DVD Picks

Pick of the Week

Black Dynamite

Action comedy spoof; rated R; 88 min.

The gist: One-man army and infamous African-American action hero Black Dynamite returns to his old stomping grounds to avenge his brother's death, take on nefarious drug dealers and stick it to The Man.

The lowdown: Co-screenwriter and star Michael Jai White headlines this exercise in 1970s blaxploitation fidelity, which knows exactly what it is doing in every scene. In some sequences, the movie is impressively authentic to the '70s subgenre, right down to the saturated color schemes, smash cuts and gratuitous nudity. In other scenes, it steps back just enough to wink and nod with satirical affection. In any case, it's one of the funniest DVDs of the year so far. Be sure to watch the opening trailers, which feature actual contemporary action movies - also starring Jai White - that appear much less entertaining and much more graphically violent. Marvel at this juxtaposition and lament the state of the world.

The extras: Filmmaker and cast commentary track; deleted scenes; alternate scenes; two featurettes, including the apparently de rigueur Comic-Con preview doc.

The bottom line: A very entertaining DVD experience, with a pitch-perfect understanding of why those old Fred Williamson and Richard Roundtree movies were such fun in the first place.

Double secret bonus tip: Rent with the recent 1980s horror homage "House of the Devil" for an awesome DVD double feature that twists the fabric of time/space itself! (Note: The N&O is not responsible for any attendant temporal rifts.)

Also new this week

Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever

Horror; rated R (DVD features unrated cut); 86 min

The gist: Set a few days after the events of the first movie, the sequel follows the effects of a gruesome virus, this time around winding up in the punch bowl at the local high school prom.

The lowdown: Similar in style and tone to the first movie, which is in turn a kind of meta-funny update to hard-core goofiness like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "CF2: SF" was filmed in 2007, is new to DVD, and may get a theatrical run this spring. Confusing, isn't it? Complicating matters further, director Ti West (the excellent "House of the Devil"; see above) has since disavowed the film, claiming studio meddling.

The extras: One making-of featurette and a "Gore Reel" that delivers exactly what it promises.

The bottom line: Bloody, profane and stoopid. Fans of this variety of gleeful gore porn will be satisfied; those tired of same will find it both excessive and boring. The last reel shows definite signs of post-production meddling.

Double secret bonus tip: The original and (relatively) superior "Cabin Fever" also hits Blu-ray this week.

Quick Picks

" Coco Before Chanel" stars Audrey Tautou in the story of the hardscrabble young woman who would reinvent herself as 20th-century fashion icon Coco Chanel. " Law Abiding Citizen," a brutal vigilante thriller with a Twist, stars Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler, and is particularly hard on the stomach. If you want to feel much better about yourself and human nature generally, post-rental, track down instead the inspiring documentary " Lives That Changed the World: Nelson Mandela" from the Smithsonian Network.