What’s Hot

* Last week’s Top 5 VHS rentals:

1. “Romeo Must Die” (2000). While two underworld kingpins (Delroy Lindo, Henry O) form an uneasy truce to cash in on the construction of a stadium for the NFL in Oakland, their respective offspring (Aaliyah and Jet Li) develop a mutual attraction in this sleek, violent martial arts action-thriller, which has more complexity and dimension than most. (Kevin Thomas, March 22) R for violence, some language and brief nudity.

2. “The Whole Nine Yards” (2000). An occasionally amusing comedy about a friendly hit man (Bruce Willis) who moves in next door to a square-jawed, not to mention square, dentist (Matthew Perry). (Kenneth Turan, Feb. 18) R for some sexuality/nudity and violence.

3. “The Beach” (2000). A tedious and unsatisfying film about a young American vagabond (Leonardo DiCaprio) who journeys to a hidden Thai paradise after being given a secret map. DiCaprio’s character is naive, self-involved and pretentious.. (Turan, Feb. 11) R for violence, some strong sexuality, language and drug content.

4. “The Green Mile” (1999). Although its Stephen King story is a good one, this version, written and directed by Frank Darabont, is hampered by excessive length, the suffocating deliberateness of its pace and some truly stomach-turning moments. Even Tom Hanks’ compelling performance as the head guard on death row in a 1935 Louisiana prison can’t overcome that. (Turan, Dec. 10) R for violence, language and some sex-related material.

5. “The Ninth Gate” (2000). Director Roman Polanski’s second encounter with the devil (the first was the classic “Rosemary’s Baby”) is a well-crafted anti-thriller with a genteel and moody air. Johnny Depp, Frank Langella and Lena Olin star. (Turan, March 10) R for some violence and sexuality.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD rentals:

1. “Romeo Must Die” (2000).

2. “The Beach”

3. “The Whole Nine Yards”

4. “The Ninth Gate”

5. “The Hurricane” (1999). Denzel Washington does exceptional work as boxer and unjustly imprisoned murder suspect Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. Regrettably, the rest of this conventional, middle-of-the-road biopic is not up to his level.. (Turan, Dec. 29) R for language and some violence.

* Last week’s Top 5 VHS sellers

1. “Double Jeopardy” (special edition) (1999). You can see, well in advance, just about every plot twist coming in this tale of a “wrongfully accused” woman (Ashley Judd) who finds out that the husband (Bruce Greenwood) she’s convicted of murdering is alive. But the cast and director carry out this crime story so efficiently that you probably won’t mind. With Tommy Lee Jones. (Gene Seymour, Sept. 24) R for language, a scene of sexuality and some violence.

2. “The Thomas Crown Affair” (special edition) (1999). A sleek and reasonably diverting entertainment that needs all the help a splendid Rene Russo as a smart insurance investigator can give it against the ice-cold maneuvers of Pierce Brosnan as an elegant and self-involved thief. (Turan, Aug. 6) R for some sexuality and language.

3. “The Sixth Sense” (1999). Director M. Night Shyamalan’s startling and nervy film about a child psychologist (Bruce Willis) who tries to help a boy (Haley Joel Osment) with a disturbing secret is one of the creepiest thrillers to arise in years. Rich in a kind of matter-of-fact horror. (John Anderson, Aug. 6) PG-13 for intense thematic material and violent images.

4. “My Dog Skip” (2000). Based on Willie Morris’ 1995 memoir, this film is a standard-issue Hollywood family film about a boy (Frankie Muniz) and his dog growing up in a small Southern town during World War II. It’s a little too glossy, but young Muniz is good, as are Kevin Bacon and Diane Lane as the boy’s parents. (Thomas, Jan. 12) PG for some violent content and mild language.

5. “Runaway Bride” (special edition) (1999). While it’s fun to see Richard Gere and Julia Roberts smooching on screen for the first time in nine years, the flawed and unpleasant conception of a woman who abandons men at the altar crossing swords with a misogynist newspaperman will leave viewers with an unavoidably sour taste. (Turan, July 30) PG for language and some suggestive dialogue.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD sellers

1. “Romeo Must Die”

2. “The Green Mile”

3. “The Matrix” (1999). A wildly cinematic futuristic thriller that stars Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne as battlers against a computer-controlled world. The writing and directing Wachowski brothers combine rip-roaring visual feats with traditional sci-fi premises in a way that always dazzles the eye. (Turan, March 31) R for sci-fi violence and brief language.

