What’s New

low Dry (2001). This British picture, half-serious and half-humorous, doesn’t mesh its campy hairdressers’ competition setting with its story of a dying lesbian (Natasha Richardson) eager for peace with her bitter ex-husband (Alan Rickman) until halfway through the film. With Rachel Griffiths, Rachael Leigh Cook and Josh Hartnett. R, for some language and brief nudity.

*

Enemy at the Gates (2001). Large and ungainly, this World War II tale of a sniper duel that parallels the bloody battle for Stalingrad has an indisputable visual power, but it’s nothing you’d want to have a conversation with--or, for that matter, about. Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. With Joseph Fiennes, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Bob Hoskins and Ed Harris. R, for strong, graphic war violence and some sexuality.

*

15 Minutes (2001). Audacious and unwieldy, exciting and excessive, this dark thriller is too long, too violent and not always convincing. But at the same time, there’s no denying that its savage indictment of the nexus between media, crime and a voracious public is a cinematic statement difficult to ignore. Written and directed by John Herzfeld. With Robert De Niro, Edward Burns and Kelsey Grammer. R, for strong violence, language and some sexuality.

Get Over It (2001). A blithe-spirited comedy in which teenagers discover their romantic vicissitudes mirrored in their high school production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Frothy fare like this is not as easy as it looks, and it actually requires a free-spirited sensibility plus considerable judgment and discipline. With Ben Foster, Kirsten Dunst, Melissa Sagemiller, Shane West and Sisqo. PG-13, for some crude/sexual humor, teen drinking and language.

*

Josie and the Pussycats (2001). A sweet-natured bubble-gum movie about the escapades of an all-girl band and, like those venerable Frankie and Annette beach movies, it gets a lot of mileage out of its spirited performers and their peppy music. Written and directed by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont. With Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, Rosario Dawson, Alan Cumming and Parker Posey. PG-13, for language and mild sensuality.

*

Tomcats (2001). An amiably raunchy and rowdy comedy starring a likable Jerry O’Connell as a hapless guy owing a Vegas casino $51,000 and desperate to marry off his playboy pal (Jake Busey) so that he can collect the lucrative betting pool established years ago for the last buddy in their group to remain single. R, for strong sexual content, including dialogue, and for language.

What’s Hot

* Last week’s Top 5 VHS rentals:

1. The Family Man (2000). Nicolas Cage makes a heroic effort to induce us to go along with this fantasy about a ruthless Wall Street tycoon who gets a chance to see what his life would have been like had he married his college sweetheart (Tea Leoni) and sold tires for his father-in-law. This attempt to make an “It’s a Wonderful Life” for the new millennium lacks the honesty to pull it off. PG-13, for sensuality and some language.

2. The Wedding Planner (2001). This set-in-San Francisco romantic comedy starts out promisingly with workaholic wedding planner Jennifer Lopez dazzled by pediatrician Matthew McConaughey only to discover later that he’s to be the groom at her next event. The film lacks the wit, verve and invention of its vintage predecessors. PG-13, for some sexuality, brief language and a perilous situation.

3. Down to Earth (2001). The remake of “Heaven Can Wait” stars Chris Rock in a role that, in typical Hollywood fashion, puts this charismatic comic actor into tepid popular entertainment. The film comes alive only at those moments when Rock allows himself to be himself and launches into devastating riffs. PG-13, for language, sexual humor and some drug references.

4. Sweet November (2001). Keanu Reeves stars as a workaholic San Francisco ad exec with Charlize Theron as the free spirit determined to save him. They make a fine team, but this all-stops-out romance, which means to be seductive, seems merely contrived and manipulative. PG-13, for sexual content and language.

