CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC

Directed by P.J. Hogan. Starring Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy. Our rating: 5 (out of 10)

Rebecca talks to mannequins. Rather, they talk to her, luring her in to the store with the promise that Chanel boots will make her more worthy. "When I shop the world is better. Then it's not anymore and I want to do it again."

P.J. Hogan (of My Best Friend's Wedding, Peter Pan and the brilliant Muriel's Wedding) adapts Sophie Kinsella's fluffy summer read with fair results. Key to the film's success is the pixie-like charm of Isla Fisher as Rebecca Bloomwood, journalist with fashion-mag aspirations deeply in debt. Ironically, Rebecca lands at Successful Saving magazine, and has to keep her $16,000 debtload a secret from her cute boss Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy).

Given the current credit climate, Rebecca's predicament will either strike you as poignant or maddenly ridiculous: should you really be paying $200 for Mark Jacobs underwear when you can't make rent? It's all harmless enough, with Kristin Scott Thomas (playing a battleship fashion editor), Krysten Ritter (as the buoyant best friend) and Joan Cusack and John Goodman (as Becky's clueless parents) adding to the farcical fun.

SAILORS GO FOR RIDE WITH DISNEY

Morning Light

Directed by Mark Monroe.

Our rating: 8 (out of 10)

A true-life adventure sure to satisfy race junkies, reality-TV fans and seafaring dads, Morning Light is a sumptuously shot sea tale from Roy E. Disney. So what if it's an ego-boosting pet project from Disney about his favourite pastime? That doesn't mean we can't enjoy being along for the ride.

Thirty rookie sailors are flown to L.A. to try out for an eventual 15-member team that will take on one of the world's most challenging races: the 2,500-mile TransPac sailing race from Los Angeles and Honolulu. The American, Canadian and Australian 18- to 23-year-olds train for six months under the watchful eye of six judges, who decide who stays and who races on the state-of-the-art Morning Light, a 52-foot racing sloop. The candidates are already experienced in smaller vessels, but ocean racing is another beast altogether. The hopefuls train physically and get extensive mechanical, safety and navigation training along the way.

Disney has the sea-legs to back his venture up. He has raced in the TransPac 16 times, and taken home the trophy twice. He's a bit like the Donald Trump of the seas here, so the film is a nail-biter as much for the axing of people as it is for the potential danger on the water.

'PANTHER' DOESN'T PURR MUCH

The Pink Panther 2

Directed by Harold Zwart. Starring Steve Martin, John Cleese, Emily Mortimer. Our rating: 4 (out of 10)

I miss The Jerk. I'll bet Steve Martin, whose career now consists of playing bumbling inspectors and bemused fathers, does, too. Ditto John Cleese, who seems resigned to mediocre roles.

The Pink Panther 2 is based marginally on the classic Blake Edwards films and largely on the 2006 Pink Panther, starring Martin and Beyonce Knowles. That was a middling film in the Mr. Bean vein, and the sequel is more of the same, likely only to find favour with kids who appreciate slapstick even in the absence of genuine humour. For this age group the film is entertaining and harmless enough, though there are a few racial slurs that are a jarring anachronism. The movie opens with the theft of worldwide treasures including the Shroud of Turin, the Magna Carta and the legendary Pink Panther diamond. The thief leaves a calling card, so Insp. Dreyfus (Cleese) is called in to put together an international dream team led by Insp. Clouseau (Martin) to capture "The Tornado." Those of us old enough to remember Peter Sellers' brilliance in the Inspector Clouseau role should avoid these humourless sequels altogether, and the scene here between Martin and Lily Tomlin will only make you hanker for the edgier comedy of their younger years.

