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi. McDormand won an Oscar for her portrayal of a rural Minnesota sheriff who unravels crimes while pregnant. Macy plays a car salesman at the end of his rope who hatches a plot to have his wife kidnapped. Needless to say, nothing about the plot goes smoothly. This is one of the best films I have seen, ever. It kept me interested and absorbed from start to finish. There are several moments of violence, however, which might turn some viewers off. Grade: A

The Dark Knight (DVD)

The Dark Knight (2008) starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Anthony Michael Hall, Eric Roberts. Batman (Bale) battles big time crime in Gotham City, and his chief antagonist is the psychotic Joker (Ledger, in his final performance). I suspect that this movie would have been spectacular if I had seen it in a theater, but then I (being hard of hearing) would have missed half the dialogue. The trade-off is that I have to watch it on a small TV screen, which is all I have. That being said, the movie has a constant forward drive and nearly continuous action, and for those who like Batman movies it's a can't-miss. Grade: A

The Shootist (DVD)

The Shootist (1976) starring John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, and an all-star supporting cast. Aging gunfighter (Wayne) washes up in Carson City after being told by a doctor that he is dying of cancer. His fame as a gunman creates a sensation in the town, and publicity quickly brings miscreants trying to kill him. The film builds nicely until the violent climactic scene, which is a bit of a letdown by today's standards. This was the last feature film Wayne made before losing his own battle with cancer. Grade: B

Jaws (DVD)

Jaws (1975) starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss. Steven Spielberg directed this nail-biter about a summer ocean resort under siege by a man-eating shark. Score by John Williams has become a classic. Movie won three Oscars. Grade: B

Closely Watched Trains (DVD)

Closely Watched Trains (1966). At a village railway station in occupied Czechoslovakia during World War II, a bumbling young man longs to liberate himself from his virginity. Leisurely pace of the film makes it a bit tedious to watch, plus the subtitles fail at several points to convey meaningful translation. This movie won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 1967. Grade: C

Deliverance (DVD)

Deliverance (1972) starring Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ronny Cox, Ned Beatty. Four suburban buddies take a backwoods canoe trip down a Georgia river, and what they find is wilder and more dangerous than anything they had anticipated. All four of the male leads give standout performances, and the tension builds to a shattering climax. Memorable moments include Cox's "Dueling Banjos" scene and Beatty's "squeal like a pig" scene. Grade: A

The Dead Pool (DVD)

The Dead Pool (1988) starring Clint Eastwood, Patricia Clarkson, Liam Neeson. Eastwood reprises his role as "Dirty Harry" Callahan and Clarkson plays a local TV anchor who wants to "do his story." The "dead pool" of the title is a morbid game in which celebrities' names are placed on a list, betting on who will be the first to die. This was the last of the Dirty Harry series of movies, and it's not hard to see why. Eastwood is beginning to look his age, and the script is sorely lacking. Look for an appearance by Jim Carrey as a drug-addled rock star who is the first on the list to die. Grade: B-

Sleeper (DVD)

Sleeper (1973) starring Woody Allen, Diane Keaton. Health-food store owner Miles Monroe (Allen) dies and is cryogenically frozen. He wakes up 200 years in the future, in a dystopian society where the doctors who revived him are classified as criminals. The doctors are arrested, and Miles becomes a hunted man. Anyone familiar with Allen's humor will anticipate that this is not a movie to be taken seriously. It's also not among his best movies, relying heavily on slapstick to get its laughs, with only a little topical humor mixed in. It may have been the cat's pajamas in 1973, but today it's only mildly amusing. Worst of all, the DVD doesn't have subtitles for the hearing impaired. Movie: B DVD: F

Quigley Down Under (DVD)

Quigley Down Under (1990) starring Tom Selleck, Laura San Giacomo, Alan Rickman. American Matthew Quigley (Selleck) answers an ad for a sharpshooter to travel to Australia and shoot dingoes. When he gets there, he finds out that the man who has hired him (Rickman) is a ruthless killer who just wants to eliminate the aborigines from his land. Quigley fights only with a long rifle and a knife, so it makes for a different kind of Western. One thing is sorely lacking on this DVD: It does not have English subtitles for the hearing impaired. Some of the dialog is hard to understand, especially the various British, Scottish and Australian accents. Grade: Movie, B; DVD, D-

WALL-E (DVD)

