DVD Pick of the Week: Brick

This weeks top pick was one of the easiest choices of the year. This week brings with it what is, at the moment, my pick for best film of the year. It is a controversial choice, but it is mine. There are a few other notable releases this week, but one stood out from the pack.

This week's pick is none other than Brick. What? You've never heard of it? Why am I not surprised? No, I'm not knocking you or anything like that, but this film did not get a very wide distribution. That fact is a shame, this is an original film that is completely engrossing.

Brick is a mash up of the high school teen film genere and the noir genre. It is an intriguing blend that presents itself as existing in some alternate reality. This reality looks like yours and mine, but everyone talks a little bit different. Everyone talks as if they are from a hard boiled detective drama from the 1940s. At times it is a bit hard to follow the words, but you will always understand what is meant.

It stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who also starred in last year's excellently icky Mysterious Skin) as a high schooler who finds his estranged girlfriend murdered. He then sets out to stir up a little trouble and get to the bottom of the mystery. It was writtena nd directed by Rian Johnson in his big screen debut. He is an interesting new voice of the cinema.

Also out this week:

• CSA: The Confederate States of America. This looks interesting, a look, by way of faux documentary about the US if the South won the war.
• Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth. Not exactly a high point of the series, but it has not been availble for some time.
• The Hidden Blade. The followup to the excellent Twilight Samurai is here. I have not seen it yet, but it looks interesting.
• Inside Man. This is not your typical Spike Lee film, it is also a pretty good heist film, and well worth checking out.
• Last Holiday. The Queen Latifah comedy is one I missed in theaters, but looks like it may be decent, Latifah is usually very good on the big screen.
• Prison Break: Season One. One of the best new shows of last year arrives on DVD 2 weeks prior to the starty of season 2. This is an excellent show.
• Toshiro Mifune: The Ultimate Collection (Samurai, The Ambush: Incident at Blood Pass, Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo, Akage, Under the Banner of Samurai). Nobody does it better than Mifune when it comes to the samurai film.
• Ultimate Avengers 2. The first one was very good, hopefully this second outing will build on that.

What are you getting this week?