By Ethan Alter
Merge

"SHREK THE THIRD"

Because one can never have enough sub-par Disney parodies or lame pop-culture jokes, Shrek (Mike Myers) is back for his third adventure and he's bringing along the whole gang: Donkey (Eddie Murphy), Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas). After Shrek's father-in-law, the king of Far, Far Away, falls ill, debate ensues over who is next in line to inherit the crown. The big green ogre doesn't want it, but he also doesn't want the kingdom to fall back into the hands of the loathsome Prince Charming (Rupert Everett). Enter Merlin, who has a young pupil named Artie (Justin Timberlake) who may be the answer to Shrek's problems. 1 hr. 33 mins.

"EVEN MONEY"

Fresh off his Oscar win for "The Last King of Scotland" Forest Whitaker appears in this ensemble drama alongside fellow Academy Award winner Kim Basinger as well as Jay Mohr, Nick Cannon, Kelsey Grammer, Danny DeVito and Carla Gugino. Whitaker et al play compulsive gamblers whose lives intersect in unexpected ways. "On Golden Pond" director Mark Rydell helms a screenplay by first-time writer Robert Tannen. 1 hr. 48 mins.

"FAY GRIM"

A loose sequel to Hal Hartley's 1997 cult oddity "Henry Fool" features Parker Posey returning to the role of Fay Grim, the wife of that movie's titular criminal/novelist. Picking up 10 years later, the movie finds Fay venturing to Paris in pursuit of her elusive husband, who is in possession of some notebooks containing sensitive information that's very important to the CIA. Jeff Goldblum co-stars as the federal agent that dispatches Fay on her mission. 1 hr. 58 mins.

"ONCE"

This thoroughly winning musical was a big hit at this year's Sundance Film Festival, and it's not difficult to see why. Weighed against the angst-ridden character studies that tend to dominate the Park City line-up, "Once" must have felt like a breath of fresh air. The story is simple: A street-corner guitarist (and part-time vacuum repairman) meets a pretty Eastern European girl who plays a mean piano. Over the course of a few days, the two talk, laugh and make beautiful music together. It helps that the movie's stars are both real-life musicians- _ Glen Hansard founded the Irish indie rock band The Frames and Marketa Irglova has her own recording career. Made for a fraction of the catering budget on most studio pictures, "Once" is rough around the edges, but that scruffiness only adds to its charm. You'll be humming these tunes for days after leaving the theater. 1 hr. 25 mins.

"THE WENDELL BAKER STORY"

Originally produced back in 2005, the directorial debut of actors Luke and Andrew Wilson (Owen's bros) is finally arriving in theaters after a lengthy stint on the shelf. Luke plays a fresh-out-of-the-joint con artist intent on winning back the heart of his girlfriend (Eva Mendes). To do that, he gets a job at the retirement palace and befriends three old-timers who help him with his woman troubles. Owen co-stars as the community's head nurse, and Will Ferrell contributes a cameo as Mendes' new beau. 1 hr. 35 mins.

DISC FLIKS DVD REV

"PAN'S LABYRINTH" (2006, New Line, R, $35)

Armed with a legion of F/X experts, Mexican visionary Guillermo Del Toro ("Hellboy") delivers an affecting, eye-popping fantasia. Intense Ivana Baquero stars as a young girl in Franco's Spain who battles the dark forces around her by inventing an underground world full of fairies and fauns. It's truly magical.

Extras: What with countless featurettes, a commentary track by Del Toro, storyboard comparisons, a demo reel of visual effects and a complete "Charlie Rose," it's easy to get lost in this "Labyrinth." Del Toro is an ideal host for the two-DVD set because he sounds scholarly when addressing the tale's underlying myths and comes off like a self-described "geek from Guadalajara" when dissecting the cool special effects. The highlight of the involving package is a sitdown on "Charlie Rose" with Del Toro and his two filmmaking pals from Mexico: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ("Babel") and Alfonso Cuaron ("Children of Men"). The friends discuss how they met, the importance of children in their movies and why they always give each other advice. "We just like to stick our forks in each other's salads," quips Cuaron.

Amy Longsdorf