Sister Helen

For Sister Helen, a crusty Benedictine nun who manages a home for recovering addicts and alcoholics in the South Bronx, tough love means unannounced urine samples, rigid curfews, mandatory house meetings and demands for community service. The halfway house men fear Sister Helen because they know she'll toss them out if they break the rules. But they also respect her as a peer and living proof that a better life is possible.

Sister Helen sobered up after the death of her husband and two sons and joined the Benedictine order of nuns. Already in her late 60s, she opened a private home for recovering addicts in the South Bronx, where she oversees 21 male residents.

It's at this point in Sister Helen's life that co-directors Rob Fruchtman, a longtime PBS producer of documentaries, and Rebecca Cammisa, a photographer, begin their documentary. Fruchtman and Cammisa understand the necessity of a riveting film subject, and they have one in the feisty Helen.

Fruchtman and Cammisa focus on the day-to-day activities of Helen and her male residents with matter-of-fact technique. The men of the house are fascinating and diverse, from the Indian-born Ashish who battles alcoholism to a former white-collarexecutive who lost everything to crack addiction.

Still, everything revolves around the larger-than-life Helen. Hers is a world we seldom experience, but Fruchtman and Cammisa capture it perfectly in the engaging Sister Helen. (Steve Ramos)

And the Rest
Writer/director Chris Kentis takes full advantage of the two key fears in his taut lost-at-sea thriller Open Water (Lions Gate) -- shark-infested waters and the realization that no one is coming to save you. Workaholic couple Susan and Daniel's (believably portrayed by Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis) scuba holiday becomes a nightmare after a careless boat crew leaves them behind on an ocean dive. Adrift in the water, Susan and Daniel blame each other for their predicament, then profess their love for each other, just like you imagine anyone would do when surrounded by sharks. Its look might be low budget (Kentis shot the film with his cinematographer wife, Laura Lau), but none of the scares suffer for lack of extravagant special effects. (Steve Ramos)

TV Reruns
The first season of Disney's teen series Lizzie McGuire (Buena Vista) arrives on DVD in a boxed set aimed squarely at its target audience, 13-year-old girls. Featuring Hilary Duff as Lizzie and Robert Carradine (Revenge of the Nerds) as Lizzie's dad, the show is bubblegum pop drama, but moments of clever humor and well-written characters keep things fresh. The shows grow on you as you watch them with solid performances from even the youngest cast members. Bonus features on gossip and fashion are best left to the teen set, but parents will find something to enjoy here as well. (Jessica C. Adams)