VIDEO RENTALS

1 The whole nine yards

$7.76 million 2 weeks in release $17.14 million to date

PLOT A suburban dentist in Canada discovers that his new neighbor is a hit man hiding from the Mob.

MESSAGE Messing with the Mafia will make you sorry.

CAUTION Rated R for bad language, violence, and nudity.

$6.63 million 1 week in release $6.65 million to date

PLOT American heads to Thailand looking for utopia and discovers horrible secrets.

MESSAGE There's no such thing as paradise.

CAUTION Rated R for violence, sexual situations, bad language, and drug content.

$5.01 million 2 weeks in release $10.63 million to date

PLOT A rare books expert teams with a demonologist to find two lost satanic spellbooks.

MESSAGE Evil can be more tempting than you think.

CAUTION Rated R for violence and sexual situations.

$4.71 million 7 weeks in release $66.4 million to date

PLOT A prison guard on death row has his life changed by a prisoner he must execute.

MESSAGE Pop supernaturalism: Unexpected miracles happen.

CAUTION Rated R for bad language, violence, and sexual situations.

$3.73 million 3 weeks in release $15.25 million to date

PLOT A boxing champ spends years in jail for a murder he didn't commit.

MESSAGE Hope can be found even in horrible situations.

CAUTION Rated R for bad language, drug use, and sexual content.

What would happen if Clint Eastwood directed science fiction? The answer is Space Cowboys (Warner Bros.; rated PG-13 for bad language), in which he plays a former Air Force pilot who reunites his old team for a shot on the Space Shuttle. These older-than-average astronauts (including Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner, and Donald Sutherland) must go up and fix a damaged satellite, which only Mr. Eastwood's character knows how to fix. They also get a chance to show off their own bravado as they prepare for the flight. Before they can launch, they must make it past an officer (James Cromwell) with a questionable past who wants them to go away. Much of this movie shows themes familiar in other efforts like Deep Impact and Mission To Mars. There's nothing new here, although those who like this genre (or Clint Eastwood) will appreciate this film. Once the movie shoots into space, it starts getting interesting; instead of coming up with futuristic gadgetry, the action uses real-life technology (with NASA's help) to build drama. Space Cowboys is at the start of the trend. With so many Americans getting older, more movies will show people doing heroic things despite advanced age.