DVD & Blu-rays Released February 1, 2005

Tuesday, February 1

84 mins

America's Heart and Soul PG

America is a vast country--three thousand miles from end to end. But it's not the land that makes America so special--it's the people. Filmmaker Louis Schwartzberg packed-up his camera and hit the road, with a goal of capturing both the unparalleled beauty of the land and the incomparable spirit of the people. He connects with people, capturing their values, dreams, and passion in a journey that reveals the stories--unusual, captivating, inspiring and emotional--that make Americans into something more than a collection of individuals. It's a celebration of a nation told through the voices of its people.
Louis Schwartzberg, Jan Ross, Vincent Ueber, Roudy Roudebush, Ann Savoy, Marc Savoy, Mosie Burks, Minnie Bates Yancey
Documentary Music
153 mins

Ray PG-13

Born in a poor town in Georgia, Ray Charles went blind at the age of seven shortly after witnessing his younger brother's accidental death. Inspired by a fiercely independent mother who insisted he make his own way in the world, Charles found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered incorporating gospel, country, jazz and orchestral influences into his inimitable style. As he revolutionized the way people appreciated music, he simultaneously fought segregation in the very clubs that launched him and championed artists' rights within the corporate music business. "Ray" provides an unflinching portrait of Charles' musical genius as he overcomes drug addiction while transforming into one of this country's most beloved performers.
Regina King, Taylor Hackford, Harry Lennix, Terrence Dashon Howard, Stuart Benjamin, Howard Baldwin, Karen Baldwin, James L. White
Drama Historical Biography Musical

She Hate Me R

Harvard, MBA-educated biotech executive John Henry "Jack" Armstrong (Anthony Mackie) gets fired when he informs on his bosses and initiates an investigation into their business dealings by the Securities & Exchange Commission. Branded a whistle-blower and therefore unemployable, Jack desperately needs to make a living. When his former girlfriend Fatima (Kerry Washington), a high powered businesswoman and now a lesbian, offers him cash to impregnate her and her new girlfriend Alex (Dania Ramirez), Jack is persuaded by the chance to make "easy" money. Word spreads and soon Jack is in the baby-making business at $10,000 a tryst. Lesbians with a desire for motherhood and the cash to spare are lining up to seek his services. But, between the attempts by his former employers to frame him for securities fraud and his dubious fathering activities, Jack finds his life, all at once, becoming very complicated.
Monica Bellucci, Spike Lee, Anthony Mackie, Brian Dennehy, Ellen Barkin, Kerry Washington, Jim Brown, Sarita Choudhury
Drama Comedy
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95 mins

Shall We Dance? PG-13

John Clark is a man with a wonderful job, a charming wife and a loving family, who nevertheless feels that something is missing as he makes his way every day through the city. Each evening on his commute home, John sees a beautiful woman, staring with a lost expression through the window of a dance studio. Haunted by her gaze, John impulsively jumps off the train one night, and sings up for dance lessons, hoping to meet her. At first, it seems like a mistake. His teacher turns out to be not Paulina, but the older Miss Mitzi, and John proves just as clumsy as his equally clueless classmates on the dance-floor. Even worse, when he does not meet Paulina, she icily tells John she hopes he has come to the studio to seriously study dance and not to look for a date. But, as his lessons continue, John falls in love with dancing. Keeping his new obsession fro his family and co-workers, John feverishly trains for Chicago's biggest dance competition. His friendship with Paulina blossoms, as his enthusiasm rekindles her own lost passion for dance. But the more time John spends away from home, the more his wife becomes suspicious. With his secret about to be revealed, John will have to do some fancy footwork to keep his dream going and realize what it is he really yearns for.
Audrey Wells, Jennifer Lopez, Richard Jenkins, Deborah Yates, Peter Chelsom, Simon Fields, Richard Gere, Stanley Tucci
Drama Comedy Dance
103 mins

