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by
Ivana Redwine
Let's take a look at best new DVDs for February, 2004.
February 3, 2004 "American
Splendor "
This offbeat film was well-liked at Sundance and Cannes and got favorable reviews
from 96 percent of the Rotten Tomatoes critics. The movie is an unconventional
biopic about cranky Harvey Pekar (Paul Giamatti), file clerk at a Cleveland V.A.
hospital and comic book writer. The film chronicles Harvey's appearances on Letterman,
his marriage to Joyce Brabner (Hope Davis), and how a surrogate daughter comes
into his and Joyce's lives.
"Lost
In Translation"
Written
and directed by Sofia Coppola, this is a movie both sad and funny that features
fine performances by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johannson. The story is about two
lonely Americans visiting Tokyo—Bob (Murray), a middle-aged actor making
whiskey commercials, and Charlotte (Johannson), the young wife of a photographer
who's always off working. The charm of the film lies in its subtle handling of
an unusual friendship. "Secondhand
Lions"
Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, and Haley Joel Osment star in this coming-of-age
movie. The story takes place in 1960s rural Texas, where 14-year-old Walter (Osment)
is dumped by his single mom to spend the summer with his eccentric great-uncles
Garth (Caine) and Hub (Duvall). But it turns out Walter has a good time and grows
up a little as the two old coots tell tall tales. Meanwhile, the boy befriends
an aging circus lion the uncles buy.
"Under
the Tuscan Sun"
Inspired by the bestselling memoir by Frances Mayes, this drama features a winning
performance by Diane Lane and charming locations in Italy. After an unpleasant
divorce, San Francisco writer Frances Mayes (Lane) tours Italy and on impulse
buys a 300-year-old villa there. As she slowly restores the villa, she encounters
some colorful people, rediscovers the pleasures of romantic relationships with
men, and gradually rebuilds her shattered life. February
10,
2004 "Intolerable
Cruelty"
George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones are paired in this Coen Brothers screwball
comedy. Miles Massey (Clooney) is a big-time attorney who represents the wealthy
husband of Marylin Rexroth (Zeta-Jones) in their divorce. Miles wins, leaving
Marylin with nothing, but he becomes smitten with her. Then she sets out to get
even with him by embarking on a scheme that involves a new tycoon boyfriend, and
the battle of the sexes is on.
February 17, 2004 "Runaway
Jury"
John Cusack, Gene Hackman, and Dustin Hoffman star in this courtroom drama
based on a John Grisham novel. A widow whose husband was killed with a gun sues
the firearm manufacturer, setting up a conflict involving a juror (Cusack), defendant's
jury consultant (Hackman), and plaintiff's attorney (Hoffman). Things take a strange
turn when the litigants on both sides of the case are informed that the jury is
for sale to the highest bidder. February
24,
2004 "Camp"
This low-budget musical is about teenagers at a summer performing arts camp.
The movie is clumsy, but the exuberance of the unknown youngsters in the cast
is a big plus. The film is warmhearted and passionate, and there are some laughs
and a number of reasonably entertaining performances of show tunes. If you enjoy
musical theater and can look past the story, you'll have a good time; otherwise,
you'll probably hate this movie. "Matchstick
Men"
Nicolas Cage stars in this drama directed by Ridley Scott. Cage plays Roy
Waller, a clever con man who works scams with a partner (Sam Rockwell). But Roy
doesn't function well without medication to control his psychological problems,
and through a psychiatrist, he discovers he has a teenage daughter (Alison Lohman)
he never knew about. When Roy's daughter begins to participate in the cons, he
must rethink his whole way of life. "Pieces
of April"
In this endearing little comedy, Katie Holmes portrays April Burns, a young
woman who invites her family to her place for Thanksgiving dinner. April, who
lives with her boyfriend (Derek Luke) in the Lower East Village, knows this may
be the last Thanksgiving for her terminally ill mom (Patricia Clarkson). But even
as her mom, dad, siblings, and grandmother drive in from the suburbs, April must
deal with the fact that her oven won't work. More
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