Video: 2
Audio: 3
Extras: 2
Eminem had his semiautobiographical film debut. Now it’s 50 Cent’s turn. “Loosely based” on the story of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s rise through the rough streets, Get Rich treads on some familiar territory. While there are some decent performances (courtesy of Terrence Howard, among others) and 50 Cent has a modicum of charisma, the movie doesn’t have enough to sustain itself or to make you truly believe that 50 Cent has this burning desire to get his words out in rap. In fact, rapping feels like an afterthought here.
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 4
Descending from Brokeback Mountain, Heath Ledger moves into a completely different characterization as the womanizing Casanova. You might believe you know the tale of this most legendary gigolo. Casanova, however, adds a romanticized spin. The film is satirical and whimsical, but you can also take it as a cautionary tale of suffering the consequences of a deviant past. The lovely Sienna Miller, who gives a delightful performance as the astute, exquisite Francesca Bruni, accompanies Ledger.
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 2
Neil Jordan serves up a taste of Ireland—with quite a bit of style and sass—with his latest film Breakfast on Pluto. It tells the story of Patrick, a very unusual man who enjoys the comfort of a good dress and high heels. He also goes by the name of St. Kitten and is played to peculiar delight by Cillian Murphy, from 28 Days Later. The film follows his exploits around Ireland in the 1970s and ’80s, as he searches for his birth mother who abandoned him on the steps of a parish. It’s filled with eccentric characters (populated with actors like Liam Neeson, Stephen Rea, and Brendan Gleeson) and a rocking soundtrack reflective of the times.
Video: 5
Audio: 4
Extras: 4
When a movie is rated PG for "quirky situations," that alone should build curiosity. Throw in another perfect team-up between director Tim Burton, star Johnny Depp, and composer Danny Elfman, plus story by Roald Dahl, and you've got a visual and musical delight for young and old.
Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore, who starred in Finding Neverland with Depp) has lived in the shadow of the Wonka Chocolate Factory all of his short life, yearning to see inside. Willy Wonka's desire to find an heir to his empire causes him to hide golden tickets in five Wonka bars, which are sent around the world. The children who discover the tickets will be admitted entry into the factory, along with one guardian. Charlie, the fittingly pale, poor, and very kind British lad that he is, finds the last golden ticket. Along with his grandfather and the other winners, Charlie goes on a wondrous tour of the chocolate factory up the hill, learning about its secrets, including the Oompa-Loompas, the miniature muscles behind the factory.
Video: 3
Audio: 4
Extras: 1
If you think you hate your day job, wait until you meet Yuri Orlov. Based on actual events, Lord of War follows the illustrious career of this quietly charismatic arms dealer as he travels the world hocking his explosive wares. Take caution, however; writer/director Andrew Niccol's got a moral agenda up his celluloid sleeve, and Cage does an excellent job delivering his message. Orlov may never have pulled a trigger on his own accord, but he is nevertheless a warlord—or rather, a lord of war, as one character prefers it.
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 2
Emily Rose is dead. That is a fact. The question asked is, whose fault is it? Was it lack of medical treatment or something unexplainable, something supernatural that caused her demise? Part courtroom drama, part horror film, this movie is truly scary and delves into the question of where faith fits into a world where someone must always be held accountable. Deeply religious, the entire Rose family believes, as does Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson), that it is most definitely a demonic possession and not a mental disorder that is at the root. Moore attempts an exorcism, and Emily's subsequent death is pinned on the accused and now-jailed priest. Laura Linney as his defender Erin Bruner is a skeptic, but her involvement in this case and the events that follow show her another side.
Video: 5
Audio: 5
Extras: 4
Make no mistake—this is the exact same edition that was released over a year ago. The only difference is the addition of a third disc (despite the package's Two-Disc status) touting the virtues of the recent sequel Underworld: Evolution. As it stands, the movie is still rather weak.