SUPPORTING CAST THRILLS IN WAR FLICK

Valkyrie

Directed by Bryan Singer. Starring Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy and Tom Wilkinson. Our rating: 6 (out of 10)

The biggest criticism of Valkyrie was a relatively minor one: some viewers hated the decision to let the actors keep their own accents, which made lead Tom Cruise sound out of place among the largely Brit cast. Director Bryan Singer defends the decision in the special features, saying he didn't want his actors "to get bogged down by who can do a better German accent."

As a thriller, it's solid, if a bit plodding at times. A powerhouse supporting cast props up Cruise's performance: there's Bill Nighy (Gen. Olbricht), Kenneth Branagh as Maj. Gen. Henning (featured prominently in the ads but gone from the movie too soon), Terence Stamp is Gen. Ludwig Beck and Tom Wilkinson plays turncoat Gen. Friedrich Fromm. Even Eddie Izzard gets in on the action.

HIGH-ENERGY KIDNAP THRILLER SET IN PARIS

Taken

Directed by Pierre Morel. Starring Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace.

Our rating: 5 (out of 10)

This high-energy thriller plays directly into the fears and hero fantasies of every paranoid parent.

It's about Kim (Maggie Grace), a teenage girl who gets kidnapped not long after she and her friend step off the plane in Paris. That would be the end of the story if her dad wasn't Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), an ex-government bad-ass. Now the story isn't just about rescuing Kim, but stomping out every roach who tried to profit from her disappearance.

Bryan, who was out playing mercenary for most of Kim's life, has retired so he can get to know his almost-grown daughter. Navigating around his icy ex-wife Lenore (Famke Jannsen) and competing with her billionaire hubby (Xander Berkeley) is no fun, but Bryan is determined. Against his better judgment, he is talked into letting Kim and a friend fly to Paris (which is apparently rife with sex-slave dealers). Bryan's first discussion with the traffickers is the best one: "I don't have money but I have particular set of skills... I will find you and I will kill you." So begins a breathless race through Paris.

The film's Euro soundtrack is overwhelming at times, but the fight sequences feel authentic and the action is relentless. At 57, Neeson proves he's still got it.

Special features on the DVD include commentaries by director Pierre Morel and cinematographer, and a separate commentary by the writer. The cheesily named "Le Making Of" features the director gushing (via subtitles) that Bryan "couldn't have been anyone else" other than Neeson. Grace (hitherto best known for TV's Lost) and Neeson also weigh in, and key scenes are dissected. "Avant Premiere" shows Neeson attending the premiere in February 2008 with his late wife, Natasha Richardson. Luc Besson introduces the director at the premiere, and French audiences laud the "French-style film with American pacing." "Side-by-side Action Comparisons" show the finished scenes beside the real-life chaos on set.

PREDICTABLE KOREAN THRILLER, DESPITE TWISTS

The Uninvited

Directed by Thomas Guard and Charles Guard. Starring Emily Browning, Elizabeth Banks, Arielle Kebbel, David Strathairn.

Our rating: 5 (out of 10)

Kim Ji-woon's stylish Korean thriller gets an American makeover courtesy of British director brothers Thomas and Charles Guard, Australian teen starlet Emily Browning and a made-in-B.C. locale. But the United Nations treatment can't come to the aid of the film's predictable plot, despite throwing twist after twist our way.

Browning is Anna, a troubled girl trying to get over the death of her mother. When she returns from her stint at the institution and is reunited with her sister Alex (Arielle Kebbel), she learns that her dad (David Strathairn) has acquired a new girlfriend, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks). As if navigating the stepmother relationship isn't hard enough, Anna starts seeing ghosts in the house, who warn her that yes, Rachel is the wicked kind.

There's lots to make you jump, but it doesn't gel together all that well, even in the hallucinatory way for which filmmakers were striving. Browning (of Lemony Snicket fame) has lots on her shoulders but doesn't always pull it off; Banks is a standout in her role; Strathairn looks world-weary, as always. Production value is high: it's just the story that weighs the film down.

