The front-runner for best picture at this point is “No Country for Old Men.”

The marjority of feviews, including my own, run from B+ to A.

I give it an A- because I didn’t like the end, although it is apropos.

James Brolin lives in a trailer, goes hunting, stumbles on a group of dead men and a sack of cash worth a couple of million, and takes it.

Javier Bardem, as the coldest, crazed killer of all time - and the character most responsible for the film’s relentless tension - goes after Brolin’s character and the cash, as do others connected with the deal.

Tommy Lee Jones plays the competent but weary and vulnerable small-Texas-town sheriff who tries to find Brolin before the killer does.

It’s from the familiar drug deal gone wrong and smacks of early Coen Brothers - the brains and talent behind the film adaptation - fare.

But this is a tighter picture, bleaker in many ways, more intense than usual, and one that’s packed with tight, memorable performances.

After thinking about the ending, I may join the give-it-an-A camp.

“No Country for Old Men” is a better film than “Michael Clayton” in terms of direction, story and complexity, but I found “Michael Clayton” more satisfying.

Certainly, the ending worked better.

Similarities include the qualilty of the acting and the momentum.

Probably, the story’s familiarity and the presence of George Clooney, with a five-’o-clock shadow and frame of mind, provide a kind of comfort food.

Clooney plays a “fixer” for a high-priced law firm.

When Tom Wilkinson - an excellent bet for best supporting actor - as the lead attorney on a billion-dollar case loses it by taking off all his clothes at a hearing and ranting -Clooney’s character is called in to smooth things over and help him get it together.

As you can imagine, the story is more complicated, but it’s nothing you haven’t seen before. What makes it work, besides the pace, are the performances by Clooney, Wilkinson and the always-excellent Tilda Swinton as the corporation’s lead counsel and spokesperson.

“Enchanted,” on the other hand, is the most user-friendly film out there now.

I covered it a few entries ago.

A reminder: It’s a wonderful fantasy that moves from an animated fairy-tale land to live-action modern-day New York, and it’s a film the entire family can enjoy - thanks to a wonderful performance by fast-tracker Amy Adams.

It also makes a pretty good date movie.

My favorite drama, so far, is “Gone Baby Gone.” It just has everything, including that wonderful ethical dilemma near the end.

But you may have to scour theater listings to find it.

It’s also a best-picture possibility.

Next up: “The Golden Compass.”

I loved the book and give copies to friends.

We’ll see what the movie holds tomorrow.

For those of you who missed part one, and who may not be up on the DVD wars, remember the VHS vs. Beta rivalry from an eon ago.

VHS one, Beta went the way of the Edsel.

HD DVD and Blu-Ray are vying to take over the DVD market and cash in on the advantages - better images, more detail, more fun with bells and whistles.

To find a player compatible with both, you need shell out a grand or do without, which is not the worst way to be. Discs are improving in quality.

And it’s possible the public may thumb its noses as both.

I’m not a nose-thumber.

I almost bought a Blu-Ray player over the holidays. Best price - discounted or on the Web - was riding at $399 (which always sounds cheaper than $400; at $400 I wouldn’t have given them a second look).

One story had them on sale for $327 before taxes, and with 10 discs thrown in for free. Or maybe it was five. Either way, you get the idea; it seemed like a good deal.

HD DVD players can be had for $200-$300. I like Blu-Ray because the discs have more extras to play with.

Then I checked review on the Web; people were either very satisfied except for a quibble, or very dissatisfied because of the quibble.

The quibble - with the Sony player - it takes 2-3 minutes to load a disc, according to the annoyed, disappointed and otherwise satisfied.

That can be a long wait and, according to some reviewers, grating. There was another nitpick, but that’s the one that stayed with me.

The quibble with the only other brand that carries Blu-Ray - I don’t remember it but you can find it easily by searching for Blu-Ray DVD players - is if you put the disc on pause, and keep it there for more than 15 seconds, instead of saving your place, the player returns the disc to the beginning.

And you have to search to find the spot where you stopped.

Evidently, while initially a minor aggravation, it turns into a really big deal after living with the player a while.

Bottom line, at least for the lower-end Blu-Ray models: Wait for the next generation of players.

I mentioned this to a friend at work today. He has one of the first HD DVD players - he’s a tech junkie - and said the image quality on both is the same, so that’s not a factor.

What is a factor, he explained emphatically, is that you can’t update, or upgrade, the early Sonys - but even the earliest HD DVD players provide easy access to upgrades.

I’m in no hurry to find out.

If I feel the need for the immediate hit of a better DVD image, I’ll buy one of the $50-$75 tech toys that “upconverts” normal DVDs.

