Video and DVD

Signs (12A)
The movie is a virtual masterclass in sustained suspense, which strikes a near-perfect balance between the thrills and chills, while delivering a nice line in humour to alleviate the emotional thrust of proceedings.

The Sum of All Fears (12A)
Ben Affleck portrays Jack Ryan (the third actor to take on the role after Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford) and does a good job of creating a believable action hero, but the movie suffers from bad timing, arriving on UK shores less than a month before America prepares to mark the first anniversary of September 11.

One Hour Photo (15)
Robin Williams, in the title role, again shows what a terrific actor he can be when presented with the right material, and rises to the challenge of playing yet another ‘villain’ - albeit a forgivable one. Mark Romanek’s unsettling film benefits from an acting masterclass by Williams.
Click here to read about the London press conference...
Click here to read about the actor's views on the aftermath of September 11...

Lovely and Amazing (15)
A chick flick with a difference, that appeals to the male and female psyche alike. It's been compared favourably with tele's Sex and the City (a couple of episodes of which Holofcener has directed). And I guess for some that's no bad thing.

High Crimes (12A)
IF courtroom thrillers were put on trial for the way in which they enthral their viewers and reveal their neat little twists, then High Crimes would be guilty of falling prey to just about every type of cliché in the genre.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (PG)
But while the movie is enjoyable in places, and contains several wry observations throughout, it is also marred by its fairytale tendencies, which render it as sickly sweet as the icing on a wedding cake.

La Spagnola (15)
A SWIRLING dust cloud fills the screen to the sound of a brewing tempest. Then suddenly she appears: The inferno-on-legs; a magnificence of red hot passion. It is La Spagnola herself... and, in the end, its absurdist humour and wild melodrama proves too infectious to by-pass.

The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (12)
Intended as a tear-jerker designed to stir the emotions and bring about a sense of the all-girl bonding displayed so openly on-screen, The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood instead comes across as a cliché-ridden retread of countless other movies, while trivialising some fairly weighty issues in favour of hugs and cuddles.

Lantana (15)
RELATIONSHIPS take centre stage in Lantana, a psychological thriller about love which has to rate as one of the finest movies of the year. The movie is a tough, uncompromising depiction of adult relationships, stripped bare, that is under-pinned by some of the year’s grittiest performances.
Click here for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie...
Click here to see where the film featured in our Top 10 of 2002...

Road to Perdition (15)
Road To Perdition, Sam Mendes's breathtaking follow-up to American Beauty, is a sweeping, awe-inspiring and totally captivating crime saga that embraces all of the big issues in a fresh and exciting way, while also tipping its rain-soaked hat to the very best that Coppola, Leone and De Palma have offered.
Click here to find out what attracted Tom Hanks to the role....
Click here to see our Top 10 films of 2002...

Kissing Jessica Stein (15)
THE complexities of the dating game are given an alternative [lesbian] spin in this witty, intelligent and very well observed comedy from first-time writers (and stars) Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen.
Click here for the Kissing Jessica Stein/Indielondon guide to New York...

Friends - season 9, volumes 1-3 (12)
THE one that everyone thought would be the last series, actually turns out to be one of the best. Season 9 picks off after Rachel has had her baby and Joey has accidentally proposed. It is unlikely to bring any new fans to the franchise, but remains compulsive viewing for anyone who has hung out with New York's finest from the start.

Ocean's Eleven (Deluxe Edition Box Set) (12)
THERE can be few safer bets in Hollywood than a cast including George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia and Matt Damon in a film directed by Traffic and Erin Brockovich helmer Steven Soderbergh.

Discover the Way of the Gun
FROM its f****d up opening, involving a foul-mouthed brawl outside a nightclub, you can tell that The Way Of The Gun isn't going to pull its punches - rather it sprays them around as haphazardly as bullets without a care in the world of who they might hit.

The Bourne Identity (12A)
On the action front, the movie also delivers, with a car chase involving a mini through the streets of Paris a particular highlight, evoking fond memories of both The Italian Job and Ronin.

