What’s New

About Adam (2001). Irish writer-director Gerard Stembridge’s sly and sexy romantic comedy starring Stuart Townsend as a handsome, suave guy who likes to make people happy. With Kate Hudson. Miramax/Buena Vista: no list price; $29.99; (CC); R, for language and sexuality.

Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001). The new item is an improvement over the original “Dr. D” and features an engaging performance by the continually remarkable Eddie Murphy. But precisely because it is an improvement, “Dr. D 2” is also more depressing than its progenitor. Its successful moments (and they are only moments) remind us that this is a squandered opportunity. With the application of more intelligence and a different sensibility, this could have been a good film instead of one that’s content with not being a complete waste of time. With Kristen Wilson, Kyla Pratt, Raven-Symone and Jeffrey Jones. Fox: $22.98; $26.98; PG, for language and crude humor.

Down From the Mountain (2001). The soundtrack to the Coen brothers’ “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” was a surprise hit last year, and many of these musicians who played on it, including Emmylou Harris and Ralph Stanley, were gathered for a concert in Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. For fans of this kind of roots music, it was an event you would have given anything to attend. This documentary gives you terrific seats in the bargain. Artisan: no list price; $19.98; (CC); G.

Freddy Got Fingered (2001). Tom Green’s pointless, brainless and aggressively over-the-top exercise in goofball grossness shows that he may have a future in television. He plays an aspiring animator living in his parents’ basement. Dad (Rip Torn) wants him out. Fox: no list price; $29.98; (CC); R, for crude sexual and bizarre humor, and for strong language.

Songcatcher (2001). As it was in the very different “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” the music’s the thing in this turn-of-the-century mountain melodrama about a feisty doctor of musicology (the unstoppable Janet McTeer) searching for English ballads in the North Carolina hills. Tristar: no list price; $24.95; (CC); PG-13 for sexual content and an intense scene of childbirth.

Town and Country (2001). A would-be romantic comedy that plays like “Crime and Punishment” and makes as many bad choices as its increasingly desperate characters. With Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn and Garry Shandling. New Line/Warner: no list price; $24.98; (CC); (Turan, April 27) (1:44) R, for sexuality and language.

With a Friend Like Harry (2001). Terrific French thriller of psychological suspense in which a man (Laurent Lucas) vacationing with his family encounters a schoolmate (Sergi Lopez) he hasn’t seen in years and soon has reason to wish he never had. Stylish, amusing, scary and unpredictable. Miramax/Buena Vista: no list price; $32.99; (CC); R, for language, some violence and scene of nudity.

* 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 of 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. Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001). A cheerful and cheeky confection that survives its excesses and the liberties it takes with the best-selling novel about the comic agonies of being single in a married world by smartly mixing knock-about farce with fairy tale romance. Cleverly written and, with Hugh Grant, Colin Firth and the appealing Renee Zellweger in the lead roles, ideally cast as well. R, for language and some strong sexuality.

5. Heartbreakers (2001). Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt are terrific as mother-and-daughter con artists 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.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD rentals:1. The Mummy Returns

2. Along Came a Spider 3. Bridget Jones’s Diary4. A Knight’s Tale 5. Heartbreakers* Last week’s Top 5 VHS sellers:1. The Mummy Returns 2. Barbie in the Nutcracker 3. 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. 4. Scooby Doo: Cyber Chase 5. 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. PG-13, for sexual content and language.

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD sellers: 1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Disney’s first animated feature is the crown jewel of the whole Disney animated canon. The tale of the angelic princess Snow White--menaced by her evil stepmother and forced to flee for her life in the dark woods, where she discovers the charming house of seven dwarfs--is as heart-rending and amazing as it was in 1937. It is almost more operetta than musical. G.2. The Godfather Collection. Francis Ford Coppola offers commentary you can’t refuse. The five-disc set includes all three “Godfather” epics, plus three hours of bonus goodies. A master filmmaker, Coppola is also a master storyteller in his commentaries, especially with “The Godfather,” his 1972 Oscar-winning adaptation of Mario Puzo’s best-selling novel. The first four discs in the set contain the three movies (“Godfather II” takes two). The extras include “The Godfather: A Look Inside,” a 1990 documentary offering an in-depth look at the films’ origins, with footage of rehearsals and original screen tests. R.3. The Mummy Returns (wide screen).

4. The Mummy Returns

5. Bridget Jones’s Diary

What’s Coming

Tuesday: “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.”

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