In theaters

MR. BARRINGTON, directed by Dana Packard, written by Jennifer Nichole Porter, 113 minutes, unrated. Starts tonight, The Colonial Theater, Belfast.

The new psychological drama, “Mr. Barrington,” is a handsome-looking first effort by Maine director Dana Packard and his partner, Jennifer Nichole Porter, a Maine native with Belfast roots who wrote the script, produced the movie, composed the soundtrack, performed the closing song and also stars in the lead.

Obviously, talent and ambition are not in short supply here.

The film was shot in Maine, primarily at locations in Buxton and Parsonsfield, with most scenes occurring within the grand Victorian house Packard shares with Porter in Buxton.

Filmed on a shoestring, the movie’s greatest achievement is in how it turns that shoestring into a bow. This is a polished, professional-looking production – one whose lushness surpasses expectations – with director of photography Eric Goldstein employing a handful of tricks (liberal amounts of dry ice in the exteriors and interiors) that give the film its misty, soft-focus hues.

The movie stars Porter as Lila, an agoraphobic poet of few words suffering from writer’s block. Her husband, Samuel (Eric Schweig), a big man with a gentle heart, becomes alarmed when Lila starts having nightmares, and especially when bruises and abrasions mysteriously start appearing on her arm and bottom lip.

What Lila is too afraid to tell him is that while she’s alone during the day, she’s being visited by a certain Mr. Barrington (Brian McCardie), a 19th century apparition – complete with bowler – whose menacing presence ushers in horrific memories of Lila’s troubled past at St. Agatha’s, the orphanage in which she grew up after her father committed suicide.

What ensues is leisurely paced yet compelling, a movie whose production values are top notch and whose strong principal performances bolster the weaker supporting turns.

The movie’s flaws are few. Sometimes it’s contemplative to the point of complacency, which Packard, who also serves as editor, could fix with brisker editing. Also, some scenes tease the viewer with meaning but ultimately have little to do with the story, such as the peculiar death of a nun, which goes nowhere, or exactly why Lila’s body undergoes such bizarre changes.

Other plot threads are either dropped, undeveloped or unexplained, and a subplot involving Samuel’s problems with his racist boss, who hates Samuel for his American Indian heritage, is forced and unnecessary, with the movie realizing little from it.

That said, “Mr. Barrington” is accomplished on many levels. Porter’s score, in particular, is beautiful, and her script, in spite of its holes, offers its share of memorable moments.

The film’s ending is especially well done, building to a climax that carries real emotional weight. Packard and Porter have pulled us in with this film. It’ll be interesting to see what they do next.

Grade: B

On video and DVD

VIEW FROM THE TOP, directed by Bruno Barreto, written by Eric Wald, 87 minutes, rated PG-13.

Bruno Barreto’s “View from the Top” is a light yet bruising comedy about flight attendants, which should stand as an immediate warning to them and also to anyone planning to fly in the coming weeks.

Indeed, after this movie, just try getting some warm nuts and a highball out of the friendly skies now.

As with any easy target, the film does exactly what you expect it will do – it kneecaps its elevated lot and lampoons them, pulling their hair, smudging their mascara and clipping their wings in an all-out effort to poke a little fun at the folks behind the stereotype.

The film stars Gwyneth Paltrow as Donna Jensen, a small-town girl with big-haired dreams, who decides the best way out of her hum-drum life is to shoot for the stars by becoming a flight attendant for Royalty Airlines. After some stumbling, she achieves that while also befriending Royalty’s impeccable matriarch, Sally Weston (Candice Bergen), impressing Royalty’s lazy-eyed instructor, John Whitney (Mike Myers) and getting screwed over royally by her best friend Christine (Christina Applegate), a conniving troublemaker determined to keep Donna down.

Complicating matters for Donna is Ted (Mark Ruffalo), a Cleveland-based law student whose professions of love are almost as attractive as what Donna really wants – a first-class route between New York and Paris. But which should she choose? Her career-girl roots? Or shacking up in Ohio with the man of her dreams?

Even a kitten could figure this one out.

As written by newcomer Eric Wald, this occasionally funny flick is as thin as the air at 30,000 feet. Throughout, it feels weirdly dated, coming off less like a vehicle for Gwyneth Paltrow and more like one for Doris Day. The performances are appealing, but it would have been nice had the movie been less predictable with a better story, smarter jokes and an ending that was allowed to veer slightly off course.

Grade: C+

Christopher Smith is the Bangor Daily News film critic. His reviews appear Mondays and Fridays in Style, Thursdays on WLBZ 2 and WCSH 6, and are archived on RottenTomatoes.com. He can be reached at BDNFilm1@aol.com.

THE VIDEO-DVD CORNER

Renting a video or a DVD? NEWS film critic Christopher Smith can help. Below are his grades of recent releases in video stores. Those in bold print are new to video stores this week.

About Schmidt ? A

Adaptation ? A

A MAN APART ? C-

Bowling for Columbine ? A-

Bringing Down the House ? B

Chicago ? A

Cradle 2 the Grave ? C-

Dark Blue ? B

Final Destination 2 ? B-

Frida ? B+

From Justin to Kelly ? F

Gods and Generals ? D-

Head of State ? B+

House of 1,000 Corpses ? D

The Hunted ? C+

IDENTITY ? B+

The Kid Stays in the Picture ? A

The Life of David Gale ? C-

The Lizzie McGuire Movie ? C+

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ? A-

Narc ? A-

Phone Booth ? B

The Pianist ? A+

Punch Drunk Love ? B+

The Quiet American ? A

Raising Victor Vargas ? A

Real Women Have Curves ? A-

The Recruit ? B

Shanghai Knights ? B

Solaris ? C+

Spider-B-

The 25th Hour ? A