Let's take a look at the best new movies on DVD for February 2007.
February 6, 2007
Flags of Our Fathers
Clint Eastwood directed this powerful World War II drama. In 1945, American forces landed at Iwo Jima to take control of the island from entrenched, resolute Japanese defenders. Amid heavy casualties, a photo was snapped of Old Glory being raised on a hilltop. The image quickly became a symbol of hope for Americans, and a War Bond drive was built around three of the men who put that flag up. The film explores the gap between the public's perception of war and that of those who do the fighting.
Hollywoodland
This drama takes a fictionalized look at the real-life death of actor George Reeves. In the 1950s, Reeves became famous playing the title character in the popular TV series The Adventures of Superman, so it was big news when he was found dead of a gunshot. In the movie, private detective Louis Simo (Adrien Brody) deals with problems in his own life as he investigates the death of Reeves (Ben Affleck). He discovers Reeves had an affair with Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), wife of an MGM executive (Bob Hoskins).
February 13, 2007
The Departed
Martin Scorsese directed this character-driven crime drama that stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson. Frank Costello (Nicholson) is a Boston mob boss the state police want to bring down. They give trooper Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) an elaborate cover, and he infiltrates Costello's inner circle. But Costello has a dirty cop, Colin Sullivan (Damon), looking out for his interests. The narrative engine is the conflict between Costigan and Sullivan, which is resolved in a climactic showdown.
Half Nelson
Ryan Gosling gives a terrific performance in this non-formulaic, hard-hitting drama. Dan Dunne (Gosling) is an idealistic, gifted white teacher at a shabby Brooklyn public junior high school. But he has a drug problem, and one day he's found under the influence by Drey (Shareeka Epps), a 13-year-old female African-American student. This leads to a friendship between Dan and Drey that is problematic. A third important character is the drug dealer Frank (Anthony Mackie), who has a peculiar relationship with Drey's family.
Marie Antoinette
Based on the book by Antonia Fraser, Sofia Coppola wrote and directed this biopic that stars Kirsten Dunst as the title character. The movie is about the two decades Marie Antoinette spent at Versailles and features extensive location shooting at the famous palace. Brought from Austria at age 14, she married the heir to the French throne and became queen at about 19. After reigning 15 years, she and the king were forced out of Versailles by an angry mob. The film is a study of royal court life before the Revolution.
February 20, 2007
Babel
This drama intercuts three stories on three continents. An American married couple (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) vacation in Morocco, where the wife gets shot by a goatherd. Meanwhile, a San Diego nanny (Adriana Barraza) takes her employers' children with her when she goes to a wedding in Mexico. And in Tokyo, a deaf-mute teenage girl (Rinko Kikuchi) suffers feelings of isolation and desperately seeks to connect with others. Although the film abandons traditional narrative structure, it has great emotional impact.
Flushed Away
Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet and Ian McKellen are among those who supply voices for this animated comedy. Roddy (voice of Hugh Jackman) is a pet mouse who lives a life of luxury in a fancy house. But he gets flushed down the toilet and ends up in a miniature version of London made out of stuff people have thrown away. The pampered Roddy is ill-suited to this world, and he's lucky to befriend a rat named Rita (voice of Kate Winslet). The villain here is the Toad (voice of Ian McKellen), who has an evil plan.
The Prestige
Christopher Nolan cowrote and directed this puzzle-like drama that stars Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale. Set in Victorian England, the story is about music-hall magicians. Angier (Jackman) and Borden (Bale) are illusionists who once worked together, but Angier's wife died performing a trick, and the widower blames Borden. The two magicians become bitter rivals, engaging in a feud both personal and professional. There's another death and a trial, with the tale unfolding in an elaborate flashback structure.
February 27, 2007
Stranger Than Fiction
Will Ferrell and Emma Thompson star in this comedy that blurs the line between the real and the imagined. Harold Crick (Ferrell) is an I.R.S. auditor who hears a woman narrating in his head. The voice belongs to author Kay Eiffel (Thompson), and Harold is the central character in a novel she's writing. Harold gets some advice from a literature professor (Dustin Hoffman), and he falls for a woman (Maggie Gyllenhaal). But Harold may not be around for long because there are indications that Eiffel intends to kill him off.
