March 2006 DVD & Blu-rays

A womanizing music exec (Ryan Reynolds), who became a player after the girl he longed for in high school told him she just wanted to be friends, reconnects with the woman as an adult and is determined to win her over.

"Jarhead" (the self-imposed moniker of the Marines) follows "Swoff" (Gyllenhaal), a third-generation enlistee, from a sobering stint in boot camp to active duty, sporting a sniper's rifle and a hundred-pound ruck on his back through Middle East deserts with no cover from intolerable heat or from Iraqi soldiers, always potentially just over the next horizon. Swoff and his fellow Marines sustain themselves with sardonic humanity and wicked comedy on blazing desert fields in a country they don't understand against an enemy they can't see for a cause they don't fully fathom.

Foxx portrays Sergeant Sykes, a Marine lifer who heads up Swofford's scout/sniper platoon, while Sarsgaard is Swoff's friend and mentor, Troy, a die-hard member of STA—their elite Marine Unit.

"Kids in America" is a reality-based dramedy about the experiences of young people in modern-day America. Set in the fictional Booker High School a diverse group of students are tired of seeing their freedoms taken away. They band together and change their world by empowering themselves and their community to protect freedoms of expression and speech.

Holden Donovan (Gregory Smith) is fed up with Principal Weller (Julie Bowen) who goes to great lengths to stop the students from exercising their right to free expression. She expels a young woman for passing out condoms and advocating safe sex on national "safe sex" day and suspends two boys who were kissing in the hallway. Meanwhile, she is running for the Superintendent of their school district, which will give her a chance to practice her brand of administration beyond Booker High School.

The students have an ally in Mr. Drucker (Malik Yoba) one of their teachers who encourages them to fight for their rights. He pays a price for his leadership and is fired by Principal Weller. He decides to use his dismissal to make a change of his own, by producing a documentary chronicling the experiences of students who are faced with similar issues.

Set in New York, this is the story of a writer, "Harry Lesser" (Dylan McDermott), struggling to finish his third novel, which he believes will restore his literary reputation. In the nearly abandoned apartment building in which he lives, another writer, "Willie Spearmint" (Snoop Dogg), moves in as a squatter and begins to write his first novel with an unmatched fervor. The two develop a tenuous friendship until a woman (Rose Byrne) and their own demons come between them.

"Prime" is a sophisticated, character comedy set in New York City about Rafi (Uma Thurman), a recently divorced 37-year-old career woman from Manhattan, and what happens when Dave (Bryan Greenberg), a talented 23-year-old painter from Brooklyn, falls in love with her.

"Prime" looks at love from everyone's point of view—friends, relatives and in this case, Rafi's therapist (Meryl Streep)—and follows all who come apart, and some who pull it together, when two people fall in love.

Harry's fourth summer and the following year at Hogwarts are marked by the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament, in which student representatives from three different wizarding schools compete in a series of increasingly challenging contests. However, Voldemort's Death Eaters are gaining strength and even creating the Dark Mark giving evidence that the Dark Lord is ready to rise again. In the unsuspecting lives of the young wizard and witches at Hogwarts the competitors are selected by the goblet of fire, which this year makes a very surprising announcement: Hogwarts will have two representatives in the tournament, including Harry Potter! Will Harry be able to rise to the challenge for the Tri Wizard Tournament while keeping up with school or will the challenges along with Voldemort's rebirth be too much for the young hero?

"This Thing of Ours" tells a true to life crime story of a 21st century breed of gangsters who steal hundreds of millions from the world's banks. Though a highly sophisticated computer internet and satellite system the gang manages to pull off the biggest heist in the vast and violent history of the American mafia.

Cute little bunny Peter Cottontail (Tom Kenny) has various adventures, evading the villainous Irontail (Roger Moore) and Jackie Frost (Molly Shannon).

In the land of Ingary, such things as spells, invisible cloaks, and seven-league boots were everyday things. The Witch of the Waste was another matter. After fifty years of quiet, it was rumored that the Witch was about to terrorize the country again. So when a moving black castle, blowing dark smoke from its four thin turrets, appeared on the horizon, everyone thought it was the Witch. The castle, however, belonged to Wizard Howl, who, it was said, liked to suck the souls of young girls. The Hatter sisters--Sophie, Lettie, and Martha--and all the other girls were warned not to venture into the streets alone. But that was only the beginning. In this giant jigsaw puzzle of a fantasy, people and things are never quite what they seem. Destinies are intertwined, identities exchanged, lovers confused. The Witch has placed a spell on Howl. Does the clue to breaking it lie in a famous poem? And what will happen to Sophie Hatter when she enters Howl's castle? Diana Wynne Jones's entrancing fantasy is filled with surprises at every turn, but when the final stormy duel between the Witch and the Wizard is finished, all the pieces fall magically into place.

