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by Ivana Redwine

Here's a selection of new movies on DVD for February, 2005.

February 1, 2005

"The Grudge"

This horror movie, an English-language remake of a recent Japanese-language film, stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jason Behr. Karen (Gellar) is an American living in Tokyo with her boyfriend Doug (Behr). When Karen fills in for another as a caregiver, she goes to an old woman's residence and finds herself in a haunted house. She soon learns the house is plagued with a supernatural curse that is unleashed upon everyone who enters it.

"Mr. 3000"

Bernie Mac stars in this baseball comedy. Mac plays Stan Ross, a none-too-likable 47-year-old successful businessman who quit playing major league baseball nine years ago when he got his 3,000th hit. But a record-keeping mistake is discovered, and his career statistics are corrected to show only 2,997 hits. Stan comes out of retirement and again plays for Milwaukee in hopes of getting three more hits. Angela Bassett plays Mac's love interest.

"Ray"

Jamie Foxx plays the title role in this biopic about Ray Charles (1930-2004). However, Charles' singing voice is heard on the musical numbers, which include "What'd I Say," "Unchain My Heart," "Hit the Road, Jack," and "Georgia on My Mind." The movie concentrates on Charles' life from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s, showing his marriage to Della Bea, his womanizing, his drug usage, and his experiences in the music business.

"Shall We Dance?"

Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez star in this drama, a remake of a delightful 1996 Japanese film with the same title. Gere plays John Clark, a Chicago lawyer who is devoted to his wife and family, but seems vaguely discontented. Intrigued by Paulina (Lopez), a teacher at a dance school, he goes there and secretly starts taking lessons. The ballroom dancing and the quirky new people he meets cheer him up, which makes his wife uneasy.

"Vanity Fair"

Starring Reese Witherspoon and directed by Mira Nair, this historical drama is an adaptation of Thackeray's classic 1848 novel. Witherspoon plays Becky Sharp, a plucky social climber in early 19th-century England. Becky marries a man (James Purefoy) who runs up gambling debts, then she and Lord Steyne (Gabriel Byrne) try to exploit each other. The scheming Becky is contrasted with her sweet-natured best friend, Amelia Sedley (Romola Garai).

February 8, 2005

"The Notebook"

Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner, and Gena Rowlands star in this romantic drama adapted from Nicholas Sparks' best-selling novel. The central story is set in the 1940s and is about two young people (Gosling and McAdams) who have a romance, but get separated. However, this central story is shown in flashback as it is read from a notebook decades later by an old man (Garner) to an old woman (Rowlands) suffering from Alzheimer's.

"Shark Tale"

This animated comedy features several celebrity voices, including those of Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Angelina Jolie, Renée Zellweger, Martin Scorsese, Jack Black, Michael Imperioli, Katie Couric, Peter Falk, and Vincent Pastore. The story takes place in an imaginary undersea world inspired by "The Godfather." The hero is a little fish (voice of Will Smith) who, while dealing with jellyfish thugs, runs afoul of shark mobsters.

February 15, 2005

"The Motorcycle Diaries"

Based on autobiographical books, this Spanish-language film chronicles a trip taken by Che Guevara (Gael García Bernal) in 1952 when he was 23 years old. Che was accompanied by a friend, Alberto Granado. On their way to work in a leper colony, the two young men traveled thousands of miles in South America. Che's experiences on the journey galvanized his idealism, and he went on to became Castro's chief lieutenant in the Cuban revolution.

"Saw"

This is a gruesome suspense thriller. Two men are held captive, each chained by the ankle to opposite walls of a filthy bathroom. One is instructed he must kill the other, or his wife and daughter will be slain. A hacksaw is available that is not capable of cutting the chains, but could saw off a human limb. Meanwhile, police try to track down the Jigsaw Killer, who has become notorious by devising tests like this for a series of victims.

"Taxi"

Queen Latifah and Jimmy Fallon ("Saturday Night Live") star in this action comedy. Four female Brazilian supermodels rob a Manhattan bank, and bumbling cop Andy Washburn (Fallon) and cabby Belle Williams (Latifah) team up to go after them. Andy's mom is a lush played by Ann-Margret. Also appearing in the movie are Jennifer Esposito, Gisele Bündchen, and Henry Simmons. This remake of a 1998 French film features several car chases.

February 22, 2005

"I Heart Huckabees"
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This is an unconventional, absurdist, nerve-jangling comedy. An environmental activist (Jason Schwartzman) frets over his alliance with Huckabees, a chain retail superstore behemoth. To deal with his angst, he uses the services of a pair of self-styled "existential detectives" (Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin). They introduce him to a troubled fireman (Mark Wahlberg), who is drawn to the ideas of a Frenchwoman (Isabelle Huppert) advocating nihilism.

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