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 2
Hmm, a medical show featuring a lot of hot, young people...and that guy who played the geek in all of those '80s teen movies like Can't Buy Me Love and Loverboy as the heartthrob surgeon. Count me out. On the surface, Grey's Anatomy didn't seem to bring anything new to the already crowded table of TV medical dramedies. But the show's prime spot after Desperate Housewives on Sunday nights allowed it to occasionally make its presence known on my TV, and I found myself being reluctantly drawn in. The characters are engaging, the cast is talented, and the writing is surprisingly sap free. Now I'm hooked.
Video: 4
Audio: 3
Extras: 3
Mirabelle’s life is about as humdrum as the dress gloves she sells behind the counter at Saks Fifth Avenue are anachronistic. Beautifully portrayed by Claire Danes, Mirabelle wanders through her existence, not quite certain whether she even deserves to find happiness. Of course, she does, and it comes in the form of a rich entrepreneur (Steve Martin), although his plans for the future aren’t as grandiose as hers.
Video: 3
Audio: 3
Extras: 2
Midcentury small-town homemaker Evelyn Ryan keeps her family of 10 kids fed and cared for with prizes from advertising writing contests. Julianne Moore carries the show as the titular prize winner, and Woody Harrelson inhabits his role as a drunken train wreck of a husband to the hilt. But, ultimately, the movie loses steam and becomes repetitive. Harrelson drinks away another paycheck, Moore wins another contest, the kids get to live on the ragged edge of disaster for another week. This harrowing film’s marketing as a “witty and engaging” comedy should be considered seriously false advertising.
Video: 3
Audio: 3
Extras: 3
In a world where one is not allowed to desire anything, Chiyo has secretly wished for just one thing. Fueled by her dream of seeing her beloved chairman again, she is driven to become a geisha, and, in the process, becomes the most sought after one of her time. Memoirs of a Geisha features Ziyi Zhang in her first English-speaking role.
Video: 4
Audio: 3
Extras: 3
What’s Dreamer got that the similarly themed, highly acclaimed Seabiscuit didn’t? How about the emoting of Dakota Fanning, playing the daughter of a distant father and broken-down horse trainer seeking redemption? Combine her heart-melting appeal with a broken-down horse, and you’ve got the family charmer of the year. That sound you hear isn’t galloping—it’s a family bonding.
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 3
Pixar has spoiled me. Thanks to films like Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo, I don’t just want an animated movie to appeal to my inner child—I also expect it to engage me as a grownup. Chicken Little has all of the elements of a good animated feature: The story is fast and fun, the main characters are memorable, the animation is outstanding, and it’s got a high warm-and-fuzzy quotient. It just lacks that intangible quality that will inspire the same loyalty and repeat viewings in pre- and postpubescents.
Video: 4
Audio: 3
Extras: 2 The Dying Gaul is an interesting little movie, written and directed by playwright Craig Lucas, in his feature-film debut. It tells the story of Robert (Peter Sarsgaard), a gay screenwriter who’s just sold his extremely personal script “The Dying Gaul” to studio executive Jeffrey Tishop (Campbell Scott). Jeffrey is married to Elaine (the always lovely Patricia Clarkson) but desires Robert, and they begin an affair. Elaine finds out, and soon deception and betrayal are afoot among the three, with Elaine pretending to be Robert’s recently deceased lover, whom his script is based on. The actors are all very good, if the story is a bit strange and the ending a tad unsatisfying.
Video: 3
Audio: 3
Extras: 3
Viewing audiences and critics generally dismissed Jarhead when it rolled into theaters last year. That was a mistake—it’s one of the better unconventional war films ever made. This subgenre is championed by masterpieces such as Full Metal Jacket, Dr. Strangelove, and Apocalypse Now. These flicks actually explore the essence of war and its inevitable impact on the core of humanity. Jarhead measures up to the best of them specifically because the purported negatives critics hurled at it (cold, distant) is exactly the reason why it is great.
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