Mr. 3000 PG-13

Funnyman Bernie Mac brings his irreverent comedy to the big screen to star in this hysterical movie about an over-the-hill ballplayer who learns there's more to the game than individual stats and a Hall-of-Fame plaque. Stan Ross (Mac) once loved the game of baseball, playing with passion, energy, and every ounce of his natural talent. But somewhere along the way, the fame went to his head. The self-centered star ended his career prematurely, shocking his teammates by selfishly quitting the game in the middle of a season, right after getting his 3,000th hit—the unofficial key to baseball's Hall of Fame. Now, ten years later, three of Mr. 3000's hits have been disqualified, and the 47-year- old out-of-shape former slugger attempts a comeback—hitting the gym and facing down pitchers half his age—only to find that three hits are a lot harder to come by than they used to be! The media love to hate the bigheaded basher and they're going to delight in ripping him for every strikeout. With only his ex- flame (Angela Bassett) believing in him, for once in his life, Stan must either rediscover his passion for the national pastime—or settle for living as "Mr. 2997."
Gary Barber, Angela Bassett, Roger Birnbaum, Eric Champnella, Bernie Mac, Evan Jones, Amaury Nolasco, Charles Stone
Comedy Sports
100 mins

The Grudge PG-13

The normal façade of a modest house in Tokyo belies the hidden terror within. It is possessed by a violent plague that destroys the lives of everyone who enters. Known as 'The Grudge,' this curse causes its victims to die in the grip of a powerful rage. Those who are fatally afflicted by the curse die and a new curse is born--passed like a virus to all those who enter the house in an endless, growing chain of horror. Karen is an exchange student studying social work in Japan who innocently agrees to cover for a nurse who didn't show up for work. When she enters the assigned home, she discovers an elderly American woman, Emma, who is lost in a catatonic state while the rest of the house appears deserted and disheveled. As she is tending to the stricken old woman, Karen hears scratching sounds from upstairs. When she investigates, she is faced with a supernatural horror more frightening than she could ever imagine. Within this house, a chain of terror has been set in motion resulting from a terrifying evil that was born years before. As more people die, Karen is pulled into the cycle of horror and learns the secret of the vengeful curse that has taken root in this house. Now she must stop it before it's too late.
Sam Raimi, Stephen Susco, Bill Pullman, Ted Raimi, Rob Tapert, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Grace Zabriskie, Takashi Shimizu
Thriller Suspense Horror Remake Supernatural
137 mins

Vanity Fair PG-13

Set in early 19th-century London. The daughter of a starving English artist and a French chorus girl, Becky is orphaned at a young age. Even as a child, she yearns for a more glamorous life than her birthright promises. As she leaves Miss Pinkerton's Academy at Chiswick, Becky resolves to conquer English society by any means possible. She deploys all of her wit, guile, and sexuality as she makes her way up into high society during the first quarter of the 19th century. Becky's ascension to the heights of society commences when she gains employment as governess to the daughters of eccentric Sir Pitt Crawley. Becky wins over the children, and the Crawley family's rich spinster Aunt Matilda as well. The rural Hampshire household comes to find her indispensable, and Matilda comes to confide in the bright young woman. But Becky knows that she cannot be a true part of English society until she moves to the city. When Matilda invites her to come live in London, Becky eagerly accepts. There, Becky is reunited with her best friend Amelia Sedley, who-having grown up comfortably—does not share Becky's more brazen ambitions. Hewing close to the family she already knows so well, Becky secretly marries dashing heir Rawdon Crawley but when Matilda discovers their union, she casts the newlyweds out. When Napoleon invades Europe, Rawdon bravely reports to the front lines. Pregnant Becky stands by distraught newlywed Amelia, whose own husband George Osborne is also called to fight. When George does not survive the Battle of Waterloo, Becky's friendship with Amelia is strained beyond repair. Becky is reunited with Rawdon and gives birth to a boy, but, post-war, money and comforts are sparse for the trio. More intent than ever on gaining acceptance into London society and living well, Becky finds a patron in the powerful Marquess of Steyne. Steyne's whims enable Becky to realize her dreams, but the ultimate cost may be too high for her.
Reese Witherspoon, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Douglas Hodge, Gabriel Byrne, Lydia Dean Pilcher, James Purefoy, Jim Broadbent, Bob Hoskins
Drama Historical

Tuesday, February 1