The Passion Of The Christ
New York’s Peter Rainer wrote that Mel Gibson’s “excruciatingly bloody” film is likely to have its “most damaging effect on audiences who, thirsting for a spiritual connection, are led to believe that Gibson’s crimson tide is synonymous with true religious feeling.” R; $29.98.
Dogville
Lars von Trier’s stripped-down but star-studded production places Nicole Kidman, Paul Bettany, and others “in the service of a punishing morality play that clues us to the shocking news that corruption lies deep in the heart of America,” wrote Peter Rainer. R; $26.98.
The Girl Next Door
A surprisingly fun teen comedy about a nerd (Emile Hirsch) and his porn-star neighbor. R and NR versions; $27.98.
Purple Rain, Graffiti Bridge, and Under The Cherry Moon
Purple Rain may not pack the emotional wallop as you remember—but Prince’s singular fashion sense stands the test of time. PG-13 and R; $19.97–$26.99 each.
The Apprentice: The Complete First Season
The Donald’s shining moment, with a tease of next season. Will it sell enough to bail out the Taj? NR; $59.98.
Chris Rock: Never Scared
Not his best stand-up, but second-rate Rock is still funnier than most comics’ A-game. NR; $19.97.
OUR PICK
If ever a film deserves the kind of obsessive, extra-packed package an obsessive movie buff can get lost in, it’s Videodrome. Long before the cultural disaster that is Paris Hilton, David Cronenberg’s prescient science-fiction horror film tracked a sleazy, cheap-video producer (James Woods) who was so obsessed with a stream of brutal reality television that he evolved into a new kind of media-fighting cyborg. Twenty-one years after its release, certain plot points have lost their edge, but Cronenberg’s goopy, elastic effects and blurry videos are more—and not less—disturbing, now evoking cheap pixellated Webcam images instead of futuristic Betamax. R; $39.95. Extras: commentary by Cronenberg, Deborah Harry, James Woods, and Mark Irwin; trailers; essays; photo gallery; special-effects documentary; Fear on Film roundtable discussion with Cronenberg, John Carpenter, John Landis, and Mick Garris; Cronenberg’s 2000 short film Camera.