And I hate the word “upconverts,” by the way.

Would a bad player “downconvert”?

And whatever happened to hyphens?

Life’s changing, and not at a walk.

Girl finds boy, girl loses boy, girl finds boy.

Isn’t it always that way?

Well, not always, as you very well know. But it is in “Enchanted” — with a twist.

In this Disney combination family film and date movie — which opens Nov. 21 — the girl, a young woman, actually, is a Snow White-like princess type who lives in a cartoon fairy-tale land.

One her wedding day — the day after she meets her prince, which is how it works with fantasy-land relationships - she gets booted out of the cartoon world by her nutso witchy-woman stepmother and lands in live-action, modern-day New York City.

Sparkly Amy Adams plays the princess type. As in her Oscar-nominated role in “Junebug,” Adams is a joy to watch.

Here, she makes the most preposterous situations — live-action musical numbers with animals, for instance — magical and viable.

Adams glows and the picture is a treat whenever she’s on screen — which, thankfully, is most of the time — with her happily-ever-after state of mind.

Depending on the kindness of strangers while she waits for her cartoon prince to come rescue her, she runs into Patrick Dempsey, an engaged single dad and uptight divorce lawyer with an impressionable young daughter.

The lawyer’s a love cynic, the princess is anything but.

And, as we all know, when it comes to romantic comedies, one plus one equals a host of male-female shenanigans and a commentary on love.

Can the lawyer convince the princess there’s no such thing as happily ever after?

Can she rekindle his hopes and dreams?

Will her relentless cheerfulness hold up during the wait for her prince (James Marsden) - and the talking chipmunk who’s her best pal?

And what’s with the witch (Susan Sarandon) and the poison apples?

The film’s lively, cute, whimsical, and great fun for all ages.

And it’s and certain to make couples warm to each other even more.

Or, if they’re a little shaky, rethink their relationship.

In that aspect, the film is a bit of a risk.

But, then, isn’t love a risk?

“Shrek The Third” not just for ogres on DVD

“Shrek The Third” may be the thinnest of the lovable-green-ogre movies but it still contains enough sight gags, quips and colorful visuals to delight kids, who will no doubt watch it so often they’ll start mimicking Shrek’s (Mike Myers) brogue. (“Ach, ma, kinna I watch it a wee bit longer.”)

In No. 3, Shrek deals with: worries over Fiona’s (Cameron Diaz) pending pregnancy; his reluctance to take over the throne after the king – his frog father-in-law - croaks; locating rightful heir young Arthur (Justin Timberlake) and convincing him it’s good to be king; and foiling Prince Charming’s (Rupert Everett) plot to take over the throne.

All of which makes you wonder where the jolly green ogre ever found time to procreate.

Some cute lines and whimsical battling, fairy-tale-princesses scenes will appeal to older folks as well as kids.

Extras: The motley few include an engaging meet-the-characters featurette; child-raising tips from characters (the one from Puss N’ Boots is funny); “Green goofs” animated outtakes due to programmers’ error.

Best actress by far

Marion Cotillard is stunning as French chanteuse Edith Piaf, a tiny woman with a voice so vibrant it was dubbed “the soul of France.” I haven’t seen a portrayal better than Cotillard’s in “La Vie en Rose” this year.

Hop-scotching through time, the impressionistic biopic follows Piaf (known as “the little sparrow”) from her mother’s abandoning her at age 3, through her childhood years with prostitutes and circus performers, to her blossoming as an international star.

The film also touches on her tragic love affair with married boxing champion Marcel Cerdan and her arthritic final years when the drinking and drugs caught up with her. She was 47, but looked much older, when she died of cancer in 1963.

Cotillard artfully reveals Piaf’s nagging insecurities, her basking in unexpected stardom and the attention it brought, and her abusive, prima-donna antics. The physicality she displays in showing Piaf at different ages is remarkable. Her lip-synching to Piaf’s singing is flawless (except for the final song). The lyrics are French but the emotions are universal.

Extras: Watch the “Stepping into Character” short to see Cotillard without the Piaf makeup or mannerisms and you will be even more impressed with the transformation. The making-of piece also offers glimpses of the real Piaf.

Bedford Falls gets color

“It’s a Wonderful Life: Special Collector’s Edition” – the film’s umpteenth release on DVD - includes two digitally restored versions of the Frank Capra classic. One is in pristine black and white, the other in bright colors.

If you are in the “how dare they colorize the classics” camp, you will probably scoff. I was one of you, but a few colorized comedies and musicals made me rethink my stance.

