BY ROB LOWMAN > ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

'THE TUDORS'
You can watch "The Tudors" for the political machinations during the reign of England's Henry VIII. But you'll probably be a bit more entertained by the sex.

The 16th-century monarch with healthy appetites - he was renowned for his love of jousting, hunting, wrestling, dancing, music and women (he had six wives, after all) - is played in the 10-part Showtime miniseries by the handsome, thin Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers. That may not square with the famous portrait of a portly Henry in his mid- to late-40s by Hans Holbein, but this story begins in 1520 with a 29-year-old king still married to his first queen, Katherine of Aragon (Maria Doyle Kennedy), some six years his senior.

Though at the beginning Henry does have some fealty to his wife, he is growing impatient for a male heir. Five sons have died, and he worries that God may not like him. His only offspring - a daughter - is the future Queen Mary I.

To ease tensions, he energetically beds a number of young maidens of the court and loses interest in them until lady-in-waiting Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer) - with the help of her scheming father - catches his eye. Henry is so smitten with the young woman (who knows how to keep him on the hook) and convinced she would give him the heir he craves that he eventually seeks papal approval for his divorce from Katherine. (Season two will take up with the consequences of that action when Peter O'Toole plays Pope Paul III.)

Meanwhile, outside the bedroom, Henry with the help of Cardinal Wolsey (Sam Neill) skillfully plays politics, maneuvering to prevent either France or Spain from becoming too powerful and overwhelming England. Wolsey, though, eventually displeases Henry. And then there's that looming problem of Sir Thomas More (Jeremy Northam).

Season one of "The Tudors," which was created by Michael Hirst, who wrote the screenplay for the 1998 Cate Blanchett feature "Elizabeth," has a lot of gloss but not much depth. It's lovely to look at; the sets, costumes, cinematography are lush and the appealing actors appropriately lusty. Still, while the Golden Globe-nominated series is sometimes inaccurate, it does highlight the dark history and often terrible conditions of the time. Wavering between being bodice-ripping entertainment and trying to be something more, the series never quite achieves the latter, but thrives at the former.

'SHOOT 'EM UP'
From the moment you see Clive Owen munching on a carrot at the beginning of a film called "Shoot 'Em Up," you know you're in for a lot of cartoonish violence.

And on that promise the gleefully implausible actioner delivers. In the first 10 minutes or so, Owen's Mr. Smith delivers a baby while gunning down a host of bad guys. Later, he brings Monica Bellucci's good hooker to sexual ecstasy - they're both naked, by the way - while blasting a bunch more. And that's about as believable as it gets.

"Shoot 'Em Up," from writer-director Michael Davis, is one of those hyperactive films (almost entirely for guys) that you just sit back and enjoy the ridiculousness of, or simply hate. Smartly, it has the brooding Owen, a good actor who adds some class, the earthy Bellucci and the always welcome Paul Giamatti, who, rather than playing his usual nerd, sinks his teeth into being a really bad, bad guy.

And watch out for the carrots. Who knew such a healthy vegetable could be so deadly?

Rob Lowman, (818) 713-3687

tuesday releases

NEW FILMS
"Shoot 'Em Up" ($28.98 and $35.99 for Blu-ray)
"Resident Evil - Extinction" ($28.95 and $38.96 for Blu-ray)
"War" ($29.95 and $39.99 for Blu-ray)
"September Dawn" ($26.96)

TELEVISION
"The Tudors - The Complete First Season" ($42.99)
"Indie Sex" ($29.95)
"Seaquest DSV: Season Two" ($59.98)
"Words and Music by Jerry Herman" ($24.99)
"Weird Science - The Complete Seasons 1 & 2" ($44.95)

OLDER FILMS
"Resident Evil" ($28.95 for Blu-ray)