From Tsui Hark, the legendary filmmaker who defined two decades of Asian Cinema and Yuen Wo-Ping, the visionary martial arts master behind "The Matrix" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" comes "Zu Warriors". In the world beyond our world there lies a mystic realm that guards the mortal universe—the kingdom of Zu.

On November 15, 1959, the brutal murder of a family in a small Kansas town sent shockwaves through the nation - and captured the attention of one of the most distinctive minds of our time. One-of-a-kind author Truman Capote was sent to Kansas to pen an article about the crimes for "The New Yorker" magazine. He ended up writing one of the most celebrated books of the century.

"Capote" follows Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) on his odyssey to create the landmark bestseller "In Cold Blood". With signature style and mordant wit—and his friend Harper Lee (Catherine Keener) in tow—Capote attempts to charm the locals and work his way into the story behind the murders. He's soon shocked, however, to find himself forming a friendship with one of the killers, Perry Smith (Clifton Collins, Jr.). As the book nears completion and execution day approaches, Capote finds himself torn in directions he never anticipated and is forever changed by his experiences.

Evelyn Ryan (Julianne Moore) is a devoted housewife and mother of ten in the 1950s. Her husband (Woody Harrelson) can't seem to make ends meet, but that doesn't stop the car from breaking down, the mortgage coming due and the bills from piling up. It falls to Evelyn to defy the conventions of the day and find a way to keep her family together with the odds stacked against them. Applying her remarkable resourcefulness and an uncommon wit, Evelyn finds her own way in the profitable jingle contests popular in the 1950s and ‘60s.

A widow and widower fall in love and get married, but the resulting combined eighteen children make for a hair-raising situation under one roof.

"Good Night, and Good Luck." takes place during the early days of broadcast journalism in 1950's America. It chronicles the real-life conflict between television newsman Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee. With a desire to report the facts and enlighten the public, Murrow, and his dedicated staff - headed by his producer Fred Friendly and Joe Wershba in the CBS newsroom - defy corporate and sponsorship pressures to examine the lies and scaremongering tactics perpetrated by McCarthy during his communist 'witch-hunts'. A very public feud develops when the Senator responds by accusing the anchor of being a communist. In this climate of fear and reprisal, the CBS crew carries on and their tenacity will prove historic and monumental.

Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is living a happy and quiet life with his lawyer wife (Maria Bello) and their two children in the small town of Millbrook, Indiana, but one night their idyllic existence is shattered when Tom foils a vicious attempted robbery in his diner.

Sensing danger, he takes action and saves his customers and friends in the self-defense killings of two-sought-after criminals.

Heralded as a hero, Tom's life is changed overnight, attracting a national media circus, which forces him into the spotlight.

Uncomfortable with his newfound celebrity, Tom tries to return to the normalcy of his ordinary life only to be confronted by a mysterious and threatening man (Ed Harris) who arrives in town believing Tom is the man who's wronged him in the past.

As Tom and his family fight back against this case of mistaken identity and struggle to cope with their changed reality, they are forced to confront their relationships and the divisive issues which surface as a result.

From the studio that brought you "The Rookie" and "Miracle" and director Bill Paxton, comes a story of courage, passion and of the greatest American sports hero you have probably never heard of... An amateur player from a working class family, Francis Ouimet - played by Shia LaBeouf - shocked the golf world when at the 1913 U.S. Open, flanked by his 10-year-old caddie, he defeated his idol, the defending British champion Harry Vardon - played by Stephen Dillane. An unlikely match-up - "the ingenue versus the seasoned champ" - theirs was the greatest match the sport had ever known. Caught between a world of hardship and a beckoning life of privilege, Francis needed to prove his unfailing will and ability to make it to the tournament. Elias Koteas plays Francis' tough, hardworking father. Newcomer Peyton List is Sarah Wallis, the beautiful young woman, who catches Francis' heart. Joshua Flitter is Eddie Lowery, the pint sized caddie who helps Francis find his way through the troublesome fairways to victory.

Steve Earle offered to "stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots" to declare him the world's greatest songwriter. In concert, Lucinda Williams often dedicates "2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten" to him. Artists, as diverse as Emmylou Harris and The Meat Puppets, have recorded his songs. The late Townes Van Zandt was the kind of artist who is always more famous dead than alive. Born into wealth, Townes was an outsider from the get-go. Clinical depression steered the ragged course as did his appetite for drugs and alcohol. Determined to be a success, Townes eventually had a hit. The royalty checks were welcome, but this mainstream cameo seems to have been awkward for him, and there's tangible discomfort and detachment from it all.

