Susan’s DVD Update for week of Friday, Oct. 15:
Edward Norton stars in the cannabis-fueled comic thriller “Leaves of Grass,” playing both a straight-twin and his stoned-twin brother with Susan Sarandon as their mother and Richard Dreyfuss as a drug dealer.
In “As Good As Dead,” Cary Elwes is an acclaimed New York photojournalist who is kidnapped and tortured by three misguided assailants, led by Andie MacDowell.
Set in ancient Egypt under Roman rule, “Agora” follows astronomer/philosopher Hypatia (Rachel Weisz) as she leads a group of disciples fighting to save the wisdom of the Ancient World as violent religious upheaval erupts in Alexandria.
Re-live the laugh-out-loud bachelor party gone wrong with “The Hanover: Extreme Edition” on Blu-ray Disc with both the theatrical and unrated versions and a 28-page wedding album, filled with missing photos and incriminating evidence of the debauchery.
For foreign film aficionados, “I Am Love” delineates the chaos and confusion that disrupts the carefully ordered life of a wealthy, distinguished Italian family when a stylish wife (Tilda Swinton) embarks on a scandalous, passionate affair with a talented chef.
For those who yearn for film classics, Columbia Classics has launched Screen Classics by Request at www.Columbia-Classics.com, where you can find never-before-released favorites on DVD. There are trailers and clips at www.youtube.com/ColumbiaClassics.
For children, Seseme Street presents the “edu-taining” “Welcome to Israel” and “Chanukah: The Missing Minorah,” featuring Debra Messing, Jake Gyllenhaal, Christina Applegate, Greg Kinnear and Debi Mazar. “The Essential Bugs Bunny Collection” pays tribute to one of the world’s most beloved cartoon characters, and the “Peanuts Holiday Collection” features those family classics on Blu-ray for the first time.
At the bottom of the barrel is the savage Western “Jonah Hex,” based on a legendary DV Comics hero with Josh Brolin as the vengeance-propelled Louisiana Civil War veteran whose family has been brutally killed by Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich).
PICK OF THE WEEK: Set on the remote island of Berk in a world of ancient Nordic warriors and mythical creatures, the animated “How to Train Your Dragon” is a captivating adventure/comedy about a Viking teenager with lots of heart.