The comic and lighter family parts of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and shots of the town work wonderfully in color, enhancing the mood. The dark parts, beginning with suicidal George Bailey (James Stewart) revisiting Bedford Falls as if he’d never been born, play better in black and white. Younger audiences for whom a black-and-white film is like a typewriter will appreciate the color.

Extras: Documentary on director Capra by his son; original theatrical trailer.

The boys are back in town

After “Ocean’s Twelve” sunk like the Titanic, director Steven Soderbergh promised to bring back his high-priced talent in something more substantial in “Ocean’s Thirteen.” It’s still fun fluff, but the sequel contains a plot that’s better than an afterthought: “Ocean’s Twelve” played like a red-carpet walk with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and Andy Garcia waving to the audience.

Al Pacino spices up No. 3 with his portrayal of a wealthy scoundrel who swindles Elliott Gould’s character, compelling the boys to get even. Ellen Barkin shows she’s still got “it” as Pacino’s right-hand woman.

Extras: Deleted scenes and making-of documentaries.

Also out on DVD

“Amazing Grace”: Overly long but richly photographed and well-acted period piece with Ioan Gruffud, leader of “The Fantastic Four,” showing his acting chops as William Wilberforce, the man responsible for abolishing the slave trade in 18th-century England.

“Blame it on Fidel”: French film about a 9-year-old girl’s difficulty coming to terms with her parents’ newfound radicalism in the early ‘70s; directed by Julie Gavras, Costa-Gavras’ daughter.

“Bloodhounds of Broadway”: Mobsters, music and love with Mitzy Gaynor; from 1952.

“Deceit”: Noirish psychological thriller about old friends, jealousy and passion; with Joe Pantoliano.

“Flanders”: French film about two men who love the same woman and are forced to fight side by side during a war; directed by Bruno Dumont.

“The Girl Next Door”: Son causes problems for widower dad (Dan Daily) and neighbor (June Haver) dad falls for in the 1953 musical comedy.

“Killer of Sheep”: Enticing Charles Burnett neorealist 1977 classic about a slaughterhouse worker learning to enjoy the moment in the Watts section of L.A.

“The Princess Bride 20th Anniversary Edition”: Comic fable about romance and adventure; includes “Princess Bride” DVD game.

“3000 Miles”: Documents the eighth Gumball Rally, following 120 cars from England through Europe, Thailand and the U.S.; with Tony Hawk, Bam Margera, Snoop Dogg.

“With a Song in My Heart”: 1952 biopic with Susan Hayward as singer Jane Froman.

TV on DVD

“Bon Jovi Lost Highway: The Concert”; “Christmas in South Park”; “Da Vinci’s Inquest, Season 2″; “Day One”; “Gilmore Girls: The Complete Seventh Season”; “Melrose Place: Season Three”; “Perry Mason: Season Two, Vol. Two”; “Ultimate Dinosaur Collection”; “Yankeeography” (from Ruth to Jeter on 12 DVDs).

Coming attractions

Nov. 20: “Hairspray,” “Live Free or Die Hard,” “Rescue Dawn”
Nov. 27: “Waitress”
Dec. 4: “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”

Why guys go gaga for Bruce Willis

Women cry. Men hit — or implode.

That’s a mega-oversimplification, but let’s run with it.

Let’s run with it because it helps explain why the Hollywood gods created Bruce Willis.

And things that go boom in the night — like the “Die Hard” movies.

Or, more accurately, like the buildings, cars, bridges and people that blow up in the “Die Hard” movies.

With the exception of the rare and eminently desirable women who appreciate this kind of cinema, like their male counterparts, and eagerly anticipate the Nov. 17 DVD release of “Live Free or Die Hard” - aka “Die Hard 4″ — this series and other related Willis films are guy things.

By “related” I mean “The Last Boy Scout,” “Hostage,” the underrated “Mercury Rising” and such.

– They’re guy things because they’re powered by testosterone.

– They’re guy things because they lets us satisfy our need, or if you prefer, our desire, to strike out through Willis’ characters doing just that - and without guilt.

– They’re guy things because we identify with Willis’ everyguy character; the banged-up, oft down-on-his-luck fellow who reacts heroically simply because somebody’s got to do it; or, because he was in the wrong place at the right time.

– They’re guy things because losing ourselves in the shootings, car chases and blowing up provides an outlet for the pent-up, directionless, testosterone-driven hostility left over from our caveman days.

Not that there aren’t a lot of sabertooth tigers and woolly mammoths still to conquer; but there’s no need when you can go to Trader Joe’s for tiger chops and Macy’s for mammoth-hair V-neck T-shirts. (Ask a salesperson.)

Guys revel in destruction - especially when it’s on screen and justified (or at a BART station and done with bulldozers and other destruction-oriented machinery).

