APRIL 6, 2004 - New DVD and Video Releases

"Cheaper by the Dozen"

Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt star in this family comedy, a remake of the 1950 film that starred Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy. In the 2003 film, Tom Baker (Martin) is a college football coach, and his wife Kate (Hunt) is a writer. Just as Tom gets his shot at big-time university coaching, Kate needs to devote a lot of time to promoting her new book. In addition to their demanding jobs, Tom's and Kate's lives are complicated by their 12 kids.

"The Gospel of John"

This English-language biblical drama is adapted from the story of Jesus as told in one of the books of the New Testament. The film's soundtrack contains a word-for-word rendering of the complete text of the book as it appears in the Good News Bible. The movie has lots of narration (by Christopher Plummer), and British actor Henry Ian Cusick portrays Jesus. The film features good production values and competent acting.

"The Matrix Revolutions"

Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Hugo Weaving return in the third installment of an action sci-fi series that began with "The Matrix" (1999) and continued with "The Matrix Reloaded" (2003). This time around, the ferocious battle between the last humans and the Machine army reaches its climax. With the future of mankind at stake, Neo (Reeves) faces a showdown with Agent Smith (Weaving).

APRIL 13, 2004 - New DVD and Video Releases

"Kill Bill: Vol. 1"

Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, this highly stylized martial-arts action movie stars Uma Thurman and is the first in a two-film series, where "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" is scheduled for theatrical release in 2004. In "Vol. 1," assassins who work for Bill (David Carradine) kill an entire wedding party, except The Bride (Thurman), who is left in a coma. When she awakens, she sets out to slay the assassins one by one and then kill her former lover Bill.

"Timeline"

This movie involves 21st-century people traveling back to 1357 France. There they get caught up in the war between the French and the English. Meanwhile, the possibility emerges that the time-travelers may be permanently stuck in the past. Two of the time-travelers, played by Paul Walker and Frances O'Connor, become romantically attracted to each other, while a third, played by Gerard Butler, falls for a 14th-century Frenchwoman.

APRIL 20, 2004 - New DVD and Video Releases

"The Haunted Mansion"

Eddie Murphy stars in this live-action children's comedy inspired by a Disney theme park attraction. Real estate couple Jim Evers (Murphy) and his beautiful wife Sara (Marsha Thomason) are headed for a getaway with their two kids when they stop off to meet a potential client at a large rundown mansion. It turns out the owner was once in love with a dead ringer for Sara, and soon the Evers family realizes they are dealing with ghosts.

"Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World"

Russell Crowe stars in this action-adventure movie that received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. Set in 1805, the story centers around Captain Jack Aubrey (Crowe), commander of a British warship. The action involves engagements between Aubrey's ship and a French warship off the coast of South America. But the most interesting thing about the film is its observation of life at sea in the British Navy in the early 19th century.

"Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!"

This romantic comedy stars Kate Bosworth as Rosalee Futch, a grocery store clerk in a small West Virginia town. After winning a contest, Rosalee goes to L.A. for a date with Hollywood star Tad Hamilton (Josh Duhamel). Tad is so taken with her that he travels back to her hometown and begins to court her. But her longtime friend Pete Monash (Topher Grace) reveals that he is also attracted to her, and she must choose between the two men.

APRIL 27, 2004 - New DVD and Video Releases

"Big Fish"

Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney star in this film featuring the visual fantasies of director Tim Burton. Old Edward Bloom (Finney) is dying and tells yarns about himself as a young man (McGregor). Bloom relates his tall tales to his adult son (Billy Crudup). Bloom's wife is played as an older woman by Jessica Lange and as a younger woman by Alison Lohman. Also appearing are Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Buscemi, and Danny DeVito.

"The Cooler"

Many hold the belief that there's a kind of guy who's so unlucky that he can ruin the luck of others just by being around them. In this drama, Bernie (William H. Macy) is thought of as that kind of guy, and he makes a living at it: he's employed by a Las Vegas casino operator (Alec Baldwin) to cool down gamblers who get hot. But when Bernie finds love with a cocktail waitress, his mood improves and his cooling abilities wane, creating a crisis.

"Ghosts of the Abyss"

This is James Cameron's documentary about an expedition to the remains of the Titanic in its final resting place at the bottom of the ocean. During its theatrical release, the film screened at IMAX venues. Powerful underwater lights and self-propelled cameras were used to capture more of the grand old ship than have previous efforts. Also, digital effects are sometimes used to show what life aboard was like. The documentary is narrated by Bill Paxton.

"Love Actually"

This British comedy is driven by interrelated romantic subplots involving over a dozen characters. The cast includes Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Laura Linney, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy, Rowan Atkinson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Alan Rickman. Examples of the subplots: Grant portrays the British Prime Minister who is attracted to an assistant, and Firth plays a writer who falls for his Portuguese housekeeper.

"Love Don't Cost a Thing"

This comedy is a remake of "Can't Buy Me Love" (1987) that transposes the story to an African-American setting. Alvin (Nick Cannon) is a high school student who's good at working on cars, but not so good with girls. When popular Paris (Christina Milian) wrecks her mom's SUV, Alvin agrees to fix it if she'll pose as his girlfriend for two weeks. Alvin becomes popular, but begins to lose his old friends, and he must make big decisions.

"Stuck on You"

Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear play conjoined twins in this Farrelly brothers comedy. Bob (Damon) and Walt (Kinnear) are joined at the hip and share a liver. They live on Martha's Vineyard, but Walt wants to pursue an acting career in Hollywood. Bob agrees to the move so he can meet the woman he's been communicating with via the Internet. Things change for the twins in California, and they must decide how to best get on with their lives,