This week's top DVD pick is the "The Ross McElwee Collection," a comprehensive box set that includes five features by the famous documentarian, including the award winning "Bright Leaves."
1. The Ross McElwee Collection
This collection of films from the documentarian Ross McElwee offers a great overview of his work. The box set includes: "Sherman's March," "Time Indefinate, "Six O'Clock News," "Charleen and Backyard," and "Bright Leaves," McElwee's most recent feature, an examination of his family's involvement in the tobacco business.
2. The Baxter
This has been a great year for actress Michelle Williams. She is getting Oscar buzz for playing a suffering wife in "Brokeback Mountain," but we prefer it when she gets a chance to sparkle. Williams provides all the charm in Michael Showalter's romantic comedy. Special features include a hilarious blooper reel.3. Spanking the Monkey
The feature debut of director David O. Russell ("Three Kings") is the rare comedic coming-of-age tale that takes on mother-son incest. The always interesting Jeremy Davies ("CQ," "Secretary," "Solaris") stars as a conflicted pre-med student who is forced to spend a summer at home.4. The Last Day
In this lush French coming-of-age drama, Simon (Gaspard Ulliel) is a young, passionate art student returning home for the holidays who finds himself caught up in a complicated love triangle. Ulliel, a rising star in France, has also appeared in such recently acclaimed films "Strayed" and "A Very Long Engagement."5. The Beautiful Country
Raised as an orphan, Binh (Damien Nguyen) is a young Vietnamese man with one dream: to be reunited with his birth father, an American G.I. who left (Nick Nolte) without a trace. In a story that takes us from Saigon to New York to Texas, Binh confronts unimaginable hardships as he finds danger, love and, finally, the key to unlocking the mysteries of his past.