WALL-E (2008). A robot named WALL-E has been left behind on Earth to perform cleanup chores after humans evacuate to remote space stations. While Earth has become a wasteland, humans on space habitats live a life of excessive ease, cared for by servant-bots who take care of their every need. WALL-E's life on Earth is disturbed by the arrival of a "female" robot probe named EVE, and he follows her out to space. It turns out that the humans have been gone for 700 years, and WALL-E is destined to be the agent who prods them to return to Earth. Grade: B+

A Shot in the Dark (DVD)

A Shot in the Dark (1964) starring Peter Sellers, Elke Sommer. Sellers makes his second appearance as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau, who is intent on proving the innocence of a maid (Sommer) accused of murder. He sets new standards for slapstick, and the verbal humor has to be heard to be believed. A movie that has aged well and remains laugh-out-loud funny. Directed by Blake Edwards. Grade: A

The Usual Suspects (DVD)

The Usual Suspects (1995) starring Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey, Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Pollak, Benicio Del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, Pete Postlethwaite, Giancarlo Esposito, Suzy Amis, Dan Hedaya. A crew of criminals pull off a few daring jobs, then find themselves involved with a master criminal named Keyser Soze, who is so evil that he killed his own family rather than give in to crimelords in his homeland. The story is convoluted and hard to follow, but the payoff in the end makes it worthwhile. Spacey gives a great performance. Grade: A-

Clueless (DVD)

Clueless (1995) starring Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy. Directed by Amy Heckerling, this modern update of Jane Austen's "Emma" is set in Beverly Hills, where high school girl Cher (Silverstone) decides to take a new girl (Murphy) under her wing and give her a fashion makeover. The movie is shot through with bons mots that an adult could never dream up, and broke ground in many ways. It's definitely worth seeing. Grade: A-

Get Smart (DVD)

Get Smart (2008) starring Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Alan Arkin, The Rock, Terence Stamp. Secret-agent farce in which Maxwell Smart (Carell) is promoted to field agent after everyone else in CONTROL gets their cover compromised. Agent 99 (Hathaway) is his reluctant partner in a silly mission to Russia, where they assault a bread factory. Later, there is some nonsense about a KAOS plot to set off a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles, but it's mostly just slapstick. Fans of the original TV series may or may not be gratified to find some of the more famous jokes recycled. Grade: B-

Matchstick Men (DVD)

Matchstick Men (2003) starring Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Alison Lohman. Professional con man (Cage) struggles comically with obsessive-compulsive disorder, eventually meets the daughter he never knew he had (Lohman), complicating his life. His partner (Rockwell) eventually proves more than he bargained for, and the film takes an unexpected turn that I did not see coming. Grade: B

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (DVD)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) starring Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent, Karen Allen, John Hurt. Ford is showing his age as the famed archaeologist Indiana Jones, this time searching for a crystal skull and a lost city in South America. LaBeouf plays his young sidekick, and Blanchett is an evil Soviet agent in this adventure set in 1957. It mostly seems comprised of little bits here and there snipped from old Indiana Jones movies. Grade: B

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (DVD)

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008) starring Abigail Breslin, Julia Ormond, Chris O'Donnell, Stanley Tucci, Jane Krakowski, Wallace Shawn, Joan Cusack. Depression-era drama about a girl (Breslin) who aspires to be a journalist, and the struggles of her family after her father (O'Donnell) loses his job. When the family's savings are stolen, the girl becomes a detective
-- she doesn't believe that the hobo being blamed for the crime is guilty. The film examines the status of hobos of the time, the rough equivalent of today's homeless. It's quite entertaining, but clearly aimed at a younger audience -- namely kids. It's rated G, and is suitable for the whole family. Grade: B

Iron Man (DVD)

Iron Man (2008) starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard. Ultra-rich inventor and weapons merchant Tony Stark (Downey) escapes from kidnappers in Afghanistan by building a makeshift suit of super-armor and fighting his way out. But while he was there, he saw American troops killed by weapons that his company made -- and decides that from now on, he will use his genius for good. Various complications ensue, with plenty of action and special effects. Grade: A

Sudden Impact (DVD)

Sudden Impact (1983) starring Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle. Eastwood produced and directed this fourth installment in the "Dirty Harry" series. Locke, who was Eastwood's off-screen love interest at the time the film was made, plays a gang-rape victim who is seeking revenge by killing her attackers, one at a time. Just by coincidence (wink, wink) Harry Callahan (Eastwood) is sent to investigate the first killing, in the town where the killings are taking place. This movie has a weak script; is overpopulated with characters (especially bad guys); and as a director, Eastwood's color palette is way too dark. Many scenes are hard to see clearly on a television screen. Grade: C+

