Issue: "Gore strikes out," Dec. 9, 2000
The EditorsThe Editors

Video Rentals

Culture | The top 5 videos in popularity as measured by rental receipts for the week ended Nov. 19

1
The Perfect Storm $12.93 million
1 week in release
$12.93 million to date
CAST / DIRECTOR / STUDIO
George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg / Wolfgang Petersen (Air Force One) / Warner Bros.

PLOT
A fishing boat goes on a trip to oblivion, heading straight into the center of one of the fiercest storms in history.

MESSAGE
Nature can be an unconquerable foe.

CAUTION
Rated PG-13 for bad language and scenes of peril.

2
Big Momma's House $9.13 million
1 week in release
$9.13 million to date
CAST / DIRECTOR / STUDIO
Martin Lawrence, Nia Long / Raja Gosnell (Never Been Kissed) / Twentieth Century Fox

PLOT
Extremely lowbrow comedy about an FBI agent who poses as a cranky Southern granny to catch an escaped convict.

MESSAGE
Appearances can be deceiving; the real person lurks behind the costume.

CAUTION
Rated PG-13 for crude humor, bad language, and violence.

3
Mission: Impossible 2 $7.78 million
2 weeks in release
$20.88 million to date
CAST / DIRECTOR / STUDIO
Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames / John Woo (Face Off) / Paramount Pictures

PLOT
A band of agents searches for a traitor who holds a killer virus in the sequel that only vaguely resembles the original series.

MESSAGE
Watered-down James Bond bravado: Save the world, get the girl, look cool.

CAUTION
Rated PG-13 for violence, bad language, and sensuality.

4
The Patriot $4.63 million
4 weeks in release
$30.12 million to date
CAST / DIRECTOR / STUDIO
Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger / Roland Emmerich (Independence Day) / Columbia Pictures

PLOT
A South Carolina planter is drawn into a guerrilla war against the British during the American Revolution.

MESSAGE
Liberty is worth fighting and even dying for.

CAUTION
Rated R for strong war violence.

5
Frequency $4.06 million
3 weeks in release
$18.31 million to date
CAST / DIRECTOR / STUDIO
Dennis Quaid, James Caviezel / Gregory Hoblit (Primal Fear) / New Line Cinema

PLOT
A cop uses an old ham radio to talk to his firefighting father 30 years in the past and warn him of his impending death.

MESSAGE
Changing the past changes the future in unanticipated ways.

CAUTION
Rated PG-13 for violence and disturbing images.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Who can resist a cute puppy? 102 Dalmatians (rated G) gives us some canines who are hard to resist in a movie that's easy to forget. The live-action sequel to the remake of one of Disney's biggest hits covers lots of familiar territory. Most of the movie is an excuse to see adorable dogs and Cruella De Vil (Glenn Close) romp around in bizarre fashions. They get plenty of room to strut their stuff. The main scene-stealer is a digitally altered pooch named Oddball, who feels insecure because he has no spots. Cruella is supposedly cured of her anti-canine tendencies and gets paroled. For a while she plays the role of dog lover and even wants to become an animal-rights activist. But she's quickly bad again and ready to steal puppies. Where the movie goes off the track is with the humans. We get Gerard Depardieu in an unfunny, unpleasant part as a crazy French furrier. There's also a love story between Cruella's parole officer and the owner of an animal shelter. The worst part is an overlong slapstick ending from the Home Alone playbook. Kids may love the action in this sequel, but they deserve much better.
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