— by Carl Davis and Alex Biese "The Weather Man" (2005) "The Weather Man" went largely unnoticed by both critics and moviegoers when it was released in theaters. But with a little luck, this comedy-drama will find an audience on DVD. Directed by Gore Verbinski ("Pirates of the Caribbean"), it's an "About Schmidt"-like tale of a Chicago TV weatherman (Nicolas Cage) seeking professional and personal happiness while also hoping to find out why he keeps getting fast food thrown at him on the street. Oscar winner Michael Caine is so good as Cage's father that it's easy to forgive the mysterious English/American hybrid accent he employs in the film. Paramount Home Video has included the following extras: "Extended Outlook: The Script" "Forecast: Becoming a Weatherman" "Atmospheric Pressure: The Style and Palette" "Relative Humidity: The Characters" "Trade Winds: The Collaboration" Theatrical trailer "Domino" (2005) Jean-Luc Godard once declared that "all you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun." By that definition, at least, director Tony Scott ("True Romance") and screenwriter Richard Kelly ("Donnie Darko") have created one hell of a film with "Domino." Based (loosely) on the life of the daughter of actor Laurence Harvey, onetime model and L.A. bounty hunter Domino Harvey (Keira Knightley), the flick is so loud, fast and hot that it almost doesn't really matter that the plot is, not infrequently, incoherent. The movie features performances by unlikely comeback kid Mickey Rourke, Lucy Liu and Christopher Walken, but the Best Cameo prize goes to singer/songwriter Tom Waits as a preacher who visits Domino in the midst of a drug trip in the middle of the desert. New Line Cinema has included the following extras: Deleted and alternate scenes with optional commentary by director Tony Scott Audio commentaries with cast and crew "I Am a Bounty Hunter": A look at the life of Domino Harvey with optional commentary from Richard Kelly and Harvey "Bounty Hunting on Acid: Evolution of a Visual Style": A look at Tony Scott's visual style Theatrical trailer Teaser trailer "Pulse" (2001) After being tied up for years due to U.S. remake-rights issues, Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa's groundbreaking techno-horror masterpiece "Kairo," rechristened "Pulse" for ease of consumption, is finally seeing the light of day in the States. Once again, Kurosawa ("Cure," "Bright Future") has created a horror film that is utterly terrifying, but one that also asks much bigger questions about humanity's place in the modern world. Michi (Kumiko Aso) finds that her friend and co-worker, Taguchi, has committed suicide, but his body has disappeared from his apartment. At the same time, college freshman Ryosuke (Haruhiko Kato) logs on to his new computer only to find a strange Web site full of grainy, disconcerting phantoms asking the question "Would you like to meet a ghost?" As more people begin to disappear in search of a digital afterlife, Michi and Ryosuke meet in a rapidly depopulating Tokyo to search for an answer to the phenomenon. Magnolia Home Entertainment has included the following extras: Behind-the-scenes featurette "Rent" (2005) What makes this version of the late Jonathan Larson's musical about life in New York's bohemian community in the early 1990s special is the fact that, like last year's remake of the "The Producers," the majority of the original Broadway cast members reprise their roles onscreen. In other words, the film adaptation of one of the most successful Broadway musicals in recent history really is, surprisingly, something to sing about. New to the group are Rosario Dawson ("Sin City") and director Chris Columbus, whose previous journey to the gritty underbelly of the big city was 1992's "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York." Sony Pictures has included the following extras on the two-disc special edition DVD: Director and selected cast commentary Feature-length documentary, "No Day But Today" "Days of Inspiration": Jonathan Larson's formative years, from childhood through college "Leap of Faith": Larson's move to New York and the subsequent experiences and projects that led him to write "Rent" "Another Day": The creation process of the musical from conception to the final dress rehearsal "Without You": The death of Jonathan Larson, and the show's amazing success story from off-Broadway to worldwide phenomenon "Over the Moon": Covers the making of the movie with a final tribute to Larson Deleted scenes and musical performances PSAs: Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation; National Marfan Foundation "Space Amoeba" (1971) Japanese director Ishiro Honda single-handedly created one of