OnVideo: Recent Releases: 1999

Recent Releases: 1999

Some Recent Videos You May Have Missed

January 1999 releases

February 1999 releases

March 1999 releases

April 1999 releases

May 1999 releases

June 1999 releases

July 1999 releases

August 1999 releases

September 1999 releases

October 1999 releases

November 1999 releases

December 1999 releases

January 5

Out of Sight Off-kilter love story-cop actioner-thriller about a U.S. Marshal (Jennifer Lopez) and a career bank robber (George Clooney) who meet and fall in love when he escapes from a prison in Florida and heads back to Detroit for one last score. Flashbacks fill out the characters and their motivation. Director: Steven Soderbergh. Stars: Jennifer Lopez, George Clooney, Ving Rhames, Dennis Farina, Don Cheadle. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 123 min., Action thriller, Box office gross: $37.400 million, Universal, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Rescuers, The Re-release of the 1977 animated film about a society of mice that comes to the aid of people in trouble; here they try to save a little girl from an evil woman out after the world's biggest diamond. Voices of Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, Geraldine Page. 1977, CC, MPAA rating: G, 76 min., Animated, Disney, $26.99 SRP. DVD: No.
How Stella Got Her Groove Back Spicey, touching romance about a 40-year-old black woman's (Angela Bassett) middle-life crisis and her trip to Jamaica with her best friend (Whoopi Goldberg) to rekindle her love life. Based on the best-selling Terry McMillan novel. Director: Kevin Rodney Sullivan. Stars: Angela Bassett, Whoopi Goldberg, Taye Diggs, Regina King, Suzzanne Douglas. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 125 min., Drama, Box office gross: $37.279 million, Fox, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: January 26.
Disturbing Behavior Unsatisfying thriller about high school kids scientifically conditioned to behave well who eventually go ballistic when the programming goes awry. Cross between "A Clockwork Orange" and "Stepford Wives" with hot teen stars. Director: David Nutter. Stars: James Marsden, Katie Holmes, Nick Stahl, Bruce Greenwood, William Sadler, Steve Railsback. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 83 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $17.494 million, MGM, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Plump Fiction Spoof of the work of Quentin Tarantino, about two exterminator hit-men and what happens when some routine extermination work goes wrong. Director: Bob Koherr. Stars: Paul Dinello, Julie Brown, Sandra Bernhard, Tommy Davidson. 1998, CC, Comedy, Rhino, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.

January 12

Truman Show, The Possibly the finest film of the year is director Peter Weir's dissertation on the nature of existence and faith, in the form of naif Truman Burbank, whose whole life -- unbeknownst to him -- has been orchestrated in a fabricated environment for the sole purpose of a TV show. Brilliant satire of 20th century media and human relations. Stars: Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Natascha McElhone. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 103 min., Satire, Box office gross: $125.618 million, Paramount, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Jan. 26.
54 Life and love set against the backdrop of famed New York 1980s nightclub Studio 54. Throbbing disco soundtrack. Director: Mark Christopher. Stars: Mike Myers, Salma Hayek, Ryan Phillippe, Neve Campbell, Sela Ward. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 93 min., Drama, Box office gross: $16.574 million, Miramax, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Dance With Me Handsome Cuban handyman (Latin American pop star Chayanne) sweeps a professional dance instructor off her feet with his unschooled footwork and charm in this passionate dancing yarn set to sizzling salsa. With music by Gloria Estefan, Jon Secada, Ruben Blades. Director: Randa Haines. Stars: Vanessa L. Williams, Chayanne, Kris Kristofferson, Joan Plowright. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 126 min., Musical drama, Box office gross: $15.814 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Pi This very weird film -- about a somewhat mad young scientist who holes up in his urban garret with a variety of electronic gear in order to find a mathematical order to life and gets involved with Wall Street types and Hasidic Jews -- balances philosophy with an off-the-wall mystery. Director: Darren Aronofsky. Stars: Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman, Samia Shoaib, Pam Hart, Stephen Pearlman. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 85 min., Drama, Box office gross: $3.171 million, Artisan, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Our Friend, Martin A unique feature that combines animation and live footage to tell the story of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his leadership of the Civil Rights movement. A group of students travel back in time to meet Dr. King at various points in his life. Voice stars: Angela Bassett, LeVar Burton, Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Samuel L. Jackson, James L. Jones, Oprah Winfrey. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: 61, NR min., Animated/Live Action, Fox, $14.98 SRP. DVD: No.
Wilde Lush photographed biography of famed and controversial writer Oscar Wilde. Director: Brian Gilbert. Stars: Stephen Fry, Jude Law, Vanessa Redgrave. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 116 min., Biodrama, Box office gross: $2.157 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Henry Fool Art-house critical success about unassuming garbage man who supports his depressed mother and oversexed sister who overcomes low self-esteem when he's tutored by a degenerate, would-be intellectual/novelist who takes up residence in the family basement. Naturally the garbage man's subsequent book-length poem outshines the work of his mentor. Director: Hal Hartley. Stars: Parker Posey, James Urbaniak, Kevin Corrigan, Maria Porter. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 137 min., Drama, Box office gross: $1.334 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.

January 19

Mafia Typical Jim ("Hot Shots") Abrahams spoof, this time taking pot shots at the Mafia in a rough take-off "The Godfather." Swan song for the late-Lloyd Bridges. Director: Jim Abrahams. Stars: Lloyd Bridges, Olympia Dukakis, Christina Applegate, Jay Mohr. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 87 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $19.847 million, Buena Vista, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Feb. 9.
Slums of Beverly Hills Wonderfully funny and gentle coming-of-age-comedy about a 15-year-old girl's two main problems in life: her rising sexuality and her dysfunctional, nomadic family (headed by a Willie Loman-type car dealer dad) who move from dump to dump so that the kids can stay in the better Beverly Hills' schools. Great look at life on the cusp in the mid- 1970s . Director: Tamara Jenkins. Stars: Natasha Lyonne, Alan Arkin, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Corrigan, Jessica Walter, Rita Moreno, Carl Reiner. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 91 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $5.376 million, Fox, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date
Return to Paradise A joy-ride Malaysian vacation of sex and drugs turns bad for three carefree guys when, after two return to the States, the third is arrested on drug charges and sentenced to death. The prisoner's lawyer tries to persuade the pair to return to help save his life. Director: Joseph Ruben. Stars: Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Joaquin Phoenix, David Conrad, Jada Pinkett Smith. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 109 min., Drama, Box office gross: $8.288 million, PolyGram, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Smoke Signals Explores modern life on an Indian Reservation, following two men who take off on a life-changing road trip in this off-beat film that won a Filmmakers Trophy and Audience Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. Stars: Adam Beach, Tantoo Cardinal, Irene Bedard. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 89 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $6.653 million, Miramax, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Buffalo '66 Surreal, off-beat story of yet another loser (Vincent Gallo) who gets out of prison, quickly kidnaps a young woman (Christina Ricci) and takes her home to his parents where he forces her to play the role of his wife. Naturally the pair bond. Written, directed by Gallo. Director: Vincent Gallo. Stars: Vincent Gallo, Christina Ricci, Anjelica Huston, Ben Gazzara. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 110 min., Drama, Box office gross: $2.365 million, Universal, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Nosferatu the Vampyre Werner Herzog's inimitable tribute to F.W. Murnau's classic 1922 silent "Nosferatu" is as creepy -- and stylishly original -- as they come. This surrealistic Dracula version has long been a cult favorite and comes to video for the first time. In widescreen. Director: Werner Herzog. Stars: Bruno Ganz, Isabelle Adjani, Klaus Kinski. 1978, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 107 min., Horror, Anchor Bay, $14.98 SRP. DVD: Due February.
Invasion Earth Three volume set of the big budget Sci-Fi Channel miniseries, which aired in December, about the Earth caught in the crossfire of an interplanetary war. Stars: Fred Ward, Vincent Regan, Maggie O'Neill, Phyllis Logan. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 207 min., Science Fiction, BBC Video, $39.98 SRP. DVD: No.

January 26

Rush Hour High-octane thriller teams up Jackie Chan (as a Hong Kong cop sent to the U.S. to help an old friend get back his kidnapped daughter) and Chris Tucker (as a misfit L.A. cop) for fantastic stunts, action and comedy. Non-stop enjoyment. Director: Brett Ratner. Stars: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Ken Leung, Elizabeth Pena, Julia Hsu, Chris Penn. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 97 min., Action, Box office gross: $130.000 million, New Line, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: March 2.
Kurt and Courtney Disturbing, lurid documentary that probes the life and death of alternative rock group Nirvana's Kurt Cobain. Did he really commit suicide or was there something more sinister involved? Director: Nick Broomfield. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 95 min., Documentary, Box office gross: $0.600 million, BMG, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Whatever Aspiring artist wants to leave her anonymous New Jersey town for the wilds of Manhattan in the hopes of encountering rebellion and adventure. A coming-of-age saga set in the early 1980s with music by Iggy Pop, Blondie, Ramones, Patti Smith, David Bowie. Director: Susan Skoog. Stars: Liza Weil, Chad Morgan, Mark Riffon, Dan Montano, John G. Connolly. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 113 min., Drama, Box office gross: $0.307 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Big Chill, The 15th anniversary reissue of the ensemble film that made careers for a host of actors as well as introducing the rock soundtrack to mainstream filmmaking. Follows the reunion of a group of 1960s college ex-radicals on the event of the funeral of one of their friends. Widescreen and pan-and-scan versions. Director: Lawrence Kasdan. Stars: Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, William Hurt, Jeff Goldblum, Tom Berenger, JoBeth Williams, Mary Kay Place. 1983, CC, MPAA rating: R, 105 min., Drama, Columbia TriStar, $14.95 SRP. DVD: Day & Date.