Baby Mama (DVD)

Baby Mama (2008) starring Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Greg Kinnear, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Martin. Driven career woman (Fey) learns she is infertile, and hires a surrogate (Poehler) to carry her baby. The script is rather clever and sweet, and all ends well. But the film still has the feel of an extended "Saturday Night Live" skit. Extras: A making-of, deleted scenes, commentary, and more. Grade: B

Drugstore Cowboy (DVD)

Drugstore Cowboy (1989) starring Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch, James Le Gros, Heather Graham. A quartet of addicts rob pharmacies to fuel their drug habits. When one of them dies of an overdose, the leader (Dillon) decides to try and go straight. This is reputed to be a good movie, but it was hard for me to judge since it lacks subtitles for the hearing impaired. Grade: F

Stuck (DVD)

Stuck (2007) starring Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea. The one redeeming virtue of this movie is that it is based on a true story. Driving home from a bar one night, a young woman (Suvari) runs into a pedestrian (Rea), who survives but becomes lodged in her windshield. Instead of immediately driving to a hospital, she freaks out and decides to drive home. She parks her car in her closed garage while she tries to decide what to do. While he is clearly still alive, she is afraid to seek help for him because she still thinks there might be a way out for her. From there, it's a short step downward to actively wanting him dead. The plot then takes several increasingly bizarre twists and turns. Extras: None. Grade: C

Paranoid Park (DVD)

Paranoid Park (2007) starring Gabe Nevins, Lauren McKinney, Taylor Momsen. Teenage skater boy Alex (Nevins) accidentally kills a security guard at the train tracks near a skate park. When he decides to keep it to himself, guilty feelings gradually seem to fade until the death is just an unpleasant memory. Directed by Gus Van Sant from a novel by Blake Nelson. Extras: None. Grade: B-

The Great Escape (DVD)

The Great Escape (1963) starring Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen, James Garner, James Coburn, David McCallum and a host of others. Allied POWs plot escape from a German prisoner-of-war camp during World War II. At almost three hours, it's a bit overlong, but it keeps the viewer involved the whole way through. Seems a bit dated now, but it was a great movie in its time. Grade: B

Hud (DVD)

Hud (1963) starring Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal. Contemporary Western stars Newman as Hud, the arrogant, womanizing son of an old-time cow man (Douglas). Neal plays their housekeeper and cook. The drama arises when one of the family's cattle dies and the state inspector suspects it may be "foot-and-mouth" disease -- which would necessitate destroying the entire herd. Hud wants to quickly sell off the whole herd to other, unsuspecting cattlemen, but his father, a man of honor, refuses. Directed by Martin Ritt, from a novel by Larry McMurtry. Grade: B+

The Hustler (DVD)

The Hustler (1961) starring Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, George C. Scott. Newman stars as Fast Eddie Felson, pool hustler extraordinaire. His life's ambition is to beat "Minnesota Fats" (Gleason), the then-reigning king of pool. Newman, though he holds center-stage in the movie, delivers a one-note performance that is not terribly impressive. Gleason, as the debonair billiards champion, and Laurie, as Fast Eddie's ill-fated love, deliver superlative performances. Grade: B

Memento (DVD)

Memento (2000) starring Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Jorja Fox. A man named Leonard (Pearce), with no short-term memory, tries to hunt down the man who killed his wife (Fox). But since he can't form new memories, he has to rely on photographs and notes to himself to guide him in his search. Unfortunately for him, his condition makes him subject to all kinds of tricks that "normal" people can play on him. And there's even some question about whether his memory of the night his wife was killed are accurate. The most innovative thing about this film is that it is told "backward." We see events in reverse order, so that we experience them as Leonard does, with no memory of the events that preceded them. It's an ingenious device, and it works. Grade: A

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (DVD)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) starring Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Paul Rudd, Bill Hader. Segel plays Peter, whose girlfriend, Sarah Marshall (Bell) breaks his heart. He flees to Hawaii to try and forget her, but (major coincidence) she's vacationing in Hawaii with her new boyfriend. Not only that, they are staying at the same motel! But wait -- they have adjoining rooms! And, they keep showing up at the same parties and restaurants! It's just too much. Really. Someone who's not bothered by the odds might enjoy this movie -- and it does have its moments. But I found it a little too contrived, and mostly not very funny. Grade: C+

