Robert Rodriguez's zombie shocker Planet Terror, new on DVD today, is great schlocky fun. It's Rose McGowan with a machine gun for a leg -- what's not to like? Also new this week: Michael Winterbottom's Daniel Pearl drama A Mighty Heart, starring Angelina Jolie, and Aki Karismaki's overlooked sleeper Lights in the Dusk.
1. Planet Terror (Extended Director's Cut; 2-Disc Set)
Weinstein Company
Robert Rodriguez' Planet Terror, an over-the-top zombie shocker, is great trashy fun that lives up to the spirit of its title. Rose McGowan plays a Texas go-go dancer who faces an onslaught of bio-weapons zombies at a barbecue joint. Freddy Rodriguez and Marley Shelton provide lively backup. Planet Terror is shoddily shot and edited, frames are missing, and the stock looks like it's been through a hundred drive-ins already.
The 2-Disc Set contains an extended and unrated director's cut, a commentary track by the Rodriquez, and a second disc with bonus features.
2. A Mighty Heart
Paramount Home Video
Angelina Jolie plays Mariane Pearl in Michael Winterbottom's docudrama about the kidnapping and murder of her husband, the journalist Daniel Pearl. After United 93 and several other pointless exercises in dramatizing the "War on Terror," you might ask: why bother? We all know what happened to Daniel Pearl–what's the use in rehashing the story? Is the agony of a pregnant widow-to-be really worth sitting through, even if it's portrayed by an A-list movie star?
Fortunately, Michael Winterbottom, the prolific and versatile talent behind The Road to Guantanomo, 9 Songs, and Tristram Shandy, supplies a convincing answer and Angelina Jolie gives a vanity free, moving performance.
3. Lights in the Dusk
Strand Films
After winning the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes for The Man Without a Past, Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki is back with another understated film about the unfortunate losers at the edge of society. With humor and grace, Lights in the Dusk tells the story of a laconic security guard who gets involved with a gangster's moll.