February 2

Mulan Disney's best animated musical since "The Lion King," this one clicks for all the right reasons: fine songs, luscious animation, luminous story (about a Chinese girl who saves her kingdom from invading Huns) and characters you can care about. Director: Barry Cook, Tony Bancroft. Voices of Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, B.D. Wong, Donny Osmond, Harvey Fierstein, Gedde Watanabe. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: G, 82 min., Animated, Box office gross: $120.387 million, Walt Disney, $26.99 SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: no.
There's Something About Mary Farrelly Bros.' smash summer hit about nerdy, angst-driven man (Ben Stiller) still suffering from high school crush on Mary (Cameron Diaz) who tracks her down 13 years later, only to have the detective and a host of others get in his way. Slapstick, bathroom humor. Director: Peter and Bobby Farrelly. Stars: Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Chris Elliott, Markie Post, Keith David. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 119 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $180.000 million, Fox, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Shooting Fish This delightful comedy about two likeable con artists in London, on the verge of retiring after their last big score, starts out slow but rewards patient viewers with plenty of laughs and good feelings. Dan Futterman and Stuart Townsend play young scammers saving to buy the mansion they've dreamed about all their lives. When a young medical student (Kate Beckinsale) is enlisted to help them out, she gets the pair involved in a scam of her own -- to raise cash for a good cause. A pleasant departure from the spate of recent -- and violent -- caper films. Director: Stefan Schwartz. Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Dan Futterman, Stuart Townsend. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 93 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $0.254 million, Fox, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Alarmist, The Home security systems salesman finds success (both in selling systems and in seducing one of his clients) but gets in over his head when he discovers that his boss is robbing the homes he's supposed to be protecting. Director: Evan Dunsky. Stars: David Arquette, Stanley Tucci, Kate Capshaw, Mary McCormick. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 93 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $0.085 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Jackie Chan's Who Am I? Hong Kong actioner with Jackie Chan as sole survivor of commando raid on a secret high tech weapons research lab in the African jungle. With total amnesia, Chan must return to civilization to answer the question, Who Am I? Director: Jackie Chan and Benny Chan. Stars: Jackie Chan 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 108 min., Action, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Husbands John Cassavetes' involving look at three middle-aged men who take a vacation from their routine suburban lives following the death of a mutual friend. A brilliant, though oftimes slow-paced, study of mid-life angst and renewal. Director: John Cassavetes. Stars: John Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara, Peter Falk. 1970, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 140 min., Drama, Columbia TriStar, $19.95 SRP. DVD: No.
Heaven or Vegas Romantic drama about Vegas call-girl and high-class gigolo who meet and fall and love, take off for a fairy tale existence in Montana, along the way getting involved with psychotic strangers. Director: Gregory C. Haynes. Stars: Richard Grieco, Yasmine Bleeth. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 110 min., Drama, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.

February 9

Antz Animated feature about a neurotic and self-absorbed ant whose discontent with conformity leads to a subversion of authority in a typical military-run ant nest (a parable for an attack on fascism and totalitarianism, you say?). Great CGI and story. Director: Eric Darnell, Tim Johnson. Voices of Woody Allen, Dan Aykroyd, Anne Bancroft, Jane Curtin, Jennifer Lopez, Danny Glover, Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, Christopher Walken. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 83 min., Animated, Box office gross: $90.000 million, DreamWorks, $26.99 SRP. DVD: No.
Next Stop Wonderland Tale of a man and a woman brought together by circumstance: The woman's just been dumped by her Marxist boyfriend; the man is an ex-plumber working his way through a marine biology course. Too heady for most; the characters and story never jell. Still, for the romantically inclined viewer, the gentle "search-for-true-love" story will hit a resonant note. Director: Brad Anderson. Stars: Hope Davis, Alan Gelfant, Victor Argo, Jon Benjamin, Cara Buono. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 96 min., Drama, Box office gross: $3.386 million, Miramax, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Rounders Story of a rounder (serious card player) whose attempt to keep away from the tables by studying to be a lawyer goes astray when he comes to the aid of a loser friend and returns to gambling. Star vehicle for Matt Damon and Edwrad Norton, with scams galore. Director: John Dahl. Stars: Matt Damon, Edward Norton, Gretchen Mol, John Malkovich, John Turturro, Martin Landau, Famke Janssen. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 121 min., Drama, Box office gross: $22.905 million, Miramax, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
John Carpenter's Vampires Violent modern day vampire saga about a contingent of "religious" mercenaries who hunt down the nightstalkers with modern weapons to stop 600-year-old Master Vamp Valek from implementing a ritual which will give the ghouls omnipotent daylight power. Director: John Carpenter. Stars: James Woods, Daniel Baldwin, Sheryl Lee. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 108 min., Horror, Box office gross: $19.915 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Legionnaire This direct-to-video big budget Jean-Claude Van Damme starrer follows the adventures of a French boxer when he enlists in the French Foreign Legion and fights tribesmen in Morocco in the 1920s. Director: Peter MacDonald. Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Berkoff, Jim Carter, Nicolas Farrell. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 99 min., Action-Adventure, Sterling Home Entertainment, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Clay Pigeons Music video director David Dobkin helms this thriller, set in Montana, that revolves around suicide, infidelity, and the disappearance of a number of the town's women, with the finger pointing to a hapless loser played by Joaquin Phoenix. Darkly amusing. Director: David Dobkin. Stars: Vince Vaughn, Janeane Garofalo, Joaquin Phoenix, Georgina Cates, Scott Wilson. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 104 min., Comic-Thriller, Box office gross: $1.789 million, PolyGram, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Office Killer Offbeat thriller about an underappreciated, dissatisfied office worker -- a copy editor for a magazine -- who witnesses the inadvertent electrocution of an odious colleague and decides to kill off the rest of the staff. Lucky I edit my own copy. Director: Cindy Sherman. Stars: Carol Kane, Molly Ringwald, Jeanne Tripplehorn. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 83 min., Comic Thriller, Box office gross: $0.074 million, Dimension, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.

February 16

Practical Magic Two hot female leads strut their stuff in this fantasy tale about a pair of witchy sisters -- modern day sorceresses who try to peacefully co-exist with normal folk -- who nevertheless resort to magic when things don't quite go their way. Director: Griffin Dunne. Stars: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, Stockard Channing, Aidan Quinn. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 104 min., Fantasy, Box office gross: $42.262 million, Warner, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Since You've Been Gone This is David ("Friends") Schwimmer's male version of "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion" in which he -- and some of his classmates -- go to their 10-year reunion plotting to get even for being humiliated in school. Director: David Schwimmer. Stars: Teri Hatcher, Laura Flynn Boyle, Joey Slotnick, David Schwimmer. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 95 min., Comedy, Miramax, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Beyond Silence Unusual story follows emotional growth of hearing daughter of deaf parents from childhood through teen years as she leaves the world of silence (where she translates sounds into signs for her parents) to the world of music, where she becomes a clarinet prodigy. Director: Caroline Link. Stars: Sylvie Testud, Tatjana Trieb, Howie Seago, Emmanuelle Laborit, Sibylle Canonica, Matthias Habich. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 107 min., Drama (German), Box office gross: $0.171 million, Miramax, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Snake Eyes A corrupt detective gets embroiled in investigating the assassination of the Secretary of Defense at a boxing match, with 14,000 screaming fans as potential suspects. Director Brian De Palma weaves a thrilling tale of truth and deception. Director: Brian De Palma. Stars: Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise, Carla Gugino, Joan Heard. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 99 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $55.104 million, Paramount, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Governess, The Sweeping story of a young Jewish woman in mid-19th century England who leaves her London life and reinvents herself as a governess in Scotland when her father is murdered and her family dissolves. In this new environment, she blossoms, returning to London years later a new woman. Director: Sandra Goldbacher. Stars: Minnie Driver, Tom Wilkinson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 114 min., Drama, Box office gross: $3.708 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Without Limits Intelligent bio of late long-distance running champ Steve Prefontaine, who rose to international prominence in the 1970s. Unfortunately, this pic never made it past the first turn and audiences stayed away. Director: Robert Towne. Stars: Billy Crudup, Donald Sutherland, Monica Potter, Judith Ivey. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 120 min., Biodrama, Box office gross: $0.777 million, Warner, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Welcome to Woop Woop A New York con man flees to Australia, where he has a fling with a lusty woman and ends up a hostage to her after a shotgun wedding. Locked in a barn, he discovers that previous husbands all met the same fate: shot in the back while escaping. Black comedy by the director of "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert." Director: Stephan Elliott. Stars: Jonathon Schaech, Rod Taylor, Susie Porter, Dee Smart. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 97 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $0.035 million, Orion, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.

