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Taking a look at the week's DVD releases is always dicey for your wallet. Nearly every week, there's a disc that would fit nicely into any size collection. When it comes time to decide what to buy, there are really two determining factors: how much you love the content and the quality of the extra features on the disc. The unreleased studio (film and television) back-catalogue means that every week there's likely something for you.

For people wanting to see an Academy Award performance as a loathsome human being: Capote (2005)

Philip SeymourHoffman's work as the literary genius responsible for Breakfast at Tiffany's is a tour de force. He might never exceed this effort again in his career, though a lot of people (myself included) said the same thing about his Lester Bangs portrayal in Almost Famous. The similarity between the two projects is intriguing in that each is a treatise on the destructive nature of the creative process. The key difference, though, is that the Cameron Crowe film wraps up all the darkness in a warm embrace while Capote makes no effort to redeem its titular lead.

Make no mistake on this point. Truman Capote uses two serial killers in order to create his new genre, the true crime drama. They trust him to help get their story out in hopes that they will receive a call from the governor which spares their lives. Little do they realize that their "ally" needs them to die in order to achieve the ending the great American novel needs. Capote is a film where all the main players are treacherous in their own ways. It makes for fascinating cinema, but also explains the film's moderate box office performance.

For Pixar fans tired of waiting for Cars to get here: Chicken Little (2005)

Okay, it's not a Pixar title. And the film feature a preponderance of preachy movie cliches. It also occasionally circles into the dreaded Shrek territory of obvious movie moment parodies. Once you get past that, though, Chicken Little has a lot to love. Zach Braff is perfectly cast as the titular nerdling who recognizes an alien invasion a year before the rest of the town does. Joan Cusack is also brilliant in voicing the ultimate ugly duckling and significant other in training, Abby Mallard. Chicken Little is not going to go down as one of the ten best Disney animated movies or anything, but its $135 million box office take is right in there with its quality. Of course, I am quite biased here since I was one of those few thousand people across North America who got to see the movie in 3-D. The glittering new technology imbibes new life into the tired medium Jaws 3-D tried to destroy. This DVD unfortunately does not include the 3-D stuff, but the movie still stands up without the additional glitz.





For Jennifer Aniston's three remaining fans (you poor, naive bastards): Derailed (Unrated Widescreen) (2005)

Derailed committed the cardinal sin of movie hype. It crafted early buzz about the script before shooting began. The idea was to create the perception that the movie's twists and turns were on the level of The Usual Suspects. That's all well and good save for the fact that a zoo of well-trained monkeys would offer a more surprising set of events than is presented in Derailed. Long time movie goers are almost certain to duplicate my prediction of the film's big twist inside of ten minutes. All it requires is an innate understanding of who Jennifer Aniston is as a person. Once you accept that and presume she isn't acting, all the pieces fit together, pointless though they are. Derailed was unquestionably the biggest cinematic disappointment I had last year. The cardinal sin of movies was committed when expectations were raised for a sub-mediocre product. Having said all of that, if you like Clive Owens you will be happy to hear that he is in almost every scene in the movie. Even he can't save it, though.







For people who do not believe Dakota Fanning is creepier than zombies and/or Uwe Boll movies: Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story (Widescreen) (2005)

Sure, Dakota Fanning is a special sort of unsettling, but assuming you can get past that, you will discover an instant family classic. In a year of lousy cinema, Dreamer stands out as the best non-animated family film of 2005. Anyone who has seen the trailer knows the entirety of the plot (and the movie), but that will in no way impinge upon enjoyment of the project. It defines feel-good entertainment, something that has been hard to find in recent cinema. I saw over 160 films last year, and Dreamer was in my top 25. Parents with girls who love horsies should be all over this one, but any mainstream cinephile will gain pleasure from this predictable but heart-warming film.










For BOP's mortal enemy, Uwe Boll: House of the Dead II (2005)

Wait, there is a House of the Dead sequel? Really? Why in God's name would anyone want to see another Uwe Boll film? What's that, you say? Boll didn't direct this one? An unknown B-movie writer whose last work was Mansquito helms it? Victoria Pratt of Cleopatra 2525 and Mutant X is in it? Emmanuelle Vaugier from Smallville is in it? Zombies are in it? Hmm, I'm unchecking the "pass for certain" box and checking the "hell yeah!" box instead. It's the first tenet of Modern Movie Law, after all. Everything is better without the presence of Uwe Boll.





