(in alphabetical order; indicates we especially like it)

American Dad: Season 1 (2005, 19 episodes in 3 volumes, NR):  From the creator of "Family Guy," this similarly satirical animated series revolves around the home life of fanatical CIA agent Stan Smith, whose typical sitcom family also includes a cigarette-smoking alien and a German-speaking goldfish.

Battle in Heaven (2005, 98m, NR):  This haunting, sexually explicit drama from Mexican filmmaker Carlos Reygadas ("Japon") has a plot that could be lifted from a film noir:  After the baby which he and his wife have kidnapped for ransom dies, the driver for a Mexican general confides in the general's daughter, inaugurating a relationship that crosses lines of class and race.  The plot, though, is secondary to the artful, sometimes pretentious filmmaking, designed to shock and awe in equal measure.

Captain Beefheart: Under Review (2006, 110m, NR):  The latest unauthorized musical biography in the series including volumes on The Velvet Underground and Small Faces covers the Zappaesque oddity who was born Don Van Vliet.

Dr. Katz Professional Therapist: Season 1 (1995, 180m, NR):  Brought to you in Squigglevision, this hilarious, deadpan animated series about a divorced psychoanalyst and his teenaged son features guest voices from Ray Romano and Dave Attell.

Fateless (2005, 140m, R):  This acclaimed, award-winning drama follows a teenaged Hungarian Jew as he is sent to Auschwitz and experiences the horrors of the Holocaust firsthand.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2004, 101m, PG-13):  Computer-animated epic based on (you guessed it) the Final Fantasy video game.  Geeks, dig in!

Forgotten Noir:  This two-disc set presents a pair of skid-row film noir efforts.  "They Were So Young" (1954) stars Raymond Burr in a white-slavery thriller set in Brazil, but we bought this because it has "Portland Expose" (1957), which you may recognize from the poster hanging in the lobby of the Guild Theatre.  It's a low-budget effort about corruption right here in the Rose City, and its effect on an honest tavern owner just trying to make a buck.

Grandma's Boy (2006, 94m, R):  A pot-smoking, 35-year-old video game tester has to move in with his grandma in this lowbrow comedy which Adam Sandler helped produce but does not appear in.

Masters of Horror:  Two more episodes, rentable separately, from this killer horror anthology hit DVD.  "Chocolate" is about a guy who suddenly starts to experience another person's sensory input, while "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" is a cat-and-mouse game between a woman whose car breaks down and the monster who's after her, from director Don Coscarelli ("Phantasm").

Metal Skin (1994, 112m, NR):  This early film from the director of "Romper Stomper" tells another tale of nihilistic youth, only this time they're gearheads revving up and down the streets of Melbourne.

The Mudge Boy (2003, 94m, R):  14-year-old Duncan Midge (Emile Hirsch) is a sensitive lad in a rough rural environment, and when his mother dies, he deals with his grief in strange and controversial ways.

Munich (2005, 164m, R):  Steven Spielberg's latest serious historical drama was nominated for several Oscars and actually turns out to be pretty darn compelling.  It's the story of the Israeli agent (Eric Bana) who's assigned to track down and eliminate the terrorists who murdered Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics.  In the process, he comes to reconsider his notions of revenge.

Nanny McPhee (2005, 97m, PG):  Emma Thompson wrote the screenplay and stars as the magical nanny who comes to the aid of a widower with seven unruly children.

The New World (2005, 135m, PG-13):  Terrence Malick's first film in seven years tells the story of Pocahontas (graceful newcomer Q'Orianka Kilcher) and Captain John Smith (Colin Farrell), but Malick's real topic is, as usual, nature and the ways in which humans tend to muck it up.  Dreamlike and beautifully shot, with good supporting performances from Christian Bale and Christopher Plummer.

The Newsroom: Season 3 (2004, 330m, NR):  Before "The Office" (even the British one) there was "The Newsroom," a bitterly funny Canadian set in a public TV station and centering on George Findlay (creator Ken Finkleman), the clueless, reprehensible anchor who makes Ted Knight look like Walter Cronkite.  After two seasons in the late 90s, the show disappeared, but was revived in 2004 with an even darker satirical tone.

A Perfect Couple (1979, 110m, PG):  In this offbeat romantic comedy from Robert Altman (one of his least-known films), a seemingly mismatched couple meet through a computer dating service and find they have more in common than they think.

Quintet (1979, 118m, R):  One of Robert Altman's weirdest movies, it's set during the last days of humanity in a distant future ice age, where a backgammon-type board game determines life or death.  Paul Newman somehow stars.

Rescue Me: Season 2 (2005, 13 episodes in 2 volumes, NR):  Denis Leary's talents continue to emerge as he plays NYC firefighter Tommy Gavin, an alcoholic haunted by those he couldn't save, especially his cousin who died on 9/11.  Great supporting cast and always surprising plot turns make this a show well worth diving into.

Rumor Has It (2005, 96m, R):  When a woman (Jennifer Aniston) learns that her family may have been the inspiration for "The Graduate," she tracks down the principals (Kevin Costner and Shirley MacLaine) to find out if it's true.

Scrubs: Season 3 (2004, 22 episodes on 3 volumes, NR):  The best sitcom on network TV continues with more funny, touching adventures of J.D. (Zach Braff) and the gang.

Varmints (1991, 91m, NR):  A hilarious, serious, disturbing documentary on prairie dogs and the many ways people try to kill them.  Not for the prairie-dog squeamish.

Waterland (1992, 95m, R):  Jeremy Irons stars as a British high school teacher who has trouble dealing with his wife, his students, and his past, as he tells flashback-laden stories about his youth.  Directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal, Maggie and Jake's dad.

A Wedding (1978, 122m, PG):  Robert Altman's follow-up to "Nashville" is another sprawling, densely populated look at a slice of Americana.  In this case, it's the epic nuptials of Muffin to Dino, and a huge cast including Carol Burnett, Mia Farrow, Lauren Hutton, Desi Arnaz Jr., and Lillian Gish.

The West Wing: Season 6 (2004, 22 episodes on 6 volumes, NR):  The next-to-last season of the Bartlet administration leads up to the selection of the Democratic candidate who will run to succeed Martin Sheen.  Who will it be?

Previous weeks: 2-21-06 2-28-06 3-7-06 3-14-06 3-21-06 4-25-06 5-2-06