9-year-old finds escape in a play, in Phoebe in Wonderland

Credit: Photo Courtesy of Image Entertainment

Elle Fanning, the sister of actor Dakota Fanning, stars as a troubled 9-year-old in Phoebe in Wonderland.

By: -- relish staff and wire report | Winston-Salem Journal
Published: June 25, 2009

Phoebe in Wonderland (PG-13): The opening film of the 2008 RiverRun International Film Festival finally comes to DVD. Elle Fanning (Dakota Fanning's little sister) stars as a sweet but troubled 9-year-old who finds escape through her school's production of Alice in Wonderland. Bill Pullman and Felicity Huffman play her parents.

Inkheart (PG): Brendan Fraser stars in this family-friendly fantasy about a man who finds a link between the real world and the imaginary world of literature. Like many of Fraser's films (the Mummy series, Journey to the Center of the Earth), it's a rollicking, lighthearted adventure that relies heavily on impressive visuals. The cast also includes Helen Mirren, Andy Serkis, Jim Broadbent and Paul Bettany.

Waltz With Bashir (R): An animated documentary? Filmmaker Ari Folman chose an unusual visual style for this autobiographical film, an Israeli production that was nominated for an Oscar for best foreign-language film. It examines massacres that took place during the 1982 Lebanon War, using animation to recreate Folman's memories and those of fellow soldiers.

Confessions of a Shopaholic (PG): This romantic comedy follows a fashionista (Isla Fisher) who tries to get a job at a fashion magazine and ends up hired to write for a financial magazine instead. The DVD has bloopers, deleted scenes and a music video; the Blu-ray also has more music videos and featurettes about the making of the film and the main character's wardrobe.

Pink Panther 2 (PG): Peter Sellers-loving purists will cringe, but Steve Martin continues his over-the-top reinterpretation of bumbling Inspector Clouseau. The plot is just an excuse for a series of wacky misadventures. The cast also includes Jean Reno, John Cleese, Lily Tomlin and Jeremy Irons.

My Dinner with Andre (Unrated): The low-key art house film about two guys having dinner comes to DVD from the Criterion Collection. Extras include new interviews and a booklet.

My Dinner with Jimi (Unrated): Another dinner, this time with very different diners. Howard Kaylan, the lead singer of 1960s rock band The Turtles ("Happy Together") wrote this dramatization of the band's memorable encounters with Jimi Hendrix and other rock icons during a promotional tour.

Simon Says (R): Crispin Glover (Willard) takes on dual roles in this tale of maniacal twin brothers who kill people in inventive ways.

Table For Three (R): This comedy revolves around a recently dumped guy (Brandon Routh) whose new friends sabotage his romantic prospects.

Legend of the Bog (R): Vinnie Jones, the toughest of the tough guys in Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, takes on an Irish bog monster in this horror-action film with bits of comedy thrown in.

Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection (Unrated): Long before Itchy and Scratchy, there was this team of an obnoxious mouse and an obsessive cat. And perhaps the finest animator to ever work on their misadventures was Chuck Jones of Looney Tunes fame. This two-disc set has all 34 of Jones' Tom and Jerry Cartoons, plus two documentaries.

Catlow (PG-13): Yul Brynner, Richard Crenna and Leonard Nimoy star in this 1971 Western, which was based on a novel by Louis L'Amour. It tells the story of a marshal hunting down a cattle rustler who was once his childhood friend.