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Video / DVD

New releases

A look at what's coming to the shelves

By Times Staff Writer
Published January 12, 2006

The Constant Gardener

DIRECTOR: Fernando Meirelles

CAST: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Danny Huston, Hubert Kounde, Bill Nighy, Pete Postlethwaite, Gerard McSorley

SYNOPSIS: British diplomat (Ralph Fiennes) investigates his wife's murder and uncovers a pharmaceutical conspiracy in Africa. Based on John Le Carre's novel.

WHAT WE SAID: St. Petersburg Times film critic Steve Persall gave the film a B. "The Constant Gardener is an admirable near-miss, the kind of intelligent drama film critics wish were more common, yet it feels vaguely detached from viewer interest," he wrote. "You watch it and imagine what American filmmakers would do with the material: Erin Brockovich in Africa, with chases and a climactic courtroom scene spelling out everything. What Meirelles creates is more challenging, but without the usual thrills and sharply defined morality, who will notice?"

MPAA RATING: R; profanity, violent images, sexual content

RUNNING TIME: 129 min.

DIRECTOR: Craig Brewer

CAST: Terrence Dashon Howard, Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Taraji P. Henson, Paula Jai Parker, DJ Qualls, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Isaac Hayes

SYNOPSIS: A pimp and drug pusher (Howard) tries gangsta rap as a means of going straight.

WHAT WE SAID: Persall gave the film an A-. "Howard, a memorable bit player in Crash and Ray, takes his first leading role (as DJay) by the throat then massages it into one of the finer performances of the year," he wrote. "Hustle & Flow has some ragged edges when Brewer gets distracted by people around DJay . . . but the final act is a sweaty stunner, showcasing another impressive turn by Chris "Ludacris' Bridges."

MPAA RATING: R; harsh profanity, sexual situations, brief nudity, drug abuse, violence

RUNNING TIME: 114 min.

DIRECTOR: Wes Craven

CAST: Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy, Brian Cox, Jayma Mays, Angela Paton

SYNOPSIS: A hotel manager (McAdams) on an overnight flight home to Miami is pulled into an assassination plot. Craven knows the limitations of his yarn and plays to them accordingly and with style.

WHAT WE SAID: Persall gave the movie a B. "Craven spins a preposterous yarn in no-nonsense fashion in Red Eye, a thriller with the uncommon good sense to get off the screen before anyone has time to figure out the plot holes," he wrote. "Eighty minutes (not counting end credits) is all this story deserves and all Craven is willing to invest. That's unusual creative restraint that deserves applause, if moviegoers stop gripping their armrests for a few seconds."

MPAA RATING: PG-13; violence, profanity

RUNNING TIME: 85 min.

DIRECTOR: Louis Leterrier

CAST: Jason Statham, Alessandro Gassman, Matthew Modine, Amber Valletta, Hunter Clary, Jeff Chase, Keith David, Tim Ware

SYNOPSIS: A tough mob deliveryman (Statham) must protect the son of a U.S. government official (Modine).

WHAT WE SAID: The Times did not review this movie.

MPAA RATING: PG-13; intense sequences of violent action, sexual content, partial nudity and brief language

RUNNING TIME: 100 min.

DIRECTOR: Ingmar Bergman

CAST: Liv Ullmann, Erland Josephson, Borje Ahlstedt, Julia Dufvenius

SYNOPSIS: A woman (Ullmann) visits the man she divorced 30 years earlier and finds herself in the midst of his family drama.

WHAT WE SAID: The Times did not review this film, which did not play in Tampa Bay area theaters.

MPAA RATING: R; brief nudity, language and a violent image

RUNNING TIME: 120 min.

[Last modified January 11, 2006, 10:48:18]