The Visitor (DVD)

The Visitor (2007) starring Richard Jenkins. When he goes to New York for an academic conference, a widowed professor discovers an illegal immigrant couple living in his Manhattan apartment. He becomes enmeshed in their lives when the male of the couple is arrested and placed in detention. We don't get a happy ending, but the film makes a strong and sympathetic statement about the plight of immigrants in the post-9/11 era. Grade: B+

L.A. Confidential (DVD)

L.A. Confidential (1997) starring Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger. In 1950s Los Angeles, two wildly different cops form an uneasy alliance to root out corruption in the police department. It's a convoluted story with multiple double-crosses, but it's great fun to watch. The running time of over two hours is a bit of a drawback. Grade: A-

The Godfather (DVD)

The Godfather (1972) starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Robert Duvall. An American classic -- follows the organized crime Corleone family of New York through their travails in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Beautifully directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Memorable soundtrack by Nino Rota. Only flaw is length, which nears three hours. Grade: A-

Chinatown (DVD)

Chinatown (1974) starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston. I was conflicted about this movie. Although it felt like a great movie to me, in the end I was a bit confused about exactly what had happened. And I had the benefit of subtitles. Grade: B+

Leatherheads (DVD)

Leatherheads (2007) starring George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, John Krasinski. Set in the world of professional football in 1925, this romantic comedy is neither very romantic nor very funny. Zellweger is miscast and Clooney does a lot of mugging. Grade: B-

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (DVD)

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) starring Amy Adams, Frances McDormand, Ciaran Hinds, Lee Pace, Shirley Henderson, Mark Strong. In 1939 London, a nanny (McDormand) loses her job, and chances into a position as a social secretary to a singer/actress (Adams). Though both of their lives are in disarray, they complement each other and have one exciting day together. Though I don't like such labels, I'm afraid this movie verges on being a chick flick. Extras: Deleted scenes, director's commentary, a making-of, and a brief piece about bringing the book to the screen. Grade: B-

Baby It's You (DVD)

Baby It's You (1983) starring Rosanna Arquette, Vincent Spano. It's 1966 in Newark, New Jersey. Middle-class Jewish high-school girl (Arquette) and blue-collar Italian boy (Spano) get romantically involved. He gets kicked out of school, she goes off to college. Will the star-crossed lovers end up together? See the movie and decide for yourself. Co-written and directed by John Sayles. Extras: None. Grade: B

Tea with Mussolini (DVD)

Tea with Mussolini (1999) starring Joan Plowwright, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Cher, Lily Tomlin. Set in Italy in the 1930s and 1940s, and based on director Franco Zeffirelli's childhood in the '30s, this film follows a group of Englishwomen living in Italy who believe that Mussolini will protect them from the gathering clouds of war. To further complicate matters, they find themselves the protectors of a boy named Luca whose mother has died and whose father refuses to claim him. It's all rather charming, even though we pass through a war with them, and it ends happily. Grade: B+

Young @ Heart (DVD)

Young @ Heart (2007). Documentary about a chorus of Massachusetts geezers who perform covers of rock songs all over America and Europe. In spite of myself, I found the film mildly engaging and somewhat poignant (three of the singers died during the course of filming). Grade: B

Snow Angels (DVD)

Snow Angels (2006) starring Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell, Olivia Thirlby, Griffin Dunne, Nicky Katt, Amy Sedaris. Amid the ordinary struggles and intertwined relationships of several small-town occupants, tragedy strikes. From there, the movie spirals down into violence, none of which seems necessary. The viewer is left unsatisfied and, perhaps, bummed out. Extras: None. Grade: C

The Enforcer (DVD)

The Enforcer (1976) starring Clint Eastwood, Tyne Daly. Eastwood returns as San Francisco cop Harry Callahan in this third installment in the Dirty Harry series. Daly plays his female partner, who is assigned to him after his regular partner gets killed. Naturally, Callahan gets kicked off the force for insubordination, but that doesn't stop him from going after the bad guys -- a group of hippie terrorists who have taken the mayor hostage. Unfortunately the script is weak and this outing makes little sense -- not that it's hard to follow, but the internal logic is off. Still, more entertaining than a lot of movies I've seen. Grade: B-

The Thief of Bagdad (DVD)

