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Movies

"Atlantis: The Lost Empire" -- This animated adventure thriller is Disney with a difference. A visual treat, as usual, but no cuddly animals, no comic sidekicks, a stirring score instead of show tunes and spectacular cliffhanger action and sci-fi fantasy, a bit of Jules Verne, a bit more of Indiana Jones. The story deals with an intrepid group of early 20th century explorers searching the ocean depths off Iceland for the mythical lost city of Atlantis. The party includes a young linguist, Milo Thatch (voice of Michael J. Fox), who knows the way after decoding ancient writings unearthed by his grandfather and so gung-ho over the subject most think he's a loony bird. Leading the foray is the no-nonsense, brawny Cmdr. Rourke (James Garner), who has his own nefarious ideas about the mission. Finding Atlantis is fairly simple, once they get past that gigantic monster at the gate, but what they find is not what they expect. 2001. 95 minutes. Animated. Walt Disney Home Entertainment. Rated PG.

"Curse Of The Jade Scorpion" -- Woody Allen's latest is a light, entertaining film-noirish tale, set in 1940 with soundtrack to match, dealing with a nerdy but nifty insurance investigator (Allen, of course) and the beautiful, newly hired efficiency expert (Helen Hunt) caught up in a series of jewel thefts and a spell-woven love-hate relationship. Ordinarily, C.W. and Betty Ann can't stand each other -- she hurls insults his way continually, he bristles at her superior attitude ("She graduated from Vassar, I went to driving school."). But certain words planted hypnotically by a nightclub magician can turn them automatically into lovebirds as well as upscale cat burglars. This is typical Allen fare with the typical Allen character in new surroundings, a familiar ensemble cast and a script loaded with improbable situations and one-line zingers. Not great but not bad. 2001. 103 minutes. DreamWorks Home Entertainment. Rated PG-13 (some sexual content).

"The Princess and the Warrior" -- This haunting fable of love and destiny reunites German director Tom Tykwer with Franka Potente, the star of his celebrated "Run, Lola, Run" but this time she has a great deal more to do than dash about Berlin. Potente plays Sissi, a shy, dedicated nurse in a mental hospital who survives a traffic accident only through the quick work of a stranger (Benno Furmann) who appears out of nowhere and then, his work done, vanishes. Once recovered, Sissi goes looking for the stranger, feeling strangely bonded to him, unaware he is a violent criminal about to pull off a bank heist. But she finds him and is there to save him when he needs it. 2000. 129 minutes. In German with English subtitles. Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. Rated R (disturbing images, language, some sexual content).

"When Strangers Appear" -- Writer-director Scott Reynolds' intense psychological thriller tells of Beth (Radha Mitchell), manager of a backroads Oregon diner who must decide who's telling the truth in what obviously is a matter of life or death. When Beth opens up one morning, she finds a wounded stranger (Barry Watson) at her door, insisting that three other men who also arrive at the eatery are chasing him. They say he's the dangerous one. When Beth makes her decision, people start dying. And she could be next. 2001. 100 minutes. Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. Rated R (violence, language).

"Life With Judy Garland: Me and my Shadows" -- Judy Davis won both a Golden Globe and an Emmy for her portrayal of the legendary entertainer and is terrific. But so is Tammy Blanchard, who plays the star as a teenager and also won an Emmy. The songs are by Judy Garland and that alone would be worth another trip over the rainbow. 2001. 170 minutes. Miramax Home Entertainment. Rated PG.

VIDBITS

"The Fast and the Furious" continues to set the pace among the nation's video rentals... "Ghost World" is next up... New on DVD: "Breaking Away" (1979), the enjoyable underdog tale of friends and bicycle racing... Variety says the video arms of Disney, Fox, Universal and Warner are among the 50 largest unsecured creditors listed in Kmart's bankruptcy papers...

Studio bosses at ABC were afraid nobody would watch "Roots." Even executive producer David Wolper had his doubts. "To a lot of people," he said, "it didn't sound like a good idea. Here's a story where the whites are villains and the blacks are heroes. It didn't sound like a good idea." It became quite clear very quickly, however, that despite what then was a very daring venture, it was a great idea...

An estimated 130 million Americans watched enraptured as the 1977 groundbreaking miniseries based on Alex Haley's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about his ancestors unfolded over eight consecutive nights. A quarter of a century later, newly released in a three-disc, 9 1/2-hour DVD package by Warner Home Video, in time to help celebrate the upcoming Black History Month, it's as engrossing and vital as ever...

"Roots" tells the story of Kunta Kinte, a strong-willed young man kidnapped near his West African home in 1767 and enslaved in America where his courage and defiance and enduring struggle for freedom became an inspirational legend passed down through the generations...

It was a subject a lot knew little about at the time. "We broke open the secret," said Edward Asner, who played the captain of a slave ship. Wolper, in one of several commentaries in the DVD package, says the story was like "a flash in the sky," one that told him the truth about slaves and their history. "People need to know about our rich heritage," said actress Beverly Todd, another member of the large ensemble cast. "We weren't slaves originally."