This week's top DVDs releases include two from the master of anime Hayao Miyazaki: the Oscar-nominated Howl's Moving Castle and a two-disc rerelease of one of his greatest films, My Neighbor Totoro. Also, Sam Mendes' Gulf war drama Jarhead.
1. Howl's Moving Castle
A curse that turns a hat shop girl into a 90-year-old woman, a four-legged fortress, a dashing wizard and a hopping scarecrow called Turnip Head: the new film by Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) is dazzlingly imaginative, carefully observed, and suffused with a rare generosity of spirit.
2. Werckmeister Harmonies
Bela Tarr's surreal masterpiece takes places in a desolate, frozen Hungarian village, cloaked in an eery fog. Janos (Lars Rudolph) choreographs three grizzly drunks in a pantomime of the earth circling the sun and the moon circling the earth. The Facets release comes with a 20 page booklet with notes and essays on the film.
3. My Neighbor Totoro (2-Disc Set)
Already an artist working at the height of his powers in 1988, My Neighbor Totoro showcases Miyazaki's delightful iconography of spirits, demons, and wood sprites at their most gentle. The 2-disc release is packed with special features including both the original Japanese soundtrack and a newly dubbed English language soundtrack and a "Behind the Microphone" featurette with the English language voice cast and footage from the dubbing sessions.