The Thief of Bagdad (1940) starring John Justin, Sabu, June Duprez. The special effects look like you'd expect in 1940, and the story is laughably contrived. Plus, this DVD doesn't have subtitles in English for the hearing-impaired. Grade: F

Aliens (DVD)

Aliens (1986) starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henricksen, Bill Paxton. Directed by James Cameron. The sequel to "Alien" surpasses the original, once the action starts. Unfortunately, the preamble to action takes about an hour, and the first half of the movie seems sluggish. Still, it's an action-packed thrill ride, and Weaver is sensational in the role of Ripley. Grade: B+

Shrek (DVD)

Shrek (2001) with the voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, John Lithgow. The ogre Shrek, voiced by Myers, teams up with a fast-talking donkey (Murphy) on a quest to save Princess Fiona (Diaz) from a castle guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. It's a delightful fairy tale that makes fun of fairy tales even as it follows fairy-tale conventions -- with a number of twists thrown in. Definitely not just for kids. Grade: A

Reprise (DVD)

Reprise (2006) starring a cast of Norwegian actors we've never heard of. An utterly incomprehensible (to me) Norwegian film with characters I had trouble telling apart, and later caring about. Some critics have raved about this film, but I just didn't get it. Grade: D

Married Life (DVD)

Married Life (2007) starring Chris Cooper, Pierce Brosnan, Patricia Clarkson, Rachel McAdams. Married man (Cooper) plans to kill his wife (Clarkson) so that he can be with a younger woman (McAdams). But his best friend (Brosnan) has other thoughts about the situation. Set in 1949, this drama -- or is it a comedy? -- veers toward soap opera. As characters, Cooper and Clarkson seem at home in the mid-20th Century, but Brosnan and McAdams seem oddly out of time. The DVD offers three alternate endings, all very similar, but interesting to watch. What it sorely lacks is subtitles for the hearing impaired, for which I downgrade it a full letter. Grade: C

Smart People (DVD)

Smart People (2008) starring Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ellen Page, Thomas Haden Church. A widowed professor (Quaid) gets involved with a former student who is now a doctor (Parker). His daughter (Page) is deep into preparations for college, while his irresponsible adopted brother (Church) has arrived on his doorstep without a dime to his name. Unfortunately, the cast lacks chemistry and the script lacks a compelling story. "Smart People" is a dumb movie. Grade: C+

American Psycho (DVD)

American Psycho (2000) starring Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Reese Witherspoon, Samantha Mathis, Chloe Sevigny. Bale stars as Patrick Bateman, Wall Street businessman by day, serial killer by night. Set in the 1980s in New York City, the movie features a main character who is supremely obsessed with the surface of things, especially of himself, yet who is hollow inside. He commits several murders in gory ways, and this film definitely isn't for the faint of heart. It's a wicked satire on '80s materialism, though, and fascinating to watch. Grade: B+

Redbelt (DVD)

Redbelt (2008) starring Chiwetel Ejiofor. This DVD does not have English subtitles for the hard of hearing, like me. Grade: F

August (DVD)

August (2008) starring Josh Hartnett, Adam Scott, Robin Tunney, Naomie Harris, Rip Torn, David Bowie. Two brothers struggle to keep their business afloat; the business is a dot-com startup facing the tech bust of August, 2001. The CEO is a total jerk (Hartnett), who gets his comeuppance in the end. Add to this an intrusive, annoying soundtrack, and you've got "August." Grade: C-

Empire Records (DVD)

Empire Records (1995) starring Anthony LaPaglia, Debi Mazar, Liv Tyler, Robin Tunney, Renee Zellweger, and a bunch of actors who were never heard from again. Record store clerk takes the day's receipts ($9,014) to Atlantic City, hoping to win enough to keep the store from becoming a chain store, and gambles them away. The rest of the movie is an uninspired tale of what the rest of the day at the store is like, with much loud music, teens dancing and disrobing, and lots of teen angst. Any movie that can make Zellweger, Tyler and Tunney all look unattractive deserves a Grade: D-

Jeremiah Johnson (DVD)

Jeremiah Johnson (1972) starring Robert Redford. Loner Jeremiah Johnson (Redford) wants nothing but to be a mountain man. However, the solitude he seeks proves harder to realize than he had imagined. He acquires an Indian wife and a surrogate son, and builds a house for them to live in. The second half of the film is unsatisfactory, however, and his career as an Indian fighter is glossed over in a montage; the film drifts to a inconclusive end. Grade: B

