Colleen Stein

Star Wars Trilogy (PG)20th Century Fox/Home VideoDirected by George Lucas (American Graffiti, Star Wars series, THX 1138)

Most great works of art need to be restored over time so it was only natural for George Lucas’s acclaimed Star Wars Trilogy to be dusted off and shined up for the world to enjoy all over again.

The original films: Star Wars (renamed Star Wars IV: A New Hope), The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi were handed over to digi-doctor John Lowry for some spit and polish.

By using 600 Macintosh computers, Lowry and his company Lowry Digital were able to successfully restore all three films, rescuing them from their exposure to dirt and chemical damage.

The boxed set includes a fourth disc full of special features with over 10 hours of bonus material. It includes previews for Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith (coming in 2005), a documentary of the evolution of the Star Wars saga, filmmaker and actor commentaries, original film trailers and lots more.

Final Verdict: You are a geek if you haven’t seen these movies. Whether your are already a fan or need to seek redemption from you current status of geekdom, rent or even buy all three of these films today.

Coffee and Cigarettes (R)United ArtistsDirected by Jim Jarmusch (Mystery Train, Dead Man, Ghost Dog)

This black and white film features a series of 11 vignettes. Each vignette has a common thread in that each depicts characters consuming coffee and cigarettes. This common thread draws attention to the fact that the items being consumed are two of the few legal drugs, and seemingly go hand-in-hand.

The series of unrelated events and the inane dialogue portrayed is akin to an absurdist play, like Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.

Final Verdict: This film is loaded with actors and artists spanning the entertainment spectrum, including: Steve Buscemi, Iggy Pop, Tom Waitts, Cate Blanchett, Meg and Jack White of the White Stripes, and Bill Murray. While it stars several great actors, this film focuses on dialogue alone. This movie is not for everyone because it is more of an indie art piece than a typical weekend rental.

Mean Girls (PG-13)Paramount PicturesDirected by Mark S. Waters (House of Yes, Head Over Heels, Freaky Friday)

Mean Girls is a softened, younger version of a cross between Heathers and Jawbreaker. Katie, played by teen idol Lindsey Lohan, is an attractive yet naive girl who has just moved to the suburbs from Africa. Although she meets and connects with two friendly art freaks, Katie joins a clique of rich and popular girls.

Throughout the movie, Katie undergoes a transition from nice girl to cool girl to mean girl as she becomes polluted by the politics of high school.

Final Verdict: While the concept within this teen movie is one that has been exploited dozens of times over, Mean Girls offers some surprisingly funny and original moments. Whether you are laughing with the movie or at it, this film exceeds Lohan’s typical lame Disney attempts like Freaky Friday and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.