THIS WEEK IN DVD

Transformers: Two reasons for not bagging on Michael Bay this week: 1) South Park just did it, and 2) I didn't see this one yet. But while I will likely rent it, the only way I'd be interested in buying this DVD is if it transformed into that 3 Stooges set coming out in a few weeks.

The Reaping: Not the first time I've made this point, not the last--Two-time Oscar winner Hillary Swank. Yep, two-time Oscar winner. Really.

Grindhouse Presents: Planet Terror: See my comments a few weeks back about Death Proof. Kindly repeat. Kindly don't be surprised at the Special Edition Double Dip in a few months.

The Hoax: A flawed but entertaining movie, but if you really want to enjoy the amazing story of Clifford Irving's deceptive creation of Howard Hughes' autobio, read Irving's book.

A Mighty Heart: Angelina Jolie CAN, TOO still act! So there!

The Invisible: Seems like only yesterday I was sick of seeing the movie trailer for this one. Now I'm getting sick of seeing the DVD ads. It occurred to me that it would be funny if this whole movie consisted of the guy going around saying things like, "Yoo hoo! Anybody here? HELLO! I'm TALKING here!" But sadly, he apparently figures his deal out all too soon. I think that ubiquitous trailer gave away pretty much the whole movie, and this one looks too WB-ish for me to be anxious to test my theory.

The Jazz Singer: You ain't heard nothin; yet, folks! One of the last holdouts on the original AFI 100 list to make it to DVD. Warner Brothers went all-out for this 80th-Anniversary edition, and actually, some of the extras excite me more than the feature, which I don't think holds up well at all. But oddly, according to several different sources, the extras barely address the fact that Jolson does his infamous blackface bit in this one. Now, I'm thrilled that WB saw fit to release this uncensored without making a huge deal out of it (unlike the censored Tom and Jerry cartoons their TV division has been dumping on us), but I thought one of the things this movie was "known" for, other than its arguable status as the first talkie, was Jolson in blackface. I guess WB figures if they ignore it, they won't get in trouble.