Writer-director Kevin Smith (Clerks) makes a huge leap in sophistication with this strong story about a comic-book artist (Ben Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian (Joey Lauren Adams) and actually gets his wish that she love him, too. Their relationship is attacked, however, by his business partner (Jason Lee), who pulls a very unsubtle Iago act to cast doubt over the whole affair. The film has the same sense of insiderness as Clerks—this time, Smith takes us within the arcane, funny world of comic-book cultism—but the themes of jealousy, deceit, and the high price of growing up enough to truly care for someone make this a very satisfying movie. —Tom Keogh

A story about an american submarine crews battle against time and their own fears while carrying out a daring mission to capture a top-secret encrypting device from a nazi u-boat. Specail features: director commentary dolby 5.1 and dts sound inside the enigma theatrical trailer and much more. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 02/27/2007 Starring: Matthew Mcconaughey Harvey Keitel Run time: 107 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Jonathan Mostow

This dazzling action-packed retelling of the legend of camelot features spellbinding cinematography and stellar performances. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 02/08/2005 Starring: Nicol Williamson Nigel Terry Run time: 140 minutes Rating: R Director: John Boorman

A brood of fire-breathing dragons emerges from the earth and begins setting fire to everything establishing dominance over the planet. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 01/25/2005 Starring: Christian Bale Matthew Mcconaughey Run time: 102 minutes Rating: Pg13

Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 06/15/2004 Run time: 394 minutes Rating: Nr

Originally developed as an epic called Kingdom of the Sun, The Emperor's New Groove lost scale and most of Sting's song score (some of which can be heard on the soundtrack) on its way to the screen. The end result is the lightest Disney film in many a moon, a joyous romp akin to Aladdin in its quotient of laughs for kids and adults. The original story centers on the spoiled teenage emperor Kuzco (David Spade), who enjoys getting the best of his Aztecan subjects. When he fires Yzma (Eartha Kitt), his evil sorceress, she seeks revenge and turns Kuzco into a llama with the help of her hunk of the month, a lunk named Kronk (Patrick Warburton). Alone in the jungle, the talking llama is befriended by Pacha (John Goodman), who has just been told to vacate his pastoral home by the human Kuzco. What's an ego to do? That's pretty much the story and the characters—simple, direct, fun—a Disney film on a diet. For any fan of the acidic humor of Spade, this is essential viewing. As narrator of his tale, Kuzco uses a sarcastic tone to keep the story jumping with plenty of fun asides (he even "stops" the film at one point to make sure you know the story is about him). Even better is character actor Warburton (Elaine's stuck-up boyfriend on Seinfeld), who steals every scene as the dim-witted, but oh-so-likable Kronk. There's even a delicious Tom Jones number that starts the film off with a bang. —Doug Thomas

Part war movie part courtroom thriller this gripping drama finda a war hero put on trial for a rescue mission gone terribly wtong with only his doubtful friend and fellow marine to represent him. Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 04/11/2006 Starring: Tommy Lee Jones Samuel L. Jackson Run time: 127 minutes Rating: R Director: William Friedkin

The Net, the first of Hollywood's big cyberthrillers of the mid-1990s, was also the most successful, thanks in large part to the natural appeal of star Sandra Bullock. Still riding high from Speed and While You Were Sleeping, Bullock plays a computer expert victimized by sinister cyberforces who steal her identity for reasons unknown. It's a clever combination of high-tech paranoia and Hitchcockian references (including Jeremy Northam as a romantic stranger named Devlin, after Cary Grant in Notorious). Film historians may look back someday on films like this—Roger Ebert calls them "hacksploitation"—to see what they reveal about our society's reaction to the increasing role of technology in our lives, just as we now study the fears of Communism and the atom bomb reflected in films of the 1950s. Dennis Miller and Diane Baker costar. —Jim Emerson

Spin-off of buffy the vampire slayer angel(boreanaz) moves to los angeles and leaves sunnydale behind. Seeking forgiveness and trying to redeem himself angel helps the downtrodden by thwarting the supernatural creatures that prey on them. Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 02/11/2003 Starring: David Boreanaz Alexis Denisof Run time: 1080 minutes Rating: Nr Director: Various

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 08/30/2005 Run time: 74 minutes Rating: Nr

From the opening scene in which a young bride and her baron groom ride into Shrewsbury, it is clear their marriage (arranged by her guardians) is ill-fated: she throws money to the lepers gathered by the side of the road, while he lashes out at them with his whip. The couple's personality differences are not the only factor dooming their union, however; the next morning, the groom turns up dead. Suspicion immediately falls on the baron's squire—the bride's secret lover—who only makes matters worse by running off. But Brother Cadfael's years of experience have taught him never to accept the obvious solution unquestioningly, and he soon discovers that the victim had a secret life as well.

Sir Derek Jacobi brings a wealth of compassion to his portrayal of the medieval monk; Cadfael's reminiscences and philosophical exchanges with the other characters are among the most memorable scenes in this 77-minute adaptation of Ellis Peters's novel. While it is not one of the more gripping mysteries in the series, like the other episodes, it is a poignant study in human nature as well as a beautifully produced historical drama.

DVD extras include an audio interview with Derek Jacobi in which he shares amusing anecdotes about the challenges of playing a 12th-century monk, an Ellis Peters biography and book list, and a production scrapbook of behind-the-scenes stills. —Larisa Lomacky Moore

What's a single woman with beauty and property to do in the medieval world? The mercenary attentions of the single village men send the grieving young widow Mistress Pearle (Kitty Aldridge) fleeing town, and her return a year later rekindles the competition with a vengeance. Call on Brother Cadfael (Derek Jacobi), the spiritual Sherlock Holmes of the Dark Ages, when the young monk tending her rose garden is found dead and the widow herself disappears a day later. Cadfael suspects the brooding bronzesmith (the gruff Tom Mannion) who rents her cottage, but he's not the only man in town with secrets. Jacobi is a delight as the medieval humanist, and he's matched by the worldly Sister Magdalen (Sarah Badel, reprising her role from "The Leper of St. Giles"). Their flirtatious scenes remind us they both led vivid lives before taking the vows.

The DVD features a few minutes of audio comments by Derek Jacobi, who ruminates on the role; a gallery of production stills; brief filmographies on the featured cast; and a biography and booklist for author Ellis Peters. —Sean Axmaker

Studio: Acorn Media Release Date: 10/30/2001 Run time: 75 minutes