What’s New

AntiTrust (2001). This sleek suspense thriller set in the world of computers casts Tim Robbins in a malevolent parody of Microsoft’s Bill Gates but plays out in such sober, conventional fashion that it is no more disturbing than a James Bond adventure. What might have been a satire as dark and outrageous as “Dr. Strangelove” ends up a not-bad diversion. Ryan Phillippe is the stalwart hero; with Claire Forlani and Rachael Leigh Cook. MGM: no list price; DVD: $24.98; (CC); PG-13, for some violence and brief language.

Best in Show (2000). A comedy about prize dogs and their peculiar owners that boasts both bark and bite, courtesy of the kind of improvisational humor that made director Christopher Guest’s last film, “Waiting for Guffman,” a cult success. A bit slighter than “Guffman,” but when Fred Willard as a buffoonish TV commentator gets going, the laughs begin in earnest. Warner: no list price; DVD: $24.98; (CC); PG-13, for language and sex-related material.

Pay It Forward (2000). Strong acting by Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and the remarkable Haley Joel Osment and restrained writing and direction (from Leslie Dixon and Mimi Leder) win us over, much against our better judgment, to this sentimental, inspirational fantasy about the difficulty and the rewards of doing good in an uncaring world. Warner: no list price; DVD: $24.98; (CC); PG-13, for mature thematic elements, including substance abuse-recovery, some sexual situations, language and brief violence.

What’s Hot

* Last week’s Top 5 VHS rentals:

1. Miss Congeniality (2000). Sandra Bullock plays a drab, dedicated FBI agent who undergoes a make-over by suave expert Michael Caine so that she can go undercover as Miss New Jersey in a beauty pageant menaced by a terrorist threat. Brash and broadly humorous, the film fits Bullock like a one-piece bathing suit, as it should, since she also produced. With Benjamin Bratt, Candice Bergen and William Shatner. PG-13, for sexual references and a scene of violence.

2. Finding Forrester (2000). “Good Will Hunting” in the Bronx. A well-oiled piece of Hollywood machinery, but tolerably entertaining until it piles on the contrivances at

the close. Sean Connery is the film’s star, but his I’m-crankier-than-you-are performance feels like a reprise of greatest hits. More affecting is the debut work done by a 16-year-old actor named Rob Brown. PG-13, for brief strong language and some sexual references.

3. 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. This story of how a spoiled, petulant Incan ruler (voice of David Spade) who gets turned into a llama features the also splendidly cast voices of John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton and Wendie Malick. G.

4. Men of Honor (2000). The life of Carl Brashear, the first African American Navy diver, has been turned into socially critical pop mythology at its most potent. Cuba Gooding Jr.’s Brashear is pitted against Robert De Niro, a fictionalized composite of all the racists Brashear endured. R, for language.

5. Little Nicky (2000). The kindest thing that can be said about this vanity project from Adam Sandler is that it’s unapologetically juvenile. A deeply unfunny comedy about a family feud between the devil’s three sons, it’s not a dangerous movie, just a stupid one. PG-13 for crude sexual humor, some drug content, language and thematic material.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD rentals:

1. Miss Congenialty

2. Men of Honor

3. Space Cowboys (2000). A quartet of “Leisure World aviators” want to prove they won’t be old and in the way in outer space, this is a mostly genial film that gets as much mileage as it can out of the undeniable charisma of its stars: Clint Eastwood (who also directed), Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland and James Garner. PG-13, for some language.

4. Little Nicky

5. Finding Forrester

* Last week’s Top 5 VHS sellers:

1. The Emperor’s New Groove

2. Miss Congeniality

3. M:I-2 (2000). Hong Kong action-meister John Woo brings his marvelous visual sense and showy flair to this follow-up to the 1996 blockbuster. Tom Cruise, looking a bit shaggier but still appropriately steely eyed in this new incarnation of special agent Ethan Hunt, is one of “M:I-2’s” strongest weapons. With Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton and Ving Rhames. PG-13, for intense sequences of violent action and some sensuality.

4. 102 Dalmatians (2000). Die-hard fans of “101 Dalmatians” may be pleased by this sequel, with Glenn Close’s ferocious Cruella De Vil up to her old tricks. There are some scenes of violence that strain its G rating. G.

5. Rugrats in Paris--The Movie (2000). This sequel to the 1998 hit feels like a half-hour TV show inflated into a feature film. About half the running time is spent setting up why the Rugrats and their families are in Paris, how they got there and who the new characters are. G.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD sellers:

1. Miss Congenialty

2. The Emperor’s New Groove

3. The Mummy Ultimate Collection (1999).PG-13 for pervasive adventure violence and some partial nudity.

4. Finding Forrester

5. Little Nicky

What’s Coming

Tuesday: “Before Night Falls,” “Dungeons & Dragons,” “Requiem for a Dream,” “Vertical Limit.”

May 29: “The House of Mirth,” “Shadow of the Vampire,” “Traffic,” “Two Family House.”

June 6: “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

June 12: “Cast Away,” “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

June 19: “The Pledge,” “Proof of Life,” “Save the Last Dance,” “State and Main.”

June 26: “The Claim,” “Dude, Where’s My Car?,” “Unbreakable,” “You Can Count on Me.”

July 3: “The Body,” “Dracula 2000,” “Snatch,” “The Wedding Planner.”

July 10: “Malena,” “Thirteen Days.”

July 17: “The Caveman’s Valentine,” “Double Take,” “The Family Man,” “Saving Silverman,” “Sugar & Spice.”

July 24: “Sweet November,” “Valentine.”

Aug. 7: “Chocolat,” “Recess: School’s Out.”

Rental video charts provided by VSDA

VidTrac, sales charts by VideoScan Inc.