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by Ivana Redwine

Here's a selection of new releases on DVD for October, 2005.

October 4, 2005

"The Amityville Horror"
This horror film is a remake of a 1979 movie that starred James Brolin, Margot Kidder and Rod Steiger. In the 2005 film, George (Ryan Reynolds), his wife Kathy (Melissa George) and her three kids by an earlier marriage move to a big Long Island house. They bought the place cheap because a previous resident murdered his family there. Soon creepy things start happening, and the house seems haunted. As George's behavior becomes increasingly menacing, Kathy tries to figure out what to do.

"Cinderella"
This is the 1950 classic Disney animated film based on the familiar fairy tale. Badly treated by her stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella leads a dreary life. But her fairy godmother arranges for her to attend a ball, where she meets Prince Charming. At midnight, she must hastily depart, but she leaves behind one of her glass slippers. The movie has some memorable songs, including "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo" and "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes."

"The Interpreter"
Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn star in this thriller directed by Sydney Pollack. Much of the film was shot in and around the United Nations headquarters building in New York. Kidman plays a U.N. translator who reports overhearing plans to assassinate an African dictator. Penn portrays a Secret Service agent assigned to investigate. With the dictator scheduled to visit U.N. headquarters, information emerges that suggests the translator may be involved in the assassination plot.

October 11, 2005

"Kicking & Screaming"
Will Ferrell and Robert Duvall star in this family comedy that centers around kids' soccer. Ferrell portrays mild-mannered Phil, son of the gung-ho, competitive Buck (Duvall). But when Buck, coach of a winning kids' soccer team, trades away Phil's benchwarmer son, Phil takes on the task of coaching his son's new team. That team is initially extremely weak, but with help from Mike Ditka, Phil recruits a pair of good Italian players and soon has his team headed for a showdown with Buck's.

"Kingdom of Heaven"
Ridley Scott directed this violent epic, which is set against the backdrop of the Crusades. In 12th-century France, things go badly for a blacksmith named Balian (Orlando Bloom). Feeling he has nothing to lose, he travels to Jerusalem. There he finds intrigue and also romance with the king's sister (Eva Green). Eventually he plays a key role in a big battle against forces led by Saladin. Among the actors appearing in the movie are Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson and Edward Norton.

"Me and You and Everyone We Know"
This is an offbeat low-budget comedy that won prizes at Cannes, Sundance and other film festivals. Performance and installation artist Miranda July wrote, directed and stars in the movie. Christine (July) earns her living chauffeuring senior citizens, but her passion is creating art videos. She meets and is drawn to Richard (John Hawkes), a shoe salesman who is separated from his wife. The film consists of many small interwoven incidents involving quirky characters, some of whom are kids.

"The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"
Based on the novel by Ann Brashares, this drama consists of four stories. Four teenage girls who have been lifelong friends must go their separate ways. Before separating, the girls find a pair of jeans that happens to fit each of them. They agree that each girl will keep the jeans for a week, then send the pants on to another girl. The film tells the story of what happens to each girl during the week she has the jeans. The girls are played by Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrara, Blake Lively and Alexis Bledel.

"Unleashed"
Jet Li stars in this action movie/crime drama that in some countries is titled "Danny the Dog." Written by Luc Besson, the film also features Morgan Freeman and Bob Hoskins. In Glasgow, Bart (Hoskins) is a brutal gangster who has trained Danny (Li) from boyhood to behave like a vicious attack dog. But meeting a blind piano tuner (Freeman) and his stepdaughter changes Danny, and he desires a more normal life. However, Bart wants to continue using Danny, who must fight for his freedom.

October 18, 2005

"Batman Begins"
Directed by Christopher Nolan, this movie shows how wealthy Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) became the comic-book superhero Batman (also Bale) and took on the task of cleaning up the corruption in Gotham City. Among the evildoers are a crime lord (Tom Wilkinson) and an incredibly malevolent psychiatrist (Cillian Murphy). The film's cast includes Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Katie Holmes, Ken Watanabe and Rutger Hauer.

"Land of the Dead"
Writer-director George A. Romero continues his series of horror movies that includes "Night of the Living Dead" (1968), "Dawn of the Dead" (1978) and "Day of the Dead" (1985). "Land of the Dead," which stars Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Asia Argento and Dennis Hopper, takes place in a fortified city surrounded by zombies. The zombies have grown smarter, and they constitute a continual threat to the city dwellers, who have evolved a peculiar class system for dealing with the situation.

"Mad Hot Ballroom"
This feel-good documentary is about New York City elementary school kids preparing for a ballroom dancing competition. The film focuses on three public schools located in TriBeCa, Washington Heights and Bensonhurst. The classes and competition are part of a program organized by the American Ballroom Theater. The kids are about 11 years old, and they are shown working on dances like the fox trot, swing and tango. In the documentary, we hear from not only the students, but also the instructors.

October 25, 2005

"Bewitched"
Inspired by the 1964-72 TV series, this comedy stars Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell and was directed and co-written by Nora Ephron. In the movie, Jack (Ferrell) is an actor who lands the not-so-key role of Darrin in an updated TV version of "Bewitched." He meets Isabel (Kidman) in a bookstore and gets her cast in the key role of the witch Samantha (played by Elizabeth Montgomery in the original). But the kicker is that, unbeknownst to Jack, Isabel turns out to really be a witch.

"Herbie: Fully Loaded"
Lindsay Lohan stars in this Disney comedy, another movie in the "Love Bug" series that began back in 1968. The name Herbie in the title refers to a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle. In this film, Maggie (Lohan) has just graduated college and buys a beat-up old car in a junkyard. But that car turns out to be Herbie, who has a mind of his own and is soon winning auto races with Maggie at the wheel. Eventually Herbie and Maggie enter a big NASCAR race. Maggie's dad is played by Michael Keaton.

"House of Wax"
Elisha Cuthbert and Chad Michael Murray star in this horror movie, which shares its title and a creepy idea with a 1953 film starring Vincent Price. That idea is that likenesses of people can be created for a wax museum by putting a waxy coating over human bodies. In the 2005 movie, six young adults are driving to a football game when they camp out in the boondocks. They end up in a weird hamlet where they encounter a couple of psychopaths, and Paris Hilton is shown in red lingerie.

"Melinda and Melinda"
Woody Allen reminds us that tragedy and comedy are not so far apart in this unusual movie, which he wrote and directed, but does not appear in. An anecdote about a young woman named Melinda has been told while two playwrights are having dinner, and they each spin different versions of her story—one tragic, the other comic. Radha Mitchell plays Melinda in both versions, but the surrounding cast is different in each case. Appearing in the film are Will Ferrell, Amanda Peet, Chloë Sevigny, Jonny Lee Miller, Wallace Shawn, and Larry Pine.

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