Home entertainment for couch potatoes

Fool's Gold
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Donald Sutherland, Alexis Dziena

If you've been waiting for the leads of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days to return to the screen, here they are in Fool's Gold. While How to Lose... featured the characters of McConaughey and Hudson trying to woo each other, this movie begins with their divorce.

Ben Finnegan (McConaughey), aka Finn, is a treasure hunter who is looking for the Queen's Dowry, a horde of riches that was claimed by the sea in 1715. His wife Tess (Hudson), tired of being tied down to this unproductive lifestyle, wants to break free and continue further studies.

She takes a temporary job aboard Nigel Honeycutt's (Sutherland) yacht, but there's one last thing to do before she begins anew: get the divorce.

Meanwhile, Finn's salvage boat catches fire and sinks and Honeycutt's yacht, at anchor in Key West, appears to the perfect replacement.

Honeycutt, a rich man with all the time in the world, has just been joined by his spoiled daughter Gemma (Dziena), and he is intrigued by the prospects of adventure.

So though Tess manages to get the divorce, the man she is fleeing from is back in her life. But this time, the clues are strong, and it is just a matter of time before the trove is found. However, Finn and his crew will have to first deal with a bunch of thugs who are also eyeing the booty.

Special features include Flirting With Adventure, in which the two leads reveal that they share a 'wonderful chemistry'. "We fight well, we flirt well," says McConaughey.

Rating: PG 13

Speed racer
Cast: Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Paulie Litt

From time to time, as you watch this movie, you'll get the feeling that you are playing a computer game without actually controlling the moves. The action is fast and furious and the palate is so colourful that you can't help feeling overwhelmed.

This is a movie for youngsters who dream about racing and fantasise about a time when cars will whoosh like bullets, and twist and twirl, and whirl freely whenever the driver so wishes.

Speed Racer (Hirsch) is the titular character. Yes, his name is Speed and the family name is Racer. In flashbacks, we see the young Speed obsessed with automobiles and thinking about burning rubber when the opportunity arises.

As a grownup, this obsession is fuelled by the desire to recover the family honour which was tainted after the disappearance of Speed's elder brother Rex during a gruelling race.

With the help of his girlfriend Trixie (Ricci) and two other buddies, Speed enrols for a similar race. Mum and dad (Sarandon, Goodman) are in the business of building top racing vehicles, and the car they fabricate for Speed is the Mach 5, the most advanced thing on wheels. Victory is certain, but the owner of big corporation will not allow it if he has his way.

The DVD comes with a pass which entitles entry for four persons to the Dubai Motorsport Festival at Dubai Autodrome on November 14 and 15.

Rating: PG