New Videos Coming Out This Week

Let's take a quick look at some of the videos and DVDs scheduled to be released April 3, 2001.

102 Dalmatians

Tagline: "A spotless new tail is going to be unleashed."

Length: 100 minutes
MPAA Rating: G

The live-action family movie 102 Dalmatians is a sequel to the 1996 film 101 Dalmatians, and Glenn Close again stars as the central character, Cruella De Vil. In the earlier movie, Cruella was jailed for dognapping, and in the new film, she’s out on parole. Cruella again plans to abduct Dalmatian puppies to use their skins to make a coat, but her parole officer and an animal shelter operator work together to try to stop her.

The Legend of Bagger Vance

Tagline: "Some Things Can't Be Learned. They Must Be Remembered."

Length: 125 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some sexual content

Matt Damon and Will Smith star in this fable-like drama directed by Robert Redford. Rannulph Junuh (Damon) was a promising young golfer from Savannah, Georgia, but combat experiences during World War I broke his spirit, and he drifted around for years before coming home. There Junuh meets a poor black man called Bagger Vance (Smith), who becomes his caddie and helps him along the road to recovery.

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The following selection of films are already available on VHS and will be released on DVD April 3, 2001.

Being There

Tagline: "Getting there is half the fun; being there is all of it!"

Length: 130 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG

Based on Jerzy Kosinski's satiric novel, Being There is a rare gem that is genuinely touching as it slyly skewers things like American politics and the vulnerability of a public that’s too easily seduced by vacuous simplicity. Peter Sellers gives a subtle, low-keyed, yet disarmingly powerful performance as Chance, a childlike man whose only knowledge of the world outside of the estate where he works comes from watching television. After his employer dies, Chance is hit by a limousine. Then through luck, along with the appeal of his quiet, cipher-like naivete, he becomes a celebrity and Washington political insider.

Lawrence of Arabia - Special Edition

Tagline: "From the creators of The Bridge on the River Kwai."

Length: 227 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG

Winner of seven Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director (David Lean), Lawrence of Arabia is a masterpiece of epic adventure. The film chronicles the life of eccentric Englishman T.E. Lawrence as he rallies the Arabs to fight the Turks during World War I, and Peter O'Toole’s unforgettable performance in the title role made him a star. This is arguably the most visually lush adventure film ever made. In addition to the superb cinematography, what impresses me about this movie is how it succeeds in creating a nuanced character study of the enigmatic, complex Lawrence.

The World According to Garp

Tagline: "Robin Williams is Garp. He's got a funny way of looking at life."

Length: 131 minutes
MPAA Rating: R

In one of his first movie projects, Robin Williams plays the novelist T.S. Garp in this film loosely based on of John Irving's tragic-comic novel. The movie version of The World According to Garp isn’t quite as good as the book, but it does offer some terrific performances that bring the story’s bizarre, wacky characters to cinematic life. Particularly memorable are Jenny Fields (Glenn Close), a feminist nurse/author who is Garp’s mother, and Roberta Muldoon (John Lithgow), a transsexual former professional football player.