Dinner Rush (15)
Focusing for almost its entire 98 minutes within the confines of a downtown New York restaurant, Dinner Rush is as overtly seductive as your humble reviewer's metaphors are blatantly stretched.

xXx (12A)
It’s fast, furious and incredibly dumb, yet while its success in America has already helped to spawn a sequel, viewers will still be left with the opinion than nobody does it better than a certain Mr Bond.
Click here for director, Rob Cohen, and star, Vin Diesel's, hopes for the xXx franchise...
Click here to find out about Vin Diesel's upcoming projects...

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (special edition) (18)
DESCRIBED in certain quarters as 'the most purely horrifying horror movie ever made', Tobe Hooper's 1974 shocker, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, remains one of the most talked about films of all time... It is a chilling folk tale that is hard to shake from the memory once witnessed.

Pluto Nash (PG)
EDDIE Murphy’s latest big screen outing is the type of movie which starts with a toilet flush and just keeps getting worse. Pluto Nash has the dubious honour of being one of the biggest flops of the US summer blockbuster season - taking a paltry $2 million in its opening weekend, despite costing a colossal $90 million to make.

The Musketeer (PG)
Given that this is a musketeer movie, however, it borders on the criminal to be cheering on the villain half the time; which is exactly what you will be doing. You'd be a dumb-ass to give this slice of Dumas any time at all.

K-Pax (15)
If you only rush out and buy one alien DVD in the coming weeks, spend your hard-earned cash on the cute one with the glowing finger... this one's lost in Spacey.

Hardball (12A)
Hardball is said to be loosely based on the real experiences of its writer, Daniel Coyle, who coached in Chicago's infamous Cabrini-Green projects, and while the insights into ghetto life suggest that a darker, more adult picture is struggling to get out; its insistence on playing to formula really does get in the way.

True Romance - Director's Cut (18)
Boasting a stellar cast, some all-time great moments, and masses of attitude, this is the crime thriller at its most outlandish; an in-yer-face thrill-ride through Hollywood wish-fulfilment which arguably rates as Tarantino's finest screen translation to date.

Talk To Her (Hable Con Ella) (15)
As an essential exploration of the themes of love, friendship, art and loneliness, Hable Con Ella is another example of Almodovar at his effortless best.
Click here for a self interview with Pedro Almodovar...

Dog Soldiers (15)
TAKE six pissed-off British squaddies, place them in a wood infested with werewolves, throw in a now-obligatory vest-wearing feisty female and a nice line in pitch black humour and what have you got? One of the best British horror movies to come along in quite some time, actually.

Windtalkers (15)
With Windtalkers, despite the cast of over a thousand, the acres and acres of Hawaiian and Southern Californian locations, the hundreds of vintage WWII era weaponry, the half a million rounds of ammo and the too-numerous-to-count instances of pyrotechnic bravado, it's woefully short on circumstance.

Sunshine State (15)
FOR those unfamiliar with the films of writer-director John Sayles, some stern advice: Do your homework. "The Father of Modern American Indie Film", "The Saviour of US Cinema"… call him whatever you like, just SEE HIS FILMS. Sunshine State is his 13th as both scribe and helmer, and boasts exceptional dialogue and outstanding performances.

The Eye (18)
THE Pang Brothers follow up their significant achievement Bangkok: Dangerous (1999) - a tale of a deaf hitman - with the story of a blind girl who begins to see above and beyond your regular 20:20. The Eye is full of tricks and surprises, not to mention a sackful of scares to shock your popcorn into your lap.

Nine Queens (18)
This is no creepy and labyrinthine House of Games or The Spanish Prisoner, but there's enough here to compare favourably with David Mamet, whom Fabian Bielinsky has obviously studied with a keen eye. Don't believe those who describe this as Argentina's answer to Amores Perros either.

Unforgiven Special Edition (15)
IT'S been 11 years since Clint Eastwood delivered what, for many, was the crowning achievement of a glittering career. Unforgiven, released in 1992, was (and remains) a superb movie, a revisionist Western which cast a fresh perspective on a forgotten genre, while also bringing one of the Wild West's most famous cowboys full circle.

THE RECOMMENDED INDEPENDENT - The Son's Room (15)
Serious film fans shouldn't wait one glug of grappa longer: This is an unarguable work of genius befitting of both its praise and prizes.

THE DVD CLASSIC CORNER -Genevieve (U)
Kenneth Moore, a favourite of the Royal family and a regular in just about every British war movie made in the 40s and 50s, just blasts through the film with non-stop energy and style.