Melodrama, romance to set off fireworks for viewers
A hit melodrama (“John Q”), a bittersweet romance (“Dragonfly”), a critical favorite (“The Royal Tenenbaums”), an acclaimed import (“Amelie”), a military epic (“Hart’s War”) and a teen success (“Crossroads”) will set off fireworks for video viewers during July. 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.
AMELIE (Miramax; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; July 16; A-): This whimsical French film, which was produced for just $10 million and proved a runaway hit in Europe, offers a wonderfully uplifting viewing experience. In the story, a wide-eyed waitress (23-year-old Audrey Tautou) performs some random acts of kindness that change the world for others and lead her on a road to romantic happiness. Jean-Pierre Jeunet (“City of Lost Children’) directed the import, which is presented with subtitles. Sex, nudity, adult themes. (R)
CHARLOTTE GRAY (Warner; $22.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; July 9; C+): A Scottish woman (Cate Blanchett of “The Shipping News’) living in London during World War II volunteers to travel to occupied France to spy on the Nazis in 1942. That dangerous assignment also allows the woAman to search for her lover (Rupert Penry-Jones), a British pilot whose aircraft was shot down but may be still alive and hiding from enemy forces. The uneven $20 million production, based on the novel by Sebastian Faulks, co-stars Billy Crudup (“Almost Famous’) as a French communist working with underground forces to defeat the Germans. Gillian Armstrong (“Oscar and Lucinda’) directed the British-Australian co-production, which lacks enough compelling elements to make it memorable. Violence, sexual elements, harsh four-letter profanity, strong adult themes. (PG-13)
CROSSROADS (Paramount; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; July 23; B for teens only): Pop superstar Britney Spears makes her acting debut in this corny picture about three childhood friends who go on a road trip together and end up heading to Los Angeles to compete in a talent competition. Tamra Davis (“Billy Madison’) directed the cliched tale featuring teen-age girls traveling with an ex-convict who may have been in jail for murder, raiding mini-bars in hotel rooms and partying in saloons. Spears’ character also surrenders her virginity during the film, which will have some girls applauding and their parents reaching for Valium. Sexual content, underage teen drinking. (PG-13)
DRAGONFLY (Universal; $99.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; July 30; B): If John Edwards of the popular otherworldly show “Crossing Over’ ever wrote a big-screen romance, it would no doubt resemble this bittersweet tale. An emotionally devastated Chicago doctor (Kevin Costner of “Thirteen Days’), who has never believed in an afterlife, feels that his dead physician/wife (Susanna Thompson of TV’s “Once and Again’), who perished in a bus accident while helping poor children in Venezuela, is trying to communicate with him. He goes to incredible lengths to get in touch with the spirit of his spouse, whose body was never found. Tom Shadyac (“Patch Adams’) directed the picture, which he describes as a “supernatural drama.’ Adult themes, nudity, sexual element, harsh four-letter profanity. (PG-13)
HART’S WAR (MGM; $99.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; July 9; B-): This military drama, set during World War II, unfolds in a German prisoner-of-war camp where an American officer (Bruce Willis of “Unbreakable’) must preside over a racially charged hearing. A black aviator (Terrence Howard of “The Best Man’) is accused of murdering a racist white prisoner and his only hope is the defense mounted by an untested lieutenant (Colin Farrell of “American Outlaws’) who studied law in college. Gregory Hoblit (“Primal Fear’) directed the uneven tale, which was sold as an adventure saga in the tradition of “The Great Escape’ but is really more of a murder mystery, courtroom thriller and racial drama. Strong violence, harsh four-letter profanity. (R)
IMPOSTOR (Dimension; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; July 9; C+): This low-budget futuristic tale, set in 2079, is based on a 1953 short story, “The Imposter,’ from science fiction writer Philip K. Dick (whose work also provided the basis for “Minority Report,” “Blade Runner’ and “Total Recall’). Gary Sinise (“Apollo 13′) plays a respected scientist who is suddenly suspected of being a deadly extraterrestrial and then must run for his life, making the film seem like it should be titled “The Futuristic Fugitive.’ Violence, sex, harsh four-letter profanity. (PG-13)
JOHN Q (New Line; $22.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; July 16; B-): A desperate father (Denzel Washington of “Remember the Titans’) with no health insurance takes members of a hospital emergency room hostage to obtain the $250,000 heart-transplant operation that will save the life of his son. Eddie Griffin (“Double Take’), Anne Heche (“Six Days, Seven Nights’), James Woods (“Any Given Sunday’), Ray Liotta (“Hannibal’) and Robert Duvall (“Apocalypse Now Redux’) co-star. The dramatic thriller raises some timely issues about the terrible state of health-care for many Americans but falls apart once Washington’s benevolent character takes hostages at gunpoint. Brief violence, profanity, adult themes. (PG-13)