Mon Oncle Antoine (DVD)

Mon Oncle Antoine (My Uncle Antoine) (1971) starring Jacques Gagnon. Supposed masterpiece of Canadian cinema leaves much to be desired. It takes place in the holiday season in a small village in Quebec, and involves a general store that doubles as a mortuary. Sounds like a pretty good setup, but it fails to deliver. Grade: C

Out of Africa (DVD)

Out of Africa (1985) starring Meryl Streep, Robert Redford. Streep stars as Danish writer Karen Blixen, and Redford plays the free-spirited English hunter whom she meets after moving to Africa in 1913. The film is epic in scope, and the soundtrack is lush. Streep, as usual, does a wonderful Danish accent, but Redford doesn't even bother to try for an English accent. The DVD is subtitled for the hearing-impaired, but the captions are atrocious. The movie clocks in at two hours, forty minutes, about an hour too long. Multiple Oscar winner. Grade: B+

Magnum Force (DVD)

Magnum Force (1973) starring Clint Eastwood. The second of five "Dirty Harry" movies has inspector Callahan (Eastwood) pursuing vigilante cops, who are assassinating crooks who have slipped through the fingers of the justice system. Things go too far, however, when the vigilantes start killing innocents and (gasp!) other cops. Like all Dirty Harry films, this one is morally ambiguous. The airplane hijacking scene seems quaint in light of what has happened since. Grade: B

The Band's Visit (DVD)

The Band's Visit (2007) starring a cast of unknowns. An Egyptian police band, comprised of about eight musicians, travels to Israel to play at the opening of an Arab arts center. But after arriving in Israel, they become lost and end up spending the night in a remote desert town. Their interactions with the inhabitants of the town make up the core of the movie. Especially in the foreground is the brief relationship formed between the leader of the band and a woman of the town. It's all about Arabs and Israelis getting along, and it has resonance in the present day. Grade: B

The Big Lebowski (DVD)

The Big Lebowski (1998) starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore. Legendary Coen brothers film (written and directed) has become a cult classic only 10 years after it was released in theaters. Made up of equal parts Raymond Chandler, "The Big Sleep," bowling, marijuana, and shaggy dog story, it manages to be intermittently amusing; it does not, however, have a real plot, just a skeleton story on which vignettes of kooky characters hang like Christmas ornaments. It lacks the cohesiveness of other Coen brothers films, but still enjoyable for fans of their weird side. Grade: B

Slums of Beverly Hills (DVD)

Slums of Beverly Hills (1998) starring Alan Arkin, Natasha Lyonne, Marisa Tomei. Arkin plays the washed-up patriarch of a dysfunctional 1970s family that struggles to stay together. The film shows his struggle to keep his kids within the Beverly Hills school district, all the while trying to scrape by on his meager earnings as a car salesman. But it's told from the point of view of his daughter, Vivian (Lyonne), who is about fed up with moving in the middle of the night and would just as soon be free of the family. There's not much to the plot -- it's more of a slice-of-life portrait of this wacky family and the goofy people they run into. Grade: B+

Helvetica (DVD)

Helvetica (2007) by Gary Hustwit. Fascinating documentary about the world's most ubiquitous font, which originated in Switzerland in 1957, and which has dominated typography for fifty years. After a thorough discussion of Helvetica, what it is and why designers like it, the film examines the reaction against Helvetica in some sectors -- and how the advent of computers has made it possible for individuals to design their own fonts. Grade: A-

Goodfellas (DVD)

Goodfellas (1990) starring Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Paul Sorvino, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco. One of the great gangster movies of recent years, though the violence and language may prove disturbing to some viewers. Liotta plays Henry Hill, a real-life person whose story is the basis for the movie. Most of the characters in the movie are mobsters, and the film shows an unflinching picture of the life of the career criminal, both fascinating and repulsive. It's a great entertainment, though. Grade: A

The Fire Within (DVD)

The Fire Within (1963) starring Maurice Ronet, Jeanne Moreau, Lena Skerla. Weighed down by depression, estranged from his wife, an alcoholic writer decides to end his life -- but first determines to spend his last day trying to find a connection that will make him change his mind. He visits various friends, and we learn that there are many people who care about him. But he feels that he cannot connect with anybody. Critically acclaimed existential psychological drama from director Louis Malle. Grade: B

