DVD Pick of the Week for 12/27: Grizzly Man

The final week of 2005 does not offer up all that much in must have releases. There are some intriguing to be sure, but it did not make my choosing a pick of the week all that easy. However, I have soldiered on and made a choice. Although, I am guessing you already read the title of the column and know what my ultimate decision was. For those of you who skipped the title and happened to blindly choose me, this week's pick is Grizzly Man.

Werner Herzog directed this documentary about Timothy Treadwell. Treadwell spent 13 summers in the wilds of Alaska, living with the bears. He was there to learn about them and interact with them, in addition to being their defender. That is, until the fateful summer of 2003 when Treadwell and his girlfriend were attacked and eaten by one of the bears.

Timothy Treadwell filmed hundreds of hours worth of footage that Herzog has taken and compiled into this film. He combined it with new interview footage of Treadwell's friends, family, and those others who knew him, such as the pilot who found him after the incident. The movie is an interesting look into a strange and increasingly paranoid individual. It is definitely worth checking out.

Also coming out this week:

• 2046. Wong Kar Wai's latest offering is wonderfully stylish and terribly obtuse. I liked it, but not sure I could explain it to you. It stars Tony Leung and the lovely Zhang Ziyi.
• American Pie Presents: Band Camp. Direct to video sequel, featuring Eugene Levy and a cast of unknowns. Not sure I want to waste my time on this.
• Brain Dead. Roger Corman produced horror film starring Bill Pullman and Bill Paxton.
• Dark Water. The latest J-horror remake turned out to be an effective slowly paced drama. Not at the level of the Ring but still good. It stars Jennifer Connolly and John C. Reilly.
• Eko Eko Azarak: The Movie (Complete Collection). Trilogy of horror films in the vein of The Craft. I have seen, and enjoyed the first 2, but could never find the 3rd, now they are all here in a single box set.
• Into the Blue. Too many music video segments hurt this, but it still does a decent job of building suspense. Plus, Jessica Alba looks absolutely amazing.
• Nowhere Man: The Complete Series. I have vague memories of this series, I remember really liking what I saw, and sad that I never saw all of it. Now is my chance to see it all.
• Toy Story 2: 2 Disk Special Edition. New remastered edition of the classic Pixar film.
• The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. Another interesting documentary release this week. This one features a man who became a virtual member of a flock of parrots living in San Francisco. Not so much a documentary as a peek into this man's life with the birds.

That's it for this week.