The Wrestler (DVD)

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

The Great Dictator (DVD)

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

Meet Me in St. Louis (DVD)

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

Role Models (DVD)

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

The Wizard of Oz (DVD)

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

Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi (DVD)

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

Rachel Getting Married (DVD)

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

Tell No One (DVD)

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

Slumdog Millionaire (DVD)

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

Elegy (DVD)

Elegy (2007) starring Ben Kingsley, Penelope Cruz. Older man (Kingsley) starts affair with much younger woman (Cruz), with life-changing results. The movie takes unexpected turns, and ends up being deeply moving. Adapted from the Philip Roth novel, "The Dying Animal." Grade: A-

Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back (DVD)

Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, voice of James Earl Jones as Darth Vader. The second "Star Wars" movie is also the best, with nearly non-stop action, a little romance, and a startling revelation from Darth Vader. The film has been digitally mastered for the DVD, and the picture and sound are excellent. The music by John Williams is a plus. Grade: A

In Treatment (DVD)

In Treatment: Season 1: Disc 1 (2008) starring Gabriel Byrne, Melissa George, Blair Underwood, Josh Charles, Embeth Davidtz, Dianne Wiest. Psychoanalyst Paul Weston (Byrne) sees a variety of clients in the five episodes on this disc, plus -- at the end of the week -- makes a visit to his own therapist, Dr. Gina Toll (Wiest). This is a DVD treatment of an HBO series, and I'll have to see more episodes before I can evaluate it, but it looks very promising. Grade so far: B+

Run Lola Run (DVD)

Run Lola Run (1998) starring Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu. Potente plays Lola, whose boyfriend Manni (Bleibtreu) has just told her frantically over the phone that he needs 100,000 Marks to pay off a mob debt. (Marks, because it's a German movie with English subtitles.) Lola sets off on a desperate run across town to try and get the money and deliver it to him in 20 minutes. The viewer is treated to three alternate realities of how the run might have gone, all with markedly different outcomes. It's an interesting experiment in film making, and Potente is appealing. Grade: B

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (DVD)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) starring Javier Bardem, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Penelope Cruz. Cruz won an Oscar for her supporting role as Bardem's insanely jealous ex-wife, who arrives in Barcelona to find that he has taken up with a pair of American tourists (Johansson and Hall). The Spanish atmosphere of the film has a genuine feel, but unfortunately the movie lacks a strong narrative arc. Something of a disappointment, although Cruz is good. Grade: C+

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (DVD)

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Alec Guinness. Thirty years later, the magic is still there. The film has a retro look now, what with the '70s hair and clothing styles, but it suits. Great music by John Williams carries the movie. C-3PO and R2-D2 are a hoot. Grade: B+

Monty Python's Life of Brian (DVD)

Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) starring the usual suspects from the Monty Python troupe. Born in Bethlehem the same night as Jesus, Brian lives a pretty ordinary life -- until he grows to manhood and joins the People's Front of Judea, an anti-Roman organization. He has a run-in with the Romans, and later is mistaken for the Messiah by a mob in Jerusalem. The usual Python nonsense transpires throughout the movie, which is only intermittently funny. There are some good bits, but it doesn't measure up to the best of Monty Python's work. Grade: B-

Play It Again, Sam (DVD)

Play It Again, Sam (1972) starring Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts. Allen plays a nebbish named Allan whose wife divorces him after two years of marriage, leaving him feeling lost and lonely. His friends Dick and Linda (Roberts and Keaton) try to fix him up with a replacement girl, but overanxious Allan strikes out with all of them. A brilliant, funny script -- written by Allen, based on his Broadway show -- combined with Allen's slapstick talent, makes this movie a joy to watch. I laughed out loud several times. Grade: A

Million Dollar Baby (DVD)

Million Dollar Baby (2004) starring Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Hilary Swank. Young boxer Maggie Fitzgerald (Swank) has a tough time convincing trainer Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) to take her on, but the two eventually bond while she wins a series of fights. Then, in her championship bout, the movie turns from what seems like a sports movie into a drama about life and death. The fight scenes are exciting, the script is moving, and the moral dilemma is deeply felt. The acting is superb. Grade: A

