Around The A.V. Club offices, we sometimes joke that we needn’t waste our time generating content; we should just post headlines like “The Simpsons” or “Chuck Klosterman” or “Michael Moore” and then sit back and let the hits and comments pile up. So let’s test that theory now. Out on DVD this week: the Bill Maher essay-doc Religulous. Out on Blu-ray: The Passion Of The Christ. Ladies and gentlemen, the floor is yours.
Meanwhile, for those of you who've clicked into this column in order to be alerted to DVDs you might otherwise have missed, may we direct you to the underrated Clint Eastwood-directed history play Changeling? Or the first season of Gordon Ramsay’s bizarre cooking-contest/talk-show/travel-show The F Word? Or Godfrey Cheshire’s acclaimed fate-of-the-old-south documentary Moving Midway? Or the not-bad Chuck Palahniuk adaptation Choke?
Lastly we have what might be this week’s most interesting set of DVDs: the marginal movies being released under the banner of the “Paul Newman Film Series.” Ever seen the American version of Rashomon, called The Outrage? Or the disastrous Irwin Allen disaster movie When Time Ran Out? Or the Biblical drama The Silver Chalice (Newman’s debut film, which he once referred to as “the worst film of the ‘50s”)? Or Newman’s well-regarded 1968 directorial debut Rachel, Rachel? If Newman marginalia captivates you, perhaps we can scrap the divisive, controversial stuff and have a more fun debate. “Paul Newman: Best movie star ever?” Go!
Alien Raiders
Warner, $24.98
Alice In Wondertown
First Run, $24.95
The Axe In The Attic
Indiepix, $24.95
The Beverly Hillbillies: The Official Third Season
Paramount, $49.98
Body Of Lies
Warner, $28.98/$34.99; Blu-ray, $35.99
Capote/In Cold Blood
Sony Blu-ray, $54.95
Changeling
Universal, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98
Choke
20th Century Fox, $27.98
Christopher Titus: Love Is Evol
Comedy Central, $16.99
Dead Like Me: The Complete Collection
MGM, $69.98
Dead Like Me: Life After Death
MGM, $26.98
Derby
Navarre, $24.98
Ex Drummer
101, $38.49
The F Word: Series One
BFS, $29.98
Faces
Criterion, $39.95
Feast III: The Happy Finish
Weinstein/Dimension Extreme, $19.98
Flash Of Genius
Universal, $29.98
Food Paradise
Discovery, $19.98
Gandhi
Sony Blu-ray, $28.95
Hard Country
Lionsgate, $14.98
High School Musical: Remix
Disney Blu-ray, $34.99
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Disney, $29.99/$34.99; Blu-ray, $39.99
Hobson’s Choice
Criterion, $39.95
Hounddog
Hannover House, $19.95
How To Lose Friends & Alienate People
MGM, $27.98
I Never Promised You A Rose Garden: A Portrait Of David Toop Through His Record Collection
Sub Rosa/Forced Exposure, $25.98
I Served The King Of England
Sony, $28.96
The Kaiser’s Lackey
First Run, $24.95
Kramer Vs. Kramer
Sony Blu-ray, $28.95
Law & Order – Special Victims Unit: Year Eight
Universal, $59.98
March Madness: The Greatest Moments Of The NCAA Tournament
Thought Equity, $19.95
The Midnight Meat Train
Lionsgate, $28.98; Blu-ray, $39.99
Moving Midway
First Run, $24.95
Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Ninth Season
Universal, $49.98
One Long Night
Vivendi, $19.99; Blu-ray, $29.99
The Outsider: A Film About James Toback
Westlake, $24.98
Paid
Vivendi, $19.99
Palo Alto, CA
Image, $27.98
The Passion Of The Christ
20th Century Fox Blu-ray, $34.98
Paul Newman Film Series: The Helen Morgan Story/The Outrage/Rachel, Rachel/The Silver Chalice/When Time Ran Out
Warner, $19.98 ea.
Quarantine
Sony, $28.96; Blu-ray, $39.95
The Real Adventures Of Jonny Quest: Season One, Vol. 1
Warner, $26.98
Religulous
Lionsgate, $29.95
Sabrina The Teenage Witch: The Fifth Season
Paramount, $39.98
Screamers: The Hunting
Sony, $24.96
Still Waiting…
Lingate, $19.98
Tired Of Kissing Frogs
Navarre, $14.98
Touch The Top Of The World
Sony, $24.94
Wycliffe: Series One
BFS, $39.98