Bret Easton Ellis' controversial, best-selling novel of the seamy underside of L.A. yuppie life becomes a stylish, riveting film. Returning to Los Angeles for Christmas break, college freshman Clay (Andrew McCarthy) finds former high school girlfriend Blair (Jami Gertz) and best friend Julian (Robert Downey, Jr.) are now inhabiting a world of drugs, S*x, and shallow thrills that threatens to engulf them. With James Spader, Nicholas Pryor. 98 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks English Dolby Digital 4.0, Dolby Digital Surround, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles English, Spanish; TV spots; theatrical trailers.

Peter Yates directs the early '70s comedy caper The Hot Rock, based on the Donald Westlake novel and adapted for the screen by William Goldman. Robert Redford stars as John Archibald Dortmunder, a former jewel thief just released from prison. His brother in law, Andrew Kelp (George Segal), recruits him to steal a diamond from a museum. They are hired by Dr. Amusa (Moses Gunn), an ambassador from Central Fatawi, whose people consider the stone to be sacred. John and Andrew assemble a team with Alan Greenberg (Paul Sand) and Stan Murch (Ron Leibman). They successfully pull off the job until the guards arrest them and Alan swallows the diamond. Alan's father (Zero Mostel) helps him break out of jail, which leads to a series of other heist attempts.

Full of plots and schemes, this wordy costume drama, an Oscar winner from 1968, come to DVD with some fine results. While not without its faults, the 2.35:1 transfer, enhanced for 16 x 9 televisions, is surprising strong on all accounts. Specks of grain and occasional scratches don't interrupt this top-quality presentation, one that highlights the limited use of colors while, at the same time, gives equal balance between dark and earthy tones which comprise the majority of the surroundings. The muddy feel of the 12th century is captured almost flawlessly. The two-channel mono soundtrack in Dolby Digital isn't going to impress anyone, nor was it meant to. At times a certain amount of echo is present, and auditory detail isn't its strong point, but for the most part, there are few complaints as dialogue is clear enough. Considering this is a dialogue-driven film, that is sufficient. While not necessarily going out of its way, MGM has supplied a couple of supplements. The exceedingly dated theatrical trailer is included, but far more noteworthy is an audio commentary recorded in 2000 by director Anthony Harvey. In a typically reserved British manner, Harvey discusses a number of points about his involvement in the production, but, unfortunately, the track is marred by significant gaps. Still, his memories of more than 30 years earlier have relevance.