Aug 2, 2002 By Lou Gaul Calkins Media Film Critic 9 min read

A sweeping fantasy (“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”), a military epic (“We Were Soldiers”), a baseball tale (“The Rookie”), a romantic thriller (“High Crimes”), a family film (“Joe Somebody”) and a vampire chiller (“Queen of the Damned”) will add some sizzle to video stores during August. The following capsule reviews, listed alphabetically, will give you an idea of the caliber of films coming soon to a video store near you. The films are graded as follows: Very Good, (A); Good, (B); Fair, (C); Poor, (D); Turkey (F). Those with (NP) have not been previewed.

ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS (New Line; $22.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; Aug. 20; C+): A Miami bounty hunter (Ice Cube of “Ghosts of Mars’) and a bail-jumper (Mike Epps of “Next Friday’) become involved with stolen diamonds priced at $20 million, a winning lottery ticket worth $60 million and enough armed-and-dangerous adversaries to intimidate Tony Soprano. Fans of Cube and Epps should have some fun, but others will find it more outlandish than a Three Stooges romp. Very strong violence, non-stop harsh four-letter profanity, sexual elements, brief nudity. (R)

CLOCKSTOPPERS (Paramount; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Aug. 13; C+): During this flat sci-fi adventure, a happy-go-lucky teen-ager (Jesse Bradford of “Bring It On’) accidentally discovers a top-secret watch with the ability to freeze time. He then must elude some deadly traitors (led by Michael Biehn of “The Terminator’) who want to steal the watch from the U.S. government and sell it to the highest bidder. Action violence, mild sexual innuendo and language. (PG)

DEUCES WILD (MGM; $99.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; Aug. 6; NP): Set in 1958 Brooklyn, this melodrama follows a hot-tempered leader of the pack (Stephen Dorff of “Blade’) who won’t allow some armed wiseguys to take over the turf of his rough-and-ready gang, the Deuces. The supporting cast includes Fairuza Balk (“Almost Famous’), Frankie Muniz (TV’s “Malcolm in the Middle’), Vincent Pastore (HBO’s “The Sopranos’), Johnny Knoxville (MTV’s “Jackass’) and Brad Renfro (“Bully’), Scott Kalvert (“The Basketball Diaries’) directed. Violence, harsh four-letter profanity, drug use, sexual elements. (R)

DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS (Columbia TriStar; $19.99, tape; $24.99, DVD; Aug. 6; NP) This acclaimed documentary, set in the 1970s, studies the surfers from Venice and Santa Monica in California who transformed their moves on the waves to stunts on modified boards with wheels and invented skateboarding. Sean Penn (“I Am Sam’) narrates, and Stacy Peralta – one of the original Z-Boys – directed. Profanity, drug references. (PG-13)

THE FLUFFER (TLA Video; $59.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Aug. 20; B): A young man (newcomer Michael Cunio) seeks a filmmaking job in Los Angeles and finds himself working as a cameraman in the male porn industry. He soon becomes intrigued with a muscular gay film star (Scott Gurney of TV’s “Baywatch’) who claims to be straight and says he only appears in such fare to pay the bills. An R-rated version will also be available. Very strong sexual elements, nudity, harsh four-letter profanity, drug use. (Unrated)

HIGH CRIMES (Fox; $99.99, tape; $27.99, DVD; Aug. 27; B): A San Francisco attorney (Ashley Judd) teams with a former military lawyer (Morgan Freeman) to defend her husband (Jim Caviezel of “Frequency”), who’s charged with committing war atrocities in El Salvador. The involving suspense thriller features a second teaming of Judd and Freeman, who previously co-starred in “Kiss the Girls.’ Strong violence, sexual elements. (PG-13)

IN THE BEDROOM (Miramax; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Aug. 13; B+): A middle-aged Maine couple find their lives slowly unraveling after the shooting death of their beloved son during this carefully constructed drama about the depth of a family’s grief. Sissy Spacek (“The Straight Story’), Tom Wilkinson (“The Patriot’) and Marisa Tomei (“What Women Want’) star. Actor-turned-filmmaker Todd Field made his directing debut. Violence, harsh four-letter profanity, strong adult themes. (R)

IRIS (Miramax; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Aug. 20; B+): This touchingly rendered 90-minute drama chronicles the four-decade love affair between novelist/philosopher Iris Murdoch (Judi Dench of “The Shipping News’), who suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease and died in 1999, and her professor/husband John Bayley (Jim Broadbent of “Moulin Rouge’). Kate Winslet (“Titanic’) and Hugh Bonneville (“Notting Hill’) play Murdoch and Bayley as young adults during this factual picture. Broadbent won an Oscar as best supporting actor for his impressive performance. Strong sexual elements, nudity, harsh four-letter profanity. (R)

JOE SOMEBODY (Fox; $99.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; Aug. 20; B): A divorced average guy (Tim Allen of “Galaxy Quest’) finds his self-respect shattered when an office bully (Patrick Warburton of TV’s “Seinfeld’) intimidates, insults and slaps the mild-mannered man in front of his 12-year-old daughter. That incident convinces the office worker, who views himself as a loser, to totally change his life, harden his body and prove that he has the right stuff. During the course of his transformation, he also discovers the true meaning of being a man. Jim Belushi co-stars as a former action film star who now pays the bills by giving martial arts lessons. Mild profanity. (PG)

