The First Wives Club
from Paramount
Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, and Diane Keaton prove that revenge is a dish best served cold. Former college buddies, they reunite at the funeral of a dear friend who took a swan dive onto Fifth Avenue. All three discover they share the same unhappy history of husbands who dove into middle-age by dumping them for trophy wives. Forming a warring triumvirate, they decide to get even, and along the way remind themselves of long-forgotten capabilities. The action gets a little too "wacky" at times, but the gals are great. Portraying an aging actress, Hawn is sometimes a little too flamboyant, but there is much fun to be had in her flashiness, especially when she pokes fun at Tinseltown and her persona. Instead of her usual brashness, Midler stretches herself and shows us a woman who is not just unhappy, but also deeply sorrowful. Not that she isn't quick with a wisecrack, but her expressive face alone tells the story of her marriage. As the repressed and guilt-ridden spouse of a self- involved ad executive, Keaton finds her anger, and her voice, when her psychiatrist (Marcia Gay Harden) oversteps ethical boundaries. Watching Keaton grow from an ineffectual homemaker into a powerful businessperson reminds us that it has been far too long since she has done a comedy. Director Hugh Wilson smartly chose supporting players who each brought something unique to the film. However, he does not maintain the first hour's effervescent humor throughout the film, as the ending is weakened by a softening of the wives' resolve. --Rochelle O'Gorman
The Devil Wears Prada (Widescreen Edition)
by David Frankel
from 20th Century Fox
This clever, funny big-screen adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's best-seller takes some of the snarky bite out of the chick lit book, but smoothes out the characters' boxy edges to make a more satisfying movie. There's no doubt The Devil Wears Prada belongs to Meryl Streep, who turns in an Oscar-worthy (seriously!) strut as the monster editor-in-chief of Runway,
an elite fashion magazine full of size-0, impossibly well-dressed plebes. This makes new second-assistant Andrea (Anne Hathaway), who's smart but an unacceptable size 6, stick out like a sore thumb. Streep has a ball sending her new slave on any whimsical errand, whether it's finding the seventh (unpublished) Harry Potter book or knowing what type she means when she wants "skirts." Though Andrea thumbs her nose at the shallow world of fashion (she's only doing the job to open doors to a position at The New Yorker someday), she finds herself dually disgusted yet seduced by the perks of the fast life. The film sends a basic message: Make work your priority, and you'll be rich and powerful... and lonely. Any other actress would have turned Miranda into a scenery-chewing Cruella, but Streep's underplayed, brilliant comic timing make her a fascinating, unapologetic character. Adding frills to the movie's fun are Stanley Tucci as Streep's second-in-command, Emily Blunt (My Summer of Love) as the overworked first assistant, Simon Baker as a sexy writer, and breathtaking couture designs any reader of Vogue would salivate over. -- Ellen A. Kim
Beyond The Devil Wears Prada
 The Devil Wears Prada: A Novel |  The Devil Wears Prada Soundtrack |  Prada Handbags |
 |  | 
|
Based on the hilarious best-selling novel, this sinfully funny movie starring Academy Award(r) winner Meryl Streep* and Anne Hathaway is "sensationally entertaining in every way" (maxim). As assistant to impossibly demanding New York fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly (Streep), young Andy Sachs (Hathaway) has landed a job that "a million girls would die for." Unfortunately, her heaven-sent appointment as Miranda's personal whipping girl just might be the death of her!
The Paper Chase
by James Bridges
from 20th Century Fox
Expecting only the basic pressures of attending Harvard Law School, a serious, hard-working student (Timothy Bottoms) finds himself the fearful adversary of the school's most imperious, sarcastic professor (John Houseman). Their relationship grows even more complex when the boy discovers that the girl he's in love with is the professor's daughter (Lindsay Wagner). Edward Herrmann and James Naughton co-star in this moving, intelligent drama.
Factory Girl (Unrated)
from The Weinstein Company
The lovely face of Sienna Miller fills in for luminous but tragic 1960s icon Edie Sedgwick, the child of wealth and privilege who found brief delight but eventual destruction in the fabled Factory of Pop artist Andy Warhol (Guy Pearce). Factory Girl begins with Sedgwick as a naive art student who comes to New York City seeking freedom from her troubled family, just as Warhol was surrounding himself with oddballs, sycophants, and drug addicts. The eager girl briefly becomes Warhol's favorite and the center of the city's attention, but when she falls into an affair with 'The Musician' (the only slightly ambiguous depiction of a certain nasal-voiced rock star, played by Hayden Christensen, Shattered Glass), Warhol is stricken with jealousy. Factory Girl wants to paint Warhol as the villain in this story of innocence corrupted, but the casting undercuts the movie's moral. Miller, though pretty and capable, never takes us under Sedgwick's skin, and Christensen's performance is one-note and clumsy. But Pearce's Warhol fascinates; it's a sneaky, stealthy performance, predatory yet passive, hiding a million neuroses beneath a cunningly vapid facade. Whenever Pearce is on-screen, Factory Girl sparkles; when he's not--despite abundant views of Miller's and Christensen's attractive naked flesh in the "uncut unrated" version--the movie loses its fizz. Also featuring Mena Suvari (American Beauty), Jimmy Fallon (Fever Pitch), and Illeana Douglas (Grace of My Heart). --Bret Fetzer
(Drama) "Factory Girl" tells the story of the rise and fall of the original "IT GIRL" Edie Sedgwick. When Edie meets famed artist Andy Warhol, she is thrust into a life of glamour, parties and ultimately…tragedy.
