New Videos/DVDs Coming Out This Week
Here's what you need to know to plan your next trip to the video store. There are some interesting video/DVD releases slated for Tuesday, December 18, 2001, including "The Center of the World," "Moulin Rouge," "The Princess Diaries," and "Scary Movie 2." 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 videos and DVDs.
"The Center of the World"
Length: 86 minutes
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Directed by Wayne Wang, "The Center of the World" is an English-language art house drama that features lots of nudity and sexual content. Richard (Peter Sarsgaard) is a young computer entrepreneur whose company is about to go public, making him extremely wealthy. In his loneliness, Richard offers a stripper named Florence (Molly Parker) $10,000 to spend a weekend with him in Las Vegas. She accepts, but only under conditions that she imposes, which include no penetration, no kissing on the mouth, and no talking about feelings. Richard and Florence go to Las Vegas, where she eventually relaxes some of the originally specified conditions. But the film’s main focus is on the feelings of these two characters as their unusual encounter develops.
Selected Special DVD Features:
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD; this film is also available on VHS.
"Moulin Rouge" (2001)
Tagline: "No Laws. No Limits. One Rule. Never Fall In Love."
Length: 127 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content
Starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, "Moulin Rouge" is a dazzling musical set in 1899, but the musical numbers are mostly popular songs from the 1970s and 1980s. Moulin Rouge is the famous Paris nightclub, and Satine (Kidman) is a star dancer there. McGregor portrays Christian, an aspiring young writer who falls madly in love with Satine. Other key characters are Toulouse-Lautrec (John Leguizamo), the Moulin Rouge’s impresario Zidler (Jim Broadbent), and the wealthy Duke of Worcester (Richard Roxburgh). Directed by Baz Luhrmann, "Moulin Rouge" is a visually stunning spectacle that is awash in brilliant color, a whirlwind of energy, and a romantic fantasy filled with sound and motion.
Selected Special DVD Features:
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD; this film is also available on VHS.
"The Princess Diaries"
Tagline: "She rocks. She rules. She reigns."
Length: 114 minutes
MPAA Rating: G
This light comedy is about an awkward 15-year-old San Francisco girl named Mia (Anne Hathaway) who is transformed into a self-assured young woman fit to be a European princess. When the movie opens, Mia lives with her single mom and attends high school, where she yearns to be the girlfriend of the popular Josh. Then Mia learns that she has a grandmother named Clarisse (Julie Andrews), who is queen of a tiny country named Genovia. Queen Clarisse travels to San Francisco, where she meets Mia and tells her that she must claim her birthright as the Princess of Genovia or the country will fall into evil hands. As Mia undergoes a makeover, she must decide whether to remain an ordinary American girl or accept the responsibility of becoming a European princess.
Selected Special DVD Features:
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD; this film is also available on VHS.
"Scary Movie 2"
Tagline: "More Merciless. More Shameless."
Length: 83 minutes
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexual and gross humor, graphic language and some drug content
This sequel to the 2000 film "Scary Movie" is a gross-out comedy that spoofs horror movies. Reprising their roles in the earlier film are the Wayans brothers (Shawn, Marlon, and Keenen Ivory, who also directs), Regina Hall, and Anna Faris. This time around Shawn and Marlon play college students who are part of a group that spends a night in the haunted Hell House, where all manner of supernatural events occur. What little plot there is in "Scary Movie 2" is present merely to serve as a clothesline on which to hang a series of comic vignettes similar to those seen on TV shows like "Saturday Night Live" or the Wayans’ "In Living Color." James Woods makes a brief appearance in "Scary Movie 2" as a priest in a funny parody of "The Exorcist."
Selected Special DVD Features:
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD; this film is also available on VHS.
Additional Releases of Interest:
"Artemisia" (1998)
Selected Special DVD Features:
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD; this film is also available on VHS.
"God's Little Acre" (1958)
Selected Special DVD Features:
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD; this film is also available on VHS.
"Murder by Death" (1976)
Selected Special DVD Features:
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD; this film is also available on VHS.
"The Servant" (1963)
Selected Special DVD Features:
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD; this film is also available on VHS.
"Twin Peaks" - The First Season - Special Edition
Selected Special DVD Features:
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD; this television series is also available on VHS.
Next page A Sneak Peek at Next Week Page1, 2
