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by Ivana Redwine

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

March 7, 2006

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"
This is the fourth installment in the Harry Potter series. Now Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) are about 14 and in their fourth year at Hogwarts School. The story centers around the Triwizard Tournament, where competitors from three schools of wizardry face daunting challenges. There is also an elaborate Christmas ball, and Harry and Hermione get dates for it. The movie's villain is the evil, repulsive Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), who's out to get Harry.

"Jarhead"
Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this military drama based on the 2003 memoir by Anthony Swofford. Like his father and grandfather, Tony "Swoff" Swofford (Gyllenhaal) enlists in the Marines. He receives training, and when in 1990 Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait, Swoff's unit goes to Saudi Arabia, where he endures more training. In 1991 he is sent as part of a sniper unit to the combat zone in Kuwait, but he never gets a shot off. Other actors in the cast include Peter Sarsgaard, Jamie Foxx, Lucas Black and Chris Cooper.

"Just Friends"
Ryan Reynolds and Amy Smart are paired in this romantic comedy. In high school, Chris (Reynolds in a fat suit) is an overweight nerd who's besotted with cheerleader Jamie (Smart), but she thinks of him as a platonic friend. Ten years later, Chris has metamorphosed into a trim, successful L.A. music executive, and now women chase after him. On a business trip, Chris's flight is unexpectedly grounded in New Jersey, where he encounters Jamie. He still wants to win her heart, but there are a number of complications.

"Prime"
Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep star in this comedy. Rafi (Thurman) is a 37-year-old divorcée who relies heavily on her shrink Lisa (Streep) for support. Soon Rafi meets and begins a romance with 23-year-old David (Bryan Greenberg), disclosing to her shrink intimate things about her new relationship. Initially neither woman realizes that Rafi's new boyfriend is Lisa's son, but there comes a time when Lisa knows while Rafi doesn't. The situation is awkward, especially since Lisa deems Rafi unsuitable for David.

March 14, 2006

"Good Night, and Good Luck"
This docudrama chronicles a vital chapter in American history that took place in the 1950's. Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) was a respected TV newscaster, while Sen. Joseph McCarthy (archival footage) wielded power by accusing various Americans of being Communists, often using unfounded accusations as a weapon. The film is about how Murrow and others at CBS helped bring about McCarthy's downfall. George Clooney directed and co-wrote the movie, and he also plays a key character in it.

"A History of Violence"
David Cronenberg directed this drama that stars Viggo Mortensen. Tom Stall (Mortensen) runs a diner in the small Indiana town where he lives with his wife (Maria Bello) and their high-school-age son and little daughter. But a pair of murderous thugs come into the diner, setting off a chain of violent events. This changes the Stall family forever as it emerges that Tom is quite different from the way his wife and son had always believed he was. Ed Harris and William Hurt play important supporting roles in the film.

"The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio"
Julianne Moore stars in this drama based on a memoir. In the 1950's, Evelyn Ryan (Moore) is a homemaker and mother of ten kids. Her factory worker husband (Woody Harrelson) is an alcoholic who continually puts a strain on the family, both emotionally and financially. But in those days, companies frequently ran contests offering valuable prizes for jingles and slogans that could be used in advertising campaigns. Evelyn develops a knack for winning those contests and manages to bring her family back to financial health.

March 21, 2006

"Capote"
Writer Truman Capote (1924-84) is the subject of this biopic, which features Philip Seymour Hoffman in the title role. The film covers the years of Capote's life when he was researching and writing his 1966 book "In Cold Blood," which centers around the 1959 murders of a rural Kansas family. Much of the movie focuses on the peculiar relationship that developed between Capote and one of the killers. A key character in the film is Harper Lee (Catherine Keener), author of "To Kill a Mockingbird."

"Chicken Little"
This is a Disney animated comedy inspired by the tale of the diminutive chicken who is hit on the head by an acorn and believes the sky is falling. In disgrace over his apparently false report, Chicken Little (voice of Zach Braff) joins the local baseball team and redeems himself by playing well. Soon Chicken Little's claim is seen as not having been so preposterous because the town comes under attack from extraterrestrial aliens. Voice talent includes Garry Marshall, Joan Cusack, Steve Zahn and Don Knotts.

"Derailed"
Clive Owen plays the central character in this psychological thriller. Charles Schine (Owen) is in a strained marriage when he meets the unhappily married Lucinda (Jennifer Aniston). They get together in public places for awhile, but eventually get a motel room. Suddenly a thug named LaRoche (Vincent Cassel) bursts in, beats up Schine and rapes Lucinda. The victims decide not to notify police, and soon LaRoche is blackmailing Schine. Also appearing in the film are hip-hop artists RZA and Xzibit.

"Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story"
Kurt Russell and Dakota Fanning star in this drama about a race horse and a young girl. When a promising horse breaks its leg, trainer Ben Crane (Russell) nurses it back to health with his daughter Cale (Fanning) there every step of the way. Eventually, the horse wins a big race, and father and daughter reconnect. Other actors appearing in the movie include Kris Kristofferson and Elisabeth Shue. The horse part of the film's story is based on what happened in real life to the filly Mariah's Storm in the 1990's.

"The Squid and the Whale"
Starring Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney, this drama written and directed by Noah Baumbach is semiautobiographical. The story is about how two boys—teenage Walt (Jesse Eisenberg) and his younger brother Frank (Owen Kline)—react to their parents' divorce. The parents, who are both writers and rather bohemian, are played by Daniels and Linney. The mother has an affair with a tennis pro (William Baldwin), while the father, who's an academic, gets into a sexual relationship with a student (Anna Paquin).

March 28, 2006

"Get Rich or Die Tryin'"
Rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson portrays the central character in this movie inspired by his life. After growing up fatherless and being orphaned young when his drug-dealing mom is murdered, Marcus (50 Cent) starts selling narcotics and carrying a gun early in life. He begins to make lots of money, but ends up getting arrested and being incarcerated. Upon his release, he gets serious about getting his music career going, but also resumes dealing. Eventually, he is involved in a botched robbery and is shot nine times.

"King Kong"
Peter Jackson ("Lord of the Rings") directed this remake of the 1933 classic and Naomi Watts takes the role played by Fay Wray in the original. The remake boasts greatly improved special effects and is much longer, but the story remains essentially the same. In the 1930's, Carl Denham (Jack Black) is a filmmaker who sets out to make a movie with leading lady Ann Darrow (Watts) and screenwriter Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody). They all end up on Skull Island, which contains wondrous creatures including a 25-foot gorilla.

"Memoirs of a Geisha"
Based on the novel by Arthur Golden, this period piece was directed by Rob Marshall ("Chicago"). It features high production values and three beautiful Asian actresses (Ziyi Zhang, Michelle Yeoh, Gong Li) portraying geishas. The key male character is a businessman played by Ken Watanabe. Set in Kyoto from 1929 to after World War II, the movie is a romanticized depiction of life in a geisha house as remembered by the central character (portrayed first by a child actress and later by Ziyi Zhang).

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