new on DVD: ‘Stardust,’ ‘The Simpsons Movie,’ ‘Balls of Fury,’ ‘The Last Legion,’ ‘Illegal Tender,’ ‘Alien Apocalypse,’ ‘The Man with the Screaming Brain’

See it: • Stardust [buy it]. From my review: I wish I could be more enthusiastic about Stardust. I like it just fine: it’s sweet and amusing and nicely diverting. And it’s colorful enough and clever enough and jam-packed enough with all sorts of pretty to wonder at that if this is your kinda thing, … more…

best of 2007 (that’s already on DVD)

It’s that time of the year: critics like me are starting to put together our final best-of lists for the year. And the sad truth of the matter is that the content of those lists will consist mostly of movies released in the last month or two. (And some of those movies are ones we … more…

female villains we love to hate

If you’re not all that familiar with the story of The Golden Compass, you may not know that the character Nicole Kidman plays, Mrs. Coulter, is the villain of the piece. Female bad guys — alas that “bad girls” does not have the same connotation of treachery and vileness — are few and far between, … more…

new on DVD: ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,’ ‘Arctic Tale,’ ‘The Nanny Diaries,’ ‘Superbad’

See it: • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End [buy it]. From my review: So the supposed bad guys — the pirates — have become the good guys, fighting for their right to exist, for their sovereignty from corporate piracy that cloaks itself in respectability; and the supposed good guys — the fine corporations … more…

ahoy, mateys! get your pirate fix with these DVD treasures

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End comes to DVD next week, completing the definitive pirate trilogy of our day. What’s left to fulfill your jones for pirates? There are lots of flicks to choose from: Captain Blood (1935): This swashbuckling classic is not only a grand time at the movies, it’s also clearly a … more…

new on DVD: ‘Hairspray,’ ‘Live Free or Die Hard,’ ‘Star Trek The Original Series: The Complete First Season’

See it: • Hairspray [buy it]. From my review: These shows — on stage — are tourists traps, no matter how enjoyable and singalong-snappy they may be. They’re designed to be theme-park amusements for theatergoers who want a taste of the roar of the greasepaint, the smell of the crowd but wouldn’t want to know … more…