New On Video: 'Frida,' 'Animatrix'

'Frida' (R): Director Julie Taymor (Broadway's "The Lion King") creates her own distinct work of art with "Frida," the true story of Frida Kahlo (Salma Hayek), a famed Mexican artist who used her personal tragedies and tumultuous marriage to inspire her work.

While the title suggests a biographical account of the artist alone, "Frida" is really the story of Kahlo and her husband Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina), who together took the art world by storm over three decades starting in the 1920s. Surrounded by lavish sets and an engaging atmosphere, Hayek and Molina turn in stellar performances, which are complimented by a slate of wonderful supporting turns by the likes of Ashley Judd, Antonio Banderas, Edward Norton and Geoffrey Rush.

The great thing about "Frida" is that Taymor tells the story that we can relate to a human level, without alienating audience members unfamiliar with Kahlo's work and the art community as a whole. She paints an unflinching portrait of both artists, detailing Rivera's philandering and Kahlo's scandalous affairs, and details the biggest events of Kahlo's life with stunning visual interpretations that rank high among the year's most original works. It's a hauntingly beautiful film.

DVD Features: The 2-disc set includes interviews with Hayek and Taymor; audio commentary by Taymor and composer Elliot Goldenthal, production featurettes, a portrait of the real Kahlo, and more. (Miramax Home Entertainment)

'The Animatrix' (NR): If you were left under-whelmed by the "Matrix Reloaded," your virtual dreams of what you wanted from the film will come true with "The Animatrix," a spectacular companion piece to the feature film sequel and its predecessor.

The DVD, which is comprised of nine short films by computer-animated and Japanese anime artists, are for the most part backstories that help set up the first "Matrix" movie. Lending credence to each of the vignettes is the participation of "The Matrix" creators -- brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski -- who wrote and produced four of the DVD's offerings.

It's hard to say which is the best film short on "The Animatrix," because all are spectacular in their own way. The films range anywhere from six to 17 minutes in length each, and all have their own individual hooks to capture your imagination.

Perhaps the disc's first vignette, director Andy Jones' ("Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within") computer-animated "The Final Flight of Osiris," mirrors the look and style of both "Matrix" films the most. Not coincidentally, the time-frame film falls smack-dab in between "The Matrix" and "The Matrix Reloaded," and is affectionately dubbed by the Wachowskis as the "The Matrix 1.5."

The amazing thing about "The Final Flight of Osiris" is that while completely animated, it captures the breathtaking visual style and same sort of sense of excitement and adventure of the first "Matrix."

That's because the segment's main character, Jue (voiced by Pamela Adlon) has Trinity-like capabilities, which is necessary for her to complete a mission in the Matrix while her doomed hover-craft, the Osiris, is under attack from the Sentinels of the Machine Army. "Osiris" succeeds because the virtual world Jones creates, for the lack of better words, feels real, capturing the same sort of emotion that made the first "Matrix" film so engaging.

While the remaining vignettes on "The Animatrix" have decidedly different visual styles than "Osiris," they still pack plenty of punch. The most fascinating of the group are the short films "The End of the Renaissance, Part I" and "Part II," which together provide an in-depth backstory of how civilization crumbled before the first "Matrix" film, and how the Machine Army rose to power.

While "The Animatrix" introduces us to a new slate of characters, the familiar voices of Keanu Reeves (Neo) and Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity) turn up in the shorts "A Kid's Story" and "A Detective Story." And while it's great to have such heavyweights participating in the project, "The Animatrix" doesn't need Reeves' and Moss' participation to succeed.

Rather, the Wachowskis have everything they need in such anime artists as Mahiro Maeda and Koji Morimoto, who are among the creative forces bringing the short films to life. It's only appropriate: the artists' works helped inspire the Wachowskis' idea for the "Matrix" films in the first place.

While "The Animatrix" relies solely on animation, parents shouldn't confuse the short films with the kid-friendly fare of the Disney-Pixar genre. The themes in the films are often very mature, and some of the visuals -- particularly in "The Renaissance" shorts -- contain disturbing bits of violence.