February 23

Ronin Intelligent actioner about ex-Cold War operatives, kind of modern-day Ronins -- samurai warriors without masters -- who are hired by a mysterious employer in France to recover, at all costs, a well-guarded suitcase, killing anyone who gets in the way. Director: John Frankenheimer. Stars: Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Jonathan Pryce, Sean Bean. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 122 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $41.486 million, MGM, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Urban Legend A demented killer murders co-eds in quaint New England college town, basing his deeds on well-know urban legends -- those macabre folk tales that make the rounds of campouts, sleepovers and slumber parties. Director: Jamie Blanks. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 99 min., Horror, Box office gross: $36.494 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Six-String Samurai Wild, off-beat adventure takes place in a world in which Russia dropped the bomb and conquered the world in 1957; 40 years later a guitar-swinging bespectacled swordsman (Buddy) makes his way to Lost Vegas to claim the title of King of Rock 'n' Roll. Part "Wizard of Oz," part "Star Wars." Director: Lance Mungia. Stars: Jeffrey Falcon, Justin McGuire, Stephane Gauger. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 90 min., Sci-Fi Action, Box office gross: $0.124 million, Palm Pictures, $19.95 SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Shadrach Based on a story by the director's father, William Styron, this small film is set in the South in 1935 and centers on the return of an aged black man to a now-rundown plantation to be buried on the land he grew up on, and the people who take him into their heart. Director: Susanna Styron. Stars: Harvey Keitel, Andie MacDowell, John Franklin Sawyer. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 88 min., Drama, Box office gross: $0.020 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Your Friends & Neighbors Director Neil Labute's followup to his breakthrough "In the Company of Men" follows the disaffected personal and love lives of a pair of mismatched couples and their friends. Director: Neil LaBute. Stars: Amy Brenneman, Aaaron Eckhart, Catherine Keener, Natassja Kinski, Jason Patric, Ben Stiller. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 100 min., Drama, Box office gross: $4.710 million, PolyGram, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: May.
Pecker Scatologically funny John Waters send-up of the art world and fame, with Edward Furlong as a Baltimore amateur photographer who gets discovered and becomes a big name in the hot NYC art world, inadvertently alienating the people he loves. Nasty and tasteless and wonderful. Director: John Waters. Stars: Edward Furlong, Christina Ricci, Martha Plimpton, Mary Kay Place, Lili Taylor. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 86 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $2.279 million, New Line, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Permanent Midnight Depressing bio of TV writer Jerry Stahl and his fall from success and tumble into the world of drugs. Director: David Veloz. Stars: Ben Stiller, Elizabeth Hurley, Janeane Garofalo, Maria Bello. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 97 min., Drama, Box office gross: $1.166 million, Artisan, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Digging to China Timothy Hutton's first time at directing produced this absorbing tale of the friendship between a mentally disabled young man and a young girl set in the 1960s, with fine turns by Kevin Bacon, Evan Rachel Wood as the mismatched friends. Director: Timothy Hutton. Stars: Kevin Bacon, Evan Rachel Wood, Mary Stuart Masterson, Cathy Moriarty. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: , 100 min., Drama, Box office gross: $0.041 million, BMG, No SRP, Priced for rental.x DVD: No.
Knocks at My Door Venezuelan political thriller about a pair of nuns who harbor a rebel fugitive and who become pawns in the rivalry between Church and State when they're found out. Tense and stirring. In Spanish with English subtitles. Director: Alejandro Saderman. 1993, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 105 min., Foreign, Fox Lorber, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.

March 2

Soldier Run of the mill sci-fi adventure about fighting men in outer space, in particular Kurt Russell as a no-nonsense, unfeeling killing machine who eventually faces off against a bio-engineered rival on a distant planet. Rehashed themes and outworn ideas. Director: Paul Anderson. Stars: Kurt Russell, Jason Scott Lee, Gary Busey, Connie Nielsen. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 98 min., Sci-Fi, Box office gross: $14.567 million, Warner, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Ever After Updating of Cinderella fairy tale with '90s sensibility has 16th century Danielle (Drew Barrymore) placed at the mercy of evil stepmother (Anjelica Huston) when her father dies. Fabulous sleeper hit has all the right elements in all the right places. Director: Andy Tennant. Stars: Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, Dougray Scott, Megan Dodds, Melanie Lynskey. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 121 min., Melodrama, Box office gross: $65.644 million, Fox, $19.98 SRP. DVD: Day & Date.
Baby Huey"s Great Easter Adventure Direct-to-video live action musical about the giant diapered duck of Harvey Comics fame (since 1950), here with the innocent character becoming the darling of Bitzville but also running afoul of a coniving impresario who has shady ideas about Huey. Duracase packaging. Stars: Joseph Bologna, Maureen McCormick, Harvey Korman, David Lander, David Leisure. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 89 min., Children, Columbia TriStar, SRP estimated at $14.95.

March 9

Dead Man on Campus Very dumb comedy about two flunking college students who unearth an obscure regulation that offers straight A's to any student whose roommate commits suicide. Now the pair hunt for the university's most suicidal student so they can move in and knock him off. Ugh! Director: Alan Cohn. Stars: Tom Everett Scott, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Alyson Hannigan. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 94 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $15.062 million, Paramount, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
One Hundred and One Dalmatians Restored and digitally remastered Disney animated classic. 1961, CC, 79 min., Animated, Walt Disney, $26.99 SRP. DVD: No.
What Dreams May Come This beautifully created visual orgy of an afterlife fantasy has Robin Williams dying and going to heaven, leaving behind his true love/wife. After exploring Paradise (which is made up of his thoughts), he discovers that his wife has committed suicide, and he journeys to her self- made hell to find her soul. Gorgeous. Director: Vincent Ward. Stars: Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr., Annabella Sciorra. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 114 min., Fantasy, Box office gross: $55.350 million, PolyGram, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: May.

March 16

Waterboy, The Goofball comedy has Sandler as socially-retarded 31-year-old Cajun football waterboy who's been tormented all his life by everyone around him -- until he joins a losing football team and learns to transform his anger into awesome tackles. Sparkling slapstick and Sandler humor. Director: Frank Coraci. Stars: Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Fairuza Balk, Jerry Reed, Henry Winkler. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 86 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $140.000 million, Buena Vista, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Bulworth Brilliant political satire about burned-out California Senator who flips out on the last weekend before election day, starts telling the truth about big money, government and how special interests buy politicians, hangs with Compton "homies," starts speaking in hip-hop rhyme, and starts to win over more and more of his constituents for his straight talk. All the while he's dodging an assassin that he contracted for (in a fit of depression) to get insurance money for his daughter. Director: Warren Beatty. Stars: Warren Beatty, Halle Berry, Oliver Platt, Don Cheadle, Paul Sorvino, Jack Warden. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 107 min., Satire, Box office gross: $26.525 million, Fox, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
One True Thing Delicate melodrama about successful NY journalist who returns home to help care for her dying mother and is confronted by her past -- and her philandering father -- and learns to understand them both. A hanky puller for sure. Director: Carl Franklin. Stars: Renee Zellweger, William Hurt, Meryl Streep. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 127 min., Drama, Box office gross: $23.209 million, Universal, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Polish Wedding Life and love among first and second generation Polish immigrants in Detroit has enough humor, romance and family values to cast a warm glow around stars Lena Olin and Claire Danes (as mother and daughter) looking for love and happiness. Sweet. Director: Thersea Connelly. Stars: Lena Olin, Gabriel Byrne, Claire Danes. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 107 min., Romantic comedy, Box office gross: $0.600 million, Fox, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Living Out Loud Pair of losers -- Holly Hunter as the spurned/divorced wife of philandering surgeon, Danny DeVito a schlub of an apartment doorman -- move through post-marriage life rudderless, isolated and alone, until the unlikely lovers come together. Thoughtful, mature relationship film. Director: Richard LaGravenese. Stars: Danny DeVito, Holly Hunter, Queen Latifah, Richard Schiff, Elias Koteas. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 103 min., Romantic comedy, Box office gross: $12.708 million, New Line, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Temptations, The Home video version of the TV miniseries bio of the acclaimed Motown group, sporting a fabulous soundtrack of originals from "My Girl" to "Just My Imagination." 1998, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 150 min., Musical bio, Artisan, $19.98 SRP. DVD: Day & Date.

