Video viewers to give thanks for fantasy smash and two hit sequels
A fantasy smash (“Spider-Man”), an ensemble tale (“Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood”), a prison melodrama (“Undisputed”), an animated favorite (“Ice Age”), a cartoon adaptation (“The Powerpuff Girls Movie”) and two hit sequels (“Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones” and “Men in Black II”) will have video viewers giving thanks during November. 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: Excellent, (A+); Very Good, (A); Good, (B); Fair, (C); Poor, (D); Turkey (F). Those with (NP) have not been previewed.
BAD COMPANY (Touchstone; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Nov. 12; C): After a young CIA agent dies in the line of duty, his smart-mouthed identical twin brother (Chris Rock of “Nurse Betty’) is drafted by a veteran spy (Anthony Hopkins of “Red Dragon’) to finish a dangerous assignment. That job involves a nuclear weapon that’s being purchased by terrorists and must be found within nine days. The flat action comedy co-stars Peter Stormare (“Fargo’) and Brooke Smith (“Series 7′) and misfires from beginning to end. Strong violence, sexual innuendo, harsh four-letter profanity, brief drug references. (PG-13)
THE DANGEROUS LIVES OF ALTAR BOYS (Columbia TriStar; $99.99, tape; $27.99, DVD; Nov. 5; B-): Live-action scenes and animated images blend in this inventive but uneven tale. Set in the 1970s, the story concerns four Catholic school students (led by Kieran Culkin of “Igby Goes Down”) who turn their no-nonsense nun (an over-the-top Jodie Foster of “Panic Room’) into the villain of a comic book they’re creating. They then have plenty of explaining to do after the work is discovered. Strong sexual elements, harsh four-letter profanity, drug use, teen-age drinking and smoking. (R)
DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD (Warner; $22.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; Nov. 5; B): After a neurotic young woman (Sandra Bullock of “Murder By Numbers’) refuses to invite her outrageous mother to her wedding, the daughter starts to learn about her parent’s difficult life and understands the psychological hardships that influenced the older woman’s personality. Ellen Burstyn (“Requiem for a Dream’), Ashley Judd (“High Crimes’), James Garner (“Space Cowboys’), Angus MacFadyen (“Braveheart’) and Maggie Smith (“Gosford Park’) co-star in the overblown, but still touching tale based on the novel by Rebecca Wells. Screenwriter Callie Khouri, best known for penning “Thelma and Louise,’ made her directing debut. Sexual elements, harsh four-letter profanity, adult themes. (PG-13)
ICE AGE (Fox; $24.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Nov. 26; B+): Comic actors Ray Romano (TV’s “Everybody Loves Raymond’), John Leguizamo (“Moulin Rouge’) and Denis Leary (TV’s “The Job’) provide the voices of the main characters in this 85-minute computer-animated epic. The heartwarming story has three very different prehistoric creatures – a wooly mammoth, a giant sloth and a saber-toothed tiger – putting aside their differences to reunite an infant with his human tribe. Chris Wedge, who won an Oscar for his 1998 animated short, “Bunny,’ directed the $75 million family film. Some intense moments for younger children, including the images of the loss of a mother and an infant in jeopardy. (PG)
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST (Buena Vista; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Nov. 12; B-): A sterling cast – including Judi Dench (“Shakespeare in Love’), Rupert Everett (“My Best Friend’s Wedding’), Colin Firth (“Bridget Jones’s Diary’), Frances O’Connor (“A.I. Artificial Intelligence’) and Reese Witherspoon (“Sweet Home Alabama’) – tackles this frothy Oscar Wilde play. Set in England in the 1890s, the very mild film involves two men whose seemingly harmless deceptions threaten their romantic relationships. Sexual elements. (PG)
JUWANNA MANN (Warner; $69.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; Nov. 19; NP): In this sports version of “Tootsie,’ a rule-breaking NBA star (Miguel A. Nunez Jr.) is put out of the league for his antics and then impersonates a woman so that he can play for the WNBA. Profanity, sexual elements. (PG-13)
MEN IN BLACK II (Columbia TriStar; $24.99, tape; $28.99, DVD; Nov. 26; B-): A deadly female extraterrestrial (Lara Flynn Boyle of TV’s “The Practice’), who disguises herself as a model, returns to Earth to get revenge on Agent J. (Tommy Lee Jones) for something that happened 25 years ago. Agent K (Will Smith) is soon fighting to make sure his old buddy stays safe in this mildly entertaining sequel. Oscar-winning makeup whiz Rick Baker (“Planet of the Apes’) returned to create the creatures. Barry Sonnenfeld, who helmed the 1997 original, directed the follow-up. Sci-fi violence, provocative humor. (PG-13)
NOTORIOUS C.H.O. (Wellspring; $14.99, tape; $19.99, DVD; Nov. 19; A-): Comic actress Margaret Cho talks about sexual politics, romantic issues and racial relations during this multi-layered concert, taped during a Seattle performance of her 2002 concert tour. The film captures every nuance of Cho’s always insightful, often hilarious performance. Very graphic sexual comments, harsh four-letter profanity, strong adult themes. (R)
