Alternative DVD Picks | 2/23/07

This week some big name titles (like The Prestige ... go get it!) were released, but a couple of them left me a little underwhelmed. If you didn't care for some of those titles, here are some alternatives.

Babel leaving you unenthused? Check out director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's previous films, 21 Grams and Amores Perros. Babel is actually a pretty good flick, but if you are really looking for an introduction to Inarritu's small but impressive library, start with Amores Perros. I've read a couple of knuckle-headed people accuse Babel of being a rip-off of Crash. It isn't. If anything, Crash is a rip-off of 21 Grams and Amores Perros. All films contain multiple stories surrounding an accident. But nobody made a film to match Amores Perros' entertainment value or power.

I have yet to see For Your Consideration, Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy's latest mockumentary, and to be honest, I'm a little hesitant. I have not heard good things, and this coming from big fans of Guest and Levy's previous films. I would suggest you play it safe and check out Waiting For Guffman and Best In Show, two of the funniest movies you are likely to see.

The only problem with these two movies is trying to figure out which one makes your gut bust more. Guffman holds a special place in my heart because back when I was a young'un and participated in some high-school plays, I experienced a lot of what Guest mocks in his film. The tension between the music director and the theatre director ... the serious lack of talent (yours truly included) ... the missing budget ... the D.Q. (Dairy Queen) .... We never quite had a Corky St. Clair directing our play, but it sure was close. And no, he didn't own an Andrew McCarthy bobblehead. Or a Remains of the Day lunchbox. Don't get it? Then check this movie out now!
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Dre writes five times a week for Film.com, covering movies and DVD with his Floridian flare. E-mail him! (source: http://www.film.com/story/alternativedvdpicks22307/13576994?listid=11597476&genre=dvd)

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