| New Video and DVD Releases | |
| Part 1: This Week's Releases on Video/DVD |
by Ivana Redwine
There are some interesting video/DVD releases for September 24, 2002, including "Big Fat Liar," "Enigma," "Monsoon Wedding," and "Murder by Numbers." Let's take a look at these films, along with a few additional releases of interest, and take a sneak peek at next week's movies on video/DVD.
"Big
Fat Liar" (2002)
Tagline: "Two friends are about to cut one Hollywood big shot down to size."
Length:
87 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG for some language
Starring Frankie Muniz, Amanda Bynes, and Paul Giamatti, this is a good-hearted
comedy aimed at kids that most adults won't mind. A Michigan eighth-grader named
Jason (Muniz) is a habitual fibber who writes an autobiographical story called
"Big Fat Liar" for a class assignment. On his way to give the story
to his teacher, Jason encounters a Hollywood producer named Marty Wolf (Giamatti),
who steals the story. When Jason later learns that a movie is being made based
on his story, he and his friend Kaylee (Bynes) travel to Tinseltown to confront
Wolf. Jason and Kaylee want the sleazy producer to set the record straight about
where "Big Fat Liar" really came from, but Wolf refuses, so they find
imaginative ways to make his life miserable in an attempt to get him to tell
the truth.
Selected Special DVD Features:
- Full-Frame Format
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD. Check for availability on VHS.
"Enigma"
(2001)
Tagline: "Unlock the secret."
Length:
117 minutes
MPAA Rating: R for a sex scene and language
Set in England during World War II, this thriller revolves around the Brits
who broke the Nazi communications code known as Enigma. A large convoy of merchant
ships must cross the North Atlantic, and it's imperative that the Allies know
the movements of German submarines. A brilliant mathematician named Tom Jericho
(Dougray Scott) has just returned to work on breaking the Enigma code after
a nervous breakdown, which was caused by a failed romantic relationship with
Claire Romilly (Saffron Burrows). But Claire has disappeared, and Jericho teams
up with her roommate Hester Wallace (Kate Winslet) to try to find out what happened
to her. Also, possible security breaches in the code-breaking operation result
in Jericho butting heads with a haughty intelligence officer (Jeremy Northam).
Selected Special DVD Features:
- Widescreen Anamorphic Format
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD. Check for availability on VHS.
"Monsoon
Wedding" (2001)
Tagline: "The Rain is coming ... and so is the Family."
Length:
114 minutes
MPAA Rating: R for language, including some sex related dialogue
Directed by Mira Nair, this film is a joyous celebration of life that centers
around a big wedding in India. The characters alternate between speaking English,
Hindi, and Punjabi. Although the predominant tone of the movie is light, including
the presence of some song-and-dance numbers, there are some dramatic elements
as well. The marriage is an arranged one, but the pretty bride-to-be is having
an affair with a married TV host and the groom is a techie who lives in Houston,
Texas. There's also a heartwarming thread where the exasperating wedding planner
becomes smitten with an attractive housemaid. On the more serious side, a
situation arises that forces the father of the bride to face painful truths.
Selected Special DVD Features:
- Widescreen Anamorphic Format
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD. Check for availability on VHS.
"Murder
by Numbers" (2002)
Tagline: "Let the mind games begin."
Length:
120 minutes
MPAA Rating: R for violence, language, a sex scene and brief drug
use
Sandra Bullock stars in this crime drama that is presumably inspired by
the famous Leopold and Loeb case. Bullock plays Cassie Mayweather, a veteran
homicide detective who becomes sexually involved with her partner Sam Kennedy
(Ben Chaplin). Mayweather and Kennedy are assigned to work a murder that
was committed by two high school boys. The murderers are the popular Richard
Haywood (Ryan Gosling) and the intellectual Justin Pendleton (Michael Pitt),
who selected their victim at random and killed her just to see if they could
commit the perfect murder. The forensic evidence points toward a different
perpetrator, but Mayweather doggedly follows her instincts in pursuing the
arrogant boys. Meanwhile, one of the boys gets jealous when the other becomes
interested in a girl.
Selected Special DVD Features:
- Available in Widescreen and Full-Screen Format
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 This Week
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