She overcame the intrigues of her half-sister to escape the executioner and ascend to the throne of England, and was forced to ignore the dictates of her heart to keep her crown. Cate Blanchett is superb in the title role in this lush biodrama that looks at the early years of Elizabeth I's reign. Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes and Kathy Burke also star. 124 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital Surround; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; audio commentary; "making of" featurette; biographies; photo gallery; theatrical trailers; scene access.

Director Lasse Hallstrom ("Chocolat") brings E. Annie Proulx's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel to the screen, with Kevin Spacey playing an underachieving inker for a New York State newspaper who moves with his young daughter to his family home in Newfoundland after the accidental drowning death of trampy wife Cate Blanchett. In his new locale, Spacey gains confidence and respect through the shipping column he writes for the local newspaper, gets involved with widow Julianne Moore, and learns about some of the skeletons in his family's closet. Judi Dench, Scott Glenn, Rhys Ifans and Pete Postlethwaite also star. 111 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: Spanish; audio commentary by Hallstrom, others; photo gallery.