March 23

Bride of Chucky With the teaser line "Chucky Gets Lucky," you know this third sequel to 1988's "Child's Play," about an evil spirit inhabiting a doll, is sheer gore fun. Chucky comes back to life and gets back together with old flame Tiffany for another round of gruesome mayhem. Director: Ronny Yu. Stars: Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, Alexis Arquette. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 89 min., Horror, Box office gross: $32.368 million, Universal, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Pleasantville 1990's brother and sister are magically zapped into the world of a 1950s TV sitcom where they bring color and social change to an otherwise black and white, complacent world of conformity in this wonderful look at the clash between modernity and conservative family values. Director: Gary Ross. Stars: Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, Joan Allen, William H. Macy, Jeff Daniels. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 124 min., Fantasy-Drama, Box office gross: $39.194 million, New Line, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Ringmaster The king of TV sleaze comes to the big screen in this fictionalized account of events leading up to an appearance by a group of unfaithful wives, husbands and lovers on "Lifestyles of the Poor and Trashy." Low-brow budget, direction and acting -- yet fans of this sleaze will enjoy the titillation. Director: Neil Abramson. Stars: Jerry Spinger, Jaime Pressly, William McNamara, Molly Hagen, Michael Jai White. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 95 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $9.002 million, Artisan, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Mighty Joe Young Remake of the 1949 classic about a giant but kindly, friendly gorilla who's brought from Africa to the States to be put on display by greedy entrepreneurs. This version is updated to include nasty poachers, a theme park where Joe is supposed to be on exhibit, and the delightful Charlize Theron as Joe's companion. Director: Ron Underwood. Stars: Charlize Theron, Bill Paxton, Rade Sherbedgia, Peter Firth, David Paymer. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 115 min., Adventure, Box office gross: $45.000 million, Buena Vista, $24.99 SRP. DVD: Day & Date.
Carla's Song Lower-class Glasgow bus driver becomes infatuated with Nicaraguan refugee, finds out she's suffering from post-traumatic stress, and accompanies her to her homeland to help her come to terms with her past. Moving love story of passion and politics. Released in France and Italy only. Director: Ken Loach. Stars: Robert Carlyle, Scott Glenn, Oyenka Cabezas. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 127 min., Drama, Fox Lorber, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Strangeland Heavy Metal horror film about a sadistic madman who lures victims using the Internet. Stars: Dee Snider, Elizabeth Pena, Robert Englund. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 85 min., Horror, Box office gross: $0.649 million, Artisan, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Best Man, The This Italian drama takes place at the turn of the 19th century and concerns two passionate lovers kept apart by one minor reason -- she's the bride and he's the best man. Italian with English subtitles. 1997 Golden Globe winner. Director: Pupi Avati. Stars: Diego Abatantuono, Ines Sastre, Dario Cantarelli. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 99 min., Foreign, Universal, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Safe Men Two bumbling musicians are mistaken for safecrackers by a powerful mobster and are forced to pull off a series of heists -- or die. Director: John Hamburg. Stars: Steve Zahn, Sam Rockwell, Harvey Fierstein, Paul Giamatti, Michael Lerner. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 89 min., Comedy Thriller, Box office gross: $0.036 million, Universal, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Firelight Period romance set in the mid-19th century, about a Swiss governess who has a brief liaison with an English landowner, bears his child, is forced to leave, and returns seven years later as the child's governess. A real romantic tear-jerker. Director: William Nicholson. Stars: Stephen Dillane, Sophie Marceau, Kevin Anderson. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 103 min., Melodrama, Box office gross: $0.775 million, Buena Vista, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: 2.
Dame Edna's Neighbourhood Watch Dame Edna is the British housewife's worst enemy -- a wacky middle-aged, purple-haired matron who skewers British morals and morale with outrageous humor and wardrobe (the kindly Dame is played by Dr. Barry Humphries, who introduced her in the mid-1970s at his one- man show -- "Housewife Superstar!" -- in London). This three volume set features the wild lady -- sporting a wardrobe that Cher and RuPaul would envy -- hosting a make-believe game show, "Neighbourhood Watch," that selects three contestants from an all-female audience and then takes viewers on a journey that hilariously violates the nooks and crannies of one woman's house. Delightful, biting and witty British humor. Stars: Barry Humphries. 1999, MPAA rating: NR, 60 min., Comedy, Culture Q Connection, No SRP. DVD: No.

March 30

Home Fries Dark comedy that takes a satirical (but affectionate) look at middle America. Plot revolves around a pregnant fast-food worker who's lover is "murdered" by his wronged wife and stepsons. Afraid she knows that they did dad in, one son infiltrates the burger stand to find out what she knows, but instead of getting rid of her he starts to fall for her. Director: Dean Parisot. Stars: Drew Barrymore, Catherine O'Hara, Luke Wilson, Jake Busey, Shelley Duvall. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 94 min., Black comedy, Box office gross: $10.307 million, Warner, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Rugrats Movie, The Nick's animated darlings move to the big screen in this splendid full-length feature that follows Rugrats Chuckie, Tommy, twins Lil & Phil and Angelica as they embark on an adventure to return "broke" newborn Dil Pickles (he must be "broke" cause he cries all the time) to the hospital, instead getting lost in the forest and battling a group of monkeys who have escaped from a circus. Wonderful almost surreal humor. Director: Norton Virgien and Igor Kovalyov. Stars: Voices of E.G. Daily, Christine Cavanaugh, Kath Soucie, Cheryl Chase. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: G, 82 min., Family, Box office gross: $92.000 million, Paramount, $26.95 SRP. DVD: Day & Date.

April 6

Meet Joe Black Loose remake of "Death Takes a Holiday," with Pitt as the personification of death come to visit a media tycoon (Hopkins), who's on the verge of a heart attack. The otherworldly presence sticks around to savor life, while giving the businessman a sense of his importance. Matters become even more complicated when Death falls for the mogul's daughter. Way too long, way too overblown. In widescreen and pan-and-scan. Director: Martin Brest. Stars: Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Jeffrey Tambor, Claire Forlani, Marcia Gay Harden. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 180 min., Drama, Box office gross: $44.522 million, Universal, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Soldier's Daughter Never Cries, A Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Kaylie Jones, daughter of author James Jones ("From Here to Eternity," "The Thin Red Line"), about her family's lives first as expatriates in Paris in the '60s and '70s, then in the States. Wonderfully moving melodrama with fine turns by Kristofferson, Hershey. Director: James Ivory. Stars: Kris Kristofferson, Barbara Hershey, Jane Birkin, Jesse Bradford, Leelee Sobieski. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 128 min., Drama, Box office gross: $1.738 million, Universal, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
American History X Two brothers become involved in the neo-Nazi movement in this disturbing look at hate, racisim, anti-Semitism. Stirring performances by Norton and Furlong, with fine supporting cast, but the film's topic makes for heady going. Director: Tony Kaye. Stars: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D'Angeleo, Fairuza Balk, Avery Brooks, Stacy Keach. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 119 min., Drama, Box office gross: $6.314 million, New Line, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer Weak sequel to the smash horror hit of 1997, this one has the survivor of the original's bloodbath taking a holiday to the Bahamas with some friends a year later, only to be confronted again by the crazed murderer. Way, way derivative. Director: Danny Cannon. Stars: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., Brandy, Muse Watson, Mekhi Phifer. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 100 min., Horror, Box office gross: $39.842 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Beloved Based on Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, this over-long melodrama centers on the tribulations of a former slave tortured by the ghosts of her horrific past, marring her attempts to free herself emotionally and spiritually. Director: Jonathan Demme. Stars: Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, Thandie Newton, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Beah Richards. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 172 min., Melodrama, Box office gross: $22.746 million, Touchstone, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.

April 13

Apt Pupil Honor high school student discovers that a Nazi war criminal has been quietly living in his hometown and, obsessed with the atrocities of the Holocaust, he blackmails the old man, opening up a riveting game of cat and mouse. Director: Bryan Singer. Stars: Brad Renfro, Sir Ian McKellen, David Schwimmer. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 112 min., Drama, Box office gross: $8.838 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Savior Decent family man and soldier gets revenge when his wife and child are blown up in a Parisian cafe by terrorists -- first he slaughters praying Arabs in a mosque, then joins the Foreign Legion and goes on a killing spree in Serbia. Director: Peter Antonijevic. Stars: Dennis Quaid. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 105 min., Action, Box office gross: $0.012 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
One Tough Cop Dogged investigation by highly decorated New York cop into the rape/mutilation of a nun in an East harlem convent. Gripping thriller. Director: Bruno Barreto. Stars: Stephen Baldwin, Gina Gershon, Chris Penn, Mike McGlone, Amy Irving. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 94 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $1.220 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Detroit 9000 Re-issued theatrically in January 1999, this blaxploitation film follows the bloody adventures of a pair of cops tracking down armed bandits who held up a fund-raising banquet for a black candidate. Released on Quentin Tarantino's Rolling Thunder imprint. Director: Arthur Marks. Stars: Alex Rocco, Hari Rhoades, Vonetta McGee, Scatman Crothers. 1973, CC, MPAA rating: R, 106 min., Action, Miramax, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Mother and the Whore, The Classic of latter-day New Wave filmmaking about a self-indulgent student and his relationships with both his lover and another woman who enters his bed; a lengthy but masterful diatribe on how power (sexual and political) emanates in society. Director: Jean Eustache. Stars: Bernadette LaFont, Jean-Pierre Leaud, Francoise Lebrun. 1973, MPAA rating: NR, 210 min., Drama, New Yorker, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.

