Southland Tales
Sony
Available now

After 2001's arguably overrated Donnie Darko, audiences were chomping at the bit to see what else creator Richard Kelly had to offer.

Alas, the DVD version of Southland Tales, a "futuristic comedy-musical" that was re-cut following a disastrous premiere at Cannes, is a mesmerizing mess. The movie takes place in an alternative universe in which a nuclear attack on Texas in 2005 has brought upon the Third World War. Three years later in Southern California, action star Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson has been kidnapped, and the only person knowing his whereabouts is adult video star Sarah Michelle Gellar. Other storylines include Justin Timberlake as an embittered veteran who performs a Big Lebowski-inspired lip synch to the Killers' All These Things That I've Done, and a rebel uprising featuring several cast members of Saturday Night Live.

With a finale cribbed from Back to the Future Part II (ever wonder what would have happened if the two Marty McFlys met?), this apocalyptic satire flounders under its own pompous weight.

El Cid
Alliance
Available now

Anthony Mann, director of a legendary series of westerns starring James Stewart (The Naked Spur, Winchester '73), had something to prove with this three hour-plus tale of gallant Spanish hero Rodrigo Diaz (Charlton Heston), after being fired from the production of Spartacus.

A boldly innovative tale in the annals of the then-popular epic and infused with sublime, panoramic visuals, El Cid focuses on a historical figure who used compassion instead of force to drive the Moors from Spain, all while fending off the doubts of his own people - including doting fiancée (Sophia Loren).

The DVD is an immaculate, three-disc affair, with documentaries on nearly every facet of production and its crew, from Mann to admirer Martin Scorsese.

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Amanda Stefaniuk is a freelance writer who literally grew up in a video store.