5 movie DVDs I want to own

There's a good reason I don't own these: They don't exist. While I made a semi-resolution to watch more of the damn things I DO own, I can't help but pine for more. Here are 5 I'd buy tomorrow...or at least this weekend after I get paid.

The African Queen: This isn't even in my top 10 of Bogart flicks, but any movie with him, let alone one with Katharine Hepburn as well, should be on DVD, and the fact that this fondly remembered classic is still MIA this many years into the format is a national embarrassment. President Obama, please quit messing around with Gitmo and look into this situation. The lack of a Region 1 disc of "Queen" has already done incalculable damage to our standing around the globe.

Adaptation Special Edition: It's been 6 or 7 years since I resisted buying the skimpy Sony DVD of this Spike Jonze film because I read that a jazzed-up Special Edition was forthcoming. Hey, I'm still waiting! The movie is one of the best of the decade and certainly can stand on its own, but it's trippy enough to warrant ample bonus features. Besides, wasn't the extra material already prepared? I'm gonna take the high road and assume this is not a case of Sony getting cold feet and giving up on a great effort, but rather yet another brilliant mind-blower from screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, a bizarre experiment in delaying audience expectations...and, uh, sales.

The Night of the Hunter Special Edition: Speaking of movies that are out on DVD but not in appropriate prestigious versions, I give you Charles Laughton's classic "Night of the Hunter," only I don't give it to you with the supplemental material that it deserves. Several years ago, I remember reading a SE was on the way. We're not getting any younger, and we're sure as hell not waiting for a Blu-Ray. Give us a snazzy DVD of this one already. I LOVE the picture, but I HATE waiting.

Let It Be: No! No, I will not just Let It Be. Sure, this Beatles movie is often depressing, and it hardly paints the most flattering portrait of the band. But why do The Beatles need to worry about how they come off in anything at this point? They're Beatles! Besides, the movie ends on a triumphant note with the famous rooftop concert, the inclusion of which alone is enough to merit a decent home video release. It doesn't look like Paul and Ringo are at all eager to release this, but maybe they'll change their minds.

Pitfall: I don't even care if this 1948 film noir classic gets a special edition or comes out as part of a super-duper box set. I just want to see it again, and the video store that rented me a copy of the old Republic VHS tape is too far away, so I want to own the movie on DVD. The name "Dick Powell" should be enough to get this out, but sadly, we all know that's not the case. I'd even consider paying 20 bucks for a lousy Warner Archives copy of this if it were legitimate--and of Warners had the rights. I'm not sure if Paramount, Lionsgate, or Scrooge McDuck owns the rights to this picture, and I don't care except in terms of how likely it is to come to DVD someday. Even the most despairing noir protagonists have more hope than I do for an official "Pitfall" release.