| Coming Soon to Video and DVD | |
| Part 3: A Sneak Peek at Next Week's Releases on Video/DVD |
There are some interesting video/DVD releases slated for next week, including "Drumline," "Evelyn," "Spirited Away," "Rabbit-Proof Fence," and "The Transporter." Let's take a look at these movies on DVD and video, along with some additional releases of interest.
April 15 - Video and DVD Releases
"Drumline"
(2002)
Tagline:
"Half time is game time."
Length:
118 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for innuendo and language
This drama centers around the marching show bands at predominantly black universities. The central character is a young man from Harlem named Devon (Nick Cannon) who, because of his talent as a drummer, receives a scholarship to (fictional) Atlanta A&T. There he becomes romantically involved with a pretty cheerleader named Laila (Zoë Saldana). But Devon's streetwise attitudes and individualistic showboating keep him in continual hot water, particularly with Dr. Lee (Orlando Jones), the band director, who insists on a disciplined, team approach. Finally, everything comes to a head when the A&T band must battle the crowd-pleasing band from (real-life) Morris Brown College at the BET competition. But along the way Devon grows up a little and learns some important life lessons.
Selected Special DVD Features:
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD. Check for availability on VHS.
"Evelyn"
(2002)
Tagline:
"The story of a father's love that changed a nation."
Length:
94 minutes
MPAA Rating:
PG for thematic material and language
Pierce Brosnan, famous for playing James Bond, portrays an ordinary working-class Irishman in this drama based on a true story. In 1950s Dublin, Desmond Doyle (Brosnan) is a married man who is the father of three young children, including a daughter named Evelyn (Sophie Vavasseur). When Doyle's wife abandons the family, the government has the children sent to orphanages. Then Doyle meets a barmaid (Julianna Margulies) and tells her he wants to regain custody of his kids. Her lawyer brother (Stephen Rea) starts working Doyle's case, and he is eventually joined by other attorneys (Aidan Quinn, Alan Bates). Since Irish law requires the consent of the kids' mother, Doyle faces an uphill battle. But Doyle and his legal team set out to get the law changed, and Doyle becomes a better person along the way.
Selected Special DVD Features:
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD. Check for availability on VHS.
"Spirited
Away" (2002)
Length:
125 minutes
MPAA Rating:
PG for some scary moments
This is a dazzling Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki that has been dubbed into English. The movie chronicles the adventures of a 10-year-old girl named Chihiro (voice of Daveigh Chase). The girl and her parents are on a trip when they end up in a bizarre place resembling an abandoned theme park. Chihiro wanders away while her parents eat at a food stand, and they are turned into pigs. A boy named Haku (voice of Jason Marsden) is helpful to Chihiro, but his moods shift abruptly, and she can't tell if he's trustworthy. Chihiro encounters many strange creatures in the spirit world she finds herself in, and in hopes of rescuing her parents, she takes a job in a bathhouse run by the witch-like Yubaba (voice of Suzanne Pleshette).
Selected Special DVD Features:
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD. Check for availability on VHS.
"Rabbit-Proof
Fence" (2002)
Tagline:
"1500 miles is a long way home."
Length:
94 minutes
MPAA Rating:
PG for emotional thematic material
Set in 1931, this drama puts a human face on a shameful chapter in Australian history. As Australia was settled by people of European ancestry, white workers impregnated Aborigine women, then moved on, leaving behind thousands of half-caste children. The government came up with a scheme for dealing with the children that was intended to hasten the demise of the Aborigines as a separate race and culture, while at the same time providing a cheap source of menial labor. The film tells the tale of three such children, girls ranging in age from 8 to 14, who are taken from their mothers and relocated 1500 miles away to be trained as domestic servants. The girls escape and try to make their way home through the outback by following a transcontinental fence built to protect farmlands from rabbits.
Selected Special DVD Features:
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD. Check for availability on VHS.
"The
Transporter" (2002)
Tagline:
"Rules are made to be broken."
Length:
92 minutes
MPAA Rating:
PG-13 for violent sequences and some sensuality
British actor Jason Statham and the good-looking Asian actress Qi Shu star in this English-language action movie that features chases, shoot-outs, and martial-arts sequences, as well as some interesting locations in France. Statham plays Frank Martin, a man who will transport anything for anybody as long as the price is right. Martin delivers a large package containing the bound and gagged Lai (Qi Shu) to the shady American known as Wall Street (Matt Schulze). Then Wall Street comes close to killing Martin, and the Transporter sets out to get revenge. Along the way, Martin falls for Lai and finds himself battling French and Asian criminals. Meanwhile, Martin must avoid being captured by law enforcement, which is led by Inspector Tarconi (François Berléand).
Selected Special DVD Features:
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD. Check for availability on VHS.
Next Page - Additional Video/DVD Releases of Interest Coming Next Week
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