Lethal Force, The Da Vinci Code, Accepted: Region 1 DVD Releases for November 14, 2006

This week, the movie you've never heard of is probably better than the movie everybody's heard of.

Lethal Force

We start off with a movie you've never heard of, but absolutely must see. If you're a fan of the chop sockey at all, Alvin Ecarma (full disclosure: I know the guy, which is probably the only reason I've heard of this) has created a classic one on the cheap. With hilarious dialogue ("You should have died when I killed you") and truly deft martial arts, Ecarma pulls together one of the tightest, most entertaining films of the past few years. Finally, instead of trying to track it down on the festival circuit, you can just pop it in and laugh yourself silly.

The Da Vinci Code (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)

Maybe you've heard of this. I think it was a book or a graphic novel or something. Tom Hanks, Audrey Tatou, Paul Bettany, Alfred Molina, Jean Reno, and Ian McKellan, and directed by that guy who did A Beautiful Mind. Under any other circumstances, this would have been a modest hit with audiences and a huge hit with critics, like, say, Cinderella Man. Under these circumstances, about five critics liked it and audiences around the world loved it to the tune of over half a billion dollars.

No less than ten featurettes on this puppy.

Accepted

Speaking of movies critics derided while audiences, um, accepted, we have this latest installment in the college comedy ouevre about a guy who invents a college to fool his parents. Hilarity and a supporting role for Lewis Black ensue.

Black also appears on the commentary, so that has to be fun.

Strangers With Candy

With a cast that not only reunited most of the original Strangers With Candy crew, but added everyone from Philip Seymour Hoffman to Dan Hedaya, you would have hoped for a more unanimous reception for this flick. But hey, at least it led to a cool appearance for Amy Sedaris on The Colbert Report with Paul Dinello.

Speaking of Dinello, Sedaris, and Colbert, they do the commentary.

Who Killed the Electric Car? 

I did. In the library. By leaving the lights on. Actually, I think it was the auto industry, but I'll confirm that when I watch this doc about the rise and fall of the electric car, which, believe it or not, actually worked and was enjoyed by many before they were essentially taken away, never to return. Martin Sheen narrates.

This is the first doc I can think of with a music video as an extra.

Article Author: David Dylan Thomas

David Dylan Thomas is a Philly-based writer/filmmaker/digital strategist who rambles about movies, technology, and culture at DavidDylanThomas.com.

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