How timely: while America is discussing whether Donald Rumsfeld is doing a "superb job," Erroll Morris' Oscar-winning documentary about a Secretary of Defense who stepped down hits the DVD shelves. Also: Bertrand Tavernier's "Safe Conduct," Samantha Morton in "In America," Toni Collette in "Japanese Story" and Hanna Schygulla in "Circle of Deceit."
1. The Fog Of War
This chilling portrait of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara could not be any timelier. Set to the ominously hypnotizing score by Philip Glass, McNamara's career unfolds, beginning with his role as one of the architects of the WWII fire bombing of Japan. Errol Morris won the 2004 Oscar for Best Documentary.
2. Safe Conduct
Bertrand Tavernier's three-hour panorama about French filmmaking under German occupation tells the story of two very different men. Obsessively detailed and impeccably observed, the film is bursting with the stuff of everyday life and curious wartime anecdotes. An official selection of the 40th Annual New York Film Festival.
3. In America
Samantha Morton and Paddy Considine take their family from Ireland to a New York City flop house in Jim Sheridan's heart-warming drama. Samantha Morton and Djimon Hounsou received Oscar nominations for their performances. The DVD release includes commentary, 9 deleted scenes, the making-of featurette, and an alternate ending.4. Japanese Story
Australian geolist Sandy Edwards (Toni Collette)suddenly finds herself having to baby-sit Hiromitsu (Gotaro Tsunashima), a habitually silent Japanese businessman in Sue Brooks's fascinating drama. Collette gives a daring performance, truly answering the question of who wears the pants in a relationship.
5. Circle of Deceit
In Volker Schlöndorff's 1981 film, Bruno Ganz plays a Hamburg reporter sent to war-torn Beirut to cover the bloody Lebanese war. Jerzy Skolimowski, Hanna Schygulla, Jean Carmet, and Margarethe von Trotta (who also collaborated on the screenplay) co-star.