What’s New

Angel Eyes (2001). Jennifer Lopez plays a crackerjack Chicago cop, but her film’s potential thriller opening unexpectedly--and rewardingly--leads to an unusual love story between Lopez’s beautiful and formidable policewoman and an enigmatic, clearly traumatized young man (Jim Caviezel). With Terrence Howard, Sonia Braga. Warner: no list price; DVD: $24.98; (CC); R, for language, violence and a scene of sexuality.

Cats & Dogs (2001). A resistible movie made from what sounds like an irresistible premise, it proves one more time that it’s easier to make animals talk than to give them anything interesting to say. With the human actors (Jeff Goldblum, Elizabeth Perkins) marking time at best, it becomes a series of effects in search of a scenario. If anyone had doubts about what an extraordinary accomplishment the original “Babe” was, seeing this will put them to rest. Warner: $22.98; DVD: $26.98; (CC); PG, for animal action and humor.

The Crimson Rivers (2001). Grisly, derivative and increasingly preposterous thriller set in a remote university high in the mountains of Grenoble, France, where the academic community’s dedication to eugenics has gone awry. Neither Jean Reno’s strong presence nor Vincent Cassel’s energy as the cops investigating some horrific killings can make a dent in this morbid nonsense. Columbia: no list price; DVD: $24.95; (CC); R, for violence/grisly images and language.

What’s Hot

* Last week’s Top 5 VHS rentals:1. The Mummy Returns (2001). Writer-director Stephen Sommers, co-stars Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz plus 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 holding our attention. PG-13, for adventure action and violence.2. Along Came a Spider (2001). There are mysteries and surprises in this reasonably diverting albeit frequently improbable thriller, but the biggest mystery of all is hardly a surprise: How does star Morgan Freeman manage to give a master class in acting every time he appears on screen? R, for violence and language.3. A Knight’s Tale (2001). Writer-director Brian Helgeland’s idea for marrying modern rock music to 14th century jousting was a good one, but he’s too parsimonious with it. As a result, we get to spend too much time watching a tedious romance between Heath Ledger and Shannyn Sossamon. PG-13, for action violence, some nudity and brief sex-related dialogue.

4. Heartbreakers (2001). Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt are terrific as a 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. PG-13, for sex-related content, including dialogue.

5. Spy Kids (2001). An engaging premise (two preteens have to rescue spy parents Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino from the bad guys) is made into a winning family film that’s imaginative and possessed of a playful sense of humor. PG, for action sequences.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD rentals:1. Along Came a Spider 2. A Knight’s Tale 3. Driven (2001). An earnest, formulaic, unintentionally silly motion picture set on the international racing circuit. But director Renny Harlin’s visuals are crisp, slick and kinetic enough to make even pit stops look thrilling. Written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. PG-13, for language and some intense crash sequences.

4. 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. R, for pervasive drug content and language, violence and sexuality.5. Spy Kids * Last week’s Top 5 VHS sellers:1. The Mummy Returns (edited). 2. Spy Kids 3. Barbie in the Nutcracker 4. What Women Want (2000). A vaguely amusing formulaic comedy with a premise--chauvinist male gets the ability to hear what women are thinking--that is more discomforting than endearing. Because Mel Gibson plays a heel for most of the film, you have to be a Mel-aholic to fully enjoy the proceedings. Helen Hunt co-stars. PG-13, for sexual content and language.5. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). A film by Ang Lee that transcends categorization and reminds us--simply, powerfully, indelibly--what we go to the movies for. A delightful one-of-a-kind martial arts romance, “Crouching Tiger” is a fusion film from top to bottom. Starring Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi. In Mandarin, with subtitles. PG-13, for martial arts violence and sexuality.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD sellers: 1. The Mummy Returns (wide screen).

2. The Mummy Returns

3. A Knight’s Tale 4. The Terminator (1984). A stylish, ultra-gory and ultimately empty sci-fi adventure starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in the title role as a huge, deadly cyborg who has been transported from the future to stalk an unlikely prey, a scatterbrained waitress, Linda Hamilton. R.5. Along Came a Spider

What’s Coming

Tuesday: “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.”

Nov. 13: “America’s Sweethearts,” “Bride of the Wind,” “Calle 54,” “crazy/beautiful,” “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” “Osmosis Jones,” “Under the Sand.”

Nov. 20: “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Planet of the Apes.”

Nov. 27: “Made,” “Bread and Roses,” “Pootie Tang.”

Dec. 4: “Pearl Harbor,” “Summer Catch,” “American Outlaws,” “John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars.”

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