THE POWERPUFF GIRLS MOVIE (Warner; $22.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; Nov. 5; B): During this wild and colorful tale, the Cartoon Network’s popular pen-and-ink creations – Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup – reveal the origin of their super powers. Those include laser-beam eyes, superhuman strength and the ability to fly faster than a speeding bullet. They’re soon challenging an evil mutant monkey, Mojo Jojo, obsessed with taking over their town and saving their beloved scientist/father who created them during an experiment. Craig McCracken, who in 1998 created the hip animated series about three bug-eyed kindergartners who battle villains, directed and liberally borrows elements from the Japanese anime style for this fun-to-watch tale, which has a nice message about family and community. Non-stop animated action. (PG)
PUMPKIN (MGM; $99.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; Nov. 5; NP): Some mean-spirited young women decide they want their group to be named Sorority of the Year and plan to do so by coaching mentally challenged students who dream of playing sports. The college girls couldn’t care less about the disabled youngsters and just seek to win the award by pretending to perform good works. One sorority member (Christina Ricci of “Buffalo 66′) has a change of heart when she mentors a disabled young man named Pumpkin (newcomer Hank Harris) and becomes attracted to him. Sex, harsh four-letter profanity. (R)
REIGN OF FIRE (Touchstone; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Nov. 19; C+): A stranger (Matthew McConaughey of “U-571′) from America arrives in London and claims to be able to destroy an enormous fire-breathing beast and its army of creatures who have been awakened after centuries of slumber. Christian Bale (“American Psycho’) co-stars in the highly uneven action-adventure tale, which suffers due to a budget too low to accomplish the visuals that would have brought the deadly winged beasts to full-bodied life. Violence. (PG-13)
SPIDER-MAN (Columbia TriStar; $24.99, tape; $28.99, DVD; $49.99, Collector’s Edition DVD; Nov. 1; B+): The most popular character in the history of Marvel Comics crawls across the screen in this exciting $120 million production. Tobey Maguire (“Wonder Boys’) stars as meek Peter Parker, who becomes a web-slinging super hero after being bitten by a genetically altered spider. He’s soon fighting Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe of “Auto Focus’), a high-flying villain driven insane by a deadly formula that also turned his skin the color of money. Kirsten Dunst (“Bring It On’) co-stars as Parker’s girlfriend, Mary Jane. Sam Raimi (“The Evil Dead’) directed the fantasy epic, which does justice to the Marvel Comics title “The Amazing Spider-Man,’ created in 1962 by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko. Some intense violent moments. (PG-13)
STAR WARS: EPISODE II – ATTACK OF THE CLONES (Fox; $24.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Nov. 12; B): Anakin Skywalker (20-year-old Canadian actor Hayden Christensen) has grown up and is learning the ways of the Force from Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). He also falls in love with Senator Amidala (Natalie Portman), whom he has been assigned to protect from assassination attempts. Writer-director George Lucas has given the $140 million follow-up a darker edge, especially during a scene in which Anakin avenges the murder of his mother. Samuel L. Jackson (“Shaft’) and Yoda (voice by Frank Oz) return as Jedi knights and give their light sabers a workout during this follow-up, which drags in the first half but contains some pulse-pounding action during the climatic scenes. Strong violence. ({PG)
SUNSHINE STATE (Columbia TriStar; $99.99, tape; $24.99, DVD; Nov. 19; B-): Predatory real-estate agents descend on a quaint town in Florida and quickly make plans to buy the land as cheaply as possible from the locals and develop it into a modern faceless community lined with strip malls. The intermittently preachy 141-minute drama features an outstanding ensemble cast, including Edie Falco (TV’s “The Sopranos’), Timothy Hutton (“The General’s Daughter’), Angela Bassett (“What’s Love Got to Do With It’), Mary Steenburgen (“Life As a House’) and James McDaniel (TV’s “NYPD Blue’). Hoboken filmmaker John Sayles (“Limbo’) wrote and directed. Sexual elements, harsh four-letter profanity, adult themes. (PG-13)
UNDISPUTED (Buena Vista; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Nov. 26; B): After being convicted of rape and sent to jail, a heavyweight boxer (Ving Rhames of “Mission: Impossible’) soon finds himself pitted against a hard-hitting inmate (Wesley Snipes of “Blade II’). The intense man is the reigning champion of the prison world and plans to defend his title against the flashy newcomer who looks down on his cellblock neighbors. Peter Falk (“The Princess Bride’), Wes Studi (“The Last of the Mohicans’) and Jon Seda (“Selena’) co-star in the hard-edged picture. Walter Hill, who’s famous for tough cinematic tales such as “Hard Times’ and “Last Man Standing,’ directed and provides plenty of punch in the climactic bout. Strong boxing violence, harsh four-letter profanity, brief nudity, sexual elements. (R)