What’s New

Beautiful Creatures (2001). In this dumb little thriller from Scotland, Rachel Weisz and Susan Lynch play a pair of much-abused gals who pool their wits to profit from the death of one of their boyfriends. Noisy and derivative. Directed by Bill Eagles. Universal: no list price; DVD: $26.98; (CC); R, for strong violence and sexuality, drug use and language.

Heartbreakers (2001). Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt are terrific as a world-class mother-and-daughter con artist team who set out for the big score in Palm Beach but are ultimately confronted with their need for love. Their high spirits are contagious yet cannot paper over the feeling that the film is overly labored and overly long. MGM: no list price; DVD: $26.98; (CC); PG-13, for sex-related content, including dialogue.

The Mummy Returns (2001). Writer-director Stephen Sommers, co-stars Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz plus a lot of key creative personnel prove that the second time is the charm as they combine for a sequel that is much improved over the 1999 version. An old-fashioned sensibility plus computer-generated special effects have no trouble gaining and holding our attention. Universal: $22.98; DVD: $26.98; (CC); PG-13, for adventure action and violence.

What’s Hot

* Last week’s Top 5 VHS rentals: 1. Spy Kids (2001). An engaging premise (two preteens have to rescue spy parents Antonio Banderas and Carla Guigino from the bad guys) is made into a winning family film that’s lively, imaginative and possessed of a playful sense of humor. Not what you’d expect from the maker of “El Mariachi” and “From Dusk Till Dawn,” but writer-director Robert Rodriguez is apparently something of a big kid at heart. PG, for action sequences.

2. Blow (2001). A film in which the notion that “drugs make you lose sight of what’s important” passes for a searing insight is more tired than it knows or wants to admit. With Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz. Directed by Ted Demme. R, for pervasive drug content and language, violence and sexuality.

3. Driven (2001). An earnest, formulaic, unintentionally silly motion picture set on the international racing circuit. But director Renny Harlin’s visuals (shot by Mauro Fiore and edited by Stuart Levy and Steve Gilson) are crisp, slick and kinetic enough to make even pit stops look thrilling. Written by and starring Sylvester Stallone, with Burt Reynolds and Kip Pardue. PG-13 for language and some intense crash sequences.4. Someone Like You (2001). A jaunty romantic comedy that’s a comfortable fit for Ashley Judd, who in turn is surrounded by a stellar supporting cast including Greg Kinnear, Hugh Jackman, Marisa Tomei and Ellen Barkin. Adapted by Elizabeth Chandler from Laura Zigman’s novel “Animal Husbandry,” the film is smart, amiable and well-paced, and director Tony Goldwyn brings to it an all-too-rare buoyancy and breeziness. PG-13 for sexual content, including dialogue, and for some language. 5. Crocodile Dundee in L.A. (2001). The “g’day” man wears out his welcome with a flat and listless visit to the City of Angels. Dundee and his creator, Paul Hogan, should stick to tourism. With Linda Koslowski, Paul Rodriguez. Directed by Simon Wincer. PG, for some language and brief violence.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD rentals:1. Blow2. Driven 3. Spy Kids 4. Exit Wounds (2001). Steven Seagal returns to action in this grimy, noisy cop thriller in which he plays a renegade detective chasing down corruption in a rough-and-tumble precinct. R, for strong violence, language and sexuality/nudity. 5. Someone Like You * Last week’s Top 5 VHS sellers:1. Spy Kids 2. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). A pleasant children’s musical fantasy, based on the Roald Dahl novel, about a tour through a magical candy factory that serves more sugar than tart, more syrup than spice. With Gene Wilder and Jack Albertson.3. 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. You may be left wondering what Brashear’s real life was really like, but this is nonetheless a rousing cheer-the-superhero, hiss-the-supervillain entertainment., with Cuba Gooding Jr.’s Brashear pitted against Robert De Niro.R, for language.4. 61* (2001). A very watchable made-for-cable movie about Roger Maris’ tortuous brush with baseball greatness alongside Mickey Mantle. Featured here are Barry Pepper as Maris and Thomas Jane as Mantle, actors as persuasive on the field as off. Unrated. 5. See Spot Run (2001). A federal police dog hides out from hired gunmen with a nitwit mail carrier (David Arquette) baby-sitting a small boy (Angus Jones). The movie barks, bites and has fleas. PG, for crude humor, language and comic violence.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD sellers:1. Spy Kids2. Driven 3. Blow 4. Exit Wounds 5. Hannibal (2001). The film is creepy and grotesque rather than terrifying. If Hannibal Lecter isn’t scaring us silly, what’s the point of having him around? Starring Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore. R, for gruesome violence, some nudity and language.

What’s Coming

Tuesday: “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” “I’m the One That I Want.”

Oct. 16: “Angel Eyes,” “Cats & Dogs,” “The Crimson Rivers.”

Oct. 23: “About Adam,” “Dr. Dolittle 2,” “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within,” “Freddy Got Fingered,” “Songcatcher,” “Town & Country,” “With a Friend Like Harry.”

Oct. 30: “The Animal,” “Swordfish.”

Nov. 2: “Shrek.”

Nov. 6: “Baby Boy,” “The Golden Bowl,” “Legally Blonde.”

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