Life among the Bloomsbury group in post-Victorian England, as seen through the relationship between writer Lytton Strachey (Jonathan Pryce in a well-wrought, if mannered performance) and painter Dora Carrington (Emma Thompson). Carrington won't give herself to any of the men in her life (including her husband)-at least not emotionally. Instead, this woman has found her soulmate in Strachey, a homosexual who, in fact, has a crush on Carrington's husband. They try to maintain a friendship outside their various romantic liaisons but keep winding up with each other. Still, despite an intriguing performance by Pryce and a cooler, less accessible one by Thompson, this film never quite takes off. Once you get the point-that this is a love that will never be consummated-you begin to wonder if, in fact, there is a larger point to be had. There isn't. -Marshall Fine.

Masato, the teen-aged hero of this 1988 sci-fi adventure, discovers he was a test-tube baby, created to pilot the enormous mecha Zeorymer. Fifteen years earlier, a renegade scientist stole it from the Hau Dragon Corporation. Yuratei, the head of the company, plans to use it and her other robots to conquer the world and become "Queen of the Underworld. " Although she's apparently done nothing for 15 years, Yuratei wants Zeorymer back, and dispatches her henchmen in mecha to capture it. Masato immediately bonds with Zeorymer. Like Shinji in Evangelion, he initially balks at harming the human robot-pilots-then a sadistic alter-ego takes over who gleefully savages any and all opponents. As there are only four half-hour episodes of Hades Project, splitting them between two discs seems a bit chintzy. (Rated 13 and older, but more appropriate for over 16: violence, nudity, torture, sexual situations) -Charles Solomon.

A rare example of mainstream animation being used to tell a highly political story, Animal Farm retains its value as a vivid adaptation of George Orwell's classic novel. Characters were eliminated, certain elements of plot were simplified, and the book's gloomy ending was softened to offer a glimmer of hope, but Orwell's parable of the Russian revolution-retold as a revolt among not-so-equal barnyard animals-remains potently intact. As produced by the famous British animation studio run by John Halas and Joy Batchelor, this still-important 1954 film is anything but kiddie fare; it steadfastly avoids sentiment, and despite its slightly more upbeat ending this is still a story that involves exploitation, death, betrayal, and an inevitable uprising that goes a step beyond Orwell's pessimistic conclusion. With British actor Maurice Denham supplying all the voices and Gordon Heath providing newsreel-like narration, this economical, documentary-like telling of Orwell's tale was criticized for its "Disneyfied" style, but the animation is actually quite striking in its European influence and bold use of symbolism. It has aged, and some of its impact has been lost to the course of history, but it's an essential addition to any serious animation collection. Excellent commentary and a 30-minute "making of" featurette place this extraordinary milestone of British animation in proper historical context. -Jeff Shannon.

You either love Russ Meyer's garishly sexist movies about bodacious babes and priapic men or you find them utterly disgusting. The response to his work is that clear-cut. This film, which features a screenplay by critic Roger Ebert, barely qualifies as a sequel to the film based on Jacqueline Susann's trashy bestseller. Rather, it's a broad, trashy remake on its own terms about what happens to a trio of female rock musicians when they leave the Midwest and head for Hollywood. Sex, drugs, murder-the only thing it doesn't have is cannibalism, the gold standard when it comes to trashy entertainment. -Marshall Fine.