More new movies on DVD for March, 2007.
March 20, 2007
Blood Diamond
Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou and Jennifer Connelly star in this drama directed by Edward Zwick. The story is set in 1999 Sierra Leone during a civil war. A fisherman named Solomon Vandy (Hounsou) finds and hides a large, rare diamond. Later, the smuggler Danny Archer (DiCaprio) teams up with Solomon in an attempt to retrieve the valuable stone. They are joined in their quest by journalist Maddy Bowen (Connelly), who wants to expose how the diamond business is responsible for innocent people being killed.
Eragon
Christopher Paolini was only 19 when Eragon, the first novel in a fantasy trilogy, was published. This movie is a big-budget adaptation of that novel. The title character is a teenage farm boy (Edward Speleers) who lives in a land ruled by an evil king (John Malkovich). But Eragon comes into possession of a dragon egg from which emerges a creature that grows huge and communicates telepathically (voice of Rachel Weisz). Soon Eragon and his dragon Saphira are off to join rebels who seek to overthrow the king.
The Nativity Story
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, this tasteful dramatization of the story of Jesus' birth stars Keisha Castle-Hughes as Mary. In the movie, Mary is a teenage girl who is not too happy about the marriage arranged for her with Joseph. After she is told by the Archangel Gabriel that she will bear the Son of God, she goes to visit Elizabeth (Shohreh Aghdashloo), who is pregnant with John the Baptist. Soon Mary and Joseph must make the long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. King Herod is portrayed by Ciaran Hinds.
Rocky Balboa
Sylvester Stallone's Rocky burst onto the scene in 1976, and the actor reprised the character in four follow-up movies, the last being Rocky V (1990). Sixteen years later the Italian Stallion comes back in Rocky Balboa for what is seemingly one last hurrah, and although his wife has died, her brother Paulie (Burt Young) is still around. Rocky's about 60, and he runs a restaurant in Philly. Despite his age, an opportunity arises he can't resist: Rocky will fight the current heavyweight champ in an exhibition match.
March 27, 2007
Children of Men
Alfonso Cuarón directed this dystopian vision of the near future adapted from P.D. James' novel. It's 2027, no human baby has been born for 18 years and the world is in chaos. The story takes place in Britain where a fascist government deals with terrorists, rebels and a stream of refugees. The protagonist Theo Faron (Clive Owen) is a bureaucrat who ends up on a dangerous mission to get a pregnant illegal immigrant to safety. Also appearing in the movie are Julianne Moore, Michael Caine and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Happy Feet
This animated movie is set in an Antarctica where the emperor penguins are heavily into singing. But it happens that a male/female pair of them (voices of Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman) produce an offspring, Mumble (voice of Elijah Wood), who's an atrocious singer, but a terrific tap dancer. Mumble isn't fully accepted by the emperors, and he ends up with a group of Adélie penguins that includes Ramon (voice of Robin Williams). But there's a growing shortage of fish, possibly caused by intrusive aliens (humans).
The Pursuit of Happyness
Will Smith gives a winning performance in this feel-good movie inspired by a true story. In 1981 San Francisco, Chris Gardner (Will Smith) goes broke in a business venture. Then his wife (Thandie Newton) leaves him, and he takes custody of their five-year-old son (played by Will Smith's real-life son). Chris sets out to make a fresh start, and he takes an unpaid internship at a brokerage house. He and his son have their ups and downs, and they are even homeless for awhile, but eventually Chris' perseverance pays off.
Turistas
This horror movie is about six young, good-looking, English-speaking people (three Americans, two Brits and an Aussie) on vacation in Brazil. When their bus has an accident in an outlying area, they go to a bar and enjoy a lot of drinks. But they soon discover they've been robbed of everything except the clothes they're wearing. A local offers help and guides them to a house in the wilderness, where he says they'll be safe. But they have ended up in the lair of a mad doctor who wants to harvest their organs.
More March DVD Releases on the Previous Page