On the DVD, there are the customary deleted scenes and an alternate ending, but an "Unlocking the Uninvited" special feature gives a thorough picture of life on set and how the movie got made. Everyone is interviewed, from prolific producing team Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald, the Guard brothers (who point out that The Uninvited is "a tragedy, disguised as a horror film"), all actors and the screenwriter, to the production designer, who talks about the power of wallpaper in the film.

R-RATED COMIC ROMP WITH FAMILIAR FACES

Role Models

Directed by David Wain. Starring Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Bobb'e J. Thompson.

Our rating: 6 (out of 10)

You have to be in the mood for Role Models, for sure. Smart writing elevates the film above the other perpetual-male-adolescent comedies out there, but ultimately it's still an R-rated romp about guys who can't do laundry.

What it does have going for it is a laughs-guaranteed cast including Paul Rudd (40-Year-Old Virgin, and I Love You, Man), Jane Lynch (funny in everything), Seann William Scott (immortalized as Stifler), and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (ditto as McLovin).

If you reach really far, the film is about redemption. For Danny and Wheeler (Rudd and Scott), that lesson comes after 150 hours of community service. Danny's had the same job for 10 years: he peddles Minotaur energy drinks to kids. Wheeler (Scott) wears the giant Minotaur costume, growls and loves his job. Danny wants to drive the pimped-out Minotaur pickup off a cliff. He's so miserable, in fact, that his clever girlfriend (Elizabeth Banks) decides to dump him. The breakup is the straw that broke the mythical creature's back, and he goes ape in front of a shocked high school crowd.

The boys avoid jail by mentoring kids at the Sturdy Wings community outreach centre, led by a crazy ex-junkie (an off-the-wall Lynch). The kids are a handful, too: Danny is assigned to Augie (Mintz-Plasse), a teen who lives life as a medieval serf; Wheeler gets foul-mouthed Ronnie (Bobb'e J. Thompson), a 10-year-old who immediately accuses Wheeler of groping him. Can they survive 150 hours and learn a little about life in the process? Yep, it's predictable, but it's funny as hell.

The DVD's special features are often more fun than the film itself, and highlight the extensive ad-libbing that went on on-set. In addition to the run-of-the-mill extended and deleted scenes, there is a blooper reel (featuring cape malfunctions and giggle fits); and an "On The Set of Role Models" featurette, wherein Paul Rudd admits they're not artists: "Picasso is an artist: we're a bunch of jackasses in wardrobe." "Game-On" chronicles the battle training required of creating a role-playing world. "In Character and Off-Script" allows members of the ensemble cast to ramble in character. Then there's commentary with director and co-writer David Wain.

TEEN COMEDY WITH CHEERLEADERS

Fired Up

Directed by Will Gluck. Starring Nicholas D'Agosto and Eric Christian Olsen.

Our rating: 4 (out of 10)

There's no point in being pious when it comes to teen sex comedies, though some send slightly better messages than others. Fired Up, about two guys who forgo football training for the great hookup odds at cheerleading camp, offers a stableful of Stepford girls-in-training who are as clueless and as bland as the story's predictable direction.

If not for the relentless charisma of Nicholas D'Agosto (Rocket Science) and Eric Christian Olsen (Sunshine Cleaning), the latest in the teen skirt-lifter milieu would be grim indeed. However, the duo elicits a watchable Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson vibe: think Wedding Crashers, but with human pyramids.

Nick (Olsen) and Shawn (D'Agosto), having gone through every female in their 3,000-member high school, lie to get out of football camp and talk their way into the Tigers' struggling cheerleading squad, where skirts are short and competition is slim. Head cheerleader Carly (Sarah Roemer) is suspicious, but the squad needs the male boost.

There are two scenes that elicit chuckles: one is the head cheerleader's determination to turn everything into a cheer, thus "We are driving, we, we, are driving!" for hours on end. Later, the girls watch Bring It On and follow along, word for word. Otherwise, you can connect the dots between Carly and her dufus boyfriend, Nick and the coach's wife (Molly Sims) and the potential for growth (there isn't much) for our lotharios in the first few minutes.