For people who read National Geographic for its cross-breeding porn: The Squid and the Whale (Special Edition) (2005)

The Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay is a coming-of-age tale about two boys struggling through the divorce of their parents. Noah Baumbach, the co-writer of the wonderful The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, presents what has to be the most naked, autobiographic tale of childhood upbringing in recent memory. In point of fact, I wish he had shared quite a bit less as there are at least two story arcs I could have done without. Fans of the film, my wife included, would point out that it's a literate exploration of what life is like for preternaturally but easily confused juniors. In addition, the film contains Golden Globes-nominated performances by Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels as the parents. Personally, I found this to be an extraordinarily disappointing follow-up to the entertaining sea adventures of Bill Murray's magnificently withdrawn Zissou. Then again, I hated pretty much everything released in the last two months of 2005, so you should probably just ignore me and give it a shot.





For people who watched The Faculty in 1998 and thought, "That Usher is going to be a great actor!": In the Mix (Widescreen) (2005)

In a real acting stretch, platinum recording artist Usher Raymond portrays a DJ who saves the life of a gorgeous mafia princess (Emmanuelle Chriqui). His reward for this is employment as her bodyguard in order to satisfy the concerns of her father, a Tony Soprano wannabe played by the always entertaining Chazz Palminteri. The result is a teenage re-make of The Bodyguard, thereby making Usher the new Kevin Costner. And nobody wants that.





For people who want to stick it to the Scientologists who just quit on Chef's behalf: South Park: The Complete Seventh Season (3-DVD Set) (2003)

The always controversial show has wound up in the headlines again this week due to the resignation of sultry-voiced icon Isaac Hayes. It seems that Hayes was recovering from a stroke when the show did a parody about a certain religion of which Hayes is a member. While he was on the DL, someone offered up his letter of resignation despite the fact that he reportedly found the episode amusing. So, disciples of Xenu, your mission is clear. Buy as many South Park DVDs as your stolen credits will allow! Drive Tom Cruise further into the egress of madness!

Even if you don't want to spite Scientologists, Season seven is one of the best in the controversial show's history. It's an easy choice for BOP's DVD release of the week. Particularly strong episodes are Cancelled, Krazy Kripples, I'm a Little Bit Country, Lil' Crime Stoppers, Red Man's Greed, All About the Mormons?, South Park Is Gay!, Raisins and Casa Bonita. Stem cell research, patriotism, Hooters girls, cop shows, the Mormon religion (see, they're equal opportunity insulters, Mr. L. Ron Hubbard!), Indian casinos, metrosexuality and a legendary Colorado restaurant are all skewered. The best of them, though, is Cancelled, an episode which has the boys discovering that Earth is nothing more than an intergalactic reality show. They are forced to travel to another planet and argue with network executives that Earth deserves a renewal. Truly, it is one of the most hilarious ideas in the show's history. Season seven is brimming with many of them.






DVD releases for the week of March 21, 2006:

2001 Maniacs (2005)
The Adventures of Brer Rabbit (2006)
Break a Leg (2005)
Bukowski: Born Into This (2004)
Capote (2005)
Chicken Little (2005)
The Choke (2005)
The Confessor (2004)
Derailed (R-Rated Full Frame) (2005)
Derailed (Unrated Full Frame) (2005)
Derailed (Unrated Widescreen) (2005)
Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story (Full Frame) (2005)
Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story (Widescreen) (2005)
The Dying Gaul (2005)
Everything is Illuminated (2005)
Footlight Parade (1933)
Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)
Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
Headspace (2005)
House of the Dead II (2005)
In the Mix (Full Frame) (2005)
In the Mix (Widescreen) (2005)
Keane (2004)
A League of Ordinary Gentlemen (2004)
The Little Colonel (1935)
The Littlest Rebel (1935)
A Lover's Revenge (2005)
Paradise Now (2005)
Ring Around the Rosie (2006)
Show Me (2004)
SnakeMan (2005)
The Squid and the Whale (Special Edition) (2005)
South Park: The Complete Seventh Season (3-DVD Set) (2003)
Southern Belles (2005)
Stalag 17 (Collector's Edition) (1953)