5. The Brothers (2001). Mature dialogue and multidimensional performances characterize this Terry McMillan-influenced ensemble comedy of four urban professional African American men struggling with a range of relationship issues. Written and directed with flair by Gary Hardwick. R, for strong sexual content and language.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD rentals:

1. The Family Man

2. Down to Earth

3. Unbreakable (2000). The story in this film by M. Night Shyamalan starts out as implausible and gets increasingly more difficult to take seriously as it unfolds. It’s a comic-book idea in the worst sense. Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson and Robin Wright Penn star. PG-13, for mature themes, some disturbing violent content and a sexual reference.

4. Double Take (2001). The evenhanded mixture of suspense and comedy aims to play fair with the audience on both fronts, but the mismatched elements never gel. With Orlando Jones and Eddie Griffin. PG-13, for violence and language.

5. Thirteen Days (2000). If high stakes make for high drama, the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, that near-fortnight of tension and peril--arguably the closest the world has come to being annihilated--is as dramatic a subject as anyone could want. And director Roger Donaldson and a fine ensemble--topped by Kevin Costner, Bruce Greenwood and Steven Culp--have handled it adroitly. PG-13, for brief strong language.

* Last week’s Top 5 VHS sellers:

1. The Book of Pooh

2. Bring It On (2000). A smart and sassy high school movie that’s fun for all ages, starring Kirsten Dunst as the captain of a cheerleading team at an affluent San Diego-area high school. PG-13, for sex-related material and language.

3. The Emperor’s New Groove (2000). This story of how a spoiled, petulant Incan ruler (voice of David Spade) gets turned into a llama features the voices of John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton and Wendie Malick. G.

4. DBZ-World Tournament-Blackout (edited).

5. DBZ-Tournament Draw

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD sellers:

1. The Brothers

2. American Pie--Ultimate Edition (1999). An unexpected hybrid of “South Park” and Andy Hardy that uses its surface crudeness as sucker bait to entice teenagers into the tent to see a high school movie that is sweet and sincere at heart. Not the least bit mean-spirited, and with a cast of likable young people. R, for strong sexuality, crude sexual dialogue, language and drinking, all involving teens.

3. The Family Man

4. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). A film by Ang Lee that transcends categorization and reminds us--simply, powerfully, indelibly--what we go to the movies for. A delightful, one-of-a-kind martial arts romance in which astounding fight sequences alternate with passionate yet idealistic love duets, “Crouching Tiger” is a fusion film from top to bottom. Starring Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi. In Mandarin, with English subtitles. PG-13, for martial arts violence and some sexuality.

5. Rush Hour A formulaic but lively and entertaining action comedy that effectively teams martial arts legend Jackie Chan and motor-mouth comedian Chris Tucker, who join forces in tracking down a kidnapper. PG-13, for sequences of action-violence and shootings, and for language.

What’s Coming

Tuesday: “Hannibal,” “Say It Isn’t So,” “South of Heaven, West of Hell.”

Aug. 28: “Company Man,” “Into the Arms of Strangers,” “Joe Dirt,” “See Spot Run.”

Aug. 31: “Exit Wounds,” “The Dish,” “The Invisible Circus.”

Sept. 4: “Memento.”

Sept. 11: “Blow,” “Just Visiting,” “Me You Them,” “Pokemon 3: The Movie,” “Shadow Magic,” “The Tailor of Panama.”

Sept. 18: “Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles,” “Driven,” “The Luzhin Defence,” “Spy Kids,” “Startup.com,” “The Widow of Saint-Pierre.”

Sept. 25: “Along Came a Spider,” “Amores Perros,” “The Forsaken,” “Kingdom Come,” “A Knight’s Tale,” “One Night at McCool’s,” “Series 7,” “Someone Like You.”

Oct. 2: “Beautiful Creatures,” “Heartbreakers,” “The Mummy Returns.”

Oct. 9: “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” “I’m the One That I Want.”

Oct. 16: “Angel Eyes,” “The Crimson Rivers.”

Oct. 23: “Town & Country.”

Rental video charts provided by VSDAVidTrac, sales charts by VideoScan Inc.