NEW TO DVD/VIDEO.
Capsule reviews of new DVDs/videos released Tuesday (subject to change by studios):
About Schmidt (star)(star)(star)(star)
Jack Nicholson breaks your heart in “About Schmidt,” another road movie coming decades after “Easy Rider” and “Five Easy Pieces.” Nicholson here foregoes his youthful acting mainstays–the wily joke, raffish outburst and wild tantrum–to craft something full of comedy, regret and despair: a portrait of an old man, face to face with mortality and emptiness. This is a lovely, funny, poignant film about old age, the American Midwest and the ways we lie to each other and ourselves. (MPAA rating: R)–Michael Wilmington
Die Another Day (star)(star)
Here’s a Bond film for people who choose restaurants for their large portions; it’s stuffed with supersized action sequences, explosions, fights, gadgets, product placements, double-crosses and nudge-nudge one-liners. This fourth Pierce Brosnan Bond movie looks sharp, as does Halle Berry, otherwise superfluous as a U.S. spy, but it isn’t built to last. More memorable villainy and less computer-generated sound and fury would help. (PG-13)–Mark Caro
FAST-FORWARD
A peek at future DVD/video releases (dates subject to change by studios):
Tuesday: “Bike Boyz,” “Frida,” “Jungle Book 2,” “Old School” and “Tears of the Sun.”