Chaplin (DVD)

Chaplin (1992) starring Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Hopkins, Dan Aykroyd, Kevin Kline, and a large, talented supporting cast. Downey won Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his portrayal of comic icon Charlie Chaplin in this film biography. Kline is excellent as his friend and confidant, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. At two hours and twenty minutes, the movie is a bit long; it's also rather melancholy. But I enjoyed it. Grade: B+

Synecdoche, New York (DVD)

Synecdoche, New York (2008) starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener. Written and directed by Charlie Kaufman, this is a truly weird movie, and not in a good way. To top it off, it lacks subtitles for the hard of hearing, so I missed half of the dialogue. Grade: F

Changeling (DVD)

Changeling (2008) starring Angelina Jolie, Jeffrey Donovan, John Malkovich. A single mother (Jolie) reports her son missing in March of 1928. Weeks later, to her joy, the police tell her they have found her son. But the boy they present to her as her lost Walter is not her son, and she knows it as soon as she sees him. The police captain (Donovan), for public relations reasons, is determined to convince her that the boy is really her son; but she can't be convinced, for who would know her own son better than a mother? What follows is shocking, especially since it's said to be a true story. Jolie was nominated for an Oscar for her performance. On the down side, the ending lacks closure, and the film's two hour, twenty minute running time is a little outside my comfort zone. Grade: B+

Happy-Go-Lucky (DVD)

Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) starring Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, Alexis Zegerman, Karina Fernandez. Poppy (Hawkins) is a 30-year-old primary school teacher who is perpetually, unnaturally cheerful. When her bike is stolen, she decides to take driving lessons, and she is paired with a slightly maniacal driving teacher named Scott (Marsan). The movie is like a tapestry of Poppy's life, and it is quite charming. Hawkins won a Golden Globe for her performance. Grade: B+

Australia (DVD)

Australia (2008) starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman. Kidman sports the most unflattering hair style I've ever seen her wear in this would-be epic Western set in 1939 in (where else) Australia. She plays Lady Sarah Ashley, who inherits a cattle ranch when her husband, Lord Ashley, is killed. It falls to her and the Drover (Jackman) to drive the ranch's entire herd across the outback and onto a ship in Darwin, where the cattle will feed the troops in World War II. That much action alone would be enough to make an entire movie, but this movie is just at the halfway point when the cattle arrive in Darwin. There's still an hour and a half to go, but luckily the movie becomes much more entertaining in the second half. It's mostly about Lady Ashley's efforts to adopt a half-caste aboriginal boy, mixed in with the Japanese bombing of Darwin, which ushered Australia into World War II. First half: D. Second half: B. Grade: C

To Kill a Mockingbird (DVD)

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) starring Gregory Peck, Brock Peters, Phillip Alford, Mary Badham. Peck won an Oscar for his portrayal of Atticus Finch, a small-town lawyer in Alabama during the Depression. Finch is called on to defend an African-American (Peters) against a rape charge, and to try to explain the ugliness of the world to the Finch children, Jem and Scout (Alford and Badham). It's a trial drama, a tragedy, and an atmospheric evocation of childhood all in one movie; it's an American classic. Robert Duvall made his film debut as Boo Radley. Grade: A-

Touch of Evil (DVD)

Touch of Evil (1958) starring Charlton Heston, Orson Welles, Janet Leigh. Heston plays Mexican detective Mike Vargas, who locks horns with corpulent American sheriff Hank Quinlan (Welles) after a car crossing the Mexico-U.S. border explodes before his eyes. The newlywed Vargas forsakes his bride (Leigh) to mount an investigation, but soon finds that Quinlan is a shady cop who's not above planting evidence or colluding with the local crime lord to keep Vargas from discovering the ugly truth. Unfortunately, it's all badly dated and doesn't live up to current standards of cinematic excellence. This movie is a laughable mess that is a chore to watch, not an entertainment. The part involving drugs is especially ridiculous. Grade: C-

I've Loved You So Long (DVD)

