Xxx rated dvd rental

When "The Matrix" first hit theaters back in 1999, the co- creators, Larry and Andy Wachowski, appeared to be geniuses.

Nobody's making that claim these days.

"Matrix" fans have come out of every I-Hate-Bill-Gates chat room in existence to express how disappointed they are in "The Matrix Reloaded." Not only does the sequel fail to take the story in a new and interesting direction, they say, but it basically undercuts the very essence of mystery that the first film worked so hard to create.

Whoa. What these fans need to do is rent (or buy) "The Animatrix," which is available for home viewing this week.

"The Animatrix," as any real "Matrix" fan can tell you, is a series of nine films suggested by the "Matrix" universe. Each is envisioned by the Wachowskis yet directed individually by some of the world's best animators.

The one 7-minute short that I saw theatrically several months ago, "Final Flight of the Osiris," played with a "Matrix Reloaded" trailer. Written by the Wachowskis, it was directed by Andy Jones, and it features the same creepily real feel of Jones' 2001 film "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within."

Other directors are famous among the world of anime. "Kid's Story" and "Detective Story" were directed by Shinichiro Watanabe of "Cowboy Bebop" fame. "Matriculated" was written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, whose major works include "Ninja Scroll" and "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust." And "Beyond" director Kouji (also spelled Koji) Morimoto not only directed one of the segments in the 1987 short compilation "Robot Carnival," but he served as animation supervisor on the one and only "Akira."

Four of the "Animatrix" films are available to be downloaded from the Web. But for those of us with better DVD players than home computers, the DVD version is the next best thing to seeing them on the big screen.

So, true, the Wachowskis may not be geniuses. But based on the quality of this collection, they were at least smart enough to team up with some guys who arguably are.

The week's major home releases:

About Schmidt

****

To ward off feeling lonely and useless, just-retired Omaha insurance executive Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) does things such as become the mail-order sponsor for a 6-year-old African orphan. But when Schmidt's wife drops dead, he takes off on a road trip. The literal part of that trip involves Schmidt driving his motor home to Denver where he hopes to break up the impending marriage of his daughter (Hope Davis) to a waterbed salesman (Dermot Mulroney). Metaphorically, the journey is a study of Schmidt's ever-evolving emotions. Throughout, director Alexander Payne ("Election") brilliantly presents the film's characters as both hopeless cliches and real people with genuine feelings. And Nicholson, so prone to mugging, plays Schmidt as a mere human being who receives a message, rare to us all, that tells him he's made a small but significant difference. (DVD, VHS; 2:05) Rated R (some language, brief nudity

The Animatrix

***-1/2

Taking the world as envisioned by Larry and Andy Wachowski, creators of "The Matrix," a group of animation directors offers these nine short films. Between six and 16 minutes long, the films don't so much tell us anything new about "The Matrix" as fill in some of the holes (Andy Jones' "Final Flight of the Osiris") or offer alternate versions (Shinchiro Watanabe's "Kid's Story") of surrealism. The Wachowskis wrote only four of the films, but they had a hands-on role in the development of each. So, even though the styles and look are varied, from the computer-generated life-likeness of "Osiris" to the spiritual feel of Kouji Morimoto's "Beyond," the films have a consistent quality. And that quality, in a word, is excellent. (DVD, VHS; 1:36) Not rated (sexually suggestive, cartoon violence, scenes of intense sci-fi action).

The Guru

***

When a star-struck young dance instructor (Jimi Mistry) leaves his native India for the United States, he milks the self-help philosophy of a porn queen (Heather Graham) and uses it to become the Guru of Sex. A series of plot ends are answered in a manner befitting all the lighthearted musicals ever made, both in Bollywood (the Indian film industry) and Hollywood. (DVD, VHS rental only; 1:35) Rated R (strong sexual content including dialogue, language).

Die Another Day

**

Pierce Brosnan, in his fourth turn as British superspy James Bond, returns in a derivative plot that pits him against a Korean villain and his genetically half-altered assistant (Rick Yune). At issue, as always, is the fate of the world, with this movie's McGuffin being a giant laser, which was original when we first saw it in "Goldfinger" way back in 1964 but feels a bit tired now. "Die Another Day" ends up paying homage to a number of past Bond movies, from Rosa Klebb's shoe dagger ("From Russia With Love") to NSA agent Halle Berry's emergence from the sea (a la Ursula Andress in "Dr. No"). Director Lee Tamahori ("Once Were Warriors") moves the film along well enough. But even he can't avoid making Bond feel dated, something that "XXX" and Vin Diesel do not. (DVD, VHS; 2:12) Rated PG-13 (action violence, sexuality).

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