4. “The Whole Nine Yards”

5. “Princess Bride” (1987). In author William Goldman’s heroic fantasy pastiche, everything is gloriously magnified and satirically undercut: derring-do with wisecracks, and a plot full of beautiful heroines, cruel villains, cliff-top duels over raging seas, Jewish wizards and a daring threesome who might be mistaken for Musketeers. Director Rob Reiner has less feel for spectacle and action than for character and humor.. (Michael Wilmington, Sept. 25, 1987) PG.

What’s New

* Erin Brockovich (2000). Irresistible, hugely satisfying feminist fairy tale about a woman the world didn’t take seriously, who empowered herself by helping others gain justice. This film does more than chronicle the rebirth of a downtrodden individual; it is a career milestone for Julia Roberts. (Turan, March 17) Universal/MCA: $22.98; DVD: $26.98; (CC); R for language.

* The Cider House Rules (1999). Tobey Maguire stars as an orphan who has stayed on at a New England orphanage to become the assistant to its director, a physician (Michael Caine, who won an Academy Award for his role), only to discover the outside world for himself. (Thomas, Dec. 10) Miramax/Buena Vista: no list price; DVD: $32.99; (CC); PG-13 for mature elements, sexuality, nudity, substance abuse and some violence.

* After Life (1999). A simple, intimate and transcendent Japanese film about a way station where newly deceased people spend a week trying to pick the only memory they can take with them into eternity. A meditation on the randomness of pleasure, of memory, of life itself. (Turan, July 9, 1999) New Yorker: no list price; DVD: $24.95; (CC); Unrated: mature themes.

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (2000). Forest Whitaker gives a gracefully minimalist performance as the title character Ghost Dog, a loner New York hit man who lives by the Samurai code. (Eric Harrison, March 17) Artisan: no list price; DVD: $24.98; (CC); R for strong violence and language.

Titus (1999). Julie Taymor, creator of Broadway’s “The Lion King,” makes Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus” more travesty than tragedy with a razzmatazz surrealism intended to make Shakespeare mirror the horror of the 20th century. The result is a meat grinder of a movie. With Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange. (Thomas, Dec. 24) Fox: no list price; DVD: $34.98; (CC); R for strong violent and sexual images.

Here on Earth (2000). This is an old-fashioned summer romance between a super-rich prep-school boy (Chris Klein) and a middle-class girl (Leelee Sobieski). The stars, including Josh Hartnett as the girl’s longtime steady, are appealing, but their picture is derailed by a contrived, tear-jerker finish. (Thomas, March 24) Fox: no list price; DVD: $34.98; (CC); PG-13 for some sensuality and thematic elements.

Family Tree (2000). Decent but tedious family fare about a father (Robert Forster) who teaches his sons to stand up for what they believe only to find his 9-year-old (Andy Lawrence) determined to save a cherished tree from being cut down for the construction of a plastics factory. (Thomas, April 21) Warner Bros.: $19.98; (CC); G.

It’s the Rage (2000). Badly misfired anti-gun drama, a would-be dark comedy about a bunch of unstable types waving weapons around with predictably dire results. Joan Allen, Andre Braugher, Gary Sinise and Jeff Daniels are among a large prestigious cast whose efforts are to no avail. (Thomas, July 6) Columbia/TriStar: no list price; DVD: $24.95; (CC); R, for violence and strong language.

What’s Coming

Tuesday: “Agnes Brown,” “Beyond the Mat,” “Not One Less,” “Simpatico,” “Supernova” and “The Tigger Movie.”

Aug. 29: “The Big Kahuna,” “Deterrence,” “Held Up,” “I Dreamed of Africa,” “The Next Best Thing,” “Princess Mononoke,” “3 Strikes” and “With Friends Like These.”

Commentary by Times critics.

Rental video charts provided by VSDA

VidTrac, sales charts by VideoScan Inc.