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by Ivana Redwine

Here's a selection of new movies on DVD for April, 2006.

April 4, 2006

Bee Season
Richard Gere and Juliette Binoche star in this unconventional family drama based on Myla Goldberg's novel. Saul (Gere) is a religious studies professor with a special interest in the Kabbalah. When his 11-year-old daughter Eliza turns out to have a mystical gift for spelling, Saul focuses on developing her talent, and she wins a series of bees. Meanwhile, Saul's wife (Binoche) behaves strangely and their teenage son gets involved with Hare Krishna. As Eliza becomes increasingly successful, the family begins to fall apart.

Brokeback Mountain
Starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, this melancholy drama about forbidden love was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won three, including Best Director (Ang Lee). Set in Wyoming and Texas, the story opens in 1963 and spans two decades. Ennis (Ledger) and Jack (Gyllenhaal) are rugged ranch hands who fall hard for each other. Nevertheless, both men take wives and father children. Still, Ennis and Jack get together off and on over the years, and as their marriages sour, they struggle with their feelings.

Crash
Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, and Sandra Bullock are among the actors in this drama centering around the theme of racism. A black police detective (Cheadle) and his Latina girlfriend (Jennifer Esposito) have a car accident. A racist white cop (Dillon) gets into a hassle with an African-American HMO administrator. The D.A.'s wife (Bullock) has her S.U.V. stolen at gunpoint by black thugs (one of whom is played by Ludacris). These and other interconnected incidents are used to explore racial prejudice.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Based on the book by C.S. Lewis, this is a family-friendly movie. During World War II, four British kids discover that a wardrobe in the house where they're staying is a portal to an alternate world called Narnia. That world, which is ruled by the evil White Witch (Tilda Swinton), is inhabited by fantastic creatures. The kids have marvelous adventures in Narnia and try to set things right there with the help of a lion named Aslan (voice of Liam Neeson), who sacrifices himself and is resurrected.

Ushpizin
This humorous little film takes place in the Hasidic community of modern-day Jerusalem. The main characters are Moshe and Malli, a married couple. They are so poor they can't afford to build a sukkah, the temporary shelter their religion requires them to move into during the festival of Sukkot. But their immediate problems seem solved when both a sukkah and some money unexpectedly come their way. Then two criminals on the lam show up, and Moshe and Malli feel obligated to welcome them as guests during Sukkot.

April 11, 2006

Fun With Dick and Jane
Jim Carrey and Téa Leoni star in this comedy, an update of the 1977 film starring George Segal and Jane Fonda. This time around, Dick (Carrey) gets promoted to a top position at Globodyne and his wife Jane (Leoni) quits her job to spend more time with their son. Then Globodyne implodes like Enron did, and Dick and Jane can't find new jobs. With debts mounting, they begin to pull off robberies, starting small before moving up to bigger things. Alec Baldwin and Richard Jenkins appear as corrupt Globodyne executives.

The Greatest Game Ever Played
Based on a true story, this movie is about golf, and the title refers to the 1913 U.S. Open. The main character is Francis Ouimet (Shia Labeouf), a working-class 20-year-old Massachusetts resident who was unknown when he entered that tournament. He faced stiff competition, especially from British golfers, particularly the great Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane). But competing in the Open accompanied by his 10-year-old caddy, Ouimet became something of a folk hero and changed American golf forever.

An Unfinished Life
Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman and Jennifer Lopez star in this drama, which was directed by Lasse Hallström. Einar Gilkyson (Redford) owns a ranch where he lives with Mitch Bradley (Freeman), who was badly injured when he was mauled by a bear. Then one day Einar's estranged daughter-in-law Jean (Lopez) moves in, bringing her daughter, which gives Einar an opportunity to get to know his granddaughter. But trouble arises when the bear that attacked Mitch resurfaces, as does Jean's abusive boyfriend.

Wolf Creek
This gruesome horror movie is loosely based on the real-life Backpack Killer murders. Three 20-somethings—two British gals and a guy from Sydney—travel around Australia in an old car and end up in remote Wolf Creek National Park. They go on a hike and return to their car to discover it won't start. A rugged outback type shows up and takes them to his camp, and that's where the grisly torture begins. Soon the young travelers find themselves fighting for their lives against a psychopathic killer.

