Latest DVD releases reviewed
WALK THE LINE ***
Directed by James Mangold. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon 12 cert
Phoenix gets under the skin of the Man in Black and Witherspoon, in her Oscar-winning performance, sparkles as vivacious singer June Carter. Unlike Jamie Foxx in Ray, they do all their own singing in this conventional but engaging biopic. Michael Dwyer
THE NEW WORLD ****
Directed by Terrence Malick. Starring Colin Farrell, Q'orianka Kilcher, Christopher Plummer, Christian Bale, David Thewlis 12 cert
Malick's fourth film in three decades follows the romance between John Smith (Farrell, gruff), one of the first English settlers in North America, and the Algonquin princess we now know as Pocahontas (Kilcher, winning). Some viewers may find the director's new age reveries wearying, but there is no denying the sheer beauty of his compositions or the hypnotic power of his aural flourishes. Bewitching. Donald Clarke
SHOPGIRL ****
Directed by Anand Tucker. Starring Claire Danes, Steve Martin, Jason Schwartzman 15 cert
Danres is affectingly low-key as a lonely aspiring artist working in a LA store and finding herself the prey of a predatory, middle-aged man, played by a self-deprecating Martin, who adapted the screenplay from his own novella. This appealing serious comedy leaves a bittersweet aftertaste. Michael Dwyer
RUMOUR HAS IT . . . *
Directed by Rob Reiner. Starring Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, Shirley MacLaine, Mark Ruffalo, Mena Suvari 15 cert
Aniston plays a young woman who discovers that she may be the issue of a brief fling between two of the people whose antics inspired The Graduate. A nauseating romance with Kevin Costner (possibly her dad) follows. Jennifer, Shirley and even Kevin all experience career lows in the same film. Is this some kind of record? Donald Clarke
