Chinese director Zhang Yimou ends his bid to outfly Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with Curse Of The Golden Flower, the third in his Wuxia (the Chinese style of flying and fighting) films. Much like Hero and House Of Flying Daggers, it is drenched in colours so dazzling, and boasts action scenes so exhilarating, that you can almost forgive any shortcomings in the story. Almost. Despite its grandeur, this film is in many ways the least rewarding of the three.

Set in China's tenth century Tang dynasty, the story sees Chow Yun Fat's emperor trying to poison his wife, a trussed-up and progressively unstable Gong Li, who is having an affair with her step-son Wan, and trying to manoeuvre her other son Jai against his tyrannical father. Let's just say that it gets more complicated from there on in, and involves lots of running through endless corridors, but really, it's best to just sit back and let that intense visual style work its magic.

Swapping action for dramatic intrigue might have been Yimou's mistake, but there's no mistaking his knack for breath-taking cinematography. Even if purely on a visual scale, Golden Flower still manages to captivate, and the final battle scene is at least worth the slightly overlong wait. Die hard fans of these films might feel a bit stiffed, but everyone else won't be short of eye candy. —Luke Mawson

Dan Brown's international bestseller comes alive in the film The Da Vinci Code, directed by Ron Howard with a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman. Join symbologist Robert Langdon (Academy Award® Winner Tom Hanks, 1993 Best Actor, Philadelphia, and 1994 Best Actor, Forrest Gump) and cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou) in their heart-racing quest to solve a bizarre murder mystery that will take them from France to England – and behind the veil of a mysterious ancient society, where they discover a secret protected since the time of Christ. With first-rate performances by Sir Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina and Jean Reno, critics are calling The Da Vinci Code "involving" and "intriguing," "a first rate thriller."

Fred Astaire becomes both the benefactor and suitor of Leslie Caron in this charming story of a playboy who falls under the spell of a beautiful French orphan. While traveling through France Jervis Pendleton lll (Astaire) anonymously sponsors an 18-year-old girl named Julie (Caron) whom he sends to college in America. Two years later they finally meet face to face and start to fall in love. But complications arise and their happiness is threatened when Jervis embarks on a noble yet misguided attempt to do "the right thing" about their age difference. Featuring imaginative production numbers and a Johnny Mercer score that includes the 1955 Oscar® -nominated hit for Best Song "Something's Gotta Give" Daddy Long Legs is a song-filled blend of dance and fantasy for romantics of all ages.System Requirements:Running Time: 126 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSICALS/MUSICALS UPC: 024543217893 Manufacturer No: 2231789

Take a wee bit of ancient folklore, mix in some spectacular special effects and a magical cast (including Sean Connery) — and you've got one of the most enchanting fantasies of all time! A frisky old storyteller named Darby O'Gill is desperately seeking the proverbial pot of gold. There's just one tiny thing standing in his way: a 21-inch leprechaun named King Brian. In order to get the gold, Darby must match his wits against the shrewd little trickster — which proves no small task, indeed! Fall under the spell of DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE for a fun-filled evening of magic, mirth, and nonstop shenanigans!

Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman star as three brothers who have drifted apart over the years and try to re-forge their sibling bonds on a hilarious adventure across India. The Royal Tennenbaums meets Lost in Translation.

Extend The Chronicles of Riddick experience with this all-new, visionary animated film that bridges the incredible stories of Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick . Starring Vin Diesel as the voice and likeness of Riddick and created by Peter Chung (The Animatrix, MTV's "Aeon Flux"), one of the world's most revered animators, The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury delivers thrilling sci-fi adventure that takes Riddick, Jack and Imam on a death-defying confrontation with an intergalactic bounty hunter.

Developing one's self confidence is difficult for most 14-year-olds, and doubly so for Will Stanton (Alexander Ludwig) who's recently moved to England and has just begun his first year of study as an American overseas. Feeling shy and inadequate in school as well as amongst his five brothers and one sister, Will becomes increasingly confounded when he starts to see strange visions including a sinister horseman (Christopher Eccleston) who demands Will give him some sort of sign which he knows absolutely nothing about. Befriended by four elders of the local community (Ian McShane, Frances Conroy, Jim Piddock, and James Cosmo) who turn out to be "Old Ones" from ages past, Will learns that his destiny is as a seeker who must travel through time to collect six ancient signs that will somehow enable light to triumph over darkness and save the world as he knows it. As Will discovers that he possesses hidden powers and struggles to learn to control them in order to accomplish his quest, he is racked with insecurity and self-doubt. In the end, Will's inner strength will be tested to the extreme as will his relationship with both family and friends.

While based on Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising, this movie is significantly different from the book: Will's age and family circumstances have been changed, the role of the Old Ones in Will's education about his powers is much diminished, the six signs are less religiously symbolic, and the treatment of the final battle between light and dark is markedly different. Nonetheless, The Dark Is Rising is a suspense-filled, action-packed 94-minutes brimming with great special effects comparable to The Bridge to Terabithia and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy that's immensely appealing to viewers ages 10 and older. —Tami Horiuchi, Amazon.com

SPECIAL EDITION INCLUDES THE DIGITAL COPY

Insightful, moving and often funny, Darkon is a theatrical documentary feature about a unique realm within the extraordinary worldwide phenomenon of live action role playing (LARP).

