Related Resources • New DVD Releases for January, 2004 • New DVD Releases • DVD Release Schedules

by Ivana Redwine

Let's take a look at the best new DVDs for January, 2004.

January 2, 2004

"American Wedding"


This comedy is the third in a series, following "American Pie" (1999) and "American Pie 2" (2001), and Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Eugene Levy, Eddie Kaye Thomas, and Thomas Ian Nicholas are back. This time around, Jim (Biggs) and Michelle (Hannigan) are getting married. But there are complications involving Stifler (Scott) and some funny stuff with Jim's dad (Levy) and Michelle's dad (Fred Willard).

January 6, 2004

"Out of Time"


In this suspense thriller, Denzel Washington plays Matt Lee Whitlock, who heads up law enforcement in the Florida town of Banyan Key. Matt illegally gives his ailing girlfriend (Sanaa Lathan) confiscated money so she can get treatment, then she and her husband turn up dead. Now a murder suspect, Matt goes on the lam. Meanwhile his estranged wife (Eva Mendes), who also works in law enforcement, leads the effort to track him down.

January 13, 2004

"Swimming Pool"


François Ozon directed and co-wrote this English-language psychological thriller. Charlotte Rampling plays a 50-something British mystery writer who goes to France to the country house of her publisher (Charles Dance) to work on a novel. But the writer's solitude is shattered by the publisher's sexy daughter (Ludivine Sagnier), who revels in nudity and brings home various men. Eventually there's a dead body, and the movie has a big twist.

January 20, 2004

"Cabin Fever"


This horror film is about five friends who have just finished college and travel to a backwoods cabin to spend a week together before entering the work force. They clash with the locals, and soon one of the college kids contracts a contagious and deadly flesh-eating infection (sort of like a cross between necrotizing fasciitis and Ebola). As the friends fight for survival, they must struggle with the disease, the unwelcoming locals, and each other.

"Once Upon a Time in Mexico"


Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, and Johnny Depp star in this action-adventure film that was written, directed, shot, edited, and scored by Robert Rodriguez. The movie continues the series begun by "El Mariachi" (1992) and "Desperado" (1995). This time around, El Mariachi (Banderas) is out to thwart some evil men who are plotting a coup d'état against the Mexican government. Also appearing in the film are Mickey Rourke, Eva Mendes, Willem Dafoe, Rubén Blades, and Cheech Marin.

"Open Range"


Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, and Annette Bening star in this traditional Western set in the 1880s. Boss Spearman (Duvall) heads up a small group of cattlemen, one of whom is Charley Waite (Costner), as they move a herd across open range. Charley meets a good woman (Bening), and they begin to fall for each other. But a powerful rancher's hired thugs threaten Boss and Charley, and they must ready themselves for the climactic gun battle.

"Spellbound"


Not to be confused with Hitchcock's 1945 classic film with the same title, this "Spellbound" is a documentary about competitors in the U.S. 1999 National Spelling Bee. The film follows eight kids, all about 13 years old, as they go from their homes to the finals in Washington, D.C., where they compete on ESPN. The socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds are varied, and tension mounts as they spell obscure words like "cabotinage."

January 27, 2004

"Capturing the Friedmans"


This is a documentary about the strange case of the Friedmans of Great Neck, NY. In the 1980s, Arnold Friedman, his wife, and their three children seemed a typical American family until child pornography was found in their home. Then Arnold and one of his sons were alleged to have molested a number of boys. Through footage from the 1980s and interviews conducted years later, this fascinating documentary shows that truth can be elusive.

"The Secret Lives of Dentists"


Based on Jane Smiley's novella "The Age of Grief," this offbeat little film is a domestic comedy that stars Campbell Scott, Hope Davis, and Denis Leary. David Hurst (Scott), a dentist, loves his wife Dana (Davis), who is also a dentist. But David suspects Dana of unfaithfulness, and he struggles with how to deal with the situation. The movie often goes inside David's head, where Slater (Leary), a disagreeable patient, sneeringly delivers advice.

"Thirteen"


This hard-hitting drama captures the alienation of 13-year-old girls. At the beginning of the movie, Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood) is an unpopular girl who's a good student. But she comes under the influence of Evie (Nikki Reed) and gets into shoplifting, drugs, and sexual experimentation. Tracy and Evie even try to initiate a three-way with a neighbor. Meanwhile, Tracy's mom (Holly Hunter) attempts to cope with her rebellious daughter.

More About Video and DVD Releases:

New DVD Releases

Important product disclaimer information about this About site.