Of the few remakes of classic movies that almost equal their source material, Philip Kaufman's 1978 retelling of Invasion of the Body Snatchers receives a better-than-average DVD release from MGM. The film print doesn't look like it has been restored for this release (and it needs to be), but it's great to have this terrifying movie back in widescreen, and the disc's extras are much better than average. The tense, hyper-paranoid sci-fi thriller is smartly directed by Kaufman and beautifully shot by master cinematographer Michael Chapman (Raging Bull, The Fugitive). The DVD presents the film in a widescreen transfer and it also comes with in a pan-and-scan version on the flip side. There's nothing wrong with the transfer, but the source print hasn't been restored and it shows plenty of wear and tear. That said, Michael Chapman's excellent lighting and camera work still comes through beautifully, and Denny Zeitlin's truly unsettling score really gets under your skin on the Dolby audio track. The disc features an excellent commentary track by Kaufman, who really takes you through the making of the movie scene by scene. The commentary will be appreciated more by filmmakers and students than by sci-fi fans, as Kaufman concentrates on how he and Chapman shot the movie rather than going into the complexities of the movie's subtexts. The disc also includes a short documentary called "Pod Culture," which shows you the similarities and differences in each movie version. As an added bonus, the DVD comes with a booklet that is surprisingly interesting and well worth reading (most booklets in DVD's are complete jokes hastily done by copywriters rather than people interested in the movie in question). While this disc isn't perfect, many fans will be glad to own it, and it proves that Invasion of the Body Snatchers remains one of the best horror and sci-fi movies of the 1970s. This DVD only enhances the film's stature.

The special edition of The Usual Suspects has much going for it, on both sides of the disc. Naturally there is a commentary track with director Bryan Singer and Oscar-winning writer Christopher McQuarrie. Naturally, it is very interesting and detail heavy. There is also another commentary track featuring composer John Ottman, who offers insights the other two do not. With such a dialogue-intensive script as this, the soundtrack has to be up to snuff, and the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround here has been designed to highlight the words without muting the ambient noise. This DVD makes the best case yet in the argument for widescreen vs. pan-and-scan because it gives you the option. Choose the 2.35:1 anamorphic letterboxed version and you'll see a digitized movie the way it was supposed to be seen, in sharp colors and remarkable clarity; choose the TV-style full-frame version and you'll see scenes where the person talking isn't on the screen, and the visual image is slightly dreary. New supplements include "Pursuing the Suspects," a documentary about the casting choices, and "Doin' Time With The Usual Suspects," which collects interviews with the cast members as they talk about the movie and their lives after. "Heisting Cannes with The Usual Suspects" goes to France with the cast and feels like an elaborate home movie. "Keyser Soze: Lie or Legend" continues the parlor game of Who Was Soze? that fans of the movie love to play. Speaking of games, an easter egg is solved if you can piece together the order the clues to Soze's identity appear in the film, with your reward being even more documentary material, one having to do with the film's composer. Less interesting is an elaborate, indulgent gag reel of outtakes introduced by Singer that is nearly a short movie in itself. It's not very interesting, but the rest of the disc is fascinating.

Road House has received a fun special edition via this DVD from MGM. This disc comes up aces in the transfer department: the video transfer offers a sharp, anamorphically enhanced widescreen transfer with strong levels of detail and color while the audio track uses the film's original Dolby Surround stereo mix, which delivers all the sonic details with plenty of clarity and punch. This disc also offers a hefty collection of extras. First up is a pair of commentary tracks. The first features director Rowdy Herrington, who gives the film a nuts-and-bolts dissection from a directorial standpoint. It suffers from periodic gaps of silence but still offers plenty of worthwhile information for the fans. Also included is a commentary by Road House fans, director Kevin Smith and his producing partner Scott Mosier. They offer a sometimes witty, sometimes raunchy string of comments on the flick that are likely to appeal to the camp-minded audience that has grown around Road House. There is also a humor-minded trivia track that offers random non-film factoids and plenty of riffing on the film. However, the most satisfying extras on the disc are a pair of featurettes: the first is a retrospective interview with cast and crew that discusses all aspects of the film and the second is a piece that features several real-life bouncers discussing their views on the film and the character of Dalton. Both offer plenty of amusing insights at a fast clip and are well worth the time for the fan. The only flaws in the extras department are the lack of a theatrical trailer and the fact that they didn't bring Patrick Swayze in for a commentary. That said, Road House: Deluxe Edition is likely to make the film's fans happy.