the world's most recognized film icons and simultaneously launched the popular "kaiju" genre with his anti-war opus and seminal giant-monster movie, "Godzilla" (a.k.a. "Gojira"). He never strayed too far from the genre that made him famous, and worked almost exclusively on "kaiju" films throughout the '60s and '70s. "Space Amoeba" (a.k.a. "Yog, Monster From Space") was one of Honda's last pictures, made when the popularity of the "kaiju" genre was waning in Japan and as a result suffered from a meager budget and a lack of studio support. Still, Honda's vivid imagination, coupled with longtime friend and collaborator Akira Ifukube's magnificent score, make this worthy of the genre's fans' attention. A contaminated space probe crashes on a remote island in the Pacific, causing some of the local wildlife (an octopus, a crab and a turtle, to be exact) to mutate into enormous monstrous versions of themselves. This poses quite a problem for the island's residents and the wealthy industrialist planning to build a resort in their midst. "Gantz: First Season Box Set" (2004-2005) This ultra-violent, nihilistic and addictive Japanese animated series has been generating substantial buzz in the anime community and even larger sales figures on the home-video market since it was first released last year. While the series was heavily censored when it first aired on Japanese television, ADV Films has done its best to deliver the uncensored version of each episode, complete with a new English vocal dub that matches the original Japanese scripts. Following a simple, mysterious premise — a group of recently deceased people are brought together by the bizarre black sphere known only as the Gantz, outfitted with weapons and instructed to dispatch a number of alien terrors or die a second time — the groundbreaking show mixes philosophical conceits with nonstop action set pieces to provide a unique viewing experience. Make no mistake — this anime is definitely for adults as sex, gore and profanity are found throughout the series. In addition to episodes 1-13, ADV Films has also included the following extras in this six-disc box set: Clean opening/closing animation Interviews with the production staff Original Japanese TV promo spots "Action: The Complete Series" (1999) It's hard to believe that the edgy comedy "Action," which routinely featured storylines peppered with four-letter words and revolving around illicit affairs and illegal substances, could ever have survived in the "family friendly" climate of network television. Taking its cue from "The Player," "Action" finds movie producer Peter Dragon (comedian Jay Mohr) foundering after the box-office disaster of his last big action picture ("Slow Torture"). Anxious for another hit, he green lights the questionable script for "Beverly Hills Gun Club," only to have to deal with the film's demanding writer, Adam Rafkin (Jarrad Paul). With a supporting cast that includes Illeana Douglas as former-child-star-turned-prostitute-turned-movie-executive Wendy Ward and the late Buddy Hackett as Peter's bumbling Uncle Lonnie, "Action" would have fit in perfectly with the high-concept comedies over at HBO; but frankly, a show this darkly hilarious was doomed from the start. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has included all 13 episodes of the series on this two-disc set. "Ultimate Avengers: The Movie" (2006) In an interesting move, Marvel Enterprises entered into an exclusive deal with Lionsgate Home Entertainment to develop, produce and distribute several animated films based on Marvel properties. This deal is especially intriguing since Marvel, which has had tremendous success with live-action features, has been unable to reproduce the interconnectedness of its universe due to proprietary rights held by competing studios. In this updated version of Marvel's classic team — comprising the armored hero Iron Man, Norse god Thor, Giant Man and his wife, the Wasp — Captain America, in suspended animation long after the end of WWII, is revived and installed as leader of the crew. Their mission? To subdue the rampaging Hulk, reasoning with his alter ego, scientist Bruce Banner, in order to enlist his aid against an alien armada threatening humanity. Lions Gate Home Entertainment has included the following extras: "Avengers Assemble" featurette "The Ultimate Voice Talent Search" "First Look At 'Ultimate Avengers II' " "Avengers" trivia Click here to see last week's "DVD Picks." If you're interested in any of these DVDs — or literally thousands of others — head to The MTV Movie Shop. Visit Movies on MTV.com for Hollywood news, interviews, trailers and more.
	Photos: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment