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by Ivana Redwine

Let's take a look at the best new movies on DVD forr December, 2004.

December 7, 2004

"The Bourne Supremacy"

This action thriller is the sequel to "The Bourne Identity" (2002), and Matt Damon again plays Jason Bourne, the former assassin with a memory problem. "Supremacy" picks up two years after "Identity" left off, with Bourne still trying to unravel the mystery of his past while avoiding being captured or killed. This time around, he has adventures in Goa, Naples, Berlin, and Moscow, and Joan Allen appears in the cast as a C.I.A. agent.

"Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story"

Starring Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller, this comedy spoofs sports movies. Peter La Fleur (Vaughn) operates a run-down gym that will be closed if he doesn't come up with $50,000. White Goodman (Stiller) wants to drive Peter out of business. Peter and White assemble opposing teams that will compete in a Las Vegas dodgeball tournament where the prize is $50,000. Peter's team gets a legendary coach (Rip Torn), but they remain underdogs.

"Maria Full of Grace"

This Spanish-language drama chronicles the tale of a young woman named Maria who becomes a courier of illegal drugs. When Maria, who lives in the boondocks in Colombia, finds herself in difficult circumstances, she is recruited to transport drugs to the U.S. She swallows pellets containing heroin and takes a flight from Bogotá to New York. The movie gains its power from recounting Maria's experiences in a matter-of-fact manner.

December 14, 2004

"Collateral"

Michael Mann directed this thriller, which stars Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. Max (Foxx) is a Los Angeles taxicab driver who picks up a fare offering him good money for a full night's work. That fare is Vincent (Cruise), a contract killer working his way through a list of several hits to be carried out in a single night. Much of the film's interest lies in the way it intersperses violence with the interaction between cabby and killer..

"I, Robot"

This sci-fi thriller is set in Chicago in 2035 when robots are used to perform a wide variety of menial tasks. The robots are programmed never to harm humans, and scientists keep coming up with ever more advanced models. But when a man who pioneered robotics turns up dead, police detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) believes he was murdered by a robot. As Spooner carries out his investigation, he is assisted by Dr. Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan).

December 21, 2004

"The Manchurian Candidate"

Directed by Jonathan Demme, this political thriller is an update of the classic 1962 film. Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber, and Meryl Streep are in roles corresponding loosely to those played by Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, and Angela Lansbury. In the remake, an army veteran tries to clarify hazy memories of the Gulf War, and his quest might impact a U.S. presidential election. This time, Manchurian refers not to a region but to a corporation.

"Napoleon Dynamite"

Set in a small Western town, this little comedy's protagonist is an awkward, wild-haired, nerdy high school student named Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder). Napoleon lives with his grandma and his unemployed 30-something brother, and his eccentric uncle, who's stuck in a 1982 timewarp, eventually moves in with them. At school, Napoleon is constantly picked on, but he befriends the only Latino student and helps him run for class president.

"Shaun of the Dead"

This British horror comedy spoofs zombie movies. Shaun is a 29-year-old slacker who lives in London with two other guys. When the city suddenly begins crawling with zombies, Shaun, his pals, his family, and his girlfriend head for a local pub, where they hope they will be safe. The movie follows the motley group as they encounter the undead, and the humor revolves around the ineptness with which Shaun and the others deal with the situation.

December 28, 2004

"Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy"

Set in 1970s San Diego, this comedy centers around TV anchorman Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell). The rest of the news team around him consists of a sportscaster, a weather guy, and an investigative reporter, all managed by Ed Harken (Fred Willard). In those days, everyone in the newsroom was male, but Ed turns their world upside down when to promote diversity he brings on board Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) as a reporter.

"Garden State"

This quirky little comedy was written and directed by Zach Braff (from the TV show "Scrubs"), who also plays the main character Andrew Largeman. Andrew is working in an L.A. restaurant and using lots of prescription drugs when he returns home to New Jersey for the first time in nine years for his mom's funeral. On the trip, he goes off his medication, reconnects with old chums, meets a girl (Natalie Portman), and begins to get his life together.

"Open Water"

Based loosely on a real-life incident, this is a low-budget, digital-video film about a couple spending many hours alone in shark-infested waters. Daniel (Daniel Travis) and Susan (Blanchard Ryan) are a couple who travel to the Caribbean for a vacation. There they go on an offshore scuba diving outing operated by a not-particularly-well-run local company. While they're in the ocean, the boat departs, accidentally leaving them behind. Will they survive?

"Resident Evil: Apocalypse"

This video game-derived action horror movie is the sequel to "Resident Evil" (2002), and Milla Jovovich returns as the star. Alice (Jovovich) has now been genetically altered by the evil Umbrella Corporation, giving her superhuman capabilities. Those capabilities come in handy in the zombie-infested, Toronto-like Raccoon City, which is about to be nuked. Alice is joined in her battle against the undead by supercop Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory).

"Wimbledon"

Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany are paired in this romantic drama. Playing Wimbledon for what will probably be his last time before retiring, fading tennis star Peter Colt (Bettany) enters his hotel room to find a woman in his shower. She is up-and-coming tennis pro Lizzie Bradbury (Dunst), and they quickly become lovers. They continue their affair as the tournament progresses, and they must decide what to do about their professional and personal lives.

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