Also, lord knows Bruce Willis never smashed a guy who didn’t deserve it.

I finished watching him on a check disc — a no-frills DVD screener packaged in a paper jacket — of “Live Free or Die Hard” last night.

It was great, totally absorbing; any negative thoughts or feelings vanished as if they had never existed.

Now, I had seen the film on the big screen. And, if you will permit the expression, I still was blown away.

“Die Hard” No. 4 is the series’ second-best entry. The original owns top honors for being the first, for being more character-driven (although it’s kept to a minimum), and for being fresh and so much fun.

It was the original that spawned a new genre: “Die Hard” on a boat (”Under Siege”), etc.

“DH 4″ is close; it’s more pure action.

Here’s a refresher course: Someone is blowing up master hackers as the first step in a plot to take over the U.S.’ electronic infrastructure (all things operated by computer except for my car).

Willis’ detective John McClane gets a call to take the young guy (Justin Long from the Mac-vs.-PC commercials) who may be the last master hacker alive (on the East Coast in this East Coast-centric tale) into custody.

Then people start getting shot, almost shot, beaten up, blown up and other guyish things.

Willis and Long team up to stay alive, stay ahead of the bad guys and bad woman, and stop the madness before it plunges America “into the Middle Ages.”

(What, no iPods?)

This is the film that featured a car destroying a hovering helicopter in the trailer.

The scene still plays well.

The movie leaves guys — and the rare woman — calm inside, happy outside and open to partying.

Or if you prefer the short version: “Live Free or Die Hard” is a lot of fun. Catch it Nov. 17 on DVD.

“Ratatouille” rats scamper onto DVD and are worth catching

Say “rats in the kitchen” and your first instinct is to run the other way. Yet the concept plays well - no surprise since it’s from Pixar - in “Rataouille,” one of summer’s tastiest treats.

Pun intended: The animated comedy centers around Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt), a rat obsessed with becoming a great chef in a five-star restaurant.

Remy gets a whisker up on the competition by acting as a kind of puppeteer to the willing Linguini (Lou Romano), garbage boy in a famous Parisian restaurant; with Remy directing Linguini by pulling his hair, the boy creates gourmet dishes that delight customers and befuddle coworkers.

Director Brad Bird, Oscar winner for “The Incredibles,” fills the screen with beautifully detailed sets, visual gags and engaging characters - they’re all French but only some speak with accents; go figure.

Unlike cartoon mice with mittens, the rats resemble and scamper like real rats - which, though a little creepy, is in keeping with these organic times. The movie contains a couple of dead spots; think of them as palette cleansers. “Ratatouille” cooks.

Extras: The 13-minute “Fine Food & Film: A Conversation with Brad Bird and Thomas Keller,” the latter master chef and restaurateur (the French Laundry), alternates thoughts by each about creativity, passion and inspiration - as applied to film and cooking.

Also: three deleted scenes with insightful commentaries; new animated short, “Your Friend the Rat”; Oscar-nominated short “Lifted.”

“Ratatouille” is being released in tandem with “Pixar Short Films Collection Vol. 1,” 13 animated shorts including three Oscar winners.

Extras: Audio commentaries; documentary with Oscar-winning director and Pixar top dog John Lasseter (”Toy Story”) and others musing about making the shorts.

Jack’s back

Noir with a class, 1974’s “Chinatown,” released this week with the subtitle “Special Collector’s Edition,” picked up 11 Oscar nominations, winning one for Robert Towne, Jack Nicholson’s roommate at the time, for his intricate original screenplay.

In the bonus materials, Towne says he modeled 1930s-era private eye Jake Gittes after Nicholson and imbued the cynical detective with many of his friend’s mannerisms and much of his personality.

That no doubt helped Nicholson to an Oscar nomination for playing one of cinema’s iconic private cops.

Directed by Roman Polanski (also friends with Nicholson and Towne) and beautifully shot in and around Los Angeles, the complex saga of murder, politics (over water use) and prickly relationships is riddled with suspense, mystery, intrigue and humor.

The splendid ensemble includes Faye Dunaway, John Huston and Polanski.

Extras: Fairly recent interviews with Towne, Nicholson, Polanski and producer Robert Evans are edited into three making-of shorts. The first, “The Beginning and The End” is the best, giving peeks into Towne’s creative process and his and Nicholson’s battles with Polanski.

Polanski calls “The Pianist,” for which he won the directing Oscar, his favorite film and “Chinatown” his second favorite.

Piggybacking the “Chinatown” special, Paramount also re-released the Nicholson-directed sequel, 1990’s “Two Jakes,” as a “Special Collector’s Edition” (apparently every re-release is “special”).

Set in 1948 L.A., with Gittes involved with adultery, murder and politics (oil instead of water), the film plays like a heavy-handed, overly complicated “Chinatown” clone.

Extras: New interview with Nicholson.

What were they thinking?

Adam Sandler and Kevin James pretend to be a married gay couple in “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” so James’ Larry, a widower, can keep getting benefits to help his kids.

Happens every day, right?

Wrong, just like the movie.

One of 2007’s bombs, this may be the unfunniest comedy of the year. I smiled twice, and I’m a little embarrassed by it. The humor ranges from tasteless homophobic half-witticisms to sophomoronic mirthlessness.

Sandler gets to feign girlish awkwardness as lawyer Jessica Biel reveals her sexiness. Rob Schneider does the Mickey Rooney Asian stereotype from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

It only gets worse.

There are moments when the characters, and, through them, the film, seem to understand the prevailing small-mindedness and teeter on the brink of redemption. But they never step over convincingly.

Extras: Unfunny bloopers of the boys cracking up at unfunny scenes; uninteresting making-of shorts; audio commentaries; more.

Also new on DVD

“Deck the Halls”: Staid optometrist Matthew Broderick goes ballistic over brash new neighber Danny DeVito’s over-the-top holiday light show.

“A Dennis the Menace Christmas”: Dennis (Maxwell Perry Cotton) tries to get Scrooge-like Mr. Wilson (Robert Wagner) into the spirit of Christmas.

“The Forgotten Coast”: Seven top surfers take on big waves around the islands of Indonesia.

“The Last Sentinel”: Post-apocalyptic survivors battle faceless robots; nothing new, nobody interesting, tepid direction and dull.

“Married in America 2″: Documentarian Michael Apted (”7 Up”) revisits the nine couples he interviewed in 2001’s “Married in America.”

“Sicko”: Michael Moore takes on the health-care industry in this documentary.

“Stalking Santa”: William Shatner narrates this feature about a family conducting an experiment intended to reveal the truth about Santa.

TV on DVD

“Benny Hill: The Complete Megaset” (18 discs); “The Best of the Colbert Report”; “The Crown Prince”; “Martin: The Complete Third Season”; “The Pink Panther: A Pink Christmas”; “Princes in the Tower”; “Project Runaway Season 3″; “Seinfeld: The Complete Ninth Season”; “Sesame Street: Old School Volume Two”; “Wildfire: Season Two”; “Wings: The Fifth Season”; “The X-Files: The Ultimate Collector’s Edition” (61 discs).

Coming attractions

Nov. 13: “Ocean’s Thirteen,” “Shrek The Third”
Dec. 4: “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”

“American Gangster”: Stellar stars, intriguing story, “is that all there is?” finale.

You pay your money, you roll the dice.

“The Godfather Trilogy” notwithstanding, you can’t beat Denzel Washington vs. Russell Crowe for fireworks.

At least in theory.

The problem here with the two alpha males - Denzel as real-life ’70s Harlem crime boss Frank Lucas and Russ as slovenly, straight-arrow police detective Richie Roberts, the man in charge of a new drug-busting unit - is they don’t meet until near the end of the picture.

And then it’s more like shadow boxing than two heavyweights trading punches.

Prior to the mini-climax, “American Gangster” tells separate stories, one about the rise of the polished, deadly drug king, the other about problems encountered by an honest cop whose shady colleagues hate him for rejecting big bag of cash.

Nothing particularly new there - except for a Harlem-vs.-the-Mafia angle and a character-revealing womanizing-cop-fights-for-the-right-to-keep-seeing-his-son subplot.

The scenarios’ famililarity is another problem with the newest “Gangster” drama.

The acting’s as good as you would expect from the two icons. And for a picture that runs 2 hours, 38 minutes, it had better be.

But after the big build-up, the ending disappoints.

After watching it, take another look at “The Godfather” or its first sequel; at “Goodfellas” or “King of New York” and compare them in terms of grittiness, satisfaction and aftertaste.

See what they do right.

A hint: It starts with the writing.

“Donnie Brasco” with its pas de deux by Johnny Depp and Al Pacino is another good choice.

“New Jack City,” “The Untouchables,” “Scarface” - the remake or the original - “White Heat” and “Little Caesar” are more provocative options, the last three in terms of seeing the old-school take on handling hoods.

“American Gangster” is an above-average crime drama. “The Godfather” and “The Godfather Part II” are genius. The rest are damn good.

Naturally, you agree.

Or do you?

Can you recommend other alternatives?

It would be a crime to keep them to yourself.