April 20

Simon Birch Simon Birch was the smallest birth at Gravestown Memorial Hospital and his mischievous idyllic childhood is lacking only one thing: parental love. With an old soul and a funny voice, he hangs with a loser friend born out of wedlock, just having fun -- until a chain of events change their lives forever. Director: Mark Steven Johnson. Stars: Ian Michael Smith, Joseph Mazzello, Ashley Judd, Oliver Platt, David Strathairn. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 110 min., Comedy-Drama, Box office gross: $18.239 million, Buena Vista, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Bug's Life, A Delicious story and fabulous 3-D computer animation made this family feature a smash hit. A group of ants - toiling for their grasshopper overlords - enlist the aid of an out-of-work bug circus to save their society from oppression. Spirited and goofy. Director: John Lasseter. Stars: Voices of Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Phyllis Diller, David Hyde Pierce. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: G, 94 min., Animated, Box office gross: $155.000 million, Buena Vista, 26.99 SRP. DVD: Day & Date.
Siege, The New York City comes under siege by a group of Arab zealots who blow up, first, a bus loaded with passengers and then a full-house Broadway theater in an effort to blackmail the government into freeing one of their leaders. Counterterrorist Denzel Washington gets on the case, but his pursuit of terrorist cells is hampered by the CIA (Annette Bening) and the military (Bruce Willis). Director: Edward Zwick. Stars: Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, Bruce Willis, Tony Shalhoub. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 120 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $40.932 million, Fox, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Monument Avenue Depressing tale of petty Irish criminals in the working class section of Boston. Director: Ted Demme. Stars: Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, Billy Crudup, Colm Meany, Famke Janssen. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 94 min., Drama, Box office gross: $0.332 million, Miramax, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Night at the Roxbury, A Dumb teenage boy oriented comedy about a pair of losers who are the epitome of unhip. Because of a fluke car accident, their dreams come true: they get into a fashionable club and actually meet women! Things go down hill from there. Based on "Saturday Night Live" skits. Director: John Fortenberry. Stars: Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, Molly Shannon, Dan Hedaya, Loni Anderson. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 81 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $30.324 million, Paramount, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Belly Controversial ultra-violent urban drama that had difficulty getting booked in theatres, including those in urban neighborhoods. Director: Hype Williams. Stars: Nas, DMX, Taral Hicks, Tionne T-Boz Watkins, Method Man. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 95 min., Drama, Box office gross: $9.630 million, Artisan, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Rear Window Bland TV remake of Hitchcock's classic about a wheelbound architect who becomes convinced that one of his neighbors has committed a murder. Stars: Christopher Reeve, Daryl Hannah. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 89 min., Thriller, Artisan, $19.98 SRP.

April 27

Elizabeth A sweeping, full-bodied depiction of the ascendancy to the throne of Queen Elizabeth in 1558. There's family intrigue, political machinations, geopolitical warring and, of course, the fine turns by Blanchett, Rush and Fiennes. Director: Shekhar Kapur. Stars: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes, Richard Attenborough, James Fain, Christopher Eccleston. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 124 min., Biodrama, Box office gross: $27.000 million, PolyGram, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: May 25.
Stepmom Weepy melodrama from director Chris Columbus ("Mrs. Doubtfire," "Home Alone") about the turmoil of an upper-middle class family when mom (Susan Sarandon) and dad (Ed Harris) separate and dad takes up with a younger, career-minded fashion photographer (Julia Roberts) who's forced into the role of an unwelcome stepmother for his two kids. Director: Chris Columbus. Stars: Julia Roberts, Ed Harris, Susan Sarandon. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 125 min., Melodrama, Box office gross: $90.002 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Happiness Exploration into the unhappy lives of a variety of very unhappy denizens of New Jersey, with a black and bleakly comedic look at sexual mores, fantasies and failures -- a decidedly downer of a film but brilliant in its descent into hell. Director: Todd Solondz. Stars: Jane Adams, Lara Flynn Boyle, Cynthia Stevenson, Dylan Baker, Ben Gazzara, Camryn Manheim. 1998, CC, MPAA Rating: NC-17, 134 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $2.746 million, Trimark, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
At First Sight A story of faith, hope and love about a blind young man whose sight is restored by a remarkable operation. Val Kilmer is a blind masseur whose hands heal stressed out Manhattanite Mira Sorvino, and they promptly fall in love. But their burgeoning romance is put to the test after the surgery when he has to learn to see the world for the first time. Director: Irwin Winkler. Stars: Val Kilmer, Mira Sorvino, Kelly McGillis, Steven Weber, Bruce Davison, Nathan Lane. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 126 min., Romantic Drama, Box office gross: $21.825 million, MGM, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
South Park Volumes 7-8-9 This almost-R-rated Comedy Central cartoon series has slapped America's funny bone and audiences are still recovering -- to the tune of 8 million visits to the weekly TV show. The folks at Rhino have put together three new volumes of the nasty-minded and toilet- humored cartoons -- basically about a group of third-graders wandering through a bizarre world of mayhem and supernatural, extraordinary and insane events in the Colorado Rockies town of South Park -- highlighted by the infamous two-parter "Cartman's Mom Is a Dirty Slut" and "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut." There's two episodes on each video. Director: Trey Parker & Matt Stone. 1999, MPAA rating: NR, Adult cartoon, Rhino, No SRP. DVD: No.
Thief, The Venice Film Festival winner about life during Stalin's regime in Russia, following the interaction between a young, fatherless boy, his mother and the stranger who enters their lives with profound consequences. Russian with English subtitles. Director: Pavel Chukhrai. Stars: Vladimir Mashkov, Ekaterina Rednikova, Misha Philipchuk. 1997, CC, MPAA rating: R, 92 min., Drama, Box office gross: $1.126 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Ten Benny Gritty urban drama about an ambitious shoe salesman/hustler who borrows ten grand to bet on a sure thing at the horse races, only to find himself on the short end of the stick when the horse doesn't come in but the mob does. Director: Eric Bross. Stars: Adrien Brody, Sybil Temchen, Tony Gillan, Frank Vinent. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 98 min., Drama, BMG, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Space Truckers Direct-to-video big budget special effects extravaganza with some off-the-wall overacting by Dennis Hopper, Stephen Dorff and Debi Mazar; tale follows adventures of a space trucker who hijacks a load of robot killing machines sent to take over the earth. Dialogue and plot are about as corny as they get; swelling music is too robust for the production. Stars: Dennis Hopper, Stephen Dorff, Debi Mazar. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, min., Science Fiction, Sterling Home Entertainment, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Taste of Cherry Award-winning story of a despondent man's attempt to find someone to help him commit suicide and the people he encounters, including a museum employee who argues that if he takes his life he'll miss the simple pleasures of life: the taste of cherries, for example. Filmed in the hills above Tehran, Iran. In Iranian with English subtitles. Director: Abbas Kiarostami. Stars: Homayon Ershadi, Abdolhossein Bagheri, Ali Moradi, Mir Hossein Noori. 1997, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 95 min., Drama, Home Vision, $29.95 SRP. DVD: Day & Date.

May 4

You've Got Mail Rough remake of Ernst Lubitsch's 1940 classic "The Shop Around the Corner," about co-workers in a shop who don't know they're loney-hearts pen pals, here updated with Meg Ryan as neighborhood book store owner and Tom Hanks as the mogul of a conglomerate trying to put her out of business, who fall in love via e-mail. Sickly sweet sentimental romance. Director: Nora Ephron. Stars: Tom Hanks, Parker Posey, Meg Ryan, Jean Stapleton, Dave Chappelle, Dabney Coleman. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 120 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $114.000 million, Warner, $22.96 SRP. DVD: Day & Date.
Babe: Pig in the City This sequel to the highly successful "Babe" got blindsided by bad pre-release buzz and poor opening week positioning by Universal. It's a brilliant film, almost surreal in its telling, that follows the weird adventures of pig "Babe," lost in a big city and at the mercy of a group of mean chimps and humans. It's a tad dark for most kids but still a wonderful fable, kind of a modern "Animal Farm." Director: George Miller. Stars: Magda Szubanski, Mary Stein, Mickey Rooney, James Cromwell. Voices of E.G. Daily, Danny Mann, Glenne Headly, Steven Wright. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: G, 88 min., Family, Box office gross: $17.000 million, Universal, $22.98 SRP. DVD: Day & Date.
Mummy, The Boris Karloff plays Im-Ho-Tepp, a 3,700-year-old Egyptian mummy accidentally brought back to life when a British archaeology team discovers an ancient tomb in the desert. Digitally remastered with original trailer to tie-in with this summer's remake starring Brendan Fraser. Director: Karl Freud. Stars: Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Edward Van Sloan. 1932, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 74 min., Horror, Universal, $14.98 SRP.