Being John Malkovich (DVD)

Being John Malkovich (1999) starring John Cusack, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich, Cameron Diaz. Struggling puppeteer (Cusack) finds a job on the 7-and-a-half floor of an office building. One day, he discovers a small door behind a file cabinet, and the door turns out to be a portal into the mind of the actor John Malkovich. Twisty-turny story from director Spike Jonze and writer Charlie Kaufman keeps you on your toes until the very end. Grade: A-

The Counterfeiters (DVD)

The Counterfeiters (2007) starring Karl Markovics. In 1938 Berlin, a Jewish master forger (Markovics) is arrested just as he is about to escape the clutches of the Nazis. His artistry allows him to survive for five years in concentration camps, until he is tasked with counterfeiting British and American currency to help fund the German war effort. With a small group of fellow artists, he succeeds in duplicating the British pound, but finds himself stymied by the dollar. The film gives us a fascinating, though grim, look at a little-known facet of the history of World War II. Grade: A-

The Bank Job (DVD)

The Bank Job (2008) starring Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows. Based on a true story. Car dealer with a dodgy past (Statham) becomes involved in a bank heist, only to find that, by robbing the bank vault, he has stirred up a hornet's nest of London villains. Set in 1971, the film attempts to show a believable version of a real-life bank robbery -- one which has gone unsolved ever since. The subtitles are excellent, which really helped me because everyone in the movie speaks with a strong British accent. Grade: B+

Pretty in Pink (DVD)

Pretty in Pink (1986) starring Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Andrew McCarthy, Harry Dean Stanton, Annie Potts, James Spader. Poor girl Andie (Ringwald) has a date for the prom with rich kid Blane (McCarthy). Meanwhile, her friend Duckie (Cryer), who has been in love with her for years, is driven bonkers by the fact that she's going out with one of the rich crowd (and not him). Spader plays the villain, the rich guy that Andie won't go out with and who, as a consequence, can't bear to see her happy. The movie is rich with '80s nostalgia for those who lived through the era. And it has a happy ending. Grade: B

Brazil (DVD)

Brazil (1985) starring Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Michael Palin, Kim Greist, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm. At the beginning of "Brazil," a card proclaims that it takes place "Somewhere in the 20th Century." Where that could be, it scarcely matters. But it seems to take place in an alternate universe where '30s styles prevailed and where technology advanced in a wacky way. And where fascism prevailed. It's a darkly funny fantasy which ultimately doesn't quite work, but it's a fun ride if you're in the right mood. Grade: B+

The Mist (DVD)

The Mist (2007) starring Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Andre Braugher. After a violent storm pounds a small town, a deadly mist moves in to cover everything, and there are monsters in the mist. Though based on a Stephen King novella, most of the blame for this schlock horror show should probably go to writer-director Frank Darabont. There may be some hard-core horror fans who will enjoy this low-budget attempt, but I found it (horror!) mostly boring. Grade: C-

Far from Heaven (DVD)

Far from Heaven (2002) starring Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Patricia Clarkson, Dennis Haysbert. Shot in the style of a 1950s "women's movie," this film takes a '50s look at homosexuality and racism. It's beautifully filmed, and always maintains a 21st-century sensibility. Grade: B+

Jumper (DVD)

Jumper (2008) starring Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Diane Lane, Tom Hulce, Rachel Bilson. Young David Rice (Christensen) discovers that he has the amazing ability to teleport himself, and any objects he is touching, anywhere in the world. At first he uses his powers for purely hedonistic, selfish purposes -- "jumping" into bank vaults, seducing women, reclaiming his high-school crush. But then he finds out that there is a war going on -- that there are other Jumpers, and a group called the Paladins, who hunt down and kill the Jumpers. It's all pretty silly, really, but makes for an amusing couple of hours. Grade: B

Rebel Without a Cause (DVD)

Rebel Without a Cause (1955) starring James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Jim Backus. Juvenile delinquency rears its ugly head in this laughable "classic." Attempts at replicating teen jive talk are hilarious, Dean looks his real age (24), and the plot is incredibly tame by 21st Century standards. The film is principally notable for being one of only three that Dean starred in before his death in a car crash in 1955. He received a posthumous Oscar nomination. Grade: C

Bend of the River (DVD)

