DVD Releases

Terrorism with a twist...or two or three

We assume that as co-scripter of "The Day After Tomorrow," writer Jeffrey Nachmanoff had something to do with bolstering the movie's many popcorn moments - run from that psychopathic cold front, Jake, run! - with smart touches such as speculating how a continental freeze might invert US-Mexico relations. As director of "Traitor" (2008), Nachmanoff brings a similar sensibility to the terrorism thriller, delivering a story that faintly echoes "Traffic" in its mix of opposing perspectives and gritty action. Nachmanoff even casts "Traffic" cop Don Cheadle (near right) as Samir, a Sudanese-American Muslim whose childhood was shattered by terror abroad, and who's now a former military operative seemingly willing to sell his explosives know-how to anyone. This includes underground figure Omar (Saïd Taghmaoui, far right), whom Samir meets on a buy that goes bad, landing them both in a Yemeni prison, and on the radar of a dogged FBI agent (Guy Pearce). After a time, Samir begins to see some logic in Omar's jihad preachings - Nachmanoff references a provocative argument that Americans were once terrorists to the British - and agrees to help him carry out a string of attacks reaching from the French Riviera to the American heartland. But as the title hints, the situation is complex. The way it all unfolds leads to a climax that's implausible and politically diffident, but a doozy for suspense.

Extras: Slim featurettes fail to grab any interview time with co-writer Steve Martin. (Anchor Bay, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98; available Dec. 19)

MUSICAL

MAMMA MIA! (2008)

You may bop your head in agreement to this ABBA-fied musical, even though the movie's early going is excruciating. Greek-island bohemian Meryl Streep gets flustered when her about-to-marry daughter (Amanda Seyfried) invites Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgård to the wedding, determined to learn which of Streep's old flames is her dad. The retro-pop gimmick starts to click as the movie mixes in more pensive, yearning numbers like "SOS" and "The Winner Takes It All," conveying enough emotion that Streep and Brosnan's vocal limitations don't matter a lick.

Extras: Sing-along feature; production featurettes. (Universal, $34.98; single-disc edition, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98)

DOCUMENTARY

AMERICAN TEEN (2008)

Director Nanette Burstein's Sundance-darling documentary presents a year in the lives of "Breakfast Club-by" social types at an Indiana high school - and impressively, does so with a minimum of self-consciousness. The trailer gave a taste of the film's flair for "Napoleon Dynamite" plainly presented absurdity: recall the cast geek joking with a painfully unimpressed girl about the greasy faceprint he's left on her table. But there's also some surprising substance in scenes such as one girl fighting back tears over a nasty online humiliation, and the resident artsy chick battling depression, seemingly to little sympathy from the school.

Extras: Cast interviews; deleted scenes. (Paramount, $26.99)

TELEVISION THE FLINTSTONES: THE COMPLETE SERIES (1960-66) A recent reissue of Fred's spy-themed theatrical one-off left us with a case of Flintstones on the brain, but also missing our real favorites - Fred muttering "I love my mother-in-law," feuding with Barney over pool rights, etc., etc. All 166 episodes of the much-beloved and often-reprised animated series are collected in a package that's shaped like a way-pre-HDTV set, along with the series pilot, some vintage commercials, and much more. (Warner, $129.72; available now) Titles are in stores Tuesday unless otherwise specified.

ALSO THIS WEEK

THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR (2008)

This franchise's initial allure lay in the realization that Brendan Fraser doing Indiana Jones lite was as close as we'd get to seeing "Indy 4." Fast forward nine years, and Harrison Ford is back in the fedora, making the struggle for relevance even tougher here. Fraser is game, but Jet Li's mummified Chinese baddie and his CG hordes are stale as the air in their ancient crypt.

Extras: Commentary by director Rob Cohen; production featurettes. (Universal, $34.98; single-disc edition, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98)

THE HOUSE BUNNY (2008) Anna Faris gets booted out of her centerfold digs but finds a new home in a sorority begging for a makeover. From the writers of "Legally Blonde." Extras: Requisite behind-the-scenes featurette with the real "Girls Next Door." (Sony, $28.96; Blu-ray, $39.95; available Dec. 19)

REISSUE MR. BEAN: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION (2008) Rowan Atkinson's veddy British bungler is showcased in a seven-disc set that includes his original TV appearances, two movies, and the cartoon spinoff. Extras: Previously unaired sketches. (A&E, $69.95)

TELEVISION GENERATION KILL (2008) "The Wire" creator David Simon takes on the Iraq war in his acclaimed cable miniseries. Grittily convincing, but not quite as head-and-shoulders above the rest of the genre as you've heard. Extras: Commentaries; conversation with 1st Recon Marines. (HBO, $59.99; Blu-ray, $79.98)

THE COSBY SHOW (1984-92) Flash back to the days when the Huxtables, not the Sox, were sometime producer Tom Werner's pride and joy, as the series' eight-season run is collected with new interview material from Cosby. (First Look, $139.98; available now)