The Devil Wears Prada (Full Screen Edition)
by David Frankel
from 20th Century Fox
This clever, funny big-screen adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's best-seller takes some of the snarky bite out of the chick lit book, but smoothes out the characters' boxy edges to make a more satisfying movie. There's no doubt The Devil Wears Prada belongs to Meryl Streep, who turns in an Oscar�-worthy (seriously!) strut as the monster editor-in-chief of Runway, an elite fashion magazine full of size-0, impossibly well-dressed plebes. This makes new second-assistant Andrea (Anne Hathaway), who's smart but an unacceptable size 6, stick out like a sore thumb. Streep has a ball sending her new slave on any whimsical errand, whether it's finding the seventh (unpublished) Harry Potter book or knowing what type she means when she wants "skirts." Though Andrea thumbs her nose at the shallow world of fashion (she's only doing the job to open doors to a position at The New Yorker someday), she finds herself dually disgusted yet seduced by the perks of the fast life. The film sends a basic message: Make work your priority, and you'll be rich and powerful... and lonely. Any other actress would have turned Miranda into a scenery-chewing Cruella, but Streep's underplayed, brilliant comic timing make her a fascinating, unapologetic character. Adding frills to the movie's fun are Stanley Tucci as Streep's second-in-command, Emily Blunt (My Summer of Love) as the overworked first assistant, Simon Baker as a sexy writer, and breathtaking couture designs any reader of Vogue would salivate over. -- Ellen A. Kim
Beyond The Devil Wears Prada
| The Devil Wears Prada: A Novel | The Devil Wears Prada Soundtrack | Prada Handbags |
| |
|
Based on the hilarious best-selling novel, this sinfully funny movie starring Academy Award(r) winner Meryl Streep* and Anne Hathaway is "sensationally entertaining in every way" (maxim). As assistant to impossibly demanding New York fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly (Streep), young Andy Sachs (Hathaway) has landed a job that "a million girls would die for." Unfortunately, her heaven-sent appointment as Miranda's personal whipping girl just might be the death of her!
Suburban Girl
by Marc Klein
from Image Entertainment
Based on stories from the bestselling book The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer The Grudge) stars in this funny and disarmingly wise romantic comedy set against the exhilarating backdrop of New York City. Gellar is Brett a naive associate book editor embarking on her first big job. Brett is overwhelmed until she develops a romance with the seasoned literary star Archie Knox (30 Rock's Alec Baldwin) and is introduced to a glamorous new world. But when she faces a family crisis Brett must make the decision of a lifetime as this girl from the burbs finds herself at a big-city crossroads.System Requirements:LENGTH: 97 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY/ROMANTIC COMEDY Rating: NR UPC: 014381450323 Manufacturer No: ODD4503DVD
The Truth About Jane
by Lee Rose
from Starlight Home Entertainment
The Bunker
by George Schaefer
from Hbo Home Video
Anthony Hopkins gives an Emmy Award-winning performance as Adolf Hitler over the 105 days of his decline. With the Third Reich crumbling around him, Hitler rages as he faces the final hours before a choice must be made between suicide and surrender.
Stephen King's Cat's Eye
by Lewis Teague
from Warner Home Video
An anthology of three Stephen King short stories, connected by a supernatural stray cat who wanders through each tale.
First Kid
by David M. Evans
from Walt Disney Video
An underrated actor, Sinbad is very good in this comedy-drama about a Secret Service agent who gets the thankless detail of guarding the president's bratty son. In time, the two become touchingly close, with Sinbad's character providing the kind of surrogate fathering the boy's ultra-busy dad can't give. The plot takes an inevitable turn toward greater drama when the young man is kidnapped, but director David Mickey Evans handles the whole thing very well, and the resolution makes for fairly satisfying action. But Sinbad's presence is an agreeably warm one--though he is also quite funny and original in early sequences when the prez's son is tormenting him--and makes this film surprisingly watchable. --Tom Keogh
Sinbad plays wisecracking Secret Service agent Sam Simms, assigned to protect the President's rebellious 14-year-old son Luke (THE MIGHTY DUCKS' Brock Pierce). Simms would much rather be protecting the President, and Luke would prefer to be just a regular kid without a watchdog trailing him everywhere he goes. But a genuine friendship develops between the two when Simms volunteers to teach Luke how to deal with a school bully (HOME IMPROVEMENT'S Zachery Ty Bryan), and to untie his tongue so that he can win over a cute girl in class. But when Luke's mysterious Internet buddy convinces him to ditch his bodyguard in a crowded mall, the fun and games suddenly become a matter of life and death! The votes are in from both audiences and critics -- "Sinbad is hilarious" (KNX Radio/CBS Radio) in this "laugh-a-minute" comedy (Sneak Previews).
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