White Oleander (DVD) Widescreen WHITE OLEANDER, the Janet Fitch novel made famous on Oprah`s Book Club, is the tale of an intense and toxic mother-daughter relationship, coupled with a look at the fundamentally skewed U.S. foster care system. When the beau...
WHITE OLEANDER, the Janet Fitch novel made famous on Oprah`s Book Club, is the tale of an intense and toxic mother-daughter relationship, coupled with a look at the fundamentally skewed U.S. foster care system. When the beautiful photographer Ingrid Magnusson (Michelle Pfeiffer) is imprisoned for allegedly murdering a philandering boyfriend, her daughter Astrid (Alison Lohman) does her best to survive a string of foster homes where natural adolescent mistakes turn into land mines. Her first stop is the home of a born-again Christian, Starr (Robin Wright Penn, who is so good in this part she`s physically unrecognizable.) Next, she is sent to the home of a clinically depressed actress, Claire Richards (Renee Zellweger, whose natural effervescence is delightfully disturbing here.) Claire uses Astrid to fill the void left by a roaming husband (Noah Wyle). Astrid juggles her list of changing homes with visits to Mommy Dearest in prison, while suffering flashbacks of the alleged murder.
WHITE OLEANDER, the first feature for U.K. television director Peter Kosminsky, is stark and brooding. Its simultaneously awful and lovely tone is reminiscent of AMERICAN BEAUTY or THE ICE STORM.
PG-13"
Director: Peter Kosminsky
ACTORS: Michelle Pfeiffer, Alison Lohman, Robin Wright, Renie Zellweger, Billy Connolly
Sesame Street - Elmo Says Boo! (DVD)
In this song-filled Halloween adventure, Elmo, Bert, Ernie, Baby Bear and Telly visit The Count`s spooky castle. Songs include Transylvania 1-2-3-4-5, The Batty Bat and We Are All Monsters. It`s a frightfully good time!NR"
ACTORS: Muppets
Rolie Polie Olie: Olie`s Winter Wonderland (DVD)
A little boy robot who lives with his family on the completely round Rolie Polie Planet, Olie finds himself in all sorts of adventures. This collection of episodes revolves around winter and all the fun that can be had in this magical season. In Jingle Jangle Wish, Olie and his sister Zowie visit Klanky Klaus and have some Christmas fun. In Cool It, Olie`s dad creates a hare-brained invention that suddenly turns a boiling summer day into a frosty winter paradise. In Starry, Starry Night, Klanky Klaus must come to the rescue of our heroes. Finally, in Snowie, Olie and Zowie find a snowman who comes to life! In addition to its appealing animation, ROLIE POLIE OLIE features friendly stories about families getting along and working together to solve problems.NR"
Empire (DVD)
EMPIRE, the debut film from director-writer Frank Reyes is a Latin GOODFELLAS, chronicling the rise and fall of Victor Rosa (John Leguizamo), a Puerto Rican drug-dealer working the violent streets of the South Bronx. With an eye for money and a head for business, Victor dreams of one day achieving the wealth and success of a legitimate businessman. When Victor discovers that his girlfriend Carmen (Delilah Cruz) is pregnant, he jumps at the chance to give up the dangerous drug trade and joins forces with two new friends, Jack (Peter Skarsgaard)--a flashy Wall Street Investment banker, and his girlfriend Trish (Denise Richards). Jack offers Victor a new way of life and promises him access to sure thing investments. Eager to go legit, Victor quickly embraces Jack`s standards of living. He gives up the streets of the Bronx for Jack`s slick Soho loft and moves into the fast-talking, money-driven world of Wall Street. However, Carmen misses the warmth and familiarity of her roots in the South Bronx and Victor is torn between his own ambition and his desire to please her. Ultimately, he realizes too late that Jack and Trish are not all who they seem to be, and his best-laid plans begin to falter as he is forced to accept the magnitude of their betrayal.R"
Director: Frank Reyes
ACTORS: John Leguizamo, Denise Richards, Peter Sarsgaard, Ruben Blades, Isabella Rossellini
The Sopranos: The Complete Third Season (DVD) Four Disc Set This collection comprises the entire third season of the HBO gangster drama, THE SOPRANOS. Some highlights of this season are Gloria and Tony`s sexual encounter at the snake exhibit, a GLADIATOR-inspired barroom brawl, an...
This collection comprises the entire third season of the HBO gangster drama, THE SOPRANOS. Some highlights of this season are Gloria and Tony`s sexual encounter at the snake exhibit, a GLADIATOR-inspired barroom brawl, and the first joint session between Tony, Carmela, and Dr. Melfi. Episodes include The Pine Barren (directed by Steve Buscemi), Mr. Ruggerio`s Neighborhood, Fortunate Son, and the intense season finale The Army of One.
Unrated"
Director: Tim Van Patten|Alan Coulter|Steve Buscemi
ACTORS: James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, Dominic Chianese