DVD Features: "Scrolls to Screen: The History and Culture of Anime" a documentary short about the art form; Seven featurettes with profiles on each director; interviews and behind-the-scenes footage for each of the films and audio commentary tracks. (Warner Home Video)

'Die Another Day' (PG-13) While the latest action-adventure "Die Another Day" isn't exactly to die for, it's an above-average effort from the James Bond movie library that should keep you interested throughout its duration.

Pierce Brosnan returns as agent 007 for the fourth time with "Die Another Day" and, for at least the first few minutes of the film, Bond is showing us a side seldom seen.

That's because due to a sabotaged mission in the North and South Korea demilitarized zone, Bond is taken captive by the north and incarcerated over an extended period of time. As a result, the daring double-O agent becomes a scraggly-haired, bearded political prisoner who is subject to torture to give up information about the British Secret Services.

It doesn't take long, though, before Bond is back to his dashing self -- but he has his hands full with an ambiguous set of characters, from the spy Jinx (Halle Berry), to the arrogant, thrill-seeking billionaire diamond broker Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens) and his icy public relations assistant Miranda Frost (Rosamund Pike).

Beneath the surface, though, there's a deadly plot brewing that involves North Korea agent (Rick Yune), and there may be more to Graves' dealing than meets the eye.

While the action and visual elements for "Die Another Day" are top-notch (although some stunts by Berry and Brosnan are clearly computer-generated characters), the story is average at best.

Per usual, the seductive British agent has an irresistible power of seduction, cracking the hardest of hearts that make Jinx and Miranda a part of the famed "Bond Girl" club. And, once again, we're taken through such steps as Bond getting the newest gadgets (John Cleese, who first appeared as R in "The World is Not Enough," is now the quartermaster Q -- replacing the late Desmond Llewelyn).

That's not to say that Brosnan doesn't have a great handle on playing Bond. He's cool, charismatic and fits the tuxedo well; but the problem with "Die Another Day" is that it lacks a memorable villain. Let's face it -- without a character like Scaramanga from "The Man With the Golden Gun" or Jaws from "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker" -- the world of Bond is just a lot less interesting.

One smart move the franchise did make, however, was the inclusion of Berry, who has redefined the role of the "Bond Girl" with a sleek, smart and tough turn as Jinx. Sure, it's a no-brainer that she couples with Bond, but she's hardly window dressing for the film. If the producers of the Bond franchise want to keep pointing in the right direction, they need to bring Berry -- or somebody as high profile as Berry -- back for another adventure.

DVD Features: The two-disc set includes audio commentary with Brosnan, Pike, director Lee Tamahori and Michael G. Wilson; a "Die Another Day" making-of documentary, multiple storyboard-to-scene comparison sequences with multiple shot angles; Madonna's "Die Another Day" music video and a making-of featurette about the video. (MGM Home Entertainment)

The Pianist' (R): Adrien Brody was shocked when he won his Best Actor Oscar for "The Pianist," but he shouldn't have been, given his mesmerizing performance as a brilliant Jewish pianist who survives the horrors of World War II in Warsaw, Poland.

Based on the incredible true story of Szpilman, "The Pianist" follows the musician through a harrowing stretch of time as the Germans uproot his close-knit family and send them off to the Warsaw ghetto before they face an even deadlier fate.

While director Polanski's statutory rape scandal was the hottest topic of conversation during the Oscar race, it's certainly no reason to avoid this gut-wrenching film (Oscar certainly didn't ignore him -- he won for Best Director).

The film is starkly realistic and often brutally violent, but to recreate a vital part of history, it's a necessary means to an end. And while some scenes drag at times, the film is hardly pretentious or preachy. Ultimately, "The Pianist" is a story of hope and inspiration, and is easily one of the most important movies of the year.

DVD Features: The normally reclusive Polanski is featured extensively in "A Story of Survival," a 40-minute documentary where he discusses the film and his own story of survival during World War II in Poland. Also included are clips of the late Szpilman playing piano. The documentary is a perfect companion to the film, which adds even more depth to an already richly detailed epic. (Universal Studios Home Video)