VIDEO NEWS

* Compiled by Kevin Crust. Commentary from Times reviews. Films considered noteworthy are designated with a * .

What’s New

Down to Earth (2001). A remake of “Heaven Can Wait” starring Chris Rock that, in typical Hollywood fashion, puts this charismatic comic actor into tepid popular entertainment. Paramount: no list price; DVD: $29.99; (CC); no list price; PG-13, for language, sexual humor and some drug references.

* Malena (2000). “Cinema Paradiso’s” Giuseppe Tornatore returns to the small-town Sicilian settings and coming-of-age theme of his Oscar winner. But this is a much tougher, though equally dazzling, film, in which the fate of a beautiful young woman (Monica Bellucci), seen through the eyes of an adoring adolescent (Giuseppe Sulfaro), is equated with that of Italy in general, and Sicily in particular, in World War II. In Italian, with English subtitles. Miramax/Buena Vista: no list price; DVD: $32.99; (CC); R, for sexuality/nudity, language and some violence.

Monkeybone (2001) Brendan Fraser goes with the flow in a comic yet poignant Jekyll-Hyde portrayal of a cartoonist who awakens from a coma with his body inhabited by his own creation: a raunchy, comic-strip creature. Fox: no list price; DVD: $26.98; (CC); PG-13, for crude humor and some nudity.

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 as JFK and Steven Culp as RFK, have handled it adroitly. New Line Warner: no list price; DVD: $26.98; (CC); PG-13, for brief strong language.

What’s Hot

* Last week’s Top 5 VHS rentals:1. Unbreakable (2000). It’s unreasonable and unfair to expect any film to have the special impact “The Sixth Sense” had on audiences, but M. Night Shyamalan (who wrote, directed, produced both films) has recycled so many of the same elements here that he seems to be inviting comparisons. The real problem is the story, which starts out implausible and gets increasingly more difficult to take seriously as it unfolds. Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson and Robin Wright Penn star. PG-13, for mature themes, some disturbing violent content and a sexual reference.2. Cast Away (2000). The high-minded picture implied in the title is only sporadically in front of us. The filmmakers got waylaid by what feels like a boyish enthusiasm for the survivalist aspects of a Robinson Crusoe tale of a man (Tom Hanks) shipwrecked on an island, an enthusiasm that does not translate to the viewer. PG-13, for some intense images and action sequences.3. Save the Last Dance (2001). A twist of fate sends a 17-year-old aspiring ballerina (Julia Stiles) from a Norman Rockwell small town to urban Chicago and an interracial romance with a bright youth (Sean Patrick Thomas) hoping to land a premed scholarship. There’s a lot of dancing and heart-tugging but a gritty edge of big-city realism as well. PG-13, for violence, sexual content, language and a brief drug reference.4. Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000). A relentlessly idiotic but entertaining teen comedy that is a pastiche of such psychedelic proportions that the continuous efforts to evoke laughter through the wackiest and silliest of situations begin to feel downright desperate. Directed by Danny Leiner. With Ashton Kutcher, Seann William Scott, Marla Sokoloff and Jennifer Garner. PG-13, for language and some sex-and drug-related humor. 5. Proof of Life (2000). The real-life romance that developed between stars Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe is the most involving aspect of this tale of a romance that develops between a crack kidnap-and-rescue operative and the wife of the man he’s trying to save. Talk about a conflict. Directed by Taylor Hackford. R, for violence, language and some drug material.* Last week’s Top 5 DVD rentals:1. Unbreakable 2. Cast Away3. Dude, Where’s My Car? 4. Proof of Life5. Save the Last Dance* Last week’s Top 5 VHS sellers:1. 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 complete chagrin, she discovers that their current hip-hop routine was ripped off by her predecessor from a Compton high school. PG-13, for sex-related material and language.2. The Emperor’s New Groove (2000). A lighthearted animated adventure-morality tale ideal for youngsters, yet conceived with a wit and sophistication that will be appreciated by their parents. G.3. Charlie’s Angels(2000). This reworking of the 1970s TV series is a potato chip of a movie. Tasty and lightweight, it’s fine for a cinematic snack, but making it an entire meal really isn’t advisable. Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Bill Murray star. PG-13, for action violence, innuendoes and some sensuality.4. Coyote Ugly (2000). It’s a bad movie--but it’s not one of those fiascoes that leaves you in a foul mood. PG-13, for sensuality.5. 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. PG, for mild language.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD sellers:1. Unbreakable2. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). 3. Cast Away 4. Save the Last Dance5. Dude, Where’s My Car?

What’s Coming

Tuesday: “The Caveman’s Valentine,” “Double Take,” “The Family Man,” “The Gift,” “In the Mood for Love,” “Saving Silverman,” “Sugar & Spice.”

July 24: “Ed Gein,” “Pollock,” “Sweet November,” “Valentine.”

July 31: “The Brothers,” “Head Over Heels,” “The Trumpet of the Swan.”

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