Hot Movies, Softwares, Themes, Games, E-book

Kristin Stewart is Bella, a Washington state high school girl who finds herself attracted to the moody, brooding Edward (Robert Pattinson), who it turns out is from a respectable family of vampires. They burn for each other, but there is never any figurative (or literal) bite in their relationship.

There are malevolent forces at work, however, which give “Twilight” its drama. But that probably isn’t the real appeal of the film to the legions of teen girls (and some of their mothers) who are fans. For them the question is: How hot can a dead guy be?

The film’s (and the novel’s) biggest problem? Bella is a bit of a snot. When you are rooting to see the hero of the piece get their neck snapped, it’s never a good sign.

The two-disc set comes only in a wide-screen format. It includes commentary by director Catherine Hardwicke and its two young heartthrobs, Stewart and Pattinson.

There are also five extended scenes, five deleted scenes with director introductions and a seven-part documentary, “The Adventure Begins: The Journey from Page to Screen,” plus assorted music videos.

Three and a half stars

‘Elegy’

Based on Philip Roth’s “The Dying Animal,” the movie less an exploration of the mind than the body — specifically, the body of Penelope Cruz, as explored by Ben Kingsley.

Cruz plays Consuela Castillo, the student of Kingsley’s David Kepesh, a somewhat famous writer and professor. Their performances, particularly Kingsley’s, are outstanding, breathing an unexpectedly fresh vitality into the proceedings.

Although Kepesh finds himself helplessly falling prey to his own jealousy and possessiveness — knowing full well that he’s destroying his relationship with

Consuela in the process — Kingsley brings a sly wit and energy to the role.

Kepesh knows that he’s sabotaging things. He just can’t help himself. Yet even when he’s screwing things up, he maintains a sort of detached bemusement, as if this were all happening to someone else. He’s particularly open in his discussions with his best friend, George O’Hearn (Dennis Hopper), a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet.

Destructive obsession is always uncomfortable to watch yet impossible to look away from. That’s particularly true here, with Kingsley’s performance so captivating. He is the obvious center of the film’s universe, but the acting is uniformly excellent.

Cruz explores several layers with Consuela, including an unexpected turn toward the end of the film. Hopper’s O’Hearn is low-key, a ready ear for Kepesh’s musings and complaints. He has his own problems. And Peter Sarsgaard as Kingsley’s son brings a genuine feeling of pain to his character; his indignation is earned, if perhaps too long-standing.

DVD extras include commentary with screenwriter Nicholas Meyer and a making-of featurette.

One star

‘Punisher: War Zone: 2-Disc Special Edition’

Marvel again tries to reboot “Punisher” as a movie franchise, this time starring Ray Stevenson of “Rome” as ex-special forces officer Frank Castle. This time he is being hunted by a federal strike force and a revenge-driven crime boss.

The movie is simply a lot of noise and energy that inspires no emotional impact, although you may feel like you need to take a shower once the credits roll.

DVD extras include a digital copy of the movie for PCs, Macs or iPods is among the extras. Others include a behind-the-scenes on the making of the movie; Stevenson’s training for the role; a look at the villain Jigsaw; featurettes on the movie’s look and weapons; and a commentary track.

Two stars

'Battle in Seattle’

Stuart Townsend’s fictionalized portrayal of the 1999 World Trade Organization protests suffers from an overdose of noblesse oblige.

Woody Harrelson, Charlize Theron and Ray Liotta are among the bigger names involved, and their characters all inhabit a world in which people are wellsprings of righteous indignation, as well as oratorical flourish.

DVD extras include commentary by Townsend.

Three-and-a-Half stars

'Dodes’ka-den. The Criterion Collection’

Legendary director Akira Kurosawa takes time out from his period epics to present this haunting story about a group of people scraping by in the slums of Tokyo.

The film is a story of faith and courage in the face of despair and poverty. This also is the director’s first color film, and it looks lovely.

DVD extras include a documentary about Kurosawa that looks at the making of the movie and includes interviews with the director, his stars and collaborators. A booklet with a new essay about the film also is included.

Four stars

"Faust”

F.W. Murnau had already left for Hollywood to make “Sunrise” when his final German film, a lavishly budgeted adaptation of the Faust legend, was released to the international market in 1926. Seven different negatives, created for different countries and featuring different takes, different editing and different intertitles, are known to exist.

For once the American export version appears to be the most authoritative, Murnau having absconded to the States with what he considered the best footage.

This amazing piece of scholarship is the work of Luciano Berriatua of the Filmoteca Espanola, who has also assembled a documentary, included on the Kino disc, comparing sequences from the various surviving versions side by side.

As companions to “Faust,” Kino is releasing two lesser known Murnau films in fresh restorations from the Murnau Foundation: the gothic thriller “The Haunted Castle” (1921) and the Lubitschian comedy “The Finances of the Grand Duke” (1924).