Rennie stars as Klaatu, an advanced alien who comes to earth to put a stop to nuclear proliferation. With him comes his robot Gort. They are forced to use superpowers to get the attention of the scientists.
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: G
Release Date: 2-MAR-2004
Media Type: DVD

Martin Scorsese makes a welcome return to the mean streets (of Boston, in this case) with The Departed, hailed by many as Scorsese's best film since Casino. Since this crackling crime thriller is essentially a Scorsese-stamped remake of the acclaimed 2002 Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs, the film was intensely scrutinized by devoted critics and cinephiles, and while Scorsese's intense filmmaking and all-star cast deserve ample acclaim, The Departed is also worthy of serious re-assessment, especially with regard to what some attentive viewers described as sloppy craftsmanship (!), notably in terms of mismatched shots and jagged continuity. But no matter where you fall on the Scorsese appreciation scale, there's no denying that The Departed is a signature piece of work from one of America's finest directors, designed for maximum impact with a breathtaking series of twists, turns, and violent surprises. It's an intricate cat-and-mouse game, but this time the cat and mouse are both moles: Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is an ambitious cop on the rise, planted in the Boston police force by criminal kingpin Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a hot-tempered police cadet who's been artificially disgraced and then planted into Costello's crime operation as a seemingly trustworthy soldier. As the multilayered plot unfolds (courtesy of a scorching adaptation by Kingdom of Heaven screenwriter William Monahan), Costigan and Sullivan conduct a volatile search for each other (they're essentially looking for "themselves") while simultaneously wooing the psychiatrist (Vera Farmiga) assigned to treat their crime-driven anxieties.

Such convenient coincidences might sink a lesser film, but The Departed is so electrifying that you barely notice the plot-holes. And while Nicholson's profane swagger is too much "Jack" and not enough "Costello," he's still a joy to watch, especially in a film that's additionally energized by memorable (and frequently hilarious) supporting roles for Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, and a host of other big-name performers. The Departed also makes clever and plot-dependent use of cell-phones, to the extent that it couldn't exist without them. Powered by Scorsese's trademark use of well-chosen soundtrack songs (from vintage rock to Puccini's operas), The Departed may not be perfect, but it's one helluva ride for moviegoers, proving popular enough to become the biggest box-office hit of Scorsese's commercially rocky career. —Jeff Shannon

In the dizzying world of New York fashion where size zero is the new 2 six is the new 8 and a bad hair day can end a career Runway Magazine is the Holy Grail. Overseen with a finely manicured fist by Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) the most powerful woman in fashion Runway is a fearsome gauntlet for anyone who wants to make it in the industry. To make Runway the fashion bible of New York and therefore the world Miranda has let nothing stand in her way including a long line of assistants that didn t make the cut. It s a job no self-respecting person can survive yet it s an opportunity a million young women in New York would kill for.A stint as Miranda s assistant could blast-open the doors for recent college graduate Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway). More college drab than haute couture she stands alone among the small army of Clackers on staff at Runway superslim fashion divas clacking their stilettos down the halls of the magazine s Manhattan headquarters. But when Andy comes in for the job it dawns on her that making it in this industry will take more than drive and determination.And her ultimate test stands before her in head-to-toe Prada.Miranda can spin the fashion world like a basketball but has a devil of a time finding and keeping a good assistant. Andy is completely wrong for the job. But she has something the rest of them don t: she refuses to fail.To become the perfect assistant Andy will need to make herself over in Miranda s image. Soon much to her boyfriend s (Adrian Grenier) dismay she can talk the talk walk the walk (in flawless Manolo s) and never again confuse Dolce with Gabbana. But the more of life she sees through Miranda s eyes the more she begins to grasp that Miranda s world is a fabulous but lonely one and that sometimes great success depends on great sacrifice but at what cost?System Requirements:Run Time: 110 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG-13 UPC: 024543374404 Manufacturer No: 2237440

As Guillermo Del Toro films go The Devil's Backbone is a defining moment in his career, breaching the gap between International Art House and mainstream Hollywood success, it being his last film before Blade 2. Based within an orphanage during the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s, the film is driven by its characters and, just like his previous films (Cronos and Mimic), it draws on the supernatural to outline and re-define exactly what it is that drives them.

Although Del Toro insists that this is not a film about the Civil War, by trapping and threatening its inhabitants the orphanage inevitably becomes a mirror for the events outside. These four walls become a place of protection for boys who have been orphaned during the war, a place for them to lead a relatively normal existence full of school life, bullying and adventure. Their main source of the latter being Santi, a young ghost who haunts the halls looking for revenge for his recent murder. Yet the pivotal character who evokes real fear in the children is not the spirit, but the greedy, selfish Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega), a former orphan, whose experiences have left him with deep emotional scars. With a strong cast and even stronger imagery (created by cinematographer Guillermo Navarro) Del Toro whips up a hauntingly effective film about love, life and the afterlife.

On the DVD: entering the extras literally through the keyhole, there are several opportunities to obtain a deeper understanding of this disturbing film. A "Behind the Scenes" featurette includes the cast's own character profiles and interpretation of the story, as well as Del Toro explaining his thoughts about the film and how he achieved some shots. Two of the sequences—"Aerial Bombardment" and "The Ghost"—can be seen in further technical detail, with film footage and computer animation combined to make a whole scene. A selection of storyboards can also be viewed which run alongside the soundtrack to the scene, with the option to intercut between storyboard and finished film. A theatrical trailer, a picture gallery and written biographies are standard. The film and additional features are in Spanish with English subtitles and menu. With Dolby 5:1 sound and a widescreen picture, the film not only looks and sounds, but also feels fantastically chilling. —Nikki Disney