What’s New

Hannibal (2001). The film is creepy and grotesque rather than terrifying. What’s more problematic is the film’s insistence on viewing Dr. Lecter with respect if not outright approval. If he’s not scaring us silly, what’s the point of having him around? Anthony Hopkins reprises his role as the cannibalistic Lecter, and Julianne Moore replaces Jodie Foster. MGM/UA: no list price; DVD: $29.98; R, for gruesome violence, some nudity and language.

Say It Isn’t So (2001). No can do. Sweetly septic love story, out of the Farrelly brothers camp, about an animal-control agent and the Mike Tyson of hair stylists who find out they’re related. Or are they? With Chris Klein, Heather Graham, Orlando Jones, Sally Field and Richard Jenkins. Directed by J.B. Rogers. Fox: no list price; DVD: $29.98; (CC); R, for strong sexual content, crude humor and language.

South of Heaven, West of Hell (2000). In his directorial debut, singer-composer-actor Dwight Yoakam displays a genuine depth of feeling for the Old West, only to cancel it out with self-indulgence. Overlong, overwritten--by Yoakam and Stan Bertheaud--it boasts a formidable roster of actors to whom Yoakam all too often lets loose, leaving an awful lot of chewed scenery in their wake. Alas, it plays like half-baked Peckinpah. With Yoakam, Bridget Fonda, Bud Cort and Luke Askew. Vidmark/Trimark: no list price; DVD: $24.99; (CC); R, for strong violence, language and some sensuality.

What’s Hot

* Last week’s Top 5 VHS rentals:1. The Mexican (2001). A violence-prone screwball farce that has its eye on being a jaunty, picaresque adventure, kind of an updated version of those off-the-cuff road movies of some years back. It wants ever so desperately to be hip and offbeat, but it can’t manage to make it happen. Its best performance is not given by its pair of leads--who just happen to be Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts--but by James Gandolfini of “Sopranos” fame. R, for violence and language.

2. 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.3. Chocolat (2000). Lasse Hallstrom’s beguiling film of the Joanne Harris novel is one of last year’s best, in which a fairy tale embraces the human comedy, observed by Hallstrom with his usual warmth and humor, extending inclusiveness to outsiders as always. A ravishing and brave Juliette Binoche descends upon an ancient French village, ruled by a pious aristocrat (Alfred Molina), to open a chocolate shop. With splendid supporting roles for Judi Dench and Lena Olin, and Johnny Depp as a suitably romantic rebel. PG-13, for a scene of sexuality and some violence.4. 3,000 Miles to Graceland (2001). Kevin Costner and Kurt Russell star as Elvis imitators who rob a Las Vegas casino and then have to live (and die) with the consequences. A reduction to near absurdity of many modern cinema trends and a film that takes a shot at redefining shameless for a new generation. R, for strong violence, sexuality and language. 5. 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.* Last week’s Top 5 DVD rentals:1. The Mexican2. 3,000 Miles to Graceland3. The Family Man4. Chocolat 5. 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.* Last week’s Top 5 VHS sellers:1. Recess: School’s Out (2000). A complacent yet competent animation kids will enjoy despite its mundane nature. This big-screen enlargement of the cartoon TV series “Disney’s Recess” presents T.J. Detweiler and the rest of the 3rd Street School crew facing a diabolical weather-bending scheme to terminate summer vacation forever. G.

2. DBZ-Lord Slug (edited). 3. The Book of Pooh4. DBZ-Lord Slug (uncut).

5. 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 that has won the national cheerleading competition five years in a row. PG-13, for sex-related material and language.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD sellers:1. The Mexican2. Chocolat 3. 3,000 Miles to Graceland4. 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.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.

What’s Coming

Tuesday: “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,” “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.”

Oct. 30: “Swordfish.”

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