Bend of the River (1952) starring James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Julie Adams, Rock Hudson, Lori Nelson. Once a Missouri bushwhacker, Stewart now leads a wagon train through Indian country up to northern Oregon, where he hopes to settle in to a peaceful life. Naturally, the settlers run into trouble when they get to Portland, and it's up to Stewart to lead them through it. Mildly entertaining Western. Grade: B

The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (DVD)

The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (2006) starring Michel Joelsas, Germano Haiut. Fleeing political repression in Brazil in 1970, a couple leave their 11-year-old son to stay with his grandfather. Unknown to them, the grandfather has passed away the same day, and the boy is left without a home. The film is a curious mixture of soccer madness, life in a dictatorship, and poignant coming-of-age story. Grade: B+

The Great Debaters (DVD)

The Great Debaters (2007) starring Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker. The year is 1935, and all-black Wiley College has a debate team that is up to all challenges. And there are plenty of challenges in Wiley's home state of Texas, what with lynchings and police raids on political gatherings. This movie is a combination of intense racial drama and sports movie, with the grand finale being a debate between little Wiley and Harvard, the number one debating team in the land. Grade: B+

Chop Shop (DVD)

Chop Shop (2007) starring Alejandro Polanco, Isamar Gonzales. Ambitious, twelve-year-old street orphan and his teen-age sister struggle for a better life amongst the mass of auto shops and junkyards known as the "Iron Triangle," just outside Queens, N.Y. A tough, eye-opening look at life on society's margins. Nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. But ultimately, not much fun. Grade: B-

The Sixth Sense (DVD)

The Sixth Sense (1999) starring Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette. Director M. Night Shyamalan's first, and best, movie; stars Willis as a child psychiatrist, Osment as a child who sees dead people, and Collette as the child's mother. This is really a masterpiece, filled with unexpected turns and one big twist. Osment makes the film work with his extraordinary performance, and Willis and Collette are both excellent. Even though I've seen this movie before, I still found myself caught up in the plot by the time it reached its climax. Grade: A

The Far Country (DVD)

The Far Country (1955) starring James Stewart, Ruth Roman, Corinne Calvet, Walter Brennan, John McIntire. Confirmed loner Stewart drives a herd of cattle from Wyoming to Seattle, then by boat to Alaska. He learns -- almost too late -- that folks got to stick together. Grade: B

In Bruges (DVD)

In Bruges (2008) starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes. After a murder goes wrong, two gangsters from London (Farrell and Gleeson) are sent to Bruges, Belgium to lay low for a while. Their boss (Fiennes) is still pulling the strings from London, however, and he has some nasty business in mind. It makes for a curious mixture of humor and violence which only works because, gradually, one comes to care about the characters. Grade: B+

Annie Hall (VHS)

Annie Hall (1977) starring Woody Allen, Diane Keaton. Allen's brilliant portrait of the neurotic, sad and funny relationship between two New Yorkers, Alvy Singer (Allen) and Annie Hall (Keaton). There are too many funny moments to list, but something can be said about the medium. Seeing this movie on VHS, as I did today, definitely doesn't measure up. The picture is cropped at the sides, and the sound quality is poor. I hope to see it on DVD soon, in order to make the comparison -- if only it could be seen in a theater! Nevertheless, it is a masterpiece (and winner of the Best Picture Oscar for 1977). Grade: A

Dirty Harry (DVD)

Dirty Harry (1971) starring Clint Eastwood. Eastwood plays Harry Callahan, a cop who refuses to play by the rules. Scorpio, a vicious serial killer, is terrorizing San Francisco, and it falls to Callahan to track him down and bring him to justice. But the constitution gets in the way, and Dirty Harry has to play dirty to bring down the psychopath. If a real cop operated this way, he'd be drummed out of the force, if not jailed. But it makes for an entertaining movie. Grade: B

In the Valley of Elah (DVD)

In the Valley of Elah (2007) starring Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon. Jones plays the father of a marine who has been killed after returning to the States from a tour in Iraq. A former MP, Jones' character carries on his own investigation when the authorities seem indifferent. But the movie really belongs to Theron, who plays a civilian policewoman who pays attention to him and ultimately must fight to get the murder investigated. Grade: B

Definitely, Maybe (DVD)

Definitely, Maybe (2008) starring Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslin, Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher, Rachel Weisz. So-so romantic comedy about a man who is telling his daughter his history of past loves, one of whom is her mother. The structure seems contrived, and Reynolds is lacking in the charisma to carry a movie. Still, the female leads do not fail to charm. Grade: B