April 18, 2006

Breakfast on Pluto
Written and directed by Neil Jordan, this offbeat film is based on the novel by Patrick McCabe. The central character is a transvestite called Kitten (Cillian Murphy). Abandoned as a baby, Kitten is brought up in a strict foster home in Ireland. But from an early age, he dresses in drag and wears lipstick, and as a young man he goes to London in the 1970's in search of his mother. Kitten's quest leads him through a quirky series of adventures, including a stint as a street prostitute, but he always remains optimistic.

Hostel
This horror movie is about two American college pals (Jay Hernandez and Derek Richardson) who are backpacking Europe with a guy from Iceland. These three young men seek drugs and sex, and they hear of a hostel in Bratislava, Slovakia, where the women are crazy about foreigners. The guys go there and meet two attractive young women. But soon the Icelander goes missing, and the Americans find they have stumbled into a bizarre business where customers pay to torture and kill people.

Mrs. Henderson Presents
Judi Dench received a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her portrayal of the title character in this fact-based British period piece. In the late 1930's, Mrs. Henderson opens the Windmill Theatre in Soho, hiring Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins) to help her stage revues there. During World War II, her theater became famous for nude women appearing in artistic tableaux vivants. The Windmill was also celebrated for its refusal to close during the Blitz. But the movie's strength is that Dench creates a memorable character.

April 25, 2006

Aeon Flux
Charlize Theron stars in this sci-fi adventure movie based on an animated series that aired on MTV. The film is set in 2415, four centuries after a virus wiped out most of the world's population. Civilization has survived in a single walled city ruled by Trevor Goodchild and his brother. Also, there are rebels, Aeon Flux (Theron) among them, and the rebel leader sends Aeon in to assassinate Goodchild. But when Aeon sees her target, she experiences emotions and memories that move the story off in a curious direction.

Casanova
Heath Ledger plays the title role in this silly comedy that is sketchily inspired by the renowned historical lothario. The movie is set in 1753 Venice, where the Doge decrees Casanova must get married and settle down. He sets his sights on Francesca (Sienna Miller), who is the kind of woman who dons men's clothing so she can participate in a sword fight. But Francesca is betrothed to an obese man known as the Lard King of Genoa. Meanwhile, the Inquisition sends Bishop Pucci (Jeremy Irons) to go after Casanova.

Match Point
Although written and directed by Woody Allen and featuring some humor, the overarching tone of this film is quite serious. In London, Chris (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is the tennis pro at an exclusive club, where he meets Tom (Matthew Goode) of the wealthy Hewett family. While Chris falls hard for Tom's girlfriend Nola (Scarlett Johansson), he marries Tom's sister (Emily Mortimer) and goes to work for Tom's father (Brian Cox). Chris likes his comfortable life with the Hewetts, but his attraction to Nola leads to tragedy.

Shopgirl
Adapted from Steve Martin's novella, this drama stars Claire Danes and Steve Martin. Mirabelle (Danes) is an emotionally vulnerable young woman who is a salesclerk at Saks in L.A. She meets and goes out with the socially awkward Jeremy (Jason Schwartzman), but that doesn't work out too well for her. Then the sophisticated, wealthy, middle-aged Ray (Martin) buys some gloves from her, and they begin dating. Although Ray treats Mirabelle extremely well, he doesn't want a committed relationship, leading to a bittersweet ending.

Tristan & Isolde
This epic is set in the Dark Ages. Ireland is united under a king, who also rules England, which is inhabited by rival squabbling tribes. However, Lord Marke (Rufus Sewell) seeks to unify England and free it from Irish rule. Marke raises as his own an orphan named Tristan (James Franco), who ends up in Ireland badly wounded. He's nursed back to health by the Irish king's daughter Isolde (Sophia Myles), and they fall deeply in love with each other. But their fathers are enemies, and the fates of many people are at stake.

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