LAST ORDERS: (Columbia TriStar; $99.99, tape; $24.99, DVD; Aug. 13; B-) Veteran British actors Michael Caine (“Austin Powers in Goldmember’), Bob Hoskins (“Mona Lisa’), David Hemmings (“Gladiator’) and Helen Mirren (“Gosford Park’) co-star in this involving ensemble tale. The story, based on the novel by Brian Swift, concerns some old friends adjusting to the recent death of an aging member of their group. Australian filmmaker Fred Schepisi (“Roxanne’) directed the picture. Sexual elements, harsh four-letter profanity. (R)

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING: (New Line; $22.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Aug. 6; A): This stunning first installment of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy introduces audiences to Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood of “Deep Impact’) and his Hobbit friends. They are joined by human warriors, brave elves and battle-ready dwarves to wage a battle against dark forces for control of Middle Earth. The theme of people of different races and backgrounds working together to defeat a common evil threat certainly has a keen timely element in today’s world. Strong battlefield violence. (PG-13)

NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VAN WILDER: (C-) After spending seven years at Coolidge College, Van Wilder (Ryan Reynolds of TV’s “Two Guys and a Girl’) is considered the coolest man on campus. He finds his status in danger of evaporating when his wealthy father (Tim Matheson, who plays a swinging student in the original “National Lampoon’s Animal House’) cuts off his funds. To make ends meet, Wilder becomes a party planner and designs raunchy bashes in the gross, laugh-challenged 95-minute comedy. Tara Reid (“American Pie’) co-stars and should fire the agent who allowed her to appear in this mess of a movie. An unrated version will also be available. Nudity, sex, drug and alcohol use, harsh four-letter profanity, gross gags. (R)

THE NEW GUY (Columbia TriStar; $99.99, tape; $27.99, DVD; Aug. 13; C-): A nerdy high school senior (DJ Qualls of “Road Trip’) convinces a prison inmate (Eddie Griffin of “Double Take’) to teach him to be cool and then hooks up with the hottest girl (Eliza Dushku of “Bring It On’) in his class. During this lifeless teen comedy, he soon learns that possessing a cool streak can backfire. Sexual elements, profanity. (PG-13)

QUEEN OF THE DAMNED (Warner; $22.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; Aug. 27; B-): Late singer Aaliyah (“Romeo Must Die’) has the title role in this vampire tale, based on Anne Rice’s novel about a 6,000-year-old Egyptian queen awakened in contemporary America by the vampire Lestat (Stuart Townsend of “About Adam’). The project was completed with the blessings of Aaliyah’s family members, who felt the popular singer-turned-actress, who died in an airplane crash before completing the project, would have wanted it released and allowed her voice to be dubbed by her brother for some uncompleted scenes. Michael Rymer (“In Too Deep’) directed and creates an outrageously fun-to-watch tale that often resembles a vintage production from England’s legendary Hammer Films. Very strong violence. (R)

THE ROOKIE (Disney; $22.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Aug. 27; B): During this factual field-of-daydreams story, a 35-year-old science teacher, Jim Morris (Dennis Quaid of “Traffic’), leaves his job to attempt to become a minor-league pitcher a dozen years after a shoulder injury sidelined him. The younger players ridicule him until he starts throwing fast balls going 98 mph over the plate and begins winning games. Nothing offensive. (G)

SHOWTIME (Warner; $22.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; Aug. 13; B-): A Los Angeles patrolman (Eddie Murphy of “Dr. Dolittle’), who really wanted a career as an actor, and a grizzled police detective (Robert De Niro of “Meet the Parents’) are spotted by a ratings-hungry producer (Rene Russo of “The Thomas Crown Affair’). She makes them stars by putting the odd-couple officers on a reality-based television series. The picture, which spoofs police films and co-stars William Shatner (TV’s “T.J. Hooker’), works when top-gun superstars De Niro and Murphy spoof their screen images, though one wishes director Tom Dey (“Shanghai Noon’) had devoted more time to developing a plot strong enough to support the heavyweight talents. Strong violence, harsh four-letter profanity, drug content. (PG-13)

SUPER TROOPERS (Fox; $99.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; Aug. 6; NP): Some bumbling Vermont State Troopers decide to clean up their act before they lose their jobs during this broad comedy, featuring the members of the comedy troupe Broken Lizard. Harsh four-letter profanity, sexual content, drug use. (R)

THE SWEETEST THING (Columbia TriStar; $99.99, tape; $27.99, DVD; Aug. 20; C): A 28-year-old San Francisco woman (Cameron Diaz of “Vanilla Sky’) has spent years partying all the time and avoiding serious relationships. She then meets a man (Thomas Jane of “Deep Blue Sea’) who captures her interest and then suddenly disappears. The single lady and her equally outrageous best friend (Christina Applegate of TV’s “Jesse’) hit the highway and embark on a wild road trip to find him. This ultimately disappointing comedy often resembles a combination of “Sex in the City’ and “Porky’s’ due to its emphasis on erotic elements and bodily fluids to get laughs. An unrated version will also be available. Strong sexual content, brief nudity, harsh four-letter profanity, abundant alcohol use. (R)

WE WERE SOLDIERS (Paramount; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Aug. 20; B+): The battle waged by Lt. Col. Hal Moore (Mel Gibson of “Signs’) and his young soldiers on Nov. 14, 1965 in an area of Vietnam known as “The Valley of Death’ is chronicled in this intense fact-based tale. Approximately 2,000 North Vietnamese fighters surrounded 400 American soldiers during the battle, which ranks as one of the most savage in the history of the U.S. military. Randall Wallace (“The Man in the Iron Mask’) directed the graphic epic, which is based on the book “We Were Soldiers Once. . .And Young.’ Very strong violence, harsh four-letter profanity. (R)