What’s New

Dancer in the Dark (2000). Icelandic pop star Bjork is, against considerable odds, excellent as a Czech working in a U.S. factory with more woes than Job, but otherwise Lars von Trier’s exasperating epic tries to make us believe that the inauthentic is genuine and that shamelessly melodramatic contrivances are the path to heaven. Don’t believe it. With Catherine Deneuve and David Morse. New Line/Warner: no list price; DVD: $24.98; (CC); R, for some violence.

Lucky Numbers (2000). John Travolta plays an ebullient Harrisburg, Pa., TV weatherman whose poor investments spell financial ruin and whose desperate involvement in a lottery-rigging scheme triggers a dark comedy of errors filled with comically greedy types, starting with Lisa Kudrow, Tim Roth and Ed O’Neill. Directed by Nora Ephron. Paramount: no list price; DVD: $29.99; (CC); R, for language, sexuality, some drug use and brief violence.

Remember the Titans (2000). Producer Jerry Bruckheimer in a serious mood is still Jerry Bruckheimer. An earnest look, based on a true story, at how two football coaches--one black, one white--brought racial harmony to a divided community, all told with the usual energy, shrewdness and ability to reduce things to the simplest terms. Disney: $22.99; DVD: $29.99; (CC); PG, for thematic elements and some language.

* The Tao of Steve (2000). Charming and idiosyncratic romantic comedy in which a hefty but impressively successful womanizer (Donal Logue) is unexpectedly confronted with true love when a woman (Greer Goodman) from his past reappears in his life. A terrific first film, bristling with wit and humor, directed by Jenniphr Goodman. Columbia: no list price; DVD: $24.95; (CC); R, for language and some drug use.

Turn It Up (2000). This hard-hitting drama pulls no punches in depicting a connection between drug-dealing and launching a career as a rapper. Stars Pras, Ja Rule, Vondie Curtis Hall and Tamala Jones. New Line/Warner: no list price; DVD: $24.98; (CC); R, for strong violence and language and some drug content.

What’s Hot

* Last week’s Top 5 VHS rentals:

1. “Meet the Parents” (2000). Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro star as prospective son-in-law and the father-in-law from hell in one of the most fun mainstream comedies in years, a film that gets its laughs from shrewd casting, well-timed line readings and gags that are worked out to a remarkable degree. PG-13, for sexual content, drug references and language.

2. “Bedazzled” (2000). The best thing is its perfectly cast stars: Elizabeth Hurley as the tart-tongued devil and especially Brendan Fraser. But as written by Larry Gelbart, director Harold Ramis and Peter Tolan, the film, though amusing from moment to moment, is erratic. PG-13, for sex-related humor, language and some drug content.

3. “The Contender” (2000). An unlikely combination of “The West Wing” and the National Enquirer, this Rod Lurie-written and directed political melodrama about trashy doings in Washington benefits greatly from expert performances by Joan Allen as a beleaguered senator and an unrecognizable Gary Oldman as her nemesis. R, for strong sexual content and language.

4. “Nurse Betty” (2000). A sour fairy tale about a woman (Renee Zellweger) who can no longer distinguish television from reality and thinks the soap opera doctor she idolizes (Greg Kinnear) is a real person. R, for strong violence, pervasive language and a scene of sexuality.

5. “What Lies Beneath” (2000). A suspense thriller with a brisk succession of bump-in-the-dark moments shoe-horned into an old-fashioned dark-and-stormy-night ghost story. Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer star. PG-13, for terror/violence, sensuality and brief language.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD rentals:

1. “Meet the Parents”

2. “The Contender”

3. “The Watcher” (2000). A meticulously crafted but routine suspense thriller that’s neither very suspenseful nor particularly thrilling. James Spader is a burned-out FBI agent all but destroyed by trying to nab Keanu Reeves’ elusive strangler. R for violence and language.

4. “What Lies Beneath”

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 high school. PG-13, for sex-related material and language.

Last week’s Top 5 VHS sellers:

1. “Meet the Parents”

2. “Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure” (2001). Made-for-video sequel.

3. “The Little Vampire” (2000). Jonathan Lipnicki has a serious attack of the cutes as an American boy who befriends a Scottish boy vampire. A fitfully amusing fantasy for the 10-and-under set. With Richard E. Grant, Rollo Weeks. Directed by Uli Edel. (1:30) (Jan Stuart, Oct. 27) PG, for some mild peril.

4. “Dinosaur” (2000). This computer-animated tale of a brave orphaned iguanadon is a technical amazement but is also cartoonish in the worst way, the prisoner of pedestrian plot points and childish, too-cute dialogue. PG for intense images.

5. “Love and Basketball” (2000). Writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s debut feature is a charming movie that follows two lover-athletes (Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps) over the course of 15 years. PG-13 for sexuality and language.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD sellers:

1. “Meet the Parents”

2. “Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure”

3. “The Original Kings of Comedy” (2000). Spike Lee’s sharp concert film lets us know why black audiences have turned the Kings of Comedy show, featuring Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac, into the highest-grossing comedy tour in history. R, for language and sex-related humor.

4. “The Contender”

5. “Gladiator” (2000). Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix and Connie Nielson star.

What’s Coming

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

April 3: “Legend of Bagger Vance,” “The Million-Dollar Hotel” and “102 Dalmatians.”

April 10: “Bounce,” “Men of Honor,” “Psycho Beach Party” and “What’s Cooking?”

April 17: “Bamboozled,” “Billy Elliot,” “The Ladies Man,” “Space Cowboys,” “Tigerland” and “The Yards.”

April 24: “Finding Forrester,” “Girl on the Bridge,” “Just Looking,” “Little Nicky” and “One Day in September.”

May 1: “All the Pretty Horses,” “The Emperor’s New Groove” and “Miss Congeniality.”

May 8: “AntiTrust,” “Boesman and Lena,” “Duets,” “Sunshine” and “What Women Want.”

May 22: “Requiem for a Dream” and “Vertical Limit.”

May 29: “Traffic.”

June 26: “Unbreakable.”

Rental video charts provided by VSDA

VidTrac, sales charts by VideoScan Inc.