The DVD's special features include cheeky commentary by Will Gluck, making his directorial debut, and D'Agosto and Olsen. "This Is Not A Cheerleading Movie: The Making Of Fired Up" recounts everything from how the two actors' flu could be traced to one girl onset, to the grueling choreography behind the scenes. "Double Duty" is a quick look at the boys going through real cheerleading boot camp. "Bloopers Uncensored" is self-explanatory, while "Fired Up Press Junket: Hour 12" features an "attack" on a Halifax journalist.

KATE AND LEO REUNITED FOR TRAGIC STORY

Revolutionary Road

Directed by Sam Mendes. Starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Our rating: 9 (out of 10)

If you're watching TV's Mad Men, you'll recognize the suburban malaise and discontentment right away; and if you've read Richard Yates's much-praised novel, you're even closer to understanding the prosperity and uber-conformity that characterized the 1950s.

Director Sam Mendes changes little in Yates's book as he explores the relationship between April and Frank Wheeler (Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio), and the disintegration of their seven-year marriage. Frank works in Manhattan and returns to the suburbs in the evening, where April has been tending to the kids and wondering where her life went.

On the surface, Frank and April are the darlings of the cul-de-sac, but secretly they want to escape and start over in Paris. The only person who recognizes their desperation is John (an Oscar-nominated performance by Michael Shannon) a "certified lunatic" out on day passes who sees right through them.

The story is tragic; it's impossible not to be affected by the story and by the superlative performances from all involved. Mendes directs his real-life wife Winslet in a passionate performance that earned her Best Actress honours. She stars alongside friend and former Titanic shipmate DiCaprio, who was unjustly overlooked at award time despite giving arguably his best performance ever.

DVD special features include commentary by Mendes, accompanied by screenwriter Justin Haythe, who says "I couldn't believe my luck, adapting a project this good." "Lives Of Quiet Desperation" is a making-of featurette that illuminates how the project got made, and how Winslet planted a bug in DiCaprio's ear for almost two years until he came around.

THE INTERNATIONAL

Directed by Tom Tykwer. Starring Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Brian O'Byrne and Armin Mueller-Stahl

Our rating: 7 (out of 10)

Plucked from the headlines, the plot of The International is a David-and-Goliath thriller about one man and a very big bank.

The bank is a Luxembourg-based financial institution that specializes in lending money to terrorist organizations. You know that scene in Waiting For Columbine when Michael Moore gets a free gun for opening a bank account? It's a bit like that, but the weapons are bigger, and the stakes are global in scale.

The man is the perpetually harried Clive Owen, here playing Interpol agent Lou Salinger. Critics of the bank keep meeting untimely deaths, and it has caught the attention of Salinger and Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) from the New York District Attorney's Office, who is investigating the death of one of her agents.

Salinger and Whitman meet steely resistance from a cadre of bank executives, including Wilhelm Wexler (Armin Mueller-Stahl) who is the film's resident philosopher. There is much politicizing about how world conflicts are all about behind-the-scenes debt and economics, but the banking business just provides a convenient opportunity to send Clive Owen running pell-mell across the New York City and much of Europe.

The locales themselves are major players in the drama, and the film is as much a must-see for architecture students as it is for action junkies. There's a whole special feature on the DVD devoted to the architecture used in the film, and another all about being the first film crew allowed to shoot at The Autostadt, Volkswagen's famed "theme park".

Other extras on the disc include commentary with director Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) and writer Eric Singer. "Making The International" shows how the idea for the film was around for years, then was tweaked following the real-life Bank of Credit and Commercial International scandal, which surfaced in the early 1990s. "Shooting At The Guggenheim" chronicles the amazing process whereby set designers constructed a twin of the Guggenheim in an old railroad roundhouse.