A wide variety of new DVDs has hit store shelves this week, ranging from the uplifting to the eccentric to the reworking of traditional themes.
"End of the Spear" (Fox, 2006, PG-13, $29.98). This small independent film is the fascinating true story of a sheltered Amazonian tribe in Ecuador that is on the verge of extinction in 1956 when a zealous group of Christian missionaries decides to meet them, convert them and help them to survive.
But the missionaries are met with horrifying violence, and eventually it is their widows who bring about redemption.
The low budget shows through occasionally, and a voice-over narration is heavy-handed, but the film boasts some good cinematography, convincing performances and several excellent set-pieces. (Under the end credits are documentary excerpts of the real-life characters.)
Extras: Widescreen/full-frame options, language options (English, Spanish), subtitle options (English, Spanish, French), chapters.
"The Quiet Earth" (Anchor Bay, 1985; rated R violence, sex, nudity, language; $24.98). This New Zealand end-of-the-world picture (with a plot that resembles 1959's "The World, the Flesh and the Devil") begins with a man (Bruno Lawrence, who co-wrote the film) awakening to discover he may be the only person left on the planet after a strange worldwide time/space accident.
But eventually he meets up with a woman, and they find comfort with each other. Until they meet up with another man.
A disquieting art film, character study, mood piece that is at times bizarre but remains fascinating right up to the enigmatic conclusion.
Extras: Widescreen, audio commentary, trailer, chapters, eight-page booklet.
"Nate and Hayes" (Paramount, 1983, PG, $14.99). This seafaring "Raiders of the Lost Ark" rip-off gets a boost from the casting of young Tommy Lee Jones in the lead role as a principled pirate with a soft heart who teams up with a missionary (Michael O'Keefe) to battle evil pirates.
Surprisingly good fun, as it moves along at a lickety-split pace, and Jones seems to be having a great time.
Extras: Widescreen, language options (English, French), optional English subtitles, chapters.
"16 Blocks" (Warner, 2006, PG-13, $28.98). It's an old story: A burned-out cop finds redemption by standing up to his crooked colleagues to protect an informer. But Bruce Willis as the cop and Mos Def as the prisoner make it work with good performances and a nice blend of chemistry and wit. Directed by Richard Donner (the "Lethal Weapon" films).
Extras: Separate widescreen and full-frame editions, alternate ending, deleted scenes, trailer, language options (English, French), subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters.
"Mother Teresa" (Fox, 2003, not rated, $19.98). Olivia Hussey, who played the Virgin Mary in the 1977 TV miniseries "Jesus of Nazareth," here plays Mother Teresa, starting with her epiphany in Calcutta that her calling is to care for the destitute. Hussey is excellent, but this is apparently a cut-down version of a European TV miniseries, and the film feels choppy and abrupt.
Extras: Widescreen, subtitle options (English, Spanish), chapters.
"The Sisters" (Union Station/Anchor Bay, 2006; R for language, sex, nudity; $26.98). This film adaptation of a play that was "inspired" by Anton Chekov's "The Three Sisters" is a stagey whine fest and a waste of capable talent — Maria Bello, Erika Christensen, Mary Stuart Masterson, Tony Goldwyn, Eric McCormack, Chris O'Donnell, Rip Torn. They all play obnoxious characters as the Russian period piece is placed in a modern-day American university, forcing them to wallow through soap-opera plotting.
Extras: Widescreen, audio commentary, optional English subtitles, chapters.
"Aquamarine" (Fox, 2006, PG, $29.98). Tween version of "Splash" has a snarky but beautiful mermaid enlisting the aid of a pair of 13-year-old girls to help her find true love in exchange for one magical wish. Trouble is, they all like the same boy. Pretty lame, though easy-to-please youngsters may not care.
Extras: Widescreen/full-frame options, audio commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes, language options (English, Spanish, French), subtitle options (English, Spanish), chapters.
E-mail: hicks@desnews.com