I've Loved You So Long (2008) starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Elsa Zylberstein. Juliette (Scott Thomas) comes to stay with her sister Lea (Zylberstein) after spending 15 years in prison for murder. The two sisters try to rebuild their fractured relationship while Juliette tries to adjust to life outside prison. Not surprisingly, the film builds to a major reveal about the "murder" Juliette was imprisoned for, and we learn that she is not quite as guilty as we had been led to believe. All in all, a well made movie and a story well told. Grade: B+

Little Miss Sunshine (DVD)

Little Miss Sunshine (2006) starring Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Abigail Breslin, Steve Carell, Alan Arkin. Dysfunctional family takes road trip so the the youngest member (Breslin) can enter the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. Each of the six members of the extended family has his or her own personality quirks, and the Volkswagen bus they travel has its own quirks, too. They interact in unexpected ways, and there are several hilarious episodes along the way. The grand finale, the beauty pageant itself, does not disappoint -- in fact it is the high point of the movie. This independent production is definitely worth seeing. Grade: A

House of Sand and Fog (DVD)

House of Sand and Fog (2003) starring Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Ron Eldard, Frances Fisher. Connelly is almost too beautiful for this role, in which she portrays Kathy Nicolo, an alcoholic who finds herself evicted from her home -- inherited from her father -- for nonpayment of taxes. Kingsley plays an Iranian exile who sees in the house an opportunity for his family to bootstrap itself up in class. He buys the house at auction, but he doesn't anticipate Kathy's fierce determination to get her house back. With the help of a deputy sheriff (Eldard) who has taken a shine to her, Kathy brings pressure on the Iranian family to surrender the house. It's a situation that practically guarantees that there can be no happy ending to the film, and sure enough it ends in tragedy. The movie tries, perhaps a bit too hard, to be poetic. It almost gets there. Grade: B+

Written on the Wind (DVD)

Written on the Wind (1956) starring Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack, Dorothy Malone. Melodrama with Stack as Kyle, an alcoholic Texas oil millionaire who manages to sweep Lucy (Bacall) off her feet and into marriage. Hudson plays his best friend Mitch, who is also in love with Lucy, and Malone portrays Marylee, Kyle's sister, who has a lifelong crush on Mitch. The love lines get tangled as Kyle and Lucy have trouble conceiving a child, and jealous Marylee casts suspicion on Mitch. It's all a bit overwrought, and Stack in particular is unconvincing. Grade: B

It's a Wonderful Life (DVD)

It's a Wonderful Life (1946) starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Henry Travers. If you've watched this movie during the Christmas season when it shows up on broadcast TV, you'll notice on the DVD the improved quality of the image, the lack of constant commercial interruptions, and the fact that scenes haven't been left out to fit into a time slot. If you're like me, you'll turn on the subtitles and catch all the dialogue you've been missing, too. This sentimental favorite delivers the tears and laughter every time, and who can deny its charm? Stewart stars as George Bailey, frustrated small-town banker, who thinks all is lost and contemplates taking his own life. An angel named Clarence (Travers) is sent down to show him what the world would have been like without him, and Stewart expertly plays the man who finds that his world has dissolved. Grade: A-

I Served the King of England (DVD)

I Served the King of England (2006) starring Ivan Barnev. An opportunistic young waiter in pre-World War II Czechoslovakia dreams of someday becoming rich and owning his own hotel. He survives the war and his wish is granted -- only to be snatched away by events in the post-war period. Pretty entertaining, but suffers from ever-present voice over. Grade: B

Kung Fu Panda (DVD)

Kung Fu Panda (2008) with the voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Ian McShane, Michael Clarke Duncan. Lazy Po (Black) is a panda who dreams of being a kung fu fighter, but seemingly lacks the discipline to make the grade. Destiny, however, chooses him to be the hero who will protect his peaceful valley from a master criminal. Pretty good animation, but if you're a stickler for logic, forget it. Grade: B+

Titanic (DVD)

Titanic (1997) starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet. The most popular movie of all time (based on box-office receipts) delivers on several different levels, with a sincere love story and absolutely top-notch special effects showing the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Grade: A

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+