What’s New

Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000). A film of modest aims, pleasing moments and genuine smiles, this half live-action, half computer-generated version of the beloved TV adventures of a flying squirrel and a dim moose is, despite being too long for its own good, very much in the tradition of the original. Universal: no list price; DVD: $26.98; (CC); PG, for brief mild language.

Bless the Child (2000). It opens strongly, with Kim Basinger as a nurse in a New York hospital on Christmas Eve, who suddenly finds herself with her drug-addicted sister’s newborn abandoned child. But from that point its credibility as a thriller of the supernatural starts eroding quickly, to the point that it lapses into an exercise in foolishness. Paramount: no list price; DVD: $29.99; (CC); R, for violence, drug content and brief language.

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. To her chagrin she discovers that their current hip-hop routine was ripped off by her predecessor from a Compton high school. With Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford and Gabrielle Union. Universal: no list price; DVD: $26.98; (CC); PG-13, for sex-related material and language.

Get Carter (2000). Even though this remake of the 1971 cult film with Michael Caine opened without press previews, it is not terrible, just overly routine. Sylvester Stallone is well-cast as an underworld enforcer who returns home to Seattle to probe his younger brother’s supposedly accidental death. Stallone is suitably world-weary and reflective, but the filmmakers keep making him knock people around to pump up the action. With Miranda Richardson, Rachael Leigh Cook and Michael (the original Carter). Warner: no list price; DVD: $19.98; (CC); R, for violence, language, some sexuality and drug content.

Sunset Strip (2000). A surprisingly reflective and sensitive, as well as amusing and nostalgic account of 24 hours in the lives of about half a dozen people caught up in the Strip rock scene in 1972. With Simon Baker, Anna Friel, Nick Stahl and Rory Cochrane. Fox: no list price; (CC); R, for sexuality, language and drug use.

Woman on Top (2000). Tedious as only a film with a truly beautiful star can be. If Penelope Cruz were any less attractive, maybe someone would have noticed how dull this mild, would-be romantic fairy tale turned out. Caring about whether this couple end up together is like caring whether the people pictured on glossy travel brochures are actually enjoying their vacations. Why bother? Fox: no list price; DVD: $34.99; (CC); R, for some strong sexuality and language.

What’s Hot

* Last week’s Top 5 VHS rentals:

1. “What Lies Beneath” (2000). Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer and Diana Scarwid star.

2. Me, Myself and Irene (2000). Jim Carrey has his moments as a Rhode Island state policeman whose two personalities are in love with Renee Zellweger, but this Farrelly brothers comedy lacks the warmth that made “There’s Something About Mary” such a hit. Strictly for the hard-core, gross-out crowd. R, for sexual content, crude humor, strong language and some violence.

3. “Disney’s the Kid” (2000). More cloyingly sentimental and unyieldingly cute than it needs to be, the film has more potential interest than might be imagined thanks to Audrey Wells’ script. The concept, that 8-year-old Rusty (Spencer Breslin) is as disappointed in the adult he has become as Russ (Bruce Willis) is in the child he was, is a clever one. It’s a movie we might like to buy into if left to our own devices, but that idea is anathema to director Jon Turtletaub, intent on pushing us so hard that we end up pushing back. Emily Mortimer co-stars. PG, for mild language.

4. “Coyote Ugly” (2000). It’s a bad movie--but it’s not one of those fiascoes that leaves you in a foul mood. A small-town innocent (Piper Perabo) moves to New York to follow her dream of becoming a songwriter in this combination of sentimental romance and carefully sanitized raunch. Adam Garcia and Maria Bello star. PG-13, for sensuality.

5. “Dinosaur” (2000).

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD rentals:

1. “What Lies Beneath”

2. “Me, Myself and Irene”

3. “Coyote Ugly”

4. “Disney’s the Kid”

5. “Hollow Man” (2000). Despite a wealth of special effects and direction by Paul Verhoeven, Mr. Over-the-Top himself, this movie is surprisingly inert, more dull than anything else, with little to recommend it on any level. Kevin Bacon stars as a cocky, cerebral scientist who tests an invisibility serum on himself. With Elisabeth Shue and Josh Brolin. R, for strong violence, language and some sexuality/nudity.

Last week’s Top 5 VHS sellers:

1. “Dinosaur”

2. “Left Behind” (2000). Kirk Cameron stars.

3. “Road to El Dorado” (2000).

4. “DBZ: Final Round” (edited version)

5. “The Green Mile Collectors Edition” (2001). Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan and David Morse star.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD sellers:

1. “Dinosaur”

2. “What Lies Beneath” (2000).

3. “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. 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.

4. “Coyote Ugly”

5. “Me, Myself and Irene”

What’s Coming

Tuesday: “Beautiful,” “Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2,” “The Watcher” and “Wonderland.”

Feb. 27: “Bedazzled,” “The Fantasticks,” “Humanite,” “Lost Souls,” “Nurse Betty,” “The Original Kings of Comedy” and “The Tic Code.”

March 6: “The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy,” “The Contender,” “The Little Vampire” and “Rear Window.”

March 13: “Almost Famous,” “The Bridge,” “The Crew,” “The Legend of Drunken Master,” “The Sixth Day,” “Urbania” and “Wonder Boys.”

March 20: “Dancer in the Dark,” “Lucky Numbers,” “Remember the Titans,” “Requiem for a Dream,” “The Tao of Steve” and “Turn It Up.”

March 27: “Charlie’s Angels,” “Girlfight,” “Red Planet,” “Rugrats in Paris: The Movie” and “Once in the Life.”

April 10: “Men of Honor” and “What’s Cooking.”

April 17: “Bamboozled” and “The Ladies Man.”

April 24: “Little Nicky.”

Commentary by Times critics.

Rental video charts provided by VSDA

VidTrac, sales charts by VideoScan Inc.