May 11

Velvet Goldmine Story of the rise and fall of a mythical glam rock star who suddenly disappears at the peak of his fame in the early 1970s. Director: Todd Haynes. Stars: Ewan McGregor, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Toni Collette, Christian Bale. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, min., Rock Drama, Box office gross: $1.043 million, Miramax, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Another Day in Paradise Absorbing road picture about a pair of wired, dysfunctional teens (Wagner and Kartheiser) about to hit bottom who find the mostly unlikely of guardian angels: a pair of peripatetic dope dealers (Woods and Griffith). Director: Larry Clark. Stars: James Woods, Melanie Griffith, Vincent Kartheiser, Natasha Gregson Wagner. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 101 min., Drama, Box office gross: $0.193 million, Trimark, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Star Trek: Insurrection The ninth feature film in the Star Trek franchise has the crew of the Starship Enterprise initially investigating a survey mission gone awry on a strange planet. Here they not only discover a planet whose population has attained eternal youth, they uncover a sinister plot by an aging, dying race to forcefully "cleanse" the planet of its civilization in order to harness the "fountain of youth." Against Federation orders, the crew joins in to save the planet and its inhabitants. Not as spectacular as previous voyages, but nevertheless an outer space thrill ride. Director: Jonathan Frakes. Stars: Patric Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, F. Murray Abraham. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 103 min., Science Fiction, Box office gross: $70.118 million, Paramount, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Orgazmo Misfired satire of religion and the porn industry, with a young Morman who takes the word of the lord door-to-door finding himself involved in sex films as the super-hero Orgazmo -- who packs an orgasm- making gun -- to finance his wedding. Things spiral out of control when his new-found friend and porn sidekick invents a real ray-gun and the pair take their roles too seriously. A real stinker of an outing -- somewhere way below the worst bad taste of John Waters -- by Trey Parker, creator of TV's "South Park." Use of four-letter words will offend even the staunchist defender of the First Amendment. Director: Trey Parker. Stars: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Dian Bachar, Robyn Lynne, Michael Dean jacobs. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: NC-17, 94 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $0.549 million, PolyGram, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Talk of Angels Romantic drama about an Irish woman who travels to Spain to work as a governess for an aristocratic family, and her love affair with the married son of the patriarch. Stars: Vincent Perez, Polly Walker, Frances McDormand. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, min., Drama, Box office gross: $0.015 million, Miramax, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.

May 18

Impostors, The Two out of work actors end up becomming stowaways on an an ocean liner bound for Europe, wreaking havoc with crew and passengers alike as they evade the authorities and foil the bomb plot of a deranged crewman in this Marx Bros.-type slapstick. Director: Stanley Tucci. Stars: Stanley Tucci, Oliver Platt, Alfred Molina, Campbell Scott, Tony Shalhoub, Lily Taylor. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 101 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $2.197 million, Fox, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Holy Man Lackluster comedy has Eddie Murphy star as an inspirational guru who moves from the streets to television to become an over-the-top marketing genius, taking a home shopping network -- and the country -- by storm. Stars: Eddie Murphy, Jeff Goldblum, Kelly Preston. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG, min., Comedy, Box office gross: $12.065 million, Buena Vista, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Very Bad Things Five buddies on a bachelor party romp in Las Vegas accidentally kill a prostitute, setting off a horrific chain of events that leads to paranoia, various coverups, and more murders before the happy couple trip the light fantastic down the wedding aisle. A mad comic vision that attempts to strip away the veneer of middle-class civility by showing the dark side of seemingly normal people. There's some very funny moments here but for the most part the film is just too over-the-edge dark to be enjoyable. Kudos to the fine ensemble cast -- particularly Cameron Diaz playing against her goody-goody roles of the past -- for attempting to pull it off. Director: Peter Berg. Stars: Christian Slater, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Stern, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Jon Favreau, Jeremy Piven. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 100 min., Dark Comedy, Box office gross: $9.876 million, PolyGram, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Bent Follows the story of gay men during the rise of Hitler and their interment at Dachau during WWII. Originally rated NC-17. Director: Sean Mathias. Stars: Clive Owen, Lothaire Bluteau, Ian McKellen, Mick Jagger, Jude Law. 1997, CC, MPAA rating: R, 107 min., Drama, Box office gross: $0.450 million, Orion, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Winchell HBO TV dramatization of the life of gossip columnist Walter Winchell who, at the height of his journalistic powers, could make and break stars, businessmen and even politicians. Stanley Tucci won a Golden Globe for his performance. Director: Paul Mazursky. Stars: Stanley Tucci, Glenne Hedley, Paul Giamatti, Christopher Plummer. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 108 min., Drama, HBO, No SRP, Priced for rental.
Cool, Dry Place, A Handsome young attorney is caught in a romantic triangle, forced to choose between his estranged wife and sexy young girlfriend. Limited theatrical run. Stars: Vince Vaughn, Monica Potter, Joey Lauren Adams. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 120 min., Drama, Fox, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Shadow of a Doubt Courtroom drama about a high-profile Los Angeles defense attorney who faces off against her former lover, wealthy Los Angeles scions and politicians in a headline-caliber murder case. Director: Randal Kleiser. Stars: Melanie Griffith, Tom Berenger. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 103 min., Drama, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.

May 25

Gloria Director Sidney Lumet has fallen on hard times. This weak remake of John Cassavete's 1980 classic -- about an ex-mob mistress who risks everything to save the life of a young boy orphaned when his family is rubbed out by her criminal cohorts -- is merely a star vehicle for Sharon Stone, who fails mightily in filling the shoes worn by Gena Rowlands in the original. Spruced up for the 1990s, this Gloria doesn't age well. Rent the original before watching this one. Director: Sidney Lumet. Stars: Sharon Stone, Jeremy Northam, Jean-Luke Figueroa, Cathy Moriarty, George C. Scott, Mike Starr. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 108 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $4.155 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Saving Private Ryan Academy Award winning (including best director for Steven Spielberg) World War II epic that swirls around the D-Day landing at Omaha Beach and branches out in the search for the missing-in- action Pvt. Ryan, whose three siblings were all killed within days of each other. Gruesome and horrible in its depiction of the blood-soaked human cost of battle, the film is ultimately a search for the minute amount of humanness that rises up against all odds to the contrary. Powerful filmmaking. Director: Steven Spielberg. Stars: Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Matt Damon, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, Jeremy Davies. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 160 min., War, Box office gross: $211.000 million, DreamWorks, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Theory of Flight, The A stressed out man is sentenced to perform community service and ends up caring for a young woman in the final stages of a terminal motor disease, naturally learning to love her. Great performances but typical story arc. Director: Paul Greengrass. Stars: Helena Bonham Carter, Kenneth Branagh, Gemma Jones, Holly Aird. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 98 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $0.071 million, New Line, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Alice in Wonderland Great cast, stunning visual effects, rather slow-paced TV retelling of Lewis Carroll's children's classic. Director: Nick Willinag. Stars: Robbie Coltrane, Whoopi Goldberg, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Lloyd, Miranda Richardson, Martin Short. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 129 min., Fantasy, Family Home Ent./Hallmark, $19.98 SRP. DVD: Day & Date.
Insomnia Brooding, absorbing police thriller about a brilliant but arrogant detective sent to remote Northern Norway to solve a murder. When he tries to cover-up the accidental shooting of his partner, he comes under scrutiny by a suspicious female detective. As the case progresses, he falls deeper and deeper in a torturous world of guilt and insomnia. Director: Erik Skjoldbjaerg. Stars: Stellan Skarsgard, Sverre Anker Ousdal, Bjorn Floberg. 1997, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 97 min., Thriller, Home Vision, $29.95 SRP. DVD: Day & Date.
Un Air De Famille A simple story about a family that gets together for dinner once a week; this darkly comic tour-de-force displays their petty politics, family squabbling, whining and needling to reveal universal truths about family life. French with English subtitles Director: Cedric Kapisch. Stars: Agnes Jaoui, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Catherine Frot, Claire Maurier. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 105 min., Comedy-Drama, Fox Lorber, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue, The Second direct-to-video sequel about the brave toaster and his appliance friends -- lampy, radio, blanky, kirby -- here thwarting a plot by their master's sinister lab assistant to sell animals to a lab for experimentation. Voices of Alfre Woodard, Eddie Bracken, Jay Mohr. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 74 min., Animated, Disney, $22.99 SRP. DVD: No.
Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, The Disney's 11th animated feature, here restored to its original length with two tales: Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows" and Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." 1949, MPAA rating: G, 68 min., Animated, Box office gross: $ million, Disney, $22.99 SRP. DVD: No.

June 1

Dark Romances Vol. 2 Anthology of weird vignettes of horror, death and destruction, sleazily shot with off-kilter production values that will titillate fans of cheap tabloid video thrillers. This is the second volume in the series and offers up five revolting tales of evil, malevolence and bizarre revenge, with the appearance of the icon Diana ("the beautiful and deadly Diana born of pure evil whose goal in life is to destroy lives") as a connecting thread through it all. Episodes include "She's Bad, She's Blonde, She's Lunch," about a pair of killers who get their just deserts; "Cardinal Sin," about a young man who gets even with his mom; and "What Goes Around," about an art collector who literally takes a piece of the artists she sponsors. These are so disgusting and bad that they're good. 1999, MPAA rating: NR, 99 min., Horror, Salt City, $39.95. DVD: No.