A record of Chinese basketball star Yao Ming's first year playing in the NBA. Back home, Chinese fans are eager for their homeboy to honorably represent 1.2 billion of his countrymen. In the States, however, more than a few observers, cynically question whether the big guy can play the NBA version of the game.

Masuoka is a cameraman possessed by the craving to understand fear--what it is and where it ultimately leads. He wanders the Tokyo streets, a voyeur, hungrily looking for clues. Obsessing over the haunted expressions of the faces he has captured in his daily filming, in particular a man who committed a grisly suicide on the metro. He returns to the scene to better comprehend the dead man's reasoning. Following his final gaze leads Masuoka to a door, an entry into a bizarre, cavernous underworld. Here among the ghosts and the subterranean robots called DERO's he finds a beautiful young girl chained to a rock. Saving her from her imprisonment, he takes her home. But watching her from his web-cam at work each day he begins suspect there is something truly inhuman about this girl with sharp teeth and who walks on all fours. When he begins to uncover her horrifying secrets Masuoka realises that he has found the key to gaining the terrible knowledge he so craves.

Next summer the sky really IS falling in Walt Disney Pictures' new computer-animated film "Chicken Little". This epic tale presents a new twist to the classic fable of a young chicken who causes widespread panic when he mistakes a falling acorn for a piece of the sky. In this hilarious adventure, Chicken Little is determined to revive his ruined reputation. But just as things are starting to go his way, a real piece of the sky lands on his head! Suspense, chaos, and plenty of laughs ensue as Chicken Little and his band of misfit friends, Abby Mallard (a.k.a. Ugly Duckling), Runt of the Litter and Fish Out of Water, attempt to save the world without sending the town into a whole new panic. This time, when it comes to saving the world, it helps to be a little chicken.

When New York's hottest nightclub deejay Darrell (Usher) saves a mob boss's life (Chazz Palminteri), he is rewarded for his bravery with the responsibilty of watching over the don's beautiful daughter Dolly (Emmanuelle Chriqui). The sparks soon begin to fly between this attractive couple from very different worlds, against her formidable father's wishes. Meanwhile, the don has other things on his mind—quashing a potential war with an arch-rival and controlling a young, ruthless challenger to his throne. In the end, all's fair in love and gangster warfare in this hip, romantic comedy, "In the Mix".

In Columbia Pictures' larcenous romantic comedy "Fun with Dick and Jane", Dick (Jim Carrey) and Jane (Téa Leoni) are in love and living the American dream—until one day it becomes an American nightmare. When the company Dick works for becomes involved in an Enron-like scandal and he is confronted with the prospect of losing everything, Dick and Jane are forced to bag, borrow and steal to get it all back.

A dysfunctional family is at the core of the story that unfolds as the matriarch, Magda, attempts to cope with the aftermath of a deadly accident. She dotes on her 20-year old son while her daughter and her husband live upstairs. Seven characters struggle to survive against odds that become more complicated than any of them could have contemplated. Greed, betrayal, homosexual politics, manipulation, blackmail, and a ferocious race to take ownership of a family owned plot of land, all combine to make this a modern day Greek tragedy, However, as in most tragedies of this nature, farce is never far behind.

Charles Schine is a New York businessman who meets a sexy woman on a train and ends up in a seedy hotel room with her. While there, he's beaten and she is raped by a man who also robs them. The robber then begins to blackmail Schine so that his wife and family don't find out about his infidelity with the woman. This drives Schine from his humdrum life into a world of fraud, betrayal, and murder.

This documentary traces the life of poet and author Charles Bukowski, a writer whose works were often full of despair, debauchery, and dirty language. It focuses more on Bukowski the real man than on the myth he created and cultivated. Acknowledged as an unsentimental and often brutal writer who lived his life as if it were a novel, Bukowski is revealed here to be both human and humane — an artist greater than the sum of his experiences.

"Paradise Now" is the story of what may be the last 48 hours in the lives of two Palestinian men—friends since childhood - who have been recruited as suicide bombers. When they are intercepted at the Israeli border and separated from their handlers, a young woman who discovers their plan causes them to reconsider their actions. But with pressure mounting, time running out, and passions running high...there's no way to know which way they will go.

Ben Crane (Kurt Russell) was once a great horseman, whose gifts as a trainer were now being wasted on making other men's fortunes. Sonya was a great horse whose promising future on the racetrack was suddenly cut short by a career-ending broken leg. Considered as good as dead to her owner, who also happens to be Ben's boss, Sonya is given to Ben as severance pay, along with his walking papers. Now, it will take the unwavering faith and determination of Ben's young daughter, Cale (Dakota Fanning), to bring these two damaged souls together in a quest for a seemingly impossible goal: to win the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Picking up where the last movie ended, government operatives are sent to investigate the island and the mysterious house.

