What’s New

Gone in 60 Seconds (2000). Remake of H.B. “Toby” Halicki’s 1974 cult classic about a legendary car thief (Nicolas Cage) who is drawn out of retirement to save the life of his brother (Giovanni Ribisi), also a car thief. The movie, which co-stars Angelina Jolie, features some fine driving, but the problem is not what “Gone” does on the straightaways; it’s how it maneuvers through those hard-to-handle character curves. Buena Vista: no list price; DVD: $29.99; (CC); PG-13, for violence, sexuality and language.

Groove (2000). In a San Francisco warehouse, young lives unfold to the pulse of techno-ambient-house-acid-jungle-boogie. Nothing new, but cliches are cliches because they work. With Lola Glaudini, Rachel True, Hamish Linklater, Denny Kirkwood and Mackenzie Firgens. Written and directed by Greg Harrison. Columbia: no list price; DVD: $24.95; R for drug use, language and brief sexuality.

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000). The further adventures of the poundage-challenged Prof. Sherman Klump is all Eddie Murphy all the time--he plays eight different roles--but the film’s decision to compete in Hollywood’s trendy Gross-Out Derby means this sequel is a lot less funny than it sounds. Universal: $22.98; DVD: $26.98; (CC); PG-13, for crude humor and sex-related material.

Strawberry Fields (1999). Rea Tajiri’s impressive film is a tough-minded, idiosyncratic coming-of-age story in which a 16-year-old Midwestern Japanese American girl (Suzy Nakamura, outstanding) discovers how crucial it is for her to confront the heritage of the World War II internment camps, an experience her family would rather repress. Vanguard: no list price; DVD: $29.95; (CC); unrated: appropriate for teens and mature adolescents.

Trixie (2000). Alan Rudolph goes on a bit long, nearly two hours, for a comedy, but his self-described foray into “screwball noir” has much that is funny, inspired and sophisticated. A pert, malapropic security guard (Emily Watson) gets her chance to turn private eye at a mountain resort casino, where she encounters romance and danger. The splendid ensemble cast includes Dermot Mulroney, Nick Nolte, Nathan Lane and Lesley Ann Warren. Columbia: no list price; DVD: $29.95; (CC); R, for some language, sexuality and violence.

What’s Hot

* Last week’s Top 5 VHS rentals:

1. “Gladiator” (2000). Director Ridley Scott’s latest is a supremely atmospheric film that shrewdly mixes traditional Roman movie elements--like senators in carefully pressed togas and fighters who say, “We who are about to die salute you”--with the latest computer-generated wonders. Intensely masculine actor Russell Crowe is commanding as the heroic gladiator Maximus. But the movie--too long at 2 1/2 hours--is not as nimble outside the arena as inside. With Joaquin Phoenix as the ruthless young emperor Commodus, Richard Harris as Marcus Aurelius, Connie Nielson as Commodus’ shrewd sister Lucilla, Djimon Hounsou as the gladiator Juba, and in his last screen role, Oliver Reed as a former gladiator named Proximo. R, for intense graphic combat.

2. “The Perfect Storm” (2000). Creating one of the most terrifying storms in screen history goes a long way toward obliterating flaws in character and dialogue that crop up in this version of the best-selling book about a 1991 Atlantic maelstrom and the people unlucky enough to be caught in it. Wolfgang Petersen directs, George Clooney stars. PG-13, for language and scenes of peril.

3. “X-Men” (2000). A solid summer entertainment with “The Usual Suspects’ ” Bryan Singer directing British heavyweights Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. It doesn’t take your breath away, but it’s an accomplished piece of work that has considerable pulp watchability and a self-referential sense of humor. PG-13, for sci-fi action violence.

4. “Big Momma’s House” (2000). If you think Martin Lawrence dressed up as a hefty grandmother is funny, this is the movie for you. But the whole project works so hard at creating funny situations that Lawrence gets no chance to be funny as himself. PG-13 for crude humor, including sexual innuendo, and for language and some violence.

5. “M:I-2” (2000). Hong Kong action-meister John Woo brings his marvelous visual sense and showy flair to this follow-up to the 1996 blockbuster. Tom Cruise, looking a bit shaggier but still appropriately steely-eyed in this new incarnation of special agent Ethan Hunt, is one of “M:I-2’s” strongest weapons. With Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton and Ving Rhames. PG-13, for intense sequences of violent action and some sensuality.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD rentals:

1. “Gladiator”

2. “X-Men”

3. “The Perfect Storm”

4. “M:I-2”

5. “The Patriot” (2000). An epic look at America’s war for independence that is more serious and skillful than might be expected from the team that gave the world “Independence Day.” But the benefits of star Mel Gibson’s charisma aside, its attempt to blend a broad canvas with an intimate family story is not completely successful. R for strong war violence.

Last week’s Top 5 VHS sellers:

1. “X-Men”

2. “Chicken Run” (2000). Nick Park, British master of clay animation and three-time Oscar-winning creator of “Wallace and Gromit,” and co-director Peter Lord have put chickens front and center with this gleeful parody of prison and escape movies. A delightful pageant of chicken romance, chicken rescue and chicken intrigue that never loses its priceless stamp of individuality. G.

3. “Fantasia / 2000” (2000). A sequel that was 60 years in the making, a blending of animation and classical music that is more ephemeral than epochal. A pleasant enough diversion that doesn’t leave much of a residue. G.

4. “Toy Story 2” (1999). Lively and good-humored with a great sense of fun, it picks up where its predecessor left off. Even if the existential despair of toys never previously interested you, the gang at Pixar makes it all irresistibly comic as well as surprisingly emotional. With the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack. G.

5. “The Perfect Storm”

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD sellers:

1. “Gladiator”

2. “X-Men”

3. “M:I-2”

4. “Chicken Run”

5. “The Perfect Storm”

What’s Coming

Tuesday: “The Road to El Dorado,” “Scary Movie,” “Shaft” and “Whipped.”

Dec. 19: “The Cell,” “Chuck & Buck,” “Loser,” “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” “Road Trip,” “Saving Grace,” “Small Time Crooks,” “Where the Money Is” and “The Virgin Suicides.”

Dec. 26: “The Art of War,” “The Exorcist” and “Godzilla 2000.”

Jan. 2: “Autumn in New York,” “Crime + Punishment in Suburbia,” “Hollow Man,” “Under Suspicion” and “The Way of the Gun.”

Jan. 9: “Me, Myself & Irene” and “Wonder Boys.”

Jan. 16: “Battlefield Earth,” “Coyote Ugly” and “Disney’s the Kid.”

Commentary by Times critics.

Rental video charts provided by VSDA

VidTrac, sales charts by VideoScan Inc.