What’s New

* Chocolat (2000). A ravishing Juliette Binoche descends upon an ancient French village, ruled by a pious aristocrat (Alfred Molina), to open a chocolate shop. With splendid supporting roles for Judi Dench and Lena Olin, and Johnny Depp as a suitably romantic rebel. Miramax: no list price; DVD: $29.99; (CC); PG-13, for a scene of sexuality and some violence.

An Everlasting Piece (2000). Actor-writer Barry McEvoy teams with director Barry Levinson for a comic gem about a couple of likely lads who corner the toupee business in Northern Ireland. But as the time is Belfast in the 1980s, the boys inevitably back into the grim tensions of the times. DreamWorks: no list price; DVD: $26.99; (CC); R, for language.

The Mexican (2001). A violence-prone screwball farce that has its eye on being a jaunty, picaresque adventure, kind of an updated version of those off-the-cuff road movies of some years back. It wants ever so desperately to be hip and offbeat, but it can’t manage to make it happen. DreamWorks: no list price; DVD: $26.99; (CC); R for violence and language.

Recess: School’s Out (2000). A complacent yet competent animation kids will enjoy despite its mundane nature. This big-screen enlargement of the cartoon TV series “Disney’s Recess” presents T.J. Detweiler and the rest of the 3rd Street School crew facing a diabolical weather-bending scheme to terminate summer vacation forever. Disney: $24.99; DVD: $29.99; (CC); G.

3000 Miles to Graceland (2001). Kevin Costner and Kurt Russell star as Elvis imitators who rob a Las Vegas casino and then have to live (and die) with the consequences. A reduction to near absurdity of many modern cinema trends and a film that takes a shot at redefining shameless for a new generation. Warner: no list price; DVD: $19.98; (CC); R, for strong violence, sexuality and language.

* Vatel (2000). Roland Joffe’s drama of the staging of a breathtakingly elaborate entertainment for Louis XIV (Julian Sands) that becomes an infernal machine for all those charged with making it happen is at once sumptuous and scathing. Gerard Depardieu is perfectly cast as Vatel, the patriot, artist and perfectionist--and anti-royalist--directing the grand event. With Uma Thurman and Tim Roth. Buena Vista: no list price; DVD: $32.99; (CC); R, for sexual content and some violence.

What’s Hot

* Last week’s Top 5 VHS rentals:1. The Family Man (2000). Nicolas Cage makes a heroic effort to induce us to go along with this fantasy about a ruthless Wall Street tycoon who gets a chance to see what his life would have been like had he married his college sweetheart (Tea Leoni) and sold tires for his father-in-law. This attempt to make an “It’s a Wonderful Life” for the new millennium lacks the honesty to pull it off. PG-13 for sensuality and some language.2. Sweet November (2001). Keanu Reeves stars as a workaholic San Francisco ad exec with Charlize Theron as the free spirit determined to save him. They make a fine team, but this all-stops-out romance, which means to be seductive, seems merely contrived and manipulative. PG-13, for sexual content and language.3. Down to Earth (2001). The remake of “Heaven Can Wait” stars Chris Rock in a role that, in typical Hollywood fashion, puts this charismatic comic actor into tepid popular entertainment. The film comes alive only at those moments when Rock allows himself to be himself and launches into devastating riffs. PG-13 for language, sexual humor and some drug references.4. The Wedding Planner (2001). This set-in-San Francisco romantic comedy starts out promisingly with workaholic wedding planner Jennifer Lopez dazzled by pediatrician Matthew McConaughey only to discover later that he’s to be the groom at her next event. The film lacks the wit, verve and invention of its vintage predecessors. PG-13, for some sexuality, brief language and a perilous situation.

5. Double Take (2001). The evenhanded mixture of suspense and comedy aims to play fair with the audience on both fronts, but the mismatched elements never gel. With Orlando Jones and Eddie Griffin. PG-13, for violence and language.* Last week’s Top 5 DVD rentals:1. The Family Man2. Down to Earth3. Double Take 4. Unbreakable (2000). M. Night Shyamalan The story starts out as implausible and gets increasingly more difficult to take seriously as it unfolds. It’s a comic-book idea in the worst sense. Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson and Robin Wright Penn star. PG-13, for mature themes, some disturbing violent content and a sexual reference.5. Thirteen Days (2000). If high stakes make for high drama, the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, that near-fortnight of tension and peril--arguably the closest the world has come to being annihilated--is as dramatic a subject as anyone could want. And director Roger Donaldson and a fine ensemble--topped by Kevin Costner, Bruce Greenwood and Steven Culp--have handled it adroitly. PG-13, for brief strong language. * Last week’s Top 5 VHS sellers:1. The Book of Pooh2. DBZ-World Tournament-Blackout (edited). 3. Bring it On (2000). A smart and sassy high school movie that’s fun for all ages, starring Kirsten Dunst as the captain of a cheerleading team at an affluent San Diego-area high school. PG-13, for sex-related material and language.4. The Emperor’s New Groove (2000). This story of how a spoiled, petulant Incan ruler (voice of David Spade) gets turned into a llama features the voices of John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton and Wendie Malick. G.5. Shirley Temple Box Set

* Last week’s Top 5 DVD sellers:1. The Family Man2. Valentine (2001). Smart, stylish horror picture directed by Jamie Blanks that comments on the scariness of the contemporary dating scene and the eternal cruelty of adolescence. Not for the squeamish. R, for strong horror violence, some sexuality and language.3. Akira: Special Edition (1989). A Japanese animated feature based on the popular comic strip, about cycle-riding teens battling each other and weird government experiments in an apocalyptic, futuristic Tokyo, which somewhat resembles “Blade Runner’s” L.A. Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo.4. Snatch (2000). A brisk, cheerfully amoral entertainment by Guy Ritchie (“Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels”). Back again are the elements that made “Lock, Stock” so engaging: a London underworld setting, a fearsomely complex plot line, hordes of colorful characters, plus the distinctively breezy dialogue that is Ritchie’s trademark. With Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Farina and Brad Pitt. R, for strong violence, language and nudity.5. Thirteen Days

What’s Coming

Tuesday: “Blow Dry,” “Enemy at the Gates,” “15 Minutes,” “Get Over It,” “Josie and the Pussycats,” “Tomcats.”

Aug. 21: “Hannibal,” “Say It Isn’t So,” “South of Heaven, West of Hell.”

Aug. 28: “Company Man,” “Into the Arms of Strangers,” “Joe Dirt,” “See Spot Run.”

Aug. 31: “Exit Wounds,” “The Dish,” “The Invisible Circus.”

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Rental video charts provided by VSDAVidTrac, sales charts by VideoScan Inc.