KUNG POW: ENTER THE FIST (Fox; $99.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; July 23; NP): Filmmaker Steve Oedekerk (“Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls’) makes his acting debut in this martial-arts parody that blends footage from the 1976 Hong Kong karate picture “Savage Killers’ with new sequences featuring American and Asian performers. Oedekerk also directed. Comic violence, crude, and sexual humor. (PG-13)
NO SUCH THING (MGM; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; July 9; NP): This edgy satire, originally titled “Monster,’ looks at a society obsessed with instant gratification and tabloid news. The story concerns a young journalist (Canadian actress Sarah Polley of “Go’) who tracks a horned, two-legged creature (Robert John Burke of “RoboCop 3′), one reportedly responsible for destroying a news crew dispatched to find him. Helen Mirren (“The Pledge’) co-stars, and Hal Hartley (“Henry Fool’) directed. Brief violence, harsh four-letter profanity. (R)
RESIDENT EVIL (Columbia TriStar; $99.99, tape; $27.99, DVD; July 30; B): An elite military force faces zombies ravenous for fresh flesh in this $35 million adaptation of the popular Capcom video game. Milla Jovovich (“The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc’) and Michelle Rodriguez (“The Fast and the Furious’) lead the battle against the undead in this 100-minute action thriller, which pull no punches when it comes to hard-edged action and should please the game’s ardent fans. Paul W.S. Anderson, who previously struck gold with his big-screen adaptation of the video game “Mortal Kombat,’ wrote and directed the slick tale, which liberally borrows elements from James Cameron’s “Aliens’ and George Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead.’ Strong violence, harsh four-letter profanity, brief sexual nudity. (R)
THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (Touchstone; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; July 9; B+): The brilliant members of a New York family – including Gwyneth Paltrow (“Shakespeare in Love’), Gene Hackman (“Heist’) and Ben Stiller (“Zoolander’) – gather together after many years apart. During this decidedly offbeat comedy, the Tenenbaums struggle to get beyond old jealousies after more than two decades of betrayal and failure. Wes Anderson (“Rushmore’) directed this whimsical but uneven fractured fable that boasts a soft edge and a warm heart. Sex, nudity, harsh four-letter profanity, drug use, adult themes. (R)
SHALLOW HAL (Fox; $99.99 tape; $27.99, DVD; now available; C+): A one-dimensional guy (Jack Black of “High Fidelity’) will only date thin, beautiful women. After being hypnotized by self-help guru Tony Robbins, he goes through a major change and starts seeing the inner beauty of the opposite sex. He then falls for a 320-pound single woman (Gwyneth Paltrow of “The Royal Tenenbaums’), who isn’t sure whether his love is real. The offbeat romantic comedy was written and directed by filmmaking brothers Peter and Bobby Farrelly, most famous for their gross body-fluid antics in the hits “Dumb and Dumber,’ “There’s Something About Mary’ and “Me, Myself & Irene.’ Although they try to be more politically correct here, their message about people who are beautiful on the inside seems strained and obvious. Harsh four-letter profanity, strong sexual elements. (PG-13)
STORYTELLING (New Line; $99.99, tape; $24.99, DVD; July 16; B): This extremely edgy work tells two different tales. The first involves a college coed (Selma Blair of “The Sweetest Thing’) and her affairs with a loving handicapped student (Leo Fitzpatrick) and a controlling writing professor (Robert Wisdom). The other deals with a misguided documentary filmmaker (Paul Giamatti of “Private Parts’) chronicling the clueless relationship a slacker high school kid has with his upwardly mobile parents and his incredibly insensitive younger brother. Todd Solondz (“Happiness’) directed, and when the MPAA threatened to give the film an NC-17 rating due to a rather graphic erotic scene, he used large video blocks to cover the sexually charged image while still allowing the audience to hear exactly what’s occurring on screen. Very strong sexual elements, nudity, harsh four-letter profanity, drug use, adult themes. (R)
THE TIME MACHINE (DreamWorks; $99.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; July 23; C): Australian actor Guy Pearce (“Memento’) soars through centuries during this lackluster $70 million adaptation of H. G. Wells’ novel. The story concerns an 1899 inventor who travels thousands of years into the future and finds that humanity is threatened by the brutal Morlocks. Simon Wells (“Prince of Egypt’), the great-grandson of H. G. Wells, directed the 96-minute adventure picture, which co-stars Dublin-born singer-songwriter Samantha Mumba in her screen debut and Jeremy Irons (“Die Hard With a Vengeance’). The primitive digital effects and unexciting action scenes make “Time’ stand still. Violence. (PG-13)
A WALK TO REMEMBER (Warner; $22.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; July 9; NP): Pop singer Mandy Moore (“The Princess Diaries’) plays a very religious teen-ager whose father is the town’s Baptist minister. When a trouble-making student (Shane West of TV’s “Now and Again’) who runs with a fast crowd is forced to participate in the drama club or be put out of school, he falls for the fresh-faced girl who cares nothing about hip fashions, hot rods or snobby in-crowds. Peter Coyote (“E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial’) and Daryl Hannah (“Splash’) co-star in the teen picture, which was a surprise box-office hit. Some sensual material, profanity, thematic elements. (PG)