More new movies on DVD for May, 2007.
May 15, 2007
The Fountain
Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz star in this peculiar movie directed by Darren Aronofsky. The film interleaves three stories, one in the present day, another in the 1500s and a third in the 26th century. In the present, Tommy (Jackman) is a researcher seeking a way to save his wife Izzi (Weisz), who has a terminal illness. She is writing a novel in which Queen Isabel (Weisz) has sent Tomas (Jackman) to Central America to find the Tree of Life. And 500 years from now, Tom Creo (Jackman) travels through space with a tree.
Pan's Labyrinth
Brilliantly intercutting reality and fantasy, this violent Spanish-language drama won Academy Awards for its cinematography and art direction. The story is set in 1940s Spain and centers around a girl named Ofelia (11-year-old Ivana Baquero). Her cruel stepfather commands an army unit charged with killing guerrillas, but she bonds with the housekeeper (Maribel Verdú), who is secretly working with the rebels. Ofelia deals with her dreadful real life by escaping into a fantasy world where a faun tells her she may be a princess.
Stomp the Yard
This drama is set in the world of stepping, elaborate synchronized group dance routines performed in competitions between African-American fraternities. The main character is DJ (Columbus Short), who gets in trouble in L.A. and is sent to live with his uncle in Atlanta. There DJ attends Truth University where he joins a fraternity and is also attracted to a coed (Meagan Good). Complications arise, but eventually it all comes down to a big dance-off, and DJ helps his group incorporate some kinetic street moves.
May 22, 2007
Apocalypto
Mel Gibson directed this violent action-adventure film set in 16th-century Central America. The dialogue is in Maya, and English subtitles are provided. The main character is Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), who lives a simple village life with his pregnant wife and their little boy. But warriors attack, and Jaguar Paw is captured. He is taken to a city where hearts are ripped from human chests and severed heads are rolled down a tall pyramid. He escapes and is chased through the jungle as he tries to get back to his family.
Epic Movie
In the spirit of Scary Movie and Date Movie, Epic Movie is a comedy that parodies other recent films, this time high-grossing ones of any genre. There are four main characters, one each drawn from The Da Vinci Code, Nacho Libre, Snakes on a Plane and X-Men. All four end up at Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, but go through a wardrobe to the land of Gnarnia (the initial letter is silent). Residing there are Aslo the Lion (Fred Willard) and the White Bitch (Jennifer Coolidge). Many jokes relate to bodily functions.
Letters From Iwo Jima
Clint Eastwood directed this Japanese-language World War II drama, a companion piece to his Flags of Our Fathers. In Letters, General Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) is tasked with readying 20,000 Japanese soldiers on a tiny Pacific island for an attack by an overwhelming American force. The Japanese high command decides to provide no support and orders its troops on Iwo Jima to fight to their deaths. The movie follows a handful of the Japanese soldiers as they prepare as best they can to die with honor.
Venus
Peter O'Toole received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his performance in this little British movie set in London. O'Toole plays Maurice, an elderly actor who is friends with the grumpy Ian (Leslie Phillips), another aged trouper. Maurice's health is fragile, but he's still randy, and he's concerned about needing prostate surgery. When he meets Ian's sullen, low-class 19-year-old grandniece (Jodie Whittaker), Maurice is attracted to her. An odd relationship develops that benefits both the old man and the young woman.
May 29, 2007
Hannibal Rising
The malevolent cannibal Hannibal Lector has been the central character in a series of films, the best-known being The Silence of the Lambs, and Hannibal Rising is a prequel to those movies. In World War II Lithuania, Hannibal's parents are killed, and his sister is eaten by hungry outlaws. After a few years in a Soviet orphanage, young adult Hannibal (Gaspard Ulliel) goes to Paris and lives with an aunt (Gong Li). He attends medical school before setting out to get revenge against the thugs who ate his sister.
Lost In Translation (DVD/HD DVD)
Written and directed by Sofia Coppola, this is a movie both sad and funny that features fine performances by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johannson. The story is about two lonely Americans visiting Tokyo—Bob (Murray), a middle-aged actor making whiskey commercials, and Charlotte (Johannson), the young wife of a photographer who's always off working. The charm of the film lies in its subtle handling of an unusual friendship.
More May DVD Releases on the Previous Page
