Fernando's View
By Fernando F. Croce

The imaginative fantasy "9" and the moving family drama "35 Shots of Rum" are worth seeing on the big screen, while DVD releases offer box-office hits ("Monsters vs. Aliens"), sleepers ("The Girlfriend Experience"), and the chance to revisit a classic ("The Wizard of Oz").

In Theaters:

9 (Focus Pictures): A fascinating mix of apocalyptic anxiety and childlike optimism, Shane Acker's animated futuristic adventure is one of the year's most original movies. The setting is not unlike that of the "Terminator" movies, a bleak future in which machines have turned on their makers, though the heroes trying to save the human race couldn't be more different. Created by a scientist in hopes of finding life in a devastated world, a group of "stitch-punk" creations make their way across the dangerous landscape, literally on a mission to save the world. Exciting and Visually breathtaking (if maybe too intense for small children), the movie shows the influence of producer Tim Burton ("The Nightmare Before Christmas") while creating a dynamic world of its own.

35 Shots of Rum (Cinema Guild): Claire Denis proves she's one of today's greatest directors with this deceptively modest family drama. Set in Paris, it sensitively depicts the warm, largely wordless relationship between Lionel (Alex Descas), a widowed, retirement-bound train conductor, and his college-student daughter Josephine (Mati Diop). When a young neighbor shows interest in Josephine, Lionel realizes that, as painful as it may be to them, it may be time for his daughter to begin a life of her. Without resorting to contrivance or histrionics, Denis crafts a graceful and deeply moving portrayal of family love that more than holds its own to the classics of Japanese master Yasujiro Ozu ("Tokyo Story") on which it is based. With subtitles.

New on DVD:

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The Girlfriend Experience (Magnolia Pictures): As unpredictable as ever, Steven Soderbergh follows up his mammoth two-part epic about "Che" Guevara with this small-scale but often witty, dry comedy about the risky areas where business and emotion meet. Chelsea (Sasha Grey) is a high-priced call girl making the rounds of Manhattan, dealing with her boyfriend, and trying her best to remain aloof and professional in an unpredictable profession. Shooting with digital cameras that allow brisk and intimate moments, Soderbergh creates an engaging and ultimately quite barbed portrait of how even feelings can be turned into consumable products. Keep an eye out for critic Glenn Kenny in a hilariously slimy cameo as one of the heroine's least savory acquaintances.

Monsters vs. Aliens (DreamWorks): The first in a series of 3-D movies from DreamWorks, this colorful animated feature has enough effervescence to galvanize young viewers and enough smart humor to delight their parents. The story follows plucky Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon), who in the same day has her wedding day interrupted by a falling meteorite and turned into a giant. Suddenly endowed with mysterious new powers, she's summoned to a secret government program to help save the world along other friendly creatures, which include an ever-hungry blob (Seth Rogen) and a smarty-pants cockroach (Hugh Laurie). Much of the film feels like a spoof of old monster movies, though one in which the monsters are an endearing bunch of misfits rather than a destructive force.

The Wizard of Oz (Warner Bros.): Celebrating its 70th anniversary, this legendary Hollywood classic remains as full of delights and surprises as ever. By now everybody knows the plot of this lavish screen version of L. Frank Baum's children's story, though that doesn't keep viewers from following the adventures of Dorothy (Judy Garland) and friends from the grays of Kansas to the flaming Technicolor of the magical world of Oz. After you're done marveling at the iconic performances (including Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion and Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch) and unforgettable songs, make sure to check out the behind-the-scenes anecdotes to find out how often this beloved fantasy came close to disaster during production.