Here's a selection of new movies on DVD for January, 2007.
January 2, 2007
Balzac: A Life of Passion
Gérard Depardieu plays the title role in this biopic about the great writer Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850), who created a rich panorama of French society in a massive body of work collectively known as La Comédie humaine. Produced for French television and originally airing in 1999, the film features elaborate sets and lavish costumes. The movie spends much of its time on Balzac's relationships with women, including his mother (Jeanne Moreau) and the countess (Fanny Ardant) he married shortly before his death.
The Covenant
Renny Harlin directed this movie about teenage warlocks. Four guys are pals at a New England private school. All are descended from 17th-century witches, and because of the Salem witch trials, their ancestors entered into a covenant of secrecy. The four possess some supernatural powers and will acquire greater ones when they turn 18. Caleb, the leader, forms a duo with Sarah, a pretty transfer student. But creepy things begin happening, and another transfer student, Chase, seems to have something to do with them.
Snakes on a Plane
Samuel L. Jackson stars in this disaster movie about hundreds of poisonous snakes being on the loose in a commercial jetliner. A young man is biking in rural Hawaii when he happens to see a mobster commit a murder. F.B.I. agent Neville Flynn (Jackson) takes on the task of escorting the witness to California to testify. Flynn and the witness board a flight, and the film introduces some of the crew and passengers. But as prearranged by the mobster, deadly snakes are released at high altitude, causing pandemonium.
January 9, 2007
Crank
Jason Statham stars in this movie, which features nonstop action. Chev Chelios (Statham) is a hit man who wakes up one day to find out he has been poisoned in his sleep with something called a Beijing cocktail. The toxin will be lethal unless he can keep his adrenaline level high. To stay alive, Chev must constantly do things that stimulate his adrenaline flow, and he goes on a rampage that leaves death and destruction in its wake. There is humor in the film, and Amy Smart plays Chev's scatterbrained girlfriend.
The Illusionist
Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti star in this drama about a magician in Vienna circa 1900. Eisenheim (Norton) puts on astounding magic shows, and Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell) and his fiancée Sophie (Jessica Biel) attend a performance. It turns out Eisenheim and Sophie were childhood sweethearts, and they become lovers, but try to keep it hidden from Leopold. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince assigns Chief Inspector Uhl (Giamatti) to uncover Eisenheim's secrets and expose him as a fraud.
The Night Listener
Robin Williams stars in this drama, adapted from Armistead Maupin's novel, which was based on real life. Gabriel Noone (Williams), a talk-radio host who has recently broken up with his lover, is shown a manuscript supposedly written by Pete, a resident of a distant state who is said to be a terminally ill 14-year-old boy. Gabriel has many phone conversations with Pete and his protective stepmother Donna (Toni Collette). But uncertainty arises as to whether or not Pete exists, and Gabriel sets out to investigate.
January 16, 2007
Employee of the Month
Stand-up comic Dane Cook, Jessica Simpson and Dax Shepard star in this comedy. Zack (Cook) is a lackadaisical box boy at Super Club, a large discount retail store. When sexy new checkout clerk Amy (Simpson) starts working there, Zack is attracted to her. But she reputedly will only go out with guys who are named Employee of the Month. That's when Zack sets out to win the award, but he is a definite underdog because he is up against the unlikable Vince (Shepard), who has already won it 17 times in a row.
Gridiron Gang
The Rock stars in this feel-good sports drama based on a 1993 TV documentary. It's set at Camp Kilpatrick, a juvenile correctional detention facility in the Los Angeles area. Probation officer Sean Porter (Rock) decides it would be a good thing to form a football team made up of inmates and have them play local high schools. It's an uphill struggle, but Porter recruits players, gets uniforms and schedules some games. Eventually he manages to mold thugs into a team, and the kids learn valuable life lessons.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
This horror film is a prequel to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), which was a remake of a 1974 cult favorite. This time around we get the back story of Leatherface, a k a Thomas Hewitt. In the prequel, a young man, his brother and their girlfriends are driving through backwoods Texas on their way to Mexico when they have an auto accident. That leads to their encounter with the psychopathic, cannibalistic Hewitt clan. Jordana Brewster plays one of the girlfriends, and R. Lee Ermey is back as the sheriff.
More January DVD Releases on the Next Page