June 8

Gods and Monsters Breathtaking story of director James Whale -- "Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein" -- and his days of glory in early Hollywood, told from the perspective of his memories in 1957 -- at age 67 -- after years of obscurity and in frail health after a stroke. Director: Bill Condon. Stars: Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave, Lolita Davidovich, David Dukes. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 105 min., Drama, Box office gross: $5.541 million, Universal, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Psycho Frame-for-frame reshoot and homage to the original and director Alfred Hitchcock -- albeit brought up to the present in tone and setting -- doesn't equal nor add anything to the classic. A curiosity piece at best. Director: Gus Van Sant. Stars: Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Julianne Moore, Viggo Mortensen, William H. Macy, Robert Forster. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 106 min., Horror, Box office gross: $21.380 million, Universal, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Last Rites TV thriller about a serial killer who gains lifesaving psychic powers after being spared the electric chair by a freak accident, and the shrink who fights for his freedom. Stars: Randy Quaid, Embeth Davidtz. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 88 min., Thriller, Universal, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.

June 15

Enemy of the State Successful attorney unwittingly comes into possession of filmed evidence that implicates a National Security Agency official in the slaying of a Congressman and is thrown into a terrible high-tech game of cat and mouse, with his life at stake. Fast-paced action-thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat. Director: Tony Scott. Stars: Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, Lisa Bonet. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 127 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $110.887 million, Buena Vista, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Little Voice Pleasing comedy about a working class girl who barely talks but can sing up a storm, recapturing the personas of Garland, Dietrich, Bassey and Monroe, and the effect on her life and her boozy mother's life when she's discovered by a sleazy agent. Director: Mark Herman. Stars: Michael Caine, Brenda Blethyn, Ewan McGregor, Jane Horrocks. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 99 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $4.464 million, Miramax, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Faculty, The High school-set take on "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," with being from outer space slowly taking over faculty and students, with only a handful of students realizing what's going on and trying to stop it. Written by Kevin Williamson, and like "Scream," which Williamson also wrote, the film pokes grisly fun at itself and horror films in general, with the protagonists mapping their actions according to the sci-fi films they've seen. Director: Robert Rodriguez. Stars: Jordana Brewster, Clea Duvall, Salma Hayek, Famke Janssen, Piper Laurie, Robert Patrick, Bebe Neuwirth. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 104 min., Sci-fi Horror, Box office gross: $34.840 million, Miramax, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
In Dreams Misfired thriller about a woman who has prescient dreams foreshadowing the murder of her daughter and somehow has her mind melded with the serial killer. Seemingly off the deep end, she's thrown into the exact same loony bin that housed the killer years earlier and -- well, there's too much coincidental action here to make this outing very involving. Director: Neil Jordan. Stars: Annette Bening, Robert Downey Jr., Stephen Rea, Aidan Quinn, Paul Guilfoyle. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 100 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $11.347 million, DreamWorks, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Dancing at Lughnasa Memory piece set in rural Ireland in 1936, about five unmarried sisters who live near a small village and their life that summer -- revolving around the arrival of two men and leading up to the yearly dance in honor of the harvest deity Lugh. The play of the same doesn't translate all that well to the big screen. Director: Pat O'Connor. Stars: Meryl Streep, Michael Gambon, Catherine McCormack, Kathy Burke, Sophie Thompson. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 94 min., Drama, Box office gross: $2.285 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Just the Ticket Mangled comedy about a streetwise New York ticket scalper whose girlfriend dumps him because she sees no future in their relationship and his lifestyle. Trying to make one big score, he tries to sew up tickets to the Pope's Easter Mass visit, but gets stymied when his archival beats him to it. Now he must struggle to make his score and get his girl back. Director: Richard Wenk. Stars: Andy Garcia, Andie MacDowell, Richard Bradford, Elizabeth Ashley, Andre Blake. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 105 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $0.427 million, MGM, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
My Name Is Joe Small film about a working class bloke named Joe, on the wagon for almost a year, and his attempt to live a normal life doing odd jobs, coaching a local Glasgow soccer team and making time with a local social worker. But his drinking past eventually catches up to him. Director: Ken Loach. Stars: Peter Mullan, Louise Goodall, Gary Lewis, David McKay. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 105 min., Drama, Box office gross: $0.346 million, Artisan Entertainment, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Patriot, The Typical Steven Seagal actioner, with the stony one playing a government immunologist turned small-town doctor in Montana who has to simultaneously fend off a strange new epidemic and a group of extremists who take over the town. No U.S. distribution. Stars: Steven Seagal. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, Action, Buena Vista, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Facade Thriller about a pair of entrepreneurs who kill off everyone who gets in the way of their scheme to build an extravagant hotel in Malibu, Calif., and the surreal turn of events when one of them discovers it's an elaborate fantasy concocted by escaped mental inmates. Director: Carl-Jan Colpaert. Stars: Eric Roberts. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 93 min., Thriller, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.

June 22

Patch Adams Robin Williams stars as Patch Adams, a rebellious former-mental-patient-turned medical student who bucks the establishment at the Medical College of Virginia by using humor and outrageous antics to help cure patients. Williams is cuddly sweet; the film pulls out every sentimental trick in the bag to please audiences. Director: Tom Shadyac. Stars: Robin Williams, Daniel London, Monica Potter, Seymour Hoffman. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 116 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $133.824 million, Universal, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Simple Plan, A Trio of Midwest small towners -- a hard working bookkeeper, his simple-minded brother and one of their beer buddies -- come across a crashed private plane with a dead pilot and $4.4 million in cash. They decide to keep the money -- no one will know after all -- but the threesome get involved in a modern "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" scenario of mistrust and murder, sending their simple plan awry. Director: Sam Raimi. Stars: Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Bridget Fonda, Brent Briscoe. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 121 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $16.013 million, Paramount, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Wishful Thinking Comedy about the complexities of modern relationships, revolving around a young couple whose trust in each other is threatened when the young man decides he doesn't want marriage as an option and is wooed by a sexy interloper. Stars: Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Beals, Jon Stewart. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, Comedy, Miramax, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Storm of the Century Video release of the three-part ABC February telefilm of Stephen King's horror drama about a small Maine town besieged by evil during the worst storm of the century. On two cassettes. Director: Craig Baxley. Stars: Tim Daly, Colm Feore, Debrah Farentino. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 248 min., Horror, Trimark, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Waking Ned Devine Wonderful tale about the inhabitants of a small Irish town who find out that one in their midst has won the national lottery -- 6 million pounds. When the winner -- Ned Devine -- is found dead, the townsfolk join together in an outrageous scheme to claim the winnings. One of the better comedies out of the British Isles in years -- and heads above "The Full Monty" in its subtle comedic underpinnings. Director: Kirk Jones. Stars: Ian Bannen, David Kelly, Fionnula Flanagan. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 91 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $23.099 million, Fox, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Jawbreaker Dark comedy about the plight of the most popular girls at Reagan High as they try to cover up the death of the sweetest member of the clique when she's accidently killed as part of an innocent birthday party prank. Like wow, for party girls only. Director: Darren Stein. Stars: Rose McGowan, Rebecca Gayheart, Julie Benz, Pam Grier, Carol Kane, Judy Greer. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 87 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $3.071 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
HurlyBurly Sean Penn and Kevin Spacey play a pair of cynical and malicious casting agents whose fractured lives affect all those around them in this acerbic play by David Rabe. Director: Anthony Drazan. Stars: Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright Penn, Meg Ryan, Anna Paquin, Chazz Palminteri, Garry Shandling. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 126 min., Drama, Box office gross: $1.796 million, New Line, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.

