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Video / DVD

New releases

A look at what's hitting the shelves

By Times Staff Writer
Published March 24, 2005

BEING JULIA

DIRECTOR: Istvan Szabo

CAST: Michael Gambon, Annette Bening, Leigh Lawson, Shaun Evans, Mari Kiss, Jeremy Irons, Ronald Markham

SYNOPSIS: An aging actor (Bening) in 1930s London juggles an affair with a younger man and competition from the starlet grabbing his attention. Bening was nominated for an Academy Award for best actress.

WHAT WE SAID: Times film critic Steve Persall gave the movie a B. "Julia Lambert is the kind of inside-joke role that actors love playing, even if the rest of the movie is fairly standard," he wrote. "Bening relishes playing both sides of the prima donna facade, so grandly theatrical in her public life that we wonder if she's merely acting in her personal disasters. That brave face, those timely tears, could be an act. The measure of Bening's portrayal is that we aren't certain for a long time."

MPAA RATING: R; sexuality

RUNNING TIME: 104 min.

DIRECTOR: Beeban Kidron

CAST: Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones, Jacinda Barrett

SYNOPSIS: Zellweger is back as the plump, perpetually single British lass, sorting through relationships with her new boyfriend (Firth) and former boss/lover (Grant).

WHAT WE SAID: Persall gave the film a B. He wrote that Zellweger's performance is "the best reason to invest time and money in part two. Looking plumper than in the original, with splotchy skin and "jiggly bits' as Bridget calls her body fat, Zellweger discards every hint of ego to capture Bridget's belief that her value depends so much upon her waistline and bad habits. Each falsely chipper comment, every look of discomfort, are casually perfect. Zellweger is simply, frumpily delightful."

MPAA RATING: R; profanity, sexual situations, drug references

RUNNING TIME: 108 min.

DIRECTOR: Marc Forster

CAST: Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Freddie Highmore, Dustin Hoffman, Julie Christie, Radha Mitchell

SYNOPSIS: Playwright J.M. Barrie (Depp) finds inspiration to write Peter Pan through a widow (Winslet) and her four sons. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including picture, actor (Depp), adapted screenplay, film editing, costume design and art direction. It won an Oscar for original score.

WHAT WE SAID: Persall gave the film a B. "A first viewing of Finding Neverland was tear-inducing and completely satisfying. Seeing it again was a mistake," he wrote. "With familiarity, the fantasy simply wasn't as fanciful. It felt like growing up, and it was disappointing. On the other hand, many of the film's qualities are too strong to falter, starting with another fascinating man-child performance by Johnny Depp as Barrie. . . . Finding Neverland works if you clap your hands and say, "I believe'."

MPAA RATING: PG; mature themes

RUNNING TIME: 101 min.

DIRECTOR: Joel Zwick

CAST: Kenan Thompson, Kyla Pratt, Jermaine Williams, Aaron Frazier, Dania Ramirez, Bill Cosby

SYNOPSIS: The movie version of Bill Cosby's funny, funky, feel-good kids from the '70s cartoon moves from the television into the 21st century.

WHAT WE SAID: Times reviewer Janet K. Keeler gave the movie a B. "There's nothing wrong with leaving the theater in a good mood, and this cute movie will make you do that, especially if you are a fan of the television cartoon that ran from 1972 to 1984," she wrote. "The movie has the corny feel of a half-hour morality tale. Believe in yourself. Don't be afraid to get close to people. Stand up to bullies. But Hey! Hey! Hey! Would we have it any other way?"

MPAA RATING: PG; minor language

RUNNING TIME: 100 min.

DIRECTOR: Omar Naim

CAST: Robin Williams, Mira Sorvino, Jim Caviezel, Mimi Kuzyk, Genevieve Buechner, Stephanie Romanov

SYNOPSIS: Microchip implants allow people to record their lives, and a meek editor (Williams) splices the data into flattering funeral pieces.

WHAT WE SAID: Persall gave the film a B, praising 27-year-old Naim's debut. "The Final Cut is uneven, at times too complex for its own good, but the ideas gumming up the narrative flow - and others trimmed to insignificance - are so intriguing that those problems can be excused," he wrote. "This isn't a chase thriller or a murder mystery, as so many fantasies that use someone else's eyes as a window to evil have been. This is a crisis of conscience, a philosophical dilemma. . . . The Final Cut is only a passing fancy, but it's a sign that Naim has better things ahead of him."

MPAA RATING: PG-13; child endangerment themes, violence, profanity, sexual situations

RUNNING TIME: 96 min.

[Last modified March 23, 2005, 10:29:06]