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Guide to Home Video Releases: June Release Calendar DVD Releases Movies are rated on a scale of one to five, with five denoting a classic. For more information on how we rate, check out our Rentability Index. Back to Calendar Index. June 1 Monster In a revelatory performance, Charlize Theron stars in the shocking true-life story of Aileen Wuornos, a prostitute executed last year in Florida after being convicted of murdering six men. While Wuornos confessed to the six murders, including a policeman, she claimed to have killed only in self-defense, resisting violent assaults while working as a prostitute. Bravely burrowing beneath the tabloid headlines about America's first female serial killer -- and the media's sordid designation of Wuornos as an unrepentant monster -- in the midst of the horrors and pathologies, first-time writer-director Patty Jenkins unearths an unlikely love story between two misfits. Nearing suicidal despair, Wuornos wanders into a Florida bar, where she meets Selby Wall (Christina Ricci), a young woman sent by her parents to live with an aunt in order to "cure her homosexuality." Wuornos -- victim of a tragic, abusive upbringing -- quickly falls in love, and clings to Selby like a life preserver. Unable to find a legitimate job but desperate to sustain her relationship with Selby, Wuornos continues working as a prostitute. When one of her johns turns violent, Wuornos shoots the man in self-defense; the first in her tragic string of killings. Shot in many of the actual locations where Wuornos committed her crimes between 1989-90, "Monster" is at once a social commentary, road movie, and love story. Director: Patty Jenkins. Stars: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Lee Tergesen, Pruitt Taylor Vince. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: R, 109 min., Drama, Box office gross: $34.000 million, Columbia TriStar, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer Nick Broomfield's documentary is a chilling look inside the mind of serial killer Aileen Wournos, whose life was the basis for "Monster." As we see a girl trading sex for cigarettes as early as nine, America's first female serial killer becomes less of a monster and more of a tale of humanity's failures. Broomfield looks deep into Wournos' history of abandonment, sex and violence to look at how a life gone wrong can create a serial killer. Broomfield's picture is developed through years of correspondence and involvement with Wournos, and he lets us see a girl hitchhiking for sex, abandoned by her parents and ultimately a human lost to paranoia, a victim of her own mind who kills seven men. This gripping documentary culminates in Broomfield's own court testimony solicited by the district attorney during Wournos' final appeal. Director: Nick Broomfield. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: R, 89 min., Documentary, Columbia TriStar, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. Catch That Kid Teen adventure film about a 12-year old girl who, with the help of two friends, robs the state-of-the-art bank, in order to acquire the cash needed for a costly operation to save her ailing father. The three close friends have special talents: a champion rock climber, a computer genius and a mechanical whiz specializing in go-carts. During the heist, the kids overcome high-tech security systems, guard dogs, and a nasty security chief to get to a bank vault suspended 100-feet above ground. Their plan is foolproof, their methods ingenius -- and they're not even old enough to drive. Director: Bart Freundlich. Stars: Kristen Stewart, Corbin Bleu, Max Theiriot, Jennifer Beals, Sam Robards. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 92 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $16.625 million, Fox, $19.98 VHS SRP. DVD: Day & Date. Eurotrip Scotty Thomas (Scott Mechlowicz) and his Berlin-based computer pen pal Mieke (Jessica Boehrs) have been writing each other for years, sharing every detail of their lives. When Mieke makes a cyber pass at Scotty, he completely freaks out, thinking that this guy he's known for years is coming on to him ... in German no less. Too bad the one detail Scotty doesn't seem to know is that, in Germany, Mieke is a girl's name. By the time Scotty figures out that Mieke is a girl, and a hot one at that, Mieke has cut off her e-mail account and all contact with him. Thinking that this might be his one chance at true love -- even though he's never actually met the girl -- Scotty and his best friends, Cooper (Jacob Pitts) and the twins Jenny (Michelle Trachtenberg) and Jamie (Travis Wester), embark on a raucous trip across Europe headed for Berlin. Along the way they must deal with British soccer hooligans, annoying French human robots, a merciless Dutch dominatrix (Lucy Lawless) and a creepy, lascivious Italian guy on the train. Their trek takes them from London to Paris to Amsterdam and Eastern Europe, exposing them "literally" to every lascivious, larcenous and lecherous indulgence Europe has to offer. A mildly agreeable comedy that does little to improve international relation(ships). Director: Jeff Schaffer. Stars: Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, Kristin Kreuk. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: R, 96 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $16.944 million, DreamWorks, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. Company, The Robert Altman takes a breathtaking look at the world of ballet as only Altman could envision it, bringing his fluid camera work to the world of dance. The authenticity and richness of "The Company" is rooted in the unprecedented way in which Altman shot the film: with the complete cooperation of the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. Joffrey dancers constitute the core of Altman's ensemble and screenwriter Barbara Turner spent over two years on and off with the Joffrey, observing and writing. Altman's vision for the film was an extremely intimate one: to show the difficult daily work, the intense pressures of performance, the richly textured behaviors of the dancers -- whose professional and personal lives grow impossibly close -- and of course the sheer beauty of dance: exhilarating, kinetic and thrillingly observed. Neve Campbell -- the only actor who worked as part of the Joffrey corps -- stars as a gifted company member on the verge of becoming the principal dancer at a fictional Chicago troupe. Campbell, an accomplished dancer, does all of her own dancing in the film and worked intensively with the Joffrey to prepare for her role. Director: Robert Altman. Stars: Neve Campbell, Malcolm McDowell, James Franco. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 112 min., Drama, Box office gross: $1.920 million, Columbia TriStar, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation The alien bugs are back and the interstellar assault rages on with the direct-to-video premiere of "Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation," the sequel to Paul Verhoeven's cult-classic 1997 hit "Starship Troopers." The outing marks the directorial debut of Academy Award-winning visual effects supervisor Phil Tippett (who worked on VFX for the original "Starship Troopers" in addition to other high-profile films such as "Return of the Jedi" and "Jurassic Park") with a screenplay by the first film's writer Ed Neumeier. The film picks up where the original left off, right back to the frontline of battle against the arachnid warrior bugs at a desolated outpost on Zulu Angel, a storm-swept planet where the first film's arachnids gained a murderous grip over humanity. A small group of mobile infantry troopers lead by General Shepherd (Ed Lauter) find themselves taking refuge in an abandoned Federation outpost where they discover the last remaining soldier Captain Dax (Richard Burgi), who helps them fight off the encroaching arachnids. Isolated from the outside threat, the rag-tag band of fighters discover a much graver danger is actually infiltrating their unit and a terrifying new breed of enemy is hunting them down from within. Director: Phil Tippett. Stars: Kelly Carlson, Ed Lauter, Richard Burgi, Sandrine Holt. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: R, 92 min., Science Fiction, Columbia TriStar, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. My Baby's Daddy Comedy about three guys who have to grow up quick when their girlfriends all become pregnant at the same time. Director: Cheryl Dunye. Stars: Eddie Griffin, Anthony Anderson, Michael Imperioli, Paula Jai Parker, Joanna Bacalso, Bai Ling. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 99 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $17.321 million, Miramax, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. June 8 Mystic River Clint Eastwood has crafted a gripping mystery punctuated by great performances and a wonderful jazz-inflected soundtrack. When they were kids growing up together in a rough section of Boston, Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn), Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins) and Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon) spent their days playing stickball on the street, the way most boys did in their blue-collar neighborhood of East Buckingham. Nothing much ever happened in their neighborhood. That is, until Dave was forced to take the ride that would change all of their lives forever. Twenty-five years later, the three find themselves thrust back together by another life altering event -- the murder of Jimmy's 19-year-old daughter. Now a cop, Sean is assigned to the case and he and his partner (Laurence Fishburne) are charged with unraveling the seemingly senseless crime. They must also stay one step ahead of Jimmy, a man driven by an all consuming rage to find his daughter's killer. Connected to the crime by a series of circumstances, Dave is forced to confront the demons of his own past. Demons that threaten to destroy his marriage and any hope he may have for a future. As the investigation tightens around these three friends, an ominous story unfolds that revolves around friendship, family and innocence lost too soon. Penn won the Best Actor Oscar and Robbins won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for their riveting performances. On DVD, the film will be available as a single-disc sans frills and a three-disc set with extras, including the entire soundtrack album. Director: Clint Eastwood. Stars: Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gaye Harden, Laura Linney. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: R, 137 min., Mystery, Box office gross: $87.163 million, Warner, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. City of God Hard-hitting story of crime and punishment inside the slums of Rio de Janeiro. Cidade de Deus is a poor Brazilian housing project born in the 1960s that -- as organized crime and drugs gained a foothold in the area -- became one of the most dangerous places in Rio. For its impoverished residents, laws are made not by the government but by the teenage drug barons and gang leaders who rule using fear and the very real threat of death. The film counts almost exclusively on the acting abilities of youngsters coming from the favelas, neighborhoods, around Rio. The narrator, Rocket, is a poor kid and scared to become an outlaw but also too smart to contend with an underpaid job. He discovers that he can see his surroundings with a different eye -- the eye of an artist. Then there is Lil Dice, a kid the same age who already dreams of being Rio's most dangerous criminal. There are dozens of intertwined stories here, of love, humor, and struggle, that reveal the people inside the favelas. In Portuguese with English subtitles. Nominated for an Academy Award. Director: Fernando Meirelles, Katia Lund. Stars: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Jonathan Haagensen. 2002, CC, MPAA rating: R, 130 min., Drama, Miramax, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. Along Came Polly Opposites-attract comedy with a tinge of dumb slapstick. Reuben Feffer (Ben Stiller) has made a fine life -- and a good career -- out of playing it safe. The star risk assessor for a leading insurance firm, Reuben is an expert on minimizing danger -- nothing ventured, nothing lost. Polly Prince (Jennifer Aniston) plays her life like a game of chance, taking joy from the serendipity that a rolling stone existence brings her. There's always another opportunity -- a new job, yet another apartment in another city -- should this one not work out. So when a chance meeting puts Reuben and Polly at the same party, the recently (and extremely) jilted Reuben decides that for once, chance may just be on his side. But he doesn't count on indigestible food, scary children's stories, and a near-blind ferret Polly picked up in Italy. Director: John Hamburg. Stars: Ben Stiller, Jennifer Aniston, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Debra Messing, Alec Baldwin, Hank Azaria, Bryan Brown, Michele Lee, Jsu Garcia. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 90 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $87.062 million, Universal, $22.98 VHS SRP. DVD: Day & Date. Leopard, The Long-awaited U.S. home video debut of Visconti's epic. The film recreates, with nostalgia, drama and opulence, the tumultuous years when the aristocracy lost its grip and the middle class rose and formed a unified, democratic Italy. Burt Lancaster stars as the aging prince watching his culture and fortune wane in the face of a new generation, represented by his upstart nephew (Alain Delon) and his beautiful fiancee (Claudia Cardinale). "The Leopard" translates Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's novel and the history it recounts into a truly opulent masterpiece. Three-disc set, restored, with two versions of the film: Visconti's original 187-minute Italian version and the alternate 161-minute English-language version. Director: Luchino Visconti. Stars: Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, Alain Delon. 1963, CC, MPAA rating: NR, Drama, The Criterion Collection. DVD: Only. Love Letters Laura Linney and Steven Weber star in this charming TV adaptation of A.R. Gurney's internationally acclaimed stage hit, a heartfelt look at love, life and friendship, directed by the legendary Stanley Donen. Andy is a serious, down-to-earth attorney. Melissa is a lively, free-spirited artist. But these two opposites have a definite attraction. They're childhood friends who share a lifetime of experiences through a voluminous series of letters and notes. Poignant, romantic and frequently funny, their correspondence follows a bittersweet path of boarding schools, marriage, children, divorce and missed opportunities. It's the life journey of two soul mates -- enacted through words both written and unsaid -- who share the greatest gift of all: the gift of love. Director: Stanley Donen. Stars: Laura Linney, Steven Weber. 