Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Special Widescreen Edition
Sound ***½ Picture **** Film **½
(Warner Home Video)
See the full review in this issue.

Heist
Sound **** Picture ***½ Film **½
(Warner Home Video)
This is one of the best-looking DVDs of the year—or ever. There's no visible edge enhancement, and the picture is sharp as a tack and very natural-looking. The sound is less exceptional, but the music and dialogue are well-recorded. The film itself, about an elaborately planned caper (I suspect you've already figured that out), has more twists and turns than a Grand Prix race.

Highlander: The Immortal Edition
Sound ** Picture **½ Film **
(Anchor Bay Entertainment)
I'm not a fan of this flick—something about a race of immortals that must fight to the death, leaving only one remaining. (How can you kill an Immortal? Why, cut off his head, of course.) The flashback, flash-forward style is entertaining, but none of it makes a lot of sense. Nevertheless, there are fans who seriously love this movie (the first—and best, they say—of a series). I never saw it in a theater, so I can't say whether or not the problems in the transfer are due to the original film elements or to a deliberately chosen "look," but on this DVD I see a very grainy image overlaid with edge enhancement. Some of the close-ups look okay, but the rest is nothing to write home about. The music track is nicely recorded, but much of the dialogue sounds as if it was recorded in a phone booth, with no real attempt to match the ambience to the environment onscreen.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Sound *** Picture ***½ Film ****
(Buena Vista Home Entertainment)
The only technical quibble here is visible grain—very unusual in Disney's animated DVDs. It definitely could have been better. You can minimize it by setting your display's Sharpness control below the optimum setting for the cleanest transfers. At least edge enhancement is not a factor, and apart from the grain, the video is crisp and colorful. The sound is superb. And the film itself is one of Disney's best and most underrated. Lovers of the original Victor Hugo novel may be put off by some of the plot changes, but the filmmakers remained remarkably faithful to the spirit of the book, given the need to make it suitable for audiences of all ages.

Jurassic Park III: Collector's Edition
Sound **** Picture **** Film ***
(Universal Studios Home Video)
There's simply nothing to argue about here with respect to picture and sound, which are reference quality in all respects. This is, by far, the best-looking and -sounding of the three Jurassic Park DVDs. It isn't the best of the films dramatically, but chalk that up to our familiarity with the concept and the rather weak, abrupt ending. This is one movie that could have used an extra 15 minutes to support a more rousing conclusion.

A Knight's Tale: Special Edition
Sound ***½ Picture ***½ Film **½
(Columbia TriStar Home Video)
The video quality is fine for the most part, with crisp close-ups and medium shots and no obvious edge enhancement. The long shots are a little soft, the only thing keeping this transfer from the top rating. The sound has a fine, expansive quality, from the thundering hooves of the jousts to the orchestral score. The film itself is moderately entertaining, and once you get past the anachronistic use of rock tunes (thankfully, they don't underscore the entire movie), it even has a certain endearing charm. One thing's for sure: A Knight's Tale is the best jousting movie of the millennium (so far).

K-Pax: Collector's Edition
Sound *** Picture *** Film ***
(Universal Studios Home Video)
K-Pax is the story of a stranger who claims to come from a planet in a galaxy far, far away, but any connection to your usual space opera ends there. This may not be a great film, but it is warm and thought-provoking. The video is crisp on close-ups, which make up most of the film, but rather ordinary otherwise, with some visible edge enhancement. The sound is clean and spacious, but not particularly notable in any other respect. See full review in this issue's "What's On?"

Legally Blond: Special Edition
Sound *** Picture ***½ Film ***
(MGM Home Entertainment)
There's clearly visible edge enhancement on longer shots, which tend to be a little soft, but close-ups are sharp and colorful. Overall, it's a very acceptable transfer. The dialogue and music are nicely recorded, and while the sound isn't at all showy, it deserves high marks.

The film itself is a diverting, if slight, comedy made palatable by Reese Witherspoon's fluffy, appealing performance. She plays an apparently airheaded (but, as it turns out, very bright), um, blond who follows her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law school. (He dumped her because his political ambitions demand that his future wife be a Jackie, not a Marilyn.) If you can accept the concept of a blond bombshell who majored in fashion merchandising getting accepted to Harvard Law and aren't expecting another Election, you'll have a good time.

Memento
Sound **½ Picture **½ Film ****
(Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment)
The picture is more than adequate but a little uneven from shot to shot, with some edge enhancement. It's never less than watchable, just not very distinguished. The sound is clean but nothing special. All of the dialogue sounds as if it was looped with no attempt to match it to the environment onscreen. It's always intelligible, but rather detached and sterile. After a few minutes, however, you won't notice any of this. You'll be too wrapped up in the story—a backward-spun (really) tale of a man with short-term memory loss searching for his wife's killer. It will take all of your attention just to keep up, and perhaps a second viewing to make certain you got all of it.

Moulin Rouge!
Sound ***½ Picture ***½ Film ***½
(20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)
The video has a little less detail than it's been credited with in other reviews (check out the excerpt on the latest DTS Demonstration DVD (#6) if you want to see how it might have been improved), but this isn't likely to bother you. The sound is outstanding, with one small quibble: you can sometimes hear a heavy hand cranking up the volume for effect.

Some viewers have a hard time getting into this film, but once the shock of the anachronistic musical score wore off, I began to appreciate the originality on display. One thing's certain: This isn't your father's Hollywood musical.