VideoView -- UPI Arts & Entertainment

What's new in the world of home entertainment.

"Austin Powers in Goldmember" -- Mike Myers returns for a third Bond-spoof adventure of his silly, sassy spy Austin Powers who not only has to save the world again from the evil Dr. Evil and his allies but must whisk back to the '70s to save dear ol' dad as well. Myers again plays several characters: Austin, Dr. Evil, Fat Bastard and the new villain called Goldmember and it's easy to guess why. But just to be sure, we're reminded time and again. Myers uses the scattergun saturation approach to comedy, often in this case scatological verbal jests and gross-out gags that, at best, make for hit-and-miss humor. But while some comic setups fall flat, others work well with the funniest scenes often coming at unexpected moments. The slender plot has Austin flitting back to 1975 where Dr. Evil has kidnapped Austin's father Nigel, played with obvious glee by Michael Caine, to rescue him and head off the Evil-Goldmember plot to destroy earth. (Caine's super agent Harry Palmer character years ago had a big influence on Myers.) Robert Wagner, Michael York, and Verne Troyer (Mini Me) return as Evil's henchmen. And Beyonce Knowles (of the singing group Destiny's Child) is Foxxy Cleopatra, Austin's love interest. There are signs the series with its now familiar characters is beginning to run out of gas but there's nothing wrong with the exuberance level, especially as displayed by Austin, who's still the "grooviest" amid his cheerful hedonism. 2002. 94 minutes. New Line Home Entertainment. Rated PG-13 (sexual innuendo, crude humor, language.)

"Lilo and Stitch" -- Lilo is a lonely little Hawaiian girl who adopts a strange looking puppy only to find he's a lot stranger than anyone expected in this off-beat Disney animated feature that says a lot about tolerance and family. Lilo (voiced by Daveigh Chase) names her new "pet" Stitch (voiced by writer, co-director Chris Sanders) and takes him home to her older sister Nani (Tia Carrere), who's acting as her guardian since the death of their parents, and pays little mind that Stitch sets about wrecking things. Stitch, we learn at the outset, is actually an escaped alien monster, product of an illegal genetic experiment. Soon, his creator and other aliens show up looking for him. Eventually, there's an inevitable bonding between Stitch and Lilo, no bargain in the temperament department, herself, leading to an attitude change for both. Lilo, by the way, loves Elvis Presley music and six of the King's hit numbers get a good airing. This is a different Disney animated piece, surprisingly unsentimental, but never loses its comic edge. 2002. 85 minutes. Animated. Walt Disney Home Entertainment. Rated PG (mild sci-fi action).

"My Neighbor Totoro" -- One of the best-loved children's movies and high on the list of favorite family films, from the animation genius of Japan's Hiyao Miyazaki, comes this visually delightful story of two young sisters and the magical land they discover beyond the trees. Released theatrically in 1988, it is just now making its DVD debut. It's the story of Satsuki and Mei who move to a new home with their father (their mother is in a nearby hospital) and the new furry friends they meet in the forest -- they're called totoros -- benevolent friends that seem to them very real though mostly make-believe to adults, mainly because only the girls can see them. It's an enchanting story of a loving family, usually happy, sometimes sad, just like real life, based more on situation than plot, and those special invisible "friends" some viewers will recall from their own childhood. 1988. 87 minutes. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Rated G.

"Pumpkin" -- Eager to do anything for her sorority, college cheerleader Carolyn McDuffy (Christina Ricci) agrees to mentor mentally challenged wheelchair-bound Pumpkin Romanoff (Hank Harris) in a special athletic competition in this humorous, at times touching satire. He, of course, is not in her class and she already has a jock boyfriend (Sam Ball), so who would suspect she would fall in love with him? She does, though, after some uneasy moments, throwing her little world into a culture clash tailspin as she goes quickly from insider to outcast. 2002. 115 minutes. MGM Home Entertainment, Rated R (Profanity, sexual situations, mature themes, brief nudity).

"The Producers" -- Mel Brooks' 34-year-old screwball movie, making its DVD debut, is just as funny as ever -- and that's saying a lot. This was Brooks' first directing job and he won an Oscar for his screenplay, updated for the current Broadway production. Zero Mostel plays a down-on-his-luck theatrical producer and Gene Wilder his timid accountant who gleefully concoct a monumentally fraudulent plot to make a fortune by putting on a surefire flop. They choose "Springtime for Hitler," deemed the worst play they ever read, a Nazi musical, of all things, definitely in bad taste. They manage to raise money from gullible little old ladies and put it on with a cast befitting the material. Surprise! It's a huge hit. Now, it's surefire trouble. 1968. 90 minutes. MGM Home Entertainment. Not rated.

VIDBITS

Coming up: "Stuart Little 2," "K-19: The Widowmaker" and "Halloween: Resurrection," ... Other December releases include "Minority Report" and "Unfaithful" on Dec. 17, "Blood Work" Dec. 27 and "XXX" Dec, 31...

"Spider Man" held onto the No. 1 spot among the nation's VHS rentals and "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" was No. 1 on DVD in this final week of November... Fox expects "Ice Age" to bring in more than $100 million over the Thanksgiving weekend...

"Walt Disney Treasures: Wave 2," offers film buffs another good look at the beginnings of the Walt Disney empire with a trio of two-disc DVD special edition sets. One set contains some 20 black-and-white Mickey Mouse cartoons, starting with "Steamboat Willie" (1928), first movie cartoon with synchronized sound, plus footage on the creation and early days of the famous animated character, including rare pencil sketches. (Runs about four hours. 16 minutes.)

The second set features nearly 5 1/2 hours of Goofy in the form of 22 cartoons and a series of featurettes describing the character's early days. The third set, "Behind the Scenes at the Walt Disney Studio," does exactly that, with a four-hour presentation...