1999, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 85 min., Drama, Columbia TriStar, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. In July Comedy about a young physics teacher who wouldn't see happiness if it hit him in the face but whose life is about to change when he falls head over heels in love with a beautiful girl and follows her across the globe. Daniel teaches in Hamburg, Germany, and plays life by the rules. His students ridicule him, bartenders ignore him, and every night he walks home to a perfectly empty apartment. When he meets a beautiful Turkish girl he is smitten, and spontaneously decides to follow her to Istanbul, Turkey. On his way East, he discovers a new self and learns to truly fight for happiness, even as he gets high on drugs for the first time, gets beaten up, seduced, robbed and finally busted by border guards. In German with English subtitles. Director: Faith Akin. Stars: Moritz Bleibtreu, Christiane Paul, Mehmet Kurtulus. 2000, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 96 min., Comedy, Koch Lorber Films, $24.98 VHS SRP. DVD: Day & Date. June 15 50 First Dates Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore star together for the first time since "The Wedding Singer" in this sloppy romantic comedy. Henry (Sandler) lives an enviable life in a Hawaiian paradise, spending every night with a beautiful tourist in search of an island fling. It's a sweet life with no strings attached ... until he meets Lucy (Barrymore). He and Lucy hit it off from the get-go, but the next day she acts like she doesn't know him. It turns out that Lucy has short-term memory loss so every night all memory of her day is erased. But a man in love will go to any lengths to win over the girl of his dreams, and if that means having to find imaginative ways of doing it over again every day, then Henry's up for the challenge. Good idea marred by some very silly slapstick schticks. Director: Peter Segal. Stars: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Dan Aykroyd. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 99 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $116.748 million, Columbia TriStar, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. Station Agent, The Funny, original and surprisingly touching award-winning film about finding friendship in unexpected places. Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage) is a dwarf who has always been a loner and has shut out people except for a select few who share his passion for trains. One day his life is changed drastically when his co-worker dies and leaves Finbar with an abandoned train depot in an out of-the way area. Finbar moves into the depot and further isolation, but he can't stop neighbors like the pretty Olivia (Patricia Clarkson), the chatty Joe (Bobby Cannavale), the troubled Emily (Michelle Williams) and the curious Cleo (Raven Goodwin) from dropping by. The harder Finbar tries to keep to himself, the more he finds friendships that he never expected. Winner of 2003 Sundance Film Festival awards for director-writer Tom McCarthy and a special jury prize for actress Patricia Clarkson. Director: Thomas McCarthy. Stars: Peter Dinklage, Bobby Cannavale, Patricia Clarkson, Michelle Williams. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: R, 88 min., Comedy-Drama, Box office gross: $5.691 million, Miramax, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. Tupac: Resurrection The definitive film about one of the best-selling rap artists of all time, exploring Shakur's life viscerally and dramatically through his own words and music, as well as through vivid images of the world as he experienced it. Shakur takes viewers with him through the hard-knock journey of his childhood, the ups and downs of his professional career, romances, life-altering mistakes. An intimate portrait of a young man who rose from a life of adversity into being a global icon who touched millions of lives. The film was made in collaboration with Shakur's mother, former Black Panther Afeni Shakur. Features never-before-seen concert footage, private home movies and excerpts from Tupac's poetry and journals, all of which serve to create a very personal portrayal of a sensitive, passionate and often provocative artist who died before his time. In addition, the film features a soundtrack of Shakur's best-selling music, as well as new music by Biggie Smalls, Eminem, 50 Cent and Shakur himself. Director: Lauren Lazin. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: R, 112 min., Documentary, Box office gross: $17.707 million, Paramount, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. Touching the Void Gripping drama, based on a true story, chronicles the descent of two mountaineers from one of the world's highest mountain peaks. In 1985, Brits Joe Simpson and Simon Yates set out to become the first to climb 21,000 foot Siula Grande, one of the tallest mountains in the Andes. The reenactment of this event displays the expertise with which the two men ascend to the mountain's summit. But it's all downhill from there. When Simpson falls and shatters his leg, the triumphant expedition turns nightmarish. The two mountaineers offer testimonials about what went through their minds as they confronted their own mortality, accompanied by actors Brendan Mackey and Nicholas Aaron's dramatic reconstruction of the climbers' miraculous survival. Director: Kevin Macdonald. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 106 min., Bio-Drama, Box office gross: $3.300 million, MGM, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & date. Chronicles of Riddick, The: Dark Fury An all-new animated adventure that bridges the story between "Pitch Black" and "The Chronicles of Riddick," which arrives in theaters June 11. When Riddick is captured by bounty hunters, he must battle soldiers of fortune and vicious creatures in the lethal slaughter cells of a massive starship. Riddick's night vision and ruthless combat skills are all that stand between him and a fate literally worse than death. From director Peter Chung -- who designed and directed the "Matriculated" episode of the "Animatrix" DVD as well as Aeon Flux -- and based on a story by "Pitch Black" and "Chronicles" director David Twohy. Director: Peter Chung. Voices of Vin Diesel, Keith David, Nick Chinlund, Rhiana Griffith. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 35 min., Animated, Universal, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Only. Spartan FBI. CIA. Secret Service. Black Ops. Robert Scott is all of these. And none of these. His newest assignment: find the possibly kidnapped daughter of a high government official before the story leaks. Robert Scott (Val Kilmer) is a career military officer working for a highly secretive special operations force. A man hardened by years of brutal service, he is respected by his peers and elders in the world of espionage. When Scott is recruited to find Laura Newton (Kristen Bell), the President's college-age daughter, he is paired with novice Curtis (Derek Luke), who becomes his protege. Working with a special task force comprised of Presidential Advisors, the Secret Service, FBI and CIA, Scott and Curtis stumble upon a white slavery ring, which may have some connection to Laura's disappearance. As the story unfolds, the straightforward search-and-rescue mission becomes complicated by Curtis' naivete and the political ambitions of those in high places -- like Burch (Ed O'Neill) and Stoddard (William H. Macy), political operatives who may know more than they're telling about the circumstances surrounding Laura's abduction. Scott and Curtis are on the brink of tracking Laura's whereabouts when their clandestine mission comes to an abrupt conclusion as the media issues reports of the girl's death. Scott returns to the quiet life as a rural landowner and awaits his next assignment in relative peace. But Curtis can't rest. He seeks out Scott to confide his belief that Laura is alive. If she is, their continued unofficial investigation will put them -- as well as Laura -- at the center of a dangerous conspiracy that reaches the highest levels. Director: David Mamet. Stars: Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, William H. Macy, Johnny Messner, Alexandra Kerry, Tia Texada, Kristen Bell. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: R, 106 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $4.357 million, Warner, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. June 22 Secret Window Based on the best-selling suspense-filled novel "Secret Window, Secret Garden" by Stephen King. Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp), an eccentric writer just coming off of a troublesome divorce with his ex-wife, Amy (Marla Bello), finds himself stalked at his remote lake house by a psychotic stranger named John Shooter (John Turturro) who claims Mort stole his best story idea, changing just the ending for his version. As his wife pushes Mort to finalize their divorce and Shooter systematically destroys his life, he struggles to restore order to an increasingly insane situation. Mort discovers that this story holds a deadly secret that comes to life, a secret that even he can't imagine, that will force his life to spiral out of control, ultimately leading to a shocking twist ending. Director: David Koepp. Stars: Johnny Depp, John Turturro, Maria Bello, Charles Dutton, Timothy Hutton. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 96 min., Psychological thriller, Box office gross: $46.214 million, Columbia TriStar, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. Bad Santa He's naughty, not nice, and he's coming to town. Billy Bob Thornton is Willie T. Stokes, a washed-up, wise-cracking department store Santa who can't help but be more naughty than nice. Underneath his ill-fitting red suit, Willie is actually a safecracker who makes one big score every Christmas Eve. As shoppers head home from the mall, this Santa and his ingenious Elf -- Willie's smaller partner-in-crime Marcus (Tony Cox) -- crack the store safe and make off with their holiday stash. But then comes Phoenix. Here Santa and his Elf find their annual heist endangered by a pesky store manager (John Ritter), a savvy mall detective (Bernie Mac), a sexy Santa fan (Lauren Graham) and an innocent but beleaguered 8 year-old misfit (Brett Kelly) who decides to believe that Willie -- as intoxicated, acid-tongued and felonious as he seems to be -- is the real Santa he's seeking. Director: Terry Zwigoff. Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Lauren Graham, Brett Kelly, Lauren Tom, John Ritter, Bernie Mac. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: R, 93 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $59.371 million, Dimension, $24.99 VHS SRP. DVD: Day & Date. Woman Is a Woman, A Jean-Luc Godard's 1961 film is a sly, playful tribute to -- and interrogation of -- the American musical comedy, showcasing the director's signature wit and intellectual acumen. Exotic dancer Angela (Anna Karina) attempts to have a child with her unwilling lover Emile (Jean-Claude Brialy). In the process, she finds herself torn between him and his best friend Alfred (Jean-Paul Belmondo). A dizzying compendium of color, humor, and the music of renowned composer Michel Legrand, "A Woman Is a Woman" finds the young Godard at his warmest and most accessible, reveling in and scrutinizing the mechanics of his great obsession -- the cinema. Director: Jean-Luc Godard. Stars: Jean-Claude Brialy, Anna Karina, Jean-Paul Belmondo. 1961, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 84 min., Musical, The Criterion Collection. DVD: Only. Bloody Territories From cult Japanese action director Yasuharu Hasebe comes this stylishly colorful yakuza tale set against the backdrop of Tokyo's gangster underworld. A once-powerful yakuza clan disbands as a result of a police crackdown, but one small group refuses to bow to police pressure, and launches a campaign to take over Tokyo's drug, prostitution, and gambling rackets. Someone wants to stop them. Is it the police? Rival gang members? Or is it an entirely new group of hired killers who will stop at nothing to gain complete control of Tokyo's "bloody territories?" Director: Yasuharu Hasebe. Stars: Tsuneo Aoki, Rika Fujie, Tatsuya Fuji. 1969, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 88 min., Action, Home Vision Entertainment. DVD: Only. Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter This, the third in a series of five "Stray Cat Rock" films, stars hard-as-nails Meiko Kaji as the leader of a gang of vicious teenage schoolgirls who get their kicks with gang fights, street muggings, and rock and roll. Directed by Japanese action master Yasuharu Hasebe -- whose violent style was an influence on Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill," "Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter" is a nonstop thrill ride of action and suspense, filmed in dazzling color. Director: Yasuharu Hasebe. Stars: Meiko Kaji. 1970, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 85 min., Action, Home Vision Entertainment. DVD: Only. Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, The In the grand tradition of such immortal masterpieces as "Plan 9 From Outer Space" and "Robot Monster" comes this schlocky, low-budget parody of 1950s sci-fi/horror movies. Performed completely straight-faced, shot on location in fabled Bronson Canyon in glorious black-and-white (and in the new screen miracle "Skeletorama!"), and scored entirely with ancient library music, "The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra" is a wild outing that would make B-movie kings Ed Wood and Sam Katzman proud. The convoluted plot begins with heroic but dim-witted scientist Dr. Paul Armstrong, aided by his clueless wife Betty, searching for a recently fallen meteor containing the rare radioactive element atmosphereum. Also seeking the meteor is evil scientist Dr. Roger Fleming, who's looking for Cadavra Cave, mysterious home to the dreaded Lost Skeleton, whom he hopes to restore to life with atmosphereum. Then a spaceship crashes in the woods, letting loose a mutant who ravages the countryside. A stranded alien couple not only must retrieve their mutant, but can only repower their ship with -- you guessed it -- atmosphereum. After the aliens disguise themselves as Earth people with the aid of their "transmutatron," Dr. Fleming steals the gizmo and turns four different forest animals into his beautiful sidekick, "Animala" (aka "Pammy"). With everyone after the atmosphereum, the Armstrongs find they have their hands full as they try to capture the radioactive monster, stop the evil scientist, and vanquish the power-mad Skeleton who wants to rule the world. Director: Larry Blamire. Stars: Larry Blamire, Fay Masterson, Brian Howe, Andrew Parks. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 89 min., Camp Horror, Box office gross: $0.110 million, Columbia TriStar, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster Scooby-Doo and the gang travel to Scotland to co-host the famous Highland games, where they get more than fun when they discover the Loch Ness Monster. Before the games begin, the gang must unravel the secret behind the fabled monster, who is angry that they're holding the games on her sacred nesting ground. Voices of Casey Kasem, Mindy Cohn, Frank Welker, Grey Delisle, Sheena Easton. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 74 min., Animated, Warner, $14.94 VHS SRP. DVD: Day & Date. Lower Depths, The In this special double-disc set, Criterion presents two dramatically different interpretations of Maxim Gorky's classic play by two of cinema's greatest masters. In Akira Kurosawa's 1957 version, the director demonstrates another side of his remarkable versatility. In contrast to his usual broad canvas and kinetic filmmaking style, here he explores the possibilities of the stage, finding intimacy in his examination of a group of destitutes set, ironically, within Japan's prosperous Edo period. Starring an ensemble cast that includes Toshiro Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, and Minoru Chiaki, this adaptation is a Buddhist meditation on the human condition, a poignant yet comic investigation of one of Kurosawa's favorite themes -- the conflict between illusion and reality. Made amidst the rise of Hitler in Germany and the Popular Front in France, director Jean Renoir had need to take license with Gorky's source material for his 1936 adaptation of the play. Aware that the plight of the desperate characters might sit uneasily in his own country on the edge of war, the director never lets his derelicts sink quite to the depths, offering them -- like in so many of his other films -- the possibility of hope. Marking the first time the director would work with Jean Gabin and featuring the great Louis Jouvet, Renoir's film demonstrates one of cinema's greatest directors transforming a classic play into his own terms for a distinct time. The disc also includes an introduction to the film by Renoir. Director: Akira Kurosawa. Stars: Toshiro Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Kyoko Kagawa, Ganjiro Nakamura. 1957, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 137 min., Drama, The Criterion Collection. DVD: Only. Director: Jean Renoir. Stars: Jean Gabin, Junie Astor, Suzy Prim, Louis Jouvet. 1936, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 90 min., Drama, The Criterion Collection. DVD: Only. Mama Roma Anna Magnani stars as Mamma Roma, a middle-aged prostitute who attempts to extricate herself from her sordid past for the sake of her son. Filmed in the great tradition of Italian neorealism, the film offers an unflinching look at the struggle for survival in postwar Italy, and highlights director Pier Paolo Pasolini's lifelong fascination with the marginalized and dispossessed. Though banned upon its release in Italy for obscenity, today "Mamma Roma" remains a classic, a glimpse at a country's most controversial director in the process of finding his style, and a powerhouse performance by one of the cinema's greatest actresses. Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini. Stars: Anna Magnani, Ettore Garofolo, Franco Citti, Silvana Corsini. 1962, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 110 min., Drama, The Criterion Collection. DVD: Only. June 29 Cold Mountain Based on the best-selling book by Charles Frazier. Cold Mountain, a small North Carolina town, is torn apart as young men head off to join the Confederate army during the Civil War. The women left behind fight for survival, enduring rough winters, ruthless lawmen and emotional turmoil as they wait to hear word form their loved ones. Inman (Jude Law) is one of these young men who joins the army, at first out of loyalty to his country. He soon realizes the ravages of war no longer represent his values. Once injured, he takes the opportunity to flee the army and begins his long journey home on foot. Back at Cold Mountain is the beautiful Ada (Nicole Kidman), who vowed to wait for Inman but hasn't heard if he is still alive. Her letters go unanswered and she struggles to keep faith that he will return. As the war drags on, Ada takes in Ruby (Renee Zellweger), a lively neighbor who teaches her how to keep the farm going. By the end of the war, hearts will be dashed, dreams fulfilled and the strength of the human spirit tested but not broken. Zellweger won an Academy Award for her role. Director: Anthony Minghella. Stars: Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger, Eileen Atkins, Brendan Gleeson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Giovanni Ribisi, Donald Sutherland, Ray Winstone, Kathy Baker, James Gammon, Jack White. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: R, 154 min., Drama, Box office gross: $92.685 million, Miramax, $24.99 VHS SRP. DVD: Day & Date. Barbershop 2: Back in Business In this sequel to the highly successful "Barbershop," Calvin (Ice Cube) has gotten over his money troubles and is no longer in danger of losing his shop -- but his neighborhood is in danger of losing its identity. Intent on "regentrifying" the South Side, a money-hungry corporation is moving into the community with coffee bars, video stores, and a big-name haircut chain, and the area's "mom and pop" establishments are in danger of losing their hometown advantage. While juggling changing situations, new loves, and looking for ways to better their lives, Calvin and his crew have to take a stand to keep the South Side and its businesses in the family. And of course, the crew still has time for its signature Barbershop discussions -- outrageous, explosive, and hilarious. The world changes and so do hairdos, but some things never go out of style -- you can still say anything at the barbershop. Director: Kevin Rodney Sullivan. Stars: Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Sean Patrick Thomas, Eve, Troy Garity, Michael Ealy, Leonard Earl Howze, Kenan Thompson, Harry Lennix, Queen Latifah. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 100 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $62.580 million, MGM, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. Tycoon A stylish, slick crime drama based on the life of notorious billionaire Boris Berezovsky, "Tycoon" follows the life of Plato Makovski, a renegade Russian entrepreneur whose seductive and brutal climb to the top in the post-Soviet era flourishes as the line between business, crime and politics breaks down. Taking the form of a thriller that follows the police investigation into an attempted assassination of Plato, the film follows his life through flashbacks involving a vivid array of gangsters, mistresses, childhood friends, idealistic intellectuals, and trigger-happy veterans, and offers an inside view of a country in which gangsters and greedy politicians conspire to rub out their enemies. Once a freedom-loving idealist before the fall of the Soviet Union, Plato uses his genius to build a media empire, along the way becoming one of the richest men in the country -- and a monster, unhesitatingly sacrificing his ideals and his closest friends. Compared by critics to "Scarface" and "The Godfather Saga," "Tycoon" is an epic tale of a visionary and a scoundrel, and, in the end, a bridge between the old Russia and the new. In Russian with English subtitles. Director: Pavel Lounguine. Stars: Vladimir Mashkov, Andrei Krasko, Maria Mironova, Sergei Oshkevich. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 128 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $0.121 million, New Yorker, $24.95 VHS SRP. DVD: Day & Date. Perfect Score, The Six high school seniors begin to realize that the elaborate futures they had imagined for themselves lie in the hands of one test -- the dreaded SATs. Kyle (Chris Evans) and Matt (Bryan Greenberg) believe that the only way they will do well on the exam and secure their futures is to steal the answers. Like most high school rumors, word spreads quickly about the guys'plan and soon Desmond, the high school's star basketball player (Darius Miles) along with Francesca (Scarlett Johansson) and Anna (Erika Christensen) decide that they want in on the test key heist. They soon realize that the answer to their problems and the key to their happiness doesn't lie in achieving a perfect score. Director: Brian Robbins. Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Erika Christensen, Chris Evans, Bryan Greenberg, Darius Miles. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 92T min., Teen drama, Box office gross: $10.387 million, Paramount, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date. Cheetah Girls, The Based on "The Cheetah Girls" book series. Four New York teens face the challenges of growing up as they dance and sing their way toward an elusive record deal. The feisty foursome discover that their big break is not what they expected and that their friendship is sorely tested as they choose between finding fame and being true to their selves. Disney Channel movie. Stars: Raven, Adrienne Bailon, Keily Williams. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 93 min., Family, Walt Disney, $14.99 VHS SRP. DVD: Day & Date. All DVDs are screened on a reference system consisting of a Rotel RDV-1080 DVD Audio/Video Player, a Rotel RSX-972 Surround Sound Receiver, and Phase Technology 1.1 (front), 33.1 (center), and 50 (rear) speakers and Power 10 subwoofer. January 2004 Releases February 2004 Releases March 2004 Releases April 2004 Releases May 2004 Releases July 2004 Releases August 2004 Releases September 2004 Releases | Contents/Site Map | Home | Resources | Sell-Through | Reviews | Links | E-mail: mail@onvideo.org © 1996 -- 2004 CyberPod. All rights reserved CyberPod and OnVideo are trademarks of CyberPod Productions. JUne 1, 2004