Our DVD pick of the week is...

THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA’S BEST IDEA – This aptly named Ken Burns series, narrated by Peter Coyote, is an exquisitely organized history of our national treasures, full of amazing imagery and information. Celeb voice-overs and stunning High Def photography give this entertaining 6-disc collection a nice veneer to boot!

And the rest of the week's releases...

TERMINATOR SALVATION – Directed by someone so cool that he goes only by "McG," and starring everyone's favorite American psycho Christian Bale...

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN – Watch this if you liked the first installment, but mostly watch it for a scene in which former museum security guard Ben Stiller has a "don't let your hands cross this line" showdown with his younger replacement. Harmless fun.

EVERY LITTLE STEP – This terrific little documentary gets right up close and personal with a bevy of would-be chorus line stars, leading up to the moment of their audition and beyond. You don’t have to be a show biz wannabe to enjoy this one.

MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY – “Elegant, intelligent, and powerful” independent feature starring Wyatt Cenac of THE DAILY SHOW. A love story of bicycles and one-night stands told through two African-American twenty-somethings dealing with the conundrum of being a minority in a rapidly gentrifying San Francisco.

PAPER HEART – Kudos to the casting director responsible for finding a younger, cuter, more female version of Michael Cera, and for pairing them up in this sweet, awkward, hoodie-romance.

ISLAND ETUDES – This is a lovely film from Taiwan, the kind with respectable characters you actually like! The story follows a handsome, young, deaf college student on his 7 day bicycle trip around the island. A delightfully plausible, simple and compelling film.

EVERGREEN – A gritty little slice of ‘Sundance Nominated’ mom-and-daughter realism, set in the Pacific Northwest, of course!

BEN 10: ALIEN SWARM – Hey it’s that comic/video game/tv show/toy turned animated/live-action action/adventure film your kids seem to know all about, even though you’ve never heard of the thing.

SLAUGHTERED VOMIT DOLLS – I have got to hand it to director Lucifer Valentine- having seen some pretty twisted cinema in my day- this is seriously affecting, highly personal, bizarre, and perhaps even a little bit wrong. In other words, it’s the hard-core experimental must see of the season!

…..and later this week:

A CHRISTMAS TALE – Catherine Deneuve stars in the most highly acclaimed French drama to come this way in some time. Personal tragedy forces a splintered family back together in this dark yet loving portrait.

CHERI – Prolific Brit Stephen Frears (HIGH FIDELITY, THE QUEEN, DANGEROUS LIAISIONS) directs Michelle Pfeiffer once again in this artful adaptation of a naughty novel by Colette. I personally can't wait to watch this one.

BILL FRISELL: BLUES DREAM – This is an absolutely wonderful collection of collaborations from one of the most important guitarists of the 21st century. Fans of intelligent, adventurous music- listen up!

Our DVD pick of the week:

Gomorrah (Criterion Collection) - Move over, Godfather - this is modern Italy, and man, it is gritty. This critically acclaimed, multiple award winning feature from Italy takes a cold, hard look at the Camorra crime syndicate's infiltration into every aspect of Italian society. Martin Scorsese describes it thusly: "I admire the bluntness of this picture, and the devotion of Garrone and his actors in their pursuit of a terrible truth. 'Gomorrah' is despairing, but it's also enlightening and, because of its frankness, strangely heartening." This one is sure to be a classic of the mobster genre.

And the rest of this week's new releases...

Funny People - Adam Sandler goes against type as a famous comedian who makes crappy movies and can't help but laugh at his own jokes (but seriously, he was perfect in this). Seth Rogen plays the lovable loser who ends up writing Sandler's jokes for him when he finds out he's dying and he loses his ability to be smarmy. Another surprisingly touching film for the bromance genre - keep 'em coming, sensitive dudes!

Encounters - This British dramedy concerns the lives of ten people at a speed-dating event in London, shot in a documentary style and devoid of distracting big name stars. Sure to be worth it!

Angels & Demons - In this sort-of-sequel to THE DAVINCI DOCE, you will once again find more Catholic intrigue than you can shake a sacred scroll at. Starring Tom Hanks and the breathtaking city of Rome.

Thirst - from Korea's Park Chan-wook, director of OLDBOY, comes a darkly humorous, erotic modern vampire story about a priest who develops an insatiable craving for blood after a transfusion.

Shorts - the latest from Robert Rodriguez, director of SPY KIDS, proves that he is still in touch with his inner child - in a good way. This time kids get their various fantastical wishes granted by a magic rock, in several short vignettes all tied together by a lonely kid who narrates.

The Maiden Heist - Dream team alert! Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman, and William H. Macy are incompetent museum security guards who hatch a plan to save their favorite works of art from being sent to another museum.

Imagine That - Eddie Murphy in another diversion that little ones will be mesmerized by.

Luxury Car - From China. A village schoolteacher searches for his missing son in the big city, and finds his daughter there instead, dating a mobster who may have had a hand in her brother's death. Starring Chinese pop diva Tian Yuan.

Life on Mars season 2 - the award-winning BBC series that sends a modern cop back in time to the 1970s is back for a second season of surreal fun. Not to be confused with the American remake.

Four Christmases - every year brings more holiday family mayhem, this time with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon.

Three Monkeys - from the critically acclaimed Turkish director of DISTANT and CLIMATES. A politician is involved in a hit-and-run, his loyal driver takes the rap, the driver's wife has an affair with the politician, and the driver's son finds out. Tension city!

Blood Moon Rising - grindhouse style fun starring Ron Jeremy and featuring zombies, Satan's daughter, werewolves, and vampires. And a “hippie girl” and a comic book geek as mankind's only salvation.

How to Be – TWILIGHT teen dream Robert Pattinson plays a depressed wannabe musician who hires a Canadian self-help guru to make himself more “normal.”

Toi et Moi – a light, charming French romantic comedy! Starring Marion Cotillard (Edith Piaf in LA VIE EN ROSE) and Julie Depardieu (BLAME IT ON FIDEL!).

36 Quai des Orfèvres – This critically acclaimed thriller stars French superstars Daniel Auteuil and Gérard Depardieu as two cops competing for the position of Chief of Police. The title is the address of the French equivalent to Scotland Yard.

Full Metal Village - Wacken is a small village in the German countryside that annually hosts 70,000 metalheads at the Wacken Open Air Music Festival. Heavy metal + local farmers = a charming documentary glimpse into two worlds colliding.

ICHI-1 - The prequel to Takashi Miike's ICHI THE KILLER, this stylish high school showdown is based on the original manga.

All Tomorrow's Parties – cobbled together from audience footage of ATP music festivals and featuring Belle & Sebastian, Sonic Youth, Iggy & the Stooges, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Animal Collective, & more!!!