June 29

Rushmore A precocious 10th-grader -- who excels at everything but his grades -- tries to win the affection of a first-grade teacher at his school, enlisting the aid of a school benefactor/business mogul (Bill Murray) who has an agenda of his own: he's also fallen in love with the teacher. This idiosyncratic comedy, with its off-the-wall story line and characters, stays one step ahead of sticky sentimentality as it explores -- with an almost black humor touch -- three lives in search of emotional repair. Bill Murray turns in one of his best comedy roles in a long time. Director: Wes Anderson. Stars: Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Olivia Williams, Seymour Cassel. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 95 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $15.189 million, Buena Vista, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Thin Red Line, The Director Terrence Malick goes behind the camera after a 21 year absence to create this harrowing vision of personal hell during the fierce battle of Guadalcanal Island during WWII. Highlighted by a fine ensemble cast, fabulous visuals and editing. Director: Terrence Malick. Stars: Sean Penn, John Cusack, Adrien Brody, Jim Caviezel, Elias Koteas, Ben Chaplin, Nick Nolte, Woody Harrelson. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 170 min., War drama, Box office gross: $36.324 million, Fox, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Mighty, The Story revolves around the friendship between two teen boys -- one a big, quiet, slow learner, the other bright but physically handicapped -- and how they pool their strengths to achieve self-esteem and popularity in spite of their outcast status. Director: Peter Chelsolm. Stars: Elden Henson, Kieran Culkin, Sharon Stone, Gena Rowlands, Gillian Anderson. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 100 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $2.643 million, Miramax, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Varsity Blues By-the-numbers teen drama starring James Van Der Beek of "Dawson's Creek," about the trials and tribulations of a second-string high school football quarterback who butts up against his father's failed high school football ambitions and teen love. Director: Brian Robbins. Stars: James Van Der Beek, Jon Voight, Paul Walker, Ron Lester, Amy Smart, Ali Larter. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 105 min., Drama, Box office gross: $52.000 million, Paramount, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Hi-Lo Country, The Modern Western about two brothers who return to New Mexico after WWII and try to build a life as cowboys raising cattle. But their womanizing, drinking and brawling ignites a powderkeg of anger and violence. Director: Stephen Frears. Stars: Billy Crudup, Woody Harrelson, Cole Hauser, Patricia Arquette, Sam Elliott. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 115 min., Drama, Box office gross: $0.163 million, PolyGram, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Still Crazy Wild rock comedy about a quintessential 1970s British rock band, the Strange Fruit, who disbanded in 1977 and attempt to reunite in 1998 for a legendary open-air rock festival. Director: Brian Gibson. Stars: Stephen Rea, Billy Connolly, Jimmy Nail, Timothy Spall, Bill Nighy. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 97 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $0.477 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Lansky HBO dramatization of the life of Meyer Lansky, the mastermind behind Murder Inc. and the man who put the organization into organized crime. Director: John McNaughton. Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Eric Roberts, Illeana Douglas, Beverly D'Angelo, Anthony LaPaglia. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, Drama, HBO Video, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Nights of Cabiria Fellini's classic tale of an eternally hopeful prostitute in post-World War II Rome and her search for true love. Restored director's cut features a sequence censored by the Catholic Church. Stars Giulietta Masina, Fellini's wife. In Italian with English subtitles. Director: Federico Fellini. Stars: Giulietta Masina. 1957, MPAA rating: NR, 117 min., Drama, Home Vision, $29.95 SRP. DVD: Day & Date.

July 6

Affliction Hard hitting drama about the dysfunctional relationship between an alcoholic, hot-tempered father and his son, a police officer in a small town in New Hampshire. The set piece is an investigation of a hunting death, but it's merely the background for the disintegration of the cop's life, filled with tragedy and violence. Director: Paul Schrader. Stars: Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, James Coburn, Willem Dafoe, Mary Beth Hurt, Jim True. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 114 min., Drama, Box office gross: $5.612 million, Universal, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Hilary and Jackie Touching, insightful story of Jacqueline and Hilary du Pre, gifted musical sisters who grew up in England in the 1950s. Treated as musical royalty, the constant touring eventually took a toll on their lives. Director: Anand Tucker. Stars: Emily Watson, Rachel Griffiths, David Morrissey. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 124 min., Bio-Drama, Box office gross: $4.874 million, PolyGram, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Tango Passionate mix of dance and drama about a young director, abandoned by his wife, who throws himself into the making of a film about tango, getting involved with a gorgeous young dancer who happens to be the mistress of the film's main investor. In Spanish with English subtitles. Director: Carlos Saura. Stars: Miguel Angel Sola, Cecilia Narova, Mia Maestro. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 115 min., Drama, Box office gross: $1.644 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Wing Commander This "Top Gun" meets "Starship Troopers" is all "crash and burn," with terrible acting laid over a hokey story about fighter pilots who have to fend off an attack on Earth by a vicious alien race, the Kilrathi. A very lame outing. Director: Chris Roberts. Stars: Freddie Prinze Jr., Saffron Burrows, Matthew Lillard, Ginny Holder, Jurgen Prochnow, David Warner. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 100 min., Science Fiction, Box office gross: $11.538 million, Fox, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
King and I, The Animated version of Rodgers and Hammerstein classic about an attractive English widow who travels to Siam in 1862 to become the proper governess for the king's royal children. Great songs: "Shall We Dance" and "Getting to Know You" among them. Stars: Voices of Miranda Richardson, Martin Vidnovic, Ian Richardson, Darrell Hammond. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: G, 87 min., Animated, Box office gross: $11.000 million, Warner, $22.95 SRP. DVD: Day & Date.
Supreme Sanction Below-average direct-to-video political thriller about an assassin (Kristy Swanson) for a clandestine government agency who aborts her assignment to kill a TV journalist; both end up on the run as they seek to expose a high-level plot. Big budget, weak story line, dialogue and acting. Director: John Terlesky. Stars: Michael Madsen, Kristy Swanson, David Dukes, Ron Perlman. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 93 min., Thriller, Sterling Home Entertainment, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Return of the Musketeers Daughter of D'Artagnan reunites the Musketeers to thwart a conspiracy to overthrow the King of France. Not released in the U.S. Stars: Sophie Marceau. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, Action-Adventure, Miramax, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Murder of Crows, A A disbarred lawyer (Cuba Gooding Jr.) in Key West comes across a dead man's manuscript -- a murder novel -- submits it as his own, and becomes a celebrity -- until it turns out that the murders depicted in the story are real, and he must prove his innocence. Direct-to-video. Stars: Cuba Gooding Jr., Tom Berenger, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Eric Stoltz. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 102 min., Thriller, Sterling Home Entertainment, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.

July 13

Civil Action, A Based on actual events, this gripping courtroom drama follows the trials and tribulations of a personal injury attorney (John Travolta) who sues giant corporation W.R. Grace/Beatrice Foods on behalf of families who claimed the company caused the death of their children by contaminating the town's water. Director: Steve Zaillian. Stars: John Travolta, Robert Duvall, William H. Macy, John Lithgow, Kathleen Quinlan, Tony Shalhoub. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 118 min., Drama, Box office gross: $56.615 million, Buena Vista, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
She's All That Romantic-comedy high school take on "My Fair Lady" has two senior gods betting whether or not one of them (Prinze) can transform the school free-thinker, dweeb and all-around loser (Cook) into a queen on Prom Night. Director: Robert Iscove. Stars: Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook, Paul Walker, Anna Paquin, Kieran Culkin. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 95 min., Romantic Comedy, Box office gross: $60.850 million, Miramax, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Central Station Captivating film about a lonely older woman, who makes a living scamming commuters in Rio de Janeiro's Central Station, and a young boy she takes under her wings when his mother is killed; together the pair set off on eventually heartwarming search for the boy's dad. Director: Walter Salles. Stars: Fernanda Montenegro, Vinicius de Oliveira. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 106 min., Drama, Box office gross: $5.444 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Waco: The Rules of Engagement Investigative documentary that offers evidence that the FBI, contrary to official assertions, fired on and then torched the Branch Davidian Compound near Waco, Texas, in the famous battle that outraged survivalist and civil libertarians alike. 1997, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 136 min., Documentary, New Yorker, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.

July 20

Virus The crew of a small salvage tug encounters a deserted Russian intelligence ship that has been taken over by an alien life form that considers humans to be a virus and is out to conquer the earth. Typical horror scenes with crew members becoming fodder for the alien. Director: John Bruno. Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, William Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, Joanna Pacula. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 95 min., Sci-Fi Horror, Box office gross: $14.010 million, Universal, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Eight Millimeter Nicolas Cage plays a skilled surveillance expert hired by the estate of a powerful industrialist to track down the truth behind an apparent snuff film, becoming obsessed with the girl in the film and being drawn into a sleazy world that takes him to the underbelly of life in N.Y. and L.A. Director: Joel Schumacher. Stars: Nicolas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini, Peter Stormare, Catherine Keener. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: R, 123 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $36.283 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
General, The Based on the story of Martin Cahill, a notorious Dublin gangster who was the mastermind behind a series of dazzling robberies that stunned Ireland in the 1980s, and the policeman determined to bring him down. The film won John Boorman the best director award at the 1998 Cannes International Film Festival. Director: John Boorman. Stars: Brendan Gleeson, Jon Voight, Adrian Dunbar, Sean McGinley. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: R, 125 min., Drama, Box office gross: $1.211 million, Columbia TriStar, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.
Down in the Delta Story of black family's rebirth, centering on a self-destructive addicted mother and her kids, bogged down in a Chicago ghetto of violence and drugs, who are offered salvation when the woman's mother moves the family back to their ancestral home in the South. Director: Maya Angelou. Stars: Alfre Woodard, Al Freeman Jr., Esther Rolle, Mary Alice, Wesley Snipes. 1998, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, min., Drama, Box office gross: $5.662 million, Miramax, No SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: No.
Car, The A demonic, indestructible black sedan with a life of its own -- and no driver -- appears from nowhere and terrorizes a small town in New Mexico, killing people at random. It's up to the town Sheriff to stop it at all costs. Director: Elliot Silverstein. Stars: James