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by Ivana Redwine

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

March 1, 2005

"Exorcist: The Beginning"

This horror movie is a prequel to "The Exorcist" (1973). Stellan Skarsgård stars in "Exorcist: The Beginning" as Lankester Merrin, a former priest who has become an archaeologist. In 1949 Merrin travels to Kenya, where he gets caught up in the mystery surrounding a long-buried church that has been discovered. Locals say the place is cursed, and as a series of unsettling events takes place, Merrin struggles against what seem to be Satanic forces.

"Flight of the Phoenix"
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Dennis Quaid and Giovanni Ribisi star in this action-adventure film that is an update of a 1965 movie featuring James Stewart. In the remake, a pilot (Quaid) is transporting an oil crew when his plane crashes in the Gobi Desert. A passenger (Ribisi) claims he can make a new plane from the wreckage, but there are many obstacles to overcome. As work progresses, food and water run low, and the group is threatened by hostile local nomads.

"The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie"

Based on the Nickelodeon TV series for kids, this is a feature-length animated comedy. Set in an undersea world, the title character is SpongeBob SquarePants (voice of Tom Kenny), a sponge who works in a restaurant. When the crown of King Neptune (voice of Jeffrey Tambor) is stolen, SpongeBob and his starfish sidekick Patrick Star (voice of Bill Fagerbakke) set out to retrieve it, having many adventures along the way.

March 8, 2005

"Ladder 49"

Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta star in this drama about firemen in Baltimore. Responding to a fire in a big building, Jack Morrison (Phoenix) goes inside and rescues one person, but ends up trapped in raging flames. Outside, Jack's supervisor (Travolta) directs the effort to try to extricate him. Intercut with these events are flashbacks to Jack's life over several years, showing his relationships with his family and other firefighters.

"Woman Thou Art Loosed"
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Based on the novel and play by Bishop T.D. Jakes, an evangelical preacher, this drama recounts the tragedy of a woman named Michelle Jordan (Kimberly Elise). Michelle is on death row talking to Jakes (playing himself), and her story unfolds in flashbacks. Sexually abused as a child by her mother's boyfriend, her tale is one of drug addiction, prostitution, and prison. The movie also shows some excerpts of Jakes' revival meetings.

March 15, 2005

"Alfie"

Jude Law stars in this update of the 1966 film featuring Michael Caine. In the remake, Alfie Elkins (Law) is a Manhattan limo driver who's mainly interested in having sex with many women. His sexual partners include a single mom (Marisa Tomei), a lonely married woman (Jane Krakowski), a party girl (Sienna Miller), a businesswoman (Susan Sarandon), and his pal's girlfriend (Nia Long). Alfie often looks into the camera and talks about himself.

"The Incredibles"

An animated superhero action comedy that satirizes suburban life, this movie is set in a near-future when superheroes are no longer appreciated. The story centers around a suburb-dwelling family of superheroes—Mr. Incredible (voice of Craig T. Nelson), his wife Elastigirl (voice of Holly Hunter), and their three kids—who must thwart super-villain Syndrome (voice of Jason Lee). The film is something of a critique of conformity and mediocrity.

"What the #$*! Do We Know!?"
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Referred to in spoken English as "What the Bleep Do We Know," this film combines dramatization, documentary-style talking heads, and animation to present a way of looking at the world. Our perception of reality is explored through the prism of quantum physics. One of the talking heads is a woman channeling a 35,000-year-old mystic named Ramtha. Some people find the movie's ideas enlightening, while others think they are New Age bunk.

March 22, 2005

"Being Julia"

Annette Bening gives a winning performance in this drama about a middle-aged stage actress in 1930s London. Julia Lambert (Bening) fears her star is dimming, and she's bored with her marriage to a director (Jeremy Irons). She has an affair with a young man, but he is soon attracted to an ingénue who may replace Julia. That's when the aging actress comes up with her own theatrical way of dealing with her personal and professional problems.

"Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason"

This romantic comedy is the sequel to "Bridget Jones's Diary" (2001), and Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant are back. The sequel opens with Bridget (Zellweger) and her boyfriend Mark (Firth) sleeping together nightly. But as her suspicions grow that he is having an affair, she begins working with Daniel (Grant), with whom she previously had a fling. Daniel is still attracted to Bridget, and she must decide between him and Mark.

"Fat Albert"

Hey, hey, hey, this is a live-action comedy based on the animated TV series "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids" that was popular in the 1970s. The title role in the film is played by Kenan Thompson of "Saturday Night Live." The concept for the movie is that an unhappy Philadelphia girl (Kyla Pratt) is watching the old show on television when Fat Albert and his friends pop out of the TV set, become human for 24 hours, and try to help her cheer up.

"Finding Neverland"

Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet star in this biopic about J.M. Barrie, author of the 1904 play "Peter Pan." In 1903 London, Barrie (Depp) is married and in his forties when he meets the widow Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Winslet) and her four boys. Barrie becomes enamored of the Davies family and spends nearly all of his time with them. Inspired by his contact with the youngsters, Barrie develops the tale of "The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up."

March 29, 2005

"After the Sunset"
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Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek, and Woody Harrelson star in this caper movie. Max (Brosnan) and Lola (Hayek) are former jewel thieves who have retired to the Caribbean. But the prospect of stealing the famous Third Napoleon Diamond from a cruise ship is enough to lure Max out of retirement. Despite Lola's disapproval, Max prepares to pull off one last heist, even as he is being watched by F.B.I. agent Stan Lloyd (Harrelson).

"Closer"
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Mike Nichols directed this drama starring Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen. Set in contemporary London, the film chronicles the intertwined lives of four articulate, unlikable characters: a photographer (Roberts), a writer (Law), a stripper (Portman), and a dermatologist (Owen). Adapted from a play by Patrick Marber, the movie's story centers around sexual couplings, and a raw emotionality is attained through the characters talking.

"Vera Drake"
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Imelda Staunton gives a memorable performance in the title role of this powerful drama that was written and directed by Mike Leigh. In 1950s London, middle-aged Vera Drake works as a cleaning woman and lives the life of a working-class wife with her family. Also, she secretly performs abortions for desperate women, and she doesn't charge for her services. But Vera's world is turned upside down when she becomes a target of law enforcement.

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