In this adaptation of the novel "Everything Is Illuminated", a young Jewish man (Elijah Wood) travels from the United States to the Ukraine to find the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis.

Tracing the historical arc of the professional bowling tour, the film includes archival footage from the sport's glory days in the 1950s and '60s, through its near extinction in 1997. The story takes a twist when newly installed CEO Steve Miller sets about modernizing the PBA. In addition to Miller, the chronicle focuses on four pro bowlers: Pete Weber, bowling bad-boy and son of legendary bowler Dick Weber whose conservative style doesn't jibe with the direction Miller is taking the new PBA. Pete's nemesis is Walter Ray Williams Jr., a straight-laced six-time world horseshoe-pitching champion and, with 36 PBA titles to his name, the dominant player on the tour. Also, there's Chris Barnes, a young father of newborn twins, who must leave his wife and sons at home and hit the road to compete for the winnings that his young family is depending upon. Finally there's Wayne Webb, a 20-time PBA champion who has fallen on hard times and hopes to squeeze one more good season out of his career to stave off bankruptcy.

A grief-stricken screenwriter unknowingly enters a three-way relationship with a woman and her film executive husband - to chilling results.

From acclaimed "In America" director Jim Sheridan comes the first film starring mega-hit rapper 50 Cent. This tale follows an inner city drug dealer who turns away from a life of dangerous crime to pursue his true passion, rap music. The road to change isn't easy however.

A reality-bending thriller about a psychologist whose suicidal client makes bizarre predictions that to the psychologist's mounting terror, begin to come true. The shrink must race against time to save everything he loves before it disappears.

Based on a short story by master of science fiction Ray Bradbury, the sci-fi action adventure "A Sound of Thunder" is set in the future, when time travel is not only possible—it's a lucrative monopoly. It's especially profitable for Charles Hatton (Ben Kingsley), the owner of Time Safari Inc., a travel agency that specializes in escorting wealthy clients on exclusive hunting trips back to the Prehistoric Age. Under the leadership of seasoned scout Dr. Travis Ryer (Edward Burns), participants are permitted to hunt and kill dinosaurs provided they follow a set of strenuous rules. These guidelines are intended to protect the creatures' natural habitats and prevent time travelers from impacting the course of evolution. When an expedition is compromised and the rules are broken, the hunters return to the future...and discover the world is a markedly different place than it was when they left. As "time waves" ripple from the Prehistoric past through the present to the uncharted future, Ryer teams up with Sonia Rand (Catherine McCormack), the inventor of the time travel technology, to unravel the mystery behind the catastrophic historical changes that are threatening to erase humanity from existence.

It is 1933, and vaudeville actress Ann Darrow has found herself--like so many other New Yorkers during the Great Depression--without the means to earn a living. Unwilling to compromise and allow herself to sink into a career in burlesque, she considers her limited options while aimlessly wandering the streets of Manhattan. When her hunger drives her to unsuccessfully try to steal an apple from a fruit vendor's stall, she is rescued--literally--by filmmaker and multiple hyphenate Carl Denham. It seems that the entrepreneur-raconteur-adventurer is no stranger to theft, having that day lifted the only existing print of his most recent and unfinished film from under his studio executives' noses when they threatened to pull his completion funds. Carl has until the end of the day to get his crew onboard the Singapore-bound tramp steamer, the S.S. Venture, in hopes of completing his travelogue/action film. With that, the showman is certain he will finally achieve the personal greatness he knows awaits him around the corner--and although the crew believe that corner to be Singapore, Denham actually hopes to find and capture on film the mysterious place of legend: Skull Island. Unfortunately for Carl, his headlining actress has pulled out of his project, but his search for a size-four leading lady (the costumes have all been made) has, fatefully, led him to Ann. The struggling actress is reluctant to sign on with Denham, until she learns that the up-and-coming, socially relevant playwright Jack Driscoll is penning the screenplay--the fees his friend Carl pays for potboiling adventure are a welcome supplement to Driscoll's nominal income from his stage plays. With his newly discovered star and coerced screenwriter reluctantly onboard, Denham's moving picture ship heads out of New York Harbor--and toward a destiny that none aboard could possibly foresee.

Based on the best-selling novel by Arthur Golden, "Memoirs of a Geisha" is the epic drama of a young girl sold into the slavery of a geisha house and her rise through the ranks as she becomes one of Japan's most famous geishas.

In this dark psychological drama, as movie star Gray Evans (Ribisi) finds his marriage (Potente plays his actress wife) falling apart, and his mental condition wearing thin, he becomes obsessed with a young film student who reminds him of what his life was like before he became famous.